“We kiss closer and sweetly
My heart is burning
Like the winter that I spent with you”
- Winter Heat by EXO

The sweet scent of winter jasmine filled the crisp winter air as the silent white sugar granules dwindle across the forest like delicate dandelion seed heads dancing in the wind, covering the branches and grass in white. While the snow falls prettily, the soft hues of auras streamed through the thin white curtains and laid quietly onto the messy crisp white bed sheets.

The air was frozen on his pale skin, delicate and wintery as the temperature drops. His eyelids fluttered open and he blinked until his vision was focused, his fingers continuously running through the silver locks of his lover who laid unconsciously on his chest while their legs remained tangled under the white sheets.

It’s a matter of seconds when Kyungsoo realized he wasn’t breathing because his breath was taken away by the other’s high cheekbones, his plush lips, his perfect sharp jawline, and his sun-kissed skin that Kyungsoo wants to pepper kisses all over. His hair was recently dyed silver with a few roots still staying naturally ebony, but Kyungsoo thought the boy still looked breathtaking with or without dyed hair.

Feeling drowsy, his fingers stopped for a moment before he let out a quiet sigh. He felt the boy moving away from his chest and he mentally whined for the warmth to come back. Kyungsoo closed his eyes, feeling a bit dazed as he felt the boy’s warm presence closing up space between the two. He pulled Kyungsoo into his muscular tan arms and Kyungsoo was pretty sure he could smell his faint scent of citrus shampoo from last night’s late shower. 

Kyungsoo stared at the latter and can't help but be mesmerized by the sleeping figure of Jongin. His chest would rise up and fall in a simple pattern while his rosy plush lips would part slightly along with his silver dyed bangs that naturally covered his pretty eyelids. He was beautiful, Jongin was truly beautiful, and Kyungsoo felt so warm, though granted the heater was also on. 

Their bodies had closed the space between them and their body heat kept the both of them warm and cozy for this winter season.

Besides the comforting silence, their almost matching breathing patterns were the only sounds in the room.

He snuggled deep into Jongin’s arms, feeling the other shiver from the morning winter temperature and his nose nuzzled into the crook of his neck, smiling because this was perfect, just Kyungsoo and Jongin.

Falling in love with Jongin was like the times he ran through fields of daisies and he wouldn't mind falling in love with Jongin over and over again and again. 

He stared at the boy’s pouting lips, being careful with Jongin’s drool to not come out of his mouth like in the past. Kyungsoo hated it so much when he once woke up to drool on his pillow. He yelled at Jongin and also called him a dog and it had taken 24 hours for Kyungsoo to accept his apology which basically entails giving Kyungsoo a stack of poetry books from the bookstore with a cute elderly man around the corner of Jongin’s university since Kyungsoo loved reading simple poetry lines and soft kisses with small mumbles of sorries.

Whenever a small animal died in Kyungsoo’s arms, he would cry in his room with the moonlight streaming through his windows -- the only light in the room -- and Jongin would always be there for him. Jongin would always be there for Kyungsoo no matter what. There would be no words spoken between the two since their hugs and ‘it’s okay’ kisses always makes Kyungsoo feel better. 

Kyungsoo unconsciously smiled to himself as he remembered the good memories in the past while watching the sunlight reflect softly on Jongin’s face. 

-

December 30th, 20XX

With noses and cheeks painted with faint red by the coldness, they walked around in bundles of layers that made them waddle like penguins. Jongin intertwined his fingers with Kyungsoo’s pretty ones and shoved them into his coat’s pocket, shivering because the temperature was below freezing and their knitted mittens and scarfs weren’t enough to keep the both of them warm. 

The two of them had come across a small simple unknown cafe which had hugged their freezing bodies with the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Kyungsoo was still new to the scent of coffee and the busy modernized streets. Living isolated for a long time has its pros and cons. Kyungsoo wasn’t the type to be extroverted, he has been taught to grow up in a quiet forest and protect the forest animals. He had grown up not remembering who his parents were but it seemed as if the gods and angels of heaven decided to give him life for one simple task: to protect the forest. 

Kyungsoo wasn’t used to so many people talking and the loud sounds of car engines running and honking horns. It wasn’t until he met Jongin, a young teenage boy who was just trying to run away from his aunt who was yelling at him for procrastinating. It was a wonder how he ended up in the forest. Jongin had accidentally hurt one of the forest wolves by defending himself with a stick and it had caused him to receive an earful from Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo took Jongin in for a while, taking care of the cuts Jongin had gotten from the tree sticks. He had called him clumsy, but Jongin tried to defend himself by saying that the cuts made him look cool. God kids these days, always trying to be popular by being violent. 

Over time, Jongin started visiting the forest for Kyungsoo which made his aunt and uncle curious whenever he goes out more often. One day, He had taught Kyungsoo how to weave flower crowns since the simple accessory had caught Kyungsoo’s interest. He placed a flower crown on Kyungsoo’s head when he finished making one. With peach and cream roses, Jongin was stunned by his beauty, calling Kyungsoo beautiful, a word Kyungsoo had never heard anyone call him before.

He was pretty sure his cheeks were bright red when Jongin had called him that. The angels up above the clouds were probably cheering for him. They were probably pointing out his cheeks and the loud beats his heart made. 

Back to reality, Kyungsoo was still zoned out. He stared at Jongin when the both of them sat down in a booth near a window. He didn’t focus on the cup of vanilla latte that had been placed in front of him and he had forgotten to murmur a soft thank you to the waitress since he was too mesmerized, too focused on the soft silver silk that sat above the naturally tan skin that contrasted his pale moonlight skin and the plush lips of blush pink protrude into a thin smile after feeling warm from a cup of hazelnut latte.

The sounds of coffee orders and the whirling brewed coffee machines didn’t stop him from staring at Jongin. He smiled because he was in love, in love with the scent of coffee and the warm kisses that Jongin gives him to keep him warm. Jongin resembles the freshly aromatic cups of coffee that had been set down on trays to give to the customers. He makes Kyungsoo’s eyes twinkle, making his mood go up just for being his daily caffeine.

Kyungsoo thinks about how lucky he was when he first stumbled across a Jongin trying to defend himself. Falling in love wasn't on his to-do list but Kyungsoo was more than happy to meet Jongin.

“Soo?” Kyungsoo comes back from daydreaming and looks straight into Jongin’s gleaming eyes. Love, curiosity, and satisfaction filled his lover's eyes.

“Oh um yes?” He blushed as he figured that Jongin had caught him staring at him for the nth time. Kyungsoo felt so embarrassed. 

“Am I that handsome?” Kyungsoo quickly sets down his cup of latte before covering his faint pink cheeks while Jongin chuckled, making Kyungsoo’s heart skip a few beats.

Kyungsoo, who still was covering his face murmured a soft “Yes..”

-

He looked at the time, smiling a little in defeat as he counts down the minutes of the time he has to wake up and start his morning routine. He felt the arms around his tiny waist become stronger, holding him tighter as if the other was a child who didn’t want to let go his favorite teddy bear. 

Kyungsoo’s fingers that have been playing around with the blanket meets his sleeping lover’s face. He mentally reminded himself that he has a few moments before the latter starts to stir from his tiny movements. Jongin wasn’t an early riser, the both of them aren’t but Kyungsoo had been waking up a few minutes earlier lately to watch his lover sleep blissfully because, at the end, the extra minutes are worth it. 

Kyungsoo’s forefinger straightened the crease on Jongin’s forehead because he knows that Jongin has been stressed out lately due to the fact he had been staying up late at nights when he had to finish his college papers. 

He watched his sleeping beauty slowly open his eyes, trying to adjust the natural lighting in the room. Jongin rubs his eyes cutely, like a little bear cub, before giving Kyungsoo one of his sleepy but famous smiles. The pretty crinkles along the edges of his warm brown eyes were too mesmerizing for Kyungsoo and he might have mentally died on the inside. 

They smiled at each other softly, fondly. Wrapped up in each other's arms, Kyungsoo felt his favorite pair of lips softly pressing onto the crown of his head before he felt tender butterfly kisses on his collar bones which made him giggle as Jongin continued to shower him with more of his soft kisses. 

He watched Jongin sit up, and he stares at the creases and lines of his well-built back under his white t-shirt as he stretches before reaching for a newly made flower crown that had sat on top of the Jongin’s nightstand overnight. 

He made Kyungsoo sit up with him, annoyingly poking him and receiving his cute whines of wanting to be in bed forever. In the end, though, he sat up on his bed hair still messy and those pretty eye bags still visible as they sat under his eyes. 

A soft chuckle came from Jongin’s lips as he gently placed the extravagant flower crown onto Kyungsoo’s head. The creamy white of baby’s breath and the soft pink blush of spray roses were twined with thread. There were smaller flowers in between that scattered around in lines that curve and weave like a map of stars. The flower crown was beautiful, but Kyungsoo’s features beautified the wreath even more. It left Jongin breathless. 

"You're beautiful, Soo."

Kyungsoo’s cheeks were painted with a natural light pink since Jongin was the only person to have ever called him beautiful. His eyes were a dark chocolate shade and round, like an owl, his lips soft and matching with the blush on his cheeks. 

“Good morning, my beautiful prince.” Kyungsoo shied away from Jongin, feeling his being painted with the lightest pink. He still wasn’t used to being called beautiful. 

“Morning, Jongin,” Kyungsoo mumbled, his mind still a little fuzzy as he rested his chin tiredly on top of Jongin’s narrow shoulder. Kyungsoo knew it’s past the time he was supposed to wake up so Jongin pulled his sleepy Kyungsoo out of bed, the flower crown still sitting atop of his head as he intertwined their fingers, feeling as if they were a complete puzzle. 

It was already past 9 AM and Kyungsoo was ready to help the injured wolves that he had discovered last night. After all, he was the forest’s hidden gem, a prince with a flower crown instead of a golden metal one. He was an ethereal flower who loved late mornings and vanilla lattes, and he was also in love with the boy who had called him beautiful, Kim Jongin.