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Jimin hurries through the crowded thoroughfare, the bus is packed with people, giggling students flushed from their shared spiked rum and flustered parents trying to scramble through endless christmas shopping.
He shimmies past a double pram holding the most adorable twins in matching purple snowsuits, he makes the agonising decision not to stop and coo at their reddened cheeks in lieu of missing his stop.
Jimin thanks the bus driver as he bundles into the crowded streets, winding his scarf round an extra loop and pulling his hat over his forehead as a brace against the cold whilst scurrying towards the assorted wooden huts, exposed under the glowing streetlights.
Now Park Jimin isn’t normally the type to do his Christmas shopping in December, his expert planning gets it all done and dusted by mid November at the latest.
Unfortunately for his meticulous tendencies he had a late wave of inspiration for an extra present his mum would just adore, one that only sprung to mind as he was putting up his mini christmas tree in his cramped bedroom.
A wooden owl tree ornament.
It hits all the boxes for her, eco friendly and featuring owls. The amount of owl related products his sweet mother owns is kind of mind boggling so surely the perfect addition to her collection would be a festive one for the tree?
Honestly Jimin presumed that finding one for her would be quick work, given the vastness of the christmas markets, but after forty minutes of looking he’s starting to feel pretty hopeless.
The last three stalls he visited sold multiple bird ornaments yet not a single fucking owl, arguably the most festive bird. Jimin skimmed over the next two stalls, seeing only gaudy colours and brittle plastics; it HAD to be wooden, his mother held a blanket ban on plastic decorations in her house, in place ever since his brother tripped when bringing the bauble box down from the attic, causing the baubles to shatter all across the hardwood floors.
These days only sturdy wooden decorations pass over the threshold, as well as a few fresh leaf wreaths to add some homeliness to the place, even tinsel was cast out during the great plastic purge of summer 2017, with felted pom poms and hand cut snowflake banners taking tinsels place.
Jimin smiles at the thought of his mother's eccentricities, his brother gets too easily frustrated with her whims but Jimin can only find himself amused and entertained, it's fun to be kept on your toes.
Warm thoughts are perfect at christmas but they’re less than ideal when you’re making your way through crowded streets and your spatial awareness is below average. These factors don’t work in Jimins favour as before he knows it he’s strolled straight into a goddamn lamppost, ricocheting right down onto his ass.
What a cliche.
Before he has time to collect himself, warm (and strong) hands are under his armpits and pulling him to his feet. Said hands briefly skim down to his waist as he feels hot breath against his cheek (he must be taller than him) he tilts his head to see the strangers breath visibly linger in the cold air, too soon for Jimin's liking, the hands leave him and the firm chest holding him up leaves his back.
Jimin exhales, without the sparks from being touched (he hasn't had time to date recently okay. Don’t judge.) He’s unpleasantly reminded of why they were touching him in the first place by dull, throbbing pain in his head and back.
He winces at the feeling.
Ooh the hands are back.
The pretty hand is resting on his forearm, almost asking him to turn around with its placement.
So Jimin does.
Fuck.
The dumb, gay part of Jimins brain normally just reduces him to a stuttering mess whenever he has to talk to a hot guy but this guy is just… so hot… So hot that Jimin is fucking mute. The strangers hair flops over his forehead in a sweet boyish way and his big nose is just asking to be bitten and god his eyes! Wide, gooey, honeyed brown eyes that are just filled to the brim with concern are staring into his and he can’t want to find the strength to break their shared gaze.
Jimin thinks that the pretty boys mouth might be saying words.
The boys lips are moving for sure.
Jimin can see oversized teeth.
Cute.
The world suddenly roars in his ears. Cars honking, dogs barking, lovers laughing, bratwurst sizzling, it all winds into his ears, being processed until one sound overwhelms the others, the words of the increasingly concerned boy who’s soft fingers linger on the fuzzy wool of Jimin's jumper sleeve.
A gentle shake.
“Hey, earth to um..you, are you alright? That fall looked pretty painful, sorry I couldn’t like catch you? Or anything, I um was manning my stall so I had to go under the counter and ah I was just a bit slow”
“Oh no no no don’t apologise” Jimins suddenly all caught up with the world and he can’t get his words out fast enough “I’m an idiot, I fall all the time really I can hardly feel it, maybe a little dizzy but ah well, wait did you say your stall? Oh my god I can’t believe I’m keeping you here like this you could be missing customers! Your goods! What if they get stolen, there are too many youths around, please, please don’t lose your livelihood for my sake”
The pretty boy looks briefly stunned by Jimin's sudden word vomit which quickly turns into a sweet giggle.
Jimin wonders if he could propose to this boy with one of the rings he’s already wearing.
“Hey hey, calm down, I can literally see my stall, it’s just behind you. No hooligans in sight don’t you worry. Hmm um, okay, I know you said you’re clumsy but if it’s okay with you would you at least keep me company at my stall for a little while because concussions are no joke. I don't want to hear about a blonde korean guy that passed out and died in the snow because nobody checked him for a concussion after a brutal lamp post collision”
Jimins sweater covered hand rises to scratch behind his ear, fingertips barely poking out as he replies “Well when you put it that way I don’t know how I could say no, I don’t think I want to be remembered as the boy who died by lamp post”
“It wouldn't be the most glamorous story, I have to say. Oh! By the way I’m Jungkook!” Jungkook does a little wave next to his ear as if to introduce himself.
Jimin wonders how such a small action could make this boy, Jungkook he reminds himself, could make Jungkook even cuter than he already thought he was.
Jungkooks fingertips are a dusty pink, reddened by the frosty air, Jimin sees him shiver slightly but his wide, toothy grin remains plastered on his face, Jimin wants to feel Jungkook's fingers on his face, his neck, wrapped in his hair… Jimin pings his thoughts back to the present to force words out of his mouth in return “Oh oh names of course! Hi I’m Jimin!” he extends his hand, then withdraws just as fast, thinking it too formal and turns it into his own wave in mimicry of Jungkooks. “Ah hmm It’s um nice to meet you”
Jungkook scrunches his nose at Jimin's awkwardness, hopefully endeared, as Jimin turns to the side in an attempt to cool the heat rising to his cheeks and ears, he supposes he could blame the temperature if Jungkook decides to comment.
Jungkook leans forward, an almost imperceptible amount, and says “Jimins a nice name, I bet it looks really pretty in Hangul”
Jimin loses the war with his blush.
“Okay! Follow me to my stall” Jungkook claps his hands and scatters the budding tension, his volume increasing to contrast the velvety sounding compliment that came before “I have hot chocolate! We can warm up! You can rest! And there will be no articles about a pretty boy dying in the snow”
Jimin follows dumbly after a strident Jungkook, as he tries to decipher whether Jungkook intentionally just called him pretty or not, because Jimin's heart is speeding up either way. Jungkook pulls up the hatch on the counter and steps to the side, turning towards Jimin with his toothy grin “After you.”
Jimin stumbles through and into the back, which is pretty bare, cardboard boxes filled with ornaments take up most of the space, a few hooks on the wall hold tartan blankets, all that remains is a wooden bench and a messy, half open backpack.
He wants to turn around and say something, anything but all his brain is supplying is ‘fuck you Jungkook, being all pretty and chivalrous and funny and you better be gay or I might cry’.
Jimin thinks saying that out loud might be considered rude.
“Hmm sorry It’s such a mess, It’s normally just me back here” Jungkook's hand gently presses onto Jimin's back “Here have a seat and I’ll pour the hot chocolate.”
Jimin moves with the guiding hand until he’s sitting and staring at the back of a beautiful man, gently pouring him a cup of steaming chocolate heaven from a dented flask.
Jimin finally clocks what’s being sold here as his eye catches onto a carved wooden deer, remembering the reason he was out on such a busy night in the first place!
“Jungkook! Do you sell wooden ornaments?!”
Jungkook startles at the other boys exclamation, barely managing to not spill any of the drink, he turns around and mumbles a little “Oh oh yeah well I kind of make all these aah they aren’t anything special, It’s just been a hobby for a while and I thought I might give selling them a shot to give myself a christmas windfall” Jungkook seems to lose a bit of his previous bluster as a talks about his ornaments, shy at the change of topic.
Jimin giggles at his change in demeanour “Don’t put yourself down I think they’re entirely beautiful! They’d make any haggard old tree look festive! Okay, you see, the reason I’m out right now is actually to buy a wooden ornament sooo I was wondering if you had any owls? It’s for my mum, you could possibly call her an owl fanatic and the idea just came to me and I’ve been wandering this market for over an hour with no such luck and, god, maybe you could be my saviour twice in a row?”
Jungkook looks a bit like the wooden dear right now, startled by the mini speech but it quickly morphs into a rather large smile “I have to say I ran out of owls yesterday but, if you can wait a couple of days, I’ll custom carve one just for you”
“I wouldn’t want to bother you like that really you don't have to..”
“I want to” Jungkook says softly as he hands the hot chocolate to Jimin and crouches down in front of him, “I want to make the bestest owl ornament you’ve ever seen.”
Jimin thinks he might never stop blushing.
//
Numbers are exchanged, goodbyes are said, something unsaid lingers in the air.
Under the guise of customer seller communication text messages are sent back and forth at a near constant pace for the next two days, many in progress pictures are sent of the carving, all totally necessary to keep the buyer satisfied Jungkook bluffs.
Jimin grows accustomed to his new shade of pink as Jungkook's habit of sending little hearts makes him feel a little bit like a wobbly trifle.
Okay he might be smitten.
The ornament is perfect. Jimin collected it a few days ago, an errand that should only require ten minutes to complete turned into two hours of Jimin hanging out in the back of Jungkook's stall and chatting about everything and nothing, the sparks bounced around the cramped space without once finding their target.
Jimin left with his purchase and longing in his heart.
Christmas was approaching and they still text everyday. Jimin wants to bash his head against the wall.
The amount of hearts Jungkook sends has increased but he hasn’t asked him out and Jimin doesn’t understand.
What if Jungkook is straight? What if he’s just a heart sending kind of guy? What if?
His mum adores her present. She hangs it on the tree as soon as it’s unwrapped, cooing over the two little owls perched on a branch, finely dusted with gold glitter. Jimin gets squashed in a lovingly tight hug.
The new year is approaching and Jimin is wistful. The phone lying beside his head lights up with an incoming text. Jungkook. His heart hurts but how could he ignore the thoughts of the prettiest boy he’s ever met?
Another year, another fresh start.
‘Don’t get hung up on straight boys!’ reads the top of Jimin's resolution list, written in red and underlined.
You don’t know that he’s straight silly, maybe you should just ask him?
Jimin waves away his very true thought that he very much does not want to think about.
Jimin would rather decide that Jungkook is straight and move on with his life instead of facing that kind of rejection.
Straight boys have stomped his heart one too many times.
The list is just starting to take shape when his phone lights up beside him.
Jungkook.
A long message.
He’s.. asking him on a date?
Holy fuck.
Jimin has never said yes to anything faster in his entire life.
//
Snowflakes flutter through the air, melting into sweet coffees, clinging to gingham scarves, merging into each other on the crowded pavement. The sounds and scents of winter linger, carrying airy laughter over heads, under elbows, all blending into the haze of noise that welcomes lovers and families alike.
Two hands grip tight to one another amidst it all, moving through the crowd as one, slyly drifting towards a quiet street, one almost loses their hat to the masses but the other catches it at the last second, pulling it back down over reddened, frostbitten ears. The cold tries to surround them but they pay it no mind, eyes and hearts too centred on the other to care as soft lips greet each other for the first time and two hearts become one.