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Cassidy brushed a crumb off the sleeve of the sweater he was wearing. It was old and itchy and he hated it, but Mirage practically begged him to wear it. What kind of Christmas sweater was dull and grey? The only thing that gave away that it was winter themed was the vaguely shaped gold snowflakes that were unevenly sprinkled around the lower half of it. It was clearly homemade.
Cassidy shrugged off the judgmental thoughts about the sweater. It was a silly thing to worry about. He shoved a piece of fruitcake in his mouth before locking eyes with Elliot, who was standing in front of him and holding out a winter coat. "We're going-" Cassidy paused, swallowing the cake that was in his mouth- "already?"
"It's getting late. The party's dying down." Elliot stepped behind his friend and started guiding his arms through the sleeves of the jacket. "Come on." He slowly spun Cassidy around, zipping the clothing shut and tugging on the hood that was lined with brown faux fur.
"Alright," Cassidy muttered, refilling his thermos with mostly-equal parts hot chocolate and spiced rum. He looked around the room and waved goodbye to the few people who were facing in his direction before walking towards the door.
A chuckle escaped Elliot's lips. "You almost sound disappointed. Why would someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas be unhappy to leave a Christmas party?"
"I'm not disappointed. I think it's your friends, they must be growing on me." Cassidy smirked and rolled his eyes at Elliot's playful tease. He hated to admit it but maybe he really was becoming more of a people person.
Elliot twisted the knob of the front door and adjusted his scarf to protect himself from the cold winter air. "You know, most of them aren't exactly my friends," he said the words softly, as if anyone inside could still hear him, "actually sometimes I think most of them dislike me." He chuckled again, but this time it didn't seem sincere.
Cassidy caught on and lightly rubbed his friend's back over his jacket. Maybe it was time to change the subject. "Why did you think it was a good idea to walk to the party? It's as cold as the mountains of Talos out here." He took a sip from his drink container and sighed heavily as the liquid warmed his insides.
"Hey, I thought it wasn't supposed to snow tonight. It hardly ever snows on Solace and there weren't even any clouds out here earlier. Can I have some?" Elliot gestured towards the thermos. Cassidy nodded and the bottle exchanged hands.
-
The two of them walked quietly and contentedly through the snow for some time. The journey back to the Paradise Lounge felt much longer now than it had when they left, which Cassidy assumed was because he was starting to get tired and a little bit tipsy. The cold weather was good for staying awake.
Elliot broke the silence first. "You aren't a fan of that sweater, are you?" He nudged Cassidy with his elbow a little to get his attention.
"No, I'm really not. I don't understand why you were so adamant that I wear it. Where did you find it, the bargain bin at a thrift store?" Cassidy's attempt at making a joke ended up coming out far too rude. He grimaced.
"Actually, I made it." Elliot stepped sideways, increasing the distance between them a bit. He sounded hurt.
Cassidy stopped walking. "Fuck. I'm sorry. I-"
"It's fine. I know it's dis- deso- desul- poorly made." He groaned at himself and tugged Cassidy's sleeve, encouraging him to walk again. "I made it almost ten years ago. My mom taught me how to knit and sew and patch up clothes when I was younger. My brothers were older than me and we tended to get real rough with each other. Mostly with me 'cause it's easy to pick on people who are smaller. Anytime I got their old clothes, there'd be something to fix."
"Anyway, back to when I made that sweater. My mom's condition had gotten worse. My brothers were... gone. I was alone and in my spare time I needed a hobby to help me pass the time. I chose knitting." Elliot stepped closer again. He smiled. "You can see how that turned out."
Cassidy looked up at him. "I'm really sorry. I didn't realize. I feel like an asshole."
Elliot threw his arm around his friend and shook him a little. "It's okay, Cass. I know how ugly it is. I'm surprised that you even took your coat off at the party. I wouldn't have shown that monstrosity to anyone."
They both let out a laugh. The lights of the bar were up ahead and sleep was calling their names.
-
Once inside, both of the men let out a sigh of relief. Cassidy shed the coat and the sweater he had on almost immediately, and stepped into the bathroom to change into some flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt. "I know you aren't mad about what I said, but I still feel awful. Are you sure that there isn't any way I can make it up to you?"
Elliot grunted, walking into his room and kicking off his shoes. "Let me think."
"Okay," Cassidy replied. He sat down on the sofa and peered in the direction of his friend's bedroom. The door was ajar. The two of them had gotten fairly comfortable with each other in the past six months that they had met. But they weren't so close as to change in front of each other. Cassidy blushed as glimpses of a shirtless Elliot paced back and forth in his room.
"Okay! I've got an idea," Elliot exclaimed as he swung open his door. He was wearing black house pants and a tight grey shirt that had the word "bamboozled" plastered on it. He truly was his own biggest fan, other than Evelyn, anyways.
Cassidy cleared his throat. "Let's do it."
A smirk crawled across his face. "First, let me pour you drink. You put way, way too much rum in that hot chocolate of yours. The only reason it was bearable was because of how cold it was outside." He grabbed a few ingredients from the fridge and a nearby cabinet. He was pretty lively for someone who had just attended a party and walked over a mile in snowy weather.
Cassidy strode over to the kitchen counter and watched as Elliot hummed while he was throwing something together. Watching him work was one of Cassidy's favorite things to do. He always seemed so happy during his jobs, whether it was in the heat of battle or behind the safety of his bar counter. The calm of his apartment kitchen was no different.
After a few minutes, Elliot set a cup in front of Cassidy. "I know that The Big Lebowski is one of your favorite movies so I thought a festive twist on The Dude's signature drink would be something you'd like. It's a Peppermint White Russian." He looked proud of himself.
Cassidy laughed and stirred the drink around with the candy cane that Elliot had placed in the cup to dress it up. He raised the glass to his mouth and took a sip. "It tastes great and I appreciate this, but I asked what I could do for you and you ended up doing something for me. That's not what I meant at all."
"Oh, I know. That isn't how you're going to make it up to me." Elliot circled the kitchen island until he was standing next to Cassidy, who spun around to face him. He rested his hand on the counter beside Cassidy, effectively making it to where he could only move in one direction.
Cassidy scoffed at the action and he gazed up at his taller friend. "You're trying to intimidate me? I thought you weren't upset over what I said. I told you that I-"
Elliot's free hand moved from his back pocket and over Cassidy's head, effectively cutting him off in the form of confusion.
Cassidy looked upwards at the hand and he heard a jingling sound as a green plant was suspended from it. It had red berries on it and a small bell from which the noise came from.
"Well, well, well. Isn't this quite the predice- preda- predicament?" Elliot bounced the mistletoe in his hands some more, making the bell ring out. He was enjoying the bewildered expression on Cassidy's face.
Cassidy's eyes roamed Elliot's face, looking for a bluff. "You can't be serious." He began to slink in the direction of the opening that was beside him.
"Dead." Elliot's voice was as calm as ever, calmer even. It caught Cassidy off guard and he turned to face him. Elliot swooped down and their lips connected. The hand holding the mistletoe moved to Cassidy's neck, the waxy leaves sharply jabbed into him as Elliot's thumb caressed his cheek.
Cassidy's back was pressed uncomfortably into the island countertop and they stayed that way for a couple of minutes. Elliot kissed him more gently a couple of times before stepping back. There was a patch of red scratches on Cassidy's neck from the plant that Elliot held in the palm of his hand.
"I think we're good now. I've forgiven you." Elliot's voice came out raspy and was laced with worry. He thought he would feel better than this, like he had won something, but instead he just felt out of breath, like he had run a race. "Uh. G-goodnight. Merry Christmas."
"Goodnight... Mirage," Cassidy answered. He turned around and grabbed his drink, hand shaking.
Elliot furrowed his brow and muttered, "Yeah, that's me. Mirage." The name left a bitter taste in his mouth as he walked towards his room.