Secret Santa

Secret Santa 2015 - for OnceUponThisTime (Part 1/3)

Hey Nat!! I'm finally posting your presents~ I'm sorry that I'm so late! I wrote three little separate drabble/ficlet things, and I hope that you like them!

Apartment!AU Zack/Reader

You were sitting in your apartment, wearing your pajamas and enjoying a nice mug of your favorite warm drink. Your kitchen table faced sliding glass doors that led out onto a small balcony, and through that, you were watching the snow fall.

It was very peaceful.

Until you heard someone yelling, and then a big blue blur flashed onto your balcony with a thud.

"What the-?" you leapt up from your seat and dashed to the doors. There was a man wearing a blue coat lying on the floor of your balcony, grimacing with his eyes closed. You slid the glass doors open and rushed out to kneel next to him, "Uh, sir, are you okay?"

"Mom?"

"Uh, no, I'm not your mom-"

"My lights! Did they fall all of the way down?" he sat up with a jolt. You gave him a confused look, and got up to peer over the railing of the balcony. You lived on the fifth floor, so it was an awfully long way down from where you were.

"No, I don't think that I see them down there..." you looked up, to the balcony that he had fallen from, and there they were, dangling from his railing, "Oh, here they are."

"Oh, phew, then they're not broken," he said, laying back down and folding his hands behind his head.

"So, are you hurt?" you asked, turning back around to look at him. He looked pretty relaxed, but he did just fall off of his balcony...?

"Nah, I'm fine," he said, opening one eye to look at you, "Nice pajamas."

"...Did you need help getting up?" you extended one arm to him, choosing to ignore his comment and hugging yourself with the other because you were cold.

He grabbed your hand and pulled himself up. He was a lot heavier than you expected, so you stumbled a little bit, but he got up anyway.

You invited him into your apartment, because, well, he had to walk through it to leave? And the poor guy had just fallen a story.

"Let me go get changed-" you started, feeling pretty self-conscious in front of this stranger in your pajamas.

"I don't mind," he said with a shrug, sitting down at your kitchen table, "Thanks for waking me up."

"It's cold out there," you dismissed his thanks. You didn't really do anything other than talk to him, anyway, "And you're sure that you're okay? You fell pretty far."

"It was just from my balcony to yours, nothing too scary. I'm fine. I was more worried about my lights, to be honest," he said, chuckling. "But anyway, I'm Zack, your upstairs neighbor."

You shook hands and you sat at the kitchen table with him.

"I'm [Name]. It's nice to meet you," you introduced yourself and turned your attention back to your drink, which was now just about the perfect temperature, "Oh, did you want some? I can make you a cup, too."

"Sure, I'd like that."

You stood from your seat to make him whatever you were drinking, and he waited, looking between the snow outside and you in your kitchen. You brought him the mug of his drink and he took it and thanked you.

"Be careful, it's hot!"

"Oh, wow, it is!" he said, setting it down on the table quickly.

"So what were you doing that made you fall off of your balcony?"

"I was putting up Christmas lights."

"How did you-?"

"I guess it was pretty slippery on my balcony? I'm not really sure either. Standing on the railing probably wasn't a good idea, now that I think about it..."

"You were STANDING on your railing?!" you repeated in shock. That was literally so dangerous you couldn't even fathom how he thought that was a good idea.

He just looked at you and shrugged, apparently also baffled by his bad choices. The only thing he could say to explain himself was, "I was in a hurry."

"Oh, no, do you have other plans? Do you need-"

"Nah, I was just cold. But, if we're talking about plans, then do you want to go out on a date with me?" he asked, putting up one finger and winking.

"...A date?"

"Yeah, you did save me, after all."

"Like, with me?"

"Of course 'with you'!"

"Uh, well, where do you want to go?"

"Wait, really?" he said in disbelief. "Uh, I'm not sure. I've never gotten this far. Nobody's ever really said yes before?"

That was pretty smooth for someone that had never successfully asked someone on a date before.

"Well, let me go get dressed first-"

"What, you mean you're not going to wear those?" he asked, being playful and mischievous in tone.

"No," you deadpanned with a sigh. "I'm not going out in my Christmas jammies."

"It's a shame that the world won't get to see them."

"Just you is bad enough."

"Aw, I feel honored."

You huffed and ran off into your bedroom to get changed to go on your impromptu holiday date.

If this wasn't the quirkiest "meet cute," then you didn't know what was.