Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Alright Till, I think that’s enough for tonight!” Mizi clapped her hands together. Till nodded, already beginning to set his guitar back in its case.
“Yeah, we worked really late tonight didn’t we?” He noticed, checking the clock on the wall of their workspace (which happened to be Mizi’s apartment). It was around 10:30p.m.

“We sure did! But I think people will really like this new song.” Mizi said happily, powering down her keyboard.
“Okay, I’ll be heading out now. See you next practice, Mizi.” Till smiled softly, lugging his guitar case on his shoulder.
“Bye!” Mizi waved enthusiastically as he shut the door to her apartment. Mizi’s gaze suddenly moved to her window.

There was a predicted snowstorm, but it wasn’t supposed to start until around 1am. Mizi’s brows creased, hoping Till would be able to get home safely. She almost went after him before Sua peered out of the entryway to the pair’s bedroom.
“Mizi, would you like to come to bed? You seem exhausted.” Sua asked as a small inviting smile that she so rarely wore crept onto her face.

Mizi looked at her apartment door, then shrugged. Till was probably on the elevator already. She then turned to Sua and her comforting smile.
“Yeah.”

~

Till sighed as he pressed the lobby button in the elevator. Practice with Mizi had been fun, but God he was ready to return home and get some rest. The pair had been making music together for almost a year now, and they had been getting some traction around the neighborhood. Sua, Ivan, Hyuna, and Luka had all been helping out of course, but they were finally starting to break out of their obscure shell. Of course music hadn’t been enough to support both of them, so they each had day jobs which kept roofs over their heads.

Till was dragged out of his stream of consciousness when his phone buzzed. That was odd, maybe he had left something at Mizi’s apartment? He slipped it out of his pocket and read the notification.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY

Potentially dangerous winter weather is occurring faster than anticipated.
Travel difficulties are expected. Be aware.

Till swallowed.

He usually walked home from Mizi’s house, since it was only about 30 minutes away from his own on foot. Most of the time he enjoyed the walk, watching the bustling city and the others around him weave through it. But now he wasn’t so sure. He huffed to himself. He could probably survive! It was only 30 minutes, and if things got particularly bad, he could always call an uber. The elevator doors slid open and presented the lobby of the apartment complex.

He stepped out of the elevator and saw the snow through the glass doors at the front of the room. It was coming down pretty hard. Maybe he should call an Uber, he thought to himself. Though he quickly discarded this, it would just be a waste of money anyway. He stopped in front of the glass doors as they opened automatically and exited the building.

White flurries immediately hit his face and clothing, swirling around Till as he obstructed their motions. Till shivered, what the hell was he thinking when he chose to only wear a blazer and a sweater in the middle of winter?! He did remember thinking he looked good in it this morning though. Beauty really could be pain sometimes, Till decided at that moment.

After about 10 minutes of walking, Till regretted his earlier decision of not calling an Uber. His hair and clothes were now pelted with snow, and he was continuously shivering. He eventually stopped trudging through the snow which was right at his ankles, and was only getting higher. He eyed others on the sidewalk, possibly facing the same dilemma as he was. Till weighed his decisions.

He could turn around and walk back to Mizi’s house, but that was already 10 minutes away now. Which would be similar to walking back to his own house anyway (he also didn’t really feel like 3rd wheeling Mizi and Sua). The option of calling an Uber quickly became unlikely, as roads were closing before his eyes as each snowflake fell from the sky and rested on the ground, joining its friends. He could just keep walking to his own house as well, but it was still 20 minutes away. He groaned to himself as another shiver shook his entire body, and his teeth began to chatter. He needed to keep moving, just standing idly on the sidewalk only made him colder. As he took his next few steps, an idea popped into his head. He felt stupid for not realizing earlier.

Ivan’s house was only 5 minutes away from where he was.

Till felt a little guilty, randomly showing up to Ivan’s house in the later hours, but this option looked like a shiny gold bar compared to the complete dirt of his other ideas. He thought about calling Ivan, but what was the point of doing that if he was going to be there in 5 minutes anyway.

Till picked up the pace as Ivan’s house came into vision. He saw the lights on, and Till let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if Ivan hadn’t been home. As he got closer, he thought he saw a figure inside the window. He traversed the steps, and removed his hand from his blazer pocket.

His knuckles were cherry red, fingers feeling almost numb as snow flakes were draped upon the skin of his hand even though he was under the roof of Ivan’s porch. As Till raised his hand to the door, he paused. He wondered if tonight he could make any progress with pursuing Ivan. He was only now realizing how oddly romantic this could seem, but he understood that he could just cover it up with a disguise of it just being convenient that Ivan’s house was that close. Which, it was convenient, but Till was starting to see there might be other perks to this as well.

He then knocked three times on Ivan’s door. Shortly after this, he heard shuffling from inside the house. After another few moments, he heard the click of a lock and suddenly Ivan appeared as the door swung open. Till was blasted with a wave of heat as Ivan’s brows furrowed with confusion.
“Till! What are you doing out there while it’s snowing that hard?” Ivan asked with a frown of worry, quickly grabbing Till by the shoulders and ushering him into his home.
“Practice with Mizi ended later than I suspected, then the snowstorm came early, and I realized your house was really close.” Till paused. “Sorry for coming on such short notice.” Till apologized, looking to the side. Ivan shook his head.

“No, it’s totally alright! I’m glad you came here instead of walking all the way back to your house. You surely would’ve gotten sick, or worse…” Ivan said, trying not to imagine what could’ve happened. Ivan then took a step closer to Till, brushing off excess snow from the younger’s head and shoulders. Till silently enjoyed the touches. Though they quickly left as most of the snow melted as Till entered the older’s home, so now his clothes were just wet and heavy.

“I’m sure you would want a change of clothes, yes? What you’re wearing seems very uncomfortable.” Ivan commented as Till was already peeling off his blazer and handing it to Ivan, who in turn placed the article near the heater to warm it up.
“Yes please.” Till sighed, dropping off his guitar case near the entrance. He then followed Ivan who had gone to retrieve clothes from his bedroom.

Till watched as Ivan rummaged through his closet, discarding certain clothes and grabbing others. He eventually handed Till a sweatshirt and matching sweatpants.
“These are probably the smallest clothes I have, sorry if they’re a bit big on you.” Ivan said.
“It’s cool, anything is better than what I’m wearing now.” Till joked and Ivan chuckled lightly.

Till stepped into Ivan’s bathroom and quickly replaced his sopping wet clothes with warm, dry new ones. He sighed fondly as he recognized that the sweatshirt smelled similar to Ivan, and he marveled at how the material felt astonishingly warm against his skin. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and noticed he was blushing. He huffed as he turned away from the glass and picked up his old clothes and walked out of Ivan’s bathroom.

Till walked down the hallway and noticed Ivan waiting for him at the end of it. The older boy took the garments from Till’s hands and placed them near the heater with his blazer. Ivan was right, the clothes were pretty baggy on Till, obstructing his figure. Ivan had to stuff down the urge to immediately tell the shorter how cute he found him. Ivan then sat on the couch, gesturing for Till to sit down as well.

“I think the next best thing is to just get under a blanket and rest for a while. Is that alright with you?” Ivan asked, and Till scoffed.
“I’ve been waiting all day to do that.” The younger sighed with relief, joining Ivan and grabbing a blanket that sat folded on one of the couch arms. Till draped it across his lower half as he watched Ivan grab a remote from his peripheral vision.
“What were you up to before I came around?” Till questioned.
“Watching a movie.” Ivan replied, before eyeing Till. “Could I put it on?” He tilted his head.
“Sure man, it’s your house.” Till shrugged as Ivan pressed play.

It was simple at first, with both boys on opposite ends of the couch. Though as the night went on, Till still felt very cold. Every couple minutes Ivan caught Till shivering, even when he pulled the warm blanket all the way up to his shoulders. Ivan had a thought that sat in the back of his mind that he was too embarrassed to admit aloud. But at the same time, he could barely stand seeing Till so cold, so he decided it couldn’t hurt to try.
“It seems like that blanket isn’t doing you any good.” Ivan said, playing his words off like a joke as he paused the movie. Till huffed a laugh.
“Yeah.”
There was a pause of silence between the two of them.
“Are there any other ways you would want to warm up?” Ivan asked, a clear suggestion that Till understood. The younger’s cheeks quickly pinkened at the realization, but he gave a small nod anyway. Ivan’s eyes lit up, but the rest of him played it cool.
“Are you sure?” Ivan questioned, but Till was already moving closer to the taller and Ivan was already holding his arms out.

Ivan laid across the couch as Till stationed himself between Ivan’s legs, collapsing atop the black haired boy as he used his chest as a pillow. One of Ivan’s arms snaked around Till while the other hand reached for the blanket, placing it over the younger and himself. The blanket stopped at Till’s shoulders, like it had earlier, but this time he was gently pressed against Ivan. Till laid on his stomach as his head was on its side. Ivan then hugged Till close, and the younger sighed with fondness and relief.
“Are you comfortable?” Ivan asked, though he already suspected the answer as a tired smile crept onto Till’s face.

“Yeah… you’re really warm.” Till commented, punctuating his point by slightly nuzzling his face into Ivan’s chest. The taller one felt his heart jump. Ivan for once didn’t say anything in reply, he just unpaused the movie as red rushed to his cheeks.

The two stayed like that for what must’ve been a long while, with Ivan gently rubbing Till’s upper back as the movie continued. But soon enough, the credits began to roll
“Wow, that wasn’t that bad.” Till stated as he yawned. “Oh, it looks like there’s a sequel.” He added.
“Should I put it on?” Ivan questioned, grabbing the remote while not compromising the two’s position.
“It’ll probably be worse, but sure.” Till shrugged.

About 20 minutes into the next movie, Ivan decided something.
“I’m gonna move us a bit, okay?” Ivan said, voice quieting as he got sleepier. Till mumbled out an ‘okay’ as Ivan turned onto his side, turning Till along with him. They now lay back against chest as Ivan’s hands roamed. One of them coiled around Till’s waist while the other was placed where Till’s heart sat under his skin.

Till felt his ears turning red as he leaned into Ivan. He enjoyed it a lot more than he was willing to admit. Ivan then rested his head atop Till’s, feeling soft hair brush against his chin. He resisted the urge to press a tender kiss there. As they continued cuddling like that, Ivan had a realization.

Till was not cold anymore. At all.

Yet there he was staying completely still in the position. Of course Ivan didn’t pull away, but he’d begun to think this wasn’t as platonic as he thought it would be. Not that Ivan minded of course, if anything he was elated to see returning affection so blatantly and happily. But Ivan was as helplessly in love with Till as the other was with him, and yet they were both still painfully oblivious to the other’s feelings even while spooning. But the thought of whether it was platonic or not didn’t matter to either of them then. All that mattered to Till was that he was warm and safe in the arms of his closest friend as he felt his eyelids get heavy and his brain get foggy.

After Till fell asleep, Ivan considered moving the pair to the bed. The taller decided he ‘would do it in a moment’ but that thought was completely trashed as he drifted into slumber of his own.

~

When Ivan opened his eyes again, it was clearly lighter outside. White light filtered in through his windows, its color resembling the snow outside. Till still lay snugly pressed against the taller, quietly sleep-breathing. Ivan continued to hold him, and he almost would’ve fallen back asleep then and there if it weren’t for his sudden dry throat. He decided it couldn’t hurt to leave and get a drink.

Ivan slowly began retracting his arms from around Till’s body. First he removed the one hooked under Till’s arm that rested over his heart. Only when he began to move the arm wrapped Till’s waist did the younger begin to stir. Ivan was startled to a stop as the Till turned to face him, eyes half lidded and still barely awake.
“Ivan?” He mumbled, voice raspy.
“Ah, sorry for waking you. I was going to go get a drink, but-” The taller’s sentence was quickly cut off as Till hugged Ivan close, resting his head in the crook of Ivan’s neck as he wrapped his arms around the black haired boy.

“Just five more minutes?” Till requested quietly, though it already looked like he wasn’t taking no for an answer. To no one’s surprise, Ivan didn’t mind one bit, returning the hug at record speed.
“Of course.” The taller agreed, deciding his dry throat could wait.

After 5 minutes turned into 10 minutes, and 10 turned into 20, Ivan decided he should probably clarify something.
“Till? Could you look at me?” Ivan questioned. Till, who surprisingly hadn’t fallen back asleep, removed his head from the older’s neck and stared up at him. The younger looked more awake now, eyes wider and expression more alert.
“Is this platonic?” Ivan asked, pupils suddenly darting, failing to keep eye contact with the shorter due to his fluster. Till didn't falter one bit, though.
“Do you want it to be?” Till asked, hands moving away from Ivan’s back to rest on his shoulders.

“…No.” Ivan decided quickly, being able to look at Till this time as the younger smiled at his response.
“That’s good, because I don’t either.” And with that, the pair’s lips connected seamlessly. Till showed his affection through the kiss eagerly, months of pining and wishing finally being let out in the open. Ivan returned it to the best of his ability, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was drowning in the other’s advances. Till took Ivan’s bottom lip between his own and tugged on it before kissing him normally once more. Ivan shivered at the contact.

“Hm,” Till began as he stopped for breath. “I never expected to see you of all people get so flustered.” The younger mused, running his hand along Ivan’s shoulder gently. Ivan’s cheeks flamed, and the only way he could think to reply was with a kiss of his own. His hands flew up to Till’s hair as he kissed the younger with a particular passion. Till returned of course, but they parted soon enough as Till had gotten an idea. The younger quickly fetched something from his blazer pocket by the heater.

Till quickly reseated himself on the couch as he revealed what he had grabbed. There sat in his hand a chapstick tube, and he was already popping off the cap.
“People’s lips get really dry during winter.” Till commented as he began rolling the chapstick onto Ivan’s bottom lip as the black haired boy’s cheeks reddened even more intensely. The two’s faces were endlessly close. Till gingerly ran the chapstick over Ivan’s lips, clearly enjoying the reactions he was receiving from the taller. Once he finished up on the top lip, he clicked the cap back on and slid it into his pant pocket. Ivan exhaled through his nose, rubbing his lips together as he got used to the sensation of the chapstick.

Till kept his eyes on Ivan’s lips as they moved, and couldn’t resist capturing the elder boy in another kiss. It felt particularly different to Ivan this time, with both of them exploring the new texture that the chapstick gave. Whenever one parted with the other for breath, their lips slightly stuck together for a moment due to the slight stickiness of the material.

Till pressed one more chaste, soft kiss to Ivan’s lips before descending slightly. First it was just a kiss to the corner of Ivan’s mouth, then just below it, then on his jaw. Some of the chapstick had rubbed off on Till’s lips, so each spot left a tingly, lip-balm like sensation wherever Till kissed him. Ivan eventually had to stop Till when the kisses reached his neck.
“Till, wait.” Ivan called. “Not yet.” The taller added. Till quickly retracted his head from Ivan’s neck.
“Sorry.” Till apologized, wiping at the singular faint chapstick mark that lay on Ivan’s neck.

“No worries. I want to, just not yet.” Ivan said, and Till smiled in turn.
“Okay.” Till replied, instead just gently hugging the taller as an alternative to his previous advances. Ivan hugged back of course, feeling nothing but ecstasy for the pair’s quickly blooming relationship as they embraced on the couch once more.