wilbur hated the cold and everything that came with it, but you loved it. you loved the way the leaves turned from green to orange, the way the crisp air rustled the trees, then when the snow finally drifted down around you. winter was your favorite season, and you never wanted it to end.

this was your first winter with wilbur, and you both wanted to make it special. you knew he'd rather spend the months inside, covered in blankets, and he knew you craved the exact opposite. you both had plans that you kept from the other, until it came time for the perfect day.

and that day was today.

wilbur had been gone the majority of the day, and you were starting to get worried. the sun hadn't set yet, but he was never out this long, and he wasn't picking up his phone.

"will," you said, starting another voicemail, "please call me. where are you?"

you ended up sitting by the front door, knee bouncing up and down. checking your phone every minute only made it worse. you were about to leave and search for him when there was a knock on the front door.

moving quickly, you flung the front door open. wilbur nervously stood in front of you, snow clinging to the several layers of clothes he wore.

"finally! where the hell have you been?"

a confused look washed over his face. "what do you mean?"

"i've been calling you for a few hours now." you didn't mean to sound rude, but it had been quite annoying. "were you ... playing in the snow or something?"

wilbur grinned. "put on some more clothes. i have a surprise for you."

you were intrigued, and went to do as he said, possibly putting on more layers than needed. you slipped a woolen beanie on your head as you met him back at the front door.

"okay, what's the surprise?"

instead of answering, he grabbed your hand and pulled you away from your home and into the forest. the two of you ran for a few minutes before reaching a small field.

he let go of your hand, spreading his arms. "surprise!"

he had managed to build a ramp for sledding and an area for a snowball fight, all out of snow. your eyes widened in amazement.

"you did this? for me?"

"of course!" wilbur scratched the back of his neck. "we haven't really gotten out of the house, and i know how much you love the snow."

you glanced back and forth between wilbur and the things he built. he looked both nervous and confident, but you easily wiped the nervousness away when you threw a snowball at his face.

"hey!" he shouted, but you were already racing to one of the forts. he chased after you, only to be pelted by another snowball. he ducked behind his own fort and began making 'ammo' to throw at you, while you did the same.

there was a moment of silence in the field, before you peeked your head up and got hit square in the face. "motherfucker!"

the two of you raced around the makeshift arena, wilbur even running up the ramp to throw snowballs down at you. he lost sight of you until you dropped snow down the back of his sweater.

"fuck! that's freezing!" he said, attempting to get it out as you laughed.

"that's for scaring me earlier!"

you were crafting another snowball when you realized wilbur had gone silent. he remained where he was when the snow went down his sweater, but he wasn't moving.

"...will?" you stood, leaving the snowball on the ground, and carefully approached him. "are you okay?"

there was no response. you moved to be in front of him, when you noticed his unfocused eyes, and you realized what was going on.

"shit," you mumbled, reaching a hand out to touch his arm. "hey, will? let's get inside, yeah?" he didn't move. you wiped your glove off on your pants and used it to touch his cheek. "will?"

he seemed to unfreeze then, eyes becoming clearer and staring at you. he blinked a few times and leaned into your hand when he was fully back.

"i'm sorry." his voice was so small you had trouble hearing it.

"it's okay, will. let's get inside and warm you up." you slid your hand down to his, intertwining your fingers. he stepped closer and you took that as the chance to slowly bring him back to your house.

once inside, you helped him take off some of his clothes and sat him down on the couch. he wrapped himself in blankets, staring at the fire, and you quickly went to go make hot chocolate. while you waited, you decided to also make one of your comfort foods during the cold months: s'mores.

you brought two mugs and a plate full of s'mores over to wilbur, who snapped out of his trance faster this time. he opened the blankets and let you in, snuggling up against you.

it was quiet, aside from the soft sounds of the two of you eating and the crackling of the fire. you knew he would talk about it if he wanted, and didn't ever pressure him to.

while something happened to him several years ago, he was still affected by it. it was a clear sign of PTSD, and he would occasionally dissociate when reminded of what happened.

"it was so cold," he said suddenly.

you picked your head up from his shoulder, but didn't say anything.

"i was so cold. i don't like being cold. it reminds me of it, and i just..."

"hey," you said softly. "i won't stop you if you want to get it out, but you don't have to tell me. it isn't something i have to know, especially if it's traumatic."

he let out a shaky breath. "thank you."

"thank you, will. you've changed my life in the best ways. hell, you went out of your way to make me happy even though... y'know. you didn't ruin the day, and i'm glad we can cuddle in front of the fire."

"me, too." a smile formed on his face and he shifted to face you, giving you a brief kiss before shoving his face in your shoulder.

the last thing wilbur was expecting when he broke into entered yet another home was for the owner to welcome him. they gave him a worried look when they saw him and immediately asked if he needed blankets.

of course, he said yes.

the owner moved quickly about his home, grabbing as many blankets as possible. his AC didn't go too far up and he was cold himself, but the man who broke into his home was shivering and dusted with layers of snow.

wilbur was instructed to lay on a heap of pillows and blankets on the couch front of the fireplace while his host covered him in the rest of the blankets. they made sure he was comfortable and no longer shaking, then went to brew hot chocolate, keeping an eye on the man.

"what's your name?" they asked.

he hesitated. "...will." he knew he could trust him at least with that, even if it wasn't his full first name. his host seemed harmless, simply wanting to make sure he was okay.

"nice to meet you, will," they said, and told him their name. the hot chocolate finished as they did, and they brought over two steaming mugs, sitting down next to him and handing him a mug. they were wrapped in a thick coat and boots, but clearly still cold.

wilbur set his mug on a table after taking a long sip. he moved the blankets to form an area where his host could sit next to him. they raised their eyebrows at him.

"it'd be easier if we shared warmth, right? human contact, and all that..."

his host contemplated for a moment before sitting down in the nest of blankets, wrapping them around himself. wilbur slowly laid an arm on his shoulders, and he leaned closer.

both had red cheeks, which could be easily blamed on the freezing weather.

the sky was dark outside. his host shifted, setting their now-empty mug on the table, then moved impossibly closer to argbur. they sleepily wrapped their arms around him, likely not even realizing it. they were asleep within a few minutes.

wilbur was hyper-aware of every place their bodies touched, and he held his breath to not disrupt his host's sleep. he looked too peaceful, with his head laying on wilbur's shoulder and legs nearly in his lap.

he could fall asleep like this, if it wasn't for his neck. it was beginning to hurt. perhaps his host wouldn't mind if they were lying on the couch... it would be much more comfortable.

he shifted them so they were next to each other, but they had other plans, even in their sleep. they somehow managed to roll onto his body, head resting on his chest. either it was a coincidence, or they weren't really asleep. no matter what, wilbur would not move them.