15

Emerging from the cinema and into the fading twilight, Winston shivers as son as the cold wind attacks his bare cheeks. He pulls the zipper on the jacket up as far as possible but it doesn't even cover his throat, and he shoves his bare hands into the jacket's pockets. Shivers once more when he glances at Jason to discover that Jason hasn't pulled up his own jacket's zipper, the jacket hanging wide open on his muscular frame.

Winston gulps.

He ducks his head a little and clears his throat with a gentle cough, and tries to pretend that Jason's gaze on him isn't scorching. "What did you think?" Winston asks, and then after a beat, "Of the movie, I mean?" (Somehow, that too ends up a question.)

Jason's lips tick up into a smile (?), and he steps a little closer to Winston where they're slowly walking down the street. "Yeah," he says, ducking his head a little as his ears flush. He peeks at Winston and says in a rather shy manner (?), "I really enjoyed it." Below the streetlight, Jason looks divine, everything shining, and Winston wishes more than anything for a picture. But he doesn't want to be creepy.

They're pace as they walk is ridiculously slow, so slow they're barely moving, overtaken by fellow passersby in seconds. Winston gazes at Jason's eyes, feels his breath hitch in his throat, and he says, "I had a good time, too." Smiles, he adds, "I'm glad you said yes."

"I'm glad you asked," says Jason and he's staring right back at Winston, maintaining eye-contact for an unbearably long moment.. Then he coughs and looks away, looking right ahead. The tips of his ears are still flushed, and Winston has the perfect angle to see it.

"No problem," Winston says, like he's talking about lending somebody a pencil and not a date with somebody he's been crushing on for months.

But Jason grins, says, "Cool," just as lame as Winston is.

Silence descends upon them again.

After a couple minutes of quiet walking, cars driving by at reasonable speeds, and a few crosswalks later, Jason asks, "Do you like watching the practices?"

"Hmm?" Winston furrows his eyebrows and tosses a confused look in Jason's direction.

Jason scratches the back of his neck, and he almost deliberately seems to be avoiding looking at Winston. Hi voice is even a bit husky as he says, "I've seen you in the bleachers sometimes, you and your friend. You always seem to be very invested in something when you're there."

Winston freezes, eyes wide as he looks up at Jason who've stopped as well. "You saw us?" he breathes, unsure if that's horrifying or electrifying.

Jason rocks on his feet. "Yeah," he says, raspy. Clears his throat and his eyes are still avoiding Winston. Repeats, "I saw you."

"Oh," Winston breathes.

Jason bites his lip. "Is that... okay?"

"Of course," Winston blinks, trying to get a handle on what exactly they're talking about. He looks up at Jason, and says, "I like watching you practice. And, Gary and I usually have a fun time anyway. We listen to podcasts and stuff."

Jason nods. "What kind of podcasts?" he asks and they start walking again, still at that slow meandering pace.

Winston shrugs. "Fiction, mostly. Horror dramas and the like, sci-fi stuff, some historical detective things. A little bit of everything." He smiles, "Gary likes comedy stuff, but he almost never listens to them because he likes to finish a podcast entirely before he starts a new one, and there's always hype around the horror things so he gets dragged into that and then he's stuck finish another podcast before he can listen to what he originally intended." Winston snickers, "He can go in circles like that for ages."

Jason's eyes are a little wide when Winston refocuses his attention on him. "Sounds like fun," is what Jason ends up saying, smiling softly.

"You don't mind?" Winston quickly adds, "That we watch your practice, I mean?"

Jason shakes his head, almost a bit too quickly. "No," he says, then shrugs and adds, "I mean, it's kind of flattering. I've seen you multiple times and it's always---I mean, like, you look like you're having fun. Even though you aren't interested in basketball." A pause, and he adds, "Correct me if I'm wrong?"

Winston smiles a little ruefully and agrees, "I've never been very interested in basketball."

"I thought so," Jason nods.

Winston bites his lip. He bobs his head, unsure of what to say next. They meander a bit more in silence, then, night having truly fallen while they were walking. The streetlights do a good job holding back the darkness, the sky entirely clear of stars, and he wonders if that's due to clouds or the city smog. They're smoke on his breath when he exhales, and Winston smiles a little a that, a quiet sort of amusement curling through him.

When he glances at Jason again (because how could he not), Jason's gaze is in turn miles away, unfocused eyes staring into thin air. Winston asks, "Do you often go to the movies?"

Jason starts, turning his head down toward Winston. "No, not really," is what he says after a second. Starts, "I-" but doesn't finish it, expression turning contemplating. Winston keeps walking silence beside him, waiting for Jason to settle on what he wishes to say.

Finally, Jason says, "Movies aren't really my thing. I get headaches, you know. It's kind of annoying."

Winston blinks. "Do you have a headache now?"

"Just a little one," Jason shrugs. At Winston's expression, he quickly adds, "A tiny, baby one. Barely noticeable More of an itch than anything." Winston's expression apparently doesn't change because he scowls (very cutely, Winston will add) and insists, "It's fine, this always happens at movies. I'm used to it! Some things are worth a little pain, you know." Then he looks inordinately smug as he says, "Besides, I took a painkiller while I was in the toilet."

"That's why you were in there so long?" Winston can't help but ask, wincing as soon as he's finished. Fuck. That's a weird thing to say, isn't it?"

"Yeah," but Jason doesn't seem embarrassed, simply shrugging again, and his shoulders move in a very handsome way when he does that. Winston didn't know that shoulders could be handsome, and yet something about it sends hsi stomach fluttering.

"Okay," Winston says, having entirely lost the thread of the conversation.

They're getting closer to the bus stop now, the sign visible in the distance. Despite the late hour, there's still plenty of people out and about on the streets. Winston eyes a few of the passersby, stepping closer to Jason's irresistable heat when a few get a little too close for his comfort. Some of them even eye Jason, and he can't blame them.

Jason is gorgeous.

Always, but especially so today. There's just something about him; Winston can't articulate it. But he wants to spend an eternity just looking at him, staring at his smile, swallowing his glittering eyes.

"This is my stop," is what Winston ends up saying after what must surely be a full minute.

Jason nods. "Okay." And they stop walking, kind of just staring at each other in the middle of the sidewalk.

Finally, Winston takes a breath. "Could we do this again sometime?" and he stares right into Jason's eyes.

"Yeah," says Jason without a single second's delay, voice breathy and rough, and he's staring at Winston, too. Winston can't help but notice the red staining the tips of Jason's cheeks, his ears, and the slight furrow of his brows. Jason repeats, "Yeah, I'd love that. Maybe something else, too? Like getting coffee, or, or... something?"

Winston's smile is too powerful to suppress and he rocks on his heels with his hands in his jacket's pockets. "That'd be lovely," he says, grinning up at the taller man. Jason, in turn, nods and smiles and it's just all so...

Well, it's fucking amazing.