The Cold Thaws [When I'm With You] [kaisoo; 674 words]

Cold winter wind nips at Jongin's ears as he chews on his bottom lip.

It was still 6AM in the morning when Do Kyungsoo, his roommate, dragged him out of the apartment. To where exactly, he doesn't know. At this hour of the day, he hopes that it was to get breakfast from the diner.

He spares a look to his right when he hears shoes thud against concrete rather loudly, and finds that Kyungsoo had jumped on the elevation beside them.

“So this is how tall people see the world,” Kyungsoo muses as he throws both his arms sidewards as to balance himself now that he's a head taller than Jongin.

“What are you doing?” Jongin asks to which Kyungsoo just replies with a smile. It was unlikely of his roommate, but seeing as they were alone except for the occasional cars and pigeons, Jongin chooses to let the antic pass. “Where are we going?”

Kyungsoo halts. “I don't... know. I just thought it'd be nice to take a walk this early?”

“Well, you didn't have to drag me along. It's freezing out here!” Jongin says, putting his hands inside his coat pocket, and that's when he notices that the other didn't have anything on to keep him from the cold aside from a flimsy sweater.

Kyungsoo flinches when he feels Jongin's hands on his shoulder, only to realize that Jongin was letting him wear his coat.

“And to think you were the one who wanted to talk a walk!” Jongin says.

“I'm sorry. I just—” Kyungsoo pauses to look at the other. “I don't know how to thank you properly for the other day. I was a mess, wasn't I?”

The image of a puffy-eyed Kyungsoo sobbing on his chest with his hair strewn towards every direction colors Jongin's cheeks with a light shade of pink.

“So... how can I thank you?” Kyungsoo asks.

If it were the Kyungsoo a year ago, the Kyungsoo who always talked about Chanyeol and clung to the taller man, Jongin wouldn't think twice and would just brush it off and say that it was nothing, but it isn't the Kyungsoo from a year ago. Standing In front of him is the Kyungsoo whose relationship fell apart months before but only found out that it did a week ago. So Jongin thinks twice, thrice, and chooses what he wanted even before Kyungsoo met Chanyeol. “Go to prom with me.”

Jongin swallows the growing lump in his throat when he sees Kyungsoo's smile falter. He regrets doubting what he should've said earlier, regrets forgetting that this was also the Kyungsoo from years ago—the Kyungsoo that doesn't have any feelings for him.

Jongin almost mouths 'forget it' when Kyungsoo asks: “Is that all?”

“No.” Jongin looks up, admiring the way the sun painted light and shadows on Kyungsoo's fringe, to his eyelashes, to his cheek, and to his lips. “Push me away if you don't like what I'm about to do next.”

Kyungsoo looks down at Jongin, and before he could even say 'okay' he feels warm lips crashing against his.

Kyungsoo's lips part and he unknowingly closes his eyes as Jongin pulls him closer by the collar, allowing Jongin to kiss him even more—even deeper. He hears the flapping of pigeons around them and he thinks that they describe the feeling inside his stomach perfectly.

It takes Kyungsoo a few seconds and the cold touch of Jongin's hand on his cheek before he realizes what they're doing, and he places a hand against Jongin's chest. He doesn't push, but Jongin pulls away.

“I won't say sorry.” Jongin smiles weakly before walking away first, leaving Kyungsoo breathless.

Kyungsoo doesn't know what he should do or if what they did was right, but he chases for Jongin anyway. He grabs Jongin's hands, interlocks it with his own fingers, and in that he thinks that he might do the same with the other's heart too.

“You don't have to...” Kyungsoo mutters, squeezing Jongin's hand. “And your hand is cold.”

Jongin squeezes back.