Baby, It's Cold Outside

The forecast called for snow and Josh always being one to plan ahead made sure that before leaving the apartment that night he and his boyfriend dressed appropriately. Earlier when he was walking around the living room throwing scarves and hats onto the couch, Oliver thought it was a bit excessive. It took nearly ten minutes for them to leave because Josh had insisted on bundling them up so much to where only their eyes and noses were showing. It had been annoying, but now as they ventured home from the restaurant in the snow, he was grateful.

Temperatures had dropped and they would only continue to drop throughout the night. It was supposed to be one of the coldest of the year with snowfall in addition to frigid wind chills. Originally when Oliver suggested heading out for a nice dinner Josh wanted to argue and insist they stay in, finish decorating the damn tree that had been sitting in their living room naked for a week, and pop in a movie while basking in the heat.

All it took were a few simple neck kisses and the promise of a free dessert for Josh to give in. Most of the time he got his way, but over the years the older male learned how to bargain with the younger. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. And tonight as they shared an elegant meal and enjoyed time with just the two of them, that thought was solidified.

Only now were things starting to take a turn, not for the worse but rather for the cold. The restaurant was within walking distance from their place so of course Oliver had the brilliant idea to enjoy the fresh winter air instead of taking the car. They were practically dressed for an arctic adventure anyway, he decided. What was the harm?

A lot, actually. No matter how prepared one can be for the cold, it’s never quite good enough. The second they step onto the empty streets, he’s regretting it, body shaking and legs numb as the breeze whips against his jeans. The last thing he needs is his boyfriend’s snarky remarks and endless “I told you so’s”, yet it is as though Josh can’t contain himself.

“I can’t feel my feet, you know?” He points out rather dramatically, stopping in the middle of the snow-covered sidewalk and pointing to his feet, shoes wet from the snow they had traipsed through on their short journey back.

Oliver glances down quickly, rolling his eyes and opting to remain silent, shoving his hands in the pockets of his flannel coat. He is in the same position but he’ll never admit that. Instead he continues on the stroll towards their building leaving Josh and his pouty ways behind. He’s nearly at the apartment door when he hears an abundance of curse words behind him and the sound of shoes against slushy pavement.

“Nice of you to join me,” the dark haired male teases knowing Josh is right behind him; his words coming out muffled through the fabric of his scarf. His fingers feel around his pocket, retrieving his keys with much difficulty due to the gloves covering his hands. Josh groans and steps closer, taking one of his boyfriend’s arms and lifting it before stepping into the heat that’s radiating from his body. He wraps his arms around Oliver’s middle and snuggles into his side, letting out a sigh of relief when an arm comes down and wraps snugly around his back.

The winds start picking up again. Sparkles of white dancing around them and it would have been beautiful under the light if it wasn’t so chilled. Oliver can barely get his hand out of his pocket his entire body is shaking so badly. The air cold and harsh against the exposed areas of his face has his eyes burning, threatening to water and when he glances down at Josh, frowning and unamused hiding underneath his hat, he briefly reconsiders moving somewhere more…tropical.

Finally, after the burst of wind settles down, Oliver sneaks his hand out of his pocket and attempts to place the key in the lock. He can’t believe how bad his hands are shaking, narrowly missing the keyhole and scraping against the metal of the handle; his other hand rubbing small circles onto Josh’s back to try and keep him warm.

“Christ, it’s cold,” the younger mutters shivering violently and tightening his hold around the male in front of him. His breath dances in front of them in a smoke of white before dissipating.

Oliver glances at Josh, blinking a few times, then looks back down to the watch on his wrist, a smirk gracing his lips. "Amazing," he says.

"What?" Josh furrows his eyebrows in question, putting on a look that’s not quite a pout, but not yet a glare. Oliver doesn’t know what it means, but he finds it adorable anyway.

"It took approximately fifteen seconds from your last complaint for you to start complaining again. I think that's a new record." He laughs, looking down at the beautiful, albeit frozen, boy beside him.

Josh finds it anything but amusing and looks quite offended, his mouth hanging open slightly letting all of his warm air out. "Bite me," he grumbles.

"Not in public, love." Oliver winks, completely forgetting about the key and unlocking the door.

“You’re terrible,” Josh states but can’t help the smile that stretches across his face. His lips are chapped but he swipes his tongue over them anyway, biting down on the bottom one and glancing up at the boy who always seems to push his buttons. “How did I ever get stuck with you?”

The eldest snorts and draws Josh in closer, slipping his hand down so it rests along the small of his back. He holds their intense stare, nearly losing his thoughts in the brightness of his better half’s eyes. They’re close now, bodies nearly molded into one with the tips of their noses just barely brushing against each other’s.

“You drive me up a fucking wall 99 percent of the time but I love you,” he chooses to say, catching Josh off guard.

Expecting some sort of witty comeback or sassy remark, Josh is surprised by the words of affection. He feels his cheeks warm up with a faint blush, and tilts his head over so slightly, closing off any space between the two of them and slots his lips with Oliver’s in a sweet, yet meaningful, kiss.

It’s loving and gentle and has the probability of leading to something more sensual once inside until Oliver whines and pulls away. He places his hands on Josh’s shoulders and pushes him back just a tiny bit. It’s not much, but it’s enough to have the other pouting.

“What was that for?” Josh complains, inching forward but not making it as Oliver keeps him in place.

“Your nose is fucking cold, Josh.” He states and shivers a little as he remembers the icy sensation on his face seconds ago. “Let’s get inside.”

He fishes his keys out of his pocket again and this time manages to secure them in the lock. He’s about to turn it when a pair of arms wrap around him, causing him to freeze. Literally. He stays put though he wants to run for the opposite direction. Josh’s hands travel up his body, stopping where his scarf meets his neck.

Oliver, as if giving his boyfriend a warning, sends a dark glare in Josh’s direction. He lifts a finger as if to say don’t you dare, but Josh has already ignored it, slipping his hands under the warm, cotton fabric and placing his icy fingers against the skin of Oliver’s neck.

“Fuck,” he hisses and wraps his hands around Josh’s wrists. “What are you doing?”

“I told you I forgot my gloves. My God, you’re so warm.” Josh almost moans and snuggles his fingers further underneath his boyfriend’s scarf.

Oliver can’t help but roll his eyes. All of Josh’s fussing earlier in the night and he was the one who ended up forgetting one of his many pieces of clothing. “Whatever, just stop,” he tries to pry Josh away but fails.

“Kiss me again?” Josh whispers, sliding his hands along Oliver’s warm spots, his fingers finally regaining their feeling. Although his touch is cold, he knows what it does to the other male and just like he expects, Oliver gives in, bringing his gloved hand up to Josh’s cheek and pulling him in for another kiss.

While his right hand strokes Josh’s cheek, his other is working on the handle of the door, slipping occasionally from the gloves but somehow he manages to get it open and smiles into the kiss in success. Though he hates to break it apart, he eventually detaches their lips and yanks Josh’s hands away.

“Let’s get you warmed up inside, shall we?” He smirks, lacing their fingers and leaning forward to peck Josh on the nose.

“If by that you mean by hot chocolate and decorating that tree then I’m in,” Josh counters, dragging Oliver into the apartment behind him. Once the door is shut he locks it and unravels the scarf from around him, Oliver doing the same. They stand in the middle of the entry way, stripping down from their winter clothes and tossing them carelessly to the side to deal with at another time.

Oliver makes his way into the kitchen while Josh decides to find some cheesy Christmas movie on the TV and drag the box of ornaments and lights out from the closet. He starts before Oliver is done, situating himself on the floor as he tries to untangle the web of lights they so lazily tossed aside last year. It takes a while, but eventually he gets them sorted just as the other boy is done with the cocoa.

“Thought you were decorating? Have you been sitting here doing nothing this whole time?” He teases and sets a mug down on the table beside Josh’s head. Quickly he ruffles his hair, feeling the feathery strands tickle his fingers.

Josh shoots him a death glare, mumbles, and grabs the cocoa from the table, gingerly sipping the steaming liquid past his lips. He refuses to give an answer and just sits there shrugging, staring at the still bare tree.

Oliver doesn’t say a word, simply leaves him on the floor to pout whilst he disappears to their bedroom. Inside, he bolts to their closet, pushing Josh’s abundance of sweaters out of the way so he can reach the back where most of his clothes are. He finds his black jacket, the one Josh bought him for his birthday that year, and slips his hand into the chest pocket. His fingers feel around frantically for the object he’s looking for and when the tips brush against the velvety box he breathes a sigh of relief. Josh hadn’t been snooping. Good.

Curling his fingers around the box, he grabs it and hides it in his palm. When he walks back into the living room, he finds Josh in a new position, head on the floor with garland lying across his stomach, hot chocolate still in his hands. He’s groaning, Oliver notices, and he tries not to smile but it’s just so hard when he’s so cute. Josh is always pouting about something and that’s just one of the things Oliver loves about him.

Carefully, he tiptoes over, stopping just a fraction short of where Josh’s head is lying on the cold, wooden floor. He looks down, grinning wildly which only causes the younger to stare in confusion.

“Want to sit up for me, love?” Oliver suggests, taking a position down on his knees and helping Josh into a more appropriate position.

“Why are you acting weird?” Josh immediately asks, noticing the sudden change in behavior and how Oliver’s face has softened.

“No reason,” he lies, palms sweating against the black box he’s still desperately holding on to. “I just wanted to talk.”

“Talk?” Josh questions with curiosity. Since when does Oliver ever just want to talk?

“Yes,” Oliver says simply, on his knees mirroring Josh’s look.

He gives a reassuring, or what he hopes is a reassuring, smile to let his favorite person know that everything will be alright. He knows how Josh can sometimes jump to conclusions and he’s trying to avoid that all costs without giving himself away too much.

“This will be our fourth Christmas together,” he starts with saying, taking one of Josh’s cold hands in his clammy one. He brushes his thumb along Josh’s knuckles, admiring the smooth skin of each bumpy ridge. He could hold these hands forever. And he plans to do just that if Josh will let him. “And every year is better than the last.”

Josh blushes at this statement, his mind automatically going back to two Christmases ago. “Even better than the year when we were caught out by your father doi-”

“Josh not now,” Oliver hushes him, eyes going wide as he remembers the horrific moment that year. “Yes, even better than that.”

“Alright,” Josh accepts and moves on, smiling a little as Oliver now blushes. “What’s gotten into you?” He persists, but he doesn’t get the answer he’s looking for.

“I love you. I think I’ve always loved you.” He says. “Even when I met you our first year of classes and I thought you were the most annoying human being on the planet, I think I still may have loved you.”

“Oli,” Josh lets the little nickname slip and Oliver is quick to perk his head up at it. It’s not often when it happens, but it does sometimes, and he loves it.

“You mean a lot more to me than you realize,” Oliver continues, “and I knew that the moment I started hanging out with you, I would need more. I would always need more. Sometimes you’re so annoying and entitled and bratty and stubborn, but fuck, I’m so in love with you. Even the things I think I hate, I fucking love.”

By now Josh can feel his eyes start to water, taking in every word Oliver is saying. He doesn’t know where this is all coming from, but it’s rare when they get sappy and sometimes it’s perfect. It’s better than air. He nods in agreement with what Oliver is telling him, feeling the exact same way as the male just inches in front of him. He knew the second he laid eyes on the beautiful, tattooed, intriguing boy that he was someone Josh absolutely needed in his life.

“Feels like I should have done this ages ago,” Oliver admits, bringing up the hand that is still wrapped around the little box. He brings it forward and opens his palm to reveal it. Josh drops his hand and gasps, covering his mouth and looking up with wide eyes.

“I want you, Josh, for the rest of my life. I want to be able to wake up to you every morning and fall asleep next to you every night. You’ve become such an important part of me but I know there’s still so much left to learn and I want to spend every day figuring it out. So, if you will let me, I’d like to marry you and try to make you at least half as happy as you make me.”

The box sits open revealing a thin platinum band that shines just right when in contact with the light. Josh feels like he can’t breathe as he slowly reaches forward and touches the ring with his finger. It’s pristine and beautiful and probably more than Oliver can afford but he doesn’t say anything.

Unable to form words, Josh nods his head in an up and down motion, signaling yes and that’s enough. Oliver beams and removes the band from its hold, slipping the ring onto Josh’s finger. It’s a perfect fit, which is good for just a guess.

They both stand up and Josh throws his arms around his new fiancé’s neck. “I love you so much,” he mutters quietly through soft sobs. “And I can’t wait to marry you.”

Oliver pulls away and presses a soft kiss to Josh’s inviting lips. Hands on his waist, he pulls them back towards where their bedroom is. “We’ll decorate later,” he whispers, fingers slipping underneath the fabric of Josh’s blue sweater. “Let’s go get warm, baby. It’s cold outside.”