Frostbitten (Livingstill x Tobei)The temperature outside was practically in the negatives tonight, thanks to the snow and the high winds, the time being far after dark.

Dr. Livingstill made the mistake of staying in the research facility later. General Yamazaki had warned him about doing so, especially with the holidays right around the corner. No one in the facility would be available to drive him home and other drivers were no doubt occupied.

If not that, then at the very least, most potential pick-up drivers would be too intimidated by the doctor, seeing him in the dark of night, looking like a corpse.

Under normal circumstances, Dr. Livingstill would just sleep in the lab if the weather was too disastrous, but he had to pick up grocery supplies for himself since he had failed to do so earlier that week. He was going to have to walk home. Nothing an oversized coat couldn’t handle even if it weighed Livingstill down.

…

Okay, he was going to have to make it to the store, take his time to warm up in there, and hopefully hurry back home. He underestimated just how cold it was, what’s worse is the fact the doctor wasn’t physically fit or healthy.

_________________________

He can see his breath. The store is right there in reach, thank the Great Inko for a twenty-four-seven establishment

Just as Dr. Livingstill places his hands on the door, he sees a familiar glow in the corner of his eye. Sparkling along the sidewalk like Christmas lights, a shine that Dr. Livingstill is all too familiar with.

“Tobei…”

He could go inside, grab what he needed and warm up, at the risk of letting Doc Tobei slip from his grasp once again. Or he could power through the weather, grab Tobei, strangle that sneaky rat bastard, and be done with it. Livingstill would probably be seen, but it’s nothing the government can’t silence.

He can feel his blood rushing. He won’t freeze, not until he gets his hands on Tobei

Dammit, why did he have to be so fast even though his legs were so short Maybe the coat was just holding Dr. Livingstill back

He tries his hardest to not get the attention of his former coworker. Silently stalking him like a shadow. It becomes a bit harder to breathe from the chill.

The veins in his head are starting to throb. It’s just because he’s so infuriated to see Tobei after so long, right

How long is he going to keep the chase up Where has that idiot decided to hole up and hide Livingstill knows he changed his home address and wiped his slate clean to start over

Dr. Livingstill despises Tobei. The little coward couldn’t just accept his fate and…

The light becomes blurry.

He falls over.

_________________________

Opening his eyes, Dr. Livingstill finds himself back in his own home.

He recognizes the scent of chemicals and the papers scattered around. The doctor’s heavy coat had been removed along with his boots, but now he was wrapped in blankets, exposing only his face.

“Hello”

Dr. Livingstill cringes when he recognizes that chipper, cheerful voice. He spins around, seeing Doc Tobei holding a tea tray.

“You— What are you doing in my home” Livingstill prepares to free himself of the blankets.

“Ah, ah, not so fast, doctor.” Tobei scolds him and then sighs. “You were following me, weren’t you Thinking you could finally get your revenge after I got away all that time ago You almost froze out there.”

Livingstill pauses, lacking the strength to strangle his old coworker.

“You fainted on the ground with a loud thud. Luckily, I knew someone who was willing to give us both a ride back to your place.”

“How did you get into my home” Dr. Livingstill growls. “And why am I at my house rather than—”

“I’m not risking you finding out where I live,” Tobei replies. “Furthermore, you left your keys in your coat pocket. Not exactly hard to get in here, hm” He says it in such a cheeky way that Dr. Livingstill hates it. “You know it isn’t wise to be out in this weather. I’m fine because I have a built-in heating lamp” Tobei’s body then proceeds to glow a warm red, he places the tea tray down next to Dr. Livingstill.

Freeing his arm from the blanket prison, Dr. Livingstill reaches over, hesitant to drink the beverage. He knows it’s the type that he keeps, but…

“You didn’t drug or poison this, did you”

“Why would I do that” Tobei huffs. “I mean, I could imagine pranking you, sure, but right now you seem pretty miserable as it is. You could have died out there.”

“I was out picking things up I had failed to buy sooner,” Livingstill scoffs. “Is it so wrong for me to assume you would take this as an excuse to finish me off so I never get back at you ever again In fact, you could have just let me die back outside, but instead, you drag me back to my own home and— you sorted my papers”

Tobei rubs his dome head and sighs, exhausted with the fellow scientist. “Reiji, you are a horrible human being. You kill people for research or if they slightly disagree with you. You use liquefaction as a solution for every problem you come across, rather than trying to help those in need as I did.”

He then waves his bear staff around, tapping it against the floor.

“But I could never hate you. You have tried my life and many others, and you have proven to be absolutely immoral, yet I don’t hate you. Hating you and wishing the worst would make me no better than you are right now. I don’t want to see you harmed or dead, no matter how much you wish the same upon me.”

…

“Oh, and yes, your home is hazardous for walking.” Tobei then gently bonks Dr. Livingstill on the head with his staff, chuckling. “Anyway, I shall stay here and monitor you until you are well. Then I’ll make my escape”

Dr. Livingstill wants to lash out, but all that comes out of him is a weak cough. He drinks his tea and shuts up.

“With the way you are right now, I suspect you’ll be frozen all Christmas Eve”

What Tonight was—

Ugh, no wonder General Yamazaki wasn’t at the facility all day.

But furthermore, having Tobei in here meant…

Dr. Livingstill hides his face under the blankets, refusing to let Tobei see this side of him. He had often opened his mouth around others to proclaim that Tobei would be his, something that the Crusaders learned to joke about. Now they were going to have even more material to work with if this got out.

But a part of him, deep down just wants to…

“Tobei” Dr. Livingstill asks. “You have a heating lamp built in you”

He nods in that usual, air-headed, oblivious way.

“Can you come closer”

“Reiji, I’m not going to risk you attempting murder.” Despite that, he follows through with the request.

Swallowing his gut, Dr. Livingstill gets his arms out and wraps them around Tobei. Slowly, gently, very unlike himself. He hugs him, keeping the smaller scientist close.

Ah, he is pretty warm… perhaps, just this once, they could doze off together like this.

No one had to find out.