Author's note: IT'S SO BAD BUT I TRIED. I REALLY DID TRY.

Taemin hadn't had guests over for Christmas since almost eight years ago. He usually let his daughter Minhee spend the evening with her best friend, and picked her up the next morning. 

This evening, however, someone was coming over. 

A date, to be precise. 

His name was Minho, and Taemin had known him for years. However, until just a month ago, he had only known him as the elusive father of his daughter's friend Taehyung. 

Even if he had known about the man since her daughter befriended his son when she was three years old (she was a beautiful ten year old now) he had never actually met him during all of that time. That was until Taemin found out who was going to help him with the school's Christmas play that year. 

Taemin always volunteered to help in the school's activities. It helped him to keep a cheerful spirit for Minhee. Not many other parents volunteered, though, because they were always too busy, like everyone in this age always thought they were. Finding two people volunteering for the same activity was very rare. 

He had recognized the name as soon as he had seen it written in the email. 

Choi Minho. 

Choi Taehyung's father. A classic rich executive who was always working late. One of those people who let most of the education of their son to a maid. Gwiboon was a great person, luckily, but she wasn’t his mother (who, by the way, was a lady even more elusive than he was). It was her who would pick Taehyung up from his house, and who would call to ask for permission to take Minhee to trips, and basically everything a parent should have done themselves. Taemin had spoken to Minho maybe once or twice on the phone, but that was about it. 

Which was why he had been so surprised to see him volunteer to help the drama teacher this Christmas.

*

-4 weeks ago-

"Hey!" Minhee greeted cheerfully as she arrived to her seat in the classroom beside Taehyung. 

Taehyung was her best friend since forever. They had known each other for as long as she could remember. He was also as smart as she was, and together they were the best students of their class. She didn't mind at all if others called them weird or nerds, because it was like they were attached by the hip (so much that their teachers would always ask the other if one of them didn't come to class). As long as she had him, everything was fine. 

Her friend didn't seem quite himself that morning, though. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked him, seeing that he wasn't replying. 

Taehyung looked up. "My dad was arguing this morning with another weird guy," he said. 

"Weird like what?" 

"I don't know. He just came out in the morning from his room like the others and they were screaming. And then my mom called my dad and he was saying he would spend Christmas alone." 

"Do you think people just climb to your dad's window during the night?" 

Taehyung laughed at that. "Maybe."

He looked a bit disappointed still, and Minhee tried to comfort him. "Don't worry. My dad always spends Christmas alone too." 

She understood Taehyung, though. Spending Christmas alone would be unthinkable for her. Christmas was the best time of the whole year. Only old and bitter people or evil villains in tales spent Christmas by themselves.

It was very, very, very sad.

They were silent for a while after that, until a sudden idea seemed to pop into their heads at the exact same time (something that happened very frequently) and they turned too look at each other.  

"What if they spend it together?" they both said excitedly.

"But like, together-togehter?" Minhee asked. 

"Yes! Of course. They're perfect for each other. Your dad is super nice and hardworking, and my dad always complains his dates are rude and don't work." 

"My dad doesn't go on any dates.” Minhee was thoughtful for a while. “But I bet he'd like your dad too." 

"See? It's the perfect plan! And if they get married we would be brothers!" 

They both giggled at that thought. 

"But there's a problem, though... Your dad is aaaaaalways busy," Minhee said, putting a lot of emphasis in the word ‘always’. 

Taehyung sighed. “I know, but it’s only because he really has to work.”

They were quiet for a moment, weighting their options.

"I have an idea!” Taehyung broke the silence. “What if my dad helps your dad with this year's Christmas play?" 

"That'd would be great! My dad already volunteered." 

"So I just have to convince mine to do it too!"

The bell rang in that moment, and both had to interrupt their planning to pay attention to class. 

*

Minho wasn't at all what Taemin expected the first time he saw him at the school’s theatre. He wasn't wearing an expensive suit, or had his hair severely styled back, or had his eyes glued to a phone that was also a tiny super computer. No, instead, the man had soft looking black hair that reached his eyebrows, and was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a Christmas sweater with a picture of a deer with a scarf. He looked younger than thirty three years old, which was the age he was supposed to have. He was also breathtakingly handsome (but Taemin wasn’t going to let himself be biased by appearance).

Minho was gaping around at everything like he had never seen a school. Which seemed highly improbable due to his job. 

"Choi Minho?" Taemin asked him. 

Minho regarded him for a few seconds before he replied. "Lee Taemin?" 

Taemin nodded and smiled. "Minhee's father. I must admit it was... Surprising to see you join." Taemin tried not to sound snarky, but he wasn't entirely sure he had succeeded. 

"Taehyung wanted me to," Minho said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

*

"Do you think they like each other?" Minhee whispered to Taehyung, as they looked at their dads from behind the curtain up the stage. 

"I don't know. But they're smiling!" 

"That's my dad's 'I hate you' smile," Minhee whined, remembering the time his father had explained to her she couldn't just be rude to people she didn't like, and then had shown her that smile, telling her that was what she should do instead. 

Taehyung was a bit offended. "Why does he hate my dad?!" 

"I don't know!" 

They watched for another while. "Maybe they need to do something romantic together."

"But it's not Valentine's day. How are we going to get a romantic setting?" 

*

"Dad... why don't you have a date?" 

Taemin almost choked on his food at that question from his daughter in the middle of dinner. "Why do you ask that?" 

Minhee shrugged. "Well, you don't have a husband." 

"I don't need one," Taemin said. "I have you, and I have my friends and my job. I'm happy like this." He smiled.  

"But what if you went on a date? I mean... What would you do? Where would you go?" she insisted.

"Uhm... I could go... Have ice-cream with him?" Taemin replied, somewhat hesitant. "Minhee, do you have a date?" he asked seriously.  

"Me? Ew, no!" 

"Because you're too young to worry about that." 

"I know, dad. I don't have a date. I just wanted to know what you'd do." 

"Why?" 

"I was curious." Minhee gave him a radiant smile, and then went back to eating her dinner, leaving his father puzzled.

The next week Taemin went to the mall with Minhee to get her costume for the play. She had wanted to go with Taehyung, so he had expected to spend the evening with Guiboon, Minho's maid. When they arrived though, the boy was accompanied by none other than Minho himself. 

He was still in casual clothing, and he smiled kindly at him. "Hey, Taemin," he said. "Hello, Minhee." 

"Hi, Mr. Choi," Minhee said before she took Taehyung's hand and dragged him away towards a store. 

Once they had gotten their costumes, they had wanted to go for ice-cream, which had seemed completely normal. The store they chose had a small park for children outside. Taehyung asked for an enormous banana split, which he wanted to share with Minhee. 

Everything had been nice and well until both children decided they didn't want ice-cream anymore, and instead to go play outside. It wasn’t every day that a child refused to eat ice-cream. Taemin was certain something was going on.

"But what about this?" Minho asked. "Are we going to throw it away?" He pointed towards it.

"Of course not!" Taehyung replied. 

"You go ahead and eat, dad," Minhee said. "You can share it with Mr. Choi!" She giggled.

And so Taemin was left alone, sitting in front of a stranger, while both awkwardly took bites of the dessert. 

"So," Minho said. 

"So..." 

Minho cleared his throat. "What do you do for a living?" 

"I'm a chef. I have a restaurant a few blocks away from home," Taemin replied.

"That's amazing," Minho said with a smile. "I can't cook to save my life." 

"And what do you do?" 

"I'm the development manager of a telecom company." 

"Ahh... So what was your major?" Taemin asked in a subtle way to say he had no idea what any of that meant. 

"I didn't study anything," Minho said. 

Taemin arched his brows. "Really?" 

The other smiled. "I started working there when I was fifteen. I was the messenger, and I started learning and getting promoted and here I am. I'm an orphan." 

"Oh... Wow..." Taemin kept his eyes fixed on the whipped cream of the banana split.

"Is something wrong?" 

"You're just... Not what I expected at all," Taemin said. 

Minho chuckled. "What did you expect?" 

"To be honest... A stuck up, Rollex-wearing, Ferrari-driving, severe looking guy with a superiority complex." 

Minho burst out laughing at that, and Taemin laughed with him. 

*

Everything had just clicked after that. Taemin felt at ease talking to Minho, and the man proved not to be stuck up at all. 

By the day of the Christmas play there was enough trust between them for Taemin to ask him what he had been meaning to from the day they met. 

"Why do you hardly spend any time with your son?" he said as they were backstage waiting for all the children to get changed into their costumes.

Minho's eyes went wide (wider than they already were). "I do my best. But I feel... alienated with these school related stuff. Since I never went to school, I just... But I never mean to disappoint him. That's why this year I came, because he asked me. And also... I really don't want Tae to go through any of the things I went through. So I work hard to assure him a future." 

Temin nodded. "That's great of you, but love and support are more important than financial stability." 

"Tell that to someone that is hungry," Minho replied, somewhat bitterly. 

"I know, I know, what I mean is... You shouldn't sacrifice one for the other, especially when it's not a matter of survival, but instead a matter of paying a more expensive college than average." 

"I met you four weeks ago. Why are you lecturing me?" Minho said in an amused tone. 

Taemin shrugged. "...I like you." 

Minho blinked at him, surprised by the abrupt confession, and Taemin looked away. 

"...We should go get coffee sometime." 

*

It all had led to Minho being at his door today. He wore a dark red jacket, a green shirt underneath and black skinny jeans that hugged his long legs perfectly, and Santa Claus hat to top it all. It was just the perfect mix between hot and silly.

Taemin smiled brightly at him. 

They both stood at the door for a moment, greeting each other, unaware of their children already plotting together in the garden (which Taemin had decorated with Minhee's help). 

"We did it!" Minhee said cheerfully. 

"But there's one thing missing." 

"I know! Let's go get the green and red markers from my room while they talk!" 

*

"...And this is our backyard, I thought it'd be nice to have dinner here," Taemin said, finishing the small tour he was giving Minho through his house. 

"Did you put that in there?" the taller asked, pointing upwards. 

Taemin looked up to see a gigantic mistletoe made of paper, messily glued to the door frame.

"...Uhm, no," Taemin said, and then as if in cue, he heard a distant giggle. "...I'm sorry, Minho. I... I think Taehyung and Minhee are trying to set us up." 

"Yeah, I got that impression too," Minho laughed softly. "But... I didn't mind." 

Taemin looked into his eyes. "You didn't?" 

Minho shook his head. "And I wouldn't mind to honor this drawn mistletoe right now, either." 

"You wouldn't?" 

Smiling, Minho shook his head again, nearing him slowly. He leaned in and pressed his lips against Taemin's in a soft, chaste kiss. Taemin felt the urge to pull from Minho's shirt and kiss him harder, but he was certain their children were watching. 

It would have to be saved for after they put their kids to bed.