You Are Hot Then You Are Cold

Vol 4 (Side Story 1): The Day

Evening comes, and it begins to snow.

The quiet air right before the first snowfall permeates the space, white and cozy crystals slowly form in the black sky. The green of the garden is slowly clouded with white.

Having been reading a book, Ash looks out the window. The warm yellow light from the ceiling falling down on him bounces off his hair, making it wonderfully glossy. Karlyle, leaning on Ash's shoulder, looks up at him sleepily.

"Lyle."

Ash calls him, his voice is as gentle as the warm air inside their house.

"It's the last snow of the year."

Ash puts his book down and strokes Karlyle's forehead. The gentle movement on his skin makes Karlyle blink his eyes drowsily. Ash is right. After midnight and the day changes, December 31st will come.

"It's also the first snow of the new year."

London, with its volatile weather, faces many snowy winters. As Ash said, it's the first snow. Just like the last day of last year (the New Year's Eve chapter :3 so Lyle proposed to Ash about 1 year after they officially started dating.)

Karlyle looks outside. He loves all the faint ambient noises lingering in the calm air around them. The faint mechanical sound of the radiator running, or the slow breaths both he and Ash take filling the air. The tranquility these little things brought him makes him happy. A small smile blooms on his handsome face.

"Do you like snow?" Karlyle asks.

"I like it, except when I go to work. It's gotten better after I met you. The snow is quiet and pale like you. How about you, Lyle?"

As if to help him fall asleep, Ash wraps Karlyle in his arms. Ash leans on the armrest of the sofa and gently pulls Karlyle's head to his chest. Karlyle can hear Ash's faint heartbeat through his thick sweater.

Drowsiness settled over him like a blanket again. It seems that he's so tired because he has had a lot of things to plan and worry about lately. Especially today. A year-end party will be held tomorrow evening, and their wedding announcement is scheduled to be made on the spot. Karlyle had to continue meeting all day since there were a lot of things to check in advance.

"I....don't know."

"You don't know?"

Ash's fingers run through his hair. Karlyle closes his eyes, his voice slowly becomes smaller.

"I've never really thought about it."

When it snows, road conditions get bad, but that's not a big deal. He doesn't drive himself since he has a driver, and he is lenient in allowing his business partners to adjust their schedule under the harsh weather conditions. He is perfectly punctual and makes moves ahead of time anyway.

Other than that, what did he do when it snowed? He did partake in winter hunting and skiing, but he didn't enjoy those things that much. If there's any good memories related to snow, it's the moment he walked around London with Ash at New Year's Eve last year.

"Have you ever built a snowman?"

Ash asks, gently rubbing his closed eyelids. Ash kisses his hair, Karlyle loves that feeling. He exhales in satisfaction.

"No, I haven't."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then tomorrow morning, I'll make a snowman that looks like you. And Lyle'll make a snowman that looks like me."

Even in the midst of falling asleep, Karlyle thinks that building a snowman resembling Ash will be very difficult. A snowman would never be able to capture Ash's delicate features, his beautiful eyes, and his soft expression.