Pale sunlight and cool air filled Haruka's room. Nothing was bright or warm like it should have been. Of course the heater quit, and of course the curtains muddled the light, and sure enough, the other half of the bed was empty cold. It had been that way for a week now, and Haruka wasn't sure when it'd be filled again.
She had fallen asleep working on her compositions again, something she hadn't done since her days at the academy. Paper was scattered across her quilt, slightly crumpled from her tossing and turning that night. It had been a while since she had last slept alone.
Her phone vibrated on the nightstand, the buzzing alerting her she had new messages. One hand left the warmth of the blankets and grabbed it. Two messages from Tokiya, and one from Tomochika.
"Tomochika… Oh no!"
Haruka nearly dropped her phone on her face when she saw what time it was. How could she have forgotten about their plans already? She was definitely going to be late for their date.
As she tore through her apartment getting ready, she stopped briefly to respond to Tomochika to clarify yes, their plans were still on and no, she didn't fall asleep working again, that was silly! Tokiya's texts were a little harder to read.
The photoshoot's been extended. I tried to get my share done as fast as possible, but I'm needed for a few more days. I don't think I'll be home in time.
Sorry. Goodnight, I love you.
He hadn't called her the night before. He still had the tendency to overwork himself, and without Haruka there to remind him to take proper breaks, he was pretty hard to get ahold of when he was out of town for a job. Haruka wouldn't be surprised if she was the only one that heard from him at all. Even then, just a few sporadic texts weren't nearly enough.
I don't think I'll be home in time.
Never mind the frequency of the texts. The words written in them stung more than the time in between. Before he left, Tokiya promised that he'd be home for Christmas, and Haruka knew better than anyone that Tokiya was a man of his word. Apparently, this promise must be one of the rare exceptions. She was no stranger to the idol world, especially not to the workload it required. It wasn't his fault, but Haruka was still allowed to be upset, wasn't she?
One hand was raised to her mouth to apply some lip gloss when she caught herself frowning at the mirror. That wouldn't do… she needed a happy face when she met up with Tomochika. While she finished applying her makeup, she tried her best not to let her mind linger on Tokiya's messages. No sense in letting one mishap ruin the rest of her day. Besides, Tokiya would be home soon enough, which was the important thing. Whatever the calendar said didn't matter.
She tried her best to ignore the bland decor of the apartment. She pretended she didn't miss the smell of gingerbread and peppermint coming from the kitchen. She told herself that the lack of colorful lights was better for her sleep. The absent Christmas tree was to save space, and no presents under said tree was better for her wallet.
When she closed the door behind her, she tried to forget that it'd be empty when she returned.
-.-.-
"Haruka! Earth to Haruka!"
Tomochika snapped her manicured fingers in front of Haruka's face and laughed when her friend squeaked in surprise. They had spent the better half of the day running around the city, browsing shops and catching up. Idol work had kept both of them busy, and Christmas finally provided them both with a much needed break.
"Sorry, Tomo-chan…" Haruka ran her finger around the rim of the mug in front of her, warming her cold fingertips. The coffee shop they had stopped at was cozy and hidden away, a perfect spot for an idol and a famous composer to stay out of the spotlight. "What were you saying?"
"You know, I thought I'd be able to hold your attention a little better, considering how long its been!" Tomochika puffed out her cheeks, but soon enough she was smiling and laughing again. "Kidding! Something's up. Tell me what's got you so distracted!"
"Well…" Haruka took a sip of her hot chocolate, not exactly wanting to answer the question. She knew her cheeks were turning red, too. Maybe she could hide behind her mug for a few more seconds.
"I see that blush! It's about Tokiya, isn't it!"
That didn't take her long to figure out. Tomochika had always been able to read her like an open book, though. Haruka put her drink down with a small sigh and decided now was the time to fess up. She really couldn't keep anything from her best friend.
Despite the messages from the night before, the mention of his name still made Haruka's heart skip a beat. Try as she might, it was almost impossible for her to keep her mind off him for too long. If Haruka was being honest, Tokiya was always on her mind. He had been ever since she had only known him as Hayato, and during their time at Saotome Academy and beyond, they had only grown closer. Eventually they started dating, and at the beginning of the year they had finally taken a huge step in their relationship and moved into an apartment together. That was shortly after Christmas, and Haruka spent the better part of the year imagining how their next Christmas, their first one together, would play out. Unfortunately, this Christmas turned out to be a little too busy for Tokiya, so…
"I was really looking forward to him being here," Haruka explained. "And I know he can't help it. But I was really excited to decorate our apartment together, and bake, and watch movies…"
"Hey, hey, he'll be back soon enough though, right?" Tomochika said. "It might not be Christmas day, but you'll be able to do all that when he's back!"
"You're right, Tomo-chan." Haruka pushed her cup away and propped her head with her hand. "I just can't help but get a little sad when I see everyone out there with their special someone and this year it's just… me."
"Haruka…" Tomochika crossed her arms and shook her head. "We're not going to have any of this! Nope! No way! No friend of mine is going to be sad on my watch!"
"Huh? Tomo-chan?" Haruka didn't have time to react before Tomochika was on her side of the table, nearly spilling their drinks everywhere as she grabbed Haruka's hands and pulled her from her seat. A few bills were tossed on the table and their coats were scooped up, and soon they were back on the streets. Tomochika pulled her down the bustling road, weaving between the crowd of last-minute shoppers.
"I know I'm not Tokiya, but I'm going to do everything I can do to make you happy until he's here to do it for you!" Tomochika declared. "And to start, we're going to pick up decorations! Think of how surprised he'll be when he sees your place when we're done with it! Deck the halls!"
Seeing the smile on Tomochika's face was enough to make Haruka feel a little better. Having a friend like her, always there to cheer her up when she was down… Haruka was truly lucky. She let Tomochika lead her around, popping into any shop that looked like it'd carry decorations. Soon enough, they were walking back to Haruka's apartment, both of their arms overflowing with bags. The walk was filled with laughter and smiles, and Haruka started to think maybe this Christmas wouldn't be so bad.
-.-.-
It was tricky balancing all of the bags on her own, but Haruka managed to free her keys from the mess that was her purse. Tomochika had to end their night a little earlier than expected, so they had said their farewells a few moments earlier, and now she was on her own again. This time, however, she wasn't nearly as sad. Tomochika was right. Decorating would take her mind off of things, and thinking about Tokiya's face when he saw the surprise would be worth it. He made the cutest expressions when he was caught off guard.
The bags in her arms threatened to spill over. She could continue picturing Tokiya's face again once she got the bags safely inside. She fumbled with the keys before they finally slid into the lock, and they turned with almost no resistance. That was odd… she was sure she locked the door behind her on her way out. With a nudge of her hip, the door swung open and Haruka nearly dropped everything she was holding.
Lights hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow across the entirety of the apartment. Candles burned on the kitchen counters and kotatsu, and the scent of peppermint filled the air. Scuffling noises were coming from the living room, along with soft humming, and when Haruka peeked around the corner she was greeted with Tokiya attempting to position a small, artificial Christmas tree.
"Tokiya?!" Haruka couldn't believe it. Wasn't he still at the job?
"Ah!" Tokiya jumped when he heard his name, dropping the tree against the wall while he whipped his head around to the source of her voice. "Haruka…! I didn't hear you come in."
Haruka wasn't sure when she stopped caring about the bags and dropped them to the floor. Her feet moved on their own as she ran across the room, arms open to wrap her boyfriend in a hug. Tokiya returned the embrace and lifted her in the air, spinning around once while he kissed the top of her head.
"What are you doing! When did you get here? When did you do all of this? Why are you here? Why didn't you call!"
Tokiya chuckled while Haruka continued her onslaught of questions. None of those answers were really important. What mattered was Tokiya was here, in their apartment, in time for Christmas with a couple days to spare.
"I wanted to surprise you," was all he said.
He had put her back on the ground, but Haruka didn't release him from her hug. She buried her face in his chest, sniffing back tears she didn't know had formed. They stung her eyes, but they were definitely happy tears.
"Tokiya," Haruka couldn't properly form words yet. Tokiya was in her arms, at long last, and she wasn't about to let him go. She squeezed him harder, and she felt him rubbing her back.
"Why don't we sit down?" he suggested. Haruka nodded against him. He led her to the couch, and when he sat down, Haruka leaned against his shoulder.
"How long have you been home?" Haruka asked. Maybe if she slowed down the pace she fired off her questions, she'd start to get some answers.
"I arrived back in town this morning. There were a few other things I had to wrap up, but I spent most of the afternoon picking up all of this." he wrapped an arm around Haruka's shoulders and pulled her close. "I actually saw you and Shibuya-san on my way back here."
"And you didn't say anything?" Haruka pouted.
"You looked like you were having fun. And like I said, I wanted this to be a surprise."
Haruka reached to grab the hand that was wrapped around her. Tokiya squeezed her hand once their fingers were laced together. "Why didn't you call?"
Tokiya sighed. "I was busy trying to wrap everything up on my end. I was cutting it kind of close… but it paid off, I'd like to think."
Haruka was quiet for a few moments. "Well… next time, no matter how busy you are… please try to find a minute or two, just to check in, okay?"
She tried to keep her smile bright, but Tokiya saw through her. He brought his free hand to her face and tilted her chin to meet him in a kiss.
"You're right," he whispered against her lips. "That's no reason to ignore you. I'm sorry."
"I don't need surprises or anything like that. I just wanted you." Haruka kissed him back and wiggled from his grip. "But, since you've already got a head start on me…"
They both looked at the doorway, door still wide open with the bags of Christmas decor scattered about. Some things they had doubled up on, but Haruka had picked out enough things there was a wide variety. It'd be a while until they were done making the place festive. Haruka rose from the couch and pulled Tokiya up with her.
"You can keep decorating, and I'll get started on the baking!" Haruka declared. Sure, her plans hadn't gone as she had thought. But this outcome was so much better than she was anticipating.
"Baking? You're thinking much further ahead than I was." Tokiya poked around the bags on the floor until he found the ingredients for gingerbread cookies.
"I guess I had a few surprises myself," Haruka winked at him before she whisked the bag away and hurried to the kitchen. "And I have a few things in there to wrap still, so don't get nosey!"
The two of them continued to deck out the apartment, laughing and talking and singing Christmas songs as they worked. Once they were finished, they both curled up on the couch under a blanket, hot cocoa in hand and cookies on the table. The Christmas tree was the only light in the room, and the only sound was Tokiya humming again. Haruka felt so content, being able to cuddle up to him again in their cozy apartment. Things were bright, things were warm, and everything was exactly as it should be.
Christmas miracles were something she'd only heard about in stories and movies. But this year, she finally witnessed one of her own.