December 02, 2013

Buying presents was torture. Everyone had already obtained theirs – everyone except Sehun. Considering it was the second of December and the hoard was unleashed, trying to buy anything now was just complete and utter chaos. Everyone was panic buying – Sehun was part of the run-around-like-a-headless-chicken club! – and he was no exception.

Fortunately, Sehun didn't have to go alone. Xiumin, being the kind, warm-hearted, loving person he was, had readily agreed to help.

“I can't believe you're blackmailing me, Sehun.”

Ouch.

“I'm not blackmailing you,” Sehun admonished, steering Xiumin into a shop so they could get enough sweets to give twelve people enough sugar to trigger what would hopefully be the best sugar rush in history.

“You came up to me while I was cleaning up the mess you made and threatened to sic Tao and Chen on me if I didn't agree to help you.” Xiumin narrowed his eyes beneath his cap.

“I didn't threaten, I implied. Besides, it's not my fault you went sneaking around looking.”

“I was cleaning their room!”

“You went looking.”

Xiumin scowled and folded his arms. He had gone to clean their room. Really. But now he'd got caught in Sehun's trap and he'd been dragged away from happy lounging time to carry about ten thousand goddamn boxes back to the dorm. “This is blackmail.”

“No, this is diplomacy.”

“That's what I just said.”

Sehun threw his arms up in exasperation. “Come on, let's go.” Grabbing his wrist, they headed deeper into the shop and browsed. There were lollipops, boxes of chocolates and all sorts of other treats. They were careful not to bump into any of the little monsters scrambling from one shelf to another (children, but they were in such thick coats and making such noise they looked and sounded like monsters), and after a brief and quick discussion (Sehun rolled his eyes at Xiumin's insistence that it was, in fact, blackmail) they bought what they wanted.

Sehun didn't make Xiumin carry all of it, either. No, he wasn't that cruel. Feeling generous, he carried one small box that wouldn't fit anywhere and left Xiumin to heave and worry about the rest of the five splitting bags.

“If we get some clothes …” Sehun mumbled to himself, pushing his hands into his pockets. “I don't know what to get Kyungsoo!”

“Get bubble tea for Luhan, some books for Lay,” Xiumin advised. “Baekhyun, Tao and Chen will be fine with a new game, Suho won't care 'long as it doesn't impose on anyone to get it and Kai wanted some new shoes with lights in them. And I need a back brace. For god sake, Sehun—”

Xiumin wanted to slam his head against a brick wall when more items were at him. He was becoming a tall, rocking, monstrous hill of bags, angry-indignant scowls and throbbing veins. He had to tip his head back to see over where ever the hell they were going next.

“I will drop all these, I swear to god.”

Sehun looked back at Xiumin, whose back was pretty much breaking. “Come on, Xiu-Xiu-hyung. We can sit down and I'll get some hot chocolate!"

"You'll be getting me more than just hot chocolate for this!"

Nobody even attempted to disguise their curiosity when they both returned after four hours. Both of them could see that the newest maknae was having a bad influence on the troupe – the small black kitten, warm, bathed and blinking owlishly, mewed and scampered over to them curiously when they set down the bags.

Xiumin only turned away for a second to kick the door shut. Suddenly there were two other giant black shapes sniffing and pawing at the precious cargo.

“Chen, Tao, don't even think about it.” Kicking at them to shoo them away, Xiumin locked the door and carried it to Sehun's room. A minute later when there was a knock at the door, Xiumin realised he'd locked Sehun out and moved to let him back in, and only just caught sight of a hand reaching from under the bed.

Either the shower ghost had a bogeyman friend or Lay was about to get his arse kicked.