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Sapnap always used to be so cold. He hated it, doing anything he could to warm up; carrying hot packs on him, incorrectly using those Hot-N-Cold patches and probably fucking up some of his muscles, and bringing a lighter wherever he went so that he could burn something. He picked up smoking (weed, not cigarettes, nicotine wasn’t worth it) to fill his lungs with hot burning air. One time, he got desperate enough to try out the Megan Fox trick of burning your tongue. Like, the one from Jennifer’s Body. Though he probably would’ve ended up doing that anyway at some point, it looked hot and fit his whole vibe - whatever, that wasn’t the point.
Point was, he grew up resenting his soulmate, just a little bit, for being so damn far away. Out of reach, too far to chase down, leaving him in his own personal wintery hell. Reasonably, he knew that they must have trembled just as much as he did, but he was still bitter.
Then he went to college, slumped back against the seat of his dad’s car, and after orientation ended and the older students started moving in, his chest began to warm. For once in his life, he ran at a normal human temperature. He and his soulmate played a game of hot-and-cold around the campus, clearly trying to find each other by the way the warmth dipped and raised as he walked around.
Finally, there he was. Just an inch or so taller than him, short brown hair, mismatched eyes that held his gaze even from a distance. When he smiled, Sapnap’s heart soared, and he opened his arms to let his soulmate run into them. If someone asked Sapnap the happiest moment of his life, that would be his answer, easily. The first time he hugged George, it felt like sitting next to the coziest fire on the chilliest snow day. It felt like eating his dad’s home-cooked meals. It felt like shared laughter, inside jokes, every sweet compliment he’s ever been given. Warmth seemed to radiate off of him - of course it did, he was his soulmate - and Sapnap buried his face into his shoulder, clinging as closely as he could. He smelled like the earth, in a pleasant natural way.
“You’re like the sun,” he murmured softly and his soulmate giggled.
They still did that probably far too often, running dramatically into one another’s arms as if they hadn’t seen the other in years. It made Dream wheeze whenever George came out of nowhere and Sapnap caught him, arms instinctively pulling him close. Just as often, Sapnap was tackling George to the ground mid-conversation, enough that George was learning to catch himself or even Sapnap rarely, stumbling back but holding him tightly. Even when they were yelling their heads off at each other, they still clung to one another. They both hated the cold more than anything, desperate for the warmth the other provided. It was a common trait in those who grew up far away from their soulmates, usually likened to touch starvation by psychologists. Soul starvation was the colloquial term, soulmate codependence was the medical term for bad cases.
Sapnap and George weren’t a bad case, his dad reassured him of that frequently. They were just sickeningly sweet.
“You left me alone in bed again,” a low rumble came from behind Sapnap’s back. Sapnap always loved George’s morning voice, lower than usual, his accent thick. It made a pleasant tremble run down his spine. He glanced over his shoulder, drinking in the sight of the angel behind him. George’s hair was longer now than it had been when they met, unruly and reaching the back of his neck. His eyes looked wet, as if he had just yawned and didn’t bother wiping away the tears, and it made his bright blue and deep brown irises shine in the sun. His sweatshirt - representing Sapnap’s hometown, El Rapids, which made him grin - hung loosely around his collarbones, exposing large swathes of pale unmarked skin. Sapnap eyed his neck hungrily, then turned back to the stovetop. “Hey. Don’t ignore me. You left me. Sapnap!”
“Good morning, sunshine. Do you want grilled cheese for breakfast? I can make something else if you’d prefer,” Sapnap asked, poking at the mini-grill he had set up on their stovetop. He slid butter across the hot surface, watching it melt down and sizzle. His body warmed, a tingle that let him know that George was moving closer. Sure enough, two thin arms wrapped around his middle and hugged him close, George stepping into his back and melting against the warmth like a cat in the sun. His head slumped forward onto Sapnap’s shoulder.
“I want you,” George whined petulantly and Sapnap snickered. He raised his free hand to pet through George’s hair, feeling the soft strands.
“I’m not on the menu.” Sapnap finished preparing the grill and grabbed the first sandwich he had made, carefully dropping it into a thick patch of butter oil. George huffed as Sapnap’s hand left his hair to adjust the bread.
“You could be.” George’s hands trailed up his body and he wiggled at the ticklish sensation, rolling his eyes. His boyfriend pressed his lips to the back of Sapnap’s neck and he twitched at the sudden heat.
Direct skin contact with your soulmate felt like holding a plate that was heaping with freshly cooked dinner, the heat conducted through the ceramic. It was nearly too much, hot and intoxicating, and George knew this full well as he started kissing up Sapnap’s neck. He squirmed, shoving his soulmate away with a playful splutter.
“I’m trying to cook here, asshole. Stop distracting me.” He dropped the second sandwich onto the grill with a huff. George was silent for a moment and Sapnap could picture him brooding, the image too familiar to not play out in his mind. Then Sapnap was tugged backward by the collar of his t-shirt and he yelped.
“Pay attention to me!” George whined and Sapnap tossed his spatula down on the counter, turning on his heel as the utensil clattered. George’s face lit up with joy then delighted fear as Sapnap cornered him against the counter, caging him in with his arms. He giggled, the sound just as nervous as it was melodious as Sapnap glared at him. “Wait, Sap-”
“No, no no no, you said you wanted attention. Here’s my attention, you annoying piece of shit.” Sapnap grabbed George’s face, pinching his cheeks to make him purse his lips like a fish. His boyfriend returned his glare back at him. “I’m sorry, what are you frowning at me for? I’m giving you what you wanted. You’re not the one getting distracted in the middle of something important.”
Muffled and incoherent, George struggled to reply around Sapnap’s hand. Sapnap pinched harder, snickered as George started whacking his hand and trying to knock him off. Even if George was taller than him (Sapnap would deny that aloud, but yeah, that was technically fact), he was pretty confident in the fact that he was stronger. He let him struggle for a moment, amused, then let go.
Without hesitation, George dragged him into a harsh kiss, fingers tangling in his hair and pulling. Sapnap rolled his eyes but leaned into it, eyelids drooping. George called him a creep for opening his eyes while kissing and - well yeah, honestly, fair. Looking at a person’s face that close up wasn’t even pleasant, all odd angles and pores. But it was George. His soulmate, his sun, the first and last person he saw every day. His faint freckles and curling hair and his dark pretty eyelashes resting on his cheeks all entranced Sapnap, he couldn’t help but stare for a moment.
George pinched his side, clearly guessing that Sapnap had his eyes open, and he let them flutter shut.
Kissing George was the best part of Sapnap’s day. It reminded him of smoking almost, breathing in his heat, clinging close until every part of his body warmed up. He pushed his boyfriend further into the counter until their bodies pressed together in more places than they didn’t. George’s hands slid down his neck, grip lightening into something still firm but kind. His skin seemed to burn where George’s fingertips touched his skin, overly aware of the contact, and he could feel a faint whine building up in the back of his throat.
Then the fire alarm started blaring and he jolted back, eyes going wide as he turned to the grill. The sandwiches were smoking, the gray plumes curling up from the bottom of the bread, and he swore loudly as he stumbled to switch the grill off. George laughed loudly, far too proud of himself as he walked over, grabbing the spatula and moving the sandwiches off the hot surface.
“You are a little temptress,” Sapnap hissed as he started waving a towel in the air, trying to dispel the smoke. George rolled his eyes, leaning over the sink to open up the kitchen window. Sapnap was distracted for a moment, watching the back of his sweatshirt ride up to expose a strip of skin, then shook his head. Right. Clearing the smoke, not checking out his boyfriend, even if there were a few scattered freckles on his pale skin that cried out for Sapnap’s attention.
“You ruined our breakfast.” George turned back to him, leaning against the sink and crossing his arms.
“Our breakfast isn’t the issue here, we probably just woke up the entire fucking floor,” Sapnap replied in a whine. “Our RA is gonna come yell at us.”
“You mean you did. I didn’t do anything, I was just in the room.” George grinned slyly, raising an eyebrow at Sapnap, and he growled. The fire alarm, blissfully, clicked off as the smoke cleared.
“You are so annoying.” Sapnap crossed his arms, mimicking the pose George held. His boyfriend tilted his head back challengingly.
“Oh am I?”
“Yes! Yes, you are!”
“Last time you called me annoying, you pressed me into the counter and kissed me, so I don’t see why that’s an issue.” George shrugged, nonchalant, still wearing that smug grin that Sapnap wanted to destroy. He took a slow breath.
“Our RA is probably about to come over and yell at us, you know.”
“So kiss me before she gets over here. Duh.” George raised a hand to beckon Sapnap over with a curl of his finger. He stood still for a moment, spluttering as he was beckoned like a fucking dog, and then… listened, padding over and wrapping his arms around George’s neck.
Their RA ended up taking ten minutes to go check on them anyway. If they both had freshly formed lovebites and no signs of a second attempt at breakfast, well, that was their own business.