MERRY XMAS ft boyliife l (multi-oneshot)
a series of one shots for each member of boyliife , intended to read as separate pieces. reader is referred to as she, includes angst, preestablished relationship, fluff, based all in Christmas
Ryan, hollis, nate, Roman are all included
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-ROMAN- christmas ended in silence, and for the first time roman realized love doesn’t wait forever.
it was past midnight when you finally gave up pretending you were waiting on purpose.
the table was still set even though everything on it was gone. plates scraped clean hours ago, napkins folded and unfolded until they were soft and useless. the candles had burned down to nothing. wax cooled in crooked puddles like they had melted from embarrassment.
the gifts were gone too. not opened. just moved. stacked neatly back into their bags earlier that night when it became clear no one was coming to tear into them with crooked smiles and bad jokes.
you sat on the couch instead.
the apartment was dark except for the lamp beside you. warm yellow light that made everything feel smaller.
roman had texted once earlier. running late. studio stuff. you had replied with a heart. you always did. you never wanted to be the reason his night got heavier.
by eleven, you stopped checking your phone.
by midnight, christmas was officially over and you were still alone.
you heard the click of the door a few minutes later. keys dropping into the bowl. shoes kicked off like it was any other night.
“hey,” roman said, confused, soft. “why are you sittin in the dark?”
you didn’t look at him.
he walked farther into the room, noticing the table, the bags, the lamp. his smile faded into something uncertain. “what’s wrong?”
you swallowed. your voice came out flat. colder than you expected.
“you’re late.”
he laughed once, short and confused. “late for what?”
that’s when you looked at him.
really looked. tired eyes. hoodie still on. tour pass hanging from his neck like proof. like evidence that he had been somewhere else all night.
“it’s christmas,” you said. “you promised.”
he froze.
you watched the moment it hit him. watched his face change as memory finally caught up. his mouth opened. closed.
“oh fuck,” he said quietly. “i forgot. baby i’m so sorry.”
something in you cracked.
“sorry?” you repeated. your voice shook now. “be for real.”
he stepped toward you instantly, hands out like he could fix this with touch alone. “i didn’t mean to i swear i just got caught up and-”
“don’t,” you said, pulling away when his fingers brushed your arm. “don’t touch me.”
that stopped him.
you stood up, pacing once before turning back to him, tears burning your eyes. “how many times have you said that? it won’t happen again. every time. every anniversary. every celebration. every night i go to bed by myself.”
he stared at you like he didn’t recognize this version of you. like he didn’t know this was how deep it went.
“that’s not fair,” he started, voice breaking. “you know how busy it’s been i’m trying to-”
“trying for who?” you snapped. “because it’s never me.”
he flinched.
you wiped at your face angrily. “when did i become an option instead of a need? when did i turn into something you fit in when you have time?”
he opened his mouth. nothing came out.
for once, roman had no joke. no excuse that landed.
you laughed once through your tears. bitter. “look at you. you don’t even know what to say because you know i’m right.”
“i love you,” he said desperately. “you know that. i just mess up sometimes.”
“sometimes?” your voice dropped. steady now. tired. “roman, you’re never here.”
that did it.
his shoulders sagged. guilt finally settled in heavy and unavoidable. “i didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“intent doesn’t change impact,” you said quietly.
you grabbed a blanket from the chair, holding it to your chest like armor. “you can sleep in our room tonight,” you said. “i’ll take the guest bedroom.”
his head snapped up. “don’t do that. please. let’s talk.”
“we’ve talked,” you said. “nothing changes.”
you walked past him toward the hallway. he reached out again, slower this time, like he was scared you’d disappear if he touched you wrong.
you stepped out of reach.
“merry christmas,” you said softly, not looking back.
the guest room door closed behind you.
roman stood alone in the living room, lamp still on, table still set, the quiet finally loud enough to hurt.
for the first time, he understood what it felt like to be too late.
HOLLIS - a chaotic christmas cake, one unplanned kiss, and the internet watching it all fall in love with you two.
you hit record before you could overthink it.
“hi guys,” you said, already smiling. “today we’re gonna be baking a cake for christmas.”
you paused dramatically, then added, “with my boyfriend.”
you flipped the camera.
“2hollis,” you said like it was a reveal.
“yo,” he replied immediately, leaning into frame. he walked over, no hesitation, and rested his head on top of yours like it was muscle memory. his hair tickled your forehead. he looked straight into the lens, relaxed. “what’s good.”
you laughed. “okay so the plan is a little christmas cake. nothing crazy. i want it to look kinda messy but cute. like homemade vibes.”
“that’s my specialty,” he said.
“no it’s not,” you replied instantly.
cut to the kitchen.
you handed him a bowl. “okay you can mix.”
he took the spoon, spun it once, then immediately started flicking flour at you.
“hollis.”
“i’m helpin.”
“you’re literally not.”
he grinned at the camera. “she’s bossy.”
you took the bowl back. “you cracked the eggs wrong last time.”
“i cracked them fine.”
“you cracked shell into the batter.”
he shrugged and leaned against the counter, watching you do everything. occasionally he’d reach over and steal chocolate chips or poke the batter with his finger.
every time you looked up, he was doing something unhelpful.
you caught him trying to balance a measuring cup on his head. “what are you doing.”
“content.”
somehow, the cake still made it into the oven.
you both sat on the counter waiting, you talking about frosting ideas while he zoned out, nodding like he was listening.
“are you even paying attention?"
“yeah,” he said. “green icing. christmas tree. stars. maybe my name on it.”
“absolutely not.”
when it finally came out, it actually looked good. shockingly good.
decorating was chaos. icing everywhere. his finger in the frosting every five seconds. you kept swatting his hand away while he laughed.
“stop eating it.”
“i’m taste testing.”
you finished it anyway. messy but cute. exactly how you wanted.
you cut a slice, handed it to him, then took one for yourself.
you chewed.
paused.
“wait,” you said, eyes widening. “it’s actually so good.”
he leaned in immediately and kissed you. like he didn’t even think about the camera still rolling.
“yeah,” he said against your lips, pulling back with a smile. “really good.”
you laughed, flustered. “okay. end video.”
cut.
the next day you woke up to your phone exploding.
clips everywhere. edits. comments screaming. people replaying the kiss over and over.
you showed him one comment while he was still half asleep.
he squinted at the screen. “damn. we’re famous.”
you smiled. “we made a cake.”
“we made the cake,” he corrected, pulling you back into him.
and honestly, the internet wasn’t wrong.
NATE -a winter market, trembling hands, and the moment “almost” finally turned into forever.
“today’s the day,” nate said, mostly to himself.
you laughed from the passenger seat. “you’ve said that three times.”
he gripped the steering wheel tighter, smiling like he was trying not to explode. “yeah well. it is.”
you and nate had been in that weird almost place for months. more than friends. less than official. texting every day. late night calls. his hoodie somehow permanently at your place. everyone knew except the two of you.
christmas was your favorite thing in the world. lights, music, the cold, all of it. nate knew that. he remembered everything.
the winter market glowed the second you walked in. string lights everywhere. fake snow dusting the rooftops. music playing softly in the background.
your eyes lit up immediately. “oh my god.”
he watched you more than anything else.
first stop was hot chocolate. extra whipped cream. marshmallows melting into the top. your hands brushed when he passed you the cup and it felt stupidly electric for something so small.
you dragged him onto every ride you could find. the spinning ones. the dumb little christmas train. you both laughed too hard, cheeks cold, fingers laced together without either of you commenting on it.
by the time the night slowed down, you were walking quieter. just lights and footsteps and your breath fogging in the air.
that’s when you noticed it.
a heart shaped walkway ahead, lined with warm white lights. glowing softly like it had been waiting.
“wait,” you said, slowing down. “this is so cute.”
you stepped forward, then realized nate wasn’t beside you anymore.
you turned.
he was standing a few steps back, holding a bouquet of red roses. his hands shook a little. his smile was nervous but genuine.
your heart dropped straight into your stomach.
“nate,” you whispered.
he swallowed. “okay. so. i know we’ve been… whatever we’ve been. and i didn’t wanna rush you. or scare you. but i also didn’t wanna go another year pretending i don’t feel this.”
he stepped closer. “you’re my favorite person. you make everything better. i don’t wanna just almost have you anymore.”
your eyes burned.
“christmas is your favorite,” he said softly. “so i wanted this to be something you’d remember.”
he took a breath. “will you be my girlfriend, yn?"
you covered your mouth, already crying.
“oh my gosh,” you laughed through tears. “yes. obviously yes.”
he smiled so wide it almost broke his face.
the kiss was slow and warm and perfect, lights glowing around you like a movie scene that didn’t feel real.
when you pulled back, you rested your forehead against his.
“best christmas ever,” you said.
he kissed you again. “yeah. it really is.”
RYAN - a blackout christmas night proved that the quiet moments are the ones that change everything.
the power went out right after midnight.
not just your apartment. the whole block. streetlights snapping off one by one until everything outside the windows went dark and quiet.
you stared at your phone screen. no signal. no wifi. just the time blinking back at you like it was mocking the situation.
“well,” ryan said from the doorway, phone flashlight pointed at the ceiling. “that’s kinda poetic.”
“poetic my ass,” you said. “i was literally in the middle of wrapping.”
he laughed and stepped farther in, setting his phone down on the counter so the light bounced around the room. shadows stretched long and unfamiliar.
you and ryan weren’t supposed to be doing christmas together. that had been the plan. just a casual hang before you both went your separate ways to see family in the morning. no pressure. no expectations.
but now you were stuck.
“it’s freezing,” you said, rubbing your arms.
“yeah,” he replied. “we should probably do something before we turn into popsicles.”
you ended up on the floor of the living room with every blanket you owned piled between you. candles lit. the only sound the wind outside and ryan shifting beside you.
it felt intimate in a way you hadn’t prepared for.
“remember when we said we weren’t doing gifts?” you said quietly.
he nodded. “yeah.”
“i lied.”
he looked over. “same.”
you both laughed, soft and nervous. he reached behind him and pulled out a small paper bag, slightly crumpled. “i didn’t know when to give it to you.”
you opened it slowly.
inside was an old disposable camera.
your chest tightened. “ryan.”
“you’re always saying everything goes too fast,” he said. “i thought maybe we could… slow it down. take pictures of dumb stuff. things we don’t wanna forget.”
you blinked hard. “i love this.”
outside, snow started falling harder. thick and quiet.
time stretched. conversations drifted. memories came up. things neither of you usually said out loud.
somewhere between 2 am and the third candle burning low, you leaned your head against his shoulder.
he didn’t move away.
“can i tell you something?” he said.
you nodded.
“i think this is my favorite christmas,” he admitted. “and nothing special even happened.”
you smiled softly. “maybe that’s why.”
the lights flickered back on a few minutes later. sudden and harsh.
neither of you moved.
ryan exhaled. “kinda wish they hadn’t.”
you turned toward him. really looked at him. the quiet. the blankets. the snow.
“yeah,” you said. “me too.”
he leaned in slowly, like he was giving you time to change your mind.
you didn’t.
the kiss was gentle. unhurried. like it belonged in the dark more than the light.
later, when you finally stood up and started picking up the mess, ryan snapped the first photo.
you squinted at the flash. “what was that for?”
“proof,” he said. “that this actually happened.”