Mistletoe, or Viscum album, is a species of parasitic plant that infects a host tree, sapping the nutrients it needs to survive. It can, in a severe infestation, cripple or kill its host. It grows in large round clumps, and is easily identifiable by its ovular evergreen leaves and waxy white berries. Mistletoe is also highly poisonous, and upon ingestion, can cause acute gastrointestinal problems like stomach pain and diarrhea, as well as a low pulse.
Frankly, Ludwig will never understand how such an odd organism came to become a romantic Christmas tradition.
"Ludwig! We need to hang this one up, now!"
Ludwig glanced up at Feliciano, who was rummaging through a box of Christmas decorations. The entire house smelled like pine, cinnamon, and old things. Half-empty cardboard boxes were strewn around with their holiday-themed guts spilling out on the floor. The radio was turned on with bad 50's Christmas music playing the same twenty songs over and over again to the point where Ludwig wanted to pull his hair out.
Feliciano was holding up a little green bunch of plastic leaves with white Styrofoam berries while making a kissy face. "The mistletoe, Luddy! We need to hang it up over the front door!"
Ludwig rolled his eyes. He thought he'd thrown away that plastic atrocity after what happened last year.
"How about no," he retorted. "You remember what happened last year with my brother."
Feliciano hummed. "We'll make sure that Gilbert and..." He trailed off, trying to remember Gilbert's boyfriend's name, but found he couldn't. "...whatshisface don't get caught under it!"
"We might as well not even hang it up, then," Ludwig said.
"Please, Luddy?" Feliciano begged. "Just until he gets here! Then we can take it down! I promise!" He held it up over his head with a pout that Ludwig found himself falling for with every second. At last, he couldn't take it anymore. Ludwig sighed.
"Fine. We'll hang it up. But only until my brother gets here."
Feliciano jumped up and down with joy. "Yay! Thank you, Luddy!" He bounced over to his lover with the fake mistletoe still held over his head and pecked him on the lips. Ludwig blushed and scratched the back of his head as Feliciano hopped away to hang the decoration over the front door.
He didn't mention that his brother wouldn't be coming for another three weeks.
A/N: Just a little fluff to keep myself from doing an English datasheet that's due on... *checks calendar* ...tomorrow. Tumblr is down, so...
This isn't the Christmas special I've been talking about... That one is PruCan, and will be posted on Christmas Eve. I just had to post something in the meantime!
Mistletoe is some pretty nasty stuff, if you think about it.
~Jel