title: Real Warmth
characters: aphrodi, fubuki shirou
pairing: afufubu
summary: Aphrodi's first trip to Hokkaido is colder than he thinks
a/n: tumblr request by tam-tam bLESS HER
"A-A-Achoo!"
A sneeze had escaped from Aphrodi, causing him to raise a hand and rub at his nose, to shield it from this wintery breeze. It hadn't been easy trying to hold that in, and, in the end, he couldn't.
It was just too cold here in Hokkaido. Cold enough to make his teeth chatter, to make his cheeks flush thanks to the freezing winds, to make his body shiver and try to allow some warmth to course throughout his body.
Aphrodi knew what he was getting into when he decided to visit Fubuki's home, knew that he'd be going to the coldest region in Japan. What he didn't know was how low the temperature would actually drop and how so many people here were just so accustomed to it.
Fubuki was no exception.
The snow prince had no problems with this weather. He wore a jacket with a shirt underneath and regular jeans. This was nothing out of the ordinary for him. Aphrodi had wanted to do the same, wear something that he could be found wearing in Tokyo, albeit a tad warmer. The blonde wore a shirt, a warm sweater, slightly heavier pants compared to his usual kind. It had kept him warm- for a while. But then the winds started to pick up, snow started to fall, and somehow the cold had found its way past his clothes and to his skin.
It made him wish that he had put on an extra layer of clothes, something he hardly ever did.
The angelic striker begins to feel a stare upon him. He guessed that his sneeze hadn't gone unnoticed by Fubuki. When Aphrodi had turned, Fubuki was reaching a hand out to his, slipping it into the blonde's grasp. The warmth that came from his hand was welcomed, his fingers curled around his, not wanting to loose this feeling.
"Are you alright, Aphrodi?"
The question is accompanied by a concerned and worried look. That was the last thing he had wanted to see from him. Aphrodi said he could handle the cold, that he could manage out here and he wanted that to be true.
"I'm alright, Fubuki," he says with a smile, running his free hand through his hair, letting those golden strands of hair fall back in place. "I think I may have just gotten a snowflake on my nose."
Fubuki doesn't seem to believe that one bit, his gaze still focused on the blonde as if he's waiting for the truth. Aphrodi feels him squeeze his hand and- oh. His hand must have been freezing.
"Your hand is cold…" Fubuki mutters, eyes glancing downward, looking to their intertwined fingers before looking back up at him. "Are you…?"
"I-I'm not!"
The crack in his voice and his way to fast reply might have given it away. He mentally slapped himself for trying to be so defensive. He didn't need to be around him. The blonde could feel his smile waver already.
"I'm fine, really. I just want to continue exploring the town with you."
Aphrodi hopes that change in topic would help. He even starts to walk, to take a few steps forward. If he starts moving, his body would be warmer, even if it's just a little bit.
But, after a few steps, he begins to feel the hand around his loosen and eventually fall free from it. The warmth leaves him and worry now strikes his features. He stops almost instantly and turns to face Fubuki.
"Here," he breathes out as he begins to take off that jacket, leaving him in only his shirt to protect himself from the cold. "Take my jacket."
Aphrodi blinks, stares. He shakes his head as the jacket is held out towards him, even raising his hands in protest.
"I'm fine, Fubuki. I told you, I'm not cold."
As if the world was against him and his fibs, a cold gust of wind blows right past them. Aphrodi could practically feel ice hitting his whole body, which causes him to shiver. And that causes a chain reaction, once his body starts, it can't seem to stop shaking. On instinct, he holds himself and begins to rub his arms in order to regain the warmth that was lost.
He knew it was all over. The blonde could still say he wasn't cold, but his body would say otherwise. The only thing he could do now was give a weak smile at Fubuki, hoping he wouldn't be angry with him.
Fubuki let out a sigh as he walked up to his side. He drapes his jacket over Aphrodi's shoulders, making sure that it'll stay put. Cold hands reach out to tug at it; he simply could not refuse the warmth at this point. And maybe it was just him, but, god, this jacket was really heating his body up, protecting him from the cold instantly.
"You could have just told me you were cold."
"I…" He knew that he could, but he had fought against that idea for some dumb reason. Maybe he was just being silly, not wanting to look like an underprepared tourist beside him. "I know. I wasn't trying to become a popsicle, just so you know," he adds a light laugh to that. "I just wanted to keep seeing the town with you. Turning back seemed like it would be a waste of time."
"I wouldn't have minded," Fubuki replies, hand slipping back into Aphrodi's. He moves closer to him, letting their arms meet. It was still surprising how the cold didn't seem to affect him at all. "I'd be with you and that's all I really want. That and to make sure you really don't become a popsicle now."
Those words make him smile. It made him feel warm, made his chest feel warm. Maybe he didn't need the jacket now (that's a lie, he really does need it but god it really feels like he doesn't now).
"You really are a snow prince- my snow prince."
