And apparently, he'd just made it worse instead of fixing it. James knew his lover well enough to realize that if it really didn't matter, Len would be laughing it off with a sly pun and a joke. The smirk he managed was rather spoiled by the tension in his jaw.

So he put his heart and soul into the kiss, pouring on the heat to try to thaw Len's tension. His partner might love the cold, but there had always been heat to spare between them.

As their tongues tangled, he ran his hands up under Len's sweater, sliding over the bumps and rough patches of scars, ghosting over the untouched areas, seeking out the places he knew Len liked to be touched. When they were finally forced to come up for air, he muttered, "I do, though. Love you. So you might hafta put up with hearing it once in a while."