Short summary: Hanzo is a busy man and misses readers birthday.
To make up for it, he plans out something special for her.
WARNING! EXTREME CHEESE AND FLUFF!!!
This fic is dedicated for mah lovely friend Viri <3 (who’s bday was last month lol)
________________________________________
“Did I write this right?”
The little girl handed you her exercise booklet.
Your eyes glided from the top to the bottom of the paper curiously, scanning it for spelling and grammar errors.
“You did a good job for your first essay, I found something though. You got the tenses mixed up here “ you pointed towards a word, “ and here.
Go back to the pages we read together last lesson and correct it before class ends. “
Sophia took her booklet back and nodded, before she turned around and walked back to her seat.
With a sigh you checked your watch and quickly after, you peeked at your phone.
The view upset you, but it was no surprise. People wouldn't want to bother you at work and the majority of your friends were at work themselves. Especially the person, whose message you were awaiting the most, would be the last in terms of capability to answer.
He was most likely busy snapping someone's neck or piercing their skull with an arrow.
The thought of that sent a shiver through your spine.
Your best friend was an undercover agent for the government, basically the one, who does the dirtiest work. Everybody thinks, that those who work such jobs are cold hearted monsters, far from human and reckless in any way possible and to someone who'd only get to know him briefly, the description would be spot on, but as someone,who actually means something to him, you have more than enough reasons to negate those accusations.
There aren't enough synonyms for lovely and caring, to gather a description of this man you called your best friend.
Your thoughts were interrupted by a group of girls' loud chats and laughter in the corner of the class room, which quickly found an end once you met their gigglish looks with a raised brow and the obnoxiously loud clearing of your throat.
It was one in the afternoon and you just finished writing the homework onto the blackboard for the students to copy, when you realized, that something was off. Usually one or two students were already eager to leave minutes before the end and had their stuff packed to run off, once the bell rang. For some reason, all of them were strangely calm and their items were still spread all over the tables, as if they were still up to something. You washed your hands to get rid of the chalk dust on your fingers and returned back to your table, when suddenly all the children got up and formed a semicircle around you and began singing.
“Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Mrs. (Y/L/N),
The children began to cheer and the two class representatives handed you a bouquet of flowers and a small packed gift, you were asked to open right away. You ripped open the paper and your pupils widened instantly. You were holding a set of extremely expensive paint brushes.
“This is so lovely! Thank you all so much! I can't believe you planned this all alone!”
The children looked at each other in joy and with proud expressions due to your praise.
Even though you were a language teacher, your love for art and painting was known amongst both your colleagues and your students.
Thanking your class a few more times, you hugged each student, before they eagerly packed their belongings and made their way out of the class room.
By the time the last student left you were done packing as well. You locked the classroom and walked to your car. With a thud, you closed the door and breathed out, enjoying the sudden silence as the voices of playing children were no longer in your ears.
The brushes were something you always hesitated to buy, since they were really, really pricey but now, they were yours and your mind was already flooded with ideas of what to paint first. It's been a while that you discovered them and toyed around with the thought of a purchase, literally telling everyone about how good they are, hoping to receive them as a present. As always, your genius plan worked as intended.
You couldn't wait to show them to your best friend of to surprise him with a really good painting.
Unfortunately the joy of thinking about said action vanished as fast as it appeared. He wasn't in town. Probably not even in the same country or continent. His work was top secret and he said you would be better off knowing less. You were absolutely clueless, about where he was at the moment or when he would come back, it was common for some of his duties to take longer than expected. You had just wished, that maybe this time he would be back in time. You decided not to linger on sad thoughts and drove to your parents place, who were awaiting you impatiently.
“Excellent work like always Mr.Shimada. Just like I expected it from a man like you.”
You got up from your bowing position and looked into the eyes of your boss.
“We sent that naïve simpleton our regards, they won't get in our way any time soon.”
You nodded in agreement, not knowing what else to add.
“Well well.... you look tired. The mission is over, you may go home unless you still have anything to say.”
You shook your head. “No, I am finished.”
“There is a limousine waiting to escort you home.”
You bowed down again. “Thank you.”
“You're always so formal. I guess that's a sign that you're parents raised you well.”
Your boss groaned. “Speaking of parents... I totally forgot that I have to call my wife's mother today. I guess it has to be another golden Rolex this year unless I want to hear complaints for months … Every birthday my wife wants something even more extra ordinary for her mother. I just wish she would leave me out of her plans each time.”
Birthday..... Oh god …. Oh no … OH NO!
“Sir , would you please tell me what today's date is?”
Your boss looked at you in confusion.
Your pupils tightened. God damn it. How could you forget.
“Sir is it possible,for the driver to bring me to another place?”
“Of course Mr.Shimada, would you first explain to me why though?”
“Ah dang it, thirteen percent.”
You had forgotten to plug your phone into the charger over night as you had fallen asleep on the couch.
Annoyed, that you couldn't scroll through the latest news as the first thing of the day, you got up and rubbed your eye. Making your way to the charger, you stepped on a piece of paper on the floor.
“Huh?” You picked it up and recognized the flyer of the city's art gallery. You placed it on the kitchen table and turned on the coffee machine while wondering where you left your charger. Ever since your birthday you were very busy with work, so you had barely any time left to look after yourself or your apartment. You decided to take a day off all tasks and catch up with what you had neglected lately.
At the breakfast table you decided to take a look into the flyer before you would drop it into the trash can. There were three exhibitions this month. Two rather boring ones and one that caught your eye, the one about ancient east-asian art. You remembered bringing the flyer home so you wouldn't forget to book the tickets for you and your best friend but the both of you forgot about it in the end and now it was too late, since it was not only the last day but most likely already booked out.
Sighing you dropped the paper into the trash can and took a sip of your coffee.
You missed him and It was becoming annoying. You knew he was good at his job and not all of it was cruel so he enjoyed it aswell. It paid well so he had a life free of worries, you couldn't complain either, as his best friend you out of everyone enjoyed that fact the most. Unfortunately all the gifts and pleasures coming along with his job were no substitute for his constant absence. Missions could take up to two months sometimes. The worst thing was when he suddenly disappeared for three and a half months, without being able to notify you. It was an emergency and he was called in during another mission. Lucky for the both of you, that never occurred again.
It was true, you despised his job. It consumed so much of his time one couldn't call it a life. You saw him so little amounts of time, it was ridiculous. You knew him since high school, yet nothing had developed further than a good friendship. Sometimes you would point the finger towards yourself, after all you encouraged him into taking the job offer he received after winning an award for his combat skills. You didn't know it would end up this way. If only you had known.
Unlike your best friend, who had nothing else in mind but studying, to ensure a bright future for himself, you sensed your feelings for him pretty early on but decided to keep them to yourself.
Multiple girls had confessed to him and he turned all of them down, saying he had no time for a relationship because of his studies. You knew better than doing the same mistake, you didn't want to risk losing the friendship you had built up during those three years. You eventually became the person he shared everything with but that was about it. He was very reserved and you were afraid to lose him. Your jobs didn't leave much time for the two of you to spend together. There was no solid ground for a relationship and you started to doubt that there would ever be, no matter how many times your hugs would last for minutes, no matter how often his face would be mere centimetres away from yours while watching movies or going to amusement parks together. No matter how often the two of you would look at each other blushing when you were asked how long you were dating already.
Louder than necessary, you placed the mug onto the table and closed your eyes. Oh when would he finally come back and be in your arms again, so you could tell him how much you missed him.
Opening your eyes, you remembered your plans for today. You got up from your chair and brought your dishes into the kitchen.
“Yeah, yeah dad I will call you back later, I need to bring the groceries home and I need both hands for that, love you, byee!”
Sighing you hung up the call and got out of your car. You took your goodies out of the trunk and closed the door.
Your neighbour greeted you at the door and held it open for you, since you had both hands full of bags. You thanked the woman and waited for the elevator to arrive. Inside it you eyed yourself in the mirror. You had lost some weight lately, partly because you planned to in first place and partly because eating alone was just not the same. You looked into your own eyes. It really was overdue for you to take care of yourself again, you hadn't seen yourself this pretty in a while now, just keeping your appearance up as much as necessary.
You walked out of the elevator and placed the groceries in front of your door to find your keys, which had fallen to the bottom of your purse. You opened the door and closed it with your leg, quickly took off your shoes and walked into the kitchen to unpack the bags. You were done and decided to take a seat on the sofa and relax in front of the TV for a moment. As you walked into the living room, you immediately realized, that something was off. The chair you had breakfast on today, was missing.
Confused you walked around the room, back into the kitchen and suddenly towards your bedroom.
Were you going crazy? You opened the door of your bedroom and your jaw dropped.
The chair was there, on it, an enormous plush of your favourite animal. Around it, the words “Happy Birthday”
had been arranged with light strings. Three huge boxes were placed on your bed, wrapped in shiny paper with bows all over. You walked over to your pile of surprises and a card caught your eye.
I'm sorry for being late, I hope you forgive me.
I'll be picking you up at three, thirty .
You smiled and shook your head. That's all he had to say after three weeks? This man ….
You wanted to open one of the boxes but then your watch caught your eye. It was already two fifty!
And you still had to shower and dress up! This was going to be a special day after all!
You dropped the present onto your bed and quickly ran towards the bathroom.
Twenty five minutes later you were checking your phone nervously. A last glance into your pocket mirror reassured you, that you were in fact, looking gorgeous. Not knowing what surprise he had in store, you dressed elegant enough to fit a fancy dinner but casual enough, not to stand out if he'd just take you to the cinema. The doorbell rang and you shot up from your seat, rehearsing your greeting. Something about this was special. It didn't feel like the last times he came back. It was completely different. You opened the door and your heart began beating like crazy. Your eyes locked for a few seconds, the two of you eyeing each other after this long time, before indulging in a very long, tight hug.
“Happy belated birthday.”
“You were gone for way too long.”
“Do you have any idea how much I missed you?”
You ended the hug giving him the most ridiculous angry expression, causing the both of you to laugh about it.
“Yes, mind telling me where we are going?”
“Hmmm no, you'll have to be patient, birthday girl!”
He took your hand and the both of you walked outside.
In front of your apartment, something had caught a few passengers eye, and yours as well the moment you walked out of the door.
A really beautiful Mercedes was parked in front of the door, shining in the midsts of the regular sized cars.
He grinned widely. “But I wanted to.”
The passengers stepped aside as he held the door open for you to step in. You shook your head and took a seat. Hanzo closed the door and walked over to the drivers seat.
“I really don't want to know the price of this car, do I?”
“No, and it's nothing you need to worried about anyway.”
The low buzz of the car began and he started driving.
“How did you like your presents?” He looked over to you and smiled slightly.
“I don't know.” You shrugged, “I haven't opened them yet.”
“I barely had time left when I came home. Besides, I wanted to open them with you there.”
You looked over to him, the corners of his lips slightly rose.
“Alright, we'll open them later then.”
Minutes later, the two of you arrived at a lively part of the city and parked the car.
He opened the door for you and he took your hand to guide you to your destination.
You stopped in front of the art gallery and he looked at you, curiously.
“Why did we stop? What are we gonna do here?”
“What do you think?” He grinned.
“I don't know? All I wanted to see was the east asian art but it's sold o-”
Hanzo waving with two tickets, cut you off mid sentence.
“We should go in, it's the last day and we still have much to see.”
This man....He was full of surprises and mysteries. You had no idea how he managed to get the tickets but you couldn't care less. You were too busy being exited about the exhibition.
Time flew by as you looked at what felt like a never ending collection of ancient art. You were amazed and mesmerized by each one of them, wishing you were allowed to take pictures of all the details and individual paintings.
As you had reached the end of the exhibition you walked into a small room, arranged to be a store.
The post card section magically attracted you like a spell. Scanning the cards for some of the beautiful pieces you saw in the exhibition, a blue card caught your attention.
The blue print was met by a golden dragon, treated with a dark golden fish pattern. It looked extremely pretty and royal and reminded you of your best friends family emblem and the tattoo on his arm.
You picked it up and turned around to show it to him, he would love it ! But he was nowhere to be seen. You scanned the entire room, just to be told by the saleswoman, that he got a phone call and walked out already. Sighing you looked at the post card again. Maybe it was too much to be expected but you wished to have him just for yourself, an entire day. It would've been too perfect if that day could be the day, you celebrated your birthday.
Your decision to not let that thought drag you down and just enjoy what you have, guided you to the register. You bought the post card together with a notebook and a few other cards. As you were paying the items the woman asked if you also wanted to take a look at the tie pins, since one of them would match your boyfriend so well. You didn't know what you were supposed to ask the lady first, why she thought you two were dating or why the hell the souvenir store would sell tie pins.
“The gold in the tie pin would suit the golden shine in his eyes.” She smiled.
“You are right, the shade also matches his suit perfectly, I'll take it. But …. he's not my boyfriend, what made you think that?”
The woman covered her mouth and then giggled.
“The way he looked at you, it just …. reminded me of the way my father used to look at my mother. I don't think I've seen more love in somebody's eyes before.” She laughed nervously at your surprised expression before handing you the little paper bag with your newly purchased goods.
“Have a nice day” she said , “and oh, … I don't think my eyes were lying to me when I saw him.“ She winked at you and you smiled brightly as you stepped through the door.
Hanzo dropped his phone in his pocket and rushed towards you, as you walked out of the entrance.
“I'm sorry (Y/N)! It was an urgent call from my boss but everything is alright now.” He smiled.
“So show me what you got!” He tried lurking into the small bag but you quickly hid it behind your back. “Hmm you'll have to wait until later.”
Your playful grin made him raise a brow.
“Anyway, walking for 3 hours straight made me sooo hungry,
can we stop somewhere nearby and grab something to eat?” you asked him, resting a hand on your stomach.
“I know a good place.” He said smiling. “But it's not nearby.”
You huffed in dismay and followed him to the car.
He didn't lie, it really wasn't close by. While you were admiring the view on the highway , his phone started buzzing very loudly next to you. Your body's reaction to the surprising sound and your nosiness were quicker than your will to respect his privacy so you took a glance on the screen of his phone. Your heart twitched slightly as you saw an unknown name of another woman light up on the display. You didn't remember him having any female colleagues or any girl named Rosie in his family. Who was she? Wasn't he always telling you everything? How come you never heard of this new friend of him? The car ride went awkwardly silent from then on. Luckily, you quickly met your destination soon after.
Hanzo stepped out of the car and walked towards your door to open it for you, you decided to use the time to quickly drop the little package with the pin into your purse. The door opened.
“I don't think I've ever been in this part of the town before, where are we?” You asked, as you stepped outside the car, hoping he'd take your hand again.
“I have only been here before once, they just finished building new houses and stores around in this area so it's not quite known yet. That should change soon thought, you'll find out why, once we're inside.”
He gave you a promising look before offering you his hand. You were glad but also surprised, he rarely held your hand , usually he'd only go that far some times when he walked you home at night and creepy people would pass by you.
Hanzo guided you towards the entrance of what looked like the most fancy restaurant you had seen from up close. The two of you went eating out quiet often but nothing could reach up to this. It was cute of him to go out of his way for you but it was very unusual of him to make things this extravagant.
You entered the restaurant and your jaw dropped. It looked similar to a ball room but with beautifully shaped chairs and tables. The lights at the hight ceiling were surrounded by shiny chandeliers.
After naming himself to the receptionist, Hanzo was greeted with a bow and the two of you were lead to a small stairway at the side of the desk. Your friend asked you to go first and you walked up the stairs quickly, curious of what was awaiting you upstairs.
About halfway there, you realised the slight wind meeting your face and you suspected to be led to the rooftop of the building. Your suspicions were true and you couldn't believe your eyes. It was beautiful. The rooftop was rather small and looked like a very lovely balcony. There was only one table and two chairs were placed around it, facing each other.
The fence was surrounded by garlands of roses and the most powerful source of light, next to the two lanterns at the staircase, was the dark red candle in the middle of the table.
A waiter placed two menus on either side of the table and went downstairs quickly afterwards, leaving an electronic bell behind. Still admiring your surroundings and the marvellous view at the city's shining buildings, the night lights and their reflections in the sea, you took your seat and decided to read the menu as your hunger was at its peak.
“I really can't decide, if I want to settle for a pizza, or if I'd like to try something new. The baked chicken sounds soo tasty.”
“I am really tempted by the chicken aswell” Hanzo sighed. “But the grilled salmon sounds just as good.”
Hanzo's eyes slided from the menu to meet yours. “I choose the chicken and you take the salmon? And we try from each other?”
Hanzo nodded and smiled. “Sounds like a good idea to me.” His sudden smile made you blush and you tried to hide it quickly, by ringing the bell for the waiter and deciding on a beverage.
After giving your orders by the polite man in the suit, the two of you picked up on any news regarding your families and quickly after, you excused yourself, to go to the bathroom.
Leaving your stall, a woman passed by you to the sink next to yours to wash her hands. A moment later you recognized her. She was the wife of some TV celebrity . So this place was more than simply fancy looking? It must be serving very nice food as well, you thought to yourself.
The receptionist guided you to the stairway again and you began walking but stopped right before your head, peeked out of the entrance. Hanzo was speaking to somebody. Probably on the phone. You didn't want to spy on him but your curiosity was taking over you, as you wondered who would be calling him this time of the day.
“Yes , everything went as planned, thank you for everything again, Agasa san!”
Agasa san? That was his boss' name, so it was a work related call? But it sounded less formal...
“I can't thank you enough for your help sir and don't forget to deliver my thanks to Rosie aswell, you were right, your wife really is talented at planning surprises. I don't think I would've managed to gather all the right things in time without her help.”
“Yes, yes, and no that was nothing. It's my job after all. Have a great evening sir.”
“Excuse me m'am, your dinner.”
You turned around in confusion just to meet the slightly uncomfortable waiter standing at the entrance, waiting for you to leave the staircase so he can deliver the dishes.
Embarrassed, you hurried to your seat, pretending not to know anything and enjoying your delicious dinner.
The fifth sip of champagne later, your plates were empty and your bellies filled.
The place was quiet and peaceful and the two of you were simply enjoying the moment of silence before Hanzo's phone gave off a silent buzz, making his eyes expand.
“It is time...” He whispered and turned off his phone.
“Time for what?” You asked , as he got up from his seat and asked you to follow him to the fence.
“There is a festival today, at the beach over there. “
Exited you waited for him to end his sentence. “And if I'm not wrong, there should be a fi-”
Hanzo was cut off by the loud chanting of people counting down from three in unison, before ten rockets shot up in the air, on the other side of the sea, dissolving in bright lights and sparkles in the sky.
You were mesmerized by the beauty of the colours and the lights, you didn't notice Hanzo looking at you the entire time instead, watching the fireworks out of the reflection in your eyes.
The rhythm of the fireworks lost it's steadiness and you looked over to Hanzo, causing him to quickly look away after you caught him staring. This made you remember the words of the woman in the store and the Pin.
“Ah, I've got something to give you.”
You quickly walked to the table and took the pin out of your purse, hiding the package behind your back as you turned around, to watch him take a sip of his champagne nervously.
“Close your eyes!” you requested as you slowly walked towards him.
Gosh, such a stupid question. He was really nervous all of the sudden, but why?
“Just do it, It's a surprise.”
Hanzo breathed in sharply and closed his eyes.
“Do I need to hold out my hands or anything? “
You were now standing right In front of him, unpacking the pin.
He swallowed hard as your voice determined, how close you were standing in front of him.
Taking his tie into your hand, you slided the fabric between the two parts of the pin and softened the fabric of his shirt causing his hands to shiver slightly.
“You may open your eyes.”
He opened his eyes and looked down. A smile marked his lips.
“The color of the pin is so beautiful. The gold really shines even thought its a bit dark. I love it! And the pattern ...”
He looked at you. “Where did you get it? I don't think I've ever seen a pin this beautiful anywhere before.”
You grinned. “The store section of the exhibition.”
“Uhm.... you're joking right?”
“Why would they sell tie pins?”
“I don't know” You laughed. “But hey, I guess that's were you'd find such beautiful tie pins.”
The both of you laughed slightly before you became so silent you heard each other breathe.
“Oh you moved and now it's uneven.”
You rearranged the tie pin and he looked down to watch you do so. Again you flat out the fabric of his shirt but your hands remained on his chest. You didn't want to take your hands off him, ever.
You wished this moment could last forever. Just you and Hanzo. No phones buzzing, bosses calling, other voices interrupting. You didn't notice you were staring at his chest, caught in your thoughts, until you heard Hanzo, call out your name.
His hands slid on top of yours, his thumb brushing over your remarkably smaller hands, his eyes locked onto yours.
He smiled at you, hoping he had made up for the time, the two of you lost during his time working.
“Thank you for everything Hanzo, the presents, ... the exhibition, the dinner , …the time with you.”
You smiled and were surprised, that he wasn't anymore.
“I wish I could spend all of my time with you.”
Before you could think of an answer to that, he continued.
your lips parted as the heavy blush on your cheeks gave off the answer to his proposal.
There were so many emotions going through you at this moment. Your thoughts travelled back to the moment you met him, the first time you spend your afternoon together. Every single time your heart beat fast because of him rushed by your mind, filling your stomach with a million butterflies and your heart with a strong rush of joy and an even bigger rush of relief.
“I want to be with you, (Y/N).”
Softly, you freed your hands from his, travelling up to rest your fingers on his cheeks, closing the gap between your lips, as they met each other , unwilling to ever part. His arms pulled you closer to his, making you able to feel his chest on yours.
Your lips finally distanced for a longer period, allowing you to breathe and look up at him and reply.
“I love you too Hanzo. I want to be with you for ever.”
His eyes closed for a second and a relieved huff left him, causing you to giggle. So that was, what he was nervous about?
Your finger brushed his cheek and his beard, curving his sharp jaw before he came closer to you, to place a kiss on your forehead.
He held onto you very strongly.
“I'm so happy and so ….” He looked away for a moment.
“Yes.” He replied, looking back into your eyes.
Your soft lips marked his right cheek with a kiss.
“How could I possibly say no to you, you are all I wanted and more.”
“I'm not. You're the loveliest man I know and have ever known. On top of that, you're the best friend one could have and absolute husband material.”
You cut him off with another kiss, slightly biting his lower lip.
This wasn't the last kiss of it's kind that night. The day began with Hanzo in your mind and ended with him by your side.
Hanzo looked at his laptop screen in anger of not finding what he was looking for , before taking a look at the time and hurriedly putting on his clothes. His phone rang and he cursed whoever was calling in that moment of a rush.
“Hey Genji I'm busy , can I call you back later?”
“It's only a small question Hanzo.”
“You're planning to move out of your current apartment? Why? And why into a place so big? Is there anything I need to know?”
“You were still logged in on my PC so your browser history showed up while I was trying to find a website. I can't because the list is full of houses....Now tell me why you want to move into a house so big on your own?”
Me and (Y/N) are dating now.”
there was a small moment of silence before his brother bursted out loud cheers.
“FINALLY! Me and mum and everyone else have been waiting forever! Took you long enough to confess. Or her, I doubt it was you.”
Genji laughed and Hanzo snarled annoyed.
“What do you mean mom and the others? And what do you mean forever? Also I should let you know I asked her out after spending a really nice date with her, don't you dare ridicule me like that.”
“You took her out on a fancy date? Are you really my nerdy brother who only knows work and studies?”
“Yes and I am gonna be late to my next fancy date with her if you don't answer my questions and make it quick!”
“I can't believe you didn't know, that we were all waiting for the two of you to finally find each other. I always wanted to drop hints and lecture you about how to finally approach her, back in high school but mother told me to let it happen naturally. She probably cursed herself secretly when she saw, how nothing happened over the many years.” Genji laughed again.
“Well congratulations, you two wanted me to engage romantically with my best friend, now what is it about the others?”
“Oh not just us two, the entire class felt like you guys would marry one day. Or do you think it was a coincidence, that you were supposed to play the main roles in the play in eleventh grade?! You didn't get the role for your honourable acting skills brother.“
Embarrassed, Hanzo walked past his wardrobe as he forgot his watch on his desk, stopping at your high school graduation picture.
“Yes, yes sorry, I got to go now, I'll call you tomorrow alright?”
“Yes, I'll be waiting, ….gosh I can't wait to tell mum, she will probably cry. Bye Brother!”
