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San wasn"t answering.
This always happened. Every Christmas Eve, without fail, San would disappear and not answer his phone. (The first time it had happened, Seonghwa had been panicking and about to call the police when San had stumbled into their apartment with a yawn, absolutely exhausted and mumbling about how the fuck his grandfather had done this, and had refused to say where he had been, only stating that he"d been doing his duty.)
Seonghwa sighed and dialled Jongho"s number instead.
Jongho answered after the second ring, and, before Seonghwa could get out a greeting, said, "Let me guess, San hyung is gone."
"How do you know that?"
"Hyung, this is a yearly ritual at this point. You call me late in the afternoon every single Christmas Eve, I"ve actually been waiting for this call."
"Okay, fine." Seonghwa sighed again. "So maybe I"m predictable, but I just don"t like being alone on Christmas Eve, and you don"t live on the other end of the city."
Jongho chuckled. "Just come over, hyung. Hongjoongie already set the table for three."
Seonghwa swallowed a sudden surge of emotions down. "Thank you. I"ll be there soon."
"Yeah, we know." Seonghwa was probably imagining it, but Jongho almost sounded fond.
Hongjoong opened the door with a grin. "Hi, Hwa."
"Hey." Seonghwa smiled back. "Thank you for letting me crash your Christmas Eve once again."
"It"s fine." Hongjoong waved it off. "We enjoy your company, and Christmas is for family and friends, right?"
"Right." Seonghwa entered the cozy home when Hongjoong stepped aside to let him in.
Hongjoong and Jongho lived in a slightly smaller apartment than Seonghwa and San did, and it was delightfully lived-in, slightly cluttered with Hongjoong"s art projects and a little dust on the surfaces, so different from the minimalist home Seonghwa kept meticulously clean, and sometimes Seonghwa envied them for it. It actually felt like a home.
Was that why San fled from him every Christmas Eve? Because their home wasn’t homey enough? But if so, why didn’t he simply talk to Seonghwa about it?
Hongjoong jostled Seonghwa. “Get out of your head about it and enjoy Christmas Eve with us, okay? We’ve even got your gift here, and I know you’ve brought ours.” He eyed the bag over Seonghwa’s shoulder suspiciously, and he was right.
“Of course I have them.” Seonghwa set the bag down to unwrap himself from his layers. His hat and the shoulders of his jacket were dusted with the snow that had started falling while he had been walking over from the bus stop. It was even snowy Christmas , like from a fucking postcard, and San wasn’t there to witness and celebrate it with Seonghwa.
Hongjoong led Seonghwa into the living room where Jongho was putting the finishing touches on their Christmas tree. He turned around with a smile. “Hey, hyung. Good that you’re finally here, you actually called a little later than I expected.”
Seonghwa gave him a crooked smile. “Sorry about calling at all.”
“Oh, please.” Jongho made a gesture as if throwing something over his shoulder. “It’s tradition now. You belong here on Christmas Eve."
“Thank you, Jongho.” Seonghwa wrapped him in a hug, and to his credit, Jongho didn’t even fight it too much.
Hongjoong disappeared into the kitchen, presumably to check on their dinner, and Jongho directed Seonghwa into a chair.
“Why does he always leave, Jongho-yah?”
Jongho shrugged. “Hell if I know. Hey, maybe he’s an elf and has to help Santa.” He smirked at Seonghwa and waggled his eyebrows.
Seonghwa sighed. His friends always made fun of him, just because of the fact that he had never really stopped believing in Santa. “No, he’s too tall for that.” He raised his voice to make sure he’d be heard in the kitchen as well. “Hongjoong would be the type though.”
“Hey!” Hongjoong squawked, and Jongho started laughing.
Hongjoong appeared beside his boyfriend and scowled at him, which just made Jongho laugh harder. Hongjoong hit him upside the head and then pointed at Seonghwa. “The only reason why you get a pass is because you’re sad on Christmas, otherwise I’d put you over my knee.”
Seonghwa grinned. He knew that Hongjoong didn’t actually care about his height, he just pretended like he did to entertain his friends, and his boyfriend. “Love you too, Joongie.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go sit down, dinner is ready. Jongho, come help me carry everything.”
Seonghwa returned home late with a smile on his face. He’d had fun with Hongjoong and Jongho. They had given him a lego set and a scented candle that claimed to smell like Santa’s workshop.
In return, Seonghwa had given them matching pyjama sets, because he knew that Hongjoong’s mother had been hounding them for what she called “proper family Christmas pictures” and what Hongjoong called “utter torture”.
Hongjoong’s face when he unwrapped the candy cane-striped bottoms and the top with a 3D reindeer head had been amazing, and Seonghwa had been just fast enough to take a picture of it. He couldn’t wait to show San and tell him all about it… whenever he came home. It would probably be early morning. Ha, and there went his good mood.
Seonghwa unlocked the front door, and there it was. This was the main reason he still believed in Santa.
The (electric) candles on the Christmas tree were on, (Seonghwa had very definitely turned them off when he left), presents were stacked under the tree (they hadn’t been there earlier, and since San was gone, nobody could have entered the apartment to put them there), and the cookies Seonghwa had put out after San had left were gone apart from a few crumbs, the bundle of carrots had disappeared, and the glass of milk was almost empty (again, nobody could have gotten in).
But the best part was waiting for Seonghwa on the dining table: a letter from Santa.
Seonghwa felt the smile spreading over his face when he picked it up. It was a regular, plain envelope that someone had drawn snowflakes and snowmen onto. “To Seonghwa” it said on the back.
He ripped it open, not even bothering to take off his jacket or to put down the bag with his presents, and read it.
Dear Seonghwa,
another year has passed, and doesn’t time move so fast? It’s already Christmas again, how delightful!
Your letter arrived during a snowstorm this year, although I suppose when you are at the north pole, every storm is a snowstorm. Thank you for your inquiries about the elves, they’re all doing well, and they much enjoyed your suggestion of unionising, even though I’m pretty sure that was a joke. (I hope they think so too, or I might have a mutiny on my hands very soon!)
You will be pleased to hear that I am indeed giving your niece toy cars for Christmas this year, because she wished for them and I agree with you, anyone can play with toy cars. I will also give her a lego set and I’m sure she’d appreciate your help building it!
I’m sorry about your friend Hongjoong’s distress about the Christmas pictures his mother wants to take, but I’m afraid there’s not a lot I can do about that. Also, I noticed you’re gifting him and his boyfriend pyjamas for this, so I will be giving them something else. Don’t worry, I’m great at gift giving. It is, quite literally, in the job description.
Actually, I found myself wondering which cookies you’ll set out for me this year. So far you haven’t repeated any kind, and they’ve all been delicious! And you’re right, even though Rudolf is retired, he still appreciates me bringing him the carrots you’re giving me for him every year.
Ah, I can’t wait! I just love Christmas, and I enjoy talking to someone who does too.
Alright, I have to get going, since this is the busiest night of my year, and I love every second of it! Talk to you again next year!
Love, Santa
A smile tugged at the corners of Seonghwa’s mouth, his worries about San’s absence almost forgotten.
These letters were the main reason why he looked forward to Christmas Eve. He’d been getting them for a few years at this point, and they were always the silver lining on his boyfriend-less Christmas Eves. Also, they were proof that Seonghwa was right, and Santa was indeed real.
Not that the people in Seonghwa’s life really believed it. San just always smiled indulgently and made non-committal noises when Seonghwa brought it up, and that was honestly the mildest reaction. Most of his friends just laughed at him.
“You do realise that it’s San writing those, right?” Hongjoong had said the year before, “He’s humoring you, which means he’s a great person to do this for you, but still. Santa isn’t real, Seonghwa.”
“Yes, he is!” Seonghwa had pouted at his best friend. “You know that San isn’t home on Christmas Eve, so how on earth would he get the letter onto the table for me? No, it’s from Santa.”
“Sure, Hwa.” And Hongjoong had patted Seonghwa’s hand placatingly and changed the topic.
So Seonghwa was pretty alone with it, but he knew that Santa was real, he just knew it. He finally got out of his outside clothes and washed his hands, then read the letter two more times before returning it to its envelope and storing it in the Christmas-themed box on the chest of drawers in the bedroom, together with the letters from previous years.. San had given him the box for Christmas one year.
It had actually been one of San’s better presents. Seonghwa loved San with all his heart, he really did, but San absolutely sucked at giving gifts. Just the year before, he had given Seonghwa a colouring book that still sat on the shelf, unused, partially because they didn’t really own any colourful pens. But as always, Santa had nailed it and given Seonghwa an Animal Crossing plushie and another game that he had been absolutely addicted to over the holidays, playing while San napped with his head pillowed on Seonghwa’s thigh.
Wherever San disappeared to every year, it seemed to take a lot out of him, because he returned home absolutely exhausted, and would spend a lot of time sleeping until about New Year’s. And Seonghwa adored his sleepy boyfriend, but it didn’t help him solve the mystery.
Still smiling about the letter, Seonghwa got ready for bed.
He woke up to San crawling in with him at what was probably ass o"clock in the morning, pressing his nose, cold from the wintery outside air, into Seonghwa"s neck.
Seonghwa was half asleep as he wrapped his arms around San and buried his nose in San"s hair.
San smelled like snow and, weirdly, like sugar cookies and cinnamon. He relaxed into Seonghwa"s arms, and before Seonghwa could really start wondering about the cookie smell, he fell back asleep.
When he woke up, dawn was breaking, late due to the time of year. San was sprawled on top of him, still deeply asleep and snoring a little.
Seonghwa couldn’t stay mad. He never could, San was just too cute.
San sniffled, waking up a little, when Seonghwa moved, his arms around Seonghwa’s shoulders tightening. “No.”
“Sannie, baby, let me go, I have to pee,” Seonghwa whispered. It was still too early to speak any louder.
“No. Wan’ cuddles.” San tucked his face into Seonghwa’s neck.
Seonghwa cooed. “I’ll be back and give you all the cuddles you want.” San made a disappointed noise and his grip loosened. “I promise I’ll be back.” Seonghwa ran a hand through San’s hair, then he extricated himself from San’s arms, as much as he would have preferred to stay where he was.
But after his trip to the bathroom he only went back to bed to needle San about getting up for Christmas breakfast and presents.
San of course grumbled, but when he was promised cuddles and kisses, he let Seonghwa drag him out of bed and followed him to the living room, hand in hand.
Seonghwa pressed a kiss to his brow. “You can go sit on the sofa, I’ll just make some hot chocolate.”
“I’ll fall asleep on you if you give me hot chocolate.” San pouted. “If you want me to stay awake, it’ll have to be coffee.”
“That bad, huh?” Seonghwa brushed a hand over San’s back when San leaned against him, laying his head on Seonghwa’s shoulder. “I’m worried about you, Sannie. I know you don’t want to share where you go, but it takes so much out of you, and… I worry about you.”
San sighed, his exhale fanning over Seonghwa’s skin. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Seonghwa wrapped his arms around San, and San sank into his embrace willingly. “Are you in trouble somehow? If yes, will you let me help you?”
“Oh baby.” San chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not in trouble, I promise. Everything is fine. It’s just very taxing.”
“Okay, fine.” Seonghwa squeezed San one more time before letting him go. “But you promise you’ll tell me if you need help?”
“Yes, I promise.” San tangled their fingers together again and kissed Seonghwa’s cheek. “Now let’s get our drinks and start on the presents. I know you want to.”
“Am I that easy to read?”
“After dating you for years? Yes.”
Seonghwa chuckled. “Fair enough.”
This time, San was leading the way to the kitchen, and Seonghwa followed him.
“So, hot chocolate or coffee?” Seonghwa asked as San hopped up on the counter to lean against the side of the fridge and close his eyes.
“Coffee,” he decided.
“Are you sure? Not hot chocolate so you can nap later?”
San gave him a tired smile. “I’ll nap anyway, but I need caffeine if you want me to not faceplant in our Christmas tree.”
“Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have dragged you out of bed…” Seonghwa trailed off.
San shook his head. “No, you should have. I love Christmas mornings with you.”
But not Christmas Eves, did he now? “I’ll take your word for it.” Seonghwa turned on the coffee machine.
San watched through half-closed eyes as Seonghwa prepared their hot drinks. When Seonghwa handed his coffee over, he took the first sip before sliding off the counter and following Seonghwa back to the livingroom.
Seonghwa plugged in the Christmas lights and the tree lit up, making the room warm and pretty with the sparkling lights instead of gloomy with the low lighting from the rising sun outside.
“I was promised kisses and cuddles,” San said as he sunk on the sofa and opened his arms after setting his mug down.
Seonghwa placed his own mug on the coffee table next to San’s and crawled into the space between San’s spread legs as San leaned against the armrest. Their legs tangled together on the sofa. “Merry Christmas, my love,” he whispered as he laid his head on San’s chest.
San smiled down at him, devastatingly dimpled and happy and fond. “Merry Christmas, baby. I hope we’ll get to spend many more together.”
Seonghwa stretched for a kiss that he promptly received. San’s lips were warm and soft on his, and he tasted a little like coffee, a little stale from his unbrushed teeth, and mostly like himself. Seonghwa got lost in the familiarity of San’s kisses, and San’s arms around him, warmth shared between them.
Eventually, San broke the kiss to peck Seonghwa’s nose. “Presents?”
Seonghwa smiled at him. “Presents!”
“Go ahead!” San gestured to the wrapped gifts beneath the tree.
With a grin, Seonghwa pressed a last kiss to San’s chin and slid off the sofa, shuffling over to the tree. When he looked back, San was draining his coffee mug and set it down again with a clunk before following Seonghwa.
Seonghwa searched through the pile until he found something wrapped in candy cane paper, an envelope attached. “Here, for you!”
“Thank you, baby.” San brushed his fingers over Seonghwa’s knuckles as he took the gift. “Oh, it’s squishy!”
“Come on, come on, open it!” Seonghwa was basically vibrating.
San laughed and slid his fingers under the edge of the paper to loosen the tape. The paper fell away. “Aww, a plushie!” San picked the little lamb up and lifted it in the air to look at it before squishing it to his chest. “It’s so soft, oh my god! Thank you so much, baby!”
That happy grin was the best present San could have given Seonghwa, and he automatically smiled back. “You’re welcome! I’m so glad you like it.”
“I love it! Just as I love you.”
Seonghwa giggled. “I love you too. But don’t forget about the second part!”
San raised his eyebrows. “What, it gets even better?”
“I hope so!”
San caught Seonghwa’s hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “It’s from you, so I will love it regardless.”
“No! San Choi! You don’t get to say these things to me!” Seonghwa pulled his hand out of San’s. “You are way too cute, and if you keep talking, I’ll melt into a puddle!”
At first San had looked a little startled when Seonghwa withdrew from him, but at the last sentence, he started giggling. “I’ll still love you as a puddle, promise!”
Seonghwa huffed haughtily. “I should hope so, since it would be your fault.”
“Of course.” San had found the envelope in the discarded wrapping paper and opened it.
Two tickets fell out, together with a Christmas card that San read before properly looking at the tickets. His head flew up, wonder sparkling in his eyes. “We’re going to the sea?”
“Yes, in summer.” Seonghwa nodded. “Choose a day, and we’ll be going. A picnic at the beach, and we’ll swim and build a sand castle and eat ice cream. A proper beach day!”
“Thank you, baby.” San shuffled closer to run the tip of his nose over Seonghwa’s cheek. “I love it.”
Seonghwa connected their lips in a short, sweet kiss. “That makes me very happy.”
San smiled at him and scooted back a little. “Now it’s time for my present for you!” Before Seonghwa could reply, San had pulled a misshapen parcel, messily wrapped with too much tape, out of the pile and handed it over. “Here you go!”
“Thank you.” Seonghwa accepted it carefully. “Oh, this one is squishy too!” He tried to ease the tape off the way San had, but the wrapping pretty much just disintegrated under his hands. “Oh, it’s also a plushie!”
“Yes, the villager you always talk about that you find very cute! Fluffy, right?”
“Ah.” Seonghwa frowned, thinking. “Wait. Do you mean Flurry?”
“Yes, you’re right, it was Flurry! Isn’t he cute?”
Seonghwa facepalmed. “Baby. Flurry is a she, and not a mouse but a hamster.”
San froze, the smile dropping off his face. “Oh.”
Yeah, he looked absolutely devastated. Seonghwa would not be telling him that this plushie wasn’t an Animal Crossing villager at all. “Very cute and very soft though! I love them!” He squished the plushie against his face, rubbing his cheek against the soft toy. It might not be Flurry, but he loved soft things.
“Okay, I’m glad.” San smiled carefully and relaxed when Seonghwa smiled back. “There’s also a part two!”
“There is?”
“Yes!” San became a little livelier, and picked up an envelope to hand over. “This is also for you.”
“Thank you so much, honey!” Seonghwa opened the envelope and pulled out a card with San’s neat handwriting on it. He read the card and then looked up, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. “Did we really just gift each other picnics?”
San laughed. “It appears we did. Damn, that date this summer left an impression on both of us, didn’t it?”
Seonghwa joined his laughter. “Seems like it really did! Thank you, Sannie, I love it, and I love you.”
“Love you too.” San leaned in for a kiss that he promptly got.
“So.” San pulled back and waggled his eyebrows. “Seems like Santa didn’t forget you this year either, huh?”
Seonghwa’s grin threatened to split his face in two. “He never forgets me, must be because I’m nice.”
San’s laugh turned into a yawn. “Oh, you can be a bit naughty sometimes.”
“But only sometimes! Hey,” Seonghwa cupped San’s cheek and San leaned into his touch, “are you sure you don’t just want to go back to bed?”
San shook his head without dislodging Seonghwa’s touch. “Santa’s presents first, and then I’ll take a nap.” He picked up a present and held it out. “Here, to Seonghwa, from Santa.”
It was a long parcel, rather narrow, wrapped neatly in blue paper with stars on it and a golden bow. The tag was labelled in Santa’s familiar handwriting. Seonghwa impatiently tore through the paper and a box fell into his lap, Seonghwa just gaping at it, still holding the wrapping paper.
“What is it?” San tried to peek past the paper.
“It’s…” Seonghwa struggled to speak. “I– It’s a lightsaber.” He finally dropped the paper to reverently pick up the box instead. When he read the writing on the box and saw the picture, he gasped. “It’s Luke’s lightsaber!”
San chuckled quietly. “From your reaction I’m guessing that’s significant.”
“Yeah, it’s just the weapon belonging to the greatest swordmaster the Jedi order ever had, no big deal!”
“You’re so cute.” San grinned, his eyes bunching into happy crescents, but it didn’t hide the bags underneath them, and Seonghwa chose to unbox the lightsaber later so San could go back to bed sooner.
“What did Santa bring for you?” Seonghwa began filing through the gifts piled under their tree, most from their families, those would be opened on video calls the next day. A few were from their circle of friends who would be coming over for New Year’s, and they had all agreed to open presents together then, of course apart from the ones Seonghwa had already opened with Jongho and Hongjoong.
“That depends if I’m once again profiting off of living with you, who always gets presents from Santa, I’m pretty sure he’d forget me otherwise.” San’s tone was amused but he didn’t stop Seonghwa from searching.
There it was! The tag said ‘to San, from Santa’s helpers’. Seonghwa frowned that it wasn’t from Santa himself, but maybe Santa was trying to avoid suspicion? Whatever. “Here you go!”
San’s eyes widened with wonder as he received the present. “I actually got one?”
“Of course you did! Santa wouldn’t just forget you!”
San mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like ‘he literally has’ but Seonghwa chose to ignore that since it was obviously not true. He instead just watched San open the gift. It was gym shoes.
“Oh that’s perfect, baby! You’ve been wanting new ones, your old ones are basically falling off your feet at this point.”
“I…” San ran a finger along the seam where the shoe joined to the sole. “Yeah, I… I wanted them, didn’t I?”
“Santa knows everything,” Seonghwa said and internally cringed at his own smugness. But how could he not be smug when being proven right on something he’d been saying for years?
San’s head flew up. “Did you get them and pretend they’re from Santa?”
“No, of course not!” Seonghwa frowned. “Why would I do that?”
“It’s just that… no, forget it, it doesn’t matter. Anyways, I’m pretty sure Santa left a second present for you.”
“Really?” Seonghwa dove into the present pile again, messing it all up, until he found an envelope. ‘to Seonghwa, from Santa’ it said, and instead of snowflakes, this one was decorated with stars. Seonghwa’s hands shook as he opened it.
“What did you get?” San asked, stifling another yawn.
Seonghwa saw two tickets, and when he read what they were for, he lost the ability to speak. Instead he took them out of the envelope and held them out for San to see.
“Legoland,” San read off the tickets, and then grinned. “Oh darling, that’s perfect for you! And you got two tickets, so you can even take someone with you! Who are you gonna take?”
That gave Seonghwa his voice back. “You, obviously.”
“Thank you, baby.” San crawled over and snuggled into Seonghwa’s arms. “I love you. Happy Christmas.”
“I love you too.” Seonghwa wrapped his arms tightly around San. They stayed like that for a while, and more and more tension left San’s body until Seonghwa was basically the only thing holding him up. “Sannie,” Seonghwa whispered into San’s hair, “go to bed. I’ll wake you up later if you sleep in too late.”
San sat up, blearily blinking at Seonghwa. “I’m afraid there’s no other option. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Seonghwa brushed a kiss against San’s temple. “Go get some sleep. I love you.”
“I love you too.” San kissed Seonghwa once, twice, and then pushed himself to his feet.
“Sleep well,” Seonghwa called after him as he more or less stumbled towards the bedroom with his new plushie in tow.
San didn’t close the door fully, and Seonghwa heard the curtains being drawn and the groan of their bed frame as San got comfortable.
Seonghwa stayed on the floor at the foot of their Christmas tree for a bit, just watching the world outside get brighter and brighter as the sun rose fully, and looking at the tree and the Christmas lights, still surrounded by gifts and wrapping paper.
Then he saw the mess they had made and got up with a sigh to clean it. The wrapping paper went into recycling, unwrapped gifts were neatly stacked on one end of the sofa, and the presents under the tree that Seonghwa had overturned in his search for the envelope were put back into place.
Seonghwa picked up the mugs, San’s empty apart from a brown smear of half-dried coffee at the bottom, Seonghwa’s almost full, and cold. He put his hot chocolate into the microwave to warm up again, carefully watching it so it didn’t boil over while he made himself some breakfast that he ate at the kitchen table, watching the world wake up through the window.
The dishes went into the dishwasher and Seonghwa mostly just puttered around their home, dusting the surfaces in the living room, doing a load of laundry, watching a Christmas film and texting people he wasn’t close enough with to exchange gifts Christmas wishes.
He crawled back into bed, cuddling up to San to nap for an hour or two, before getting started on their Christmas dinner.
His Christmas day was usually spent like this, and he had come to rather enjoy it. It was like having time to himself without actually being alone, always watching over a sleeping San.
It was already well into the afternoon, darkness falling outside, when San woke up.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Seonghwa greeted him when he shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing bleary eyes and firmly attaching himself to Seonghwa in a back hug. Seonghwa patted his hand. “Did you sleep well?”
San’s cheek rubbed against Seonghwa’s shirt as he nodded. “Sorry for leaving you alone with Christmas dinner.”
“It’s alright, I don’t mind.”
“But still. I’m here to help now.”
Seonghwa chuckled. “You don’t have to, it’s basically all done. We’re just waiting for the roast potatoes more or less.”
“Oh. Well, I’m doing all the clean-up then.”
“If you’re so excited to do it, who am I to tell you no?” Seonghwa turned his head to press a kiss to San’s hair.
“Have you unboxed your lightsaber yet?”
“No.” Seonghwa wiggled around in San’s arms until he was facing his boyfriend, leaning back against the counter. “I wanted to wait for you.”
San smiled at him. “Let’s go get it then.”
Seonghwa set a timer for the potatoes before they migrated over to the livingroom. San tried on his new shoes while Seonghwa opened the box holding his lightsaber. As impatient as he was, he was still careful to pull off the packaging to not damage the toy.
“Whoa, it looks very cool!” San started humming the Star Wars theme song, he had seen the movies plenty of times, being Seonghwa’s boyfriend, and knew the music well enough.
Seonghwa paid no attention to him, completely focussed on the item in his hands, running both eyes and fingers over every groove and detail in the hilt, and the smooth cover of the blade. “This is so cool,” he whispered eventually.
“Here.” San’s arm nudged his side, two batteries in San’s open palm.
“Thanks, babe.” Seonghwa pecked San’s cheek before figuring out how to open the battery compartment – San went to find the necessary screwdriver – and putting the batteries in. He held his breath when he turned it on for the first time, and the blade lit up, the speakers in the hilt emitting the typical humming sound. It even changed when Seonghwa moved the blade, and when he gently whacked San’s arm with it.
San, of course, pretended to be mortally wounded and made a big show out of his death, sending Seonghwa into peals of laughter.
Eventually he got up again. “So I take it you like your lightsaber.”
“Yes!” Seonghwa beamed. “Very much!”
“What did you get from Jongho and Hongjoong hyung? I assume you already exchanged presents?”
“We did, yeah, hold on, where is it?” Seonghwa hunted down the gift bag he had left the presents in. “Here, look, they gave me a lego set!” He held out the box for San to see. It was a set for a small flower bouquet.
“Oh, that’s very pretty. I like the purple flowers.”
“They also got me this candle, it smells like Santa’s workshop!” Seonghwa handed it over for San to smell it.
San took a whiff of the candle and then snorted. "Okay, yeah, that is not what my workshop smells like. I mean, I wish, but it just mostly smells like glue."
Seonghwa froze. "What?"
"What?", San replied.
"Hold on, no. You don’t get to ‘what’ your way out of this." Seonghwa took the candle out of San"s hand and set it down on the coffee table, out of the way, before straddling San"s lap. "You just said–"
"I"m tired!" San interrupted. "I don"t know what I"m saying!"
Seonghwa eyed him suspiciously. "You just claimed to know what Santa"s workshop smells like. That means you actually believe me! But then… how would you know that?"
San sighed and dropped his head against Seonghwa"s chest, his hands coming up to rest on Seonghwa"s thighs. "This is not how I wanted to tell you but I swore to myself that I"d finally be honest, so why not." He looked up. "So what would you say to a little trip, love? I have to show you something."
"A trip?" Seonghwa frowned. "To where?"
"Well, I... the north pole?"
Seonghwa felt his face freeze. "A trip. To the north pole. Yeah, sure."
San squirmed. "I know it"s difficult to understand, and even more difficult to believe, but please trust me."
“What are you talking about?” Seonghwa frowned.
“It’s… it is really difficult to believe. And I never lied to you, I promise, but I also wasn’t telling the whole truth.”
Seonghwa’s heart grew cold and he felt like he was turning into a statue. “You better start explaining now, Sannie.”
San sat up and faced Seonghwa. “I’m… baby, I am Santa.”
For a few seconds, Seonghwa just sat and stared at San. What the? Was he messing with Seonghwa? But would San really do that? Jongho would, absolutely, but San? The only other possible explanation was that he was telling the truth, but that couldn’t be it either. Maybe San had conspired with the others to play a joke on Seonghwa? Yeah, that was probably it. So Seonghwa snorted and got off San’s lap. “You don’t need to make fun of me, okay? I know it’s weird that I believe in Santa, as a grown man, but I simply do, okay? That’s not a reason to prank me.”
“I’m not pranking you.” San followed Seonghwa and took his hand, holding him back. “My name isn’t San Choi, but San Claus . My grandfather used to be Santa Claus. He retired a few years ago, and I took over from him. That’s where I go on Christmas Eve, I deliver presents, and that’s why I’m always so tired afterwards.”
Seonghwa met San’s eyes, and saw no shadow of a lie in them. He liked to think that after all these years, he knew San well enough to be able to spot a lie, but… if this wasn’t a lie, that meant he didn’t know San as well as he thought he did. The revelation that Seonghwa was indeed right, and Santa was real, was the easiest part to stomach. Did that mean their whole relationship was a lie? But it had never felt like a lie before, and it didn’t feel like one in that moment, apart from the obvious. “I…” He trailed off.
“Please, Seonghwa. I can prove it. Let me show you.” San looked at him pleadingly.
“I…” The look in San’s eyes was heartbreaking. “O–okay.” But neither moved, they just stayed in the livingroom, hand in hand, looking at each other.
The timer went off, startling Seonghwa out of his daze. “After we eat dinner?”
“Seonghwa.” San didn’t let go of Seonghwa’s hand, but the use of his actual name had a much tighter grip on Seonghwa. “Do you really want to eat Christmas dinner with this hanging between us?” Seonghwa lowered his head. San was right. “How about we pack up dinner and take it with us? We can eat there, I have a fully stocked kitchen there.”
“Yeah.” Seonghwa sighed. He was actually agreeing to this. How was he agreeing to this? “That sounds like it would be the best idea.”
They were quiet as they packed the food Seonghwa had made into containers and left the dishes in the sink to soak while they were gone.
San slung the bag of food over his shoulder and held out a hand. “Do you trust me?” His hand was warm and familiar in Seonghwa’s. Seonghwa nodded. San kissed Seonghwa’s fingertips. “Thank you.”
“So how do we get there?”
“Magic.”
Usually Seonghwa would have thought San was joking, but he was obviously not, and it would fit right in with what he had already said. “Okay.”
“Hold on tight.” San pulled Seonghwa closer and wrapped an arm around his waist. Seonghwa placed his arms around San’s the back of San’s neck. Then he reached up in the air where a handle materialised, looking a bit like dangling handles Seonghwa had seen on public transportation. “This is gonna pull us through a magic vortex. It’ll feel very weird, but I promise, it’s safe, you’re safe.”
“Okay?” Seonghwa tightened his grip.
San flashed him a quick dimpled grin, before giving the handle a tug.
True to San’s words, they were sucked into a swirling vortex of colour, flying through whatever it was, tugged along by the handle in San’s hand.
Seonghwa didn’t have the time to get scared, because it was over as quickly as it had started, but that didn’t mean that his body didn’t react to the unknown.
His knees collided with a cold stone floor and he panted, fighting down the panic.
When he raised his head, San was kneeling before him. “I’m really sorry about that. I remember my own first trip, when my grandpa took me along. You can’t really prepare anyone for this. But it’s already over.”
“Yeah, it’s… yeah.” Seonghwa checked himself over for any injuries, but apart from his knees hurting a little, they would probably bruise, he was fine. He allowed San to help him to his feet.
“Usually, there’d be many people here, but all my employees are at home, celebrating Christmas with their families. It’s just us and the elves. Fair warning, they’ll try to feed you baked goods, and if you refuse, they will pout at you. But they’re usually pretty good at baking, unless Felix and Seungmin experiment again. And don’t eat anything Minho gives you, no matter how much it’ll make him pout, because he’s a menace.”
Seonghwa just stood there for a while and processed the information. “I will try, but since I don’t know who Minho is, that might prove difficult,” he said eventually.
“Come.” San gently tugged on his hand. “I’ll introduce you.”
Seonghwa followed San and finally took the time to look around. They seemed to be in a hallway illuminated by old-fashioned wall sconces, the floor, the ceiling, and the walls all made from the same grey stone, smoothed out by tools and possibly also the years, the floor covered in a red rug.
At the end, there was a double door, and San pushed one side open.
They entered a large hall, full of shelves and workbenches, all more or less empty, apart from an abandoned paintbrush.
“Welcome to my workshop,” San said.
It was good that San was holding the bag, because Seonghwa would have dropped it. He marvelled at the tall walls, made from the same grey stone as the hallway outside, the chandeliers hanging from the lofty ceiling at regular intervals, and the large windows showing a snowy landscape outside. The sound of their footsteps echoed around them until they stopped.
A little... something moved in the middle of the hall, strangely cone-shaped with a tinkling little bell at the tip of the cone, and it quickly came closer with the pitter-patter of very little feet. Seonghwa wanted to step back, but San held onto his hand and squeezed it. "It"s fine, that"s just Changbin." He raised his voice. "Hey Binnie, where are the others?"
The whatever-it-was stopped in front of their feet and Seonghwa could make it out properly. It was a little person wearing a giant pointy hat with that bell on it, barely reaching their knees even with the hat.
It - they? - babbled indecipherably, but San seemed to understand.
"Well, at least you’re here. Changbin, this is Seonghwa. He"s very, very important to me. Seonghwa, this is Changbin, one of the elves."
Seonghwa gave him a panicked look. How did one interact with an elf? Especially one so tiny? Sure, he had believed in them, but never in his life would he have expected to meet one. He opted for bending down and holding out his free hand, so Changbin could shake one of his fingers, something he did very enthusiastically once he figured it out.
"Binnie, could you go find the others? I would like to introduce Seonghwa to everyone."
Changbin beamed, babbled something again, and zoomed off.
“What the fuck?” Seonghwa finally managed to say.
“Yeah, I know, elves are a little weird. I would say that they don’t bite, but that would be a lie, so I’ll just say that their teeth are tiny and it doesn’t hurt.”
“Oh Jesus Christ,” Seonghwa said, still looking around, spotting little details like drawings on the surfaces, and Christmas wishlists littered with checkmarks tacked up on the walls. “I’m… I’m still processing, but… you don’t work in logistics then?”
“No, I don’t.” San rubbed his thumb over the back of Seonghwa’s hand. “Or, well, I do, because delivering presents is a logistical nightmare, but… yeah. I’m sorry for lying to you, love.”
Seonghwa shook his head. “No, I understand why you did it, but… that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I know you are.” Seonghwa squeezed San’s hand. “That’s the reason why I’m still here.”
“And I’m glad that you are.” San raised Seonghwa’s hand to his mouth and kissed it, his eyes locked on Seonghwa’s and not letting his gaze go. Seonghwa felt like he was drowning in San’s eyes, as he did so often. Lie or not, this was still San. Still the man Seonghwa had loved for years.
Seonghwa carefully smiled at him, and San smiled back, his cheeks dimpling.
Tinkling interrupted them. Another little elf appeared, a different one this time, and San groaned. "Hi Innie. Don"t tell me they sent you to distract me so they can continue whatever mayhem they"re causing."
The elf babbled at him and San rubbed a hand over his face. "I knew it. Seonghwa, this is Jeongin. Innie, this is Seonghwa, will you look after him while I round up the others?”
Jeongin babbled back, and San chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell on you.” He turned to Seonghwa. “I’ll only be a minute, okay? Stay with Innie, I’ll be right back.” He kissed Seonghwa’s cheek, and Seonghwa reluctantly let go of his hand.
“Okay. But be quick, okay?” The only reason why he agreed at all was that San knew what he was doing, and he seemed to trust these little creatures.
“Promise, I will be.” San left, and Seonghwa was alone with the little elf who was now climbing on his shoe.
“Uh. Hello there,” he said.
The elf tugged on his shoe laces and babbled happily.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
That didn’t seem to faze the little elf in the slightest, he just kept babbling and playing with Seonghwa’s laces.
Seonghwa heard San return with the elves before he saw them, the tinkling of many bells and babble of many high voices, and San’s voice and footsteps between.
“No way, really?” San said as he rounded the corner. He was careful to not step on any of the elves scurrying around his feet. “That’s incredible! Alright, everyone, we’re here.” He looked up at Seonghwa with a smile that sparkled with happiness, and Seonghwa felt his heart tug, tug him towards San. “Elves, meet Seonghwa! He is someone I care very much about, so I hope you greet him warmly. No, Minho, I saw that! You don’t need to hide behind Changbin, give it here!” San bent down to wrestle a little elf for a tube of glue.
The rest of the elves swarmed around Seonghwa’s feet, some of them joining Jeongin on his shoes, and babbling at him, all at the same time, so even if he had understood them, he would have had no idea what they were saying. “Uh, hello everyone! How are you?”
More babbles answered him.
“No, not yet! Chan, Felix, no!” San suddenly sounded panicked, and Seonghwa looked up only to see San gently herding a group of elves behind a workbench and whispering to them quietly enough that the other elves drowned it out.
“Sannie? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” San replied.
“Come on, San, is now a good time to lie to me?”
San sighed. “No, it’s not. But it’s bad timing for… this, so it will have to be moved to later.” He emphasised the word as he looked at the elves at his feet, still hidden behind the workbench from Seonghwa’s point of view. “Come on, shoo! Later!”
From the sound of the bells, the elves scurried away. The ones swarming around Seonghwa followed.
“What was that?” Seonghwa joined San over by the workbench.
“Nothing you need to worry about right now, I promise.” San set the bag down beside the workbench and crowded Seonghwa against it. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Really?” Seonghwa laced his fingers together behind San’s back. “More secrets?”
San squirmed a little. “Listen, I know it looks bad, but… this is a different kind of secret, and one I’m very excited to tell you about, but this is the wrong time. So how about we have dinner now? I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
“Hm, yeah, let’s eat dinner then.” But Seonghwa didn’t let go, and San also seemed to have no inclinations to leave his spot in Seonghwa’s arms. The line of his shoulders was tense, and his brows were pulled into the tiniest worried frown. “Sannie, we’ll need to talk about this, a lot, but I’m not going anywhere, okay?”
“Okay.” San exhaled in relief. “Thank you.”
“I love you, and I’m not leaving you over this, but that doesn’t mean you’re just getting away with it. You lied to me, for years, and again, I get why, and looking back I can also tell that you mostly lied by omission instead of outright saying something untrue. It’s a heavy pill to swallow nonetheless. Like, I’ve always known that Santa is real, but the fact that it’s you…”
“I love you too.” San closed the last distance between them and cradled the back of Seonghwa’s head in his hands. “Baby, darling, my love, I love you so, so much. You don’t know how happy this makes me.” The tabletop of the bench dug into Seonghwa’s back, but there was still no place where he’d rather be. He’d find a way. He’d find a way to forgive San, and to go back to how they’d been. Or maybe… maybe even closer than they’d been.
Seonghwa just smiled and leaned in, sealing their lips together. San kissed back immediately, his lips a little desperate on Seonghwa’s, desperate to convey his true feelings and his relief that Seonghwa would stay. Seonghwa responded in kind, and soon enough, their arms around each other tightened, pulling them closer together. If Seonghwa were able to crawl into San’s chest, he would, just to be as close as possible.
He slotted his thigh between San’s, and San moaned quietly against his lips. They were both soft still, but if they continued this way, they wouldn’t be for much longer. Out of nowhere, Seonghwa craved San’s touch, craved it so much that it would have scared him if it hadn’t been San. Despite everything, San was safe. Seonghwa would always be safe with him.
San crowded even closer, one hand, surprisingly warm for the fact that they were literally at the north pole, slipping under Seonghwa’s sweater. Something stirred in Seonghwa’s pants as he opened his mouth to welcome San’s insistent tongue.
His own hand slid down and rested on San’s ass, pressing him into Seonghwa’s slow grind. San groaned, and his lips grew hungrier.
They parted for one moment, one very brief moment, to tug Seonghwa’s sweater off, exposing him to the cool air. Together, they fumbled with the buttons on San’s shirt until it parted and Seonghwa pulled San in again, his torso a hot line against Seonghwa’s, his hands on Seonghwa’s back like brands.
“I love you,” Seonghwa whispered against San’s lips and didn’t give San a chance to respond, not that San seemed to mind. He lifted Seonghwa onto the worn wooden surface of the workbench and impatiently brushed the shirt off his shoulders. His eager fingers unbuttoned Seonghwa’s pants and pulled them down.
The surface of the bench was hard, but with most of his body resting on San, he wasn’t the one who was uncomfortable, and San wasn’t complaining.
Surprisingly, Seonghwa wasn’t freezing, even though he could tell that the workshop was below room temperature, but he figured that was partially because his blood had only just stopped boiling with heat, and partially because he was snuggled up to the furnace otherwise known as San Choi. Or San Claus, he supposed.
“I’m surprised the elves stayed away,” San broke the silence.
“But it’s good that they did.” Seonghwa lifted his head and looked up at San. “They’re like children, we can’t defile their eyes.”
San snorted. “They’re little menaces, that’s what they are.”
“Shhh, it’s okay.” Seonghwa laid his head down again, listening to San’s heartbeat. “They’re cute though.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem, because I always let them get away with everything. But speaking of the elves, I don’t think they’ll be able to stay away for much longer, so we should probably get cleaned up and dressed.”
“But I’m so comfortable! You’re very warm.”
San laughed. “Thank you, but we do need to get dressed. Besides, weren’t we going to eat?”
“Well, I ate your–” But Seonghwa didn’t get any further because San started tickling him. Seonghwa shrieked. “Hey, hey, let me go, you heathen!” He slipped off the bench and went in search of his clothing that had been distributed surprisingly far, while San rolled off the bench too and hunted down some tissues.
When they were both cleaned up as best as possible and fully dressed, San pulled Seonghwa back into his arms for a few soft kisses. Eventually he let Seonghwa go. “Okay, dinnertime.”
“Sounds good, but it’s probably all cold by now.”
“That’s fine, I have like… seven microwaves to choose from here.”
Seonghwa raised an eyebrow. “Why would you have seven microwaves?”
“I have a lot of employees, love. Someone has to make the gifts, and it sure as hell won’t be the elves, even though they think that’s what they’re doing, and my employees need to eat lunch, so we have seven microwaves at the north pole.” He looked extremely happy with himself when he finished the explanation.
Seonghwa laughed. “Okay, let’s put our food in the microwave then.”
In the kitchen they ran into the elves again, who were playing a complicated game of tag and followed them around very enthusiastically when San told them that they were heating food.
“Do you have plates and cutlery? Because we forgot those.”
“Ah, yeah, somewhere…” San was trying to pull an elf out of the microwave while stopping three others from climbing in, so Seonghwa reached out and picked up the three. They struggled in his hands, and Seonghwa made sure his grip was gentle enough that it wouldn’t hurt them. “Thanks.” San pulled a fidgety elf out of the microwave and finally closed the door before setting the timer.
“Okay, everyone!” Seonghwa set the elves down. “Enough. Microwaves aren’t toys, and neither is our food, so behave!”
Much to his surprise, the elves actually settled down somewhat. They were still climbing all over the counter, but stopped trying to get into places where they weren’t supposed to be and instead sat on the lids of the containers, swinging their little feet and chattering.
San just stared, still holding the elf he had pulled out of the microwave.
“What?” Seonghwa took the poor thing out of San’s hands and sat him down with the others.
“The last person they actually listened to was my grandma.”
Seonghwa shrugged. “I can be very convincing if I want to.”
San hummed. “Yeah, and it just made me very sure about my secret plan that I’ll tell you about later.”
“Hmmm.” Seonghwa leaned into San’s side. “You’re making me very curious about that, San Claus.”
“You’re using my real name!” San grinned widely, dimples digging into his cheeks.
Seonghwa poked one dimple. “Now that I know it, I better make use of that knowledge!”
“I love you so much, you can’t even imagine.” San pulled Seonghwa into a kiss, and Seonghwa molded his body against San’s.
The beep of the microwave startled them out of the kiss. San let go to get the food out, this time not accosted by swarming elves, and Seonghwa felt a very insistent tug on his pant leg. He looked down at a small group of elves, balancing a plate with a small piece of chocolate brownie on their shoulders. One of them babbled at him. Seonghwa gave San a helpless glance.
“Minho is over here, so that one should be safe to eat,” was San’s verdict, and he immediately had to defend himself against an elf angrily chittering at him. “What? It’s not like that’s unwarranted!”
“Thank you very much.” Seonghwa bent down to pick up the plate. “I will eat it for dessert, okay?”
Two of the elves giggled together, and the others beamed up at Seonghwa. They really were cute.
“Okay, I have plates and cutlery. Hey, how about…” San trailed his fingers down Seonghwa’s arm until he reached his hand and tangled their fingers together. “How about a picnic? In my workshop?”
Seonghwa grinned and pecked San’s nose. “That sounds cute, let’s do it.”
San grinned back, earning another dimple poke, and then helped Seonghwa carry the food into the workshop, the elves staying back when Seonghwa asked them to.
“Hey, all of you.” He knelt down in the middle of their group. “We’re having a romantic dinner, and we would appreciate it if you all could give us some privacy for that, okay? We’ll spend time with you again later, if that’s alright.”
The elves whispered among themselves for a moment, then one of them stepped forward and patted Seonghwa’s knee before they all turned and vanished.
“I don’t even want to think about what they’ll get up to, but it’ll be worth an undisturbed Christmas dinner with you,” San said as he pulled a blanket out of one of the shelves, “come on!”
They set out the containers with now hot food on the blanket in the middle of the workshop, Seonghwa arranged the plates while San disappeared and returned shortly after with two cushions. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to sit on a stone floor on just a blanket.”
“Good thinking.” Seonghwa accepted one of the cushions and sat on it. “I expect a tour later, by the way.”
San laughed and got comfortable as well. “You’ll get one, don’t worry.”
“So how long has this been going on?” Seonghwa added some food to his plate and watched San do the same before he dug in.
“I took over from grandpa the year we met, so… I’ve been doing this for a while now.”
Seonghwa swallowed and nodded. “Okay, that makes me feel a little better. In the beginning, when it was new, you obviously couldn’t tell me because you didn’t know me yet. I don’t know how to explain it, but had we known each other for years and been going strong when you took over and then you didn’t tell me, it would have felt worse.”
“I think I know what you mean. And I am very, very sorry.”
“It is what it is.” Seonghwa sighed. “The damage is done, and now we have to figure out how to deal with it. I will forgive you, I said that I will, but please, no more secrets from now on, okay? If there’s anything else, tell me now.”
San stared at him, searching his features, before apparently coming to a conclusion. “One second, wait here. I promised the elves they’d get to help me, so I need to get them.”
“O– okay?” Seonghwa watched as San set down his plate and disappeared down the workshop into one of the corridors.
He didn’t have to wait long as the tinkling of the bells and footsteps soon told him that San was coming back with the elves in tow. However this time, their approach was accompanied by music, giggling and whispering.
San pushed the double doors wide open and stepped through. He had thrown a blazer over his shirt, with an ice-blue flower pinned to the lapel. The elves were carrying more flowers.
Seonghwa felt his jaw drop and hastily set down his plate.
“Come,” San said and held out his hand to help Seonghwa up, leading him away from their picnic blanket. The elves surrounded them, with their tinkling bells and their little cheers. Seeing it up close, Seonghwa could tell that the flowers were actually large snowflakes and ice crystals. He gaped.
“Sannie, what…?” But his voice left him, and he never finished that question. A niggling feeling in the back of his mind told him what this was, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up.
“Seonghwa Park,” San said – and sank down on one knee, still holding Seonghwa’s hand. “Seonghwa, I love you, with all my heart. You are my life, my silver lining, my sun, my moon, and my star. Will you do me the honor of also becoming my husband?”
Seonghwa’s mouth opened and closed without a sound coming out, like a fish. He didn’t know what to say, all words had left him.
San reached down with his free hand, and one of the elves deposited something in his hand, something shiny and sparkly and suspiciously round…
“I promise to love you to the end of my days, darling. You’re the one for me. Will you marry me?”
San’s eyes shone in the light of the chandeliers, his hand shook a little but still held Seonghwa’s warm and secure, and the elves shuffled around them, mostly quiet for once, apart from a few giggles and whispers.
Seonghwa struggled to form words, even though his mind was screaming his response. “I– we– yes, I mean– yes, oh my god, Sannie, I–”
San slumped in relief for a split second before almost jumping to his feet and throwing his arms around Seonghwa. “My love, my life, thank you.”
The elves broke out in cheers, and more than one tugged on the hems of their pants, but Seonghwa paid them no mind. He was way too busy kissing his boyfriend – no, his fiancé and letting San slip the ring on his finger. It was a silvery metal, Seonghwa guessed white gold, and the diamonds were arranged in the shape of snowflakes.
“It’s beautiful, I love it.”
San grinned widely, and he didn’t look like he’d ever stop again. In that moment, Seonghwa was deliriously happy, in Santa’s workshop, in Santa’s arms, and elves dashing around their feet, throwing ice flowers, not that they reached very far. He wished he could freeze this moment and live in it forever.
“There you are!” San called from the sleigh as Seonghwa entered the stable in search for his husband. He wasn’t yet over the fact that he got to call him his husband.
“I couldn’t let you leave without saying goodbye!”
San bounded off the sleigh again. “Well, I wouldn’t have left without a goodbye kiss, so it works out well!”
Seonghwa pulled him in for a deep kiss that had Minho, sitting on Seonghwa’s shoulder, gagging and slipping down Seonghwa’s sleeve to join the other elves darting around the vats of the sleigh. For all that San claimed Minho to be a menace, and he was, he and Seonghwa actually got along swimmingly. It had taken a while until Seonghwa had started to make out words in the babbling of the elves, but by this point he understood them quite well.
“I love you, darling,” San whispered against Seonghwa’s lips.
Seonghwa laughed and pushed San away. “And I love you too, but you need to go, or you’ll be late!” It was difficult to let him go, because San was irresistible in his uniform. He had re-designed it into a more modern suit in black and red with white trim, and he looked incredible in it.
San grinned, as if he knew what Seonghwa was thinking about, and swung himself back onto his sleigh and picked up the reins, alerting the plushies.
When his grandfather’s reindeer had retired, San had replaced them with plushies, an idea that was especially popular with the elves. “Hey, I’m Santa, I’m magical anyway!” had been his reasoning.
“Ready, Shiber?” he called.
Shiber, in the lead, nodded. Right behind Shiber was Meep, the sheep plushie Seonghwa had given him for Christmas the year before, next to the mouse they had actually named Fluffy.
“He’s gonna be okay out there, isn’t he?” Seonghwa said to Rudolf, who was wistfully looking at the sleigh. Rudolf nudged him with his nose.
“Bye everyone!” San called. “I’ll see you later, and merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas, Santa,” Seonghwa replied with a smile.
San turned to look at him with a twinkle in his eyes and dimples in his cheeks. “Merry Christmas, Mrs Claus.” His eyes conveyed a promise before he turned away. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road! Shiber, go!”
The plushies took off, pulling the sleigh up the ramp and into the air.
Seonghwa watched the sleigh get smaller and smaller. He’d be off to join Jongho and Hongjoong for Christmas Eve again, but this time he wouldn’t be sad, wondering about where San was. This time he’d be happy, waiting for his husband to return home.
The sleigh disappeared in the snow flurries and Seonghwa was left with the elves and the reindeer as San was off to spread joy and cheer among the children of the world.