TRIGGER WARNING:

This chapter may contain mentions of homophobia, cyberbullying, and mental illness.

Reader discretion is advised.

****

"Also, Sehun may look like he doesn't really care about stuff, but when you tell him painful words, he takes it to the heart," Jongin chuckles, "Though sometimes, he won't be aware of himself doing the same thing to Luhan, too."

"Yeah, I was actually hurt when Sehun talked shit about my sex toys," Luhan shrugs, "But I didn't cry. I just ignored him for days. I don't get offended that easy, though. Haha."

"Enough about me. Let's move on to the next person," Sehun turns to Jongin, looking at him meaningfully and passing him the question, "Jongin, your turn. Tell them the last time you cried."

Rubbing his palms together, Jongin sits crossed-legged and takes a sip on his water to prepare himself. He offers Kyungsoo beside him a tiny smile.

"Okay, so... Kyungsoo didn't know about this. I only told this to Sehun."

"I was forced to listen," Sehun defends himself, "I'm sorry, Kyungsoo."

"I didn't know that, too!" Luhan butts in.

Kyungsoo shoots his husband a glare.

"Keeping a secret from me, huh?"

"I-it's not that I wanted to keep this a secret..." Jongin sighs and scratches the back of his neck, "It's just that, sometimes, there are things you can't tell your partner because you don't want them to worry, so you'd rather tell it to a friend instead."

"Yeah," Chanyeol nods, "I agree."

Baekhyun feels nervous about Chanyeol suddenly seconding that notion. Oh, no. What's that supposed to mean?

"The last time I cried was at work. I got yelled at by the owner when she found out I'm married and I have a husband."

A thick heavy silence flows in the middle of them after Jongin speaks, while Kyungsoo has his eyes widened upon hearing that from his man. He is shocked of course, mainly because he didn't know that thing happened.

"She said that if I worked at the restaurant longer, I could also turn the customers gay. So she fired me and told me to get out of her sight. She did that in front of the customers so I was really flustered that time. Aside from the fact that my pride was stepped on, the manager also insulted me and Kyungsoo for being homosexual. She said offensive words, like us having a disease and mental illness. It made me cry while I was packing my things before I left. When I got home, Kyungsoo was already asleep so I didn't tell him. I just searched for another part-time job the next day and then I completely forgot about it. Not until now, that is."

Jongin finishes with a forced smile, yet the puffiness in his eyes is still evident as he tells his story. Even in the dim-lit room, his tears trickling down his cheeks are glistening. Kyungsoo doesn't say anything; he only has his lips closed as he listens to Jongin, knowing his husband is a man whose tears are precious. Jongin only sheds tears once in a blue moon, so when he does, it only means that the reason involves Kyungsoo.

"I mean, I could still take it if they only insulted me for who I am. What made me angry was them disrespecting my husband right in front of my face," Jongin continues, unconsciously clenching his fist. His heart hurts and it's painful, "I was so fucking angry but I couldn't do anything. I was so fucking upset but the only thing I could do that time, was bow my head and apologize for causing a disturbance."

Luhan uses his shirt to dry his tears that won't stop silently running down his cheeks. Sehun can't bear to look at Jongin's face as he only keeps his gaze lowered down on the floor. He knows that the moment he does, he'll also cry just like Luhan beside him. Chanyeol who keeps a neutral expression, hands tissues to Baekhyun when the male also starts tearing up.

"I know that if I told this to Kyungsoo, he'd also feel bad. This wasn't the first time it happened to my workplace anyway, so I'm pretty much used to it. You all know how I love working part-times, right? So if that situation happens again, I'll just change my job, no big deal. Whenever I see you guys who are also like me, it makes me realize that I'll always have somewhere to belong. And whenever Kyungsoo hugs me and welcomes me home, those bad emotions instantly disappear."

Kyungsoo's form of comfort was a small gesture; he doesn't need to say a single word to console Jongin in front of the guys. The only thing he did was hold Jongin's hand and rub circles on the back of his palm to let him know that he's here, that he has a husband whom he can share all his worries and all his pain.

Jongin just smiles; it's always the warmth of Kyungsoo's hand that compensates for every drop of tears he cried. It's honestly the best feeling he won't trade for anything in this world.

"I'll share next," Kyungsoo volunteers while he has Jongin clinging to his arm, "Just like Jongin, I don't really cry that much. But the last time I cried also happened at work."

That results in a surprised gasp from everybody. They haven't even recovered from Jongin's story yet and now there's another one from Kyungsoo.

"Don't worry. It was just a simple reason. I didn't wear contact lenses while chopping onions. It stung as fuck so I teared up like crazy. My eyes were all swollen when I got home."

Baekhyun blurts out a laugh. Chanyeol maybe slips a little grin. Meanwhile the tears that are supposed to fall from Luhan's eyes crawled back to his eyeballs. Sehun chuckles faintly, shaking his head. Seeing Jongin smiling right now at least makes his chest feel a little lighter.

"What the hell, Kyungsoo!" Luhan half-laughs, half-sobs, hitting his boyfriend who dodges his attack. "I thought it was serious already!"

"Kyungsoo could be a comedian," Chanyeol praises, "I like that type of humor."

"No, seriously. I did cry on Baekhyun when Jongin didn't want to have dinner with my parents. But we already sorted things out so I didn't mention it anymore. I just wanted to lighten up the mood," Kyungsoo simply says, "Next."

Looking around and realizing everyone has already shared their last crying moment, Luhan panics.

"Wait, is it my turn already!? I'm not yet prepared!" He tucks the stray hair behind his ear, acting as if he was embarrassed. "I don't even remember the last time I cried! It was probably when Sehun fucked me with his big cock--"

"LUHAN!" Jongin and Kyungsoo altogether yell in a warning tone.

"Fine," Luhan coughs and straightens up. He scatters his eyes at his friends all staring back so seriously at him. What's with this super formal ambiance anyway? "What the hell, guys. I feel awkward! Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"What, are we supposed to close our eyes instead?" Sehun banters, earning him a kick on the shin, "Ouch! Don't get so brutal!"

"All right. I swore to myself that I'm not gonna cry if I told you guys about this. This is like, my tiny secret. Even my boyfriends didn't know about this. But I think Baekhyun probably noticed it once...?"

Jongin shoots Sehun a questioning look. Sehun raises his shoulders and shakes his head. Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows, thinking way back what Luhan is talking about. His eyes get big when he remembers something memorable.

"The last time I cried," Luhan starts, "was when I couldn't take anymore the cyberbullying I got from social media."

Baekhyun's lips turn into a downward curve upon hearing that. He recalls the night he saw Luhan crying but he never thought it was actually about this matter. If only he knew, he could've comforted the older. He himself also uses social media so he can empathize with Luhan's feelings.

"Before, I didn't have a job, I didn't contribute to the bills, and I didn't earn money unlike everyone in this household," Luhan continues, "Basically, I was unemployed and a huge freeloader."

"Hey, don't say that," Jongin mutters as he looks at his boyfriend with concern, "No one's pressuring you to get a job. It's fine, babe. Just do whatever makes you happy."

Luhan gets his phone from his pocket to have something that his hands can fiddle with. He feels Sehun scooting nearer to his body, and that alone makes him thankful at least.

"Well, I thought about working in a company before but I realized it's not really for me. I know what I want, and that's being on social media. I created different accounts to post updates about my life. I upload pictures and videos about basically everything. You guys are aware of that, right? Then I came across buying and selling sex toys, and that became my hobby. It's kind of unusual and embarrassing for normal people, but I don't really care. Because through that, I can earn a little amount of money. From that, I also gained followers who support me and our poly."

Sehun nods to show his agreement.

"But you know, alongside with what I'm doing, I can't avoid netizens who love to harass people," Luhan lets out a deep sigh, and he can feel his eyes starting to moisten, "They would leave inappropriate comments on my Instagram such as, 'You're a gay, disgusting piece of shit. You have STDs for having three boyfriends at the same time. Your polyfi is just an excuse for being a slut. You're a bitch for selling sex toys. You better just kill yourself, homo. Delete your channel, blah, blah, blah."

By the look on Jongin's face, he seems like he badly wanted to punch someone, the same goes for Sehun who's obviously angry. Their boyfriend could be frank and tactless sometimes but Luhan, let alone anyone, doesn't deserve this horrible treatment. Luhan is such a sweetheart and he just needs love and acceptance.

"Of course, I get hurt by these comments. Usually, I'd just ignore those people who talk shit about me online. But one day, it just came down on me that I think they were being too much?" Luhan sighs deeply. Kyungsoo beside him is gently massaging his arm while he talks, "I mean, is it wrong to do what I want? Why would they judge me when they don't even know me? What gave them the right to criticize me when they're not even perfect themselves? I just, you know, I felt helpless. Being free on the internet is the only thing that makes me happy but some people just had to ruin it for me. I had an emotional breakdown that time so I just cried to myself while deleting those hundreds of bad comments..."

Luhan receives the tissue Sehun is offering him so that he can wipe the warm tears streaming down his cheeks. Baekhyun feels like sobbing now that he's seeing Luhan cry. It just pains him a lot when a close friend of his is suffering.

"After I cried, I ate ice cream and I swore to myself that I'm not gonna waste tears over those stupid haters ever again. If they don't like me and my content, so be it. I won't fucking care anymore. There's a block button for a reason anyway. All those jealous-ass bitches should better fuck themselves while I get fucked by three handsome boyfriends."

Baekhyun must be crazy because he's laughing while crying now, seeing Luhan being immediately hugged by Sehun, Kyungsoo, and Jongin, until the four of them are tumbling on the carpet like little kids. Chanyeol shakes his head and smiles to himself. So childish.

"What the hell! I can't breathe! Kyaaah! Wait, wait! That was my dick!" Luhan hysterically squeals as he struggles in their embrace. Being squished by three grown-up men is no joke. "Seriously, is this a group hug or are you guys trying to kill me?"

"This is why I love you," Sehun coos, kissing Luhan on the cheek before hugging him again, "Don't mind them, hyung. Just do whatever you want, I'm always here for you."

"No one does it like our Queen. I'm so proud," Kyungsoo mumbles as he lightly massages Luhan's back,  "Anyway. Sorry for not noticing you were having a hard time, babe. We should've known."

"From now on, don't keep this matter to yourself, okay? I know you're a strong person but of course, we can't help but still worry. It's important to take care of your mental health," Jongin says while looking at Luhan with kind eyes. He  receives nods from everyone, "So if ever you're feeling down about those people who criticize you on the internet, don't hesitate to tell us. Remember, we're always on your side."

"We'll protect you!" Baekhyun exclaims with determination, "Right, Chanyeol sunbae?"

"Sure," Chanyeol replies, "Just say if you want to sue those malicious commenters. We can take legal actions and I'll call my lawyer anytime."

"Aw... Thank you, guys. I don't know what else to say! I'm really sorry for keeping this from you," Luhan cries while looking at everybody, feeling very emotional and delighted from this huge overwhelming support, "I love you all so much!"

Now that everything seems to be going well and fun, Chanyeol decides that maybe it's fine if he now leaves. He's all done here.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sehun asks when he notices Chanyeol now standing up to sneak out of the room, "Why are you leaving? You haven't answered your own question yet."

Chanyeol freezes.

"Chanyeol sunbae, don't you dare escape! Sit down," Baekhyun forcibly tugs down the hem of his husband's shirt, urging Chanyeol to get back to his spot. "It's your turn now."

These heavy gazes trained at him causes Chanyeol to give up from trying to get away. He just sighs and positions beside Baekhyun to where he was sitting since they started this game. What was the question again?

"When was the last time you cried?" Kyungsoo repeats, as though already figuring out what's on Chanyeol's mind. "Come on, tell us."

"Unfortunately, I don't cry," Chanyeol lies, playing it cool. "Unlike you all, I don't have a reason to cry."

"Haha. I call bullshit!" Luhan yells and snorts out loud. "You have eyes for a reason, and that is to cry!"

"Bro. Every human cries," Jongin laughs, "Unless you're not human?"

"You're probably just embarrassed to share the last time you cried," Sehun teases, "Maybe it was a petty reason? Like, you stubbed your pinky toe against the edge of the table."

Chanyeol glares at him. "I'm not like you."

"Well. Chanyeol sunbae actually cried when he read the birthday letter I wrote for him," Baekhyun brags, receiving more teasing responses from everyone much to Chanyeol's despair. "He said it made him emotional!"

"What a crybaby! Hahaha!"

"Whipped, definitely whipped."

"So a letter was just all it took for him to cry?"

"I wanna see Chanyeol cry out of humiliation."

"Okay, fine. I admit Baekhyun's birthday letter made me emotional," Chanyeol humbly confesses to the guys, "It made me tear up, yes. But that doesn't count as crying."

"Sure," Baekhyun shrugs nonchalantly, "If that's what makes you sleep at night."

"What counted as crying, was what I'm about to tell you right now," Chanyeol continues, making each of his friends turn to look at him with combined confusion and shock. Did they hear that right? Even Baekhyun has no idea what he is spilling here. "Yeah. The last time I cried, I'll share it with you."

"Wait. Was it tears of joy?" Luhan asks.

Chanyeol briefly looks at Baekhyun and smiles.

"No."

Sending his man a worried glance, Baekhyun feels anxious regarding that. As far as he knows, Chanyeol doesn't really shed tears that easy about things at any particular situation. Chanyeol has a strong personality; he can properly handle his emotions after undergoing therapies which gave positive outcomes.

What could be the reason why Chanyeol cried that Baekhyun didn't know of? Just by thinking about Chanyeol crying by himself is already making Baekhyun's heart throb.

"I agree with what Jongin said a while ago... That sometimes, there are things you can't tell your partner because you don't want them to worry, so you'd rather tell it to a friend instead," Chanyeol mutters while everybody listens to him attentively, "But in my case, I don't have a friend whom I can confide and rely on. I can only keep my emotions to myself since I'm not even that kind of person who opens up to someone easily anyway. It's not that I don't trust anyone aside from Baekhyun, it's just that, I feel more comfortable dealing with my feelings on my own. You get what I mean, right?"

The timbre of Chanyeol's voice is mellow and soothing to the ears, but to Baekhyun, it has hints of sadness which is evident in every word he says. The way Chanyeol talks so honestly pulls the heartstrings inside Baekhyun's chest, and probably, there are still things Baekhyun is yet to discover although he's already married to this man. He is scared to find out. He knows he's gonna get hurt.

"Baekhyun doesn't know about this but I do cry once in a while," Chanyeol admits, "when he's already sleeping."

Baekhyun's eyes widen, feeling his heart break.

Oh no, Luhan silently mumbles to himself as he covers his mouth in disbelief, like it was honestly the most shocking thing he has heard. Meanwhile, Sehun, Kyungsoo, and Jongin are only staring blankly at Chanyeol, simply because they couldn't believe their friend would actually tell everyone this piece of information.

"Sometimes, maybe once every three months? I'd wake up in the middle of the night feeling so depressed and heavy. It's like some fragments of my dark past are flashing back in my dreams. It'd make me feel fleeting emotions of extreme sadness that I couldn't put into words."

Chanyeol explains to the best that he can while recalling those seldom nights of empty loneliness. Here the guys are, looking at him in sympathy, feeling also emotionally affected by his words.

"But then I'd always find Baekhyun sleeping beside me, so all those painful memories would disappear into thin air. I'd lay down again on the bed, hug Baekhyun in my arms, and fall back to sleep while I cried. I'd make sure not to be heard because Baekhyun hates it when his sleep gets disturbed by some noise. I'd wake up the next morning, already forgotten what happened last night."

Baekhyun prevents himself from letting these tears fall from his eyes yet he fails, that moment Chanyeol offers him a smile which doesn't even reach his eyes.

Baekhyun completely has no idea about it. He should have known at least once. He should have faced his husband when it happened one night, hugged him in return, soothed his back, and told him he was not gonna leave him.

"Last time, I went to Jeju for a one-month seminar about academic stuff, right?" Chanyeol asks the guys, and they all respond with a silent nod. He may have wanted to laugh at everyone's eyes appearing so puffy because of his unfinished story, if not for the sake of the mood.

"It happened during my third week there, I guess. The day was too tiring. Baekhyun and I talked on the phone for like, 3 hours before going to bed. We said good nights and that was it. When I fell asleep that night, I dreamt of my Mom. In my dream, we were having a normal conversation. She was driving and I was in the backseat. Then a car crashed into us and it went black afterwards. I didn't even remember what we talked about. But when I woke up in the middle of the night, my tears wouldn't stop falling from my eyes."

Even Kyungsoo who said that he didn't cry so often, is now tearing up while using the tissues on the corners of his reddish eyes to dry them. Sehun and Jongin are silently crying while Luhan is sobbing and blowing his nose.

"That night, I was crying so hard in my empty hotel room. It was so stuffy and I couldn't breathe. The silence was killing me. It was too unbearable. It was too cold. It was so dark," Chanyeol says, clearly reminiscing what he exactly felt although this hurts, "Baekhyun wasn't on the bed beside me and I felt so alone..."

Baekhyun can't bear to listen to this anymore. It's too painful and heartbreaking. His tears and snot are continuously flooding on his face as he furiously shakes his head, clutching his husband's sleeve to beg.

"Stop... Please... Don't say it anymore..."

Chanyeol pays Baekhyun no heed as he tightly hugs the male, wiping away Baekhyun's tears using his thumb. Baekhyun scoots into Chanyeol's body and embraces his man, attempting to console him yet he's the one getting comforted right now.

"It was 2am. My hand was already on the phone, ready to call Baekhyun. I was shaking and my chest felt so heavy. I missed Baekhyun so much and I badly wanted to hear his voice to help me calm down at least... But then I thought I didn't want to disturb his sleep. So I ended up not calling his number," Chanyeol says, rubbing Baekhyun's trembling shoulders as he speaks, "I also thought that if I called Baekhyun, he would just get worried about me so in the end, I gave up. I was actually this close to flying back to Seoul that night just to see him. But I stopped myself before I could even pack my things and leave the hotel..."

I'm sorry, Baekhyun whispers, feeling very heartbroken. It's fine, Chanyeol replies as he ruffles Baekhyun's hair.

"You see. It may not look like I don't have problems in life, but I do have lots of thoughts on my mind just like everyone else," Chanyeol says with a gentle smile while having Baekhyun's small warmth snuggled close to him, "I'm not perfect. I'm weak. I'm a coward. I get scared, anxious, worried, and restless. I also cry during dark times. Without Baekhyun, I can't even function. But it's fine. After all, Baekhyun and I married each other so that we can fill one another's incompleteness. It's just give and take, right? He told us he's fearless now and that makes me brave as well. I now feel invincible with this little guy here in my life."

Pouting, sniffing his snot, frowning, and blinking his tears, Baekhyun cups Chanyeol's face and claims his lips for an intimate and searing kiss. Closing his eyes, he gently kisses Chanyeol while sensing his man returning him the kiss. It has the same amount of love and affection his husband feels for him. It makes Baekhyun more emotional especially when Chanyeol smiles into their kiss, pulling away to breathe before pressing their mouths again.

"Thank you, Chanyeol sunbae."

"You're welcome..."

Baekhyun doesn't care if his whole face is soaked with body fluids now; he just wants to feel his husband's lips against his own, as he sincerely tells him even for the millionth time these wonderful words from the depth of his heart:

"I love you so much..."

"Me too," Chanyeol faces Baekhyun and hugs him with two arms, shaking him inside as he laughs heartily. "Oh god. What should I do without you?"

"Don't cry by yourself anymore, okay?" Baekhyun coos at his giant husband,  "Let's both cry together!"

"I can't. If I see your crying face, I'd just probably laugh."

"Then that's better! No more tears!"

"Oh my god. Chanyeol just... Made me cry like a river. It was so beautiful," Luhan sobs into Kyungsoo, shamelessly using Kyungsoo's sleeve to dry his tears, "Chanyeol deserves all the love in the world!"

"Thanks for sharing it to us, Chanyeol," Kyungsoo simply says, "I'm so proud of you."

"If you have problems or you wanna talk about stuff or literally anything, don't hesitate to come to me, okay? We could grab a drink together!" Jongin exclaims while reaching for Chanyeol's shoulder and squeezing it. "I'll always be your friend and lending ear, both me and Sehun. Right, bro?"

"Yeah. I don't hate you now," Sehun mutters, "Be thankful."

Chanyeol looks at the five guys, including his husband, smiling lovingly at them.

"Thank you."

The loud sound of the grandfather clock striking to twelve o'clock midnight pulls them out of their liveliness. It's already the twenty-fifth of December; so here these twenty-five-ish-year-old men are, celebrating like kids and cheering wildly with smiles on their boyish faces. This is gonna be their first Christmas together ever since the six of them lived under one roof.

"Oh my god! It's Christmas already!" Luhan exclaims happily as he hugs Sehun beside him, kissing his cheek with a smooch, "Merry Christmas, Sehun."

"Merry Christmas, Luhan hyung."

Sehun carries Vivi, (who was with them since earlier and was just sleeping in the corner). He faces the dog to Luhan so that Vivi can lick on Luhan's face.

"Woof! Woof!"

"Vivi said Merry Christmas, too!"

"Ugh. Don't stick him close to my face!"

"But he wants a kiss from his Mom."

"I'm not Vivi's Mom!"

"Merry Christmas, baby," Jongin and Kyungsoo both say, smiling fondly at each other. Looking down at Kyungsoo's hand, Jongin pokes it so that he can initiate holding hands with his husband.

"Haha. Silly," Kyungsoo chuckles, shakes his head, and laces his fingers through Jongin's anyway. He brings their joined hands near his lips, lightly kissing Jongin's knuckles. "There."

The sullen atmosphere earlier has now completely changed 360 degrees, when the theater-like curtain to their right was swished. It reveals the huge window showing the outside of the Park mansion.

Right then and there, fireworks explode beautifully in the night sky like colorful paints with crackling noises. The way they glow and spark upwards to create circle waves makes everyone practically go Wow. Amazement fills their eyes as they watch the fireworks display outside.

"Take a video of the fireworks, I'll upload it on my Instagram."

"Wait, I'm still taking pictures."

"I didn't know we had a surprise fireworks display."

"Look. It's cool, right?"

"Oh! Should we open the gifts?"

"Let's just do that in the morning."

Baekhyun is staring astonished at the skies, and Chanyeol can literally see the colors of the fireworks reflecting in them. Pink, green, red, yellow, and orange; every time the color changes, Baekhyun's reaction changes, too. It's pretty and it makes Chanyeol smile, staring at Baekhyun's blissful face.

"Merry Christmas," Chanyeol tells Baekhyun beside him whose eyes are all sparkly and wide.

"Wow, it's so beautiful..." Baekhyun dreamily says, grinning so big. "Did you set up these fireworks beforehand?"

"Yeah, I asked Sehun and Jongin's help in putting them up. Do you like it?" Chanyeol says as he receives Baekhyun snuggling again to his body. Baekhyun really likes hugging and being hugged and it's super adorable.

"Yes! I love it!"

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Chanyeol sunbae, come closer. I'm gonna tell you something," Baekhyun mumbles, gesturing his hand so that Chanyeol can bend down a little to reach Baekhyun's shorter height.

"Yeah? What is it?"

Baekhyun giggles and whispers to his husband's ear:

"Merry Christmas..."

That was just a simple and generic greeting, yet it doesn't keep Chanyeol from smiling.

"This is our first Christmas together as a married couple," Baekhyun continues, like he was sharing a top secret to Chanyeol, "I'm looking forward to more Christmas with you. I love you."

Chanyeol cups his hands to also whisper to Baekhyun's ear, imitating his little husband.

"I love you too," he whispers back with a breath so warm, and that just honestly made Baekhyun's neck feel ticklish, "Merry Christmas, babe. Let's have Christmas sex after this."

"Oh my god, what!" Baekhyun back away, can't believe Chanyeol has managed to sneak that in. "Don't suddenly say things like that right now."

"Oh, yeah? I'm gonna fuck you hard against the Christmas tree in our bedroom after this."

"No. Not again!"

Chanyeol smirks, embracing Baekhyun and lifting the male's lightweight body effortlessly. Baekhyun has his feet floating in the air while Chanyeol smooches the top of his hair and carries him like a baby.

"This is gonna be our first Christmas together. The six of us," Kyungsoo says while preparing a bottle of expensive Champagne with six glasses for the six of them, "I'm glad to spend it with you all. Merry Christmas, everyone."

"Merry Christmas, everybody."

"Merry Christmas, friends!"

"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!"

"Woof woof!"

"Merry Christmaaaas!"

"Happy Holidays."

Everyone raises their drinks for a celebratory toast, clinking the glasses in the air before sipping the Champagne altogether. They don't forget to give casual hugs and light pats on the backs as they go around the room, whispering tiny greetings and wishes individually.

"Merry Christmas, babe. Merry Christmas, baby."

Kyungsoo, Luhan, and Jongin engage into a group hug, huddling closer to one another. It's actually near a decade now that the three of them have spent this holiday together. From a shabby apartment back in college where the three of them used to share, up until here in a huge mansion where they're now living comfortably; things still never change.

It all suddenly comes back to Luhan how hard it was during those times; struggling with the rent and bills, dealing with other people about their throuple relationship, fighting with their insecurities, making love and making up the next morning, and celebrating birthdays and holidays at their tiny abode in a simple way.

Jongin faces Luhan and kisses him on the lips, telling him how much he loves him and how much he cherishes him deep inside his heart. Luhan falls silent so Kyungsoo peeks at his boyfriend's face. He realizes that Luhan is now quietly crying on Jongin's chest upon reminiscing their memories in the past.

"He's just being emotional sometimes," Jongin laughs and shakes his boyfriend clinging to him, "Yeah, babe. We also remembered those times, but we held back our tears like what adults do."

"Shut up," Luhan banters yet there's no heat in his words. "It was my sensitive eyes' fault, okay?"

"Another big baby," Kyungsoo teases. He wipes Luhan's tears with his thumb anyway. "You still look pretty when you cry, but I'm still prettier than you."

"But I have a sexier ass," Luhan argues, "Right, Jongin?"

"You both are pretty and sexy," Jongin ends the discussion.

Petting Vivi and telling him Merry Christmas, Sehun suddenly feels a gentle tug on the hem of his shirt. He spots Baekhyun now approaching him from behind. Sehun frees his dog so that he can talk to Baekhyun.

"Merry Christmas, Sehun," Baekhyun hugs the man, wrapping his hands around Sehun's waist while soothing his back with his two smaller hands. He is then squished by Sehun as he embraces him in return.

"Merry Christmas, Baekhyun."

Counting their Christmas together since they were eight years old results in solid eighteen years. They've known each other that long, and Baekhyun is thankful that Sehun never leaves his side after what they've been through. Since childhood, high school, college, and until now that he's married, Sehun's been there to witness the important events in his life. To Baekhyun, Christmas is a season they both can never celebrate without one another.

Baekhyun looks up to his best friend and brightly smiles.

"I'm glad that you're still here with me."

Sehun feels like crying, seeing this familiar smile that made him fall in love for the first time. It may be in the past now, but the love, in any form, that he has for Baekhyun will still remain the same.

"Me, too. I'm happy we're still together."

He bends down a little, cups Baekhyun's cheeks, and deeply kisses him on the forehead. Baekhyun closes his eyes, laughing, as they hug and shake each other.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Landlord," Kyungsoo and Luhan both say, hugging Chanyeol who looks like he's gonna suffocate inside their embrace. He may look like a giant between them but he is helpless now.

"Yeah... Same."

Shoving Chanyeol away like they're done using him, Luhan and Kyungsoo face each other and do a bear hug. Pulling away, they also share a sweet and tender kiss under the mistletoe.

"Merry Christmas, babe. Let's spend more Christmas with one another, okay?"

"Of course. That's a promise."

"Don't leave me!"

"I won't."

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

Luhan gropes Kyungsoo's plump yet firm butt.

"Damn. You're so squishy and warm here..."

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, smirking at that.

"I know, right?"

After that hug with Baekhyun, Sehun happens to meet eye contact with Jongin who's just waiting for him to look in his direction. They quietly stare at each other as the guys around them are all over the place celebrating.

Jongin coughs and scratches his neck.

"I think we should also.... hug."

Sehun rubs the back of his ear.

"Yeah.... We probably should."

Jongin spreads his arms but Sehun also does the same in front of him. So Jongin decides to put down his arms instead, yet the other male also does similar with him. They step forward but end up blocking each other. They try one more time, flailing their arms awkwardly within ten seconds.

Seeing the duo having no idea how to properly embrace in a normal situation, Chanyeol decides to push their bodies together to get this shit over with. Because of that, Sehun loses his balance. He trips over his own foot and lands on the carpet with him hovering on top of Jongin who's lying underneath him.

"Goddammit," Jongin uses his hand to hold Sehun's back, pushing Sehun down to squeeze him inside his arms. "I'm not gonna get up. Let's just stay like this."

"Fine."

"Merry Christmas, Sehun."

"Yeah. Merry Christmas, Jongin."

"Tell me your Christmas message."

"Love you. Is that enough?"

"Could do. Love you, too."

Sehun spoons Jongin, exchanges their positions, before they roll on the floor like a barrel while holding each other. They stand up after doing that, clothes crumpled and hair disheveled.

"Wait, before this night ends. Let's take a group picture!" Baekhyun suggests, so at the mention of that, Luhan quickly installs his tripod and camera on standby. He puts it facing the window so that the bursting fireworks can serve as their background.

"Get into your positions!" Luhan yells and sets the countdown timer. "This is ten seconds!"

Smiling, Baekhyun stands in the middle and does a victory sign. Chanyeol slings an arm around Baekhyun's shoulder and takes the spot to his right side. Next to Chanyeol is Kyungsoo whose arm is clinging to his husband, Jongin who's doing a thumbs-up pose. Luhan runs into Sehun (who's carrying Vivi) positioned on Baekhyun's left. Luhan hugs Sehun's waist and does a finger heart.

"Ready, guys? One, two, three!"

How the six of them appear on the camera is just perfect. They all wait until the shutter goes off before the flash.

"Say Kimchi!"

Their picture will be soon hung on the living room's wall so that this special night will always be engraved in their memories. But along with that photograph is the presence of everybody, the tears and laughter they've shared, as well as the secrets they've told.

"Kimchi!"

After all, nothing makes it happier being surrounded by those you love and those who love you. It's certainly the best Christmas gift one could ever have.

Click!

*

Verse of the day: "Have thou a friend for every time, and let brethren be useful in distress; for on this account are they born."
Proverbs 17:17

To be continued.

----

Next chapter preview!

"I'd still fuck at ninety years old."

"The question is, are you still gonna be alive---"

"Sehun, you're so mean!!!"

"Studies say that if you have sex everyday, you'll live longer."

"Then I'd be immortal?

"So Sehun's gonna die first?"

"Shut up! I'm gonna have more sex this year then!"

"One thing's for sure, Chanyeol sunbae and I are gonna live longer than all of you!"

"Let's respect all the single people reading this."

"Mean."

"I think it's my fault why some people are still single..."

"What, why?"

----

"Did you cry a lot in this chapter? Did it make you emotional? Well, me too! ㅠㅠ  We've finally finished all the Christmas Specials! Please anticipate for more enjoyable chapters this year!"

- ParkBaekkie