Asher shivered uncontrollably in my arms while he shuffled along the trail next to me. His soaked clothes clung to his skin, and his azure hair was flattened to his head. He looked like a chihuahua someone had left out in the rain, only with more piercings. I couldn't stop replaying in my head the sight of him tumbling toward the lake, his arms flailing wildly. It was funny until he splashed in. Well, that was pretty funny, too. Of course, being February, the lake was bitterly cold, despite the mild California weather.

On the return hike, Asher's normally fair skin had turned a light shade of blue, matching well with his hair and clothes. What an interesting Valentine's Day weekend this was turning out to be. First, I narrowly missed amputating my foot while chopping firewood, then Asher decided to pose for a dramatic selfie on a particularly slippery rock. At least he managed to toss his cell phone clear before he plummeted to his doom. And now my poor boyfriend was turning into a Smurf.

"I'm c-old," stuttered Asher through his clacking teeth, for the hundredth time.

"What were you thinking, you big dummy?"

"It s-seemed like a good idea at the t-time."

Around the next bend, our bright yellow tent came into view. The campfire burned itself out hours ago, but the Boy Scouts had taught me other ways to get warm. And I was beginning to think those miserable two years would never pay off.

"Look," I said, giving him a shake. "We're almost there."

"I c-can s-see it, s-silly."

Asher stepped into the tent first, barely managing to kick of his shoes, and I followed, leaving my shoes by the flap. I zipped us inside. Asher knelt on the floor, hugging his chest and shivering away.

"Get undressed," I said. He gave me an odd look. "Seriously, we need to get you dry." Asher nodded and did as he was told. I unzipped and opened his sleeping bag. When I turned back, he was still wearing his boxers, which were also soaked. "Everything."

"Really?"

"What, worried I'll see you naked?"

"S-shrinkage might be an issue."

I couldn't help laughing. "Just do it." Asher grumbled and shucked off his underwear. He wasn't kidding about the shrinkage thing. It served him right. "Now get in."

"Naked?" I didn't grace him with an answer. Asher grumbled again. "F-fine." He crawled into the sleeping bag and lied down, and I followed. He sat up and flinched so hard he almost elbowed me in the ribs. "What are you d-doing?"

"Relax, goofball, I'm just sharing my body heat. Unless you enjoy hypothermia."

When Asher didn't respond, I nudged him down by his bare shoulder and lied next to him, flipping the other half of the sleeping bag over us. His skin really was cold, and his shaking seemed to have gotten worse. He would be fine, though. Something similar happened to me when I was a Tenderfoot. At the time, it had been particularly traumatizing - I was quite a late bloomer - but it worked.

After several minutes, Asher stopped shivering and his breathing evened out. I reached out and touched his chest and stomach. His skin had returned to its usual warmth, and was completely dry.

"Feel better?" I said.

"Mm hm," said Asher with a little wiggle, and I became aware of my hardness pressing against his behind. I was positive he felt it, too. "Thanks for giving me your body heat."

"Don't mention it." Asher sighed happily. "Wanna get up now?"

"Nope."

With a chuckle, I propped myself up on my elbow and leaned over him. Both his eyes were closed, and he wore a happy smile on his face. Asher opened one eye and smirked at me. Then he rolled over so his face was right in front of mine, still smiling. And I knew the reason why. I could feel it on my leg.

"It looks like Asher Junior has warmed up, too," I said. Asher blushed a little. "What are we to do about this, then?"

"You tell me, Mr. Expert."

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

We collapsed to the sleeping bag together, both of us completely out of breath. My head swam in ecstasy, and Asher continued hugging me tightly. My heaving chest rose and fell in time with his. I couldn't remember it ever having felt so amazing. After about a minute, my high subsided, and Asher stopped trying to break me in half. I picked myself up, and Asher opened his bleary eyes and smiled.

"Best Valentine's Day ever," he said.

I sputtered a laugh. "You almost froze to death!"

He closed his eyes and murmured in bliss. "It was worth it."