"Oh bugger!" Gran exclaims from where she kneels in front of the fireplace, the burnt match in her hand being thrown to join the small pile of others like it.

"Here, let me do it, Gran." Chanyeol offers, approaching her with a kind smile.
 

"Oh, it's fine Dear, I just can't seem to get any of the matches to stay lit." She softly denies his help, even as another match breaks in half as she strikes it, not even igniting.
 

"You'll need to strike it a certain way with how worn the box is." He advises, taking in the near crumbling state of the matchbox.
She tries again, angling the match slightly to the left as she runs it across the side and a small spark ignites the small redbud.

Gran makes a small noise of triumph, only to groan as the match dies yet again.
 

I watch them interact from my place on the couch, book in hand as I tell the rest of my Warriors stories from my childhood as per the insistence of Kai and surprisingly, Lay. I smile as I notice Gran falling for the unique and boyish charm of my Fire Warrior.

"Are you sure you don't want me to try Gran?" Chanyeol asks again, widening his smile and bringing a certain twinkle to the forefront of his eyes.

"If you can, it would be much appreciated, young man." She surrenders the matching bow, handing it to the gentle giant as she slowly rises from her knelt position.
 

He takes the box gently from her fingers and pulls out one of the last matches left in the small cardboard packet. He turns the box, scanning it from different angles as he seems to look for the best path to strike the stick before humming with a frown. Gran stays hovering behind him as she watches his every move, trying to see how she kept failing to light a simple match.
 

As Tao and Chen finish cooing over a picture of a seven-year-old me with rosy cheeks and covered in snow, they notice that I am no longer trying to fend off their complements and follow my gaze to see what has distracted me and soon enough, everyone is watching Chanyeol, waiting to see what he'll do.
 

In what seemed like slow motion, at least to me, he runs the match along the raised hexagon pattern and a faint orange glow appears from the skin on his fingertips, his nails mimicking the color as small gold sparks hit the redbud and set it alight.
 

"How in the world?" Gran asks as Chanyeol holds a small ball of newspaper up to the flame and throws the lit paper into the bundle of firewood, the fibers catching immediately as a warm glow begins to emit from the fireplace.
 

Chanyeol shrugs, acting as if it wasn't that big of a deal and that he hadn't just used his abilities, abilities he is not supposed to use, in front of her. "I guess fire just likes me." He states cryptically, mentally I am crossing my fingers and hoping that she did not see his little light show and bring it up.

"It seems so," She answers, smiling as she wanders over to the kitchen just as a series of small dings echo from within the room, signaling something has done its time in the oven.
 

As she disappears through the doorway, I release a breath I didn't know I was holding and sent a pointed look towards Chanyeol as he rejoins the rest of us in our small group.

"That was stupid, she could have seen your finger glowing or the sparks coming from them!" I whisper-yell, letting him know I was not happy but I didn't want Gran to overhear.

"What do you mean 'could have seen my fingers glowing?'" He asks, sounding genuinely confused.

"I mean that she could have seen the bright orange glow coming from your fingers when you were lighting the match," I answer, leaning closer to him to get my point across. Around me, my Warriors exchange puzzled and mildly concerned looks as they also seem to question what I'm saying. I notice and glance at them confused, directing my eyes towards Xiumin as he is the one who usually gives me answers.

Shugging and waving a hand in my direction, his way of saying 'don't worry about it', he picks up the photo album and flips to the next page, Lay breaking the tense atmosphere as he spots the picture positioned front and center.
 

"You haven't changed a bit, Avery!" He exclaims between laughter, pointing at the picture with one hand holding his stomach, trying to stop it from hurting as he continues to laugh.
 

It is only when the album is passed around the group that I realize which one he had found and completely understand the reference.
 

A two-year-old me sits on her blue and white checkered high-chair, sleeping soundly with her face and most of her hair resting in a bowl of green mush that I suppose was once peas, and yet, not too long ago Lay had tried to call me down for dinner, only to find me sitting at my desk using my half-eaten cereal as a pillow.
 

I huff as the rest of my Warriors join in with his laughter, several rolling on the floor and the rest holding onto each other or the nearest surface for dear life as they try to catch their breath.
 

"You guys are mean", I pout childishly as I stand, turning my back to the group and ignoring their calls to come back, that they were only joking, yet the remnants of their laughter, a small giggle here and there, give them away as I leave the room.
 

"Do you need any help, Gran?" I ask as I enter the kitchen where the old woman speeds around, cutting and frying as she cooks up her usual Christmas feast, only five times larger than usual.
 

"No Dear, I'll be fine. You go sit down with your friends and relax, enjoy the time you have out of school." She insists, not looking up as she masterfully slices a bunch of carrots.
 

"Gran you're cooking for ten people, that's not a one person job," I argue, leaning on the doorframe as she continues to move frantically throughout the room.
 

"Avery, I can manage," She continues to insist. I sigh, acting as if I've given up and exit the room, re-joining my Warriors in front of the fire, its flames growing stronger as Chen glances towards it.

"Hey Xiumin, Chanyeol, DO, can you come and help us out in the kitchen please?" I ask the three Warriors I know can actually cook.
 

"Aw, I wanna keep looking at photos of tiny you," Chanyeol whines as Chen points out another photo I wish didn't exist. "I mean, look at you, weren't you the cutest?"
 

Sighing I smile as I turn to the other two Warriors, DO looks up from his conversation with Kai and half-smiles, the only sort of smile he seems to give, standing as I look towards Xiumin.
 

"Actually, Lay can cook better than I can," He admits with a shrug, looking at the half-asleep Warrior.
 

"Huh?" He asks cutely as we both direct our attention towards him, attempting to wipe the sleep out his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Avery wants to know if you will help her, DO and Gran in the kitchen," Xiumin clarifies, making sure he understood what was being asked of him.
 

"You don't have to if you don't want to," I state, making sure he knows I'm not ordering him to do so. I am still cautious of what I ask of him, not wanting him to make me actually go through with our promise and take my Warriors with him.
 

"Sure, as long as it's not cutting," He answers, stretching as he stands and adjusts his clothes.
 

"Yea, don't let him do anything that involves a knife or anything else sharp," Kris requests, although it sounds like more of an order, his eyes piercing the Spirit Warrior sharply.

"Okay," I agree, much too use to their protective behavior when it comes to Lay to even question his request.

To be honest, their behavior was kind of confusing at first, most of them are younger than Lay, yet they act as if he is the younger and needs to be protected from everything they can protect him from, including himself. It was confusing but I just stopped questioning it and adjusted.
 

We enter the kitchen together and see Gran struggling with three pans and a pot on the stove top, trying to stir three fo them at once as a half-sliced cabbage sits abandoned on the chopping board.
 

Without saying a word, DO picks up the black handled knife and begins to slice the remaining chunk of cabbage, Lay gently pries a spoon out of Gran's hands and stirs the pot and one of the pans and I read over the recipe, taking in the ingredients spread around the counter and start grabbing whatever else we would be needing.
 

All of us ignore her protests and eventually, she stops fighting, allowing us to help her. We work separately but also as a cohesive unit and apart from the occasional instruction from Gran or question from either of my Warriors, we work in relative silence.
 

Within two hours, the festive table sets are brought out and set perfectly in place on the table, enough food to feed an army is brought out plate by plate and positioned in the center of the large table, the smell drawing the rest of my Warrior in from where they entertain themselves in the living room.
 

"Oh my god, it smells so good!" Kai exclaims, shoving Chen, not so gently, out of the way so he can get a seat near what he deems to be the most appealing dish.
 

For once, Chen dosen't react, only shaking his head fondly as he takes a seat between Chanyeol and one of the few empty chairs at the opposite end. Across from him sits Xiumin with Lay to his right and Tao to the left. Tao sits next to Kris with DO next to him and Gran at the head of the table. I am left with the space on Grans left and flop down gracelessly in my seat next to Kai. Next to him sits Chanyeol, who had begun bouncing in place as he grows more and more excited.
 

Gran picks up a bread roll and some Kimchi and as she begins to eat, we began to dig in, the eldest having finished choosing their food for the time being.
 

The next hour is filled with small chatter, delighted hums and a few small squabbles between Warriors as they stole food from each other, but other than the few moments when I wanted to stab a few of them with my chopsticks, everything is peaceful and happy.
 

When the plates are taken in and we brought out dessert, I truly believe a couple of them might spontaneously explode as they had inhaled everything they picked out as if they hadn't eaten in years. Yet, as each person finishes their fill, they lean back and groan in pleasure at their full stomachs an