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Lin Ling sighed contentedly, face pressed against a pillow and body curled comfortably under the covers. Sunlight warmed what little skin was left exposed as Lin Ling pressed deeper into his bed, savoring his lazy morning for as long as he could before-
"A-Ling~"
Before that.
Lin Ling groaned, burying himself further into his covers in an attempt to hide away from his annoying boyfriend, who thought waking up late meant getting up after the sun started rising.
"Go away Nice, I'm sleeping."
"Oh?" Lin Ling could hear his stupidly cute smirk. "I didn't know unconscious people could talk."
Refusing to allow Nice to ruin his lazy morning, Lin Ling pulled his blanket up and over his head, ensuring that not a sliver of skin was left uncovered. Like if Nice couldn't see him, he'd leave Lin Ling alone.
"I let you sleep in till 11:30, A-Ling."
"Normal people still count 11 AM as early, Nice."
Lin Ling listened as Nice stepped around the bed, noticeably not floating. Though Lin Ling wasn't sure if that was just because he was doing his own version of a lazy morning, which just meant he woke up twenty minutes later than usual and didn't start work until thirty minutes later than normal.
"A-Ling, you're really not gonna get up?" Nice paused just long enough for Lin Ling to answer, but he didn't because he was asleep. "In that case, you brought this on yourself."
Before Lin Ling could process what exactly that meant, a freezing sensation wrapped around his ankle and yanked him out of bed.
"Ack! Nice!" Lin Ling instinctively kicked at his boyfriend as he held him above the bed, the pair hovering a few feet in the air. "Put me down!"
Nice seemed to think it over for a moment before smiling down at Lin Ling. "I will have to refuse, I quite enjoy holding you like this."
Like he was proving a point, Nice shook his arm out, jolting Lin Ling around softly as he tried grabbing onto Nice.
What exactly would he do once he managed to get a hold of him? Lin Ling hadn't really thought that far, but it definitely included the words 'going back to sleep.'
Lin Ling groaned loudly, arms dropping as he finally gave up. "Ok, fine! You win, I won't go back to sleep, happy now?"
"Very." Nice smiled contently, carefully lowering them both down until Lin Ling's upper body was resting against the bed, before he could drop him completely, Lin Ling wrapped a leg around his waist and twisted to the side, dragging Nice down with him.
"Lin Ling-oof!" Nice grunted as a pillow slammed into his head, arms coming up to protect himself as Lin Ling continued his assault. "Hey-I'm unarmed!"
"Eat pillows, you perfect bastard!" Lin Ling couldn't contain his giggles, straddling Nice to ensure he couldn't get away. Lin Ling held the pillow above him, a mischievous look on his face as he met Nice's eyes. "Ready to give in?"
Through his arms, Lin Ling could see the tiniest sliver of a smirk on Nice's face before his boyfriend was thrusting his hips up, dislodging Lin Ling with a yelp and crowding above him with a pillow of his own in hand. "Not in your wildest dreams, A-Ling."
Shuffling a little higher, Lin Ling smiled nervously. "Nice, have you heard of this delightful thing called Zero given mercy?"
Nice's smile grew larger, eyes crinkling as he raised his pillow higher. "No, can't say I have."
Lin Ling screeched as the pillow slammed into him, frantically reaching out for his own pillow to defend himself.
Thirty minutes later, the number two and three heroes were left collapsed on their bed, feathers scattered and pillows clutched loosely in their hands as the two caught their breath.
Nice turned his head to the side, catching Lin Ling's attention and making him glance over. A moment later, Nice turned back to him.
"Is twelve late enough to count as a lazy morning?"
In lieu of a response, Lin Ling slammed his pillow directly into his boyfriend's cackling face.
With a clank, Lin Ling set the last plate into the drying rack. It was his turn to do the dishes this week while Nice dealt with their laundry, wiping his hands on a towel. Lin Ling stepped out of the kitchen, curiously looking around for Nice. The open floor plan left very few places for his boyfriend to hide.
"Nice?"
"Closet!"
The door to the walk-in closet was left ajar, tilting his head curiously, Lin Ling stepped inside and made his way over to Nice, who was standing before a full-length mirror, two separate outfits in hand as he debated which to wear.
"Are you allergic to staying indoors?" Lin Ling squints at the outfits Nice is holding. "Also, you're going to freeze to death in both of those."
"No, I won't," Nice's smile was blinding as he looked at Lin Ling, "I am perfect after all."
"A perfectly solid block of ice, maybe, go put a coat on." Lin Ling settled himself onto the couch in the middle of the closet, the kind you'd see in one of those over-dramatic French films, because he lives with an over-dramatic hero. "Where are you going anyway? We don't have any work today."
"Where are we going, baobei." Nice corrects, spinning around with a delighted smirk on his face. "I have the entire day planned out for us."
Lin Ling sat up straighter, curiosity piqued. "Then where are we going?"
"I'll tell you," Nice leaned in, throwing one end of his scarf over his shoulder, "if you kiss me."
Despite himself, Lin Ling actually snorts at Nice's theatrics, wrapping his arms around Nice's neck. Lin Ling gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before pulling back, only to find himself dragged forward as Nice spun them around.
Nice dragged him step by step into a dance, maybe it was the Waltz or Foxtrot, Lin Ling wouldn't know—he only knew what Nice had shown him. Laughing heartily, Lin Ling let Nice spin him around until they stood in front of the mirror, his back to Nice's chest, while the other rested his head on Lin Ling's shoulder.
"We are going out," Nice smiled mischievously, "to be more specific, we are going out into the cold."
Lin Ling shoved him away, moving to grab the outfit Nice had laid out for him. "Asshole."
"Only to you, dearest," Nice pressed a kiss to Lin Ling's cheek before twirling around and walking out, cheerily calling over his shoulder, "I'll wait outside while you get dressed."
"Mr. Perfect getting shy on me?"
"We have plans," Nice sighed woefully, "if it weren't for that, then I'd happily help you get dressed."
"Pervert."
"Only for you~"
Watching him leave, Lin Ling finally turned his eyes towards the outfit Nice had oh so helpfully left out for him.
A white sweater with a large brown four-pointed star on the front, a matching pair of fluffy jeans, with a pair of snow-proof boots placed nearby, and finally, there was a—
"Oh." Lin Ling mumbled as his gaze settled on the last piece of the ensemble. "That's….something."
Nice stared out the open window, hair billowing softly in the wind as he stared at the cityscape spreading out beyond Hero Tower. So lost in his own thoughts, Nice almost missed the thud of footsteps heading his way.
Taking a breath, Nice turned towards the noise, biting down on his lip to hold back his laugh as he came face to face with his annoyed boyfriend.
His annoyed boyfriend, wearing the black cat-eared hooded cape Nice had picked out for him.
"Don't," Nice cleared his throat, careful not to let his laugh out, "don't you look adorable?"
And Lin Ling did look adorable, the cape ended at his waist, the front opening just enough to show off the star on his sweater, the hood didn't stop anyone from seeing his face, and the black cat ears stood perfectly straight.
It was a matching pair to Nice's own pure white ones.
"Where did you even get these?" Lin Ling reached out and flicked one of Nice's cat-ears curiously. "I swear I've never seen them in the closet before."
"That is because I hid it, A-Ling. Now come on," Nice grabbed Lin Ling's outstretched hand with a smile as he stepped towards the open window, "we have a date to enjoy."
"I am not jumping out the window, Nice."
"You've done worse stunts."
"We have an elevator! Why do you always-"
Nice yanked Lin Ling forward, wrapping an arm around him as the two dived out the window, plummeting towards the ground.
"Nice!" Lin Ling screeched, how voice barely audible over the rushing winds as he clung to Nice.
Laughing loudly, Nice finally stopped their descent around the thirty-fifth floor. Smiling to himself, Nice slowly started to fly back up, though he didn't manage to move far before Lin Ling had escaped his hold and floated before him.
"Why do you always do that?" Lin Ling shivered slightly, crossing his arms to keep warm as he glared at Nice, trying his best to keep a smile off his face. "We have a private elevator."
"You don't cling to me when we use the elevator." Nice shrugged, flying closer until he could grab Lin Ling's hands, intertwining their hands and bringing them close to his face to blow on. "And you don't need to hold my hands when you have your gloves."
"You did steal my gloves!"
"Taking something I bought isn't stealing," Nice pressed a kiss to one of Lin Ling's hands, "now we could stay in the cold and argue, or we could go on our date."
Lin Ling huffed, watching as his breath condensed into a cloud before tugging on Nice's hands. "I can just complain later." He pointed out.
"Date it is then!" Beaming, Nice pulled Lin Ling along, ensuring he kept one of their hands intertwined as they made their way towards the city.
The two talked as they flew, laughing over signs and waving to fans. Eventually, they came across a busy stand set up in the middle of the park. Lin Ling watched curiously as Nice pulled them to a stop before the cart.
A young girl leaning against the side of the cart was the first to notice the two."H-Hero Nice! Y-You really came back!"
"Came back?" Lin Ling parroted questioningly to Nice, who did nothing more than smile at the stranger.
"I promised to come back, didn't I? Unless, don't tell me you didn't trust me?" A wounded look appeared on Nice's face. Sighing, he spoke. "I understand that I'm not everyone's favorite hero, but do you really trust me that little?"
"N-No! Of course not! I-In fact, we just brewed a new batch for you!" The girl nervously fumbled as an older man handed her a container, almost dropping it before catching it and straightening up. "We added everything you asked for! A-And we even added some extras for you both!"
"How kind of you. It almost feels like I've troubled you." Nice carefully took the container with one hand, a perfectly sculpted smile on his face that had the people in line swooning.
'Click!'
Lin Ling turned his head at the noise, jolting slightly at the hundreds of eyes staring back at him.
"Ah, Nice?" He waited until the other looked at him before speaking. "I think we cut the line?"
"Actually, we didn't." Nice gesture towards the girl, with the container. "I came here a week ago and placed my order for today."
"They take orders?" A voice from the crowd called out, only to squeak as they were smacked over the head.
"Yeah, from heroes, dude. Something you ain't."
"Is that right?" Lin Ling mumbled, glancing curiously at the container before turning to the workers with a smile. "Thank you both, we'll be sure to enjoy it."
"A-ah! It's really no problem," the girl blushed, lowering her head, "I'll just be happy to know you enjoyed it."
The hero duo spoke for a few more moments before saying their goodbyes, Nice quickly pulling Lin Ling into the air again as they flew away from the park.
"No snow walk?" Lin Ling joked.
"We can have a snow walk tomorrow, if we had stayed there any longer, Miss J would definitely show up and confiscate this. It isn't exactly in line with our diets."
Recalling their fearsome manager, Lin Ling wouldn't put it past her to ambush the two for shrinking on their diets. A shiver ran down Lin Ling's spine as he remembered the last time she'd caught them and Moon snacking.
"Good call." Lin Ling nodded to himself, flying closer to Nice as he glanced down at the streets below them. "But, where are we going?"
Nice was silent for a moment before his eyes lit up, tug Lin Ling down as he landed on a rooftop. "Here."
The rooftop was covered in fairy lights. Camellia and Snowdrops were scattered on the ground, and a mountain of pillows and blankets surrounded a lit fire pit at the edge of the rooftop, giving them the perfect view of the city lights.
"When did you even.." Lin Ling trailed off as he stepped onto one of the pillows, letting Nice pull him along as they settled down.
"Miss J and Moon helped with the preparations." Nice crouched by the fire, ensuring the fire was going strong before turning to the container and opening it. "And Wreck and I found this bakery two weeks ago with just the best hot chocolate."
Like he was proving his point, Nice pulled out a festively wrapped drink and handed it to Lin Ling, taking all the baked goods out and placing them alongside what he now noticed were dishes. Everything from little tree-shaped pizzas to a full gingerbread house.
"I…I don't even know what to say."
"That you love it?" Nice offered back nervously, fidgeting with his drink now that everything had been laid out. "Or like it, I'd take that too—"
Lin Ling cut him off by pressing his lips to his. It took a second before Nice was cradling his face and leaning into it, deepening the kiss until they were both forced to come up for air.
"I love it," Lin Ling gasped, scooting closer as he took a sip of his hot chocolate to hide his red face, "I feel a little bad that I didn't get you something to say thanks."
"What are you talking about, A-Ling?" Nice reached out, grasping his chin lightly and turning Lin Ling towards him. Nice's eyes were warm, his voice soft as he spoke. "You're here, every day I get to wake up beside you, there is no greater gift you could give me."
"Well then, I guess you'll have to put up with the same gift for a while."
"Oh dear, whatever will I do?"
Staring into each other's eyes, they both descended into fits of laughter, the sound mixed with the noise of the city below them, their laughter carried away but never breaching past the bubble of anonymity they had in this moment.
No cameras, no villains, just two people who found each other and learned to love, together.