sae turns ever so slightly to shoot you a look, raising one brow in his classic contempt. "come here," he says drily, not responding to your question.

you find it hard to say no. you bite your lip though, still a little hesitant, as you step over the ledge to sit next to him.

almost instinctively, he leans into you, and you feel yourself relax at the familiar warmth.

the two of you sit there. you want to ask him something, ask him why he was sitting at the beach on a winter sunset, why there was a cloudiness behind his eyes.

but you can't bring yourself to.

so you don't. instead, you reach over into his lap, brushing your fingers over his clasped hands. he concedes, unraveling his fingers to hold onto yours instead.

sae's hands run cold. still, there's a familiar comfort to it, his palms still soft despite the harshness of his life. (something to due with his expensive moisturizers, you suspect- but still.)

you squeeze his hand. after a pause, he squeezes back.

your breaths leave white clouds in the sky.

when the sun has long sunk fully below the waves, you shift. you're hesitant to break this silence, but a part of you thinks you need to.

"sae," you whisper, turning to face him. "it's late."

he doesn't get up. instead, he juts his chin away. "shh."

you look away from his tired eyes, and something cold hits your face.

snow slowly flutters down from the heavy clouds above, perfectly white in the dark of the night. you suck in breath of shock-

before you even realize, you're climbing to your feet, childishly holding out your hands to catch the drifting flakes. they melt in your hands, pinpricks of ice on your palms.

you step onto the sand, marveling at the sight. as if a switch had been turned on, the snow falls faster, some disappearing into the dark waters of the ocean and the rest falling atop of the sand.

"i've never seen it snow on the beach!" the words tumble out of your mouth, suddenly giddy. you turn towards your boyfriend. "you-"

your words falter.

sae isn't looking at the snow. his eyes are on you.

you can see the fatigue weighing them down, darkening the turquoise. but it's hard to spot- a pure adoration covers the exhaustion.

his eyes flit over every detail of your face, ever-calculating, and you feel increasingly bare at the sheer intensity of it.

he drinks the sight of you in like nothing else matters. the snow doesn't do anything to chill the warmth blooming in your cheeks, your stomach.

"sae," you manage to get out.

he raises an eyebrow. snow drifts onto his face, a flake landing in his eyelashes before he blinks it away.

"i- it's late."

he nods. his eyes don't ever leave yours. his lips part. you shiver.

you step towards him again. he rises to his feet.