“I’m,” Ryeowook stares at his brother and his best friend, “you must be hungry.” He promenades to the kitchen all giggly.

They stay in that awkward position for a while more. Realizing Ryeowook was nowhere in sight, Sungmin, gasping for breath, pulls away from Kyuhyun.

“What was that about?” he hisses in a whisper.

“I kissed you.”

“I know,” Sungmin stomps his foot again.

“No stomping in my ing house!” the taller man snaps, stiffening his ‘jagiya.’

“Why did you do that?” Sungmin asks calmly, looking down to his feet – feeling ashamed of being told not to stomp at the age of 19.

“To make it believable,” the owner of the house answers simply, like it wasn’t the first time they kissed – well that it was. He turns away from his ‘boyfriend’ and walks leisurely to the couch. “You’re now my official boyfriend,” he winks.

“What the ?”

&&

“Oh,” Donghae looks at Eunhyuk for a few seconds, then starts sipping on his milkshake.

“You’re not gonna say anything?” Eunhyuk stares at him quizzically, as if waiting for something big. He was honestly expecting a different reaction. “No reaction?” he was stupid to even ask. It’s Donghae, Eunhyuk. It’s Dong ing hae, he curses to himself.

“Nope,” the younger answers flatly, not even looking at his lover.

“You just don’t care, do you?” Eunhyuk was on the verge of a breakdown, but he tries to keep his feelings in like he does all the time. He looks away from Donghae, his eyes moistening, pretending to focus on the other people in the café.

“I don’t.”

&&

Sungmin and Ryeowook were sitting on one long couch, both at the opposite side of each other. It was awkward. They’ve never been awkward.

“Hyung,” Ryeowook tries to break the silence. The only noise as of the moment was the television, displaying pink bunnies and Ryeowook never liked. If only Kyuhyun was around, he’d do all the talking just to avoid the awkward atmosphere.

“Hm?”

Ryeowook gasps silently, his brother finally answered him. He mentally jumps for joy. “Are you still mad at me?” he waits for Sungmin’s response. Realizing his brother had no plans of answering him, he stands up and jumps at him.

“What?” Sungmin yells. “Ryeowook!”

“Hyung,” the smaller boy bounces back and sits beside his hyung. “Listen, hyung, I’m sorry,” he looks Sungmin straight in the eyes. “I thought you didn’t care. You didn’t even ask, hyung. So I didn’t bother telling you.”

Sungmin looks at his brother. He couldn’t believe his stupidity was what made him upset. “It’s okay,” he stretches his arms to hug his brother, which the latter unswervingly gives in to.

“Hey,” Kyuhyun passes by them, making the two jump.

“When did you come here?” Sungmin looks up at Kyuhyun, gently breaking free from his brother’s arms.

“Five minutes ago,” the youngest man in the room answers, not even looking at his ‘jagiya.’ “I’m sleepy,” he walks to his room and shuts the door, only to peep out after a few seconds. “Sungmin.”

Sungmin looks up at Kyuhyun. “Yeah?”

“Let’s sleep.”

He gapes at Kyuhyun for a while, failing to notice his giggling brother sitting beside him. “Bwo?”

“I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”

Sungmin looks at giggling Ryeowook, “but Ryeowook’s bed… it’s not yet assembled.”

“It’s okay, hyung,” Ryeowook beams at his hyung, looking all overjoyed and fluffy.

Kyuhyun clicks his tongue. He walks up to Sungmin and grabs him by the hand, pulling him to ‘their’ room. “Why are you so stubborn?” he locks the door.

Sungmin gulps, he finds Kyuhyun scary. “We’re not a real couple.”

“Would you rather sleep on the floor?”

The smaller boy shakes his head vigorously.

“Then go sleep,” Kyuhyun dismisses his ‘boyfriend.’ He collapses on the bed immediately after finishing his sentence.

Sungmin didn’t fail to notice how exhausted Kyuhyun was, he feels a slight hint of pity for the boy. “Seventeen and working this hard, and at Christmas time,” he mumbles. “But then again, you do relieve yourself in brothels.”

&&

“The star!”

“Got it!”

The scarlet haired boy stands tiptoed on the couch beside the Christmas tree, stretching to place the golden star beautifully on top of the tree, in which he succeeded.

“It’s so pretty,” Donghae looks at the Christmas tree with sparkling eyes. He was seated on the floor Indian style.

Eunhyuk didn’t fail to notice Donghae’s reverie. He was never this warm. I guess Christmas does change people. “I know right?” he sits beside Donghae.

“That star is older than us, you know that?”

“Really?” Eunhyuk looks at his boyfriend with wide eyes.

“Yeah, and it’s pure gold,” Donghae looks at him with a smile Eunhyuk had never seen before. “It was my dad’s proposal gift to my mother.”

“He proposed to your mom at Christmas?”

“Yeah,” the brunette looks up at the tree again, “isn’t it sweet?”

“Any proposal is sweet, Hae,” Eunhyuk looks at his love with a sad smile which he failed to notice, “especially when it comes from a heart that knows how to love.”

The brunette ignores him, he was absorbed by his reverie for the tree tangled in blue and white lights.

Eunhyuk felt like crying. He whispers, “what kind of relationship do we have, anyway?”

&&

“Merry Christmas,” Yesung puts up a monochromatic star at the top of his huge Christmas tree with the help of a tall stool.

He sighs. He sort of imagined his Christmas being slightly different, being around company. Someone cooking for him, someone decorating the Christmas tree with him, someone eating cake with him, someone exchanging gifts with him, someone annoying the out of him, and someone cuddling beside him under the sheets in a cold night.

He couldn’t help but think of Ryeowook when he thinks about those things, and he hates it. He hates how the boy’s absence bothers him.

“I’m just taking time to adjust,” he steps down the stool, “that’s all.” He stares at his newly decorated Christmas tree. It had red and purple stars around it, red and purple lights, red and purple Christmas balls, red and purple flamingos, red and purple candy canes, red and purple everything. He just wasn’t able to refrain himself from thinking of the person who bought the decorations with him – the person he got into a huge fight with while buying the decorations which caused him three sleepless nights because of that person’s intentional screeching noises.

“Ryeowook chose those out,” he smiles at the Christmas tree, a smile he never flashed in his whole life.

Satisfied with his work of art, he walks to his bedroom to take a rest. It’s his vacation and he has all the right to enjoy it. He walks pass a full length mirror. He couldn’t help but notice what he was wearing – ragged grey v-neck and black worn out pants. “Did you forget to iron again?” he sighs, “not everything’s going to be done for you. Not this time.”

“You just had to leave at Christmas time,” he picks up a golden wrapped box from under the Christmas tree.

He hates himself for admitting that Ryeowook’s absence discomforts him, but he had just enough of denying his feelings.

He misses the boy.

_______________

Merry christmas everyone~