Archive of Our Own ^beta

Christmas time used to be Nagi’s favorite time of year. It used to be a time of excitement, a time where he would hang out with his friends and have Christmas dinner with his family.

But that all ended when he turned fourteen. On the day of Nagi’s fourteenth birthday, his grandpa died. He wasn’t close to him, had only actually seen him once in his life, so it didn’t affect Nagi emotionally. When the man died, Nagi’s dad inherited everything from his father. Which included a very sizable inheritance that no one even knew Grandpa had. 

The money changed everything. Suddenly his parents wanted to move to a big city, get a big house and live like rich people. Nagi never wanted that. The rest of his childhood became about making friends in the right places, lots of fancy dinners, people wanting to get close to him just for the money, and his parents drifted away from him. Where they had all once been close, Nagi became less of their son and more like a kid they just had to take care of sometimes. 

Gone were the family dinners, Nagi’s friends, and happy holidays. In their place were Nagi eating by himself all the time because his parents were always gone, holidays being colder, and Nagi having only one actual friend; Mikage Reo. 

As much as Nagi does consider Reo his closest friend, even the two of them are massively different people. While Nagi would rather sit in his room and play video games than go to fancy events, Reo is the opposite. He thrives in the rich people scene. He knows how to schmooze and make superficial friends, and he’s spoiled beyond belief. 

Reo is so used to getting whatever he wants that even at 21 years old, if he doesn’t get his way he’ll be pissy for a while. He doesn’t care about other people his age (except for Nagi) and he was groomed to be the CEO of his parents’ company someday. 

Nagi and Reo are close, but not as close as Nagi used to be with his old friends. 

“What do you mean you won’t be home in time?”

Nagi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he holds his cell phone up to his ear. “Exactly that, mom, my flight got canceled and I can’t get another one until after the holidays are over. I’m stuck here until the 2nd.”

“There has to be another flight, Seishiro, we have the annual Christmas gala on the 24th, that’s in two days!” She sounds irritated at him, which is laughable considering she’s the one who organized his flight that had a layover in a town so snowy that planes can’t even get through. 

Nagi rolls his eyes so hard he thinks they might just roll out of his head. “I understand that mom, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Every single flight at this airport has been cancelled, and I’m not going to ask some driver to take me to a completely different town in the middle of a snowstorm, so I. Am. Stuck.” 

“Don’t take that tone with me, Seishiro. You knew you had to be back by tomorrow.” 

He does laugh then, without any humor. “Mom, if you want to play the blame game here, you are the one who bought me my ticket.” He doesn’t have it in him to fight with her more now and instead just hangs up the phone. 

She immediately calls back, so he puts her contact on mute and sighs, looking around. It’s a small airport, and a quick google search shows him he’s in a small town. He’s never been here before, so thankfully for him another search shows him the nearest hotel. After grabbing his bag he’s able to get a taxi in front of the airport and makes his way there. 

It’s almost midnight at this point, so as soon as he checks into a room he changes into pajamas and slides into bed. The hotel is not as grand as the ones Nagi’s parents like to book, but it’s perfect for him. It’s normal compared to the ones he’s used to, and he finds himself feeling… happy he’s stuck here. Maybe he’ll be able to have a better holiday here on his own. He falls asleep soon after, thankfully getting the most restful sleep he’s had in years.

In the morning he showers and gets dressed, cursing the fact that he only has nice clothes. On a whim, he decides his first order of business will be to get comfier clothes. After getting some coffee from the lobby he decides to set off on foot, now that the snow has mostly died down for a while. 

He finds a clothing store not too far away and decides to duck in and get a few outfits. Before leaving he changes into one of them, a tan hoodie and dark wash jeans, along with a pair of dark brown boots with the kind of traction he’ll need for such icy walkways. 

The woman at the counter is friendly, has a warm smile and is happy to give him a basic rundown of the town before he goes on his way back to his room to drop his new haul off. 

Having finished his coffee already, he decides to head into the cafe on the corner. He looks around on his way there and pauses suddenly. It’s beautiful here, the main streets are decorated for the holidays, full of tinsel and colorful lights with large bows on all of the street lights. Across the street he spots a few kids hurrying to push what looks to be letters to Santa into a decorative mailbox with signs that say ‘To the North Pole’ and it makes Nagi smile. It’s like a hallmark movie, some scenic small town decorated so beautifully for the holidays.  

The people on the streets around him are mostly smiling and talking with others they’ve run into or are with and it’s a striking difference to Nagi’s city, where no one looks at anyone and no one gives a shit about anyone else. He reaches the cafe and just as he pulls the door open someone tries to push it on the other side. 

He’s able to catch the other person before they can fall right past him and helps them stand up again. Nagi finally brings his eyes to the other person’s face, eyes widening when he sees how beautiful the other man is. 

He’s shorter than Nagi by about half a foot, has jet black hair and unique, cobalt blue eyes. He’s never seen a shade like that on anyone else and finds himself having a hard time looking away. 

The other man smiles apologetically. “Sorry about that, I should’ve been watching when I pushed the door open.” His voice is rich and smooth. 

Nagi shakes his head, smiling back. “No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention when I tried to open it.” 

He laughs softly, “Well then maybe we’re both at fault.”

“And both sorry.” Nagi surprises himself with his teasing tone. “I’m Seishiro Nagi.” 

“I’m Yoichi Isagi.” The other man says, offering a hand to shake. 

There’s a moment of silence before the raven haired man speaks again. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new?” 

Nagi shakes his head, scratching the back of his neck. “No, I actually had my flight get cancelled and there won’t be another until the 2nd of January.”

“I’m sorry,” Isagi frowns sympathetically, “I hope you’re not missing anything too important.” 

Nagi can’t help the snort that escapes him. “Well, I’m missing something but I’m not the one who cares about it. I’m actually kind of glad to be stuck here.” 

Isagi smiles, tilting his head. “Well, if you’d like, I can be your tour guide for your time here. I’d hate for you to be bored for ten days.” 

“I think I would like that, thank you.” Nagi’s never felt so brazen before, but the sweet smile on Isagi’s face is compelling. 

“Great,” Isagi responds simply, “what are you doing now?” 

Nagi chuckles softly, “I was going to get a coffee.” 

Despite having just come from the coffee shop behind them, Isagi shakes his head. “No, there's better coffee just down the street.”

Nagi laughs louder, allowing himself to be directed to another coffee shop a few blocks down from the first. Isagi talks as they make their way there, giving him brief descriptions of each place they pass. Nagi starts to fall in love with the town as they go. He’s never lived in such a small town, but based on the stories Isagi tells it seems like a very close knit community. 

They finally reach the other coffee shop and Isagi opens the door for Nagi to enter and then surprises him by walking straight behind the counter. “What kind of coffee do you want?”

“You work here?” Nagi asks with a smile, “You didn’t mention that.” 

“I actually own it.” Isagi smirks, leaning on the counter. “So I promise I’m good at making coffee.” 

Nagi laughs again, shaking his head in wonder at the other man who has so quickly enchanted him. “How about an iced vanilla latte with four shots, extra sweet?” 

“An iced drink in December?” Isagi snickers, but salutes him jokingly and goes about making his drink. Once it’s ready he proudly hands over the cup and straw. 

Nagi smiles and takes it gratefully, shoving the straw into the cup before trying a drink of it. Nagi would consider himself kind of a coffee snob, but Isagi’s coffee passes all tests with flying colors. “Wow, that’s delicious.” 

Isagi grins. “Really? Or are you lying to spare my feelings?” 

Nagi laughs and shakes his head. “No, it’s really delicious. One of the best coffees I’ve ever had.”

Isagi laughs too and tilts his head. “Are you hungry?”

Nagi’s stomach growls in that moment, as if having heard the question. “I could eat.” 

“Do you have any allergies?” The other man asks.

Nagi shakes his head and Isagi holds up a finger and disappears into the kitchen. He hears a very muffled conversation from the dining area before Isagi reappears with a cherry turnover on a plate. 

Isagi holds it out to him with a smile. “Made from scratch by my co-owner.” 

Nagi takes a bite of the flaky pastry, noting that the filling seems to be real cherries and not the kind from grocery stores. Isagi hands him a napkin, smiling as Nagi wipes his mouth. 

“Holy shit,” are the first words out of his mouth, making Isagi laugh, “that’s incredible.” Isagi guides him to one of the tables and sits down across from him. The bell above the door rings as another customer comes in and Isagi’s co-owner, a smiling man with brown hair dyed yellow underneath, comes out to help them.

Nagi takes another bite of his turnover, watching Isagi as he watches his co-owner and the customer. He finally returns his gaze to Nagi, catching him staring. He smiles again, deep blue eyes shining. “Welcome to my cafe, Scenic Brews.” 

Nagi finally looks around, taking in the cozy atmosphere with a mix of funny decor and more artsy decor. Nagi feels like he could truly relax here. 

“My friend, Bachira, and I opened it a few years ago and we’ve been going strong ever since.” Isagi looks around proudly, “It was kind of a random dream of ours, but it worked out in the end.”

“Have you lived here your whole life?” Nagi asks, finishing off his turnover as Isagi answers. 

“I have, my parents moved us here when I was born; they just wanted a fresh start, and we’ve been here ever since. I met Bachira when I was three, so we’ve been friends almost our entire lives.” The other man leans his head on his hand and looks at Nagi curiously next. “What about you? Where are you here from?”

“I’m here from Tokyo,” Nagi sighs, “but I’m originally from a town about 100 miles west. Not quite as small as here, but still small.”

Isagi nods, digesting that information. “How’d you end up in Tokyo?”

Nagi snorts softly, making Isagi raise an eyebrow. “It wasn’t my choice,” he explains, “it was my parents’. My grandpa died on my 14th birthday, and he left my parents a huge inheritance. The money changed my parents and suddenly they wanted to live in a big house in a big city and make friends with lots of money. They kind of forgot about me afterward. They only remember me when they need something from me. They think as long as I have money I don’t need anything else from them, and living in a city where no one looks at each other when they walk by is really lonely.” 

He suddenly realizes he kind of ranted, but Isagi’s response is a sympathetic expression and a hand on Nagi’s. “I’m sorry, Nagi. I’m sorry that happened to you. I assume whatever event you're missing is important to your parents?” 

Nagi nods, smiling awkwardly. “Yeah, it’s their annual Christmas Eve gala. They hold it every year with some of their friends and every single year I hate it — so I’m totally fine with missing it this year. My mom is mad though.”

Isagi chuckles with him, watching him. “Can I show you one of my favorite parts of Christmas in a small town?” Nagi smiles and nods, making Isagi grin. “Okay, but, you’re going to want a warmer drink. It is outdoors.” 

Isagi stands and goes to the coffee counter again to make them both some hot chocolate before leading the way out of the cafe. He guides Nagi down the street until they reach a metal sign bolted into a brick box that reads: Cedar Park.  

Nagi looks around the park, finding sections of trees that are all decorated in different ways. There are stray groups and couples looking at the various trees, and in the middle of all of them is one tree with a few tables worth of blank ornaments next to it. 

“This is the Parade of Trees,” Isagi starts, “it’s an annual thing the week of Christmas where members of the community can sign up to decorate one of the trees in the park. Once you’re done with the walk through the trees you come to the community tree. Everyone is welcome to make an ornament for the tree, whether they live here or not, and put it in one of the collection boxes. The nights before Christmas Eve the people who handle the Parade weather proof the ornaments and they all get put on the tree on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th, with the official lighting of the tree being the night of the 24th.”

The two of them start down the sidewalk that leads the way through the trees. Isagi has a small, fond smile on his face and Nagi finds himself endlessly curious about the other man. “Have you done this every year?”

Isagi nods, taking a sip of his hot cocoa. “Almost every year. There have been maybe a handful of times that I’ve been away for Christmas, but I always come at least once when I’m here. I was actually supposed to be gone this year too, but my flight got canceled.” He grins up at Nagi and the taller man grins, too. 

“Well lucky me,” Nagi murmurs, “maybe we were supposed to meet.”

Isagi laughs softly, watching him with warm eyes. “Maybe so.” 

They arrive at the first tree a moment later, turning to look at it together. It has an ice theme with decorations big enough to stand out even through the bouts of snow that come and go. There are some store-bought ornaments, some handmade by children and a solar powered ice blue star fixed to the top of the tree. There’s a sign next to it crediting the family that decorated it, with a wish for happy holidays underneath it. Nagi smiles, remembering a time when his family would all decorate a Christmas tree together. 

“How cool.” Nagi says, looking closer at the ornaments. When he finally turns back to Isagi ready to move on, he catches the smaller man watching him with warm cobalt blue eyes. “Sorry.”

Isagi shakes his head, still smiling. “No, take your time. I want you to get the full effect.” Nagi chuckles and they continue on in a companionable silence until they get to the next one.

This one is superhero themed, covered in various popular heroes with a star that’s a shiny gold color. It has what Nagi assumes are prop presents underneath it, and the plaque on this one announces a children’s hospital staff decorated it with ornaments that were picked by the kids. Nagi feels his eyes burn with tears, but he’s able to stop them before they emerge. Isagi clearly sees the struggle on his face and smiles gently, leading them to the next one.

This one is decorated like a traditional Christmas tree, with red and gold ornaments and a golden star on top of it. Its plaque says it was decorated by Mr. and Mrs. Claus with another small metal mailbox that says it’s going to the North Pole. 

Nagi looks down at Isagi with a smile, “Thank you for bringing me here.” 

Isagi smiles back with a more fond tone and leads him further down the path. They pass by twelve more trees before finally reaching the one community tree, coming to a stop in front of it. The tables next to the tree contain markers, paints and other arts and crafts supplies so that people can make their own ornaments. 

“I’m not going to lie, I’ve never been the most artistic.” Nagi winces, looking at all the supplies. “Stick figures are usually the height of my skills.”

Isagi laughs at that and holds up a hand. “Well lucky for you, I am artistic. We can make an ornament together.” 

Nagi grins and nods, “Sounds perfect.” 

Great! What shape do you want?” Isagi asks, gesturing to the different clay ornaments available. 

Nagi looks them all over before pointing to a snowflake shaped one. Isagi smiles and grabs it before picking out some blues and light purples from the markers available. Isagi carefully fills in small details around the snowflake, using all of the shades he chose to expertly highlight and contrast his smaller designs. He leaves a big square blank in the middle and once he’s done with adding little details he looks at Nagi for approval. 

It’s beautiful, and Isagi was not kidding about being artistic. All the shades he chose give the snowflake more dimension than a flat piece of clay, and with only those colors he was able to make it look as though it was glistening. 

“Wow,” Nagi breathes, tilting his head, “that’s beautiful. You’re really talented.” He looks at Isagi in wonder, who blushes slightly before shyly glossing over it.

“What should we say on it?” He asks, looking thoughtful. 

“What kinds of things do people usually say on them?” Nagi asks.

Isagi shrugs, “I don’t know, like Christmas messages, well wishes…” he trails off, “or we don’t have to write anything.” 

Nagi thinks about it for a moment. “‘To a Christmas with new people’?” 

Isagi smiles and nods, carefully writing out the message. He flips over the ornament gently and writes the date and his name in small print before handing the marker to Nagi to do the same. When they’re done Isagi wraps it up in the paper underneath the table, rubber bands it and puts it in one of the collection bins.

He stands after and smiles up at Nagi with rosy cheeks and a pink nose. “Congratulations on completing your first community Christmas event here.” 

Nagi can’t help but find him adorable. “Only the first? How many are there here?”

Isagi snickers, “Well you’ve already missed a lot of them but tomorrow, since it’s Christmas Eve, there’s the Walk of Lights, where the houses downtown show off their decorations, and then something called the Jingle Bell Ball. My parents go to that every year, I’m guessing it’s sort of like your parents’ gala. And then on Christmas Day there’s the tree lighting when it gets dark around five and finally everyone usually has their Christmas dinner after that.”

Nagi smiles slightly, “Those sound like fun events. We don’t do anything like this where I’m from. And the gala isn’t supposed to be about fun so much as it is about showing off, which has never been my favorite thing.”

Isagi nods his head back toward the entrance of the park before they start their walk back. “It’s nice to live in a town that values community events like this. It’s always been very peaceful here.”

They reach the entrance of the park after another minute and there’s a brief silence while Nagi tries to figure out what to say. Isagi saves him thankfully, speaking again. 

“So… Do you maybe want to get some lunch somewhere? I know some good restaurants nearby.” 

Nagi’s relieved the other man doesn’t seem to want to say goodbye either. “I’d love to.”

Isagi gives him that sweet grin again and turns to excitedly lead the way to their next destination. The rest of that day is spent being shown around, experiencing Isagi’s favorite parts of the little town, and becoming more and more fond of the other man with every hour that passes. 

At the end of the night, when they’ve had dinner together too, and when it’s finally time to part ways at the front of Nagi’s hotel, Isagi smiles up at him again and Nagi smiles back, feeling more loose and happy than he has in a long time. 

“Breakfast in the morning? 9am?” Isagi asks softly, tilting his head. 

Nagi chuckles, nodding. “Breakfast in the morning, 9am. Don’t you ever work?” He asks teasingly. 

Isagi shrugs and winks at him, turning away. “That’s what employees are for!” He walks off before Nagi can say anything else, leaving the taller man laughing and in awe of him. 

Nagi watches him for another few seconds before finally sighing and heading up to his room. The second he enters he feels the fun he was having with Isagi starts to leech away and sighs. He’s glad the game design company he works for gives all the employees a paid holiday vacation from the first day of December to the 15th of January, so even this mess with his flights doesn’t affect his work. After sitting on his bed, he finally checks his phone, realizing he hasn’t looked at it once since taking it off the charger this morning. 

He has fifteen missed calls from his mom and belatedly realizes he never unmuted her the previous night. He has twenty texts from her, five from Reo and one single message from his father. 

He starts with the one from his dad, expecting a sentence with less than five words and finding that he’s correct when he reads: ‘Call your mother.’ 

He scoffs at that before moving onto Reo’s messages. 

Reo - 11:36AM: Hey man, your mom is blowing my phone up. You good?

Reo - 12:22PM: I don’t know how you deal with her constant spam

Reo - 3:21PM: Are you alive?

Reo - 3:22PM: Oh my god you got kidnapped in small town hell

Reo - 5:23: But for real though, let me know if you’re alive

Nagi laughs at the last few messages, shaking his head at Reo’s antics. He finally sighs and opens the messages from his mom, pretty much all scolding him for not planning better when there’s nothing he could’ve done to control the situation. Eventually he decides to continue to ignore her and calls Reo instead. 

The phone rings four times before Reo picks up. The background noise when he answers tells Nagi that he’s probably at a party or a bar. “Hey, man, there you are!”

Nagi truly cannot fathom the type of life Reo lives. “Hey, I was just giving you a call to let you know I am in fact alive.”

Reo laughs but before he can respond, Nagi hears him murmuring something to someone near him. “Well hey, I’m glad you are alive. Can I give you a call back later? I’m out with—”

The call cuts off and Nagi sighs, dropping his phone next to him. He was hoping to at least spend a little bit on the phone telling Reo about Isagi, but once again finds himself alone. He picks up the remote, flipping through a few channels before sighing and grabbing his coat and keys again. If he’s going to be stuck in a hotel room for over a week, he may as well have fun there. 

He exits the hotel again, turning left toward the one department store in town. Once there, he makes his way to the back electronics department and finds himself in the video game section. After grabbing one of the consoles available he browses through the games, looking for any that he hasn’t played yet. He picks up a few of them, reading the backs of them in silence.  

“Well, well, well.” The now familiar voice of Yoichi Isagi reaches his ears. A smile grows on his face automatically and he looks toward the other man. Isagi is now in more comfortable looking clothes; sweats and a hoodie with a basket on his arm. Isagi is smiling at him too, inspecting the games he’s holding. “Long time, no see.”

Nagi laughs and nods. “Ah yes, it’s been ages.” He holds up the games he was looking at. “I figured if I’m going to be bored in a hotel for over a week I may as well have games.” 

Isagi laughs along with him and nods to the ones in his hands. “Well those are all solid choices.” 

“You’re a gamer?” Nagi asks, finding yet another thing in common with the other man. 

“Oh yes,” Isagi nods seriously, “I’ve played games forever. You know…” he pauses, grinning. “If you’re not sick of me, you could just come try those games at my place.” 

Nagi doesn’t think he could get sick of Isagi. “Saving me yet again today.” 

Isagi gives him a sassy smile. “Your hero.”

“Yes you are.” Nagi says, too quietly for the other man to hear as Isagi leads the way to the checkout area. 

He seems to have everything he came for already and leads them both to the checkout. Nagi buys his console and games while Isagi pays for the groceries and things he has in his basket. When they reach the parking lot Isagi leads the way to a midsized, black SUV and unlocks the doors. Both of them put their bags in the back seat before Nagi gets into the passenger side as Isagi starts the car. 

The drive back to Isagi’s is filled with small talk about the games they enjoy and the ones they don’t and why, and when they finally reach the house, Isagi gets out to grab his bags. Nagi follows suit before following Isagi into the navy blue house. The inside is very cozily decorated and gives off a homey feeling that makes Nagi’s shoulders relax immediately. What he can see of the house is neat and tidy, with no dishes in the sink, a blanket folded over the back of the couch and a pile of shoes by the door. 

“Welcome to my humble abode.” Isagi jokes, starting to put away his groceries. “You can put your stuff on the table if you want.” Nagi does so before offering to help Isagi put away his groceries. 

When everything’s put away Isagi thanks him with a sweet smile and leads the way into the living room. “Wow, nice setup.” Nagi remarks with a low whistle, looking around the area of the living room he couldn’t see initially. 

Isagi’s TV is mounted on the wall with color changing backlights above a sleek black entertainment center that houses at least three types of consoles. Next to the entertainment center on either side are book shelves, the one on the left filled with games from previous console generations, collections, box sets, and the one on the right is filled with current generation games, also littered with collections and some collectibles.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ve played games forever.” Isagi teases, “Look, I even have proof.” He gestures at the shelf to the left of his setup and Nagi laughs softly, stepping in front of it to read through the titles. 

“You sure do,” Nagi says in an awed voice, “I believe you now.”

“Now?” Isagi laughs delightedly. “Never mind, you don’t get to play any of my games.” 

“Not even if I helped make them?” Nagi teases back, watching the dumbfounded expression on the other man’s face. 

Isagi squints at him, still smirking. “What do you mean?” 

“I work for this studio.” Nagi answers, pulling one of the games off the right side shelf. “I actually got to work on the character models for it.” 

Isagi gapes at him, eyes wide. “Nagi, you did not just casually tell me you helped design one of my favorite games to ever exist.” 

Nagi smiles sheepishly, shrugging. “…Sorry.”

Isagi shoves him playfully, laughing. “Well just for telling me the way you did, you have to answer all my questions.” 

Nagi holds his hands up like he’s surrendering and sits down on the couch. Isagi sits down next to him, turning to face him as he starts asking question after question. Nagi finds that he doesn’t mind at all when Isagi asks, and finds that he has no problem explaining everything he can; because he’s having more fun than he possibly ever has. 

He loses track of time, talking with Isagi about it. The goal when they got here was to play games together, but suddenly it’s been an hour and they’ve only talked. They seem to both realize that simultaneously and break off into laughter. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop interrogating you now.” Isagi’s cheeks are flushed and he looks… beautiful. 

“It’s okay,” Nagi shakes his head, smiling reassuringly, “I don’t mind.”

Isagi brushes some of his hair out of his face and looks toward the tv again. “Do you still want to play something?”

Nagi literally wants nothing more than to keep hanging out with Isagi, so he nods. “Definitely. What do you want to play?” 

Isagi stands up, walking to the shelf on the right and looking through the games carefully. “How about this one?” 

It’s a two player, first person shooter game — one of Nagi’s favorite kinds.

Nagi grins and nods, laughing as Isagi hurries to take the game out of its case and put it in before handing Nagi a controller and returning to his spot next to him as the game loads. He crosses his legs on the couch and watches the screen with a little smile on his face while Nagi watches him. He’s just so… perfect. 

The game starts, with them as teammates the first few rounds. They work together really well, and when they decide to switch it up five rounds in, the teasing and jibes at each other reach an all time high. Working against each other begins a lot of bickering, which makes both of them laugh. 

“Stop, you weren’t supposed to see me here!” Isagi yelps as Nagi opens fire upon finding him. 

Nagi laughs, “Have I mentioned that this is one of my favorite games?” 

Isagi gasps dramatically, smacking him lightly. “No! You could’ve mentioned that at any point.”

Nagi grins at him sharply. “I just did.” The end of his sentence is punctuated by the detonation of a grenade Isagi didn’t see, killing his character immediately. 

“Sei!” Isagi squeals. “Holy shit!” 

The nickname is new but most certainly not unwelcome. Nagi’s never had a nickname before. Nagi laughs and shrugs, smirking proudly before their characters respawn and the next game begins. They spend another three hours this way, playing various games of Isagi’s and challenging each other until Isagi finally yawns tiredly. 

Nagi smiles, setting his controller down. “I should probably get out of here and let you get to bed.” 

Isagi shakes his head, covering his mouth in another yawn. “I can take you back to your hotel, it’s a bit farther now.” 

Nagi checks the time on his phone before looking at Isagi with a smirk. “It’s like 12:15 in the morning, I’m not making you drive me back.” 

Isagi smirks back, “Well, I’m not letting you walk a mile and a half back to your hotel at 12:15 in the morning in a snow storm.” 

Nagi sighs, watching him fondly. “Neither of us are going to win this.” 

Isagi laughs, standing up. “That’s it, you’re staying here tonight.” Nagi opens his mouth to respond only to snap it shut again when the other man playfully glares at him. “Don’t even.” Nagi laughs too, finally allowing Isagi to win. 

“I unfortunately do not have an operational guest room at the moment, but I do have a couch.” Isagi says as he hands Nagi a blanket and a pillow from a basket on the floor by the TV. He holds up a finger and disappears into one of the rooms down the hall. 

Nagi sets the pillow up and unfolds the blanket, laying it out just as Isagi reappears with some sweats and a t-shirt. “Okay, you’re,” he pauses, looking Nagi up and down, “like way taller than me, so these are the biggest sizes I have.”

Nagi can’t help the laugh that escapes him and he takes the clothes graciously before heading into the bathroom. “Thank you, I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Hilariously enough, they are not fine. The sweats are doable, if a little short, but the shirt is comically short on him so he takes it off and just grabs his hoodie, folding it over his arm. He opens the bathroom door, still chuckling to himself and returns to Isagi. 

Nagi holds out the t-shirt, but finds Isagi frozen and, if Nagi is not mistaken, checking him out. Nagi looks down at himself and remembers suddenly that he’s shirtless. “Oh, sorry.” He says, even though it’s a lie, and puts on his hoodie. 

“N-no it’s okay, I’m sorry.” Isagi stutters, cheeks red. 

Nagi just smiles, glad that at least he’s not alone in his attraction to the other man. “The shirt was hilariously small, so I’ll give you that one back.” 

Isagi chuckles, recovering fully from his moment. “Fair, I am much smaller than you.” 

Nagi snorts unintentionally, making Isagi glare at him playfully. “No comment.” 

“I think you’ve said enough.” Isagi laughs, shaking his head. “You’re rude.” 

Nagi pouts at him, watching Isagi’s eyes dart to his lips and back up. “I’m very sorry.” 

Isagi shakes his head with a teasing look. “I don’t know if I can forgive you for this.” Nagi wipes a fake tear from his eye, sniffling dramatically as Isagi throws his head back in a laugh and shoves him lightly. “Fine, you’re forgiven, just don’t give me puppy dog eyes ever again.”

Nagi realizes then that at some point in his brain he switched from Isagi being a temporary friend just for his stay in town, to someone he knows that he wants to… to talk to and laugh with for as long as Isagi will let him. Somehow only a day with Isagi has felt like forever, like he’s known the other man for years and not less than 24 hours. 

Isagi seems to sense that Nagi is thinking about something and tilts his head as his smile dies down. “You okay?” 

Nagi nods, smiling down at him. “Yeah… I’m just really glad that we met today.”

The smile that had been on Isagi’s face returns and he laughs softly. “It’s really only been a day. How does it feel like so much longer?” 

Nagi shakes his head, shrugging one shoulder. “I don’t know, but somehow it feels like years.” 

Isagi nods, watching him with warm eyes. “Well, I’ll let you get to sleep. Goodnight Seishiro.”

“Okay,” Nagi murmurs back, “goodnight Yoichi.” 

Isagi bites his bottom lip to hide a smile before turning around and heading back to his room with a blush on his cheeks. Nagi doesn’t fight the smile on his face and again watches Isagi as he goes. Once Isagi has cracked his door, Nagi picks up the blanket and gets comfortable on the couch. 

Isagi is… fascinating. He’s kind and interesting, he makes Nagi laugh and smile, he’s — frankly — adorable, sweet and beautiful. And Nagi met him completely by chance, in a town he wouldn’t have been in for more than thirty minutes had his flight not gotten cancelled. 

Maybe… maybe he was meant to meet Isagi; maybe it’s fate. At least, that’s what it feels like. 

The next morning starts with Nagi being awoken by the delicious scent of breakfast being made. He peels his eyes open, suddenly realizing how late they were up last night. He yawns and stretches his arms before sitting up and looking over the back of the couch. 

Isagi is standing at the stove, stirring something. He’s humming softly to himself and Nagi can’t help but watch him for a moment. His shaggy hair is messy from sleep and he’s wearing a tight black tank top and some ocean blue sweatpants that Nagi knows without needing to see that they’ll compliment his eyes. 

Isagi finally turns around, seeming to be looking at where Nagi had been sleeping, and smiles when he sees him. “Hey, good morning.” 

Nagi gives him a sleepy smile back and waves at him, making Isagi giggle. “Good morning.” He stands up, heading to the bathroom before returning to the kitchen to stand next to the smaller man. 

“It smells really good,” Nagi hums, “I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I woke up to that smell.” 

Isagi grins, “Well I figured that I could just cook for us rather than us going to breakfast, since you’re here anyway.” 

“Thank you, Yoichi.” He murmurs softly, watching a blush grow on Isagi’s cheeks again. 

“You’re very welcome, Sei.” They stare at each other for a few moments before smiling and looking away from each other; Isagi back at the food and Nagi toward the clock on the kitchen wall. It’s already 10AM, meaning he slept in longer than he meant to. 

A phone rings suddenly from down the hall and Isagi turns to him, holding up his spatula. “Can you just watch this while I get that?”

Nagi nods immediately, taking the utensil from him and stepping into his spot when Isagi leaves the room. He hears Isagi dimly from the other room and listens as his voice gets louder as Isagi returns to the kitchen. He stirs the eggs in the pan in front of him as he waits.

“Hi, mom,” he greets, “what’s up?” Isagi is quiet for a few moments while he listens. “Oh no, I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. Do you need anything?” Silence again. “You what? Are you sure?” Nagi can't deny he’s curious. “Well thank you, and I love you. Feel better, I’ll see you later then.”

Nagi also can’t deny he’s envious of the good relationship between the two of them. His own mother hadn’t talked to him like that since he was 14 years old. 

Isagi sets the phone down on the counter before smiling at him. “How would you feel about going to the Jingle Bell Ball with me tonight? My parents aren’t feeling well, so they’re giving me their tickets.” 

Nagi’s sure he looks surprised, and before Isagi can doubt his decision, Nagi nods. “I’d love to, that sounds fun.” 

Isagi grins and Nagi mirrors it. “Well, you don’t happen to have a tuxedo with you, do you?” 

Nagi laughs and shakes his head. “No. I do have nicer clothes than the ones I’m wearing, but not nice enough for a formal event.” 

“Then we’re going shopping!” Isagi laughs, finally plating up their breakfast and handing one to Nagi. They sit down at Isagi’s dining room table before digging in. 

It’s delicious, and Nagi doesn’t remember the last time someone else was kind enough to  make him breakfast. Isagi is one of a kind, and Nagi’s thankful they ran into each other. Literally. 

“This is great, thank you. You’re a good cook.” Nagi says after swallowing his first bite. 

Isagi beams at him and he leans his chin on his hand. “Thank you. I used to cook with my mom a lot as a kid and it became something I really loved.”  

“That sounds lovely.” Nagi murmurs quietly. “What was your childhood like?” 

“It was a normal childhood I think,” Isagi starts, “I did well in school, I played soccer from the time I was five until I was 22 and graduated college. My parents came to all my school plays and concerts, I learned to drive when I was 16, got my first job at 17 and graduated high school with a 4.0. An average childhood.” 

Nagi smiles, “That sounds wonderful.” He knows they’ve sort of discussed Nagi’s family, but chooses to share more. “From when I was born to when I was 14 my parents were like that. Supportive, loving. We had dinner together every night, my dad would help me with my homework while my mom tried new recipes that… Well, sometimes they didn’t work out.” Nagi chuckles to himself, watching Isagi’s smile grow softer and sadder, knowing the direction the story is going. 

“She was not the best cook, but she did try. When I was 14 my grandpa died and left my dad a ridiculously huge inheritance that nobody knew he even had. After that my parents were gone all the time, traveling, spoiling themselves, and in the end they forgot about me. We moved to Tokyo, I was put into a boarding school so that they could continue to travel without having to worry about me.  As a teenager they gave me a debit card and told me to get whatever I wanted.” Nagi sighs, leaning his chin on his hand. “In school I met my one close friend, Reo, and he’s been there for me ever since. Reo’s always been rich. He’s spoiled, he’s a partier, he’s played every sport he’s ever wanted, been in a band. We’re very different people, and sometimes I’m reminded that Reo doesn’t care as much about me as he says he does.” 

“Nagi…” Isagi breathes. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Nagi shakes his head. “It’s been a long time. And I played soccer too, Reo recruited me. I didn’t really care about it at first, my dad had taught me some of it as a kid, but I grew to love it. We played on our college team too.” 

Isagi grins at that. “We’ll have to play together sometime.” 

Nagi grins, “Absolutely.” He looks down at the table before continuing his story, “So my childhood kind of ended at 14. It feels like I’ve just been an adult ever since.”

Isagi nods slowly. “That makes sense. I’m sorry you had to grow up so fast.” He smiles then, “I just realized I don’t know how old you are.” 

Nagi laughs, “I’m 25.”

“Me too!” Isagi exclaims with bright eyes. “What are the odds of… this?” 

Nagi knows what he means. What are the odds of people from two different cities running into each other in a small town only because Nagi’s flight was cancelled. If Nagi hadn’t gone clothes shopping first and found a different cafe, they wouldn’t have met. 

“I don’t know exactly, but I’m glad they were in our favor. You’re… you’re really something, Yoichi Isagi.” Nagi says quietly, locking eyes with him. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Isagi teases, finishing his food. 

“Good, you should. It was meant as one.” Nagi grins at him, finishing his too. They stand simultaneously, bringing their plates over to the sink. 

After breakfast Isagi comes with Nagi to his hotel room to freshen up and change his clothes before they set out on their adventure for a tuxedo. Isagi apparently owns one already, so they’re only looking for one for Nagi. Isagi leads them straight to the one store in town that sells formalwear and introduces him to the kind old woman who owns it. Her long graying hair is pulled into a bun at the back of her head and she has a sweet smile and kind brown eyes. 

“Yoichi, dear! It’s so good to see you.” She comes around the counter to kiss his cheeks before looking at Nagi in surprise. “Well who’s this handsome young man?” 

Nagi feels himself blush as he awkwardly looks away, making Isagi laugh. “This is my new friend, Seishiro.” 

“Well Seishiro, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Hana.” She kisses his cheeks too, “I’ve known Yoichi here since he was just a baby.” She looks back at Isagi fondly. “So what are you boys looking for today?” 

Isagi answers, “We need to get Seishiro a tux for the Jingle Bell Ball tonight. Mom and dad aren’t feeling well so they’re giving us their tickets.” 

She grins, snapping her fingers. “I have just the thing.” She hurries into a side room and Nagi looks at Isagi in shock. 

The smaller man just nods, shrugging one shoulder. “She’s almost always right.” 

Nagi laughs softly, smiling down at him. “I love learning about your life here.”

Isagi’s smile grows softer and he comes closer. “I’ve never been happier to tell someone about my life. And I like learning about yours, too.”

Hana returns then, holding up a sharp black tux with a tan colored button down. “This—”

“Matches mine perfectly!” Isagi laughs, “The only difference will be our shirt colors and shoes.” 

“Perfect matches for my new favorite couple.” She hangs up the suit on a shelf nearby as the two of them sputter and insist they’re not a couple uselessly. She gives them a look and shoos Nagi into the dressing room to try it on. 

Nagi obeys the silent command, changing into the pants and dress shirt and stepping out again. She starts taking his measurements, having him move various ways to get the accurate numbers. Nagi tries to pay attention to her, but he’s also distracted by Isagi checking him out again.

The smaller man doesn’t seem to notice Nagi watching him, too distracted with watching Hana measure him. When he finally does return his eyes to Nagi’s face, he startles when he realizes Nagi has been staring at him. His cheeks immediately turn pink, and he looks at him apologetically. 

Nagi just smiles, shaking his head reassuringly. Their eye contact lasts for another few moments before Hana instructs Nagi to turn the other way. Hoping to make Isagi laugh, he waves goodbye playfully as he turns, smiling when he hears the giggles from the other man behind his back. Nagi still feels like he’s reeling from just meeting Isagi. The other man had come into his life in an unexpected way and made Nagi feel happier, lighter, than he has in years.

When Hana finishes measuring, he returns to the changing room to take off the outfit. He changes back into his jeans and t-shirt with a hoodie layered over it and returns to Isagi, who’s now standing at the counter talking with the woman. When Nagi arrives next to him, she smiles at him. “It’s on the house sweetie, give me two hours and I’ll have it done. It doesn’t need much altering.” 

Nagi’s jaw drops. “I— Are you sure? Please let me pay you.” 

She laughs and shakes her head. “You’ll do no such thing. Now go, I’ll call you when it’s done.” 

Isagi laughs too at Nagi’s pout. “Well thank you, Hana. We’ll see you later.”

The two of them leave and Isagi smiles. “What do you want to do in the meantime?” 

Nagu hums, thinking about it. “Show me… your favorite place in town.”

“I have a few, can you be more specific?” Isagi teases. 

“Somewhere you have the most fond memories with your friends,” Nagi revises. “Somewhere you used to hang out.” 

Isagi grins, “I know exactly the place.” 

Nagi is pleasantly surprised when Isagi leads him to an arcade. He grins up at Nagi as he opens the door, gesturing for him to enter first. It’s truly an arcade, full of all kinds of games that give you tickets, a photo booth and a prize counter full of low quality items. Nagi himself has only been to one arcade before this one, back when he was 13. 

“Wow, this is amazing.” Nagi says in wonder, looking around. 

Isagi grins, laughing. “This is the place I met all of my friends. To be honest, I’m surprised it’s still up and running after so long, but I think it’s because it’s one of the only things you can do here as a teenager.”

“Makes sense.” Nagi murmurs, “Well, show me your favorites.” 

The look of childlike excitement on Isagi’s face is adorable as he leads them to the coin exchange machine for tokens. After stocking up, they move around the whole arcade.

They play everything from Dig Dug and PAC-Man to skee ball and air hockey. Nagi laughs more than ever and Isagi’s smile is so wide it’s contagious. Before they know it, Hana is calling them to let them know she’s done. They end up playing a couple more games together before leaving, heading out of the arcade and walking side by side with maybe an inch between them. 

Nagi likes Isagi. He wants to know more about Isagi — has to know more about Isagi. And, if Isagi’s lingering looks and sweet smiles say anything, Nagi thinks Isagi might return his feelings. But he doesn’t know for sure, he needs more time to observe the smaller man. 

Hana has him try on the tux as soon as they arrive, making noises of approval as she looks at each seam and how it fits. Once she’s completely satisfied she smiles and gestures at him, looking at Isagi. “Well, how does he look?” 

Isagi and Nagi make eye contact in the mirror and he catches the small smile on the smaller man’s face. “…He looks beautiful.” His voice is soft, intimate, and Nagi’s eyes widen at the possible confirmation of Isagi’s feelings. 

Hana grins, nodding her head in agreement. “Yes, he does. Now get down, change and I’ll put it in a garment bag.” 

Nagi obeys, returning to a blushing Isagi’s side a minute later. Isagi hesitates for a moment before tentatively making eye contact. Nagi smiles down at him, “Thank you.” Isagi smiles in relief and relaxes.

They meet Hana at the counter again, who hands over the bag. Nagi takes it from her gratefully. “Please let me—”

“No thank you.” She interrupts, chucking. “If you want to pay me so badly, your payment can be a picture of you together tonight.” 

That makes both of them laugh and agree before leaving the store. At this point the ball starts in three hours, so they decide to get something to eat before they get ready. They enter a nearby ramen restaurant, happy to have warm soup on such a cold day. 

“So what’s the ball like?” Nagi asks after they order their food. 

Isagi smiles, looking reminiscent. “It starts off with hors d’oeuvres and mingling for the first 30 minutes, there’s usually an open bar given tickets are so expensive, and then there is a lot of time for dancing and then it ends at about ten. There’s live music, too.” 

Nagi can’t help but smile at Isagi as he finishes. “It sounds fun.”

Isagi starts to look nervous, something Nagi hasn’t seen much of. “Are you sure? Aren’t you missing a similar event back home?”

Nagi nods, “I’m excited for this one because I’m going with you.”

Isagi blushes again and looks away, smiling to himself. “God… you just…” 

Nagi raises an eyebrow, tilting his head. “I what?”

Isagi laughs softly, looking back at him. He shakes his head slowly. “Nothing, I’ll uh, I’ll tell you later.”

That makes Nagi even more curious, but he nods anyway. “Okay, no problem.”

Isagi smiles at him in a new way, like a new level of affection. “Thank you.” His eyes move over Nagi’s shoulder and he looks back a moment later. “Here comes our food.” 

The waiter drops off their meals and sides before leaving again. For the next twenty minutes they talk about the food and play twenty questions to get to know each other better. 

Nagi learns that Isagi’s favorite color is forest green, that his favorite food is sushi, his birthday is April 1st, his favorite animal is a cat because of one his family had when he was a kid. And in return Isagi learns that Nagi’s favorite color is navy blue, his favorite food is udon, his birthday is May 6th, and his favorite animal is also a cat, though he’s never had one of his own.

They learn a lot more, but eventually Nagi stops keeping track and gets lost in the conversation. They sit there for at least an hour and a half, long after their food is gone and their drinks are empty. When they finally do leave they return to Nagi’s hotel, where he takes a quick shower and brushes his teeth again before they get back into Isagi’s car and head back to his house. 

Once there Isagi takes a shower and then the two of them get ready side by side, laughing and joking with each other effortlessly. Eventually they change into their tuxes, and Nagi waits for Isagi to return to the living room. He hears Isagi’s bedroom door open, but doesn’t look right away as he struggles with his shoes. When he does finally stand up, he looks over at Isagi and his breath catches in his throat. 

He looks beautiful, striking, in a black tux and tie and a deep blue button down. The shirt compliments his eyes perfectly, making them pop. The dark color of his suit, tie and midnight colored hair contrast his pale skin perfectly and Nagi already knows he’s going to be staring at the other man all night. 

Nagi can’t seem to formulate words at first and Isagi frowns slightly, looking down at himself. “Is there—”

“No,” Nagi interrupts, “you look beautiful.”

Isagi smiles in relief and sighs, coming closer. “Thank you,” he whispers, “you do too. Are you ready to go?”

Nagi nods, following Isagi out to the car, already unable to keep his eyes off of the smaller man. Their ride there is filled with quiet small talk and teasing each other. When they reach the venue Isagi shows the two tickets his parents sent him on his phone and the two of them are admitted. They walk in, looking around at everyone dressed their absolute best in gowns and tuxedos, and at all the gold and silver decorations. 

They head toward the bar, but the area is crowded so Nagi offers his arm to lead Isagi through the crowd. Isagi smiles thankfully, looping their arms together with a hand on Nagi’s bicep. When they finally get there Nagi orders their drinks and hands Isagi his before leading him back out of the crowd and to the bar of hors d’oeuvres and get a few of them each before sitting at a nearby high-top table. 

Nagi looks around, taking in the party lights, people gathering into groups and running into their friends, people already swaying to the mixtape playing until the band starts.

“This is similar, but friendlier.” Nagi murmurs, catching Isagi’s attention. 

“Than your parents’ gala?” He asks, eating one of the snacks on his plate. 

Nagi nods. “Oh yes. Those galas are full of people who don’t actually like each other pretending to like each other. They’re somehow so busy and so lonely at the same time. I hate them, but I’m always home when they happen so I never have a reason to miss them. This is the first time and I’m so glad to have missed it.” 

“Well,” Isagi murmurs, “I’m very glad you’re here.” 

Nagi meets his eyes and neither of them look away for a long period of time before finally beginning a new conversation about their experiences at these things. After a while the band starts to play and the dance floor fills up. Nagi decides to wait a bit to ask Isagi to dance, because he really wants to, until there are less people out there. About four songs in, there's a slow song and some of the younger couples leave the dance floor to get more drinks.  

Nagi looks at Isagi, who’s already looking at him. “Dance with me?”

Isagi grins in excitement, nodding. “Absolutely.”

The two of them make their way to the dance floor and Nagi happily assumes the position, taking one of Isagi’s hands and putting the other on his waist. Isagi takes his hand and puts the other on Nagi’s shoulder as they start swaying to the music together. 

“Do you know how to waltz?” Isagi asks with a smile, laughing in delight when Nagi nods and corrects their movements with a smile. “I’ve never danced with someone I actually liked.”

Nagi laughs, throwing his head back. “Well I cannot tell how happy I am to be the first.” 

Isagi giggles and the two of them start moving with more purpose, moving in perfect synchronization — like they were made to dance together. They end up dancing through an unknown amount of songs, stopping every now and then to eat something and drink something. Just before the party ends, they play one final slow song. Nagi looks at Isagi with a questioning glance, grinning when Isagi stands immediately and takes his hand to drag him to the dance floor. 

Nagi laughs, guiding Isagi’s arms over his shoulders before putting his own around Isagi’s waist. Nagi pulls Isagi close, pressing their bodies together as much as possible. Isagi rests his head on his shoulder for about half the song, happily swaying together to the slow tempo before looking up at him. 

“I’ll tell you what I was going to say earlier.” He murmurs quietly. 

Nagi nods, waiting patiently, curiously. “Okay.”

“You… you take my breath away. The things you say sometimes are just so sweet that it feels like I can’t speak over the sound and the feeling of my heartbeat pounding in my chest.” Isagi breathes out, “You’re sweet, beautiful and funny. I don’t know how I got so lucky as to meet you.” 

Nagi’s so glad he’s not alone in his feelings. “You take my breath away, too. You have since the moment I met you. You make me laugh and smile, you make me feel happier than I have in forever.”

“We’ve only known each other for two days.” Isagi responds, but in amazement. 

“I know, it’s crazy to me, too.” Nagi murmurs. 

The song ends, but thankfully since there are still so many people dancing, they start another one. They smile at each other and one of Nagi’s hands slides a little higher on Isagi’s back and one of Isagi’s moves up to weave his fingers in the shaggy hair at the base of his head. 

Nagi’s smile starts to melt away as they start slowly getting closer to each other, until their mouths press together gently. It’s a slow, tentative kiss; it’s them immediately learning what the other does and how to please them. It’s the most perfect first kiss Nagi’s ever had. 

They don’t pull back right away, deciding to savor the moment. Once they finally do, Isagi giggles softly and smiles shyly as he presses his cheek against Nagi’s chest. Nagi tightens his arms around him, sighing deeply as he completely relaxes against him. 

The song ends again and this time dancers start to disperse and leave, so Nagi and Isagi do, too. After cleaning up their spot, Isagi takes Nagi by the hand and walks with him down the hallway that leads to the parking lot. 

“Oh! Sei, we forgot to get a picture!” Isagi says suddenly, looking around them. “Excuse me,” he says to a woman walking by, “can you please take a few pictures of us?”

She nods with a smile and takes Isagi’s phone, taking a few steps back. “Okay, smile!” 

They do and hear the camera click a few times before Nagi looks down at Isagi with a smile, making fond eyes at each other. Nagi hears the camera click one more time before their impromptu photographer pouts. “Oh my god, that one was so cute. You two are a cute couple.” 

Neither of them fight the incorrect assumption, too busy looking at the pictures on Isagi’s phone after saying thank you. The first three are perfect portrait photos of them in their matching suits, but the fourth is… beautiful. The two of them are looking at each other with affectionate expressions, and Nagi knows he’s never looked at anyone else this way. 

“Wow,” Isagi says quietly, “that’s a great photo.”

Nagi hums in agreement, making eye contact with Isagi for a moment before they press their lips together softly again. Isagi sighs into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Nagi’s shoulders for the second time as Nagi’s wrap around his waist. When they pull back this time, Isagi doesn’t go far, hugging him around the waist. Nagi smiles, kissing the top of his head. 

Isagi pulls back again, looking at him with stars in his eyes. “I say we go back to my place and order food while we watch a movie? What do you think?” 

Nagi hums his approval. “A movie night with you sounds perfect.” 

They separate completely before making their way to the car, hopping in and buckling up. Before they even exit the parking lot, Nagi is reaching over to thread their fingers together. Isagi smiles happily. Nagi plays with Isagi’s fingers for the ride over and when they arrive he grabs the bag he brought with his pajamas and follows the smaller man into the house. Immediately Isagi disappears into his room to change, so Nagi follows suit in the bathroom. They end up coming out at the same time, almost bumping into each other like they did when they met. 

They drop onto the couch next to each other, closer than they had earlier on this very same couch. Isagi scoots close enough that their legs are touching where they sit and as he looks through menus, Nagi plays with his fingers again. It’s very domestic and Nagi finds himself yearning for this to be a normal thing. 

Once they’ve ordered their food, Isagi gives Nagi the remote, offering to let him pick the show. They scroll through movies until they find a new action movie neither of them have seen. Isagi gets up to get another blanket and remakes the couch bed while they wait. Their food arrives shortly and they settle in to eat as they watch the beginning of the movie, and once they finish Isagi pushes Nagi backwards into a laying position before climbing on top of him to cuddle up on his chest as they lay there. 

Nagi laughs softly as Isagi all but burrows into his chest and pulls the blanket up. 

Isagi gives him a look, “Hey, movie nights are serious.”

Nagi holds up a hand in surrender, nodding. “Oh I agree with you, you’re just cute.”

Isagi blushes and smiles, choosing not to respond. They get comfortable and as the movie goes on, Nagi starts feeling more and more tired, having trouble keeping his eyes open. Isagi tiredly starts running a hand up and down Nagi’s arm, which ultimately seals his fate as he’s soothed to sleep. 

He wakes in the middle of the night to Isagi’s arms wrapping around his waist as he presses his face into Nagi’s neck, making him chuckle sleepily. Isagi’s eyes open at the sound and he blinks up at Nagi with a tired smile. “Do you want to move to my bed? It’ll be more comfortable.” He whispers it softly and Nagi nods immediately, lifting the blanket for Isagi to get up first. 

Isagi gets up, leading Nagi to his bedroom. He turns on a lamp so that Nagi can see his way through the unfamiliar room. The room is kept neat, with the bed already made this morning. They both get in, meeting in the middle in an embrace. Isagi curls into him instinctively, sighing happily when Nagi gladly wraps his arms around the smaller man and pulls him as close as possible. They fit together like two puzzle pieces, and they immediately fall back to sleep together. 

The next morning they wake up still cuddled together. Nagi wakes first, unable to stop himself from observing Isagi’s peaceful expression. His slim features are just as eye-catching to Nagi as his beautiful cobalt blue eyes. He has to stop himself from doing something like cupping his cheek or kissing him awake.

Nagi wants to stay here. If last night proved anything to him it’s that he wants to be with Isagi, and to be with Isagi he would need to live here. He doesn’t want to go back to Tokyo; to parents who barely like him, only one friend who hasn’t bothered to call him back since the other night, to a house that’s cold and distant. 

Maybe Isagi would want him here, too.

The other man blinks awake then, furrowing his brows slightly before meeting Nagi’s eyes with fuzzy blue ones. A small smile crosses his face, making Nagi’s heart beat speed up in his chest. “Good morning,” his voice is gravely from sleep and it makes Nagi smile, too, “I hope you slept okay.”

Nagi wraps his arms around Isagi, holding him tighter while the smaller man sighs happily. “I think it might’ve been the best sleep I’ve ever had.” 

Isagi smiles, pushing his face into Nagi’s neck. “Me too.”

They cuddle for a while, something Nagi has now only ever done with Isagi. He loves it, loves the closeness it allows, the intimacy it brings. 

“So, would you maybe want to come with me to my parents’ house tonight? They always make Christmas dinner, and it’s usually only us three so there wouldn’t be a lot of people.” Isagi smiles and pulls back, looking at him pleadingly. 

Nagi feels like he should be nervous about meeting Isagi’s parents, but if they’re anything like him he knows they’ll be lovely. “Of course. I would love to.” 

Isagi grins and leans in to kiss Nagi’s lips quickly before rolling out of bed. “I can make breakfast again. Something sweet?” 

Nagi smiles and nods. “I can help you.” He gets out of bed too and they temporarily go their separate ways to the bathrooms before meeting in the kitchen again. Isagi is already mixing some batter in front of a pan on the stove. Nagi helps by setting the table and gathering condiments while Isagi makes them pancakes and eggs.

They eat breakfast in comfortable silence before deciding to spend the morning playing games together. Nagi sits down on the couch and Isagi plops himself straight onto Nagi’s lap. He laughs softly and wraps his arms around Isagi’s waist, pulling him even closer as their chosen game loads up. 

Hours pass with the two of them just enjoying each other’s company. Nagi’s perfectly happy to stay there as long as possible. They do pause at one point because Nagi’s phone starts going off over and over again. He picks it up off the coffee table eventually, not bothering to hide the screen from Isagi. 

Mom: Seishiro, I cannot believe that you would not show up for the Christmas gala. 

Mom: I’m not sure when exactly you became so ungrateful, but I expect you back by December 31st at the very latest.

Mom: If you’re not back by then you can say goodbye to all of your things.

Nagi snorts and Isagi looks at him with a heartbroken expression. “That’s how your own mother talks to you?”

Nagi nods, “It’s okay. She means my things at their house, I don’t live with them.”

Isagi is quiet for a moment too long and Nagi looks at him. “I keep forgetting that you’re only here temporarily…” 

Nagi shakes his head, surprising Isagi. “I don’t want it to be temporary.” Isagi’s surprise starts to melt into happiness. “I don’t want to go back to Tokyo. I don’t want to be around people who don’t care about me anymore. Do you… would you want me to stay?”

Isagi laughs, pressing a firm kiss to Nagi’s lips. Isagi’s relentless, kissing him hard and fast. “Yeah, Sei,” he breathes, finally letting up, “I want you to stay really badly.”

Nagi grins, taking his turn to kiss Isagi with everything in him. “Then…” he whispers, “I’ll stay. I’ll have to clear out my apartment. There isn’t much there so it won’t take long. I'll give my notice at my job and come right back.”

“You can stay with me.” Isagi volunteers immediately. “Don’t worry about having to find a place. In fact, you should really just cancel your hotel room and bring your stuff here, because after last night I never want to sleep without you again.”

Nagi laughs and kisses him lightly. “Are you sure?” 

Isagi nods quickly, “100% certain.”

Nagi laughs and kisses him again. “Okay, sounds good.” 

“I have a question…” Isagi whispers all of a sudden. Nagi tilts his head, “How long will you be gone?” 

“Two days max.” Nagi responds softly. 

Isagi nods and presses their lips together again with a smile. “Okay. I’m really, really glad you’re staying.” 

“I don’t think you could get rid of me now.” He presses a soft kiss to Isagi’s cheek. “It only took me two days to fall in love with you, Yoichi Isagi. I’m not going anywhere.”

Isagi’s breath catches and his eyes tear up. “I fell in love with you, too. It’s almost scary how fast it happened, but it’s mostly just… perfect.” 

Nagi smiles and he feels his eyes burn with tears, too. He kisses Isagi again, deep and lingering. “I’m going to try and sneak in and out. I don’t want them to know I’m leaving until I’m gone.” 

Isagi gives him a sympathetic smile, kissing him again gently. “I’ll be here waiting for you.” 

Nagi laughs quietly, tightening his hold around him. He tips them over so that they’re laying down, Isagi on top of Nagi. “I’ll hurry back.”

Isagi grabs the blanket off the back of the couch and tugs it over them, silently deciding they’ll watch something rather than continue to play games. “Can we take a nap?” 

Nagi hums in approval. “I can always take a nap.” 

Isagi laughs, moving until he’s laying flat on top of Nagi with his ear over Nagi’s heart again. They fall asleep pretty quickly, and wake up a couple hours later before getting ready to go to Isagi’s parents’ house for dinner. 

Despite not feeling nervous all day, Nagi does start feeling nervous the closer they get to the Isagi family home. Isagi seems to notice and smiles, taking Nagi’s hand. “Relax Sei, they’ll love you.”

“Are you sure?” Nagi asks, “I’m just some guy you ran into on the street a few days ago.” 

They pull into the driveway of a picturesque yellow house with two other cars pulled in. Isagi turns the car off and turns to face him with a smile.

“Sei, you’re not just some guy I ran into on the street. You are the man who’s done nothing but show me how sweet and kind and thoughtful. You’re the man I fell hopelessly in love with in two days. You’re Seishiro Nagi, my boyfriend.” 

Nagi grins at the term, laughing quietly. “Yes, I am.” 

Isagi grins and kisses him soundly, only pulling back once they’re both out of breath. “I can guarantee you, they’ll both love you. They’re big softies.”

Nagi laughs and nods, pecking his lips again before they both get out of the car. Isagi leads them to the front door, holding his hand as they enter. Nagi follows Isagi’s lead in taking his shoes and coat off before following him through the house and into the kitchen, where Nagi can hear laughter and bickering. 

Isagi grins at him again before they enter, winking at him. “Hi guys,” he greets with a smile and a wave, “we’re here.”

Isagi’s mother turns around, smiling and hurrying around the counter to pull Isagi into a hug and kiss his cheek. “Hi, sweetie! Merry Christmas.”

Isagi’s dad waves at them from his spot at the oven, grinning as well. “Hello!”

Nagi smiles and waves at them too, gasping when Isagi’s mom pulls him into a hug too. “Welcome to our home, Seishiro! Merry Christmas!”

Nagi smiles nervously, accepting the hug tentatively. He didn’t remember the last time his mom gave him a hug. “Thank you so much. Merry Christmas to both of you. It’s very nice to meet you.” 

“Well when Isagi told us about you, I knew we needed to meet you!” She says, grinning as she returns to her husband’s side. 

The rest of the wait for dinner is full of surprisingly pleasant conversation as they all get to know each other better. Once dinner is served they all start sharing stories of their family traditions, and if Isagi’s parents notice that all of Nagi’s contributions are in the past tense, neither of them say anything about it. 

It’s the nicest family dinner Nagi’s ever been a part of. They all laugh and exchange stories and the whole time Nagi keeps finding that Isagi is staring at him with warm blue eyes and a shy smile. Nagi isn’t the only one who notices; Isagi’s mom is watching the two of them with a knowing smile, slowly tapering off the conversation and ending dinner subtly so they can open presents. 

They all sit in the living room and much to Nagi’s surprise, he’s handed three presents. “Wh- for me?” 

Isagi’s mom smiles and nods, gesturing to both he and Isagi. “For you!”

Isagi gets more specific gifts; things like a game he’s apparently been talking about, a gift card to his favorite bookstore, and a new laptop computer. Isagi gapes at his parents. “You guys, no!”

“Yes!” Isagi’s dad laughs. “You’ve been talking about how your computer isn’t good enough for running your business, so we wanted to surprise you with a new one.”

“We’re incredibly proud of you, Yoichi.” His mom says softly, kissing his cheek. “You chased your dream and achieved it.” 

They direct Nagi to open his presents next, which he does immediately. The first one is a gift card to the nearby department store that Nagi got his console from, the second is a mug that Isagi’s parents apparently got on vacation but have never used and finally, Isagi’s mom proudly watches as Nagi opens a handmade hoodie, apparently knit by the woman herself. 

Nagi’s eyes do water then and he smiles at her. “Thank you very much.” He holds out a hand to Isagi’s father to shake, smiling at him, too. “Thank you both.”

They all hang out for about another half hour before they decide to leave. “Bye mom, bye dad!” Isagi calls from the doorway in the end as he puts his shoes on.

Isagi’s mom comes over to Nagi, pulling him into another hug. “You are always welcome in our home, Seishiro. It’s clear how happy you make each other.” 

Nagi fights off the urge to cry and nods, smiling. “Thank you very much. It was great to meet you.” 

They leave the house, returning to Isagi’s car. Isagi turns toward him, watching him with a warm expression. “I told you they’d love you.” For some reason that makes Nagi finally tear up and he looks away with a wet laugh. “Sei?” He asks, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he laughs, wiping his eyes as some tears overflow, “that was just really nice. I don’t remember the last time my family did something like that. They’re so sweet.” 

Isagi makes a cooing sound, pulling Nagi into a hug and winding his fingers into the hair at the base of Nagi’s head. Nagi practically melts into him, pressing his face into Isagi’s neck. “They loved you, and once you’re back we can have dinners together whenever we want.” 

Nagi nods, pulling back to wipe his eyes again. “That sounds amazing.” 

Isagi grins and kisses him softly before they buckle up and back out of the driveway to head to Nagi’s hotel. As Isagi said earlier, there’s no point in having his hotel room when he’s not planning on sleeping anywhere other than with Isagi for the foreseeable future. The other man helps him gather all of his belongings and helps him carry everything to the car after cancelling his room. 

On their way back Nagi’s phone vibrates in his pocket and he pulls it out curiously. It’s a message from his airline, notifying him that an earlier flight is available on the 27th. He sighs, catching Isagi’s attention. 

“What’s wrong, Sei?” Isagi asks, resting a hand on Nagi’s knee. 

Nagi shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “There’s an earlier flight available. I could go on the 27th rather than the 2nd.” 

Isagi looks sad but nods. “Which one will you do?”

“Well… I didn’t really want to see them at all, but if I come back before the 31st it does give me a chance to get whatever I have at my parents’ house out. But…” he looks back at Isagi, “I also don’t want to go yet.” 

Isagi smiles reassuringly. “Well, maybe the sooner you go the sooner you’ll be back?”

Nagi smiles back, feeling a little better. “If I go on the 27th I can be back by the 30th. I can be back for New Years.”

Isagi’s sadness melts away and he nods quickly with an excited smile. “Bachira and his husband Rin always have a New Year’s party! Would you come with me? Please?” 

Nagi couldn’t say no even if he wanted to. “I’d love to, that sounds great.” 

They finally pull into Isagi’s driveway and Nagi follows him inside, laughing softly when Isagi leads him directly to his bedroom to put his things down. Surprising Nagi, Isagi puts down the bag he was carrying and pulls him into an impromptu kiss. 

Nagi hums into it, dropping what he was holding in favor of wrapping his arms around the smaller man. When they finally pull back, Isagi grins and pulls him back to the living room, where he pushes Nagi down onto the couch. He grabs a blanket and drops into his lap, making himself comfortable. He picks up the remote and hands it to Nagi again, offering for him to pick. 

Nagi laughs and makes himself comfortable too, holding Isagi against him as he moves. After picking a movie, Nagi sighs and books a ticket for the flight on the 27th and cancels his ticket for the 2nd. 

Isagi strokes a soothing hand up and down his arm, reassuring him as he watches. Once done, Nagi opens his messages app and opens the ones from his mother. 

Seishiro: Congratulations, you got your wish. I’ll be back on the 27th.

Before he can even set the phone down she responds. 

Mom: Do not give me attitude, Seishiro.

Mom: I expect to see you at dinner that night. 

Nagi rolls his eyes, putting his phone on silent and setting it on the coffee table. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” 

Isagi sighs and starts running his fingers through Nagi’s hair gently. “I’m sorry she speaks to you like that.” 

Nagi leans into his touch gratefully. “It’s just sad because she used to be a normal, very loving mother. She used to make us dinner every night and bake, she’d get excited about shopping for school and… she was my best friend.” He lets out a shuddering sigh as he realizes he hasn’t talked about it this deeply before. 

Isagi is listening intently, watching him as he continues stroking through his hair. “And my dad… he’s the one who taught me how to play soccer. It was his favorite sport. He was an accountant, he helped me with my homework… money changed them. And I promised myself I would never let that happen to me. I miss the way they used to be, but I think that version of them is gone forever.” 

Isagi half smiles at him, “I’m sorry, Sei… I’m sorry that they don’t see how wonderful you are. They’re missing out and it’s their own faults. But I see you, Seishiro Nagi. I see who you are and I love you even more for it.”

“God, I…” Nagi laughs softly, “I came here by chance, and I only got my flight cancelled by chance, and then I ran into you, literally…” 

Isagi nods with a grin. “It’s crazy right? But you’re here now, and we did meet and—”

“And I love you very much, too, Yoichi Isagi.” He murmurs. “You’re just… so perfect. Perfect for me.”

Isagi blushes at that, looking at him like he hung the moon. “Sei…”

Nagi shakes his head. “No, I mean it. You… balance me, Yoichi.” 

Isagi leans in to kiss him gently, intimately. “You balance me, too.” 

They finally settle in to watch their movie, and before Nagi knows it he’s fallen asleep. 

The day Nagi leaves is sad, even though he knows he’ll be back in 2-3 days at most.

Isagi drives him to the airport and comes in with him until they get to security. Isagi’s expression is sad, his blue eyes are tearful and his hand doesn’t leave Nagi’s for a second. 

“I’ll be back,” Nagi whispers and pulls the smaller man into a tight hug, tucking his head under his chin, “I promise. I’ll only be gone a few days.” Isagi nods against his chest but he hears him sniffle anyway. 

There’s still 45 minutes before he needs to be at his gate, so rather than continuing forward, he walks Isagi backwards into a corner nearby before sliding to the floor. Isagi laughs wetly grasping his shirt in his fist as they go. He makes himself comfortable in Nagi’s lap, facing him. 

“I’ll miss you.” Isagi whispers, “I got so used to you being here.” 

“I know.” Nagi nods, smiling when Isagi drops his head so that it’s pressed against Nagi’s collarbone. “I got used to it, too. This already feels more like my home than Tokyo. I really hate that place.”

Isagi giggles into his chest. “I know you do.” He relaxes his fist, choosing instead to slip his hand underneath Nagi’s jacket to rest on his stomach. “I don’t know why I’m freaking out so much. I just really don’t want you to go.” 

Nagi waits to speak until Isagi lifts his head and looks him in the eye. “I don’t want to go either, it’s the last thing I want. But, the sooner I do this, the sooner I can come back home.” 

Isagi smiles and wipes his eyes. “You’re right.”

Nagi smiles even wider and happily wraps the smaller man in his arms for the next twenty minutes as they sit silently with Isagi’s ear pressed against his heart. 

When the time is up they both sigh sadly, standing up to return to their previous spot. Isagi looks up at him, expression sad again. “I love you, Sei. Travel safely, let me know when you get there.” 

Nagi smiles reassuringly, swiping his thumb across Isagi’s soft cheek. “I love you, too, Yoichi. I’m probably going to just pay for WiFi on the plane so I can still talk to you.” 

Isagi laughs and leans up for a final soft kiss before backing up a step. “I’ll be waiting.” 

Nagi grins, turning toward security. “I won’t keep you waiting long!” 

At some point he does have to move on and loses sight of Isagi as he makes his way through security. As soon as the other man is out of his sight Nagi feels sadder, and quickly realizes that the two of them haven’t been away from each other for longer than a few hours since they met. 

Nagi does end up paying for WiFi, so he and Isagi play an online game together after the other man gets home. The time flies by and before Nagi knows it, they land in Tokyo. After getting off the plane, grabbing his bags and catching a taxi out front, Nagi is walking into his apartment. 

Somehow it feels colder now. Now that Isagi’s place is more home than this one, Nagi can’t help but itch to get back. He wastes no time in putting his stuff down and picks up his phone to video call Isagi. It only rings a few times before the raven haired man answers with an excited expression. 

“Hey!” He exclaims, “You made it!”

“I did.” Nagi smiles at the sight of him, sitting down on the couch. “You know, even if we hadn’t already decided that I’m coming back, I would’ve anyway. I walked in and it’s just…” he looks around and sighs, “cold and lonely and sad.” 

Isagi gives him a small, reassuring smile. “I would’ve welcomed you anyway. Can you show me around?”

Nagi smiles at that and nods, standing up and flipping the camera around. He starts at the front door and shows Isagi around the whole place. It's a nice apartment; high ceilings, big windows, a bathroom with a large shower and an even larger bathtub. It’s Nagi’s favorite place he’s ever lived, but Isagi’s place is warmer, more welcoming, and of course Isagi is there. That makes it a million times better automatically. 

“Wow, it’s a really nice place.” Isagi says in awe, “That’s like something out of a movie.” 

Nagi laughs and flips the camera around. “It’s been a good place to live. I’ll miss the apartment, but being there with you will be infinitely better.”

Isagi smiles at him gently and even through the phone Nagi can see his cheeks heat up. “Do I even want to know how much you pay for that?”

Nagi winces and smiles sheepishly. “Probably not, but… it’s a lot.” 

Isagi laughs and shakes his head. “You live a crazy life, Seishiro Nagi.”

“No,” Nagi corrects softly, grinning, “I lived a boring, lonely life, but it’s better now.” 

“Really?” Isagi’s smile turns more flirty. “How so?”

Nagi laughs, sitting on the couch again. “Well, now I have a home with someone who loves me, someone who has opened my eyes to how beautiful life should be. I have two other people I’ve only met once who’ve welcomed me into their home and allow me to date their son.”

Isagi chuckles, and Nagi sees him start walking toward his bedroom. He climbs onto the bed, rolling over until he’s on his side with his head propped up by his hand. “I’m glad it’s better now.” 

“Me too.” Nagi murmurs quietly. “I’m really dreading going to dinner.” 

Isagi looks sympathetic. “I know, I’m sorry. I wish I could be there for you.” 

Nagi chuckles quietly. “I’ll call you after?” 

Isagi nods, “Call me after. I love you, good luck.” 

“Thank you, baby.” Nagi says before freezing. Isagi freezes too, but only for a moment. It’s the first time the nickname has been used, but Isagi grins. 

“You’re welcome, baby.” Isagi responds softly. 

Nagi smiles widely. “I wish I could kiss you right now.” 

“Me, too.” Isagi pouts, making Nagi laugh. 

“I’ll call you later.” Nagi promises, “I won’t be very long.”

They hang up a moment later before Nagi sighs and stands up, grabbing his keys and heading out the door. The drive over to his parents is dreadful. Nagi would rather be doing anything else, but he knows this is necessary if he wants any of the stuff out of his old room. 

Nagi spent the day after Christmas preparing what he could for his move. He contacted his landlord and let him know he’d be moving out, he called his boss to let him know he’s moving, and finally he called around and made sure that all of his bills would be coming out of his private bank account. 

A long time ago, Nagi’s parents set up an account for him at their bank. They promised that all of the money in the account was his, and that every year on his birthday money would be put into it. Nagi’s name is the one on the account, so he’s free to use it at any point. So, Nagi emptied it out. He transferred the ridiculously large number into his private account and left the other open. 

Even without the money from his parents, Nagi is very well off. He’s not really one to spend a lot of money on frivolous things, mostly focused on his few hobbies and saving everything else, giving him his own sizable wealth. So, Nagi made sure that after these next few days, all of his ties to his parents will be cut. 

It’s sad, because he remembers when they were good. He remembers when he and his dad would play soccer together, when he and his mom would bake together. But now they’re cold, they treat him like shit, they don’t care about him, they talk to him like he’s an idiot. 

He doesn’t even want to give them the chance to be better, he just wants to be done. 

He arrives at his parents’ house shortly and takes a deep breath before walking up to the door. He doesn’t bother knocking, but freezes in the entryway when he hears his parents talking to each other in the dining hall. 

“I’m just tired of his attitude. We’ve given him everything he could ever want and he’s still ungrateful.” His mother says bitterly. “And he blamed me for him being stranded!”

“Honey, are you sure you want to—” his father starts, only to be cut off. 

“Yes! He needs to learn his lesson and maybe being cut off will finally do the trick.”

Nagi feels like he’s been slapped. He never thought, even with how they are now, that they would ever cut him off.

“Dear—” his father tries again, but is again cut off. 

“I just don’t know what else to do! He’s never understood what this life requires, he’s always pouting instead of putting his best foot forward!” 

Nagi decides to interrupt, coming around the corner. “Maybe that’s because I never wanted this life.” 

His parents both jump and his mom looks slightly panicked, something he’s never seen. “Seishiro, you’re home!” 

“No, I’m not.” He glares at both of them. “You’re going to cut me off because I’ve always been ‘ungrateful’? All I’ve ever wanted was my parents back. You both changed when grandpa died, both of you! Neither of you have treated me like a living, breathing human being — let alone your fucking son — since I was fourteen years old!” 

“Seishiro! Watch your language!” His mother snaps. “This is exactly what I’m talking about!” His dad opens his mouth to intervene, but snaps it shut when she glares at him, too. 

Nagi scoffs and shakes his head. “I’m done.” 

He turns around without another word, walking up the stairs to his old bedroom. His mom sputters behind him, making a panicked sound. “What do you mean?” She asks in a high pitched voice. 

He doesn’t answer, entering the room and picking up the first bag he finds. He doesn’t want everything, but there are some things from his childhood he’d like to keep. His parents follow him hurriedly, but he continues to ignore their questions. 

He takes his soccer trophies, some of his favorite clothes, some artwork he’d created, and sets that bag aside before grabbing another one for his old games and consoles he’d left behind. When he’s done with that he picks up both of them and pushes past his parents in the doorway. 

“Seishiro, wait!” His mother calls behind him. His father looks just as panicked as she does, but as far as Nagi is concerned, it’s too little too late. “Don’t go, let me explain!” 

“There’s nothing to explain.” Nagi snaps, making both of them stop in their tracks as he stops in front of the front door. “You’ve both made your feelings clear for years. Congratulations, you don’t have a son anymore.” 

His mother’s eyes fill with tears and his father’s face fills with regret, but Nagi doesn’t care, and instead leaves, slamming the door behind him. He feels angry tears fill his eyes as he walks quickly to his car, shoving the bags in his backseat and getting into the driver’s seat. 

He backs out of the driveway, ignoring his mother’s shouts as he drives away. Suddenly feeling more emotional than he’s ever felt before, he pulls into a random parking lot and lets the tears win. The sobs that escape him surprise him — he’s never cried like this before, and suddenly all he wants is to talk to Isagi. 

He debates calling, feeling embarrassed, but he knows Isagi would want him to call. He pulls his phone out, pulling up Isagi’s contact and hitting the call button with his thumb. It only rings once before Isagi answers. 

“Sei? That was fast, you already had dinner?” Isagi asks, surprised. 

“Uh…” Nagi winces at his rough voice, “No, we didn’t have dinner.” He sniffles then and Isagi’s voice gets softer. 

“Video call me.” He commands, making Nagi smile despite his sadness. He pulls the phone back to press the video call button and wipes his eyes as the camera opens up to his face. His picture shrinks to the bottom right side and Isagi’s worried expression takes over the screen. “Oh baby…” he murmurs, “what happened?”

Nagi sniffles again, wiping his nose. “I walked inside and heard them talking. Mom was saying she was tired of my attitude and that cutting me off would teach me a lesson.” Isagi gasps softly, covering his mouth. “And my dad did nothing to stop her. I finally stepped in and told them they stopped being my parents when I was fourteen and that I was done. I got my stuff out and mom was crying, dad looked sad but… it’s too late.” 

Isagi nods, watching him with big blue eyes. “I’m sorry, Sei.” 

“It’s really okay,” he says softly, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, “I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’ve made it perfectly clear how they feel. I’m going to head back to my place and call Reo, he might help me pack and I can say goodbye to him.” 

“Okay, baby, I love you.” Isagi smiles reassuringly. “Call me later.” 

Nagi nods, smiling back. Isagi made him feel better immediately. “I will.” 

They hang up and Nagi drives to a nearby store to get boxes before heading to his place. Once he’s in his apartment he calls Reo, not really expecting him to answer.

“Nagi!” Reo’s voice answers after four rings. “Hey man, are you back from the boonies?”

Nagi can’t help the eye roll that escapes him. “Uh… well, kind of. I’m… I’m moving away.”

Reo is quiet for a few moments before speaking again, sounding frosty. “What do you mean you’re moving away?”

Nagi wasn’t expecting the somewhat hostile tone. “The place I ended up in, I actually met someone. He’s amazing, and I’m going to stay there with him.” 

“What about your parents?” Reo asks next, tone unchanged. 

“Well, I was just over there and they were planning on cutting me off, so I cut them off first.” Nagi responds quietly. “I don’t want anything to do with them anymore.” 

“I see…” Nagi can’t help but notice that somehow Reo sounds like a stranger now. Is Reo… pulling away because Nagi won’t be here anymore? Because Nagi won’t be ‘rich’ anymore? “Well… I wish you luck with that, dude. I uh… I gotta go.” 

Before Nagi can utter a word, Reo hangs up the phone. 

Now, Nagi can’t lie and say Reo was always the best friend, or even a good friend most of the time, but he was who Nagi considered his best friend. He knows Reo tends to feel that way about others, but he didn’t expect to be included in that. 

After staring at the floor in shock for ten minutes, he pulls his phone out again to call Isagi. 

“Hey, baby. Are you okay?” Isagi asks in a worried tone again. 

“Reo uh… doesn’t want to be friends anymore now that I’m not associated with my parents.” Nagi says quietly.

“…what?” Isagi asks angrily. “You’re kidding.”

“No, he just hung up on me.” Nagi laughs humorlessly, “I can’t say I’m not surprised, but I didn’t think he’d do that to me of all people.”

“I’m getting on a plane and coming there.” He says it with a tone of finality.

“You do—” he starts, only to be interrupted. 

“If no one there is going to help you, I will.” He says heatedly. Nagi’s never had someone get so upset in his honor before, and he’s never seen Isagi this angry. “I’ll buy a ticket now.”

“Wait!” Nagi calls, smiling gratefully when Isagi pauses, “I’m paying for your ticket, if you’re going to come all the way here to help me.”  

Isagi grins, anger fading a bit. “Thank you, Sei.” 

“Thank you, Yoichi. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I’m buying the ticket now and I’ll send it to you, okay?” Nagi asks. “I’ll pick you up from the airport.” 

Isagi smiles softer and nods. “Okay, baby. Thank you, I’ll start packing.” 

Nagi chuckles softly. “I’ll be waiting,” he echoes, “get to me safely.” Isagi laughs and blows him a kiss before hanging up. 

It’s worth it, Nagi thinks. Isagi is well worth the trade for his parents and Reo, and though Nagi wishes he could’ve said goodbye to his best friend for real, the chance to be with Isagi is definitely more than worth it. 

Nagi immediately starts looking for tickets for Isagi before deciding to sleep until he has to leave. He sends Isagi the ticket and an ‘I love you’ before falling asleep. 

The next morning, Nagi gets to the airport ridiculously early to watch for his boyfriend. It’s crowded, but Isagi’s plane had landed ten minutes ago and Nagi still hasn’t caught a glance of him yet.

“Sei!” 

Nagi turns his head, finally spotting Isagi in the line of people exiting the plane. Nagi grins and Isagi jogs toward him, jumping at him when he’s close enough. Nagi catches him around the waist and eagerly presses their lips together as Isagi’s arms wrap around his neck. 

“Hey,” Nagi breathes in relief, “I’m glad you made it safe.”

Isagi smiles and hugs Nagi tightly. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” Nagi murmurs as he squeezes the smaller man. 

Eventually Isagi hops down and the two of them make their way out to Nagi’s car hand in hand. The drive to Nagi’s apartment is filled with Isagi asking awed questions, staring at everything curiously. 

“I’ve only been in Tokyo once, and it wasn’t for very long.” Isagi explains, finally pulling away from the window in favor of holding Nagi’s hand again and leaning his head against the other man’s bicep. “I’m excited to see some pieces of your life.” 

Nagi grins and brings their joined hands up to press a kiss against the back of Isagi’s hand. “I’m excited, too.” 

The rest of the trip is spent with Nagi telling stories of times throughout his life here, pointing out the schools he went to, places he hung out with Reo, his favorite places to hang out or sneak off to when he was feeling overwhelmed. When they reach his building he parks and meets Isagi in front of the car to take his bag. Isagi’s cheeks heat up, one of Nagi’s favorite things, and he hands over his duffel bag. Their hands come together yet again, like magnets, and Nagi marvels at how much he missed someone he saw less than 48 hours ago. 

Nagi can’t help but watch the expressions on Isagi’s face as they make their way into the tall building, pass the doorman, and get in the fancy elevator to head to their floor. 

“This is crazy,” Isagi says quietly, “I can’t even imagine growing up like this.” 

Nagi nods and shrugs. “Yeah… it’s not as grand as it seems.” They reach his door and he unlocks it and leads Isagi inside. The smaller man follows him through the apartment until they reach his bedroom, where Nagi sets Isagi’s bag on the bed. After doing so, he turns around to find Isagi watching him with warm blue eyes. A small, flirty smirk grows on Nagi’s face and he tilts his head. “What is it, baby?” 

Isagi laughs and climbs up onto the bed, standing up in front of Nagi. Their six inch height difference is reversed in this position and Isagi grins deviously. He pulls Nagi in by the shoulders before wrapping his arms around his neck. Nagi happily welcomes the smaller man into his arms, squeezing him around the waist. They sink into each other’s hold, completely relaxing against each other. 

“I can’t wait to go home.” Nagi whispers, smiling at Isagi when he pulls back with a cute smile. 

“I can’t wait for you to be home.” Isagi whispers back. After a few minutes of hugging, the two of them stand and get started on their task of packing up. 

The day of the 30th marks Nagi’s final day of living in Tokyo. He hasn’t heard from his parents or Reo since he last spoke to them, so he’s not expecting much. Nagi and Isagi are finally finished, the movers that Nagi hired had just taken the last of his things to their truck, and Nagi is taking one last look around the apartment. It’s spotless, thanks to the cleaners he’d scheduled for the day before and Nagi finally sighs one more time before leaving the key on the kitchen counter. 

He feels Isagi’s hand sneak into his and smiles down at his boyfriend. “Ready to go?” 

Their plane leaves in an hour and a half, so Nagi nods and leads the way out to the cab that’s waiting for them. Nagi had already had his car transported, so he didn’t have to worry about that. 

They get outside and greet their driver, waiting until he opens the trunk so that Nagi can place their bags inside. He closes the trunk and only a moment later Nagi’s nightmare comes to life. 

“Seishiro!” His mother’s voice comes from behind him. “Seishiro, wait!” 

Nagi freezes, looking down at Isagi, who seems to understand who she is. He turns around, looking at his mother hurrying up the sidewalk with his father a few feet behind. 

“What do you want?” Nagi asks icily, “I thought I was cut off.” 

They come to a stop only a few feet away from Nagi and Isagi, both of them clearly curious as to who the raven haired man is. 

“Sweetheart,” His mother starts, making Nagi snort, “We’ve been thinking, and—” 

Nagi cuts her off. “I don’t particularly care what you’ve been thinking about, I have no ties to you anymore.”  

She looks sad, placing a hand over her heart. His father puts a hand on her shoulder and steps forward. “Son, we just wanted to talk to you. We’ve changed our minds, we realized…”

“Realized what? That you cut off your only son? That you wanted to teach him a bullshit lesson?” Nagi rolls his eyes, taking a step back in order to subtly urge Isagi toward the cab, who opens the door and slides in. “I’m not your son anymore. You both have made your feelings clear for years, and only now that I’m saying something about it do you realize what you did, what you’ve been doing. I’m done. We’re done.” 

Nagi slides into the cab after Isagi and shuts the door, watching his mom break into sobs as his dad lowers his head in sadness. Once they’ve pulled into the street, Nagi finally makes eye contact with Isagi. He’s watching him sympathetically, softly running his thumb back and forth over Nagi’s hand. 

“Are you okay?” Isagi asks quietly. 

Nagi nods, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, baby, I’m okay. I just wish they’d realized sooner.” 

Isagi takes his hand more firmly, leaning into him. “I do, too. It’s not fair to you.” 

They’re silent for the rest of the ride to the airport and when they finally arrive, Nagi helps Isagi out of the car and grabs both of their bags, despite the other man’s protests. They go through security and find their gate quickly, meaning they have some time to kill before they have to get on their plane. 

They have the same idea simultaneously, grinning at each other. “Game?” Isagi asks simply. 

Nagi laughs and nods toward a spot on the floor near their gate where he sits down and settles Isagi between his legs and leaning back against his chest. Isagi has said he likes sitting like this because he feels like he’s completely surrounded by Nagi and safe, and Nagi loves the closeness it allows, and the ability to hold Isagi so tightly. They both pull out their phones and hop on an online game they both love to pass the time. 

Before long it’s time for them to board, so they both stand and walk up together. They show their boarding passes and make their way to their seats. Nagi chose to spoil Isagi with first class seats as a thank you for his help, so the smaller man is looking around with bright eyes as he takes everything in and Nagi silently vows to spoil him as much as possible. What better use for his money than using it on Isagi?

They’re pleased to find that their seat is just one larger seat with two seat belts, so they’ll be able to be together throughout the flight. They sit down, buckling up as they wait for the plane to take off. 

An hour in Isagi is asleep against him with Nagi ready to follow soon after, feeling more comfortable than he ever has. He’s feeling hopeful about his future with Isagi, hopeful and excited. The rest of the day is eventful. They get back home six hours later and they eagerly get to work making room in Isagi’s house for Nagi’s things. They move in tandem, following each other on a subconscious level that has them working at a quick speed. The moving truck and Nagi’s car won’t arrive for a few more days, but there’s nothing wrong with being proactive. 

Their hard work is worth it in the end, when the two of them make eye contact across the newly rearranged living room. Isagi grins, making his way toward Nagi, who returns it with a flirty smirk. Without a word, Isagi pulls Nagi into a soft kiss. They pull back with dazed smiles for only a moment before they kiss again, deeper this time. 

Nagi loses track of time just kissing Isagi, until finally the other man pulls back again. “Shower with me.” 

Never one to argue with a good thing, Nagi follows eagerly as Isagi giggles in front of him. Nagi’s never showered with anyone before, but the moment he feels Isagi’s hands massaging shampoo into his hair, he knows he never wants to shower without the other man ever again. 

“I feel like you’d be purring right now if you could.” Isagi mentions idly before turning Nagi around to rinse out his hair. Isagi’s hands on Nagi’s skin is addicting in the compact area of Isagi’s shower, and Nagi wants nothing more than Isagi to touch him everywhere. 

After his hair is clean, Isagi takes his time in washing Nagi’s body slowly and gently, pecking his lips, cheeks and chest every now and then. Nagi’s breath catches with every one and when it’s finally Nagi’s turn, he washes Isagi’s hair and body reverently, savoring the sounds and breathy moans escaping Isagi as he pampers him. 

“Sei…” he whispers, finally pulling Nagi into one final kiss. “Take me to bed?” 

Nagi doesn’t need to be told twice, eagerly turning off the shower and helping Isagi out. They dry off quickly before Nagi surprises him by picking him up bridal style and carrying him to their bed. Nagi learns a lot about Isagi that night. He learns how to make Isagi feel good, how to take care of him just right, he learns exactly how infinitely much he loves Yoichi Isagi. 

“I’m excited for you to meet them.” 

Nagi looks up from fastening his belt. Isagi is standing in the doorway of their bedroom in a deep blue shirt with forearm-length sleeves and black jeans with his snow boots. Nagi smiles at him, admiring the view. “You look beautiful.” 

Isagi blushes and rolls his eyes fondly, coming forward to kiss Nagi softly. “You look beautiful, too.” 

Nagi smiles down at him, “I’m excited to meet your friends,too. I’ve heard so much about them, I want to put faces to their names.” He puts his shoes on quickly before following Isagi through the house and to the car. 

It’s New Years Eve and already late, 9PM, and Bachira’s house is about fifteen minutes away. They talk quietly amongst themselves until they pull up, getting out of the car at the same time. Isagi leads his way into the house, not bothering to knock as he pulls Nagi along. 

The four other people present are in the living room in front of them, spread out across the room. Isagi grins at them all, “Hey guys!”

He and Nagi take off their shoes and Isagi leads him to an open section of the couch. They sit next to each other before Isagi introduces them all. 

“Guys, this is Nagi.” Isagi says to his friends before looking at Nagi. “Sei, these are my friends.” He points to the first couple sitting to their right — a broad-shouldered man with bushy orange hair with his arms around a smaller man with red-pink hair that reaches his collarbones. “That’s Kunigami and Chigiri,” he points at the other couple. “And that’s Bachira and Rin.” Nagi has seen Bachira before, but Rin is new. HIs teal hair and eyes look are unique and he looks almost bored.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Nagi responds, nodding his head, “I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

Bachira giggles, “Well that’s either really good or really bad.” 

Isagi rolls his eyes, “Like I’d be saying anything bad about any of you.” 

They all laugh and Kunigami gives him a lazy salute. “It’s great to meet you, Nagi. I think you’ll fit right in.” 

Nagi grins and nods thankfully. “Thank you very much.” 

After that they get started on their games. Chigiri teaches them all a card game, Kunigami breaks out Uno Attack, and Bachira supplies Cards Against Humanity. 

Nagi laughs more than he ever has. He has a great time with a great group of friends who already feel like his own as well, and Nagi hasn’t felt something like this since before he turned fourteen. 

Isagi laughs and smiles, glowing as he trash talks his friends jokingly, giving them just as good as he’s getting. Nagi thinks Isagi is the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. After a few of the drinks Bachira serves, all Nagi can do is watch his boyfriend. 

When it finally comes down to a few minutes before midnight, all three couples face the TV as they watch the countdown. Isagi plops himself into Nagi’s lap, making him laugh quietly. 

“I love you,” Isagi whispers in his ear, “so, so much.” 

Nagi smiles back and leans in to gently bite Isagi’s earlobe, making him gasp quietly. “I love you, too. I am…” he pauses, suddenly feeling emotional. Isagi makes a soothing hum and kisses Nagi’s cheek. Nagi sighs and continues in a whisper. “I am so excited to start our life together.”

Isagi laughs quietly with wet eyes and hugs him tightly before pulling back enough to whisper in his ear too. “I’m so ready.”

Midnight finally comes and they all cheer along with the crowds on TV, before Isagi turns his head and kisses him softly. 

Nagi smiles into the kiss, chuckling. “Here’s to a brand new year with our brand new start.”

Isagi laughs again, louder this time. “Here’s to us.” He leans in to kiss him again and the world melts away. 

Somehow getting stranded in a random small town days before Christmas went from being an inconvenience, to a welcome reprieve to the best thing that ever happened to him. If not for his flight getting cancelled, he never would’ve met Yoichi Isagi. 

Nagi was unbelievably lucky to meet the other man, and somehow he now has Isagi’s parents who love him, and his friends. He doesn’t think he can ever express the level of his thankfulness, but he’s going to try. He’ll spend every day telling Isagi just how much he loves him.