Chapter Text
the world was tired and when the downtown lights flickered at three in the morning on christmas eve, jisoo felt the flicker in his heart. christmas was supposed to be a time for celebration. a time for family and friends and lovers and all the things that people were too busy for year round. it was a time that was supposed to be looked forward to.
supposed to. jisoo did not look forward to christmases. last christmas, he was stuck in a meeting, something about the logistics of him becoming the ceo. the year before, he was kissing his boss's ass so he could get a promotion. the year before that, he was going to a party his friends had thrown, but then got in an accident and ended up in the hospital.
this christmas, just like the lamp lights, jisoo was tired.
he hadn't eaten properly in at least four months now, he hadn't slept properly in six months and he hadn't enjoyed himself in eight.
his friends had decided to leave for hawaii two weeks earlier for a vacation except jisoo couldn't leave work, so he had politely declined their invitations as he had for the past years.
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jisoo let his feet lead him to a random bar downtown. with a lonely christmas tree he could see through the glass, jisoo felt he had found a bar that was just as alone as he was.
he walked through the doors and sat at one of the barstools, not before noticing that the entire place was empty- except the bartender whose back he was facing.
jisoo lowered his head onto the arms he had let rest on the counter, and let out a sigh.
"alone on christmas eve, handsome?"
jisoo's eyes's opened at the question as he perked up, and nodded slightly.
after a slight pause, jisoo looked up and asked, "how about you?" to the bartender.
the bartender smiled wide in response, "what does it look like?"
jisoo smiled kindly, "it looks like you are too."
"well, you're not wrong," the bartender laughed.
jisoo picked his head from where it had rested on his arms, "i'm jisoo, hong jisoo."
"and i'm out of your league," the man on the other side of the bar said, with a teasing smile.
jisoo smiled back with no malice, "i know, but it'd be nice to put a name to your pretty face."
this time, the bartender's laugh was much louder.
"yoon jeonghan," he said eventually.
"it's nice to meet you, jeonghan-ssi," jisoo said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"you too," jeonghan narrowed his eyes, "now, are you gonna order or just sit here with your beautiful little face?"
jisoo laughed, and his hand came up to cover his mouth as it always did.
jeonghan's eyes widened at how jisoo's eyes formed perfect crescents and how in the dim light of the bar, jisoo looked just like the star that sat atop the christmas tree.
"i don't really want to get drunk and forget you, so do you have anything non alcoholic?"
jeonghan couldn't say he wasn't impressed. this jisoo guy was almost better at flirting than him. almost.
"well, i'd say i'm non alcoholic but once you get a taste of me you'd want to be drunk on me."
jisoo nodded along, "and you're out of my league so." jeonghan grinned. "do you have hot chocolate?"
jeonghan scoffed, "what does this place look like, a cozy little cafe?"
"our imagination is very useful, jeonghan-ssi. and right now, my imagination tells me that yes, this is a cozy little cafe."
"ah, does it?" jeonghan played along, "well, jisoo-ssi," he said while bending down closer to where jisoo was sitting, "what else does your imagination tell you?"
jisoo pretended to think for awhile, "it tells me that it's going to snow soon. and that our christmases aren't going to be that bad."
jeonghan laughed bitterly, "and that's how you know it's just your imagination. not reality."
jisoo smiled, but he didn't have a response.
jeonghan cleared his throat, "so, about that hot chocolate, do you really want it?"
"why would i have asked if i didn't?"
jeonghan shrugged, "give me a second then, we might have one of those shitty little hot chocolate packets."
jisoo scrunched his face up, "the ones that taste like pure sugar and water and not really like chocolate?"
jeonghan nodded once and left to find what jisoo had asked him for.
when jeonghan came back with a beer glass full of what looked like shitty hot chocolate, he found jisoo asleep, back with his head on his arms.
jeonghan could only smile softly as he set down the glass. "i wasn't even gone for that long, jisoo-ssi," he whispered to the passed out figure.
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when jisoo woke up, jeonghan was wiping down the counter.
"looks like you didn't need alcohol to pass out on me, jisoo-ssi," jeonghan said, teasing again.
jisoo cringed, "i'm sorry," he stretched, "and thanks for not kicking me out."
jeonghan smiled, "i could never kick out someone as lovely as you."
jeonghan didn't say that just to see jisoo's laugh with his crescent moon eyes, he really didn't.
but, jisoo laughed his pretty little laugh and jeonghan had his breath taken away.
"i drank your hot chocolate, though."
"was it shitty?"
jeonghan nodded solemnly.
"well, it's almost morning anyways, i'm sure i can find a breakfast place that serves hot chocolate-" jisoo's stomach rumbled, and his face flushed, "-hopefully also something to eat."
jeonghan smiled, despite being disappointed at the fact that jisoo was leaving already. what was he disappointed at, anyways? this was a stranger who didn't even buy from his bar. what the hell was jeonghan doing?
jeonghan was used to being the one that disappointed, not the one who was disappointed.
before jeonghan could spiral, jisoo cut in "-if you're free, jeonghan-ssi, would you like to join me?"
jeonghan looked at jisoo suspiciously, "i thought we agreed i was out of your league. and here you are, asking me out."
jisoo smiled, "i'm asking you to hangout-"
"hangout? what are we in, highschool?" jeonghan asked in disbelief.
jisoo didn't let his smile fall, "i'd like to think my flirting is a lot better than it was in highschool, jeonghan-ssi."
jeonghan's eyes widened, "so you are flirting!" he shrieked, "i'm out-"
"of my league, yes, i know. so, breakfast?" jisoo asked with an even larger grin and that supid twinkle in his eyes.
"fine. but you're paying. and it's only because i'm hungry."
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"closed for christmas. huh."
jeonghan glared at the sign that was hung on the breakfast place, as jisoo let out a puff of air in the cold of the air.
"where's a christmas miracle when you need it?"
jeonghan smiled sadly at him, "i ask myself the same thing every christmas."
"well," joshua began, looking up to think, "do you want to come over to my apartment? i can cook...decently."
"you don't look too sure of that," jeonghan said with a teasing smile, "but how do i know you're not a serial killer? what if you murder me?"
"jeonghan-ssi, i can't even kill a fly, killing you is a bit far fetched. but do you wanna go to the park on the corner instead? i think they have some street food there."
jisoo knew better than to put a stranger into a compromising situation.
jeonghan on the other hand was surprised at how willing jisoo was to work around jeonghan. jeonghan remembered one of his dates had screamed him for saying that he didn't want to go their house. this was a nice change.
oh, how the bar was so low.
"sure."
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