MISTLETOE IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2025

[siberia]

you know what to do. whether it's magic compulsion (feat. magical attraction or not), that you're trapped until you kiss, or just tradition and social pressure, you've been caught under the mistletoe and that means you have to kiss.

platonic is ok too. feel free to leave your own comment or reply to one of mine with a blank if you want me to write a starter!

Comments

[9999]

[ He ducks his head with a little snort, letting Date hair-ruffle away his worries for the time being. Nevrons and Expeditions are the last things that should be on his mind in a time like this. Just an unfortunate reality of chatting about his past life any time it comes up: it was a hard world, and every story he tells has a sad ending just beneath the surface.

Gustave hopes that the stories going forward will have happy endings. Including his own, as Date mentions it; he hums. ]

Yeah. Once I go back.

[ it's a bittersweet thought. One that's been on his mind more and more lately - especially after coming here, to this city that's a strange facsimile of home. He can't hide here forever, no matter how sweet Date and his family are... and no matter how concerned he is about his own well-being if he tries. The thought has occurred to him to ask Date to come with him. Just briefly, of course. Just when he tries to return. Not for any practical, logistical reason, but simply because Gustave is scared that it'll be the end of him, and he doesn't want to face it alone. Cowardly until the end, he thinks cynically - and yet he knows Date doesn't care. Of course Date would come with him if he asked.

He follows Date's words with his eyes, gazing up at the wheel right in front of them, then shoots him a playful look. ]

You're not afraid of heights, are you?

[gumai]

[ There's a soft snort there and Date lifts his hands to adjust the beanie on his head, tugging his coat tighter around him. The snow still keeps falling gently on them but the ferris wheel pods are sheltered and contained. It should be a nice little ride, he thinks. ]

I am not. [ He thinks. Probably not? Look, there's a difference between getting on a ferris wheel and jumping out of a plane. One he'll do, one he won't do. ] And you, the big brave Expeditioner, definitely not scared of heights, right?

[ He's going to hook his arm into Gustave's then as the ride attendant opens the door for them and drag him along into the pod, though he doubts Gustave would fight him in the first place. Instead, he guides him to sit next to him on one side of the ride, settling in and latching his seatbelt appropriately after. ]

Ha... this is super romantic, you know? Riding a ferris wheel in the city of love with the person that I like. At Christmas time. Could be pulled straight from a romcom.

[9999]

[ a short huff, and a smile: ] Not even a little.

[ that is not true, because if they tried to make Gustave jump out of a plane, he would also balk at the idea. The ferris wheel, however? That's completely fine. He's used to jumping around several stories off the ground with Maelle. He shuffles along after Date into the cart, carefully finagling his cider so as not to drop it (his is still far from empty since he'd spent most of the walk over here yapping instead) as he slides into the seat beside him.

Romantic? He raises one eyebrow with a smile, glancing outside briefly before looking back at Date. ]

All of this has been pretty romantic, to be honest with you. It's beautiful here, with the snow and the lights.

[ even if it looks like his long-lost home. Or maybe even moreso because of it? He doesn't know. There is something romantic about longing for something from the past. ]

Are ferris wheels especially romantic?

[gumai]

[ There's a nod here, once they're settled, once the door is closed and the ride operator is moving on to the next set of patrons. He considers how to explain it, though he has to admit it's not something he has much experience with either. ]

On TV and movies, it's a bit of a thing. Going on a ferris wheel and riding it to the top, then having a romantic moment with someone. A confession or a kiss or something like that.

[ He laughs, finding it a bit amusing now that he's laid it out. ]

It's... cute. I think I get it but I can't say I've had a moment like that before. I've really only watched it on TV.

[ He imagines it's the same kind of moment people would have on a drive with their other half, or at an idyllic dinner. Just when the world narrows down on the two of you and that's it. It's got to be nice. ]

[9999]

Really? Never? You?

[ this might have been sarcasm coming from literally anyone else in Date's life, but Gustave seems genuinely surprised to hear him admit this. Even now, after all this time spent together, Gustave still sees Date as a handsome, experienced older man with both a big brain and a big heart - not to mention a charmingly silly side. Sure, he's got his personal problems, a troubled past and some hefty emotional baggage, but there's not a person alive who doesn't. He surely can't be the only one with whom Date has had this kind of vulnerable, intimate romance with... can he?

Huh.

Gustave's face says that he's pondering this. If it wasn't for the cold weather, it would be more obvious that he's rather tickled by the consideration, but his ears are already red. No such luck. ]

I guess I'm a lucky guy, then.

[gumai]

[ If it was anyone else here with him, anyone else who asked him about his history, he would be defensive and back away and pivot the conversation. But instead he looks to Gustave and then looks away for a moment, considering what to say. He wants to be honest with him in a way he doesn't want to be with anyone else.

So, he curls a little tighter around Gustave's arm and goes quiet for a moment before expanding a little bit. ]

I think I mentioned before, but Hitomi's the only meaningful relationship I had before you. Things were different with her, I was quieter about how I felt. There was more of a hardship in being with someone like me, with the things I had weighing me down.

With you... I want to share everything with you. I want the movie moments. I'm not scared or hiding my feelings anymore, I just want you.