When he got back home, both plants held firmly in his hands, he found the preparations in full swing. Stockings were hanging from the fireplace, and wrapped presents were already arranged under the Christmas tree. It seemed like the only ones missing were those from Teo.

Christmas carols drifted from the kitchen, mixed with the clinking of kitchen utensils, which meant his mom was already fully immersed in preparing the holiday dinner, or at least part of it. She didn’t like leaving everything for one day and liked to insist that food could always be reheated.

Teo hadn’t run into the other members of the household yet, but that changed the moment he stepped into the kitchen. As it turned out, Amelia had decided to help his mom with the cooking, and the two of them were laughing together as they skillfully moved around pots and pans.

“Oh, Teo!” His mom noticed him first.

“Laurel sent you gifts.” He lifted what he was holding a little higher to draw attention to it.

His mom was in front of him in an instant, and the first thing she took from his hands was the flower with the bright red leaves.

“It’s beautiful.”

She was genuinely pleased, and judging by the way she immediately started looking around, she was already searching for the perfect spot to place it so it would stand out. Soon she stopped just looking and began moving from place to place, stretching her arms out as if to visualize exactly how the plant would look there.

“Maybe on the window,” suggested the red-haired woman standing by the stove.

“Great idea.”

Teo stopped paying attention to his holiday-crazed mother and shifted his gaze to Amelia. Unlike Orion and Rick, she was still a mystery to him.

“Is that mistletoe?”

It wasn’t just him paying attention to her; she quickly turned her gaze to him.

“Yup.”

Even though he answered in a neutral tone, her smile suggested she’d read his thoughts and knew exactly what he intended, even if he couldn’t take credit for the idea himself. The whole plan had been Macy’s, and indirectly her mom’s too.

“That’s so romantic.”

His mother’s excited voice indicated she had also remembered that he hadn't brought just one plant, but two.

“I can't even remember the last time we had mistletoe in the house.”

She walked over to him and took it from his hands.

“Probably never,” he replied dryly. For all the time, energy, and money his family poured into Christmas decorations, mistletoe had never been on the list. Maybe because Orion had never brought a girlfriend home for Christmas, and Alicia hadn’t had anyone to kiss under it for years either.

“Well, time to change that.”

His mom ignored his tone, keeping her festive cheer, and took the plant from him. Then she walked over to the island, grabbed a chair, and tucked it under her arm, carrying it toward the doorway before her son could even offer to help.

In the end, she found a task for Teo anyway when she took down the clock above the door so she could use the nail to hang the mistletoe, handing the plain white clock into his hands.

“I should find Atlas so we can test it out,” she declared once she was back on the ground, hands on her hips. She nodded at her own idea and, without finding a new place for the clock or even putting the chair back, left the room, determined to carry out her plan.

Teo just shook his head at her eagerness and returned the chair to the island the same way she had brought it.

“When do you plan to test it?” Amelia nodded toward the door while leaning her elbows on the other side of the island, so they were face to face.

“Are you offering?” he asked her with amusement in his voice, even though he knew exactly what she was hinting at.

“You’re too young for me,” she assured him. “Besides, I don't break the bro code.”

“I don't know what you’re talking about.”

Even though he wanted to know more about what Rick had said about him, the kitchen wasn’t the right place for it. Besides, it was only a matter of seconds before his mom came back, and she might overhear something that could once again cost him his place in this household.

An innocent tone, a mischievous smile, and a brief remark would have to say everything on their own.

…

Teo didn’t get the chance to test a kiss under the mistletoe anytime soon. As the hours passed, the house grew louder and more lively, and no matter where he moved, he ran into someone. Being alone with Rick seemed impossible. Besides, the older man appeared to be enjoying the holidays surrounded by Teo’s family, and Teo didn’t want to ruin that for him.

Maybe that was why he behaved himself all evening, even though he didn’t outwardly show the same joy as the rest of the household.

His mom made mulled wine, put on carols, and later, when it was time to go to church and take a walk around the neighborhood, Teo finally had a good reason not to take part in the family traditions.

To his surprise, Rick also politely declined to join them, and although he only said that church wasn’t his thing, Teo could easily guess why. Teo’s mom and Atlas had apparently come to the same conclusion, since they didn’t push him and even instructed Teo to keep him company.

Orion, Amelia, and Rick all had different reactions to this news. Orion initially offered to stay home, likely horrified by the idea of Teo having a bad influence on his friend, but fortunately, Amelia stepped in and assured him that the two of them would definitely be fine.

As for Rick, he tried to keep his nerves under control, though he wasn’t sure how well he was doing. So far, he’d been alone with the younger man twice, and both times he’d struggled to control himself. Mateo was the one he’d been longing for for years, and having him this close felt like waving a bone right in front of a dog’s snout.

“See you later.”

Rick remained standing behind the closed front door for a moment after the cheerful chatter and the crunch of boots in the snow faded away. When he finally turned around, he found that he wasn't alone in the hallway as he had thought.

The dark-haired man stood at the top of the stairs and, once he’d been noticed, came down a few steps.

“I don't bite.”

Teo was the first who dared to speak, and looking at him, Rick felt that even though he was the older of them, it was the younger man who managed to maintain his composure and act like an adult.

“Unless you want me to.”

Rick’s previous thought was disproven the moment Teo spoke, a mischievous smile settling on his lips.

“What’s with the mistletoe?”

The older of the two didn’t give him a moment to keep flirting, instead going straight to the question that had been bothering him all day.

“What do you mean?”

Even though Teo acted as if he didn’t know what Rick was talking about, Rick knew that wasn’t entirely true. He knew very well that Teo wasn’t as innocent as he pretended to be and that he was smarter than Orion gave him credit for.

“Your mom said you’d never had mistletoe at home. And now it’s on the door.”

Rick nodded toward the kitchen, though his eyes stayed fixed on the other man’s blue ones. Just like the previous days, they were outlined with dark eyeliner, and it made Rick’s thoughts drift toward whether he ever took it off, or if he even slept with it on.

“My friend gave it to me. Her mom works at a flower shop.”

It was a perfect explanation, but Rick still didn't want to believe it was a coincidence.

“Why? Do you want to test it?”

And this was exactly the reason.

“We can’t,” he repeated the same answer he’d given him before.

“Why not?”

Teo cleared the last of the stairs and stopped directly in front of the other man. He had to look up at him slightly, but instead of being intimidated, he maintained heated eye contact with him.

“It's not right.”

Rick himself realized how weak it sounded.

“Okay.”

The older man frowned. “Okay?”

Teo looked amused for a moment, but then his smile softened. “I won’t force you into anything you don’t want.”

Before Rick could allow himself to be disappointed, despite the fact that he was the one who had refused, Teo added, “But if you change your mind, you can kiss me whenever you want.”

Rick cleared his throat as soon as his voice and with it his ability to respond deserted him, and then he said, “That’s good to know.”

Judging by Teo’s laughter, he didn’t sound nearly as casual as he was trying to be.

“If you don’t want to follow one Christmas tradition, how about another?” Teo surprised him with the suggestion. “I bet there are plenty of holiday movies on TV we could watch.”

The older man knew that spending time with him wasn’t a good idea, but looking into his blue eyes, where he saw genuine joy, something Rick had noticed Teo didn’t often show around his family, he couldn’t bring himself to say no.

“Sure.”

And so the two of them ended up on the couch, with Teo pulling out a thick red blanket with a Christmas pattern from somewhere and draping it over them.

At first, while Teo flipped through channels looking for the right holiday program, the space between them was larger. Just as it should have been if they were meant to be only companions, friends at most. But the longer they watched the movie and the more Rick relaxed, the more he caught himself leaning closer to the younger man.

Teo soon took it as a sign and shifted closer to him, not even trying to be subtle about it. What affected the older man the most, though, was when Teo rested his head on his shoulder.

“Is this okay?”

“Sure,” Rick managed to get out in a strangled voice.

Despite his uncertainty and panic, he draped an arm over Teo’s shoulders and pulled him even closer. All that remained was to keep his focus sharp enough to make sure they could get out of this position before Orion’s family caught them like this.

“You can push me away if you start panicking.”

It seemed that even though the younger man couldn’t see him, he could sense his inner turmoil.

“I wouldn’t push you.”

Rick was a grown man. He didn’t push people when he panicked.

“I’m just saying I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

For a moment, it seemed silence would settle between them again, broken only by the sounds of the movie, but then Teo managed to surprise him once more with what he said.

“I thought you liked pushing.”

“Watch the movie,” Rick instructed him sharply, while a ringing laugh came in response.

Thankfully, Teo obeyed, and while he continued watching the animated Christmas film, Rick’s gaze was fixed somewhere above the television screen, remembering how the younger man had pushed him onto the bed before climbing on top of him and showing him a whole new world.

Good thing the blanket covered his pants.