12 days of Christmas: city lights
happy birthday Yuta my beloved
Being an idol means that there are always eyes on him. Even Yuta isn’t naive to that. But he’s more conniving than he looks; you’ve learned never to ask for details, instead, you just go along with it when he grabs you by the hand and leads you off the film set.
“C’mon, c’mon!” Yuta urges you on as he pulls you behind him through the twists and turns of the production building; you’re basically his handler, but he has a much better grasp on the studio’s layout than you. “We gotta get out before anyone notices!”
“Wh— where are we going?” You wheeze, but you don’t get a response before Yuta is propelling you both through the building’s back doors and into the winter night.
Tokyo is alight with strands of glass bulbs, reflected softly by the snowdrifts that’ve built at the edge of the sidewalk. Yuta’s gloved hand is warm as it wraps around yours. He grins at you. “I wanted to see the lights together!” Is the only explanation you get before he’s pulling on your arm again, keeping you tucked close to his side as he begins to walk.
“You could’ve just asked,” you easily fall into step with him, having to crane your neck to see his face. His eyes are bright and his nose is red. “I could’ve arranged some spare time for us all to—”
“I don’t want it to be all of us.” He pauses in front of a shop window, staring at the decorative display; an old-fashioned television covered in tinsel and garlands, playing some ancient Christmas movie you recognize as being your parents’ favorite. Ornaments hang from the ceiling, glistening in the soft glow. “I just wanted it to be you and me.”
It’s not like Yuta to be shy, but right now, his face is as pink as his hair; his bright eyes can only meet yours for a moment before he’s sheepishly looking away. When you squeeze his hand, he squeezes back.
“—let’s go find the tree,” Your words mist into the air, and Yuta’s embarrassment melts away like snow being tracked into a warm home. He’s immediately trudging along besides you again, kicking his way through the icy slush, humming loudly and swinging your joined hands together.
You’ve seen Tokyo decorated for Christmas before, of course, but you’ve never seen it with Yuta; he’s amazed by everything, coming to a halt every few feet to point out another strand of lights. He has no regard for the fact that the production crew is probably out looking for you both. “That one looks like snowflakes!” He gestures to designs blinking blue along a shop wall. “And they have more of those oversized ornaments—”
It almost makes you feel like a child again. You’re not sure you’ve enjoyed it this much in a long time.
Finally the two of you round another corner and you’re greeted with the brightest flood of light thus far; the largest Christmas tree in the city stands proudly in the center of the square, wrapped in strands of white and gold and blinking neon. There are bows tied on the boughs, oversized candy canes in all sorts of colors— Yuta’s face is almost as bright.
“C’mon, c’mon!” His grip tightens on your wrist again and he pulls you forward. “Let’s take a picture!”
Yuta’s arm lands around your shoulder, and he pulls one of his gloves off with his sharp teeth before pulling his phone from his pocket. The camera app slides open and he pulls you against him. “Alright, let’s see,” he hums, angling the camera— but before he can take a snapshot, a call pops up on the screen, and Yuta huffs. “Nooo,” he whines, swiping it away, but not before you catch Kento’s name. “Go away, we’re not coming back.”
You snicker as he pouts, wrapping your arm around his waist to huddle even closer. “Just take the picture and post it, they can all come find us themselves.”
Yuta grins along with you as he pulls the camera back up, making sure the Christmas tree is visible in the frame. Right as he goes to take the photo, you stretch up on your toes and press your lips to the corner of his mouth.
That photo is going in his wallet.
