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Yoongi was not usually aware of the passing of the seasons. This was simply because he was a night owl, getting up late and working later, and so by the time he remembered to stumble back to the dorm (or just fell asleep in his office) it was pretty hard to tell whether it was snowing or whether it had been a nice day. Yoongi lived in a quiet, constant world of dim lights and plans, sketching out facades for buildings that would likely see more daylight than he ever would. His weather report consisted of his closest friends, Namjoon and Jimin, bitching about the forecast for the day, and overall he ignored it.
However, there was one seasonal change that he couldn't fail to note, Yoongi thought sourly, hands propped on his hips as he surveyed the café menu in front of him, and that seasonal change was Christmas season.
Without exception, as soon as the clocks hit 00:00 on December 1 (sometimes earlier, to Yoongi's chagrin), it seemed that every store, dorm and grad student was suddenly bedecked in tinsel and ugly sweaters, with gingerbread-flavoured this and holly-laden that. The worst part was the background music, the strains of some breathy choir wailing carols incessantly in his ear, even sullying the relative quiet of campus. It was villainy, pure and simple, Yoongi decided. All he wanted was some coffee, none of this cranberry-vanilla-cinnamon bullshit that the promotional posters were trying to get him to buy.
It wasn't that he didn't like Christmas. He liked it fine, he liked getting presents better, and he liked spending some time with his tiny family of friends the most. Yoongi was no Grinch. He just didn't like how Christmas invaded his personal space. And he especially didn't like walking into his usual coffee shop and being confronted with what appeared to be enough ornaments to cover an entire bus - twice.
His phone vibrated in his pocket; probably Namjoon frantically in search of caffeine. Yoongi sighed and braced himself to deal with a pushy barista - the sooner he got out of here, laden with coffee, the better. Maybe he could convince Jimin to pick them up coffee on his way to his classes until December 26, he mused, absent-mindedly following the person behind the counter's "I can help you over here" and peering up at the menu once more.
"Hi," he said shortly, still squinting at the board. When he thought he'd found the regular coffee hiding among the CHRISTMAS (TM) drinks, he lowered his gaze with an apologetic smile, one which froze in place on his lips as he made eye contact with the brightest expression he'd ever seen.
"Good morning," the man in front of him smiled, seeming entirely genuine despite the fact he was being forced to work customer service on a Monday morning. "D'you know what you want? We have a lot of holiday-themed drinks."
Yoongi couldn't help it. Because the man was cute (Hoseok, his nametag said), of course Yoongi took that moment to let out an ugly snort at the sound of holiday-themed drinks, making the barista's expression transform from happy to greatly amused. Yoongi flushed and ducked his head at the sight, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Um," he said eloquently, cursing the season internally.
"Not a gingerbread fan, I take it," Hoseok suggested, not looking perturbed in the least, his expression more as though the two of them were sharing a secret. "Regular coffee, then?"
"Regular coffee would be great," Yoongi agreed, shoving his hands back in his pockets and wondering how Hoseok was maintaining that eye smile for so long. "Two, please, both with cream."
"Coming right up!" Hoseok said cheerfully, scribbling a few quick notations on two cups and turning back to Yoongi. "I'm not a gingerbread fan either," he whispered conspiratorially, and Yoongi's heart fluttered a little as the other man leaned closer to tell him this. "What's your name?"
Yoongi blinked. "What?"
"For the order," Hoseok clarified, and Yoongi looked around. He was the only one in the shop, it being a bit later than the average coffee rush. He was pretty sure nobody was going to get his order confused, but then he looked back at Hoseok, who was smiling brilliantly into his eyes, and Yoongi decided that he might as well - just in case. After all, what if there was a mishap? Namjoon needed his coffee on time.
"Yoongi," he said finally, with a small, awkward flicker of a smile. Hoseok grinned. "I'm Hoseok," he said cheerfully. He probably did everything cheerfully, Yoongi mused. "I just started here!" Hoseok punched the necessary numbers into the till and accepted Yoongi's money, still smiling. At Yoongi's mumbled thanks, the smile didn't waver one bit. "I hope to see you around!"
A few minutes later, toting two large coffees and hurrying towards Namjoon's office, Yoongi decided that (despite the atmosphere being inundated with Christmas) he didn't need to make Jimin get the coffee every morning. After all, he mused, the poor kid had classes. He couldn't detract from his education. He supposed that he'd just have to take the hit and keep going, even if he ended up with tinsel in his hair.
❅ ❅ ❅
He didn't go back the next day, instead choosing to drink the somewhat experimental coffee in the architectural students' lounge so that he could keep working on his term project. However, he was there on Wednesday morning, bright and early, mentally bracing himself for whatever poor rendition of the Little Drummer Boy was being projected in tinny tones across the little shop. Ducking in and peering around the room, Yoongi stopped in his tracks at the sight of the most hideous sweater that he'd ever seen.
He'd found what he was looking for: Hoseok. However, he hadn't expected him to be wearing a massive, blue and white knitted monstrosity that had a wide neck and unnecessarily long sleeves, which were rolled up above his elbows in an attempt to keep them out of drinks. The front of the sweater appeared to be laden with sequins, and between the sweater and the peek at Hoseok's collarbones, it was taking a moment for Yoongi's brain to return to normal function.
"Yoongi!" called the owner of the abominable sweater, and he shook out of it, reaching up to brush any remnants of snow out of his hair. He then crossed the floor to Hoseok, even attempting a small smile as he tried to tear his gaze away from the sweater.
"Morning," he greeted, in a tone that was downright friendly. Maybe the Christmas cheer was rubbing off on him, Yoongi thought. "That's, um. An interesting sweater."
Hoseok laughed, eyes curling up at the corners, and nodded enthusiastically. "Isn't it hideous?" he asked, running a hand down his sequinned front. "I love it. What can I get you today?"
"Coffee," Yoongi said automatically, and Hoseok smiled. "You sure you don't want to try the mint hot chocolate?" he asked, tone teasing, and Yoongi blinked in the face of his sunny expression. "Um. No?" he tried, feeling clumsy and awkward, but Hoseok just chuckled and nodded. "Two today?" he asked, already reaching for the cups. Yoongi nodded. "Namjoon will have a mental breakdown without it," he told the sweater-clad barista, and instantly wondered why he'd said it. Hoseok appeared not to notice, though, involved as he was in carefully labeling two cups.
"Then he's lucky to have you," Hoseok chirped, and Yoongi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully at his expression, though he said nothing. "I'll get these done right away!"
Hoseok took his money and bustled off, leaving Yoongi to wonder what had just happened, and why Hoseok was wearing that awful sweater. It was truly terrible, though the longer you looked at it, the more it grew on you.
Fortunately for his retinas, Hoseok soon returned with his coffee, and Yoongi waved him goodbye with one coffee-laden hand. It was strange that he was suddenly reluctant to go, but perhaps that was just because the café was so warm... It certainly wasn't because of that sweater, or Hoseok starting to hum 'greensleeves' under his breath.
❅ ❅ ❅
He came back the next day, possibly because he was morbidly curious to see whether Hoseok had another terrible Christmas sweater in his closet. Yoongi had always come to this little café on campus because it was convenient, but never during the start of December. Yoongi decided this change in routine was because it was chillier on campus lately, so that he needed a bit more of a pick-me up. His hands had to be warm to draw, after all, and how better to warm them than with a cup of coffee?
It was confirmed that Hoseok did, indeed, have another ugly Christmas sweater in his closet as soon as Yoongi walked in. Today's sweater was bright red and orange, with snowflakes and gingerbread men and reindeer all smashed into the knitted strands. He shook his head at the sight and headed over to the counter right away, pretending to shield his gaze as Hoseok looked up and spotted him.
"I think this one is worse," Yoongi announced as soon as he reached the counter, and Hoseok laughed.
"Good morning to you too," he told Yoongi, already grabbing his cups. "How are you?"
Yoongi bit his lip, thoughtfully, and eyed the sweater once more. "It's the middle of term," he answered, and Hoseok hummed in understanding as he scribbled a note on one cup. Yoongi cleared his throat. "Uh, what about you?"
Hoseok looked up and smiled, the expression slightly surprised but pleased nonetheless. "Good!" he replied cheerfully, and set down the one cup. He was reaching for another when Yoongi stuck out his hand, brushing their fingers together as he blocked his reach. "Just for me today," he told Hoseok. "Namjoon's boyfriend already brought him coffee."
Again, there was a strange expression in Hoseok's eyes, but it didn't obscure the smile on his lips as he bumped his fingers against Yoongi's and then pulled away. "In that case," he said, "What would you say to trying something new?"
The expression on Yoongi's face must have said it all, because Hoseok laughed. "I promise not to add peppermint or gingerbread flavour," he smiled. Yoongi hesitated, and then gave in, because he knew that it would make Hoseok's face light up. "Alright," he acquiesced, and Hoseok cheered and bustled off to the back with a strict "don't move."
When he came back, he was carefully toting a beautifully decorated cup, the latte foam curled into a snowflake pattern on the very top. Somehow it reminded him of yesterday's Christmas sweater, though less blue, and Yoongi made a little 'ooh' noise at the sight of it. It might have been pretty, but did it taste good? He sniffed at it, experimentally.
"It's something I came up with," Hoseok said, proudly. "Try it! I promise it's good, and if you don't like it, it's free."
Not one to turn down Hoseok free coffee, Yoongi lifted the cup to his lips, taking a tentative sip. His first impression was that it was very sweet, and his second impression was that it tasted like Christmas - but not in a bad way, per se. His expression must have been surprised, because Hoseok murmured a smug "there," and Yoongi looked up at him with one eyebrow raised.
"It's good," he admitted grudgingly, and Hoseok grinned.
Forty minutes later, when Yoongi was alone in his office remembering that smile, he opened the lid of his mug and eyed the slightly distorted image in the foam, frustrated with his inability to focus. This was ridiculous. He had deadlines. He couldn't sit here and thing about how lovely Hoseok's smile was, or his eyes, or the way his hands wrapped around coffee cups -
He wasn't going to do it, Yoongi thought, staring into the remnants of Hoseok's perfect latte art with a tormented expression. It was stupid. He couldn't possibly fall for someone who was always smiling, someone who wore the ugliest sweaters and sung Christmas carols 24/7 (probably). He couldn't get a massive, adoring crush on the boy who worked the morning shift at their campus coffee shop. The entire thing sounded like a bad romance novel.
He breathed in the smell of the coffee and sighed forlornly. The Christmas season was the worst.
❅ ❅ ❅
The next time he ran into Hoseok, it wasn't at the coffee shop, but he was still wearing an ugly sweater.
Yoongi had had enough of drawing Renaissance structures and revisions. He needed a break, and so he took himself off to the campus library in search of different reference material, anything to distract from the endless corners and details that he was now seeing in his sleep. Of course, set him loose in the library and he would manage to gather up half of the section on modern architecture - it was an occupational hazard. This was how Yoongi came to be carrying a stack of books that obscured his vision of the aisle in front of him. This was how Yoongi ended up on his rear, books spilled in his lap, head craned up at Hoseok's concerned face.
"Are you okay?" he was asking, worried, and Yoongi cocked his head. "Are you wearing another ugly sweater?"
Hoseok frowned, and Yoongi held up a hand. "Just making sure I'm not concussed," he told Hoseok, surprising a smile to the other man's lips. He liked doing that, Yoongi mused, and instantly scolded himself for doing so. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine, fine. How many books do you need?" Hoseok asked, crouching next to Yoongi and starting to gather them up. Yoongi ducked his head. "I like architecture," he mumbled, and Hoseok nudged him with a companionable grin. "Hey, that's cool," he said. "I'm just a biology major, can't draw for shit." Hoseok stood, and extended a hand to help Yoongi to his feet, a gesture that he definitely did not overthink the meaning of as his palm slid across Hoseok's.
"Thanks," he told the other man, and offered a smile. Hoseok grinned in response, and cocked his head. "Well, in my defense, you were hard to see behind all the books," he told Yoongi, who made a face. "Can I buy you coffee to make up for it?"
Yoongi narrowed his gaze at Hoseok, who looked casual and friendly, hands wrapped around half of Yoongi's books. Friends could get each other coffee, he decided, especially if one knocked the other on his butt. "Sure," he agreed, then pointed a finger at Hoseok. "But unless you're making it, I don't want a latte. There's too much risk of drive-by gingerbread."
Hoseok's chuckle was surprised, but warm. "I'm flattered that you trust me to make you a latte," he told Yoongi, and offered an arm. "Shall we?"
Yoongi eyed Hoseok's arm, then took it gingerly, as if he were afraid it would bite. "Yeah," he replied, and allowed Hoseok to tow him out of the library.
❅ ❅ ❅
After that, he seemed to run into Hoseok everywhere, which was incredibly disconcerting considering that Yoongi spent most of his time in the architectural department, coffee shop, and dorm. But everywhere in between was Hoseok, with his ever-present smile, humming christmas carols and generally inundating Yoongi's life with good cheer.
"I just transferred here at the start of the term," Hoseok explained, when Yoongi accidentally wondered aloud why he'd never seen Hoseok around before. "I was at a really small campus, you know? And it's hard to get into medicine when there's only one organic chemistry prof who shows up to class sometimes."
Yoongi hummed acknowledgement, half-listening and half-sketching a design. "You want to be a doctor?" he asked, sticking his tongue out thoughtfully and completely missing Hoseok's intent expression. The windows were giving him trouble - they really shouldn't be facing west. Hoseok nodded, even though Yoongi almost missed it. "Yeah," he said, and scooted closer to Yoongi without further explanation. "What are you working on?"
"You'd be a good doctor," Yoongi murmured absently, and meant it; Hoseok seemed like the kind of guy you'd trust with your life, though he wasn't sure that he could see him in a lab coat when all he wore were ugly sweaters. Hoseok leaned in to peer over his shoulder, and Yoongi turned his head slightly, very much aware that he could just - press a kiss to Hoseok's smiling cheek, right there. He cleared his throat. "It's a practice exercise," he explained. "I take a location and try to figure out what would be the best there. You have to think about lighting, doors, all that sort of thing. Architecture can be pretty, but it it's not functional..." he shrugged. It didn't sound very exciting, but Hoseok looked interested, scanning the page thoughtfully. Yoongi watched Hoseok examining his paper and wondered involuntarily exactly when he'd developed this crush. When Hoseok looked back at him, eyes bright with interest, Yoongi was turning the colour of a ripe tomato.
"You're really flushed all of a sudden," Hoseok murmured, brow furrowing. "Are you okay?" He put a hand to Yoongi's forehead, ostensibly to check his temperature. Yoongi swallowed.
"Just feeling really warm," he said, and Hoseok clucked and patted Yoongi on the shoulder. "Well, don't get sick," he told him. "Nobody wants to be sick over the holidays!"
"Right," Yoongi agreed, and Hoseok went back to his own work, leaving Yoongi flushed, flustered, and completely unable to focus on his windows.
(Later on, when bemoaning his situation to Jimin, Jimin demanded to know why on earth Yoongi hadn't just asked him out already. Yoongi, unfortunately, did not have an answer.)
❅ ❅ ❅
Two weeks later, and Hoseok still hadn't run out of ugly Christmas sweaters. He had, however, converted Yoongi to lattes, brightened up his day, and convinced Yoongi to give him his number (he still wasn't sure how). He'd worked his way into Yoongi's life in a short span of time, permeating it with sunshine, and Yoongi was starting to come to terms with the fact that Hoseok was always around.
Some days he wondered if Hoseok was flirting with him. Other days he didn't think it was possible. On all days, he was pretty sure that he didn't have the guts to say anything, though he occasionally wondered if Hoseok tasted as sweet as he acted. It was an impulse, regrettably, that he was probably never going to act on.
That didn't stop him from thinking about it, though, which was precisely what he was doing as he wandered into the coffee shop this morning, drifting absently towards Hoseok's usual counter and paying no mind to Hoseok's warning wave. When he stopped, hip bones pressing into the counter, Yoongi finally looked up to see a mysterious cluster of leaves and berries, dangling above the check-out station.
"What," he said, as Hoseok shifted nervously from the other side of the counter, "Is that?"
Hoseok ducked his head. "Well - it's mistletoe - but - "
Yoongi peered at Hoseok. "Have you been kissing a lot of customers?" he asked, light words a massive contrast to the stones that had just dropped into his stomach. Hoseok flushed and shook his head emphatically. "No," he said, eyes locked on his. "No, I would never - just you."
Yoongi took a moment to process this information, glance darting from the plant to Hoseok's flushed, gorgeous face. "Just me?" he clarified, and Hoseok nodded.
There was only one thing for it. "Well," Yoongi drawled, reaching across the counter to tuck his fingers in Hoseok's sweater, "I guess we're going to have to kiss. Superstition, and all that," he said, gesturing at the overhanging plant. Hoseok's expression lit up once more, and Yoongi stood on his tip toes to reach across the counter, bracing his hips on the edge to give him more balance.
Hoseok met him halfway, reaching one hand across the counter and pressing an enthusiastic kiss to Yoongi's lips. He tasted like coffee and syrup and sunshine, and Yoongi decided, as he pressed further into the kiss and tangled a hand in Hoseok's terrible sweater, that he supposed he could get used to Christmas season if Hoseok was around.