Chapter Text
The snow that coated the outside in a frigid cold was almost something to marvel at… or sulk at.
Especially when the heating of a shared apartment began to have spells of not doing its job. Therefore, leaving the two inhabitants to bundle up in as many blankets as they could.
But with the need for sustenance and nutrients, the fridge becoming bare after a shopping list was left abandoned on the kitchen counter for far too long, a trip to the market was needed.
So, as he slipped his ice-like toes into some too-thin black converse, he definitely grumbled and complained about it the whole way, he made sure to ask his roommate if there was anything else that they needed before he stepped out of the door.
“Fruit!” he paused, waiting for the signature yell of acknowledgement and sighing exasperatedly when none came.
He sat up off of the couch, readjusting his untamed tuffs of dark hickory hair, and walked down the hallway, tapping his knuckles gently on his roommate’s door. A half-hearted hum came from inside and the brunet opened the door.
Fruit was sat at his computer, the white screen before him reflecting off of his face and making him look a ghostly white, aside from his lightly freckled cheeks and rosy, red lips that were caged between his teeth as he gnawed on them subconsciously.
Hazel eyes, that occasionally bloomed with drops of honey, briefly met swirling fudge ones before flicking back to the computer screen that he was definitely sitting too close to.
“What’s up?” the brunet shrugged, leaning against the doorframe.
“Was gonna head to the store, is there anything that you need or want? I might get food also, probably McDonalds or something.” The other perked up at the mention of food, eyes catching onto the man in the doorway’s once more.
“Can I come? I’m really in the mood for a McChicken right now. Maybe some fries also.” The man said, some chestnut hair falling down to rest on his nose. It took a few moments for the other to respond, but he shrugged anyway, peeling his eyes away from the hopeful smile of the other.
“Sure, but you might freeze your ass off, so put something other then a long-sleeve on.” He half-hazardly flicked a finger up and down at the other, motioning to his choice of clothing. “And sit back from the computer screen, idiot!” he laughed out. Fruit joined in after falling backwards in his chair and away from the computer screen.
“Okay, mom.” The other whined out, rolling his eyes in a playful manner as a smirk made his way onto his face. The other crossed his arms and raised his voice a couple of octaves.
“Listen here sonny-boy! If this room isn’t picked up—” he was cut off by his own laughter as they both fell into matching fits of giggles.
The room was then dipped into honeysuckle as they both cracked their eyes open. Hazel and a deep chocolate brown meet in a clash of sweet and savory. Sweetness of the multitudes of platonic love that they hold for each other, and the savoring of what they have. Maybe some of what could be.
“Alright, alright, if you aren’t ready in 15 minutes, then I’m leaving without you.” The shorter brunet said, grabbing the door handle and shutting it with a sly smile.
“Illumina!” came as a muffled shout from behind a closed door. Said man let out a small laugh as he walked back into the living room.
The Canadian cold brushed harshly against his apple-red nose. It was a short walk from his parked car to the entrance to the supermarket, but it was still enough to let the bitter chill seep into his very being.
He watched as a car slow rolled out of a parking spot, watching as the scarlet taillights glowed the fiery red, lighting up all the falling snow around it. It was mesmerizing watching the beautiful snow falling gently to the tar and asphalt below. How something so peaceful looking and fragile can drift through the air, untouched, unjudged, and simply floating. He felt a pang in his heart.
Then he was ripped out of his headspace by a tug on his arm, yanking him back and out of the way of a car that failed to yield to them. He glanced back to see Fruit.
Graceful, worried, and ever-so-helpful, Fruit. A scarf wrapped delicately around his pale, untouched neck, covering the hem of his sage-green sweatshirt. A simple pair of black jeans were cuffed up to the tops of his white converse. In Illumina’s opinion, Fruit would look very nice if he wasn’t glaring at him.
“Watch where you’re going, idiot.” Fruit said, releasing Illumina’s arm after a beat and they continued walking. “I don’t want to scrape up an Illumina pancake off of the road.”
The slightly shorter brunet let out a laugh at that, shoving his hands back into his pockets of his winter jacket. “But I think I’d make an amazing pancake!” he rebutted, ivory canines peeking through a crack in strawberry lips that pointed slightly upwards. Fruit glared at him in joking annoyance.
“You are a menace.” He said, but a traitorous smile revealed his true feelings.
“But you love me.”
And hazel eyes may have locked onto fudge ones for a bit too long. And maybe the sudden urge to grab pale, skilled fingers suddenly hit the slightly taller way too hard. And maybe the silence went on a couple seconds to long.
“Unfortunately.” Fruit breathed out, a playful smile on his face as he elbowed Illumina’s side. They stepped into the store with matching smiles.
The shopping trip went by fairly smoothly.
If you didn’t count Fruit almost crashing the cart into a flailing child that happened to run into the isle at full speed.
Or when Illumina accidentally smacked Fruit in the head with a tube of cookie dough, effectively making Illumina break into laughter as Fruit cradled his left eye and pouted. (Only after he made sure that Fruit was okay, he wasn’t that mean.)
Now they were sat on the couch, the rest of the groceries were stored away, and the same tube of cookie dough was held in Illumina’s hand. Both boys had spoons and took turns scooping out chunks of the delicious sugary delight that had chocolate chips littered without.
“Look, they are the same color as my eyes.” Illumina commented, bringing a chocolate chip up to in front of his eye. Fruit snorted.
“Yea, but these taste better than you.” Illumina immediately paused, bringing to chip down and staring at Fruit.
It took the other a solid 10 seconds to realize what he said when Illumina had begun to cover his mouth to semi-hide his laughter.
“Wait- not- not like that- Illumina! I didn’t—” his futile attempts to defend himself were cut off by Illumina’s boisterous cackling. Fruit stared at the brown-eyed male for a moment before beginning to join in.
His face was flushed a light scarlet and his hands came up to snatch the tube of cookie dough from the other’s hands, grumbling about Illumina’s dirty mind. Even though he knew full well what he said could be taken in the sexual route. If only he realized before he said it.
After Illumina calmed down, he went to go for another spoonful of cookie dough, but it was pulled away from his reach by Fruit.
“Fruit! Share, you asshole!” he laughed out, scooting closer to try and reach, but it was once again pulled farther away from him. He let out a gasp and looked down at Fruit.
Hazel and honey eyes sparkled with a dangerous spark of determination. Illumina’s own mouth quirked up into a smirk. A silent message passed through each other. Oh, it is on.
Instantly Illumina shoved a hand into Fruit’s face, and he brought his legs onto the couch, launching himself towards Fruit’s right hand. The hand that held their prized possession.
[Shortly after becoming roommates, they had both realized their shared love for cookie dough and whenever they had time to spare (and money) they would sit on the couch, or in one of their bedrooms and share a thing of cookie dough. It was sacred for both of them. Time away from the computer screen and disconnecting from everyone and thing else. Their only focus on the cookie dough, and in turn, each other. Illumina preferred the latter the most though… in a platonic way of course.]
As soon as Illumina lunged for Fruit’s right hand, a hand was pushed into his chest and he was shoved down into the cushions. He laughed and gripped his spoon, then started repeatedly jamming it into Fruit’s hand. With a ‘Hey!’ Fruit released the other brunet in favor of pulling his hand into his chest.
Given the extra space Illumina slammed his body into the other, using both hands to try and grab the tube. With the extra weight added to his side, Fruit let out an oomph and fell into the arm of the couch. He was enveloped in warmth as Illumina pressed his weight onto him.
“Just give me the damn cookie dough!” Illumina yelled out, looking at the boy beneath him.
“No!” Fruit laughed out, picking up his legs to his chest and twisting to face Illumina, trying to push him off with his knees.
Fruit giggled as his legs were pulled apart and pushed to the side. Illumina was still trying to grab the cookie dough and yelling in victory when the plastic pressed against the palm of his hand.
He pulled back and looked down at Fruit. He was red-faced and giggling, hands pulled to his chest and legs spread. Illumina was sat between them, a smile still on his face from his victory of achieving the delicious treat. His face was a shade of scarlet, from wrestling and seeing the position Fruit was in.
Eventually hazel eyes gazed up into brown and a smirk creeped up onto his features. Illumina’s eyes narrowed.
“I swear if you say anything stupid—”
“I like you better in this position.” Fruit cut him off, smirk widening as Illumina’s jaw fell slack. The shorter brunet’s face heated up more and he brought his hands up to cover his face, the room-temperature cookie dough pressed to his warm cheeks.
“You are so dirty. So dirty!” he said, albeit a bit muffled. Fruit fell into giggles once more, head leaning back and a hand coming up to cover his mouth.
“Shut up!” Illumina whined, falling back to sit on his ass. Fruit sat up and put on a fake pout back.
“What? Little Lumina is flustered, hmm?” Fruit laughed out and watched for his roommate’s reaction. Only to be met with a false glare and the other scooping out a spoonful of the dough and shoving it into his face.
“Take this and shut up.” He laughed at Fruit’s eyeroll as he took the spoon from his hands.
“I know something else of yours I can take to shut me up.” He winked. Fucking winked.
“Oh my gosh! Fruit! Stop it you literal menace!” Illumina’s gasped, shoving the other boy back into the couch and letting out a giggle.
His cheeks hurt from smiling, but he couldn’t stop, not with Fruit there and Fruit’s breathy laughing that had spiked up again. With Fruit’s beautiful eyes locked into his.
“But you love me, Lumi.” Fruit said, falling back from his hysterics and his wonderful gaze was now on Illumina’s beautifully flushed face.
“Fortunately for you, I do.” He said and then puts another spoonful of cookie dough into his mouth.
“Awwww, he loves meeee.” Fruit drawled out happily, if Illumina hadn’t been here as they fell into hysterical laughter, he would’ve guessed that Fruit was high.
“You’re such an idiot, Fruit.” Illumina said, rolling his eyes and watching as Fruit sat up and scooped another chunk of cookie dough into his mouth.
The rest of the night was full of laughter and playful jokes as the sun fell beneath the horizon, stars peeking out in a dazzling chandelier of a sky.
They were now sitting in Illumina’s room on his bed and doing random things on their phone.
Fruit was laid against Illumina’s pillows and said man was sat up against the wall.
Fruit glanced up from his scrolling through social media at Illumina. The man had the tip of his tongue peeking through pretty strawberry lips. Fruit may have stared a bit too long. He may have had their previous actions on the couch run through his head again. He may have let his mind wander a bit deeper than it was supposed to go. He may have not heard Illumina call his name because he was thinking about other things that Illumina would call out when—
“Fruit?” Hazel eyes snapped up to meet Illumina’s soft ones. “You okay over there?”
“Hm? Yeah, I’m good. Just letting my mind go, you know?” Illumina nodded, but his eyes never left the other’s.
“What?” Fruit asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. Illumina smiled and Fruit’s eyes seemed to betray him as they traveled downwards, watching as slightly chapped lips twisted upwards into a grin. The strawberry tint gleamed in the soft yellow glow of the lamp light of Illumina’s bedside table.
“I’m really hungry.” Fruit blinked and then his own cherry lips fell into a frown.
“We just ate a full thing of cookie dough.” Fruit deadpanned, watching as Illumina groaned and fell face-first into the mattress next to Fruit’s legs.
“Fruuuuuuit.” The male drawled out. “I want Taco Bell.” He whined. Fruit couldn’t help but smile fondly at his roommate.
“Then go get Taco Bell!” he said, gaze turning back to his phone. Illumina was like a child; pay them no mind and they get antsy.
“But… I want you to come wif meee.” He said, turning to the side and scooting closer to Fruit, beginning to trace small shapes into his thighs.
Fruit’s mind and body buzzed.
It wasn’t unusual for Illumina to draw shapes into Fruit. The whole time they had been roommates Illumina had always been into physical touch. At random intervals Illumina would start to trace Fruit’s arms or back or shoulders absentmindedly.
But it got him every time. Making him burn in all the right ways. His face heated up as he watched Illumina’s skilled and pale fingers trail over the seams in his jeans.
“You sound like a child.” Fruit finally responded. Illumina picked his head up and looked at him, feigning anger.
“Please.” he said, eyebrows furrowing together as his hand movements slowed, fingers ghosting over his thighs. Fruit almost suppressed a full body shiver, but a small tremor made it’s way through and Illumina didn’t let it go unnoticed, a smirk forming on his face.
“Fruit? Go with me to Taco Bell?” Illumina asked, voice dropping a few octaves. Fruit’s eyes drifted back to Illumina’s.
“Okay, fine.” Fruit said quietly. It was definitely meant to come out a lot sharper, but his voice came out weaker due to the same ghosting fingers that traveled closer to the mattress—and his ass.
Illumina yelled out in victory, immediately getting up and running to, presumably, get his shoes. Fruit groaned and sat up as well, his thigh still burning because of slim fingers that couldn’t leave his mind. Screw Illumina.
He swung his legs over the bed and squealed when the door was slammed open, and a pair of shoes were thrown at him. Illumina laughed, one shoe already on and the other in his hand.
“Hurry up you numbskull.” Illumina said, sitting next to Fruit on the bed and slipping his other shoe on. The latter smacked him over the back of the head. “Ow, that was very unnecessary.” Illumina said matter-of-factly and Fruit let out a small giggle.
Fruit got his shoes on and they both headed down the elevator of their apartment and slipped into Illumina’s car once again.
“You are so ridiculous.” Fruit said as he shut the passenger door.
“And you still love me.” Illumina said in a sing-songy voice, turning to look at Fruit with a smile on his face. The car was dark aside from the miniscule amount of light from the buttons on the dashboard and the lights coming from the apartment complex before them.
“Yeah, yeah, lets go get some Taco Bell.”