a/n: i just love a good christmas blurb i couldn't not write them
Summary: Arisu swears he's met this girl before in another life
Word count: 954
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Arisu loved Christmas. The lights, the trees, the gifts, the feeling in the air, the snow—but most importantly, he loved that Karube's boss cut him slack this time of year, allowing him, Chota, and Arisu to drink even while he was still on duty.
Only five days 'till Christmas; he kept a countdown clock on his phone, one he checked feverishly every morning as if that would make Christmas come quicker.
"What do you want for Christmas this year?" Karube asked.
Chota downed his beer, tsked. "To not be a virgin anymore."
Arisu laughed, bringing his cup up to his lips. "Wow, Chota, So pro—" There was a girl. A girl standing on the other side of the bar. A girl standing on the other side of the bar with short hair and such a pretty smile. A girl he'd never seen before yet he had the ineffable feeling he'd met her at one point. ". . . found," he finally finished, his eyes never once leaving her.
Amused, Karube looked over. "The tall one with braids?" He whistled. "Yeah, she's fine."
"No, not her . . ." Arisu was basically whispering, breathy, enamoured.
"The short one's cute too. Not my type. She'd be good for you, though."
The cup never made it to his lips. Instead, it made it back to the table as he clumsily set it down, almost dropping it. "I'll . . . be right . . . back," he rasped, stumbling out of his seat, drawn to this girl like a moth to a flame. Karube and Chota shared a look; they'd never seen him so captivated before.
By the time he was in front of the girl and her friend, he was suddenly very away of the fact that he was going to speak to a stranger. Not just a stranger—a girl. His nerves almost got the best of him, but he forced himself to speak anyhow: "Hi."
Both girls looked at him. The friend seemed instantly defensive, tensing because some random pathetic awkward lanky gamer boy interrupted their night, but his girl seemed to notice it instantly, too—she'd seen him before.
"What the hell do you want—" the friend started, but his girl gently grabbed her forearm and tugged.
"Kuina, it's ok," she breathed.
The friend—Kuina—was still giving him a look, one that made Arisu sure there was no doubt she could beat his ass without spilling her drink, but she digressed anyhow. Then, she mustered a sweet smile. "Yes?" she said kindly. It would've been enough to fool Arisu, make him believe she didn't mind his presence at all had he not been here for the entire interaction.
He realized now he was staring—at the both of them, sure, but mostly at his girl—and pulled himself out of his trance. He figured it wouldn't be a good idea to ask to see his girl alone, so instead he'd have to get Kuina to leave. "Oh, um . . . my friend over there thinks you're"—'hot' would be way too crude—"uh, cute. He's, um, the one behind the, uh, bar," he stuttered, so visibly nervous he was practically sweating in the -1ºC chill, pointing over at Karube.
Kuina looked past him, then her eyebrows raised as she noticed Karube. She was interested. "Tell him he can talk to me after his shift, then."
Arisu glanced over at his girl. There was a look in her eyes—she was thinking the same thing. "Bartenders always work late. You should go talk to him now," she urged. He smiled.
Kuina looked over at her, examining her eager facial expression. "Fine," she gave in. Then she turned to Arisu, pressing a threatening finger to his chest, accompanied with an equally threatening glare. "But if you try anything . . ."
He threw both his arms up, leaned back slightly. "Wouldn't dare."
Finally, she left, but not without eyeing him up and down insidiously and shouting out "Call me if he tries anything, Usagi!"
He looked over at his girl—Usagi—and felt his second wave of nerves for the night. They were different this time—it was the excitement you get seeing an old friend for the first time again.
"Hi," he said again, this time with a soft, playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Hi," she echoed, flashing him the same smile.
"I'm sorry if I'm being too forward but . . . have we met before?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't think so."
He scoffed at himself, shrugging. "You're probably right. I just have this feeling that we've—"
"Known each other before," she finished.
It took his breath away for a moment. "Yeah." He was quiet as she smiled—a full smile, with all her teeth. "I swear I've seen that pretty smile before," he confessed without even really thinking about it.
Usagi seemed amused. "Are you flirting with me?"
His eyes went wide and his face flushed. "I—" He didn't know what to say, so he just put his hand out. "I'm Arisu."
She laughed. "Usagi." She shook his hand. It felt like he'd touched her in a thousand different lives before.
He swallowed. "Would it be . . . a problem if I was?"
She held his hand still, staring into his nervous eyes. "No." She thought the smile that broke across his face was the cutest thing. With his hand in hers, she pulled him closer. She could almost hear his quickening heartbeat. "Arisu, look up," she whispered.
And so he did, just because she told him to. Directly above them, hanging from the ceiling, was a mistletoe. His excited eyes found hers, and she nodded. He slowly leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.
It felt like kissing her for the first time again.
