Archive of Our Own

The night of New Year’s Eve was, as always, a little chilly, but Satoru wasn’t bothered by it. Winter was, in his opinion, the best season. Suguru, on the other hand, disagreed. He preferred the comfortable coolness of fall. Neither of them were fans of summer unless it involved a visit to the beach, but they both liked spring. Spring definitely had the best weather and Satoru already had lots of outdoorsy plans for him and Suguru. After all, Tokyo was vast with tons of things to do and there was so many places he still hadn’t shown him.

The shrine they were walking towards was one of those places. It was the one closest to Satoru’s house (though he hadn’t been there in quite some time) and there was a view he wanted to show Suguru, which was why he’d suggested they’d visit together on New Year’s Eve. So, after a quick late night dinner of toshikoshi soba, they’d joined the throng of people heading in the direction of the shrine.

As they walked the sharp, steep steps leading up to the shrine, Satoru glanced in Suguru’s direction and felt a tug of affection for him. Suguru walked with his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched against a chilly breeze that swept back his hair. He’d worn it differently today, half-down with a loose bun at the crown, and he looked so impossibly adorable that Satoru wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around him and cuddle him close. Suguru hadn’t even protested the late night visit to the shrine, even though Satoru knew he would’ve preferred to visit in the morning. Suguru was just too nice and indulged him too much.

“Cold?” Satoru asked. “Want my scarf?”

Suguru shook his head. “No, I’m okay, but tell me. Why did we come all the way over here for a shrine visit?”

“You act like we went all the way to Kyoto or something,” Satoru said, laughing. “Minato’s still Tokyo.”

“True,” Suguru said with a slight nod of his head, “but you do realize we’ll probably miss the last train back home if we do stay until midnight, right?”

“Oh, no, really?” Satoru gasped, pretending to be dismayed. “Gee, I wonder what we’ll do. It’s not like taxis don’t exist or something.”

Suguru’s lips twitched like he wanted to smile, but he didn’t. “Taxis are expensive.”

“And I am, as Nanako likes to say, loaded,” Satoru said as he threw an arm around Suguru’s shoulders. “So don’t worry about it. Plus a taxi will be more comfortable than the train anyway.”

Suguru breathed a defeated little sigh, but smiled. Satoru rarely encountered problems he couldn’t solve, which explained his improbable optimism, but Suguru liked that. Between the two of them, Suguru was definitely the worrier. His mind was always on the move, jumping to different scenarios just so he could have a plan in place because he didn’t like to feel like he wasn’t in control. And while Satoru was similar in some respects, he approached things more calmly with that laid-back attitude of his and the belief that things would work out, one way or another. It was something Suguru really admired and loved about him.

“Okay, but we’re splitting the fare,” Suguru said.

“Huh? You don’t have to,” Satoru said, surprised.

“Yes, I do. You can’t keep paying every time we go out, Satoru. It’s not fair to you.”

Satoru rolled his eyes. He preferred being the one to pay. He had more money than Suguru, so it just made sense, and he liked spoiling him. Suguru, however, had an unfailing sense of fairness. He just wasn’t good at taking advantage of the fact that Satoru would willingly give him pretty much whatever he wanted.

The steps to the shrine were steep and crowded, so it was slow going up, but at last, they arrived at the grounds of the shrine. Satoru spotted an amazake vender and tugged on Suguru’s arm to get his attention. Suguru followed his gaze and nodded. They walked towards the vendor and Suguru paid for two cups of amazake, pulling the coins out of his pocket and dropping them in the cash box before Satoru could even think about grabbing his wallet.

Suguru took a sip of the steaming drink and nodded in the direction of the main hall, where a long line of people were already waiting. “Should we line up?”

“Nah, not yet.” Satoru blew on his drink a few times and took a careful sip. “There’s something I wanna show you, but finish that first.”

Puzzled, Suguru raised an eyebrow, but did as Satoru said and drank his amazake. When he was finished, Satoru took their cups, threw them away, and took Suguru’s hand.

“This way,” Satoru said. “I promise you’ll like it.”

With Suguru beside him, Satoru wove through the crowds of people. He walked behind the shrine and quickly looked around. Then, before Suguru could protest Satoru pulled him through a thicket of trees and up a foot-worn path. He hadn’t been this way in a long time, but there was only one path and no way to get lost, so he was confident he would find the spot he wanted to show Suguru.

Suguru, meanwhile, glanced around doubtfully. They were in a little forest up in the hill where the shrine sat, far from the din of the crowds below, and he was fairly certain they weren’t supposed to be up here. He’d already suspected that Satoru hadn’t really wanted to visit the shrine, but what else could there be to see up here?

“Where exactly are we going?” Suguru asked.

Satoru winked. “You’ll see. Almost there.”

At last, they arrived to a clearing with a broken-down wooden fence and a handful of stone benches. Satoru approached the fence and nodded down at the city below.

“We’re here,” he announced cheerfully. “You like it?”

Suguru peered down the fence and gasped in wonderment. The city stretched out below them, looking impossibly small. Lights twinkled from buildings and bridges. Far beyond, the sea shimmered under the moonlight.

“I do,” Suguru whispered.

Grinning, Satoru spared a quick glance at his phone, feeling pleased that he’d timed this just right. “It gets better. Look up.”

“Huh?”

Hearing the tell-tale whistle of fireworks, Suguru tilted his head back. Brilliantly-colored fireworks exploded in a dazzling array of colors, impossibly close. Beside him, Satoru laughed. Suguru turned. Affection warmed his heart. Satoru’s eyes were wide, shining with delight, and he had the biggest grin on his face. In the sparkling light of the fireworks, Suguru thought he looked almost impossibly beautiful. Then Satoru turned and and his smile softened into the one Suguru loved best: that sweet, little smile that was his and his alone. On impulse, Suguru leaned forward and kissed him. When he drew back, the look on Satoru’s face was more dazzling than any firework.

“Aw, Suguru!” Satoru exclaimed and threw his arms around him. “Happy New Year!”

Laughing, Suguru hugged him back. “Happy New Year, Satoru.”

“Wanna sit?”

“Sure.”

Satoru led him to one of the stone benches and sat down. Suguru leaned against him and they watched the fireworks in comfortable silence.

“What do you want to do later?” Satoru asked. “And don’t say sleep.”

“Aren’t we visiting a temple later?” Suguru said, chuckling. “With Nanami and Haibara. And then we’re going to Riko-chan’s house to eat. She invited us to New Year’s dinner at her place, remember?”

“Yeah, I know, but I meant later. When it’s just the two of us. You wanna go out somewhere? Or stay in and watch one of those stupid movies you like?”

Suguru tapped his foot thoughtfully. He’d planned on something for just the two of them later on, but now seemed like a better time for that. So, with a nervous little twinge, he sat up straight and reached into his pocket. “I thought we could say in and then I could give you this, but—”

“Wait, you have a present for me?” Satoru interrupted. Excited, he sat up straight and asked, “What is it? New Year’s money or something?”

Suguru laughed softly, belying his nerves. “No, it’s not New Year’s money,” he said and pressed a small, velvet bag into Satoru’s hand. “It’s this.

“Aw, Suguru, I can’t believe you got me something,” Satoru said as he opened the bag and tipped out the contents onto his palm. “I didn’t even think to get . . . you . . .”

Satoru trailed off, blinking in surprise. Suguru’s gift was a ring. A silver ring inscribed all over with digimoji. He picked up the ring and held it aloft. Moonlight winked off the silver.

“Do you like it?” Suguru asked, nervously jiggling his leg.

“Love it.” Satoru beamed and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “But why’d you decide to give me a ring all of a sudden?”

“You got me a ring for Christmas, so I wanted to get one for you so we could match, but I didn’t think the same style would suit you,” Suguru said and glanced down at his hand. “Then I saw this one and thought a massive otaku like you would like it.”

Satoru burst into laughter and gently elbowed Suguru. “You’re so damn rude, Suguru!”

“It’s not rude if it’s true,” Suguru said, smirking.

“Whatever.” Satoru held out the ring. “Put it on me, would you?”

Suguru’s face flushed pink. Satoru grinned. He loved being the only one who could make Suguru blush like that. Delicately, Suguru raised his hand. Satoru held his breath. Suddenly, he had a whole host of butterflies in his belly and he didn’t even know why. It was just a ring. Just a present. Still, as Suguru slipped the ring on his ring finger, Satoru couldn’t help but hope that it was more than a ring.

“I want to promise you something,” Suguru said softly. Gently, he brought a hand to Satoru’s cheek, met his eyes, and said, “I promise that I’ll always, always find you. Whenever you need something, anything, I’ll be there. All you have to do is call. And more than anything, I promise to love you forever.

Warmth spread through Satoru’s heart. He lowered his gaze and felt a stupid smile spreading across his face. Then he pressed a hand over Suguru’s and looked up, holding his gaze. “Me too,” he said quietly, wishing he had better words. “I’ll always find you. I’ll always take care of you. And I’ll always, always love you. With all my heart and . . .”

Suddenly, Suguru smiled and Satoru’s words caught in his throat. It was the smile that Satoru loved so much. The one that came from the bottom of Suguru’s heart. Heart fluttering, Satoru leaned closer and pressed his forehead against his. This close he could see how Suguru’s eyes shone, brighter and more beautiful that any star.

“And with all my soul,” Satoru whispered and kissed him.