Big Book Of Xephin One Shots

The Weather Outside Is Frightful (S)

TW: Fluff

Xephos was pretty sure he couldn't feel his toes anymore. In fact, he was starting to be concerned about several of his body's extremities, particularly the more ... Important ones. He frowned. The room was freezing, practically sub zero, Xeph could have sworn he could see his breath clouding as it spilled sluggishly over his lips, and he was numb with cold, his icy state not helped by the fact that the entirety of the duvet had once again been pulled to the other side and used as a cocoon, while he was left exposed to the wintery chill, with only a sliver of fabric to cover himself with. He paused, closing his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief, rubbing his hands along his arms as he shivered. That impossible man ... His stiff muscles ached and groaned, protesting as he attempted to sit up and stretch, shuddering as the cold winter air tickled over his bare skin again, leaving fresh trails of goosebumps in it's wake. He groaned and flopped back into the pillows beneath him, gently nudging the warm lump curled up next to him.

'... Sjin ...' No response. He sighed again, rolling his eyes as he dug his elbow in harder. Xeph swore he could sleep through the apocalypse given the chance ...

'Sjin! Wake up for Notch's sake!' There was a quiet grumble as the duvet shifted, long fingers appearing to tug it over his head before they retreated hastily back into the warmth of his duvet nest. Xeph paused, waiting hopefully for a moment before cursing slightly. Why did he have to be stuck with the most infuriating man on this entire accursed planet?!It's your own fault, you fell in love with him. He growled, ignoring the tiny voice in his head as he reached out, softly running his freezing fingertips down the back of Sjin's neck, the only visible part of him.

The reaction was immediate.

There was a muffled shout as the mattress bounced and wobbled, wide blue eyes emerging from the confines of the duvet to glare at him. For a moment Xeph held his gaze, before Sjin relaxed with a groan and slumped back into the pillows, bouncing slightly.

'Xeeephh ... C'mon I was having a good dream ... That was mean!' He resisted the urge to roll his eyes for the umpteenth time, raising two cold fingers to pinch at the bridge of his nose.

'I'll tell you what else is mean, stealing the entire duvet again and leaving me to freeze to death. You're lucky you didn't wake up next to a block of ice!' He watched as Sjin shot him a sheepish expression, although the effect was slightly lost by the impish grin playing at his lips. He paused before proffering a corner to Xeph with an inviting waggle. He huffed slightly, but accepted the fabric, pulling at it gently until he had a decent amount to himself again. Sjin almost immediately shuffled closer to him, a sly smirk on his lips as long arms wrapped around Xeph's body.

'Ooh, you are cold ...' Xeph gave in with a quiet huff, his stiff posture loosening as he cuddled in closer to Sjin's tantalisingly warm body. Why is he always like a mini radiator? Xeph sighed, resting his head on Sjin's shoulder as their bodies pressed firmly together, long legs tangling. Slim, warm arms curled around him and Xeph relaxed into the heat radiating out of his skin as Sjin grumbled about his cold feet.

'Why is it so cold all of a sudden? I could have sworn that it wasn't this cold yesterday!' Xeph frowned slightly as his kissed softly along Sjin's neck, he had a point. Their poky little flat could hardly be described as luxurious, but they could afford it and that was what mattered.

'You did pay the rent didn't you? I don't want some guy charging up here and chucking us out naked and cold ..' Sjin chuckled, but the sound quickly died as Sjin raised a hand to rub at his neck.

'Ah ... I think I did ... I sure I did it after work on Thursday ... Well ... I'm pretty sure I did ...' Xeph sighed and leant back, raising an eyebrow as he gave Sjin a stern look. Sjin quailed slightly, brown creased with worry before his eyes lit up and he nodded. 'Hey don't look at me like that! I definitely paid! I remember, I came back from the library and went straight down there ... And ah ... Mrs Berezovsky from downstairs shouted at me again for us being too ... Noisy ...' Xeph could help the chuckle that slipped over his lips as Sjin blushed lightly. 'And then I went and gave next month's rent to Mr Evans. Don't you remember? That was the night we put the shower to good us-' It was Xeph's turn to blush, colour clawing it's way determinedly on to his cheeks as he buried his face into the crook of Sjin's neck.

'Yes I remember Sjin.' He paused, and snuggled closer, a frown creasing his brow. 'So if you paid then why is it so cold? What if the heater is broken? I hate this shitty apartment .. It'll never get fixed now, and it's going to only get colder ... We'll probably have to pay extra just to get it working again, and we're not exactly made of money! We're barely scraping by as it is ...' He groaned and slumped slightly, eyes slipping shut as he focused on his breathing. Soft lips pressed along the worry lines on his forehead until he relaxed again, muscles unclenching.

'Ssh Xeph it's fine. We'll pay for it, I'll put in some extra hours at the library and we'll cover it ...' A warm hand stroked gently along his skin, heavy and comforting. 'Until then I don't mind not having any heating. Means I get to snuggle more with you and keep you warm ...' Lips fluttered over his, soft and tantalisingly firm and he gave in, gently returning the small kisses as long fingers danced lightly over his skin.

Maybe having Sjin as a radiator wasn't so bad ...

Credit to cercia on tumblr