Summary: At your friend’s small holiday gathering, you and Taemin receive meaningful gifts from your secret Santa.

2014

A howling wind shakes the apartment and blows the freshly fallen snow in its direction. Outside, people tightly clutch their coats closer to their bodies and shield their faces from the wind and try their best to walk against the force. The window you peer out of grows foggier the longer you gaze out it. You trace a heart on the window and watch people flee from the ferocious wind.

“Hey,” a voice calls out while lightly tapping your shoulder. You quickly turn your head and see Taemin with a Santa hat smiling down at you. “We’re starting secret Santa.”

“Yeah,” you smile and wipe away the heart from the window, and stand to your feet. Your fingers wrap around his wrist before gently pulling him. “Let’s go.”

The two of you walk into the living room area where your friends gather around in a circle with a pile of multi-sized presents wrapped in colorful wrapping paper in the middle. The room’s light is dim except for the bright Christmas tree fully decorated in red and green ornaments and topped with a handmade tree topper. The air smells of gingerbread cookies as the heater kicks in, warming the area. The moment you and Taemin walk in, all heads turn towards you.

Oohs and aahs are heard throughout the room making you roll your eyes and take a spot on the floor with Taemin beside you.

“Alright,” your friend Clara says while reaching forward and picking up a present. “Let the annual secret Santa exchange begin!”

Smiles and laughter fill the air as everyone opens their presents, some get wacky gifts and others get thoughtful gifts, but nobody gets upset as it’s all in good fun. A dramatic gasp from your other friend, Jongil, makes the room laugh and you find yourself leaning into Taemin and briefly resting your head on his shoulder until you can control your laughing. Your sudden touch makes Taemin’s cheeks grow warm as he gently lays his head on yours, only moving it when you sit up.

“This one goes to Mrs. Lee,” Jongil says while tossing a small box to you. “And this one goes to Mr. Lee.” He laughs while sliding a box to Taemin.

You and Taemin glance at each other before quickly reverting your attention to the box in your hands. The name “Mrs. Lee” makes you blush as you carefully open the top to reveal the top of a snowglobe. You slowly remove it from the box and notice a small snowman in its center. Turning it upside down, you watch the flakes of snow fall around the figurine, prompting a smile to spread across your face.

Beside you, Taemin carefully unties the ribbon wrapped around his box to find an intricate candy cane ornament on a silver string. His fingers gently move over the surface, feeling each red glitter stripe contrast with the smooth white stripe. A smile pulls on his face as he admires its beauty, twirling it in the light to make the glitter sparkle.

Both you and Taemin turn to one another to show off your gifts but find yourselves gazing into each other’s eyes rather instead. A loud vomiting sound pulls your attention away as your friends pretend to throw up.

“Ugh, you guys make me sick,” Clara says before getting up and walking into the kitchen.

“Well, I think you guys are cute,” Jongil whispers before following behind Clara and disappearing into the kitchen.

Taemin opens his mouth to say something but quickly closes it when Jongil speeds away. He gently sets the snowglobe on the table in front of him and finds himself sitting back closer to you, your warmth giving him a sense of comfort. His heart pounds louder when your body moves closer to his in response.

The room grows quieter as your friends move into the kitchen and begin arguing about who would taste the cookie dough. You and Taemin can’t help but laugh at their silliness but stop when you face one another, your faces close enough you can feel each other’s breaths tickle your nose. Your eyes take in the beauty of his face that’s emphasized by the Christmas tree - his soft skin glows, the browns of his eyes appear lighter allowing you access the depths of his soul, and the pinks of his lips look more vibrant. You pull away with a shy smile when his bangs tickle your nose, causing him to softly laugh at you.

“I have something to tell you,” you say.

“I have something to tell you too,” Taemin says, turning his body to face yours.

“You go first.”

“No, no. You go first.”

You cross your arms and slightly squint your eyes at him. “Fine, then we’ll see it together.”

“On 3,” Taemin nods and mimics your actions. “1, 2, 3!”

“I was your secret Santa!” You both say. Both of your eyes go wide at the confession before looking towards the gifts and back at each other.

“I should’ve known,” Taemin says while gesturing towards the ornament. “Who else would get me something snowman related?”

“And who else would have given me a candy cane ornament?”

You give each other a soft smile before leaning in and embracing one another. Your arms gently hold onto his shoulders while he gently wraps his around your waist. The smell of apple spice on his clothes makes you melt more into his arms as its scent warms you. Taemin gives you a quick squeeze and pulls away enough to place a loving kiss on your cheek. His intimate touch causes you to bashfully look away as he reaches out and brushes his fingertips over the top of your hands.

“I told y’all you would be cute together!” Jongil exclaims with a half-bitten gingerbread man cookie in his hand, his smile growing wide.

Jongil’s sudden interruption makes you and Taemin look at each other before turning your attention to him and saying in unison, “Oh, shut up, Jongil!”