In just a blink of an eye, the kids are strapped into their cat seats and we are driving out of the cramped carpark at full speed. My hands are shaking, shaking so bad that I have to tighten my grip on the steering wheel or risk getting us all in an accident. Ryeowook keeps telling the kids to calm down and although the kids are panicked and afraid, they have quieten down. But Ryeowook keeps repeating the same things as if like mantra and I have a feeling it’s more like he’s trying to calm himself down than the kids. Without taking my eyes off the road, I reach out and touch Ryeowook’s hands.

“it’s okay, Wook. It’s okay.” I assure him.

Ryeowook intertwines his fingers with mine, his long thin fingers cold and unsure. I squeeze our tangled hands, trying to give him and myself some reassurance. My hands on the steering wheel loosen and I feel myself relaxing, the knots in my mind and heart slowly untangling themselves. Ryeowook stops hyperventilating too and he takes a deep breathe.

“What in the world just happened!?” Ryeowook shrieks. 

“You tell me!” I demand. “Police? What the f-”

“No swearing!!” Ryeowook interrupts me. “You’ll set a bad example to the kids!”

“Says the person with a gun in his laps!”

Ryeowook looks down onto his lap and gaps, picking the gun with his pincer grip as if it is the most disgusting thing in the whole world. One minute, he’s badasss as and another he’s acting all girly and like a bimbo. It’s so cute.

“Oh my god, oh my god, get it away from me!!” Ryeowook begs.

For the safety of not just him but myself and the kids, I grab the gun from him and place it in the compartment in front of Ryeowook’s seat. Ryeowook whimpers in protests staring at the compartment as if it is going to blow up any moment. Once we are on the highway, away from the busy road and traffic, I take a good look at Ryeowook making sure that he is not hurt anywhere and before I know it, I hear Ryeowook screaming and a car honking out loud. I divert my attention back to road and notice a car coming towards me. With all my strength, I pull the steering wheel towards the left. The car slides across the road and my eyes squeezes shut, the memories of the car accident that almost robbed my life coming back to me in flashes.

When the car stops turning and sliding, I brace myself and my eyes slit open. My heart is racing and my body is warm from the shock and fear. I can feel my stomach in knots, my body frozen and stiff. I hear crying and screaming, the sounds just too familiar. My head turns and I see Ryeowook next to me, his chest heaving heavily, his face pale and his eyes deep in shock. I turn around and Young is looking back at me, his eyes wide and his cheeks wet from tears, he’s crying, crying so heavily, his eyes begging for someone to comfort him. Next, I look at Hana and my heart drops. Her cheeks has a small scratch and blood is flowing down from the scar. She’s trying to reach to her brother, trying to soothe him and while she winces in pain, she ignores it and pats her brother, trying to give him the comfort he needs. Ryeowook and I unbuckle from out seats and get out of the car, immediately tending the kids behind. I unbuckle Hana from her car seat and carry her out onto the side of the road.

“Are you okay, honey?” I ask.

She nods, her head peering at Young who Ryeowook is handling. The sky above us roars and one by one, the drops of rain starts to splatter on the ground. The other car, the one that created this mess, is nowhere in sight and it looks like they are the only people on the road. I quickly my jacket and wrap it around Hana’s small body. I use my shirt and bring it up and dab over her cheeks carefully. She winces and grabs my arms but I hold her closer to me.

“Shhh, shhh. It’s alright.” I whisper. “You’ll be okay.”

Ryeowook appears on the other side of the road with Young in his arms and he looks at us worriedly, studying the both of us. “Are you both alright?”

I nod and Ryeowook touches Hana’s cheeks and tells her that we’ll bring her to a nearby clinic to get her checked. Ryeowook asks me if it’s possible to drive since my car’s headlight and front is all smashed thanks to that ing idiot that hit me. I tell Ryeowook that it’ll be fine if we drive until we can find an auto shop and get them to repair the damage. Ryeowook nods and reluctantly, he buckles the kids back to their seats and kisses their nose.

“Trust us, alright?” Ryeowook asks. “Nothing is going to happen, this time.”

The kids nod and I feel a pang of guilt. If I hadn’t look at Ryeowook, I would have notice the idiot and could have done something to avoid this. Ryeowook, as if sensing my guilt, hangs his hands around my waist.

“It’s alright, Kyu. We’re all safe.” Ryeowook assures. “Please don’t feel bad.”

“I just….” I sigh irritably and shake my head. “I could have gotten us killed.”

“No, you saved us, Kyu.”

Ryeowook gives me a quick hug and then pulls me back to the car. Muttering a quick prayer to God to please, please protect Ryeowook and the kids, I start off our journey. I need to find an auto shop and get the repairs for my car. I don’t trust the car or myself to drive back all the way home with missing and damaged parts. It’s a risk if I did that and right at this moment, after everything we’ve gone through, I rather not take a risk. We enter a small neighborhood and luckily, Ryeowook spots an auto shop and I drive into it.

____________________________________________________________

“I have bad news.”

Ryeowook and the kids are seating in the waiting room of the auto shop with cups of steaming hot chocolate in their hands. Ryeowook hands me one and I thank him, taking a seat next to me. The kids are distracted watching a cartoon on the flat-screen t.v mounted on the wall. I notice that both the kids are standing way too close to the t.v, both of them excited at how pororo is singing a song about god knows what, and clear my throat.

“Yah, get back to your seats!” I tell the kids. “Both of you are standing too close to the screen and it’s going to ruin your eyesight.”

Hana listens obediently and walks back to her seat across the room. There is a band-aid on her cheek thanks to one of the workers who offered to help clean her wound up. Young sticks himself to the screen and Ryeowook giggles at how Young is jumping up and down, his eyes twinkling at the land of pororo.

“Young.” I call out. “You better get back before I start counting to three.”

Young spins around and pouts at me and I give my best glare at him. He giggles and runs back to his seat across the room and joins his sister. Ryeowook giggles and I turn my attention back to him. Right. I had some bad news to break to him.

“The mechanic said that he needs at least a day or two to get the parts for the headlights.” I explain to Ryeowook. “Both of them got really damaged.”

“Oh no.”

“He said that we can still make our way back but it’s getting dark and the storm is getting worse anytime soon now.”

“That’s dangerous.”

I nod. “It is and so he offered us a room to stay over on the second floor. He said that he has a room upstairs which is usually for his family to stay over when they come and visit his workplace and because he’s a fan of me, he’s letting us stay there until the car is ready.”

Ryeowook’s eyes brightens. “Oh? Wow, that’s great, Kyu!”

“But we’ll have to call manager hyung and explain that we’ll be missing out on schedules.”

“Oh. Well… Let’s do a round of rock paper scissors and loser calls manager.”

“No no.” I shake my head and take out my phone, handing it to him. “I’m paying for my car so you call him.”

“I’d rather pay for your car than call him.”

“Too late!”

I wink at Ryeowook and he scowls, grabbing the phone from me. He goes outside and makes the call. Trust me when I say, I rather pay millions than have to talk to our manager about us not being able to make it back on time for schedules. The manager will flip and most probably yell and nag but… Really, it’s not like we got in an accident on purpose! Putting the thought of my dear manager aside, I strode to where the kids are seating and take a seat next to them.

“What are you watching, kids?” I ask.

“That is Pororo.” Hana tells me pointing at the penguin. “I think.”

“Pololo.” Young repeats in a daze. “Pololo!”

I chuckle. “Hana, does your cheeks still hurt?”

Hana shakes her head and I ruffle her hair. Pororo and friends start singing some song on the t.v and Young suddenly gets down from his sit and runs towards the flat screen t.v, gluing himself to the screen. I shake my head and chuckle at how this kid can be effortlessly adorable.

“Yah, get back here!” I laugh. “It’s not good for your eyes! Yah this kid.”

Young seems to ignore me or maybe he’s too absorb with the cartoon to care and I get up from my sat. Ah this kid. I tiptoe and grab him from behind and he squeals, giggling his little off. I turn him around my arms and stretch my arms out, hoisting him up into the air. Young laughs, a hearty rich laugh and bounces in my grip. I spin around and it tickles the little boy even more, laughing and giggling as if it’s the most fun he’s ever had in his life. Without realizing, I’m laughing too. I finally bring him down and carry him close to my body. I’m about to put him back onto the ground when Young suddenly hangs his little arms around my neck. He leans forward and kisses my cheeks and squeals. When his wet lips touches my cheeks, I feel a weird sensation going through my body and my heart. It’s warm and it’s cuddly and fluffy and… It’s loving. I grin back at the boy and with so much overwhelming feelings, I give him a kiss on his cheeks. He smiles, the most sincere smile I have ever seen on anyone and instead of struggling to get out from my arms, he hugs my neck and rests his head on my shoulder. I rub his back and kiss his hair.

“You’ve had a long day.” I whisper, my voice breaking.

I take a seat next to Hana with Young still glued to my body. I bend down and kiss Hana’s hair too, feeling a need to hold her, hold the kids close to me. I pull Hana towards me and she looks up and gives me a soft small smile. She rests against my arms and my heart feels like it’s going to explore with joy and warmth when she finds my hands and entangles her very small fingers with mine.

With a soft whisper, she hugs my arm tight and says,

“Thank you, oppa.”

_____________________________________________________________________

I have a theory on why Ryeowook could be blushing, his cheeks as red as if he’s just been slapped, right about now. But I’m not too sure. I may be getting too ahead of myself but I still think that I’m somehow right. Ryeowook adjusts the blankets on the kids bed making sure they do not get too cold during the night and looks everywhere else in the room except at me.

After Ryeowook was done talking on the phone with manager hyung – and got yelled at for almost ten freaking minutes – we decided to head straight up to the room. The kids had fallen asleep while waiting for Ryeowook and we carried them up to the room. The room is pretty much like a small guest room with beds, a small closet, a small bathroom but the trouble was that there were two beds. Ryeowook and I tucked in the kids into one of the bed and that left the other bed to either one of us. But there is nowhere else to sleep-not even a freaking couch- unless one of us wanted to sacrifice our backs and sleep on the cold hard marble floor. And I know it’s not going to be me. And I sure as hell won’t let him sleep on the cold hard ground. Guess we’ll just have to … Sleep together? On that really small bed. The thought of Ryeowook’s body pressing against his mine, his face just inches from mine, his full luscious lips whispering -

“Kyu,” Ryeowook suddenly interupts my train of thoughts.

“Hmmm?” I feel myself growing red in the cheeks.

“What are we going to do?”

“About the bed?”

Ryeowook shakes his head. “About the kids.”

“Oh.” I avoid his eyes, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “Well…I… I don’t really know.”

“I don’t want to bring them back to their parents. They’re monsters and obviously criminals since they freaked out and almost killed us when we said that we were the police.”

“First thing, you said that. I don’t even…. Where did you get the whole police thing from? Cleary, you’ve been watching too much dramas.”

Ryeowook sighs, annoyed. “I don’t know! They were so rude to us and the living condition was not healthy for the children. I thought that maybe if I brought up that we were police they might respect us a little and listen to what we have to say. Did you even see the house? It was a mess! The kids can’t live under such environment!”

“But they freaked out and I did not expect that at all. I think they really are criminals.”

 “No , sherlock. No one would just freak out and point a gun to a police.” I roll my eyes. “But I’ve got to admit. You were hot as hell when you manhandled Young’s father and took his gun away.”

Ryeowook smiles shyly. “Thanks. I didn’t know what got into me.”

I want to kiss the silly shy smile away from his face. He looks so mesmerizing under the dim hotel lights that I have to take deep breaths and tell myself that he’d probably freak out if I did something weird. He doesn’t know that I’m gay and I don’t know if he has the same feelings for me back but I just… I plop down on the other bed and run a hand down my face. Life is so unfair sometimes.

“Is there something wrong, Kyu?” Ryeowook asks worriedly.

“No, no.” I look at him. “We’ll go to the police station once my car is ready. I think this is getting out of hand.”

Ryeowook nods and releases a yawn. “I’m tired. I’m going to take a quick shower and go to bed.”

“We should get some sleep.” I nod. “So umm…. Are you alright with.… With us sharing a bed?”

Ryeowook is already halfway to the bathroom with a towel over his shoulder. He looks back at me and tilts his head. His lips curl into a smile and he winks playfully.

“Why did you think I put the kids together on the other bed?”

Ryeowook giggles and leaves me completely speechless.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I can keep my hands to myself. It’s suddenly torturous for me. I can feel Ryeowook’s arms pressing against mine and his skin feels ice cold. He always complains that he feels cold easily and his skin is proof that he really does get cold easily.

“You’re freezing.” I point out. “Are you alright?”

Ryeowook nods. He suddenly turns in the bed and faces me. He stares at my eyes, his breathing even and his face pale in the dark room. He suddenly reaches out and touches my cheeks.

“Thank you.” Ryeowook whispers.

“What for?”

“Today has been a hell of a ride and… I wouldn’t have made it without you.” Ryeowook smiles. “Thank you.”

“I only got us into more trouble.” I shake my head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, trust me. I’m so thankful that you came with me. With us.”

I nod, not wanting to argue with Ryeowook. We’re so close that I can feel his warm breath on my skin, his fingers still my cheeks and his eyes still staring deeply into mine. I never look away too, feeling as if I’m too far lost in his dark brown eyes and I cannot find any escape. I want to know what he is thinking and if his heart is beating just as fast as mine right now. I want to know if his body is warm because of me or if there are little butterflies flying around in his stomach just like mine.

“Kyu,” Ryeowook breaks the silence. “Do you think that the kids were even kidnapped in the first place?”

I thought about this for a moment. “I don’t know.”

“I just don’t understand why they would care to make a report to the police when they’re criminals.” Ryeowook chuckles. “They’re afraid of the police but they made a police report?”

“I don’t know, Wook.”

Ryeowook sighs. “It’s just so complicated.”

“Hey, I’ve got a question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you ever regret bringing the kids back when you ran into them?”

Ryeowook stares at me, his eyes twinkling in the dark. He pulls the comforter over the both of us and leans forward, pressing his body against mine. My hands goes around his waist, as if like a reflex and he rests his head under the crook of my neck, his hands pressed against my chest. I hug him close to my body and I sigh in contentment. Hugging Ryeowook makes me feel like as my problem and worries are gone

“No,” Ryeowook answers, his voice thick with emotions. “I think they came into my life for a reason.”

 “I just haven’t figure out what the reason is yet.”

________________________________________________________________________________

I hope I'm not too late but Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

For my christmas present, I'm not going to ask for too much, I just would like a makeover and look like Krystal Jung or Sandara Park for the rest of my life. Please and thank you, Santa. 

What about you?

XD