It was Christmas again.

It was the time to share your happiness with your loved ones. To share your kindness even with people you’ve never met before. Share what you have too much with those who have too little. It was the time to share all your love.

At least their teacher told them so early in the morning when they arrived the little kindergarten that day. Christmas was coming and the kids had one more day of school before going on vacation and taking some days away from class.

Not that six years olds have much of class, but you got it. To paint inside the lines can be hard too.

Chanyeol was new on the town. It was a weird time to move but his parents were always unpredictable, like the time they decided to buy their son a ferret since he was allergic to cats and dogs (luckily Chanyeol seemed to be ok with this kind of pet). Being new around meant he would have to make new friends, and the boy that was so energetic all the time could be really shy too.

So, yeah, he still had no friends at all. He liked to play with Jongdae – the kitten like boy – and Baekhyun – the biggest mouth in the world – but the two were friends since ever so Chanyeol would feel out sometimes. And since it was their last day before vacations the boys didn’t seem to pay him much attention.

The snow fell heavy on the outside, so the kids would have to play inside until their parents would take them home. As they wouldn’t have nothing really important to do that day most kids didn’t even show up, staying home already enjoying the holydays. The teacher thought it was a good idea to let all the kids play together then, since most classes had so little students.

“Go make some friends!” His teacher told them when she opened the door, letting them free to go play with the other kids.

Chanyeol didn’t pay much attention to that. It was his last year there, he has just turned 7 last month, he was a grown man now. Soon he’d go to another school to take real classes. So it’s not like he expected to make new friends by now.

The boy didn’t leave his seat. He stayed just there doing what he did the best. Coloring.

Chanyeol loved to put color on the white paper with black lines. His parents bought him loads of books for him to paint. Since from dinosaurs to beautiful gardens. He would spend all his days like that if he was left to, he really liked that. Chanyeol just wish he could draw, so he could color his own drawings and no one else would have the same.

Some time passed and Chanyeol got bored. He didn’t bring all his crayons so he couldn’t paint the way he wanted to. So he closed his book and shoved his things on his bag like he was ready to go home. Though he knew he’s parents wouldn’t arrive any soon.

So he went out to explore.

Out his classroom, of course, because out there the view was all white; covered with snow. Chanyeol looked at that like it was some big canvas waiting to be painted. But, again, Chanyeol couldn’t paint if didn’t have a drawing before, so he left the window behind.

Walking down the corridor he found the kids playing loudly with each other. It was a small town so he assumed they should know each other since first grade there. How could Chanyeol make friends if he just arrived and would soon be going?

He almost missed it, but there was a classroom that seemed empty wouldn’t be by the light on. It was the younger kid’s class, Chanyeol saw on the door, the kids one year younger than him. As the curious young boy he was he decided to take a look inside, since he never had to have class in there.

Then he found it.

It was little, in contrast to him. But it was chubby just like him. His hair was shorter, though. But his class was covered with paper just like Chanyeol’s. And he was as alone as him too.

Then he saw it.

The papers over the boy’s class were drawings! Chanyeol couldn’t believe it what he was seeing, they were actual drawings! So he got inside before thinking and went straight to the little boy to see his works closer.

“What are you doing…?” The boy asked as Chanyeol stood in front of him with a smile crossing his cheek. Saying nothing, just big eyes open with big smile too.

“Can I color your drawings?” He asked with no hesitation bouncing on his feet with his tiny hands closed in fists, like he couldn’t hold his excitement. “They are awesome and–”

“No.”

Chanyeol stopped bouncing. “Why not?” His shoulder dropped. “They’d be much more other level of awesome if they were colored!”

“No.”

The kid just kept drawing. But Chanyeol wasn’t one to give up easy.

“So why don’t you color it?” He asked with a pout.

“I can’t.” The boy looked up for a second into Chanyeol’s face. The first time since he got there.

Then Chanyeol noticed he hadn’t looked what the boy was drawing, just what he had already finished and left by his side. “Oh my gosh it’s Agumon!” He yelled, suddenly excited again.

The little one was startled by the sudden action and scratched drawing. “Look what you’ve done.” It wasn’t loud. Actually Chanyeol almost couldn’t hear it as the boy got the eraser to clear the messy line.

“Why can’t you color it?”

“What?” The kid looked up again into Chanyeol’s eyes. He seemed a bit pissed now but Chanyeol didn’t mind he just really wanted to see those drawings colored.

“You said you can’t paint it.” The oldest tilted his head to the side, confusion in his face and tone of voice. He couldn’t understand why one wouldn’t be able to paint those cool drawings.

“I don’t have any crayons.”

“Whaaaaaaaat?” Chanyeol exclaimed – again – and the younger noticed a pair of missing teeth on the other’s big mouth. “How can someone not have crayons?”

Silence. The boy said nothing, just put his head down and kept drawing. Finishing his Agumon.

“I have crayons! I can color it!” There. Chanyeol was bouncing again.

“Who said I want you to color my drawings?”

There. Chanyeol stopped again.

Some moments passed with silence and the boy looked up to make sure the other didn’t die or something that would make it impossible for him to talk. He was faced with a pout and shining eyes. Oh no, he thought, I did it again.

Before he could say anything Chanyeol ran out the room as fast as he ran in. And the little boy was left there with sad eyes.

But, as soon as the rain would hit the ground in a storm, Chanyeol burst in with a blue backpack this time.

“My name is Chanyeol!” He offered his hand to the boy, as he had seen his parents doing when meeting new people. “What is your name?” His face had no trace of sadness already, big missing teeth smile back on.

“Kyungsoo.” The little one answered dumbfounded, looking at Chanyeol and thinking how can someone change humors so fast and why is he so insistent. And maybe aren’t his ears a bit bigbut his mother said he should think better before saying those kinds of things.

“That’s an awesome name! Just like your drawings!” Bouncing Chanyeol was back in the game.

Kyungsoo didn’t say anything; he just kept staring at the other boy speechless. He couldn’t get it why this kid would say his name and his drawings were awesome. Anything on him or about him was awesome. Maybe he is crazy, Kyungsoo just though, remembering his mother’s words.

“Can I color it? I brought you my paintings!” And Chanyeol opened one of his books in front of Kyungsoo who was again startled by the sudden action and the sudden explosion of colors before his eyes. He had to admit that they were beautiful – or even awesome as the other kid would say – and that he’d like to see his drawings with that much color.

Then Kyungsoo got one of the drawings left by his side and gave it to Chanyeol as a silent permission. And he thought he couldn’t see a smile bigger than the one the other had on his face in that moment. His eyes shining again, but this time they had no tears.

“I didn’t bring all my crayons today,” Chanyeol started as he unpacked his things. “So sorry if I can’t paint it so awesome.”

“Never mind.” Kyungsoo shrugged dumbfounded, watching the other boy for a moment as if he was something he’d never seen before. Like a new species of dog or something like that.

Chanyeol started coloring and Kyungsoo stopped drawing. He stared at Chanyeol’s movements with full attention as if he was seeing a magic to do its magic. It was incredible to the little one that his drawings could be as beautiful as that. No one ever said his drawings were cool, not even his parents. Then this strange boy comes from nowhere and says they are awesome? Kyungsoo doesn’t know how to feel about that, really. He doesn’t know what to say.

So he stay silent and go back finishing his drawing.

And oddly enough there was silence for good moments. Kyungsoo learned that Chanyeol could get really quiet while coloring. He also learned that the boy would really like the color blue, since his bag had the color and his clothes too. He also noted the blue crayon was really tiny for so much use.

“Agumon is my favorite Digimon!” Chanyeol said suddenly. Kyungsoo also learned Chanyeol was made of suddenness. “Can I have your Agumon when you finish it?”

“No.” The younger answered not looking up.

“But it’s my favorite Digimon!”

“No.”

“But it’s Christmas!”

“So what?” Kyungsoo looked up. His question was not made in a rude tone. It seemed he was really confused about why should he give the boy his drawing just because it’s Christmas? No one ever wanted any of his drawings.

“Our teacher said that in Christmas we have to share things.” Chanyeol answered like he had memorized his teacher’s exact words. “So you should share your drawings with me.”

“Just because it’s Christmas?” Kyungsoo tilted his head like he was making an effort to get the other boy’s point.

“Because we are friends!” Chanyeol bounced on his chair with that big smile again. “And friends exchange gifts for Christmas.”

“Are we friends?” Kyungsoo tilted his head the other way. It was really hard to follow Chanyeol’s thoughts. Maybe the boy lived in some alternate reality where things went faster.

“Of course we are!” Now the older looked offended. “We are drawing and coloring together.”

The truth is Kyungsoo has never had a friend before; he is too quiet to do so. The other kids would never get too close to him and when they did the boy would say something that would make them cry. His mom has told him to be careful with his honesty but he’d never get why. He’d also not understand why his classmates would look scared at him when he’s trying to see what the teacher was writing on the board. Things were just too blurry so he had to make an effort to see it.

Chanyeol has gone back coloring and Kyungsoo back drawing. But this time they both had smiles on their faces.


Time seems to fly when we’re having fun. The two new friends had spent all day playing together, alone in that forgotten classroom. They were having some serious conversation about how Digimon 1 was better than the second season when Chanyeol’s teacher entered the room.

“Found you!” She said in relief. “Your parents arrived, come on.”

“Ok!” He answered excited. “I’ll just pack my things.”

The moment Chanyeol started packing his things he stopped.

That meant he’d go home. What means he’d have to stop coloring with Kyungsoo. And he was having so much fun. Suddenly Chanyeol was not excited anymore. He looked at Kyungsoo and he had a look that said it’s fine but a fake smile that would say the other way.

“Here!” Chanyeol stood up pushing his chair back with a loud noise. “Merry Christmas, Kyungsoo!”

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to do. Chanyeol was looking at him with his hand full of crayons in his direction, almost pushing it in his face. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you my crayons, so you can color in the holydays!” The boy bounced. Kyungsoo was just getting used to so much movement around him. “They’re my favorite but you can keep them because we are friends!”

No one ever gave Kyungsoo crayons or anything to paint. His parents would just give him used papers and pens so he could draw on it instead of the wall. He never also had friends so he doesn’t know how it works the thing about gifts in Christmas.

“Take it!” Chanyeol hurried the other as the teacher came back to call him, saying his parents would freeze in the cold and the boy didn’t want that. “We can paint together again next year.”

Then Kyungsoo took it. He had never even grabbed one of those in his hands before so he feels this new texture on his hands as he feels a new kind of feeling in his heart. Maybe something has changed forever in his life and he doesn’t know what it is, but it feels good. He was so astonished he almost forgot something important.

Chanyeol was just around the door when Kyungsoo got up and ran to him “Chanyeol!” He exclaimed as loud as he didn’t knew he could, he was always quiet. The little one grabbed the other by his shirt meaning to stop him. “Here.” It was his Agumon drawing. “So you can color in the holydays too.”

Kyungsoo smiled. What Chanyeol didn’t expect at all since the boy wouldn’t show much reactions all the time they were together. But that was just because they didn’t knew much of each other.

Yet.

“See you next year!”

“Merry Christmas, Chanyeol!”
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And that was their first Christmas together.