This is my winter song
December never felt so wrong
Because you’re not where you belong;
Inside my arms

Taemin pressed his head against the window, staring at the snowflakes as they silently drifted downwards, refracting the light of the nearby street lamp.

It had been exactly 117 days since he had last seen Minho. 117 days of feeling empty and alone. 117 days of heartbreak.

The only consolation he took was in the letters Minho sent him. They lay scattered on the coffee table in front of him, only parts of each letter visible.

“Taemin-ah, I’ve arrived. The first thing I wanted to do was send you a letter…”

“I’m training hard! I’ll be strong when I return… I can protect you, kekeke~”

“Can you believe it’s already been a month?”

“662 days until I can come home. I’m counting down the days on my calendar.”

But no matter the contents of the letter, the way Minho signed them was always the same:
“I love you with every fibre of my being.
Forever yours,
Minho”

Taemin sighed and began to arrange the letters into a neat pile. He placed them carefully back in their folder. He hugged the letters to his chest.

He had left one letter out – the most recent one.

“My dearest Taemin,
I miss you so much. Thinking about spending Christmas here, without you, feels so wrong to me.
But I have good news! They’re picking a few soldiers by lottery to go home for a week for Christmas!
They’re going to tell us tomorrow.
Before I go to bed each night, I wish that they’ll pick me.
Wish for me too?
I love you with every fibre of my being.
Forever yours,
Minho”

And as his eyes scanned the page for what must have been the hundredth time that day, Taemin felt the tiny flicker of hope inside of him grow stronger and stronger. He would know tomorrow if he would get to see Minho again.

Before he went to bed that night, he wished too.