“Christ, it’s ing freezing in here.”

Baekhyun folds his arms against his chest tightly, muttering grouchily as he shuffles across the room in his bunny slippers to kick at the broken heater with a frown. Shaking it with his hand uselessly, his grumble is cut off by the next bout of shivers that wrack through his entire body. 

“Hyung, do we have any heat patches left?”

Baekhyun turns to find his roommate limping into the room to rifle through the medicine cabinet, a hand braced on his waist. He frowns as he takes in Jongin’s slow, careful movements, trying not to jostle his back too much. The dance company has been working him to the bone to perfect his solo for the Christmas show and it’s wearing him down to the point where the pain in his waist seems to have become a constant presence. The dark rings under his eyes deepen after every night that Baekhyun hears him tossing and turning in bed, unable to catch a wink of sleep.

“Ugh, we’re out,” he hears Jongin grunt before he can answer, tossing the empty box aside in frustration. He trudges over to the couch, lowering himself down onto the cushions heavily before dragging the blanket off from the armrest to drape it over himself. Baekhyun can still see his frame shaking from the cold, the shivers jostling his body enough to make him wince at the ache that must be flaring up in his waist.

Baekhyun peers out the window, gauging what the chances of him getting buried under the heavy snowfall are  if he were to pop out to the pharmacy. He considers it seriously before it hits him that it’s Sunday and nowhere would be open. It’s already later anyway, the evening chill chasing away any traces of warmth left from the sun earlier. 

Biting his lip, Baekhyun moves over to switch on the TV before joining Jongin on the couch, sitting close enough that their arms are pressed up together. Jongin immediately curls into his side, leaning into him easily, thankful for the warmth even through his chattering teeth.  Lifting up one corner of the blanket draped over his legs, Jongin invites him closer until their thighs are touching too.

They sit like that, huddled together as they watch reruns of an old show on TV but Baekhyun can’t focus, stealing glances at Jongin’s face every now and then. His expression is pulled tight, brows furrowed with discomfort and even through his own shivers, Baekhyun can feel way Jongin shakes from the biting cold. He watches, helplessly fond, as Jongin’s eyelids begin to droop, nodding his head sleepily until a particularly violent shiver jerks him awake with a wince. He’ll collapse soon if he spends another night with no rest.

Baekhyun tries throwing an arm over his shoulders, his lips threatening to break into a smile when Jongin burrows into him with a quiet whine, sniffling as he tucks his face into the hollow of Baekhyun’s neck. It seems to work for a while, getting them through another fifteen minutes of the show on TV but the angle Jongin’s sitting in to lean into Baekhyun begins to strain at his waist and he shifts uncomfortably again. Pulling away from Baekhyun’s warmth with a violent shiver, Jongin struggles to sit up and straighten his back, breath hitching in pain as he kneads at the sore spot with a pinched face. He slumps back against the couch miserably, bowing his head apologetically at Baekhyun for constantly moving around and distracting him from the show but Baekhyun waves it off. Of course he would berate himself for something so mundane, even when he’s in pain, he thinks, still exasperatedly fond.

“Hey,” he says after a moment, prodding Jongin’s arm as he gets to his feet; “c’mon, let’s try it like this.”

Urging him to pull his legs up onto the couch next to him, Baekhyun pushes him down by the shoulders until Jongin’s lying on his side, his back leaning against the back cushions of the couch. Wasting no time, Baekhyun joins him in the same position, quickly pulling up the blanket to cover them both before the chill sets in again. 

He presses himself close, throwing an arm loosely around his neck and pushes a leg between Jongin’s thighs tentatively. It only takes a few seconds before Jongin melts into him, molding himself into all the right places, fitting perfectly against Baekhyun’s small frame. With his back comfortably supported by the cushiony back of the couch, Jongin circles an arm around Baekhyun’s middle, tugging him in closer until he’s laying almost half on top of him. Breathing a content sigh, he pushes his face into Baekhyun’s neck again, pressing his lips into the warm skin of Baekhyun’s throat. It’s a small, sweet gesture of gratitude and Baekhyun twists his head down enough to kiss the crest of Jongin’s cheekbone lightly.

He’s warm and soft in Baekhyun’s arms; the steady rise and fall of his chest against his own is soothing enough to make him drowsy in the toasty heat they’ve made under the blanket. Jongin finally falls asleep, still clinging to Baekhyun tightly and snuggling impossibly closer even in his sleep. Baekhyun’s not far from joining him, smiling sleepily as he kisses the top of Jongin’s head, glad he’s finally getting some peaceful rest before he dozes off too.