Honey & Silver

23

The clock ticks away my will to sit still. My hand keeps my chin up, to not fall asleep. This has gotta be the most boring class period i've ever been in. so.. It's nearing close to Christmas and Daichi's birthday.. What do I get him? His birthday marks our 1 year anniversary, too. I wonder what our plans are.

Then the bell rings.

"Suga!"

"Sugawara-san!"

"Sugaa!"

My name rings out all throughout the hallways.

I turn my head sharply. Trying to find Daichi.

A large mob of people all crowd around me, asking questions. People kept shooting me

"What happened to you?" and "Are you okay" and "where were you?" I just couldn't answer all of them at once. I needed to get out of there. I try to ignore them but they just won't let me go.

"Okay people. Give him some space. He's not ready to talk yet." Daichi appears at my side, grabs my arm and leads me out the door, away from the crowds of people.

"Where are we going? Daichi, we have class." I say, still being dragged along to his car. Wait, when did he get a car?

"We're gonna play hookie, Buttercup. "

"Hey! I thought we agreed that you're buttercup! ... Also, when did you get a car?" I say, trying to pull him back to the school.

"My parents found a good deal and said it was an 'early graduation gift'" He continues to walk toward the car and I am right back to being dragged across the parking lot. We get in the car and Daichi then starts driving out of the parking lot, and away from the school.

"Where are we going??"

"To be honest.. I don't know–I'm just driving."

"Then why the sudden urgency to get me in the car?"

"You were being smothered, Suga! You like.. Just woke up after 6 months! You can't seriously be telling me that you were enjoying it."

"Well yeah but I didn't need to be taken out of school! We're graduating soon- how exactly do you expect me to make up all of that school while skipping classes?"

He turns the corner, and snow-covered tree limbs make their way into view.

People bundled up in scarves and hats and gloves walk their dogs–some enjoying the snow and others are less enthused. Footprints–both human and animal alike–lay pressed into the snow-kissed paths.

"Did you bring your coat?"

"Daichi- you pulled me out in the middle of the hallway? Do you think I had time to grab my coat?"

"Okay, Okay, no need to layer on the sass. You can wear mine."

"Or.. we could not go to the park since we don't both have enough protection from the elements?"

"No. we're going to the park."

Pulling the keys out of the ignition, he leaps out of the car and runs around the hood over to my door.

"You coming?"

We run down the paths at lightning speed, almost slipping on the ice hidden beneath the snow.

"I'm gonna beat you!"

"Oh no you're not!!"

I push my legs faster and faster, and start to see Daichi's figure falling back in my peripheral vision.

"AAAH!"

My legs slow down but make big and cartoonish movements to slow my momentum.

"Daichi?"

"HAHAHAHA!"

"..Suga."

"Oh- are you hurt??"

"I don't think so? Can you help me up?"

"Oh right sure-"

His arms reach up from where he's lying in the ground and grasp my arms tightly.

And suddenly, I am too, on the ground.

"Daichi!"

He sits up and looks over at me.

"Eat."

"My."

"DUST!"

He shoots off running like a rocket farther into the park.

"Just because you got a head start doesn't mean you're gonna win!!" I shout back.

. . .

At the end of the path, there sits Daichi on a bench.

But not just any bench.

Our bench.

Kinda.. Sounds like something straight out of a Taylor Swift song- haha our song.. Our bench.

Daichi pats the space next to him on the bench. "C'mere."

He wraps his arms around me as I sit down, and we sit in cozy, crisp winter silence in each others arms.

Snowflakes fall delicately around the park, covering up the messy prints in the snow. Wiping away the evidence that we were even here. Cars drive past, drawing lines in the slush. Every person who walks by having a varying degree of red bing at their ears and noses.

"How do scientists know that all snowflakes are all different? Like you hear people use that as a metaphor and stuff but like scientists haven't been looking at every single snowflake since the beginning of time, so how can you know for sure that none of them have ever been the same? Statistically.. It doesn't make sense!"

Daichi laughs "I don't know."

"But why not!"

"I'm not a scientist, Suga!"

"Why don't you look it up then?"

"But my hands are cold!"

"Then put on some gloves!"

"But they're in my pockets!"

"So are your hands!"

"Yeah but I'd have to take my hands out of my pockets to put them on! Why can't you do it?"

"Because I left my phone in the car!"

"Ugh fine."

I grab his hand as it is taken out of his pocket.

Daichi looks down at me with a confused expression.

"What-"

"Shhh."

I put both my hands on his cheeks and squish his face and stare into his eyes.

The chocolatey brown of them looks so deep and sincere and comforting. He giggles lightly and mirrors my actions.

However, as he brings his hands on my cheeks, his fingers catch on the mittens in his pocket and they both slap me in the face.

"I'm sorry-" he laughs.

"No worries. I'm a big kid– I can handle it." I chuckle in reply.

I pull his face in for a soft kiss.

The air around us seems to grow warmer, defrosting our noses and ears against the winter chill. His eyelashes flutter against my cheekbones, collecting little fluffy snowflakes.

"I love you." I say.

"I love you, too." He says.