Hi minna! Long time no see~! This story is kinda like a one-time spur for me to finally write out a thought I've been having since the end of W almost a year... So I hope you enjoy this new addition to the collection of W fics!

Feel

As though Shoutarou wasn't sufficiently surprised by Philip's sudden return after one year of absence, the first thing his partner told him when they were entering winter was, "Shoutarou… I'm cold…"

The detective didn't know how to react. In the two years, short as they were, they had spent two winters together, and never had the teen once complained about the cold. Yet he was there now, shivering next to him as he woke up. Well, Shoutarou supposed the best thing he could do now was to warm the kid up and get answers from him later, and drew Philip's body closer to his own, sharing the warmth he had accumulated under the blanket over the night.

Note to self: get a kotatsu later, Shoutarou thought while absent-mindedly combing through Philip's hair. He just knew that he'll never get to sleep alone for this whole season.

Not that he minded—it would be a nice way to wake up; to find his partner, whose absence he'd been habitually reminding of in the past year, right next to him. That would make up for his lack of presence in Shoutarou's life—by being with him even when he slept as well. What a nice thought.

Of course, it was a consolation for him, as well as Philip himself. When the younger detective was warm enough to think straight again, he took the chance to etch the moment into his memory (that was no longer just 1's and 0's), all of the current moment's sensations—the feeling of Shoutarou's fingers on his hair that has never been so real before; the sound of Shoutarou's heartbeat right beside his ears, and his slow intakes of breath; the scent of Shoutarou which he had never noticed before.

Everything so real, and suddenly so vivid.

Enough to convince Philip that, this time, he existed, for real. And he would not melt into data anytime soon. He will be here, beside his love, for many more years to come.

A shift in his partner's breathing was followed by a new sound.

"Are you warmed up yet, Philip?" Ah, that voice that he missed so much, so much more than decibel measurements and high and low partials—a spectrum of sound that defined the voice as Shoutarou's and his alone, not something that can be easily reproduced by a few clicks on the computer.

Just wanting to stay there forever, he looked up into Shoutarou's eyes. "No," he lied. He knew Shoutarou knew he was lying.

But he shifted closer anyway. Shoutarou let him.

"You know, being made up of data means you don't actually get to feel things, only you know how you're supposed to react and stuff…" Philip suddenly said.

So that's why. Would this mean that Philip never truly loved him before? And if he kissed Philip now, it would, effectively, be Philip's first kiss. And maybe, just maybe, he had been cheating himself this whole while?

Philip caught the sadness in his older partner's eyes. Oh no. Maybe he shouldn't have said it that way.

Reaching up (and in the process exposing his hand to the cold air) he landed his hand on Shoutarou's face, caressing it. "I meant for physical sensations. Emotions for some reason or lack thereof, are something I got to keep."

The look in Shoutarou's eyes told Philip he wanted very much to believe him, but did not know if he should. Seeing this, the younger male pulled himself upwards such that he was face-to-face with Shoutarou. That part of the pillow was cold, so he shifted closer to the spot which was warmer, i.e. where Shoutarou's head was.

…and he came so close their noses were almost touching, both looking at each other as though seeking a permission they thought they were past giving.

But that never stopped Shoutarou from asking, "May I?"

Philip grinned, "It's always been your right."

And thus, Shoutarou took Philip's first kiss, again. This time, for real.

I am losing my fluff-writing skills... So sad TT And I'm so sorry it's not longer... But I hope you enjoyed it, and I would love to hear from you so please review! Thank you for reading!