He couldn't quite think of how long he'd hated the taste for. From what he could recall, however, it'd been something he could never stand, even in childhood.
Christmastime was especially awful in terms of reeking of the scent of it. It wasn't just the taste that bothered him, but sometimes in younger years the stronger portions of the odor had made him nearly sick to his stomach.
Coming to Duel Academy, he thought he wouldn't have to worry about it so much.
Getting involved in a relationship with Syrus, he really should've seen it coming.
"All right, Private, I'm back," Hassleberry called as he stepped through the doorway, taking in the heat of the dorm gratefully and casting a grin over at Syrus, who sat at the table with his back turned to the brunet, "still workin' on that Geometry, are ya?"
Syrus gave a quick nod, but took a moment to answer. "I'll finish it later," he replied, "look what my mom sent from home!" He turned to Hassleberry with a small box in one hand and a candy cane in the other, already half-eaten and the plastic wrap pulled down to the curve in the treat so he could hold it without getting his hands sticky.
He didn't want to get too close to Syrus and catch the smell of the candy cane, but Hassleberry didn't want to end up upsetting the bluenet, either. He figured he could live getting a few feet closer. In the box that Syrus held were- almost not surprisingly- more candy canes. Hassleberry estimated that there was plenty enough to last Syrus into late January- given that he didn't eat them all in one sitting. "There's a second box somewhere around here... Mom went a little overkill, but I love candy canes, so it's not really a bad thing!" Syrus grinned, putting the box down on his lap. He took out of it one of the many wrapped sweets, and offered it to the other as he went back to sucking on his own rather vigorously.
Hassleberry took the candy cane from Syrus, but made no move to unwrap it at all. After a few seconds, Syrus removed his candy cane from his mouth, shooting Hassleberry a quizzical look. "Aren't you going to eat it?" He asked.
"Coulda sworn I told you, little man." It may have slipped his mind that Syrus didn't know of his disliking to the strong flavor and scent of peppermint. "Can't stand the stuff, to be honest." He explained to the sophomore Ra student, who's grin faded as the candy cane was handed back to him.
"How can you not like candy canes?" Syrus seemed pretty astonished, if not disappointed- and here he was, having been planning all sorts of ways they could use the treats to really get into the Christmas spirit in bed later. "Of all people, I thought you would love peppermint..." He continued.
"'Fraid not. I've always hated it. Can't well remember a time that I didn't." Hassleberry answered, nodding as he spoke.
Syrus put the wrapped candy cane back into its box, and then looked up at Hassleberry again. "Have you ever actually tried it?" He questioned the brunet.
"What are you talkin' about? Course I have."
"Well..." Syrus thought for a second, "try it again! Maybe you'll like it now." He suggested, but in return Hassleberry shook his head,
"Last time I listened ta' someone who told me that, I upchucked 'bout half my stomach contents just on account of one of those things!" Hassleberry could very well remember all the times his mother had tried and convinced him to try eating some sort of peppermint candy when he was a little kid. The last time she talked him into it was when he was eleven, just four years ago.
"Come on, please? For me?" Syrus asked, bringing out the more feminine side of his natural charm by batting his eyelashes as he brought his candy cane back to his mouth, sucking on the very end and happily taking in the taste.
Hassleberry looked away from Syrus' face, snickering lightly. "Nice try, Private, but that ain't gonna work on me, not this time." He'd been the victim of Syrus' cute tactics many times this past year, even before their romance had blossomed. However, he wouldn't allow it to happen now. By shielding his eyes from the pleading expression, he wouldn't suffer a guilt trip later from refusing Syrus' request.
Syrus pouted, turning away to work on his Geometry again. "You're no fun." He retorted, keeping his candy cane at one side of his mouth so he could get out a few more words. "And I was gonna hang up the mistletoe tonight."
"Was?" Hassleberry echoed. "And jus' what changed yer mind all of a sudden, Sy?"
"There's no point in kissing me if the peppermint'll make you puke." Syrus replied without turning to face Hassleberry.
"Ain't that cute," soft laughter sounded from the brunet, "you were lookin' to kiss lil' old me underneath the mistletoe?" He grinned.
His words earned a dark blush from Syrus, who was soon facing his beloved Dino-duelist with a flustered stare. "Of course I was... A-And don't call me cute! Gods, you know I hate that." He stammered, his candy still dangling from his mouth and barely staying there until he took hold of it again.
"I'll call ya cute all I want, hear me? And there's not a darn thing you can do about it." Hassleberry challenged the small bluenet as he stepped closer, and easily lifted Syrus up by his armpits, dropping him gently on the table's edge. The action surprised Syrus and momentarily had him clinging to the arms of the other boy, but soon enough let go, shooting a glare the larger male's way as Hassleberry spoke again, grin faltering,
"Jeez, that thing reeks..." He choked out as the stench of the candy cane invaded his nostrils, and he used his hand to fan away some of the odor.
"Good!" Syrus crossed his arms. "They'll have to stink if I'm going to keep you from kissing me." He went on, a smirk of his own mischievously gracing his flushed features. "It's what you get for calling me cute."
"You plan ta' use candy canes to keep me off ya?" Hassleberry wasn't sure whether to laugh or for once take Syrus' threat seriously; sure, when he'd in the past ticked off his little living bomb who had the shortest fuse he'd ever seen, Syrus would declare time and time again that he wouldn't kiss Hassleberry for quite a while, the threats ranging from a few days to a week or two. They never lasted long; Syrus did hate sleeping alone, and in the strange year-round cold of Jaden's dorm, he craved Hassleberry's warmth come bedtime. The cuddling- which neither of them would ever call it- always led to Syrus being cradled, and smooched all over his face. Only Syrus- him, of all people- ever got to experience that tender side of Hassleberry, and only ever in private. After all, the brunet couldn't let people, especially Syrus, think he'd gone too soft on the young Truesdale.
"Uh-huh." Syrus nodded, scooting back a tad on the surface of the table, "I'll eat every single one of these, just watch me!" He then stuck his candy cane back into his mouth and resumed his hard sucking and quick licking, letting one arm rest on the table while the other hand held his treat.
"Don't sass me, Private." Hassleberry could only laugh at Syrus' defiance; he didn't care what Syrus said- he sure was cute when he got all worked up like this. "I reckon there ain't some way I can convince you to change yer mind now, Soldier?" He flashed one of his toothy grins at Syrus, and leaned over the tiny bluenet, doing his best not to show any huge weakness to the closer smell of peppermint coming off of Syrus' shallow breathing. Syrus held firm, though his curiosity of what Hassleberry would do was growing quickly.
He soon found out the other's plans. With the grin still plastered on his face, Hassleberry moved sections of Syrus' hair to bring his lips to the other boy's earlobe. At the heavy, heated breath in his ear, a shiver ran down Syrus' spine and he shook his head in response to the Southerner's previous question.
"Are you sure?" One hand, Hassleberry's right, moved to Syrus' knee and slowly, deliberately his fingers began gliding closer to his nether regions. As he traced small patterns on Syrus' inner thigh, Hassleberry could feel him tense up. "Nothin's gonna convince ya?" He whispered, suddenly shifting his hand to palm Syrus through his pants. Syrus choked on a gasp that turned into physical shudders, and he tried to close his legs as he bit down hard on the candy cane in his mouth, desperately hoping that the moan he was holding back wouldn't escape. "After all, you can't go a whole day without kissing me. What makes you think you'll last two whole months?"
He gave a light squeeze, and repeated it twice- all he needed to have Syrus squirming needily into his touch- then he let go, drawing his hand away and chuckling as he laid it on the bluenet's shoulder. "Who am I kiddin'? Yer' too much of a lil' cutie; ain't no way I'd be able to resist that shrimpy little body for long, myself.
"I reckon there's only one way we're gonna settle this, huh, Private?" He sighed, ignoring the very flustered glare that Syrus sent his way. "And, knowin' how plumb stubborn you are, I'm gonna be the one who'll have to compromise." Giving a light pinch to Syrus' cheek, he laughed again before taking hold of the candy cane in the older boy's mouth and pulling it out quite easily with a simple tug. He used his thumb to wipe up the little trail of saliva that came out with the treat, which had been consumed to the point where the tip was a sharp and thin point. "I just know I'm gonna hate the both of us for this later when I'm leanin' over the toilet and pukin' up everything I've eaten today," Hassleberry continued, coming just a tad closer to Syrus before finishing, "but it looks like the only way I'll be able ta' stand kissing you through February is if I get used to yer' darn peppermint."
With that, and with Syrus expecting what was coming this time, Hassleberry closed the distance between their lips. He slipped his tongue into Syrus' mouth without much trouble from the other male, but for the sake of sparing his body the nasty flavor for now, the brunet stuck to dragging the tip of his tongue along the roof, back and forth a few times to receive a harsh shudder from Syrus. They took a very brief moment to break apart for breath, but their lips crashed together soon again and went until Syrus had to pull away, panting heavily and giving a quiet, defeated laugh. "I saw that coming, you know..." He grinned, rubbing his nose affectionately against Hassleberry's with another soft giggle, "I knew you'd cave first."
"At ease!" Hassleberry said as he moved to sit down on the bench, and pulled Syrus into his lap. "What did I tell you 'bout sassing me?" He returned Syrus' candy cane by sticking it right back into the tiny duelist's mouth, turning out to be quite effective in quieting Syrus. He placed the other Ra on the bench and stood up, leaning down to kiss Syrus' forehead before shaking his head and snickering. "Jus' remember; ya still owe me one under the mistletoe later."