Kylo felt ridiculous. Yes, the feeling wasn't new, hadn't been new in a while, but as he glanced at his feet, he wished that something besides the damn snowshoes (more like glorified tennis rackets, he thought) was. He stood there, looming awkwardly in the foyer of the ski lodge, wondering what possessed him to agree to this holiday. Suddenly, his suggestion of Tahiti looked better than her pleading for Tahoe, and Kylo cursed again, his arms stiff in his oversized parka, just one of many layers.
This was his first vacation with his girlfriend, and so far, the only thing that he could take solace in was that the lodge's lounge was warm and usually unoccupied, so no one was there to see his embarrassing state of dress as he waited for her. Then he heard a snort, and he internally groaned as he felt himself being circled and inspected. "Could you be wearing any more clothes?"
"Not now, Poe." Kylo sighed, craning his neck to peer down at the grinning man, his scarf getting in the way. Poe simply chuckled back, poking at his friend, the many layers cushioning the gentle assault. "You must really like Rey to do this. Not many people are willing to become the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man for their girlfriends." The taller man rolled his eyes, his huff muffled by his scarf as he attempted to turn, catching sight of Rey and Finn approaching.
Suddenly, Kylo felt completely overdressed, seeing that his company were wearing just boots, snowpants and parkas. Perhaps another layer or two, but not the six or so layers that he was wearing. To top it off, no one was wearing snowshoes. Rey glanced up at him, eyebrow arched, smile playing on her lips.
Despite her smile, he still felt like a complete fool, grateful now for his hat's flaps covering his flushing ears as he attempted to fall into step with the group. He huddled his face down into the scarf, grateful for the woolly barrier shielding his embarrassment. There was no chance of the wind blowing through his clothes, no chance to feel anything but the heat on his cheeks.
Unfortunately, that also applied to his gloved hands, the pair of mittens over the two sets of gloves rendering him unable to feel Rey attempting to hold his hand. Her mouth crumpled, brows furrowing as she looked up at her boyfriend. In a word, he looked miserable, and she wondered if he was regretting the vacation. She couldn't exactly blame him, seeing how the afternoon had commenced.
She had been so excited to see Poe and Finn at the lodge, and as she looked back, she realized that Kylo probably felt out of his depth, even more than usual, as Rey mingled with her friends, mingled with a world that he was still not completely part of. She remembered now how he had smiled nervously at Poe's mention of skiing, of snowboarding, how lost he had been until Finn suggested a simple walk, his brow smoothing before screwing up again in panic.
Since they started seeing each other, he had been trying to impress her—but it was hard to impress her anymore, having traveled the world, trying everything that she could. He, on the other hand, was more at home with a book and a drink at his side, content with passing the day in comfortable silence. So when he had nodded, excusing himself to get ready, she had expected him to perhaps call it a day, to claim a headache so he could lay down and leave her to her friends.
But no, he was here, in his many-layered glory, shuffling along awkwardly in the snowshoes, (they look like cheap tennis rackets, she mused, wondering if his father had given them to him as a joke now taken too literally), and Rey was grateful. She tugged at his arm, biting her lip as he attempted to look at her, the stiff effect a bit too comical for her comfort.
"Think you can spare a layer? It's a bit colder than I thought." She saw his suspicious look, could see his eyebrow cocking despite his hat, but still, she pushed on, nudging him until he sighed, shucking his top coat, as well as his scarf.
As she shrugged the extra parka on, he avoided her eyes still, despite being practically alone, Poe and Finn having trekked ahead.
"I'm sorry." The words were foggy puffs of breath in the chilly air, and Kylo felt his head jerk to look at her, his movements a bit quicker now, a bit more fluid, not as awkward.
"Why are you sorry?" Rey could see his worry, his fear that he had done something wrong, that she was unhappy. She sighed, eyes rolling as he attempted to take her hands, his glove layered hands stiff around hers.
"You seem miserable, Kylo. I know that you're trying your best, and I'm so grateful that you are, but that doesn't mean that you're not miserable." It was his turn to sigh, and he did so as he attempted to peel the gloves off, the top layer of mittens making it difficult. Exasperated, he nearly threw his hands up but Rey caught them, her hands gentle on his as she pulled the gloves off, chuckling at him.
"I do a lot better in the heat." She chuckled more at his lame excuse. "No, you do a lot better inside. There is a difference, Kylo."
"I don't care. You're out here, so I'm out here too." His hands circled hers, palms warm, and her eyes fluttered shut, the warmth comforting.
"You're such a silly guy." Kylo huffed at her, sulking a bit, even as she nuzzled into him, his second coat open enough for her to find his sweater, open enough to burrow up against him.
"You're really warm." Rey knew that he was looking at her amused, that the stated fact was obvious, that he surely would say something sarcastic in a moment, but she didn't care. As outdoorsy as she was, Rey wasn't stupid, trying to pull herself tighter against her significant other as the wind whipped around them, as her hat struggled to slip off her head, her shiver noticeable.
"Looks like you could've used more layers too." "Yeah, yeah…give me another coat, smartass."
The next few minutes were spent in comfortable silence, Rey standing there, allowing Kylo to wrap her up in two more coats, in his mittens, now tying the scarf to be snug against her face. His eyebrow arched once more, now as she shook her head at him, now as her gloved hands reached for his sweater's collar.
"Not against my face—how can I kiss you then?" He snorted at her, but still leaned down, pecking her chastely, laughing at her harrumph, at her insistent tugging, chiding her now. "I can't kiss you more than that—what if we freeze together?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It is if your friends find us like that. We both know Poe wouldn't let you live it down." Rey glared at him, sticking her tongue out before shivering again.
"Should we head back?" She saw him waver, knowing that he'd probably kill for a cup of coffee right now, anything to warm him up, but still he shook his head, took her hand. "We should probably catch up to the other two."
He squinted as he looked ahead, smirk tugging at his lips as he shook his head. His laughter was no longer muffled, having given up half his layers, and Rey quirked an eyebrow at him as he bent down, unfastening the snowshoes from his feet.
"You're going to want these on. Looks to me like our dynamic duo got themselves stuck in a snowdrift, and god forbid you sink to their level."
She followed his pointing finger with her gaze, focusing on Poe and Finn, who were about six yards away, waist deep in snow, teeth chattering. Her laughter echoed out across the snowy woods, and instantly, Finn was yelling back about her being quiet, lest she cause an avalanche. Poe stood frozen beside him, his cold-reddened face meeting his palm at the irony of his boyfriend's concern, as well as the situation he found himself in.
Kylo's smirk wasn't dying down, and now, as they gingerly approached the pair, he called out to Poe: "Could you be wearing any less clothes?"
Sure, he looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but at least the snow was only up to his knees, and at least Rey wasn't freezing to death. He reminded himself of this as Poe shot him a withering glare, his shivering making the stare that much less intimidating.
Later on, by the fire, Finn would tell Rey that they should have gone to Tahiti, and Poe would tease her about her vacation choices. Kylo wouldn't be listening, more focused on how warm she was, curling up now against his chest, mug of tea tight in her grasp, harrumphing at the friendly harassment.
True, he agreed with her friends—Rey's vacation choices were dubious at best, and he would probably take over on trip planning next time—but he was content in this moment, watching the snow fall outside, quiet and steady.