Ugly Christmas Sweaters
Request: If there's still space, can I request #1 with jongdae please? Thanks!!
Prompt:
1) ”Here’s a concept…me and you…married.”
Pairing: EXO’s Jongdae x Reader
Genre: Fluff
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Looking to your reflection in the mirror, you let out a quiet groan. The dancing, holiday cats on your sweater were some of the most awful things you had ever seen (and that was ignoring the fact that they also lit up if you flipped a covert switch hidden within the knit.) You turned to the side, furrowing your brows as you further examined your outfit.
Whoever came up with the idea of Ugly Holiday Sweater parties should be sat in a pile of ants on a hot summer day with honey dripping from their earlobes.
But that was just your personal opinion.
“Ugh, how can someone who styles celebrities professionally...show up in an outfit like this?” you clucked, spinning one last time.
SM entertainment was known publicly for their Halloween party, but what few knew was that they also hosted a party in December every year as well. Disregarding holiday preferences, most all employees attended if for nothing more than free food. You had been dragged along every year since you had landed the position as a stylist, and didn’t intend on missing it now. Not even when they changed the theme to an “ugly sweater” party.
“Are you ready?” your friend and fellow stylist asked as she waltzed into the room. Your eyes grew in size as you took her in, her tight sweater leaving little to the imagination.
“You are aware that this is an UGLY sweater event, right?” you croaked, looking down to the sack-like jumper you were wearing.
“Ugly,” she clucked. “Does not mean ill-fitting.”
Rolling your eyes, you grabbed your bag before you had the chance to talk yourself out of going. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“Where’s the antler headband I bought you?” she hummed, her hands on her hips. Her heels didn’t budge as she began to survey your apartment. “They complete the look.”
“Isn’t the sweater enough?” you sighed, already exhausted.
“Fine, grumpy,” she said, sticking her tongue out at you. “Try to save the fun for the rest of us.”
.
You moodily gnawed on your candy cane as you surveyed the party bustling around you. Food was being served, drinks were being poured, but you still felt pouty,
“Isn’t this fun?” your coworker gasped, scraping the icing from her holiday cookie.
“I can hardly contain my excitement,” you grumbled. You would rather blend in with the wallpaper than stand out with your brightly flashing cat sweater.
“Did you see Baekhyun over there? Oh, and Key? They’re looking so scrumptious,” she hummed, nearly vibrating with excitement. “Good tidings aren’t the only things I would be giving them-”
“Aye!” you gasped, your eyes wide. “Calm down. You see idols every day!”
“I style for NCT Dream,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “I can’t fantasize about babies.”
“As you shouldn’t!” you said sternly, shaking your head. “You’re impossible.”
“Impossibly attracted to these whole ass men wandering around,” she growled, narrowing her eyes at a guy you recognized to be in Marketing. “Who is that?”
“He’s in a different department,” you murmured, sending a silent wish of luck his way. For as much as you enjoyed being around your friend, she was a bit...difficult sometimes.
“Interesting,” she said, lifting her brows. “I may have to introduce myself.”
“Don’t make me stand awkwardly alone!” you gasped, already dreading the idea of having to make small talk.
“Live a little,” she grinned, looking down to her cookie before taking a bite. “Make friends.”
“With who?” you groaned.
“Why not an idol?” she asked, tilting her head. “What about Chen?”
“Chen?” you asked, lifting your brows. The name sounded familiar, but you couldn’t entirely place it.
“Yeah, the guy who’s been hogging the karaoke mic. He also happens to have on the same horrifying sweater as you,” she sighed, more interested in her cookie than she was in the conversation at this point.
“You said it was cute!” you gasped.
“It is,” she chuckled. “In a grandma-type way.”
“Why him?” you sighed.
“Because he’s hot,” she said thoughtfully. “And he’s a celebrity. And the matching sweaters are a good talking point.”
“Since when did you become such a social butterfly?” you murmured.
“Doesn’t take a butterfly to know how to interact with people,” she grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him over your way. Maybe he can introduce me to-”
You missed the name of whatever miscellaneous celebrity she mentioned because she was already shuffling out of sight.
Grimacing you took a few steps to follow her, but stopped yourself. Sure, you knew you should probably be networking and talking with your coworkers, but you weren’t exactly the most confident.
Working with the dreamies had preconditioned you to deal with idols who were more like little brothers. You never worried about how you looked in front of them, or how silly you sounded. They always laughed at your jokes and treated you kindly. The older groups were what intimidated you. The men closer to your age, who were in general the more adultier-adults at the label, scared you to no end.
Of course you knew they were probably just as kind as their younger label mates, but you never allowed yourself to figure that out. You were happy being unseen.
Obscurity was where you had decided you belonged. Things were calmer that way.
Safer.
Stirred from your thoughts, you looked up just in time to see a new face in your field of vision.
“Well, call me Rudolph because i have been sleigh-ed,” he grinned. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Chen.”
“I’m Y/N,” you nodded with a polite bow. “Nice sweater.”
Chen looked down with a wide grin and shimmied his torso a bit. Your friend wasn’t incorrect. It was exactly the same one that you were wearing.
“I didn’t think anyone else would possibly pick this one out,” he laughed. “You must have wonderful taste.”
You lifted your brows and attempted to stifle your laugh. “Is that it?”
“Duh,” he grinned, careful to make sure you were smiling as well. “When people were asking me about coming here with my partner earlier, I was totally confused...but now I get it! We are wearing couples items after all...
...So, you may or may not have noticed that I was doing a bit of karaoke earlier before your friend insisted I come over. Won’t you sing a duet with me? Pretty please?”
“That’s a nice offer,” you sighed, glancing to your feet. “But there’s a reason why I’m a stylist.”
“Is it because you’re so pretty?” he gasped, his eyes wide with innocence.
You felt the heat of embarrassment begin to creep up your neck. He...thought...YOU...were pretty?
“Because i can’t sing,” you corrected, refusing to look up at him.
“Everyone can sing,” he hummed. You didn’t have to make eye contact to know he was still watching you. “It’s just an opinion if people like it or not.”
You shook your head quickly before allowing yourself to lock eyes with him and let out a nervous chuckle.
“Come on, wouldn’t it be cute if two people, wearing matching sweaters, sang a song together?” He begged, reaching forward and grabbing your hand.
Your face was an unmanageable amount of hot as you willed yourself not to look at the place where your skin was now touching his. He apparently had no issue with being forward.
“What about a dance?” he coaxed. “We can rock around the Christmas tree all night long if you’d like.”
“Dance,” you choked out, more of an acknowledgement of the word. How were you going to keep up with an idol’s dancing skills?
Lucky for you, Chen’s skill seemed to nearly evaporate. If it wasn’t part of a choreographed production, he wasn’t going to be the most talented dancer you had ever seen.
“What are you doing?” you said quietly, trying to hide your amusement. After he had taken your stupid utterance of “dance” as an agreement to actually follow him onto the floor, he proceeded to break into his “best” moves.
Which were thoroughly entertaining, but not for the reason you would have guessed.
“I’m free-styling.”
“You look like your pelvis is caught up in a spasm,” you laughed, shaking your head. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw his fellow idols beginning to laugh at his antics as well.
He really was sweet, but the attention was beginning to make you sweat.
“You say tomato, i say tomahto,” he grinned, eyes closed as he was lost in the beat.
Looking from one side of the crowd to the other, you took a deep breath. Catching eye contact with several people you would prefer to be invisible around, you found yourself beginning to step to the side. “I’m going to get some punch.”
“I’ll come with you,” Chen perked up, opening his eyes.
“That’s really not necessary,” you croaked, keeping your face to the ground.
“I’m thirsty too!” he gasped, instantly taking your hand. Chen smiled brightly at you before offering an obnoxious wink. “We’re pretty similar, don’t you think? I mean...we showed up in couples outfits without even having met before! I don’t want to sound too crazy here, but how about this concept...me and you...married. It’s obvious that we were meant to be.”
You attempted to keep from choking on your saliva. The two of you couldn’t be more different.
“No offense, I’m sure you’re incredibly sweet, but if i take off this matching sweater, will you leave me alone?” you whispered.
“Probably not,” he grinned.
“Well...at least your honest.”
“Honesty is the best policy...and honestly, i would love it if you’d agree to a date with me,” he nodded, not even skipping a beat as the two of you arrived at the snack table. “I’d love to get to know you more.”
You blinked in surprise. “Backtracking after you already suggested we get married?”
“I mean, we could work backwards if you wanted,” he smirked. “Marriage, then dating, and then...well, what would come after that?”
You still had to wrap your brain around it. You had quickly established that Chen was very similar to a puppy. Not long after meeting you, he had decided he had liked you.
He had chosen you, in essence, and you wouldn’t be getting rid of him easily.
“So?” he prodded. “Don’t leave me waiting in suspense!”
“Uh, sure,” you managed with a wince. You didn’t want to sound unenthusiastic, but the night has changed rapidly. Especially since Chen had introduced himself.
“if you wake up in a box tomorrow,” he cooed. “Just know it’s because I’ve asked Santa for you this year.”
“That is actually horrifying and mildly adorable at the same time,” you laughed, shaking your head. You had nearly forgotten that he had been holding your hand all of this time.
“Sounds like me!”
“Comforting. Something to look forward to i guess,” you shook your head and attempted not to giggle. For as silly as he was, he really was starting to grow on you.
Glancing up from your interlocked fingers, your breath caught in your throat as you noticed the holiday lights reflected in Chen’s dark eyes. He really was quite handsome.
He watched you closely, silent for the first time since you had met him.
“What?” you croaked
“Nothing,” he smirked, continuing to stare at you without shame.
“Then what are you looking at?” you whispered, furrowing your brows.
“An angel, i think,” he hummed, his smile growing wider. “You just aren’t on top of a tree.”
You felt your heart flutter and heat begin to climb up your neck again.
Maybe being different from Chen wasn’t a bad thing.
