Work Text:
It was one of those things he had somehow always managed to miss. It didn't snow a lot in Britain anyway, and the one time it had, he had been kept inside because he had broken his leg. Even at nine, he hadn't been too upset about the loss. His friends raved about the snowman they made, and the joy they got from destroying it after, and he was just thankful he didnt have to shuffle home cold, and get smack from his ma for ruining his clothes. Long after his leg healed, and long after his fear of upsetting his Ma settled, he never had a chance to see snow again, London was too hot for it. Then he moved out to Mumbai for his stationing, and India was hardly the place for a Winter wonderland experience.
But something felt different in London today, and Sebastian had to swallow his pride and wrap himself up in a scarf and gloves. Of course, he had to strip these things off when he got his job, and he regretted it deeply because now he felt even colder than before. But the air held a certain chill, and the exposed skin of his face felt like it was prickling with every gust of wind. He almost wished he had a hat to keep his ears from burning, but he knew he would never hear the end of it from Jim. His Boss took great joy from seeing him react to something as 'silly' as the weather. Of course, Jim never had to leave his cosy little heated office, but Sebastian wasn't going to bring it up.
He knew it was unlike him, he never regarded his own comfort on the job (that's what made him such a good solider) but something about perching on a room top with his hands exposed, and his back scooped as he peered for his target was really testing him. Sebastian wanted to lean back and rub his hands down his frozen legs, but his target was in his sights, and he had to take a small exhale of breath instead, trying to use that to reheat himself. Jim was insistent that he had to aim for the targets eye, wanting to play on the whole 'see no evil' thing. There was more to it than that, but Jim had a bit of a habit of talking in long monologs, and Sebastian found it hard to keep up with the large jumps in logic. Jim had decided that Sebastian was the only other person he could share these 'Brilliant ideas' with, "its me and you Seb, you should kill everyone so it will always be that way." It was one of the most romantic things Jim had every said to him. He steadied his breathing, eyes narrowing, leaning in to take the-
Shit.
He went too early. He had never gone early, not even in his rookie days, and here he was. His target on the floor with a hole gaping in his jaw. Jim was going to be so pissed. Sebastian pulled back from his scope, frowning as he looked down at his gun. Maybe the cold in the air had caused condensation, he knew the barrel wasn't dented or loose, he always checked his guns for marks before every job too. Sebastian went to check his scope again, refusing to believe it had been his own error that had caused this, and he frowned as he realized the issue. He held his hand out, and watched with open fascination when he saw the culprit of his mistake. It was a snowflake.
***
Sebastian could have gotten a taxi back to Jims (their?) place, he normally did. Jim had a few hired privately to him just for that purpose. But something about this new experience made him want to walk. He had his bag high on his shoulders, bundled up again, but he kept one hand free from a glove, watching as the snow landed, and then melted quickly on contact. He had no idea they where so fragile, and he imagined them looking less like... Little flakes. He'd always imagined snow with cool little patterns or something, at least, that's how all those shitty little holiday films showed them to be. He felt a smile tug at his lips, and he almost forgot he had completely fucked up his job. Almost.
***
"Took you long enough, I started to think you had done me a favour and been shot on that roof. In the eye Sebastian, I know you lack the basic knowledge of a monkey but Christ, even you should know the difference-" Sebastian looked up, a little mournful that the flakes sitting on his hand had disappeared completely, leaving just little spots of water instead. Jim was ranting, had been since Sebastian turned his key in the lock. He wondered if his Boss knew that he couldn't hear him complaining unless he was in the room. By the time he had stepped in to hand in his report, Jim already sounded a bit breathless in his rambling. He had been going for a while, clearly.
"-What kind of excuse do you have, huh? I got you to do a very simple job. I can get rid of you, you know. Like a broken race horse-"
"-Its snowing." Sebastian finally said, staring at his hand before looking up at the other. He knew he was a flushed, it had been unbearably cold, and his hair was all ruffled from the damp of the snow. He wondered briefly if Jim was going to shot him. He had that unreadable expression on his face, it normally came before violence or frantically stripping each other.
"Yes, its snowing." Jim offered back, almost slowly, as if Sebastian had delivered a riddle to him.
"Oh, I just... Its not what I thought it would be." Sebastian muttered then, looking back down at his hands, noticing how the tips of his fingers had gone red, they felt prickly.
"Haven't you seen snow before? This is just sludge, It's disgusting." Jim frowned, looking down at the report Sebastian had handed him, flicking over the pages of neat hand writing. Sebastian took this as his chance to explain himself.
"Disgusting? Its just a little, cold? I thought it wouldn't feel like this. And it distracted me. It won't happen again Boss." Sebastian promised. It probably wouldn't. Jim would either kill him, or he would be given a last chance, and he wasn't someone who would throw that away.
Jim stood, the report being carelessly tossed in a draw, and Sebastian watched a little warily as the other male came closer. He made sure to relax his shoulders as Jim finally stopped in front of him, making sure he didnt tower over the other so much. Sebastian felt Jims hand trail over his chin, stroking for a moment at his cheek. He could feel Jims hand bring some warmth back to his skin. It was funny, how people assumed Jim would run cold, like snake.
"You wouldn't have seen it, would you? The dates are all wrong, you where in Mumbai weren't you? And it wasn't even a heavy snowfall that year in Britain." Jim stated, and his thumb moved to rest on Sebastian's lips. He took this as a hint that he didnt need to reply, and he had nothing to add anyway. Jim had peppered s many little facts about his own life into conversation, it didnt shock him anymore. Jim flashed a smile, turning away and dismissing Sebastian with a wave of his hand, leaving the other to leave after a long pause.
When he woke the next morning, Sebastian found a note taped to his door. He plucked it from the wood, and a small smile crept onto his face.
We have an issue in Greenland, pack a bag and hurry to the airport darling - JM