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***
When Hyunjin wakes up, he’s very aware of two things - one, he’s got a big, beefy body draped over him, his arm trapped under someone’s impressive pecs, and two, there’s a mass of fur right up next to his face.
Hyunjin manages to extract his arm from under the beefy body in question - a quick glance at the head of messy hair buried in the pillow tells him it’s Changbin - and then he scoops up the ball of fur, pressing a kiss to the fluffy head.
Bbama yips, not loudly enough to wake up Changbin, and Hyunjin cradles the puppy closer, inhaling his scent. Bbama is only a few months old, still a baby, and while he absolutely adores Jisung and spends most of his time trailing after the other man, he’s also taken a shine to Hyunjin, often seeking him out when Jisung’s not around.
“Are you excited about today, Bbama?” Hyunjin asks, clambering out of bed after pressing a quick kiss to Changbin’s cheek, “it’s Christmas.”
Bbama just snuffles into Hyunjin’s neck, and Hyunjin coos at him as he attempts to wrangle himself into his dressing gown one-handed, switching the puppy to his other arm so that he can get it on properly.
It’s still relatively early, just past nine in the morning, but Hyunjin’s already looking forward to what the day holds. He loves Christmas, and he loves spending it with his husbands, the eight of them tangled up together in this home they’ve made for themselves in the countryside.
He ambles downstairs, setting Bbama down in the living room so that the puppy can amble over excitedly to Berry, who welcomes him with the grace of a fond grandmother. Hyunjin snaps a picture of them, and then he wanders over to the kitchen, following the smell of sugar and butter to where Felix and Minho are already getting a start on the cooking for the day, Felix carefully cutting out cookies from rolled-out dough while Minho wrestles with an impressively large turkey, slathering the bird in butter.
“Merry Christmas!” Hyunjin chirps, and Felix beams at him, leaning up to kiss Hyunjin on the cheek.
“Merry Christmas, Jinnie,” he greets, earning himself a kiss on the forehead, and Hyunjin slithers over to Minho, making use of his height to smack a kiss to the top of his head and peer at what he’s doing.
“Merry Christmas, hyung,” Hyunjin says, draping himself against Minho’s back.
Minho pokes him with his elbow.
“Get off me, you overgrown ferret,” Minho answers, but there’s the hint of a smile to his voice, and Hyunjin just cuddles closer.
It’s a testament to how generous Minho is feeling, that he lets Hyunjin cling to him like the overgrown ferret he’s been accused of being without any further complaint, and Hyunjin reluctantly lets go when Minho has to go wash his hands, choosing to stare at the cookies Felix is working on. There’s a freshly-baked batch on the counter cooling off, and they smell delicious, buttery and sweet.
“You can have one, Jinnie,” he says, smiling, “I’m planning on having us decorate them later in the afternoon, but a little snack here won’t do any harm.”
Hyunjin gasps.
“We’re decorating cookies?”
“You said you thought it’d be fun,” Minho calls, from where he’s moved on to poking at the oven, “I figured it’d be better than watching Home Alone for the sixth year running.”
“ Home Alone is a good movie,” Hyunjin whines, and Felix laughs, bright and brilliant.
“We can do both,” he reassures, and the slight tilt of Minho’s lips shows that he doesn’t mind the idea at all.
***
Hyunjin fixes himself a quick breakfast, just some toast and jam and a cookie from the pile Felix is amassing on the kitchen counter, and then he wanders through the house in search of his other husbands. Changbin is asleep still, when he checks in on him, Soonie having apparently settled into the spot Hyunjin used to occupy, and so is Jisung, curled up in Jeongin’s lap in the other bedroom while the younger man cards his fingers through his hair and watches something on TV.
“Hi hyung,” Jeongin greets, when he spots Hyunjin, “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Jeongin-ah,” Hyunjin returns, stepping into the room, and Jeongin lets him tip his head up for a kiss, something sweet and lingering.
There’s a rustling noise, and Jisung blinks at the sight before him.
“I want kisses too,” he manages to croak out, voice still raspy with sleep. He’s adorable, really, messy hair and wide eyes, and so Hyunjin leans in to give him a kiss of his own, just as sweet and tender.
Jisung turns his puppy-dog eyes to Jeongin next, fluttering his lashes, and the youngest of them rolls his eyes.
“Fine, hyung,” he grumbles, “Merry Christmas.”
Hyunjin loves kisses, whether he’s getting them or seeing his husbands exchange them, and Jeongin and Jisung have always made an attractive sight, especially with how Jisung always seems to melt into Jeongin’s arms, leaning into the kiss like a hungry man, with how Jeongin presses into Jisung, taking control despite being the younger one between them. .
Hyunjin’s very aware of the fact that he’s getting a little turned on by what he’s seeing, and Jeongin notices it when he pulls away, letting Jisung cuddle into his side.
“See something you like?” he asks, and Hyunjin pouts at him, especially when Jeongin tugs him closer by the sleeves of his dressing gown, gaze heavy on where he’s tenting the fabric.
“Innie,” Hyunjin whines, “you know I do.”
Jisung snickers, shifting so that he can sit up properly.
“We can do something about it,” he suggests, and the suggestive tone of his voice sparks arousal in Hyunjin’s blood, “yeah?”
Jeongin’s gaze is dark, eyes lidded, and Jisung’s smirking at him, hungry and eager, one hand coming up to rest over where Hyunjin’s robe is knotted at his waist.
Hyunjin swallows.
“Yeah.”
***
Hyunjin is a little rumpled when he finally makes it down for lunch, having dozed off after his round with Jisung and Jeongin, and he swats at Seungmin when the other man smirks at him.
“Sounds like you had fun,” he teases, even as he ladles out a bowl of kimchi stew for Hyunjin, and Hyunjin turns his pout on Seungmin.
“You have to be nice to me, Minnie,” he says, "it’s Christmas.”
Seungmin just laughs, scooping out rice for Hyunjin. There are several side dishes already laid out, and while Hyunjin is feeling a little petty at Seungmin’s teasing, it fades away when his husband kisses him on the cheek, setting the food in front of him.
“Of course, Jinnie. Merry Christmas.”
Seungmin steps into the kitchen for a moment, and when he returns Hyunjin’s face lights up.
“Steamed eggs?” he asks, and Seungmin smiles, winking at him.
“I made this especially for you,” he says, like it’s a secret, and Hyunjin barely keeps himself from squealing happily, opting instead to tuck into his meal, savouring the warm eggs and the flavourful side dishes and the kimchi stew, the broth thick and warming.
“Delicious as always,” he tells Seungmin, grinning, and Seungmin ducks his head, a little bashful.
It’s a little tradition they’ve had, ever since they started celebrating Christmas together. They always have a giant feast for dinner on Christmas Day, the table laden with turkey and potatoes and pudding and all manner of other rich, decadent food,, and so lunch is usually a simple affair, often Korean cuisine to balance out the Western flavours at dinnertime. Minho used to cook both meals, but in recent years Seungmin has stepped in to alleviate some of the older man’s burden, taking it upon himself to put lunch together so that Minho can focus his energy on dinner.
It’s a sweet gesture, and Seungmin’s cooking is much like the man himself, clean and neat and comforting.
“Have you seen Channie-hyung?” Hyunjin asks, because he hasn’t seen the eldest of their little polycule all morning, and Seungmin nods.
“He’s having a shower - he took Kkami and Dori out for a hike this morning. Minho-hyung made him bathe them both when he got home, and I think we’re all aware how that went down.”
Hyunjin laughs at the mental image. Neither Kkami nor Dori are particularly happy about having baths, especially if they’ve just been allowed to go on a little adventure, and Chan is especially soft-hearted when it comes to the furry creatures that share their home with them.
“Well, hopefully we’ll all be dry and clean in time for the festivities,” Hyunjin quips, fishing a piece of pork out of his soup, and Seungmin laughs.
***
Hyunjin finally sees Chan and Changbin in the middle of the afternoon, when Felix summons everyone into the dining room for his cookie decorating session, and he receives his Christmas greetings from them, Chan kissing him on the cheek while Changbin drapes himself against Hyunjin’s lanky frame, burying his face in his neck.
”Hyunjinnie,” Changbin whines, like the baby he is, “how could you leave hyung to wake up alone?”
“You had Soonie with you,” Hyunjin answers, even as he lets Changbin curl around him, big beefy arms encircling his waist, “don’t be pouty, hyung, I’m here now.”
Chan laughs at them, gentle and fond, and Hyunjin holds out his hand for the older man to take, pulling him in close and into the hug. They stand entangled, staring at Felix laying out cookies and pots of coloured icing on the table, alongside sprinkles and edible glitter and all sorts of other decorative treats, and the man beams at them, cheerful and bright.
“Come on guys,” he calls, “let’s get decorating!”
It’s a little bit of a circus, as it always is when the eight of them get together in the same place, an absolute riot of noise and excitement. Minho’s been dragged out of the kitchen, despite his protests that he has too much to get done before dinner, and he retaliates by decorating seven cookies with his “jureumi” character, each one in a different colour of icing. He names one for each of his husbands, posting the pictures to Instagram before anyone can stop him, and Hyunjin rues the remarks from their friends that pop up in the comments section.
Jisung has somehow managed to turn his cookies into opulent messes, icing dripping from the sides and the surface of each one absolutely slathered in glitter and sprinkles, while Seungmin is methodical as always, painstakingly filling out the Christmas tree cookie he has in front of him, piping white icing over the green as some kind of tinsel.
Jeongin’s keeping it simple, just basic icing decorations and sprinkles, and Chan’s doing something similar, giving each cookie - be it a Christmas tree, a snowman, or a gingerbread man - little smiley faces, Felix smiling fondly as he works on giving his gingerbread man some buttons.
Hyunjin’s trying to execute an art deco-inspired piece, piping delicate flowers across the snowman cookie he has before him, and he smacks Changbin on the arm when the other man tries to jam a bare cookie into his mouth.
“Binnie,” he scolds, “you’re supposed to be decorating the cookies, not eating them.”
“I like plain cookies,” Changbin whines, “Yongbok’s baking is always tasty.”
“And it’ll be tastier after they’ve been decorated,” Felix calls, “Binnie, come on.”
Changbin still insists on popping a cookie into his mouth, chomping on it, but he settles in next to Hyunjin anyway, reaching for a Christmas tree cookie and the green icing.
He’s an artistic soul, when he puts his mind to it, and Hyunjin is hopelessly endeared by the focused look on his face, the way he’s so intent about it, by the sad little whine he lets out when he isn’t careful and his Christmas tree ends up looking more red than green.
“It’s still cute, Bin-hyung,” Hyunjin tells him, leaning in to kiss his pout away, and Changbin smiles.
“You’re cuter, Jinnie.”
Hyunjin hears this every day, his husbands far from shy about lavishing him with praise, but he can’t help the way his cheeks pink in delight at Changbin’s words.
***
It’s late evening, by the time they’re done with the cookies, many of them in their bellies and even more stored neatly in jars to be snacked on throughout the rest of the holidays, and Hyunjin is standing in front of the mirror in one of the bedrooms, adjusting the blazer he’s got on. Chan’s mother gifts the eight of them matching items of clothing every Christmas, and this year she’s gone fancy, sending them a package of stylish blazers, a small bough of holly and mistletoe over the breast and their respective initials stitched among the leaves.
It’s a thoughtful gesture, and one that always makes Hyunjin feel warm and fuzzy, especially when they pose in front of the Christmas tree to take photos to send to their families. It’s been a long road to getting their loved ones on board with their unusual union, but Hyunjin is grateful that they’ve managed it, grateful for the giant family he has now as a result.
He’s putting on some makeup, dusting blush over his cheeks and a little gloss over his lips, when there’s a light rap on the door.
“Channie!” he greets, turning around to beam at the older man, and Chan grins, coming to rest his hands on Hyunjin’s shoulders.
“Looking good, Jinnie,” he says, brushing some loose strands of hair out of Hyunjin’s face, meeting his gaze in the mirror, “the blazer looks nice on you.”
“Your mom is always so generous,” Hyunjin tells him, smiling, and Chan presses an absent kiss to his hair, content to just sit and watch as Hyunjin finishes up with his makeup. He’s about to tip his head up for a kiss, something sweet, when there’s a loud yell from downstairs, followed by the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs.
Jisung appears in the doorway, the cap on his head slightly askew.
“ Jagi ,” he pants out, “it’s snowing!”
Hyunjin fucking squeals, and Chan just laughs as Hyunjin grabs his wrist and drags him back downstairs, trailing after Jisung, to where the rest of their husbands are in the entryway and scrambling to get into their coats and boots. The table is half-laid, the presents on the coffee table piled haphazardly, but none of them care, eight grown men yelling about the snow.
Hyunjin is absolutely delighted when he stumbles out and feels the snowfall on his cheeks, staring at the little flecks of white dancing across the sky with wide eyes.
Jisung has Bbama in his arms, the puppy absolutely fascinated by the snow, and Minho and Seungmin are standing aside on the porch, admiring the snow quietly. Changbin is trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue, while Jeongin teases him, and Chan comes round to sling his arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders, turning to kiss his temple.
“You got your white Christmas, baby,” he remarks, and Hyunjin beams. He’d been hoping for one, even though the weather forecast hadn’t been too positive on that front, and he genuinely feels like he’s on the top of the world, standing out in the snow on Christmas Day with the people he loves around him.
The peace is ruined by the sound of a loud yelp.
“Seo Changbin, you little shit,” Jeongin yells, the remnants of a snowball sliding off the front of his jacket, “I’m gonna get you for this!”
His attempt at hurling a snowball at Changbin goes wide, hitting Jisung in the back of the head, and Bbama takes the opportunity to leap out of his arms and back towards the house, just as Jisung whirls around, cracking his knuckles.
“Snowball fight!” he hollers, and absolute chaos ensues.
Hyunjin gets a snowball to the face, ruining his makeup, and Minho threatens to shove him into the oven when he shoves snow down the older man’s shirt, but his heart is full, singing with joy, as they pelt each other with snow, as they all tumble back into the house damp and cold, curling up in front of the fireplace, the eight of them tangled up like some kind of puppy pile.
Dinner will be slightly delayed, on account of the impromptu snowball fight, and Hyunjin suspects he’ll doze off midway through the post-meal screening of Home Alone , given how tired he’s feeling, but he doesn’t care.
It’s an amazing Christmas, and he’s happier than ever.
***