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milky-writes · 6 years ago

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cold//warmth

Summary: Outside, the cold does its best, but it never quite manages to leech away the inner warmth.

Characters: neo, monsta x brot7 (wonho-centric), jongin x unnamed female oc

Written For: @merlionmen

Written By: TBA

A/N: for diksha~ happy holidays and happy new year~ ♥

It’s cold tonight.

The wind swirls around him, somehow managing to keep the lightly falling snow away from his face, which he’s pleased about.

But it’s still cold.

He pulls his coat tighter around his body and curses as a sharp, frigid gust hits him straight in the face and neck. The wind curls around his ear, warming slightly as it brings him the sound of giggles, and then vanishes. He rolls his eyes.

The rest of his cohort had already gone their separate ways for the night, with words of farewell and good wishes for the upcoming holidays, but there are still a few stops he needs to make before he heads home.

He glances around one last time to make sure that he is, in fact, utterly alone in the street, and then he dives into the core of his power and disappears in a puff of black smoke.

The street lined with houses, all decorated with glowing lights and cute little animal shapes and candles in the windows, blinks into existence. There’s snow on the ground here, too, so he dusts off his boots before he lets himself blend into the background, completely unnoticeable to any passersby. He heads toward his destination, smiling at all the windows he passes that are warm with light, before he reaches the light grey house. He slides into the walls, letting out a little sigh as he slips into the heated air, and spots his first target, bent over by the fireplace, allowing him to relax and blend completely, leaving only his consciousness present as to watch the scene unfold.

“Uncle! Uncle!” the toddler screams, running straight towards him. Taekwoon doesn’t even flinch as his nephew crashes into his legs, hugging them as tightly as his little body can.

“Careful, Minyoolie,” he says, slowly guiding him away from the fireplace as he straightens. “Uncle was just putting another log in, and you don’t want to get burned.”

Minyool pouts as he clings onto his leg. “Uncle, up, up,” he says. “Want up.”

Taekwoon sighs, a fond smile crossing his face. “Did Eomma say you could go up?” he asks softly.

Minyool pouts harder. “Don’t know.”

“Did you ask her?”

His nephew looks thoughtful for a moment before he shakes his head firmly, which makes Taekwoon let out a chuckle. “Let’s go ask Eomma then.”

“Okay!” Minyool smiles, full of baby teeth and round cheeks and adoration, and Taekwoon’s heart melts even more. He takes his nephew’s small hand and carefully leads him into the kitchen, where his sister and his boyfriend are chatting as they slice vegetables.

“Eomma!” Minyool shrieks, letting go of Taekwoon and very effectively interrupting their conversation. “I want Uncle up!”

Taekwoon smiles at the wording. His nephew is getting better at talking, but his vocabulary is still limited.

His sister smiles down at her son. “Minyool-ah, what did we talk about yesterday?”

Minyool hangs his head. “No yell.”

“No yelling, right.” She pushes her onions into the pot that Hakyeon is holding. “Can you go and ask Uncle Woonie nicely? Without yelling.”

“Woonie?” Hakyeon mouths at him when their eyes meet, a smile stretching across his tan face.

Taekwoon mock-glares at him before looking down at Minyool, who’s tugging on his pant leg. “Yes, Minyoolie?” he asks.

“Want up, Uncle,” he says, looking at the floor.

“What’s the special word, Minyoolie?”

His sister giggles. “You beat me to it, Taek.”

Minyool looks confused, glancing between the two of them, so Taekwoon bends down to his level, ignoring the slight creak in his knees. “There’s something you should say when you ask for something, Yool-ah,” he says quietly. “Do you remember what it is?”

He holds out his hand and Minyool’s eyes light up. “Bwease!” he shouts, which makes Taekwoon laugh.

“Close, Yool-ah,” he says, grinning. “Please.”

“Pwease.”

“Good enough,” Taekwoon says, and scoops up his nephew, making him shriek with laughter. He swoops him up and down, making airplane noises, and then carries him back into the living room, bouncing him in his arms until Minyool is giggling uncontrollably.

“More, Uncle, more, more!” he yells, and Taekwoon laughs, setting him down on the floor before reaching his long fingers out and wiggling them.

“I’m going to tickle you,” he warns, and Minyool starts giggling again, squirming and laughing as Taekwoon attacks him with tickles.

He escapes after a few minutes, toddling over to his pile of toys in the corner, and grabbing a squeaky toy hammer, very similar to the one that Taekwoon remembers seeing at Wonshik’s radio station for use as a punishment when idols come to guest on a show. “Uncle, I want play,” Minyool says, holding out the hammer.

Taekwoon smiles at him. “What game should we play, Minyoolie?”

“Rock paper scissor!”

Taekwoon feels his smile grow as he stretches out his hand. “Okay, ready?”

Minyool sticks out a little fist.

“One, two, three!”

Taekwoon covers Minyool’s fist with his palm. “I win,” he says, reaching for the hammer to give Minyool a little tap.

“No,” Minyool pouts, moving the hammer behind his back.

“Okay, okay,” Taekwoon says, ruffling his hair. “Again?”

Minyool nods and sticks out his fist again.

“One, two three!”

Taekwoon lets out a little gasp at both their fists. “We tied, Minyoolie,” he says, winking. “We have to play again.”

“Again!” Minyool repeats.

Taekwoon holds his hand out and counts. “One, two, three!”

He gasps again when he sees Minyool’s outstretched palm next to his fist. “Minyoolie, you won!” he says, grinning. Minyool raises the hammer and Taekwoon closes his eyes, preparing to pretend to be hurt.

Bonk! goes the hammer against the top of his head, and he inhales sharply, eyes flying open as he looks at his nephew in pretend shock. Minyool is smiling, the biggest smile Taekwoon’s seen on his face in a while, so he decides to play it up.

He gasps and opens his eyes wide, staring right at his nephew, the beginnings of a pout happening. “Minyoolie!” he says, scandalized, and Minyool bursts into happy laughter.

As he giggles away, Taekwoon looks up, pout still present, and meets Hakyeon’s gaze from where he’s standing against the doorframe. His fake hurt from Minyool whacking him with the toy starts to turn into real hurt as Hakyeon continues to just look at him, expression completely shuttered.

“Hakyeonie?” he asks softly, ignoring the still-laughing toddler. “Is everything ok-”

“I want to have children with you,” Hakyeon blurts, his eyes wide.

Taekwoon’s world freezes for a moment before he breathes, “What?”

Hakyeon blinks. “I… I want to get married and have kids with you.”

Taekwoon pushes himself to standing and steps in front of his boyfriend. “Are you serious?” he asks, catching one of Hakyeon’s warm hands in his.

Hakyeon nods, his eyes getting watery. “I’ve been thinking about it, not for too long, and then I saw you with Minyoolie and how good you are with him and I just kept imagining that it was our child you were playing with and-” He sniffles, tears starting to drip down his face. “All I could think about was us, that future, and I wanted to tell you.”

Taekwoon uses his thumb to wipe a tear off Hakyeon’s cheek. “The only person I would want that future with is you, Yeonie,” he says. “Let’s do it then, if you’re completely sure.”

“R-Really?” Hakyeon chokes, gazing at him.

Taekwoon nods and gathers his boyfriend in his arms, feeling Hakyeon smile as he cries into his shoulder, feeling his own eyes dampen with happy tears as he holds the love of his life.

They’re so wrapped up in each other that neither of them notice an odd puff of black smoke outside the window.

He checks on a few other people.

The blond guy is sobbing, hands covering his face, and he suspects he finally reached his breaking point, but there are two others with him, holding him and supporting him and caring for him, and seeing that bond of friendship withstand such adversity makes him hopeful for their future.

The black-haired girl is giggling with her girlfriend as they bake what looks like a very large batch of cookies, a tabby cat winding between their legs, which brings a smile to his face.

The girl who dyed her hair purple is sitting in her window, wrapped in a blanket, reading a thick book and blasting music from a speaker somewhere else in the room, and the blast of contentedness he feels from her is enough to make him long for home.

He does have one more stop to make first, so he steps back from her window and pulls himself into oblivion.

The empty street blinks into existence and he shudders as the icy wind hits him. There’s no snow here, thank all the powers that be, but it feels like it’s about twenty degrees below zero the way the bitter cold is nipping at him in tiny little gusts that do more to chill him to the core than an ice bath would. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and tucks his chin into the high neck of his jacket before he starts walking toward his next destination, a tall apartment building on the corner. He sees his next target, a muscular figure exit the convenience store across the street, two bulging plastic bags hanging from his arms, and he immediately blends into the night as to not be noticed. He trails the man into the building, exhaling slightly when the warm air of the interior lobby hits him, and then slipping into the walls to watch the scene in his target’s apartment unfold.

Hoseok slams the buzzer again, the bags starting to dig into his arms. “Minhyuk, I know you can hear me, come open the door,” he shouts. “My arms are getting tired.”

“What’s the point of all that muscle if you don’t use it, hyung?” comes Minhyuk’s tinny voice through the speaker.

Hoseok groans and is on the verge of swearing - he’d pushed himself during his workout today, his muscles were already twinging with soreness, and then he’d decided to be a good hyung to Changkyun and go get snacks before movie night, because that kid was always so busy in his studio that he would forget to do things like that before he came back to the dorm, and all he wants to do is lie down - when he hears Kihyun sigh. (He knows it’s Kihyun because, well, after five years living with the same people, he knows them all practically better than he knows himself.)

“Cut the man some slack,” Kihyun says, and Hoseok lets out a whoop when he hears the door to their apartment complex click open.

“You’re the best,” he manages to say before the intercom shuts off, leaving him to elbow the door open. He makes it to the elevators without dropping anything, and as the doors hiss closed he leans back against the wall, letting out a tiny sigh of relief.

The elevator dings a minute later, signaling his arrival on the seventh floor, and he pushes himself off the elevator wall to trudge down the short hallway to his door. “Can someone open this too?” he calls. “My hands are kind of full.”

“Coming,” he hears Minhyuk shriek, maybe three seconds before the door is flung open.

“Oh thank god,” Hoseok says, practically falling inside the apartment. “It’s fucking COLD out.”

“I told you to wear a jacket,” Kihyun says from his spot on the couch, Changkyun curled into a ball next to him, looking at something on his phone.

Hoseok opens his mouth to respond as he stuffs his feet into his house slippers, but he’s interrupted by Hyunwoo saying “If you try and say you never get cold, please remember the time you were sick for two weeks because you refused to wear a jacket for three days straight last year.”

“Dammit.” He pouts. “I’ve only been inside for like thirty seconds and I’ve already been attacked like this?”

“Get used to it,” comes a sleepy voice from the hall. Hyungwon pokes his head into the room after rolling his eyes at Hoseok, who rolls his eyes right back. “Do we have any food in the fridge?” he asks.

Kihyun huffs. “I don’t know, why don’t you ask the never ending pits if they left anything for the rest of us.” He shoots a look at Hoseok and then at Hyunwoo.

“Hey, I did groceries yesterday,” Hyunwoo protests. “There should have been enough.”

Hoseok looks up from where he’s setting out snacks on the table to see five people staring at him. “Why are you all looking at me?” he whines. “I haven’t been back here since before lunch!”

“So there is food,” Hyungwon says, and heads in the direction of the kitchen.

“Fuck you, of course there is!” Hoseok pulls out the ice cream that he knows Jooheon likes and puts it on top of the plastic bag before rubbing his still-frozen fingers together. “Ugh, I’m so cold,” he mumbles.

Changkyun, surprisingly, hears him, and lifts his head from where it’s resting on Kihyun’s leg. “Come sit, hyung,” he rumbles, his voice even deeper than normal with exhaustion. “Ki-hyung, scooch.”

“What? Why?” Kihyun says, dragging his attention back to Hoseok and Changkyun from where he had been focused on Hyungwon rattling around in the kitchen.

“Share your body heat with Hoseok-hyung,” Changkyun murmurs. “He’s cold.”

“Serves him right.”

Hoseok pouts again when he sees the look on Kihyun’s face, and he knows he’s won when Kihyun breaks eye contact by

rolling his eyes.

“Fine.” He shifts closer to the end of the couch. “Changkyunnie, you have to sit up.”

Changkyun inches upright just enough for Hoseok to slide between them before flopping back down, plastering himself to Hoseok’s side. “Your skin is so icy, hyung,” he says.

“Yeah, Kyunnie, I was just outside for a bit because someone-” Hoseok glares at Minhyuk, who’s tapping away on his phone and not paying them any attention “-wouldn’t open the door for me.”

“And because you didn’t take a jacket when you went to get snacks,” Kihyun adds, and Hoseok elbows him.

“You brought snacks?” Changkyun shoots upright, making both Hoseok and Kihyun snort with laughter.

“What did you think I was carrying, Kyunnie?” Hoseok giggles.

Changkyun shrugs, already shifting forward to dig through the pile of food. “You’re the best, hyung,” he says fervently, pulling out two bags of his favorite kind of chips and a package of crackers.

“Hey, what about me, brat?” Kihyun protests, reaching behind Hoseok to whack Changkyun’s shoulder.

“You didn’t bring me food,” he responds, tearing one of the bags open.

Hoseok hears Hyunwoo chuckle from his armchair, which makes him smile. “The snacks are for everyone, Kyunnie,” he says, grabbing a package of chocolate cookies. “Don’t hog them.”

“More food?” Hyungwon says, appearing suddenly behind them like a ghost, causing Hoseok to jump and drop his cookie.

Which makes Hyungwon burst into laughter.

“Chae Hyungwon!” Hoseok makes to get up and strangle him but is stopped by Hyunwoo stepping in front of him to get himself the package of red licorice that Hoseok bought specifically for him. Hoseok settles for shooting a death glare at Hyungwon, who’s still giggling as he settles into the other chair, but he forgets to be angry when Hyunwoo drops a blanket on his shoulders before turning to go back to his seat.

“You were still shivering” is the only explanation he offers, and Hoseok looks down, his face warm, his heart swelling at the display of care.

Changkyun snuggles closer to him, adjusting so his head is lying on top of the blanket, and Hoseok untucks his arm from his side and lays it across the back of the couch in a much more comfortable position.

Kihyun is idly flipping through the TV channels when Minhyuk shrieks. “Jooheonie,” he yells, “why didn’t you answer me?”

“You literally tried to FaceTime me six times in a row, hyung,” comes Jooheon’s tired voice from his phone speaker. “I was busy. But I’m walking up to the building now.”

“Great!” Minhyuk chirps. “I’ll let you in.” He hits something on the screen and shoves his phone back into his pocket before rushing over to the door.

The buzz comes maybe thirty seconds later, and when Minhyuk accepts it Hoseok can’t help the laughter that escapes him when he hears Jooheon growl, “You hung up on me, hyung? After calling me that much?”

“Just get up here,” Minhyuk says, hitting the switch that unlocks the lobby door and then bouncing over to the couch. “Ooh, cookies!” He grabs a package and promptly sits on the floor, leaning back against Hoseok’s legs while he starts to eat.

Kihyun lands on a channel that’s playing a recent superhero movie right as Jooheon unlocks their door. “You guys started movie night without me?” he complains, tossing his backpack down and shoving his feet into his slippers. “And you’re all cuddling without me too?”

“There’s room here,” Changkyun says, patting the sliver of couch next to him. “Come snuggle.”

“I’m only coming because I haven’t seen Hoseok-hyung all day,” Jooheon grumbles, walking over and flinging himself onto the couch (and half on Hoseok, but he can’t find it in himself to complain, not when he’s finally starting to warm up and he’s feeling comforted and safe and loved.)

“Hi, Jooheonie,” he says, rubbing Jooheon’s back as he and Changkyun get settled in their limited couch space.

“Hi,” Jooheon responds, cuddling closer to him. “I heard from Changkyunnie that you were outside without a jacket?”

“Are you going to shame me too?” Hoseok whines, fake neck-chopping him with his free hand.

“Shhhhh!” Minhyuk exclaims from the floor. “I can’t hear the movie.”

“That’s rich, coming from you,” snarks Kihyun, and Jooheon huffs a laugh.

Minhyuk doesn’t verbally respond, just gives Kihyun the finger and turns back to the movie, which makes Hoseok shake with silent giggles. He catches Hyungwon’s eye when he manages to control himself, and the quirk of his friend’s eyebrows sets him off again.

Kihyun and Jooheon both elbow him to get him to stop.

Hoseok finally calms down and refocuses on the movie, a smile still lingering on his face. He feels happy, he thinks, he feels warm and safe and loved; and, surrounded both physically and emotionally by his friends, his brothers, his family, he eventually dozes off, his eyes drifting shut right as a puff of rising black smoke passes by their window.

The scent of home envelops him - lilies and rain and a fresh sea breeze - and he lets out a sigh. Traveling like he does, especially on busy days like today, always takes a lot out of him.

He hangs his coat on the door of the closet so it can dry, as the snow from earlier had managed to infiltrate the wind cocoon, and pads through the house, the pull towards his bedroom increasing with every step he takes.

He opens the door to the bedroom and the pull vanishes.

“You’re home late.”

“I know,” he says, shutting the door behind him. “We ran over, and then I had a couple other things to do.”

She murmurs her assent at his words, sitting up a little more. “Hurry up, then. I want to go back to sleep.”

“You weren’t too tired to summon me straight here,” he jokes, pulling off his sweater.

“That used all my energy,” she answers, punctuating her words with a yawn. “Now I just want sleep.”

“And not me?” He smirks as he yanks on his pajama bottoms. “Should I feel insulted?”

She shakes her head, dark hair fanning on the pillow. “You, tomorrow,” she murmurs. “Sleep now.”

He chuckles. “So insistent.” He steps into the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth, and once he’s done he climbs into bed, wrapping an arm around her.

“Mmph.” She turns to face him. “You’re cold.”

He grimaces.

“Were you dimension hopping again?”

He offers her a smile. “Yes?”

“You know you have to do it in moderation, Nini,” she says, tracing the line of his jaw with her hand. “You don’t want to come close to burnout again.”

“I know, love,” he responds, catching her hand between his. “I’m being extra careful. But it was important today.”

“Right.” She smiles. “The holiday check.”

He brushes a hand over her hair. “You know me too well.”

“And?”

“They’re all doing well. Well, as well as they can be. All surrounded by love and

support.” He smiles as he reflects on his night, especially the couple who decided to start a family and the seven men who created their own family. “They’ve all found their families.”

“Good.” She gives him a soft smile. “That’s all you’ve wanted for them.”

He presses his lips to her forehead. “Everyone deserves the chance to find them,” he says. “I got my chance, you got your chance, and now this group have as well.”

“And tomorrow you’ll start again,” she murmurs, resting her head on his chest.

“That I will.” He exhales, feeling the fog of sleep start to creep over him as he relaxes into the warmth of his bed and the warmth of her body next to him. “Sleep well, love.”

“You too, Jongin,” is the last thing he hears before it claims him.

——–

#milky writes secret santa 2018 #kpop fanfiction #exo fanfiction #monsta x fanfiction #vixx fanfiction #exo kai #kim jongin

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milky-writes · 6 years ago

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Winter Song

Summary: It’s in the middle of winter that forest witch Sanghyuk finds a hurt nymph in the forest and takes him home to help him get better. After all, it’s his job as the forest’s witch to help everyone living there.

Characters: Jaehwan X Sanghyuk

Written For: @yixingminseokjongdae

Written By: TBA

A/N: For Christine~

Sanghyuk is really, really cold. Being the forest’s witch sadly also means that he has to go outside when it’s so horribly cold that not a single soul is seen and even the oldest trees complain about being too cold. But he has to check if everything is alright – something seems to be the matter, something is not right. He heard whispers all morning, from tree to tree, between the owls, between some of the other birds that stayed the winter: something is not right.

Judging from the fact all the hints are very vague to put it mildly, Sanghyuk assumes something must have happened in the heart of the forest where the trees are closer together, where it’s quieter, where the magic is the strongest.

So that’s where Sanghyuk is set to go. He’s wrapped in his thickest coat the elves at the southern outskirts of the forest’s heart gave him, his hands are buried in the pockets of his coat. He’s wearing a hat made of sheep’s wool and just hopes his nose will not freeze off. He’s wearing his favorite scarf, the one his mother made him.

Sanghyuk marches through the snow that reaches up to his calves, wondering why this couldn’t have happened in early spring. He’d have fared better with spring temperatures and a little bit of mud, really.

As he gets deeper into the forest, there are less fairies fluttering through the air, giggling, and leaving a trail of snowflakes behind them. They like the sun and light and the deeper you get into the forest, the darker it gets, logically. Sanghyuk isn’t here that often either. He checks up on the entire forest every now and then, but this part isn’t often disturbed as few humans even get that far and reason number one why his forest is disturbed is humans being humans.

It’s getting quieter as he walks on, the sounds muffled by the heavy snow on the trees and the lights dimmed.

Increasingly, Sanghyuk can feel the distress radiating off the trees and the animals that live here, the stray fairies don’t seem happy either. One of them flies close to him.

“There’s a nymph! He’s hurt! You have to help him!” She says, fluttering around his head and fussing about her pink dress. She gestures for him to follow him and starts zig-zagging off to his left throw the bushes. Sanghyuk curses quietly but hurries after her. What else can he do? Some branches snap into his face; once he gets snow directly into his collar. But in the end, he makes it to the place the fairy led him. It’s a small clearing, a little brighter with the sun shining down on them and the snow reflecting it. And in the middle, there’s a man lying in the snow, blood surrounding his leg like a macabre imitation of flower petals.

The man who seems to be a nymph judging from his clothing and the shape of his ears, groans. Sanghyuk walks over and can quickly determine the cause for that groan – and also for the blood around him. The bear trap with its spikes deep in the man’s calf is hard to miss.

The nymph looks up when Sanghyuk comes closer.

“Please… can you help me?” He pleads and Sanghyuk nods quickly. The man’s clothes must be soaked, and his white hair is plastered against his forehead. Sanghyuk kneels down next to him and quickly squeezes his hand once.

“It will be fine.”

Even with the help of so much magic that Sanghyuk wonders if collapsing for the next twelve hours straight is an option, it’s still a struggle to get the nymph who goes by the name of Jaehwan back to Sanghyuk’s cottage.

“I think it was humans, there’s been a few lately, even that deep in the forest and—oh, is that where you live? I love that,” Jaehwan says as he sees the house that’s got some rowans covered in snow on either side of the entrance and a wreath made of holly on the door itself.

“Thank you. But we really need to get you inside. It’s really cold and I want to treat the wound properly. I don’t get how you even walked on that thing,” Sanghyuk replies and Jaehwan shrugs.

“Those good nymph genetics. And I had help from the forest. Did its magic, ya know?”

Sanghyuk doesn’t really know but he nods regardless, also due to the fact that he has to help Jaehwan up the step and into the house. The door swings open on its own accord for which Sanghyuk is fairly grateful for once (not so much when the house lets people enter he doesn’t necessarily want to see but who still come to bother him in some way).

“Taekwoon, can you get me a towel?” He asks his familiar, a black cat with yellow eyes who can change into a human if he feels so inclined which he strangely only does when he’s around Hakyeon. Now that he’s stopped pretending he’s only an ordinary cat; the sole reason for that pretense being so that he can lie in Hakyeon’s lap undisturbed.

Meanwhile, Sanghyuk helps Jaehwan on the couch, making sure not to jostle his leg too much. He stopped the bleeding with a makeshift bandage, but it needs to be cleaned properly.

It doesn’t take long for Taekwoon to return with not only a few towels but also a bowl with warm water and a cloth.

“Bless you,” Sanghyuk says and Taekwoon doesn’t reply but changes back into a cat and jumps on Jaehwan’s stomach, curling up there like a big, black ball of comforting warmth.

“It’s too cold,” Sanghyuk grumbles as he comes back from searching for herbs for some potions he wants to make. Jaehwan looks up from where he is sitting on the couch, his hurt leg carefully stretched out. It’s easy to see that being made to sit is not easy for him. He’s too full of energy to enjoy it.

“But it’s beautiful! I love winter! The snow, the way some animals are curled up cozily. But especially the snow and the frost, covering everything. Like some soft blanket. The snowflakes dancing around you.” He sighs in happiness.

“Maybe if you’re a nymph. As a witch it’s just really freezing.” He pauses. “What kind of nymph are you by the way? You haven’t told me yet.”

Jaehwan grins cheekily. “Guess.”

Sanghyuk rolls his eyes but indulges him, smiling, as he unwraps his scarf from his neck.

“An oak?” he guesses. Jaehwan shakes his head.

“Rose?” Again, that’s not it, apparently.

“Holly?”

“Nah, that’s not it either. I guess it was a little mean and maybe I should have introduced myself earlier. I’m the spirit of the forest. I watched from the shadows to see how well a young witch like you would do protecting my forest.”

Sanghyuk looks at him dumbfounded, his slightly wet hat in his hand.

“Oh,” is all he says. All he can say. Then: “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Thanks for helping me out. Stepping into a human trap was a little embarrassing for me.” Jaehwan’s eyes crinkle cutely when he beams at Sanghyuk. “You’re doing well though.”

Sanghyuk blushes a little and busies himself with putting his wet hat, gloves and scarf up to dry.

“You like him,” Taekwoon says, his long legs swinging back and forth merrily from where he’s sitting on the table in the middle of what Sanghyuk likes to call his office. It’s here that he makes potions and ointment, little spells and talismans.

“He’s nice and funny,” Sanghyuk relents and keeps chopping up the valerian root.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Sanghyuk knows that but he doesn’t want to discuss how he thinks Jaehwan is beautiful with Taekwoon. He’d tease him endlessly and also tell his former teacher, Hakyeon, who would fuss and tease him.

So Sanghyuk doesn’t reply and ignores how he knows Jaehwan only needs to stay a day or two more until he can walk again properly.

“I’ll visit regularly, don’t worry. At least once a week,” Jaehwan promises as he wraps his arms around Sanghyuk, saying goodbye for now. He said he had to look after his forest. Sanghyuk understands, because that’s his job as well.

He doesn’t want to ask whether Jaehwan would take him with him. They could do that together, right? That would be more efficient.

“Don’t forget to visit! I’ll make the tea you enjoyed so much. And I want to check if your foot heals properly.”

Jaehwan nods and when he reaches the trees at the end of the clearing in which Sanghyuk’s cottage is built, he turns around again and waves.

Sanghyuk waves back.

“I brought you flowers!” Jaehwan says happily and holds out a bunch of snowdrops out for Sanghyuk. It’s been a week since Jaehwan left and sometimes Sanghyuk was scared he had only imagined the spirit of the forest. Maybe he was going insane. But then Jaehwan stands in front of the door, beaming like the sun itself.

Sanghyuk puts the flowers into a glass in he middle of his table in the kitchen and smiles every time he sees them.

It’s late February when Sanghyuk notices a change in Jaehwan. His pristine white hair is… not as white as it used to be. But maybe Sanghyuk is imagining it. He surely must be.

He focuses again on Jaehwan’s story about the humans in the forest a few days ago.

“I let the will-o’-wisps have a little fun with them. They’re so cute when they’re happy, you know? But eventually I stopped them, and the humans went home again, thoroughly confused. They went in circles for like an hour. I don’t want them coming so close to the forest’s heart anyway.”

A few weeks later Jaehwan’s hair is undeniably light pink when he holds out a crocus he picked for Sanghyuk.

“Happy Spring,” he says with a smile and Sanghyuk laughs a little and accepts the flower.

He comes by more often than only once a week now. It’s more every day now.

“Does your hair change color?” Sanghyuk asks later as Jaehwan watches him make potions.

The forest spirit nods. “It’s white in winter and pink in spring. It’s a warm brown in summer and turns red in autumn.”

Sanghyuk looks at him in awe. “That’s amazing. I love that.”

Jaehwan laughs. “Thank you. It’s been like this for as long as I can remember.”

“How did you become the spirit of the forest, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Jaehwan shrugs and picks up one of Sanghyuk’s potion books, browsing through it. “One day, I was here, and I felt the forest like it was an extension of myself. I just knew what to do. I don’t think there’s one of those scientific explanations humans are so keen on.”

When Jaehwan shows Sanghyuk the cherry blossoms by the river, he asks Sanghyuk about how he became the witch of the forest.

“The old witch went away, I don’t know where. I was just done being an apprentice, so I volunteered to go here.”

It’s here that Jaehwan first takes Sanghyuk’s hand and therefore makes his heart skip a beat.

Their summer is spent with Taekwoon’s and, occasionally, Hakyeon’s smug glances when the witch and the forest spirit spend more time with each other. The latter pair ignore the glances and only have eyes for each other; it’s obvious for everyone around them what’s going on between them, just not necessarily for the two of them.

Jaehwan’s hair has turned a warm brown and while Sanghyuk mourns the pink, he still thinks Jaehwan looks great with the new color as well. It gets a light bronze-ish shimmer as summer progresses. They lie in the grass in front of Sanghyuk’s cottage and eat the strawberries they picked. Jaehwan’s lips are stained red and Sanghyuk concentrates on watching the clouds in the sky once he realizes what he has noticed.

Jaehwan’s hair turns red and autumn comes fast; at first it’s still warm, then it gets cold very fast and Sanghyuk starts getting out his favorite scarf again, one that’s green and soft and that his mother made for him.

Jaehwan still walks on his bare feet and giggles when he jumps into puddles, getting Sanghyuk’s trousers wet. Sanghyuk chases him through half the forest in retaliation.

“They are so in love and yet so blind,” Hakyeon says as he sits next to Taekwoon on the porch, like an old married couple, Taekwoon leaning against Hakyeon sleepily while they watch the two of them.

“I know they are. It’s really bad to watch sometimes.”

And then Jaehwan’s hair turns a frosty white again and Sanghyuk can barely believe it’s been a year now that he met the spirit of the forest. Somehow, the forest has been thriving during that year and neither Sanghyuk nor Jaehwan even did that much to cause that.

Sanghyuk wonders what that is about aloud, telling Taekwoon, who just turns into a cat in annoyance and disappears to only gods know where he always goes. He is still partly a cat, after all, so it’s only natural.

It’s really, really cold outside, again. But Sanghyuk doesn’t mind as much when he sits inside, in his cozy living room, on the couch, with Jaehwan leaning against him and holding his hand.

“I’m glad I met you,” Jaehwan says. “Thank you for helping me, stitching me back together.” They never did find the human who put the trap; although Sanghyuk doesn’t know if it’s important: there were hardly any human interferences all year long.

“I like helping,” Sanghyuk replies simply. “But,” he adds, “I’m also very glad I met you. My year was wonderful.” He blushes. He’s not good with feelings; it’s hard for him to express them. Magic has always been easier, has helped him showhow he feels. He can grow flowers, that’s his gift; the rest is craft. All the potion mixing, amulets, spells, that’s what Hakyeon taught him.

The way he opens his hand and makes a daisy grow from his palm in the middle of winter, that’s purely Sanghyuk and nobody else.

“It’s so cute. I love daisies, and I love when you make flowers grow,” Jaehwan says and smiles.

Sanghyuk smiles back at him. “I know. It’s yours,” he says, and gently picks up the flower, tucks it behind Jaehwan’s ear.

It’s quiet for a moment and then Jaehwan breaks the silence again. Silence, stillness… he doesn’t like that. Jaehwan is the spirit of a whole forest, he’s all about change and growth.

“Let’s go outside,” Jaehwan says, and Sanghyuk agrees, but with a little sigh because he knows it’s very, very cold.

They take a walk and it’s quiet. The snow muffles their foot steps but it scrunches under their soles. A branch breaks a few steps away from them and they see a deer hurrying away from them. Sometimes, they let them come close; it’s mostly Jaehwan they let approach them.

“Remember the little pond I showed you last summer? With the little waterfall where we swam?” Jaehwan asks.

Sanghyuk remembers that very well. He remembers Jaehwan splashing him with water, he remembers them giggling and lying by the side of the pond in the sun after some time. He remembers their little picnic under the summer stars and the way the frogs croaked close by. So he nods.

The waterfall is frozen over now and Sanghyuk shudders when he thinks about the temperature the water must have now: far too cold. But still, it looks nice, the way the water is frozen over, the way the snow flakes have started falling again, are dancing over the glittering surface.

Sanghyuk doesn’t think he’ll ever forget the way it looks, the way the cold nips at his cheeks. He doesn’t forget he will ever forget the feeling when Jaehwan turns to him, takes his hands in his and gently kisses his lips.

“I love you, Sanghyuk,” he says, his breath warm against Sanghyuk’s lips.

The witch’s eyes light up, his eyes crinkle as he smiles. “And I love you, Jaehwan,” he says, and he kisses the spirit of the forest again.

And although the next spring, there’s more flowers blooming than ever, and although the summer is warm and is more beautiful than many others, and although autumn is more colorful than before, Sanghyuk still thinks he likes winter the most now.

#milky writes secret santa 2018 #vixx fanfiction #vixx hyuk #han sanghyuk #vixx ken #lee jaehwan #vixx hyuken #kpop fanfiction

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milky-writes · 6 years ago

Text

Masquerade

Summary: Another year has come and gone and it is yet again time for the yearly winter ball at the castle. Princess Mina is preparing for what she expects to be a party like many others before it, but her meeting with a masked stranger may make things a little more interesting

Characters: OC x Shownu/Hyunwoo (MX)

Written For: @kpop-loving-noona

Written By: TBA

A/N: This is a gift for Meena~ ♥

“Mina? How’s it going in there?” Changho calls. His loud knocking on the door startles Areum and nearly results in her smearing red lipstick all over Mina’s face. Being the king of this country one would think he would be a more patient man.

“Everything is fine, father!” Mina replies, not able to hide the annoyance in her voice. “I will be down in a minute!”

“Good, good… I want to show you the decorations before the guests arrive. They’ve really outdone themselves this year!” Hearing the excitement in her father’s voice she isn’t able to stay mad at him for very long. She knows he has been looking forward to tonight for a long time and she isn’t going to be the one ruining his mood.

The first winter ball was held by Mina’s great grandfather many years ago and since then it has become a yearly tradition. Every year the ruling king or queen holds a great ball at the beginning of winter to celebrate yet another successful year before the colder and darker days takes over. It is always the same noblemen and royals who are invited each year, like king Junseo of Chestermont - an ally country in the great north. In Mina’s humble opinion, he is about as entertaining as a dry piece of bread, but usually he brings his son, crown prince Taekwoon, along. Taekwoon has a bad habit of drinking a little too much at events like this and his low alcohol tolerance usually leads to great entertainment for the guests at the party. Unfortunately, Mina tends to be on the receiving end of Taekwoon’s less than sober gestures of affection and at the end of the night she usually has to carry the crown prince to a secluded chamber to spare at least some of his dignity.

Besides the royals and noblemen, it is tradition that the monarch invites some of the regular people of the country to take part in the festivities as well. It’s never the same people and it varies from blacksmiths to bakers to single mothers. It is a way to keep the relationship between the royal family and the people of the country good and so far, it has worked out.

Mina has never been a fan of the winter ball. In fact, she finds it rather dull. It’s always the same. The royals chat with the royals and the regular people chat with each other in the corners of the castle - behaving as if they’ve intruded in a space where they don’t belong. She always hopes to get a chance to speak casually with some of the people of the country. But this is now her 21th winter ball and until now no one has had the courage to start a conversation with her.

“Your majesty,” Areum says, cutting off Mina’s stream of thoughts. “Do you want me to put this on you now or would you rather wait until later?” In the maid’s hands is a mask, intended for covering the area around the eyes and the nose of a female face. It is made in white velvet, cream pearls hanging from the bottom and swan feathers sticking out from the top of it. It’s beautiful, and Mina can’t help but smile at the sight of it.

“Oh, dear Areum let’s put it on already, I can hardly wait!” she answers, a hint of the same excitement found in her father’s voice to be heard.

It had been her idea for the attendants of the party to wear masks. At first her father hadn’t been too keen on the idea, not wanting to change an old tradition just like that. But he has always found it hard to deny his daughter’s wishes and in the end, he had agreed to it. Mina has high hopes that people not immediately being able to recognize each other will make them talk with someone, they wouldn’t have talked with otherwise. She hopes that for once there won’t be such a big difference between regular people and the royals.

Finally done preparing for the party, Mina joins her father down in the ballroom. He hadn’t lied when he’d said that the servants had undone themselves with the decorations this year. A grand pine tree dressed in all white has been placed next to the buffet table, on which they have placed a big ice sculpture depicting a swan with its wings spread, ready to fly away. Big bouquets of white flowers have been placed on each of the round dinner tables, which have been pushed to the side of the ballroom to make room for dancing in the middle of the room. Standing against the walls reaching all the way to the ceiling are naked white tree branches with tiny warm balls of light illuminating from them. Mina is certain some kind of magic has had to have been used in order to make these.

“Oh, Mina you look beautiful!” Changho says as he takes his daughter’s hands. Mina chuckles lightly at his compliment. “But you can barely see my face.”

“No, but fortunately for me, I know what beauty hides behind that mask,” Changho is quick to save his compliment. Mina is only able to shake her head at her cheesy old man and lets him show her through the room.

“I was thinking that the two of us could sit here,” he says gesturing to one of the dinner tables placed near the center of the room. “Along with King Junseo and the crown prince of course.” Mina lets go of her father to place her hands on her hips with a big sigh.

“But father, that would defeat the whole purpose of the ball,” she says with a stern look on her father. “We’re supposed to split up and sit with our people.”

“You’re right, you’re right…” he answers, his mind seemingly elsewhere. She can tell he’s up to something before he says it.

“But Lord Namil is joining us this year and I was thinking that dinner would be a great opportunity for you to meet his son, Youngjae.” His eyes are fixed on the table as if he’s still arranging the seats in his mind. “He’s a very kind young man, I’m sure you’re going to like him.” Mina gives him a forced smile. Before he’s able to tell her more about this “Youngjae” Mina quickly excuse herself, saying that she needs to check up on the people in the kitchen. Naively, Changho accepts her excuse and lets her go. It isn’t until she’s out of her father’s sight that she allows herself to roll her eyes.

She knows she’s at the age of which it would be appropriate to marry. If it was up to her dad she would have been married long ago and he doesn’t miss a chance to bring it up. But luckily, she manages to avoid her father and his recommendations of other possible suitors until the evening, when the gates are opened to the guests.

Mina watches from a distance, peeking out from one of the marble pillars, as the guests enter the castle. She’s awed by the beauty of the different masks they’re wearing. A slender woman walking with her arms around a young man is wearing a mask shaped like the face of a cat and right after her comes a portly man with a golden mask, the nose of the mask reaching all the way down to his chest. A couple of servants are standing by the door, greeting the guests as they enter. Their masks are identical. Full-faced, white and plain.

The ball room slowly starts filling with the many guests who stands around looking shyly at each other, unsure of what to do, until an elderly man takes the first step and sits down by one of the tables. Slowly the rest follows him, filling out the empty seats in the room.

“Princess Mina!” a familiar voice shouts from the entry of the ball room. In a split-second Mina has turned around and rushes to silence the owner of the voice, who’s standing in the ball room door, his big lanky body resting against the door frame.

“Taekwoon!” she hisses under her breath as she speed-walks over to him. His face might be covered by a black mask, but she would be able to pick out her childhood friend in a dark room of 100 people if she had to.

“Please lower your voice” she says as calmly as she can manage. “Everyone in the castle will hear you.” Taekwoon’s facial expression is muted by the mask but Mina still reads his confusion clearly.

“For one night I would like to just blend in with the people, so they won’t be scared of speaking with me,” she pleads, clasping her hands together. “Please Taekwoon… don’t out me already.” She hasn’t told anyone, but the thought of being anonymous for one night has all along been what attracted her the most to having a masked ball. For one night she would like to just have fun without the troubles of being the future queen on her shoulders. Without her father’s never-ending lectures on future husbands and the future of the kingdom. Taekwoon looks at her for a moment before he nods.

“Alright,” he agrees before strictly pointing at her with his index finger. “But I’m sitting with you. I’m going to throw myself into the ocean if I have to be alone with our fathers for the entire evening.” Mina’s face cracks in a smile.

“Alright, alright,” she says, a laugh bubbling underneath her voice. “But we need to find somewhere to sit before all the seats are taken.” Around them most people have taken their seats and mostly single seats are left. But in the far end on the right they manage to find a table with two unoccupied chairs left and they sit down just in time for the king’s welcoming speech. He welcomes the guests, thanking them for coming, and goes on to the usual spiel about how great it is that they can all unite like this across both social and national borders and so on and so on. Mina quickly loses interest and instead she takes a look around at the people in the room. People of all shapes and sizes are there and to her delight it looks like not a single person in the room isn’t wearing a mask. And for once, no one is staring back at her.

Mina and Taekwoon are accompanied at their table by four other people. A young woman, barely Mina’s age, who presents herself as Joowon, an older lady, Gyuri, who is Joowon’s mom, a young man, Minhyuk, and lastly a middle-age man whose breath smells strongly of cheap alcohol and who never introduces himself. When asked about her name Mina avoids the question by instead asking Joowon to hand her the salt. The conversation runs smoothly, at least between Mina, Joowon and Minhyuk, through dinner and Mina learns, that Joowon works as a seamstress with her mother in the draper’s shop. She makes a comment about how hard and dry her fingertips have become from all the work, to which her mother exclaims a surprised. “Lee Joowon!”. Mina can’t help but laugh. It is very rare for her to be around her peers like this, and the light atmosphere at the table is liberating.

***

While the servants bring out the plates from the dessert the musicians, the entertainment of the night, sets the stage with their equipment. The conversation is still running smoothly at the table, even Taekwoon has started to join in, when Mina suddenly senses something. She looks around only to spot her father, his broad figure impossible to not recognize despite the mask covering his face, standing next to a young man only a few tables away. He scans the people around him before opening his mouth and once again calling what got Mina’s attention in the first place. “PRINCESS MINA?” She quickly turns back around and as discreetly as humanly possible she pushes herself away from the table. Taekwoon sends her a puzzled look.

“Please excuse me,” she apologizes, her eyes meeting with everyone at the table. “I have to go powder my nose.” Joowon opens her mouth to say something but Mina is gone before she gets the chance. Hiding behind potted plants and servants, she manages to get across the room without being seen. She turns her head to check up on the position of her father and sees that he’s reached Taekwoon who points him towards the restrooms. With her father’s attention redirected she sprints towards the door. She continues running out the door, barely avoiding other guests who have decided to take a stroll in the garden surrounding the castle. She turns her head around to see if she’s escaped her pursuers and is finally stopped when she collides with another person. She makes a surprised sound and grabs onto her poor victim, holding on for dear life as they tumble into a bush. She feels her arms getting cut by the thorns of the bush as the go down, her hair getting stuck on a branch which undoes her bun. Her helpless victim groans lightly underneath her and she quickly pushes herself away.

“I’m terribly sorry”, she apologizes, offering her hand to help the other person up. She finally has a proper look at the person she has run into and realizes that it is a man, seemingly not much older than herself. Luckily, he doesn’t appear to be a prince or a nobleman as his attire is rather plain and far from the extravagant outfits the princes tend to wear. But underneath the modest clothing he seems to be quite fit, judging by his broad shoulders alone. Half of his face is covered by a black mask with red edges, and from underneath the mask a pair of dark eyes shine at her.

“Don’t worry about it,” he says as he wipes the dirt off his pants.

“Are you alright?” he proceeds to ask and for a moment Mina is taken aback by the genuine sound of concern in his voice.

“Oh… yeah, I’m fine,” she finally answers with a stutter. He smiles at her, muttering a soft: “Good,” and this sparks a feeling of warmth in her chest, like a tiny flame, which she cannot explain.

“PRINCESS MINA?” she’s startled when he father’s voice suddenly is heard again, not far from them. She immediately panics.

“Duck!” she exclaims, dragging the man down on the ground with her. He does nothing to resist and soon they’re both hiding behind the bush they seconds ago fell into. Through the bush branches she’s just able to see her father and the young man passing right by them, continuing further into the garden.

“Are you-” the man begins, his eyes following the king as well, but isn’t able to finish his question as Mina quickly cuts him off with a. “No! Whoever you’re thinking off I’m certainly not.” Her lie barely manages to convince herself, but the man doesn’t comment on it.

As her father and the young man gets smaller in the distance Mina finally dares taking her eyes off of them, looking back at the man she has somehow gotten dragged into this whole mess. To her surprise there is not a bit of annoyance or anger in his face, unlike the usual stares she gets when she misbehaves. Instead she’s met by a curiosity and a fascination that makes the little fire inside of her flare up. The flames pull at the corners of her lips and he smiles back at her, his eyes turning into curved lines behind the mask. That’s when she notices the blood.

“Oh… sir,” she says, reaching for the handkerchief in her pocket. “It looks like you’re bleeding.” The smile on his lips slowly fades as he lightly grazes his skin with his fingers. Golden skin meets crimson red just above his jaw line.

“I must have cut myself on the bush” he mutters softly more so to himself than to Mina. She hands him the handkerchief and he silently accepts it. For a few moments she watches him dabbing it on the cut trying to get control of the bleeding. But every time he removes the handkerchief from his jaw, new droplets of blood starts taking form.

“Come with me” Mina finally gathers the courage to say after a long moment of silence. She gets up from the ground. “We can’t have you bleeding all over your shirt.” She offers him her hand and to her delight he gladly accepts her it.

***

“That should do it” Mina mutters to herself, taking a step back to admire her work. After some cleaning and a lot of dirty napkins she has finally managed to cover the cut on the man’s face with a band-aid. He’s sitting on the bed in her room, looking so unfamiliar in this little world of hers. They haven’t talked much while they’ve been in there and his voice is like a branch breaking in a lonely forest when he finally speaks.

“You’re sure you’re not-“ he tries asking once more but is yet again cut off. “No… no I’m definitely not.” The last hint of conviction her words might have had is gone, and she’s now blatantly lying. He still doesn’t comment on it.

“I’m Hyunwoo” he presents himself with his hand on his chest.

“Hyunwoo” she repeats quietly, taking in every syllable of the name, feeling it tingle in every inch of her body.

“And if you’re not who I think you are” he continues. “May I ask - who are you then?” She considers for a second. Considers telling one more obvious lie. But in the end, she decides against it.

“I’m Mina,” she finally presents herself truthfully. “Just Mina.” She isn’t sure what she expected. Maybe for him to drop to his knees and declare his allegiance to the country and the royal family (which has unfortunately happened to her more than once). But her admitting to who she really is doesn’t seem to change anything. He just continues looking at her with that heart-melting smile.

“Alright… just Mina” he says and gets up from the bed. “Thank you for your help… You really didn’t need to.”

“Well, technically I didn’t need to push you into that bush either.”

“You got a point.” She smiles. She can’t explain what it is. Something about him just makes her feel so at ease. Like she can just be herself for once. It is a rare feeling when living in a castle where your every step is watched, judged and corrected.

“But I am sorry for dragging you away from the party” he apologizes. Mina shrugs.

“Don’t be” she says. “You honestly saved me.” She’s certain that if she looks into those doe-like eyes for one more second she’s going to explode, so instead she moves to open the doors to the balcony. It’s beginning to go dark outside and most of the guest outside have gone inside, seeking shelter from the cold. Faintly, she can hear the sounds of the band playing coming from the open entrance to the castle.

“Saved you?” she didn’t notice Hyunwoo following her until he speaks right behind her. “What could I possibly have saved you from?”

“Let’s just say that I think I was about to be caught up in a very uncomfortable and awkward situation down there” she sighs.

“I’m glad we fended off that situation then” he says. “But now that the danger has passed, maybe I should escort you back to the party?” She feels her heart sink in her chest at his words, but her lips move on their own as they say. “Yeah, you probably should.” He nods, still a little smile pulling the corner of his lips and starts moving towards the door. He is stopped when Mina grabs him by the wrist.

“Or wait” she says, way more desperate than intended. She clears her throat and continues. “I’m… I mean… we could also stay here a for little bit… I mean, if you would like to?” She isn’t used to this. This shyness making her voice quiver. But to her relief he nods.

“Sure,” he says. “I would love to.” Love to. The flame in her chest flares up again.

“It’s a beautiful view you got here” he says, resting his elbows on the baluster. She hums in agreement and takes her eyes off of him to look out over the balcony. It is indeed a beautiful view. From this high up you’re able to see all of the lights in the windows of the houses of Judevaia, their country. On clear days you can even see the forest leading up to Eularctis in the distance. She rarely really appreciates this view. She has grown accustomed to luxuries like these after getting them shoved down her throat all of her life. God, what she wouldn’t give to see this place with a fresh pair of eyes instead of ones tired with routine.

“Yes… you can see quite far” Mina sighs with a small nod, mimicking Hyunwoo as she too rests her elbows on the cold marble of the baluster.

“You can even see my house from here” Hyunwoo says with an almost childlike excitement in his voice.

“Really? Where is it?”

“Right there” the flame licks up Mina’s throat as she feels the warmth of his body when he leans in close to her, pointing towards the middle of the city. She leans in a little closer, trying to get the same view of the city as him, feeling his breath brush against her cheek. From here she is able to narrow it down to a group of houses.

“What is it like?” she asks, turning her head to look at him again, their noses only a few inches from touching. “Living down there I mean.”

“It’s nice” he says, his smile coloring his words. “You should visit some time… I could show you around the town.” She thinks she sees a light blush in his cheeks beneath his mask, but she can’t tell whether it’s due to the cold or if it’s caused by something else. The flame once again flares up inside of her and for a second, she’s worried it’s going to spill out of her ears or her nose. So, she does all that she can to answer him: she smiles like a fool.

They share a moment of comfortable silence before the notes of a new song streams out of the doors. Mina hadn’t noticed they had stopped playing. But she immediately recognizes the song they start playing.

“Oh, I love this song” she sighs before realizing how her thoughts have turned into words. She has loved this song ever since she was a kid and her father has always made sure it’s been played at every ball at the castle. It is likely that he has asked the band to play this particular song to lure her out from her hiding. But she isn’t that easy.

“Really…” Hyunwoo says bringing Mina out of her stream of thoughts and back to the balcony. “Well maybe then… I mean if you want to… maybe… We could dance?” There’s a shakiness to his voice she hasn’t heard before. Like he’s nervous. She doesn’t blame him as her heart rate increases rapidly at the mere thought of dancing with him. Not that she hasn’t danced before. But this is the first time she’s been asked to dance with someone she liked. Really liked in fact.

“I would love to” she says. He smiles and without any further they move closer to each other. He puts his hand around her waist. She puts her hand on his shoulder. And lastly, they entwine their fingers. For once she’s away from the curios eyes that always follow her. For once it’s just her. Just Mina. And Hyunwoo of course. Just Mina and Hyunwoo. They don’t speak a word. They don’t have to. They just sway quietly from side to side in tune with the music. His hands are warm, wrapped safely around her hand and waist.

She isn’t sure what makes her do it, or where she gets the courage from. But after dancing for what feels like an eternity, she lets go of his hand to instead place that hand on his other shoulder. He looks baffled for a second but quickly collects himself, placing his free hand around her waist. Like this, with their chests pressed together, it seems they can’t get any closer. And yet Mina still wants more. Wants to be even closer to him. She really must be out of her mind. Must have lost count of the glasses of wine she’s had throughout the evening. At least that is the only way she can explain this emotion she’s feeling.

She feels something cool on her arm and looks up to see soft snowflakes falling from the sky, landing on her bare arms like cold kisses. The first snow of the year.

“It’s snowing” Hyunwoo mutters, his eyes on the sky as well. Their dance has come to a halt in the middle of the balcony, both of them mesmerized by the sky above, as the last notes of the song fades out.

“Mina I’m-“ Hyunwoo starts after a moment of silence, beginning to let go of Mina, but she holds on to his arm.

“Can I kiss you?” she asks breathlessly. “It’s just… Tomorrow I will have to take off this mask and go back to be Princess Mina… and if this is the last chance I get to maybe kiss someone that I like… I just… I don’t want to waste that chance.” Hyunwoo looks surprised to say the least and for a moment she fears she has ruined the whole evening. But finally, he nods.

“Please do… or I mean… yes, of course you can” he stumbles over his words. “I would like that.” She smiles and with that she closes that small space that’s separating them, connecting their lips in a kiss. It’s short, barely a peck on the lips, but sweet. She pulls away, lobster red in the face, and with a light giggle she tries to brush a strand of hair behind her ear, failing to do so. Gently, Hyunwoo takes her hand and pulls her into his arms. She rests her hands on his chest, feeling his heart beat strongly under her fingers. With one arm around her back he uses the other to brush the unruly hair strand behind her ear, before pulling her in for another kiss.

And the fire inside of her erupts into fireworks.

***

“Mina, what are you doing up this early?” Changho asks with a yawn as he passes his daughter who to his surprise is already up and fully clothed. The castle is quiet, only the mild rumble of the servants cleaning the ballroom to be heard.

“I couldn’t sleep any longer” she says, pulling a cape over her shoulders. Changho frowns.

“Where are you going?” he continues his interrogation. Not only is it unusual for his daughter to be the first one to be awake of the two, Changho still sporting a silk pajamas, but it is even more unusual for her to leave on her own like this.

“Oh, I’m just going for a small walk” Mina says with a smile, soothing her father’s mind. “I won’t be gone for long.” She pulls the hood of the cape over her head, and before her father’s gets a chance to stop her, she raises her hand to goodbye and slips out of the door.

It has become a tradition of hers to take a walk in the city after a night like this one. The stuffy ballroom always makes her feel like her mind is overflowing with all of the different sensory input. But nothing cures this feeling like the fresh morning air. The snow is covering the streets like a duvet, crunching softly underneath her boots as she walks. Usually she brings Areum along with her on a trip like this. But a lot of things seem to be out of the ordinary today as she heads for the heart of the city, instead of walking in the outskirts of it as usual. After all, it has been quite an unusual night.

It’s still pretty early in the morning and yet the streets are filled with people. Men and women on their way to work, mothers walking with babies in strollers and kids playing in the fresh snow. Mina is seconds away from being hit by a snowball and she pulls down her hood as she proceeds onwards.

Suddenly, something demands her attention. A smell. She inhales deeply, the sweet smell of freshly baked bread making her sigh out of delight. She turns her head to spot a bakery across the street. She’s certain the head cook at the castle has already prepared something for breakfast. Eating something now and ruining her appetite would definitely make the cook upset. But Mina simply can’t pass on a heavenly smell like this and before she can change her mind she runs across the street.

A bell above the door rings when Mina opens the door to the shop. It’s quite small with different types of breads and buns stacked behind the counter. On top of the counter is a small glass cabinet with various beautifully decorated cakes displayed. She walks closer to the cabinet to get a better look at the cakes when someone yells from the back. “I’ll be right there!” Her heart has stopped in her chest even before he enters the room. His mask is off today, and his formal attire has been replaced with an apron, but she surely would be able to recognize that voice anywhere.

“Mina” Hyunwoo says in a surprised tone. She smiles at him. He smiles at her. “You came.”

#milky writes secret santa 2018 #monsta x fanfiction #monsta x shownu #son hyunwoo #kpop fanfiction

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milky-writes · 6 years ago

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Note In My Pocket

Summary: As he fell forward into his bed the alcohol buzzing and the warmth knocking him out almost instantly, completely missing the cute little note sticking out of his pocket with Jaehwan’s number and a “you’re cute! Text me soon!”

Characters: Wonshik x Jaehwan, OCs

Written For: @animeotakupooh

Written By: TBA

A/N - For Pooja, ily and I hope you like this!

Wonshik likes his holidays. It’s the one time he gets to go home and spend time with his parents. He likes the drive across the country to reach Seoul to his peaceful home and warm greeting from his family. He loves the hot cocoa nights with his sister and the Christmas dinners where his mother outdoes herself almost every year.

Mostly he loves how intimate the holidays are. Just him, his family, and his two dogs - Butt and Dick (real name Richard, but he knew exactly what he was doing naming his Jindo). That was exactly what he had in mind when he drove down this year, half expecting the fire ablaze and cuddly warm sweaters ready. What he wasn’t expecting was his mother shoving him into a new coat and dragging him out to dinner to meet Lee Kukhui, his “father’s best friend”.

“They used to play soccer together as children,” she chuckled, pulling her coat closer to herself.

“I’ve never heard of this person to be honest,” Wonshik mumbled to, Jiwon, his sister who shrugged.

“You know how dad gets about his childhood friends, they’re all his best friends that we’ve never heard of…” she whispered making him bite back his laughter as he clambered into the car behind her.

“They’re joining us for dinner tomorrow! He has three wonderful sons! But I think two of the youngest will be joining us.”

“Oh, have you met his family?” Wonshik’s mother chimed in, tugging her seatbelt in place. His father turned the heater up and they sat there fore a few moments, waiting for the car to warm up.

“Nope!” he replied brightly.

“So how do you know they’re wonderful?” Jiwon asked smugly.

“Cause they’re his children.”

“Odd logic, but alright,” Wonshik sighed. He was too exhausted for social interaction. It just wasn’t his cup of tea. He was intended on spending the evening in his sweats, curled between his two dogs binge eating whatever had been made for dinner. Not meeting his father’s beloved childhood friend who had come in from some odd place abroad (he wasn’t really paying attention as to where). But as the car lurched forwards in the cold, he realized there really wasn’t much he could do about it.

Except remain stoically silent while he was introduced to a family of men with alarmingly large noses and a sweet charming woman who began conversing with his mother and sister nearly instantly. He looked up at the siblings; the elder partaking in whispered conversations with the two fathers. Wonshik found himself face to face with Jaehwan, the youngest sibling who looked shiftily at all the conversations taking place.

Wonshik looked around. It was one of those cosy traditional Korean restaurants with warm brown cushioned seats and yellow glowing lights and the eight of the crammed together at a table, which was fantastic in this weather. Wonshik found himself humming in exhaustion, he felt terribly sleepy as he slumped closer to Jiwon who nudged him off.

“It’s been ages since I’ve eaten good old traditional stuff,” he grunted, going through the menu as Jaehwan flashed Wonshik a smile. Wonshik tried to respond to it with one of his own but it was interrupted by a yawn that fought its way up his throat and Jaehwan’s smile dropped before his eyes shifted around to everyone else at the table, accepting a menu from Wonshik’s mother with a smile.

Wonshik was oddly taken by the smile.

“So…” Jaehwan turned back to Wonshik “what do you do for work?”

Wonshik’s work was…complicated to say the least. He spent a lot of times working as a music producer for large groups under a pseudonym. Most of the time, he was required to not tell anyone about the kind of projects he was working on, non-disclosures and such.

“Uh, I’m in the music industry…” he replied vaguely, and Jaehwan’s eyes lit up. Wonshik found the way his eyes shone were very attractive.

“I love music, but I don’t know very much about it, do tell me more about it! What projects are you working on?” Jaehwan chirped as Wonshik tried to pull his thoughts together.

“Oh, uh, just some…recording work and such?” Wonshik replied, trying to shut down all questions about his workplace. He had a project going on and currently nothing could be said. Jaehwan’s pursed his lips.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. Jaehwan stopped all attempts to converse with Wonshik. Wonshik on the other hand just kept getting increasingly sleepy and grumpy as the night went on. Conversation around him were a buzz as the alcohol levels in the group slowly increased.

He snoozed through most of it, eyes blurrily focusing on the man in front of him. His skin was glowing and his pink lips pulled up in a crooked smile. It was cute.

___________________

Wonshik watched his mother and sister whip up a whole storm for the arrival of the Lees. Wonshik had promptly been thrown out of the kitchen as all his previous attempts to help in there had resulted in a disaster.

“Maybe this time you could actually speak to their sons? You were really rude the last time.” his mother frowned as Wonshik shook his head.

“I had driven across the country, what I was, was sleepy.”

“And drunk.” Jiwon added.

“I’ll try and do better tonight.” he mumbled, rummaging around the refrigerator before being thrown out of the kitchen for being noisy and distracting. Wonshik retreated into his room to get some work done before the guests arrived. Butt and Dick were curled up by his desk. Popping his headphones on, he violently shook the desktop mouse to get the system awake. Soon he was immersed in the beats missing out the loud entry of the Lees.

The door creaked open and the crack of light on the wall made Wonshik turn around and gape at Jaehwan who shot him an awkward smile.

“Uh, this is not the bathroom.”

Except all Wonshik could see was the way his mouth was moving. He blinked as Jaehwan tilted his head, face morphing into shock as the two dogs tackled him to the ground. Wonshik gaped, taking his headphones off watching Jaehwan giggle as the two dogs lavished him with affection.

“Uh…that’s Butt, and Dick…”

“What?” Jaehwan blinked, feeling terribly awkward sitting there. While he had initially ventured down the corridor to find the toilet, he found great entertainment in the dogs “Butt”’ and “Dick”. Wonshik, flicked his hair back and glanced at Jaehwan playing with Dick, who seemed to quite like Jaehwan.

“Uh, yeah. Butt, cause he’s cute. And Dick is short for Richard.”

“I’m sure,” Jaehwan snorted as Wonshik bit his lip. Jaehwan was supremely cute and it was making Wonshik feel…things “actually, I was searching for the bathroom…and I turned up here instead.” he giggled when Butt licked his face.

“It’s across the hallway…”

“Ah, thanks!” Jaehwan grinned “your mum was yelling for you though, you should probably head down. You know how mums get during meals.” he winked, before exiting the room. Wonshik gaped, watching his two dogs follow the man out. He sighed, this dinner was going to be troublesome.

And it was, Jaehwan proved to be not just cute but incredibly charming, winning the hearts of everyone at home. Wonshik couldn’t stop staring, Jaehwan was witty, adorable, talented and never ran out of ways to entertain the tipsy group. Wonshik was beyond intrigued as he tried to ignore the knowing looks being shot at him by his sister.

“Pass the soju and stop planning your future married life with Jaehwan.” she whispered, as he nudged her before passing the soju over.

It was worse when they all sat down for hot cocoa, rather tipsy. Butt and Dick kept running around Jaehwan (who was surprisingly most sober) kept up with their energy, baby talking with them and rubbing their bellies before throwing a stray tennis ball for them. Wonshik gazed at Jaehwan, he looked terribly cute with his dogs.

What if Jaehwan and he adopted dogs together?

Wonshik frowned, his thoughts were wandering too far too quickly. He cleared his throat and shook his head. Jaehwan turned around and looked at Wonshik who gazed back amused.

“What?! You have cute dogs alright?!” Jaehwan squealed

“I know,”Wonshik replied with a giant grin as he lazily picked up the ball and tossed it at Jaehwan who was immediately tackled by the two dogs.

Maybe Wonshik had a small crush.

Jaehwan looked up at him and smiled.

Okay, maybe a big crush.

Jaehwan gave him a giant hug as they left, hands rubbing up and down his back and if Wonshik was right (he could be wrong because he was so terribly drunk), he felt Jaehwan’s lips brush against his cheek. And when he stumbled back into his room later that night after the Lees had left, he mourned the possibility of not seeing Jaehwan again. More so for not taking his number in his drunken stupor. As he fell forward into his bed the alcohol buzzing and the warmth knocking him out almost instantly, completely missing the cute little note sticking out of his pocket with Jaehwan’s number and a “you’re cute! Text me soon!”

That gift could wait till Christmas morning.

#milky writes secret santa 2018 #vixx fanfiction #vixx kenvi #vixx raken #vixx ravi #kim wonshik #vixx ken #lee jaehwan #kpop fanfiction

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milky-writes · 6 years ago

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Christmas Traditions

Summary: Not only had Jaehwan dragged him out in the middle of the cold winter night to the crowded Christmas market, but he had also forgotten to make a list of gifts he wanted to buy.

Characters: Wonshik x Jaehwan

Written For: @wonshiks-tiddy

Written By: TBA

“It got really cold” Jaehwan said, rubbing the sides of his arms.

The night had settled in and the holiday market had come alive. The streets were lit with Christmas decorations and the shops lining the street of Hongdae had put up decorations in late November itself. The flashy red and green signs could be spotted from a good distance and people milled about, clad in long padded black jackets for extra warmth.

“It did. But we wouldn’t have to be here if someone hadn’t forgotten to do their Christmas shopping earlier” Wonshik said, glaring at Jaehwan. He shivered as a gust of cold wind rose and the coat he was wearing flapped in the wind.

“I was busy!” Jaehwan said defensively.

“You do this every year! Hakyeon always reminds you in early November but you never follow his advice!”

“And you do?”

“I order it online so that I don’t have to step out into the cold like this” Wonshik answered.

Jaehwan stopped for a moment and considered it. “That’s actually a very smart idea. I should have done that.”

“Well, we are here now” Wonshik shrugged. “Where’s your shopping list?”

“I forgot…” Jaehwan started, biting his lips midway in the sentence.

“To bring it with you? I am not surprised” Wonshik said.

“... to make one entirely. I forgot to make one” he completed, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for the inevitable complaining that would start.

“You can’t be serious hyung” Wonshik said, feeling very incredulous. Not only had Jaehwan dragged him out in the middle of the cold winter night to the crowded Christmas market, but he had also forgotten to make a list of gifts he wanted to buy. They would be here forever at this rate because Jaehwan liked to browse the sights.

“I could make one over deokbokki?” Jaehwan suggested. His response was delayed by a family passing by the street and the two men having to step aside to give way. The crowd grew and Wonshik started to consider Jaehwan’s suggestion seriously because they couldn’t stay here.

“Fine. You can make one on your phone” Wonshik relented. Jaehwan beamed and he melted a little inside, unable to stay mad at him for too long.

“Oh oh oh, since it is on the way, can we go see the huge Christmas tree they have put up in the main market square?” Jaehwan asked.

“The Christmas tree?” Wonshik asked. Jaehwan had been here earlier this month and the tree was up and decorated since the end of November. Surely he had seen it by now?

“Yes” Jaehwan confirmed. He took Wonshik’s hand and pulled the younger man through the crowd. Wonshik stumbled but managed to keep up with the pace Jaehwan set. They wove through the people and passed two main streets to get to the central square.

The Christmas tree was huge, spanning at least two storeys in height and the area of the entire square with marginal roads for people to walk through. The vehicular traffic had been restricted in and out of the square, so people had more space to stroll on the main roads, often stopping to take pictures. In one of the other three lanes beyond the tree, Wonshik could see temporary stalls set up for food and trinkets. The entire area was lit up in gold, red and green lights giving it a festive mood.

“Did you know that there is an old legend about couples who kissed in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas eve being together forever?” Jaehwan asked him. Wonshik shook his head.

“Well now you do” Jaehwan said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Do you have someone you want to bring here on Christmas eve?” Wonshik asked, looking the other way. The way Jaehwan had turned pink while talking about couples and kissing indicated there was someone but he didn’t really want the answer to the question.

Wonshik knew it was very stupid to hope. Jaehwan was Jaehwan and that was enough for him to be loved by everyone he met. He was also friendly and social and got along with everyone in contrast to his own awkwardness on meeting new people. It wasn’t hard to assume that someone would have caught his fancy by now. Or asked him out while Wonshik had been cooped up in his studio and busy with his music.

“Maybe. Someday” Jaehwan answered vaguely.

“You should bring them here instead of dragging me along to see the tree every year” Wonshik huffed. The more he thought about it, the lesser he wanted to actually hear about the person Jaehwan liked.

“Maybe it’s you I want to bring here and kiss senseless” Jaehwan replied.

“Don’t you have gifts to buy?” Wonshik asked, changing the topic. He kept his focus on the tree and hoped the neon red Christmas lighting would hide how he had blushed at Jaehwan’s declaration.

“I already bought the ones I wanted to buy” Jaehwan shrugged. Wonshik exclaimed, indignant about being dragged out in the middle of the cold night on the pretense of a lie.

“Do you know how hard it is to get you out of your studio?” Jaehwan asked, glaring at the man. “I had to lie and beg for an entire hour! All to spend time with you!”

“Maybe you should be spending time with whoever it is you wanted to kiss under the Christmas tree” Wonshik replied stubbornly. He folded his arms and glared at Jaehwan who shook his head.

“Kim Wonshik you fool” Jaehwan said, pulling him forward by the ends of the woollen scarf tied around his neck. Wonshik gasped silently, eyes widening at the sudden proximity. Why was this such a cliche manhwa scene? Was he dreaming?

Jaehwan kissed him gently on his lips and he closed his eyes. He took in the feeling of soft lips and sighed into the kiss, making Jaehwan smile as well.

“Merry Christmas, my idiot. You are now stuck with me for life!”

#milky writes secret santa 2018 #vixx raken #vixx kenvi #vixx ken #lee jaehwan #vixx ravi #kim wonshik #vixx fanfiction #kpop fanfiction

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milky-writes · 6 years ago

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Don’t Be A Grinch

Summary: In the sweltering heat of July, Hyunwoo cannot believe that Minhyuk is dancing around the kitchen to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” as he does the dishes. Honestly, Hyunwoo is surprised that Minhyuk had managed to last until July this year to start listening to Christmas music. Sometimes it’s as early as March that it happens.

Characters: Hyunwoo x Minhyuk, Monsta X

Written For: @cryptid-taekwoon

Written By: TBA

In the sweltering heat of July, Hyunwoo cannot believe that Minhyuk is dancing around the kitchen to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” as he does the dishes. Honestly, Hyunwoo is surprised that Minhyuk had managed to last until July this year to start listening to Christmas music. Sometimes it’s as early as March that it happens.

“I JUST WANT TO SEE MY BABY STANDING RIGHT OUTSIDE MY DOOOOR,” Minhyuk sings along, shaking his hips from side to side as he tries to get out a particularly tough stain in their cast iron skillet.

Hyunwoo leans against the doorway to the kitchen, folding his arms and shaking his head at Minhyuk. Goddamn, his boyfriend is so adorable. Even if he is listening to Christmas music at a completely inappropriate time of year.

Hyunwoo is able to get into the kitchen unnoticed, the volume of the song and the sound of the faucet way too loud for Minhyuk to sense him, and he gently presses the off button on Minhyuk’s bluetooth speaker. Minhyuk whips his head around, water splashing out of the sink as he lifts and points a soapy glove-covered finger at Hyunwoo.

“You put that back on right now!” He half-shouts to be heard over the water, but Hyunwoo only takes the bluetooth speaker and sets it up on top of the fridge.

“No Christmas stuff in this house until actual Christmas. You know the rule.” Hyunwoo reminds him, and Minhyuk pouts, submerging his hand back into the water and scrubbing at the skillet harder.

“It’s a dumb rule…” Minhyuk mutters, “Who makes rules like that? Who hates Christmas!?”

“I don’t hate Christmas,” Hyunwoo defends himself, “I like Christmas time just as much as the next person. But listening or doing anything Christmas-y before December 1st is unacceptable.” He explains, opening up the fridge and searching for a snack.

Minhyuk takes this opportunity with Hyunwoo slightly bent over to get just enough of a lift to reach the bluetooth speaker and he snatches up from on top of the fridge. Hyunwoo stands back up immediately and stares at Minhyuk bewilderingly, with Minhyuk staring back at him and turning the bluetooth speaker back on, it making a little ‘beep-beep’ sound before Mariah Carey belting out a high note fills the kitchen.

“No Grinches in the kitchen!” Minhyuk yells at Hyunwoo over the song, setting the bluetooth speaker down by the sink before using all of his might to push Hyunwoo out of the kitchen, “Don’t you have dancing or something to go do!?”

Hyunwoo laughs and says that he has nothing to do for the rest of the day before Minhyuk lifts his foot up and kicks Hyunwoo’s butt to get him out of the kitchen and somewhere else in the house.

It’s the day after Halloween and Minhyuk has wasted no time in going up into the attic and bringing down box upon box and tub upon tub of Christmas decorations. Hyunwoo returns from his strenuous (but rewarding) job as a personal trainer, groaning softly as he opens the front door and finds their living room with boxes all over the floor, the couches, and the coffee tables.

Red and gold garland is strewn haphazardly on the chaise lounger in the corner, awaiting it’s moment when it will be carefully placed somewhere for the holiday season. Dozens of glittery, shiny and extravagant ornaments are scattered around the boxes on the coffee tables. Minhyuk is in the middle of it all, sitting cross-legged on the floor attempting to put their fake tree together, grumbling as faux white pine needles are all over Minhyuk’s pants and the arms of his hoodie.

“Couldn’t have even waited until December,” Hyunwoo laughs, walking over to Minhyuk and leaning down to give Minhyuk a kiss on the top of his head before clearing a spot on the couch for him to sit on.

“So it says Branch G goes in this part here…” Minhyuk murmurs, ignoring Hyunwoo and trying to hook one of the branch pieces into the main pole. His finger gets caught in it for a moment though, and he yelps, throwing the branch to the ground and immediately sucking on his finger to soothe the sudden pain.

“Baby, be careful,” Hyunwoo swiftly gets down on the floor next to his boyfriend, bringing him into his arms as the pain Minhyuk feels begins to subside. Hyunwoo gently rubs Minhyuk’s back as Minhyuk shoves his face into Hyunwoo’s shoulder, mumbling about how this is the last time he’s going to order a tree off of the internet.

“Do you want me to help you?” Hyunwoo offers as Minhyuk lifts his head back up and stares in despise at the half done tree.

“No!” Minhyuk scoots off of his lap and picks up Branch G again, being more careful this time as he hooks it in, “I want to make it myself. I want to do this myself!”

“You’re so cute when you act like you don’t want help,” Hyunwoo teases him, getting up from the floor and running a hand through Minhyuk’s hair.

Minhyuk’s cheeks turn pink as he doesn’t dare look up at Hyunwoo. He adorably snaps about how it’s Hyunwoo’s turn to make dinner and he wants to see if he can get this tree put together by dinnertime.

“Okay, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” Hyunwoo laughs and waves his hand around before disappearing into the kitchen.

Around thirty minutes later, Hyunwoo is casually stirring a pot of homemade soup when he hears Minhyuk’s slipper-covered feet softly pad their way over to the entrance of the kitchen. He’s holding three or four branches in his arms like they are flower bouquets and murmuring that he does in fact need Hyunwoo’s help.

It’s the week after Thanksgiving and Minhyuk has gone out shopping for presents for family and friends. Hyunwoo is at home because Minhyuk said he couldn’t come with him (“What if I find something for YOU? I CAN’T BUY IT IN FRONT OF YOU!” was Minhyuk’s reasoning). That hasn’t stopped Minhyuk from texting Hyunwoo every five minutes and calling Hyunwoo every half hour just to talk to him because he misses him so much.

It’s been two hours since Minhyuk’s last text though and Hyunwoo is starting to get worried. What if something happened to him while he was out? What if it was something bad?

Hyunwoo gets his answer though when he hears a car pull up into their driveway and it shuts off, whoever was inside of it slamming the car door with such an amount of force that it makes Hyunwoo flinch even though he is inside. It’s then that Hyunwoo realizes it’s Minhyuk as he turns around on the couch and sees the lock to the front door turn and Minhyuk stomps inside the house, half a dozen shopping bags making his arms begin to cramp before he throws them down on the floor.

“PEOPLE ARE AWFUL.” Minhyuk announces as he slams the front door and Hyunwoo’s grip on the back of the couch tightens as he flinches again. He’s only seen Minhyuk upset a handful of times, so whatever happened, it must have been bad.

Minhyuk kicks off his snow boots and shrugs off his coat, leaving everything in a pile by the front door before he makes a beeline for the couch and for Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo makes a small ‘oof’ noise as Minhyuk falls down on top of him, Hyunwoo sinking into the couch before wrapping his arms around Minhyuk to comfort him.

“What happened?” Hyunwoo asks, massaging Minhyuk’s scalp with one of his hands while Minhyuk huffs into Hyunwoo’s chest.

“Nothing,” Minhyuk groans, “Everything. Nothing in particular happened. It was just a bunch of little things. This time of year is when people are supposed to be kind and not giant assholes! Is that too much to ask for? For one time of year for the entire world to be kind to each other?!” He cries out before he lays back down on Hyunwoo’s chest.

They both lay there for a moment, Hyunwoo massaging Minhyuk’s head as Minhyuk swirls patterns on to Hyunwoo’s shirt. Hyunwoo hates seeing him so upset like this and would do anything to see Minhyuk be happy. That’s when he gets an idea. The logical part of his brain tells him it’s a stupid idea, but if it will get Minhyuk to forget about what happened earlier today, it’s worth it.

Hyunwoo sits up slowly and tells Minhyuk he needs to go get something out of the bedroom but for him to wait here in the living room. Minhyuk, too sad to ask why, only nods and sinks deeper into the couch.

Hyunwoo quickly makes his way down the hallway and into their bedroom, heading straight for their walk-in closet. He wonders if the suit is even still in there or if they got rid of it in their spring cleaning earlier this year. But sure enough, there it is. A whole Santa Claus costume all the way down in the back of the closet, the last time it being touched when Minhyuk convinced Hyunwoo to dress up for Hoseok’s kids.

He clumsily sheds his clothes and puts the costume on inside the closet, worried that Minhyuk will pop his head inside at any moment to see what he’s doing. He exits the closet and comes out of the bedroom, standing still in the hallway and shouting for Minhyuk to close his eyes.

Minhyuk, still too tired and sad to ask why, does as Hyunwoo says.

He gets curious though when he hears Hyunwoo clomping down the hallway and immediately opens his eyes when Hyunwoo says he can open them.

A grin comes across Minhyuk’s face as he sees Hyunwoo standing in front of him, his dark brown hair peeking out from the Santa hat, the snow white beard slightly crooked since Hyunwoo threw the outfit on so quickly, and a pillow shoved inside the top half of the suit to mimic Santa’s belly.

A few happy tears prick the corners of Minhyuk’s eyes as Hyunwoo sits down on the couch next to him, patting his lap and telling Minhyuk to get up on his lap. Minhyuk does as he asks, wrapping his arms around Hyunwoo’s neck as Hyunwoo places a hand on Minhyuk’s back to support him.

“What would you like for Christmas, Minhyuk?” Hyunwoo asks, trying to make his voice go deeper to mimic Santa Claus and the smile on Minhyuk’s face disappears.

“For everyone to be nice to each other during Christmas,” Minhyuk sighs.

Hyunwoo squeezes Minhyuk’s leg gently so Minhyuk will look up at him.

“That’s a mighty big wish. But I can make it happen for a kiss.” Hyunwoo says.

Hyunwoo’s heart flutters as Minhyuk laughs loud at the ridiculousness of Hyunwoo’s words.

“A kiss it is then, Santa.”

#milky writes secret santa 2018 #monsta x fanfiction #showhyuk #monsta x shownu #son hyunwoo #monsta x minhyuk #lee minhyuk #kpop fanfiction

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