Sutures || Kakuzu

Ch. X - Merry Christmas! (AU)

Kakuzu x Nozomi Merry Christmas AU One Shot

Sunlight peeked through the cracks in the blinds of the apartment. It was a little past midday and Nozomi was lying upside down on the couch in the living room, her legs dangling off the back of the furniture. Absentmindedly, she popped another strawberry macaron in her mouth as she flipped a page of her romance book. Why did the main characters in the novel seem to have more of a love life than she did? Often, she found herself substituting their names for hers and Kakuzu's to live out her fantasies. Giggling to herself at the thought, the female closed her book and sat up straight, swinging her legs to the floor.

Deciding to head out to the market, Nozomi walked over to the door to slip her sandals on. Her eyes caught onto the calendar and the big red circle she had scribbled in marker around today's date - Christmas Eve. Kakuzu's supposed to come home today! A bright smile consumed her face as she couldn't wait to see him; it had been nearly a month since he had left. Knowing she needed to do something special on top of the holiday decorations she already had, she practically skipped out the house.

The blond ended up buying ingredients to make Kakuzu's favorite food for dinner with a few other things to 'set the mood'. After reading through all the romance novels she had collected, she finally had enough research to make a move. Since the time she had met the man, she'd given hints here and there so maybe she needed to take it up a notch now.

It was evening time once Nozomi was finished with the preparations. After lighting the candles in the center of the table, she took a step back and relished in all of her hard work. Dinner was prepared, the candles smelled great, and the apartment was just as festive as home. Running off, she got dressed in a black halter dress with a low, open back and brushed her hair.

Now all she had to do was wait for the surprise to unfold.

Minutes turned into hours as Nozomi sat at the table. The candles were halfway down their wicks so she blew them out to save them. Frowning, she opted to put the food away in the refrigerator so it wouldn't spoil as she wondered how long it would be until Kakuzu came home. After all, it was already nearing midnight. Soft music played from the small radio she had turned on earlier and the melodies lulled her to sleep with her head in her arms.

It was a quarter past two in the morning when the door to the apartment opened. Kakuzu had been irritated with the fact that he could've come back a lot sooner if it hadn't been for his idiot partner's shenanigans, but the emotions were fleeting at his next sight. The drifting smell of pine and sugar immediately caught his attention and his eyes landed on a certain, sleeping female at the dining table.

She shouldn't have waited up for him.

Glancing around the room, he looked at all of the decorations she had put up, including the glistening Christmas tree in the corner of the room. Price tags added up in his head, however he pushed them to the side as his eyes traveled back to Nozomi. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had someone to come home to, or really the last time he ever thought of this little apartment as home. It was satisfying oddly enough.

As he took off his shoes and hung his cloak up, Nozomi stirred in her sleep and woke up with a yawn. Hazy eyes widening in realization and the blond jumped up from the table, stubbing her toe in the process. "Wel- Ow!" Trying to ignore the dull throb in her foot, she laughed off her embarrassment sheepishly. "Welcome home, Kakuzu-san."

Kakuzu nodded in thanks and walked towards the table. "I see you decorated. It's very festive."

"Yeah! I always decorated the house for the holidays back home, so I decided to do it here too." Nozomi grinned proudly as she thought of her work before she fiddled with her fingers nervously. "Do you like it? I tried not to go overboard but if you don't like it, I can take it down."