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Winter was Ryuji’s least favourite season.
Sure, it had Christmas, snow and hot chocolate, but it was cold. It seeped into his poorly insulated apartment and sunk into his bones, making his leg twinge and the willpower to wake up every morning disappear.
Once it began, it wouldn’t disappear until it became warm again. The cold clung to him, even if he held onto a space heater like his life depended on it, everything feeling dead and lifeless. Ann sometimes joked that he became a zombie during winter.
It sometimes felt like he was one.
Sighing, he held his legs closer to his body, the blanket feeling more like extra weight rather than warmth. He glanced over at Akira, who seemed completely fine, talking about video game trivia as he played. The words sounded muffled, almost as if he was submerged entirely in ice-cold water. His leg was starting to hurt again.
“-uji? Ryuji!”
He jumped, looking up to see Akira looming over, a frown on his face. As soon as Ryuji looked up, the frown melted into a pitying look. “You okay?”
“Yeah…” he answered, realising too late that he sounded lifeless. “Cold.”
“Cold? You have a blanket though?”
He shrugged his shoulders-or tried to-what actually came out was the tiniest movement from only one of his shoulders. Akira looked so concerned for him that he almost tried to put on a better performance, but there was nothing left in him. Moving closer, Akira held a hand against his forehead, clearly trying to see if he was sick.
Right where Akira had touched, warmth bloomed on his skin. “You’re warm,” he mumbled.
Without hesitation, Akira joined him under the blanket, reaching over to hold on as tight as he could. “Is this better?”
Ryuji simply answered by shuffling even closer, resting his head on Akira’s shoulders, feeling like he could breathe properly for the first time in weeks. They stayed like that for a long time, too lost in their own thoughts to talk. When he could finally move, the smile Akira gave him shined brighter than a thousand suns, giving him enough energy to half-heartedly smile back.
Winter was still his least favourite season. But this time, he had someone to help lessen the cold.