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Semi glanced over to you in confusion during the middle of lunch and he asked, “Wait, what did you say?”
“Hm?”
Everyone at the table was staring at you in confusion. It was one of the few moments of your busy lives that the entirety of Shiratorizawa’s third years were able to meet up together. All of them glanced at you and they asked, “Weren’t you going to visit Satori in Paris?”
“I wish,” you sighed, “But by the time I was finally able to confirm my days off there were no tickets left.”
“When’s the last time you saw him?” Reon asked and you shrugged, “Probably around Golden Week?"
"That was so long ago," Ushijima commented and you shrugged, "We're both busy so I understand. I just didn't think my company would be so stingy about letting me have time off."
"It's what happens when you work in a big company like those. You're just pawns,” Reon groaned and you sighed. You glanced at your phone after feeling the slight vibration. You glanced down to see a message, but not from the person you were hoping it would be. You casually swiped it away, and almost put your phone away immediately if it weren’t for the fact that your phone background was a picture of you and Tendou the last time you went to Paris. Your gaze lingered there slightly before you quickly locked the phone.
There was no point in thinking so much about it when you can’t even get to see him this Christmas.
“Well, at least you’ll still be coming to the annual Christmas Party the day before, right?” Semi asked. You nodded and the small smile on your face was clearly forced, nearly all of them could tell. There were no other words to be said about the topic, and the boys slowly shifted to another topic that you couldn’t quite find it in you to join. Your thoughts were swamped with thoughts of him.
***
After getting walked back to your apartment by Reon, who thankfully happened to live close by, you gave him one last - on what you thought was - reassuring smile. His smile seemed to be filled with concern, but he waves back at you anyways, and casually states that he’ll see you again in a week.
A week. You faintly hear the click of the lock on your door and you slowly put away your scarf, your gloves, your coat, your purse - everything that you didn’t need. You gradually placed them in their correct area in the closet. Another sigh escapes your lips.
A week until Christmas and Satori won’t even be home. The apartment was one that the two of you had pitched in together to buy. It was a place that both of you could call home, and honestly, you were just so stunned that so much had changed since the two of you had gotten the place. You had gotten hired at the one sports entertainment company that you had been wanting to get into since high school. Meanwhile, Satori had gone off to pursue his own dreams and became a famous chocolatier, leaving you here in Japan in an apartment that was filled to the brim of memories with him, yet felt so empty at the same time.
There were bits and pieces of him all over the apartment. Some of the furniture was clearly chosen out by him to fit his aesthetic, and some were clearly yours. It was pretty obvious that both of you had resided here at some point, especially when you look at all the photos that were neatly framed and decorated the living room.
You lazily flopped onto the couch and laid there. You despondently stared out of the window at the sun-kissed purple and pink sky. Beautiful. You instinctively snapped a photo of the skies, even if your angle wasn’t optimal and sent it to Tendou. It was probably sometime in the morning for him considering the time zone differences, and knowing him, he probably slept in again.
Yet as soon as you hit send, you see the familiar check mark that quickly switched to a ‘read’ sign and your eyes widened in disbelief. The dots that floated about in a sequence was enough of a clue that was clearly awake, and the message he sent next brought a small smile to your face.
Looks beautiful, just like youuuu~
You laughed and the next message came in. You wanna call?
Without a response, you hit the call button and almost immediately Tendou’s face shows up on your screen and he pouted, “No video call?”
“Whoops,” you click the button accordingly and smiled, “Hey there.”
“Hellooo,” he sang out and then softly murmured, “I missed you.”
“I miss you too,” you softly responded. You rolled over so you were on your stomach, and not on your back with your head dangling off the couch. Tendou smiled and asked, “How was it meeting up with the boys?”
“Fun, we all miss you though.”
“Do you?” he teased and you rolled your eyes, “Yeah. It sucks I can’t see you this year.”
Tendou could hear the sadness in your voice and he softly mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, it’s not your fault.”
“It sure does feel like it is though,” Tendou chuckled and he asked, “What are you going to do during your week off, babe?”
“Probably finally clean up and maybe decorate the house with some Christmas cheer. Can’t be sulking and sad just because you’re not here.”
“Not going to go home to your family for Christmas?”
“Nope, parents went to visit grandparents up north, so I probably won’t be seeing them for a while.”
“A shame,” Tendou softly responded and then mumbled, “Are you-”
“Going to be alone? Yeah, but I’ll probably see Semi-Semi and the others. I think Semi has a Christmas performance at the local malls so we’re going to go support him.”
“Now that is truly a shame that I don’t get to witness his live performance,” Tendou whined and you giggled, “We’ll record it for you.”
“You better!” Tendou laughed and then sighed, “I wish I could talk longer, but I have a new project to work on.”
“I thought today was your day off.”
“Yeah,” Tendou grunted as he got off the bed. He sighed, and dramatically lamented, “And yet here I am, resuming work. I will see you soon, right?”
“Just don’t call me at some ungodly hour,” you laughed and softly whispered, “I love you.”
You can see the soft smile on his face and he blew a kiss at the camera, fortunately, you didn’t cringe.
“Love you too, sweetheart, I’ll talk to you in a few!”
“Good luck,” you sang out as he smiled and waved for a bit before disconnecting the call. The few minutes you had him on video call brought so much joy to your heart, you didn’t feel quite as lonely as before. You quickly got off the couch and mumbled, “If Satori is hard at work, I should be too.”
***
Tendou heard the familiar disconnecting beep and then immediately jumped out of his bed and began rummaging through his closet. He had overslept. He really did. He meant to wake up early to finish packing for his return to Japan this morning yet somehow he overslept. He groaned. Must’ve been from the excitement of seeing [Name] again.
Tendou quickly went through his closet, dumping clothes and whatever he kind of needed. He knew that he had a lot of his clothes at the shared apartment still, but he had to make sure that your present was in there.
Upon realizing that it was tucked safely into the hidden zipper within the suitcase, he let out a happy hum as he rushed to finish packing. After all, he’ll be able to see you very soon.
***
You slept in. You got almost nothing done, and by the time you woke up, for some reason the curtains were completely closed and there was the smell of coffee and something savory wafting through the entire apartment.
I don’t remember the others telling me they were going to visit. You groggily got up. Your hair was a mess and your head felt hazy. You couldn’t even remember what you did the night before, or if you even made it to the night before. I know I was working on a new art project… but I don’t remember anything else. Whatever. I'm sure I didn't get anything done. Though I do wonder why the apartment smells so nice today.
You slowly got out of bed and made your way to the bathroom, only to stop and pause upon seeing a suitcase tucked away - as hidden as it could get - behind your clothes in the open closet. You tilt your head slightly to the side, and you know for a fact you closed the sliding doors before going to bed, you never forget to do that. You forego washing up and immediately burst into the living room and kitchen, startling a certain man that also happened to be the love of your life and you stammered, "S-Satori?!"
"Good morning!" he sung out immediately and laughed, "Surprise!"
“You- I- Wait, I thought… I thought you said-”
“I lied.”
“You lied ?” You were baffled, but honestly, you weren’t mad. The joy at seeing him, in person, filled you with so much warmth and you nearly leapt into his arms, but you hesitated and mumbled, “I’m going to wash up.”
“Aww, don’t you miss me, [Name]?”
“I do, but I also just woke up, so just give me a moment.”
“Yes, yes,” Tendou laughed and waved a spatula lightly in the air, “Meanwhile I shall finish making you a breakfast fit for a queen!”
As you walked away with a light spring in your step, you couldn’t help but feel happier than ever. It was such a change from what you had expected your week off for the holidays would be like, but it was a welcomed change.
As you walked away, Tendou patted his pockets really quick, double checking to make sure that the item he was looking for was where he last thought it was. Upon feeling the small box in his pocket, the silly smile on his face expanded a bit more. He casually finished shaping the pancakes, making sure that yours was slowly formed into the shape of a bunny’s head.
He slid the pancake onto a plate, and assembled the eyes and the little mouth with some fruits and chocolate syrup. The humming gradually grew louder now that he knew that you were awake already. The soft steps of your footfall as you approached the dining table made him turn and he smiled, “Made ya breakfast!”
“Thanks, Satori.” Your smile was so soft and tender, and despite seeing it every day on video call, Tendou had missed it so much. He finished plating the pancakes and the coffee and brought them to the table. Upon making the table he sat down beside you, simply enjoying watching you eat and you laughed, “Aren’t you going to eat too?”
“Maybe after you do.”
“Is it that amusing for you?” You fondly shook your head and instead of eating your bite of the pancake, you turned your fork around to Tendou who merely wiggled his eyebrows and smiled. In return you playfully cooed, “Say ah, Satori.”
“Ah,” Tendou opened his mouth for you to feed him a small slice of the pancake and you laughed at how much you missed something like this. You set the fork down and gently take his hand into yours. He tightened his grip on your hand and he softly murmured, “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too,” you softly mumbled and asked, “Are you really here? Am I dreaming?”
“In the flesh,” Tendou laughed and he scooted closer to you to wrap his free arm around you. You leaned into his warmth and he softly whispered, “Sorry it took me so long.”
“It’s okay, I… I’m happy with this. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Of course I'm here, I can't let you celebrate Christmas alone.”
Your smile was so pretty, and Tendou softly whispered, "I love you so much… I hope you know that."
Your eyes widened and before you could respond, you feel something cold slip onto your finger and you can't stop the gasp from escaping your lips. You glanced between the ring and Tendou and the way his lips were turned up ever so slightly and the way the blush on his cheeks dusted over his face - you didn't need words to understand what was happening.
"I know I can't always be with you, but I want you to keep this with you so that you know that my heart is always with you."
He carefully intertwines his fingers with yours before closing the gap between the two of you. His lips were soft against yours, and faintly tasted like syrup. As you reciprocated the kiss, you reach out to hold onto him, squeezing his hand a bit tighter as you tried to get as close as you could. Yet the kiss didn't last as long as you would have wanted, though it conveyed so much more than words can ever say.
"I love you, [Name]."
"And I, you. Is this an engagement ring?"
Tendou paused and he chuckled, "Yes, I have to make sure other men know you're taken after all."
"Of course," you laughed and said, "Make sure the ladies don't try to steal your heart away."
"Oho, they can't, after all, you're the one who has it." The two of you lightly laughed before embracing each other in a tight hug. You gently and slowly moved your hand around as you admired the ring, and you couldn't help but feel like this was the best holiday season you could have asked for.
Vacation, cozy views, and love and warmth from your boyfriend turned fiancé. Truly the best holiday surprise ever.