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Carlos woke up with a long, warm arm snaked around his torso and a very full bladder. Carlos groaned and rubbed his eyes. He slowly lifted up Cecil's arm and slipped out of the bed before gently setting it back down so not to wake up his sleeping boyfriend.
Carlos yawned and stretched before snatching up a pair of pajama pants (he wasn't sure if they were Cecil's or his). Then he headed off to the bathroom. When he left he took a moment to stare fondly at the Voice of Night Vale.
Cecil was sprawled ungracefully across the bed on his stomach. His pale blonde hair was sticking up in random angles on top of his head. Carlos couldn't help chuckling to himself when Cecil let out a small snore.
Shaking his head as he left the bedroom, Carlos headed to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.
Carlos had just finished pouring his first cup when something outside caught his attention through the window.
He watched in wonder as a mountain literally grew up out of the ground right on the outskirts of town. Carlos gaped at it with his cup paused just shy of his lips.
Carlos abruptly set down his coffee and hurried to the bedroom. He came bursting the through the doorway panting.
"Cecil? Cecil!" Carlos said excitedly. He began shaking his boyfriend's arm.
"Carlos? What's wrong? Is it the spaghetti monster back?" Cecil mumbled sleepily.
"No, no. It's a mountain!" Cecil turned onto his back so he could blink sluggishly up at him.
"A mountain?" Cecil questioned.
Carlos nodded jerkily, "Uh huh! It grew on the outskirts of town. Not two minutes ago."
Cecil shot out of the bed, "Oh. Ooooh!"
Carlos grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He lead Cecil to the kitchen window and pointed at it.
"See, it's a real mountain! Not just a mirage like last time," Carlos said, practically beaming at his boyfriend.
Just then the TV switched on and began saying in an unnaturally deep, scratchy voice:
"Mountains do not exist. There are no such things as mountains. If you should happen to see one on the outskirts of town, which you shouldn't because mountains do not exist, then it is just a figment of your tiny human minds. Again this is your friendly City of Night Vale official reminding you that mountains do not exist."
Carlos and Cecil exchanged looks.
"Do you want to go?" Carlos said just as Cecil said, "Can we go?"
They grinned at each other.
"I'll get the, uh, do we have any mountain supplies?" Cecil wondered.
Carlos paused, "Maybe? I think we have some excursion equipment? That should work."
"Alright," Cecil headed to the closet to find the supplies.
Carlos meanwhile gabbed all the scientific equipment that looked like it might be useful when studying a mountain in Night Vale.
They ended up making relatively good time. The only delay they had was when they tried to share the shower to save time but it ended up taking the two of them longer then separate shows because they were busy doing... Things.
Just as Carlos was shutting the back of the cab of his truck their neighbor, Mrs. Ravenwood, poked her head out of her front door to ask them what they were going so early in the morning.
"Were going to study the mountain!" Cecil said bouncing up and down on his toes.
Mrs. Ravenwood furrowed her eyebrows, "Didn't you hear the announcement earlier? Mountains don't exist."
"We know!" Cecil said cheerfully.
"Well you two boys have fun now!" Mrs. Ravenwood told them.
"Thank you! We will," Carlos called to her.
Carlos slide into the driver’s seat and Cecil hopped into the passenger’s seat next to him.
"You've studied mountains before, right?" Cecil asked.
"Uh," Carlos mumbled.
"You've at least been on a mountain before?" Cecil turned to stare at him.
"Uh, no. No I have not," Carlos gave him a sheepish smile.
"Oh," Cecil said softly, "I suppose it can't be too hard, right?"
Carlos shrugged, "Let's find out."
~~~~
Carlos and Cecil spent the whole day on top of the mountain. They measured things and calculated complex math problems and drew pictures and observed interesting things, and some not so interesting things.
"Uh Carlos?" Carlos was so engrossed in scribbling in his notebook that he didn't even notice Cecil calling his name.
"Carlos!" Cecil said louder and poked him hard in the side.
Carlos jumped and rubbed at his side, "Ow! What was that for?"
Instead of answering Cecil pointed to the sky. Carlos looked up and his mouth fell open when he saw a huge sulfur-yellow cloud hovering over the mountain, and right over them.
"We should go." Carlos said.
Cecil nodded rapidly, "Yeah that sounds good."
By the time everything was packed and they were strapped into their seats it had begun to snow, or at least something similar to snowing, huge yellow flakes.
Carlos started up the truck and put it in four-wheel drive. They got maybe a few feet before it became impossible to see due to the yellow blizzard.
Cecil was gripping the handle above his head so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Carlos was swearing softly to himself when the truck suddenly stopped.
"Why did you stop?" Cecil asked with a hint of panic in his voice.
"I didn't," Carlos muttered.
He threw the truck into reverse and punched the gas. The car roared and the wheels spun uselessly. Carlos put the truck back in drive and tried to go forward but they didn't even budge.
Carlos thumped his head against the steering wheel, "We're stuck."
Cecil rubbed his back in a soothing manner, "I'm sure this snow will melt and then we'll be able to get down, right?" He questioned. "That's what snow does? It melts?"
Carlos looked at him from the corner of his eye, "Snow usually isn't yellows, so I don't know what it will do."
Cecil looked confused, "Snow isn't yellow?"
Carlos couldn't help laughing, "Have you ever seen snow, Cecil?"
Cecil shook his head, "No."
Carlos grinned at him, "Snow is usually white."
Cecil stared out the window for a long moment, "Really? White? Uh."
Carlos chuckled into the steering wheel. He shut off the car to save gas so they wouldn't run out before they even got off the mountain.
"We'll probably have to stay in here tonight," Carlos told him.
Cecil nodded and continued to stare out of the window.
~~~
"Carlos?"
"Huh?" He answered sleepily.
"I'm cold."
"There should be a blanket under the seat," Carlos said before reaching under Cecil's seat to pull out a small blanket.
Cecil moved so that he was practically seated on Carlos' lap before wrapping the blanket around the both of them.
Cecil rested his head on Carlos' shoulder, "How long do you think we've been in here?"
"A few hours, maybe," he said before yawning.
"Oh," Cecil mumbled into his neck.
They sat in silence for a long while. Just as Carlos was starting to drift off again Cecil murmured:
"Carlos, I'm cold still."
Carlos sighed, "Well I don't think I have any more blankets..." he paused a moment, thinking hard.
"Carlos."
"Yeah," he said
"As a scientist, you should know that physical closeness and activity is the best way to combat the cold," Cecil whispered into his ear.
Carlos felt his cheeks flush with heat, "Uh... Yeah."
Cecil shifted so that he was straddling Carlos' lap. He leaned forward so his lips just brushed teasingly against Carlos'. Carlos caught the back of Cecil's head and brought it back down so he could deepen the kiss. He ran his fingers in Cecil's short hair and looped his other arm around Cecil's back and slipped a hand up Cecil's shirt to touch bare skin.
Cecil hummed into his mouth and tangled both hands into Carlos' curls.
Carlos pulled away panting. He kissed a spot under Cecil's ear and whispered, "Are you feeling warmer?"
Cecil buried his face into Carlos' hair and said in a muffled voice, "Much. But I'm still a little cold."
Carlos laughed and moved to kiss Cecil again.
~~~
Carlos woke up with a long, warm body wrapped like an octopus around him and a full bladder. He was cramped and his back ached from being forced into such an awkward position across the short cab of the truck.
Carlos tilted his head to look out the window. He nudged Cecil to wake him up.
"Hey, Cecil," he said softly.
"Yes, Carlos?" was the muffled response.
"I think the snow is gone."
"Is it?" Cecil sat up and stretched as much as he could in the short cab of the truck.
The two of them look out of the windows. There seemed to be not a sign of any sulfur colored snow. Carlos tentatively opened the door and stepped out of the truck. He heard the slam of the other door telling him that Cecil had done the same.
"It's all gone!" Cecil said in amazement.
There was not even a trace of snow left on the mountain. Carlos and Cecil both grinned at each other before headed off to empty their bladders and get back in the car.
~~~
That night at the stroke of midnight, when Cecil was curled up in Carlos' lap and Carlos was reading an email on his computer, the mountain shrunk back into nothing. And just like the snow, no trace of it was left.