Work Text:
Recently, you made quite an interesting discovery.
It’s something that has been on your mind quite often, to be completely honest. Even more so, when you two started dating and it became more or less a problem, especially now when the temperatures have dropped and it’s starting to affect you as well.
Xavier.. has incredibly cold hands.
Which is kind of weird, considering you never ever thought of him to be someone who has cold hands. He always looks so comfortable and cozy, you would assume his body temperature to be just like that: slightly above room temperature at best, like a warm hug on a cold winter’s day.
And in the beginning it never crossed your mind: you started off as work colleagues after all where Xavier would always wear gloves with his uniform, so even if you happened to touch, it never showed.
Only when you two start dating and stirred away from the uniforms and protective gear over to soft sweaters and comfortable pants when hanging out at home, arcades or restaurants, it suddenly became a lot more apparent.
It was on one of the hottest summer days, when you notice that Xavier still looks quite relaxed amidst the sweltering heat. He makes sure that you drink enough water, carries your bag for you and even offers some shade by telling you to walk behind him. You wonder if he’s only doing it, because you two are on a date, but when you start holding hands, you notice that his hand’s incredibly cool to the touch. Almost satisfyingly so.
It felt like having your personal AC with you wherever you two went. Every time you thought you might be overheating, Xavier’s hand was the best thing to put on your forehead or press against the back of your neck. He thought it was amusing and you were grateful for it.
But now that it’s almost winter, it has been.. quite an issue, to say the least.
When you are out shopping and you want to hold his hand, you realize how cold you start to feel, the longer you are holding on. It feels like touching a brick of ice somehow, the tips of your fingers turning slightly numb as you proceed to ignore it. You manage to endure it for another ten minutes, before pulling your hand away with a small ‘Sorry’.
Xavier looks at you like you just slapped him across the face, a little pout forming even when you are trying to explain it to him.
You show him how cold your hand has gotten while holding his by pressing it against his cheek. He flinches from how cold it is and apologizes. You ask him if he wants some hot chocolate from one of the food stalls to heat up and he agrees.
-
Another thing you noticed which resulted from the constant cold hands is that they were getting.. dry. Like, incredibly so.
Apparently he has been trying to fight the coldness on his hands by running them under hot water occasionally, especially before going to hold hands with you. You noticed that he would stare down at his hands from time to time, brushing over the dry skin with a confused expression before putting his gloves on and moving on.
So you sit him down one day, when you are back in your apartment to change that.
Xavier is already in his favorite spot: the corner of your couch where he can lean up against the sofa back and prop his arm up, creating the perfect spot for you to join him.
You settle down next to him, holding a small tube in hand - the one he always sees on your desk usually, a floral design with tiny writings on it that he never thought of giving attention to. “What is that?”, he asks, tilting his head and you grin, “Hand cream. Now, give me your hand please”
The skin along the back of his hand has gotten rough to the touch. You press down on the bottle lightly, using only a dollop at first to gently massage into his skin, making sure not to forget the inbetween of his fingers as well. Xavier hums, closing his eyes as he leans his head against yours, letting you work in silence.
His fingers are a little bit cold still and you make sure to warm them up bit by bit as you work through them; Xavier has been trying his hardest to keep warm these days after you first pointed it out to him, carrying a bunch of handwarmers around and even buying those pulse warmers to use around the apartment when he feels like they are getting too cold. You also feel like he has suggested having hotpot a lot more these past days, insisting they help to warm him up from the inside even though you are pretty sure it's just because he likes eating it.
Xavier’s hands are a lot bigger in comparison to yours. It’s something you notice more often when actually holding it rather than during usual day-to-day interactions. There’s also something about the calluses that remind you how long he has been active for - the fruits of his labor evident by the little imperfections that only make them more beautiful to you.
You always knew that Xavier didn’t care too much about how exactly his hands looked. ‘As long as they work just fine’ - is something you can imagine him saying, shrugging his shoulders as he moves onto something else. Which is why you like to pamper him sometimes.
“Annnd done!” You turn to look at him, noticing that he’s just about to fall asleep now by the way his body feels heavier as it’s leaned up against you. Giving his hand a little squeeze, he blinks awake, yawning before taking a look at your work. “What do you think?”, you ask, giggling. “Feels weird. Like something’s… on it”, he retorts, furrowing his eyebrows a tiny bit as he takes a sniff: it’s mainly floral, slightly vanilla-ry as well.
“They were pretty dry. I had to make sure they are healing properly” you explain, caressing his hand and humming satisfied. “We need to make sure to keep them soft especially during the colder days.”
Xavier ponders for a second and then breaks into a little grin. “If you do it for me, then sure”, he mutters, nuzzling closer. “I like when you do it for me. It feels nice.”
“That’s not fair then! Then you need to do it for me too” You pout in fake-annoyance and he chuckles, staring at your adorable expression.
“Of course”, he takes your hand and brings it up to his lips before pressing a gentle kiss on it. You feel the spot where his lips just touched tingle, a slight warmth running up your neck, your heartbeat suddenly loud in your ears.
“With pleasure.”