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Leo fixed the collar of his jacket and shoved his hands deep in the pockets, bracing himself for the biting cold to assault him as soon as the doors opened. The screech of the train coming to a stop and the hydraulic mechanism releasing gave him time to center his weight and get ready to be shoved by people who didn’t understand metro etiquette.
He did his best to keep his balance as he pushed past the people who rushed in without letting others descend first. If not due to his expertise riding public transportation, he could’ve easily been trapped inside the car until the next station, or worse, stepped on the gap between the train and the solid concrete. He didn’t even want to think about what that would’ve meant for his career.
He grimaced once he was safely standing on the platform. The freezing air seemed to make itself comfortable against the sensitive skin of his neck, no matter how much he pulled and folded the neck of his jacket or the shirts he was wearing underneath.
He could’ve worn a scarf, should have, probably, but his only scarf was currently residing thousands of miles away somewhere in China. His boyfriend had all but stolen it last time he visited, and Leo hadn’t thought of buying another one until it was too late.
Remembering that his boyfriend was the reason his neck was vulnerable to the cold made him feel a little less annoyed, and he could almost ignore the burn inside his nose with every breath he took.
It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to the cold anyways, since he spent most of his time on the ice while wearing less appropriate clothes than he was currently wearing. Though the rink was much safer since it lacked the frigid drafts blowing his jacket open and freezing the tip of his nose.
He looked at the sky as he exited the station. It was barely November, so Detroit wasn’t expecting any snow for a while, but the sudden drop in temperature made him wonder if any would fall during the night, maybe rain.
Leo pulled the lapels of his coat closer together and shivered. Damned Guang Hong. Maybe he was a little more upset about his lack of scarf now that he could fully appreciate the chilling air of the streets.
Like an invocation, Leo’s phone started ringing. He thought about the possibility of letting it go to voicemail. He didn’t have any mittens either (he wasn’t sure where he had misplaced them), and wasn’t totally willing to expose his fingers to frostbite.
Still, he pulled the device out of his pocket and hissed at the cold nipping his skin. The name lighting up his screen made him smile regardless, so he fumbled to plug his headphones and answer the call.
“Hello.” Leo beamed, heart beating faster at the anticipation of hearing his boyfriend’s voice.
“I tried texting you.” Guang Hong whined through the line. “I thought your training was over by now.”
Leo hummed. “Sorry. Roxana had some observations about my routine.”
“Still can’t land a triple?” Guang Hong teased him, and Leo felt his cheeks heat.
“I’m almost there! Maybe next season I’ll surprise you. Why did you text, anyways?”
He heard a chuckle being butchered by the static on the line. It made him miss Guang Hong even more. He could almost picture the way he wrinkled his nose as he laughed. “You’re lucky I can’t hold a grudge against you, even though you miss so many of my messages.”
Leo’s smile dropped. He knew his boyfriend was just teasing, but he still felt a little guilty about it. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled. “Maybe if you texted while I’m awake instead of at three in the morning, though.”
“You’re awake now!”
Leo bit the inside of his lip, trying to contain a smile Guang Hong still wouldn't see. “I was training, I told you.”
“No, you told me training ended fifteen minutes before I texted you, that’s why I did it.”
“Give or take, I told you that too.”
Leo chuckled at the frustrated whine he heard. He tried to fix his collar again, shivering when it did nothing to shield him from the cold. “Do you still have my scarf?” Leo asked.
There was a silence, then shuffling. “Scarf?” Guang Hong feigned innocence. “No...” He dragged the vowel. Leo huffed a laugh. “Of course not! I didn’t even know you had a scarf!”
“Well I don’t anymore.” Leo laughed. “I have to buy a new one before it gets seriously cold.”
“Is it cold in Detroit?”
Leo thought about it. It was cold enough for his breath to form clouds in front of his face, but he didn’t feel like crying when abandoning the controlled environment of a public building. Not yet, but he probably would soon. “Pretty chilly, I guess, but it’d be nice to have something to cover my nose with.”
There was a hum, Leo looked at the traffic light as he waited to cross the street.
“Learn to knit!” Guang Hong chided as soon as the walk icon appeared in the light.
“Ha! That’s your solution?” Leo asked, incredulous. “Why don’t you learn to knit, since you took it in the first place?”
“I already told you I don’t have it!”
Leo rolled his eyes with a smile. “Sure, I guess the kobolds who steal sock pairs just got confused, then.”
“I guess so.” Guang Hong said innocently.
“You’re wearing a very nice scarf in your last post.” Leo pressed. He heard a gasp.
“Really?”
“Mmhm, it looks kind of familiar.”
“Does it? My boyfriend gave it to me.” Leo could practically hear the smile in Guang Hong’s voice as he said that. After almost a year, it still made Leo’s heart flutter to hear Guang Hong calling him his boyfriend.
He’d do anything to hug him against his chest right that second.
“Did he really?” Leo asked, grinning like an idiot.
“Yup. It was cold at the airport.”
“Ah…” Leo nodded: A completely useless gesture when the other person can’t see you.
“Although I think he could use it more than me, right now.”
“You could mail it.” Leo quipped.
“No, it could get lost. I’ll give it back to you next time I see you.”
Leo sighed as he walked through the doors of his apartment building. Summer couldn’t come soon enough. “I’ll be waiting.” He waved at the reception man. It’d be one of those nights where he just clung to his pillow, then. An early night with lots of sappy telenovelas and overly nostalgic songs. Maybe ice cream, despite his instincts telling him it was far too cold for that. He could bury himself in blankets.
“Or you could hurry your ass home and take it.” Guang Hong said.
Leo stopped before the elevator, his hand hovering over the button.
“What?”
“Leo, you’re a slow-ass walker when you talk, I’m getting bored here, you don’t even have a T.V., the hell?”
Leo’s heart skipped. Guang Hong was here? In his apartment? Why? How?
He turned around and ran to the stairs instead. He wasn’t losing his time in the elevator if he could be spending his time hugging his boyfriend instead.
He could hear Guang Hong’s mischievous laugh through the headphones before they slipped off his ears. He climbed the stairs in sets of three, clinging to the rail at every turn. When he reached floor six, his chest was heaving, but he still hurried over, fumbled for the keys and opened the door to find an amused Guang Hong sitting on his couch, eyebrows almost touching his hairline.
“That’s what it takes to make you hurry up? I should’ve said it from the beginning.” Guang Hong mused.
Leo took a moment to stare at him like a deer caught in the headlights, still panting. He was wearing an oversized sweater, Leo's sweater. He couldn't complain about that; he owned more than one, and it looked better on his boyfriend, if he was completely fair and impartial.
“You’re here.” He managed, throat raw from the effort and the cold.
Guang Hong smiled at him. He was still holding his phone. “Are you gonna stay there all day? I’m only staying for a week.”
Leo moved from the entry and closed the door on autopilot. When he turned back to look at his boyfriend, he sniffled. His eyes stung all of a sudden.
“When did you… Why didn’t you tell me you-” He stopped, another sniffle interrupting him. He realized he was shaking when he brought his hand to wipe at his eyes. Was it really that cold?
“Aw, Leo.”
Guang Hong stood up and walked over. He was wearing the scarf loose around his shoulders. He took Leo’s hands away from his face and kissed his palm. Leo wanted to tell him to wait until he had washed his hands, he’d handled his metro card and some cash and didn't want his boyfriend to get sick for something so dumb. He couldn’t bring his throat to produce any sounds except for a whimper.
“You’re such a crybaby.” Guang Hong chuckled. “Here’s your scarf.” He said, taking it off and wrapping it around the back of Leo’s neck. He pulled on the ends to make him lean in, softly pressing their lips together in a kiss that made Leo realize just how touch starved he was.
Leo placed a hand on Guang Hong’s cheek, trying to deepen the kiss. Guang Hong pulled away with a hiss.
“You’re freezing cold!”
Leo blinked at him. It was too soon to break the kiss.
He gulped. “I--”
“I did not take your gloves. They’re too big.” Guang Hong frowned.
Leo smiled, pulling him in to kiss his cheek, then all over his face, causing Guang Hong to giggle and wrap his arms around him. Detroit wasn't so cold anymore.