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It was December 26th, the day after Christmas.
Normally, this day had little meaning. To some, it meant a long drive back home; to others, the first wave of festive leftovers; and to many way up North, it meant it was time for their first break in quite some time. But for you, today was a day of excitement.
You'd met Buddy Hobbs about a year ago, during last year's holiday preparations. You'd become fast friends, easily swept up in his friendly demeanor. Your fast friendship was something you were truly thankful for -- you'd been having a rough time, as you usually did around the holidays, but Buddy changed that. Year round, he encouraged and cheered you on. You'd never imagined a day would come where you were excited for winter, but here you were, and it was all thanks to Buddy.
And, in between the snowmen, snow angels, and snowball fights, your feelings had grown into something stronger, something more tender and delicate.
Love. It was unfamiliar, gentle, sweet in a way you hadn't felt in years. You remember vividly the day your feelings dawned on you -- it was the middle of July, in your apartment. You insisted he wear something more comfortable than his usual full elf attire, and you soon found him wearing your pajamas curled up in your bed, watching some cheap Hallmark Christmas movie. You don't remember a thing about the film, but you'll never forget the way his eyes seemed to light up like the lights on a Christmas tree.
From that day forward, you've seen him in a different light, right alongside Christmas. Your heart swelled just thinking about them, concepts sewn together neatly in your mind. You'd been dropping hints for some time now; choosing more romantic holiday movies, cuddling up to him more, getting him sweeter and more romantically charged gifts; but it was hard to tell what he thought about you.
Buddy Hobbs was, as came to your initial surprise (but quickly explained a lot about him) raised by elves in the North Pole. As a result, his demeanor came off consistently and unwaveringly jolly -- or at least, your presumed that was the root of it -- in a way that made the actual nuances of his emotions hard to pinpoint. All you knew was that he liked you, with no way of knowing the extent of it.
You'd asked your friends what to do and, after some teasing over your taste in men, they'd managed to hype you up enough to confess your feelings.
So, here you were, sitting on a bench at the park waiting for him.
You were originally planning on confessing on Christmas day, or even on Christmas Eve, but you couldn't muster up the will to try and break him away from his usual holiday excitement. You shiver slightly as a cold wind passes by, making you readjust your hat.
You check your watch -- a Christmas present, funnily enough -- watching the small hand tick to twelve.
"Hey!" A familiar voice calls out, on time down to the dot. "It's me!! Buddy!! Your friend Buddy!!"
"Buddy!" You look up to him with a smile. "How's it going, man? I take it your Christmas was as great as usual?"
"Better than usual!" Buddy moved his arms around for emphasis, threatening to spill the drinks in his hand. You silently thanked the inventor of coffee cup lids. "My Dad took us all out sledding, and then we went and got hot cocoa, and I almost convinced Santa to let Michael on his sleigh, and we went up to see Papa Elf, and, and," he cuts himself off, holding forward the two drinks in his surprisingly bare hands, " I brought you some cocoa!"
You can't help but snort, face warmed by his excitement. You gingerly take one of the cups from his hand, blowing cold, visible breaths into it.
"How'd yours go?" He asks, and you can see the glimmer of hope in his eyes. Your smile grows immediately. "Best one I've had in years, all thanks to you." You sigh, your smile growing gentler. "I really can't thank you enough, Buddy."
His smile grows, and he cheers, pumping a fist in the air -- you wonder with a chuckle if he learned that from Michael or the elves -- and you take a sip of your hot cocoa, which has already begun cooling down considerably in the freezing weather.
"Soooo, what'd you call me down here for, anyway?" Buddy's question catches you off guard, causing you to choke up for a moment. "You're not exactly the Santa's biggest holiday helper, so I didn't think you called me here just to see how he was doing!"
He stares at you with a prompting smile. Since when did he get so good at reading the room? Did he get Adderall for Christmas this year?? You take a deep breath, readying yourself. It's now or never.
"I... well, you've really helped me a lot over this past year. You've been so nice to me, so kind and caring, hell, you even changed my opinion about a whole season!" You fiddle with your cup of cocoa, hoping the steam from the cup covers up how red your face has surely become. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is... you're really special to me, Buddy. You really mean a lot to me, and I... I think I'm in love with you, and would be honored if you were interested in... maybe, um, dating...?" You shyly bring your gaze up to meet his.
Much to your shock, he isn't smiling. His face isn't even neutral. He frowns down at you, eyebrows furrowed.
"...like, um. Romantically?" You add cautiously, worry beginning to swim in your gut. His face twists further. "What... What's wrong?" You weren't sure what you were expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. He hesitates before speaking, mouth opening slightly before closing it with a visible cringe.
"You're super duper nice, and a really sweet guy, but, wellll..." he squints at you. You've never seen this level of judgement from him before. "Well, we're both boys!"
You blink, incredulous. You don't know what to say.
"I... yeah?"
"Yeah! And everyone knows that boys and girls are the ones that get married and have babies, not two boys."
You stare at him, mouth agape. Were Santa's elves homophobic!? You never really expected him to have the same level of understanding about relationships as a sheltered rich kid, but you suppose it makes sense in hindsight. The homophobia is still throwing you off guard, however. You try to swallow your nerves.
"Well, actually, two boys CAN be in love, just like that! Two girls, too," you attempt to explain. "It's pretty common, actually. Do the elves... not... do that? Are there no gay elves?"
"All the elves are gay, especially around Christmas time!" Buddy quickly explains. "But as for your first question, no, I don't think so. They weren't really public about relationships, since they can get in the way of toymaking. But from what I've seen, they've always been a girl and a boy. And it isn't exactly "common" here, either, from what I've heard."
Your stomach drops.
"W-well, despite what... some people say, it's perfectly natural to... to..." You trail off as you meet his eyes again, your resolve crumbling.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think this is going to work out," he says to you, eyebrows furrowed somewhere between concern and disgust. There's a distant look in his eye. "Enjoy your cocoa. Merry Christmas."
He walks away, grip on his own cup rather loose. Your stare after him, eyes beginning to glaze over with tears. You have a feeling that your newfound enjoyment of the holidays isn't going to last much longer.