Chapter Text
today, jaebum thinks of christmas.
christmas reminds jaebum of red. the red of the lights, the red of the mistletoe, the red of jinyoung's nose in the cold, and the red flush of his cheeks when jaebum nips at his neck.
hearths would be lit, warmth spreading around the house and everyone gathered around to share the heat that the flickering fire had to offer. grandparents seated comfortably in armchairs, and children all bundled up, looking like dumplings with flushed cheeks and happy smiles tearing away at their presents and the parents smiling blissfully at the joy of their children. platters and platters of mouthwatering dishes on tables, fine wine poured into glasses and laughter would fill the houses.
the way the emerald and rose coloured lights would twinkle like the stars hanging on the night sky, outside the stores selling ornament after ornament and the weighed down snow covered branches drooping over the sidewalks. the ground would be frozen over, and an occasional child would slip and fall, but pick himself up quickly again and run off to pack another snowball and aim for his friend. the only illumination in the night was the orange lights of the lampposts, and the soft, unearthly glow of the fallen snow swept to the sides.couples would stroll along the streets hand in hand, perhaps for some last minute christmas shopping, matching smiles on their faces as they exchange occasional soft pecks. christmas is cold but also very, very warm.
jaebum remembers how jinyoung and him were one of those couples. jinyoung's favourite holiday is none other than christmas, despite the icy holiday season being the exact opposite of his warm personality. he drags jaebum store after store to personally handpick a christmas tree perfect for their tiny apartment, and proceeds to spend a turkey's worth of money on decorations and lights, draping everything around the house and forcing jaebum to piggyback him so that he could place the star on the very top of the tree. dinner would be a simple affair, but delicious all the same. jaebum knows no better cook than jinyoung (maybe he's just biased), who makes the most miserable looking chicken become a crispy, perfectly roasted golden brown treat. jinyoung doesn't always succeed sometimes, but jaebum eats them all and pretends he does. the younger makes sure that jaebum doesn't miss the wrapped gift sitting under the tree, and hurries him to open it while smiling so hard his eyes are just mere lines on his face. every year, it's a photo of them taken this year that jinyoung thinks they look the best in, and jaebum frames them all up carefully and yah, he complains, my house is beginning to look like some sort of shrine to you. jinyoung just laughs, and slips a warm hand into jaebum's.
they take a leisure stroll around the neighbourhood, admiring the more creative decorations and sharing a joke at the silly ones, and take a photo with the santa claus they see every year at the main store because jinyoung insists they do. jaebum just indulges him, and watches the younger skip about like a child and catch snowflakes with the tip of his tongue, yelling when he sees jaebum sneakily snap a photo. they arrive at the park, which is silent except for the twigs crunching under their feet, and before the elder can do anything, a snowball smacks the back of his head, and it's war. jinyoung always wins,but only because jaebum lets him. jaebum doesn't ever admit that he does that just to see the blinding and heartwarming smile on jinyoung's face.
the younger finally tackles the other down into the soft snow, and they tumble till they are lying in a heap on the ground. they lie spread eagle and make snow angels, jinyoung tugging jaebum away from his as he rests his head on the elder's chest, staring up at the dark sky and panting from the exertion. Jaebum brushes away the white flakes on jinyoung's bangs, and presses a soft kiss to his forehead. the stars are pretty tonight, jinyoung comments, but jaebum disagrees.
you are way prettier.
when it gets later into the night, the neighbours are still hard at their parties, but jaebum finds himself pinning jinyoung's wrists to the bed, pressing harsh kisses to those sharply defined collarbones and sliding downwards to suck angry, red marks into the insides of pale, milky thighs, fingers leaving purple bruises on protruding hipbones as the younger writhes in pleasure. tongues tangle together, hands thread through sweaty hair and heavy breathing fill the apartment, eventually evening out to soft snores and light touches as small rays of light begin to peek up the horizon.
jaebum wakes up to the warm weight of jinyoung pressed up against him, chest rising and falling gently. the younger's dark eyelashes fan out prettily against his pale skin, and jaebum kisses his eyelids. he strokes the skin on jinyoung's cheekbone with the tips of his fingers, and smiles when the other leans into his touch. the holiday season might be over, but their time together isn't. they still have another year to look forward to before it's christmas again.