Zitao grunted lightly as he was awoken by a sudden weight in his lap. His eyes opened into slits and he looked up, only to meet the wide-eyed gaze of his boyfriend, Sehun.

Zitao sighed and wrapped his arms around the smaller; large hands resting on a tiny waist. "What's wrong, babe?"

Sehun frowned and collapsed on the older, turning sideways in order to cuddle closer. It was a tight fit on the small armchair, but he was able to stuff his face in Zitao's neck and lay across his boyfriend's chest just fine.

Zitao nuzzled the blonde hair. "Hey, Sehun, what's wrong?"

Sehun took a deep breath, putting more of his weight on Zitao and trying to move closer to the 24 year old. "It's nothing, Tao. Just tired is all. Christmas is coming, you know?"

Zitao chuckled and nodded, wrapping his arms tighter around Sehun. "Yeah, I know. But it'll be great. All of our friends will be there, baby. You should be excited!"

"I am!" Sehun huffed, pouting slightly. "But I still can't figure out what to bring to Kyungsoo's. He mentioned something about a dessert, but I don't know what to make."

Zitao hummed in thought. "Can't you just make something simple, like a blueberry pie or something?"

Sehun groaned and hit his boyfriend's chest. "That's too simple! This is the first Christmas with all of us together - I want to make something special!"

"Alright, alright," Zitao laughed, catching Sehun's hand as it came down to hit him again. He brought the hand up to his lips and kissed the pads of Sehun's fingers. "Anything you make will be special. It's just our friends." He turned a teasing eye on Sehun, whose eyes were still closed. "And you know that Jongin will eat anything, knowing that black hole of his."

Sehun laughed at the thought. Yeah, Jongin had a stomach made of steel. He wiggled the fingers in Tao's grasp, brushing against his boyfriend's lips. "Well, still. I'm not just making a blueberry pie, stupid. Think of something else."

"Way to ruin the mood," Tao complained, grasping Sehun's fingers tighter.

Sehun chuckled. "You love me," he sang teasingly.

Tao smiled and ducked his head down, kissing the younger's forehead. "I do," he mumbled softly, resting his head on top of Sehun's.

They rested like that for a moment, Sehun dozing while Tao ran his fingers through the smaller's blonde hair. 

The silence was suddenly broken by a loud bark, and both Tao and Sehun glanced over the side of the armchair to find Candy, their new puppy, staring at them from the floor.

"You want to join the cuddle fest too, Candy?" Sehun asked.

Candy yipped in reply. Sehun chuckled and bent down far enough so Candy could jump into his arms. Sehun laid across Zitao's chest, the puppy resting in his own arms. Candy wiggled for a moment to get comfy before finally settling down. Her back was to Sehun's chest but the rest of her body was on top of Tao.

"You two are crushing me," Tao said jokingly, avoiding a hit to the head.

"Shut up," Sehun mumbled. "I know for a fact that you've had heavier things on you. Like Chanyeol."

Tao groaned and ducked his head. "You know I don't like talking about that."

"But drunk Chanyeol is so funny," Sehun laughed.

"It was only funny for you because you got to watch me get crushed by that tower!" Tao complained, Candy's fur.

Sehun shrugged sheepishly and grinned at his boyfriend, leaning up to give Tao a small peck. "Maybe..." he whispered and settled back down. He was growing tired. The day was a cloudy and snowy one, and he had been cooped up in the house, looking through cookbook after cookbook of a nice Christmas dessert to bring to their friend's house.

Sehun took a deep breath and simply sagged against Tao, wrapping an arm around Candy and grasping at Tao's shirt.

"You tired, baby?" Tao whispered, wrapping his own arm around Sehun's body.

Sehun nodded. "Yeah."

Tao smiled gently even though Sehun couldn't see it and nudged the younger. "Then go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Sehun giggled and closed his eyes. "I'm laying on you - you have to stay here, idiot." He was silent for a moment, then asked. "Tao?"

"Hmm?"

Sehun nuzzled into his boyfriend's neck. "You don't... regret us, do you?"

Tao turned wide eyes on his boyfriend. "What? Sehun, what brought this on?" he asked incrediously. Had he done something to make his boyfriend doubt his love for him?

"It's just," Sehun paused for a moment, "when you came out to your family, they disowned you. They gave you a choice - either find a girl to marry and stay with them, or leave and be with me. And- and you chose me." Sehun started to sound choked up and teary. "I-I just... I never wanted to be the reason that you can't see your family anymore."

"Sehun," Tao whispered, wiping away a tear that made it's way down Sehun's cheek, "I will never regret this. Not even for a second. Baby, you need to understand that I made this choice - I made the choice to be with the one I love. I knew the consequences, and I understood that I will never get to see my parents again." He took a breath. "And... and as much as it hurts sometimes, I just remember what I have gained. I gained Candy, our friends, and this beautiful home. I have a well paying job and an adorable boyfriend that I love to the moon and back." He tapped Sehun's nose and grinned at the boy's surprised laugh. "And that smile," he murmured, a finger across Sehun's lips, "I think I would give you anything in the world because of that smile."

"You mean all of that, Tao?" Sehun asked, smiling and wiping the rest of his tears away.

Tao nodded. "Of course I do. I'd never lie to you, Sehun." He cradled his boyfriend and his puppy to him. "You guys are my life now, and I couldn't be happier." He bent down and gave Sehun a loving kiss. "Go to sleep," he whispered against soft, pink lips, "I'll be here when you wake up."

Tao gazed at his sleeping boyfriend and Candy and sighed. They were his life, and there was no way he would give them up and go back to his homophobic parents. However, it did hurt. It hurt to know that he would never be able to hug his mother again, to never play basketball with his dad - to never even speak to them. They had ordered him to move out as soon as he told him, and he did it willingly. On the way out, he turned back to them and said, "Have a good life without your only child."

And that was the end of that. He and Sehun graduated college, he as a business major and Sehun as a dance choreographer along with their other friend, Jongin. They bought a large home on the outskirts of Seoul, close to both their work places. A year later, they adopted Candy. Zitao was sure that his parents never expected him to make it this far without them, but he was just fine. He had everything he needed right in his arms.

That doesn't mean, however, that he isn't bitter. Now that he thinks about it, his parents really never deserved him. Sure, they were good parents, but they never supported Tao in his decisions. They were controlling, over emotional, and always tried to steer Tao in the direction that they wanted him to go. They even went so far as to try and arrange a marriage for him - with a girl that wore too much makeup and probably lost her ity at 14.

Tao snorted and laughed to himself. How could he have not noticed? They never wanted him to be happy. They wanted him to live by their rules and their expectations. 

Well, one last glimpse of their son wouldn't be too bad, would it?

Managing under Sehun's weight, Tao grabbed his phone out of his pocket. He clicked on the camera icon and held it up, making sure it showcased everything. Tao snapped the picture and grinned when he saw the end result.

Tao, with a slight smile on his face, holding Sehun and Candy close to his chest.

Sehun, curled up in Tao's lap, grasping at the older boy's shirt and head nuzzled into Tao's neck.

and Candy, tiny body resting on both Tao and Sehun with Sehun's arm wrapped around her.

Would he send this picture to his mom and dad? Hell no - he didn't want anything to do with them right now. That didn't stop him from sharing it to instagram, tumblr, and facebook - all with the same caption.

'Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm happy. I know, crazy right? That I could be happy without judgemental parents and a girl who I would never love. Well, look at me now. I have a job, a loving boyfriend, and we just bought a pet. I have a life that I'm proud of, and I'm sorry that you two obviously don't. It's because of this life that I have now that I don't miss you. That stage passed a long time ago. To rub it in your close-minded faces a little more, I'm going to let Sehun make Grandma's secret cream puff cake. I'm sure it will be a huge hit with our friends and their family members.

Happy Holidays

Your son, his boyfriend, and our spoiled dog'

And... SCENE! Hope you guys liked it - I thought it would be a cute little story. :3 And like I said in the foreward, I only just got a new computer, so all of the chapters that I had typed up for my story 'Pack' are gone. Trying my hardest to rewrite them now. Comments are welcomed - thank you babies!