Baekhyun stared out into the city night. From his window he could see roofs of houses covered by gentle blankets of snow, darkened buildings with faces spotted of incandescence, and streetlights that lined the sidewalks where merry men and women were making their way home. Snowflakes danced happily to the carols that filled his head until they alighted back into the body of their kind. He could spend hours humming songs into the evening, only today was special. It was Christmas Eve.

He looked to the side and saw a silver light glimmer through the gap beneath the door. Curious, Baekhyun walked out of his bedroom, down the shadowy hallway, and into the dim but flickering living room. It was the television, breaking the darkness with hiccups of light from a Christmas special. How weird. His other band members had schedules today so no one but Baekhyun should be home right now. So who turned the television on?

“Baekhyun?” a voice called from the couch. Surprised, Baekhyun yelped and stumbled back a bit before he recognized the voice.

“K-Kris hyung?” The same voice chuckled.

“Did I surprise you?” His speech cracked from sleepiness but was deep and warm.

“Yeah… a little.” Baekhyun walked over to the couch and peered over its back. It really was Kris, comfortably snuggled into a large quilt blanket with only his head peeking out onto a mounted pillow. He was facing away from Baekhyun, watching the Christmas special but probably trying to sleep. After all, Baekhyun could barely hear the program with the volume turned so low. “I thought you had a schedule today, duizhang,” he said kindly.

“I did,” Kris yawned. “I came back about an hour ago. I thought you heard the door or were already asleep.”

“Sorry,” Baekhyun quietly apologized from behind the couch. “If I had known you came home, I would have greeted you.”

“It’s no big deal,” he said before yawning again. “You were alone the entire day, right? Want to talk?”

“But Kris hyung, you sound so tired. You should got to your room.”

“I’m fine,” he replied, smiling. Kris brought his arm out from under the blanket and tapped his hand on the little space of couch cushion in front of him. “Come. Let’s talk.”

Baekhyun gave a small laugh and walked around the couch to the other side. He expected Kris to make room for him, but the taller man didn’t budge an inch. Kris was so tall that, to fit into the couch, he had to bend his knees to the point where they almost came off the seating. But he just laid there, cocooned in the blanket.

“Um… hyung, aren’t you going to make room?” Kris pulled on a part of the blanket and opened the cocoon. He was welcoming Baekhyun to lie with him.

“We can fit,” he said with a smile. Baekhyun was a little hesitant at first but found his legs making their way towards Kris anyway. Before he knew it, his back was pressed against Kris’ torso, snuggled under the same big blanket, wrapped in his hyung’s arms. Baekhyun felt a little shy.

“Am I your body pillow?” Baekhyun joked.

“More like a really big teddy bear. Pillows don’t have cold feet or chubby cheeks,” Kris teased as he gingerly poked Baekhyun’s face.

“You always say that, but my cheeks aren’t that chubby anymore!” He could hear Kris laugh behind him, the older one’s breath tickling the back of his neck. Kris moved his arm back down to hug Baekhyun’s side again, clearly was more comfortable with the situation than the younger one was. Baekhyun turned his head to sneak a peek at his hyung. Kris’ eyes were closed. Good. That means he can’t see Baehyun’s face right now. After all, he must have looked like an idiot, blushing at the littlest things his hyung did. Baekhyun was getting rather conscious.

“So how was Baekhyun’s wonderful day?” he asked, still closing his eyes. There was a kind softness to Kris’ voice that the Baekhyun noticed as he turned his head back around.

“I didn’t do very much,” Baekhyun admitted. “I just kinda rested, watched TV, played games, sang to myself a little… Not very special.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You have a really good voice,” he said softly. Baekhyun could feel himself getting lost in his hyung’s calm and soothing quality; it didn’t take long before Baekhyun let the comfort of Kris’ warmth completely envelope him. He always enjoyed times like this. “Can you sing something for me?” he continued. Baekhyun thought for a moment before replying,

“What song?”

“How about a Christmas song?” Baekhyun thought again. The silent television screen in front of him was showing a scene where children were walking down a snowy pathway. They each held Christmas ornaments in their hands, showing them off like treasures they’ve just plucked off somewhere. One of them had silver bells in his hands.

Baekhyun sang Silver Bells; his voice was delicate but melodious, a tone Kris always liked to hear from him. Kris told Baekhyun before that he can sing like fairies playing with wind chimes in the dead of night. Baekhyun supposed that it was a compliment, but it was a very Kris-like compliment. Caught between cheesy but sweet and odd but honest. Baekhyun smiled as he sung. He really does like his duizhang.

But he noticed Kris breathing more slowly – the taller one’s massive chest was pushing against Baekhyun’s back in between longer intervals and his exhalations were deeper.

“Hyung? Are you asleep?” Baekhyun asked. No response. Baekhyun turned his head around and saw that Kris soundly carried away by the little lullaby. “I guess you really were tired, huh?”

Baekhyun faced the television again – saw the program was about to end. It would have been the last special of the day. When it ends, it would be Christmas. Baekhyun didn’t want to leave the cocoon yet. He liked where he was; warm, happy, and comfortable… wrapped preciously in his hyung’s arms. Outside the blanket was cold, dark, and empty. He wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. So he hummed. He hummed Silver Bells to himself. Slowly going from note to note, each breath and pause taken was longer than it should have been, but he did it just to make the moment last a minute, no, even a second longer. By the time the song came to its end, the television program was rolling its credits. Yes. It was Christmas.

“Merry Christmas, Kris hyung.” Still no response. Kris was probably off to dreamland by now, riding winged rhinos and naming alpacas after basketball superstars. Baekhyun wished he was there too – probably carrying either a trophy or a bucket of fried chicken. He laughed at the thought. “You always have weird dreams, hyung…” he sighed.

Kris meant a lot more to Baekhyun than the older boy realized. Sometimes he would catch himself staring at Kris even from a distance. His eyes would sparkle every time Kris entered the room. He laughed at Kris’ lame jokes, clung onto him when he can, and took care of him most… Kris’ stupid gummy smile and childish laugh would unleash a plethora of butterflies in Baekhyun’s stomach while a rosy shade he so desperately tried to hide time and time again would paint itself on his cheeks. Baekhyun could no longer deny it. He was too far in. Too deep. He could probably drown.

“Really… I-” But Baekhyun lost his voice somehow. All of a sudden he felt hot; like his body’s burning up inside from head to toe like flaming Bengal tigers were rampaging through his insides. His heartbeat quickened, terrifying him to his throat where it begged to be freed. “…I-” he stammered. Kris was asleep. He knew that. Kris couldn’t hear him, but if only- at least in his dreams- than maybe… Please.

And with nothing but the chilly winter air as his witness, Baekhyun confessed into the dead of night.

“Kris hyung, I love you.”

The morning had graced Kris with a bath of immaculate white light washing in through the windows. Brilliant winter silver somehow found itself on every angle of the living room. And the air was as cool as it was refreshing. Kris was still snuggled inside a quilt on the couch, unmoved since the night before when he fell asleep with Baekhyun in his arms. When he woke up, the little boy was still there, soundly asleep, but now facing him and as innocent as a dove.

Little did Baekhyun know, Kris heard a little more than just Silver Bells.

Baekhyun’s face was inches away from his; beautiful but delicate and especially precious as the white light traced his cheeks. Despite the chilly air, his lips were still rosy. Kris couldn’t help but smile as he fondly watched his dongsaeng sleep in his embrace.

He noticed Baekhyun’s hair partly covering his closed eyes. Kris unknowingly parted them with a slight brush of his hand but found himself caressing the side of Baekhyun’s face. It was soft and deserving of more than just an affectionate touch.

So Kris kissed him.

Baekhyun began to stir awake. He drowsily opened his eyes to find his hyung beaming him a beautiful smile.

“Good morning,” Kris cheerfully greeted quietly.

“Good morning,” Baekhyun returned with an equally loving smile; yet still oblivious to what Kris had just done.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas hyung.”

“Is that all you wanted to say?”

It took Baekhyun a moment before he realized what Kris actually meant. He blushed feverishly in a matter of seconds and closed his eyes, preparing for the worst. He could feel his heart in his throat again.

“I-I… Y-you heard?” Kris didn’t reply back immediately which made Baekhyun panic. But just then, he felt Kris’ arm bring him closer, locking them both into an embrace that made Baekhyun’s butterflies flutter mercilessly.  “H-hyung-”

“You’re adorable, you know that?” Kris whispered after he planted another kiss on Baekhyun’s forehead. Baekhyun looked up, his eyes glittering with expectation. Kris knew what he was thinking and smiled. He closed his eyes and gently placed his forehead on top of Baekhyun’s.

“I love you too,” he said.

Outside, snow blanketed the sidewalks, icicles marked every lamppost and lintel and tree, and rime crept up the city’s neck after Jack Frost played his games all night. The people woke up in in awe as they pulled on their curtains and a winter wonderland unfolded before their eyes. It was breathtaking. The chilly winter air froze every nook and cranny in concrete and man but it couldn’t touch two people. Cocooned by a quilt, happily in each other’s company, they found love on this Christmas day.