yarntails | MWAH!

[If anyone deserves a nice snake kiss it's Taashath. Faust sits in an enclosure with the majority of her body wrapped around a stick. The enclosure is short and doesn't have a top, so her head is peeking above the glass. She's watching Taashath while he watches her. He looks quite serious and that simply won't do. She stretches her body out towards him, muscles holding her up above the enclosure.]

{Hey! Kiss???}

Edited 2022-07-10 02:54 (UTC)

[Today is the day of Taashath and Oren's wedding and Egg couldn't be more pleased. She never doubted her son would find someone special of his own someday but it's hard to imagine someone better suited to him. Thankfully, Bull is over his misgivings. Egg has always liked Taashath. Maybe general vibes aren't a good reason to trust or not trust someone but so far she's really only made a mistake a couple times.

Oren and Taashath share many of their friends so they're spread out across the two rooms where the two of them are getting ready, some hopping between them, but, unlike Oren, Taashath doesn't have any family of his own. Egg has taken it upon herself to volunteer in Taashath's family's absence to spend most of the early part of the day helping him get ready. She helps place glittering jewelry in his hair. She chats with him about how he's feeling. She brings him snacks when he gets hungry. Whatever a mother should do for their son on his wedding day.

When he's finally fully dressed and almost ready to go, Egg finds that it's all hitting her at once. Her son is getting married, Taashath is officially joining their family. She loses herself in the moment. Taashath is sitting down so Egg places her hands on either side of his face and kisses him on the crown of the head. She leans back so she can look him in the eye.]

I'm so glad you're going to be a part of our family.

[Oren isn't really a Christmas guy, generally speaking. His family doesn't celebrate and it's a little weird how it takes over everything in the winter. The decorations are fun though, and that, today, is Oren's downfall.

Alice invited him, along with the rest of their friends, to decorate for Christmas and bake cookies. Oren is the tallest in their friend group so it's his job to hang up anything that needs to go close to the ceiling. Moments ago, Alice pulled him to the side with a mischievous look on her face to give him a sprig of mistletoe to hang in the entryway. It's almost a prank, see who can get caught under it. Now, Oren is wishing he had checked the time. If he had, maybe he wouldn't be standing directly under the mistletoe as his best friend and, more importantly in this moment, crush opens the door.]

O-Oh--Taashath!

[Oren can feel his face warming up. All he can do is stumble through an explanation.]

Alice asked me to--uh--you, um, you don't--I can just--

[Try. Try to stumble through an explanation. Oh boy.]

[Up until he got placed with Fisher, there was a concerted effort to keep Taashath away from christianity, especially the secular aspects that surround it. Christmas is a festival of capitalist consumption, nailed to the front of the the government to keep conservative bigots happy, so on and so forth. Fisher is Muslim, but basic religious literacy is important when you're deprogramming a kid rescued from a cult. Taashath knows the christian holidays now.]

[He's also friends with Adora, who is christian, and was therefore introduced to the idea of the Christmas romcom. He is not a fan. Even by romcom standards they're almost violently heterosexual, and maybe the cult had one thing right, because the consumerism sure is rampant.]

[All of this is to say, Taashath knows what mistletoe is.]

[He stops halfway through a greeting to look up at the doorframe. Yes, that's definitely what's making Oren turn so red. Before even considering that, he glances around the room-- no sign of Kit or the girls, but that doesn't mean they aren't watching. Even discounting the spy camera Lee rigged into the front door (which Alice seems unaware of, in all fairness), there's a mirror in the hallway that could be angled to give them an audience. Oren could blame this on Alice and get away with it, but he's more flustered than he is when he's laughing off one of her jokes.]

[The paranoid scramble of conditioned thoughts flicks over to allow a lingering look at Oren's mouth before braving eye contact.]

You're going to have to lean down.

[His own face is burning, but he puts on a little smile, fond with a bleedthrough of nerves. It's an excuse he could get away with, if Oren doesn't like it, a chance to kiss the stars themselves without much chance of suffocating in the empty space that comes afterwards. Too tempting to let it slip away without trying.]

[As there's nothing else he can really say without stuttering, Oren finds himself going silent to watch Taashath take everything in. He observes the way Taashath takes note of their surroundings before his eyes land on Oren's lips. Oh. And then...he asks him to lean down. If Oren wasn't red before he sure is now.

His voice comes out quiet, like he's afraid if he speaks too loudly the moment will break in some way.]

O-Okay......

[And he does lean down. How can he not with Taashath looking at him that way? Is he nervous too? Is that what he's seeing under the smile? Is there more to this than just a plant-based obligation?

Oren leaves his face in Taashath's proximity. Maybe he's making too big of a deal of this. Maybe Taashath is just going to kiss him on the cheek. That's what any of his other friends would do if they were in the same position. Maybe he's just overthinking the whole situation and he's getting flustered over nothing. Oren can only wait impatiently to find out.]

[Oh, Oren is beautiful from this close. Taashath rarely get the excuse to be this close to his face, given their height difference. It's for the best, because he struggles not to touch when he's got a good view.]

[In this case, though-- in for a penny, in for a pound. He gently reaches out to place his hands along Oren's jaw, going slowly enough to give him time to pull back if this is more than he's willing to do. Warm skin and the slightest hint of a pulse, and Taashath's ears are burning even before he notices his hands are trembling, just a little. This is his first kiss, and there's a lot of emotional weight behind it.]

[Still, he's committed to bigger risks-- he leans in and softly, carefully kisses his best friend.]

[Even with Taashath moving so slowly, Oren feels like he barely has time to process what is happening. Taashath's face so close to his, his small hands on Oren's jaw. This isn't just Taashath's first kiss, it's Oren's, too, and he's a little paralyzed by that fact. He has no idea what to do. What if he does it wrong? What if Taashath doesn't like it? What if his feelings are one-sided? What if his first kiss is being wasted on an obligation from a stupid Christmas plant? Then comes the light press of Taashath's lips and Oren's mind goes blank.

It's...so much better than he imagined it would be. Without his mind going in circles he can fully appreciate the warmth of Taashath's hands, how soft his lips are, how good he smells this close. Oren's body relaxes. It feels right, like they should have been doing this all along. He presses a little deeper, wanting not to just be kissed but to also kiss Taashath back, and lingers a little longer before he pulls away but doesn't straighten up.

Hesitantly, Oren opens his eyes to look at Taashath. He's a little afraid of what he'll see in his best friend's eyes but what's the other option? He wants to keep kissing but any obligation by the mistletoe has certainly been fulfilled. And what did that mean? Why did Taashath kiss him at all? All Oren can do now is face whatever consequences might follow. He doesn't say anything, he just lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding on to, close enough still that Taashath might be able to feel it on his mouth.]

[Taashath's heart pounds and his mind races, tipping past the overthinking and all the way around to a wordless buzzing. He makes a moment of eye contact as Oren pulls back, breathing quick and uneven. He can feel the warmth of his body, and he doesn't want to move. If Oren stands up properly, he'll be gone, out of reach. Taashath desperately doesn't want that to happen.]

[He surges forward, arms going around Oren's neck to pull him in for another kiss. He makes a soft sound deep in his throat, eager.]

[Well. There goes any plans to talk about the kiss but it kind of seems like they maybe don't need to talk about it. Oren only has that one moment of eye contact before Taashath is on him again. This time he really doesn't have time to process what is happening, stumbling from Taashath's sudden force on his crouching body.

Oren's arms go all the way around Taashath, trying to keep them both from toppling over. Their lips part briefly in the shuffle. His voice comes out in a breath.]

Sorry--

[And then they're kissing again, Oren chasing Taashath's lips and closing the distance himself, his palms fully spread on Taashath's back, pulling Taashath against him. Now that they're stable he can process the feeling of their bodies pressed together. They might be physically in the doorway of their friend's house but Oren might as well mentally be on another planet. He wants to hear that sound again.]

[Taashath makes a noise akin to a giggle when Oren stabilizes them, holding on tight in a way that... probably doesn't actually help, but he's giddy, this is perfect. The angle isn't quite right, and the cold air is coming into the house through the open door, but right now, he's certain there's nothing better. Oren feels even warmer against the winter cold, and the awkwardness is honest, makes it feel less like a dream.]

[The unfortunate thing, though, is that the combination of Oren suddenly being missing and the door being open means they are attracting attention very quickly.]

Oren, dude, you're letting all the warm--

[Alice's voice breaks off into a wordless shout of delight, and she drops the ornament she's carrying, which shatters loudly on the floor.]

I KNEW IT!!!!

[Taashath, for a split second, goes completely still, some irrational part of him briefly convinced he can somehow hide from the absolute chaos that is about to begin if he just stays tucked in against Oren. And then he pulls back, putting a hand on Oren's arm to ground himself.]

Alice, please don't yell--

I knew you guys were into each other!!!!

[The shout makes Oren jump, flinching at the sudden interruption. Oh. Right. This is Alice's house. Oren straightens up, looking over his shoulder with an unsure frown. On the one hand, it's nice to know Alice is supportive. On the other hand...]

Alice.........

[Her name is a plea. He knows it's too late though, she yelled. The rest of their friends are just one room away decorating the Christmas tree. Oren sighs, shoulders slumped in defeat.]

Just....hold on....

[With that, Oren gently pushes Taashath back through the entryway and closes the door between the two of them and Alice. It's cold outside without his jacket but he'd rather be anywhere but inside right now. Oren can't quite meet Taashath's eyes. Too shy.]

I'm so sorry.....

MWAH!

Taashath

5

4 - hey kiddo! don't worry I'll get your man on here eventually, but for now....

2 - I DID tell you you'd eventually get your man on here

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