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He puffed out, smoke mingling with the steam of his hot breath as he tilted his head back, watching the softly falling snow.
The street was quiet in a way it only ever is after fresh snow had fallen, absorbing any sounds, the streets abandoned because it was late, everyone tucked into their beds.
All their shows were finally over, 2022 was gone.
They didn't have to do much now, they had all agreed to take a break before working more on the new album or getting ready for their spring tour; so they had returned to Oulu.
Tommi and Olli still lived there of course so they had a place to stay, them long having since combined their home into one, and not far from a favorite bar of theirs that they used to come to after every gig.
Hell, he remembered sneaking Tommi and Olli into the bar and buying them booze, making sure they never got drunk so as to not tip off their parents.
Although there was the one night Mr. Lalli had stopped him after dropping Tommi off and said that he remembered being a young man, and hoped they at least wasn't buying the cheap stuff like he used to.
To this day, he had no clue how he had figured it out.
It wasn't the first time bringing Aleksi to the bar either, having done that when they first brought him to Oulu when they wanted him to join the band.
But it always made him smile to see the other man relaxed in a spot they love.
He took another drag of his cigarette, still watching the silently falling flakes.
They had walked, but the roads weren't bad, just coated in a fluffy layer, they shouldn't have any problem getting back to the apartment when they were done.
The door opened next to him, the noise of the bar filling the silent alley, and he felt a strong arm wrapping around him.
"You ok Joel?" Tommi asked, "you've been out here a while."
Joel sighed and leaned into him. "Better with you here."
The drummer chuckled, pulling him tighter against him, telling him how the rest of their boyfriends were quite hammered at this point in the night and they should get them home.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Tommi asked before opening the door.
"Yeah," Joel smiled at him, "it was snowing like this, when we all got together."
None of them could forget the snowy night they had all gotten drunk, dissolving into Aleksi admitting that the worse of 2020 for him had been not being able to see them as often, eventually leading to all of them admitting to feelings that have been barely under the surface for years.
Tommi smiled back, "it was."
Together they helped gather their drunk boyfriends; Joonas giggling and grabbing Joel's hand as they bundled back up to go into the night, encouraging Niko to take the other.
Joel laughed, because at least it was one way to keep track of them, seeing that Olli and Aleksi had done the same with Tommi as they left the bar.
The snow crunched under their boots as they walked towards the apartment just a few blocks away, Olli's drunk laughing echoing as he grabbed at Niko's hand and connected the six of them, making a drunk human chain.
His drunk human chain, Joel thought affectionately, him and Tommi exchanging smiles, snowflakes already sticking to all of their hair.
He wouldn't have it any other way.