Chapter Text
Your parents’ behavior was annoying. Why on earth did you have to leave for another city at Christmas just to meet some old family friend you’d never even heard of? Your father was thrilled about the meeting, and your mom was grinning foolishly.
There was nothing you could do about it. Your friends were upset that you wouldn’t be able to get together and just spend the evening together as planned. Your parents ignored your unwillingness to go anywhere. “Uncle Julius invited us, we can’t refuse! He’s always been there for us…” and so on. Another stupid idea. You tried to use excuses—that you’d be bored there, that if they went without you nobody would be offended—but they had their own arguments: “He has an adopted son, you’ll become friends. He’s only a year older than you. You won’t be bored.”
Sure, as if this guy definitely doesn’t have any friends or his own business, so he’ll gladly devote all his attention to you. What nonsense. And as if you’d even want that. Fortunately, you had two books with you, which would definitely brighten up your week in a stranger’s house and an unfamiliar city. This Christmas was definitely going on the list of the worst ones.
Sitting in the back seat of the car with your headphones on and your favorite music playing, you watched little houses start to appear outside the window—meaning you were almost there. Finally, the car slowed down and turned into one of the yards, stopping by the curb. It was a two-story house with a large lot, brightly decorated with garlands and other Christmas accessories. Everything was covered in snow, looking like a real winter fairytale. Well, the snow already lifted your mood a bit, because in your hometown it was rare to see any—different climate.
You got out of the car, your father started pulling your suitcases out of the trunk. The front door opened, and a tall blond man with a pleasant smile stepped out to greet you, immediately hugging your mother—as if they were close friends. Then Julius greeted your father, patting him on the back, and then noticed you standing behind your parents.
— “Y/N, very nice to meet you. Just call me Julius, alright?”
— “Nice to meet you,” you replied, smiling shyly, nervously twisting your fingers behind your back.
— “Well, welcome! Give me your suitcases and let’s go. I’ll show you around.”
He easily grabbed your suitcase and led you inside. You looked around the kitchen combined with the living and dining room. The fireplace was already decorated with garlands and stockings, a large Christmas tree with Santa Claus stood in the corner. Good thing you weren’t staying here for New Year’s too… Then Julius showed his room and the guest bedroom on the first floor, where your parents would stay, and then led you upstairs alone to show you your room.
— “This is Yami’s room, here’s the bathroom and toilet, and next is your guest bedroom. Make yourself at home,” Julius said with a wide, friendly smile, while you were still tense. It was hard to feel “at home” when practically right next door lived some guy you didn’t know. And before the blond went back downstairs, he stopped to add: — “Yami will come later. You can ask him if you need anything.”
You nodded, though you wanted to say “never in my life.” You had no real need or desire to interact with him, so why bother? You entered your room and began unpacking your bag and backpack: putting the books on the table, hanging clothes in the closet, filling the nightstand with other personal things. The room was well furnished: nice furniture, a soft bed, beautiful paintings, and a window overlooking the backyard. Pulling the curtain aside, you saw a basketball hoop with a small court, a barbecue area, a huge gazebo with a table, and a small pond. Julius clearly had more money than your family…
A sudden knock on the door. You quickly went to open it and saw a guy slightly taller than you. His hair was messy, and his white tank top revealed broad shoulders and neck while showing off his athletic build. Large headphones hung around his neck, faint music playing from them.
— “You’re called to dinner,” he simply said, turning and heading downstairs. No “hi,” no “I’m Yami,” not even a simple smile—just an irritated snort, as if this was a punishment for him. Obviously, you weren’t going to get along with someone like that.
You sighed and followed him downstairs, where a small table was already set with delicious-looking food. Julius sat in the middle, your parents to his left, Yami to his right, and the only free seat was next to him. Perfect. You sat down quietly, accidentally touching his leg, and Yami shifted uncomfortably as if trapped in a cage. Your company clearly annoyed him, and he wasn’t hiding it.
Julius and your parents made a toast to the meeting, then began eating. The host almost immediately started bombarding you with questions: — “Y/N, how’s school? Any plans for the next few years? What do you do? Tell me more about yourself.”
Your parents stayed silent, as if letting you answer for yourself. That was at least nice.
— “Well, I plan to apply for economics. I generally like everything related to numbers and statistics, but I also like literature. So I’m not entirely sure yet what I want to be.”
The guy next to you didn’t even flinch or turn, just kept eating. His foster father reacted enthusiastically to your interests and started talking about his work at his company. It was interesting to listen to him, but Yami’s presence was still somewhat unnerving. At one point, unexpectedly for everyone, he quietly stood up with his plate, put it away, and without even saying “thanks,” went upstairs and closed his door. You and your parents were slightly surprised by such behavior—it was unacceptable.
— “Sorry about him, he’s always so distant and quiet,” Julius tried to explain, quickly changing the subject as if he didn’t want to discuss it. He went back to talking about his job, frequent business trips, and your parents shared stories of their own lives.
— “I think I’ll head up too. Thanks for dinner,” you smiled and went upstairs, retreating to your room with a book.
It felt calmer as you got lost in an exciting romance about two heroes going on adventures and slowly falling in love. Loud music from Yami’s room next door was a bit distracting, but you didn’t have the nerve to tell him directly. It felt like he was doing it on purpose—to show, “This is my house, deal with my rules.” Biting your tongue, you put on your own headphones and played your music to distract yourself.
But the biggest problems came early in the morning. Right after waking up, almost out of habit, you went to the bathroom and sank into warm water. Normally in the morning you’d take a refreshing shower to shake off any signs of sleepiness, but this time you wanted a warm, relaxing bath. You wet your hair, applied shampoo, and began massaging your head, trying to wash away the stress of this unwanted trip. Everything was fine until a loud knock came at the door.
— “How long are you gonna stay in there? Get out, I need the toilet!” Yami’s voice shouted from behind the door, sparking irritation inside you. Everything had been going so well—he just had to ruin your morning with his problems.
— “Yeah, a while! My hair’s wet, you’ll survive!” you shouted back, only to get a loud bang on the door in response. It clearly annoyed him, which made you smile… After all, he’d started your acquaintance with that snort instead of a greeting, right?
— “Two more minutes and I’ll break the door down!”
— “Can’t wait!”
You still tried to hurry up—what if he actually followed through? Or worse… couldn’t hold it? Ugh. When you turned off the water and began drying off with a towel, you heard his voice again from the hallway.
— “Did you boil yourself in there?”
— “Is that concern or what?” you said, putting on pajamas, drying your hair with the towel, and finally unlocking and opening the door.
Yami was obviously irritated and dissatisfied, pacing in the hallway. He frowned even harder, towering over you: — “You have no idea how much I hate sharing living space.”
— “Already noticed. Next time just wake up earlier, maybe you’ll get lucky.” You smirked and walked into your room, closing the door out of irritation. He was infuriating…
Of course, you told your friends how irritating and annoying he was. Morning battles for the bathroom continued every day: it basically turned into a race for who got there first, complete with bickering and light name-calling. In the evenings Yami was rarely home, so you had a chance to sit in the living room by the fireplace with a book and tea in peace. You noticed he’d leave during the day with only a jacket and return late at night, often skipping dinner. Julius suggested you invite him to walk around and see the neighborhood, but you declined with plenty of excuses. Yami clearly didn’t want to talk to you anyway, sometimes even avoiding you.
One night before bed you noticed from the window that he was playing basketball alone in the backyard—throwing the ball into the hoop, jumping, moving skillfully without stopping. He was a complete loner, though he told Julius a couple of times that he’d been out with friends.
The day before Christmas, after a heavy snowfall during the night, you decided to take a walk around town. Music in your headphones was your only company. In the evening, you wandered aimlessly, looking at people’s houses, until you reached the edge of the city where the forest began. Then you turned back, eventually reaching a large park decorated with garlands, snowmen, Santa Claus figures—it was quite pretty. The city was much bigger than your hometown, with more places to spend time, eat, or have fun, more conveniences. But your friends weren’t here. When the snow started falling again and it got very dark, you decided to head back home to avoid getting lost. Thankfully, your phone’s GPS helped.
However, as you approached the house, you saw him. Yami was standing in someone else’s yard with a shovel—it was definitely not Julius’s house—clearing snow. Without a hat, his ears and cheeks red from the cold, he suddenly stopped and turned, meeting your gaze. Yami frowned, looking like he was about to say something, when an elderly man in a wheelchair rolled out of the house and called to him.
— “Yami! Just the paths, don’t bother with the lawn!” the old man said in a raspy voice, and the boy nodded.
— “I’ll clear everything, don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll get up on the roof so it doesn’t leak. Wouldn’t want it to be a problem. It’s no trouble for me.”
— “You’ll freeze! I’ll give you tea after.”
— “No… I’ll be fine.”
You were genuinely surprised by what you heard. Yami actually wanted to help someone? He could be kind? He shot you a quick glance and went back to shoveling, while you hurried inside, hiding your flushed cheeks behind your scarf. Why… was he so rude only to you? What had you done to deserve it?
Yami returned only a couple of hours later, when you were all sitting at the table. His cheeks and ears were bright red, his hair damp—probably from snow. But as if nothing happened, he hung up his jacket, took off his shoes, and went upstairs. Julius invited him to join the conversation, but probably already knew he’d refuse. Your father didn’t comment on the situation with the foster son, and no one pressured him, though you could see some tension in your parents’ eyes.
Christmas Eve went much better than you expected—warm, cozy conversations by the fireplace, exchanging gifts. You and Yami didn’t give anyone anything, being still in school, but you accepted presents from your parents and Julius. He even spoke a little, and later that evening he went out again. That night you again saw him alone, playing basketball in the backyard, and suppressed a fleeting urge to join him or just watch. After the snow-shoveling incident, you wanted to know him a bit better, but there was no time—you were leaving the next day.
— “So glad this bathroom will be mine again,” he smirked on your last morning, opening the door. He’d apparently woken up early on purpose to make you wait. You clicked your tongue loudly, rolled your eyes, and went inside—only to be met by such a strong smell of cigarettes that you couldn’t even start your routine. How could he smoke that garbage? Didn’t he care about his health? And Julius didn’t mind? Well, not your problem—you were leaving in a couple of hours anyway. You had to air out the room before taking your bath.
Surprisingly, Yami came down to see you off. Clearly, it gave him some strange satisfaction. While your parents said goodbye to Julius, you stood next to him in silence, as if you didn’t know each other. You gave a loud hum, glancing at him.
— “Honoring us by seeing us off?”
— “Enjoying it,” Yami said, confirming your thoughts, and smirked. Then he added more harshly this time, hitting something deeper: — “Hope we never meet again.”
— “You know, I wasn’t eager to come here either. And I’m glad to leave,” you shot back like venom. “Hope we never meet again.”
With that, you said goodbye to Julius and got in the car, watching him as you left. Yami only frowned and turned away, going inside, while the car pulled away. Your parents were already discussing the vacation, and you sat with a deep sense of relief and peace. Yet somewhere inside, there was an unpleasant aftertaste.
Remembering all this, you once again watched the barely familiar city through the taxi window. It had been just under three years since that Christmas, and you were returning to that house. Only now your father said Julius and Yami had moved closer to the city center and the college where he studied. And where you’d been accepted—your student life would start in a couple of days. But you wouldn’t be living in a dorm or a rented apartment. You’d be living next door to Yami Sukehiro again. What a drag…