Jancy prompt: mistletoe :)
The Byers have never hung mistletoe. Jonathan only learnedabout it because of other kids talking about it in school, and a couple holidaymovies having cheesy romantic scenes with mistletoe involved.
So when he walks into the Wheelers’ on December 23, 1984, topick up Will from another campaign, he doesn’t suspect a thing, and Nancy iscounting on that.
She makes sure to be the one to answer the door, so she cancatch him before he makes his way to the basement stairs. She’d never get awaywith this if they had Will as an audience. She answers the door to him, and hiseyes light up at seeing her in that way she’s still not used to. His mouthbarely moves to smile, but he smiles more with his eyes.
“Hi, Jonathan,” she says, practically beaming at him,totally oblivious to the cold air against her bare legs. Her heart is beatingfar too hard. “Come on in.”
There are snowflakes in his hair and on his shoulders. Herfirst impulse is to brush them off, push his bangs off his forehead as she’s sofond of doing. But instead she turns to lead him through the kitchen. Hermother is upstairs, getting Holly ready for bed, and Ted is asleep in his La-Z-Boyand can’t even see them from where she hung the mistletoe.
But Jonathan stops her with the barest of touches on herupper arm. “Um, Nance?”
She stops, turns around, looking up at him, her mouthslightly parted. Had he seen—?
But he was looking vaguely over her shoulder, his expressionnervous. “Your dress, it isn’t, um, zipped all the way,” he says.
She closes her mouth, her eyes widening. “Oh,” she whispers.She’d been in such a hurry to answer the door, she hadn’t even thought of it.
He dips his head slightly. “Can I…?”
“Oh, yeah, of course!” she says, looking off to the side,smiling away her nerves and turning her back to him.
A second after his fingers brush her skin, she realizes shehasn’t moved her hair for him. She doesn’t even know if it’s in the way.
But then he is moving her hair off her neck as he finisheszipping up the dress, and her eyes close involuntarily, a shock of chillsmoving through her. She’s not used to this.
His fingertips linger on her neck, under the pretense ofholding her hair out of the way. His skin is cold, but she is the farthestthing from minding a little cold. She bites her lower lip, knowing he’s aboutto back away. Then she looks up.
Her sudden turn to face him makes him step back in surprise.She’s beaming at him again, and he’s obviously confused.
“Mistletoe,” she says, pointing up.
He glances up, and his confusion dissipates. She can see hischest expand as he takes a deep breath, his eyes going quickly from her eyes toher mouth and back.
She stares raptly at him, looking for hesitation, for anysigns of retreat. There are none. They reach for each other at the same time.
Her fingers are immediately running through his hair, whereshe can feel the dampness of the melting snow. He’s still cold from theoutside, smells of snow and tastes like frost and familiar warmth at once.
His hand travels down her back, pulling her closer. Herother hand is gripping blindly at his coat, and she’s mindlessly frustratedwith the barrier it creates. All she wants is to feel the heat of him, closerto her. She deepens the kiss, and even as they break away to catch theirbreath, she holds him tight against her.
His shoulders shake slightly under her hand as he holds inlaughter, and she opens her eyes, grinning back at him. He’s really smilingnow.
“You planned that, didn’t you?” he says, and the fondness inhis expression makes her want to demand he unzip her dress right there in thedoorway to her family’s kitchen.
“Only half of it,” she answers, then glances down at thefront of his coat. Begins pulling the zipper down. “Take off your coat. Stay awhile.”
She has the zipper halfway down before both his hands are ather waist, and he’s pulling her closer to cover her impish smile with anotherkiss.
