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The idea of Christmas fascinated Jeongguk. Merfolk had nothing like it under the sea. Sure, there were holidays, but humans had all these amazing things like songs, candy canes, cookies, hot chocolate...
Jeonggk had to admit, hot chocolate surprised him. The first sip had burned his tongue. Jeongguk had hissed, refusing to take another sip, but then Yoongi added a few ice cubes to cool it down. He also added mini marshmallows and a mountain of whipped cream.
"Better?" Yoongi asked, sitting next to Jeongguk on the couch. He had a mug of hot cocoa too—no whipped cream, but plenty of mini marshmallows.
"Mmm, yes." Little moans of pleasure sighed out of him with every sip. Warmth filled him all the way to his toes. "I think it this is the best drink I have ever tasted."
It was especially better than that whisky stuff. Or that coffee nonsense.
"Guk-ah." Jeongguk peered at him from over the dollop of whipped cream, and Yoongi chuckled. "You have a little whipped cream mustache."
He blinked and wiped at his face. "Did I get it?"
"Um, no."
Jeongguk tried again. "How about now?"
Yoongi let out a soft laugh. His hand curled around the back of his head. "Come here, bun."
Before Jeongguk could respond, Yoongi kissed him. He let out a muffled squeak of surprise, hot chocolate sloshing out of the mug.
"Hyung," Jeongguk began, but then he felt Yoongi's tongue slide across his upper lip.
Oh.
Oh.
Jeongguk's cheeks heated. Yoongi licked and kissed the whipped cream away, until Jeongguk was breathless and molten. The corner of Yoongi's mouth lifted, like he knew, and gently pried the mug out of his hands, placing it on the coffee table.
"Jeongguk-ah," he breathed, kissing him once, twice. Three times. He cradled Jeongguk's face, like he was good, like he was precious. Yoongi tasted like marshmallows and the hot chocolate, and Jeongguk felt himself melting, growing smaller and smaller underneath his large hands, his raspy voice.
After that, Jeongguk decided hot chocolate was his favorite.
But there were two human traditions he was looking forward to the most. The first, was decorating the Christmas tree. Humans were so cute. They actually picked out trees and put them inside their houses. They strung them with lights brighter than lantern fish and added colorful orbs. Yoongi promised they would pick out our own tree later tonight, and Jeongguk couldn't wait.
The second tradition was one Yoongi had mentioned offhandedly.
"Mistletoe," he said. "If you catch someone under it, you have to kiss them."
Jeongguk back straightened. "Every time?"
"Yeah, bun. Every time."
Jeongguk loved kissing Yoongi. Maybe, if he asked nicely, Yoonig would keep the mistletoe up all year.
And so, Jeongguk looked up a picture of mistletoe on The Google and went looking at the store while Yoongi was at work. And it was just Jeongguk's luck—there was a sale.
After Jeongguk gathered all of the ones he wanted, he approached the lady behind the desk. "Excuse me, I'd like to buy these mistletoe plants." He remembered Yoongi's lessons on human etiquette and cleared his throat. "Um. Please."
The woman stared at Jeongguk like he had just grown another head. She glanced at his cart and then back up, eyes wide. "All of them?"
"Yes, ma'am." Jeongguk emptied out his cart, filled to the brim with mistletoe. He decided on more of the plastic ones than the real ones, motivated by his year-long hope. Jeongguk wasn't sure which kind of mistletoe Yoongi liked, either. Did the color of the ribbon matter? Were there supposed to be bells on them or not? Better to buy them all, just to be safe.
After she was done scooting them along that beepy red-light thing (a scanner, Yoongi had called it), the woman told Jeongguk to give her some number. Jeongguk didn't understand why humans needed numbers to acquire treasures. He also didn't understand where the numbers came from, but he understood they existed inside these magical little cards. Yoongi told Jeongguk to only use the magic card in emergencies. Well, Christmas was coming, and there was absolutely no mistletoe in his apartment, so Jeongguk thought that classified as an emergency.
The chilly December wind billowed around him on the way home. Bits of snow flurried and melted against Jeongguk's exposed neck and cheeks. A little girl walking by with her mother gave him a curious glance, probably noticing the flash of purple scales against Jeongguk's throat. He sealed his palm over his neck and picked up the pace. At least it wasn't raining.
When Jeongguk arrived at the apartment, Yoongi and Hoseok still weren't back and the stupid clothes were itchy. He let out a soft snarl, throwing off his jacket. The boots came next, then the pants, the shirt. Jeongguk hooked his fingers around the waistband of his boxers but then thought better of it—for some reason, Hoseok shrieked and dropped things whenever he walked in on him naked. Jeongguk didn't understand why. Merpeople never wore anything and no one cared.
Humans were such odd creatures.
Jeongguk gave the pile of clothes a little kick. Stupid clothes. They could stay on the floor.
Hmm. Where to begin? Where was it customary to hang mistletoe? The Google in Yoongi's office was no help. It showed it over doorways, behind couches, above the stove.
So, he'd hang it everywhere.
Jeongguk covered all of the doorways, put some over their bed, the fridge, the bathtub, tied it to each fanblade, and Jeongguk had just started pinning some over their bedroom doorway when he heard the front door open.
"I'm back. Is anyone—" There was a pause. Jeongguk imagined Yoongi glancing down at the pile of clothes and putting two and two together. "Jeongguk?" There was amusement in his voice. Jeongguk's stomach gave a pleasant little swoop. He reached further up on his tiptoes to finish pinning the mistletoe. "Jeongguk-ah, are you naked again?" Jeongguk could hear a slight skip to Yoongi's step. "Babe, where did you—oh!" Another pause. And then, an amazed, breathy laugh. "That's ... a lot of mistletoe."
"Yoongi-hyung! I'm over here!"
The footsteps sounded again. They became louder and louder as Yoongi padded into the hallway and then stopped abruptly behind him.
Freezing arms wrapped around Jeongguk's waist and pulled him close.
"Guk-ah." Yoongi's deep voice sent a surge of tingles across Jeongguk's skin. He pressed his face against his back, too short to reach Jeongguk's neck when he was standing on the chair. "What are you doing?"
“I’m decorating for our Christmas!" Jeongguk finished pinning the mistletoe and beamed. He turned and hopped down, vining his arms around Yoongi's neck. “Do you like it? Is it too much? I wasn't sure which ones to get. I wasn't sure what mistletoes you liked, but …”
"It's beautiful." Yoongi glanced around the apartment, his smile all wide, gums full on display. He scratched the space behind his ear. "Although we'll have to avoid Hoseok when he's home."
Jeongguk huffed. "Hoseok-hyung doesn't get any kisses in this apartment."
Yoongi lifted his eyebrows, amused. "Now, that's rude. What if he brings someone home?"
"That's different. And I only want to kiss you."
Yoongi's face flushed. Jeongguk thought maybe it was from being out in the cold, but when he cupped his cheeks, they felt warm. Jeongguk smiled and brushed back the snow from his hair, savoring the feel of it between his fingers.
"Are you chilly?" Humans were fragile in this weather. Yoongi had a jacket on and a fluffy gray scarf, but one had to be sure.
"Mmm..." Yoongi huddled closer, nuzzling his face in the crook of Jeongguk neck. "Not so much anymore."
His breath tickled. Jeongguk giggled and pulled away, nudging their noses until Yoongi resigned to look up at him. Jeongguk's grin broadened, nodding to the ceiling. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Hmm?" Yoongi seemed to think about it. "I don't know."
"Hyung."
"Did I forget something at work?"
"Hyung."
He snapped his fingers. "Ah. I got it. The Christmas tree. We were supposed to go shopping for one tonight, weren't we?"
Jeongguk lunged forward and kissed him. It was a little too hard, too fast. Their nose bumped and their teeth clacked together.
"Oh!" Jeongguk pulled away, touching his mouth. "Sorry! Did I hurt you?"
Yoongi shook his head. "No, you just surprised me." He brushed his lips with his fingertips and then smiled. "A little eager, aren't we?"
Jeongguk was still eager, and so, he tried again. Slower, this time. Softer. But that didn't seem to work because Yoongi was still giggling so Jeongguk tugged his lower lip between his teeth, drawing out a breath.
"Gguk-ah," he gasped, but Jeongguk kissed him deeper, swallowing a moan. Satisfaction and delight curled in his gut at the sound.
When he pulled away, Yoongi's eyes were still closed. Jeongguk felt the corner of his mouth lift up. "Do you remember now?" he asked, eyes narrowing a bit, but there was no malice in it.
It seemed to be an effort for Yoongi to open his eyes. But when he did, they flitted to Jeongguk's and held.
The air changed. There was no smile on Yoongi's face. No playfulness or teasing. He angled his head, black hair shifting over his brow. His eyes swept over Jeongguk's bare chest and then down to the V of his hips.
Jeongguk's blood heated. The way he was staring reminded Jeongguk of the way sharks looked before seizing their prey. Any swagger Jeongguk had evaporated into dust—which was almost ridiculous, considering Yoongi was the human. He was supposed to be the fragile one here.
Yoongi looped his arms around his waist, pulling Jeongguk into him. He gasped, and Yoongi's eyes glazed over at the sound. Jeongguk was acutely aware of his thighs pressed up against his, his thumb feathering across the length of Jeongguk's jaw. The zippers on his jacket were cold and dug into his skin. Jeongguk was half tempted to tear the dumb jacket to pieces, but he knew Yoongi really liked his clothes, that they were special to him, so Jeongguk kept his hands against his pounding heart instead.
"Yes," Yoongi finally whispered, and he kissed Jeongguk's chin. "How could I forget?" he murmured, kissing the corner of Jeongguk's lip. "How silly of me," he said, and he kissed Jeongguk's mouth.
Jeongguk's lips parted on a sigh. Yoongi's fingers slid across his shoulders, over his biceps, down his arms. He deepened the kiss, nipping at Jeongguk's bottom lip, and he groaned. He felt like he was blooming, searing and burning all over, and Yoongi was whispering how much he loved him, how cute he was, how sweet he was, and weakness washed straight down into his knees.
Jeongguk stumbled backwards, hands grabbing onto the threshold to catch himself. Yoongi's chuckle was ragged and breathless, and he leaned in again. The wood groaned underneath Jeongguk's hands. He was afraid I would crush it—would crush him.
But Yoongi wasn't afraid to touch Jeongguk. He kissed him hard and then soft, tender and then fierce. His hands were big and they were strong; Jeongguk could feel them smoothing down his spine, could feel them up in his hair, over his racing heart. And Jeongguk never wanted him to let go.