OTP Christmas 2015 | Day #4: Mistletoe
Dec. 4th, 2015 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aftanithTitle: Mistletoe
Fandom: Parabellum (original fiction)
Wordcount: 1626
Pairing(s): Stelian Frost/Sparrow | Stacey Katharos/Simon Ides/Nadia Sen
Prompt(s): OTP Christmas 2015 4. mistletoe
Every inch of the manor seemed to have been covered with a Beneficence-themed explosion over the past twenty-four hours. A massive, two-story tall tree was in the front foyer, green and enormous and overflowing with tinsel and ornaments and colored lights. The study had been filled with garland and poinsettias when Sparrow had met with Hyde yesterday for one of her newly shortened lessons, and the dining room had been overhauled completely with a green-and-red tablecloth adorning the massive table, an entire set of brand-new, luxury dining chairs, poinsettias and candle centerpieces, a gold-and-silver chandelier she'd never seen before, and a set of silverware and china decorated with carved snowflakes and painted holly. The place was a fucking wreck.
"How much did all this cost?" she made the mistake of asking as they ate.
Frost frowned at her over his meal--and even those seemed to have gotten more elaborate over the two months of incessant holidays. "Not enough to make the slightest dent in my finances, I assure you. Or yours, for that matter."
"I certainly didn't pay for this."
He scoffed. "Yes, and I'm sure we're all quite thankful that you're not the one in charge of the manor's seasonal budget. We do want the place to look nice for the holiday, you know." He hesitated, lowering his fork to his plate as he considered her. "You really don't like it?"
He sounded genuinely concerned, and Sparrow very nearly laughed at the thought. "Does it matter? What, do you plan on asking them to redo it for me if I don't?" She shook her head. "It's fine, Frost; it just seems wasteful." She glanced down, her gaze sliding to the empty chairs across from her. Two extra plates had been set out on the other side of the table, piled high with food and surrounded by silverware, and somehow she doubted the servants had suddenly lost the ability to count. "Speaking of waste... are we missing someone?"
Frost nodded, and his expression darkened slightly. "Yes, in fact. Simon and Nadia were supposed to be here."
"Guess they had other plans."
Frost frowned, as if he was actually taking their absence as a personal affront. "So it seems. I certainly wish they had--" The sound of footsteps in the hall beyond cut him off, and they watched the door as the footsteps drew near, accompanied by familiar voices. "It's about time," Frost said stiffly as soon as Simon and Nadia appeared in the doorway, and Nadia's smile immediately faltered.
Simon just rolled his eyes, brushing past her into the room. "This isn't a fucking appointment, Frost. I'm here as a friend this time--or do you not know what those are?"
As Sparrow snickered, Nadia hesitated in the doorway, glancing up. Sparrow's gaze followed hers, and for the first time since she'd entered the room, she noticed another decoration she'd missed--a seemingly randomly placed sprig of some green plant she didn't recognize.
"What is that?" she asked after a moment, and it was only then that Simon turned back to look at his girlfriend and glanced up, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the small leafy bundle hanging from the door frame, bound together with a little red ribbon tied into a bow.
"That," he answered, "is mistletoe."
As Sparrow frowned, Nadia's face broke into an almost devious grin, and she reached out toward Simon. "Well," she said, sounding equal parts thrilled and apologetic, "you said it--it's definitely mistletoe."
For a moment, Simon hesitated; then a tiny little smirk pulled his lips up at the corners, and he shifted forward, pulling her into his arms and pressing his lips against hers. Nadia's arms slid up to encircle him, and she leaned into his embrace eagerly; Sparrow could see her smiling into the kiss. At her side, Frost seemed to be growing even more annoyed with their display--a far cry from his usual reaction, Sparrow noted.
"What's your problem tonight?" she demanded, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Simon and Nadia pull apart to glance at him.
Simon laughed at the exasperated look on Frost's face. "He's probably just frustrated you apparently don't recognize mistletoe when you see it. You do know what it is, at least?"
"How stupid do you people think I am?"
Laughing, Nadia slipped from Simon's embrace and started toward her place across the table from Sparrow; Simon followed. "Not stupid," he insisted. "Amusingly... obtuse."
"...isn't that just another word for stupid?"
"Fine. Unsophisticated, then?"
Sparrow scoffed as the two of them sat down. "Right. You all and your sophisticated flower rituals are definitely over my head. Thank you."
"Leave her alone, Simon," Nadia scolded, but she smiled warmly at the both of them. "I'm sure Sparrow knows what mistletoe means."
"Damn straight I do. It means, 'don't stand under me when there's a pervert hanging about'," she said, well aware that she was only half-joking. "And since there's always at least one in this place--" She cast a very pointed glance at Frost. "--I'd be thrilled to avoid the stuff."
Frost rolled his eyes. "Please," he protested, "you didn't even know it was there until Nadia saw it. And we walked into the room side-by-side, thank you very much."
"Alright, so I'm a bit more oblivious to plant matter than I like to let on. Doesn't change anything. I don't take orders from leaves, thank you very much."
Across the table, Simon grinned as he started on his meal. "That's what I like about the two of you. You're always good for a laugh, at the very least; Frost likes to talk a lot of shit about me and you not getting along, but the two of you certainly aren't any better. And it's spectacular entertainment most of the time, let me tell you."
"I'm glad we're so amusing," Sparrow said, rolling her eyes, practically talking over Frost's own disbelieving retort:
"That's what you like about the two of us?"
Simon sneered, apparently unamused, but Sparrow saw Nadia suppress a laugh. "Well?" she asked, looking first to Sparrow before glancing at Frost. "Are the two of you going to...?"
"No."
Frost cast a disapproving glance in Sparrow's direction as she gave her instantaneous answer. "I'm eating," he said. "Whoever gets caught in the doorway when we leave isn't something I'm planning to think about until after dinner."
"Bullshit," Simon said immediately, and Sparrow's gaze flickered back to him. "I doubt you've been thinking about anything else since you found out that obnoxious sprig was up there. As if you weren't hoping she'd notice it herself?"
"If I wanted her to see it, Simon, I'd have pointed it out to her."
Sparrow didn't doubt that. "More importantly," she added, "I can't imagine that we'd be calmly eating dinner right now if he'd gotten his ridiculous 'Beneficence mistletoe kiss' earlier. He'd probably have ended up fucking me on the tabletop instead."
Nadia laughed, and Frost was clearly trying to suppress a smirk as Simon leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at her, a single brow raised. "Is that how it works?" he asked. "Because if that's what you've got planned for whoever you end up kissing, I know what order we're leaving this room in."
Nadia just giggled as Sparrow matched Simon's challenging expression. "Oh, are you finally taking me up on that offer to trade? Have fun with Frost, then."
That seemed to catch the other woman's attention, and she leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Now we're talking. You know I'll never pass up the opportunity to see the two of you," she said, glancing at Simon, and Sparrow raised a brow. She didn't know that, in fact. "It's no fair that Sparrow gets to see it all the time when you're off having fun without me."
Frost smiled at her, the expression as warm and affectionate as he always treated the other woman, and he cast a glance in Sparrow's direction that she was sure he thought was surreptitious. "You're absolutely right," he announced, and if the seductive undercurrent to his tone was any indication, he clearly thought Beneficence had just come early. "The four of us should--"
Simon sighed heavily--melodramatically--and cut him off. "One woman isn't enough for you now? You have to try stealing mine now, too?"
Frost glanced at him, and Sparrow knew instantly that they'd stepped into dangerous territory. "You don't seem to be complaining when it's Sparrow who wants more than one man. Who's stealing who here?"
"No one's 'stealing' anyone," Sparrow protested quickly.
Nadia nodded enthusiastically. "I'll say," she agreed. "It's Beneficence, after all. The season of peace and harmony and--"
"--sharing," Frost finished firmly, and Sparrow sighed softly. She glanced across the table toward Simon, and his eye caught hers; he knew as surely as she did that they were beat. Neither one of them was going to say no to Nadia, and it looked like Nadia wasn't going to say no to Frost this time.
"Fine," Simon said after a moment, and Sparrow wondered exactly how much of his reluctant act was genuine; did he really have a problem with sharing Nadia, or was his protest as hollow as her own was these days? Either way, Simon turned a muted glare toward Frost. "But I'm not kissing you under the goddamn mistletoe."
Frost laughed. "I'm heartbroken," he said, but victory had chased the mocking tone right out of his voice, and Sparrow let out a sigh as melodramatic and false as Simon's had been.
"I suppose I'll have to make the sacrifice," she said, and Frost just kept grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
Fandom: Parabellum (original fiction)
Wordcount: 1626
Pairing(s): Stelian Frost/Sparrow | Stacey Katharos/Simon Ides/Nadia Sen
Prompt(s): OTP Christmas 2015 4. mistletoe
Every inch of the manor seemed to have been covered with a Beneficence-themed explosion over the past twenty-four hours. A massive, two-story tall tree was in the front foyer, green and enormous and overflowing with tinsel and ornaments and colored lights. The study had been filled with garland and poinsettias when Sparrow had met with Hyde yesterday for one of her newly shortened lessons, and the dining room had been overhauled completely with a green-and-red tablecloth adorning the massive table, an entire set of brand-new, luxury dining chairs, poinsettias and candle centerpieces, a gold-and-silver chandelier she'd never seen before, and a set of silverware and china decorated with carved snowflakes and painted holly. The place was a fucking wreck.
"How much did all this cost?" she made the mistake of asking as they ate.
Frost frowned at her over his meal--and even those seemed to have gotten more elaborate over the two months of incessant holidays. "Not enough to make the slightest dent in my finances, I assure you. Or yours, for that matter."
"I certainly didn't pay for this."
He scoffed. "Yes, and I'm sure we're all quite thankful that you're not the one in charge of the manor's seasonal budget. We do want the place to look nice for the holiday, you know." He hesitated, lowering his fork to his plate as he considered her. "You really don't like it?"
He sounded genuinely concerned, and Sparrow very nearly laughed at the thought. "Does it matter? What, do you plan on asking them to redo it for me if I don't?" She shook her head. "It's fine, Frost; it just seems wasteful." She glanced down, her gaze sliding to the empty chairs across from her. Two extra plates had been set out on the other side of the table, piled high with food and surrounded by silverware, and somehow she doubted the servants had suddenly lost the ability to count. "Speaking of waste... are we missing someone?"
Frost nodded, and his expression darkened slightly. "Yes, in fact. Simon and Nadia were supposed to be here."
"Guess they had other plans."
Frost frowned, as if he was actually taking their absence as a personal affront. "So it seems. I certainly wish they had--" The sound of footsteps in the hall beyond cut him off, and they watched the door as the footsteps drew near, accompanied by familiar voices. "It's about time," Frost said stiffly as soon as Simon and Nadia appeared in the doorway, and Nadia's smile immediately faltered.
Simon just rolled his eyes, brushing past her into the room. "This isn't a fucking appointment, Frost. I'm here as a friend this time--or do you not know what those are?"
As Sparrow snickered, Nadia hesitated in the doorway, glancing up. Sparrow's gaze followed hers, and for the first time since she'd entered the room, she noticed another decoration she'd missed--a seemingly randomly placed sprig of some green plant she didn't recognize.
"What is that?" she asked after a moment, and it was only then that Simon turned back to look at his girlfriend and glanced up, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the small leafy bundle hanging from the door frame, bound together with a little red ribbon tied into a bow.
"That," he answered, "is mistletoe."
As Sparrow frowned, Nadia's face broke into an almost devious grin, and she reached out toward Simon. "Well," she said, sounding equal parts thrilled and apologetic, "you said it--it's definitely mistletoe."
For a moment, Simon hesitated; then a tiny little smirk pulled his lips up at the corners, and he shifted forward, pulling her into his arms and pressing his lips against hers. Nadia's arms slid up to encircle him, and she leaned into his embrace eagerly; Sparrow could see her smiling into the kiss. At her side, Frost seemed to be growing even more annoyed with their display--a far cry from his usual reaction, Sparrow noted.
"What's your problem tonight?" she demanded, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Simon and Nadia pull apart to glance at him.
Simon laughed at the exasperated look on Frost's face. "He's probably just frustrated you apparently don't recognize mistletoe when you see it. You do know what it is, at least?"
"How stupid do you people think I am?"
Laughing, Nadia slipped from Simon's embrace and started toward her place across the table from Sparrow; Simon followed. "Not stupid," he insisted. "Amusingly... obtuse."
"...isn't that just another word for stupid?"
"Fine. Unsophisticated, then?"
Sparrow scoffed as the two of them sat down. "Right. You all and your sophisticated flower rituals are definitely over my head. Thank you."
"Leave her alone, Simon," Nadia scolded, but she smiled warmly at the both of them. "I'm sure Sparrow knows what mistletoe means."
"Damn straight I do. It means, 'don't stand under me when there's a pervert hanging about'," she said, well aware that she was only half-joking. "And since there's always at least one in this place--" She cast a very pointed glance at Frost. "--I'd be thrilled to avoid the stuff."
Frost rolled his eyes. "Please," he protested, "you didn't even know it was there until Nadia saw it. And we walked into the room side-by-side, thank you very much."
"Alright, so I'm a bit more oblivious to plant matter than I like to let on. Doesn't change anything. I don't take orders from leaves, thank you very much."
Across the table, Simon grinned as he started on his meal. "That's what I like about the two of you. You're always good for a laugh, at the very least; Frost likes to talk a lot of shit about me and you not getting along, but the two of you certainly aren't any better. And it's spectacular entertainment most of the time, let me tell you."
"I'm glad we're so amusing," Sparrow said, rolling her eyes, practically talking over Frost's own disbelieving retort:
"That's what you like about the two of us?"
Simon sneered, apparently unamused, but Sparrow saw Nadia suppress a laugh. "Well?" she asked, looking first to Sparrow before glancing at Frost. "Are the two of you going to...?"
"No."
Frost cast a disapproving glance in Sparrow's direction as she gave her instantaneous answer. "I'm eating," he said. "Whoever gets caught in the doorway when we leave isn't something I'm planning to think about until after dinner."
"Bullshit," Simon said immediately, and Sparrow's gaze flickered back to him. "I doubt you've been thinking about anything else since you found out that obnoxious sprig was up there. As if you weren't hoping she'd notice it herself?"
"If I wanted her to see it, Simon, I'd have pointed it out to her."
Sparrow didn't doubt that. "More importantly," she added, "I can't imagine that we'd be calmly eating dinner right now if he'd gotten his ridiculous 'Beneficence mistletoe kiss' earlier. He'd probably have ended up fucking me on the tabletop instead."
Nadia laughed, and Frost was clearly trying to suppress a smirk as Simon leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at her, a single brow raised. "Is that how it works?" he asked. "Because if that's what you've got planned for whoever you end up kissing, I know what order we're leaving this room in."
Nadia just giggled as Sparrow matched Simon's challenging expression. "Oh, are you finally taking me up on that offer to trade? Have fun with Frost, then."
That seemed to catch the other woman's attention, and she leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Now we're talking. You know I'll never pass up the opportunity to see the two of you," she said, glancing at Simon, and Sparrow raised a brow. She didn't know that, in fact. "It's no fair that Sparrow gets to see it all the time when you're off having fun without me."
Frost smiled at her, the expression as warm and affectionate as he always treated the other woman, and he cast a glance in Sparrow's direction that she was sure he thought was surreptitious. "You're absolutely right," he announced, and if the seductive undercurrent to his tone was any indication, he clearly thought Beneficence had just come early. "The four of us should--"
Simon sighed heavily--melodramatically--and cut him off. "One woman isn't enough for you now? You have to try stealing mine now, too?"
Frost glanced at him, and Sparrow knew instantly that they'd stepped into dangerous territory. "You don't seem to be complaining when it's Sparrow who wants more than one man. Who's stealing who here?"
"No one's 'stealing' anyone," Sparrow protested quickly.
Nadia nodded enthusiastically. "I'll say," she agreed. "It's Beneficence, after all. The season of peace and harmony and--"
"--sharing," Frost finished firmly, and Sparrow sighed softly. She glanced across the table toward Simon, and his eye caught hers; he knew as surely as she did that they were beat. Neither one of them was going to say no to Nadia, and it looked like Nadia wasn't going to say no to Frost this time.
"Fine," Simon said after a moment, and Sparrow wondered exactly how much of his reluctant act was genuine; did he really have a problem with sharing Nadia, or was his protest as hollow as her own was these days? Either way, Simon turned a muted glare toward Frost. "But I'm not kissing you under the goddamn mistletoe."
Frost laughed. "I'm heartbroken," he said, but victory had chased the mocking tone right out of his voice, and Sparrow let out a sigh as melodramatic and false as Simon's had been.
"I suppose I'll have to make the sacrifice," she said, and Frost just kept grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
© 2015 A.F. Tanith
