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Jake sighed in exasperation as soon as he heard the door shut. A routine had formed in their lives since he and Bradley had moved to Montana, onto his parent’s property. A good many acres away from his parent’s home, but still. On the property.
With the first winter’s snow, Bradley had immediately taken over shoveling the drive. A gesture Jake had appreciated, having always loathed the blankets of packed snow that fell in sheets around Christmas time in his hometown. But then, it became clockwork for Bradley to step inside from shoveling, kick his boots and his outermost jacket off, leave them at the door, and come find Jake, wherever he happened to be, in order to steal his body heat.
Bradley had come with freezing hands and face to find Jake in the midst of cooking, eating, watching a TV show, napping, or, the most memorable incident, bathing.
And Jake could not, for the life of him, dissuade his boyfriend beyond a few exasperated expressions, because the idea of Bradley coming to him for shelter was so goddamn heartwarming.
So sure enough, he listened as Bradley shed his boots, placing them on the rack by the door, and then dropped the parka off of his shoulders, transferring it to the coat rack. Then came Bradley’s heavy-footed steps, as he ventured from the entryway into the dining room, through the kitchen, and around to the living room, where Jake was nested into the corner of the couch.
Bradley met his eyes and smiled, so wide and goofy, just pure joy at landing his eyes on Jake, that Jake melted where he sat.
In his loose henley and thick sweatpants, Bradley lumbered around the couch and all but robbed himself into Jake’s lap. Jake’s legs fell on either side of Bradley’s broad torso, and Bradley’s arms bracketed Jake’s waist, his fluffy curls falling into his face as he peered up with those wide, brown, doe eyes that just swept away the last of the ice in Jake’s heart.
“Hi,” Bradley grinned and Jake rolled his eyes. With a smile on his face, but he wouldn’t admit that under threat of death.
“Hi,” Jake mockingly responded, but he carded his hands back through Bradley’s hair. It had grown out so much since they’d moved up into the mountains, and Jake was enjoying it.
“You’re warm,” Bradley’s grin turned cheeky as his hands slipped beneath Jake’s sweatshirt and Jake flinched at the touch of his ice-cold palms pressed directly to his sides.
“Shit, Bradley!” He yelped, “Wear some gloves, for Chrissake,” he chided, still petting affectionately over Bradley’s head.
“But this is so much more fun,” Bradley stared at him innocently and then burrowed his cold, flushed nose into the soft part of Jake’s stomach. Luckily the fabric shielded Jake from the cold touch of his skin, but the sentiment was still there, so he huffed.
“There is no way that I am warmer than a hot shower, or a space heater, or even a blanket,” Jake shook his head in exasperation, but thumbed over Bradley’s ears and down to his neck.
“Maybe not, but this method is more comfortable,” Bradley’s lips quirked up at the edges.
“For you, maybe,” he grumbled as Bradley’s hand traveled up, stroking over his shoulder blade.
“You love it,” Bradley tilted his head with squinted eyes, “You can play up the act that you hate this, but you adore every minute of it and you know it.”
Jake gasped mockingly, a hand over his mouth “Oh no, however will I cope with you knowing my secret?”
Bradley shook his head and pawed at Jake’s raised arm, pulling his hand back to Bradley’s hair and leaning into the affection like a needy dog, “Yeah, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night, Jake,” he hummed his quiet appreciation, leaning into the ministrations of Jake’s mumble fingers in his hair, “We both know that the truth is that you love to cuddle with your darling boyfriend, and that’s all that matters.”
“I suppose it is,” Jake mused, allowing his facade to fall for a moment, a warm and content expression taking its place, “But that stays between me and you.”
“You’ve got a deal, Hangman” Bradley hummed, leaning to rest on the soft part of Jake’s thigh, “So long as you keep doing that.”