“Christmas Eve party! Chis’mas Eve party!” Haru twirled around the living room in her red velvet dress with a lace collar. It had been mine when I was her age. “Do I look pretty, Daddy?”

“Of course you do, my angel.” Jimin cooed from the couch, where he was rocking a fussy Sun Jae.

“Daddy, are we gonna eat cream puffs at the party?”

“Yeah, holly berry. But you can’t eat as many as you did last year.”

Haru turned to Taehyung and Gemma, who were squished on the couch next to Jimin. “One time, I ate too many cream puffs and my tummy hurted.”

“Oh, no.” Gemma murmured sympathetically.

“Well, don’t do that this year.” Taehyung advised.

“Yeah, and don’t run away into the woods, either.” I chimed in from the floor. Jungkook sat next to me with his legs crossed. Our knees touched in a friendly way, and I knew I’d been forgiven.

“Yes, please don’t. It’s bad for Daddy’s heart.” Jimin agreed.

“When are we leeeeeeaving?” Haru whined.

“Soon, little love.” I promised.

Haru sighed and flopped dramatically onto the rug. Yukon walked over and sniffed her curiously.

“My wife got me two cats for Christmas.” Jimin said to Taehyung.

Taehyung wrinkled his nose. “Dogs are better.”

Gemma glanced at me for a quick moment, then back to Jimin. “Didn’t you guys have a kitten before? And you had to give it away?” She turned to me. “You’re allergic to cats, right? Don’t you think it’s kind of irresponsible to adopt two cats when you had to give your last cat away?”

I flushed. What a y thing to say. She knew that Jimin and I had both been really sad about that.

Jimin looked uneasily between Gemma and I. “She got some medicine. Right, baby?”

I nodded and stared down at my lap. What was with Gemma? Why the sudden surge of hostility?

Taehyung loosely folded Gemma’s hand into his own. She started, but relaxed as he flipped her hand to palm side up, tracing the lines in her skin with the tip of his finger.

Boo.

Jimin turned to me with his mouth open, making a show of pointing at them with his finger. I wiggled my eyebrows back at him, and he grinned.

Personally, I wanted to vomit at Taehyung’s show of affection to the iest incarnation of Gemma. What the hell? I had thought that we were getting along better in the past year, but apparently not. What the had I done to her?

Jungkook walked into the living room carrying a wrapped tray laden with Mrs. Park’s homemade Christmas cookies. He took one look at Taehyung and Gemma staring into each other’s eyes and sighed.

“Hurry up. We’re leaving in a half an hour, so if you guys wanna bone before you leave, you should probably do it now.” He set the cookies down on the table with a clatter.

“Kook.” Jimin softly admonished.

Jungkook ignored him and mumbled something, probably something rude, under his breath. Taehyung looked up sharply, but Jungkook dropped his gaze to Sun Jae.

“Can I hold him?”

“Sure.” Jimin held out Sun Jae to Jungkook. Sun Jae smiled up at Jungkook and grabbed a lock of his hair.

“Who’s a cute little munchkin? Who’s the cutest little munchkin?” He nuzzled his nose against Sun Jae’s stomach. “You’ve got the cutest little tummy. The cutest, cutest little toes.” Jungkook nibbled on Sun Jae’s socked toes. He turned to me. “Is this what he’s wearing tonight? These look like pajamas.”

“They are pajamas. We try to dress him at the last possible moment so he doesn’t spit up all over everything.”

“Good. Can’t have my boy out here looking sad and unstylish.”

“Um, he’s a baby.” Gemma rolled her eyes.

“Um, you’re grown. What’s your excuse for looking sad and unstylish?” Jungkook retorted.

I kind of wanted to giggle, but Taehyung and Jimin’s upset faces stopped me.

In an effort to diffuse the tension, I asked Jungkook to help me dress Sun Jae. We went up to Jimin’s old bedroom, where I’d packed a pair of tuxedo pants and a dress shirt.

Jungkook sat down on the edge of the bed and played with a loose string on the cuff of his sleeve.

“I hate Gemma.” He mumbled. Sun Jae let out a wail as I tried to pull the shirt over his head. He hated changing clothes.

“Why?”

Jungkook shot me a look. “Do I really need to explain myself to you, of all people?”

I shrugged. “Sometimes, she’s cool.”

“Yeah, and sometimes she sends Taehyung spiraling into depression. Excuse me for not being her biggest fan. Why the can’t she just go back to France and leave us all alone?”

“Did you like him with Ji Eun?”

Sun Jae gurgled, staring up at me with his sweet brown eyes. I cooed at him, and Jungkook gently his hair.

“Oh, I don’t know. That whole thing with Namjoon…” He trailed off.

“We’re gonna see them tonight, you know. Hey, do you think Taehyung’s hanging out with Gemma because he doesn’t want to be alone when he sees Ji Eun?”

“What? No. They’ve been broken up for like a year. He’s probably over that by now.”

I quickly changed Sun Jae’s diaper. Jungkook wrinkled his nose.

“Sunshine, do you like being a mom?”

I smiled down at my son and kissed his nose. “I love being a mom. Haru and Sun Jae are amazing.”

“Yeah, they’re cute. You’re cute, too, when you’re with them.”

I tucked Sun Jae’s shirt into his little tuxedo pants. “Thanks.”

“Listen…” Jungkook began, reaching into his pocket, “I know that you probably don’t want this, and I’m not trying to make your feelings waver or whatever, but I promised Seokjin. Merry Christmas.”

He placed a small wrapped box on the bed next to Sun Jae.

“Jungkook, I can’t accept this. Take it and give it to a girl you like.”

“It’s for you, sunshine. Just open it.” He nudged it closer to me.

When I didn’t move to open the box, Jungkook sighed in exasperation and ripped the paper himself. I tried to stubbornly look away when he shoved two pieces of paper in my face.

“They’re tickets to see Jay Park, alright? Just ing take them and go with Jimin. Say they’re from me.”

“That’s lying.”

Damn, I really wanted to take the tickets. I’d been trying to see Jay Park for forever, but Jimin kept bailing on me. This was a perfect opportunity to try again.

“So? Not like you’ve never lied to him before.”

I bristled. “I don’t lie to my husband!”

“You lied about liking Jin!” Jungkook exclaimed.

I stared at him. Sun Jae made a small buzzing sound with his lips, but Jungkook and I didn’t break our gaze.

“Jungkook, I told Jimin as soon as I knew I liked Jin. There was stuff I kept from him, like Jin’s texts to me, but I didn’t feel like he needed to know everything. I didn’t want them to hate each other, okay? If you’re gonna fault me for that, go ahead. It wasn’t completely honest, but I didn’t lie.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes at me.

“I honestly don’t want to talk about Jin or my feelings or anything else, ever again. Alright? Just drop it forever.”

He pouted and tugged on Sun Jae’s cheek.

“Kookie, what’s your deal? Why have you been so upset today?”

He mumbled something I couldn’t hear.

“What?”

Jungkook looked up at me. “I miss my family. I mean, I really appreciate you and Jimin letting me stay here, but I wish I was with them.”

I bent down and kissed his forehead. “Sorry, Kookie. I’m glad you’re here, but I’m sorry you’re sad.”

“Are there gonna be cute girls at this Christmas Eve party?” He laid down on the bed, curling up next to Sun Jae.

“Well, I’m gonna be there.”

Jungkook scoffed. “No, I meant girls. Cute girls.”

“Um, , I’m a cute girl.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, are there going to be cute girls there?”

I shrugged. “Probs.”

“Are you gonna go see Jay Park?”

“Hell yeah. Not gonna waste good tickets.”

A soft knock on the door caused Jungkook to snatch the tickets up from the bed and stuff them into his shirt. Jimin let himself in, shooting Sun Jae and Jungkook a smile.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my neck. “Hey, baby girl. I’m gonna change clothes. What are you gonna wear?”

“Oh, that green velvet t-shirt dress. What about you?”

“Mm…I think some dress pants with a nice shirt.”

“Do I have to dress up for this?” Jungkook whined.

Jimin and I turned to look at him.

“There’s probably gonna be cute girls there,” Jimin said, “so you should. Also, get out.”

“Jimin, you change in front of me all of the time.”

“Don’t argue with me. Get out.” He pointed to the door and Jungkook pouted out of the room.

Jimin gently shut the door behind him, so as not to startle Sun Jae.

“Why’d you kick Kookie out?” I asked.

He turned, a sly grin on his handsome face. “So, I could do this.” He said softly, whisking me into his arms and planting a kiss on my lips.

I wound my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, inwardly shouting with glee. Jimin hadn’t been this affectionate in forever. We hadn’t been this good in a year.

Jimin broke the kiss after a few heated moments. He bent his head and kissed my earlobe. “Have I told you how beautiful you are today?”

“I believe you called me divine sometime in the morning.” I replied with a smile.

He sighed happily. “God, those dimples. I could just eat them up.”

“Damn. You’re really feelin’ me today, huh?” I giggled as Jimin buried his face in my neck, pressing soft kisses against my skin.

“I’d like to actually be feeling you.” He growled, tugging on my pants.

“Our baby is in the room.” I reminded him as he kneeled and kissed along my stomach, slowly pulling my pants down.

“Right. We better put him on the floor so he doesn’t fall off of the bed while we’re having .”

“Jimin! We’re not putting our infant son on the floor so we can have .”

“We can have on the floor, then.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me into his lap. “Just have with me, baby.”

I opened my mouth to agree when Sun Jae let out a piercing wail. Jimin groaned and dropped his head onto my shoulder.

“Why the did we have kids? I never get laid anymore.”

I laughed. He lifted his head to frown at me, and I pressed my mouth against his pouty lips, still giggling.

“Go.” Jimin said sadly. “Go feed your son. At least someone can enjoy your s.”

“You’re so dumb.”

Jimin reluctantly let me out of his arms, pouting on the floor for a full minute before joining me and Sun Jae on the bed. He plopped down next to me with a sigh.

“Oh, I sat on something.” He mumbled, pulling out the Jay Park tickets.

“Oh.”

Jimin looked at them with curiosity. “Jay Park tickets? Who gave you these? Kookie?”

I hummed.

“Who ya gonna go with?” He asked, nudging me with his shoulder. “Hmm? I know Jay. I could get you backstage passes.”

“Sorry, babe. I’ve been burned twice before. Won’t ask you to accompany me again.”

“Baby!” Jimin whined. “Who are you gonna go with if not me?”

“Ji Eun, probably. Maybe Sul. She likes Jay Park and it’d be fun to have her over for a weekend.”

Jimin glanced down at the tickets again. “It’s on a Friday. You should just take me.”

I grinned. “Maybe. If you’re nice to me.”

“Where’s the envelope? I don’t want to lose these.”

“Came in a box.” I pointed next to him. “That one, like a jewelry box? With the velvet cushion thing.”

“Fancy box for tickets.” Jimin muttered, picking it up. The cushion fell out, along with a note.

I felt a quick flash of panic. , , . I should have just told him they were from Jin, instead of letting him believe that they were from Jungkook.

Jimin held the small folded up square for a long time. It had a drawing of a sun wearing sunglasses on it. He flipped it over, and raised his eyebrows. I peeked at it and saw that it was labeled “Park Jimin.”

“It’s for you.” I pointed out, unnecessarily.

He lifted the corner and unfolded it, smoothing out the creases. Silent for a long while, his eyes scanning the page. Then, he flipped it over and handed it to me.

“This side is for you.” He said quietly. He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

I held it up so I could see over Sun Jae, a feeling of dread settling in my stomach. Jimin anxiously fiddled with his rings, his wedding ring still conspicuously absent from his finger.

“Sunshine,” the letter began,

“Merry Christmas. I debated a lot about this present. I knew it would be unwelcome to you, not because of the gift itself, but because it came from me. I know I keep pushing boundaries and making you uncomfortable. I’m sorry.

This note is mainly for Jimin. But! Merry Christmas. I hope it’s very, very happy and you feel very, very loved.

Because you are, you know. Very, very loved.

-Seokjinnie”

I turned the note over to read Jimin’s side, but he snatched it away from me and crumpled it in his fist.

“Don’t lie to me.” He said tersely. “I know you love Jay Park and that you wanted to go to this concert, at least, that’s what I’m hoping this is. But don’t lie to me. That’s like a passive-aggressive ‘ you.’”

“I’m sorry, Jimin. I had planned on telling you, but I didn’t want to do it on Christmas Eve. Or anywhere near the holidays. To be honest, I wasn’t prepared to receive a present from Seokjin. Jungkook totally threw me for a loop.”

“That doesn’t excuse you lying to me.” Jimin cut in. “That was a ty thing to do.”

“I know.”

He smoothed out the crumpled note. “Just take me to that concert and you’re forgiven.”

I perked up. “You’re not mad?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say I’m not mad. But I understand why you didn’t tell me the truth. Jin…” Jimin paused and scanned the note once more, “just said he bought these tickets a while ago and wasn’t sure whether or not to give them to you. He said he’s sorry to me, that he misses our friendship. Misses Haru. He wrote, ‘I understand if you never want to talk to me again. I’m sorry for all the wrongs I’ve committed against you. Jimin, I love you like a brother. I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me, but I don’t expect it. Merry Christmas.’”

He stared at the note for a little while longer. As the silence grew, I thought about breaking it to ask him what his thoughts were. Did he feel willing to forgive Jin? Could we one day, in the future, be friends again?

“I should have never told him to confess to you.” Jimin said suddenly. I stiffened. I hated any conversation about Jin’s feelings for me. It always reminded me of…

Well, of my feelings for Jin.

“I wanted him to get over you. I thought a rejection from you would clear his head, get him back on track. Can’t be in love with a married woman for the rest of his life, you know?” Jimin continued, almost as if he were talking to himself. “I guess I trusted you too much.” He added in a subdued voice.

I wanted to leave the room, but I couldn’t because Sun Jae was still attached to my . “Jimin, please. I’m not getting into this with you again. Why don’t you get dressed, hmm? Let’s try and have some fun tonight.”

Jimin leaned his head on my shoulder, a soft sigh escaping his lips. “Sorry, baby. I know we’re trying to put this all behind us. I just need you to be one hundred percent honest with me when Jin does something like this. You don’t need to hide it from me; I’m not gonna get mad. Hiding stuff from me makes me feel…well, like you have something to hide. I know you have,” his voice broke, “feelings for Jin. I know. Just don’t…don’t keep things from me, okay?”

I turned my head and kissed his hair. “Yeah. I won’t keep things from you. And, Jimin?”

“Mmm.” He snuggled deeper into my side. Sun Jae aimed a vague kick in his direction.

“I love you, you know? I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”

Jimin brushed his lips against my cheek.

“SUNSHINE!” Ji Eun drunkenly shouted at me from across the room. I rolled my eyes. The Christmas Eve party had barely begun, and already this girl seemed trashed.

“Oh my god.” Jimin muttered next to me. Haru shifted impatiently in his arms, tugging at the collar of her fur trimmed hooded cape.

I patted his arm. “Just sit with Haru if you don’t wanna party with the rest of the big kids.”

He shrugged my hand off. “Don’t make fun of me. Ji Eun always teases me when she’s drunk.”

Sul stepped up to the doorway with a smile on her face. “Hi, sunshine. Hello, Jimin.” She leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek, then Jimin. “Oh, Jimin, you’re a bit stubbly. You growing out a beard?”

Jimin blushed. “Oh, um, I…”

I cut in. “Jimin gets lazy with his appearance on his breaks. Just lets it all go. Hardly even washes his face.”

Sul patted his cheek, then ruffled Haru’s hair. “Well, you look good, Jimin. Also, sunshine, you look amazing. Did you really just have a kid?”

“Five months ago.” I jostled Sun Jae in my arms, kissing his cheek. He smiled at me and tried to pull my hair. “Look at this little love, isn’t he adorable?”

“The cutest.” Sul cooed as she nuzzled her nose into his thin baby hairs. “Come on. Have a drink with us.”

She plucked Sun Jae out of my arms and winked at Jimin, who promptly turned red. I blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it with a good-natured smile.

“You and Jimin seem to be doing better.” Ji Eun commented. The two of us were sitting by the fire sipping egg nog. Sul had gone to scold her children and grab herself another drink. Ji Eun was less intoxicated than I had first believed, but Sul was working her way to an epic Christmas morning hangover.

“Yeah, I hope so.” I peered over my shoulder and saw him talking to Daniel, who was holding Sun Jae. Haru clung to Jimin’s hand, eating a cookie and looking sleepy.

“It’ll get better, sunshine. Just takes time.” Ji Eun gave my leg a sympathetic pat.

I took a sip of my egg nog, which was heavily spiked with rum from Ji Eun’s private flask. “Yeah, maybe. We’ll see. You know he blushed twice for Sul tonight? I can’t remember the last time he blushed for me. Where’s Namjoon tonight?”

“In the corner, talking to that cute girl.” She waved her arm vaguely. I spotted him sitting on a velvet chaise lounge, drink in hand and a smile on his face. The girl sitting next to him looked about twenty-two, and had on a black lace bralette paired with a black tulle skirt. She looked pretty, but she must have been freezing.

I cleared my throat. What a . He didn’t deserve Ji Eun’s love.

“He’s playing wingman for Jungkook tonight. See? Kookie’s over there, getting them drinks.” Ji Eun jerked her head towards the drinks table.

“Does Jungkook need a wingman? He’s, like, the most popular member of BTS. Can’t he just walk into a room and all the girls flock to him?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know how to talk to girls. You know that, sunshine. Namjoon has always been his wingman.”

I didn’t say anything, just watched as Namjoon placed his arm around the cute girl’s shoulders.

Sul came over and squeezed herself between us. She laid her head on Ji Eun’s shoulder and threw her legs over mine.

“Guys, I just really love you so much.”

Ji Eun snorted. “You’re drunk.”

“I’m haaaappy.” Sul slurred.

“Ah, drunk Sul is too cute.” I patted her legs affectionately. “I miss you guys.”

“Let’s just leave our families and all live together again.” Sul sat up and slung her arms around the two of us.

“I’m down for that.” I agreed.

“Sunshine, how is Jimin still so hot?” Sul demanded, shaking me a bit. “He’s y as hell and I kinda wanna kiss him.”

“Go ahead and try. He won’t let you.” I turned my head to the side and caught sight of him sitting on a couch next to Taehyung. The two of them were sipping drinks and watching Namjoon. Gemma strode over and perched on the armrest next to Taehyung. I fought the urge to gag as he absentmindedly played with the hem of her skirt.

“I’ve always wanted to kiss Jimin.” Ji Eun said thoughtfully. “Always wondered what those lips would feel like.”

“He’s a great kisser.” I sighed dreamily. “Gets better all the time.”

“Daniel’s a kisser. Always has been.”

“Maybe you’re a kisser, too.” Ji Eun laughed. “Haven’t been able to teach him a thing after all these years.”

“Is Namjoon a good kisser?” I asked. “He’s got such thick, beautiful lips. I’ve always been curious.”

“He’s really good. Better at kissing than anything else, actually.” Ji Eun snickered. “But he’s not romantic. Namjoon’s kisses are more demanding than romantic.”

“Probably because you two were buddies for so long.” Sul said wisely. “Hard to break those habits of urgent lovemaking.”

“Sul, what the ? Urgent lovemaking? You’re such a freak.” Ji Eun laughed.

“She’s not wrong.” I giggled, shaking my head. “Man, the number of times I came home to find you two passionately making out against your bedroom door, half-dressed and completely unaware that I had entered the room is countless. You guys couldn’t even make it into your bedroom before eating each other’s faces off.”

Ji Eun blushed a deep shade of red and started mumbling to herself.

“Ugh, and it was even worse when you guys started dating.” Sul groaned. “I can’t even remember the number of times I came to visit and was sentenced to sleeping on the couch because you two couldn’t bear to spend one night apart from each other. You didn’t even live together but you might as well have! You two were inseparable.”

“Completely infatuated.” I added.

“ing obsessed.” Sul chimed in.

“Yeah.” Ji Eun sighed wistfully. “I miss those days.”

Sul leaned over and stole a sip of my egg nog. “Ji Eun, what do you want your life to be like in ten years?”

Ji Eun wrinkled her nose. “Oh, god, I’ll be turning forty. Well…I’d like to be married. With a kid, maybe two. Probably two. Successful career, good marriage. Mostly, I just want to be happy, you know?”

“Well, then, be with someone who will make you happy.” Sul kissed the top of Ji Eun’s head. “Live your life the way you want to, sweetheart.”

“Namjoon makes me happy.” She said with a small smile, looking across the room at him. I looked, too, and saw that Jungkook had replaced him next to the girl in black clothes. He stood behind the chaise, sipping his wine and texting.

“Ji Eun.”

Taehyung stood above us, his hand extended out to his ex-girlfriend. Sul patted my arm frantically, drunk and excited.

“Oh my god,” she whispered loudly to me, “do you think he still loves her?”

“Oh my god.” Ji Eun echoed in mortification.

Taehyung chuckled. “Hey, do you wanna dance with me? I know you like this song. Just a dance.”

“Yeah, I’ll dance with you.” She took his hand and he whirled her out onto the dance floor, winking at me as I watched them leave.

Sul watched, too, then turned to me with an excited grin. “He loves her! He so loves her.”

“He doesn’t love her.” A sour voice disagreed next to me. I turned to find Gemma and Jimin standing next to the couch. Gemma looked like someone had just forced her to eat a bug. Jimin tugged at the collar of his shirt and sipped his wine, staring into the fire.

Sul and Gemma started to argue about whether or not Taehyung loved Ji Eun. I honestly didn’t care that much anymore. I felt bad for Taehyung, but Ji Eun had made her choice.

Jimin smiled at me when I joined him next to the fire. He put his arm around my waist and kissed my hair.

“You’re right. My friends are crazy.” I sighed heavily. Jimin laughed into my curls.

“It’s okay. My friends are crazy, too.” He led me over to a secluded corner, where a sprig of mistletoe hung over a velvet ottoman. Jimin perched on the ottoman and pulled me into his lap.

“Did you bring me over here to make out with me?” I asked, a little breathlessly, as Jimin kissed my bare neck.

Jimin laughed huskily, sending the tiniest of shivers down my spine. “Baby, come on. My parents are here.”

I pouted when he stopped kissing me and lifted his head to laugh teasingly at me. Forehead pressed against mine, lips just brushing mine.

Jimin sobered and stared deeply into my eyes. His voice was just a whisper. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” I whispered back, kissing him.

“I love you most.” He wrapped his arms around me, heedless of the wine clasped in his hand. Some spilled on the velvet ottoman and I burst into scandalized giggles, ruining the mood.

Jimin just smiled and kissed my laughing mouth, lightly biting my tongue to get me to stop.

“Actually,” he began a few minutes later, when I had gotten all the giggles out of my system, “I brought you over here so we could spy on Kookie and that girl.”

“I don’t care about our friends. I just wanna kiss you.” I murmured, turning his face back to mine. His eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he didn’t refuse a few kisses.

“Hey! You’re hogging all the mistletoe!”

I pulled away from Jimin and looked up to see Tae Joon standing over us. Jimin’s grip on my waist immediately tightened, but I just let out a laugh.

“Tae Joonie, how are you? Is my cousin around here somewhere? I haven’t seen that kid in forever.”

Tae Joon bent down and ruffled a few of my curls. Jimin hissed at him.

“Your cousin is over there, playing with your son. You should keep better track of your children, sunshine.” He said with a smile. “By the way, you’re looking ravishing.”

“Joonie, where were you yesterday? I didn’t see you at our annual day before Christmas Eve barhop.”

“I was with my girlfriend’s parents.” Tae Joon gestured to the cute girl in black sitting on the chaise next to Jungkook. “I think we’re gonna break up, though. She said I’m too old for her.”

“You are.” Jimin agreed immediately. “You’re easily ten years older than her.”

“Nine, actually. Hey, is that guy in your little pop group, Jimin?” He pointed to Jungkook.

“Yes.” Jimin said in a tight voice. He jiggled his leg impatiently, jostling me in his lap.

“Sunshine, would you like to dance with me?” Tae Joon held out his hand.

“Yeah, sure.” I agreed, just as Jimin said, “Hell ing no.”

I looked at him. “I’m gonna go dance with Tae Joon and then catch up with my cousin.”

“Fine.” Jimin pushed me off of his lap and sulkily crossed his arms. “Do whatever the you want.”

“He’s so cute when he sulks.” I cooed when we were out on the dance floor, my head against Tae Joon’s shoulder. He was so much taller than Jimin; it felt like being held by a giant.

“He keeps glaring at me.” Tae Joon laughed, tightening his hold on my waist. “It’s funny.”

“He hates you.” I said cheerfully. “Always has and always will.”

“I’m glad he makes you happy.” He said softly, tucking a curl behind my ear. “Your new baby is cute. What’s his name?”

“Sun Jae.” I peered over his shoulder and snuck a glance at my baby, safe in the arms of my cousin.

“Oh, perfect. A baby sunshine, hmm? Baby sunshine for the beautiful sunshine.”

Tae Joon kissed my cheek. “My girlfriend kind of reminds me of a younger you.”

“Inappropriate touching, Joonie. Jimin is shooting death glares and middle fingers at me.” I laughed. “I think he’s joking, but I’m not one hundred percent sure.”

“Listen, my girlfriend’s a lot like you. Before you got all sarcastic and guarded.”

I patted his shoulder. “This is dangerous territory for you, Tae Joon. You’re the main reason why I became all sarcastic and guarded. Don’t ruin that girl.”

“Did I ruin you? Are you unhappy now?” Tae Joon kissed my forehead. “You’ve got a beautiful family and a husband who adores you.”

I tilted my head and made a face. “Cheesy Joon.”

“Just be happy, baby. Just let yourself be happy.” He spun me around, then pulled me into his arms. “Alright, go be with your husband. I’m gonna go break up with my girlfriend.”

“On Christmas Eve?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I like her, but I’m too old for her. Hey, you think Ji Eun would go for me?”

“No.” I said flatly. “No chance in hell.”

“TAE JOON! Stop flirting with my baby girl.” Ji Eun yelled from across the dance floor. Taehyung shushed her with a laugh.

“Ji Eun, baby, let’s date! I’ll show you a good time!”

Ji Eun flipped her middle finger at him, earning her several shocked gasps and glares from the older crowd at the Christmas Eve party. Namjoon cut in to her dance with Taehyung, a good-natured smile on his face. She pouted up at him, so he kissed her. I could see her practically melt into his arms. Taehyung rubbed the back of his neck and shot her a wistful glance as he walked away.

Tae Joon danced me back over to Jimin, who grabbed my arm and yanked me into his lap.

He waved Tae Joon away with an imperious hand. “Boy, bye.”

Jungkook sauntered over with my baby tucked against his chest. “Did you know that babies are excellent for picking up girls?”

“Only if you don’t have a wedding ring attached.” Jimin pointed ruefully to his left ring finger. “Oh, wait, I don’t.”

He smirked at me and I smacked him, hard, on the back. “Jimin! You . I got you cat friends for Christmas, but you’re making jokes about marriage? You’re the one who wants to be married so badly.”

Jungkook’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. Jimin turned to me with an incredulous, offended face. “You don’t wanna be married ‘so badly?’ You only wanna be married a little bit?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. You know that’s not what I meant. Listen, you’re the one making jokes about hitting on other women.”

“Yeah, and you’re the one actually hitting on other people.” Jungkook commented. I moved to smack him, too, but he shifted so that Sun Jae came into my line of fire. I lowered my hand, pouting, so Jimin winked at me and smacked Jungkook on the .

“Don’t talk to my wife like that.” He scolded. Jungkook stuck his tongue at the pair of us, but Jimin took my hand and laced our fingers together. I leaned close to whisper in his ear.

“I wanna be married to you, babe. Of course I wanna be married to you.”

He kissed my chin, making me giggle. “Love you, baby.”

“Love you, too.”

Jungkook tugged on my hair. “Hey, that girl was cute, right? You think she was into me? She seemed into me.”

“She’s dating my wife’s creepy- ex-boyfriend.” Jimin peered across the room. “Hey, have you seen our daughter? Where’d she go?”

I yawned. “She’s probably fine. Probably with your parents or something.”

“I’m gonna go look for her. You want a drink or something?”

“Yeah. Get me some egg nog?”

“No. I don’t want you farting on me later tonight.”

“ you!” I hissed, flushing scarlet. Jungkook burst into laughter.

I lost track of Jimin for a while and ended up hanging out with Sul and Daniel on the couch. Jungkook commandeered Sun Jae for the entire night, using him to chat with cute girls.

“Sunshine, did you know? We’re gonna have another baby.” Daniel whispered to me. Sul lay on his shoulder, drunkenly drifting in and out of our conversation.

“You’re pregnant! Wait, why is Sul drinking if you’re having a baby?”

“No, no. Not at this moment. We’re trying.”

“Good for you guys. Wow, three kids.”

“What about you guys? You want any more kids?” Daniel tugged on one of my curls.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I wanna get back to work first, you know? I’ve been away for too long. I miss it.”

“I don’t ever wanna work again.” Sul groaned. “Daniel, just work for me, okay?”

“Sure thing, babe. I’ll work and you can stay home and watch the kids.”

“Ugh, no. I’ll work and you stay home and watch the kids.” Sul snuggled her face into Daniel’s neck. “Danny, you gotta get better at kissing. Sunshine says Jimin is an amazing kisser.”

“Yeah, he is.” I agreed fervently. “Like…we could just kiss and I’d be satisfied.”

“Really?” Daniel raised his eyebrows at me. “Just kissing and you’re satisfied?”

“I wanna kiss Jimin.” Sul mumbled. “Let me kiss him, Danny. Just once.”

“Honestly, Jimin would probably wouldn’t let you, but he’d also probably love it if you did. If we weren’t together, he’d totally try and get with you. He’s had like a teeny, tiny crush on you since we started dating. He just thinks you’re so sweet and innocent.”

Sul preened, pushing her hair back and smiling a little crookedly. “I am so sweet and innocent.”

“Baby.” A very familiar forehead was suddenly pressed against mine. “Dance with me.”

I raised my eyes to meet Jimin’s dark, enchanting ones. His cheeks were flushed and a smirk curved around his lips.

“You’ve been drinking.” I stated, amused.

“Just a yeetle bit.” He rubbed his forehead against mine and grinned in my face. “C’mon, dance with me.” He grasped both my hands in his. “Dance, dance, dance with meeee.”

“Dance with him, sunshine.” Sul sat up and waved me away.

“Dance with me.” Jimin whispered, his mouth up against my cheek.

“I can’t, I’m…pregnant.”

He laughed, a low, delighted chuckle. “Bull. Dance with me.”

“A gentleman always asks.” I reprimanded primly.

“I’m no gentleman. And I’m not asking.” He yanked me onto my feet and out onto the dance floor, twirling me around until my head spun.

I caught my breath as he pulled me in towards him and tucked my head against his shoulder. He smelled like cinnamon and Haru and his cologne. After he’d bought it, I’d realized it was the same kind my uncle used when I was little. Sometimes when I smelled Jimin, he reminded me of baking chocolate chip cookies in my aunt’s house and scratchy beard kisses from my uncle.

Intoxication had no effect whatsoever on Jimin’s dancing skills. If anything, he became a better dancer. His hands traveled down my body until they rested on my hips, swaying me in time to the music. Jimin sang along to the song as we danced in a tight little circle.

“If you're the only thing I ever get for Christmas, then everything I wished for has come true. You're the single item on my list. You're my one and only Christmas wish. The mistletoe is where I'll be waiting, meet me there.”

Jimin’s low voice was soft and sweet in my ear. He danced me over to a secluded area of the dance area where some mistletoe hung. I rolled my eyes with a small smile as Jimin rested his forehead against mine, a tiny smile on his lips.

“Kiss me.” He demanded in a husky voice.

“Nah.” I dimpled up at him.

“C’mon, kiss me.” He nudged his nose against mine. “I want a kiss.”

I shook my head and he curled his fingers in my hair, drawing me closer to him.

“Kiss me.” Jimin whispered, brushing his lips against mine.

“You’re drunk.” I whispered back, twining my arms around his neck.

“Just a yeetle bit.” He answered softly. “Now kiss me.”

I tentatively pressed my lips against his and felt him smile. His lips were slightly chapped from the cold and his constant habit of them. He used lip balm multiple times a day, but how could it help when he couldn’t stop sticking his damn tongue out to it off?

I started to giggle as Jimin began to kiss me back. I felt him frown before pulling away and gazing down at me with a mock-stern glare.

“What are you giggling about, little devil?”

“You’re just such a .” I smirked, trying to contain my mirth.

“That’s no way to talk to your husband.” Jimin bit my lower lip before kissing me.

“That’s the only way to talk to my husband.” I disagreed, giving him several small kisses.

“Get a room.” Ji Eun sang at us as she and Namjoon danced by.

Jimin responded by squeezing me tighter to him and pushing open my mouth to slide his tongue in. I shoved him away, cheeks lit with embarrassment.

“Jimin, your parents are here.” I hissed as he smirked and tried to pull me in his embrace once more. “Haru is here!”

“Shh, it’s okay.” He placed his hands on the small of my back and dragged me to him. I looked up at him, black hair rakishly askew, devilish smirk on his face, dark eyes shining in amusement. The scent of alcohol lingered on his breath. “I just wanna make out with you a little bit.”

“Oh my god, you’re so drunk right now.” I rolled my eyes, half-laughing. “I thought it was just a little bit. How much did you drink?”

Jimin waved away my concern. “Don’t worry, baby, I’m fine. Ji Eun just gave me a little something.”

“Oh my god.” I sighed and shook my head. “Jimin, you should know by now that Ji Eun’s main goal in life is to get you drunk. It’s like her passion.”

“She said she wants to kiss me.” Jimin informed me, his voice dropping down to a conspiratorial whisper.

“So did you kiss her?” I leaned in, acting super secretive.

Jimin gravely shook his head. “I would rather die than betray my wife like that.”

“What if my life hung in the balance? What if you had to kiss Ji Eun so that I could live?” I bit my lip to contain my laughter.

He contemplated for a moment, brows furrowing in stress. “I would kiss her.”

“I thought you’d rather die than betray me!” I cried, pretending to be upset.

“But, baby! I don’t want you to die.” Jimin’s eyes widened in panic. “You can’t die.”

“Shh, shh.” I kissed him. “I won’t die.”

Jimin lost focus of our conversation and kissed me a few more times before Haru broke free from her grandparents and wandered on to the dance floor. Her curls were pulled up in a high little ponytail and she insisted on wearing the tiara Jin bought her for her third birthday. I couldn’t believe it still fit her and that Jimin had given it back.

She came up and grabbed a hold of Jimin’s leg. “Stop kissin’ Mama.” She demanded petulantly. “I don’t like it.”

Jimin looked down in mild surprise at the small child wrapped around his leg. “Haru?”

She looked up at him. “Daddy. What are you doin’?”

He ran his tongue over his mouth. “Dancing with Mama. What are you doing?”

“I wanna dance, too.” She stretched her arms out to Jimin. “Hold me.”

“Say please.” I reminded her.

“Please.” Haru added dutifully.

Jimin scooped her up in his arms and winked at me, smiling until his eyes crinkled.

“Sorry, baby. The other love of my life just cut in on you.”

“It’s fine.” I said breezily. “I’m sure there are plenty of men who would love to dance with me.”

“Ah, ah! No, you don’t.” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an awkward side hug. “I’ve seen too many other men dance with you tonight.”

“One. Just one.”

“I’m the only dancing partner you need.” Jimin whispered into my hair.

We crunched home through the snow later that night, holding hands with fingers interlaced. Haru balanced on Jimin’s shoulders, pulling on his hair and tickling his neck. I had no idea why she wasn’t asleep yet. Sun Jae lay curled up on Jungkook’s chest, fast asleep.

I whispered to Jimin that maybe we should make Jungkook his godfather, and he got a sad look in his eyes. I decided never to bring up the subject of godparents again, but Jimin brought it up as we got ready for bed that night. He sat on the bed, wearing Christmas Eve pajamas from his mother. They were decorated with tiny snowmen and I found them absolutely adorable.

“Baby,” he began, staring down at the note Jin had written him, “do you still like Jin? Tell me honestly. I won’t get angry or upset. I just would like to know.”

Sighing, I took a seat in his lap and gently kissed his nose. “I don’t want you to be sad, Jimin.”

“I’m not sad.” He said softly, unable to meet my eyes. “Just tell me the truth.”

“I don’t know.” I buried my face in my neck, trying to ignore the way his shoulders slumped at my words. “I haven’t seen him in a while. I don’t think about him as much anymore. And, just…we’re so much better, you know? We talk and we hang out. You seem like you want to be here with me. I don’t…I don’t need anyone else besides you, Jimin. I just need you.”

“Okay.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I would like to forgive Seokjin sometime. Not…not soon, but sometime. I kind of actively dislike him at the moment, but I do miss him.”

“Yeah. I know you do.”

“He was family to me, too, you know? Not just to you.”

“I know, baby.”

He released me with a soft sigh. “You should get your pajamas on. It’s cold. Gonna snow tonight.”

Jimin fell asleep with his back to me, curled up amongst a pile of fleecy blankets. I lifted the corner and burrowed underneath with him, breaking the separate blankets rule just for one night. Who cared, right? Christmas was for snuggling with the people you loved, and I didn’t want to snuggle with anything besides my warm, cozy husband.

“I love you.” I whispered, kissing his back.

“Love you, too, baby.” He yawned, startling me. He didn’t open his eyes, but turned to fold me into his embrace.

I fell asleep to the feeling of his soft lips on my forehead, kissing me goodnight.