#whimsy games

"Absolutely," Ryuu curses, realizing he accidentally glued the wire to his thumb instead of the headboard. "Have you never crafted before?"

"I'm single," Noya points out. "So no."

"You're missing out, bro," Ryuu announces. "Last month, we went pottery painting or something."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Ryuu nods proudly. "I painted my own mug. I'm telling you, I'm freaking Picasso."

"And you didn't show me?"

"We still need to pick it up," Ryuu grumbles. "They needed a week or so to fire it and after that we got busy. But thanks for reminding me, I'm going to pick it up later this week. Great gift."

"Is that okay?" Noya asks, interrupting his thoughts. "The flowers keep falling out."

Ryuu leans over to inspect his work. "That looks like shit. Do you wanna switch? I keep gluing the wire to my thumb."

"Why do you even have to glue it?" Noya asks, taking the wire from him. "Can't you just drape it?"

"The bed moves," Ryuu points out. "I don't want it to fall."

"You need a better bed."

"I need a bigger paycheck."

"True," Noya sighs. "Can we go out for drinks after?"

"Sure," Ryuu agrees, pinning the flowers in place like the expert he's slowly becoming. "It's probably better if you're not home when the Lady sees her surprise."

"I am proud of you," Noya tells him. "But still... tmi."

-

Your phone pings with a message as you step outside the store. Your arms are heavy with groceries, so getting to your phone is more of a workout than it should be.

Ryuu's texted, and you can't help but smile, even before you open the message.

"I'm meeting up with the guys for a drink. Don't go into the bedroom before I'm home."

You snort. Either he broke something, or he's been working on a surprise. And the fact that he's been keeping you from a specific drawer ever since Noya announced his return for the holidays, has you thinking of the latter possibility. Not that Ryuu isn't capable of absolutely wrecking your apartment in the process of bringing a surprise to life.

"When am I going to meet the famed Nishinoya in person?" You text back. Video calls only do so much when it's about getting to know the best friend of the love of your life. "Is he going to stay over?"

"Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Remember, no bedroom."

"Love you too," you write, your smile widening when his reply is a series of emojis.

-

Ryuu might have had a little too much to drink tonight, but he's still good to go, just a little sentimental, that's all.

"I miss my wife," he mumbles absentmindedly, rubbing at a stain on his knee.

"Oh?" The old lady across from him looks up from her knitting. "Isn't she home?"

"She is," Ryuu nods, "But I'm not."

"Oh," the lady giggles. "I know the feeling. You're rushing home to her. From work, I presume?"

"No, no, I had the day off," he shakes the exhaustion from his shoulders. "Redid her bedroom and went out for a drink with the guys while she worked. They all had to take other trains; I'm not making things up. Although I think I am making things up a little, cause she's not my wife yet, I'm just calling her that." He hiccups, rubbing at the stain again. "Is this my stop?"

"I wouldn't know," the lady points out, drawing back a little.

"Sure is," Ryuu gets up, waving at her. "Thanks for the chat. Have a nice night."

The cool night air outside does wonders, and soon he's jogging down the road he's grown so familiar with. Up the stairs of his apartment block, and down the hallway to the third door on the right. He knocks twice before using his key, and sniffs the air when he enters. Ryuu likes to pretend he can guess the flavor of your cup of tea from the front door, but really, he just likes the way home smells since you moved in.

"Hey!" You wave at him from the couch, all cozy in a cardigan he remembers buying with you. "Missed you."

"Missed you more." He stumbles over and into your arms, buries his face against your shoulder. "Called you my wife today. Are you going to marry me soon?"

"Oh, absolutely, all you've got to do is ask."

"Great," Ryuu giggles. "I think I've had a little too much to drink. Noya's gotten better at holding his beer."

"Bedroom, then?"

"Bedroom?" His eyes snap up. He remembers something. "Have you been in it?"

"Not yet, no. Is it a surprise?"

"Yes, yes, come, see," he pulls you up and over to the door, pushing it open. "Noya helped, but he's shit at crafting."

"I'm sure you both did your best," you try to reason, but whatever words you had thought of die in your throat at the sight.

Twinkling lights are draped over your headboard and the walls, dried flowers and little trinkets stuck to the wire where it crawls around picture frames or shelves lined with books.

At the front of your bed, more flowers stick out of the wire, lit up by the lights.

"It's beautiful," you whisper, leaning into Ryuu. "How did you come up with that?"

"Oh," He rubs his head, smiling proudly. "I've got this Pinterest board with ideas, and since Noya said he'd help, I ordered all the stuff I needed. Asahi had some great ideas, too. You kept saying how you liked the twinkling lights during winter. I thought you might like them year-round."

"I love them," you turn to kiss him. "I love you."

-

for @madlyimmortalninja

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