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After an abnormally hot season, the October air had finally adapted the telltale, brisk chill of autumn. It was about time too, in Koushi's opinion; Halloween was only a few days away. As he made his way down the sidewalk, a gloved hand wrapped firmly around Daichi's favorite travel mug, the wind tugged at his hat. Leaves swirled around Koushi's feet and ankles. Koushi took a deep breath. The cool air filled his lungs, a shiver running down his spine. He loved autumn, it was his favorite time of year.
Koushi stopped outside of Daichi's shop, the soft mint and wisteria greeting him with all of the familiarity of an old friend. He pushed on the jet black door. It swung open, and a rush of warm air greeted Koushi. With a grin, Koushi passed over the threshold into the warm shop. The door swung shut behind Koushi as he announced his arrival.
Tetsurou—in cat form—was curled up on the counter. He cracked one goldenrod eye open as Koushi approached the counter.
"Afternoon, Suga," Tetsurou greeted him, standing and stretching with a lazy yawn.
Koushi smiled, patting the top of Tetsurou's head once he was close enough. "Hello, Kuroo. Busy day today?"
"Absolutely swamped," Tetsurou replied with a lazy flick of his paw towards the empty shop.
"Is Daichi in?" Koushi asked.
"He's in the back. Finishing up some stock replenishment, I think."
Koushi snorted, "You're so observant. The best guard cat that my boyfriend could ask for."
Tetsurou's ears twitched backwards, clearly offended. Koushi laughed as Tetsurou swatted at his arm.
"Next time, I use the claws, Sugawara," Tetsurou warned. He jumped down off the counter, shifting into a human the moment his feet hit the carpet. Tetsurou stuck his tongue out at Koushi before knocking on the break room door. "Hey, Sawamura. Suga's here."
"I'll be out in a minute," Daichi called back. "I'm almost done here."
Koushi unwound the scarf from around his neck, and placed it on the countertop with his gloves and Daichi's travel mug. While he unbuttoned his coat, Tetsurou leaned against the counter.
"So, Suga, you two got any fun Halloween plans?"
Koushi tilted his head back and forth, "Nothing concrete that Daichi's told me about, but then again, he might be trying to surprise me. How about you? Do you have any fun Halloween plans?"
" Kenma, Bo, Akaashi, and I are having a horror movie marathon on Sunday," Tetsurou said.
"Oh, that'll be fun-"
There was a triumphant cry from the other side of the break room door. Koushi and Tetsurou exchanged a look before turning their attention to the door. Daichi emerged a few seconds later, pulling off a pair of safety goggles and gloves.
"With that, the potion supply is fully stocked," Daichi announced. He pressed a kiss to Koushi's temple as he wound an arm around Koushi's waist.
"Very nice," Koushi said, resting his head on Daichi's shoulder.
"So, what'd I miss?" Daichi asked.
"Suga and I were talking Halloween plans," Tetsurou explained. "How about it, Boss Man? Got anything scheduled, or are you hiding something from our dearest Koushi?"
Koushi was amazed at Daichi's complete lack of reaction to Tetsurou's needling; the man had one hell of a poker face.
"Not really," Daichi admitted. "I usually keep my Halloweens plan-free, and I get shop preparations done early. No complex spells or potions means I can open the shop early, then close late."
Tetsurou visibly slumped. "That sounds so boring," Tetsurou groaned. "Please tell me that I don't have to come in early. Or stay late."
"You don't have to come in early, or stay late," Daichi reassured him, the accompanying eye roll nothing but affectionate.
"Why do you have different hours on Halloween?" Koushi asked.
"In case someone needs any last minute ingredients," Daichi explained. "It's not that we'll be any busier than usual, but Halloween is one of the better times to perform spells that are more complicated, or require more power. Every now and again, someone will start a ritual and realize that they're missing an ingredient. If we're open, either they can come get it themselves, or send their familiar with the money to pick up what they need."
"I didn't know that," Koushi said. "Is there a reason for that? The heightened abilities thing, I mean."
Daichi smiled; he loved it when Koushi asked questions about magic. "There are certain times during the year in which the line between the Physical Plane and the Ethereal Plane blurs. Magic becomes more potent as the planes intersect, and practitioners find themselves with more power than they had before. Halloween is one of those days."
"If that's the case, then why don't you have any ongoing projects?" Koushi pressed.
Daichi shrugged, "Someone's gotta run the shop, and Kuroo's certainly not going to do it. At least not willingly, anyway."
"I can hear you, you know," Tetsurou grumbled from his spot not three feet away from where Daichi and Koushi stood.
"So you can," Daichi remarked.
Tetsurou's eyes widened. He stood up straight with an overly dramatic gasp, clutching at his chest. "Sawamura, did you just sass me? After I watched the shop for you? I am hurt, Sawamura. Wounded, even."
"I'm sure."
"Sugawara's a bad influence on you, Sawamura," Tetsurou groused without any real feeling behind his words. "You used to be a lot nicer."
"To quote a certain cat I know," Daichi began with a sly grin, "I've always been this kind."
Tetsurou snorted, "Okay, smartass. I'm taking my lunch break. An hour long lunch break."
With that, Tetsurou spun on his heel and walked into the break room. Daichi shook his head as the door clicked shut.
"What am I going to do with him?" Daichi asked, moving his hand to caress Koushi's shoulder.
"No idea," Koushi replied. "Come on, let's get to work."
They spent the next few hours tidying the shop and putting away the supplies Daichi had prepared. Occasionally, their work was interrupted by a customer or two. The afternoon passed into evening. At seven, Tetsurou left with the promise to see the couple the following day. At eight, Koushi and Daichi left the shop. Koushi had returned Daichi's travel mug in exchange for his scarf.
"Do you want to spend the night Monday into Tuesday?" Daichi asked as he locked the shop. He turned to face Koushi. "I figured we could have a quiet night in, maybe watch a movie and go to bed early."
Koushi flashed Daichi a sly grin. He stepped closed to Daichi, resting his hands on Daichi's hips. "Are you asking me on a date?"
Daichi, used to Koushi's antics by now, returned the smile and pressed his forehead to Koushi's. "Of course I am," he replied.
Koushi guffawed quietly as he jabbed his fingers into Daichi's ribs. "You can't just say stuff like that!" Koushi exclaimed, his face pink (from cold or from embarrassment, he wasn't sure).
Daichi wheezed as he doubled over, his forehead dropping to Koushi's shoulder. Only feeling a little bad, Koushi tilted Daichi's head back and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"I'd love to spend Monday night with you," Koushi said.
It was Daichi's turn to flush pink. He pressed a kiss of his own to Koushi's lips before taking a step back, his hand trailing over the scarf wrapped around Koushi's neck.
"Monday then?"
Koushi smiled. "Monday it is."
***
"Koushi. Koushi, wake up."
Koushi wasn't sure if he was dreaming that his boyfriend was calling his name in an attempt to wake him up, or if Daichi actually was that dumb. He knew that Koushi wasn't a morning person, and that under no circumstances was he to be woken up before his alarm. Ergo, this had to be a dream. Koushi burrowed deeper into the covers. If he hid under the blankets, he didn't have to wake up. Those were the rules.
"Koushi, wake up."
Damn it.
"Please wake up?"
Damn it.
As he cracked his eyes open, Koushi could see Daichi sitting up against the headboard. Koushi rolled over, blindly groped for his phone, and hit the lock button. He squinted at the bright screen. After a moment, Koushi set his phone back down. Daichi watched as Koushi flipped onto his stomach, buried his face into the pillow, and mumbled something unintelligible.
"Koushi?"
There was silence, then more muffled grumbles.
"Koushi, I can't understand you if you talk into the pillow like that," Daichi sighed.
Koushi's head whipped to the side, leveling Daichi with the most intense stare he had ever had the misfortune of being pinned under. "Sawamura Daichi," Koushi growled, "there better be a good fucking reason to wake me up at five-til-three in the god damn morning on a Tuesday."
"I want to show you something," Daichi explained.
Daichi was incredibly lucky that Koushi thought he was cute. With a sigh, Koushi rolled onto his back. "That something couldn't have waited until a more reasonable time of day?"
"They call three A.M. the 'Witching Hour' for a reason, you know," Daichi said, running a hand through Koushi's hair.
Koushi relaxed in an instant. His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into the touch. The moment was short lived, however. The hand left Koushi's hair, and he whined at the loss of contact. Koushi felt Daichi shift, moving from a sitting position to hover over Koushi. A pair of lips pressed against his own, a languid kiss that did little to pull Koushi into wakefulness.
"Don't fall asleep, keep your eyes opened," Daichi whispered against Koushi's lips.
Koushi reluctantly opened his eyes to watch Daichi. A pale silver light had surrounded Daichi's right hand, and Daichi looked at him expectantly.
"I'll try not to," Koushi said.
Satisfied, Daichi sat back on his heels. He waved his hand slowly through the air. The light shimmered and rippled as it trailed behind his hand, as it was water that Daichi had passed his hand through. He kept this up for several minutes, watching the lights float up to the ceiling. Once the room was bathed in silver, he nodded to himself, then stared at the palm of his hand. The light shifted to a light sapphire, and Daichi resumed painting the air.
Koushi was mesmerized as the tendrils drifted from Daichi's hand to hang in midair. He had been treated to a similar display earlier that year, when Daichi had first shown Koushi his magic. But something about this was different. Daichi was using his hand this time instead of his wand, and the lights seemed stronger somehow. Realization dawned on Koushi as Daichi switched the color to a rich purple.
Oh, it's Halloween. This is what Daichi meant about magic getting stronger.
Koushi shook his head once as he resisted the urge to close his eyes. He hoped Daichi wouldn't notice, but luck wasn't on his side in that moment. Daichi paused, the light fading just a touch. He bent to press his lips to Koushi's.
"Just a few more minutes," Daichi whispered, trailing a string of lavender starlight around Koushi's head as he pet his boyfriend's hair. "I'm almost done, I promise. Can you do that for me?"
Koushi gave a quiet hum in affirmation, afraid to disturb his new halo. Daichi sat back and continued his work. Before long, the light faded from his hand. He turned to lay back against the headboard, gathering Koushi into his arms. Koushi rested his head on Daichi's chest, marveling at Daichi's handiwork. He had created the cosmos right there in his bedroom, just by waving his hand around.
"This is one of the few times I can do this without a wand," Daichi explained. "There's something about three in the morning that heightens magical abilities."
"It's beautiful, Daichi," Koushi whispered in awe as a periwinkle nebula shifted overhead.
"I'm glad you think so," Daichi said, watching a comet stream by. "Happy Halloween, Koushi."
"Happy Halloween, Daichi," Koushi replied.
Leaning down, Daichi pressed a kiss to the top of Koushi's head before settling back into the pillows. Koushi nuzzled against Daichi's chest, his own eyes slipping shut. They drifted off to sleep together, surrounded by the soft light of their private cosmos.