Selcouth Wakings | brightwin |

0: 16

The mornings where he doesn't remember a single thing are the hardest.

Like white walls and the smell of bleach; the plain glances he can't read but he dwells on; and the void he can't misplace after opening his eyes—Bright hated that the most.

"Win?" He watches the boy carry on with his typing fingers; their draft a couple of seconds away from completion but he never raises a pint of recognition.

Bright frowns, the cold coffee burning him a little oddly until it didn't.

Craning his neck to the side, Win rolls the stiffened anatomy with tired eyes then it lands on him. "I'm hungry," he pouts to which Bright whole-heartedly memorized.

"Off and Gun aren't back yet."

"They're taking so long." The pout never went away and Bright thinks of melted butter and greasy croissants from across the university. Win looks up with little too red eyes; he knows what he's doing.

"What part are you?" But he already finds himself standing while his dorm keys rattled and the sound of hushed laughter filled the empty shelves of the study hall.

If Bright lets himself look around, it somehow reminded him of those mornings; but this one smelled of pancakes and bacon while his favorite cartoon plays. The sound of a short clap snapped him out from staring at Win whose head eagerly nods at him.

"I'm done! We're done!" Bright leaps in an instant, hands snaking around Win's face to cover his mouth even when his own eyes ran around the page. No red marks or even green lines decorated the document and just plain words of black ink.

He crosses the street with just the same excitement while Win's smiling face played again and again inside his head. Bright knows it was meant to be due someday and working together would end once their reports are complete; but maybe he could lie a little more.

"Two croissants and one Pita flat." Bright recites like Tay's back wasn't fueling him to tell the cashier to just keep the change. He didn't even get to feel the pastry bag against his palm when an arm enclosed around his shoulders.

"Youngin, fancy seeing you here." On different days, he might have craved the tenderness of the phrase as he hears it after rough days he tells no one. Not now when his life was messing up in the best way and for the first time, Bright knows why.

"I'm in a hurry." He tries to dodge Tay's persistent clinging while murmurs of annoyance from people behind them started to burn both their cheeks. Tay doesn't let go though, just his hands wrapping around Bright's own elbow to drag him outside.

"I haven't seen you in a while."

"Idiot, we live together." Bright side eyes the older boy who didn't look a bit troubled that they were jay walking across the pedestrian.

"Really? Well, it doesn't feel like it. I don't even hear you around anymore." Tay continues to rant when they reached the study hall corridors. Each step takes Bright a second to place his shoes along as he tries to come up with the most reasonable answer.

It was Tay after all. The older knew him without needing to talk. Bright hated and loved it all at the same time.

"You've been coming home late, waking up at dawn and what else?" Tay unconsciously led them away once he caught sight of the familiar boy from across the multiple study tables. He feels the stiffness of Bright's steps but some words were needed to be said—or lack there of.

"Youngin, I'm talking to you."

"I can hear you, shut up." The younger groans as he successfully peels himself away from Tay who held both their pastries against his chest. Bright didn't have a choice but to look at him and one cross of their eyes told him how deep of a grave he decided to dig already. "We're just finishing our reports all week. The paired one and the one with Off."

The look on Tay's face never falters and Bright knows it was useless to spurt out words that won't do anything to change his friend's expression. He felt like a kid again; the impending scold of things he already knew would be delivered by him in sober ways and Bright was way past that.

"You're skipping are you? I heard about what happened."

The bell rings and Tay locks his stance to prevent Bright from walking away. He reads the resignation on the younger's face and he watches it all unfold all over again. "Off never shuts up does he?"

"We just care about yo—"

"There's a difference about caring and meddling, Tawan." Tay's eyes burns at the name and his fingers tighten around the bags in front of him.

"He's still your Father, do you understand where we're coming from?" He watches Bright shakes his head in utter disappointment before a solid shove breezed his shoulder.

"That's the main problem so the answer is no;" Snatching the bag from his hands, Bright locks their eyes with finality, "I don't understand where you're coming from."

By the time Bright gets back, Win already had all their things put away and the sight of a cleared table never looked that endearing before. Bright swoons at the sight that he hid in the softest glare.

"Frowning Bright again," Win murmurs the second he retrieves his spot beside him. The pastry bag was forgotten first as gentle hands smoothened the worked up creases on his face.

Bright stills as he thinks of the last time he lets Win touch him intimately; and how ugly tears escaped from his eyes after. "Stop it." He tries to say and only he was rewarded by a pinch to the cheek, nose and another on his chin.

"Eat up and I'll revise our report before copying it on my flash drive." Even then, the grease of bread was already evident from Win's mouth and Bright forces a little more distance between them to anchor himself.

"Here," He hears while his eyes intently ran on each paragraph.

"Bright, come on..." He feels tugging at the end of his shirt.

"Say ahhhh and open." More tugs and more tugs until the fabric of his shirt stretches ridiculously.

"I swear you need to let me fin—" Then a mouthful of savory bread melted against his tongue while the same fingers tended around his lips to wipe off the excess oil.

"Eat up too and stop frowning." Bright feels it again. For the past month he was trying to deny it until his heart lets him but with how could he? Not when their reports are done and he feels like time isn't slowing down any time soon with Win in his life.

He stops chewing as perfect pebbled eyes stared back at him along with their own curiosity.

"Would you believe me if I said that this isn't the first time we met?"