"And…there!"
Sorey hops down from the chair he had been using as a replacement ladder, taking a step back and keeping an eye on the ceiling, or rather what was hanging from it.
A mistletoe hung near the entrance of his home, swaying a little after just having been set. He was nearly expecting it to come loose and fall again for the umpteenth time. Sorey waited a few more seconds before having his hands on his hips and having a proud look.
I got it this time! He mentally congratulated himself on succeeding in this little assignment.
But hanging that mistletoe was only the first part of this 'tradition' he had been informed of. According to Edna, two beings, specifically a Seraph and a human, were needed in order to follow this mistletoe lore. Only when two were standing underneath this special little plant would something amazing happen. And just what would happen? Well, Edna never specifically said what. Leaving that as a mystery for Sorey to find out on his own, and it really did drive his curiosity.
Apparently, it was also a Christmas only thing, so it would only work during the month of the holiday, and there was a higher chance of this amazing thing to happen the closer it was to the day. Luckily for him, they were in said month, so he would not have to wait long to find out what would happen with this mistletoe.
Seeing the mistletoe hanging, the next thing on his mind was to find a Seraph to participate with this mistletoe. And one instantly came to his mind, one could even argue that this Seraph was always on his mind.
"Mikleo!" The human shouted as he rushed out of his home. His eyes were already searching Elysia for that special water Seraph. It didn't take too long to spot him out of the group here. In an instant, he was already dashing towards him.
"Sorey?" The targetted Seraph had a surprised look on his face, a bit of confusion to. The human was a little more energetic than normal, something had to be on his mind, but he couldn't guess what.
"Mikleo, I need your help to initiate something." Sorey smiled, definitely hyped up over finding out what was going to happen.
"Initiate what?" Mikleo asked, a little skeptical over Sorey's enthusiasm. He knew the other was quick to follow through with things and it worried him. But, his intentions were always good, he could believe in that.
"Come on, to my place." Sorey didn't wait for a response, instead he merely grabbed the Seraph's hand and began to lead him over to his home.
"Sorey! I can go on my own!" Mikleo protested with a slightly flushed face. A sigh was let out as the other didn't seem to hear, that or he ignored the other, simply too excited for whatever he had in store for him. And it wasn't like he minded holding his hand. There was always a certain warmth that Sorey brought to him. It was difficult to define with words, but he enjoyed it. Admitting it was a little more difficult on his part.
When they had arrived at Sorey's home, Mikleo was expecting something…big. An old tablet waiting to be read, books scattered around the floor, all opened and papers scattered everywhere, yet the room was surprisingly tidy. It was rather perplexing to try and figure out what Sorey had wanted him over for if he were that eager. Maybe it was a smaller yet successful find, really it was hard to guess with so little to go off of.
"Mikleo! Over here! Stand with me, please?"
Sorey's voice snapped Mikleo out of his thoughts. The Seraph looked over to the human, who was smiling brightly and standing in one spot. Surprisingly he hadn't moved from said spot since they had arrived in his home.
"Sorey…what are you doing? You know, you never answered my question…" Mikleo had crossed his arms, and although still unsure of what was going on, he obeyed the other's request.
Mikleo stood before Sorey, raising an eyebrow and simply waiting for some sort of explanation. Meanwhile, Sorey was just smiling and looking at him, obviously waiting for something to happen. As eager as he was, wanting to look only at Mikleo, even he had to glance up to see if that mistletoe was reacting or something now that they were standing together underneath it.
Mikleo could only stare back at first until he took notice of Sorey's eyes wandering to the ceiling. He glanced up as well, and it was there he found his answer, although one he had not expected.
"I-Is that…?"
"Oh, you know what it is?" Sorey asked. "Its a mistletoe!"
Mikleo quickly put a hand over his face, trying to play it off as he was thinking, or just anything really. Even though he was truly doing this to cover himself so the other would not see his blushing face.
This is what he brought me over for?! He didn't know if he should feel ecstatic or not. Knowing Sorey...he probably didn't know the full meaning behind it. Or maybe he did? Either way, thinking about having to initiate and follow through with this custom was causing the Seraph's heart to beat far more than he liked.
"How did you…get one?"
"Oh, Edna gave me one as a present. She told me the myth of the mistletoe and all the lore behind it. Well, not all of it, she didn't tell me what would happen if a Seraph and human stood underneath it. I'm sure whatever is supposed to happen will happen soon. Still, I was surprised to hear it was an old Glenwood tale that we never managed to find in our studies."
That's because it wasn't! Is what Mikleo wanted to respond with. He figured that she must have done this to see if he would pull the water seraph along for this so called tale. If she were here now, she'd probably make a comment about his reactions to this. Thankfully, it was only them two visiting Elysia and not the rest in their group.
Honestly, he was glad that he was the first Seraph that came to mind to pull under this mistletoe. Even if he had not been told what really is supposed to happen underneath one, it was still sweet of him to pick the water Seraph. But if he was chosen to be underneath this with him, then that really did mean he'd have to be the one to show the human what mistletoes really did.
"I see…w-well then…" Mikleo slowly removed his hand from his face, suddenly feeling completely exposed. "I guess you're waiting for something to happen then?"
"Yeah. I really want to know what happens. She made it sound like it would be so amazing! I kind of wish she would have told me, but finding out for myself is prett-!"
The human was interrupted, cut off by a pair of lips crashing against his. They were cold yet gentle, soft but a tad moist.
It took Sorey a moment to actually realize what was happening. Mikleo was kissing him for…what reason? Not that he was about to complain about it, he was really enjoying this kiss from him, but it just came out of nowhere. Was it something he said? No, it couldn't have been. Perhaps this had to do with the mistletoe? It was hard to put two and two together when so distracted by the water Seraph.
Mikleo eventually pulled back as he looked to Sorey, their faces both red from that sudden kiss. The Seraph was surprised to see the other blushing to. That had to be a good sign, right?
"So…did you like that?" Mikleo was the first to break the silence that had formed between the two. He was hoping for a positive response, he wasn't sure what he'd do if he heard the word 'no' or 'hate' come from his mouth. Then again, something like that was hardly ever in the human's vocabulary.
"I did!" Sorey beamed at the other, quickly recovering from what seemed like shock, yet that blush still graced his face. "Though…why did you do that?"
Mikleo held his breath, for once explaining something so simple would be difficult. "Because…I wanted to." He paused, thinking that technically that was the truth. Part of it anyway. "That mistletoe helped. And the part that Edna left out...actually, the way the tradition goes is when two meet under one, they're supposed to kiss."
"Oh…" So that was the truth behind this? Well, he would have to agree with Edna and her tall tale about this. She was right to say something amazing would happen. Of course, he still couldn't understand why she withheld that information in the first place. "Then I should kiss you? I kind of want to kiss you to." He grinned, blushing a bit to admitting that statement.
Mikleo was pretty amazed at how he could just utter something like that so easily. Sure, Sorey was blushing, but he didn't seem to have a problem announcing that! If it were Mikleo who had to say something like that, he definitely would end up stuttering, much to his dismay.
"I-I won't protest to it." Even responding he falters with his words. Mikleo swears that his face flushed a deeper shade of red after giving that answer.
"Great!" Yet, Sorey doesn't seem to mind one bit about his minor flailing over his words. And seeing that happy look on his face, the Seraph is so glad he decided not to turn him down. Then again, how could he?
This time Sorey takes a step forward, even though he's nervous, he still wears that smile. He just can't help it, the human is happy to be able to experience this with Mikleo, even more so now that he knows he can give him a kiss.
This kiss was not as rushed and unexpected as the last. Lips had met once again, warm ones pressing against cold, noses were nearly touching, and eyes were shut during this exchange. The two were a bit...inexperienced with this. But simply having their lips meet, even if it was not a perfect meeting of lips (all they knew was to pucker up, how else were they supposed to kiss?) the feeling and emotion that passed between the two definitely sparked, coursed through each of their own bodies.
When they separated this time, Sorey had a bright and shining smile, Mikleo had a shy yet sweet one. There was a different feeling in the air, a warm and relaxed feeling. The silence, although short, is welcomed. They were comfortable with each other, no matter what may be going on.
"Next time..." Mikleo starts, "don't listen to Edna, alright?"
While he does hate the fact she (sort of) planned this to happen, he had to admit he was happy to finally share not one, but two kisses with Sorey. And perhaps even more, with or without that mistletoe.