the late june sun beat down on the busy streets of tokyo as people went about their day, parasols and iced coffees in hand.

with temperatures of 33°C expected for the whole week, spending the day outside wasn't exactly ideal. however, today was special-both you and your boyfriend, soul, were finally in tokyo with a rare day off together.

his birthday was at the end of the week. you'd already bought his presents, but you still wanted to treat him to something a little more personal-something that would make him smile. so, you decided on one of his favourite things in the world: pokémon.

the walls were lined with plushies of all sizes, from palm-sized pikachus to life-sized oshawotts. shelves overflowed with boxes of trading cards, and statues of fan-favourite pokémon greeted visitors at every corner.

it was finally time for the day's big event.

taking advantage of the fact that he smokes and wasn't a fan of celebrating his birthday in a big way since being with you was enough for him, you decided to surprise him with a "errands day"

— "babe, fancy a little outing today? just a few quick stops i need to go, and i'll even grab us a treat on the way home," you called out to your boyfriend from your bedroom, as he sat at the breakfast bar eating his breakfast.

— "sure-as long as we can get coffee first," he said, making his classic bargain as usual, a grin evident in his voice. you smiled to yourself, knowing full well he'd still tag along even without the caffeine bribe.

agreeing to his usual caffeine bribe, you left your boyfriend in charge of ordering the coffee while you finished getting ready. once it arrived -an iced caramel frappuccino and a matcha latte-you were both armed and ready to tackle the long list of errands ahead.

operation "errands" was a go!

the first of many stops was the post office, where you had to return an impulsive online order-one that seemed like a good idea at the time, but soon realised it was, in fact, not. after a surprisingly short wait, the parcel was on its way. no errand run felt complete without a quick stop at the drugstore to restock sunscreen and lip balm-and maybe splurge a little on a new hair treatment.

somehow, soul still hadn't realized you were heading towards his favorite place. it wasn't until you rounded the corner and faced the store's entrance that it finally clicked. he glanced at you, and with a silent nod from your side, he practically dragged you inside.

like a child in a candy shop, his grin stretched from ear to ear as he wandered from shelf to shelf. you quietly grabbed a basket and followed him, watching with a smile as your six-foot-tall boyfriend darted around the pokémon center, clearly unsure what to choose. but one thing was certain-he wanted matching plushies. pikachu and eevee. when he stopped in front of the plush wall and picked up the two, he looked at you with wide, pleading eyes, silently asking if he could buy them for you. without a word, you nudged your basket toward him, giving him the go-ahead. he kissed the top of your head as he placed the plushies inside, barely able to hide his excitement.

he made a beeline for the snacks section, scooping up his favourites and waiting for you to catch up with the basket. once you did, he dropped everything in with practiced ease and headed straight for the pokémon card shelves, eager to grab the newly released packs. without hesitation, he bundled about ten into the basket -clearly no time for decision-making-and marched toward his final stop: the stickers.

every visit, he picked out a new one-snorlax, pikachu, ditto-tucking it into the back of his phone case so he could swap them out whenever the mood struck. today, he grabbed two ditto stickers: one for him, one for you. he always liked when your phone cases matched, even in the smallest ways.

after dropping them into the basket, he took it from your hands and tugged you toward the cashier.

— "if i stay any longer," he said, eyes wide with faux panic, "i'm buying the whole store."