Selcouth Wakings | brightwin |

O: 09

The chaos of early night both trembled their ears and passive honks of nearby vehicles were not strong enough to break their hands away from the each other.

After chasing the last second green light with panting steps on the pedestrian lane and a honking delivery truck which looked more than ready to drive if it weren't for them suddenly crossing; both of their stomachs growled as they dodged the traffic enforcer who tried to chase them. Much to their luck, the direction of savory food was mutual with the route of both their feet.

"I didn't take you for a street food guy, honestly." Swinging their interlocked hands back and forth, Win tilted his head to mock Bright's choice of dinner for the night.

"Surprise?" Bending his shoulder to angle Win's mockery, Bright ran his eyes to numerous cheap takeout of fried goods. "I like Japanese cuisine but the closest we'll have here is ramen."

"Then we'll get ramen too." Win smoothly threw before slipping a bill over to the awaiting hand where Bright's order was dangling from.

"Hey, I was going to pay for that. Take your money back."

Rolling his eyes fondly, Win only tugged their hands away from the food booth despite Bright's protests. "I already paid, get over it. You're my little baby today."

They continued walking in search of the only ramen stall that always caters a long line no matter where you look at it. But tonight like how his night started, it was odd for Bright to witness his favorite food stall almost bare of people barricading it; and he wasn't complaining.

"What do you like?" Win was already busy studying the menu beside him but Bright only felt a rare sense of warmth damaging him from within.

You're my little baby today.

Fighting off a little smile, Bright shifts his eyes to the menu.

"Then get me two huge bowls of that."

"And?" Win hints for him to continue not once paying mind to the sudden influx of people lining up behind them.

"Water."

"How many do you want?"

"I don't drink a lot of water, just one."

The cook in front of them watched in interest and absurd cheeks as they bickered carelessly in their own delicate bubble.

"We'll share?" Win finally concludes when he was brought back by the sudden clearing of someone's throat causing him to look back. "Oh shit, when did a line form behind me?"

Bright was never one with the easiness of laughter ever since he realized how different the world was when you grow older; but in this moment he lets himself laugh in sequential spurts of chuckles that almost scared him.

A composing tear of some sort lingers at the tip of his eyes, Win takes one last look behind him before his own laughter followed until in sync, they answered each other in chortle.

"What's taking so long?" Someone from the back yelled as the laughing pair struggled to move away with their stomach bent in the only humor the two of them understood.

"Stop laughing, the ramen might spill." Bright tries to recover with a hand against his chest, the skin heaving with contradiction of what he just said.

"That was so stupid. We probably looked like it too, fuck." Wiping some residues of laughter away, Win held both the steaming containers in one hand despite the burn it gave.

"Your hand." He spared one last laugh before resuming his hold on Bright's hand that was wrecked from his when they moved away. "We'll eat this at your unit?"

Bright nodded because he somehow knew that Win was looking at him. The night was still young after all so the pub definitely still ran in lazy chatter but that didn't stop him from deviating their walk back.

"But this is not the way?" Win trails off when the familiar crossroad that he remembers from all his trips to Luke's dorm was nowhere to be found.

"There's this pub I want to show you."

"Pub? I haven't seen any pub from the amount of times I got lost around here."

Yellow lights surrounded their vicinity and meows of stray cats started to follow their path.

"You got lost? That doesn't seem like you."

"My first night here I went out because I was starving then that convenience store near your dorm?" Bright nods for him to continue. "I was supposed to go there but I ended up near the next town border."

Win bounces on his feet the more they walked until he was able to spot a blinking signage that had a beer and book on it. Without ripping his hand away from Bright's, he points to tell the older. "Is that it?"

"Damn, I would have never guessed it was still an active building from the outside." When they were close enough, Win was quick to touch the disoriented brick walls that looked stricken with grease and age.

If it weren't for his stomach growling, Win would of persisted for them to stay and go inside. After a non verbal promise that Bright never uttered out from his mouth for them to go back, the pair finally walked to the direction of the dormitory.

"What were you thinking when you found that pub?" The younger wonders out loud. He was struggling to balance the ramen bowls on one hand but he wasn't ready to give up Bright's hand either.

Bright shakes his head that made Win bump their shoulders for a brief teasing shove.

"You're not going to tell me?" Bright nods his head timidly as their arms brushed against the other comfortably.

When the dormitory came into view, Win wasted not a second longer to sprint the medium distance to the entrance while complaining that his stomach was growling so bad and Bright needed to hurry up.

With empty fingers from the missing warmth, Bright walked in his normal pace despite Win's distant wails of hunger.

"You," Bright finds himself whispering the simple word to thin air.