Work Text:
Dearest (Sexiest) Santa,
With each holiday season, the smell of his cinnamon sugar cookies warms my heart up even more. Ever since we met three years ago, his dimpled smile, dark hair, and (sometimes) white beard have been on my mind constantly. Just know that all I really want for Christmas is Steve, Mr. Claus. Is that too much to ask?
Love,
Your Favorite Elf
Yeonjun smiles devilishly, the bells on the end of his striped shoes jingling as he makes his way toward the mailbox. Kids are swarming the area, and usually, Yeonjun doesn’t mind it. It’s his job anyway, to take their letters to Santa from their grubby hands in exchange for a couple of candy canes. All in the spirit of Christmas. Today, however, Yeonjun has his own little letter to deliver.
He slides it into the slit in the mailbox before helping a kid that’s too short to reach it do the same. The little boy smiles, one of his front teeth missing.
“Do elves also ask Santa for presents?” His lisp is aggressive and quite adorable. Yeonjun sees more than a couple of candy canes hanging out of the pocket of his puffer jacket.
“No,” he pats the little thief’s head, “We ask him for favors.”
“Like what?”
Yeonjun smiles, mostly to himself before turning to the man of the month. Santa, sitting on his plush throne, full white beard, and red and white suit stuffed with extra padding. Yeonjun’s quite possibly in love. “You’ll see.”
❄️❄️❄️
Getting off work is probably the most satisfying thing. Pulling off his goofy elf ears and itchy costume and slipping back into a comfy sweatshirt and sneakers is a feeling that’s on par with freshly baked cookies and cracking open a can of beer.
The children’s programming company he works for is quite good, and they’ve provided a lot of work for college students who need jobs over the winter break. Even though the hours are long, Yeonjun has been doing this every year now, and he’s honestly going to miss it once he graduates. Which will be next spring. He shivers, thinking about the inevitable post-grad crisis that’ll hit him like a truck.
“Hey, Yeonjun,” Beomgyu, another one of Santa’s elves, walks into the changing room. Taehyun walks in just after to grab his bag and leave because he’s the lucky one who gets to take photos and therefore doesn’t need to wear an ugly outfit. Beomgyu wiggles his fingers as a goodbye before turning to Yeonjun again. “Couldn’t help but notice you ogling Santa a little more than usual today.” There’s a sneer on his face, and he’s acting like he doesn’t know.
“I was just hoping he’d check the mail. I listened to what you said…I wrote him a letter confessing my feelings.”
Beomgyu lifts a brow as he unbuttons his green vest. “Didn’t think you’d have the guts. I thought you’d pine over him for the rest of your life.”
“Well. I didn’t actually say I liked him . I described him and then…”
“And then?”
“And then I chickened out and wrote Steve instead.” Yeonjun shrinks into his sweatshirt, embarrassed under Beomgyu’s glare. “He’ll be able to figure it out, right? I was being pretty obvious!”
“Do you realize who you’re talking about? It took him a week to figure out that the candy canes Taehyun was pulling from behind his ear didn’t actually materialize out of thin air!”
It’s true. He was so upset when Taehyun told him the truth that he didn’t bring in sugar cookies for the rest of the week. Yeonjun frowns at the thought. “I can’t tell him. What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”
Beomgyu doesn’t say anything. But he does sigh with so much frustration that Yeonjun kind of feels stupid. He could never bring himself to say how he feels. Not when he gets distracted whenever he’s in front of him. His smile, his voice, his cookies, his dimples…ugh it’s happening again.
His phone buzzes, breaking the tension. Ah, the man of the month once again.
Hot chocolate in 10?
There’s nothing Yeonjun loves more than hot chocolate. Not only because it’s a drink that hugs you on the inside, but also because of the company that comes with it. Santa Claus.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Soobin jogs up to him, huffing a bit. There isn’t any snow on the ground yet, but the temperatures are still icy enough to make his nose turn a cute shade of red. “I forgot to take my beard off. I had to run back inside when I noticed some moms in the parking lot looking at me funny.”
Yeonjun wants to boop his nose so badly but he redirects his finger to poke at Soobin’s side. “Dummy. Which cafe?”
There are two coffee shops that they frequent the most. One that has a very cozy vibe and aesthetic-looking latte art. But there are too many people there these days because some influencer posted about it a couple of weeks ago and business has spiked. The other coffee shop has terrible coffee but really good pastries.
“The bad coffee place is closer and I’m too tired to go anywhere else. And maybe their hot chocolate isn’t as shit as their coffee?”
Yeonjun doubts it but he doesn’t want to say no either. Soobin’s tired face is too hard to ignore and Yeonjun’s sure his hands wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from squishing his cheeks or tugging at his ears to pull a smile out of him.
“Ugh. Fine. But you pay.”
“Of course. After all, I am the breadwinner of North Pole,” Soobin laughs, good-naturedly. The sound warms Yeonjun right up as they walk. Christmas wreaths decorate the doors of shops and bows adorn the top of every lamppost down the lane. The streets are busy but not packed, so there’s enough background noise to filter out Yeonjun’s pounding heart.
“Honestly, I think the elves deserve a raise. We have to deal with the crying kids who are scared of you. That’s way worse!”
“You don’t have to deal with the infants peeing on you though! There was that one day when I had to change my pants three times!” They both giggle at that, Soobin sniffling after. Yeonjun notices he’s only wearing a long-sleeved shirt.
Yeonjun preemptively pulls off his hoodie in one go and holds it out to him. “You need to dress warmer, Soobin-ah. You’ll catch a cold.”
Soobin shakes his head but then sniffles again, causing him to give in. Once he slips it on, Yeonjun yanks the hood over his head and pulls at the drawstrings.
“Won’t you be cold?” Soobin’s eyes search his with worry, even though he looks perfectly comfortable with the extra layer.
Actually, no. The sight of him wearing his brown hoodie and looking like a mix between a bear and Rudolph is enough to make his cheeks hot. “We’re almost there. I’ll survive.”
Pretty much everyone in line was ordering hot cocoa, which made it easier for the baristas. But really it was a testament to how bad their coffee was, which Soobin whispered again to Yeonjun as they waited to pick up their drinks. His deep and amused voice tucked snugly in his ear drove him a little mad.
Their orders came quickly and they sat down by the window, watching the people outside hurry by. Yeonjun hums after taking a sip. It’s a little too hot to tell whether he likes it or not. “I’ll miss this job.”
There’s a whine from across the table and Yeonjun is subjected to the heartbreaking sight of Soobin frowning. Oh no, his poor heart. “Don’t remind me. I don’t know how you could leave me with Beomgyu! He’s out to steal my job!”
It’s true. Beomgyu had originally applied for the Santa position but lost it to Soobin because he didn’t want to ruin his hair with a wig. Management offered the elf position after that, and he took it reluctantly, even if he’s a pro at handling kids. Yeonjun thinks he makes a cute elf, but he’d never tell him that.
“He’s not so bad. Plus, he and Kai are way more inviting than Taehyun and myself. Those two are the best at catching the kids’ attention.”
Soobin shakes his head fervently. “I think you’re the best. With kids, I mean.” Yeonjun hides his blush by taking another sip. Soobin continues.
“You’re always good at keeping the fantasy up, you know? You don’t let anything slip and you make them believe in the magic a little more. I think that’s what the whole point of this is. You know, aside from getting paid.”
Yeonjun bites his lip, pleased at the praise. “Big words coming from Santa Claus himself. You’re the reason we all get paid.”
Soobin giggles, dimples deep in his cheeks. “And the reason you have that hot cocoa. Be grateful.”
“I am.” It comes off softer than he wanted it to, and Soobin’s eyebrows lift a little at his fond expression. “It's nothing without you.”
❄️❄️❄️
Just for fun, Soobin reads the letters from the kids. He likes to see the ugly crayon drawings they make and all the misspelled words. Oh, and the lists and lists of what they want for Christmas. Sometimes parents come back and ask for them, just so they know what to get their little ones, and Soobin finds great joy in talking to them like they were elves too, helping to keep the magic alive.
He pulls out a letter from the stack that seems to be tucked into a plain office envelope and not covered in loads of glitter and stickers.
Just from the Sexiest Santa at the top, he knows who it is. But as his eyes go lower and lower down the page, his smile lessens. By the end of it, his lip is quivering.
Steve? Does Yeonjun like someone else? Based on the description –white beard, dark hair, and dimples– it sounds like some hot American dad who bakes cookies.
He reads it over and over until it’s almost memorized. Yeonjun’s known this guy for three years? God, Soobin never stood a chance.
He shoves the note in Beomgyu’s face the next time he sees him. Which is five minutes later when he walks into the changing room.
“You never told me Yeonjun had a crush on some hot dilf! I wouldn’t have been so obvious about my feelings then!”
Beomgyu the Elf (he’s in costume) snatches the paper from his hands and scans it quickly. Beomgyu’s stare pins him in place. “You have got to be joking. Both of you are the stupidest people ever. I can’t believe people think you’re the omniscient Santa Claus. You’re a fool.”
Soobin knows by now that none of the words that come out of Beomgyu’s mouth are serious. He learned that the hard way, trust him. But the fact that Yeonjun might not be into him stings a little too much. “God, I’ve been crushing on him for way too long to lose to some old man.”
Beomgyu looks like he’s deciding on whether to slap Soobin on himself in the head. “Maybe you should just tell him you like him, Soobin.”
“I can’t do that! He clearly doesn’t like me back, it'd be too embarrassing!”
Beomgyu the Pissed Off Elf pinches the bridge of his nose. “This feels like deja vu.”
There’s a knock at the door. Yeonjun pops his head into the room. “Guys, we need you out here!”
Beomgyu pushes Soobin towards the door, which means towards Yeonjun, earning himself two very freaked-out glares directed his way.
Elves are not paid enough for this shit.
❄️❄️❄️
Of course, Soobin does nothing. And neither does Yeonjun. By the time the holidays edge closer and Yeonjun’s time working comes to an end, he feels more restless.
He had hoped that Soobin would treat him to more hot cocoas or dinners but he seems to be busy as of late. A lot of their interactions recently have been hellos in the changing room and quick texts at night. Soobin usually has somewhere else to go after work and he shows up just in time to greet the kids, never too late or too early.
As always there will be looks shared across the sea of toddlers in line, but it really feels like the spirit of the season has got in the way of them. Yeonjun misses his dimples more than anything.
On the night of their holiday party, everyone is giddy. The Christmas season is over, and Yeonjun is so looking forward to chilling at home for the rest of the break. Though he’ll miss the cinnamon sugar cookies Soobin brings to work in the morning and the sound of Taehyun’s laughter after Beomgyu and Kai force him to use his camera to take nice Instagram photos. He’ll miss Soobin waiting for him after work to buy him hot cocoa and the smell of his cologne that will eventually fade off his brown hoodie.
The five of them crowd around the table at the restaurant and crash their cans of beer together, still with goofy holiday hats on, save for Taehyun who makes it a point to boast about how normal he looks amongst the rest of them.
“Honestly, I’m surprised we got through the season without Beomgyu getting a third warning for taking his hat off,” Kai cackles.
Beomgyu groans and covers the top of his head “It makes my hair all staticy! And I sweat like crazy under it.”
Soobin scoffs. “Do not talk about sweating. All of you punks have it easy.”
Yeonjun nods in agreement, receiving scowls from both Beomgyu and Kai. “What? Soobin’s right.”
“You’re just biased,” Beomgyu blurts.
“W-What? No, I’m not!”
Kai chimes in with a sneaky smile. “Yeah, you are! Last year, you sided with him even after we won the bet over whether he’d get peed on at least four times!”
“Well that’s not something he can control!”
Taehyun shakes his head. “A bet is a bet. You still owe us money.” This is directed at Soobin who rolls his eyes and pulls out a couple of bills from his wallet. He slides it across the table with a sickly sweet smile. “The least I could do for my elves.”
“But we’re not your favorite elf, right?” Beomgyu blurts out, again, and then has the nerve to look at Yeonjun. And to think Yeonjun defended his honor to Soobin the other week.
Yeonjun clears his throat awkwardly, trying his best not to look at Soobin’s reaction, lest he be disappointed. “Let’s just eat guys.”
Food does the trick. The clinks of utensils between conversation and the soft holiday music drifting through the room eventually pull the group conversation in various directions, ranging from old bets they’ve lost to job prospects for Yeonjun to an in-depth ranking of the worst Christmas movies.
Amongst all of this, Yeonjun trains his somewhat drowsy eyes on Soobin. In an attempt to memorize all his pretty features and quirks, he barely looks away.
He’s subjected to all the smacks in the arm after every joke, but he takes it in stride because he gets to hear that squeaky laugh right after. Soobin will then kick his leg on accident and apologize, but he never moves it that far away. His warmth radiates off his cardigan, and the Santa hat slips off his head from time to time, allowing Yeonjun the chance to fix it straight again, much to the amusement of the other three. Soobin’s shy little smile is worth all the teasing.
By the time the night ends and Kai is a little too tipsy for his own good, Yeonjun feels this sense of loss. Hugging everyone goodbye is quite emotional, even if they have each other’s numbers and he knows he’ll be tormented by Beomgyu to be invited to his grad party.
Soobin offers to walk him home, which is too sweet of him and also breaks his heart because this is probably the last time they’ll get to do this.
“Don’t be dramatic, hyung. We live in the same town. I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”
Realizing he said that out loud, Yeonjun clears his throat. The temperatures are freezing and he can see his exhales. “Yeah, but you go to a different school. And we’ll be busy. I wish I could just do this forever.”
Snowflakes drift down softly. Soobin catches them in his palm and watches them melt into his skin. “You don’t mean that. You deserve better than being an elf at a mall.”
Yeonjun laughs out loud at that. “You’re right. But I’ll miss you guys. I’ll feel so left out next year when I’m not there.”
Soobin shoves a hand into the pocket of his new jacket. Yeonjun smiles. He took his advice and got one.
“So come visit.” Yeonjun finds it fascinating how Soobin has the most simple responses to all of his problems. He doesn’t have to try hard and yet he’s making Yeonjun feel so much better.
“I will.”
They stop outside the door of his apartment. With the way his dimple sinks deeper into his cheek, it looks like Soobin wants to say something. Yeonjun waits.
“Sooo, spending the holidays with someone special?”
Yeonjun narrows his eyes. What is he trying to get at? “Not really. I wish I could. But.”
Soobin takes a step forward, the backdrop of flurries making him look like he's living in a snow globe. “But what?” There’s a weird look in his eyes, similar to the time he was trying to figure out how the candy canes showed up out of thin air and into Taehyun’s hand.
“But Santa didn’t listen,” he says, a small smile on his lips. “But that’s ok–”
“Who’s Steve?” Soobin interrupts, eyes a little big. He pulls a familiar letter from his pocket.
“He’s…” Yeonjun trails off. Why is it so terrifying to say it?
“Wait. Don’t tell me. It’ll make me feel worse.” Soobin sniffles, but he’s wearing his jacket so it can't be because of the cold. Yeonjun pulls him in by the arm.
“Soobin. Are you crying?”
“No!” But his eyes are definitely teary. “It’s cold! My eyes are watering, that’s all.” He wipes at them aggressively.
“Soobin…” Yeonjun caresses the side of his face, finally pushing his thumb into his dimple. Soobin leans into his touch and Yeonjun realizes he's won it all. Soobin totally likes him back. The words come out easily now. “You’re Steve. I was just too nervous to say your name. I’m sorry.”
Soobin’s eyes widen, and he looks so adorable, just as cute and squishy as the marshmallows in his cocoa. “Really? I’ve been worried sick that you’ve been into someone else this whole time! I didn’t want to be overbearing or something if I kept making us hang out.”
The genuine look in his eyes makes Yeonjun want to melt like the snowflakes in his palm. It’s impossible to not like the guy. “I was describing you in the letter!”
Soobin takes a second before half-yelling. “What? I’m not a hot American dilf!”
A few people walking by send them both a strange look. Yeonjun runs a hand down his face.
“What the hell are you talking about?” he snatches the paper from Soobin’s hand, pointing to each word. “Dimples? Dark hair? White beard? You bake sugar cookies all the time and I’ve known you for three years!”
“Don’t make me sound like the stupid one! The white beard and dark hair made me think of salt-and-pepper hair!" He grumbles and then tacks on, "You wrote Steve! My name is spelled S-O-O-B-I-N.”
Yeonjun smacks his forehead. “If anything, you are all the elves' sugar daddy because you drop almost every bill! God, Soobin. You really are thickheaded.”
"I'm sorry about our wage gap. I tried to tell management but they wouldn't budge." Soobin tugs on his sleeve and pouts, because of course he does. He knows his power because Yeonjun’s heart is already fluttering. "Even if I'm thickheaded, you still like me, right?"
Yeonjun pulls him in for the tightest hug he can muster over all those layers of fabric and jacket puff. His whole body is so warm. There’s a smile in his voice as he says, “Yeah, I do. I guess Santa really did listen.”
“I did,” Soobin mumbles somewhere squished into his hair. And then Yeonjun pulls away just to kiss him, lips cold as snow but soft as Soobin’s smile that follows.
Yeonjun brushes the snowflakes off Soobin’s hat just to watch him scrunch his nose cutely. Although Mr. Claus might not be real, Soobin is. And somehow, in his silly little Soobin way, he got Yeonjun exactly what he wanted.