'such a pity, a boy so pretty'

32. stolen moments

Over the next few days Keith and Lance relaxed and relished in each other's company, spending the holidays either inside watching cliché movies or Star Wars, with Keith drawing Lance for his application portfolio, or going out and enjoying the snow that seemed to never stop falling.

Hats on and gloved hands holding each other close Lance led Keith through a snowy secluded forest that he had yet, somehow to show him.

The snow droplets coated the trees like frosting on a cake, the snow crunched beneath their feet as they walked. Noses warm and red with frost, hair tousled in the wind, Lance pulled Keith to an opening where a lake lay, in all its glory, completely pristine and untouched, as if it had appeared out of thin air, just for them.

Keith audibly gasped and Lance smiled at him, walking closer and putting his backpack down, pulling two pairs of skates out, one slightly frayed and obviously old, the other slightly new, Lance handed Keith that pair.

Lance walked over to the edge of the lake and stood on the ice, wobbling slightly as he hadn't put the skates on yet and the ice was slippery smooth. He edge further out, the ice still holding.

"Lance, are you sure about this?" Keith asked him, his cold red fingers playing with his slightly fingerless gloves worriedly. Keith's dark eyes were fixed upon the ice beneath Lance's feet.

"I'm testing it now. Don't worry, I used to do this all the time when I was little." Lance told him and Keith smiled a little, his thoughts drifted to a young Lance in small blue skates, stumbling on the ice, he smiled even more. As Lance walked about the ice, he jumped a little.

"Careful. You're bigger than you were when you were little." Keith told him, standing at the edge.

"Are you calling me fat?" He joked and smiled a little, Keith just rolled his eyes. Lance glided across the ice on his sneakers and over to Keith. "See it's fine." He said, standing on the bank, then sitting down to put his skates on, Keith sat next to him and did the same.

Lance stood up and helped Keith up as he wobbled on the skates, Lance smiled at him and stepped onto the ice, wobbling aswell, holding Keith's hand tightly.

"You okay?" Keith asked him, smirking a little.

"Yeah... good, I just haven't done this in a while." Lance said, slightly uneasily, but soon caught his balance, for some reason, someone of his tallness had amazing balance.  Lance skated around the outside of the lake for a while, before returning back to Keith and taking his hand. "The outside is the thickest" Lance told him reassuringly. "And the shallowest."

"If it breaks I'm murdering you." Keith told him, his tone serious and Lance held his head and they slowly skated around the outskirts of the frozen water. The moment was blissfully peaceful, although Keith nearly fell a few times he enjoyed skating with Lance, until he fell on his ass.

"Are you okay?" Lance asked him between laughs.

"Stop laughing it's not funny!" Keith growled at him and crossed his arms, Lance continued to laugh. "Shut up!" Keith pouted.

"Okay, I'm sorry" He said, still smiling and sighs, offering Keith his hand. Instead of pulling himself up, Keith dragged Lance down with him so that he fell on top of him, and they glided across the ice on their backs. Keith giggled and smiled.

"Are you okay?" Keith smirked at him.

"You're evil." Lance said, laying down next to Keith, who smiled at him and took his hand.

"That's what you get for laughing at me." Keith said smugly and led down too, looking up at the clear blue sky, the frosted trees so tall that they merged with the blue. Keith smiled and looked at Lance, and past him, realising how far away from the bank they seemed to be.

"What's wrong?" Lance asked him.

"We're pretty far out" Keith told him and Lance turned around.

"Yeah... lets go back" Lance said and they both sat up. That's when they heard the crack. Looking down, Keith saw the ice starting to split between them, and then began to  crack violently.

In an instant Keith's fear was thrust aside as he pushed Lance as hard as he could towards the bank as the ice broke completely and he fell under.

"KEITH!" Lance shuffled as quickly over to the hole in the ice, he looked in and could see Keith's dark hair, he reached as far as he could, half his body in the freezing water, but only his finger tips touched Keith, who was sinking, fast. Lance pulled off his jumper, hat, gloves and jeans at lightning speed, and dived into the water, reaching for Keith.

He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and swam to the surface, luckily there was no current, and so he got to the top easily, pulling Keith and himself to the bank.

"Keith?" He asked. His boyfriend was unconscious and shivering, Lance listened to his heart, which was still beating, faintly. Taking off Keith's jacket and top, Lance wrapped his jumper around Keith and took off Keith's sopping gloves, replacing them with his own, and pulled off Keith's skates.

Grabbing his bag and pulling on his jeans, he picked Keith up and ran to the car, putting him in the passenger side, Lance ran around and got in, turning the heat on he pulled Keith close, trying to warm him up. Keith coughed loudly and woke up, clinging to Lance.

"L..Lance?" He shivered, Lance hugged him tighter.

"I've got you. I'm sorry, this is all my fault." Keith sighed and gripped Lances hand. "Let's go to the hospital"

"No. I'm f...fine." Keith told him and cuddled close to him. "I just need to warm up."

"Can we at least call your dad? This is all my fault, I'm sorry." Lance said and got out his phone.

"It's okay, it's n..not your fault" Keith told him and Lance grabbed a blanket from the backseat and wrapped it around Keith, who shuffled closer, practically on Lances lap. "Let's j..just stay here until I've s..stopped shivering." Keith's suggested.

"Okay" Lance said, holding around him. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologising, I'm okay." Keith smiled a little and kissed him gently, Lance kissed back and stroked his cheek, sighing. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure, I'm fine." Keith laid his head on Lances chest and sighed happily. Lance was safe and warm and that's all that mattered to Keith, especially the warmth.

end of chapter 32

here's some happy/problematic fluff
to prepare you for the angst that is about to come :) enjoy