Still (SnS Secret Santa Gift for @scissorman)
Hi! I was your Secret Santa this time! I read that you liked Soma so I decided to make this about him. Heās in his 20ās in this fic. I love writing about him so this was fun for me as well! Hope you enjoy!
Yukihira Soma was a person notoriously known for not being still.
In grade school his teachers had to especially watch him because he had a tendency to wander off and go do things that caught his fancy. At home he was constantly cooking or running around the diner in fits of energy. In high school, he dropped everything and went exploring for months on end but somehow still managed to graduate.
Heck, the people who spent the most time around him claimed that the only sleep he would get was when he dropped from exhaustion, which was a bit frequently.
Soma couldnāt deny what was said about him. After all, he was the one experiencing it. He knew that his āexcitabilityā was a bit too much for normal standards. Or maybe too much for some. But it was a struggle to contain himself. His brain felt like it was always going, sometimes too fast for the rest of the body to keep up. Explaining to anyone what he was doing was rarely a priority until after he did whatever the impulse had told him to do. It caused a lot of confusion and many conflicts, but everyone knew that it was just the way he was.
It wasnāt completely his fault. He found out after high school that his behaviors could be hereditary. And once he thought more about it, he realized that it was a very big possibility. After all, his dad had only stayed just long enough to raise Soma before going off on his own adventures once again. And his grandfather had told him stories of how much of a āpunketteā his mother had been before he had been born. And Somaās fondest childhood memories were how chaotic the two of them were togetherā¦
Yeah, Soma could definitely see where it was hereditary.
However, despite his and his parentsā personalities, there were times when Soma would act quite the opposite. Of course, the times that happened when he was around people was a cause of concern for them because Soma was rarely quiet unless he was super focused on his cooking. He remembered many, if not all his friends checking on him to see if he was not sick. He didnāt blame them. Heck, he welcomed the different variations of concern that they gave him.
But sometimes he just wanted everything to be still.
It was that rare want that had made him come back to Japan after being a quarter across the world. He had stumbled into his beloved diner way after the sun had set and the SumiredÅri Shopping District had settled down for the day, which was good because he avoided the crowd. As soon as his stuff was put down and away, he went out on the balcony to enjoy the view that he had not seen in quite a while. The district was practically empty this winter evening, as most of the stores had closed. There was also a cold snap in the area, so people were hurrying even more to get home. Soma observed the scene lazily, only pushing himself of the rail when he spotted movement from one of the businesses. He immediately recognized Tomita and Kurase coming out, their voices too far for Soma to pick up distinct words.
However, he didnāt greet them.
Instead, he backed up until he was inside again, wordlessly closing the glass door and flicking the light off in the room. Luckily, the blackout curtains he had throughout the place had not been drawn back so whatever other lights he had on were hidden. He still hurriedly turned them off as a precaution, though.
If either of them found out that he was here, then the whole district would wake up once again to come for the trademark Yukihira diner cooking before he could get a word in edgewise. And he would feel obligated to whip stuff up because he rarely could deny requests like that.
But at this moment he really did not want to do that.
He was still curious, though. He risked pushing one of the drapes in the diner section open just enough to peek out into the street. Soma didnāt have to wait long, as Kurase started to pass by alone on her way out of the district. It had been almost ten years since Soma had convinced her to work for Tomita in order to keep the karaage selling in the district. Last that the redhead had heard was Kurase was now doing business classes on the side and stayed around to get pointers from Tomita.
Kurase then paused in her stride. She turned her head to his restaurant and Soma froze. Had she seen him? Did she feel his presence? It was too dark to completely see her expression to know. It felt far too long before her shoulders dropped and he barely caught her mouth opening before she continued on her way. Soma left the window as soon as she was out of his range.
He turned on a couple of his lights again, this time to take inventory of whatever he had in storage. He realized that he would have to pick up some stuff tomorrow, as he knew that he would not be able to keep the secret of his arrival for more than a day and he wanted to be prepared for some meals. Once he made his list, he went upstairs to his sofa to order some things online. And he ended up crashing from the dayās travels on said sofa.
It was still dark when he woke up again.
He briefly panicked, as such a person does when they randomly wake up, but he soon settled once he came to his senses. He stretched and the tablet that somehow was still in his hand glowed from the movement. When he saw that it was past one in the morning, the thought of actually going to bed crossed his mind. But those few seconds was all it took for him to wake up and the urge to sleep vanished.
Usually, he would have gone to the kitchen or pulled out some old recipes to improve on. But the feeling of not wanting to cook was still with him. So, he did the next thing that came to his mind.
The temperature had dropped a lot from the last time he was out. Luckily, he had checked it beforehand and had bundled himself up accordingly. He had no scarf, though. It had gotten lost one day towards the end of winter last year and he had not remembered to buy a new one for this year. The air stung his face upon impact and he could see his breath was nearly as thick as the clouds above. However, it did not deter him from his goal. He allowed his feet to take him wherever, his mind not having a specific destination at the moment.
Being from Japan, Soma was no stranger to crowds. People were crawling everywhere in the streets and sidewalks. He also depended on crowds for his lifestyle. He had to draw them in, he had to keep them satisfied, he had to have them come again and again. And he loved them. It made him feel accomplished that he was able to make so many people happy.
But sometimes, he liked when everything was still and he was alone.
And thatās what he was getting now. Only he seemed to be outside on this cold morning, with only the streetlights illuminating his path and the faint beeping of crosswalks filling the silence. It was these moments that Soma wondered if he was truly sane. He should be sleeping in bed or under the small kotatsu that was in the apartment.But he was wide awake and with the need to take a stroll.
It took him a minute to realize he had left his street, too preoccupied looking at the stores and stands that were now empty. He remembered many of them, those being there since he was in elementary school. He pondered if some of the more faded ones were still in business as he took note of the couple of new ones that had popped up since he had last been here, which was about more than a year ago.
He was going to have to come back here at a more reasonable time to check things out.
āI wonderā¦ā He mumbled out loud to no one. He paused momentarily to reorientate himself before picking up speed in a direction. In the back of his mind he questioned why he was hurrying over to his destination.
āSoma, slow down! Itās not going anywhere!ā
But just as he had given little heed to his motherās words when he was four, Soma continued his brisk pace until he reached where he wanted to be. And just like his four-year old self, a huge grin threatened to split his face when his eyes saw what he was looking for.
The yearly Christmas tree that was put up in the district.
Soma had spent several winter holidays in different countries over the recent years. He had seen his fair share of decorations and traditions, a lot of them so grand and awe-inspiring that he had to wonder if they were really organized by humans or by spirits. This tree obviously paled in comparison, as it was much smaller and decorated much more simply.
But Soma still thought this was the best one out of all the ones he had seen.
Part of the reason was because it was nostalgic. Up until high school, this was the best tree he had seen in real life. He would visit every year with his family, when the pine tree was brought in for the holidays. The color scheme would change every year, which was fun for Soma because he would always try to guess what the colors were prior to the reveal. He remembered that he had been right when he twelve, not even hiding his excitement when he saw the green and silver decorations on the tree that year. This year it was red and gold adoring it.
The same colors that were on it from his first memory of coming down here.
He reached out and gently cupped a red bauble, the glass even colder than his hand.
āIt looks like a plum!ā The four-year-old had a tight grip on the ornament in his hand.
āBe careful!ā His grandfather had warned. āIt might break.ā
āDonāt eat it!ā His mother had said at almost the same time.
His dad had chuckled after their words, no doubt amused by the automatic sentences to his son.
āI was never going to eat it.ā Soma chuckled himself as he let go of the decoration.
Ā He backed away from the tree to fully look at it again. As usual, not only were there shiny baubles and glittery sticks on there, but an assortment of random items tied and placed there. People who lived by the district loved to add their own piece to the tree when it was up, as many households did not have the space or want for a tree inside their homes. Of course, the more important ones like old dolls and handmade ornaments would be taken back by whoever placed them there. There were a few tattered ribbons, though. The tree was fake for safety and reused year after year. No one bothered to take them off and they stubbornly stayed on even when the tree was taken down and stored.
Soma reached for his wrist out of habit. When his fingers rubbed against his jacket, he remembered that his beloved bandana was not there but instead hanging at home. It didnāt matter, anyways. He was not going to hang it on the tree anytime soon. It was too old and too precious to be out here in the weather elements.
And as a wind started to pick up and made his face sting even more, he thought that maybe he should not be out here in this weather for much longer.
After all, in just a few hours he was going to have to pick up supplies for his diner. And he was pretty sure that someone was going to see him do it. And he was more than likely going to be rushing around and showing off to a full house by evening. He should probably hurry home to prepare.
However, he had to urge to stay here a little longer.
To watch his breath float out of him in clouds as thick as the ones above.
To listen to the faint beeps of crosswalks.
To have his only companion be a tree that silently glowed in the darkness.
To experience just being still.
2087
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