Two years pass. Hyukjae graduates with honours, and Donghae graduates too, much to his surprise. With university finally out of the way, it’s the moment they’ve been waiting for; they can finally move in together.

No more long distance relationship. No more driving for four hours for a quick dinner and some desperate, awkward fumbling in the back seat of Hyukjae’s old car. No more nights squeezed together on Donghae’s single bed, no more hasty lovemaking with the constant fear of being walked in on by their roommates.

Their new apartment is tiny, and their first purchase is a bed. The one they finally decide on is far too big and much too grand for the tiny space, but Donghae is adamant.

‘I want to be able to make love to you in any direction,’ he says, far too loudly, in the department store. ‘We could become tightrope walkers with the balancing skills we’ve got.’

‘Shhh!’ Hyukjae hisses, elbowing him. The shop assistant is pretending very hard that he can’t hear. Then Hyukjae sees next bed along with an ornate, wrought iron headboard. He clutches at Donghae’s arm.

‘, Donghae, we should get that one!’

Donghae doesn’t need to ask why. Hyukjae got given a pair of fluffy handcuffs as a joke a while back, and ever since then he’s been desperate to try them. His fantasy has thus far gone unfulfilled (it’s been hard to get enough privacy for even a quick round of vanilla let alone anything more adventurous) but now Hyukjae’s eyes are practically glowing with excitement. Donghae checks the price tag and almost chokes.

‘Hyukjae, no way. Look how expensive!’

‘We need to get this one!’ Hyukjae is practically begging. ‘You can tie me up first and do anything you want if we get it-’

The shop assistant suddenly decides he needs to be somewhere else, but Donghae and Hyukjae get the bed. It looks even larger once they get it home, and they have the choice of assembling it in the living area and having their guests feel awkward, or moving it into the bedroom and literally being unable to open the wardrobe for lack of space.

For the sake of their families, who are still trying to come to terms with their relationship and probably don’t need to see the physical evidence of it, they put the bed in their room. Their gymnastic abilities continue to increase as they manoeuvre around it, but it’s a sacrifice they’re willing to make for their love life.

Their first year as real, independent adults seems to fly by. Hyukjae’s choreographies start getting attention, and then suddenly he’s got a job with a real, big-time entertainment company. Money is no longer quite as tight. They can finally afford some decent furniture and something other than instant ramen for dinner.

‘We can invite everyone for Christmas!’ Hyukjae says, and the idea sort of snowballs from there.

‘I want a tree,’ Donghae declares. ‘A huge one!’

‘And coloured lights!’ Hyukjae says. ‘And we’ll make mulled wine, and we can hang Christmas stockings and get a cake-’

Donghae is already at the door, pulling his boots on and throwing Hyukjae his scarf so they can go to the shops.

They-

They go a little crazy.

Late that night, with the main lights off, their living area lit solely by the soft glow of hundreds of fairy lights, it looks magical. They make love beside the Christmas tree, slow and tender and briefly interrupted when Donghae can’t handle how amazing Hyukjae looks, and rushes to get his camera. Hyukjae smiles up at him patiently, flushed and languid and stretched out, then drives Donghae crazy by taking the camera off him and taking pictures of his own.

It’s a night they won’t forget for a long time, especially because of the carpet burn they don’t feel until the next morning, and the allergy Donghae discovers he has to pine needles (which is unfortunate given the amount of contact he had with them the night before).

The next day is Christmas, and Hyukjae’s sister arrives first.

‘Wow,’ she says, eyebrows raised. In daylight, Hyukjae and Donghae’s decorating is a bit gaudier than they expected. Sora moves some tinsel off the sofa so she can sit down and then looks around. Dryly she points at something.

‘Are you going to hide the lube before mom and dad get here?’

Hyukjae goes the colour of a tomato and hurries to grab the little bottle that had somehow rolled under the