"Never deny the truth, it causes much more trouble than you think."

⛓

Play music when '🎵' appears.

⛓

Skylar groans as her head throbs painfully, making her snuggle closer to her pillow.

...

...

...

...

...Her breathing pillow.

Her eyes snap open at the realisation, and she scrambles backwards, only for a hand to grab her by the waist and pull her back. A fiery blush spreads across her cheeks, and she whimpers a bit in embarrassment.

"Easy," his low voice makes her shiver, and his warm breath on her shoulder makes her blush reach her ears. "You were about to fall off the bed."

She doesn't take the time to process his words, her headache coming back with full-force. Instead of crawling away from Rae, she presses her forehead against his chest, now only caring about easing her pain.

With a sigh, the young man allows her to continue her cuddling, though not quite as peaceful as before. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer as she groans in pain.

"You've got a hangover," he informs her, making her whimper slightly. "There's some Advil on the table. I'll make you a coffee while you get changed."

Skylar whimpers as he moves out from under her, robbing her of his warmth. The only thing keeping her from grabbing ahold of his shirt is the tiny sliver of self-preservation. There's no way it'll allow her to embarrass herself further.

As he leaves the room, she finds her motivation to move leave with him. Though his absence makes her realise just how crummy she feels.

When she does get up, it's with the most reluctance that she's ever had, and she grumbles greatly. The Advil goes down the hatch with half the pint of water.

It's takes tremendous effort to pull fresh clothes on, and it pains her to actually move. She doesn't bother to brush her hair, nor put on socks.

She stumbles into the kitchen, barely able to walk in a straight line. Rae awaits her, leaning on the counter with a mug in his hand. He wears a stern expression, his lips pressed in a thin line.

When she sits on the bar stool in front of him, he slides the mug over to her, clasping his hands together as she takes it.

She sips the hot drink carefully before looking up at her roommate. The glint in his eyes is all too familiar.

Skylar sighs, rubbing her forehead with a hand, "Don't."

He raises a brow, but his expression doesn't change.

"I know what I did last night was dumb, okay?" She groans, closing her eyes to try and soothe her headache.

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it," he comments dryly.

"Please don't lecture me," the woman sighs quietly, though it falls upon deaf ears.

"What were you thinking?" He scolds, and his footsteps wander away, "It's simple, you weren't."

"Please stop."

"I'm not going to stop, Sky, because that was irresponsible!" He emphasises sharply, ensuring his words reach her, "You do realise that that you could've burnt the apartment down?! And you were practically unresponsive!"

"Please lower your voice," Skylar whines, resting her head on her arms.

"I know that the most alcohol you'd ever had was a mug of mulled wine! That drinking what you did last night could have resulted much worse!" He inhales to continue his lecture, but upon seeing his roommate trying to cover her ears, he stops. A frustrated sigh leaves him as his expression softens.

The young man stops what he's doing, placing down the pan, and leans back over the counter, gently placing a hand on hers. He rubs soft circles on the back of her hand, making her look up and meet his eyes.

"It's just that I do worry, Sky. I found you sobbing on the ground over burnt pizza. I'm never letting you touch alcohol again," he squeezes her hand, muttering a soft apology when she winces at the sudden feeling.

"That seems fair," she mumbles, taking another sip of her coffee. "I'm sorry."

Rae chuckles lightly, shaking his head before turning back into the kitchen, "I'd say 'it's alright', except it isn't. I'll accept your apology though."

Skylar offers him a strained smile, wincing at her own movement.

"How about breakfast?"

"Hmm. Please."

⛓

"So," Skylar hums softly from her place on the couch, slightly nervous about what she's about to bring up. "What are we?"

Rae looks at her over the top of his book, his puzzled expression creasing his brows as usual, "What do you mean?"

She takes second to collect her mildly scattered thoughts, hiding slightly in Rae's hoodie to keep her blush from view, "Y-you know. Like r-relationship wise."

He places his book down on the coffee table, a slip of paper between its pages, and sits up to rest his elbows on his knees. His gaze is distant, a look he only gets when in deep thought, and the woman takes the moment to admire his features.

Her attractions toward him have been there since day one, but it was only after he expressed his concern when she spilt her coffee that they really grew. Every now and then, when she had the opportunity, she would watch him as he went about his business and allow herself to take in his perfection.

"I don't know," he confesses, catching her snap out of her daze. "I've never been good at things like this."

"Are we more than roommates?" She suggests, failing to hide her dark blush, "More than friends?"

Rae frowns at her, fidgeting with his hands, "Is this because of last night? I already told you nothing happened."

"No!" She squeaks in embarrassment, pulling up the neck of the hoodie to hide her face, "I know nothing happened! It-it's just—well—you got in with me!"

He looks taken aback, and a blush of his own creeps up the back of his neck, eventually tinting his cheeks red. His mouth opens to say something, but he only closes it again, avoiding her eyes as he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck.

"Is-is that not what—?" He stops himself, trying to keep from humiliating himself.

"I don't know!"

The tension grows thick enough that you could cut it with a knife, and the two continue to blabber out half answers. Neither can meet each other's eyes, or even look at the other's general direction without blushing madly and biting their tongue. It gets to the point that Rae decides he's had enough and places a record on the player to ease things up a bit.

🎵

Both of them tense as the song starts, though they relax a little as they listen.

Rae smiles hesitantly, holding out his hands for the young woman to join him. But he grows more confident when she stands up, straightening his posture and giving his best attempt of a smirk.

Skylar giggles a little, placing her small hands in his larger ones and stepping closer as he tugs her slightly. Her heart flutters against her rib-cage as one of his hands rests on her waist.

He starts swaying to the song, guiding his partner to do the same. His smile grows a bit as he gazes at her with adoration, watching her eyes sparkle in the light of the apartment.

The music encourages the two to move a bit more, and they do just that, though it's only slow spinning. Even that, however, is enough to entrap them in the moment.

Rae jolts a touch when Skylar places her head on his chest, leaning into his warmth and listening for his calming heartbeat. His breath is smooth, a comforting reminder to her that this is real, not false.

She hums contently, a smile curling her lips upward as she listens, no longer paying attention to the music, just hearing his heart thump in her ear.

Snow starts to fall outside the window, the white turning a golden colour in the light from the apartment. Snowflakes swirl in the air, floating gently through the air as the couple dance in the warmth of home.

As the music quiets, Skylar sighs happily, closing her eyes as she inhales the scent of the man, unaware of him doing the same to her. So much about him is welcoming, comforting even, something about him is just homely.

"You're wonderful," his rough voice sends involuntary shivers down her back and a dark blush across her cheeks. "Truly, you are."

They slow to a stop, and Rae brushes back a strand of hair from her face, an almost lost smile on his lips. This makes her look up at him, and her lips part slightly at the sight of his gorgeous features.

He takes in each curve of her face, the way her lashes flutter when she blinks, and how her nose turns slightly upward. The beautiful way her lips move when she smiles and speaks.

"Y-you too," she whispers quietly, too drawn into his stunningly blue eyes to form a proper sentence.

Upon catching his wandering gaze, she stutters incoherently, frozen in her spot as she fails to think. But her own eyes drop to stare at his lips, and her awkwardness ceases.

He's too far gone to stop, she knows, but he's knowledgeable enough to keep from doing what he wants. So, with a burst of courage, Skylar lifts her hands to his neck and brings him down closer.

Realising what's happening, Rae panics internally, but meets her halfway, softly pressing his lips to hers. Sparks light up inside his body, and electricity runs through his veins as she pushes back, and he slides his hands down to rest on her waist.

It's nothing like she's ever experienced, like fire rushing through her systems as she becomes overwhelmed by the sense of what's happening. Her brain alights with possibilities and futures that now have a chance, but she locks them away for now, living only in the present. The present in which she kisses her partner.

They know what they are now, no words are needed to be said. It's just them. Just them and nothing else.

⛓

Hooray! Finally!

My heart was trying to see how flips it could do before killing when I was writing this.

Hope you enjoyed!