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The festival grounds were alive with sound and color. Strings of glowing lanterns swayed in the cold breeze, and laughter mingled with the occasional pop of small firecrackers in the distance. The air carried a sharp chill, and Ratio’s breath puffed out in visible clouds as he scanned the crowd.
His eyes landed on Aventurine, who was perched on the edge of a low stone wall, cradling a cup of steaming Soulglad between his gloved hands.
Aventurine looked anything but warm. His cheeks and nose were flushed a deep red from the cold, and every few seconds, he sniffled softly. The scarf wrapped around his neck was askew, and despite the thick coat Ratio had practically forced him to wear, Aventurine’s shoulders were hunched, his body shivering faintly.
Ratio sighed, making his way over. “You look miserable.”
Aventurine glanced up, his purple eyes bright even in the dim light. “I look fine,” he said, his voice slightly congested.
“You sound like you’ve caught something,” Ratio countered, stopping in front of him.
Aventurine sniffled again, though he tried to hide it behind the rim of his cup. “It’s just the cold.”
“Exactly,” Ratio muttered, reaching out to adjust Aventurine’s scarf. His fingers brushed against Aventurine’s jaw, and he frowned. “You’re freezing.”
“I’m fine,” Aventurine said, though his words lacked conviction.
Ratio shot him a pointed look. “If you keep saying that, I might start believing you.”
Aventurine huffed, pulling his scarf tighter. “You didn’t have to come, you know.”
Ratio rolled his eyes. “And leave you to freeze out here on your own? Not a chance.”
---
The fireworks were set to begin soon, and the crowd around them grew denser, people jostling for a good view. Ratio grabbed Aventurine’s arm, pulling him off the wall and steering him toward a quieter spot on the edge of the square.
“This is better,” Ratio said, releasing Aventurine once they were out of the worst of the crowd.
Aventurine took a careful sip of his Soulglad, cradling the cup between his trembling fingers as its warmth coaxed a faint flush back into his pale cheeks. “You’re always dragging me around,” he murmured, his voice tinged with a teasing lilt that didn’t quite mask the exhaustion beneath.
Ratio tilted his head, his lips curling into a faint smirk. “Someone has to keep you alive.”
Aventurine snorted, the sound light but quickly overtaken by a quiet sniffle. He tilted his head back, his gaze drawn to the star-speckled sky where faint lights shimmered through the winter haze. “It’s beautiful out here,” he said softly, his voice carrying a fragile sincerity.
Ratio followed his gaze, his sharp features softening as he glanced at Aventurine instead of the stars. “Yeah,” he said after a moment, his voice low, “it is.”
Aventurine turned to Ratio, his purple eyes glimmering softly in the light of the lanterns and distant fireworks. His expression was unusually introspective, the teasing edge he so often carried replaced by something quieter, more vulnerable. He hesitated for a moment, his breath visible in the icy air as he exhaled slowly.
“When I go out,” Aventurine said at last, his voice gentle and pensive, “I hope I’ll go looking just as beautiful as the sky tonight.” He glanced upward briefly, his gaze tracing the faint constellations, before his eyes fell back to Ratio. There was no hint of dramatics in his words, just a raw, simple truth that hung between them like the winter chill.
Ratio froze, the casual ease he usually carried suddenly slipping away. His chest tightened, the weight of Aventurine’s words sinking in like a stone. He swallowed, searching Aventurine’s face for a moment longer than he meant to, as if trying to understand the layers behind those words.
“You don’t have to go anywhere,” Ratio said quietly, his voice firmer than he intended but betraying the emotion he didn’t bother to mask. He shifted slightly, his gloveless hand brushing Aventurine’s arm with an unconscious gentleness. “Stay here. That’s enough.”
Aventurine blinked, surprised by the weight in Ratio’s tone, and for a moment, the vulnerability in his expression gave way to something warmer, softer. His lips curved into a faint, bittersweet smile as he lowered his head, letting the words settle between them like the snow drifting lazily from the sky.
---
As the minutes ticked closer to midnight, the air buzzed with anticipation. Aventurine finished his drink and tucked the empty cup into the pocket of his coat, his hands retreating inside to seek warmth. Ratio watched him for a moment before sighing and pulling off his gloves.
“Here,” he said, holding them out.
Aventurine blinked. “What are you doing?”
“Your hands are freezing,” Ratio said.
“But what about yours?”
Ratio shrugged. “I’ll manage.”
Aventurine hesitated but eventually took the gloves, sliding them on with a grateful smile. “You’re always looking out for me,” he said softly.
“Someone has to,” Ratio replied, his tone teasing but his eyes serious.
Aventurine stepped closer, their shoulders brushing. “You’re not as grumpy as you pretend to be.”
Ratio snorted. “Don’t push it.”
---
The first firework erupted against the dark canvas of the sky, a brilliant cascade of gold and silver streaking through the air before bursting into shimmering embers. The square lit up in its glow, and Aventurine’s breath caught audibly, his head tipping back to follow the radiant display. His lips parted slightly in wonder as more fireworks followed, each burst painting the heavens in dazzling hues of red, blue, and green.
But Ratio wasn’t watching the fireworks. His eyes were fixed on Aventurine, on the way the light illuminated his face, softening the sharp angles and turning his skin to gold. The faint flush of color on his cheeks and the glimmer of awe in his wide, purple eyes—Ratio felt his chest tighten, like the scene unfolding before him was somehow too delicate, too fleeting.
“Beautiful,” Aventurine whispered, his voice barely audible over the crackling explosions, his breath curling into the cold night air like the ghost of a thought.
Ratio’s gaze lingered on him, his throat suddenly dry. For a moment, he wondered if Aventurine was talking about the fireworks or something else entirely. And as another firework bloomed in the sky, Ratio couldn’t help but think that it didn’t matter.
---
As the final seconds of the year counted down, the crowd erupted into cheers, their voices blending into a chaotic symphony. Aventurine turned to Ratio, his cheeks flushed with both the cold and the warmth of the moment, and his smile was soft—gentle, like something treasured and fragile.
“Happy New Year,” he said, his voice low, a warmth that resonated deep in Ratio’s chest, as though the words were meant only for him.
Ratio hesitated for only a moment before reaching out, his hand brushing against Aventurine’s. “Happy New Year,” he replied.
The words hung in the air between them, fragile and full of meaning. Aventurine tilted his head, his eyes searching Ratio’s face.
And then, as another firework painted the sky in a burst of dazzling light, Aventurine leaned in, closing the small distance between them with a single, breathless motion. His lips brushed gently against Ratio’s, a soft, lingering kiss that was both a question and an answer, delicate and unsure but filled with everything they had held back.
When they pulled back, Aventurine’s smile was radiant, his earlier shivers forgotten. “You’re warm,” he murmured, leaning into Ratio’s side.
Ratio wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer, his own smile barely there but full of a quiet affection. “And you’re impossible,” he said, his voice lighter now, though still laden with something more.
They stayed like that as the fireworks continued to bloom overhead, the world around them a blur of color and sound.