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The wind was howling outside their apartment in New York. It was one of those cold days that get stuck on your memory because you remember the feeling of your bones aching. The snow had covered the city’s rooftops and cars parked below, and the delicate way it coated them contrasted heavily with the harsh temperature in the afternoon.
“The central heating broke” Eiji announced as he entered the room.
Ash was a bundle of blankets in his bed. Eiji could only tell he was there because of the few blond strands daring to meet the cold from the room.
“Mffhg…” he muttered.
“I set it to 25°C… uh… that is… 77°F, but it’s still freezing here” Eiji shivered.
“Clearly…” Ash replied, finally poking his head out from under the covers. “I bet I can fix it tomorrow”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, it’s too fucking cold right now”
Ash took a look at Eiji. He was wearing several layers of sweaters and even a scarf and gloves inside the house, but he still looked too cold. His muscles were clearly tense and an almost imperceptible shiver ran through his body. He thought for a moment, and against his better judgment, he just scooted to the left side of the bed and lifted the covers up.
Eiji looked at him, surprised and perplexed, not really knowing what to do. Was he misunderstanding the situation? But the clear blush spreading on Ash’s cheeks seemed to confirm his guess.
“C’mon…” the blond insisted, without meeting his gaze “It’s getting cold inside the bed too”
Eiji walked to the bed and removed his scarf and gloves. He unzipped his overcoat and left it on his own bed before trying to lay down next to Ash.
“Take off your sweater,” he said “sweaters”.
“I’ll freeze to death”
“You won’t” Ash responded too quickly and regretted it. He cleared his throat and tried a casual tone “Body heat is shared better with fewer clothes”
“Oh” the other just said.
He proceeded to take off his (three) sweaters and he left his grey tank top on. After doubting for a second, he shyly unbuttoned his jeans and quickly took them off as well. Eiji slipped inside the bed, being immediately met by a pleasurable and comfortable warmth engulfing his whole body. Ash’s scent also invaded his senses, making something inside him melt at the familiarity of it.
Eiji stayed in a fetal position on the edge of the bed looking away, trying to give Ash his own space. He knew their friendship had trespassed boundaries of skinship that others would find weird, like the soft hair caresses, their long hugs after an equally long day with the gang, or the intense looks and unspoken promises they held. However, it was still hard for Eiji to know where that line was drawn for them. To be honest, he was scared to cross the line and be rejected, so he always let Ash take initiative.
The blonde interrupted his thoughts by moving closer to his side. He accidentally brushed his leg against Eiji’s and he jolted in place.
“HOLY SHIT YOU’RE COLD”
“Sorry” Eiji apologized giggling.
Ash didn’t reply but hugged Eiji from behind, and then dragged him to the center of the bed in one go.
“You’re gonna fall off if you stay over there”
Eiji felt Ash tighten his arms around him and press his chest against his back, trying to warm him up.
“How did you even get this cold?” Ash murmured.
“I went outside to see if I could fix the thermostat”
“Could you?”
“Nope”
Ash chuckled and Eiji felt his breath on the back of his neck, sending an involuntary shiver through his body.
“Wow! You really are cold” the blond said concerned as he rubbed Eiji’s arms.
“I-I am” he stuttered.
“Oh? Who’s the one with the low blood pressure now, onii-chan?” Ash teased him. Eiji could hear him smirk.
“Oh shut up…”
“You’re like a frail little girl” he quoted Eiji’s words.
“Let’s see who’s cold now!” Eiji said as he suddenly turned around and placed one of his frostbitten hands on Ash’s neck.
The blond squealed and tried to avoid Eiji’s fingers desperately.
“YOU LITTLE- DON’T!” he kept squealing much to Eiji’s amusement.
After struggling for some seconds, Ash finally caught his wrists and shot him a look that promised to get revenge later.
“I try to warm you up and this is what I get?” he asked, all fake innocence.
“No, you teased me and that’s what you get” the other replied, unmoved by his tactic.
“So mean, onii-chan…” he huffed.
Ash took Eiji’s hands between his and started rubbing them together too. Eiji relished the sensation and warmth finally heating up his body. He wondered if it was normal to enjoy the feeling as much as he was enjoying it.
Ash soon noticed his smile. “Better?”
“Way better” he said with his eyes closed. “I think the only thing still cold is my face”
Eiji suddenly felt his hands free again, and then the light behind his eyelids become darker. He opened his eyes and noticed Ash had pulled the comforter all the way up to cover their heads, leaving a small opening not to suffocate. Being like that truly felt like they were the only people alive in the world. There was nothing outside those blankets. There were no problems, no enemies, no time. It was only him and Ash, staring at him, his jade eyes and his features looking softer for some reason.
“Is this okay?”
The whisper made Eiji’s heart skip a beat and he blushed because of the intimacy of the moment.
“Yeah… my cheeks are warmer”
Ash extended his left hand and slowly grazed his fingertips along his cheeks.
“Yeah.. they are…” he almost whispered again, transfixed in the image before him.
It took him off guard to see Eiji like this. They had never shared a moment so quiet and calm before. Of course they trusted each other, and of course they slept in the same room and everything, but they had never been in bed like this. Ash was just wearing a white t-shirt and boxer, but for the first time in his life, he felt comfortable being next to another person like that.
No. It was not just another person. It was Eiji.
He couldn’t picture himself doing this with anyone else in the world. He actually would rather freeze to death than to do this with any member of the gang. Blegh, God, no.
“Ash?” he brought him back to the present.
“Mmh?”
“Is this… okay?” Eiji asked looking around their fortress and the space between them “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable”
“Hey, I invited you, didn’t I?” the blond reassured him. “If I didn’t want you here, I would kick you to your own bed”
They both chuckled and Eiji felt the tension leave his body.
“Why do you ask?” Ash continued.
“Mmm…” he doubted, deciding whether to speak or not.
“What is it?”
“Can I… can I come closer?” he finally asked. “You’re hot”
Ash raised an eyebrow and snickered. “Oh, I get that a lot”
“No! I mean… you’re warmer!” Eiji struggled and suddenly he was not all that cold anymore. His face was actually burning.
“Pervert” Ash accused him with an impish smile.
Eiji puffed his cheeks and motioned to turn around completely offended, but Ash hugged him tight before he could.
“I’m kidding” he said, resting his chin on top of Eiji’s head.
Eiji could swear he could hear Ash’s heart beating. It felt like a natural tranquilizer to him to hear life flow through his veins. Everything about him screamed life in that precise moment, and Eiji wanted it to stay like that for as long as he could.
Ash nuzzled a knee between his, asking permission to lightly intertwine their legs together. He gave in and let Ash adjust their bodies together until they found the right position. He threw his arm over Ash too, wondering if that was okay. He left it there when he just heard a feline-like purr escape his mouth. Ash’s skin was smooth and pale, and even though it was the blond who was usually colder between the two, right now Ash radiated body warmth.
“Feels nice…” Eiji said after some minutes letting the feeling sink into his heart.
“Mhm…” the other agreed.
They breathed together, hearing the violent storm and wind outside their room. Ash inhaled Eiji’s fresh shampoo scent from his hair and felt his heart race a bit. He knew Eiji had noticed because he was staring at him now with curious eyes.
“Ash?”
They were now breathing the same air. He could feel Eiji’s hot breaths against his cheeks. He wet his lips and held his gaze.
“Eiji I-“
The bedroom door slammed open and both of them jumped from underneath the covers completely scared.
“GOD IT’S FREEZING OUTSIDE! EIJI I GOT YOUR-” Max entered the room looking twice his size with the ridiculously thick jacket he was wearing while he held a bag in his hands, but he stopped mid-sentence when he saw the two boys completely shocked and panicked in bed. “OH” he just said.
“MAX WHAT THE FUCK!” Ash demanded; his face completely red after being interrupted before saying… God knows what.
“Oh I’m so sorry guys” Max apologized covering his eyes with one hand and tentatively leaving the bag on Eiji’s bed. “I should’ve knocked first” he said completely ashamed.
“We’re not-!” Eiji struggled, his cheeks burning with embarrassment “You don’t need to cover your eyes! We- You... It’s cold and we… agh!” Eiji tried to explain, but his English skills were not available at the moment.
“It’s okay, it’s okay… I’ll leave now” the older man said, leaving the room on tiptoe as fast as he had entered “See you guys!”
Ash and Eiji were left alone again, both still baffled by the visit.
“What the hell was that…” Ash asked, finally breaking the silence.
Eiji rubbed the back of his neck. “I texted Max telling him our central heating had broken. He was near the store that sold the replacements and he said he would buy one to fix it. I never imagined he would come and leave it here so quickly”
Ash nodded, but then furrowed his eyebrows again. “But how did he enter the apartment?”
Eiji sighed again. “I gave him a spare key a few weeks ago. Just in case we had an emergency. We’ve got a lot of emergencies pretty often”
Wow, just wow.
“Well… I guess I better get up and fix this damn thing before we freeze” Ash said as he reluctantly got up and put his jeans on.
“I’ll not freeze” Eiji smiled confidently, looking like a freshly baked bun between the blankets.
Ash smiled tenderly. “I’ll be back” he promised and headed outside the room, grabbing the bag on Eiji’s bed on the way out.
He needed to fix the heating system.
Or at least he could pretend to.