Christmas Drabbles

[vampiremadonna]

Title: Christmas Drabbles
Author: VampireMadonna
Pairing:  YunJae
Rating: PG
Summary: Two Christmas shorts to commemorate the season :)


Drabble #1: Baby, Please Come Home…

Yunho anxiously paced the living room of the spacious cabin, his eyes darting outside on every pass by the wide window.

A blizzard was moving in, the weather channel had reported. The snow was already getting denser, obscuring visibility. If Jaejoong didn’t show up soon, there was no way he was going to get through before they closed the roads. His heart clenched at the thought.

They’d planned this trip a long time ago, during the summer when they’d snuck off for a few days of sun, fun, midnight skinny dipping and more. His suggestion had been casual, a spur of the moment idea, but Jaejoong had readily agreed. Neither one had plans and though they’d love to spend it with their respective families, free time didn’t come often and it was harder still getting together. Between their groups, the lawsuit, and solo projects, breaks in their schedules were few and far between and when they did get them, they weren’t guaranteed to get them at the same time. This was a godsend.

Stopping by the window, Yunho pulled out his phone and logged into his most trusted fan site to see what they were saying. He saw a video titled Kim Jaejoong on his way to Japan and his heart sank. He played the video just to make sure and was stunned to see Jaejoong, his Jaejoong, making his way through customs and onto a plane, indeed headed for Japan.

Yunho dropped onto the loveseat beneath the window, his face a mixture of emotions. Had Jaejoong forgotten? They’d only talked about it once after he’d initially mentioned it, the day he’d booked the cabin, which was months in advance. He’d given him the location and directions and not a word had been spoken about it since. They’d both gotten caught up in promotions, Jae’d also had a leading role in a drama, and they hadn’t been able to meet, though they’d spoken as often as they could on the phone, just not about that. Maybe he’d taken for granted that Jaejoong was just as excited as he to spend Christmas together. He was an idiot…

The sound of his ringtone made him jump and for a second his heart stopped, hope flaring as he thought, assumed, that Jae was calling to tell him he was on his way. As soon as he looked at the display, however, he came crashing back down to earth. Sighing, he answered the call.

“Hello.”

“Hyung!” Changmin’s voice screeched, forcing him to move the phone away from his ear slightly. “Is he there yet?”

Yunho sighed again, flopping back onto the cushions, the picture of dejection. “No… I don’t think he’s coming.”

“What? Did he call and say he wasn’t?”

“No, but if what I just saw is true, he’s well on his way to Japan by now.”

“Wait, I’m confused…”

“You and me both, Min-ah.”

“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding, hyung. Jaejoong-hyung probably got delayed by the weather. It’s getting pretty bad out there.”

“Tell me about it,” Yunho muttered. “But I saw it with my own eyes, Changmin. There’s a video of him at the airport getting onto a plane to Japan.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“I wish it weren’t true…”

“He knows I’d kill him if he stood you up. He wouldn’t dare.”

“Changmin…”

“Just wait a little longer, hyung. I’ll call you again soon.”

“Min…”

“Bye!”

Yunho stared at the phone for a minute, unable to stop the smile that briefly settled on his lips. The youngest of his dongsaengs was the most precocious by far. He thought what he thought, said what he said, and you could never change his mind about it. It didn’t help that he really was almost always right.

Sighing again, Yunho turned to stare out the window, watching the angry flurries of snow shooting down to join their brothers on the already completely covered ground. Maybe Changmin was right… Jaejoong wouldn’t stand him up, would he?        Not unless something came up. Or he really had completely forgotten.

Glancing up at the sky, he became even more discouraged when he saw how dark it was. It was barely 4:00pm but it’d be black as night in another hour or so. Why hadn’t he stayed closer to the city? The idea of an isolated cabin on the side of a mountain with snow on the caps had seemed so romantic but in retrospect, it probably wasn’t very smart. If anything happened, he’d be well and truly trapped. Only Changmin and the lovely couple he’d rented the cabin from knew where he was.

Sighing for what seemed like the millionth time, he dragged himself up and stumbled into the bedroom. He was exhausted, having been unable to sleep the night before, too filled with excitement to settle down. Now all the sleep he’d lost crashed down on him at once. He had nothing to do so he might as well take a little nap.

When Yunho awoke an hour later, he had to wonder if his eyes were still closed.

The cabin was pitch black.

Swinging his legs over the side, he stood and swore immediately when something stuck him under the foot. He swore, hopping around in pain, and banged his toes on the nightstand. When he felt himself begin to sway, he had the presence of mind to tilt his body back towards the bed for the softest landing possible.

“Really?” he yelled to the room at large. “Could this get any worse?”

Reaching out to the table, he felt around until he found the switch for the lamp. He pressed, pulled, flipped it every which way he could, but the darn thing wouldn’t come on. Not only was it dark outside but while he slept, the blizzard had moved in - if the howling wind he heard outside was any indication - and knocked out the electricity.

He forced himself to stay calm, trying to remember everything the nice, old lady had said to him. There was a flashlight in the nightstand, she’d said, and a couple oil lamps in one of the kitchen cupboards with enough oil and wicks to last him a couple of days but he wouldn’t need it because there was also a back-up generator. A small one that should last three or four days, if he conserved energy wisely, and give the power company enough time to fix the downed lines or whatever.

“Okay,” he said to himself. “First thing’s first: the flashlight.”

He carefully felt around until he found the knob to open the drawer on the nightstand. The little flashlight was right where it was supposed to be. He flipped the switch and breathed a sigh of relief when it came on.

“Good, good, good,” he chanted. Things were looking up.

He slowly made his way into the kitchen, wishing he’d brought his glasses because his contacts were starting to irritate his eyes, which meant he’d have to take them out soon. He prayed he was able to get the generator up and running. He didn’t relish the idea of removing his contacts by lamp-light.

In the kitchen, he found and prepared two lamps, one which he left on the counter and the other which he took into the livingroom. He gazed out the window, unsurprised that he couldn’t see a thing. There was no moon, nothing. He couldn’t even see the snow, unless he held the lamp up to the glass, as he did now.

Just then, a white figure walked past the window.

Yunho stumbled backward, almost losing his footing as his mind raced a mile a minute. Oh, dear God, was that a ghost? Or, heaven forbid, a mass-murderer? He didn’t know this area, knew no one around there, there was no one to call for help. The windows were locked and the door…

He gasped. He hadn’t locked the door when he went to bed.

“Oh, no,” he whispered.

His first thought was to run into the bedroom, lock the door and wait it out until morning. That would be the cowardly route but cowards were always the ones that survived in horror movies, weren’t they? His second thought was to attempt to make it to the door, lock it, and then barricade himself in the bedroom. There was nothing wrong with having two lines of defense between oneself and an intruder, he reasoned.

Ring.

He jumped with a yelp, the hair on his skin raising at the suddenness of it. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the display.

Changmin.

He was surprised, but extremely grateful, that he still had cell service despite the electricity being out.

“Hello?”

“Is he there yet?”

“No, Min-ah, and he’s not coming. It’s a mess up here. There’s a blizzard out there, there’s no electricity. I haven’t even checked the water yet.”

“Are you okay?”

Yunho swallowed and prepared to lie to the his death. “I’m fine. This was just a bad idea, a really bad idea.”

“I’m going to kill him if he really doesn’t show up. I can’t believe he would do that to you.”

Yeah, neither can I.

A moment of silence lapsed between them, giving Yunho enough time to remember the figure that had walked past the window minutes before. He kept that to himself, though.

“Do you want me to send someone for you?” Changmin finally asked.

Yunho sighed. “Yeah... It’s probably for the best.”

“I’ll get manager-hyung on it immediately.”

“Thanks…”

“Hyung… I’m really sorry.”

Yunho slipped his phone back into his pocket and stared down into the flame of the lamp. He felt really depressed all of a sudden. Twelve hours ago, he’d been over the moon, hell, even six hours ago he’d still been excited, but now… Now he had no choice but to accept that he was spending Christmas alone. Again. He wondered if there was a way he could cancel Christmas… Maybe he’d just pretend it didn’t exist.

The loud thumping on the door nearly had him jumping out of his skin, the memory of the white figure he’d seen outside the window returning in a rush. He turned towards the door, glancing around the room frantically. There was nothing he could use as a weapon. The thumping grew louder, more insistent, and he thought he heard a muffled voice. The doorknob jiggled. Whoever or whatever it was was determined to get inside.

Mustering what little courage he could, Yunho walked slowly towards the door, asking himself if he wasn’t actually walking to his death. He took a deep breath, and another, and another, before placing his hand on the knob, turning and pulling it towards him. The door swung inward, a mini-avalanche of snow covering his feet, but his eyes were glued to the figure outside the door.

The Abominable Snowman!

His bulky body was white from head to toe, snow covering every inch except his eyes.

Wait a minute: the eyes…

Holding the lamp high in front of him, Yunho leaned forward, peering closely at the snowman’s face. When recognition hit, his eyes went wide, mouth falling open

“Jae!”

Jaejoong shook himself like a wet dog, clumps of snow flying everywhere. He was bundled in fur from head to toe, which was why he looked bigger than usual. He pulled the scarf down from over his mouth so he could speak.

“Are you going to let me in?”

Yunho stupidly took a step back, still in a state of disbelief. “What are you doing here? I thought…”

“This is our Christmas getaway, is it not?”

Yunho shook his head to clear the cobwebs. “Yes, but… I saw you…on the way to Japan.”

Jaejoong grinned, peeling off his fur cap and the thick coat that warmed his body. “There’s someone by the name of Kim Jaejoong who looks an awful lot like me on his way to Japan, but, as you can see…” He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.

Yunho gazed at him in awe. “I just can’t believe you’re here.”

“Me either. I almost didn’t make it before they closed the road and the car I rented shut down about a mile from here so I had to walk the rest of the way and then, when I got to the cabin, I couldn’t find the door. It’s a winter wonderland out there. Can’t see anything. And why is it so dark in here?”

Yunho blushed at the memory of his earlier freak-out, thankful for the cover of darkness. “The electricity’s out.”

“Ahh…”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Yunho blurted, realizing now just how heart-broken he would’ve been if Jae hadn’t come.

Jaejoong smiled tenderly, placing his hands lightly on Yunho’s cheeks. “It's Christmas. Where else would I be?” He pressed a soft kiss to Yunho’s lips before resting his head on his chest over his heart. “Merry Christmas, Yunnie,” he whispered.

“Merry Christmas, Joongie.”

Note to self, Yunho thought as he wrapped his free hand around Jaejoong’s tiny waist, pulling him tightly against him until there wasn’t a breath of space between them. Must call Changmin and tell him to cancel the rescue team. Christmas is back on!

Minnie wouldn’t mind, he was sure. He was right again after all...

Drabble #2: Christmas Lights.

“You can be such an ungrateful bitch sometimes, do you know that?”

Jaejoong scoffed. “Oh, come on, Yunnie. You can’t seriously be mad.”

Yunho cocked a brow. “Can’t I?”

“But…but…” Jae blustered. “I was just kidding! Well, sort of. Okay, maybe not, but…”

With a growl of frustration, Yunho stomped off, leaving a startled Jaejoong to trail behind him.

When Yunho grabbed his jacket and scarf off the coat-rack, Jaejoong’s blood ran cold.

“Where are you going?”

Yunho opened the door and spared him a glance over his shoulder, his eyes cold and hard. “Out.”

The door slammed in Jaejoong’s face and he stared at it, stunned, not comprehending what had just happened. Yunho didn’t just walk out on him…did he? Not on Christmas Eve. He didn’t know how long he stood there staring at the door, willing it to open, for Yunho to come and say he wasn’t really angry with him. But he never did. Eventually, he turned back to the hotel suite, feeling utterly small and alone in its vastness.

He’d been so happy when Yunho pulled out the ornate jewelry box. He loved gifts, especially jewelry. Everyone knew that. He had quite the collection and was always ready to add to it. Yunho had looked really excited as well, like he couldn’t wait for him to see what he’d bought him. His excitement had increased his own. When he’d opened the box, he’d instantly been struck by its beauty. A diamond solitaire with a band of white gold encrusted with smaller diamonds. It truly was beautiful. He hadn’t known what to say, feeling too emotional in the moment, so instead he’d made a joke.

“Couldn’t you have gotten it in pink?” he’d laughed.

The smile on Yunho’s face died instantly and it all went to hell after that.

He really hadn’t meant to insult him, the ring was perfect, absolutely perfect, he just didn’t always know how to express himself. Yunho made him feel so much sometimes that it was hard to deal with and he often ended up putting his foot in his mouth. This was probably the worst, though.

With a low groan, he slowly made his way into the spacious living-room. They were spending Christmas abroad, by his request, somewhere warm instead of braving their usual South Korean winter - though he’d found out that even warm places got colder at night. The island was gorgeous, the people were friendly, their hotel suite was amazing. Beautifully decorated and festive for the season, it had everything he could ever want, all thanks to Yunho. Yunho had prepared it all, just for him. It was a gift in and of itself.

He dropped down onto the bench of the pearl white Baby Grand piano, a special surprise from Yunho, and twinkled the keys. Before he knew it, he was humming and absently playing a soft, familiar melody. He recognized it as a song he’d become obsessed with: Christmas Lights, by Coldplay. The piano was set next to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living-room, giving him a gorgeous view of the lights twinkling in the small seaside village below.

“Might as well,” he said to himself.

Focusing on those lights, he thought about his Yunho, wondering where in the small town he was - which didn’t look so small from where he was sitting -and if he was very hurt, and sang.

“♪Christmas night, another fight, tears we cry a flood. Got all kinds of poison in, of poison in my blood. ♪”

“Ain’t that the truth,” he muttered bitterly. He had quite a knack for screwing things up.

“♪I took my feet, to Oxford street - or whatever the hell street we’re on - trying to right a wrong. Just walk away, those windows say, but I can’t believe he’s gone.

When you’re still waiting for the snow to fall, it doesn’t really feel like Christmas at all. ♪”

As his fingers flew across the keys, he lost himself in the music, his free foot tapping along joyfully.

“♪…Like some drunken Elvis singing, I go singing out of tune, ♪” he sang to the Christmas tree in front of the piano, “♪…saying how I always loved you darling, and I always will.

Oh, when you’re still waiting for the snow to fall, doesn’t really feel like Christmas at all.

Still waiting for the snow to fall, doesn’t really feel like Christmas at all.♪”

“Come on, everyone together now!” he shouted to the room.

“♪Those…Christmas…lights, light up the street. Maybe they’ll bring him back to me. Then all my troubles will be gone. Oh, Christmas lights, keep shining on. ♪”

As the song came to an end, and silence descended once again, so did his misery.

He was a fool of the highest order.

Yunho was perfect, he could never ask for more, but, as usual, he’d gone and screwed things up. His mother always warned him that one day his mouth would write a cheque that he couldn’t cash. Maybe that day had come.

He laid his head on the smooth surface of the piano and stared at the door, once again willing it to open.

He missed his Yunnie. He really wanted to give him a hug and tell him how sorry he was for being such a prick. He raised his hand and stared at the ring that was still on the finger Yunho had slipped it onto. It truly was beautiful, the colorful lights from the Christmas tree reflecting off of it. It even glowed pink for a second. He had to laugh at himself then. He’d gotten what he wanted after all. It made him feel even more of a fool.

“Where, oh, where has my Yunnie…”

The rustling outside the door had him jumping to his feet and crossing the living-room in two seconds flat. When the door opened, he was waiting with bated breath.

Yunho closed the door behind him and paused when he saw Jaejoong frozen where he stood, looking up at him anxiously. Had he stayed there the entire time he’d been gone?

“You’re back,” Jaejoong breathed.

Yunho cocked a questioning brow.

His breath catching in his throat, Jaejoong threw himself at Yunho, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck.

“What the…”

“I thought you’d left me,” Jaejoong cried. “I thought you weren’t coming back.”

“Jaejoong-ah… Where the hell would I go?”

He hadn’t really considered that, Jaejoong thought. Yunho was as much a stranger to the island as he was.

Shaking his head, he clung tighter. “I’m sorry I’m such an ungrateful diva prick bitch.”

Laughing, Yunho placed his hands on Jaejoong’s waist and set him back so he could look into his face.

“What brought this on?”

“I really thought you’d gone for good. I know I don’t deserve you,” Jaejoong said honestly.

“Maybe I should abandon you more often,” Yunho teased. He was actually considering it, just a little, but he wouldn’t tell Jaejoong that. Yet.

“Please don’t,” Jaejoong begged, “I’d die if you ever left me for real.”

“Hmm… We can’t have that, can we?” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small jewelry box.

Jaejoong gasped, eyes going wide as he stared at it. It was like déjà vu: he was half tempted to order Yunho to take it away.

“Go ahead,” Yunho urged.

Gingerly taking it from Yunho’s hand, he slowly opened it and gasped again.

“You don’t want to know what I had to go through to get that,” Yunho grumbled.

“It’s beautiful.”

A huge pink diamond set in a gold band nestled in a rich burgundy velvet background.

Yunho picked it up and slid it onto Jae’s hand, right next to the first ring he’d bought.

“Now you have two to add to your collection.”

Jaejoong was still speechless. It was the last thing he’d expected.

“You didn’t have to,” he finally said.

“But I did, so…” Smiling, he tilted Jaejoong’s chin upward. “Merry Christmas, Joongie.”

“I love you,” Jaejoong said simply. “I love you so much it makes me crazy.”

Yunho cocked a brow. “I’ve noticed.”

“Merry Christmas, Yunnie… And thank you.”

“And look,” Yunho said, holding Jaejoong’s hand up. “See how they sparkle? Both of them. They’re like lights on your fingers, and they’re whatever color you want them to be.”

Jaejoong smiled to himself. “Christmas lights.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing...”

And with that, he tackled Yunho to the ground and proceeded to show him just how grateful he really was.

Merry Christmas!