Work Text:
He eyes his assistant from behind the evening newspaper, trying hard not to sigh. The other man's protectiveness towards him can feel suffocating at times.
"I'll be fine on my own, Kirishima." He states firmly.
"But, sir!"
"Do you really think I've forgotten how to drive a car?"
"Of course not, sir." Kirishima promptly answers. "It's just that… Well, it's New Year's Eve!"
"Exactly! Which is why you should have already gone home for the day, or to whatever place it is that you're planning to celebrate the night at. I'm perfectly capable of driving myself from the office to the penthouse, for once."
"…It's not just that, sir." The assistant looks embarrassed for a moment. "Takaba-kun is still out of town on that photography assignment, isn't he? He's not due back for another couple of days, am I right?"
"Yes." Asami frowns. "But what does Takaba have to do with me sending you home early today?"
"Well, sir…It just wouldn't feel right for me to spend the night having fun with friends and family… knowing you'd be all alone on New Year's Eve."
Asami stares at his assistant, dumbfounded by the latter's remark.
His shock quickly turns into amusement though, and he can't avoid a chuckle from escaping his lips. He, Asami Ryuichi, pitied on account he'll be spending the last night of the year alone? The mere notion such would be deemed possible sounds preposterous to him.
"Go home, Kirishima. That's an order." He replies, still amused.
It turns out Asami isn't as good of a driver as he remembers himself to be, although he makes it a point of blaming the car, rather than its driver, whenever he's forced to battle with the gear stick at a traffic light stop.
He nearly crashes his rarely used Maserati Quattroporte against a Smart Fortwo while doing a U-turn somewhere in downtown Shinjuku; not to mention almost running over an elderly couple at a zebra crossing.
After thirty long minutes of getting himself lost in Tokyo's busy side streets, Asami ends up in an unknown suburban area, and decides on a whim to stop the car in front of a 7/11.
He pretends to ignore the dreamy gaze the young cashier woman is bestowing on him as he pays for a new Dunhill pack, and to prevent her from starting up a personal chat with him, he feigns interest in the unhealthy looking chocolate bars on display at the counter.
"Come back any time, handsome!" The woman calls out to him, as the sliding doors part ways and the icy December wind attempts once again to freeze Asami down to the bones.
The ground is turning ever so white, courtesy of the tiny flakes of snow slowly descending from the clouds above. A storm is no doubt approaching and Asami hears himself curse out loud. Great! Now he'll need to drive his monster of a car even slower than before over the icy roads.
It's way past eleven when he finally reaches the safety of his apartment building, and he's so tired that he barely registers the doorman's happy new year wishes.
He opens the door to his penthouse, turns the lights on in the hallway and notices the Nike trainers left forgotten on the genkan.
"Akihito, I'm hom-" He starts, but then remembers that the trainers have been in that same exact position for two weeks now, and that their owner is still in Kyoto, hopefully having a better night than his so far.
Feeling surprisingly gloomy, Asami takes off his designer shoes, followed by his winter coat and suit's jacket, and by the time he opens the fridge in the kitchen and takes out a bottle of champagne, his tie is already missing from the ensemble too.
He grabs a champagne glass on his way to the balcony, and pops the bottle open even though there's still a few minutes left to midnight.
Filling the glass to the brim, he sips on the alcohol with gusto, all the while surveying the busy city below him, where every soul seems to eagerly anticipate the arrival of the New Year, and all it has to offer.
Asami can't help but secretly wish them all to go to hell, even though he can't understand why. When did he turn so bitter? He's normally indifferent to New Year celebrations, after all. What has sparked such a change in him?
"You know very well. And it isn't a 'what', it's a 'who'... " He snickers to himself.
His life has never been the same ever since a certain bratty photographer burst into it, and started disrupting its organized pattern. His core has been turned inside out, and Asami is now left feeling unbalanced every time the young man is not around. He misses the brat so much, it's starting to physically hurt him.
Who knew being in love could be so damaging to one's proud ego?
10
"Crap!" Asami curses out loud as he hears the cheerful year-end count down echoing throughout the city below.
9
He tips the rest of the champagne into the glass. Well, drinking is a well known method to numb the feeling of loneliness, isn't it?
8
He chucks down the drink in one go, knowing it will take a lot more alcohol than that to get his mind off of Takaba Akihito tonight.
7
The sound of the penthouse's front door opening and closing with a loud bang suddenly catches his attention.
6
He turns round, heart thumping inside his chest, as hurried footsteps echo throughout the hallway and living room.
5
Akihito suddenly appears at the balcony's entrance, panting hard from exhaustion, face flushed, a smile the size of the moon on his lips. "I've made it on time!" He exclaims triumphantly.
4
The champagne glass shatters on the balcony floorboards, but the two lovers don't even register it. Akihito runs towards Asami; his hair damp from running through the snow storm outside.
3
The older man's arms move instinctively, circling round the younger's lower back, pressing the latter's body closer to his. "I'm back." He hears Akihito whisper against his shirt.
2
"I missed you." The young man adds, still smiling as he looks up towards his lover's face.
1
"…I missed you too." Asami replies, and leans down to greet his lover with a kiss.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The city erupts in a collective cheer, so loud, it's barely muffled by the start of the noisy fireworks' displays. A new year has begun and with it a night of happy and intense celebrations.
On the balcony of the fortieth floor of a Ginza apartment building, a couple is nevertheless oblivious to the town's festivities. To the both of them, nothing sounds quite better than starting the New Year in each other's arms.