"-'re expecting to see up to twelve inches of snow this weekend, starting with on and off flurries throughout today. Storms are likely to pick up around 5pm tomorrow with full blizzards hitting Maple Bay around 9pm. Temperatures will continue to drop..."

A quiet news report talking about the weather forecast was interrupted by a cute yawn from Cream Cheese. He got up from his igloo-shaped pet bed to trudge along the mattress. The small bell on his collar jingled with each tiny step taken. He moved until he was able to traverse the narrow space separating two bodies still tangled together. Cream Cheese sniffed at their clothes to identify who was who based on their scents. He settled down between them with a happy squeak. 

Roman could feel soft fur rubbing against his chin in an affectionate manner. A light kiss was pressed against the ferret's head in silent greeting.

"Morning," Jensen spoke up, his voice deep and scratchy from sleep.

He was only given a raspy hum in response. The arm draped over his stomach tightened to keep him from moving. A light weight on his chest further snuggled into him to remain in a comfortable position.

Aside from minor adjustments, Roman didn't move. It was clear he still felt groggy and needed some time to wake up.

Insistent grazes against his scalp made him grumble. "Stop."

"But you're already awake."

"I'm not awake until I'm out of bed. You're keeping me warm. So, we're not getting up yet."

"Using me as your personal heater? I'm offended."

"You weren't offended last night when you offered to do it."

"...Okay, you got me there."

Chuckling, Jensen shifted from being on his back to lying on his side. His torso was propped up by putting his weight onto his elbow. Delicate fingers ran along the skin of Roman's bare forearm where last night's dress shirt had ridden up while he slept. 

Tired eyes fluttered open. They took in Jensen's handsome face as several curls fell past his ear to shield a portion of his right eye.  A hand was brought up to keep the strands from obstructing his vision. 

Roman's slender fingers beat him to it. 

Jensen's cheek was cupped. He melted into the soft touch with a fond smile.

"Tell me. How much of last night do you remember?"

Glancing between honey-colored eyes, Roman pulled them closer until their lips met. Jensen chased after him to lengthen their kiss when Roman tried to separate a quick peck. One turned to two, three; then, the ability to count or focus on anything else disappeared.

They rested their foreheads against each other to simply revel in the other person's touch.

"I remember everything. And I can't stress how much I appreciate you still treating me the way you did before."

Jensen nuzzled the palm cradling his face. "Nothing has to change if you don't want it to. I told you, we can take this as slow as you'd like. If you want to kiss me, kiss me. If you want to touch me, touch me. But don't try to push yourself past what's comfortable just because you think I want it. Okay?"

Roman's eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty.

He appreciated having the authority to say how things would progress. Having at least a semblance of control in his life after everything had spiraled out of control was invigorating. 

Still, Jensen was being selfless to a fault.

"This isn't just about me, though," Roman reminded him. "It's not just about what I want. I know you have cravings too."

Jensen shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I said, all I ask of you is for your time. Besides, just because we're taking things slow doesn't mean I'm missing out. I wanted to give you my first kiss last night, and you took it a lot better than I expected. I'm happy with that."

Roman's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Your first..? No."

"Yeah," Jensen answered with a shy laugh. "You took my first kiss."

"No way."

"Yes way. What, is it that hard to believe I've never kissed anyone before?"

Roman fumbled, shaking his head to gather his thoughts a little better. "Look at you. I'm sure tons of people had crushes on you while growing up. You can't possibly tell me that no one- not one person- ever came up to you to confess their feelings."

"Oh, they did. But, again, I don't put my trust in many people. My friends- they earned it over time. I just never connected with someone to the point of actively wanting to pursue any romantic stuff. I never let them get close enough."

"...Huh."

Roman was shocked. Honestly. He knew Jensen liked him to a certain extent. Roman just hadn't realized how much of an impact his presence had. He never thought he would ever be seen as a rare treasure to the person who meant exactly that to him.

If Jensen hadn't ever kissed anyone before, chances were he hadn't...

Roman felt unworthy. Unworthy, yet extremely honored.

"...If you ever think that I'm moving too fast, you'll let me know, right?"

Jensen's eyebrows rose, unprepared to hear those words.

"You? Moving too...oh." Toying with his fingers showed him mentally connecting the dots. "Yeah, I am a virgin. I'm not as innocent as you might be thinking, though. I experiment by myself. If we ever get to the point of things getting frisky between us, I'm sure I'll be ready."

"And you'll tell me if you're not?"

"Yeah. I promise." Jensen flashed a smile while interlocking their pinkies together. "I'm assuming you'll want to keep all this on the downlow?"

"If that's okay."

"Yeah, totally. I may sneak in a kiss or two when no one is looking. We'll be super discreet in public otherwise." A gentle peck was pressed against Roman's nose. "Now. Not to ruin our really sweet moment or anything. I just really gotta pee."

Roman playfully rolled his eyes. The pillow closest to him was pushed into Jensen's face. Cream Cheese saw an opportunity to attack his owner, so he wiggled his butt and pounced onto Jensen's stomach. The barrage of attacks sent him sprawling backward with a laugh.

Cream Cheese was given a proud smooch on his tiny forehead. Roman cradled the ferret near his chest. He aimed to get across the room where Pumpkin and Mocha's cage was kept to give them their morning cuddles. Checking their food supply was on the agenda too to see if they'd need a refill for a hearty and nutritious breakfast. 

Roman only moved into a seated position when his arm got grabbed.

"Um, Ro? You- uh- you might want to go look in the mirror. Like, right now."

"What? Why?"

Jensen sheepishly scratched at his cheek. "I...might've been a little, erm...rough. Last night."

Roman narrowed his eyes in confusion. As requested, he went to the bathroom to figure out what exactly was wrong. 

Nothing prepared him for the absolute shock which ran through his body upon seeing his reflection.

There, on a majority of the right side, his neck was covered in hickeys. Vibrant reds and purples blossomed along his skin in small splotches. They weren't painful to touch when smoothing a thumb over colorful marks. Nor were they bumpy or ridged to show that skin had been broken from being too forceful. There were a lot of them, however; in a very noticeable spot.

Jensen appeared in the reflection with an apologetic chuckle. "Ahaha...oops."

"Yeah." Roman snorted. "Oops."

*

Light humming greeted Roman on his way down the stairs. His fingers toyed with the ribbed fabric of a slightly too large turtleneck which didn't belong to him. The material felt cozy against his skin. It was warm and smelled of freshly done laundry too, meaning the shirt had been tossed in the drier before he received his borrowed outfit for the day.

How thoughtful.

He caught sight of Jensen washing a few plastic containers in the sink, most likely from some leftovers which had been placed in Cream Cheese's food bowl.

In an attempt to get more comfortable with initiating physical displays of affection, Roman walked forward. His thinner arms wrapped around a slim waist to give a gentle hug from behind. His racing heart and hot ears were ignored to focus on the feeling of a solid body against his.

"Do you think your friends will find it weird that I'm wearing your clothes?"

Jensen shook his head. "We swap stuff all the time- it won't be a big deal. Feel free to keep the long sleeve, though. I have a bunch more. Plus, I've been meaning to give it to you since you like it so much."

Roman smiled, smushing the cheek resting against Jensen's shoulder blade. "This is my favorite shirt to see you in. It would defeat the purpose if you let me keep it."

"I can always get another one. Then, we could match."

"...You're such a sweetheart. I really don't understand what I did to make you like me-"

Roman's arm was pulled. His body was maneuvered to press his lower back against the edge of the counter. His hands braced against the surface in surprise. An involuntary gasp was sucked in as his chin was guided upward. The space in front of him was crowded with an arm boxing him in on his left side.

Jensen glanced below eye level before allowing their gazes to meet. 

"I know it takes time for you to learn how to love yourself when life has constantly fucked you over. I hope you can believe me, though, when I tell you you're stunning in your own special way. And I'm not just talking about the way you look."

Roman's lips tightened into a thin line, shedding light on his obvious hardship about being praised, liking it, and not knowing how to react.

"We can work on you learning to accept compliments. In the meantime..."

Jensen leaned down at a purposely sluggish, teasing pace. He licked his lips and brought the bottom one between his teeth.

A cunning smirk being flashed made butterflies swarm in Roman's stomach. "You're pretty greedy. You must've wanted to kiss me for a long time."

"Is that a problem?"

Quite the contrary, actually. Roman was flattered. People had shown interest in him before. It was just that no one had ever been so forward with their flirting toward him. Anyone with a one-sided crush would give timid compliments on, in their words, his "striking" facial features. His ex-girlfriend's mannerisms were extremely shy before they got together; and, after the fact, her attraction was only shown whenever she wanted something sexual. 

Jensen was the first person to act so bold, as well as having temptation stem from more than just outward appearances.

Being called "stunning" by someone so utterly gorgeous gave Roman a huge confidence boost.

"It's not a problem at all. Here, why don't I show you..."

Jensen's shirt collar was tugged to drag him closer for a kiss. Breathless laughter morphed into pleased sighs with each wet smack of their lips. The hand holding Roman's chin settled on the side of his jaw and neck, putting light pressure on several hidden love bites. He retaliated by weaving his fingers through Jensen's hair and lightly tugging.

Jensen let out a quiet, shaky moan. He pressed their lips together a bit harder, successfully drawing a shiver out of Roman.

"Jay!~ You ready to party? Because I certainly a-"

Roman and Jensen separated upon hearing a loud, excited voice. They were both shocked to see none other than Christopher standing in the front entryway.

Chestnut brown eyes darted between both people. His slackened jaw in bewilderment turned into a smug, rather proud smirk.

Christopher let go of the door knob. He reached into his coat's pocket to take out a leather wallet. His thumb and pointer finger dug through its contents with haste. 

Roman had to do a double take when several condoms were tossed onto the sofa.

"You weren't responding to my texts telling you I was on the way. Now I see why. That was my bad. So sorry to interrupt your moment," Christopher teased, tiptoeing out of the house. "I'll just head back over to my place until you guys are done. Have fu- fuck!"

Christopher narrowly missed getting struck in the head by a plastic container by ducking. He made a direct beeline for the dining room as Jensen leaped over the couch. Both men circled around opposite sides of the table, one with the intention of pursuing and the other with the intention of escaping. One of the chairs was pulled out to put extra distance between them.

"Hey, man, it's not my fault your door was unlocked-"

"You could've knocked-"

"When have I ever knocked instead of letting myself in-"

"Kiss my entire ass, Pher."

"Ask nicely."

Jensen lunged with impressive speed. He tossed Christopher over his shoulder in one swift movement to keep him from running. A hard slap on his thigh made him bust out into hearty laughter.

"Okay, okay, my bad, Jay." Christopher propped his head up onto his hand, offering a wide, friendly smile. "Hi, Roman. I'm Chris Dominguez. My buddies call me Pher. I live across the street, a few houses down. Lovely day we're having, isn't it?"

Roman blinked. "Hi, Pher. And, yeah, I guess so."

"Nice, nice. So, erm, could you kindly get your guard dog to calm down? Being in this position is starting to make my feet fall asleep-"

"I'll do you one better," Jensen interrupted.

Christopher was dumped on the center cushion of the couch. He rolled onto the floor in an ungraceful heap with a snort. Wavy hair - no longer dark green but a vibrant blue - was pushed out of his face to let him see clearly.

An outstretched hand pulling him to his feet again was met with a softer expression. "You guys ready to go? Everybody should be getting to the restaurant soon."

"Yeah, just give me two seconds to get some socks on," Jensen answered, bringing his attention to Roman. "You can take my letterman jacket, okay? It should be warm enough for the snow. I'll be right back."

Roman flashed a dual thumbs up.  

Jensen heading upstairs was followed by overwhelming silence.

Even though Christopher was a friend, he was still a stranger to Roman. He had concerns about things feeling awkward; especially considering the scene Christopher walked in on. Getting caught had been embarrassing. It was also scary since they'd agreed to be quiet about their new relationship arrangements for Roman's comfort.

Christopher knowing opened the door for problems to arise.

Roman's discomfort made it harder for him to formulate the explanation he needed to give.

"Um, Pher, about earlier-"

"I won't tell anyone."

Christopher leaned against the back of the couch and fiddled with the edge of a pillow. He glanced between Roman's eyes with a look of understanding.

"We've all known about Jay's crush on you for a while. He's never gushed about someone this hard before. He's always really excited when he brings you up, so that made me think the reason something hadn't happened between you two is you either didn't like him like that, or you weren't ready. My first assumption is clearly wrong. And if it's the case of you not being ready, then no one has to know. Besides, it's not my place to bring it up anyway. It's not my relationship."

Roman's tense shoulders sagged in relief.

Their interaction, although brief, revealed why Jensen was friends with Christopher.

"Jay has a fragile heart. Our friend group is small for a reason. He doesn't open up easily," Christopher explained with a distant look in his eye. "But if you take care of him, he'll take care of you. Whatever happens between you two, I know you'll be in good hands. I just hope that you'll keep him safe in yours too."

Roman wasn't given a chance to respond because steps going down the stairs were heard. He quickly took the letterman jacket off of the coat rack to drape it over his shoulders. A heavy bomber jacket was grabbed as well.

Jensen approached, eyes lighting up at the sight of Roman's smaller form in more of his clothes. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Roman opened up the bomber jacket to help with putting it on. "I'm ready whenever you are."