Hello everyone! This is my first fanfiction ever and I'm super excited for you all to read it! This is going to be a Yuki x Machi story. Just a quick disclaimer that I have only been in the Fruits Basket fandom for about a year and I also haven't really read the manga yet, so if I get anything wrong, I apologize. Also, a quick warning for minor spoilers. Please feel free to leave a like or comment if you enjoy!

Desolate. That was the word that Machi felt on this cold early afternoon. She sighed softly; her body lay facing the ceiling of her small, messy apartment. It was New Year's Eve and, like many New Year's she had lived through, she was all alone. However, this year, she wasn't just lonely in general, she was lonely for him. Yes, Machi was lonely for her love, the most popular boy in their high school and student council president, Yuki Sohma. But high school had since ended and Yuki went off to college, which, while even though they still decided to stay together, left Machi by herself. She knew Yuki had been very busy with studying for an exam, as he had regretfully told her as his reason for not coming home for New Year's this year, but Machi still wanted to see him, and that's exactly what she was going to do.

She got up and walked over to the desk across from her bed. There laid a small silver key, the key that Yuki had given her before he left for college. She brought it with her just in case. Then, she walked over to a spice brown coat and placed the key inside of its front pocket. She then slipped it on, along with a light-colored scarf and winter boots, and strode out the door.

By the time Machi finally arrived at his apartment, Snow was falling in large chunks. Large enough that she could see her footprints in the scattered flakes. She shuffled inside the complex, where it was much warmer than it was outside. There was an older woman who was sitting at the front desk scanning through a computer.

"E-Excuse me?", Machi muttered.

"Would you mind telling me how to get to room 4A?"

Without moving her head, the woman looked Machi up and down, looked back at her computer, and replied blandly:

"Upstairs, First door on your right"

"Thank you", she said continuing to make her way upstairs.

Machi soon made her way to an oak door with a golden-crested circle at the top that read "4A". She really hoped she wasn't disturbing him, as she knew that he was probably hard at work studying. With minor hesitation, she lifted her arm with a closed fist, and knocked on the door. A few seconds passed by, and there was no answer. She knocked once more. Still no answer. Now she was a bit worried, what if something happened to him? What if he was hurt? This time, she fearfully pounded on the door, but as she was knocking, the knob turned and the door suddenly opened. There stood Yuki. He was dressed in long-sleeved light blue shirt and grey sweatpants; his hair was messy and he looked as if he hadn't slept the night before.

"Machi! Hello!", he greeted her, eyes widened with surprise.

"Yuki! I'm so sorry for knocking like that! It's just you weren't answering the door and- "

"No, no! It's totally fine, I apologize for not answering right away, I was caught up all last night with studying and I-uh fell asleep at my desk", he rubbed the nape of his neck and smiled tiredly.

Machi smiled back at him. She forgot how sweet he looked whenever he smiled.

"Please, come in", he said, now standing at the side of the door to let her in.

As she scooted her way inside, she looked around the room. It was the first time she had even been to Yuki's apartment since he moved away, and it was safe to say it was nearly as messy as her own. A stack of take-out boxes sat on a counter in a small-sized kitchen located in the corner of the room, and piles of dirty clothes and schoolbooks were strewn across the room. Machi took off her coat and draped it across a cheap leather sofa and sat down. Yuki shut the door and sat down next to her.

"So, how have you been?", he asked.

"I've been well, and you?"

"Alright, studying for this exam has been really draining though"

"About that", she bit her lip.

"You…really shouldn't push yourself like this. It's…not healthy for you, and it's kind of worrying me"

Machi had made a decent point. Yuki had been working himself day and night studying for one measly exam. Besides, it wasn't just any New Year's Eve, it was their first New Years as a couple, as well as the first New Years since the Sohma curse had broken.

"Well…I suppose I can take a little break now that you're here. Hey, it looks like it's been snowing a lot, how would you like to take a walk in together?", Yuki inquired, glancing towards the window.

Machi thought for a moment, and then spoke:

"Yes. That sounds nice", she smiled. There was nothing Machi loved more than going for a walk on a cold day like today. And so, they gathered up their snow clothes and out they went.

At this point, the snow had gotten heavier and was beginning to pile up. Yuki walked by Machi's side; his cold hands entwined with hers. The sidewalk was already encompassed with a thin layer of ice, which was certain to stir up some trouble in the coming minutes.

"So, why exactly did you come to see me?", Yuki finally questioned her.

"Uhm…Well…", Machi was a bit embarrassed to tell him the reason. Sure, it was sort of a dumb reason to be embarrassed, but to her, it also seemed like a dumb reason to want to see someone. Despite this, Machi knew at this point that Yuki wouldn't judge her, and so she told him.

"I…wanted to see you because…I missed you"

"You missed me?"

"Well…I mean, it's just been a while since we've seen each other, like, in person"

There was silence for a moment.

"I know, I'm sorry…you must think I'm a terrible boyfriend", Yuki sighed.

Machi, now turning in front of him exclaimed, "No! Of course not! I lo- "

"Machi! Look out!"
Machi suddenly felt her feet lose grip on the ground and gasped as she began to fall backwards, but just before she was able to completely fall over, Yuki caught hold of her hand.

"That was black ice, are you okay?", Yuki queried with caution as he pulled her back up.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine", she replied while brushing herself off.

Now, the snowfall was as heavy as it could get, almost enough that it was hard to see. At that moment, Yuki had an idea.

"Hey Machi, quick question. Do you like coffee?"

"Coffee?", The truth is, Machi had never really had coffee before. However, she could recall a childhood memory of her parent's drinking coffee in the sitting room whenever they would have guests over.

"Yeah, there's a small café a few blocks away, I figured we could take shelter there until this snow calms down a little", he said.

Machi gave a simple nod and they continued down the street, still holding hands.

The café was surprisingly quiet for a mid-afternoon on New Year's Eve. The smell of hot coffee brewing filled the air, as Yuki and Machi sat at a small table across from one another, coffees in hand. Yuki took a long sip from his cup and looked over at Machi, who was sitting quietly.

"How's your coffee taste, Machi?"

"I…haven't really tried it yet, it's still a bit too hot I think"

"Oh, really? Mine's not that hot actually. Maybe if you take a tiny sip, it won't be that hot", he suggested.

Machi decided to trust him and take his advice. She carefully lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. The stifling hot coffee slipped through her mouth and on her tongue, causing Machi to jump slightly and make an awfully repulsed face.

"Ah! So hot!", she cried out.

Yuki made a face as if he were holding back a laugh, and then began to laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?!", Machi demanded.

"I…I'm so sorry but…the face you just made was hilarious, I couldn't help myself", he said to her still laughing.

Machi smiled and began to laugh along with him. The two continued to talk for the next hour or so, and by then, the snow had calmed down and it had begun to get dark. Afterwards, they left the café and had decided to rent a movie from a movie rental store and order some soba to eat at home.

"Wow, that soba place was so busy! I'm surprised we were able to get any food at all!", Yuki exclaimed as the couple arrived back at the apartment.

He placed down the bag of soba and they both sat down to eat. The soft, smooth buckwheat noodles were warm and delicious, though it was a bit hard for Machi to taste them at first due to her burnt tongue from earlier.

"So, I have to ask…What exactly were you trying to tell me when you slipped and fell earlier?"

Machi froze for a second. She had to think about what she had said, as she didn't remember.

"Oh, r-right, I-I was going to tell you that you weren't a bad boyfriend and…that I loved you"

Even though they had been dating for quite a few months now, she would still get flustered when they would say they loved each other.

"Oh…Well, I'm relieved that you feel that way and…I love you too", Yuki grinned and tilted his head slightly, which made Machi blush.

They quickly finished their soba, and made their way to the sofa to watch the DVD of the new Mogeta movie from the rental store. Usually, Yuki wouldn't watch something like that, as he wasn't really a big fan of anime, but he decided to watch it anyways since Machi had picked it out.

It was quite late by the time the movie had finished, almost midnight in fact. As the credits began to roll, Machi went to reach for the remote to turn it off, when she felt a sudden weight. She glanced over to see Yuki fast asleep with his head laying right on her shoulder. Machi looked around the room and then back at him. She couldn't help but admire how adorable he looked while asleep, but she did have to get up, after all, she was sure the countdown would be starting soon.

With caution as so not to wake him, she tried to carefully lay Yuki down on the other side of the sofa, but unfortunately, this was not too successful as Yuki began to wake up.

"Mmph…Machi?", he groaned softly.

"Yuki, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake yo- "

"It's okay. Please…come cuddle me", he sighed now laying on the other side of the sofa, eyes drooping.

Yuki had never asked her to cuddle before. I mean, they had kissed and hugged, but never actually cuddled.

"You want me to- "

"Yes"

"O-Okay"

Machi laid down on her side next to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you", he whispered, now falling back to sleep. Guess Machi was now staying the night. It was also at that moment that she heard muffled fireworks from outside. She looked at the clock and saw that it read "12:00". Midnight. That's when she also realized that she not only missed the countdown, but her and Yuki had never had a New Year's kiss. Machi stared at his sleeping face, leaned in, and gave him a soft peck on his cheek. In response, a small smile made its way onto Yuki's calm face, which made her chuckle a bit. Machi then cuddled back up to him, and she too fell into a sound sleep.

The End

So, what did you think? I really hoped you enjoyed my very first fanfiction, and if you didn't, then I'll surely try to improve for the next time I write. As always, thank you very much for reading.

See you next time! -Casadia240