#also after we're together And he has his own office i occasionally check up on him when i notice tom leaving from there

[nygleskas]

yeah. well. in successionverse once greg gets his own office i'd occasionally/often stop by just to say hi and make excuses to see him. and once we start dating (btwn s2 - s3) i'd do the same thing and also give him a little kiss

[fractionallyeclectic]

Chikara's Birthday Eve Eve

Haikyuu, Ennotana, future/timeskip fic, established relationship, birthday countdown

Tanaka spends days celebrating Chikara's birthday, despite his initial protest.

—

There was something in the air.

Excitement. Anticipation.

... Or possibly dread.

Chikara looked at Toshiko, one of the physical therapy assistants, who had been pecking away on her phone for the last 30 minutes.

The phone itself wasn't an issue. They were minutes from closing, all the patients had gone, and Chikara was finishing up his paperwork.

It was the way Toshiko tapped anxiously at the screen, sighing, mumbling, and occasionally groaning as if in pain.

"Is everything okay?" Chikara finally asked as he saved and closed the last file.

Toshiko looked up, her brow furrowed. She sighed again.

"I planned a Christmas Eve date for Mina and I." She chewed on her lip. "I really hope she likes it."

"Why wouldn't she like it?"

"We're not going to the restaurant Mina originally wanted to go to," Toshiko said. "I couldn't get a reservation. But this one has great food and it's closer to the lights display we're going to after. We won't have to walk as far."

Chikara grabbed his bag. "That sounds good?"

Toshiko stood, also gathering her things. She fumbled with her phone as she put on her coat.

"But the first restaurant has a special Christmas Eve menu and Mina really wanted to go."

"If she really likes you," Chikara offered, "then she'll like the date because you planned it."

Toshiko looked doubtful. Chikara guided his distracted coworker out of the office and closed the door.

"Making the effort shows a lot of care on its own."

Toshiko considered Chikara's opinion. She nodded after a moment, releasing her chewed lip.

"I just hope she likes it," she said in a rush. "This is our first Christmas Eve together. You're lucky you're married, Chikara-san."

Chikara looked up from locking the door. He didn't understand where she was going with her train of thought.

"You don't have to worry about romance."

"I don't?"

"Not in the same way! You're married," Toshiko said, stressing the word. "The pressure is already off." She smiled and drove the conversation forward before Chikara could question her logic. "Do you and Tanaka-san have Christmas Eve plans?"

Chikara shook his head.

"No, we don't really do anything on Christmas Eve."

"At all?"

Chikara checked the lock before putting the office keys into his bag.

"No," he said simply. "It doesn't seem necessary."

"Because you're married," Toshiko said with a nod.

Chikara decided to let her flawed hypothesis slide because she seemed much more relaxed than before. Toshiko checked her phone for the 300th time and hurried off towards the bus stop.

"Goodbye, Chikara-san! See you tomorrow!"

"Have a nice time!"

Toshiko waved as she ran, eventually disappearing into the movement of people on the street.

Chikara sent Tanaka a quick message to say he was on his way, the reply quick, warming him against the cold.

'Dinner's ready! Can't wait!!'

Chikara smiled. He did like being married.

—

"I'm back!"

Their dog Airi was waiting to greet Chikara at the door, wiggling and pacing with excitement as he took off his shoes. She poked her nose into the bag he carried to inspect it. His arrival received no other response, suggesting that Tanaka was somewhere out of earshot.

Airi followed at his feet as Chikara made his way inside.

The bag he carried went in the fridge. He peeked into the pot on the stove, the delicious smell of oden blooming in the kitchen.

Chikara put away his things and changed his clothes before stopping at the dining table.

A gift sat at his seat, the tag bearing only a large number two.

It was true that he and Tanaka usually didn't do anything special to mark Christmas Eve. It was so close to Chikara's birthday that an additional day of celebration didn't seem practical.

Instead, Tanaka spent days celebrating Chikara's birthday, despite his initial protest.

It was difficult to stop Tanaka once he had a plan. He had a history of going overboard for birthdays but his discovery of advent calendars pushed everything to a whole other level.

Chikara considered it a success when he forced Tanaka to downsize from the idea of 25 gifts.

The number of gifts would vary from year to year, never exceeding the maximum of 7 they had agreed on. They ranged from practical to silly, useful to absurd, and Chikara would be lying if he said he didn't adore every single one.

Tanaka seemed to love preparing the gifts which gave Chikara permission to indulge in a little extra attention, if only once a year.

As if summoned, Tanaka pushed through the sliding door, coming in from the terrace with an armful of linens as Chikara touched the gift.

"Chikara!" he said loudly, dropping the laundry on the couch. He rushed over to surround Chikara in a hug. "Welcome back!"

Chikara smiled. "Dinner smells wonderful."

Tanaka beamed at the compliment. He wasn't the best cook but he could do anything that required only boiling.

Tanaka picked up the gift, pressing it into Chikara's hands. "Open it!"

Chikara weighed the small package wrapped in paper. He was curious. There was never any rhyme or reason to the assortment of gifts in the countdown.

Among the gifts this year, he had received pens for work, a gift card to his favorite okonomiyake restaurant, and a novelty shirt that came with a corresponding one for Tanaka to wear. ("It's my birthday" and "I'm his gift”.)

The package could contain truly anything which was part of the fun.

Chikara unwrapped the gift to reveal a picture frame containing two pictures floating in a clear matte.

The pictures were similar but different. They were taken together. The colors were beginning to fade.

They were of he and Tanaka in high school, posing in a photo booth.

"Do you remember this?" Tanaka asked. "I think this was our second date. Saeko found them while she was cleaning out my room."

Chikara nodded. He remembered.

"Look at how young and cute we were," he said after a moment.

Tanaka kissed his cheek.

"You're still cute, Chikara."

Tanaka went off to the kitchen with Airi trailing behind him, leaving Chikara holding the picture frame in his hands. He could hear the sounds of Tanaka gathering things to set the table.

Chikara moved to the bookshelf, seeking a place to put his gift. He rearranged a few things and set the picture frame down among others.

He looked fondly at the pictures. He was sure there was a copy of them pressed between the pages of a book at his mom's house.

He could see the nervousness in their smiles, pressed together in the small space of the photo booth. He couldn’t remember every detail of that day but he remembered how he felt, the anxious excitement of knowing that his feelings were shared even if they were still figuring out how to express them. His gaze moved to their other pictures, to trips and dates, to their wedding, to bringing Airi home for the first time. He could see how they grew together, the nervousness gone, affection, trust, and love taking root in its place.

Chikara considered that maybe Toshiko had made a good point.

Maybe they didn't approach romance the same way.

Romance wasn't about excitement for Chikara any more. He still liked dates and trendy restaurants but it wasn't what made him feel most loved.

For Chikara, romance was reliability.

It was having a partner, not just in love, but in life. It was having someone to share things with, both good and bad. It was having someone he could count on to take care of Airi, to remind him about his umbrella when it rained, to pick up medicine when he was sick.

Someone who made him laugh. Someone who cheered him on.

Someone who still thought he was cute.

Chikara turned from his thoughts to the kitchen when he heard Tanaka shout.

"You bought a Christmas cake?" Tanaka said, carrying bowls and utensils to the table.

Chikara reached out to help him. "It is Christmas Eve."

"You mean Chikara's Birthday Eve Eve."

Chikara shook his head but couldn't stop his laugh. He set the table as Tanaka returned with the pot of oden. When the pot was safely down on the table, Chikara pulled Tanaka into an embrace.

"Thank you for making dinner," he said, kissing Tanaka lightly. He felt Tanaka's hands, still covered with oven mitts, firm against his back. "Thank you for feeding Airi."

Tanaka grinned, crowding Chikara in his arms, eager for more kisses. "Thank you for buying us a Christmas cake."

Chikara hurried to get his words out. It was important to him that Tanaka knew how he felt.

"Thank you for my gift, Ryuu."

Tanaka's expression softened, his smile home to more emotions than even Chikara could count.

"You're still cute too," Chikara added.

Tanaka laughed, bright and loud. Chikara did too, even as Tanaka brought an oven mitt-covered hand to the back of his head. Their laughter faded in favor of a kiss, long and slow, deep and teasing, filled with promise.

Excitement. Anticipation.

And possibly romance.

"You still have two more days of gifts," Tanaka reminded him. He grinned, holding Chikara close. "Wait until you see tomorrow's present."

Chikara smiled. He did love being married.

"I can't wait."