Damn, did he stuff everything we have in here? - groaned the broad-shouldered man as he carried a big carton box down the stairs.

Letting a stuggled cry when he felt his left foot slip at the edge of the stair, he regained balance after safely stepping on the floor.

"Phew."

He shifted the weight of the box in his hands, careful not to throw down anything of its fragile contents. Mumbling curses about how he would destroy everything once holidays were over so that his boyfriend wouldn't have anything for next year, he walked in to the living-room and placed the box down, next to a ridiculously big Christmas tree. He eyed the bare branches and wiped his forehead where a thin layer of sweat had formed, despite the temperature being uncomofrtably cold.

"Oh, good! You found it!" a voice was heard from the door.

Turning towards it, the man crossed his arms to his chest.

"Yah! Park Jungsoo! Do you have any idea how heavy that thing is?" he complained, his big body in contrast with his cutely pouting lips.

Jungsoo laughed and leaned to the door frame, wrapping around his hand the red ribbon he was holding.

"Isn't that why I asked you to find it?" he questioned and smiled innocently.

"I hope that was rhetorical..."

Coming to stand in front of his boyfriend, Jungsoo let the ribbon fall in the box along with anything else and he cupped the man's cheek, patting it affectionately.

"Aigoo, my pissed off racoon..." he teased and pecked the man's lips.

"Bare with me Kangin, it's because it's Christmas."

"The only difference is that you're enjoying it..." Kangin muttered but let the older man caress his cheek more.

Jungsoo chuckled and nodded, flashing a wide smile as he glanced at the tree.

"Let's decorate that!" he said with enthousiasm and reached to fish something out of the box.

Hanging a shiny red plastic ball to the closest branch, he settled on his knees in front of the tree, focusing on decorating the massive tree.

"Why do we need it to be so big anyway?" Kangin asked but picked up a wooden red-nosed deer and clumsily placed it on a branch.

Jungsoo divided the golden form the silver decorations and then looked to a once again pouting Kangin.

"Because we are a big family."

The younger looked at those gentle eyes, genuine kindness and sincerity the only things expessed. He hung his head, embarrassed he had complained when Jungsoo was serious about it.

"Yeah..."

"Don't make that face." Jungsoo said and pushed his sandy hair off his eyes.

"Right; don't be an insensitive today as well."

His head shooting up, Kangin glared at another man who had just walked in the room. Jungsoo nodded at him, resuming placing wooden and plastic toys on the tree.

"Heechul..." the younger growled.

"It's Heechul hyung for you, brat!" the black-haired man said with a snap of his fingers and kneeled next to Jungsoo.

"Try this," he said and raised a spoon covered with chocolate cream to the blond's mouth "Ryeowook thinks it's not sweet enough."

Jungsoo the chocolate, carefuly tasting the flavour.

"It's good."

Heechul scoffed.

"Tell that to Hyukjae! He's whining like a little about how he'd rather drink medicine than eat this!! Oh, and Donghae is watching cartoons rather than packing the presents like you told him to."

Sighing at his friends' inability to follow simple instractions while Heechul was smuggly grinning for having exposed the mis-deeds of the others, Jungsoo run a hand through his hair.

"Tell Hyukjae to help Donghae with the presents. I'm sure Sungmin and Ryeowook can handle the kitchen alone." the oldest gave new instractions and Heechul stood up, eager to order around all the others.

"And what is your role exactly?" Kangin quietly spoke, trying not to be heard.

"My role is to make sure that no one will start a fire or stab someone with the knife for the pork or push someone down from the roof or run around the front yard while singing the carols and spraying fake snow foam all over the place!"

"Okay, stop!" Jungsoo exclaimed and threw his arms in the air.

Heechul smirked at Kangin as the younger flushed scarlet remembering all that had happened last year during Christmas holidays.

"Any more questions concerning my role?" the black-haired man asked sweetly and looked first at Kangin and then at Jungsoo,

"No, Heechul. Thank you very much for your help" the blond quickly said and stood up too, pushing his friend to the door.

"You brat!" the man yelled at Kangin as he was being pushed "stop whining and help Jungsoo or I'll send you to help Jongwoon with putting Christmas lights on the trees outside instead!"

Shivering just at the thought of having to go to the yard when it was a couple degrees Celcium below zero, Kangin rubbed his hands together to heat them up and then picked up a frilly gold and red garland. He wrapped it to a couple of branches where it stayed awkwardly.

"Oh my god, why did he have to remind me..." Jungsoo groaned and rubbed his temple while walking back to the living-room after having pushed Heechul all the way to the dining area.

"Relax, nothing like that will happen this year." the younger reassured the blond, his eyes forming arcs as he smiled.

"Heh, you're ri—"

Jungsoo froze.

"What's wrong?" Kangin asked, worried at the sudden change.

Storming back from where he had come, Jungsoo yelled at the top of his lungs:

"KIM HEECHUL! WERE YOU WALKING AROUND THE HOUSE WITH A SPOON COVERED IN CHOCOLATE CREAM JUST NOW?!"
 

Afer many hours of cooking, screaming and placing Christmas decorations at awkward places, it was finally night, 25th of December.

Jungsoo, Ryeowook, Zhoumi, Hangeng, Sungmin, Jongwoon, Hyukjae, Kangin, Siwon, Heechul, Shindong, Henry, Kibum, Kyuhyun, Donghae.

Fifteen young men were gathered in the only room big enough to fit all of them, scattered all around but as close to the now fully decorated tree as possible. Every one of them had placed something on it, giving their personal style and signature to what would differently be a common tree.

And that one wasn't just any tree.

It was their tree, decorated not only with the generic Christmas things, but with colourful turtles and miniature gaming platforms and oversized plastic popcorn and stuffed strawberry toys and a pig Nemo plushie on the top, dawned with angel wings and a matching halo... To name just a few...

", now it looks even bigger!" Hangeng commented, causing roaring laughter from all the others.

"Did I say wrong?" he asked in awkward Korean, his eyes darting from one to another.

"I think you meant "Wow"." Shindong managed to say after a while.

Hangeng gave it a little thought, mouthing both words before deciding.

"They sound the same."

Another fit of laughter and this time he laughed with the rest of them.

"No, they don't!" Ryeowook insisted while trying to find a free space to place yet another plate of freshly baked cookies.

They all snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth each one of them provided in this cold weather, happily chatting and eating what they had prepared the whole day and the day before. Once again, for another year, they were all together, spending the cold holidays with warm hearts. Even though they couldn't be with their parents and siblings, they still had family with them. A big family, silly and accepting, loving and dependable.

Friends.

Right there... For this Christmas and for many more that would come.