Oh, by gosh, by golly
…It's time for mistletoe and holly
AKA, Wyatt finally does something about those possibilities this holiday season, with a little kick in the butt from friends. A bit of Christmas-y fluff. [Lucy/Wyatt, mid-season 2]
Wyatt grimaced as he picked at the hopeless knot of Christmas lights that he had to untangle before feeding the new strand up to where Rufus was perched on a ladder. "How did I end up doing this?" he grumbled, feeling distinctly less festive than he probably should have. They'd made little progress against Rittenhouse lately, not to mention that the prospect of spending a Mason Industries holiday party surrounded by people celebrating with happy families and spouses was less than entirely appealing. "I don't even technically work for this company."
"Because Jiya told us to," was Rufus' matter-of-fact reply.
Wyatt snorted, once again mentally cursing the jumble of wire and bulbs that was coming apart far too slowly for his liking. "How did Lucy get out of it?"
Waving his hand impatiently at the lights, Rufus informed him, "She's bringing cookies instead. Did you want to make cookies?"
Well, no, Wyatt retorted silently as his face wrinkled in distaste, not by himself, but baking with Lucy might have been a better option than the stupid lights. She'd probably look pretty adorable in an apron and flour smeared all over her face. Not that Rufus necessarily needed to know that Wyatt was of that opinion. So he steered the conversation away from that particular thought, asking instead, "Does Lucy even bake?"
Rufus just shrugged and reached for the end of the light strand that Wyatt had finally managed to free.
They trudged along further, periodically shoving the ladder a few more feet, alternating who got to detangle and who got to hang the lights. About three-quarters of the way around the designated to-be-illuminated area, they ran out of lights.
"Jiya!" Rufus called out across the warehouse.
"Yeah?" her voice rang out in response from her desk, where she was rifling through some boxes of additional decorations.
Rufus nodded in the direction of the unfinished light-hanging. "More lights?"
"In the conference room," Jiya replied.
With Rufus perched on the ladder, Wyatt sighed, resigned to just trying to get the task over with as soon as possible. "I got it," he said over his shoulder, already heading for the stairs.
He managed to located a shopping bag with a few more boxes of lights – at least those wouldn't be tangled yet. Grabbing the whole bag, Wyatt headed back down to where Rufus had been joined by Jiya. But in overhearing their conversation as he neared the corner he had to round to come into their view, he froze in his tracks.
"-mistletoe left to hang," came the end of Jiya's furtively whispered sentence.
Wyatt's stomach seized at the mention of the infamous plant, and he cursed his brain for immediately bringing to mind the last kiss he'd participated in. It had already been doing that enough on its own; he hardly needed a stupid little cluster of leaves helping it do so even more often.
"Holy crap," came Rufus' surprised gasp from around the corner. "How much did you buy?"
Jiya giggled in reponse, "Enough that they can't avoid it all night."
They. Wyatt had a sinking feeling he might know the they in question.
"You realize they can just stay in the middle of the room," Rufus rationalized, obviously still not aware of Wyatt`s proximity. "It's a warehouse. High ceilings?"
Wyatt's gratitude toward Rufus for the strategic tip was short-lived; Jiya shot right back, vowing, "I'll chase them around with it on a stick to wave over them if I have to."
Eyes falling closed in defeat, Wyatt let out a silent sigh. It wasn't that he didn't want to kiss Lucy (he did, he so did). But after months of tiptoeing around the prospect of a relationship and being too much of a coward to risk upsetting the status quo, the last thing he wanted was for them to have to confront the possibility of taking that next step with the whole of Mason Industries staring at them, half-drunk in the middle of a silly holiday party.
"Don't you think you should just let them figure it out on their own?" came Rufus' skeptical reply, interrupting Wyatt's hopeless thoughts,
Yes, Wyatt inner voice shouted, yes. Let them figure it out on their own. Please?
But Jiya clearly had other ideas and was not relinquishing her grip on them, countering to Rufus, "Oh come on, you're the one who's always complaining about the puppy dog eyes they keep shooting each other and always feeling like a third wheel when you're back in the past."
Wyatt's eyes widened at that; were they really that obvious?
"I'll stick with puppy eyes over walking in on them making out in the lifeboat, thank you very much," Rufus groused.
His breath barely had time to catch in his throat at the possibility of doing exactly that when Jiya's next words reached Wyatt's ears.
She snorted a laugh as she replied cheekily, "Like that's all they'd do."
Wyatt felt a rush of heat through his body as, unbidden, his mind conjured up a vision so vivid, he could practically feel the smooth, bare skin of Lucy's hips under his fingers as she straddled him and sank down on him, easing him inside her, in his seat in the lifeboat.
Rufus, on the other hand, clearly did not appreciate that sort of mental picture. "Oh, god," he groaned, sounding horrified, "don't put that visual in my head. And they're not even together," he reasoned, before adding tentatively, "What if-" But he trailed off before finishing the thought.
Hearing no follow-up, Wyatt strained to catch any further discussion. Either Jiya didn't say anything or he missed it, but he did manage to make out what Rufus said next.
"I don't know," Rufus admitted, "for all we know he's still not even over Jessica. It's just going to make it all kinds of awkward."
Wyatt's heart sank at those words. If Rufus was being serious, and it had sounded as if he was, he really thought that Jessica might still be the priority? And if Rufus thought that, what did Lucy think? He knew that he'd been… less than proactive when it came to the possibilities that they'd alluded to in the past, but he'd told himself that she had enough on her plate with Emma, and her mother, and all the other fallout of the time travel's effects on her family.
Or at least that's how he'd tried to rationalize his inaction to himself. If he was being honest with himself, he was a little gun-shy about finally taking any sort of next step with Lucy. He'd royally screwed up his marriage with Jessica, and there was no denying that it had been his temper and jealousy that had led her out of the car that fateful night.
He was terrified of ruining things with Lucy in the same way.
But for as scared as he was of that particular possibility, Wyatt had also accepted a while ago that those fears were starting to be outweighed by the overwhelming depth of his feelings for her.
And he was pretty sure she felt the same way, so he'd just sort of assumed that it was understood that they were an inevitability. That somehow, some way, at some point, they would just happen and it would feel right.
Now hearing Rufus' words, he was dismayed to realize that maybe he'd assumed too much when it came to what others saw in him. When it came to what Lucy saw in him. He hated that he may have left her doubting him far more than he'd ever intended.
He barely registered whatever Jiya said in response to Rufus, but caught her out of the corner of his eye as she headed off with a giant box that he assumed held the mistletoe.
Wyatt took a deep breath in an attempt to shake off the disquieting sense of melancholy that had settled over him upon his realization that he may have inadvertently been misleading, or even hurting, Lucy via his inaction.
He didn't really know what to do about that fact for the time being, but the stupid lights still had to get hung regardless, so he rounded the corner back to where he'd left Rufus. He was pretty sure Rufus shot him a guilty look, but Wyatt didn't really feel like getting into the whole issue with anyone that wasn't Lucy.
So he stayed quiet, obediently following Rufus' light-hanging instructions as he mulled over just how he could possibly remedy the situation he'd inadvertently created by neglecting to act on the very real feelings he had for Lucy.
They finished hanging the lights just as the bulk of the employees and their families were starting to arrive, and Rufus headed off to double check with one of the coders about the program they'd put together to synch the lights with music.
Given that he wasn't really anything more than a polite acquaintance of most of the employees, rather than going to greet any of them, Wyatt stuck to the task of gathering up the now-empty light boxes with the intent of bringing them back up to the conference room he'd gotten them from in the first place.
But he didn't even get more than a few steps before he slowed to a stop, dumbfounded.
Little clusters of greenery really were in every. single. doorway. And strung across hallways. And draped on the railings surrounding the lifeboat bay. And scattered around pretty much everywhere else too.
Shit.
Wyatt sighed in defeat as his shoulders slumped. Short of just flat out leaving the party, there would be no avoiding Jiya and her stupid decorations. Which meant there would be no avoiding some sort of kiss with Lucy.
He couldn't deny the thrill that ran up his spine upon his acknowledgement of that fact, but… It shouldn't happen like that.
Lucy deserved more than some forced, awkward, on-the-spot, half-assed fumbled peck on the lips in front of a tipsy audience staring at them like they were a pair of zoo animals.
Which he knew was exactly what would happen if he didn't do… something.
He didn't quite know what that something was, but he did know that he had to take advantage of the fact that Lucy had not yet arrived; once she got in the building, all bets were off because of the sheer amount of vegetation that Jiya had managed to hang up.
So he took off for the main door, flinging the empty boxes of lights at Rufus' work station on the way.
Wyatt burst through the door, scanning the parking lot frantically and breathing a sigh of relief when a quick scan of the parking lot reassured him that he hadn't somehow missed her inside. Of course, that only served to make him that much more antsy, trying to figure out how to approach her and somehow avoid the awkwardness that would surely be awaiting them once they went back inside to face the veritable forest of mistletoe. He paced nervously, working his jaw, running his hand over his face, at a loss.
And then headlights flashed across the parking lot, gravel crunching as Lucy's sleek silver CRV slipped into an empty spot.
He barely even gave her a chance to open her door before he hurried to meet her, reaching her just as she'd rounded the car to the passenger side to pull out what he assumed was a tray of the cookies she'd supposedly been tasked with bringing.
For all his urgency, Wyatt stopped short when she Lucy stood and turned to face him; she was stunning. Not that she wasn't always, but with a red jacket, a soft cream-colored high-necked sweater peeking out from the neckline, her wavy hair pulled half back away from her face, with soft, pretty makeup gracing her cheeks and eyes, and holding gifts and a tray of cookies, she may as well have stepped right out of one of those cheesy Hallmark holiday movies that Jiya had made them all watch the weekend before.
What hadn't considered in his rush to meet her was the fact that she might take it the wrong way. Which she did, with what was initially a smile to greet him quickly transitioning to alarmed concern. "What?" she asked, sounding panicked, "Is everything ok? Emma?" she squeaked, her brow furrowed.
Wyatt just stared for a second, frozen and speechless. But there was really only one thing he could do, wasn't there? He was hardly thrilled about catching her off-guard like this either, but it was still better than the alternative inside. He swallowed hard, spurring himself into action. "No, I uh-" he stammered, flustered. "Can I just-" Rather than waiting for any sort of response, he seized on her confusion and plucked the tray of cookies from her, setting on the roof of the car, then tugged the bags from dangling from her wrists to lay them back on the passenger seat.
He couldn't blame her for looking fully flummoxed. "What are you-?" she started, confusion written all over her delicate features.
But her question caught in her throat, because Wyatt took that opportunity to slip his hands up to her face, his palms cradling her jaw, thumbs sweeping the barest brush over her cheeks. He waited a beat, and when she didn't protest, he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
She was still against him for half a breath, but to Wyatt's great relief, he felt her lean up against him, followed quickly by her hands coming to rest on his chest. He took it as encouragement and coaxed her mouth open, nipping the tiniest bit at her lip until he felt her tongue slide over his.
It was only when a soft whimper from Lucy made its way to his ears did Wyatt reluctantly pull away. An audience inside would not have been ideal, but neither was veritably mauling her in the parking lot.
He didn't stop his thumbs, however, still tracing the soft curves of her cheekbone as she stood still as a statue.
Wyatt let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding when those long lashes finally fluttered open to reveal those big brown eyes of hers, full of questions as they were. "Wha-?" she barely managed, her gaze curious and seeking.
He ducked his head, then gave her a sheepish smile, letting his hands drop from her face for one of them to clasp her hand. "Jiya pretty much bought out a whole mistletoe farm and put it all in there," he explained.
Then it was her thumb rubbing over his and her eyes glittering as she raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"I-" Wyatt started, not quite sure how to elaborate. After a second or two of indecision, he just shrugged and went for broke. "We had an audience the first time," he admitted honestly. "I didn't want the second one to be for an audience too."
Lucy bit her lip ever so slightly in response, dipping her head down, looking like she was fending off a smile before looking back up and admitting, wide-eyed and serious, "I'm just glad you wanted a second one."
And there it was. She had doubted him, and Wyatt hated that fact. "After Emma," Wyatt tried to explain, despite feeling like it was an exercise in futility, "and your mother… It never seemed like the right time. Sounds dumb, actually," he snorted, chastising himself for not having just told her how he felt earlier. "Lucy, I-" the words caught in his throat, but he managed to choke them out on the second try. "I've wanted to be with you since- I should have just-"
There went the breathing thing again, because before Wyatt could finish spitting out his less-than-articulate attempt at explaining himself, Lucy cut him off, wrapping herself around his midsection in a fashion reminiscent of that day that now seemed all too long ago. "Now's good," she murmured against him.
Wyatt had always been defenseless in the face of her hugs; now was no different. He held her tight against him, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her sweet scent, just relishing in the feel of her body in his arms until he caught a soft giggle bubble up from her.
"What about for the third?" he heard Lucy mumble against his shoulder.
Well, he wasn't going to say no to that. Leaning back from the embrace, Wyatt smirked down at her. She grinned right back, and they melted into that third kiss. Melt being the operative word, because, before long, things were getting a little more heated than Wyatt had intended, and he was more than a little grateful that he'd chosen to confront her about this whole kissing issue alone in the parking lot rather than inside.
Still, there was only so much they could get up to out in the open, in the chill of the December night's breeze. He pulled away reluctantly, leaving both of them panting and wanting as he rested his forehead on Lucy's, his eyes closed as he reveled in the turn the night had taken.
But he wasn't quite secure enough with their new status to ignore Lucy's silence. Wyatt's eyes flew open and he studied her cautiously. "Is this ok?"
Her face softened as her head tilted ever so slightly. "Wyatt, I l-" She paused, eyes widening just a little before rephrasing with a smile, "You're exactly what I wanted for Christmas."
Wyatt's heart pounded; she hadn't said it, but he'd heard that 'L' sound that had escaped before she'd caught herself. And somehow he wasn't disappointed that the other three letters didn't cross her lips; feeling that new feeling and not quite being able to articulate it fully just yet sounded exactly right for where he was too. But he had no doubt that they'd get there sooner rather than later. "Glad to hear it, ma'am," he replied with a grin. "Because you're what I wanted too."
Kiss number four was just as wonderful as the first three.
Kiss number four also ended all too soon, and Wyatt couldn't help but lament the fact that they still had obligations for the evening. "I don't want to go in," he grumbled, verging on pouting.
"I have to at least bring the cookies in," Lucy reminded. "Besides," she added, a teasing lilt to her voice, "I hear there's mistletoe in there." Her eyes sparkled as she tugged on his hand while she grabbed the bag he'd set back in the car. "Can't let it go to waste, can we?"
Wyatt acquiesced with a grin and obediently carried the tray of cookies inside for her.
It wasn't much later when, after catching them taking advantage of the mistletoe in one of the more secluded corners of the Mason Industries warehouse for roughly the eleventh or twelfth time, it became quite clear that the novelty of their new relationship had worn off for Jiya. "I created a monster," they heard her grumble as she threw her arms in the air, whirled around to turn her back on them, and stomped away in exasperation.
Not that Lucy and Wyatt cared. They went back to using the mistletoe for its intended purpose.
… And folks stealing a kiss or two (or twenty, or fifty, or whatever…)
~FIN~
You guys, I promise that I'm working on 'Timing'. As I suspected, the new job has been a beast, and in the little free time I have found to write fic since summer, it's always a lot easier to throw together a little short thing like this than to get into the longer-term mindset of 'Timing'. It's my big WIP, and my first Timeless fic, so I need to make sure I do that one justice rather than rushing it. That said, I'm hopeful that I will be able to get the next chapter out before mid-January; a sizeable chunk of it is already done. And maybe even another Christmas-y one shot before next Monday. If that one doesn't make it, happy holidays to all, whichever set of them you celebrate, and happy new year :)