Work Text:
Apricity
(n.) the warmth of the sun in the winter
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To Tyler’s surprise, the sky is blue.
Pale, baby blue with sparse white clouds and the bright sun. It streams through the back door, magnified by the fresh snow.
It’s blinding. Each fleck of ice twinkles in its own way, kicked up when the wind blows. The tips of icicles are visible from the awning, wrapping themselves in the light. The spindly trees are coated in glitter, seeming less weighted down than they had just the day before.
Even with the warm mug of coffee in his hands and the thick sweater, he can feel the cold seeping in through the glass.
Yet.
He stands there, toes curling from the cold, just to bask in the sun. he lets his eyes slide shut as he sways softly to the sound of nothing.
Like this, he can hear so much more. The furnace humming, the wind whistling along the window sills, and the faint twitter of the birds brave enough to sing. A small smile creeps across his cheeks even as he shivers.
Tyler doesn’t like the winter. Doesn’t like the cold, the snow, the ice. The lack of sun, the muddy slush, and the constant crashes because of black ice.
But this. This he loves. These days are the reason he doesn’t move to a place with endless summers. The days where the sky clears, and the sun peeks through, like it too is trying to stay with the world, those days feel real, feel alive.
Warm hands slip around his waist, under his shirt. “Basking in the sun, darling?”
Tyler tips his head back onto the broad shoulder behind him, turning his head to press his face into his neck. “Hmm,” he hums back.
“I swear, you act like a cat sometimes. Sitting in the sun, preferring square rooms, making biscuits on my chest,” Josh murmurs, the vibrations working through Tyler’s chest and face. He can feel each inhale and swallow.
“If you’re jus’ gonna pester me, go back to bed,” Tyler says, “I'll be back soon anyway.”
“No, I wanna be with you. Im done,” he presses a kiss to the top of Tyler’s head, who hums again contentedly.
Eventually, he picks his head off Josh’s shoulder and returns to the winter scene before them.
The blanket of snow was perfectly refreshed from the night before. Unmarked and pristine. Something about it pleases the perfectionist in Tyler's head. He sips his coffee contentedly, tracing the soft curves with his eyes.
Josh’s hands run up and down Tyler's stomach, carefully kneading the soft flesh there before circling his hips sleepily.
“‘M gonna need to let Jim out soon,” he says, as if reading Tyler's mind.
Tyler groans softly, “Let me enjoy its perfection a bit longer.”
Josh agrees before stepping away to fetch the golden. Tyler basks in the perfection as long as he can, until he hears the clicking of Jim's nails along the wood and tile of their house.
The golden immediately runs to Tyler, knocking into his legs hard enough that they almost buckle. Tyler curses, trying to keep his coffee from spilling.
Jim, oblivious, curls his body into a C and wiggles, spinning in circles. His tail thrashes with love and excitement.
Tyler can't stay mad for long, sighing and petting Jim, rubbing his ears.
“You big goof,” he mutters, before unlocking the door. With a wince, he opens it.
Icy air rushes in on a harsh breeze, engulfing Tyler in cold. Jim bounds out the door, sprinting through the yard. The snow kicks up around him, paw prints a harsh cut in the soft blanket.
Tyler shuts the door, pursing his lips as Jim runs in wide circles, ensuring the entire yard is checked out before finding a place to pee.
Once he's done, he returns to his frantic running, diving, and rolling in the snow.
Josh has returned at this point and is beside Tyler, smiling at his dog. Tyler can't help but smile, too. As much as Jim can get on his nerves, he loves that dog to death.
“You have the towel? He’s gonna be soaked when he gets,” Tyler says as Jim takes a running leap into the snow.
“Right here,” Josh says, lifting the sacrificial towel used to dry Jim off when he gets wet from the yard. “How long should we leave him out there?”
“Well, he’s already done his business. Might as well let him have his fun.”
Josh hums in agreement, dropping the towel and returning his hands to Tyler’s sides. “What about our fun?” He murmurs.
“It’s 10 am, no one has fun at ten in the morning,” Tyler laughs. “I haven’t even had my coffee yet.”
“I can count many times we’ve had fun before ten.”
“Yeah, when we were twenty. What do you want to make for dinner tonight?” Tyler turns in Josh’s arms to get a good look at him.
He wears a loose T-shirt and sweats, curls sticking up everywhere, face flushed from both the cold and the warmth of sleep.
“I dunno. Does chili sound good? Pairs with the weather nicely.”
Tyler almost agrees before he remembers. “Do we have canned tomatoes? I think we used them all.”
Josh blinks. “Oh shit, you’re right. Man, I really wanted the chili.”
Tyler rolls his eyes. “You could always go to the store. It's like a two-minute drive.”
“But I don’t wanna go on the roads in this,” he whines.
“Babe. It stopped snowing like, eight hours ago. Im sure the roads are cleared. Do you want me to go with you? Is that what this is?”
Josh pouts and nods.
“Fine. We can get dressed and go to the store. Maybe get some brownie mix? I could really go for some brownies.”
Josh opens his mouth, but it’s cut off by a loud slamming and scratching on the glass. They both look to see Jim jumping on the door, paws smearing mud and water down the glass.
Tyler groans. “I really wish he wouldn’t do that. You’re wiping his feet.”
“Why me?”
Tyler lifts his coffee. “My hands are full,” he grins.
Josh mutters something under his breath, but wipes Jim’s feet as he enters.
When he finally finishes, he turns to Tyler and says, “How are you not freezing right now? I feel like my face is going to fall off.”
Tyler is freezing. His feet are numb, and his fingers ache, but he doesn’t want to leave the patch of sunshine. It could be months before another one appears. But he doesn’t say that, just shrugs.
“We should shovel the driveway and patio soon,” he says instead. “We’ll need to anyway to go to the store.”
Josh groans, hanging the now sopping towel on the hook by the door. He takes Tyler’s free hand in his, pulling him deeper into the house. “Later,” he says. “Just sit with me for a bit.”
He puts Tyler on the couch in front of the fireplace, clicking it on and settling next to him. He carefully takes the mug from Tyler and places it on the coffee table beside them. His arm wraps around his waist, pulling him in. Tyler goes willingly, leaning his head on Josh’s shoulder as they watch the flames.
The sunlight streams through the windows, leaving strips of light yellow-white across the hardwood. Jim pads in, curling up by their feet.
“We need to get up soon. We can't do this for long.”
“But we can for now,” Josh murmurs.
Tyler smiles, letting himself sit. Sometimes winter wasn’t so bad.