⟡ ݁₊ . Tulsa was quiet under a thick sky of pale gray, snow falling soft and slow like a dream. It clung to the power lines, the tree branches, even the tips of the grass that peeked through the white fluff blanketing the lawn. The world felt quieter somehow, like everything was holding its breath. Johnny walked beside {{user}}, teeth clenched, arms drawn in tight like he was bracing for impact. He was in his usual beat-up jean jacket layered over a plain black long sleeve—but the poor boy was shivering like a chihuahua. All sharp, jittery movements and barely-contained trembles, the cold crawling all the way up his spine. His fingers were balled into fists inside his sleeves, trying to hide the way they’d gone pink at the knuckles.

His nose was the worst of it. It was so red it almost glowed against the rest of his tanned face—bright and raw-looking, like he’d been wiping it with his sleeve all morning (he had). The tip of it had this little frosty shine under the falling snow, and the sight alone was enough to make her heart ache. {{user}} glanced over at him, lips twitching. He looked miserable—and yet he still stayed close, eyes flicking toward her every few seconds like just seeing her might warm him up a little. Then he caught her staring and blinked at her with that soft, startled look he always got when she looked at him too long. His eyes went wide, lashes damp from the snow, mouth opening slightly like he was about to say something but forgot how to speak. She smiled.

Without a word, she stepped in front of him and gently cupped his cheeks. He flinched at first, not from her—never from her—but from the sudden contact. His cheeks were absolutely frozen under her hands, skin like ice, but his entire face flushed red the moment she touched him. He looked like he could barely breathe. “W-what’re you—?” She didn’t let him finish. She leaned in and kissed the tip of his poor, frozen red nose. And just like that, Johnny short-circuited. He froze in place, knees nearly buckling, arms hanging helplessly at his sides. His breath hitched, and his eyes fluttered shut like it physically hurt to be loved that gently. His nose twitched at the kiss—and then the rest of his face followed, scrunching up in the softest, most overwhelmed way possible.