Yixing’s breathing comes out in plumes of white smoky tendrils before disappearing into nothingness. The temperature around him is zero degrees, maybe even lower. He feels the cold cutting through his skin, chilling his veins and numbing his bones. Jolts of pain shoot through his spine, raking invisible nails into skin and reminding him of the unhealed waist injury, still tender and raw. Despite the excruciating care Yixing had taken to put on his waist supporter, it did not ward off the stinging and throbbing that accompanied the injury. Today there is a dull tingling in his lower back as Yixing takes a stroll outside his apartment, eyes wandering aimlessly around to see the people in the crowd around him, to acknowledge the bright advertisement boards and to read the direction signs.

It is a bit cold indeed, but bearable.

Early in the morning Lu Han had sent Yixing a message with a request to play a game. Knowing Lu Han, it is probably soccer—no, it’s definitely soccer. Why his friend would ask him to hang out to play soccer in the middle of the winter season when everything is cold and slippery is beyond Yixing. And why of all people Lu Han associates himself with did he choose Zhang Yixing to hang out today remains a mystery as well. Though the place Lu Han had asked to meet up does not scream Football Park at all, so maybe it might just be a quick ‘get together hang out’ consisting of hot chocolate milk and sandwiches that Lu Han will be paying.

A lone snowflake crosses his path, drifting left and right in front of his eyes. Without thinking, Yixing stops walking and raises his face to the sky. He watches the snowflakes descend, swirling down from the sky and winds the scarf a little tighter around his neck. Yixing shivers. He crams his hands into the side pockets of his coat, ducks his head and resumes his original plan to head out and meet up with Lu Han.

--

It was in the middle of snowflakes kissing Yixing’s long eyelashes, dusting faint kisses on his cheeks, when Yixing first caught Lu Han unawares.



“What… is this?” Yixing said in a drawl he usually reserved for confused questions that demanded answers.



Lu Han tensed in his chair, fingers frozen on top of the keyboard table and turned around just in time to see Yixing lean back slightly in his stance.



Yixing was peering over his shoulder, literally breathing down Lu Han’s neck, warm breath wafting against the skin, creating invisible paths for embarrassment.



“N-nothing. I was just reading something.” Lu Han said a little too hastily and nearly slammed down the lid of the laptop to hide the screen (he didn’t slam it, though).



“What are you doing here? I thought you were busy buying groceries with Kris.” Lu Han asked him instead, turning to face Yixing. He was holding his breath in as he met his eyes head on.



Yixing was supposed to have gone out with Kris to do some shopping in the convenience store below. They wouldn’t be back this fast considering the length of the shopping list manager and Kris had compiled together, consisting of three days worth of dinner and snacks with Kris and Tao eating for two people.



He didn’t know how long his friend had been standing behind him, or how much Yixing had seen, but Lu Han hoped Yixing’s eyes didn’t read the first line or the second, the third, heck, the whole text. Something Lu Han was not willing to share with anyone, especially not with Yixing.




Yixing gave him a long side-eyed look, his lips pursed in thought, and then shrugged. “Kris is taking too long to dress up. But we are still planning to head out soon. So I was wondering, do you want anything specific from the store?”



Lu Han’s eyes flickered to the door leading to the living-room and then to Yixing’s own. “A notebook and chips?”



“That’s all?” Yixing raised his eyebrows.



Lu Han nodded.



“No bubble tea today?”

Lu Han thought about the extra bottle in the fridge he had purchased not so long ago and shook his head, “Nope, thanks for asking.”



Yixing hummed and opened his mouth to say something but a knock on Lu Han’s bed room door distracted him. Kris was standing in the door opening, dressed in a thick green cardigan, dark slacks, jumping on one foot as he pulled on a fluffy sock over the other.



“You done?” Kris glanced at Yixing as he leaned on the door frame to put on the other sock.



“Yeah, I’m waiting for you, slowpoke.” Yixing moved away from behind Lu Han, passing Kris on the way to jab a playful finger into Kris’s thick coat. Kris deflected the offending finger with a slap and a frown that made Yixing giggle in response.



“You want anything, Xiao Lu?” Kris directed the question to Lu Han.



“Yixing already asked me. But since he’s a bit forgetful, please get me a notebook and snacks, duizhang.”




“Got it. Come on, let’s go, Yixing.” Kris pushed himself off the doorframe.



“See you later, Lu Han.” Yixing tossed over his shoulder and flashed him a bright smile.



“Don’t forget your wallet!” Lu Han called out after him.



Yixing scoffed and said something about being mature and responsible before Kris shut him up with a reminder to wear his coat and hand gloves. Once the sound of the front door slammed closed with a sharp bang, Lu Han released a long relieved sigh he did not remember holding in. He scratched his cheeks, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming up.



That was so close.



He pushed himself away from the desk and went to the kitchen to retrieve something to drink. His hand reached for the sweetened milk tea Yixing tried so hard to protect. Yixing wouldn’t know the difference if he stole a few sips anyway.





--

The place Lu Han has chosen turns out to be an outdoor ice skating rink next to a famous hotel. It is a fairly large open area with metal fences, lots of trees and layers of white snow. Even though it’s still daylight out, Yixing can see the small light bulbs hanging around the metal railings and trailing the neighboring trees. He imagines that this place would be even more breathtaking once the sun has set and the light bulbs flicker on. Like in those romantic scenes in Korean dramas Zitao likes to watch and Lu Han likes to manly cry over.

There is quite a crowd moving in and out of the ice rink. Everyone has at least one person to accompany them on the rink, laughing, talking, holding hands or just