Hi guys!

It's Christmas again and this time I decided to come back with some sort of sequel to this story :)
It's not really a sequel though, but more like some drabbles where we can follow Donghae and Hyukjae's Christmas Eves through the years. I made 10 of them to celebrate Suju's 10th anniversary :)
The first drabble takes place on their first Christmas together ( = the night Hyukjae gives homeless Donghae a shelter and takes him home)

Cold hands, warm heart (bonus)

1.  

Donghae feels good. He hasn't felt this good in ages. His tummy is full with delicious food and he feels comfy and warm, all snuggled up in the large sweater Hyukjae gave him earlier.
Hyukjae's friends are chatting and laughing happily around him. He had been a little scared they wouldn't like him, but it turns out they are very friendly, smiling to him and telling him stories about their time back in college together. They all seem to enjoy the nostalgia those stories bring back. Donghae likes them too, because he learns a lot of things about Hyukjae and it makes him happy.
He doesn't speak much, but he doesn't feel excluded or ignored. Everyone's nice to him and make sure to include him into their conversations. It's great. He missed this kind of friendly and relaxed atmosphere. He hasn't many social contacts anymore. Being homeless and straying in the streets for all those months made him lonelier than he had realized.

Hyukjae stays by his side the whole time, making sure he gets lots of food to eat and that his friends don't start teasing him. Kyuhyun seems particularly good at it. Heechul is playful too, but he seems to be already very fond of Donghae and he's taken him under his wing.
Hyukjae is the one who makes Donghae the happiest.
He smiles to Donghae all the time, with the sweetest and most genuine grin Donghae has ever seen in his life, and the homeless boy feels drawn a bit more to the man every time he flashes him those cute gummy smiles.

Donghae spends the evening following Hyukjae around, wherever the man goes. He can't help it, he's always been the clingy type and he feels safe around Hyukjae. Not only because Hyukjae took him in, fed him, gave him clothes and a shelter for the night, but also because he gave him warmth and showered him with his kindness.
On top of that, Hyukjae seems genuinely happy to have him around. Whenever Donghae follows him everywhere like a puppy, Hyukjae smiles shyly and bites down on his lower lip, in a vain attempt to conceal his happy grin. Hyukjae likes it, obviously, to have Donghae being clingy and reaching out for him, to have Donghae blushing and smiling back at him coyly, and the man can hardly hide it.

Time goes by pleasantly and they eventually stop eating. They keep chatting though, as they all gather around the fire place with a drink. Donghae sits next to Hyukjae and feels with delight the man wrap an arm around his shoulders. It makes his heart pump a little harder in his chest, and his cheeks warms up.
Heechul and Kyuhyun are still very excited and loud despite having stuffed themselves with food, and they're debating energetically about some movie they saw last week. Meanwhile, Ryeowook laughs at their silly bickering and Hyukjae smiles softly.

Donghae hesitates for a long time, feeling shy and unsure, before he eventually indulges and leans against Hyukjae. His head tentatively comes to rest on the man's shoulder. Hyukjae immediately adjusts himself to make Donghae comfortable, and it makes them both smile and blush a little.

As the others keep chatting, Donghae slowly starts to fight to keep his eyes open. He is a little tired now, drained out by all the feels and overwhelm he has been through these past few hours, and the cosy atmosphere around him is lulling him to sleep. He tries to fight the drowsiness but his lids get heavier and heavier.

"Hey, it's okay. Sleep, Hae", Hyukjae's soft voice whispers next to his ear, smooth and soothing. "I've got you."

Donghae nods and quietly nuzzles Hyukjae's shoulder, finally letting his walls down and allowing himself to relax completely. For the first time in years, he falls asleep peacefully.

2.

Donghae nibbles at his lower lip as he stares intently at the cake cooking in the oven. It's cooking fast and he really doesn't want to burn it. It's the first time he tries to bake a chocolate cake and it makes him a little nervous. The cake still needs about a couple minutes in the oven, but it already smells good in the kitchen and Donghae's tummy growls in anticipation, even though he won't be eating the cake just yet. It's meant for the Christmas gathering, later in the evening.

A full year has passed since Hyukjae helped him out of the streets and brought him back to his place. Christmas Eve is here again, it's the second Christmas he's spending with Hyukjae, and it makes Donghae terribly excited.
Christmas used to make him so sad and lonely, he thinks, but now it feels like a blessing. No more night spent alone in the cold streets, crying his heart out in sorrow and pain. He has a wonderful boyfriend now, who showers him with love and affection, who makes sure Donghae feels warm and happy every day. He has a place he can call home too, now that they live together in Hyukjae's big condo. They've been living together for about 11 months now. Hyukjae had begged him to move in with him and Donghae had eagerly accepted, even though they were still in the very early stages of their relationship. Hyukjae didn't want Donghae out in the streets and Donghae wanted to spend as much time with Hyukjae as he could.

People had been suspicious and distrustful of their relationship at the beginning. They told Hyukjae they were going too fast, moving in together too early and rushing things. They also told Hyukjae to be careful, not to trust Donghae too easily. They said Donghae was using him to get out of his poor condition, and that the boy was only lurking after Hyukjae's wealth.
It had made Donghae cry countless times, and even pushed him to almost leave once, but Hyukjae had been there to soothe the pain. He had held Donghae in his arms, embraced him tightly and whispered sweet, soothing words to his ear. He had repeated countless times how much he wanted Donghae with him, and that they had to ignore the others, that they would prove them how wrong they were. He had begged Donghae to stay, and Donghae had felt wanted.
Now, he doesn't care about what others say about them anymore. Most of them have stopped gossiping and accepted the situation, especially after Donghae became Heechul's apprentice in a hairdressing salon and now earns his own money.

Donghae glances at the clock hanging on the kitchen's wall. It's past 4pm and Hyukjae is about to come back any time soon. Donghae has got his free day today, since Heechul closed the salon for the holidays, but Hyukjae had to go to work. He managed to negotiate to leave the office early though, so that he could come home around 4pm and get ready for the evening.

They are spending Christmas Eve at Siwon's place this time. The man's apartment is bigger and more convenient for their gathering. Everyone will be bringing something to eat or to drink and Donghae was put in charge of bringing dessert.
Donghae loves Hyukjae's friends, who always supported them and treated Donghae fairly and respectfully. He really tries to bake the cake well for them. He wants to please them and he wants to thank them, for everything they did for him and for welcoming him.

Donghae blinks and leans forward, observing the cake inside the oven. It smells good and it's almost ready now. He smiles and fidgets impatiently. He still has to let it cool down an hour before he can put the frosting on the top.

The front door suddenly opens and Donghae's grin widens.

"Baby, I'm home!" Hyukjae calls from the hallway.

Choco and Yuki, who were sleeping quietly on the couch, wake up from their nap. Happy barks and tiny paws tapping the floor echo through the flat as they rush to the front door to welcome Hyukjae. Donghae does the same and quickly leaves the kitchen to welcome his lover.

Hyukjae has taken off his coat and pulled off his shoes, and he's petting the two little dogs at his feet, when Donghae reaches him. The man straightens up and beams at Donghae, opening his arms to catch his lover when Donghae throws himself at him.

Hyukjae chuckles as he wraps his strong arms around Donghae's waist. "Hey baby", he softly says and nuzzles Donghae's cheek.

Donghae grins and leans down to capture Hyukjae's lips in a gentle, tender kiss. Hyukjae hums with satisfaction and kisses back, nipping at Donghae's mouth lovingly. Donghae sighs happily as they share their first kiss of the day, since Hyukjae was already gone when Donghae woke up.
Hyukjae pecks Donghae's lips a few times, as if he can't stop tasting his lover's mouth, before he eventually pulls off and kisses Donghae on the cheek.

"How was your day?"

"Good", Donghae smiles, feeling all the pleasant tingles in his belly once more. He can hardly believe Hyukjae makes him feel this way every day. "I slept a lot, woke up at noon."

"Good, you needed it", Hyukjae grins. "We won't sleep much tonight and I'm already so tired", he laughs. "At least one of us will be able to stay awake."

Donghae chuckles. "Take a nap", he says.

But Hyukjae shakes his head. "Can't. We need to get ready. It's already 4pm and we have to leave in two hours."

Donghae nods and gently brushes some strands of hair out of Hyukjae's eyes. His lover's hair has grown too long again and he'll need to cut it shorter. It such a shame, Donghae thinks, because he really likes it when Hyukjae's hair is like this. He looks hot.

"I bought a Christmas yule log to go with your cake", Hyukjae goes on, pointing at a small box on the keys' counter. "Kyuhyun called and there'll be more guests than planned. He said he invited one of his work colleague, a certain Kim Jongmoon, or Jongwoon, I can't remember... Anyway, Kyu said he wants to introduce him to Ryeowook or something. I think Wookie is old enough to get himself a boyfriend, but well, whatever... Oh, and Sungmin said he's coming with his wife."

"That's sweet", Donghae grins. But then his heart misses a beat and his smile fades. "The cake!" he squeaks and rushes out of Hyukjae's arms and back in the kitchen.

It doesn't smell good anymore, but like something's burnt. Donghae quickly takes the cake out of the oven and feels a lump down his throat as he looks at it miserably. The cake is charred, completely ruined. There's no way they can eat that tonight.

Hyukjae comes to stand next to him and grimaces. ", it burnt... We still have the other cake though."

Donghae's eyes start to burn as he tears up. His chin trembles. His chest hurts as his heart pounds.

"Hey, hey", Hyukjae grabs the cake and puts it aside, before he hugs Donghae tenderly. "Please, don't cry... It's okay, you can bake one for tomorrow instead, okay? ...I'm sorry, this happened because I distracted you..."

"I wasted food", Donghae gasps and the tears start running down his face.

Hyukjae kisses the tears away and softly comforts him, telling him it's okay, it happens. But Donghae hasn't forgotten yet how precious food is, and how he struggled for several years to have anything to eat, and he feels awfully upset as he watches the cake he'll have to throw away.

"Baby", Hyukjae smoothly says and cups his face, forcing to look away from the cake and at him instead. He presses a gentle kiss on Donghae's lips. "Don't be sad about it. You didn't do it on purpose, you're always careful not to spoil food."

"I... I'll eat it", Donghae nearly sobs.

"No you won't", Hyukjae shakes his head.

"I can't just throw it out..."

"Yes you can. I'll do it if I must. I'm not letting you eat this, it would hurt your stomach and make you sick."

Donghae pouts and Hyukjae kisses him again. "C'mon", he says as he drags Donghae out of the kitchen. "I'll clean that up while you shower. We need to get ready, right? Don't think about it anymore. We have another cake to bring, and I'm sure Siwon has some more in his fridge, so we definitely won't starve."

Donghae silently nods and let his lover push him toward the bathroom. Hyukjae's hands on his back, caressing him and soothing the tension of his muscles, make him feel better already. Hyukjae is always so patient with him, even when Donghae gets upset over things like this. It'll take time before he gets over his life in the streets, before his instinct to survive stops being so sharp, he knows it. Some scars may never leave. But when he's hurt, Hyukjae is always there to soothe the pain, and Donghae is able to heal little by little.

3.

The following year, Donghae makes sure not to burn and waste any food. This time, they're not spending Christmas with Hyukjae's friends, like they did before. Hyukjae's parents have invited them over and Donghae is so nervous he feels like he could faint at any time.

He had his reasons to be nervous. Meeting your partner's parents for the first time is always nerve-wracking, but it's even more frightening when Hyukjae's parents refused to meet him until now. They didn't trust him, like many did, and they told Hyukjae that Donghae was only taking advantage of him. Hyukjae had been arguing with them about it for months, until Hyukjae's mother called and invited them for diner.
Hyukjae first wanted to refuse, still upset and mad about the things his parents had said, but Donghae had convinced him to accept the invitation. He knew Hyukjae loved his family and missed them. He didn't want to be the one to separate them. And it was the best occasion to prove them how much he loved Hyukjae.

He had expected to get the cold treatment, but much to his surprise the meeting went well. Of course, they had been somewhat awkward around each other, but that happens when you meet a complete stranger. Yet, no glare, no nasty words have been thrown at him so far and he's glad about it. Hyukjae's mother even complimented him on his soon-to-come graduation, which made Donghae blush and stutter a shy thank you.

Right now, he's very nervous though, because Hyukjae went to use the bathroom and he sits alone in the dining room with Hyukjae's parents and his sister, Sora. He bites down on his lip and prays for Hyukjae to come back quickly. The atmosphere is tense and awkward, and he feels incredibly uncomfortable.

"We have to apologize, Donghae", Hyukjae's father suddenly says, breaking the silence in the room. "We've misjudged you and treated you poorly..."

Donghae barely manages to hold the man's stare as his heart jumps against his ribcage. "I-It's okay... I know my previous... situation... and how Hyukjae took me in, huh, are... unusual..."

"It's not okay", Hyukjae's mother shakes her head. "We shouldn't have been arguing about it. We can see now how wrong we were about you. You're so lovely, Donghae, I feel so bad for ever thinking those things about you..."

"I told you Hyukjae was serious about this relationship", Sora mumbles, but there's a small smile on her lips. She has always supported Hyukjae and tried to make their parents see reason about Donghae. "Now that you've seen how they act around each other, you can't honestly say they're not genuinely in love!"

Hyukjae's mother nods fervently, while Hyukjae's father looks down at his plate for a second, as if embarrassed.

"We'd like to apologize, you know", the man says and looks back at Donghae with gentle eyes. For a second, Donghae sees where Hyukjae got those eyes from. "And we hope you can forgive us, someday..."

"Of course I do", Donghae quickly says and finally manages to offer them a real smile. "Of course I forgive you. You wanted to protect Hyukjae, and I could never blame you for that."

They all smile to him and the tension completely fades. Hyukjae's mother stands up and walks around the room to come and reach out for Donghae. T