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"Ahh...it's cold again this year, isn't it?" Tsumugi said, rubbing his hands together and breathing into the small gap between them as he shuffled by houseplants and bicycles to his small childhood home. He hadn't told anyone he'd be visiting; It wasn't until recently that he realized Switch wouldn't be needed for New Year's. But since Natsume and Sora decided to both go home for the holidays, Tsumugi thought he should do the same.
After all, that's what you do, right? Good sons and daughters come home for the holidays, honor their parents, and start the new year together. Tsumugi was a good boy. He was determined to see this visit through, no matter what happened next.
He could feel his heart skip a beat as he turned a narrow corner. Giving way to a couple walking towards the local shrine, Tsumugi stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed as he trudged ahead. Would she even be there? Tsumugi rarely knew what his mom was into these days. Multiple attempts to call her were futile and all his brother could offer was a "Hell if I know" when asked for his opinion. It's not like they would keep in touch anyway. No one in this family seemed to get along. After 20 years, why start now?
Tsumugi paused in front of a large metal door with a barely legible "Aoba" hastily scrawled on the front. He looked past the door to the narrow walkway that led past an adjacent building to the 2nd floor apartment he grown all so used to calling "home." He sighed in relief; the light's still on! She paid the light bill. Tsumugi wanted to hold out hope that meant he wouldn't be alone tonight. Maybe, just maybe, his mom decided to take his calls as a hint. With a little more optimism in his movements, he fished his keys out of his coat and opened the metal door. Carefully but quietly, he climbed the stairs and stopped in front of the door.
It didn't take long for that optimism to fade. From the frosted window to the left of the door, Tsumugi could tell *someone* was home; a light was on, after all. But the mail slot in front of the door overflowed with mail. Cobwebs surrounded the single incandescent lightbulb anchored in front of the door. With every passing second, it just looked like his mom had left in a hurry and hadn't even been careful enough to turn out the lights. Typical of his mom, he guessed. But he swallowed that thought as he tried to collect himself. He's not like her. He's calm. He can be strong. He can navigate this.
He turned a charm over in his left hand as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at his messages. It was 11:57 PM and there were no new messages, despite several attempts to contact his mom. Sora and Natsume also hadn't messaged since they all split up at the train station several hours ago. Tsumugi felt his chest tighten as reality set in. He's really going to ring in the new year alone.
If only he had reached out to his mom earlier. He needed to look after her. Who knows what she could have gotten into? He makes a note for himself to try calling again in the new year.
If only he had thought to ask his unitmates. Would they have stayed with him? No, they can't. They have families. Their traditions are important too. Why would if matter if Tsumugi is lonely? Anyway, Tsumugi wanted nothing more than for Natsume and Sora to be happy with the people that care about them. That's what was important to him.
Looking determined, Tsumugi made a sharp inhale and slightly furrowed his brow. Yes. They had their families, and he had his. He didn't know what he needed to do to make it better. But he was determined to do it.
This is how things should be, after all.
He unlocked his sliding door and grabed the handle. Fully expecting to see clutter around a lightly furnished apartment, he wasn't suprised to see random items strewn about. But what he was suprised to see were two sets of shoes he was intimately familiar with lined up in front of the door.
"Eeeeh? U-Umm..."
"Senpai! You've made it right on time! Suprise!" Out of nowhere, Sora appeared from around the corner, sliding across the wood floor and leaning over the edge of the vestibule to hug Tsumugi as he stepped inside. Tsumugi's face flushed. His arms flailed before wrapping tightly around Sora's shoulders.
"S-Sora-kun!? You're here? What are you doing here?"
"HaHiHuHeHo~! Sora and Shissou are here to welcome the new year with you! Shissou guessed that you wouldn't have anyone to share this moment with, and Sora knew where you lived!"
"Natsume-kun did...?" Tsumugi said, too stunned to continue speaking.
"Nice to see that you finally showed UP, SenPAI." Natsume remarked, peeking around the corner towards the short hallway connecting the entrance to the rest of the house. "If you don't HURRY, you're going to miss the countDOWN."
Sora lifted himself off of Tsumugi, taking Tsumugi's bags with him as he walked towards the main living space. Tsumugi tried to take a couple of steps forward but his legs felt like they refused to move. He shuffled forward and plopped on the edge of the floor to fish off his loafers, but the more he tried to struggle with his jacket, the more he felt like he couldn't hold his emotions back anymore.
"B-but...what about new year's? What about your families?
"Hihi~! Sora will join his parents and sister for dinner tomorrow! Tonight is for Senpai!"
"HonestLY, I hoped you would have been more percepTIVE. Did you think we'd leave you alone toNIGHT? Neither one of us wanted you to be depressed tomorROW, you KNOW?" Natsume turned the corner to join the other two when the bell at the shrine had started to ring. The new year had arrived.
Tsumugi looked towards the floor as he tried to regain his composure. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't stop his tears from flowing. He rubbed his eyes again and again, and with each pull of his arm, he could feel a knot of shame in his stomach grow. But as he went to rub his eyes with his right arm again, he was stopped when Sora grabbed it before he could continue.
In the past, no one would have been there.
But now, the two people he loved more than anyone else in the universe smiled at him and helped him to his feet.
Smiling through his tears, Tsumugi could feel his heart melt again.
"Natsume-kun! Sora-kun! Happy New Year!"