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It was late autumn. Late enough in autumn that it was nearly winter, but there was no snow on the ground yet, although the trees were bare. It was chilly, cold enough that it was time to break out the late autumn jackets, the ones with fleece and windbreaker linings, warm pockets and light gloves. There were high collars and scarves, thick socks and warm shoes.
Kibum loved it. It meant he could go outside wrapped from head to toe and nobody would think twice. He could walk through the city and see it the way it was meant to be seen, without fans and car windows.
He bundled up, a long dark coat and a striped scarf, a hat pulled low over his eyes. He told Jonghyun he was going out, laced up his boots, and stepped outside. It was a little colder than he had expected, but his clothes were warm enough. There were a few fans standing outside, but aside from giving him a curious look, they largely ignored him. One or two whispered and pointed, but they didn’t follow him. Enough other people lived in the building that they let him pass.
There was a small park a few blocks down. Some of the idols used it when they needed time to themselves. The larger park across the bridge had swingsets and play areas for the kids, drawing a much larger crowd. Even that one was empty today.
Kibum sat on the bench overlooking the stream, the first crystals of frost forming on the still water. It was beautiful, even with skeletal trees and grey skies as the only backdrop. He folded his hands in his lap, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes.
The wind was picking up, snapping the fragile frost tendrils on the stream. If he was very quiet, he could almost hear the sound of the strands breaking. Kibum was so focused on the sound that he didn’t hear the footsteps behind him, until large hands rested on his shoulders. He jumped, eyes snapping open.
“It’s just me,” Jinki’s familiar voice said quietly in his ear.
He released Kibum long enough to walk around to the front of the bench and sit down, slipping an arm around Kibum’s shoulders again. The younger man leaned into his embrace, tucking his face against Jinki’s neck.
“How did you find me?”
“Jonghyun-ah told me you’d gone out. It wasn’t hard to find you.”
“You smell good,” Kibum said, reaching for Jinki’s hand. He twined their gloved fingers, his swathed in leather and Jinki’s in thin wool, together and rested his head on Jinki’s shoulder. “How did you sneak out with no one following you?”
“I used the back door.”
“Oh.” Well, he hadn’t thought of that. “That was… smart.”
Jinki chuckled, leaning in to kiss Kibum’s cheek. His lips and nose were cold, sending a shiver through Kibum’s frame.
“You forgot your scarf though,” Kibum said, hiding his smile.
Jinki burrowed into the thick grey wool of his jacket. “I can’t be expected to remember everything.”
“No, you can’t,” Kibum agreed. “Come closer.”
“I’m already practically sitting on top of you,” Jinki protested.
“I don’t care. Come on.”
He waited until Jinki scooted a little closer, their sides pressed completely together, before he undid his scarf and looped it around both of their necks, nuzzling his face against Jinki’s throat again. It took a bit of collar fluffing before they managed to block out all the wind, but before long, they were both wrapped in Kibum’s scarf.
“It’s cold out here,” Jinki said, after they’d sat in silence for more than a few minutes. His voice was slightly muffled by the scarf.
“You did remember to dress under that coat, didn’t you?” Kibum teased. He kissed the corner of Jinki’s lips, where they were quirked with a smile.
“I’ll never understand why you like being cold.”
“I don’t like being cold,” Kibum protested. “I like being outside.”
They made it maybe ten minutes more before Jinki whined in his ear again. “Kibummie, I’m cold.”
Kibum laughed and reclaimed his scarf, tucking it back inside his jacket. He held his hand out for Jinki as he stood. “Come on. Let’s go somewhere warm then.”
They headed for the warmth of a nearby coffee shop, but realized half a block away that neither of them had thought to bring money. The wind wasn’t so bad on this side of the park, with trees and buildings between them, so they walked a ways back toward their building, Jinki’s arm comfortably around Kibum’s waist.
“It’s nice to just be together like this, isn’t it?” Jinki asked.
“Yeah,” Kibum said. He pressed his hand over Jinki’s as they turned onto the block by their dorms. The sky was darkening, heavy clouds rolling in. The wind had picked up again, cold tendrils slipping down the back of Kibum’s neck and working its way through the gaps between buttons on his coat. “It’s going to snow soon.”
The cold had driven away the fans, leaving the front door free for them to enter. It wasn’t much difference one way or another, except for twenty-odd steps to the elevator from the back. The security guard who doubled as a doorman greeted them with a smile and called the elevator for them while they pulled off hats and gloves in the warmth of the entrance.
They stepped into the elevator when it came and as the door closed behind them, Jinki caught Kibum around the waist, pulling him in close for a deep kiss. Kibum gave a sharp cry of surprise before Jinki’s mouth covered his. He melded against the older man, running his fingers through Jinki’s hair.
“I love you,” Jinki whispered, pulling away long enough to say the words before he was kissing him again, arms wrapped possessively around Kibum’s waist. He didn’t even give Kibum time to respond.
The elevator halted a bit too soon and out of the corner of his eye, Kibum saw the number above the door glowing two floors below theirs. He tried to push Jinki away, but he was just a fraction too slow. The door slid open and Kibum was greeted by the sight of two familiar faces about to step in. They hesitated and then Siwon leaned into the elevator and pressed the button for their floor.
“We’ll wait.”
The door closed and Kibum leaned against Jinki’s chest, face burning. “Oh my god.”
Jinki kissed him again, just before the doors opened, this time on the correct floor. They walked the two doors down and stepped into their dorm just in time to hear Taemin shriek, “No! Jonghyun-hyung, don’t!”
Kibum sighed, pressed his cheek against Jinki’s shoulder, and unbuttoned his jacket, heading inside to take sides and settle the rest of the band down.