I need a pay rise for this. Nichkhun has that sobering thought when he is in the middle of teaching first period chemistry to a class of disinterested teenagers who would clearly rather be anywhere but in his classroom. Not even two weeks into this new job, he’s already had to put up with enough to make him want to quit.

He really wants to set down his marker pen and walk exasperatedly out of the room when one of his students sticks up her hand and asks him a particular question which he gets in nearly every class. Unprofessional as he knows it is, it even elicits an involuntary groan from him.

“Mr Horvejkul,” She begins, her tone full of intent. Wow, yeah, she really butchered my name there, Nichkhun thinks. In the five years since he began teaching, he has heard nearly every way his name can be mispronounced by students and his colleagues. It’s beginning to get old, however Nichkhun has resigned himself to the fact that he is stuck with his last name so he can't really do much about it. It's not his classes’ fault that he has a surname unfamiliar to the American tongue.

His student's inquisitive tone brings him back to the present. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Teenagers really have no social filter - Nichkhun has noticed that a lot over the years. Many of them aren’t serious about his classes, and so they tend not to ask things related to the subject matter. This question isn’t even the first ridiculous question he has received today.

The only thing stopping Nichkhun from risking his job and walking out right now is the amount of student debt he is currently in, a residual artefact from his university days, and also the fact that his new school principal terrifies the living hell out of him. She is only five feet tall, but when they say that short people have a hidden wrath stored within them, Nichkhun has certainly witnessed that truth in the two weeks since he started working here.

He is reluctant to be on the receiving end of that wrath, so instead of walking out, he just takes a deep breath to steady himself before he responds.

“That is hardly a question appropriate for the classroom, Marie. Can we keep questions relevant to the topic, please?” He sighs, pushing up the frame of his glasses to peer at her with a hopefully discouraging look.

Nichkhun only wanted to cover molecular forces today, but instead he is forced to dodge questions about his personal life - or more specifically, his rather sad looking romantic life, or lack thereof it. Things have become a little (read: very) complicated since his move to Los Angeles. He doesn't want to get into it with anyone, teenagers least of all.

Looking around at the class, at the bored faces of his students who are only here because chemistry is a mandatory subject for freshmen, Nichkhun supposes that half of them aren't paying attention and probably don't even know what today's topic is. Whatever happened to the gleeful, enthusiastic students the school website always talks about? That's half the reason why he chose this school when he moved here.

He resists an eye roll and taps the whiteboard behind him. His messy scrawl is all over it, equations and chemical symbols covering its shiny surface.

“Van der Waals forces, anyone?” He asks. The hopefulness, or rather the sheer desperation for someone in this class to care, is quite clearly evident in the rise of his voice.

Unfortunately the question draws only a sea of blank faces, and Nichkhun decides then that he really wants to cry - preferably into a hot cup of tea in the staff room at lunch, if he makes it that long without breaking. Of course, he knows he's being melodramatic, but he lived with a theatre student as his roommate throughout university so he's well accustomed to acts of the dramatic.

One of his students, a boy this time, calls out, “What's a covalent bond?”

It’s if Nichkhun hasn't just spent the last half an hour explaining that exact concept. His heart breaks a little, but before he can express his disappointment because the boy clearly didn't listen to a word he said, the end-of-period bell rings and instead he just promises a better explanation in tomorrow’s class and dismisses the cohort for their break.

There are no stupid questions. There are no stupid questions. The mantra repeats in Nichkhun's head as he prepares for the next period - it was something his tutor used to tell him at university, and Nichkhun tries to believe it, but he can only pessimistically shake his head as he thinks, Yeah, right. What a load of .

Nichkhun is in a slump. He really hates his job sometimes - no, actually, all of the time. At first, it was the long hours and lack of breaks that annoyed him, but over time, he has found that it's the lack of appreciation for his hard work that gets to him the most. You can be the best damn teacher in the world, and change the lives of hundreds of kids for the better, but nobody ever seems to recognise teachers for that. Not the school board, not the parents, not even the kids themselves half the time.

This new school really brings the loathing out in him like never before, though, because the kids here seem to be more uninterested than most. Not that he can blame them, because chemistry is hardly an exciting subject for most people, especially those who are not scientifically minded. It isn't just that, though. The kids here seem to be disengaged with their school experience because there is just nothing for them to do outside of the classroom.

In his previous schools, before Nichkhun had unwillingly moved here from outside of the damn country, there were clubs, societies, music bands, sports teams, even a drama showcase at Christmas which nearly every student and teacher got involved with in one way or another. But here, there is… nothing. It is boring. The kids arrive early in the morning, sit through six hours of being lectured at, and then are sent on their merry way back home. Nobody tries to engage them like they did in Nichkhun's previous schools.

And it really shows in their attitudes to Nichkhun's classes.

Thankfully, the second period goes much more smoothly, because these students are older and they at least understand that personal questions are out of bounds. The class content is much more straightforward this time, though Nichkhun can see that most of the class are barely paying attention to his presentation. Something niggles at him every time he looks at those bored faces - young people shouldn't be like that. They should be excitable and enthusiastic, taking advantage of their opportunity to learn.

But it's the system that made them so unenthused with school and he can hardly change the system. Nichkhun tries his best with his colourful PowerPoint slides and interactive activities. There is only so much he try, but it's the least he can do to make the technical side high school chemistry a tad more interesting. Luckily, the interactive labs speak for themselves, and his third period students seem to have a lot more fun than is probably safe playing with chemicals.

The day flies by and lunch rolls around before Nichkhun knows it. Surprisingly he doesn't cry into his tea in the staff room, much as he wants to, but it's only the fact that the other teachers would stare at him weirdly if he did that stops him. He doesn't know them well enough yet, and besides, he already has a reputation for being a little weird because he is too awkward to talk to his new colleagues and always eats his lunch alone in the corner. It's another reason why Nichkhun hates his job here, because he feels like he doesn't fit in.

Just before lunch ends, Nichkhun realises he was supposed to go and pick up a bunch of resources from a classroom in the drama department.

, he thinks as he looks at the clock, I've only got five minutes. So he downs his tea before standing up with a sigh. Time to find the drama department. Wait, what classroom was I supposed to go to again?!

After a bit of panic, he realises he wrote it on his hand after reading the email earlier that morning and rolls his eyes at himself for being such an idiot. Classroom 54A is on the first floor, a few floors below the science block where he teaches, and where the communal staff room is. Nichkhun doesn't know this school very well yet, aside from the few science classrooms he teaches in and the various staff facilities he uses, so it takes him a few panicked minutes longer than he would like, whilst staring at a school map on the wall in the corridor, to find where he needs to go.

The school is split into three distinct blocks; in each, a teacher is nominated every year to be responsible for ordering classroom resources for all the departments in their block. Apparently this system makes it much easier for teachers to order textbooks and other resources they need to teach. In Nichkhun's block, where he teaches chemistry, a teacher in the drama department a few floors below is responsible for getting the resources Nichkhun had ordered a week ago. Until now, he had totally forgotten he has to go and get them.

Anyway, Nichkhun finds the classroom at last with a bit of hassle whilst cursing that all the hallways in this school look the same. He bursts through the door because he's panicking slightly at the fact that he has a minute and a half to get back to his own class before the next period begins. The thought of teenagers being left unsupervised in a chemistry lab is utterly terrifying to him.

What Nichkhun doesn't expect is to interrupt a man giving a passionate monologue to a small group of semi-interested looking students about the benefits of joining a lunchtime drama club. To be perfectly honest, the kids look like they would much rather spend their free period eating and goofing off, but the teacher is trying and in all honesty, Nichkhun thinks his enthusiasm is cute.

He's lanky and so skinny, probably because he expends so much energy as he talks. It’s actually a little disconcerting the level of energy he gives off. Nichkhun hasn't seen a fellow teacher so excited about his specialism in a long time, and by the looks of it, he really wants to inspire these students - even if they still look somewhat unenthused. The way he emotes his language, the way he moves his hands, and smiles as he talks, it makes Nichkhun swallow nervously as the man turns to him with a look of surprise.

Oh yeah, Nichkhun thinks as he stares into a captivatingly dark and intelligent looking eyes, this man is definitely cute. Nichkhun's mouth opens, and after another thick gulp, he finally remembers how to talk.

“I, uh… I was told to pick up some classroom supplies?” He wants to hit himself so hard after he speaks, because he sounds like a bumbling fool. Way to make a first impression, he berates himself. But, really, why does this man's impression of him matter so much besides the fact that they're colleagues? They don't work in the same department, and they'll likely not see each other again for ages, not until Nichkhun needs to order more stuff.

Nichkhun doesn't think about it too much because he simply can't, he’s is already preoccupied thinking of too many questions to focus on a single train of thought. Who is this mystery drama teacher? Oh, look, he's smiling. Why is that so adorable? What's his name? He is so passionate about his job. How do I become friends with him?

It seems that the other teacher is, strangely, suffering just as much with a case of cat-got-his-tongue because his eyes are open wide, his mouth forms a cute little 'o’ and he doesn't reply immediately - not until one of his students asks meekly, “Mr Jang, is everything okay?”

It must be strange for them to see, because he was so confident and animated before. Mr Jang seems to snap out of it then, as he shakes his head and smiles back at the group.

“I'm good. The bell is about to go, so why don't you guys head off to your next class now? I'll email you all information about the drama club.” He dismisses the group, and then turns to Nichkhun. “School supplies, you say? You're the last person to come and get them.” The words sound like they should have a cutting edge to them, as if this man is annoyed, but they don’t. They’re simply passive. Observant.

The smile that appears on Nichkhun's face is a sheepish one. He feels his cheeks heat at Mr Jang's words, though he notices that the other teacher is speaking to him in a higher pitch than just now when he was addressing his students. Is he nervous too? Nichkhun ponders to himself. But why would he be?

“Ah, yeah, about that…” Nichkhun trails off as he palms the back of his neck awkwardly, because he doesn't know how to tell the other man that he is literally a disorganised mess right now.

“Never mind,” Mr Jang shakes his head as he reaches for a cardboard box and passes it to Nichkhun, his tone oddly reassuring and soft. “I’m Wooyoung, by the way. I’m your resources coordinator, if you haven’t already guessed.”

Wow, he really is adorable, Nichkhun thinks before he can catch himself again, because the hesitant smile Wooyoung offers him is enough to make his heart flutter in his chest. “I'm Nichkhun, but everyone just calls me Khun.” He stammers his reply, hoping that Wooyoung doesn't catch how nervous he sounds.

“I'm a chemistry teacher,” He adds, although it's clearly unneeded information, and Nichkhun is just stalling for time now because he doesn't want to leave for his next class, he just wants to stay here and talk to Wooyoung all day. Is that creepy? Probably, but Nichkhun is past caring.

The bell unfortunately rings, and Nichkhun curses under his breath as he says a final thanks to Wooyoung. He nods at him as he makes his way out of the door.

In the final class of the day, Nichkhun can't think about chemistry. Not actual chemistry anyway, but he definitely focuses too much on whatever weird vibes were going on between himself and Wooyoung during their all too brief interaction. Perhaps the other man's appeal is clouding his judgement slightly, but he swears there was something there. All he can do is mull over it for the rest of the day.

***

Even when Nichkhun is driving home to his apartment that evening, all he can think about is that smile, those brown eyes so full of passion, that unruly hair and lanky body. He wants so very much to bump into Wooyoung again, to have an opportunity to talk to him more and get to know him, however it doesn't seem that will happen any time soon because they work in different departments. Chemistry and drama don't have much overlap, unsurprisingly.

Nichkhun reaches his new home in twenty minutes and lets himself into the hallway of his apartment. He really isn't used to this place yet; he moved here less than a month ago, and it still feels so empty since he barely has any furniture. He just has the essentials, since his stuff is still being shipped over from Thailand. As of now, it's his home, but it still doesn't feel like home. He is hoping that by giving it some time, the feeling of homeliness will emerge naturally.

Nichkhun distracts himself from thoughts of a certain drama teacher by cooking dinner. He is halfway through a recipe for spaghetti bolognese when the doorbell rings, which breaks his attention from the recipe book he had been reading. He isn't much of a cook, but lately it has become necessary for him to start dabbling with his admittedly limited culinary skill.

A smile finds its way onto his lips as he wipes his hands on a cloth and goes out into the hall to answer the door. It's a smile which has become second nature for him recently, whenever she is around. He doesn't do it to impress her, but rather so that she doesn't see the stress from his work and the uprooting of his life in the worn lines of his frown. That's the last thing she needs, on top of everything else.

He swings open the door and greets her with an enthusiasm he has to summon from deep within himself. He still isn't used to this, and he isn't sure he ever will be.

“Emily! Welcome home,” He exclaims. He reaches out his hands to take the little girl from the arms of his neighbour. Nichkhun greets the elderly woman with a polite nod once Emily is balanced on his hip, her head resting tiredly on his shoulder. “Hi, Jan. Thank you for looking after her again today.”

Jan waves at him with a tired smile. She always seems so tired at the end of the day - Emily is, of course, a six year old girl with a lot of energy. She wears Jan out, though Jan always proclaims that she enjoys having something to occupy herself with, because she's been alone since she was widowed. Babysitting Emily has brought a light back into her world.

“It's nothing. You know I'm happy to help with anything you need.” Jan nonchalantly waves away his thanks and subsequent offering of payment. She's too good to him.

Jan, his elderly neighbour, was the first person with whom Nichkhun had become acquainted when he moved into his new apartment after the move. After he had been rather unwittingly into this strange new world of responsibility, of being a parent to Emily, it was safe to say that the stress had piled on top of him so much that it had squashed him until he had shattered.

Leaving the country he had always known and moving to America to become a parent because of a dead person's will was hardly the way he had expected his life to turn out. Fortunately, when he had sunk down onto the steps in the stairwell leading up to his apartment, bawling his eyes out on the night before he was due to meet Emily for the first time a mere three weeks ago, Jan had happened upon him. She had taken pity on him, and extended a much needed olive branch of hope. Nichkhun will be forever thankful for her friendship.

Half the reason he is still sane is because Jan helps him to look after sweet little Emily. He has no idea what he's supposed to do with her the majority of the time. Luckily for him, Jan raised five children and considers herself to be somewhat of an expert.

“Do you need me to take her to school tomorrow, Khun?” Jan asks, cocking her head to the side like she already knows the answer. Nichkhun works long hours; being a teacher means he has to be at work early in the morning and he doesn't get home until the evening most days. It makes him feel like utter that he can't be there for Emily as much as he should be, especially during this important transition period for them both, but there's not a lot he can do about it.

He nods. “If you don't mind,” He replies, bringing up a hand to pet Emily's back when she grumbles sleepily. Nichkhun chuckles, “I better feed this kiddo before she gets too tired and falls asleep.”

Jan throws back her head and echoes his laugh, the sound a comforting one to Nichkhun who already likes everything about the delightful old woman even though they've known each other for barely a month. “Alright, but make sure you feed yourself, too, kiddo.”

Nichkhun nods and thanks her again, seeing her off before he closes the door with a little sigh. “Do you wanna help me with dinner, Em?” The question makes her perk up somewhat, though she sticks her thumb in unsurely as she stares at him. It's only been three weeks since they met, and Emily isn't totally comfortable with him yet, though being able to hold her without her crying for her mother is certainly progress. He just wonders how she'll cope with Christmas in a few months, when her mother isn't there to dote over her like she always has been in the past.

After a few all too long seconds, he finally receives a nod from the little girl, and she pulls out her thumb from as she asks meekly, “Then can we eat ice cream after, Daddy? I always do that with Mummy…”

Nichkhun's heart aches, because it hasn't dawned on her despite how many times she's been told that her mother isn't coming back to life. And he can't bring himself to tell her yet that he's not her real father, even if he's now her legal one. But despite the frustrated tears threatening to make themselves apparent in his eyes, he stays strong and nods cheerfully. “Yeah... Yeah, of course we can.” It hasn't been long, but she's growing on him. One day, he swears Emily is going to melt his heart with her innocence and sweetness.

He gets through the evening surprisingly easily - Emily makes a mess of herself whilst making dinner, but then so does Nichkhun. It turns out to be fun cooking with her, and he finds that he doesn't mind the mess as much as his pre--into-parenthood self would have, and by the time they've finished their ice cream, Emily has worn herself out. Nichkhun quickly bathes her and puts her to bed. Before long she's snuggled under her blankets and snoring lightly, and Nichkhun takes a breath as he looks around his apartment. He never thought his home would be so messy, strewn with children's toys and colouring books, which appear to be Emily's favourite because she's somewhat of a creative.

He never thought he'd get to be a parent, if he's perfectly honest with himself.

Nichkhun shakes his head in disbelief, and after cleaning up a little and taking a shower, he settles down on the couch to do some grading and lesson planning. The work of a teacher doesn't ever stop at the school gates, contrary to the beliefs of half the kids he teaches. When he tucks himself into bed at ten thirty, he finds that he can’t sleep tonight. He isn’t sure what it is; it might be the newness of this apartment, it might even be because his day has been slightly eventful.

Amidst the tossing and turning he finally manages to get a few fleeting moments of coveted sleep, and unsurprisingly, he dreams of a certain captivatingly adorable drama teacher.

***

Somehow, they stay in touch. It's mostly by accident, at first, when they bump into each other in the corridors and the communal staff room, but then each of them seems to orchestrate a series of 'accidental’ meetings, where they just so happen to be in the same place at the same time. It starts out with a greeting here and there, in the canteen or at the copy machine, but before Nichkhun knows it, he’s spending each of his coffee breaks between periods in the staffroom with Wooyoung. Within mere weeks, they even begin to eat lunch together every day, in the rooftop garden atop Block A where it's quiet and free from disturbances.

They learn more about each other, and over lunch share nearly every aspect of their lives because they seem to click immediately. Well, every aspect apart from Emily, because Nichkhun doesn't know how to explain the unfortunate circumstance which caused her to come into his care. He is also reluctant to share the fact that he is a single father - he has heard of the social stigma and accompanying horror stories associated with single parenthood and he is reluctant to invite that negativity into his life right now. It’s not that he necessarily thinks Wooyoung will react badly, but he is also can't sat for sure that he won't. For now, Nichkhun decides to just leave the topic alone.

On a different note, Nichkhun shares one lunchtime that he's a total er for romantic comedies. To his surprise, Wooyoung enthusiastically admits to liking them as well. They find out over time that they share more common interests than they don't.

The only place where they don't overlap is in their specialist subjects. Whilst Nichkhun is decidedly more of a scientist than an artist, Wooyoung expresses his disdain for the complicated nature of chemistry on more than one occasion. But, Wooyoung is so passionate about the performing arts that the smile adorning his face every time he talks about it is radiant and practically blinding, and Nichkhun quickly grows to adore that smile a lot, so he can forgive him for hating on his subject just a little bit.

“I used to be a stage actor, when I first moved to LA.” Wooyoung says one day, when they're eating lunch up on the rooftop, in the afternoon sun. It’s been at least a month since they met now, and a few weeks since they started eating together. The warmth from the sunlight makes Nichkhun feel lazy, and he's kinda falling asleep on the bench they're sharing, until he hears Wooyoung admit that.

“Wait, what?” The way Wooyoung casually slips it into conversation before taking a bite of his sandwich makes Nichkhun laugh in surprise. He doesn't know why it surprises him so much, since Wooyoung lives and breathes the performing arts - but he always seems so shy and quiet around Nichkhun that he can hardly imagine him on the stage. It's a strange juxtaposition.

“What, like musicals and stuff?”

Wooyoung nods, his lips pulling up into a coy smile as he looks over at Nichkhun, a sparkle of amusement in his eye. “I haven't just taught a bunch of disinterested kids my entire life and passively sat backstage, you know. I moved here as a student, from Korea, and had a few parts as an understudy in some university productions…”

“Why didn't you keep doing it after uni?” Nichkhun tilts his head curiously, maintaining the eye contact. The playful look in Wooyoung's eyes has him unable to look away. They’re especially captivating because Nichkhun can see the red and yellow hues of the sunlight reflected in them, enhancing the natural brown of his irises.

Wooyoung shrugs as he taps the plastic lid of his lunchbox, finally looking away and out at the cityscape beyond them. For some reason, Nichkhun is disappointed that he looked away, but he doesn't know why.

Wooyoung sighs. “There weren't many opportunities back then for a young Korean man with a limited English vocabulary in stage acting, surprise. So, I took a break from acting and attended English classes instead, so that I could one day go back to it more confidently, but somehow I fell into a teaching degree along the way after completing my theatre undergrad.”

Nichkhun hums observantly and purses his lips. “Something tells me you like teaching more than you do acting though, since you're still doing it.” He leans inwards towards Wooyoung, feeling as if something is pulling him closer. He isn’t sure what it is. “There's something so compelling about imparting knowledge and inspiring others, isn't there?” He knows he's speaking as if he loves his own job, which he absolutely does not right now, but he has to admit, in his old schools there was no better feeling than inspiring a bunch of kids, encouraging them to find something they're passionate about. It ways made him feel like he had made a positive change in their lives.

Wooyoung nods his head and turns to face him again. Then, he reaches out his hand and gently touches Nichkhun's where it rests face down on the bench between them - Nichkhun so desperately wants to flip his hand over, so that they're palm to palm, but he resists the urge. That would be too much.

“Exactly, you get it.” Wooyoung's voice is soft, and it makes Nichkhun's stomach feel all fluttery. There's an unspoken connection there between them, a connection which Nichkhun realises hasn't just appeared, but which has been slowly forging between them since the moment they met. They're on the same wavelength - about everything.

Nichkhun's heart thumps in his chest and he wonders what can possibly be causing him to feel so jittery right now.

His inner science geek tells himself that adrenaline is often the cause of a fast heart beat - but there's no reason for him to need adrenaline right now. He isn't in danger. The other options for heart rate controlling hormones are dopamine and cortisol, he recalls from his textbooks, but that would highly imply that he's feeling something akin to a crush.

The realisation hits him like a ton of bricks and he quickly retracts his hand.

Oh, .

***

The months pass by in a blur of assignment grading and exams, and underlying exam stress which dissipates the minute Nichkhun finds out that his students do exceptionally well, on the whole. Nichkhun, as it turns out, actually has a positive impact on most of his students after he has taught them for a while, and he can't help but wonder if it's because he himself has been a lot happier. He's been carrying himself with more confidence - and he is sure that is all to do with a cute drama teacher he's been hanging out with a lot recently.

The positive change is seen at home too, because Nichkhun is more relaxed around Emily, and she begins to settle as if she can sense his mood. She has accepted her mother's passing, as much as a six year old can, and though she certainly hasn't forgotten her mother she seems to be embracing her new life with Nichkhun as much as she can.

When Jan brings Emily home in the evenings, she often runs into Nichkhun's arms, squealing and giggling delightfully as he tickles her and welcomes her home. They make dinner together most nights; it's become their bonding time since Nichkhun is always home in the evening. Occasionally she falls asleep in Nichkhun's arms when they're watching cartoons, which Nichkhun takes to be a positive sign that she trusts him. The moments they spend together become some of Nichkhun's favourites.

The seasons change; the trees lose their leaves and the weather becomes progressively colder, until Nichkhun sees the first signs of snow and he can no longer sit outside with Wooyoung at lunch. They sit in the staff room now instead, in a corner far from everyone else, where it's most private. They've become those two weirdos in the corner together, much to Nichkhun's amusement.

Over lunch, Nichkhun always spots the Christmas tree in the staff lounge out of the corner of his eye, and it makes him gulp nervously because he doesn't know what he's going to do to make Christmas special for Emily.

He's never had to organise Christmas for a six year old before.

Wooyoung's tales from his musical acting days keep him focused at lunch, and he tries not to think about Christmas too much at work because he doesn't want to look worried. As much as the staff room Christmas tree taunts him with its twinkly lights and colourful tinsel, he absolutely refuses to pay it attention. He still hasn't told Wooyoung about Emily, and at this point, he feels like it's been too long to slip it casually into conversation.

“Oh yeah, by the way Wooyoung, I have a daughter I've been keeping a secret from you because I feel like you won't want to be friends with a single father. I'll totally cramp your style.” He can imagine the conversation now, and he has to suppress an unpleasant shiver at the thought of Wooyoung's reaction.

He's still crushing on Wooyoung extremely hard, and in the unlikely event that Wooyoung will ever begin to like him back, he's sure that the other man will be less than enthused to find that he's a father already, even if Emily isn't his own flesh and blood. Single parents notoriously don't have many perk points in the dating world, a fact that Nichkhun is quite scared of.

When the school announce that they're having a charity Christmas dance, where everyone has to come in fancy dress, Nichkhun is at first overjoyed that something has finally been scheduled for the kids outside of their general academic activities. Then, he realises that he's obligated to attend and wear a costume, and as a self-proclaimed hater of fancy dress, he comes to the conclusion that this is the absolute worst time of year.

“Oh stop being so miserable. I’m going to start calling you Scrooge!” Wooyoung laughs at him during their lunch together the day after the announcement is made. They’re sitting in Nichkhun’s classroom today, since for some reason they’ve migrated there. Nichkhun isn’t complaining, it somehow feels more intimate, perhaps because they have more privacy than in the staffroom even with the door open to the hallway.

Wooyoung hides his amused smile behind his sandwich, which makes Nichkhun have to fight his own laugh from escaping, but only because he is still annoyed that he has to dress up. “This is supposed to be a fun time of year, for us as well as the kids. I'm going to go as a Christmas elf.”

Of course Wooyoung would be lapping up an opportunity like this, the . He's a creative, much like Emily, and he adores all this stuff. Nichkhun's heart melts a little when he realises how similar Wooyoung is to Emily. They're both so passionate about what they love - Wooyoung and his theatrics, designing costumes and dramatically parading around in them on stage, and Emily and her princess costumes she insists on wearing to school more often than not nowadays. They're as cute as each other, honestly, not that Nichkhun would ever admit it out loud.

“Come on, Khun, what are you going as?” Wooyoung probes, after a few more seconds. Nichkhun spends a good ten seconds of serious thought pondering the question, before shrugging as he stares into his packed lunch.

“Oh, I don't know…” Nichkhun sighs. It's clearly not the response Wooyoung is looking for, because he pouts, looking a little put out. The sight makes Nichkhun's brain implode, just a little, before he regains himself.

He notices that Wooyoung looks a little sad because of his lack of enthusiasm, and it's honestly a look he never wants to see on Wooyoung's face ever again, so he scrambles for a better response. Wooyoung sits up a little straighter, and smiles a little brighter when Nichkhun says, “Uh… I'm sure I'll figure it out in the next few days, don't worry. But, you said you'll be a Christmas elf? That's so cute.”

At first he chuckles, but then he abruptly stops when he realises that he just admitted that he finds the image of Wooyoung in an elf costume, complete with a green hat, striped socks and pointy shoes to be downright adorable. His face heats up, and he looks away in embarrassment, but only a moment later, he summons the courage to look at Wooyoung again when the other man coughs awkwardly.

Wooyoung looks just as embarrassed as he does, with his cheeks flushed a rosy red, but he's also wearing a soft smile. He sets down his sandwich, and asks, “You think I'm cute?”

The only acceptable response is a nod because a shake of his head would be quite frankly insulting, and Nichkhun realises he has painted himself into a corner because of this. So Nichkhun does nod his head, before mumbling, “Maybe a little…”

A short pause follows, in which Nichkhun can hear his heart thumping in his ears it's so loud. It's only a few seconds, but it feels like a damnsight longer as he waits for Wooyoung's response - if he'll respond at all.

Then he does, and his voice is quiet, but steadily confident. “For the record,” He begins, “I happen to think that you're very attractive, too, Mr Horvejkul.”

Inside, Nichkhun is screaming in joy and fear all at once, but he thanks the spirit of Christmas as he puts on a calm façade and takes a sip of his tea. , that's hot, he thinks as he burns his tongue, but that's not the most pressing issue on his mind right now.

“D'you… do you maybe want to go for coffee sometime this week? Like in an actual cafe?” He splutters nervously as he gestures to their staff room surroundings, where they usually take their coffee breaks. It would be nice to see Wooyoung outside of their usual environment. He wonders how he is going to factor in a date when he has to look after Emily, but then he figures that Jan will be happy to take her for a time. Emily loves spending time with her as much as the elderly woman enjoys the company - they’ve taken to baking together after Emily comes back from school.

“I'd love to.” Wooyoung smiles and nods, and this is quite possibly the luckiest day of Nichkhun's life thus far. Nichkhun thinks that maybe becoming a teacher was worth it, if only for this moment.

***

The charity dance turns out to be on the same day as Emily's school Christmas production, and pretty soon, Nichkhun find himself torn between being the worst love-interest ever for ditching Wooyoung because he'd promised to (or rather, been railroaded into) being the santa to his elf at the dance, versus being a diabolical father for missing his kid's school play.

The worst part is that, if he chooses to cancel on Wooyoung for Emily's play, he won’t even have a valid excuse. Wooyoung is a close enough friend now to know that he doesn't have many social commitments outside of work, but he still doesn't know that his biggest commitment by far is Emily.

He spends the better part of a day mulling over what to do when Jan brings the letter home with Emily - she's supposed to be an angel in their school play, so he needs to find her a costume; white dress and shoes, completed with a halo and feathery wings. It's an adorable image in Nichkhun's mind, but one which makes his heart sink like a stone when he realises he might not be able to make it to her performance if he can't get out of the charity dance.

Days pass and Nichkhun still can't come up with a suitable reason to tell Wooyoung that he suddenly can't attend the charity dance - it's tonight, but so is Emily's performance. She'll be so disappointed if he just leaves her with Jan for the evening, because she has been so excited about being up on that stage tonight, with Nichkhun watching her. He can't not be there.

So, Nichkhun does what he knows best, which is distracting Emily with cartoons for the time being whilst he sits at the kitchen table and tries to grade some of his students’ assignments, all at the same time ignoring the issue at hand. For a while, it works. He loses himself to numbers, and chemical formulas, and long winded explanations about the composition of the Earth's atmosphere. 78% nitrogen. 21% oxygen. 1% argon and other gases. Nichkhun repeats the numbers in his head like a litany, because the familiarity of them is better than the unknown consequences which will befall whichever inevitably bad decision he makes.

It works, of course, until his phone buzzes, the vibration breaking him out of his careful focus. He reaches for it and glances at the clock on the screen; two hours have passed since he started ignoring his problems. He should probably check on Emily - she's likely fallen asleep in front of the television, which kind of makes him a terrible father, but right now he has bigger problems to deal with then that so he guesses he's excused just this once.

What do snowmen wear on their heads? - Jang Wooyoung, 5:09pm

Nichkhun can't help but smile, because Wooyoung's texts always make his day just a little bit better, despite his predicament. Wooyoung has taken to sending him terrible Christmas-themed jokes every day in the lead up to the holiday.

He doesn't even get a chance to reply before the punchline arrives, his phone vibrating in his hand. Nichkhun bites back a grin.

Ice caps! Ha! - Jang Wooyoung, 5:10pm

Texting Wooyoung is way more fun than spending another minute grading these assignments, at least now after the millionth one, so Nichkhun momentarily forgets his work and his fingers tap at the keyboard on his screen as he quickly writes his response.

Haha, good one! Aren't you supposed to be supervising your drama club right now though?

It's funny how familiar they have become with each others’ daily lives. Wooyoung has recently got his extracurricular drama club going in an attempt to get young people more interested in the performing arts. The passion in his voice when he had explained to Nichkhun over the phone what he wanted to create, and why, had made Nichkhun keep encouraging him until he had finally done it. Nichkhun is so proud of him.

Not even a minute after he sends the message, he gets a reply.

We just finished. I'm clearing up the drama studio and then I'm done. - Jang Wooyoung, 5:12pm

Actually, speaking of snowmen, are you ready for the charity dance tonight? Shall I swing by at 7 to pick you up? 👀 - Jang Wooyoung, 5:12pm

The question only elicits a long groan from Nichkhun as he hides his head in his arms and thumps it on the table in frustration. Why does Wooyoung have to be so excited about this damn dance? And, never, under any circumstance is Wooyoung coming anywhere near his apartment, even if he somehow knows his address from a moment of oversharing on Nichkhun's part, because Emily is here.

It's the single parent curse. Some people might call it a load of bologna, but Nichkhun certainly believes in it. Society thinks that single parents aren't supposed to date; Nichkhun knows it's stupid, but he isn't taking any risks - kids seem to make prospective lovers run a mile in the opposite direction. He has seen it first hand with a few of his friends back in Thailand.

In a moment of panic, because he has to stop Wooyoung from turning up at his apartment at all costs, Nichkhun raises his head and unlocks his phone, poising his fingers over the keyboard in deliberation. He knows the lie he's about to tell will disappoint Wooyoung, more than he ever wants to because making him sad hurts Nichkhun's own feelings a lot.

Aw, man. I'm so sorry. I've come down with a bad stomach bug so I can't make tonight. Looks like I'll be out of the count for a while… :(

It only takes a few seconds for his phone to buzz. Even through text, Wooyoung seems to be as dejected sounding as Nichkhun had expected.

Oh , is it really that bad? Get well soon then, I guess… I'll be thinking of you when I'm up on the dancefloor tonight. :( - Jang Wooyoung, 5:14pm

Nichkhun feels like an utter for lying to Wooyoung, who at this point is his best friend and quite possibly closest confidant. After their first coffee date Wooyoung had kissed his cheek, which had felt like it was tingling for hours afterwards, and they had entered into a sort of courtship after that. They went on plenty more coffee dates, in which they had shared most of their closest secrets with each other, though Nichkhun was unsure of where they lay now since neither of them had made another move.

He supposes this one is on him. He could have done something tonight, but he has just royally cocked up that possibility.

As Nichkhun texts back a thanks for understanding, man, and sets down his phone to go and check on Emily, he feels like the biggest fraud for letting down his best friend. Deep inside himself, he thinks that maybe it will be hard to come back from this.

As it turns out, Emily looks completely adorable in her costume. The halo and wings complete her look perfectly, and quite honestly, he can’t wait to show others his beautiful angel at the performance. He is so proud of how confident she feels about getting up on stage too.

“It'll be a piece of cake, Daddy!” She proclaims as he dresses her. Obviously she has learned the saying from Jan at some point. Her tone is slightly pretentious, but also cute, so Nichkhun just smiles as he puts her hair into two plaits, fringe out of her face. “I've been practicing for days!” Emily cries out as she swishes a toy wand in front of her and wiggles on the spot, as if casting a spell. Nichkhun is sure angels don't do that, but who knows what they teach in primary school nowadays.

“Is that so?” He chuckles as he finishes off her second plait with a hair tie. He is getting good at this hairstyle stuff, even if he feels less than confident about the rest of his new parenting skills.

Nichkhun is about to ask her if she knows any decent spells, as the embodiment of this magic-casting angel, when the doorbell rings. He frowns, because he isn't expecting anyone. Jan is coming to see the play, but she is meeting himself and Emily at the school later on, since she has errands to run first.

“Can you hang on for a second, poppet, and then I'll help you with your shoes.” He says, giving Emily's hand a squeeze as he stands up to go and answer the door. Emily must understand his confusion, because she nods in response but stares out into the hall after him, as if also wondering who the stranger at the door is.

Nichkhun gets the shock of his life when he finally answers the door, because the person on the other side is none other than Jang Wooyoung, dressed head to toe in a garish green elf outfit. He is wearing a striped hat, with a bell which jingles as he shakes his head. He even has bells on his shoes. Pointed. Shoes.

In his hands, he's got a little basket, which Nichkhun instantly recognises as a sort of care package from its contents. Wooyoung has brought him some ginger tea, some medication for his stomach, a movie with a famous rom-com star on the box, and he has a blanket over one of his shoulders.

“W-woo? What brings you here?” Nichkhun stutters out in disbelief. At this point, he's a bit too shocked by the sight of Wooyoung in his doorway to remember that he is supposed to have an excruciatingly bad stomach bug. Luckily, he looks kind of disheveled from work earlier today - he hasn't changed into clean clothes for Emily's performance yet, or shaved, so he has a bit of stubble.

Wooyoung just gives him a coy smile as he offers up the basket in his hands. “A little birdie told me you aren't feeling well, so as Santa's elf for one night only, it only felt like the right thing to bring you a few presents to make you feel better.”

Nichkhun feels oddly touched, even though he knows he feels perfectly fine. But he throws in a pained smile as he gently takes the basket from Wooyoung and sighs, “You really shouldn't have, Woo, this is much too kind.”

“Nonsense!” Wooyoung laughs brightly, “You're worth every moment it took to put that thing together, all twenty minutes of it on my way to the charity dance.”

Nichkhun snorts in amusement. “Glad to know I'm worth that much to you.” Then he takes the blanket from Wooyoung, a bit quicker than is probably polite since he remembers Emily is in the house somewhere and he needs to get Wooyoung out of here so he doesn't see her. “Thank you so much for this.”

He's in the process of kissing Wooyoung's cheek when he hears a voice come from behind him. It's small and curious, and it makes Nichkhun freeze in horror as a shiver of dread runs down his spine.

“Daddy, why are you kissing that strange man? Who is he?”

Nichkhun spins on his heels, and there she is, Emily is standing in the middle of the hallway. She's clutching her plastic wand in both her hands unsurely, close to her chest, and her expression is more than confused. She's frowning. Nichkhun doesn't like that look.

Then, all of a sudden Emily starts to cry, big wailing sobs out of nowhere, and Nichkhun is there in an instinct. Parental instinct takes over where his shock has otherwise rendered him useless; he's sweeping Emily up into his arms and holding her close, one hand smoothing her hair as she presses her face into the crook of his neck.

“Hey… Hey, Emily, it's okay. What's the matter, sweetheart?” He mumbles her words just loud enough that she can hear them, but apparently Wooyoung can hear them too because he clears his throat awkwardly in the doorway, and-- , Nichkhun kind of forgot he was there, what with his daughter having a meltdown seemingly out of the blue.

He spins around again, and he's about to give some kind of half-assed explanation for the existence of his daughter when Emily suddenly exhales heavily and pushes away from Nichkhun to give him an angry glare. He's never seen her looking like that.

“Mummy said she loved you! That's why I got sent here when she died. Stop hurting my Mummy!”

Well, if that didn’t sound incriminating on many levels.

Nichkhun opens his mouth to respond, but he's just gaping like a goldfish since he's not really sure what to say. Meanwhile, Emily is wailing and wriggling in his arms, hitting his chest with her tiny fist in utter malice, though it barely hurts, and really he kind of deserves it for not introducing Wooyoung to her sooner.

“Khun, what is going on?” He hears Wooyoung's confused, and somewhat hurt-sounding, voice from the doorway. It's faint, though that may be because Nichkhun is feeling rather panicky and he can't really focus on much right now.

No matter what he does, he can't calm Emily down. He tries talking to her, though even the sternest of voices don't make a difference. And when he changes his approach, after she's been set back down on the floor because she is wriggling too much, she won't even let him hug her in reassurance.

It’s safe to say he's at his wit's end and he doesn't really know what else to do. So, it comes as a great shock when Wooyoung kneels on the ground in front of Emily, and Nichkhun watches in a stunned silence as he shoots him a you-have-so-much-explaining-to-do-later-Mr-Horvejkul stare and proceeds to engage his daughter in conversation.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” Wooyoung replaces his startled, confused expression with a bright smile as he pulls a little notebook out of the pocket of his costume. It has a glittery cover and Nichkhun only belatedly realises it's Wooyoung's version of a makeshift Santa's gift list. Wooyoung flips it open and, making sure that Emily can't see the blank page, scans down the 'list’ with a squint as if he's reading it. “You must be Miss Emily Horvejkul. I'm Wooyoung, one of Santa's elves!”

Emily watches him with bemusement, as if she is unsure what to make of the situation when Wooyoung sticks out his hand in greeting. Nichkhun notices, though, that she has stopped crying, and she has a childishly charmed glint in her eyes as she accepts his handshake. She's buying into Wooyoung's act.

“I came here to ask your Daddy what you would like for Christmas, so I can go back to the North Pole and tell Santa Claus.” Wooyoung's eyes are crinkled into a smile, which even though the circumstances are less than ideal, Nichkhun can tell is a real smile. He's not just acting, though he is damn good at it. Wooyoung looks between Emily and Nichkhun and says, “Kissing others on the cheek is a common way of greeting someone in the North Pole. Your Daddy was just greeting me, you don't have to be angry at him.”

Nichkhun is grateful for the fact that Wooyoung just bailed him out of quite possibly the toughest situation he has been in since Emily came to live with him. She’s generally a chilled out kid, she doesn’t usually do tantrums so he had no idea how to react. He can breathe easy.

Well, until Wooyoung looks at Nichkhun briefly, who swears he can see a hint of sadness in his eyes as he adds, “I'm sure he loves your Mummy very much, Emily.” Nichkhun feels his heart sink into his stomach when he hears that.

Emily is clearly an easily won-over kid, because she grasps Wooyoung's hand in her own and completely changes the subject. “Can I get a pony for Christmas?” Her thoughts are now on reaping what she can from this situation.

Nichkhun wheezes out a laugh of disbelief and shakes his head. Even though he is going through an inner turmoil, Emily's blatancy still has the power to make him laugh. Wooyoung keeps up his act, grins at her and, in what Nichkhun can only describe as an obvious act of blackmail, winks as he whispers, “I'll ask Santa and see what we can do. But don't tell Daddy.” He raises his finger to his lips to swear Emily to secrecy, which Emily copies in her own exaggerated way. Nichkhun only feels slightly betrayed.

When Emily is finally placated, she hugs Wooyoung-the-Christmas-elf and runs off into her room to play. Shortly after she leaves, Wooyoung stands up and turns to Nichkhun, the playful look in his eyes now gone. It's replaced with a stare which Nichkhun finds hard to read.

“You have a daughter.” Wooyoung states. His shoulders sag and he shakes his head, and Nichkhun can finally tell that he's disappointed as well as confused. “Why didn't you tell me? Are you married?”

Nichkhun is quick to correct him. “God, no. Wooyoung, I-- This has been a difficult situation for me.” How sick would it have been if he had lead Wooyoung on for months like that, if he was already married? He has a little girl, sure, but that is a situation very much out of even his own hands. He waits for Wooyoung's response, for a few agonising seconds, before he realises he needs to explain everything before Wooyoung will be able to respond.

So he takes Wooyoung's hand, drags him into the living room, and makes him sit on the couch. He continues to hold his hand, though neither of them seem to realise it, as he tells Wooyoung everything - starting with Emily's mother, who shared his dorm during his university days.

She was an American exchange student, who studied acting just like Wooyoung did. She and Nichkhun first met during their freshman year, when they became roommates. Jennifer quickly became his best friend, and everybody always seemed to think they were dating even though they never did because they spent so much time together.

“Everything was going perfect for both of us at the start, because we were both hardworking students who wanted to succeed… Jennifer even had aspirations to work internships in Hollywood after her exchange year in Thailand was over...” Nichkhun trailed off and shook his head as if he didn't want to recount the next part. Wooyoung was still holding his hand, which he squeezed gently to encourage him. “Until she got in with the wrong crowd, got led down a path of crime, and ended up dropping out. She went back to America and that was the last I heard of her.”

Recounting it, even now, hurt because Jennifer was one of the closest friends he had ever had. She still meant a lot to him. In fact, one night after they had come home from drinking back in university, she had told him that nobody had truly cared about her until she had met Nichkhun, even in a friendship way. They were so close that they were like siblings, before she turned to a life of crime.

“So how did you end up with Emily?” Wooyoung asks. He speaks tentatively, as if he doesn’t want to cause Nichkhun any pain by having to recount the memories. Nichkhun can tell he is curious, though, especially as he elaborates his question. “You said Emily is her daughter? So she isn't related to you?”

Nichkhun shakes his head with a grimace. “Jennifer died. She got into some big trouble when she moved back to LA, and I suppose that she made bad enough enemies who wanted her dead.” He can see the apologetic expression appear on Wooyoung's face immediately, so he stretches his lips into a wrought smile to ease the tension. He can't stand the heavy atmosphere right now. “Emily came to live with me because it was written in Jennifer's will. Apparently, even though so many years had passed since we last saw each other, I was still the only person she could trust enough to leave her daughter with should anything happen to her.”

Nichkhun supposes that speaks volumes about the kinds of people Jennifer interacted with in Los Angeles. Somewhere out there is Emily's biological father, but Jennifer obviously didn't trust him enough either. Nichkhun still remembers the shock of receiving the letter stating that he now legally had a daughter. He still isn't quite over it, if he's honest with himself.

Wooyoung is obviously still perplexed, because the questions keep coming, faster now as he realises that Nichkhun won't be discouraged from talking about it. Nichkhun can hardly blame him for being confused, it's a lot to take in, after all. “So that's how you came to LA? To take care of Emily?”

Nichkhun nods. “Jennifer's one request was that she stays in Los Angeles, at least while she is young. Everything is familiar to her here.”

He is surprised when Wooyoung moves his hand to Nichkhun's shoulder and gives it a supportive squeeze. He seems proud of Nichkhun now, which is a slightly bizarre response, but better than total shock and refusal to ever associate himself with Nichkhun again for lying to him about Emily's existence.

“You've done such a good job with her, Khun. I can see that she's happy and healthy, even though I didn't meet her for long. She has settled in well here.” Wooyoung's gentle, approving tone makes Nichkhun feel all warm, and he finally breaks out into a genuine grin.

“I try…” He says sheepishly, “Thank you for calming her down earlier, by the way. I really appreciate that.”

Wooyoung gives a good natured shrug as he mirrors Nichkhun's grin, and suddenly the atmosphere in the room is much lighter as the weight of the constant lie Nichkhun has been carrying on his shoulders is lifted.

“Not sure about promising my daughter a pony though, hmm…” Nichkhun raises his eyebrows and stares at Wooyoung with a face that says I-am-not-amused. He's joking though, mostly.

Wooyoung his head to the side and giggles childishly, his tongue poking through his teeth. “It worked?” He counters, blushing as he rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. Then, all of a sudden, he sits up straight and gasps as he looks dead-on at Nichkhun. “You lied about being ill though! Were you just avoiding me?” The question comes out in a cute, childish wine.

“Ah… that's a long story…” Nichkhun chuckles.

Before he begins to recount it, Wooyoung kisses him. He later claims that the moment got the better of him, but Nichkhun is glad he did it regardless of the reason. Nichkhun kisses back with all the intensity and passion he can muster - it might just be the best first kiss he's ever experienced.

Long story short, Wooyoung decides to blow off the school charity dance in favour of being Nichkhun's plus-one to Emily's Christmas play. They're both a bit disheveled from kissing earlier on, and Wooyoung is still in his elf costume so he draws some stares from the teachers and other parents. It doesn't matter how mad they probably look though, because Nichkhun is floating on cloud nine and it'll be hard to get him down from here.

Emily looks utterly adorable dressed as a little angel, especially as she spots them in the crowd and gives them an enthusiastic wave during a musical number. Nichkhun expected her to be at least a little bit nervous up there in front of everybody in the audience, but actually she's thriving. She's like a little actress.

The thought makes him smile as he reaches over and silently takes Wooyoung's hand into his own, eyes never leaving the stage. He feels Wooyoung squeeze his hand, just like he did earlier, and he realises that Wooyoung is proud too - of him.

Nichkhun wipes a tear that has formed in his eye - really, he isn't sure why he is crying. Perhaps it's because Emily looks so perfect up on that stage, and he finally feels like her father rather than just a caretaker whose been tasked to look after her, now that he feels comfortable enough to admit it out loud. Maybe it's also because Wooyoung is sitting at his side; he hadn't run off with the sudden revelation of Emily's existence, like Nichkhun had thought he would. Being a single parent isn't so bad - though he can hardly call himself single any more.

Along with the rest of her class, Emily takes a bow as the song ends and they shuffle off the stage. As the lights go down, amidst the clapping of the families in the audience, Nichkhun breaks out into a huge grin.

Perhaps this Christmas won't be as terrible as he had thought it would.

***

The rest of the month passes quickly; the school semester finishes up with a few exams, which make the both of them so busy that they don't get to see each other as much as they would like to. However, in the midst of grading papers and the last push to finish up all their work before the term ends, Nichkhun and Wooyoung make a point of keeping to routine.

They always eat lunch together because it's their thing. It's how they became well acquainted with each other, after all, and quite frankly it is the part of Nichkhun's working day that he looks forward to the most because he gets to see Wooyoung's smiling face for a little while. Alongside that, when they're busy planning lessons, or otherwise knee-deep in creating and then grading exam papers, one of them will take the time to visit the other in their classroom and bring coffee to him in their free periods.

Those visits from Wooyoung are like Nichkhun's lifeline, when all he wants to do is get to the end of the semester already. When he hasn't taken a break in hours, and he feels like he might be going a little stir-crazy with his mind so full of chemical formulae and equations, the little knock Wooyoung always does on the classroom door before he enters is sure to bring him a wave of relief. The coffee is good, no doubt about it, but the few quiet moments he gets to spend with Wooyoung in his break are even better. When Wooyoung gives him a chaste kiss before he leaves again, like he's encouraging him to keep up the good work, he feels like he can suddenly run a marathon.

He texts Wooyoung on a whim one evening after work, when he has just finished tucking Emily into bed. He hasn't seen Wooyoung in a few days, because everything has been a little crazy with the end-of-semester madness at the school, and he misses him a lot.

Would you like to spend Christmas day with Emily and me?

Nichkhun knows that Wooyoung doesn't have any family in Los Angeles, so he will likely be spending Christmas alone. The thought makes Nichkhun's heart ache, and quite frankly, he much prefers the fuzzy feeling he gets when he imagines Wooyoung spending Christmas with himself and Emily, like… a family. He knows he is getting rather ahead of himself with that thought, but really, whenever Wooyoung is around when Nichkhun is taking care of Emily, the way he interacts with her gives Nichkhun no other choice but to imagine the thought of Wooyoung being in their lives more permanently. He is so good with her.

It's a strange thought, Nichkhun knows that very well, but he feels like he has known Wooyoung forever. He feels like Wooyoung belongs within their little family unit - so, at a special time like Christmas, Nichkhun very much wants him to be there.

I would be delighted, Wooyoung replies only a few moments later. But only if I get my own Christmas stocking and we all wear matching pajamas.

Nichkhun knows he is only joking, but he grins and texts him back anyway.

It's a deal.

The semester simultaneously crawls along and flys by, and before Nichkhun knows it, he emerges from his mountain of work at the beginning of the Christmas break, and is finally able to breathe a well earned sigh of relief.

When he wakes up on Christmas day, with Wooyoung in his bed, he can still hardly believe it - but there he is, dressed in a pair of tartan pajamas which match his own, curled up on his side. He looks like an angel, Nichkhun notices with a sleepily satisfied smile as he gently brushes a strand of Wooyoung's fringe from his face.

When his eyes flutter open a few moments later, Nichkhun rolls over, kisses him and, taken in the moment, sighs out a contented, “I love you,” with Wooyoung snug in his arms. For a second, he tenses as he realises what he has admitted; it is surely too soon, he thinks, though he relaxes once more when Wooyoung grins at him and reaches out to bring him in for another perfect kiss.

“I love you too, Khunnie.” Wooyoung replies, his face flushing red adorably as he speaks.

They rise from the bed, taking their sweet time to do so because they literally have all day. No social obligations beyond his own family is something Nichkhun could get behind once in a while. Once Nichkhun has found his slippers, and Wooyoung has shrugged on Nichkhun's dark blue fluffy bathrobe because it's a little cold, they wake Emily and take her downstairs to open her presents which are waiting under the tree.

Wooyoung helped him to decorate the apartment for Emily, turning it into something akin to a mini winter wonderland with a real Christmas tree, tinsel and string lights strung between every fixture, a holly wreath, and of course, a sprig of mistletoe hung in the living room doorway. Obviously, the mistletoe is more for them than for Emily.

Nichkhun catches Wooyoung in his arms under the mistletoe later in the day, when Emily has opened her presents, exhausted herself after playing with her new toys and gone to take a nap. Amongst her presents was a very special one - Nichkhun and Wooyoung had scraped together every last cent they could muster to get her horse riding lessons. It wasn't quite buying her a pony, but Emily was over the moon regardless, to say the least. It meant a lot to Nichkhun to see her that happy, to let her believe in the magic of the elves’ work and Santa Claus, after the turmoil of the year she had experienced from her mother passing away.

He knows that horse riding lessons won’t magically make it all better, and he knows the pain she felt from her mother's death will never truly go away, but he hopes that by making Emily happy, he can help her ease into her new life with him - and Wooyoung.

Under the mistletoe, he kisses Wooyoung with a passion, a fire he's been holding back until they could share this quiet moment with each other. Gleefully, Wooyoung kisses him back with just as much enthusiasm, his arms wrapping around Nichkhun's neck to keep them close even as they separate.

“Merry Christmas, Khun.” Wooyoung whispers, his happiness so evident in his voice, and in his actions as he leans in to peck Nichkhun's lips again. Nichkhun wraps his arms about him tighter as he repeats the sentiment in an equally hushed voice and nudging their noses together affectionately. He doesn't think he will ever get tired of the way Wooyoung feels in his arms, nor the taste of him on his lips, and he considers himself lucky because it doesn't seem that Wooyoung will either.

For now at least, the two of them are perfectly contented where they are.

Nichkhun considers this Christmas to be a raging success.

***

The year finishes out on a high note; Nichkhun kisses Wooyoung at midnight, with the New Year fireworks playing on the TV in the background. It’s an oddly domestic feeling that follows Nichkhun into the beginning of January as Wooyoung spends more and more time at his apartment. They get a little carried away, and that night is the first time they make love with only the light from the fireplace to guide them.

By March, he is practically living with Nichkhun and Emily. By April, they make it official by moving Wooyoung's stuff into the apartment, and Emily decides to start calling him Daddy too. It's her own decision, but it's one which makes Nichkhun cry a little when he hears it, because he has turned into such a sap, and hearing her address Wooyoung like that makes everything seem so much more real.

Somehow, with Wooyoung around him almost twenty four hours a day, Wooyoung’s enthusiasm for his job becomes infectious. Nichkhun starts to look forward to going to work, and it shows because his passion for his subject becomes reignited so much that even his students sense it. He starts a chemistry club, which runs after school like Wooyoung's drama club, and much to his surprise, it is a huge success.

His students start to do better in his class, and that shows the most in their finals, where all of them pass with flying colours without exception. Nichkhun doesn't think he has ever been prouder than the moment when his senior students surprise him on the last day of the academic year with a gift and decorate the classroom with a banner that says, 'Thanks teach, we couldn't have done it without you!’

He's genuinely sad to see his senior class leave, however he wishes them all the best in their future endeavors with a grin on his face. Nichkhun is surprised at how much he enjoyed teaching them in the end. It's a sentiment which Wooyoung shares when they lament the loss of their favourite classes that evening, over a bottle of wine.

When school is finally out, Nichkhun removes his lab coat and takes one last look around his classroom before he leaves for the summer. He makes his way by instinct to the drama studio, where Wooyoung too is finishing up for the year. Meandering along the halls, he realises how familiar the route to Wooyoung’s classroom feels now, as opposed to that panic when he couldn’t find it all those months ago. He could probably walk it blindfolded. Classroom 54A. It was where the magic all began.

Wooyoung smiles softly when he sees Nichkhun standing in the doorway. He walks across the performance area to greet Nichkhun with a simple kiss to the cheek.

“Ready to leave for the summer?” Nichkhun asks, wrapping an arm about his waist. Wooyoung replies with a contented hum as he reaches to bring Nichkhun down into a proper kiss.

As they leave the school building, hand in hand, there's no way Nichkhun could feel any happier. Forget floating on cloud nine, he feels like he has already gone to heaven - and naturally, Wooyoung is his guardian angel.

The next year, after a long and blissful summer with their daughter, they show up at the school gates with a simmering sense of excitement for the semester ahead of them, and matching gold bands on their intertwined fingers.

A/N: Tadaaaa! I hope you enjoyed the read, even though it wasn't all sweet and fluffy. What's a HaniUnni story without a little angst? :p This is 12k words, or 25 full pages, of Hani choosing to write fanfiction instead of her university assignments due in January. ‘tis Christmas, the time for slacking and eating too much, after all~ 🤓 This story actually came about because I’m currently in uni on track to teaching in 3 and a half years' time, and it’s all I can practically think about hahaha… You know you’ve found your passion when you even write about it in your fanfiction! I’m going to be an English teacher though, not a chemistry teacher like Khun - I’m not that intelligent. The few chemistry terms in this story come from my A-level (aka: British high school) chemistry studies, though that was years ago and I barely remember it. 😂

A disclaimer: I am English through and through, so I therefore know nothing about the American schooling system or Los Angeles, besides what I've seen in movies. So forgive me for any mistakes regarding that... :')

Aaaanyway, Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all in the New Year with the continuation of my existing stories (yes, even the ones that seem to have died long ago), plus an exciting new project I'm in the planning stages of. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, I simply wish you a happy and healthy end of the year! Sending the best of wishes to everyone for 2019!

~HaniUnni