When Hyuk stepped into 24 Hours on Christmas Eve, he was pelted in the face with Styrofoam balls.

"SCORE!" N hollered, donned head to toe in a ridiculous reindeer costume. Beside him was Ken and Hongbin, the latter with a clipboard in his arms.

"Alright, N gets ten points for the face." Hongbin murmured, writing it down. He was wearing a green dress shirt and had on a star headband; Hyuk assumed he was supposed be a Christmas tree. 

"My turn!" A Santa Ken chimed, readying his ammo. Before he could react, Hyuk was hit in the crotch. He thanked the gods that it was Styrofoam and not metal or something. 

"I HIT THE JACKPOT!" Ken ran around the pub screaming. "I WIN!"

"Hey, no fair! I want another shot!" N aimed and threw again. This time Hyuk found the motivation to duck. The Styrofoam ball went over the student's head and hit Leo smack-dab on the nose, which was right behind him. "Penalty! The target moved!"

"I'll give you extra points for hitting the bull," the bartender mused. "You two are tied."

"What the hell are you guys doing." Leo and Hyuk asked at the same time, both giving the three similar looks of distaste.

"We're competing to see who has to dance to Jingle Bell Rock this year," N explained as he adjusted his antlers. "You know, in front of all our customers on stage."

Hyuk raised an eyebrow. "Another 24 Hours tradition? Why Jingle Bell Rock?"

"Because it's super embarrassing!" Ken chortled, and then went serious when he realized he was still a candidate for the dreaded dance. "Have you seen the choreography for it?"

"Ravi did it last year and the video went viral the next day," N let out a happy sigh as he remembered. "Anyway, we were playing and Hongbin already won a game so he doesn't have to do it... Again."

The bartender suddenly grinned a suspicious grin. "Hey, since you guys keep getting tied, I have an idea. Let's make Hyuk do it."

"Wait, what?" Said busboy contorted his face into one of horror. 

"Yeah!" N was immediately on board with the notion. "Hyukkie should do it! Let's think of it as his welcoming performance!"

"I've been working here for three months, don't you think it's a little late for a welcoming performance?!" Hyuk cried, goosebumps already rising on his skin. “Why can’t Leo-hyung do it?”

The singer immediately dropped a dark and blatant response: “No.”

"Guys, don't force him if he doesn't want to," Ken spoke up. "He looks like he's about to have a spasm."

"Nonsense! Hyuk, you're scheduled to perform at midnight. Go watch the dance video and memorize the moves," N gave the stiff busboy a pat on the back. "Break a leg!"

"Someone kill me now."

"Hey, speaking of which," the boss looked around the empty pub. "Where's Ravi?"

The employees immediately turned to stare at Hongbin. "... Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"You guys are usually stuck together," said Ken, a smirk at his lips. "Like a pair of N and Leo."

The bartender shrugged. "He said he had to go buy a last-minute gift for his secret Santa."

At that, Leo's face lit up as he remembered something. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a medium-sized box wrapped in pink. "Sanghyuk," he called out softly.

Hyuk temporarily recovered from shock and looked at the singer. "Huh?" He blinked as the box was placed in his hands. "Ah, you're my secret Santa?"

With red cheeks, Leo nodded and then promptly ran away. Hyuk glanced between him and the present before shrugging his shoulders.

"While we're at it, let's all exchange presents!" N declared. "I think I see Ravi on his way here." 

"Sorry I'm late," the janitor said as soon as he stepped through the front doors. He lifted a packet of melon bread in front of N’s face. "Merry Christmas."

N made a face of disgust. "You have got to be kidding me."

"I went all the way down to Busan to buy this ," Ravi ranted. "Because I'm such a good employee that I specifically remember that you told me you liked melonpan three years ago. Are you going to take it or not?"

N grumbled and begrudgingly accepted the bread.

"That's what I thought," Ravi heaved a sigh. "Who's my secret Santa?"

"Me!" Ken raised a hand high into the air. "But I'll give you your gift later."

“Okay...?"

Hongbin went over and grabbed a bag from behind the bar counter. "Here you go, Ken."

The chef's eyes sparkled as he was given the bag. He carefully pulled the object inside out, realized what it was, and immediately shoved it back in, hoping no one noticed. 

But Hyuk did.

"Was that—?”

"No!" Ken denied, hiding the bag behind his back. "It's not— it’s not whatever you think it is!"

"It was Chopper!" Hyuk pointed excitedly. He clearly saw the anime character, plush form, in the blonde’s hands. He was ecstatic to learn that he may not the only anime nerd in this room. "You like One Piece?!"

"No I don't!"

"I thought you did," Hongbin pouted. "You don't like my present?" 

"I—" Ken stuttered and then escaped into the kitchen, leaving the others in concern.

"... Well, okay..." Hyuk took out a small envelope from his back pocket. "Merry Christmas, Hongbin-hyung."

"Ooh!" The bartender accepted it and looked inside. "... No way. You didn't."

"One of my classmates can't attend so she sold them to me at half-price," Hyuk explained. "There are two, by the way."

"Oh my god!" Hongbin let out a squeal and gave their rookie a tight hug. "Thank you so much!"

"What, what?" Ravi grunted, feeling a bit jealous watching their embrace.

"He got me tickets to Park Hyoshin's concert!" Hongbin unleashed his inner fan boy and jumped happily. "This is the best Christmas ever!"

The janitor subtly turned to glare at Hyuk. He should've been the one to make Hongbin so happy, not that kid. "What'd Leo give you anyway?"

"Oh yeah." Hyuk unwrapped his present and pulled a cardboard box out of the cardboard box. "... What the hell is this."

--

Whenever he had the chance to, Hyuk would go for a break and attempt to figure out what exactly Leo had gifted him. The cardboard box was made of hard plastic, and there was a little indent on the top edge that looked like you were supposed to put something there. He could just ask the singer what it was, but every time he did Leo would respond with 'cat', blush, and then run away. So Hyuk was stuck with attempting to figure the gift out on his own.

At least it took his mind off the horrific performance he was to put on later that night.

"Hey, Hyukkie!" N slid into the seat beside him at table one. "Did you learn the dance moves yet?"

The rookie groaned. "Please don't remind me."

"Well, I think there's a video you need to see," N pulled out his phone and opened up Youtube. The video he loaded started out as a black screen, but as red and green lights started to flash in the background, Hyuk began to recognize it as their stage. 

And on the stage was a white tutu-wearing Ravi.

A familiar tune of Jingle Bell Rock began to play, and Hyuk could barely contain his laughter as the janitor on-screen began to dance. The moves were completely embarrassing yet so hilarious. 

"... Hey!" Ravi, who was on his way to clean something, recognized the tune emitting from N's phone and blushed a furious red. "WHY ARE YOU SHOWING HIM THAT?!"

The boss dodged Ravi's feeble attempts to grab the phone from him. "Because it's so ing funny! Look Hyukkie, he's going to do the splits—"

"NOO!" Ravi wailed loudly, shielding Hyuk's eyes from obscenity. "Preserve his innocence, would you?!"

“But I’m legal—“

Just then, a text tone beeped. The janitor opened his own phone and squinted at the message he just received. "... Ken wants to meet me in the back? Argh, just don't show him the video!" He cried before stalking off to the kitchen.

N waited until he was gone before resuming the video.

"Ugh, worst Christmas ever." The white-haired man muttered darkly to himself. First, he didn't get to be Hongbin's secret Santa. He could've bought the brunet everything he ever loved and in turn, they would get married and fly off to Paris (not that it would actually happen, but he was keeping his hopes up). Then he had to be N's Secret Santa and drive all the way to the countryside to buy a measly piece of bread because he couldn't think of anything else. Then the bastard brought up last year's wretched Jingle Bell Rock performance. 

And his favorite sponge ripped, only adding salt to injury.

Kim Wonshik sincerely doubted that whatever Ken had gotten him for Christmas would not brighten his mood, not even the slightest.

He opened the back door to find his favorite brunet standing there.

Hongbin looked up from his little breath clouds and smiled. "Hey."

"Hi," Ravi cautiously stepped out into the snow. "What're you doing out here?"

"I'm on break," the bartender replied.  He made little shapes in the snow with his footprints. "Things have been slow lately now that the ladies know I'm gay. You?"

Ravi chuckled a bit. "Uh, Ken called me out." He looked around confusedly. "But he's not here?"

Then something fell from the sky and whacked the janitor in the eyeball. 

"Oh my god!" Hongbin grabbed Ravi's face to examine is tearing eye. "Are you okay?!"

"Ow..." The older groaned. "What hit me?!"

Hongbin looked up and promptly stiffened. Once Ravi recovered, he looked up and froze too.

Hanging on a string above them was a single piece of mistletoe. 

The two stood there in the cold for a very long time, staring blankly at the threatening plant. "Uh..." Ravi was feeling particularly forward tonight. He glanced back at the other, eyes flickering from him to his protruding lips."... Should we?"

Hongbin's cheeks flushed a bright red. "... I-I guess." 

"W-Well, I mean, if you're not comfortable with it, it's fine!" Ravi stuttered, although he truly, earnestly, wanted this. He had always put Hongbin before himself though, and this was no exception. "I don't know if we get cursed or something if we don't abide by the mistletoe laws, but I guess we really don't have to if you don't want to, I just—" 

While the janitor was blabbering, Hongbin leaned in and softly pressed their lips together.

The kiss only lasted for half a second, but to Ravi it felt like all time had stopped and it was only the two of them, at that moment. He decided that he really liked the way Hongbin's lips felt and the way the brunet blushed even harder when he pulled back.

Unsure of what to say, Hongbin murmured a shy 'Merry Christmas' before running back into the pub. Ravi remained where he was, still in a daze. His cheeks were really warm and where Hongbin touched his lips felt like it was on fire. It came to him a moment later that Ken must’ve planned this little event out. 

So he walked back into the kitchen, spotted the chef by the stove, and gave him a really tight back hug.

"EW!" Ken screamed, trying to release himself. "Dude, I know you like your present, but YOU HAVE TOILET GERMS! GET OFF OF ME!"

Ravi stuck on like a bug. "This is the best Christmas ever."

to be continued ~
christmas... at the end of april
so what exactly did Leo give to our Hyukkie? props to those who know ;D 
even though I wrote it, I can't help but squeal over rabean >3< get married pls
istg everyone is like rabean's wingmen or something always trying to get them together
I recently conjured up another idea for a VIXX fic, but I'll need your help!!