First Snowfall - Tumblr Posts
First Snowfall, Maple Orchard, British Columbia, Canada
Sick and Miserable.
a vds one shot. you can find more on my ao3.
( @ apolloswords )
feel free to comment/message me any suggestions for one shot ideas!
Most times, Lucas eagerly waits all year for the first snowfall. But this year, he feels like it’s a bit of a problem. That is, until Jens comes up with a solution.
Lucas was miserable.
It was the first snow fall of the year, also known as his favourite time of the year. He loved seeing the crystals fall gently onto the ground, counting everything with a white blanket. He loved all the festivities, ice skating, sledding and walks in the snowy trails. He adored it, and each year when the end of autumn rolled by, he sat by the windows, watching them frost up overnight as he awaited the first snowflake falling down from the sky.
But this year, he was miserable.
It had been a tough autumn for him. Busy studying all night for his final year in University, working around the clock and hoping his mother was doing okay, he hardly slept a wink. His stress had him too tense to even catch a break. And when he lost precious hours of sleep, he began to feel his body weakening a bit. And eventually, one day, it was too windy and too cold and he was out in the midst of the howling wind for too long that when he got home, he felt the aches, chill and sneezes of a fever creep upon him. He went to bed that night, knowing how terrible he would feel in the morning.
And it felt even worse when Jens opened up their bedroom curtains this morning to the sunshine glistening on the blanket of snow on the ground. But poor Lucas was far too in pain to do anything but wince and groan and turn around from the blinding light, shutting his eyes for some extra sleep.
He felt miserable. If he didn’t feel so sick, with a pounding head and a stuffed nose, he would be feeling the snowflakes gently fall on his pink cheeks, the ice skates beneath his feet and the warmth of his scarf and hat protecting him from the cold. He would probably be heading over to his favourite cafe, that released all their special winters drinks during the first snowfall. He’d stare at the menu, wondering if he wanted a peppermint mocha or a eggnog latte to heat him up.
But most of all, he would remember the first time he laid eyes on Jens. When he had ordered a gingerbread hot chocolate around four years ago, at the start of his University years. He had always come to this cafe, considering it was in the middle of his usual route to the Univeristy and back home to his small flat. But that day four years ago was when he first laid eyes on him.
Tall, lean, broad shoulders in a grey crew neck sweater with a bright festive red apron on him. The way Lucas had never really noticed the baristas before, since he always came in during random times and random shift changes. But when Lucas laid his eyes on him, he finally understood why people could fall in love at first sight.
In return, the raven haired boy with rich dark brown eyes managed to notice him as well. And after a few weeks of Lucas figuring out his schedule and incorporating that into his routine, they began to sneak off a few conversations during the boy’s break. He quickly learned his name was Jens, went to the same University as him and even noticed Lucas on the first snowfall as well. It was a shift he was covering, he had explained. So he shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
But by the fates he was.
He never told Jens exactly why he loved the first snowfall. He didn’t even know if Jens remembered all that. But each time it happened for the past four years, Lucas would insist the go for a walk to that cafe and try their winter drinks before heading out with their friends to go skating. Jens didn’t work there anymore, hadn’t for the last two years and each time they got a drink, he would comment on how he could make it better. But Lucas would just smile shyly, sipping on his drink as the steam warmed his cold cheeks and though about how there were many more first snowfalls for him and Jens to carry out their little tradition.
But even if there were many years ahead of them, skipping one felt like a setback that would last for an eternity.
“I know you’re upset.” Jens said sympathetically, as he brought Lucas some juice and toast for breakfast in bed. “But you’re way too sick to be out playing in the snow.”
He pouted and huffed, feeling like his younger self had just been told no hot chocolate before bedtime. Frowning, even if that extra energy towards his expressions managed to make his head hurt even more, he protested.
“I’m not that sick.”
His adoring boyfriend only snorted and placed a hand to his forehead. Jens quickly retracted it and shook it, like he had just burnt himself.
“Usually I can say you’re hot, but right now you’re burning hot.” Jens said. “You need to stay home, get some rest and get better. Then I promise you we can do all your first snowfall of the winter day soon.”
Lucas pouted again. “But it won’t be the same. It won’t be the first snow fall. It would be the second or third or fourth! Or whoever knows how long it takes for me to get better.”
“Which is why you need some rest.” Jens reminded. He took away the empty glass and plate from Lucas, set it aside on the night stand table and fluffed up the pillows for his cute, but very sick boyfriend. “Now.”
Huffing, Lucas shifted and flopped down on the pillows, trying to put up some sort of defence. But Jens only snickered at his boyfriend’s stubbornness and placed some thicker blankets on top of his frail shivering body. Lucas was already wearing thick fluffy socks and Jens’ oversized red hoodie, but it wasn’t until he felt himself get tucked in that he finally felt warm. His shivered came to a stop as he felt his body give into his tiredness before drifting and falling into a deep slumber.
Jens, rolling his eyes adoringly at how quick he had fallen asleep, leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Lucas snored lightly and his curls were pressed against his face, and Jens felt his heart melt. He so wanted to crawl into the bed with him, to hold him until he felt better. Getting sick from Lucas didn’t even phase him. He could deal with that.
But since Lucas had finally fallen back to sleep, this provided him the perfect opportunity to commence his plan. Planting another kiss on his cheek, Jens made sure he was all cozied up with a water bottle by his side before heading out the room. Closing the door behind him, he hoped by the time Lucas woke up, he wouldn’t be so miserable.
-
After a few hours, Lucas began to stir and he woke up to his body sweating profusely. He must’ve broken his fever some times during his nap, and he felt the urge to get changed. Once he lifted his head off the pillow and sat for a few minutes to avoid feeling lightheaded, he drank some water and crawled out of bed. Pulling the hoodie over his head, he grimaced at how his shirt clung onto his body. Rummaging around for a new shirt, he realized there was some slight shuffling in the living room.
He knew Jens was home, since it was the weekend. But he didn’t know what Jens could possibly be up to. Lucas quickly got changed and after dredging up quickly in the bathroom, he decided to follow the mysterious sounds coming from the living room. His head still hurt a little, but it wasn’t pounding and he figured changing locations from their bedroom to the living room would probably do him some good.
When he entered the living room, he was surprised to see what the commotion was all about. But he was even more surprised to see the state of the living room.
All of the furniture had been pushed to the side, creating a wide open space in the middle of the room. But the couches were turned around, letting their backs up an array of blankets. With the blankets draped over them, they made some sort of tent where a soft yellow glow was lit in the middle of it. Lucas could just see the arrangements of even more blankets and pillows inside the tent, and realized it was meant to be blanket fort. Gazing at it in awe, he walked around it, impressed with how it looked so soft and warm to just lay in. As he did walk around it, he felt his head hit something feathery and light. Looking up to see what it was, he felt his heart soften even more.
Hanging low and high from the ceilings were a bunch of paper snowflakes. Some were big, some small. Some had more intricate designs, some were more simple. Some were circular in shape, with their flakes in rounded edges that almost looked like waves of the ocean. Others were sharper in their flakes, looking like mystical swords dancing in battle. When he looked a little closer, he realized they were made out of white glittery paper, so they could glisten within the golden rays of the winter sun. Lucas continued to marvel around at the winter wonderland of the living room, feeling like he had just stepped inside of a snow globe.
Suddenly, he realized he was smelling something baking from the kitchen. His sense of smell was probably still delayed considering he was still a little sick, but once the smell of gingerbread hit his nose, he felt like the winter magic was only continuing.
Before he could check out what was happening from the kitchen, Jens emerged with the plate of cookies. He seemed surprised to see Lucas out of bed, probably not expecting to see him until another hour of so.
Jens blinked, as if he was caught in the act. "I didn't think you would be up." He admitted.
Lucas smiled at him, gesturing to the room around them. "What's all this?" He asked, a hint of glee in his voice.
Blushing, Jens placed the batch of cookies down and scratched the back of his head. "Uhm, I wanted to surprise you."
"Surprise me?" Lucas asked, grinning slightly. Even though his headache was still making its presence within his body, he couldn't help but feel lighter and happier than he had for the past few days "What's the surprise for?"
Jens shrugged but walked closer to him. He playfully flicked the tip of his nose and smiled at him, shaking his head fondly.
"You were really upset about not getting to do your usual first snowfall traditions." Jens explained as he pulled Lucas in by the waist. "I wanted to surprise you with a little snowfall that you could be in. And, I didn't want you to miss out on one of your favourite days of the year."
Giggling as Jens held him in a little closer, Lucas blushed. "How did you do all this?"
"Well," Jens said, looking past Lucas and around the room before he started explaining. "When you were knocked out, I decided to start setting up. I thought pushing all the furniture would somehow wake you, but I think you were passed out to the point that you could sleep through an apocalypse."
Rolling his eyes, he wrapped his arms around Jens' neck and raised his brows. "And then?"
"After I built the fort, which is professionally done since I am master at fort building, I decided we needed some snowflakes. So, after many years of cutting snowflakes for ly little sisters to play with, I have also become a master in that craft. And then I stood on a chair and hung them from the ceiling so they could look like they were falling down."
"Your long legs didn't have you touching the ceiling without a chair?" Lucas teased. "And then what?"
"I baked." Jens said. "At first, I didn't think I could do it only own. I only ever helped my Mom bake for the holidays and when I worked at the cafe, all I did was hand the pastry chef some icing or crack an egg. I found a simple recipe and prayed for the best."
"How did that go?"
"Terrible." He snorted. "I burnt the first batch and I thought the flat was going to burn down. Then I would have to wake you up, bringing you out in the cold as I watched my masterpiece crumble in front of me. But I managed to not have the fire alarm go off, and took a little bit more time. And now, they're perfect."
Looking over to where Jens had placed down the cookies, Lucas wandered over and picked one up. It was soft and warm against his head, and he took a bite out of it. Despite his weak sense of taste, and how every piece of food he had eaten for the past few days was essentially tasteless, the flavour of the cookie exploded in his mouth. It was sweet with just the perfect hint of ginger, and he knew he would be having more.
Based on Lucas' silence as he took another bite, with a small smile on his lips, Jens grinned. He didn't need Lucas to say it, but he knew he loved them. Jens couldn't help but walk over to, wrapping his arms around the boy with the cookie and placing a kiss to the top of his head. Lucas leaned into the familiar warmth and love radiating from his chest, thinking about how there would be no place as perfect and no feeling compared to how happy he felt in Jens' arms.
"Want to go into the tent? We can cuddle. I made it soft and warm enough for you to fall asleep in just in case you don't feel well enough to get up." Jens suggested, speaking softly as Lucas felt the vibrations of his words against his body.
"Won't you get sick? I don't want you to get sick." Lucas said with a frown. He would hate to have Jens put all this effort in for him to only catch his fever, headaches and stuffed nose.
But Jens shook his head. "I've been sleeping beside you for the past few days. Ever since you had gotten sick. If I were to get sick, I would be sick by now." Jens shrugged. "Besides, if I did get sick, I would just use it to my advantage so you can make me my favourite soup."
Again, Lucas rolled his eyes. But he brought his head out from Jens' chest and smiled up at him.
"Only if we can bring the cookies inside."
-
They laid in the mess of pillows and blankets, the plate of cookies on the edge of the tent with nothing left on it. Lucas noticed that the warm glow of the tent was from the string lights that they had kept tucked away. He almost forgot they even had those. As he looked up to where the blankets of the tent formed a small roof, he noticed the shadows of the snowflakes outside of the tent be cashed lightly over the blankets. The yellow light from the string lights illuminated their patterns, and Lucas could almost imagine like they were hiding from a giant snow storm outside.
“I can’t believe you did this all for me.” Lucas said again, still feeling like he was in a trance.
Jens turned his head and studied his boyfriend looking at the snowflakes above them. Unbeknownst to Lucas, but Jens was gazing at him in the same way he was gazing at the beautiful snowflakes above him. Jens grinned softly as he whispered to Lucas.
“Anything I do for you is worth it.” He said. “You’re worth it.” Jens clicked his tongue and shrugged. “Besides, I hated seeing you so sick and miserable. I missed my golden boy.”
Grinning, Lucas let out a loose laugh. “I hated being sick and miserable too.”
Turning his head to look at him, both boys smiled softly at one another. No matter where they were, outside in the winter snow or inside in their small blanket fort, they could feel their heartstrings literally pulling and yearning for each other. Even after for years of waking up next to each other, stealing kisses, smiling while the other one wasn’t looking, it always felt like the very first time they had locked eyes at each other from across the cafe. And no matter how many seasons passed between them, nothing could ever lessen the way they felt for each other. A new winter, spring, summer or autumn could roll around, but there would never come a love quite like this.
“Why do you love the first snow fall?” Jens asked curiously.
Lucas shrugged. “It reminds me of good times.”
“Like?”
“Well,” Lucas huffed out. “When I was a kid, the first snowfall always meant that the holidays were coming closer. And that always meant more time with family and my parents would be home more often. Since we moved a lot, I never really hung out with other kids. But during the holidays, we would always go visit my aunt in Amsterdam and my cousins would be there and everyone else.”
“Was it fun?” Jens asked, nudging in a little to take a closer look at the way Lucas’ eyes sparkled and lit up at the fond memory.
He nodded, smiling as he reminisced the memories. “It was really fun, the best of times. I really missed it when my parents finally moved us to Utrecht when I was thirteen and they started having their issues. Then the snow days started to get sad again, as I thought about hollow holidays where my parents forced themselves to pretend they could tolerate each other and I saw my mom get sicker each year around.”
“But you seem so excited about the first snow fall now.” Jens noted. “What changed?”
Feeling a blush come across his face, Lucas lowered his gaze from Jens shyly. “Something special happened on the day of another first snowfall. And it brought back the happy feeling I had been missing and thought I had lost.”
Raising a brow, Jens looked at him with more curiosity. “What happened?”
“You.” He admitted.
“Me?” Jens asked in disbelief.
Letting out a chuckle, he nodded. “Yeah, you. It was my first snow fall in Antwerp, four years ago when I moved to here for University. I didn’t know how to feel, for the first time on my own. Everything felt so out of place that day. I was in a new place, I didn’t have my scarf or hat to keep me warm, my favourite class had gotten cancelled and everything just felt wrong.”
“But?” Jens asked, gesturing for him to continue the story.
Tilting his head up, Lucas looked at him with a bright smile. “But then I saw you. I hadn’t seen you before, even though I did visit the cafe often. I saw you and thought how for once, everything fell right back into place. And everything felt more than alright.”
Beaming at him, Jens leaned in and softly kissed his lips. Lucas wanted to protest all the kisses Jens was laying on him, still feeling guilty he would get him sick. But then he would feel even more rejecting those kisses, and he wasn’t going tk choose the latter.
“And then when the snowfall came again a year later, you kissed me for the first time. We were ice skating with all our friends, and you told me I had marshmallow all over my lips. You offered to get it off for me, but I didn’t know that offer was through a kiss.” Lucas giggled.
Jens hummed as he thought back on the memory, and felt a little blush tinge his cheeks. “Yeah, I do remember that. I remember Kes and Isa practically demanding that I should finally just kiss you. And when I told Robbe later that day, he rolled his eyes and told me I was a year too late.”
“Which you were.” Lucas agreed.
Snorting, he placed a kiss on Lucas’ forehead and began playing with his curls. “What happened on the third snowfall?”
“We went to Utrecht to meet my Mom.” Lucas explained. “I was so nervous about how that could go about, but then I remember seeing the snow softly fall down as we rode the train and I took it as a sign that things would be okay.”
“And it was.” Jens nodded. “I know for a fact your Mom adores me.”
“She does.” Lucas admitted. “And I do too.”
Pressing their foreheads against each other, Jens leaned in and brushed his nose against Lucas’s.
“And what happened on the fourth snowfall?” He asked, and Lucas could feel the small smile creeping on his lips.
“I was miserable. I got sick. I thought my good luck on good snowfalls had run out.” He said. “But then I walked into my very own snow globe, cuddled right beside the love of my life. I think it was the best surprise I’ve ever had.”
Propping up quickly, Jens patted his chest as Lucas tilted his head in confusion.
“I have one last surprise. Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
Before Lucas could say anything, Jens bolted out the tent and Lucas could tell he had headed off into the kitchen. It took a few minutes of waiting, as Lucas racked the headache of his brain to try and figure out what was going on. After maybe fifteen minutes, Jens came back with two mugs of steaming hot drinks.
Sitting up quickly as his boyfriend looked at him with pure excitement, Lucas took one of the mugs. His sense of smell was still a little slow, so he couldn’t exactly figure out what the drink was.
“Taste it.” Jens instructed. “It’s not actually that hot.”
Ever so slowly, Lucas brought the mug to his lips. Just like the gingerbread cookies, the flavour exploded in his mouth. Flavours of sweet gingerbread danced around on his tongue, followed by the rich smoothness of a hot chocolate.
Immediately recognizing the flavour, he looked up at Jens with just as much as excitement. Jens nodded, indicating that his memory served him well.
“You’re not the only one who remembers our first snowfall.” Jens grinned. “Are you still miserable?”
Based off of the reaction he gave, Lucas was indeed not miserable anymore.
First Snowfall, Maple Orchard, British Columbia, Canada
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First Snowfall, Maple Orchard, British Columbia, Canada
