Alter

Take 19!

War's hand was already on the car door handle, the chilly evening air creeping in, as he hesitated. He pouted, feeling more than a little robbed of his most anticipated Christmas kiss—the one he'd been imagining since their conversation shifted into something deeper, warmer.

He was about to mumble a half-hearted "Merry Christmas" and make his escape when, out of nowhere, Vee grabbed the back of his neck.

"Wait—" was all War could get out before he was yanked back, colliding straight into Vee's chest with a startled yelp.

His thoughts were cut off abruptly when Vee's lips crashed into his in what had to be the most chaotic kiss War had ever experienced.

It was... not graceful.

War's pout quickly dissolved into a mess of jumbled lips and awkward pressure. He barely had time to close his eyes, feeling his nose smush against Vee's in a way that wasn't cute at all.

For a split second, War considered pulling away, a tiny voice in the back of his head screaming, This is it? This is my Christmas kiss?!

But then Vee's hand threaded through his hair, and something clicked.

At first, they were all over the place. War might've bumped Vee's chin, and there was definitely a moment when their teeth knocked together with a faint clink. It was slightly disastrous. War almost wanted to laugh, but then Vee tilted his head, and suddenly the angle was just right.

The kiss slowed, the tension eased, and it started to get... good.

Really good.

War found himself melting into it, his initial pout completely forgotten. Vee's lips softened, molding to his, their mouths moving in sync now, more naturally, as if they'd done this a thousand times before. The messiness faded, replaced by a deep, warm current of affection that sent a spark running down War's spine.

Vee's hand stayed firm at the nape of his neck, drawing him even closer, and War's grip on Vee's jacket tightened, pulling him in as the kiss deepened. Their breathing grew shallow, the world around them dimming as they got lost in the moment.

It was passionate, amateur in the beginning, but now it was full of feeling, all the awkwardness melting into something sweet and real. When they finally pulled apart, both were slightly breathless, their foreheads resting against each other, eyes still half-closed.

"Merry Christmas," Vee whispered, his lips still brushing against War's.

War blinked, dazed, and finally muttered, "I take back every complaint I had."

Pulling apart after that kiss was like trying to escape a gravity field. War and Vee's noses brushed together, and they exchanged breathless whispers about how they were crazy for each other, like it was some huge revelation.

But Vee, always trying to be the bigger person (or at least pretending to be), was wrestling with himself.

"You should go back to your hotel room," he said, his voice tight, though his eyes were still locked on War's lips like he might kiss him again at any second.

War groaned like a kid denied dessert, clearly unimpressed with Vee's attempt at self-control. His gaze darted right back to Vee's lips, and with a dangerously low voice, he asked, "Do I have to?" The way he said it made it sound like the least appealing idea in the world.

Vee was barely holding on, his mind scrambling for something—anything—responsible to say. "If I don't stop now... we both know what'll happen." He was so close to losing it.

But War, being the absolute menace that he was, just shrugged like it was no big deal. His lips curved into a teasing smirk as he murmured, "Why don't we find out?"