Pope has a plan. Well, he has more of a pla -credit to Phoebe from Friends- when he really thinks about it. He isn’t even sure if he’d go as far as that. That might be too nice for what he has up his sleeve which is literally just to get JJ under the mistletoe. He doesn’t know how or when, but he does know that’s his end goal. The problem is that he has no idea how to do that.
Kiara isn’t much help either. She looks at him with a shocked expression for only a moment before muttering,”it makes sense,” and helping him brainstorm some ideas. They all suck though, but Pope is too nice to tell her that, especially because she’s excited now. She’s invested and corners Pope every chance she can get, hanging mistletoe everywhere that somehow Pope never finds himself under with JJ.
(He ended up under it when Kiara once. It was a bit awkward considering their history and he made a show of kissing her on the cheek when he noticed the displeased look on JJ’s face. Well, he hopes it was a displeased look.)
“I think the Christmas party is the perfect time,” Kiara instructs after multiple failed attempts. It’s the first Christmas with John B and Sarah in two years and the Pogues are having a small get together on Christmas Eve. Kiara offered to bring food, JJ drinks and Pope the music in celebration of their friends being home. Pope had been hoping it would be just them without the pressure of the Pogues but he was out of options and Christmas season would be over before he knew it.
Which is how he finds himself shifting nervously in the living room of the Chateau, eyes glancing up every so often. He eagerly avoids all of his other friends, but somehow that ends with him missing JJ each and every time, even with that aid of Kiara who keeps sending JJ into the kitchen for drink refills that Pope is pretty sure she’s just dumping out the window at this point unless her tolerance is why higher than it had been only a few days ago.
He practically stands in the doorway for two hour before he finally gives up, his bladder making him turn toward the hall. He gives the mistletoe one last disappointed glance, trying to figure out if he’d have the guts to just kiss JJ any time soon when he all but runs into JJ.
The problem now is that his bladder is threatening him and suddenly all of his drinks tonight seem to catch up to him. He doesn’t even spare JJ a glance as he shifts past him, swears he sees a fluttering of disappointment in blue eyes but can’t focus on that as he nearly runs toward the hall, slamming the door shut behind him.
Kiara is there to greet him as he steps out, slapping him upside the head. Pope frowns, about the complan when she points toward the kitchen at a very disappointed looking JJ, who is currently glaring at the mistletoe hanging in the doorway between the kitchen and the living area.
“I had to-“ but Kiara doesn’t let him finish, gives him a good shove to the door that has him stumbling into the door frame. He shoots her a glare over his shoulder, trying to right himself only for his head to come into contact with a particularly pointy chin as he goes to stand at full height again.
“Oh, fuck,” JJ groans and Pope freezes, eyes wide as he meets JJ’s blue. The other is rubbing at his chin to sooth the obvious ache. “I think I just bit my tongue.”
“Shit! I’m sorry.” Pope’s voice is too loud suddenly as he scrambles to press his fingers to JJ’s jaw, gentle as he probes the skin so he can examine for any blemishes against the pale exterior. He doesn’t find any as he turns his gaze back to JJ’s.
And yes. He freezes again, breath catching when he notices how close they’re actually standing. Pope can feel the puff of warm air against his lips, fingers slipping from JJ’s jaw. JJ catches his hand though, guides those warm finger back toward his cheek as Pope’s fingers twitch from his touch, seeming to move on their own when JJ’s fingers move from his and slide down his arm, brush against his side until they’re splayed across the small of his back, tugging him closer.
The glance at his lips is all Pope needs as he leans forward, smiling when JJ meets him halfway. Pope’s free hand tangles into JJ’s messy blond hair, shifting to deepen the kiss as JJ pulls him closer, lets his tongue glide across Pope’s bottom lip until Pope finally opens his mouth, lets JJ’s slide his tongue in.
The cough in the kitchen startles Pope though, teeth moving to snap together but meeting the soft flesh of JJ’s tongue that had just been sliding between his teeth. JJ jerks back with a gasp and a groan of pain. “Shit! I’m so sorry,” Pope finds himself again.
“I’m not,” John B comments, obviously the owner of the cough that had startled Pope out of the moment.
“Asshole,” JJ mutters, frowning in obvious pain. “You’ll fucking pay for that, JB.” There is no malice in his voice though, because his eyes haven’t left Pope’s the whole time.
“Do you need ice?” Pope finally asks, lost in JJ’s gaze. It’s like the room had dissolved away again and JJ is the only one here.
“I think you can just kiss it better,” JJ smiles, cheeky and warm and Pope can tell it doesn’t hurt much anymore, but it’s the least he can do.
“I think I can do that,” he mutters, heat radiating from his cheeks as he leans forward to connect their lips again.
