Work Text:
Mistletoe
With December had come many things. The brittle chill of winter had settled in rapidly, avoided only through the many layers of his uniform. Autumnal decorations had swiftly been traded out in favor of those fit for Christmastime, covering the palace in handmade decor and greenery. All around them were bunches of holly sewn into richly colored ribbons, wreaths hung from the doors, the occasional glimmer of golden paint, and elaborate strands of ivy draped across the entire building. Parchment adorned with pretty bows, folded into holiday cards, could be found scattered about — a rapidly growing tradition, shared between coworkers and friends, presently being used to add extra warmth to their shared spaces.
The evergreen tree in the main hall was an addition made in recent years, currently-unlit candles strung up around it, little gifts tucked into the branches where paper and yarn decor didn't cover. On the top, a small angel stood, her wings curved into the upper bundles of needle like a protective mother.
And then, of course, there were the clusters of mistletoe. There were a few tactfully placed ones in the main rooms of the palace, visible in the doorways and easy to avoid. The vast majority, however, were hung up in the servant halls — less obvious, and far more of them; they were an amusing accident waiting to happen.
Rounding a corner a bit too sharply, Charles all but ran into his better half. A startled gasp passed between the pair, his footing just briefly lost before a gentle hand caught his arm to steady him. "Ah— Apologies, Grey. Are you alright?" And there was that sweet, familiarly worried voice, that somehow always managed to set his heart ablaze.
Laughing softly as he refound his balance, Grey waved a dismissal. "It's fine. Did you finish stringing those up?"
"I did-" A smile immediately replaced that apologetic look as Phipps, sure enough, held up the latest in a series of Christmas projects. It was a carefully crafted string of popcorn and cranberries, made to decorate the courtyard while also providing a safe treat for the local birds. It would join the several others that he'd already sewn together outside.
"That's…" The compliment trailed off, eyes widening as his gaze fell to the center of the doorway above them. A bundle of mistletoe, strung up by golden thread, hung there near traitorously, somewhere between a blessing and a curse. He took a breath to steady his nerves, cheeks already warming. "That's lovely, Phipps. Uhm…"
There was a minute of quiet floundering on his end, glancing between his friend and the mistletoe that dangled tauntingly above them. It would've been best to laugh and walk away, surely, save them both the embarrassment. That silly tradition wasn't mandatory, and there was just no way —
A touch beneath his chin, gently tilting it up, immediately scattered those thoughts. Phipps' expression was thoughtful but kind, welcoming, pausing only for a second before he leaned down to press their lips together. The moment slowed into something calm and intimate, mouths slotting together as Phipps kissed away the anxieties that had bubbled up in his chest. Grey relaxed into it after only a few seconds, leaning into the hand that was now gently resting at his cheek, his own fingers curling into the fabric of Phipps' uniform.
All too soon, the moment of careless bliss ended, his better half breaking the kiss with another one of those gentle smiles. A hand lingered briefly at his waist, making sure that he'd recaught his balance as he slipped back off the toes of his boots to stand fully on his own weight again. It sent a zip of electricity straight down his spine, but then Phipps' touch was falling away, too, warm laughter filling the space between them. "No need to look so troubled, Grey. It is only me."
Troubled… wasn't exactly the word that he would've used there, but it made the point well enough, he supposed. Shrugging, he shook his head and hoped that he wasn't smiling too brightly, his own elated laughter mixing softly with his speech. "Of course, ha- You should… You should get out there, then." A playful tap to his love's arm, before Grey stepped around him, hoped that the way he happily spun in the movements looked more graceful than it did childish. "You're keeping the birds waiting, you know."
Maybe the mistletoe wasn't so bad after all.
The rules surrounding public displays of affection, however…