Francis watched with amusement as Lovino stood on a chair, stringing up new decorations on the walls of Francis's house because the old ones had been 'fucking ridiculous', according to him. The Italian was singing under his breath, and if he listened hard enough Francis could almost make out the tune of a Christmas carol he knew, but with Italian words. The younger man worked diligently, occasionally sparing Francis a glare or an annoyed word as he hung colorful baubles and bright stickers on the walls. He shut his eyes, smiling a bit. Francis didn't care so much about the decorations, but he did enjoy having Lovino over. Even if they didn't say much, the silence was usually comfortable; something Francis could appreciate.

His eyes opened when he felt something land on the couch beside him – he turned to see it was Lovino, now taking a break from decorating and having a drink of water.

"It does look very nice," he said appreciatively, leaning back into the couch. Lovino shrugged, averting his gaze as he drank.

"You're damn right it does," he responded when he'd finished his water. "Way better than the tacky shit you had before." He turned his head, meeting Francis's eyes. "I know you can decorate better – I saw your place last year and it was a hell of a lot nicer than what you did this time. So what the hell?"

He laughed a bit, placing his arm around the other man and gently pulling him closer. "I knew you'd complain and come fix it for me," Francis admitted with a smile. "And you know I can't resist any chance I might get to spend time with you…"

Lovino considered this statement for a few seconds, and Francis wondered if Lovino would punch him in the stomach as he often did, before leaning over and resting his head on Francis's shoulder, eyes shut. "Well, yeah. No one can resist me. I'm too perfect." He smirked a bit. "But it's nice of you to acknowledge it…"

They stayed that way for a few minutes; Lovino with his head on Francis's shoulder, Francis with his arm secure around Lovino's waist. Francis watched the baubles on the tree shimmering with reflected light from the fireplace before shutting his eyes and leaning his head back. He thought maybe Lovino had fallen asleep, and planned to do the same before noticing that he was missing the weight of Lovino's head on his shoulder. Opening his eyes again, he laughed softly when he saw Lovino staring straight at him.

"Yes?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. Lovino seemed nervous, biting his bottom lip as he tried to bring himself to say something. Francis laughed softly. "Whatever it is, you can say it…"

"It's just…" Lovino averted his eyes, knotting his hands in the bottom of his shirt. "Just…well…" He sighed softly, meeting Francis's eyes again as his cheeks turned pink. "You're missing an important decoration," he said, voice shaking slightly with embarrassment. "Look up."

Francis smiled a little, looking above his head and laughing softly. Dangling a few feet above them on the ceiling was a branch of mistletoe. He felt his cheeks heating up as he looked back to Lovino – the other man had a small, wary smile on his face and Francis couldn't help but laugh. "I see it now," he said, gently taking Lovino's hands and intertwining their fingers.

Lovino grinned, squeezing his hands in return. "Shouldn't you do something about it, then?"

Francis laughed softly, pulling Lovino a bit closer before leaning in and pressing their foreheads together. "How about we do it at the same time?" he suggested. "So I don't feel like I'm imposing…"

Lovino snorted. "You're hopeless," he teased as he leaned in, kissing Francis lightly on the lips. Francis wrapped his arms around Lovino's waist, pulling him back onto the couch so that they were both lying down. When they broke apart, Lovino was smiling again. "Hey," he said quietly. "Merry Christmas, Francis."

Francis smiled, meeting his eyes. "Merry Christmas, Lovino. I love you."

Lovino laid his head on Francis's chest and shut his eyes. They were both silent for a moment, and Francis couldn't help but chuckle when he finally heard Lovino's quiet response.

"I love you too, you dumbass."