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 Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2019 12:17 pm
prompt The night is cool but not unbearably cold; somewhere, in the distance, a faint tune carries on the breeze. Whether you choose to follow it or not is up to you but the tune is vaguely familiar. Maybe you can place it, maybe you can’t, but it resonates with you and you find yourself full of emotion. If you choose to follow the music you wind up in an isolated lake in the park. It’s frozen over, but you see a figure skating across the ice, playing a violin. They will skate and play for as long as you watch, but at some point--between one blink and the next--they disappear, like a shadow on the wind. The tune echoes but fades quickly, leaving behind only a strange emptiness. The figure never communicates and never leaves the lake; they never stop playing but if anyone gets too close they simply disappear. The music seems to play on any night it snows in the park.
Nataniel had first noticed it when he'd moved into the apartment over the summer. As someone accustomed to being indoors and out of the sun, Nat cared little for the heat. He kept his air conditioning at a comfortable seventy degrees. Except when he turned his AC on in the summer, it never went off. Most of his home stayed temperate, if not on the warmer end, but his bedroom practically froze over. The air circulation was bad. No surprise, the apartments weren't new.
But the issue persisted into the winter. He'd lowered the temperature to sixty degrees (he had bills, and a constantly running system drained his resources a little too quickly), but still, the heater never went off, and his bedroom was near blistering while the rest of the apartment remained chilly. Nataniel kept his door open to encourage air circulation. He checked the vents to ensure none of them were cut off, but it just was what it was.
His room stayed a bit too warm, and everywhere else stayed a bit too cold.
To combat this, he'd opened the sliding door in his bedroom that led out onto his small balcony. The air outside wasn't even that frigid for a winter's day, and it smelled like his neighbors were keeping their fireplaces lit. ...He liked that smell... But was beyond too lazy to tend to any such thing in his own home. And to top it off, a quiet rhythm fluttered in on the breeze. Delicate, nearly inaudible. Nataniel dismissed this as someone nearby having a small gathering. Perhaps another student in one of the apartments nearby.
He'd used to go out during the winter with his family. They vacationed during the winter, more so than the summer, so Nat minded the cold far less than he minded the warm. They used to go sledding, skiing... skating. Nataniel hadn't done that in... a long time. Years, probably.
The sound, the smells, the crisp air were all weirdly enticing.
He'd been standing in his closet, flicking through old garments that he scarcely wore and had no need for beyond that it seemed wasteful to have spent money on them only to shove them in his closet. Nataniel hardly went out enough to merit all the winter wear he had, and it was barely so cold that he would need any of it for more than a month or two.
All of it was too large for December.
But just because he wasn't going to get use out of it for long didn't mean he couldn't get use out of it now. He pulled a grey long sleeve sweater from a hanger, and a long, olive coat with a furry brown hood. He deposited these unceremoniously on December, on his bed. "Put these on," he commanded softly. "I have a few errands to run."
He selected a sleeker, double-layered black coat for himself and seemed content with that. Even if it wasn't terribly cool out, it would feel colder once they got on his bike.
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Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:09 pm
If there was any one good thing about the Negaverse, it was the the temperature in the barracks never changed. It was at a somewhat comfortable warm degrees, and December never had trouble falling asleep because he was too cold or overheated. Not like the human world, where snow was falling more and more and more and he just couldn't shake off the chill.
Anyone who touched his skin would think he was sick, as he ran nice and cozily hot for someone who seemed to shiver constantly in the cold air.
Even now he was under a few layers of sheets, nestled cozily in Nataniel's bed and poking at a game on his phone. As much as he adored his partner, he secretly hated how cold he kept the inside. Even 60 was too low for him! If the older man thought his room was too hot, December found it not hot enough, and would cuddle in close to mooch off any extra warmth Nataniel had.
Right now, though, he was content, and a few moments away from dozing off under those blankets. A second more and he'd be off in dreamland, but a lump of stuff was dropped on him, earning a small 'oof!' before he poked out his head from under the blankets.
"We're going right now? Oh, can we get donuts on the way back?" December didn't really want to go out... But he was curious to see what was given to him, and chose that the temptation of trying on the new clothes was much more entertaining than his little warm cave.
For someone so cold, he had worn very little under the sheets, popping out of the bed in only a tank top and boxers. Nataniel's boxers, to be exact. He didn't think much of it though as he pulled on the shirt first, rolling up the sleeves a few times before he went around hunting for his pants.
"This sweater is so cozy... Thank you!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 2:13 am
“We had donuts last time we went out,” Nataniel stated, shaking his head to refuse the suggestion. He wondered vaguely if December just wanted him to get fat and lazy, so he’d spend all his time in bed and not getting up early to go running or leaving in the evening to tend to his quota requirements. What did agents do when they grew too old to meet those physical expectations…?
He collected a box from the bottom back of his closet, and already dressed, himself, Nataniel moved toward the entryway to pick up his keys and put on his boots. It really was kind of a pain, wasn’t it? To have to try and get December ready before they could go anywhere. In this case, there were no other options since the younger man just didn’t own that much he could get ready with, but…
Nataniel shook his head and called back to the bedroom, “Hurry up.”
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Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:39 pm
“Aww.... Okay...” It was a fact of life that he couldn’t just lie there and whine and try to be cute and get his way. Not that he ever thought that would work with Nataniel except on very specific occasions. So he simply learned not to argue, and got up without much fight.
Despite the extra work Nataniel had to put into gettin him ready, December never protested the clothing he was provided. Everything was special and suited him... And he was spoiled to have such nice things in the first place, so complaining was the very last thing on his mind.
What was on his mind was what exactly they were planning on doing.
“So.... Where are we going? Is it far? Do I need to bring more layers incase I get really cold? Is Dusk coming with us this time? I wanted to get her a present for the holidays... Maybe a cute hat to put on her for pictures. I was thinking a sweater originally but that might be too dense for her... I can make a little hat though!” On and on he rambled, happily chittering away until he was ready to go. He waited by the door until Nataniel was nearby, then wrapped his arms around him, slipping his warm hands under his shirt to seek out further warmth.
“Are we taking the bike?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 7:44 pm
"I..." Nataniel glanced down to the box he'd set on the floor while he slipped on his shoes. Was he being ridiculous? He wasn't a sentimental man, so it felt like he ought to consider it a waste of time to be running about on a whim, when it would be much more practical to stay at home, and likely just as enjoyable. But he was already dressed, and so was December. If wasting time was a concern, he'd do that by not following through, at this point.
Nataniel rolled his shoulders. "I just had an urge, I suppose. We will not be going anywhere very far or for very long. You will be fine in what you have on." He picked up his box, collected his keys and slipped out the door with December behind him, breaking away from the younger man's creeping fingers.
He thought he could still hear the quiet thrum of a melody on the wind...
For reasons he couldn't quiet explain, besides the sudden swell of nostalgia and sentimentality, Nataniel found himself driving in the direction of the notes. It was odd December hadn't mentioned anything. Or maybe it wasn't. He wasn't the most observant child, and he probably couldn't hear much of anything over the sound of his own voice. But that was neither here nor there. Nataniel followed the street for as long as he could, but eventually, there was no more road to ride on. He pulled up along the grassy edge and cast a glance back to December. "Do you want to keep going?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 1:34 pm
"An urge... Yeah, I understand! Sometimes, you just gotta go. I'm happy to come with you. I love spending time with you." Even if they were just going to the gas station, December would have loved it. How could he not? He had fallen in love with Nat's motorcycle!
The feel of the rumbling between his legs, how closely he got to press up against Nataniel's back, the slight breeze that tickled the ends of his hair that peeked out from under the helmet. He loved every bit of it. So much so, that he barely pouted when his hands were suddenly empty of the man he once held.
Boo.
But he was quick on his heels, following behind him and holding on tight the whole ride.
Faint sounds of music seemed to fill his ears, but.. Well, music seemed to play in his head all the time, so maybe it was just some tune he had stuck that he couldn't recall hearing before. It wouldn't have been the first time.
Soon enough, they stopped, and he shifted, peeking over Nataniel's shoulder to the grass before them. Huh.. Where exactly were they?
"Sure! I'm happy to keep going as far as we can! It's wonderful being out here with you, like this!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:39 am
Nataniel kicked the stand on his bike and slipped off, collecting his box from the storage compartment before moving too far away. "It's just the backside of the park," he explained as he began to walk across the grass. "Behind the ring of trees that circle it." It would've been easier to park on asphalt in designated parking, but that wasn't where the song had led them, and so long as they weren't lost in an unfamiliar place, Nataniel decided the route mattered little.
He picked his way through the trees. Though the air was crisp and chilly, it wasn't so bad that he had to hide from the wind. There wasn't snow on the ground to make the walk more difficult. There wasn't anything to make him feel encumbered by the trek. It was just odd, strange, to be following the sound of music all the way from his apartment to here.
When they cleared the treeline, a frozen lake greeted them.
Nat would have expected that it wasn't cold enough for that, either, but perhaps it was still frozen from days prior, which may have been colder. He let his dark gaze wander over the ice before landing on a figure. It was too far across the lake to make out much of it, but it seemed like it may have been a woman, skating around on the ice. ...While playing a violin?
How bizarre.
As if in answering to his previous thoughts about it 'not being cold enough,' a delicate snowflake drifted from the sky and landed on his nose. More followed. It seemed odd, but otherwise harmless. The strange music had been coming from her, but she didn't look familiar. He tipped his head slightly, inquisitive. "There is someone else here," he told December flatly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 7:39 am
December had the biggest urge to ask what was in that box Nataniel was holding, but kept it to himself. Being nosy wouldn't do anything for him, and if Nataniel wanted to tell him, he would have done so already.
Maybe it was something he wanted to bury, and that's why he came all the way out here. Or he wanted to toss it into the lake. If that was his plans, he'd be disappointed, cuz the lake was already well beyond frozen at this point.
Strangely enough, the music got louder.. Huh. maybe it wasn't simply in his head. And then there she was, this woman, on the ice... Playing a violin.
"... That seems stupid." It was surprisingly blunt of December to say that, but even he knew it was a dumb idea to have a Violin out here in this weather. "The moisture is gonna mess up that violin. And if she tripped and fell, then she'd wreck it. And good violins are expensive."
As pretty as it was, he shook his head. "... You know, this makes me think of some cheesy moments in a drama I watched before. You think there might be some hidden cameras around here to record people passing by and looking at her? "
But now, he was cold, and simply found the urge to get out of the snow. So he'd gently nudge Nataniel out of the cold, somewhere warmer and where he could shower his love in the most appropriate of affections.
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