Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lio woke up to the sound of Galo breaking his door down.

Well, not exactly breaking the door down, just shouldering it open with a loud thud and an exclamation of “hyah!” ... Which was apparently the only way Galo knew how to open doors. Firefighter instincts, he had told Lio at some point.

Fortunately, Lio was fully clothed when Galo so rudely threw his door open without knocking. Fully clothed, and buried under three layers of blankets in his narrow bed, because it had gotten to be so cold starting a few weeks ago.

Lio had the covers pulled all the way up to his nose and had been lying there in a half-awake state before the interruption, but now he sat bolt upright in bed.

Galo stood in the doorway, his shoulders heaving up and down with heavy breaths. “Lio!”

Lio frowned, looking him up and down for any sign of what had worked him up into such a state. But ... Galo’s appearance didn’t provide much of a clue. He was shirtless, as he so often was, and his sweatpants hung low on his hips. Lio had found himself much more bothered by this lately ... maybe just because of the drop in temperature, and how he couldn’t comprehend how Galo could just walk around half-naked most of the time.

“What is it?” Lio asked, when Galo still hadn’t provided an explanation. His pulse started to pick up as he tossed his blankets aside. “A fire?”

He was still getting used to saying such things. It had been about six months now since the Promare left. Lio—and a number of the other ex-Burnish—had joined up with the FDPP to help around the city in case any emergencies arose.

They’d been running drills for a while now, and Lio had been awaiting the day Galo would come barging into his room with news of an actual fire. But it was really hard to tell what constituted an emergency with Galo. Whenever Galo shouted and busted down the door, Lio never knew whether there were people’s lives at stake or if Galo just wanted to inform Lio about the pizza he’d just ordered.

“Huh?” Galo said, tilting his head to one side. “No, there’s no fire. It’s something more fun than that.”

Lio raised an eyebrow. He often questioned Galo’s definition of fun.

“Look outside,” Galo instructed him, waving towards the window. “You’ll see.”

That didn’t do much to quell Lio’s skepticism, but he figured the only way he was going to get any answers was by doing what Galo had said.

He planted his feet on the floor and stood up. As soon as he was free of his warm bed, the coldness in the air immediately set in, and he shuddered and rubbed at his arms as he approached the window.

But once he looked outside, he went totally still.

The city outside was coated in a blanket of white, and flakes were drifting down from the sky. Although the rebuilding efforts had been going well, Promepolis was still in a state of disrepair, but the presence of snow almost blurred away the scaffolding on the buildings.

Even this early in the morning, the streets were crowded with people both young and old—some running about, others lifting their arms to the sky to catch the snowflakes. Through the glass, Lio could hear a few muffled cries of joy coming from far below. Especially having seen these people so exhausted in the past six months, having to help to rebuild the city day after day, it was a relief to see everyone enjoying themselves.

“It snowed!” Galo said excitedly, appearing at Lio’s side. He clapped a hand on Lio’s shoulder, so heavily that Lio almost fell over.

“I can see that,” Lio said.

If it had been just a short time ago, Lio might’ve been annoyed by Galo stating the complete obvious, or by the weight of Galo’s hand on his shoulder. Maybe it was the enchanting sight outside, but somehow Lio found that right now he didn’t mind either of those things.

Galo turned to stare at him, bearing a questioning frown, like he was waiting for Lio to say something else.

Lio’s face was strangely warm. “What is it?”

“I—nothing,” said Galo, snatching his hand away from Lio’s shoulder and scratching the back of his neck. “You just don’t seem very excited.”

Lio felt an inexplicable knot of guilt in his stomach. He was often scrambling to keep up with Galo—with his energy, with his disjointed trains of thought—and at moments like these, he couldn’t help but feel bad that he hadn’t picked up on the clues Galo had laid out.

“Oh,” Lio said, uncrossing his arms. He let his hands rest against the windowsill. “I guess it’s just, I haven’t really gotten to … experience the snow before. Not for a long time, anyway.”

“Huh?” Galo blurted. “You’ve never seen the snow before?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I’ve seen snow before. But, you know, the Promare kept us warm all the time. So ... I was never able to touch it without it melting.”

Galo’s hands flew up to clutch at his head. “Aah!” he exclaimed so loudly that it made Lio jump a little. “You mean, you’ve never gotten to have a snowball fight? Build a snowman? Go ice skating?”

Lio had only heard Galo sound this horrified one time before, when Lio had said he had never eaten pizza. Apparently when you’d spent years as a wanted fugitive, you missed out on a lot of life’s simple pleasures—something Lio was still learning bit by bit.

“Well, it wasn’t just because of that. I also never really ... had the time.”

Lio didn’t feel the need to spell it out more, but he hoped Galo understood what he was hinting at. As the leader of Mad Burnish, he’d been preoccupied most of the time with watching out for everyone and making sure they all survived.

“Hmm,” Galo said, scratching his chin. “In that case, we should go do all of those things!”

Lio went rigid with surprise. “What?”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! You can do all those things that you’ve never gotten to do. We can do them together!”

Something about the word “together” made an electric feeling travel up Lio’s spine. Which was ridiculous, considering he and Galo spent a lot of time with each other—but, this felt different somehow. Yes, they worked together, and shared an apartment together ... but that was all just out of a sense of duty, wasn’t it?

“What about training?” Lio asked.

“We can take one day off,” Galo said with a shrug. “We’ve done plenty of training lately. Besides, we gotta go out in the snow before it melts!”

Judging by the amount of snow already on the ground, and the flakes still falling from the sky, Lio doubted the snow was going to melt for at least a few days. But Galo seemed so excited by this idea, and Lio was finding it hard to say no. Besides, the thought of taking a day off and running around in the snow all day was surprisingly appealing.

“Fine,” Lio relented. “I guess you’re right. One day off can’t hurt.”

Galo’s face lit up, his eyes glimmering with excitement. “Really? You mean it?” Without waiting for an answer, he let out a whoop of victory and fist-pumped the air. “This is gonna be awesome, Lio! Trust me, you won’t regret it.”

Not too long ago, Lio probably would have worried he would regret it. But right now, he couldn’t ignore the thrill that sang through his veins and the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. He could try to deny it all he wanted ... but he really was looking forward to spending the whole day with Galo Thymos.

As soon as they stepped outside of the apartment building, Lio could practically sense the energy in the air. The widespread joy was even more palpable than it had been from his bedroom window view.

The snow was riddled with footprints, and children were running through the empty streets, bundled up in their coats and scarves. One group of kids was building a snow fort nearby, and Lio recognized a few of them as ex-Burnish. There were a number of adults around the area, too—parents supervising children, and couples walking hand-in-hand.

Lio smiled softly. Even after all this time, he was still growing accustomed to the sight of the ex-Burnish living in harmony with the other citizens of Promepolis—which was something that, less than a year ago, he thought would never be possible.

A gust of wind blew through the streets just then, and Lio shivered despite the number of layers he was wearing. Even dressed in a thick sweatshirt and an oversized FDPP coat he’d borrowed from Galo, the cold seeped right through his clothing.

Galo, on the other hand, was only wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants and did not seem at all bothered by the temperature. He placed his hands on his hips and grinned at the scene in front of them, letting out a satisfied sigh.

“Sure is nice to see everyone getting along, huh?”

Lio nodded, unable to even articulate the emotions he felt upon taking in the sight. Even if he’d managed to say anything, Galo was already distracted, tilting his head up to observe the snowflakes falling down.

“Hey, Lio! You should try this!” he said, then stuck his tongue out. Lio couldn’t quite tell what he was doing at first, then realized that Galo was letting the flakes fall on his tongue.

Although he didn’t exactly understand the appeal, Lio decided he might as well give it a try. He lifted his chin a little, and stuck out the very tip of his tongue experimentally. Nothing happened at first, but then he felt it—the smallest pinprick of cold that landed and melted on his tongue. It was a mild sensation, but after catching a few more snowflakes, Lio could see why Galo enjoyed it. It was … oddly satisfying.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Galo laughing next to him. Lio looked over at him questioningly, pulling his tongue back into his mouth.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Galo said, still grinning. “You just looked like you were concentrating really hard. It was kinda …” He stopped all of a sudden, his face turning rosy—probably from the cold.

“Kind of … what?” Lio asked with a frown.

“Uh,” Galo said, scratching the side of his neck. “Kinda—”

Before he could finish speaking, a voice called out from down the street, “Hey, Boss!”

They both looked up, and Lio caught sight of Gueira and Meis jogging towards them with matching grins on their faces. Lio couldn’t help but smile back, especially when his friends came to a stop and casually linked arms with each other. The two of them had started dating just a couple months ago, and it was still heartwarming to see how happy they were together.

“Gueira, Meis!” Galo exclaimed, reaching out to give each of them a fist-bump. “How’re you two doing?”

“Pretty good,” Gueira said, then gestured at the sky above them. “Excited about the snow. Right, Meis?”

Meis hummed in agreement, although he shivered at the same time. “Yeah, it’s nice to actually be able to enjoy it for once. Still getting used to the cold, though.”

“Same here,” Lio agreed, pulling his large FDPP coat closer to himself.

The gesture drew his friends’ attention directly to him, and Lio tensed a little as he noticed the way Gueira and Meis glanced between him and Galo.

“So,” Gueira said at last, rising up on his toes and then rocking back on his heels, “what are you guys up to today? Working?”

“Nah,” Galo answered. He gave Lio a firm pat on the back. “Lio and I are taking the day off!”

“Really? Awesome!” Gueira broke into a grin. “You should come with us, then!”

Lio frowned. “Where are you going?”

“Up to the lake,” said Meis. “A bunch of people are going to see if it’s frozen enough to skate on.”

“Ooh!” Galo blurted. “Yeah, that sounds like so much fun! We should go, Lio.”

He had turned towards Lio, grinning eagerly, and Lio found himself distracted by Galo’s dazzling smile before he found his voice again.

“Oh, uh ... I don’t really know how to skate.”

“So?” Gueira said with a shrug. “Meis and I don’t know how, either. Besides, it’s not really gonna be skating exactly, just kinda sliding around on the ice. I don’t think anyone’s bringing actual ice skates.”

“Yeah, I used to do it all the time,” Galo added. “Just sliding around on the ice in my shoes, I mean. It’s not too hard. I can show you how!”

Lio hesitated, still a little intimidated by this plan—especially the possibility that he might make a complete fool of himself in front of Galo, which for some reason he desperately wanted to avoid.

But Galo looked so excited, and Gueira and Meis were also watching Lio expectantly … he felt like he couldn’t say no.

“Fine,” he said, “I’ll go.”

His friends cheered in unison.

“Yes,” Galo said, clenching his fist in victory. “This is gonna be great! We’re gonna have so much fun, Lio.”

Despite the flicker of anxiety he’d felt moments ago, Lio believed what Galo had said. And for once, he didn’t feel like he had to hide his smile.

The lake was already bustling with activity. There were people scattered across it, mostly in pairs and small groups, shrieking and laughing as they glided over the shiny surface.

The snow had stopped falling, but it had settled across the landscape with a picturesque dusting, gleaming white on the treetops and on the peaks of the mountains in the distance.

Lio stood at the edge of the frozen lake, looking over the scenery in wonder. There was a slight prickling feeling at the back of his scalp, and he couldn’t even name the emotion that was coursing through him.

He was still growing used to moments like this, moments when a sense of peace and safety came over him out of nowhere. For so long, he had been focused on running from Freeze Force and on protecting his fellow Burnish. Even after the Promare left, there had been months of cleanup and helping to rebuild Promepolis, plus all the firefighter training. Leisure time was still a bit of a foreign concept to him—but he was trying to believe that maybe it was something he deserved.

“Lio, hey!” he heard Galo call out. “Watch this!”

Galo was already out on the lake, not far from where Lio stood. He slid at an alarming speed across the ice, then stood on one foot and spun around in a circle. He landed again and stumbled, pinwheeling his arms and managing to right himself at the last second.

The corner of Lio’s mouth turned upwards. “Impressive.”

“Hey, I’d like to see you do better,” Galo shot back with a frown. But the expression quickly melted away, replaced by an encouraging grin. “Seriously, though. What are you waiting for? C’mon!”

Lio’s smile faltered. He looked down at the ice warily, peering at his own distorted reflection.

“Here—I’ll help you,” Galo said, the sound of his voice growing closer as he slid towards Lio.

Blinking, Lio looked up and saw that Galo was now right in front of him, extending a hand invitingly. The bright color of his eyes and hair almost matched the blue of the sky behind him.

For a few seconds, Lio could only stare at him, dumbstruck. But then he gathered his wits and tentatively reached out to take Galo’s hand.

Even though they were both wearing gloves, Lio could’ve sworn he could feel warmth radiating from Galo’s hand into his own. Maybe there was some truth to that burning soul nonsense, after all.

It took a few long moments for Lio to realize that he still hadn’t even stepped onto the ice, and he tried to clear his head. He stopped gawking at Galo like an idiot and looked down, focusing intently on the few inches of space between his feet and the edge of the frozen lake. Then, taking a deep breath, he took a single step forward.

The slippery texture under his boot was a new and startling sensation, and Lio almost lost his balance right away—but luckily, Galo was still holding firmly to his hand. After hesitating a second longer, Lio brought his other foot forward.

Having two feet on the ice, he quickly learned, was much trickier than having just one foot on the ice. As soon as he had stepped onto the frozen surface, he almost lost his footing, and he let out an embarrassing yelp of surprise as he pitched forward.

“Whoa,” Galo exclaimed, tightening his grip on Lio’s hand. His other hand reached out to grab Lio’s shoulder, holding him steady.

Lio’s free hand, meanwhile, flailed around uselessly until it landed against something solid ... which was Galo’s chest, Lio realized.

His face burned with mortification as he lifted his head, and braced himself for whatever pitying or mocking look was bound to be on Galo’s face. To his surprise, though, Galo just looked ... confused, or worried maybe. There was a small pinch in his brow, accompanied by a slight frown—an expression Lio had grown used to seeing by now, which he knew generally meant that Galo was thinking very hard about something.

Whatever it was, it was gone in an instant. Galo blinked as if he’d snapped out of a trance.

“You okay, Lio?”

“What? Yes, I’m ...” Lio tried to stand up straight, and his legs wobbled dangerously underneath him. One of his feet slipped and he started to fall forward.

Fortunately, Galo easily slid back a few inches to prevent them both from tumbling backwards. “I—sorry,” Lio stammered. Maybe this had been a terrible idea, after all. Each time he tried to stand upright, his knees knocked together like he was a baby giraffe taking its first steps.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Galo said.

Lio had been too ashamed to even look him in the eye—but now that he cautiously lifted his gaze, he saw that Galo didn’t look impatient or annoyed, and he wasn’t laughing at Lio. Instead, he shot Lio an encouraging grin.

“Don’t think too hard about it,” he said, adjusting his hand on Lio’s shoulder. “If you try really hard to stay in one place, you’re gonna fall over. You just have to kinda go with the flow.”

Lio frowned, not fully comprehending what Galo had said. He was pretty sure that if he tried to go with the flow, he would end up falling on his face.

As if reading Lio’s thoughts, Galo said, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall. Follow my lead, okay?”

Some stubborn part of Lio wanted to resist the offer. He wasn’t used to leaning on someone else, either figuratively or literally, and the thought of it made him feel like his skin was prickling.

But when Galo started to move backwards, pulling Lio with him, Lio found he didn’t have any choice but to follow.

His breath caught in his throat and his stomach dropped at the unfamiliar sensation of the ice sliding beneath his boots. The farther they drifted from the shore, the more Lio’s panic began to set in. But, true to his word, Galo held onto him tightly the whole time.

As Lio’s anxiety began to ebb away, he realized that Galo had been right—it was easier to maintain his balance now that he was skating one foot forward at a time, trying to match the pace of Galo’s easy strides. There were a few times where Lio moved too quickly and almost slipped or crashed into Galo, but it wasn’t long until he was starting to get the hang of it, and was gliding along so fast that he could barely feel the ice under his feet.

“Yeah, you’ve got this!” Galo exclaimed, once they’d successfully made it to the middle of the lake without falling. “You’re doing great, Lio.”

Lio might have expected to find the comment condescending, but instead it instilled an unexpected feeling ... pride, maybe. But more than that, it was accompanied by a sense of elation unlike anything he’d felt in a long time.

Something about flying along on the ice reminded him of when the Promare still dwelled in his soul, when the flames used to carry him as if he weighed nothing at all—and instead of the aching emptiness he usually felt upon remembering it, he felt a spark of ... hope, he thought. Or something like that.

He was startled from the thought upon catching a blur of movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, he saw that it was Gueira zooming by and holding up his arms as if he was riding on a skateboard.

“Woohoo!” he crowed, the volume of his voice decreasing as he quickly slid farther away. “Yeah, Lio!”

“You’re a natural, Boss!” Meis called out as he skated past. He gave Lio a thumbs-up and tried to spin around in a circle, but promptly slipped and fell with a short cry of alarm. Gueira started laughing at him, but then also immediately tripped and fell.

Lio didn’t realize he was laughing until the sound was already bubbling out of him, his shoulders shaking with it until he nearly lost his balance. He watched Gueira and Meis both try to scramble to their feet; Meis had finally succeeded in standing and was wobbling his way over to help Gueira up.

Then ... Lio wasn’t exactly sure what happened. One moment he was smiling to himself as he observed his friends, and the next moment the ice was slipping out from under his feet and the sky was reeling haphazardly above him.

He didn’t quite realize what was happening until he was already tumbling forward, and falling against Galo—who let out a loud oof right as he fell all the way backward and smacked his head on the ice. Lio’s fall—perhaps luckily, perhaps unluckily—was broken by falling on top of Galo, the breath leaving his lungs at the sudden impact, and his forehead almost knocking against Galo’s chin.

Groaning, Lio braced one gloved hand against the ice and lifted himself up. It was now, of course, that he realized his chest was pressed to Galo’s and that their legs had tangled together. Heat rose to his cheeks, and it only worsened as he blinked a few times and noticed that Galo’s face was mere inches from his own.

Lio started to sit up, willing his racing heart to slow down as he attempted to disentangle himself from Galo—who was still just lying there looking stunned, staring up at Lio. Oh, no. Did he have a concussion or something?

“Galo, are you okay?” Lio demanded, finally finding his voice.

“Huh? Oh ... yeah, I’m good,” Galo said, wincing as he started to lift himself up on his elbows.

The shift of position made Lio suddenly aware that, in his efforts to sit up, he had straddled Galo’s waist—and, mortified, he quickly scrambled over to one side to give Galo some space. He remained kneeling on the ice, though, still not entirely convinced that Galo hadn’t hurt himself.

“Are you sure? You hit your head pretty hard.”

“Oh, nah. It’s alright.” Galo rubbed the back of his head. “Trust me, my skull is like cement. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve hit my head ... probably, like, a gazillion. And I’m totally fine!” He gave Lio a thumbs-up, as if to emphasize the point.

Lio wasn’t sure what came over him then. Maybe it was a sense of relief that Galo hadn’t hurt himself, or that it was amusing—and strangely endearing—the way Galo had whacked his head so hard and was completely unaffected. Whatever it was, Lio started laughing. It was hardly more than a huff of breath at first, but soon built up into uncontrollable chuckling. It wasn’t long until his cheeks ached and his eyes teared up.

A dazed look crossed Galo’s face—and for a second, Lio wondered if he was concussed, after all. But then Galo’s mouth turned up in a smirk. “Hey, what’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Lio managed to say, his laughter dying down, although he couldn’t stop smiling. He wiped a hand against the corner of one eye. “Just glad we didn’t hurt ourselves, that’s all.”

“Oh.” Galo joined in on Lio’s laughter. “Me, too. And, uh, sorry. I think it was my fault. Wasn’t really watching where I was going.”

“I wasn’t, either,” Lio said. He realized then that he had been making eye contact with Galo for way too long, and he looked away.

Neither of them said anything, but somehow it didn’t feel awkward—just ... peaceful, like they were both content to sit there on the ice under the open sky. They were far away from anyone else, and for the time being it was pleasant to remain there while everyone else was skating around in the distance, their shouting and laughter echoing across the wide open space.

“You know,” Galo said at last, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh like that.”

Lio broke out of his daze, looking over at Galo questioningly. Galo was still sitting there in a casual position, leaning back on his hands while he stretched out his legs in front of him. His head was tilted to one side, and he was observing Lio with a confused look, like he was trying to solve a puzzle in his head.

“Hmm? Oh,” Lio stammered. “Well ... I guess it’s been a long time since I ... you know ...”

“Had fun?” Galo supplied, raising an eyebrow.

Lio didn't answer right away, blinking in surprise. Galo had said the words so easily, like they'd already been on the tip of his tongue.

“I ...” Lio started to say, then wasn’t sure how to complete the sentence. “Yes. That.”

He felt like he was listening to himself speak from far away. For some reason, he felt like he’d had a startling revelation. Because, well, the idea of having fun was something that had barely even crossed his mind for years. He hadn’t exactly had that luxury, when he was constantly on the run.

In the past few months, he’d been growing more accustomed to it. But it wasn’t until now that he’d truly realized it: that even amidst all the stress of rebuilding Promepolis, and overcoming the trauma of everything he’d been through ... Lio always had fun when he was with Galo.

Even if they were just running rescue drills, or watching TV, or eating lunch together ... or anything, really. Galo was always finding ways to make Lio smile—which was something Lio hadn’t done much in all his years as a fugitive.

“Well,” Galo said, “we should probably get back up, huh? My butt is getting cold.”

He was already hoisting himself to his feet, swaying before finding his balance, then offering his hand down to Lio.

Lio smirked as he reached up to slip his hand into Galo’s. “What about your burning soul? I thought you never got cold.”

He’d mostly meant it as a joke, but Galo looked perplexed as he helped Lio all the way to his feet.

“Well, I can get a little cold sometimes. My burning soul works a lot better when I’m up on my feet and moving around,” Galo explained with complete seriousness.

“I guess that makes sense,” Lio said. He realized he was still holding onto Galo’s hand, but somehow he didn’t mind it.

“Hey,” Galo said, “maybe that’s it. Maybe if you just keep moving around a lot, you’ll have a burning soul someday, too!”

Lio wasn’t sure if he understood the logic behind that, but he humored Galo anyway. “Maybe.”

“So, what are you waiting for?” Galo said, grabbing him by the wrists and starting to skate backwards. “Let’s get moving!”

After that one mishap, they managed not to fall over again. There were a few instances where one of them would stumble—usually Lio—but they avoided any further disasters. After a while, Lio even tried skating a short distance on his own, while Galo, Gueira, and Meis cheered him on in the background.

Lio hardly noticed the time passing, but eventually the sun had climbed high into the sky. Despite the chill in the air, Lio didn’t feel as cold as when he’d first stepped outside this morning—even though he could see his breath fogging with every exhale.

Most people had started to retreat from the ice and return to the shore. Finally, Lio and his friends decided to do the same. They must have been out on the ice for longer than Lio had realized, because the solid ground felt strange and unsteady when he stepped onto it. It was a relief to not have the ground slide under his feet anymore, but he felt a brief twinge of disappointment that they were leaving.

He had to admit to himself: he understood, now, why people enjoyed skating on the ice so much. It had been intimidating at first, but it had been exhilarating once he’d gotten the hang of it. It had felt so freeing, like he could have glided along for miles and nothing would have gotten in his way.

The feeling of euphoria still lingered, even when they returned to the city. It had started to snow again, piling up to Lio’s ankles. The sun was starting to sink lower, but there were still a few hours of daylight left—and Galo insisted that they take advantage of that time.

And so, after going inside to take a brief break and eat some lunch, Galo and Lio went back outside. There were less people in the streets than there had been this morning, but there were still a few scattered groups playing in the snow.

Galo apparently still had a whole itinerary of snow-related activities he wanted Lio to try, and wasted no time in delving into them. The first thing he insisted upon was making snow angels, which he demonstrated by lying in the snow and flailing his arms and legs around very fast and then jumping up with a proud “Ta-da!” to indicate the vaguely angel-shaped impression he had created.

Lio was hesitant at first but then lay down in the snow to give it a try. He moved his limbs in the same pattern Galo had shown him—although his own movements were slower and more deliberate than Galo’s had been—and felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction when he stood up and admired his own handiwork.

After they had both made a few more snow angels, they stood up with matching smiles. Lio brushed some of the snow from his hair and coat, then noticed movement in the near distance and saw that Gueira and Meis were running over to them.

“Hey!” Gueira called out to them, before stumbling to a halt and catching his breath. “Meis and I were gonna build snowmen. You two wanna join?”

“Um, of course we do,” said Galo. He nudged Lio in the arm with his elbow.

With that, they all began the task of rolling up some large snowballs to use for the foundation of their snowmen. Galo helped Lio with making the body of the snowman, the two of them pushing along the large ball of snow until they deemed it big enough to use as the base. They then worked together to make a slightly smaller snowball for the torso, and one for the head. As they cleared a patch of snow away to search for some pebbles and sticks to use for the face and arms, Gueira and Meis were still trying to put their own snowman together but were having less success—its head kept rolling off, and the two of them cried out in horror every time.

Finally, Galo and Lio had collected the necessary materials to put the finishing touches on their snowman, and their creation smiled back at them with a crooked pebble mouth and two stick arms that were slightly different lengths. It wasn’t perfect—but not bad for the first snowman Lio had helped to construct.

“Hmm.”

Galo raised an eyebrow and scratched his jaw as he observed the snowman, then made a small noise of triumph like something had occurred to him. He knelt down to scoop up some more snow, then plopped it on top of the snowman’s head and started to mould it into a pointy shape.

“Uh ... what are you doing?” Lio asked.

Galo was already busy creating a second conical shape behind the first one he created, sticking his tongue out a little in concentration. He didn’t acknowledge Lio’s question at first, but then answered, “Giving him hair, of course!”

Lio was unable to stifle a small laugh. “And you’re making it look like your hair, I take it?”

“Huh ... yeah, I guess so,” Galo said, like he hadn’t even noticed the resemblance. He started to step back to take a look at the finished product—

Which was when, suddenly, a small white object came flying through the air and pelted him in the back of the head.

It took Lio a second to realize that the object in question had been a snowball, which immediately exploded into little white crystals that stood out against Galo’s blue hair.

“Oof,” Galo exclaimed, stumbling forward. He rubbed the back of his head. “Lio, hey!”

“I—wh—it wasn’t me,” Lio sputtered. “I’m standing right here. How could I have—”

He stopped short as he noticed yet another projectile flying towards them, and managed to sidestep it just in time as the snowball sailed past him and landed on the ground.

Laughter rang out from somewhere nearby, and Lio looked up to see that Aina and Lucia were standing in the near distance—evidently, the culprits who had been hurling snowballs. They were both bundled up in coats and hats, and wore matching mischievous grins.

Aina already had yet another snowball in one hand, poised to throw it. “That was a nice dodge, Lio,” she called out. “You could learn a thing or two from him, Galo.”

“Aina?” Galo said, blinking, like he had only just processed what was happening. “Hey! You—”

Before he could get another word out, another snowball hit him square in the chest. Crying out, he fell backwards onto the snow.

“Galo!” Lio almost tripped over his own feet, then clumsily knelt down next to Galo, reaching out a hand to help him up. “Are you okay?”

Galo had squeezed his eyes shut, and now cracked one of them open to look up at Lio. He dramatically wheezed and clutched a hand to his chest where he’d been hit. “I don’t think I’m gonna make it, Lio. You have to avenge me!”

Lio rolled his eyes. He couldn’t hide the amused smirk that was rising to his face, though. “Very funny,” he said. “Now—”

A snowball hit him in the shoulder just then, and Lio yelped in surprise. He looked up to see Lucia grinning at him maniacally, and she was already crouching down to gather more snow.

“Hey!”

A pair of shadows fell over Lio then as two people stepped in front of him—Gueira and Meis, who had both taken protective stances.

“No one attacks the Boss like that!” Gueira called out, hefting a large snowball in his hands.

Meis pointed an accusing finger towards Aina and Lucia. “Yeah, you’re going down!”

There was a flurry of movement then, as Gueira hurled the snowball he’d been holding and Aina retaliated with two more that she’d prepared. They all broke out into yells and laughter as snowballs sailed through the air.

“Hey, we can’t have four against two, that’s not fair!” Lucia called out. She took her hat off and shook some of the snow from it before shoving it back onto her head.

Lio was still kneeling in the snow next to Galo, who had just lifted himself into a sitting position and reached out to grasp Lio’s hand.

“Don’t worry, Lucia! Lio and I can be our own team. Right, Lio?”

Lio was suddenly very aware of Galo’s hand wrapped around his. He was also aware of how close their faces were, how he could see a small dimple in Galo’s cheek when he grinned, how the tip of Galo’s nose was tinged red from the cold ...

He broke himself out of the temporary stupor, and smiled back at Galo. There was something familiar about this moment—and Lio realized it reminded him of when he’d grabbed Galo by the hand and asked him if he wanted to burn the world down together.

“Yeah,” he said. “You bet we can.”

Galo let out a whoop of excitement and hauled himself back to his feet, pulling Lio up along with him.

“Yeah, come and get it!” he yelled at the others, as he scooped a handful of snow from the ground. “None of you are a match for Galo de Lion!”

There was a small tug in Lio’s chest upon hearing the name—the one Lio had used to dub the giant robot they’d used to free the Promare and save the world together.

He didn’t have long to dwell on it, though, when Galo was already running into the fray with snowballs in each hand. Still smiling, Lio reached down to collect some snow of his own, and followed after Galo.

The snowball fight lasted for quite a while, escalating to a point where each team had constructed their own snow fort. It got so competitive that Lio nearly forgot they were just playing a game, but he was continuously reminded by the sound of Galo laughing next to him—and Lio found that he couldn’t help but laugh along.

When they all finally called a truce, Lio’s arms ached from all the snowballs he’d thrown, and his coat was damp and cold with melted snow. The sun was sinking towards the horizon, and the sky had faded to a dull shade of gray.

He’d been so caught up in the fun that Lio had barely noticed how cold he was, but he suddenly became aware that his teeth were chattering.

“We should probably head inside, huh?” Galo said, appearing by Lio’s side. “It’s getting kinda dark.”

He sounded winded from their lengthy snowball fight, his breath fogging the frigid air, but there was still that ever-present gleam of joy and excitement in his eyes. Lio wondered how Galo never ran out of energy. In fact, he was kind of in awe of it.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Lio said. “I think it’s getting colder, too.” Another shudder ran through him, and he rubbed at his arms.

He had meant the comment to sound casual—so he was surprised that Galo was noticeably distressed by it, his smile dropping as he reached up to clutch at his head. “Oh, no! You’re cold, Lio? You could’ve said something earlier.”

“What? No, I’m fine,” Lio insisted. He had to admit to himself, though, that he didn’t mind Galo’s concern. In fact, it was ... touching, in a way he hadn’t expected. “Honestly. I barely even noticed it was cold until now.”

Galo’s hands dropped to his sides. “Oh, good. I was worried there for a second. Anyway ... we should go inside and get you warmed up!”

He gave Lio an enthusiastic thumbs-up, as he so often did at the end of his sentences. Lio was used to it at this point, but it still made him smile—he was gradually learning Galo’s language, and knew that he always spoke with complete sincerity.

“Yeah,” Lio said, “that sounds like a good idea.”

They exchanged goodbyes with their friends, before everyone parted ways for the evening.

Galo and Lio returned to their apartment, and warmth enveloped them as soon as they walked through the door. Lio hadn’t realized just how cold and exhausted he’d been after such a long day in the snow, but now it all hit him at once. Suddenly, all he could think about was changing into some dry clothes.

Back in his room, he hung up his damp coat and shed his clothes in exchange for a T-shirt, hoodie, and sweatpants—ones he’d borrowed from Galo when he’d first moved in. They were a bit loose on him, but at least the roominess made them comfortable.

He was already starting to feel warmer by the time he stepped out of his room, to find that Galo was standing in the hallway with his hands on his hips like he’d been waiting for Lio to emerge. He, too, had changed clothes; it was difficult to tell at first glance, since he was wearing a similar outfit to what he’d worn outside, but he’d put on a pair of jeans and another black T-shirt.

“Hey, Lio,” he said. “I was thinking we could just eat that leftover pizza for dinner. And I thought it’d be fun to maybe build a blanket fort and watch a movie or something? Good way to warm up after spending all day outside, y’know?”

Although Galo was usually talkative, Lio detected some distinctively different note in his rambling ... like he was nervous, almost. Which was strange, since he was basically just suggesting they hang out the way they normally did. But Lio felt something too, like a weird fluttering in his chest that he couldn’t put a name to. It wasn’t an entirely bad feeling, though.

“Yeah,” he said. “I think that’s a great idea.”

“Cool!” Galo said, clapping his hands together. “I can go heat up the pizza. You wanna start gathering some blankets and stuff?”

Lio agreed to this plan. While Galo headed into the small kitchen, Lio went to the living room. He wasn’t really sure what the typical necessities were for building a blanket fort, but ... he assumed there were blankets involved.

There was one blanket sitting rumpled on the couch, so he took that, as well as some of the couch cushions, and started to make a pile at the center of the room. Figuring that probably wasn’t enough, he went back into his bedroom and collected another blanket and pillow from there as well.

When he returned to the living room, Galo was returning from the kitchen holding two plates with several steaming slices of pizza on each of them.

“Ooh ... that’s a good idea, Lio! I’ll get some stuff from my room, too.”

He set the plates down on the nearby coffee table, then turned around and dashed towards his room so fast that he was almost a blur. There were some faint scuffling noises from behind his bedroom door, and then he emerged again carrying another blanket and pillow under one arm and his laptop under the other.

They set about constructing the fort, pushing a few chairs together and draping one of the larger blankets over them to create a makeshift tent. They then lined the inside with the pillows and couch cushions, which served as the inner walls and floor.

It was small, and looking at it from the outside, Lio was skeptical at first that he and Galo would both be able to fit inside it.

Galo, on the other hand, displayed no such worries. He immediately crawled in and held the blanket aside and gestured for Lio to follow him. Lio did, crouching down and cautiously maneuvering his way inside.

As it turned out, the fort was just big enough for the two of them to sit side-by-side, although it was definitely ... cozy. Their shoulders pressed together, and Galo’s hair almost brushed the blanket hanging over them. Lio shifted around at first as he tried to settle in—but once he’d found a comfortable position, and realized that Galo didn’t seem to mind their close proximity, he felt ... well, he wasn’t sure what to call the emotion. Safe, maybe.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so secure, and it was like a sudden revelation had come over him—that he had nothing to run from anymore. Here, in this little shelter, with Galo sitting right next to him, he felt as if he was completely shielded from the outside world.

“We did a pretty good job, huh?” Galo said, breaking Lio out of his thoughts.

“Hmm? Oh.” Lio realized that Galo was referring to the blanket fort, and glanced around them to observe their handiwork. “Yeah, it came out well. Especially since I’ve never really built a blanket fort before.”

Galo gasped like he’d been stabbed. “Really? Never?”

“Well, not exactly. I did have to help build a lot of shelters out in the desert ... you know, at the Burnish compounds.”

He stopped short when he noticed the way Galo was looking at him—bearing a small frown, his eyes gleaming with sympathy. He always made that face when Lio spoke about his life as a fugitive, in the days before they ever met each other.

Lio had thought at first that it was just hollow pity, or that Galo didn’t know how to respond when Lio spoke of such things. But over time, Lio had learned that Galo’s concern was genuine. And on several occasions, Galo had profusely expressed how sorry he was for how Lio and the other Burnish had been treated, and how awful he felt that he’d unknowingly taken part in it.

Lio winced inwardly. He hadn’t meant to make Galo feel guilty, or to otherwise ruin the peaceful atmosphere.

“This is much nicer, though,” he added quickly.

Galo broke out of his daze. “Oh ... good, I’m glad,” he said, then scratched his chin as he looked around them. “But of course, if you think we could make some improvements ... like, I don’t know, add more pillows to make it comfier—”

“Galo, really. It’s fine,” Lio cut him off—then suddenly realized he’d rested a hand against Galo’s forearm without even thinking about it. They both froze, and Lio snatched his hand away. “Anyway, uh ... we should eat.”

Galo didn’t answer right away, his eyes glazed like someone had just hit him over the head. But then he snapped back to his senses. “Ah, right. The pizza!” He smacked his forehead. “I almost forgot.”

Several potential comments rose to Lio’s mind—mostly that he found it hard to believe that something could distract Galo from the thought of pizza—but he held it back for now, still feeling oddly self-conscious.

The uneasy feeling ebbed away, though, as soon as Galo retrieved their plates of pizza and his laptop, and brought them back into the fort. They both settled down, and Lio started to eat as Galo searched for a movie to watch on his laptop.

They agreed on something within a few minutes—meaning, Galo picked out something and Lio went along with it. He hadn't seen many movies himself, after all, and he typically enjoyed whatever Galo wanted to watch.

As was often the case with Galo's movie choices, it was some action film with a lot of corny dialogue and cheap effects. It was at least enjoyable, and Lio soon found himself invested in it. More than that, though, it was entertaining listening to Galo's enthusiastic commentary—how he rooted for the protagonists out loud, how he got excited for all of his favorite parts, how he kept looking at Lio to gauge his reaction.

Lio was one to usually focus intently on watching the movie and not express his thoughts out loud—but he’d been learning to comment more for Galo’s benefit, and also because he enjoyed the way Galo’s face always brightened when Lio gave his input or otherwise showed that he was enjoying the movie.

Sometime after he’d finished eating, Lio had picked up one of the spare blankets and wrapped it tightly around himself. As the movie continued, he pulled the blanket almost all the way up to his chin. He also found that, without even realizing it, he’d leaned his shoulder against Galo’s—and in doing so, became hyper-aware of every time Galo shifted, or how his arm vibrated a little every time he spoke or laughed.

It had already been pretty dark out when they’d started the movie, but it had grown gradually darker as time went by. Soon there was only the bright glow of the laptop screen, illuminating the interior of their fort as if it were a paper lantern.

When the movie finally came to an end, with the heroes watching the sunset after saving the universe from destruction—a situation that was strangely and almost hilariously relatable—Lio felt like he’d been awoken from a dream. It had been easy to lose track of time, when he’d been caught up in the plot of the film.

As the credits started to roll, Galo let out a long yawn and sat up straight, stretching his arms up so that his hands brushed against the blanket hanging above them. “So,” he said, “what’d you think?”

He’d only moved about an inch away from Lio, but somehow it suddenly felt like a mile. Lio wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

“Of what, the movie? It was good.”

“Yeah?” Galo grinned. “I knew you’d like it. It’s one of my favorites!”

A short silence fell over them then, as the triumphant ending credits music kept playing on in the background. Galo looked Lio up and down, and an amused glint entered his eyes.

Lio hadn’t realized until then that he was smiling back at Galo, and he quickly schooled his expression. “What are you looking at?” he said, when Galo continued to stare at him. He’d meant it to sound more demanding, but it came out with surprisingly little venom.

“Ah ... nothing.” Galo scratched the back of his neck. “I was just thinking, you look like a burrito right now.”

“A ... what?” Lio said.

Galo’s smile fell, his expression transforming to one of horror. “Oh, no! Do you not know what a burrito is, Lio?”

Lio wasn’t sure what about Galo’s question sent him over the edge. It was probably the way Galo asked it with complete sincerity, his brow furrowing with legitimate concern. Whatever it was, one moment Lio was staring at Galo, perplexed—and the next moment he could feel his mouth turning up at the corners in an amused smirk. His shoulders began to shake with a quiet chuckle that soon built into a full-on laugh, and he practically doubled over as tears of mirth pricked at his eyes.

Galo was still quiet, a mystified look lingering on his face. “Lio ... ?”

“Yes, Galo, I know what a burrito is,” Lio managed to say at last.

“Oh, good.” Galo smiled in relief. “I was worried you’d think it was an insult or something.”

“Is calling someone a burrito supposed to be a compliment?”

“It is when it’s coming from me,” Galo said with total seriousness. “I love burritos.”

Something about that phrasing made Lio’s laughter fade to a stop, like someone had just pressed a pause button on him. Heat rose to his face, but he tried to quickly dismiss the flustered feeling that had overcome him. Galo probably hadn’t meant anything significant by what he’d said, after all.

By now, the movie’s credits had come to a stop, and the screen brightened with a selection menu of various other action films. Lio found himself staring at it, suddenly unable to look Galo in the eyes.

His fingers tightened where they were holding onto the blanket. He took a deep breath as he tried to gather the courage to speak, his heart thumping in an abnormal rhythm. What’s wrong with me? Just say something.

“Galo?” His voice came out softer than he’d meant it to. It felt like when he’d stepped out onto the ice earlier today, afraid that it might crack under his feet.

“Yeah?” said Galo.

Lio looked up at him, to find that Galo was watching him patiently.

“I ... um. I guess I just wanted to say ... thank you,” Lio said, “for hanging out with me all day and everything. I really had fun.”

I always have fun when I’m with you, he almost added, but the words froze in his throat.

“Of course! I had a lot of fun, too,” Galo said.

Silence stretched out between them, but this time there was no music playing in the background to disrupt it. Lio suddenly felt like the air was thick with tension, and the sensation made the back of his neck prickle.

“Hey, Lio?” Galo said at last. He was sitting cross-legged now, his fingers drumming against his knees. “Listen, there’s ... something I kinda wanted to talk to you about.”

Lio’s heart had been racing at an almost alarming rate, but Galo’s words practically made it come to a stop. From the tone of his voice, it sounded like Galo wanted to talk about something serious ... Maybe he was upset about something? Or he didn’t want Lio to live with him anymore?

Either that, or ... no. The only other possibility was too improbable.

A million potential scenarios raced through Lio’s mind, but he knew he wouldn’t know for certain unless he asked.

“What is it?” His voice came out more hoarsely than he thought it would.

“Well ...” Galo rubbed his hands over his knees, glancing briefly up at Lio’s face and then looking away. “I’ve just been thinking about a lot of stuff. Like, I don’t know, how I really like spending time with you. A lot. And I’m super glad we’re friends now and all, but ...”

There had been a momentary flutter behind Lio’s sternum, a feeling he couldn’t quite put a name to. Hope? Excitement? It had quickly faded, though, as soon as Galo trailed off. But ... ? But what?

“But,” Galo tried again, “I think I might like you in a … different way than that.”

Now Lio was really confused. Despite what Galo had just said, Lio couldn’t bring himself to believe it. Because there was no way Galo was saying ...

“Wh—What do you mean?” Lio stammered. “‘Different’ how?”

Galo didn’t answer, instead just wincing and then running a hand down his face with a frustrated groan.

“I’m sorry, I’m not good with this stuff,” he said with a short sigh. “Look ... you know when I saved you, in the Parnassus ... when I, um, gave the flame back to you?”

Lio didn’t process the words at first, frowning in confusion. But as it slowly dawned on him what Galo was referring to, he could feel the furrow in his brow easing away.

While he couldn’t exactly remember what had happened—he had been on the brink of death, after all—he knew what Galo had to do in order to save him. Lio had done the same thing to revive fellow Burnish before, after all.

But ... he had to admit that he’d thought about it many times since then, that something about Galo saving him had felt particularly significant. He’d always been too self-conscious to ask Galo if he’d felt the same way about it—but judging by the way Galo’s face had turned red upon mentioning it ... maybe it had meant something to him, too.

“Yes,” Lio said. “What about it?”

Galo scratched his jaw. “Well ... I keep thinking about how I kinda want to ... try that again.” When Lio fell completely silent, Galo went on in a rush, “But, you know, trying it when you’re ... awake. And not dying.”

The words pieced together very slowly in Lio’s brain, falling into place until he could see the picture with greater clarity. But even with all of the evidence laid out in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

He felt as if all his blood was rushing to his head, filling his skull with a low whooshing noise. His fingers loosened where they’d been holding onto the blanket draped over his shoulders.

“You—” He almost choked on the single word. “You mean, you want to—”

“—Kiss you,” Galo blurted, completing the sentence for Lio. “Yeah, that’s what I mean. I—I want to kiss you.”

Lio could have said a lot of things right then, but all he managed was a dazed, “Oh.” He scrambled for other words, for anything to say at all, but he couldn’t even open his mouth to speak.

“I mean—only if you want me to, of course,” Galo stammered. “And if you don’t want to, that’s totally okay. I just ... agh.” He stopped, squeezing his eyes shut and running his hands over his unruly hair as he often did when he was frustrated. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make things weird. I—”

“Galo.”

Lio had finally found his voice, and it cut through Galo’s rambling like a knife. He had somehow picked up and pieced together his scattered thoughts and put them in a semi-coherent order.

As he did so, several important things had come to light—mainly, that he suddenly understood this sensation of warmth coursing through his blood. And he understood why he had felt it over and over recently, each time Galo looked at him or smiled at him or even just stood by his side.

“I do,” he said. “I ... want you to.”

Galo had frozen as soon as Lio started speaking. His hands were still pressed to either side of his head, but now they slowly started to lower.

“Huh?” he said, his eyes going wide. “Really? You—You do?”

Lio nodded. Now that he’d voiced his decision out loud, he was determined to follow through. But ... he wasn’t certain where to go from here, and he didn’t have much experience with this sort of thing.

Cautiously, he scooted several inches closer to Galo, still clutching the blanket around his shoulders. He jutted his chin up and looked Galo right in the eyes in an almost defiant gesture. Despite the apparent confidence behind it, his heartbeat was practically clamoring in his ears as several unpleasant possibilities circled through his head: What if Galo had just been joking? Or what if he suddenly changed his mind? Or—

He quieted the storm of thoughts, trying his best to dismiss such anxieties. Galo was the one who had made the offer in the first place, after all. Yet, Galo still hadn’t moved, remaining dumbstruck as he stared back at Lio in stunned silence.

“So,” Lio said at last, when he started to feel like the suspense was going to kill him, “are we going to do this or not?”

He had meant it to sound like a demand, but it had come out a lot softer than he thought it would—like he was tentatively reaching out to Galo, giving him the choice that would determine whatever was going to happen next.

The question snapped Galo out of his stupor. He blinked a couple of times, his gaze shifting downwards to fix on Lio’s lips.

“I—yeah, of course,” he said. “I guess I just ... I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything. Are you sure ... ?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Lio said firmly. When Galo still looked hesitant, Lio took a deep breath and continued, “Galo ... I like you. And I would really like you to kiss me right now. ... Please.”

He added the last bit as sort of an afterthought, afraid that he had sounded too demanding. But to his surprise, it seemed like it had been the right thing to say, since Galo’s expression immediately softened as he reached out to rest his hands on Lio’s shoulders.

“Okay, okay. I’m gonna,” he said, leaning in closer. “Just ...”

Galo didn't complete the sentence—but even if he had, Lio wasn't sure he would have heard it anyway. He was aware of nothing else but the narrowing space between Galo and himself, and of the weight of Galo's steady hands pulling him forward.

Lio squeezed his eyes shut and tensed in anticipation. He wasn't very experienced and was uncertain what he was even supposed to do … But some of the tension eased from his body as soon as he felt Galo's lips brush against his—a touch so light and fleeting that it could barely be counted as a kiss.

In a way, it caught Lio by surprise. He had expected Galo to kiss him the way he did everything else—with overenthusiastic gusto, holding nothing back. The hesitation felt almost uncharacteristic, but it also ... wasn't a bad thing. It was gentle, and caring, like Galo was afraid that one wrong move would hurt Lio or send him running. For the longest time, the universe had dealt him countless punches until he'd had to convince himself that he could endure anything. He wasn't used to being treated like this, like he was something that could break, and hadn't known until now that he had been longing for it.

Lio hadn’t moved a muscle, sitting there still pulling the blanket around himself and closing his eyes, his heart racing as he focused intently on the light pressure of Galo’s mouth against his. It was over much too soon, and Galo pulled away before Lio could even reciprocate. Bewildered, Lio let his eyes drift open to find that Galo was looking back at him with a concerned little frown. His hands lingered on Lio’s shoulders.

“Was that ... okay?” he asked.

Lio didn’t realize until then that he’d been holding his breath, and now he felt as if all the air had been knocked out of his lungs. “Yes,” he said, the single word coming out like a sigh. “Do it again.”

Galo looked shocked for a second, his eyes widening. But the expression soon wore away, replaced by a relieved and eager smile, before Galo started to lean in again. And this time, Lio surged forward to meet him.

This second kiss was a bit more like what Lio had initially expected, their lips crashing together in a passionate exchange, fire meeting fire. It was a little clumsy at first, like they were trying to find their footing on icy ground, and their first few attempts were broken up by breathless laughter. But it wasn’t long until they started to get it right, finding a proper angle.

Lio had felt a little lightheaded from it at first, but he was slowly coming back down to earth, grounded by the sensation of Galo’s hands gripping his upper arms and Galo’s lips sliding against his. Soon, the dizzying sense of elation gave way to something that felt more serious, like a smoldering flame building in Lio’s lungs. But as new and intimidating as the feeling was, Lio willingly succumbed to it.

Almost without realizing it, he had lifted his arms and slipped them around Galo’s neck. He still held onto the blanket so that they were both wrapped in it, like they were enveloped in a cocoon. Galo’s hands slid under the blanket to rest on either side of Lio’s waist and tugged him closer, leaning forward to deepen the kiss—

And ... Lio wasn’t quite sure what happened just then—but as he eagerly pulled Galo towards him, the momentum threw off their balance and Lio tumbled backwards, bringing Galo with him ... which wouldn’t have been much of a problem, except for that he brought the blanket fort falling down around them, too.

They both yelped in surprise, and Lio was pretty sure he bit Galo’s lip by mistake. Galo had at least managed to catch himself on his elbows, but they had still landed in a tangled heap with the blanket draped over them.

As the momentary confusion passed, Lio blinked a few times as he fully processed what had just happened. Heat rose to his face, and it only worsened as he realized the position they were in now, with Lio pinned beneath Galo and both of them breathing heavily in the small, enclosed space.

Galo snapped out of it first, raising himself up on his elbows. His large hair spikes held up the blanket, providing a bit more room. Only a hint of light filtered through the fabric, but Lio could just barely make out the worried look on Galo’s face.

“Lio! Are you okay?” he asked, with an urgency that was disproportionate to the situation at hand—but, something about it eased Lio’s embarrassment and made a small smile rise to his face.

“I’m fine,” he assured Galo. More than fine, he thought, still recovering from the sensation of Galo’s mouth against his, and already longing to feel it again. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Huh? No, it was my fault,” Galo cut him off, then shifted like he was about to move away. “Should we, um ...”

“Wait.” Lio’s hands rested on Galo’s shoulders, holding him in place. Galo waited for him to continue, and Lio’s face grew even warmer as he went on, “We don’t have to ... I mean, this is kind of nice, actually.”

“Oh,” Galo said faintly, then started to smile. “You know what? You’re right, this is pretty cozy.”

They both laughed, and Galo dipped his head down to bury his face against Lio’s shoulder. His breath shivered against Lio’s neck, and his hair tickled the side of Lio’s face. As subtle as the sensations were, they made a tiny thrill rush up Lio’s spine. He let out a content sigh and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Galo’s torso and reveling in the solid warmth of him.

“I’m glad it snowed today,” Galo said at last, interrupting the silence.

Lio opened one eye. “Hmm?”

Galo lifted his head, resting his chin on Lio’s chest. “Just ‘cause, you know ... if it hadn’t snowed, then we wouldn’t have gotten to spend the whole day together like this.”

He had a good point. “I guess you’re right,” Lio said, his hand curling in the back of Galo’s T-shirt. “I’m glad it snowed, too.”

Galo didn’t respond right away, like he was thinking hard about something. “But, uh ... maybe we can hang out more often even when it doesn’t snow ... right?”

He sounded so genuinely concerned that it took Lio by surprise. “Of course we can,” he promised Galo with total sincerity.

“Oh, good.” Galo grinned as he raised himself up a bit, but then his smile wavered. “And ... maybe we could kiss more often, too?”

Something familiar stirred in Lio’s chest, which he realized now was affection ... and maybe something more than that, but he figured he could wait a while longer to figure that one out. He laughed softly as he reached his arms up to loop them around Galo’s neck.

“Yeah,” he said, “we can do that, too.”

And they did—safe in the little haven they had created for themselves, far away from the cold winter outside.