Work Text:
Outside the Mercedes, Darlington suddenly fainted from the California heat. Alex searched their Lethe emergency kits to conjure up ice-packs.
“They don’t warn about heat stroke at the Yale Honors College?” Alex teased while plastering his arms, trying not to focus on the ridges of his biceps.
Back at Il Bastone before the roaring fireplace, and the menorah burning in front of it, Alex kept shaking.
Darlington preened from his chair, bare toes curling into the carpet. “They don’t make you buy a good winter coat during freshman orientation?”
“They just make us eat ice cream from New London Mitchell Dairy during every blizzard, like some unhinged demon,” she shivered.
”It was sufganiyot flavored,” he frowned. It was no fun ribbing her when she was seconds away from frostbite.
“Here.” He rose from his chair, pulled his spare Lethe sweatshirt from the sofa, and carefully draped it over her front. “Can’t have you dying on me,” he murmured, inches from her ear. She inched back to lean her face into the body heat of his chest, telling herself that she would only stay there long enough to stop her trembling.