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The air outside was crisp and Jonathan's breath came out in soft, hazy clouds of white. He leaned against one of the columns that lined the front of his house. This, too, was cool even through the coat he'd thrown on before coming out. He didn't mind. The cold was a relief from the stifling heat he had just left.
Will couldn't stand the cold.
"Hey."
So lost in his thoughts, he hadn't heard the door open or shut behind him. Jonathan turned his head in the direction of Steve's voice. Steve was similarly clad in a jacket, hands stuffed in the pockets. He waved without taking them out. Jonathan smiled at him.
"Hey."
With a couple shuffling steps, Steve closed the gap between them. He bumped their shoulders together, an answering smile on his face. "You okay?"
Jonathan leaned into his shoulder. "Yeah."
"You're sure? You left without saying anything."
"I didn't go too far," Jonathan said with a nod at their surroundings.
"No," Steve reached over and linked their hands together. His hand was warm and dry and fit perfectly in Jonathan's. "But you still left."
"Yeah," he said with a sigh. He watched the cloud of breath swirl in the dim porch light and thought about what to say. He shrugged but squeezed Steve's hand a little tighter. "It was too warm in there."
Steve nodded, his hair bouncing with the movement. He stood beside Jonathan in comfortable silence for a minute. Some of the unease Jonathan had been feeling before he came outside started to fade. It wasn't a big deal. Will didn't like the cold and for good reason.
Jonathan didn't like the heat.
Steve's voice came out as a whisper that Jonathan leaned in to hear better. "Want to go somewhere?"
The corner of Jonathan's lip curled upward but he shook his head.
"Okay," Steve said with another nod. He swung their hands together, bumping them against each of their legs. "We can stand out here. As long as you want."
Jonathan breathed in slowly, let the cool air fill his lungs until he couldn't take in any more. He held it in for a few seconds before letting it out again just as slowly. When he turned to look at Steve, he found that Steve was already watching him. Half of his face was bathed in the yellow of the porch light, eyes dark but sparkling with it.
"Thanks," he said, leaning closer as though he was being pulled by something he couldn't see. Steve smiled, soft and a little crooked before he leaned in and pressed their lips together. Jonathan hummed, a happy sound that seemed to draw a wider smile out of Steve.
They were both smiling when they pulled back. Even with the light, he couldn't quite tell but Jonathan thought Steve might be a little pink. Steve didn't blush, he'd assured Jonathan many times, but his cheeks tended to look pink after they kissed. He loved it; he could see how affected Steve was by him. It made him feel a little giddy himself.
"Anytime," Steve breathed and Jonathan knew he meant it. This wasn't the first time he'd followed Jonathan somewhere to make sure he was okay. It wouldn't be the last. Jonathan had started to believe somewhere around the fourth time that Steve was serious; that he would do what he could to make sure Jonathan was okay. Whether that meant distracting him from his thoughts or standing outside in the cold because the heat of the house was too much to take, the what didn't matter. And Steve knew the why, knew all the things Jonathan couldn't bring himself to tell anyone else.
Jonathan hoped he managed to give just as much back. So far, Steve hadn't given him any reason to think he didn't. They leaned on each other, physically and not and it felt good—amazing—to know that he wasn't alone.
In the cool evening air, pressed together from their shoulders down, they stood together on his porch. Jonathan didn't know how long it was before the cold finally became too much. All he knew was that when he tugged Steve back into the house, he felt like he could breathe even through the heat.