13.

It’s Wednesday afternoon, just a few days before New Years and Jongin and Sehun find themselves having a few drinks together in a lazy little pub. Sehun is enjoying a cheeseburger and some homestyle fries on the side, steaming and fresh from the oven. He his lips a few times before popping the cap off of his beer and taking a quick sip - it’s dry and he likes the way it burns on the way down. Jongin snorts and takes up his basket of chicken wings and onion rings before he, too, pops the cap off of his beer and takes a long drink.

“So,” Sehun begins before stealing a crispy onion ring from Jongin and dipping it into the sour cream between them, “How’s your break been?”

Jongin shrugs, “Good,” he says before stealing one of Sehun’s fries and popping it in his mouth, “How was your trip to Krystal’s home for the holidays?”

Sehun smiles shyly, “Her family loves me.”

“What’s not to love?” Jongin jokes and Sehun gently kicks him from his booth seat and under the table, “Krystal loves you too.”

Sehun rolls his eyes, “It’s only been a few months since we started dating.”

“It’s been almost a year, Sehun.” Jongin chuckles before taking another sip of his drink.

Upon this realization, Sehun takes a long drink of his own, “A year…” he repeats and then stuffs a fry into his mouth, “Have I really been dating her for almost a year?”

Jongin nods, “Where has your head been?”

Sehun laughs awkwardly and finally bites into his burger while he thinks of an answer, but he comes up with nothing and opts to change the subject, “So, Minseok’s cafe this Thursday night, huh?”

Jongin smiles and eats a chicken wing before responding, “Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“When did you become so close with Yixing and his friends?” Sehun asks curiously, teasingly.

Jongin shrugs, “It just sort of-” he waves a chicken wing around thinking of a word, “-happened.” he finishes before stuffing more chicken in his mouth.

“How does something like that ‘just sort of happen’?” Sehun asks with a raised eyebrow before stealing yet another one of Jongin’s onion rings and he’s wondering why they didn’t just switch side orders in the first place.

“I dunno, all sorts of things can just happen after time.” Jongin says as he steals one of Sehun’s fries, wondering all of the same things that Sehun is wondering about their side dishes.

“What are you hinting at?” Sehun inquires as he, finally, switches out his basket of greasy fries for Jongin’s basket of equally as greasy onion rings. They both hum in content and agreement of the new arrangement.

“How did you and Krystal start dating?” Jongin asks suddenly and that throws Sehun for a loop.

“You’re dating someone,” Sehun says after a moment’s hesitation. He realizes this, because his answer to how he started dating Krystal is ‘it just sort of happened.’

Jongin’s face flushes, “I wanted to tell you right away, but you were busy-”

“Who?” Sehun asks immediately, finding more interest in Jongin’s words than his food for once.

“You’re not going to believe me, you might laugh…” Jongin says shyly, fingers fidgeting with his beer bottle.

Sehun rolls his eyes, “Jongin-hyung, how long have we been best friends for?”

“Eight years?”

“Eight years,” Sehun nods, “And in those eight years, when have I ever laughed at your love life? Never. Come on, spill it. I want to know who the lucky guys is.”

Jongin smiles slowly, lips curving into a wide grin, “Zhang Yixing.”

Sehun nearly chokes, “Y-Yixing? You and Yixing?”

“Yeah,” Jongin’s smile widens and his cheeks redden, “Yixing is my boyfriend.” he says with a giggle.

“Oh my god,” Sehun grins, “You actually did it, you and Zhang Yixing are finally a couple!” he exclaims a little too loudly, drawing the attention of a few customers.

“Keep it down,” Jongin mutters betweens laughs, “Yes, yes, Yixing and are a couple.”

“Finally,” Sehun breathes out in relief, smile still wide on his face, “Finally, I can stop hearing you mope around over him.”

Jongin laughs and reaches across the table to hit Sehun lightly, “Shut up, you.”

“No, seriously,” Sehun says as he clears his throat, “I’m happy for you, both of you.”

“Thank you,” Jongin blushes, “I’m happy with Yixing,” he admits, “Really happy.”

“I know, I can see it. When you’re together, I can see how happy you make each other. You guys are always so close, I’m surprised that it took you this long to start dating.” Sehun says taking an onion ring to munch on, “I’m almost jealous.”

Jongin snorts, “It’s true, being with Yixing now doesn’t feel any different from when we were just hanging out. When we go out on dates, it doesn’t feel like our first or second or third date. It feels like we’ve already done this a million times, but it is different, because we’re really with each other.”

Sehun chuckles, “You’re in deep, friend.”

“I really am,” Jongin sighs almost dreamily, because it’s true. He’s never felt more in love with anyone than he has felt with Zhang Yixing.

❦❦❦

It starts to snow just barely when Jongin arrives at Yixing’s apartment to pick him up. He waits impatiently within the confines of the elevator until it opens up on Yixing’s floor and he smiles to himself as he counts the numbers to Yixing’s place. He grins once he reaches the familiar number and knocks on the door gently before rocking back on his heels in anticipation. Yixing had sent him a selfie earlier of his makeup and hair and Jongin has been dying to get his fingers tangled into those strands and feel those soft lips against his own again, painted in a pretty pink gloss.

The door opens just a crack and Jongin peers inside to find Yixing standing there in the tightest black jeans he has ever seen on his hyung. He’s wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt that he’s got the arms of rolled up to the elbow and a dark grey scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. He looks absolutely-

“Breathtaking,” Jongin compliments after Yixing has detached his lips from his own, “You look breathtaking, hyung.”

“Thanks,” Yixing says shyly, “You’re not so bad yourself.” he giggles pulling at the belt-loops of Jongin’s dangerously low hanging, dark red jeans, “Is this all for me?”

Jongin blushes bright red, “I’m all yours, Yixing.”

“You’re so cute, Jongin-ah.” Yixing laughs and grabs his black beanie and a coat before they head out the door, “You look enticing in black leather.” he comments while tugging on Jongin’s jacket.

Jongin’s face flushes impossibly more red, “Hyung,” he whines in embarrassment.

“Do you want to come back to my place tonight?” Yixing whispers hotly into Jongin’s ear as they reach the car.

The noise that leaves Jongin’s lips is enough of a yes for Yixing as he pulls the younger closer to kiss him. Jongin nearly melts in the icy, winter air under his hyung’s touches that burn on his skin and make him shiver. His thoughts wander to smudged kohl, smeared lip gloss, red cheeks, sweaty skin, mussed hair and clothes piled on the floor and he wants that now. Wants Yixing on top of him, underneath him, he doesn’t care. All he wants is Yixing in his purest form before he loses himself.

“Do we have to go to the party?” Jongin whimpers when Yixing pulls away from him looking thoroughly ed up even before they’ve done anything remotely so.

Yixing giggles and kisses his boyfriend’s nose, “We have to, Jonginnie, Minseok and Luhan are expecting us.”

“But, hyung,” Jongin gasps in exasperation, “What about,” he shifts awkwardly, “What about me?”

“Me too, Jongin-ah,” Yixing sighs as he presses their hips together which earns a breathy moan from Jongin, “We’ll have to wait. You can be patient for me, right, sweetheart?”

Jongin smiles goofily and nods his head, “Anything for you, Yixing.”

Yixing smiles back, “Gosh, you’re too cute.”

Jongin wraps his arms around Yixing’s neck, “Let’s not keep them waiting then!” he says excitedly - mostly excited for what will happen after the New Year arrives.

❦❦❦

Minseok’s cafe is filled with people once they show up and Luhan is the first person to greet them looking rather drunk already. He grabs Jongin’s hand and pulls him closer, yelling over the loud music that Jongin looks like a good dancer with those hips of his and begs him to join him on the dance floor. Yixing snorts with laughter at the look of bewilderment on Jongin’s face and only shrugs. Luhan is always like that when he’s drunk, touchy and in the mood to grind to the beat.

“It’ll be fun, Jonginnie!” Luhan yells over the booming bass that Jongin swears Mr. DJ Park Chanyeol has turned up since their arrival.

“Okay,” Jongin agrees after getting a nod of approval from Yixing.

“Have fun, but not too much fun!” Yixing calls out to them as they disappear amongst the gyrating bodies on the makeshift dance floor.

Among those bodies, Yixing spots a certain Kim Jongdae grinding hard against his boyfriend, now fiance, Wu Yifan. He laughs at the sight of Yifan trying desperately to make Jongdae stop being so showy and to keep the younger from pulling down their pants right there. Jongdae is completely drunk out of his mind and Yixing thinks it’s hysterical considering there’s still two hours until the new year.

He spots Krystal and Sehun next. Krystal is on the dance floor with a few of the other girls from the company that look like they might be Sunyoung and Qian. Sehun is by the makeshift bar with a beer in hand and he looks like he’s chatting up Baekhyun who laughs at everything that Sehun says. Minseok rolls his eyes at the two while wiping down the counter and when he looks up from the sticky mess there he smiles at Yixing and beckons him over.

“Where’s Jongin?” Minseok asks as Yixing leans against the counter.

“With Luhan, dancing.” Yixing says as he gladly accepts the freshly opened beer from his friend’s hands.

Minseok laughs loudly, “Oh god, I wish I wasn’t stuck back here. I’d die to see that.”

“Trust me,” Yixing chuckles, “You’re not missing much, but the look on Jongin’s face was almost worth it.”

The night feels incredibly, ridiculously long for Jongin who obviously has his mind elsewhere as he checks for Yixing’s whereabouts every so often from the corners of his eyes. Yixing is always still sitting at the bar, chatting up with Baekhyun and Sehun who seem enraptured by his words. Jongin wants to join them and grab a drink too, but mostly he wants to be by Yixing’s side. He’s trying to be patient, but his body is betraying his mind. And this beat that Chanyeol is mixing is making everything a little more hazy without even having taken a single shot yet since his arrival.

By the time Jongin finally breaks away from Luhan who has found another someone to grind up against to the music blasting from the stereos, Yixing is already on his third drink. Yixing still smiles and kisses Jongin’s cheek sweetly as lovers do when the younger finally reaches his side and wraps his arms possessively around his hyung. Sehun grins cheekily before taking a sip of his beer.

“Minseokkie-hyung,” Sehun slurs, “Get a drink here for my best friend.”

Both Jongin and Minseok are almost impressed at how clear his words come out considering how -faced drunk he looks. Jongin gratefully accepts the drink from Minseok who ruffles Jongin’s hair in return for his thanks. He barely gets a mouthful of the alcohol into his system before Sehun starts telling a story to Baekhyun - one that is very familiar to him.

“It was our first year in the company,” Sehun explains to Baekhyun who’s listening intently - what more could he do? His own boyfriend much too busy with the entertainment to be his company for the night.

“And Kwon Boa, she owns the place, she decides to hold a Christmas party in the studio that year to celebrate a decade of dance with the company. Krystal and I, we barely knew each other then, but we were on the decorating committee together with Luhan, Yixing and, of course, Jongin. There were others too, but I don’t remember who exactly. Probably Jinri and Minho, a few others.

Anyway, we were hanging streamers, I think. Or maybe we were putting the tree up. I can’t really remember that, it was so long ago. But, so, okay, Luhan finds some mistletoe in one of the boxes and he laughs and says we should hang it up somewhere and call out whoever stands underneath it at the party to kiss someone. We all thought it would be a good laugh and so we agreed. So he hangs it up near the center of the studio or whatever and during the night while we were decorating, Yixing happened to be under it at the same time that Jongin was passing by.”

Jongin gulps back another sip of his beer, because he feels like he’s going to need it since he knows exactly where this story is going.

“It must’ve been- I think it was one of the girls who called it out and then Jongin froze in his spot like he was terrified or something,” Sehun chuckles, “You should’ve seen the look on his face, Baekhyun. I’ve known this boy for years and I’ve never seen him look so nervous in my life when Yixing blushed and smiled at him. Yixing looked like he really wanted it, to be honest, I think he wanted to kiss Jongin so badly, but Jongin put on this stony expression before he looked at Yixing and said- Hyung,” Sehun squints and looks at Yixing, “What was it that he said exactly?”

Yixing’s smile falters just slightly, “He said that he would never kiss me in his lifetime. Not now, not ever.”

Jongin’s arms tighten around Yixing’s waist as if to apologize, in regret for what he had said, because none of it was true. It had never been true.

“That’s it,” Sehun snaps his fingers and turns to Baekhyun who is watching with hazed eyes and a goofy smile plastered on his lips, “And so at the party the next day Yixing gets trapped under the mistletoe again and it was Luhan who called it out and drew almost everyone’s attention. Yixing was standing there with one of the senior dancers, he’s not there anymore, but I’m sure he liked Yixing a lot, because he was trying to get under the mistletoe with him all night long, right, Jongin?”

Jongin’s body goes rigid, “What?”

“You were watching him the whole night trying to get Yixing under the mistletoe. You were so focused on it all night long, watching Yixing’s every move, you wouldn't do anything fun at all. Just kept watching with that signature glare of yours. And then, finally, Zhou Mi goes in for the kill and kisses Yixing right there in front of everyone. Jongin was so angry that he drank the rest of the night and we had to go home early.” He laughs and pokes Jongin’s side, “Remember? You were so upset, you told me that you should’ve been the one to kiss Yixing, that it was you that liked Yixing so much that it hurt, that you wanted to have hyung underneath you in bed, remember? Do you remember, Jonginnie?”

“You were jealous?” Yixing asks, feeling slightly more sober after this story, “Jongin-ah, were you jealous?”

Jongin buries his face into the crook of Yixing’s neck in embarrassment, “Yes, hyung.” he whispers.

“Oh, Jongin,” Yixing giggles and pets his head gently.

“Can I kiss you?” Jongin asks in a whisper that tickles Yixing’s ear, “Under the mistletoe?”

Yixing wiggles his nose and turns to look at Jongin, “You can kiss me whenever and wherever you want.” he smiles and Jongin wastes no time in pecking his lips.

Sehun claps his hands together, “That is what true love looks like, ladies and gentleman.”

“Sehun, you’re drunk.” Krystal laughs when she comes up behind him and wraps her arms around his neck, “Come dance with me, please?” Sehun shrugs and wiggles his eyebrows before disappearing with Krystal.

At some point during the night, Luhan works his way behind the bar and he’s hugging Minseok more than usual. Minseok doesn’t look like he minds, especially when they disappear together for the rest of the evening. Yixing can’t decide whether it’s because Minseok is nursing Luhan’s drunkenness or if it’s because they’re finally making out in the back room. Luhan will argue the next day all throughout his hangover against their making out and Minseok will stay silent with a smile on his lips.

11:58 pm.

There’s two minutes until the new year and Jongin can’t find his hyung on the dance floor. They had come out here together and had been so close to each other until Jongdae came up behind Yixing begging for a dance because Yifan was throwing up in the bathroom. Yixing had laughed and asked Jongin if it would be alright to which Jongin had agreed if only Yixing would come back to him in time to ring in the new year with a soft kiss and then a clink of glasses with bubbly champagne in them back at Yixing’s apartment. Time seems to be wearing thin and the more he looks through the crowds, the more confused he gets.

11:59 pm.

Chanyeol is about to start the countdown even though Baekhyun is pressed up against his side whispering things in his ear, presumably all dirty by the look on Chanyeol’s face. Everyone in the room stops just ten seconds before 12:00 am, but Jongin still can’t find Yixing. The crowd starts shouting out the countdown.

Ten.

Jongin feels anxious, pushing through the crowds, because he still can't find his boyfriend.

Nine.

The strobe lights are flashing bright colours, hues of blue, green, red and pink - they're disorienting when drunk.

Eight.

He spots Jongdae who holds Yifan’s hands in his own,

Seven.

But where is Yixing?

Six.

Jongin stills in the middle of the dance floor and his body suddenly breaks out into a cold sweat.

Five.

He just wants his hyung by his side...

Four.

He feels like he might cry, but that might just be the alcohol.

Three.

A pair of arms wrap around his waist and Jongin startles.

Two.

Jongin spins around to find Yixing smiling at him and his heart skips a beat a the sight.

One.

“Happy New Year,” Yixing breathes before pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss and amidst the shouts from everyone in the room, Jongin loses himself in his hyung’s embrace, his hyung’s kisses, his hyung’s love.

“Take me home, hyung.” he breathes against Yixing’s lips, “Please, take me home.”

And so Yixing does.

Et voila! Chapter 13 is here just in time for the New Year ~ You can anticipate a few more updates before this fic comes to an end, but there won't be too many left ;;; I hope you all have a safe and fun-filled New Year's Eve ♡♡♡ xo, TadaChi