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In Kachin State, in the Putao region, heavy snow fell along the mountain ranges during the recent New Year.
People chose to stay indoors because of the cold but today, Kachin and Shan decided to go out for a walk.
“It’s pretty cold here. Are you used to this kind of weather already?” Shan asked, hands tucked into his pockets against the chill.
Kachin, who was sitting on the ground idly playing with a stick in the snow, replied without looking back,
“I’m used to it. It’s always like this from November to February.”
“Really? With weather like this, people probably don’t go out much. Must get pretty lonely,” Shan said.
“Of course. And with soldiers patrolling around… after the tourists stopped coming, it turned into no one coming at all.”
Kachin let out a quiet laugh. “Darkly funny, isn’t it…”
He tossed the stick aside and stood up.
“You know how the government conscripts people without discrimination, right? A lot of tourists have been taken, and… things like that. For their own safety, I wouldn’t really recommend anyone coming here.”
A faint cloud of breath escaped his lips in the cold air.
Shan looked at him, unsure of what to say. Everything Kachin said was true.
“It’s lonely here… but peaceful too. No bombs, no gunshots… none of that noise. Just you is enough for me.”
Kachin smiled faintly to himself. Shan caught it his cheeks warming slightly, quietly glad to hear those words.
Kachin took Shan’s hand, holding it gently.
“When all of this is over… we can live a quiet life together.”
Shan fell silent not out of discomfort, but because those words made him feel something he hadn’t felt in months, after everything they had been through.
Maybe it was the pressure, the circumstances, being forced together by the government… their relationship had been tense at times.
Shan lifted their intertwined hands and pressed a soft kiss against Kachin’s skin.
It felt warmer than fire itself, Kachin thought.
They looked at each other.
“I’m cold,” Shan said.
He wasn’t really cold it was just a signal they used with each other, almost like a private joke.
Kachin’s cheeks flushed slightly. He knew exactly what it meant.
He stepped closer, gently pressing his lips against Shan’s.
Shan’s lips were dry but they quickly warmed under Kachin’s touch.