Merry & Happy
Leader X Maknae: A Series of JiTzu Oneshots
Summary: Now my Christmas is merry and my New Year is happy too. Because you’re by my side
Ah, it’s that time of the year again.
Christmas. The season of joy and giving.
What’s there to hate about the holidays? The idea of gifts of all shapes and sizes awaiting us under the tree. Of families and friends gathered round the fireplace, giggling and laughing as they share stories of the past year. Of times filled with happiness, far away from all the pains and worries of the world.
Tzuyu however, never understood all the excitement that came with the holidays. Sure, receiving gifts was great and it’s nice spending time with her loved ones. After all, Christmas was supposed to be a time of joy and love. But when all the festivities die down, she couldn’t help but feel an odd emptiness creep up in her. A sort of loneliness she can’t explain.
It didn’t help that she was stuck spending the last few Christmases here in Korea, miles away from her family in Taiwan. And it certainly didn’t help that the whole month was spent in the practice rooms or on the stages of the many Year End festivals her group had to perform at.
But she still has her eight unnies with her. Eight members who love her and have stuck to her even in her darkest moments. Eight sisters that she wouldn’t give up for the world (not that she’ll ever tell them that). What else could she ask for. That should be able to cure her loneliness, shouldn’t it? Apparently not.
She’s tried ignoring the emptiness that has been gnawing at her for so long. She’s told herself time and time again that everything is alright and nothing can spoil the season for her. She’s tried keeping cool and staying calm as the feeling comes rushing in. But she’s not calm. And she doesn’t know why.
But this year, she prays, everything will be different. She wants to enjoy the holidays too. But to do so, she must first push away all the prejudices she has against the holidays and find her own reason to enjoy the season.
Then maybe just maybe, this year will finally be different.
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As December rolled in, the snow and frigid cold followed.
Tzuyu wasn’t a huge fan of the winter. For along with it came illnesses that frequented with the season. Fevers, runny noses, sore throats or even a combination of the three, with a schedule as busy as theirs, one of them was bound to catch a cold. She’s even sure that she would see Jihyo rubbing at her aching knees and Dahyun, her ankle, as the harsh winter assaulted them with its freezing temperatures.
Unfortunately for Tzuyu, she had become the first of the nine to catch a cold this year.
Huddled under her large padded coat, she hastily made her way to the waiting rooms while attempting to keep the as minimal skin exposed to the cold as possible. Her cold just made her body ten times more sensitive to the low temperatures. A sudden breeze blew by and the hairs on her neck stood as goosebumps formed across her skin. And at this moment she regrets not having bought a new scarf when her old one had worn out.
As she shivered, a sudden warmth enveloped her body. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist while the body of its owner pressed itself against her back.
“Is this better?”
Her mind recognised the muffled voice before she had even glanced behind her shoulder to see her tiny leader’s round, twinkling eyes staring back up at her. Never the fan of affection, Tzuyu’s cheeks heated up at the closeness. Her flushed appearance however only seemed to worry Jihyo more.
“Hey, is your fever getting worse? You don’t look so good.” The younger girl flinched as Jihyo reached out to touch her forehead, the cold fingers pressing against her heated skin sent her shivering.
“I’m fine unnie. It’s probably just the cold,” Tzuyu quickly replied as she tugged at the hands. Her harsh, croaky tone however, only caused Jihyo’s hold to tighten and her eyebrows to furrow out of concern. The look was short lived as seconds later her eyes lit up and she reached for her bag.
“Maybe this will help,” the older girl mumbled as she rummaged through her bag, pulling something out moments later. “Close your eyes,” the leader ordered and Tzuyu, too tired to argue, did as she was told. There was a warmth that seemed to surround her and hearing a soft “done” she opened her eyes to see woolen scarf a woolen scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, the dark blue matching well with her tan skin tone.
“I noticed that you haven’t been wearing one lately so I got you one,” Jihyo said, grinning proudly at her work. “Merry Christmas maknae,” she greeted before she ran off, leaving a stunned Tzuyu behind her.
She stood there for a while, feeling the scarf in her hands. It wasn’t anything special. Just a simple blue scarf. But it made Tzuyu’s heart speed up a little, much to her confusion. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath to calm herself and continued on to the waiting room.
The waiting room was a mess, with stylist and idols rushing about to get ready for their performances. Knowing that they were performing towards the end of the show, Tzuyu joined Momo on the couch, laying her head against the dancer’s shoulder and watching her hands work on the red yarn that she was intently knitting.
“What are you making unnie?” she asked out of genuine curiosity as she watch the yarn slowly take shape. “A scarf. I saw Jihyo try to knit one and decided to try it out for myself,” came Momo’s reply and Tzuyu choked on air.
“A scarf?” Tzuyu was suddenly very aware of the fabric against her neck. “Yeah. A blue one. Just like the one you’re wearing right now,” Momo replied, barely sparing the maknae a glance.
It can’t be this scarf right? Tzuyu wondered as her fingers lingered along the material, tracing every detail. Nah, her mind concluded. It’s just a coincidence. But her heart thumped anyways at the thought, which she quickly shrugged off.
It was probably just the cold messing with her brain.
Or was it?
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Christmas meant gifts and with a performance centered around their fans, their managers had proposed that the members should do something special, a plan that left Tzuyu staring at the manger, deadpan.
A thousand cookies in the span of a night. It was an outrageous idea; one they had laughed at when their managers had raised it at their meeting.
She had nothing against the idea. It was a great way to thank the fans who had sacrificed so much time and money to support them. And what better way to convey their gratefulness than with cookies they made themselves. But a thousand is a bit too big of a number, isn’t it?
Unfortunately for them, the managers were completely serious. So, armed with whisks and rolling pins, the group was split into threes and was immediately set on completing the seemingly impossible task.
But being Twice meant that things would never go exactly as planned.
Tzuyu - for one, found herself stuck with Nayeon and Momo, both of whom weren’t exactly gifted with the skills needed in the kitchen. At least they were only tasked with rolling the dough and packaging the cookies into little bags, jobs with little room for error, so they were in the clear.
Jeongyeon, Mina and Chaeyoung had little trouble on their end too. The trio were in charge of shaping the dough and baking it in the oven. With Jeongyeon’s experience, Mina’s preciseness and Chaeyoung’s artistic talents, there little to no problem here either.
“YA!”
The same couldn’t be said for the remaining team as Sana and Dahyun, both of whom had managed to get Jihyo, the third member of their team, covered in flour, apparently caused by the duo’s attempt at dabbing while whisking the ingredients. This lead to a full out war which only ended when a manager who had come to check on them received a handful of flour to the face.
Needless to say, it took 3 hours, a scolding and a kitchen covered in cookie batter before they finally completed their tasks, decorations and all, the only injury being the burn Jihyo got from touching the baking tray without mittens.
“Let me help.” She took a seat in front of the leader and gently held her hand, applying ointment and a band aid as carefully as she could in fear of hurting the older girl. She was no expert when it came to first aid, but she’s seen Jihyo do it enough times on Sana to know that she was doing it correctly.
Jihyo, she realised, smelt of cinnamon and vanilla. Not overpoweringly sweet but just enough to give her a homely feel. She smelt... like Christmas. And she should have despised it, but it didn’t bother her as much as she thought it should. It felt nice even.
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”Hurry. It’s almost time.”
Sana’s shrill voice cut through the air as she giddily lead her members to a more secluded area of the park, away from the prying eyes of the large crowds gathered to await the New Year. Momo followed close behind, an equally dopey smile on her face as she walked.
Trailing behind the others, Tzuyu couldn’t stop the smile that grew at the sight of her unnies’ excitement. She doesn’t blame them. It’s not everyday that they get to spend the New Year in their home country especially one with the rest of the group. Even Mina who usually stayed behind in the dorm was more psyched than usual, her gummy smile never leaving her face.
She might not be the holiday’s biggest fan but it was nice seeing her members like this. Loudly singing along with the annoying Christmas carols that were still playing, laughing and pulling pranks on each other. They looked just like a group of normal teens, Tzuyu observed, nothing like the celebrities they were supposed to be.
And Jihyo...
She clung onto Tzuyu, her hand gripped tightly onto Tzuyu’s as they walked. Her hands were cold, Jihyo had whined with a sheepish grin when she had slipped her hand in the maknae’s. But Tzuyu hadn’t mind, even going as far as tucking their intertwined hands into her coat pocket.
5
4
3
2
1
“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
Cheers erupted simultaneously with the bangs of the fireworks bursting in the distance, its vivid colours lighting up the dark night sky. It really was a breathtaking scene. A memory she was glad to be able to share with her members.
“You know,” Chaeyoung started. “In some countries, it's a tradition to kiss during New Years Eve. Something about strengthening bonds.” This caught the attention of the group’s many affectionate members, who quickly lunged towards their targets before they could react.
Shaking her head at the scene, Tzuyu failed to notice the small figure creeping towards her. “Guess that just leaves you and me,” Jihyo laughed, tiptoeing to press a kiss on the maknae’s cheek. She could feel the blood rush to her face, her cheeks burning. The feeling quickly disappeared however, as Jihyo then threw a snowball.
“UNNIE!” she roared, chasing after the Jihyo while scooping a handful of snow and throwing it at the leader, joining the rest of the maknae line in terrorising their older members.
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She didn’t get much sleep that night. There were just too many thoughts.
Because this year, she was here, right by her side. And everything felt different.
Why was everything different?
“Can’t sleep.” Tzuyu jumped, startled by the older girl’s sudden appearance. “You have to stop doing that,” she groaned, clutching onto her chest. “Not my fault that you’re easy to scare,” Jihyo shrugged, smirking at the maknae.
She was conflicted. A part of her wanted to open up and tell her everything but the other side was afraid, a sense of panic growing within her again. Jihyo must have sensed it.
Maybe she should thank Santa for this.
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