... and my true love gave to me ❄
Wu 'Kris' Yifan

To say Kris was a little anxious as he stood at the door signing the paper clipped to the board for the delivery man was a little bit of an understatement. Once he handed back the pen, the man held three parcels towards him and Kris took them with a strained thanks, hefting them under one arm as he bid the guy goodbye and strolled slowly into the living area where half of EXO was sprawled over the sofa and floor, eyes fixed on the television screen as Baekhyun beat the crap out of Sehun in some fighting game that Kris wasn't really all that interested in.

It was Chen who spotted him as he tried to sneak by unnoticed with his deliveries and he stopped dead, staring at him as the troll's lips tilted into a smirk. Would he let him go or was he about to announce his presence to the rest of the room?

When Chen continued to stare at him with an unreadable expression, locking Kris in place with that godforsaken look that just screamed I know you're up to something, the dragon shifted the parcels carefully under his other arm and took the topmost one off the pile.

“This arrived for you, Baekhyun,” Kris shouted over the bustle of noise, throwing the small package at Baekhyun's head where it bounced off and landed in his lap. He ignored the startled oath that followed, turning his gaze to Kyungsoo and throwing a somewhat larger wrapped box in his direction. Much as he had predicted, the others turned curious gazes towards Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

Then he made a break for his bedroom, hoping to slam the door closed between him and Chen before the singer tried to stall him; because damn Chen and his not being distracted by what amused simpler minds. Junmyeon could only watch as he streaked by in a blur of blonde and white, hallway echoing and walls shuddering slightly as he locked his door. Eyebrows furrowing, the leader tilted his head in the direction Kris had gone before meandering into the living area to find Baekhyun and Kyungsoo being given the Spanish Inquisition on what was in their packages.

“Why did Kris just fly down the hall like his was on fire?”

“He got a parcel too,” Chen reclined against the cushions, watching the mayhem unfold around him with fingers steepled before him. He put Junmyeon in mind of some evil mastermind who had just put some equally dastardly plan into motion. He shuddered.

Junmyeon exchanged a knowing look with Lay before leaving the kids to play and slipping into the kitchen where he grabbed a roll of sleek-black wrapping paper decorated with silver and white snowflakes, a pair of scissors and the cellotape; not forgetting the little silver bow as he went. Whilst Lay kept the others distracted by continuing to badger Baekhyun and Kyungsoo on what was hidden in the depths of their packages, Junmyeon slipped back through, shooting Chen a look of mind your own damn business as he went.

Tentative fingers rapped against Kris' door and he waited for the M-leader to open it just a crack.

“Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon held up his offerings; Kris opened the door and admitted him access, quickly slamming the door closed again when he spotted a curious deer peeking out of a nearby bedroom.

“It arrived then?”

Kris nodded, knotting his fingers together awkwardly as he sat on his bed and lifted the box onto his lap. It was a specially designed box with an equally special gift inside. The box itself was ornate, made of black wood with the yin yang motif etched and painted in silver below the clasp. There was silver lining the edges with intricate, oriental style corners and Kris opened it with trembling fingers to show Junmyeon what lay within.

“Kris... it's beautiful...”

“Think he'll like it?”

Junmyeon couldn't help but laugh at that as he stared at Kris' gift in amazement. He had never penned Kris as being such a soft-hearted romantic, yet the proof lay within the box clutched in his shaking, nervous grasp.

“Are you kidding me? He'll love it, Yifan... it's perfect.”

Kris let out an audible breath, allowing a smile to split his face as he closed the box gently. With Junmyeon's help, he wrapped the box. Much to Junmyeon's annoyance, he tore the paper off no less than three times during the wrapping, because it wasn't perfect. It had to be wrapped perfect.

Finally, after what felt like hours to Junmyeon, the box had been painstakingly wrapped perfectly and Kris scribbled on the little tag and stuck it to the gift, placing the bow on it and admiring their handiwork.

“He's only going to tear it off in a few minutes,” Junmyeon pointed out, tugging a stray piece of cellotape out of Kris' hair.

It seemed Kris had forgotten about that as he looked at Junmyeon with a so we just wasted all that time for nothing expression. Junmyeon shook his head and rose, offering Kris a hand up.

The way Kris handled the gift was like one might do a volatile bomb; it was as though he was terrified that even the slightest jolt would cause some sort of explosion as he carried it through the living area, following in Junmyeon's shadow.

The scene that met them... well, it was a warzone.

Kai and Sehun had pinned Baekhyun to the carpet, trying to get the parcel that was now wedged firmly between the singer's stomach and the floor whilst Chanyeol tried to defend his boyfriend, arms wrapped around Sehun's waist as he pulled at him. Luhan was having none of that and was clinging to Chanyeol's back like a koala putting a giraffe in some sort of death grip.

Kyungsoo had backed into a corner, cuddling his box close to his chest as though his very life depended on it staying in his possession. Tao and Minseok were eyeing him curiously, whilst Lay tried to distract them from their target.

Worst of all, in Junmyeon's opinion, was the one sat in the armchair with his hands behind his head, just watching the rest of them fight like animals. There was a tilt to his lips that told Junmyeon this was all his fault.

“Chen... what did you do?”

“Me? Nothing.”

“Then why are you sat there looking like the cat that got the cream?”

“Oh, just watching the savages tear each other apart for gift secrets.”

“Do we need to tie you up?” Kris arched an eyebrow at Chen, taking none of his innocent act.

“Hey, only I can tie him up,” Xiumin's attention was swiftly grabbed and he shuffled away from Kyungsoo to sit possessively on Chen's lap, resting against him and sounding like he was almost purring as Chen slipped an arm around him.

The presence of not one, but two leaders was enough to quell the 'savages'. Luhan slipped from Chanyeol's back and extracted Sehun from the pile, tugging him into the safety of one corner of the sofa. Kai quickly scurried off Baekhyun and scooped Kyungsoo from the corner, protecting both him and his precious cargo as he seated them in an empty armchair.

Chanyeol was quick to pick Baekhyun up from the ground, checking him over and taking note of several angry marks on his stomach from where the box had been digging into his flesh. He kissed away the tears standing in the corners of his eyes and cradled him close, sitting as far away from Sehun and Luhan as the sofa would allow.

Junmyeon rolled his eyes, but took Lay's hand when the dancer offered it, allowing him to pull him down into his lap where he leant his head against his shoulder and watched Kris expectantly.

Tao had turned his dark gaze on him and Kris felt a knot form in his throat as the martial artist tilted his head curiously; that deep, penetrating stare never once left Kris' face and the dragon swallowed, reaching out a large hand and beckoning his lover to him with the universal come over here hand gesture. He left his hand held out, waiting for Tao to take the hint and grab it.

It was only after an encouraging shove from Lay's foot that Tao forced himself to his feet, reaching out and sliding his fingers against Kris'. A smile graced Kris' face; it was small, almost delicate and far too soft for Tao to think anything other than he was up to something. Kris rarely smiled that smile and it usually meant a kick to the feels for Tao.

Kris tugged him gently, pulling him onto his knee and slipping both arms around the slender rapper, presenting the gift to him as Tao adjusted so he slid to sit between Kris' thighs and the blonde was back hugging him. Tao wasn't a child; he didn't want to feel like he was sitting on Santa's knee.

He stared at the perfectly wrapped gift, almost too afraid to tear into the paper because there had clearly been a lot of effort into making it look so pristine. So he tried to open it as neatly as possible, edging away the tape and unfolding it until he could slid the box from its' paper house.

Tao took a few moments to admire the beauty of the actual box, fingers tracing the delicate patterns lining it, before he snapped the clasp open. He felt Kris tense against him as the lid was lifted and his eyes fell on the true gift; the one that Kris had spent the best part of three months on. A lot of research had gone into his gift choice. It had to be one hundred per cent perfect.

A gasp caught in Tao's throat as his dark eyes took in the sight of what lay amongst the silk lining the box. There, nestled amongst black and silver silk and looking so glossy and new that Tao was afraid to touch them, was a pair of ornately designed nunchaku.

Tao set the box between his feet, carefully lifting once of the nunchaku from the box and holding it in both hands as he marvelled at the beauty of it. They were a matching pair with the yin yang symbol in the centre. Around one stick was a Chinese dragon, the yin yang sat amongst its coils. The other depicted a panda, the symbol etched into its' stomach like a brand. The two sticks were held together by five chain links. Tao couldn't help but notice that it had been perfectly weighted for his hand and it seemed to almost mold to his grip, despite behind made of hardwood.

He lifted the other from the box and smiled softly. The second one was weighted slightly differently for his dominant hand. He had never expected Kris to go into such detail for his gift... if he was honest, Tao had been half expecting him to paint or draw him something. But this... went far and beyond anything he could have asked for.

Kris watched over his shoulder as Tao set the nunchaku back in the box and closed it, picking it up and setting it beside them. He wasn't entirely sure what Tao's feelings about his gift were; but he soon got the hint when the younger turned to him with tears trailing down his cheeks and the happiest smile Kris had ever seen on his face – not counting the day Kris had asked him to be his, of course.

“Yifan... it's perfect...”

A loving smile was what answered Tao's words and Kris away the tears with the pads of his thumbs, holding Tao's face firmly in his large hands as he rested his forehead against his.

“Just like you,” he breathed softly against his lips before claiming them gently.

Chanyeol cleared his throat awkwardly and tried to look anywhere but at the couple.

“Oh, please, Yeol. As if you and Baekhyun hide your PDA,” Kris scoffed as he broke the kiss, not looking away from Tao as he climbed off him and stood, pulling him by the hand. “What is it, Tao?”

There was a little glint of mischief in Tao's eyes as he retrieved his box and continued to tug on Kris' arm. Kris chuckled, taking the hint and allowing Tao to lead him down the hall.

Junmyeon looked around, dead-panning. “Earphones in I think.”

He was met by nine gazes followed by nine nods of the head.

❄ a dragon in a pear tree...