“I’m confessing to y/n this year,” Seungmin decided.

“Seriously? You’re finally doing it? After dancing around it for over a year?” Jiseok looked at Seungmin with a mix of surprise and excitement. 

“Yes, I’m going to do it this year,” Seungmin spoke with determination. 

“That’s good. I’m glad.” Gunil came over and gave Seungmin a pat on the shoulder. “Now how are you going to go about it?” he asked, taking a seat on the couch. Jiseok looked at Seungmin waiting for his answer. 

“At Jiseok’s annual Christmas party. I’m gonna get us both under the mistle and confess my feelings,” he answered. 

“Sounds like a cheesy Christmas movie, but I like it,” Gunil said. Jiseok gets a mischievous glint in his eyes. A smirk following closely after. 

“And I’m going to make sure it happens,” he states. Already thinking about placing too many mistletoes around his house. 

Numerous couples and noncouples alike had been getting caught under those dangerous mistletoes all evening. Each passing couple that wasn’t you and Seungmin made Seungmin begin to doubt going through with his confession. Because at this point it seemed like you and him were some of the few people left who hadn’t fallen victim to sharing some form of a kiss under the mistletoe.

You had excused yourself to the bathroom and Seungmin disheartenedly slouch himself over the counter in Jiseok’s kitchen. 

“Maybe I’m not meant to confess to them,” Seungmin sighed as Jiseok rubbed his back. 

“Don’t say that-” Before Jiseok can finish his sentence Seungmin interrupts. 

“Why not? There’s seven-”

“Ten.” Now Jiseok is the one to interrupt. 

“What?” Seungmin questioned. 

“I added three more when I saw that somehow the seven wasn’t enough for you to get y/n under one,” Jiseok explained. 

Seungmin groaned. “That’s even worse, but anyway there’s ten mistletoes and I still can’t get both y/n and I under one to confess. Maybe it’s a sign,” Seungmin says.

“You know you don’t need a mistletoe to confess. I know it was apart of your plan, but you don’t actually need a mistletoe to kiss someone.” Jiseok leaned in to whisper the last part like it was a secret. 

Seungmin half laughed, half scoffed, “I know, but I feel like I’m going to trip over my own tongue if I diverge from the plan.”

“Then don’t worry. I’ll handle it,” he pats Seungmin and the shoulder and walks away. Presumably to work on whatever he has planned to get you and Seungmin together under a mistletoe. 

You had the perfect timing of walking back as Jisoek was walking away. 

“He looks like he’s up to no good,” you commented playfully when you saw the prankish look on Jiseok’s face as you walked by him.

“Probably gonna hang up more mistletoes,” Seungmin tells. 

“More? There’s already seven. He wants everyone here to kiss or what?” you laughed. 

“There’s ten actually," he informed you. 

“What?” you looked at him in shock. 

“Yep, apparently he’s snuck putting three more up over the course of the evening,” he said.

“I guess we’re really immune to them then. If there’s ten I feel like we should’ve been caught under one by now,” you voiced.

That’s exactly what Seungmin was thinking. It really killed his motivation to confess to you. So much that he’s unable to contain his sigh over it. 

“Are you ok?” you asked him, placing your hand on his arm, thumbing absentmindedly stroking back and forth in a soothing manner. 

“Oh..yeah,” he told you when he realized he didn’t suppress his sigh. “It’s just getting kinda hot in here, with all the Christmas sweaters,” he laughed lightly, hoping his excuse was believable. 

“Yeah it is a little warm in here. Do you want to step out for some air?” you suggested. Your hand was still placed on his arm. 

“Yeah, sounds good,” he agreed. 

The two of you walked out the back door into the chilly night air. Either of you got comfortable leaning against the wall of the house. Christmas lights shining above the pair of you along with the shining stars above.

“you don’t actually need a mistletoe to kiss someone.” Seungmin thought over Jiseok’s words as the two of you stood outside. He also thinks back to what you said back inside about feeling like the two of you should have been caught under a mistletoe by now. He thinks about your tone when you said that. You didn’t sound like you were opposed to the idea of the two of you being under a mistletoe together. 

“Y/n, tonight I actually had a plan when I came here,” he tells you. You turn to him, intrigued by what he just said. 

“What plan?” you asked, feeling curious.

“I wanted the two of us to get caught under a mistletoe together. That’s why I let Jiseok keep so many of them up,” he explained. Good think the chilly air already brought a pink hue to your cheeks because if it hadn’t the blush on your face brought on by Seungmin’s words would have been very obvious. 

“You wanted to be under the mistletoe with me?” You couldn’t hide your smile. Yes, you had liked Seungmin for a long time and you’re pretty sure that he liked you too. However instead of expressing your feelings you both kept dancing around them. 

Seungmin turns towards you and takes your hands in his. “Yeah, I did. I wanted to confess to you under a mistletoe, but somehow even with ten mistletoes lurking around I couldn’t get us both under one.” 

Almost as if on cue Jiseok’s voice rings from above you two, “No more escaping the mistletoe for you two.” Jiseok’s poking his head out of the window holding a mistletoe on a stick, dangling it directly above you both. Seungmin and you laugh at his antics. 

“I guess that’s what he was up to,” you say. Seungmin takes a step closer to you, his hands that were holding yours slide up your arm, now resting around your elbows. The atmosphere around you shifts to a more intimate one. 

“Well now that we’re under a mistletoe. Can I?” His eyes glance down at your lips telling you what he’s asking about.

“Please,” you agree. Seungmin leans down and you close your eyes. His lips soon press against yours in a delicate kiss. It feels magical, perfect. A moment you’ll never forget. When the two of you part. Seungmin rests his forehead against yours. 

“I like you by the way. If that wasn’t already obvious,” he smiles. 

“I like you too,” you smiled and leaned your head to connect your lips again in a quick, but loving peck. Finally you and Seungmin were together. Just in time to spend the winter season snuggled up together.

“In bed before midnight!” Multiple of your other friends gasped at you. You can hear Seungmin chuckled from where he sits beside you. You laugh at the dramatics of your friends too. 

“Yes, before midnight because you know what? It will still be New Year's Day when I wake up in the morning,” you say. 

“I thought only old people didn’t bother with staying up till midnight,” Jiseok remarked. 

“Seems like you’re forgetting that Hyeongjun slept through New Years last year. Remember he said he was gonna grab something from his room, but never came back. We found him curled up under his covers. Snoozing his way into the new year,” you reminded. 

Hyeongjun chuckled awkwardly at your reminder, scratching the back of his neck. “They have a point. It’s not really a big deal if they don’t come this year,” he says. 

“It would still be nice if they came though,” Jungsu voiced. “It’s better when we’re all together,” he adds. 

“Yeah, I agree with Jungsu, but you don’t have to stay up till midnight if you’re not up for it. We can tuck you in Hyeongjun’s bed,” Gunil chimed in. Your eyes shift over to Seungmin. Because if he wanted you to show up then you would. 

“It really wouldn’t be the same without you,” he tells you.

So it’s no surprise that you’re currently sitting on the living room floor of Hyeongjun’s apartment. You were feeling more than tired after your shift though, hence why you are sitting in between Seunmgin’s legs and using his chest as a back support. Seungmin is leaning back on one of his arms and his other rest casually around your waist. His fingers sometimes fiddling with the hem of your top. Your head leans back on his shoulder with your eyes falling closed. 

“Should we go tuck you in?” Seungmin leaned in close, whispering gently. You chuckled lightly. 

“I’m comfortable here though,” you replied, your eyes remaining shut. You hear Seungmin let out an airy chuckle. You can picture the small smile he must have on his face.

“Ok, you can stay here then.” He readjusted slightly like he was trying to optimize your comfiness. 

From there you drifted in and out of consciousness. Catching bits of conversations, but your main senses were focused on how comfortable Seungmin was. How his body warmth kept you warm. How his cologne mixed with the scent of his laundry detergent. The weight of his arm that still rested around your front. You were perfectly content. Emphasis on were because soon Jooyeon made a statement that made your eyes shoot open. 

“You and y/n should kiss at midnight..In fact I dare you to.”

“Excuse me?” You lifted your head from Seungmin’s shoulder. 

“You wake up to that, but not Gunil dropping the tea kettle?” Jiseok says.

You shrug and Jooyeon speaks up again, “You two already act like a couple,” he pointed to yours and Seungmin’s current position. That had also been your twos position for the better half of the evening. “Might as well finally seal the deal.”

You turn back to look at Seungmin. You know what Jooyeon said was true. You and Seungmin were always called out by the other guys for how couple-y you two acted. There was definitely a temperature difference when compared to you and Seungmin versus the rest of the guys.

Seungmin was looking back at you. Both of you talked with your eyes. Knowing that if you two kissed it would change everything. Right now you could dismiss everything as platonic. Even if there was something more romantic lingering under the surface. However if you kissed those romantic feelings wouldn’t stay lying under the surface. 

Seungmin then leans in close, bringing his lips to the shell of your ear and whispers so carefully, so light. That he’s sure only you can hear what he says. “I’d like to kiss you, but if that makes you uncomfortable then don’t worry about it.” Heat rushes from your ears to your cheeks. Your stomach does a flip and your heart flutters. 

You lean up closer, your lips ghosting against the soft skin of his ear. “I want to kiss you too.” A smile pulled at Seungmin’s lips and he nodded. You settled back down. Head finding its place against his shoulder once more. 

“So?” Gunil asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. You had almost forgotten that you were surrounded by all your other friends. That they had just witnessed yours and Seungmin’s whole interaction. 

“You can find out at midnight,” Seungmin replied simply.

Midnight was t minus thirty seconds away. Gunil, Jungsu, Jiseok, Hyeongjun, and Jooyeon were more interested in whatever it is Seungmin you were going to do than the actual start of the new year. Mainly because they actually placed bets on whether you two would kiss or not. 

At only five seconds till midnight Jooyeon, Jiseok and Jungsu started to feel anxious about their bet (that you and Seungmin would kiss.) Considering the fact that you and Seungmin hadn’t made any effort to move, but at only one second till midnight their anxiousness eased when they saw Seungmin turn your head towards his. 

Seungmin cupped your jaw delicately, turning your face towards his. He leans in, connecting your lips right when the clock strikes midnight. You feel like you can feel the fireworks that sound outside inside of your body. 

You and Seungmin were right, as you placed your hand on his cheek and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. This kiss was so much more than a kiss. It was the start of your relationship together.