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“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jax wondered. He was looking at Ray while playing with the small ornament in his hands nervously.
Ray was grinning. “Of course,” he said optimistically, “so you get back to decorating the tree. Nate, pick me up? I can’t reach.”
“Gladly,” the historian replied as he wrapped his arms around Ray’s waist and lifted him high enough to reach the ceiling. “And yes, Jax, it’s a wonderful idea. It’s the only way to find out if they’re together or not.”
“Besides just asking them, obviously,” Rip mumbled from where he was seated in one of the chairs, reading a thick book on Victorian England.
“Shut it, Rip,” Ray answered from where he was securing the small decoration to the ceiling, Nate proceeding to set him back on the ground and kiss him deeply.
“Ew,” Jax made a face as he looked at the two.
“What? That’s how it works, right?”
“Well, wonderful,” Rip said, looking at the rest of them, “and now what?”
Nate just laughed. “Now we wait,” he answered.
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Leonard had noticed the mistletoe the second he walked onto the bridge. He glared at the thing discreetly, looking away quickly when anyone turned their face to him, pretending to be absolutely clueless.
He had avoided it ever since, always standing as far away from it as possible, and attempting to look as innocent as possible whenever Mick was near it, and the entire team was looking at him expectantly. “What?” he would ask, looking at them all like he had never so much as pickpocketed in his life.
Two weeks later, on the day of Christmas Eve, the whole team was basically just hanging out on the bridge, with Nate and Ray in the study looking at some book, Sara and Amaya were silently staring at the temporal zone outside, the blonde’s head resting on Amaya’s shoulder. Rip was working on some kind of time-thingy at the console, Stein watching what he was doing curiously, and Jax was sitting under the tree reading up on some kind of engine.
All of them glanced at Mick every now and then, who was sitting on the floor staring at his lighter.
Directly under the mistletoe.
Leonard sauntered in quietly, and walked straight over to his partner.
All heads turned towards him in record time, and only then did he look up to the ceiling.
“Fuck,” he muttered. Sara grinned. “Just follow the rules, crook.”
Mick chuckled. “Got a problem with me, boss?” he said lowly, looking at the other man in fake confusion.
“Of course not,” Leonard muttered.
But he stood up, and walked out quickly. The others, even Rip, looked at each other in confusion as Mick got up quickly and followed his partner out.
He stood still in the doorway to Leonard’s quarter, watching as the other man sat on the edge of his bed. “Hey,” he tried.
“Hey,” Len muttered quietly. Mick took it as an invitation to enter, proceeding to sit next to his partner and put a hand on his leg slowly. “You okay?”
Leonard didn’t answer.
“I’m fine with them knowing,” Mick said. “I’m proud of it. It’s fine if you’re not, but…”
“It’s not that,” Leonard said quickly. “I just don’t have the best mistletoe track record.”
When Mick looked at him confusedly, he continued. “Do you remember Thomas Wilde?”
Mick nodded. “Your first boyfriend. Never liked him.” Len chuckled. “‘Course you didn’t. Anyway, when I was sixteen, we’d been together for about a year. His parents were totally cool with us, and they invited my family over for Christmas dinner. They even agreed to pretending we were just friends, you know, because of my dad.”
Leonard smiled fondly at the memory, falling silent. Mick coughed softly.
“Right. Sorry. Well, Tom’s mom had put up mistletoe in the hallway. So when we were alone, our parents were still at the table and Lisa was playing with his little brother, or something, he pulled me under it and kissed me.” He looked at Mick. “It was wonderful.” The older man shoved him playfully. Leonard laughed. “I’m serious! I felt accepted, and safe.” He sighed. “Until my dad walked in.”
Mick looked at him sympathetically. “Did he make a fuss right then?”
Len shook his head. “He pretended to be okay with it. And he played it well.” He laughed humorlessly. “For a moment I actually thought he was gonna accept me. But when we got home, he beat the shit out of me. I didn’t sleep that night.”
Mick took his hand, squeezing it in an attempt at comfort.
“Tom and I broke up a week later. I told him I was scared, he understood. But we never talked again.” He turned to look at Mick finally, his eyes slightly watering. “I’m sorry, Lenny,” the arsonist muttered.
Leonard smiled through his tears. “Then I got closer to you, and I’ve been happy ever since.”
Mick pulled him close then, kissing his lips unusually softly. Len let his eyes fall closed as he returned the kiss.
“Let’s go,” the thief whispered suddenly.
“What?”
Leonard pulled him up and towards the door. “Let’s go show them.”
They arrived on the bridge moments later, and the entire team stared at them as Leonard yanked Mick close to him, right in the spot where they were earlier, and kissed him with all the passion and love he had.
After about a minute they broke their kiss, in necessity of air, and looked around at the others. Most mouths were hanging open, besides Sara’s. She was grinning like she had always known.
“What,” Mick grumbled after a moment. “Thought it was obvious.”
Leonard chuckled at the professor’s stammering as Mick dove in for another kiss.
“Well,” Rip mumbled, “At least we know.”