“Junghwan” Jinyoung had his eyes fixed on his textbooks, but he didn't need to look up to know his roommate was there, he could hear him munching in front of the TV “turn on the heating would you? It's freezing cold here”

The boy walked to the small device on the wall and started regulating the temperature, but as much as he tried, the thing wouldn't work.

“Hyung?” he called “I think it's broken”

Jinyoung sighed, sometimes it was really hard to be roommates with Junghwan, specially when he had to study and the other boy had free time. He could be really distracting.

“What's wrong with it? It was working alright yesterday”

“I don't know, I can't turn it on”

Jinyoung pushed him softly to the side and started pressing the button, not knowing what else to do. An idea flashed on his mind.

“Junghwan, did you pay the bill?”

“Hum... the bill?”

“Yes, the bill” Jinyoung said patiently.

Junghwan looked to the other side of the room, avoiding him “Was it my turn?”

“Yes, Junghwan. It was your turn”

“Hum”

Jinyoung put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, hard. A little harder than necessary, actually. “Pay it. Tomorrow first hour”

“Okay” the kid gave him an apologetic smile “I'm sorry I forgot, hyung”

The oldest knocked his head softly, not able to stay really mad at him “You cook tonight”

***

Now, Jinyoung was starting to get mad.

He'd just came to his room after a hard test, he stayed studying late the night before with no heating and like three hoodies on. It was so cold outside, that he was really hoping to come to a warm home that evening, but when he tried to turn on the heating, it didn't work. And Junghwan was nowhere to be seen.

He was supposed to pay the bill first thing in the morning. He thought about just go and pay it himself and he would just charge him later, but he had money just enough to survive the rest of the week, so it wasn't an option. Instead, he cuddled in the chair by the door with a mug of instant soup, letting the annoyance inside him grow bigger minute by minute, as he felt the temperature was dropping. Junghwan would regret being so oblivious.

They were passing a drama on TV when Jinyoung heard him coming, he heard his keys on the door knob but he specially heard his muffled singing. Well, it seemed that someone was happy. But not for long.

Jinyoung saw him entering the door and fixed his eyes on him intensely, waiting for the boy to look at him. He was restraining himself, really. He wasn't this short-tempered normally, but he had had so little sleep the last days and the cold wasn't making things better.

“Hi, hyung!” Junghwan greeted cheerfully and lifted the bag he was carrying “I bought some snacks”

Jinyoung kept staring at him, saying nothing. After a moment of silence, Junghwan started growing uncomfortable.

“Hum, Hyung?” he asked, the smile vanishing from his face slowly “Is there something wrong?”

“You tell me” he mimicked his voice “Is there something wrong?”

Junghwan looked around, clueless. Everything seemed perfectly normal inside their dorm... it was a little messy but it had never bothered his roommate before.

“Well, it's a little cold here” he observed “why don't you turn on the- oh”

“Yes, oh” Jinyoung snuggled deeper into his blanket, his eyes sharp “Go out there and pay the bill, now”

Junghwan expression was a mixture between being caught and being regretful. Jinyoung didn't like it.

“What's wrong now?” he asked, trying to maintain his temper.

“I...” he looked really guilty “I don't have any money”

“WHAT?” Jinyoung took a deep breath “Junghwan, what did you do with your money?”

“I spent it”

“On?”

“Food?” he bit his lip, busted.

Jinyoung let go a groan, burying his face on his face. Junghwan thought he had never seen him this mad.

“I'm sorry, hyung” the kid hurried, it was obvious judging by his expression that he felt really bad “I really am... I just forgot about it and-”

The oldest boy stood up and Junghwan shut his mouth immediately after seeing the way he was looking at him.

“You're impossible” he said it mean, not jokingly at he used to say it.

“Hyung...” Junghwan started but stopped midways when he saw his roommate's angry look. Jinyoung sat on his bed and put his earphones on, the music so loud that even Junghwan could hear it.

The message was clear.

Wednesday was the fourth day without heating, and also it was the first day Jinyoung was home early, which made him extra pissed, because at least college had a heating that worked. They'd have to wait until Monday to have their own machine working again, as Junghwan received money from his parents weekly. Until then, Jinyoung had chosen to ignore him.

It was hard giving the kid the cold shoulder; Jinyoung noticed he was sad because he was barely speaking and he didn't laugh at TV shows. And maybe -just maybe- he was being too hard on him when he cooked his own meals and didn't share any with Junghwan, but what could he do? He had to learn his lesson, and also, he felt his fingers could fall at any minute from frostbite. The only thing keeping him alive was coffee, hot baths and sleeping with two pairs of socks.

To make things worse, it had started to rain earlier, and even if he didn't get too wet, it was colder than any other day and he couldn't stop thinking if Jungwhan -as distracted as he was- had taken an umbrella with him in the morning, of if he had put on a water-proof coat.

Jinyoung shook his head. This was the second semester he and Junghwan shared a room, and even if he didn't like the idea of sharing at first -he needed space and alone time- he had no other option when it came to money. When he first saw Junghwan, he knew he wasn't his ideal roommate; they were clearly opposites, while Jinyoung himself was thoughtful and liked cute things, Junghwan was too talkative and loud, not cute at all. Or he thought he wasn't.

It wasn't long until he started to notice things. Things as how when he was focusing too much his mouth hung open, or how his hair was too messy in the mornings and he always forgot to comb it and Jinyoung had to remember him so he wouldn't go to class looking like a zombie, or how cute his plump cheeks were, or later, how dough-like and soft they felt. The annoyed look on his face every time he pinched him, not only his face, but his body in general, and how he didn't really complain because he knew Jinyoung liked it.

He rolled on his bed, the wire of his earphones tangled on his body. He turned his head around and looked at the opposite bed, picturing the boy sleeping there, drooling, sometimes snoring, always being annoying. Just as Jinyoung liked him. Because he did like him. And if he let himself be honest, he might as well admit he could be possibly falling for him. So that's why it was really bothersome to be ignoring him when he knew he was making him sad.

But on the other hand... the goddamned cold wouldn't let him forget his fault. And it was when he had to wear more layers of clothes inside his room than outside that he started really hating him, at least for a while.

Yes, it wouldn't hurt him too much to suffer until Monday. Then Jinyoung would let it go and probably never bring this incident back again. Probably.

***

The slam of the door woke him up from his nap, it could only be one person, and if he thought he could get away with not paying the heating bill and waking him up from his nap after he'd worked so hard he was seriously mistaken.

The nagging he was going to give him died on his throat when he saw Junghwan's face. Exhausted, reddish. Raindrops falling from his hair and sweater. Not coat or umbrella at sight.

“Hwannie?” it was the first time he called him like that since the heating incident, he didn't care. He was worried.

“Hi, hyung” the boy greeted but he didn't look at him, instead he leaned his head on the wall, his eyes closed. His chest pounded when he coughed.

Jinyoung left his bed and put a hand on his forehead. It wasn't only raindrops, it was sweat. Junghwan was burning with fever. Of course, he wasn't the only one who was living in a room with no heating in the middle of the winter, and to make it worse, the kid had walked under the heavy rain.

“You're sick” he told him “Why didn't you take an umbrella in the morning?”

Junghwan's head fell into Jinyoung's shoulder, and even under layers of clothes, the oldest could feel its warmth.

“I forgot” he said, his voice full of regret again “I'm dizzy hyung”

“We need to put you in bed” Jinyoung somehow carried his heavy body to the mattress and made him sit down, taking his sweater out to lower his temperature.

Junghwan's eyes were glassy and he coughed once more, it was an ugly cough. Jinyoung touched his forehead again; he needed to stop the fever.

“Take off your jeans and get into bed” he commanded “I'll prepare a wet towel and check if we have any medicines, okay?”

The youngest kid barely nodded, taking off his pants seemed like a lot of trouble, but he couldn't get into bed being all wet. Junghwan tucked himself in bed and closed his eyes, as he was falling asleep he felt a cold compress burning against his head. He whined even tough the feeling of coldness was pleasant.

“Open your mouth” Jinyoung asked and shoved a full spoon of a gross liquid inside it.

“That's disgusting” Junghwan managed to say after swallowing “Why did you do it?”

“To help you get better” he couldn't help a laugh at the sight of his friend pouting “You're such a kid, Hwannie”

“Are you still mad at me?” he asked, fighting the will to fall asleep. It was the first time in days his hyung acted nice towards him, he didn't want to let it go.

“For making yourself sick and turning this place in a refrigerator?” Jinyoung cocked his eyebrow “What do you say? Should I be mad?”

“I said I was sorry” Junghwan pouted harder, and even if he did that a lot to get his way, it was obvious this time that he wasn't doing it on purpose. It came naturally.

Jinyoung took his eyes off his feverish friend, his fat cheeks stained in red and his sleepy eyes were too much for him. The will to protect him, to make him feel better was overcoming him.

“Hyung, I'm sorry” the kid tried again “I try not to be so silly”

“You're not silly” that was a lie, he was silly but Jinyoung thought of it as a quality more than a flaw . Most of the times, he liked him being careless “You're making this hard, Jungwhan”

“Making what hard?”

“To be mad at you” Jinyoung felt a rush of anger rising up his body “You come here all weak and sick, looking needy and unprotected and expect that I don't want to... forget it, really”

“What do you want to do, hyung?” the reddish color of Junghwan's cheeks was slowly disappearing, he felt his eyelids lighter.

“To kiss you”

Junghwan looked so confused that Jinyoung couldn't take it. He couldn't believe he just said it, just like did, not warnings, not preparation. It just flew. His friend had a troubled expression, but his eyes were smiling. Maybe he was still too drowsy, maybe it didn't matter.

Jinyoung leaned over and kissed him.

Junghwan kissed back and Jinyoung felt as if his lips were burning. Blame the fever, but the room didn't seem so cold anymore. As he deepened the kiss, Jinyoung felt a hand on his neck, pushing him to kiss harder. Junghwan was so warm he thought he couldn't take it.

“Hwannie” he said, breaking the kiss “You have to rest”

“You kissed me” the boy said, ignoring his words completely.

“You kissed me back” Jinyoung said, incapable of hiding his glee.

“I thought you were mad at me”

“I am mad at you, but that doesn't mean I don't like you”

It was hard to tell because of the cold he had, but Jinyoung could see a hint of blush in Junghwan's face.

He tried to look anywhere else but at Jinyoung when he spoke.

“Maybe you should get in bed with me so you wouldn't be so cold...” the sick boy offered.

“Maybe that's one of your few good ideas”

***

Junghwan was asleep, his body heat a lot lower now, but he kept coughing once in a while, making his whole body shiver. Jinyoung's hand was placed under his shirt, over his hip. His love handles were soft, Jinyoung loved them before this, but actually feeling the flesh over his bones felt too right, like his hand was meant to caress his well nourished body.

He liked that Junghwan didn't seem surprised when he kissed him. And that he kissed him back. It made him think that he was not the only one longing for something else, not when it all felt so natural and right in place. He kissed his friend's open mouth once more, making the latter produce a comforting baby noise.

Jinyoung buried himself deeper in bed, trying not to wake Junghwan, and smiled to himself when he felt the skin of his thighs touch the flesh of the other's legs. He tangled his feet with Junghwan's as much as he could without disturbing him, longing for every inch of his skin to touch his. If they started to date, he was going to make wandering around the room in only boxers a rule. Probably Junghwan would like it.

He placed his head over his on the pillow, letting his friend's head rest on the cavity between his chin and shoulder, his neck stinging with the touch of Junghwan's hair.

His arm tightened against the youngest body, and he closed his eyes, falling asleep at the comfort of his soft skin.