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Snow flurries make their way down to begin covering Yokohama in a blanket of snow a few seconds after Atsushi left his final class for the day. Normally Akutagawa and his ridiculously overpriced midnight Subaru (which he actually named Rashoumon for some reason) aren’t too far away to pick him up, but the younger insisted that he go straight home. They had seen the forecast together that morning, and Atsushi never really had the chance to walk through the snow before.
It was more enjoyable than he had himself believe. It was light and melted almost as quickly as it fell. The wind carries a few towards Atsushi’s face, tickling rosy cheeks and the tip of his even more scarlet colored nose, and getting a cute reaction of laughter out of the veterinarian. Soon the wonderland experience ends as the wind begins to pick up with every step he takes, and he figures he may as well hurry back.
Their apartment is only a ten-minute walk away, but it feels like 6 with how quick Atsushi manages to get there. He unravels himself from his scarf in the first floor and fishes his key from the front pocket of his messenger when the elevator opens. When he reaches the fourth floor, he’s surprised to find that it looks a little more like a backdrop suited more for October than December. The hallway is dark, save for every other door that’s been decorated in fairy lights.
Some are cute for the holiday season...and others seem to be blinking erratically, like an eerie Morse code message. It’s odd, to say the least, but then again Atsushi’s seen much stranger things than that.
When he finds apartment 3155, he unlocks it and comes face to face with something even stranger than the flickering rainbow lights. Really it’s more face to nothing. The entire place has now morphed into a black hole, or a void, for everything is pitch black. He can’t make out the living room, kitchen, any of the windows- Atsushi nearly even trips over their genkan: and that’s directly in front of him.
“Ryuu?” he calls into the darkness after he removes his coat and shoes, using his cellphone light to guide him in putting away both, “Hey uh...why is it so dark in here?”
Silence passes as Atsushi lights his way over to the kitchen, unsure of as to how he’s supposed to really start dinner if he can’t actually see, but decides that he may as well open the refrigerator to let in more light for the moment.
Before his hand even reaches the handle a low voice startled him from behind, “The power is currently deceased.” it rumbles in a low tone that’s all too familiar.
The veterinarian’s phone clatters to the kitchen floor, a fusion of a screech, squawk, and maybe even a squeal following shortly after, “God d- Geez, you scared me! Why didn’t you say anything when I asked?”
Thankfully, Akutagawa has a candle with him so that Atsushi can see him better. It’s also a not-so-thankfully because it makes the ravenet look twice as mortifying than usual now with the way the small amount of light creates unsettling shadows over his features. They almost give him the illusion of actual eyebrows for a moment…
“I was busy lighting this,” the older man gestures to the candle.
“Okay…” Atsushi deadpans, “But you do know you could have...just say something...while you…”
It seemed like a lost cause to try explaining it to the forensics student, so Atsushi forces himself to shake it off.
“And another thing- just say the power “went out” like most people, okay? Not that it’s deceased...that’s kinda creepy.” Not even kinda, he later thinks, it’s extremely creepy.
Akutagawa only tilts his head a bit and shrugs, taking one of Atsushi’s glove-covered hands and leading him to the living room.
“I ordered that takeout you enjoy so much and Tanizaki from next door made us those chocolate drinks you have every December,” he explains as he has the vet sit down in front of their little kotatsu.
“Hot chocolate…” Atsushi corrects and his second deadpan is even more dead than the first one, “do we have any more candles beside that one, though? I don’t really think we’ll be able to see much of we don’t-“
He’s cut off by two loud claps from Akutagawa, and suddenly the apartment is visible again. Silver and gold colored fairy lights are hung along the living room and kitchen areas alone, and unlike the hallway, it’s much more of a sight to behold and admire.
Atsushi’s hetero-chromatic eyes seem to sparkle as much as the lights do, “I thought you said the power-“
“Nakahara-san gave us wireless decorations before it grew too dark,” Akutagawa explains, the candle now set in the middle of the kotatsu as he moves to join his other half underneath it, “he instructed that I throw them around anywhere if I so wished.”
Third deadpan of the evening, but it’s half-hearted because Atsushi already knows, “Aaaand you took that literally, didn’t you?”
“Oh…” the forensics student sounds disheartening, but his face almost looks surprised? Concerned maybe?
“Was it...was it really that obvious?”
Huh. Well, he wasn’t expecting that. And now Atsushi found himself sharing the same expression as the other man.
And then...he realizes...with the way Akutagawa tries to swallow discreetly, and with how stiff his posture looks now….
Oh. Oh. He looks surprised and concerned because he’s actually neither- he’s embarrassed.
The veterinarian laughs as soon as he realizes it, leaning into the older’s side. That was too cute, granted Atsushi has seen him become a flustered disaster many times, usually being the reason for it, but this is probably one of the top five cutest “boyfriend blushing” moments throughout this whole year. He can only imagine what his reaction might be when he sees the gift he got him.
“Stop that...what about my question, is so humorous to you?” Akutagawa is trying so hard not to sound embarrassed, but he definitely is and Atsushi can still hear it in his voice.
“Nothing nothing…” Atsushi sighs, arms enclosing themselves around the ravenet’s middle, “You’re just really cute, that’s all.”
That doesn’t seem to satisfy Akutagawa at all, “Incorrect. I’m not cute I’m-“
“Adorable?”
“Exac- wait-!”
Atsushi’s laughter starts up again and Akutagawa’s bottom lip pokes out a bit as he looks straight ahead, away from Atsushi and his current giggle fit. He still giggles a bit when he reaches up to press his lips to one of his shoulders, only causing the vet to smile more when it seems effective and Akutagawa snuggles into Atsushi just the slightest bit. The other grabs the hot chocolate thermos and hands one to Akutagawa, who thanks him with an almost unnoticeable kiss to his scalp.
Atsushi wishes the lights could make it visible enough for him to witness the amount of red in the other’s cheeks. For now, however, he pretends the golden hue of the lights gives him the best idea possible.
Akutagawa wishes that he could truly hate Atsushi for laughing at him and that the colors of the lights didn’t compliment the idiot’s features better than what they always are. For now, he pretends to be flustered more from inadvertently calling himself adorable than he is from the pretty silver glow over Atsushi’s face as he smiles.
They both wish a lot of things.
They both wish for another wonderful new year together.