Chapter Text
Jeonghan didn't mean to be jealous that day or make Seungcheol and Joshua hate Santa just because he was feeling lonely for thirty minutes, but looking back at it now, what he did made it the most memorable Christmas for the three of them.
It started the moment Joshua and Seungcheol arrived, helping their parents carry their bags and the presents they were going to open, Jeonghan pulled them into his room to play where he already set up the lego collection that he got as an advanced Christmas gift but the two squirmed away saying something about having to greet their uncles, Jeonghan's parents, first and change into the Christmas sweaters.
Jeonghan agreed, thinking that it wouldn't take too much time, but as he waited, fifteen minutes felt like New Year just passed. So he decided to see what was going on.
Seungcheol was decorating cookies with his dad, and Joshua was putting the gifts underneath the tree.
"Are we not going to play?" Jeonghan asked, stomping his feet in frustration. Everyone's eyes turned to him and he thought that he was finally going to get what he wants.
But he gets a "Han, it's Christmas and we have to work hard so Santa would come." as a response from Joshua instead, Seungcheol also agrees with him and went back to work.
It only took Jeonghan five more minutes of trying to convince them to play with him until his Appa carried him back to his room and tried to calm him down.
"Seungcheol and Joshua will play with you once they're finished okay? They're having fun outside too." When Jeonghan gives him a pout in return, Jihoon sighs, "Han, don't you want to see Santa?"
He doesn't. He just wants to play and Christmas was supposed to be fun but it isn't fun with no one to play with.
That's when Jeonghan comes to the conclusion that Santa is trying to take his best friends away from him.
And what kind of a friend is he if he doesn't do something about it?
Jeonghan agreed to help Seungcheol and Joshua put up the Christmas decorations Joshua brought, there were socks that Seungcheol tried to wear, though he ended up complaining that they were too big so what's the point of having them?
"Santa's supposed to put your gifts in them, Cheol," Joshua explained, giggling as Seungcheol stumbled on the floor when he tried to take it off.
"You know Santa's not real, right?" Jeonghan's words immediately earned him some confused looks, Seungcheol even throws the sock at his face but Jeonghan kept up his act.
"You're definitely on the naughty list," Joshua told him.
"Santa kidnaps the children from the naughty list, didn't you know?" Jeonghan adds, tugging on the poorly stitched elf design on the sock Seungcheol threw at him, until it came off, he was definitely going to get in trouble for that later. "He kidnaps them and turns them to elves, and they don't have a choice but to work for him forever. "
Joshua still didn't look convinced but of course, the eldest within the three of them was. "What about their parents?"
"They never see them again." Jeonghan shrugged, he knew that all of what he was saying is a lie but it was working, he just needed to push it a little more to convince Joshua, or else the other will say something that will make Seungcheol leave Jeonghan's side and he can't have that. His legos were waiting for them already. "Santa tried to kidnap me the other day."
"Santa won't do that! Hannie, stop it." Joshua whined, it was a habit of his to get annoyed before he gets scared, "Seungcheol's about to cry already, look!"
"I- I'm not crying!" Seungcheol looks down to hide his eyes but it doesn't hide how his face is starting to go red. "I wanna tell my papa!"
"The adults can't know or Santa will turn them into reindeers!" Jeonghan threatened, "I know because I saw them the other day."
He pulls up the sleeve of the Christmas sweater and showed the bruise that definitely didn't come from Santa's failed kidnapping, Joshua gasps and tries to poke it, it didn't hurt, but Jeonghan winced in flinched away from the other's touch. "Does it hurt? I'm sorry."
"Do you believe me now?" Jeonghan gives them a pleading look, reaching out for both their hands so it'll look more convincing somehow. "Children that aren't on the naughty list can save the naughty kids, so don't leave my side, okay?"
Seungcheol had tears rolling on the side of his cheeks now, his free hand reaching out to wipe them away before he nods, "Okay, Shua and I won't leave Hannie today."
"Can you tell me more about Santa?" Joshua adds while Jeonghan suppressed a smile.
"Of course, I'll tell you about how evil he is. Just don't leave me, okay?"
The two eagerly nodded, with only the thought of saving their friend in their heads, it was given that they were going to do everything Jeonghan tells them, not knowing that it was all made up just so Jeonghan could finish building his lego set with them.
-
"Where's Cheol?" Mingyu asks as soon as he walks in Soonyoung and Jihoon's house, the silence was a bit unusual especially when their kids are under one roof.
"He's upstairs with Jeonghan and Shua." Jun answers without looking up from whatever he was slicing in the kitchen.
"They left their decorating chores here." Jihoon adds.
"But why? Cheol was excited about putting up the stuff Joshua kept telling him about." Mingyu frowned, making his way to the living room to sit on the couch before he helps with the food. Seungcheol's been talking to him non-stop about the decorations Joshua showed him through video call a few weeks before Christmas, he expected his son to be showing it off everywhere. "What if they're having another one of those emergency meetings?"
"Yeah, no." Soonyoung nervously laughed.
"Hopefully not, it was hard to detach Hannie's shirt from the wall." Minghao laughed akong, but was clearly terrified of the idea of the situation happening again. "But I made sure the super glue is somewhere they can't reach now."
Wonwoo hummed in approval, "Good, we can't have them trying to recreate another scene from Spiderman again."