Sheraton Academy

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Rating: G

Warnings: None

It was the coldest winter Stacey had ever experienced. Sometimes it got cold in Greece, of course! But it was nothing like grey old England, with its overcast skies and heavy snow.

He and Adam were going to go out to the Village for hot chocolate and pastries, but rather than wait outside in the cold, Stacey sat in the otherwise empty Ganelon common room. He curled up in a cozy chair in front of the fireplace and waited.

He jumped when someone pressed a kiss to the top of his head. His hearing had been getting worse, less like being underwater and more like wearing earplugs all the time, and it startled him that he hadn't heard Adam come up behind him. Stacey's hearing had never been good, but it had never been this bad, either.

"Do you want to go?" Adam asked. His question was a hodgepodge of spoken words, sign, and gesture. He and Stacey had pretty much made up their own language by this point, now that it was clear their relationship was going to be permanent.

Stacey grinned and nodded.

They took each others' hands and made their way down the narrow stairs, Stacey leading the way.

It was cold. Freezing. Heavy winds bit through their jackets, but thankfully it died down as they made their way across the grounds toward the gates.

Suddenly a cold flake landed on Adam's cheek. He brushed it away with a gloved hand. Stacey had come to a stop and Adam slowed, turning around, still keeping hold of Stacey's hand. Stacey's brown eyes were on the sky, big and wide and bright. His mouth hung open as he stared at the snow.

"Have you ever seen snow?" Adam asked. Stacey didn't respond. Adam gently squeezed Stacey's hand and gestured at the snow, hiking an eyebrow. Stacey shook his head.

Nice, yeah? Adam couldn't sign full sentences yet, but he could cobble together things all right.

Stacey nodded and looked back at the sky. Adam gently tugged Stacey's hand to get his attention. When Stacey looked back again. Adam turned up his face and stuck his tongue out, pointing at it with his other hand. A snowflake landed on his tongue and he slipped it back in his mouth again.

Stacey followed suit. It was cold and fluffy like shaved ice without any flavor, and it tasted clean and fresh. Stacey grinned and bounced on his toes. He clapped his hand and slipped his out of Adam's so he could have a bigger range of motion, running from flake to flake, trying to catch them all.

Adam smiled. He and Stacey had only been together since summer, just about five months. But they'd never had a fight, they'd never had a problem, nothing bad had happened – in regards to their relationship, anyway – in all that time, and Adam knew he was just a teenager in love, but... this felt so much more serious than that. Like it was the real thing. Love. Would Stacey panic if Adam used that word?

He smiled brightly as he watched Stacey run and jump around in the snow, and he thought, even if he couldn't say it out loud yet, at least he could think it to himself, and that was enough for now.