Along with a bearded, obese man, who can still remain jolly, with the ever present threat of diabetes and a reindeer who just wanted to fit in, despite his differences, Christmas can really make you think about Jesus, even if it is more probable that he was born in the spring. Jesus, the son of God, it's proclaimed anyone can reach Heaven by accepting.
Anyone.
That anyone could be a bi-sexual, youngish man with a medium build, decent height, a healthy complexion, milk-chocolate brown hair, and brown eyes, who while in church, or anywhere even, might think about that anyone part of the deal and let it flow through him, like a current through a wire that turns on your lights, when you flick the switch, and feel it destroy the jittery feeling crawling through the inside of his skin.
In this case, there were two men like that. One with a bit of stubble on his chin, a dress-to-impress wardrobe, and a flirtatious personality, who had a woman's baby blue, white-polka dotted apron on, over his ginger-bread cookie brown cardigan, he had paired with a violet tie. The other man was about a head shorter, in a black V-neck and brown leather jacket.
Jeremy and Danny were beside each other, in the kitchen, where Jeremy had just finished a dazzling white-frosted ginger bread house that made you just want to reach over and snap off a piece to toss in your mouth. As Jeremy pulled his apron off, Danny picked up a white bottle he forced himself to scan the instructions of, in an attempt to not think about the way Jeremy's cardigan hugged him the way he wanted to. He couldn't help but decide that he really should have let that hug Jeremy gave him, after he finally got his driver's license, linger, but there had been that spark that ignited, the kind he felt with pretty women, as well, as, secretly, handsome men. Jeremy wasn't so focused on having to avoid looking at Danny, who was the only person he could think of who pulled off black and brown together so well. He just smiled, ecstatic about the fact that Danny was curious about what he had been up to.
Danny spotted something on the bottle that made him comment, "I don't know if the frosting is load berry." (A/N: I really didn't understand that part. Did anyone else catch it?)
Jeremy felt a slicing feeling shoot down from his throat to his stomach, which made him have to flick his eyes off Danny, embarrassed about Danny being the one to find a flaw in what he had done. He pressed his hands on the counter and asked, "What?"
Danny felt a sharp twist through his heart, which rippled down to and across his stomach, as a result of making Jeremy feel like an idiot. He thought it would be better to look down, but his eyes fell on the edible house, then on Jeremy's midriff. Those abbs. They had been so close to his, when Jeremy had hugged him, after he passed his driver's test. It had felt right, like when you find a pair of gloves for a negative temperature day, but it had also been why he had to cut the moment short.
Danny said, "You know what, man," he extended his hand, which Jeremy eagerly clasped and then patted his back, "thank you." Danny was a bit in awe of Jeremy then. It had been a wonderful mistake for him to get to hold Jeremy's smooth, articulate hands. It ignited that spark, which was further fueled by the almost-hug Jeremy was giving him. Jeremy had to look away and focus on his ginger-bread house, so as not to get too comfortable in the moment. Still, he just couldn't let go. Danny's shoulders had been so inviting the last time he hugged him, like the perfect arm rest, and they were still so inviting. It sent a warmth through him he half-wondered if Danny could feel to. Danny felt a warmth, like you get when you see a Hallmark card family around a fire, with a happy puppy running into to join their giddy child, and ended up looking right at Jeremy's stubbled-cheek. What would it feel like to kiss it? He was at a great angle to do it, but all he said was, as Jeremy let go of him, "I appreciate it."
Jeremy couldn't help but think about their hands touching either. He wanted to slip his hand over Danny's, on the back and front, interlacing and uninterlacing fingers. He could also run his hand up Danny's arms, feel his biceps, and eventually land on his cheek, and share a kiss with him.
Mindy's voice reminded them they had to turn off half of their sexualities, "It looks really beautiful. Danny, does it remind you of your broken home."
Danny felt like a spade had been used to hallow out his chest, but he just motioned to Mindy, and let her have her joke, while he mouthed, "Ok."
Danny's pain drilled it's way into Jeremy, like it was a screw being turned to tighten his muscles. He leaned forward, lightly slammed and dug his hands into the counter, to channel his anger off of Mindy, and suggested, "Listen, is anybody," he snuck a glance at Danny, hoping Danny would lock eyes with him and show him he knew he was on his side, "else sick of this Christmas music?" Wham's Last Christmas had been playing. A sappy love song wasn't really the greatest thing for anyone right now.
Danny acted like he was going to admire the ginger-bread house. The idea that Jeremy might only be saying that to get Mindy off of his broken home topic made him want to smile at him, but that also made him ache, faintly, since he was sure Jeremy wasn't and that he didn't feel that same spark set off, every time they touched. No one that confidant would feel like they had to hide being bisexual. So it really took a lot of mind power to control himself, when Jeremy gave him a friendly tap on the small of his back, as he walked past him. They both longed for Jeremy to be able to keep his hand there, maybe caress him. It would be a perfect Christmas moment: a couple curled up together, all crazy in love.
Jeremy suggested, as he gravitated to the radio, "Can we just do some Karaoke?"
Morgan stopped trying to make Josh's other woman feel more comfortable being handcuffed, to warn him, "Uh, Doc, that only plays music in Espanol."
Jeremy got up, mic in hand, anyway, "Ah, perfect!" He added as he stepped over a white box, to stand in front of the fireplace, "Or should I say perfecto!" He started singing Ritchie Valens's La Bamba and swept his eyes over the room and found Danny, still looking over his work, and then, quickly, looked away. They both wished Danny would go over and look at him instead. Jeremy added, as things got into motion, "Everybody dance!" while he actually thought, Danny, please, come an dance with me. Betsy was a better substitute though, he tried to make himself believe, but that same spark he felt with Danny just wasn't there.
When Danny decided to leave the kitchen, he took pride in the way Mindy glowed, since he had been a part of the crew that gave that radiance to her. However, he would have switched places with Mindy, despite the revelation about Josh, if only to have the chance to be twirled around by Jeremy. Jeremy longed for the same thing, like a twelve year old girl who wants to go to a Justin Bieber concert, as he forced himself not to look over at Danny. What would he and, yeah, everyone else, think?
So he just had to keep singing. Maybe, he could get lost in it, like he was performing before hundreds of people on a stage and his feelings, the ones that could put a dreamy smile on his face but also nawed away at him, like a rat clawing into his chest, would be like an audience member who sat so far back he couldn't see them. Then, Danny came over and danced with Mindy, the way he had danced with her, as a way of letting everyone think he was only interested in women. Being so close to each other and dancing with other people, never each other, it felt like someone had jammed a jagged scalpel in their hearts and were twisting it, slowly, but they just had to keep smiling.
(A/N: Poor Danny and Jeremy! I wanted them to confess their feelings for each other, but then I just had to go and end the scene like how it actually happened. A little background on this story: I started shipping Deremy, as I have called it, when Danny and Jeremy both left the office early for Danny's driving test. I had been thinking about what pairing I would like better, Josh/Mindy or Mindy/Danny. Then, Danny was saying he had to leave the office early and Jeremy passed by and said the same thing and I thought maybe the script writers would make that decision for me and I instantly liked the Danny/Jeremy pairing as much as I do, and, yes, I'm devastated he used her to cheat on his girlfriend, Mindy/Josh.)