Abby woke shivering beneath the covers. She tried to burrow deeper seeking elusive warmth, but when she opened her eyes she could see her breath, visible in the moonlight peeping in her window. It was utterly freezing in her room! Crawling out of bed, she dragged the blankets along, wrapping their warmth about her as she padded into the living room.
It was a frigid night, the wind was howling fiercely, but she had turned the heat up just the other day to keep the lizards comfortable in the drafty flat. Tapping the heat controls, she sighed. The controls were fine, which meant the heater itself was the problem. She knew nothing about the system and a repair specialist would be hard to find at 3am. Abby chewed on her lip as she turned to regard her animals. She turned all the sunlamps off at night, but they'd have to go back on until the heat was fixed or the lizards wouldn't be able to cope with the cold.
She tiptoed over, the cold floor torture to her bare toes. Flipping on the bright heat lamps above each cage as quickly as she could, she then scampered over the sofa and threw herself down on it. She was shivering violently as she tucked her toes beneath the blankets from her bed and rubbed them vigorously to warm them. Snagging the throw blankets on the couch, she drew them up over her head. Soon the air trapped beneath warmed around her and her shaking subsided. She groaned at the thought of returning to her bed. Without her body heat, and exposed to the cold air since her blankets were currently wrapped around her, the sheets would be like ice.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.
Connor rolled over in his bed, between dreams and only half asleep, and gave a mighty stretch. The blankets fell back from his arms and the cold air hit him in a rush, dragging him into consciousness. Pulling his arms back in and hugging the blanket close to his neck, he surveyed the room. As if he might be able to find the problem and fix it without having to get up out of his cozy bed.
But when he blinked the fog of sleep from eyes he realized he was now seeing the fog of his breath in frigid air. Connor's habit of leaving his laundry all over his bed rather than putting any of it away had worked to his advantage. With his entire wardrobe piled atop his blanket, he'd been well insulated against the dropping temperature. He also didn't have to leave the warm to grab clothing, no small favor since he tended to sleep in his Batman boxers. He put on a sweatshirt and pulled the hood up over his head before he reluctantly arose.
He hopped about awkwardly, trying to get socks on as quickly as he could manage and made his way out of his room. The lizard lights let him know Abby had been up too, but he didn't notice her sleeping form beneath the mound of blankets on the couch until he had crossed the room to check the thermostat for himself. When he approach the sofa he saw that one of her blankets had slid to the floor and an arm dangled free, but her wee blonde head was nearly lost in her nest.
He smiled as he plopped down next to her the sofa. Best wake her and send her back to bed, she'd be grumpy in the morning if she got a crick her neck sleeping without a proper pillow. But when he reached out to gently shake her awake, her feet felt like ice even through the blankets. Connor slipped his hands beneath to rub some warmth into them, but Abby didn't respond to his chafing hands.
With a small dart of fear, he was on his knees before her, pushing the blankets aside to find her face. He didn't draw another breath until he could see she was still breathing, but her cheek was cold beneath his palm. In the light, he'd swear her lips looked a bit blue. Shaken, he bundled the blankets tightly around her. Slipping his hands beneath her, he stood and made for his room with Abby in his arms. His bed was likely the warmest place in the flat right now.
Kicking aside the covers, he stripped Abby of her own blankets and quickly slipped her into the spot where he slept, still warm from his body. Her bedding was added the layers on top. Crawling beneath the covers, he slipped out of his hoodie, maneuvering Abby until he could zip her up inside of it. Then he ducked his head beneath the blankets and reached down to her frozen feet. He rubbed them briskly until her skin turned pink then transferred his own warm socks to her feet.
After a few moments her cheeks felt noticeably warmer and Abby shifted in response to his touch, turning her head aside on his pillow. Connor lay back besides her and stared into the darkness, letting his heartbeat gradually stop racing and return to normal.