The 21^th of December

Kyungsoo loves Christmas. He didn't back when he was a kid, the family gatherings and tree decoration were not his element, but now it's the holiday he anticipates the most. Jongin definitely is one of the reasons for that, if not the main one. Because, you see, with Jongin's fidgeting body as he dances his way around the artificial tree, decking it with garlands, and the scent of cinnamon muffins with a dash of lemon in the air, it's not hard for Kyungsoo to believe that heaven must be real.

“Look at this” Jongin beams at his masterpiece, “isn't it beautiful?”

“Indeed” Kyungsoo answers, though he's looking towards his boyfriend more than anything else. Seven years later he still can't fathom how someone like Jongin belongs to him, how they've managed to pull this relationship without crumbling beneath the fragile balance of the former's restlessness and Kyungsoo's calm, collected self. It was summer when they started dating. Hot summer, burnt around the edges and hard to live through, but Jongin is rain and he saved him, sort of, and Kyungsoo didn't reduce to dust. Jongin is the tiny droplets of liquid happiness that falls on the hard dry soil to bring it to life and he brought Kyungsoo back and maybe everything is possible if you try hard enough. That's exactly why Kyungsoo thinks it over all year long, plans and prepares for one single day that lights up every other to come with just the flame of joy that glows in Jongin's eyes each time. A smile and Kyungsoo is set ablaze. A laugh and he'll love Christmas for as long as he lives.

The 22^nd of December

Clouds of crystallized water weigh heavily on Seoul's piece of sky, but despite the bad weather a lot of people are out and about searching for last moment gifts for their beloved ones. To his utter dismay, Kyungsoo is one of those people and weren't it for Sehun, he'd croak his dark fate for the rest of the day (and Sehun's life, probably, cause he would kill the brat earlier than expected from someone like Kyungsoo if he had left him to endure Seoul's obnoxious vigor alone).

“How are you so... humane with Jongin and such a pain in the with all not-Jongins is beyond the capacity of my brain to understand” - Sehun deadpans after one of Kyungsoo's haughtier remarks. They are roaming about COEX cause Kyungsoo needs who-cares-what specifically from Gangnam's biggest mall and it's safe to say that neither of the boys is in a particularly flowery mood. While Kyungsoo is pissed off he forgot a detail of prime importance, Sehun just generally dislikes people. His friends inclusive.

“There are two terribly wrong points in your statement.”

“Enlighten me.”

“I am, in much a literal sense, quite a pain in the with Jongin as well and, frankly, I believe we long ago came to the conclusion you are not one of the nation's brightest kids. Thus Luhan making it to Yonsei and you – unsurprisingly not.”

“Luhan is Chinese, his parents made him study even in his dreams.”

Kyungsoo lifts his head from the neatly written list in his hands to glare at Sehun. “That's ing racist.”

“That's ing true, now go buy your princess wrapping paper for her presents or she'll cry and leave you.”

Kyungsoo thinks he might murder Sehun anyway. At least that will teach him how to treat his elders! And not to snoop in other people's shopping lists, for that matter.

The 23^rd of December

Almost everything is prepared and Kyungsoo feels somehow relieved this year's present turned out so easy to prepare. He always tries to devise some makeshift things that will be useful for Jongin and his painting. He didn't think there was a way to outshine their first Christmas and the present he gave his boyfriend back then (a wonderful set of oils ordered from Sweden), but as their relationship grew stronger and Kyungsoo learned new things about Jongin, the ideas just came one after another, popping up in Kyungsoo's head like soap bubbles.

Kyungsoo opens a bottle of fine Bordeaux '97 and lights the seven candles in the kitchen. It's half past eight and Jongin will come any second from his atelier in Seocho. Tired, covered in paint and dust, he will take a shower and want to sleep, though Kyungsoo has planned a pre-Christmas feast for tonight and Jongin has never been able to say no to Kyungsoo's food and a few glasses of wine.

“Luring me to my death, aren't you?”

“Never.”

They right there on the table. The tablecloth is pushed aside, empty dishes dangerously close to the rim of the table as it rocks slightly with each of skin against skin. Kisses melt down moans of faster and , you're beautiful and it's not long before Kyungsoo sees white and Jongin is writhing beneath him, clawing at his back for release.

Wine tastes like Jongin's lips tonight, deliciously elating.

The 24^th of December

Christmas eve is about being with friends, laughing together at Chanyeol's and exchanging crappy presents they will most probably never use. They don't meet often, hell, Kyungsoo hasn't seen Zi Tao since last year on that day and Wu Fan even longer than that. The two boys came to Korea for a cultural exchange and got along with Kyungsoo and his friends pretty well pretty fast, but then had to go back and find actual jobs, which had put an end to their daily hangouts. Even so it's kind of impossible to imagine this day without them, any of them.

Yet here they are. No Wu Fan, Luhan and Yixing also don't come for some time now. And now Sehun. Like their youth is fading slowly with the friends lost for various reasons or no reasons at all – they just stop calling. China is two hours away by plane. Kakao talk is a few seconds away per phone. Yet none of them have heard of their Chinese mates. Is what their parents used to say when they were kids – that Chinese people are not to be trusted? That they can flee without a word? And how does that justify Sehun? Oh, he suddenly decided to visit Luhan for some time? See how that works, thought we knew the kid, believed we matter to him.

No, no. Let's drink, we're all together, look how many of us are here, cheers! Marry Christmass, the lot of you ers! Let's get hammered so bad we wake up next Christmas!

Kyungsoo and Jongin laugh so much that night, they are too tired to live when they get home. Too drunk also. They fall asleep in an almost perfect synch the moment their heads touch the soft pillows. Who knows, they might actually slumber Christmas away.

The 25^th of December

Christmas exhilaration flows in the air, Kyungsoo is up earlier than he believed possible and already fixing himself and Jongin pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries. It was extremely hard finding those, especially in winter, but Jongin loves them and today Jongin will get everything Jongin loves.

They open up presents right after breakfast with Jongin still in his pajamas. His hair is unkempt and looks like a birds' nest, his eyes are still puffy from half-sleeping on the table, but he is excited nonetheless and jumps around the pack of boxes marked with his name. They are of different size and weight, each covered with a different style of wrapping paper. Jongin opens a medium one to find a couple of tubes with many shades of red pigment. Kyungsoo loves that moment. This is his favorite thing in the whole world – looking at his handsome boyfriend as the latter bursts in yelps of satisfaction and sheer happiness and he hugs him and he kisses him cause I have been needing these for so long how did you know?

The next box is longer than the rest and Jongin finds a dozen of brushes there – all of them in varying sizes, handmade. Jongin is like a pile of fireworks. One booms in the sky after the other, illuminating it all over and Kyungsoo swears he'd do this, all of this for years on end without regret only to be able to witness such defined perfection with his own two eyes.

One of the boxes is small but full with something that looks like gray dust. Like what Jongin is usually covered in when he comes home. He has always liked using alternative methods for his drawings.

“I was a bit late this year. Not all of them are ready yet, but for your birthday maybe--”

A kiss shuts him up. “Sehun has never been more useful, thank you.”

As a kid, Kyungsoo couldn't be the creative one at Christmas. Had to follow his mother's or his brother's instructions. He hated that, being controlled. Why does he love this holiday now? Because Jongin shares it with him, like he shares his bed

his food and

well, his obsessions.

Have a marry Christmas yall! :3