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There was something truly magical about the way the little snowflakes fell from the skies, all of them caught in a slow ritualistic dance that ended when they finally descended, and touched the tainted soil of the Seoul streets.
Beomgyu watched in fascination as this dance went on and on, never seeming to cease. He watched as the blanket of exhausted snowflakes seemed to grow, turning the grey pavement into a pure white, that was progressively tainted by the footprints of the people hurrying to get out of the snowfall. But Beomgyu was in no hurry, at least not when it came to the snow. However he was running late to the Christmas dinner that his friends were hosting, but in his defence, he just couldn’t bring himself to step inside the crowded restaurant, when the weather was putting on such an exquisite show.
Yet when his phone buzzed again in his pocket, the special ringtone that he set for his boyfriend resounding in the air, he turned towards the doors of the restaurant, pushing them open and stepping inside, a wall of scents and warmth hitting him, and making him scrunch his nose, his head turning slightly as if he was contemplating stepping back outside. Before he could do that though, his attention was captured by the hostess, who found it necessary to let him know that there were no spaces for walk-ins that night, a strained smile pulling on her thin lips, making it very clear how displeased she was to have to talk to him.
Now if Beomgyu wasn’t such a gentleman, he would have chosen to make a scene, offended by the rudeness showcased by this woman, but instead of risking ruining so many people’s good times, he just mentioned the name of his friend, and that was enough to change the behaviour of the hostess, who started apologising as she lead him to the separate room, reserved just for them to enjoy the festive menu that his friend, Taehyun, had worked so hard on.
When he stepped inside the room, Beomgyu was greeted with teasing for being late, but he was too busy taking in his boyfriend to care about Soobin trying to rile him up. Yeonjun had changed from the attire he wore that morning as he left for work, and Beomgyu was not prepared for the outfit that his boyfriend wore, one that showcased his defined chest, the fabric of the button up stretching over his pecs, and moulding to his arms, as the man stretched his limbs towards Beomgyu, asking for a hug. Beomgyu walked towards him as if he was in a daze, the teasing from before taking a turn as the other men around the table complained about the display of affection between the two, but once again Beomgyu couldn’t be bothered. Not when he was feeling so warm and loved in his boyfriend’s embrace, the kiss that was gently placed on his forehead making a bashful smile appear on his snow-kissed face.
But that was over too soon, and Beomgyu had to move to his seat, after the numerous complaints from Soobin who claimed to be starving and on the brink of death. Beomgyu made sure to throw him a withering glare, that spoke of revenge for the disturbance that the older man created, but that didn’t stop his best friend from talking loudly about how Beomgyu was deterring him from having a proper meal. Soon Kai joined the older man in talking about the choices presented to them while also making little anecdotes pulling the others in their conversation, but Beomgyu was too tired to join in on the conversation going on around the table, and this thing didn’t go unnoticed by the others, however they let him be for now, Yeonjun ordering for him as well when it was finally time for them to do it.
It was only when they started talking about the latest award shows that Beomgyu joined the conversation, vehemently complaining about the unfairness of said shows, and how it was simply absurd that some people won certain awards when they clearly didn’t deserve them.
The others let him rant, knowing that he was still hung up over what happened at the most recent show. And he felt grateful for his friends, for them letting him vent because there was no other place where he could do it without being called a sore loser. But Beomgyu, as insecure as he could be, he knew that his works during this year were worth the acclaim, yet he was nothing in front of the established producers. He was a mere up and coming producer that worked with smaller groups, none of the big names in this toxic society, and because of that, it didn’t really matter how much the public praised his works, because the awards would always go to the big names.
“Not only that, but the fact that no one even clapped for that man, should raise some suspicion. It was complete silence. That should be telling of the public’s opinion and perception of that scum.” Beomgyu was getting more and more heated, however his tirade was cut short by the waiters coming with their food. He was momentarily distracted by the different scents floating in the room, one more appetising than the other. The only scent he couldn’t stand was that of the seafood that Soobin ordered, and he didn’t hold back from letting the other man know exactly what he thought of his order, while also making sure to not insult Taehyun’s cooking skills who was watching him with hawk eyes, ready to retaliate if Beomgyu went over the line.
The conversation moved on, now all of them listening as Taehyun explained every dish and his choice, explaining how he paired different ingredients to attain certain flavours to better convey the spirit of the holidays, and while none of them really understood what the chef was talking about, it was always pleasant listening to Taehyun when he got into one of his passionate rants, his delighted smile and his gestures pulling a smile on Beomgyu’s face. And as he turned to his boyfriend, he could see the fond look on Yeonjun’s face as he listened to their younger friend, little chuckles escaping his plush lips as Taehyun gesticulated widely.
As usual, the others finished before Beomgyu was even halfway through his meal, but nobody said anything, knowing that if they mentioned it, the man would stop eating altogether. They continued speaking about mundane things, while Yeonjun’s hand that was placed on Beomgyu’s knee, rubbed little soothing circles in an attempt to reassure him that it was ok for him to take his time.
“Should we exchange the presents before the desserts?” Kai’s question pulled Beomgyu’s attention to him, the older man nodding along with the others.
Each year, they would gather somewhere, whether it was a restaurant like now, or a cosy cafe, or someone’s place, before Christmas, to exchange gifts. It was some sort of tradition of theirs that had started back when they had entered high school and time spent together was far between, and then it carried on to university and now past that as well.
When Beomgyu was finally done with his food, each of them pulled the bags that carried the presents up on the table that was previously cleared of the empty dishes by the waiters. Like any other time, they would play a simple game of rock paper scissors to decide who would start giving out the gifts first, trying to avoid the fiasco from the first year of gift giving where they spent more than an hour arguing about who should give the presents first.
This year, Beomgyu would be the one that would give his last, and he tried to hold back the anxiety that he could feel bubbling up in the pits of his core. He knew that the things he got for his friends were things they would like, since he knew how much Taehyun wanted to grow his own herbs hence getting him a book on that. He knew that Soobin really needed a new pair of headphones and so he got him the ones that his friend had been eyeing adding to his gift a few little trinkets for his hedgehog. And then when it came to Kai, his youngest friend, he had gotten him a record player, the younger man developing a new interest in vinyls. However, he was nervous about his boyfriend's reaction to his present.
Most of the exchange passed in a blur, Beomgyu busy overthinking about the gift he got for Yeonjun, but even though he wasn’t fully paying attention, he didn’t forget to show his gratitude for the thoughtful gifts that he received.
By the time it was his turn, he was more nervous than he would have liked, his breathing becoming slightly harsher when he finally gave the nicely wrapped box to his boyfriend who received it with a big smile, placing a soft kiss on Beomgyu’s reddened cheek. He watched with rapt attention as Yeonjun carefully unwrapped the present, making sure that he didn’t rip the wrapping paper. Beomgyu continued to watch as Yeonjun’s expression changed once he saw what he had received, but instead of his smile falling like Beomgyu was afraid would happen, Yeonjun’s smile widened, the older man turning to his boyfriend with eyes gleaming with happiness. Beomgyu didn’t even have the time to react when he was pulled into his boyfriend’s embrace, the older man kissing him tenderly before pulling away and talking excitedly about the Lego set that Beomgyu had gotten him, and about how much he had wanted to get it.
After that, Beomgyu could finally relax, a pretty smile taking up residence on his face, stretching his cheeks for the rest of the night. Not even when they had to part with their friends to return home, did the glow of his smile falter. The ride to their shared home was pleasant, the both of them talking about their plans for the next few days, Yeonjun’s hand laying gently on Beomgyu’s knee for the whole ride.
By the time they were stepping into their apartment Beomgyu was ready to just crash into their bed, the exhaustion from the long day finally hitting him, but he knew that he couldn’t have that. Not when he knew that his boyfriend would want to get started on building the lego as soon as possible, and would want Beomgyu to at least keep him company. Usually Beomgyu would work on his own stuff, but tonight he was too tired for it, so he decided to just watch something, settling on their sofa, waiting for his boyfriend to come and start on his new lego project.
However, that didn’t happen. Yeonjun did join him, but the older man didn’t have his precious gift with him. Instead he just laid next to Beomgyu, cuddling with him and watching as the man on the screen lashed out at their partner. Beomgyu waited till the episode he was watching was over, before turning to his boyfriend, his eyes taking in the man, wandering over his figure trying to see if anything was wrong. Maybe he had changed his mind, and the gift he had received from Beomgyu wasn’t pleasant anymore. Maybe Beomgyu had failed to get something that would make him happy.
“Hyung, did you not like your gift?” His words had a mind of their own, the question climbing out of his mouth before he could even try to stop it. Beomgyu saw the way his boyfriend’s eyes widened as the question finally registered and he instantly regretted speaking up about this.
“No darling, I love it. I told you already. Why do you even think I didn’t like it?” His words were said so softly, his hand reaching for Beomgyu’s, squeezing it softly, trying to coax Beomgyu to speak.
“It’s just that…It’s…Hyung, you didn’t start on it yet. And you always start on your new legos. You always said that you’re just too excited to wait…And now you didn’t start working on it…” His voice became softer and softer, his words trailing off, his eyes not meeting Yeonjun’s gaze, so he didn’t see how Yeonjun was looking at him with eyes dripping with fondness.
“Oh love, it’s not that I am not happy with what you got me, and it’s not that I am not excited. I just wanted to build it with you, and you seemed too tired for it, so I just thought I would leave it for another day.” Hearing his boyfriend’s reasoning Beomgyu couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, so he just buried his head in his boyfriend’s chest ignoring the chuckles that wracked through the older man’s chest.
Now that he was reassured, he could go on about his night routine, running through all the steps of it, not wanting to skip even a step, no matter how tired he was. By the time he was ready for sleep, the worries that he previously shouldered had become something that was buried in the recesses of his mind.
The only thing on his mind before he finally let the tendrils of sleep pull him under, was how safe and happy he felt falling asleep in the warm embrace of his boyfriend.
–
The 25th of December came with a snow storm, the winds harsh, disturbing the traditional dance of the snowflakes. Beomgyu watched with bleary eyes as the little snowflakes were carried away, some of them hitting the windows and then falling on the window sill, forming a little grave of fallen snow crystals.
He continued to observe the battle that was going on outside, but then his eyes moved to the clock sitting on his bedside table, which was letting him know how late it was already. He rolled so he was laying on his back, his hand moving along the mattress looking for a body that had left long ago, the side of the bed that was reserved for his boyfriend now cold. Beomgyu felt disappointment swim in his gut seeing that there was no possibility of cuddling with his boyfriend in bed, so with a heavy sigh he decided to go looking for him with the hope of luring him back to their bed, and to the warmth of their blanket.
He stretched his limbs, a little popping sound echoing in his room followed by a deep groan, and the sound of sheets rustling as Beomgyu threw the blankets off his body, his feet slipping into his slippers. He pulled his body upright, his steps shuffling on the hardwood floor as he made his way to the door of the bedroom, pulling it open and stepping out into the hallway. He could hear the sound of his boyfriend doing something in the kitchen so he walked in that direction, however when he stepped in the living room, his attention was caught by the single wrapped present sitting under their Christmas tree.
He stopped in his tracks, his eyes blinking rapidly, Beomgyu trying to get rid of the residues of sleep thinking that maybe he was still caught in the arms of a dream, yet the wrapped box was still there, the bright red wrapping paper contrasting with the dark green of the branches above it. By now Yeonjun must have heard him walking around the house, so he emerged from the kitchen with a bright smile on his face.
“Merry Christmas love!” Beomgyu responded with a barely mumbled “Merry Christmas!” his mind still trying to understand why there was a present sitting in their living room, so lonely under the big tree. Yeonjun, seeing that Beomgyu’s attention was elsewhere, followed the other’s gaze, his eyes falling upon the present, his smile growing brighter.
“I got you something. Come on, open it!” Yeonjun had now moved on to pushing his bewildered boyfriend gently towards the present, however when he saw that Beomgyu wasn’t making any move to get it, he bent down, picking it up and pushing it in Beomgyu’s hands.
The younger male just stared for a few seconds before he finally started unwrapping the present, not caring about ripping the paper, unlike Yeonjun who had unwrapped his present so carefully a few nights ago. But Beomgyu was too curious to wait anymore, so he just ripped the paper that revealed a box with the Lego logo on it, making Beomgyu look up to his boyfriend, his eyes looking for answers.
“You know how you were worried about me not liking the present you got me, and how I told you I just wanted to build the Lego’s with you?” Yeonjun waited for his boyfriend to give him a sign that he was keeping up before continuing. “Well when I said I wanted to build the Lego’s with you, I really meant it. However I wanted to get you your own little set. I wanted us to build our own Christmas village.” By now his boyfriend was fidgeting under Beomgyu’s gaze, but his eyes were so full of hope and love, and Beomgyu just couldn’t hold himself back anymore, his body moving of its own accord, pulling the older male into a deep languid kiss, trying to pour all of his gratitude and affection in the movements of his lips against Yeonjun’s.
“I love you hyung. I love this.” His deep, slightly raspy voice floated around the room, the words slowly making their way to the raven haired man in front of him, the declaration of love making the other place affectionate kisses all over Beomgyu’s face, pulling a series of giggles from the younger of the two.
They stayed like that in the middle of their living room for a bit longer, exchanging kisses and caresses, but then Beomgyu complained about how he was sick of holding the bulky box with one hand so they pulled apart, Beomgyu making his way to their sofa, sitting down on the plush cushions, before placing the box on their coffee table. He looked at the illustration of the little house, mouthing the English words, letting him know that the set that Yeonjun had gotten him was named “Santa’s Visit”. He felt warmth bloom in his chest as he remembered the older’s words about building their own Christmas village. A giddy feeling took over him as he thought of the two of them working together to create their own miniature village, especially considering that Beomgyu had gotten Yeonjun a set that depicted the “Holiday Main Street”. A set that he had to search in multiple stores before he could finally get. But the wait was worth it, seeing the joy on his boyfriend’s face. Seeing how he was now waiting for him to return to the living room with his own set so they could start on them.
When Yeonjun did come back, he wasn’t carrying only one box, but multiple, all of them Christmas themed, making Beomgyu realise that the man was serious about building the whole Christmas collection.
Beomgyu couldn’t contain the fond smile that was illuminating his features seeing the way his boyfriend was excitedly showing off the other sets that he had gotten, explaining the order that he wanted to get them done and reassuring Beomgyu that he would help him with his set since it had so many pieces.
The younger male was soon pulled off the couch, his boyfriend insisting that they should stay next to each other on the floor so they could work better, and who was Beomgyu to refuse his lover. Yeonjun opened the little boxes pulling out the pieces that were separated into little bags along with the instructions handing Beomgyu his and making sure to let him know once again that if he needed help he just had to let him know, prompting Beomgyu to place another kiss on his plush, pouting lips, before turning his attention to the paper that was supposed to show him how to connect the pieces.
Beomgyu tried to follow the steps, periodically taking glances at Yeonjun who was progressing rapidly with his own set. Beomgyu spent a long time trying to connect the pieces, trying to create the little house depicted on the instructions, however he could feel his frustration growing seeing that he kept messing it up.
Unbeknownst to him, he kept letting out little noises and huffs as he concentrated on his task, which just made Yeonjun chuckle softly, his eyes full of love for the man sitting next to him. Yeonjun let Beomgyu struggle for a bit longer, before he finally took mercy on his boyfriend, pulling the instructions out of his hands and looking over them.
While Beomgyu waited for Yeonjun to figure stuff out for him, he looked at his boyfriend’s side of the table, where he noticed that he was already done with one of his sets, and he felt a sense of awe at the speed of his boyfriend when it came to building the intricate pieces.
Beomgyu’s attention was pulled back to his boyfriend when the older man handed him a few pieces, his hands guiding Beomgyu’s as he explained how they were supposed to be connected. This went on for a while, Yeonjun looking at the instructions and then guiding Beomgyu’s hands. Sooner than Beomgyu expected they were done with yet another set, and he let out a little cheer, his arms moving to hug his boyfriend as he laughed with joy, the sound of his joy echoing around their apartment.
After that they continued doing the same thing, a little routine forming between them, Yeonjun reading the instructions and guiding his boyfriend, the both of them getting through all of the sets together, soft laughter and congratulatory kisses being shared after each piece that was done.
By the time the afternoon rolled around, they had their own little village, complete with a little Christmas tree and even a sleigh. Both Beomgyu and Yeonjun’s faces were stuck in a permanent smile, delight radiating off their figures as they carefully moved the pieces that they had built together under the big Christmas tree, thinking that it would be the perfect place to display their meticulous work.
They gazed at the little figurines, their hands clasped together as they stood there, and then Yeonjun decided that he had to immortalise that moment, so he ran to their bedroom, grabbing his phone and returning to the living room, his socked feet skidding across the floor, pulling a loud, boisterous laugh out of Beomgyu when he saw the way his boyfriend struggled to keep upright.
They bickered for a few minutes, Yeonjun feeling wronged by Beomgyu, saying how cruel it was for his own lover to laugh at his misfortune, but a few tender kisses were enough to make him shut up, his attention returning to their little Christmas village.
At first he took a picture of just the little houses and figurines, and then he demanded for him and Beomgyu to take a selfie with their so-called masterpiece. And Beomgyu couldn’t resist his boyfriend’s charm and little pout so he let himself be pulled next to Yeonjun, his head falling naturally on the older man’s shoulder.
After that, they went on about their day, the both of them preparing their dinner together, and then calling their families and friends, telling everyone about the way they spent their day together, building their little village.
However when night came around, and they were laying in their bed, Beomgyu tucked into Yeonjun’s side, he looked on as his boyfriend picked a few pictures, uploading them to his Instagram, not before captioning the post, the caption making Beomgyu giggle excitedly. Even after Yeonjun shut his phone off and turned to him, he could still see the sentence as clear as if it was still in front of his eyes.
“Our Christmas village.”
Such a simple sentence, but one that made Beomgyu feel so happy, a small smile still tugging at his lips even as he closed his eyes, snuggling even closer to his boyfriend who squeezed him tighter, pulling closer as they waited for sleep to claim them.
Such a simple sentence, yet one that carried such a lovely meaning for the two lovers, a constant reminder of the blissful time spent together.