Damn, that took me like 8 months to write... But it's finally over!

I don't own. Enjoy, my dear friends.

Cold

A long chilling shiver traversed his light frame as he clung as much as he could to what little covered him. His body was curled up tightly in a ball under the heavy wool blanket that felt like nothing more than a thin bed sheet. And he shook uncontrollably. His teeth chattered at an erratic pace. Ivan only wanted the cold to end.

But the unforgiving cold of Imil had no end. The boy had been on this quest for only a few weeks and he regretted it. This one night in the coldest, darkest inn made him regret ever leaving sunny Kalay.

The cold was all over him and it wouldn't leave. Ivan held his legs tightly to his chest and desperately held on to what little heat his thin body could produce. He was wearing his only long-sleeved shirt, but it did little, as the cold would easily penetrate through the light material. And he shook, frozen to the bone.

The cold was unimaginable, colder than any other cold he had felt. His body was exhausted from the distance his party had walked today and he could not shield himself from the freezing air coming in from the cracks on the old wooden door. The wind blew outside endlessly.

Ivan felt weak, vulnerable. He needed sleep, but he couldn't succumb to slumber. The dreadful cold would simply not let him. Ivan felt helpless. As he shook and chattered, he started weeping, silently. He tried rubbing his arms, in an ultimate, desperate attempt to create some warmth, but the cold almost paralyzed him. He curled up even more, crying as realization hit him that he might not get any sleep tonight.

Suddenly, a strange presence. Ivan mustered what little strength he had left to jump in surprise. A hand made its way around Ivan's narrow hips and settled on the boy's stomach. The hand was warm. Though normally Ivan would not appreciate, or even allow, this kind of gesture, he accepted the warmth as a gift.

"You're cold." Ivan recognized the voice who had stated the obvious. It was Isaac. The leader had climbed into the mage's bed, slightly annoyed by the constant chatter of teeth and the weeping.

"I'll take care of that." Isaac whispered in the smaller boy's ear. The man placed his hand under Ivan and held the boy's body against his chest.

Ivan let out a heavy sight of relief as he felt his leader's warmth against his back. Ivan stole as much heat from Isaac as he could. He got as close as he possibly could, backing up into Isaac, involuntarily grinding his back into Isaac's chest. The older boy chuckled. "My, aren't you affectionate tonight."

"Shut up." Ivan muttered under his breath. He was acting in a way that was very unlike him. He felt he was very much under Isaac's control. Ivan was a very proud person and he did not like to be in this situation. But right now, he really had no choice. Well he did have a choice, he could freeze to death or not.

Isaac held the smaller boy against him. He rubbed Ivan's arms to warm them up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm alright..." He answered, his voice still shaking because of the shivering. Isaac kept rubbing and warming up Ivan. The boy was a bit uncomfortable, but understood this was for the better. Isaac, who was also exhausted, got tired and sore from rubbing and he stopped, opting to simply hold the boy against him.

And as Isaac held him, Ivan grew more comfortable, enjoying the warmth and the company.

"This is awkward." Isaac stated, though he didn't seem to mind. "Sorry..." Ivan apologized shyly. "It's fine... I'd warm you up any day." Both boys blushed as Isaac said this and it introduced a bit more heat in their embrace.

They lied holding each other for a while. Both wanted to sleep but they wanted to enjoy the embrace a little longer. This was a rare occasion where both boys let themselves go and showed affection towards each other, which they would normally not do, both out of shyness and out of pride. But out of necessity, they were able to do something they both only dreamt of doing.

Isaac moved his loose hand lazily around the smaller boys' body. Ivan shivered a completely different kind of shiver.

"Your stomach... it's still cold." Isaac whispered in Ivan's ear. Ivan blushed as he understood just what Isaac meant. Shyly, the boy turned around to face his leader. He could feel his friend's strong chest against his own. Embarrassed, Ivan moved his arms around Isaac and held him, like the older boy was holding him. Through the dark, Ivan could guess Isaac's face. He was smiling.

Isaac held the younger boy closer and rubbed his back lovingly, burying his face in the nook of his neck, breathing in, smelling his hair. Blushing, Ivan moved his small hand on Isaac's strong back. Isaac placed a kiss on the boy's neck. Ivan's heart skipped a beat when he did so. The boy didn't know what to think.

Isaac moved back to stare into Ivan's eyes. "Are you warm now?" Isaac's warm breath tickled Ivan's face. "Yeah..." They stared at each other, not knowing what to say. But they both knew what they wanted to do. Their faces were so close to each other. They both wanted nothing than to close the gap between them.

"Ivan..." Isaac whispered. "...What?" Ivan asked, breathless. The teammates just stared at each other, their thoughts running wild, their legs mechanically intertwining. It was like their bodies had become one. Ivan was almost scared as he realized just how close his face was to Isaac's. The man's stare was hypnotic. "... Isaac... you... hum..." Ivan could not manage a sentence, Isaac was too distracting.

Isaac smiled, chuckling. He ran his hand on Ivan's chest, over his shirt and Ivan found himself wishing the warm hand would be under the fabric. "Your heart is beating so fast..." Isaac said, his lips almost brushing against Ivan's. "I... I know... It's your fault..." Ivan whispered. "... Do you want me as much as I want you right now?" Isaac asked, holding Ivan closer to his body. Ivan, in all his inexperience, wasn't quite sure what Isaac meant, but he knew the answer. Ivan nodded silently, eager for what was next.

Finally, Isaac closed the shrinking gap between them, tasting Ivan's lips for the first time. Ivan wrapped his arms around his leader's neck, as the man ravaged his lips, slipping his tongue in the boy's mouth. Ivan's mind was blank as his body acted freely, his untapped impulses getting the best of him, as he helplessly held on to his leader. Isaac was glad the boy let himself go, as he was normally so stiff and formal.

Ivan was disappointed when Isaac let go of him, as he had hoped for more, much more. "You're all warm now..." Isaac said, jokingly. "Shut up." Ivan claimed Isaac's lips again.

Now, Ivan was glad had tagged along, as during that one cold night in Imil, he dared to let go and found true love.

Thank you for reading!

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