Toeing Around the Mistletoe
Title: Toeing Around the Mistletoe
Pairing: OTPain (Luhan/Sehun)
Rating: PG
Summary: Chanyeol makes a plan to make Sehun's Christmas happier. [College-ish AU]
A/N: This is one of my Christmas gifts to you guys, prompted by Snezhi. Word vomit and unbeta'd. Also, I can't cheese ;A; I hope you enjoy it anyways.
When Chanyeol had said he had to go shopping for Christmas gifts and when Sehun offered to help, Luhan thought that was it. He hadn't expected that he would come home to the sight of Chanyeol standing on a step ladder, putting a star at the top of the Christmas tree with Sehun's assistance. Yixing was on the couch, playing "Deck the Halls" using the piano app on his phone.
"What's going on?" Luhan asked, roving his eyes around him as he stepped out of his shoes and slipped his socked feet into a pair of red fluffy slippers.
"Ahh, you're home!" Chanyeol said, jumping excitedly off the step ladder. "Sehun and I decided to do a bit of decorating," he explained. "Sehun, go pick up the garlands."
"I can see that," Luhan said, joining Yixing on the couch. He looked around some more and spied some leaves tied with red ribbons hanging down all the possible doorways in the apartment. Were those what he thought they were??? "Why do we even have mistletoe?"
"That - ah," Sehun started, his cheeks coloring slightly. He looked a bit flustered. "That was Chanyeol-hyung's idea."
"Aren't we hosting a party?" Chanyeol asked, bending down into the massive paper bag beneath the Christmas tree to fish a long sparkling silver garland. "It'd be nice to have some fun."
"Even on our bedrooms?" Luhan asked, increduled. "I'm not letting anyone in my bedroom."
"Just the doorway, hyung. Feel free to lock your door then," Chanyeol said, laughing.
"Uhh... Luhan-hyung, could you help us hang the socks?" Sehun asked, raising up two bright red socks.
Looking helplessly at Sehun, Luhan got up and helped decorating the apartment as well.
***
"You do know Sehun likes you, right?" Yixing asked as Luhan emerged from the bathroom and into the bedroom the two of them shared.
Settling on the edge of his bed as he rubbed the towel against his hair, Luhan nodded. He might have been a bit presumptuous to think so, but the kid was too obvious. Ever since Sehun and Chanyeol had moved in with them a little less than a year ago, Sehun hadn't really been able to hide his little crush on Luhan. Sehun kept staring whenever he thought Luhan wasn't looking. Plus there was that smile, like how Sehun always seemed either too bored with the world or too mad at everything but when he spoke with Luhan, his eyes disappeared into crescents in a smile. Luhan liked that smile. And the way Sehun said Luhan's name, dragging the 'a' and softly ending with the 'n' was so different that Luhan sometimes felt current run down his spine whenever Sehun said his name.
"But then you like him too, so this plan could work."
Of course Yixing would know Luhan liked Sehun too without even being told. "What plan?"
Yixing's lips jutted out, pointing towards the door.
Luhan frowned. "What?"
"Mistletoe," Yixing mouthed.
"Was it your idea or Chanyeol's?" Luhan asked suspiciously. Sehun wasn't one to come up with a scheme like this.
"Hey, it was Chanyeol's," Yixing said, faking an offended tone.
"Well it's not going to work," Luhan declared, throwing his towel into the hamper right beside the bathroom door.
"Eh, why not? Give the kid this Christmas present. It's not like you don't like him."
"But I'm not easy, Yixing."
***
Right as Yixing warned, Sehun seemed to turn out in places where there would be a mistletoe nearby. For one, it seemed Chanyeol had put Sehun up to the task of opening the door for Luhan, as if Luhan couldn't open the door himself. There was one time, however, when Luhan had his arms full of groceries, and Sehun (not surprisingly) held the door for him. Luhan foiled Sehun's (or maybe Chanyeol's) plan by dumping a bag of groceries into Sehun's arms and telling Sehun to go ahead and refrigerate the frozens right away. He did feel sorry towards Sehun so, later that night, he gave Sehun a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream he'd brought in with the groceries.
Making sure Luhan and Sehun would go through the doorway at the same time was also part of Chanyeol's plan.
"You go ahead hyung, Sehun, I'll wash the dishes," Chanyeol said after supper.
Luhan saw through this and said, "You've been washing the dishes for the past week." He started piling the bowls on top of each other. "It's my turn."
Chanyeol's eyes widened. "Nah, hyung, it's okay," trying to get the dishes from Luhan.
"I insist," Luhan said with such finality that Chanyeol had no choice but to give in. As Luhan whisked the dishes off the table, he watched Sehun walk away with sagged shoulders.
The next night, the twenty-third was Christmas movie night (or so Chanyeol said). But mostly (as Chanyeol had decided), they'd watch Home Alone. Yixing and Chanyeol had occupied the two armchairs, noticeably leaving Sehun on the couch which Luhan would inevitably have to share with him. Luhan really didn't have any qualms sitting beside Sehun, but the couch was precariously close to the Christmas tree, which, for some reason, also had mistletoe. Instead of occupying the empty space beside Sehun, Luhan went over to Yixing and had a bit of a skirmish trying to get Yixing off the armchair and to sit beside Sehun in Luhan's stead.
Soon, three bags of popcorn were gone and the movie was over. Luhan padded off to his bedroom for a quick shower. When he stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Sehun instead of Yixing sitting on Yixing's bed (even Sehun knew not to sit on Luhan's bed).
Sehun looked more bleak than usual as he followed Luhan with his eyes.
"Everything all right, Sehun?" Luhan asked as he dumped his towel into the hamper.
"Are you avoiding me, hyung?" Sehun asked, his voice soft.
Luhan plopped on his bed. He grabbed his Rubik's cube beside the pillow and started flipping it around as he replied, "No, I'm not." That was the truth as far as he was concerned.
"But you don't seem to like staying in the same room as I am. Just earlier, you didn't want to sit beside me..."
Looking up, Luhan grinned at Sehun. "I'm really not avoiding you. How about I prove it by getting you bubble tea?"
"That doesn't make a difference. It's just bubble tea."
Luhan smiled. He always liked a defiant Sehun. Sehun looked like a child trying to muster all resolve not to be tempted by his most favorite thing in the world.
"Or how about we both get bubble tea tomorrow? And then do the last-minute grocery shopping for the party?" Luhan suggested. "Would that prove that I'm not avoiding you?"
Sehun tilted his head, his lips pressed and his eyebrows creased in thought. That made Luhan smile widely to himself. "All right."
"I get off work early tomorrow so I'll call you, okay?"
Now beaming, Sehun nodded and more or less jumped off Yixing's bed. “Good night, hyung.”
***
Whatever troubled Sehun with regards to Luhan seemed to have evaporated the moment Sehun took his first sip of the chocolate bubble tea. This little quirk of Sehun's was something that Luhan found inordinately amusing - probably because he hadn't expected someone so tall and wide and cold (mostly in appearance though) could possibly have a sweet tooth. He'd once treated Sehun to a cup of iced Americano but he ended up drinking it himself and getting a cup of caramel macchiato for Sehun instead.
They got the rest of the ingredients Chanyeol and Yixing needed for the party and went home with bags of groceries. Thankfully, they were all too preoccupied with the preparations to even mind the mistletoe.
At around seven, their friends (from school and work) started trickling in. First was Junmyeon who was in a couple of classes that Yixing took (that wasn't a surprise, he was well-known for being a stickler to rules - time included). Then came Baekhyun, Jongdae and Kyungsoo who lived on the floor below them and also went to the same school. Jongin, Sehun's classmate and also a member of the dance clubs Yixing and Sehun were in, also came. Luhan had invited his friends from the football club including Minseok and Minho. A few other girls were invited too, probably because of Chanyeol who had long been eyeing a girl in this class he took.
A lot of nachos, chips, fried chicken, salad and beer were passed around that night, and gifts were exchanged and unwrapped. By Christmas time, a lot of the guests had left, leaving Jongin passed out on the couch. (How he could sleep despite the ruckus made my Baekhyun and Jongdae was beyond Luhan.) Baekhyun and Jongdae were hogging the microphone. Baekhyun, despite his great voice, sang off-key on purpose; Jongdae, however, sang his heart out (he never sang off-key, on purpose or otherwise). Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Yixing were engaged in some serious conversation. Meanwhile, Chanyeol had used the mistletoe card on his crush and was now kissing her on the doorway before she left the apartment.
Luhan looked around for Sehun. Luhan found him out on the balcony leaning against the railings, his fingers wrapped around a cup of hot cocoa that Kyungsoo had spiked with Irish cream. Luhan grabbed his coat and slid the balcony door open to join Sehun.
“Not enjoying the party?” Luhan asked as he slid the door close behind him.
“Mm? It was great,” Sehun said, taking a sip of cocoa. “Thank you for the shoes, hyung.”
“You're welcome.”
“My gift... it's not as expensive, but I hope you like it anyway.”
Luhan pressed his lips into a smile. Sehun had gotten him a striped Manchester United beanie. “It's great,” he said reassuringly.
They were both silent for a few seconds until Sehun took a deep, almost wistful, sigh. “Hyung... did you know about uh - the mistletoe?”
Throwing his head back in laughter, Luhan said, “Yeah, Yixing told me.”
“Ahh... that explains why you've been... kind of avoiding me then.” Sehun paused and then turned to Luhan. “I'm so sorry. I just - “ he sighed. “Never mind. I'm just sorry. I shouldn't have listened to Chanyeol-hyung.”
“Why did you do that?” Luhan asked, wearing a little smirk, waiting for Sehun to take the bait and actually confess.
Sehun blinked, taken aback. “I thought I was obvious.”
“Obvious how?” Luhan went, feigning ignorance.
Adjusting his hood, Sehun muttered almost inaudibly, “That I like you.”
“Sorry. I didn't hear you.”
Sehun stared at Luhan. “That I like you,” he more or less blurted, “And I was trying to kiss you.”
Chuckling, Luhan stepped towards Sehun and yanked the lapel of Sehun's coat, pressing his lips against Sehun's. At first, Sehun was too surprised to react or do anything so Luhan pulled him closer, sliding a hand into the back of Sehun's head, his fingers stroking Sehun's nape. After getting over his initial shock, Sehun finally kissed Luhan back. His lips tasted of the cocoa and Irish cream - sweet with a bit of kick. Luhan pulled Sehun closer by the waist to deepen the kiss, so now he could taste Sehun, just Sehun.
Their breaths making tendrils of smoke in the winter air, they parted. “You didn't have to use mistletoe,” Luhan said, patting Sehun's left cheek. “You could have simply told me what you just said and it would have worked just fine.”
end
A/N: implied top!lu because top!lu is life
Pairing: OTPain (Luhan/Sehun)
Rating: PG
Summary: Chanyeol makes a plan to make Sehun's Christmas happier. [College-ish AU]
A/N: This is one of my Christmas gifts to you guys, prompted by Snezhi. Word vomit and unbeta'd. Also, I can't cheese ;A; I hope you enjoy it anyways.
When Chanyeol had said he had to go shopping for Christmas gifts and when Sehun offered to help, Luhan thought that was it. He hadn't expected that he would come home to the sight of Chanyeol standing on a step ladder, putting a star at the top of the Christmas tree with Sehun's assistance. Yixing was on the couch, playing "Deck the Halls" using the piano app on his phone.
"What's going on?" Luhan asked, roving his eyes around him as he stepped out of his shoes and slipped his socked feet into a pair of red fluffy slippers.
"Ahh, you're home!" Chanyeol said, jumping excitedly off the step ladder. "Sehun and I decided to do a bit of decorating," he explained. "Sehun, go pick up the garlands."
"I can see that," Luhan said, joining Yixing on the couch. He looked around some more and spied some leaves tied with red ribbons hanging down all the possible doorways in the apartment. Were those what he thought they were??? "Why do we even have mistletoe?"
"That - ah," Sehun started, his cheeks coloring slightly. He looked a bit flustered. "That was Chanyeol-hyung's idea."
"Aren't we hosting a party?" Chanyeol asked, bending down into the massive paper bag beneath the Christmas tree to fish a long sparkling silver garland. "It'd be nice to have some fun."
"Even on our bedrooms?" Luhan asked, increduled. "I'm not letting anyone in my bedroom."
"Just the doorway, hyung. Feel free to lock your door then," Chanyeol said, laughing.
"Uhh... Luhan-hyung, could you help us hang the socks?" Sehun asked, raising up two bright red socks.
Looking helplessly at Sehun, Luhan got up and helped decorating the apartment as well.
***
"You do know Sehun likes you, right?" Yixing asked as Luhan emerged from the bathroom and into the bedroom the two of them shared.
Settling on the edge of his bed as he rubbed the towel against his hair, Luhan nodded. He might have been a bit presumptuous to think so, but the kid was too obvious. Ever since Sehun and Chanyeol had moved in with them a little less than a year ago, Sehun hadn't really been able to hide his little crush on Luhan. Sehun kept staring whenever he thought Luhan wasn't looking. Plus there was that smile, like how Sehun always seemed either too bored with the world or too mad at everything but when he spoke with Luhan, his eyes disappeared into crescents in a smile. Luhan liked that smile. And the way Sehun said Luhan's name, dragging the 'a' and softly ending with the 'n' was so different that Luhan sometimes felt current run down his spine whenever Sehun said his name.
"But then you like him too, so this plan could work."
Of course Yixing would know Luhan liked Sehun too without even being told. "What plan?"
Yixing's lips jutted out, pointing towards the door.
Luhan frowned. "What?"
"Mistletoe," Yixing mouthed.
"Was it your idea or Chanyeol's?" Luhan asked suspiciously. Sehun wasn't one to come up with a scheme like this.
"Hey, it was Chanyeol's," Yixing said, faking an offended tone.
"Well it's not going to work," Luhan declared, throwing his towel into the hamper right beside the bathroom door.
"Eh, why not? Give the kid this Christmas present. It's not like you don't like him."
"But I'm not easy, Yixing."
***
Right as Yixing warned, Sehun seemed to turn out in places where there would be a mistletoe nearby. For one, it seemed Chanyeol had put Sehun up to the task of opening the door for Luhan, as if Luhan couldn't open the door himself. There was one time, however, when Luhan had his arms full of groceries, and Sehun (not surprisingly) held the door for him. Luhan foiled Sehun's (or maybe Chanyeol's) plan by dumping a bag of groceries into Sehun's arms and telling Sehun to go ahead and refrigerate the frozens right away. He did feel sorry towards Sehun so, later that night, he gave Sehun a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream he'd brought in with the groceries.
Making sure Luhan and Sehun would go through the doorway at the same time was also part of Chanyeol's plan.
"You go ahead hyung, Sehun, I'll wash the dishes," Chanyeol said after supper.
Luhan saw through this and said, "You've been washing the dishes for the past week." He started piling the bowls on top of each other. "It's my turn."
Chanyeol's eyes widened. "Nah, hyung, it's okay," trying to get the dishes from Luhan.
"I insist," Luhan said with such finality that Chanyeol had no choice but to give in. As Luhan whisked the dishes off the table, he watched Sehun walk away with sagged shoulders.
The next night, the twenty-third was Christmas movie night (or so Chanyeol said). But mostly (as Chanyeol had decided), they'd watch Home Alone. Yixing and Chanyeol had occupied the two armchairs, noticeably leaving Sehun on the couch which Luhan would inevitably have to share with him. Luhan really didn't have any qualms sitting beside Sehun, but the couch was precariously close to the Christmas tree, which, for some reason, also had mistletoe. Instead of occupying the empty space beside Sehun, Luhan went over to Yixing and had a bit of a skirmish trying to get Yixing off the armchair and to sit beside Sehun in Luhan's stead.
Soon, three bags of popcorn were gone and the movie was over. Luhan padded off to his bedroom for a quick shower. When he stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Sehun instead of Yixing sitting on Yixing's bed (even Sehun knew not to sit on Luhan's bed).
Sehun looked more bleak than usual as he followed Luhan with his eyes.
"Everything all right, Sehun?" Luhan asked as he dumped his towel into the hamper.
"Are you avoiding me, hyung?" Sehun asked, his voice soft.
Luhan plopped on his bed. He grabbed his Rubik's cube beside the pillow and started flipping it around as he replied, "No, I'm not." That was the truth as far as he was concerned.
"But you don't seem to like staying in the same room as I am. Just earlier, you didn't want to sit beside me..."
Looking up, Luhan grinned at Sehun. "I'm really not avoiding you. How about I prove it by getting you bubble tea?"
"That doesn't make a difference. It's just bubble tea."
Luhan smiled. He always liked a defiant Sehun. Sehun looked like a child trying to muster all resolve not to be tempted by his most favorite thing in the world.
"Or how about we both get bubble tea tomorrow? And then do the last-minute grocery shopping for the party?" Luhan suggested. "Would that prove that I'm not avoiding you?"
Sehun tilted his head, his lips pressed and his eyebrows creased in thought. That made Luhan smile widely to himself. "All right."
"I get off work early tomorrow so I'll call you, okay?"
Now beaming, Sehun nodded and more or less jumped off Yixing's bed. “Good night, hyung.”
***
Whatever troubled Sehun with regards to Luhan seemed to have evaporated the moment Sehun took his first sip of the chocolate bubble tea. This little quirk of Sehun's was something that Luhan found inordinately amusing - probably because he hadn't expected someone so tall and wide and cold (mostly in appearance though) could possibly have a sweet tooth. He'd once treated Sehun to a cup of iced Americano but he ended up drinking it himself and getting a cup of caramel macchiato for Sehun instead.
They got the rest of the ingredients Chanyeol and Yixing needed for the party and went home with bags of groceries. Thankfully, they were all too preoccupied with the preparations to even mind the mistletoe.
At around seven, their friends (from school and work) started trickling in. First was Junmyeon who was in a couple of classes that Yixing took (that wasn't a surprise, he was well-known for being a stickler to rules - time included). Then came Baekhyun, Jongdae and Kyungsoo who lived on the floor below them and also went to the same school. Jongin, Sehun's classmate and also a member of the dance clubs Yixing and Sehun were in, also came. Luhan had invited his friends from the football club including Minseok and Minho. A few other girls were invited too, probably because of Chanyeol who had long been eyeing a girl in this class he took.
A lot of nachos, chips, fried chicken, salad and beer were passed around that night, and gifts were exchanged and unwrapped. By Christmas time, a lot of the guests had left, leaving Jongin passed out on the couch. (How he could sleep despite the ruckus made my Baekhyun and Jongdae was beyond Luhan.) Baekhyun and Jongdae were hogging the microphone. Baekhyun, despite his great voice, sang off-key on purpose; Jongdae, however, sang his heart out (he never sang off-key, on purpose or otherwise). Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Yixing were engaged in some serious conversation. Meanwhile, Chanyeol had used the mistletoe card on his crush and was now kissing her on the doorway before she left the apartment.
Luhan looked around for Sehun. Luhan found him out on the balcony leaning against the railings, his fingers wrapped around a cup of hot cocoa that Kyungsoo had spiked with Irish cream. Luhan grabbed his coat and slid the balcony door open to join Sehun.
“Not enjoying the party?” Luhan asked as he slid the door close behind him.
“Mm? It was great,” Sehun said, taking a sip of cocoa. “Thank you for the shoes, hyung.”
“You're welcome.”
“My gift... it's not as expensive, but I hope you like it anyway.”
Luhan pressed his lips into a smile. Sehun had gotten him a striped Manchester United beanie. “It's great,” he said reassuringly.
They were both silent for a few seconds until Sehun took a deep, almost wistful, sigh. “Hyung... did you know about uh - the mistletoe?”
Throwing his head back in laughter, Luhan said, “Yeah, Yixing told me.”
“Ahh... that explains why you've been... kind of avoiding me then.” Sehun paused and then turned to Luhan. “I'm so sorry. I just - “ he sighed. “Never mind. I'm just sorry. I shouldn't have listened to Chanyeol-hyung.”
“Why did you do that?” Luhan asked, wearing a little smirk, waiting for Sehun to take the bait and actually confess.
Sehun blinked, taken aback. “I thought I was obvious.”
“Obvious how?” Luhan went, feigning ignorance.
Adjusting his hood, Sehun muttered almost inaudibly, “That I like you.”
“Sorry. I didn't hear you.”
Sehun stared at Luhan. “That I like you,” he more or less blurted, “And I was trying to kiss you.”
Chuckling, Luhan stepped towards Sehun and yanked the lapel of Sehun's coat, pressing his lips against Sehun's. At first, Sehun was too surprised to react or do anything so Luhan pulled him closer, sliding a hand into the back of Sehun's head, his fingers stroking Sehun's nape. After getting over his initial shock, Sehun finally kissed Luhan back. His lips tasted of the cocoa and Irish cream - sweet with a bit of kick. Luhan pulled Sehun closer by the waist to deepen the kiss, so now he could taste Sehun, just Sehun.
Their breaths making tendrils of smoke in the winter air, they parted. “You didn't have to use mistletoe,” Luhan said, patting Sehun's left cheek. “You could have simply told me what you just said and it would have worked just fine.”
end
A/N: implied top!lu because top!lu is life