Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters' in this story besides the plot. All rights go to the respectful owners.
Character's: Kaito and Meiko (minor character: Luka)
Genres: Romance, Hurt/Comfort and Angst
Rated K +
Chapter Note: ...Originality, this was supposed to be a Birthday One-Shot for myself (i.e. KaitoXCC/shot), but it took a weird turned so I left it as that. Then I thought to myself, why not a KaitoXMeiko One-Shot with some tone? For a Birthday and Christmas gift? Perfect right? I thought so too, until the point I lost the first one which, dare I say it, was perfect in every way. Deleted on pure accident. So I tried to rewrite it...
It didn't go so well.
This one sucks...
Also, I'll come back to edit this.
He had promised her he'd be there.
He had promised that they'll spend the night together.
He had promised he wouldn't be tardy.
He had promised she'd relish the night, and would reminisce it forever.
He had promised... false truth.
The brunette sat in the living room - the fireplace thriving and crinkling delicately at the wood - as she thought over those promises.
Was she a fool to believe in his words?
She should've known he'd pull that stunt again, just like he had been doing so for the past couple of weeks.
Sure, they were at the age where work would take place in their life on a daily base but they still had responsibilities.
For each other, at least.
He's excuses always ranged from work holding him back to traffic or just plain cancels.
He had yet to fully meet his promises once with her.
She felt like a fool.
"...Why do I even try?" she mumbled bitterly, her lips faintly frown yet elevated up in a pitiless grin.
Her brown eyes watched the fire flicker at the wood, the flames growing livelier and resilient.
Why couldn't her love for him grow like that? Why couldn't... his?
"Stupid..." she shifted on the red sofa, crossing her arms over her chest. She had gussied up for him and yet, like always, it was for nothing but her own self. She even cooked dinner for the two of them; which was a feat for her since - though she's remarkable at cooking - she doesn't normally cook for others.
She glanced over her shoulder toward the dinner table where a candle rested lit in the middle, plates and silverware laid out for two, prepared to be used.
Had she made a mistake?
Honestly here, it wasn't considered normal for her to invite him over, nor getting all gussy up for him either. Usually she'd just put anything on and go, or she'd leave everything up to him for dates and outings.
This was a first for her in the two years they've been together.
Maybe she just wasn't cut out for this...
Vroom! Vroom!
Vibrated her phone, and with a weary sigh, she picked it up and answered it without a glance at the caller I.D., "Hello."
"..." The line was hushed, and for a second, her heart led her to believe it was him, "He's not there, is he?" She had never felt her heart descend into the depths of her stomach so hastily before she released a breath of disappointment.
"...No. He... hasn't even called or sent a text about being late..." She muttered to her friend as she drew her leg close to her and wrapped her left arm around them.
"Meiko..." Her friend, Luka, sounded as if she didn't know which words to say, and truthfully, Meiko didn't know which words she'd like to hear this time around, "I'm sure... there's a reason for it."
She snorted at that, "Yeah. Sure there is. And I bet it's the same as always: My Boss wants me to show the new girl around until she gets comfortable." She quoted with a dull voice.
"Meiko... It must be hard for him to get out of that since his Boss trusts him greatly."
Meiko shrugged, though she knew her friend couldn't see it, "I know." She said shortly.
Silence engulfed the pair, neither brothering to spark a conversation. The tension was awkward, and yet in some way it put Meiko to ease.
"Meiko?" Her friend started, "Did... the both of you set a time?"
The corner of her mouth twitched, "Yea-"
No. They didn't. All that was agreed to was that they'll spend Christmas Eve together at her house.
"May-Maybe..." She mumbled with a frown, and then avoided the topic by telling her friend that she was going to make herself some hot chocolate.
Ten minutes passed in a blur for Meiko, having been already on her fifth cup of hot chocolate. She constantly checked her phone for any calls or text from Kaito, but every time she looked, she was filled with disappointment.
An hour soon passed by her as she spent it sitting on the floor, by the fireplace, roasting fair sized marshmallows.
With a quick glance, the time from her phone read ten 'til ten. There was only two hours left in Christmas Eve.
Maybe he was avoiding her? Maybe it was because a couple of days ago, they had a tiny argument about his work hours. Maybe... she should stop thinking about it.
Meiko rose from the ground, placing her wooden stick beside the fireplace and gave her body a stretch. She'd take a shower, she decided, and freshen-up.
Changing out of her clothes and into something comfortable, she made her way down stairs to clean up the dinner table, place the dishes back into their spots and put the fire out. But she only got so far as the table because her phone vibrated once again.
It was a text this time, and from Luka, reading: 'Turn ur TV on'.
Meiko hesitated at first; she was skeptical for some reason, but curiosity nibble at the back of her brain and she did as instructed.
At first, Meiko didn't know what she was looking for and was about to text Luka back when she stumbled across the news highlights.
She felt nauseating, feeble and dizzy. Her stomach flipped and flopped in prickly ways, her throat was dry as a desert with a lump stuck in it. Her legs felt weak and wobbly to the point that she had to lean against the side of the sofa.
Her heart didn't want to believe what she was seeing, but her mind was over powering her heart's voice.
Her fingers gripped her phone until her knuckles turned white, her glassy brown eyes darting from the news headline to the 'live' footage playing.
She wouldn't believe it.
Her cell fizzed within her grasp, but she didn't bother to read the text that she knew was from Luka. She could just hear her friend's voice, trying to reassure her that he wasn't there at the time, or maybe he had already passed that point when it happened.
But her eyes didn't lead a lie.
There, on the screen of the news was Kaito's car mixed with others; the roof was collapsed with snow, the bumper was most likely pulled off by the impact, the passenger door was opened and bent...
Her phone slipped from her hand as her knees gave way from her weight and let her body fall to the ground, her face etched in sorrow but no tears fell for she was too shocked.
Her body could feel the vibration of her phone, from Luka calling to make sure she was okay. She wouldn't doubt it that she was already on her way over to comfort her.
"Kaito..." she murmured under her breath.
She suddenly felt guilty for her earlier thoughts. What if he had been going through that avalanche the very time she doubted their love for each other?
Meiko hugged her knees to her chest as close as she could, her back pressed to the back of the sofa and she let her tears fall, slowly and silently.
She was starting to place the blame on herself, a voice in her head telling her, taunting her that it was all her fault for making him head straight to her house after work which was two hours away.
If she hadn't set up the time and date for today, he'd -
Knock, knock!
The ponding gave her a frighten jolt; the top of her head hitting the sofa's back as she rose from the floor in a rush.
It must have been Luka at the door.
Meiko didn't bother to wipe her tears away, or bothered to stop them falling one by one. She didn't care if her attire was messy now. She just didn't care.
The women opened the door, and then slammed it.
"...Mei-Meiko?"
She stood there, frozen. Her hand rested on the knob but yet it felt heavy.
"He-Hey... Can... Can I come in...?"
She wasn't ready for it yet.
"Meiko... it's cold out here..."
Swallowing the lump within her throat, she yanked the door open and glared with new tears spilling over, "Damn it!" she cursed.
He gave her a loop-sided grin, unsure of how he should react, "Ah, uh, so, um, about me going into your house..."
She moved to the side, letting him walk in. Then, on instinct, she kicked him in the shins.
He gasped at the pain and at the sudden attack, dropping to the ground as he cradled his shin.
"God damn it, Kaito!" Meiko cried as she made for another kick, but he caught her foot this time around.
She balanced on her left foot as he held her foot low whilst he rose to his own, standing and towering over her, up and close.
Meiko knew her emotions were clear within her eyes and written on her face, she could tell by how his features soften.
"Meiko..." he spoke softly, smoothing her with his rich voice, "I'm sorry for worrying you..." he looked to the side for a slip second, then back to her eyes, "Truthfully, I was planning on sending you a text but... my phone died."
Excuses.
"I was going to call when I left work, but I wanted to surprise you, in a way."
False.
"But then my Boss held me up, so there went the plan for leaving early..."
Fake.
"But I left as soon as I could, but, well, I guess that wasn't very bright of me. Hahah..." he let a short laugh out, but snorted to a stop. "Who'd knew there'd be an avalanche at the time I left. Thankfully I got out of the car before it caved in."
She couldn't believe the words that he was saying.
"It took me awhile to get here, but I'm here and..." his eyes drifted away to a source of time, and with a faint smile, he said, "it's still the 24th; just a couple of minutes till midnight."
She didn't know how to react and honestly, she didn't know what was normal for her reaction to be.
Kaito scooped her up in his arm, creating a reaction of a gasp and wide eyes from his girlfriend, "I told you Meiko..." he spoke in a husky voice, his eyes narrowed and focused on hers as he drew his face closer to her, his lips teasing her own with his next choice of words, "I'd be home for Christmas."
A/N: First things first: If you're wondering why this is sad, it's because all of the Christmas songs are sad. Go, listen to them. Each and every one of them have a part that's sad, or it's the whole song. Funny, huh? How such a happy holiday has such sorrowful songs :I
Secondly, I felt that I made Meiko too... weak in this One-Shot. She was perfect in the first one I typed... but meh, oh well. I guess you can say she was sober xD No eggnog for her!
So, this is my gift to you all for Christmas! andformyself/shot I was planning on either making a LenXRin or PikoXMiki Christmas One-Shot, but meeh, don't know if I'll make it in time :/
...How was the ending? Was it, uh, what's it called... Fluffy and cheesy enough? I need to sharpen those two with my writing, so tell me truthfully.
Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays!) and have a Happy New Year too! (andHappyBirthdaytome/shot to death)
Reviews are greatly appreciated and so is constructive criticism!