Work Text:
When the first snow fell this year, Sion was on the way home from yet another overtime.
The road was deserted when he finally exited his office. It wasn’t that late compared to his previous overshift, but the last train would depart in just fifteen minutes, and Sion knew he wouldn’t make it to the station even if he ran. Calmly, Sion nodded towards the security officer in the lobby, and he made his way towards his small apartment, some kilometers away from this business area.
Sion adjusted the strap of his messenger bag, shoving both of his hands in his trousers’ pockets as he walked. The temperature hadn’t dropped that low yet, but he knew he would need a warm shower once he reached home.
The weather prediction this morning was rather correct; it started snowing around five in the evening. Sion thanked himself for snatching a random scarf from his wardrobe this morning despite knowing that he was almost late. Now, this brown knitted scarf was warming his neck. Small mercies.
As he walked further from his office, he realized that there were still people on the road. Aside from occasional cars passing by, there was a group of youngsters hopping around, laughing, and trying to catch the falling snow with their mouths. When Sion passed by, it seemed like one of them was successfully doing some kind of trick. The group cackled at something—their voices were loud in the late hour.
It looked like these kids were drunk, Sion mused silently. One of them was too busy laughing and holding his stomach, and he staggered backwards. Predictably, he bumped into Sion, and the rest of his friends were instantly hollering.
“I’m sorry, uncle!” The boy’s voice was slurred. He pointed towards the sky and giggled, “first snow!”
Sion only nodded and hurried to leave.
After a while, he began to feel cold. Apparently, his neckwarmer wasn’t enough. Never in his life did Sion feel his apartment was too far away. Heck, he wasn’t that old to walk, but with his unfinished work and another expected overtime tomorrow, Sion suddenly felt tired. Maybe he had to consider camping in his office—it wasn’t his first time to sleep at his desk, anyway—but after a thought, he’d rather go back home and sleep in his bed.
And he saw the bright neon sign of a 24-hour convenience store up ahead, and his heart was warmed for the slightest bit. He wondered if those small hand warmer pockets were already in stock.
Feeling desperate, Sion decided to run. His oxfords weren't built for running, but it would be colder if he took them off. Just for a while, Sion thought, curling his hands inside his pockets. He’d bought a couple of hand warmers and a cup of something hot.
But Sion stopped running before he reached that brightly-lit store because he saw someone he knew, leaning on the streetlamp while doing the same thing as the youngsters did back there. Sion’s heart did a flip inside his chest.
Riku was tilting his head, his mouth wide open as an attempt to catch the falling snow with his tongue. His cat ears were slightly visible from between his dark hair, probably because there was nobody in the road right now. Sion searched around his lower body, and he thought he could see the shadow of Riku’s tail swishing around.
Despite his thumping heart, Sion stood dumbly in his spot. It was a good thing that it was nearly midnight, or someone would crash into him if he suddenly stopped walking like this.
Of course, Riku could sniff his existence. He turned a full circle before facing Sion, like a magical girl. But he was indeed magical, Sion’s head supplied. Never in his life would he know that he’d met and eventually fall in love with a bakeneko.
“Yo, Sion-kun,” Riku called him, grinning. “Isn’t this pretty? It’s the first snow!”
As usual, Riku was indifferent, frank, and amiable at the same time. As one of the senior managers in his office, Sion had always found this brashness refreshing. Riku didn’t care if Sion was the team leader of a project, nor did he care if Sion was thirty something years old. Riku would always address him with the same lightness in his voice, as if they were equal.
“It’s certainly pretty,” Sion said, definitely not talking about the snow. Suddenly, he didn’t need a hand warmer anymore. “What are you doing here?”
Did he wait for me? Sion’s head couldn’t help but wonder. But it mustn't be it—he knew Riku’s patrol route was broad, even though he wasn’t sure how wide. Maybe this area was in his territory. Sion didn’t know how far he had been walking.
Riku approached him, shy but bold as ever. “Nothing. Just hanging out.”
“By yourself?” Sion raised his eyebrows. “Where’s Yushi?”
Riku pouted at this, “even though I have known him since his second life began, it doesn’t mean that I have to know his location all the time.” He smacked Sion’s arm lightly, “I think he’s in his human’s house again.”
“It didn’t answer my question, though,” Sion giggled. “And, aren’t you cold?”
“What’s the matter with hanging out alone!” Riku hissed. He sulked and walked away, the shadow of his tail swishing. Sion jogged to catch up with him, still giggling. “No, I’m not cold! If you don’t want me here, then I’ll go home now.”
“No, no! I’m sorry, I was wrong,” Sion laughed. “Were you waiting for me?”
Riku, still pouting, didn’t refuse when Sion linked their arms together. As soon as they touched, Sion sighed in relief. At times like these, Riku was practically a big, walking hand warmer. Sion didn’t know how a bakeneko’s body worked, but he wasn’t too curious to find it out now.
“See, you’re freezing,” Riku grumbled. Sion felt a bundle of fur coiled around his other arm, the one that wasn’t pressing on Riku’s side. “What will you do without me?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he sighed happily, leaning into Riku even more and making him hiss again. He added, quietly, “thank you.”
Riku only huffed, but he let Sion draped all over him. They walked like this, away from the convenience store, hand warmers and cold completely forgotten.