merry christmas, meanie

Coming home (again)

"Goodbye, boys, let us know once you reach!" Wonwoo's parents wave dejectedly at him and Mingyu, while Jieun refuses to turn away from the house. Her eyes gather little tears; she doesn't want to leave her grandparents just yet.

The trio's week at the Jeon's passed too fast, Wonwoo didn't even notice. To him, it still feels like they reached here just yesterday. Though their holidays don't end just yet, Wonwoo's sad that he has to stay away from his parents again. Still, Mingyu's dad awaits them at his house - exactly where they're headed from here.

Wonwoo notices Mingyu at the side, busy in a conversation with Mr. Jeon. The latter wears a borderline stern expression, while Mingyu seems unfazed by it, and continues to speak without stuttering, or letting his smile faltering.

The day after his mum found out, Wonwoo hesitated quite a bit to face his dad. Not that he was afraid, but he wondered what his reaction would be. Mingyu wouldn't even step foot outside the room, under the pretext of being 'extremely weak' - which wasn't completely wrong, but it wasn't that serious either.

If anything, Mr. and Mrs. Jeon were quite supporting, letting their son know it was perfectly normal, and that he didn't have to be so awkward about it.

As for Bohyuk? Gods, the boy threatened Mingyu until he got tired of speaking. The words 'Hurt my brother, and you'll be worried about even your soul being hurt' never failed to leave his mouth throughout their last dinner together, the night earlier.

Other than that, the Jeons had been very supportive of the pair. Jieun, of course - when she found out a bit earlier than she was supposed to - was ecstatic, as she almost jumped on Mingyu, when she came into his and Wonwoo's room that day, to wish them a 'goodnight'. Things did get a little bit awkward, when she screamed "GYUGYU! Are you my other daddy now?" Mingyu was speechless, as he conveniently let Wonwoo handle the situation. The latter practically burned holes in his head through his glare, as he had busily shooed Jieun out of the room.

Right now, Wonwoo has to somehow convince Jieun; he has to prevent a tantrum that might be on its way. "Ji, baby, you'll get to meet them in a few months again, you won't have to wait all the way until next Christmas. How does that sound?"

And she will, when his parents visit for the boys' graduation. Jieun's eyes light up, and her mood visibly shifts to the brighter side of her mood spectrum. "Really?" She asks.

"Definitely."

"Okay then! Goodbye Gramma! Goodbye Granpa!" She jumps into the car, on the passenger's seat. Wonwoo finds the action, and her imperfect pronunciation, adorable. He hugs his parents for a final time, as Mingyu does the same. They wave, and settle themselves in the car. "Drive safe!" Mr. Jeon calls out, and the car zooms through the neighbourhood.

Wonwoo's the one driving this time as well. It was his decision, since Mingyu still hasn't recovered properly. He still sneezes randomly, quite grossly - Wonwoo must say - and he sounds stuffy. Mingyu's reluctant to hold Jieun throughout, like he did last time, but he does it anyway. It's risky making her sit at the back, when she could easily slip out of the seatbelt anytime.

"Ji, be careful, he might sneeze on your face." Wonwoo teases, glancing sideways briefly to see Jieun's reaction. As he expected, she scrunches her face up, and squirms away in Mingyu's grip. "Don't listen to him, Ji, I won't." Mingyu assures, and he throws a scowl to an amused Wonwoo.

"Promise?" She sticks her tiny pinky finger out.

"Promise." Mingyu wraps his much larger pinky around hers. He finds the difference cute.

Jieun ends up falling asleep on Mingyu's chest right after, probably tired because of her energy finally running out.

•

It's dark, the sun having set about an hour ago, when the trio reach Mr. Kim's place. The Christmas decorations are still present on the house, albeit minimal. A warm glow from the lights inside invites three of them into the house. Wonwoo hauls the luggage from the car boot, as Mingyu excitedly rings the doorbell.

A beaming Mr. Kim opens the door a few seconds later, his expression brightening even more when he sees all three of them. "Gods, I missed you guys so much," He smiles, giving Mingyu, Wonwoo and Jieun, each a hug.

"Come in," He offers to help with the bags, to which Wonwoo denies, saying he could manage all of it.

Just like he felt when he was at his parents', Wonwoo notices how much older Mr. Kim looks. It scares him for a brief moment, until an excited voice interrupts his headspace.

"MINGYU! WHAT'S UP ASSHOLE, ARE WONWOO AND JIEUN HERE TOO?" Minseo - Mingyu's younger sister - yells from the stairway at a side of the living room.

"Dad! Why's she still here?" Mingyu whines from the couch, when his sister approaches him and messes with his hair.

"OH, HI WONWOO! HI JIEUN~!"

"Minseo stop yelling." Mr. Kim instructs, as he's busy setting the table up for dinner.

"Sorry," Minseo looks shy for a second, Mingyu thinks he almost imagined it.

No. Minseo goes back into character, and jumps and squeals when she sees Jieun next to Wonwoo, clinging onto his leg. Wonwoo finds it hilarious - Jieun has the exact same reaction to Minseo each year. At first, she's terrified of Minseo's loud nature, but warms up soon enough, strictly after the older girl takes her inside her room to show her latest paintings. Jieun absolutely loves Minseo's artworks.

When Jieun shows no signs of letting go of Wonwoo, something clicks in Minseo's brain. "Right, come on, I have so much to show you!" Minseo claps tinnily, making Jieun to finally let go of Wonwoo's leg.

She looks up at him, silently asking for permission for whether she can go along. Wonwoo smiles and nods, retreating to the couch beside Mingyu, after getting his offer of helping out rejected by Mr. Kim.

"I swear, I'm so tired," Wonwoo sighs.

His heart warms, and his lips curve in a smile, when Mingyu wordlessly pulls his head on his shoulder, patting it softly, as the gesture does a great job at instantly soothing Wonwoo's fatigue.