An Overdose Of Tinsel (SuJu 100 Fic Challenge)
Theme 2: Christmas, Heechul/Ryeowook
Title: An Overdose Of Tinsel
Rating: G
Word Count: 951
Genre: Humour, friendship
Summary: Heechul can't help getting annoyed at some of the traditions of the lower dorm - there's just no reason to keep the Christmas decorations up all year round!
Heechul stood in the doorway of the lower dorm, eyebrow raised in disbelief. He knew it was a while since he’d last visited, so he’d expected the place to look a bit different. Especially given that, when he thought about it, the last time he’d been there was January the 1st, for Sungmin’s birthday.
But no, everything looked exactly the same, as far as he could see. He checked the date in his head - yes, it was definitely February. So why, he asked himself, were the Christmas decorations still up?!
Seeing what he was looking at, Ryeowook beamed up at him. “They’re pretty, aren’t they?” he said.
“Yes,” replied Heechul abruptly. “Why are they THERE?”
He didn’t know what sort of reaction he’d been expecting - expressions of bewilderment, perhaps, indignation that he could possibly make any sort of negative remark about their oh-so-pretty decorations, maybe even someone checking a calendar - but he wasn’t expecting to be openly laughed at from three different directions, get what he took to be an agreeing grimace from another - and, well, Yesung was flat-out ignoring him.
So he did the logical thing, and glared at Ryeowook until he got his question answered.
“Well,” Ryeowook began, having calmed his laughter, “it’s actually a running joke that no one wants to take them down, because it’s so much effort - and besides, they really brighten up the dorm!”
“It’s like it’s Christmas all year round!” piped up Sungmin from his place on the sofa, Eunhyuk nodding in agreement beside him.
Heechul directed his gaze towards Kyuhyun. “And you don’t mind?” he asked incredulously. Everyone in the band knew how much the youngest hated 90% of Christmas traditions (something about consumerism, secularism, materialism and his principles), despite his not-so-secret love for carol singing.
However, he just shrugged. “Like Ryeowook said, too much effort to take them all down myself,” he replied. An unspoken, and it makes them happy, finished the sentence.
Deciding it wasn’t worth pursuing the argument, Heechul turned to go, before remembering why he was there in the first place. “Yesung!” he called sharply to get the man’s attention - he still seemed to not have noticed his presence. However, on hearing his name, he turned to look questioningly at Heechul.
“Message from Leeteuk for you. He says not to forget that as the oldest in this dorm you should be setting a good example. Which means that there should be no more chocopie incidents.” Heechul paused, before adding, “Oh, and as an example of what a good role model I am, I censored that little speech. Don’t want our leader’s foul language corrupting our innocent little eternal and evil magnaes, do we now?” Smirking at the identical looks of outrage on Kyuhyun and Ryeowook’s faces, Heechul swept out of the room, resisting the urge to cackle.
---
He felt no urge to cackle the next time he set foot in the lower dorm, after wandering downstairs due to boredom a week later. This time, only Eunhyuk and Ryeowook were present... but nothing else had changed.
“You do realise,” he began without preamble, “that keeping Christmas decorations up this long is just ridiculous?”
Ryeowook just blinked at him. Turning away from the TV so he could face the intruder properly, Eunhyuk pouted, “But, they make the dorm look so much nicer!”
Heechul glanced to his right. “Hyukjae, you’re such a hypocrite! There’s not a shred of tinsel to be seen in your room,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. When Eunhyuk’s only reply was an incoherent mumble about OCD, he continued, “And don’t you have Sukira soon?”
With a glance at the clock and a yelp, an Eunhyuk-shaped whirlwind appeared, sucking up shoes, a jacket and a phone before disappearing out the door.
Left with only Ryeowook for company, Heechul suddenly felt awkward and out of his comfort zone. The younger apparently didn’t feel the same, smiling brightly at him and saying “I’m just going to do some cleaning, so if you want to go back upstairs you can, I don’t mind.”
Heechul levelled him with an inquisitive look. “Won’t it be more awkward with all those decorations in the way?” he asked.
Ryeowook paused. “Well, I guess so,” he said slowly, “I’d never really noticed before. But I don’t mind,” he added with another of his blindingly bright smiles, “it’s worth it because I know the others love having them up.”
Heechul was silent for a moment, then he heard himself say, “I’ll help you. I - with the cleaning, I mean.”
Ryeowook looked surprised, before saying, “No, it’s alright, you don’t have to-”
“But I want to,” Heechul cut him off, surprising them both with the certainty in his tone.
A few minutes later, armed with polish and a duster, Heechul found himself taken aback again by his own words. “You’re right,” he mused out loud, “there is something nice about having the decorations up. Something special.”
He got no answer besides another smile from Ryeowook - softer this time, less blinding, but filled with even more warmth as he nodded in agreement.
---
A few months later, Ryeowook smiled to himself as he opened his gift from Heechul on his birthday - amongst other things, he’d received a small piece of tinsel.
Soon afterwards, Heechul was equally pleased to find a snowball-shaped bauble as part of his present from Ryeowook on his own birthday. He set it on his bedside table in pride of place for the night, but something didn’t feel quite right...
In the morning, he took it downstairs to the lower dorm, intending to make his own mark on the Christmas tree that he knew would still be up, almost half way through July.
END
Author's Note: As always, comments are very welcome!
Fic Challenge Archive
Title: An Overdose Of Tinsel
Rating: G
Word Count: 951
Genre: Humour, friendship
Summary: Heechul can't help getting annoyed at some of the traditions of the lower dorm - there's just no reason to keep the Christmas decorations up all year round!
Heechul stood in the doorway of the lower dorm, eyebrow raised in disbelief. He knew it was a while since he’d last visited, so he’d expected the place to look a bit different. Especially given that, when he thought about it, the last time he’d been there was January the 1st, for Sungmin’s birthday.
But no, everything looked exactly the same, as far as he could see. He checked the date in his head - yes, it was definitely February. So why, he asked himself, were the Christmas decorations still up?!
Seeing what he was looking at, Ryeowook beamed up at him. “They’re pretty, aren’t they?” he said.
“Yes,” replied Heechul abruptly. “Why are they THERE?”
He didn’t know what sort of reaction he’d been expecting - expressions of bewilderment, perhaps, indignation that he could possibly make any sort of negative remark about their oh-so-pretty decorations, maybe even someone checking a calendar - but he wasn’t expecting to be openly laughed at from three different directions, get what he took to be an agreeing grimace from another - and, well, Yesung was flat-out ignoring him.
So he did the logical thing, and glared at Ryeowook until he got his question answered.
“Well,” Ryeowook began, having calmed his laughter, “it’s actually a running joke that no one wants to take them down, because it’s so much effort - and besides, they really brighten up the dorm!”
“It’s like it’s Christmas all year round!” piped up Sungmin from his place on the sofa, Eunhyuk nodding in agreement beside him.
Heechul directed his gaze towards Kyuhyun. “And you don’t mind?” he asked incredulously. Everyone in the band knew how much the youngest hated 90% of Christmas traditions (something about consumerism, secularism, materialism and his principles), despite his not-so-secret love for carol singing.
However, he just shrugged. “Like Ryeowook said, too much effort to take them all down myself,” he replied. An unspoken, and it makes them happy, finished the sentence.
Deciding it wasn’t worth pursuing the argument, Heechul turned to go, before remembering why he was there in the first place. “Yesung!” he called sharply to get the man’s attention - he still seemed to not have noticed his presence. However, on hearing his name, he turned to look questioningly at Heechul.
“Message from Leeteuk for you. He says not to forget that as the oldest in this dorm you should be setting a good example. Which means that there should be no more chocopie incidents.” Heechul paused, before adding, “Oh, and as an example of what a good role model I am, I censored that little speech. Don’t want our leader’s foul language corrupting our innocent little eternal and evil magnaes, do we now?” Smirking at the identical looks of outrage on Kyuhyun and Ryeowook’s faces, Heechul swept out of the room, resisting the urge to cackle.
---
He felt no urge to cackle the next time he set foot in the lower dorm, after wandering downstairs due to boredom a week later. This time, only Eunhyuk and Ryeowook were present... but nothing else had changed.
“You do realise,” he began without preamble, “that keeping Christmas decorations up this long is just ridiculous?”
Ryeowook just blinked at him. Turning away from the TV so he could face the intruder properly, Eunhyuk pouted, “But, they make the dorm look so much nicer!”
Heechul glanced to his right. “Hyukjae, you’re such a hypocrite! There’s not a shred of tinsel to be seen in your room,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. When Eunhyuk’s only reply was an incoherent mumble about OCD, he continued, “And don’t you have Sukira soon?”
With a glance at the clock and a yelp, an Eunhyuk-shaped whirlwind appeared, sucking up shoes, a jacket and a phone before disappearing out the door.
Left with only Ryeowook for company, Heechul suddenly felt awkward and out of his comfort zone. The younger apparently didn’t feel the same, smiling brightly at him and saying “I’m just going to do some cleaning, so if you want to go back upstairs you can, I don’t mind.”
Heechul levelled him with an inquisitive look. “Won’t it be more awkward with all those decorations in the way?” he asked.
Ryeowook paused. “Well, I guess so,” he said slowly, “I’d never really noticed before. But I don’t mind,” he added with another of his blindingly bright smiles, “it’s worth it because I know the others love having them up.”
Heechul was silent for a moment, then he heard himself say, “I’ll help you. I - with the cleaning, I mean.”
Ryeowook looked surprised, before saying, “No, it’s alright, you don’t have to-”
“But I want to,” Heechul cut him off, surprising them both with the certainty in his tone.
A few minutes later, armed with polish and a duster, Heechul found himself taken aback again by his own words. “You’re right,” he mused out loud, “there is something nice about having the decorations up. Something special.”
He got no answer besides another smile from Ryeowook - softer this time, less blinding, but filled with even more warmth as he nodded in agreement.
---
A few months later, Ryeowook smiled to himself as he opened his gift from Heechul on his birthday - amongst other things, he’d received a small piece of tinsel.
Soon afterwards, Heechul was equally pleased to find a snowball-shaped bauble as part of his present from Ryeowook on his own birthday. He set it on his bedside table in pride of place for the night, but something didn’t feel quite right...
In the morning, he took it downstairs to the lower dorm, intending to make his own mark on the Christmas tree that he knew would still be up, almost half way through July.
END
Author's Note: As always, comments are very welcome!
Fic Challenge Archive