He knew the mistletoe was out there but he hadn’t really been paying any attention to where it was. There had been plenty of people getting stuck under it and it amused the hell out of him. At least it did until he stopped at a corner to cross the street and suddenly found himself unable to move. “Aw man, come on!” he looked up and sure enough there it was suspended in mid-air directly over his head. “You’re stalking me aren’t you?” Of course there was no answer. Peter knew there was only one way to get out from under the mistletoe but despite what people might think, he really did have some couth and he wasn’t going to start yelling for someone to come and kiss him.
He pulled out his phone and posted to the network, curious to see who would answer. Someone would, he was sure of it because after all, there were worse things than kissing Star-Lord. Okay so maybe not everyone felt that way but still. The person that answered first was a huge surprise to him but not an unwelcome one. Their Sadie Hawkins date had been unplanned and all Atlantis’s idea but it could have been worse and he’d actually enjoyed himself even if he wouldn’t have told anybody that.
Sighing, Marina put away her phone and got to her feet. Not for the first time, she regretted her decision to try and quit smoking for Molly's sake. Or her own sake? She still wasn't sure how she wanted to continue referring to the pair of them. She'd been amused when she saw none other than full-of-himself Peter Quill amble under a mistletoe just across the way. She figured he'd either flag someone down or sent a text to a ladyfriend who could come to his rescue, but she was a little surprised to see him practically beg for a savior on the network. Still, if she could get a free beer out of it… why not?
Once she was within speaking range, she tilted her head and gave him a look and asked herself again if it was worth it. Eh, he wasn't hard on the eyes and honestly, he was a lot more friendly than half of the people from her own world. "All right, Peter. Are you going to make this weird?"
He grinned when she walked up and shook his head. “No, I’m not going to make this weird. Why would I do that?” Although he certainly could since they didn’t know each other that well but he didn’t see the point. Weirder shit than kissing a stranger happened in Atlantis all the time and besides, she was hot and he liked the fact that she said what she thought. He definitely had a type, he’d long since decided. Of course he wasn’t having a lot of luck in that department but right now that didn’t matter.
“Don’t worry. I promise, nothing weird. Kiss me, we’ll get a beer or something stronger if you want and that’s it. I’m a man of my word.” Which he was although he was pretty sure Rocket would roll his eyes at him if he were here. “So how do we do this. It’s not like I haven’t kissed people before but this damn place might have some certain way it has to be done.”
Marina shrugged and stepped closer to Peter, not bothering to preamble the situation with any more idle chat. As soon as she was close enough to do so, she reached up with both of her hands (as he was a little taller than she) and grabbed the back of his head with one hand and the side of his face with the other before pulling him into a strong kiss and holding it for a few moments. Yeah, she purposefully forced him to stand at an old angle because it gave her leverage over him.
After she released him, she huffed a sigh and retrieved her lipstick from her bag. "Not bad. Now about that beer."
It was definitely more than he’d expected and he wouldn’t have minded doing it again but he wasn’t going to press his luck. “Well I do better when I’m not stuck outside in the cold but yeah, beer. Dive?” He wasn’t going to break his promise. “Or we could go to Lightning Brew. I don’t care which one.”
Raising an eyebrow, Marina decided to let the 'but it's cold' excuse slide. Still, she wasn't looking to turn this into a date. She flippantly waved a hand and put away her lipstick after expertly reapplying it. "You can just have the beer delivered to Heart 18. We don't need to make this a whole thing."
“That’s fine. I can do that. I’ll make sure it’s got your name on it so your housemates won’t swipe it.” Peter had no idea who she lived with but it seemed like a reasonable remark since he would have been tempted to swipe his housemate’s beer. “So thanks, guess I’ll see you around. I’ll take care of the beer.” He grinned at her and started walking back toward town.
Christine and Thor
Christine was tired. Tired and more than ready to get this baby out of her. She was happy though, the pregnancy had been uneventful despite a trip to an alternate universe which had not harmed the baby thankfully. The amniocentesis that she’d had when they’d gotten back had confirmed that their baby girl was healthy and was none the worse for wear.
She was out today finished up some Christmas shopping and was walking toward the housing area when she found herself unable to go any further. “What the hell?”she said and then she knew. Mistletoe. She should have paying attention. The same thing had happened last year although she hadn’t gotten caught. Now she was and it wasn’t going to be easy to get out of it. The obvious answer was to call Chris but as she dug in her bag, she realized she didn’t have her phone. With a sigh, she stuck her hands in her pocket and looked around. Someone would come by sooner or later and she could ask them to call Chris. Or maybe a friendly kiss would work, there wasn’t a rule that said it had to be romantic, was there? A kiss on the cheek would be fine with her as long as she didn’t have to stand out her and freeze her ass off for long.
Thor was getting somewhat used to all the mistletoe at this point. It seemed as if every day he was either getting stuck or helping someone else get free. In all honesty, he had to admit that he rather enjoyed the whole situation. It wasn't forcing people to have sex or even rub their mouths all over each other, so to him it was mostly harmless other than encouraging people to show a bit of affection. And if you didn't want to show any affection to a specific person, you could just as easily pass them on by and let them find someone else. He was just grateful it hadn't caught him at an inopportune time, yet.
As he left the caramel shop, he paused in the act of putting away his bag of sweets when he spotted a familiar face across the road, obviously stuck under another sprig of mistletoe. Jogging over, a smile spread across his face. "Lady Christine! May I be of aid?"
She had to catch herself before her mouth dropped open. There, coming across the street toward her was Thor. God of Thunder, worshipped by the Norse, superhero, and the object of a fan-girl crush that Christine had for years. Even when he’d simply been a fictional character and not a living, breathing person who was every bit as charming as she would have expected. “Yes, I’m….stuck,” she looked up. “I should have been looking. But I realized I had forgotten my phone and I was on my way home…” she was babbling and she paused and took a deep breath. “So yes I suppose you can help me. I was going to call my husband but like I said I forgot my phone and well, I’m pretty sure he’d be the only one who would want to kiss me right now.” she laughed and patted her stomach. Normally she wasn’t the least bit self conscious, she was who she was but with this pregnancy, she had been extremely self conscious and right now she felt like a whale.
"Nonsense, Lady. Motherhood is the height of beauty," answered Thor, perhaps still a bit high on the idea of having children that had shown up in Atlantis from the future. "If you wish it, I can retrieve your husband, or offer you a kiss to free you this moment. If the latter, I could then escort you to your destination safely."
A smile lit her face at his words. Chris told her things like that all the time but it was nice to hear it from someone else. “I think under the circumstances my husband would understand because he wouldn’t want me to stand out in the cold waiting for him.” And how could she turn this down? “I also appreciate your offer to walk me home. I don’t have much energy; it doesn’t take a lot to tire me out these days.”
Granted approval, Thor stepped closer to Christine and smiled warmly at her before leaning to press his lips carefully against hers, offering his arm as balance and a free hand at the small of her back. It lasted mere seconds, because he wasn't about to scandalize another person's spouse. Once he pulled back, his smile returned and he stepped slightly aside for Christine. "If your energy wanes, I will carry you."
It was definitely chaste but still, it was Thor and Christine’s heart fluttered. When he stepped back, she smiled at him. “Thank you but I think I’ll be fine, it’s just nice to be able to move again. It’s not very far, if you don’t mind carrying this,” she handed him a bag. “Thank you again,” she said as they started toward her house.