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William leaned back, hands falling onto the cold metal roof of the winnebago. The air was warm and a little stifling, but it was a nice break from the almost constant chill William experienced. Being dead had some heavy disadvantages.
The sky above him seemed to shimmer orange, purple and blue, the clouds moving across the wide expanse leisurely and aimlessly. The sun was close to setting, but not quite there, and William sighed happily, knowing that this moment was the one he should cherish. This balance between night and day, seconds from being tipped over. This middle ground he’d never find within himself. The sky, at least, had this luxury.
He took another deep breath, taking in the scent of blossoming spring flowers on the trees all around where they’d decided to park. He felt truly at peace, just for a moment, as he hadn’t for years. And maybe it helped that he, Vyncent and Dakota had gotten along fucking brilliantly that day. Or maybe it helped that they were finally making some progress towards something . But William couldn’t help but blame the sky for his positive outlook.
The door of the Winnebegao creaked open and then shut below him, signalling one of his friends’ approach. Usually, this would make him lose this feeling of relaxation, this casual gaze into the eyes of nature, but in this moment William couldn’t imagine shaking himself from this daydream. Instead, he ignored the intrusion this door made on his meditative state, and continued to stare up at the clouds.
He managed to ignore all footsteps and grunts until they were right behind his ear, and, finally, he tore his gaze from the view before him to meet the eyes of one of his friends. Vyncent. William didn’t remember hearing Vyncent climb up, but he supposed he hadn’t been paying that much attention.
Vyncent smiled softly at him, his eyes darting between the sky behind William and the dark pits of William’s irises.
“Enjoying the view?” He asked, shuffling forward so he was set next to William instead of just behind him.
“It’s beautiful,” William said in place of an answer, tearing his gaze from Vyncent’s searching eyes to stare instead at the sky that had held him transfixed seconds ago.
He couldn’t shake his mind from how Vyncent’s face had lit up under the warm light of the setting sun. How his eyes had illuminated and his hair had seemed to shine with an almost magical quality. Like something he’d see in some movie or read in a book he couldn’t put down. He managed to keep himself from turning back to Vyncent to get another look and prove to himself that what he’d seen had been real.
“What are you doing out here?” He asked instead.
Vyncent shuffled a little and took in a breath. “Just wanted to hang out with you.”
“Oh,” William said simply. He couldn’t think of anything better to say. Words escaped him entirely. He mostly just wanted to shuffle closer to Vyncent. He managed not to.
“And the sky is really pretty,” Vyncent said.
They sat in silence for a moment, watching the clouds pass lazily over the sky. The orange was beginning to dim, which felt particularly heartbreaking to William. Especially since it had been lighting his friend so beautifully earlier.
He allowed himself the indulgence of one quick glance at Vyncent. Surely enough, the warm light was beginning to fade, but William realised with a shock that the heat he felt rising in his face when he looked over didn’t. And the urge to close that distance didn’t either.
Vyncent seemed to feel William’s gaze on his face, and turned quickly to look back at him. William quickly looked away, but in his peripheral vision he could see that Vyncent didn’t. He just kept watching him, which felt absolutely terrifying - like he was pushing his hands into William’s chest in search of his heart - but also somewhat exhilarating.
“William?” Vyncent said, after a moment.
William turned back to look at him, seeing Vyncent’s gaze still unbroken.
“I just wanted to let you know,” Vyncent muttered, suddenly looking away from William nervously. William watched this change in confidence with curiosity. “I think… You’re my home, now. You’re more like home than my old home ever was, really.”
William’s mouth dropped slightly open. He gaped for a moment, struggling to find the words.
“You, uh, you too,” he said, joining Vyncent in looking at the Winnebeago roof.
Another beat of silence passed between them. William felt a tug of anxiety gripping at his stomach. Then, in a similar fashion, a tug at his hand.
Vyncent pulled it from next to William, and grasped it tightly in his own. Once again, William found his mouth sitting slightly agape. Quickly, he shut it, and turned again to the sky. Now it shone mostly in purples, which only stood to make him think even more about the person sitting next to him, holding his hand. The person who always seemed to manage to leave him with red cheeks and stuttered sentences.
“Vynce?” William managed to get out around the violent circle of thoughts ripping through his brain.
“Yeah?”
“I think you’re pretty awesome,” he admitted.
Vyncent said nothing, and William felt his heart begin to sink, his hopes going with it.
Until Vycnent squeezed his hand. Once. Then twice. Then one last time. William took in a deep breath, and then returned the squeezes.
Slowly, he leaned into Vyncent’s shoulder.
“The sky is really beautiful,” Vyncent remarked as he leaned his own head on William’s.
William hummed in agreement.
“So are you,” Vyncent added.