BREAKING THE ICE

DISCLAIMER: Don't own them, just wish I did. Some lucky company has them...

WARNINGS: Language, lemon. I think that's it.

SUMMARY: Wufei doesn't like winter. When he gets stuck in the snow, another Pilot has to warm him up. Pretty close to a PWP... again... I felt the need to write some nice lemony goodness. ^__^ But I put some slight plot in, this time. There will be three parts. This story is for Blue Fish, because I haven't gotten to talk to her much lately... sorry! Enjoy your favorite pairing!

PART ONE

Wufei hated the cold.

He'd hated it from the first time he felt it, and he'd never stop.

There had been no winter on L5. His colony was all about efficiency and the proper use of resources; a season where nothing could be grown was pointless. A waste of time. It was always summer, always warm, so the teas and bamboo they grew were in a constant cycle of planting, growing, harvest; planting, growing, harvest; planting, growing, harvest...

The first time he'd seen snow was on a mission. He'd had to ignore it until the fighting was over. Then he'd studied it, fascinated by the pure whiteness of it, by the beauty of the sun sparkling on the drifts.

Then he'd felt the icy wetness of it, and it promptly lost its charm.

Even now, sitting in front of the big bay window in Quatre's expensive safehouse, its beauty couldn't tempt him outside. He just enjoyed the view while cuddled in a big chair, a blanket wrapped around him and a cup of hot cocoa in his hands.

The others were all outside. Duo, Quatre and Trowa were engaged in a snowball fight, while Heero was 'testing the efficiency of my cold-weather gear' and occasionally whacking one of the three with a well-aimed snowy missile. He could see from here that their noses were red from the cold, and they kept tucking their mittened hands under their arms to warm them.

He shuddered. How could anyone enjoy that?!

He much preferred the warm house. There was a fire in the fireplace, sending warmth and light into the room, painting the dark paneled walls with dancing shadows. Evening was approaching; the sky was growing dark and the others would be coming in soon. Wufei contemplated the merits of having hot tea and coffee waiting for them - on the one hand, it was their own silly fault they were cold - on the other hand, they were his teammates and deserved some consideration on his part.

No matter how silly they were.

He reluctantly pushed the blanket aside and padded into the kitchen. The others felt perfectly warm inside - even Quatre, who he had expected to share his hatred of the cold, since L3 was mostly scorching desert - and dressed normally. He wore thick jeans, two shirts, a sweater, and thickly knitted socks. He'd abandoned his thin white silk as soon as he'd seen the first snowflake.

The others had stared at him the first time they saw him in the clothes, but even Duo hadn't dared to comment on it.

Probably had something to do with the glare he'd leveled at them.

He started the coffee maker and set the teapot on the stove. Duo had suggested buying an automatic tea maker, too, but Wufei and Quatre stepped on that idea fast. They were the ones who drank the most tea, and both of them preferred to use the old-fashioned method. It just tasted better.

And if he couldn't boil water on the stove, Wufei would have had to put up with microwaved hot water when he wanted his hot chocolate.

Not that he mentioned that - as far as he knew, the others had no idea of his secret indulgence. His diet was always frugally healthy, even by the standards the Doctors set for them. He never touched desserts or sugary snacks, and was fairly certain that his sweet tooth was a deep, dark secret. He made sure he only drank the stuff when the others were outside or gone - he washed the cups carefully, and the actual chocolate was hidden in the bottom of his duffel bag.

He only vaguely felt that indulging in the hot chocolate was weak - it was more the idea of the teasing he'd get from the others if they knew that made him keep it a secret.

After finishing with his preparations, he wandered away down the hall, wondering if it was warmer in his room or back in the living room? He didn't worry about the nearly-boiling kettle; he heard the front door open and Quatre's voice talking to someone. There were two people inside, they could take care of it when it started whistling.

He finally decided on the living room, with its fire and the blanket he'd left behind. He retrieved a book and made his way back into the room. The fire was burning down, so he put on a log and then snuggled back in his former seat, pulling the blanket up to his chin and leaving the book on the arm of the chair as he watched the dancing flames.

He wasn't sure how much time had gone by when the others starting walking into the room. They had changed from their wet, snowy clothes but their noses and cheeks were still red. All of them had cups of steaming liquid in their hands.

"Thank you for the hot water and coffee, Wufei." Quatre said, smiling at him gently.

Wufei gave him a short nod in return and picked up his book. He nearly sighed; he needed something new to read. As much as he treasured his old books, he knew them all by heart. It was almost pointless to turn the pages, but he'd already discovered there was nothing in this safehouse but glossy, inane magazines.

"You shoulda come out with us, 'Fei," Duo piped up cheerfully. "We had a blast! Even Hee-chan got in on the action!"

"I was practicing my aim." Heero replied calmly, already opening his laptop.

"Yeah, whatever!" Duo chirped, rolling his eyes at the others. Quatre grinned at him, and even Trowa smirked.

Wufei pretended he wasn't paying attention.

Duo, however, wasn't going to drop the subject. "So, 'Fei, wanna come out with us tomorrow? Teach ya ta build a snowman!"

"My name is Wufei, Maxwell, and if I go out in that I'll be a snowman. No thank you."

"Aw, lighten up, 'Fei! It's not so bad once you get used to it. Anyway, I figured you'd feel right at home in the winter and snow."

Wufei tried not to rise to the bait, but his curiosity got the better of him. "And why is that?"

"'Cause you're the original Ice Prince," Duo guffawed, and then bolted from the room as Wufei growled. His laughter echoed down the hall as he headed for the kitchen and more coffee.

"He's only teasing," Quatre said softly, trying to play peacemaker. Wufei just sniffed and picked his book back up, trying to get lost in the pages.

Ice Prince, indeed...

*

Gods, it was cold.

Wufei had wrapped himself in three blankets and a quilt, and he still felt like he was freezing. How did the others sleep in these conditions?

Maybe they were sharing beds... and body heat...

His cheeks flushed warm with that thought. That was none of his business and less of his concern; what they did behind closed doors was personal and he had no right to even speculate about it. Just because they were always sharing rooms didn't mean they were lovers. He wasn't even certain that they were inclined that way, despite the way Duo teased Heero and the glances Quatre and Trowa were always exchanging.

He was probably just reading too much into things.

There was movement in the hallway outside his door, muffled voices and the rustle of cloth. Apparently all of the others hadn't gone to sleep yet. He would have thought they'd be exhausted after playing in the snow all day.

He snuggled down into his blankets, trying to ignore the soft noises. He was tired, and he had something important to do tomorrow. Heero's talk of checking his cold-weather gear and his own reluctance to venture outside had made him decide two things.

One, he was behaving like a weakling, which was unacceptable.

Two, he might need to brave the cold for a mission. Therefore, he needed to be prepared, to know that he could handle it.

Much as he hated the idea, he was going to have to go outside.

He was drifting on the edge of sleep when his door swung open.

"Wufei?" It was Quatre's voice, soft and hesitant.

"What?" he grumbled sleepily, sitting up to glare at the small blond.

"I'm sorry to wake you - but I thought you might be more comfortable with this." He held out a thin-looking, bumpy blanket with an electrical plug attached.

Wufei raised an ebony eyebrow. "What is that thing, exactly?"

"It's an electric blanket. It has heating coils inside it. Would you like to use it? It's pretty cold tonight."

Wufei had to choke down a shout of 'Yes!'. "Don't you need it?"

"We already got out some others. They were in a back closet; Duo found them when he was scrounging for an extra quilt. I'll just lay it here on the chair, you can use it if you get too cold. Good night." He started backing toward the door.

Wufei's conscious jabbed him - he hadn't been very polite. "Good night, Winner. And... thank you."

"You're welcome, Wufei!" The blond was beaming now, a smile entirely too happy for Wufei's brusque words. He went out the door and Wufei was on his feet as soon as it clicked closed. He had the blanket plugged in, spread on the bed, and cranked up to high in eight seconds flat. He left only a sheet under it and piled the other blankets on top of it.

Within five minutes, he was warm as toast. He gave a sigh of exquisite relief and fell into a dreamless sleep.

*

Morning found him wandering through a house that seemed deserted. Doors were open and belongings were tossed about. Duo even had clothes trailing out his door. Frowning, he turned on his laptop and checked for missions. He didn't have any, but Yuy, Winner, and Maxwell's status had changed to 'Mission in Progress.'

So they were gone, but Barton had to be lurking around here, somewhere.

He wasn't in the kitchen, and his shoes weren't at the door. A quick look showed Wufei that his coat, hat, and scarf were gone, too. Must be outside.

Wufei glanced out the window at the bleak view and shivered a little. Barton was crazy, to be outside in weather like this. The drifts looked frozen solid, the icicles on the eaves touched the ground and were as big around as his arm, the sky was a weird shade of gunmetal grey. Nasty.

Then he remembered his own intentions of braving the weather, and moaned.

Well, he'd made up his mind and he wasn't going to change it just because it looked colder than normal. He'd said he was going outside, and he was going outside, damn it!

After breakfast.

He made himself some tea and toast; when Barton still hadn't appeared, he used the leftover hot water for a cup of chocolate. He rinsed the cup carefully and set it in the drainboard, then headed for his room.

After spreading most of his clothes out on the bed, he studied them thoughtfully. He'd observed the others carefully; they tended to dress in many thin layers instead of one or two thick layers. They seemed to know what they were doing, so he copied them. First his thin silk pants, then a pair of jeans, then a pair of thicker cloth pants over those. For a moment he thought of borrowing the nylon pants Duo wore outside - they were waterproof and that was bound to come in handy.

Then he changed his mind, remembering how Maxwell always sounded like a walking trash bag in them.

He put on his tank top, then a turtle neck, then a long-sleeved tee and a sweater. He put on three pairs of socks, pulling the last up over his pants legs. After some searching, he located some mittens and a pair of leather gloves. He tucked his sleeves into those and borrowed Quatre's thick, warm coat. He didn't have one of his own and he hoped the blond wouldn't mind. He found an old knitted cap and scarf in the back of the closet and put them on as well, wrapping the scarf around his lower face and ears.

He felt ridiculous, and twice as big as he really was.

But all that went away as soon as he was outside and the wind started trying to blow its way through him.

Oh, it was cold...

He grit his teeth and started off at a brisk walk, determined to keep his blood flowing and therefore keep his temperature up. He'd just walk a mile, in a nice loose circle around the house; just enough to soothe his conscience over his laziness of the past few days.

If he'd looked up at the sky, he would have seen the black clouds gathering, warning the earth of heavy snow and biting cold.

But he didn't look up...