Christmas Eve. I could feel my hands shivering from the cold – or the nerves, I wasn’t sure anymore. This would be our first Christmas together as a couple and Chanyeol had the audacity to walk beside me, his clothed and layered arm brushing against mine causing me to glance at him every few seconds, only to regret it later because of how cute he looked with his nose slightly pink from the cold. He was having the winter sniffles.

He wrinkled his nose in an attempt to stop anything from dripping, “I can’t wait to see your parents again!” He piped up, trying to start a conversation because really, we haven’t said a thing since leaving the dormitories. My nerves were getting the better of me. Why am I nervous? Because I wasn’t sure if he’d actually like my gift now that the day has arrived for me to give it to him.

Oh god, now that I’ve thought it out loud, it’s starting to sound like a really bad idea.

I let out a huff as I replied, my voice two octaves higher than normal, “Yeah.”

Chanyeol shot his head back at me and I instantaneously looked to the side.

“H-Hyung…” Chanyeol laughed awkwardly, “Are you okay?”

“Sure. I’m fine.” No, I’m not.

“…” Chanyeol looked back down at his feet, which were making crunchy sounds along with mine as we walked on the snowy sidewalk. He rubbed his hands together and I knew he was cold. But my hands were frozen shut in my pockets which made me scream internally. Why of all days does it have to be now that I’ve hit my rock bottom?!

I shook my head and turned to look at him, “Your parents are coming, right?” I asked, telling myself that it was because of the chill that my voice was trembling.

Chanyeol nodded his head and looked back at me, “Yeah. I think they’re there already.”

“That’s good.”

“Um, hyung…” Chanyeol reached out and tugged on my jacket. I blinked and looked back at him, nearly tripping on thin air.

“Yeah?”

“L-Let’s not…” Chanyeol started, cheeks and nose turning redder by the second. “Let’s not act so close around them, okay?”

“What?”

“B-Because you know… they may get suspicious and it’ll be pretty awkward and… yeah.”

“…” I stared at him for a second and he released my jacket. “I won’t make any promises, Chanyeol.”

“Hyung!” He slapped my arm and I chuckled, a bit of my nerves relaxing.

We arrived, a few minutes later, at my doorstep and were greeted by none other than my mother and Chanyeol’s mother.

“Yifan!”

“Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol and I laughed awkwardly as we were embraced by our respective mothers. Chanyeol’s mother more or less choked him to death.

“You’ve gotten thinner, Chanyeol!” His mother shrieked, his signature doe-like eyes mirrored by hers. “What have you been eating over there?”

“…Uh…” Chanyeol started, scratching the back of his head.

“Lettuce.” I replied before he could and he shot a look at me.

“I’m not surprised.” His mother laughed before bringing her son in. He glanced one last time back at me as he was pulled further in the house to greet my father and his own father.

“Well, what took you guys?” My mother asked as I wiggled my out of my jacket.

“Nothing.” I answered quickly – almost too quickly.

“Yifan…” My mother eyed me.

She probably already knows something’s going on with Chanyeol and I.

“Really, it’s nothing.” I smiled, taking out a small box from my pocket discreetly to make sure it was fine. Of course, my mother didn’t miss it.

“Oh! Who’s that…?” My mother smiled before she covered and turned her head briefly to look at Chanyeol. “For Chanyeol?”

“Mom…” I groaned, stuffing it in my pants pocket now. “Don’t say anything.”

“I won’t.” My mom laughed before he wrapped her arm around mine and bringing me into the room where the rest of the families were. Chanyeol was by the Christmas tree, taking pictures with his parents.

“Yifan!” Mrs. Park called out and waved. “Come here and join us.”

“Eh…” I shrugged, not really wanting to.

“Oh, don’t be shy. Here… you can stand beside Chanyeol.” She scooted to the side and motioned for the space. I pursed my lips before lankily walking towards it, awkwardly figuring out a way on where to put my hands – it’s not like I could put it on Mrs. Park…. Or Chanyeol right now for that matter since he was struggling to understand the situation too.

“What’s with your faces?” My mother giggled and I made a face at her. “Come on. You’ve taken pictures before, right?”

“Mom…” I grumbled under my breath.

“All right, look here.” My dad called out, holding up his own camera that looked like mine… which reminds me, I didn’t bring my camera.

Oh, . I didn’t bring my camera.

“….” Chanyeol glanced at me for a moment before looking back to the front.

“Chanyeol, could you scoot closer to Yifan? You’re not in the frame.” My dad called out.

“O-Oh… okay.” He said, taking a step and his arm brushed against mine. He pursed his lips and gulped. I blinked and took a deep breath.

Of course – it didn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s with you two?” Chanyeol’s mother asked, tilting her head.

“Nothing.” Both of us piped up and shut our mouths at the same time. Chanyeol’s mother blinked before laughing.

“Still so synchronised even when you were kids. All right, look over there you two~!”

 Click.

Hearing the sound of the camera made me turn into a mess of nerves. I relaxed a bit as the parents gathered together to look at the picture. I turned to Chanyeol to smile at him and he smiled back, before looking away with a tinge of pink on his face.

“All right! How about you two?” My mother waved her hand and we shot our heads back at her.

“H-Huh?” Chanyeol rubbed his arm.

“Come on, Chanyeol. Look over here! You too, Yifan.” His mother waved, pulling out another camera.

“M-Mom…” Chanyeol complained.

“Yifan, smile!” My mother cheered.

“Aish…” I scratched the back of my head before deciding to just get it over with. Chanyeol thought so too as he heaved a sigh.

Click. Click.

After another round of family pictures and whatnot, I decided to escape another round of interrogation by bringing Chanyeol over to my room.

“All right, but come down when it’s time for dinner.” My mother smiled sweetly at us. I knew what that smile meant. She was really on to us.

I climbed up the stairs, Chanyeol tailing behind and opened the door to my room letting him in first.

Chanyeol sat comfortably on the bed and looked at me. I closed the door and sighed, sitting across him on my computer chair. I saw his shoulders slump down as if he was disappointed that I didn’t sit with him on the bed. But sitting with him on the bed could lead to some serious consequences.

“My mom… sorry…” I sighed.

“It’s okay.” He chuckled. “You think she… knows?”

“Well, she’s sharp.” I replied. “And she did that smile.”

“Oh…” Chanyeol placed his hands in-between his legs as his legs shook. “Hyung…” I was too busy thinking about what I was going to do once dinner comes but then I noticed…

“Chanyeol,” I said with a hint of alarm in my voice. “What happened to your hands?”

“Huh?” Chanyeol flinched, looking at them and hiding them behind his back quickly. “Nothing!”

“Nothing, my .” I said, standing up from the chair and walking towards him on the bed. He leaned back as I approached him, hiding his hands. “What happened? Tell me.”

“Nothing, hyung.” He weakly responded. “You worry too much.”

“It’s because I worry too much that I need to know.” I said, reaching out to grab his arm. But he evaded it and he rocked back on the bed, lying down.

“Hyung!”

“Got you now.” I grinned, taking one arm and pulling it out of his back. His hand was covered in band-aids and scratches. I frowned as I got a good look at it. Why didn’t I notice this earlier? Oh, that’s right. I was too busy being nervous.

Chanyeol gulped as I looked at him, pissed. “I-It’s not that serious. Besides, I’m a guy. I don’t have to worry about my hands or something like that.”

“Yeah, but I do!” I said. “Look at this, Chanyeol! Look at this!” I said, waving his hand at his face.

“Ow!”

“Oh, sorry.” I said softly, releasing his hand gently. “But really, Chanyeol. Tell me, what happened.”

“…” Chanyeol pursed his lips and pouted. “I can’t.”

He can’t?!

“Why not?!”

“Because!” Chanyeol spat. “It’s a surprise!”

“A… surprise?”

He covered his mouth quickly and immediately regretted having said anything. He growled and glared at me. “Ah! Stupid, hyung! You made me say something I shouldn’t have!”

“What?”

He grabbed the pillow on my bed and began