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Chanhee had never had a problem with his neighbor before. Ji Changmin was great as far as neighbors went. It wasn't like Chanhee knew him personally since they'd never spoken apart from the few times they'd greeted each other when they happened to be in the laundry room together or picking up their mails at the same time, but he could tell he was a great person. He'd politely introduced himself the very first day he moved in and that was it regarding their conversations.
The truth was that Chanhee had never made any effort to sit down and have a talk with him. First of all, he didn't have enough time for that. Work more often than not kept him out late and most days he couldn't be bothered to stop for a conversation. Second of all, Chanhee wasn't interested in getting to know him. He was content with their current relationship; nothing more than acquainted neighbors and Changmin also seemed okay with that, considering he also hadn't made any effort to talk to Chanhee.
So, it came as an unpleasant surprise when Changmin, the person Chanhee least expected to, found a way to make Chanhee's life a living hell on a cold December morning.
It all started on December 1st. Chanhee had happened to have a day off that day and so, just like any other person who finally had the opportunity to rest after a long, tiring week, he had planned to spend the entire day sleeping. In silence, without anyone bothering him, may he add.
Much to his dismay, his wish couldn't be fulfilled once all I want for Christmas by Mariah Carey started playing, loudly , next door.
Annoyed, but also startled by the sudden disruption, Chanhee opened one of his eyes and groggily turned around to reach his phone and check the time. It was only nine a.m, very early in the morning Chanhee would say, yet apparently someone had woken up in a good mood that day and was energized enough to blast a christmas song for their own entertainment.
Now, Chanhee wouldn't have had a problem with that if only his neighbor would've been kind enough to blast music later in the day.
Before his phone screen turned black, Chanhee's eyes caught the date on the left corner. It said 1 December.
Makes sense , Chanhee thought.
Giving it a second thought Chanhee came to the conclusion that, in fact, it did not make any sense because Christmas was still twenty-four days away, which he considered plenty of time left, so why would someone be playing a Christmas song this early? It was only the first day of December!
Chanhee was neither interested nor in the mood to know the reason since he had been rudely awoken on the only day he had off, so, without giving it much thought he turned around and shut his eyes once again while hoping that the muffled sound of Mariah Carey singing her heart out would eventually stop and that he'd fall asleep again.
Unfortunately for him, it did not.
As soon as the music stopped, his neighbor played it again in an even louder volume this time and if that wasn't enough, they also had the audacity to join in by humming along.
It was safe to say that Chanhee didn't spend the entire day sleeping like he'd planned.
A week had passed; it was now December 8th and Chanhee could still hear Mariah Carey singing, not once a day, but at least three times a day, making it fifty times in total. Maybe even more, Chanhee had no idea. He'd lost count.
Now, Chanhee understood the Christmas spirit and all and he also understood that some people were just more excited than others; the prime example being his neighbor who, much to Chanhee's surprise, ended up being Changmin, the person Chanhee had never had any complaints for until recently.
But this . Now, this exceeded the level of normality, as Chanhee liked to call it. This was another level of excitement and Chanhee wasn't sure if he could continue tolerating being the victim of his neighbor's excitement.
"Juyeon, you don't understand!" Chanhee complained, annoyed at his friend who hadn't done anything but laugh at his suffering.
He'd met up with his childhood friend after work to catch up with the other and maybe also complain to him about the Christmassy suffering he'd had to put up with recently because he had no other person to complain to.
"I can't say I do, Hee," Juyeon admitted. "I don't live next to someone who is overly excited about winter holidays."
"Exactly!" Chanhee cried out.
"Is he a good singer at least?"
"Yeah—That's not the point!"
"Okay, okay," Juyeon sighed. "Why don't you, like, ask him to play something else? Maybe that way Mariah Carey will stop living in your head rent-free."
"Yeah and then have another artist living in my head rent-free for the next few days? And also let him know that he's bothering me? Yeah no. I'll pass," Chanhee said determinedly, leaving no room for argument.
Juyeon shrugged. "Your choice. Either you put up with Mariah Carey for the whole December or nicely ask him to play something else."
Upon hearing that, Chanhee's determined look seemed to falter and he looked down at his lap with a frown. Juyeon was right, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it. Changmin probably thought that nobody had a problem with his constant playing of the same Christmas song, hence he hadn't stopped, and the only way to let him know was by talking to him.
Chanhee's communicating skills were, well.. They were pretty decent as long as Chanhee had enough time to properly prepare himself for the upcoming social interaction, and when he didn’t have enough time, he simply became a flustered and stuttering mess which obviously left a bad impression on the other person. Whenever that happened, Chanhee locked himself in his room and vowed to himself to never talk to strangers ever again, until he realised he was an adult and had to take full responsibility for himself, which meant talking to humans if he wanted to get his point across.
Whenever the realization hit him he only cried harder and dreaded the day he’d have to leave the comfort of his room.
"Don't think about it too much. It's your right to complain whenever your neighbor is bothering you. Just give it a try, alright? It’s not like Changmin will bite you," Juyeon laughed.
Were he in a different situation Chanhee would begin to immediately argue against his friend because first, humans were scary and capable of doing anything and second, anything could be expected by someone who played the same song over ten times a day. However Chanhee couldn’t find it in him to argue against Juyeon; he was too tired of constantly complaining and never finding an appropriate solution to his complaints, so he simply let out an exhale and nodded at Juyeon’s words. He was afraid that he’d take longer than needed to do what Juyeon had suggested, but he didn’t dare tell him that. Juyeon didn’t have to know, anyway.
—
Chanhee had never been one to consider himself unlucky, mostly because he hadn't had the chance to go through different situations and determine whether he was a lucky person or not. However now that the reason for his Christmassy suffering was making his way towards him (The elevator actually, but his neighbor's gaze on him made it seem like Chanhee was the reason he was walking that way) Chanhee considered himself the unluckiest person alive.
He had been right about not listening to Juyeon's words; Chanhee knew himself better than anyone else, after all. You see, he had tried to avoid talking to Changmin as much as possible, although the constant All I want for christmas is you was becoming unbearable at this point. Very silly of him, Chanhee was aware, because a normal person would've knocked on the other's door right on that December morning when it all had begun. Not Chanhee, though, who hated talking to strangers and much less confronting them.
It seemed like fate was fed up with Chanhee being too much of a coward to confront Changmin, though, so it had finally sent Changmin his way much to Chanhee's dismay.
Now, Chanhee could very well just greet him and not say anything regarding the loud music in his apartment and let Changmin live a happy life while he himself continued suffering, but that didn't sound appealing to him at all. Or, he could simply do what Juyeon had told him which was such a simple thing to do, but too bad Chanhee liked to overanalyze and complicate everything.
According to his conclusions after a long and thorough analysis of the current situation he was stuck in things would not end up well if he mustered up enough courage to tell Changmin his complaint. Either Chanhee would stumble over his own words and not get his point across, which would confuse Changmin and embarrass Chanhee at the same time, which would lead to Chanhee locking himself in his room and never face Changmin ever again, or he would tell Changmin and the latter would get upset, play even more Christmas songs as a ‘payback’ and never talk to Chanhee again.
If Chanhee were to leave his made-up scenarios aside and focus on reality, he was well-aware that the second scenario was not likely to happen because, judging by the few interactions they’d had, Changmin didn’t look like that type of person at all. The worst that could happen was Changmin not talking to him (Was that even a bad thing? To Chanhee it seemed more like a relief) but he would definitely reduce the Christmas songs he played.
That was all Chanhee wanted; for Changmin to stop playing the same Christmas song all over again, but in order to get to that point Chanhee had to do something else first.
Either the world was too fast for him or Chanhee was simply indecisive because, in the midst of his inner battle, Changmin had already approached him and was standing right next to him. Maybe too close for his liking.
"Hey, neighbor! Chanhee, right?"
Startled, Chanhee looked up at the sound of Changmin's cheery voice. He was met with a beaming Changmin and suddenly the constant playing of the same Christmas song simply made sense to Chanhee because it just suited him so well. No wonder such a happy person like Changmin himself was already into the Christmas spirit this early.
"Uh. Neighbor. Yeah," Chanhee mumbled, "and you're Changmin," he inwardly winced at the way his last words sounded like a statement rather than a question.
Changmin's eyes lit up. "You remember my name!"
“Yeah..? Why wouldn’t I?” Chanhee asked rather curiously.
"Well, we've barely talked before so I didn't expect you to remember my name. Sorry, I get too excited at random, little things."
Oh, for sure, Chanhee wanted to say, however that would make him sound suspicious and he'd rather die than elaborate.
It seemed like Changmin hated silence because not long after he opened his mouth to speak again.
"I've heard that it snows a lot here which was also one of the main reasons I moved to this city. I hope it snows soon and, if not soon, at least before I leave to spend Christmas with my family."
“So, uh, you moved here because of the.. Snow?” Chanhee dared to ask.
"No!" Changmin laughed, "Well, partly. As I said, it was one of the main reasons. I actually got offered a job here so that was the main reason I moved. The snow is just a bonus!"
Chanhee made a tiny sound of understanding before he nodded his head and looked down, fiddling with his hands. He didn't know what to say and he was afraid his inability to keep a conversation going had put their talk to an end and that he'd also lost the chance to tell Changmin about the problem, but, when talking to someone like Changmin Chanhee came to the conclusion that his fear could never become a reality.
"What about you?"
"Hm?" Chanhee replied back in a daze.
"I mean, do you like snow? Or winter in general?"
Chanhee seemed rather surprised at the fact that Changmin was asking about his preference before he realised he still hadn’t answered his question and had only made himself look like a fool in front of Changmin.
“Kind of? I mean, it’s, uh, not bad, y’know. It’s just. Too cold. And there’s a lot of snow. Yeah. I hated it the most back then,” Chanhee pursed his lips, before continuing, “I’m more of an autumn person, to be honest. It’s.. less cold, and I like the rainy weather much more than the snow.”
Just then, the elevator arrived and made a sound, letting the both of them know that it was free to use.
Chanhee expected the elevator ride to be spent in silence, with him dwelling on his thoughts and wondering whether he had left a bad impression on Changmin and with the latter being unaware of Chanhee’s inner conflict, but he was once again proven wrong when Changmin began to speak. Chanhee couldn’t be more thankful for Changmin and his talent for coming up with different topics and avoiding awkward situations. For Changmin it probably meant nothing; the boy just happened to be an extrovert and found socializing enjoyable, but, to Chanhee who had always felt pressured to make small talk for the sake of saving himself from a thickening silence that always followed him whenever he was stuck with a person, it meant a lot.
"That's great! Autumn is actually my favorite season, too, but winter has a special place in my heart if it's not already obvious by the fact that I moved here partially because of the snow," Changmin made sure to emphasize the word partially while sending Chanhee a knowing look, causing the latter to become flustered.
"I've begun to hang Christmas lights around my apartment, too," Changmin admitted, slightly embarrassed to do so.
Upon hearing that, Chanhee suddenly remembered the main reason he had to talk to Changmin. He had to tell him about the suffering he had unknowingly put him through since the first day of December. Now that they’d had an actual conversation Chanhee was more than convinced that the second scenario he’d made up had a probability of zero, seeing as Changmin was too friendly and kind to even hurt a fly, much less never talk to him and play even more Christmas music as a payback. Now that Chanhee was thinking about it he was slightly embarrassed by his dramatic reaction; he really had made Changmin the villain when he was anything but that.
Feeling more relieved and confident that things would turn out better than what Chanhee had originally thought (or at least that’s what he hoped), Chanhee took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“Hey, Changmin,” Chanhee called him out, palms clammy and heartbeat accelerating, “Since we’re talking about Christmas and all that.. Um, I—I wanna tell you something. But please don’t be upset! I really don’t have anything personal against you or your.. Preference in music.”
Changmin seemed confused, but he urged Chanhee to continue.
“I hear you playing All I want for Christmas all the time and, listen, I get you like that song and I also get the Christmas spirit and all, but could you, like, stop playing that song for a little bit?” Chanhee’s voice seemed to get smaller by the end, as well as his confidence, but he pushed himself to continue. “Or you could lower the volume, at least? Or maybe play a different song.. I don’t know, you can do literally anything you want, just do something. I’m telling you this because it's been kind of bothering, so..” Not kind of, it’s been very bothering, but he didn’t dare tell him that.
Obviously taken by surprise, Changmin blinked and his mouth formed an 'o' shape. His lack of response caused Chanhee to slowly regret his outburst, but, before he could take back what he had said (although that would be very unfortunate) Changmin spoke up before him.
"Oh my god, I had no idea! I’m genuinely so sorry about that,” Changmin rushed to apologise, sounding very guilty and worried. “I wasn’t aware that it was bothersome, really. Had I known it was bothering you, I would’ve immediately stopped. I guess the excitement took over me.. Once again, I apologise, Chanhee.”
Chanhee waved his hand around in front of him to dismiss it casually. “It’s fine . Don’t get so worried about it. I’m not.. Stopping you from playing whatever song you like because it’s your apartment, after all. I’d just like you to play a different song or whatever. Mariah Carey has been living rent-free in my head, I’m not even kidding.”
Changmin’s guilty look pushed Chanhee to make a joke and lighten up the mood because the boy looked so apologetic it made it seem as if he’d accidentally killed Chanhee’s cat of ten years. He wasn’t so sure the joke was considered funny, but once he heard a giggle come out of Changmin’s lips, Chanhee relaxed. At least he’d made that stupid, guilty look vanish in no time.
“Rent-free? That’s kinda unfair, don’t you think,” Changmin continued the joke, still giggling. “You said a different song? Well then.. How about Last Chrstimas I gave you my heart.. ”
Chanhee could only laugh in disbelief before fondly shaking his head. Changmin, the neighbor who blasted Christmas songs everyday and claimed to get excited at the smallest things, i.e Chanhee remembering his name, ended up being very pleasant and fun to be around.
Just then, the elevator’s doors opened. Chanhee would be lying if he said this wasn’t the most fun elevator ride he’d ever had.
“Well then, dear neighbor, I’ll make sure to play different songs for you! Consider it as a daily surprise gift!” That was all Changmin said before running off to his apartment, not before sending Chanhee a bright smile.
If Chanhee had a dumb smile on his face the whole day he didn't tell anyone about it.
—
The next morning Chanhee woke up to the sound of Santa tell me by Ariana Grande playing next door. That alone brought a smile to his face as he recalled his and Changmin's conversation the previous day. Changmin had definitely kept his promise and had played a different song that day, much to Chanhee's relief.
At least Mariah Carey wouldn't be haunting his head in the following days.
"I'm telling you, he's strange," Chanhee told Juyeon over the phone.
He had told his best friend about what had happened yesterday, minus the strange feelings he'd felt while talking to Changmin because Juyeon didn't have to know and, if he did, he would only tease him endlessly about it.
"I don't know, he seems fun to be around," Juyeon laughed. "Come on, at least he stopped playing the same song multiple times a day. I'd love to have a neighbor who plays Christmas songs for me for free; my life would be more interesting that way."
Chanhee rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. At least Mariah Carey is out of my life. I can't say that I like the constant Christmassy music but at least it's much better compared to before."
"Now you'll wake up looking forward to a different Christmas song everyday."
Chanhee snorted. "Me? Looking forward to that? Debatable."
Right as he'd said that, his doorbell was heard, sending Chanhee into confusion. Barely anyone visited him and, if someone was kind enough to pay him a visit, it was always Juyeon or the delivery guy whenever he ordered take-out, yet Chanhee was sure it was neither of them. He hadn’t ordered anything and he was currently talking to Juyeon on the phone.
"We'll see about that. If I meet up with you one day and I catch you humming along to a Christmas song, you'll never hear the end of it."
"Blah, blah. You talk too much. What makes you think I’ll give you the satisfaction of—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Chanhee opened the front door and was met with a beaming Changmin standing in his doorway, surprising him and causing him to stop mid-sentence.
"Hey, Chanhee!" Changmin greeted him.
"Chanhee? Who’s that? Don't tell me it’s Changmin—"
"I'll talk to you later, Juyeon," Chanhee muttered before quickly hanging up and shoving his phone in his pocket, not giving his friend the opportunity of embarrassing him right in front of his potential new friend.
"Hi, Changmin."
"I hope you noticed that I played a different song today, just like I’d said."
Chanhee laughed. "Yeah, I did. I see you went for a rather modern song this time."
Changmin giggled before nodding. "Thought you'd appreciate a more modern song this time although nothing can beat the classics."
"You're right," Chanhee hummed in agreement. "They remain iconic despite the years passing by."
Changmin only made a sound of agreement before looking down shyly. A shy Changmin was a new sight to Chanhee; he was used to a bright, expressive Changmin who always knew what to say in order to keep a conversation alive, so he wasn't exactly sure what to do now.
"So," Chanhee scratched his throat, "you wanna come in?"
"Oh no, it's fine, I just wanted to—Wait, am I seeing things or you haven't decorated your apartment yet?"
Changmin's horrified voice made Chanhee feel like he was in the wrong for having not done such a thing when he usually never decorated his apartment for holidays. Even when he still lived with his parents, he was never enthusiastic about decorating his house and only did it to help his mom and brother, who were definitely much more excited than him and began decorating almost two to three weeks before, almost like Changmin.
Well, didn't Chanhee mention that he originally hated winter the most? It made sense for a person like him not to be bothered to hang Christmas decorations. Hating winter meant hating everything that had to do with it, including the famous holidays almost everyone looked forward to. Only recently he'd learned to appreciate winter more—mostly because of the dear winter break he looked forward to almost two months prior—but, although winter was no longer last place on his list of favorite seasons, he still did not understand the holiday spirit.
"Yeah.. Is that a bad thing?" Chanhee dared to ask.
"Is it a bad thing?" Changmin exclaimed, portraying an even more horrified look than before, making Chanhee understand that he'd fucked up. "Of course it is a bad thing! Chanhee, Christmas is literally less than a week away and you still haven't done anything."
Chanhee only raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, that's still a considerable amount of time, isn't it? Besides, it's not the first time I don't decorate my apartment for Christmas. I've never been one to do that, anyway."
Changmin could only stare at Chanhee bewildered.
"Not this time, though," he finally said with a determined look. "Stay here and wait for me, I'll be quick."
It's not like I’d want to do anything else, anyway, Chanhee wanted to say, but he got a grip of himself before those words escaped his mouth.
Soon enough, just like Changmin had said, he appeared with a box full of decorations on his hands. Chanhee had no idea how and where he got this box from and how fast he'd managed to get it, but he couldn't be bothered to ponder the possible answers. In just the span of two days this boy had managed to surprise him more than anyone else had ever had, and Chanhee was sure he would continue to do so if they kept whatever relationship they had now going.
Were they still only acquainted neighbors? Chanhee couldn't tell.
"Please let me decorate your apartment for Christmas," Changmin begged. "I already decorated mine and I still have a bunch of decorations left, so it'd be a pleasure for me to use these for your apartment. It'll be fun!"
Chanhee wasn't sure what to respond with, considering he wasn't fond of letting a stranger into his apartment, much less do something with it. But upon seeing Changmin's hopeful eyes, he couldn't do anything but sigh in defeat and let Changmin do whatever he wanted. Those hopeful eyes seemed too harmless, anyway; Chanhee barely doubted Changmin had any ill intentions.
He was just someone who was simply too excited for Christmas.
"Alright, do whatever you want. Just please don't make a mess in my apartment."
Changmin only let out a strange sound of happiness before running into his apartment, as if it were his own, and putting the box on the ground.
"Oh wow, it's so nice here. Everything's clean and tidy," Changmin pointed out.
Chanhee snorted. "I'm guessing yours is the opposite of clean and tidy?"
"You could say that," Changmin said, embarrassed.
"Hey, before we carry on with decorating, can I please put on some Christmas songs? Just to set the mood!"
Chanhee could only stare at Changmin in disbelief, not believing his ears. Not only was this boy playing Christmas songs in his apartment non-stop, but he wanted to do such a thing in his own apartment, too? What the hell.
"Haven't you had enough of those songs?! You've been playing them since the first day of December while barely taking a break from them."
Changmin seemed rather offended at what Chanhee had said. "I can never have enough Christmas songs. Nobody can, actually."
"You amaze me, Ji Changmin."
"Hey, you remember my last name, too!"
Chanhee only shook his head with a fond smile before moving to the kitchen.
"Do whatever you want."
—
One could tell how the Christmas decorating went, judging by Changmin's character. It began in a relaxed manner, with a few words thrown here and there between the two, before it escalated into something more; something which was anything but relaxed.
It all started when Changmin put his Christmas playlist on shuffle. Chanhee had protested at first, having had enough of the Christmas songs he'd heard more than in his entire life in just two weeks, but Changmin was just as stubborn as him, if not more, so Chanhee's protests had fallen on deaf ears. Then, while rummaging through the box, he'd found two Christmas hats, and that alone had made Changmin excited enough to chase Chanhee around the apartment to put one on him because that way "they would be matching".
The running alone had increased Chanhee's adrenaline more than ever so, determined to get revenge on Changmin because of the latter having done many things against his will, he'd grabbed a few plastic Christmas balls and had thrown them at Changmin; not giving him the chance to react nor defend himself.
It was ironic how Chanhee had told Changmin beforehand not to cause a mess in his apartment, yet he was the one causing the mess in the first place. That was very out of his character, Chanhee had to admit, however being with Changmin triggered something within him, and that something was the desire to let himself be free and have fun.
While decorating, Chanhee learned a lot about Changmin, from the most important things to the smallest, most random things. Changmin told Chanhee that his family had always treated winter holidays as a big thing and that he'd grown up with it, hence he was this excited about Christmas, which was only a couple of days away.
Speaking to Changmin was effortless in a way. Chanhee had always found it hard to speak with people, mainly because of his shy nature, but with Changmin it was anything but that. Words seemed to escape his mouth without much difficulty, and Chanhee didn't have to spend a painfully long time thinking about what to say in order to keep the conversation going. On the contrary, it seemed like they never ran out of things to talk about and their conversation flowed naturally.
Chanhee liked whatever he and Changmin had going on. He liked the feeling of talking to someone this freely and having someone's presence this close to him, besides Juyeon's. He hoped that this feeling would never disappear, while simultaneously hoping that Changmin would never stop talking to him.
Although Changmin was a stranger to him, he couldn't help but feel like he'd known him for years, and Chanhee loved it.
It had been a while since Chanhee had had fun, and now that he was sitting on the couch with a big smile on his face, but with an equally big Christmas hat on the top of his head, it was all thanks to Changmin.
"So, what do you think?" Changmin asked as soon as he sat beside Chanhee, looking at the sight in front of him.
The place was lit up by plenty of Christmas lights with different colors, while a variety of Christmas ornaments hung on the ceiling, on the walls, and on the small Christmas tree Changmin had apologised about because of its size, but, just like Changmin had said, "It was the only one left in my apartment!"
Chanhee could only melt at how apologetic Changmin had seemed over such a small thing.
"We did a great job, to be honest," Chanhee said. "I'm impressed."
Changmin smiled proudly at that. "We did for sure. Your apartment has a nice feeling to it. It almost feels—"
"Don't you dare say it—"
"Christmassy!"
Chanhee could only sigh in annoyance while Changmin laughed at the look on his face.
"So.." Changmin began, carefully, "Now that we're done decorating your apartment, would you like me to leave or..?"
Had Chanhee been in another situation, with someone else instead of Changmin, he would have hesitated to answer as he preferred staying alone in his own apartment rather than having someone over. This time, however, he instantly knew the answer to such a question, and if he messed up and responded with a different answer, different to what he genuinely wanted, Chanhee would never forgive himself.
Almost immediately and with slight desperation in his voice, Chanhee finally answered. "I don't mind your company at all. Please stay."
Upon hearing that, the corners of Changmin's lips tugged up, and so did Chanhee’s.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
—
Ever since the day Chanhee had allowed Changmin to decorate his apartment with his leftover Christmas decorations, they'd grown closer than ever. They went from occasional awkward greetings to never-ending conversations and such thing didn’t even happen gradually. It happened quite fast—maybe in two or three days—and while it was quite unexpected and overwhelming, and definitely not in Chanhee’s monthly to-do list, it would be a lie to say that Chanhee didn’t like it. In fact, he liked it a lot. Oddly enough, Chanhee would decorate his apartment all over again if it meant doing it with Changmin, although he’d never been a fan of that.
The boy was just so bright and happy and sweet that it was impossible not to like his company. He kept his promise and continued to play different Christmas songs everyday for Chanhee, and if Chanhee found himself humming to a Christmas song while showering one day, he never told anyone about it. Especially not Juyeon, who would certainly never let him hear the end of it, just like he’d said, or Changmin, who would most likely become the happiest person ever and then brag about how he’d made him like Christmas songs.
Chanhee liked none of that; he didn’t like Christmas, Christmas songs or Christmas decorations. They just reminded him of Changmin. And he liked Changmin.
They had exchanged numbers before Changmin left his apartment and Chanhee, more often than not, found himself staying up late while texting him, which was quite unusual of him. Changmin was equally bright and energetic over texts, just like he was in real life, and he often sent emoticons and random images of cats or dogs he found on the internet with the caption ‘Look, this is us’ . If Chanhee went to bed with a huge smile on his face because of Changmin’s messages, it was only for him to know.
Changmin was very random, that was for sure, but that was what Chanhee liked about him the most. He was so spontaneous and so full of ideas that he could go from talking about aliens and how they’re going to invade earth one day ( note : Changmin had vowed to himself to see that happening, even if it meant living like another person after his death) to that one random kid he pushed in the mud in kindergarten after he had said Santa didn’t exist. According to Changmin, it was very much deserved.
It seemed like Changmin had too much to say and Chanhee had too much free time to listen to whatever he rambled on about.
In just a week, Changmin had managed to gain Chanhee's full trust.
Even Juyeon himself had been quite surprised when Chanhee told him about their small decorating session. He couldn't believe that Chanhee, the best friend he'd had since diapers, had allowed someone to enter his apartment just like that. Because of that, he'd insisted on meeting this famous Changmin who had apparently stolen his best friend's heart, but Chanhee had of course cut it short with a simple 'No', leaving no room for debate. He'd rather not have Juyeon embarrass him in front of his new lovely friend, thank you very much.
Time passed by quickly (it surely went too fast when Chanhee spent every single day with Changmin) and without even noticing, Chanhee realised that it was the 24th, or, Christmas Eve. Changmin’s excitement had somehow influenced Chanhee too, who, much to his own surprise, was sort of feeling thrilled about tomorrow. Not as much as Changmin, though, definitely; the boy was literally jumping from excitement when Chanhee met him for their daily hang out, but only a fair amount.
As much as Chanhee was excited for Christmas, he was kind of sad about it, too. Changmin had told him that he would be away for Christmas since he'd decided to spend it with his family, and of course Chanhee had no right to ask him to stay merely because he was not going anywhere for Christmas.
In short, he was going to spend it alone. Juyeon would be away, too, and Chanhee wasn't able to go back to his family. But it was fine, Chanhee tried to convince himself; Changmin would definitely text him while he was away and he wouldn't be away for too long. It would only take a couple of days before he came back and spent his free time with Chanhee.
Chanhee had sworn to never act clingy with someone, but, here he was, behaving like a kicked puppy at the thought of Changmin leaving him for a couple of days. He didn't know how to feel about how reliant he was on Changmin; he couldn’t tell whether it was a positive or negative thing. Maybe it was because he liked Changmin’s company a little too much, or maybe it was because he was so human starved that a little bit of attention from Changmin swept him off his feet. Or maybe he just liked Changmin to the point he was all heart-eyes for him. As simple as that.
However, that was a thing Chanhee deemed as worthy enough to worry about when he was alone in his room in the mood to overthink. Not now, when Changmin was right in front of him, looking at him with expectant eyes and flushed cheeks due to the cold, about to make this day another one of Chanhee’s best days without even knowing.
"Hey Changmin, excited for tomorrow?" Chanhee asked as soon as he met him. It was a rhetorical question, though, because the both of them knew Chanhee was already aware of the answer to that question. That didn’t stop Changmin from expressing his excitement, though; he soon began jumping up and down in happiness while he grabbed onto Chanhee’s arm, resembling a kid who was only a couple of seconds away from opening his favorite present.
The day before, Changmin had told Chanhee to get ready as they were going out that day while the location remained a surprise. Being someone who hated being kept secrets, Chanhee tried his best to find out where they were heading to by making some sneaky questions he was sure would make Changmin fall in his trap and accidentally slip out, however Changmin proved himself to be smart because none of his attempts had been successful, so he’d simply given up.
"You bet I am! I've been counting down the days since, like, October. I’m not even kidding."
"Why am I not surprised," Chanhee laughed with a small shake of his head.
"Honestly, I'd be offended if that were the case," Changmin said teasingly. "I've already been vocal enough about my love for winter holidays; being surprised should not be on your list."
"Don't worry, it isn't," Chanhee assured him. "By the way, when’s your flight tomorrow?"
"It's early in the morning. Six a.m."
"Oh. So I won't be able to greet you, then,” Chanhee voiced out his thoughts.
"Well," Changmin shrugged, "unless you love me that much you are willing to wake up early to greet me—"
"You know that's not happening, Changmin," Chanhee said as a matter of fact with a slightly flushed face at the mention of the word ‘love’. To Changmin it meant nothing, but to Chanhee it was an entirely different case.
You see, he'd do a lot of things for Changmin, but waking up early was not one of them. Sleep was too precious to him.
Changmin laughed at his reaction. "I knew you'd say that. Don't worry about it, Chanhee. You can just say goodbye today. Works the same."
"I guess so," Chanhee muttered.
"Come on, don't be sad! I'm very flattered that you're sad that I'm going away, but it won't take long before I come back," Changmin assured him. "Cheer up, it's Christmas Eve! I don’t allow you to be sad today, or else I’ll be sad, too. "
"Yeah, you're right. Also, don’t be so full of yourself. I’m just sad I’ll have to celebrate Christmas alone,” Chanhee said with a roll of his eyes, however that was only partially the truth.
“Mmh. Sure. Whatever you say, babe.”
“Anyway,” Chanhee quickly said, dismissing the way Changmin had just called him babe because What. The. Fuck. “Where are we going? I’ve been dying to know and you're unfortunately good at keeping secrets."
Changmin giggled in amusement. He circled his arm around Chanhee's arm and dragged him towards God knows where.
"It's a good trait of mine, fortunately. You'll see."
That was all he said, with a kind of tone he only used when he talked about aliens and other mysterious things, before he switched the topic to the few pictures of his dog he'd received from his sisters. Chanhee had learned that Changmin was a big fan of animals, especially dogs and cats and, whenever he was away from his dog, he spent his free time looking at cute animals on the internet. It was adorable, really.
Changmin mostly looked forward to seeing his dog rather than his family and Chanhee was the only one who knew that after he'd convinced Changmin that he wouldn't tell anyone, although he didn't have anyone to tell them about it in the first place. He didn't talk to Changmin's family; the only people he talked to were his family and Juyeon, but he doubted any of them cared enough about who Changmin was the most excited about seeing, anyway.
The first time Changmin had mentioned his dog to Chanhee, the latter had thought that his dog would be very lovely judging by everything Changmin had told him, however once he had showed Chanhee a picture of Ghana with his bright, excited eyes, Chanhee could only force a smile and nod his head at Changmin’s “Isn’t he so cute?!”. Frankly, Chanhee couldn’t understand what was cute about that dog, but he’d rather keep his opinion to himself than be the victim of Changmin’s wrath.
Soon enough they came to a stop, and Chanhee raised an eyebrow in confusion when he happened to be right in front of a store.
"What are we doing here?"
Changmin continued to drag him inside the store and, while walking, he began to speak. "Remember how you told me that you've never tried making a gingerbread house before? Well, since I'm leaving tomorrow and there'll be no opportunity for me to give you a present, unless I give you one in January but that would be too late in my opinion, this," Changmin grabbed a gingerbread house kit in his hands and handed it over to Chanhee, "is my present to you. Merry early Christmas, Chanhee! And yes, no need to bring out your credit card, I'll be paying for it."
Chanhee could only blink at the gingerbread house in front of him before he giggled in amusement and accepted the present. His sweet, dear Changmin, who remembered the smallest things which had happened several days ago and had not forgotten to give Chanhee a present before he left to his parents' house.
He badly wanted to give the other a hug right now, and who was stopping him? Absolutely no one.
"Thank you, Changmin, really," Chanhee thanked him sincerely before seeming to hesitate. Changmin tilted his head, confused, sensing Chanhee’s sudden hesitation and waiting for him to voice out his doubts, when Chanhee suddenly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him, causing Changmin’s heart to stop beating for a second.
Frankly, Chanhee didn’t expect much when he decided to go for a hug. It would probably last only a few seconds and maybe Changmin wouldn’t even have the chance to properly hug him back due to how short Chanhee’s confidence lasted, but he’d been wrong. Once Chanhee wrapped his arms around his neck, Changmin hugged him back almost immediately and brought him even closer, as if he’d been waiting for Chanhee to hug him his entire life.
The immediate response from Changmin caused Chanhee to break into a huge smile and then bury his face in Changmin’s shoulder, suddenly feeling shy at the realization that they were hugging right in front of people. Nobody cared, really, including Changmin, who had been more than happy to accept his hug.
Soon enough, Chanhee’s shy nature took over and he broke the hug, deciding it was enough. However, if they were in a different place—in Chanhee’s apartment, for example—he’d stay cuddled up in Changmin’s embrace for much longer for sure, finding it extremely warm and safe.
Changmin seemed to disagree with Chanhee, though, because even after Chanhee broke the hug, his hands lingered on his waist, causing a pretty blush to paint Chanhee’s cheeks. He didn’t initiate another hug, though; probably because he didn’t want to overstep Chanhee’s boundaries.
"Had I known you would have hugged me for a present as simple as a gingerbread house kit, I would've given you this a long time ago," Changmin laughed in amusement.
Damn, not him implying that he loved the hug.
Flustered, Chanhee looked down shyly. "It's not that. I just really appreciate it when someone gives me a present. It's not the present itself, rather the fact that the person has thought of me when looking for a gift. Also, thanks for the gingerbread house, too; it'll be a nice first-time experience."
Changmin’s gaze softened. “I see. You deserve much more than just a gingerbread house, Chanhee, but I’ll make sure to give you a better present next time. I promise.”
Chanhee’s heart raced faster upon hearing Changmin’s words. There was going to be a next time ; Changmin and Chanhee’s friendship did not end there. There was going to be another Christmas for them; another Christmas spent with Changmin and 364 other days spent with Changmin. Chanhee couldn’t be more thrilled at the thought of that.
“What?” Changmin questioned Chanhee’s surprised expression. “Did you think this is it? I give you a gingerbread house, go to my parents’ house and then return to never talk to you again? Let me tell you something, Choi Chanhee: you’re never getting rid of me. You heard that? Not after I’ve told you Ghana is the main reason I go to my parents’ house. You could tell my parents that anytime and I have to make sure you never do that if I want to be alive to see the alien invasion happening.”
Chanhee could only blink in surprise before a dumb smile broke into his face. Goddamn, he really liked Changmin.
“Sometimes I wonder why I’m friends with you.”
“I’m afraid you’ll be wondering that everyday,” Changmin said, faking a guilty look on his face. “Anyway, let’s go pay for the gingerbread house now. Too bad I won’t be there to make it with you, though. I could help you. Unless you want to make it today..?”
Changmin’s offer surely sounded very appealing, but Chanhee wanted to keep the gingerbread house for Chrismas and not Christmas Eve.
“Hmm. Thanks, but no. I want to save it for tomorrow,” Chanhee smiled. “I’ll look up a tutorial online. It can’t be that hard.”
“Your choice,” Changmin shrugged.
While they walked to the checkout to pay, Chanhee spoke up. "I'll make sure to pay you back once you come back."
Changmin smiled. "Can’t wait."
—
The next morning, Chanhee was woken up by a heavy snow storm happening outside. At first he was confused because he hadn’t heard a single warning about snow the entire week, much less a snow storm, but with or without a snowstorm, he’d still planned to spend his entire day at home. He had no one to go out with and he wasn’t feeling like it, anyway. Changmin dragging him out of the apartment multiple times had been enough.
Wait. Changmin.
Chanhee was about to turn to the other side and fall asleep again, before he realised that it was Christmas, and that it was eight a.m, meaning that Changmin had surely left in the midst of a heavy storm. That alone made Chanhee sit up in the blink of an eye and grab his phone in worry. He opened his and Changmin's texts and, just like Chanhee had expected, there was no message from the other; the only messages he could see were the ones they had exchanged the night before.
The snow storm was no joke; it was scary to look at it even while being inside, surrounded by the comfort of your home, let alone being outside while heading somewhere, far from this city.
Chanhee bit his lip in worry and began tapping his fingers anxiously. He had no idea whether Changmin was doing fine or not. There was no way he could go back to sleep in his worried state right now, so Chanhee decided to scroll through social media and gather some information regarding the snow storm while hoping that Changmin was doing alright.
A few minutes passed like that, before an article caught his eye. He tapped on it and waited for it to load. Apparently, all flights had been cancelled due to the dangerous snow storm happening outside which did not have a definite ending time. If all flights had been cancelled, then surely Changmin’s flight had been cancelled, too?
There was only one way to know.
Standing up from his bed, Chanhee wore his fuzzy slippers, threw a random hoodie on and headed to the front door. He opened it, got outside and locked his door before heading to Changmin's door which was only a couple of meters away.
Finally standing in front of Changmin's door, he took a deep breath before knocking on the door and calling out the other's name with a pounding heart.
"Changmin? Are you there? Please tell me you’re there."
Within twenty seconds (yes, Chanhee counted) the door to Changmin's apartment opened and there stood the boy himself, confirming Chanhee's suspicions regarding his cancelled flight.
"Changmin!" Chanhee exclaimed before he enveloped the other in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here! When I woke up from the storm I thought you'd already left. I was worried sick."
Changmin only hugged Chanhee as tight and let out a chuckle in response, however Chanhee could tell that it didn't sound as bright as the other times. It was a rather forced chuckle; void of any emotion that could be labeled as happiness.
That alone broke Chanhee's heart.
"Surprise surprise?" Changmin spoke up. "My flight got cancelled, just like all the other flights. I told you, Chanhee, you can't get rid of me. I'm spending Christmas here, it seems."
Upon hearing that, Chanhee broke the hug and smiled at him. He received a smile back, yet no matter how much Changmin tried, he couldn't give Chanhee an equally wide one. It was obvious that he was feeling upset about his cancelled fight, which was understandable. Chanhee couldn’t blame him; he would, too.
"And who said I want to get rid of you? I don't, or, at least, not anytime soon," Chanhee said teasingly, receiving a weak punch in response. '' I hope neither do you."
"Don't even think about it."
After he received the answer he was hoping for, Chanhee took the other's hand and intertwined it with his. He was determined to lighten up this boy's mood and make this the best Christmas night he'd ever had, simply because he deserved it.
Changmin deserved all the good things.
"I know I’m not your parents and I can never make your Christmas the same as they do, but, allow me to make this the most Christmassy Christmas you’ve ever had in your entire life?”
Changmin snorted in amusement. “You, Choi Chanhee, will make this my most Christmassy Christmas night?”
“Oh you bet I will,” Chanhee declared, earning a wide, genuine smile from Changmin. “It’ll be you, me, our gingerbread house and the infamous Christmas playlist you’ve been playing the entire month. How does that sound? It’d be better if we went outside and did something cool like ice skating or building a snowman, but unfortunately we can’t. Hold on, does that sound boring? I’m sorry, I don’t—”
Changmin only rolled his eyes once Chanhee started rambling in front of him and cut him mid-sentence by pulling him in and closing the door behind them. He was more than willing to spend his Christmas with Chanhee.
“You talk too much, Choi. Of course that sounds amazing, are you crazy?” Changmin shook his head in disbelief. “I know it hasn’t been long since we met; it’s been like, three weeks or so, but I’d rather celebrate Christmas with you than anyone else. Trust me.”
Chanhee could only smile at that and look down at his feet shyly, suddenly not able to maintain eye contact. He hated Changmin and the way he chose the perfect words to make his stupid heart flutter. He hated Changmin and his stupid dimples and his silly 3 a.m cat pictures captioned with ‘this is us’ and his unrealistic desire to stay alive and see the alien invasion happening and his stupid obsession with Christmas and everything that had to do with winter holidays and his stupid dog called Ghana that just suited Changmin so well in a way and his ability to make Chanhee smile so hard his cheeks felt the tiniest bit sore from the way he’d been smiling all day and—Everything about Changmin was so stupid. Stupidly perfect . Chanhee hated him.
“Alright, so where do we begin—”
“I like you.”
Changmin stopped. “What?”
Now, that didn’t sound like hate at all , did it? It seemed like Chanhee’s brain and heart did not come to an agreement.
“Oh my God, I fucked up didn’t I—”
“No, no, no. None of that,” Changmin was quick to reassure him, holding him by his arms and looking at him. “Stop listening to your brain for once and calm down, Chanhee. What did you mean by that?”
Chanhee scratched his throat with his cheeks flushed. “It meant what it meant.”
“Chanhee.”
“Fine! Oh my God, you’re insufferable,” Chanhee groaned, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. Couldn’t Changmin figure it out on his own?! “I like you. And no, not in a ‘hey let’s be inseparable best friends forever’ way, but in a rather..” Chanhee suddenly stopped, feeling shy about his next words.
“In what way, Chanhee?”
Changmin had definitely figured it out by now, but he was having his fun by seeing Chanhee stumble over his own words and become embarrassed at whatever he was thinking.
That fucker.
“In this way,” Chanhee suddenly said, boldly intertwining their hands together and bringing them up to Changmin’s eye level. “I wanna be able to hold your hand and hug you whenever I want and listen to you ramble about whatever the hell you’re thinking about while I look at you as if you.. Hung the damn moon and the stars.” Chanhee finally said. “God. This is so embarrassing. I never thought things would turn out like this.”
He could only stare at Changmin looking at him with a dumb smile on his face, before he suddenly came to a realization and opened his mouth without giving Changmin a chance to let his words sink in.
“Yeah, I like you, but I understand that it’s only been three weeks and I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t feel the same way. Like, really, it’s fine. I don’t even know how it took me only three weeks to like someone, I swear. I’m not usually like this—”
“So you’re basically saying that I’m special.”
Chanhee wanted to wipe that stupid smug grin off his face so bad.
“Nope. You came to that conclusion by yourself.”
Changmin could only laugh and bring Chanhee in his arms again, catching him off guard.
“Guess what. I like you too, Choi Chanhee. A little bit too much, actually.”
Chanhee froze in his embrace, blinking in surprise. “Wait. For real?”
“Yeah, silly. I also haven’t liked anyone in just three weeks, but you’re different. You’re special, Chanhee,” Changmin said, breaking the hug and facing Chanhee. As usual, his cheeks were flushed in embarrassment and he looked so pretty and lovely . Changmin loved it. Changmin really liked him.
“Also, no need to pay me back for the gingerbread house. This is the best gift you could ever give me, really.”
“Nah, I’m not done yet,” Chanhee said. Then, he suddenly intertwined their hands and pulled a confused Changmin to the living room. He left him there, headed to grab his own phone and connected his phone to Changmin’s speakers. Changmin was even more confused, until a very familiar song started blasting through the speakers.
“All I want for Christmas,” Chanhee started singing along with Mariah Carey, “is for you to allow me to make this the most Christmassy Christmas for you, Changmin. So, what do you say?”
Changmin smiled so widely his cheeks began to hurt.
“Damn. I really like you, Choi Chanhee.”