| F O U R |

D-4 UNTIL CHRISTMAS

 

Alright, Sehun. You can do this.

He took a deep breath and decidedly walked toward the bench.

“Zitao,” he mumbled, tapping the boy’s shoulder. “Can… Can I talk to you for a second?”

Zitao turned back, smiling once he saw it was him.

“Sehun! I was waiting for you!”

Oh… Really?

“Someone told me you wanted to tell me something,” Zitao said. “Is it true?”

Sehun gulped—no, he couldn’t do this.

“Uh… I-I… Uh… I…”

Zitao smiled and tilted his head. “Is everything alright?”

Come on, Sehun! You can do it!

“Uh… yeah. I— yes! Yes! I bought you something.”

Sehun extended his hand, revealing a pretty bracelet with a small pearl dangling in the middle.

“Oh, my god! Sehun!” Zitao widened his eyes and jumped to his feet. “Is it for me?”

Sehun shyly nodded and Zitao launched himself, crashing with him.

“God! I love it! It’s so pretty! It’s perfect!”

Wow. Wow. Wowwwww.

“Oh, God!” Zitao squealed, squeezing Sehun even more. “I love you! You’re so pretty! You’re perfect!”

. . tttt.

“Listen,” Zitao said. He broke the hug and Sehun almost whined. Almost. “There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for quite a long time and I need to let it out before I explode.”

Sehun held his breath. This wasn’t happening, was it?

“Sehun,” Zitao said, cupping Sehun’s face with his hands.

God! It was really happening!

“Sehun,” Zitao repeated.

He had imagined himself in this situation many times before, yet he never thought that Zitao would be the first one to confess. This was like a Christmas miracle!

“Sehun, wake up.”

What?

“Come on, Sehun. It’s time.”

Sehun frowned and took a step back.

Suddenly everything began to fade away. At first he couldn’t see anything, but then a faint, horizontal light appeared in front of him. It grew bigger and, at the same time, he heard a voice that didn’t belong to Zitao anymore.

“Please, Sehun. I’ll be late.”

Now his view wasn’t black but blurred. Sehun blinked a few times and little by little adjusted to the light. Then the source of the voice got a face.

“Good morning.”

Yixing was faintly smiling at him, with his arms on the mattress next to Sehun’s head, and his chin hovering over them.

Sehun frowned.

He had been so close… Yixing just had to wait a few more seconds! This was unbelievable…

“No good morning, then?” Yixing asked, grimacing when he saw Sehun’s face.

“No. You interrupted my dream.”

Yixing raised his eyebrows. "Was it a good dream?"

"The best of my life and I won’t know how it ends.”

Sehun cleared his throat and tried to rub his face, but his arms were heavy. He groaned, feeling as if needles were stabbing his arms and his back. Minseok’s training had left him sore; more than he had ever been in his life.

“Oww! It hurts!”

He contorted his face, now aware that even breathing hurt. He tried to sit on the bed, but as soon as he moved, the needles came back with full force. He whimpered, already imagining himself spending the rest of his life lying there.

“I’ll never be able to move again!” Sehun whined. “I’ll stay here until I become one with the bed!”

“You can’t do that,” Yixing said, raising to his feet. “You need to get out before Yifan awakes.”

The elf removed the blankets and without a warning, rolled sored Sehun to one side.

“Yixing, no! What are you doing?!”

Sehun wasn’t sure but maybe a tear was rolling down his cheek.

Yixing didn’t reply. He just offered him his hands, and Sehun got the elf’s intentions. The movement was painful, but he still succeeded in holding Yixing’s hands. He groaned when he moved his legs to lower them from the bed. He needed a moment to prepare himself for what was to come. He stayed there, lying in a weird position and whimpering more than what was necessary.

Yixing didn’t hurry him, but Sehun discovered that he was trying to suppress his laughter.

“Are you having fun?” he asked, unwillingly pouting.

Yixing shook his head, yet still looked more than amused. "When you're ready," he said.

Sehun took a deep breath—he could do it. Yixing was there. He would help him and nothing would go wrong.

Releasing the air in his lungs, Sehun looked at Yixing and slowly nodded. Yixing then pulled him up, straightening Sehun’s arms as delicate as possible. Sehun helped him, tensing his body even though it hurt, so he could take a sitting position. He bit his lip, suppressing the whimpers that threatened to escape. He just hoped he wasn’t crying. It was already embarrassing enough.

He didn’t move for a moment, waiting for his muscles to adjust to the new position and the needles to disappear. He breathed in and his nostrils registered the smell of… was that cinnamon? He sniffed and yeah, it was cinnamon.

“You smell like a cookie,” Sehun said.

Yixing’s hands tensed under his.

“Does it smell a lot?”

Sehun sniffed again. It was strong, but he wasn’t sure whether it was because Yixing was standing close or because of the smell itself. He hadn’t noticed it before, so maybe it was the former. Had Yixing always smelled like that?

He nodded and Yixing furrowed his eyebrows, letting go of Sehun’s hands and stepping back.

Sehun almost tried to reach back. Holding hands with Yixing helped him lessen the pain in his arms, but that would’ve been weird, so he just let his arms drop to his sides.

“Does it disturb you?” Yixing asked, looking worried. “I could bring you something to cover your nose.”

“Why would it disturb me?”

“The guys say that I make their noses itchy. It’s been a year and they’re still not used to the cinnamon, I guess, but I can’t help it!” Yixing pouted. “I can’t get rid of it! I’ve tried everything, but it doesn't go away!"

Sehun smiled, finding Yixing’s face funny. “I didn’t say it was a bad smell.”

“It isn’t?”

Sehun shook his head.

“Ah…” Yixing stared at the bed for a moment and then slightly smiled. “Well… if it ever disturbs you, let me know.”

Sehun nodded, wanting to pinch the elf’s dimple.

“Anyway,” Yixing said, “I was hoping for you not to be sore anymore, but I was expecting a lot, wasn’t I?”

He took a glass of water from the drawer and handed it to Sehun, along with a painkiller. Sehun hissed when he reached for the glass, but still did his best and brought the pill to his mouth like a champion. At the same time, Yixing covered him with his magical, glittery light. It did its work as Sehun gulped the water and in a matter of seconds it was gone.

“I’ll leave the package of pills here,” Yixing said. “You’ll probably need it later, but please don’t take more than what’s necessary.”

“Am I gonna see Minseok today?”

Yixing slowly nodded, looking apologetic. Sehun groaned, dropping his head to the front, regretting it immediately. His neck also hurt.

“Does preparing you breakfast help?” Yixing

“Feeding me won’t diminish your guilt, pointy ears. But I’ll gladly accept your food.”

Sehun stood up. He slowly straightened his limbs and pursed his lips. He wouldn’t groan anymore. Feeling like a grandpa, he walked toward the bathroom with Yixing’s chuckle in the background. His legs were heavy, too. Each step hurt more than the previous one, yet he managed to keep any pained sound at bay. He didn’t hear Yixing leaving the bedroom, but as he closed the bathroom’s door, he wished he were closer to him so he could ask the elf to help him take a shower, instead. His arms would’ve thanked him for sure.

 

•*.¸¸.•*❆*•.¸¸.*•

 

Sehun walked out the bedroom wearing a green sweater that made him feel like a Christamas tree. He wondered whether Yifan actually liked to dress with such things—Sehun certainly didn't.

The smell of butter and cinnamon was flooding the place and his mouth watered. He looked around, but didn’t see anybody in there.

“Yixing?”

Not receiving a response, he walked toward the counter. He found a plate with three French toasts, topped with strawberries and whipped cream, next to a cup of probably tea and a piece of paper. His stomach growled and he sat, assuming that that food was for him.

He sipped his tea and took the paper.

 

‘Sorry for not waiting for you, but it was getting late. Hope you enjoy your food!’

 

Sehun gave the toast a bite and looked at the hour on his phone—it was 10:19 a.m., local time. Last night he had added a wisget to his screen with the Greenwhich hour. He was tired of adding and substracting hours from one time zone to the other.

Last night, also, he had learned that time moved slower when you were Santa and your duty was to read kids’ letters. In the span of two hours—that had felt like nine—he and Yixing had managed to read and send them all to their respective department. Once they were done, he was surprised to see that it was just a little past 10 p.m.

“It’s thanks to Christmas magic,” had Yixing said, and Sehun didn't doubt it.

That, however, didn’t make him feel less worn out. After standing for a while, his legs, already tired from the training, began to tremble. He couldn’t stretch his arms completely, either, and reading became one of the most tiring activities he had ever done. He had feared that his body would be sore the next morning.

Yixing had assured him that the painkillers would help, but evidently that hadn't been enough to get rid of the havoc Minseok's torture had wreaked. Taking a shower had helped, though. His muscles were less tensed than when he had woken up and the pill had begun to work. At least he could move now.

He was in the middle of his second toast when the elevator doors opened, revealing a happy Junmyeon.

“Hello, Santa! How was your night?”

Sehun chewed faster so he could reply, but Junmyeon shook his head.

“No, no! Don’t. You’ll choke and we— is that French toast?" Junmyeon stopped a few steps away from Sehun, raising an eyebrow. “Since when do you prepare decent breakfasts?”

Sehun gave another bite, now chewing slower than usual. He needed time to think because apparently something was weird here. Did Yifan cook? Did he hate strawberries, maybe? Did he even eat breakfast? Sehun didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. He had to find an answer, lest he wanted Junmyeon to suspect.

But it wasn’t that hard, actually. In everyone’s eyes, he was Yifan, and as far as he knew, it seemed that Yixing was friends with him, and Junmyeon, and all the other guys. It wouldn’t be weird whether Yixing had come and prepared breakfast for him, then. They were friends. Friends did nice things for each other.

Junmyeon sat next to him, glancing at the remaining toast on the plate.

“Yixing made it,” Sehun finally said.

Junmyeon raised his eyebrows just to knit them immediately together. “Yixing?"

“Uh-huh."

“Why was he here?”

Sehun would’ve thought Junmyeon was displeasured, but in his voice there was only confusion—which made Sehun confused, too. Had he said something wrong again? Wasn’t Yixing supposed to come or…?

Junmyeon stared at him, waiting. Sehun drifted his eyes toward the wall. Bingo!

“He wanted to check the hole he had fixed. He said something about the dough not drying. I didn’t understand much.”

Junmyeon stared a little bit more before nodding. “He’s doing better, isn’t he? I was worried he wouldn’t get used to it, but I’ve seen him more relaxed.”

The toast remained half way toward Sehun’s mouth, as he gaped at Junmyeon. What did ‘doing better’ mean? Why did he always feel that there were parts of the story that nobody was telling him?

“Anyway, let’s get to work.” Junmyeon was glancing at his tablet, unaware of Sehun’s stare. “Today you’ll start with Yeol. Please be gentle. It’s not his fault that you’re not as bubbly as him.”

Sehun finally bit his toast.

“I can be bubbly, too,” he said, putting his hand under his chin when a few crumbles escaped from his mouth.

He wasn’t sure about Yifan, but he, Oh Sometimes-Bubbly Sehun, definitely could.

Junmyeon chuckled, connecting his eyes with him. “It doesn’t count if the only one who knows that side of you is me.”

Sehun swallowed the piece of toast he had just bitten almost without chewing. Junmyeon was… There was something on his eyes that he couldn’t understand. Why was Junmyeon looking at him like that? Nobody had ever looked at him like that. Not that he was aware, at least. And it was weird. Super weird. It made him uncomfortable. He felt like an intruder; as if he wasn’t supposed to be witnessing this—well… technically, the one who should’ve been witnessing this was Yifan, not him. But still.

At his lack of words, Junmyeon cleared his throat and drifted his eyes back to the tablet.

“I guess there’s not much to say about your schedule. You go to Chanyeol and then everything else goes the same as yesterday.

“As for today’s pending issues, have you already chosen the Christmas dinner?”

Sehun raised his eyebrows and Junmyeon suppressed a smile.

“Remember to do it before tomorrow, please.”

“Sure, but… what were the options, again?”

Junmyeon snorted and Sehun took a sip of tea, covering his face with the cup.

“If you keep forgetting these things, we’ll be lost before Christmas even comes.”

Sehun was a 95% sure that they’ve been lost ever since Yixing had intercepted him at the mall, but of course Junmyeon didn’t have to know that. He just wished he could decrease that percentage. 'Replaced Santa Claus once and helped saving Christmas' would look nice in his CV. And it would also be a good story to tell his grand—

“Are you listening, Yifan?”

Sehun blinked a few times. “What?”

“I take my words back.” Junmyeon shook his head. “We’re probably already lost.”

Tea, Sehun thought, taking another sip from his cup.

 

•*.¸¸.•*❆*•.¸¸.*•

 

The arrow pointing to the left—the one next to the 'Manufacturing Department' arrow—led Sehun to the Wrapping department.

As soon as he stepped in, he found an uncountable amount of paper rolls and ribbon reels in different colors and textures. They were scattered in rows and rows of long tables, and elves were working around them. Some elves put the toys inside their respective box; others wrapped; many others put the ribbons on each gift.

There were three conveyor belts at the back, where toys slowly paraded. The elves there collected and put them into carts, to send them to be transformed into gifts. Sehun followed the belts with his eyes, realizing that they were connected to the Manufacturing department. Those toys were, literally, freshly assembled.

“Hello, Santa!”

A girl with short, brown hair was standing next to him—'Yeri', read her tag. She had many layers of cut paper in her hands, and her arms were wrapped around a box with silver ribbons.

“Do you need help?” Sehun asked. “Let me—”

“Oh! No, no! I’m fine! It’s not heavy.” Yeri smiled, adjusting the box. “Are you looking for Chanyeol?”

“Ah, yes. Do you know where—”

“He’s over there!” She jerked her head toward a table with reels of pink ribbon.

Sehun thanked her and after Yeri left, walked toward the table. Chanyeol was focused on making a ribbon, and the elves intently stared at his hands, trying not to lose detail of it.

“Then you’ll pull these strings carefully and that’s it,” Chanyeol said, showing around the result. “This way your ribbons won’t loosen. Any doubts?”

The elves shook their heads, and Chanyeol proudly smiled. It was then that he noticed Sehun’s presence and his smile widened.

“Hey! Are you here to learn how to make the perfect ribbon, Santa?”

“Uhm… no?” Was Yifan supposed to learn that? Probably not. “No, I don’t think so,” Sehun said, sounding more convinced.