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Ever since he had known Jongin, Xuxi was enamored with him. It was platonic at first, at least he thought. That was until lately when Xuxi's heart would flutter at the sight of the older. His mind would go blank if they made eye contact for too long. Yet, he hadn't acted on these feelings because he feared he wasn't worthy enough.
Jongin, on the other hand, had become aware of the change in his friend and it made him evalutate his feelings. He realized that he cared for Xuxi more than he had been admitting to himself. He was jealous when he got too close to others and it didn't feel platonic anymore.
The awkward tension that had risen between them had driven a bit of a wedge into their friendship. Their mutual friends were sick of it. So, when Baekhyun decided to throw a Christmas party, he invited them both without telling that the other would be in attendance.
~
Baekhyun's place looked as if Christmas had thrown up in his living room. It was very festive. There was a tree covered in a dusting of fake snow and tinsel. Its lights glittered with a rainbow of colors. Christmas music was playing from somewhere in the room, but it could barely be heard over the chatter of everyone catching up with each other. Each doorway had mistletoe hanging from it. Baekhyun succeeded in making the scene feel warm and cozy despite the chill outside.
Jongin entered and hung his coat and scarf on the coat rack by the door, greeting Baekhyun with a hug.
"You sure know how to throw a party," he said fondly as he took in the smiles and closeness of everyone. After sniffing the air, he asked, "Did you make cookies?"
Baekhyun laughed and shook his head as he pointed to the trash can in the kitchen where the empty containers hid. "Don't tell anyone, but I just warmed up some store bought ones. I was too focused on the decorations."
"It's probably safer for everyone anyway," Jongin started to laugh, but quickly ducked and ran into the living room to escape Baekhyun's playful swing at him.
He joined the crowd of his friends and watched as some exchanged surprise gifts. But then, for some reason, his heart began to race. It was like his body just knew, so when he saw Xuxi out of the corner of his eye, he wasn't surprised. His heart seemed to be linked to Xuxi's presense. He couldn't take the silence between them anymore anyway.
~
Xuxi's eyes widened when they immediately fell on Jongin's form in the living room. Of course he would be here, he had been friends with Baekhyun longer. Why wouldn't he be here?
After greeting Baekhyun and taking off his coat, Xuxi excused himself to the bathroom to collect himself. In his fervor, he didn't notice Jongin rising from his seat to follow him through the hall. He locked himself in the bathroom for what felt like a reasonable amount of time and after some deep breaths and a splash of water on his face, he exited.
"Ah! Hyung!" he flinched when he opened the door to find Jongin standing right there.
Jongin glanced up at the mistletoe hanging from the doorway and grinned. "Did you come back here just to stand under some mistletoe?" he questioned as if he couldn't help himself from teasing.
Xuxi's face went from confused to flushed as he looked up at it. "W-What? No! I didn't even know it was there!"
"Mhm," is all Jongin murmured with a smirk before disappearing into the crowd again.
Xuxi stood there in shock for a moment before whispering, "At least we're talking again." Although, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Jongin didn't act on him being under the mistletoe.
~
Jongin's eyes kept darting to Xuxi throughout the night. After attempting to break the tension by teasing him earlier, the younger hadn't made eye contact with him. Maybe he had made him uncomfortable. A sigh escaped him before he could stop it. The joy of the room was infectious but Jongin just couldn't get into it.
Just as he was about to come up with an excuse to leave, Xuxi appeared at his side with a glass of eggnog. He held it out to him and a smile finally graced Jongin's face.
"For me?" he asked.
Xuxi nodded with a shy smile. "You looked like you could use a drink," he commented, holding his own cup.
So Xuxi had been keeping an eye on him. Maybe they weren't such a lost cause after all.
Jongin took the glass with a smile. There was still a tension between them but it had shifted. It wasn't awkward anymore. It was the kind that made Jongin want to get up and kiss him right then and there.
~
When Jongin stood up, Xuxi felt like his heart was trying to escape through his chest. He panicked and took a step back, narrowly missing someone's foot. He almost fell after turning to apologize to the person, but a pair of strong arms caught him.
"Thanks…" Xuxi trailed off as he looked up at Jongin. "Sorry!" he added quickly, wiggling out of his hold and heading off to the kitchen.
After grabbing a cookie to calm himself, he circled back and stood in the doorway to survey the scene. Mainly, to find Jongin in the crowd so he could avoid him for a little bit to escape his embarrassment. Xuxi's eyes dart all over the room but can't seem to find the handsome man he was looking for.
"You know, I really think you're doing it on purpose," a voice startled Xuxi from behind.
He whipped around to find Jongin standing in the kitchen. Somehow in his panicked cookie eating, the older had snuck in behind him.
"Doing what?" Xuxi asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.
Jongin pointed to the mistletoe above him and much to Xuxi's surprise (and joy), he stepped closer. They locked eyes for a few seconds before Jongin cupped Xuxi's cheeks and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.
Xuxi melted into the kiss immediately. He even pouted when Jongin pulled away. "You uh, that was… Ahem. That was nice," he fumbled over his words.
A chuckle left Jongin's lips, "So… I take it… you like me too?"
Xuxi nodded furiously, his cheeks heating up considerably. "You like me? I'm sorry I didn't say anything, it's just I didn't think you'd like me like that and I didn't want to- mmph!"
His rambling was cut short by Jongin kissing him again.
"We've got a lot to talk about but we don't have to do that now, let's just enjoy this, mm?" Jongin said softly.
Xuxi nodded again, giddiness rising in his chest.
~
Baekhyun wore a smug look when he spotted Jongin sat on the couch with his arm around Xuxi's shoulder. The party was a success; presents were still being shared and stories were still being told. But most importantly, his friends had finally overcome their self-induced awkwardness and were finally happy.
Xuxi suddenly looked a little sad as he watched everyone else. He turned to Jongin. "I'm sorry, Hyung, I didn't bring you a present."
"It's alright, you being mine is the only present I need," Jongin replied, squeezing his shoulder.
Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "You're welcome. Thank God for mistletoe."