There were things life really couldn't prepare you for. There was high school, and grades that taught math and science. There were four years of university and a business degree that taught communication and numbers. If Doyoung wanted to get technical, he could agree that yes, he had definitely learned something within his first twenty years of life. But within his twentieth year, something happened that Doyoung could've never predicated.

When his sister-in-law died in a tragic car crash, there were many things in Doyoung's life that had to be shifted around.

There was grief and pain that came with the sudden news, and Gongmyung was overcome with a wave of depression. Doyoung knew his brother like the back of his hand. Gongmyung was emotionally bound to people, and so easily so, that a tragic event like this could crumble his resolve like nothing. It had happened all the time growing up, through their grandparents dying and the occasional break up. Doyoung thought it was best not to get so attached to people, and he often told his brother so, but it was difficult to talk to someone who didn't want to listen. He finally got Gongmyung to get up and move, the pain of memories resurfacing around every corner finally becoming a memory of it's own.

Gongmyung was in no condition to take care of his business, let alone his four-year-old daughter, Jisu. So, Doyoung moved into the city to live with his brother. It wasn't perfect, just a small three-bedroomed apartment with a bad view of a nearby brick wall. It smelt like exhaust most of the time, and Doyoung often worried about Jisu getting a cold from the draft that managed to filter through the window. But it was theirs. It was their small little home, a bit a ways from where Doyoung's business degree was hung up just beside Jisu's painting of a bunny that she had drawn for him.

Adapting to life in the city was a bit strange for him, especially because he was used to the rural areas: dirt roads and small shops. Now not only was he taking over his brother's job, he was also taking care of his niece for the most part, allowing his brother necessary time to grieve. It had been nearly five months, but with Christmas coming up, memories were flooding through Gongmyung's mind, bursting through in the form of tears.

Jisu was a strong little girl, and she enjoyed the time she got to spend with her uncle. Doyoung took her out most of the time, always complaining that the apartment they lived in was too stuffy and cold. It was no match for the nearby park, and the playground that could keep Jisu occupied for hours.

That's where it all started: Jisu's fascination with the snow princess. They lived in a notable town, and most notable towns (and even non-notables) have a Christmas parade. Maybe a festival, if the streets aren't good. But in his particular city, Neo City, the parade featured a very special guest every year: the Snow Queen.

She was simply a volunteer from the city, whose identity was unknown to the public. It kept up mystery for children and adults alike, who saw the Queen as her own character. Neo City's very own entity, who spread joy and hope for Christmas throughout. Doyoung thought it was rather outrageous for a city to have their very own princess. Or queen, rather. The princess was chosen anew every Christmas, out of many little girls who auditioned. Still, he would do just about anything to make his niece happy, and since she was finally old enough to audition as the princess and Gongmyung was at work, it was up to Doyoung to take her instead.

That was how he found himself in the waiting room of a very prestigious building, mixing office coffee with a plastic spoon while waiting for Jisu to return from makeup. Makeup for children was another strange concept he didn't quite care for, but hey, Jisu's eyes sparkled when she saw blue eyeshadow in a way they hadn't sparkled in a long time. Doyoung figured that that enough should stray his view.

And if the day couldn't get any more unpredictable, it was just then that you ran into the waiting room, dressed in a fancy white gown, a box tucked under your arm.

If Doyoung didn't know any better, he'd think you were some runaway bride who stole the good luck money on her way out. Since he had common sense however, he could deduct why you were here. "How very un-queenly of you to arrive out of character and late, of all things," he spoke cheekily, hiding his smirk behind the rim of his styrofoam cup.

You cut a glance at him, and since Doyoung was ever-so-observant, he noticed the small once-over you gave him, followed by a faint dusting of red spread across your cheeks.

Another boyish grin covered his face, and he cocked his head to the side as he watched you set the box on the counter and open it. He could see now that it was a makeup kit, filled with various products Doyoung was surprised he knew the names of.

"I know," you hurried out, grabbing the some eyeliner and a handheld mirror, "but my car stopped working and you would never believe how hard it was to get this dress through office security."

Doyoung felt confused for a moment before you laughed rather spritely, filling him with some unknown feeling he couldn't quite register. "I'm joking."

"Ah," Doyoung managed to look embarrassed, turning his head to the open window before looking back at you. At the moment, you were smearing some blue eyeshadow over your eyelids. He could see you struggling not to get any powder on your white dress. "Er... here," he handed you his jacket, a black bomber. "You can use this as a shield... for your dress."

"Thank you," you said. "So, what's your name?"

"Me?" Doyoung widened his eyes curiously, as if he wasn't the only other person in the room. "I'm Doyoung."

"What brings you here, Doyoung?"

"My niece," he answered, "she wants to be in the parade."

"Ah," you said, nodding, "and you waited out here to get in good with the queen herself?"

Doyoung laughed, shaking his head to hide his smile into his coffee cup. "Jisu's getting her makeup done, and I came out for some coffee."

You finished off your face then, quite skilled at the art so it didn't take you long. Besides, it was all in the eye makeup anyway. You closed your mirror and turned to Doyoung with a smile, "What do you think?"

Doyoung's eyes widened for a moment, and you thought it made him look very innocent and cute. "You look beautiful. Like an actual queen."

Heat filled your cheeks unconsciously and you stood up with your things. "Thanks."

"Do you think I did well?" Jisu worried her bottom lip as Doyoung carried her across the busy street. "I think my curtsy was off."

"I think you did perfectly," Doyoung said, his mind half on his niece and half on wondering if he should've gotten your number. Then he felt stupid, for he hadn't even gotten your name.

They arrived back at the apartment quickly, and Doyoung set out to make lunch while Jisu tended to her favorite activity: shaking her Christmas presents to feel what's inside.

"Come eat, Jisu," Doyoung said when lunch was done. He set the food out on the counter and helped Jisu into her stool.

"Thanks, Uncle Doyoung."

Doyoung smiled and ruffled her hair. He looked at her fondly for a moment, marveling in the way she looked just like her mother and nearly nothing like his brother, save her eyes. "No problem, kiddo. I hope we get that call."

As he spoke, the cell phone in his pocket rang. He gave Jisu an excited smile, and the child squealed in laughter, "Answer it! Answer it!"

Doyoung told her to quiet down as he placed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Doyoung, it feels like just minute ago we were talking in the waiting room," you greeted him from across the line.

Upon hearing your voice, Doyoung smiled. "I'm glad you called."

"Me too," you answered, "I had to fight the phone away from my boss. Anyways, I wanted to be the first to congratulate Jisu for getting the part!"

"She'll be so excited. Thank you so much."

"No problem," you giggled over the phone. "Maybe we could talk about the parade over coffee?"

"Are you asking me on a date?"

"...Maybe."

Doyoung grinned, "How's tomorrow morning?"

Once the two of you made proper plans, he hung up and swiveled around to see Jisu's hopeful eyes on him. "Guess who's this year's Snow Princess?"

"Yes!" Jisu jumped off of the stool, into a startled Doyoung's arms. "I'm gonna be in the parade!"

~~~

Three hours later, it’s nearly one in the afternoon, and you’re both tired, so you end up at a little café for some food.

“Oh, hey, Jeno!” your waiter says, looking surprised. Jeno looks equally startled. “Renjun?! I didn’t know you worked here?”

You look between them awkwardly. “Uh, do you two know each other?”

“Oh, yeah! We were best friends in middle school but we go to separate high schools now. I’m Renjun, what’s your name?” The boy has a bright, cheerful smile that you can’t help reciprocating.

“I’m Y/N,” you say.

“Jeno, have you actually gotten yourself a date?” Renjun teases, oblivious to the shyness on your face.

I fucken wish, Renjun, but no such luck.

Jeno shakes his head slowly. “No, Y/N and I are just good friends,” he says.

Your heart sinks, but it’s not like you expected anything different.

Renjun raises an eyebrow. “You sure?”

You tense a little. “Yeah.”

“Alright, I won’t pry. Now, I’ll take your orders!”

~~~

Renjun, after having asked if you two were dating, has made things much more awkward as you and Jeno stroll around the mall, looking for a few last things.

Currently Jeno is in the far back of the store, looking at t-shirts, while you browse through a selection of on-sale mugs. Though you’re not really browsing them as much as stealing glances at Jeno.

Really, who could blame you for liking him? He’s so sweet, he’s cute, he’s handsome, and he’s absolutely adorable. The way his hair frames his face is captivating, and his deep voice and eye smile can’t help but lure you in until you’re lost in him.

“One-sided love?”

You gasp, whirling around. A young girl, perhaps a year or two older, stares back at you, wearing an employee shirt.

She glances over at Jeno, and a smile curves her lips. “Yep, definitely one-sided. Or so you might think.”

“W-what do you m-mean?” you stutter, mentally slapping your face for being so obvious.

“Listen, if you like him, go for it. There’s no time like the present,” she says, putting a hand on your shoulder. “If he doesn’t like you, you have a whole future ahead of you. If he does, that’s wonderful. Win-win situation.”

“But…” you whisper, “I don’t want to lose our friendship.”

She laughs a little. “You might fear that. I did, too, when I was crushing on my boyfriend. But trust me - if you’re best friends, there’s a more than likely chance that your boy likes you as much as you do him. Now go for him, alright?”

You nod slowly, and she gives you a last smile before she walks off.

~~~

You end up in a jewelry store, one that isn’t too high end so you can actually afford a few of the cheaper items.

“Jesus Christ,” you mutter, “if I buy anything in here, my wallet is going to literally die.”

“I can feel my wallet crying already,” Jeno sighs, “but my mom likes the stuff in here, so we might as well take a look.”

Again, you separate, looking at several display cases of charms. You idly remember that Jeno loves cars when you see a little car charm.

Then you start in surprise.

Jeno loves cars.

Right then and there, you decide to get him a bracelet with that car charm on it. Hopefully you can pluck up the courage to confess as well.

Jeno walks up to you as you’re making your purchase, causing you to half-shriek. “What’s that?” he asks, once he’s done laughing at your reaction.

“You’ll see soon,” you say, taking the box from the cashier.

Jeno pays for whatever he bought, and the two of you finally leave the dumb mall.

“Finally!” you cheer, raising your arms laden with bags of gifts. It’s snowing, which only brightens your mood.

“See, that wasn’t too bad,” Jeno says, jogging a little to catch up with you.

“Oh yes it was,” you say, glaring at him playfully. His eyes crinkle into his infamous eyesmile as he laughs loudly.

See, it’s that kind of thing that makes you want to melt whenever you look at him.

You miss the bus by seconds, so you have to wait at the stop. Silence settles between you two, and you fiddle with the jewelry box nervously.

“What’s in there?” Jeno finally asks. You stop fiddling immediately. “W-what?”

“What’s in there?” he asks again. “You seem preoccupied with it.”

Now or never.

You take a deep breath. “It’s, uh, it’s actually for you, Jeno.” You extend the box to him, watching anxiously as he opens it up.

“It’s a car!” he exclaims, pulling out the bracelet and watching the car charm dangle against the sun. “I love it!”

You smile uncertainly. “I’m glad you do.”

“But why give it to me now?” Jeno asks confusedly, putting the bracelet down. “Why not wait until Christmas?”

You take another deep breath. “Uh, because that may or may not be my confession to you.”

Jeno stops fiddling around with the bracelet to stare at you.

You continue to sit there awkwardly.

He continues to stare.

You continue to sit.

This lasts for god knows how long until you try to say something unintelligible in an effort to break the silence. Looking back, you think you tried to say something like, “Do you have an answer?” but in the moment, you don’t really think what you said was intelligible.

So Jeno says, “What?”

And you clam up again.

Finally, he snaps out of the daze he seems to be in and settles the box onto his lap. “I just, uh, didn’t expect you to… confess first.”

“That’s okay, I - wait, what?”

Confess first?

You snuggle deeper into your scarf out of shyness and embarrassment.

Jeno scratches his head nervously. “It’s just… uh… I always thought I would be the one to confess first. Not like this. Not that I don’t like it! It’s just… unexpected?”

“I wasn’t expecting it either,” you say, voice muffled by the scarf. “A girl working in a shop saw me staring at you and told me to go for it. So I did. With the car bracelet.”

Jeno lifts the bracelet out of the box again. “I’m glad you did,” he says quietly. “I don’t think I’d have the balls to do what you did.”

You choke in laughter and surprise. “Don’t lie, Jeno, of course you would,” you say, feeling a bit more confident. “So are you okay with me liking you?”

“Okay? I’m more than okay,” he says, giving you his bright eye smile. “Now can you help me put this on?”

You scoot closer, trying not to combust, as you slip the bracelet over his wrist. You tighten it, then move to scoot away, but Jeno grabs your hand, forcing you to stay right there.

You squeak in surprise.

“Well, if we’re dating now, better get used to at least holding hands,” he says cutely.

And you do. You hold hands all the way home, only letting go once when a snowflake falls onto your eyelid and Jeno helps you get it off.

When you show up at the café for your first date, Renjun gives you a knowing look.

When you end up in that same store the girl told you to confess in, she’s there, holding a little sprig of mistletoe. Smirking, she holds it above your heads, yelling, “Kiss! Kiss!”

“Johnny! Johnnnnnny!”

You register your boyfriend laughing next to you, and you have to look up at him to show him how happy you were. He had to know how happy you were right now. You smile at him with the biggest, goofiest smile you can manage, and you see him look back at you, a soft, adorable smile that only he can show you right now.

It’s his ‘I’m so in love with you smile.’ Even when you were drunk, you knew that smile so well.

“Johnny, Johnny… Do you know how happy you make me?” You ask him. He’s silent for a moment, but you take it as he didn’t hear you, so you repeat yourself.

“Do you know how happy you make me?” Johnny laughs again, and he stops on the sidewalk to wrap his arms around your waist, bringing you close.

“I think I know very well since you’re so happy now. Do you know how happy you make me?” He asks back. You nod your head far too many times for the question being asked, it making you dizzy half way through. You stop, your head rolling around a little before you giggle.

“I’m dizzy!” You tell Johnny. He laughs again, leaning down and pressing his forehead to yours. You close your eyes, taking in the moment between you and Johnny. You feel the snow falling around you, landing on your ears and in your hair. There’s people passing you, just as drunk as you as they walk on. There’s music playing close by, one of your favorite songs, and you start humming to the tune.

“Sweetheart,” Johnny interrupts, leaning in closer. You can feel his breath on your lips, and you want to close the gap to kiss him. You’re a little slow right now with your movements though, so you don’t, instead humming out a noise to let him know you were listening.

“Sweetheart, you make me happier than anyone in the world.”

Johnny’s words make your heart stop, the cheese way too much for your heart to handle. You end up shaking your head before leaning in, pressing your lips to his to hopefully stop him from saying anything cheesier. He was the king of cheese, you swear.  

Your kiss is sloppy and not at all like one of your usual kisses, mostly because of you though. You could barely walk properly. How did anyone expect you to kiss properly either?

Johnny pulls away first, smiling down at you with a goofier smile than before. “We should go home.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to walk all the way home,” you say. Johnny shrugs and then all of a sudden you’re being lifted off the ground, right into Johnny’s arms like as if you were a bride.

“Johnny!” You’re laughing, and he leans down to kiss you once.

“You said you couldn’t walk,” he says.

“A piggyback would- it would be fine too. A piggyback ride, Johnny,” you tell him. He just kisses you again before beginning to walk.

There wasn’t much to be done, so, you just decide to live with it. You wrap your arms around his neck as he walks, and eventually, with the snow falling down on top of you and with the lulling of Johnny’s steps, you find yourself drifting off to dreamland.

-

You wake up with a terrible hangover, not even sure what day it was or where you were. You’re happy though because you smell food, and someone was nice enough to shut the blinds for you so the sunlight didn’t make your hangover worse. Whoever it was, they were a blessing.

You wait a couple of minutes before you decide to get up, moving slowly to not upset your hangover further. Once you’re on your feet, you walk towards the door, opening it and walking into the hallway. You realize as you walk that it’s your apartment, but, only after you see some pictures on the wall. At first you didn’t recognize it because everything was covered in green and red streamers, crisscrossing in front of you as you walk. Next to your feet are balloons of similar colors.

Whoever had decorated your apartment was clearly in the Christmas mood.

You keep walking, kicking balloons around and ducking under streamers until you get to the living room. Your Christmas tree is decorated completely different than it was the day before, with more ornaments that you’ve never even seen before. Below it, there’s tons of presents, stacked high and almost touching the couch.

If you were a kid, you would’ve been screaming about how Santa brought you more presents overnight.

You forget the tree for a minute, smelling the food that was cooking and head towards the kitchen. More streamers are hung around, lights following the streamers. Those must have been hung up recently as well.

You get to the kitchen and standing there, in a ridiculous Santa outfit, is none other than your boyfriend, humming as he cooks breakfast.

You laugh, getting his attention and he turns around to look at you. “Hey, you’re up.”

“I am. What’s with all the new decorations?” You ask. Johnny shrugs, smiling at you.

“No idea. Santa must have come,” he says, winking. You roll your eyes before moving to sit at the dining table. You notice the chocolate chip cookies on the table and immediately take one, biting into it. You practically melt at how delicious it is.

“It’s good, right? I got the recipe from my mom,” Johnny says. You nod your head, taking another bite. A glass of water and some medicine is being placed in front of you on your fourth bite, and you look up at Johnny only to receive a kiss from him the moment you do.

“For your hangover,” he explains. You thank him, quickly finishing your cookie before taking the medicine.

He was the sweetest boyfriend, that was for sure.

“What about all the presents?” You ask when the glass of water is gone and another cookie is being picked off the plate by you. “I don’t remember there being so many.”

“I told you,” Johnny says. “Santa must have come.”

You just giggle, beginning to eat your second cookie. You were almost positive that Johnny was the one to give you the presents. If it wasn’t him, you’re sure he got them from the rest of the NCT members to give to you. Only you would get so many presents from so many boys.

Especially after four years of being around them. Being Johnny’s girlfriend for so long meant there were about 300% more presents at your birthday and Christmas than you could ever imagine.

You couldn’t wait to open all of them. You couldn’t wait to see the guys later in general.

“Food’s ready,” Johnny speaks up, taking you out of your thoughts. He sets a plate of food in front of you in record time, your favorites covering every inch of the plate. It smells good, looks good, and you can’t even wait for him to sit down with you before you’re digging in.

“Oh my god,” you exclaim in happiness through a mouthful of food. You continue eating and making noises that let Johnny know this was really, really, really great food.

Until you notice something shiny in your food. You stare down at it, pulling apart pieces of food until it becomes clear as to what it is. You stare down at it in silence, swallowing once. The silver band sitting in your food had an engraving on it, but what really caught your eye was the beautiful, sparkling diamond that sat on top.

Your breath hitches and you look up at Johnny, who is smiling at you with that smile. That smile that you love so much, that smile that tells you how in love with you he is.

You’re pretty sure the ring in your food was another indicator of how in love with you he was as well.

“Johnny- you- oh my god.”

Suddenly, he’s coming around the table. He picks up the ring out of your food, somehow completely untouched from the food it had been in. Johnny moves to kneel down in front of you, and you cover your mouth in shock.

He was the biggest sap in the world. Johnny was sweet and so ridiculously cheesy. He put a ring in your food and now was asking you what you think he was asking you on Christmas.

How could someone so ridiculously perfect and wonderful be so in love with you? How could you be so lucky to be with him?

“Y/N… This is cliché but… That’s practically my middle name,” Johnny says. He raises the ring a little, and you can see a slight pink dust his cheeks.

He was embarrassed.

That was adorable. He was adorable.

“We’ve been together for a long time now… And every day I just kept thinking about how you’re the one I want to be with for the rest of my life. Last night I carried you home and I just thought “tomorrow I’ll ask her,” and, here we are. We’re young but, really, there’s no time like the present.

“Y/N, will you marry me?” Johnny asks you. There’s no way you could possibly say no. He had done this in such a cheesy way, on Christmas no doubt.

Johnny was the love of your life. There was no way you could say no.

“Are you stupid? Of course I’ll marry you,” you say, wrapping your arms around him. Your hug doesn’t last long before he’s pulling away, pressing a kiss to your lips. Then another, and another, and three more until he presses his forehead to yours.

“Sweetheart, you make me happier than anyone in the world.”

Those words were so familiar. You remember hearing those words last night. You kiss Johnny one more time before replying with the same words.  

“You make me happier than anyone in the world. I love you, Johnny.”