Presents
Taoris Christmas DrabblesTao has no idea what to get Kris for Christmas.
He knows what he’s gotten him for the past ten years of their friendship. Bro-presents: new headphones, a videogame, gift cards. Unremarkable and predictable, undoubtedly, but expected. It’s easy picking out presents for someone you know well, but only in a platonic way. There are no hidden meanings, no unspoken expectations, just the practical hey, I thought of you and noticed you needed a new snow scraper for your car, so here you go. Merry Christmas, bro.
Tao has no idea what to get Kris for Christmas as his boyfriend.
All of a sudden every potential gift is so…weighted. So capable of sending a message that he doesn’t understand or want to send. He could buy Kris chocolates, but would that be too thoughtless? Would Kris think he had just picked a pre-made configuration up at the convenience store on Christmas Eve?
Or he could buy Kris a sweater, but what if he buys something that Kris doesn’t like? Back in high school, when they were just friends, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Kris would have responded to an ugly sweater with, “Dude, this thing’s gross,” and Tao would have responded to that by tossing him the receipt and saying, “Then buy yourself something else, Kris, who cares?” But now if he buys Kris a sweater he doesn’t like, is he really saying that he doesn’t know Kris all that well? And is that really saying that their relationship is doomed to fail, casing Tao to lose not only a romantic partner, but a good friend from childhood?
He calls Xiumin with his plight, but he simply laughs at Tao and suggests that he greet Tao at the door in nothing but boxers for a Christmas present. Chen is equally as helpful, responding to Tao’s requests for assistance with, “How should I know what Kris wants for Christmas? I’m not the one dating him.”
He googles “Gift Ideas for Boyfriend,” and every possible variation on those words, but all of the suggestions are too impersonal, the kind of thing a one-dimensional spouse would give another one-dimensional spouse in a movie, not the kind of thing Tao would give Kris. He begins panicking as Christmas draws near, convinced that Kris has bought him the kind of thoughtful, loving present that brings people to tears meanwhile he’s suffering mini heart attacks and wondering if he can just order Kris a tub of popcorn from the Christmas Candy catalog that came in the mail last week.
He’s flipping through said catalog, moments away from an irrevocable decision, when his phone rings and he answers blindly, more focused on a picture of a Caramel Tower® on page 13 than the number on his phone’s screen.
“Hello?”
“So I’m freaking out,” Kris says by way of starting the conversation. “I have no idea what to get you for Christmas and it’s four days away.”
Tao blows out a huff of laughter after a few seconds of silence. “Oh, my God, me too. I don’t I’ve had a decent night’s sleep since the start of December.”
Kris laughs over the phone and Tao smiles, relaxing into the comforting sound of Kris’ voice.
“We’re kind of messes, aren’t we?”
“We really are.”
“Okay, so how about this,” Kris proposes, “I’ll come pick you up in about ten minutes and we’ll go shopping together. We’ll each pick out something for ourselves and then give it to the other person who will take it home, wrap it, and then we can exchange them on Christmas day.”
Tao hums thoughtfully. “You don’t think that would ruin the Christmas surprise?”
“Maybe. But I also really want to see you right now and this is a good excuse.”
Tao grins and shucks the candy catalog away from him. “See you in ten minutes, then?”
“Ten minutes,” Kris promises. Tao imagines he can hear the smile in his voice.
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