The sound of running feet and the bathroom door flying open made me open my eyes, and I rolled over in bed to feel Kris' empty side with a groggy confusion. I got out of bed slowly and walked over to the bathroom, wincing when I saw Kris kneeling in front of the toilet, vomiting. 
    "Hey, easy there." I murmured, walking over to him and rubbing his lower back. Kris gagged and I grimaced, wishing there was more I could do for him. 
    "Sorry." Kris panted, shaking violently. I filled a glass of water for him and waited until he was finished, pulling him to his feet and helping him drink. 
    "Don't apologize." I said softly, applying a stripe of toothpaste to his toothbrush and holding it out for him. Kris slouched over the sink and brushed his teeth tiredly, washing his mouth out again and sagging against me weakly. 
    "I'm sorry I woke you." Kris whispered. I shook my head, laying him back down in bed and pulling the covers up to his chin.  
    "Don't worry about it. Get some sleep, we have a big night tonight." I said, patting his shoulder gently while Kris his side. 
    I stayed a few more minutes next to him until he fell asleep, before turning and walking to the kitchen. Today was Christmas Eve, and it promised to be eventful. First we had Suho and Yixing's annual party, which started around four and went until ten, and then tonight Kris would mark me. 
    I sighed, smiling a little to myself even as a thrum of anxiety went through me. I started mindlessly doing the dishes from yesterday, looking at the Christmas tree with a smile. There were several wrapped presents under the tree, and a warm fuzzy feeling spread through me as I looked at the messily wrapped packages from Kris. He had no clue how to wrap presents, but he had still tried hard—he even locked me out of the bedroom so I wouldn't peek while he was working. 
    I walked back into the bedroom and set the alarm for 2:00. That would give us enough time to get some sleep and then get ready. I crawled into bed, backing up until I was snug with Kris. His knees fit underneath mine and he wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his nose in the crook of my neck with a painful shudder. 
    "Are you alright to go to the party tonight?" I asked, looking at him distractedly. Kris hummed an affirmative into my neck and I sighed, closing my eyes. 
    I slipped off to sleep, a worried frown still tracing my lips. I was exhausted after being up all night with Kris, giving him pain pills and trying to keep him from throwing up. It hadn't worked very well—obviously—and I wanted to just get to the marking part of the night. Unfortunately, Kris and I lived in society, and society has rules, such as attending your best friend's Christmas party. Therefore, we had to wait. 
    When the alarm woke me up, I groaned and turned it off grudgingly. I rubbed my eyes and sighed, tapping Kris' shoulder. He didn't move and I sighed, getting out of bed and shaking him as gently as possible. 
    "Time to get ready." I said. Kris moaned and I pulled him up, draping my arm around his waist to keep him upright. 
    "Are you okay?" I asked, half-dragging Kris into the bathroom. I sat him down on the closed toilet lid and started the shower, handing him another full glass of water.  
    "I'm fine." Kris panted, giving me a forced smile. He chugged the water and rolled his shoulders out, a fine sheen of sweat coating his face. 
    "Alright, come on." I pulled off my sweatpants and stepped into the shower, reaching back to help Kris inside. 
    I kept my hands on Kris' biceps, holding him still and leaning him against the wall. Kris relaxed back and closed his eyes, humming appreciatively when I lathered shampoo through his hair. I dropped my hands down and massaged the tense muscles of the back of his neck, watching the stressed crease between his eyes disappear. 
    After shampoo, I worked conditioner through his hair until it was silky soft and rinsed it out. Kris bent down so I could wash his face and I kissed the tip of his nose when I was done. After washing my own hair, I scrubbed Kris' body and wrapped him in a towel, drying him off. 
    "Just...stay." I mumbled, setting him back on the toilet seat and ducking back into the shower to wash off.
    "Where would I go?" Kris asked, a small smile tugging at his face. I rinsed off and wrapped myself in a towel, stepping out onto the shower mat. 
    "Okay, let's go! Get dressed." I said, pulling Kris up and smiling at him. I grabbed the red sweater and black jeans Kris had picked out yesterday, and handed them to him. 
    I ducked back into the bathroom to shave and fix my hair, using eyeliner to make my eyes show up. Walking back into the bedroom, I pulled a matching sweater over my head and tugged on white skinny jeans. Kris was asleep on the bed with his sweater next to him and his pants half on. 
    "Kris." I poked his leg and blew on his face. "Kris, if you're too tired, we can skip this party."
    "I'm up!" Kris mumbled, sitting up and looking around. I sighed and chuckled a little, pulling his pants all the way up and helping him into the sweater. 
    "Come on, let's do your hair." I said, sitting him on the edge of the bed and arranging his silver hair in shaggy pieces. 
    "Haha, you look like you're from an anime." I laughed, sweeping his long bangs to the side. Kris laughed quietly, reaching out to his bedside table and pulling out the drawer suddenly. 
    "I was gonna wait until later tonight, but here." Kris smiled, handing me a small box. I gave him a shy smile and opened the box, sighing when I looked inside. 
    "Kris..." I smiled, pulling out the intricate silver earring and looking at it closely. It was a tiny dragon, and Kris showed me the matching dragon in his right ear. 
    "I saw this and I thought you could wear one, and I could wear the other." Kris smiled shyly. I kissed him and put the earring in my left ear, touching it absentmindedly. 
    "That is so unbelievably sweet." I smiled. Kris made a face and I laughed, kissing his forehead. 
    "Are you ready to go?" Kris asked. I nodded, grabbing my jacket and walking out to the kitchen with him. 
    Kris slid on his shoes and I grabbed the covered casserole from the counter, following Kris outside. He slid his hand in my back pocket and smiled, walking down the street with me. We finished the short walk to Yixing and Suho's house in an easy silence, Kris' mouth falling open quite comically looking at Suho's house. 
    It was just small enough to not be called a mansion, but it was magnificent. There was a wrought iron fence around the house, I punched in the key code and motioned Kris forward. We walked up the short path and Kris opened the door for me, sliding his shoes off. 
    "Suho! Yixing! We're here!" I called, a burst of warmth and laughter hitting me like a wave from the open door. Four giant mastiffs came running towards us, their nails clicking on the tile as their barking echoed through the hallway. 
    "Hey, there are my big boys!" I cried, patting them with my free hand and balancing the casserole with my free hand. 
    "Bruno, Baron, Boomer, Baxter! Leave them alone." Yixing called, walking into the hallway with a smile. The dogs all trotted over to him and teemed around his legs, almost knocking him over.  
    "Hey, Yixing." I smiled, giving him a one-armed hug and Kris followed. "Where do you want the casserole?" 
    "I'll take it to the kitchen." Yixing smiled, grabbing the food and gesturing for us to follow him. Kris had his arm settled comfortably around my waist and we reached the giant living room together. 
    "Taozi! Kris! What's up?" Luhan called, standing by the fireplace with a glass of wine. I waved and followed Yixing to the kitchen, wanting to see if I could help with anything. Kris stayed behind to talk with the people there. 
    "Who all came this year?" I asked, helping Yixing check the mashed potatoes and the casseroles warming in the oven. 
    "Uh...ask Suho. I forgot." Yixing muttered distractedly, waving towards Suho in the living room. 
    "Alright." I smiled, walking back towards the living room with Bruno trailing after me. I ran my fingers through his thick coat of fur, smiling when he leaned against my legs. 
    "Where's Kris?" I asked, walking up to Luhan and looking worriedly around the Kris-free room. 
    "He's playing with Emma and Rose." Luhan said, making Suho look over and smile at me. I frowned, still looking around for Kris. 
    "Who?" I asked. Suho stepped in to explain, and pulled me down a hallway to the game room. 
    "I invited my friends Myungsoo and Sungyeol. They adopted two little girls, and the girls are both in love with Kris." Suho smiled. 
    "Are they in here?" I asked, pointing to the game room door. Suho nodded and I walked inside, stopping in the doorway and feeling my heart melt when I saw Kris sitting on the floor cradling a baby in his arms. 
    He smiled tenderly down at the baby girl, reaching out one large hand to pull the blanket down around her chin. She cooed, reaching one tiny hand up to him and Kris offered his finger for her to grab. A s