notes: FOR THE RECORD i have only watched the anime and haven't read the manga yet, and this largely disregards canon after the moon banquet festival arc. i don't think it'll be that prevalent anyway in regards to this fic, but i just wanted to give a heads up. i planned to crank this out before xmas but i ended up being super busy so sorry for the lateness but i hope you enjoy anyway! sincere thank you to everyone who read and commented on my last soumegu fic, i genuinely didn't expect anyone to read it so finding so many sweet comments made me so incredibly happy and fueled motivation to get this out.

this will be posted in three chapters, plus a possible bonus one? i haven't decided yet, but the three main chapters of the story are already written, they just have to be lightly edited but they'll be posted almost immediately after this! this is… very sappy i must admit but i'm a sap for sappy soumegus and hopefully u are as well. enjoy, thank you for reading, and happy holidays + happy new year!

"I'm sorry Souma, they're keeping me here for the holiday rush and I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back. Hopefully I can come home in time for New Year's. For now, I'm sure our relatives would be happy to have you during your winter break. I'll make it up to you, Souma, I mean it. Just don't spend Christmas alone, you promise me that."

Lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling, Souma plays last night's phone conversation over again in his head. His suitcase still lies open and unpacked on the floor and if he were feeling particularly dramatic he would kick it dejectedly. Instead, he mostly feels disappointment so heavy in his limbs it keeps him buried deep beneath his covers, wondering if he can just spend all of winter break hibernating and wake up again when the new semester starts. Outside his door, he can hear the creak and slam of doors opening and closing as Polar Star's residents leave one by one for their respective homes.

Here he is: unready, unpacked, and unhappily contemplating the long train ride south to see his relatives.

He doesn't especially enjoy visiting them, mostly because he knows they don't approve of his culinary pursuits. It's nothing overt, but he can sense it in the way they suggest certain hobbies to him, how they always bring up a distant cousin who's excelling in medicine or law or business, and the way they always express concern whenever the diner comes up in conversation. The only way Souma stays sane is having his father there, and without him Souma thinks he'd prefer to spend the holidays handling the diner by himself.

He sighs, turns his head to glance at the clock on his nightstand and gets an unwanted eyeful of sunlight shining through the thin curtains. His stomach grumbles. Food first before he thinks more.

Souma makes his slow way to the kitchen, not even bothering to change out of his sleep clothes. It's strange for Polar Star to be so quiet. Everyone must have left by now to be home as early as possible and maximize their winter break. He figures Isshiki might still be here, council duties no doubt keeping him busy until the last minute, and Fumio to take care of the building while they're gone.

When he wanders into the kitchen, he finds neither of them.

Megumi is fully dressed, looking frazzled as she quickly packs rice into a bento. Her suitcase sits on the floor near the kitchen island, packed and ready for departure. Soup simmers on the stove, the aroma wafting towards Souma, and he can smell the familiar warmth and flavor of Megumi's cooking.

"Tadokoro?"

She jumps, nearly knocking over a bottle of soy sauce.

"Souma-kun!" she gasps, quickly steadying the bottle with a hand. "Please don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I swear I wasn't trying to." Souma holds his hands up innocently. "The dorm's never been this quiet, if anything you should have heard me coming a mile away."

Megumi shuffles to the stove to give the soup a stir, nods to herself in satisfaction when she sees it. She reaches for a thermos from one of the overhead cabinets as she says, "Sorry, I'm just really focused on finishing this quickly so I can get going."

He slides into one of the barstools at the kitchen island, plucking an extra cherry tomato from Megumi's cutting board and munching on it. "I thought you'd be gone by now. Don't you have a long ride back to Tohoku?"

"Yes," Megumi admits, looking embarrassed. "But I overslept."

Souma has to snicker a little at that. "Tadokoro, that's pretty unlike you."

"It's not my fault we were up so late!" she protests. "The party went on later than I thought it would."

There might have been a little more rice juice being passed around last night than usual. It was the end of finals and everyone wanted a chance to celebrate before going their separate ways for the holidays. It's a wonder anyone was able to get up this morning.

"When are you heading home, Souma-kun?" Megumi asks, and Souma freezes. "What are your plans for break?"

He chews on the words for a moment, then sighs.

"I'm not sure yet. My dad's, uh, stuck in Los Angeles for the week, so I'm either going to see relatives in the south or back to Yukihira Diner. Honestly, I'm leaning towards the diner. My relatives kind of suck."

He tries to laugh it off, rubbing the back of his neck.

Megumi furrows her brows. "You're… going to be alone?"

Souma waves a hand. "I'll be fine, I've opened the diner by myself loads of times."

"No, I mean… You're going to be alone for the holidays?"

"I…" He falters. "Well, there's still all the customers that come to the diner every day. And all the people in the shops next to us, they visit a lot and I'll probably get to see them. But I guess… I guess they'll probably want to spend Christmas with their own families, but I'll be fine, y'know. I've got stuff to do, recipes to practice." Souma shrugs, jerky and awkward. "It's no big deal. Really."

Megumi studies him, looking very thoughtful. He fidgets under her gaze. Early in their friendship, he realized she is far more discerning than most people assume at first glance. Tadokoro Megumi is not to be underestimated.

Finally, she opens her mouth and says, "Why don't you come with me, Souma-kun?"

He blinks. "Huh?"

Megumi abruptly turns red. She stammers quickly, "I-I mean! Come with me to see my family. In Tohoku. If you want to."

He stares, confused. "Why?"

"Because nobody should spend the holidays alone."

She looks determined, her hands clenching on the lid of her open bento. When she realizes what she's doing, she quickly relaxes her grip and carefully places the lid on the box. She clears her throat and begins wrapping it in a patterned cloth.

She explains, "There's plenty of room for you at my house, or if you'd prefer the inn I'm sure my mom can give you a really good discount. But on Christmas Eve you can have dinner with my family and we can eat Christmas cake and I can show you the ice skating rink we have in town. And it'll probably snow! I'm sure you don't get much of that in the city."

Megumi slides the finished bento across the counter to Souma.

He says, "I… I would be imposing, I shouldn't—"

"Souma-kun, I really insist."

She turns her gaze downwards, fidgeting with the corner of a dish towel as she speaks.

"I don't want you to just be by yourself this week. You work so hard here, it's not fair for you to spend Christmas alone and working. It just—well, it makes me sad."

She looks up, meeting Souma's eyes.

"You're my friend. So, if you really don't think you'll feel lonely, then I believe you. But if you want, you can stay at my house for break. You'll be welcome there, I promise."

Souma is quiet. He's never been that far north before, but he's heard her stories. A port town known for its fresh vegetables and seafood, much colder and quainter than the city Souma is used to, but filled with hardworking and passionate people. He can see the proof himself—Megumi's eyes are determined and as incredibly kind as they've always been. He really doesn't know what he did to deserve a friend like her.

"You're… sure it's okay?" he says.

Megumi exhales, her whole body suddenly releasing the tension that held her as she waited for his answer. "Yes! It's definitely okay."

"I still have to pack, will we be late?"

"Not if you hurry and go right now." Megumi shoos at him. "Quick, Souma-kun! I'll make breakfast for you."

"Ah, okay, okay!"

Souma rushes out of the kitchen. He makes it two steps up the stairs before he realizes something and rushes back.

"Tadokoro!" he says at the kitchen doorway.

Megumi turns back around from the stove.

He says, "Thanks," and grins at her.

Megumi smiles shyly, says, "Hurry up, silly, or we'll end up spending Christmas at Tootsuki."

Souma books it up the stairs two at a time.

In the breathless hurry to the train station—which involves many quick sprints up and down stairs, nearly dropping his spare yen down a sewage grate in his hurry to buy a ticket, and jumping over a dog in a mad dash to the open train doors before departure—Souma doesn't get the chance to text his dad about the change of plans. He's so relieved they made it on time that he immediately collapses into his seat while Megumi scolds him about putting their luggage in the overhead rack first.

With a few train changes along the way, it's over a four hour ride to their destination, and he and Megumi pass a portion of the ride with card games and phone apps. But for most of the time, as the grey blur of passing buildings gives way to green countryside, they talk.

About cooking, of course—even though the boundaries of Tootsuki's campus are far behind them by now, it's a part of themselves they can't truly shake. With Megumi it's easy for the words to flow, to talk about recipe ideas and foods they want to try and new techniques they've heard about. But they talk about other things too, like TV shows (Megumi likes to watch sports and the occasional crime drama), music (In the kitchen Souma listens strictly to instrumentals, otherwise he gets caught up in the lyrics and doesn't pay attention to what he's doing), and gift ideas for friends (they both agree that Isshiki could use a new apron, preferably one that covers the front and back).

Before he knows it, four hours have passed and the train begins to slow as the PA system announces the next stop. Megumi informs him, "We're here."

When they grind to a halt and the train doors slide open, Souma takes his first step into Megumi's hometown.

The cold hits him like a brick wall.

"Holy shit," he gasps, hunching his shoulders under his jacket.

Megumi laughs, tugging him along with a hand on his arm. "We're not in Tokyo anymore, city boy."

Not far from the platform, a woman is waiting. Megumi is steering them straight towards her. She's familiar in a way Souma can't place—her dark hair, the way she stands and holds herself. It's only when they get closer and a warm smile breaks onto the woman's face that he realizes.

"Mom," Megumi breathes, hurrying forward the last few steps between her and her mother.

"Megumi-chan, welcome home," her mother says.

Megumi is beaming, her cheeks flushed red, her breaths puffing out in opaque clouds. She looks in her element; it's the most at home Souma's ever seen her. Her mother looks equally happy to see her, and he suddenly feels very much like he's intruding on something important.

Just as he thinks it, Megumi's mother turns her gaze to him, looking curious but not unfriendly.

"And this must be Yukihira Souma."

"Ah, yes, hi." Souma drops into a quick bow, feeling a little awkward. He was apprehensive about imposing on Megumi's family from the beginning, and now that he's actually here he can't help feeling like he has to make an especially good impression. "It's nice to meet you."

"Megumi-chan's said a lot about you."

Red burns onto Megumi's face so quickly it's almost worrisome. "Mother—!"

"Thank you," her mother continues, unfazed, "for all the kind things you've done to help her at Tootsuki."

"Oh, I didn't do much," Souma says, grinning. "Tadokoro's helped me, too, more times than I can count."

"S-So where did you park, mom?" Megumi cuts in. "Souma-kun's freezing."

"Oh my, yes you're probably not used to the weather here, are you?"

Megumi's mother leads the way through the train station, out through the front doors where a small number of cars are parked. She approaches one of them and unlocks the trunk for Souma and Megumi to place their bags inside.

"Did you get the day off today, mom?" Megumi asks.

"No actually, I'm due back at the inn as soon as I drop you off at home." She climbs into the driver's seat.

"That's where you used to work, right Tadokoro?" Souma says, sliding into the backseat.

Megumi follows. "Yes, it's really busy this time of year."

With a rumble, the engine starts and the car roars to life. Air blasts through the vents, cold at first before gradually turning warm, and it takes all of Souma's willpower not to press his face against it and leech all the heat he can get.

Instead he looks out the window, absorbing the new landscape of Megumi's hometown. The sky is overcast, a grey curtain hanging over the stout buildings, but there is color and life in the people they drive past: women chatting animatedly in front of a convenience store, children running around a small playground, vendors calling out to customers at a bustling fish market.

And beyond all of it: the ocean.

Souma can see it, its churning blue waters and waves lapping against the docks that jut out of the shore, and his nose nudges against the cold glass of the window as he presses forward in his excitement to see it.

"I hope you can find interesting things to do here," Megumi's mother says, glancing at Souma through the rear view mirror. "I know we're a modest place."

"No, no," Souma says distractedly, watching a boat return to the harbor, children waving on the dock to greet it. "This is awesome." Beside him, Megumi smiles.

They drive on until they pull into a residential area, houses lining the streets. Megumi's mother slows and stops in front of a home with the name Tadokoro inscribed on a nameplate hanging on the fence.

While Souma and Megumi retrieve their bags from the trunk, her mother turns around in the driver's seat to tell them, "I'm sorry I was already at work when I got your text; I wasn't able to set the futon out for Souma-kun."

"That's okay, I know I told you last minute," Megumi says, unlocking the front gate and holding it open for Souma to walk through. "We can set it up ourselves. Are you tired, Souma-kun?"

"Actually, I think seeing the inn would be cool," Souma says. "I just spent five hours sitting in a train, it'd be good to get out and do something."

"Surely the inn would be a downgrade from the most rigorous culinary school in the country," Megumi's mother says, smiling amusedly.

"No way." Souma grins. "I work at a diner, I know better than to underestimate any kitchen."

The inn is bustling when they arrive, flocking with tourists here for the winter season. Its exterior is traditional and elegant, all polished wood and gleaming lantern light, but when they enter, the staff greet Megumi's mother with warm greetings and smiles. This is a family place, grounded in genuine care and hospitality, and Souma can see how Megumi learned to embody that same attitude in her cooking.

She walks beside her mother to the kitchen like she knows the place just as well as she knows her own house, greeting all the staff by name and navigating the inn's halls with no hesitation. Inside the kitchen is the most enthusiastic welcome of all.

"Oh, Megumi-chan, we've missed you," an elderly chef gushes, approaching Megumi with a tearful smile.

"I've missed you all, too," Megumi says, emotion clogging her voice. People gather around to greet her, those busy with something on the stove turning around to look and shout hello from their station.

"Her first day back home and you're sending your daughter into the kitchen already?" one chef jokes to Megumi's mother.

"They insisted!" she says.

"Now who is this young man?" asks the first elderly chef, approaching Souma with curiosity.

"I'm Yukihira Souma." He bows respectfully. "Megumi and I live in the same dorm."

"Is that so?"

The chef regards him for a moment, and Souma nearly starts fidgeting before she smiles in amusement.

"Think you have the chops to keep up in this kitchen?"

"They're Tootsuki students," Megumi's mother laughs. "Of course they do. And Souma-kun said himself, he doesn't underestimate any kitchen."

"Well then," the chef says, holding out aprons for Souma and Megumi. "If you're going to be in the kitchen, you're going to pull your weight."

They take the aprons and get to work.

It's admittedly been a while since Souma's had to take a step back and listen to another chef's orders, with the relative solitude and individual growth that Tootsuki demands. The last time he can think of was his stagiaire at SHINO's Tokyo, one of the most demanding and rewarding experiences he's ever had. As excruciating as that kitchen was to get accustomed to, this is a role he's familiar with after so many years of helping his father at Yukihira Diner. It'd be pathetic for him to slip up now.

Here, he truly sees Megumi in her element. This is where she grew up, where she learned the skills that took her all the way to Tootsuki Academy. She slots neatly into the flow of the kitchen like clockwork, and Souma feels no hesitation in bowing to her experience and knowledge. He lets her explain the recipes, carefully follows her instructions and preps everything she asks him to. Her mother is the head chef, but Souma can see the leadership inside her, the confidence with which she moves through the kitchen.

"Good job, Souma-kun," she says, approaching him as he thinly slices a daikon and arranges it into the shape of a flower.

Souma's concentrating so hard his tongue peeks out the corner of his mouth. He was never really the decorative type back when he worked at the diner, but Tootsuki drilled into him a modicum of finesse and presentation that spurs him to work especially hard at getting this right. He has the reputation of this inn to uphold, after all.

He carefully rolls the sliced daikon with his fingertips, its translucent white petals feathering out into a flower shape. He presents it to Megumi.

"For you, chef," he says with a grin.

"Souma-kun!" Megumi giggles and bats him on the arm. "You can't give that to me, it's a garnish for the dish."

"I can make another one," Souma insists. He pushes it into her hands. "Take it as payment for letting me stay with you."

"Souma-kun," Megumi says again, but he's waving her off and already starting on another one.

From the other side of the kitchen, her mother watches on with an amused smile.

When the dinner rush settles into a lull, Megumi's mother insists he and Megumi take a break. She suggests showing Souma the inn's garden, which brings the two of them out to the edge of the inn's back patio where they sit with hot cups of tea and take in the lush plants and the trickle of stream water.

Souma tries to tuck his cold feet beneath his legs, feeling his toes numb from the cold even through his thick socks.

Megumi notices and says, trying not to laugh, "We can go back inside if you want."

"No, no." Souma suppresses a shiver. "I'm good. This is endurance training."

"There's no point in training if you're going to freeze to death." She does laugh this time, and it puffs out in front of her in a white cloud.

"I'm not going to freeze to death," he insists. "I at least need to live long enough for you to show me the fish market. And the ice skating rink, you promised."

"I did." Megumi drums her fingers against the side of her cup, smiling as she takes another sip. "But I don't know how you'll survive that if you can't even survive the inn."

"I'm surviving the inn just fine."

"You look like you're ready to jump into the nearest fire."

"Well I mean, that sounds pretty inviting right now, don't you think?"

"Oh shut up." Megumi bumps her shoulder against his, giggling.

Despite the biting cold, Souma feels relaxed—the familiar ache of working in the kitchen has settled in his back and the soles of his feet, but he feels at peace here. It's the kind of satisfaction that comes after hard work with good company. He loves the diner and he always will, and he appreciates every customer that walks through their door and treats him like family. But he feels overwhelmingly grateful, suddenly, to be here with Megumi instead of closing up shop by himself and wondering when his father will come home.

He glances over at Megumi sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, peacefully looking out at the garden. The tip of her nose is red and her hair is slightly disarrayed after working, but she looks happy.

He says, "Thanks, Tadokoro."

Megumi turns her head to look at him, blinking sleepy eyes. She brightens as she processes Souma's words, a smile emerging on her face.

"Thanks for coming," she says in return.

"There you two are."

Her mother suddenly appears behind them, clapping a hand on their shoulders. "Come on, it's time to head home."

Souma and Megumi get up on their feet, and he stretches while Megumi pats dust off of her jeans.

"Thank you for all your help today," her mother says, gently arranging a stray lock of Megumi's hair back into place.

Megumi smiles, says, "It was good to see everyone again."

"It was fun," Souma adds with a grin.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I can see you're about to turn into an icicle out here." Her mother laughs. "Let's get home and warm up the kotatsu."

Souma nearly cries thinking about it. He can't wait to get back into the warmth of Megumi's home.

Home.

Souma slaps a hand to his forehead. "Oh god."

Megumi startles, looking wide-eyed at him. "What?"

"Sorry," Souma says, waving a hand. "Nothing serious, I just, uh—I forgot to tell my dad I'm even here."

"Souma-kun!"

"I know, I know!" Souma pulls out his phone to rapidly type a text.

"You kids," Megumi's mother says with a sigh, a tired smile on her lips. "You should tell your parents about what's going on in your life, at least once in a while. We worry, you know?"

"I know, Mom," Megumi says, smiling apologetically. She links her arm with her mother's. "But we're home now."

Her mother relaxes. "Yes," she says. "You're home."