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“Hey!”
“Hey, Sound! Wake up!”
The hand that’d ungracefully pulled him out of his slumber hastily retracted when Sound opened his eyes just wide enough to glare at Win hovering above him, a wide grin stretched across his face and his eyes sparkling with so much mirth it was almost hard to keep the annoyance in himself alive.“What.”Win didn’t move one bit even at the harsh tone of his voice and instead brightened even more, if that was possible. He didn’t say anything but his grin softened into an adoring smile while Sound sighed and sat up slowly, still sluggish from being woken up so suddenly. When Win still didn’t say anything, Sound glanced around the room. It was only then that he realized that he had fallen asleep in the living room, a blanket he knew hadn’t covered him last night started to slip off his lap as he sat up further on the couch. He reflexively reached out for the red fabric, squinting down at it in confusion, and pulled it back up, so that it wouldn’t slide onto the floor and collect any remnants of the dust Sound knew was sure to collect on Win’s floor.
It wasn’t like Win was particularly messy, just that he was literally living inside this room whenever he got into one of his “phases” - probably why Sound wasn’t asleep in the guest room but woke on the couch instead, having fallen asleep while keeping the other company the previous night - and rarely got around cleaning up after himself. It was part of the reason why Sound showed up two days ago, a few of his things thrown into his to-go-back and his guitar hastily but carefully picked up on the way out of his own apartment. The other part, well… They hadn’t yet talked about it and Sound sure as hell would not be the one to bring it up first, so, he’d simply stayed when Win had asked him to that first evening.
Sound was surprised to discover that the room wasn’t flooded with light. Win usually waited until noon to wake him up, knowing and sharing the issues that came with the insomnia they both struggled with after years of working through night after night. So, when he let his gaze wander around the room and had to squint to see clearly enough, realizing Win hadn’t even turned on the big-light, the room lit only by the blueish light of the TV screen and some stray rays of the rising sun, he was confused.
“Win, why - “But before he could finish the question, Win guided his face back around gently with his hand, pulling his gaze back up again and effectively cutting off the words he’d wanted to say.
Just for a second Win held his gaze, the smile on his face giving way to him biting down on his lip instead before he relaxed his expression again, his fingers like a whisper on Sound’s cheek after they were being pulled away.
Win cleared his throat, the sound of it startling Sound out of the moment, and jerked his head toward the window. “It - It started snowing a few minutes ago. Thought maybe you…” He left the rest of the sentence hanging in the heavy air between them and gestured toward his right once more before turning and making his way across the room toward the small tree he had put up silently a week ago after Por had pestered him about it.
Sound only watched him long enough to see the other crouch down and reach for something hidden from Sound’s sight before he got up and hurried toward the window.
The first snow.
When he had still been a child living with his parents they’d this tradition whenever it first started snowing. Whoever would see it first would call out into their home and inform the other two before all of them would rush outside and revel in the cold air, trying to catch a snowflake - an impossible task since they would always melt before Sound could run and show his parents. The first snow was something Sound cherished to this day even if his parents were no longer around to keep the tradition alive.
A shiver went down his body when his hand touched the icy windowpane, his warm fingers leaving prints on it that he’d be sure to clean off later that day. But for now all he could do was watch the infinite snowflakes floating down to the streets of a slowly waking city. He knew that it wouldn’t stick, wouldn’t stay and instead would melt on the asphalt as the first snow always did. It was something so pretty but fleeting, that Sound could feel himself getting saddened by the sight, his heart suddenly feeling heavy.
He was startled out of his thoughts once again when Win suddenly appeared by his side, bumping into his shoulder before thrusting a small package into his sweater-covered chest.
“Merry Christmas, Sound,” Win uttered into the silence of the room while Sound carefully reached for the present, his eyes dropping down to it. It was small enough to fit into his hand and messily wrapped with some colorful Christmas wrapping paper that Sound recognized from Por’s stack, having seen it there when all of them met up for dinner not long ago.
“This is a Christmas present,” Sound dumbly observed and it seemed to have been the wrong thing to say, since Win stiffened next to him.After a second, the other let out a scoff. “Well, it’s Christmas so obviously.”“You woke me up to show me the snow and give me this.”“You done narrating? What the hell, Sound? It’s past midnight and you’re awake, so you get to unwrap your present.”
Sound didn’t reply but he couldn’t help but smile at Win’s explanation. He didn’t tell Win that he was surprised - no, he was dumbstruck. He didn’t stammer out a half-assed apology that he didn’t get Win a present. He didn’t get annoyed and pointed out that they had decided that they weren’t going to get each other presents this year.
Sound didn’t do any of that.
Instead, he nodded his head and pulled Win back into the room, toward the couch before settling down on it and staring at the other until he followed his lead.
Silently, he unwrapped the gift. He couldn’t stop the soft breath he let out as his eyes traced the small object sitting in the cushioned box nestled into the palm of his hand.
“What’s this?” His voice was softened by the awe he felt and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Win’s present.
Another scoff, sounding uneven even to Sound’s ears, before Win replied, “It’s a key.”If Sound wasn’t so transfixed, he would have pointed out the irony of Win being the one to point out the obvious now. As it was though, he stayed silent, letting the answer wash over him, like a gentle wave that reminded him of the days they’d spent on the beach that summer. One particular day sprung to the forefront of his mind, a memory of Win’s face hovering above him just like it had minutes ago when he was woken up as the soft sand began warming his back, fading into the feeling of the other’s warmth all around him. Sound was so caught up in the memory that he almost missed Win’s next words.
“A key to this place. My place. I thought it would make things easier.”At those words, Sound finally was able to pull his gaze away from the key. “Things?”
Win, visibly uncomfortable, swallowed before nodding toward Sound. “Things. Us.”His eyes widened when he said that last word and hastily added, “I mean, if that’s something you want. This being a ‘Us’. Or becoming one. I don’t know, Sound. All I know is that ever since… ever since this summer I couldn’t stop thinking about it. You. Us.”“It - It’s something you want?” Sound couldn’t help but ask.
At his question, something seemed to settle in Win. His shoulders relaxed and his body instinctively turned toward him before the soft smile from earlier returned. “It is. More than anything. This - This? - is everything I want.”“What, me moving in with you or …?” Sound couldn’t help but teasingly ask, his own smile slowly breaking through.Win huffed, amused and relieved by it. “You practically live here already, Sound. So, why not make it official?”“Ahh, so - ““No, before you start anything. I’m not asking you to officially move in with me - Well, I am. But that’s not,,,” Win trailed off, looking a little out of his depth and Sound almost felt bad for him. But before he could put the other out of his misery, Win straightened, resolve written across his face.
“I’m asking you to be my boyfriend, Sound. This key? It might only open the door over there, but I’m giving you the key to my heart along with it. The key to everything I feel and everything you mean to me. And I just want - I hope - ““Yes.”
“I … What?”
“Yes. Yes, I want to be your boyfriend. Win… just, yes.”When Sound let the box slip from his hands to reach for the other’s face instead, the first and final thought he had, before his mind cleared off everything but the pure bliss and love he felt as their lips met in the first of many kisses, was that he’d very much liked this to turn into a new tradition brought on by the first snow of the season.