Summary: Returning to Winter Wonderland, Taemin surprises you with a carriage ride where he musters up the courage to confess his love for you.

2015

“I have a surprise for you,” Taemin singsongs while approaching you from behind.

The sound of Taemin’s voice prompts you to turn away from the snowman you’re building. You’re immediately met with the sweet aroma of hot chocolate as Taemin holds out a holiday-themed cup with a candy cane sticking out of it.

A smile spreads on your face as you take it from his hands and take a sip, closing your eyes as the chocolate coats your tongue. You hum as the warmth slides from your throat to your chest, warming your body. Taemin glances at you from over the rim of his cup and takes delight in your satisfied expression. “It’s good?” He smiles with a bit of whip cream on his nose.

Taemin’s eyebrows furrow when you almost spit out your drink from laughing. You manage to calm yourself before stepping closer and reaching up to gently wipe the cream from the tip of his nose, revealing its pinkish hue. He gives you an embarrassed smile when you stand on your toes and press a soft kiss where the whipped cream was. The scent of hot chocolate on your breath melts his insides as he wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you in the air and twirling you before setting you on the ground.

“I have another surprise for you,” Taemin smiles while zipping your coat up more.

“You’re spoiling me,” you smile before finishing your drink.

Taemin takes your hand in his, his fingers loosely entwining with yours, as you gently pull you closer to him. The scent of the apple cider on his clothes brings you close enough to his body for you to rest your head against his upper arm. A gentle kiss pressed against the top of your head causes you to smile and tighten your hand around his.

The blanket of white snow, bright lights, and cheerful chatter and laughs brings a smile to your and Taemin’s face as you remember your first meeting two years earlier. You can say that you have a pirate snowman and hot chocolate with a candy cane to thank for helping you find a good friend - a friend that you spent a majority of the days with, a friend that’s given you love in every love language, a friend that you can’t imagine a life without. Through the warmth of his touch, the gentleness of his words, and the kindness of his mind, you found yourself developing deeper feelings for your friend. And in his own ways, he began showing his budding feelings for you that involved attempts to cook your favorite meals to serenading you with ballads.

Snow gently falls from the clear sky. In true Taemin fashion, he leans his head back and sticks out his tongue to catch some snowflakes in his mouth. You can’t help but giggle at his silliness before joining him in the fun.

Your journey comes to an end when Taemin lets go of your hand and opens his arms wide. In front of you stands a horse-drawn sleigh with Shire horses dressed in red reigns with gold bells. Your face lights up at the sight before turning to Taemin.

“Are you serious?” You excitedly ask while doing a little hop.

“Your chariot awaits, m’lady,” he smiles and helps you onto the sleigh. Climbing in and settling beside you, he places a blanket over the two of you.

With a soft jerk, the sleigh begins to move at the coachman’s command. Your hand, protected from the cold under the blanket, searches for his while you stare around in awe. Brightly lit trees with snow covering the branches on both sides of the road illuminate the path ahead. The soft jingle of sleigh bells mixes with the crunching of snow under the horses’ hooves to create a nostalgic holiday sound.

Beside you, Taemin lightly hums a Christmas tune while admiring the trees overhead that allows some snow to gently fall over the sleigh. The small touch of your hand brushing against his thigh makes a swarm of butterflies to unleash their endless flutters in his stomach. His cheeks grow warmer as he opens his hand and holds yours in his, squeezing it while his thumb caresses the top of your hand. He tries his best to contain a shy smile when he sees your bashful gaze down out the corner of his eye but fails when he feels your body inch closer to his.

This feeling of being in your presence, the feeling of your love, and the feeling of what it is to be loved by you toys with Taemin’s mind day and night. From the moment he wakes to his dreams at night, you’re always on his mind, hoping to one day gain the courage to confess his love for you, his desire for you to be his, and for him to be yours. When his courage builds, your presence and touch cause it to tumble down again. He’s wrapped around your finger, even he can’t fool himself that he’s not.

“___?” He calls out low enough for you to hear. The feeling of your eyes on him makes a lump lodge in his throat as he tries to find a crumb of courage to cling onto.

“Yes?”

Taemin takes a deep breath, steam coming from his mouth, while his hand squeezes yours. “We’ve known each other for a couple of years now, and I couldn’t ask for a better friend. But I...I want...I mean I think...I think we,” he groans at his stammers and closes his eyes while you gaze at him with hopeful eyes. “What I’m trying to say is that every second I spend with you, I realize I’m falling in love with my best friend. I think about you when I wake, I dream about you, and I don’t want them to be hopeful thoughts anymore, I want it to be a reality. What I want to ask is will you be mine?”

“Yes,” you immediately say, prompting Taemin to quickly open his eyes and look at you. “I don’t need to think about it. I want to be yours.”

Taemin’s face transforms from surprise to relief. He widely smiles before gently brushing your cheek with his free hand, his thumbs softly it as he lovingly gazes into your eyes. Too taken back to say anything, you lean forward and place a small kiss on the corner of his mouth. The taste of peppermint makes you smile against his skin. You slowly pull away and snuggle yourself closer to his body so you can rest your head on his shoulder. The protection of his arms wrapping around you makes your stomach flip with joy.

Winter Wonderland, is indeed a place where all things wonderful happen. Since you were young, you’ve heard countless stories of love blossoming at Winter Wonderland, but neither you nor Taemin would’ve guessed that one day you would begin writing your own love story because of this magical place.