"Hey, Taozi, are you ready for tomorrow?" I looked over at Yixing in surprise, taking another bite from my sandwich. We were relaxing in a corner of the kitchen, enjoying our end of the day snack break, and I frowned. 
    "What's tomorrow?" I asked. Yixing laughed and rolled his eyes, reaching out to smack my forehead gently. 
    "And I thought I was the forgetful one. We're leaving on our annual trip tomorrow!" Yixing smiled. 
    "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot!" I exclaimed, shaking my head. I had been looking forward to this trip all year.
    About two weeks before Christmas, Suho took Yixing, Luhan, and I on a trip to Santa Cruz. The little coastal town was my favorite place to visit, despite the three hour drive it took to get there. We lived in a small Asian community near Sacramento, California, and it was nice to take a break around the holidays. Luhan always took Xiumin, and Suho and Yixing had fun snuggling in their own private room. 
    In fact, Yixing and Suho's relationship had gotten Luhan and I our jobs in the first place. Suho ran the restaurant more as a hobby than a living—his family was loaded—and Yixing had gone to school with Luhan and I. When Yixing and Suho fell in love, Yixing made sure Luhan and I got to work at the restaurant too. Luhan and I really liked Suho too, and we counted him just as close to us as Yixing was. 
    "Earth to Tao!" Yixing's voice snapped me back out of my thoughts, and I gave him a blank look. 
    "What?" I mumbled. A quiet chuckle from Kris around my neck tickled me and I poked him subtly. 
    "I asked if you wanted to bring Kris tomorrow. I talked it over with Suho last night, and he said it was a great idea." Yixing smiled at me.
    "Kris would love to come!" I said excitedly, feeling an answering hum from Kris around my neck. "Thanks, Yixing!"
    "Don't you have to check his schedule first?" Yixing asked. 
    "Oh, I have a feeling he'll be free." I smiled. I started packing up my trash, dumping it in the waste basket and waving to Luhan. He plunked himself tiredly in the seat next to Yixing, unwrapping his food quickly. 
    "I'll go make sure everything's tidy." I smiled, going over to check that all the dishes were put away. When I was done, I ran a cloth over the counter one last time and sat down with Luhan and Yixing. 
    "Hey, is that a new necklace?" Luhan asked, staring at the dragon around my neck. 
    "Yeah...Kris gave him to me for my birthday." I lied quickly, running my thumb gently over Kris' head. 
    "Let me see!" Luhan said excitedly, holding out his hand. I unwound Kris from my neck regretfully, placing him in Luhan's palm as gently as possible. 
    "Please be careful with it." I said, biting my lip worriedly as Luhan inspected Kris carefully. He ran his finger over the scales of Kris' back and Kris shivered slightly, making me bite my lip harder. 
    "It's really pretty." Luhan smiled, handing Kris back. I wound him around my neck quickly, but not before Luhan saw my neck and whistled. 
    "Looks like you and Kris had some fun last night." Luhan teased, raising his eyebrows and nudging Yixing. I clamped my hand over my neck quickly and blushed, turning and swishing out of the room as fast as I could. 
    "See you tomorrow!" I called, grabbing my coat and waiting while Kris shifted back to human form in the back room. 
    "This trip sounds like fun." Kris said, smiling at me and nodding. 
    "Trust me, it's a blast."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "91 bottles of beer on the wall! Take one down, pass it around, 90 bottles of beer on the wall!" I covered my ears, cringing as Luhan launched into yet another round of singing. 
    "For the sake of all things holy, somebody shut him up!" Suho yelled from the driver's seat. 
    "89 bottles of beer on the wall! Take one down, pass it around, 88 bottles of beer on the wall!" Luhan screeched happily. 
    "Suho, are we there yet?" Xiumin called, looking at Luhan with slightly scared eyes. I groaned and Kris chuckled next to me, his arm curled around my shoulders. 
    We were sitting in the van Suho had rented, with Suho dutifully driving us along at about five miles an hour. Suho and Yixing were in the front two seats, Luhan and Xiumin were in the middle section, and Kris and I were in the back. 
    "Could you drive a little faster, grandma?" I called up, making Suho go even slower to mock me. 
    "87 bottles of beer on the wall!" 
    "Luhan, shut up!" I exclaimed. Luhan turned around and stuck his tongue out before continuing.    
    "Yixing, can you do something about this?!" I yelled. A loud snore was my only answer and I threw my hands up in frustration. 
    "85 bottles of beer on the wall! Take one down, pass it—"
    "Luhan, if you don't shut up right now, I'll climb back there and throw you out the window myself!" Suho called, striving for some peace and quiet. 
    "—around, 84 bottles of beer on the wall!" Luhan finished proudly. I groaned, clamping my hands firmly around my ears, and Kris dug around in his pocket.
    "Here." Kris smiled, pulling out an iPod and a pair of earbuds. He plugged in the earbuds and held one out to me. I smiled and put it in my ear gratefully, Kris taking the other and turning up the music. 
    We drowned Luhan out with the music and before long I pulled out a book, holding it between us so we could both read. Kris smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, shifting so my head was on his shoulder and a blanket covered our laps. I moved so my knees were draped over Kris' lap, my arms around his waist, and I soon fell asleep. 

    "Wake up, we're here." Kris shook me gently and I opened my eyes slowly, stretching as I looked around. We had pulled up in front of a beautiful hotel and Kris opened the door for me, helping me step out.     
    "Alright, everybody move!" Suho called, waving us all forward and shoving our luggage towards us. Kris took mine and I smiled, twining my fingers through his gently. 
    We all walked towards the front desk, Suho talking quietly with the woman there while we all fidgeted in front of the giant fireplace. 
    "Okay, Tao, Kris, you're in 229. Luhan, Xiumin, you're 230." Suho smiled, handing us our room keys and shoving us towards the elevators. 
    "Go unpack and get comfortable, we'll leave for dinner in about twenty minutes, okay?" Suho smiled, walking off towards 231 holding Yixing's hand and wheeling his suit case behind himself dutifully.
    "Come on, Taozi." Kris murmured in my ear, tugging me after them. I nodded, sliding the room key in front of the sensor on the door and opening it carefully. 
    I stepped back so Kris could carry the bag in first, then followed with wide eyes. The room was giant, richly decorated with hues of blue and silver. There were two sections, one with a couch, desk, and tv; and one with a fireplace, closet, and massive king bed. I jumped forward with an excited squeal, landing on the king bed with an 'oomph'.
    "This is really nice." Kris smiled, looking around the room appreciatively. He set my suitcase down and sat next to me on the bed, looking at the fireplace with wide eyes. 
    "He got us a junior suite." I said breathlessly, eyeing the flat screen tv mounted above the fireplace. "He shouldn't have."
    Every single time we came on this trip, Suho always tried to convince me to let him get me a suite. And every single time, I said no. The amount of money was ridiculous, and I didn't need all this room. But now that he had gotten me one...I really liked it. 
    I got off the bed, walking over to the door to the bathroom and opening it quickly. There was a massive sunken bath tub with jets and I smiled, picturing how nice that was going to feel later. The shower was giant and had two different shower heads, with lots of fancy knobs and buttons. I sighed and walked back out to the 'living room' area, dropping down on the couch contentedly. 
    "Happy?" Kris asked, watching me from the bed with heavy-lidded eyes. I nodded, smiling at him, and he smiled back. 
    I stood up, walking over to my suitcase and ping it quickly. I had thrown in some extra clothes for Kris to wear, but I was planning on buying him a new wardrobe tomorrow. For now, I held out a pair of black jeans and a black v-neck. Kris changed into them obediently and I put on some black leather pants and a grey knit sweater. A long black coat kept me warm and I wound a black scarf loosely around my neck, watching as Kris selected a black leather jacket and beanie for himself. 
    "Ready to go?" I asked, smiling at him. Kris nodded, twining his hand through mine and tugging me forward. We met Suho and Luhan in the lobby, waiting as Yixing and Xiumin came walking in a little later. 
    "Into the Mom Mobile!" Luhan called teasingly, pointing to Suho's van. Suho lunged for him and Luhan squeaked, running to the safety of the van quickly.  
    We all piled inside, Kris buckling my seatbelt for me quickly. His hand reached out and his fingers threaded through mine, resting on my thigh with a comforting weight. I leaned against his shoulder and sighed, watching his dark eyes scan the evening sky outside the window. There was a light rain beginning to fall, and the shadows of the raindrops on the windows looked like tears on his face. I reached out absentmindedly to brush my fingers over his cheeks, making Kris turn and give me a small smile. 
    "What are you doing?" Kris asked, his amused eyes looking at me tenderly. I shrugged, smiling as a soft blush colored my cheeks. 
    "Don't know." I admitted. Kris chuckled softly, squeezing me tighter to him and looking back out the window. 
    "Hey, are you okay?" I asked, sitting up a little. "You've been really quiet."
    "I'm fine, Taozi." Kris reassured, kissing my forehead before his eyes flitted back out the window. I shrugged a little and nodded, resting against him. 
    I sat up more when we reached downtown Santa Cruz, pointing out the window at the Christmas lights that had been wound through the trees along the street. The shops all glittered and I smiled,