- Christmas Eve: 8:13pm -

"Ryeowook-ah, wait up!"

A petite man stopped by the side of the road at the voice and turned around.

"Hurry up then," he called. His voice was a melodious tenor, if a little soft and high. "You're so slow, Yesung-ah..."

Yesung looked up at him, hands on his knees and breath coming in heavy pants as he tried to catch his breath, and made a face.

"I'm not... slow..." He put a hand out to grab Ryeowook's arm as he spoke between breaths. "You... left me..."

Ryeowook chuckled and helped his friend stand up.

"I've never left you, babo. You're the one that texted me and said to go ahead," he remarked as he straightened his friend's shirt collar.

Yesung reached up and grabbed his friend's hands from where they were patting wrinkles out of his shirt. He frowned.

"I didn't think you'd actually go, though..."

The younger man smiled and fluidly slid his hands out of Yesung's loose grip with practiced ease.

"I guess you thought wrong then?" He turned and began to walk towards the subway again. "Besides... I didn't want to get roped into having to help you with your gifts."

The older grinned, swinging his bag over his shoulder and following his friend. "I wasn't going to," he said, nonchalantly. "Just... maybe carrying a few of them?"

Ryeowook glanced back at his friend sternly, but couldn't resist a small smile at the older man's innocent expression.

"Sure..."

The rest of the walk to the subway was silent, save the necessary discussion to buy tickets and casual questions from Yesung that ended with one sentence from Ryeowook. Even so, Yesung had a smile on his face, and Ryeowook seemed to be determinedly avoiding it.

It was only when they had gotten on the subway and Ryeowook helped Yesung with his bag that Ryeowook began the conversation.

"Why is your bag so light?" the younger man asked, blinking. "I thought... with it being Christmas and all..."

Yesung chuckled. "I left the chocolates at the university. I wasn't interested," he explained, his eyes traveling down to watch Ryeowook's adam's apple bob as the other swallowed nervously.

"Ah... why...?" the younger asked, eyes averted as his fingers nervously drummed on the hand-grips beside their heads.

He smiled.

"I told you already... I like you."

- A week earlier -

"Hey, is this where you've been?"

Ryeowook scooted over as Yesung took a seat beside him on the bench and nodded, still looking up at the sky. His friend chuckled and looked up as well, leaning back with a soft sigh.

"I've been looking all over for you. And then the professor caught me..." The older sighed again. "She was concerned about the posters all over the university walls about my last concert. Every time the staff take them down, they go back up."

His friend turned his head slightly and smiled. "Price of fame?"

Yesung laughed and punched lightly at Ryeowook's arm.

"Thanks. Some help you are."

Ryeowook grinned and rubbed his arm. "You're the big rock star of the university, and I'm your friend. I'm supposed to tell you exactly what I think so your ego doesn't explode."

"Not all the time though. It gets old." He pouted, adding, "I like my ego."

Ryeowook chuckled, shaking his head at him, and closed his eyes.

"What were you doing here anyway?" Yesung asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

"Just... looking at the sky." Ryeowook exhaled softly, creating a white puff in the air. "It's supposed to snow today..."

A sudden gentle touch to his hair caused his eyes to open, and he turned his head to meet his friend's eyes.

He laughed. "Quit that. What would your fans think?"

His laugh cut off when his friend didn't join in. Rather, the odd light in his friend's eyes scared him and the gloved hand still hovering in the air, playing with his bangs...

He jerked back.

"Yesung-ah, what..."

"Remember when you said that you always thought it would be romantic to find love in the snow?" The singer's voice sounded oddly loud in the empty courtyard. "Love..." Even as Ryeowook backed away, Yesung still got closer and closer. "Snow..."

"This.. isn't funny..." Ryeowook's voice, even to himself, seemed to get fainter and softer with every syllable.

"It isn't supposed to be funny, Ryeowook-ah." Yesung grabbed Ryeowook's wrists, trapping his friend between the back of the bench and his body. "I like you."

"What..."

"Kim Ryeowook. I love you."

And suddenly, it was silent... so silent that Ryeowook was sure he could hear the snowflakes falling.

- Christmas Eve: 11:32pm -

"Christmas Eve... What do you say? Merry or Happy?"

Ryeowook smiled at his friend. "Merry, I guess."

"Merry Christmas Eve..." his friend mused. "Sounds odd."

"Better than Happy Christmas Eve. What is that anyway?"

They both laughed, and Yesung conceded defeat. "Merry it is then."

The younger grinned and nodded. Their laughter faded away under the crunching of their shoes on the snow, but even that gave way to the silence. Both listened to the caroling on the other side of the neighborhood for a few minutes, hesitating.

Yesung was the first to break the silence.

"Thanks for going out to eat with me. It would have been really lonely today." He smiled, eyes softening as they focused on the other before glancing at the door behind his friend. "Merry Christmas Eve."

Ryeowook turned his head for a split second to look at the front door. "Yeah. It's... always fun."

It was quiet again. Even the caroling had stopped for the time being. A black boot scuffed marks into the snow as Ryeowook tried to figure out what to say next. Yesung chuckled.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said and turned to leave.

And stopped when a smaller hand grasped his elbow.

"Hey, wait..." Ryeowook sounded even softer than usual. "I..."

The older man turned, smiling. "You?" he mimicked and reached out to pull Ryeowook's lip out from between his teeth. "Don't do that."

The pale skin contrasted the black gloves sharply, and made the younger man look even more fragile than he was. Yesung found himself wondering how those slender fingers would feel in his palms.

"Why don't you ever..." He seemed at a loss for words. "I don't reply when you... why don't you..."

"You mean, why don't I ever press you for a response?" Yesung stepped forward slightly. "When I say I love you and you don't respond, why don't I ask you to reply?"

Ryeowook's blush blended in with the flush from the cold, but he could pick it out. He had devoted every spare moment to memorizing his friend's face for when they were apart. Now, he was sure he could sketch those high cheekbones and delicate smile without needing a single glance, although his drawing would be nowhere near as mesmerizing as the original.

"It's simple. I love you." He reached out, stopping a hair's width from Ryeowook's cheek. "I don't want to push you... If you don't return my feelings, then you don't return my feelings. I can't force you to love me."

He expected the darkening flush. What he didn't expect was the teardrops forming at the corners of his friend's eyes.

"Ryeowook-ah, I didn't- I'm sorry- Why are you cryi-"

"Did it not occur to you that... I might have needed a nudge? Even if I felt the same, you should have known I wasn't the type that would just... go out and... just... You are such an idiot..."

The full extent of what his friend had said didn't hit him right away. Instead, he stood for a good minute, staring down at the man in his arms.

"Did you..."

Ryeowook nodded without looking up, calming his breathing and drying his eyes in the privacy of Yesung's chest, but didn't resist when Yesung pulled back to hold him at arms length.

"You mean..."

"Idiot..." The other took a quick step forward and wrapped his arms around Yesung's neck.

Yesung felt the ball in his chest unraveling and let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He pulled his right glove off and turned Ryeowook's head towards him.

"I love you." Yesung let his fingers drift through the soft black hair, before leaning down.

"I... love you too..."

His lips met the other's as the snow began to fall gently from the sky, and the lights of the trees flashed on and happy shouts rang through the air.

- Christmas Day: 0:00am -

"Merry Christmas... Saranghae."

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