Christmas Oneshots

Mistletoe

"... Merry Christmas. I know it hasn't been long, only a few months, but it's Christmas time already. My first-... Our first Christmas apart. I... I hope you're well, and I brought you some carnations. Your favorite color - red."

Sterling set the flowers down on the stone slab, awkwardly kicking at the grass when he was done. What did he say? What was he supposed to say to someone who was dead? It was hard to think that below him lay the body of someone who he'd spoken to, made love to, loved. A motionless, expressionless body, an empty shell that would never be filled.

Sighing, he jumped when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Amy. "Hello?"

"Sterling, you have to see this!" In the background, Sterling could hear chatter and singing, and tried to guess at where Amy was. The mall, Center Square, the stadium... "I'm at Center Square, they just finished putting the lights on the tree, you have to get here before they turn them on!"

"Knew it." Sterling whispered under his breath. "Alright, fine. I'm on my way, be there in five minutes."

"Five minutes? Doesn't it take longer than that to get to get here from your apartment?"

"I'm... Not at my apartment."

Amy was silent for a moment. "Just get here, okay?" Her voice was solemn, then line went dead. Sterling shoved his phone back into his pocket, turning back to the grave.

"I... I have to go. Merry Christmas..." He sighed, smiling sadly. "I'll be here next week, like usual."

He began walking to the bus stop, lost in thought. He still got shivers visiting his mate, but it was definitely a step up from where he used to be, when he refused to go anywhere near the grave, not wanting to accept the truth.

The bus ride was quick, but he scowled when he saw the huge crowd around the giant tree in the middle of Center Square. Finding Amy was going to be a b-

"Sterling!"

Sterling turned, spotting Amy rushing towards him with a worried David rushing after her. Okay, maybe it wasn't that big a pain to find them. Amy threw herself at Sterling, pulling him into a hug. Her swollen belly got in the way when they hugged, but she seemed to be getting on just fine with it. David gave Sterling a small smile. "How was it?"

Sterling shrugged. "Doesn't get any easier everytime I go."

David shook his head. "It never does."

Amy scowled. "Oh, stop it. You're ruining the mood. Come on, let's go watch."

After a while of scrambling through the crowd, they finally found a spot to sit, right at the edge of the square. Sterling stared up at the tree quietly. Every year they put up the same tree, except they always did something different with the lights. Last year, they were blue and white. The year before, they were rainbow.

A clicking sound brought Sterling out of his thoughts, and he looked up at the tree just in time to watch it light up in red, as if catching fire. The crowd oohed and awed, and applauded. Sterling just stared. Amy grabbed his hand, sighing sadly. "He would have loved it. Red was his favorite color."

David put a hand on Sterling's shoulder. Sterling felt his eyes grow heavy and his throat burn with tears. Sensing this, Amy and David quickly ushered him away from the square, into a nearby diner.

The door jingled when they walked in, and a waiter stopped them. They gave him a confused look until he pointed up. They all looked up at a piece of mistletoe hanging from the doorway. "You know the drill." The waiter crossed his arms. Sterling was sure that the waiter was prepared to fight them if they didn't comply.

David leaned down, giving Amy a quick peck on the lips. Sterling began to move, just as the pair grabbed him, each one giving him a kiss on the cheek. Satisfied, the waiter moved, grabbing three menus and leading them to a seat.

They ordered quickly, chatting while they waited. "You know," Amy swirled the straw of her drink. "This kind of reminds me of how you two had your first kiss together. Remember?"

How could he forget? It had been like walking on air. They'd been at the Center Square, watching the lights, all four of them together. The lights that year, he remembered, had also been red. Only, they'd been red, white, and pink - as if someone was trying to merge Christmas and Valentine's.

The lights had glowed for an exact time of five minutes before they'd cut off, eliciting a good number of groans from the crowd. Until they found out it was the weather that had knocked the power out. The snow fell, gently at first, then harder, until people began to seek shelter.

The four of them had stayed the longest, not caring about the heavy snow, but wondering at how it made the tree glitter, even without the lights. They stayed there until Amy complained that her feet were cold, but even then they were slow in seeking shelter.

They'd stumbled across a small diner, like the one they now sat in, still open and lit up with a generator. The old couple running the diner welcomed them in, offering treats and cocoa to warm them. Many other light watchers were there, laughing and singing carols.

They'd happily joined in, singing along. Sterling pressed himself up against his mate, and David had done the same with Amy. The two had blushed, playfully pushing against the arms of their mates. Sterling had laughed, teasing the two of them when he'd noticed something brush his head.

Looking up, he saw the old man smiling at them as he dangled mistletoe over their heads. "You look like you need a push." He'd said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Everyone at the table had gone quiet, blushes spreading across their cheeks. They sat, awkwardly, for a couple minutes. But the man didn't budge. Eventually, the entire diner had noticed what was happening, silently holding their breath, staring at the table to see what would happen.

Sterling glanced at his mate, who was picking at his sweater, then at the old man, who nodded. Finally, Sterling had bucked up, grabbed his mate's shoulders, and pressed a kiss against his lips. It felt like heaven to kiss his mate.

An explosion of sparks traveled down his spine, and he pulled his mate closer, wrapping his arms around his thin waist. Gently, he pushed his tongue against his mate's lips, and was easily allowed access to his mouth. They both let out small moans, quickly swallowed by the other's kiss.

When they pulled apart, the diner broke into applause, and they looked away, blushing. Sterling looked up at Amy and David, freezing when Amy tried to hand the man a five dollar bill. The man shook his head. "You may have asked me to do it, but I'd have done it even if you hadn't."

With that, they both slid further down into their seats,and couldn't even look at each other for the rest of the night.

"Sterling?" Amy's voice made Sterling jump. She gave him a worried look. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I was just... Thinking about it. Our first kiss."

Amy grinned. "So? Where's my 'thank you?'"

David rolled his eyes. "Where's mine?" He countered her. "I was the one who pointed out the mistletoe."

"Yeah, but it was my idea."

"But it was my five dollars you tried to pay him with!"

"But he didn't take it." Amy stuck out her tongue.

David scowled. "Oh yeah? Then why didn't I get it back?"

The two laughed, David grabbing Any and tickling her lightly. Sterling shook his head, glancing out the window. "Oh... It's snowing..." He murmured, but no one heard him. He stared at the red lights of the tree slowing being covered by white, then at the mistletoe by the door. His heart ached, but at the same time he felt warmth, thinking of those memories from so long ago.

The ring on his finger gleamed in the cheap diner lighting as he watched the snow fall across his vision. The lights of the tree began twinkling, alternating between red and purple. He sighed, not noticing when the waiter came with their food. Not noticing when the lights of the tree went back to red after their brief twinkling session. He leaned against his hand, smiling sadly. "Merry Christmas, My love."