You heard a distinct, happy laugh, and you couldn't help but smile too. You always found Hakyeon's laugh to be contagious. It was Christmas Eve, and as per annual tradition, you and your eight closest friends had gathered at your place for a celebration full of cheer, apple cider, tacky sweaters, and carols. The eight of you would arrive in the tackiest Christmas sweaters, sit on the floor by the tree, and catch up on anything and everything while exchanging gifts. It was an enjoyable experience for everyone, and it was even greater for you this year with your growing crush on Hakyeon. You didn't recall how or when it happened, but all that mattered was that it did, and you had fallen for him hard. Your two girl friends had repeatedly told you that he liked you too, but as much as you wished it was true, you tried not to get your hopes up.

 

"Alright, guys! I got a surprise for you all!" Jaehwan, one of your other friends, shouted to get everyone's attention. "There is a box hidden somewhere in this room!"

 

You interjected, "Uh, this is my place, when did you have time to hide a box?"

 

"It's a small box," Jaehwan replied with a laugh. 

 

"What's in it?" One of your friends, Dahee, raised her hand in question. Miso, your other girl friend, couldn't help but stifle a laugh. It seemed as the two of them were in on this treasure hunt.

 

Jaehwan eyed her with a smile before announcing, "Mistletoe."

A chorus of "ooh"s  was heard, and Dahee and Miso elbowed you, not-so-subtly making suggestive gestures towards Hakyeon, who was getting his own type of harassment from his friends. It looked like he was being teased too, and he sent you a desperate smile. Once again, you felt a grin spreading across your lips. Your ears tuned back in to the real world just as Jaehwan was saying, "Whoever finds it first gets to hang it over the couple of their choice, and of course, they have to kiss! No forfeiting!"

 

Dahee grinned at you and said, "This would be perfect if you and Hakyeon could--"

 

"Don't say anything else or I'll sew your lips together, Dahee." 

 

She laughed. "Well, don't look now, but I spy a certain someone's eyes looking in your direction, filled with love and longing--"

 

"DAHEE!" You shushed her, nervously laughing.

 

You spent around 15 seconds searching for the box in question before you ran into Hakyeon. Literally. The feeling of wool from his sweater on your lips was not pleasant.

 

He beamed down at you. Hakyeon might have been the shortest among the group of guys, but he was still taller than you. "Sorry about that."

 

"Nah, it's fine." You racked your brain for something to say to him before speaking. "Hey, if you haven't opened your present, tell me if there's anything else I can buy you. I really wanted to get you a good gift this year."

 

He thought for a moment before glancing back up at you and sticking his thumbs in the belt loops on his jeans. "Hm, I guess you could say there's something I want. I'll tell you later." Looking down and grinning, he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, festively wrapped package, offering it to you. "Uh, I wanted to give this to you."

 

A gasp left your mouth. "Oh my gosh, Hakyeon, you didn't have to get this. You're so awesome." You felt yourself smiling again. "Can I open it now?"

 

He nodded excitedly. "Go ahead."

 

You pulled the wrapping paper apart in anticipation, like a child. Hakyeon chuckled as he fondly watched you open the box.

Your mouth hung open, and you couldn't form enough words to thank him. "Hakyeon...this is so beautiful. You're honestly the best." He had gotten you a sapphire necklace from your favorite jewelry shop.

 

"Okay, I know it's, like, super cheesy and super cliche for a gift, but you mentioned this a lot and I wanted to get it for you," he tried to explain himself nervously. His head suddenly flinched in pain, and he turned to find one of the guys, Hongbin, passing by him. He sent Hakyeon a look that read, "Keep your cool," before heading off. Hakyeon gritted his teeth before turning back to you.

"Sorry. Again." Once more, you couldn't stop the laughter that escaped your lips. He took the jewelry from your hands and walked behind you, gently brushing your hair out of the way and reaching around to fasten the chain.

 

A loud whistle broke your eye contact, and you turned to find the noise. Not surprisingly, Jaehwan and Miso were standing at the front of the room. "Guess who found the mistletoe?" Your eyes traveled upwards to find Miso grinning evilly and walking quickly in your direction. Your eyes widened in realization.

 

"Okay, let's not do anything we might regret, Miso," you tried to placate her to no avail. "I mean, let's not rush things, right?"

 

"Oh, shut up," she said, tying the plant above the two of you. Even if you wanted to move, your legs were incapable of doing so. Hakyeon had flushed a deep red and had begun to lean against the wall, laughing in embarrassment. Miso continued, "This relationship has been dangling in front of all of us since, like, day one. Just make it happen already!" 

 

"C'mon Hakyeon, kiss her!" Jaehwan hollered.

 

He scratched the back of his neck before facing you and leaning in tentatively and lowering his voice for only you to hear. "Just letting you know, Jaehwan and Miso set us up. I won't kiss you if you don't want me to, okay? Tell me."

 

Your heart swelled with admiration. He was such a gentleman. Well, now you wanted to kiss him even more. Glancing up at him, you nodded, letting him lean in closer. "I wouldn't mind you kissing me."

 

"That's good, because I really like you," he whispered softly in your ear.

 

"Well then, this works out perfectly for the two of us," you whispered back, the corners of your lips turning upwards.

 

"So, would you like to go steady with me?"

 

"Hm, I don't know," you mumbled teasingly, reaching up to run your hand through his hair.

 

He smiled. "This should help your decision." And with that, he s his arms around your waist and softly brushed his lips against yours before delicately kissing you. He started to move his lips against yours, and you unconsciously followed his rhythm, loving every minute of it. Your arms comfortably rested on his shoulders as he kept kissing you, like he had all of the time in the world. All of your friends were hooting and hollering behind you, but the two of you paid no mind to it. You pulled away after a few seconds and tried to erase the huge smile growing on your face to no avail. Hakyeon was beaming too, though he looked a bit more serene than you did. The both of you kept taking bashful glances at the ground, as if what you just did was wrong, even though it was completely right.

 

"Well," Dahee said after a couple seconds, "if that doesn't mean they're dating, I don't know what does." Jaehwan whooped in agreement and pounded Hakyeon on the back. You felt the innocent and festive mood returning to the party, and you sighed in relief. Everything was good. Hakyeon liked you, you liked him, he kissed you, he kissed you. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. A voice in the back of your mind told you to relax and drop the smile, but you simply couldn't. Deciding to get a drink to cool down, you headed to the kitchen with a hand over your mouth. You reached into your refrigerator for a ice cold bottle of water, and pressed it to your cheeks, enjoying the sensation. Sighing, you turned around to lean on the counter and let out a little shout when you saw Hakyeon standing right in front of you.

 

"What's up?" Your attempt to sound casual failed.

 

He walked over to you, pressing a hand to your forehead. "Apparently, your temperature," he tilted his head and smirked knowingly. You rolled your eyes and turned away in response. The grin from earlier was still plastered on your face, and you put a hand to your mouth to hide it. Hakyeon noticed and tugged on your sleeve. "Why are you hiding your smile?"

 

"Because this smile has not left my face for the past thirty minutes, and you're not helping it at all."

 

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? Because I don't." He chuckled and pulled your hand away. "Just smile. There's nothing wrong with it. I like your smile a lot, if I do say so myself."

 

"You're not helping, Hakyeon!" You repeated with a laugh, turning away. He made you inexplicably happy, and even if your constant grinning became an inconvenience to you, you didn't mind as long as you were with him. 

 

He grabbed your hand and led you out where the other guys were. "If anything else, I'm glad I can make you smile." You nodded dazedly, lazily smiling back up at him. 

 

 

I guess everybody likes a little Christmas romance, right? You thought to yourself, and looked to Hakyeon, who seemed extremely content with the night's events.

 

"Hey," you nudged Hakyeon, and he turned to you. "Were you in on the whole set up?"

 

He grinned again, this time with a bit of mischief hidden behind it. "Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't."

 

"Hakyeon!" You exclaimed with a laugh, and you jokingly stalked off, leaving him to start a wild chase between the two of you. After a good minute of fooling around, he finally caught up to you and grabbed you by the waist, engulfing you in a back hug, his laughter filling your ears. His lips pressed gently against your cheek as he held you to his chest, and you couldn't help but think, this would definitely be a holiday to remember.

 

--

 

i am not happy with this at ALL. like maybe 5%. but I really tried to get this up in time for Christmas (like anyone's gonna read this lol)

comments and feedback are greatly appreciated!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR (to those who celebrate it) <3