A few warm rays of early morning sun peeked past the thin white curtains of the balcony door. Tristan stirred, groaning softly and raising one hand in front of his eyes to keep the light away. When he rolled onto his side he saw Hibiki asleep beside him, fast and sound. 

He gently placed a hand on his cheek and ran his thumb back and forth over the warm skin. Hibiki moved closer and clung to him with both arms, holding him in a tight embrace. The glow of the sun on his back, and the warmth of Hibiki's body made him feel safe and content. He closed his eyes again and sunk into the moment, as he thought about all the wonderful things they would do together.

A few moments later a kiss graced his lips. It shook him out of his daydreams, but the softness was more alluring anyway. He answered with small kisses of his own, his lips gently drawn between Hibiki's. A teasing bite of his bottom lip made him open his eyes, and he saw Hibiki grin as he pulled away from him.

"Morning." He smiled, as Hibiki planted an arm right beside his head and leant over him on one elbow. A ray of sunlight clipped his eyes and gave their usual black colour a shimmer like lacquered wood. 

Tristan's smile widened, unable to avert his gaze from the intense warmth in Hibiki's look. He felt his heart beat intensify, and every thump flooded his body with a deep sense of attraction. He tried to identify and explain the strong feeling – but all that came from it was that love felt incredible, and he craved Hibiki's more than anything. 

Giving in to his infatuation, he pushed himself up and kissed Hibiki again. A hand moved to the back of his head, grabbing his hair and holding him firmly as Hibiki took charge. The depth of his need was matched effortlessly, and he felt his heart flutter, excited by the idea that Hibiki wanted him just as much. 

He grinned and fell back down onto the bed, landing amongst the pillows. Reaching up, he placed both hands on Hibiki's shoulders. He was met with a confident smile, as Hibiki drew a heart on his cheek. His own grin faltered into infatuation, as a wave of love flooded his mind again.

"I love you too." The words came out akin to a plea, nearly begging for Hibiki to understand how deeply he felt for him. A small kiss on his forehead told him he was understood, and he relaxed as the confession began to feel right, rather than vulnerable.

"I want to go see the town with you, and ski, and,- just do everything." He continued excitably, as his mind filled with ideas of things they could do together, rather than worries. Immediately Hibiki's soft and understanding expression made way for an enthusiastic grin, and he nodded hastily as all his energy was promptly rerouted into having fun. A firm kiss agreed with all of his suggestions, and then two arms grabbed his wrists and pulled him out of bed.

Whilst Tristan neatly buttoned up a grey and blue cardigan over his dress shirt, Hibiki laced up his fur-lined combat boots over a pair of loose, dark grey jeans.

"Are you going to breakfast, or to war?" Tristan jested as he finished up the last button. Hibiki just shrugged and grinned, as if to say it was the same thing.

"You look very brave." He responded with a smile, while Hibiki took a step closer. Even with the aid of his boots, Hibiki still had to stand on his toes to kiss him – but that didn't stop him from doing so with full confidence.

A soft blush and a smile spread on Tristan's face, and he saw Hibiki bite down on his lip while savouring the view. A thumb ran along his cheek, somehow both adoring and dominant. Before he could respond, Hibiki pulled away with a wink and an effortless heart gesture. He swallowed deeply and tried to cobble his composure back together, well aware that he had lost it far too easily.

Tristan followed Hibiki into the main room of the penthouse. By day, and whilst not tired from a long journey, he had a much better opportunity to take it all in. The penthouse itself was built long and narrow with an open floor plan, spanning from one side of the hotel to the other, while bookshelves and furniture created separate spaces and sitting areas.

Large rafters and wooden beams gave the appearance of a log cabin out in the snow; a very spacious and meticulously designed one. Baroque flower patterns popped up in every piece of furniture, and wherever he looked he found well-crafted details vying for his attention. 

Yet his eye was drawn to the main dining table: stood in the very centre of the penthouse and illuminated in pale white light from the balcony, the breakfast stalled out atop could have come straight from a still-life painting. Four plates were set, with a grand assembly of food laid out everywhere in-between and beside. 

Stacks of artisan bread and petit pains laid next to delftware ramekins full of gold-hued butter and various fruit jams. Mason jars brimming with cereals were accompanied by glass jugs of fresh milk and pots of steaming tea and coffee. A three tiered silver étagère in the very centre held various bright coloured cakes and pastries, none bigger than a single bite. Vases of vibrant wildflowers filled the empty spaces with colours. The cool, Alpine breeze that snuck in through the open balcony door was tagged along by the inviting scent of freshly baked bread and coffee, and subtly laced with morning frost. 

"Good morning." Mr. Yukimura's words startled Tristan out of his stare-off with the breakfast. He looked up to see both Hibiki's parents smile at him. Quickly he recovered and smiled back.

"Good morning, er, Yukimura-san?" He answered, although unsure exactly how to address him – and then Hibiki grabbed his wrist and dragged him in towards the table. Within seconds Hibiki had pulled out the chair for him and sat him down, plopping down beside him immediately after and grinning widely. A bit flustered yet still excited to be there, he smiled and distracted himself with the tiny flowers painted on the glazed porcelain plate in front of him.

"Did you sleep well?" Hibiki's mother asked as both parents sat down, in a far more moderate manner than they had. Despite that they still smiled at him, friendly and not at all perturbed by the excitement Hibiki had shown. 

"Yes, it was very comfortable." He nodded, looking up at them to make eye contact and give them a grateful smile. The way he'd behaved the night before was still on his mind, and he didn't want to do anything that would annoy them, so he averted his gaze again.

Beside him, Hibiki grinned and drew a big circle with both hands. The gesture elicited a wide smile from his father and mother.

"That's good to hear. Sorry that we were on edge last night, it wasn't against you." Hibiki's father said, apologising with a small nod of his head. "This is just new for us."

"That's completely fine," Tristan responded quickly, raising his hands and slightly shaking his head. "And I apologise for getting so defensive, I really shouldn't have."

From the corner of his eye he saw Hibiki and his mother share a seemingly meaningful glance, since it devolved into a sly smirk on either side.

"How about we start breakfast?" Hibiki's mother prompted them all, gesturing invitingly at everything stalled out in front of them. 

Hibiki took a less orthodox approach however. Tristan watched bewildered as he poked a purple macaron onto a fork, and then waved it in front of him. Not sure how to respond, he stared at Hibiki, who grinned back and prodded the pastry against his lips. Flustered, he opened his mouth and let Hibiki shove the delicate treat in. It tasted great, if only he hadn't have to swallow his embarrassment first.

Beside him Hibiki giggled, and even when he tried to avoid looking at them he saw Hibiki's parents smile rather amused. It wasn't that bad, all things considered.

"Well then, let's get started." Hibiki's father said, as he pulled a piece of bread onto his plate. "And I am sure Tristan is capable of eating himself." The man smiled at him, and he nodded back still a bit flustered. Hibiki puffed up his cheeks and let out a soft grumble in pretend-disappointment – before running his hand through Tristan's hair and smiling at him. He smiled back, as some of his embarrassment melted away into a warm blush instead.

"I can take anything, right?" He asked, hesitant about simply grabbing something without permission.

"Of course, go ahead." Hibiki's father said cheerfully.

"If you want anything else, we can have it made for you." Hibiki's mother gestured at a little brass bell on the table, which he presumed could be used to ring the wait staff.

"Oh no, this is fine." He said with an immediate shake of his head, as the last thing he wanted to do was make any unnecessary requests. In fact, he'd probably have been happy with the crumbs underneath the table.

"Don't hesitate to ask for something." Hibiki's father said before taking a bite of buttered and jam-coated bread. 

He nodded, but still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea. Hibiki picked up on that, and he felt a hand on his upper arm. Looking at him, he was met with a gentle and encouraging smile. With a small shake Hibiki tried to get him out of his head, and although it didn't help with his blush, it did make him feel more appreciated and at ease.

"Thank you." He said, before reaching in to take a piece of bread.

"So, what are you going to do today?" The inevitable question from Hibiki's father was answered with a wide grin and a few signs from Hibiki. Tristan looked on and nodded as he recognised the motions for skiing.

"Ah, did you bring your clothes for skiing?" Hibiki's mother asked Tristan with a smile, and he sheepishly shook his head in response. Hibiki smiled reassuringly at him and patted his head before answering again. This time he didn't know what he said, but from the context he could gather it was probably that they'd planned to get him some skiing gear. It frustrated him once more that he couldn't communicate with Hibiki on such a basic level, not even understanding what the gestures for a simple everyday conversation meant.

"Your mother and I wanted to head into the city, so we can do both. If I go with Tristan to get him the necessary things, then you can go into town with your mother, and then both of you can ski later in the afternoon." Hibiki's father said chipperly as he took his wife's hand, yet there was a very certain quality to the way he spoke, to the point of it becoming a demand. Tristan glanced at Hibiki, who frowned slightly as the proposal meant they'd be separated – even if just for a few hours. Yet he too seemed to have picked up on this being non-negotiable, and nodded begrudgingly. Tristan didn't mind so much if it meant he got the chance of leaving a good impression on Hibiki's father, so he nodded keenly.