Hyukjae can’t say he particularly enjoys his job. In fact, he quite hates it. Starting as a young cop with great potential for promotion and ending up as a security guard for a travel agency is not something to be proud of, in his opinion. You could have everything you ever wished for and you could also lose it in just a matter of seconds - Hyukjae learnt that the hard way, when he was shot twice in the left leg during a drug-bust. The shots had been dangerously close to his knee and, even though his leg looked like new after surgery and he could move freely, he could pursue a career in the police force no more; he can’t run anymore, nor put too much pressure on it, and his knee hurts like hell whenever the weather is freezing.

       He found a new job surprisingly fast thanks to his accomplishments as a cop: a security guard for one of the most successful travel agencies in Korea, at the headquarters even. He has been put in charge of opening and locking up the building every day and every night, of surveillance of the security cameras and of keeping tabs of everyone who enters the building. In short, all he has to do is sit at a desk at the entrance of the building and watch every room in the building on computer screens. It’s the perfect task for his disabled knee and the pay is sufficient. However, for Hyukjae’s adventurous nature it’s agonizingly boring to sit on a chair all day, doing nothing. Another bad point is that he has to be the first person to arrive and the last to leave, meaning he is usually there the whole day, from morning to night.

       Goodbye, social life.

       He has the weekends free and all the national holidays, but he usually spends them catching up on sleep and visiting his family. He meets his close friends from time to time, but that’s pretty much it. As for his love life, it’s as good as non-existing. He is 32 and divorced and that kind of sums it up.

       Needless to say, Hyukjae is not content with his life and he hasn’t been for the past three years since the unfortunate incident happened.

       “Good morning, Hyukjae-ssi!”

       There was one aspect of his new job that he absolutely loves though: his boss (everyone’s boss actually), the CEO of the company – Lee Donghae.

       Lee Donghae, CEO only for a year (his father finally stepping down from the position and trusting it to his very capable son), is the epitome of perfection: smart, successful, nice and absolutely gorgeous. The part of Hyukjae that likes men reacted ever since the first time he saw the man. Small interactions were inevitable; they greeted each other every day and as time went by they became acquainted with each other. Hyukjae was absolutely sure he had a huge crush on Lee Donghae.

       Am I even supposed to have crushes at 32? he pitifully thought every time he saw the man. Why the hell not? he answered himself.

       There were times when Hyukjae was almost sure that Donghae liked him too; the subtle flirting, the slight touches on the arms, the endearing smiles – Hyukjae knew what they meant. Still, he never ever made a move on the man and he probably never will.

       “Good morning, Hyukjae-hyung!”

       And that’s the reason why Hyukjae doesn’t dare approach Donghae – Lee Jaehyun, Lee Donghae’s 7 year-old son. Yes, the fine CEO has a child. The boy is a ray of sunshine most of the times, very polite and well-educated, unusual sharp for his age and a social butterfly. It took him about two days to befriend Hyukjae and now Hyukjae likes the kid as much as he likes the father. Donghae often took Jaehyun with him at work because there was no one else who could take care of him; Hyukjae practically saw the boy grow before his eyes. These two persons always make Hyukjae’s days better, but even though everyone knows that Lee Donghae is divorced, Hyukjae still doesn’t dare to intervene in their small family.

       It was a pretty sweet routine, seeing Lee Donghae every day and Jaehyun at least twice a week. However, all good things come to an end. Since Lee Donghae became CEO, everything changed drastically for all three of them: Donghae was busier, which meant that he had to come and leave work earlier than working hours, which also meant that Hyukjae had to be there earlier and later as well; it also meant that Jaehyun spent less time with his father. And so, Hyukjae met a new member of Donghae’s family: Lee Hyuna, the daughter of his brother – his 20 year-old niece. Hyuna is the embodiment of happiness and joy. She is a bubbly teenager, caring and loving towards her family if the fact that she always takes care of Jaehyun when Donghae is too busy is any indication. Even though she is busy with school, she never fails to keep Jaehyun company when Donghae can’t, always bringing the boy to the company or picking him up when needed. Hyuna was as social and friendly as Jaehyun; there weren’t few the times when she would stop to keep Hyukjae company too for a while when she was on holiday, just because Hyukjae looked lonely and sad, sitting there all alone – those were her exact words and Hyukjae fully agreed with her.

       They eventually got used to this new flow; they had to. It became worse though when December started; it’s the month of winter holidays, the time of the year when everyone travels, and as a travel agency, they are a lot busier than usual. Donghae began coming to work earlier and earlier as days passed and he left just as late. He and Hyukjae even exchanged phone-numbers so that Donghae could let Hyukjae know at what hour he should be at the company. Jaehyun stopped coming often, Hyuna as well as a result.

       Now, the second Friday of December, Hyukjae feels like he could sleep for a year or two. He feels tired and lonely and he can’t help but wonder how Donghae still hangs in there.

 

 

 

 

       

       A tired yawn makes his way out of Hyukjae, so loud that at all the offices and desks on the ground floor could hear it. Luckily for Hyukjae, no one is there to hear it; who would be crazy enough to stay at work until midnight?

       Lee Donghae, apparently.

       Hyukjae and the CEO were the only people left in the building for the past three hours. The darkness is thick outside and snow started falling a while ago. It was a pretty sight actually – big snowflakes floating through the air and pretty Christmas lights everywhere – but Hyukjae would much rather admire the fairytale-like scene from his comfy bed. He is bored out of his mind and his phone has been dead for some time now. When the clock strikes 00:00, Hyukjae decides he should let Donghae know that they can’t spend all night there.

       He takes the elevator, quickly finds his boss’s office and enters after knocking twice. Donghae’s eyes are glued on his laptop screen and his fingers are hitting the keyboard with haste. He doesn’t even look up when Hyukjae enters.

       “Donghae-ssi?”

       Hyukjae frowns at the lack of reaction and starts moving towards the man’s desk.

       “Donghae-ssi!” he calls again.

       Donghae finally raises his head and jumps back slightly, surprised to find Hyukjae in front of him.

       “It’s midnight,” Hyukjae simply says, hoping that Donghae would take the hint.

       “It is?” Donghae asks in a dazed voice, his eyes flying to the clock. “Oh, God! It is!”

       “You should go home.”

       “I really should! Hyuna’s gonna murder me!”

       Hyukjae gives him a sympathetic smile. “I’ll wait downstairs,” he says and leaves Donghae to get ready.

       Donghae takes about ten minutes to come down, time in which Hyukjae makes sure that every security alarm is on and working properly. When the CEO finally arrives, they exit the building together and Hyukjae locks the entrance.

       “I’m so sorry for keeping you this late, Hyukjae-ssi!” Donghae profusely apologizes and he really looks like he means it.

       “Don’t worry about it,” Hyukjae waves it off. “Let’s just go home before we turn into snowmen.”

       And before my knee gives out on me.

       “Let me give you a ride home!”

       Holy mother of- don’t think inappropriate thoughts, Hyukjae!

       “It’s okay, I’ll take a taxi.”

       “No, please!” Donghae tightly grasps his arm. “I really feel bad, please let me make it up to you,” he insists, with pleading eyes.

       Hyukjae considers the still heavily falling snow and his aching leg (and the short time he gets to spend alone with Donghae), and eventually gives in. “Thank you, Donghae.”

       Donghae grins happily and leads them to the parking lot.

       The ride home is mostly quiet, both of them too tired to hold a proper conversation. Still, Hyukjae thinks that this silence between them doesn’t feel right and so tries to disperse it.

       “How’s Jaehyun?”

       As if woken up from a trance, Donghae flinches before stealing a glance at Hyukjae.

       “He’s fine,” he says with a fond smile and Hyukjae notices how his face lights up suddenly. “He can’t wait for Christmas. We’re going shopping for a Christmas tree and decorations this weekend. He was very excited in the morning, jumping up and down the whole way to school.” His smile turns into a beam and crinkles form around his eyes, and Hyukjae thinks that this is the first time he sees Donghae this happy. He takes a mental note to ask about Jaehyun more often. However, all joy leaves Donghae’s face as quick as it appeared.

         "What's wrong?" Hyukjae asks, not liking this sudden change at all. They have arrived in front of the building he lives in, but he doesn't even think about leaving Donghae all sad and bothered.

        "I'm such a bad father," Donghae mumbles. "I spend more time at work than with my own son. I think he has spent more time with Hyuna and her parents than with me. I miss him so much ... and I don't even want to think about how much he misses me." Donghae's voice breaks at the end and his eyes get teary, but he continues to pour his heart out to Hyukjae. "I feel so guilty every time I go home and he starts telling me how he had done this and that with Hyuna or his grandparents, because I know that I can't do anything fun or memorable with him ... or when I leave him alone in my office because I'm always in some kind of meeting."

        Hyukjae pulls the now sobbing man into his arms and allows him to cry on his shoulder, softly trying to soothe him. "It's not your fault, Donghae."

        "But it is! I wanted a child so bad that I didn't even think of what would happen after I start getting busy at work and eventually became CEO ... I always act without thinking beforehand! I rushed into marriage and even pressured my wife into having a baby, when she repeatedly told me that she wasn't ready for such a commitment. That's why she left us actually ... she honestly told me that she can't take this whole family thing, that she wants a divorce and that I can keep Jaehyun."

        It was so strange to hear Donghae talk about his internal sufferings. On one hand, because he and Hyukjae have never talked about their personal lives before and on the other, because who would have thought Donghae struggled so much with himself. He never shows this side of him at work and Hyukjae understands why: as the CEO, Donghae has to show strength, determination and great leadership.

        Hyukjae feels genuinely sorry for Donghae and he wants to make him better and let him know that he is not the only one life has not been kind with ... even if that meant Hyukjae also had to share about his failed marriage.

        "I'm sorry to hear that, Donghae ... but try to look on the bright side. At least your wife didn't try to kill you with flower pots or throw you off the balcony."

        To his surprise, Donghae starts laughing through his sobs. "Are you only saying this to make me feel better?"

        "As much as I wish to forget it, that's what actually happened," Hyukjae sighs heavily. Thinking about his ex-wife always made his blood boil.

        "But why would she do that?" Donghae asks with disbelief.

        Hyukjae chuckles bitterly. "Let's just say she had anger-management problems. She used to throw things, specifically at me, when we argued. Her last words to me were I hope I'll never see your ugly face again."

        "That's horrible!"

        "Yeah, it was pretty bad. What hurt the most was not that our future together was ruined or that we didn't love each other anymore , not even our awful fights ... it was when I realized that two years earlier I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her and then at that time I barely tolerated her presence. I was looking forward to going to work only to be away from her."

        "I'm really sorry," Donghae whispers into his shoulder.

        "What I'm trying to say is," Hyuljae says, pushing Donghae enough to look each other in the eyes, "that we can't predict the future. Maybe things will take the worst of turns, but that doesn't mean that we should regret our life up to that point. Yes, I loathe my ex-wife now, but there was a time when she was the most important and beautiful person in the whole world to me, and I don't regret even a second of that time."

        Donghae gazes at him in wonder and Hyukjae asks himself if he managed to make Donghae feel better about both his past and present. He realizes he did when Donghae latches his body to Hyukjae's and embraces him tightly.

        "Thank you so much, Hyukjae!" he says after he moves away. "And I'm sorry for making you listen to my problems."

        "Nonsense," Hyukjae dismisses. "Do you feel better?"

        Donghae nods with a sheepish smile. "I really do."

        Before Hyukjae can stop himself, he cups Donghae's face and leaves a warm kiss on his forehead.

        "See you on Monday," he then says with haste and gets out of the car and then enters the building without looking back.

 

 

 

       

        As enchanting as Seoul looks at night - when pretty decorations and mesmerizing lights are glowing everywhere, carols singing in the background, shops so irresistible that you can't help but enter and buy even the smallest thing - it looks as dull in daytime. Everything is gray and muddy because of the snow that started to melt, big puddles covering most of the sidewalks and streets, and the only thing you can hear are angry honks and loud voices. It is not a Christmas-like atmosphere at all.

        Hyukjae walks the busy streets with a frown on his face. He wants to reach the building as soon as possible. The piercing cold is affecting his knee again, even though he wrapped a knee cap around it and made sure to wear the thickest pair of pants he had. He's starting to regret going out for lunch, but he didn't really have a choice; Donghae announced him too late that he needed to be at work earlier than usual and Hyukjae didn't have time to pack anything to eat. He reaches a traffic light just when it turns red and stops, trying to put all his weight on his right leg. A kid rushes past him just as cars start passing and Hyukjae's hand instinctively jolts to stop him.

        "What are you doing, kid? Can't you see it's red?" he scolds while pulling the kid back by the hood.

        The little boy steps back obediently. "I'm sorry, mister."

        Hyukjae recognizes him as quick as he would recognize his own mother.

        "Jaehyun?"

        "Hyukjae-hyung!"

        Hyukjae looks at Lee Donghae's son as if he's looking at an alien. He is surprised to find him lonely on the streets. 

        "Why are you running? Did something happen? Where's Hyuna?" 

        He knows he's acting annoyingly worried, but he can't help it, he has a soft spot for the kid - hell, he knows him since the boy was four. 

        However, Jaehyun looks even more worried. 

        "Hyung, is daddy alright?"

        "Of course, why wouldn't he?"

        The light turns green and Hyukjae grabs Jaehyun's hand before they cross the street.

        "Don't hold my hand, hyung! It's embarrassing!" the boy mumbles. "Not even daddy holds my hand ..."

        "How is it embarrassing? You're 7," Hyukjae argues. "And your dad doesn't hold your hand because you're in the car when you're with him."

        Jaehyun seriously ponders on it for a few minutes then says: "You're right."

        "Glad you agree with me. Now answer my question: why are you alone?"

        "Daddy was supposed to pick me up today, but he didn't come. I waited for an hour, but he didn't come and I got scared that something happened to him. So I decided to come alone."

        "Your father is perfectly fine, Jaehyun. Don't worry," Hyukjae assures the pouting child.

        "Then why didn't he come?"

        He probably forgot, Hyukjae thinks pitifully. But he can't tell that to the boy. 

        "Your father is very busy these days," he says instead. "I bet he got held back by something very ... by a meeting or something like that."

        Nice save, Hyukjae.

        He meant to say "by something very important", which was most likely true. However, saying that his father values work so much that he forgets about his own son certainly is not something said son should hear.

        They reach the company in no time. Instead of going to his desk though, Hyukjae decides to accompany Jaehyun to Lee Donghae's office.

        "Let's take the stairs!" Jaehyun exclaims and starts running towards the staircase, but Hyukjae quickly stops him.

        "Oh, no!"

        "Why not? The teacher said we should always be active in order to be healthy, so we should take the stairs!"

        Because your father's office is on the fifth floor and I have a ing handicapped knee.

        "You can take your father on the stairs," Hyukjae says, dragging the boy in the elevator. "He could use some healthy exercise."

        Suddenly, Jaehyun pulls on his hand, demanding Hyukjae to look at him. When the elder does, he asks in a very serious voice: "Hyukjae-hyung ... do you love my daddy?"

        "Excuse me?!" Hyukjae splutters. Jaehyun is almost scrutinizing him with sharp eyes; honestly, Hyukjae thinks the kid looks kind of scary in this moment. "W-why do you think that?"

        "Because," Jaehyun starts thoughtfully, "daddy is your boss and you're supposed to hate him, because everybody hates the boss, but you don't hate him. You always take good care of him and help him, even though daddy wakes you up early every day and makes you stay late every night."

        Somewhere along the boy's little speech, Hyukjae starts wondering why the elevator ride is taking so long. The fifth floor is not so high after all.

        "And my daddy told me that you truly love someone when you care for them unconditionally and you don't get mad at them if they sometimes do things that upset you, because that someone is more important to you than the inconvenience they might cause."

        The elevator finally stops and Hyukjae has never been as relieved as now in his whole life.

        "You think too much for a 7 year-old," he says as they step out.

        "But do you love daddy?" Jaehyun continues to pry.

        Hyukjae completely ignores him. "Bora-ssi, is Mr. Lee in his office?"

        "No, he's in a big meeting," Lee Donghae's personal assistant says. "He's been in there for the past hour."

        "Oh, okay. I'll just drop Jaehyun off then."

        "Thank you for bringing him, Hyukjae-ssi. I'll take care of him now," Bora says, extending her hand towards Jaehyun. "Come, Jaehyun, I'll keep you company."

        Bora is a lovely young woman, both very beautiful and very smart, and Hyukjae does not remember ever seeing her without a smile on her face. She is nice, gentle and funny; the kind of adult kids usually like to be around. Jaehyun must have spent a lot more time with her than he did with Hyukjae. Despite this, the boy refuses to let go of Hyukjae's hand and join the assistant.

        "Hyung, can't I stay with you?"

        A little bewildered, Hyukjae helplessly looks at Bora, who just shrugs, then to Jaehyun. "Uh, sure I guess ... are you sure you don't want to wait in your father's warm office, on his very comfy chair? Bora-ssi can even help you with your homework."

        Jaehyun glances towards the office and then towards Bora, who beams at him and nods in confirmation to Hyukjae's words. Scrunching up his nose, he shakes his head with certitude.

        "I want to stay with you, hyung."

        "Let's go then."

        After asking Bora to let Donghae know about Jaehyun and bowing to her, they go back down - , not the elevator again!, Hyukjae mentally groans - and settle at Hyukjae's desk. Fortunately, Jaehyun doesn't bring up the topic of love again. Whether he forgot or he was too fascinated with the several rooms on the computer screens, Hyukjae makes a mental note to avoid talking about Donghae as much as he can.

        "Look, I can see daddy in this one!"

        Jaehyun doesn't make it easy at all.

 

 

       

 

       The last week before Christmas passed pretty quick and uneventful and Hyukjae even enjoyed it. It was all thanks to Jaehyun, who decided Hyukjae was a nice, cool hyung and insisted to spend the time he usually spent in his father’s office at Hyukjae’s desk instead. Hyukjae has been more than grateful for the little boy’s company. His heart swelled in happiness when Jaehyun declared in front of Donghae that he likes Hyukjae, even though it was extremely embarrassing for the two adults.

       “Daddy, I like Hyukjae-hyung a lot! You should marry him!”

       Both Hyukjae and Donghae tried to smoothly brush it off and both of them blushed every time their eyes met that day.

       Today is the Christmas Eve and the building is pretty deserted. Everyone greets everyone merrily before leaving, wishing each other happy holidays and health. Gone were the tired, stressed expressions of the workers; they were now replaced with joyful smiles and glinting eyes.

       The power of Christmas, Hyukjae thinks and lets out a sigh. He’s not particularly excited for Christmas. He didn’t even bother buying a tree and decorating his house – what’s the point if he’s going to spend the day alone anyway? Every single Christmas was the same for Hyukjae. Stay home alone all day, join his family for dinner and then go out with his friends. He didn’t feel like it was such a special day at all.

       Unconsciously, his mind starts drifting to Jaehyun and he can’t help but chuckle softly when he imagines how excited the child must be. He can’t think about Jaehyun and not think about Donghae or vice versa, so he starts wondering how they usually spend Christmas, hoping with all his heart that for them this holy day is better than for Hyukjae.

       The sound of hurried steps wakes Hyukjae from his reverie and makes him look up from his desk, only to see Donghae descending the stairs.

       "Hyukjae-ssi!" the CEO comes almost running to Hyukjae's desk. "Hyukjae-ssi, you have to help me! Please, I'm desperate! I don't know who else to go to!"

       "Calm down, Donghae-ssi," Hyukjae says, moving to stand in front of the distressed man. "What do you need?"

       "The meeting will be longer than I expected and Jaehyun is home alone and Hyuna is at some kind of Christmas party," Donghae rambles. "It's already 5 PM, I can't let him alone all night!"

       "How can I help?"

       "Can you please go pick him up and bring him here? You can take my car!"

       "Sure, I'll do that."

       "Thank you, Hyukjae! I owe you!"

       To Hyukjae's utter surprise, Donghae throws his arms around his neck and kisses his cheek with ardor. He then s the keys into his hands and runs back to the stairs. 

       "Um, Donghae?" Hyukjae calls amazed at himself that he can still talk properly.

       "Y-yeah?" Donghae abruptly turns. Hyukjae notices with glee that his cheeks are red and he's stuttering.

       "I don't know where you live."

       "Oh ... right. Uh, I'll send you a message."

       "Please do so."

       As Hyukjae gets into Donghae's car and drives towards the man's home, he wonders if Donghae is seriously going to spend Christmas Eve at work. More than that, he is even going to make his son spend it there with him.

 

 

       

 

       When Hyukjae unlocks the door and steps inside Donghae’s apartment, Jaehyun comes running to the door with the speed of light.

       “Daddy!” the boy exclaims, but frowns deeply when he finds Hyukjae standing in the hallway, not his father. “You’re not daddy …”

       Unfortunately, Hyukjae thinks, pitying both Jaehyun and himself.

       “Your father sent me to pick you up,” he says. “So go get dressed and I’m gonna take you to your father.”

       Jaehyun doesn’t seem to agree with his father’s plan though.

       “I don’t wanna go to daddy! Daddy promised he’ll be home soon! I hate daddy!” he starts crying and runs back in the apartment.

       “!” Hyukjae mutters under his breath and hastily takes off his shoes before going after the boy. He eventually finds him in his room, curled under the blanket and sobbing. Hyukjae sits beside him on the bed and gently tugs on the blanket, but Jaehyun grips it tight around himself. “Come on, kid, don’t be like this. Talk to me.”

       Jaehyun continues to ignore him and cries harder.

       “You know, Santa’s not going to visit you if you behave like this.”

       “Santa’s not even real!”

       Hyukjae swallows nervously. “How do you know that?”

       “Because last year daddy forgot to put the presents under the tree …” the boy whimpers.

       “Okay, let’s forget about Santa then,” Hyukjae continued to coax. “Just come out of there, tell me why you’re upset and I’ll try to fix it, alright?”

       Jaehyun doesn’t reply anything, but he hesitantly removes the blanket from his body and shows himself to Hyukjae; his eyes are puffy, his lower lip is trembling and his cheeks are flushed and streaked with tears.

       “Come here,” Hyukjae opens his arms invitingly and the little boy immediately glues himself to him, crying in his chest. “What’s the matter, hm?”

       “It’s Christmas Eve!” the boy wailed. “We were supposed to decorate the house and the tree together and then watch Christmas movies while eating cookies and singing carols!”

       Hyukjae didn’t realize this until now, but there was absolutely nothing in Donghae’s apartment that screamed of Christmas. For children like Jaehyun, to whom Christmas was as important as their birthday, it was a big deal that his father was not there with him, doing things that everyone should do on Christmas Eve. The fact that Donghae promised he would be home made it even worse; the kid probably feels betrayed by his father.

       Hyukjae’s phone starts ringing before he can do anything to soothe the boy.

       Speaking of the devil …

       “Yes?”

       “Hyukjae, are you there yet?” Donghae’s worried voice comes from the other line.

       “Yes.”

       “Are you coming back soon?”

       “Donghae, there’s a little problem,” Hyukjae lightly says, trying not to alarm the concerned father.

       “Is Jaehyun alright?!”

       “He’s fine! It’s just that … well, he doesn’t want to come.”

       “Why not?”

       “Uh … he’s a little upset.”

       Donghae stays silent for a while before he shakily asks: “Can I talk to him?”

       “Jaehyun, your dad wants to talk to you,” Hyukjae says to the boy and hands him the phone. However, Jaehyun pushes his hand away angrily. “I don’t think he wants to talk to you, Donghae.”

       Hyukjae swears he can hear Donghae’s heart shattering to pieces.

       “Oh …” the father replies and falls silent.

       Hyukjae tries to think fast of some sort of solution. “I could stay with him until you come back,” he suggests.

       “Really?” Donghae sounds hopeful.

       “Sure, no problem. Just make sure to put someone else in charge of security for the night.”

       “I will! Thank you so much, Hyukjae! I’ll finish as fast as I can!”

       By the time Hyukjae hangs up, Jaehyun stops sobbing, but tears are still flowing from his eyes.

       “Seems like you’re stuck with me, kiddo,” Hyukjae says and runs a hand through the boy’s hair. “Hey, I have an idea. Do you want to hear it?”

       Jaehyun looks at him with curious eyes and nods.

       “How about I help you decorate the tree and the house? It will be a nice surprise for your father.”

       Jaehyun ponders the proposition for a while and then asks: “Can we buy him presents too? I’ve never given a present to daddy before, but he always gives me presents.”

       “We can even buy him a cake,” Hyukjae chuckles.

       “Awesome!” Jaehyun jumps off his lap and runs to his closet to pick clothes, all anger and “hate” for his father gone in a second.

 

 

       

 

       Hyukjae took advantage of Donghae’s car and drove them to the nearest mall. They entered a few stores and chose some clothes that they thought would fit and match Donghae, even two ties at Jaehyun’s insistence – “Daddy always wears ties, so he needs more!” – and then moved on to a supermarket to buy fruits, sweets, cake, juice and wrapping paper. Hyukjae wanted to buy some food too, but Jaehyun assured him that his grandma filled the fridge a day before. Everything went smooth so they finished pretty fast, but stopped at a Christmas festival organized somewhere in the mall because Jaehyun wanted to talk to the fake Santa for some reason Hyukjae couldn’t understand.

       “I thought you said Santa is not real.”

       “He’s not, but the uncles dressed as them are always nice and give us candies.”

       While Jaehyun waited in line to talk to fake Santa, Hyukjae used the time to sneak around and buy the boy a present. It wasn’t hard to choose something, because he knew everything about the kid by then. He settled for a fairytale book and a Hulk figurine, remembering how Jaehyun told him that he likes to read and absolutely loves superheroes, especially Hulk – when asked why Hulk, the boy shrugged and said “He’s green and I like green.”

       Hyukjae returned to the festival just when it was Jaehyun’s turn. The boy seemed to be in a serious conversation with the fake Santa and Hyukjae watched the scene with an overly amused expression.

 

 

       

 

       “Hyukjae-hyung, I’ve been thinking,” Jaehyun says as they struggle to wrap the presents. “The teacher said that most families are formed of two parents and the children. But my mom left when I was a baby … Hyukjae-hyung, can’t you be my second daddy?”

       Hyukjae almost tears the neatly wrapped present he just finished. His heart starts beating fast and loud as he tries to come up with some kind of appropriate answer. Oh, how he wishes he could be! However, it is not that simple; and that’s exactly the answer he gives the curious child.

       “But why isn’t it simple?” Jaehyun pries. “You love daddy and daddy loves you and I love you both. It seems very simple to me!”

       Hyukjae’s head starts spinning because of the new information. Donghae loves him? Is Jaehyun making it all up? Because if he is, he’s not going to ever forgive the kid no matter how much he loves him.

       “Just because,” he eventually answers. “Love between adults is anything but simple.”

       Jaehyun frowns. “Is it because you’re both men?”

       “What the hell does that teacher of yours teach you?!”

       “Don’t swear, hyung!”

       “Sorry,” Hyukjae awkwardly clears his throat.

       “If it’s because of that,” Jaehyun says, “I asked fake Santa earlier and he said it’s okay if I have two daddies as long as they love me very much.”

       “It’s not only that …” Hyukjae dejectedly mutters, tying the bow around a present with a bit of too much force. He notices with relief that it’s the last present. “Come on, let’s decorate the tree.”

       He gets up and walks to the tree, then starts taking out the decoration Jaehyun brought earlier. Jaehyun follows him and tugs at his sleeve.

       “Hyukjae-hyung, did I upset you?”

       “No, Jaehyun,” Hyukjae sighs and goes down on his knees to be face to face with the boy. “Do you really want me to be your daddy that much?”

       Jaehyun nods enthusiastically. “I really want to! Because you take good care of me and daddy, and we need someone to take care of us!”

       “You’re going to be the death of me, kid!” Hyukjae declares before yanking the boy into his embrace.

 

 

       

       When Donghae comes home an hour later and enters the living room, his jaw almost drops to his feet and his eyes widen comically. Hyukjae can understand why he has such a big shock – the house looks nothing like Donghae left it: the tree, as well as the rooms, is decorated, carols are playing and it smells like cookies and oranges and Christmas; not to mention the pile of presents under the tree.

       “Welcome home, daddy!” Jaehyun happily squeals.

       Donghae remains froze on the spot. Hyukjae walks to him and takes off his coat, even unties his shoes and helps him take them off. He then gently takes a hold of Donghae’s hand and leads him in the living room, where Jaehyun is waiting for them with a beam on his cute face.

       “Hyukjae,” Donghae finally says, “d-did you do all this?”

       “No, Jaehyun did,” Hyukjae smoothly lies.

       Hyukjae knows that Donghae knows it was indeed him that has done mostly everything – and paid for everything as well. He’s almost sure that Donghae would start protesting any time now. However, Donghae swiftly turns towards him and kisses him right on the lips. Completely forgetting that the kid is probably watching them, Hyukjae kisses him back with so much love that he fears his heart might burst.

       “Does that mean Hyukjae-hyung is going to be my daddy too now?”

 

 

       

 

       Hyukjae wakes up the next day to a hyperactive kid jumping up and down on him. Donghae is standing in the doorway, stifling his laugh at Hyukjae’s attempt to cover up his ness as much as he can. Jaehyun doesn’t seem to find anything wrong with Hyukjae being in his father’s bed though.

       “Hyung, it’s Christmas! Wake up already!”

       “I’m awake!” Hyukjae groans.

       “Settle, Jaehyun,” Donghae says. “You don’t want to scare Hyukjae off from the first day, do you?”

       Jaehyun pouts, but listens to his father and scurries away into the living room. Donghae looks after his son to make sure that he is not coming back and then makes his way to the bed.

       “Morning,” he says and Hyukjae kisses him sweetly as a reply. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t distract him anymore. He insisted we open the presents with you too.”

       “I’ll be there in a minute,” Hyukjae chuckles.

       Donghae grins at him and latches his arms around his neck. “Thank you so much, Hyukjae! This is the best Christmas we ever had!”

       “You are most welcome, Donghae.”

       Donghae gets up and makes his way towards the door, but stops right before leaving. He comes back to the bed and plants a long kiss on Hyukjae’s cheek.

       “I just wanted to …” he starts stuttering and gives up on the sentence midway. “ … I love you.”

       Hyukjae takes his hand and kisses the back of it softly. “I love you too.”

       When Hyukjae enters the living room, fully dressed and teeth brushed, Jaehyun and Donghae are already unwrapping the presents.

       “I chose these ones and Hyukjae-hyung chose those,” Jaehyun thoroughly explains. “Do you like them, daddy?”

       “I love them, baby!”

       Hyukjae quietly sits on the sofa, not wanting to interrupt this sacred moment and trying to imprint it into his memory forever. Donghae leaves Jaehyun alone on the floor with the presents and joins Hyukjae on the couch.

       “We don’t have a present for you,” he remorsefully says.

       “I don’t need one,” Hyukjae replies. “The two of you are more than you could ever buy me.”

---

My first Christmas fic weee~

Hope it's not too long ...