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"Oh my god, not again."
Duff looks on as Steve enters the apartment, trying to drag in a tree too big for their living room. For the whole building to be completely honest.
"What is it this time, Mr. Grinch? It's Christmas, plus I got it 20 percent off."
He even has the audacity to wink as Duff sets his magazine down, cigarette still dangling between his lips.
"Who even let you in?"
See Duff wasn't a bad person but he wasn't a good one either and Steven had been wearing his patience thin, especially now that he and Izzy shared an apartment that they had to keep remotely okay until New Years. And Duff knew he'd have no problem with it, but Steven... Steven on the other hand could ruin it all.
"Your door was unlocked. It's always unlocked."
Duff groans and knows he's gonna kick Izzy's ass when he gets back from beers and pool with Slash and the guys. Typical of him. Going away just as Stevens' shift ends so Duff'd be the only one to have to keep an eye on him. Wonderful.
*
"Are you gonna help me put this in place or not?"
Duff snorts, now lazily dangling his legs over the edge of the sofa, staring at the sliver of skin Stevens old t-shirt reveals while he's trying to push the tree in place. Sliver of skin that has him a little flustered, drowning his beer in one go.
"You'll be fine."
He says it just as the tree wobbles dangerously over Stevens winded body. Duff doesn't realize he's been staring for minutes now and not at the tree. Not at all.
"Could you at least," Steven's voice is strained and Duff has a hard time swallowing over the lump in his throat "Stop staring at me?"
Duff feels his face flush and hides it behind his magazine. Smooth.
"Nope, I just love looking at you suffer."
Steven cackles and when Duff looks up, he's got his tongue pushed out at him in response, smiling in glee when the blush on Duff's cheeks spreads all the way down to his neck.
"Well then, enjoy the view."
*
When Izzy isn't back by 10, Duff decides he's got to kick Steven out on his own. It turns out to be a tough challenge when Steven pushes him down on the sofa, grabbing some eggnog from who knows where and putting on his favorite Christmas movie channel.
"Why do I put up with you?"
Duff wonders how long he can, especially when he notices it's only November 5th. God damn it.
"Because you love me. And because I bought alcohol infused eggnog."
He winks at him again and Duff blames his blush on the alcohol. Blames it on anything else but the warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Okay see, see here? This little shit brought three fucking cookies instead of all the candy and stash he probably had in the fridge. He's literally outsmarted criminals before so why is he so god damn stupid now?"
Steven's agitated by Kevin McCallister and Duff's drunk enough not to really care. He finds it amusing even, how Steven can love something so much yet totally annihilate it in a second if he wants to.
And Duff starts to wonder if he could try and do that to the feeling in his chest when Steven looks at him with a smirk, eyes hooded and hair a bit messy, asking if he wants another drink. Duff nods and thinks maybe he doesn't need to at all.
*
"Oh! I almost forgot!"
Steven's getting up just as Kevins' mom finds him standing at Rockefeller center as some soft tune plays in the background. Duff's almost forgotten all about the weird tightness in his chest, when Steven runs up to him with five sets of santa hats, one on him already. He can't forget now.
"These are your pre-christmas gifts. I don't know if Slash will accept it so I'm just gonna smuggle it into his dorm tomorrow."
Duff stares at the hat in his hands incredulously as Steven looks at him, all soft smiles and dimples.
Duff is suddenly extremely parched.
"Aren't you gonna wear it?"
Duff looks at Steven and then at the hat again, wondering how he'd let things get this far.
"No."
Steven's inching closer to him then, cheeks red by the alcohol and Duff thinks the other might be a bit too drunk when his hand lands on his thigh.
"Pretty please?"
Duff wants to say no again but his throat is weirdly constricted, goosebumps following Stevens' hand wherever it goes. And somehow it's inching higher and higher.
"I-I guess I'll try. But just this once." He's grabbing the hat, Stevens' hand squeezing his thigh when he remembers to squeak (he didn't mean to squeak but it sounds a lot like it) that 'he can never mention this to anyone again'.
Steven looks at him pointedly, hand still on his thigh and Duff hurriedly puts the hat on, trying to break eye contact and any contact for that matter for the rest of the faithful night.
Steven makes a noise similar to a squeal and when exactly has Duff started finding that sound attractive about him? About anyone ever?
"Can I take a picture? It's just for me I swear!!"
Steven is uncharacteristically sweet. To sweet for Duffs' liking as his tongue wets his lips for a bit too long before he answers.
"No."
Steven pouts at him then, hand still on his thigh and Duff is-is- furious. Yet he nods again, blaming the blush that's still burrowing in the hollow of his collarbones on the embarrassment and not on the way Steven's been looking at him for the past hour.
Or maybe for longer than that, Duff's subconsciousness adds.
"God, this is definitely going up on my wall."
Steven's giddy and Duffs' mind reminds him that his hand has been on his thigh for half an hour.
"If that means anyone else will see it then no. That wasn't a part of our deal."
Duff's nervously checking the clock, waiting for Izzy to get home. Praying that he'll be there before anything could happen. He tries not to think of what that anything might be but fails miserably.
"But you just look so.." Steven smiles at him, trying to find the words as his head tilts a bit and his tongue darts out to wet his lips. Duff swallows hard. ".. cute."
And Duff waits for a few seconds. Hopes that Izzy's stepping through that door but when he isn't, he does something stupid. Something he really shouldn't do. Shouldn't even be thinking about.
He pushes forward, Stevens' grip on his thigh tightening and then loosening again, and presses their lips together.
His hand finds Stevens nape on its own accord and Duff tries to nag at himself in his mind because this is stupid and it'll ruin everything and Steven is an idiot.
But Steven kisses him back and all of those thoughts fade into the back of his mind as the little tiny voice he's always tried to ignore so fucking much takes front and center.
Steven is an idiot. And Steven is stupid. But he's Steven. He's sweet and nice and funny and his smile makes Duff feel like he might not die as grumpy as he was born to be.
His lips feel just as soft as Duff imagined them to be, a bit chapped at the edges but that's okay because he tastes like eggnog and cigarettes and something Duff's always been missing.
He craves for just a little bit more so he makes it known that this isn't just a kiss, pulling Steven on his lap. The other gasps, lets his mouth fall open for a moment as he takes in a deep breath, Duff's name sitting in the back of his throat in the form of a low rumble.
"Was it the hat?"
Steven pulls away again, eyes sparkling but hooded and Duff has a hard time holding in his groan.
"No, it's because I want you to shut up already."
Steven smirks and kisses him again, pushing their bodies together, Duff's hands grabbing onto his hips so tight they could bruise.
"For me it was definitely the hat."
And as Duff pushes up and Steven grinds down, moan buried in the crook of his neck, the door flies open with the sound of three drunken stooges walking in.
Then a bit of startled silence, a bit of yelling, a bit of laughing and Steven getting up, flustered at the way his shirts ridden up and the way they're all looking at him. Claiming that it's rude to walk in without knocking.
"God, Duff, you know were stuck with him forever now, don't you?"
Izzy's making his way towards the kitchen, almost pushing over the still unsteady tree. And Duff feels his face redden again as he answers. Steals a glance at the way Steven's playing mindlessly with his hat, grumpy but pleased.
"Sadly I didn't think of that."
He's fucked. But in a really good kind of way.