The snow was beginning to lighten up as they stepped into the boundaries of Winterhold. There were guards walking through the snow-covered streets as well as a few civilians. It was a small town Jonghyun noticed. Very few intact buildings from the looks of things. A guard passed them mumbling something he couldn’t hear but from the expression change of Jinki’s he knew he had. “What did he say?”

               “Oh, no bother. The people of this town and the College have a rocky relationship.” He smiled softly, gesturing further into the town toward the looming building that was the College. “If you’re still up for a tour.”

               He nodded gently, following the mage toward the long bridge leading to the College. There was a mage standing guard at the base, but they nodded their head as Jinki approached. Before Jonghyun could question Jinki was walking past them. “Who was that?”

               “Oh, Yixing.”

               “Why was he waiting down there?”

               “We don’t just let anyone into the College, Jonghyun. The only reason you were allowed is that you were with me.” Jinki stopped abruptly, “Watch your step here. The bridge is crumbled.”

               Eyeing it nervously as they crossed the bit of bridge he asked, “Shouldn’t you fix that?”

               “It’s on the Archmage’s list.” The big metal doors before them swung open by themselves and Jonghyun stared at them the entire time it took for them to walk into the big open courtyard. “To your left is the Hall of Attainment, where the Novices and Apprentices quarters are. To your right is the Hall of Countenance, where the mages who’ve mastered their selective school of magic resides. Just ahead is the Hall of the Elements. Come. There’s much to see.”

               As they walked out into the open courtyard more Jinki shifted to walk on his right. It was when Jonghyun saw the two dark elf mages standing near the statue. By moving Jinki had put himself between them and him. The large wooden doors were pushed open with ease and Jinki smiled as he pushed down his hood once again. Jonghyun sighed. “You have no idea how pleased I am to be out of that darn snow.”

               “Just a few moments and you’ll have somewhere to rest I promise.” Jinki gestured to the right with his palm up and fingers open. “Over there is the Arcanaeum. You could think of it as a library. In the room straight ahead is where lessons and training are given most of the time, and to the right is the Archmage’s quarters.”

               Jinki stepped toward the left, bringing out a key that was on a piece of twine around his neck. As he slid it into the lock of the Archmage’s quarters Jonghyun asked quietly, “You have a key?”

               “Am I not supposed to have a key to my own quarters?”

               “But-”

               He slipped through the open door, turning slightly to warn, “Watch your step. It’s a little dark up the steps.”

               “Jinki this is absurd. You said you had business with the Archmage, not that you WERE the Archmage.”

               “Mm, yes. I didn’t lie to you Jonghyun. I do have business with the Archmage. It just so happens that means with myself,” The dim light of the steps opened up to a bright corridor. Jonghyun followed him slightly annoyed before all negative emotions drained out of him at the sight before him. “I didn’t tell you I was Archmage because it’s not something I willingly give out to strangers and given your, mm, prior feelings towards mages it seems it was a good idea. Anyway, please make yourself at home. Anything that is mine is yours.”

               “Jinki this is…” The room was circular. In the middle was a garden full of different plants and herbs. A few mage lights floated above it, illuminated it in a mystical light. To the right were an enchanting table and an assortment of soul gems. Glancing to his left there was an alchemy table and shelves full of any ingredient an alchemist could dream of. As if in a daze, he moved slowly, walking around the circumference of the room starting to the left. Around the only wall that bisected the room at all there were apples and wine, and then he ran into the King sized bed against what was the very far side of the room. Brows furrowed he spotted Jinki coming around in front of him. “Are you rich?”

               “No,” A deep, throaty laugh left his lips before he grew serious. His hands were on his hips, head cocked to the side sightly. “What makes you ask such a ridiculous question?”

               “Um,” He gestured wildly to the space around him. “Have you SEEN where you live?”

               “Most of this comes with the room when you’re given the mantle of Archmage. Very few of the things in here are my personal belongings.” Jinki laid down his bag in the chair to the right of him, rummaging for a few moments before straightening with a smaller brown bag in his hands. “I must go speak with my Master Wizard Kibum, but please make yourself at home. You’re safe here. No one will bother you as long as you stay in this room.”

               With a kind smile, he turned and left. Jonghyun heard the distant sound of the door closing behind him. He pressed his lips together as he looked around before huffing. “What does one nonmagic folk do in a room full of magical things?”

               He decided that one would take a nap, afraid he’d touch something and make an explosion on accident. The majority of the things in the room he hadn’t seen before and he didn’t want to blow things up and have to explain how it happened to Jinki with their relationship already half rocky, to begin with now. Carefully he took his armor off, laying it in a neat pile by the wardrobes straight ahead to the right of the bed. He didn’t want to pry into Jinki’s personal belongings, so until he returned to give him permission to use the wardrobes, his armor was content being laid upon the floor.

               The bed was comfortable and smelled like Jinki. The thought of how it could with the time the man spent away from the piece of furniture passed through his mind. Jonghyun nuzzled his face into one of the pillows and got comfortable. It wasn’t long before sleep pulled at him.

----

               A few hours later Jinki returned. Kibum had begun the research he requested, taking the tomes he had acquired to begin reading them as soon as he could. In his hands was a tray of cheeses and nuts. He figured as hungry as he was, Jonghyun had to be too. He bowed his head to the mages he ran into, but never stopped to talk with any of them. Soon enough he was walking under the huge arch leading into his room. He headed for the table next to his wardrobes to the right. “Hey, Jonghyun I have-”

               And then he saw Jonghyun curled up on his bed, and his voice softened slowly into silence. The food was pushed onto the table as quietly as possible. After removing his robes and folding them to place them on the chest directly to his right, he redid his pins in his hair. He then pulled on his simple, floor length robe that tied around the waist. He needed to have his enchanted robes cleaned soon. He thought about reading a book to place the time or working in his garden, but he decided to play around for a bit. Frost began to swirl around his fingers as he grinned. Moving his arms slowly, snow began to fall around him. It tingled when it touched his skin, but it wasn’t cold. As it fell on the ground it disappeared completely. He giggled softly as he twirled, more snow falling as he did.

               He was so caught up in his magic and being free, that he hadn’t heard the bed creak softly, or the sound of gentle footsteps padding against the stone. It wasn’t until he heard the sneeze that he froze, whipping around to see Jonghyun just in the opening of the right archway. A flake of snow fell against his nose and he sneezes again. He stumbles back, the sneeze too powerful for him to stay upright. Jinki blinks, softening even more at how small Jonghyun looks without all his armor. The pout on the man’s face is adorable and Jinki wonders what this new warmth spreading from his chest is.

               “Do you have any food in this place beside the apples?” Jonghyun asks after giving a shy smile.

               “There’s cheese and bread on the table there.” The warmth in his chest increases in the way Jonghyun quickly looks over, happiness blooming across his features. “The bread should still be warm.”

               Jonghyun groans deeply with the first bit of cheese hits his tongue, falling into the wooden chair that faces Jinki. Another piece is popped in quickly after with another satisfying groan. “It’s so good Jinki.”

               “I’m glad you like it.” Slowly he sat in the chair opposite of him, sipping the water from the glass jar between them. He had seen Jonghyun so many times before in this state of undress. Almost every night they were in a safe enough place his armor was taken off, but for some reason gazing at the warrior then, he felt different. He had never noticed the way Jonghyun’s hair curled upon his forehead, the deep brown of his eyes, how delicate his movements were as he ate and drank, or how his eyes fluttered when he enjoyed something he was eating. Before he can navigate and pinpoint what the warmth of his chest was, Jonghyun was speaking.

               “Are you staying around here for a while?”

               “A few days. I miss being home.” He chuckles softly. “Nothing is quite like your own bed.”

               Jonghyun dipped his head then, a dark pink, “It is very comfortable.”

               "Then again, as Archmage I really should stay around at the College." It was then Jinki noticed the heap of armor on the floor. “You could have used the wardrobes. You didn’t have to discard your armor on the floor.”

              “I didn’t want to snoop.”

              ​​​​​​​“You’ll only find my old armor and some fancy clothes.”

              ​​​​​​​“Your old armor?” Jonghyun perks up, excitement and intrigue falling off of him in large waves.

              ​​​​​​​Jinki snorts, waving his hand, “Go look for yourself.”

              ​​​​​​​He pushed from the table and stepped in front of the first one, “Which one?”

              ​​​​​​​“The middle one.”

              ​​​​​​​As the doors clicked open Jonghyun stared at the contents before glancing over at Jinki. “You did not wear this. You couldn’t even pick up these weapons.”

              ​​​​​​​“I beg to differ.” He scuffed, arms crossing his chest. “I wore that for a number of years before I accepted who I was.”

              ​​​​​​​“Then come pick it up.” Jinki might have refused if it hadn’t been how cocky and sure Jonghyun looked leaning up against the wall with his arms across his chest.

              ​​​​​​​Without a word, Jinki walked toward him, but instead of turning to pick up his old weapons he stepped close to Jonghyun and reached out behind him to curl his left hand around the man’s ax. He twirled it behind his back after taking a few steps back, easily moving it between his hands, before offering it to Jonghyun again with a big smile. “Is that good enough for you, Mr. Jingles?” When Jonghyun just stared at him, lips parted, eyes wide, Jinki began to laugh as he placed the ax back against the wall. Being close to him he gives a goofy grin and asks, “I’m not as weak as you thought I was, Huh?”

              ​​​​​​​“You have gold specks in your eyes,” Jonghyun whispers instead.

              ​​​​​​​Jinki stumbles as he steps back, tripping on a pair of boots that had fallen from the wardrobe. His cheeks are pink, blush dusted over his skin, as he scratches the back of his neck. “Ye-yeah. I guess I do.”

-----

              Later that night Jonghyun is laying on the left side of the bed, hugging an extra pillow as he rolls on top of it. “Are you coming to sleep?”

              ​​​​​​​The high elf looks up from the book he’s reading, a soft smile on his face. It was a few hours earlier that Jonghyun had asked if it was okay for him to stay in his room for the night. “If I don’t soon are you going to take up the entire bed?”

              ​​​​​​​“Possibly.” Jonghyun nuzzled against the pillow, eyes already starting to close. His voice was soft and drowsy. “It is way too comf.. Comfortable.”

              ​​​​​​​“Alright.” The book was placed on the table before Jinki pushes up. He puts his robe up on the hook before pulling the covers back and slipping in.

              ​​​​​​​“Goodnight Jinki.”

              ​​​​​​​He’s already asleep before Jinki can speak. He smiles gently, fond, and it’s then he realizes what the warmth in his chest is when he looks at Jonghyun. Love. It’s love. “Goodnight Jonghyun.”

----