Author's Note: Originally posted on my tumblr acct - made as a Christmas gift for otomesweetheart (Tomey). MC's name is Fallon. Enjoy! :)
"Overnight trip?" Akiko squeals out in disbelief. Her entire complexion has fallen eerily pale, no doubt a result of her own lack of romantic experience. "You are really going on an overnight trip? Gaaah, I am so jealous, this is ridiculous." She slams down her glass against the table for emphasis, slumping forward in her seat. Those cheeks of hers are already flushed from the excessive amount of alcohol she has consumed.
Fallon flashes a smile back in turn, taking a sip out of her own glass. The taste of it is bitter on her tongue and burns going down, but the warmth it gives is refreshing considering that it is already mid-December. "Well, we have been planning it for a long time now..."
Yukako appears a little glum about the news as she tosses another one back. "I can't believe this," she mutters sulkily, "You're really going to settle down again? After you just barely got divorced?"
"That was six months ago," Fallon reminds her. It really is not as long ago as she tries to make herself think. Although she swears it seems like an eternity has passed. At the very least, her father has begrudgingly accepted her relationship with Kippei.
"By the way, how is it going with you two?" Aoi butts in with a big grin on her face. "It must be going well if you're going on a trip. Is it like a honeymoon? Although you guys aren't married yet..." Oh boy, and that will start another round of intense questioning.
As though on cue to relieve Fallon from her friends' scrutiny, the very man that they have been talking about this entire time suddenly steps into the bar. The moment his eyes land on her, a warm smile creases his lips and he immediately ambles over, his jacket draped across his forearm.
A warmth stirs within her chest that she is sure has little to do with the liquor she has been drinking. Fallon reflects the smile back at him as she takes to her feet, stepping out of the booth to greet Kippei. "Mr. Ebihara," she says with a smile, catching herself at the formality only belatedly. In the past six months, he has left the firm that they were working at together in favor of becoming independent. For this very reason, he has grown more insistent that she drop the formality and refer to him more familiarly.
Still, despite her slip-up, he just lets out a low chuckle beneath his breath. "I just got off work. I thought you might be here." His eyes briefly wander over to the other women that are still seated.
"Is everything going okay?" Fallon inquires with a hint of concern. He has been pulling a lot of overtime lately, which she supposes cannot be helped considering that he has barely started up.
He places a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, trying to coax her to return to her seat. "There is nothing for you to worry about."
"Stupid couple, do you have to show off so much?" Akiko whines playfully.
Yukako chortles to herself as she takes another swig of bourbon before standing suddenly. "Well, I just got a text from my boyfriend. So I should be taking off." She peers over at Fallon and gives her a wink. The gesture does not go unnoticed and Yukako receives a confused look in response.
Aoi and Akiko both seem to pick up on what Yukako is saying, however. The former of the two is quick to excuse herself on account of her having to get home to make dinner for her husband. Akiko's reasoning is far more flimsy – something about a television show that she simply cannot miss. Kippei has a suspicious look on his face but does not say anything as both he and Fallon take a seat at the now otherwise empty booth.
"Did you have a good day at work?" Fallon asks quickly, reaching for her glass.
He sighs quietly and runs a hand through the locks of his gelled back hair. Dark brown tendrils fall loosely across his forehead, shadowing across his eyes. There is something about his expression that seems to indicate that, despite his reassurance, he is experiencing some difficulty. "About as smooth as can be expected for a new business," he admits quietly. That smile reappears on his face as soon as he spots the concern on her face. "I told you, there's no need for you to worry."
"Yes, but..."
"We leave tomorrow afternoon. You should be thinking about our trip."
That gentle way he has of assuaging all of her worries brings a calm over her as she sinks back into her seat. "You're right," she concedes in a whisper, taking another gulp of her drink, draining the last of the glass until all that can be heard is a sharp clink as the ice rocks about in the empty cup.
Only a couple of drinks later and the two head out into the cold night. The jacket she is wearing scarcely seems enough to keep her warm. The frigid caress of the air leaves her fingers numb, although that does not last very long. For the moment they are on the streets, Kippei reaches over and their fingers entwine.
Perhaps it is because she is inebriated that she finds herself almost leaning against his shoulder as they walk together. Regardless of the snow starting to fall, she feels warm enough cuddled against him. The exhaustion hangs heavy against her eyelids, enough that she barely knows where they are going. It is only because he manages to guide her along that she does not collapse in the middle of the street.
"You drank too much."
She chuckles dryly at that assertion. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away."
"It's good for you to let loose."
Fallon nuzzles her face against his arm – so warm. And his scent which fills her nose brings her a sense of comfort and security. That is something that was tragically absent in her relationship with Koichi. It is only now with Kippei that she feels whole.
It is nearly miraculous that in her stupor, she manages to remain conscious all the way to his door. By this point she is almost completely leaning against him for support, although he has to break his hand away from hers to unlock the door and subsequently crack it open enough for them to enter.
The next thing she registers is collapsing onto something particularly soft and warm. It takes a moment for her to realize that it is his bed. The lull of sleep tempts her enough but she insists on climbing under the duvet first, although she is stopped by a hand on her arm.
"Hold on, you need to take your jacket off first."
Obediently, she extracts herself from the jacket with his assistance. But as soon as that is done, she reaches for his wrist. As much as she wants to blame it all on the alcohol, it is true that in the past few weeks that he has been so busy with work, she has been feeling increasingly lonely.
Kippei obliges her selfishness by climbing in afterward. Fallon happily scoots over to make room for him before curling against his body. The palms of his hands trace against her arms, hot enough to be feverish. She trembles at the contact, clinging to him as though he might leave at any moment.
"Go to sleep," he whispers quietly – his breath buffeting against the shell of her ear. It elicits a chill that runs down her spine. Almost too easily, she finds her eyelids obeying that command as she drifts off.
—
When the morning arrives and the sun peers in through the half-open curtains, she finds herself blinded by the amber rays as she struggles to sit upright. There is a light throbbing in her head but not enough of a hangover to bog down the excitement she feels about their trip. Although the absence of Kippei's warmth in the bed beside her does leave a saddened expression on her face.
"How late is it?" she whispers to herself as she crawls toward the edge and lifts herself off the mattress. Venturing into the kitchen, she is mildly shocked to see how long she has slept in. No wonder Kippei is already gone – the numbers on the electronic clock read 10:00.
Considering she has procrastinated in her packing until this point, she figures that it is far past time to begin preparations. Kippei only has four more hours on the job and then he will be home. They are supposed to leave immediately after for the station. At least this will keep her preoccupied enough in the meantime.
Despite the climactic build-up of her preparations and reminiscing about their planning for the trip just two weeks prior, when 2:00 rolls around, there is no dramatic entrance on Kippei's part. In fact, as she sits at the dining room table, sipping a cup of piping hot tea, she finds herself staring emptily at a door that has remained motionless for approximately fifteen minutes.
A feeling of dread overcomes her. Innately there is this worry that perhaps something has happened, albeit more accurately she can guess what the hold-up is. Despite all of his reassurance, work is keeping him too preoccupied. Her biggest fear is that the whole trip will have to be canceled. Yet she berates herself for feeling disappointed at that – because his business is more important than any trip they have planned.
As though her thoughts have summoned it, her cell phone gives a sudden ring. It happens to be sitting across from where she is sitting and she almost scrambles to reach it before the third ring. Fallon only manages a brief glance at the screen before she brings it against her ear. "Hello?"
"Sorry, Fallon," his voice comes through on the other end. She can already hear the guilt and disappointment in his tone. There is no need for him to say it – she already knows. But he tells her anyway, "Something came up. We will have to cancel our trip."
"That's alright," she responds quickly, her words almost rushed together. She just wants to reassure him as much as possible, to alleviate any other concerns he may have. Work is important and she does not want to burden him more. "We can take a trip another time. I hope everything is okay."
"It will be," he reassures apologetically. "And yes, as soon as things settle down, we can make reservations again."
"That's okay, don't worry about that right now. I will be here when you get home tonight."
"Thanks." Belatedly, after a moment of pause, he adds on, "I love you."
Her entire body grows tense at hearing those words, as though shocked to hear him say it over the phone. Is he in the presence of other people? Did they hear him say that? She chokes back her surprise in favor of stammering back an, "I-I love you, too..."
After that brief exchange, she sighs to herself as she sets her cell phone aside. It is all too easy to feel depressed at the situation, but she quickly slaps her cheeks. "No, Fallon," she says firmly, "It is more important that he takes care of work. We can spend time together later."
In Kippei's absence, the place has grown unusually messy and cluttered. At the very least, this provides her necessary distraction to keep her from lingering on the depressing thought that they should be on their way to a hotsprings resort right now. More than the hotsprings, however, she has simply been wanting to spend some quality time with him.
By the time she manages to finish tidying up all the rooms, it is already time for dinner. Not a single text from Kippei to indicate when he will be home, let alone a call. That alone manages to leave her a little crestfallen but there is only a half hour left before his scheduled time to leave work.
In consideration of her lackluster cooking abilities, she forsakes the idea of concocting something herself. A quick trip to the store and she figures she can find something good to sate their taste buds. With that in mind, she sets out. By the time she returns, it is just a few minutes before she expects Kippei to return.
Hastily, she places everything on the table so that it will be ready for him when he arrives. Then she settles down in her seat to wait, peeking at the screen of her cell phone to check for the time and any missed texts or calls. She is met again with disappointment. After ten minutes of waiting, she finally decides to phone him, only to be directed straight to voice mail.
Then, just as she sets her phone down to lean back in her seat and mull over how unlucky a day it has been, her ringtone suddenly goes off. Fallon almost falls out of her chair in her hurry to answer it. She does not even pause to look at the screen. "H-Hello?!"
"Whoa, you sure are excited for someone who is supposed to be on a relaxing trip."
Of course, it is only Akiko. Fallon sighs. "Something happened at his work so we had to cancel our plans," she confides.
"What? No way," she gasps in disbelief. "How can you be that unlucky?"
No kidding – she really feels as though the world is conspiring against her. Even though Fallon wants to say as much to Akiko, she does not wish to sound so forlorn when she should be supporting him. So she forces back those words, into the form of a lump that she swallows to the back of her throat. "It's okay," she promises in a lighthearted voice despite the absence felt by her unmet expectations. "He has to pursue his dreams and that's important, too."
"Yeah, I get that. But even so, you must be really disappointed, right? You should say something to him if it's wearing on you. You don't have to keep it all in."
"I am doing alright," she lies, if only because she does not want to worry Akiko.
There is an audible sigh on the other end, as though she can guess that she is being deceived. Nonetheless, she does not call her friend out on it and seems to take it as her cue to drop the subject entirely. "Okay, well, if you get lonely let me know. I can call the other girls and we can hangout. Think of it as a pick-me-up with a little bit of alcohol!" Despite everything, it is in these moments that Akiko proves herself a true friend.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, he should be home soon so I will talk to you later."
"Alright. Have fun!"
As hopeful and optimistic as she remains, she finds herself loitering around the house for a whole hour without any sign that Kippei will be coming home any time soon. Feeling the exhaustion creeping in from rushing about all day, she eventually settles on the couch where she can keep an eye on the door and wait for him. Eventually she drifts off without even meaning to, still clutching her cell phone tightly in her hand.
It is some time later, though she is not sure exactly when, that she is stirred awake by a warmth caressing her cheek. Drowsy, she peeks up through half-lidded eyes to find Kippei hovering over her. It takes a moment of staring blearily at him before she realizes that it isn't just a dream. The excitement at that rouses her fully and she sits upright, wrapping her arms around him.
"I am home," he tells her.
"Welcome home."
His hand gently strokes her hair as he returns the embrace. "Sorry I returned so late. My phone died, so I couldn't call. Were you waiting for me?"
She nods against his hand as she moves to pull back for a look at his face. There is a moment where their eyes meet and almost immediately afterward, his lips find hers. They are not as warm as she expects – rather, like ice. No doubt from being out in the cold so late at night. Fallon finds herself smiling in the middle of their kiss at that thought, which prompts him to pull away.
"What are you grinning for?"
A small laugh escapes her lips as she shakes her head. "Nothing. Aren't you hungry? We should eat."
He strokes her cheek with a smile before standing up and heading for the table. "You haven't eaten anything yet, have you?" Kippei asks almost knowingly, turning his back toward her as he pulls off his coat.
As though to answer for her, her stomach gives a low grumble that leaves her blushing furiously as she slinks over to the table and mumbles quietly, "No, not yet... I will warm everything up if you don't mind waiting a moment."
He gives a quiet nod. The somber expression on his face is somewhat worrying to her before she sets about reheating the food anyways. However, much as she tries to push her concerns to the back of her mind, she cannot help glancing over her shoulder at him even as she is moving about busily in the kitchen.
Eventually, when she does have her back turned for a short period and attempts to peek back at him again, Fallon is startled to discover that he has ventured into the kitchen after her. There is a short chuckle from him when he sees her surprised expression. Moments later she finds something unfamiliar hovering in front of her face.
"Flowers?" she says in surprise, gaze flitting from his face down to the bouquet of forget-me-nots.
"It isn't much of an apology," he says quietly, a subtle blush creeping up on his cheeks, "But I am sorry for how things have turned out."
Often times their communication comes through flowers. It always manages to coax a smile from her – these small gestures that he makes to try to reassure her. And this time is no exception as she happily accepts the bundle while he awkwardly turns his back to return to the table.
She can almost vividly imagine him dropping by a flowershop on his way home – closing time at hand – and him scrambling to pick something in time. How he must have been thinking about her at the time. Then how he must have carried it all the way back here, hurrying as he usually does because he is anxious to see her.
For the moment, Fallon sets them aside in favor of finishing the preparations for their dinner. They eventually settle down across from each other and she quietly raises her chopsticks to her lips, chin dipped down, eyes gazing out from beneath a curtain of hair that manage to hide the fact she is staring at him the entire time.
"Are you worrying again?" he asks almost knowingly.
It is almost a struggle to swallow her food and she nearly finds herself choking, reaching for a glass of water that she quickly guzzles down. Kippei almost immediately gets up and comes to her side, kindly patting her back. Mortified at her own actions, she sheepishly avoids his gaze. "S-sorry, I was just wondering how things are going at work."
"Hey, Fallon. Look at me."
Her shoulders tense but she breathes a reluctant sigh as she turns to look up at him. Immediately he leans down and she almost thinks they are about to kiss – instead, his forehead gently bumps hers. Her cheeks grow rosy at the close proximity, particularly when she sees the crease in his lips as he smiles at her reaction.
"I am sorry for worrying you, for making you wait for me, for disappointing you. Everything will be okay at the company so don't let it bother you. To make it up to you... I have tomorrow off. Will you go with me somewhere?"
"Where?" she asks automatically, although what she really wants to give is an excited, resounding 'yes.'
His expression grows a little more somber, the smile largely dissipating as he leans away from her. "Since it's the holidays, I thought it might be good to visit my parents and my brother." Their graves, he means. "And I thought it might be good to contact your parents and invite them over." That last part comes as a surprise, if only because her father is still a little bitter about her divorce, but certainly Kippei's willingness to accommodate and alleviate his concerns means a lot to her.
"That would be nice – I would like that."
His hand grazes her cheek before he returns to his seat to finish his food. It is obvious by the way he has been doting on her all night that he feels apologetic, but she has already forgiven him. More to the point, Fallon does not see any need to forgive – because she understands how much all of this means to him. Being apart is something temporary and she can bear that. Knowing how much he cares, that she is in his thoughts, those things are enough to bring her some comfort in his absence.
Still, she knows she needs to be a little more honest with herself. So in between bites, she finally says, "Kippei, I... I missed you."
His chopsticks clatter against his plate and he looks at her with an expression of surprise. "What?"
Confused as to where his shock comes from by these words, she repeats herself in a quiet voice, "I just... said I missed you...?"
He lifts a hand to hide the mirth on his face as he mutters back, "Sorry, you just don't usually talk about how you feel. It's nice to hear you say that."
Once dinner is over, she finds herself putting away leftovers and washing the dishes. It is as she hovers over the sink, finishing the last of them, that Kippei sneaks up behind her. He embraces her, arms folding across the front of his stomach as he rests his chin on her shoulder, so that the moment she turns to look back at him, his lips press against her cheek.
Eventually his affectionate nature manages to coax her to the bedroom. He seems unusually impatient in his haste to shed their clothes, and by the time she finds her back against the mattress, she scarcely has a thread left to cover her skin. But the way their lips feverishly meet and linger together leaves her too heated to care about anything else. There is only a brief pause when his fingers entangle with hers and he is hovering over her, that she hears him say, "I missed you too."
And maybe, she thinks, as his lips come down to meet hers once more – that perhaps it is okay that their vacation has been canceled. For as disappointed as she felt earlier, the emotions his presence stirs within her now reminds her of why the two of them are together. Of why she tolerates the long hours and the loneliness. There is no one she loves more, nor wants more to share her life with than Kippei.