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It was late March, and the stars were creeping towards an eve of April. Like always, Sora wanted to watch the stars again, on the rooftop, one of his most beloved places. And certainly Shiro did not mind to -- he enjoyed coming with him, to look at the wonders of an unknown universe, as a quiet worth slowly rotated by, to seem like it wasn't moving at all ... Or rather, that was Shiro himself. Time seemed to stop whenever he was up there alone with Sora. Lovingly he kept memories of such instances in his head, even though they were so plentiful that a simple summarization of "I went to watch the stars with Sora, today" could have sufficed. Indeed, they were more precious to him than that. Today's memory was different in the sense that Sora, usually fussied with the atmosphere above, was paying particularly close attention to Shiro, who was on earth.
"Are you cold?" Sora asked quietly. Shiro stopped looking up and looked beside him.
"Ah, no, I'm not."
It was late May, and the stars were creeping towards an eve of June. Summer was creeping onto their necks and the homely feeling of a warm night would soon be neigh. Again they traveled up the stairs to the rooftop and again, Shiro would save another precious memory of an instance all too familiar. It was recently that Sora had injured his arm -- it was nothing serious (thank goodness), but it still had Shiro worried for if he could function properly. It was wrapped in gauze, tucked away neatly underneath his school uniform's blazer, but he remained extra cautious about touching it accidentally as they sat down or brushing it when Sora's index finger guided him to the next constellation. His hesitance wasn't gone unnoticed, of course (Sora was always much more perceptive than Shiro), and Sora quirked a brow at his odd mannerisms.
"Do you just not want to hurt me?" Sora asked quietly. Shiro stopped looking up and looked beside him.
"Ah, yeah, I don't."
It was early August, and the stars were creeping towards a season of autumn. It would soon be time that the leaves would change into brilliant shades of red and brown and orange, and Shiro couldn't wait to rake some into a pile and to jump into them, scattering the colors everywhere for a dazzling, yearly sight. He was raking in leaves with the rest of RE:Fly, and then tumbling into the piles, until nightfall became the apparent, and he bid goodbye to his seniors as he and Sora returned to their habitual routine of going up the steps and to the rooftop. Closer did the two become in their time in Hoseki Gaoka -- countless practices and meet-and-greet events, being cast alongside each other in roles, sleeping in the same dorm and occasionally in the same bed -- certainly an instance to prove their closeness.
"Do you think it's strange, Shiro? That we sleep next to each other sometimes?" Sora asked quietly. Shiro stopped looking up and looked beside him.
"Ah, no, I don't think so."
It was late October, and the stars were creeping towards a season of winter. Winter would mean that the nights would be especially chilly -- even now, the cold was beginning to settle in during their visits to the rooftop. This time around, Sora has brought a heated blanket, and Shiro had a slight fear he'd manage to fall asleep if he got a little too comfortable there. But oddly, he didn't mind the idea all too much -- it was the concept of waking Sora up, telling him it was time to go back to the dorm so that they could properly get tucked in for the next day. Or, perhaps such a thing could have been avoided entirely if he could carry Sora all the way to their dorm, with big, strong arms, just like Mikado could, or Rikka. If he had their sort of strength, he would be able to tuck Sora in himself, AND carry the heated blanket, and...
"Shiro? Are you daydreaming again?" Sora asked quietly. Shiro stopped looking up and looked beside him.
"Huh? O-Oh, no, I'm not!"
It was early December, and the new year would soon be upon Shiro and Sora. New years were always a thing to look forward to, and the two were no exception to this rule -- an upcoming Christmas season to finish the year off, and it would be a perfect ending to a relatively good year -- smoothing out the rough bumps of all relationships. Even Shiro and Sora had their times, even as best friends, even as dormmates. Never would it be a wonderful recollection if you asked Shiro about the times he and Sora had a disagreement or argument -- seeing Sora's angry, frustrated, or worst of all, sad expression, would never put an ease in his heart. Even recently, they had an altercation that left a bitter taste in his mouth, and they hadn't seen the stars together in what Shiro felt to be forever. He stared blankly at the ceiling, thinking of these things.
"Shiro, are you busy tonight?" Sora asked quietly. Shiro stopped looking up and looked in front of him.
"Ah? No, I'm not."
It was the new year, and the city was filled with festivities as people filed into shrines to celebrate the coming year. Shiro and Sora had, of course, decided to make plans to go with themselves and RE:Fly, and enjoyed their time with their unitmates until, inevitably, they lost each other in the crowds in favor of other affairs, personal, or with people of other units, or otherwise. They separated from RE:Fly and found wonderful things to do with just each other, and once the nightfall came, they found a cozy place to take a seat, to watch the yearly fireworks to welcome a chilly January. They sat closely on a bench (a miraculous find, as they were sure all benches would have been taken, but there was just enough of a space for them, together), as Sora rested his chin against Shiro's shoulder. The stars looked down at them fondly.
"Shiro... do you love me?" Sora asked quietly. Shiro stopped looking up and looked beside him, opened his mouth, shut it, blushed a brilliant shade of red, and could only muster two words.
"... I do."