[8:56pm]
“Jeno, I swear to god if you scare me...” You trailed off, muttering curses under your breath as your best friend led you somewhere with a blindfold over your eyes. “Oh, shut up. You’ll love it!” He giggled, his hands holding yours to steadily guide you.
His fingers were currently freezing off of his body, but he didn’t even think about getting the pair of gloves in his backpack out of his bag because your hands were interlaced with his. Sure, it was probably because you were fearing for your life, but Jeno liked to think it was because you just wanted to hold his hand.
“Oh my god, Jeno! Where are you going! I’m freezing here!” You whined, beginning to tug on his hands in resistance. The wind was picking up and, while you couldn’t tell, the snow was getting thicker. He sighed, flicking your forehead and pinching your mouth to playfully tell you to shut up; honestly he himself couldn’t wait to get to his house and cuddle with someone.
Preferably you.
A few minutes of cooperation passed when his house came into view. He muttered words of caution in your ear as he helped you up the steps to his house and warned you about the ledge at his front door when you stepped in. When the warm air hit your frosty skin, you sighed out loud. “Oh, god, finally.”
“Hold up! I’m not done! Keep the blindfold on.” You annoyingly stomped your feet, but complied, and tried to hide your red ears as he removed your jackets and hats, even slipping off your shoes for you. “Okay,” he whispered, “Ready?” You rolled your eyes, knowing he couldn’t see it under the blindfold. “Yes. Just let me see it already, Jeno!”
“Alright, alright, geez...” And he gently untied the blindfold, fumbling a few times due to nerves. Once the soft fabric fell from your eyes, your eyes were wide open, at first because you wanted to see his surprise, and then because of your shock.
He had created a huge pillow and blanket fort, complete with Christmas-themed snacks and hot cocoa on the coffee table with an absolutely massive blanket reaching from behind the TV to the creases of the couch, where it was tucked in. There was a carboard pole or two (the ones that carried posters) that were holding up drooping areas of the blanket, and even fairy lights were strung around the entrance. There was an adorable sign at the entrance that said, ‘Mr. Grinch and Mrs. Grinch’s Lair!’
“Jeno...” You gasped, covering your mouth before laughing loudly and turning around to see his expression. His gaze was bashful, looking anywhere but you. “Jeno, you really outdid yourself this year. I should’ve known the surprise was the fort...” You smiled, automatically pouncing to give him the warm hug he deserved. It was his turn to build the annual fort; it was the tradition in your best friend-ship, to switch off every year who made the iconic holiday fort. He squealed a little, but relaxed into the hug, burying his face in your peppermint-scented hair. God, you smelled so good. It made him want to curl up next to you and put his head in your lap. He saw you quickly glance at the sign again, and his heart stuttered.
His hand fell from your head to rest on your lower back. You parted from him, looking up at his glasses-covered eyes. Even with the thick black rim in the way, you could still see his eyes sparkle. You don’t remember the last time a guy made your heart feel this warm. “A Mr. and Mrs. Grinch sigh, huh? You really outdid yourself,” you teased, leaning into his hold. “Of course I had to go all out,” he grumbled,
“It’s you.”
Then again, you couldn’t remember the last time you met someone you loved as much as Jeno.
