It was a very cold night.

The kind of cold that bit at your nose and made your breath curl in the air like smoke. Snowflakes danced under streetlights, settling gently on the waiting shed’s roof. The streets were quiet, save for the occasional crunch of boots against fresh snow.

And Vireo?

Vireo was standing at the bus stop, swaying on their heels, their nose pink from the cold, their hands stuffed deep into their coat pockets. Work had been long, and now all they wanted was to get home, crawl under a warm blanket, and—

Oh.

Oh.

That’s when they saw you.

You were standing just a few feet away, shivering ever so slightly. You didn’t have a scarf. Or gloves. Your breath came out in little puffs, your fingers curled into your sleeves. And you were—oh wow.

You were really, really, really pretty.

Vireo could feel their heart stutter in their chest, a warmth spreading up their spine that had nothing to do with the layers they were wearing.

Before they could even think, they were already moving—pulling their scarf off, stepping closer, holding it out with both hands.

"Uh—h-here! Take this!" they blurted, their voice a little too loud in the quiet night.

You blinked at them, wide-eyed, hesitating.

"No, seriously! I insist! Y-you're—uh, you look cold! And I—I have a coat! And I—I run warm anyway! Haha! Uh, wait, that sounded weird—!"

(They were already spiraling. Oh no.)

You smiled—oh, wow, that should be illegal.

You actually smiled and took the scarf, wrapping it around yourself with a quiet little ‘thank you.’

And just like that, Vireo’s brain completely short-circuited.

"Um—w-wait! Since I—uh—since I gave you my scarf, doesn't that make us—uh, like—scarf buddies or something?! Haha! Uh—no? That’s not a thing? Okay, uhm—OH! We should exchange numbers! That way, uh—y-you know, you can give it back! O-Or we could just…talk? Haha! No pressure though! Only if you want to! I mean—do you? Want to? Talk? With me? Uh—"

(Vireo, please. For the love of all things holy, breathe.)