Part Two: Christmas Tree

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Baekhyun is bouncing around all over the living-room, and Taemin has given up on reminding him of that time when he jumped too hard, fell, twisted his ankle, and was stuck walking on crutches for a few weeks. He knows that it's no use, especially when the living-room is overrun by the boxes that Jongin just brought in from the cellar. Baekhyun hops from box to box with Yukhei waddling behind him and giggling so hard that he keeps snorting.

"Where are the hats?" Baekhyun whines. "I can't find the hats! Papa! I can't find them!"

"The ha'," Yukhei screams after him. "Papa! Ha'!"

Jongin turns around from where he’s rummaging through one of the boxes and looks up to see both of his kids pouting.

"I don't know, have you looked in the box by the door? I brought all the boxes in, so they must be here somewhere!"

Baekhyun sighs dramatically but before he can continue complaining, there's a Christmas hat dropped on his head, and he cranes his neck to see his dad grinning at him.

"Got them!"

"Yoohoo!"

Baekhyun immediately takes his hat off just to make sure it’s the one that shines and twinkles, and then he beams with satisfaction when he sees the little star-shaped lights. The batteries stopped working two years ago, but the hat still lights up as soon as Baekhyun puts it back on his head.

"Thanks, Dad!"

Taemin hums in response as he starts assembling the different parts of their Christmas tree in the corner of the room. They had bought a gigantic fake tree after a four and a half year old Baekhyun made an entire presentation on how heartbreaking it was to cut down so many trees and throw them away a few weeks later. Jongin is sitting in front of the chimney with Yukhei, sorting through the stockings that need hung, while Baekhyun is unwrapping all of the little decorations they have.

Soft music plays in the background as they all shuffle around the room, leaving a Santa Claus here or a snowman there, arranging the Christmas mugs on display, and changing the kitchen towels to one’s with Christmas trees on them. Baekhyun decides that he wants to hang a tinsel garland on the stair rail, and Yukhei immediately follows after him. Jongin starts to go after them to make sure nobody gets hurt, but Taemin grabs his husband's hand and forces him into a silly waltz around the living room.

"But, Taeminnie, the stairs... Yukhei..." Jongin protests weakly.

"The stairs will be fine."

Jongin giggles and gives in. He sets his arms around Taemin's neck and steals a kiss as they turn and dance together to the hum of the soft music still playing, Baekhyun's loud singing, and Yukhei's laughter.

"That kid never stops laughing," Jongin says softly as he looks over Taemin's shoulder to peek at their kids who are slowly making their way down the stairs, leaving decorations everywhere.

"That's his real superpower," Taemin agrees.

Jongin looks back at him with bright eyes and nods without a word. He holds Taemin closer, smiling as he leaves a trail of soft kisses on his neck.

"Hey!" Baekhyun suddenly shouts. "Stop dancing, you two. We have work to do!"

"Stop!" Yukhei gasps right after. "No!"

Taemin grins and tousles Jongin's hair before he lets go of him and goes back to arranging the garlands of lights all around the room with Baekhyun's watchful eyes following him.

"Hey, Munchkin. I can dance with your Dad if I want to," Jongin tells his son with a mock scowl.

"Not when we're decorating," Baekhyun sighs. "You can dance later."

"No!" Yukhei exclaims.

"I can do whatever I want," Jongin simpers.

Baekhyun looks at him sternly with a frown and shakes his head slowly.

"Papa, you're impossible."

Baekhyun hops off of the stairs and goes back to the living room, a waddling Yukhei always behind him, and Jongin can perfectly hear Taemin coughing loudly to mask his laugh.

"I can't believe this," Jongin grumbles. "Who raised this kid?"

"Us," Taemin chirps, appearing by the doorway with a grin. "Now, stop sulking and come on, we're going to do the tree!"

"The tree!" Baekhyun yells.

"Tee!" Yukhei screams even louder.

Baekhyun starts running around to fetch all of the Christmas decorations he made in school this year, especially his snowman which he is very proud of. Soon Jongin has his eldest son on his shoulders so that Baekhyun can reach the highest parts of the tree while Taemin hangs a few baubles and Santa figures on the bottom with Yukhei. There are a few star and bear ornaments, a little fox too because Yukhei really likes foxes, and Baekhyun very proudly hangs a hand-painted bauble which he knows is his parents' favorite. They’ve both told him that story a million times: how they found the ornament with a family of bears on it in a Christmas market in Europe, barely a week before Christmas; how it was a sign of their own family suddenly growing as, only a couple of days later, Jongin brought Baekhyun home, a tiny, pouting baby wrapped in soft blankets who smiled as soon as he saw Taemin.

"It was the best Christmas ever," Taemin always whispers at the end of the story.

It's Baekhyun's favorite Christmas story and favorite ornament, and it always has a very special spot on their tree, right in the middle where everyone can see it.
They're almost done when Baekhyun is the first one to notice that the star they always put on top of the tree is missing. Jongin immediately starts rummaging through the mostly empty boxes, sighing and puffing and mumbling about where that fudgecicle star could be hiding, but Taemin's exclamation stops him.

"I got it!"

"Dad!" Baekhyun perks up. "You always find everything! You're the best!"

Taemin smirks proudly and kneels in front of Yukhei, who is currently playing with the star by the couch.

"Yukhei, can I have the star now?" Taemin asks gently.

His son looks up, his tiny fists tightening around the star as he smiles.

"No!"

"Of course," Taemin sighs.

Baekhyun and Jongin join him, squatting around Yukhei who looks at them all in turn, apparently very happy with the sudden attention he's getting.

"Baby, we need to put it on top of the tree," Jongin explains softly, patting Yukhei's head.

"No," Yukhei repeats with a giggle.

"But Xuxi'!" Baekhyun sighs. "It's very important, look! The whole tree is done. We only need the star. Please!"

"No no no," Yukhei repeatedly babbles. "Yok!"

Taemin looks around and grabs a little stuffed reindeer from the couch.

"Don't you want this one instead?"

"No."

Jongin shakes his head with a disappointed pout to Taemin.

"That would have been too easy, Taeminnie. He won't fall for something like that."

"Well, there's no hurt in trying..."

Baekhyun brings his hands together and looks at his little brother with pleading, puppy dog eyes.

"Please, Yukhei!"

"No."

And Baekhyun starts sulking because he keeps forgetting that Yukhei is somehow immune to his puppy eyes.

But then Yukhei lets go of the star to on one of his hands, the other trying to reach for Jongin, and Taemin jolts, diving in to retrieve the star, only to fall back with his momentum as the star stays right where it is, standing in front of Yukhei.

"Taeminnie? Are you okay?" Jongin asks.

"What on Earth?" Taemin gasps, blinking rapidly as Yukhei erupts in yet another fit of laughter.

Baekhyun reaches out one hand to grab the star, but no matter how hard he tries, the star doesn't move, as if it were planted deep into the ground.

"What's happening?" Baekhyun wonders aloud, his voice going acute.

"No, no, no!" Yukhei shakes his head.

Jongin can't help but try too, and he sighs when he fails.

"What did he do now? This feels like the sword in the stone."

"This is new," Taemin whines. "I've never seen him do anything like this."

Yukhei claps his hands together and then picks up the star as if it were nothing, brandishing it proudly over his head as he falls back against Jongin's legs.

"Yok!" Yukhei says, looking at his father with a tilt of his head.

"You want to put it on by yourself?"

Yukhei's smile turns very soft, and Jongin sets him back on his . Under his whole family’s confused looks, Yukhei lets go of the star in his hands, and it slowly levitates. Baekhyun gasps, his lips breaking into a smile. The star goes up and up and up, floating across the living room and making its way to the top of the tree.
"You're almost there," Taemin whispers gently, patting his son's hair as he keeps an eye on the star.

Yukhei gets up by relying on Jongin's legs and walks to Taemin, extending his arms to his Dad in a silent request to be held. Taemin picks him up with a soft chuckle, and the star slowly sets itself on the top branch of the tree, perfectly in place.

"You're amazing," Taemin murmurs before he presses a soft kiss to Yukhei's cheek.

"Bravo!" Baekhyun suddenly cries out. "It's done! Bravo, Yukhei! We did great!"

"We aren't done though, are we?" Jongin teases, nudging Baekhyun with a wink. "It's Superhero time."

Baekhyun looks up to his father with the biggest grin on his face and nods.

"Make it pretty, Baekhyunnie," Taemin sing-songs. "Baekhyunnie! Baekhyunnie! Baekhyunnie!"

"Baebyunie! Baebyunie!" Yukhei imitates.

Baekhyun starts rubbing his hands together with a wide smile, and all the lights in the house suddenly turn off. Yukhei gasps in surprise, jolting in Taemin's arms, and Jongin does a fake drum roll on his thighs as Baekhyun takes a long, loud inhale to focus.

"Pew!" Baekhyun roars as he throws his arms in the air.

Instantly, all of the Christmas lights scattered around the house light up, bathing them in a soft, multi-colored glow.

Baekhyun is quiet, eyes bright as he looks in awe at their Christmas tree, and Jongin is suddenly emotional seeing how the lights reflect in his son's eyes. He keeps thinking that out of all the superpowers he’s seen in his life, his son truly has the most beautiful of them all.

"Pretty," Yukhei says.

He squirms in Taemin's arms, wanting to be let down so he can toddle to his brother. Baekhyun exhales loudly and then starts bouncing, taking Yukhei's hand to take him to the windows.

"Xuxi and I will decorate the windows now," he says. "You can dance together if you want."

"Thank you for your permission," Jongin taunts.

Taemin pinches his ribs softly and pulls him into his arms.

"Stop complaining and dance with me."

"I ain't complaining!"

Taemin holds him close, pressing his face into Jongin's neck as they dance in front of the fireplace.

"I can't ever thank you enough for bringing them to me..." Taemin says as he looks at their kids with a fond smile and tender eyes.

Taemin's voice is faint and muffled, but it still makes Jongin's heart squeeze in his chest.

"Anything for you."

Taemin smiles, then lifts his head so he can meet his husband’s gaze. He smiles and rubs their noses together. Jongin steals a kiss.

Baekhyun and Yukhei are barely halfway through with covering the first window when they take a little break to join their parents and wiggle their little butts to some Christmas songs.

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