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Snow melted slowly, icy water cascading across the entrance to Ashton's apartment building. Jack Frost blew an icy breath on the cold water as it covered the thick door, freezing it shut rapidly. And just in time, too.
Ashton slowly and carefully made his way to his building, reaching forward to enter the heated space. He swore softly at the ice-smothered handle, and even louder when he couldn't open the door. A shiver wracked the tired boy's slim frame, and he knocked on the door delicately, cold seeping through his gloves.
The landlord's perky daughter jogged to the door, her hair in a short blonde chignon and a worried look in her baby blues. "Oh, crud," the uni student muttered upon attempting the door. "It's iced shut," she sighed. "The back doors are as well, my dad's been sending people to hotels all day. Here." The petite girl kicked off the door handle and to a small window. She dropped a hotel keycard towards Ashton. "I'll be here until the guys come to open the building up. I'll text you, yeah?"
"Sure, Perrie," Ashton agreed, smiling at the kind girl. Despite being just a few years older than Ash, she basically ran the apartment building, whilst her dad spent his time blowing cash on beer and girls.
"Oh!" Perrie yelped, having remembered something. "I'll call you a cab," she added. "I wouldn't want your cute ass to catch a cold," the blonde winked.
"Thanks," Ashton smiled, absentmindedly tugging his thick coat tighter. He listened to the gymnast speaking into her phone, her soft voice chirpy and excited.
Michael hovered over Ashton's shoulder, listening carefully to his conversation. Wind whistled in his head-Jack Frost's version of pounding blood-and somewhat obstructed his hearing, but Michael caught cab and hotel.
He wanted to cry. Why were mortals always evolving and finding easier and quicker ways to escape the cold. It made Michael's life so much harder. Just enjoy the winter, dammit! The primordial boy flew towards the busy roads, increasing the snow, the wind, and in turn, the traffic. Violent honking rang out into the empty skies, trapping Ashton's cab.
Maybe it seemed a little cruel, but Michael was desperate. Ashton's body heat never seemed to dip, and because of that, Michael couldn't appear visible.
"Where's the fucking taxi?" Ash grumbled softly, stamping the snow from his fur-lined boots. He shivered, snow brushing his tan cheeks and his breath coming out in white puffs.
So close, Michael thought, breathing an icy breeze into Ashton's petite frame. And then, Mikey felt as if a straightjacket had been peeled off of his ivory skin, as if a suffocating fabric had been removed. He felt airy and free. Finally, Michael was able to solidify his shape into one that was visible to mortals.
He floated down to land just around the corner, and walked towards Ashton. The blonde boy saw him, and excitement bloomed in his hazel orbs, tinting the irises with emerald green. "Michael!" he greeted happily, waving with a glowing grin. "Are you waiting for a taxi too?"
"Yeah," Michael agreed, removing his leather jacket and wrapping it over Ashton's coat. Little did Ash know, the black fabric wouldn't help all, but rather keep his body temperature the same. Michael didn't want to risk him warming up. "So, how're you?"
"Good," Ashton giggled, subtly stepping closer to his white-haired companion. "I'm freezing," he continued, his pearly whites chattering. "Where have you been?"
"Holed up in my apartment," Michael chuckled. He wrapped his arm around Ashton's thin shoulders as he talked, deserving a fond giggle from the boy. Smiling brightly, the blonde curled against Michael's side. He rested his head on the slightly taller boy's shoulder, tawny curls tickling Michael's snowy white cheeks. They stood in a cuddly silence for a few short moments, before Ashton was speaking.
"You're really pretty," he announced softly, followed by an adorable giggle. And it was true. Michael's black clothes contrasted beautifully against his pale skin, and his jeans shone with a silvery layer of snowflakes. He had soft yet delicate features, glowing green eyes, and gorgeous, kissable pink lips. Faint scars beneath his mouth and on his forehead gave Ashton something to focus on, a small imperfection to balance Michael's incredible appearance.
"So are you, angel-bean," the albino-haired boy promised, spinning Ashton to press their chests together. The blonde's eyes were illuminated with happiness, a kaleidoscope of bronze, green, and flecks of pale grey. His hair hung in tousled, amber curls, and the winter clothes swamping his tiny frame made the boy look tiny and precious. Every time a snowflake hit his tanned face, Ashton's features crinkled in annoyance. Michael just wanted to wrap the petite boy in blankets and pet his hair.
"'Angel-bean'?" Ashton repeated.
"No?" Michael asked, wrapping his noodle-like arms around his mate's waist. Their foreheads pressed together, breaths mingling in a mix of hot cocoa and arctic mint.
"I like it," Ashton murmured, but he was distracted, attention solely focused on Michael's gorgeous mouth. The two lads stayed pressed together, slowly inching closer, until eventually their lips collided. Ashton's lips, chapped from the cold, moved desperately and submissively, his hands clutching at Michael's top. The taller boy's soft mouth moved slowly and sweetly, keeping Ashton's desire in check whilst adding love to the kiss. Sure, they hadn't known each other for long, but a strong relationship had formed almost instantly.
Unfortunately, Michael was so focused on the kiss and keeping Ashton's body temperature low but his lips warm, that he'd forgotten to keep the snow blocking the roads. The honk of a taxi surprised Michael so much that he nearly fell over. He'd never made a mistake with the weather before, never lost track of what he was doing with his abilities.
But Ashton changed that. The small boy made Michael reckless, consumed his thoughts. He made the primordial being's heart flutter like a teenager on their first date, made his cheeks flush and pupils dilate. Michael was falling fast and falling hard, and he knew the landing could only end in pain.
"I have to go," Ashton said breathlessly, hugging Michael quickly. "Do you want to come to my hotel room?" His eyes filled an earnest hopefulness, the look of someone who'd never felt this much emotion for one person in his entire life.
"I can't," Michael winced, hugging Ashton tightly. "We'll see each other soon though, right?" He felt terrible and wanted nothing more than to accompany the adorable boy, but it was genuinely impossible. Jack Frost would lose his ability to maintain a physical body that could be seen by mortal eyes, and Ashton would freeze the minute Michael turned into a cloud of snowflakes. It was the only form Jack Frost could hold in the presence of mortals when they were above a certain temperature.
"Of course." Ashton wrapped Mikey in a hug, before ducking into his taxi.
Michael couldn't even tell Ashton why they only met in the cold, not unless they broke the ice wall separating their hearts. And the only thing warm enough for that was pure, genuine love, the type that came along once in a millennia.
