| F I V E |

HO HO HOUCH

 

The air was flooded with a strong smell of ginger mixed with… antiseptic? It smelled as if someone had baked gingerbread cookies in a hospital. Why did it smell like that?

No. Wait. Who cared. Ignore that.

Where was he? Why was his head throbbing? What was that strange feeling inside him? It felt like a spark; like something bubbling in his veins. What was it? And most importantly, why did he feel like a giant hammer had crushed him?

A giant hammer…

A hammer.

He hated hammers.

Sehun groaned and tried to open his eyes. He immediately closed them. Whatever this place was had the brightest lights he had ever seen and his corneas were now burned.

"Don't open them. The light's too bright."

Ah, really? What useful information. He hadn't noticed— wait. Was that Junmyeon?

Sehun tried to sit, but no. Nope. Bad idea. His head throbbed and his body felt heavy.

What the hell was going on?

"Don't move, Yifan."

That was Minseok. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked, adjusting to the lights. He found one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight faces looking down at him and he frowned.

"What the ?"

The eight elves gasped and then a wave of comments hit him. Hard.

"Since when do you swear?!" Jongin asked, looking completely scandalized.

"I'm putting you in the Naughty List!" Kyungsoo exclaimed.

"This is unbelievable!" Baekhyun said. "This is unbelievable!" he repeated looking at Luhan, who was gaping at Sehun.

"You're completely out of control!" Jongdae put his hands on his hips, frowning.

"Why can he do it and I can't?!" Chanyeol asked, looking at Junmyeon.

They were all speaking at the same time and Sehun's head throbbed even harder. He wanted the floor to swallow him. Thankfully, Junmyeon and Minseok came to his rescue.

"Hey! Hey! Shut up!" Minseok exclaimed, as Junmyeon waved his hands, saying, "This is a hospital, for Claus' sake! Be quiet!"

When the silence reigned again, Sehun rubbed his temples. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Minseok said.

Had he?

Sehun frowned. He remembered being in the arena, the running, the horrible heat all over the place, the sweat, the dark spots… the hammer. Great.

"You've got a heat ," Junmyeon said.

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling okay?" Minseok asked. He was frowning, looking distraught.

Sehun wanted to hit his head against the wall—that would worsen his headache, but whatever. It was fair. Of course he had passed out. He wasn't used to Minseok's training and the excessive temperatures were a lot to handle for his body. There was no way he could've got alive from it. He should've seen this coming.

He gulped, trying to get rid of the dryness in his mouth. It didn't work.

"For how long did I run? Maybe it was just the time."

Minseok raised an eyebrow. "Two minutes."

Alright, that was embarrassing. Sehun hadn't expected such humiliating amount of time. He didn't have to think too much about it, though. At that moment the door opened with a loud thud and Yixing came running into the room, looking completely crazed.

"I'm here! I'm here! Where is he?! Is he alright?!"

Yixing’s hair was peaking in all directions and his shirt was messily tucked. His nose was red, his chest heaved unsteadily, and was that dough on his cheek? All of a sudden, relief filled Sehun completely, and while the elves turned to look at Yixing, he let a small smile appear on his lips. Now, that was something he was familiar with.

"Breathe, Yixing," Luhan said, placing a hand on Yixing's arm. "He's okay." He jerked his head toward the bed and Yixing followed his movement.

When their eyes connected, Yixing visibly relaxed. He opened his mouth but words didn't have the chance to escape, because an elf wearing a white robe—the doctor?—came in.

"Alright, gentlemen. Please make room." He stood next to the bed, checking the I.V. on Sehun's hand.

The elves gathered in a corner, squeezing each other so they wouldn't get in the way. They, however, didn't do much to improve the situation. The room was large, but not enough to have ten people being around.

Sehun looked at the elf next to him. His robe had a name tag that said 'Dr. Lee Donghae'—yep, the doctor.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Lee asked, this time looking at Sehun.

"My head hurts."

"Naturally. You stuck it hard against the floor."

The doctor checked Sehun's temperature and reviewed his general condition. He checked his reflexes and put a light in his eyes. He hummed every time he got some sort of reaction from Sehun and nodded, deep in thought.

"It seems like everything’s alright," he said once he was done. "You'll have a slight headache for a while, but the magic will make you feel good."

The magic… So that was what the sparkling feeling was? Magic? Sehun looked around and stared at the I.V. The magic was probably contained in that liquid going through his veins. Wow.

"It’ll make effect in an hour or so," Dr. Lee continued. "After that, you can go home."

"Does he need to take medicine or something?" Junmyeon asked from his place in the corner.

"No, no. There’s no need.” Dr. Lee turned to look sternly at Sehun. “But I highly suggest you not to do any exhaustive work until tomorrow. I want you to rest.” Sehun nodded and the doctor smiled. He then looked at the elves. “I would like for someone to stay with him, so who's—"

“I’ll do it!” Yixing and Junmyeon exclaimed at the same time, interrupting Dr. Lee. Both elves looked at each other and Junmyeon immediately added,  "You?"

A weird silence fell over the room and Sehun cringed at the awkwardness of the situation. He wanted Yixing to be the one to stay, though.

“I… yeah?” Yixing said, looking completely uncomfortable. “I mean, you all still have things to do, and there aren’t many holes to fix right now, anyway. I can do it.”

Junmyeon stared at Yixing for a moment and then sighed. “Alright. Just let us know when he’s home.” When Yixing nodded, Junmyeon smiled at him and said, “We’ll get going, then.” He squeezed Yixing’s shoulder as a farewell, patted Sehun’s feet, and then walked to leave the room.

One by one, the rest of the elves did the same, including Dr. Lee. Once the room was empty, Sehun sighed, letting his head fall back on the pillow. He saw how Yixing pulled a chair to sit next to the bed and then placed his arms on the mattress, resting his chin on them. He was so close now, that Sehun could feel Yixing’s breathing in his own hand. There was also a soft frown between his eyebrows and his lips were slightly pursed. His hair was still disheveled and he confirmed that the brown stain on Yixing’s cheek was dough. Sehun found it kind of endearing.

"Hi," he mumbled, smiling softly when they made eye contact.

"Hey," Yixing said, almost whispering. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better.” Yixing’s frown deepened, and Sehun felt the urge to disappear it. He didn't like that look on the elf. “But I'll be fine. The magic’s doing a good job."

Yixing narrowed his eyes, as if deciding whether he was being lied to or not. His conclusion was that he wasn’t, apparently, because he then said, “Sleep. You still need to rest.”

“I'm fine. I'll rest later at Yifan's.”

“No, you can do it now. And then tonight, at home."

Sehun sat up immediately, not even caring about the way his head throbbed. "Home?"

“What are you doing?!” Yixing jumped from the chair and pushed him back on the bed. “Don't get up!”

“I can't go home!” Sehun ignored him, still trying to sit up. Yixing pushed him every time he tried to, and he was sure they looked ridiculous. “What about Yifan? And Christmas? There are still things to be done. You can’t—”

“I’ll talk to the others and we'll see what we’ll do,” Yixing said, frowning down at him. “But in the meantime, I’ll take you back to Seoul. There's no way I'm letting you stay.”

“But—“ Sehun gave up and complied when the elf tried to push him down again. “But why?”

“Because I'm responsible of you and I'm not willing to risk your life again.”

“You're not responsible of me.” Sehun rolled his eyes. “I'm an adult, in case you haven't noticed.”

Yixing huffed and sat back. “You were supposed to be at the mall, Sehun. Not in a hospital, with liquid magic flowing through your veins.” He rubbed his face, suddenly looking exhausted. “I should’ve known this would happen. You weren't prepared for it and I didn’t stop to think it could go wrong. You’re here because of me.”

"I agree that it could've been avoided, but this”—Sehun shook his I.V.-free hand around, signaling the room—“wasn't your fault. I’m here because I didn't remember what my physical limits are." Yixing tried to speak but Sehun shook his head, without stopping his speech. "Besides, you didn't force me to follow you all the way to the North Pole. I'm here because I chose to be here."

Disbelief took control over Yixing's face and he stared at Sehun, his mouth slightly open. He took his time to think about something to shoot back. When Sehun heard the elf sigh, though, he knew he had won.

"Well, whatever." Yixing sprawled in the chair, letting his arms rest on his lap. "We’ll just wait until magic does its job and then I’ll take you home."

Okay, nope. He hadn’t won.

“Yixing, you can’t send me home.” Sehun struggled for a moment, but he finally managed to sit. “This isn’t about me. Or you. Bigger things are at risk. We’ve already got this far, so we might as well get it done.”

The elf narrowed his eyes again and Sehun began to wonder if everything he was saying made sense. It did have logic in his head. Yet again, he had hit it against the floor, so he couldn’t be so sure.

They stared at each other with Sehun’s vital signs as the only noise in the room. Eventually, a slight smile spread across Yixing’s face. He shook his head and moved to rest his arms back on the mattress and his head on top of them.

“Fine.”

Sehun raised his eyebrows, enjoying the taste of victory. “What did you say?”

Yixing rolled his eyes, but his smile didn't falter. “I said fine.”

Sehun leaned back again and placed his arm behind his head. “Thank you, pointy ears.”

That made Yixing snort.

“Don't. If this happens again, I'll send you home.”

“Don’t worry. It won't.”

Yixing turned his head to rest his cheek on his arms, with a curious look on his face. “How come you’re so sure?”

“I’m not, but we're in this together. There's no way I'm letting you do it alone.”

Surprise flashed in Yixing’s eyes but he still nodded, smiling at him.

"Alright, then…" he said. He stayed in silence for a little while, and then added, "In that case, we need to practice your laugh."

"What?"

"We need to practice your laugh."

"No, I heard that, but… What?"

"Mastering Santa’s laugh is essential to our plan, Sehun.” Yixing straightened up again. “If you fail in deliver his joyful laugh, everyone’s going to notice you’re an impostor. So, we need to practice.”

An impostor. Cool. Never had Sehun felt this dirty in his life. It was horrible. But alright, thanks.

Staring at the elf, he considered his options. His head was still slightly throbbing and if he contracted his abdomen, his muscles hurt. He wasn't in the mood; not really. But what else was there for him to do? It seemed that he did need to practice.

"Okay. Alright." Sehun took a sitting position again. "What am I supposed to do?”

Yixing excitedly began to explain that Santa’s laugh wasn’t some random —not his exact words, mind you, but that was what he had meant, anyway—and there was a whole deep meaning and technique behind it. It was a way for Santa to express his joy and love, for Christmas and his job. It represented the pride he felt for being who he was.

There were three things to have in mind.

The first one was that volume was an important factor. It had to be a hearty laugh, but not boisterous. He needed to start low, letting the volume slowly build-up, and not jump right into the Ho-Ho-Ho-s—lest he wanted it to sound forced. That was far from what they wanted.

The second one was that the sound came right from the belly. It started at the diaphragm and he had to let it go all the way up.

Finally, it was vital to laugh with his entire body; to express with his whole being how much he was enjoying what he was doing. The hint to let him know he was expressing it right, was the shake of his shoulders.

“Now try it,” Yixing said, waving his hand.

Sehun swallowed and took a breath.

Ho Ho Ho. That was it. Easy-peasy. But he really didn’t want to do it.

Was it necessary? Probably.

Was it ridiculous? Definitely.

Could he avoid it? Most likely not.

“Can we, maybe, practice later?” he asked, scratching his

“We’ve got time now.”

Sehun made a face, but still complied. How hard could it be, anyway? He had heard enough Santas in his life to know what he was seeking to reproduce. So he opened his mouth, felt the air go down his chest, let it out and was immediately ashamed of the howled Ho-Ho-Ho that came out. It had sounded terrible; like an injured-dog version of Santa.

Yixing threw his head back, cracking up completely at his failed attempt. Sehun frowned. Heat crept up his cheeks and he hated to be connected to the electrocardiograph. His heart rate sped up slightly; the evidence of it rumbling around the room.

“Don’t laugh!” he whined and Yixing tried to stop. It was a futile attempt. “Yixing!”

“Holy nutcracker!” Yixing exclaimed, gasping for air. “What in the world was that?"

Sehun’s frown deepened. He crossed his arms, glaring at the elf.

“Okay, okay. Sorry.” Yixing shook his head, wiping away his tears. His smile was still there, but at least he wasn’t making fun of him anymore. Good. “Try again, but this time, let the sound bubble up from your tummy.”

Reluctantly, Sehun opened his mouth again. He took a deep breath and then let the Ho-Ho-Ho flow out down from his belly.

Yixing hummed and nodded slightly, but his lips were pursed. He moved forward to place his arms back on the bed.

“That was better, but you can improve,” he said. “It was as though you simply let the sound out without any intention. Try to make it sound caring; loving. Like you’re having fun.”

Impossible. He wasn't having fun. His head wasn't throbbing anymore, though. That was something. He took another deep breath and felt it rumbling around his belly. He took his time and then let it out. It was still painfully disappointing.

"I can't do this," he whined again, covering his face with one arm. "How does Yifan do it? This is hard!"

"It's not. The trick's just in having fun." Yixing patted Sehun's leg twice. "Go again. I know you can do it."

Sehun groaned, pressing his arm harder into his face.

Just have fun, he thought. The trick's just in having fun.

He could do that. Have fun. That wasn't hard. He had experience.

He removed his arm and once again in a breath. This time, he had in mind his goal. He would enjoy this and have fun and make Yixing have fun in the process. The air rumbled around his belly again. Sehun puffed his chest out and then let out a jolly, "Ho Ho H— ouch!"

His sore muscles contracted, so of course it hurt. Laughing had never been this painful.

Yixing of course was completely insensible at his suffering and burst of laughter, clapping like a seal.

"Ho Ho Houch!" the elf exclaimed, letting his head hang off the back of the chair.

Sehun couldn't help himself and laughed with him. His eyes watered and he wasn't sure whether it was because of the laughter or the pain in the muscles of his abdomen. Maybe it was both, but he didn't stop.

"Please tell me you did that on purpose!" Yixing coughed, still laughing, and for a moment Sehun worried he would die. He didn't.

"That was Santa's new laugh," Sehun said, placing a hand to his side, where the muscles hurt the most. "Did you like it?"

Yixing shook his head, finally calming down. "It was atrocious."

"Shut up, it was better than the original."

"Whatever makes you feel good."

Yixing beamed at him and Sehun swore that his eyes had never looked so bright.

His own eyes darted to Yixing’s cheek and without giving it a second thought, he reached for the table next to the bed. He took a tissue and slowly reached Yixing’s face. The elf widened his eyes, but didn’t move away, and Sehun smiled when he noticed his confused expression.

“You have…” he drawled, gently cleaning the cookie dough on Yixing’s cheek. Once he was done, he made a ball with the tissue and placed it on the table. “You had dough,” he explained.

An intense flush spread over Yixing’s face. He brought his hand to his cheek, trying to clean the dough that was no longer there.

“Is it gone?”

Sehun nodded and Yixing reluctantly put his hand down.

They didn’t say anything else after that.

They just stared at each other and Sehun found himself not being able to pull his eyes away from Yixing’s. He really liked them. It was probably because they had something that he had never seen in anyone else; something that he couldn’t put a name to, but was there, nonetheless.

In the back of his head, the thought of never looking somewhere else appeared. It wasn’t that bad of an idea. He wouldn’t really mind. Would they look different up close? Sehun was curious. They were less than a meter away, so he could easily get close enough to discover it. He just had to move a little bit and—

“Hello, Santa. How are you feeling?”

Out of the blue, a nurse entered the room, holding a pad. None of them had expected her sudden presence, so they jumped, and whatever it was what they were having, came to an end.

Yixing immediately sat up straight and darted his eyes away, with a soft red spreading through his face once again.

Sehun cleared his throat and shook slightly his head. He felt lightheaded; as if he had been in a trance. He also felt embarrassed; uncomfortable, even. Fortunately, the nurse began to ask him questions and that gave him the chance not to think about it.

He glanced at Yixing every now and then, but the elf kept his eyes glued to the nurse’s hands all the time. Sehun didn’t know why, but he felt the urge to gain back Yixing’s attention. He didn’t succeed, though. Yixing seemed clearly flustered enough not to look in his direction and Sehun wasn't sure whether he was thankful for it or not.

He was aware of the weird feeling bubbling inside him and it caught him off guard. It wasn’t unpleasant. Not that much, at least. But he chose not to pay it any attention. There was no need. After all, it was probably just the magic flowing through his veins.

It had to be.

What else could it be if not, then?