Ryeowook had absolutely no idea how he had made it through the day. It was Christmas and on top of that a Sunday which meant that they had reached the peak of potential customers that could possibly fit into the restaurant and people were constantly waiting outside for tables to be freed. During his shift alone, Taecyeon made him two heavily sweetened coffees that he still thought were too bitter, yet by the time his shift ended, he found himself getting another coffee in a desperate try to stay awake for his way home and the get-together with Kyuhyun’s family.

He arrived home later than usually because he hadn’t managed to leave work at his usual time and had then missed one of the possible trains going towards Kyuhyun’s apartment, so he had had to wait for another ten minutes.

In the end, he arrived with a delay of thirty minutes. It was only when he stood in front of the apartment door and heard talking from the other side that he checked his phone again to find the still unanswered text messages from the others he had met at the party the night before, another message from Hangeng, and one from Kyuhyun. He opened the latter and realized Kyuhyun had asked him four hours earlier if it was okay for Ryeowook if the younger man's family were to come to their place instead of meeting at Ara's apartment like they had initially planned to do. A second message dating to only fifteen minutes earlier announced that Ara, Eunhyuk, and Donghae had already arrived and Kyuhyun asked if he would come home soon.

Ryeowook sighed as the last spark of hope to catch some sleep before the family meet-up went out in his heart. He put his phone into the pocket of his pants and fumbled for his keys when the door was opened and Donghae grinned at him. “I told you guys that he’s here,” he called over his shoulder before he stepped aside. “Welcome home, Ryeowook. Merry Christmas.”

The cat hybrid flashed Donghae a crooked smile. “Thank you. Merry Christmas.” He went into the apartment and took off his shoes and his coat, then he accompanied Donghae to the doorway of the living room without yet going on. “Merry Christmas, everyone.”

“Merry Christmas,” Ara and Eunhyuk replied with warm smiles. Donghae sat down next to his boyfriend again, casually wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

Ryeowook briefly scanned the room to see everyone else had already brought in their Christmas presents, stacking them either on the floor close to them or keeping them in bags, in Ara’s case. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”

Kyuhyun nodded. “Of course.”

Ryeowook smiled thankfully at him, then he turned around. He went upstairs and put his bag into his room, then he used the bathroom, using the time to consider changing into something more comfortable but then pushing that thought away again because Kyuhyun’s parents would also come and there was no way he wanted to appear sleazy when they were around.

When he left the room again and went back downstairs, the doorbell rang. Kyuhyun arrived at the intercom at the same time as Ryeowook did and they smiled at each other for a moment, then the former pressed the speak button. “Who is it?”

“Who do you think?” a male voice answered that Ryeowook figured would be Kyuhyun’s father. The facts that he hadn’t talked to that man a lot yet and that his voice was distorted by the interphone didn’t exactly help him recognize the voice.

Kyuhyun on the other hand laughed softly. “Come on in,” he said and pressed another button to open the front door. Afterwards, he turned to Ryeowook. “How was your day? You look tired.” His smile turned apologetic at those words, but Ryeowook responded by smiling back softly.

“My day was fine. And I am tired, but it’ll be alright. I’ll just go to sleep early today.”

“Was it stressful again?”

Before Ryeowook could answer, Donghae interrupted them from the living room. “Yah! Kyu-ah, don’t interrogate him all by yourself! We also want to know about Ryeowook’s day!”

“I think you can hear everything just fine,” Kyuhyun argued.

“It’s not the same, though,” Donghae shot back and the youngest rolled his eyes.

“Did you remember the presents?” When Ryeowook shook his head, Kyuhyun added, “Go get them now and then get yourself something to drink, alright?”

The cat hybrid nodded, even though he doubted he’d have the time to do both before Kyuhyun’s parents would arrive. He nevertheless hurried upstairs and got the presents he had neatly wrapped for everyone, then he hurried back downstairs. He put everything in the living room, smiling softly at the other three who were waiting there, then he left the room again. He indeed managed to even pour himself a glass of water and drink some of it before there was a knock on the apartment’s front door, announcing Kyuhyun’s parents and Mihye had arrived.

When Ryeowook left the kitchen, he found Ara, Eunhyuk, and Donghae also standing in the small hallway to greet Ara and Kyuhyun’s parents. He came to a stand slightly behind the other two hybrids, unsure exactly how to behave, so he decided to mimic Eunhyuk and Donghae, hoping to avoid any mistakes like that.

He watched as Kyuhyun’s parents and Mihye took off their shoes and coats and then greeted one by one. When the adults were on about the same level as Ara’s hybrids, they bowed, so Ryeowook did the same, waiting until the other two straightened again to greet Mihye with a warm hug. He looked down at his feet, unsure how he should greet her. When she stood in front of him, he looked up again to see her bow lightly towards him, so he gratefully copied that gesture.

“Merry Christmas,” the fox hybrid said in a low but warm voice.

“Merry Christmas,” Ryeowook answered with a little more confidence.

“Ryeowook?” The cat hybrid looked up when Ara called his name softly. She nodded towards the kitchen and Ryeowook entered that room while everyone else walked into the living room. A moment later, Ara was by his side again. While she prepared drinks for her parents and Ryeowook watched her intently to figure out what the other two adults would like to drink from that point onwards, Ara spoke to him quietly. “My parents will most likely want refills whenever their glasses are empty or nearly empty. Don’t worry about asking, they’ll expect you to do this automatically. Since you had no idea we would be coming over, I went grocery shopping earlier. We always eat at home for our family Christmas dinners and I assumed you wouldn’t have enough groceries here to make a meal for eight people. If you need help, you can ask anytime, alright? At least Mihye will help you whenever she can, I will also assist you if you need my help with anything, alright?”

Ryeowook nodded, taking all of that in. Relief and nausea washed through him simultaneously due to the announcement that he would have enough groceries to cook. He felt like this was another test, like Kyuhyun’s parents would judge his cooking and based on that decide whether he was a worthy decision for their son or not and he couldn’t help but be afraid that he would fail this test.

“Ryeowook?” The cat hybrid looked into Ara’s eyes for a moment. “Don’t be nervous, alright? I’m sure you’ll do fantastic. You know these rules and just from watching you when my parents came in, I know you won’t disappoint them. Believe me.”

“Thank you, Ara-sshi.”

The young woman nodded and then pointed at the glass on the left. “This one here is my mother’s. She only drinks water because she doesn’t like alcohol, so even for the meal, she won’t take any. With my father, pay attention to Mihye-unnie when you refill his glass. He’ll take soju for now and probably also throughout dinner, unnie will know when it would be better for him to switch or when he wants another drink even if he doesn't say it. She’ll help you pick out his next drink, alright?”

Ryeowook nodded. “Thank you very much, Ara-sshi.”

“You’re welcome.” Kyuhyun’s sister flashed him a warm smile that made Ryeowook brighten up as well.

“Now let’s go, alright?”

Ryeowook nodded and the two young adults went into the living room again. Ryeowook put down the glasses for Kyuhyun’s parents, Mihye, and then his own, then he quickly scanned the other glasses to see they were all still quite full. Eventually, he sat down next to Kyuhyun, listening to the conversation going on around him.

“-and that’s why your grandparents couldn’t come,” Kyuhyun’s mother just finished her story.

“I can’t believe the snow really hit them that hard down there,” Kyuhyun commented, looking astonished.

“I hope they’ll be fine again soon,” Donghae added quietly.

“I’m sure there’s not as much snow in Mokpo,” Eunhyuk assured him.

“Donghae was born in Mokpo,” Kyuhyun explained to Ryeowook and the cat hybrid nodded in understanding. Mokpo seemed incredibly far away to him, instantly making him wonder how Donghae had ended up in Seoul.

“I don’t think Mokpo was hit that hard. I hear the snow fell heavier in the East than the West,” Ara comforted Donghae and the dog hybrid visibly lit up at that.

“I hope they’ll be able to come to Seoul for New Year’s,” Kyuhyun commented with a slight huff. “I would have loved to see them.”

“Me, too,” Ara replied and her two hybrids nodded.

“Their grandmother has a soft spot for us,” Donghae revealed with a happy smile.

“Both of their grandparents are actually very fond of us,” Eunhyuk added with a wink.

Kyuhyun’s father nodded. “They both would have loved to take in a hybrid as well. I still don’t understand why they haven’t…”

Ara shrugged. “They thought they were too old to take in another child and raise it and by the time the hype had died down a little and you could also get hybrids who were teenagers or even growing to be young adults, they didn’t want to take one in because they thought they couldn’t give a young hybrid what they needed to lead a happy and secure life,” Ara replied matter-of-factly, ignoring the look her father gave her that stated clearly that he hadn’t asked for that information and Ryeowook assumed the other already knew all of that.

Her mother clicked her tongue in disapproval, but it wasn’t due to Ara’s explanation but due to the mood, as Ryeowook realized a moment later. “This is a Christmas party, we shouldn’t keep on stirring up sensitive topics,” she declared with a side look at her husband, then she turned to her son. “Kyuhyun, honey, you look really good. The exams in summer seem to have taken a much bigger toll on you.”

Kyuhyun just laughed. “I think the main difference is that Ryeowook made proper food for me and had me eat less snacks.”

“Oh really?” His mother seemed surprised and Ryeowook looked down, feeling uncomfortable.

He could still see Kyuhyun nod from the corner of his eyes. “Yes. Ryeowook here is a wonderful cook!”

“Well, in that case I’m looking forward to our meal later.”

The young cat hybrid gulped lightly. It was nice to know that Ara had faith in him with this meal, but he himself wasn’t quite as confident about it. Would he really be able to cook well enough for Kyuhyun’s parents when they were most certainly used to high quality food?

“Shall we go ahead and exchange our presents now?” Ara asked next and Ryeowook looked up again to see her excited expression mirrored on Eunhyuk’s, Donghae’s, and Kyuhyun’s faces.

“Yes, let’s do that now,” Kyuhyun agreed and watched his parents expectantly.

The two of them laughed and nodded, handing out the presents to their children. Ryeowook watched with similar excitement what Kyuhyun and Ara had gotten, happy to see their joy over the neatly wrapped objects. He especially watched the presents Ara received, trying to find out more about her like that and to get inspiration for what he could get for her during the next year. He saw the variety of books she unwrapped and tried to figure out what genre she liked, quickly coming to the realization that it seemed to be similar to Fei’s taste. She also unwrapped a few other things that weren’t quite as interesting to him.

Kyuhyun got a computer game and some music, quickly making him realize why it had been so difficult for him and Eunhyuk to find music for him when Kyuhyun already had a big collection and also got some more CDs at least from his parents.

After Kyuhyun and Ara thanked their parents, Eunhyuk handed out his presents. Ryeowook hesitantly started opening his when he noticed the others also unwrapped theirs. A moment later, Donghae thanked his boyfriend enthusiastically while Ryeowook only finished getting rid of the wrapping paper. He curiously opened the recipe book he had received and found a variety of sweet recipes originating from a variety of countries. Next to him, Kyuhyun also thanked Eunhyuk while he himself still looked through the recipes. Eventually, he also looked up to find both Eunhyuk and Donghae watching him curiously. “Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome,” Eunhyuk replied and then nodded towards his boyfriend. “We decided to get it together. I know we don’t learn a lot of recipes for cakes and so on and since you like sweet things…”

“It’s wonderful, Eunhyuk-sshi. Thank you, both of you.” He bowed his head to underline his words, smiling happily at the other two hybrids.

Donghae grinned. “It’s my turn now~” he announced and handed out the rest of his presents. He handed out his presents to his boyfriend, Kyuhyun, and Ara, adding towards the young woman, “Hyukkie and I also got yours together.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes.”

Ryeowook leaned back as he watched the others unpack their presents, smiling at the delighted reactions Donghae got.

It was only when Donghae turned to him with a curious look in his eyes that he realized it would be his turn next. For a moment, Ryeowook froze up on the inside, suddenly afraid that the others wouldn’t like what he had gotten. What if he had been mistaken, what if Eunhyuk and Donghae had also been mistaken while giving him advice, what if Ara wouldn’t like the recipe book he had created?

He pushed those fears aside, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, and instead leaned down to grab the neatly wrapped objects. He handed them out accordingly but then continued to sit straight, unable to relax. Tension built up inside him while he watched the others unpack what they had gotten.

Donghae was the first to reveal his present and his entire expression lit up a moment later. “Hyukkie, Hyukkie, Hyukkie, look! I got a rainbow fish! Hyukkie, look up!” He grabbed his boyfriend’s hand to get his attention and the sight and Donghae’s excitement eased the tension inside the cat hybrid a tiny bit.

“Yah, can I not unwrap my present first?”

“No, Hyukkie, look!” Donghae held out the rainbow fish plushie right in front of Eunhyuk’s face. “A rainbow fish! You know the story, don’t you? Now I’ll always be the luckiest hybrid alive!” He hugged his boyfriend tightly and with such enthusiasm that Ara had to lean back a little to avoid getting hit by the stuffed animal.

Ryeowook watched as Eunhyuk tried to stay upset with his boyfriend but a moment later couldn’t hold back his smile anymore. The monkey hybrid glanced over to where Ryeowook was sitting and their eyes met for a moment. Warmth and happiness spread inside the younger hybrid at the unspoken ‘I told you he’d love it’ message in the older’s eyes and he lowered his gaze, smiling to himself. Yes, Donghae did love it. He had been right about what to get for Donghae once again.

“Wow, did you do this all by yourself?” Ara’s amazed question interrupted the moment and Ryeowook realized the young woman had also gotten rid of the wrapping paper and had already opened the recipe book he had started.

The cat hybrid blushed and nodded lightly. “Yes. Eunhyuk-sshi said that you wanted to try some of the recipes Kyuhyun talked about on the phone… So I wrote them down for you the way I was taught to make them.”

Ara hummed and read through something, looking up in surprise after another moment. “You even included the Beijing Fried Rice?” The cat hybrid nodded shyly. “Kyuhyun said it took you a long time to make it properly…”

“Hangeng-hyung and Heechul-hyung paid attention to every little detail… Especially Heechul-hyung… So of course it took me a while to make it to their satisfaction,” he replied quietly, embarrassed about that fact. He felt like it would make him look bad in front of Kyuhyun’s parents.

“Can we cook it together at some point?” The cat hybrid looked up at the unexpected request and Ara’s warm smile deepened. “It’ll probably taste as good as it would in China when you do it, so I’d love to learn from you how to make it as good as possible.”

Ryeowook nodded, still startled by the request. “Yes. Yes, of course we can do that.”

“Great! I’m looking forward to it.”

“I am, too,” Eunhyuk and Donghae replied in unison.

Turning to his side, Ryeowook found Kyuhyun flipping through the book with quotes in it, smiling to himself while he read one here and there. Probably noticing Ryeowook was watching him, the youngest one looked up and grinned. “This book is great!” He was quiet for a moment, then he grinned. “Wookie, have you read this one?” He pointed at one of the quotes and Ryeowook leaned closer to read it. When he looked up again, he was smiling as well.

“No, I hadn’t, but it’s a good one.”

“I know, right?” Kyuhyun grinned at him and then they looked at Eunhyuk who just finished unwrapping his chocolate.

The monkey hybrid’s lips soon spread to a bright smile and he looked up. “Thank you, Wookie, this is really sweet!”

Ara leaned closer to him and smiled as well. “It’s so cute.”

“Can I see it?” Kyuhyun asked and reached a hand out.

“But don’t you dare and eat it! It’s mine,” Eunhyuk instantly replied defensively but nevertheless handed over the small chocolate in reindeer form. After inspecting it for a couple of seconds, Kyuhyun gave it back with a warm smile.

“It really is cute.”

Eunhyuk grinned and leaned back and finally Ryeowook also leaned back. The tension inside him had scattered into the four winds and happiness and love had taken its place, making him feel relaxed.

Mihye was the next one to hand out her presents, though she had only gotten small things for Ara and Kyuhyun. Maybe she had already handed over whatever else she might have had, but Ryeowook had a feeling that wasn’t the case.

Afterwards, Kyuhyun and Ara both handed out their presents and Ryeowook eyed the ones he got curiously. Both of them had a rectangular shape, but Ara’s was bigger than Kyuhyun’s. He decided to unwrap Kyuhyun’s first nevertheless, to find a CD with the words ‘To Ryeowook, 07/18–12/27’ written on it. He looked up and waited until he got Kyuhyun’s attention. When their eyes met and Kyuhyun noticed Ryeowook had chosen his present first, he smiled softly. “I made a collection of the songs you said you liked. Since you enjoy music so much, I thought you might like to listen to these songs more often. I also included some of my personal favorites. I have a list upstairs in my room so you can check out what song you’re listening to, I couldn’t really make it pretty enough to fit into the cover.” His smile turned sheepish while Ryeowook’s turned even brighter. He had noticed the radio in the kitchen could also play CDs, but since only Kyuhyun had owned some, he had never used that function.

“Thank you, Kyuhyun. This is wonderful.” On impulse, he leaned in to hug the younger, feeling him freeze in surprise for a moment before Kyuhyun’s arms wrapped around him as well.

“You’re welcome,” he mumbled close enough to Ryeowook’s ear to make a shiver run down his spine at the feeling. He leaned away again awkwardly but he was still smiling happily.

The cat hybrid curiously turned to Ara’s present next and carefully loosened the tape to reveal what was inside. At first, he only saw something like wood with some metal things on it and it took him a moment to understand that he was probably holding a picture frame in his hands. He carefully turned it around to find out he had guessed correctly, but the moment his eyes landed on the picture, he couldn’t take his eyes off it anymore. The picture had only been taken a little over two weeks earlier. Santa was sitting in the middle, Eunhyuk and Donghae were sitting in front of him, laughing brightly, and he himself and Ara were standing behind him, also laughing.

“Ryeowook, are you crying?”

The cat hybrid breathed in shakily and quickly wiped over his eyes, shaking his head nevertheless. A moment later, Kyuhyun once again wrapped his arms around him. “Hey, Ryeowook, what’s wrong?”

Ryeowook shook his head and looked up, smiling brightly despite the tears. “Thank you, Ara-sshi. Thank you so much.”

Ara smiled back at him warmly and leaned forward to grab a pack of tissues that Ryeowook accepted with slight bow of his head in a ‘thank you’. “You’re welcome.”

“Is this the reason why you hadn’t sent me the pictures yet?”

The young woman nodded. “Yes. I wanted you to get this picture first.”

“Thank you.” The cat hybrid took one of the tissues out of the pack and tried to dry his tears while taking deep breaths to calm down again. He made a note to himself to put the picture up that evening or, if it got too late, then definitely after his shift the next day! He looked at the photo again, realizing that he wanted to collect many more pictures until he could frame an entire wall with it—or, if that wasn’t possible, then at least his nightstand and his desk!

“Let’s take a picture again tonight, all of us!” Ara suggested and the others nodded.

“And another one on New Year’s! Then we’ll have pictures of the entire family together,” Donghae suggested and everyone instantly agreed, even Kyuhyun and Ara’s parents nodded in approval of the proposal.

When all the presents had been opened, they decided to take the big family picture next so they couldn’t forget it anymore. After a bit of negotiating and shuffling around, they agreed that Kyuhyun would set a timer and that his parents would remain seated while Ara would stand right behind them. Eunhyuk and Donghae would be on one of her sides, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun on the other, Mihye was supposed to sit on the armrest next to Kyuhyun’s mother.

The pictures worked out really well and Ryeowook couldn’t help but feel excited at the thought of receiving them eventually. He nevertheless excused himself right after the pictures to start making dinner, turning Mihye’s offer to help him down because he knew he’d be fine cooking on his own and he also wanted to prove to Kyuhyun’s parents that he had been a worthy choice, that he was a good cook, that he wouldn’t let them or Kyuhyun down. He wanted them to recognize that what they ate was only his accomplishment and no one else’s.

Most of the time, he listened to the conversation going on in the living room while he cooked and slowly the almost monstrous picture he had had of Kyuhyun’s parents faded and simply left a man and a woman who loved their children and worried about them. Suddenly, he wondered what it had been like for Ara who had taken in two hybrids at once.

“Excuse me?” The family looked up when Ryeowook interrupted the conversation and the cat hybrid bowed lightly. “Dinner is ready now. If you’d like to come to eat, I’ve already set the table.”

“Ah, this is perfect timing, Ryeowook. I’ve already started getting hungry,” Kyuhyun’s father commented and stood up. They all went to the table where Ryeowook had placed the various side dishes he had prepared as well as rice and meat.

“Woah, this looks amazing,” Ara commented and remained standing for a moment, taking in everything she saw.

“And it smells amazing!” Donghae added as he sat down, excitedly picking up his chopsticks while he impatiently waited for everyone else to sit as well.

Ryeowook was the last one to sit down. “Please eat well, everyone. I hope you’ll like it,” he said and slowly picked up his chopsticks as well.

“Eat well,” everyone else cheered and they all started to eat hungrily.

Ryeowook sat back for a moment, watching with anxious anticipation to find out what Kyuhyun’s parents thought about his cooking. Of course they had said Kyuhyun looked better at the moment and the younger had justified it with the good food, but since Kyuhyun’s parents had never tasted his cooking before, he was still nervous. Would it live up to their expectations? From what he had heard, Mihye was an excellent cook, so would he be able to compete? He felt like this meal was close to a final exam, like the final judgement over his worth as Kyuhyun’s hybrid would be made.

He was completely convinced that time slowed down when Kyuhyun’s parents took the first bite and chewed it. He could feel his hands tremble again and his heart beat faster. Even though Ara had said there was no need to him to worry, he couldn’t help the rising fear that her parents would decide he wasn’t good enough, that they would convince Kyuhyun to let him go, that—

“This is delicious,” Kyuhyun’s mother interrupted his frightful train of thoughts, making it stutter to a halt. Delicious? She liked it? They would approve? They wouldn’t want him to leave? “Yeobo, try this.” She picked up some of the pork she had tried and held it out to her husband who accepted the piece. A moment later, the man hummed.

“Wow, this really is good! Ara have you tried it already?”

Ara shook her head but leaned forward to try some as well and then everyone else did the same, all of them humming in admiration.

“Noona, you have to try the kimchi as well,” Donghae voiced out and in a heartbeat, everyone around the table recommended what they had just tried.

Ryeowook could only watch for a moment, his unused chopsticks still resting in his hand motionlessly as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. All of them liked it. Not only Kyuhyun, not only Ara, Eunhyuk, and Donghae, but all of them! The thought made him feel lightheaded and he couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his lips as he finally also moved to eat a bit. His nervousness and tension finally faded completely and he relaxed fully.

After dinner, he properly participated in the conversations going on around him for the first time and felt free to tell stories as well or to voice out his opinion. He made sure to only tell positive stories and give positive opinions, still a little unsure how to behave around Kyuhyun’s parents, but for the first time, he could at least see them as actual humans. The fear of them that had built up ever since their first meeting had been replaced by simple respect that he had learned to always show towards others.

It was still comparably early in the evening when he started to have trouble focusing on the conversation going on around him and his eye lids became incredibly heavy. He tried to stay awake and to continue talking to the others, but when he could finally concentrate on their words again, he realized they had changed the subject at some point.

Giving up after almost half an hour of fighting his tiredness, he leaned closer to the young man next to him. “Kyuhyun? Is it okay if I go to bed already?”

The other looked at him in surprise and nodded. “Yes, of course it is. I hope you’ll get enough rest for tomorrow,” he replied just as quietly and flashed the slightly older man a smile.

“Alright,” Ryeowook replied and smiled back softly, then he stood up. The others looked at him at that motion and he bowed. “Please excuse me. I had a short night last night and work was very busy these days, so I will leave first and go to bed.”

“Right, you two were still out partying last night, weren’t you?” Ara replied with an understanding smile.

“Yes, exactly,” Kyuhyun replied matter-of-factly.

“Do you want us to leave?” Ara asked further, looking at Ryeowook and the younger man hurried to shake his head.

“No, no, there’s no need for you to leave. Please don’t let me keep you from enjoying your evening.”

“Are you sure? If we get too loud, you’ll come tell us, won’t you?” Ara continued to ask, not letting Ryeowook’s protests stop her easily.

“I don’t think you’ll be too loud,” the cat hybrid replied, avoiding any phrases that could end up being taken as criticism.

Ara still didn’t seem to be entirely convinced, but Kyuhyun jumped in before she could say anything else, “Sleep well, Ryeowook. I’ll see you tomorrow in the morning, alright?”

Ryeowook nodded in response. “Good night.”

“Good night,” the others replied and the cat hybrid bowed one more time before he collected his presents and went upstairs to get ready for bed. Returning to his room, he put the CD, the recipe book, and the picture on his desk and smiled at the three items. He knew he would never forget his first Christmas with Kyuhyun and his family, the first time others had given him Christmas presents, and he knew whatever happened in the future he would always fight for these three items.

After one more glance at each of those three things, he turned around and went to bed. His sensitive ears still managed to pick up everything from the conversations below and while he listened with a happy smile, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

________________________________________________________________________________

So guys, this is finally the last part of Christmas. What do you think?

We're slowly nearing the end of the fanfiction (and also the end of the semester >.< Fun fact: I'll upload the last chapter on my last day of classes!). This means that if you have any questions so far about this hybrid system or the characters or a part of the storyline or anything else connected to the story, this would be a good time to step forward with those questions. Please ask away (about anything) if you'd like to know anything about it <3

As always, I'm looking forward to reading your feedback and I hope you all have a nice day and a wonderful weekend~