Chasing The Keeper

Mistletoe

"Hello, stranger." He smiled warmly, snapping out of my thoughts.

"Hello, Woody." I snickered, feeling my fingers fidget with the broomstick ring that sat snugly on my finger.

"Miss me?" He asked playfully.

"In your dreams." I retorted and felt myself laugh.

Oliver too chuckled softly, shaking the snow off his hair with his hand. "Right, in my dreams"

We stood in comfortable silence for a few moments before he spoke up again.

"Aye Stone," he rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Remember last Christmas?"

"Hard to forget being kidnapped by a cave troll with your own mother as an accomplice." I huffed, crossing my arms.

"You must think cave trolls are really handsome then." Oliver flashed a cheeky grin.

I rolled my eyes, unable to keep a smile off my face.

"That was fun right?" He asked, his eyes warm as he spoke, something ginger about the way his voice sounded.

"Yeah," I nodded, "It was really fun."

Oliver thought for a moment, and it looked almost as though he was growing nervous by the second.

"I thought so too." He smiled again, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Either way, I was thinking-"

Suddenly the bathroom door opened, and Vincent walked out and into the kitchen, wrapping both of his arms around my waist from behind. He placed a quick kiss on my cheek, and I could see Oliver clench his jaw.

"Vincent this is Oliver, Oliver this is Vincent," I said, looking back and forth between them. "Although you should already know each other from last summer."

"Oh, you're that bloke that was the other assistant intern!" Vincent exclaimed good-naturedly, extending his hand for a handshake, which Oliver took solemnly. "Sorry mate, I didn't recognize you at first."

Oliver didn't look too happy, as he was wearing what looked more like a grimace than a grin. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm her boyfriend." Vincent grinned ear to ear, and I smiled a little at those words as well. "I could ask you the same thing."

"He's the son of my parent's friends," I said. "Mum invites them every Christmas."

"Gotcha." Vincent smiled, brushing his hair back. "Well, Merry Christmas Oliver."

"Right back at you," Oliver said, and for a moment I could've sworn I saw him scowl.

~~~~

Christmas dinner was fairly uneventful. My mom kept switching between gossiping with Oliver's mom and asking Vincent questions. It was pretty funny to watch her balancing two conversations at once, and a few times I thought she would split apart into two separate entities.

Vincent tried to make occasional small talk with Oliver, who seemed largely unreceptive to the majority of it, only showing slight interest when Vincent brought up quidditch.

When dinner ended, it was already eleven pm. Vincent took a quick glance at his pocket watch and got up.

"Excuse me, but I need to leave because I still have quidditch practice tomorrow morning." He smiled at my mom. "Not to mention I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Oh nonsense dear, you're always welcome here." My mom gushed.

"Can you walk me to the door?" Vincent whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "I want to say goodbye."

"I'll escort Vincent outside," I said, excusing myself from the table and following Vincent to the door.

He towered over me, his lips parted ever so slightly, and even in the dimly lit foyer, illuminated only by the light from the dining room and the street lights outside, I could see Vincent's eyes sparkle.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything." I blushed, embarrassed.

"You gave me the gift of calling you mine, and that's all I need, really." He said, rendering me breathless.

"You don't mean that do you?" I said in a barely audible whisper.

"Oh I do." Vincent snickered taking another step closer to me, our faces only inches apart.

"Vinny..." I smiled.

"I've been reading up on muggle traditions seeing as you partake in a few yourself and," he pulled out his wand, and pointed it above us.Suddenly mistletoe started to grow out of my ceiling, stopping right over our heads.

Without any hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a warm and passionate kiss. It's almost as if sparks flew all around us, and the sound of chattering in the dining room faded out. I felt Vincent's gentle tongue intertwine with my own, his pace not too overwhelming.We pulled away slowly and hesitantly. I struggled to find the words to say after that, and I could hear how heavy my breathing was.

"Goodnight Y/n." Vincent grinned opening the door. "And happy Christmas."