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namjoon walked into his room ready to drop on his bed and nap for the rest of the year. his mom had made him spend all morning helping her set up her christmas decorations, which he didn't mind, except for the fact that her mom kept using him to do all the heavy lifting, claiming she was too tired from all the moving. see, namjoon and his parents had moved to this house only a week ago, as his father had gotten a new job and needed to relocate. he hadn’t been the most excited about the move, especially leaving his friends behind, but he knew it hadn’t been an easy choice for his father.
before he could finally reach his bed, namjoon tripped with one of the boxes he still needed to unpack. he would’ve finished days ago if it wasn’t because he was still waiting for his new bookshelf, where he could finally display all of his favorite books, maybe even some of the cute bonsais he’d been working on.
noticing he still had some clothes left as well, he decided to finish setting up his closet, to at least feel some sense of productivity. he decided to make some space where he had crammed some of his stuff on the top shelf because let's be honest, he couldn’t be bothered to have his closet in perfect organization. he started moving things around when a thump came from beside him like something had fallen. he searched for what had caused the sudden sound since he didn’t have any hard objects stored in the closet.
namjoon was surprised to find an old box on the floor. curiosity already threading in, he picked the box up and went to sit on his bed to have a better look. the box was medium sized and made out of metal, it looked like it once had a design but was lost by the years and countless stickers covering it. carefully opening it, he found a pile of polaroids of a boy with what seemed to be his family and friends. underneath the photos, there was a book that looked like a diary of some sorts, amongst other old stuff. thinking that was everything inside, namjoon was ready to put the box away, but suddenly he saw a paper peeking out from the bottom. he carefully pulled it out only to find a letter that had written: “ to: santa from: kim taehyung”. curiosity finally took over him, making him open the letter.
“dear santa, i know that i’m a little old to be writing you letters but i couldn’t think of anyone else to ask this from. this year i only want one thing for christmas. you see, there’s this christmas tree that they put on the park every year and it has always felt magical for me. i’ve thought about this a lot and i wish i could have my first kiss there. i know that’s a silly wish but is there any way it could actually happen? i’ll be waiting there on christmas eve in case you can make it happen. with love, kim taehyung.”
a soft smile formed on namjoon’s face as he read the sweet words of the boy. for some reason, namjoon couldn’t help but feel endeared by this boy even if he knew nothing about him. before he realized what he was doing, he reached for the diary he had previously seen in the box and opened it. inside there were pages full of entries written by he assumed was the same boy from the letter. namjoon went to the first page and began to read the scribbled words of the kid. he’d intended to read only a few pages but the sun was almost setting when he realized he had read almost the entire diary.
he was pulled from his deep focus as he felt a tear falling down his face. he hadn't even noticed when he started crying. taehyung seemed like such a kind and sweet boy, he talked about how much he cared for his best friend, and all the cute animals he would see on the way home from school. he sometimes talked about a cute boy he saw and school, and how he didn’t really understand what that meant for him. every christmas eve for several years he wrote about how he was going to the park to wait for his christmas wish to come true. he would go and wait for hours for a kiss that never seemed to come. but despite being disappointed every time he still came back and continued hoping. the last entry was on christmas before his 18th birthday. taehyung wrote how he was moving to seoul to go to university. he finally felt like he could be free from his parent’s judgment, from his choice of hobbies, to the people he liked, to the career he chose. he would move in with his best friend and live his life this time. namjoon reached the end of the diary, realizing the boy never said if he was returning to the tree ever again.
a week passed and namjoon couldn’t get taehyung out of his mind. he kept the box under his bed and lost count of the number of times he had read both the letter and the diary, he felt such a strong connection towards this stranger. by the information he gathered from the contents of the box, taehyung loved art and spending time with his friends, especially with this cute short guy. his favorite photo was the one where the two boys were laughing, their faces showing how happy they were. on the bottom part of the polaroid written in sloppy handwriting, it said “taetae & yoonie”. if he was right, he would be 22 years old now, only a year younger than him. that night namjoon fell asleep wishing he could somehow find the boy. he couldn’t stop thinking if he’d ever gotten his wish, or had he already gotten so many other kisses, this one didn’t matter anymore?
the next morning namjoon woke up to the smell of baking cookies and hot chocolate. smiling at the thought of his mom’s christmas eve traditions, he went down the stairs and into the kitchen so he could try and sneak out some cookies. as he passed by the leaving room he saw the christmas tree and paused, today was christmas eve. today, during so many years taehyung would go to the same park and wait. what were the chances he would do it again this year? what where the chances he hadn’t given up after so many times? he didn’t live in the same house now, was it possible he still lived close enough to go? he decided it was a foolish thought and continued towards the kitchen, he’d probably gotten other kisses and forgot about his wish as a kid.
after breakfast he decided to facetime jin, his best friend, since they hadn’t talked in a while and they couldn’t spend christmas together this year. he thought about telling him everything about the letter and taehyung, but before he got the courage jin’s boyfriend appeared on the camera. they’d met only once but namjoon had moved away before he got the chance to know him more. this time, when he saw the guy he felt like he knew him from somewhere, and not because he was jin’s boyfriend.
“hey yoongi hyung, weren’t you supposed to go visit your family for the holidays?” namjoon asked as he greeted yoongi. “hi namjoon, yeah i was, but unfortunately i couldn’t go back to daegu and well i'm not complaining about spending christmas with jinnie” he smiled while looking at his boyfriend. “wait, daegu? i didn’t know you were from here” namjoon asked. jin looked at him with a confused face, “i thought i’d told you yoongi was from daegu before you left,” yoongi added “i was born there and now it feels a little weird not spending the holidays there, specially since i don’t get to spend it with taetae.”
namjoon’s mind went blank at the sound of the nickname, “did you just say taetae?” he was sure he hadn’t listened correctly. “um he’s my best friend, do you know taehyung?” yoongi asked a little bit surprised. “i… not exactly, does he still live in daegu?” namjoon replied still looking confused. “no he moved to seoul with me but he went back to daegu last week, i told him to stay with us but he said he had to do go, i guess it's because of this silly tradition he has of going to the park every year” yoongi chuckled. before he could stop the words coming out of his mouth he asked,
“he still goes to wait by the christmas tree?”
yoongi’s eyes widened at the question, “how do you know about the tree?” “i'm sorry but i have to go” namjoon rushed. his mind was a mess, what were the chances the guy he had been thinking about all week was yoongi’s best friend. “wait joon i don’t understand how do you know all of this?” seokjin just stared at them feeling completely lost. “i'm sorry i really have to go, i'll explain later” he said before finishing the call, leaving the older boys shocked and confused.
namjoon couldn’t believe this, taehyung was going to be there today, he had to do something, he couldn’t just forget about it. he immediately grabbed his stuff and was ready to leave the house when he heard his mother ask “namjoon honey where are you going?” “i have to go do something,” he quickly answered. “we’re about to have dinner you can’t leave now,” she replied slightly worried by how nervous and hurried her son looked.
he sighed and went back inside, he knew he couldn’t miss dinner and he didn’t think his parents would understand if he tried to explain what was going on. knowing rushing through dinner wouldn’t make any difference he tried to eat as calmly as he could, but his nerves were killing him. he kept fidgeting throughout the whole dinner to the point were his parents kept looking at him worryingly. as soon as they finished and the table was cleaned he excused himself and practically ran towards the door.
namjoon made his way to the park as fast as he could while his heart was threatening to burst. why was he so nervous? he has never met taehyung and all he knew was from old memories from when he was younger. what if he had changed, what if he wasn’t what namjoon was expecting? he suddenly started doubting himself, taehyung had no idea who he was so how was he supposed to explain how we knew about his wish. what if taehyung got himself a boyfriend and already had someone else to kiss him. as soon as the thought went through his mind, namjoon halted. was he really going to kiss taehyung? did he really wanted to? he couldn’t even say he liked the other boy because he’d read the words of a teenager, he knew it wasn’t liked he’d fallen for taehyung, yet he felt incredibly drawn. like if he met present taehyung, he’d finally find what he’d been looking for, yearning for.
he felt less sure he could go through it. could he just arrive and ask taehyung to kiss him? would taehyung even want to kiss him? namjoon always acted after thinking things through, he'd never done anything by impulse, but there was something about this, he couldn't put a hold on it. shaking his head, he finally made a decision and followed his heart.
as the christmas tree came into sight, namjoon spotted a hooded figure standing on the side. relief surged through him when he realized he was alone. he felt a spur of confidence and approached the younger, and before he could back down he spoke.
“i don’t know if it’ll be your first, but is there any chance i can get a kiss by the tree?”
taehyung’s head immediately snapped towards him. namjoon’s breath hitched as he was finally able to see the other's face up close. looking at the photographs he’d thought the other was cute but he would’ve never thought he could look as beautiful as the man before him did.
“do i know you?” taehyung was looking at him with mixed emotions. namjoon tried to swallow the knot on his throat and finally spoke. “i’m sorry, my name is kim namjoon and i might have found your letter to santa.” “my what? i didn’t write a letter to santa this year what are you talking about? wait-“ taehyung's eyes widened as he realized what the older was talking about. “h-how? i don’t understand, what’s going on?” he questioned trying to make sense of what was going on.
“um, i’m pretty sure i moved into your old house and while i was unpacking i found this box full of photos and letters” namjoon started to explain. he brushed his hands against his pants trying to dry the sweat caused by his nerves before he continued. “i know i shouldn’t have because it was personal but i looked through it and i think i found your letter to santa and i couldn’t stop thinking about how you came every year and i just needed to know if you were coming this year. also your best friend is dating my best friend if that even matters" he chuckled after he finished rambling, seeing taehyung's face become even more confused.
"basically what i'm trying to say is that i might be eight years late, but is there any chance i can make your christmas wish come true?” taehyung kept looking at him completely shocked, and sensing that he needed time to process everything namjoon took him towards a bench so they could sit down. after a few minutes of silence, taehyung seemed to catch on and finally talked.
“you know, i came every year even if i knew there wouldn’t be anyone waiting, but even then i couldn’t stop and this year i was about to stay in seoul. when yoongi asked me to stay with them i was tempted because i was tired of getting disappointed each year and i was ready to move on from this stupid fantasy dream i had created in my mind. i always thought of this as a special magical place and i thought if something special happened in here, i don’t know, maybe things would be different?” taehyung sighed before continuing, “ i was ready to tell my family i wasn’t coming this year for the holidays but i felt something telling me i had to be here tonight, that this time it would be different and that i would regret it if i stayed. if you would’ve come five minutes later you wouldn’t have found me. i was about to give up and the fact that you’re here now. i have no idea who you are and i probably shouldn’t be talking to you, for all i know you could be a stalker or something like that,” the corner of his lips threatening to smile, “but somehow this feels right. sitting here with you tonight, it feels like i finally got to the end of the journey.”
taehyung finally lifted his face and saw namjoon looking at him in such a tender way. they smiled at each other, both feeling a peace in their hearts they desperately had been searching for years. namjoon took taehyung’s hand and helped him stand so they could walk back in front of the tree, namjoon turned to face him and placed his hand on his cheek.
"can i grant you your wish?" he quietly asked. taehyung whispered a small yes, red already tinting his cheeks and not from the cold.
“merry christmas, taehyung” were namjoon’s last words before he leaned in and kissed him.