the ic mistletoe meme

[bifroster]

pucker up!

- make a top comment with the usual
- you are now caught under some mistletoe
- anyone who comments is now caught under it with you
- you know how the tradition goes :)
- yes i totally ripped this from plurk

Comments

[duelo]

When Jane neither pushes him away nor freezes up with distaste, instead leaning in and returning the kiss, Derek takes that as a small victory and presses forward.

His kiss is deeper, then, and he pours all his pent up affection for her into it. The fingers on her chin move and he moves that hand to her back, a subconscious move to keep her closer for longer.

When he finally does end it — and he does because if she has to, his pride will take a hit — he stays close, his forehead only inches from hers and his eyes still closed for a little longer. A moment later, Derek finally opens his eyes and draws his head back a little so that he can look at her, not really sure what to say and deciding maybe it's better to gauge her reaction by letting her speak first.

[bifroster]

Jane’s mind is going a mile a minute and has come to a screeching halt at the same time.

One, wow, that was some kiss. There were some ex-boyfriends who could learn a thing or two from him. Two, she was starting to get an inkling that there was more to it than mistletoe. Three, it looked like Derek was kind of holding his breath and waiting for her reaction. She is not sure what to say either. It wasn’t like he made her uncomfortable; it was just a kiss. Was it? For him, though? She is going to have to think on this for a while more. For now, it might be a better idea to play it safe and not rock the boat.

After all, regardless if she was right or wrong, things would be … awkward at the very least.

“Happy holidays, indeed,” she says, going for pleased and teasing.

[duelo]

Well...that's a gentle let down, he thinks. She's not going in for another and she's being sort of playful, which tells him that she's not upset with him, but that she's also not feeling the same way that he is.

That's a first, but he supposes there's a first time for everything and he smiles back to try to keep her from seeing the disappointment he's feeling.

"Sorry, couldn't resist. I should leave you to it, huh?" he asks, lifting his eyebrows. "You look like you were kind of busy."

[bifroster]

Ouch. Yeah, that was disappointment. Jane wishes she were better with these things, but honestly? She can blunder through human relationships too easily.

"A little, getting out some letters of recommendation and things for my students," she replied. "Given all that has happened, I'm surprised some of them were even thinking about college."

God, she hoped he wasn't too hurt. If he was hurt. Was it too much to assume or suspect?

[duelo]

Derek's eyebrows lift and he nods a little. "Yeah, that's a good point. But also, maybe after what happened, they're realizing how short life could possibly be and they're deciding that they need to say the things they're afraid to say and do the things they're been putting off doing or whatever before their time runs out..." he points out with a little shrug.

That might or might not have been a sliver of his motivation here, honestly. Derek always gets one of those temporary boosts of motivation after near-death experiences and he's had plenty.

"I won't keep you, though, since that sounds like a lot of work. Unless you need help carrying all that stuff, or are you good...?" he asks, looking for a graceful sort of way to exit before he says or does something that makes this embarrassing.

[bifroster]

"Yeah. I can get that. Hopefully this will help them."

Oh no. The awkwardness was already happening. She could feel it.

"Thanks, but I got it. Just gotta shove it into the mailbox." She smiled at him, wishing—well, she wasn't even sure what. "I'll see you around? I'd hate to keep you from your errands too."

[duelo]

Well, at least she's giving him a get out of jail free card, even if she might not be doing it on purpose.

"No problem. And yeah, definitely," he agrees. "It's fine, I'm on my way to work."

No he isn't.

"I'll catch you soon, though. See you soon, Jane," he finishes with a warm smile and a little wave before he starts away.

[bifroster]

She wonders, but ultimately decides that its his business if he was lying or not. It wasn't like it was a harmful lie or anything.

"See you soon, Derek," she says cheerfully, giving him a wave, heading over for a mailbox towards the end of the street. "Have a good day at work!"