#25DaysOfBTSXmas

[ddaenggtan]

as we go along | myj [m]

pairing | min yoonji x reader

wc | 10.4k

genre | NSFW; Fluff, Smut, a dash of Angst bc why not

Four years ago, the beautiful stunning attractive frustrating Min Yoonji came into your life. Ever since, it’s been a competition between the two of you to win the HOA’s Holiday Decorating Contest. The fiery looks she gives you paired with the pointed insults throw you off your game every year, but not this time. This holiday season, you’re determines to win; and along the way you might just find that Yoonji’s been trying to win something else.

;OR the queer hallmark movie of your dreams.

warnings/tags | idiots to lovers, enemies to lovers, Awkward Gays, Idiot/Oblivious Gays, very strong language i think this MC curses almost as much as i do, oral (female receiving) x2, fingering, wall sex, theres like....a hint of body worship in that MC loves eating pussy bc lbr. what else could possibly compare to that. uhh side jinkook, as well as some side namyoonmin and some vhope if u squint real hard. hwasa and chungha are a lesbian power couple. OH The Min Twins aka Yoongi and Yoonji are siblings uwu

a/n |  this is 100% every single lesbian fantasy of my dreams because i just really love the ladeez and also min yoonji needs more characterization outside of 'stone cold butch domme' so uh. here ya go. i love ladeez so this is v self indulgent and also Super Gay. 

this is part of the 25 Days of Christmas: A BTS Anthology 

[Today]

Red bleeds into green and glitters magnificently on the snow. Lights and tinsel are strewn all over the yard of your parents’ house, creating a rather pretty collage of sparkles and swirls against the white backdrop. You wish you could appreciate it more. 

As it stands, however, you’ve been outside for hours untangling the decorative strands so that you can hang them on the gutters, eaves, and railings of the two story house behind you. Your mother had insisted you work inside but you know better. The cats - Mochi and Pablo - are your favorite in the world and you love them dearly, but one of their favorite things in the world has always been holiday decorations. The number of times you’ve had to stop them from chewing on lights of knocking the tree down is frankly ridiculous. So instead you’re unravelling everything so you can get started on what you’re sure is going to be your best year yet.

You’ve always loved decorating, of course, especially for the holidays. Getting up before dawn to go pick out one of the giant fir trees to stand in their living room, picking out new figurines for the Winter Village that sits on the mantle, helping your parents put ornaments on the tree. You love holiday decorating nearly as much as you love the feeling of victory in your chest. 

“If you had an organizer that wouldn’t take nearly as long,” says a voice from behind you. It’s melodic and deceptively sweet in spite of the lower register, and you don’t turn. You don’t want to give her the satisfaction. You don’t even respond, instead settling your gloved hands on your hips and eyeing the front porch so you can decide where to start. 

“Really? Ignoring me now? Tsk tsk, and here I thought you were better than being a sore loser.”

Continuing on your mission to pretend she isn’t there, you heft several yards of lights over your shoulder and head toward the ladder you have against the porch roof. You may as well start up high. 

“Interesting choice,” Yoonji mutters as she watches you. The hair on the back of your neck bristles, and you take a deep breath to calm and center yourself. “I’d heard that icicle lights were a bit last season, but I’m excited for this vintage look you’re going for. If you need more, let me know. I think the ones I used last year are still in the garage.”

“What do you want, Yoonji?” You huff, turning over your shoulder to glare at her. She looks entirely too at home in your yard with a steaming thermos in her mittened hands. 

“Just wanted to say hi. Wasn’t sure you were coming this year, considering how late you got in.”

“My flight was delayed for weather reasons,” you snap. 

“Ah. That’s why I always drive up instead.” There’s a pregnant pause that’s filled only with the huffs of your breath as you focus on the lights in front of you. “Oh, but you never got your license, did you? Ah, you should call me next year, we can carpool.”

“I got my license this past year,” You bite out. She doesn’t need to know that it took a few tries. It’s not your fault it makes you anxious to be behind the wheel. “Seriously. I have work to do.”

“Obviously,” Yoonji mutters. You flash her a glare and she just smiles back. “Just wanted to see how you were, if you needed any…” She pauses, eyes trailing over the explosion of decorations on your lawn with thinly veiled judgement in her eyes. “Help.”

“If I needed your help, I wouldn’t be winning this year’s contest.”

“By the looks of it, you aren’t winning this year’s contest anyway.” Her mutter doesn’t escape your notice. But that’s the real problem you have with Min Yoonji.

She’s sarcastic and blunt and kind of intimidatingly hot, but you can handle that. You are a strong, independent queer woman in the modern age and you are not about to let some random lesbian intimidate you, no matter how much you kind of wanted to fuck her in the past. Yoonji is not a problem for you. 

It’s the way she’s constantly putting you down, giving you backhanded compliments, and generally acting like she’s better than you. While winning your parents’ neighborhood’s annual Holiday Decorating Contest that their local Homeowner’s Association runs. Everyone gets a kick out of the friendly competition, the winners get a gift certificate to a Korean BBQ place, and a good time is had by all. 

Except you. 

Because you’ve made it your mission to win - to beat the current reigning champion of the past three years who stands on your lawn sipping what smells like hot cocoa and silently judging your decor choices like she didn’t put a massive inflatable pumpkin on the roof for Halloween. 

She watches you the entire time you hang up the lights, carefully attaching them to the edge of the awning covering the front porch. It isn’t until your father pulls into the driveway and you’re done with the upper half completely - about to start the railing - and descending the ladder one careful step at a time that she speaks again. 

“Those are hanging too low,” She tells you. She doesn’t seem to mind when you ignore her in favor of wrapping lights around the stair banister. 

“Hey there, Yoonji!” Your father calls as he starts to unload the groceries. “What brings you to this part of town?” They both laugh at the joke and you force back a gag. 

“Just hanging out,” She calls back. “Making sure your daughter doesn’t break her neck for some silly competition. You need help with those?” Your dad waves her off. 

“I’m not that old, but thank you. Besides, it looks like you’re needed elsewhere.” He gestures with one bag-laden hand, and both you and Yoonji turn. 

A large SUV pulls into the driveway across the street; the passenger door swings open before the vehicle even stops, and a girl - woman, really - launches herself out of the car. She’s across the street in record time, nearly tackling Yoonji to the snow with the force of her hug. Both look excited to see each other, a rare smile on Yoonji’s face that makes you burn with something that doesn’t feel quite like the usual rage. 

The two are talking rapidly in your front lawn, too harried and chaotic for you to make out much of anything besides the fact that they missed each other. They look comfortable with each other in a way you’ve never been and you force yourself to remember that you don’t care . Even as you eye the way the newcomer’s hand sits just that little bit too low on Yoonji’s back. 

The sounds of car doors closing and snow crunching draws your attention and you’re shocked to see another gorgeous girl making her way over. She looks as excited as the first, yet more subdued about it. 

Likely because they’re on a lawn that decidedly does not belong to them, but you could be wrong there. 

Both of the women are absolutely gorgeous, though, easily model material. The first has artfully styled dark hair that falls in perfect waves down her shoulders, and is delightfully curvy in all the places the world loves. Her cheekbones are to die for, makeup flawless, and you resist the urge to pluck at your own outfit, chosen for warmth over style. 

The second woman is no different; not quite as thicc, as Jimin would say, but the figure suits her, as does the straight platinum hair that hangs down to her lower back. It’s stark against the black of her expensive-looking coat, and it only adds to the energy she carries that draws you in even as you wish it wouldn’t. 

“Oh, how rude of me! These are my neighbors,” Yoonji says after a minute. You don’t miss the way she hesitates saying your name, or the almost predatory smiles the other two women get. 

“So you’re the one,” The dark-haired one says. You don’t get a chance to question it before the blonde cuts her off. 

“I’m Chungha,” She says with a friendly smile. “And this is Hyejin.”

“My friends call me Hwasa, though,” The brunette adds. “We hate to tear her away but it’s been ages since we’ve seen our girl.”

“You saw me like two weeks ago,” Yoonji mutters. You’re too caught off-guard by anyone calling Yoonji their ‘girl’ to respond, but you don’t miss the way her cheeks tinge pink from something that isn’t the cold. 

“So we’re gonna steal her away now,” Hwasa continues, oblivious. You don’t protest, letting your father chat amicably while they say their goodbyes and you look between the girls. 

Hwasa’s hand is still lingering on Yoonji’s lower back, something neither of them seem bothered by. That’s something that friends do, though, right? Jimin squeezes your ass constantly and the two of you definitely aren’t together. 

You hear your name and a question but you can’t seem to really focus beyond a mumbled agreement to whatever you were asked. The way Chungha’s eyes glance over her companions feels like something more, but you can never really be sure. Not in this day and age.

But when they head back across the road to Yoonji’s house, Hwasa doesn’t hesitate to lace their fingers together. Yoonji lets her do it, and the glimpse of the grin and the flushed cheeks you see make your heart clench. 

Paired with the way Chungha eyes the pair as she follows behind - a decidedly more than friendly gaze - and every alarm in your brain is going off. She looks ready to jump them both the second they get in the door. 

“I’m impressed,” Your father says. 

“I’m not done yet,” You tell him, turning back to the decorations sprawled across the lawn. “I’ve still got to-”

“No, no,” He interrupts. “Not the decorations. That you’re finally making strides to be nicer to Yoonji.” You stare blankly at him, not understanding what part of your attitude towards her said anything about being nicer. 

And anyway, why shouldn’t she be nicer to you?

“The party…?” You blink at his words, looking in all respects like a startled rabbit. “The annual Min family holiday party? That they just invited you to? The one that you said you would attend?”

“I’m sorry, I did what. ”

“It just happened, sweetheart. I was standing right here for the entire thing.”

“No,” You tell him firmly. “No, because I would remember telling Min fucking Yoonji that I was going to her stupid holiday party.”

Your father just shakes his head. “Then perhaps we ought to get you a doctor’s appointment, sweetie, because I watched it all happen not five seconds ago.” He pats your shoulder, doing his best to show his solidarity for your sudden idiocy, and makes his way inside. 

You spin to watch him go, all the potential protests and complaints clogging together in your throat and leaving you silent. He gets to the bottom step before you’re storming angrily back to your decorations, because whatever , you’ll go to the stupid party. 

Yoonji can have her dumb holiday party with those overhyped cookies your father always raves about. She can have her caroling and her sing-a-long that your mother adores. She can even have her two super hot model girlfriends, because you’re a modern woman, and sometimes that’s what a relationship is. Whatever. It’s her prerogative. You don’t care. It is not going to affect you, or your decorating, at all. 

You scream a little when the icicle lights you so carefully hung knock against your father’s head on his way inside. 

[Three Years Ago]

“You look like you’re struggling,” a voice says behind you. 

They aren’t wrong, either. You’re balanced precariously atop the porch roof your parents’ new hours, hanging garland off the edges so your dad doesn’t have to do it himself. 

You turn to see who’s talking to you - especially since you don’t actually know anyone, this being your first visit to the neighborhood - and very nearly have to hold on to the edge beside you to stop yourself from falling off. 

The man that stands on your parents’ front walkway is easily the most beautiful you’ve seen - a casual elegance to his stance that you’ve not seen outside of celebrities. His leather jacket looks warm and comfortable while remaining stylish, and the all-black underneath suits him while highlighting the lithe form. All of it is perfectly complemented by the mop of jet-black hair tucked under a knitted beanie, and you can’t help but wonder what kind of neighborhood your parents have moved to, when models are just walking around the streets. 

“Uh…” You would kick yourself for sudden ineloquence if you thought you could without falling straight on your ass. The guy bites back and obvious smile, ducking his head for a moment to do so. 

“I haven’t seen you around before,” He calls as he looks back up at you. “Did you move in recently?”

“No, I don’t live here.” He raises a brow and you huff. “It’s my parents’ place. I’m just doing their decorating for them.” The guy nods and starts to say something else, but he’s cut off before he can. 

“Jimin-ah, what are you doing?” You look back to the garland as someone else walks up, some girl based on the quick glimpse you get while tugging on a strand that doesn’t want to untangle. You give them some semblance of privacy as the guy - Jimin - relays to her everything you’ve said so far. It only strikes you as a little odd that he’s being so detailed; she could be a jealous girlfriend, for all you know. 

“Oh,” the girl says, tone as dry as the dead leaves piled in the corner of the yard, “Is this supposed to beat me somehow?”

“Yoonji,” Jimin scolds under his breath. 

“Sorry,” You say, standing up to your full height. It’s a considerable distance considering you’re still on the porch roof. “But what is that supposed to mean? Is there some kind of competition I don’t know about?”

“Oh,” Yoonji repeats, surprise evident in her voice this time as she eyes you. You take the opportunity to do the same, and you’re glad the nip in the air already turned your cheeks pink because fuck. 

Yoonji’s god damn gorgeous. She’s slightly taller than the average girl, even in the winter boots she’s wearing, but she wears the height well; her shoulders are straight and her chin has a natural upward tilt to it, like she’s used to looking down at people in more ways than one. She’s not dressed fancy - just thick leggings and an oversized sweater - but she looks like she belongs in a commercial or something. Her hair is similar to Jimin’s - pitch black and soft - but hers is glossier, more like a cat’s coat; her cheeks are pink from the cold, her lips are slightly parted and invite too many thoughts about if they’re as soft as they look, Even in such casual circumstances, she’s radiant, even as she says-

“That explains a lot.”

It takes a second longer than you’d like to admit for your brain to resume function, but when it does, you huff with indignation. 

“Excuse me?” You hiss. “What, are my decor choices not good enough for whatever this competition is?”

“No,” Yoonji says slowly, cocking a brow, and you see red - and it isn’t the lights from the house across the street. You don’t even let her continue before you’re defending yourself.

“Well I’m sorry that not all of us can decorate like they just stepped out of...of…Better Homes And Gardens, or some shit like that. Some of us focus more on making sure we like our decorations and that they actually mean something instead of just doing things for the aesthetic .”

Yoonji mutters something under her breath but you can’t make it out; it’s lost among the breeze that kicks up and the soft sound of laughing that Jimin is trying desperately to muffle. You huff a little and return to your mission of dragging the garland up on top of the roof, a new determination filling your chest. 

“Shouldn’t your boyfriend be doing this?” Yoonji asks, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking a brow. You freeze. You can hear Jimin’s quiet inhale, and when you look up, he’s got his lips puffed out like that meme of that guy doing the duckface. You let your hand rest on your hips and give this girl the best glare you can - which you have to admit is quite powerful when you need it to be. 

Like now, when this random super hot girl is judging you for being single and also assuming you’re interested in men. The nerve of her. 

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” You tell her firmly. She frowns a little, and you wish the expression wasn’t so cute. 

“Why not?” 

You scoff. “ Because,” You tell her firmly, “Not only am I happy by myself and don’t need someone else to be complete, I happen to prefer women. You may be happy with a member of the opposite sex,” You wave at where she and Jimin stand close together and return to trying to pull up the piece of garland that’s probably stuck on something, “But I tend to lean the other way.”

Yoonji just arches a perfect brow at you, but she at least doesn’t bust out laughing like Jimin does. 

“Oh man,” He says, wiping tears from his eyes as he stumbles forward, “Imagine looking at us and thinking we’re straight. Oh my god, imagine, can you believe-”

“So why don’t you have a girlfriend doing this then?” Yoonji asks. Her cheeks are a little redder, but you’re pretty sure it’s just from the cold. “Wouldn’t it be better?”

“Because I’m a strong,” You heave another string of garland up, “Independent,” heave, “Woman!” You give one last tug on the garland and it flies loose, sending you landing back on the flat of your ass atop the porch roof. It doesn’t hurt too bad other than the fact that you can see a smile playing on Yoonji’s lips and your pride has already taken a few hits. 

“Well then,” Yoonji says, patting Jimin’s arm and stepping back, “We’ll stop distracting you, Miss Independent.” She and Jimin walk across the street, and you pretend not to notice the way she looks back every so often. 

[Today]

“No, it needs to be taller.”

“Sweetheart if it’s any taller, it won’t fit in the house.”

You send your mother a frustrated glance and shake your head. “It will, it just needs to be the right height and shape.”

“Why can’t we just get a fake tree? They’re so much easier to move and put together, wouldn’t that be better?”

“No,” You hiss, scandalized. “Real trees are better overall for the environment, not to mention how you can’t manufacture the smell of pine trees that come with them that set the entire atmosphere. Plus this nursery uses the profits to plant more trees both here and in areas that suffer with deforestation. It’s for a good cause.”

“And that’s why we had to get here at five in the morning?” Your mother asks sarcastically. 

“Yes,” You reply firmly, “Because otherwise all the good trees will be gone and we’ll be forced to choose from the leftovers.” Your mother mumbles something else under her breath, but you don’t hear it. You’re distracted because there it is. The perfect tree.

You’re two steps away from your perfect tree - tall, evenly spaced, full branches, well balanced, with the perfect shade of evergreen - when you hear her. 

“It’s over here,” Yoonji’s voice echoes. “I need the perfect tree, and it’s the best one I’ve found in years.”

You ignore the way your mother lights up and shush her when she tries to call out to Yoonji. You listen closer; your nemesis is still talking, something about needing a tree for someone - which, who leaves tree shopping to the last minute? The only reason you’re here is that you got in late because of the weather - but her voice is definitely getting closer. 

Panicking, you look at your tree. If Yoonji sees it, it’s definitely over. It’s perfect, there’s no way she’ll want any other, and what Yoonji wants, she gets. 

The only real explanation for what happens next is that you’re running on four hours’ sleep and Yoonji tends to make you a little stupid. 

“Get the other side,” You whisper to your mom. She stares at you and doesn’t move. “Hurry up, before they get here!”

Your mother watches for a few seconds as you wrap your arms around the tree, getting pricked in the face with pine needles as you do, and start to tug. It’s a heavy tree, and it’s only just started to shift when the voices get closer. 

“Seriously?!” You exclaim in a harried whisper to your mom. “Not even a push?!”

“You’re trying to steal a tree,” Your mother says. “From a nursery that gives to charity. I’m not helping with that.”

“I’m gonna pay for it later!” Your mother sighs and starts pushing halfheartedly on the other side of the tree.   

“Shit, no, I meant-” Your words are cut off by a grunt as you manage to catch the tree before it falls entirely. It’s heavy against your shoulder, and of course that’s when Yoonji turns the corner, followed by the broadest man you’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. Both stop in their tracks at the sight of you. 

“Hey Seokjin.” You say, faking a laugh. “How are you? Haven’t seen you this year. Business good?”

“Yeah,” He says, cocking a brow, “When people don’t try to run off with our trees.”

“Who? Me? I would never!” The tree starts digging into your shoulder and your legs tremble. “I just thought I’d load it up for you, y’know, save you the trouble.”

“Oh did you?” There’s amusement in Seokjin’s voice as he fiddles with his ring. “You know our policy, you have to pay before loading.”

You start to stammer out some bullshit about him being busy but you’re only halfway through the excuse when Yoonji says your name.

“It’s alright,” the woman says with a bored voice. “She was loading it up for me. That’s the tree I was coming to show you anyway.”

The weight finally overtakes you, and you crumble under it. You manage to twist so that nothing important is trapped under the trunk, but you get a faceful of needles for your efforts. 

“Maybe you should do it, though, Jin,” Yoonji says. “It looks a little much for the poor dear.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Seokjin huffs. He pulls the tree off of you with what looks like little effort, hefting it over his shoulder so the base drags the ground. “Where are you parked, Yoonji?”

“Load it onto their car,” Yoonji responds. Both you and your mother stare at her in shock. “Consider it an early Christmas present.”

“Oh, well isn’t that sweet of you,” Your mother coos. She points the way to Seokjin and the two head off, chatting amicably as they go. 

You narrow your eyes at Yoonji where she stands, not even offering to help you up from the snow where you still lay.

“What’s wrong with it?” You ask. All she does is quirk a brow. “The tree. Why are you giving it to me? You wouldn’t unless there was something wrong with it. So what is it? Termites? Leaking too much sap? What?”

Yoonji shrugs. “You wanted it,” She says simply. Your blood boils, and she steps back like she doesn’t even notice. 

“You aren’t even going to help me up?” You call as she starts to walk away.

“Good try, Miss Independent,” She calls back. “I think Jungkook’s still in the office if you need him.”

You half-scream a growl as you flop your head back into the snow. A pout forms as you watch the sky start to color with the sunrise. 

You’re going to have to throw away your perfect tree.

[Two Years Ago]

It’s the day of the contest. You’re confident in your decor choices this year, even if you couldn’t get every single thing you had in mind, you decide as you wander the neighborhood to scope out the competition. Last year you went simple and got second place, and you’ve switched it up this year. All out with the best decorations possible. 

You’re going to win. Losing isn’t an option, not again. Not when you were beat by her. 

It doesn’t matter, you remind yourself as you turn the corner onto your parents’ street. Your decorations are as good as they can be. 

Your mood sours a little when you see a figure in the yard across from yours, but the soft beanie and oversized hoodie cheer you up once you notice them. 

“Yoongi!” You call with a smile. The man turns and gives you a gummy grin. “I didn’t know you were in town!”

“Yeah, we got in late last night. Kinda crashed once we did. Then someone dragged us all out to the store early this morning.” He rolls his eyes and you laugh. 

“Well the house looks good. Not as good as mine, obviously,” You tease, “But good.”

“Yeah, you might win this year. Yoonji’s got some good competition.”

You sniffle a little, doing your best to contain your distaste for his twin. 

The Min twins, nearly identical save for the fact that they aren’t the same gender, are easily the best and worst things about the neighborhood. Worst because of that pompous priss Yoonji, obviously. 

Best because Min Yoongi is one of the sweetest people you’ve ever known even if he is a bit shy. You met him last year, when he’d carried in an obscene amount of groceries for your mother and you’d almost mistaken him for his sister. You’d made him coffee to say thanks, the two of you talked, and you’ve been friends ever since. 

“No Jimin?” You ask him. He gestures vaguely to the roof, where you can see a small blue hat bopping around. “Ah. I take it you aren’t finished yet, then.”

“Do you know any other reason my sister would have my boyfriend on the roof?” You share a grin with him as you both watch a strand of lights fly off somewhere. “Apparently she needed to make some last minute adjustments. That’s why she dragged us all out to the store, to hunt down some stuff for her.”

“Oh, did you happen to see one of those big dancing snowmen? The one that plays music, you can control it all from your phone? I looked everywhere and couldn’t find one, it’s the one thing I was missing. Had to use an inflatable yeti instead.” Yoongi frowns. 

“Huh, how weird. That’s what we were-”

“I got it all ready, it just needs to be plugged in.”

Yoonji strides out from the house - looking as good as ever in some plaid pants, how dare she - and stops dead when she looks up and sees you. 

“What are you doing here?” She snaps, and you scoff. 

“Visiting a friend,” You respond with a nod towards Yoongi. You take a glance at the phone in her hand, then up to where you can see Jimin standing up a snowman. “Did you seriously steal my idea?!”

“What? No.”

“Really. Because I distinctly remember telling Jungkook about this yesterday while I was picking up my tree and you were right beside him talking to Seokjin. I was even going to put it on the roof so everyone could watch it dance to Pentatonix covers.”

“Like I would listen when you talk,” Yoonji says. Yoongi sighs but you can barely hear it over the flood of rage. 

“Y’know what? Get fucked,” You tell her as you storm out of their yard and back to your parents’ house. 

“I guess you won’t be coming to the holiday party then?” She calls over the road. You send her a rather vulgar hand gesture in return that you hope your parents don’t see. By the time you get inside, the snowman is playing a Mariah Carey Christmas song and you kind of want to set it on fire. 

You do not win the competition that year. 

[Today]

Maybe you should have listened to your parents when they said not to drive today. Probably you should have taken the big ass truck that your father keeps in the garage specifically for when the weather is bad, because it’s got that fancy four wheel drive and traction control and all sorts of stuff meant to keep people safe in the middle of floods and monsoons and blizzards. You definitely should have remembered to charge your phone before you left the house.

Especially considering that your car isn’t great in the snow now falling gently from the sky to land on your hood, mixing with the smoke pouring out from under it. 

You’re lucky you managed to drift to the side of the road and get your hazard lights on, but that’s where said luck runs out. Your phone is dead, it’s several miles back to the house, even further than that to town, and the temperature is already dropping into dangerous territory. 

You’ve been sitting here for three hours, though, tucked inside the residual warmth of your car with spare blankets wrapped around you as you watched night fall. You’re not sure what else you can do. There aren’t any wild animals around here, or anything like that, but it’s definitely too dangerous to trek back to the house. 

“I should’ve just walked back earlier,” You groan as you bundle the blankets closer. “At least it was warmer then. Stupid car, stupid car, stupid me , didn’t charge your stupid phone, how dumb am I.”

Your tirade against yourself continues for several minutes and includes a few very crafty curses that would make your mother gasp. You’re in the middle of another when lights shine into your mirrors, nearly blinding you. 

The lights slow and come to a stop behind your car. A door shuts and you scramble to exit, ready to get on your knees and beg whoever it is to give you a ride to literally anywhere that has heat. 

It takes a second too long for you recognize the shiny purple jeep and the elegant black peacoat backlit by the headlights, and by the time you do, she’s already got an angry snarl on her face. 

“What the fuck are you doing out here?” She demands. You shiver in response and glare at her. 

“Oh, just hanging out, thought I’d take a little nap beside the road in the freezing cold, the usual y’know,” You bite back. She rolls her eyes and starts back towards her jeep. You frown, watching her, and she stops with one foot inside and her hand on the door. 

“What are you waiting for?” She asks. You shrug, and she huffs. “Get in the fucking car, I’m taking you home before you turn into an icicle.” You don’t move and her frown deepens. “Fine, but if you die out here, I’m not the one that’s going to tell your parents it was because you were too stubborn to accept a ride.”

Guilt gnaws at you, and with a frustrated huff, you stomp your way over to the passenger side of her jeep and climb inside. 

She’s careful as she drives, you notice. Long fingers wrapped tight around the wheel, jaw tensed so hard it could be stone, and one arm leaned against the window after she’s finished turning the heat up as high it will go. 

It’s not even been five minutes when she tosses a thick, fleece-lined blanket at you. You look at her, ready to be pissed off, and she cuts you off before you can complain. 

“Your teeth are chattering so loud that I can’t hear myself think. Try not to get hypothermia before we get there, okay?” You huff a disbelieving laugh but curl into the warmth of the blanket anyway. It feels almost too-warm, like when you pull clothes out of the dryer, but it’s a comfort against your freezing skin. 

“Why are you even here? You aren’t heading back from town, you’re not heading to town. Do you just drive around looking for lost girls?” 

“No,” She says carefully, hand tightening around the wheel. It’s all she says for a full minute before she sighs. “Your parents got worried.”

“What?! ”

“They said you went to town to pick up some salt for the sidewalk and drive, and that it had been hours, and that they hadn’t heard from you again even though you took your phone. They were scared that something had happened, so I…”

Your sarcastic response dies on your tongue when you look at her. Really look. 

Her shoulders are tense and set, in a way you haven’t seen before. Her brows are creased, and the pretty lips you refuse to acknowledge are set in a thin line and turned down at the corners. There’s something fizzling in the air between the two of you, something new and unknown.

“...Were you worried about me?” You ask quietly. She shoots you a look and then laughs, a second too late with not enough amusement. 

“Drink that,” She says, gesturing to a thermos. “It’s coffee, it’ll help you warm up a little.” You take the thermos, thoroughly enjoying the warmth it provides your hands, and take a sip. You don’t know why, but you’re surprised when it’s the exact way you like it. You shoot her a thoughtful look, wondering just how else she might surprise you. 

The rest of the ride is quiet, only the lull of the engine and the tires. Neither of you talk much; perhaps because she’s too angry, but you’re too distracted by your own thoughts to say much. 

There’s no way, right? The two of you hate each other, you have since you met. It tints all your interactions, colors every single conversation where either of you are even mentioned, it’s one of the basic facts of the universe. 

So why, as Yoonji pulls into your parent’s driveway and smiles at where they stand watching from the window, do you have a feeling like maybe you’re wrong?

[One Year Ago]

“Really? Inflatables?”

You scowl and turn, already prepared. There stands Yoonji, arms crossed. The weather is fairly mild for the season, and she’s taking advantage of that. High waisted shorts, an off-the-shoulder top, lace-up boots, leather jacket, she looks like every rebellious lesbian you’ve ever dreamt about, and it only makes you hate her more. 

“Yes, inflatables. Because some of us like a little fun. Besides, you stole my dancing snowman last year, and I wanted something you aren’t going to rip off.”

“I didn’t steal your-”

“Whatever,” You interrupt, not wanting to even bother to listen. “Don’t you have someone else to bother?”

She starts to say something else, but the slam of the front door cuts her off. You turn and grin, waving. 

“Tae! C’mon, put it over here!” 

Taehyung smiles and makes his way over, inflatable deer in his hands. Yoonji’s silent as he gets there and sets the animal where you direct. When he’s finished he turns to you, boxy smile and all, to make sure he’s good, and glances at Yoonji. 

“Oh, you didn’t say you had a friend over,” He whines. “Now I’m being rude. Hi, I’m Kim Taehyung.”

Yoonji doesn’t answer, merely eyes with distaste the hand he’s got extended. 

“Right. Well then, I’m gonna go get the fawn, alright? Be right back.” He smiles at you, and you watch as he jogs back into the house.

“I thought you only brought Namjoon with you this year.” You turn at Yoonji’s words. 

“No, Tae came as well. It’s a good thing, too, because Joon is utterly useless now since he met Yoongi and Jimin. Little punks stole my best friend.” You’re only mostly kidding. You’re happy for Namjoon - he’s been somewhat lonely these days, and now he’s got not one but two handsome men vying for his affection. 

It does reinforce your own loneliness, though. 

“I thought you liked girls.” You look back at Yoonji and notice she’s got a small pout on her face. It’s cute. 

“I do like girls.”

“Then why is Taehyung here?” The way she says his name is full of spite, and it makes you laugh. 

“Sorry, I didn’t realize that I had to get your permission when I want to bring my friends and loved ones up to visit my parents for the holidays.” You adjust the inflatable deer, posing it so that it looks like it’s glaring at Yoonji’s house in anger. 

Taehyung comes back out before Yoonji can say anything. He’s got his jacket off now, and he does look good in the simple white shirt and the headband that makes his hair look even fluffier than usual. You just really can’t focus on anything but the inflatable fawn he’s got tucked under one arm and the matching rabbit tucked under the other. 

Yoonji’s eyes narrow ever so slightly, and you roll your eyes. 

“You need another deer,” She spits before she turns around and stomps back to her house. Taehyung shoots you a look. 

��I take it that’s Yoonji, then,” He says with a laugh. You make a puking sound and he tuts at you. “You’re supposed to be nice. That is not nice.”

“Yeah, well, she didn’t steal your dancing snowman, did she?”

Across the street, you can see Yoonji fuming as she stands on the porch, talking to Yoongi about something or other. They both look over and while your first instinct is to turn around like you haven’t been watching them, you resist. Instead, you give Yoongi a bright wave. He doesn’t return it but his frown lessens slightly, though that could be because Jimin stumbles, laughing, out of your parents’ house with Namjoon not far behind him. 

Both of them have hearts in their eyes, and it only gets worse when they look at Yoongi. 

“That’s disgusting,” Taehyung says with a wrinkle of his nose. “Eugh, they’re so couple-y and gross. Remind me not to come next year if Namjoon’s here.”

“Oh no,” You tell him with a grin as you wrap him in a hug. He’s warm and solid against you, as he always is, and you thoroughly enjoy it. “If I have to struggle, you do too.”

“Fine,” He whines dramatically. “But I’m bringing Hobi so he has to suffer, too.” You laugh and set him to work organizing the inflatable animals. There are eyes on your back the entire time, but you refuse to turn around and give Yoonji the satisfaction. 

Especially once you realize that you do need another deer to make it look balanced and perfect.

[Today]

The holiday party is well underway by the time you arrive at Yoonji’s, however reluctantly you do so. Your mother and father disappear almost immediately, sucked into conversations with people they’ve known for years now; Tae and Hobi are tucked into a corner, nursing glasses of cider while they look at the rather extensive Winter Village display on the Mins mantle; Namjoon has been here for hours already, and is no doubt locked away in Yoongi’s room with the man himself, and Jimin, and you choose to believe that they’re having some philosophical discussion and not doing anything else. 

You think you catch a glimpse of Jungkook amidst the people from the neighborhood, but by the time you get to where he was, there’s no sign of him, or the broad-shouldered man he’s usually with. Abandoned in the kitchen, you pour yourself some cider and spike it with a hint of rum, just to get you through the night. 

“Where’s your boyfriend?” A voice says. 

When you turn, you find Hwasa perched on the countertop, Chungha leaning back between her legs. Both are watching you curiously, and both look absolutely fantastic in figure-hugging dresses and tights and heeled boots. They look like they just stepped off a runway, but the look in their eyes feels more like a panther than a model. 

“What boyfriend?” You ask eventually. 

“Tall, great chest, soft hair,” Hwasa says. When you just stare at her, she smiles a little. “Boxy smile.”

“Oh, Tae?” You laugh a little. “He isn’t my boyfriend. I’m not even interested in him like that, he’s just my best friend.” The two women share a look and Chungha kisses her cheek before heading out of the room. Hwasa eyes you and you have the distinct feeling you’re being judged. 

You thought you looked okay when you picked out the simple but nicer outfit; black sweater, maroon skirt, tall black boots. It’s classy but casual. You’re sure of it. 

At least you were. 

“So tell me about this thing with Yoonji,” Hwasa eventually says. You nearly choke on your cider. 

“I mean...there’s not much to tell. We’ve hated each other ever since we met four years ago.”

“Oh?” Something lights up in her eyes that you don’t particularly like. 

“Look, no offense to you or your girlfriend, Yoonji’s just...kinda mean for my tastes. I guess some people are into that.”

“Elaborate.” Her tone leaves no room for argument, and you find yourself explaining before you can stop. You tell her nearly everything, about all the shit Yoonji’s done to you, and by the time you’re finished, she’s actually smiling.

“Like...I’m sure you love her and all, otherwise you wouldn’t be dating her, but-”

“What? ” She nearly falls off the counter, she’s laughing so hard, and when you start to help steady her, she just waves you off. “No, sweetie, I’m dating Chungha, not Yoonji.”

“I thought you were dating both of them? Did you all break up?”

“Oh my god , she wasn’t kidding,” Hwasa says breathlessly, still fighting back giggles. “Holy shit, this explains so much. Ha, oh my god, no, we never were dating Yoonji, she’s just our best friend. Like you and that Taehyung guy?”

“Oh.” You feel foolish; it makes sense, friends can be just as physically close as romantic partners. You and Taehyung are proof enough of that. “I...just assumed…”

“I know, but you’re definitely wrong. You drink more cider, stew on that, maybe rethink things from another perspective, I’ve got to tell Chungha about this, it’s too good.” Hwasa hops off the counter with ease and disappears out the door before you can ask her to explain what she means about other perspectives. You can hear giggles as they slowly drown in the chatter of the party and the soft carols playing over the speakers. 

You stay in the kitchen for a while, nursing your cider and thinking. If Yoonji doesn’t have two model-hot girlfriends, then could you have been onto something in the jeep that night? You’ve hated her for so long, and assumed that she hates you in return, but if you were wrong about the girlfriends, then maybe you’re wrong about that, too. 

Something enters your vision and you look up, nearly spitting out your drink as you do. 

Yoonji stands in front of you, in a slinky green velvet dress that she keeps tugging the bottom of. It doesn’t look like anything she usually wears, down to the floral lace tights and the wedge heels that make her even taller than she already is, and she looks slightly uncomfortable if the burn in her cheeks is any indication. 

The worst part is that she looks good. Like, good good. It suits her, even if it isn’t her usual style, and for once you can’t deny the attraction swirling within your stomach. 

“What are you wearing?” She asks angrily, glaring down at your clothes like they kicked her dog - whom you have not seen tonight, which is a travesty, because you adore Holly. A cough echoes from somewhere behind the two of you, and Yoonji wrinkles her nose. “I mean...I like...your outfit.”

You quirk a brow at her and set your cider down on the counter nearby. “Really? Because it looks like you want to tear it off and then set it on fire.” Something complicated happens with her expression and a spark ignites in your mind. 

“Are you sick?” She asks. Her face does something else complicated as a groan echoes from nearby, and something painful twists in your stomach. You really didn’t think you looked that bad. “I mean, after the other day. With the snow. And the cold. Are you sick?”

“Is...this your way of telling me I look ill?” You ask her. She frowns. “Because if wanted me to leave your party, all you had to do was say that, you don’t have to insult me.” You head toward the door of the kitchen and there’s a scrambling that sounds much too loud for just her friends. 

So your friends are also eavesdropping. Fantastic. Now everyone knows she’s insulted you. Just what you needed tonight. 

Her hand catches your wrist as you’re about to leave the kitchen. “I didn’t mean it like that,” She mumbles, not making eye contact. “I just...wanted to make sure you were feeling okay. It was really cold that night, and you were out there for a long time.” 

“So, what, you suddenly care? Why? Because you don’t want to win by default or something?”

“No, because I-” She cuts herself off with a groan, and you’re glad there are so many people around, because it seems like everyone’s distracted with something else. They’re too busy to notice this absolutely disastrous conversation. 

“Hey look,” Taehyung says, appearing from nowhere and pulling roughly on Yoonji’s arm until she’s standing beside you in the doorway. “Mistletoe! How random! Guess you have to kiss!”

“That’s a stupid tradition,” Yoonji spits, and you’re inclined to agree with her. “Forcing people to kiss just because of some plant? How is that okay? Besides, it’s got nothing to do with the actual myth behind it, and-” She sounds like she could go on forever, but you cut her off. 

“And it’s not like we want to kiss anyway.” Her grip on your wrist slackens, and you turn to look at her. Uncertainty fills you as you look at her expression, because the only word that comes to mind is crestfallen. “Right?”

“I...I mean…” Taehyung disappears as Yoonji searches for words, and you just know he’s hanging out somewhere nearby to watch it all happen. 

“Because we’re nemeses.” You say slowly. “We hate each other.”

“Do we?” Yoonji asks quietly, threading her fingers through yours. “Do you?”

“Don’t you? ” You ask her. “You’ve been nothing but rude to me since we met. You’ve insulted me, and stolen my decorating ideas, and-”

“No,” She says quickly. “No, I never meant any of it like that, you just never gave me a chance to explain. You’re...you’re so pretty, and I always get flustered around pretty people, and I say the wrong things.”

“You told me I wasn’t as good if I didn’t have a significant other the first time we met.”

“I was trying to figure out if you were interested in women, and when you said you were, I just...panicked, because I figured you had someone, because you’re…” She gives a wave to your general being. 

“You stole my dancing snowman.”

“I did not! I heard someone talking about a dancing snowman at the tree nursery, and I didn’t realize it was you, and I thought, since I couldn’t stop thinking about you, I’d get a dancing snowman that would play this cheesy playlist thing I made for you. I didn’t know you were looking for it, and I didn’t steal your idea. Not on purpose, anyway.”

“Okay, well...last year you were so rude! And you said you wouldn’t listen when I talked!”

“I thought…” She trails off, looking ashamed. “I thought you were dating Taehyung, and I got jealous. But the listening comment wasn’t like that! It’s because I always zone out because I like to listen to you talk, because your voice is so pretty, but I never hear what you actually say, and also you just...are really pretty. So I get distracted.”

“I…” You’re rather speechless; your entire world has shifted on its axis. “I thought you hated me.”

“Never.” Yoonji insists. “I just don’t know how to talk to pretty girls.”

“You hang out with Hwasa. And Chungha.”

“Yeah, and?” Her brows furrow. “What’s your point?” If you could, you would keysmash at her, but as it stands, you just gape. 

“Uh, they’re literally model gorgeous?”

“Oh, are they?” She looks down at where your fingers are still entwined with hers. “I hadn’t noticed.”

You blink at her, and she looks up at you. There’s a faint smile playing on her lips, and something bright in her eyes that you haven’t seen before. 

“I’m sorry,” You say, shaking your head. “I just still don’t-”

“Will you shut up?” Yoonji asks, free hand coming to gently glide across your cheek. “And let me kiss you?” Your jaw shuts with a snap and you nod. 

Her lips are soft against your own, and your breath catches in your throat as you return the kiss. Her hand moves to grip your jaw, tilting your head ever so slightly so the two of you fit together that little bit better, and your hands come to rest on her hips. 

Electricity sparks through you to her. She pulls back just a little and you’re distracted by the way her tongue darts out to wet her lips. 

“This might be moving a little fast, since we hated each other an hour ago-”

“You hated me an hour ago,” She corrects. 

“But I would be very, very happy taking this to a more private area so I can express to you just how apologetic I am that I thought you hated me.” You tear your gaze from her lips to look at her face. Her eyes are dark, pupils blown out at the mere thought. 

“Upstairs,” She growls, already pushing you in the direction of the staircase. You’re both speeding through the crowd of people as fast as you can without being obvious, and you have to help her every few feet because she’s wobbly in her heels, but by the time you make it up the stairs and into her room, you’re both desperate. 

Her mouth meets yours with a fire behind it that you’ve never felt before, and you hardly even get the door closed before she pushes you back against it. Your tongue darts along the seam of her lips and she grants you entrance, and you could moan at just the taste of her if you were just a little weaker. 

“Do you know how many times I’ve thought about this?” She whispers, moving to nip at your neck. Her hands are under your sweater and you don’t even remember them getting there, but you can’t complain as they move to cup your breasts and tweak your nipples through your bra. “Can you even imagine how many times I’ve dreamt of touching you? Tasting you? Hearing you moan?” 

She bites, hard and rough, and you can’t stop the moan that escapes you. How she possibly knows that you like that is something you don’t have the energy to ponder, nor the will to question. 

“Please,” You breathe, hands tangling in her hair as she sucks a mark into the skin of your throat. She’s slotted between your thighs and your hips are rutting against hers ever so slightly, desperate for some friction. You know you’ve already soaked through your panties, which is a feat considering all she’s done is play with your nipples a little and kiss you like you’ve never been kissed. 

“What is it, angel?” Her voice is deeper than usual, roughened by the desire coursing through your veins and hers, and it only makes you wetter. “What would you like me to do?”

“Anything,” You plead. “Please, just touch me.” 

“Anything?” Yoonji mutters. She chuckles, low and raspy and so unbearably attractive that you want to scream. You almost do scream, from frustration, when she pulls her hands away from your nipples, but she drops to her knees and you forgive her. 

Yoonji kisses up your thighs, from the edge of your boots all the way to where the hem of your skirt hits mid-thigh, and her hands are warm as they slide underneath. She doesn’t stop kissing you, not even as she lifts the fabric of your skirt and nips at the crease where your thighs meet your hips. Still, she’s so far away from where you need her, that you can’t help your whine. 

“Patience, angel,” She whispers as she glides one finger along your fabric-covered lips. Your hips rut forward on instinct, and she laughs a little. 

“You stole my dancing snowman, you could at least be quick about this,” You mutter. 

“What’s the fun in being rushed?” She leans forward to mouth at your pussy through your underwear and your legs tremble slightly. She’s gentle as her hands slide your underwear down to pool around your ankles, and even more gentle as they glide back up to rest on your thighs. “But I’ll be nice this time. Besides, I’ve been dreaming of what this pussy tastes like for years.”

Anything else you might say to her is cut off with a moan as her tongue starts to tease at your clit. One of your hands comes to rest on the back of her hair before you even realize you’ve moved, and she takes that as all the encouragement she needs. 

Yoonji eats pussy like it’s the last meal she’ll ever have, and you’re in absolute awe. The way her tongue moves against you is absolute bliss, no matter where it is; she teases at your entrance, sliding the very tip of her tongue inside to gather your wetness before she runs the flat of it up to your clit, where she circles and sucks mercilessly before moving back down to thrust it in and out and in and out relentlessly. She coaxes an orgasm out of you faster than anyone else ever has, and even as your writhing against the door with her head under your skirt, she doesn’t stop. 

Instead, she slides one long finger inside of you and keeps it there. She doesn’t move it, doesn’t even allow it to twitch, but it’s there and you can feel it as she wraps her lips around your clit and sucks, making your clench around her. She moans into your pussy, too, the entire time she’s at work between your legs, and it only turns you on more when you glance down to see her hand between her legs. 

“Yoonji, please, I want, please, I wanna taste you too, please,” You beg, tugging gently on her hair until she pulls back. Her chin is covered in your cum and the sight is so unbelievably unerotic that you could probably come just from that. 

“Take this off,” She growls, pulling on your skirt as she stands. You do as she says without hesitation, more than willing to get naked if it means getting your mouth on her, and by the time your boots are in the corner with the rest of your clothes, she’s just as naked as you are. 

And god, she’s beautiful. 

Your lips meet hers again as you push her towards the bed, and you can taste yourself on her tongue as it slides against yours. The two of you tumble onto the mattress and you situate yourself between her thighs. It isn’t until you’ve got her legs spread wide and your licking and sucking at her nipples that you register that her face is flushed with something new. 

“What is it?” You ask, panting, as you detach from her - beautiful, wonderful, adorable, perfect - tits. “Do you not want me to? I don’t have to, I just would really like to, it’s up to you.”

“No, it’s not that, I’ve just never…” She trails off, looking embarrassed, and realization smacks you in the face. 

“No one has ever gone down on you before?” You ask in disbelief. She shakes her head. 

“I’ve always been the one to do so, all the other girls have been kind of...well. I’m usually the dominant one, so…”

“Yoonji, sweetheart,” You say seriously, pressing a kiss to her cheek with each word. “Will you allow to me to eat you out? Because seriously, those other girls are trash, and I would absolutely cherish the experience if it’s something you want.”

Her face turns even more pink and she nods. You press a quick kiss to her lips and gently spread her thighs so you have better access. You mimic her actions from earlier, pressing kisses to her thighs and the crease of her hips. When you finally get a taste of her, you moan. 

She tastes like absolute fucking bliss, you decide as you glide your tongue through her folds. You could live off of nothing but the taste for her until the end of time itself, and the way she moves is amazing. Little jerks and thrusts, and her fingers tangle in your hair to push you closer even as her hips pull away slightly. 

Your tongue rubs circles around her clit, flicking and licking and coaxing her closer and closer to her high. You dip down to fuck your tongue into her for a second or two, and the way her back arches is art in motion. You reach one hand up to tweak one of her nipples while your other arm remains wrapped around her hip like a steel bar, keeping her in place even as she grinds against your mouth. 

You remember how it felt earlier when she wrapped her lips around your clit, so you mimic the action. Her bud fits perfectly between your lips, and when you suck on it, she tenses. Everything stops for a second, and you’re afraid maybe you ruined it, but then her whole body jerks, and she presses you hard against her. You lap up her essence as it comes, eager and more than willing, and when she finally stops spasming, you pull yourself away with a grin. 

“Holy shit,” She mutters, and you laugh. 

“I can’t believe no one’s ever eaten you out before,” You sigh, one hand sliding along her waist to massage her breasts. “Does that mean no one’s ever fucked you before either?”

“I mean…” You stop, staring at her with wide eyes. “I told you, I’m usually the dominant one, so most people don’t really...return the favor.”

“Can I please fuck you?” You ask in a rush. “Please, I promise I’ll be gentle.” She huffs a little, and you think it’s amused but you can’t be sure, because she’s spreading her legs again and your focus is elsewhere. 

“Yeah, angel, you can fuck me.”

You lower yourself to kiss her, lingering and deep, and you don’t miss the moan she gives as she tastes herself on your tongue. You wait until she’s thoroughly distracted by the way your mouths move, then glide your fingers over her. 

Her clit is still sensitive, based on the way she jumps as you ghost your fingers over it, so you avoid that. You don’t want to overwhelm her. She groans as you slide a single single finger inside her, and you moan. 

Her walls are softer than the velvet of her dress, and warm around you. She’s tight, too, so incredibly tight that you aren’t sure you’ll be able to fit another inside her. She moans as you slide your finger out and then back in, gathering more of her wetness as you do. 

You’re careful as you fuck her, gentle and slow, and you think you could get addicted to it. Her hips move in time with your hand, gaining speed as you do. “Fuck, angel, it’s so good,” She whimpers. You smile. 

“Let me know if it gets too much, okay?” She nods, and you start to slide a second finger in. Yoonji winces, just a little, so you slow until her hips rock against your hand. 

“More,” She breathes. “Please, more.”

“As you wish,” You tell her. You still are gentle as you thrust into her, feeling her walls contract around you. It’s heaven, absolute perfection, and you tell her so as she grips onto the sheets. 

You latch your mouth onto her nipple as you continue fucking her, biting and sucking as your fingers curl. 

“I need, ah, please, I need more, I need, holy fuck, to come, I need to come,” She moans desperately. You grin and curl your fingers more, sliding them against her walls. You finally find what you’re looking for, that small spongey spot that has her convulsing around you. 

“That’s right, baby,” You coo, “Come on, I know you want to.”

Her hands are in a death grip on your shoulders, and they only get tighter as you press harder against that spot inside her. She comes with a cry that you muffle with your own mouth, her body shaking as she lets go. 

You slide your fingers out when she’s relaxed a little more, licking the taste of her off as she pants. 

“Holy shit,” She breathes. You grin, peppering kisses along her stomach, up her chest, along her throat and over her cheeks. “Can we do that every day?”

“I dunno,” You tease. “Are you going to steal my dancing snowman again?”

She rolls her eyes and shoves at your shoulder, and you laugh. 

“I’m just saying, you’re supposed to be nice to the people you like.”

“I’m bad at that, though,” She mutters. “I always just...say the wrong thing. I’m more of a do-er.”

“I’m still caught up on how I was supposed to know you liked me based on the things you did.”

“Really?” She huffs, glaring at you playfully. “I went tree shopping at five in the morning for you.”

“Yeah,” You say softly, grinning. “You did.”

25 Days of Christmas: A BTS Christmas Anthology 

[peonybane]

First Christmas

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader (ft. Uncles Yoongi, Seokjin, Namjoon, and Jungkook)

Word Count: 4.35 k

Genres: SFW, Fluff, Post-idoldom AU

Summary: It was your first Christmas together as a family. The first one your twins would get to experience. So how could you not go all out making memories that’ll last a lifetime.

A/N: Thank you very much to @seakay05​ for her proofreading. I hope you all enjoy this little story!

25 Days of Christmas: A BTS Anthology MASTERLIST

Sunlight filtered through your curtains, slowly rousing you from sleep. Stretching out carefully, you smiled at the now familiar sight in front of you, your family still fast asleep. The furthest away from you, was your husband. His large hand still rested on Nari’s tummy— she always fell fast asleep when he rubbed her belly. Taehyung was still very much asleep, thick eyelashes resting on his cheeks. His brow was relaxed. But his lips were set in a harsh line, pensive. Namu, who slept closest to you, had his father’s sleeping face. Which always made you giggle, seeing double vision in the contradictory look of a scowling lips but relaxed, almost happy brow. Nari slept closer to her father, her chubby cheeks facing towards him. You swore, she was more your enemy than your daughter when it came to Taehyung’s affections. More times than not, she’d rather cuddle with him than with you, hogging his cuddles.

As you were admiring your family, Yeontan grabbed your attention as he seemingly popped up from nowhere. He was behind Taehyung’s head, sleeping in his now customary spot up by Taehyung’s head instead of between the two of you. You smiled as you could see his whole fluffy body shake from the force of his tail wagging as he rested his chin on Taehyung’s head.

Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!

Oh, there’s your own four legged baby. You looked over your shoulder behind you and saw Kiwi’s boxy, brown head resting on the bed. Her chonky body wiggled with the force of her tail as well. But unlike Yeontan, who’s tail merely vibrated silently, Kiwi’s whip-like tail smacked against the nightstand table. Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!

Taehyung groaned, “Kiwi….”

You snickered, “I think our fur-babies want to go potty.”

He peeked one eye open. He startled a little, probably no expecting Nari to be so close to him. Taehyung stretched a little, his back popping. “Let me cuddle the Littles for a little while longer. I missed them.”

You smiled, Taehyung had been working his butt off to get a bunch of stuff done so he could finally spend some quality family time with you all Besides, the hour drive one way out of the heart of Seoul didn’t help, that was for sure. 

Sitting up, you first kissed Namu and Nari on the forehead, then leaned over to kiss Taehyung on the cheek. He hummed happily as he reached over, pulling the Littles closer to him. 

After staring down at them for a moment, Kiwi’s little whines pulled you away from the sweet scene, reminding you that her bladder really needed to go. 

Getting up, you slipped on your fluffy socks and robe, leading the fuzzies out of the bedroom and down the hall to go potty. 

You stood in the doorway, leading out to the backyard as Kiwi and Yeontan did their thing. It was cold, a very light layer of snow covered everything. But the dogs didn’t seem to mind. If anything, they seemed to enjoy it. Winter this year in Seoul was mild. Something you were thankful for. You didn’t want the twin’s first winter—first Christmas— to be unbearably cold. And you were glad that Taehyung wanted to move away from inner Seoul— to raise a family in the away from hustle and bustle of the city. A place where the paparazzi couldn’t easily look in on your lives.

Finally, Kiwi and Yeontan had had enough of the cold, having gotten their fill of the daily yard sniffing and were ready for breakfast.

In the kitchen, you were preparing their food when you heard one of the twins start to cry. It was like a blaring alarm to you. You paused in preparing the dog’s food in exchange your baby. Taehyung emerged from your bedroom, carrying the still sleeping Nari in the sling while carrying the crying Namu in his arms. “I don’t think Namu needs to be changed, but I think he’s hungry.”

You smiled as your husband tried to quiet him down. You made grabby hands as you settled down the couch, then readjusted your nightshirt and robe so you could feed Namu. Taehyung gently settled your son in your arms as he continued to scream. It took a little jostling, but you managed to get him to latch on to feed for breakfast.

A calmness settled around you as you watched him nurse. He was so adorable. Namu was probably going to end up looking like you— at four months old, he already looked like you if your own baby pictures were anything to go by. He shared his father’s skin tone and already a similar brow, though. 

Namu calmed down as he stared up you. His little hand gripped your finger as he nursed. Slowly though, his grip on your finger started to loosen and his eyes started to droop. “Already milk drunk, huh?”

You looked up as Taehyung stood over you, smiling as he rocked Nari, who was now very much awake as she tried to grab for Taehyung’s thick-rimmed glasses. You giggled as Namu completely unlatched from you. But almost immediately, he tried to nuzzle back into your breast. 

Taehyung laughed, “Mama’s boy.”

You laughed as well as the two of you semi coordinately exchanged the twins. Nari wasn’t particularly compliant, but luckily hunger won out. Thank goodness, Taehyung couldn’t lactate. You were pretty sure you’d never get her to detach from her father otherwise. Switching breasts, Nari too began to nurse. She was the easier one to nurse, rarely throwing a tantrum, but it was harder to get to drink as much as she should’ve. You had a feeling she’d be the first one to be weened.

Taehyung burped Namu before putting him in the sling. As you nursed Nari, Kiwi joined you on the couch, resting her head on your thigh as she adoringly gazed at Nari in your arms. Kiwi was the ultimate nanny dog, always having to keep a close eye on the twins. Kiwi burped, letting you know that she greatly enjoyed the breakfast Taehyung finished putting together for her and Yeontan. You petted her head, continuing to nurse Nari.

Suddenly, Yeontan started barking, letting you know that your house guests, well, at least one of them, was up. Both you and Taehyung turned in time to see a barely conscious Jungkook and strangely perky Seokjin trudging down the stairs. Taehyung rocked Namu in his arms, standing between you and your houseguests.

“Morning, Jin. Jungkook.”

Jungkook groaned as he settled in on the couch next to you, partially conscious— Seokjin must have woken him up against his will. Taehyung kept a close eye on Jungkook— he didn’t like how sometimes Jungkook or Hoseok would stare at you when you were breastfeeding. At first, you thought it was a sexual possessiveness, one that you were not going to tolerate. A brief conversation with his mother though rid you of that notion— he had seen how people reacted to her breastfeeding his siblings, he was not going to stand for you or your children being regarded in the same way.

Seokjin headed over to the kitchen, calling your name. “Since it’s breakfast time over there, does that mean the rest of us can finally eat?”

You chuckled. “Only if you cook. The Littles really take it out of me. Especially, when they don’t give me a chance to eat right before.”

Taehyung chuckled. Seokjin opened his mouth to say something but at the last second decided against it. With Namu snoozing up a storm in the sling, Taehyung joined Seokjin in the kitchen. “Yah! What are you doing in here?”

“Come on, Hyung. I’ve learned to cook a little.”

Seokjin sputtered. “Oh yeah?”

You called out, “He makes excellent eggs and stir fry!”

From your seat on the couch, you could hear Taehyung laugh before he and Seokjin started working on breakfast. 

Jungkook continued to be on the verge of consciousness as you continued to feed Nari. Eventually, she had enough. You slipped your shirt back into place and rested Nari against your shoulder, gently burping her. Once she was content after a burp and a toot or two, she started teething on her hand, making all sorts of incoherent baby babble as she stared at Jungkook.

It was like she was incanting a magic spell, one which slowly roused Jungkook to full consciousness. Jungkook politely called out to you. You turned towards him. His gaze was soft as he looked at Nari in her purple onesie. Smiling softly, you asked, “Do you want to hold her?”

“Ca—Can I?”

You nodded, shifting her around to hand her off to Jungkook. Almost cautiously, he took her in his arms, cradling her against his chest. The sight was one to behold. Jungkook had gotten bulkier, grown out hair tied up. His ears had so many holes, having removed the dangly jewelry the night before since Nari was a grabber. As he cradled her small body against him, you could help but note the array of tattoos he’d slowly been accumulating over the last few years. It was an amazing scene of tough ruggedness and sweet tenderness. 

Nari sucked on her fingers as she gazed up at him as he rocked her, singing softly to her. It was the cutest sight ever, especially with Kiwi now having switched from your leg to Jungkook’s as she continued to keep an eye on her baby.

While he was distracted with Nari, you quietly got up and headed to the kitchen. Taehyung turned to you when he heard you. Luckily, he wasn’t doing anything dangerous. His brow knit together when he saw that Nari wasn’t in your arms. You held a finger up to your lips then pointed back towards the living room. Curious, Taehyung followed you there.

The two of you stood in the doorway, watching as Jungkook had successfully rocked Nari back to sleep. He seemed to have knocked Kiwi out too with his singing as she started boofing in her sleep, probably terrorizing either Rapmon or Yeontan with a game of chase. The two of you watched, completely entranced by the scene. Eventually, Seokjin came and joined the two of you. It was amazing— the power little Nari held over all of you. 

Eventually though, Jungkook stopped singing, Kiwi woke up immediately. He kissed her little forehead and stood up still cradling her. When he realized the three of you had been watching him, he turned all sorts of shades of red. “Ummm. She—They— I mean—“

You giggled. “It’s fine, Jungkook. How about we get some breakfast in you? Hmmm?”

He nodded shyly, but continued to rock Nari in his arms, completely transfixed by her sweet little face.

A few hours later, almost everything was ready to go….

A quick concession of three taps on your front door, followed by Kiwi and Yeontan barking their heads off alerted you to your other guests. Jungkook called out, “I’ll get it!”

You and Taehyung had just finished changing the Littles into their matching outfits— all Taehyung’s idea, of course. Namu and Nari were dressed up in little elf outfits. Both of them had on little striped pants: Namu’s were red and white, while Nari’s were light green and white. Namu wore a green shirt with a ‘belt’ printed on it and Nari wore a red dress with poinsettias on it. Both of them had little elf hats on, completely with felt ears attached to the sides. Namu’s was green with red trim and a noisy bell (Taehyung’s terrible idea) attached to the tip of it. Nari’s was red with white trim and a large fake poinsettia attached to the hat, tucked in behind the ear.

You heard Jungkook greet your final two guests, Yoongi and Namjoon. Namjoon had opted to stay at Yoongi’s place, a short drive away from your own, where he kept an apartment on the down low. You picked up Namu as he began teething on the frozen washcloth you gave him to soothe his gums, turning your attention to the two older men entering. “Long time, no see, Namjoon.”

You gave him a one-armed hug, one he returned, being mindful of Namu. “No kidding. Oh my god. They’ve gotten so big!”

“If you visited them more often you wouldn’t be surprised,” replied Yoongi as he dumped his jacket on the customary jacket dumping ground: the couch.

You rolled your eyes as Yoongi went over and picked up Nari, kissing her all over her face, making her giggle. “How’s my little rap princess?”

You and Taehyung laughed. Out of all his bandmates, the one most in love with the babies was surprisingly, Yoongi. Sure, he had an apartment nearby, but the amount of time he spent there rather than at the company owned series of apartments in downtown Seoul increased practically tenfold when the twins were born. ‘Uncle Yoongi’ really loved playing his role. 

Seokjin entered the living room from the kitchen, bringing over a couple of mugs of hot chocolate. “Yah! Who are you calling ‘rap princess?’ She’s going to be a ‘cooking fairy!’”

You and Taehyung exchanged looked before sniggering as the two oldest began to argue. “Hyung, I’m just saying, Nari is going to learn to rap, and I’m going to teach Namu how to compose.”

As Taehyung took Namu from your arms, he asked, “What if Nari wants to compose? Or dance? Or if Namu wants to rap? Or sing? What are you going to do then?”

Yoongi made a face. “You’re going to end up with at least four kids anyways, I got room to work with.”

You snorted at that. Just as Seokjin was about to verbally retaliate, Taehyung had the good sense to move on from the topic. “Anyways, isn’t it time to take some photos?”

This got Jungkook’s attention. “Right, what pictures do you guys want first?”

You went and got Nari from Yoongi’s arms. “Probably a family picture before anything else for my family, since we they can’t join us in Korea this year.”

Jungkook nodded. “Alright, let’s start with a quick couple of outside pictures then let’s move it inside.”

You and Taehyung started getting to work. You passed off Nari back to Yoongi as you put on your sling, and Taehyung passed off Namu to Seokjin as he did the same. 

The pair of you were sort of dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus. Taehyung wore an obnoxiously bright red sweater over a white button up, and grey pants that hid his black boots. He had dusted his hair with some white powder as it sat under a Santa hat. His thick rimmed glasses completed the look. You wore an emerald green dress with poinsettia leggings tucked into black boots. Instead of a bonnet though, you opted for one of Tae’s white berets, a fake sprig of holly clipped into it.

Even Kiwi and Yeontan were going to get in on the fun: both of them being very patient reindeers, with the help of Jungkook. Yeontan was the most compliant with the reindeer antlers being put on him, Kiwi was… not nearly as compliant. Thank goodness, though, she was one of the most food motivated dogs you had ever seen.

In the backyard, you and Taehyung stood close together, the Littles in their slings already: Nari with you and Namu with Taehyung, making the babies contrast in color with the two of you. Yoongi and Namjoon helped position the dogs in the right place with the promises of treats. Well, treats for Kiwi as she zeroed in on the dried liver treat in Namjoon’s hand, already salivating.

Jungkook worked as quick as possible, telling you and Taehyung how to stand so he could make the most out of the falling snow before the Littles got too cold. After almost a half hour standing out in the cold, and Yoongi and Jungkook arguing about photo angles, you were done being out in the cold. Well, Namu made it clear he was done by screaming his head off.

Once back in the house, Taehyung cuddled your little boy as much as possible, giving him all sorts of kisses as Kiwi was started pacing around anxiously at the sound his crying. Yeontan… Yeontan followed her. Kiwi was the captain on the Baby Protection Patrol. He’d follow her everywhere. 

Taehyung called your name. “I think he’d rather have his mom.”

You smiled and the two of you awkwardly switched babies again. Once in your arms, Namu slowly started to settle down. You pressed your forehead to his as he ceased his crying, rubbing your nose against his little one. A shutter sounded and you looked over at Yoongi. He at least had enough shame to look over at you shyly. “If it makes you feel better, it’s a beautiful shot.”

Carrying Nari, Taehyung stood behind Yoongi. “Damn. That really is an amazing shot.”

You couldn’t help but blush as you settled Namu against your shoulder and he began to teeth on his fingers. Jungkook giggled. “How about we move you guys over to the tree now?”

Making a little noise of agreement, you sat down on the ground, Kiwi immediately coming up to you kiss your face. “Kiwi! My make up!”

Her whole body wiggled as she settled on the ground besides you, looking up adoringly at her baby. Taehyung settled in on your other side, carrying on a conversation with Nari as she babbled incoherently at her father. “Did she say that, Nari? Really?”

She babbled even more. You giggled. “Oh, do tell: what are you two gossiping about?”

Taehyung shot you a boxy smile before leaning in and kissing your cheek. You ignored the shuttering sound of the camera and the mock gagging noise Seokjin was making off to the side. “Oh, she was telling me how much her mama loves me. You think I should ask the little lady’s mom out on a Christmas date?”

You laughed, making him smile in return. “Only if Namu’s papa can find a baby sitter in either grandma or one of his six uncles.”

The two of you turned, looking over at Jungkook, Namjoon, Yoongi, and Seokjin, hopefully. Seokjin waved his hands. “How about we call over the two that are working today to babysit for Christmas?”

The others laughed. Hoseok supposedly already had a hot date planned since this was his first Christmas not working. Jimin… you didn’t know what he was doing. “Oh, no. You are not saddling poor Jimin with these two alone. I need at least two of you on babysitting duty. Otherwise, it’s grandma’s house.”

Jungkook started directing you and Taehyung when Yoongi piped. “Ah, screw it. I’ll handle these two.”

“No way. You practically live here, ‘Uncle Yoongi.’”

Yoongi blushed as you teased him. Suddenly, Nari looked over at Yoongi and started making grabby hands at him, squealing, “Gi! Gi! Gi!”

You and Taehyung started awing at her, all the while, Yoongi froze up. Clearly, his brain was playing catch up as the other laughed at his expense. Once his brain had caught up, he laughed. “See. A little rapper in the making.”

You all laughed at that.

Once family pictures were done, it was time for the spotlight to be on the babies.

Still in their little elf outfits, you and Taehyung maneuvered them under the Christmas tree for tummy time. This time, it was Taehyung’s turn to take pictures. He settled on the ground too, belly to the ground as he made all sorts of faces and noises to get the Littles to laugh. Not be outdone, Yeontan, after shaking himself free of the humiliating reindeer antlers, crawled under the Christmas tree with the twins, settling right down in between them. 

For the next couple of hours, the lot of you occupied yourselves with taking baby-only pictures. Some of them were almost like stories, with Namu and Nari being mischievous little elves getting into all sorts of trouble. Some of them were just to be cute, like when Kiwi let you wrap her up loosely in a strand of lights and sitting her babies in front her as they mad all sort of happy noises.

Namesake pictures were a must, too. After a lunch, of course. Milk drunk babies made for some of the best pictures. Taehyung had Namu lay under the tree again, this time on his back after changing him out of the elf outfit and into something more comfortable for him. Taehyung managed to get a great angle off him through the needles of the fir tree. After all, Namu meant fir tree. With Nari, you changed her into a cute little pink dress with headband with a big fake lily on it. You gave her a bouquet of lilies to play with as Jungkook went to town on taking picture of her. She looked so cute with her namesake.

Once those pictures were done, it was a nice afternoon of pictures as everyone took pictures of each other with the babies. 

There’s a whole series of photos of Jungkook playing with the Littles during tummy time, with Namu being the most determined to go after him as he wormed his way across the carpet. There’s a photo of Seokjin and Namjoon giving you a heart attack as they pretend to try to throw Namu between the two of them. There’s a dozen or so photos of Seokjin wearing the baby bijorn, with Namu in it, watching him cook with large eyes he noms on his frozen teething rag. In the background of one the photos of Seokjin cooking, Namjoon could be seen in a chair with Nari in a sling, her head on his chest as she looked up at him as he read to her all sorts of fairytales. 

Dinner was filled with all sorts of photos and games, including Seokjin pulling out a sprig mistletoe, prompting an impromptu makeout session between you and Taehyung where you were being as silly and as gross as possible about it, Jungkook and Yoongi making exaggerated faces of disgust. 

After dinner, the living room was filled once more with laughter and the shutter of the camera as the men messed around. Taehyung snapped a few sweet, intimate photos of you nursing each of the twins, the lights from the Christmas tree bathing you and the babies in a gentle glow. Taehyung had even captured your reaction to Namu calling out ‘mama’ in the midst of a very important speech he was giving to you. He may not have been necessarily calling you ‘mama’ on purpose, but the way he looked up at you with those big eyes and all the love in the world made you believe it.

As the night winded down and most of the adult had had a drink, Yoongi fell asleep on the couch with one baby in the crook of each arm, each one resting their heads on his chest, both copying his open mouth sleeping face. Yeontan had jumped onto the back of the couch, snoozing near Yoongi’s head as well. Kiwi on the other hand was wide awake, making sure her babies were ok as they slept. While you were taking a picture of the cute sight, Namjoon sighed, “Looks like we’re not going back to hyung’s place tonight.”

Taehyung responded, “Don’t worry about it. We got plenty of room.”

Namjoon looked to you. “You sure?”

“Yeah. The more the merrier.”

Taehyung stood up and wrapped his arms around your middle, resting his head on your shoulder. “In that case, the wife and I are gonna get ready for bed then come back for the Littles.”

You smirked looking back at him. “Who says I’m the wife?”

He smirked back as he took your left hand in his, bringing it to his lips to kiss the knuckle under the wedding ring he painstakingly designed and had custom made for you. “This.”

You blushed, shaking your head as you pulled away from him. “Awww.”

Taehyung smiled cheekily at you as he followed. Once in your room, you turned to him, putting your hands on his chest. In return he rested his hands on your hips, looking down at you. You smoothed out the slight wrinkle in his sweater. “You know… I love you.”

He raised an eyebrow at you before kissing you on the tip of the nose. “And I love you.” 

His hands slipped down to cup your bottom. He started wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, making you laugh. You playfully smacked his hands away. 

“No way, good sir. Not with guests and definitely not with the Littles at home.”

He stared at you as you went to change. “You’re no fun.”

You scoffed. “Yes, I am.”

Once you were both changed into your matching snowflake pajamas and the white powder had been cleaned from Taehyung’s hair, the two of you headed downstairs to retrieve the Littles. Each of you plucked a Little from Yoongi’s chest, cradling them gently as you took them upstairs to get ready for bed.

As soon as they were dressed in their jammies and washed up, Taehyung laid them in bed then joined them, before you could get in though, you watched as he laid them both on his chest, Namu immediately grabbing his sister’s hand. In a low voice, he began to sing to them. The low rumbling of his voice gently coaxed them to sleep.

Being as careful as possible, you grabbed the camera, snapping a few pictures of Namu and Nari sleeping on their father’s chest as he gazed down at them adoringly. As you set down the camera on the nightstand, Taehyung looked up at you, tears welling up in his eyes slightly. “Thank you.”

You got into bed next to him, taking Nari from his arms, cuddling her. You kissed her forehead, then Namu’s. You met Taehyung’s gaze before leaning in and giving him one last kiss. 

“And thank you, my love. For everything.”

As always, reviews, comments, asks, and tags are always loved! ~Peony

Also, please note that I do NOT do tagging lists. Please see my FAQ for why.

25 Days of Christmas: A BTS Anthology MASTERLIST

All rights reserved. © Copyrighted 2019.

[limjaeseven]

You’re My Light

Pairing: Hoseok X Reader

Word Count: 5,336

Genres: Smut, Fluff

Summary: A call from your best friend inviting you to the yearly Diwali celebration has you and your boyfriend really excited but what would happen when you stumble across your troublesome ex on such a good day?

Warnings: oral sex (m&f receiving) sub!reader, dom!Hoseok, Sir kink, ass spanking, sex toys, bondage, overstimulation, creampie, dirty talk

[A/n]: I’ve been working on this for so long and I’m so glad to finally post it. Thanks to @uwugalore for giving me the honour of starting this project off. Shout out to @jamaisjoons for writing that last part and all the other people in the collab who helped out every step of the way

25 Days of Christmas: A BTS Anthology Masterlist

You had just finished an important business meeting when you got a call from your childhood best friend and partner in crime, Dhiraj. 

“Hey D, what’s up,” you asked as you jammed the phone between your ear and your shoulder as you pressed the button on the lift. 

“Nothing much, kiddo. Just called to invite you to the Diwali function next weekend. Knowing how busy you were, I knew it wasn’t likely you’d see my email. And when I didn’t get a response, I decided I had to call you. So, please check your emails more often,” he scolded. 

Working at KM Entertainment was hard work and it left you little time for yourself. You were pretty sure half your friends were going to leave you for not responding to their texts for weeks. The only person you had time for was your boyfriend, Jung Hoseok. 

“I’m sorry, D. You know how busy I am. I’ll check the mail and I’ll come for sure. See you there, bye,” You said before cutting the call. 

Now, to convince your boyfriend to come along with you.

It’s not that Hoseok didn’t like your family, he loved them. He just didn’t enjoy the questions of ‘when are you getting married’ that all the uncles and aunties asked. That’s why he didn’t like to come along with you when you went home. He loved meeting your parents as long as it was either at your guys’ place or a restaurant. 

You had grown up in a small Indian community in Seoul, full of people who mainly worked at the tech companies or hospitals in the city, i.e. it was a typical Indian society. Everyone was a doctor or engineer. That’s why when you sought out to become a music producer, the uncles and aunties weren’t happy. Your parents on the other hand were very supportive and encouraging.

That’s how you met Hoseok. He was a choreographer at KM Entertainment, the record label you worked for. One of your co-workers told you about him and basically got you to go on a blind date with him. You guys had instantly hit it off and became the most loved couple in the office. 

So, coming back to the Diwali celebration, you really wanted to go. Diwali was your absolute favourite festival of all time. Where as everyone was excited for Halloween and Christmas, you were the only person who cared about Diwali. You loved the festival because it was a night full of adrenaline, fire crackers, and sweets. It was six hours of good, pure, unadulterated fun. Especially, when it was with your friends.

You had four best friends growing up: Arshad, Rajveer, Dhiraj, Alex. The five of you were truly the best of friends. All of you lived in the same building and went to the same small public school together. You guys lived by the ‘one for all, all for one’ philosophy. If you got a new boyfriend, they would have to approve him first before he was allowed to date you. Being the only girl in the group, they were quite protective of you.

So, the fact that your friends hadn’t met your boyfriend i.e. Hoseok, was driving them crazy. That’s why they had Dhiraj personally call you, cause they knew you wouldn’t turn him down. You had always had a soft spot for him. You were just hoping Hoseok would say yes because you yourself hadn’t seen the boys in a while.

“Hey, babe,” you said as you entered the house, calling out to your boyfriend, who was sitting on the couch watching TV. 

“Hey love! How was your day,” Hoseok asked as you sat down on the couch next to him. 

“It was alright. I do have some news to share though." 

Seeing your nervous expression, Hoseok got a bit worried too and sat up straight, looking concerned.

"Don’t tell me you’re breaking up with me,” Hoseok said and you burst out laughing. 

“Of course not, babe. I’m not breaking up with you. I wanted to ask you if you’d accompany me to the Diwali celebration this weekend with my family and friends,” you said. Hoseok had known you enough to tell that you were hiding something, so he raised an eyebrow at you.

“The catch is it’s at my home,” you said and Hoseok immediately refused. 

“No way.”

“Please baby, I really want to go,” you pouted and managed the best puppy eyes you could.

“Alright fine!" 

Hoseok sighed and you hugged him, thanking him continuously. Smothering his face with kisses, you told him how much you loved him. 

"Babe, what is Diwali,” Hoseok asked out of nowhere and you facepalmed. You had completely forgotten that your boyfriend didn’t know about this famous festival.

“It’s a long story, so brace yourself,” you said. “There are two major epics in Hindu culture, the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. Diwali is based on the former. Dasharath is the King of Ayodha and has three wives, Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. They bear him four sons, Ram, Laxman, Bharath, and Shatrughan. Ram is the perfect son and the heir to the throne. Kaikeyi, Bharath’s mother loves Ram just like her own son. But she is manipulated and convinced that it is her son that should be the ruler of Ayodha and so, she approaches King Dasharath.

“She brings up an old debt he owes her and tells him to exile Ram to the forest for 14 years and to make Bharath the crown prince. The king is devastated but has no choice and so Ram, along with his wife, Sita and brother, Laxman, leave for the forest. While living there, Shurpanakha, a demoness becomes infatuated with Ram and tries to kill Sita. Laxman ends up wounding her and she runs to her brother, Ravan and asks him to avenge her. Ravan had heard of the beautiful Sita and decides to abduct her as revenge. 

“Ravan is able to trick both Ram and Laxman into leaving their house in the forest, leaving Sita behind. While they are away, he manages to abduct her and take her away to the island of Lanka. Ram and Laxman travel far and wide to find Sita, but to no avail. They finally come across a band of vanaras, or monkey-men, who pledge to help him. One of the warriors of the vanaras, Hanuman, becomes Ram’s devotee. The vanaras seek out traces of Sita and find she has been taken to Lanka. Hanuman flies to Lanka and contacts Sita and informs her of Ram’s whereabouts, promising that they will be back to rescue her. Before returning to the mainland, Hanuman sets fire to the whole city of Lanka.

“Ram, Lakshman, and the vanaras army build a causeway from the tip of India to Lanka. They travel to Lanka, where an epic battle follows between the armies. Ravana is finally killed by Ram, and Sita is freed. The day Ram returns to Ayodha with Sita and Lakhman after his 14 year exile, and after having slayed Ravan, is celebrated as Diwali.”

“Wow,” Hoseok said, overwhelmed. 

“I know it’s a lot, but I’m so happy that we’re going. Let me call Jiwoo, we need new clothes to wear,” you said before getting up to call your best friend. You met up and she helped you design the outfits. 

“We’re here,” you said excitedly as you stepped out of the car. You picked up the box of sweets and headed towards your building. Hoseok knocked on the door and your dad opened it. “Y/n, Hoseok! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Come inside,” he said. You both stepped inside and were greeted by your mom. The four of you had a chat over chai and sweets.

“You both look so good. Where did you get these clothes from?” Your mother asked and you told her how Hoseok’s sister was a designer and you both designed them together. It was your idea and her expertise made them perfect. 

A navy blue lehenga comprising of a short blouse and a full length skirt for you and a sherwani that fell till Hoseok’s knees for him. Detailed with gold embroidery, Jiwoo had gotten in touch with a woman who specialised in that type of work. Small mandalas that you designed decorated the dresses.

“It’s time for puja. The three of you, come with me." 

You and Hoseok followed your mom and headed to your prayer room. She taught Hoseok how to do the prayer and he happily helped. You father smiled at you as you both watched your mom bonding with your boyfriend. After you finished praying, you gave your boyfriend a kiss on the cheek and complimented him for doing the puja.

"It’s time to go,” your mom said. You nodded and the four of you got up to leave. 

“Where are we going,” Hoseok questioned. You just smiled at him as you guys walked towards the local school. As soon as you reached the school grounds, Hoseok’s eyes widened. 

“Welcome to our yearly Diwali Mela,” you exclaimed as you gave him a tour. There were multi coloured tents that sold everything from snacks to jewellery. The scent of cardamom and cinnamon flooded the air as you crossed the stall selling biryani. There were a good selection of rides as well, all of them bringing back memories from your childhood.

You were about to buy yourself and your boyfriend some Pani Puri when someone hugged you from behind. Just the scent of his perfume could tell you who it was. In the 15 years that you knew him, he never wore any other perfume. 

“D! It’s so nice to see you again,” you shouted, turning around to hug him properly. 

“Hey, y/n! Hey, Hoseok! I’m glad you guys could make it. The guys have been waiting for you,” Dhiraj said before dragging your away.

“Look who’s here,” Arshad said when he saw you. Individually hugging each one of your friends, you introduced them to Hoseok. 

“This is Arshad, Rajveer, and Alex. Don’t take anything they say seriously,” you warned Hoseok but your friends just laughed. 

“Y/n, Seema has some work for you, why don’t you let us have a friendly chat with your boyfriend over here,” Alex said.

“Okay, fine. Don’t you dare trouble him,” you warned before turning to leave. On your way, you gave Hoseok a chaste kiss on his cheek and whispered, “They’re harmless, don’t worry." 

You went to find Seema when you saw her standing by the stage in the middle of the ground. 

"You needed me?" 

She turned around and gave you a hug before asking you a couple of questions. You agreed to what she said and followed her backstage.

"So, Hoseok, how long have you two been dating,” Rajveer asked. They were sitting in the back row on some plastic chairs that were arranged in front of the stage. 

“Our second anniversary is next month,” Hoseok replied. The boys seemed pretty nice. They knew you inside out and really cared for you.

“Don’t worry, we aren’t going to ask you when you’re getting married,” Arshad laughed. Hoseok looked mortified. He thought you told them about him. 

“Did y/n tell you that,” Hoseok asked. All four of them burst out laughing. 

“No, she didn’t but we were sure you would have been asked that question a million times cause y/n is our community’s sweetheart. She has always been the perfect friend, daughter, niece, student, you name it. She was really popular in school for being the best dancer. All of the people here want her married off to a good guy,” Dhiraj explained.

Hoseok took a sip of the beer they gave him when he realised something. “Wait a minute, did you say dancer?" 

They nodded. Hoseok was confused. He never knew you danced. You had never mentioned it before. Just when he was about to ask the boys another question, the lights on the stage turned on and the music started playing. It was a peppy Bollywood song. The dancers danced gracefully on the stage. But what shocked Hoseok was the person standing center stage.

You, in all your glory, were standing in the middle of the stage, dancing to the beat. Your movements were fluid and flawless. Hoseok’s jaw dropped as he watched you go through the choreography. Being a dancer himself, he could see the technique as well as the grace in your dancing. Your skirt swirled beautifully, complementing your each movement.

Hoseok stood there, mesmerized as you finished performing and stepped off the stage. The crowd clapped loudly and you folded your hands together and bowed. When your eyes met Hoseok’s, you were quick to look away.

Dhiraj gave you a tight hug and complemented your dancing. Hoseok was still with the rest of the boys when someone called for you and you disappeared. 

"She’s a wonderful dancer, isn’t she,” Alex asked and Hoseok agreed. He told your friends that he needed a drink and went to look for you. 

You were speaking to one of your childhood friends when you noticed something. It was an old dirt path that went behind your school. The memories came back to you. You walked along the path and reached your hideout from when you were young. It was a small patch of grass atop a small hill. You sat down and looked up at the sky, reminiscing about the good times you had had in that very place.

Someone sat down behind you, but you were too lost in your own thoughts to notice them. They cleared their throat and you turned around and gasped. Your ex smiled at you and you quickly stood up. 

“I’m leaving,” you said as you walked away. He grabbed a hold of your wrist and pulled you to him. 

“Where are you going, love,” he cooed.

“Leave me alone, Jimin,” you said. 

Jimin was the only non-Indian kid in your school and you helped him around and ended up falling for him. It was you, who introduced him to your community. They absolutely loved him and he ended up moving in when he graduated. The both of you dated for about three years before you found out that he had cheated on you with your best friend. He begged you to forgive him and you eventually did.

But then, the day before your fourth anniversary, you walked in on him fucking the same best friend. It was only when he realised that you were absolutely ready to leave that he confessed that he had been with her off and on for almost a year. That day, you applied for a college far from your home and made sure not to come back often so that you didn’t have to meet him.

“Still feisty, huh? I missed you so much, love,” he said. His hand stayed firmly on the small of your back, exposed due to the short length of your top. You squirmed in his hold but he tightened his other hand around your wrist. Trying to push away from him, he pulled you closer to him and kissed you. You didn’t reciprocate the kiss but tried to get away from him.

“The boys said you’d be he—” Hoseok gasped as he saw you kissing some random guy. Jimin finally release you and you ran to Hoseok. 

“It’s not what it looks like, baby,” you said as you hugged you. 

“Who are you,” Hoseok asked Jimin. 

“Park Jimin,” he said and Hoseok immediately understood the whole situation. You had told him about your ex before.

“Get away from me, you cheater,” Hoseok said and pushed you away. 

“Please, Hoseok, listen to me,” you begged and Jimin smirked. He was really enjoying watching the scene unfold. The anger and resentment was evident on his face. Hoseok walked up to him and grabbed his collar. 

“Stay away from me unless you want your pretty face broken." 

Jimin looked genuinely scared. He quickly scurried away and Hoseok looked back at you.

You were sitting on the ground, crying. You had gone through a horrible break up with Jimin and all the memories flooded back to you. Hoseok was your everything, you wanted to marry the man someday. Your boyfriend sat down next to you and put his arm around you. 

"I know that you didn’t kiss him on purpose. I just wanted to make sure and seeing him smirk when I called you a cheater, I knew it was him who kissed you,” Hoseok said. You hugged him tight and explained exactly what happened.

“I know you wouldn’t do such a thing to me, y/n. I just hated the fact that he hurt you so badly and still had the audacity to touch you. I would have broken his nose if I could” Hoseok comforted you.

Caressing your face, he cooed and tried to calm you down. That’s when you heard a loud sound. The frown on your face disappeared and you pointed at the sky. Beautiful colours filled the sky and the sound of sizzling filled your ears as the crackers burst above you. You had once told Hoseok that your favourite memory was laying in your hideout and watching the crackers.

You both layed down and watched them, fingers interlocked. Hoseok struggled to keep his eyes on the sky as his gaze would always wander back to your face. He couldn’t help but admire your flawless features and pretty smile. You looked at him and saw him staring at you, specifically at your lips. Turning onto your side, you held the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss.

You don’t remember most of it, but you somehow said your goodbyes to your family and friends and got to the car. You were wrapped in Hoseok’s spare jacket as Hoseok played his ‘songs for sex playlist’. You had always found the playlist ridiculous mainly for including songs like 'Give It To Me’, 'Singularity,’ and most importantly, 'Expensive Girl’. 

The moment Hoseok parked the car you rushed out to call the lift. Hoseok followed behind silently before he pinned you against the wall of the elevator when it arrived and kissed you roughly. He pulled  you out of the lift when you reached your floor and quickly unlocked the door. You haphazardly took your heels off while Hoseok closed the door. 

He throws you over his shoulder before you could utter a word, cause a yelp to escape you and took you to the bedroom before dropping you onto the bed. Your clothes, quickly discarded and you were pinned beneath your boyfriend. He devoured you with deep kisses as both your lungs strained for air, his soft lips coming down on yours aggressively. 

Hoseok makes his way down your body, littering kisses here and there. His fingers snake around you to take your bra off before it is thrown away into a corner. Mouth attaching to one nipple, he uses his hand to massage your other breast before switching. He nips at your skin till he finds your sweet spot and sucks hard, making you moan and squirm in his hold.

He placed a chaste kiss on your belly button before getting up to walk to the closet. Rummaging through the drawer, he picked out a few things before returning to you. He pried open your legs and settled between them before grabbing both your hands and bringing them to the front. He tied your wrists together with some red rope.

You knew he was pissed off about the whole Jimin thing and the only way he would calm down was by punishing you. Not that you minded, though. You were such a brat that you would go out of your way to ask him for punishments or act bratty just to get him to punish you. Once he finished tying you, he tapped his thigh and you got up off the bed. Over the years that you’d been together, you both had developed a sort of non-verbal communication system.

You bent over his lap, your ass in the air. Hoseok grabbed the leather paddle from the nightstand and ran it over your backside and thighs. Goosebumps rose on your skin as you awaited the first blow. It came down harshly and you hissed at the pain. 

“One, thank you, Sir,” you muttered. 

The rough edges of the paddle made dark blue and purple lines on your ass. Bruises formed all over you as Hoseok continued to deliver hits. The hits got harsher as they came down on your skin.

“Twenty, thank you, Sir,” you said as tears streamed down your face and your boyfriend finally dropped the paddle on the floor. He tapped his foot twice on the floor and you immediately got up.

Kneeling in front of him, you settled between his spread knees and looked down at the carpet. You winced as you sat down on your sensitive ass. 

“What an obedient slut you are, aren’t you? But you still had to make Sir mad and you’re going to pay for it. Open,” he commanded and you immediately dropped your jaw, opening your mouth as widely as possible. Digging his thumb into the hollow of your cheek, he made you open your mouth wider, making your jaw hurt.He pushed his boxers off letting his already hard cock out of the dark material.

“I’m going to fuck your throat and you’re just going to take it all, understood?” he warned and you nodded.

A sharp pain blossomed across your cheek as Hoseok slapped you. 

“Yes, Sir,” you corrected yourself. Without further delay, he stuffed his cock down your throat making you gag, but he didn’t relent and continued until your nose brushed up against his pelvis. You willed yourself to breathe through your nose as Hoseok thrusted in and out of your mouth. Tears and saliva dripped down your face, making you look like a mess. Hoseok smirked down at you and thrusted even harder.

Your muffled moans and his grunts filled the room. Your throat felt all rough from your boyfriend’s relentless pounding. His balls slapped against your chin, making your face hurt. You were just about to tap out when Hoseok gave out a broken moan and came down your throat. You swallowed it all and opened your mouth to show Hoseok. He patted your head before tucking his hands under your armpits and lifting you onto the bed. With your head down and your ass up in the air, he spread your knees apart after discarding your panties so that you couldn’t move.

You moaned as you felt his tongue flick your clit. He immediately stopped and lifted you up by the hair. Grabbing the ball gag, he fastened it around your head. 

“Shh, babygirl, you don’t want to make Sir angry, do you,” he cooed and you whined. 

Getting back to work on your core, he inserted two fingers inside you, curling them and finding your g-spot. Muffled cries escaped your lips as your orgasm drew near. Just when you were about to cum, Hoseok pulled away.

“My little slut knows better than to cum without Sir’s permission, right,” he asked before pressing his favourite vibrator against your lower lips. Tears streamed down your face as your orgasm started building up again. Your legs shook as you tried not to cum. Hoseok didn’t stop even though your moans were getting more and more desperate. Before you could tell him to stop, he threw the vibrator away and without warning, he sheathed himself inside you in one smooth stroke. You squealed through your gag as started thrusting.

Gripping your thighs harshly, he pounded in and out of you at a slow yet hard pace. You whimpered and tried to tell him to go faster but were muffled by the gag. 

“Want me to go faster, whore? Then beg for it,” Hoseok hissed and you continued trying to beg with the gag still in your mouth. He just chuckled. He slowed down further just to frustrate you.

“What a pathetic bitch, can’t even beg properly.” Hoseok pulled the gag out of your mouth and let it hang around your neck. 

“Pl-please, go faster, Sir,” you begged, which he rewarded with a slap to your already bruised ass causing you to whimper. He humoured you by going a tad bit faster but not fast enough to get you to cum.

“Faster, Sir, please. Please,” you begged further and Hoseok finally gave in, pounding into you at an inhuman pace. Broken moans escaped you as he abused your g-spot and grinded against it. 

“So tight,” Hoseok gritted.

“Are you close, babygirl,” Hoseok asked in a soft voice. You nodded which resulted in another slap to your ass. 

“Use your words, slut,” Hoseok said. 

His fingers tightened around your thighs, sure to leave bruises, not that you minded them. You loved to see marks that your boyfriend left on your body.

“Please Sir, I’m s-so close. Please, let me c-cum,” you muttered. The pleasure was getting too much to handle. You needed to cum but you knew very well that if you came without Hoseok’s permission, you wouldn’t be getting any sleep. 

“Go ahead, cum for Sir,” Hoseok cooed and you let your body fall over the edge. 

You chanted his name as you came. He helped you ride out your orgasm, but didn’t stop even after you came down from your high. Fucking you into overstimulation, you cried as he reached his own high. Cumming deep into your pussy, he pulled out and rolled over to lay down next to you. Both of you laid there in bed for a few minutes to catch your breath.

He untied you and ran a bath for the both of you before picking you up from the bed and carrying you into the bathroom, setting you on the counter. He sat in the tub and pulled you in to sit between his legs. After a long relaxing bath, both of you collapsed on the bed, limbs tangled. 

As you stared at your boyfriend’s beautiful face, you recalled the incidents that had taken place over the course of the previous hours and felt an indescribable feeling towards him. Your love for him was infinite but it somehow continued to grow.  

Over the next couple of days, you didn’t leave your studio at all. You barely interacted with Hoseok during this period of time. You slept on the couch in your studio a few times and other times you would get home really late and leave really early. Your boyfriend was getting nervous and was confused as to why you were behaving in such a manner. He was worried that he went too overboard that night and that you were mad at him.

In reality, you had gotten this idea stuck in your head since the day of the Diwali celebration that you just needed to get out and the only way you knew how, was to make a song about it. So, that’s exactly what you did, spending those days composing and writing nonstop. When you were finally done, you recorded it to send it to the team for approval. Once you got the thumbs up from the higher ups, you send it to the group you were in charge of for final recording.

Hoseok was in his dance studio when one of his co-workers came in to give him a new song for him to choreograph. The track was titled, 'Lights,’ and he played it on the speaker to hear it and start working on it. He heard the signature synth sound that you added to every song that you produced, a sort of signature, if you will, to indicate that the song was made by you. As the song played, his eyes filled up with tears.

“When I close my eyes

In the darkness, your light

Lights the way for me

We can walk forward without fear, you & I woah

You’re my light you’re my light

Always shine into my heart

You’re my light you’re my light

No matter how far apart we are

Your light shines on me”

He realised why you hadn’t been interacting with him and he also felt guilty for doubting your love for him. He concocted a plan to surprise you. You had revealed to him quite a secret recently that helped his plan perfectly.

You got a call from Hoseok in the middle of a writing session, asking you to come down to his dance studio in half an hour. You finished your session just in time and headed towards your boyfriend’s practice room. When you knocked on the door, Hoseok asked you to come inside. The members of your group and your boyfriend were sitting on the floor, clearly exhausted after a long practice session.

“So, as you all know, our lovely producer, y/n, over here made you guys a new song. I got the track today and was asked to choreograph it. But after a long discussion with the CEO, Mr. Kim Seokjin, we’ve come to the conclusion that I won’t be choreographing the song." 

Loud gasps filled the room as the boys looked at their teacher with confused expressions on their faces. 

"Instead, your choreographer for the song will be y/n herself!" 

You were shocked at Hoseok’s sudden revelation. 

"What,” you asked, confused. The boys started asking Hoseok why you were going to be in charge of the song.

“Your noona here is a wonderful dancer. I didn’t know this fact until recently, either. But after having a conversation with Mr. Kim, we’ve decided that this song should be choreographed by noona." 

You told them that you’d come in tomorrow for working on the song and you and Hoseok left to go home. "What in the world just happened?” You asked your boyfriend and he just smirked. You felt confused and happy at the same time because this was a big opportunity that you weren’t expecting at all.

The articles said everything. 'Lights’ had set innumerable records on the music charts and was the group’s best selling single. When asked about the song, the boys all credited you for producing and writing it. The choreography was also applauded as one of the best ones that the group has ever had. Your fan following and popularity skyrocketed to the point where the CEO offered you to quit your job as a producer, and join as an artist and you immediately agreed.

You and your boyfriend curled up on the couch after coming back from a party that was held by KM Entertainment for the success of 'Lights.’ 

“I’m so proud of you, baby,” Hoseok cooed as he ran his hand through your hair. You snuggled into his chest as he praised you. 

“I should thank you for letting me choreograph the song,” you muttered.

“By the way, why didn’t you ever tell my you danced,” Hoseok asked. You had never actually had a conversation about this topic since that night. 

“I was too insecure. I always thought I was never as good as you, Hobi,” you confessed. Hoseok chuckled.

“Are you actually kidding me? You’re a way better dancer than I am. I almost lost my job because of you. If Seokjin hadn’t asked you to join as an artist, I was sure he was going to make you the new choreographer." 

You hit your arm playfully against his chest before you turned to look up at him. The pride and adoration on his face was so evident that it made your heart beat faster. 

You placed a chaste kiss on his lips, whispering, "I love you." 

Hoseok hummed in response, the sound echoing your own sentiments. Arms wrapping around you tighter, he pressed a kiss to your forehead. 

"I love you too.”

25 Days Of Christmas: A BTS Anthology Masterlist

[knamjooned]

Frosty Seduction

pairing: WinterSpirit!Namjoon x Human!reader genre: Fantasy AU, Christmas AU, Smut, Crack, Fluff. tiny bit of Angst words: 16K+ warning: making out, flirting, oral (m and f), fingering, cold (ice?) play, light dirty talk, masturbation, semi-public sex, making love, creampie, 

author’s notes: hey so this has been in the works for a long time! I want to thanks @uwugalore​ for accepting me into my first collaboration. i met some awesome writers. also, i have never been this invested in a story as this one. usually i just write and then post, but this one was beta’d AND edited, so that’s ....a big change lol. I hope you enjoy it!

part of the 25 Days of BTS Christmas collaboration

Summary: You want to spend this Christmas enjoying the moment without stress. You find a beautiful snowglobe that may lead you to your wish being granted by a mischievous winter spirit.

If kisses were snowflakes, I’d send you a blizzard.

Everything about the holiday season made you feel good, like everything was alright in the world. Strings of lights glowing brightly in the evening as the sun went down; the smell of delicious treats wafting all around you; the taste of a peppermint hot mocha on your tongue; the sounds of Christmas music playing in various shops. Your favorite part was wrapping the presents you would exchange on Christmas morning with your family and your boyfriend’s family, your heart filled with love as they got a look at what you hoped was the best gift ever.

Unfortunately, this year seemed to have taken a wrong turn and landed you in the opposite mood you usually felt at this time of year. Christmas Eve was only a week away. The only thing you had in your apartment was a decorated Christmas tree. You had finished it while your boyfriend still wanted to be with you at the beginning of the month. A few days after that, he apologetically stated that he wasn't ‘feeling it anymore’ and you hadn’t heard from him since. That spurred on a case of the holiday blues, so you hadn’t been in the mood to put up your beloved decorations.

It didn’t help that your family was out of the country, enjoying a tropical vacation your parents had won at a bingo game. Your sister and her husband had gone with them, a late honeymoon they said. Unfortunately, you couldn’t afford to tag along with your income, so it also turned out you didn’t have family to comfort you through all of this. Still, that didn’t mean you couldn’t try to finish your usual routine of wrapping presents.

That’s what led you to this new antique store on the other side of town. Your mother and sister both enjoyed old jewelry, postcards, and first edition books, while your father was a fan of collecting old pens and silverware. This new shop seemed to be a treasure trove of gifts you knew your family would love. You might even be able to find a gift for your brother-in-law, although you weren’t entirely sure what exactly he’d like from here.

After spending more time than you thought you would, wandering through the aisles, you had found at least two gifts per family member and were on your way to the checkout counter. As the bell rang over the door to signal more customers, you looked toward the sound and were distracted by an item sitting among christmas tree ornaments. You changed your direction and ended up next to the table, crouched down, studying the inside of the snowglobe. 

It was a lovely setting, a picturesque winter wonderland, with a few generic one-story homes, a park area, a street, and some kind of store. The small figurines scattered across the scene depicted a happy family sledding in the park, a young couple decorating a christmas tree in one of the yards, and a young man leaning against the wall of the shop. The bell over the door ringing pulled you out of your thoughts, and you glanced over to see a young woman with a toddler in her arms, asking if there was a bathroom. You felt a soft smile pull at your lips as you turned back toward the snowglobe.

Frowning, you stared at the scene in front of you. Something was different, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. You looked over the setting, then the figurines in the fake snow. It hit you after a moment of staring at the shop. The figurine of the young man you were sure was there before wasn’t there now. Standing up quickly, you swallowed down panicked thoughts. After a moment of taking deep breaths, you let out a quiet chuckle. All this stress was going to make you lose your mind if you weren’t careful.

Without another thought, you picked up the snowglobe and purchased it with your other items. This little gift was for yourself.

It wasn’t until two days later you found time to wrap the gifts you bought for your family. After a long eight hour day at your temporary customer service holiday job, the idea of sitting down with a cup of hot chocolate, with soft Christmas tunes playing in the background, was the only thing keeping you from passing out from exhaustion. You sat near your window, on a pillow, a video of a fireplace on your television. The only lights were those on the Christmas tree and a handful of candles on your coffee table, along with street lights shining through your window. 

Six different kinds of wrapping paper sat next to you on the floor, along with a pile of tape you seemed to always have lying around. The gifts were laid out next to the tape pile. On the coffee table next to the candles was the snowglobe you had purchased. As you carefully wrapped each item and sipped at your hot beverage, you found yourself glancing toward coffee table. Nothing seemed out of place in the globe, although you felt silly even thinking about it. Even as you chuckle to yourself, placing the last piece of tape on the second gift, you saw something shift out of the corner of your eye.

Immediately, your gaze fell onto the snowglobe, eyes wide as you waited for something to happen again. Slowly, you sat down the wrapped present, and crawled toward the globe on the coffee table. When you were only inches away, with it eye level, you stared into the glass. Something was off once again, and it only took you a second to pick out it out. The young man who had disappeared from in front of the shop had appeared, sitting on the bench in the park, looking upwards. You scrabbled back, gasping as you fell on your ass, almost making a mess of your carefully arranged wrapping station.

“I need a drink.” Blowing out a big breath, you stood and made your way toward the kitchen. As you passed the window, you saw a shooting star. You stopped and turned for a moment, looking out the window and up at the sky.

“I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight. I wish my Christmas will be stress free for 24 hours with someone who enjoys Christmas as much as me.” With a wistful sigh, you turn away from the window and head toward the kitchen once again, where you knew you’d find one of your favorite cocktail ingredients.

Ever since the snow globe had been brought into your home, Namjoon had been fascinated. You seemed to be having a difficult time, which was unfortunate during the holidays. Finally, though, he saw you start to become much more cheerful. It made his frosty heart warm when he saw you smile as you wrapped the gifts. Because of the magical aura surrounding the snow globe, Namjoon knew there were four full days until Christmas Eve. He amused himself by sitting on the bench in the park, watching you wrap with purpose. You stuck out the tip of your tongue as you concentrated at making just the right crease. 

Without thinking anything of it, Namjoon looked up, feeling the magic of falling stars coming close. Tonight was a special night, apparently. When he heard you moving toward the globe, he froze in place, looking up at the curvature of the glass, as you studied the scene. He felt your eyes on him, trying not to laugh as you scrambled back and your butt hit the floor. Only when you were distracted by the star finally falling did he relax and look toward you once more. He stood and walked close to the glass, close enough to touch it, and listened to you speak to the star. As you finished your wish, he felt his heart grow warmer than it had ever been.

Namjoon knew, without a doubt, it was his job to make your wish come true. He ran toward the shop, bursting through the plastic door that was made to look like wood, startling the short, stout shopkeeper. Namjoon sheepishly grinned as the elder elf jumped at the sound of the door opening, hitting his head on the shelf above the one he was stocking with Christmas decorations. Grumbling to himself, the shopkeeper rubbed the top of his head as he shuffled toward the winter spirit.

“Santa’s Bells, Namjoon, you scared me! What has you up in a tizzy,” Sowon huffed, wincing as he came to stand near the counter. He was two feet shorter than Namjoon, with a bushy white beard, pointed ears, and wire-framed glasses on his nose. The spot he was rubbing on his head was bald, although bright red now.

“I want to decorate the park.” The old elf stared up at him, blinking his eyes. After a long moment, Sowon frowned, arms crossed in front of him.

“What,” he asked, confused. “What do you mean, decorate the park? We don’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“We don’t. This place... it’s the way it is.”

“Okay. I hear you. But what if… we decorate the park,” Namjoon insisted, gesturing toward the decorations that lined the shop shelves. In all the time he’s been here, nothing left the shelves. It was part of the curse of being in the snow globe - nothing changed. Now, though, he had a purpose, a reason to change the status quo.

Sowon stared at him a few seconds longer, eyes narrowing as he studied him. Namjoon felt the judgement rolling over him, his excitement over his plan declining with each passing moment. His upturned lips slowly fell into a frown, his shoulders slumping. Sowon let out a sigh, a sympathetic look in his eyes.

“Look, young spirit, I understand. But, the gods have put us here for a reason. We need to fulfill our duties, serve our penalty.” He reached up and patting Namjoon on his arm. “This is what we are, what we have.”

Dejected, Namjoon sighed heavily as Sowon shuffled away, moving toward another shelf to restock for no other reason than routine. While the elder elf was busy, though, Namjoon’s lips slid upward in a smile once again. A plan worked in his mind, and he quickly acted on it. He made his footsteps silent with what little magic he had, grabbed a large container of tinsel and round ornaments, and scrambled away.

Sowon sputtered and called out his name as he ran out the door, eyes wide with shock.

Retail work during the holidays was made for those who had strong wills. Unfortunately, you were hanging on by a thread by the time you made it home after a long seven hour shift. The day had been filled with nothing but stressers: children running around screaming, parents acting like the world would end if they didn’t get that toy, and a sleazy coworker who hadn’t stopped bitching about Christmas the whole time. 

When you entered your residence, you let out a groan of frustration as you slumped onto your couch. You went limp, letting the cushions support your aching body. You looked toward the snowglobe on your coffee table tiredly, ready to fall asleep right where you were. You stared at the area where the park was put, the tiny, coloring round ornaments making the scene more festive. You narrowed your eyes as you remembered….

The trees hadn’t had any ornaments this morning.

“What the fuck,” you cried, putting the palms of your hands against your eyes. “The universe really wants to screw with my head!” 

You forced yourself to stand from the comfortable couch, knowing you needed a shower. It would help wash away the aches and pains of your day, along with giving you time to rationalize the difference in scenery once again in the snowglobe.

Namjoon grinned with glee as he looked over the trees in the park across the street from his house. He held onto a mug of hot apple cider, imagining how you’d react to the new development. Absentmindedly, he sipped at his drink, then flinched, making a face. Using his ice cold breath, he blew on it lightly, hoping to cool it enough to be able to drink. He took another sip and sighed, wrinkling his nose. It was cold now, which didn’t taste as good. Still, he drank it, not wanting to waste the magic he had used to make this. As he stared out the window, he heard the bells on his christmas tree jingle in a gentle breeze. Frowning, he turned, knowing it hadn’t come from outside. When Namjoon saw who it was, he gulped and put down his mug on the window sill. 

Straightening his back, he bowed his head slightly, then kept his eyes down. Namjoon had already gotten on their bad sides, pissing off the winter god today wasn’t on his list of things to do.

“Uh… hey, Boreas, how’s it going?” He tried to keep his tone light, but Namjoon knew it was a serious issue when the personification of winter appeared to him. He licked his lips nervously.

“You know why I’m here,” he responded, his gruff voice sounding tired. The personification looked like what the humans would call Old Man Winter. He was a mix between Santa Claus and Dumbledore, with long white hair and beard. 

“Is this about the park decorations,” Namjoon asked innocently. Still, he didn’t look Boreas in the eye. 

“You can’t just change the snowglobe. The human thinks she is losing her mind, Namjoon.” Boreas took a step toward him, and he lifted his eyes finally. He was surprised to see the god with a tiny smile on his lips. Namjoon’s mood perked up.

“But…? There’s a but, isn’t there.” Namjoon felt a smile coming out his lips. Boreas pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and letting out an annoyed sigh. He chuckled, though, as he looked back toward Namjoon. 

“You’ve been a good spirit, serving your time well, without incident.” Namjoon shifted bashfully on his feet, looking pleased. Did this mean he was done? Boreas seemed to read his mind, continuing. “Because of the seriousness of your crimes, your time has not been considered completely served. But, it seems the Fates have found this situation to be amusing.”

“Okay… what does that mean?” Namjoon started to lose his patience, waiting for the old man to tell him what the hell was happening now.

“This human, it seems, made a wish the Fates think you can help grant.”

Namjoon blinked, frowning for a moment. A wish? His eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise as he remembered the wish you had made at the window two days ago. A huge smile come to his lips, realizing his instincts had been right.

The first major snow of the season fell heavily outside your window. Snuggled deep into your bed, with a heavy blanket and freshly washed pillows, you dozed comfortably.

You sat on a bench in a park, the trees decorated with spherical ornaments and strings of lights. The sweater you were wearing was knitted, with an overexaggerated face of a reindeer on the front. Your feet were warm in snow boots, with jeans tucked into them. Your dream outfit was exactly what you would wear during the holidays.

Beside you sat a figure. You felt their eyes on your face. Turning your head to the side, you caught their gaze, the plush lips pulling into a smile, revealing deep dimples, one on each cheek. His skin had a blue tint to it, almost like he was perpetually cold. You felt yourself smiling back, heart beating fast and butterflies fluttering in your stomach. It had been a while since you felt the emotions of a new romance.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I did it for you.” His voice was almost sheepish and unsure. His eyes flitted away nervously as he played with his own fingers. 

“It is. I love it. Thank you,” you assured him, reaching out and putting a hand on top of his clasped ones. His skin was chilled, but it didn’t bother you at all. You squeezed his hand. “I needed to see the beauty of the holidays, the love and happiness I haven’t been feeling lately.”

“I know,” he replied, frowning. He unclasped his hands and turned one palm up. You intertwined your fingers, holding his hand. His gentle grip seemed to lift some of the darkness inside your mind, helping the holiday cheer slide into its spot. “I’m sorry you’re feeling so sad. The holidays were your favorite time of the year, but then all this sorrow was brought about.”

“I don’t want to think about that, not here, not now. Tell me, what’s your name? Why are you here? Why am I here?” Your hand was still within his, and you had no desire to release it. This dreamworld was almost perfect, this blue-tinted man smiling beautifully at you. His eyes brightened at your requests. He leaned forward, his face close to yours.

“I’m Namjoon, a winter spirit. This is my home. And I think you’re here because the Fates know you need some cheering up. And I’m the one who will do it the best.” He shrugged, his words confident. His voice lowered, his cool, minty breath playing over your cheeks. “Anything you want, you can have it.”

You stared into his light blue eyes, shining with amusement. You knew, instinctively, that his words were true. Anything you wanted, Namjoon would give it to you. After a long moment of staring, he leaned closer still and brushed his lips against yours. When he pulled back, the his smile had turned into an ‘o’ of surprise, eyes wide. You licked your lips and leaned forward for another kiss, his pull too strong to resist. He straightened, shyly pulling away, let out a nervous chuckle, and let go of your hand.

“Namjoon?”

“Bora is coming with her sled, see, over there?” Namjoon pointed to a spot behind you, and you turned your body to look. 

A family was coming towards you, a young girl dragging an old wood and metal sled. She marched happily a few steps in front of her parents. The woman waved toward Namjoon, and he responded with a flick of his wrist. The man nodded with a smile, and Namjoon repeated the gesture back. The family ignored you and started to get ready to use the sled.

You turned back to him, knowing the intimate moment was broken. Still, you grinned at him, happy to be in his presence, pleased to have his bright eyes looking at you like you were the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. 

“It’s time for you to go,” Namjoon sighed, his grin falling into a pout. “I’ll see you soon, though, I promise.” Hesitantly, he lifted his hand toward your face. You leaned forward, silently giving him permission to touch you. Namjoon cupped your cheek, his hands ice cold but not unpleasant. “I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.”

Before you could respond, he pulled back and your eyes closed slowly.

When you faded from the bench, Namjoon let out a heavy sigh, squeezing his eyes shut. He slouched on the bench, leaning back and let his head fall back. He knew if he opened his eyes, he’d see the curvature of the globe, but he didn’t want to be reminded of his prison at the moment. The laughter of Bora and her family was normal, but the pounding in his ears was not. His heart was echoing in his head, his mind unable to erase the feeling of your lips against his. They were warm, a strange feeling against his own lips. He wanted to feel them again, the heat once more.

“Fudge,” he murmured, eyes finally opening. He stood up and walked past the family, who sent him a wave. He didn’t see them, too focused on what had happened to wave back. Namjoon entered his home, absentmindedly wandered to the couch in front of the fireplace, and stared into the magical flames.

Why are you here?

Namjoon swallowed as he suddenly felt shame for his actions. It had been a long time ago, although not long enough for a god to forget. He had moved forward, understanding the reasons why he was here. Namjoon understood the effect his past actions had on humans, and he felt regretful of the outcome. He had never felt shame before, though. He didn’t want you to be disappointed when you found out, which was a weird thought in itself.

When he was an even younger winter spirit, he enjoyed fluttering around with his brethren, the famous Frost family, helping Boreas bring in the winter season, making those intricate designs on windows out of frost for those who loved them. Being second to the Frost family in terms of Boreas’ favor, though, had always been a point of bitterness between the other winter beings. 

To prove he was good enough to be on the same level as Jack Frost, Namjoon had decided to go off on his own and bring holiday cheer to a nearby town. Unfortunately, his own confidence had wrought his own hubris: causing his powers to inflate to the point of being uncontrollable. 

“Nope,” he murmurs to himself, jumping up. “Can’t think about that. Hot chocolate? Hot chocolate! That’s what I’ll do. Hot chocolate and reading!”

He scurried toward his kitchen, almost like he was running from something. And, in a way, he was.

The morning of the day before Christmas Eve, you talked to your vacationing family through video chat, putting on a large smile and waving away any concerns they might have had. You wore your favorite sweater, red with Santa’s face on it, and showed off your Christmas tree. You also teased the gifts you had placed under the tree, which they would open in a few days after they got back. You started your morning in a relatively good mood, the dream from the night before causing you to laugh at yourself, but speaking with your family reminded you how alone you were at this moment.

Taking a deep breath, you placed your phone on the coffee table, picked up the snowglobe in your hands, and sat on the couch. You looked into the globe, shaking it, then watching the fake snow fall onto the cheerful scenery. You had been in the park of the globe in your dream, the little family sledding appearing as well. The bench you had sat on was empty, not that you were expecting anything to be there. It was almost hypnotizing, the fake white flakes falling slowly, soothing the clouds in your mind. 

You forced yourself to leave your apartment during the day. Many shops were closed, but you knew of one place that was always open: the local shelter. You enjoyed visiting from time to time, especially during the holidays, where you would have pleasant conversations and stories with the residents. You arrived and started to undo all of your snow gear, scarf, hat, gloves, coat, and even your sweater. The building was toasty warm.

“Oh, it’s Miss Holiday Cheer, herself!” shouted a man in the corner, near the decorated tree, who you recognized as a regular. He was a struggling widower, who had trouble with alcohol until about three years ago. He had lived here for a time, and now came by to keep the current residents hopeful.

“Good afternoon, Nelson. You’re looking handsome, today.” 

You spent a couple hours there, the gray skies inside your head dissipating little by little. The sun was sinking below the horizon as you entered your apartment once again. The intense feeling of loneliness beared down on your shoulders, making you groan. You took a deep breath and blew it out, like you were blowing away the heaviness, and went to get yourself a drink. Settling on the couch with your favorite alcoholic beverage, you found yourself looking into the snowglobe in front of you, the fake snow falling as if it had just been shaken. 

“Merry Christmas,” you murmur, lifting your glass up before taking a drink.

A clock chimed in the back of your dreams, officially starting Christmas Eve. One. Two. Three…. It was almost too quiet to hear, but the clock stopped making any sound after the twelfth chime. You stayed in your dream world as snow began to fall on your covered body. If you had been awake, you would have noticed it was not cold, but simple plastic that lightly floated down. 

The room filled with soft blue light, the fake snow falling without leaving a trace on the floor. It became heavier and heavier, until nothing could be seen in your room.

Blinking quickly, you sat up, confused, as you turned your head this way and that. It took a moment to recognize the trees covered in ornaments and lights. The last time you had seen them, it had been a sunny, beautiful day. Now, though, it was dark, the only light coming from the streetlights that followed the road toward a handful of houses. You realized your butt was on something hard. Looking down, you were once again on the bench. 

“Back in the dream,” you murmured to yourself, patting the wood. When you heard snow crunching, you turned to look behind you. Grinning, you held up a hand, waving toward Namjoon.

“You’re here! Actually here! This is fantastic.” He jogged throw the snow without any hesitation, stopping in front of you with his hand held out. His skin was blue-tinted, just like the other dream, but his cheeks had a tinge of purple. He almost looked flushed. “Come with me. I promise to make your wish come true.”

As you took his hand, you realized you were in your pajamas, blue and white snowflakes all over the cotton long sleeved top and bottom pants. Last time you were here, you had been decked out in all the holiday swag, ugly sweater and all. Now, though, it seemed your mind went completely casual. Namjoon tugged at your arm, happily gesturing his head toward the rows of houses down the street. You let him lead you toward them, running up the steps and into the second house. His hand stayed clasped around yours as he closed the door behind both of you. 

“So, this is your place, Namjoon,” you asked, glancing around as you pulled your hand away. 

You spun in a circle slowly. It had a cozy cabin feel to the inside, with a small living room and kitchen attached, with a set of stairs in the far corner that led up to what you assumed was a loft. You were going to comment on the scenery, but you remembered something he had said before you followed him here. “My wish?” 

You turned toward him once again.

“Yeah, you’re wish.” 

He seemed a little nervous, with his hands in the pocket of his jeans. He glanced around before his gaze landed back onto you. He sent you a crooked, bashful smile. “You wanted to spend Christmas Eve stress free, with someone who loves Christmas as much as you.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but then you shut it. How did he know? This was a dream, though, so it made a little bit of sense. Your mind giving you what you wanted, maybe? You stepped closer to Namjoon, catching his gaze and putting a hand on his arm. He sent you a relieved smile and lifted his other arm, palm up. As you watched with wide eyes, a frosty mist swirled above his palm, the ice crystals hardening into a shape. When he was finished, Namjoon raised the ice rose to face level.

“Will you allow me to share Christmas Eve with you?”

He waited patiently, his dimples framing a small smile. You slid your hand down his arm, keeping your eyes on his, and took his hand. The small smile turned into a large grin as you used your other hand to take the ice rose from his. The stem was cold to your touch, but it didn’t bother you. Surprisingly, a rose-liked scent wafted from the petals. 

“I think I’d like that,” you replied in a low voice, mirroring his grin.

Namjoon could barely breathe, the excitement of you consenting to staying with him for twenty-four hours almost overwhelming. He wanted to press a kiss onto your lips as soon as you said it, but held himself back. After telling you the ice rose wouldn’t melt without him doing it himself, you sat it down on a small table in front of a fireplace. He wanted to show you the wardrobe room, so he pulled you up the stairs and into the loft. There was a door on the back wall, in the middle, and he flung it open, spreading his arms proudly.

“Anything you want to wear, it’s here. It’s magic. Think it, and it’ll appear. Would you like to change?” Namjoon looked over your adorable outfit. He didn’t care what you wore, you were a beautiful human, but he wanted you to be comfortable with him.

“Really,” you asked, eyebrows raised. “Anything?”

“Absolutely.”

He stood at the door as he watched you stride into the room. It was bigger on the inside, with clothes hanging on either side of you. Crossing his arms, Namjoon leaned against the doorframe as you fluttered around the room. You looked so excited, with a giddy grin and a bounce in your step. What would you pick? Namjoon was curious, but was completely surprised when you stopped in the middle of the room and closed your eyes. Frowning, he took a step forward, but saw the clothing you were wearing started to glow.

A red velvet dress appeared on your body, the skirt ending above your knees. The edges of the garment had white puffy material, and your collarbones showed pleasantly. A santa hat appeared on your head, and black heeled boots appeared on your legs, stopped at the knees.

“What do you think? Fits the season, right?” 

You posed, turning back and forth, looking down at yourself.

“It’s stunning,” he replied, his voice catching. He cleared his throat, feeling his body flush unusually. He felt the heat blooming from the top of his head down to his feet, and everywhere in between. His heart beat furiously, which seemed to be a common occurrence around you. 

“Cookies and hot chocolate? On the table downstairs, in front of the fireplace.” As he smiled, Namjoon used a thumb to gesture over his shoulder.

“Yes, please!” you cried, running past him and down the stairs. He followed, chuckling. As soon as you were both settled onto the couch, Namjoon positioned himself so he could look at you, turning his body so he sat sideways on the couch. You mirrored his pose, ignoring the treats on the table as you stared at him. 

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You’re kind of purple.”

“What?” 

Namjoon frowned, looking down at his hands. His blue-tinted skin had a tiny bit of pink mixed into it. “Huh. That’s never happened before.”

“You’re blushing. Do you like my outfit that much?” 

Namjoon looked back at you, smirking back at him. He swallowed thickly as the skirt of your dress slid up as you wiggled a bit on the couch. His eyes stayed on your exposed thighs as he spoke. 

“You seem very relaxed. Am I helping grant your wish?” Namjoon placed his hands on his knees, squeezing tightly, to keep from reaching out and caressing the soft skin of your legs. He couldn’t turn his gaze away, almost hoping the skirt would move upward further.

“Yes,” you murmured. He lifted his gaze to your face again.

“You’re really breathtaking,” he whispered, using your name. 

“Is it against the rules if I kiss you?” 

Your question made his breath catch and eyes widen. Namjoon shook his head slowly back and forth, but not really knowing the answer. He suddenly realized he’d do anything to be able to kiss you right now. “Okay, good, cause I’m going to kiss you.”

You leaned forward without hesitation, sure of what you wanted. This was a dream, anything could happen, right? Reaching out, you grabbed Namjoon’s sweater and brought him closer. Tilting your head, you kissed him. He responded immediately, a hand rising to cup your cheek as his lips moved. His other hand moved to your calf, slowly sliding upward. A sigh fell from your lips as Namjoon’s large, cool hand squeezed your thigh. His tongue brushed against your bottom lip, and you nipped at it. Namjoon pulled away with his eyebrows raised.

“It’s going to be like that,” he murmured, his thumb brushing against your kiss swollen lips. He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips, then stood, taking his hands off you. You frowned and looked up to him, confused. His eyes had darkened and his playful grin had turned into a devious smirk. He reached out, and you left Namjoon position you so you were sitting forward on the couch, with your legs spread open. The short skirt left little to the imagination as he knelt between your legs.

“It’s going to be like that,” you repeated back in a teasing tone. 

Breathlessly, you reached down and held onto the hem of your dress. Namjoon stared into your eyes as you slowly pulled the material up your legs, exposing more of your thighs. It was almost a competition to see who would look away first. You stopped moving your skirt when it barely covered the apex of your thighs. Namjoon’s jaw flexed as he took a deep breath, eyes still on yours. 

“Is this a power thing?” He chuckled, each hand moving to your thighs. He splayed each hand on your thighs. Your body shivered with anticipation, his fingers so close to your intimate area. His voice lowered. “What do you want, angel? Do you want to fight for power? Or do you want to pick a side? Either way, I’m looking forward to playing with you.”

Biting your lip, you pulled the hem of your skirt up over your hips, showing off your exposed slit. Apparently, the materializing of this dress hadn’t brought about underwear. 

“Make my wish come true,” you whispered, eyelids fluttering close as Namjoon’s hand flexed on your skin.

“It’s all I want to do,” you heard him breath, his thumb rubbing circles now. The coolness from his skin caused goosebumps to appear all over your body, but it also made your clit begin to ache. When his lips touched your left thigh, you jumped, sucking in a breath. His hand tightened to keep your leg still as he pressed a few more kisses, then raked his teeth against your skin. “I want to taste you, every part of you, angel.”

“Yes,” you whimpered. You kept your eyes shut, enjoying the sensations of touch as his lips, teeth, and hands pressed against you. “Will you touch me? I want your fingers….”

“Be patient,” Namjoon chuckled, his breath only inches from your opening. Without realizing it, your thighs spread wider, opening you further in front of him. He groaned, gripping your thighs tightly. “Want my fingers where?” he asked, voice heavy with lust.

“Inside,” you replied hurriedly, eyes opening to look down at him. His skin was more purple than ever before, which confirmed he was as flushed and heated as you were. Your hem was fisted in your hand at your waist. “I really like your hands…”

“And I really like you.” He trailed his first finger up toward your opening, watching your face as he slowly rubbed against your opening. A yelp fell from your lips, the ice cold digit a surprise, although you should have known. He squeezed with his other hand, still holding your leg, and pressed a kissed right next to his hand. “Does the cold bother you?”

“No, it actually feels really good,” you gasped as he kept moving his finger from top to bottom. After a moment, he pressed a thumb against your clit, moving in a slow circle. One finger pressed against your opening, then slipped inside. Your slippery walls took him in without hesitation, causing you both to groan.

“Fuck, angel, you’re so warm… but you’re also trembling.” Pulling his finger out, you almost whimpered but stopped when he slid it back inside. Moaning, you threw your head back against the couch and reached out one hand to fall into his hair. His soft, short, brown hair tangled in your fingers as you squirmed under his scrutiny. Thighs shaking, you lifted your hips to match his slow rhythm. “Am I making you feel good? Is that why you’re shaking? Do my fingers feel good inside you?” As he said this, Namjoon slid another finger inside, stretching you further. His thumb continued to work your sensitive nub, arousal starting to leak from you. 

“Jesus, Namjoon,” you breathed, watching his lips turn into a smile. His eyes moved between his fingers working you and your face.

“I wonder what you’ll taste like? I have no doubt you are delicious.” He let his gaze drop to look lovingly at your opening, his fingers dipping down to the last knuckle and pulling out. He turned his hand and curled his fingers upward, causing you to cry out. Your eyelids closed, making you miss out on his face moving close. When his tongue replaced his thumb against your clit, you shudder and tugged at his hair. He wrapped his lips around your nub, a groan rumbling from his chest. Moving his fingers faster, Namjoon sucked slowly, pulling back to probe the opening above his fingers. Your thighs twitched, and he held down one with his hand and one with his shoulder.

A warmth began to spread in your lower stomach, with his tongue and fingers probing inside. You moaned and whimpered, lifting your hips. He continued his assault, moving his fingers faster, breathing in your scent. 

“Fuck, you taste so good,” he rasped, pulling his face back for oxygen. Namjoon’s tongue roamed over his own lips, licking up your juices. His voice made the warmth turned into a blaze, but the fire died down slightly when his fingers pulled out. He lifted his fingers to his lips, licking with his eyes closed, a delighted moan escaping.

“Why’d you stop?” Unable to stop the pout on your lips, you made to close your thighs. Namjoon chuckled and prevented the action with his broad shoulders. 

“You are so fucking adorable with your lip pushed out like that, angel.” He leaned forward once again and pressed his lips against your slit. Your hands gripped his hair once again as his tongue dove deep inside, plunging over and over. Shuddering, you cried out loudly. Namjoon slid his hands under your ass, bringing you even closer to his mouth. He devoured you, causing you to fall into a sobbing mess as the fire begin to rage hotter and hotter inside you. 

“Oh god, don’t stop,” you repeated helplessly, held down by his shoulders and arms. Your fingers stayed tangled in his hair, like you were afraid he’d pull away.

“Come on my tongue, angel,” he growled, voice muffled. His raspy voice build the fire to the perfect peak, causing you to shudder and buck your hips into his face. Namjoon gradually slowed the movement of his tongue. Whimpering, your whole body trembled, spent but still pulsing with electricity. He finally pulled back, breathing heavily, grinning up at you and licking his lips once more. “You look tired, darling, let’s rest.”

“W-what?” you stuttered as Namjoon stood and sat next to you on the couch. He scooped you up with his arms and settling you across his lap. Automatically, your arms went around his neck and your face buried into his neck. The coolness of his skin was welcomed against your heated forehead. He rubbed your back, lips pressed against your head, as your body stopped trembling and your mind cleared. 

“You’re going to ask about my own pleasure,” Namjoon stated after a few moments of comfortable silence. You smiled against the skin of his neck and nuzzled it with your nose. A soft hum of enjoyment came from his lips as he squeezed you in return. “We have many more hours, I’m definitely not concerned.”

Namjoon reluctantly stood with you in his arms a few minutes after you fell asleep, your breathing gentle and calm. He carried you up the stairs and onto the loft, where his large bed sat in the far corner. As he laid you down carefully, he licked his lips, your taste still lingering on his tongue. He bit his lip to keep from groaning loudly, focusing on tucking you into bed. He took your boots off, then made sure the blankets were surrounding you with shaking hands.

He walked away before he gave into temptation and slide into the bed with you. Sex wasn’t something that came often for him. Namjoon knew if you had gone further, he wouldn’t have lasted long.

He hurried down the stairs and sat on the couch, slouched with his hands over his face. Blowing out a breath, he pulled them away and cupped himself through his jeans. Closing his eyes, he rubbed himself, your face in his mind. Your mouth opened in pleasure, legs spread out before him, holding tightly to his hair, lifting your hips to give him as much access to your wet opening as he could get. Namjoon muffled a moan as he undid his pants and pulled out his cock. It was already aching, his dick hard and flushed blue-tinted purple as he gripped it in his fist. 

“Fuck, angel,” he murmured, furthering the memory into a fantasy of his own, where he stood, pulled his member out, and lined it at your entrance. You would be as breathless as he was now, with your trembling legs wrapping around his hips as he pressed forward. While he imagined this, Namjoon’s hand pumped his cock. He used his own leaking precum to lubricate himself. You’d be warm, slick, accepting him without hesitation. The way you responded to his mouth told him that.

Closing his eyes, Namjoon let his head fall back. His mouth fell open, breathing staggered, as the vision of you taking him completely, whimpering and clinging to him, brought him close to his release. It didn’t take long for him to furiously pump his cock, biting his lip and whining as he lifted his shirt out of the way. He imagined you crying out, milking his cock as he came. The warm spurt of his seed on his hand brought him out of his fantasy, trying to catch his breath. His ice blue semen ended up on his stomach, as well. Letting out a tired moan, Namjoon decided a shower was the best course of action.

Your first thought as you came out of sleep was how comfortable you were. On your side, you were wrapped up in a soft, thick blanket, one hand under your cheek and the other wrapped around your bed partner. You squeezed him, rubbing your face against his naked chest. It was cool to the touch, but it didn’t bother you. In fact, the touch of his skin on yours made an ache appear between your legs. You absent-mindedly placed a kiss on his chest, eyes still closed, and let out a soft sound of contentment. A well-muscled arm wrapped around you, splaying his hand on your back, and pulled you close.

You breathed in the scent of a fresh winter breeze as you opened your eyes, tilting your head up. Namjoon’s pale blue eyes met yours, a sleepy smirk on his lips. You blinked up at him, your mind trying to remember everything that had happened in the last six hours. He waited patiently, a sparkle in his eyes. Finally, a smile came to your lips. It wasn’t a dream. Wait, not a dream? I fell asleep… and now I’m awake… 

“Angel, what’s on your mind? The light in your eyes became a bit more dull,” Namjoon asked, frowning. He brought a hand up to cup your cheek. His large hand, cold but comforting, seemed extremely real, as did the memories of the sensations you had left hours earlier.

“Am I dreaming?” you quietly asked, holding his gaze.

“No. This is real. Magical, but real. And you have plenty of time to enjoy your Christmas Eve some more.” His hand left your cheek. Namjoon rolled onto his back, pulling you close. Your head ended up on his chest, with one leg thrown over his thighs. He played with the strands of your hair as he continued. “Look out the window, see the curvature of the glass?”

“What do you mean?” you asked, shifting only your eyes toward the window. Sunrays fell into the room through the curtains, hitting the floor. You saw a house a few yards away, and then the park. Two families were out, one familiar and one not, laughing and having fun throwing snowballs and sledding. The curtains blocked you from seeing anything definitively. 

“Oh, yeah, curtains.” Namjoon lifted his free hand and swiped his hand through the air. The curtains parted enough for you to see the events happening, as well as the trees. He pointed with the same hand, showing you something. “Above the trees, if you look at it just right, you can see the light of the sun bounce off the glass.”

You followed his finger, watching the spot curiously. After two seconds, you saw it. The light glinting off something round. Eyes widening, you sat up, the blanket falling off the top half of you, and looked down at Namjoon. He raised an eyebrow as he put his hands behind his head. For a moment, you were distracted by his broad shoulders, oddly tinted smooth skin, and almost defined abs. You blinked, making yourself focus on this new information.

“Snowglobe,” you stated, looking back out the window. “Wait… could you close the curtain? I don’t want them to see...”

“Sure,” Namjoon chuckled, lifted a hand to swipe the curtains closed, then putting it back under his head. “Yes, the snowglobe. We are in the item you purchased last week.”

“How?” You didn’t know what else to say, staring down at him beside you. He studied you for a moment, his eyes moving over your face, searching for something. Seemingly satisfied, he continued in a patient voice.

“Magic. I… was put here as a punishment for something I did a very long time ago, when I was still very young.” As he said it, you saw his eyes shift away. He bit his lip nervously, and you wondered what kind of things he did to be punished in something like this. You opened your mouth to ask, but he started to talk once more. “I wanted to one-up the Frost Family, to put it bluntly. My actions caused harm to humans indirectly.”

“Oh…” You reached out a hand and placed it on his chest. He moved a hand to rest on top of yours. “How long? Are you in here, I mean?”

“Aren’t you going to ask what I did?” He grinned with surprised amusement, furrowing his brow.

“Would you be comfortable telling me?”

“Not at the moment,” he stated, closing his eyes. A stuttering breath left his lips, causing your hand to rise and fall with his chest. After a moment, Namjoon opened his eyes. “I don’t want to cause your wish to be unfulfilled. No stress, remember?”

“Could you… can you see me through the sky?” You glanced toward the window once again. 

“Yes, but not often. The fates seem to decide when it’s appropriate. Anyway, it’s Christmas Eve Day! Sowon gives out delicious treats in the morning.” He stood from the bed and put his hands on his lean waist for a moment. In a moment, his dark blue sweatpants had changed to black jeans, and a long-sleeved sweater with Santa on the front appeared on his torso. He turned and held out his arms, showing off. “We should hurry before they’re all gone. Bora and the other kids might get there before us..”

“Can I do that? Like I did last night with the red dress?” You looked down and realized you were still wearing it. Namjoon nodded and beckoned you with two fingers. You pushed the blankets off your body and stood next to him.

“Close your eyes and imagine what you’d like to wear.” You did as he suggested. You felt his chilly hands wrap around yours, and you took a deep breath. 

Namjoon held your hand the whole walk to the store, where a short christmas elf stood just outside the door with a large tray in his hands. Four young children were bouncing around him, almost the same height, grinning. It was alarming how pleased he was with your outfit choice. You had chosen almost the exact same outfit, and Namjoon couldn’t help but think of the phrase couple’s outfit as you walked together. Your hand was warm and inviting, a touch he hadn’t felt… well, ever. He was extremely happy you kept your hand in his, squeezing when you wanted to show him something, or just swinging it playfully between the two of you. When the children and Sowon saw Namjoon and you walking toward them, Sowon stood tall - all four feet of him - and held the tray above his head.

“Ah, Namjoon! There you are! I was worried you weren’t going to make it this morning…” He trailed off as his eyes caught sight of your hands together. Raising his eyebrows, he looked questioningly at Namjoon. “That’s… I mean… you’re….”

“Yes, this is her.” Namjoon felt your steps slowing, so he tugged on your hand gentle, throwing a smile over his shoulder to reassure you. You walked a little faster, squeezing Namjoon’s hand with nervousness. You stared at Sowon, mouth open, surprised. 

“Elf. You’re an elf,” you state. The children giggle, and come up to you. They introduce themselves, lifting their hands to shake yours. Namjoon reluctantly let’s go of your hand for you to respond to their actions, stepping up beside Sowon as you introduce yourself to the kids. As you’re finding out all about them, Sowon leans a little closer to Namjoon.

“The human who bought this globe. Why is she here? And not during a dream?” he whispered, holding the tray tightly in his hands.

“Boreas visited me a few days ago.” That made Sowon turn his head completely to Namjoon, eyes wide with wonder. Namjoon glanced at him and then turned his gaze back to you. “I thought I was in trouble, too, but it seems the fates have decided to give me a task.”

“And what is this task?” he asked, still shocked about Boreas visiting him. He set the tray on a small table that was near the door.

“Make her wish come true.”

“Oh.” Apparently the Christmas elf didn’t know what else to say, so he turned back and tilted his head, studying you as the children waved goodbye. He lifted a hand to wave back, and the children ran off toward their own houses. Before he could ask anything else, you appeared in front of Namjoon and Sowon. “Hello, my dear, I am Sowon, the owner of this store. Yes, I am an elf, an elder, actually. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said your name slowly, making sure he pronounced it correctly. You nodded politely and shook his hand.

“Namjoon told be about your treats. May I try one?” you asked, glancing at Namjoon. He flushed, embarrassed to be caught staring at you with a goofy grin on his face. Sowon held back a little smile as he saw Namjoon’s face. Namjoon silently cursed his blue skin being so obviously flushed purple. Sowon lifted the tray back up, allowing you to look over the treats.

“All of these are made by myself,” Sowon stated proudly. He began to point out each type. “We have peppermint patties, hot chocolate cookie cups, red velvet cookies with frosting, christmas bark, vanilla shortbread cookies, candy puffcorn, and ginger spice cookies.”

You tried a small bite of everything, offering a bite to Namjoon each time you took one. You gestured for him to open his mouth, and he did. You put each small portion of the treat into his mouth, eyes locked on his mouth. Each time, he resisted the urge to bite playfully at your fingers, wondering if they’d be sticky and sweet with the crumbs. With each treat, Namjoon felt a rare warmth spreading in his chest, and further down his body.

“I… think we’ve tried all of them,” he stuttered, clearing his throat. You turned to him, licking some sprinkles off your lips. He wondered if you knew what you were doing to him, teasing him with your pink tongue against the lips he wanted to kiss very much right at this moment. “Come with me,” he suddenly said, taking your hand and pulling you into the shop. Sowon blinked as Namjoon pulled you away, then shrugged, going about his business. He walked away, taking the rest of the treats with him like every morning, offering them around the tiny globe town.

Meanwhile, Namjoon pulled you across the store, knowing exactly where he was going. You followed curiously, not saying anything as he finally came to a stop in front of a door. He opened it and turned toward you.

“And now what?” you asked, chuckling with amusement. “Joon, your face is all purple. What’s on your mind?” You walked past him, into the little storage room. He followed, closing the door behind him. Now alone with you, Namjoon realized the name you had called him. A nickname, as if you were familiar with him, as if you were in a close relationship. He liked it.

“I really want to kiss you. I didn’t think doing it in front of Sowon would be polite.” He took a few steps toward you, then put his hands on your hips. You placed your hands on his arms and grinned up at him.

“You’re so considerate,” you reply, standing on your toes to brush your lips against his. Namjoon moaned gently, turning your body so your back was against the door. He pressed his body against you, so close you could feel his erection. You squeezed his biceps as his lips crash down onto yours. This kiss was much rougher than the kisses from before, all tongue and teeth, with Namjoon’s fingers diving into your hair to hold your head still.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped, pulling his lips from yours for breath. His body trembled. Namjoon flexed his hips so his dick rubbed against your stomach. “Should I stop? I don’t want to stop, but we’re in the store closet and -”

“Are you saying you want to fuck me in the closet, where someone might hear us through the door?”

The words that fell from your lips made your whole body heat with excitement. The chance of getting caught had never been something you’d wanted to try, but now that you were here, with Namjoon…. You licked your lips as you raised your eyebrows at him, waiting for his answer. His pupils were blown wide with desire, hands still in your hair. He placed his forehead against yours, your noses touching and his breath on your lips.

“I would fuck you any place you’d let me,” he murmured with a smirk, lips brushing against yours. You sucked in a breath as his hands fell from your hair and landed on your hips. “Hold tight.” You wrapped your arms around his neck as he lifted you, biting your lip to smother a squeak as your legs wrapped around his own waist. His clothed erection pressed directly against your clothed opening. You groaned, nuzzling his neck. “This isn’t the place to go slow and steady, angel. Let me get you off now and then we’ll head back home.”

“I think I want to get you off,” you teased, grinding yourself against him. You unhooked your legs around him and placed them on the floor. Namjoon let you turn your bodies until his back was on the door. Blinking, as if he wasn’t sure he heard you right, Namjoon stared at you as slowly slid to your knees. 

“You do remember this is about you, right, Angel?” Namjoon’s breath staggered as you began to undo the button on his jeans. He reached out and swiped some hair behind your ears as you pulled the zipper down. “Your wish, pleasing you.”

“I would be very pleased if you put your dick in my mouth, Joon,” you grinned. Namjoon growled a curse and let his hand fall to his side. As you pushed his jeans down over his hips, stopping just enough to pull his dick out, the main door to the store was heard opening. Namjoon froze, but you kept your eyes locked with his and wrapped your hand around his thick, hardening cock. He swallowed hard.

“Angel,” he whispered, hands fisted at his sides. He didn’t say anything else as he gazed down at you with heavy-lidded eyes. You turned your attention to his member in your hands, your fingers unable to curl completely around him. It was turning almost the color of lilac, the blue mixing with redness of blood that was flowing into it. You slowly slide your hand up, and then down.

“The skin is cool, but it’s also warm underneath,” you murmured, moving your hand a little faster. His dick was now completely hard, with a drop of icy blue precum at the top. Your eyes widened with interest. Namjoon sucked in a breath through his nose as your tongue came out to taste the small drop. 

“Fuck, angel, fuck,” he murmured, bringing his hand up to bite the knuckle of a finger. You saw his thighs shudder as your blew on the head of his dick. His cum had a cool flavor to it, almost like peppermint. You hummed your approval as you looked up at him, all the while moving your hand up and down his member. 

On the other side of the door, probably near the store counter, you both heard Sowon humming to himself. The shuffling of his feet, then the sound of a mop hitting the floor, told you he was cleaning up the shop at the moment. Your gaze moved back to his member as you licked against the head once more. His hips jerked as you took the tip into your mouth and sucked lightly, rolling your tongue against it. You let spit fall from your mouth as you tongued him, lubricating the shaft as you continued to pump with your hand.

As the humming and shuffling of Sowon came closer, you lowered your lips more and more onto Namjoon’s cock. One hand of his came to lay on the back of your head, the other still against his mouth. When the humming and sound of mopping was right next to the door, you took as much of his dick as you could, almost to the point of gagging. Namjoon shuddered as his hand pressed the back of your head gently, asking for you to go deeper. You did your best, only a couple of inches to go. His fingers tangled in your hair, hands trembling, as you swallowed and had to stop with an inch left. Cursing, Namjoon’s eyes closed and his hips jerked. That caused you to finally gag, and you pulled off his cock, a long strand of spit connecting his member and your mouth as you sucked in oxygen.

The sound of humming stopped a moment, causing both Namjoon and you to lock eyes, holding your breath. His lavender cock twitched, your hand holding it’s base. The link of spit broke as the humming started up once again. It stayed near the door, but that didn’t stop you from licking your lips and grinning. Namjoon’s hand fell from his mouth as his jaw tightened, both hands falling to your head.

“More, Angel,” he whispered harshly, eyes pleading. “Please,” he added, biting his lip as he guided you back toward his cock. You happily took him back inside your mouth, the tip hitting the back of your throat as Namjoon’s head fell back quietly against the door. A soft whimper came from his mouth as you bobbed your head, your tongue stroking as you moved. “Don’t stop,” he breathed, hand guiding your head gently. His hips bucked. The peppermint taste of his precum started to cover your tongue, telling you he was close.

You pulled back for air, fisting his cock and pumping it quickly. Namjoon lowered his eyes to you. His cock was right in front of your face, his hands cupping your head as you both locked eyes. His jaw twitched and a low hiss escaped him. You opened your mouth, settling it just under the tip of his dick, still stroking his member as Namjoon’s eyes widened. He struggled to keep his eyes open as his whole body shuddered, icy blue cum spurting from his cock and into your mouth. You kept your mouth opened as he finished, muffling his grunts with his lips tightly closed. His hips jerked once more, his cock jumping in your hand, as the last shot of cum landing on your tongue. You swallowed as he gasped for air, hands lowering from your head and falling to his sides.

You licked your lips, enjoying the strange taste of his release, as you stood. Shakily, you pressed yourself against him, wrapping your arms around Namjoon’s waist. His member was still out, pressed between the two of you, but you didn’t care as you held his trembling body. Namjoon’s head fell to your shoulder, and his arms circled you and squeezed. With his nose buried in your neck, you both held each other as your breathing slowly became normal once again. The noises of Sowon cleaning was still happening, but on the other side of the building.

“Did you like that?” Namjoon whispered against your skin, almost hesitantly. You chuckled pulled away so he would look at you. You cupped his cheek and brushed your nose against his. He waited patiently for the answer, looking almost worried. It was endearing.

“I loved it,” you murmured. He opened his mouth, and then pulled back, glancing away sheepishly. You pressed your hand against his cheek to get him to look at you again. “What?”

“I’ve...um. Never done that,” he admitted, pressing his forehead against yours with his eyes closed. You took a moment to think over his words. Did that mean he’d never done what he had last night, either? Does that mean he hasn’t done anything before?

“Wait, really? What about last night, with your mouth…” His eyes fluttered opened and his eyebrows lifted. “Never?”

“No,” he murmured, looking proud of himself. “Surprised? Did I do well?”

“Well?” You burst out laughing, kissing him quickly, then pulling away. He let you tuck his member back into his pants, and zip them back up, smirking. “More than well, eleven out of ten, can’t wait to do it more.”

“Same,” he agreed.

The movements of Sowon had ended moments ago. He could now be heard whistling as he unpacked items onto the shelves. Namjoon winked at you as he opened the door. You followed him out, closing the storage room door, and took his hand. Walking confidently, you passed Sowon at the counter, who looked up, perplexed. Sputtering, he tried to ask where you two had been, but Namjoon just waved and shouted a cheery goodbye, pulling you with him.

He dropped your hand a little ways from the store, stopped, and crouched on the sidewalk. You stopped beside him, frowning. A high he had never felt made it seem like electricity was buzzing around his whole body. Scooping up a handful of snow, he quickly made it into a ball and stood. Before you could realize what he was doing, he took a few steps forward and turned, throwing it at you. It hit your shoulder, breaking apart into powder. Your mouth opened in surprised, eyes shining with excitement. He feigned innocence, shrugging and jogging backward with a grin. Namjoon’s heart bounced as your surprised expression turned into a devilish smile. He couldn’t help think it was adorable, even as you scooped up a handful of snow and patted it into a ball, stalking toward him as he walked backwards with his hands up. You chucked it at him with a gleeful shrieked, and he took the hit, knowing full well he could have just sidestepped it. 

The snowball fight had started, and you spent a good half an hour tossing snowballs at each other as you made your way toward his home. You were both giggling and out of breath as you entered, the powdery faux snow covering your clothing. Namjoon shook his head, trying to get it out of his hair. It only got part of it out, so you stood on your toes and reached up, running your hand through it. Namjoon held back a groan as he did the same, pushing his fingers into your hair and shaking the strands to get the powder out of it. After a few moments, your breathing had returned to normal and the snow was mostly off of you.

“Hot chocolate?” he asked, pushing some hair behind your ear. 

“With peppermint?”

“Your favorite, I think,” he replied with a wink over his shoulder. You snorted, knowing exactly what he was talking about. You watched him wander into his kitchen and open a cabinet, pulling out two mugs, both christmas themed. You sat on the couch and he sat beside you, placing the mugs on the coffee table. You looked at the empty cups, then back at him. He bent close and kissed you quickly. “Magic. Remember?”

“Oh, right,” you laughed. Namjoon waved his hand over the mugs, and suddenly steam appeared over them. They were automatically filled with the creamy, sweet drink, a stick of peppermint against the side of the cup. “Thank you,” you said, reaching for your drink.

You both sat for a while in comfortable silence, enjoying the warm beverage, sipping quickly. You ended up leaning against him, knees up and feet on the edge of the cushion as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, holding you close. Your body felt heavy, the craziness of everything in the last twelve or so hours sneaking up on you. The sun shone inside through the windows, the sheer curtains floating in a non-existent breeze. Namjoon knew from the angle of the light it was almost lunch time.

“Do you need to eat?” you randomly asked, placing the empty cup on the table. He did the same with his, then pulled you back against his side. You yawned, although you didn’t feel too tired.

“Not necessarily,” he said slowly. “I suppose I’m immortal, especially being in here. I do enjoy food, though I’m not much of a cook. I guess I’ve counted on my magic to make delicious meals.” He chuckled, absentmindedly running his hand through your hair.

“I see. I do need to eat, though. I’m starving. What kind of food can you make with magic right now?”

It was mid-afternoon when you finished your lunch with an impromptu magic show. Namjoon had made a simple sandwich meal lunch appear, with your favorite sandwich and sides, which you specifically had asked for. After he was finished, and while you were still chewing, Namjoon decided to show off some of his special talents. First, he took the ice rose he had made you the night before - which was still on the table - and had it dissolve into ice dust, gently falling through the air and disappearing. Next, he created a dazzling display of sea creatures seemingly swimming in water, but it was made out of ice and ice dust in front of you.

Lastly, Namjoon snapped his fingers and decorated the whole house in christmas lights, blinking a peaceful rhythm, making you smile as the main lights turned off and the curtains closed. All that was on now was the small christmas lights, throwing colorful, dim light all around you. You felt Namjoon’s eyes on your as soft snow-like dust fell all around just you, disappearing before touching the floor. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and stretched. You hadn’t been this calm, this relaxed, in what seemed like forever. Opening your eyes, you saw Namjoon standing in front of you, eyes widened with curious wonder.

“What?” you asked softly, not wanting to break the beautiful spell all around you.

“Have I granted your wish?” he asked, just as softly. He licked his bottom lip, hands tucked into his jean pockets.

“Absolutely. Why do you ask? Everything is perfect.”

“Just making sure,” he replied, a smile pulling at his lips. Unfortunately, you saw that it didn’t reach his eyes. Your chest started to ache, although you weren’t entirely sure why. The thought of Namjoon not being happy, like usual, made you sad. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked, frowning as you reached up to cup his face. He placed a hand on your hand on his cheek, the sadness in his eyes disappearing. His grin lit up his face once more. 

“Just thinking how beautiful you are, Angel.” His eyes started to sparkle with mischief. He turned his head and placed a kiss on your palm, and then moved your hand to his mouth, kissing each fingertip. The soft brush of his lips caused butterflies to flutter in your stomach, plus a warm ache between your legs. His teeth nipped at the tip of your thumb, then his tongue came out to slide over your finger. You breath caught in your throat as you watched his plump lips take the tip of your thumb into his mouth, sucking gently. 

“J-Joon,” you stuttered, the warmth building to a blaze. 

“I like that,” he murmured against your hand, moving his mouth back to your palm, kissing it gently. Finally, he let your hand fall as he cupped both of your cheeks with his hands, stepping closer. “That nickname. It makes it feel like we’re close… in a close relationship.”

“I think we are,” you murmur as his face comes closer. The dim Christmas lights are still lit up around you, but the blinking rhythm had stopped. His nose brushed against yours. “I want to be close to you.”

He only answered with a hum, then his lips fall upon yours. This kiss was different. It was slow and languid, like he was memorize your taste. You sighed against his lips, and his tongue entered your mouth without hesitation. Tilting your head, you opened your mouth and tangled your tongue with his. His arms went around you, holding you tightly against him. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he lifted, hands holding your ass as your legs went around him. As you continued to kiss, he walked effortlessly up the stairs toward the bed on the loft.

Slowly, gently, Namjoon set you upon the sheets, and laid next to you. On his side, he cradled your head in the crook of his arm as you got comfortable with it under your neck. He brushed your hair off your face and looked down at you. Yawning, you stared up at him, not wanting to break whatever magic that surrounded you two.

How many hours did he have left? Seven, six? It didn’t seem like enough time, to be honest, but there was nothing he could do. The fates had done this, let him bring you here, let him feel things he hadn’t ever felt before. He could chalk it up to magic, but what would happen when you left? Would he forget? Would the feelings go away? Would he remember? His heart aching to feel these wonderful feelings again? His thoughts must have shown on his face, because suddenly you frowned. Shit, he hadn’t meant to make you sad. He leaned down and placed a kiss on your forehead.

“Take a rest. You’re going to need it tonight.” He winked at you and stood. You propped yourself up by the elbows, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“What if I’m not tired?”

“Then you don’t have to rest.” You stared at him, and Namjoon stared back, a small smirk on his lips.

“You didn’t enchant me with sleep magic, did you?” you yawned, falling back onto the bed. You turned to your side and snuggled deeper into the blankets. Namjoon lifted a hand and magically  moved the blankets to tuck around you comfortably.

“No,” he chuckled. “You’ve been through a lot in the past 18 hours. Your body is probably overwhelmed, even if your mind isn’t.” 

“Fuck, you’re right,” you replied with a sigh. You closed your eyes, letting the bed cradle you into a gentle sleep. Namjoon watched you from the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. He sighed heavily, then turned away, going downstairs. Namjoon found an ipad-looking item, sat on the couch, and stared at the black screen. After a long moment, Namjoon swallowed and straightened his back, steeling himself against the anxiety settling into his stomach.

With a press of a side button, Namjoon turned on the magic tablet, then pressed on the screen. He selected the icon to call the one who represented him so long ago during his trial. After a few tinkles of bells sounding, the face appeared. It didn’t look any different from the last time Namjoon had seen him, with a large grin and blue-tinted skin. 

“Namjoon! Wow, it’s been… well, a long time. How are you? What are you calling me for? You didn’t get into trouble, did you?” He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. Namjoon chuckled and shook his head.

“No, Hoseok, I didn’t get into trouble. But… I do have a request. I need your help.” The dark-haired man opened his mouth, then closed it, mulling over Namjoon’s words. Leaning back in the desk chair he was sitting in, a small smirk came to his lips.

“Interesting. Tell me what you need, and I can tell you what I can do.”

“I want to be human.”

Hoseok’s eyes widened as he straightened with a jerk, almost causing him to roll away from the screen in the chair. Namjoon waited patiently as his friend kept opening and closing his mouth. Finally, Hoseok scooted closer to the screen and placed his face close enough to almost see up his nostrils.

“Why would you want to be human?” he whispered harshly, confused. “That’s... that’s a punishment in itself. Do you know how hard I worked to keep you from becoming a human?” He leaned back, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I know, I know. And I hope you know how grateful I am towards you. Now, though….“ Namjoon hesitated, glancing towards the loft above him. Hoseok gestured for him to continue. “The fates have connected myself with a human woman, and -”

“Oh. Namjoon, you didn’t…” Hoseok sighed, his voice turning sympathetic. He rubbed his temples, which Namjoon took as a not-so-good sign. “Okay. Let me think. I… I’ll have to bring up your case again, talk to the magistrate. You’ll probably have to go tell them what you want and why they should give it to you. You’ll also have to face the Frost family.” Namjoon pressed his lips together in a thin line, narrowing his eyes. Hoseok shrugged helplessly. 

“Fine. Can you get the process started?”

Your dreamless sleep was gently interrupted by the bed dipping beside you. Sighing, you rolled onto your side, toward the body that had stretched out there. Muscled arms wrapped around you as your cheek pressed against Namjoon’s chest, your arm laid over his torso. You nuzzled his chest, the scent of peppermint tickling your nose. Eyes still closed, you felt his fingers gently running through your hair. 

“You smell good,” you mumbled into his shirt. Namjoon chuckled, his chest moving slightly. You lifted your head and moved toward his face, placing your lips on his for a moment. Soft smiles passed between the both of you as you pulled away. His hand cupped your cheek, thumb running over your bottom lip slowly. You nipped at it playfully. Namjoon’s eyebrows raised.

“If you keep teasing me like that, I’ll return the favor.” He smirked, gazing at you with an intense stare. Your grin fell and you sucked in a quiet breath, noticing the change in the air. Pushing yourself onto your hands and knees, you manuvored yourself so you straddled his hips, leaning over him. His hands gripped your hips as you hovered over his body. “What do you want, angel? Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you.”

“Right now?” you asked innocently, letting your hips fall onto his. The apex of your thighs pressed against his member, which was hardening quickly. You wiggled, keeping your eyes locked with his. Namjoon’s eyes darkened and his fingers gripped your hips tighter, making you stop wiggling. “I want to feel you… inside me.”

“Same,” he growled, rolling over without hesitation, trapping you underneath him, your back pressed against the sheets. His hands found yours, settling them above your head, fingers entwined, as his hips flexed. You shivered, feeling his dick straining against his zipper. A shiver of anticipation went through your body. “How do you want me? Slow and soft, fast and hard?”

“All of them,” you replied, not able to chose. They were both equally desirable. Namjoon let out a laugh, then bent down, nuzzling your shoulder. He let the tip of his nose run over your shirt and then onto your skin as it pressed against your neck. You turned your head, giving him better access. Breathlessly, you let out a soft whine. 

“Does that mean I get to pick?” His voice was deep, slightly muffled from your skin. You swallowed and nodded, lifting your hips to press even harder against his. He kissed your skin, then scraped his teeth in the same spot before pulling away. Hovering over you one again, he winked. Suddenly, both of you were naked, your clothes disappearing. As soon as his cool skin pressed against yours, you gasped. 

“Joon!” you cried, feeling his hard cock rubbing against your opening as his hips jerked. Namjoon seemed to be as affected by your skin touching his because his eyes were closed tightly. Wiggling your body underneath him, you pulled your hands from his and wrapped them around his neck, pulling his forehead down to yours. His hands fisted the blanket on either side of your head. Sharing soft pecks on the lips, Namjoon opened his eyes. His light blue eyes had darkened to navy, his dick twitching as the head pressed against your opening. 

“Not yet,” he rasped before covering your mouth with his. Immediately, you opened your lips and accept his tongue inside. Tilting your head, you clung to him with your arms as your hips moved desperately, the feel of his member sliding against your clit beginning to become overwhelming. Namjoon growled against your lips, biting the lower one, then devouring your taste once again, tongue exploring every corner of your mouth. He pulled his hips away, causing you to groan into the kiss.

“Inside, please, Joon!” Whining, you tried to press his body back against you. He groaned and resisted your tugging, dipping his head so his lips pressed against your collarbone. You groaned and held onto his broad shoulders as his mouth moved lower, kissing down your chest. He placed an open mouth kiss on top of your right nipple and brought his fingers up to the other to give it as much attention. 

“Gotta taste you first, Angel,” he panted between nips and licks against your breast. You groaned and tangled your fingers in his hair as he blew against the tip. After a while, he switched to the other nipple. “I can already smell your arousal. I know you’re so slick for me, ready for my cock to slide right inside.”

“Yes,” you gasped, tugging at his hair. He lifted his head, a grin on his face, and pressed his lips to yours once again. As he slowly savored your mouth, one of Namjoon’s hands ran lightly over your torso, making goosebumps appear everywhere. “Please touch me. I love your fingers…”

“I know. I’m glad,” he murmured as he pressed a finger against your aching clit. You groaned and kissed him harder, biting his lip. He chuckled as he flexed his hips against you, his dick warming against your skin. He began to make figure eights with his finger, looking proud of himself as he looked down at your face. 

“You’re so beautiful, Angel. Responding to my every touch.” 

He leaned forward, his finger still moving as you shuddered under him, and pressed his lips against your cheek. Whispering, he placed his lips near your ears to say, “I can’t wait to cum inside you, to truly make you mine.”

“Yes,” you repeated, sloppily kissing him deeply. You put one hand over his hand between your legs, and pressed it lower, asking without words for more. Namjoon hum in appreciation, nipping at your lips, and slid two fingers over your opening. You both groaned at the same time, your hips jerking.

“Fuck, Angel, I was right. I’ll have no probably sliding completely inside you.” He pressed his two fingers inside, slowly moving them in and out. You spread your thighs wider. Namjoon pulled his fingers out suddenly.

“Don’t stop!” you cried out, reaching for his hand to place it back between your legs. Namjoon avoided your hand and brought his fingers to his mouth. Grinning, he licked your juices off.

“I’m not going to stop….”

“Can you please put your dick in me, Joon?” you pleaded desperately, squirming under him. Namjoon seemed surprised, but only for a moment. He spread your thighs with his knees, eyes widening in with anticipation as he lined the head of his cock against your slit. You shared a final look between the two of you, then he pressed forward slowly.

You both let out a heavy sigh of pleasure as he slid into you. Wrapping your legs around his waist, you angled your hips to allow him deeper access. He pressed his forehead against yours, his cock fully entered you. Even though his body was cool, his dick was hot and throbbing in you. 

“I promised to give you anything you wanted,” he whispered against your lips. You flexed your hips, causing his dick to shift against your walls. “Let me lead, Angel, please. I won’t last long if you keep doing that.”

“I’m gonna go crazy if you don’t start moving!” 

Namjoon laughed at your demand, rubbing your noses together as he slowly pulled out. You both groaned as he stopped halfway and pressed forward once again. Slow and steady, he pushed then pulled, repeating the movement as his lips explored your mouth and the skin of your neck. He sucked there as he began to pick up speed, this time pulling his dick all the way out before thrusting inside. You shifted upward on the bed with his hard movement, but held on tightly as he continued his rough pace. As he sucked and bit bruises into your neck, you tried to catch your breath as the smell of peppermint surrounded you. 

“You’re so warm, so inviting, so wet. All for me, only for me, Angel,” Namjoon panted and pulled his face from your neck, pausing his thrusts to use his hands spread your thighs wider. Your knees pulled up toward your torso, opening yourself to him as much as possible. 

“Yes, yes,” you chanted, hips lifting to meet his quickening thrusts. One hand pressed your thigh down, holding yourself open for him, surely leaving marks to see later. His other hand held himself up over your, giving himself a good lever to use as he fucked into you over and over. Your shut your eyes tightly, burying your face into his chest as you cried out with each movement. You felt and heard his hips slapping against yours. When one of his fingers pressed against your clit, you jerked and bit into the skin of Namjoon’s shoulder. 

“That’s it, Angel. Let go. For me. Let go for me.” He continued to whisper encouraging, sweet words down toward you, hips and fingers moving in a rhythm of intense pleasure. A familiar feeling of pleasurable warmth started to grow in your lower body, spreading steadily as Namjoon continued to touch and talk to you. His thrusts started to grow uneven, whines coming from his lips.

“Oh, god!” you cried out, cursing as you shuddered and clinched against his cock, surrounded by his smell and whimpers as he sloppily thrust into you, about to reach his own peak. You rolled your hips as another small tremor slide from your head to your toes. You nuzzled Namjoon’s cheek with your own as he cried out, his release coating your walls. He jerked against you, holding you tightly as you continued to move your hips to help him as much as possible.

Gasping for breath, Namjoon’s head spun, his release sending him into some kind of euphoric state, where nothing mattered except you and him, your bodies wrapped around one another. He couldn’t hold himself up, so he fell on top of you, mumbling an apology. For several long moments, he listened to your heartbeat, ear to your chest, as you both worked to breath normally. Your fingers ran through his hair, both of you quietly enjoying the soft moment. Finally, Namjoon began to worry he was hurting you.

“Sorry, Angel,” he sighed, pulling himself off of you. Before he could completely leave, though, you smiled tiredly at him and wrapped your arms around his neck. You pulled him back toward you, and Namjoon didn’t want to deny you anything right now. He went right back to where he was, cheek on your chest, listening to your heartbeat as you stroked his hair. “Sure I’m not hurting you?”

“Nope,” you mumbled. “I love to cuddle after sex. Especially with you.” The last part was added after a moment of hesitation. 

The words caused Namjoon’s chest to ache with both happiness and sadness. Your time was coming to its limit soon, and the thought was edging it’s way to the surface. He suspected you were now thinking the same thing, from the way your fingers stopped for a moment before starting once again moving through his hair. “How much longer?” you asked after a while of silence.

“I….” Namjoon trailed off, shifted slightly to look toward the covered window. He lifted his fingers to use magic to pull the curtains slightly away as to see the sky. “I think… four hours, maybe?”

“Ah.”

“Angel,” Namjoon softly said, lifting himself enough to hover over your, his face now just above yours. He brushed his nose against yours, and then his lips against your own. Namjoon closed his eyes, enjoying the simple touches as he kissed you. This kiss was much less passionate than the ones earlier. He wasn’t sure what this one was filled with, honestly. He opened his eyes and rolled onto his side, arm still over your torso. He didn’t want to stop touching you. 

“Joon,” you answered with a grin, rolling onto your own side to face him. His chest ached heavily now, and he did his best not to show it, not to let you notice he was starting to hurt from the thought of you leaving. “I would be happy to spend the rest of my night right here, in your arms.”

“Perfect,” he murmured. You buried your face into his naked chest, not seeing Namjoon bite his lip hard enough to make him visibly wince. He held you tightly, and you returned with the same. 

Neither of you awoke when an unseen clock starting to chime twelve times. One… Two… Three… With each chime, the faux snow fell heavier and heavier, just as it had the time you had came here twenty-four hours ago. Neither of you felt each other fade from your arms, but the ache of separation from someone special wasn’t something that would go away as soon as everything went back to normal.

With sunlight slipping through the sheer curtains on your window, your eyelids flutter open. Blinking, you take a moment for your mind to become clear from sleep. Sitting up, you take a deep breath and stretch your hands over your head. You look down and see yourself in your usual snowflake pajamas. Everything seemed normal, but your mood was much brighter than it had been in the weeks before. Rolling your neck, you catch the sunlight glinting off something. Looking fully toward your side table, you see the snowglobe. The world inside the glass globe was calm and serene, just as it should be.

Checking your phone, you realize it was Christmas Day, not Eve. Frowning at yourself in the mirror, you wondered if the holiday depression you had felt had made you pass through the day without realizing. As you got ready for your day, tiny snippets of your dream from last night built into a full memory. In the shower, you looked wide-eyed at your thighs, seeing small bruises where fingertips could have been. While you brushed your teeth, you eyed the hickies on your neck, flushing.

As you finished covering them with make-up, you froze, staring at yourself. Suddenly, you started to laugh, a full belly laugh that seemed to take over your whole body. After a long moment of laughing as tears streamed down your face, you finally calmed, the dream fully coming back. It hadn’t been a dream, you knew it. You also felt an ache in your chest when you thought of him, the winter spirit who had made your wish come true. Wiping the tears off your cheeks, you walked back into your room. The globe on your table hadn’t moved, nothing inside had changed. Letting out a mournful sigh, you reach your fingers toward the item, but stopped just before you touched the glass globe.

As you left your bedroom, you saw a beautiful etching of frost on your window. You recognized the landscape that appeared - the park of the snowglobe. You wondered if Namjoon had done it, although you knew you had no way of knowing if he truly had.

Swallowing, Namjoon stood tall in the middle of the room. The raised stage in front of him had all the Winter Council members, as well as Boreas the Winter God, seated to face him. He also felt the eyes of the Frost Family behind him, only allowed into this because of the fact they were the Frost Family. Usually, no one except the Council, the accused, and their representative would be allowed in this room. Hoseok had done his best to convince the Council to get rid of the Frost Family, but the winter council seemed to like smug spirits more than the law of their beings. Boreas, as an observer only, couldn't do a damn thing, although he looked as annoyed as Hoseok and Namjoon did. 

“His actions led to the deaths of thousands of humans, Council Leader,” said Jack Frost, the leader of the famous family, stood next to Namjoon. “As winter spirits, we need to be in control of our powers. It seems only the Frosts are able to do that.”

“So it seems,” Namjoon murmured. Everyone looking at him raised an eyebrow. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He forced himself to unclench his jaw. “I am not here to deny these events. I understand my actions contributed to the deaths of humans.”

“Then why are you here?” the council leader asked, sighing with boredom. 

“I want my sentence to be changed.” 

“You can’t be trusted out in our world,” Jack hurried said, glaring at Namjoon. 

“I don’t want my powers anymore.”

The room fell silent, with everyone but Namjoon, Hoseok, and Boreas staring at him in shock. Boreas actually had a smirk forming on his lips, but he hid it quickly. Namjoon waited a long moment for anyone to say something, but when no one did, he relaxed his whole body. Jack snapped out of it at that moment and started to laugh. Namjoon glared at him, but decided to keep talking.

“It seems the Fates have shown me a different life that may be available to me. I’m going to trust the Fates, but only you can change me into a human to follow that path.”

“You don’t want your powers anymore,” the Council Leader repeated.

“No.”

“You want to be human?” 

“Yes.”

“Why?” The council leader furrowed his brows and leaned forward, suddenly interested. “Humans are… well, mortal, living short lives, with no magic. At all. No magic.” He repeated the phrase like it was the most important issue here.

“You guys don’t want me to have powers anymore, so just take them. The Frost Family can rule over the winter realm like everyone wants, and I don’t have to deal with the drama that comes with that.”

Boreas let out a snort, causing all eyes to rest on him. He fixed his face quickly, staring blankly back at everyone. Eyes turned back to Namjoon.

“Maybe you do have common sense,” Jack muttered. He shrugged. “Fine. Take his powers, make him a human. The Frost Family is fine with not being responsible for keeping him locked up. Good luck, Namjoon.” Jack obviously didn’t mean it, though. He quickly held up his middle finger, hiding it enough for only Namjoon to see it as he left the room.

“Boreas, sir,” the Council Leader stuttered, turning towards the God. “What do you make of this?”

“I’m only an observer, here in case nothing is worked out.” The Council Leader opened his mouth, but Boreas continued to talk. “You’ve wanted to do it since he was sentenced. Now that he wants it done, why are you hesitating?”

Usually, during Christmas evening, you would be with your family, playing board games that turn into huge competitions long into the night. This time, since they were on a cruise and enjoying the sun, you were alone. Still, you had a plan. After speaking to your family through video chatting, you made your way to the large hospital of the city. You hadn’t been there for a long while as a volunteer, so it took a while to get your information straightened out, but finally you made your way to the children’s oncology department.

Even though these children and their families didn’t know you, they welcomed you with open arms. Other volunteers were around the large conference room. A huge christmas tree was in the middle of the room, allowing everyone to wonder around it to see the different areas. There were places to read to children or read alone, do an art project, play instruments, write letters to Santa, take pictures with Santa, and many other activities.

You divided your time between all the booths for a while, helping with keeping snacks and water stocked for everyone. You hadn’t had this much fun-- this much happiness-- around you in such a long time. It seemed like everything was back to normal, except for the ache in your chest you knew was for Namjoon. As the sun was setting, and the booths were being packed up and closed, you stepped out into the hallway that lead to an exit, wanting some fresh air. Even though you had on your warmest outerwear, it still stung your nose and ears as you stepped outside. You saw a figure near you, seemingly doing the same thing. He looked familiar, and you recognize the coat and hat he was wearing. He had been reading to the kids for the last hour, when you had been helping with the letter writing booth.

“The kids loved you reading to them.” The figure turned, looking fully toward you. Your eyes widened and your mouth fell open. His grin turned to confusion, although his deep dimples never disappeared.

“Yes… are you okay? Do I have something on my face?” Immediately, he lifted his gloved hands, patting his cheeks. You swallowed and waved your hands.

“No, no! No, you don’t, you just… you look familiar. Do I… know you? Do you know me?”

“I don’t... think so? But, you do look familiar. And I don’t think it’s because of the previous hour I was here….” He looked thoughtfully out into the parking lot, then turned his gaze back to you. “I’m Namjoon. I was going to get some coffee before heading home. Would… would you like to join me?” 

When he said his name, you froze, unable to breathe. Namjoon seemed to take it as something else, because he was suddenly backtracking his question, stuttering over his words. “You don’t have to, I know it’s late, you’re probably heading back home to your family and- ”

“I’d love to,” you interrupt, the ache in your chest turning to hope. Namjoon grinned. As you walked beside him, you wondered if this was really what your heart was wishing for days ago. The Fates had listened to your words, but seemed to delve even deeper than you had intended. You had wished for a companion, but maybe it was meant to be more than just one day.

[flora-jimin]

Rescue Me

25 Days of Christmas: A BTS Anthology Masterlist

Pairing: ReaderX Jihope

WC: 3k+

Genres: NSFW, Fluff, Mild Angst, Winter Fairy AU, Fantasy

Summary:  This wasn’t the wisest of choices, venturing deep into a forest like this, forbidden to you. But you had to see if the stories you were told when you were a child were true, of a land of human-like creatures who had long since become one with nature. But curiosity killed the cat, as they say. When your knees finally hit the snow and you blacked out, you didn’t expect to wake back up. Fortunately, you’ve ventured into the land of unexpected.

Warnings: Near Death and smut, that’s about it, lovelies.

“In this land, full of wonder, people are one with nature, Y/n.”

Your eyes lit up, full of wonder as your mother flipped through the pages of an old book. She rocked gently in her chair, kissing the top of your head as her finger ran over the old pages. It was Christmas morning, the snowflake pendant your mother gave you situated around your neck as you listened to her words. 

“This is where you belong, my little snow angel.” She cooed, pointing to the page with the small princess, surrounded by snow and small animals. 

“Amongst the snow fairies. Deep in the forest, one with nature. When you get older, I have hope you’ll return. To where you belong, my sweet little snow fairy.”

-

“This is a stupid idea.” 

It was probably the 100th time you uttered those words today. Your cheeks were cold despite the scarf you had pulled up to your face. You took a moment, stopping as you surveyed your surroundings. 

It had been years since your mother last read that story to you, and the picture book was a graduation gift she gave to you, along with enough money to travel to celebrate your new freedom from college. 

“It’s time, Y/n. Go out and find them. They’ll tell you everything you need to know.” was the last thing she said to you before she kissed your head and pushed the book into your hands. 

Now here you were, trekking through the snow in boots that definitely weren’t made for this type of trip, in a forest closed to the public in the winter months due to heavy volumes of snow and low visibility that made rescues in the event of emergencies a near impossibility.

So again, this was a stupid ass idea.

No one knew you were here. You weren't even supposed to be here, and as you felt the cold creep into your bones, your shivering much too strong to ignore, you realized your curiosity may have lead you to a terrible situation much too late to turn back from. 

You looked around you, frowning as you saw another pine tree identical to every other one around you, feeling the strength in your legs finally give out, falling into the snow with a weak sound. 

Dots crossed your vision before everything went black.

-x-

"Are you sure she's going to be alright?"

"Yeah! We got her some sweaters and blankets-"

You groan, faintly hearing voices above you. Before you could pinpoint what-or who-they were, they halted, and you had a hand on your head, followed by two on your cheeks. 

"Hello? Are you okay?"

You crack your eyes open, brows furrowing as you look up to see a man looking down at you. He was frowning, concern clear on his face, but the moment he saw you look up, he smiled wide, reminding you of a heart. 

"You're awake! Things were pretty rough there for a bit." He examined your face a bit closer than necessary and the man behind him cleared his throat, tilting his head.

"She's a human, Hoseok. She can't understand Fae." He told him quietly.

'Hoseok' looked crestfallen at the revelation, but you finally sat up, speaking quietly. 

"I can understand you both just fine." You mutter, gently pushing Hoseok’s hands away from your face as you pushed yourself back away from him and the other man. They both looked at you in surprise, eyes wide. 

“Wait, you can understand us?” 

“Yes? Am I not supposed to be able to understand you?”

“We’re fairies. We speak Fae. You were found in the forest from the outside by our familiars, so we assumed you were a human.” Hoseok explained, scratching the back of his head. You stared at him and the other man for a long time before you swallowed thickly, suddenly fully alert. 

“Fairies. You two are...fairies.”

“Yes. That’s Hoseok, and my name is Jimin. Who are you? Where is your familiar?” the smaller man cut in, kneeling in front of you. You opened your mouth to tell him you didn’t have one when something yellow jumped on top of his head. Your eyes drifted up to the yellow blob and it looked at you curiously, it’s floppy ears drooping down past it’s head as it stared at you. 

After a beat of silence, it stuck it’s tongue out. 

“Chim?”

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!” You flung yourself back, looking at the dog like creature. It startled and toppled off of Jimin’s head, rolling down into his arms before it began crying, bringing its hands? Paws? Up to its face. 

“Woah! Relax, you’re going to scare them! This is Chimmy, my familiar.” Jimin explained, cooing gently to Chimmy. You pursed your lips at the creature, noticing something sniffing at your arm. When you looked down, you saw a small creature the size of a toddler with a purple body and a blue horse mask on. When it noticed you looking at it, it pressed it’s heart shaped nose to your arm, something followed by a smooching sound. 

A warm feeling spread through your body as you smiled, reaching down to pet the small creature. 

“Oh...they’re kinda cute…” You mused, looking over at Jimin’s familiar to wave the small yellow dog over to you. They perked and shuffled out of his lap, hesitantly waddling over to you before allowing you to pet their head. 

“I’m sorry I scared you, little one.” You apologized, smiling when Chimmy crawled into your lap, wiggling their feet happily. 

“This is so weird. She can understand us, so she has to be a fairy, but she has no familiar. And that necklace…” 

That caught your attention, and you looked back at the men in the room, eyes narrowing when it dawned on you that your clothes had been changed. 

“You...did you look at me naked?”

Both of them looked at you with wide eyes, putting their hands up defensively. 

“No! We just used a spell to change your clothes because the ones you had on were wet and caked in snow. I guess since you don’t have a familiar, you didn’t have full protection from the cold. That was dangerous, you know, coming into this forest in the middle of a snowstorm without a familiar. You might actually be a human…” Hoseok trailed off when there was a knock on the door. All attention turned towards it and Hoseok put a hand on his hip. 

“Mang, can you open the door? I called Namjoon and the others to see what we should do.” 

The purple and blue horse familiar nodded eagerly, hopping out of your lap to run full speed to the door, jumping up to grab the handle. When it opened, a tall dimpled man walked in first with a blue koala clinging to his shoulder, seemingly sleeping. He was followed by a broad shouldered man and his alpaca eating...a churro, a smaller man with sleepy eyes with a cookie familiar the size of a Pomeranian on his head, and two energetic men, one with a pink bunny with a peculiar eyebrow and the other with a heart shaped alien familiar with long, spotted arms. 

“Ah, you must be the person we found in the snow. Are you alright?” the dimpled man inquired. You nodded, running your hand over the top of Chimmy’s head as the five newcomers introduced themselves and their familiars. 

“So...I’m in the land of fairies-”

“Snow fairies.” Tae added happily. 

“Right. Snow fairies, and because I can understand you, I must be a fairy too. I just...don’t have a familiar. And because of it...I’m not a full fairy?” You summarized everything they had told you in the past half an hour. You were met with an array of nods and your shoulders slumped as you looked down at your lap, smiling when Cooky bumped your cheek with their ear. 

“Can I see? The rest of the town, that is?” You inquire, squeezing the small rabbit in a hug as you looked up. Jimin was the first to move, extending a hand to you. You pushed yourself off of the wooden mats on the floor, looking around for your shoes as Jimin took your hand. 

“You don’t need them, just wait.” Hoseok told you, smiling as you all walked outside of the house. You noticed the ground below you felt soft, but it wasn’t cold at all. Curious, you ground your heel into the snow, smiling at the soft, almost cotton like feel of it as the other men and their familiars filtered out as well. 

They walked you through the snow, animatedly telling you of the town’s inhabitants and how you were the first person in a while that had came in from the outside. 

“You can only enter this place when it’s snowing hard outside. Seeing how we found you, I’m guessing it’s not an easy journey to get here. You were still two or so miles away from this place.” Jimin explained once you all had sat down near a lake. Hoseok took his spot at the other side of you.

“That would do it...the forest on the outside has been closed off to the public when it snows. I snuck in because my mother always told me fairytales of this place and she told me to come find it.” You idly fingered the snowflake necklace around your neck, looking out as the familiars skated across the surface of the frozen lake. 

“Do you want to go back? We can see if it’s still snowing and-”

“No. No, I wanna stay here. I want to see why my mother wanted me to come here so bad. If I’m a fairy, I have to find my familiar, too.” You looked down at your lap, smiling as Mang played with your hands, stamping their heart shaped nose against your palms every now and then. 

Jimin and Hoseok exchanged a look before smiling. 

-6 Months Later-

Getting accustomed to the snow fairies happened much faster than you expected. They were all kind and welcoming, showing you how they got by and how certain jobs were distributed between them. 

Because of your lack of powers, you nominated yourself as a caretaker of newborn familiars, hoping you would find one for you amongst all of the glittering eggs. Hoseok and Jimin were always right there to help you, too, teaching you to care for the familiars until they could be set out into the world to pair with their fairies.

You set a small snow fox familiar to bed and turned around, smiling as you walked directly into Hoseok’s arms, your cheeks growing hot as he pressed a small kiss to your lips before pulling away and sending you a sunshine smile. Before you could tease him for the cheesy move, there was a knock on the door to the nursery and both of you turned to find Jimin standing in the doorway, brow arched. 

“Do I get sappy kisses too or…?”

Ah, yes. Over the months, while getting you settled in, you somehow found yourself falling for both men. At first it was something that terrified you to no end, especially after finding out soon after you arrived that they were already together, but one long late night talk with Yoongi and you found out the fairies were a very loving and accepting race. 

Poly relationships amongst them weren’t an uncommon thing, and you were spared the awkward experience of trying to subtly see if they were interested in you when Jimin asked you out over dinner one evening. 

You sauntered over to the man, kissing him as well as you smiled. 

“C’mon, all the babies are asleep for tonight. We should head home.” You suggested, letting Chimmy climb up your leg. You held them as the three of you walked out of the nursery. 

“How long do you think it’s going to be until I get a familiar?” You mused, watching Hoseok and Jimin swing Mang gently to and fro between them as they held their hand. 

“It something that has to happen naturally. You’ll find a familiar and be a full fairy in no time, just you wait!” Jimin happily encouraged you. You sighed slightly, smiling as you approached your shared home, kissing the top of Chimmy’s head. 

“Even if I don’t become a full fairy, I think I’m okay with how things are.” You mutter as you put the small dog down once you were inside. 

“I live in a beautiful house with two beautiful partners, and I love Mang and Chimmy as if they were my own familiars. I’m grateful for what I have.”

Your boyfriends exchanged a look with one another before smiling wide, closing the door behind them. 

“I’m positive it’s just around the corner, Y/n. Especially with that attitude. Just wait, you’ll see.” Hoseok chirped as he and Jimin headed to the kitchen to start cooking. 

-x-

You smiled, letting your dress fall to the bathroom floor as you stepped into the shower, wrapping your arms around Jimin. He kissed you gently, though it melted into much more in no time, with you pressing your breasts against his chest as the warm water beat down on you. 

"I'm glad you stayed with us." He whispered against your lips, cupping your cheek gently. You pressed your face into his hand, nodding.

"I feel like I belong."

"You do belong, Y/n." Hobi's voice cut in and you felt him slot himself in right behind you, kissing up your neck. You sighed, baring your neck to them both as they switched between kissing and leaving lovebites on your skin.

"You'll stay with us, right?" 

“I wouldn’t dream of leaving you now.” You nodded, turning to seal your lips against Hoseok’s. Jimin moved his mouth down to your breasts, gently rolling one of your nipples between his fingers while he closed his plump lips around the other. 

“We should-ahh-we should move to the bedroom.” You suggest, whimpering when Hoseok reached around, his hand between your legs, rubbing your core ever so slightly. He chuckled behind you, his lips near your ear as he rubbed you gently. 

“You sure, Y/n? I think we should play a little more in here.” He urged, his other hand caressing your ass cheek. You blush and looked forward to Jimin for some form of help, but he only chuckled lowly, moving up to kiss you again as Hoseok slid a finger into you. 

You moan against his lips, pressing yourself fully to him as Hoseok kissed up your spine, muttering gentle praise and compliments to you. It didn’t take long for you to break your kiss with Jimin, moaning shakily as Hoseok slid another in to join the first, slowly stretching you apart with extra care. 

“H-Hobi, go faster, please…” You whine, blushing as Jimin moved past your shoulder, kissing Hoseok as the older man obliged, curling his fingers before thrusting them in and out of you. The water had gotten cold before you felt a third finger enter you. 

“I-I’m close-” You whimper, squeezing Jimin’s shoulders tight as he and Hoseok continued to kiss each other. Your words were enough to get their attention as Hoseok eased them out of you, smiling when you whined between them. 

“No whining, baby girl. We should make sure you’re comfortable, right?” Jimin teased. Before you could complain, he picked you up, carrying you out of the shower. Hoseok trailed behind you after he turned the shower off, sending you a small smile as you looked over Jimin’s shoulder at him. You shyly smile back, feeling heat creep up to your ears, 

This wasn’t the first time you had made love, but every time you did, the boys always looked at you with such caring and gentle gazes, it never failed to make you feel appreciated and loved. 

They took their time drying off with you and soon the three of you were back to it, with you between both Hoseok and Jimin, with Hoseok’s fingers back inside of you and both of them paying attention to your sensitive nubs.

One tangle of limbs later and Jimin was the first to actually enter you, holding you tight as Hoseok prepped him, watching your expression over the smaller man’s shoulder. 

“You look so beautiful like this, Y/n.” At this point, you couldn’t tell which one of them had praised you as you focused on the feeling of Jimin’s hips rolling down, thrusting in and out of you as you clung to him. Hoseok wasn’t far behind, kissing the base of Jimin’s spine as he thrusted into him. 

Jimin whined low, dropping his head between your neck and shoulder as his hips stuttered. You purred, running your hand through his hair as Hoseok wasted no time, setting a quick pace behind you, his hands on Jimin’s slender waist. 

“Don’t stop now, Jimin. Y/n sounded so close before.” Hoseok politely urged, smiling as Jimin trembled and shakily raised himself up, looking down into your eyes as he continued his pace from before. 

The three of you didn’t last long after that, with you coming undone first, followed by Jimin and Hoseok. 

“You guys are heavy.” You complain lightly, swatting at Jimin’s chest when he collapsed on top of you after Hoseok came shortly after him. You were met with kisses and Hoseok tossing a leg over you both despite your playful protests. 

You all settled in, and at some point Mang and Chimmy joined the cuddle pile, sleeping soundly at the foot of the bed. 

-Epilogue-

You frowned, holding up the two toned egg at the bottom of the basket in the nursery. Normally, familiar eggs hatched within days of them being produced, but this one had been in your care for over three weeks. 

Still. Unmoving. 

You sat down, hugging the egg to you as you rocked gently. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t give up on you, little one. You’ll be a wonderful familiar for someone, okay?” You pet the top of it, blinking when you felt something inside move. Your lips parted as a crack appeared on the side. 

“H-Hobi! Jimin!” You called, gasping as the egg shook more aggressively. The two ran into the room, eyes wide as the egg continued to shake and crack. You set it down, stepping back as it finally cracked in half, the two different color sides of the egg falling away to reveal a small gray and white familiar with peculiar eyes. 

“Oh! Hello!” You knelt down, smiling at the newborn. 

“My name is, Y/n. Who are you?”

“...Van.” The little familiar chirped before they looked at your necklace. They perked, bouncing eagerly until they flew up into your face, tilting their head. 

“I think you got yourself a familiar, Y/n.” Jimin chuckled, watching as your necklace gleamed at the same time as Van’s eyes. You look up in surprise before holding your palm out. You snapped your fingers experimentally, gasping in surprise when a small swirl of snow appeared above your hand. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god, I’m a full fairy!” You cheered, picking Van up excitedly. It was hard to tell what they were feeling with their expression, but if the way they hugged you tight was anything to go by, they were excited to be paired with you. 

“See? I knew it would work out.” Hoseok cheered, tossing a hand over your shoulder. You wiped away a happy tear, kissing the top of Van’s head as you left the nursery, fingers laced with them both as Chimmy and Mang rode on their respective owner’s heads. Van flew over you all, twirling and spinning until you looked up, noticing it was drawing a snowflake in the sky, along with a small stylized picture of your face. 

You may not have expected to wake up again when your knees hit that snow all those months ago. But thankfully, you ventured into a land of unexpected wonders and the moment you were saved, you started a new chapter in your life. 

You squeezed Hoseok and Jimin’s hands tighter, your heart fluttering as the three of you walked with your familiars, three winter fairies in the gentle powder snow.

[darknytemare]

Viscum: Dark Parasite

Pairing: Jimin x Reader [Featuring Elf Namjoon]

Word Count: 7.7K

Genre: SFW [shock of all shocks], Fantasy, Angst, Fluff [maybe?]

Summary:  Christmas is… dead. It has been for too long a time. You believe in an old tradition that could not only save Christmas but restore much-needed joy to the world. There’s just one small problem. The answer involves a rare strain of mistletoe and kissing the Spirit of Christmas.

A/N: Thanks to @uwugalore​ & @seakay05​ for proofing/editing, putting the collaboration together, making banners, and infinite amounts of patience! I hope you enjoy and please love this collaboration to bits! Happy Holidays!

25 Days of Christmas: A BTS Anthology MASTERLIST

          ------------

“Promise me,” she whispered softly. Her fingers traced the line of his jaw as she mustered a smile for him. “Please? Don’t let this all be for nothing.”

Her breath hitched as the pain ran through her body. There were tears glittered in her eyes as he heaved for air. Jimin held her tight against him with a vigorous nod.

“I promise. I promise. I swear it won’t be.” They were surrounded by people that cared about her. Her tears fell like liquid mercury across the apples of her cheek. Those tears fell like snow to the ground. She gathered her strength for a final deep inhale.  She could feel the infection leaving her, crippling her, minute by minute. The temperature dropped as she exhaled softly. A smile spreading across her face as she stared at the sky.

“Look, it’s snowing.” Her hand reached up for the flakes falling soft and thick around them. Jimin clutched her tighter, his face buried into the crook of her neck.

“Why?” He sobbed softly.

“Because it’s apart of the magic. It lets them know to gather. You must remind them to... gather.” She felt cold, her breath misting in the air. “Jimin,” she did her best to keep her sobs at bay. ‘...you have t-to take care of Niclaus. H-he is the beacon. You have t-to…” Her fingers clung into his forearm. A soft cry as her heart slowed, and he could feel it.

Her life slipping away as he smoothed his hand over her face. “I will. I promise.” Jimin leaned down to press his lips against hers. A kiss fiery enough to warm her soul. “Love you...always.”

“Always.” A sad smile as her heart stopped. The creatures around him bowed their heads as he sobbed against a body going cold. The babbling of a child that barely knew his mother stirred Jimin after a long moment.

He scooped her up, laying the body against the Sacred Elm. Jimin swiped his finger against the corner of her eye, wiping the mercurial liquid against the tree branch. The bark shuddered as her body fell into the center, disappearing again. He stood back as the tree seemed to vibrate and quiver.

“No!” Jimin woke with his arm, outstretched above him. Almost as if he could still feel the snowflakes settling like a gentle caress against his hand. His body drenched in sweat as the heel of his palm dug into his eye sockets.

It had been more than a thousand years since he had dreamed of her. It had been just as long since he’d broken his promise. It had been more than three hundred years since he had signaled the world to rejoice. He fell back against a mountain of pillows as his bare chest rose and fell with the thunder of his heartbeat. Jimin’s eyes squeezed shut against the flood of emotion, threatening to unsettle him. He could feel it, bubbling inside of him. The need to shed light and love, he could feel it trying to eat him from inside.

He could feel it trying to get out - and every year, he clamped it down.

Swallowing it back down bitterly, he held it at bay - selfishly. Why did the world deserve what he couldn’t have? After what it took from him? His forearm lay across his face as his pulse slowed.

Jimin was resolute in keeping that beacon dead. He had done so with no qualm for centuries.

There was a moment of trepidation as he stared out his window. He hadn’t dreamed of her face for a long time. He had almost forgotten what she looked like. But, that faint reminder? Had his heart aching all over again.

His lower lip pulled between his teeth as he suddenly wondered, Why?

Why now did her face reappear in his dreams?

 ------------------

It was cold.

It’s not as if she disliked the cold, it's just the cold that stood out the most. Maybe it’s because there’s a sudden warmth that overtook her. The laughter of a child, a hand holding her’s tight. The crunch of snow? It hasn’t snowed in ages. Yet, here it is - here she was, watching the tiny tracks leading away from them.

From them? Her gaze slides to the other set of fingers interlaced with hers. There’s the dull drone of a voice going on about something. She saw this child turn back to wave. He’s so happy because of her, and yet? She found herself suddenly envious. She remembered a time when that joy was familiar. When it belonged to everyone around her.

“....he’s getting bigger each year.” The voice sounded proud. The man next to her is just a fraction taller, by a mere few hairs. His side profile was ...captivating? He seemed to radiate energy, and she felt herself smiling like an idiot. Her focus shifts back to the child calling her name.

“Mama, mama! The snow is so fluffy.” She felt herself smile down at this little bundle of joy. He had the bluest eyes. Like the sky had been snatched and thrown into his face. He had the squishiest cheeks, tinted a light cherry by the cold, no doubt. His hair was ...silver? White? She turned to the man next to her and saw the same silvery strands atop his head.

The child runs off throwing snow in the air, it twinkles like a multitude of stars against the dark of night. “Niklaus, don’t get covered.”

Niklaus? She was interrupted as the man spun her around in his grasp. He’s so warm and close, and friendly. His lips brushed her forehead, and damnit it’s cold again -

His lips are moving, she couldn't stop staring at them. They’re plush, his skin is perfect - he’s practically glowing. It’s so cold? Why is it so cold?

“You’re shivering. I know what will warm you up.” Her eyes shifted from the point of his chin along the line of his jaw - and things are suddenly blurry. No, no. No. Don’t... She wanted to see it! This always happens, fuck. She could only make out his lips, and as soon as her gaze traveled any higher? She saw this blue? Gray? Slate? These eyes, these damned eyes that she just can’t forget.

Then it all goes away.

...and then she wakes up.

 ---------------

“She’s back?!” A jubilant voice echoed from down a long corridor.  “She’s back! She’s back!” The childlike voice echoes, causing a tired-looking man to remove his glasses. There was the sound of destruction as the elf scrambled into the workshop.

‘Saint Nicholas’ chuckled as Namjoon scrambled into his office with a delicate crystal. “Sh-She’s back! Nick, she’s back!”

Niklaus waved his hands, bade the elf to breathe first, and then explain. The elf took a shake breathy and placed a delicate crystal on the man’s desk.

“It’s been getting brighter and brighter. And just today? It...it’s glowing. She’s back, Nick. Maybe... maybe this time?” Namjoon was hopeful as Saint Nicholas held the icicle in his hand. The tears brimming in his eyes confirmed Namjoon’s suspicions.

“Mother.”  The brilliance swelling inside the shard shaped crystal seemed to dance at the word. “Where is she, Namjoon?” A pair of pale blue pinned the elf in place. The elf bit his lip as he toyed with his fingers.

“Nick, y-you know we can-” The older man cut him off.

“Where... is she, Namjoon?”

The elf sighed heavily as his fingers flexed against the air.  A beacon of light flared against a mystical map swirling around them. The elf pointed to the little village in the mountains. Niklaus pinched the flare of light, a motion that zoomed the map outward. Giving them a visual of the place and its people.

“Nick. D-do you think…?”

Namjoon stared as a woman exited a cabin. Sometimes, they somewhat looked like her - sometimes, some things reminded them of her. But this woman? She was a dead ringer. This woman was the spitting image of his mother, The Spirit of Winter.

Namjoon turned to Santa Claus as he dropped the jolly facade that the world knew him by. In actuality? He was a blend of his parents. Silvery hair gifted by both of them. Jimin’s sleek, almost androgynous features. He had his mother’s blue eyes that part of his look was real. The twinkle within them a gift that allowed him to do the impossible.

The two of them together were responsible for the spirit that came with the holiday known as Christmas. But, for the last few hundred years? That spirit has been missing from the world. The reason for the season had become lost in a wave of greed and indifference. It became materialistic, primal, and evil, with more care for closing the sale or getting the deal. Not to mention the ill care of the planet that slowly began to chip away at the population.

Over time, some people had simply forgotten about the holidays. Force to realize they didn’t have the things that made the holidays enjoyable? They let them fall to the wayside. The planet had suffered much at the hands of industrialization and unscrupulous consumption of resources. It was too late by the time the population shifted to change their ways. The planet was thrown into a flux that had all the minor deities scrambling to save what they could.

The weather deities suffered damage that caused an inability to control their powers. Slowly but surely, they began to fade. Absorbed back into the planet to try and offer some sort of balance. But it was the Spirit of Winter who suffered the most. The bitter cold that snapped in places where it didn’t belong. The longer durations began to cripple her as she fought against the impending change. She struggled to give humanity a fighting chance. She fought to minimize the damage to those ill-prepared for even the mildest of cold snaps. At first, she believed it to be the cause of her pregnancy, a rare thing to start, hormones went awry. But as other deities succumbed, or simply returned to the heart of Gaia, she realized it wasn’t so simple. Finally, she made a choice.

She wouldn’t sacrifice her child - so she stopped trying to prevent the inevitable. She protected the life inside of her, a hope that could restore something lost in humanity. She put her everything into making sure that the child was born.

It took two months for the disease wrought by the human race to run rampant. She had to watch on in horror as the world began to hurt and forget. No one remembered the olde ways, nobody carried the spirit of the holidays - let alone joy. Jimin had started to grow bitter as she suffered. But, against all the odds? Their child was born.

They named him Nicklaus.

She had held back the secret of her well-being from everyone. She just wanted to enjoy her fleeting moment of motherhood. They all gathered at what remained of The World Tree, and she knew then what it would take.

"You want to what?" Jimin hissed as she placed her hand on the withered bark.

"It's the only way, Jimin. For just a moment, if they could remember happiness. Don't you think we owe it to him to try?" Her hand balled into a fist, Jimin knew that look.

"You can't leave us!" He stepped forward, his eyes a dark gray from their natural silver shine. "You can’t leave him!" A hand-cut the air toward their son. But, the fear in his voice gave him away. "Y-you can't leave me." His hands cradled her face tilting it up, a gaze imploring him to reconsider.

"I'm so sorry..."

A broken sob left her as confusion furrowed his brow. "...It's already too late." Jimin shook his head, prepared to fight her, but he felt it. He realized it. He didn't know how he missed it? But, he had.

"You..."

Hurt. There was hurt in his voice as he released her face. She dropped the illusion of vitality to the soft collective gasps around them. "Why? Why would hide this?! Why would you lie?!"

She was emaciated, a sickly pallor to the usual vibrancy they were used to. Her eyes, hair were a dull and flat white. "I needed you both to have happy memories of me." Her smile was weak. "It's taken so much out of me to hide it. I just... I'm tired, my love." Tired and getting weaker by the moment. Jimin finally realized everything now.

And he hated humanity even more.

She was giving the last of her vitality to the World Tree. There was nothing he could do to stop her. Because she's making the sacrifice instead of being the sacrifice. Of course, it made sense. But it didn't mean he had to like it.

Her knees buckled as the air began to chill.

Even as a young child, Niklaus was attentive. And the image of his mother being absorbed into the World Tree? It had always stayed with him.

Because he always remembered the smile on her face before the bark closed over her body.

It was known as The Great Resurgence. For some reason that year, right before Christmas Eve - a wave of calm washes over the world. People remember a thick silence that seemed to make everyone stop and look toward the sky. The streak of colors spotted in areas as deep and rural, was the talk of nations. It was the first time snow has fallen in decades in some areas.

It was the greatest White Christmas.

And every year, as long as humanity maintained the feeling, they were gifted with the same emotion that fell from the sky. Snow sparkles like small diamonds seemed to bring out the best in everybody. They took that energy into the new year.

But, the saying goes - all good things come to an end.

And it did, years later, when a small war broke out. Fueled by greed, and with Jimin's bitterness at its peak, it caused that darkness to reappear.

And Jimin... intervened.

Nobody can remember the moment or the cause, just that two sides were devastated. And a charismatic individual appeared from the smoke to help the people mend their ways.

That charismatic individual then chose others, he trusted, to continue his work. Then he disappeared, spotted here and there over the years.

As one of the few remaining spirits left, Jimin didn't care about the rules. And as far as he was concerned? They didn't need the holidays. They didn't deserve them. So, he worked to bring order, structure, and cordiality.

The old ways were wholly forgotten by the time he was finished.

His bitterness ate him just a little less.

But then, he started to see her. It was never in the same place. It was never at the same time. He could feel her popping up in random forms throughout the years. He grew nervous that this was his punishment for not abiding by her final wish.

He was always drawn to her, no matter what form she took. She has been many things, an aging grandmother with twelve generations. A young girl, happy even though she had little, in a small country. A girl at the peak of her youth living her truth unabashedly and encouraging others to do the same.

And each time? Every time he was near? She dies. Naturally, horribly, on time and way too soon. He was there for them all. He could always swear she recognized him. It became too much for him. So he stopped looking. He stopped showing up.

But not Nicklaus - because he still had hope.

"Nick?” Namjoon watched the young man quietly. The shard of pulsating energy held almost too tight in his hand.

“This is it, Namjoon. This is our chance.” Nick handed the shard back to Namjoon. The elf nodded softly, turning on his heel to leave the room. “Namjoon....”

The elf turned around to see the dark blue eyes set in Niklaus’ face. It caused him to frown, he was like his father in some ways. “Don’t tell him.” Namjoon nodded and quickly departed the room. He clutched at his chest to quell the rapid beat of his heart. Because that dark rage that he had seen on Jimin’s face? Was equally mirrored in his son.

At least, he was thankful that Niklaus had never acted on it.

---------

“It’s a beautiful day, Agnes!” The old woman wrinkled her face as the young woman came twirling into her home. The curtains and windows were opened, a stream of sunlight exposed the layer of dust that had settled. The young woman spun from one side of the cabin to the others. Agnes couldn’t help but chuckle at her exuberance.

“Sona, come here, would you?” The young woman turned with a bright smile on her face. Agnes couldn’t help but let her own spread across her face. Sona, the nickname given to the strange girl who had appeared in their village long ago with no memory. They were a mismatch of nationalities existing in the mountains. Far from the damage caused by those who didn’t care for anything but themselves. They remembered how things used to be - and they still abided by those tenets even now.

Sona flopped down at Agnes’ feet, smoothing the fabric of her skirt. “It’s almost time, Sona.”

The young woman nodded eagerly. “I know, Agnes! I’m so excited. Do you really think it will happen this year?” The old woman reached out to cup the girl's chin.

No one could explain Sona’s strange, yet alluring look. For starters? She had white hair, white as the first snow. Her eyes were a pale blue, that sometimes at the right angle, looked white. Concerned for her well-being, they took to dying her hair black. It was an arduous task that left her with stubborn streaks of white hair intermingled with the darker strands. It only made her blue eyes, paler. But, they merely claimed she had an exotic look.

It worked and allowed her to thrive and build a life. She took particular joy in hearing the stories about the celebrations long forgotten. A form of All Hallow’s still exists. Something akin to Thanksgiving still remained.

It was Christmas. The ever-elusive tale of Christmas and the joy it brought, was what was missing. It was almost illegal to speak of it in larger cities. There were rumors that smaller, more rural locations still carried out similar ceremonies.

But there was one thing that was missing - one thing that those secret communities felt was paramount to creating the spirit of Christmas.

Mistletoe.

The strange colorful berries that hung on doors, tangled in trees, and snuck overhead for centuries. The tradition was more than just a ‘kiss.’ It was a shared union, a promise to stay connected from that day forward.

The mistletoe forced that promise. Nobody ever realized that mistletoe was actually... a parasitic plant.

The tradition actually goes: Two people meet under the mistletoe. A kiss is granted. Each person takes a berry from the plant - and they eat it. This continues until the branch is bare. The spirit and joy of the season are now apart of you... to spread to others.

And like a strange disease, it did. People were happier, full of goodwill and joy. They all believed it the gathering of friends, family, and good times. It’s true - it was... but it was also the mistletoe.

For centuries, there was a search for the particular type of mistletoe that could restore the joy in the world. It hadn’t been found, because the Spirit of Christmas didn’t believe in it himself anymore. But, the world has changed, and so has its people. There was more consideration for life and how people played a role in it. Most gave up on materialistic things, reduced their media consumption, and got back outside. Moderation was now a way of life - and even without Christmas? People were fulfilled. That didn’t mean that they had forgotten completely.

As the world healed, it kept trying to find a way to instill something much needed back into humanity. So, mistletoe began to bloom. And she began to appear. With each attempt to bring her back? A bit of mistletoe blossomed - but it was either too weak [like a grandmother with twelve generations]? Or too young [a girl living life to the fullest] to do the job.

So the bloom would die - and simply keep reappearing.

All over the world, there would be signs of mistletoe trying to reappear in the world. But, Agnes and those around her had been tracking this growth. They always got a sample of the branch. Never the berries. The time between growths had been so long they didn’t think they’d get to see it. But recently? Now? They were sure they’d get it.

They were sure that the right branch would be found - and it would be in the mountains. Right above them.

Agnes looked at Sona, her fingers running through the strands of white fighting the coal-based color in her hair. “Oh, yes, my dear. I’m absolutely certain. You will find what you’re looking for.” Because Agnes had a feeling. Because Agnes had hope.

And because Agnes was running out of time.

--------

Jimin sat behind a desk in an opulent office. People moving around doing the mundane jobs that kept food on the table. It was more out of a need to do something with themselves. People had taken to growing their own food. Reducing their consumption and the strain on the environment. It was good to stay busy, especially in December. People had all but forgotten the thing that used to happen in December - and he preferred it that way.

“Sir.” The intercom buzzed, taking him out of the trance of signing papers.

“What is it?” An exasperated sigh as he resumed.

“Your son is here.” There was a quiver in the voice that suddenly softened at the mention of his son. Jimin dropped his pen on his desk. He looked at the calendar and sighed - it was like clockwork, every year. They would talk about hope, and his duty, and... her.

“Andrea.”

“Yes, Mr. Park?”

“Send everyone home for the day. Then tell my son to meet me upstairs.”

“Yes, Mr. Park.”

The intercom went dead. Jimin watched as everyone glanced at their monitors, confused. But, they rose to collect their belongings and shut down their stations. They all waved with small polite smiles to him as they departed. He continued to sign papers for another few minutes before grabbing his jacket, heading to the elevator nearby.

He swiped a keycard to the top floor where he lived. Jimin swept his hair away from his face as the door opened to the penthouse. The glass clinked as his son pour two fingers of whiskey for the both of them. The heat of the fireplace thicker than the tension between them. Jimin watched his son turn with a glass extended.

“Father.”

Jimin offered him the smallest of smiles. His heart broke, laying eyes upon this man that resembled her so much. He raised his glass, and they took a seat. “Niklaus, it’s good to see you.” They each took a chair, their legs similarly crossed over the knee. “So, here to - engage in the age-old conversation?” A brow lofted as Jimin smirked. Niklaus tilted his head as he watched his father.

“No, Father. I think this will be the last year for that.” Niklaus smiled as he downed his drink in one swallow. Jimin looked shocked, this had become as close to tradition as it could get between them. He smiled, proudly, with that admission.

“So, are you ready to come work with me then? Are you ready to stop this foolish chase now?” Jimin wanted to call them family. He wanted to have some kind of normalcy. He tried to put the past behind them and move on.

Niklaus chuckled softly, “No, Father. That’s not why this is the last year for that.” Jimin sighed as he slumped back into his chair. He finished the drink in a quiet swallow, the thud of the glass on the table was enough to fracture it.

Storm-gray eyes pinned Niklaus to his seat, and yet? He smiled. Jimin knew his anger was a thing of legend, and something not to toy with. “Nick. Give. It. Up.” He pushed to stand from his chair. “This is enough! I’m sick of this game of yours! This hope? It’s NOTHING. Let it GO. LET HER GO.”

Jimin combed his fingers through his hair haphazardly. Jimin paused as his son’s dark gaze leveled on him.

“You didn’t.” Those pale blue eyes were now dark as a raging sea, and it was something he was unaccustomed to seeing. He really is our son. Jimin swallowed thickly as Niklaus pushed to stand. “You didn’t give her up. You cannot fool me, Father.” The young man shoved his hands into his pockets as he approached his father.

“She’s back, Father. She’s back. It’s really her. I’ve confirmed it.” Usually, Nick would come in ranting and raving about these things. Jimin could easily dismiss him, quickly push it aside. He could easily say that Niklaus was mistaken. But there was something about the calm confidence he was displaying that unnerved him. Jimin licked his lips nervously while Niklaus stared, unflinching.

“Nick, you know, you say this every ye-” Niklaus put his hand up, interrupting him.

A shimmer of energy fizzled between them as Nick produced that icicle shaped shard, blazing with energy. The blue light shifted against their faces. The sensation of it caused Jimin to stumble back into his chair. Niklaus advanced on him, shoving the proof in front of him.

“This is no longer a joke, Father.” He could taste the cool air in the room. As if their energies called to each other, as it always had. The glass surfaces began to frost around them. Nick pulled up that map, the beacon flaring brighter than when he first saw it.

Just as Namjoon did those weeks ago? Nick pinched, zoomed, and let the village play to life in Jimin’s face. He registered the frown when Jimin saw the colorful decorations. He watched as he stared enraptured as the villagers laughed merrily. He watched his father swallow thickly at the red and green candles that cured in the windows.

The color drained from Jimin’s face when a lovely young woman twirled in the middle of a circle. Children singing a song, he didn’t know nor could he hear, their smiles so bright and cheerful. He moved closer as the woman twirled, her hair the color of storm clouds. Only because the black dye was fading, he could see the snow-white strands throughout.

When he saw her face? Her eyes? Niklaus was sure he could hear Jimin’s heart threatening to leap out of his chest.

“It’s not too late, Father. Remember your promise.”

Niklaus waved it all the way. The shard, the map, and the dancing doppelganger of his dead lover. Jimin sank to his knees with his eyes full of unshed tears.

Niklaus shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped around him. “Happy Holidays, Father.”

Jimin grabbed his chest, he didn’t hear the elevator door open. But for some reason? The ding of the elevator closing sounded louder than usual.

Like a bell tolling for something in the distance.

---------

The closer that time drew along? That dream kept getting stronger. She kept seeing things, faces, and places that weren’t familiar - but made her tear up at the thought. Sona laid in bed with her forearm across her face, the tears fell from the corners of her eyes.

Her heart was so heavy as the day of her hike drew near. She could never understand the pain that filled her. What was once a blossoming field of excitement, had suddenly turned bitter inside of her gut. She hid silent sobs behind her fingers.

She didn’t want to let the villagers down. These lovely people who shared their homes, their lives, and their ways with her. She wanted to give them something to hope for. Because she had no recollection of anything before coming here.

She owed it to them. Something inside of her said it was time to gather.

But the dreams that plagued her? The happiness that was lost to whomever she became at night? They made her fearful of the time to come.

She turned on her side, her shoulder shaking as she sobbed harder into her pillow.

Her tears falling like shimmering mercury onto her sheets.

-------

December 22nd 24XX

“Sona, are you ready to go?” Agnes coughed softly, packing a back with bread and dried fruit. The weather was so mild for this time of year, and it had been for too long. Sona came in wrapped in a scarf and thick cloak.

“I’m ready, Agnes!”

She grabbed the pack and let the elderly woman help her push it on to her shoulders. Sona turned around her cheeks, rosy with a faint blush. “This is it, Agnes. Are you really sure? Do you really think it’s there?” Agnes framed her face, with hands that have gotten colder by the day, and smiled.

“I’m sure it is, my dear. Remember what I told you. The World Tree is special; you will know it when you see it.” The elderly woman frowned softly. “There might also be something that might try and stop you. Something that may try to discourage you from going forward.” Agnes’ frown deepened. “No matter what, Sona.”

Sona patted Agnes’ cheek. “I made you this promise long ago when you told me the tales. I will not let you down.” She couldn’t afford to. They hugged each other tightly, and Sona inhaled deeply, turning on her heel to leave.

She stopped just shy of the threshold. “Have a Merry Christmas, Agnes.” The door was closed behind her with a gentle click. Agnes smiled, turning to settle in her big rocker chair. A blanket pulled over her legs, a fire crackled in the hearth.

She waved her fingers, magic shimmering in front of her. “You can’t stay away this time... Jimin.” The same mystical map loomed in front of her. “It is time to gather.”

The entity masquerading as ‘Agnes’ smiled, “That cheeky girl. Wishing me a Merry Christmas early. You haven’t changed, my girl. You have not changed.”

“And neither have you.” She smiled at the voice that answered in the darkness.

‘Agnes’ turned to the shadowy corner, spotting the twinkling eyes watching her. “Hello, Niklaus.” He stepped out a look bouncing between disbelief and relief.

“You’re….”

She placed a finger against her lips. A shake of her head as she bade him not to speak her actual name. He dropped to his knees in front of her as he sandwiched her hands between his. She smiled down at the silvery strands at his crown as the tears fell against her skin.

“I know my boy. It’s been a long time. It’s almost over - I promise.”

Niklaus hadn’t cried this hard since his mother died. But this confirms everything he had ever told his father over the years. It confirmed that his faith had not been misplaced, that everything will eventually be alright.

Niklaus sniffled as he composed himself, looking up in her eyes. “Does this mean…? I mean the others, they....” She shook her head again.

“Yes, Niklaus. Enough time has passed, and old wounds are healed.” She turned to look out the window to the trail that leads up to the mountains. “...all except one.”

Sona made good progress up the trail. Their area wasn’t known to be particularly fraught with danger - so she had no problem starting a fire to rest. She ate some of the bread and dried fruit, even though her stomach turned as she continued away from the village. It’s strange following the trail with no map. Agnes merely told her, she would know the way. So, she walked, never second-guessed her steps- and always followed her first mind. She kept out of areas too dark, or that gave off a bad vibe. The path remained visible, accessible, but long. It was strange, the farther she got up the mountain, the clearer the sky became. Stars, constellations, and even the moon seemed brighter.

She couldn’t help but smile- it seemed as if the sky was putting on a show just for her.

Wrapped in that thick cloak, warm and safe with the idea that nature was showing off for her. The wind settled, the trees barely shivered, and the moon seemed to dim. Little did she know how right she was.

Even the pair of dark gray eyes that watched her from the shadows realized the world stilled for her - and her alone.

-------

Impossible.

It can’t be.

“Can it?” Jimin’s voice was soft as he stared at her. He replenished the wood in her fire so the cool wouldn’t disturb her slumber. He crouched down, fingers aching to touch as they ghosted over her hair. He couldn’t focus, let alone sleep since Niklaus had visited him. The signs were too bright, like neon lights in the dark.

He had been too focused on his own misery, wallowing in his bitterness that he - again - failed to realize what was happening around him. The world had healed. So much that he noticed the energy of many that had faded before.

Far from their former glory, they existed and grew stronger with humanity’s change of pace. The very switch in their mindset made it comfortable to exist.

It wasn’t until the Seasons had visited him, like a Christmas carol parody. Each making their presence known mere days before. Showing up like ghosts from the past to remind him that he had broken his promise. That he had failed in his duty, and yet, he would still be rewarded.

But only if he forgave himself- and the world for its folly. Because it’s what she would have done. The fact they appeared before him, unfortunately, proved Niklaus’ assumption that this year, something was different.

So Jimin made his way to this mountain village, blending in with a well-placed illusion. There was something strange, enchanting about this particular village and he couldn’t place what it was. But, he stayed among them, watching them live. It had been so long since he’d done that. Just observe the world as it went on its way. There was such joy and gratitude in this place. They were happy with their simple lives, and it gave him hope.

And that scared him.

Almost as much as it did when he actually ran into her, Sona is what they called her. He smirked when she introduced herself because it was an Irish word for Happy. “That’s an odd name.” She tilted her head towards him.

“And what’s your name?”

He hesitated, a fraction, “Jimin.”

She chuckled.

“That’s an odd name.” He blinked at her as she tossed his assessment back at him. “I guess we’re just two odd named individuals, yeah?” She stuck out her hand. “It’s nice to meet another odd individual.” He couldn’t resist taking her hand, lifting it to his lips.

“The pleasure is mine.” Just ghosting over the bumps of her knuckle. Her lips quivered on a soft inhalation of air. Her teeth worried at her bottom lip as their eyes met. “So, Sona. What’s there to do around here?”

“Well, Jimin," She cleared her throat as if it would remove the red tinging her cheeks. "We’re getting ready for an extraordinary occasion.” There was a grin that could have split her face in two. “It’s very secret, only celebrated here. It’s been a long time since it’s been done, though. So, you’ll have to excuse all the…” A hand waved to the candles and such. “...that. I promise it makes sense. But....”

She turned to the odd fellow with hair that seemed the color of storm clouds. Or was it just the afternoon light?

“I can show you our handicraft shops. If you’d like?” His heart skipped a beat as she looked at him from under her lashes.

“I... would, actually. I’d like that a lot.” He offered his elbow, which she grasped gently. They somehow wound up spending hours together. Walking, talking, and laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time when…

“What is it?” She asked curiously.

“What’s what?” He sipped a concoction of black tea, yak butter, and honey. It was something similar to what they consumed in the Tibetan mountains. It was a thick, fatty, and slightly musky drink. But, it kept the people warm, cozy, and strong. It could have used a bit of brandy- maybe he’d suggest that later.

“You were smiling, and rather fondly, I might add.” She sipped her own drink.

“Ah, you... remind me of someone I knew once.” Her eyes darted to her cup.

“I’m sorry?” A quiet apology as she finished.

“Don’t be. I...” He sighed, setting his cup down. “... I needed to be reminded. It’s been a long time since I had a good time like this.”

Sona brightened but managed to keep her head down. “I’m glad I could help.” He seemed so familiar- it was so strange. It was his voice. She swore she’s heard it before?

“Well, I should be going.” Jimin finished his tea, standing abruptly. She followed, nearly knocking over her chair.

“Th-There’s an inn. It’s small, but it should have a bed. The... trek down is so long.” She fiddled with her fingers while he thought it over.

“Alright. I think I would like more of this before I go anyway. Will you take me there?” They smiled at each other, finally. She nodded enthusiastically, practically dragging him across the village.

And now here he is, three days later- watching her sleep under the stars. He clapped a hand over his mouth as he moved away from her. Afraid to let his emotions get the best of him. Fearful that he was going to watch her die too- like all the previous incarnations before her. He ran into the dark of the forest, hard, as branches cut his skin and clothing.

He reached a clearing stumbling to his knees, unable to stop the tears from falling. Gulping for air as the warmth of recognition settled over him. As hope-filled him to the brim and made him sick. As he finally opened himself up to the world, he had shunned.

He felt... everything.

And regretted just as much.

-------

December 23rd 24XX

The air was so much thinner this high up. She took sips of that fortified tea to fight off anything that could think to make her sick. It also helped her breath, as if increasing her lung capacity. The world was too quiet up here. There was nothing to echo or feel.

She had reached the part of the world where no wind could blow.

“I’m close, Agnes.”

Her footsteps echoed in her ears as if she walked on a shiny floor. As if someone were approaching her from a great distance. Everything was so loud. Even the disturbance of her breathing was too loud. Was this it? Was this the distraction, the fear-inducing element that would try to deter her?

Because it was starting to work. The quieter she attempted to be, the louder everything got. She placed her hands over her ears to try and drown it out, but it seemed to happen right inside of her mind. Her breathing increased as her heart rate pattered upward. The tears sparkled in her eyes as she bore the pain.

It was as if the world was testing her mettle. Her head hurt, her legs ached - and she ignored it all. Following the feeling in her soul that urged her forward. Jimin watched from the sidelines, feeling the vibrations of her discomfort. He wanted to tell her to turn back. He wanted to ask her to abandon this foolish journey, go back to her village, and grow old with this spirit. But he couldn’t interfere. And a sick part of him wanted her to finish so she could be proven wrong.

So he could be right. So he could throw this back in Niklaus’ face.

So he wouldn’t have to bear the weight of belief and hope. Jimin knew where she was going. This was a path that he had walked many times. And the only thing he could do? Let his feet shuffle the trail, leaving an indentation in the ground as if he was being dragged to a demon of his past.

The sky opened up to a beautiful celestial play of shooting stars and constellations. The moon seemed to dance in the air above her. It had reached the highest point in the sky. She looked down the path down at the world below. Everything was so small, so precious. There was a tree, thick and lush, just feet away from her.

“The World Tree.” Her voice whisper-quiet echoed around her.

But, Agnes said the tree was sick? This tree wasn’t ill! It was full and well cared for. Could Agnes have been wrong? She moved toward the tree; her fingers outstretched as they settled on the cool bark. Energy, calm, and familiar pulsed under her fingers. She leaned forward and placed her face against the rough surface.

And for a second, just a moment she thought she heard…

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

“Is that a….”

“Heartbeat?” Jimin answered before she could even ask the question. She whirled around, placing her back against the tree. Her eyes were wide.

“Wh-What are you doing here?” Her brow furrowed. “How did you get here?”

He placed his hands behind his back as he paced in front of her. “I’ve been here before. This is a place near and dear to my heart. Question is, Sona, why… ” He approached with a tilt of his head. Taking liberty to catch a strand of hair between his fingers. “...are you here?”

She swallowed thickly as she moistened her lips. “I... I have to be here. For Agnes, for everyone. I have to find something.” She closed her eyes, fingers digging into the tree-bark, as if for strength.

“Go home, Sona. Live a full life. Grow old. Let these legends stay legends.” He leaned in, letting his voice whisper against her cheek. “You can’t imagine the pain in this place.” Her nostrils flared as she tilted her head upward.

“Don’t let it sway you, Sona,” Agnes’ voice echoed in her mind. A fierce determination swelled as she opened her eyes. Jimin smirked as she kept her gaze upward.

“It’s ok. You can give up, Sona.” It made him sick to do this, but he had lived in that pit too long. He couldn’t take the vibrant color she restored to his world.

She tilted her head curiously, still tilted upward as he spoke. A sound, like a groan, echoed around them. Jimin tilted his head as she reached her hand upward.

A shiver ran the length of his body as an icy breeze slithered across his neck.

“Do you know the traditions, Jimin?” Her voice was far away. “The old way of things?”

His brow furrowed as he looked upward, his eyes large as saucers. Right above their heads, as if offered into her hand, a branch studded with fat, triangular leaves, the scent unmistakeable. A tart, evergreen essence that accompanied a cluster of snow-white berries.

Her fingers wrapped around that branch as it hung over their heads. He hadn’t realized that tears had been falling down his face. He barely noticed the drop in temperature, but he saw the swell of magic surrounding them.

There was a soft sob that left him as those berries seemed to shimmer above them. He noticed Sona pluck one of those berries and place it in her mouth.

“No! You mus-” He reached out a hand to stop her. It was too late as she shifted to avoid his grab to her shoulder.  

He couldn’t avoid her as she advanced on him, her fingers clutched into the front of his shirt.

And he certainly couldn’t avoid that kiss.

Her tongue slid against the seal of his lips, a sweetness too heavy to consume on her own, was passed between them, her tongue coated in flavors that the world had forgotten about. Tart cranberries, smoked meats, yeasty bread, the scent of things baking. All accumulated in their mouths and filled their nostrils.

Jimin’s hands had hovered above her waist. Finally, they grabbed her. Greedy for her presence, one hand rose to the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. The soft moan as she melted into him, nearly ended his existence.

It was all coming back to her now.

Now, she remembered.

The World Tree saved her, entombed her while it healed. And she recovered with it. Her admirable sacrificed was rewarded with a second chance. So when the Tree could spare her no more energy? It released her with no memory, and she walked down the path. She stumbled into the village, and there she stayed. Growing stronger as the World Tree did.

And now?

Her hand reached skyward as Jimin placed kisses along her face and jaw. His lips sealed to the tender skin just behind her ear.

She breathed life into his soul as she sighed. She spoke his name like a promise, like a gentle caress.

The Spirit of Christmas burned hotter than the sun for the first time in centuries. He stared upward as a smile curved her lips. The temperature dropped as she exhaled softly. A smile spreading across her face as she stared at the sky.

“Look, it’s snowing.”

Her hand reached up for the flakes falling soft and thick around them. “Isn’t it beautiful?” The Spirit of Winter smiled as the mistletoe began to bloom once more.

“Yes, love.” Jimin tilted his head skyward as the flakes landed on his nose. “Yes, it is.”

“Merry Christmas, Jimin.”

December 24th 24XX

Niklaus couldn’t contain himself as people ran outside to marvel in the snowflakes falling from the sky. It had been too long since he had laughed so heartily. Legend has it, that his ‘Oh, oh, oh’ of surprise, actually gave birth to the ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ that he’s so well known for.

But that’s a story for another time.

For today was about the Spirit of Christmas being reunited with the Spirit of Winter.

And their child who had indeed kept alive something missing in Humanity.

Hope.

-------

All rights reserved. © Copyrighted 2019.

[spicykoreantatertots]

tomorrow.

[peonybane]

Something’s Coming....

[peonybane]

I know you’re having a Christmas collab do you know any other fic writers who are ?👀👀👀👀

Hey Anon,

I only know of two other holiday collabs and a writer who is doing an idol advent calendar project.

Here they are:

@jamaisjoons‘ 12 Days of Bangtan

@fortunexkookie‘s The Snowball Effect

and @prettywordsyouleft is doing a story/drabble a day for different idols, I believe.

And please don’t forget to check in everyday to see the new presents my own fellow wordsmiths are putting together for the holidays with the 25 Days of Christmas anthology!!!