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The first indication that something was wrong was when the house made a lurching sound. Had you asked Kevin beforehand, he would have said that a house making a lurching sound was impossible, but there was simply no other way to describe it. One minute, they were all sitting in the living room watching some shitty holiday movie Nicky had turned on, and the next, the house was lurching. It was loud and weird enough that their entire group collectively startled, and then Andrew was hitting pause on the movie.
“What was that?” Neil asked, glancing around slightly frantically, like the house’s weird sound was about to pull out a gun and shoot him. Alas, some things never change.
Nobody answered for a moment, not until after the house made the lurching sound again.
Andrew tilted his head to the side, eyes trained on the ceiling and brows furrowed. “I think it was the pipes.”
“The pipes?” Nicky asked, voice upturning on the word, like just the thought horrified him.
The house made the sound again, and then it very abruptly made no sound at all. You don’t ever really notice how much background noise exists in a house until it’s gone, and you're left with nothing audible but the sound of your own breathing. The shift to perfect silence was somehow much more concerning than the strange lurching noise itself.
And then drifting through the room came a very noticeable brush of cold air.
“Was that the heat shutting off?” Kevin asked, because something about the pipes and the quiet and the cold was aligning itself in his mind to only one possible explanation.
Aaron's eyes opened wide as dinner plates, his mouth flopping open like a fish, and then he said, “No. No, no, fuck no.”
He shot up off his spot on the couch and practically hurtled down the stairs to the basement, and they all listened as a heavy metal door was pulled open and things began clanging around. Aaron audibly cursed several more times. Loudly.
“I’ll, uh, go check on him.” Kevin stood and headed down the stairs.
He found Aaron leaned over with his head in the door of the boiler room, still banging around and cursing heavily. Kevin turned on his phone flashlight and held it up to give Aaron some light.
“Do you even know anything about heating systems?” Kevin asked.
“No,” Aaron replied vacantly, still shifting around. “But I’m scientifically inclined. I’ll figure it out.”
Kevin watched Aaron bang around in there for several more minutes before Aaron finally relented that being scientifically inclined did not give you innate knowledge into the inner workings of a furnace, and he sat back on his heels with a huff.
Andrew came down the stairs and hovered at the bottom. “Is it broken?”
“Clearly,” Aaron growled, turning around to shoot Andrew a pointed glare.
Andrew was unaffected as always, just continuing to look at Aaron as if he was extremely unimpressed with his shitty attitude. “We’ll call the repairman in the morning.”
Andrew trailed back up the stairs (probably to update Nicky and Neil), but Kevin stayed watching Aaron, who was now gnawing on his bottom lip and trying desperately to look calm about the whole situation. He was failing miserably.
The thing was that for the rest of them, the busted heat was little more than an inconvenience. It was deep in December and an uncommonly cold winter to boot, but the rest of them were perfectly capable of handling a bit of chilliness.
Aaron, however, was not.
Despite his years of drug abuse, Aaron was a remarkably healthy and well-adjusted human. Kevin knew for a fact that there was a real threat of major health concerns that came along with a history like that, but somehow Aaron had avoided all of them. The only physical remnant from his tumultuous past was poor circulation, which led to bad temperature regulation, particularly when it came to the cold. Aaron had told Kevin once that it was like the cold got into his bones and just wouldn't get the hell out no matter what he did. Sometimes it nearly crippled him, leaving him a shivering, sick-feeling mess.
Even with the house’s heat running, Aaron had a tendency to bundle up more than anyone else, but without the heat, Kevin was worried no amount of blankets or hoodies was going to effectively fight off the cold. Not for him.
And Kevin didn't like that idea. He and Aaron had become odd but close friends in the years since the shit that was Neil’s father and Riko hit the proverbial fan, and Kevin cared about him. Deeply. More than he liked to admit. He didn't like seeing Aaron unhappy or uncomfortable, and this situation was a recipe for both.
“We could probably go to Abby’s,” Kevin suggested. “I don't think she'd mind.”
Aaron looked down at his hands. “It's one night. It'll be fine.”
He sounded wildly unconvincing.
“You sure?”
“Yes, I'm sure,” Aaron snapped, but then deflated again like he was disappointed with himself for getting irritated. “Just go finish the movie.”
Reluctantly, Kevin went back upstairs and resumed his spot on the couch, trying and failing at returning his attention to the movie. Aaron hurried upstairs but didn't then come back down to join them, a fact that bothered Kevin enough to leave him distracted and worried.
When it finished, the rest of the group funneled upstairs into their respective bedrooms, so Kevin changed into his pajamas and started to make up his couch-bed. Usually, he slept in shorts and a loose t-shirt, but he opted instead for a pair of sweats, since the house was getting colder and colder by the minute.
Just as he was pulling on a sweatshirt, he heard the clomp clomp clomp of someone coming down the stairs, and then he watched as a very large pile of blankets slunk down the hallway into the kitchen.
Aaron was standing over the stove when Kevin followed him in there, kettle firing and mug held in his hand. He was barely visible beneath his blanket hood, but Kevin would have known it was him just by the beat of his footsteps and the sound of his breathing. Not to mention that he was the only member of their party likely to wear a blanket as an article of clothing.
“You look like an old witch from a Disney movie,” Kevin said, lips pulling up into a small smile.
Aaron spun around and glared at him. Aaron was always glaring at people, Kevin included, but it lacked actual heat when he did it to him. It was more like a friendly glare, no matter how strange that sounded.
“Aaron,” Kevin said, taking a step towards him. “We can go to Abby’s. I'm serious.”
“I'm fine,” Aaron replied, lightning-quick.
“Neil Josten fine? Or actual fine?”
Aaron didn't answer the question. That was answer enough.
With a sigh, Kevin took another step towards him until he could see the tip of Aaron's nose, pink from the cold, and the dusting of freckles across his cheekbones that Kevin had at some point become intimately familiar with.
“You're allowed to say that you're uncomfortable. No one’s going to judge you for it.”
Aaron was, in general, extremely bad at admitting his own feelings and needs. Kevin figured it came from years of living in a house with a person who cared very little about them, and then years of living with a brother who was only recently coming to respect them. But they'd been working on it, together at least. As Kevin slowly got Aaron to open up, he also got him to more readily convey his thoughts and feelings. But it was still a struggle sometimes.
Aaron held his gaze for a few seconds, his lips set in a harsh line, but then he finally said, “I'm uncomfortable.”
“Alright,” Kevin said gently, even though he sort of wanted to say something like That wasn't so hard, was it? “Go back upstairs and get in bed. I'll make your tea and bring you up a hot water bottle.”
Aaron looked at him for a second like he was expecting Kevin to demand something in return, and it bugged Kevin that that was how Aaron’s mind worked. That he believed people couldn't just do things because they cared about him. But not so long ago, it would have been true, at least where Kevin was concerned. He was and had always been a fairly self-involved, arrogant asshole, but if Aaron was working on being better at communicating his needs, Kevin was getting better at being more human. Particularly where Aaron was concerned.
“Fine,” Aaron relented, and then he pulled his blanket hood around himself tighter and padded back up the stairs.
Kevin fixed Aaron’s tea (chamomile with just a bit of honey) and filled up the hot water bottle in the cabinet before heading up after him. When he got to the bedroom, he rapped his knuckles once on the door before pushing inside. Aaron was in bed, pillow hood gone and replaced by an oversized hoodie, and blankets piled on and pulled up to his chin.
“Here.” Kevin crossed to the bed and handed him the two items, careful not to slosh any of the tea. Then he lowered down next to Aaron on the other end.
“Thanks,” Aaron muttered, tucking the water bottle under the covers and taking a sip from the steaming mug. Kevin watched him drink until the cup was drained, and then he placed it on the bedside table and burrowed back further beneath the covers.
He shivered just once, and Kevin very much did not like the sight of it.
“Let me take you to Abby’s,” he said for what felt like the millionth time, and ignored when Aaron glared at him again. “I'm serious, Aaron. Let's just go.”
Aaron’s glare broke, and he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes in frustration. “It's one night. I can make it. I don't want to drive all the way out there.”
“Fine,” Kevin relented, even though what he really wanted was to wrap Aaron up in a blanket burrito, throw him the car, and drive him to anywhere that had a functioning heating system. But with Aaron, pushing was not always the greatest strategy. If he didn't want to, Kevin couldn't and wouldn't force him.
They sat in silence for another minute before Aaron shivered again, this time more violently than the first. Kevin really didn't like the sight of it.
Feeling a bit braver than usual, he extended his arm in invitation and said, “Come here.”
Aaron stared at him and then sputtered out, “What?”
Kevin halfway shrugged, arm still extended. “Body heat is the best way to keep warm. Survival 101.”
“I don't need to cuddle with you,” he snapped, but the effect of his words was lessened when he was wracked with another harsh shudder.
“Fine,” Kevin said, dramatically feigning disinterest in a way that very clearly conveyed he thought Aaron was being ridiculous. “Freeze over there. Hope you're not planning on needing your toes in the future.”
Aaron bit down on his bottom lip, debating and analyzing like he did with everything, but then he shot forward and tucked himself into the curve of Kevin’s arm. He was firmly pressed against Kevin’s side, curled against him, head turned to press into Kevin’s neck. He shivered once more, but then followed it up with a relieved and shaky exhale.
It was a testament to how freezing and uncomfortable he must have been that he was being this physical with Kevin, and although Kevin was displeased with the reasoning, he was more than pleased with the result. Aaron felt weirdly right tucked against him, like their bodies had been made to fit together like this. In a strange way, it seemed unbelievable that they’d somehow never done this before.
“God, you're like a furnace,” Aaron practically sighed. “Why are you so freaking warm?”
Kevin thought suddenly that he’d perhaps been made this warm for the exact purpose of keeping Aaron warm, but that seemed like a bad thing to say. Instead, he just shrugged a bit and pulled Aaron even tighter against him.
He held Aaron for a long time. Long enough that he was beginning to wonder if by doing so he was crossing some kind of unspoken line that Aaron would usually be upholding. He didn't want to take advantage of Aaron’s fragile state for his own personal gain.
Feeling a bit uneasy with himself, he started to pull away, saying, “Well, we should probably get to bed.”
A bit sleepily, Aaron grabbed hold of his sleeve before he could get very far. “Stay? Please.”
Kevin froze, unsure what to do. Unsure if he was allowed this. But Aaron was asking, wasn't he? And otherwise he might just freeze to death up here all alone.
And it was what Kevin wanted. Right then, he decided being selfish might not be the worst thing on Earth.
“Yeah,” he said with an exhale, fixing himself back into place and pulling Aaron back against him. He flicked off the light, leaving them cloaked in darkness, and it felt safer that way. Aaron burrowed even tighter against his chest, and Kevin couldn't help from dropping down to nose at Aaron’s hair, wispy and messy from his blanket hood, and smelling like tea tree oil and something that was just Aaron. He fought against the urge to press a kiss to his forehead.
Instead, he quietly whispered, “Goodnight, Aaron.”
Voice already heavy with sleep, words slurring together, Aaron whispered back, “‘Night, Kev.”
***
Kevin woke the next morning with a slightly giddy feeling in his chest, and only when he opened his eyes did he remember why. Morning sunlight was streaming through the blinds on the window, dancing across the lines of Aaron’s face, still soft with sleep. They'd shifted at some point in the night, and now they were laying on their sides, Aaron’s back against Kevin’s chest, Kevin’s arm wrapped tightly around his waist.
Kevin thought vaguely that last night had possibly been the best sleep he'd gotten in years.
Usually, Aaron woke up before him, but the cold must have taken more out of him than Kevin thought, because he was still sleeping soundly with the weight of someone who's body had been wrung out. What Kevin really wanted was to stay tucked in bed with him forever, but one glance at the alarm clock told him it was already late morning, and he wanted to go check on where the repairman was. The sooner they got this whole thing sorted the better, even if it meant Kevin would most likely lose cuddle privileges.
He very carefully extricated himself from Aaron and crept down the stairs to find Neil and Andrew sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, both looking more bundled than usual. The temperature had dropped outside in the night, which meant it'd also dropped in the house, and although Kevin had been warm in bed with Aaron, even he was starting to feel a tad chilly.
“Did you call the guy yet?” he asked, cutting right to the chase.
“Can't come until three,” Andrew replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Three?” Kevin exclaimed. “Are you serious?”
Neil shot him an amused smirk. “What, Minyard can't handle a little cold?”
A spike of annoyance shot through Kevin’s veins. Neil and Aaron sniping at each other was nothing new, and it shouldn't have been a big deal, but he didn't like Neil making fun of something Aaron couldn't control. Not to mention something he was stupidly self-conscious about.
He also wasn't sure how he felt about Neil knowing that concern for Aaron was what was bugging Kevin.
Before Kevin could snap something pissy back, Andrew interjected to say, “He’ll be fine. He's been through worse.”
Kevin didn't like that either. He knew Andrew was referring to the days he'd locked Aaron in the bathroom, forcing him to sober up, and in general, Kevin disliked being reminded of that fact. He knew Andrew had done that for Aaron’s own good, but he didn't like it all the same. People died from that kind of thing sometimes, and Andrew hadn't even cared. It was one of the few things Andrew had done that Kevin had very little patience for understanding.
“Fine,” Kevin grumbled, and then he made another cup of hot tea and headed back upstairs to Aaron's bedroom.
When he got inside, Aaron was awake and sitting up in bed, scrolling on his phone, but he put it aside when Kevin came in.
“Hey,” he said, and then shot Kevin a surprisingly soft and vulnerable smile, and Kevin wished he could bottle the sight of it and keep it forever. He wished Aaron looked at him like that always.
“Here.” Kevin crossed the room and handed him his tea before sitting back on the bed next to him, and this time he wasted no time in wrapping an arm around Aaron’s shoulder. He figured he was probably allowed this after last night. He hoped he was allowed this after last night.
“Thanks,” Aaron said, still seeming more gentle and soft than usual. He leaned further into Kevin’s touch, and Kevin took the opportunity to squeeze him just a bit tighter.
“Is the guy here yet?” Aaron asked.
Kevin winced a bit before replying, “He can't come until three.”
Aaron stiffened for a second in Kevin’s embrace, but then relaxed again, clearly trying to feign nonchalance. “Oh. That's fine.”
Kevin squeezed him again. “Offer still stands. We could go to Abby’s. Or Coach’s. I don't think either of them would mind.”
Aaron sighed. “It's fine.” Kevin just looked at him and Aaron added, “Seriously. I can survive ‘til three.”
“Alright,” Kevin agreed a bit reluctantly. “But you're on bedrest. I'm fairly certain you'll turn into an ice block the second you get out.”
Aaron giggled. Like actually giggled, and the sound went right to Kevin’s chest, making him feel a bit bubbly. In normal life, Aaron would be protesting just on principle, and Kevin worried a little that he was going crazy from the cold or something, but that didn't stop him from feeling relieved when Aaron said, “Okay. That sounds good.”
Kevin ran back downstairs and made them both breakfast, snagging his book and his laptop on the way. He and Aaron spent the rest of the morning with Kevin reading and Aaron playing on his Switch, and then spent the early afternoon watching Grey’s Anatomy, which Aaron always spent the whole time bitching at about medical inaccuracies and too much kissing, but still watched anyway. Kevin enjoyed watching with him. There was something he liked about watching Aaron get riled up about stuff.
Around three, they heard the door open and someone start banging around the house. Kevin considered going out to supervise, but he didn't really know anything about heating systems either, and he was far too cozy in bed with Aaron pressed against his side to move.
Eventually, the front door shut again, and then feet were trailing up the stairs and down the hall. There was one knock on the door, and then Andrew opened it.
If he was surprised to see Aaron and Kevin in bed cuddling he didn't show it, but Kevin was more than a little surprised himself that Aaron didn't pull out of his embrace.
“He needs a spare piece, and he'll have to order it.”
“So he didn't fix it?” Aaron asked.
Andrew shook his head. “It'll be another two to three days.”
“Seriously?” Kevin exclaimed.
Andrew just nodded and then turned on his heels and left, shutting the door behind him.
When Kevin looked down at Aaron, he looked disappointed and nervous, and for once he wasn't trying to hide it. Kevin hated the sight of it, even if he was slightly pleased that Aaron wasn't trying to bat down his emotions around him.
“Okay, you can't do this for three more days. Will you let me take you somewhere now?”
Aaron sank lower in the bed and groaned out, “Kevinnnnnnnnn.”
“Aaronnnnnnnn.”
“I don't need to go anywhere. I'm fine.”
Kevin had the slight urge to inform Aaron that he was sounding more and more like Neil by the day, but he had a feeling that wouldn't go over well.
“You don't need to make yourself miserable,” he said gently. “You don't have to torture yourself for the sake of something or somebody else, okay?”
Those were things Kevin had been told himself by Betsy, back when he was the most broken and tortured version of himself he'd ever been. He'd had a very hard time accepting them, battered down so long by people that wanted to break him, until Kevin thought that he was designed for nothing but pain and misery. Sometimes, he still had to remind himself of those facts, and still had a hard time believing them. But he thought Aaron needed them, now more than ever.
“I'm not torturing myself,” Aaron argued.
“Okay, then you don't have to prove anything. You're not going to win a prize for making yourself suffer for the next three days.”
“I know,” Aaron said, biting down on his bottom lip. “But I'm fine, seriously. I…I can do this.”
Kevin considered arguing some more, but like before, he worried that if he pushed, Aaron would just shut down, and then he'd probably push Kevin away, and Kevin really didn't want that. He wanted to stay right here in this bed with his arms wrapped around Aaron until he could get him warm again. And if this was all Aaron was willing to take, Kevin would give it to him.
“Fine. But I'm being your personal heater until it gets turned back on. Deal?”
Aaron smiled that soft, gentle smile again. “Deal.”
***
The days passed slowly, but not unpleasantly, for Kevin at least. They spent the rest of the first day watching more television, and Aaron once again let Kevin sleep in the bed with him that night. He woke up the next morning with that same giddy feeling in his chest, and that same thought that he was more rested than he’d been in forever.
They spent most of that next day doing much of the same as the day before, watching movies and reading side-by-side. At times, the words between them were relatively few, with them instead sharing a comfortable, companionable sort of quiet that the Kevin of a couple of years ago would have never believed he could ever have experienced with Aaron. At other times, they chatted freely, sharing silly opinions about the things they watched, or swapping the odd story from life before they knew each other. And the whole time they were shut up in that bedroom, tucked beneath the sheets of the same bed, Aaron was that softer, more gentle version of himself that Kevin had only gotten glimpses at before. He smiled more unabashedly, laughed more openly, and spoke with a kind of confidence and joy that he usually lacked. It was a version of him that Kevin had begun to see more as they grew closer with each other, but he’d never had such long access to it before.
Although their heat being broken was most definitely a bad thing, Kevin thought that getting to see Aaron like this was the greatest thing that had happened to him in a very long time.
The day after that, the temperature dropped even lower, dipping below freezing, and the house’s temperature dropped in turn. When Kevin went down in the morning to grab breakfast, Neil and Andrew were sitting at the kitchen table wearing their winter coats, and Nicky came waddling through the room at one point wearing a fucking snuggie , moaning and groaning about how it was “cold as a witch’s tit” in there. He wasn’t wrong.
While Aaron showered after they ate, Kevin hatched a plan, and by the time Aaron came back, skin pink and hair wet, he was ready.
“Grab your stuff,” Kevin said with a smile, hopping out of bed. “We’re going out.”
***
It was cold outside and in the house, but it was warm in the car as Kevin drove them to their first destination. Aaron had been in the shower trying to scald himself warm for long enough that Kevin was able to do enough research to form a thorough, well-thought-out plan that would hopefully have the dual purpose of keeping Aaron warm while also keeping him occupied. He was pleased with himself for his own ingenuity.
They didn't talk much while they drove, Kevin’s eyes on the road while Aaron peered out the window, Hozier playing lowly through the speakers. When they reached the spot, Kevin parked on the street and they hopped out of the car, and Kevin caught the way Aaron’s body immediately braced against the cold. Kevin shepherded him quickly towards their destination, and when Aaron saw what it was, his face broke out in a wide grin.
“Oh my god, yes,” Aaron said, his voice filled with glee as they stood in front of one of Columbia’s biggest used bookstores. Aaron had mentioned being interested in going a few weeks before and Kevin had remembered, and he figured a bookstore was one of the best places to warm up.
They headed inside, and Aaron immediately set off for the science section, and Kevin watched him go before wandering off to history himself. He browsed for a while, catching glimpses of Aaron as he flitted around the store happily.
After a bit had passed, Kevin caught up with him in the fantasy section. Aaron had a small stack of books balanced in his arms, and a smile on his face that rivaled the sun.
“Whatcha got?” Kevin asked, and Aaron handed him his books to inspect.
There were several nonfiction books–some medical stuff, as well as a book on outer space and one on pirates–as well as a Brandon Sanderson book, and The Talisman. And then there was–
“Red, White, and Royal Blue?” Kevin asked with disbelief. “Really?”
Aaron’s cheeks turned bright pink. “Shut up, I heard it was good.”
A surprised laugh left Kevin’s lips. “It is.”
Aaron raised an eyebrow. “You've read it?”
“Bisexual main character. Duh,” Kevin replied, and Aaron nodded. Kevin had come out to him a few months before after a drunken night when he started thinking a little too hard about Jean and got unreasonably emotional. Aaron had been much more chill about it than he'd thought, a fact which brought Kevin an absurd amount of relief.
He handed the stack back to Aaron, and then Aaron inspected his, commenting on how lame he was for only buying books on Ancient Greece and Rome. What could Kevin say? He was a man of simple pleasures.
They checked out, and then made their way back to the car.
“Are we going home now?” Aaron asked, and Kevin smiled.
“Not quite yet.”
Their next stop was the movie theater, which Kevin had found was putting on a marathon of all three original Mad Max movies. Aaron and Kevin had a bit of a thing for old-school action, science fiction, and horror movies, and Mad Max was a particular favorite. Aaron got so excited when they got there that he actually squealed, and Kevin thought that his heart might have burst at the sound.
By the time they were leaving the movies, the sun was hanging low in the sky. They made their way back to the car, talking about the films, and this time Aaron didn't even ask where they were headed.
Lastly, Kevin drove them to the seedy little diner by the house that they'd gone to more times than he could count. It was a total dive, but had a banging chicken burger, and a strawberry milkshake that Aaron was practically addicted to, and since they'd gotten closer, it'd become one of their regular haunts. The waitress gave them a warm and friendly welcome before leading them to a familiar booth, and the two of them ate and chatted and it was so goddamn good. Kevin couldn't believe sometimes how good it was. He couldn't believe that he'd found this with someone, and most of all, he couldn't believe he'd found this with Aaron.
It was late when they left the diner and finally made their way home, and both Aaron and Kevin seemed light with laughter. Kevin was happy he'd chosen well, that he'd been thoughtful when he'd so often been careless in the past. He was happy he'd brought his friend joy, and kept him occupied and comfortable on a day that was supposed to be nothing but torment.
He was just happy about it all.
***
Kevin was awoken in the night to the sound of teeth chattering and the feeling of a body convulsing in the bed next to him.
“Aaron,” he said groggily, pulling up to sitting.
“I'm fine,” Aaron croaked, but one look at him told Kevin it was a lie.
Aaron was curled on his side in the fetal position, blankets pulled up to his chin, but even so, he was shaking violently. His teeth were indeed clacking against each other, and he was letting out little breaths that sounded wrung out of him. Every few seconds, he would shiver in a way that looked painful.
It killed Kevin to see it.
“Okay, we're leaving,” Kevin said determinedly. “Get up. We're going somewhere.”
“Kevin,” Aaron forced out.
“Seriously, Aaron. I–I don't want to see you like this.”
There was a moment of silence, where Aaron still shook, but neither of them said a word. It was a standoff.
Finally, Kevin quietly said, “Please. For me.”
And what Aaron said back was, “Fine.”
They hopped out of bed and Kevin set to throwing some things in a duffle bag for the two of them while Aaron pulled on as many clothes as possible, including a Trojans hoodie that belonged to Kevin and went down to his knees. The house was positively freezing now; it was no wonder he had gotten as bad as he did.
Aaron went to the bathroom to get his toiletries while Kevin swiped up his phone and did a minute or two of research before settling on a spot. He called and was pleased when there was actually an answer, and it only took a little bit of Kevin Day sweet talk to convince the front desk lady to give them a room and let them check in at nearly one in the morning. Sometimes there were perks of being an international superstar.
Kevin grabbed his phone and fired off a quick text to Andrew before they set off: Taking Aaron to a hotel. Be back when the heat is fixed.
They got in the car and Kevin turned the heat up to high. They sat in silence while the car warmed up, but then Kevin tore away from the curb, desperate to get Aaron to the nearest functioning radiator.
They drove downtown until they reached the hotel Kevin had found, and he parked in the lot before grabbing their stuff and herding Aaron through the big double glass doors.
Aaron's eyes opened wide when they entered the lobby and he hissed, “Seriously, Kev?”
“Seriously.”
“We could have gone to fucking Motel 6.”
“A Motel 6 would have a shitty heating system. I’m getting you warm, Minyard. Get over it,” Kevin fired back.
The hotel was a bit posh, but Kevin had more money than he knew what to do with, and he figured now was as good a time as any to spend it.
He handed Aaron the bag and left him to grab their keys and slip the front desk lady an excellent tip for her troubles. Plus a signed photograph, just for good measure.
They headed upstairs and into their room (which was also a bit posh, and Kevin ignored the way Aaron blanched at the sight), and the first time Kevin did was go straight to the thermostat and get it pumping.
“Go take a hot shower and get warm,” he instructed Aaron, and for once, Aaron didn't protest.
Kevin unpacked their sparse belongings while Aaron showered, and it was only when he shucked off his outerwear and really surveyed the room that he noticed the bed. It was big and cozy looking and noticeably the only one in the room. Kevin hadn't even thought about whether he should have gotten two twins. They'd been sharing a bed this whole time, but wasn't that just because the house’s heat was broken? Would Aaron think it was unnecessary now and be uncomfortable?
Unsure what else to do, Kevin climbed under the covers and flicked off the light. There was no other option. All he could do was hope that Aaron wouldn't be unhappy.
Finally, Aaron emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam. He was still in the Trojans hoodie and his socks. There was a moment of tension, but it dissipated quickly as Aaron tiptoed across the room and climbed under the bedsheets. Kevin wondered whether he should move to the edge and give him space, but Aaron answered that question for him by immediately pushing towards him, bringing their bodies together. Feeling emboldened, Kevin wrapped an arm around Aaron and tugged him close, and Aaron leaned his head down on Kevin’s chest.
They fell into silence, just the sounds of each other’s breaths, and after a bit, Kevin began to wonder if Aaron was asleep. Then, through the quiet, Aaron whispered, “Kev?”
“Yeah, Aaron?”
“Thank you.”
It strangely made Kevin’s breath catch in his throat, and this time, he couldn't resist pressing one soft kiss to the crown of Aaron’s head.
“Anytime.”
***
Kevin could tell it was late when they woke up by the way the sun was shining in the window. The room was bathed in a brilliant gold, and it was warm as a summer day. Perhaps a bit too warm, but Kevin couldn't complain when Aaron looked so cozy, still curled on his side with his head tucked against Kevin’s chest, his lips slightly parted and his hair fanned out around him.
Kevin watched him for a minute. It was so odd, the feelings he had for this person. After Riko, and Jean, and Thea, Kevin had thought he was numb. He'd thought there was nothing left for him but pain and Exy. But then Aaron Minyard had come crashing into his life and against all odds became his friend, and he thawed all the parts of Kevin that had been frozen. Kevin hadn't realized until then how much he'd needed someone like that, to listen to him and laugh with him and be a friend to him. He hadn't realized how little he'd had that until then.
He couldn't put his finger on when things shifted, but here he was now, and friend was no longer the right word to describe what Aaron was to him. Kevin didn't know what the right word was.
Aaron stirred, and then he peered up at Kevin through sleepy eyes, and Kevin’s stomach flip-flopped. He wanted this always, he realized, to wake up with Aaron and watch him smile first thing in the morning.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Kevin whispered. “How do you feel?”
“Toasty,” Aaron said with a pleased hum, and it made Kevin chuckle.
Aaron pulled off of Kevin’s chest then, and Kevin tried to ignore the way his body immediately mourned the loss.
Aaron looked at him, eyes searching, and then bit down hard on his bottom lip. “I–I need to thank you. For last night.”
“You don't have to–”
“I do,” Aaron cut him off. “It's just… No one’s ever done something like that for me before. Not really. And I–I just…” He trailed off, eyes searching Kevin’s.
And then in a moment Kevin never could have predicted, Aaron leaned forward and brought their lips together.
The kiss was short and soft, nothing but their lips gently pressed against each other. There was no urgency, just two people sharing breath and air.
Aaron pulled back quickly, his eyes widening as he slammed a hand over his mouth.
“Fuck, I should not have done that. Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Aaron,” Kevin interrupted him, but Aaron kept spiraling.
“I just totally read that wrong, and Jesus Christ, I made everything fucking weird and–shit–Kev, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to–”
“Aaron,” Kevin said with a little laugh, hand wrapping around Aaron’s neck to tug him back towards him. He didn't have to words exactly to convey all the ways Aaron was wrong, so instead he answered with a kiss. It was as gentle as their first, even as Kevin parted Aaron’s lips and deepened it, shocked and pleased at the way Aaron let him. They kissed leisurely for several minutes before breaking away, both breathing heavily.
“I don't–I don't want you to think I only do things for you because I want something from you,” Kevin said suddenly, hand coming up to brush a stray piece of hair away from Aaron’s forehead. “I know that's how you see the world, but that's not how it works with me. I care about you, Aaron, more than I can say. And that's why I want to keep you warm and happy and safe. Not because I expect you to, I don't know, kiss me after, or something.”
There was a long pause where Aaron seemed to consider that information. He was debating, just like he always did, but when he finally spoke, what he said was, “I’m not kissing you because I feel like I owe you, if that's what you're worried about.”
Kevin's lips quirked up into a smirk. “So why are you kissing me then, Minyard?” he teased.
Aaron turned red as a tomato, and practically whispered, “You know why, Day.”
Kevin brought his hand back up to rest on Aaron’s cheek, his fingers tracing the skin there. “Tell me anyway. Please.”
Aaron bit down on his bottom lip. His eyes flashed away for a moment before returning to Kevin’s and holding his gaze intently.
“Because I care about you, too. I–I like you, Kevin.”
The words were like music to Kevin’s ears. He hadn't known how desperately he'd wanted to hear them until that moment, but as Aaron spoke, it was like a weight was being lifted off his shoulders. It was like he was being given a gift he never thought he'd receive.
“I like you, too. For the record,” he said after a beat.
Aaron chuckled. “Oh, thank God.”
They laughed together, then, until they had tears in their eyes. They laughed at their own stubbornness and ridiculousness and the absolute absurdity of them making it to this moment right here. Of Kevin Day and Aaron Minyard sitting in a posh hotel bed on a winter's morning and kissing.
And kiss they did. Their laughter subsided and heat was left in its wake. Their lips crashed back together, this time with newfound intensity as they devoured each other whole. Neither Aaron nor Kevin was one to do things in parts, and loving was just the same. They kissed and touched in the same way they played Exy–hard and furious and real. It was the same way they'd each clawed through life.
Eventually, they were both startled by the sound of Kevin’s phone buzzing on the bedside table. Kevin pulled away just long enough to swipe it up and take a look.
Repairman just left. Heat is fixed. Come back whenever, Andrew texted.
A small part of Kevin’s brain was saying, thank God, finally, but a bigger part of Kevin’s brain was saying fuck. Because here, he and Aaron were in the little bubble they'd just created, but the house in Columbia was outside of it. The house existed in the world with Andrew and Neil and Nicky, and it was one thing for Aaron to want Kevin here, and another thing for him to want him there.
Kevin cleared his throat. “The–uh–the heat is fixed. We should head back now.”
Aaron looked startled, like he'd forgotten their situation, as well. “Oh. Alright, then.”
The easiness of their morning and kisses was gone as the two of them changed for the day and packed up their stuff. They didn't speak as they checked out and hopped in the car, nor as they made the drive back to the house.
When they headed inside, Nicky was sitting on the kitchen counter texting, and Andrew and Neil were seated at the table drinking their coffee. The house still wasn't fully warmed up, but it was noticeably less chilly and getting better by the second.
“Hey, how was the hotel?” Nicky chirped when Kevin and Aaron entered the kitchen.
Kevin shrugged, prepared to give some noncommittal answer, but Aaron snorted. “Way too nice. Kevin’s got too much fucking money. He'd make a good sugar daddy.”
Neil sputtered out a laugh into his coffee, and Kevin caught the way the corner of Andrew’s lip twitched. Kevin smiled. Aaron’s comment had done wonders to shatter the tension between them. He was joking about Kevin spoiling him (and about him being a goddamn sugar daddy), and that had to be a good sign.
Aaron yawned then, eyes scrunching closed, before saying, “I'm still beat. Gonna go take a nap I think.”
He turned to the door and started to leave, but paused at the last minute and looked back to Kevin, reaching out a hand. “You coming?”
There was a moment of breathtaking silence. It was more than an invitation; it was an announcement. One Aaron voluntarily made in front of his gossipy cousin, frightening brother, and even Neil, for God’s sake. It was an opening, for Kevin to take what Aaron had given him in the hotel room.
It was an opening, maybe, for Kevin to take even more.
Kevin took his hand. “Always.”