The holiday decorations were fairly minimal in the apartment: some pine branches across the mantelpiece and a matching tree in the corner, but Weiss wanted to add a few more accents. She'd seen Blake shudder every time they walked near scented candles, so anything overly aromatic was a no-go, thus precluding a substantial portion of her options. She looped back around the aisles again. Perhaps a few red bows and—she scanned the displays—mistletoe? That's a Thing, isn't it? She smiled to herself as she headed to the checkout counter.

When she got home, Weiss found Blake napping in the armchair by the fireplace, curled into herself—arms crossed and feet tucked under—enjoying the warmth of a merry blaze. Placing a gentle kiss between the cat ears, Weiss nudged Blake's shoulder. "Hey."

All she got in return was a sleepy grumble.

"I need some help putting up a few more decorations."

Another grumble.

Weiss sighed as she bit the proverbial bullet. "And I'm too short to reach."

This time she earned a quiet snort as Blake finally opened her eyes.

"I'm going to put a bow on the door and the mantle, but I need you to put this up on the hallway lintel."

Blake made no move to uncross her arms, so Weiss simply dropped the sprig of mistletoe into her lap and returned to her own tasks.

Five minutes later, she returned to find Blake still seated in the armchair, gazing at the mistletoe with an inscrutable expression. "What's wrong?" she asked gently.

Blake glanced up, looking as if she were about to speak, but the silence stretched on.

Weiss furrowed her brows. Her family was never particularly keen on holiday accoutrements, especially not "tacky" traditions such as mistletoe, but she was fairly sure that lots of people were quite enthusiastic about it. She had it on good authority that some people, in fact, seized every opportunity possible to kiss under the mistletoe.

Wait.

Kiss under the mistletoe.

And she'd just placed a sprig of mistletoe in her girlfriend's lap.

Suddenly the warmth of the fireplace was magnified a hundredfold as a blush raced across her cheeks and down her neck while several very graphic images raced across her mind. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to proposi—" Weiss began with a stutter.

But Blake was also speaking, her voice calm but still raspy from sleep. "Do you know the history of kissing under mistletoe?" she asked, spinning the sprig idly in fingers.

This wasn't where Weiss was expecting the conversation to go, but oh god, that husky tone. She mutely shook her head, not trusting her own voice.

"Men were allowed—encouraged—to kiss women under the mistletoe, and any woman who refused would have bad luck." Gesturing angrily, Blake glared at the offending vegetation before looking up at Weiss, fire dancing in her eyes as she raised her voice. "How sexist is that? How bullshit is that?"

Weiss could only blink in surprise.

Blake continued her rant. "We've build up an entire holiday tradition around something that borders on sexual assault! Even if that's not how it's perceived nowadays, there's still an element of coercion present. How many people have been pressured into an unwanted kiss—or worse!—because of a stupid sprig of parasitic plant?" She practically spat the last few words out, the sleepy rasp in her tone giving way to heated spirit.

She wasn't really sure how to react. The sexist history of the tradition was definitely discomforting, but her passionate girlfriend was anything but. Well, first things first. She nudged the spark guard open, plucked the mistletoe out of Blake's grasp, and unceremoniously tossed it into the blaze.

Blake startled. "I didn't mean to send your traditions up in... uh," she glanced at the fast-disappearing mistletoe, "smoke."

Weiss gave a small smile as she squeezed herself into the armchair. "It's okay. It's not my tradition at all. I just thought that—" her voice caught in her throat. "That... well, kissing is... nice," she finished lamely.

"It is nice." Blake affirmed the point with a small kiss to Weiss' cheek. "But you did look very surprised and worried."

Weiss made a choked sound as she recalled exactly why she'd backpedaled in the first place. "It's n-nothing."

Blake fixed her with an even stare.

"Really! I wasn't worried about anything." The lie sounded pathetic even to her own ears.

"Then what were you apologizing for?" Blake's tone was somber as she pressed the issue. "I know it's our first holiday season together, and I don't want to... mess anything up."

Oh god, a guilt trip. "It's just embarrassing, okay?" Weiss mumbled into Blake's shoulder.

Blake frowned minutely as she sat up. "I'm sorry, I don't want to embarrass you, but I don't know what—"

Weiss pressed a finger over Blake's lips to stop the unwarranted self-recrimination. This was turning into a full-blown guilt odyssey, and now she was caught between Scylla and Charybdis. "No, it's not you, I... I was just worried that I'd accidentally propositionedyoufororalsexbyplacingthemistletoeinyourlap." The speed with which she finished the sentence rivaled the speed of the flush that blazed across her skin.

For several excruciatingly long moments, Blake simply stared at her.

"Look, I'm not familiar with the whole mistletoe thing and—"

"What made you think I'd say 'no'?" Blake interrupted with a smirk.

Now it was Weiss' turn to be stunned into silence, but her blush intensified.

Blake backed down at the flustered expression. "I wouldn't have said no to kisses either."

Weiss finally found her voice. "But your spiel about—"

"I don't want to be coerced into kissing anyone," Blake cut her off, "but I want to kiss you."

Oh, in that case... Weiss leaned in and pressed her lips chastely against Blake's. "Kissing is... nice."

"It is nice," Blake agreed, following up with a gentle nip.

"Very nice," Weiss breathed.

"Indeed."

"Stop talking, you idiot, and kiss me!"