Title: Worlds Apart
Author: Kalika
Summary: A collection of short stories based in the Gorgeous Carat universe.
General Warning Codes: Yaoi, H/C, Language, Angst
Pairings: Noir/Florian
Disclaimer: Characters owned by You Higuri. I wrote this simply for my own entertainment.

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Mistletoe

It was Christmas Eve, and Florian had managed to somehow talk Noir into holding a party. It was completely idiotic. A gaggle of puffed up, gossipy bourgeois that Noir would have rather spit on than have to make polite conversation with.

But Florian had asked, mentioning the Christmas parties that his mother used to throw at the Rochefort mansion. The sparkle in his eyes had been too much for Noir, and he had given in. If it would make his Amethyst happy, then he could suffer the ignorant masses for one evening.

Deciding to see if Florian was indeed enjoying himself, Noir slipped around the edge of the room. After a few moments of searching, Noir realized that the blond was nowhere to be seen.

It was rather stifling in here, due to the roaring fire and the mass of people. And Florian did tend to become overwhelmed easily. Perhaps he had stepped outside for some fresh air. Of course, knowing the young Rochefort, he had forgotten his coat and would be suffering for it come morning. Noir figured that it would be best to collect his missing ward soon and curb a potentially bad cold later.

The thief slipped out of the room and down towards the entry. The noise from the partygoers was quiet deafening, and it took his ears a few moments to adjust to the near silence of the hall. Once his hearing had adjusted, he realized that there were voices coming from the direction of the front door.

He recognized the one voice immediately, though he couldn't understand what was being said. It was most certainly Florian's voice and Noir began to move towards it. There was a second voice that sounded somewhat familiar to the dark man. He couldn't place it, though he was certain that he did not much care for whomever it was that Florian was speaking to.

He turned the corner, bringing the doorway into view. Just as he had though, there was Florian. And he was talking to Solomon Sugar, who was pointing upwards at something. Why was that damned detective here? He certainly hadn't been on the guest list. Noir was about to say as much, and reveal his presence to the two when Florian moved.

Noir couldn't believe his eyes. Florian had just kissed Sugar. How could he? Noir was completely frozen. He couldn't even bring himself to react when the detective gave Florian a quick bow and exited. It wasn't until Florian began to close the door behind him that Noir was able to react.

"What the hell was he doing here?" Noir's voice rang through the hall, echoing off the walls, and causing Florian to jump. The blond turned back to look at him, a light blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Oh, Ray. Were you looking for me?"

The use of his society name only caused Noir's anger to grow. The fact the Florian wasn't explaining this kiss did not help in the least. Noir stomped down the stairs. He wasn't entirely certain who to take this out on. But if he wanted to yell at Solomon, he was going to have to chase after him. While Florian was right here, looking as though he didn't have a care in the world.

"Why was that detective in my house?" Noir decided to start with the easiest question.

"Oh, he said that he'd always wanted to attend a party thrown by the notorious Noir. I wasn't sure whether or not I should let him in, but he said that he needed to be going anyway." Florian's answer was flippant. As if he didn't really see any importance in it, which only served to anger Noir further.

"Why did you kiss him?" The word's grated on Noir's throat. He didn't know what he would do if Florian was being unfaithful to him.

"Oh. You… saw that. Well you see…" Florian seemed to be trying to pick his words carefully, while Noir tried to keep his temper in check. "He was just about to leave when he noticed the mistletoe hanging over the doorway. He said that it was a tradition, so I kissed him."

"You should have told him to go to hell." Noir wasn't any happier knowing the reason behind it.

"I tried, though with a civil tongue." Florian gave him a dirty glance for the rude language. "But he said that if I didn't then he would just have to tell everybody that you were Noir. I'm sure that he was joking, but it still didn't seem like the right thing to risk."

Seeming rather angry himself now, Florian moved to step around Noir and head back down the hall. "It was to protect your reputation, Ray." He stressed the name purposely. "Think of it as an early Christmas gift."

Still mad, Noir grabbed hold of Florian's arm, whipping the shorter man back around. "If it's a Christmas gift for me, then why did you give it to Solomon?"

Florian stared at him in surprise before laughing. "You're jealous? I though you were just mad because Solomon had been here." The blond moved closer, letting his free hand rest on Noir's arm. "Don't worry, Noir. I don't need mistletoe for you."

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Fin

I have no idea where or when the whole "kissing under the mistletoe" thing started.