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“Cheers!” Half drunken voices chorused in the room, the sound of glasses clinking together like tinkling bells mimicking the festive sounds of Christmas, music blaring loudly on the speakers in the dorm lounge. Food was spread out on the table, voices overlapping one another, multi-coloured lights illuminating the room in a dazzle of a light-show. Christmas parties weren’t particularly Junhong’s thing. And when one combined college to the equation…well, he liked it a lot less. He liked drinking, but only with friends – his crush included - and only on occasions that called for it. It was loud, rowdy and there were too many people for Junhong’s liking. He stared at the cup of beer sitting in front of him, the sounds turning into a mushed blend, undecipherable. God, he really hated Christmas parties. Junhong took a long drink of his beer, letting the cool liquid wash down his throat and lull him into his comfort space. His mind. He was a sociable kid, don’t get him wrong, but it was situations like this, where he barely knew anyone that put him off kilter. Sure, he knew a few people, Yongguk – sitting next to him, and next to him, Himchan. He could vaguely make out Jongup’s voice, his friend since high-school, from behind him. His voice was as low as always, but it was a comforting sort of low. That’s why they’d stayed friends for so long; they knew how to balance each other. The others were ones he’d picked up around do to his major. He’d seen them around, had been assigned (read: forced) to do projects with them for certain classes, and over all enjoyed their presence. They were nice. Junhong mulled into the rim of his glass, eyes unfocused. What drew him out of his shell was not someone tapping him or poking him, but rather a laugh, so bright and cheery he couldn’t help but whip his head in its direction, the pain of possible whiplash ignored. Youngjae. He was sitting on the other side of the room, cracking jokes with a senior college student. What was his name? Daehyun? Regardless, Junhong’s eyes were focused on the shaggy brown hair of his crush and the way his eyes crinkled into bright crescents when he laughed, cheeks turned up. Like a cute squirrel. The beer in Junhong’s hand forgotten, he stood up, wanting to get away from the overwhelming senses around him. Youngjae was distracting him – not in a bad way. It was distracting in an all too good way, in a way that made him think: Christmas parties aren’t so bad. When Youngjae was around, anyway. “Where are you going?” Junhong glanced over, smiling at Jongup. “Bathroom – gotta splash water on my face to freshen up.” Jongup raised a brow, laughing. “You didn’t even drink one glass of beer, but whatever you say…Watch out for mistletoe.” He added a waggle of his brows with the comment, making Junhong roll his eyes. Mistletoe? Shaking his head, Junhong made his way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him as he stood in front of the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror, the shoddy Christmas hat on his head, the ugly Christmas sweater (courtesy of Himchan) over his body. The silver bells across the reindeers neck jingled as he moved to splash water onto his face. Every year, ever since he was a child, people talked about this ‘mistletoe’ but Junhong, frankly, had no desire to look it up or even know what it was. He wasn’t fond of Christmas after all – what could he care for some silly Christmas lore. Besides, it wouldn’t kill him to not know what mistletoe was anyway. Stepping out of the bathroom with a clear head despite not drinking all that alcohol, Junhong looked out the hallway, eyes searching. There were students kissing up on each other in the corner, weird plants hanging over them, like every Christmas. Granted, it was Junhong’s second Christmas at college, so things were a lot more different than when he celebrated in high school. Or hell, middle school. With every year he spent, the Christmas parties upped a level – he supposed it was a college thing. Or maybe it wasn’t and it was the same every year, and he just didn’t particularly care enough to notice. “Hey- Hey, wait. Stop.” Junhong froze, blinking owlishly and turning around to the meet the voice. His eyes widened. Youngjae. “Youngjae-“ He cleared his throat, the words caught. “Uh, what are you doing?” Junhong looked down at the senior student, a sheepish smile finding its way onto his face. He hadn’t talked to Youngjae a lot. Junhong had one project with him and he’d fallen in love almost instantly – silly of him, really. Childish. But Youngjae was fascinating and there was nothing the junior student didn’t like about him. His voice was heavenly, for one. Catching on high notes, a curve to his tone, voice breezy, as if he controlled the sway of the tree branches. And control he did – his voice technique was amazing. Junhong may not be a music major but he knew Youngjae had the voice of an angel. At least, to him. He was shorter than Junhong but then again, so many students were. His height was sort of freakish, after all. “-was going to the bathroom but then I ran into you.” Junhong blinked, finally tuning into the real world and growing red when he realised Youngjae was staring at him weirdly – he’d been staring at the senior again, hadn’t he? “Oh. Then why stop me? You could just keep going to the bathroom, you know.” He said, cocking his head just slightly. Youngjae gave him a look. The ‘are you an idiot?’ look. He’d seen it directed to Daehyun a lot, so he recognized it. The shorter man merely pointed a finger upwards, Junhong’s gaze following it. A plant hung overhead, leaves shiny, a red ribbon holding it in the air, the round white berries scattered across it. “So…? It’s a plant?” He responded, looking back down at Youngjae, confusion etched into his features. Why was a plant stopping Youngjae from going anywhere? Youngjae sighed, his lips pursing out in a pout – one that made Junhong want to kiss him senseless. His fingers twitched. “It’s mistletoe, dumbass. Do…Do you not know what the meaning of it is?” If he said no, would Youngjae be mad? He opted to just tell the truth and nodded, watching Youngjae’s face morph into one of amusement, a low chuckle escaping him. “You want me to show you?” “S-Show…me?” Warm hands were on Junhong’s face, thumbs pressed beneath his eyes, fingers curled beneath his jaw. His face burned, dark eyes swirling with uncertainty, locking with Youngjae’s. But Youngjae’s eyes seemed to reflect the same uncertainty, his own cheeks red. Why was he blushing? He couldn’t see for the next few seconds, warmth pressed against his lips. Soft, is all his mind registered. And plush. Youngjae’s lips. And then they were gone. The hands were still on his face. Junhong opened his eyes, his breath escaping him in labored pants. “You kiss…under mistletoe?” He asked, as if it weren’t the most obvious thing. His lips twitched into a shy, uncertain smile before it fell. If it was a Christmas tradition, then Youngjae didn’t harbour any feelings for him. It was just a kiss for tradition. The thought made his stomach drop. Youngjae patted his cheeks, smiling the smile that took Junhong’s breath away, eyes crinkled into happy crescents. “Yup. Two people under mistletoe means you have to kiss.” It came out of him like a rocket, his brain unable to blockade the words. “I like you.” Youngjae raised a brow. “I like you too.” Junhong floundered, taking Youngjae’s hands off his face and holding them tightly in his own. “N-No, I mean…I like you! Like- Like more than a friend!” The senior merely smiled, “Yeah, I know. I like you more than a friend as well.” The junior’s breath faltered, their clasped hands falling down between them. Youngjae? Liking him back? “Can I kiss you again?” Junhong asked, looking up at the mistletoe above them and then back at Youngjae, who smiled and nodded. “Yeah, you can, Junhong. We’re still under mistletoe.” Maybe Christmas could be better this year. And maybe mistletoe wasn’t some stupid plant. Junhong smiled into the kiss. Definitely.