Underneath the Mistletoe

Untitled Part 1

Nathaniel quietly walked past brightly lit shops and homes where families were gathering to enjoy a wonderful meal and time spent with loved ones. The red-haired boy carefully held the stack of presents that were balanced in a tall stack in his arms while making his way down the snow-covered sidewalk.

A smile gently pulled at the corners of Nathaniel's lips as he glanced at the colorful reflection of the lights surrounding the area on the new-fallen snow. The shy boy watched as his boyfriend's house soon came into view and felt his smile widen. After carefully moving up the steps to the front door, which was adorned by a Christmas wreath, Nathaniel quickly knocked with one hand before having to rebalance the stack of gifts that started to topple over as a result.

After a few seconds, the door was opened and bright green eyes were all that Nathaniel could focus on. Marc smiled and immediately reached out to take some of the presents off of the stack while greeting the artist.

"Hey, Nathaniel. Let me help you with that."

The blue-eyed boy aimed a grateful smile at Marc before heading inside as the writer moved to let him in out of the cold.

"Thanks, Marc."

The two placed the gifts beneath the beautifully decorated tree before Nathaniel hung his coat up and removed his shoes. While the artist was busy doing that, Marc headed into the kitchen and quickly filled two mugs with freshly made hot chocolate. The writer put a few small marshmallows on top of the sweet drink in both cups before carrying them into the living room and over towards Nathaniel, who was now comfortably sitting on the couch.

With a warm smile, Nathaniel took the mug that Marc handed to him while thanking him. Marc kissed the shorter boy's cheek before sitting down next to him.

"You're welcome."

Nathaniel blushed and blew into his mug before taking a small sip of his hot cocoa. While the artist did, he allowed his eyes to wander around at all of the decorations displayed in the dimly lit living room. As Nathaniel looked at the top of the tree, he noticed a shadow on the ceiling near the star resting on the treetop.

Following where the shadow originated from, Nathaniel quickly noticed the leaves and berries hanging directly over the couch where he and Marc were sitting. Nathaniel shyly glanced to the side, his cheeks brightly flushed with red as he thought about the mistletoe hanging above their heads and what it meant.

Marc looked up to see what had caught Nathaniel's attention and upon seeing what was dangling from the ceiling, had a similar reaction and shyly rubbed his arm, wanting to follow the tradition associated with the small bush of leaves hanging above them, but not sure how to voice that. Nathaniel glanced to the side and his blush deepened as he took in the sight of Marc absentmindedly chewing on his bottom lip while appearing lost in thought.

Nathaniel swallowed nervously before reaching out and gently holding Marc's hand. The soft touch broke Marc out of his thoughts and he looked at Nathaniel, his eyebrows raised slightly as confusion filled his eyes. The red-haired boy swallowed a little before closing his eyes and leaning forward. Marc immediately understood the intention behind Nathaniel's actions and closed his eyes as well.

Nathaniel kept moving forward until his lips gently pressed against Marc's. Both boys experienced butterflies in their stomachs as they softly and slowly moved their lips together. After a few seconds, Nathaniel pulled back and opened his eyes, willing the heat in his cheeks to disappear. Marc willed the same for himself and gazed fondly at Nathaniel.

The artist shyly smiled at Marc before tentatively wrapping an arm around the green-eyed boy's shoulders. Marc smiled back, his cheeks dusted with pink, before he gently leaned against Nathaniel's side. Nathaniel smiled more and cuddled with Marc while taking sips of his hot chocolate, just enjoying the comfortable silence which was occasionally broken by a crackle from the fire a few feet away.