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Snowy weekends were cherished by students far and wide. You didn’t have to wake up early and could sleep in a little later under the warmth of your blanket. You could go outside with your friends and have a snowball fight or build a snowman together. You could have hot chocolate as you watched movies in the living room. And the best part was, you didn’t have to have to go to school!
So, why was it that Minamoto Kou found himself waking up early to head to school on a Sunday? A snow Sunday morning , at that. Normally, he would have invited Yokoo and Satou over so they could play video games, or maybe he would have met them in an empty field to play in the snow, even if he got a bad feeling from it sometimes. He turned down their offer, though. They thought it was weird since he was always up to hangout, but they didn’t question him further. Which he was grateful for, because how was he supposed to explain he was going to the school to see his supernatural friend, who he just might have a crush on, because he mentioned once that he wanted to play in the snow with a friend? One: they most likely wouldn’t believe him in the slightest and two: even if they did, that’d make him look so insanely whipped, he’d never be able to live it down.
His friends weren’t lying when they said crushes could make you do stupid things.
Kou found himself standing outside the entrance of Kamome Academy in his winter uniform, his green snow jacket atop of it and his hood over his head. He was wearing gloves because even if he was an exorcist wielding a spirit staff, he still wasn’t immune to the cold. The blonde sighed as he opened the door, making his way inside the school. After closing the door behind him, he took his hood off and started to take off his shoes before feeling the touch of a hand on his shoulder. He stood up straight as he put his guard up, unsure of who may be behind him.
“Minamoto-kun…” A voice quietly whispered from behind him, dragging the end of his name.
“Yo, Mitsuba,” Kou sighed a breath of relief before he replied calmly, putting down his guard as he recognized the school mystery’s voice. He put his hand on top of Mitsuba’s as he turned his head to look at him. “Aren’t you usually in your boundary on weekends? How’d you know I was here?”
Mitsuba shrugged his shoulders and smiled as if he were about to laugh at Kou. “I got a sick feeling to my stomach, so I figured someone with a horrible sense of fashion must be here.”
“You’re gonna say that to the guy who came to hang out with you on the weekend?” The blonde scowled at his friend before rolling his eyes. “I can leave right now, if that’s what you want.”
“But you came all this way!” Mitsuba’s sly smile only grew bigger as he continued to tease Kou. “You’re already wanting to leave even though you came just to see me?”
“I didn’t come just to see you, idiot,” Kou retorted back. He was lying, but he wasn’t going to let Mitsuba’s ego grow any bigger than it already was.
“It’s okay, you can admit it,” Mitsuba sighed as he moved from behind Kou to in front of him. “You missed me, didn’t you?”
“No way.”
“You totally did.”
“Totally didn’t .”
“Minamoto-kun missed me so much he came to school on a weekend…” The pink-haired boy thought to himself for a second, before giving Kou that same stupidly cute smile. “For some reason, knowing that you’d be lonely without me is kind of funny.”
“Is it now?” Kou genuinely questioned, but Mitsuba didn’t seem to take it that way.
“Ew, don’t give me attitude,” Mitsuba scoffed as he danced around the boy exorcist. “Why are you here then? Since you’re so sure that it wasn’t for me.”
Kou thought to himself for a few moments. He did deny that he didn’t go to the school for Mitsuba so the supernatural wouldn’t be so full of himself, but that really was the only reason he came here. He didn’t exactly want to lie, either…
“You said that you haven’t been in the snow before, right? That you wanted to play in the snow with a friend once you become human?” Kou replied as he decided to be honest. If it was between raising Mitsuba’s ego versus being caught in a lie, he’d rather raise Mitsuba’s ego. “You’re not human just yet… which I’m working on, by the way, I promise. But still, we can play in the snow, yeah?”
“...Seriously?” Mitsuba’s playful demeanor quickly changed. Kou had to hold back laughter in order to maintain a straight face. The difference in Mitsuba’s face between now and five seconds before was enough to give someone whiplash.
“Yeah, seriously,” Kou smiled at the boy in front of him as he walked around him, making his way towards the shoe lockers. He took off his outdoor shoes and stepped onto the wood flooring, then he looked back at Mitsuba. “Are you coming or not? We’re going to the courtyard.”
Mitsuba perked up and smiled excitedly, quickly following behind as Kou continued to pace forward. “So it was just for me!”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” The blonde voiced.
“I’m just that cute, I guess,” That soft smile remained on Mitsuba’s face as he walked quietly behind Kou.
As much as Kou hated to admit it, the soft smile on the pink-haired boy’s face made his face heat up just a little. Ever since he realized his crush on Mitsuba, it felt like there was a beautification filter on him. It felt like he was shining and there were sparkles surrounding him anytime the boy smiled. If Kou started to see sakura petals fall around Mitsuba, he’d know he was far too gone and could never make it back from that. As the two made their way towards the doors to the field, the exorcist found himself occasionally looking over towards Mitsuba’s direction. Occasionally, they would catch each other staring before quickly turning away. You’d think that would stop them from trying to steal glances but they kept finding themselves unable to do so. The silence between them wasn’t exactly uncomfortable and the atmosphere was pleasant, but Kou thought he should find something to talk about. Though, he failed to come up with a conversation topic.
As he found himself lost in thought, the supernatural decided to speak up. “If you’re going outside again anyway, why’d you take off your outdoor shoes?”
“Huh?” Kou looked back at Mitsuba, still continuing to walk forward. “It’s a school rule.”
“But it’s the weekend,” Mitsuba commented. Kou wasn’t sure if he was asking out of genuine curiosity or if he was just messing around. “It’s not like anyone’s gonna know.”
“Either way, I don’t want to get the floor dirty,” Kou explained as he averted his gaze away from Mitsuba and focused on where he was walking, making sure he wouldn’t bump into anything.
“Such a goody-two shoes, aren’t you?” Mitsuba started to walk faster in order to walk alongside Kou.
“Whatever you say, dude,” The blonde only rolled his eyes as he started to walk on the right side of the hallway, giving Mitsuba space to walk beside him.
The distance between the two of them was short, short enough to make Kou conscious of it. It felt like if he strayed even a bit from his path, his arm would touch Mitsuba’s. It really wasn’t that big of a deal, really, but the atmosphere between them was really nice and Kou felt like if he reached for Mitsuba’s hand, the cold from the supernatural wouldn’t bother him even in the snow. However, the more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he got.
Eventually, after what felt like forever even if it was only a few seconds, they reached the door leading into the courtyard. Kou slipped on his outdoor shoes and opened the door outside, gesturing for Mitsuba to go ahead of him. Mitsuba stood frozen at the door frame as he looked out into the snow covering the field in a white blanket, seemingly mesmerized as the delicate flakes fell from the sky. There was a mix of awe and curiosity in his face that resembled that of a child’s sense of wonder. As he held out his hand, the supernatural watched as dozens of tiny snowflakes landed on his palm. A smile spread across his face as he stepped out into the cold. Kou noticed how his feet created light imprints in the snow. They were barely visible and Kou had to look closely in order to see it.
Kou grinned watching Mitsuba’s reaction. It was pure and genuine. As he followed behind and closed the door, he asked, “I’ve been wondering… can you feel the cold, Mitsuba?”
“Hmmm… not really? I feel just a little bit chilly, but I’m fine,” Mitsuba strolled further out into the field, making his way towards the center of the track field. Then, he turned around to look back at Kou. The supernatural pointed at Kou’s gloves and acknowledged the six foot distance between them as he spoke. “You clearly are, though! Can’t step fully out into the snow, huh?”
Ignoring Mitsuba’s words, the exorcist crouched down and took a clump of fresh, powdery snow into his hands. He put pressure into patting the lump of snow until it formed itself into the shape of a ball. Taking one more handful into his hands, he patted it into the pre-existing snowball in order to tighten its form. The exorcist looked up towards the pink-haired boy with cheeks red from the cold. Mitsuba tilted his head in confusion as Kou began to speak. “Oi, Mitsuba.”
“Yeah?” Mitsuba eyed the snowball in Kou’s hands, unsure of what the boy was going to do with it. “What are you—?”
He was cut off mid sentence as the snowball Kou had made hit his face. As the snow slid off his face, the school mystery only stared blankly at the culprit of his (what seemed like) attempted murder . Kou only laughed as he looked at the offended look Mitsuba was giving him. Part of him felt bad because Mitsuba had been filled with such excitement moments before, but part of him found it funny that he had caught him so off guard.
Kou decided to take the opportunity to tease him. “Aren’t you the smartest? How come you didn’t know I was going to throw it at you?”
“Shut up!” Mitsuba scoffed as he wiped some of the snow left from the snowball off his face. ““Why would you do that?!”
“It’s supposed to be a game!” Kou explained as he picked up another bunch of snow, forming yet another ball in his hands. It was smaller than the last one he threw, but it still was a solid snowball. “You pick up some snow then mold it into the shape of a sphere. Then…”
Kou stood up from his spot on the ground. Slowly, he pulled his arm back, twisting his back to go along with the motion. He tightened his grip on the snowball slightly. As he quickly threw his arm forward, his torso followed along with it and he released the snowball. Watching as the snowball sailed through the air towards Mitsuba, Kou laughed watching it hit the supernatural. He grinned as he let out a huff of satisfaction.
“Ugh! Minamoto-kun… are you serious?!” Mitsuba groaned as he crouched down, scooping up two handfuls of snow.
He closed the distance between them by a few feet. He didn’t bother to pack the powdery snow as he threw it in Kou’s direction. The snowflakes scattered around, some clinging onto Kou’s jacket before quickly sliding off or melting. Some even made their way into his hair. Mitsuba pointed his finger at Kou while laughing, amused by the shocked look on the blonde’s face.
Kou shook the snow off his head as he laughed along with Mitsuba. The supernatural flinched as he noticed the exorcist beginning to pick up a large handful of snow. Mitsuba swiftly ran the opposite way as Kou started to pack the snow together, following behind quickly in order to catch up.
In the middle of the vast, open field, the two boys laughed and shouted at the other as they rushed to scoop up the soft, powdery snow, eager to attack one another with no mercy. Without anything to use for cover aside from a few trees and bushes, they relied on dodging the attack with their speed, running around and chasing each other in all directions. Snowballs flew through the air as Kou attempted to dodge Mitsuba using the end of his scarves to throw snowballs towards the blonde with playful determination. The previously untouched snow beneath their feet became filled with their footsteps as they continued to run around, and the air and atmosphere was filled with their joyous energy. Aside from the chattering coming from the two boys, the field was silent and peaceful as if it were only them in the world.
However, that peace was ruined the moment Mitsuba started propelling snowballs at him as if he were a pitching machine.
“Wait, wait! Mitsuba, chill!” Kou stumbled as he walked backwards, trying to avoid Mitsuba’s attacks against him. He was glad Mitsuba was smiling and having fun, sure, but wasn’t he taking this way too seriously?! Usually, Kou would zap Mitsuba as a warning, but he didn’t bring his staff that day. Mitsuba clearly had the upper hand in his situation!
“Ready to beg for mercy?” Mitsuba laughed as he drew his right arm back. As he threw his arm forward, Kou ducked. If he can’t attack back, just keep dodging, right? “What the–? Are you okay?”
Mitsuba looked down at the blonde and relaxed his body, dropping the snowballs that he was previously holding. He crouched down worriedly next to Kou and watched as the blonde started to take some snow into his hand, forming a snowball.
“Jeez… with the way you ducked, I thought you were genuinely scared,” Mitsuba sighed a breath of relief as he rested his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. “I thought you were gonna be upset with me.”
“Why would I be scared of a snowball…?” Kou replied as he continued to pack the snowball tightly. He smiled at the last comment. Upset at him? For having fun? In a game that Kou introduced to him? That was funny. It was even funnier that Mitsuba was worried Kou would be upset at him, but he wouldn’t comment on that. “And I’m not upset at you.”
“Maybe ‘cause you’re a scaredy-cat with a lame-earring? I dunno,” Mitsuba shrugged. “Are you trying to make an ultra big snowball to get revenge? I’ll just propel dozens of snowballs at you because you suck at dodging.”
“Nah, I’m gonna show you how to make a snowman. Also, I don’t suck at dodging… you just throw four at a time as I run.”
“Yeah, sure. Anyway, a snowman?”
“Yeah.”
Mitsuba blinked as he watched Kou place the large snowball onto the snowy ground. “How are you gonna do that with a snowball?”
“Look, I’ll show you. Could you move to the side?” Kou asked politely as he smiled at the clueless supernatural. Mitsuba listened without any hassle and stood up from his spot on the ground, moving to the side. Finally able to get a break from Mitsuba getting drunk on power, he decided he’d show the supernatural something else to do so Kou wouldn’t be running nonstop the entire time he was there.
Plus, Mitsuba’s curiosity showed on his face and Kou thought it was a little cute to see him be so excited.
The blonde started to roll the ball across the snow-covered field, accumulating snow to stick to the snowball, causing it to grow larger. As the once small ball reached a reasonable size, Kou stopped rolling and let it sit in place. The base of the snowman had been created! Mitsuba walked over to where Kou was and gave the base a weird look. “Okay, I’m no expert, I don’t think this is a snowman, Minamoto-kun.”
“I’m not done yet! You’re so impatient…” Kou said as he looked at Mitsuba through his peripheral vision. Was he really this clueless when it came to snow or was he messing with Kou? He wiped his hands and turned towards the pink-haired boy. “It’s your turn! Do the same thing, but make sure they’re smaller than the base.”
Mitsuba raised his eyebrow at Kou, but listened regardless. He crouched down and scooped up a handful of snow, repeating the motions and actions that Kou demonstrated moments ago. He looked at Kou and yelled at him. “Okay! What now?”
“Come put it on the base!” Kou yelled back as he cupped his hands around his mouth. “Then let’s make one more that’s a bit smaller!”
“I don’t get how this is supposed to look like a man.”
“I seriously can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”
“Rude,” Scoffing, Mitsuba picked the snowball up as he made his way over to Kou.
“This is how everyone makes a snowman! It’s like… universally accepted?” The exorcist crossed his arms as he watched Mitsuba walk over. “You haven’t seen a snowman before?”
The school mystery rolled his eyes. “Maybe I’m not bound to the school, but do you think I just wander outside aimlessly and watch people play in the snow? What if a powerful exorcist came to get me?!”
“But like… not even the courtyard?” Ignoring the insult Mitsuba had sneakily thrown at him, Kou helped him as they raised the second part of the snowman onto the base. He watched as Mitsuba squatted down, scooping up handfuls of snow to start creating the head of the snowman.
A scowl appeared on Mitsuba’s face. “Do you think the students are coming to school to have snowball fights and build snowball-men on the weekend? I’m not gonna play in the snow by myself.”
“What about the other school mysteries?”
“As if they’d wanna go anything like that. Crazy knife, maybe, but I’d rather spin around a hundred times and drop dead than hangout with him on my own terms.”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
“Aren’t I always?”
The blonde continued to watch as Mitsuba rolled the snowball against the snow-covered surface, growing bigger as more and more snow stuck to it. Seeing as how Mitsuba would be done soon, Kou went off to search for sticks and rocks to complete the snowman. The silence gave him some time to think (and possibly self reflect). He was always with Mitsuba during most of the breaks at school and when it wasn’t break time, his supernatural friend was usually observing him as the day went on. It never really occurred to him what Mitsuba did when Kou wasn’t around because they were together most of the time. Part of him assumed that he’d hangout with the other school mysteries, like Hanako, but he was wrong. As he picked up some twigs from a nearby tree and rocks from the soil surrounding it, he turned to look as Mitsuba sat next to their snowman, seemingly creating a smaller version next to it.
He’s already got the hang of it, Kou thought to himself as he smiled, starting to grab some smaller sticks and rocks for Mitsuba’s tiny snowman.
Mitsuba wasn’t human despite his usual appearance. Unless someone has high spiritual power like Kou or is near death, they won’t be able to see him. Obviously he wouldn’t know about the kinds of things humans do in the snow! Kou groaned as he hit his head against the stump of the tree. He said something unnecessary earlier and he didn’t want Mitsuba to be upset during his first day in the snow. The exorcist started to make his way back to where their snowman (now snowmen, he guessed), with a few twigs under one arm and small pebbles in his hands. Mitsuba looked up at him with a sad look on his face. Kou felt his heart ache as he watched the boy on the ground frown. Did he upset him that much?!
Dropping the rocks on the ground, Kou grabbed the twigs from under his arm and held them out to Mitsuba. “Here.”
“...They’re sticks,” Mitsuba stated coldly.
“Well, yeah, they are,” Kou muttered, taken aback by the harsh tone in Mitsuba’s voice. “They’re for our snowmen.”
Mitsuba looked fixedly at the sticks for a moment before returning his gaze back to Kou. “Are they the arms?”
“Yeah! They are!” Kou’s eyes brightened as Mitsuba reached out to grab the smallest twigs that Kou had, placing them onto the second snowball of the little snowman. “Wow, you’re good!”
“Of course I am,” Mitsuba smirked as he grabbed four small rocks from the pile Kou had dropped on the floor. “These are the buttons and the eyes!”
“...What’s with the sudden knowledge? I thought you didn’t know anything about humans and their snow activities.” Kou had started to doubt his guilt for his earlier statement.
“I was just messing, obviously!” The pink-haired boy laughed as he placed the rocks onto his miniature creation. “I’m not stupid–!”
A very familiar phone was dropped from behind Mitsuba. Kou stared as Mitsuba rushed to grab the phone and stuffed it into the scarf covering his neck.
With disbelief in his voice, Kou asked Mitsuba, “Did you look up pictures of snowmen on my phone?”
“No,” Mitsuba swiftly replied.
“How do you even know my password?”
“It’s literally your birthday… you’re so simple.”
“Still…”
Seriously? Either he was really upset by what Kou had said or he was just downright petty.
Kou sighed as he dropped all but two of the sticks he was holding, using the remaining two as arms for the bigger snowman. “Sorry.”
“For what?” Mitsuba mumbled, clear dejection in his voice.
“Y’know… I upset you, didn’t I?” Kou scratched his cheek as crouched down to pick up some rocks most suitable for the snowman. “I came here to help you feel a bit human, but I ended up saying something unnecessary. So… I’m sorry.”
The school mystery looked up at Kou, who was taking off his gloves to put on the stick arms. Kou couldn’t see exactly how his face looked through his peripheral vision, but he could imagine the awe-struck look and sparkle in Mitsuba’s eyes so clearly.
The pink-haired boy let out a short laugh before standing up next to the blonde. “It’s fine! I wasn’t even upset. You think I’d let someone like you hurt my feelings?”
“You say that but…” Kou placed his gloves onto the ends of the sticks as he looked at the boy next to him. They were close, close enough that Kou could see every characteristic of Mitsuba’s face. As an attempt to steer his attention away from the boy’s face, Kou brought his bare hands to his mouth and cupped them together. He started to exhale, allowing the warm air to envelop his fingers. His breath became visible in the form of a misty cloud. He rubbed his hands together as an attempt to spread the warmth before returning to blowing warm air. “Are you sure?”
“Seriously, you’re such a worrywart. It’s fine, ” Mitsuba emphasized as he grabbed Kou’s hands, bringing them close to him. He rubbed their hands together as an attempt to help Kou warm himself up. There wasn’t a lot of warmth as there was cold from the supernatural, but the exorcist smiled at the kind attempt. Mitsuba then brought Kou’s hands to the pink-haired boy’s face, allowing the blonde to gently cup his face. The natural warmth that came from Kou’s body contrasted the coolness of Mitsuba’s skin, it was comforting. Kou moved his hands slowly as he spread his fingers in an attempt to properly cradle his friend’s face. His thumb caressed the beauty mark under Mitsuba’s eye and the boy leaned slightly into the touch. “Maybe I do get lonely sometimes, but it’s fine. Besides, you came here on your day off just for me, didn’t you?”
The exorcist started to feel his face heat up at the sudden intimacy. The school mystery boy seemed to smile at his reaction. Kou responded, “Yeah, guess I did.”
Mitsuba snickered as he grabbed Kou by the shoulders before throwing him down onto the ground.
“Argh!” Kou grunted as he hit the snow, his hands stinging from the snow’s cold touch. “What the hell, Mitsuba?!”
“I saw a picture about snow angels!” Mitsuba exclaimed as he fell back next to Kou, his arms and legs spread out as if he were a starfish. “I thought it looked cool!”
“Snow angels, huh?” Kou turned his head to look at the school mystery beside him. The look on Mitsuba’s face was so gentle. Whether his face continued to be red because of the cold or because of the soft look, Kou was unsure. “Yeah… they’re really fun. My sister likes to make dozens at a time.”
“Dozens, huh?” Mumbling to himself, Mitsuba let out a snicker. “Guess we’ll have to make hundreds then!”
An idea struck Kou as soon as Mitsuba said that. He exclaimed excitedly, “Whoever makes a hundred first wins!”
Mitsuba grinned eagerly in reply. “You’re on!”
Kou spread his arms and legs wide and with almost perfectly synchronized movements, the two boys swept their limbs back and forth, the snow crunching softly beneath them. Their laughter filled the crisp, cold air as they created the classic snow angel shapes. Their arms carved out the wings, while their legs formed the robes of the angel. Each movement smoothed out the snow, defining the shapes more clearly. Occasionally, they paused to catch their breath, Kou’s exhalations forming visible clouds in the chilly air. Not long after they would go back to continuing their playful task. The surrounding environment was silent. Aside from the trees rustling in the wind, everything was still. The sky was a pale gray that stood out against the snowflakes falling down upon them. The snow underneath the two of them was cold, yet a hint of comfort could be found.
They weren’t even finished with their first snow angel when Kou suddenly decided to lay still. Mitsuba, noticing the sudden stop in movement, also decided to stop. The blonde carefully lifted his arms, trying not to disturb the perfect outlines. He pushed himself up to a sitting position and then turned his head to look at Mitsuba, who was still lying down.
“Minamoto-kun? Is something wrong?” Mitsuba tilted his head slightly against the snow. “Or have you fallen in love with me?”
The statement caught him off guard and Kou found his face starting to turn red again. He observed the other boy covered in snow. He remained in the starfish position as he looked up at Kou. They’ve hung out together one-on-one before, but something about this moment felt so surreal to him. The way the moment was just for the two of them made Mitsuba look way cuter than usual in Kou’s eyes.
He looked away before saying, “...Nah, it’s nothing.”
“Today was fun,” Mitsubas said, steering the conversation’s focus away from Kou’s staring issue. “I didn’t think I’d be playing in the snow like this anytime soon.”
“Are you saying you doubted me?” Kou turned back towards Mitsuba, who gave a cocky smile.
“I’m just saying I expected you to take a while,” Mitsuba shrugged his shoulders. “Still, I guess you’re thoughtful and stuff… I’d be cool if I could be your friend as a human.”
The blonde smiled softly as he gazed at the pink-haired boy beside him. They didn’t have conversations like this a lot, so it was a nice change of pace. “Mitsuba.”
“Yeah?” He replied, still lying peacefully in the snow.
Kou felt his heart begin to throb. It had been a while since he promised that, sure, but now he was even more motivated to find a way to make Mitsuba human. The thought of being able to introduce Mitsuba to his friends and classmates as well as being able to talk to him without getting any weird looks was ideal in his mind. The thought that maybe if Mitsuba were to be human, they could be something, was ideal in his mind. After moments of silence, he finally spoke up. “When I find out how to make you human, we’ll do a ton of fun stuff together forever. Mark my words!”
“Was that a confession, lame-earring?” The smile that crept onto Mitsuba’s face as he looked up at Kou made his stomach flutter.
“Take it however you want, dumbass,” Kou fell backwards into the imprint of the snow angel he had created. Was it a confession? Probably. Dedicating your entire life to doing fun stuff with your best friend forever was romantic, right? He knew Mitsuba was joking, but still. An opportunity is an opportunity, especially when there’s a way out.
Mitsuba was silent for a few moments. Kou only laid still on the ground as he awaited a response, his mouth pressed into a straight line. Above the two of them, the sky was vast and never-ending. The sky seemed to lack any clouds despite the snowflakes that drifted down onto the two of them. The sounds of birds chirping began to fill the silence enveloping the two to them. Eventually, Mitsuba’s voice joined the choir of sounds (or rather, birds).
“Then, let’s do it,” The pink-haired boy spoke up. “Let’s stick together forever.”
“That wasn’t what I said,” Kou refuted.
Mitsuba stuck out his tongue. “Same message. To-may-to, to-mah-to.”
Kou beamed brightly as he sat up from his spot once again. He looked over to where Mitsuba was, only to see the boy himself sitting up, staring right back at Kou. “Don’t get mad at me if I end up getting sick of you.”
“As if you ever could,” The school mystery snickered.
Can’t deny that, Kou silently thought to himself. The blonde’s face hadn’t gotten any less red since earlier and whether it was the cold or because of the declaration of staying together forever, it certainly wasn’t going to anytime soon.