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For most of his life, Christmas didn’t mean much to Mr Day.
Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. Growing up in a wealthy family, it meant attending more lavish parties and galas than usual, ones that bored him to tears as a child but that he’d come to enjoy as he grew older. Nowadays it felt more like business as usual than a festive event, schmoozing with other villains and striking up deals to further build up his family’s well-established empire. But it didn’t mean anything significant to him, in the end it was just another day on the calendar.
But now...now, things were different, all thanks to a certain jewel thief whom he was so grateful to call his boyfriend.
It had been just over a year since Day had started dating Toge, and even from the beginning Day had gotten a strong feeling that Toge might be the one. And every day since then Day had only fallen more and more in love with him. Despite being a thief, and despite his rough background, Toge was one of the sweetest and most gentle people Day had ever known, especially with Day--a kind of softness Day had never truly experienced in his life, which was part of the reason why Toge was the only one Day trusted to reveal his more vulnerable side to, in moments of weakness. Last Christmas their romance had still been new, and uncertain, because they knew not-so-deep down that a relationship with each other was risky thanks to their not-quite-legal jobs and their families’ disapproval. They’d played it safe, exchanging their gifts and spending the evening at Toge’s apartment, away from any prying judgemental eyes. Over the past year they’d started to feel safer in their relationship, partly because their families had mellowed out and accepted them being a couple, though they still kept it on the downlow as far as the public was concerned. It had been peaceful, uneventful, a different kind of Christmas than Day was used to. And he’d loved it.
But this year, Day was determined to surprise Toge with something big, something more precious and unforgettable than any materialistic gift he could ever buy, something that would change both of their lives forever and give them a happily ever after that neither of them had dared to let themselves hope for before.
Because this year, on Christmas night, Day was going to propose to Toge.
He had the whole night planned out, down to the last detail. First they’d go out to a nice dinner, then they’d take a walk in town to look at the holiday lights, and it was then that Day would pop the question. Nothing flashy and over-the-top, because Toge wasn’t always comfortable with so much extravagance, so Day was certain that something simple but sentimental would mean so much more to him than if Day were to, for example, profess his love through a fireworks display or broadcast on an electronic billboard for the whole city to see. The ring he’d selected for Toge after much consideration seemed a perfect choice too--also simple, but beautiful.
It was bound to be an incredible night. Day was determined to make absolutely sure of it. He was ready for the commitment, ready to spend the rest of his life with Toge, his precious jewel of a boyfriend whom he loved so much. There was not a single doubt in his heart that this was the right choice.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous as hell about when the moment finally arrived, though. And now that it was Christmas Eve, that moment would arrive tomorrow night.
Day sat at the desk in his study, examining the engagement ring for what felt like the hundredth time. It really was a gorgeous ring--silver, because he knew Toge preferred that to gold, with an intricate little twist in the metal that surrounded the sparkling emerald set in its center. The gem caught the soft mid-afternoon light pouring through the window and reflected back at Day almost like it was winking at him.
Day returned the ring carefully back to its jewelry box, nestling it safely in the box’s satin lining. He tried to imagine Toge’s reaction when he presented the ring to him, but found himself too anxious to think about it much.
It wasn’t that they’d never discussed marriage before. And it wasn’t that Day was having second thoughts about proposing. He was absolutely sure about it, he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life happily married to Toge.
Only...he couldn’t silence the voice in the back of his head, the tiny self-doubting voice that kept asking himself the same question, over and over; what if Toge wasn’t sure about them? What if Day had read him all wrong, that Toge didn’t reciprocate his feelings and didn’t want to marry him? They’d always talked about their lives together, and the future, but now that the moment of truth was almost here Day couldn’t stop dwelling on the chance that he was making a mistake, and that Toge would reject him.
You know that’s not going to happen, he tried to tell himself, in a stab at rational thinking. You’re just nervous and overthinking. You know beyond any reasonable doubt that Toge loves you, as much as you love him. That he wants to be with you and only you. It’s not like you’re doing this spontaneously or anything, marriage was something you both wanted.
Except...maybe Toge has changed his mind about it since then, that nasty, negative voice countered. Maybe he’s decided that he really can’t settle down and start a life with a notorious villain. Even if he wants to, maybe he’s decided that it’s too risky, that he can’t possibly accept...and then where does that leave us? It’s not that I could blame him for that...and even if it hurts me, I’d want Toge to be happy and safe above all else.
Because if anyone deserved to have happiness and security in their life, it was Toge. He’d had a rough past, and had suffered through so much trauma that still heavily affected him and probably always would (what Day wouldn’t give to personally track down every single person who had ever hurt Toge so badly and make their lives a living hell). But Toge was incredibly strong, so much stronger than he ever gave himself credit for. He was a survivor, and Day would always look up to him more than he could ever truly express. And more than anything, he wanted to be the one to provide Toge with that sense of security, to ensure he always felt loved and taken care of, to be his shelter against anything else they may face in their unpredictable lives.
Day couldn’t imagine his life without Toge now...but if that wasn’t what Toge wanted…
Again...overthinking. Day attempted to shake it off, but it wasn’t easy. Let’s worry about tomorrow when it comes. If nothing else, it’ll be a wonderful night out together…
With that, Day slipped the ring box into his pocket and stood up, deciding he’d take a walk to try and clear his head. He knew nothing would rid him completely of his anxieties, but he felt that if he stayed put any longer he’d go crazy thinking too much about it. Inhaling deeply and then exhaling slowly, he walked out of the room, his hand still resting protectively on the ring box in his pocket.
He’d find out Toge’s answer to his question soon enough.
----------
“Is everything okay, Day?” Toge’s voice, curious and a little concerned, cut through Day’s thoughts. “You seem a little distracted tonight. Do you feel alright?”
It was Christmas night, at last. Just as planned, they’d gone out to eat (someplace Day had made reservations for weeks ago, ensuring they had a good table in a more secluded part of the restaurant—not easy on one of the busiest date nights of the year, but Day always had a way of pulling a few strings to get what he wanted), and now they were strolling through part of town. Dinner had gone perfectly, but now that the moment Day had been waiting for all day was fast approaching, his thoughts were going into overdrive again.
“Hm?” Day snapped back to the present, and quickly shook his head. “Yes, of course, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Toge frowned slightly at that response. “It’s just, your head seems like it’s someplace far away right now...are you sure something isn’t wrong? Because if there is, you can tell me. In fact I’d insist on it.”
“Nothing’s wrong, I promise,” Day assured his boyfriend—and it was the truth, more or less.
Toge only glanced skeptically at Day, but ultimately must have decided not to pursue the issue. Instead he slipped his hand through Day’s and gave it a little squeeze. “If you say so.”
“Of course.” Day squeezed Toge’s hand back, lightly rubbing his thumb over Toge’s knuckles. “Your hands are so cold,” he observed, glad to be able to change the subject, even briefly.
“Oh, I guess so…?” Toge raised one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I hadn’t noticed, they’re always sort of cold.”
“You should invest in some warmer gloves,” Day advised. “These fingerless things can’t be doing a very good job of keeping your hands from freezing.”
“True, but it’s easier to handle money and all with fingerless gloves instead of mittens...plus I like the way they look.”
“I get that, but...here.” Day stopped walking, and gently took both of Toge’s hands into his own, noting to himself how Toge’s were so much smaller than his own. Lifting them to his face, he blew on them a little, hoping to warm them up with his breath.
Toge gazed up at his boyfriend, and Day noticed the way his cheeks had gone pink at this point. “Ah, you don’t...you don’t have to do that…”
“And let your hands freeze? Absolutely not.” Day brushed a little kiss against Toge’s knuckles on one hand, then the other, smiling slyly to himself as he watched Toge blush more even as a soft, appreciative smile pulled up the corners of his mouth.
God, Day was so weak for Toge’s smile. He was certain it would always melt his heart, no matter how many times he saw it.
Toge, not normally one for many public displays of affection, stood on tiptoe then to give Day a quick kiss, a bit of a stretch since Toge was about a foot shorter than Day (Toge was on the short side and Day was considered taller than average—but that just made it easier for Day to pick Toge up and literally sweep him off his feet whenever the mood struck).
“You’re so sweet.” Toge pressed another little kiss against Day’s lips. “I’m so happy tonight’s date worked out, I was worried you’d end up getting tied up with work at the last minute.”
“I never would have let anything ruin our date tonight.” Day readjusted his hold so he was only holding one of Toge’s hands again, letting their fingers naturally fit together as they started to walk along the sidewalk again. “Tonight you get my full, undivided attention.”
He didn’t say why yet.
They continued their walk through town, hand-in-hand, admiring the vibrant displays of Christmas lights that brightened every store window. Every tree they saw had been trimmed with thousands of shimmering lights that twinkled in a seemingly endless rainbow of colors--reds, greens, blues, yellows, in every conceivable hue. Other couples milled around too, most taking in the scenery and snapping pictures together, others too lost in their own little worlds to even notice the festive displays.
The decorations were whimsical, if a little over-the-top, not that Day minded--he was the textbook definition of “over-the-top” himself. But more than the lights themselves, he enjoyed watching Toge’s reaction to them, the way his eyes seemed to sparkle as vividly as the lights on any of the trees around them as he drank in the view.
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” Toge commented, his breath forming a frosty little puff in the air as he spoke. “I almost never went into town before to look at the lights...it sort of makes me think of being a kid again, even though my family never really did much for Christmas. Just that feeling of looking at all the pretty lights and feeling like everything was alright in the world, not having to worry about anything…” His voice tapered off as a renewed blush crept across his face. “That...probably sounds silly, sorry.”
“No, no...not at all,” Day was quick to assure him. “I understand just what you mean. It’s like that feeling of wishing you could go back to a simpler time, when life didn’t seem so hard and stressful, and clinging to your fond memories of that time like it’ll bring it back. I’ve certainly felt that way before, like a bittersweet sense of nostalgia.”
“I think you nailed it perfectly...it can be a little painful to dwell on the past, even the good memories,” Toge admitted quietly, his voice sounding very far away for a minute. But when he looked back up at Day there was a little smile on his face. “I’m trying a little harder to just live in the moment though. Try not to fixate too much on the past or the future...the bad parts, anyway, even if that’s not always easy. You know what I mean?”
Day nodded. “Absolutely. Living in the moment is a motto I definitely live by as well.” With a few exceptions, anyway…
They wandered around awhile longer, before coming to rest on a bench under a large tree draped in white lights. It was a quiet area, not many people milling around it even on a night as busy as tonight, though the view it provided of the city was beautiful.
Day drew in a deep breath. This seems like the perfect place to do this. If I can just make myself go through with it now…
“Day…? You seem...distant, again. Are you sure you’re okay?” Toge asked again, and there was now no denying the worry in his voice as he regarded Day anxiously.
Shit, Day knew better than to let Toge get suspicious...or worry him. He had to think of something, at least for now. At last Day cleared his throat.
“I was just thinking...just remembering last year. Our first Christmas as a couple,” he finally said. “We hadn’t been dating very long at that point yet. Just a few months.”
“Yeah...I remember I didn’t know what to get you,” Toge replied. “It’s difficult to shop for someone who seems to have everything, especially without much money...and then I ended up getting you that dumb scarf when you gave me an expensive watch.”
“It wasn’t a dumb scarf, I love it—see?” Day was, in fact, wearing the scarf Toge had gifted him last year, wound around his neck. “And it’s always the thought that counts more than the gift itself, anyway. I had a hard time picking your gift as well that year, wanting to get you something meaningful. I wish I had thought of something better than that watch.”
“And yet I wear that watch, all the time.” Toge slid his coat sleeve up enough to reveal the silver watch strapped to his wrist. “It means a lot to me, coming from you. I just worried that you were spending too much money on me.”
“Toge, you never ask for anything, ever—it would be an honor for you to let me spoil you the way you deserve.”
“A...anyway…” Toge went on, glancing away as his cheeks reddened once more,”...I was so happy to be with you that night. So happy, having time to ourselves, away from everyone else. But I was sad too, and scared...somehow convinced that everything would fall apart and we’d end up splitting up, whether either of us wanted to or not. But we’re still here, a whole year later.”
Day smiled fondly at Toge. “We sure are.”
“It’s...well, I guess I’m getting a little deep here, but…” Toge gave a soft, shy little laugh that wasn’t really full of humor, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, “...but I was worried for so long that you’d eventually, I don’t know, change your mind about me. That you’d decide I didn’t measure up, that I was too anxious or mousy or weak to bother with, no matter how many times you told me otherwise. And I hate that I ever thought that about you, but it was out of my control. Trust issues I’m still trying to overcome, I guess. I didn’t want to let myself get hurt when you turned me away, because I already knew how I felt about you...that I loved you, that you meant more to me than I could ever say. But over time, I finally let myself believe that that wasn’t going to happen, that you cared about me as much as I care about you. You’ve changed my life, Day...you made me see more in myself than I have in a long time, that you saw me as more than just a sad and broken person who couldn’t be loved. You helped me really start to heal. And I could never, ever thank you enough for any of that.”
Day could see that a few tears had formed in Toge’s eyes as he spoke, his voice becoming husky. Day’s own eyes had gone a little misty, but he blinked it away as he reached over to brush a stray tear from Toge’s cheek with his thumb before cupping Toge’s chin gently in his hand and tilting his head up enough for their gazes to meet.
“Toge...I love you so, so much. I hope you never doubt that again for even a minute, because it’s the truth. I treasure every moment I spend with you, you’re the first thing I think about every morning when I wake up and the last thing I think about every night...and on those nights when I fall asleep next to you and those mornings when I wake up with you in my arms, those are moments I wish I could hold onto forever. You’re such an amazing person, so kind and intelligent, and so much stronger than you think you are. I admire everything about you. And you have changed my life as well, in countless ways that I would never be able to thank you for the way you deserve. I owe so much to you, and always will.”
Day inhaled a deep, steadying breath, then let it out slowly. “And that’s why...I think now is the right time to do this.”
With that, Day stood up, and hoisted Toge back to his feet as well. Toge didn’t have a chance to respond before Day knelt down on one knee in front of his boyfriend, still holding one of his hands.
“D...Day…?” Toge whispered, clearly caught off guard.
“Toge...I love you so much. And I want to share my life with you, right now and as long as I live.” With a shaky hand Day reached into his pocket, slowly withdrawing the jewelry box and presenting it to Toge. He heard Toge’s breath hitch as Day opened the box, revealing the ring to him.
And finally...finally, Day said the words he’d been waiting to say all night.
“Toge...will you marry me?”
For a second, just a second, time seemed to freeze for Day as he looked expectantly up at Toge, watching for his response. And in the span of a second, he felt as if he’d experienced the entire range of emotions, from initial relief to elation to a fleeting sense of panic that he’d made a mistake and ruined things with Toge forever.
...But any lingering worries he had vanished as he saw Toge’s eyes fill with tears again, and the brightest smile he’d ever seen light up his face. And before he could say anything else, Toge had thrown himself at Day in such a tight embrace that Day felt as if he’d never let go.
“Day...oh my god, Day…!” Toge sobbed, but Day could still hear the smile in his voice, could tell just how over-the-moon thrilled he was as he hugged Day. “Yes, yes of course I’ll marry you…! Oh Day, I’m so happy right now…so so happy…”
At first, Day couldn’t say anything…but slowly, a huge smile spread across his face as he wrapped his arms around Toge and squeezed him back just as intensely, his own eyes now brimming with tears.
“I’m so happy too,” he whispered. So happy, and so, so thankful.
At last they pulled out of the embrace, just enough for Day to carefully remove the ring from the box and slide it reverently onto Toge’s finger. For a moment Toge could only gaze lovingly at the ring, the emerald glistening at its center.
“It’s beautiful,” he finally said, his voice so soft and hushed that Day could just barely hear it.
The whole time Toge was admiring his ring, Day was admiring Toge. With his warm brown eyes shining, his cheeks flushed pink, his smile more radiant than the holiday lights surrounding them, he was more beautiful than any sparkly jewel on a ring could ever be. And he was going to be Day’s husband! Day was still in awe over it, and he was certain that for as long as he lived he’d wake up every morning and still be amazed that he could ever be so lucky to be married to someone as incredible as Toge.
At the moment Day couldn’t even summon the words to describe just how happy he was, just how much Toge meant to him and always would, just how excited he was to truly begin their life together. But as it turned out he didn’t need to find any words, because Toge found them for him.
Toge wound his arms around Day’s neck then, and kissed him, a gentle but lingering kiss that Day was quick to melt into and reciprocate. When he pulled back, he gazed into Day’s eyes and said softly, “I love you.”
Three words. So small, but so powerful. And that was all that was needed at the moment.
“I love you, too.” The words fell so naturally from Day’s tongue, the way they always had when it came to Toge, the way he always meant them with his whole heart. But tonight, they seemed to hold an even deeper, more significant meaning than ever before, were that even possible.
They leaned in for another kiss then, the rest of the world fading away around them. It was only the two of them, blissfully alone in their own little world, already dreaming of the new life they would soon share together.
It was the best, most memorable Christmas either of them had ever had, and would always be for the rest of their lives.