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The couple was (im)patiently waiting for the first snow to arrive in Korea, always checking the weather app if it finally happened. They wouldn’t admit it to their group mates but witnessing the first snow together had been the first priority of their couple to-do list. Not that they had something like that-
(They did. It was a note in the apple notes app that they both could edit, called “groceries” and hidden with a password so if someone tried to open it, they would be greeted with nothingness) In the end, it wouldn’t even be that embarrassing. It was a Korea-wide thing, the cute tradition of witnessing the first together with your most loved person.
“What if it snows when you are in Australia?” Heeseung mumbled into the younger one’s neck, leaving small kisses on the soft skin afterwards. Goosebumps spread all over Jake’s body and he pulled the hands on his belly closer as he stirred the ramen in his pot.
“Well, that would be sad. But we can facetime! Just call me when it starts.” The two of them stood in the kitchen, preparing one of their midnight snacks, aka dates, a little more clingy than usual. It was only a few days before Christmas and the atmosphere in the dorm was starting to get lighter and more cheery with the year-end awards being pretty much over.
For good measure, the hug was tightened a little more. “But why would only I call first- right. It’s summer in Australia. I nearly forgot that.”
“How could you forget when my suitcase is basically only filled with your t-shirts?”
“I said nearly , I didn’t actually forget!”
In his defendant-mode, Heeseung loosened the grip on Jake’s fluffy pullover, the latter used the opportunity to turn around and press a peck to the kissable lips. “Dinner’s ready, hyungie~”
When their food was as good as eaten, a message notification was audible in the quiet (if you ignore the obnoxious slurping sounds they produced) kitchen.
“Must’ve been yours. Mines on silent. And in my room for that matter.” And so Jake unlocked his phone, meeting a nightmare of a message.
Mom: link attached
Brisbane Times
Breaking News - BNE Airport temporarily closed after air conditioning failure
The terminals at Brisbane’s airport will be closed due to an incident today. At around 8.30 pm, passengers and staff complained about nausea, around 140 emergency services personnel from the fire service provided assistance to the 76 people. The airport had to be evacuated. The cause of the nausea is not determined yet, although it is likely to be a troubling air conditioning system. Until further notice, the airport will remain closed. Many flights will be canceled whereas others will be diverted to nearby airports.
For more information visit: bne-brisbane.airport.com/flights/information-on-airport-situation
Mom: I am so so sorry, my dear. Yuur flight is one of the many that got canceled, I already looked it up at the airline’s website. I hope you won’t have to celebrate Christmas alone :(
Jake was in a haze. It took him a minimum of reading the article thrice until the information started to sicker in. Like a puddle that was about to flow over. One droplet too much, and the water started overflowing his eyes.
One tear started rolling down his cheek, reaching its destination on his upper lip. It tasted oddly like frustration and heartache.
“This was supposed to be my first Christmas in Australia in ages!” Heeseung, who had been watching Jake with worry, finally stood up and walked around their kitchen table. His arms found themselves to be in the same position as earlier, around his boyfriend’s torso. “What happened?' Is your family okay?”
The soft and warm voice calmed him down a little by the way it hit the shell of his ear. “Yeah, don’t worry. They’re fine. There was an incident at Brisbane’s airport and it closes down for a few days. I wish I could have flown together with my mom. Then I’d be there already!”
The sentence ended with a choked up sigh. He tried so hard not to cry but knowing that you can’t spend the celebration of love with your family wasn’t an easy to swallow pill.
As if the older one sensed his thoughts, he let go of Jake to extend a hand in front of him. “Come to my room?” It was a silent invitation to let it all out, in his lover’s embrace, covered under a blanket where no one could see him.
That’s where they lay, Jaeyun’s sobbing turned into quiet sniffles while he apologized for the snot on the other’s sweater. A Christmas sweater to be specific. If that wasn’t the epitome of irony, he didn’t know anything anymore.
“Dun wanna spend Christmas ‘lone.” Even without looking at his face, Hee just knew how big of a pout there was. Said face was shoved deeper into the crook of his neck.
If that happened any other year, at least Riki would probably have been at their dorm. The young boy was invited to Jay’s place one time since their break wasn’t long enough for him to fly back to Japan. This year he was able to, a suitcase full of presents for his sisters and parents, squeezed between a few clothing articles, stood in the biggest dorm room by the youngest’s bed.
Everyone else had the opportunity to stay in the country to spend Christmas with their family.
“We’ll find a way, baby. First thing in the morning. But you need to catch some sleep now, hm?” With a strained voice he answered, falling asleep as if on cue only two minutes later.
Jake woke up to a warm yet empty bed. That’s odd. The oldest of their group wasn’t normally the type to stand up before him. Or to stand up early. Sometimes even to stand up at all. It was way too comfy in the bed to stand up himself, but he noticed voices in the hallway and got curious.
He, literally, rolled out of the bed, landing on the ground with a not so silent thud . His hand reached for the velvety blanket his boyfriend kept by his desk for late night gaming sessions when the heating system was a little colder since everyone but him was deep asleep.
His gaze shifted through the hallway and immediately landed on Jay who smirked at him for coming out of Heeseung’s room first thing in the morning. After all he was his room mate whose job it was to annoy the shit out of him. If not by letting his clothes start a cult on their floor, then by teasing him 24/7.
“Suck it up Jongseong, have you seen hyung?” A single, firm nod answered his question instantly. “He just told me he’d call his parents for something Christmas related. I don’t know, I’m barely awake anyway. He could have also told me about Santa in our chimney.”
“Jay, we don’t have a chimney.”
“That’s the point.”
And with that the oldest of 02z left to probably catch a little more sleep.
He was soon replaced by the youngest of the 02 trio and the maknae of Enhypen, who joined Jake in the kitchen that he entered only four minutes before them to drink some coffee. It was quite good, their bickering drowned out his racing, bittersweet thoughts that this room brought him. Memories of last night and the fact that, well, it’s only three days until Christmas and he had nowhere to be.
“Hyung! I heard Heeseungie hyung on the phone, he asked his producers if you could stay the days with them? Aren’t you going home anymore?”
He explained the news to them and took a sip of coffee, spitting it into his cup again when he realized what their youngest said, holding his abs after starting to laugh because he might have overdone it at the gym yesterday.
“First of all, did you just call his parents ‘producers’?” Apparently Sunghoon had only realized as well and his laughter lit up the room. “Forgot the word for parents! Don’t you pretend you don’t sometimes forget Korean as well. We know how often you speak Konglish.”
“Second of all,” he started, not wanting to agree with Riki, “he asked what?”
“Are you afraid of his parents or what, Jakey?” His best friend questioned with a smug voice. “No? Why would I be?”
“Well. Wouldn’t anyone be a little antsy before meeting their partner’s parents for the first time. What if they don’t like you.”
Would it be very suspicious if he drowned Sunghoon in the Han River? “Thanks, now I am scared of meeting them.”
“What about his brother?” Jake really needed new friends. These ones sucked.
“I might be a little scared of him. What if he's like super overprotective? Damn, thanks guys. Now I am actually overthinking this!” The two other boys in the room started straight up laughing at him, high fiving right in front of his nose. Wonderful, not even his coffee would be able to lift his ruined mood. Neither does the blanket on his shoulders that smells so much like his boyfriend. He inhaled the scent deeply, and, well, perhaps it did work a little. Not that he’d admit that out loud with those two fuckers here to judge him.
“Don’t worry too much about his brother. In the end we are still talking about the Kamppaginsungan guy. He doesn’t seem like someone who’d make your life a living hell only because you are dating his younger brother. Plus, he loves Jay. If you speak English to him he might fall head over heels for you as well.”
“Jay’s American. I’m Australian. You know that’s different, right Sunghoon? And, what the fuck?”
Riki chimed in. “It would be kinda weird if Seungjun-ssi fell for him-”
“God, kid, I didn’t mean it that way!” Sunghoon was about to slap his neck when the younger one already started running but didn’t come far as he ran straight into Heeseung.
“Looks like you two ruined my surprise.”
Sheepish, they shared a look and apologized. Not without blaming each other for having started it. Jake shook his head, returning to the brownish liquid in his mug. They will really never stop bickering, will they?
“I am sorry, hyungie. Please don’t be mad at me! I was just worried about Jake hyung not going home.” Often enough the youngest could be a little menace but could one ever be mad at him? He's an amazing 17 year old. After all, they basically raised him.
“Of course, I am not mad, my cutie pie maknae baby boiled dumpling leopard.”
“You are so embarrassing, I hate you.”
Jaeyun found himself in Heeseung’s bed again, still wrapped in the game-chair blanket. The other one took his hands into his. “I wanted to ask my parents before I’d get your hopes up high but…
if you want to, you can join us for Christmas. You don’t have to, don’t feel pressured but it’s an option, and my mom would be happy to meet you, so would my dad and brother. Know that you’d be welcome.”
“Thank you so much for this, I don’t know what to say.” So he just leaned in and captured Heeseung’s lips in a sweet kiss. He tasted of toothpaste and the combination of this with his coffee breath wasn’t the most delicious thing. Nonetheless, neither mentioned it.
“What I forgot to ask. Do they know I’m your boyfriend?”
Turned out: No, they didn’t. Well, at least not before the phone call.
Earlier on the phone, he confessed it to his mom who was overly delighted to hear the news. What she didn’t like (and immediately scolded him for) was only hearing about it now. They’ve been together for months.
In his defense: He didn’t lie to her, just forgot to mention it before. To which she said “how could you forget such a thing?” To sum it up, it was an interesting phone call, a little emotional on Miss Lee’s side. She might have shed a tear or two but was extremely hyped to get to know the boy who captured her youngest son’s heart. “Mom, I don’t even know if he wants to spend Christmas with us!”
Telling his mother that he was in a relationship was one thing. Admitting to Jake that he’d only just told her was another.
“What do you mean by ‘I had to explain that I have a boyfriend’? I thought they knew! Didn’t you say you wanna introduce me to them anytime soon? How did you think that would work out, huh?”
“I’ll be leaving now. Are you fine on your own?” Jungwon asked them, looking down on the mess his two hyungs created. Jake having to pack everything out of his suitcase and change for winter attire was surely messy, but Heeseung sitting on his bed next to the pile of clothes while playing with his nintendo switch was a situation the leader of the group wanted to escape quickly.
“Yeah, Wonie. My brother picks us up in an hour or two. We’ll manage just fine.” The guy playing animal crossing responded, not looking up from the screen longer than necessary.
“What? I thought a manager would bring us. I am not ready to see your brother yet!”
“And that is my cue to leave. Merry Christmas, love you!” With that Jungwon shouldered his backpack and yeeted himself out of there. It was the 23rd of December and the normally obnoxious dorm was oddly empty and silent.
“Jakey, it’s just my brother!”
“Let me be scared of him as much as I want.”
“You are being dramatic. But it’s fine, I’ll let you be. He’s cool tho, my brother I mean. Basically the extroverted version of me.”
Jake, who was no longer sitting on the cold floor, stood up, leveling their eyes (after stealing the switch) and pecked his nose. “Thanks, and we’ll see. If he’s really anything like you, I guess this will go smoothly.”
Their phones simultaneously made notice of an incoming kakaotalk message.
Sunoo: Can anyone let me in? I forgot my wallet and keys insiiiiiide
Jungwon: Oh so I DID see you outside. I thought I was seeing things. I am in the car already, sorry Sunoo hyung :((
Riki: 20 Cube
Sunoo: It’s okay hyung
Sunoo: You are no fun, Riki
Jungwon: Jake hyung and Hee hyung are still inside though, maybe call one of them if they don’t read their messages
Heeseung: No need to, door’s open sunshine~
“Thank you, I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t still here!” The eldest ruffled Sunoo’s hair and used the other hand for a ‘it’s nothing’ motion.
The personification of the sun went to his room and quickly left the couple alone again after saying “my sister’s waiting outside, gotta hurry. Merry Christmas to you two~”
Half an hour later, their bags were packed (even Heeseung’s since Jake threatened him with no kisses for a whole week. The thought alone made the taller one get goosebumps so he quickly got his ass up and threw a few clothes and toiletries in a backpack).
“Good to go, baby g-”
“Stop calling me baby girl for god’s sake!” He’s been jokingly calling Jaeyun that name for a while now. It started after he mindlessly scrolled through his TikTok for you page and came across an Engene stating that the other one was baby girl material. Especially “Heeseung’s baby girl”. That’s actually quoted.
“But they are right~ you are my-”
Jake stopped him midword again. “Cut it, hyung. Please!” With a whiny voice he actually convinced him to drop it. For now.
“But to answer your question, I am indeed good to go.”
“Good, ‘cause my brother texted me that he’s waiting in the car.” As if sensing the slight discomfort after that statement, he spoke again. “Don’t worry. Worst case scenario is that he’ll use you against me to make jokes about me. You’ll get along, pinky promise.”
Instead of a pinky promise, Jake asked for a kiss. Already aware that kisses will be a rare treat for the next couple of days.
The time passed a little too fast for the younger one’s liking, their lips had to detach way too fast yet the feeling of featherlight touches remained on them, tattooed into the red-colored skin. They fixed their masks and hats and started walking out of the dorm and leaving it in nothing but darkness and silence. An unusual picture of the apartment.
Meeting Seungjun was a little awkward at first, if Jake was being truthful. Thankfully, the two continued a conversation they appeared to have held earlier on kakaotalk. He used that time to look out of the window, longingly waiting for the gray clouds to let out some snow into the world.
Car rides have never been something he particularly enjoyed. It wasn’t even a forty minute drive to the two brothers’ hometown but for car sickness it didn’t matter if the ride was fifteen minutes or six hours long.
“Can you pass me the bottle of water?” His English alongside the Australian accent slipped out. Thankfully that wasn’t a problem with Heeseung. On top of the ride itself, the car smelled a little too new for his liking, increasing the slight car sickness.
“Oh Jakey, are you okay?” He asked back instantly, handing him the bottle after reaching down the foot space. Two, three sips and he already felt a lot better. “Yeah, it’s just motion sickness. It’s fine though, we’ll be there soon anyways!”
Seungjun, who was observing the conversation, interfered by asking “Oh, that’s why Heeseungie’s English has gotten better!” Then he also wanted to know if he should drive slower for him, which he shook his head to. “No, it’s okay. Promise!”
“Well, we mostly text in English but we often speak it too. It’s quite fun!” Heeseung announced with only the slightest hesitation. “And he’s good at it! Right, Seungie hyung?” He belatedly realized that he could have referred to both of them. Off to a good start, Sim Jaeyun.
“Damn, I meant Heeseung hyung! Sorry for the confusion, Seungjun-ssi.”
The man behind the steering wheel snickered loudly. “Wow, bro, you really got yourself a cute, well-mannered boyfriend. Jake, you can call me hyung if you want. Do you want to call me Seungie Hyung?”
“Nice try, but that right is reserved for Heeseung and Heeseung only~” The atmosphere in the vehicle had gotten even more cheerful, filled with chuckles from every party. “Okay, good to me. But I still insist on the hyung part!”
The front door to the Lee brothers’ home opened and a woman, appearing to be in her early fifties (she didn’t look it, he just knew her age), stepped out as soon as she heard the engine of her eldest son’s car going off. “You are just in time! I just finished preparing the coffee table.”
The second Jake’s eyes decided to take a look at the woman, he instantly knew: the boys definitely got a good amount of genes from her. A smile -just as wide and shining as Heeseung’s- greeted him. The youngest among them had to copy the facial expression, it was too contagious not to. That opinion was slightly changed when their father followed his wife outside. They definitely got good genes from both sides.
As soon as the boy was handed his bag from the trunk (he told his boyfriend that he was very much capable of getting it by himself but he ‘ignored’ him and basically ran to the back of the car to play gentleman) and followed the two taller people to the doorsteps. He took one last deep breath. Jaeyun-ah, get yourself together. You won’t die!
“Good afternoon, I’m Sim Jaeyun!” He said after the family’s youngest was welcomed back home with a bone crushing hug, using his nicest voice and performing a ninety degree bow, which actually made his back crack a little. That earned him a few chuckles but also a worried gaze from the mother.
The parents greeted him back, rapidly making sure that he could address them as “eomonim” and “abeonim”. That gesture made Heeseung’s heart feel even warmer, knowing that they already accepted him after only knowing the boy for a few moments (well and from tv). “Now, let’s go inside! It’s cold.”
With that, they entered the house and as curious as the Korean-Australian was, he instantly started to roam his gaze along the bright walls. Many framed family pictures greeted him along with a few decorational articles. It literally screamed home , which was why it didn’t take long for him to feel welcome.
He took off his outerwear and immediately followed his boyfriend to his old bedroom to stow their luggage. “Do you think they let us sleep in one room?” Jake whispered while looking around his childhood bedroom. Pictures of him and his friends scattered through the room, making it feel homey. In his mental note, he immediately wrote ‘searching for pre-teenie Hee on the photos’ for later.
“There aren’t many options anyway. We prolly need to convince them but let me worry ‘bout that, hm?” He mumbled back, opening his arms for a short but very anticipated hug. Oh how much he loved the few cm height difference. Everything was cozy as long as he didn’t inhale too deeply- “God, did you have to use that much perfume? I can’t breathe !”
“Jaeyun-ah, do you want some coffee or tea?” Heeseung’s mom yelled lovingly through the house, unknowingly being the sign to withdraw from the suffocating embrace. “What kind of tea do you have?” He questioned when the two reached the center of every house, the beloved kitchen. “Let me check, I’ll get back to you in a minute.”
“Jakey?” Mentioned boy looked up to his boyfriend, already expecting the worst. “If you were a type of tea, you’d be a cutie.” And he was right but had to laugh anyway. “And if you were tea, you’d be nasty.” Scandalized, he opened his mouth.
“You could have said beauty!” His answer to that was chuckling. “I know, I also had ‘dirty’ in my mind. But I decided against it.” It was for Heeseung to figure out which type of dirty he meant. In the background you could hear Miss Lee, who was searching for every tea they owned to give the guest all the options, having trouble hiding her laugh.
“I hate you,” Heeseung muttered, pouting at his boyfriend. “I love you too, sooooo much!”
Around an hour passed since they arrived and Jaeyun noticed two things. First: The appraising eyes of Mister Lee slowly faded into a more adoring gaze, which was accommodating for him. He seemed to like him, accepting his son’s boyfriend fast. Second: Miss Lee was the most precious human on earth and seemed like she wanted to adopt him. (Which would make the couple thing a little awkward, not gonna lie.)
They still sat at the dining table, chatting a lot and getting to know each other. “So, you are Australian?” The father of the family asked, sipping his coffee right after. “Yes, that’s right! I was born in Korea and lived here for a few years. But I would say I mostly grew up in Brisbane.“
“Wow, that’s cool.” An astonished Seungjun added to the conversation. “You must celebrate Christmas differently then, right?” Mister Lee wanted to know, voicing that thought with curious eyes. “Not really actually. The most obvious difference is it being summer in Australia, I would say.” A charming chuckle warmed up the atmosphere around the dinner table even more.
He didn’t like being in the spotlight that much but the hand on his knee, playing with the fabric of his jeans, supported him mentally.
“How was Christmas for you?” Heeseung asked, genuinely being curious since this topic never came up really. Strolling down memory lane, he smiled widely and began to tell.
“...And when I was younger, I would help my grandma prepare the most delicious cookies ever. My brother got to help my parents set up the Christmas tree. One time I was so jealous of him, I sneakily walked to the tree when no one looked and tried to put the star on it.”
“Let me guess, you tripped and fell down, taking the tree with you?” Seungjun asked, laughing at the hilarious image of a smaller version of Jake running around the tree because he envied his older brother.
“Spot on! Save to say, my mom never bought glass decoration ever again. I was fine though, which is a wonder with all the glass splinters I could have gotten.”
The conversation went on. From the most mundane things to the quirkiest ‘what if’ questions. For a while, the newest addition to this family table remained quiet, taking in the family’s antics and relationship. It was heartwarming to watch them talking to each other, knowing that Heeseung hadn’t been home in a while.The couple started to openly hold hands on top of the table now which was quite a step for them. Not even in the dorm they did that. Okay, not often at least.
There was nearly no reaction to it. Only a shoulder bump from Seungjun along with wiggling eyebrows. The young man received a kick to the shin in return.
“Jake, do you have your grandma’s cookie recipe?” The hand around his stiffened, squeezing it a little in the process. The boy who the question was for, moved his thumb across the other’s, telling him it’s okay.
“I don’t think so but I could ask my dad, why?”
The next words that she said nearly brought him to tears. Happy tears.
“I want you to feel home, Jaeyun-ah. What do you think about baking those cookies with me tomorrow? I could use some help in the kitchen.” Okay, the last part was personal. A side eye was sent to the men of the family, who pretended to be deep in a conversation about basketball.
“I would love to.” At that moment he realized that she probably knew. About his grandma and what happened about a year ago. She sent him a kind smile and turned her head to her husband, scolding him for rather wanting to spend time with their sons on the Basketball field than helping her. Every single year. But her smile remained so he knew it wasn’t actually a developing argument.
Jake himself found himself having a dazzling and toothy smile on his face. He was so happy to be here at his boyfriend’s side. His scared thoughts from earlier appeared small and silly to him now.
“Everything alright, love?” Talk of the devil and he is bound to appear. “Yes, I am very happy right now.” He granted him the sweetest smile ever, making it hard for Hee not to give in to the desire to kiss him right here, right now. So he just went to gently caress his knuckles with his thumb once again.
Later that day, after persuading his parents to let them share a bed (all it took was a “They are grownups and I am very sure that doing something in your childhood room is not very appealing.” from Heeseung‘s older brother), they were getting ready to go to bed.
“Bambi?” While fumbling through his backpack to find his toothbrush he hummed, symbolizing that Jaeyun had his (not really) undivided attention. “It would be very cliché of me to ‘forget’ my pajamas so I can sleep in your shirt, wouldn’t it?” Obviously that was a rhetorical question.
“Did you?” He sighed, letting himself fall onto the old, yet comfy bed. “Sadly no.” Heeseung looked up at him, two shirts and a toothbrush in his hands. “Still wanna sleep in my clothes?” A grin spread across the smaller one’s cheeks, anticipating to drown in his boyfriend’s already too big t-shirt. “You know me so well~”
It was tempting to get ready together in the bathroom, and so they did. But they met Heeseung’s brother on the way. “I helped you two share a bed but even using the bathroom together? You are inseparable. Ew.” The taller one of the couple didn’t do anything but flip him off and opened the bathroom door, letting Jake enter it before him.
A few minutes in, already having brushed his teeth, Heeseung sat down on the bathtub rim, gazing at his lover’s pretty, shirtless back. “The time at the gym really paid off, huh?” The younger one asked smugly, sensing the eyes on him.
“Very much. Your back muscles got so defined, it’s crazy how that happened in such a short time. Fuck, I am so horny for you.”
“God, Hyung, shut up. What if your family hears you?” Panicked, Jaeyun turned around, toothbrush in one hand, toothpaste in the other. The smirk on Hee’s face just proved that that’s exactly what he wanted to achieve. “You can stare at my abs all the time, Lee Heeseung. You just gotta ask. No need to scare me shitless!”
The older one made grabby hands, basically saying ‘come here’. Jake hoisted the white flag of defeat and walked over, now being captured between two legs. “Did you at least lock the door? This scene would lead to a terrible Christmas dinner. And breakfast. And lunch. We don’t want that.”
“Did that.” Heeseung whispered, breathing against the other’s tummy. The sensation was so odd, Jake immediately got goosebumps. The former grabbed the latter’s hips and smothered his abs with tiny kisses. He started to count them, after going up to 15 he felt Heeseung blow a raspberry on his belly button. Jake made sounds of his signature giggle escape.
“Okay, enough tummy kisses. I have some pearly whites to clean and you got some skin care on your to do list. We can continue this later in bed.”
And like this, they were in said bed. “Your family is very nice,” Jake began, feeling an arm laying on his waist, its hand stroking his back in slow, mindless patterns. “no idea how you are related to them.” With a slight slap on the back and a “yah” Hee convinced him to apologize. Not without laughing at his fake-affected grimace. “Just kidding, just kidding.”
“You better be,” he voiced out as he leaned in to peck his lips, finally . “Been waiting patiently to kiss you again. That’s the only downside of staying here for Christmas together. But better this way than having to miss you.” The younger one instantly understood that he was referring to his fallen through Australia trip.
And to be honest, he couldn’t be mad about it when he could look into his lover’s eyes as often as he pleased. “I would have missed you terribly too.” Now it was him leaning into a sweet kiss. They didn’t stay awake for much longer after that, letting dreamland embrace them with a sweet cocoa with marshmallows in it. Their stomachs might have rumbled the night away.
The couple started the morning slowly with a lot of cuddling and ‘I don’t wanna stand up‘ s until they eventually did leave the bed. “That’s about time, it’s already 11am!“ Was Seungjun’s statement the two were greeted with. “That’s fairly early for me,” Jake responded, trying to suppress a yawn (unsuccessfully).
“You are just like Heeseung, no wonder you two make such a good couple.” Before he could take the words back, the younger one of the siblings chirped in “Aww, hyungie~ Was that a compliment?” To which only a muffled “you wish” was audible in the hallway.
Mister Lee had heard the three converse and joined them to ask if the not-so-early birds wanted to eat breakfast or wait until lunch. “Oh, I’d like a bit for breakfast!” Jaeyun exclaimed, smiling at the man and following him into the kitchen. Whereas Heeseung was bickering with his brother because the latter apparently just woke up himself. “You fucking liar!”
“Yah, Lee Heeseung!” His mother screamed from the living room. From the kitchen one could recognize loud, boisterous laughter. “Sorry, mom!” “No, you should apologize to your brother. Not me!” Said laughter was the indicator for Heeseung to leave and get some breakfast too.
“So, what is today’s procedure? We talked about how I celebrate Christmas but not how you do!” Heeseung was unable to respond due a large amount of rice in his mouth, so his father explained to him what they’d do today.
“...and then we’d take a walk around town around 4pm, come back home and exchange presents by the Christmas tree. If the boys are gracious enough they might play something on the piano together.” He seemed to think for a moment until he started to speak again. “I believe a walk isn’t the wisest choice, is it?” A kind yet sad smile was displayed on the older man’s lips.
“I suppose it’s not,” Heeseung, who finally gulped down his food, enclosed, copying the facial expression from his role model. His thoughts wondered to ‘what if someone recognizes us, takes photos, uploads them-’ and then stopped because he had holidays for fuck’s sake . He shouldn’t be overthinking now.
“Oh, don’t worry! My parents insisted on face timing me in the afternoon, y’all can go on a walk and I can stay inside.” He was sure he could manage a bit of a home alone vibe. Maybe he’d even call some of the member’s as well. Also, he didn’t wanna ruin the family tradition. It was the first time in a while that they were united like this.
“Are you sure?” When he looked up, deer eyes stared at him while their owner munched on some extra chewy kimchi. “Yes,hyungie~ I am already grown-up, I’ll manage a little time on my own.” Heeseung’s father just watched the two interact and his once downcast smile transformed into a content one.
Now he was certain that his son was in good, loving hands. Just by the way they held eye contact, one could see from miles away how deep the feelings were they shared. Mutual. Maybe Heeseung had fallen first but they fell just as deep, together. And hand in hand they would fall deeper with each day passing by.
After lunch (which consisted of very delicious homemade bibimbap) Seungjun was challenging his younger brother to play fifa with him. “Gaming with Niki would show its benefits now!” To cut it short: He did play a lot with their maknae but apparently not enough.
“Hyung, you are losing. Just saying.” Jake, who -for some odd reason he couldn’t explain himself- was watching the two play in Seungjun’s room, voiced his thoughts halfway through the first round. “Pff, I just need to warm up! Watch me beat him.” His brother repeated his words from earlier, clearer this time and with a lopsided grin. “You wish~”
“I bet you’ll lose at least half of the games~” he chimed in to tease Hee as well. “Okay, I bet I’ll win at least half of it.” Pride was rolling off his tongue, he was so sure of himself. “What are we betting on?”
The older one pretended to think, ignoring that his brother just scored another goal.
“Hm, a kiss?”
“Deal~”
“Hello? I am here too? Rude. You two are gross.”
As if Miss Lee sensed the young man’s boredom, who was back to staring down at his phone as Heeseung yelled at the TV in frustration, she walked to the oldest boy’s room. “Jaeyun-ah? Do you want me to help me with the cookies now?” The addressed boy looked up and nodded as if his life depended on it. “That’d be incredible!” He could only take so much bickering from the Lee Brothers at once.
When he rose from the mini couch, he made sure to whisper-yell one last thing. “When I come back, we’ll play Mario Kart and I’ll beat your asses.” With a smile as wide as the Pacific he left the living room and followed the woman into the kitchen.
Jake took his phone out of his back pocket and handed it to Heeseung’s mom to look at the recipe. “Then let’s get started? I think we’ve got all the ingredients!”
They smiled at each other, ready to get to work, and Miss Lee went to get flour, sugar, chocolate and baking powder. In the meantime the boy asked himself ‘Why does being here not feel awkward to me? I’ve just met them!’ The question remained unanswered but that was absolutely fine.
“I wish I would have done such things more often when Heeseung was still living at home. Spending quality time together.” She sighed a little while making Jake weigh the flour. “Should I ask him to join us?” The counter question was denied. “He has to enjoy some brother time. Plus, I’d like to get to know you a little more!”
The whole time, two screaming boys were heard: it really seemed to be a close match. After a while it sounded like a third party had joined them. “Ah, my husband is playing with them now. I thought he’d never accompany them!” No matter how much the boy loved Heeseung’s laugh, his mom’s laugh was just as contagious and was sprinting into Jaeyun’s heart.
“I’m sincerely happy that Heeseung can be home again and have fun with y’all. It’s been a while even though Namyangju is not far away,” he mentioned with a slightly despondent smile that wasn’t really reaching his eyes. “Idol life can be so beautiful yet demanding and exhausting, and even if you are in a group with people that you can call your friends and family, it can be lonely too.” That he did everything in his might to prevent the older from feeling alone went unsaid.
“Do you regret it?” The way her tone dropped definitely called for that question, he should have known better. “No, not at all. It’s just that sometimes the disadvantages get the best of me. It’s hard, that is undeniable. Being in a relationship with another kpop idol is nerve-wracking to say the least.” He paused, taking a bigger breath. Still, his mouth curved into the shape of something that could be recognized as a content grin.
“But at least we have supporting people around us. And if being with Heeseung means hiding, I am willing to lock up a part of myself in a box with ‘do not open’ carved in.” He felt a hand pat his elbow and up his arm (the part that wasn’t in pretty waves yet) in a comforting manner. The ingredients were ready to be mixed, only the melted butter was to be missed but would find its way into the batter sooner than later.
“Oh god, I didn’t mean to get that sentimental! And cheesy. That was really cheesy.” What he didn’t know, neither of them for the record, was that a certain male stood inside the room, leaning against the opened door and listening to the last bits of their conversation. Since his father had been occupying the second controller, he dropped by.
“I love it when you get cheesy. Especially when it’s about me~” With shock written on his face, he turned around to face the reason for the almost-heart attack. “Jesus Christ, you scared the shit outta me! My poor, poor heart.” He exclaimed rather loudly in English while slapping a hand against his chest, just for the dramatics.
“Heeseung-ah, have you been eavesdropping?” His mother asked, slightly amused by the current scenario and also relieved that the youngest in the room was sidetracked from the prior thoughts.
“I didn’t mean to. I was coming to see how pretty my boyfriend looks with flour all over himself, and when I heard my name I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.” The person he was talking about huffed in amusement and threw him a look that was saying ‘are you friggin serious right now?’ “You are such a smoothtalker, Lee. Tststs.”
“Well, I need to disappoint you. His shirt is free from any flour. Now go and bother your brother.”
“Hey! Am I that much of a bother? You show favoritism again!”
“Heeseung, your mom has a cup of sizzling hot butter in her hand. Be nice or else your skin might be burned. Or worse, it could hit me”
“I wouldn’t burn you, don’t you worry darling.”
“FAVORITISM!”
“Please close the door when you leave!”
“Before I leave, which I will for the record, you are hotter than the butter, babe. It couldn’t burn you.”
“LEE HEESEUNG, GO AWAY!”
And with that a defeated Heeseung leaves the room which was soon filled with chuckles. “Is he always like that with you?” Miss Lee asked, finally adding the oily now liquid into the ball while Jake slowly mixed it in. “Yep. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to complain about him flirting more with our fans than with me the other day. Now he can’t seem to stop!” He laughed again, a fond smile found on his lips.
“Thank you,” he suddenly said when the woman behind him was occupied with turning up the heat of the oven. “Ah, don’t thank me for that! I don’t have the chance to throw my son out of the kitchen as often as I wish for.”
“For that, thanks too, he was flirting like a weirdo again, but that wasn’t what I actually meant.” Closing the oven’s door, Miss Lee turned around and put the baking tray on the counter. “What do you mean then?”
“Mostly for letting me stay here but especially for letting me experience this. Around Christmas is when I miss my grandma most. And making those cookies? It seriously means so much to me. That’s what I wanted to thank you for, eomonim. I feel very welcome here.”
Heeseung's mother took a step towards Jake. She took the boy’s hands in her and squeezed them tightly. “For this I need to repeat myself: Don’t thank me for that. You are a very kind boy, and despite knowing you for maybe 24 hours, you kind of grew on me. It’s very nice having conversations with you, I haven’t seen such a polite young man in a while, if ever. My children should take you as an example.”
“I am tempted to say ‘thank you’ again but I assume you’d repeat yourself a third time?” The older lady shook her head in funny disbelief. “I can’t trust my nose. The batter already smells so delicious. No wonder, it’s coming from my perfect wife~” Another male intruder of the Lee family has entered the kitchen.
Now it was Jaeyun’s turn to chuckle in incredulity. “Now I know why your son is such a smoothtalker!”
As soon as the cookies were shaped into funny shapes and put up in the oven, Jake tiptoed into Heeseung’s bedroom to change into some nicer clothes. After all, he couldn't walk around in his (Heeseung’s) pajamas the whole day. Not when they kind of agreed to dress up a little.
Like in any romance movie, drama or whatever, it felt like time had slowed down when he entered the room. For Heeseung at least. He’d seen him so many times in similar attire and similar hairstyle. So, why did it feel so different for him now? Was it the Aussie being in the place he called home? He simply couldn’t pinpoint it but why bother when he could just stare at him like a fucking simp?
“Eomma, Appa, Heeseung is drooling. It’s disgusting.” Amused sounds left the parents which were increased when they noticed Jake’s blushing cheeks. “I can’t help it!” Heeseung wanted to add ‘his ass looks so good in those slacks and his rolled up sleeves? damn it’ but he really wanted to live without being judged by his own family.
“You don’t even try to deny it?” Jaeyun asked, shocked to see him in his current state of ‘staring-until-his-big-deer-eyes-would-fall-out’. “Lemme admire and adore you” he patted the couch “and please join us for the promised mario kart session~”
He was not wrong when he promised to ‘beat their asses’, Heeseung thought. Did he actually kick me off the rainbow road? HOW did he do that? HOW dare he? The time his character (baby luigi. “Who would choose baby luigi??” Jaeyun asked, looking like his boyfriend committed an actual crime) needed to recover, he took in Jake’s side profile. From his concentrated forehead with the slightly furrowed eyebrows, down to his lashes, over the pretty slope of the nose and eventually stopping at his pink, plump lips that looked a little too inviting right now.
Call him a fucking simp, again, but he was genuinely asking himself how he was able to date such a beautiful being. He had to be unreal or was hiding a very ugly past somewhere. Just something . A rather loud “Haha, I was able to lap you!” startled him more than he would be willing to admit when Jake was already in round three as he was still in his second one. He finally pressed the ‘2’ button on the WII remote again to get baby luigi to move.
“By the way, who won more fifa games earlier?” Heeseung proudly announced to have defeated his hyung, demanding a kiss on the cheek as his award. “Only if you do aegyo for me~” The images in his head alone made Seungjun scream and cry in laughter, falling down the couch as he fished for his phone. “I need to get that on video!”
“Don’t do that to me. I won’t hear the end of it. Please, jagi. Don’t be so cruel to me!” He whined and begged, which made his brother roll on the floor even more. “Hm, then I’ll get the prize! Here~” He cutely poked his own cheek and smiled fondly at him. With a not so quiet sound, he left a quick peck on his rosy cheek, being not that sad that he didn’t get his prize.
“Oh maaaaaaaan, I was looking forward to my dongsaeng doing aegyo. What was that in I-Land? Heeddeungie ?” And that’s how the seemingly never-ending teasing began. “I’m never doing that again. I swear to god.”
“Your fans would be heartbroken if you didn’t, son.” Miss Lee entered the living room again, wearing something more festive as well. “That dress is very pretty, eomonim~” the youngest complimented her. The lady was beaming with happiness.
From the hallway only a single gasp was heard and the last family member walked inside the living room too. “Yeobo, you look beautiful! Sons, tell your mother she is pretty.”
And Jaeyun realized: Heeseung came after his dad in many ways, not only being a smoothtalker but even being a simp was in his genes.
“Hi Mom!” He greeted his mother on the phone who smiled brightly through the screen. “You get more and more handsome with each day passing by, son.”
They talked a lot, his brother and dad peeked their heads into the frame at some point when they came back from a quick, last-minute grocery run, he almost felt like he was there too. If he concentrated enough on his screen and not the little green light on top of his phone, indicating that this was just a video, he could pretend to stand beside them in shorts and a tee, sipping iced tea instead of hot one.
He used the time to talk to them while the family he stayed with went on a walk. At first he had cookie duty as the second batch needed his supervision, then he just got comfy on Heeseung’s bed.
Speaking of him, Jaeyun felt a touch on his leg, startling him a little. He looked down and found a puddle of black hair in his lap. Apple was right, those airpods were really noise canceling. “Oh, when did you come inside?” Miss Sim furrowed her brows. “Do they have a pet?” Yeah, she didn’t hear Hee either.
He moved his camera lens down, focusing on his boyfriend leaning into him, nuzzling his nose in his belly. His free hand automatically found his soft strands to dive into. “Does this look like a pet to you?”
“Yes,” His mom deadpanned, laughing out loud. Heeseung looked up with a gaze that meant something along the lines of ‘what the hell?’
“Mom, I’d love to introduce you two but he can’t even hold his eyes open, let alone speak. Maybe tomorrow?”
Not very much later, Jake had to dissolve the conversation as his parents had some things to take care of for their own Christmas feast. “Hear ya later alligator.”
“Are you tired, Hee?” A little nod confirmed the assumption. “I think I’d wake up if you did snow angels with me.” A deep sigh escaped his throat, looking down at the other boy. “Can you perform some magic so we have snow?” The older one was sulking. “Not exactly, but we have a nice backyard. I also know where our blankets are.”
Jake leaned down, capturing his still pouting lips in a peck while ruffling his hair once more. “So blanket angels it is?” After a firm nod, he stood up at such a rapid pace that the Australian was worried for a single second. The concerns were soon replaced by giddy feelings as a certain young man was lifting him up, carrying him to the front door where his outer clothing was hanging.
His parents looked a little concerned when Heeseung looked for two picnic blankets but shrugged it off “He’ll surely know what he’s doing.” They also told them to not catch a cold and be back inside by 6pm, which was in a little less than an hour.
Hee carefully placed the two blankets on the still very green grass, slightly overlapping each other. “You’re allowed to sit down now, my lord~” And with those words the -probably hilarious to look at- process of making ‘blanket angels’ began.
Laughters, chuckles and sometimes even the sound of yelling things like “ouch, that was my leg!” filled the air, enlivening the silence of the neighborhood. The sun nearly finished to set, beautiful shades of orange, pink and a hue of purple illuminated the garden just a little. But it was enough for them.
“Stand up,” the taller one ordered and before Jaeyun could ask why, he saw him put the blankets on top of each other. “It’ll be too cold if we lay too long on just one blanket.” A sweet smile crept up on his face. What a caring boyfriend I have.
They laid back down, this time the taller one sneaked closer to him to set his head on top of his chest, exactly like they did in the sauna for that one en o’clock episode. Listening to his heartbeat, he realized that he was still a little affected by the not-so-snowy snow angels. Even though his pulse was a little too quick to be defined as relaxing, it still felt soothing. The smile didn’t leave his lips. At least not until a certain person tried to attack them with kisses.
“Love?” A tiny voice asked and the addressed only answered with a hum that could have gone unnoticed easily. “It’s so incredible to be home again. I am here with you, around my loved ones,” he paused for a second to let their eyes connect, “but I love you the most.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
“I love you too, Hee. So so much, I can’t even try to express it.” So he didn’t. Instead, he moved a little so the space between was non-existent. The already quiet world became even more silent, nearly mute as their lips moved in sync and their heart beats concurred.
Words were an amazing construction to convey thoughts and feelings but often enough Jake found himself in situations where those words weren’t sufficient or satisfactory. The saying ‘actions speak louder than words’ might be true after all.
The moment they parted, their gazes interlocked along with their hands. What also happened simultaneously was Seungjun standing at the back door, about to shout their names to come inside. He was still inside the house so neither of the two love birds heard his chuckling that was covered with faked puking sounds.
“Let them have a single moment, please.” His father stood behind him. “But look at them! It’s too good to not make fun of Heeseung-ah.” This statement most definitely earned him a slap to the back of his head.
The act of exchanging presents was quite fun to witness. Before they received them, they had to sing a little and it was very clear who the singer of the family was and who was not. Seungjun still sounded very convinced that he “could totally be an idol as well”.
The two brothers gave each other things that could count as joke gifts, making everyone erupt in boisterous laughter. From their parents they got some money, typical Korean tradition, and other objects that were important for living. Heeseung was very happy about an electric toothbrush as Jay accidentally broke his old one by walking against the sink with a little too much force, making it fall down on the ground.
Seungjun exclaimed that ‘his Jay’ could never do such a thing. He was better than this. Seriously, it made sense now that he cheered so much on him on I-Land, he was smitten with the American.
Even Jake received something despite them not knowing that he’d stay for Christmas. It was a little box filled with Korean sheet masks, which was very welcomed as his stock was very empty at home. Whereas the boy bought some alcohol for them, some liquor they apparently liked (according to Hee).
From Heeseung he got a very sturdy yet simple necklace because he kept whining about not owning a single high quality chain in that color since his last one broke recently while practicing. And for his lover he had a wireless charging set. He kept on losing his chargers so at least now he had something to put on his nightstand, not moving it anywhere else.
The evening passed faster than the two would have expected. After exchanging gifts, they ate dinner and decided to watch a movie right after. Funnily, it happened to be ‘home alone’. A Christmas tradition of his that he hadn’t mentioned the night prior, so it surprised him that it was chosen. His thoughts went to Riki who surely watched that movie as well.
The night had already begun when the couple entered the bedroom one by one after taking a hot shower. Jake was so ready to throw himself on the bed, literally, but was stopped. “This might be very cliché but I have another thing for you. I just didn’t want them to get the wrong idea-”
“Don’t tell me it’s condoms because you don’t trust me anymore since the chili accident?” Heeseung couldn’t help but slap his arm, thinking about the rather inconvenient, inappropriate prank from the members. One can surely imagine what happened when the words ‘chili’ and ‘condoms’ were dropped in the same sentence. “No, even though that’s a good idea. But it’s something else.”
He opened a little box, showing two… rings? “Promise rings,” he spoke before the other boy could even breathe to form a question. “Yours is silver, mine is space gray. I thought it would look good on the necklace?” Jake grinned widely at him, his eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim light as he looked up.
“Thank you so much. It’s so sweet! Wait, lemme get the necklace to put the ring on!” He walked across the room to get the jewelry piece. “Not cheesy? Not too much?”
All he could do was shake his head no. “Not at all. Not for me at least. I love it a lot actually.” He came back, got the ring out of Heeseung’s grip as the latter sighed in relief. “How does it look?” The ring was hanging somewhere between his collarbones and chest, the necklace really had the perfect length.
“Beautiful, just like you, my love.” He pulled out his ring, which was on his own chain, a bit thinner than his. “Now we are matching!” The smaller of the two put his arms around his neck, being followed by the other’s hands landing softly on his hips.
“A promise ring requires a promise. Tell me, handsome man, what do you wish to be sealed with these pretty rings?” After pretending to be thinking, Heeseung slightly bent down. “To stay by my side. Simple as that.” His eyes landed on the shadows his eyelashes created on his flushed cheeks and moved up to meet his eyes when Jaeyun was speaking again.
“That’s a promise I can make work.” They closed the distance and embraced each other in a bone breaking hug.
A little while passed, the hug had yet to be broken as they started to sway from side to side. “Are you up for a little dance?” Heeseung’s face, which had been hiding in the crook of his neck until now, was showing up in front of his eyes again after hearing that question. “To what? Pass the Mic?”
“THAT was not what I was talking about, Heeseung!” He genuinely had to laugh. “You know, the atmosphere kinda felt like it was calling for a slow dance but now-” Hee interrupted his boyfriend. “No no no! No buts! We're gonna dance. Now. This instant.”
They remained in the position from earlier with the only change of their foreheads touching now.
“...We need music, don’t we?”
“HEESEUNG! Stop ruining the moment.”
“What? Should I sing instead? I can’t slow dance without music-”
“Okay, lemme put on music then. Ts ts ts.”
And he started to play a playlist with more chill songs. As if it was predetermined ‘Day 1’ by Honne started to play. One of the elder’s favorite songs.
You’ll always be my day one
Day Zero when I was no one
I’m nothing by myself
You and no one else
Thankful you’re my day one
Thankful you’re my…
Occasional kisses were exchanged in the dimmed light of the room, only illuminated by fairy lights and the moon shining through the window. Yet, it was enough. Being with each other was enough, much more than they could’ve ever asked for.
At some point, Heeseung tried to make him do a spin, which only worked at the fourth attempt because one of them always twisted their arms in a weird angle.
They didn’t really dance the night away, they were simply too tired for that. So, they went to bed and felt special, laying in each other’s arms, feeling warm and loved.
“Are you fucking kidding me? IT WAS SNOWING OVER NIGHT? What kinda shitshow is this?” Jake began, looking at Heeseung who stood at the window, looking outside with a shocked mimic. He couldn’t believe what he saw.
“And we did blanket angels for what? For fucking WHAT? Why didn’t it snow yesterday already?” A whine escaped his throat. “Wanna make real snow angels this time?” With a furious nod (that looked just adorable) Jaeyun stood up, took Heeseung by the hand and dragged him outside -obviously not after putting on the right clothing.
“Just to make that clear. I didn’t mean to denigrate the blanket angels, they were incredible.”
“I know~”
They basically just layed down in the snow to move their arms and legs when Heeseung’s phone rang.
“Hello?” He spoke, looking up to meet five boys in the camera. Separated into little squares on his screen.
“What the hell are you doing in the snow?” Sunghoon asked, already shivering by looking just at him. Ironic of the ice prince himself.
“Snow angels, duh. That’s so romantic!” Sunoo answered instead to which Riki snickered in the background. “Well, I suppose that Hyung’s beside you at least?” Sunoo questioned. Heeseung just shoved his phone into the younger’s face, not ready to deal with his group member’s that early in the day (it was 12pm).
“Hi Sunoo-ya, hi everyone~ Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas!” Everyone screamed back, being oddly synchronized.
The call ended as soon as it had started. Apparently they just wanted to wish everyone a great feast, so the two proceeded to play in the snow like nothing happened at all.
When Heeseung’s family had found them, they called them inside to eat something before they’d freeze to death.
Jake didn’t forget to take a picture of the snow angels and upload it on twitter to wish Engenes a Merry Christmas and show them how happy he was about the freshly fallen snow. He didn’t clarify where he was. He never mentioned he’d go to Australia on the Internet so he could easily be at his mother’s place here in Korea or at any other relatives’. No questions asked.
Keep it private and secretive? He could totally do that. No one would ever figure out who the other imprint in the snow belonged to. It felt oddly satisfactory to share at least that tiny bit with the world.
He laughed to himself, feeling a snowflake fall onto his cheek as he looked up. “Are you coming inside, Yuni?” He turned around. “Of course, love~”