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All things considered, it was a wonderful Christmas party. With the rest of Julian’s pseudo-family able to meet Roddy for closer inspection, it seemed as though he couldn’t ask for more. Roddy seemed to pass their scrutinizing (Mercy was especially thorough!) and Julian’s cooking was satisfactory. The knitted hats, scarves and mittens he’d made for each sister (and mom) were a hit, and thankfully were solid enough to fit properly. Roddy had taken to helping decorate the house with wreaths and customary mistletoe in some of the doorways, explaining exactly what it meant when two people stood beneath them. It was by Roddy’s hand, too, that everyone had hot cocoa to enjoy.

Julian’s attempted Chistmas performance on the piano had a few hitches from nervousness, but Delilah and the others were proud of how far he’d come. Some tears were shed as goodbyes and hugs were exchanged, but Roddy gently reminded his poofy roommate that he would see Delilah again on Tuesday for his piano lessons, just like always.

With it being late in the evening, post-party cleanup needed to commence. Staccato had gotten himself wrapped in some garland and was strutting around the house and the Jell-o that Ginger had brought needed to go into the fridge for safekeeping. Julian adored the Jell-o for its jiggly properties. Sometimes, even the simplest things were worth smiling about.

Wrapping paper and used plates needed to be picked up, glitter swept from the floor, candles doused for the night. Julian never minded cleaning and hummed Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer under his breath as he swept the kitchen. He was simply relieved his family approved of his roommate, and that no one was sick from the food. Staccato trotted into the kitchen and flopped down on the linoleum for playtime. Julian bent over to rub his belly and try to nab the silver garland the dog was using like a belt. “It looks very nice on you, Staccato, but I need to clean now! And do laundry. There’s so much glitter on everything!”

“Hmm?”

Staccato was only halfway untangled from his glorious, sparkling belt, rolling this way and that under Julian’s tapered fingers. “Staccato, we’re almost done, you have to sit still---” Without a second thought, the chocolate labradoodle was out and off like a rocket, having seen something interesting in the living room that needed examination OMGRIGHTNOW. With a sigh of defeat and peppered with pieces of silver garland stuck in his hair and on his sweater, Julian stood up and dusted himself off. “Staccato, you’re just going to get tinsil all over the house. Not that I mind the holiday cheer, but… Oh!”

Roddy was standing right there in the doorway, the threshold between the kitchen and the living room, looking up. Wandering over to stand next to him, Julian pointed up at the mistletoe he’d hung there earlier. “Oh! Yes, yes I did. Mercy, she said-- Oh, she’s the smaller one with the red hair? -- she said, Julian, there needs to be one thousand percent more holiday cheer in here for your first holiday, and well, I can’t say no to Mercy. She’s very smart. So, she said, why not put mistletoe there? and so I got the stool you said I had to use, because you got upset when I was on the counter… and I was doing just fine, by the way! The pasta turned out fine. Anyway, so I put some mistletoe there, and then there’s those paper bells over the bathroom down here, and the little holly berries all along the staircase railing? I did those too.”

Julian seemed quite proud of himself, and indeed, he’d come a long way. No longer was he falling down from improper weight distribution on his ankles and feet, no longer was he stuttering every other word, or having to pause for long moments while his brain caught up to think of a word. It had been four months since his rebirth, and the progress was steady and profound.

Unfortunately, with as much progress as he’d made, Julian seemed to entirely miss the point of the situation he’d found himself in. Instead, he continued to rattle off the decorations he’d put up without having to rely on Roddy for assistance, all while Staccato batted one of the round, plastic Christmas ornaments they’d used as coffee table decor.

Julian was in the middle of a lovely, joyful tangent about how much of the decorating he had done unsupervised and unassisted when Roddy's warm hand had grasped his own. That action in and of itself stopped Julian mid-sentence and the shorter man gazed up into Roddy's eyes. There was a familiar mischievousness in those eyes, like when Roddy was going to prank someone or was up to no good. Like sneaking Cheetos.

"Hmm?"

Looking up, Julian indeed spied the mistletoe, and slowly came to the realization that both he and Roddy were under the mistletoe at the same time. Ginger and Sita had explained that it was simply holiday tradition for two people standing under the mistletoe simultaneously to share a kiss. For whatever reason, the idea didn't stick when it came to himself - Julian never considered himself a candidate for a kiss. Half the time, he wasn't even sure he was entirely human. But now?

Now, he and Roddy were under the mistletoe, and...

...

....a few moments of fridge realization later and Julian was a bright red as a beet, the blush reaching his ears and his scalp. Eyes wide, the characteristic stutter that defined his few few weeks of life had returned. "I-it's... u-um... th-the... I..." With an embarrassed wheeze, Julian attempted to cover his face with his free arm, leaving his hand in Roddy's. The larger man's skin was warm and pleasant and he always smelled like warm oatmeal and... uugjhsdlkjfhsldjhfshjgdfjhg!

A kiss? Just for him? Even if it was just for tradition and no other reason, his rebirth was peppered with new discoveries and experiences. He'd been kissed plenty of times on the cheek and forehead by his family, but someone what wasn't related to him (regardless of the fact that none of the Council were technically related to Julian) was special. And Roddy wasn't hard on the eyes, as it were.

Why was he thinking that?? Oh dear.

Those pretty blue eyes opened with hesitation to see Roddy smiling at him, which was terrible, now he was feeling things and feelings were new and difficult. Roddy seemed to be having fun with this, good fun, which wasn't as bad as teasing him just to be mean. His larger roommate wasn't a mean person - Julian was convinced Roddy didn't have a mean bone in his body. He was simply offering something based on tradition, because Julian had never experienced a holiday before. That's all.

"...mm... u-um... I... w-would like a... mistletoe k-kiss.... please."

Julian had never felt anything like it.

His heart pounded in his chest the closer Roddy was, and his eyes looked ever so slightly different. The heat built in his cheeks, painting his face a deep pink. Even Julian's ears joined in, flushing just as deeply. Roddy's lips were soft and his beard was soft as well. Never had he been so close to Roddy's face except for one other time, trying to help him pluck a stray eyelash from his cheek. That time was different - that time, they were laughing and squinting and having a good time. This time? This time was... different.

Roddy hadn't looked at him that way before. It was the same look Roddy gave to small families in the neighborhood, or happy couples taking a walk through the park. It was that fondness, that warmth. Julian hadn't seen Roddy look at him with eyes like that...

They parted all too soon, Julian clinging to the warmth of the larger man without even realizing in. His head was swimming, his body wobbly from the feeling of being weightless. He was incredibly thankful Roddy was holding him - those strong arms kept him from falling so many other times. Looking deeply into Roddy's green eyes, Julian swallowed thickly. He'd never... felt this way before...

...was he... worthy of this...?

Surely, Roddy deserved better, right...?

Pale eyebrows touched just slightly. Another? All this time, Julian was awash with new emotions he wasn't sure how to parse. It was giddy and fearful and confusing, all at once. But it would be greedy to want more, wouldn't it? Oh, everything was so confusing...

Julian bit his lower lip, trying to hide his face in Roddy's warm chest, hearing his heart beating just a little faster than usual. "....n-no... I... d-don't mind..."

Staccato was their lucky break, really, bringing them both back to reality. Julian's heart was sharing space with his stomach, both of which were crowding his throat. His grip had tightened around Roddy's arm and chest to keep from falling over. Light-headed, Julian had enough presence of mind to hide his face from Roddy. He was pink as ever, incredibly embarrassed and awash with feelings he hadn't experienced before.

Maybe he could bury himself in cake, or cleaning... or both...

Roddy's soft voice reached his ears, and though Julian didn't reveal his face to look up into Roddy's (that was dangerous, he concluded), he nodded into the larger man's chest. "....y-yes... um... M-merry Christmas, R-roddy. ....it's... I-I'm... very blessed, to... to s-spend this... time with you..."

It would be a few moments still before Julian would detach from poor Roddy, trying desperately to clear his head and keep himself occupied while his brain processed what just happened. Julian knew he'd have to call Delilah or one of the girls and ask what to do when you suddenly stop seeing your roommate as a roommate and start seeing him as an incredibly hunky man and... oh no, the blush was happening again. Didn't laundry need to be done? Julian was so desperate, he considered intentionally spilling something on clean clothes just to give himself something to do...

Oh dear, oh dear...