Christmas songs on the radio slowly die down. The tinsel and lights and all the pizzazz are carefully stowed away until the festivities begin again another time.

The streets are unusually quiet, a calm before the storm for what is to come. Somewhere in the distance, a clock chimes to the top of the hour.

Under a lonely light post, Yixing attempts to stuff his hands into the pockets of a black jacket. He exhales a foggy breath and shivers a little before adjusting his beanie to cover his ears.

The young man looks to his watch.

11 p.m.

He lets out a soft sigh.

He's late.

Sudenly, a disheveled Jongdae with an umbrella in tow pops out of nowhere and begins to bow repeatedly.

"I'm so sorry, Ray-ge! I just went to pick up some food for the party."

Startled, Yixing slightly raises a brow in confusion. "But isn't it Tao's party? Why go through all the effort?"

"...But he told me everyone was going to bring something. Like a pot luck."

Yixing held back a snicker and lifted a gloved hand to pat the younger man on the head.

"Sorry Jongdae, it looks like you got punked."

Jongdae exhaled a sigh while pouting.

"Why does this happen every time?"

Out of the entire study group, Tao was the youngest but Jongdae was always the one getting tricked.

Yixing pats Jongdae's head again before reaching into his own bag. "I was going to give this to everyone at the same time, but..."

Jongdae's eyes lit up and his ears perked up with interest. Finally, Yixing pulls out two sparklers. "We can set ours off early."

Jongdae smiles brightly as he reaches out for one. "Ray-ge, you're the best!"

Yixing chuckles and nods to the general direction of Tao's apartment. "Come on, we don't want to be late. Especially since you're providing the food."

Jongdae enthusiastically nods and the two begin to walk the along the street as the winter breeze starts to pick up again and soft voices and  laughter get carried into the wind.