The temperature drops at night, and even the thick clothes don't suffice to keep him warm. In hindsight, he should have remembered to bring one of his plush toys with him to this holiday camping trip.

Poll curls under a down blanket while listening to the murmurs of voices outside the tent. The night is young, and his companions must still be drinking right now.

A while ago, he decided to excuse himself first after having a single glass of wine because he couldn't keep up with his friends for too long. While he can consume alcoholic beverages like an average person, he's never been big on them.

Pulling the blanket off his head, he peeks at the tent's entrance and tries to make out the silhouettes of his companions. Tenderness bubbles in his chest when a familiar, delightful chuckle resounds in the area.

He really likes the therapeutic tune of his boyfriend's laughter.

At the reminder that he's now dating Eujae, Poll grips the cotton fabric. It's been a couple of hours since he agreed to go out with the man, but until now, everything still feels like a dream.

He touches his lips as he recalls the intense kiss they shared this afternoon and the way Eujae sent him into euphoria with it. Never has he imagined that kissing someone could be that enjoyable. Or perhaps it was because he did it with Eujae that he had a blissful time. Because that man has a way of making him experience things that he never did before. Not to mention, Eujae can really kiss.

His face slowly breaks into a wide smile and becomes warm, unable to help the giddy feeling that courses through him. So this is what it's like to be in love with someone like Eujae. The sensations it induces are not far from the rush of winning an online game, the joy of eating one of the best sweets, the thrill of watching an action-packed anime, or the satisfaction of being able to complete a painting after a long time. If anything, it's like a combination of all those emotions. And more.

Poll draws the blanket back to his head in a futile attempt to smother his grin. Not only does he not succeed in containing his glee, but he also makes it more obvious when he breaks into giggles.

The male twin rolls to his side and brings his mouth near the pillow, trying to suppress his mirth one more time. Still, it ends up in vain.

It is only when he senses someone entering the tent that he becomes quiet and still. Thinking that the person is Nick, Poll pretends to be asleep.

He realizes that, aside from the evening hums of the insects, the surroundings have gone silent. His friends must have decided to call it a night.

A rustle passes behind him, but Poll ignores it and keeps feigning sleep. He lets out a yelp when the person grabs his waist to spoon him.

"So what was this cute little bean happy about?" The rich voice of his boyfriend drones so close to his ear. Despite the blanket that's separating them, Poll imagines Eujae's breathing wafting and tickling his cheek.

Poll sticks his head out and wheels to the other side, facing the man. "What are you doing here?"

Amused, heterochromatic eyes meet his frown. In spite of the dim light, the male twin recognizes the glow of affection on his boyfriend's face.

Eujae lifts Poll's blanket to join the latter under it before returning his arm around the smaller man's waist.

"I talked to Nick and got him to agree to switch tents with me because I didn't want my boyfriend to miss me so much. And I thought you might want to have someone to cuddle with in this cold weather," Eujae answers, pulling Poll closer.

He'd be lying if he said he's not happy being with Eujae now, but Poll is not going to give this guy a reason to preen himself on the truth. Jutting his lips, he argues, "You're the one who actually misses me, right?"

Eujae grins and gives his boyfriend a peck on the mouth. Without drawing away, he whispers against Poll's lips, "You bet I do."

As he gets a whiff of red wine, Poll deepens his frown. He pulls back to study his boyfriend's expression, noting that the quirk of his mouth has become goofier than usual.

"You're not saying that because you're drunk, are you?" Poll asks and squeezes the other man's cheek.

A chuckle comes out of Eujae as he holds the male twin's wrist. "Don't worry. I've only taken three glasses of wine. Not enough to get me drunk," he answers, bringing Poll's hand to his mouth. With his gaze fixed on his boyfriend, Eujae kisses the smaller man's palm before touching his face. "And tell you what, the only thing that can easily make me intoxicated is you, Apollo."

Damn his blandishments. Poll realizes that the more Eujae utters those sweet nothings, the more his defenses get weaker against them. But he's not willing to give in without putting up a fight.

"Are you sure you're not drunk? Why are you saying something embarrassing now?"

"I guess you just have to get used to it," Eujae answers, his hand slipping under Poll's chin. He leans in to rub their noses together. And then, his soft lips are on the male twin's.

Poll shuts his eyes instinctively as Eujae gives him an open-mouth kiss. His palm lays flat on his boyfriend's chest, feeling the fast beating of the man's heart.

He feels himself blush hard at the sound that escapes his throat when Eujae intensifies the kiss and slides his tongue beneath his. A bittersweet flavor seeps through Poll's mouth, like the taste of the wine they had for the night.

The kiss lasts for only a couple of seconds, shorter than the first one they had during the day, but enough to bring the male twin into rapture again.

A spark of disappointment befalls Poll when Eujae parts their lips. He peers at his boyfriend through half-lidded eyes while his mind floats into the void. As much as he wants to attribute his lightheadedness and shortness of breath to the alcohol that he took earlier, he's perfectly aware that's not the real cause of it. Perhaps, Eujae is the only one who can muddle his brain with little effort too.

"Do you feel sleepy?"

Since he doesn't want his boyfriend to figure out what he's thinking, Poll decides to go along with Eujae's assumption and nods. "But it's cold, and I was thinking earlier that I should have brought the Pokemon plush toy that you gave me on my birthday."

"What do you still need it for when I'm here? You can treat me like your plush toy like you did every time we slept beside each other." Raising a brow, Eujae adds, "Although I'm big and hard, unlike your plushie."

Poll must have gotten so used to all kinds of the man's teasing that, this time, he quickly catches on to the innuendo.

"Why do you always have to–" The remaining words get stuck in his mouth when Eujae locks their lips together once more, effectively shutting him up.

His mind has yet to process what is going on when his boyfriend ends the kiss with a delicate bite of his bottom lip before he leans away.

Eujae places a forefinger on his lips, wordlessly telling Poll to keep it low. "I don't think it's a good idea to shout in the middle of the mountains at this time, Apollo. And everyone has decided to have some rest too." He scoots closer, as if the lack of space between their bodies couldn't be good enough, and tucks the male twin's head under his chin. "I said this before, but I can't really tell if you're just too pure or you're actually dirty-minded with the way you always get flustered about my harmless statements."

"Pretty sure that was not a harmless statement," Poll mumbles against Eujae's chest, inhaling the latter's cool, minty perfume. "You intentionally said that to tease me 'cause you just enjoyed doing it."

"Guilty as charged. It's just that your reactions are too adorable. Also, you're really cute when you're blushing," Eujae admits in a rather pleased tone.

Moving his head away, Poll peeks at his boyfriend and pouts. "How can you tell that I'm blushing when there's not enough light? And you're not even wearing any contacts or glasses right now."

"I don't need to see it; I just know you are. And you're cute whatever you do anyway."

"But you're blushing too," Poll points out as he espies the pink shade on the other man's cheeks.

Eujae smirks, his different-colored eyes glinting with playfulness. "Must have been the alcohol after all."

"Why do you always have a smartass response to everything?" Poll grumbles. Accepting the fact that he can never win against him, the male twin snuggles into the comfort of his boyfriend's embrace and nuzzles his face back against his chest. He puts an arm over Eujae's upper body and twines his leg on the man's thigh. "I think I can make do with this large teddy bear."

The taller man's laughter echoes in Poll's ear. With one last kiss on the male twin's head, Eujae murmurs, "Good night, my cute angry bean. Dream of me, alright?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Black, straight hair flowed beautifully and went a little bit past the person's shoulders. A messy half bun sat on the upper back of his head, revealing the silver underlayer highlights.

His irises glimmered like golden gemstones under the light. Dark, thin lines surrounded his eyes, and his gaze could arrest anyone's attention.

Everything about his outfit lacked brightness. Black sneakers. Navy blue long-sleeve polo shirt that he had half tucked into gray ragged jeans. But even with the neutral shades of his clothes, he exuded a charm that made him shine among the crowd.

At least from a certain art student's perspective, the man could be compared to the most eye-catching piece in a gallery.

Apollo Helios Torres had never seen anyone as stunning as the person who stood near the window in front of the Art College Building's lecture room.

Before this day, he used to not believe that someone like him could have ever existed. It was like he had just witnessed a charismatic main villain come straight out of a visually attractive anime—those drop-dead gorgeous characters who could lay down being cool and being hot in the same line.

The man might have been comparable to a fictional antagonist when it came to fashion, but when he looked up with a smile as pretty as the rest of him, the male art student concluded that there was no way he was as evil.

As he kept sneaking glances at the handsome stranger, an idea occurred to Apollo. How nice it would be if he could have him as the center subject of his painting. He'd perfectly fit in a picture of an ethereal fantasy world.

But for that artwork to materialize, he had to acquire the person's permission first.

No problem. After all, he had been known as someone who could easily make friends with anyone. That was what he thought when he sauntered over to the man who was now busy checking his tablet while his back was propped against the wall.

In his eagerness to get close to his target, the male art student forgot the unsealed can of paint in his hands, something that a random professor told him to bring to the utility room.

He was only a few feet from the man when he heard loud voices behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a group of students laughing and shoving each other. Because he didn't want to get caught in their fooling around, the male art student tried to dodge them by stepping to the side. Unfortunately, he failed to pay attention to what was ahead of him.

The young man staggered when he knocked into someone. A cracking sound made him jerk his head to the floor, and his eyes widened in horror as he discovered a tablet under his right foot. He stepped away from the device, noting its broken screen, and turned back in front of him with all the intention of saying sorry to the person.

However, the sight that greeted him made him instantly freeze. Standing before him was the same man he had been eyeing a while ago. His beautiful face contorted into a grimace as he glared at the bright yellow paint that had spread all over his dark blue shirt.

The apology died on the art student's tongue when the stranger aimed his disgust-filled gaze at him.

And at that moment, he knew that it was over for him. He screwed up. The guy hated him now, and any chance of them being friends had been entirely thrown out of the window.

Just when he thought he'd found the perfect subject for his next masterpiece, he managed to aggravate the person on their very first encounter.

Great, you're an idiot, Poll. No one could have done it worse than you.

The desire to run away grew stronger as the murmurs of unwanted spectators became louder, but the overwhelming emotions paralyzed him and kept him rooted in place. He was so mad that he wanted to beat himself up for causing trouble. He was mortified, and he wished the floor would just open up and swallow him.

So in a last-ditch effort to save his face, Apollo Helios took his frustration out on the man instead. "Don't give me that look! It was your fault for blocking the hallway!"

The scene fades away as Poll opens his eyes to dusky surroundings. Crickets and birds chitter on the outside, harmonizing with the mellow rhythm of falling waters.

With a foggy mind, he sits up and finds the man near the tent's entryway packing stuff in his backpack. It's the same face as the one in his dream, only his hair is now shorter and brown instead of black and silver. And in place of gold, his eyes hide behind crystal blue contact lenses.

As soon as he takes notice of him, Eujae greets Poll with a smile. "Oh, I was just about to wake you up. We're climbing to a higher place in an hour to catch the sunrise." He moves over in front of Poll and gives the smaller man a kiss on the forehead. "By the way, happy New Year."

For he's still nonplussed by the flashback that played in his sleep, Poll nods dumbly and mutters, "Happy New Year."

"Get yourself ready, and I'll wait for you outside," Eujae tells him, ruffling his hair, before stepping outside.

Once he's alone in the tent, Poll covers his face with his both palms and internally screams.

Holy shit.

That was a strange dream. No, he doesn't think 'dream' is the right word for it. 'Memory' fits better. A forgotten one at that.

He remembers the whole incident now. Everything that happened during his and Eujae's first meeting has finally come back to him. The initial attraction he felt for the man. The embarrassment that gnawed him when he realized that he'd messed up. And the anger that he directed at the innocent person because he couldn't think of another way to protect his ego.

Contrary to what he's believed all these years, what he had for Eujae was never hate at first sight.

He recalls that when he went home on that day, he hoped for a way to pretend that the humiliating event didn't take place at all. But he didn't expect that his brain would actually be able to consign an important detail to oblivion.

All this time, his memory has been playing tricks on him, convincing him that there was nothing more to the argument he and Eujae had in the hallway. No wonder there's been this nagging voice at the back of his mind every time the subject of their first meeting crops up.

Poll lowers his hands from his face and gapes at the entrance. Bemused, he whispers, "How in the world did I even forget that bit?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

AN: The next chapter may get a bit delayed since I'm going to a summer trip with my fam for a few days. 'Till then! 😘