Warm Winter

University AU

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Winter was known to be harsh and cold. It was on a snowy evening that Aesop thought this more than ever. The tips of his nose and hands were reddened by the icy frost and his body shivered in the hope of warming itself in vain. He had always felt that he preferred this season because it was the perfect opportunity to wear his thick and comfortable winter clothes or to drink a cup of chocolate while watching the latest episode of his favorite show by sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket.

Well, those were just the good parts and the downside of it all was that he had to get through the snowstorm first before he could enjoy the cozy nest that was his apartment.

"Ah, Aesop! Are you off too?" a deep voice asked.

The gray-haired young man stopped in his tracks to wait for his colleague, a history professor who taught at the same university as him, Eli Clark.

The man ran quickly to catch up with the other, slumping slightly afterwards to catch his breath before sketching a smile at the male.

"Mhm."

"Shall we walk a bit together?"

The literature professor nodded at the suggestion, tightening his fingers around the strap of his bag before resuming the march, this time with the dark-haired man.

Eli was a good person. From what he heard from the students, his lectures were easy to understand and he was simple to talk to. Aesop thought the same thing too, which was why they were now close friends despite the fact that he wasn't particularly the socializing type.

'Friends...'

That's right...

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Same old thing you know, half listening, half doing something else behind their computer screen."

Eli let out a bitter laugh at the difficulties of teaching and Aesop did the same, the exact one problem concerning him as well.

"Indeed..."

He sketched a faint smile behind the collar of his wool sweater, the warmth of his breath slightly fogging the lenses of his glasses as he stared at the ground covered in a thin layer of powdery snow, the sound of Eli's voice reaching his ears like a stream of piano notes playing slow, quiet music.

His eyes then lifted to the male's face, peering at him discreetly.

The man was completely absorbed in the task of recounting everything he had done today, as mundane as it might be and while it may have seemed redundant to others, to Aesop it was one of their favorite habits because it meant he could spend time with Eli a little longer outside of work.

His hair looked a little damp from the snow melting on his brown locks, the same fog was also on his glasses and his eyes... They were always so dark like the night sky, such a deep blue that Aesop sometimes felt like he was drowning in their hue, oh, how many times had he freezed on the spot when those two sapphires landed on him...

Just like right now.

"Aesop? Is everything all right? You are acting a bit out of it."

"Ah, yes-"

His sentence was interrupted by a sudden sneeze and he pulled a handkerchief from his bag to wipe his nose.

When he lifted his head, he felt something wrap around him and then widened his eyes in surprise as he felt Eli's breath tickle his ear, the man now only inches away to drape the blue scarf he was wearing around Aesop's neck.

"Be careful not to catch a cold..." the dark-haired man said in a soft voice. 

"E-Eli...?"

His heart was pounding under his rib cage and its rhythm only increased as he feared the other could hear him being so close.

Why wasn't he backing away?

He might start imagining things if he stayed that way... Although, somewhere in the back of his mind, he hoped his doubts would be proven true.

Could he afford it though?

"No need to worry, you can always return it to me another day, your office is right next to mine besides."

"Ah, t-thanks..."

He didn't care about the scarf at that moment to be honest. His eyes were fixed on Eli's large hands that were still holding both edges of the piece of cloth, almost holding on as if he didn't want to let him go.

"It would be nice to be able to warm up quickly, wouldn't it?"

"Hm, yes-?"

Aesop shivered abruptly as Eli placed his cold hands on his cheeks, their eyes finally meeting since they had both started walking and the young professor blushed furiously under the other's inquisitive gaze. 

He held his breath instinctively, not knowing how to react to this situation that had suddenly escalated in leaps and bounds.

"Sorry,"

Aesop wondered what could cause Eli to apologize, but he found out soon after when Eli's lips came to rest against his. The air temperature around them was probably below zero but by that simple touch, the young man felt as if his body was burning like a hot furnace, the sweet sensation of his tongue slipping inside his mouth like sugar being dissolved.

He grabbed the end of the dark-haired man's coat as support in this delirious exchange of saliva and the two men finally parted as the oxygen began to run out.

"I couldn't help it..." admitted Eli, "You can hate me but I don't regret my actions." he continued, staring him straight in the eye.

"No... To be honest, that's the only thing I was wishing for..."

He still couldn't believe it.

Who would have thought that the blue-eyed one would be the first to make the move but more importantly, that, his feelings were shared by the man for whom his heart was throbbing every second, minute and hour. 

"Right on cue then," he said with a chuckle. "Nevertheless, I was serious about warming up, I found a nice restaurant the other day, should I invite you?"

"That would be a pleasure."

The two exchanged a smile and then Eli stared at him with pleading eyes, Aesop blushing before returning his gaze, the brunet rushing to give him one last kiss before intertwining their hands. Now walking with their shoulders colliding one against the other and more intimate than ever. 

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