Santa's Gift

Christmas Day, one of the most joyous celebrations of the year. To many, it serves as a time for families to come together and give gifts to each other. However, for you, it is just another day—you appreciate the holiday, but since you freelance as a writer, it definitely is just another workday for you. You yawn as you reach for your coffee cup, then raise it to your lips, and… ah, it’s empty. You sigh. Another coffee run it is.

“Funny how our dreams come true~” You sing as you wander over to the kitchen. When you enter your living room, a flash of movement catches your eye. You turn your head to catch a glimpse of the prettiest woman you’ve ever seen climbing through the window of your house.

“What the—”

“Shit.”

You scan the woman from head to toe. Bright orange hair with a cute Santa hat hairpin resting within her locks, small face, huge doe eyes, high cheekbones, and round cheeks. A red form-fitting dress with white fluff around the ends wraps her body, ending above her knees, and she finishes the look with red gloves that have the same fluff around the top, as well as a pair of white heeled boots. You blush when your eyes run over the curve of her chest—the dress definitely was form-fitting.

“Wait. Don’t panic. Please don’t panic. Shit. This is not what it looks like, I swear!”

“You—who are you and what are you doing in my house?”

The woman brings her right leg over the windowsill, and you rush to help stabilize her while she brings her other leg through your window. Even if she was an intruder, you kind of felt like you needed to help. It definitely was stupid—what if she was armed? But then again, which robber would do their work in a Santa dress?

“T-thank you.” She swipes her hair behind her ear, a blush across her face. She smiles sheepishly, and for a moment, you lose yourself in it. Fuck, she’s pretty. Maybe the prettiest in the world.

“Ah… You’re welcome.”

Both of you stand in awkward silence, and she looks up, a bright grin on her face. She stretches out a hand.

“Nice to meet you! No one usually catches me, so congratulations! My name’s Kahei, though most people know me as Vivi.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you too. My name’s Minjun.” You shake her hand, and she only smiles wider. However, you can’t help but remain suspicious. “What’re you doing climbing through my window?”

“O-oh.” Her smile falters, and now you feel bad for asking, though you need to know. “Don’t laugh at me, please. You won’t believe me, but please don’t laugh.”

“Okay. Try me.”

“I’m Santa.”

You’re dumbfounded. What? Giggles start to erupt from your lips.

“Hehe— snrk! Sor—hehe, sorry, hehe, wh-what?”

“I already said not to laugh!” Vivi stomps a foot on the ground and pouts, folding her arms. “I’m not lying to you!”

Vivi gestures to a red sack sitting outside of your window. She snaps her fingers, and gifts start floating out of the sack, before they float back down into it.. “I told you, I’m not lying!”

“Oh, oh damn. Shit, Santa’s real?”

“You’re damn right I’m real.” She smiles. “I came to drop off your present.”

You can’t help but get confused. Since when was Santa a beautiful woman, and when did Santa deliver to adults?

“Hey, Santa doesn’t discriminate, you know?”

“Huh?”

Vivi turns around with a gift, a small wrapped box. She presents it to you, and you take it from her hands. The wrapping around the slender box is immaculate, and you can’t help but appreciate the work that went into wrapping it and tying the bow around it.

“Go ahead, open it.”

“Thank you, Vivi.” You walk over to the couch, and you freeze. “Oh, fuck. I have a guest and I didn’t prepare anything, or invite you for a seat.”

The giggles that erupt from Vivi’s lips are adorable. Especially paired with the sight of her hands covering her mouth, her bare shoulders shaking with laughter when she walks over to the same couch.

“Don’t mind if I do, then. Anything’s fine.”

—–

Vivi sips on her hot chocolate while you unwrap the present with care. You don’t want to ruin the paper at all, and even though the anticipation that sits in your heart tempts you to rip through the present, you force yourself to remain patient.

The wait is definitely worth the payoff. You pull the sleek black box out of the wrapping paper, and you gasp. You refuse to believe it—no way is it what you think it is. A Montblanc Great Characters Miles Davis Limited Edition 1926 Rollerball? The pen of your dreams?

“Go on, open it.” Vivi gives you a slight grin, and you follow her instructions. Indeed, the silver pen shines under the light, and your jaw gapes in shock. You stare at Vivi, and she just smiles at your overjoyed visage. “Merry Christmas!”

“Thank you so much!” You barrel into her for a bear hug, and she yelps, before she wraps her arms around you. You can hear her smile next to your ear.

“It was all you, Minjun. You did lots of nice things, and you deserve the treat. Write well, okay?”

“Okay.” You tighten the hug, and Vivi tightens her arms in return.

“Ah, yes.” Vivi breaks the hug and grabs your hands. “Promise me one thing. Tell no one about me, okay?”

“You have my word, Vivi.”

“Great.” She clasps her hands behind her back. “Since you’ve been such a good boy, I’ll let you in on a secret. The pen never runs out, so make sure you make good use of it.”

“Oh my God, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Oh, I’m not done.” Vivi takes a step closer, and she takes hold of your arms. “I have one more present.”

“You’ve spoiled me enough, Vivi.”

“No, I haven’t.” She takes a breath, and then her lips curve up into a gentle smile. “You’ve been such a good boy all these years. I’ve seen all that you’ve done: donate to charity; cook for your elderly neighbours regularly; help out at the orphanage, and all that. I quite like you, so I think I’m going to give you one more present.”

She leans in close.

“I saw the way you looked at me when I came in.”

Oh, fuck.

“Prettiest woman in the world? I’m flattered.” The gentle smile never leaves Vivi’s face, but there’s a teasing lilt in her voice. “It helps that you’re one of my favourites to give gifts to every year.”

Vivi wraps her arms around your neck. She’s just centimetres away from your face, her warm breath sending chills across your body when she speaks.

“I’ll give you a kiss, okay?”