𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 - 𝘣𝘰𝘬𝘶𝘵𝘰 𝘬.

six

tuesday
16:56
—✧—

          the library was quiet today, but walking there was awful. the cold ate away at you as you plodded down the street. you were only halfway done with the journey when snow began to fall. sure, it looked beautiful, but the sudden change in weather was not good news for you. by the end of your walk, you were sneezing up a storm. it was no better than the temperature inside was barely any higher. you kept your coat on and borrowed the tissue box from the front desk. your nose was bright red from the number of times you'd blown it. your cheeks burned whenever a breeze touched them. what a mess.

          you did your best to start some of your work, but the sound of your ringtone broke your concentration before you could get much done.

incoming call from Bokuto Kotaro...

          you sighed. was this really the best time? reluctantly, you picked up, knowing that ignoring the call would likely only make him call again.

          "hey hey heyyy," he said in a warm tone. you greeted him as usual: cold, both literally and figuratively.

          "it's freezing out here!" he wouldn't be wrong, but he sounded all too happy about it. was he always this happy-go-lucky?

          "it's freezing in here too." you let him ramble, as usual, he mentioned volleyball a lot. he didn't even finish when he ended the call. how random. you were tempted to call him back just to have something nice to listen to, but if he didn't want to talk, so be it.

          you could hear the door of the library creek open. you saw a sliver of him from behind the bookshelf. he rounded the other side and peeked out from behind the shelves. he wore a blue patterned beanie. you envied him for being so prepared for the weather. his blue puffer jacket and gloves looked so warm.

          he slid into his seat across from you, making the pink on his cheeks even more noticeable.

          "you were right. it is cold in here," he says through a laugh. you just stared at your laptop. this essay was not going to finish itself, but the thought of typing made your fingers ache. if you moved them in the slightest, you were sure they'd break off.

          you placed your hands on the table, careful not to move around too much, and sighed. your head fell backward and you just closed your eyes for a bit. maybe you could manifest some warmth, even if just for a minute. anything would help.

          "are your hands cold? you're shaking," bokuto's voice chimed in. you opened an eye and lifted your head just enough to see him looking at you with his comforting smile. if this was the world's way of saying your manifesting had worked, you weren't going to take it.

          you just laid back and closed your eyes again, when a soft warmth touched your hands. bokuto held your hands together and wrapped his own around them. his soft gloves felt nice on your hands. you rested your forehead on the edge of the table. a perfect way to hide your embarrassment.

          bokuto's thumb grazed over your hands every few seconds, sending waves of heat over your knuckles. you could barely breathe, mostly because your nose was stuffed.

          "want my hat too?" he asked. you looked up and sat your chin on the table. he was leaning over your laptop to look at you, your hands still in his. you returned to your original position before he could catch your flustered face.

          one of bokuto's hands let go of you. you immediately pulled a hand away. he quickly pulled his hat over your ears before you could protest. you felt like throwing it on the floor, but it was so warm.

          before you could react, bokuto took your hands back into his. as much as you wanted to pull away, you kind of enjoyed it. the warmth, that is. you would've preferred if a boy you barely knew wasn't holding your hands, but this really was your last resort.

          you lifted your head and a half-finished essay glared back at you. you sighed and let out two quiet sneezes into your arm. when you sat back up, one of your arms was free again. bokuto had his glove dangling between his teeth, his bare hand pressed against your forehead. he was a sight to see. his hair had fallen, due to the hat. the messy strands fell into place almost perfectly.

          "you're burning up," he said as he slipped the glove back on. your eyes slowly moved away from him, you only realized you'd been staring when his cheeks flushed an even darker shade of red. he let go of you and stood up, closing your laptop on his way.

          "where are you going?" you asked, hazily. he slid the laptop towards him and opened up your bag to put it in. "what are you doing?"

          he shouldered your bag and held a hand out to you. your question went unanswered. "c'mon. let's get you home before you freeze."

          "no. i've got an essay to finish."

          "you're obviously sick. let's go." his gloved hand looked rather appealing. you wanted to give in, but you had work to do and he was not going to interfere with that.

          you rested your head on your crossed arms and turned away from him. he sighed before grabbing your forearm and pulling you out of your seat. you sneezed as the breeze tickled the underside of your nose. he dragged you out of the library muttering to himself. "so stubborn."

          the cold air engulfed both of you. his hand slid down to your wrist and you began your walk home.

things couldn't get worse.