In Four Seasons

It was fucking cold.

Even with his warm blanket wrapped around him, he was shivering. Which only made Lee try to snuggle down further into it, pulling the blanket even tighter.

His early morning breath was actually visibly misting in front of his mouth.

"Fuck." He swore, wishing he could turn on the central heating from here. Except the only control was actually in the back loungeroom, which was one of the coldest rooms in the house.

He knew he should probably try and grab his phone, to work out what the time was and how long he had before he had before he needed to get ready for the day, but the cold was winning against his willpower.

How bloody cold did it have to be outside, right now?

He shivered and pulled it tighter around his shoulders, before squeezing his knees together, and his hands between them.

His phone went off.

Lee muttered, but ignored it. He was too cold, and too tired, to deal with whatever it was. Which wasn't his morning alarm...

"Shit." He rolled over and darted one arm out of the cocoon to answer, "Hello?"

"L-l-l-l-leeee?" A chattering voice asked.

He didn't recognise the voice, "Yeah?"

"H-h-h-heeelp." The voice begged, "N-n-n-ooo power."

Lee tried hard to place the voice, guessing at who might call him in a situation like this. "Trix?"

"No!" The voice shouted, clearly insulted, "I-iz-iz-"

"Izzy." He said tiredly, "Have you checked the fusebox?"

His sister was useless when it came to house stuff. She'd needed him to sit with her just to do the five minute call to get power connected in the first place.

"Th-the whole neigh-neighbourhood issss out." She chattered urgently.

"Fuck." Lee swore, "Just give me a second."

He flipped his phone to a weather app, and stared in horror at the sudden difference to last night's predictions. He put it back to his ear, "Uh, Izzy? You got a car?"

"Y-yeah."

"Get over here. Now." Lee ordered, "You've only got a short time before all the roads shut down. I'll get the house heated up before you do."

She confirmed, and then hung up.

With that, he ran to the backroom and turned on the heating, before grabbing a coat and braving the backyard to grab some wood from the stack.

He didn't generally use the wood heater. It had come with the house, which was good because you couldn't normally get them anymore. Not without some wrangling with the council.

Lee's face was completely numb by the time he was back inside and putting the wood beside the metal heater. He didn't for a second believe that the power was going to last at his house, either.

In the five minutes he'd been outside, he'd seen the beginnings of snow in the sleeting wind that was practically sideways.

It had only snowed once since he'd moved to this town, and that had been utterly insane. He had no reason to believe it wasn't going to be just as bad this time.

For the next half hour, he stacked up wood inside, where it could hopefully dry out before he needed it.

Then, the doorbell went.

He ran down and opened it, struggling not to laugh as he let in the drenched-puppy looking woman.

Izzy glared at him, shivering, as she skipped passed him to find a vent to stand over. She rubbed her shoulders and shivered. "Th-thanks."

She was soaked through. Wearing a knee-length skirt that was now clinging to her, and a heavy jumper that probably weighed a few extra kilos thanks to the water now in it.

Her knee-high white socks were now basically see-through, which left him wondering why she was wearing a skirt in this kind of weather.

Lee tossed her a blanket from the couch, and then a spare towel. "I gotta call work, and see what's up. You right for a couple minutes?"

She nodded.

He dialled up work, and got a busy tone. Which was weird as hell and meant that the automated voicemail wasn't picking up. Re-dialling didn't help, but then the line just dropped.

He checked his phone signal, and stared as it told him that only emergency calls were now available.

Checking the local news, he discovered a bunch of articles. Apparently some critical infrastructure wasn't ready to face off against the coldest storm for a hundred years.

He wasn't heading into work.

Lee made his way back to the loungeroom via his bedroom, grabbing a spare tracksuit for the frozen and wet woman. Izzy was kneeling over the vent, a content look on her face, and eyes closed.

She was clearly attempting to warm up something in particular. And

didn't care if she got caught.

He shook his head, pretended not to notice, and tossed the clothes to her. "Phones are down. Well, I think emergency still works, but that's it. So I'm not going in to work, even if they want me. Going to boil up some water. Want anything to drink?"

"Hot chocolate?" Izzy said, sounding a lot better.

Technically, with the power still on, Lee could have just used the kettle. But he knew the kettle might put the strain on, and he wanted everything on the heater for as long as possible.

His stove, on the other hand, was gas. So unless he ran out of matches, he should be able to keep that going. He filled a pot full of water, lit the stove under it, and began boiling it.

Then, he turned around.

Izzy had apparently been too cold to think of leaving the heat.

His big sister might bug the shit out of him, but seeing her like this, Lee experienced the same slack-jawed shock that any guy would when presented with the sight.

She was balanced on one foot, tugging awkwardly at the tracksuit pants, one foot stuck, as the other was still exposed. Her messy red curls were on full display, contrasting enormously against her pale white skin, as the wet panties had been abandoned to the floor.

Izzy didn't seem to notice him, just hopping as she tried to get the

first leg on, her perky little tits bouncing with each movement.

She would choose the most awkward way to get dressed.

Lee shook himself out of it, and headed to the pantry as casually as he could. He didn't normally drink hot chocolate himself, but a good host always has something on hand.

He pulled it, and a couple of mugs out and set them on the counter. A quick peek towards Izzy burned the image of her bare chest into his skull.

It had been years since he'd seen her even close to nude, and now...

She had to have gone up in size since then. Still tiny perky tits, but what her nipples were pointing straight out from was almost full handfuls of softness.

Way below those mindfuckers, there was a tiny blue gemstone pierced into her bellybutton. It was a cute sort of touch, but a bit surprising. She'd only worn sleeper earrings whenever Lee was around.

Lee tried to think of more excuses not to face in her direction, and went to see if he might have any marshmallows in the cupboard.

He gave it a good, long and hard look... Long after he had actually found some.

Lee eventually made his way back and dropped the small packet of oversized marshmallows by the mugs, and checked the water which was almost beginning to boil, before turning around.

Izzy was kneeling over the airvent again, looking perfectly innocent as she towelled at her hair.

Lee gave a nervous sort of laugh, "Did you get changed in here?"

"Eh. It's cold." She said and shrugged, continuing to rub at her hair, "Oh. Uh... Thanks. About rescuing me. Holy shit, it's actually snowing out there."

The back lounge was the coldest room in the house because of all the glass. Huge windows, and sliding doors.

Lee frowned, looking at the white grass. "Yeah... Mind shutting the curtains? Keep the heat in?"

She rolled her eyes, "Practical. Can't you appreciate it as being pretty?"

As if the universe felt like answering for him, the heater cut out. All the various electronic whines that you never notice vanished at the same time.

"Oh. Crap." Izzy said and stood up, walking over to close the blinds. She still took her time about it, gazing out at the white wonder.

Lee grabbed some matches and his recycling bin, dragging it over to the fireplace and setting it.

He managed to get it going, before filling the box with wood. He closed the glass door, and turned around to see Izzy making her own drink.

"Make me one, too?" He asked her.

She waved a hand, "Yeah, yeah. I saw both mugs. So... How have you been, Lee? Been a few months since we saw each other."

"Not since you flooded your kitchen." He referred to the incident where she'd put normal soap into her dishwasher.

Izzy moaned, "Can you not bring that up? I know I'm an idiot, okay?"

"You're not an idiot." He disagreed, "You just get bored easily. Too bored to take in all the stuff most people should know."

She walked over slowly, passing him a mug, before sitting down in front of the still-cold fireplace. Halfway snuggled up to him, holding the hot drink.

The steam was clearly visible, rising from both of their mugs.

She'd given him a marshmallow, too.

He put it aside and leaned back on his wrists, as Izzy blew on hers, before sipping at the hot liquid. "I turned off the stove and covered it. Keep the water hot-ish. And now... You avoided talking about you. What's up?"

Lee blew at his hair, "Notice anything different about the place?"

She glanced around and shook her head silently, before sipping again at her drink.

He rolled his eyes, "You're the only woman, here? Erin isn't in hiding."

"Oh. Your girlfriend." Izzy said as if it had never occurred to her. "Well, she didn't really seem that into you, back then. Guess it ended, huh?"

"Could have told me." Lee said bitterly.

Izzy sighed heavily, and looked at him sympathetically, "Lee, it should have been obvious to a blind man. She was looking for excuses not to touch you. Stuff like not sitting next to you."

"Ouch."

She shrugged and sipped at her drink, "At least it doesn't look like she became an abusive ex. That's better than your track record, right?"

"Yeah. Ended simply enough." He sighed heavily, "She... Just disappeared one day. All her stuff was gone, and she left a letter saying she was unhappy, and it was better if we just moved on."

Izzy leaned her head onto his shoulder, "You really liked her, huh?"

"Yeah."

She yawned, "Sorry. And sorry I'm not nicer about it. I didn't like the way she treated you."

Lee picked up his drink, beginning to feel some heat from the fireplace, "Well, that's my sad story. How have things been on your end?"

"Boyfriend-wise? Still just batteries." Izzy tried to get a rise out of him.

He ignored her, and pretended not to be remembering her flashing him a few minutes ago. "Life stuff. How far off finishing your degree, are you?"

"'Nother six months. If I pass my last exams." Izzy said with a shrug, "Not that it matters a ton. I've already started working. And no, don't wanna go there. Nothing more boring than webdev."

Their phones went off simultaneously.

Lee checked and found a weather warning and orders to stay put, from the State Emergency Services. They'd broadcasted an SMS, which must mean things were getting bad.

"Guess I'm staying the night."

He shrugged, "Kinda why I told you to come over. I was expecting this. Storm of the century. You going to be okay with hanging with your lame little brother?"

Izzy rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek, "I like you, Lee. I might hate that you make me feel like a total ditz, but that's part of your charm, too."

"Charm. Huh."

She sighed, "Don't tell me. Erin said you weren't charming in her letter?"

"No, not quite." He sighed, "She said... Well, it's kinda awkward."

"Battery boyfriend. I don't mind awkward, Lee." Izzy teased.

He glared at her, "But I do. I... Fine, I do want to talk to someone about this. May as well be you. She said I was all charm. But that I couldn't follow through. That... Sex was boring."

"Biiiitch." Izzy whistled, "Now, that was calculated to cut you deep. She was trying to hurt you, Lee. It didn't mean anything."

"I think she was being honest."

Izzy snorted, "No way. No girl says that unless she's looking to do some damage."

"I didn't say she wasn't trying to hurt me, but I think she was also being honest." Lee shrugged, "She... Did seem bored. When I remember the last few times."

The redhead stared at him in confusion, "What? Did you forget how to use your tongue or something? How could anyone find you... Boring?"

He shrugged, looking down so he didn't have to meet her gaze. "I dunno. She seemed to be doing it out of obligation. Just wasn't interested in me, anymore. In retrospect."

"Shit." Izzy sighed, "That's a blow to the ego. Probably doesn't mean shit, though, Lee. She wanted to move on. So you were uninteresting. She wanted a thrill, something new."

He shrugged silently.

Izzy shuffled her knees closer to him, still leaning into him, "Lee, I obviously have no idea what you're like during sex. But unless you're the kind of guy who only does one position, one speed, and pays zero attention, then the boredom is probably on the girl for not communicating. I don't see you being all about yourself, during. You were right there, for me, this morning. You're not the selfish type."

"Don't mind me." Lee replied, and checked on the fireplace, adjusting the vents to keep it going longer. "Anyways, I should probably take a shower. Unless you wanted one, first?"

"Heats out, right? I'm good." Izzy replied, and frowned, "Um... Got anything to do around the place? I swear I used to not get bored before social media. Now, if my phone's a brick..."

He shrugged as he stood up, "Uh... Probably some board games in there. And whilst I don't really own many physical books anymore, there's a few in the study on the shelves. Mostly stuff for uni."

"Cool." She replied and settled in closer to the fireplace. Probably too close, but that was what she tended to do.

---

Lee was chattering when he came back from the freezing cold shower. Grabbing his blanket from his bed on the way towards the fireplace.

He found Izzy lying on her back, a bit further from the fire that seemed to have found its blaze and was now quite a bit toastier than when he had left.

She was holding a book above her head, and was reading it intently.

Lee struggled internally for a moment before sitting close to her, "You found that one, then."

"It's... Interesting." Izzy replied absent-mindedly, still reading the book.

It was Nabokov's `Ada'.

The setting of the book, in an alternate world which is a mix of Russia and America, and a mix of nineteenth and twentieth century technology, was interesting.

The worldbuilding throughout it was impressive.

Though, the central plot...

Lee ran a hand through his hair, "You know, we had to study that one when I was at uni. The last couple parts get a bit... Convoluted."

"Mmm." Izzy ignored him.

He gave up and just lay down on the ground. Relaxing in that, for once, he didn't have a single thing that he needed to do.

Well, nothing urgent.

He should probably look to the freezer if the power was going to be out much longer. And maybe think about what they were going to do for lunch. Probably pasta or noodles or something.

Usually by this point in the day he'd be at work, probably with Trixie batting her baby blues at him to fix something or other that she'd managed to screw up, and then hide, until it had become urgent.

He'd actually thought about going on a date with Trix, now and then.

She wasn't all manipulation, and she didn't try and hide that she was using his attraction, either. They both knew what she was doing.

When she hadn't screwed something up, the two of them got along well. Laughing and joking in the staffroom, to the point where some coworkers already believed that they were banging.

He wondered how she'd be coping with the snow storm.

She could barely cope when the photocopier jammed and showed the exact steps to fix it on the screen.

"Lee?"

He turned his head, "Yeah, Izzy?"

"I skipped breakfast. Do you have anything you wouldn't mind me stealing?" She said, still engrossed in the book's odd love story.

He shrugged, "Corn flakes, wheat biscuits. Oh, I could probably also put some porridge together if you want something warm."

"I can cook." Izzy launched to her feet, still reading as she headed into the kitchen nearby, "Want some?"

"Sure." He said, putting his arms behind his head, as he went back to daydreaming about the little blonde from his office.

If the phones still worked, he actually probably would have called her. Not to invite her out, they had stay-in-place orders for a reason, but just to see if she was okay.

Her poppy attitude was one of the highlights of his work day. Most of what he did was drudge work. Changing people's passwords after they forgot them for the upteenth time. Reminding people how to use a goddamn printer.

Lee smiled slightly.

His parents had always been against technology, when he and Izzy were growing up. His own purchase of a computer when he was a teen had been seen as a serious rebellion.

But having lived through the smartphone revolution, where now everyone carried a computer, everywhere, that world seemed older than it was. Easy to forget that twenty years ago phone having black and white games was a breakthrough.

Izzy had become a web developer, and Lee a technical consultant. The two of them had basically become everything that their parents had been fearful of.

Which, of course, meant their parents regularly called them about every little thing they didn't understand.

Those kinds of memories made Lee feel ancient, and not his twenty five odd years.

Trixie, on the other hand, made him feel young again. Young, and dumb. She was his age, but she had all the energy of a teenager. As well as the judgement of one.

She was the kind that would probably be able to make him think sex in the office wasn't a bad idea, but a fun one.

She had suggested it even, once.

Just the once, back when Erin had been a part of his life. A part that he'd never expected to lose.

"Wow. Moping, much?" Izzy said, returning with two bowls of honey on porridge.

She sat down beside him cross-legged, and then pulled the book back out from under her arm and began reading as she ate. "Wanna talk some more about her?"

"Actually, I was thinking about opportunities wasted." He replied, picking up his breakfast and mixing it. "There's a girl at the office who is into me. She's cute, fiery."

Izzy snorted, "You need more than fun, to be happy, Lee."

"Maybe I don't." He found himself snapping, "Maybe after all this I just need someone happy to leave it at fun. Someone who doesn't expect shit from me."

She looked up from the book in surprise, and then hurt, "That... I wasn't... If you just wanna fuck, Lee, you're not going to get any judgement from me. That's not me."

He winced, looking at the verging tears in her eyes, "I... Sorry, Izzy. I'm just pent up. I don't know what I want."

He stood up, pulling the blanket closer, "I'll be back in a minute."

"Put a sock on the door handle." She teased him gently.

Wasn't appreciated.

He wasn't heading off to masturbate, he was going to try and cool his temper off, and he wasn't even sure why he was angry at her.

---

When he came back, the first thing he'd intended to do was thank her for breakfast.

Intended.

Instead, what he did was stare.

She was lying in front of the fireplace, the tracksuit bottoms ditched nearby. Her pale legs highlighted in the flickering orange light, knees raised, but spread apart.

One of her hands laid in the middle, where he couldn't see it... But he could certainly hear it.

Hear each overlapping and frantic motion as she worked away at something that sounded like it was flowing. Like she was right on the edge of her orgasm, if she was anything like Erin.