Work Text:
17th of December
4:37PM
In the spirit of Christmas cheer and also because he lost a bet to Jimin, Jungkook takes his acoustic guitar to the cold street in front of Hongdae station and busks. Jungkook starts off with Sofa, and Jimin stays with him, filming until the end of his cover of Paper Hearts, before returning back to the warm embrace of civilisation.
So, Jungkook is left with his fingers freezing off despite his hobo chic black gloves, his nose deadass getting frostbite making him wish that the beanie covering his distraught bed hair would cover his whole face. A scarf probably would’ve been a smart idea, but thanks to the shock of losing (to Jimin, no less), he had just grabbed his guitar and headed out to the aforementioned place, hoping that if he started busking early enough, he would not arouse the company of any other buskers.
“Hey, you’re new,” someone says as he slows down to a halt in front of Jungkook. “You’ve got a really good voice.” He takes off his face-mask, and Jungkook now makes the connection of that deep, throaty voice to the pretty boy face, all smooth skin, the sharp angles of his nose and jaw, the brightness in his smile. It’s hard to forget a face like that, harder to forget a voice like his, and plain impossible to not fall in love with the likes of Kim Taehyung.
Jungkook pauses mid-Purpose and balks.
See, the thing is Jungkook had lost his bet because he had thought he had the courage to talk to the cute saxophonist on the corner of the street. Months had passed by, summer turning to autumn, and then eventually winter with not a single conversation passing between them – only fleeting, stolen glances. Anyway, the point is that Jungkook never mustered up the guts to talk to Taehyung, so now he had to busk at the make-shift venue that Taehyung usually occupied.
Jungkook notices Taehyung’s saxophone case, wondering what kind of idiot would want to busk in this freezing ass weather. Clearing his throat, Jungkook starts packing up without a single word.
“Hey, you don’t have to go,” Taehyung says, grabbing a hold of the sleeve of Jungkook’s black hoodie. “We could busk together or something.”
Jungkook makes a non-committal noise. “Nah, it’s fine,” he says, hoping he doesn’t stutter or worse – outright profess his love. “I’ve got somewhere to go anyway.”
A lie. Jungkook is meant to go on for at least another half hour.
“Well, if you’re not busking, neither am I,” Taehyung says, sniffling. He scrunches his nose up a tiny bit, cute as a reindeer. Actually, Jungkook isn’t too sure what reindeer look like, but surely, they’re cute, right? Well, the point is Taehyung is very cute. “How ‘bout we go to the café over there and you tell me your tragic backstory about why you’re busking on such a cold night? My treat.”
“Well,” Jungkook grumbles, not processing Taehyung’s words exactly. “You’re the one who busks here every day, so your story must be way more tragic.”
“So, that’s a yes?” Taehyung guesses, grabbing Jungkook’s wrist with his gloved hand. Peering at Jungkook with another cute smile of his, Taehyung ignores Jungkook’s tsundere cries of protest, and leads him to the nearest café.
5:59PM
Jungkook is giddy but giddy is an underestimation in itself. “So, uh, what would you like to drink?”
“Me?” Taehyung puckers his lips while he’s in thought. Cute. “I’ll have a hot chocolate, I think. What about you?”
Jungkook is too busy staring at Taehyung’s lips to comprehend what Taehyung is saying. Then a silence elapses between them, awkward kind of. And when Jungkook realises, he coughs into his closed fist and looks straight ahead, glancing past Taehyung, unable to meet his eyes.
He’s on a date with his crush. Cheesy Christmas jingles are playing over the speakers. Snow has started falling outside. Picture perfect, and when Jungkook looks back at Taehyung, he falls in love all over again, finding himself terribly infatuated at the sight of Taehyung playing with the salt and pepper dispensers.
The waitress comes over, the café bustling at this time.
Taehyung orders his hot chocolate.
The waitress turns to Jungkook and asks, “What’d you like?”
Jungkook points to Taehyung, and Taehyung’s eyes widen.
“Me? You want me?” Taehyung gawps, and Jungkook’s mouth drops open.
Flustered, Jungkook waves his hands about. “No, I mean I’ll have hot chocolate too.”
“Oh.” Taehyung flushes.
Jungkook bites down at his bottom lip, looks away. Yes, suddenly the dust on the windowsill is so much more fascinating than the adorable embarrassment on Taehyung’s face.
The waitress glances between the two of them, shrugging her shoulders and confirming the order to which Taehyung nods furiously.
Once the waitress is gone, Jungkook gathers the courage to ask, “What was that all about?”
“I don’t know,” Taehyung says, beginning to fold his napkin into a crane or a turtle or something, refusing to meet Jungkook’s questioning gaze. “I like you.”
“We barely know each other,” Jungkook says, his heart jumping at Taehyung’s words.
“Yeah, but we can get to know each other. I know you as the devil with the voice of an angel who stole my busking spot. I know you play the guitar, even when it’s freezing cold outside for god knows what reason. You tell me the rest,” Taehyung says, a charming smile sweeping Jungkook into surrender, and that’s how Jungkook falls in love (for the nth time, what the actual fuck).
❄
19th of December
11:15AM
“’Cuz I don’t want a lot for Christmas,” Taehyung starts singing, making Jungkook realise Taehyung’s musical talent expands past the saxophone. They’re together in Jungkook’s room, listening to Christmas songs (even though Jungkook is already sick of Christmas), simply because Taehyung insists. It’s weird how Jungkook feels so comfortable around Taehyung. Truth be told, it’s not that easy for him to befriend others, and maybe he does see Taehyung as more than a friend, but Taehyung is easy to hang out with. “There is just one thing I need. C’mon, Jungkook, join in!”
“I don’t know the lyrics,” Jungkook replies, abashed. Also because he doesn’t want to embarrass himself singing in English when he can’t even string together a proper sentence in that language.
“What, but the song is so iconic,” Taehyung says, phone clasped in one hand, and climbs into Jungkook’s lap. While Jungkook’s mind goes into a panicked overdrive at Taehyung’s proximity and his position, Taehyung hums along until the part where Mariah Carey sings, “I just want you for my own,” and Taehyung repeats those same words at Jungkook, staring him dead in the eyes as he does so.
Jungkook licks his dry lips, throat parched, nodding his head along to the song. His voice feels as wobbly as his heart when he sings, “Baby, all I want for Christmas is you.”
“Really?” Taehyung questions, and the music slows to a quiet with Jungkook’s heart beat thundering to the rhythm of Holy Fuck Is Taehyung Going To Kiss Me Now? (Please Kiss Me).
“Yeah,” Jungkook replies, eyes fluttering shut. Okay, maybe he’s getting ahead of himself, thinking and high-key hoping that Taehyung is going to make the fuck outta him.
Jungkook feels a slender finger on his pouted lips. Before disappointment can take over him, he opens his eyes and sees that Taehyung has shushed him, but there’s a wicked grin on his face.
Taehyung leans in close as if to whisper conspiratorially, “I’ve got a present planned for you on Christmas Eve. Please look forward to it.” Then Taehyung engulfs him in a hug that ends up becoming a snuggle-cuddle because neither of them want to stop hugging each other.
❄
24th of December
9:27PM
“Whipped as fuck,” Jimin comments, hearing the cover that Jungkook had prepared for Taehyung.
At their small Christmas party, all of them had gathered around the piano after dinner. While Yoongi had played the tune on the piano, Jungkook had sang All I Want For Christmas Is You.
Yeah, Jungkook had locked himself in his room and memorised the lyrics to the song right after Taehyung had left on the Monday. Then he had asked (read: blackmailed) Yoongi into helping him with his devout profession of love.
Jungkook, wearing matching white sweaters with Taehyung, receives a kiss to his cheek for the cover. (Are they dating now? Well, they hadn’t officially asked each other out but they had sort of fallen into the whole boyfriends thing so naturally that Jungkook hadn’t felt the need to put a label on it.) “What was your Christmas surprise?” Jungkook asks then, hoping his cheeks aren’t are red as they feel.
“Oh you’ll see soon,” Taehyung replies, winking before he turns around again to face the piano. “It’s got to do with some blowing.”
Jungkook’s eyes widen, as do Yoongi’s, as do Jimin’s, as do Hoseok’s, as do Namjoon’s, as do Seokjin’s. Jungkook’s nervous laugh gets stuck in his throat, and he settles for wrapping his arms around Taehyung, burying his face in Taehyung’s neck, playing with Taehyung’s fingers, finding his heart buried on Taehyung’s sleeve.
“Okay!” Seokjin interrupts. “Let’s keep the remainder of this event PG.”
“Not as bad as that time Hoseok thought dressing up as a sexy Santa was a good idea,” Namjoon says, coughing into his fist.
Yoongi and Jimin burst into laughter at the memory, and Hoseok yelps. “It was a great idea!” Hoseok replies, “I got so many compliments that night.”
When they settle down and Yoongi starts playing Silent Night, Jungkook thinks of how Taehyung fits right into his life – a once missing piece of the puzzle of his life; a star that had fallen from the sky right into his hands; a snowflake that melts at the tip of his tongue. Okay, that was probably him thinking too far ahead considering they had only been together for what… a week, at most? But that was what was so weirdly beautiful, how perfect Taehyung and he are, despite the circumstances.
And maybe that’s what love is.
Love doesn’t care for time or distance, nor for whether they’re both males who met on a cold night because one had lost a bet and the other likes to busk. Love happens, simple as that.
And maybe Taehyung is only his first love, and what they say about first loves – that it never lasts, that it’s only infatuation and whatnot – maybe it’s true. Maybe it’s not. But with Taehyung in his arms now, when all the smiles in the world can’t measure the happiness in Jungkook’s heart, he doesn’t care for the semantics.
Having Taehyung is all Jungkook wants and needs.
Having Taehyung is enough.
11:11PM
After saying goodbye to the hyungs, Jungkook walks home with Taehyung. The brighter idea would’ve been to take a taxi back to the station where they’d go their separate ways, but Jungkook is a sucker for romantic filth and fuck it if he ain’t gonna hold Taehyung’s hand on Christmas Eve.
So there they are, strolling down the street towards Hongdae station, Taehyung’s saxophone case hanging off Jungkook’s shoulder because Jungkook had insisted on carrying it. Taehyung’s hand is warm in Jungkook’s, and Jungkook thinks that possibly all the warmth that he holds in his heart for Taehyung could melt the snow on the streets.
“Hey, that’s where we met,” Taehyung says, pointing to the corner where they indeed had their first official run-in. Taehyung tugs on Jungkook’s hand, leading him to the spot.
The night is mostly empty; still some university students loitering and lost foreigners looking for a warm restaurant. Nevertheless, Jungkook only has eyes for Taehyung.
At the exact spot where Jungkook had busked with his guitar, Taehyung stands and pulls Jungkook in, pressing their lips together. Jungkook tries not to smile into the kiss and fails; he pulls Taehyung in closer, a hand on Taehyung’s waist and another stroking his nape.
“I fell in love with your voice first,” Taehyung confesses, “and then your nose.” Taehyung bumps his own nose against Jungkook’s, and Jungkook tries not to laugh (fails, again, because Taehyung is just Too Much). “And then I fell for you, all of you, all at once, so hard, so fast that the doctors would say I got a concussion and that all of this is a dream.”
“One hundred percent real,” Jungkook murmurs, unable to deny Taehyung another kiss.
And when their lips are red, cheeks rosy from both the frigid air and the heat of their own feelings, Taehyung says, “Ah! I still have to give you the surprise I prepared for you.”
Jungkook nods, letting Taehyung pull away. They can get to kissing and cuddling non-stop after, Jungkook promises himself.
Taehyung unzips his sax case, pulling out the magnificent woodwind instrument.
“So this is what you meant by blowing something?” Jungkook isn’t disappointed. Absolutely not. Because Taehyung is a treasure on the saxophone, and that’s plenty for Jungkook tonight. Honest.
Taehyung smirks, as though he knows the innuendo behind his words. “Well, I wouldn’t be averse to… uh… giving you a demonstration of how I blow,” Taehyung says, voice low, and Jungkook matches his playful grin.
“What’re you gonna play?” Jungkook asks, deciding not to voice stuff like “Guess I’m coming more than to town” and his other naughty Christmas jokes. Bedroom talk for later. Maybe (if he’s not getting too ahead of himself).
Expecting some type of epic love song, Jungkook bursts into uncontrollable laughter when he hears the first notes of Careless Whisper
“Hey, I love you so much,” Jungkook tells Taehyung once the stunning rendition is over, pulling him into his embrace, and Taehyung replies in earnest, “Love you more!”
❄
