Winter crept in like a scorned pet, its frosty claws slowly ticking across the concrete jungle, tail of snow and sleet dragging behind it. The city became a mess of gray skies and blinding, cold sunlight that reflected off of every possible surface. Tents went up in the park during the farmer's market so vendors didn't have to stand in the bitter cold. The heat in Judal's apartment didn't turn on for a long while, and when it was truly teeth-chatteringly cold, he called his landlord and yelled until the radiator started hissing.

Hakuryuu took to borrowing sweaters from Judal's over-stuffed closet, layering them two at a time on especially frosty days when he descended the step to the courtyard. The mortal cold didn't affect him terribly, for he had been born in the dead of winter in the court of cold and darkness. Some days the chill was almost nostalgic, and he would stand outside with no sweater at all, drinking it in. On those days, Judal's hands were always searing hot on his skin, though his host would complain that he was too cold to touch.

More fae came seeking the prince's head. Boar-headed men and spindly women who looked as if the wind would blow them away, things that only appeared at the witching hour and others that only emerged in the rain. Judal learned the names of ogres and goblins, the difference between a nixie and a nymph. Some days the fighting was done by the time he saw Hakuryuu again, and some days he would watch through the courtyard gate as another enemy was cut down.

Though winter had sunk lazy claws into the atmosphere, its bitter yawn sucking the life from the earth, the courtyard flourished, fed by the dead. Hakuryuu showed him how to crack bone to reach marrow, which pieces of flesh best fed which flowers, and how quickly fungus could eat a corpse down to nothing at all. Judal's excited 'ooh's and 'ahh's only made the prince smile, and every lesson ended in a rain of kisses on Judal's giggling mouth.

The distinction between his home life and the life he led in his classrooms became so pronounced that at times, Judal felt as if one or both were completely unreal. College was too mundane, and what waited for him when he returned to his apartment was fantastical. Which was more unrealistic, now? The extraordinary, or normalcy?

In the moments right after he woke up, when it was just him in bed, staring at the ceiling, Judal wondered if everything had been a dream. He would get up and find only his own clothing in his drawers, his furniture as it had been before the prince, and the courtyard dead and empty. It would have all just been a brilliant fantasy.

The time when dreams and reality seemed interchangeable were frightening sometimes. Judal would lay in bed trying to find some concrete, undeniable proof of what was real to cling onto, and finding nothing would shuffle out to the kitchen. He avoided looking in the direction of the couch and coffee table, because if he looked and found them as they had been months ago, he wasn't sure what he would do.

Movement seemed automatic, the steps to making tea a familiar, grounding routine that Judal went through even in his haze. By the time he was halfway through stirring sugar into his steaming cup, arms curled around his waist and a warm mouth pressed to the back of his skull. It was always like this, on mornings when reality seemed unreal, as if Hakuryuu could tell that he was drifting between what was and was not without a tether.

Judal stopped stirring, a smile curling his mouth as a second kiss was laid against his hair.

"Morning, Hakuryuu." he exhaled slowly.

Hakuryuu's palms pressed flat against his stomach, gentle pressure reminding him to inhale, and then breathe out again. The steady rhythm of his own breathing began to ground him, drawing his thoughts from where they had been scattered and organizing them once again.

"Good morning," the prince hummed, a third kiss brushing the nape of his neck. "The heat is out again."

Even as he groaned aloud, Judal was struck by how incredibly ordinary that observation was. It didn't sound right coming from a creature like Hakuryuu.

"No wonder it's fucking freezing in here." he grumbled, then added; "I don't have the energy to bitch someone out right now."

"Would you like me to have a word with your landlord?"

Judal turned, resting the small of his back against the counter.

"What did I say about the apartment?"

Hakuryuu sighed, clearly resisting the urge to roll his eyes. His hands had slid up to the space just below Judal's shoulder blades, as if the idea of not touching him was unfeasible.

"All matters pertaining to your abode are your own to deal with, and I am not to interfere." he recited, as he had several times before. "Which I maintain is silly."

"My space, my rules." Judal said, tapping a finger against the prince's nose.

"Maybe so, but I don't think anyone would notice if it were just a light bewitching…" Hakuryuu groused, scrunching his nose. "It might even be considered an improvement. His wife would thank me."

"Okay, yeah, he's usually two steps from drunk anyway so you're probably right, but I'd know. And it would feel like cheating."

"Cheating? Having consistent heating is cheating?"

"You like the cold."

"What I like is not the point."

Hakuryuu drew him closer, mindful of the mug of tea between their bodies. The tips of their noses nudged together and Judal's eyelids fluttered, the urge to lean in and kiss the fae almost overwhelming.

"Mortal ailments do not affect me," Hakuryuu murmured. "But you, sweetling, could get sick."

"I am not awake enough for cute nicknames."

At this, a sly smile curled the fae's mouth. If he were more awake, Judal might have been wary of the expression, but as it was all he could think was that his lips had no business looking that tempting.

"Is that so?" Hakuryuu hummed, leaning a little closer. "Do you dislike it, my Judal?"

Pet names had always seemed somewhat annoying as an outside observer. However, Judal had quickly realized that being on the receiving end was another story altogether. It was very difficult to keep his breathing steady with the prince's lips just barely brushing his, murmuring sweetness into the air between them. Judal, personally, thought it was pretty miraculous he hadn't kissed him already.

"Not that I'm opposed to being seduced or anything…"

"Mm? Am I seducing you, sweetling?"

"…but I've got a mug of really hot tea in my hands, and it's gonna get all over at least one of us, and that's gonna be a huge turn-off for everyone."

Hakuryuu seemed to honestly debate the pros and cons of getting scalding tea all down his front for the sake of seducing a half-awake mortal. Ultimately though, he sighed resignedly and drew back.

"Go make yourself warm, I'll cook us something hot for breakfast."

Judal pecked the prince's cheek before shuffling over to the couch. Hakuryuu watched him settle down and begin swaddling himself in blankets before turning back towards the kitchen, satisfied. He set about making breakfast for two, as he did most mornings.

Like Judal and his tea, the motions were almost mindless for Hakuryuu. The warmth from the stovetop made the chill in the apartment more pronounced. Cold seeped into him like it belonged in his bones and he shivered, having not yet pulled on one of the sweaters lying about. Hakuryuu found his mind wandering as he lost himself in his task.

A mosaic of memories dusted the inside of his eyelids every time he blinked. Sidhe swam before his eyes, faces of friends and foes flickering back and forth through his mind. Something in the pan hissed and he was jerked back to the present.

Hakuryuu shook himself, casting thoughts of his companions in the rebellion from his mind like clearing cobwebs from an attic. They clung stubbornly to the corners of his mind, where he ignored them.

Soon enough, Hakuryuu emerged from the kitchen with two plates in hand. He stopped beside the couch, huffing a laugh through his nose. Judal was curled up, almost lost beneath the blankets Hakuryuu usually slept under, still nursing his cup of tea.

"You know, I think I may be spoiling you." the prince teased.

"Isn't the one in debt supposed to spoil the person he's in debt to?"

Hakuryuu set their breakfast on the coffee table before leaning over and grabbing for the comforters. Judal shrieked, squirming away as the blankets were tugged at.

"Hakuryuu, no—o!" he whined, clutching his mostly-empty mug of tea. "It's co—old!"

"If you keep squirming, you'll fall off."

"Then leave my blankets alone!"

"They're my blankets, Judal."

"Yeah but I'm the one using them!"

"Oh, so everything you touch is just yours now?" Hakuryuu asked, more amused than exasperated. He tugged at the blankets again, resisting the urge to smile at his pouting host.

Judal huffed.

"That's absolutely right." he said defiantly.

"Oh really?" the fae chuckled. "You'll have to demonstrate."

Without missing a beat, Judal closed the distance between them and kissed his smiling mouth. His lips were warm, no doubt from the ceramic of the mug and the hot tea he had been drinking. The feeling was vibrant, intoxicating, when a chill hung in the air. Hakuryuu shivered and pressed to deepen the kiss, a familiar, churning want for his host squirming in his belly.

When they parted, Judal was out of breath, mouth pinker than before. Hakuryuu pecked his lips again.

"It looks like you were right; everything you touch is yours." he smiled fondly. "But would you mind sharing the blankets anyway?"

Judal nodded, cheeks tinged red.

They ended up with the covers tucked around their waists, breakfast in their laps and knees overlapping. Judal was fully awake by his third bite of food, but the meal was silent anyway. Not unpleasantly so, the companionship of eating side by side was enough for both of them, but the silence gave the mind a chance to wander.

Hakuryuu's eyes were drawn to the window, his empty plate set on the coffee table, and he stared out at the brickwork of the next building over. The light outside was silvery, and if he looked up he was sure he would see the slate gray of clouds overhead. Maybe it would snow again, and if it did, maybe it would actually stick to the ground this time instead of becoming ugly, discolored slush. That would be nice, though it would never compare to the snow in Sidhe.

In Sidhe, snow was not white, it was white. Hakuryuu couldn't describe the color even if he tried, because the word he wanted didn't seem to exist in the mortal realm. Colors here weren't duller, per say, but they had a different saturation to them. In Sidhe, colors were all vibrant, opaque, or iridescent. Sometimes all three at once. It was difficult to describe.

UnSeelie kingdom was always caught somewhere between late spring and the dead of winter. In the coldest months, snow blanketed the kingdom in impossible white, the kind of blankness that drove the inexperienced mad. Hakuryuu had always found it beautiful. Perhaps it was because he had been born there, raised amidst the rolling hills and jagged peaks of powder and frost, but the white had never bothered him. Where others lost their way, he knew the paths and trails hidden in the slightest inconsistencies in the snow's surface.

He remembered riding on the back of a great wolf, almost the size of a mortal car, tucked between its thick neck and his brother's chest. They had ridden far, far out into the plains outside the palace gates, until everything was horizon around them. Hakuryuu had been bundled so tightly in furs and the belt Hakuyuu had insisted lashing around their waists to keep him from falling off that he couldn't move.

It had been perfect.

That memory had not resurfaced in many years, and thinking of it now made his heart ache. Every memory after that, every happy memory, suddenly seemed distant. He was back there, tiny hands clenched in thick lupine fur, staring wide eyed into the glittering frost, his brother's breathing against his back.

Judal squirmed against his side, tucking himself right up against Hakuryuu, arms coiling around his waist. The prince blinked, the snow in front of his eyes gone, and looked away from the window. He found himself almost nose to nose with his host.

"Hey." Judal said.

"…Hello."

"You seemed really far away."

"Did I?"

Judal hitched his legs over Hakuryuu's knee, which finally seemed to remind the prince he was capable of moving. He wound an arm around Judal, pulling him tighter against himself so he could feel his warmth. If his fingers snuck beneath the hem of his shirt, pressing to the smooth skin of his side, Judal pretended not to notice.

"Yeah." he said. "I don't like it when you look so far off."

"I'm sorry."

"No you aren't."

"I'm sorry it worries you." Hakuryuu clarified. Judal hummed.

They sat there a while, looking at one another but not saying anything. Judal's attentive crimson eyes remained pointedly trained on Hakuryuu's face, while the prince's eyes traced over his lover's features. He wasn't appraising him, just reminding himself of the curves and edges, drawing his eyes over them like a familiar map.

Judal leaned in closer, resting their foreheads together. This close, Hakuryuu could make out the flecks of deep burgundy in his irises, watch the dilation of his pupils. He wondered what it would be like to drown in the red depths of Judal's eyes, if sinking into them would feel like being consumed by every passion he'd ever felt.

"I don't know what goes on in your head," Judal murmured. "And you don't have to tell me, if you don't wanna. But I'm here, you know? And I'll listen to whatever you want to tell me."

Hakuryuu smiled gently.

"It's a long story, and you have class in an hour. Besides… you may not like everything you hear."

"Maybe. But I like you."

Hakuryuu blinked, nonplussed. Judal huffed, pushing their foreheads together harder.

"I want to know about you. I want you to tell me things about yourself. So if you're willing to tell me, then I'll hear anything you want to say."

"And what if I want to say that I think you're beautiful?"

The flush that burned its way up Judal's cheeks was almost immediate. Stubbornly, he refused to acknowledge the prince's hand as it rubbed against his bare skin, still tucked under his shirt.

"I'd tell you that I still think you're a lot more affectionate than I'd expected you'd be."

"Do you dislike that?"

"No. Not at all."

Hakuryuu knew he should let Judal go, since he still needed to shower and get dressed before heading to class. He couldn't bring himself to though, not when he was saying things like that with such sincerity. Selfishly, he pulled him closer, into his lap, so that Judal was curled against him completely.

Judal hooked his arms around Hakuryuu's neck, leveraging himself so he could lean his weight against Hakuryuu without losing eye contact. The apartment was still freezing, and it was tempting to fall back on the couch and pull the blankets around themselves until the heat came on.

Hakuryuu sighed softly.

"I have no reason to hide things from you, Judal." he said. "I will tell you everything. Soon. I promise."

Judal, seemingly satisfied, tilted his head and pressed a chaste kiss to Hakuryuu's lips.

"Okay." he said. "I can wait."

The words were so simple, and yet the promise of trust they carried was so significant to Hakuryuu it made his chest tighten. He hugged Judal tightly, head falling to bury against his shoulder. Judal tucked his face against Hakuryuu's hair, squeezing around his shoulders.

They sat there a while, absorbing one another's warmth.

"…So, if I skip class today—"

"You aren't skipping class." Hakuryuu muffled against Judal's shoulder.

"But it's c o—old!"

"Then I'll make something hot for dinner, and dessert."

"Will you put peaches in it?"

Hakuryuu huffed, amused. "Of course."