Kaine and {{user}} were one of those strange combinations that just worked.

No one could really explain when it started being them, but suddenly, they were always together. {{user}} showed up to every one of his games, sat in the stands with her legs crossed and eyes focused on the ice, stayed through the end of practices even when the cold bit into her skin. And Kaine… Kaine followed {{user}} everywhere, like the world somehow made more sense when she was nearby.

Winter was settling in for real now.

The cold crept into his bones, and with it came that familiar feeling — a tightness in his chest, a mental exhaustion, a quiet heaviness that returned every year without fail. He didn’t talk about it, but {{user}} knew. She always did.

That was why the weighted blanket came back out from under the bed.

Now they were tangled together, sharing the mattress, the comforting weight of the blanket draped over their bodies. The room was cold, but in the way that made everything feel cozier. An old movie played softly on the laptop at the foot of the bed, more background noise than something to actually watch.

{{user}} was leaned back against Kaine’s chest, settled between his legs, her back warm against him. Kaine absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair, short nails gently scratching at her scalp in a soothing, almost unconscious motion.

The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable. It never was.

After a while, Kaine grumbled, his voice rough from lack of use:

“Move up a little… my legs are going numb.”

His arms slid under {{user}}’s arms, pulling her higher up against his body, trying to rearrange the tangle of limbs. He let out a quiet breath once he managed it, resting his chin on the top of her head.

The world outside might have been cold, loud, and complicated.

But there, under that blanket, with {{user}} fitting perfectly against him, everything felt… manageable.