It isn't so cold with you next to me

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Kim Kibum was on a tight schedule. His whole day was planned, along with his weeks, up to the middle of the next month. He had meetings, appointments, reports to hand out, projects to finish and a whole mess of annoying stuff to do. But on that afternoon, besides that one little phone call he made right after lunch, he wasn't about to lose himself into his work. On the little note he held into one cold hand as he made his way through the park between his home and the nearest underground station, an accurate and detailed itinerary was carefully written.

Shops had been listed, along with their addresses and opening hours, in a precise order so that he could make a practical loop through the city and buy all the Christmas presents he had scrupulously thought about for all of his friends and family members in the past few months. Because Kibum was organized and meticulous, and he wasn't about to throw a Taemin and hurry into a mall on the 23^rd December and hope for the best. No. Everyone was going to have a personal, caring, moving gift from him this year. As every year. And this time, he wouldn't offer any clothes to Taemin, because he knew they would just end up on the man's boyfriend. And Kibum had had enough of seeing his perfectly chosen clothes, bought specifically for Taemin's frame and appearance, being worn by somebody who was taller, broader and larger than his friend. All of this was ridiculous. He was done trying to make Taemin look decent.

If he were to be asked about it, Kibum would shamelessly admit that every single idea he got this Christmas, concerning gifts, was absolutely flawless. He was going to make everyone happy.

Kibum pushed his list down his pocket in a desperate attempt to warm up his fingers and tried to bury his nose completely in his large scarf. It didn't prevent him from smelling the warm, delicious chestnuts being roasted a bit further away through the park. He couldn't help himself, and turned his head to his right, noticing the small stall a dozens of meters away, where an old granny was buying some snacks for a little boy next to her.

As he tore his eyes away, focusing on the path in front of him again, he blinked a couple of times. His feet slowed down as he took in the sight of a man, sitting alone on a bench, with a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hands. From where he was, Kibum couldn't even see him that clearly. The man was hidden beneath a very large coat, an exceptionally fluffy scarf and a beanie; he looked quite cozy, actually, on this particularly cold day.

For some reason, the sight of him took a small, bitter smile out of Kibum. He thought about how nice it would be, to go on a date with someone who would wait for him with flowers. He hadn't been on a date for so long. Not to mention that nobody ever bought him flowers; it was kind of sad.

Kibum sighed, and suddenly straightened up, resuming his previous, quick walk through the park as he tried to forget those melancholic thoughts. It didn't quite work at first, and he found himself sitting in the metro, daydreaming about a lovely date, with some handsome man bringing him flowers and taking him to some fantastic place. But as he sank into Seoul, hunting down gifts and being hustled and shoved to the side by mothers in a hurry, his mind finally let go of that bouquet of flowers, the man holding it, and the dream of a date at the skating rink.

Kibum had to deal with unplanned small disasters that got him to grunt, grumble and frown as he tried as best as he could, to find solutions to each upcoming problem. The book he had ordered for Jinki through a specific bookstore to get a specific edition, hadn't arrived, due to troubles in the postal service and he would have to find time to come pick it up later. Then there had been some issues in the metro, leading him to fall behind his schedules. And the store he had to go to for his mother's present was exceptionally closing early on that specific Wednesday.

"Couldn't you announce it on your social media or website this morning?" Kibum pestered out loud in front of the closed door as he stamped his foot on the ground.

To top it all off, it started snowing in the middle of the afternoon. Kids started screaming louder as they watched the snowflakes make their way to the ground, adults hurried up to take shelter, and Kibum had a lot of troubles walking with his all of his bags while holding his umbrella to protect his gifts from being ruined.

Long story short, everything was awful, and Kibum ended his long trip through Seoul completely exhausted, starving, and frustrated to no end. The whole thing had proved to be a lot more tiring than he had first expected - and hoped - and now, as he was laboriously carrying all the presents he managed to get, he only wished for the comfort and warmness of his home, away from all those people invading the streets.

As he made his way to the park leading to his home, Kibum heard his stomach growl with need and he winced. He caught a sweet, tempting, pleasant scent in the air and after a few seconds of debate inside his head, decided to indulge himself in some churros. As a reward for going successfully through such a tiring day.

The park was silent this time, and mostly empty. People were hurrying back to their home, as the night was setting and the weather was growing even colder. It kept snowing. Snowflakes were twirling in the air, getting caught in Kibum's scarf, melting into cold water and making him shiver when they hit his hands. He could smell his warm churros perking out of his bag, and he couldn't wait to get back home, sit on his couch, cover himself in a blanket, and eat them all.

Then, his feet slowed down. And he blinked a couple of times, in complete bewilderment. There, sitting on the same bench, buried beneath layers and layers of warm fabrics, was the same man he had seen earlier that day, holding the same bouquet of flowers. And Kibum's heart froze inside his chest.

Had he really been waiting there like this for the four hours Kibum had spent outside? Had he been waiting for a date who never showed up? How could he still be there, unmoving, holding those beautiful flowers tightly? He must have been so cold and lonely; the thought of it alone made Kibum tremble. He wondered what on earth happened to that man for him to wait so long for someone. It didn't make any sense at all. This was completely ridiculous. It was heartbreaking, actually. Even more than not having anyone to go on a date with and not having anyone to offer him flowers.

Kibum suddenly realized that he had stopped walking. He was standing still, staring at that poor dumped silhouette who looked so miserable, and he sighed.

There was no way for Kibum to pretend he hadn't seen him. So he approached, slowly, wincing as he wondered what to even say. It just bothered him. It bothered him too much for him to go home and forget about it.

"Hey...," he said, and cleared his throat a bit as he realized his voice was hoarse. "Are you okay?"

Kibum had expected red, puffy eyes, still filled with tears. He had expected a broken voice asking him for tissues. He had expected misery and despair and desolation and an overwhelming sadness. But he was met by two round, surprised eyes, looking at him in wonder. Then one gloved hand came to push the man's scarf away, and Kibum frowned when he saw the bright, sunny smile addressed to him.

"Mhm? Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. What about you?"

For a moment, Kibum found himself speechless, gaping. Then he pulled himself together and pouted.

"Well, I'm okay, I suppose."

"Are you sure? You look like you're freezing," that strange man said. "You should head back home and warm yourself up with some tea."

Kibum was puzzled. To say the least. He tilted his head, taken aback by the cheerfulness and kindness in the other's voice.

"I was on my way," Kibum answered, in a defensive tone. "But I saw you there alone, and I got worried. I thought you needed help."

The stranger looked up at him in surprise, and then laughed. It was a light, very soft laugh. And Kibum didn't know how to react anymore because he hadn't say anything funny, and all of this was very weird.

"That's so very thoughtful of you!"

"I suppose...," Kibum whispered, doubtful. "But are you sure you okay? I mean, I saw you there already when I left four hours ago... You must be tired and cold."

"Are you stalking me?"

The stranger was looking at him with sparkles in his eyes, and scrunched his nose playfully. That got Kibum to blush in outrage.

"Of course not! I simply noticed you there, with those flowers... But I guess your date never showed up, right? You don't have to be embarrassed, that's all I meant. But you shouldn't wait so long for someone. You're going to catch a cold and if they're making you wait that long, they obviously don't deserve it! You should go home now."

Kibum was getting worked up, and he didn't even know why. Why was he so invested in this, now? It didn't make a lot of sense. He was still cold and starving and his churros weren't getting any warmer. He was still carrying all those heavy bags and why on earth was he still talking to that man who was apparently completely alright?

The stranger's face relaxed into a very soft, delicate smile.

"You're very kind," he simply said.

Kibum was dealing with an odd bird, apparently. And he huffed.

"Go home!"

Then, as he straightened up, ready to go away, something suddenly dawned on him. And he turned back slowly, to see the stranger still looking at him happily.

"You do have a home to go back to, right?"

The stranger gasped and nodded quickly.

"Yes, yes, I do! Don't worry about me."

Kibum sighed, quite dramatically, and put his bags on the bench. He laid his umbrella on top of them to protect them, and sat next to that weirdo.

"You say that but you're not moving at all. I can't let you wait here endlessly for some idiot who couldn't even text you that they couldn't make it. That's ridiculous. Please, just forget about them and get back before you turn into a snowman."

A sly smile spread on the stranger's lips as he looked at Kibum from head to toe.

"I'm Jonghyun."

Kibum closed his eyes in frustration.

"I'm not asking for your name, I'm asking you to get back home and stay safe."

"I'm not waiting for anyone."

That got Kibum to freeze as he threw a scandalized expression at Jonghyun.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Jonghyun shrugged, and turned his head away, rising his nose in the air with a chuckle.

"I just wanted to look at the first snow."

Kibum let his jaw fall open in utter consternation.

"What?" he repeated, louder this time.

Jonghyun looked back at him, his eyebrows raised high on his forehead as he nodded quickly.

"I love snow and my phone said it would be snowing today; I just wanted to see it and enjoy it, so I came here to wait for it. Isn't it beautiful, really? I really, really love snow."

Kibum felt his shoulders slouch as he let himself lean against the back of the bench. He couldn't believe such nonsense. This man was absurd, irrational, completely foolish.

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"No, why would I? Don't you like snow?"

Kibum put one hand on his face and breathed loudly, asking the universe for some patience.

"So you're telling me you stayed sitting there for four hours to watch the snow?"

"Of course not, that would be ridiculous," Jonghyun laughed, and Kibum was starting to get very frustrated. "I got up to get some coffee and chestnuts at some point."

"This is still ridiculous," Kibum complained.

Jonghyun held out his hand, as if he wanted to catch some snowflakes, but they all melted against his glove. Then he glanced at Kibum from the corner of his eyes, and the little smirk blooming on his lips seemed to be holding magic.

"Is it, really?"

Kibum didn't know what to answer, so he only sighed, and straightened up.

"You should be careful. You're definitely going to get sick waiting here endlessly. Don't you have someone waiting for you and those flowers? They're probably worrying about your health too."

Jonghyun tilted his head and squirmed a bit on the bench.

"Ah, you're not wrong..."

"I'm glad to hear you admit it," Kibum snorted.

Jonghyun chuckled and looked at his flowers.

"She's probably getting all restless," Jonghyun smiled.

And for some ludicrous, puzzling, baffling reason, hearing that crackpot of a man suddenly talk about the woman waiting for him at home made Kibum's heart sink inside his chest. It laid low in his stomach, heavy, cold, and lonely.

"Or maybe, she's asleep and didn't even notice I was out. Maybe she's doing all kind of mischiefs in the flat, waiting for me. The other day she completely unrolled all the toilet paper; it was so annoying to clean."

Kibum frowned again.

"That's-...," he started, but Jonghyun interrupted him.

"She's quite a terrible puppy."

Kibum couldn't help the sudden loud laugh that escaped him. He clapped his hands on his thighs and threw his head back.

"Don't laugh, it really was a pain to clean," Jonghyun whined.

"I just didn't realize you were talking about a dog," Kibum breathed out. "You're really-... I don't know. I have no idea what's going on inside that head of yours."

Jonghyun blinked a few times, and then smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, all kind of stuff, truly."

"So, you're bringing those flowers to your dog?"

Jonghyun looked down at the bouquet of amaryllis on his lap.

"Oh, well... I don't really know. I guess. I just found those flowers pretty, so I bought them. For myself. But she will enjoy them as well, since you know... we live together."

Kibum sighed and leaned his elbow on the back of the bench to look curiously at the man in front of him.

"You're really one of a kind."

"Am I? Thanks."

Jonghyun suddenly turned around, left his bouquet next to him and started to rummage through his pockets. After a little while, he finally held out a small heat pack to Kibum, with a smile.

"Here, take this. You're going to get sick. What were you thinking, going out today without gloves?"

Kibum took the green pack and felt his fingers almost burn from the sudden warmness. His eyes couldn't leave Jonghyun's silly frown.

"Look who's talking."

"I'm not cold, Mister. You're the one who kept yelling at me to get back home, but I'm actually warm here, while you've been going out all day dressed like it's early October."

Kibum looked down on his own outfit. He had purposely chosen not to wear too warm clothes because he knew he was going to be running around different shops and he would spend a lot of time in the underground. Still, he smiled.

"I'm Kibum."

It was silent for a moment, until Jonghyun sighed.

"That's a pretty name."

"Is it?" Kibum asked, with a little chuckle.

Jonghyun coughed, and squirmed a bit.

"Well, about names, some are pretty, others are weird, some I don't like, and some are very original. But sometimes, people's names don't fit their faces, or attitude, you know? But Kibum is a pretty name, as far as I'm concerned. It fits you."

A small silence fell back between them, and Kibum found it quite comfortable. It felt nice, to be sitting there next to Jonghyun. His thighs and feet might be cold, but now, his heart wasn't anymore. It was beating a bit loudly inside his chest, as if it was glad to be back to business.

"How much longer will you enjoy the snow?"

"I don't know. It's getting pretty late, isn't it? But now, more than the snow, I'm enjoying your company."

Kibum's heart fluttered a bit.

"So, if you get sick, it's gonna be on me?"

Jonghyun smiled at him.

"I wouldn't mind getting sick because we talked too much."

"But I would mind if you got sick," Kibum said with a roll of his eyes. "And I also can't be sick myself. I'm very busy at work lately."

Jonghyun's eyes softened as he nodded gently.

"Then, you should head back home. I promise I will go away too, soon."

Kibum glanced at him, and pinched his lips. He turned around to his bags, and took his bunch of churros. He grabbed one, and held out the rest to Jonghyun.

"You want one?"

He saw those black eyes sparkle with excitation.

"Thanks."

Kibum sat back, more comfortably, and looked at the snow still falling around them.

"You know, when I saw you this afternoon, I was a bit jealous."

"Why?" Jonghyun asked, as he started nibbling on his snack.

Kibum let out a little laugh and hid his face behind one hand.

"I really assumed that you were waiting for someone. And I just thought 'Ah, wouldn't it be nice to go on a winter date with someone who would give me flowers?'"

Jonghyun chuckled next to him.

"Where would you want to go?"

"Ice skating, I think. It's dreamy."

"It is indeed, but not very practical with flowers in your hands."

Kibum pouted at that, and crossed his arms on his chest.

"I didn't think about the details."

"It's alright. I would buy you flowers afterwards. As we make our way to some coffee shop. Do you drink coffee?"

Kibum jumped on his seat and turned his head towards Jonghyun, to find the man looking at him with a mischievous smile playing on his lips. And he felt himself blush furiously.

"I didn't-... what-... I just-... No no no."

"No, you don't drink coffee?"

Kibum swallowed with some difficulty and scratched his forehead with some trembling fingers.

"I do. I love coffee," he squeaked. "But I didn't mean-... like hum-... you were joking, right?"

"Well, you kept saying stuff like 'someone waiting for me' and 'they should be worried', so I was kind of hoping that you weren't straight, to be completely honest."

Kibum suddenly felt incredibly warm. Everywhere. His heart was now racing and his face was so hot and red that it could make snow evaporate.

"I'm not," he heard himself breath out in a very acute tone.

The grin on Jonghyun's face widened impossibly.

"Then, would you find some time in the middle of all that work of yours, to go on a date with me?"

Kibum was on a tight schedule. He had all the upcoming weeks planned carefully, and he had no time at all to spare. It was already bothering him that he had to find a small moment to get back into the two shops that screwed him that afternoon, and pick up Jinki's and his mother's presents. But he felt himself nod shyly.

Jonghyun seemed delighted.

"Do you have a pen?"

Kibum blinked, taken aback by the sudden question, but cleared his throat and searched through his bag.

"Here."

"Thanks."

He saw Jonghyun take off his gloves, and grab his bouquet. There was a card between the flowers, with the shop's name and number, and Jonghyun started scribbling behind it. Then, he gave the pen back to Kibum, and put the card in the middle of the bouquet again.

"You should head back home now," he murmured, with a scrunch of his nose. "I don't want you sick for our date."

Jonghyun held out the bouquet in front of Kibum's eyes.

"Call me whenever you want."

With trembling hands, Kibum reached for the beautiful white and red flowers and looked at them with wide eyes. He saw the card, where Jonghyun had written his name and number, and his heart went haywire with the sight of it.

"Are you for real?" he suddenly blurted out.

Jonghyun burst out laughing and wiggled on his seat.

"I promise I am. Please, get back home now and warm yourself up. I'll be waiting for your call to take you ice skating."

"Thank you," Kibum whispered in a tight voice.

He starting laughing and fumbled with his belongings for a moment, getting up laboriously. He couldn't possibly hold all of his bags, his umbrella and his flowers, so he hoped that the tiny snowflakes still falling wouldn't ruin his presents on his small way back home.

"I'll see you soon," he smiled to Jonghyun.

"I hope so. Please don't forget about me."

Kibum started to step back, towards his home, but kept looking at this curious man grinning at him.

"I won't. I couldn't, even if I wanted to."

Jonghyun waved gently at him, and Kibum went away. He kept peering over his shoulder, to see Jonghyun watching over him, until he turned around a corner and went out of sight. His eyes fell back on the flowers in his hand, and he laughed happily.

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Thank you a lot for reading!! I hope this story provided you some -always needed- comfort, warmness & softness. Take good care of yourself & don't get sick!