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One thing that Jungkook has found the most exciting, the most mesmerizing, about Earth and humans is the colors. It’s dark and dim in Hell, all grays and blacks and dirty browns. Except for the fires. But even the blazing reds and oranges don’t compare to the array of bright colors on Earth.
Hoseok teases him sometimes for how excited he gets about seemingly small things. He says Jungkook’s eyes get wide and bright like a child. If it were anyone else, Jungkook would be insulted, but Hoseok looks so warm when he says it.
He’s trying to hide it now. Biting at his lips, trying to keep his eyes from growing wide. Even on paper, the arrays of colors are bright. Reds, greens, and gold. Colored lights that line houses, circle around trees covered in glass bulbs. Blinding white snow on the ground that the lights reflect off of.
Jungkook touches the picture. Hoseok’s house is pretty colorful, an array of bright yellows and oranges. Greens and blues that all mesh together to make it look like a rainbow threw up inside. But even Hoseok’s home doesn’t compare to the pictures of Christmas.
There’s something joyful about it. Jungkook doesn’t know, but it brings a smile to his face. A smile he quickly tries to contain when Hoseok walks into the room.
Hoseok, the most colorful of them all. His clothes are like his home, an array of different shades that don’t match but seem to when he wears them. Jungkook’s clothes are all black, dull in comparison, usually. But today, he’s snatched one of Hoseok’s dark purple silk shirts to tuck into his black jeans, and he feels a bit more colorful.
“What are you looking at?” Hoseok says, amusement in his tone as he saunters over.
Jungkook almost wants to shield the book from him. Hoseok teases often, but it’s always playful. It doesn’t stop his cheeks from burning like he’s being consumed by hellfire, though.
When he doesn’t answer, Hoseok snorts and plops down beside him. At first, it was unnerving to be beside the warlock whose power sizzles off of him even when he isn’t using it. It makes the air around him turn to static, but Jungkook’s grown accustomed to it.
Hell, he even misses it when Hoseok isn’t around. It’s become something of a comfort to him.
“Christmas,” Hoseok huffs. His smile takes over his face until he becomes brighter than anything Jungkook’s ever seen. “Do you celebrate Christmas?”
Jungkook shakes his head as he turns the page. A table of goods is next. Tasty looking cakes and candies that make his mouth water. There are candles lighting the table around them, and even those, just a simple white, are colorful.
“No. I want to, though? Can we?”
Hoseok tickles his fingers through Jungkook’s hair. On Earth, Jungkook can hide away the horns that sit on top of his head, but Hoseok likes them so he lets them show. Hoseok scratches around the base of them, making Jungkook shiver when his knuckles graze them.
“It’s July,” Hoseok tells him. “Christmas is in December.”
Jungkook doesn’t let his shoulders fall. Instead, he glances back at the book. He can wait that long, possibly. He’s over a hundred years old, time is meaningless.
He must fail because Hoseok laughs in that way he does before he kisses him.
“Babe, don’t look so crestfallen,” Hoseok says.
“But,” Jungkook starts. He presses his lips together, unsure of how to explain it. He flips back to the previous page, showing Hoseok the decorated houses. “Look how pretty these lights are. Can’t we decorate like that all year round?”
Hoseok’s lips part like he wants to say something but he isn’t sure what to say. “I mean, sure. There’s no law that says we can’t.”
Jungkook narrows his eyes at him. He’s been with Hoseok for about five months now, and he’s been trying hard to learn human things. It seemed simple at first, but there’s so much that Jungkook doesn’t know.
Laws, for one. They’re very different in Hell.
In Hell, it’s okay to set hellfire on someone who has scorned you. Even if they’ve just annoyed you. Anywhere, anytime. On Earth, you can’t even set fire to a lifeless object in a public place.
“And the snow?” Jungkook asks. He’s yet to experience it. He’s seen it on shows, and has heard about it, but he wants to feel it. It looks hard laying on the ground, but soft when scooped into someone’s hands.
“That comes in the winter,” Hoseok explains. “I mean, there’s also no law about snow but laws don’t affect the weather.”
Jungkook rolls his eyes and elbows Hoseok gently. He’s making fun of him again, but he doesn’t mind because Hoseok follows it up with a kiss to his cheek.
“I want to see the snow,” Jungkook says softly. “That’s all.”
Hoseok presses another kiss to his cheek before he cups the opposite one to turn Jungkook’s head. The corner of Jungkook’s mouth twitches but he quickly pushes his lips into a pout instead.
“My little demon, all excited for snow,” Hoseok mutters. “Remember when you first came here and tried to tell me what a vicious monster you are? I can really see that now.”
Jungkook wrinkles his nose at Hoseok’s sarcasm, lips parting to retort but he can’t when Hoseok’s lips slot against his own.
It’s warm.
For most of his life, Jungkook’s been surrounded by fire. He found Earth cold in comparison, but never with Hoseok.
When Hoseok pulls away, he tickles his fingers under Jungkook’s chin. Static seeps from them and coats Jungkook’s skin. “Show me what else you like.”
So Jungkook does. He flips through the Christmas book, pointing out colored lights, and the massive trees filled with glossy red and green boxes beneath them. Hoseok keeps his chin on his shoulder, listening intently like he always does.
Jungkook pauses over a picture on the last page. He touches over dark green leaves that contrast with the red berries in the middle of them. Mistletoe is written in italics at the top.
The page beside it has a man and woman kissing beneath it.
Hoseok’s eyes are bright when Jungkook looks to him for an explanation. His lips are pressed together but he’s smiling, which makes tiny dimples appear above the corners of his top lip.
“Mistletoe,” Hoseok tells him. “There are a lot of myths behind it. Thousands of years old. I find there is nothing magical about it except for the way it lit your eyes up right now.”
Heat warms it’s way to Jungkook’s cheeks and down his neck. He glares at Hoseok, which only makes him laugh.
“You’re cute,” Hoseok explains. “Tradition is that you kiss under it. Most people these days only know that part. Nothing about it’s history with the Druids or the Greeks.”
Jungkook smirks as he looks back at the couple embracing. “We’ll need a few of those when Christmas does finally come around.”
Hoseok snorts so hard it sounds like it hurts. “You claim to be a vicious demon, yet all you want to do is kiss.”
Jungkook doesn’t deny it. He puts the book aside and grabs Hoseok’s hand.
“I only want to kiss you.”
Jungkook grunts when he walks up the steps to Hoseok’s apartment. He’s been out all day on a supply run. He wonders if Hoseok intended for him to be for hours on end, because he’s sent him to half of South Korea practically. His list of supplies included things Hoseok was already well stocked up on, rare things that had Jungkook haggling with a Mage for what felt like hours, and candy.
Lots of candy. Jungkook badly wants to break into the bags of candy and eat them, but he stops himself.
He doesn’t know what it is about Earth but it’s given him a wicked sweet tooth. Maybe because Hell doesn’t have many sweets.
A true Hell indeed.
“I’m home,” Jungkook calls as he pushes open the front door. It’s difficult to maneuver in with the bags covering his arms.
As soon as he steps inside, he feels his horns appear above his head. He doesn’t mind hiding himself in public, but it can drain him if he has to do it for too long at one time.
“Hobi -”
Jungkook pauses when brightness hits his eyes. He looks around, mouth falling open at the sight of white.
The floor, their furniture, is covered in puffy white. It falls from the ceiling slowly, little white dots that Jungkook knows are intricately shaped beneath a microscope.
There’s soft music playing as Jungkook hesitantly walks into their living room. In the corner, there is one of those big green trees. It shines red and green and gold.
“Hoseok?” Jungkook calls in confusion.
Beneath the tree are big boxes, covered in wrapping paper. The wrapping paper is printed with those strange looking animals that Hoseok had explained were reindeer.
“I am here!” Hoseok calls from the other room before he bursts through the entrance to the living room.
Jungkook stares at him. The air doesn’t feel cold but Hoseok’s wearing a winter coat, a scarf wrapped around his neck, and neon pink earmuffs. When he raises his hands, Jungkook sees he has gloves on as well.
“Merry Christmas, baby,” Hoseok cheers. He bends over, fingers scooping into the white ground and collecting the snow into his hands. He rolls it between his palms until a ball forms.
“It’s July,” Jungkook reminds him. It is hot outside, and there was no snow. It’s still warm inside, but there is snow.
Hoseok grins big. He sucks his bottom lip into his mouth as his arm arches back.
The snowball hits Jungkook square in the chest, and Jungkook drops the bags he is holding.
“Did you forget I am a warlock?” Hoseok asks as he bends over to grab more snow. Jungkook is prepared this time, dodging the ball that comes his way.
The snow isn’t cold when he touches it. He’s surprised at how easily his fingers go through it, even if he just saw Hoseok doing the same.
It is a lot lighter than he expected too. Almost impossible light until he packs it together into a snowball of his own.
When he arches his arm back to toss it at Hoseok, Hoseok lifts his fingers and makes the snowball hover in the air between them.
“Cheater,” Jungkook grunts as the ball falls to the ground.
Hoseok looks smug. His feet leave footprints in the snow as he approaches him. He unwinds the scarf from his neck, holding it out in his hands before he wraps it around the back of Jungkook’s neck.
Tugging on it, Hoseok pulls Jungkook until they’re flushed together.
“After everything you’ve gone through in Hell, you deserve whatever it is that makes you smile so brightly,” Hoseok whispers. “No matter what it is, I’ll make sure you get it. Thankfully this was a simple one.”
Jungkook smiles as he wraps his arms around Hoseok’s middle. He smiles so big that his cheeks start to hurt.
“You did this.”
Hoseok rolls his eyes as he leans forward until their noses touch. “Of course. What’s a simple snow spell to a warlock like me?”
That joyfulness Jungkook had felt looking at the pictures of Christmas is stronger than ever. Ten times more. He wonders if this is how people feel during actual Christmas. Everything he’s read about it says it’s a joyous time, but Jungkook hadn’t been expecting to feel this strongly.
Maybe it’s just Hoseok.
“Also,” Hoseok says as he tilts his head back and slowly looks up.
Jungkook follows the movement. There’s a sparkling above them before leaves start to form out of thin air, hanging from the ceiling.
Mistletoe. Jungkook bites at his grin as he watches veins grow too, dancing over the ceiling. More mistletoe pops out from the veins until the entire wall is covered.
“If you needed an excuse to kiss me,” Hoseok says offhandedly. He’s sparkling more than ever, the air shimmering around Hoseok until he looks like the Christmas lights he has circled around the tree.
Jungkook doesn’t respond as he leans in. Kissing Hoseok is a little difficult with how big he is smiling, and he can’t calm it down. Not until Hoseok’s fingers shift beneath the scarf and hold his neck so their lips mold together more firmly.
Hoseok’s gloves are wet on his skin when he presses down into him, lips parting around Jungkook’s bottom lip. Their noses squish together as their bodies press into each other.
That shimmering around Hoseok covers Jungkook until he can feel it tickling his skin, seeping in and warming it’s way through his veins. He tightens his arms around Hoseok, cocks his head to the side to kiss Hoseok deeper.
Hoseok pulls away first, though slowly. Their lips linger against each other before he presses a final kiss to Jungkook’s lips.
Jungkook takes a step back, dragging Hoseok with him until they’re beneath a different mistletoe. A laugh leaves Hoseok’s lips when he realizes what Jungkook is doing, but Jungkook quiets him with another kiss.
“Merry Christmas in July,” Hoseok murmurs between their kiss. His fingers thread through Jungkook’s hair, the tips rubbing at his scalp.
“Merry Christmas,” Jungkook murmurs. He nuzzles his lips against Hoseok’s cheek before pulling away.
When he is excited, Jungkook looks more like a demon than ever. With the horns on his head and the fire in his eyes. He knows it’s there now with the way Hoseok touches beneath his eyelids, but Hoseok has never looked afraid of him. Not when they first met and Jungkook was more demon looking than human, and not now either.
“Ready to do some Christmas shit?” Hoseok asks. He wags his eyebrows. “I can show you how to build a snowman. We can listen to old music and dance to it?”
Jungkook parts his lips to respond, but Hoseok is pulling away. Excitement radiates from him like he likes Christmas more than he let on.
“Cookies,” Hoseok says. He claps his gloved hands together. “I was going to have them ready for when you came home, but I thought you’d like to help me make them?”
When Hoseok holds out his gloved hand, Jungkook takes it into his own. He lets Hoseok drag him into the kitchen, where the counters are covered in different boxes of baked goods. Brownies, cakes, cookies. There’s a big empty bowl in the middle that Hoseok explains is for the candy Jungkook bought on his errand run.
“Hyung,” Jungkook says quietly. The pressure in his chest makes him feel overwhelmed. Hoseok is always doing things like this, like he's trying to prove that he will really do anything to make Jungkook smile. “You didn’t have to do all of this for me.”
Hoseok rolls his eyes like he does whenever Jungkook says something like that. “Like I said, you deserve whatever makes you smile.”
Jungkook doesn’t necessarily agree. He is a demon after all. A demon who has done bad things, unspeakable things. He's still trying to unlearn his bad habits. Hoseok isn’t an angel, but the bad things Hoseok has done seems minimal in comparison to the things Jungkook has done.
But he’s long learned not to argue with Hoseok. If Hoseok thinks he deserves good things, there will be no convincing him otherwise.
Jungkook is still trying to be someone who deserves Hoseok. It seems impossible, but he is quite determined.
“Well, I - thank you. Thank you hyung,” Jungkook manages. It doesn’t sound like enough but he hopes Hoseok knows how grateful he is anyway.
A mischievous look crosses Hoseok’s face as he curls a finger beneath his chin and looks him over. “I do mean anything you want to make you smile, but I won’t pretend I don’t have selfish intentions.”
Confusion riddles Jungkook when Hoseok walks towards him and away from the counter full of baking goods. It fades away though when Hoseok points above them. He can't stop the smile from taking over his lips, again. It's something he's still not accustomed to, smiling so much. All of the time.
That's what Hoseok does, makes him smile. Hoseok claims it has nothing to do with magic, but Jungkook isn't quite so sure.
The kitchen ceiling, just like the living room ceiling, is covered in mistletoe.