The winter was dreary, long, and dark. With nearly no sunlight in Iceland, it felt like an eternal night, the sun coming up only a far away fantasy. With the fallen snow coating the world like a blanket, it felt almost as if time never really passed, each day nothing more than a dream, repeating, neverending.
The only thing that really kept Emil going through that winter was Leon's soft touch, and the feeling of being in his arms. Whenever he thought about him, he couldn't help but want to smile, his heart almost doing a small dance in his chest.
Emil still had school, of course. But, just to his luck, the school's heating system was having problems, causing it to drop down low and making it nearly impossible to study or do work, especially for Leon, who, again, wasn't used to the cold. That was only for a couple weeks, but Leon noted it as the second worst school experience he had ever had, first being the time when he had gotten pasta stuck in his nose, but that was another long story.
Emil and Leon continued to improve their relationship behind Lukas's back, cuddling and kissing whenever they got the chance. Other than the school losing most heating capabilities, the rest of the winter was the most uneventful season of the year, as each day seemed exactly like the last, each week passing in seemingly both forever and instantly. Nothing important happened socially other than the usual drama of couples hooking up and breaking up, nothing involving Leon or Emil, though.
Christmas was similarly uneventful, Leon receiving gifts from his family, mostly video games while Emil received books and a few other things from Lukas. However, all through the winter and Christmas, Lukas's rule of not being able to be together romantically was still held in place, so unfortunately everything had to be done behind his back. It wasn't until the new year until something finally did happen in the cold, dark, and harsh winter.
Lukas was at Matthias's house that day, leaving Leon and Emil alone, together with no one else with them. Lukas still had the "I will know if something happens because my little brother is a terrible liar" rule in place, despite Emil working on his lying skills, and becoming much better at hiding the truth, which he has of course lied about to Lukas.
A light snow was falling, as was not unusual for this time of year and Emil had started a fire, which he was snuggling with Leon next to, wrapped together in a blanket, Emil reading as he loved to do, and Leon playing a videogame, the electronic music echoing in the background next to the crackling of the fire.
Upon finishing his chapter, Emil slid a bookmark in place to mark his spot, looking at Leon as he wanted to talk to him. Leon raised an eyebrow, a "Hm?" sound coming from him.
"So… you told me your story…" Emil quavered, his eyes flitting away from Leon's face. "And I mean, I don't have some type of transition story like you do but I mean I guess I want you to know a few things."
Leon nodded, putting down his game and looking again at Emil.
"I mean, I just want you to know how I feel… about you… and… you know…"
"Well then go on."
Everything Emil ment to say gushed out of his mouth at once. "I mean before you came I was really unmotivated in life and I was starting to question why I kept going because you know I was always bullied for being albino and gay and then you came along and finally gave me a reason not to give up and… you know… and I just want to say that I'm really thankful for that and that I… I…" He stuttered, not being able to finish. A slight smile on Leon's face motivated him to keep going. "I love you, Leon."
Leon's smile faded for a second, more surprise taking over his face, before he smiled again, hugging Emil close to him. Leon didn't say anything back, only burying his face into the crook of Emil's neck, continuing to grin brightly.
Thoughts were buzzing around in Leon's head when he went to bed that night. He was thinking about Emil's confession, and how he really felt about it. Sure, he could say that he loved him back, but would it really be the truth? Back in Hong Kong, he had told a lot of boys that he loved them. He thought Emil was different, but that's how he had felt about all of them. So, was he really different, or was he just another brief infatuation?
A/N - Writers block is a bitch pass it on. Please comment if you read.