Person A and person B get caught under the mistletoe when nobody's looking. Do they kiss or go their separate ways?

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Seunghyun was beyond excited. Their college organised a Christmas concert every year, and it wasn’t the first time their band was performing at it either, but it was the first time they were headlining it. Or headlining anything at all. It felt like such an achievement and Seunghyun couldn’t wait to rock the crowd. He was practically skipping his way to the rehearsals, grinning widely as his whole body was singing with the thrill.

“Seunghyun, wait up!” There was a call coming from his back, a voice that broke through the bubble of his daydreams and made him realise he had at some point lost the bandmates that had been walking beside him earlier. He halted his steps and turned around, finding Jiyong, and only Jiyong, at the start of the corridor he was about to exit. “We’re going too fast for the others.”

Seunghyun could see that. “Maybe we should’ve offered to help them with their instruments,” he considered, eyes falling to the small case Jiyong carried as the older quickly strut up to him. Youngbae and Seunghyun were carrying a guitar and a bass guitar respectively. Daesung, a drum kit already set up for him, was helping Hyunseung out with his keyboard. As singers, all Jiyong and himself had to bring along were a microphone and some earbuds.

“They can manage themselves. Let’s just wait,” Jiyong said, coming to a stop next to the other and checking whether or not the rest of the band was in sight yet. There wasn’t even the sound of them in the distance.

“Where do you think they went?”

“They know they have to be here, so…” Jiyong trailed off, unsure about why the others seemed to be so far away. Maybe they’d run into something and Seunghyun and he should go see what’s up. However, as Jiyong’s gaze landed on a spot just above the younger singer, any thoughts of moving soon left him. He instinctively averted his eyes in an instant, hoping he hadn’t drawn Seunghyun’s attention and the other wouldn’t look up. He’d just let the situation pass. He didn’t know what to do about it, so he’d just pretend to be oblivious and wait for the other, genuinely oblivious, to move and end the uncertainty.

It was a mistletoe. Someone had strung a mistletoe to the door frame and they were standing right under it. Suddenly Jiyong was aware of how close he was standing to Seunghyun, how he would naturally always be drawn a step further to Seunghyun than to anyone else, and he wasn’t sure if that was the product of friendship and years of singing together or something else. Seunghyun’s presence was warm and comforting and in the back of his head there was something begging him to go even closer. Jiyong wouldn’t mind kissing Seunghyun. He knew he wouldn’t mind it, even if it was just to see how it feels, but if it meant creating something awkward in their seamless friendship then he wouldn’t risk it in a million years.

He’d almost done it once before if he hadn’t caught himself last moment.

A brief laugh sounded from Seunghyun and Jiyong was drawn from his musings, finding the other with his beautiful eyes fixed on the dreaded mistletoe. When those warm brown eyes lowered to meet his own, Jiyong couldn’t read what thoughts were behind them. And yet, the longer they maintained the eye contact, the more Jiyong felt like maybe Seunghyun was a little bit curious and a little bit willing as well. Seunghyun wasn’t avoiding his gaze. Seunghyun wasn’t acting either, but he was searching, as if he tried to read the questions written in Jiyong’s expression. A sense of confidence grew in Jiyong’s gut, but it faded in seconds as soon as he felt careful fingers wrap around his forearm.

Seunghyun must have seen the startle it gave Jiyong. “No?” Seunghyun quietly asked, the meaning of his basic question clarified by the loosening of his hold on the other’s arm and the way he leaned back ever so slightly. Obviously that wasn’t the reaction Jiyong wanted. Hurriedly, he reached for Seunghyun's arm instead, grabbing onto firm biceps that stole the breath he'd tried so hard to gather. He had to speak up and act.

“Do you…” Jiyong began, finding his voice trapped in his throat. He couldn’t form a whole sentence. What was he so afraid of at this point? Seunghyun was clearly not opposed to the idea of a mistletoe kiss. Clearly not. Why did he still feel like he had to make sure the other was okay with it? Jiyong hadn’t expected him to be. Somehow he’d been thinking he was the only one who every now and then lost sight of the line that was supposed to separate friends from lovers. Wasn’t he? Was there any chance Jiyong’s closeted feelings weren’t going to be the destruction of their relationship, but one of the two fundamentals to change and strengthen it? “I mean, comfortable to you?” Jiyong tried again, and it wasn’t coherent, he knew that, but Seunghyun only blinked twice in confusion before he nodded his head and Jiyong accepted that as a confirmation no matter how the other had interpreted his question. It wasn’t a moment of rationality for either of them. It was a moment of understanding without relying on words and if there was anything both of them were saying with the way they inched closer, chest to chest but never making the move, it was “kiss me first”.

Their hesitancy proved too much. Before one of them finally closed the gap between their lips, there was a shout from the distance that was very distinctly Youngbae looking for them. They jumped apart, not wanting to be caught in a suggestive position when they hadn’t even made anything official for themselves. The loss of warmth was disappointing. The unresolved tension was frustrating. The silence was awkward, but not for very long as Youngbae soon appeared and effectively distracted them.

“Guys, why so fast? We were stopped by one of the stage staffs and you two were already so far ahead we couldn’t even call after you. There’s an issue with the equipment. You need to come,” Youngbae briefed them, expecting no answer as he turned back around and led to where the discussion was taking place. Jiyong and Seunghyun exchanged a quick glance before following obediently, no words spoken between them until they engaged in finding a solution to the problems at hand.

Fast. It wasn't an adjective to describe how the two of them expressed their newly recognised feelings. Nevertheless, as passive as it was, the mutual recognition itself had taken them a careful step closer.

No, Jiyong had not expected that he would be over at Seunghyun’s single dorm room on the very same night, sat on his bed, with a lap and a mouth full of Seunghyun, but he supposed the rush of their incredibly successful concert was a strong enough push to help them in the right direction.