A sharp rap to the edge of Hyukjae’s wooden desk jolted him from his post lunchtime daze. He looked up from his laptop screen, where he had been staring for almost twenty minutes to a tall figure standing over his desk. The figure was Park Jungsu, the COO of Kim Corp and Hyukjae’s boss, who was dressed in a blue pressed suit that probably cost more than what Hyukjae made in a month. He leaned back in his chair, ready to listen to whatever nonsense he needed to do this afternoon. Being a personal assistant wasn’t the most glamorous job, nor the most fun. It was long hours, excessive running around, and no time to himself. 

"Hyukjae, are you listening?" Jungsu sharp tone shook him out of his wandering thoughts.

“Of course, Jungsu-ssi,” Hyukjae replied, respectively.

The elder’s eyebrows creased at him in annoyance, Hyukjae watched in confusion as Jungsu rolled up the folder he had in his hands. Once it was rolled, Jungsu smacked him on the head, hard. 

“What the hell did I tell you about calling me hyung! You little , I’m not that much older than you, and I thought we were friends.” Jungsu hollered as he hit him a few more times, puffing out his cheeks as he did. Hyukjae rubbed the side of his head; it hurt a lot more than he would have thought. Jungsu must be hiding muscles under his suit.

He glanced up at the male and frowned, Jungsu’s arms were crossed, staring at him.

“You said to call you Leeteuk-hyung,” Hyukjae finally said after a few seconds of staring at the elder. Hoping he would go away and stop embarrassing him in front of the other assistants. It was bad enough that the COO wanted you to call him hyung, the man was always leaning on Hyukjae’s desk and pestering him when he should be in meetings.

“Yup, so why are you calling me Jungsu-ssi?” Leeteuk asked with a raised brow. 

Hyukjae pouted. "You're my boss Leeteuk. Isn't there some kind of protocol or something that says to address you with honorifics?" 

No sooner had he finished his sentence when Leeteuk started hitting him again. A smack between each word, he tried to defend himself against the onslaught of hits, there was no use. "I.. said… to… call… me… hyung! You… little... …" 

Hyukjae groaned, loudly. He heard a snicker from a desk across from his and frowned. "If you’re not going to help, Kyuhyun, don't laugh at my pain!" That only caused the other assistant to laugh louder. Hyukjae grabbed a random pen from his cup holder and tossed it in Kyuhyun's general direction. He missed.

“Anyways, Hyukkie, did you get my email about the Boss' Christmas dinner?" Leeteuk asked as he straightened out the folder he was holding. Hyukjae had gotten it, and he promptly deleted it. There was no way he wanted to go to a party at his Boss' multimillion-dollar house. He would just embarrass himself.

"Yeah, I got it. Why?" Hyukjae rubbed the spot where Leeteuk hit him. 

"Because if you had read the entire email instead of the first two sentences, you would have seen that I already accepted the invitation, and you're my plus one."

"What?!" Hyukjae exclaimed. 

"Also, because that's against company policy or whatever you need to bring a date, so people do not think I am dating my assistant." 

Hyukjae could only stare. What the hell? Maybe he should start reading all of Leeteuk's emails instead of skimming them like he has been for months. 

"Why me?" Hyukjae question in disbelief, but his question was ignored as Leeteuk stood and stretched his arms above his head.

 "The party is on Christmas Eve; it's black tie. Use my card and tailor to get a proper suit and tie. Not one of your on-sale ones." The older male was flipping a hand to signal Hyukjae's crinkly suit, which was, in fact, on sale when he bought it. It didn't fit him the way Leeteuks or Kyuhyun's did, loose in the hips and too tight at his shoulders, but it was okay. He thought he looked decent in them. 

 He frowned harder. 

"Seriously, Hyukjae. Go find a date, get a nice suit, bring them to the dinner party. It'll be fun. Oh, and fax this paperwork over to Choi's assistant, that little stinker thinks he can keep one of the Boss' assistants busy with nonsense, he has another thing coming. The number is in the first paper." 

With those parting words, Leeteuk left. Hyukjae huffed as he let his body fall to lay on his desk, scattering papers, pens, and paperclips everywhere. He heard that dang snicker once again. Kyuhyun was so no help right now. He had to find a date, and get a suit, and get it tailored. He didn’t need his friend making fun of him. What he needed was a raise. Maybe if he did this, Leeteuk would get him a raise.  Yeah, right, he's been asking for one since July. It wasn't going to happen any time soon. 

Begrudgingly, Hyukjae got up to fax the paperwork to Choi Siwon. He scanned through it as he sent it and had to hold back a snicker. It was all thinly veiled threats to Simon's manhood if he didn't stop bothering Kibum, the CEO's other assistant. Hyukjae knew that Siwon had a massive crush on Kibum and was going about getting the younger male to date him all wrong. Hyukjae was close with Kibum, and the other has been fuming about all the work the Choi CEO made him go through. He had given up trying to convince Kibum to make an official complaint. Secretly, he thinks that Kibum has a crush on Siwon too, and liked the special treatment.

Hyukjae spent the rest of the day pushing paperwork and running around at Leeteuk's will. That night, he called his best friends over and hoped the men wouldn’t make fun of him when he explained the situation. The seriousness of the situation didn’t stop Sungmin or Shindong from laughing their heads off at him. What did they know anyway, he pushed them both out the door. Claiming he was tired and wanted to sleep. 

The next morning was Friday, and Hyukjae was super excited for it to be Friday because Leeteuk always left at lunchtime on Fridays, and that meant he could go too. He ate lunch with Kyuhyun at a local cafe, the other still making fun of him for his terrible taste in suits and getting beaten up by Leeteuk, again. It wasn't the first time and doubted it would be last time Leeteuk would have to pester him about using hyung. Hyukjae just wanted to keep work and home life separate. Not that he had much of a home life. 

After waving goodbye to Kyuhyun, he took the bus home, having not wanting to drive to work this morning. Why waste gas when he was only there half a day? His apartment was in a pretty nice neighborhood, his building only four stories high instead of the ten he had moved out of. There was also a live person manning the front entrance desk, and they would wave cheerily at him every day. It was one of the simplest interactions he had, the other always smiling no matter the day. 

"Hey, Hyukjae-ssi!" The receptionist called out as Hyukjae was walking past to get to the elevators. He looked over his shoulder at the happy virus. 

"Hello, Onew, what's up?" 

"Nothing just wanted to be the first to tell you Merry Christmas!" Onew said with the most brilliant smile. Hyukjae couldn't handle the smile. It was too powerful. It was also December; first, the dude was waaaaay too happy on December first. 

"Merry Christmas. Onew." He waved a hand goodbye as the other laughed and went back to playing on his phone. Hyukjae rode the elevator silence, having bribed the elevator company worker to 'fix' the awful music that was usually playing in it.
 Hyukjae liked the silence. 

Hyukjae punched the code into the digital lock on his apartment door and walked inside the cold apartment. He forgot to reset his thermostat again. The male shocked his jacket and shoes, placing both in their rightful homes, neatly next to his other polished and organized shoes. His things might not be expensive like Leeteuks or Kyuhyun's, but he took good care of them. Making sure they always shined, pressed, and clean. Part of that was because he liked things to be clean and organized. Also, because he was allergic to dust, so things needed to be cleaned. 

He spent a few hours cleaning his apartment, vacuuming the entire house, and then wiping and dusting from top to bottom. His apartment was decent sized for a one room, one bath, it was sparsely decorated because he honestly never spent more time in caring about what the house looked like. His few friends didn't care of home decor, and he honestly didn't care either. For dinner, he ate a ridiculous amount of pizza and beer, spending the night watching TV on his couch. He cleaned up around ten and went to bed, trying his hardest not to let the silence bother him.

 It did.

 Around one am, he woke up and made his way to his closet. In the back was a dinged-up old wooden box that his mother had given him a hundred years ago, inside were a handful of letters Hyukjae had been writing since he was a child. He set the box on the coffee table and sat beside it, staring at the closed box for a while. He sighed and finally gave in. Hyukjae opened the box and took out a blank page and pen, starting to write without thinking. Hyukjae had been writing letters to Santa since he was a child. His mother used to collect them and 'mail' them. 

When he stopped believing in Santa, she gave him this box and told him to keep writing letters, even if he didn't believe it. It was therapeutic, she had said. He wasn't sure why he kept doing it, but he did. He was almost thirty, and he was still writing letters to Santa. What a joke. He signed the letter and shoved it into the envelope, dropping it on top of the others. Hyukjae closed the lid of the box and shoved it under the couch. He'd put the box away tomorrow. 

Saturday, he woke with a small headache and worry, turning his stomach. He only had a few weeks to find a date and knew no one he actually wanted to date. 

Hyukjae showered after he sent a group text out that asked his friends over for brunch, he'd cook. He had got a few affirmatives by the time he got out of the shower. He was setting the table when Kyuhyun and Ryeowook came bursting through his front door. The smaller giggling at something Kyuhyun said as they took off their shoes. They kept chatting about someone Ryeowook had to deal with in his salon the day before while Hyukjae brought food over, and champagne and orange juice for the mimosa lovers his friends were. 

As he was pouring orange juice into glasses, Sungmin and Shindong showed up in a flurry of chilly air and the fresh smell of baked treats. Shindong owned one of the best bakeries in Seoul. He always brought strawberry flavored treats for Hyukjae. 

Hyukjae shoved one in his mouth as he placed the box on the table then sat down. They ate and updated each other on what was going on with one another. Sungmin was informing them that his wife was nominated for some kind of award. Ryeowook and Kyuhyun just paid off their home loan; he cheered for them. Because really, home loans were expensive. It was why he was still renting an apartment. Shindong was thinking about opening a second location, closer to Itaewon. 

They ate, they talked. Kyuhyun got drunk. You know, the usual Saturday mornings. 

They were camped out on the couches while Hyukjae cleaned up when he heard a gasp before Sungmin called out. "Hyukjae, what's this box?" 

He heard three others say 'what box' as Hyukjae padded across the apartment. 

“What in the world is this? Dear Santa, Christmas the past few years… blah blah blah… I need to make a good impression, so please help me find a date for this Christmas party. Hyukjae, did you really write a letter to Santa?” Sungmin, in all his sassy glory, yelled across Hyukjae's living room. 

Hyukjae lunged across the couch at him, trying to grasp the box of hand-written letters in his hands. Hyukjae hadn't expected his friends to find his Santa box. He forgot he had shoved it far underneath the couch. Maybe not far enough for his nosy friends. Sungmin jumped up on the couch, tossing the box on the floor, letters scattering everywhere, and held the most recent high above his head. 

From behind him, he could hear his other so-called friends laughing as they picked up other letters from the floor to read them for themselves. Kyuhyun and Ryeowook were laying on the floor in front of his couch, laughing as they read through thirty years of Santa letters. 

"Guys! This isn't what I called you over for!" Hyukjae lunged for Sungmin again. The thin male jumped off the back of the couch and climbed up on his kitchen counter. "Get down, Sungmin!" 

"Why are you writing letters to Santa, Hyukjae?" Kyuhyun said from his crossed-legged position. 

"Because I promised my mom I would. She looks at them still. Come on, Sungmin. Give it back!" Hyukjae lunged again at the unexpecting Sungmin and grabbed the letter from him. He folded it back up carefully, placed it in the envelope, and pushed it into his jeans pocket. The others were staring at him. 

"Stop staring at me. You know how my mom is, do you think I could tell her no?" He bent to collect the other open letters and shoved them back into the box. 

"Your mom is scary about holidays. I don't blame you at all," Ryeowook said from his spot, helping Hyukjae fold and place the box on the table. Hyukjae changed the subject back to what they were really there for — finding him a date. No one had any good ideas, no, Kyu, Grindr is not a good date plan.  

Hyukjae isn’t sure how they convinced him to go shopping with them. They weren’t good friends, and he wasn’t buying them anything for Christmas. They were little s, they all deserved coal. 

He huffed a breath as he crossed his arms and trailed after Ryeowook and Kyuhyun, the two chattering away secretly a few feet in front of him. They were mumbling something under their breath as they walked through the mall. He glanced around at all of the couples walking around with their cute little families. At the shops bosting Christmas sales and happy family portraits everywhere, trees and Christmas decorations covered almost every surface. Damn, why were people so happy all the time? 

He let out another sigh as he followed the two idiots through the mall. He was barely paying attention to where they were going until he bumped into Kyuhyun’s back because the male stopped walking. 

“What the hell, Kyu?”

“Hyuk, look! It’s Santa’s mailbox,” The younger male said while pointing at a huge box that was taller than Hyukjae. It was cherry apple red and covered in bright white lights. If Hyukjae were a child and believed in Santa, then this would almost appear magical. 

The three of them watched as two children came running up to the box, both of them holding envelopes in their hands. The two quickly figured out that they couldn’t reach the drop slot on their own. Without missing a beat, the taller boy dropped down to his hands and knees and told the other to climb up on his back. Hyukjae’s eyes widened as the other child stepped carefully up, held both letters in one hand, and the other onto the mailbox. When the smaller child was stable, he lifted the covered and pushed the envelopes through, then climbed down. The two stood straight and hugged before running back off to their mother, who was watching from close by. He heard Ryeowook coo from beside him. 

“That was so cute, Kyu! When we adopt, can we please adopt siblings?” Ryeowook said as he wrapped his arms around the taller’s shoulders. 

“Whatever you want, Wookie, whatever you want.” Was Kyuhyun’s reply with a kissing sound. 

Hyukjae rolled his eyes while he made a gagging noise. “Eww. stop being so gross.” He didn’t need to turn to look at them to know they were totally making out in the middle of the mall. He shouldn’t have introduced the two of them. 

Hyukjae moved to walk away when he felt a tug on the back of his jeans. What the hell? He looked over his shoulder to see Kyuhyun grinning at him with a wicked glint in his eye. In his hand was the red envelope that Hyukjae had barely rescued from Sungmin this morning. Hyukjae reached out to snatch it back and made a small helpless noise. 

“No, Kyuhyun. Don’t you dare!” He knew he was shouting, but Kyuhyun was being ridiculous, he held the letter high above his head. Freaking giant. With quick hands, Kyuhyun passed the letter to Ryeowook and while Kyuhyun held him back. Wook walked calmly over to the mailbox and dropped the letter in. 

The slender male dusted his hands and smirked at Hyukjae. What the hell. Hyukjae shoulders slumped. He liked keeping those, and never intended for them to be mailed or read by anyone but his mother. 

Hyukjae grumbled as he walked away. There was no use fighting it now. He would have to rewrite it so he could put it back in his stash of letters. 

As they shopped, Hyukjae gave into Leeteuk’s command to get a nice suit and had his two idiot friends help him pick one from the nicest store in the mall, and then they took the trip to a tailor. It took a while for the man to see Hyukjae, and when he did, Hyukjae wanted to get the heck out of there. The man had caressed his inner thighs one too many times for Hyukjae’s liking. He went home hungry, grumpy, and ready for bed. 

Sleep came fitfully for him that night. He kept dreaming about puppy eyes and boxy smiles. It was weird; he's never dreamed of them before, so why was suddenly dreaming about eyes he's never seen before. Hyukjae rolled over and tucked his hand under his chin, pulling the blankets tighter around himself. The room was super cold tonight. Did the AC go on the fritz again? He questioned himself as he rolled over again, shivering when the blankets slipped from around him, and a blast of cold air hit his leg. Hyukjae snuggled deeper into his blankets and let out a deep sigh. 

He must have fallen back asleep because his alarm blaring from beside his bed jolted him again. He groaned and blindly reached out a hand to slap the clock. Completely missing the clock and knocking over a bobblehead Groot toy that had been a gift from the CEO for his birthday. He let out a groan and reached further and finally hit the snooze button on the top of the machine. He pulled his arm back into his bundle of warmth, eyes still closed. Five more minutes sounded really great right about now. 

"Umm… are you going to get up? I've been here for hours, and I'm a little bored," a voice said. 

It wouldn't be the first time one of his friends barged in on the weekend to raid his fridge or pull him pull out bed for a trip somewhere. Hyukjae opened his eyes and frowned; he didn't recognize that voice though. He yanked the blanket off his head, his eyes meeting two large brown eyes, sharp nose and wicked lips curved into a smile. He was beautiful. On top of the beauties head was a mop of curly brown hair that was a complete mess underneath a… red and green Santa hat?

Maybe he was dreaming?

Hyukjae blinked his eyes. 

Nope. Dude was still there.

Hyukjae lifted a hand to rub his eyes; he was still asleep. He had to be.

 He opened his eyes. 

Nope. Still there. 

"What the hell!" He screeched as he flung himself backward. His long limbs were going everywhere as he tried to scramble away from the random person in his apartment. The feeling of being weightless for a second was jarring; the smack to the floor was painful. He let out a groan from the tiny space between his bed and the wall. The male completely forgetting that he had moved his bed closer to the wall the last time he deep cleaned his apartment.

A fluffy head peeked from over the edge of his head. The same face he woke up to, but now the male’s brows were creased in concern. "Are you okay?" 

"No. I'm so not okay," Hyukjae answered with a scowl. He tried to wiggle out of his spot and only wedged himself further. 

"Do you need help?" 

"No. Why are you in my bed?" 

The male smiled at him, Hyukjae watched from his position as the male laid down flat and expended an arm in Hyukjae's direction. 

"I'm here to help you. Now take my hand and accept the help."  

Hyukjae huffed, not sure why he was doing it, but he took the hand hanging off the edge of the bed. With surprising ease, the male pulled Hyukjae up enough that he could wiggle his legs underneath himself and push up to crawl across the bed.
 Once he was standing beside him bed, he realized something strange. The male was wearing a red and green Santa hat, complete with bells, instead of a green shirt like how Hyukjae assumed he was wearing, he was draped in a tunic style shirt that went down to mid-thigh, ending in triangle-shaped cutouts. There were bells at the end of each cutout, and the tights! Oh my. Damn. The male was wearing red pants so tight they must have been painted on. His muscular legs ended in overly large green shoes that had a thick curve that ended with a bell. Hyukjae realized with a start; he was dressed like a Christmas elf. 

A goddamn elf.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Hyukjae couldn't help but question the other. 

"Cause I'm an elf. You snickerdoodle. This is how we all dress," The male said with a wave of his hand. Like what Hyukjae was questioning was stupid. 

"A what now?" Hyukjae's eyes jerked up from thick thighs to the others puppy dog eyes as they smiled happily at him. 

"An elf, Hyukjae. I'm an elf, sent here by Santa to help with your Christmas wish." 

"He... what... now?" Hyukjaes’ brain couldn't comprehend what the other was saying. 

"Hyukjae, my name is Donghae, the elf. Santa got your letter last night and was worried he wouldn't be able to fulfill your Christmas wish. So, he sent me to help you," Donghae said.

 Donghae, the elf. Who appeared in his house without setting the alarms off. He turned and walked out of his room, walking down the hall and to the control panel for his home alarm system. He pushed a button to light up the screen, ‘system armed’ still flashed across the screen. If the system was still armed and hadn’t been tripped… He turned back around and walked back to his room, where Donghae was still standing, poking a Black Widow bobblehead on one of his many half-empty shelves.

"What just a minute, how the hell did you get into my house?" Hyukjae pointed a finger at Donghae.

The elf sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Magic, Hyukjae, Santa’s magic. Anywho, you should get dressed. We have lots to do today!" The elf clapped his hands happily and turned around to leave Hyukjae's room in a flurry of cold air and tingling bells. 

What is the world was going on? There was no way this was really happening; he was still dreaming. Wasn’t he? The sounds of the elf banging around his kitchen were very much real. Hyukjae pinched his forearm and hissed at the pain. Very much awake. Hyukjae stood there dumbfounded for at least another two minutes before he looked down and realized he was only wearing black boxers. 

Oh right. 

Get dressed. 

Then get coffee. 

Then deal with the ridiculously dressed man in his house. 

Hyukjae dressed in a daze, throwing on a pair of loose sweatpants and a t-shirt that was worn from wear. There was no way he could deal with what was happening in anything else but comfortable clothes, with clean teeth and caffeine. He went to his connecting bathroom and brushed his teeth. At least it was Sunday, and he didn’t have to go to work and deal with this person at the same time. 

The male rubbed a tired hand through his hair and left the sparsely decorated bathroom to pad across the house to find the elf. 

Ha. There was an elf in his house. No way. The man just broke in and is crazy, Hyukjae should really call the police. 

Instead, he headed to the kitchen where he could hear the other rummaging around in the cabinets. He was greeted with the sight of plates, bowls, and food... Everywhere. His fridge was closed, thank goodness, but there was something leaking from the bottom of it. There was some kind of white mixture spread all over the counters and butter smeared everywhere. Celery, carrots, and other veggies were lying around the counters. There was even flour on the ceiling tiles. 

'What… what happened in here?" He questioned as he stepped over a cracked egg on the floor to make his way to the coffee machine. He needed coffee. Now. 

"I was bored waiting for you to wake up. I wanted to make something to eat… but your kitchen is weird…" Donghae said from where he was standing on the counter, head in one of the top shelves that Hyukjae hadn't opened for a while. He heard the males faint 'eep' before leaning back to slam the door shut. Hyukjae made a mental note to clean in there later.

"My kitchen isn't weird. You're weird." Hyukjae frowned as he pulled the carafe from the heating pad to see some kind of pink liquid in it. What the hell? He sniffed it and frowned.

 "Donghae, did you put strawberries in my coffee maker?" 

"What's a coffee maker? Oh deer, that thing, yeah. I was trying to make syrup, but your machine just watered them with hot water. It’s weird." Donghae responded from somewhere on the other side of the kitchen, from the thumps and sneeze he could hear, Hyukjae could only assume he was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. Like... in the spice cabinet.

Too tired to deal with the information just told to him. He finished out the strawberries from the reusable coffee filter and cleaned the machine before refilling it with coffee grounds and fresh water. He smacked the ‘on’ button, a sigh of relief left him when it started to up water to drip properly. When he turned to grab the milk from the fridge, he bumped into the elf. Donghae was staring at the coffee pot with wide questioning eyes.
"Want some?" 

"What's that black stuff?" Donghae answered instead.

"Coffee. I need some to deal with having an elf in my kitchen." 

“I've never had co-ff-ee." The other butchering the word coffee into three syllables instead of two. 

"You can try mine when it's finished," Hyukjae said.

Donghae beamed at him, too ing bright, then turned to the fridge and yanked it open for him. Hyukjae sighed when he saw that his almond milk was what was leaking all over the refrigerator. Damn, he reached for the whole milk instead and fixed himself a large mug of coffee, then held it out for Donghae to try. 
He should have expected the male’s next reaction.

 He really should have thought better of offering someone who has never had coffee a cup with no sugar in it. 

So when Donghae made a face, contouring in disgust before spitting it back into the cup. 

Hyukjae should have expected it. 

He didn’t. 

“Donghae, that’s gross!” 

 Hyukjae scowled in annoyance as Donghae wiped his tongue on his sleeve. 

"Goodness gumdrops, that's disgusting! And hot!! Why would you give that to me! Are you trying to poison me?" Donghae accused. 

"You wanted to try it. Don't blame me." Hyukjae pouted as he took the cup back from the elf and dumped it out in the sink. He rinsed the mug out and made himself a new cup. After he set it down on the counter, he stepped around food and mixing bowls to a cabinet that doesn't seem to be disturbed. He opened it and pulled out a bag of marshmallows. He opened the bag and handed it to the elf. 

"Try these. It'll help get the taste out of your mouth." 

Donghae snatched the bag from him and pulled out one of the giant fluffs and it. Hyukjae relaxed when Donghae's eyes widened, and he shoved the entire thing in his mouth. He tried to say something around the mess in his mouth hut Hyukjae couldn't make it out. He just grabbed his cup of coffee and leaned against the counter. Trying really hard to ignore the mess in his kitchen. He ing hated when his kitchen was messy. He faced Donghae as the mythical being hopped up on a clean section of counter, how had he found a clean space so easily? 

Donghae started pulling out marshmallows, Hyukjae took a long drink of his coffee. 

"Soo.." Hyukjae started, then stopped. He didn't even know where to begin with this insaneness of this man being an elf. 
He took another long drink of his coffee, still not sure where to start. The silence was killing him, though. 

"You're a what now? An elf?" Hyukjae questioned. 

"I'm an elf. Stop asking me that. I told you already, like five times. It's not gonna change the more times you ask it," Donghae, the elf, said from his perch atop the kitchen counter. The elves fingers stacking giant marshmallows in a pattern that Hyukjae couldn't discern. 

"I just... S-stop touching all the marshmallows!" Hyukjae hollered, he had a thing about people touching food in packages when he was going to eat them.

"Don't yell at me! Santa sent me here to help you!" Donghae pouted at him, pausing in his movements for about two seconds before he stuck his hand in the marshmallow bag to pull one out. He held it up to Hyukjae to inspect before it was flying across the kitchen to ping him in the center of his forehead. 

"...what does that even mean," Hyukjae questioned as he rubbed his forehead. The sugary treat not hurting but the principle of the matter. The little shouldn’t throw food at him. 

"You sent a letter to Santa yesterday. Santa read it and was really… like really sad that you never send the letters you've written before. Santa decided your Christmas wish this year was going to come true. Santa tasked me with finding you a date for that party," Donghae said with no flourish, completely believing in what he was saying. 

Hyukjae huffed, crossing his arms and leaning against the fridge. What was he supposed to say to that? The elf went back to stacking the marshmallows; every fourth one went into the elf’s mouth. 

"Really, Donghae, you should stop eating so many; it'll make your stomach hurt if you eat too much." 

The other pouted but dropped the marshmallows back into the bag. Hyukjae took another long drink from his coffee mug. What was he going to do now? This man claimed to be an elf sent him by Santa Clause and wanted to help him find a date. Hyukjae didn’t really want a date for some Christmas party at his boss’ house. He wanted... His train of thought was cut off by another marshmallow hitting him in the face. 

"Stop thinking so much, Hyukkie, now when is that party?” Donghae questioned as he hopped off the counter and toed around the mess to walk out of the kitchen. Hyukjae took one last look at the destroyed room and shrugged a shoulder. It could wait until later. He grabbed his cup and turned to follow the elf to the living room. He'd need another cup of coffee before starting on that mess. 

“Christmas Eve, so a few weeks. Do not touch anything else Donghae; I don’t want to buy a new TV because you broke it. “ He didn’t have to see Donghae’s face to know he was pouting; the slumped shoulders said it all. 

"But.."

"No, buts, seriously." Hyuk interrupted.

"Now who are you… really? Did Kyuhyun and Sungmin send you?" Hyukjae plopped down onto one side of his couch. 

"Who are they? You know more elves?" Donghae asked from where he was inspecting the tv, without touching it. He pointed at it as he asked, "How does this work?" 

Hyuk sighed as he grabbed the controller from the table and hit the 'on' button. "No, Kyuhyun and Sungmin are not elves. They're some friends." He heard a gasp as the TV flickered on. He flipped through the channels until a kids Christmas movie was playing. He didn't even bother turning the volume on. 

"So, Kyuhyun and Sungmin didn't send you. Did Leeteuk?" 

Donghae was staring at the screen as Little Cindy Lou Who started singing about where was Christmas. Slowly, Donghae sat in the middle of the living room, a few feet away from the screen. He was completely entranced by the movie. 

"Donghae…. Donghae?" Hyukjae tried calling the others name a few more times and got no response. He hit the volume button so the elf could hear the singing.

 Hyukjae sighed. He was sighing a lot today. 

He drank the rest of his cup of coffee and got up to make himself another cup. He tried to get Donghae's attention a few more times during the movie to no success. He decided just to go clean up the effects of Donghae the hurricane. 

Hyukjae was washing the last bowl when Donghae walked into the kitchen with a little pout on his lips. 

"That was sad! Then happy, then sad. Why would you make me watch that!" Donghae pouted harder and started to cry. Oh . Hyukjae turned the water off, grabbed a hand towel to dry his hands as he walked over to the other. He patted Donghae's head, not sure how to comfort him. 

"There, there… it's just a movie. None of it is real," Hyuk patted his head again. 

"Really?" Donghae rubbed his eyes. 

"Yeah, so stop crying," Hyukjae barely got the words out before he had an armful of elf. The male was wrapping his arms around Hyuk's torso. It was awkward and lasted way too long, and Hyukjae had to push Donghae away for him to let go. 

The rest of the night was spent with Hyukjae trying to get Donghae not to touch anything else, or make another mess. Hyuk ordered delivery, sushi for him, and ordering some black bean noodles for Donghae, thinking the taste wouldn't be something he'd spit out. He was wrong. Donghae spit the noodles onto the floor and used his chopsticks to scrap his tongue. 

What the was wrong with him? 

And why was he putting up with it and not calling the cops?

After making him clean it up, Hyukjae made the elf a plain egg omelet with rice. He slathered it all in ketchup, the sweetness and tartness of the ketchup was something the elf didn't spit out. Hyukjae cleaned out the kitchen, showered, and put clothes out for Donghae for the other to shower. When he went to bed, Donghae was still watching Christmas movies, snuggled up in the blanket and pillow he