And so this is Christmas.

[resident_alice]

Last year, Alice hadn't really bought into the whole Christmas Spirit deal. She generally didn't. Good cheer just wasn't her thing. But someone had left out a bottle of sherry in the kitchen that morning and she'd helped herself to a glass because Hell, it was Christmas, wasn't it

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[flyboy_shepp]

"The hall," was John's instinctive reply, and so was the dry tone. Despite having been called Johnny yet again, John's glare faded as soon as it appeared. "Alice, if you've been drinking something good, you've got an obligation to share. It's Christmas."

About the only thing showing John had any Christmas spirit was the santa hat he was currently holding. He was going to get Rodney to wear it at least once, even if it killed him.

[resident_alice]

"I think someone left it out for cooking," Alice shrugged. "And why do you think I've been drinking? You're the one holding a Santa hat like it's the Holy fucking Grail." She smirked up at him.

"I hope you're planning on wearing the whole suit."

[flyboy_shepp]

"You couldn't pay me enough," John replied. "Do I look jolly or fat to you?"

The part he wasn't saying out loud was that there was no way in hell anyone was ever getting a santa hat on his head.

[resident_alice]

"Let me check." Alice poked him, hard, in the stomach. "Nope. Must be all that ITF training," she said as she looked up again. "But there's all of Christmas lunch and dinner to go yet. Are you planning on sticking around, or are you doing a drive-by Santa hat run?" The smirk stayed firmly where it was.

[flyboy_shepp]

John batted Alice's hand away, and decided maybe she'd drunk a little too much of what she'd found. Not that he could blame her. "There's a free Christmas meal I didn't have to cook or beg anyone to cook. Of course I'm sticking around."

It was a long, cold walk back home, anyway.

[resident_alice]

"Yeah, you and the rest of the island has the same idea," Alice sighed. "Too much for me. Reminds me of a ravenous pack of undead fighting for the last scrap of flesh. We should probably stop blocking the door, we'll get stampeded," she added, glancing around. It was then something above John's head caught her eye. As if on cue, the jukebox started playing I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.

Oh, what the hell, Alice thought, and while Sheppard was caught off guard she grabbed him by the side of his neck, leaned up and planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

To be fair, she'd been going for his cheek.

[flyboy_shepp]

John had about two seconds to consider just how gross an image that brought about and how awesome (or not) it would be to fight off a zombie invasion before Alice had a bout of temporary insanity and kissed him. Or tried to, whatever.

It'd been so damn long, and it came absolutely naturally to John to bring his own hand up - still clutching the santa hat - and steady Alice enough to make it a proper kiss.

There was tradition to think about, after all.

[resident_alice]

Okay, so. Alice hadn't been expecting that. She'd expected John to push her away at the very least, spit on the floor maybe, try to hit her at the worst. Not kiss her back.

Maybe Christmas wasn't so bad after all.

She let it linger for only a moment before realizing that yeah, this was going to be awkward afterward. She broke away, averting her eyes quickly.

"Sorry," she said when she finally managed to lift her gaze to his face. "Mistletoe."

[flyboy_shepp]

If anything could derail a friendship faster, John would probably have done that, too. He had a talent for that kind of thing, and he remembered why it was easier all around just to keep to the friends he had.

No matter how much he didn't want to move, awkward feelings always triumphed and John took a half step back, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Tradition," he agreed, and ignored the part where he sounded like it'd been anything but.

[resident_alice]

Alice shoved a hand through her hair and cleared her throat with a dry little smile.

She'd done a few pretty stupid things in her time, but she thought that pretty much topped the list, or at least was damn near it. She wasn't going to let it fuck anything up too bad, though. Not on Christmas, for chrissake.

"Come on," she said, in a desperate attempt to dispel the awkwardness of the situation. "Let's go get some food before it gets too crowded." If he didn't agree she'd just have to go shoot herself, simple as that.

[flyboy_shepp]

The disappointment was kinda new - and not just because John wasn't sure he could make another joke about being groped in the kitchen now.

"Yeah, sure," he said, and worked up a pretty genuine smile. There was, at least, something to be said for Alice being determined to plow right through the awkwardness straight to ignoring what had just happened. John had to admire it.

He held up the santa hat up by the ball of fluff on the end and let it swing. "Only if you wear this."

[resident_alice]

So much for ignoring what had happened. John was just asking for it.

"Do you want me to kiss you again?" Alice asked, hiking up an eyebrow. "Because I will, mistletoe or no mistletoe, just to make you run away."

She had clearly been one of those girls who chased boys around the playground threatening to get cooties on them.

[flyboy_shepp]

John lifted his chin and considered Alice for a moment. "Who says I'd run away?"

He'd made worse decisions on the same amount of time. Hell, it was how he'd ended up in Antarctica in the first place.

[resident_alice]

For the first time in a long time, Alice actually looked surprised. And speechless. For a second or two, anyway.

"What?" she managed eventually. Not the most eloquent of things she could've said, but it was the only thing she could think of.

[flyboy_shepp]

So he hadn't expected that kind of reaction, but John wasn't going to let an advantage like that slip away.

He grinned, and set the santa hat on Alice's head. "You said something about food."

[resident_alice]

Alice glared at him.

"That wasn't nice," she said. "I should kneecap you for that." But she didn't. She just adjusted the hat to a comfortable angle and turned, gesturing for him to lead the way to the kitchen with a You Win sort of expression.