"uhhh, jeongguk?" jimin says warily.

"yeah?"

"my eyes are up here." he replies, pointing to himself awkwardly.

oh.

he quickly makes eye contact with the shorter male, praying to god that his cheeks aren't dusted with even the slightest colour of pink. 

this was the tenth time today that jimin or someone else had pointed out that he wasn't exactly paying attention to, well, the rest of his face. 

well it's not like they could undo the part of jimin's genetics that made his lips look so pillowy, soft and kissable -

"jeonggukie," jimin chuckles, "you seem a bit... busy up there. i gotta go on an urgent trip, so i'll text you later, yeah?" he pats his back and leaves, snapping the younger out of his daydream.

"goddammit, what were you even saying?" he yells out to no one, gathering wary stares and scowls from the people around the shopping mall, and from there jeon jeongguk knows he's pretty screwed over.

he makes his walk of shame over to the coffee shop that taehyung worked at (god knows why or how he even got the job, considering the male was so obnoxious and had no sense of balance whatsoever), slumping into a seat after turning on his laptop and deciding to just mooch up the coffee shop's wifi. 

"what happened to you? looks like that time when you were thirteen and your-"

"taehyung."

"okay, okay; but really, what happened?" he asks, an expression of worry quickly flashing over his face, but just as quickly going as fast when he hears someone call for their order to be taken.

"hey dude, give me a minute."

"just go, hyung."

taehyung dashes off towards the customer, tripping over the newly mopped floor right after he sees who had called which coincidentally was kim seokjin, the sales attendant for one of those expensive- shops that jeongguk, a poor high school student who lived on the pocket money his parents gave to him every week, could never afford. 

he remembers taehyung being roped into buying clothing after persuasion (more like just a 'hello, do you need anything?' from seokjin with taehyung holding out a shirt in defeat) from him and saying something about how he'd love to cook for him and shower him in gifts then hear his voice call him daddy in bed later on, which made jeongguk want to puke and laugh into the next century. 

jeongguk was almost finished the beatmap for the hardest level of the attack on titan opening when taehyung decided to pause the game for him.

"what the hyung!" he sneers, boring holes into the elder's stupid face. "i was so close, now i'll never finish it with a double s score!" 

taehyung snickers and sits down on the chair across from him, taking off his apron and hanging it on his chair. 

"boo hoo how upsetting. now, talk. what got you in a pissy mood now? i'm on my fifteen minute break so make it quick, and order something so you don't get kicked out, again." 

jeongguk sighs, "i hate jimin." 

"you love jimin." taehyung retorts back. 

"i may like his lips and have the biggest urge to kiss them, but that does not mean i like him that way."

"let me redirect you to that seoul university hoodie that you are wearing which is jimin's by the way, that sketch of him you did for your art class last semester which was pretty damn on point, your lock screen being one of the many selcas you and jimin took together, and the fact that you're supposed to hate everything when you hate someone." 

jeongguk stared at him in awe.

"wow, that last line was pretty smart for someone like you." 

taehyung glares, throwing his notepad at him, missing his face and landing on the ground, resulting in an awkward pause (or more of jeongguk just trying hard enough not to laugh). 

"what's it gonna be kid?"

"oh, get me an eggnog latte please, hyung."

"not your drink , i've still got ten minutes."

jeongguk flashes him an innocent grin, batting his eyelashes for extra effect, taehyung only sighing in defeat.

"i'll get you one in a bit but really, what is it going to take for you to convince yourself that you probably do like jimin?"

jeongguk blushes and dammit face, you weren't supposed to do that.

"...a kiss would be nice." he whispers (and maybe seeing those lips wrapped around his... candy cane, yeah, a candy cane he was about to add, but then maybe that wasn't a very good thing to say in front of taehyung), and he knows taehyung heard him, but when the older flashes him his mischievous grin he knows he's in for a lot of trouble. 

"what was that again, jeongguk? i didn't quite hear. gotta speak up for this old man here." 

the chorus for mariah carey's 'all i want for christmas is you' begins to play and he sings along, "all i want for christmas is to kiss park jimin's lips!" in the highest and loudest singing voice he could muster, effectively making taehyung tumble off of his seat, laughing his off and getting the whole cafe to clap or stare at him weirdly. 

after taehyung's shift, he was forcibly dragged to a christmas decoration store to help taehyung with his 'grand scheme', or in other words, a christmas party. 

"hey hey, jeongguk. look at this."

"are you suggesting another alien christmas ornament because i swear to god-"

"oh my god no, not right now at least. i have the perfect idea." taehyung holds up a holly door decoration, his smile reaching from ear to ear.

(jeongguk almost feels sorry that he would have to correct him in three, two, one....)

"mistletoe. just walk in the same time as him and bam!" the lilac haired male makes obnoxious kissing noises.

jeongguk wonders why he even became taehyung's friend. 

"taehyung, that's not mistletoe. it's holly." 

taehyung shrugs him off with a non committal hand gesture and a snort.

"do you think jimin would be smart enough to tell the difference?"

well, he had a point there.

jeongguk sighs, "fine. do it your way." 

"...'as long as i get kissed, yeah' you'll thank me later by getting your mom to make us cookies for the party right, kookie?" 

"hyung can you stop with the nickname, but sure."

"you didn't deny that you're desperate to get kissed-"

"i'm a seventeen year old male who had just sung out to an entire cafe that i wanted to kiss someone not that long ago, i've lost all shame, really." 

"you're so whipped, jeongguk."

"at least i didn't get roped into buying a ninety dollar shirt even though he just asked if you needed anything."

taehyung, left speechless, can only manage to flip him off before unceremoniously dropping the holly decoration into their shopping cart.

(later on, jeongguk ends up having to walk through minus thirty weather just to get a christmas tree last minute with taehyung and he assumes that maybe the hair dye had finally started to mess with the male's brain because he's probably taking the plan way too far.)

"jjang!' jimin lays out all of the offending articles of, well, what shouldn't be called clothing all over the table. 

"what the , jimin." yoongi says.

jimin effectively ignores him, picking up a sweater that had 'happy holla days' written on it with a fake chain across the neck;ome.

"namjoonie hyung~" he cooes, then draping it on the male, who had mouthed 'swag' while holding up a peace sign.

yoongi bursts into laughter, until jimin comes toward him with a sweater that had the element Ho printed on it three times.

"i hate chemistry, you."

"love you too hyung."

hoseok ended up begging jimin into getting the least embarrassing one out of all of them, which was the one that had a big teddy bear sewn on it.

"wow, he gets the adorable bear. what happened to you saying that i was too kawaii to live, you dickbutt." taehyung harps on, until jimin smashes his finger onto taehyung's lips. 

"stop ing man, i got you one i knew you'd like a lot more." he holds up a christmas sweater that looks relatively normal except for the three reindeers that were humping against each other, and jeongguk first hand sees taehyung's eyes light up so bright, it rivalled the little children opening their presents on christmas morning.

jimin then goes up to jeongguk with a sweater with the words 'merry in christmas' sewn on.

"really hyung?"

"it fits you, and it's either that or the ninja turtles one."

well, jeongguk didn't want to look like a kid so...

he hesitantly takes the sweater from his hands, jimin's smile getting wider by the second.

jeongguk feels his heart beat erratically against his ribcage, dammit.

"w-what christmas sweater did you get yourself for the party, hyung?" he asks, and he mentally punches himself for stuttering, hoping the elder would be distracted from the fact that he used honorifics.

"one that makes it look like my head is connected to an elf suit, you're welcome. i have to give this ninja turtle one to seokjin-hyung later..." 

"seokjin? kim seokjin? the one who works at that one store?" taehyung blurts out, "take me with you."

"nah man, wouldn't want you to spend a lot of money again." with a pat on the back, he leaves, which prompts jeongguk to smell the sweater he had gotten.

"it smells like him." he comments.

"ew." namjoon, yoongi, hoseok and taehyung reply.

jimin waves at him from the distance, and jeongguk waves back.

he runs up to him, taking a minute to breathe, bending over slightly. he flashes jeongguk a worn out smile, then standing up.

"why'd you want to meet up?" he asks curiously, his eyes lighting up like the christmas decorations on the big tree in the middle of the shopping square which coincidentally, they were right beside. 

jeongguk likes it best when the elder was like a little kid in a candy store; his expressions as if he was in seventh heaven.

"since you told me a few days ago that you didn't go christmas shopping for everyone yet and i didn't either, i figured it might be nice to shop with you. i also have to admit that i have no idea what to get anyone; that and this..." he rummages through his backpack, pulling out a big white knitted scarf. 

"for you." 

he sees jimin's cheeks turn more red than it was minutes ago, that idiot didn't even wear a scarf, and jeongguk feels pleased he got a reaction out of him.

"you didn't have to," he said incredulously, as if he couldn't believe jeongguk would actually get him a gift, coughing slightly, then zipping a portion of his winter jacket down.

"but i did." 

"t-thank you, jeongguk. i'll buy you whatever you want today." 

"no problem." jeongguk smiles cheekily, knowing he'll take advantage of the shorter male's words very well, then gesturing to him.

"i'll help you put it on?"

"u-uh, sure?" that was the second time he made him stutter, damn jeongguk was smooth. he mentally patted himself on the back as he wrapped the scarf gently around his neck, a soft smile creeping on his face. 

after wrapping the scarf around one last time, he looks him in the eye, and the latter's eyes cringle closed, his grin brighter than any star at the top of the christmas tree. jeongguk feels his own cheeks go pink when jimin grasps his hand and jeongguk takes it one step further, lacing their fingers together and zipping up his jacket with his free hand.

"um, let's go?" he asks, lowering his head to avoid letting jimin see what he's been reduced to with even just a hold of his hand.

jimin nods, swinging their hands in reply.

jeongguk's heart aches slightly, holding onto the hope that maybe jimin doesn't think this is just light skinship.

"whoa yoongi-hyung, what happened to your sweater?"

yoongi smirks.

"hoseok could never say no to me." is all he says, then patting the bear on his shirt.

everyone was too horrified to ask how yoongi was able to get his way.

instead of being the social butterfly that jeongguk wished he was at that moment, he was reduced to standing alone in the corner closest to the door where the holly was hung up, waiting for his prey to walk anywhere near his bait. 

god, he was hopeless. 

during the time period that jeongguk has spent standing there, he has eaten about five of his mom's cookies, drank three glasses of juice and reapplied his lip balm six times, the seventh in about -

"jeonggukie!" jimin's voice rings in his ear, and freaking finally, it was about time.

"hey jimin."

he grins then starts to walk, which was jeongguk's signal to follow.

"why the long face? i swear you were trying to look like hoseok hyung tonight." he jokes.

"nothing bad, just bored. it's not fun when taehyung ditches you to embarrass himself some more in front of seokjin again."

jimin chuckles, finally stopping.

jeongguk bumps into the shorter's body, then backing up before taking notice of what was dangling above their heads.

well, . looks like jimin had the same agenda. how very convenient.

"oh won't you look at what we're above, holly. taehyung is dumb as if he thought i was going to be too stupid to tell the difference." 

jeongguk's heart just drops there, a small pout forming.

"but don't worry, i'll play along with it so i can humour the guy." he adds, and some of jeongguk's worries were elevated.

"what are you waiting for then, hyung?" jeongguk pulls the hem of his hideous sweater, forcing the boy closer, their noses touching. he hears jimin's breath hitch by barely but nonetheless, he feels somewhat accomplished for getting a reaction out of him.

jimin pulls back slightly, lightly scratching at the back of his head. "you won't mind if maybe, i might like you, right?"

"not at all." he leans into his ear, whispering "because i might you quite a bit myself." so quietly jeongguk fears he might've not even heard, but now was not the time.

jimin presented him with an opportunity, and he'd be damned if he didn't take it.

they don't know who swooped in first, their noses bumping together before jeongguk tilts his head slightly, tentatively pressing his lips against jimin's, then separating just as quickly. 

he could feel the aftershocks.

"again," jimin breathes out, "please."

who was he to say no to that?

their lips meet faster and more hurried this time around, jeongguk biting his bottom lip, urging the elder to open his mouth when they were quickly stopped by the many wolf whistles and cheers. 

"please stop face in my doorway, there are still guests coming in and more people who want their time to shine." 

"oh shut up taehyung, you're enjoying the show. make it rain, will you?" jimin retorts back.

jeongguk, caught red-handed and mortified, separates from jimin's hold even though he knew he would miss it.

they didn't quite separate though because jimin refused to let go of his hand, only intertwining their fingers and squeezing tightly. 

later on, when they're in jimin's dorm for an 'after party of their own'; kissing each other breathless, jeongguk finds that maybe he'll accept the fluttering in his chest and the way he feels like putty in jimin's arms forever, as long as jimin won't stop liking him a bit too much and showed it more than he was supposed to. 

hey there! i was planning on posting it on the 23rd, but i got distracted with last minute christmas shopping and playing five nights at freddy's with my friends but it's probably more special that i've posted it on christmas. sorry for the delay!!! i was originally just inspired by it because ugly christmas sweaters were a thing lately and this mistletoe psa came up on my dash at one point. i'm pretty sure i've probably written jungkook as a tsundere but don't mind my weeb tendencies, i'm so sorry. but anyways, i hope you enjoyed and merry christmas, or happy holidays! i hope you guys have an amazing time this holiday season with the people you care about. < 3