"It's already the third of December and you haven't put up your tree?" Hakyeon squawked and Wonshik winced from the haven of his bedroom before continuing to tap away on the keyboard of his laptop. He'd leave Hongbin to deal with it.

But then he realised that a lull in the conversation wasn't actually a lull but Taekwoon speaking in his soft, feathery voice, and he immediately hopped off the bed to nonchalantly stroll into the living room.

Hakyeon was already wrestling with the fake tree that Wonshik and Hongbin had bought a few days ago as Hongbin hovered behind him and Taekwoon sat back to watch on the sofa. Wonshik joined him with a tentative greeting but it wasn't long until they were all roped in to help.

Wonshik and Taekwoon silently worked together to wrap tinsel around the tree and hang baubles from the branches as Hongbin and Hakyeon argued behind them about hanging the streamers across the ceiling. They exchanged grateful glances when the spat grew violent and a streamer, still in its packet, sailed past their heads to hit the wall.

"How do you live with him?" Wonshik whispered in awe and Taekwoon dropped his head to hide a smile - the first that Wonshik had seen. Luckily, Hakyeon didn't hear him.

Once the streamer issue was resolved and the tree was completed, they stepped back to admire their work.

"Something's missing," Hakyeon declared with narrowed eyes, and Wonshik looked down when something poked him in the stomach.

Taekwoon was holding out a gold star for him to place on top of the tree, his eyes shyly averted, and it felt like an important mission was being bestowed upon him when he accepted it. He glanced at the reserved man beside him when he was finished and their eyes met with a rush of warmth in his chest.

"Beautiful!" Hakyeon approved.