***

Thanksgiving was supposed to be the same old routine that Jae was accustomed to. Her mother would spend the entire day making a delicious mess in front of the stove, yell at her father from time to time when he snatched away bits and pieces of food she had already prepared instead of helping her cook and Jae would do her best to stay away from her mother's line of sight to avoid being in the abyss that was the kitchen. While her father would claim complete control over the remote to watch football, Jae was free to enjoy some peaceful bliss on her own before the relatives would come over and her moment's peace would be over. After all the festivities she'd usually pass out on the couch or on the floor if she couldn't make it to the couch, having OD'ed on food. That was how she usually spent Thanksgiving's Day. 

Well, at least, that was the tradition. 

Living in the island of Ookami Shinro had its advantages. It was quiet, idyllic and way too far for relatives to visit. Unfortunately, it being such a peaceful and secluded island, it had its own traditions which all the inhabitants happily participated in...

"A turkey hunt? You're kidding me," Jae drummed for the umpteenth time after she heard her mother telling her about it.

"It's fun! Everyone on the island is participating. There's a fair, there'll be lots of food, and if you manage to get yourself one of Mr. Yoshiyama's turkeys, you get to keep it! He'll even prepare the turkey for you!" her mother explained excitedly, clasping her hands while they drove the short trip into the heart of the town of Hanwol. 

"But, I mean- a live turkey? Isn't there something, I don't know...morbid about turning a turkey hunt into a game and then even eating the live thing that you just killed on Thanksgiving Day?" Jae was fully aware how hypocritical she must've sounded, but she kept a straight face. Her parents didn't know that when the night came, she and a particular set of twelve boys would sneak out of their respective homes at night to do a little 'hunting' themselves. Jae comforted herself with the thought that she actually never really did the hunting, she just ate the spoils the others caught, and even then she'd always insisted their meals to be properly cooked first. 

Going on a turkey hunt on Thanksgiving Day was a whole different story though. Jae hadn't even seen the poor animals yet, but she was already feeling sorry for the birds. Wasn't it enough that an entire nation participated in the near genocide of one particular species of birds each year, they had to turn it into some kind of Turkey Hunger Games on the island as well? 

"Jade, baby, you're old enough to know that the hamburgers you eat are made of cows. The bacon you gorged this morning? A pig named Babe. So they weren't hunted on, but the concept is pretty much the same. You think the chicken you had for dinner last night wasn't alive before it was marinated and deep fried?" her father challenged and Jae pouted. 

"It's not the same," she still insisted, momentarily forgetting about sulking when they arrived at the town square. The whole place was decorated in honor of Thanksgiving, tents and stands were scattered all over the place, people parading around on the promenade. She had no trouble in believing that the whole island showed up. She could already see a bunch of her classmates and teachers walking around. People were playing games and dancing to music. The whole place was buzzing with vivacity and mirth that was very contagious. Jae wore a smile on her face when she got out of the car to look around. She was particularly impressed by the nearby picnic area, where countless of tables and chairs were set up amongst a green meadow, decorated with lights and lanterns. Given, the turkey-shaped lanterns were a bit cheesy and gave off that old country feel, but it somehow fitted the whole atmosphere. For a sleepy town, Hanwol did seem to know how to have a good time. 

Her mood was considerably lifted, but plummeted down when she caught sight of a pen stocked with five, fat and wobbly turkeys. She could already hear a bunch of people boast about how they were surely going to catch one and she sighed in disappointment. 

"Hey, lighten up," her father nudged her. "It's just once a year," he winked. 

"Indeed, and this is our first year amongst new neighbours, so let's make the most of it, alright, sweetie?" her mother added with a brilliant smile that Jae found difficult to resist. When she saw that she managed to pursuade her teenage daughter, Mrs. Miyano smiled even brighter. "That's my girl. Now, why don't you go out and have some fun? Find your friends, go explore!" she suggested. 

"Are you sure? I thought this was a family thing?" Jae asked. 

"It is, just as long as you come find us as soon as it's starting to grow dark, okay?" her parents waved when Jae agreed and she started to roam. It wasn't long until she came upon a familiar, friendly face. 

"Hey, Jae! I was wondering when the newbie was going to show up," Minho smiled as he went in for a quick hug. Jae happily returned the embrace, relieved to have found someone she knew. 

"Hey Minho, happy Thanksgiving!" she greeted with a bow, which the boy immediately reciprocated. 

"Happy Thanksgiving! So, this must be new to you, huh? What do you think of it, so far?" Minho asked, one ball of excitement. 

"It's different, but it looks like fun," she replied with a pleasant smile. 

"It actually really is," Minho elaborated and gave her smirk. "Hey, are you alone right now? 'Cause I wouldn't mind, you know, if you're up for it, to give you a tour," he then offered, his eyes sparkling and cheeks flushing a soft pink. 

Jae chuckled at the sight of it and was about to answer when her nose suddenly caught a very familiar scent. Wisteria? She turned around to search for the one person she knew that smelled like wisteria flowers and it was rather fortunate that he was very difficult to miss. With his tall and lean profile, honey blonde hair that was never a lock out of place, and smoldering gaze, he stood out amongst the crowd almost like an angel amidst mere mortals. A fallen angel, though, Jae thought to herself as her eyes locked with that of Kris Wu. And quite possibly a dorky one as well, she quickly added, since his cool and distant image didn't necessarily fitted his personality. 

She smiled when he coolly jerked his chin up as a greeting towards her before he walked in her direction. Meanwhile, Jae was doing her best to keep from laughing, as Kris approached her as though he was on a freaking catwalk. However, since it was crowded, he accidentally kept on bumping against people and left a string of apologies in his wake. She shook her head in amusement at seeing the tall young man bow deeply before an elderly lady, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. He flushed red when the lady cheekily replied that she honestly didn't mind him bumping up against her and that he was welcome to bump into her anytime. 

"A-ah...I didn't know you were here with Kris-hyung," Minho stated softly and for a moment Jae was a little surprised to hear his voice. In that instant, she felt guilty upon realizing that she had quite nearly forgotten that Minho was there as well. She turned to him, giving him her full attention. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Minho, I got distracted. Um, I'm actually not with-," 

"Minho, what's up?" Kris suddenly interrupted after finally arriving in one piece. He shook hands with the younger man, smiling a polite smile that somehow didn't seem to be very genuine in Jae's opinion. She squinted at him in suspicion, but Kris paid no heed to that. 

"Hi Kris-hyung, eh, happy Thanksgiving!" Minho replied, smiling a little after he received the greeting from Kris as well. "I was just talking to Jae, I didn't know you two came here together," he commented, though Jae noticed the smile fading from his face a bit. She frowned at this. 

"No, I was just going to tell you-," she started. 

"That we didn't actually come here together," Kris cut in again, smiling deviously at Jae before casually placing his arm over her shoulder, making the girl freeze on the spot. "We just promised that we'd meet up here," he continued in a smooth voice, the lies coming out without a hitch. "Jae's my date for today," he then announced with a gummy smile. "Right?" he looked at her and tried not to flinch at seeing the shock in her face. Before she could open to protest his enormous hand squeezed her cheeks together. 

"You look so cute," he cooed. "Doesn't she look cute?" he added insult to injury, turning her squished face towards a very surprised Minho. 

"Um, y-yeah. Adorable," the youth didn't sound all too convincing. "Well then, uh...sorry for the interruption. Hope you guys have fun and enjoy," Minho muttered, a little dejected, though he was still smiling pleasantly. "I'll see you around, I guess," he then greeted. 

"Yeah, tonight for sure," Kris added waving at him. Jae had managed to wriggle loose from his grip. 

"Minho, hold on- oh, great," Jae sighed at seeing the boy quickly walk away and she her heels to glare at Kris, who, despite having an advantage in height and strength, flinched backwards. "Why would you say something like that?" she protested, her hands on her hips. 

"Say what?" he asked with a blank stare. 

"You know what!" she exclaimed. "That was uncalled for and it was a lie! Why would you tell Minho that we're on a date together?" 

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to let him go on a date with you," Kris reasoned, but this just annoyed Jae even further. 

"We weren't going to go on a -! Oh my God, okay, never mind. It's Thanksgiving, people are having fun, and I'm not doing this," she gestured, pointing at him. "See you, Kris," she saluted, turning sharply around to walk away. 

Kris blinked at her a moment before chasing after her. "Jae! Jae, what, hold up," he grabbed her arm and gently turned her around. "I'm sorry," he immediately said. "I didn't know what happened, the words just left my mouth...It must've been a wolf thing," he whispered. "Instinct, you know? You're one of us, so it's weird to see an outsider hang around you," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Minho isn't an outsider, he's my friend," Jae told him, though her tone was gentle. Kris could tell that it meant that she'd already forgiven him. He grinned. 

"You're right. I'm sorry," he said again. "Let me make it up to you, okay? Let's hang out together, whatever you wanna do, or eat; my treat," he offered as a peace treaty. 

"You're going to pay for everything?" Jae asked skeptically. 

"Hey, I'm a very generous guy. That's just my style," he assured her and a warmth spread from his heart to every inch of his body when he saw that his lame joke made Jae laugh. Kris couldn't begin to describe how psyched he was when he stumbled upon Jae first. He knew his brothers were around, but he had rather hoped that he could spend some time alone with her. Just get to know her better without any of his brothers hovering around her and claiming the attention that she should be giving to him instead. It was a of luck that he saw her first. 

"So, whaddaya say?" he asked, his hand already outstretched. Please take it, he chanted in his head. 

"Hmm," Jae mused, unaware at how much suspense she was making him go through. "Just you and me?" she asked in a tone that was so innocent it nearly made his jaw drop at the sweet sound of it. Kris could only nod. 

Jae's pondering expression finally turned into a nonchalant smile. She shrugged and casually fitted her tiny hand into his, her touch warm and sending pleasant jolts of electricity through his body. "Sure, why not?"

They spend the day browsing and going through nearly all the food stands, tasting everything. Jae would feed him bits and pieces of her food while he'd offer to do the same. There was no tension or awkwardness between them, and even though they'd both agreed that it wasn't an actual date, Kris couldn't help but feel that it was one anyway. He was therefore extremely adamant to win her a stuffed animal at one of the game stands, but as usual, his big words and promises shattered the moment he had to put his words into action. It wasn't that it was because he at playing the game, it was just that the game was rigged. Or so he told himself and anyone that would hear it, Jae especially. Speaking of the girl, Jae turned out to be pretty good at playing games. In the end, she won an oversized stuffed alpaca for him instead. Of course she mercilessly about it, up to the point that it made him sulk. She offered to buy him dalgona to apologize, but he wouldn't eat it unless she fed it to him. By the end of the day, he was carrying the overgrown alpaca on his back while Jae clung casually onto his arm, the both of them walking side by side. Kris watched as she was telling him what a great and fun day she had and how she would never forget it. She smiled the smile that made his heart leap as she reached for his hand. Kris swallowed when he knew what would be coming next. There was only Jae in his eyes, only her hands in his, only her smile for him. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear as he slowly tilted her head back while he leaned forward. His breathing exhilarated when he felt her warm breath tickling his skin and he smiled right before his lips locked on-

"Yah, Kris-ge, buy me this, too!" Tao's loud voice interrupted his perfect daydream as his annoying younger brother pointed at a hotdog. 

"Oh, is Kris-hyung buying? Can you buy me these flowers?" Chen than piped up with that stupidly cute grin of his to which Kris just couldn't say no to. 

"Fine, here," he handed him the money which he knew he wasn't going to see back and saw the excited kid go to the saleswoman. Kris sighed deeply when Tao was prodding his shoulder. "What?" he asked in a bored tone. 

"Hotdog," he insisted. Rolling his eyes, Kris gave him the money he needed and begrudgingly let out a chuckle upon hearing Tao's childish 'whoop' before running off to buy it. The tall teen winced visibly when he turned around to see his brothers swarm around Jae, showing her all different kinds of snacks and food and telling her about previous Thanksgiving days on the island- things that he wanted to show and tell her. He knew that it was too good to be true. The moment Jae agreed to hang out with him, Tao and Sehun suddenly popped out of nowhere. Tao excitedly greeting them, completely oblivious to Kris' subtle signals to get them to leave. Sehun, the brat, was a bit more astute and purposely wriggled Jae loose from Kris' side so he could lock arms with her. All of this while he was casually sipping his bubble tea. Kris thought that it was bad enough for him to then witness how Sehun offered her to taste his bubble tea after he had just sipped from the straw, the sting of envy at the indirect kiss nearly making Kris growl at the maknae. 

But, as the exemplary duizhang and one of the eldest brothers in the pack, he indulged the kid and swallowed his pride and jealousy- well, maybe not quite all of his jealousy. He managed to calm down somewhat, growing quiet and becoming a strong but silent presence in the group, which is what usually happened when his other brothers were around. Just when he thought that he could manage sharing Jae with Tao and Sehun, the three little beagles from hell showed up. Kris felt utterly defeated by then, knowing that the five of them would claim Jae's attention so much, she'd probably forget that he was there too. Therefore, he wasn't even fazed when they met Kai and D.O. next, tagging along easily. They found Xiumin, Luhan, Suho, and Lay together while they were eating sweet potato cheese sticks. 

Kris had felt the muscle beneath his eye twitch when Lay offered Jae the snack. When she reached to grab it, he moved away, claiming that it was hot to touch, so he fed her instead. 

"It's good, right?" he had exclaimed in his enthusiasm as Jae nodded, opening again so he could feed her the rest of it. 

"Thank you," she told him cutely with a muffled voice.

Kris was invisible and he knew it. How could he compete with his brothers? Look at them! 

Jae was giggling while Baekhyun was entertaining them, the group bursting out in laughter when he finally came to the punchline. While they were distracted, Chen quietly tapped her on the shoulder and handed her the orange flowers he made Kris buy earlier. 

"For you, noona," he said shyly, while Kris had to watch how Jae's expression changed from surprised to flustered to delighted, all in a matter of seconds.

"Aw, thank you, Chen, that's so sweet of you," she cooed. 

No, no, that's sweet of me, not Chen, me, Kris! I bought the flowers, not him! Kris gritted his teeth, but still endured. It helped that he put his earphone on in one ear to listen to some soothing tunes to keep the wolf tamed. It probably didn't make him appear very sociable, but he was very much aware of all the interaction around him. He just didn't particularly liked seeing it. 

"Yeah! You're going to participate, too, right, noona?" Chanyeol piped up, all smiles and sunshine. Kris blinked and curiously listened in on the conversation. 

"Actually, I don't really want to be a part of it. I mean, a turkey hunt?" Jae said rather skeptically. 

"So? We hunt chickens too, don't we? It's the same thing," Kai said in a hurried whisper. 

"Except that we can't actually kill the turkeys. You have to literally try and catch it," Xiumin elaborated. 

"Wait. So the turkeys don't actually get killed?" Jae inquired, surprised at the information. 

"Of course not, noona. You know how the President of America always grants a pardon to one lucky turkey?" Sehun asked and Jae nodded. "Well, here in Hanwol we give that pardon to five turkeys instead. They don't get eaten."

"Oh, really? My Mom said that you had to hunt for the turkey so it could be killed and eaten," Jae pulled a face while the brothers laughed. Kris let out a snort himself. 

"She probably heard that from Mr. Yoshiyama himself. The guy raises these turkeys like they were his own babies. He likes to joke around," Suho explained while Jae let out a visible sigh of relief. 

"Ohh," she breathed, relaxing. "Then, how does the turkey hunt work?" 

"Ah, noona, it's really fun!" Tao immediately explained. "If you can catch one of the five turkeys, you'll be awarded with a gift, depending on what kind of turkey you caught."

"Most people try to find the turkey with a painted golden feather, since the prize awarded for capturing it is higher," Luhan added. "Last year the winner got a solid gold figurine of a rose."

"What? Real gold?" Jae asked, agape. 

"Yep. It can get pretty chaotic once the hunt begins," D.O. said, though he was rolling his shoulders as though he was ready to get started. 

"Wow...did any of you ever win?" Jae then inquired, rocking her legs to and fro from her seat. 

"Well," the brothers mused, exchanging glances, "not exactly," Suho muttered a little embarrassedly. 

"Turkeys are pretty smart animals, even though they don't look that way," Lay started. 

"They sense a wolf coming from miles," Baekhyun clarified. "They scatter and flee even before any of us get a chance to get close."

"I almost got one two years ago, though. Pounced on it using the element of surprise," Kai reminded everyone, but this only made them laugh. 

"Yeah, you scared the bird so much it went straight for an attack on your sensitive parts," Chanyeol blurted, the brothers laughing. Jae chuckled herself when Kai protested and sulked when Chanyeol and Baekhyun recreated the scene with the both of them squealing like girls while attempting to protect their special place. 

"Anyway, you should enter with us, Jae. It'll be fun!" Xiumin piped up, while Kris still remained silent, though mostly it was because he was afraid that if he'd reminded the others that he was still there as well, they'd start to make fun of him and his painfully embarrassing attempts to catch one of those damned birds. 

"I don't know, maybe if the prize was worth it," she shrugged, still looking a bit reluctant. Kris couldn't blame her. Suddenly it occurred to him that if his brothers went hunting for turkeys like mindless monkeys, he could sit it out for this year and finally spent some time alone with-

"I hear this year's first prize is a pair of diamond studs," Luhan said as though he was purposely tempting Jae to participate. 

Don't fall for it, Jae, please, don't fall for it!

"Diamond earrings? You're kidding!" she exclaimed in disbelief. 

"Of course he's kidding, there's no way that's in the budget," Kris responded in a reflex. 

"Actually, it's true. My dad is helping with the sponsoring and he's the one that picked them out," Suho stated matter-of-factly. 

"Wow, amazing," Jae said and Kris didn't like the way she was thinking things through. "I guess I could give it a shot, for the earrings," she then answered playfully, sticking out her tongue while winking. The gesture would've slayed Kris completely to kingdom come, save for the fact that it meant that his chance of being alone with her was gone again. 

Dejected, he isolated himself out of the conversation again, doing his best to focus on the music he was hearing. 

"Wah, you really want those earrings, huh, noona?" Chen prompted, the smile wide on his face. "In that case, I'm going to catch the turkey with the golden feather and give noona the earrings!" he announced.

Upon hearing this, Kris shot up straight, one lug of solid concentration. Why didn't I think of that?! he thought, as he mentally slapped himself. If he could somehow win first prize, he could sweep Jae off her feet by giving her the diamond earrings and this would undoubtedly ensure that she'd forget all about his brothers and focus on him instead. She'd have no other choice but to think of him every time she wears them, or sees them, even!

"Ha! As if! I'll be the one that wins and gives the prize to noona," Sehun immediately argued. 

As he watched the scene unfold, Kris decided that he did not want to be left out of this, despite Jae's own protests against them that they really didn't have to do it for her.

"All of you are going to lose, because I'm going to win this thing," Kris announced in his deep voice and it surprised him that he was met with silence as his brothers all gazed up at him. "What?" he asked, a little bewildered.

Almost on cue, they simultaneously burst out in laughter.

"Yeah, you, the winner, good one, Kris-hyung," Chanyeol patted him on the back, but Kris frowned in confusion at him.

"I'm serious! I'm going to win," Kris emphasized, but this made his brothers laugh louder.

"Do you even remembered what happened last year?" Luhan asked him between giggles.

"Hey, last year was different, I know what's at stake now," Kris told him, pleading his case.

"And what exactly would be at stake here, brother?" Luhan quipped, a smirk on his face.

Jae's heart. "Have you not been listening? Diamond earrings! Diamond earrings are totally my style," Kris announced seriously. 

"What happened last year?" Jae's gentle voice cut through the boisterous voices of the boys, making her voice sound more like a celestial bell.

"Nothing of import!" Kris immediately replied, sending warnful glares at everyone. This usually did the trick, but he'd forgotten that there was a certain, blank person that paid no heed to any of that.

"Kris-ge got lost in the woods last year while chasing one of the turkeys," Lay revealed with a lazy smile. "It was his intention to sneak up on one of them so he went around it, but when he wanted to attack, the turkey was gone and had instead snuck up on him. He got so startled that he fell backwards and couldn't tell which way to go anymore."

Kris cringed under the laughter of his brothers, and that of Jae. He nodded sarcastically. "Ha ha ha, yeah, good, laugh it up. Just wait and see, I'll win today!" he stated with confidence, though his heart wasn't sure at all. Thinking back to all of his failed attempts up to this time, made him worry. He shouldn't have agreed to do this.

The rules of the game were simple enough. The execution of it, however, was a whole different story. The five turkeys would be set loose in the woods and it would be up to the participants to locate them and to capture them. Depending on the painted feather on the turkey, you get a certain prize. Everyone was, of course, aiming for gold. That's why that particular bird - Kris was making eye contact with it right now - had to be caught first. That was all that mattered. He was going to catch it and then hand the prize to Jae. He had to win.

Kris breathed out as he looked to his sides, seeing his brothers with the same kind of determination and seeing an amused and smiling Jae amongst them. He got so caught up in just watching her, that he completely missed the start signal until Jae had let out an excited squeal and started running. His natural instincts made him want to go after her, but then he snapped back awake and went after the golden turkey that was running for its life.

It irked Kris immensely to see how fast a dumb bird could flee, while he, the Dragon, had trouble keeping up.

"Losing your edge, Kris-hyung?" came a smirking Kai running beside him.

"In your dreams!" Kris replied, picking up the pace. Since they were wolves, running was in their nature and they were fast. Really fast. He couldn't even see the others anymore. It was just him, Kai, and the golden turkey. There was chaos everywhere. Kris heard laughter and shouting, people falling and rising to their feet again, and then there was that string of a golden melody; the call of the turkey.

Gobble gobble gobble. 

"Get over here, you!" Kris leapt forward to reach for the panicked turkey but landed face first in the dirt. Coughing and grunting he quickly got to his feet, desperately seeing others go after the same animal. How was he going to catch it?

"Kris! I saw what happened, are you okay?" Jae stood before him, panting, with her eyes on him and him alone. This was enough to make him smile. 

"Yeah, totally fine, you?" he asked.

"You're bleeding," she said worriedly, carefully reaching out to the corner of his lips. 

"O-oh, uh... yeah, this is nothing," Kris waved off, wiping the blood away. "Don't worry about it , Jae, I'll get you those earrings," he promised solemnly, wondering why the girl was chuckling now. Was it so hard to believe that he could do this?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," she apologized, having seen his fallen expression. "It's just...It's kind of cute, how you're going out of your way and through all this trouble just to get that turkey so you could win for me. It's idiotic, but adorable. I mean, look at you, you're bleeding and everything," she chuckled again, patting the dirt from his shoulders and sleeves. Kris wasn't paying a lot of attention to what she was actually saying, since she basically told him that she thought he was cute and adorable and nothing else registered in his brain after that. He was so in his own world that he hadn't realized that she was still talking to him. 

"...so please be careful, I really don't care for any pri-,"

"I'll get you those earrings, Jae. You can count on me!" Kris interrupted abruptly, filled with newfound energy. Sniffing the air like the predator that he was, he quickly left Jae's side to go after the turkey. 

"Here, turkey, turkey, turkey...Come on, you stupid animal, just let me catch you," Kris mused, carefully looking around. He tried to focus on the scent in the air, but there were so many of them, it was difficult to discern them all. He turned around to follow his nose and bolted through the trees when he picked up the scent. In the process of his focus and excited prospect of winning this thing for Jae, he bumped against trees, tripped over dugged up roots, slammed his face against branches, all for the sole purpose of catching the turkey.

It appeared that he wasn't the only one with troubles. When he caught side of the creature, Kai was running after it with a bunch of other guys from school, all of them falling over each other and stumbling. The turkey started to chase them after being fed up and this scattered the group. Kai fell on his bum, wincing in pain, but still refused to give up. While the turkey was distracted, Kris grasped the opportunity.

"AHA!" he exclaimed as though victory was already at hand, but found himself, instead, about to fall over Kai since the turkey swiftly went the other way. 

"Ow! Argh, hyung!" Kai protested under Kris' weight. 

"Sorry! That thing is fast!" Kris grunted, getting up before he'd crushed his brother. 

"This is embarrassing, can't we just go after it in wolf-form?"

"You know that Suho will get an aneurysm. Come on, on your feet," Kris helped him get up and the two brothers went looking for it again. After a few moments, it was Kai that spotted the damn turkey. 

"Hyung, over there!" Kai whispered and Kris zoomed in on the beast. 

"That's right, you gobble gobble away, my friend. I'm coming for you," he muttered, ignoring the strange looks he received from Kai. "Alright, you stay here and I'll go catch it," he patted his shoulder. 

"What? No way, hyung, I spotted him first!" Kai argued. 

"What are you talking about? We spotted it first!" the rest of their brothers appeared from behind trees and shrubs, all aiming for first place. Not the first time today, Kris wished that they would just leave. 

"Please, do go away, as you can see, we have called dibs," Sehun stated, gesturing for his older brothers to go. 

"In your dreams, Sehunnie. That turkey friend stayed here because he knows that I'm here and wants to be caught by me," Lay whispered to not scare off the animal. 

"You're all stupid, that turkey is waiting around for me to catch it," Chen pointed at himself. 

"I agree with Chen; you all are stupid," D.O. nodded before he let out a bubble of laughter and quickly ran after the turkey before his brothers could respond.

"YAH!" they exclaimed simultaneously, which resulted in the awkward and extremely rare situation of twelve fearsome wolves giving chase to a single turkey, who had the misfortune of getting one of its -feathers painted in gold.

The brothers ran and tripped over each other, pushing and pulling and playing dirty to get to the turkey first. The animal in question continued to dodge, it's incessant gobbling growing louder and more panicked by the minute.

"Get over here, turkey!"

"I want my diamond studs, you birdbrain!"

"Yah, turkey, come in my arms!"

Kris shoulder-rolled forward, stretching his long arms to grab the turkey. He felt like he was quite literally floating for a bit for dramatic effect, but he wasn't using his powers. He could see the golden feather shining, could literally feel the touch of feathers on his fingertips. And that was when gravity came back with a vengeance and he landed on the earth, dirt in his mouth, the turkey gobbling away.

Now, let it be known that Kris Wu was a strong man, in control of his emotions and very reserved in showing them to others. But at that moment, after having suffered through a less than ideal Thanksgiving Day he had initially planned and hoped for, yet another disappointment felt like a sincere blow to the gut and he felt like crying. He wasn't, of course, but he kept his face buried in the sand. He was tired and peeved. Why was it so hard for him to want to impress Jae and just have a few moments with her to himself? Why did he have to share with his brothers? Why did he feel guilty that he felt jealous of them? Why couldn't he just catch one freaking lousy turkey?! How could he have been outsmarted by Thanksgiving Dinner?!

"Aw, there, there," came a soft voice, ringing clear in the air. Kris lifted his head ever so slightly and was immediately amazed at the sight before him.

"Aw, you poor thing, you must've gone through hell and back, huh? Were these boys mean to you?" Jae asked the intrigued turkey, who acted like a meek little pet as she casually it's neck.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Luhan asked in disbelief, his disheveled hair filled with twigs and leafs.

"Unbelievable," Kai said in a tone balancing between pure annoyance and admiration.

Unbelievable is right, Kris thought a little bitterly to himself, I cannot believe that I'm jealous of a turkey right now... he bit his lip when Jae lifted the happy bird up, her almond-shaped eyes blinking innocently at the twelve of them. 

"Are you guys alright?" she asked sweetly.

None of them could speak, still amazed at how easily she managed to catch the bird. All they did was nod.

"Thank goodness for that. So, are you guys coming?" she then wondered, Kris noticing how she tried her best not to laugh at them.

They simultaneously shook their heads.

"Okay then. I'm gonna go ahead. You take your time," she decided. "See you later!" she saluted, the turkey gobbling after her as though it was mocking them.

"What just happened?" Baekhyun inquired, dazed.

"I think noona just won," Chanyeol replied, still trying to figure everything out.

"Okay. But...how?" Chen asked, looking at his brothers. They all lifted their shoulders before heading back.

Kris was not in the mood much for festivities. He was well aware that it was Thanksgiving and that people should always be happy during the holidays, but he wasn't feeling it this year. Not only did he feel like an absolute failure, he couldn't believe that he spent most of the day sulking and wishing that his brothers would leave.

Jae was announced the happy-go-lucky winner of the diamond earrings and the festivities started for real. Everyone was sitting down together for a joint Thanksgiving dinner, the night air filled with laughter, music and people chatting happily with one another. Kris was sitting at the table with his brothers, of course, and Jae was there too. Their parents and family members were scattered around, busy in their own social circles for the moment. He'd join his mother and father later.

Of course he had to watch how Jae split her attention to his brothers, and how easy it was for them to claim that attention. Baekhyun got a laugh. Chen, a bright smile. Sehun got a gentle caress on the cheek. Lay, a wink. They all got something from her, but him?

It that he cared too much for his brothers to ever act on the feelings of jealousy and the accompanying frustration. It's okay, he thought to himself. They make her happy. Of course she'd give them her attention, her affection. Can't compete with that. 

"I'm thankful for good friends, old and new, may you all stay healthy and happy," D.O., murmured a bit in his glass, feeling shy for saying out loud what he was grateful for. He was met with cheers and applause and Kris told himself to loosen up and join the party.

"My turn!" Chen got up from his seat. "I'm thankful for fun times, friends, family, and, reluctantly, detention, for keeping me in check now and then," he joked.

"Yeah, we're all thankful for that," Luhan quipped.

"Jae-noona, your turn!" Chen then said after sticking his tongue out at Luhan. "What are you grateful for?"

The table fell silent in anticipation and it made the girl shy and nervous. Kris smiled softly at seeing her purse her lips together while thinking up an answer. He already knew what he was grateful for.

"Um, well, the same things, I guess. Family, friends, meeting you guys," she admitted shyly, looking at the blue velvet box that contained the diamond earrings. "It's kind of nice, to- you know, to feel like I belong somewhere. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but to suddenly be able to hang out- it's pretty awesome. So, thank you. You've all taken good care of me, even though I don't deserve it. I hope I'll be able to return the favor one day," she said sincerely, eliciting gummy smiles from the brothers.

"Okay, so, next person, please, quickly," Jae continued, hiding her face. The night went on pleasantly like this, up to the point that Kris remembered that Thanksgiving was about stopping for a moment to appreciate all the blessings you've received in your life. Amongst them, his brothers were definitely a blessing, first and foremost, though they appeared like curses sometimes. He stood a bit farther away from them, just looking at the stars and being thankful for them, too. He hadn't said it out loud at the table, but he was grateful that Jae was in his life. He knew that he wasn't the only one thinking like that, but that was okay. He could live with knowing that Jae wouldn't be able to give him her full attention.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Her voice startled him, not having expected to be sneaked upon. Jae grinned and Kris looked up at the stars for a moment, suspiciously wondering whether he had made an unconscious wish and they suddenly granted it to him.

"Um, just- uh," he pointed up at the blinking lights in the night sky, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Ah, I see. Stars are awesome, aren't they?" she asked, holding the velvet box in her hand. Kris quickly looked around, expecting one of his brothers to pop out from the shadows to take Jae away from him again. But, no one came.

"How's your lip?" she looked at the minor injury and Kris finally was able to speak again.

"It's fine, thanks."

Silence. He felt like he should say something.

"Listen," Jae suddenly started, and hearing the hesitation in her voice made Kris panic for a moment, though he didn't know why. "This may seem a little weird, but I just wanted to say sorry for today," she apologized, flustering him even more.

"Sorry? For what?" he asked, trying to remember what she could have possibly done to offend him. He couldn't think of anything.

Jae chuckled. "You know," she urged, but he drew a blank. "I know that we agreed we'd hang out together, just you and me, but that didn't really turn out the way we planned, right?" she recalled. At this, Kris' eyes widened.

"Ah! That! Yes, oh- right, yes, uh...I mean, it's okay. Didn't really think- that is, it's a small place, we were bound to bump into them," he waved off.

"Yeah, I know, but I felt kind of bad because we agreed to hang out, but we barely got to speak today. Which reminds me, thank you for the flowers that Chen gave me," she added, which had him blushing.

"F-flowers? What flowers? I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted, clearing his throat and looking up at the stars.

"I know you were the one that bought them, Kris," Jae stated, a little teasingly. "Chen told me. He said it was his idea, but you were the one that paid. So, thank you. Even though the day didn't go as planned, you still managed to take care of me, that's pretty awesome. And not just me, but everyone. You're quiet, but you're there, you know? Everyone just kind of knows that they can depend on you, even when you don't make yourself known."

Kris wasn't sure what to do with the compliments she gave him, so he just stood there, nodding and shrugging it off. Sensing his awkwardness, Jae opened the velvet box, revealing the simple, beautiful diamond studs. Kris watched silently as she grabbed one of them and held it up to twinkle just as brightly as the stars. She smiled brightly when she turned to him, grabbed his hand and put the diamond stud on his palm.

"For you," she announced easily, Kris blinking at her. "Don't look so stupefied," she chuckled. "You went through all that trouble during the turkey hunt, I thought it right to give you half of the prize. Besides, see it as my way to make it up to you for today. I promised to hang out with you and that didn't really happen, so yeah. I mean, it's pretty cool, right? You'll have something to remember me by when you're wearing it, and I'll have something to remember you by," she blurted out, making him blush and incapacitated to respond. 

"That was lame, wasn't it?" Jae winced before laughing nervously. "It's lame, right? I should've just gotten you a slice of cheesecake or something," she rambled. 

"N-no, no," Kris quickly said, taking off the earring he was wearing so he could wear the stud. "I love it. Thank you," he said, proudly showing off the stud. "How does it look?"

"It suits you," Jae nodded in approval and they both shared in laughter. "This is definitely a Thanksgiving I won't ever forget," she told him. "I've never hunted for turkey before and actually won." 

"If you think that was extraordinary, just wait till Christmas time," Kris chuckled. 

"For real? The island celebrates Christmas like this, too?" Jae piped up, a mix of concern and excitement. 

"Sort of. There's a lot more ice, a lot more food, less turkeys and more sugar-high elves, two hundred and fifty jolly Santas and flickering Christmas lights. The fireworks are good though," Kris shrugged. 

"Sounds like a blast," Jae grinned jokingly before nudging his elbow. "We should go together, maybe meet up a little early or something so we get to hang out before the others join," she suggested, completely unaware that the offer made Kris' heart leap out of joy. 

"Really?" he asked instead, making sure to keep some of his cool image in tact. 

"Yeah, I mean if you're up for it," she nodded. 

"Oh, uh, yeah, I think that could work," he said as casually as possible, trying to control his heartbeat. 

"Okay, cool," Jae decided, directing her gaze at the stars as she automatically put the diamond stud in her ear herself. "The stars are so bright tonight." 

Kris only saw the stars reflect in her eyes and ever so subtly scooted a little closer to her.

"Yeah. They're beautiful."