Secret Admirer
Rating: G
Pairing: 2min
Word Count: 1002 words
Summary: noun: admirer; someone who has a particular regard for someone or something.
A/N: So I’m participating in @squickz‘s A Shawol Christmas wherein writers can share fics to compile for everyone to read! I thought it was a great idea and ended up writing TWO fics for 2min... woops ;;;;. Please enjoy~ and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas :)
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They would laugh about it one day for sure, but for the moment there wasn’t anything to laugh about… Minho was stuck in the hospital, leg propped up and in a thick cast. With the concussion he’d sustained there was no chance of him leaving even on Christmas Day, a fact that had actually brought tears to Minho’s doe eyes. The young man adored Christmas. It was his favourite time of year; he loved the ginger bread houses, fairy lights, decorated trees, the music and even the thick snow that coated the ground every year.
It was perhaps unfortunate to admit then, that it had been this love for Christmas that had landed Minho in the hospital in the first place. He’d been adding another set of lights to the roof of his parent’s house after the first set broke. Of course he’d chosen to do it alone so he could surprise everyone and when the ladder fell, so did he. From the second storey, across the roof on the veranda and then to the ground.
Hence why his leg was broken in several places.
Still, even stuck in hospital, Minho had been blessing as many people as he could with his Christmas spirit, spreading his joy for the holiday with everyone he met. It was this kindness that drove Taemin to do what he never did – put up Christmas decorations.
He was just a nurse at the hospital, but he’d noticed Minho’s actions since his arrival there and there was just something about him… Taemin didn’t know what it was really, but it made him want to make Christmas good for him, even if Christmas had never been his favourite time of year. There was always too many things to do, so many people to impress, a timetable for the month of December set out to ensure he managed to go to every Christmas party and gathering he was expected to go to.
But, when he looked at Minho, saw the smile on his face when he looked out the window, commenting on the snow, how he hummed Christmas carols to himself, sang them to any children he saw, he knew it would be a shame for him to be stuck in a plain white hospital room on a day he adored so much.
When Taemin snuck into the dimly lit room, Minho remained fast asleep, head to one side, hands folded on his abdomen, not at all disturbed. Taemin admired him for a moment, admiring the slope of his nose and the way he seemed so serene despite the cut to his cheek, the bruises on his arms and chin. To avoid being any more creepy than he already felt, Taemin carefully put the box he carried down on the nearest chair and carefully pulled out the first row of Christmas lights.
. : . : . : . : . : .
His eyes slowly opened, bleary as the light greeted him. Blinking a few times, Minho sniffled a little, waking up a little more as he looked to the window which had the blinds pulled aside, allowing him to see the sky was clear and blue, snow coating everything in sight.
It took a moment, but he eventually realised that his room was completely different as well. Christmas lights and tinsel had been hung up all around the ceiling, over the railings on his bed, a golden star perched on top of a Christmas tree assembled in the corner, a few gifts beneath it. As he took in each surprise, Minho’s jaw fell further open, his eyes widening so far he wasn’t sure if they were still in their sockets.
But… who had done this? His room hadn’t looked like this at all when he’d fallen asleep and his parents wouldn’t have done it, they weren’t as dedicated to Christmas as he was.
Sitting up properly, he felt something fall from his chest and into his lap. With a glance down he realised it was an envelope. Curious, Minho turned the envelope over in his hands before he opened it, pulling out the festive card and admiring the image on the front. Inside the card was a long written message, describing the reasons upon reasons for the decorations and what had inspired the writer to put them up for him, then wishing him a speedy recovery so he could play in the snow like he deserved.
“Merry Christmas, Minho.” His nurse greeted, the young woman entering with her hair tied back but wore matching holly earrings and necklace. “How did you sleep?”
“I slept well. Though maybe too well, I didn’t even know anyone came into my room last night…” He commented.
The nurse laughed softly. “We wondered how you would react. Your secret admirer will be glad to know you like it though.” She said as she assessed the awed look on Minho’s face when he glanced over the decorations again.
“Admirer?” Minho asked softly, tilting his head slightly. “And you know who it is?”
Waving a finger at him, the nurse then made a “zipping-my-lips” gesture that told Minho he wasn’t about to get an answer. “I think you’ll be leaving tomorrow though, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy Boxing Day at the very least, right?”
Minho nodded. “Thank you, nurse. Could you… could you tell them thank you as well? I… I’m really grateful for their hard work.”
“I’ll be sure to do that, Minho.” She replied. “See you around lunch time, okay?”
“Okay.” Minho said with a nod, watching her leave.
An admirer? He couldn’t believe such a thing. He hadn’t been doing anything special in particular, just doing as he always did around Christmas. Sighing, Minho shrugged and twisted so he could place the card on his side table, the card open so he could see the message written inside. He’d have to ask around a bit more, see if any of the other nurses were willing to tell him who this person was…