There is a small, snow covered town deep in the mountains. Built with a foreign theme, the place was a tourist attraction for its beauty year-round, though was most famous for its end of the year holiday lights. People gathered from all over with their families, friends, and significant others to watch the tree lighting ceremony that took place on the weekends.

This year as a surprise, Chanyeol had brought Minseok, his boyfriend, to experience the magic with him as a Christmas gift to the elder man. He had talked it up for the last month and a half at being such an amazing experience that the tall man really hoped Minseok wouldn’t be let down.

Wearing a large smile, Chanyeol watches his boyfriend pull him down the street. Snow crunches under their feet as they move past vendors and their carts of food, a few carrying souvenirs. They pass countless shops as they meander towards a small incline where people were sledding and Chanyeol examines Minseok’s features.

The man didn’t look upset and with the warm food in his stomach, Minseok moves up the hill as he links his finger’s with Chanyeol’s. “Do you think we can just borrow a sled?” the elder asks as he looks around once reaching the top.

Everyone looked to be waiting appropriately behind other people in a strangely organized line, though, there were a few stragglers that would charge in front and just start sledding. The hill was not that big, it mostly a sharp decline with a long straightaway at the bottom. So many people had already packed down the snow and there was even a slippery path one could take to get back up to the top.

There are a few broken sleds laying around and Minseok gently nudges one. He purses his lips and wants to try sledding, not having done this sort of thing since he was a child. Glancing up at his boyfriend, Minseok tries not to look dejected at not having thought to bring a sled and he shrugs before mumbling that they could go somewhere else.

Chanyeol rolls his eyes and lifts their gloved hands before kissing Minseok’s fingers. “Stay here, okay? I will go find something for us to use,” the tall man says as he pulls away from the other and goes back the way they had come. Slipping and sliding down the pathway, Chanyeol begins his search for a place to buy a sled or someone that was abandoning one that was not broken.

Minseok smiles as he watches his boyfriend go. When Chanyeol is out of sight, he turns and looks around to see if he had missed any sleds that were useable. Subconsciously, Minseok pats his pocket and nods to assure himself that the box was still safely buried in his coat.

Ten minutes later, Chanyeol returns with a sled for him and Minseok to share. He had bought it off another couple when the girlfriend was cold and wanting to go inside to get some coffee to warm up. Proudly caring the plastic over his shoulder, the man looks for Minseok and is a little worried when he doesn’t see the elder at the top of the hill.

It turns out Chanyeol wasn’t looking at the right angle.

Sitting inside of another family’s sled, Minseok has his arms wrapped around a little girl and is about to throw them down the hill. In the time it took Chanyeol to return, Minseok had already befriended a family when the girl with him now had ran over calling him her friend. He had been standing alone and the child didn’t find that this was the place to be alone, and no matter how much Minseok explained, she didn’t believe that he was not alone.

“Ready?” the young man says as he wears a gummy smile. Glancing back over his shoulder, Minseok nods to the girl’s father and they are given a hard push to get them going.

Minseok smiles wider when the girl lets out an energetic squeal as they gain speed and start flying down the incline. Flying over the little bumps, the sled gets a bit of air. The excitement is over after a few seconds and Minseok throws his legs out of the sled to stop the two of them from hitting anyone that wasn’t paying attention.

“Again, again!” the girl exclaims as she rushes over for the side of the hill where everyone was climbing up, Minseok following behind with the sled.

As he reaches the top, arms wrap around him and Minseok turns to see who it was before breaking out into a smile again. Chanyeol tilts his head as he watches his boyfriend, enthralled by how he got along with everyone despite being an introverted person.

“I got us a sled,” Chanyeol comments as he kisses the side of Minseok’s head and motions to the piece of plastic that was leaning against a lamp post. “I see you made friends?”

Minseok laughs and he slides out of Chanyeol’s embrace before nodding as he explains what had actually happened. Bringing his boyfriend over to the family, Minseok introduces Chanyeol before telling the little girl that he had to go. Waving much like a child himself, the elder man moves back to where Chanyeol had left their new sled.

“I want to sit in the front!” Minseok exclaims as he lays the sled down and is already climbing in. He leaves enough room behind him for the giant of a boyfriend he had and holds onto the string in front with his legs out so the sled didn’t move.

Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol carefully climbs into the sled and his legs are dangling out the front, but he makes sure they won’t interfere with the ride. Wrapping his arms around Minseok much like how the elder had done to the child before, the man in the back leans back. Minseok leans back with him and reaches over the sides of the sled before clawing at the snow to propel them forward.

The two go flying and Minseok laughs happily as their combined weight makes them go faster. Just as last time, the sled gets air with every little bump they fly over. They speed down the hill and at the last second, Chanyeol stops the sled before the two men run into a tree.

Their sledding adventures end about twenty minutes later after Chanyeol hurts his on a hard landing. Minseok has to persuade the other that they were done as he tries not to laugh at Chanyeol limping around holding his -cheeks in pain. Minseok ends up donating their sled to a large family that didn’t have more than one and he feels a surge of pride when the parents thank him and the children start taking turns.

Hand in hand, Minseok and Chanyeol move to the food carts that line the street. Despite just having eaten an hour ago, the elder of the two was hungry already. He claims he had digested his food while running up the hill so many times and Chanyeol can tell the other’s mouth is watering as they pass the different assortments of food.

“Oh, look at this one!” Minseok says as he points to container of fudge that someone was selling. “Can we get one, Chanyeol? And maybe some hot chocolate, too?”

Chanyeol nods and he slides his hand into his pocket to grab out his wallet to pay for the sweets. Minseok already has the container open and is gobbling two down. His cheeks are full and makes him look like a chipmunk. The sight makes Chanyeol laugh and he ruffles Minseok’s hair before wrapping an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders.

“Do you want some hot chocolate?” Minseok asks as he looks up at the younger again.

Without waiting for an answer, Minseok begins tugging Chanyeol in the direction of a little café shop. It was packed already and everyone was packed inside the building to get out of the cold.

“I’ll stay out here and wait, okay?” the short man says as he sways and pulls himself from Chanyeol’s side. Putting his hands in his pockets, Minseok bobs his head from side to side while shooting a smile up for the other.

Commenting on how pushy the elder was, Chanyeol pecks his boyfriend’s lips before moving over to the café. He wanted to get coffee since they still had to drive home that night and as he looks over the line, Chanyeol thinks he may be there a while.

*                              *                              *

Looking at the time on his phone after he gets through the line, Chanyeol sighs as he realizes he had spent nearly twenty minutes in the shop. He takes a big sip from his to-go cup and makes sure Minseok’s drink had a stopper before he leaves the building. Expecting to see Minseok right outside or in the general area he had left him, Chanyeol moves his head in each direction to find his boyfriend in his white puffy jacket.

“Minseok?” Chanyeol calls out as he moves into the street and begins his search. “Where did he go?”

The man goes a few blocks one way which the two had already been through in case Minseok decided to check something of get something while he was waiting. When he doesn’t find him, Chanyeol goes down the other way of the street, but it eventually turns into residential areas.

Brow furrowing, Chanyeol heads back to the sledding area, not knowing where the other could be at this point. It was starting to get dark and he was worried that the two of them wouldn’t be able to see the tree lighting together. Taking another sip of his coffee, he hopes to calm himself down.

As if helping him see the light, Chanyeol’s eyes widen when he sees someone standing next to a performance stage fifty yards away with a white, puffy coat. Moving over before said person went anywhere, Chanyeol tries to get a good look at whoever it was. He realizes the height was all wrong, the person nearly as tall as him. Chanyeol lets out a long sigh and shakes his head.

Chanyeol pulls out his phone to check the time and he is really concerned when he can’t find Minseok in the main part of town. He doesn’t think it productive to ask random people if they had seen a stranger and since his boyfriend’s phone had died during their meal, Chanyeol couldn’t even call the other.

Wondering if he should restart his search in case Minseok had been inside somewhere, Chanyeol walks down the snow-covered sidewalk. He tries to get a good look at anyone with a white coat, but has no luck finding Minseok.

“Channie!”

Chanyeol’s head whips around when he hears the familiar voice and a smile covers his face. Minseok is waving wildly at him from the start of some line that didn’t look like it even had a purpose. Moving over, the man slides beside his boyfriend and kisses him deeply on the lips.

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol asks sternly as he shakes his head and tries to look upset. Minseok doesn’t look concerned at all as he takes the hot chocolate. “I almost lost you!”

Rolling his eyes, Minseok looks up and he smiles at Chanyeol. He takes a sip of the warm liquid and is grateful when he starts to warm up. “I knew you would find me!” he cheers as he turns to look at the empty road with a smile.

Chanyeol is about to argue with his boyfriend, but is silenced when a horse drawn carriage turns the corner and comes right in their direction. Eyes widening, the tall man smiles and he looks down at Minseok expectantly.

“Are we getting on that?” Chanyeol asks, excitement in his voice as he wraps his arms around Minseok and sways with the elder as they wait for the carriage to come closer.

Nodding in reply, Minseok takes another drink as he leans back into Chanyeol’s chest. He pulls out his money to pay and when the family hops off the last stair, the elder hands cash to the man that tells them the price. Happily climbing into the carriage, Minseok still holds his boyfriend’s hand as he sits down. There is a small blanket there for people to cover up with during the ride and Minseok carefully drapes it over his and Chanyeol’s lap.

“I was waiting patiently for you, but then I saw the horse go past and I followed her over here!” Minseok says with a sheepish laugh as he hooks his arm with Chanyeol’s and lays his head on the younger’s shoulder. “I forgot my phone died, but I was already in line. Like I said, I knew you would find me.”

Chanyeol laughs and he reaches over to fix Minseok’s hat so it was covering the other’s ears. He kisses the man’s head again and just as the horse begins moving, the lights flicker on.

Every building and tree are covered. There are some with multicolored lights and others with flashing bulbs. The windows are even lined with lights making the whole street look so picturesque that neither men wanted to look away or miss anything. They cuddle together to fight off the coldness of sitting in one spot while the carriage moves around the main blocks of the city to show off the beauty.

“This is so beautiful,” Chanyeol says as he pulls Minseok into his side and presses a kiss on the elders cheek. He wants to say something cheesy, but he knows he would be scolded by his boyfriend for it. He notices Minseok shift several times and his brow furrows as he adjusts himself to see the other’s face. “Something wrong, Minseok?”

Minseok smiles and he lets out a shy laugh before shaking his head. He doesn't speak right away and subconsciously fixes his hat despite it already being in place. The elder man leans to his side and pulls a box out of his pocket with a nervous look.

Chanyeol’s eyes widen and he swallows thickly. He immediately thinks that the box contains a lifelong promise and he stiffens, a small stutter escaping him. He knew he would say yes, but he really wasn't expecting something like this as a gift on Christmas.

Minseok remains oblivious to Chanyeol’s inner turmoil and he smiles shyly as he leans into the younger's side once again. Clearing his throat, the man looks around once before he opens the box. His smile widens as he presents a very beautiful watch to his boyfriend.

“Oh my gosh, Minseok!” Chanyeol smiles when he sees the watch and he feels a bit relieved, but also saddened for getting his hopes up. “This is amazing! Is it for me?”

Minseok legs out a small laugh and he rolls his eyes before nodding. Pulling the expensive watch out of the box, he holds it out to Chanyeol to try on. “I saw it when we went to the mall a month ago. I knew it would make you look really handsome,” he compliments as he watches Chanyeol dawn the accessory.

“I love it! I love it so much,” Chanyeol says as he nods quickly and holds his arm out to examine the watch better. He wraps his arms around Minseok and kisses the elder on the lips quickly. “I love you!”

Minseok's smile widens and he lays his head down on Chanyeol’s shoulder. He glances around and looks at the lights happily, content with the whole adventure the day had brought. He wanted to come back the next year and the one after that to experience this all over again with his boyfriend.

“Merry Christmas, Channie,” Minseok whispers as he looks up at the other man. They pass under more lights and they twinkle above Chanyeol to make him look like a god. Laughing lightly at the thought, Minseok sets his head down again and doesn't want to get off the carriage, or at least not out of Chanyeol’s embrace.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Sorry this is a bit late for the some of you, but it is still Christmas here! Hope you guys had a great holiday season and start off the new year strong~