Comments: ...Don't even consider ASKING me about the space-time continuum. The fic was spawned by an RP, and in that RP spoiler spoiler spoiler doesn't happen. So Rey and Shinn are about 19 or something, in... ORB. I think. Uh, I hope it snows there.

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"So... know any good coffee shops?" Rey prompted, his blush only starting to leave him face. Somehow, both of them had been roped into becoming a "couple" and then, to make matter's worse, he and Shinn had actually listened to the suggestion to go out on a date for coffee. Rey sighed inwardly, it'd give him a migraine if he kept thinking about it. He didn't dislike the idea at all, but maybe that was the reason why he was uncomfortable.

Shinn frowned thoughtfully as he walked beside the blond, "Well, there's this one ice-cream shop that has a little cafe section. It's open until about... two and then it closes for the next few days. We could go there?" He was the same shade that Rey was, but he still had a small smile.

Rey nodded, "Okay." It was only typical that the location would be near Shinn's favorite frozen treat.

Shinn looked at him, their shoulders practically brushing as they walked, "So, this is your first date?" he asked after a long silence.

The blond in question nodded, "Yeah..." He was growing a bit more relaxed around the boy, "What about you?" he asked, in an attempt to both keep the conversation going and shift the focus of it from himself.

Shinn shrugged, "I've been on a few with girls," he said. "None of them were really this casual. Mostly just fancy restaurants that left me broke afterwards," he added in a disheartened murmur.

Rey cracked a small smile, "Well then, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. I'll pay," he said. Shinn looked as though he were about to object.

He changed his mind and instead he nodded with a smile, "Okay." They walked for a bit longer when Shinn caught sight of a few children that were playing in the snow. He grinned mischievously.

Rey frowned as he heard Shinn's footsteps halt behind him, causing him to turn around. "Shi--" he was interrupted by a ball of snow to the face. Shinn laughed hysterically while Rey slowly, slowly wiped the icy substance from his face with a false calm. His eyebrow was twitching and he glared at the brunet, "Shinn, do you know how cold that was?" he asked, before abruptly reaching down toward the snow bank. Shinn's laughter started to slow as he began to dread the oncoming moments when Rey started to pack the snow into the perfect snowball. In his desperation he tried to quickly duck out of the way, but Rey had anticipated it and aimed lower. It hit Shinn directly in the face and broke apart to leave snow down the front of his jacket.

"Ah! Rey!" Shinn shouted in distress. He saw the blond's smirk and let out a small growl, "Oh, I see how it is!" He said, bending over to prepare another snowball to send Rey's way.

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"Give up, yet?" Rey asked smugly from his place on top the other boy. Of course he was getting the oddest looks from people, but he soon realized that they had hardly bothered him.

A slightly muffled "Never!" was the response he received from Shinn, who was currently lying face down in the snow.

"Are you sure?" he asked, slightly drawing out the last word. He shifted his weight in order to push him further into it and prevent him from getting up.

Shinn's face was practically numb by now, "Rey!" he whined. At the blond's refusal to budge, Shinn consented his defeat, "...no... I give up..."

Rey smirked triumphantly as he stood, "Well, then, I guess we can--" and then he was being tugged via his shirt downward to the ground.

"Psyche, loser!" Shinn shouted with a grin as he white-washed Rey and straddled him in the same instant. The blond growled and huffed at the boy's trickery. Shinn's grin faltered when felt his world swirl, "Woah!"

Rey had switched their positions with a roll and had him pinned now. He spit out some of the snow and wiped it from his face before glaring down at Shinn again. The brunet struggled and bucked in an attempt to get Rey off of him. But when it ceased to work, he frowned, "Reeeyyy..." He was obviously annoyed at his loss despite his deception. Rey just gave Shinn an evil look as he took a handful of snow and put it up Shinn's shirt. The brunet shrieked at the contact between his skin and the snow, "Rey!" he shouted as the cold really started to get to him. Rey just chuckled as Shinn gave an aggravated sound amidst his flailing, followed by "ARGH! Tha-that's fr-freezing!" He wriggled more unsuccessfully, crying out in dismay and horror as Rey moved to add more snow. "A-alright, al-r-right! I g-give up! F-for real this t-time, I sw-swear!" he insisted loudly as he shivered.

Rey peered down at him and seemed to take pity on him, "Fine." He got off of the boy's chest and pulled him up. Shinn furiously hopped around to get the remaining snow from his shirt. Most of it had already melted, leaving a wet spot on his shirt which continued to chill him as his eyes glinted for vengeance. He quickly got a handful of snow and laughed as Rey started to back away. The blond started to run once Shinn charged him with it, "Didn't you give up already? Twice?" Rey asked over his shoulder. Shinn managed to grab a hold of his long hair to stop him. He stuffed the snow down the back of his shirt and let go of his hair, smiling evilly as Rey let out a yelp.

"Okay! It's over, now!" Shinn announced, pleased at his revenge. Rey glowered at him as he shook the snow from his shirt. He'd let Shinn get away with it for now. Shinn smiled sheepishly before shuddering with a chatter of his teeth. "C-crap. I didn't r-realize how cold it was out here," he said, hugging himself as he walked back onto the sidewalk with Rey.

Rey rolled his eyes at him, "You've been playing in the snow for..." he check his watch, "an hour." That made Rey blink.

"It's been an e-entire hour? No wonder I'm free-z-zing," the brunet said, he was still shivering. "G-guess s-some c-c-coffee will r-really do us good," he said, stuttering excessively as a particularly cold wind blew past them.

Rey looked over, "You're such an idiot. You should have at least worn a heavier jacket," he said with a frown.

Shinn gave him a look, "I w-wasn't planning to be out in the s-snow, oka-kay?" he grumbled.

Rey shook his head, and started to take off his jacket, "Switch." Shinn could tell by his voice that it was one of those things that sounded like a suggestion, but was really a command.

Shinn reluctantly unbuttoned his jacket and gave it to Rey, who handed him his jacket. When he put it on he felt considerably warmer than he had been with his own jacket. It helped that Rey had been wearing it as well, since it was warmed up a little, but it was just enough to be noticed. It also had a soft, yet alluring scent. Something he recognized as a crisp laundry detergent and another fragrance, sweeter but fainter... a mix of lavender and strawberries... something he recognized as Rey.

"Better?" Rey asked as he buttoned Shinn's jacket. He could obviously see Shinn's grateful expression from the added warmth. Rey hadn't gotten as much snow contact as Shinn had and was more cold-resistant than he was, so he was better off with the lighter jacket.

Shinn's cheeks flushed just a bit, though it was nothing more than what could be seen as a side-effect to too much cold. "Yea. Thanks," he said, looking a bit downward as they walked toward the coffee shop. Rey gave him a smile.

The two slowly found themselves walking closer and closer together to stave away the cold while on their journey. Both of them noticed it, but neither of them actually tried to do anything to reverse it. It was comforting really, though they wouldn't admit that to each other.

Rey held the door of the shop open, following the brunet after he entered. Rey glanced up at the store clock, "We've got about a half hour until it closes," he said. There were only a few other people in the shop so close to closing time, especially on Christmas Day. "Go pick a table for us, I'll be back in a bit." Shinn nodded and left, sitting at a small booth against a wall and the almost wall-sized window.

Rey ordered their drinks and returned with them after a while. "It's nice in here after being out in the cold so long..." he commented as he took a seat neat to Shinn.

Rey handed him his cappuccino, watching as the brunet took a hot sip with a nod, "Yea."

There was some kind of cross between an awkward silence and a comfortable silence that ensued, only broken by the sound of sipping and mugs, or other customers. Shinn looked over at the blond, who seemed to be enjoying the shop well enough. Shinn flushed a bit before staring into his steaming beverage, "...Are you really... okay with the idea of us being, you know... like that?" he finally got out.

Rey looked at him, "The idea of us being a couple period? Or us being... not straight?" he asked.

Shinn took a small drink, "Well," he sighed, "both, I guess."

Rey gave him a shrug, "I'm okay with it. I... never really liked anyone in the first place. But..." he stopped and shifted his gaze to his mug, "I... I like you, Shinn." He admitted the sentence with a blush on his face, looking away from Shinn's face. "A lot," he whispered.

Shinn was deeper blushing now, too. "...R..really?" he asked, he raised his head to see Rey nod solemnly, eyes still looking downward.

Rey was quiet as he bit his lip, "...But... I was wondering... If... if..." he started hesitantly, before blurting out the rest, "you like me, too." Rey was dreading Shinn's answer the instant the words were out of his mouth.

There was a small silence, each second that passed made the blond regret asking the question more and more.

"...I do," came Shinn's voice. Rey looked up sharply, a bit surprised, but definitely very glad. Shinn looked at him with a smile, face still hot with a mix of nervousness and embarrassment. "A lot," he said, using the Rey's earlier words as he reached out to put his hand over the other boy's. The touch made Rey flush even more and stutter the brunet's name quietly. Shinn was still pink, but his expression conveyed the utmost joy as Rey turned to face him. They both were caught in a silence as they stared at each other intently, moving closer steadily but unnoticeably.

The clink of metal meeting metal alerted them of their close proximity. Their practically matching necklaces had swung into each other. The necklaces were gifts they had given to one another, both displaying a silver dragon holding an orb of some kind. Rey's was a crystal of blue and yellow and Shinn's a ruby. Rey blushed harder as he become all too aware of the fact that he could feel Shinn's breath on his lips. Shinn's blush was almost faded in contrast, instead his eyes sparkled with something pleasant. He slowly moved closer, hands moving out to grasp the fabric on the other boy's sides gently. Rey's eyes widened as he was pulled nearer, both forward and downward. He knew what was coming and trembled, just a bit, as Shinn tilted his head a little to the side and closed the remaining distance between their lips.

Rey's eyes slid shut and he wrapped his arms around Shinn's waist as the light kiss they shared went deeper. It was a virtually perfect moment: the kiss was gentle, but firm enough to satisfy their passion, the world around them had not even a scrap of their attention. They just focused on feeling the sensations that were invoked with an overwhelming sense of contentment. Rey's bright blush had downgraded to a slight pink as he became bolder and pressed a bit more into the kiss, tightening his hold on Shinn.

Then there was the sound of someone discreetly clearing their throat nearby, which startled Shinn and Rey into breaking the kiss. Both of their faces re-ignited into a familiar red color as they saw one of the shop's employees standing there. "It's closing time," the man informed them, gesturing toward the clock that now pointed toward the two.

"O-oh, yes, sorry," Shinn said, finishing his mug of coffee and standing, embarrassment overly apparent. Rey did the same and they walked toward the doors to go back out into the cold while trying not to meet any of their eyes. The woman cleaning at the counter gave them an encouraging smile and wished them a Merry Christmas.

When out the door they didn't lapse into speaking just yet, they walked side by side, both looking downward with flushed faces. Shinn lifted his head slowly to gaze at Rey, who looked back when he felt Shinn's eyes on him. The blond slowly moved his hand closer to Shinn's and with a small breath, laced their fingers together. He looked away as Shinn stared at him in surprise, before glancing back to see Shinn with a grin on his face. The brunet leaned into the slightly taller boy and gave his hand a small squeeze. Rey looked down at him fondly. "So... where to?" the blond asked finally.

"Home." Shinn's words referred to the apartment where he lived and where Rey was staying over the holiday break.

Rey nodded at his answer. After a few more moments, a snowflake drifted down from above to land on his nose. He looked up, "It's snowing," he said.

Shinn 'mmhmm'-ed and paused in his stride, tugging on Rey's hand to turn the boy toward him. Rey gave him a questioning look while Shinn just smiled coyly. He let go of his hand and put his arms around Rey's neck, pulling the blond close for another kiss.

It was a long moment before they separated, covered in a thin layer of snow and letting their breaths mingle.

"Merry Christmas, Rey."

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Shinn."