NOTE: The time of this story starts in between the 612nd and 699th paper cranes of Till Death Do Us Apart.

 

 

"I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart..."on

Christmas songs blasted through the mall as Dongyeol and Hwanhee strolled. Much of their Winter break had gone by, and Hwanhee had finally gotten rid of the drainage bag and the chores that followed. Hwanhee felt free for a brief moment even when things were crashing down inside of him every seconds. Dongyeol swore to make this year's Christmas a good one for Hwanhee, even if it meant his last. And so, the duo are out today to do shopping the day before Christmas.

"There is a Christmas tree at your house, right?" Dongyeol asked the other.

"Yep," Hwanhee nodded.

"Then, do you wish to buy new decorations for it?"

"Minsoo hyung and I actually don't celebrate Christmas often...so yes."

Dongyeol stopped in his tracks and looked back at the older as if he had said something despicable.

"You don't?!" He shrieked.

Hwanhee rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Minsoo hyung often doesn't have the time to celebrate with me."

"Then you should have called me over!"

"Well," Hwanhee sighed, "I can't cause you to spend lesser time with your parents."

"I can make do! How can you not celebrate such a happy day? Come! Let's go shopping!" Dongyeol pulled the other's scrawny arm and stomped into the nearest decor store.

There was a huge variety of decorations to choose from, but Hwanhee was inexperienced. So Dongyeol took the lead to bring him around to choose the prettiest items to hang on the tree. To make the best Christmas for Hwanhee was Dongyeol's only mission for these two days. Hwanhee only smiled throughout the whole time as he watched Dongyeol placed more and more items into the shopping basket. The latter also kept on rambling about the times he had spent during Christmas for the past few years, making Hwanhee really glad that his best friend was having a few of the best times of his life. When the shopping basket got too heavy for Hwanhee, Dongyeol did not hesitate to take over the job.

Their shopping for Christmas decoration ended with a huge plastic bag in Dongyeol's hand. They then decided to buy gifts for their friends, and especially for each other. The nearest suitable store was a gift shop just right beside the one they had left.

"So...We are in charge of buying presents for Jinwook hyung and Sungjoon hyung. What do you think Jinwook hyung would like?" Dongyeol asked.

"All he ever does is drink coke," Hwanhee chuckled.

"We can't possibly just get him a bottle, hyung," Dongyeol laughed.

"Isn't there a polar bear wearing a Coca-Cola scarf as a free gift when we buy some?" Hwanhee asked.

"Oh right, we saw it in the supermarket earlier. We could give him the polar bear and have the coke to ourselves...Though, can you drink coke?"

"Not really."

"Then I can have it."

Hwanhee raised an eyebrow. "There's six per pack, are you sure you want to drink all that in a day?"

"I won't drink them alone! Minsoo hyung will be there too, won't he?"

"That depends on how busy he is at the hospital," Hwanhee sighed.

"I hope he can make it this year," Dongyeol pouted.

"Alright, no pouting! Let's continue searching for gifts," Hwanhee smiled, patting Dongyeol's soft hair.

"Okay!" Dongyeol exclaimed and walked on.

As they strolled to the aisle displaying accessories, Hwanhee caught sight of a necklace that hung an icecream cone and a puppy. All of their friends knew how Dongyeol would go crazy over icecream everytime, just like how Jinwook loved coke. Hwanhee smiled to himself, looked up at Dongyeol to check if he was looking, and took one of it off the shelf.

"Wow, they really sell a lot of stuffs here!" Dongyeol eyed all the aisles once again, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the extensive choices.

"Why don't we get one of those travel pillows for Sungjoon? He's travelling to Japan after Christmas, right?" Hwanhee asked, pointing to the shelf in a corner.

"That's right. Let's get one!" Dongyeol said and skipped towards the shelf.

Hwanhee smiled to himself again as he watched Dongyeol pick out the best presents for their friends. He was growing tired though, but he did not want to spoil the fun that Dongyeol was having. In the end, they managed to buy presents for the people in their list, even for Minsoo. It was already close to 5pm when they left the supermarket. Other than Jinwook's present, they also got some party snacks and drinks. Hwanhee wondered if Dongyeol was buying a bit too much for three people.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

In the next evening, the walls of Minsoo's apartment was already decorated by the doctor himself. He had managed to get a day off today after Dongyeol begged him a little. He did not get angry, in fact, he really wanted to spend the festive holiday with them too. The door bell rang and Minsoo immediately got up to open it. It was Dongyeol who had came early.

"Hello Minsoo hyung! Merry Christmas!" Dongyeol exclaimed.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Dongyeol-ah!" Minsoo smiled.

"Where is Hwanhee hyung?" Dongyeol asked, looking around the house.

"He's sleeping. And you two are lucky because I don't have duties today," Minsoo ruffled Dongyeol's hair.

"That's great! Hwanhee hyung would be happy!"

"I've decorated the house and the Christmas tree a bit. You and Hwanhee can do the rest while I cook. Your other friends are coming at 6pm, right?"

"Yep!" Dongyeol nodded.

"Go on now, have fun with the decorations."

"Thank you hyung!" Dongyeol said and went over to Hwanhee's bedroom.

Sure enough, Hwanhee was sound asleep on his bed. Dongyeol then caught sight of the glass corked bottle standing on the desk. It was not filled to the brim yet, and they did not fold any for the past few days. Dongyeol wondered if they would have enough time. He sat on the chair and stared at the sleeping figure. Today might be Hwanhee's last Christmas, or the last Christmas the two were able to celebrate together. But nevertheless, Dongyeol wanted to make it extra special for him. Hwanhee then stirred and opened his eyes.

"Oh, Dongyeol..." He mumbled as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Merry Christmas, hyung!" Dongyeol smiled.

"Merry Christmas!" Hwanhee sat up slowly and spotted the plastic bag in Dongyeol's hand. "I can't wait for the party." He smiled.

"Me too!" Dongyeol chirped and stood up. "Shall we finish decorating the tree?"

Hwanhee nodded, "Sure!"

The top half of the Christmas Tree was already decorated thanks to Minsoo, leaving the bottom for the two boys. Hwanhee sat on the floor, rummaging through the plastic bag as Dongyeol took the job to hang the decorations. At around 6pm, they were done. Wrapped presents were set below the tree, all waiting to be opened. The door bell rang just in time.

"Who else are coming?" Hwanhee asked, puzzled.

"The guys, of course! I called them over!" Dongyeol grinned.

"You didn't tell them about it...right?" Hwanhee asked, just to be sure.

"Don't worry. They don't know," Dongyeol assured.

With that, Dongyeol went to welcome the others. The house was soon filled with chatters as their friends came in. They were all bundled up in winter coats, except for Yein who was dressed as a reindeer.

"Merry Christmas!" They sang in unison.

"Merry Christmas! What is this?" Dongyeol asked, laughing at the funny get-up.

"I lost a bet," Yein pouted.

"We decided that it'll be funny if one of us dressed up for this occasion," Jinwook explained as he laughed, remembering the game of rock-paper-scissors that they had played this morning.

"Whose costume is this then?" Hwanhee asked.

Sungjoon raised his hand. "Mine! And I have a lot more at home!"

"Ah, that's right. You really love to dress up in funny costumes," Hwanhee smiled.

"Wow, Hwanhee hyung's house is really cosy!" Sooil said, looking around. The ceiling light gave the whole living room a warm yellow tint, Christmas decorations lined on the walls, the colours effectively complimenting the beige-coloured walls.

"Where is Minsoo hyung?" Jinwook asked.

"Right here!" Minsoo's voice sounded as he carried a plate of Christmas Cake out from the kitchen.

"Food!" Changhyun cheered and rushed over to the dinning table.

The eight of them sat round the dinning table that was specially extended to fit all of them. There was a wide spread of food laid out, plus soft drinks at one corner. Hwanhee noticed the five bottles of coke and found one of them already in Jinwook's hands. He smiled to himself. Their class president sure loved this drink. Their Christmas dinner was filled with jokes and memories about their past Christmas parties, together with laughters and new memories formed.

After the dinner, the boys gathered in the living room to start opening the presents. They sat in a circle, with gift boxes scattered in front of them. They checked the names on the boxes and passed them around, until all of the presents were with their right owners. With a count of three from Jinwook, the boys started opening their presents.

"WHAT IS THIS?" Sungjoon shrieked as he held the video game in his hand. "This is the latest Pokémon game!"

"Woah! Who bought this?" Dongyeol asked, eyes sparkling.

"We did," Sooil grinned as he placed a hand on Jinwook's shoulder.

"Ehhhhhh?" Everyone yelled in unison.

"Ah, if you two are a couple, you spend lesser money on gifts, isn't that so?" Yein asked and Sooil nodded.

"Then do we just give you two only one gift?" Dongyeol asked.

Jinwook shrugged, "I suppose?"

"I'm keeping Sooil's gift then!" Sungjoon grinned.

"Hey! Why?" Sooil frowned.

"You and Jinwook hyung can enjoy playing with the polar bear!" Dongyeol winked.

"That's not fair to me," Sooil sighed.

"Alright, let's not fight on Christmas," Jinwook laughed.

Dongyeol chuckled and then looked over to Hwanhee who sat beside him. "Hyung! Do you like your present?"

"I love the sweater's colour!" Hwanhee held up the cream-coloured sweater.

Dongyeol nodded, "Yep! Winter would get really cold soon. You have to keep warm."

"Thanks, Dongyeol-ah!" Hwanhee smiled and put it on.

"Ah, it looks pretty big on you," Dongyeol folded his arms and frowned.

"I guess I shrunk," Hwanhee mumbled. The atmosphere suddenly grew grim and the boys had no idea what had happened.

"Th-Then, Dongyeol, what did you get from Hwanhee hyung?" Jinwook broke the deafening silence.

"Oh right, I hadn't open it!" Dongyeol took over the small box that has his name on it.

"It's small. Probably a ring," Sungjoon joked.

"Hyung! We're not together!" Dongyeol yelled, earning a laugh from Sungjoon.

"Open it! I'm so curious!" Yein urged.

Dongyeol tore the wrapper and opened the box. The necklace glimmered as soon as he put his eyes on it.

"A necklace?" He asked and inspected the design.

"Icecream pendant? That's really nice," Jinwook said.

"The only boy I know who goes insane over icecream," Sungjoon cackled.

"And why a puppy, hyung?" Dongyeol asked Hwanhee.

"To represent a true and loyal friend," Hwanhee explained, smiling.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" The boys chanted.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Dongyeol wailed.

"Talking about kissing..." Sungjoon digged around his bag and took out a sprig of mistletoe.

"Mistletoe?" Changhyun asked, and all of them knew where this was going.

"For the only couple among us!" Sungjoon exclaimed and stood up.

"Hyung! Why would you want us to do that here?" Jinwook blushed.

"We can't leave out the mistletoe when it's Christmas! Come on!" He held the the mistletoe over the two.

"This is embarrassing," Sooil face-palmed.

"There's no harm in kissing! I bet you two did it many times in private," Dongyeol gave his smuggest smirk.

"That's the point, Dongyeol-ah..." Jinwook sighed.

"Hey! My arm will grow tired!" Sungjoon complained.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" The boys chanted once again.

"Well, I guess we can't escape," Sooil smiled.

"What? Wait! Wa-" Jinwook's sentence was cut out by Sooil's sudden attack on the lips.

The boys cheered and clapped as the couple before them had finally kissed under the mistletoe. The two then broke away, both blushing a deep shade of red.

"Now this is Christmas," Sungjoon smirked. Everyone laughed at Sungjoon's enthusiasm over the scene.

"Don't ask us to do this anymore!" Jinwook cried out, smacking him playfully.

"Soon enough, you two would be kissng in public even without us watching!" Sungjoon continued.

"Okay! Let's move on to the games now!" Sooil interrupted even though Sungjoon was still snickering over their shyness.

Dongyeol looked over to Hwanhee who was beginning to look rather tired. "Hwanhee hyung and I would pass. I'm getting tired."

"Already?" Yein asked.

"We did the decorations, you know!" Dongyeol reasoned. "We're going to the balcony and look at the stars! Romantic, isn't it?" He exclaimed next and Hwanhee chuckled in agreement.

"I guess we can make do with five people," Jinwook said. "Have fun!"

There were always two chairs on the balcony, ready for anyone to relax on, although both Minsoo and Hwanhee seldom enjoyed the scenary there. It was comfortable sitting on the reclined chairs. The sky was exceptionally clear tonight, and many stars were visible. Dongyeol was glad that they could spend a nice few minutes out here. He turned to see Hwanhee and noticed the latter pressing a finger to his lips.

"Nauseous?" He asked quietly.

"A little," Hwanhee breathed.

"You alright?" Dongyeol continued.

"Yeah. It happens."

The lack of emotions in Hwanhee's words was evident enough to show the downside of having this horrible illness. And no matter how much Dongyeol was able to do for him, there was no stopping the cancer from hurting him. As if his bestest friend in the world was slowly taken away from him day by day. Dongyeol sighed and focused on the stars shining many lightyears away from where they were.

"You really didn't have to do all these for me," Hwanhee said after a brief moment of silence.

"I want to. Because you deserve it."

"Thank you...But I won't be able to repay you though."

Dongyeol stopped for a moment. Hwanhee was right. He then relaxed against the chair.

"That's fine," he forced a smile, "I am enjoying this too."

Hwanhee returned the smile. "If only I didn't have cancer, I wonder how our lives would have been."

"You would still be the same Hwanhee we all love and care about."

"I am...such a burden to Minsoo hyung."

Dongyeol shot up from his seat and turned to face him. "What are you talking about?" He whispered harshly.

"Other than his hospital duties, he had to take care of me," Hwanhee tried to explain.

"This isn't your fault, hyung."

"It doesn't matter whose fault this is...I can't even stay awake after 8pm," he sighed and buried his head into his hands, "I'm such a mess on Christmas."

"It's just because of all the cancer and treatment."

"If we are bound to die soon enough, why would we waste the money to live longer," Hwanhee asked, voice muffled behind his hands.

It was not a question. Depression tended to follow along with the symptoms, and it was not the first time Dongyeol had listened to Hwanhee rambling on about things like this. But he would never stop trying to reassure Hwanhee about his worth to continue living.

"Because we treasure every moments we can spend with you, and we wish to be with you as long as we can. It hurts...but you are precious to us. Minsoo hyung, me, the other hyungs..."

"You know, this is why I think the necklace suits you. Thank you for today, Dongyeol. I had...fun..."

They grew silent once more and Dongyeol was sure that Hwanhee had fallen asleep. He turned to his left, watching Hwanhee's chest rise and fall in accordance to his slow breathing. He stayed for a while, and listened to the chatters behind them. If Hwanhee would have stayed awake a little while longer, Dongyeol would be able to tell him how much he meant to him.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

 

 

 

"All I want for Christmas is you..."

It was finally Christmas once again. The radio that stood in the apartment below Dongyeol's blasted the songs that had been playing for the past few days. Dongyeol stared out of the window, watching the snow fall from the sky. It was especially cold this year and he wondered if it would be alright to be outside. He heard the door clicked open and turned back to see Wooseok walking in.

"It's so cold outside," Wooseok mumbled, brushing the snow off his clothes.

"Do you still want to go out in this weather?" Dongyeol asked, frowning.

"Well, it's Christmas. And what's Christmas without a romantic date?" Wooseok smiled.

"You're right! Let's go then!"

It was indeed cold outside. In only a matter of a few nanoseconds, there was already mist coming out of their mouths. Every year, the two would go on a date during Christmas. At exactly 6pm, Wooseok would show up at Dongyeol's apartment so that they could go to the street nearby. Any cold had never stopped them from doing so.

Even though the Christmas decorations every year looked similar, Dongyeol could not stop but to feel awed by the pretty lights and sculptures. They walked through the streets lined with shops, each playing familiar Christmas tunes, with staffs wearing deer headbands, and Christmas Trees standing outside to welcome customers.

"Let's go into the department store," Dongyeol suggested, already pulling the other by the arm.

"Sure," Wooseok nodded.

It was even colder inside the mall. Even with the thick layers of clothings that Dongyeol was wearing, the sudden blow of cold air from the air-conditioner when they entered still made him shiver.

"Ahh this is such a cold Christmas," Dongyeol pouted.

"Shall we get some hot chocolate downstairs?" Wooseok proposed.

"Okay!" Dongyeol nodded a little too enthusiastically.

They made their way through the crowd to get down to the food section. During days like this, the malls had people packed like sardines. They finally squeezed through the horde and found a cafe. Luckily, there were the last two empty seats when they arrived. Dongyeol sat as Wooseok went ahead to order. The former rested his head on his hand and stared at the sea of people moving at slow speeds outside the comfort of the cozy cafe. Wooseok came back not long after, both hands carrying a cup of warm cocoa.

"Here you go," Wooseok sang a little as he placed one in front of Dongyeol.

Dongyeol took a sip and exclaimed, "Mmmm, delicious!"

Now that they had took off their scarfs, Wooseok noticed something sparkling from Dongyeol's neck. It was a necklace that Wooseok had never seen before.

"Dongyeol, what's that you're wearing?" He asked.

"Oh this?" Dongyeol held onto the pendant and smiled, "It was Hwanhee hyung's last Christmas gift to me. I found it when I was tidying up a little. I thought I had lost it."

"It's beautiful. And you really, really love icecream."

"Indeed," Dongyeol mumbled and sighed. "But it's too bad that he's no longer around."

Wooseok gave a sincere smile, "I'm sure he's enjoying Christmas in a way."

"I hope so," Dongyeol chuckled and took another sip.

"Aish, seriously," Wooseok tutted when he saw the line of whipped cream on the top of Dongyeol's mouth, staring guilelessly back at him.

"Why?" Dongyeol asked with his most innocent puppy eyes ever.

"You know that I can't resist," Wooseok sighed and stood up.

"Why??" Dongyeol repeated as Wooseok leaned in.

The latter gave no replies and kissed him on the lips, taking the whipped cream with him.

"Hey, we're not filming a drama here!" Dongyeol blushed a deep shade of red, covering his mouth in response.

"Next time, don't ask for whipped cream," Wooseok laughed as he sat back down.

"I'll take that as a compliment that I'm irresistable," Dongyeol smirked.

"And you are!" Wooseok smiled.

They stayed for another few minutes until all of their hot chocolate were gone, and they set off into the crowd again. The heat of the crowd was starting to get them though, and they decided to just leave. At least, they had gotten quite warmed up in the cafe. There was a more Christmas-y feeling outside on the streets. The stage near the mall was already set up and carollers were singing.

"Oh! Look at those decorations!" Dongyeol pointed out.

There was a row of sculptures ahead of them — A Santa Claus was sitting inside his sleigh with cute reindeers all around him. A huge Christmas Tree loomed over them. Many people were crowded around to take pictures.

"Shall we take a selfie there?" Dongyeol asked.

"Okay," Wooseok nodded in agreement.

They waited for a couple in front of them to finish their photo-taking. Dongyeol smiled at how the two were bickering playfully about the right angle and filters. Then, Dongyeol and Wooseok had their turn. Dongyeol was the king of selfies, and of course, he could pull off a really good picture no matter what

"I'm posting this on my Instagram!" Dongyeol exclaimed after putting a Christmas theme filter.

"I'll be the first to like it," Wooseok said, already on stand-by.

"Sent!" Dongyeol beamed.

Wooseok smiled at the selfie. They often took many photos of their dates, and Dongyeol was in-charge of choosing the right ones to post and making them beautiful. He had never failed to produce something amazing, his feed was absolutely gorgeous.

"Are we going to eat dinner at a restaurant?" Dongyeol asked.

Wooseok shooked his head, "Nope, not this year. We'll do something a little more special."

"What is it?" Dongyeol's face looked ready to take in the surprise.

"I'll cook for us," Wooseok revealed.

"You will cook?! I've never seen you do that! I wonder if they'll be edible," Dongyeol laughed.

"Are you underestimating my cooking skills?" Wooseok frowned.

"No! I'm looking forward to it!" Dongyeol gave a quick peck on his cheek.

"Let's get home now then!"

It was an eye-opener for Dongyeol to see Wooseok in the kitchen with a sole purpose — cooking. He stared at him work through some online recipes, sometimes asking him for help. But nonetheless, Wooseok managed to whip up a feast. The small dining table was soon filled with food enough for the two of them. As they ate, they shared about their memories and whether they would want to visit each other's parents tomorrow. It was a dinner with the lights dimmed and a single candle placed in the center. Simple, yet romantic. Both of them had never once asked for much, and they were already contented with such an arrangement.

"Would you like to exchange presents now?" Dongyeol asked when they had finished.

"Sure," Wooseok nodded and went to get it.

Dongyeol, too, returned with a present and handed it to Wooseok first. "Merry Christmas!" He exclaimed.

"I wonder what you've got for me," Wooseok smiled as he opened the gift. His face fell when he saw a familiar plant lying innocently at the bottom of the box, but then laughed. "A mistletoe?"

"I wish you to kiss me under that," Dongyeol giggled.

"I will kiss you anywhere...but just not in class," Wooseok joked.

Dongyeol tutted, "So insincere. So what have you gotten for me?"

Wooseok stood up and walked closer to Dongyeol, a box in hand. He then knelt down on one knee and looked up at him. Dongyeol's heart was bursting with happiness. Could it be...? Wooseok opened the box, revealing a silver ring resting inside.

"Will you marry me?"

But Dongyeol smiled impishly and closed the box with a soft thud. "Not until we had graduated."

"Awww," Wooseok whined and stood up.

"Come on, it's not like we will break up anyways," Dongyeol laughed.

"I thought it would be romantic to do it right now," Wooseok huffed.

"I find it so. But we got to graduate first. You understand that, right?"

"Of course. Anything for you," Wooseok leaned in for a kiss but was stopped by Dongyeol's fingers. "What now?" He groaned slightly.

"Not so fast. We have a mistletoe to hang!" Dongyeol giggled again.

"Seriously," Wooseok sighed and smiled, following Dongyeol to the window.

Dongyeol hung the mistletoe on the ceiling. He looked up at the beautiful plant, remembering the time when their two best friends had kissed under one too.

"I'm not going to wait anymore," Wooseok said and cupped Dongyeol's face in his hands, making his face so squashed up. "Ah this is so cute!"

Dongyeol tutted again. "You-"

Wooseok closed his eyes and shut him up with the long-awaited kiss. Dongyeol closed his too, relishing in the moment. They had a lengthy kiss, not caring if other people could see them through the window. It was Wooseok who broke away and he smiled.

"Merry Christmas."

"I love it," Dongyeol hugged him tightly. "I guess there is no better present than each other's presence."

"That rhymes."

"Indeed," Dongyeol laughed.

They broke away again and leaned against the window ledge. The window pane was mostly frosted up, making the lights looked extra dreamy. Even though they could not look outside as clearly, it still looked like it was straight out of a painting. Dongyeol looked up at the stars. At times like this, he could not help but to think about his departed friend. Wooseok knew, because he understood how important Hwanhee was to him. It was Dongyeol's strongest platonic friendship, one that no other would be able to surpass. Through the times spent in high school, Dongyeol had learned a lot from Hwanhee and grown so much. Wooseok knew, because this particular male would never stop mentioning about him. He did not feel jealous, not even once. Because he knew, that if he took away this memory, Dongyeol would be devastated.

"I'll go wash the dishes now," Wooseok said and kissed Dongyeol again on the cheeks.

"Alright," Dongyeol smiled.

He was left alone at the window again. He held the pendant in his hand. He could still hear the laughters and visualise the lights on the Christmas Tree as if that day was only yesterday. The very last Christmas that he had spent with Hwanhee would always be fresh in his mind. He was unfortunately not able to hold on till this Christmas. But he would not cry. He was over that. He had moved on. The memories are just reminders of how Hwanhee's life had been fruitful. Dongyeol would not continue mourning forever, Hwanhee would have hated to see that. He heaved a sigh, smiled, pendant in hand, and he whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Hwanhee hyung."

 

 

 

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A/N: Thank you for reading this special chapter! This is my first time writing a Christmas fanfic so I hope this was okay! Please do let me know by voting in the poll below :D

This most likely marks the end of this series and I would not be touching on this anymore. However, there will be new fanfics in the future so do subscribe if you find my writings good! And that's all I have for you today! Merry Christmas!! <3