Ken wanted to be alone on Christmas eve.

Stay in, eat canned ravioli, and let the memories of family Christmas parties with the loneliness that came with that engulf him. Even with the windows closed he could hear everyone outside celebrating or last minute shopping fights. Something stirred in him to go out, be reminded what his life used to be like.

With his coat hood covering his recognizable hair, he walked around his neighborhood. Watching small children play with their parents, he could feel his mouth crick into a smile. He remembers when Mel was a just a tot and playing in the snow together. He was such a cheerful kid. Then images of only speaking to him on video phone, his disinterested tone wanting to end the call… His heart began to hurt the more the memories flooded in. He subconsciously gripped his pendant, telling himself these thoughts were proper punishment for him.

After looping around the park he felt it was enough. Walking home, he’d turn into the coffee shop he lived above. It was packed—so packed the usual clerks who’d always welcome him and chitchat and give him a free treat were too swamped to even glance at him.

The fear someone would recognize him on the street was always in the front of his mind. However being squished like a canned fish, everyone preoccupied to keep cutters from cutting, looking at their phones to kill time—it felt comforting to him to be around so many people without ever being recognized. He really was a people-person.

“Ken?”

Ken whipped his head to the voice and didn’t even have the space to jump out of his shoes seeing Ryu’s face just centimeters from his own.

Ryu stepped back a bit.

“Ryu…” Ken gawked.

“Ken, it is you!” Ryu spoke in Japanese. He smiled the same warm smile Ken remembered. He could look at that face forever.

After a long second, Ken snapped out of his gaze and grabbed Ryu and pulled him out of the shop.

Ken wanted to be alone on Christmas Eve. But he couldn’t even convince himself of that. Deep down he didn’t. Now the last person he wanted to see him like this found him.

What else could Ken do after the awkward greetings but invite him home.

Ryu didn’t question Ken about his situation. He didn’t question the run-down apartment, with only a cot by the window and a small table and a chair that Ken offered to him while he sat on the bed.

Nor did Ken question why Ryu was in Metro City or how he found him.

Ken knew Ryu wasn’t much of a talker but he was strangely chatty. Ken couldn’t help but think Ryu was stepping up to put him at ease. To open up about his situation.

But Ken couldn’t. He told himself he wouldn’t fall for it.

To give himself a break from Ryu gabbing about how his student finally taught him how to use the phone Ken bought for him years ago, he offered to make a Christmas dinner with what he had. Ryu was surprised it was already Christmas.


But as Ryu does with Ken—he delightfully accepted.

Ken wasn’t worried about having to entertain Ryu while he looked around what to make. Even when they were young and in training, Ryu was more than happy to meditate to kill time. Seeing a box of spaghetti noodles, a memory flooded back from those days.

“Remember when I’d buy pasta when I wasn’t supposed to and Shishou would get mad?”

Ryu opened an eye and grinned. “Yeah, but…you never really knew what to do with it until made it more Japanese-style.”

Ken saw Ryu peek up from the counter. “…Is that what you’re making?” He made a child-like face, maybe in anticipation.

Ken smirked at Ryu’s reaction. Still his same self about food. “Sorry, best I can do it load it up with egg sauce and toss in some frozen veggies.”

Ryu relaxed back into the chair, completely satisfied with that option too.

As Ken prepped dinner he took over talking duties without realizing. It came so easily to him and the more he talked the better he felt. And as he was finishing stirring in the egg sauce his smile was no longer fake.

Ryu gobbled up his plate and immediately asked for seconds. Ken served him up. He paused from his own plate to watch Ryu slurp up dinner. Ryu enjoy his meager food, Ryu forever patient with him even at this point, where Ken couldn’t even confine to him after all these years in hiding. To Ryu, who always was patient…

Ryu looked up, noticed Ken’s hand trembling.

“Ken…”

Ryu got up and walked to the counter where Ken was hanging his head. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders as Ken muttered “I’m sorry” over and over.

END