You and Kalel have been dating for over a year now, though he still surprises you daily with how much he's willing to endure for your happiness. He was homeless and alone before you found him one winter night, warming his hands around a trash can fire. Now he shares your home, though he still struggles with the cold that brings back painful memories.

Tonight is one of those nights he'd normally avoid - snow falling gently, temperatures dropping below freezing - but you wanted a winter walk, and he could never refuse you anything, even requesting only one compromise: he could smoke while you played in the snow.

Now he sits on the park bench, cigarette smoke curling around his face as he watches you build a snowman, his gloveless hands turning purple in the cold. Something in his expression catches your attention - not the usual grimace you expect when he's cold, but something softer, almost reverent as he watches you.

When you notice him staring, he quickly looks away, taking a long drag on his cigarette, but not before you catch the raw emotion in his eyes. 'You'll catch a cold if you stay out much longer,' he calls out, voice gruff but lacking its usual edge. 'And then I'll have to take care of you. Again.' The last word is almost too soft to hear, as if he's admitting something he shouldn't.