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“It’s cold,” Liam complains as soon as he’s jogged within human hearing distance of Theo from the lacrosse field. Theo has his arms crossed over his chest as he leans back against the hood of his truck, pretending to find the swirl of leaves and debris in the spiraling wind more interesting, but Liam isn’t fooled. He sees how Theo’s eyes tracked his every movement from the last five minutes of their scrimmage to the wrap-up with the team to now.
“Told you to bring your jacket this morning,” Theo says, unsympathetic.
Liam tosses his bag and lacrosse stick on the ground and thumps his forehead against Theo’s collarbone. Theo is warm and bundled up in an unfairly cozy getup, complete with his sherpa-lined denim jacket courtesy of Melissa’s raid of Scott’s old clothes. “Don’t bring your holier-than-thou attitude,” says Liam. “It’s cold.”
“Yeah, which makes your nose even colder, so get off,” Theo says, flicking two fingers at Liam’s brow. Liam just snuffles and rolls out of the way so he can stick his icebox-cold nose higher up on the side of Theo’s neck.
“You’re my boyfriend. Boyfriends are supposed to give their jackets when their boyfriends are cold.”
“Are they?” says Theo.
“Yeah, well. I mean. Unless you were gunning to lose the boyfriend title.” Liam shrugs and sinks deeper into Theo’s warmth, enjoying how the chimera hypocritically winds his arms around his lower back.
“I see how it is,” Theo whispers teasingly in his ear. “You’ve been coveting this jacket. Threatening to break up with me now so you can get your paws on it, huh?”
“Shut up. No, I’m not.”
“I can smell your reaction when you see me wearing it.”
“Jeepers. That’s because you look so cute in it that I can’t control myself, you asshole.”
“Dumbass,” Theo returns easily.
“Last chance,” says Liam. “It’s me or the jacket.”
“Oh, baby, your ultimatums wound me,” is Theo’s dramatic rejoinder.
“Not as much as this, I bet,” Liam says, lifting his head with a hair-raisingly mischievous grin. He uncurls his fists and unceremoniously sticks his hands under the hem of Theo’s shirt, calloused fingertips and frozen palms and all, and his face just about splits in glee at Theo’s tortured yelp.
“Liam,” Theo hisses. “Your hands are fucking freezing.”
Liam rubs his palms up and down Theo’s bare skin in trails of goosebumps just to be annoying. “Are they?”
“Yes,” says Theo. He moves to grab Liam by the wrists. “If you don’t take your ice block fingers off me right this instant I’m going to have to take drastic measures.”
Liam leans back and tips his chin up to meet Theo’s gaze challengingly. “Really?” says Liam. “Like what?”
Theo stares at him. Can’t rip his eyes away from Liam, really, not when he looks this insanely smug and adorable at the same time. That sheer combination shouldn’t be possible for any one human face, but here they are.
Quite against his will, really, Theo finds his hand moving from Liam’s waist up to the top of his head so he can brush the unkempt bangs from Liam’s brow and tuck the long ends behind his ear. Liam absolutely preens under the affection.
“Oh, I see,” says Liam. Like a bastard. “These are your drastic measures.”
“I’m heating you up, you idiot,” says Theo. “It’s faster this way.” He reaches out his other hand to get both sides of Liam’s face cupped in his palms.
“If you say so,” Liam murmurs, eyes dancing. Heart rate quickening and scent going warm and spicy with contentment. He closes the distance and lets Theo press their lips together in a tender, open-mouthed kiss.
When they pull away a few centimeters, Liam whispers, “You’re right, this is more effective.”
“Not so fast,” Theo rasps back. “I think you’re only half-thawed.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Liam retorts with a grin, and with his fingers still splayed across the bare skin of Theo’s back, he dives back in for another kiss.