rabenhorst (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rabenhorst) wrote2011-12-17 01:55 pm
rabenhorst) wrote2011-12-17 01:55 pm
[fic] Kyuhyun/Zhou Mi – SJM – Warmest Gift – Oneshot
Title: Warmest Gift
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fonulyn
Rating: PG
Pairing: Kyuhyun/Zhou Mi (tiny guest appearance by Hangeng/Heechul)
Disclaimer: I own no one, only my dirty imagination.
Summary: Travelling with two energetic three-year-olds is not exactly easy. But it’s worth it.
Comments: A sequel to Why Louis Vuitton Should Make Maternity Pants, even though I have an actual sequel to it too and this kind of happens in between? This just throws you into it, the twins are actually introduced more in the actual sequel. But this can totally be read as a standalone too! o/
Anyhow, dedicated tonashirah ♥ I hope it makes you feel better! And as usual, a huge thanks to daidetre for reading this through for me ♥
”Remind me, why did I agree to this to begin with?” Heechul taps his foot impatiently, a hand on his hip as he watches two three-year-olds cling on to their dog, crying like miniature waterfalls. “I agreed to take care of a dog for a couple of weeks, not traumatize children and scar them for life.”
Han Geng snorts, leaning against the door a bit behind him. “C’mon Heechul,” he barely manages to hold back a smirk. “You traumatize kids and adults on a regular basis. What’s so new in this?”
That earns him a painful jab on his ribs, but otherwise Heechul simply ignores him and instead crouches down to meet the children on eye-level. Zhou Mi is trying to hush them and make them calm down with various you won’t lose him forever, it will just be two weeks, you will get to see grandma and grandpa, won’t it be exciting?
“Hey,” Heechul cuts in, smoothing his expression into a genuine smile although he can’t quite get rid of all hints of slight annoyance. “Uncle Hannie will get you some ice cream, how does that sound?” Instantly, the screaming and crying stops and the twins blink up at Heechul like he suddenly sprouted wings, or like he is in general the most amazing thing in the whole wide world. Heechul smirks, cocky. “See?”
Zhou Mi cracks a smile and Kyuhyun all but shoves the twins into Heechul’s arms, telling him to bring them back on time. They can’t miss their flight if they want to spend the Christmas holidays in China with Zhou Mi’s parents, and it took them long enough to plan the trip. Heechul is still grumbling about incompetent parents and ways to shut children up when he waltzes out of the door, Han Geng following soon behind with the dog and the bag of supplies to manage two weeks with it.
“Are you sure Heechul is ever going to bring them back to us?” Zhou Mi asks a little sceptically, arching an eyebrow as he still stares at the closed door. Kyuhyun just shrugs. “We know where they live.”
Once they finally get their children and all the luggage into the airplane, they are close to exhausted. It is surprisingly much work to convince Cheolhyun that he isn’t allowed to go into the stores and go through everything he sees on the airport, or to stop Minhee from running away whenever she comes up with an exciting game (“Let’s play tag, dad!”). It’s the first time they’re flying and they are more than excited by the opportunities it offers.
“Next time,” Kyuhyun leans closer to Zhou Mi to whisper to him, “we will drug them. It must be easier to carry dead weight than to deal with this.” Apparently he isn’t as silent as he hopes to be since the middle-aged woman across from them throws him a very disapproving look. Zhou Mi smiles at her politely, trying to hold back his laughter, while Kyuhyun straightens and tucks their hand luggage in the overhead department.
Thankfully the twins manage to sit down nicely most of the time during take-off, as long as Zhou Mi holds Cheolhyun’s hand through it. Minhee is too busy trying to peek out of the window to even care about anything else around her. She keeps pointing things out excitedly and Kyuhyun makes agreeing sounds whenever he hopes is appropriate.
Half an hour later, turns out that ice cream was a bad idea.
Kyuhyun holds Minhee on his lap, trying to make her throw up in the third paper bag instead of all over their clothes, all the while cursing Heechul’s idea in his mind. The flight attendants seem to have endless patience as they try to help with whatever they can, even if it’s not much. Cheolhyun starts throwing up in sheer empathy and it makes him cry so hard Zhou Mi has to spend the majority of the next hour in the tiny airplane lavatory with him.
Never before has a two-hour flight felt this long. By the end of it Zhou Mi is praying to whatever deities might be listening to him and Kyuhyun is seriously contemplating sleeping pills for the kids when they fly back home after the holidays. At least Minhee stops throwing up before the landing, which is more than can be said about Cheolhyun who is still clutching the brown paper bag when they walk through the terminal to get their bags.
“I hope they don’t get car sick,” Zhou Mi sighs, desperate. He adjusts Cheolhyun’s position against his hip, trying to keep the boy in his arms while Minhee is clutching his hand and looking around the airport with big curious eyes. There are foreign characters everywhere and she points at everything she sees, asking dozens and dozens of questions. Kyuhyun grunts, hoisting their gigantic suitcases off the moving lane. “If they do, we will walk.”
Thankfully the twins don’t seem to suffer from car sickness at all. Instead they suffer from a severe case of asking stupid questions, nonstop. They barely get into the car before Minhee climbs to sit half on Zhou Mi’s lap, pointing out of the window. “Look at the bright lights! They blink!” She exclaims excitedly and instantly Cheolhyun is climbing over her to see as well, instead of looking through his own window.
“Mommy, mommy, is that where grandma and grandpa live?” Cheolhyun tugs on Zhou Mi’s shirt, resting his head against his father’s shoulder as he gazes outside. When Zhou Mi denies and explains they live a bit further away, he keeps on pointing at every single building they pass, asking if that one is where his grandparents live. Thankfully Minhee seems to recognize one of the pop songs the radio plays and starts singing along, very loudly and in very butchered Chinese. Kyuhyun winces a little and risks a glance at the driver, who only seems to be suppressing a smile.
When they arrive at the right house, Cheolhyun is fast asleep and drooling on Zhou Mi’s expensive scarf. Zhou Mi doesn’t even freak out about it since he has passed out as well, breathing heavily as the exhausting day finally takes its toll and he can’t keep his eyes open. Kyuhyun almost doesn’t want to wake them up when the car comes to a halt, but thankfully Minhee doesn’t have such inhibitions. She grabs Zhou Mi’s hand and tugs on it, insistent. “Mooooommyy we’re hereee~”
As Zhou Mi doesn’t wake up instantly he receives a big, wet smooch on his nose (it was the easiest to hit, really) and Cheolhyun gets one right on his cheek. When both of them begin to blink awake, Minhee looks infinitely satisfied with her work and looks at Kyuhyun to receive praise from him. He grins and ruffles her hair, allowing her to carry the small handbag, which makes her feel quite important.
“How awful do I look?” Zhou Mi asks Kyuhyun after paying the driver and dragging one of the big suitcases out. His hair is sticking up in the back of his head and he’s rubbing his tired eyes with the heel of his hand, trying his best to appear awake. Kyuhyun tries to ignore the way his heart swells and leans in to steal a quick kiss from the other man. “Not bad.”
In Kyuhyun’s vocabulary, not bad already equals absolutely stunning and it makes Zhou Mi smile, the tiredness seeming to vanish at an instant. Of course, the next second Cheolhyun pipes up with “how do I look, daddy!?” and tugs on his brand new striped pants that only have slight ice cream stains on the left knee. Kyuhyun laughs and tells him he looks fabulous, finally following Zhou Mi to the front porch.
Zhou Mi lifts Minhee up to let her ring the doorbell, setting her down just in time for the door to open. The small, delicate woman appearing on the doorframe looks as friendly as always and Zhou Mi doesn’t wait before grabbing his mother into a big bearhug. The fast Mandarin flies past Kyuhyun’s comprehension, no matter how much he has improved since they met, but he just watches the scene fondly.
After hugging both of the twins excitedly, Zhou Mi’s mother turns to smile at Kyuhyun, spreading her arms. “Come here, Kuixian,” she automatically slows down, knowing he can understand her if she speaks clear enough. Kyuhyun hugs her tight, burying his nose into her hair. It almost feels like coming home. When he pulls back and catches a sight of Zhou Mi’s smile he corrects himself: this is like coming home.
Zhou Mi’s father greets them a bit more reserved but the glint of joy is clear in his eyes as he sees them. The twins instantly bug him for stories and candy and whatever they can come up with, in quite an interesting mix of Chinese and Korean. Most of it seems to get across, at least judging by the way the three vanish into the living room and one can hear the enthusiastic screams of the kids.
“He wanted to buy them presents,” Zhou Mi’s mother explains warmly, “and I think he went a little overboard. How much can you take back with you to Korea?” Judging by that, they will have to rent a truck to be able to move the load of presents, but neither of them really cares right now, the happy laughter still ringing in their ears.
Zhou Mi hooks his arm with Kyuhyun’s, a gesture completely automatic and natural to him, and blinks brightly at his mother. “How about we get some food? I’m starving!” Kyuhyun grins a bit as he knows it’s a white-lie and in actuality Zhou Mi knows he is hungry, but he appreciates the sentiment and just smiles at his mother-in-law as sweetly as he can.
“Oh my boys,” she sighs, shaking her head, and throws her arms up. “It’s a good thing I prepared food to last for a whole army!”
Kyuhyun’s face lightens up in the happiest smile known to this world and Zhou Mi laughs, earning a punch on his ribs for that.
Turns out, Kyuhyun isn’t the only one happy to have dinner since the twins are just about ecstatic to get to try out their grandmother’s cooking. The last time was months ago when Zhou Mi’s parents visited them for a long weekend and Zhou Mi’s mother decided to cook for the whole population of Seoul, slightly exaggeratedly. It ended up in a big family dinner with Heechul and Han Geng, the latter joining forces with Zhou Mi to translate everything from one language to another to keep the conversation flowing. Heechul kept needling Han Geng in his typical way until Zhou Mi’s mother exclaimed she will adopt Han Geng as her unofficial son to protect him.
The food is good and there is plenty, and before dessert Kyuhyun discreetly opens the button of his jeans to make sure it won’t pop out and end up on someone’s plate. Only Zhou Mi notices, sending a happy wink his way before reaching out to pat his full stomach. Kyuhyun growls but can’t stop from smiling, and when he slaps Zhou Mi’s hand away he grabs it for a moment to give it an affectionate squeeze.
After dessert, they gather in the living room, and it doesn’t take long for the twins to spot the pile of presents again. Cheolhyun turns his big, clear eyes towards their grandfather, aiming for the best puppy dog look in the world. “Can we open them?” He asks and Minhee choruses the request instantly. “Yes, please, can we!?”
Zhou Mi shakes his head, leaning back in the plush couch comfortably. Even if he is using Kyuhyun’s side as a pillow more than the actual couch. “They are for later, you need to have patience with them.” He explains, giving Kyuhyun an expectant look. Kyuhyun clears his throat, nodding a little. “Um. Yes, listen to your m- father. Save them for later.”
Then, Minhee takes the opportunity to climb on Zhou Mi’s lap and press a big kiss on his nose (again). “Can we open just one?” She pleads, her brother mirroring the expression. The next second, another voice speaks up. “Yes, Zhou Mi. Please, just one?”
When Zhou Mi looks up into his father’s wide, pleading eyes, he can’t help but burst out laughing.
The twins get to open one present each. Five minutes later Minhee is a proud owner of a storybook in Chinese and she instantly drags it to her grandmother to make her read each and every fairy tale out loud for her. Cheolhyun rips the bright blue wrapping paper off to reveal a set of finger paint and silently Kyuhyun says a prayer for the white corner-couch Zhou Mi’s parents have.
The children are practically vibrating with excitement, happiness shining on their faces. What makes it even better is that their grandparents mirror those exact feelings. Zhou Mi tilts his head until his nose brushes Kyuhyun’s cheek, lowering his voice to a whisper. “What if we let them have their moment?” He knows his parents can make sure the kids have brushed their teeth and washed their faces before going to bed as well as they can. Somehow, it feels like a good idea to let them enjoy this and make their retreat.
Kyuhyun smiles, his arm tightening around Zhou Mi’s waist. “Brilliant.”
It feels somewhat odd to snuggle under the covers in the same bed he left behind when he moved away from home, only that now he isn’t alone. Kyuhyun is warm and solid right next to him, his chest moving slowly in time with his deep breaths. Zhou mi sneaks an arm around Kyuhyun’s waist and presses close against his side.
As an answer, Kyuhyun holds him, wordlessly accepting the cuddles. They stay silent for a good while, staring up into the ceiling, the glow-in-the-dark stars shining back at them from their messy constellations. It’s all comfortable and warm, lying there together, the straight lines of books on the shelves towering over them and last rays of light seeping in through the window.
“So,” Kyuhyun drawls slowly, his voice hoarse, “want to make a bet?” Zhou Mi only hums in acknowledgement, content with his face pressed in Kyuhyun’s shoulder, and so he goes on. “Who throws up first in the plane on our way back, Cheolhyun or Minhee?”
Zhou Mi laughs and swats Kyuhyun’s arm. “You meanie. I hope it’ll be you!”
“No you don’t, ” Kyuhyun shakes his head, confident.
For a second, Zhou Mi imagines having two puking three-year-olds in his arms and a puking Kyuhyun right next to him, deciding he would rather walk back into Korea than deal with that. With a sigh he agrees. “No, I don’t.”
Kyuhyun’s laughter is contagious and before he even realizes, he is laughing along with him. When they quiet down they can hear their daughter’s clear voice from the general direction of the bathroom, followed by running footsteps and Zhou Mi’s mother’s muffled answer.
---
2524 words
oookay fluff. fluuuuuffffff. (NOW DID YOU LIKE IT BB!?)
I have the actual sequel in the works too but it’s not finished yet. it’s turning out to be monstrously long ;____;
it’s been aeons since I posted anything. but now I’ve done a lot of writing, people just need to kick my butt into it okay.
ALSO SANTA U ARE THE ONE OMG HOW CAN A SONG BE THIS ADDICTIVE ;___; and SHINee’s Last Christmas too omg I love it /shuts up
Feel free to add our journal if you like the stories!
Plus, the archive.
Author:
fonulynRating: PG
Pairing: Kyuhyun/Zhou Mi (tiny guest appearance by Hangeng/Heechul)
Disclaimer: I own no one, only my dirty imagination.
Summary: Travelling with two energetic three-year-olds is not exactly easy. But it’s worth it.
Comments: A sequel to Why Louis Vuitton Should Make Maternity Pants, even though I have an actual sequel to it too and this kind of happens in between? This just throws you into it, the twins are actually introduced more in the actual sequel. But this can totally be read as a standalone too! o/
Anyhow, dedicated to
nashirah ♥ I hope it makes you feel better! And as usual, a huge thanks to daidetre for reading this through for me ♥”Remind me, why did I agree to this to begin with?” Heechul taps his foot impatiently, a hand on his hip as he watches two three-year-olds cling on to their dog, crying like miniature waterfalls. “I agreed to take care of a dog for a couple of weeks, not traumatize children and scar them for life.”
Han Geng snorts, leaning against the door a bit behind him. “C’mon Heechul,” he barely manages to hold back a smirk. “You traumatize kids and adults on a regular basis. What’s so new in this?”
That earns him a painful jab on his ribs, but otherwise Heechul simply ignores him and instead crouches down to meet the children on eye-level. Zhou Mi is trying to hush them and make them calm down with various you won’t lose him forever, it will just be two weeks, you will get to see grandma and grandpa, won’t it be exciting?
“Hey,” Heechul cuts in, smoothing his expression into a genuine smile although he can’t quite get rid of all hints of slight annoyance. “Uncle Hannie will get you some ice cream, how does that sound?” Instantly, the screaming and crying stops and the twins blink up at Heechul like he suddenly sprouted wings, or like he is in general the most amazing thing in the whole wide world. Heechul smirks, cocky. “See?”
Zhou Mi cracks a smile and Kyuhyun all but shoves the twins into Heechul’s arms, telling him to bring them back on time. They can’t miss their flight if they want to spend the Christmas holidays in China with Zhou Mi’s parents, and it took them long enough to plan the trip. Heechul is still grumbling about incompetent parents and ways to shut children up when he waltzes out of the door, Han Geng following soon behind with the dog and the bag of supplies to manage two weeks with it.
“Are you sure Heechul is ever going to bring them back to us?” Zhou Mi asks a little sceptically, arching an eyebrow as he still stares at the closed door. Kyuhyun just shrugs. “We know where they live.”
Once they finally get their children and all the luggage into the airplane, they are close to exhausted. It is surprisingly much work to convince Cheolhyun that he isn’t allowed to go into the stores and go through everything he sees on the airport, or to stop Minhee from running away whenever she comes up with an exciting game (“Let’s play tag, dad!”). It’s the first time they’re flying and they are more than excited by the opportunities it offers.
“Next time,” Kyuhyun leans closer to Zhou Mi to whisper to him, “we will drug them. It must be easier to carry dead weight than to deal with this.” Apparently he isn’t as silent as he hopes to be since the middle-aged woman across from them throws him a very disapproving look. Zhou Mi smiles at her politely, trying to hold back his laughter, while Kyuhyun straightens and tucks their hand luggage in the overhead department.
Thankfully the twins manage to sit down nicely most of the time during take-off, as long as Zhou Mi holds Cheolhyun’s hand through it. Minhee is too busy trying to peek out of the window to even care about anything else around her. She keeps pointing things out excitedly and Kyuhyun makes agreeing sounds whenever he hopes is appropriate.
Half an hour later, turns out that ice cream was a bad idea.
Kyuhyun holds Minhee on his lap, trying to make her throw up in the third paper bag instead of all over their clothes, all the while cursing Heechul’s idea in his mind. The flight attendants seem to have endless patience as they try to help with whatever they can, even if it’s not much. Cheolhyun starts throwing up in sheer empathy and it makes him cry so hard Zhou Mi has to spend the majority of the next hour in the tiny airplane lavatory with him.
Never before has a two-hour flight felt this long. By the end of it Zhou Mi is praying to whatever deities might be listening to him and Kyuhyun is seriously contemplating sleeping pills for the kids when they fly back home after the holidays. At least Minhee stops throwing up before the landing, which is more than can be said about Cheolhyun who is still clutching the brown paper bag when they walk through the terminal to get their bags.
“I hope they don’t get car sick,” Zhou Mi sighs, desperate. He adjusts Cheolhyun’s position against his hip, trying to keep the boy in his arms while Minhee is clutching his hand and looking around the airport with big curious eyes. There are foreign characters everywhere and she points at everything she sees, asking dozens and dozens of questions. Kyuhyun grunts, hoisting their gigantic suitcases off the moving lane. “If they do, we will walk.”
Thankfully the twins don’t seem to suffer from car sickness at all. Instead they suffer from a severe case of asking stupid questions, nonstop. They barely get into the car before Minhee climbs to sit half on Zhou Mi’s lap, pointing out of the window. “Look at the bright lights! They blink!” She exclaims excitedly and instantly Cheolhyun is climbing over her to see as well, instead of looking through his own window.
“Mommy, mommy, is that where grandma and grandpa live?” Cheolhyun tugs on Zhou Mi’s shirt, resting his head against his father’s shoulder as he gazes outside. When Zhou Mi denies and explains they live a bit further away, he keeps on pointing at every single building they pass, asking if that one is where his grandparents live. Thankfully Minhee seems to recognize one of the pop songs the radio plays and starts singing along, very loudly and in very butchered Chinese. Kyuhyun winces a little and risks a glance at the driver, who only seems to be suppressing a smile.
When they arrive at the right house, Cheolhyun is fast asleep and drooling on Zhou Mi’s expensive scarf. Zhou Mi doesn’t even freak out about it since he has passed out as well, breathing heavily as the exhausting day finally takes its toll and he can’t keep his eyes open. Kyuhyun almost doesn’t want to wake them up when the car comes to a halt, but thankfully Minhee doesn’t have such inhibitions. She grabs Zhou Mi’s hand and tugs on it, insistent. “Mooooommyy we’re hereee~”
As Zhou Mi doesn’t wake up instantly he receives a big, wet smooch on his nose (it was the easiest to hit, really) and Cheolhyun gets one right on his cheek. When both of them begin to blink awake, Minhee looks infinitely satisfied with her work and looks at Kyuhyun to receive praise from him. He grins and ruffles her hair, allowing her to carry the small handbag, which makes her feel quite important.
“How awful do I look?” Zhou Mi asks Kyuhyun after paying the driver and dragging one of the big suitcases out. His hair is sticking up in the back of his head and he’s rubbing his tired eyes with the heel of his hand, trying his best to appear awake. Kyuhyun tries to ignore the way his heart swells and leans in to steal a quick kiss from the other man. “Not bad.”
In Kyuhyun’s vocabulary, not bad already equals absolutely stunning and it makes Zhou Mi smile, the tiredness seeming to vanish at an instant. Of course, the next second Cheolhyun pipes up with “how do I look, daddy!?” and tugs on his brand new striped pants that only have slight ice cream stains on the left knee. Kyuhyun laughs and tells him he looks fabulous, finally following Zhou Mi to the front porch.
Zhou Mi lifts Minhee up to let her ring the doorbell, setting her down just in time for the door to open. The small, delicate woman appearing on the doorframe looks as friendly as always and Zhou Mi doesn’t wait before grabbing his mother into a big bearhug. The fast Mandarin flies past Kyuhyun’s comprehension, no matter how much he has improved since they met, but he just watches the scene fondly.
After hugging both of the twins excitedly, Zhou Mi’s mother turns to smile at Kyuhyun, spreading her arms. “Come here, Kuixian,” she automatically slows down, knowing he can understand her if she speaks clear enough. Kyuhyun hugs her tight, burying his nose into her hair. It almost feels like coming home. When he pulls back and catches a sight of Zhou Mi’s smile he corrects himself: this is like coming home.
Zhou Mi’s father greets them a bit more reserved but the glint of joy is clear in his eyes as he sees them. The twins instantly bug him for stories and candy and whatever they can come up with, in quite an interesting mix of Chinese and Korean. Most of it seems to get across, at least judging by the way the three vanish into the living room and one can hear the enthusiastic screams of the kids.
“He wanted to buy them presents,” Zhou Mi’s mother explains warmly, “and I think he went a little overboard. How much can you take back with you to Korea?” Judging by that, they will have to rent a truck to be able to move the load of presents, but neither of them really cares right now, the happy laughter still ringing in their ears.
Zhou Mi hooks his arm with Kyuhyun’s, a gesture completely automatic and natural to him, and blinks brightly at his mother. “How about we get some food? I’m starving!” Kyuhyun grins a bit as he knows it’s a white-lie and in actuality Zhou Mi knows he is hungry, but he appreciates the sentiment and just smiles at his mother-in-law as sweetly as he can.
“Oh my boys,” she sighs, shaking her head, and throws her arms up. “It’s a good thing I prepared food to last for a whole army!”
Kyuhyun’s face lightens up in the happiest smile known to this world and Zhou Mi laughs, earning a punch on his ribs for that.
Turns out, Kyuhyun isn’t the only one happy to have dinner since the twins are just about ecstatic to get to try out their grandmother’s cooking. The last time was months ago when Zhou Mi’s parents visited them for a long weekend and Zhou Mi’s mother decided to cook for the whole population of Seoul, slightly exaggeratedly. It ended up in a big family dinner with Heechul and Han Geng, the latter joining forces with Zhou Mi to translate everything from one language to another to keep the conversation flowing. Heechul kept needling Han Geng in his typical way until Zhou Mi’s mother exclaimed she will adopt Han Geng as her unofficial son to protect him.
The food is good and there is plenty, and before dessert Kyuhyun discreetly opens the button of his jeans to make sure it won’t pop out and end up on someone’s plate. Only Zhou Mi notices, sending a happy wink his way before reaching out to pat his full stomach. Kyuhyun growls but can’t stop from smiling, and when he slaps Zhou Mi’s hand away he grabs it for a moment to give it an affectionate squeeze.
After dessert, they gather in the living room, and it doesn’t take long for the twins to spot the pile of presents again. Cheolhyun turns his big, clear eyes towards their grandfather, aiming for the best puppy dog look in the world. “Can we open them?” He asks and Minhee choruses the request instantly. “Yes, please, can we!?”
Zhou Mi shakes his head, leaning back in the plush couch comfortably. Even if he is using Kyuhyun’s side as a pillow more than the actual couch. “They are for later, you need to have patience with them.” He explains, giving Kyuhyun an expectant look. Kyuhyun clears his throat, nodding a little. “Um. Yes, listen to your m- father. Save them for later.”
Then, Minhee takes the opportunity to climb on Zhou Mi’s lap and press a big kiss on his nose (again). “Can we open just one?” She pleads, her brother mirroring the expression. The next second, another voice speaks up. “Yes, Zhou Mi. Please, just one?”
When Zhou Mi looks up into his father’s wide, pleading eyes, he can’t help but burst out laughing.
The twins get to open one present each. Five minutes later Minhee is a proud owner of a storybook in Chinese and she instantly drags it to her grandmother to make her read each and every fairy tale out loud for her. Cheolhyun rips the bright blue wrapping paper off to reveal a set of finger paint and silently Kyuhyun says a prayer for the white corner-couch Zhou Mi’s parents have.
The children are practically vibrating with excitement, happiness shining on their faces. What makes it even better is that their grandparents mirror those exact feelings. Zhou Mi tilts his head until his nose brushes Kyuhyun’s cheek, lowering his voice to a whisper. “What if we let them have their moment?” He knows his parents can make sure the kids have brushed their teeth and washed their faces before going to bed as well as they can. Somehow, it feels like a good idea to let them enjoy this and make their retreat.
Kyuhyun smiles, his arm tightening around Zhou Mi’s waist. “Brilliant.”
It feels somewhat odd to snuggle under the covers in the same bed he left behind when he moved away from home, only that now he isn’t alone. Kyuhyun is warm and solid right next to him, his chest moving slowly in time with his deep breaths. Zhou mi sneaks an arm around Kyuhyun’s waist and presses close against his side.
As an answer, Kyuhyun holds him, wordlessly accepting the cuddles. They stay silent for a good while, staring up into the ceiling, the glow-in-the-dark stars shining back at them from their messy constellations. It’s all comfortable and warm, lying there together, the straight lines of books on the shelves towering over them and last rays of light seeping in through the window.
“So,” Kyuhyun drawls slowly, his voice hoarse, “want to make a bet?” Zhou Mi only hums in acknowledgement, content with his face pressed in Kyuhyun’s shoulder, and so he goes on. “Who throws up first in the plane on our way back, Cheolhyun or Minhee?”
Zhou Mi laughs and swats Kyuhyun’s arm. “You meanie. I hope it’ll be you!”
“No you don’t, ” Kyuhyun shakes his head, confident.
For a second, Zhou Mi imagines having two puking three-year-olds in his arms and a puking Kyuhyun right next to him, deciding he would rather walk back into Korea than deal with that. With a sigh he agrees. “No, I don’t.”
Kyuhyun’s laughter is contagious and before he even realizes, he is laughing along with him. When they quiet down they can hear their daughter’s clear voice from the general direction of the bathroom, followed by running footsteps and Zhou Mi’s mother’s muffled answer.
---
2524 words
oookay fluff. fluuuuuffffff. (NOW DID YOU LIKE IT BB!?)
I have the actual sequel in the works too but it’s not finished yet. it’s turning out to be monstrously long ;____;
it’s been aeons since I posted anything. but now I’ve done a lot of writing, people just need to kick my butt into it okay.
ALSO SANTA U ARE THE ONE OMG HOW CAN A SONG BE THIS ADDICTIVE ;___; and SHINee’s Last Christmas too omg I love it /shuts up
Feel free to add our journal if you like the stories!
Plus, the archive.