#just left with my huge ass headache and my boss being slightly concerned about my wellbeing

[gommyworm]

:^]

[bluesprng]

— 43 ♦ kbk, ldh, ksy

◆  a.c.e. ◆ 43, 'Santa, do I get a Christmas kiss?' [ credit to @footballerimaginess​ ] ◆  a/n: if you don’t like it, don’t read it. ◆  beta: yes.

‘I swear I didn’t cheat.’

Blinking up from his phone, Donghun took a second to process the words before looking back down to his schedule. ‘Why would I think that? you suddenly not answering your phone then some random guy showing up, at midnight, with you barely conscious? Didn’t even cross my mind.’

There was a sound of annoyance in response to the words and soon after, Byeongkwan was hugging around his middle and nuzzling his shoulder. ‘I’m sorry,’ he mumbled, a frown on his features as his nose pressed to the soft material of the latter’s shirt, ‘thank you for leaving water and medicine for me.’ The first words of the morning were disregarded as they both knew it truly wasn’t a problem and in reality, the thought of one of them cheating had never crossed their minds. 

‘Words I hear every other week, babe, you don’t have to keep saying them.’ 

It wasn’t like the younger was a constant party-goer or major alcoholic but he enjoyed his fun, fun that Donghun generally had to nurse the next day. Of course, he never minded helping him with his headaches or listening to him complain about how the world spun around him and he may have made snarky comment regarding his vomit breath but otherwise, he was always there to help. ‘However, another stranger suddenly knowing our address concerns me.’

‘His name is Sehyoon.’

The older’s eyebrow raised in silent question.

‘What? Of course I got his name, he was nice.. Some stuff went don at the party and I really don’t fully remember what happened but he was nice enough to get my out of there and return me to my lovely boyfriend. Would you have preferred he be a nameless stranger?’

Staring at him with a blank expression, Donghun really only caught one part of his speech. ‘”Some stuff”? Kwan, if someone tri-’

The coming threat was silenced with a small peck to the lips and a light smile. ‘I’m fine and I’ll be more careful, I promise.’

Had the older been able to roll his eyes any harder, he would have and he was positive it would have resulted in seeing his own brain. ‘My ass.. but as long as you’re alright,’ he muttered and turned on the stool to pull him closer, the latter’s smaller frame slotting with ease between his legs, ‘and an unnamed stranger would have been fine.. at least the last time you brought one we all ended up in bed together - that was fun.’

Pursing his lips, Byeongkwan delivered a small deserved slap to the male’s arm. ‘His name was Junhee, you just didn’t care to remember.’ 

Furrowing his brow at the assault, he offered his waist a squeeze. ‘In my defense, I don’t really need to remember anyone’s name that isn’t yours or my boss,’ he pointed out with a small grin, not wanting to linger on how cringy such a comment was. ‘Slap me like that again, though, and we’re both going to be late for work.’

‘Shit! I forgot about work,’ whined the smaller, squirming a little being falling against the latter in defeat. ‘You’re insufferable.. I love you but it’s true,’ he mumbled, tipping his head to peek up at him. ‘I don’t mind being late for work, you know..’

With a click of his tongue, Donghun was already gently nudging the boy back, shaking his head. ‘I love you, too, very much.. but you need to go get ready.’ 

‘Shower with me?’

‘..We only have an hour to leave, Kwan.’

‘A whole hour.. please? I’ll be good!’

The older clearly didn’t believe that and his face showed it, sighing deeply as a hand came up to push through his red locks. ‘That’s a huge lie and you know it but fine, let’s go.’ 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Walking into the mall, the smaller of the two perked up. ‘Today we find out who gets to be Santa for all the Christmas stuff,’ he chimed, somewhat beaming.

‘The fact you’ve been an elf every year since you were sixteen still baffles me,’ the older mumbled with a shake of his head, ‘I wonder who’ll get trapped this year. Wasn’t it actually one of the security guys last year?’

Donghun fondly remembered the disaster of the year before and having to jump over the counter during his shift to help put out a small fire started by one of the kids; it was a pretty surreal scene. The whole night came to memory at random moments and he was only shook out of his little bubble by his boyfriend responding.

‘I like being an elf, thank you,’ he huffed in a slightly defensive manner that made the older snort, ‘Yeah, it was.. He was nice and it was one of our best years despite the accident. I don’t think it’s going to be anyone from the mall this year.’

Making an ‘ahh’ sound that came off as uninterested, Donghun stopped when they got to the all too familiar candy shop, turning his attention to winding his arms around the latter’s waist. ‘Seems we’ve made it to my stop,’ he hummed, placing a kiss to his forehead, ‘full shift.. visit me when you can?’

Melting with ease into the hold, the greenette circled his arms up around the male’s shoulders and sighed deeply. ‘I always do.’ With a smile, leaning up to layer kisses against familiar lips, he mumbled; ‘I hope you have a nice shift.. though, it seems like you’re about to walk into a mess.’

Following Byeongkwan’s gesture, he turned to look over his shoulder and found himself greeted with the sight of his boss, smiling in wait. ‘Great. I’ll see you later,’ he groaned and planted a final kiss to his lips before they parted, going off their own ways into whatever chaos awaited them. Offering a greeting to the boss, he was about to make another comment before he was stopped by what looked like a new employee turning around. 

‘This is our newest worker,’ the oldest finally piped up, a grin showing, ‘Sehyoon. I’m trusting you’ll help him out and show him the ropes.’

Really, the red head was ready to drop to his knees in a fit of laughter but just gave a slow nod and smile instead, clearing his throat. As the boss left into the back, he spoke up; ‘So, you’re the stranger.’

‘And you’re the boyfriend.’

If anything, Donghun found himself highly amused with how everything was panning out. ‘Kwan is going to love this,’ the comment was met with a sheepish smile because no, this wasn’t something any of them had expected to happen. ‘Anyway, let’s get to work.. this place get’s super busy at the weirdest times.’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

‘It’s been so slow - you, are not Donghun,’ Byeongkwan began as he walked into the shop a good five hours later, ‘wait, what the fuck.’

‘Babe, watch your language there’s kids in the store and I do not need to get bitched at by parents,’ the oldest muttered as he came out from the back, pressing a kiss to the greenette’s temple before turning his attention to putting a few things on the shelves. ‘His name is Sehyoon.. sound familiar?’

Blinking between the two of them, the smaller found himself laughing. ‘Wait, wait- you’re working with Santa? Congrats!’ 

‘Huh?’

Stepping up to actually get a word in, the raven waved a hand to get their attention. ‘The director of the whole Christmas Town thing is a family friend, so now yeah, I guess I’m Santa,’ Sehyoon shrugged like it meant nothing and really, he wasn’t too interested. 

The boyfriends nodded slowly in understanding and the smaller of the three perked up, grinning brightly as realization dawned on him. ‘So.. better of worse than a nameless stranger?’ He questioned, directed to the oldest who nearly hissed his response;

‘Honestly, fuck off.’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Two weeks into the official meeting, Sehyoon seemed to begin fitting into their daily lives with ease, something that wasn’t usually an easy task. Byeongkwan was easier to get close to whereas Donghun liked his little bubble - liked his space without the suffocating company but he was getting there. The two had their own world and one was more intent on keeping it that way. However, being the observant person he was, he noted small things as they began changing because as the oldest, he felt like it was his job.

‘So,’ the red head began only moments after they both woke up, turning to face the puffy features of his lover, ‘is today the day my boyfriend tells me how he really feels about the ‘random stranger’ turned mall Santa and co-worker?’

Bringing a hand up to run his fingers through messy red locks, Byeongkwan hummed faintly in acknowledgement, thinking of what to say. ‘What do you want me to say?’

‘I want you to be honest.’

‘I love you,’ the greenette answered, fingertips falling from hair to trace along the male’s features, ‘but.. there’s something about him. I don’t--’

Donghun stopped him with a small smile, pulling him closer. ‘Then, tell him? It’s not the first time and I’m not suddenly going to react different. You’re my number one priority, you always with be.. you’ve got a lot of love to give and a lot of room in that pretty heart of yours,’ he spoke slow and careful, like anything else would shatter the calm atmosphere, ‘tell him.. if he’s okay with it, great.. if he’s not, well, you know I’ll be here to make it better.’

Listening silently, he eventually shifted to hide against the warmth of the older’s neck, pressed impossibly close. ‘I’m sorry.. it always sounds so bad when someone else comes along.. I’m scared one day you’re going to think that you aren’t enough.. or that I don’t lo-’

Getting cut off once more, Byeongkwan didn’t realize he’d teared up until the latter was pulled away and rubbing under his eyes. ‘Baby, hush. You would have left already and we both know that. I know how this works.. it’s fine. You don’t need to be scared because I’m right here, always will be.. regardless of who is around or who it is.’

Looking up to him with big eyes, he decided he couldn’t really express the gratitude with words and found himself pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s lips who thoughtfully got the message. It felt like hours passed before they finally parted, lips swollen and slick with saliva.

‘Are you going to tell him?’

The younger nodded slowly. ‘Later.. after work. If things go wrong, no being mean to him.’

‘I won’t do anything to him unless he makes you cry.’

Byeongkwan gave a disapproving look but the older simply smiled. ‘No arguments. No one makes you cry without having to deal with me.’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Work was normal, slow for the most part. Christmas Town was being set up for those who brought their kids an none of the three really expected anything to be going on. Of course, two had an idea of how things could go when work was over but otherwise, it was a perfectly normal day.

Donghun, bless the placement of his shop, got a full view of whatever happened on the main floor, specifically the way Santa got comfortable on the horrible seat and the elves helped with the display. The way Sehyoon would glance over at him, leaning against the counter of the shop and Byeongkwan kind of avoided looking at either of them, no doubt thinking over his impending confession.

Climbing up on one of the stools to finish decorating one of the side trees, the greenette was in his own world of thought, doing as he was told by his boss. What he wasn’t expecting was to slip from the stool and everything went by in slow motion, the way he was caught and suddenly on “Santa’s” lap, blinking at him with big eyes. He honestly hadn’t even been able to fully register the older checking him over and sighing deeply when he realized he was okay.

‘If you wanted to tell Santa your wish that bad, you didn’t need to almost hurt yourself.’

The smaller rolled his eyes at the cheesy comment and snorted.

‘So? What do you want?’

Thinking over the conversation that had transpired much earlier, he glanced to the candy shop before looking back up, deciding to throw caution to the wind. ‘Well, Santa.. can I have a kiss?’

Staring at the boy on his lap, the male was suddenly painfully aware of the fact Donghun was watching; the anyone walking past the set up was definitely watching. ‘What?’ was all he managed to get out, wondering if he heard wrong.

Byeongkwan looked around then back to him. ‘A kiss.. Do I get a Christmas kiss?’ 

He was being serious and maybe it was the wrong time; maybe, he was okay with losing his job as he leaned in to fulfill the request. He was conflicted if nothing else because not only was he kissing his coworker, he was sure Donghun would already be trying to skin him if he wasn’t okay with it - wait, why was he okay with it? He should have listened to the little alarms in his head but it wasn’t exactly the time for thinking rationally. 

To say the least, the latter was content when the kiss broke and he found himself beaming happily up to Sehyoon because he, of course, got what he wanted. There was the silent exchange that screamed that they needed to have a talk later on - a talk that couldn’t be avoided.

‘The kids.. you should-’ The raven didn’t need to finish as the latter slowly got up, glowing despite the worry that was starting to bubble up in his gut. He didn’t want to dwell on the negative, on how badly such a conversation could go. Returning to his work and greeting little kids as they began coming up, he offered his boyfriend a grin and what he got in response was an eye roll. There was excitement pooling in his abdomen regardless.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

‘So, you two..? Is it.. romantic or.. just- sexual..?’

The question wasn’t one that really needed to be finished, obviously but Sehyoon was still confused as to what was going on. Had he just found himself in the midst of some weird sex thing or was Byeongkwan interested in him? It felt like the world was spinning the more he thought about it. 

‘Romantic,’ Donghun began, ‘if it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be here.’ It was a simple comment but the underlining threat was quite clear; if it wasn’t serious, they wouldn’t be sitting down to have such a talk.

They sat there in silence for a while and it was clear by the expression on Sehyoon’s features that he was thinking it over. By the looks of it, he was thinking far too hard.

‘Kwan likes you. It’s a lot simpler than what you’re making it out to be in your head,’ the oldest began, pushing his hair back with a deep sigh, ‘we don’t all three have to be involved, it can just be about him. If, however, you have a problem with sharing, we stop now.’ He was sure to make it clear where they stood because he wasn’t going to play on the topic of his boyfriend and he wasn’t about to let someone in that wanted to ruin his relationship.

‘No.. no, I want it to be both of you,’ the raven answered with a thoughtful frown, ‘I don’t.. want to just single one of you out, that would look bad. If- If I have the time with him.. I don’t want to push you out of the picture.’ That was worded badly and by the look he received, he knew that but no one made a comment because they knew what he meant. No one seemed to comment on what he was truly trying to say, either.

The youngest visibly perked, sliding closer to the edge of the couch he was sitting on. ‘Really? You want to be ours?’ After asking, he turned his head to the oldest, ‘He’s the first one!’

It was such a foreign question- a foreign situation in general but he didn’t hesitate to agree, suddenly having his lap and arms full of the greenette, excitement basically radiating off of him and he couldn’t help but smile even if his eyes lingered a little longer on the redhead across from them. He debated the rising confession that bubbled up in the back of his throat but pushed it down, deciding that those words were for another time.

‘Are we all free tonight?’ Byeongkwan questioned, glancing between them and both gave a yes that was met with a bright smile. ‘Great! We can go on our first date together!’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As time passed, things only got easier and flowed smoothly. Sehyoon complimented the pair, wasting no time in fitting into what they already had, still careful not to cross any lines in the foundation. It was interesting, if he was honest, watching the two work together seamlessly, like they understood each other on a completely other plane of existence. 

When Christmas greeted them, he was sat in thought on the couch, listening to them go about their morning. There was something weighing on his mind; Byeongkwan wasn’t shy with affection, plenty of hugs and kisses between the two that sometimes bled into something more intimate, something that always ended with them waking up tangled, naked and smiling but something wasn’t right. The youngest didn’t sleep without the oldest because that’s just how things went, which meant no matter what they did, the oldest of the three eventually showed up but never participated; he let them do what they wanted, then found his way into bed later on after making sure both were cleaned up and taken care of. ( ‘Look, I wasn’t involved in the fucking but I’m not letting either of you go to sleep filthy or without being taken care of.. so drink the damn water and stop squirming.’ )

Donghun never went any further than holding his hand or casually forcing his hand into his back pocket; that was the extent of his affection when it came to the raven. Had he read things wrong? He’d said he wanted them both but it was slowly getting to him. Maybe the older just didn’t see it that way... maybe he just didn’t want him.

‘Something bothering you?’

Looking up, he wondered when Donghun had even entered the room. Watching as he moved to sit on the coffee table in front of him, he shrugged. ‘It’s nothing really.. I’m sure I’ll get over it.’

The red head’s eyebrow rose. ‘I doubt it’s nothing.. what’s on your mind, love?’

The pet names didn’t help and Sehyoon had never been a particularly weak man but God if those names didn’t leave him a little lost. There was something about the way he said it, the way he looked at him when he did- it left him a little bit of a wreck.

‘Do you even want me here?’ He wasn’t sure where the words came from but he continued; ‘I know this started because of Kwan but.. I .. do you want me?’ He cursed that desperate edge to his tone and his eyebrows pulled together, more or less irritated.

He hated how tame the older’s features were ( that, was a lie ), calm and unreadable, almost like nothing truly bothered him. He knew those worries were only shared behind closed doors, tucked within the safe of his boyfriend, no- their boyfriend. For the first time, it stung a little for him to think it wasn’t all three of them. That he would never get close to him in that manner.

‘Of course I do.. just as much as you want me.’ As Donghun began, the raven blinked at the sudden words, ‘Don’t think I never noticed you looking at me or, should I say, how you look at me.. the time you’ve been with Kwan while doing just that- you aren’t very good at staring without being caught. I’m a lot of things but oblivious is not one of them.’

Sehyoon would never admin to how darkly he blushed or how mildly angry he got. ‘Then why?’

‘I was waiting for you to ask.’

There was something about the moment that made his skin crawl in the most delightful way. It wasn’t a secret that Donghun was in charge or that he liked having a bit of power. He recalled briefly hearing Kwan tease the older about his kinks.. and slowly, it clicked. It infuriated him but he didn’t let that show.

‘You.. you waited until I was to the point of..’ begging. He didn’t voice that but he pursed his lips, ‘You wanted to see me crawl to you.’

‘Hm.. sure, if you want to think that.. I did enjoy watching you get to that point,’ ever the honest man he was, ‘but mostly, I wanted you to be comfortable. I wasn’t going to rush you into something when Kwan was already glued to you.’

He was being considerate and it only made him want to frown further; he wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss him or slap him. ‘Why why are you still waiting? I think it’s clear I want you just the same.’

Donghun smiled. ‘You still haven’t asked.’

Groaning lowly, the raven debated just kissing him but part of him was understanding why the youngest found his power trip attractive. ‘Will you please kiss me?’

His answer came in the form of gentle hands cupping his cheeks and soft tiers greeting his own, moving slowly like they had all the time in the world. The first thing he noticed was the difference between them; Byeongkwan kissed like he needed something, like if he stopped, the other would vanish, it was something he couldn’t put into words. The oldest though, he kissed like it was the last with a burning passion that was truly lost to him.

‘Well.. Merry Christmas to me.’

The parted slowly to face the greenette, one blushing and one grinning. That’s when he decided those words needed to come out, offering a tug to the older’s sleeve. ‘Wait, I .. there’s still something I haven’t said and it, it doesn’t really matter at this point,’ he cleared his throat, feeling both sets of eyes on him, not knowing where he should look, ‘Byeongkwan liked me first, right? Well, I uh.. I liked Donghun first.. then everything kind of blended together. That’s why I got so upset when you offered for it just to be sharing.. I really, really wanted you both.’

‘Me?’/’Whoa.’

Sehyoon smiled lightly, head falling into a tilt. ‘Merry Christmas?’