“I’m cold,” Ryeowook whined, and his roommate, Sungmin, groaned.

“You’re wearing a sweater, a sweatshirt, and two pairs of socks, and you’re sitting under two blankets and a comforter, Ryeowook; how could you possibly be cold?” Sungmin was sitting at his desk working on a paper due the next morning and was perfectly comfortable in just a cardigan and a long-sleeved shirt.

“Dorm rooms weren’t made for normal people,” Ryeowook said decisively and Sungmin would have been insulted if he’d been paying attention instead of trying to up his word count.

“Just go get some hot chocolate from the dining hall or something,” the other muttered in response, flipping through the piles of notes on his desk, trying to find the perfect quote to use in his argument; he’d seen it just a minute ago…

Ryeowook sighed when he realized that his roommate was going to be no help at all and, very grudgingly, detangled himself from his blanket burrito. He grabbed his student ID and room key, dropping by his closet on his way to the door to grab a thick winter jacket, scarf, and hat. “You’re just going to the dining hall!” came Sungmin’s exasperated cry, but Ryeowook ignored him and pulled his hat down over his hair as he marched out of the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

He stuffed his ID and key into his pocket before shuffling down the hallway and down two flights of stairs; he took a deep breath and braced himself before dashing out of the door and into the cold.

He let out a quiet squeak when the sudden blast of frigid air hit him in the face and he pulled his coat tightly around his small frame, hurrying along the sidewalk toward the dining hall.

The dining hall was not, by any means, his preferred place to get food, but it was the closest and, ever since the university had remodeled it, there were free drinks after seven, and anything free sounded good to him. So he hurried in through the doors and headed straight for the drink bar, grabbing a paper cup and filling it with steaming hot chocolate before plopping down at one of the empty tables and sipping it slowly.

A few minutes later, a figured plopped down in the seat across from him; he looked up and his face immediately broke into a grin.

“Hyung!”

The man across from him was a couple years older than he was but was only a year ahead of him in university. He was a business major with a minor in music and they’d first run into each other in the music building between classes. They’d been best friends ever since.

“I don’t normally see you here!”

“I had a late practice for my senior show tonight and figured I’d stop by and get something warm before I went home. Speaking of warmth, you must be pretty cold.” A slight smirk played around the older boy’s lips as he nodded toward Ryeowook; the younger flushed a light pink when he realized he was still wearing his coat, scarf, and hat.

“The dorms are cold, Jongwoon hyung!” he whined, taking another sip of his hot chocolate. “Whoever sets the thermostat for the dorms has obviously never been in them! And my bed is near the window so it’s always colder than it is by Sungmin hyung’s bed!”

Jongwoon smiled, running his hand through his hair before he snagged the cup from Ryeowook’s hand, taking a sip of the hot chocolate: if it had been anyone else, Ryeowook would have complained, but it was Jongwoon, so he just blushed slightly instead as the older boy handed the cup back to him.

“It’s Friday; want to come by my apartment? It’s a lot warmer there than it is in the dorms, I’m sure.”

Ryeowook nodded almost immediately, his eyes lighting up. “Can I really?”

“Yeah, just let me get my own hot chocolate first.”

Jongwoon stood, pushing in his chair lazily before heading for the drink bar, Ryeowook trailing along happily behind him.

---

“Home sweet home,” Jongwoon breathed, dropping his keys on the kitchen counter as he led Ryeowook into his apartment. It was small but it seemed so much bigger than it did before his old roommate moved out. Ryeowook pulled off his coat and hat, immediately plopping down on the couch in the living room.

“Can we watch a movie?”

Jongwoon laughed, tugging off his own coat. “Yeah. Pick something and put it on; I’m going to find something to eat. I kind of skipped dinner to work on the show.”

He reentered the living room a minute later, balancing a bowl of cereal in one hand and his hot chocolate in the other. Ryeowook, upon seeing his hyung’s ‘dinner,’ raised his eyebrow.

“Cereal?”

“It was the quickest thing I could find to make,” Jongwoon mumbled, plopping down on the other end of the couch carefully as he put his cup of cocoa on the end table. “What are we watching?”

“Iron Man.” Ryeowook cracked a grin. “Donghae was on an Iron Man kick again this week and he wouldn’t stop talking about it, which made me want to rewatch it.”

The two fell silent as the movie started, Ryeowook’s attention focused on the screen and Jongwoon’s focused on the cereal bowl in his hands. A little ways into the movie, the older man got up to put away his dishes and came back to find his dongsaeng shivering on the couch.

“Is it really that cold in here?” he asked quickly, alarmed and ready to hunt down a blanket.

Ryeowook’s eyes widened slightly and he shook his head, tugging on his sweater slightly. “This just isn’t the warmest, that’s all, but I’m fine, really! Don’t worry about me, hyung!”

Jongwoon, though he looked skeptical, sat back down on the couch without a fuss. It wasn’t long, however, before he noticed that Ryeowook was shivering again. He stood.

“You’re cold.”

“N-no--! I’m not, really--!”

“Shut up, stupid. You’re cold.” Jongwoon stepped in front of him, turning off the TV before rounding on his friend, bending down and slinging him over his shoulder.

Ryeowook, after the initial shock of being yanked off the couch, pounded his fist on Jongwoon’s back. “Hey! Put me down, I’m not— Hyung?” He looked up when Jongwoon dumped him on his bed, obviously confused.

Jongwoon just rolled his eyes, gently pushing him over and pulling the comforter over his small body. “Wrap up.”

Ryeowook shook his head, trying to detangle himself from the comforter. “But we were watching the movie and—”

Jongwoon let out an over exaggerated sigh, flicking off the lights before dropping down on the bed next to him. “It’s been a long week for both of us, so I know you’re tired, and you were shivering in the living room, so wrap up and get comfy.” He rolled over onto his side, reaching out one hand blindly until he felt it wrap around Ryeowook’s waist. A smile twitched at the corner of his lips.

Ryeowook, however, had gone very rigid and was staying as still as possible, barely daring to breathe. When he’d started this night, he had never really imagined that the solution to his lacking-in-warmth problem would come in this form. His face bright red, he let his eyes slide over to Jongwoon; the older man’s eyes were closed, but there was a slight smile on his face and he seemed very content. He didn’t really want to disturb him, but he also really wanted to know something.

“W-w-why—why are you—”

“Because I like you, stupid,” Jongwoon mumbled, already starting to fall asleep. “Now shush and sleep with me.” It took a second for his comment to register and, when it did, he flushed a light red. “As in, sleep next to me. For warmth. Oh god, I swear I didn’t mean it to sound that creepy.”

Ryeowook just smiled, snuggling down under the covers and curling into Jongwoon, letting the older man wrap his arms around his body and tug him close.

“This is nice,” he said softly.

Jongwoon hummed in response, too tired to reply audibly. Ryeowook grinned, his own eyes slipping closed.

He was fairly certain that he would never have to worry about being cold again.