Work Text:
It’s winter.
Snow falls outside the window as it builds up into layers and layers of thick white snow, snowflakes drifting through the air—small and intricately-shaped pieces of ice. The snow covers everything—the past, the misfortunes, the problems in the world. It layers on blankets of thick shields against the horrors of life. In the dark night sky, the stars shine brilliantly upon the white untainted snow, ready to have a wish made upon. A time for celebration, for romance, and for burying yourself under a thick blanket as you curl up with a book in hand and a cup of hot chocolate in your other.
Unfortunately for Kim Soleum, he doesn’t relate to such heartwarming sentiment, as winter is just another season when he has to suffer through endless colds and sleep deprivation under the covers in freezing temperatures. Even with the heaters in Daydream’s top-notch assigned apartments, the man is simply just too cold for a little heat to wash it away. Soleum has always been like this since birth—far too cold for a regular human, but not bad enough to consider it hypothermia. Though, right now, he feels like he is suffering through that very condition.
“Ha-choo!” The sneeze echoed in the barely lived-in room. His bedroom holds no warmth in it, being plain and undecorated. Soleum does not concern himself with such theatrics. This is not his home, nor will it ever be.
But that isn’t the point here.
Soleum is freezing, possibly to death as he thinks it to be. His breath can be seen in the cold room despite the heater being turned up to the max setting. Maybe Daydream’s apartments aren’t top-notch, after all…
“Aaaah… help me, Braun…” Soleum cries for help as he cradles the pink rabbit doll, fur tickling his nose as he nuzzles against it for its body heat. It is barely felt against Soleum’s cold, stiff skin. “It’s so cold…!”
His teeth are chattering as he speaks—and when he doesn’t, Soleum’s entire body is shivering in the bitter cold with light tremors racking his whole form. He is buried under mountains of blankets and clothes alongside some of his pillows, yet he is still freezing.
If this goes on, I might really die…!
Soleum squirms at the thought, or maybe it’s because of the low temperature. The curtains have been drawn closed with the windows shut tightly to stop any icy winter air from coming in, so why is it still this… cold!?
Soleum is seriously running out of words to describe this feeling. Well, there isn’t really a feeling, as his body is numb from the bone-chilling wind that seems to come from nowhere in particular.
As he loses feeling completely in his fingertips, Soleum starts going berserk, thrashing in the piles of fabric layered on top of him. He muffles a scream in his pillow.
He’s going crazy…
Baek Saheon is always warm… I wish I could be like that too. Why am I always so cold all the time?
His mind flashes to a moment in the vent when Soleum pulled Saheon into it. It was so warm that Soleum could melt into it and never wake up again.
Kim Soleum has made a decision, and he doesn’t realize it as he grabs one of the furriest blankets from the pile and climbs out tiredly only to get hit by another chill.
“Haaa– h–haa–”
The sneeze doesn’t come as expected and Soleum flushes in embarrassment from going Haaa! out of nowhere.
Soleum wraps the blanket around his trembling frame and walks dangerously on numb legs as he pushes the door open. One of the frosty windows in the living room is still open and Soleum almost cries from the piercing wind coming through from the crack of it.
The black-haired man hurries over to the other door before he can stop himself. He’s forgotten to bring Braun, but there is no helping it now. There’s no way Soleum would return when he’s come this far! He considers it an accomplishment he was able to even get out of bed in this cold, let alone walk through a frigid living room.
Soleum grabs the doorknob and pulls it down without thinking, pushing the door open. The light from the living room fills his roommate’s room, but it doesn’t shine on Baek Saheon’s face so Soleum is still in the clear. He quietly steps in and carefully shuts the door behind him in the dark as he creeps over to Saheon’s bed where the man is sleeping peacefully with a blissful expression on his face.
Soleum stands there for a moment, quivering as he wonders whether he should climb in his roommate’s bed. But, no, he’s going to die if he doesn’t do it!
Without a word, Soleum lifts the blanket up and climbs into bed next to Saheon. The man is startled as he jolts up from the rustle of the sheets, and spouts something Soleum doesn’t care about which is replied to by a “I’m cold, deal with it.”
Saheon flinches as Soleum buries himself under the blanket. He can feel the icy air from the other man’s skin and they’re not even touching, so Saheon makes a mental note to go as far as possible from Soleum to avoid touching him. Meanwhile, Soleum’s in bliss—the bed under him is warm, the blanket is warm, and his roommate next to him is warm!
“Um, sir…” Saheon tries to make up excuses for Soleum to leave his bed when he snuggles up right next to him. Okay, seriously, he has to be suffering through hypothermia right now. Maybe I should climb out of bed when he’s asleep and let him die from the cold!
No, the problem is that why is Kim Soleum so cold? The temperature outside isn’t exactly horrible in Korean standards. Saheon has always enjoyed winter as his natural warm body and the cold refreshing wind balance the temperature out to something just right.
He turns to the other side, back facing Soleum so he won’t need to look at him or do anything unnecessary. And yet, as if God hates him, Soleum decides to nuzzle Saheon’s back. It manages an abrupt flinch from Saheon who pulls away instinctively. Soleum’s skin is freezing, and it isn’t very nice against his own.
Soleum huffs and grabs Saheon so he can’t pull away this time. It’s warm. His back is at such a toasty temperature, it feels like it boils against Soleum’s own skin. He buries his face into Saheon’s neck, nose tickling him.
“S-sir…” Saheon’s face flushes, and he can’t be more relieved that Soleum cannot see him right now. He can feel Soleum’s nose brushing against the sensitive skin of his neck, his cold hands using his back as a heater. He can feel his roommate’s breath against his ear, and it turns red in fluster.
“Sir, could you sto–” Saheon turns around to face Soleum to speak sternly to him, but is interrupted by the sensation of arms wrapping around him tightly. It’s cold, it’s bone-chilling to the core. Saheon is glad his body is naturally warm or else he might’ve passed out from shock right then and there.
Saheon doesn’t try to scold him anymore and lets his roommate cuddle him. Saheon doesn’t return the hug, arms twitching tentatively at his sides. He can see Soleum’s pitiful face, desperately searching for more of Saheon’s warmth. Usually, Saheon would find it amazing that he could see Soleum in such a pathetic state—this way, he could have something to leverage over him! But right now, all Saheon can think about is Soleum.
Hesitantly, Saheon lifts his arms up and places them against Soleum’s sides stiffly. Now Soleum can feel Saheon’s breath against his skin too, and the heat radiating from it makes his numb skin tingle in an electrifying manner.
“You’re warm…” Soleum buries his face into Saheon’s chest, somehow finding a way to reduce the already short distance of their two bodies. Saheon’s face is entirely red, and he looks away in embarrassment despite the fact Soleum is too preoccupied in his chest to look at him.
Soleum’s legs entangle themselves with Saheon’s and he slowly dozes off—finally, at the late time of 2 AM. Saheon hears the man’s breathing even out into shallow breaths before he allows himself to look at Soleum. He is quiet and so peaceful—expressions Saheon has never seen Soleum take on before. Soleum has played many roles, but never once has he been this way. And oddly enough, Saheon is glad to know that, as if he is content to have been special to Soleum, despite his initial hatred for his roommate. But it has washed away alongside the chill in Soleum’s bones and heart, so Saheon’s fingers find their way to Soleum’s own ones and intertwine them both together.
It feels like a puzzle that finally clicked together, like a key to a lock. The feeling is more than intense, it is perfect.
Saheon has never felt this way before.
He has experienced it all before—a constant thumping in his chest, shallow breaths, sensitive skin—but he has never experienced this warmth that has found its home in his heart.
And even if it’s just for tonight, Saheon will gladly bask in this delight.
Lips press against forehead as he trails down to his neck, then finally ending at his shoulder as Saheon falls asleep with Soleum entangled in the sheets with him.
Their temperatures are just right.
Sunlight seeps in through the cracks of the curtains at the window as Saheon’s alarm blares. He groggily lifts a hand to end it and he sits up instinctively to find himself pulled back down by a pair of cool arms that no longer froze.
“Saheon” is the word to come out breathily from between Soleum’s lips and Saheon’s heart flips a beat. His expression… What does it look like right now?
“Soleum,” he breathes out in return, face flushing as he cups the other man’s cheek with his hand. His body feels too hot for one that was held by such a freezing man. This warmth—it must originate from the one hidden in his chest.
For today, and today only, I’ll allow my heart to beat for you.