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Mm, I'll pass, [David remarks dryly into his coffee. He hops from one foot to the other for a moment, trying to shake off the cold as Wade works on ball number two.]

Well if you must know, [he huffs,] I was actually planning on nailing down the finer details of...

[He grits his teeth, like he's caught himself mid-sentence.] Never mind.

[ Wade is instantly alert. What kind of detail is he on about? ]

The finer details of... what, exactly?

[ Halfway across the patch of green — or what would have been in another season. He hefts the larger shape and hauls it to stack on top of the larger base. He watches him hop on his feet in that tell-tale way people do when insufficient insulation means that numbing chill crawls right into their shoes and socks. ]

You'll have to finish that sentence eventually. Or... can't you Amethysts control wind?

[ He's confident he can get this out of David, but he might as well try to present something of a challenge, an alternative. That way, he has to choose to finish that sentence on his own. He dusts powdery snow off his gloves. ]

Why don't you make this easier on us both and whip us up a head?

Of mind your own business. [David goes tight-lipping, sticking his thermos under his arm for a moment to adjust his scarf a little more snugly around his neck and lower face.]

In theory? Yes. I've...dabbled a tiny bit, but nothing like that.

[He is, however, learning how to fly, something he intends on surprising Wade with at some point. Once he nails it beyond 'hovering a few feet off the ground.']

[ Confusion flickers over his face, then he squints. Scrutinizing that defensive response, his gaze twitches out over the wintery wonderland that is this yard near the government-owned housing and then back to David as he tries to tuck his chin further into the depths of his scarf. ]

Oh, you're actually practicing?

[ A pause, and he draws closer. ]

You know, the sooner we're done here, the sooner we can go inside... oh, but you said it wasn't that kind of magic.

[ Looking at him over the lip of his drink, he tries to double down. ]

A little, [David hedges, watching Wade drawing closer and remembering suddenly his promise to warm him up after they were done. That's very tempting...

Ugh. If he weren't so thirsty all the time he wouldn't be in this mess.]

I...could try. I can't guarantee it won't be a disaster, though, as much as I'd love to live my Elsa fantasy.

[ Scratch that. It's not just being the guy who can make David get out of bed and reconfigure his routine, it's being the guy who does all that and encourages him out of his comfort zone. But even Deadpool thinks that it might be wishful thinking to go this far, to attribute David's change of heart about exploring those gem abilities with his own encouragement.

The closer he gets to him, however, the more he wonders if David's expression half-tucked behind his scarf isn't more vulnerable than guarded. He reaches out to pluck his thermos out of his hand and holds his own in the other. Sidling up to him, he gazes over the snowy yard near government-owned housing and looks at David out of the corner of his eye. ]

Do you think you can gather up snow and form it into a ball?

[ He has no idea how far along he is on the aforementioned practice, but he's very curious. ]

[He surrenders his mug reluctantly, his arms flapping once, helplessly at his side as he pivots to look over the yard dubiously.]

I make no promises. [But for you, I'll try, he thinks but doesn't say. David closes his eyes and holds his mitten-hands out, palms facing downward. Tries to straighten his spine, relax his shoulders. Thinks about the breeze, imagines wind rushing under his palms. Pushing the snow with its force...

Below, on the ground, a tiny whirl of powdery snow kicks up.]

[ Wade turns around, tracking where David seems to be concentrating, brimming with excitement as he braces himself for... Wait, was that seriously it? Wade's forehead wrinkles as his hairless brows lift. ]

Oh, don't strain yourself on my account.

[ Wade remarks, sarcastically pointing out the very lackluster demonstration of Amethyst control over wind. A moment later, his voice rises to a near-whine, trying to encourage him by being pretty much insufferable. ]

C'moooon, a fart can disturb more snow than that! Put your back into it!

[ You can do it! ]

[David grits his teeth, hearing Wade whine at him to try harder, and snaps,] Fuck off, I'm concentrating!

[He is! He's trying so hard! He makes himself tune out Wade's cajoling so he can double down on his focus, and after a full minute of increasingly deeper breaths, he can feel something happening. David thinks move snow with all his might, and when there's a give in the air beneath his palms, his lashes flutter open in time to see a snow drift forming where he's aiming, snow pushing up against itself.]

Ha! [he crows, not caring about the early hour and that his neighbors might not appreciate the noise. They can all fuck off, he's doing magic. He takes a few steps forward, growing a little more confident as he focuses on applying enough pressure to make the snow pack together.]

Eat your heart out, Elsa!

That's the spirit!

[ Despite all his teasing, Wade is tight with anticipation, feeling David's strain and sympathetically tensing all over as if that'll somehow transfer his support to him. All it does is ensure that when that tension finally snaps, he's right there with him in making every single person who isn't an early bird hate their fucking guts. ]

You show that that white shit who the real ice queen is!

[ He was going to clap, but his hands are full of coffee, the fun kind, and so he just has to content himself with lighthearted jabs. Let's face it, David isn't an ice queen. He's quite easy to fire up. ]

[It gets easier, after a few moments, like the strain of shifting your car into the next gear before it kicks in and everything is easy. He hits the plateau and releases a breath of relief, gaze darting excitedly to Wade to see his reaction, and laughs. A real laugh, because he's a grown-ass man from a completely normal place and he's actually doing magic. It's hitting him now in a way it hadn't when he'd practiced flying, for whatever reason, and it's kind of powerful.]

Holy fucking shit. [His voice is a little breathless with excitement. Slowly, the snow packs together into a decent-sized head for Wade's snowman body.]

[ Wade's jaw drops, watching that small swirl of snow grow and grow, shaping into a ball of wind-swept snow, tight enough to hold, certainly the right shape and size to serve as the perfect top of a snowman. Considering he still struggles with doing more than some light e-stim on command or heating up his internal body temperature to feverish levels without detrimental impact on his body.

In short, nothing he does compares to the feat of elemental control David just pulled off. ]

Holy fucking shit! [ He echoes, releasing a husky laugh as he opens his arms, a thermos in each hand. ] You did it, baby!

[ Come here before he decides to throw his arms around him and spill coffee everywhere! ]

[David's so excited about this, so giddy despite the cold and the early hour that he dances excitedly right into Wade's arms, wrapping his own around his middle.]

God, that was exhilarating! I feel like I could do anything right now. Is this how you feel when you, like, parkour off a building?

[ This right here, this giddy moment of shoes sliding through the powdery white snow at an hour that only grey light seems to filter through the haze of winter, it ranks up there as one of the happiest, most festive memories Wade can think of. He covets and keeps this memory as close to his heart as he dares to, despite his teasing. As David gives him a tight hug, he feels like his heart is about to burst. ]

Kinda? I mean, I don't really put much thought into it... but yeah, in the moment it's really fucking exhilarating, yeah!

[ A pause and he squeezes around him again. ]

Baby, you did way better than I was expecting. In a wonderful way.

[ Wade releases him, only to hand off the two thermos in his hands so he can retrieve the perfectly shaped snowman's head and place it right where it belongs. ]

Take these, and I'm going to give this snowman the head it was made for — [ Phrasing! ] And then after some decorating, I think it's high time we got you inside and warmed this frosty princess up! I would have said the D-word, but I'm pretty sure Disney + has my fucking number.

[Every so often, something happens that makes David forget he's supposed to be miserable and self-conscious all the time, and this is one of them. He doesn't care who sees him hugging his boyfriend excitedly in the street, because it's making life feel like it's worth living right now, and he needs to cling to that with everything he has.

He takes the coffees back and takes a celebratory sip from his mug, watching Wade crown the snowman with the head he'd formed. David laughs, nodding along with his plan.]

I think that sounds great. I did bring out a really beautiful purple carrot from my fridge for his nose, that's sort of phallic...

[ Wade pulls out the carrot. David is right — one of those short fuckers in Lord of the Rings would have surely commented on how perfect it's shape was, because damn. That is one bulbous, purple phallus. Wade's brows lift as he looks at him. ]

Jesus Christ. You're so perfect!

[ He'd dust off that reference of having built him in a computer but... wrong gender. Also, they should totally redo that movie and make it gender neutral. ]

It almost seems a waste not to make this his pecker, really give the neighbors something to talk about.

[ Wade holds his gaze for a moment and then makes an executive decision. By the time he's done, the snowman seems to be gazing up at the apartment complex, hands on snowy hips, scarf swaying like a cape, and a very keen carrot ding-dong standing at attention.

Wade slings and arm around David's shoulders as he takes a selfie with him with the snowman in full view. ]

Shall we go inside?

[He feels heat crawl up his neck, and it has nothing to do with the phallic nature of the carrot and everything to do with Wade calling him perfect. He hides how flustered he is in his usual way, which involves looking around awkwardly and wringing his hands.]

Look, if you have an...artistic vision for this snowman, by all means. Take the reins.

[And he does, and David adores him for the way he poses their creation as if to show off his giant purple dick. It's childish in a way he doesn't often get to be without intense scrutiny. The camera snaps a photo of the two of them and their snowman, David's mouth twisted up at the corner in a smirk, the expression of someone who's playing along and pretending not to enjoy it.

Immediately, he nods, breaking for the door because despite the fact that he's having fun, it is still fucking cold out here.]

Way ahead of you!

[ Making David squirm is quickly becoming one of his favorite pastimes, although that will quickly ramp up into something else entirely the moment their lady of birch rods makes an appearance in their dreams.

This picture, featuring David's lopsided and reluctant smile will find a special place on Wade's memory wall, along with any others he manages to capture, but the one with him and David in the same frame will take center stage for reasons he can really only feel and not say. But in this moment, he can follow him up to his beautifully appointed apartment and immediately set about helping him out of his wet clothes. ]

Let's put some hot cocoa on and watch something festive!

[ Wade doesn't even get to his own boots, he just dives right in to the laces of David's sneakers, pulling them off only to ask: ]

How soaked did these get? Two socks in?

[ It doesn't really matter, not when he is so quick to peel off his shoe and any socks underneath, and then applying his super-heated hands to his soaked feet. ]

...Better?

Oh, yes please.

[David drops his jacket, delighted by how Wade seems to have taken his promise to warm David up quite literally, not that he'll will ever complain about being waited on hand and foot like this. He watches his boyfriend peel off his wet shoes and socks, leaning against the wall of his foyers with has hands pressed against the wall.]

Not too bad—ooh, oh my God, that's incredible.

[ Grinning back up at him, he warms him enough to banish the worst of that creeping cold, then waves him off. ]

Okay, go get cozy, I'll bring the cocoa.

[ The Rift Transistor is a bit too heavy to lug around for each visit, but there are festive programs featuring local holidays that bear a fair resemblance to the ones they're accustomed to. Except the actors are usually gems, sometimes featuring the occasional gembonded. Wade trusts him to find something they could watch with divided attention. Wade will join him a moment later, steaming mugs in each hand smelling of rich chocolate. He sets one down on the coffee table, hands the other into David's waiting hands, and then takes a seat on the opposite side of the couch, putting his back to the armrest and making come-hither gestures with both hands. ]

Let's get the frost out, c'mon. Foot massage time.

Mmm, cozy. Right.

[Don't have to ask David twice. He goes into the living room, starts up the electric fireplace which he's constantly sad isn't a real one, and drags a pile of plush throw blankets over to the sofa from their nice little storage basket in the corner. By the time he's properly situated with some terrible gem-made holiday movie on TV, Wade comes over with hot cocoa and David feels, just for a tiny moment, like he could have it all. Like he could really have a life like this with someone.

Not just someone. God, he's fucked.

And now Wade is offering to give him foot massage, so he's double-fucked. David sighs, stretching out his feet to deposit them in Wade's lap.]

Okay, who did I blow in a past life to deserve this?

Probably Jesus, I always seem to come in a close second to that guy.

[ Meanwhile Wade is living his best domesticated and blissful life right now. It might just be one of those happy commercial breaks of an otherwise nonstop days of our shitty lives, but he's in too deep. Hopelessly head over heels, love-drunk and fucked. He doesn't know when he started to claim one mug of those in David's collection, or how he started to have his favorite spot on the couch, or a throw blanket he favored. How there's a side of the bed that's unspoken for yet still his, even if he doesn't live here. That there's literally nowhere on David's body that he wouldn't touch, not just because he's feeling horny at the time, but because he really, truly, deeply feels things for him. There's a less positive feeling too, like he's had it really fucking good, and wonders when the other shoe will drop. With Vanessa, it had been cancer and all the mistakes he's made. With David? Who knows.

But he wouldn't trade this for anything. ]

Ooh! You're feet are like ice! [ Grasping both in his hands, he floods Manna into them and becomes his personal furnace again as he presses his thumbs into his arches gently. ] But it was worth it, wasn't it? You built a fucking snowman. With your powers.

Well, as a half-Jewish Christian, all I can say is l'chaim.

[David sighs, letting his body go a little boneless as he sinks into the couch and Wade's hands begin blasting heat directly into his bones. His heart is racing and he tries to focus on Wade's hands working their magic on his icy-cold feet instead of the terrifying, tempting thoughts racing through his head.]

I did. I did do that. It was pretty fucking cool, wasn't it?

Not just pretty fucking cool, David. That was fucking incredible.

[ He pets the soles of his feet, fingers curling over his toes to bend them up so he can relax the tendons and muscles with heat as they stretch. He doesn't usually fuss with anyone's feet, but this is his boyfriend, so he gets the exclusive boyfriend experience. ]

At first, I didn't think you had it in you. But, baby... you proved me so wrong.

[ One hand supports the back of his heel while he rotates his foot, massaging his ankle. ]

How long have you been practicing for, anyway?

[David scoffs into his cocoa, but there's a swell of pride in his chest as Wade piles more praise onto him. He shrinks down into the oversized neck of his hoodie, as if hiding from all the nice things Wade is saying.]

It wasn't that impressive, [he dodges, before groaning softly at the TLC his feet are getting.]

Just a week or two. Taking baby steps. That's the most success I've had.

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'their nice little storage basket' excuse me their? THEIR???

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