Summary: Escaping the eyes of your peers, Taemin pulls you outside where he presents an early Christmas present under a mistletoe.

2017

Loud chatter bounces off of the walls as everyone competes to be heard over each other. Your eyes squint in frustration while you look at Taemin, who’s standing in front of you, trying his best to be heard over the crowd by talking loudly and slow enough for you to read his lips. It takes your confused facial expression and a shake of your head for Taemin to gently grab hold of your hand and guide you to the backyard where a flurry of snow gracefully descends to the ground and a bonfire slowly dies down. Closing the door behind you, the loud chatter becomes muffled as Taemin turns towards you and gives you a triumphant smile.

“I was trying to say I got you an early Christmas present.”

Taemin reaches into his jacket pocket and brings out a small gold box. He shyly smiles before handing it to you. His eyes carefully watch as you slowly open the box and display a wide smile. Inside lies a silver oval-shaped locket with ruby holly berries and emerald leaves on the front.

“It’s a locket!” You exclaim while happily bouncing. “Will you put it on for me?”

Nodding, Taemin cautiously removes the locket from the box. He stands behind you and slowly places the necklace around your neck, securing it before you turn to face him once more.

“Look inside.” He encourages and a nervous chuckle.

You excitedly open the locket and see the picture of you, Taemin, and your pirate snowman from the snowman making competition. Your fingertips gently brush over your smiling faces. A soft smile appears as you remember the night you first met Taemin; his childish and bubbly ways pulled you closer to him. To this day, nothing has changed his childlike ways.

You excitedly look towards Taemin but find that his eyes are fixated on something just above you. Your eyes follow Taemin’s gaze above you and see a mistletoe wrapped in a red ribbon to form a bow hovering just above your head. Briefly, you hold your breath as you register what you’re seeing. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion while you keep your gaze on the item above, despite feeling the warmth of Taemin’s loving eyes caressing your face.

Snow gently crunches under Taemin’s steps as he moves closer to you. The warmth of his body wraps around yours, the smell of the woodsy cologne on his clothes intoxicates you and demands your attention. You avert your eyes to Taemin, who’s standing close enough for you to see the flickering of the bonfire within his eyes and the small snowflakes that briefly land on his hair before melting away. His eyes lovingly take in your features before gazing into your eyes. Under his gaze, your cheeks grow warm as you try to contain the smile that’s trying to spread across your face.

Slowly, Taemin brings his hand to the side of your face. His cool fingertips feel soothing against your skin as they softly brush against your cheeks before he rests his palm against your cheek with his thumb slowly your skin.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispers.

The smell of peppermint grows more profound as Taemin closes the gap between you and him. Your eyes flutter shut as you lean in to meet him halfway. The taste of the peppermint on Taemin’s lips enters your mouth as your lips press together. Your palms press against his chest. The feeling of his beating heart against your palms makes you smile against his lips. Slyly, he rests his free hand on your lower back, pulling you closer to him. The feeling of your smile makes him bashfully chuckle in the kiss.

With your head tilting to the side, your kiss grows deeper. Taemin’s lips gently glide against yours while your fingers grip the soft fabric of his scarf. Equally, your passion-filled kiss breathes life into each other’s lungs, filling them with love.

“___! Taemin! We’re -” A booming voice begins before stopping short of completing its thought.

Startled, you and Taemin quickly pull away to see Jongil with a glass of spiked eggnog. His slightly shocked expression transforms into a mischievous smile as he points back and forth from you to Taemin. “Was I interrupting something here?”

“Kind of.” Taemin sighs, the steam of his breath comes out in a blast.

“Well, Clara will ab-so-lutely devour me if I didn’t find you two and tell you to get yourselves in here so we can do secret Santa.”

“We’ll be there in a minute.” You smile and hold up a finger. Jongil lazily brings his hand up and salutes you before disappearing inside. Turning back to Taemin, you give him a cheeky smile to which he laughs at. “I love you, Lee Taemin.”

A moment passes before Taemin’s eyes widen at the realization of your words. He breathes a small sigh of relief before giving you a gentle smile. Slowly, he leans forward until his forehead softly rests against yours.

“I love you too, ___.”