Status: oneshot. finished.
Clouds of Breath
one.
The December air was cold, crisp with the threat of snow falling at any given moment. The street remained deserted at such a late, hour, save for a couple sitting on the sidewalk in front of a tiny building closed for the holiday season. They were situated under the street lamp, shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee with their backs resting against the scratched and worn metal pole. The boy glanced over at the girl next to him out of the corner of his eye, taking in her entire appearance, not wanting to forget a single detail.
She was stunningly beautiful in a haunting, yet very natural way. Her cheekbones were high; her jaw line strong; her skin unnaturally pale. Her eyes glinted in the dim light, flashing a bright ice blue as a car passed them by, hurrying to get to where they were going before the looming storm hit and made roads unfriendly to drivers. He noticed for the first time that she had no makeup on at all, not even trying to hide the faint scars on her cheeks from teenage acne.
The too-tight jeans she was wearing were some sort of grey, the shade of which couldn’t be distinguished in the barely-there light. They were ripped and torn at both the knees and at the hem of the ankles, exposing the even paler flesh beneath them. On her feet were Converse that were beat up, full of holes and obviously old and in need of replacement. They were scraped and scuffed and the scribbles on them were fading, but she was somehow able to make it look somewhat decent. They fit her personality, in a way. Over the jeans she wore a mid-length coat, so dark it seemed black in the almost non-existent light, though in reality it was a dark purple. There were two plaid scarves knotted loosely around her neck, one pale yellow, the other deep ruby, and the fringes blew increasing breeze to brush her cheeks.
He looked away for a moment, taking her hand in his own, intertwining her long, thin fingers with his own thicker ones as he looked at the empty street in front of them. The boy turned back to look at her when the warmth of her hand touching his disappeared and their shoulders were no longer touching. Her hands dug through the pockets of her coat, the exposed skin flashing white in the dark as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes along with a lighter. A moment later, the cigarette was lit, and she brought it to her full lips to inhale.
Long, ebony hair that flowed past her shoulders in messy waves was tied back in a quick, sloppy bun, with a few loose pieces that had escaped to frame her thin face. Her hair shone golden orange from the street lamp, making it look like there was a halo and glowing aura around the not-so-angelic girl. The boy watched as she brought the cigarette to her lips, noticing that they shiny nail varnish she wore was chipped and peeling, and then watched as she blew out, mixing puffs of grey smoke with the white clouds of her own breath. Her cheeks were dusted with red and blue light, cast by the still-glowing neon lights from the store bar windows opposite them on the other side of the street.
She reached beside her and stubbed out what was left of the cigarette with her left hand, flicking it towards the center of the street somewhere. Their shoulders and knees reconnected, and her right hand found his left one once again. She gave him a weak smile before leaning over and pressing her lips to his in a quick, gentle kiss. He smiled and returned the gesture, before standing and brushing off his jeans and pulling her to her feet, mumbling something about needing to get home. She agreed, nodding her head and shaking the loose hair out of her face, and walked down the street beside him, swinging their hands as the street lamp disappeared behind them. The first few flakes of the first snowfall of the season fell, sticking to their hair and jackets as they walked down the street, not caring in the least. Their only concern was being in the presence of each other, and enjoying every minute of it.
She was stunningly beautiful in a haunting, yet very natural way. Her cheekbones were high; her jaw line strong; her skin unnaturally pale. Her eyes glinted in the dim light, flashing a bright ice blue as a car passed them by, hurrying to get to where they were going before the looming storm hit and made roads unfriendly to drivers. He noticed for the first time that she had no makeup on at all, not even trying to hide the faint scars on her cheeks from teenage acne.
The too-tight jeans she was wearing were some sort of grey, the shade of which couldn’t be distinguished in the barely-there light. They were ripped and torn at both the knees and at the hem of the ankles, exposing the even paler flesh beneath them. On her feet were Converse that were beat up, full of holes and obviously old and in need of replacement. They were scraped and scuffed and the scribbles on them were fading, but she was somehow able to make it look somewhat decent. They fit her personality, in a way. Over the jeans she wore a mid-length coat, so dark it seemed black in the almost non-existent light, though in reality it was a dark purple. There were two plaid scarves knotted loosely around her neck, one pale yellow, the other deep ruby, and the fringes blew increasing breeze to brush her cheeks.
He looked away for a moment, taking her hand in his own, intertwining her long, thin fingers with his own thicker ones as he looked at the empty street in front of them. The boy turned back to look at her when the warmth of her hand touching his disappeared and their shoulders were no longer touching. Her hands dug through the pockets of her coat, the exposed skin flashing white in the dark as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes along with a lighter. A moment later, the cigarette was lit, and she brought it to her full lips to inhale.
Long, ebony hair that flowed past her shoulders in messy waves was tied back in a quick, sloppy bun, with a few loose pieces that had escaped to frame her thin face. Her hair shone golden orange from the street lamp, making it look like there was a halo and glowing aura around the not-so-angelic girl. The boy watched as she brought the cigarette to her lips, noticing that they shiny nail varnish she wore was chipped and peeling, and then watched as she blew out, mixing puffs of grey smoke with the white clouds of her own breath. Her cheeks were dusted with red and blue light, cast by the still-glowing neon lights from the store bar windows opposite them on the other side of the street.
She reached beside her and stubbed out what was left of the cigarette with her left hand, flicking it towards the center of the street somewhere. Their shoulders and knees reconnected, and her right hand found his left one once again. She gave him a weak smile before leaning over and pressing her lips to his in a quick, gentle kiss. He smiled and returned the gesture, before standing and brushing off his jeans and pulling her to her feet, mumbling something about needing to get home. She agreed, nodding her head and shaking the loose hair out of her face, and walked down the street beside him, swinging their hands as the street lamp disappeared behind them. The first few flakes of the first snowfall of the season fell, sticking to their hair and jackets as they walked down the street, not caring in the least. Their only concern was being in the presence of each other, and enjoying every minute of it.