Knocking at the door breaks through Minseok's concentration like a woodpecker's beak through wood. He's made great progress, nearly reaching the point of review and revision. If it's just a delivery at his door, he can very likely finish everything tonight, sleep in tomorrow morning, and deliver it in the afternoon.

Peeking through the fisheyed peep hole, however, he sighs and tries not to smile.

“Season's greetings.” Baekhyun grins and holds a sprig of leaves over his head. “Special delivery; KOD.”

“Hey, Baek.” Leaving him at the door, they both know it's an open invitation. Baekhyun has no trouble accepting, leaving his shoes and coat beside the door, and closing it behind him.

Baekhyun waves the leaves in his boyfriend's general direction. “Aren't you forgetting something?”

Minseok is already back in his little office. Baekhyun makes it only so far before nearly tripping over Tan the cat, who winds around him with loud purrs and flops on her side to show off her temptingly soft belly.

“Have you eaten, yet?” Takeout places are still open. He'll generously tip anyone who braves the cold to bring him food.

“Yeah.” Minseok flips between pages, pencil bouncing at the corner of his mouth. “I had lunch a little while ago...”

“It's like eight-thirty, hyung.”

No wonder his stomach's been growling. Minseok walks the short distance to the entryway of the kitchen, leaning in to grab an apple from where it'd fallen from the pile of fruit, and returns to his work.

Baekhyun watches critically, leaves sitting on his hair. “That's not much of a meal.”

“It'll be fine.”

“Aren't you done with this thing, yet? What even is it?” He bops Tan's nose when she leans in to sniff his fingertip. “You know you don't have to do it all in one sitting, right? Breaks are healthy.”

Minseok mutters something softly, only listening with half an ear. He doesn't have the TV or radio on; the only sound aside from his sighs and scribbling pencil is the clock in the kitchen.

And there is nothing as annoying as a ticking clock when Baekhyun is trying to ignore the passing of time.

After being hissed at for bothering the cat, Baekhyun drops gracelessly onto the sofa with a long groan. “Just kiss me already!” He waves the leaves at his boyfriend. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

“Holly.”

Baekhyun frowns. “Really? Oh. My intention remains the same.”

“Baek--I’m sorry. I’m busy right now.”

“‘Baek, I’m busy. Baek, I’m tired. Baek, I have a headache.’” Tossing the leaves to Tan, who bats them experimentally before knocking them into the hall and dashing after them, Baekhyun kicks his legs up onto the sofa arm. “Geez, if I’d known you were just going to neglect me, I would’ve faced the cold and just gone to Jongdae’s house. At least his daughter loves me and wouldn’t ignore me.”

“You’d be thrown out for being too noisy.”

“Hey, I’m great with babies!”

“When they’re awake. You’re too antsy when they’re trying to sleep.”

“I just like to know they’re still breathing and functioning like a normal living creature. Nothing wrong with being cautious.” After a minute of silence, he tilts his head back as far as he can, but it hurts his neck. He sits up and twists to look into Minseok’s home office. “Are you listening?”

Minseok hums, ignoring him. Baekhyun knows that tone. The placating silence-filler. A noise he hopes will satisfy Baekhyun even though he’s completely tuned out of the conversation.

“You’re totally not listening.” Minseok hums again, agreeing this time. Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “Why are you even working, anyway? It’s a holiday.”

“We’re atheist, babe.”

“It’s Christmas; it’s pretty much universal at this point, thanks to mass consumerism. Plus, you went to a Catholic university.”

Minseok finally cuts a look his way, shrugging. “What’s that have to do with anything?”

“Didn’t they celebrate Christmas?”

“They celebrated any excuse to have alcohol.” College was a wild time, but whereas Baekhyun has hazy memories of the drinking nights he and his friends had, Minseok remembers things clearly and still managed to maintain a high grade point average as well as an internship.

Overachiever.

“Aren’t you going to at least take a snack break?” There’s a snack waiting and willing right there on the sofa, if his boyfriend would just tear himself away from his work.

“In a minute…”

Whining, Baekhyun slides off the couch, sweatshirt bunching up around his chest, and drops to the floor. He pulls his shirt down and despondently crawls on his hands and knees until he can push himself upright using the back of Minseok's chair but drops his head and lets his arms dangle.

Still drawing out the whine, he wraps himself around his boyfriend and nuzzles a cheek over his hair. “I don’t like being ignored.”

“I've noticed.”

“It makes me feel stressed and needy.”

“No, not you.” Minseok flinches at the breath on his ear. “Baekhyun, c’mon.”

“You 'come on.' You know the easiest way to get me to stop being a nudje and let you finish your work,” Baekhyun sing-sings. He turns Minseok’s chair from the desk and sits on his thighs, immediately slipping his hands beneath his boyfriend’s shirt and leaning close.

Stomach flipping as they lean too far, Minseok’s hands snap to Baekhyun’s waist and to grab his desk. “Lean too far, and we’ll fall!”

“That's alright,” Baekhyun replies after releasing his clinging hold on Minseok's shoulders. “I’ve fallen for you before.” Grinning, he strips the shirt over Minseok’s head and runs away, snatching the blanket from the back of the sofa on his way to the bedroom. “If you ever want to be warm again, you have to find me!”

Minseok runs warm, but even he is uncomfortable sitting shirtless in winter. He knows he could hold out, keep working, and Baekhyun would eventually reemerge and whine about how Minseok's no fun, but Christmas is a season of generosity.

He follows Baekhyun into his room, fully expecting to be grabbed and either thrown onto the bed or pushed against the wall.

Baekhyun doesn’t disappoint. Crowding Minseok against the door, he settles his elbows on Minseok's shoulders and hangs his chin on his clasped hands with a smile.

“Isn’t it nicer spending the holiday like this?”

“I can be convinced.” Baekhyun laughs and kisses him.

“You gonna finish unwrapping your present?”

Baekhyun's eyes light up. “Really, hyung, I didn't expect a line like that from you...”

Minseok wiggles his hips, bumping Baekhyun's. “Front pocket.” Dipping his fingers into the pocket of Minseok's jeans, Baekhyun doesn't feel foil or plastic like he expects. Rather, there's something metallic attached to a bit of what feels like satin.

Frowning, he pulls it out and rolls is into his palm.

“I figured I’d never find a perfect moment to ask, but I was trying to work up the nerve for a while, now,” Minseok says. A neat red ribbon decorates the punched hole of a brass door key. They both stare at it on Baekhyun's palm. Such a little thing. Such a big meaning. “Move in with me? You won't have to brave the cold again.”

Tan meows on the other side of the door. A tufted paw reaches through the gap, hooking the door to try and pull it open.

Finally, Baekhyun his dry lips and pulls his sleeve over his hand to wipe his wet eyes. “Are you sure? You know my mess comes with me.”

“I know you're trainable.” He squeezes Baekhyun's waist, linking his fingers behind his boyfriend's back. “I can teach you to clean up after yourself.”

“And I won't be able to keep my hands off you; you might need to find some complicated door locks.”

Minseok shrugs and looks at the ceiling. “I'll leave work at the office.”

“How soon were you planning on this? Can I spend the night?”

“And every night after.”

Baekhyun finally frowns and looks up. “What are you looking...?” A sprig of rounded green leaves hangs from a red satin ribbon. Laughing, Baekhyun hooks his arms around his boyfriend's neck and pulls him in for a kiss. “You had it all planned, didn't you?”

“I figured you out a long time ago, Byun Baekhyun, and I knew I'd love to love you and share my life and many Christmasses with you.”

a/n: Written for EXO on Ice's first round. (prompt no.EOI10 Baekhyun just wants a christmas kiss from minseok, but minseok’s too busy with work.)