#...curr?

The makeshift curtain that you're trying to place on the broken window flutters from the icy wind outside and lets the snow easily slip inside, the snowflakes hitting you in the face. With a huff, you stop and look down at the snowy landscape. This old, abandoned castle is ill-suited for such weather, and the cold stones do nothing to keep the warmth inside. You suppose that's why they gave it to you.

After all, angels don't care about the cold.

You look back at where Opiel sits. They're hoarded all blankets and cloth they could find, almost taking those that you used as curtains, and now they sit on top of it all and wrap themself in it.

You purse your lips and arch your eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"It's cold. I'm trying to make it less cold," they answer, their head hidden behind the cloth.

You glance at the fire in the fireplace, the small flame dancing from the wind. Your brows furrow. "We have fire... And why do you care about the cold anyway?"

"I'm not as used to cold as you... I spent too much time in Hell," they say with their voice muffled by the blanket. "And it's still cold here. Don't you feel it?"

"Feeling it and caring about it are different things." It's true that your feathers are still puffed out, and there are goosebumps on your skin, but it doesn't matter to you. Why would it?

But it does matter to Opiel. And you can't deny that being warm is better than being cold...

You watch them drape another blanket over themself, fully covering their wings in the process. Opiel looks more like a tent than an angel now. You sigh and then come closer to them. A big pile of cloth with an angel in the center of it.

"Either you cuddle me, or stop hogging all the blankets."

It's either keep them warm by yourself or use all the blankets they hoard for something else. Maybe the fact that they took all rugs makes this place colder. Or maybe you could add more curtains to the windows.

They stick their head out of a blanket and look up to you, a frown on their face. "I'm not hog-" they stop mid-sentence, eyes wide and mouth slack. "Huh? What? Cu- Cuddle?"

"Isn't it the way you can keep warm? Through body heat?"

They blink at you slowly before they nod enthusiastically. "Y-yes!"

But you can't do that while you're in your armor, can you?

It will take a while to remove the armor, your hands behind your back working all the straps. You shake your head when Opiel tries to get up and help you.

When you finally get rid of most metal from your upper body and move your hands towards your legs, Opiel speaks up. "That's fine, you don't have to..." they pause and look away from you before they give you a pleading look. "I am cold."

You suppose it's their way of saying "get in here". With rolling eyes, you carefully settle down on one of the blankets. For a moment, you both sit like that, only crackling fire and howling wind breaking the silence.

Until Opiel moves closer to you, slowly, waiting for your response. When you lift your arms to just drag them closer, it doesn't take long for them to jump at you.

Wrapping their hands around you, right below your wings, they push their face into your padded shirt. They let out a content sigh. Your heart starts to beat faster, and you already feel much warmer than a moment before.

Ignoring this feeling, you wrap your arms around them. You can feel how Opiel's tunic isn't made for this kind of weather at all. "You know, maybe you should find better clothes." You only get a hum as a response.

"I take it you feel better now?" you whisper.

Their arms tighten around you. They let out another hum, close to a sigh.

You fight a shiver and try to keep your voice straight. "Good."

Opiel is warm in your arms, a soft purr rumbling in their throat. You let yourself smile, knowing they won't see it, and stroke their hair.