In the darkened bedroom, a cool breeze blew in through the crack in the window, and brushed by Yao's face. He tried to pull the blanket over his face, but that left his feet exposed to the chill, and he sighed. There was at least two hours before he and his boyfriend had to wake up. And seeing as they had both stayed up 'til the wee hours for the past two days, they were desperate for any source of sleep.

The bed creaked, as he swung himself out of bed. The wooden floor was so cold to his feet that he wanted to scream, but he made his way to the window. As he pulled the blinds back, though, the sun didn't try to blind his eyes. The world outside was a wet and gray mess; rivulets and droplets raced down the glass and blurred his view. Barely anything was discernible, including the plants and other houses. There was a light beating of the rain on the thin roof, almost like a hum that disappeared into the gray of the pouring water.

Yao's muscles loosened and relaxed, as the sound and sight of the rain went through him, and he rested his head on the glass. And although he really shouldn't have been happy by the sight, the Chinese man smiled anyways. If it was raining like this, that meant that he and Alfred wouldn't have to go to work today. Gardens and landscapes couldn't be tended in all this mud. The worries of a hard day outside dissolved with the rain.

Suddenly, there was a loud snore from the bed. Rolling his eyes, Yao walked back to bed slowly. The lumpy mattress sunk under his weight again. They really needed to get a new bed. And a new roof, too. A new house, in general.

But what could they do? Working as gardeners and landscapers at various places didn't bring in much money-they barely even had enough to eat every week. And at night, they would stay up on their cheap laptops and do online classes, back-to-back, sharing a bowl of rice, chicken, and vegetables. The soundtrack to those nights was the clacking of chopsticks and keys, mixed in with some sighs or whispers or groans of frustration.

So what made it worthwhile? Why did they keep going on like this, even if they didn't have much of a choice?

Both Yao and Alfred were optimists at heart, trying to look on the bright side of things. At least they had a roof over their heads, paying jobs (if paying meagerly), and they could take classes. They had their dreams. What made it better, though, was each other.

That was how love was.

It lent them a pair of rose-colored glasses to look through, when everything seemed bad, and pointed out the things they couldn't see without it. And there was always something around them.

Blessings were everywhere. And their love was the biggest one.

"Mmph." Alfred rolled over to where Yao was sitting, his arms searching and finally finding his waist. "It's too early to go to work… I wanna sleep more."

"Relax. It's raining outside today, so it is very likely that we don't have to go," Yao replied, "I will go call in and check-"

"Mmm, then stay here with me." The arms pulled him back onto the bed, almost crashing into Alfred. "Check later. Cuddle now."

"Al…"

"Shh. Don't ruin it."

Alfred's hand reached over Yao to pull the thin blanket up to his shoulders, snaking around his back and tugging him closer. The rainy day outside was cold and wet and bleary, yet inside, it was as warm as his native China. Together, they shared their warmth, which worked through their tired muscles and made them even warmer, despite the howling winds and threadbare blanket.

Squirming against each other, they shifted, fingers ghosting gently on each others' arms, backs, waist, anywhere they could touch. Just the gentlest touch. It wasn't filled with extreme heat, or passion, not meant to entice seduction. Their touches were more like gentle waves near the shore, washing over them as they laid on an imaginary beach. Their feet tangled, tickling their sensitive skin, and the blond laughed quietly. Yao could feel his breathing ease out of his tired lungs.

In the small house, with the thin roof and lumpy mattress and threadbare blankets, barely any food in the fridge, and only a table and four chairs in the living room, the rain poured around them. It was wet. It was cold. It was gray and sad and pulled down one's mood.

But between the two men, there was a golden feeling humming strongly between them. Such a small little thing brought warm sparks.

They may not have much money. But they had their dreams. Their little blessings.

Each other.

[A/N] This was a birthday present for an AmeChu fangirl on Tumblr; happy belated birthday, from your mysterious anon writer! Geez, it's been so long since I've been writing. I suck. Sorry for any OOC-ness; I didn't put "aru" for China because I think it's annoying when used too often, and I don't think I've mastered the use of "aru" just yet. And I hope neither of them seemed too annoying. Reviews are greatly appreciated!