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Glisten's hands feel like they're seconds away from falling off because of how chilly it is.
Maybe "chilly" is an understatement. It's freezing.
It shouldn't be this cold in the elevator, he thinks distantly, exhaling a breath that dissipates as quickly as it came in a small white cloud. It shouldn't be this cold at all!
It's not that Glisten isn't used to the sudden drop in temperature—he's absolutely been cold before with little to no complaints—but this is just overdoing it, and he feels like the crazy one for visibly shaking while no other Toons seem to be sharing his sentiment. He's even wearing a jacket as sparkly and ostentatious as ninety-percent of his wardrobe, but it's only serving to make him feel fashionable (that's a given) and unreasonably cold.
Glisten sighs for what has to have been the fiftieth time in five minutes and rubs his hands together as if he can start a mini fire through sheer will alone. Before he can give up and succumb to his fate of becoming a sparkly Popsicle, an impossibly warm hand wraps around one of his wrists, but it feels like warmth is spreading through his entire body with the small gesture.
Right. He forgot he wasn't alone.
"How are you so warm?" Glisten asks with a more relaxed sigh, pressing his body against Gingers’. "You feel like a touchable furnace. This is unfair."
Ginger pulls Glisten closer and adjusts his jacket with her free hand. "I could ask the opposite of you. Are you not used to the temperature?"
Glisten scoffs; it's half-hearted and sounds more like a defeated exhale. "Noooo, shaking and chattering your teeth is just a new trend. A very popular winter trend." He playfully glares at Ginger when she giggles. "You should try it. We could both be cold– trendy together."
"I'll have to give it a try when we're finished here." As if on cue, the elevator dings as it finally stops on a new floor. Ginger's arm slides off of Glisten's shoulders. "We can head back up after this one."
Glisten goes back to rubbing his hands. "Please. I'm sure the lobby would be better than this wintry hell."
The elevator door lifts open (it takes a few seconds longer than usual - is the temperature affecting it as well?) and Glisten nearly flinches at the violent assault of both the sudden frigid air and the harsh light practically shooting down from the ceiling.
He blinks hard and looks away, catching Ginger's concerned stare and offering a reassuring smile. As he looks back at the floor, he freezes before he can lift a foot.
"…Is that ice?"
Ginger follows his surprised stare. "Oh! Yes, that area used to be a skating rink. At least is isn't covering the entire floor."
The elevator starts to close and both of them quickly step out, allowing Glisten to get a better look at his surroundings. It doesn't take long to realize that this entire floor is new and unfamiliar. It's Christmas-themed, yes, but not the same Christmas floor as the one he was used to.
Honestly, the ice should have been a bigger giveaway.
"Well, how are we supposed to skate over it if we don't have…" Glisten gestures at his feet. "Y'know. Skates."
"Well…" Ginger looks around, unfortunately not spotting any stray skates, before her eye lights up in that achingly familiar way it does when she has an idea. "We could slide over it!"
Glisten briefly stops admiring the other toon to tilt his head. "Slide over it?" He repeats skeptically. "Won't we slip?"
Ginger is already stepping forward, using the railing behind her as leverage. "It won't hurt to try, and besides, I don't hear any Twisteds. Maybe could practice a bit if we ever end up on this floor again."
Glisten crosses his arms - partly because he's still freezing, but mostly out of uncertainty. He glances at Ginger's face and doesn't catch a glimpse of any of the shy facial expressions he's gotten so used to seeing; she looks confident and in her element and Glisten feels so out of place. He looks at the ceiling again, squinting against the bright light, and almost swears he can see snowflakes.
How would it even snow inside?
Glisten looks away with a huff, mumbling something about "this entire floor being a contradiction", but then Ginger is holding her hand out for him to grab, and Glisten falls silent. He knows he could decline and find some type of staircase, but he hesitates. He sighs. He walks forward and grabs Ginger's hand.
Ginger gently pulls him onto the ice and lets go of the railing. They both stumble and nearly fall face-first, but by some miracle, Ginger rights herself and Glisten quickly follows, his arms wrapping around her waist to support himself. Ginger does the same and Glisten forgets about how cold he was just seconds prior.
His breath hitches almost imperceptibly as they lock eyes. Ginger looks ethereal under the lighting, barely looking away from Glisten, even as her face flushes a soft red. Her eye shimmers with several emotions at once, varying degrees of wavering confidence and anxious and overwhelming affection.
How long has it been since they've seen each other? Since Glisten had the chance to hold Ginger like this, to trace her features with a reverence he's never had for anyone else, to exist together?
Too long. Months, maybe a year, almost. Glisten's heart clenches at the thought. Does Ginger think about him when winter ends, counting the days until they can embrace each other once more before being separated yet again by something out of their control?
He's thought about it too many times to count. Too many nights of yearning and waiting to kiss and hug Ginger and practically restraining himself from not letting her go.
She's here now, but for how long? A month? A month of closeness versus a year of waiting for her after she leaves again? It's romantic torture, and Glisten knows neither of them can do anything to stay with each other all year round, but it stings. It stings and Glisten feels lonely without Ginger. Ginger, who holds him close at night and comforts him when he rants about his perceived flaws. Ginger, who opens up around him more than almost any other toon and embraces it, because that's what comfort is for them—what love is—and Glisten feels almost embarrassed that it's taken him so long to realize that simple fact.
Ginger pushes forward and Glisten holds tighter, looking down and trying to propel himself in tandem with the other toon. They soon grow confident enough to pull away from each other, hands clasped around one another as they risk a spin that brings their faces close when they slide together again.
"Are you still cold?" Ginger asks. Glisten barely hears her over the pounding of his own heart.
"N-no. No, I'm…" Glisten trails off for a moment, words seeming to fail him. "…not. I'm not." His hands automatically go around Ginger's waist again.
Ginger hums contentedly in response and rests her head on his chest. Glisten's vision mists ever so slightly. He rests his chin atop her head and mumbles, so quiet it might as well be a whisper, "I love you."
And how couldn't he? Ginger is perfect in every way, and when she whispers it back, Glisten hides his smile in her sweet-smelling hair. He doesn't think he would mind braving the coldness through these runs if it means being able to do this with Ginger again.