Winter nights || Seongjoong short story ✓

1| Winter nights

It wasn't to tell when the sun had set, as the sky had been covered in a thick layer of white dust all day long. He didn't feel the temperature dip further down, already having his senses frozen cold, although he tried keeping his heart beating in the last ray of warmth. Somehow, Seonghwa had managed to drag himself to the naked tree that stood a few meters away. Every fiber in his body had denied the request, though he had pushed through the pain of cold and hurt until his scattered frame laid still against the hard shield of rind. The male felt too much to know that assorted bones were broken even without having an executing perceive his suspicion.

Darkness swelled in his senses, having the blow of winter fill his veins with cold. The young man wished to curl himself together until the slightest heat sparked alive, but he couldn't. Seonghwa's breath was heavy and faint, hands were forced apart when he sought for braiding them in silent prayer. He wasn't able to move when another wind rustled through his clothes. This night, Seonghwa would stay awake when he wanted to fall asleep.

The ground was wet and uninvited started soaking through the fabrics when Seonghwa's mind slipped to far corners. He wished dreams to stay awake while he fell asleep. Slowly, the male felt his lips crack and nothing more than an hourglass was appearing graceful in his imaginations. It was idly a question for time to run out. Until the last sand grain had blown away.

There, he forced his head up as he stared into the rays of white that exploded in the dark of the night. Seonghwa's teeth clattered with his whole body that shook in chill while his eyes sought through the tears that formed because of the bright light. His neck was cold, and wouldn't move, thus he stayed in place having no living chance on scurrying away if the light was to fear. But he knew it wasn't.

With only teardrops dripping down his cold cheeks, the young heir felt his breath strangle everything inside of him. A broadening of white feathers withered in what he couldn't see before a boy appeared from what would have been the escape of the hourglass. His last breath was taken away.

It was an angel, that approached his poor form, he was sure. Gentle with every single movement of the time as he lowered himself to Seonghwa's stade and reached for assembling his falling tears. Was he saved? Wordless, the boy stared at the stranger that let the collected tears melt across his fingers before they fell to the ground. The boy raised his head again, searching for the frozen orbs of Seonghwa's. Seonghwa had never met this boy before, although the eyes of the stranger were glinting with knownance and comfort as if he had known them sometime before. A lie would fall from his lips if he wouldn't be spelling the truth.

"Thee eyes are shining like millions of sparkling diamonds.."

He didn't knew why, how, or when the words left his lips as they had glued together, but when his breath suddenly dusted the air with the mist of a lost soul, he heard his own words as a faraway echo. Seonghwa wasn't sure of why he only saw the eyes of the boy. A heavenly stargaze, glimmering down at him. And then, his eyes felt heavy, too heavy, letting exhaustion swathe tightly around his body in a spell, and he closed them preciously.

Seonghwa felt like he was sinking deeper down than the snow would allow him to, while the beautiful snowflakes were piercing through his being with a hidden secret. His thoughts were disappearing under the surface as he gasped for air. If just another minute had passed, he would never have known the unfamiliar boy had touched his face with his warm hand that sparked life to last a small amount further.

"What do their name be, wondrous," a faint soft voice spoke, warming his senses.

"Seonghwa.."

The boy repeated the spoken name, letting it melt onto his tongue without any twist. Seonghwa did not hear any of it. He wanted the coldness to swallow him instead of lapping on him slowly and addictively. He wanted to believe that survival was not a part of the horizon, but this boy would do him differently.