[Summary]

Jimin goes to a company Christmas party, not expecting to see his ex boyfriend there.

Words: 1,648

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The Christmas party was supposed to be some extravagant experience for the company Jimin works under. It's their annual celebration.

The company building is tall and Jimin works in one of the many cubicles on one of the many floors. This evening, he's just another employee in the party hall. The most prestigious and finest employees were the only ones invited and Jimin has had a good run with this company, so he's here.

He has no plus one, however.

But Park Jimin doesn't need a plus one and many of his coworkers know that by jokes about it; Jimin used to be a shell of a person, too shy to even start conversations, but tonight isn't full of shyness and awkward meetings.

Jimin has changed from the man he was years ago, when he'd left home and everything else behind to come here. Though he was once shy and timid, Jimin has people crowded around him and cracking up, nearly spilling their drinks as they all burst out into the happiest of laughter.

Things are starting to look better for Jimin– sort of.

He got his dream job, working at the fashion company he'd worked so hard to get into. He wears expensive Chelsea boots, a fancy outfit that he knows makes him and his ass look good, and his dirty blond locks are styled to perfection.

His coworkers call him an angel not only because he looks like one with his pure laughter and smile, but he's just one in general. He hands out drinks during a party that isn't even his and he makes sure nobody feels left out of any conversation, plus he makes sure that everyone is treated equally.

When people tell him he's the best, he makes sure to let them know that they're the best in his eyes.

Jimin has a great job and the nicest friends and coworkers. He couldn't ask for anything else.

Laughter goes on, Christmas music plays, glasses clink in cheers, and people dance out on the floor when the time comes. The company has a nice party and Jimin feels great. Everything about it makes him buzz.

But as he looks out into the crowd of dancing people to wonder if he should join them, his eyes catch a heart-stopper out in that crowd. He has to do a double-take just like he's done to strangers for years now, hoping they'd be the person he thought they were.

But once he looks at this person, his laughter and smile are gone, his feet are frozen to the floor, and his heart is racing in his chest.

Kim Namjoon.

As his ex-boyfriend smiles and bounces happily to the music, Jimin swallows the lump in his throat. The lump swells like a balloon as he catches sight of what– who– Namjoon is smiling at. It's Jung Hoseok, one of the employees on Jimin's floor, that's dancing with a big smile on his face in front of Namjoon.

Jimin's stomach drops.

Hoseok is a handsome man and Namjoon looks at him with a twinkle in his eye– or maybe it's just the Christmas lights dangling over the ceiling. Either way, Namjoon is here with a man that isn't him and it immediately makes Jimin set his drink down to calm himself.

He feels cold and lonely all of a sudden. The most important thing that he'd left back home was his precious boyfriend. He left Namjoon to pursue his dream and it's been years, but Jimin hasn't forgotten a thing.

Namjoon's voice, his kind eyes, his rough, yet gentle touch, the countless words of reassurance he'd whispered into Jimin's ear once upon a time– he hasn't forgotten a single thing about Kim Namjoon, but as Namjoon smiles and dances with someone else right in the core of the place that Jimin had left him for, it's clear that Namjoon has forgotten about him.

Just as Jimin is about to peel his wide eyes away from the scene, Namjoon stops dancing and turns towards Jimin's way, lifting his head and–

The moment Namjoon's eyes land on Jimin, he does the same exact thing that Jimin had done seconds ago. He does a quick double-take and his smile drops once he sees Jimin. His eyes are wide too, but Jimin's gaze is filled with hurt and all sorts of bottled-up emotions over the years.

He's undoubtedly still in love with Kim Namjoon. But Namjoon has moved on to someone new.

Jimin turns towards the exit and is quick to leave the building. He doesn't need the party anyways. And he knows that his friends and a few strangers give him concerned looks as he rushes away and through the crowd, but he doesn't care to stop and give an explanation.

He doesn't know when tears started running down his cheeks, but he presses the pads of his fingers harshly against his skin to wipe them away. After running into the hall and pressing the elevator door a trillion times, he starts crying harder and begging the elevator to hurry up so he can leave.

"Jimin?"

He doesn't move a muscle as he hears that familiar voice coming up behind him. Namjoon's voice has always been his favorite, but after not hearing it for years, Jimin bites his tongue to hold back more tears. They still manage to silently slip down his cheeks.

He doesn't turn to face Namjoon.

"Jimin-ah," Namjoon tries again, his voice somehow much softer than before. "It's been years." And his soft voice breaks down at the end of his sentence– that's the only reason Jimin turns around to face him.

Namjoon didn't even cry when Jimin left him years ago. He didn't cry when Jimin packed his things and left the city. He didn't cry when Jimin let him down.

But now, with Jimin in his sight after years of not seeing him, his eyes are bright red and teary. Jimin doesn't recall ever seeing Kim Namjoon cry, despite how much weight he's had on his shoulders and despite how brutal the world has treated him in the past.

When their eyes meet again, the tears in Namjoon's eyes slip out too because Jimin is crying a little too much and he can't stand it.

Namjoon steps forward, but Jimin quickly steps back. Namjoon stops in his tracks and looks as if he's been betrayed as he looks at his ex.

"Jimin?" he questions again. "H-How are you? What're you doing here? You look– You look incredible."

Jimin swallows his tears and averts his gaze. "Don't act so surprised," he mumbles quietly over the faint Christmas music coming from the party room. "This is a fashion company. The one I left Busan for." He pauses to glance at Namjoon, noticing the shock in his eyes. "What're you doing here? You knew I was here, right?"

Namjoon quickly shakes his head. "I- I seriously was just here with a friend. I didn't know this was that company–"

Anything else that Namjoon says goes unheard because Jimin's tense shoulders drop and his expression goes blank as he looks at his ex-boyfriend. He could've sworn that Namjoon and Hoseok were together, not just friends.

"Y-You're not with Hoseok?"

Whatever Namjoon was rambling about is cut off and he shuts his mouth, baffled at such a sudden question. But then his gaze softens and he gives the purest, sweetest, and most genuine smile to Jimin.

"I'm not with Hoseok," he states. "And I wanna be with you."

Jimin's lips part into a small gasp, but he doesn't pretend to be repulsed at all like he did seconds ago. The hopeful look in Namjoon's eyes and his words carries Jimin's feet forward and makes more tears prickle his eyes as he runs forward and into Namjoon's open arms.

Though he can hardly see through the tears, Jimin cries and cries as he runs into his hold. His arms wrap around Namjoon's waist and Namjoon wraps his around Jimin's shoulder, bringing him into the most needed hug ever.

They cry into each other's arms and spill confessions out left and right, holding tight as they whisper how much they missed each other.

His eyes are blurry, but he can tell that Namjoon's probably are too because when they pull back to look each other in the eye, they try to wipe each other's tears away and let out much needed laughs to lighten the mood.

But the tears pour even more for Jimin because he feels so overwhelmed with the love of his life's touch and voice and everything about him. Neither of them can help it– they don't even say anything before they're both diving in and meeting each other halfway.

Their lips meet and Jimin feels careless to be kissing Namjoon through his tears, but he'd rather kiss him like this than not at all.

"I love you so much," Namjoon rasps out as they pull away from the kiss. It makes Jimin's heart swell like crazy. "I've never felt so lonely in my life, Jimin. Please don't ever leave me again. I can't handle it."

Jimin soothes his tiny hands over Namjoon's cheeks and holds him close, pecking his face. "Shh, don't worry. I'll never leave you, Namjoonie. I love you. I never stopped loving you."

They hold each other close and end up slow dancing– swaying– in the empty hallway, finding the Christmas music soothing to them.

Jimin plans to never let his boyfriend go again, so they stay this way until the party comes to an end and they're forced to go home. Even so, Jimin invites Namjoon to his apartment and they end up talking all night long about how they plan to be together forever.

With that, everything feels perfect again, with Namjoon by his side.

~~~

Merry Christmas
🎁

this fic was actually second place on my poll, but so many people wanted it so i decided to write it anyways! :D

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