Work Text:
Swish, swish, swish.
Toge has always been told that he is naturally gifted and that he doesn’t need to put too much effort into getting good grades. But that never flies in college, and if he has to stare at the blurring lines of code on his computer for one more minute, he’s pretty sure his brain is going to explode.
It doesn’t help that across from him, his boyfriend is anxiously bouncing his foot against the leg of the chair.
Swish, swish, swish.
Toge’s eye twitches.
Their table is in a tucked away corner of the university library -- out of the line of sight of any last minute study-book browsers and right up against a frost bitten window. The sun went down what felt like hours ago, bathing the library in the soft lighting from the street lamps outside.
It’s nice, this little bubble that they’ve created, but the rustling sound of a pant leg is loud and piercing in their carefully curated silence.
His sigh is muffled behind his mask as he stretches out a foot to gently nudge Yuuta’s leg. The other boy’s jump slams the offended leg into the desk above them, causing the pair to both cringe at the harsh sound in the quiet of the library.
Yuuta flinches, “I’m sorry.” It’s spoken hardly above a whisper and Toge jerks his head, shaking his hands out from where they were tucked in his (read: Yuuta’s) sweater.
You don’t have to apologize, stupid. He signs. It was just getting loud.
His boyfriend grimaces and tucks his hands under his now-immoble legs. “I’m still sorry,” he says, looking down at his own open textbook, eyes scanning unseeingly. “I know it’s only one more exam, but I am sure I’ve read all that there is to know about grammatical structures.”
Yuuta releases a hand from his thigh and uses it to tiredly run it through his hair.
While Toge himself is a computer science major, his boyfriend is an education major in their second year and they both have one last exam to take before they can be released for winter break.
Toge nods. I get that, but the professor really likes you and I’m sure you’ll do fine on the exam, you’ve worked hard.
He watches as Yuuta’s hand grips at and then relaxes in his hair. “Yeah you’re right, I’m just so ready for it to be over.” He slumps as he says this, shoulders curving inwards and hand finally falling to his side.
He adds his own hum of agreement, eyes glancing back to the string of numbers on his computer before ultimately reaching out to close the dimmed screen.
He kicks his boyfriend again before signing, Well I’m calling it quits for the night, do you want to head back to the apartment? I can make us tea? He suggests. Or that sugar monstrosity you call hot chocolate?
Yuuta chuckles, face softening out. “I use a completely respectable amount of whipped cream, it’s the only way to drink hot chocolate!”
Toge snorts, kicking his boyfriend again under the table. They sit in silence for a few moments more before sharing one last huff and gathering their things together.
The librarian barely gives them a second glance as they walk by the front desk, too engrossed in their own cram studying.
Toge shoves his hands in his pockets, having forgotten his own gloves at their apartment in his rush to his earlier exam. Yuuta shrugs on his own coat before turning to the shorter boy and adjusting the scarf around his neck. Toge blushes, burying his masked face in the knitted garment.
Yuuta smiles softly, leaning down to brush chapped lips against his forehead. “Ready?”
Toge nods, forehead moving against the others lips. He smiles as he steps back and reaches out a hand for Yuuta to grab.
The taller boy frowns, “But you’ll get cold?”
Toge laughs softly and grabs his hand regardless, tugging him through the doors.
The bite of the wind instantly surrounds them and Toge instinctively shivers, subconsciously pulling Yuuta towards their path to get a move on, but soon realizes his boyfriend has stopped moving.
He frowns, but when he looks over, the other boy is staring at the sky in awe, mouth slightly agape.
His own furrowed brow looks up and when he does, a gasp makes it way past his lips, muffled in the yarn of his scarf.
Snow falls silently and gently around them, coating everything around them in a thin sheet of white. The lamp post closest to them shines wetly in the blanketed darkness, illuminating the two of them in a soft yellowish glow.
“Beautiful,” Yuuta whispers across from him, but when Toge tilts his head back down, he sees that the taller boy is no longer looking at the snow.
A blush quickly finds its way to his ears and he snorts, wiggling his hand out of Yuuta’s grasp to shove his shoulder.
The other boy just smiles in response.
“Wh-! It’s true!” He laughs, dodging another shove from his boyfriend.
Toge rolls his eyes and drops his shoulders, innocently waving Yuuta towards him. The other boy, so naive, relents and walks closer to him.
The blond smirks under his mask and before Yuuta can read the sneaky glint in his eyes, he wraps a foot around his ankle and tugs, causing the taller boy to lose balance and ungracefully fall on his ass in the snow.
Silent laughter makes its way up his throat as he glances down at his dumbfounded boyfriend still sitting in the cushion of the snow. His sides start to hurt when he feels a harsh tug on the bottom of his jacket, yanking him down on his stomach into the snow next to Yuuta.
His laughter abruptly stops against the bitterness of the ground and he whips his head around to find the other laughing against his hand. Toge sits up and signs in front of them, Oh, you’re so on.
A look of confusion paints his boyfriend's face and before he falls for the cuteness of the expression, Toge burrows his hands in the snow next to their legs.
“Wh- wait what does that mean-? TOGE-” Yuuta’s question is abruptly cut off as Toge starts shoveling snow onto his lap and scrambles away, trying to gather more ammunition.
The blond’s laughter is short lived as he feels a snowball collide against his shoulder, the cold seeping through his jacket. He gives his boyfriend an offended look before launching an attack of his own, unrelenting in his throws.
Yuuta gives as good as he gets though, and Toge’s fingers start to go numb in their continued brawl. Their laughter bubbles in the air around them and the blond gives up on his icy hands and tackles the other into the snow, rubbing his cold nose in Yuuta’s neck and shoving his hands under his jacket.
The other boy chokes on a laugh and tries to wiggle away from his hands.
“That’s not cool and you know it!” He shouts around a laugh, using his legs to try and dislodge Toge from on top of him. But they both know that the shorter boy can become immovable when he wants, and there’s no one who can stop it.
“Uncle! Unc- I yield you heathen!” Yuuta shrieks when Toge starts to tickle him. He stops and pulls back, hands slightly warmer from the other's skin.
I win. He signs with a cheeky smile.
The boy under him huffs a laugh, “Yeah yeah you cheater, you win.”
Toge shrugs and moves to stand, shaking out his hands in a shiver before offering to help Yuuta up. They rise to their feet together and brush the clinging snow off their jackets.
The blond tilts his head towards the direction of their apartment in a soft question, but Yuuta looks slightly crestfallen in the still falling snow around them.
Toge’s brow furrows and he grabs the other’s hands in confusion.
Yuuta shakes his head in an attempt to solace him. “No, there’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. Just- give me a second.”
His frown deepens and Yuuta reaches into one of his pockets to pull out his phone, screen illuminating the darkness around them.
His fingers swipe through a few things before a soft melody begins to play around them. Toge’s heart rate picks up and he searches for the shy look on his boyfriend’s face as he gently tucks his phone back in his pocket with the speaker facing out.
Yuuta finally meets his eyes and gently takes his hand again.
“It’s stupid and cheesy, I know, but,” He pauses, taking a deep breath. “May I have this dance?”
The question is whispered softly in the lamplight glow, not lost in the quiet around them.
Toge eventually nods, squeezing the hands in his and takes a step close to the boy across from him.
He loops his arms around Yuuta’s neck as he feels the latter gently place themselves on his waist. He lets Yuuta set the pace, swaying back and forth with him and leaving fresh marks in the already disturbed snow.
The song follows along to their small steps, and its lyrics are not lost to them. Yuuta chose to play the song that they danced to the night they decided to start dating. It’s slow and sweet and it wraps around them, surrounding them in their own little world.
Toge shivers and steps closer to Yuuta, burying his face in his jacket.
“I love you,” Yuuta whispers against the crown of his head. “More than anything.”
He tightens his hold around the other boy and they continue to softly sway in the night.
Eventually, the song fades out and so too do the lights in the library and Toge unburrows himself from Yuuta’s shirt.
He gives his boyfriend a soft smile before reaching up on his toes to give him a quick kiss. When he pulls back, Yuuta’s face is flustered from both the cold and his antics.
Toge laughs a little to himself as he tugs on Yuuta’s hand again, inclining his head towards their apartment.
With his other hand he signs, I remember a promise of hot chocolate?
Yuuta snorts as they start walking, wrapping a warm arm around his waist. “Yeah, let’s head home.”
The snow continues to fall slowly around them as they make their way to promises of warmth in a cup, as well as in blankets, in snowball fights, and in each other.
Because even in the hectic season at the end of a semester, they always find love in the little things they do.