T’was a snowy, winter day, the sun was out but the sky was grey and inside a boy lay. Christmas was but a day away and everything seemed to be so… Delayed. Even the rhymes bouncing around in Luhan’s head seemed to be less magical. Everything about his world was dull and bleary, another year added on to a life filled with the same routine. Something about this year had been particularly rough. Finishing college, not having a plan for where he wanted to go. He didn’t want to rely on others and that meant he hadn’t extended a hand out to anyone and asked for help. Luhan wanted to do this solo, but it seemed that his motives were dwindling and his determination as well. It was almost as if he wasn’t made for this world and he couldn’t help but agree with the nagging feeling.
Too bad his family couldn’t stand for it.
Like right now, on the phone with his older brother he felt as if he was forcing himself to put the effort into talking. The other seemed completely exasperated at his lack of involvement in this year’s Christmas celebrations. No matter what he said it wasn’t going to sway Luhan, that at least he knew.
“Lu, you can’t tell me that you’re going to cop out on the party this year! You come every year! Everyone comes every year! Everyone’s going to be here, there’s going to be presents and booze. Come on, are you really not coming?” Chanyeol asked. He sighed soon afterwards. Luhan could picture him in his head sliding a hand over his face. His wife would probably look at him and ask him what was wrong while balancing their newborn on her hip who was probably dressed in some ridiculous, velvet dress with ruffles and frills and lace.
“I’m not coming Chanyeol. I’m not feeling well,” Luhan lied. He felt fine, physically at least. Mentally he wasn’t quite sure.
“Are you sure? You don’t want to meet your niece?”
“I’m sorry Chan, I’m not coming this year.”
Another sigh. “Fine… We’ll see you another time then.”
They exchanged their goodbyes, all of them brisk and lacking emotion. Once it was over Luhan hung up and let out the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. What was he going to do now? Sit down and read a book? No, he wouldn’t be able to concentrate.
There was a gap in his brain, where he wasn’t sure what he was doing. The party he usually went to would be starting in around… Three hours. It would take him thirty minutes to drive to his parents’ house. If he rushed maybe he could make it. But then how would he explain that to Chanyeol when he saw he wasn’t sick? He didn’t feel like acting. One more sigh. Everything was so complicated.
Luhan had eventually decided upon turning the tv on. It was just a bunch of TV specials; probably something he shouldn’t have been watching since it wasn’t too cheerful for his part. It was Christmas, Christmas, Christmas! So much Christmas that he was actually hoping he could stumble upon a news channel because he rather hear about how the world was falling apart than have to deal with the lights. Maybe there really was something wrong with him.
Time passed, perhaps an hour, Luhan wasn’t sure. He’d turned off the TV fifteen minutes into a movie that he could care less about and had decided to cook something to help him pass the time. The instant ramen hadn’t been too great, but it had warmed his stomach and given him some time to kill. He was halfway through his bowl when the buzzing came to him. Someone was here? What could they want from him?
Sighing Luhan stood, ambling lazily to the door. He should have guessed it. Opening the door he was faced with his two siblings, Chanyeol and Sehun. They were bundled up from the cold, hiding behind the collars of their trench coats and laden with mittens and boots that would protect them against the snow falling from the sky and littering the floor.
