SECRET SANTA

SECRET SANTA

akaashi x gn!reader | this is late but if u think about it it isn’t bc my own work secret santa forgot my present so i’ll be getting Mine late!

keiji’s only a little embarrassed that your secret santa wish list has become a suggested link on his laptop’s home page.

30 dollar maximum. no asking who other people got. have it ready for after the christmas weekend.

he figured it wouldn’t be that hard to find something for anyone—a wine glass set, a sweater, maybe a couple of books. but as soon as he drew your name on his phone, he turned it off and threw it onto the carpet in front of his bed.

because of course. of course it would be you: his months-long workplace crush. it became part of his routine to check if you updated your wish list for the first couple of days, and as soon as you did he threw his phone again. in the end he probably chose the hardest wish to find, sure, but he knew it’d be worth it.

walking into work, keiji held the carefully wrapped present with both hands. the office was chattier than usual, and he offered polite smiles on his way to your desk—a spot he’s had memorized since you first asked him to show you how to use the office printer. he spots you leaning against the wall with your friend. the both of you are laughing over something, and keiji can't tell if he's imagining things when a sun beam hits you perfectly; he wonders if it's making your smile brighter or if he just really likes you.

his pace falters at the sight and it's almost comical how he trips over air. cheeks flushed, he slows down and hopes you notice him a few feet away so he won't have to intrude.

the wish doesn’t take long to be fulfilled when your eyes flicker over to a new figure off to the side. he lifts his hand a little to wave and greets you softly, “hi.”

realizing it’s him, you grin. “oh, hi! just the guy i was waiting for.”

your friend says goodbye to the both of you, knowingly. but keiji doesn’t seem to register them as he blinks and furrows his brows at your words. “sorry?”

"i was waiting for you to walk by." you shuffle over to your desk and bend down to reach for something underneath. it doesn’t take a lot to figure out what’s going on, but he still holds his breath and stares. you weren’t the kind of person to pull a prank about secret santa, but what if for some god forsaken reason you did? or maybe he was imagining things and dreaming, running late to work because he hadn't actually woken up yet.

keiji's heart beats faster as you fix your outfit and stand back up, holding out a bag with a smile. “this is yours.”

the same smile falters when you don’t get a response, and it turns to shock when you look down at the box in keiji’s hands, your name carefully written in cursive on the top. “is that…” the both of you keep looking from each other to the presents before you finally ask, “did we get each other?”

keiji flounders for another second before laughing nervously. “i guess we did.”

“oh. oh! um, well, i hope you like it. it was on your wish list but i got the cover separately,” you explain as the both of you maneuver to exchange. inside his bag, keiji finds the sequel for his current favourite book series, as well as a crocheted book cover. it’s the same colour palette as the book cover, and he smiles at the heart placed on its center. there's a handmade card behind both and makes a mental note to read it later.

“oh my god, keiji. i’ve been wanting this for so long. how'd you kn—” he looks up from his present to see you react to your own, cutting yourself off when you realize what you were about to say. you look at each other and he can’t help himself from asking, “were you going to ask how i knew?”

“no?"

"are you sure?"

"stop.” you cover your face with your hands. peaking through your fingers, you can see the amusement on his face. “stop–don’t look at me like that. stop smiling,” you groan, face heating up.

keiji’s lips and voice waver. “i’m not smiling.”

“yes you are.” you laugh and hit his shoulder. he laughs with you, putting his hands up in surrender. "it was a lucky guess, that's all."

"god," you laugh breathily again. “seriously, though. thank you.”

“thank you, too. i’m excited to read it and the cover’s really pretty," he replies while fiddling with the little closing flap.

"i'm glad you like it. i don't really know the plot but y'know, if you wanna talk about it with me, i'm all ears."

keiji hesitates, and scratches the back of his ear. "i could lend you the first book if you wanted to read it?"

"oh." the offer shocks you a little. "really?"

"yeah, you can just, uh, ignore my notes and tabs and stuff." he thinks about the little comments and analyses he's left in the page margins, how you'd see his half-asleep, messily written "this is really important" that was never built on when he woke up. he cringes a little, but the opportunity's presented itself and he won't take it back.

you furrow your brows and tilt your head. "your—did you annotate it?" he nods.

"is it colour-coded and everything?" he nods again, bashfully this time.

"wow, okay, why would i ignore them?" you ask. at that, he blinks and can't muster a response.

"akaashi keiji if you don't give me a legend to what each colour means so i can fully understand your annotations i'm going to be so mad," you say with a joking frown. but the request is genuine and keiji's heart flutters as he laughs in disbelief. "i—yeah. yeah, okay, i'll make sure to put one in the cover then."

after that, there's a natural lull in the conversation and you take a breath. you go to speak again, and it's obvious you're probably going to say some sort of "see you later," and keiji panics.

"and, um," he starts. you startle but look at him, and he thinks he really might rather melt into the floor than face your rejection. he opens and closes his mouth, trying to find the words he’s wanted to ask for weeks, and he thinks he must look like an idiot. but your gaze only softens and you offer him a reassuring smile.. "i…sorry. but if you aren’t busy, would you like to join me for dinner later?

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holiday shopping

feat. Oikawa

note: part of my wintertime confessions event!!

“Uncle Tooru, we’re supposed to be shopping for my mom’s Christmas present.” Takeru whines.

“And we will! But please keep your voice down! Now do you see that person standing over there? By the scarves,” Oikawa keeps his voice low, making sure only his nephew could hear.

Keep reading

The secretary confirms your name, checking you into your appointment and sucks in a tight breath.

"What's wrong?" you ask, worried you might be here on the wrong day or at the wrong time.

"Nothing," he gently assures you and tries to smile, "I just noticed your appointment is with Dr. Shirabu."

"Oh...Is that bad?" You drop your voice and the secretary starts to shake his head but then sighs.

"He's a brilliant doctor. One of our best really, but..." He glances around. "He's got a bit of a nickname.... Stone-face."

It doesn't take much to figure out why.

As he delivers your diagnosis his features don't emote. His voice stays even, his posture proper, and his eyes flat.

His words bounce around your mind causing pain with each hit as understanding echoes distantly in the protective disassociation.

All you can see is his face.

His golden hair looks soft as if it would tickle your hands like the tassels on tall grass. His brow has the slightest downturn over neutral eyes and as you fight to accept the horror he just delivered you realize that yes. He's stone-faced. But he's not

...cold.

"Thank you, Dr. Shirabu."

His brow dips, threatening to frown. "For what?"

"I just...I can't imagine news like this is easy to deliver." You swallow back the tears fighting to get out. "And it's got to be nerve-wracking each time."

"It's..." He was going to say fine, you can tell. But something shifts between you in the small room and some wall drops. His emotionless exterior becomes a little more revealing. "Just part of the job."

You nod, not trusting your voice to speak.

Dr. Shirabu waits patiently. "Do you...have any questions?"

"Not, uh," you clear your throat, "not right now but I will."

He nods. After a moment he pulls a pen from his shirt pocket and flips a page of your paperwork. "Just call me directly when you're ready to ask."

"Thanks," you mumble, accepting the papers. Glancing at the number you notice "it's your cellphone?"

"Yes," he turns away with a little cough and successfully hides the pink on his cheeks.

He doesn't know how to tell you that he trusts you won't abuse it. He's given other patients his desk line before but never his cellphone, not that you need to know. It's just...he feels a foreign need to be available for you...to answer any questions to might have...to really be there for you.

Is this how doctors feel about all their patients?

He's not sure.

But after one conversation all he knows is that he wants to be there for you.

a/n: this is just something silly lol based off of a reddit post i saw bout about how someone’s bf blinks at them like a cat to show affection <3

kenma read about it once in a book; the way that cats express their love. he thought it was cute. the way they show their belly, purr a little bit more, slowly blink at their favorite person. small, subtle; powerful. a sign of complete trust. like he said, it was cute.

but he never thought he’d adapt it into his own love language. didn’t think that slowly blinking his eyes at you meant anything at all besides getting lost in your beauty. he hardly even recognized he was doing it, in fact. until you pointed it out.

he tried to deny it at first, somewhat embarsssed that he was showing affection the same way a cat would. if only his old classmates at nekoma knew, they’d have a field day with him.

but his perspective changed the night he took you to one of his work parties; the kind that had him stuffed into a suit and feeling like a fish out of water. he’s used to it by now, of course, but he’d much rather be curled up with you at home rather than trying to network with potential investors.

he met your eye from across the room. you had gone to get drinks while he was standing in a small group that wouldn’t stop talking. the moment your eyes met his, you started the slow blink — fluttering your lashes while the softest smile formed on your face.

warmth filled him, the simple yet silly gesture had all of his nerves quiet down. all lingering negativity vanished. he felt himself return the look. so subtle that no one could ever tell you were practically screaming your declarations of love across the room. no, it was your shared little secret.

[9:12 PM] Kageyama Tobio

wc: 800

warnings/content: fluff

--

“Tobio, it’s cold,” you complain. 

“It’s winter.” 

You pout. “Okay, and?” 

Silence. 

“Tobio, I’m cold.” 

More silence. 

“TOBIO!” 

“I told you to bring an extra jacket,” he says as he wraps his own scarf around your neck. “You can’t have my jacket.” 

“You’re mean,” you grumble, shrinking your neck to dip as much of your face as you can into his scarf. 

He hums in distant acknowledgement. 

Tobio’s always been awkward but you figure the years of dating and living together would have knocked that out of him. For the past few weeks however, it’s like he’s regressed to his high school state of socialization. 

It’s also been a little strange that homebody Tobio has finally been taking hints with the yelp screenshots you’ve been sending for years and taking you to dinners at nice restaurants you have been wanting to try. At least he has a professional athlete salary and sponsorships to keep this lifestyle up, you suppose. 

“Did you enjoy dinner?” 

A soft grunt. 

“Did you like it more than the last place?” 

A hum. 

“Well, I liked the place we went to last week more.” 

Silence. 

You stop and Tobio doesn’t seem to notice. He keeps walking, face to the ground, deep in thought. 

You let him get about 10 steps away before you’ve had it. With his track record of ignoring you for the past month, you figure he’d get all the way home before even noticing that he left you in the cold. 

“Tobio!” You emphasize your frustration with a childish little stomp of your boots on the pavement. 

He startles and turns around. “Why are you all the way back there?” rushing back over to you and mumbling a quiet apology. He grabs your hand and begins walking again, but you stay rooted to your spot. You yank your hand away and cross your arms over your chest. 

“I’m not moving until you tell me what’s on your mind.” 

Tobio looks around and says, “can we not do this here?” 

“I’m not embarrassed about making a scene out in public if that’s what it takes for my boyfriend to tell me why he’s been such a bad boyfriend recently!” 

He blinks a bit at that, as if the thought of being a bad boyfriend has only just occurred to him. You watch the expressions fly across his face; first a furrowed brow and open mouth to rebut, then a pause as if he remembers all the dinner dates he was in outer space for, then resignation with a sigh and one hand running down his face. 

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll tell you, but at home. It’s not good for us to do this outside when you’re already freezing.” 

Despite his gentler tone, it does nothing to soothe the unease. Does Tobio maybe… want to break up? If that was really it, you think it’d be better to do it at home, away from prying eyes anyway. 

You nod, lips wobbling a bit. Tobio flashes you a slight smile, one of the firsts you’ve seen in weeks. You don’t know if it makes you want to cry or smile back at him. 

“C’mon,” he says as he once again reaches for your hand. This time, you allow him to guide your frigid fingers into his coat pocket where they brush against something hard. 

Still in his pocket, you unwind your fingers from his and feel for the item again. Feels like a velvet box. 

Tobio freezes. 

You wind your hands around the box, thumbs beginning to drift over the divot in the box. 

Tobio grabs your wrist and yanks it out of his pocket, just before you can close your fist over the item. You’re staring at your empty hand that was ejected from his pockets, semi-comprehending the situation.

When you return your gaze to Tobio, his face is red and it’s not from the cold. The flush reaches down to his neck before being hidden by his turtleneck; you suspect it reaches all the way to his sternum, like it does when you’re in bed together. 

“Tobio…” 

One of his hands is rubbing the back of his neck and his eyes are averted. You reach up and cup the reddest part of his neck. The cool from your fingertips jolts him and he meets your eyes with his comically widened ones. 

“Is that what I think it is?” 

“No! Well, maybe. I- uh.” 

“Is that what all these fancy dinners were about?” 

Every question you ask seems to make your large, 6’2” boyfriend shrink before your eyes. He lets out a large exhale. “This is why I wanted to do this at home.” 

You giggle a bit and let him go. Content that you’ve figured out what has been bothering your boyfriend and excited for what was waiting for you at home, you skip down the path towards your shared place. “C’mon, Tobio! Let’s go home. Can you believe I thought you were going to break up with me?” you laugh. 

This time, it’s you who notices that Tobio’s footsteps aren’t following you anymore. You turn around, about to urge your silly boyfriend to walk faster so you can get your present that’s at least a month in the making. 

Only to find Tobio on one knee.

"No...No, he's not."

Kuroo smirks confidently. "He is."

"From..From Italy?" You glance at the signature on the contract as your pulse steadily builds. "Kageyama's really coming all the way back from Italy for the all-star match?!"

When Kuroo nods you start to hyperventilate. "No way. He's not."

"Yes, way." Kuroo grins like the Cheshire cat. "I assure you: he is."

"Does...Does Hinata know?" you ask between erratic breaths, not waiting for an answer. "When did you--When did he--"

Kuroo snorts, shaking his head incredulously at your disbelief. "You're acting like you're not already friends with Kageyama, like you don't even know him when--"

"When we even dated. I know. I know!" you pant and Kuroo puts his hands on your shoulders. "Ohmygod, Kuroo. I can't--"

Someone else walks up to your office and pauses, eyes widening on-guard before they slowly back away.

"Breathe," Kuroo insists. "I know you're excited but you can't pass out right now. Okay?"

Your breathing only returns to normal after he promises to tell you the details of the all-star arrangements.

It's been...too long...since you've seen Tobio. You parted amicably after the Olympics when the offer for Ali Roma came up and he couldn't turn it down. You agreed to stay friends and you genuinely wanted to...but the time zones and demanding careers had inhibited both of your abilities to stick to that agreement.

His absence has been too painful to acknowledge.

You know the all-star match is only an intermission from his current life but you can't help counting down the days excitedly.

And, as promised, Kuroo makes sure you're there on the day they all gather.

"Well, well, well, look what tha cat dragged in," says Miya in greeting, the first to notice you when you walk in with Kuroo.

You don't have time for the blonde today. "Shut it, 'Tsumu. I'm here to see the best setter in the world."

He scoffs, scandalized. You knew you were going to be accosted by old friends and thought you properly prepared yourself to say hi to everyone but as heads turn and a fluff of orange starts to bound toward you...you're a lot more anxious than you realized.

"The best setter in the world, you say?" a suave voice coos and a tall man drapes an arm around Hinata's shoulders. "Shōyo-san, won't you introduce your friend here to the best setter in the world?"

You grit your teeth. "I already know him."

"Surely not because we haven't met yet." He gives you a charming smile. "Oikawa To--"

"Oh I don't need to meet you." Your eyes narrow, smile getting tighter as more friends crowd but none of them are the face you want to see. The brunette leaning on Hinata opens his mouth to say something but you hold up a finger. "Hang on," you pat yourself up and down as if checking pockets, "Did I..." you frown dramatically, "Nope. I didn't bring a single fuck today so I don't have any to give you."

Miya has to turn away to hide a howl of laughter and Kuroo mutters your name, a warning.

"Oh, shit. Wait." You reach into your back pocket. "Sorry. Here you go" --you stick your middle finger up at him and storm through the crowd, patience long gone-- "just for you."

There are cackles of laughter and Kuroo looks like he's about to throw you out despite Oikawa's unphased smirk but you're finally able to step away from the group.

Down the court he's standing in service position and looks up from the ball twirling in his hands.

Kageyama grins.

You run.

Worried for a moment that he won't be happy to see you, your heart nearly explodes when he closes the last few steps with his own and opens his arms. You leap and he catches you, ball still clutched in his ridiculously strong hands.

"I've missed you," you murmur as he crushes you against him.

He simply nods in return.

You milk everything out of his time in Japan, day and night. Every moment he's willing to spare, even wearing his jersey to the match despite protests of favoritism from other athletes.

Before he leaves he does something uncharacteristically sweet and opens up, vulnerably admitting how much he misses you.

"I'm not ready to leave you again." He's anxious when he asks "come with me?"

You cup his cheeks, your own burning with the strength of your smile. "Sì."