Chapter 59

"Has anyone else noticed or does Luhan and Jongdae hate each other more than usual?"

Lay, Tao and Kris were standing in line in the cafeteria, all glancing down at their regular table where the two in question already sat, completely ignoring one another.

"I mean seriously. You can almost see the smoke coming out of their ears." Lay shuddered at the thought. It was clear for everyone that they had never liked each other but lately the two had exploded whenever the other opened their mouth. Lay thought that maybe it had something to do with the whole 'Minseok isn't gay' thing but the guy never came into conversation anymore.
At least Luhan had seemed to take the news pretty okay when Minseok had told everyone about his new girlfriend at their meeting last week. It had come quite as the surprise to Lay but never the less, he was happy for the guy. Then maybe Luhan would stop his very inappropriate pursuit of 'turning' Minseok. Come to think of it, Lay hadn't seen Luhan do anything remotely improper towards his chosen victim for a long time. He didn't even cling to the guy anymore, which was weird. Lay was certain that Luhan wouldn't just back down because of Minseok getting a girlfriend.
What was happening?
It was December 20th, the last day before winter break rolled in.
TCA had decided to hold a small Christmas gathering later tonight which he was pretty sure only Kris looked forward to. For good measure they had invited Joonmyun as well. Mostly because they had discussed the party with him listening in.

"You're here early?" They sat down at their table next to the mute couple.
"Apparently getting here before everyone else backfired seeing as I've been stuck with the dumb blond in front of me for the last 6 minutes and 32 seconds."
Jongdae took a sip of his water, never sparing Luhan a single glance.
"I will cut you."
Kris took away Luhan's cutlery at the threat, making Lay snigger.
"Wow. Someone's cranky,"
"You have no idea."
"Okay, so who's excited about tonight?!" The big tower let out a nervous laugh.
"Ecstatic." Jongdae said indifferently making Luhan scoff.
"You got a problem deer boy?"
"No no. I just find your utter excitement amusing. Also sarcasm? That's 'new'."
"Will you get off my back?"
"Honey, if you were on fire, I wouldn't even douse your back with a bucket of water."
"That's it. If he's going, I'm staying home."  
"Come on you guys. It's going to be fun. Minseok'll cook us dinner, we'll play games and exchange gifts." Lay patted Jongdae on the back.
"As long as the deer of the deep, deep south will be there, I don't see how it'll be any fun."
"What's up with you? Helping Tao moving in with me, you and Luhan seemed to get along swimmingly."
"That never happened." Finishing his drink, Jongdae got up.
"I need some air. Preferably something that hasn't Luhan's horrid breath in it."
"That's rich coming from the guy who always smells like garlic!" Luhan pushed out his chair with a screech following Jongdae while blowing air at the guy.
"Jeez. Those two are impossible." Lay sighed.
"... At least their talking? That's a good thing right?" Lay gave Kris an incredulous look.
"Sure. And not at all disturbing."
 

"Okay I don't know much about Christmas dinners but I could not find a goose, believe me Kris I looked everywhere. Instead we're having roast duck and you'll eat it without complaint or there'll be no dessert for you." Minseok held a dramatic pause, staring poor Kris in the eye for a good while before the Canadian could complain.
"Dig in."

It was quite the feast for the small group who were all squeezed into Lay's living-room. Lay didn't usually celebrate Christmas but having everyone gathered for a scrumptious meal made him wonder why they hadn't done this before.
"It may be duck but... Everything looks delicious Minseokie."
The small man let out a defeated sigh.
"Kris. I'm still older than you. Call me hyung or at least drop the endearment."
"... Yeah, I can't do that."
"... You're getting dark meat."
"Oh come on! I'm sorry but you're so tiny and cute. Your girlfriend is very lucky. She's older than you, right?!"  
"It's only by 3 years. And 18 months..."
"That's hot."  
"Kris, leave the man be. But yeah that is hot." Lay couldn't help himself. Minseok wasn't easy to fluster but this seemed to do the trick.
"Minseok's dating a cougar?" Tao piped in with curiosity.
"If my sources are correct, she's more than just a cougar." Joonmyun leaned in, folding his hands while staring at Minseok.
"She owns quite the successful grocery delivery business. Not only is she a cougar. She is also Minseok's sugar mamma. Nice watch by the way."
"Wait... You're dating the head of our grocery supplier?!" Kris's eyes had near popped out of his skull.
"Who told you?!"
"I really can't reveal my sources."
"... It was Sehun, wasn't it?"
Joonmyun shifted his gaze towards the beautiful golden duck on the table.
"Food's getting cold."
"You're prohibited from ever hanging out with Sehun again. He's a bad influence on you." Minseok  grabbed a big knife and cut into the poor animal with more vigor than necessary.

Everyone was filled to the brim as the dirty plates were collected and taken to the kitchen while others put out board games for the group to play. It took quite a while for them to settle on a game though. Tao wanted to play Risk, Joonmyun Monopoly and Kris was very passionate about playing Pictionary. In the end they chose Trivial Pursuit. It was all against all while Joonmyun read the questions.

"Yellow." Luhan looked to Joonmyun for his subject.
"That's history... In Greek Mythology, which God ruled lightning?"
"That's easy. Zeus."
"You know. If I ruled lightning? I'd strike you down as a first." Jongdae flicked Luhan's playing piece off the board.
"Ha ha. Go weep in an alley will you?"
"Oh my God, break it up will you?! You're ruining Christmas!" Kris gave them both a stern look before picking up the dice.
"My turn. 5. 1,2... Green!"
"Okay... If it takes six men one hour to dig a hole, how long does it take one man to dig half a hole?"
"What?"
Lay shook his head at his friend who was now using his fingers to count his way to an answer. Kris was a nice guy, kind and a born leader but not all to bright when it came to thinking logically. Lay could swear that the guy lived on a different plane. Probably pink and most likely fluffy.

"If six guys... then one guy... that's 1,2,3... 10 minutes a person then that means it takes 10 minutes x ..."
"Oh my God, Kris! You can't dig half a hole you dimwit!" Jongdae pushed out his chair, standing up. Taking a deep breath  he seemed to calm. A little.
"I need some air."
"Oh hell no!" Luhan stood up as well.
"If anyone deserves a break from all this 'merriment', it's me. And seriously Kris, you may have been raised in Canada but you're still Asian. You're pulling down our IQ."
With that Jongdae and Luhan kept bickering as they walked away from the table.
"I'm not stupid." Kris pouted while fidgeting with his empty game piece.
Lay couldn't help but smile. Kris was like a giant puppy. Easy to excite, easy to upset. He was really happy that Luhan had forced the giant guy to join TCA. Ever since he had joined, so much had happened. The club had become much more than just an afterschool club. Now it was like a small family. Sure everyone was a bit... messed up one way or the other but that just made their family that much more unique.
"No. You're not. You're precious." He got up from his seat to put a comforting hand on Kris's shoulder.
"And we love you, just the way you are." That earned Lay a lot of gums as Kris smiled up at him.
"That's better. I need to tinkle. Be right back."

Lay headed towards his bathroom. He really should slow down on that eggnog Kris had brought. It ran right through him but it just tasted sooo...
 

"MY EYES!"

Lay had opened the bathroom door, regretting it the moment his eyes had landed on Jongdae sitting on his sink with his legs wrapped around none other than Luhan?!
Their lips locked in a disgusting, saliva-induced tug-o-war, fumbling each other's funny parts in the process. 

"You didn't lock the door?! Man are you useless!" Jongdae ended the fierce competition of tongues to give Luhan a dubious look.
"Oh so it's my fault you're 24/7?!"
"... Guys. What the hell?"
"I've only said the codeword twice today!"
Apparently his friends chose to completely ignore his presence, opting instead to fight while still holding on to each other.
"Yeah and then there was yesterday and the day before that and before that and..."
"The only one you can blame is yourself, you predator!"
"So this is my fault?! You could've said no Jongdae. Not throw yourself at me like a piece of meat!"
"I was drunk!"
"Hold on, hold on!" That seemed to get their attention.
"You two? You? You are doing the dirty? Has hell frozen over?"
"Regretfully, I took Jongdae's ity by mistake. And now he won't stop begging for the Terracotta Warrior."
"...You named your after a clay army, protecting a dead guy? That is officially the creepiest thing you've ever said. And you've said a lot of scary ." Lay shuddered before continuing.
"So you're not together, together?"
"Are you crazy? Absolutely not!" Jongdae was not amused.
"This is more like a... Therapeutic work-out session, getting over the same guy."
"Wait so how long have you...?"
"Only like a month."
"You've been bumping uglies for a month?! I need to sit down."
"Will you keep it down?! Yes. A month. But don't tell anyone. Now get out and let us go about our business."
"Uuh. I just love it when you Jongdae."
"Oh shut up and do me, antler boy."

Let's just say the happy couple didn't bother wait for Lay to leave their presence as a shirt fell to the floor along with a few buttons.
He was speechless. Jongdae and Luhan was like day and night. The only thing they had in common was their interest in Minseok's petit body Lay thought as he hurried into the living-room.

"Luhan and Jongdae are doing the horizontal dance!"
Four pairs of eyes were staring at him with great confusion.
"... ."
'Aaaah' echoed through the room but was quickly replaced with horror.
"They what?!"
"That's disgusting."
"But... They hate each other?" Minseok was the one showing the most disbelief which was more than understandable.
"That's what I was thinking! But no. They're at it right now in my bathroom. Good thing it's your turn to clean the lavatory."
A loud grunt flew out of Tao's mouth as his forehead met the hard table surface.
 "If they on anything, I will end their miserable lives."
"I guess we should wait for them to finish up before exchanging gifts?"

The group had decided on doing secret Santa as most of their money had been piled for the dinner. Lay had gotten Kris. Now he just hoped Kris would like his gift.

20 minutes and two messy haired guys with wrinkled shirts re-emerged in the living-room. They silently took their seats, ignoring the many stares they received.
A minute that felt like forever passed through the group before Jongdae cleared his throat.
"Lay told you. Didn't he?"
"OH MY GOD! You're sleeping together?!" Tao voiced out everyone's curiosity before anyone else had the chance.
"Are you dating?" A thin voice left Minseok's throat while shifting his gaze between his friends.
"What are you crazy?! Like I'd ever date Xi Luhan? He is a pain in my . In more ways than one."
"Then why do you keep begging for it?!"
"Erh... Okay so Secret Santa time!"
Kris threw a bag with all the gifts on the table. Everyone reached out for the present with their own nametag. The one for lay was soft. He ripped the paper off to reveal two T-shirts. One navy blue with a black skull and a white one with... A Panda. Lay smiled while shaking his head.

"How to win friends and influence people?" Joonmyun looked the book over with a skeptic look but after reading the back of the cover he nodded his head as if agreeing to whatever it said.
"A gift certificate. Thanks Joonmyun." Jongdae laughed as Joonmyun blushingly ducked his head.
"Aah. Pretty." Minseok held up a black beanie before trying it on.
"A panda plushy! I love it!" Tao hugged the bear close and kissed it's nose. "I hereby name you Allan!"
"Allan the Panda?" Lay asked.
"You got a problem with that?"
"I..."
"I got two tickets for a musical. How cool is that?" Kris eyed the tickets with glee. It made Lay all fuzzy inside.
"What the freaking fudge is... Jongdae?!" Luhan threw a piece of paper at the latter, not looking happy.
"Why it's a doctor's appointment. You know to check you for any of the 25 STD's you're more than likely to carry around from being such a ."
"Hey for you information I haven't... Thanks. I'll use it well." Luhan took back the paper, grumpily folding it and stuffing it in his pants pocket.

"I think Lay is my Secret Santa." Lay nodded at Kris who was up in a flash to hug him.
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome. I'm playing one of the leads so I kinda hope to see everyone else as well."
"You are? That's awesome!"
"Yeah. I'm really excited about it." Lay held up his gift.
"And thank you Tao. I really needed these."
For a while now Lay had been washing clothes a lot more often from all the dance practice and then Tao had thrown out his worn out shirts when Lay was out. He hadn't exactly been thrilled but the kid had meant well. Tao had even let him borrow his clothes when needed.

"I'm guessing the hat is from... Luhan?"
"Of course I knew you'd guess it Minseokie. I hope you like it."
"Minseok hyung, I love the Panda!"  
"Then Kris must've been my Secret Santa?" Joonmyun held up the book.
"Yes. It's very popular in America. Not so sure about here though..."
"Erh... Okay but thanks anyway. I look forward to reading it."
 

-

The evening progressed far into the night with laughter and joy. Even Luhan was starting to enjoy himself. It could also have something to do with the fact that now that Jongdae had gotten another dose of hormones, the fighting had simmered down to make room for Christmas cheers.
He hadn't exactly planned on taking a lover, none the less Jongdae of all people but when the guy had turned up at his doorstep, quite intoxicated and hungry for more, Luhan hadn't fought him. He should have but it was kind of nice knowing that he wasn't alone with this feeling of... loss.
In the beginning it had been all about angry , like really getting all his frustrations out of the system, only now Luhan wanted to make sure Jongdae got the best of the best. Luhan knew he was terrific in bed but with Jongdae who was inexperienced and eager to please, made him want to step up his game. He made sure to take note of what the guy responded to with a pleasured moan and what he seemed to shy away from. In bed they were so responsive to each other but outside of it, it was hell on earth. Jongdae was always moody and starting fights whenever he had the chance and Luhan was getting tired of it. The man should at least have the decency to speak nice to him after all those highs Luhan had provided. Heck if it hadn't been a myth, Jongdae would probably be blind right now from seeing all those white lights, night after night after night.

Luhan and Jongdae was the last to leave. He was certain that Jongdae was coming home with him again. For the past week or so he  had pretty much slept over every night. It had been weird the first time. Also the next. But the third time, Luhan was kind of amazed of how nice it felt, waking up with the same person by his side. It was quite the change from what he was used to. Always waking up alone or with some stranger whose name he couldn't remember.

But Jongdae.

Jongdae snored slightly.
Always slept on his stomach facing Luhan. His hair would be a mess in the morning but when the light would come streaming in from the window, Jongdae's hazel brown locks almost sparkled...

Luhan shook his head as the both of them said their goodbye's to the hosts and started down the road in the cold December night.

"So."
"So?" Luhan watched his own breath come out in a small white cloud.
"That doctor's appointment... I actually got you something else as well." Jongdae handed him a small paper bag.
"Erh. It's a wooden bracelet. With a... Deer it's stupid, you can just throw it out."
For some reason, staring at the gift in his hand made Luhan's heart skip a beat. It was really pretty. Wooden orbs in different shades made up most of the bracelet while a wooden deer , beautifully carved, hung as the center. Luhan wasn't able to suppress the smile forming on his lips as he put the jewelry on.
"Thank you. I have something for you as well."
With one swift motion, Luhan threw a tiny object towards the younger man.
"A key?"
"It's for my apartment... You're there all the time anyway so I thought this would be... more practical."
"... Right."
"Right..."
Jongdae stood appraising the silver key, biting his lip.
"... We still hate each other, don't we?"
The question made Luhan stop to think. True they had never exactly been the best of friends what with both fighting for what turned out to be a lost cause. But now that the cause was out of the picture... Then why should they hate each other?

"I guess we do. But maybe not as much, now that we don't have a reason to."
"I suppose that's true."   
They stood for a moment, unable to speak or move. They let the cold seep into their bones without them noticing it. It was strange. Luhan's heart rate was speeding up just standing still, looking at a man he used to call his nemesis. Yet here in the dark, illuminated by the faint yellow streetlight, Jongdae was actually quite mesmerizing. His eyes almost looked golden...
Finally able to avert his gaze, Luhan started walking again.
"So. You wanna initiate the key tonight?"
"...I think I have to go home. Some other time."
Luhan tried his best not to let his disappointment show.
"Whatever."
"Luhan?"
Luhan noticed Jongdae had stopped walking.
"What?"
The man looked conflicted, as if he was fighting with himself when he suddenly took a step forward and put his left hand on Luhan's waist and the other on his cheek. Hesitantly, Jongdae leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Luhan's lips.
"Merry Christmas Luhan." He then let go and started in the other direction.
"Merry Christmas... Jongdae."

'Badum, Badum' his little heart went. Luhan put a hand on his chest, trying to will his heart to quiet down.
 

'Badum.'

'Badum.'

 Badum.'

 

"Oh Shiii..."



A/N
Sorry about the lack of Krisoo but I thought it'd be nice with a little something else after all that depressing stuff (not taking wiener or ´fluff incidents into account) in the previous chapter.
So I still don't ship Luchen(?)  but I really like their bickering :b So don't hate me for incinuating anything xD
There is around 6 months left of Kris's stay in Seoul and I've only written 59(61) chapters so far xD
I did not plan for this fic to become so long. I thought yeah I'll make like 30 chapters and my revenge will have been taken but nooo. i'm afraid I'll end up on close to 70 chapters (epilogue included) but only if I keep making the chapters longer and make a few jumps in time xD  
You have no idea how glad I am to see that people are actually willing themselves through this maze of typoes and awkward writing. It really does bring a smile on my face ^^ So please do keep read, upvote or leave a message :D

Next chapter, it will be Christmas but will everything run smoothly or will something unexpected happen?
Who knows? ( I do)
Until next time!