A walk in the park, Mingyu realized just a little too late, was perhaps not the greatest date idea in sub freezing temperatures. The sentiment had been nice; the logic, however, left much to be desired.

    In his defense, it really had been a sweet idea. For weeks, his boyfriend, Minghao, had had his heart set on seeing a particular light display in a park not too far from their dorm. He had seen a flyer in a nearby store advertising the extravagant show, and ever since, he had been hooked on the idea. He would never outwardly ask; after all, he didn’t want to feel as though he were being burdensome to Mingyu. It was evident how he felt, though, when his eyes began to shine at any mention of the display. So, wanting to play the role of the good boyfriend, Mingyu had surprised him and took him out on a night that they were free of their schedule. Seeing Minghao’s face light up when he heard where it was that they were going, he felt like he had done something right.

    At least, he did, until roughly five minutes after showing up.

    The sun had gone down at least an hour ago, and December had begun - it was expected that it would be cold. He had taken extra care that he was well bundled up, and he had at least doubled that effort for Minghao; the boy didn’t have so much as an ounce of fat on his body, and he’d freeze immediately, so Mingyu had been sure to wrap him in layer upon layer.

    Regardless, it was only a matter of a few minutes before he felt the hand within his own begin to quake.

    “Minghao, are you cold?” He asked incredulously, entirely unable to believe that with all that he was wearing, he was still shaking. Sure, Mingyu himself was a bit chilly, but it was bearable for him.

    The smaller boy, however, was quick to shake his head, staring straight ahead with a look of pure determination on his rosy face. With the big beanie slipping down his forehead and the scarf wrapped around his neck all but engulfing his lower face, it was all Mingyu could do to stop himself from stopping in his tracks and squeezing him as tightly as he could. There wasn’t one person on this planet, Mingyu was certain, who came even close to how precious Xu Minghao was.

    Deciding to spare his boyfriend’s ego, Mingyu simply continued on with their stroll, squeezing Minghao’s hand just a little more tightly within his own.

    Hearing the surprised gasps coming from Minghao with each new display that they passed, it didn’t take long for him to come to the conclusion that he had made the right decision in continuing to walk. He didn’t know the last time that he had seen Minghao so utterly delighted, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a child in a candy store. Mingyu soon found that he wasn’t interested in the lights at all; he could only bring himself to watch Minghao. In fact, he was certain that he would’ve traded all the twinkling lights and flashy displays in the world twenty times over just to see the way that Minghao’s eyes were shining. He simply couldn’t tear his gaze away from the smaller boy; the mystified smile on his lips, the way he couldn’t look at the same spot for more than a few seconds, the way...his fingernails...were slowly turning purple…

    “Minghao!” Mingyu gasped suddenly, bringing up the boy’s large hands to his face, confirming the changing colors. “You’re so cold!We need to go back to the dorm or you’re going to freeze to death!”

    But the younger was stubborn; “I’m fine, really,” He insisted, mustering up all the sincerity that he possibly could. “It’s just a little while longer, and I’m not even that cold.”

    Mingyu shot him a look of disbelief, and he knew that there was no way that he could win at this point. “Your fingers are literally turning blue, Minghao. You know I won’t be upset about leaving, right? This was just for you anyway.”

    Regardless, Minghao’s chapped lips began to pout. Mingyu took his boyfriend’s silence as a sign that he was giving in, the cold finally beginning to get to him, and with that, he began pulling him back in the direction of the dorm.

    By the time that they finally got inside, Minghao was frozen absolutely solid, shaking visibly. “My boyfriend is an idiot,” Mingyu muttered, still dragging the popsicle of a boy behind him until they reached the couch, where he firmly sat him down and instructed him to stay there. For once, the obstinate dancer gave in to the taller’s demands.

    It was like Mingyu had suddenly transformed into a grandmother seeing her grandchildren for the first time in a year; he bustled about the dorm, opening and closing every drawer and closet he came across until finally - finally - he came across a blanket. Arms full, he rushed back, wasting no time in tucking Minghao in.

    “I’m not a baby!” protested the younger, though didn’t put up much fight beyond that as Mingyu nothing shy of swaddled him.

    The second he felt Minghao was sufficiently wrapped up, Mingyu was off again, shuffling into the kitchen next. It was once more a scavenger hunt in the truest sense, every cabinet flung open before he came across a mug. While he perhaps wasn’t a master chef, if there was one thing he was skilled in making, it was hot chocolate. The mug was filled with water and put into the microwave in record time, filled to the brim with hot chocolate mix the moment it came out of the microwave. He might’ve stopped for a moment to admire his handiwork had the cup not been intended for his frozen boyfriend.

    “You know, it’s not like I have hypothermia,” said frozen boyfriend chided, accepting the cup graciously nonetheless. There was no denying that the heat coming off of the cup was like heaven against his ice-like skin. “...thank you,” he mumbled, moments after taking a few sips. “I feel warm now.”

    “Not yet,” said Mingyu, the eagerness in his voice spilling over and manifesting itself in the excited smile on his face, the type that showed off his prominent canine teeth and only ever preceded something absurd. And, of course, just as Minghao had deduced, before long, Mingyu had plopped himself down onto the couch, nuzzling as closely into Minghao’s side as possible. With that goofy grin still displayed, he leaned in at the speed of lightning, pressing a kiss to the unsuspecting Minghao’s cheek.

    “W-what?” Sputtered Minghao, cheeks burning red as he nearly spilled the contents of his mug.

    And, then came the line that Mingyu had clearly been dying to say: “Now your face is warm, too.”

    It was all that Minghao could do to stutter out what an idiot Mingyu was; still, though, he couldn’t deny that the older was right.

    He certainly was warm now.