Twas a magical Christmas night, the ground blanketed in white snow that fell like blessings from the heaven, casting a spell in the air that raised spirits and liberated tied down souls. Twas Kibum’s first Christmas as a married man. He couldn’t help but notice how the fact in itself made this day feel all the more special. Things have changed so much without him even realizing it and just like that, he was suddenly one half of an entity brought together by the holy vows of marriage.

Twas a holy night and it couldn’t have been more beautiful. But the silence of it - the loneliness and the longing for family- rang in the cold place that was his heart, although Kibum knew he had his strongest pillar by his side tonight.

Christmas dinner had just wrapped up at Minho’s place and everyone present was just beginning to relax after a hearty meal of his mother-in-law’s roasted turkey (except of course the little children with their endless energy.) It was a miracle in itself that they had turkey at all to eat, considering how Minho’s mother made the mistake of trusting Kibum and Minho to look out for the turkey. Long story short, disaster was avoided by a matter of minutes. It had been a little on the dry side, perhaps even a little (just a tiny bit) charred, but it had been good nonetheless.

It had been a wonderful day. The morning visit to the church, followed by the preparations for the family reunion dinner and a whole lot of mischief happening around the house, children and adults alike- all of it had been great. Minho had a relatively small immediate family, just him, his older brother and their parents. Their relatives, however, came in the dozens (they seemingly multiplied over the year, according to Minho) and it was another miracle that they had all been able to fit into the house. It was everything one could wish for on Christmas, a day spent in the presence of loving family members.

And that is exactly why Kibum had never missed his parents more than on this wonderful day.

He looked down at the phone in his hand that he has been clutching onto so tightly for so long now, willing himself to not shed tears. Not here, not now. He sent his warmest smiles to everyone that met his eyes from where he was sitting by the window sill, the chill outside pressing down on the panes and somehow keeping him anchored and steady.

“Jaekyung, no!” Kibum’s attention was diverted to the sound of his husband’s voice. He saw Minho carefully getting a glass of eggnog out of one of his younger niece’s hands, returning it to its owner before sending her on her way to the kitchen for more age-appropriate drinks. He was always so good with the children. That had always been one of Kibum’s most favourite things about Minho; that he had so much skill and love to show when handling the fragile little creatures.

Minho caught Kibum’s eyes just as he was doing his secret admiring. The most conceited grin grew on his face as he approached Kibum.

“Hey there, Mr.Choi…” Minho greeted him, closing his hands around Kibum’s cheeks and tilting his head up to look him straight in the eyes. It was a loud room but it was easy enough to slip away into their own world for a bit.

“Hey, Mr. Kim…” Kibum greeted back, earning a peck from Minho.

“So… How’d it go?” Minho asked, phrasing his words carefully as if to not break him. As if he knew just how much Kibum was hurting inside and just how much he wanted to hide it.

“We spoke. She wished me… us… a merry Christmas…” Kibum whispered, not because he intended to, but because it was all he could manage.

“Is… Was that all?” Minho asked, soothing Kibum with the gentle of his thumbs over his cheeks.

“She had to go before Dad found her...” Kibum said, producing a little smile. Its effect was, however, nullified by that one stray tear. Minho was quick to wipe it off, giving Kibum the strength he needed with a bigger smile.

“Don’t make me cry, Kibum. I’m supposed to be the macho, know-it-all Uncle Minho around here…”

Kibum laughed at that. With all his heart. It did wonders in lessening the burden, if not just a little.

“I cannot wait until they discover otherwise…” Kibum replied, pulling himself together as he took Minho’s hands in his. He pushed Minho away jokingly, poking his tongue out for good measure.

“Now go, live your fame while you can…”

That started a little wrestling between them two- Minho trying to come closer while Kibum kept him away with his arms- until they were interrupted by a very important matter.

“Uncle Mino, I needa pee…”

Minho’s three-year old nephew stood by their side, legs twined and hands cupping his crotch. Minho lifted the boy up, completely amused.

“I’m sorry, Mr.Choi, but there is matter of serious urgency that I must attend to…” Minho said formally, even with a little bow and all.

“Then you must leave at once, Mr. Kim. Chop chop!” Kibum answered just as formally, pushing Minho away resolutely, shaking his head. Minho rolled his eyes before finally moving away, but not until he had snuck a surprise kiss to Kibum’s lips.

“Love you…” Minho said, before finally walking away.

Those words were enough for Kibum to finally put his phone away, stowing away all his problems together with it for the rest of the night to join the others in the celebrations.

Kibum later joined the family gathered in the living room for the gift-opening session, thinking back to how he used to see a similar scene back at home every Christmas for as long as he could remember and how easily he had lost all of that.

Four years ago, Kibum would never have imagined spending a Christmas away from home and his parents. He had always thought that his family was the one thing that could never be taken away from him, no matter what. But it had been. And the reason for it had been even more unexpected than that. Kibum would have never dared to even think four years ago, that the reason for the rift from his family would be his marriage to a man. But here he was, watching as presents were exchanged from his place on the couch, snuggled up to his husband while laughing at the antics of the latter’s family members.

His husband.

They met through friends and eventually became friends themselves. It was just an ordinary meeting. Nothing too dramatic. Nothing heart-stopping or breath-taking or electrifying. Not even a tingle. Kibum was just supposed to meet up with an old colleague from high school, who had happened to bring along his openly gay coworker, Minho. They shook hands, talked and just had a nice time getting to know each other.

It wasn’t love at first sight at all. It couldn’t have been; Kibum had never been comfortable with the topic of homouality. Perhaps it was the way he was raised or the fact that everyone around him had always treated it as not only a taboo, but also a sin. It’s not that he loathed gay people. He just didn’t have an opinion on them because he never had the need to. At least until he got to know Choi Minho, a man who was so proud to be who he was and did not allow anyone else’s opinions to get in the way of his happiness. That was when Kibum was forced to face the unconventional and eventually, delve deeper under the surface.

Kibum began developing a kind of reverence for Minho. That was all there was to it in the beginning- respect and admiration for Minho’s confidence. It wasn’t until half a year later- after Minho moved into the same city as Kibum and they bumped into each other at a diner- that something more started to develop. Kibum had no problem hanging out with a gay man; he wasn’t that judgmental at that point. It wasn’t his place to judge other people’s life choices, regardless of what his personal opinions were. All he wanted was to be friends with everyone.

What Kibum didn’t expect (like it was the case with a lot of things with Minho) was for his attempt at being friends with this beautiful man to turn into something so much more. After numerous meet-ups, almost every restaurant and bar in the city visited, every park seen, countless movies watched, Kibum finally came to the realization that Minho had come to mean so much to him.

He had fallen head over heels for a man that identified with his soul with no efforts whatsoever. All of a sudden Kibum found himself longing to hold Minho’s hands, wanting to fall asleep to his voice, wanting to travel the world with him, wanting to share every little joy of life with him. Every moment together was magical and strung with sensual, ual tension. It wasn’t a fleeting feeling. It was a much deeper connection and denying it only made it feel like Kibum was cutting a limb off his body, saying it was never his to begin with.

And coming to terms with that had been the hardest thing Kibum ever had to do in his life. He did not deal with it very well. It ended up in a lot of pent-up anger and more often than not, Minho was on the receiving end of the wrath. They began to drift apart, their close companionship slowly dwindling away into nothingness with every fight. Kibum had assumed that if he blamed Minho for everything that had happened to him, then he would feel better and maybe even get over it. He couldn’t have been more wrong, for his feelings only intensified with the realization that he might really lose Minho if he kept that up.

Kibum had meant to confess first, tired of denying himself joy and fulfillment. However, Minho beat him to it, apparently having had the same fears as Kibum. He confessed at the rooftop of Kibum’s workplace, dragging him away from his work without saying a word until they were both alone, pulling Kibum into the most mind-blowing kiss the moment the door fell shut behind them. No words were spoken that day at all but the confession of their true feelings for each other could not have been clearer than the way they had clung onto each other, not pulling apart even when breathing became a difficulty.

When Minho left him on that rooftop that day, completely dazed and dreamy, things had somehow fallen into their right places for Kibum. He realized that this is where he belonged, in this blissful state of mind filled with nothing but the love Minho had shown him.

Kibum had always been afraid his whole life. Afraid of failing, rejection, of not living up to standards. Afraid of being different. All he was ever trained to do was study hard so that he could find a well-paying job, which in turn would support him financially to start a family for him to have children and raise those children to be good Samaritans. He was trained to fit in. Not following this sequence of events would be failure and Kibum did not want to fail in life.

Minho, however, turned that perception completely around for Kibum. He taught him how being courageous did not mean to have no fears, but to be able to face those fears head on. He taught him how strength did not mean to have no weaknesses, but to embrace them and use it to one’s advantage. Minho taught him to not be afraid of falling, just because he thought he’d get hurt. He taught Kibum to be vulnerable, to fall so that he would know how to get up.

Kibum began to step out of his little circle then. He quit his job, using all the money he had saved up to pay for an arts degree that he had always wanted. He applied for loans, worked part-time jobs and moved into Minho’s apartment. Minho was with him every step of the way, encouraging and empowering Kibum to do the things he could have never imagined before.

Just when life was beginning to get so much better, it took a turn for the worse.

He came out to his friends first before his family. Some were fine with it, some were not, but the most heartbreaking reaction came from Kibum’s father. The feud had already started the moment Kibum decided to quit his job but it wasn’t until he introduced Minho to his father that it turned into an all-out war. He all but disowned Kibum, forbidding his own son from ever coming to see him for as long as he still hasn’t ‘purged himself of the sin.’ The only comfort in all that pain had been Minho’s warm hugs and strong shoulders that withstood the tears of grief. It was especially bad at first when Kibum was still in disbelief of how his father had practically chased him and Minho out of the house. Sometimes, Minho would find him curled on the couch in a dark living room, crying his heart out, and he would wordlessly wrap Kibum in his arms, catching every tear he had to spill.

Those were the moments Kibum felt so grateful that he had found Minho, despite the drastic changes in his life. It was because Minho had given Kibum the greatest gift that anyone could ever give someone. The gift of loving oneself. Through Minho he had come to accept himself for all that he was and he believed that he had done the same for the other.

Fast forward four years and here Minho was, loving and cherishing him just as he had vowed last March. In fact, their love has now been strengthened by the bond of marriage. It had been a small affair with Minho’s family and their friends in this very house. It hadn’t been snowing, of course, but everything had been just as white. White roses, white suits, white cake. It was a memory Kibum held close to his heart, especially those few moments they had spent alone right before the wedding when Minho had promised him that everything will be alright one day. It was a promise that the ring on his finger always reminded him.

Just as if he was reading Kibum’s mind, Minho closed his fingers around Kibum’s hand, silently playing with the ring. Kibum watched Minho’s face curiously, trying to guess what he was thinking. He tried calling for Minho’s attention with a poke to his cheek with his free hand but Minho didn’t even bat an eyelash.

“What is it?” Kibum asked, finally catching Minho’s eye. The latter gave him a small smile, kissing him once before guiding him off the couch and in the direction of the balcony on the first floor. No one even noticed in the frenzy of present-unwrapping.

Once they were out in the cold, the glass sliding door shut behind them, Minho pulled him into a tight hug. Kibum let him, slipping his hands under Minho’s shirt to fight the numbness on his fingertips. Minho held him like that for a long time, swaying them side-to-side, almost slipping on melted snow twice.

“What is it, Minho? You’re acting all funny…” Kibum muttered into Minho’s neck, smiling when he heard Minho’s teeth chattering a little.

“Nothing… I’m just happy. You’re my family now. You’re mine…” Minho answered, whispering the words into his ear. Kibum giggled, shying away from the ticklish sensation, almost slipping on some ice again. Minho’s hold around him was too tight for Kibum to fall though. He craned his neck up to invite Minho into a playful kiss.

“You’re my only family now, Minho. At least that’s how it feels…” Kibum finally said when Minho released him from his hold, looking down at the mushy ice at their feet.

“They love you, Kibum. You cannot just unlove your child, but you can fool yourself into thinking that you did. Your parents will not want to lose a precious son like you and it’s just a matter of time before they realize that…”

Kibum was touched by those words. Minho always knew the right things to say. He even made it up for all the wrong things that Kibum tended to say. Kibum’s perfect match. Smiling to himself, Kibum brought his hands out from under Minho’s shirt and up around his neck. Listening to Minho say that had given him the craziest idea.

“Let’s have kids, Minho. Let’s have a lot of kids. Let’s make a big family for ourselves, alright?” Kibum said, holding Minho’s face close to his with both his hands. Minho’s face lit up so bright at the mention of babies, that Kibum simply couldn’t get enough of it.

“That sounds like a good plan, Mr. Choi…” Minho agreed, not even trying to hide his enthusiasm.

“Yah, it’s Mr. Kim and you’re Mr. Kim and they’ll be little Kims okay?” Kibum said, trying to finally settle this family name business that they had been arguing over since Minho first proposed to him. It’s about time the matter was resolved.

“Fine, how about this? We go for Choi-Kim…” Minho suggested, wiggling one of his eyebrows.

Kibum found himself grinning even wider at the prospect of little Choi-Kims. It formed such a beautiful picture in his mind. A happy family. A complete happy family. It just needed a small change, Kibum thought.

“That sounds okay…. But Kim-Choi sounds more fabulous…”

(A/N) First part written by liliac! Personally I think Kim-Choi sounds like Kimchi, but Key demands it so... *shrugs* XD Thank you for reading and keep anticipating the next two parts! Have a great day ahead guys! <3