"This is kinda ridiculous."

               "And whose idea was it?"

               I sat back against the cold tree, still hugging the tub of  ice cream. I threw Hoya a sidelong glance, gesturing for him to come over. A frown still knitted his forehead as he looked at me worriedly. "I'm sorry about this," he apologised.

               Chuckling a bit, I wrenched the tub open and handed him a plastic spoon I sneaked at the cafeteria. "It's fine, it's just my birthday. No biggie."

               "But still," he persisted as he took the spoon and carved out a small lump, "I should have checked the timings before." Popping a deliciously cold mouthful onto my tongue, I closed my eyes for a moment to savour it. The cold soil was freezing my off and the tree was no different. With ice in my mouth and around us, the only source of warmth was from Hoya.

               Throwing a hand out and almost whacking him in the face, I gestured around wildly. "Look," I said, feeling a bit unhinged from the brain freeze and freeze, "I have everything I want here with me. That's enough of a celebration. "

               I felt him tense next to me as I fell back against him before he relaxed. "For someone with such awful temper you're really easy to please." He noted, leaning over to drag out another scoop.

               "Are you saying that I'm easy?" I glared at him in mock anger. "That's it, no more ice cream. Just starve to death, I don't care."

               He snorted, "You'll die of the cold before I starve. Anyway," Hoya reached out and promptly received a smack. "Ow! Easy is good, I don't like girls who speak their own language."

               I made no response to that, chewing on my spoon thoughtfully. Even if I couldn't read between the lines for , the hint was about as obvious as Woohyun's shameless attempts to grab Se Hyun's attention when he shows off his biceps. There's a response dancing on my lips like the melting smear of ice cream there, but my mouth was frozen. Quite literally, actually. Our secret wire was there, between us like a silver thread and I could feel his anticipation at my answer. Like a coward that I am, I couldn't make my mouth form them. They were loud and clear in my head.

               In reality? I simply stared ahead blankly, my face expressionless as though I didn't hear him. Slowly and almost deliberately, Hoya leaned closer to me. Closer than he ever did, his scent wafting into my nostrils. Automatically I took a whiff, feeling my nerves ease.

               He smelled like...Hoya. Clean skin and soap and warm heat and just a certain scent that I can only classify as Lee Howon. A slightly woodsy smell from Yeoido park clung to his clothes. I held still as he dragged his spoon across the tub, both of us unnaturally calm and knowing that our acting was completely bull.

               My hands trembled faintly as I fixated my eyes at a random tree, refusing to look down and resisting the urge to bury my face in his hair.

               "Yeon Jae," he murmured.

               "Hm?" I looked up at him - bad idea. Hoya was still inches from my face, small smile tugging on his lips and warm eyes dark and tender and somewhat amused.

               "Oh, you're alive. I thought hypothermia paralysed you or something." He replied casually, infuriatingly as he looked away and popped the spoon into his mouth. I stared disbelievingly at him, my mouth falling open. Lee Howon, you did not just pull that crap on me.

               Unable to respond to his stupid game and kinda annoyed at the anti- I glared at him and snapped, "You can't get paralysed from hypothermia you dumb ! I'll show you how to get paralysed," I muttered darkly under my breath.

                Hoya just laughed, and I felt my annoyance climbing. Annoyed that we've been beating around the bush, annoyed at his game and annoyed at how good he looked in his dark brown coat as he leaned against the tree like a freaking model.

               "Well, you never know, do you?" Before I could respond I felt his strong arms wrap around me and pulled me into his warm chest, a stark difference to the cold permeating every molecule in the air. My breath hitched in my throat and my eyes widened. "Better to stay on the safe side, hm?" He whispered into my ear, lips barely brushing against the shell of my ear. Hoya's scent and heat was enveloping me and I could feel the lean muscles flexing as he moved to shift me into a more comfortable position. His heart, like mine, was thudding crazily beneath my ear.

               Then...it just vanished. All my fear and anxiety evaporated like the mist of our breaths into the cold air. I snuggled into him, feeling his arms tighten around me.

               This is it.

               Our silver thread brought us more closely to each other and I just knew. This is the moment when we decided to stop being idiots and risk a step forward. Because if you leap a step forward you can fall face first into a pile of snow and break something. But there's also a chance someone might catch hold of you and his warmth could be an unexpected safe haven in the numbing cold.

               Gently, he tilted up my head and looked at me questioningly. There wasn't a need for words as he bent down and pressed me a chaste kiss. I could taste the sweetness of the ice cream on my lips, in my mouth, in my heart and in the feeling that swelled between us. I pulled away a few minutes later, heart racing and little zings running through my veins. I brushed my mouth with the back of my hand, watching him watching me with dark eyes and a bit of apprehension. Without a word I pulled the tub out from the plastic bag. The purple ink awkwardly stood out against the colourful background, the colours clashing like how Sunggyu's outfits would.

Cold is good. It numbs. But sometimes it's good to try and get the feeling back into your fingers too.

Try a heat pack.

                                Hoya (size H)

               "You really are bold, aren't you?" I commented in a neutral voice.

               Hoya squirmed a bit, "I've always thought actions speak louder than words," he ruffled his hair, "And it's not like either of us are that good with words." he said suddenly.

               "I know," I said simply, because I do.

               Then I smiled at him, a small, almost unnoticeable smile and understanding clicked in his eyes. The tension flowed out of our bodies and our limbs unfroze.

               It isn't that cold after all.

               The best part about snow and cold was the warmth.