The ground was covered in a light dusting of snow, which was already becoming dirty with sand and soot, despite having fallen the night before. It was below freezing outside, and the people who were brave (or unfortunate) enough to be in the cold were fully dressed with their scarves and mittens. 

Hoseok loved winter. Or maybe he just loved his boyfriend during the winter. Certainly, he adored him every day of the year but the winter was one of his favorite times to spend with his boyfriend. In fact they met last December, and their one year anniversary had just passed.

"Kihyunnie, are you cold?" he asked, laughing at the young man beside him. 

Kihyun nuzzled his face deeper into his scarf. "It's freezing," came the muffled reply. 

"It's okay," Hoseok assured. "We're really close to the cafe, so just hold out for a few more minutes." He grabbed his boyfriend's gloved hand in his own and began to walk faster. 

Thankfully for Kihyun, the cafe was not more than five minutes away. When they entered the small shop, a wave of warmth hit their faces. "I'm melting," said Kihyun. 

Hoseok smirked. "You're melting my heart." 

"God, you're disgusting." 

Hoseok only laughed. Nothing made him more happy than being with his boyfriend. "Let's order drinks." 

They each ordered a coffee, and Kihyun insisted that they share a piece of pie. "Hoseok..." 

The other hummed in acknowledgment. 

"Ah, it's nothing." He sat down in a booth, and Hoseok filed in beside him. 

"I know it's not nothing, so say it." 

Kihyun struggled to unwind the scarf from his neck. "I was just thinking about our first date—if you can call it that—and we were at this cafe." 

"I remember," Hoseok chuckled, "that I was in the library with my coffee, and you had been working there at the time so you said I had to go drink it somewhere else." 

"And then you said I should go have it with you, and I ended up getting fired for leaving the job." 

Hoseok laughed. "It was worth it, right?" 

"Of course. Before I lost my job, I had no one who was dumb enough to buy me everything I wanted." 

"Hey!" 

Kihyun laughed that silent laugh that Hoseok loved and hit his boyfriend on the chest. "You're the best. And I'm not using you to buy me things." 

"That's good." Hoseok hugged Kihyun tighter. "You want some help with that scarf? You look like you're struggling." Kihyun nodded and pulled away so Hoseok could unwind the fabric from around his neck. "All better," he announced, rolling the scarf into a ball. "I can see your pretty face now." 

The younger man pouted. "P–pretty? I'm not pretty." 

"Yeah, you are," Hoseok insisted. "You're so pretty." He rubbed his nose on Kihyun's cheek, causing him to protest. Hoseok didn't care though. 

"People are going to see us—" 

A kiss was planted near the corner of his mouth. "I'm not afraid to be seen with you. Are you afraid to be seen with me." 

"N–no! It's not like that. It's just..." 

Hoseok reluctantly pulled away, and Kihyun was already missing the affection. "I know." 

Kihyun squeezed Hoseok's leg under the table. "Someday people will understand, and I'll be a little braver." 

"I hope that day comes soon." 

"Me too." 

Hoseok wanted nothing more than to go out with his boyfriend and be able to hold his hand without worrying about the rude stares and offhanded comments. It was almost impossible to go somewhere without someone giving them a dirty look or pulling their children in the other direction. There came a point when Kihyun told him that he would rather not act too close in public because he was getting uncomfortable. Of course, Hoseok was willing to respect his privacy, but every once in a while he got carried away.

The waitress soon came with their order and Kihyun dug into the pie. "Save some for me, baby." 

"You snooze you lose," Kihyun stated. Hoseok quickly picked up a fork and took a large bite. "I didn't say you could make up for lost bites." 

Hoseok laughed and put down his fork. "I'll only eat that much, since I know you love blueberry pie." Unexpectedly, Kihyun shoved a forkful into Hoseok's mouth. "Such a generous guy." 

After Kihyun finished the pie, he leaned into his boyfriend's side. "Where are we gonna go later?" 

Hoseok played with Kihyun's fingers and answered, "We can go to my apartment, and I thought you could sleep over so we could watch a movie or something. If it's okay." 

"I'd like that." Kihyun smiled at the thought. "Let's get out of here." 

Hoseok laughed. "Someone's eager." 

"I wanna cuddle," the younger said, leaning farther into Hoseok. He pulled away to wind his scarf around his neck. "I can pay the bill this time." 

Within fifteen minutes, they had payed and ran down the street to Hoseok's apartment. It was fairly close to the university, so Kihyun happen to stay there more often than in his dorm at the school, just because Hoseok was there. He took off his coat and hung it on the back of a chair before laying down on the couch. 

"Scooch," Hoseok said, pushing Kihyun forward to position himself behind his boyfriend. 

"Why don't I ever get to be big spoon?" Kihyun asked sadly. 

Hoseok laughed and explained, "Because you're the perfect size for tiny spoon," which earned him a jab to the stomach by a very sharp elbow. "Okay, okay! If you want to be the big spoon, go ahead." 

"Nah, I actually kinda like it here. I just wanted to know why." 

"You're a ." 

"I'm so offended," Kihyun stated dramatically.

They sat in silence for a while, Kihyun nuzzled up against Hoseok’s chest, the latter’s 
strong arms wrapped around his waist. “Hey, I can't reach the remote.”

“I don't wanna watch anything. Just talk to me.”

“O–okay. What do you want me to say?”

Kihyun shrugged. “Say anything.”

Hoseok planted a kiss on the back of his boyfriend’s neck. “I liked today. Every time I'm with you, I end up liking it. Really, even if I've had a terrible day, when you come over it's like nothing bad ever happened. Something about you is...cleansing, I guess. I can't explain it. It's something I want to spend forever with.”

He cleared his throat. What if he doesn't like me that much? He's going to think I'm stupid. “Do you love me?” he asked warily.

Kihyun rolled over to face Hoseok. “Of course.”

“I don't mean just ‘yeah, I kinda love you.’ Like, do you love me?”

The other nodded. “I love you a lot. What’s wrong, Hoseok?”

Hoseok kissed the tip of Kihyun’s nose, then placed a quick peck on his lips. “I love everything about you, and...and I know we’re young, but…” He took a deep breath. He's not gonna like it. It's dumb . “I have something for you.” He jumped over his very confused boyfriend and slid his way down the hall to his bedroom.

He’s going to think it's stupid, he thought, kneeling at his bedside table. A noise in the doorway startled him, and he turned around quickly.

“Hoseok, what's—”

“Kihyun,” he interrupted, standing up with his hands holding a small gift behind his back. “When it's cold out, you're the only one that warms my heart. I know we’re young and all, but I want to spend as many winters as I can with you...so I got you this.” He held out a box and opened the lid. “It's a promise ring, and there are snowflakes on it because we met in the winter, and I know our anniversary was yesterday so I should have given it then but—”

A pair of chapped lips cut him off, and he closed his eyes.

“You ramble when you get nervous,” Kihyun stated.

Hoseok nodded.

“I love it almost as much as I love you.”

“Y–you like it?”

Kihyun nodded and Hoseok could tell that he was holding back tears. “Are you going to put it on me?” They both laughed and Hoseok scrambled to take the ring out of the box.

“Someday,” he said, slipping it on his boyfriend’s finger, “it'll be safe for us to hold hands in public, not have to worry about people staring at us. We’ll be able to show people how much we love each other, just like every other couple. And we can get a cute little house and have a bunch of babies—”

“That's impossible,” Kihyun said through low chuckles.

“I don't care. The point is, someday, we’re going to make a family, and it's going to be beautiful.” He kissed his boyfriend’s hand.

“Then, I can warm your heart every day.”

(Hoseok pulled Kihyun into a hug, but as always, Kihyun had to make fun of him. “You're so corny, it's rubbing off on me.” Hoseok liked that.)