Lina sneezed and rubbed her arms, trying to regain the feeling in her frozen limbs while loudly cursing the blizzard that raged around her. Zelgadis glanced over to her curiously, doing his best to block the cold from his mind.
"You're just taking cold air into yourself by talking so much," he commented. She glared at him, an act that went totally ignored.
"You're not doing anything the better the situation," she snapped. He shrugged, repressing the urge to shiver and mimic her tactics for relieving stress. Luckily, his keen sight caught the edge of the almost drift covered cabin over the next ridge.
"Lina." He nudged her, and she looked up expectantly. "there's a cabin up ahead. Let's see if we can take shelter in there, at least until the storm ceases."
"A cabin?" A smile broke across her face. "Great! Let's pick up the pace, ne, Zel?"
"As you wish." He assented. "However, it is still some distance away."
"Damn." Her smile quickly vanished.
"I'd agree with you, but I have a better idea." He almost smirked, but did not let his mirth escape his cerulean eyes.
"Zel... what are you plotting?" Lina raised an eyebrow, then let out an undignified squeak ass he threw her over his shoulder and began to plow through the knee-deep snow with his demon speed.
She was still swearing when he closed the door of the cabin behind him, in effort to seal the minimal heat in.
"Zelgadis..." she shot him a dark glare, which he completely ignored in his search for something to use as firewood.
"Nothing," he grumbled, "except this blanket." His scowl almost sent the temperature plummeting.
"That's it?" Flame red eyebrows furrowed to express her displeasure.
"There's no where near hear to get firewood, Lina." He shuddered. "Not without freezing to death in the process." He chucked the blanket to her, and she caught it with a look of surprise. She glanced to him to speak of her confusion, but he was already leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
"Zel?" The chimera made no response to his name. "Zel?"
"What?" he finally grunted, still not opening his eyes.
"Aren't you cold?" She offered him the cloth, to which he snorted and waved it away.
"What would I need a blanket for?" He muttered. "My skin is stone. A little chill won't kill me." She wrapped the cover around herself, curled into a tight ball, and feigned sleep. Zelgadis, hearing her breathing even out, released his iron grip on his frigid muscles, and allowed himself the luxury of a few silent shivers.
"Ah-HA!" She leapt up, turning on him in an instant. "I knew it! You're just as cold as I am!" The chimera could only stare on with large, startled eyes.
"Lina..." He bowed his head, arms rigid at his sides. "You're supposed to be sleeping, not criticizing me for how I chose to do certain tasks."
"Admit it, Zel, you're freezing, too." She crossed her arms over her chest, fixing him with a Look. "I'm going to keep bothering you until you 'fess up."
"Fine!" He exploded emotionally. "I'm freezing my ass off. Is that what you wanted to hear? You win, Lina. I give up."
There was a long moment of silence, during which Zelgadis never looked up. He didn't want to have to see her smirking face, mocking his loss of temper.
He nearly jumped out of his stone skin when she wrapped her blanket-draped arms around him.
"Stupid." She chuckled. "I wasn't playing for winning. I want to share. There's enough to share, besides, two bodies and a blanket keep heat better than just one."
"I don't see how this will... work..." The sudden rush of blood to his cheeks stung, the cold was so great as to make blushing painful. Lina had situated herself in his lap, arms draped around his neck. To add to his predicament, she was already asleep, which increased the chance of being Fireball-ed when she awoke.
Zelgadis sighed, attempting to recline against the wall without jolting the petite red-head. Finally into a somewhat comfortable position, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist and kissed the top of her head. He inhaled the soft aroma of sunny afternoons that seemed to follow her eternally, and smiled when she snuggled closer to his now warm body.
Oh well, he thought, she may toast me in the morning, but I'm going to enjoy tonight.