"It's Christmas Eve!" Chaeyoung bounds down the stairs the second the sun sets and pounces on her siblings in the lounge. "Aren't you guys excited?"
"Rosie, it's like, four in the afternoon," Kai says as she tries to stuff a Santa hat on his head. "Calm down a little."
"It's dark, so that means you're allowed to be festive, even though I've been festive since November," Chaeyoung replies, carefully putting a pink Santa hat on Alice's head. "Have you given everyone their presents? I have, except for Lisa, she's getting hers later when she comes over. We're getting pizza tonight too. And- and I'm going to help mom with the cooking tomorrow, since I'm a super great chef."
Alice smiles. "I think it's sweet that you're so excited. You've always liked Christmas, haven't you?"
"Oh, yes, I adore it." Chaeyoung wedges herself in between her siblings on the couch and throws an arm around both of them. "I love giving presents and making people happy."
"So, your hot girlfriend is coming over tonight?" Kai raises an eyebrow, "I better not hear any sex noises from your room."
"No, we are not having sex until New Year's Eve," Chaeyoung casually responds, not noticing how both of her siblings let out a strangled coughing sound. "So you don't have to worry. And she's not even staying over."
Alice laughs. "Ignore Kai, Rosie. You and Lisa are adorable and I'm so glad you're happy."
"Yes, I am very happy," Chaeyoung hums to herself, "do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend yet, Alice? You know you can tell me if you do, and you can- can ask me for relationship advice and I can be a good big sister."
Alice hugs her. "You're already a good big sister."
Chaeyoung tilts her head to the side and thinks. "Well, I don't know, I haven't- you never come to me for girl talk or advice. And I know I'm different, but I'm still good at things like that. You can talk to me about anything."
"I know," Alice bumps against her comfortingly, "You know I don't look down on you for being different. You're my big sister, Rosie. I love you."
Chaeyoung smiles. "Yes, well, we should watch Christmas movies. But we need to wait until Lisa comes over at five."
Kai stands up and stretches. "I'll be in my room playing video games until mom and dad call for family festivities. See you two later."
Chaeyoung frowns as she watches her brother go, because she'd wanted to have some bonding time with her siblings. But she's fine, because she still has Alice. "So... how's school? Is- is there any teenage drama going on? Do you need me to beat someone up?"
Alice laughs. "We go to the same school, Chaeyoung. You'd know if there was drama."
"Oh, yes," Chaeyoung rubs her hand along her thigh nervously, because she doesn't really know how to interact with her little sister properly, since Alice isn't really a kid anymore. Kids are easy to talk to, but teenagers? Even though Chaeyoung's one herself, she doesn't understand them at all. "How- how are your classes? Are they hard? If you need help, I will help, I have a 5.0 GPA."
"They're fine," Alice says, giving her a hug. "I appreciate your offer, though."
"I..." Chaeyoung trails off and bites down on her bottom lip. "Talk to me, Ally. About your life. Please. I would like to- to be a good big sister and- and have you talk to me about things. Please let me be a good big sister."
Alice stares at her for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "There's this boy. And I like him, but I don't know how to approach him since we're not exactly friends and I'm pretty sure he doesn't notice me at all."
"Oh, well," Chaeyoung frowns, "you could... ask him to tutor you in a class you share, or ask him to be your partner on a project. Or just walk up and say hello."
Alice smiles. "Thanks for the advice, Chaeyoung."
"Oh, you're welcome." Chaeyoung replies, a little more preoccupied because Hank comes running out of the kitchen, and she makes a mental note to buy a Santa hat to fit a puppy for next year. "I think I will text Lisa now. To make sure she's still coming."
Alice just nods in reply and turns back to the TV, and Chaeyoung pulls her phone out of her pocket and sets Hank on her lap.
Rosie Park <3 (4:26PM): Are you still coming over?
Rosie Park <3 (4:26PM): Also, Merry Christmas ya filthy animal!!!
Rosie Park <3 (4:26PM): And a happy New Year!
Lili <3 (4:27PM): yes i'm still coming and ur a dork
Lili <3 (4:27PM): r u in Christmas attire????? do i need to bring an xmas sweater
Rosie Park <3 (4:28PM): I am wearing black jeans and my reindeer sweater, and I am not wearing makeup since it's not a special occasion, and I have also changed my nose ring to the stud again and I have not brushed my hair. That is what I look like right now. Also, I made Christmas cookies earlier if you'd like one.
Lili <3 (4:28PM): thx for the detailed account baby
Lili <3 (4:28PM): im setting off to urs now i'll see u in like a half hour
Rosie Park <3 (4:29PM): I will see you soon. Love you. :)
Lili <3 (4:29PM): love u too rosie
With that, Chaeyoung pockets her phone and starts playing with Hank, because she needs to pass the time before Lisa comes. She adjusts the Christmas hat on her head with a smile and kisses the top of her puppy's head, before walking over to the DVD drawer and searching through for Christmas movies.
She pulls out the first three Home Alone movies, and has to resist the temptation to sneakily put The Lion King at the bottom of the pile, and digs around until she finds It's A Wonderful Life, Disney's A Christmas Carol and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Satisfied with her choices, she closes the drawer and flops back onto the couch next to Alice.
"Lili is nearly here, I think," Chaeyoung informs her, "I will get the door when she knocks and then I will go upstairs and get my special blue blanket and Lili and I will share that couch over there."
Alice smiles. "You plan everything out, don't you?"
"Yes, always," Chaeyoung sends her a proud smile. "I enjoy planning, it helps me understand. I'm not- I like routine and structure. But you know that already because you're my sister, you know how my autism works."
"Do you want to go for a walk with me, Rosie?" Alice asks, changing the subject completely. "Like we used to when we were kids, and we'd look for Santa in the sky."
Chaeyoung hums in thought. "Alright then, but we only have half an hour before Lili gets here. We could wait and she could come with us-"
"No, just us," Alice says, standing up from the couch, "I never hang out with just you."
"Oh," Chaeyoung frowns to herself, "okay, I will get my shoes on and then we can go for a walk for half an hour."
Alice nods and gestures towards the door, prompting Chaeyoung to stand up and head out into the hallway to put her shoes on. "We'll go to the park, yeah? That's not too far away."
"Yes," Chaeyoung agrees; she likes the park. It's never usually that loud since parents tend to take their kids to a different park that has a playground, and she enjoys nature a lot. "We can take Hank! Hank, walkies!"
At the word, the puppy comes running out of the kitchen and bounces up at her. Chaeyoung giggles, because she loves it when her puppy is excited about things, and grabs his leash once she's finished putting her shoes on.
Alice calls out to their parents, telling them they'll be back in fifteen minutes and that they're just taking Hank out, and then they make their way to the park. Chaeyoung listens as Alice talks about her school life and how she hates certain teachers but loves others, and doesn't contribute much to the conversation other than some hums in what she thinks are the right places, but she likes it that way. She's more of a listener than a talker.
Chaeyoung gets a little tired out after running around on the grass with Hank, so Alice takes over and tries to unsuccessfully teach the hyperactive puppy how to play fetch as Chaeyoung sits down on the closest bench next to someone, making sure to keep her distance from the unknown person.
She's a little surprised when they speak to her. "Hi. It's Chaeyoung, isn't it? Park Chaeyoung?"
Chaeyoung blinks in surprise, because she didn't know that the stranger would know her name. It's not like she has it written on something. "Um... I don't know you."
"Yeah, you do!" The girl is quick to reply. "We're in the same art class. On Wednesday night? You're super talented, our teacher kind of loves you."
Chaeyoung blinks in confusion and looks up, studying the girl's face. She looks kind of familiar, but Chaeyoung doesn't remember her name. "I still don't know you."
"I'm Sooyoung," the girl introduces herself, "Park Sooyoung."
"Oh," Chaeyoung bites down on her bottom lip, "I'm sorry I didn't recognise you."
Sooyoung laughs. "It's okay. We've never spoken before, but I know your friend Hyeri. She's told me about you."
"She did?" Chaeyoung frowns, not sure why Hyeri would talk about her to some random girl. "What did she say?"
"She told me that you're the most talented artist she knows," Sooyoung says with a smile, "and that you're best friends with Irene and Ash who are in art, too."
"Oh, Irene's my platonic soulmate," Chaeyoung replies, tapping on her leg, "we think the same. I'm autistic and she's- well, that's her thing to tell, not mine."
"Irene's the one Hyeri likes, right?" Sooyoung asks. "The one that sits next to you?"
Chaeyoung looks up in surprise and grins at Sooyoung, because she's just given her a piece of vital information. "Hyeri likes Rene? That's good, because I'm trying to set her up. Irene's girlfriend broke up with her last month, and I think Hyeri and Irene would be good together."
Sooyoung smiles. "Well, if you need any help getting them together, feel free to ask me."
"I- thank you," Chaeyoung beams, and decides she's going to talk to Sooyoung the next time she goes to art class. "I think I'm quite good at matchmaking, my girlfriend and I got two of our friends together and they're both super happy."
"You have a girlfriend?" Sooyoung asks her, before her face settles into a small grin. "That's so cute. What's her name?"
"Lisa," Chaeyoung can't hold back her grin when she thinks about her girlfriend, "she's so wonderful. She was one of my friends before we started dating, and we've been together for ages now. I love her a lot."
"It's nice to talk to other queer girls," Sooyoung replies, "I'm bi. Are you-"
"Me too!" Chaeyoung cuts in with an excited squeal, "this is nice, I like you, I'm going to talk to you in art class, I think."
Sooyoung seems a little surprised by the sudden outburst, and Chaeyoung worries that she's said something wrong and that she's just ruined a potential friendship. But then, Sooyoung pulls her phone out of her pocket and holds it out to Chaeyoung. "Put your number in. We can hang out some time and talk strategy about getting Hyeri and Irene together. Maybe your girlfriend can come along too."
"Oh, okay," Chaeyoung puts her number in, because she has it memorised, and then passes the phone back to Sooyoung, frowning when she feels her own buzz in her pocket. "I have a text."
"Yeah, it's from me. I texted you so you'll have my number too," Sooyoung says, pointing ahead of them as Chaeyoung saves her number. "I think your friend - that girl you came with - is coming over."
"Oh, that's my sister, Alice," Chaeyoung says, smiling when Alice comes over with Hank. "Hi, Ally. This is Sooyoung, she's in my art class on Wednesdays."
"Hi." Alice greets her cautiously. "Anyway, Chae, we should get going. It's nearly five and you need to be home to meet Lisa."
"Yes," Chaeyoung nods and turns to Sooyoung. "I am going now. I will see you in art class in the New Year if I don't see you before that."
"Okay," Sooyoung nods, "I'll text you some time."
"Alright. Goodbye," Chaeyoung replies as she gets up off the bench and follows her sister and Hank out of the park. "She was nice."
Alice laughs. "I can't believe I just saw my sister get a girl's number."
"It was only platonic." Chaeyoung protests, because she's not interested in a relationship with anyone other than Lisa. "I made a new friend."
Alice shakes her head with a smile on her face. "I know, I was teasing. Takes me like ten years to make a new friend. Teach me your secrets, Rosie."
Chaeyoung shrugs. "I don't know what I did. She just started talking to me because she knew who I was from art class. But I'm glad I made a new friend."
"Good," Alice nudges her as they walk towards their house just as Amy's car pulls up. "Your girlfriend is here now."
Letting Alice hold Hank's leash, Chaeyoung breaks out into a run and practically jumps Lisa as she gets out of the car, mimicking what she's seen her girlfriend do a million times before and giving her a koala hug. "Hi."
Lisa laughs as Chaeyoung detaches herself from her. "Hey, baby. Excited to see me?"
"Yes, very," Chaeyoung leans in and gives her a chaste kiss, "Merry Christmas, Lili," Then, she redirects her gaze to Amy, "hello, Amy. Merry Christmas. I will drop Lili at home at half past eight so she can tuck Jules into bed and read her Christmas stories like she says she does every year."
Amy sends her a warm smile. "That's okay, I can pick her up-"
"No," Chaeyoung interrupts. "My family go out for a drive every year to look at the Christmas lights, so we can drop her off on the way. There's no point in making you come out of the house if we're just going to be driving anyway. So we'll drop her off."
"See, mom," Lisa takes Chaeyoung's hand and smiles to Alice as she passes them and heads into the house, "Told you Chaeyoung would bring me home. I'll see you at half eight, alright?"
"Okay," Amy nods and starts the car again, "Half past eight. Have a good night."
As Amy drives away, Chaeyoung pulls Lisa up the driveway and towards the house. "Lili, I made a new friend at the park. She was from my art class, but I'd never spoken to her before. She's friends with Hyeri and she's going to help me get her and Irene together."
Lisa rolls her eyes, "See? You're like, super good at making friends, yet you act like you suck at it."
"Well, I don't think I'm good at it, but I don't care," Chaeyoung says as she leads Lisa into the house. "Anyway, we're going to watch Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate and- and you get to hang out with me and my family and I will come to your house next year."
"Alright then. I like the sound of that." Lisa smiles and kisses her cheek, kicking off her shoes by the door. "So... your bedroom for snuggles?"
"No, lounge," Chaeyoung points towards the closed lounge door. "We are spending time with my family because it's Christmas and- and that's what I always do on- on Christmas."
"Alright then, loser," Lisa nudges her. "I know how much your routines mean to you."
"Yes," Chaeyoung smiles, pushing the lounge door open and leading Lisa inside, "I like routine. Anyway, I got out a bunch of Christmas movies that we're going to watch, I'll let you pick your favourite though. The pile is over there."
As Chaeyoung flops down on the couch that she usually sits on, Lisa goes and looks through the DVD pile, letting out a loud snort at something. "Really, Rosie?"
"What?" Chaeyoung sits up but doesn't make a move to see what Lisa is laughing at. "What is it?"
"The Lion King?" Lisa holds the disk up and raises an eyebrow. "Not exactly a Christmas movie."
Chaeyoung sends her a sheepish smile. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
Lisa rolls her eyes. "This is going back in the drawer. Christmas movies only tonight. Unless it's part of your routine to watch it or something."
Chaeyoung considers lying and saying that it is part of her Christmas routine, but instead she shakes her head, because she knows that she's an awful liar. "No. Not part of my routine."
Lisa smiles triumphantly and puts it back in the DVD drawer. "Finally. Adios, Simba."
Chaeyoung huffs and gets herself comfortable again. "We could've watched it anyway."
"No way," Lisa laughs, holding up A Nightmare Before Christmas. "I've never seen this. Does it live up to the hype all of those kids who shop at Hot Topic make about it?"
Chaeyoung hums in thought. "It's interesting. But if you haven't seen it, maybe we should watch it. My mom hates it, so we should put it on now while she's working on dinner for tomorrow with my dad. I think Alice's helping too now."
Lisa frowns. "Do you usually help?"
"Yes, but I anticipated that with you coming over for a little while, I would not have as much time to help, so I promised my mom that I will help her when you go home, if there's anything left for me to do." Chaeyoung explains. "It is okay, Lili. I made sure I scheduled tonight so I have a structure to work off."
"Okay," Lisa puts A Nightmare Before Christmas into the player and settles down onto the couch next to Chaeyoung. "Can I give you tummy rubs?"
Chaeyoung beams, because usually she has to ask for that, and shifts so she's sat between Lisa's legs, rolling her Christmas sweater up to her ribs. She jumps a little when Lisa's hands come in contact with her bare skin, because she hadn't been expecting them to be that cold. But, her girlfriend's fingers start tracing over her skin and Chaeyoung relaxes in her arms as the movie starts, not really paying much attention to it; she's seen it before, and she's much more focused on Lisa.
She closes her eyes for a moment, and the next thing she knows, she's being nudged in the side, and she blinks in confusion, seeing her mom laughing from the couch and Lisa looking down at her with a smile.
"Hey, baby," Lisa kisses the top of her head. "You had a little nap."
"I did?" Chaeyoung frowns. "Oh. I'm sorry, I was just... really comfy. How long was I asleep for?"
"Only half an hour," Lisa says, "your mom said I should wake you up so you're not cranky later."
Chaeyoung pouts and sends her mom her best glare. "I'm not- I'm not cranky."
Rosalie just laughs. "I think I'd know when I'm the one who gets your bad moods."
Chaeyoung harrumphs and buries her face in Lisa's neck. "Lili loves me no matter if I'm in a bad mood or not."
Lisa raises an eyebrow. "I just enjoy letting people know that you're my girlfriend. I mean, look at you. You're kind of out of my league."
"That's a lie," Chaeyoung replies, "You're very beautiful, Lisa. Please don't put yourself down in front of me. I don't like it."
Lisa runs a hand through Chaeyoung's hair and smiles. "You're a sweetheart. Thank you."
"I'm just telling you the truth," Chaeyoung shrugs and stretches, "You're gorgeous. I think you're the prettiest person I've ever seen, baby."
Lisa laughs and ruffles Chaeyoung's hair. "Honestly, Rosie, you're the sweetest. You don't have to tell me these things."
"I like to," Chaeyoung replies, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes. "I need to give you your present."
"I left yours in the hall. Do you want to open it now?" Lisa asks, following Chaeyoung out of the room. "Or would that break your routine?"
"I am allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve." Chaeyoung says. "So I will open yours."
"Alright," Lisa picks up the badly wrapped present from where she'd left it and holds it out. "Here. I kind of... suck at wrapping presents."
Chaeyoung looks at it for a moment and shrugs. "It's okay. I'm only going to end up ripping it open anyway, right?"
"True," Lisa nods in agreement, "but yeah. Go ahead and open it."
Chaeyoung digs her fingers under the wrapping paper, ripping it off and beaming. "My mulled wine!"
"Yeah, but there's," Lisa pauses as Chaeyoung reads the label on the wine, "there's other stuff too."
"I know, but I really love mulled wine," Chaeyoung smiles and carefully sets the bottle down. "What else is there?"
"Well... stuff you like," Lisa explains, picking up the DVD of The Lion King, "I know you already have a DVD, but this is the two disc platinum edition. I saw it on Amazon and figured you'd want to look at the special features disk. There's also, uh, a few polaroids I took on our dates. That you can stick on your wall if you want..."
"Is this-" Chaeyoung frowns as she picks something else up, "is this a Kovu plushie?"
"Yeah. I sneakily bought it at Disney when you weren't paying attention." Lisa laughs. "I couldn't think of any other Lion King plushies you didn't have, so I figured it's time to head to the second movie."
"Oh," Chaeyoung beams at her. "Thanks, Lili!"
"There's also some Reese's peanut butter cups in there," Lisa adds, "I wanted to give you everything you love."
Chaeyoung hums. "You're not in the basket. So you didn't give me everything I love."
Lisa laughs. "Yeah, but you already had me. Can't give you something you already have, can I?"
Chaeyoung hums in thought. "No. I guess not. Two Lisas would probably be a bit too much anyway, because I'd have twice the people to protect and stop from falling over air."
"Gravity hates me," Lisa pouts, "it's not my fault. I wish I knew what I did. It's been like this since I was born, half the time I don't even think I did anything. I think it's just mean."
"Gravity isn't a person, Lili. It can't hate you." Chaeyoung points out, humming to herself as she gets out the fluffy socks Lisa had put in the gift basket. "I like these. Very fuzzy."
"Good to know," Lisa reaches out and squeezes Chaeyoung's hand. "I have a second bottle of mulled wine for you, but it wouldn't fit. So... I'll give that to you when you come to my house next."
"Oh, thank you," Chaeyoung smiles, "now I can drink all of this one tonight!"
"All of it?" Lisa raises an eyebrow. "Planning on getting drunk, Rosie?"
"Oh, no, I don't like being drunk because of the hangovers after," Chaeyoung tells her what she already knows, "but I don't mind being tipsy because then I don't get a hangover. And I really like mulled wine."
Lisa just laughs. "Alright, babe. You do whatever makes you happy."
"Well," Chaeyoung leans forward and kisses her, "that makes me happy. You make me happy."
Lisa raises an eyebrow and tugs Chaeyoung upstairs. "Well then. In that case... you should give me my present."
"I nearly forgot about that," Chaeyoung admits as she kicks the door closed behind them. "Sit down on my bed. It's in my present drawer."
Lisa does as Chaeyoung says, and the older girl opens up the drawer she reserves for Christmas presents, grabbing the one present left in there. Then, she crosses back over to the bed and holds it out to Lisa.
The younger girl takes it and unwraps it, nearly having a heart attack when she sees the little box. "Chaeyoung..."
Chaeyoung rocks on her heels. "Open it."
Lisa does as she says, opening the box and staring down at the gold ring inside. "Chaeyoung, this-"
"It was my grandma's," Chaeyoung interrupts, sitting down on the bed next to her, "and she- she gave it to me when she was still alive and told me that if I found someone that I loved with all my heart, she wanted me to give it to them. I know she probably meant in a proposal kind of way, but I- I wanted to give it to you now. Because I love you and I'm sure that I want to spend forever with you and when I actually propose, I want to give you something I picked out. So I guess this is kind of like a... a mock proposal. A sort of- a proposal for a proposal."
"Chaeyoung," Lisa's mouth works and she fails to get the words out, so she pulls her girlfriend in for a tight hug and buries her face in her neck. "I love you so much."
"I know," Chaeyoung's fingers brush through her hair, "oh, your hair is very soft. Stimmy. I like it. But- um, anyway, yes- do you like the ring?"
"I love it," Lisa mumbles, "God, Chaeyoung, I want to fast forward to when we're married and we have our kittens and... and we're just together and happy."
Chaeyoung hums. "I don't. I'd rather experience it all with you. The ups and downs. All of it. And that's why I gave you the ring, because I want to experience everything with you. Together."
"You're so unbelievably good at this," Lisa watches in awe as Chaeyoung slides the ring onto her finger. "You're just- you're amazing and it- it makes me wonder what I ever saw in anyone else."
Chaeyoung snuggles up against her. "I- I want to be with you forever, Lili."
"I know," Lisa leans up and kisses her. "Me too."
After a few moments of comfortable silence, Chaeyoung speaks up. "Merry Christmas, Lili."
"Yeah," Lisa kisses her. "Merry Christmas, Rosie."
"Can- can we go back downstairs?" Chaeyoung asks, tapping on her leg, "I'd like to- to sit with my family. You can cuddle me if you'd like. We're having pork for dinner."
"Okay," Lisa kisses Chaeyoung's temple and stands up, stretching. "Thank you for the ring, Rosie. Seriously. It's beautiful and it obviously means a lot to you because it's from your grandma-"
"She wanted me to give it to the person I love," Chaeyoung interrupts, taking her hand and leading her downstairs. "You're the person I love, and I know she would've approved of you because of how accepting and wonderful you are. She understood me and she would've- she would've loved you, because you understand me too."
"Chaeyoung..." Lisa cuts her off before they can walk into the lounge, "I really wish I could've met your grandma. She seems like she was a wonderful woman, and she- I just, I'm so glad that you had someone there. Someone like her, who accepted you for what you are when your parents were trying to change you."
Chaeyoung smiles. "She was extraordinary. Christmas was her favourite holiday, and we'd go to her house every year and- and we'd eat Christmas dinner and eat cookies and watch movies and I'd sit on her lap in her rocking chair until I fell asleep. And when she died... it took me a long time to get over it, and- and I was still kind of hurting from it when you moved here. I'm still hurting from it now, a little. But... but I know she's somewhere good, and she's so proud of me and that- that people..."
"That people what?" Lisa presses when Chaeyoung interrupts her, "What's wrong?"
Chaeyoung shakes her head. "Nothing is wrong, it's just- my grandma used to say that people had two lives, and when their actual life ends, the second one begins. Like... it's through memories. My grandma will live on through my memories and stories about her, and that's the second life. And the second life... when you're in your second life, you're immortal. You can never die as long as people pass down stories about you, because no matter how alone you think you are, there's always someone you've made an impact on. Even if that person doesn't even know your name. Even if you live on through a homeless person that you gave a dollar to one day so they could buy their dinner. Everyone lives on."
Lisa smiles. "That's beautiful."
"Yeah. It is," Chaeyoung agrees, rocking on her heels. "Anyway... let's go in the lounge now. Would you like a drink?"
Lisa nods as Chaeyoung opens the lounge door and flops down on the free couch. "I think since it's Christmas Eve, hot chocolate is in order. And marshmallows."
Chaeyoung beams. "Yes. Yours will have pink marshmallows and mine will have the white ones. I'll be right back, I'm going to go make them."
"Okay, baby," Lisa nods and watches as Chaeyoung makes her way out of the room and into the kitchen. When the door opens again and Kai walks through, Lisa doesn't bother making conversation; out of all of the Parks, Kai is the one she's never really spoken with before.
"Can I ask you a question?"
Lisa jumps in surprise - when he'd sat down on the other couch, she hadn't expected him to talk to her. "Uh... depends what the question is."
He nods. "How much do you care about my sister?"
"Too much," Lisa is quick to reply, "I love her. Why?"
"Because even though Chaeyoung and I aren't as close as everyone else, I'll still kick your ass if you hurt her." He says, sending Alice a smile as she walks in the room with a mug. "And Ally will do the same, right?"
Alice sits down next to Kai and shrugs. "What're we talking about?"
"Beating me up, apparently," Lisa says, "only hypothetically and under the condition that I hurt Chaeyoung first, which would never happen anyway."
"Oh, yeah, that'd definitely never happen," Alice replies with a laugh. "But if by some miracle it does, then yeah, I'll help you beat her up, Kai."
"Who are you beating up?" Chaeyoung asks as she walks through the kitchen door and sits down, kissing Lisa on the cheek and handing her a mug of cocoa with pink marshmallows. "Violence is wrong, you guys know that."
"It's nothing, Rosie," Alice assures her, "just talking to Lisa about hypothetical situations."
"Oh, like alternate universes?" Chaeyoung doesn't even give her a chance to reply. "Lili and I have talked about those a lot, they're super interesting actually. I think they exist."
"Yeah, Rosie," Lisa pulls Chaeyoung in for a hug. "I bet they do. But I quite like the universe, I think."
"Yes, me too," Chaeyoung bobs her head in agreement, "especially around this time of year. Christmas is the best holiday, although I do like Halloween a lot too. We had a great Halloween, didn't we?"
"Yeah," Lisa replies, ruffling Chaeyoung's hair and beaming when her girlfriend scrunches her nose up and shoves her away lightly. "We did. You and your damn masterpiece pumpkin carvings totally stole the show from me and Jules."
Chaeyoung laughs. "Well, uh, we can make Christmas cookies after we watch a movie with my family. And then you can make masterpiece cookies and steal the show from me."
"Okay," Lisa agrees as Chaeyoung rests her head on her shoulder. "That's a deal. I'll kick your ass by making the best cookies anyone has ever tasted."
Chaeyoung hums and cuddles up to her side. "Yes. Okay."
"You always say yes," Lisa points out, "never yeah, or yep, or... something of that nature. Always straight up yes."
"Oh," Chaeyoung frowns, "I didn't realise I had any particular words that I used more frequently than others."
"Yeah, there's a few more actually," Lisa points out. "I. Have. A. 5.0. GPA."
Chaeyoung gives her a light shove and rolls her eyes. "You're the worst."
"Nope," Lisa shakes her head, "I'm the best."
"It's not- you always make fun of my GPA, I think you're jealous," Chaeyoung pouts at her, and Lisa thinks it's the most adorable thing she's seen all year. "You're jealous that I'm smarter than you so you make fun of my GPA."
"No, I make fun of how you constantly brag about it," Lisa nudges her in the side and kisses her cheek. "But in a good way. I think it's adorable and it's something you should be proud of."
"I... yes," Chaeyoung nods, "I'm proud of it, I won an award last year for my grades, I had to go up on stage and collect it and everyone saw so they all know I'm smarter than they are."
"You're the smartest," Lisa agrees, dropping her voice to a whisper when she continues, "and the hottest."
"I- Lili," Chaeyoung blushes, "thanks. You're super sweet. Anyway, um- do you... do you like your cocoa? You haven't really been drinking it."
"I'm waiting for the marshmallows to melt into it," Lisa says, taking a sip of it anyway, "it's sweeter that way."
"Oh," Chaeyoung smiles and takes Lisa's free hand. "Good. I thought you just didn't like it, but it's Christmas Eve, you have to have hot chocolate. Also- also, mulled wine. I will open the bottle later."
"Okay, baby," Lisa squeezes her hand. "You don't have to share it with me, you know."
"I know. But I want to," Chaeyoung smiles at her. "I like sharing things with you. You're my best friend."
"You're- you're my everything," Lisa says back, kissing Chaeyoung's cheek. "And I love you, nerd."
Chaeyoung hums in thought and fiddles with the gold ring she'd put on Lisa's finger earlier. "I know. I love you too, and I'm so glad... that I get to have this with you. And that I'll get to have this with you for the rest of my life."
"Yeah," Lisa rests her forehead against Chaeyoung's and leans in to kiss her. "We'll have great Christmases when we're older. I promise."
"Yes," Chaeyoung nods, "Merry Christmas, babe."
Lisa blushes. "Merry Christmas, baby girl."