Day 22 - Memory #13: the first delivery
title: 25 days to Christmas -- Day 22 - Memory #13: the first delivery
characters: EXO
rating: G
WC: 1039
summary: hissy-fits, creepy loverboys, unicorns and cookies. That's pretty much it.
❆masterpost❆
< prev
“Sorry, I’m getting too old.”
“Sorry, my real job is getting too taxing.”
“Sorry, I’m starting a family.”
These were the main explanations the nine reindeers who’ve been working with his father, some of them for the past twenty-odd years, gave Yifan within days of his first assignment as the new Santa Claus. Cue an intense week of computer researches with some omniscient program Joonmyeon swears by, flights to halfway across the world to engage in facepalm-worthy stalking activities and the previously mentioned hits at Yifan’s mental state, and the new reindeers are chosen.
From now on, everything will proceed smooth sail, he’s sure of it.
❆
“I wanna come with youuuuuu~~” a wail pierces through the busy quiet of the elves’ laboratory, catching all the present by surprise and risking to startle some to the point of breaking the presents as they’re loaded on the sleigh..
“Zitao…” Yifan and Joonmyeon chorus, and if they use the younger elf’s full name it means he’s getting quite in trouble.
“Pretty pleaseeeeee,” Tao whines, not opposed to milk his aegyo resources to the last drop to get what he wants: fly on the sleigh. And lend a hand to both Santa and the head elf, while they’re at it. (He was too intimidated by Yifan’s father when he moved to the North Pole the previous year, so he didn’t dare to ask.)
“Tao, you know it’s the head elf the only one allowed on the sleigh, it’s his duty,” Joonmyeon tries to gently coax the younger into giving up.
“But I could help! We’d be quicker with two more hands!” Tao tries to reason.
“...If you put it that way,” Yifan concedes after a short silence, earning a dubious stare from the head elf and a hopeful one from the brat.
❆
As soon as they arrive, the new guard is whisked away by the respective senior reindeer for an intensive training to get ready for the fast approaching Delivery.
Luhan is ready. He was born ready. He’s the only one with a minimum of preparation, thanks to the occasional training his father gave him through the years (in fact he’s pretty sure the two of them are going to play Go Fish after warming up, practicing transfiguration and going through the rules). It was supposed to be easy peasy.
The problem is, Luhan didn’t expect to meet the love of his life.
It’s with a lot of fussing and dragging that Luhan’s father manages to pull his son to Cupid’s stall, forcefully making him take a seat and blocking him whenever Luhan tries to take another look at the short, round cheeked boy that walked to the stall right next to his (zomg, he might be his partner, fanboy mode activated). As his father recounts what he’s supposed to do, Luhan quickly climbs on the stool to reach the top of the divider, catching the attention of his love interest and his mentor.
“Hey, how you doin’,” he calls out smoothly, adding a raised eyebrow for full, seductive effect (if you say so…), before being dragged down by his exasperated father. Minseok looks up and does a double take at the small face grinning down at him a second before disappearing. He doesn’t hide how dumbfounded, and a bit creeped out, he is.
❆
After an intensive day of training, the new reindeers are ready to take over and start their first Delivery.
Closest to the sleigh are Donder and Blitzen, Yixing and Jongdae. The moment he stepped out of his stall, everyone stared at the chinese boy: it’s not every day you get to transform into a reindeer and work for Santa Claus, let alone meet a unicorn in the flesh. As white as the snow surrounding the paddock, Yixing reciprocates the amazed gazes with a peaceful one of his own, smiling as much as his equine mouth allows it (don’t ask why, but his trademark dimple is still there, goodness gracious). Next to him, Jongdae is glowing in badly contained satisfaction for being paired with the pretty unicorn and for the vaguely envious looks he gets from the fellow human-reindeers; on the flip side, he doesn’t know how to communicate with Yixing: his mandarin skills aren’t outstanding, but he promises himself to do his best (one would think he’ll only care about the chinese boy, rather than the “mission”... well, it’s partially true, sorry for being an hormonal boy).
In front of them are Comet and Cupid, with Luhan standing a bit too close to Minseok, uncaring of the reins.
“Aren’t you supposed to stay over there?”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
A few feet ahead are Prancer and Vixen. Surprisingly yet unsurprisingly so, Chanyeol and Baekhyun hit it off immediately, as if they weren’t complete strangers until yesterday. It still baffles Jongin and Sehun how easy it is for their older friend to make friends with people.
Speaking of the two youngest boys, they are leading the sleigh, Sehun in front of everyone with his nose glowing proudly and with a purpose (finally), together with the quiet and reserved Kyungsoo. Dancer and Rudolph pinky-promised to try their hardest at worming their way in Dasher’s heart: get rich the boy or die trying, and judging by the murderous aura the older guy gives off, the second option is likely to happen.
Sleigh packed to its fullest, reindeers in line (“Luhan, return to your position, you aren’t here to hit on people. Or reindeers.”), helping elves at either side of Santa (a particularly satisfied Tao can’t sit still, swinging his legs back and forth), and they’re ready to go.
❆
“This damned belly is more hindering than anything.”
“Please stop gorging on cookies, we still have two thirds of the world to fly through.”
“You’re reading The Book upside down.”
“You’re talking so loudly you’re going to wake up everyone.”
“What did I tell you, Tao?”
“Luhan!”
❆
It’s the morning of the 25th. The last tiny island in the middle of the Pacific, -12 GMT time, has been covered and the exhausted group can trudge its way back to the North Pole.
“I think I can sleep for two days straight,” Yifan mumbles tiredly. Two hums, eight bells and a neigh resound in agreement.
next >
characters: EXO
rating: G
WC: 1039
summary: hissy-fits, creepy loverboys, unicorns and cookies. That's pretty much it.
❆masterpost❆
< prev
“Sorry, I’m getting too old.”
“Sorry, my real job is getting too taxing.”
“Sorry, I’m starting a family.”
These were the main explanations the nine reindeers who’ve been working with his father, some of them for the past twenty-odd years, gave Yifan within days of his first assignment as the new Santa Claus. Cue an intense week of computer researches with some omniscient program Joonmyeon swears by, flights to halfway across the world to engage in facepalm-worthy stalking activities and the previously mentioned hits at Yifan’s mental state, and the new reindeers are chosen.
From now on, everything will proceed smooth sail, he’s sure of it.
❆
“I wanna come with youuuuuu~~” a wail pierces through the busy quiet of the elves’ laboratory, catching all the present by surprise and risking to startle some to the point of breaking the presents as they’re loaded on the sleigh..
“Zitao…” Yifan and Joonmyeon chorus, and if they use the younger elf’s full name it means he’s getting quite in trouble.
“Pretty pleaseeeeee,” Tao whines, not opposed to milk his aegyo resources to the last drop to get what he wants: fly on the sleigh. And lend a hand to both Santa and the head elf, while they’re at it. (He was too intimidated by Yifan’s father when he moved to the North Pole the previous year, so he didn’t dare to ask.)
“Tao, you know it’s the head elf the only one allowed on the sleigh, it’s his duty,” Joonmyeon tries to gently coax the younger into giving up.
“But I could help! We’d be quicker with two more hands!” Tao tries to reason.
“...If you put it that way,” Yifan concedes after a short silence, earning a dubious stare from the head elf and a hopeful one from the brat.
❆
As soon as they arrive, the new guard is whisked away by the respective senior reindeer for an intensive training to get ready for the fast approaching Delivery.
Luhan is ready. He was born ready. He’s the only one with a minimum of preparation, thanks to the occasional training his father gave him through the years (in fact he’s pretty sure the two of them are going to play Go Fish after warming up, practicing transfiguration and going through the rules). It was supposed to be easy peasy.
The problem is, Luhan didn’t expect to meet the love of his life.
It’s with a lot of fussing and dragging that Luhan’s father manages to pull his son to Cupid’s stall, forcefully making him take a seat and blocking him whenever Luhan tries to take another look at the short, round cheeked boy that walked to the stall right next to his (zomg, he might be his partner, fanboy mode activated). As his father recounts what he’s supposed to do, Luhan quickly climbs on the stool to reach the top of the divider, catching the attention of his love interest and his mentor.
“Hey, how you doin’,” he calls out smoothly, adding a raised eyebrow for full, seductive effect (if you say so…), before being dragged down by his exasperated father. Minseok looks up and does a double take at the small face grinning down at him a second before disappearing. He doesn’t hide how dumbfounded, and a bit creeped out, he is.
❆
After an intensive day of training, the new reindeers are ready to take over and start their first Delivery.
Closest to the sleigh are Donder and Blitzen, Yixing and Jongdae. The moment he stepped out of his stall, everyone stared at the chinese boy: it’s not every day you get to transform into a reindeer and work for Santa Claus, let alone meet a unicorn in the flesh. As white as the snow surrounding the paddock, Yixing reciprocates the amazed gazes with a peaceful one of his own, smiling as much as his equine mouth allows it (don’t ask why, but his trademark dimple is still there, goodness gracious). Next to him, Jongdae is glowing in badly contained satisfaction for being paired with the pretty unicorn and for the vaguely envious looks he gets from the fellow human-reindeers; on the flip side, he doesn’t know how to communicate with Yixing: his mandarin skills aren’t outstanding, but he promises himself to do his best (one would think he’ll only care about the chinese boy, rather than the “mission”... well, it’s partially true, sorry for being an hormonal boy).
In front of them are Comet and Cupid, with Luhan standing a bit too close to Minseok, uncaring of the reins.
“Aren’t you supposed to stay over there?”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
A few feet ahead are Prancer and Vixen. Surprisingly yet unsurprisingly so, Chanyeol and Baekhyun hit it off immediately, as if they weren’t complete strangers until yesterday. It still baffles Jongin and Sehun how easy it is for their older friend to make friends with people.
Speaking of the two youngest boys, they are leading the sleigh, Sehun in front of everyone with his nose glowing proudly and with a purpose (finally), together with the quiet and reserved Kyungsoo. Dancer and Rudolph pinky-promised to try their hardest at worming their way in Dasher’s heart: get rich the boy or die trying, and judging by the murderous aura the older guy gives off, the second option is likely to happen.
Sleigh packed to its fullest, reindeers in line (“Luhan, return to your position, you aren’t here to hit on people. Or reindeers.”), helping elves at either side of Santa (a particularly satisfied Tao can’t sit still, swinging his legs back and forth), and they’re ready to go.
❆
“This damned belly is more hindering than anything.”
“Please stop gorging on cookies, we still have two thirds of the world to fly through.”
“You’re reading The Book upside down.”
“You’re talking so loudly you’re going to wake up everyone.”
“What did I tell you, Tao?”
“Luhan!”
❆
It’s the morning of the 25th. The last tiny island in the middle of the Pacific, -12 GMT time, has been covered and the exhausted group can trudge its way back to the North Pole.
“I think I can sleep for two days straight,” Yifan mumbles tiredly. Two hums, eight bells and a neigh resound in agreement.
next >