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The whistling of the wind was almost deafening in Gaetan’s ears as he warmed his hands by the fire. Despite the volume, he counted himself lucky that he and Letho had managed to find a cave deep enough to shelter them from the worst of the storm. Sure, there was a chance that the two of them might get snowed in, but at least they were given the opportunity to rest awhile after traversing such a harsh, mountainous terrain.
Gaetan had to admit that meeting a client in the far north during the middle of winter wasn’t the best idea he’d ever had, but he’d never claimed to be the intelligent one in their little team. Really, it was Letho’s fault for going along with it. A letter from a high-ranking northern noble - the prospect of a contract with lucrative rewards - had the two of them upping and moving across the continent at a moment’s notice, chasing the promise of enough gold to keep them fed for the rest of the season. It was only once they reached the mountains that Gaetan began to suspect his decision might have been too hasty.
Neither witcher was accustomed to winter - that much was clear just by their schools. But whilst Gaetan’s feeling was just a general dislike of the cold and snow (which was far too wet when melted in his opinion), Letho’s distaste ran far deeper. As a member of the school of the viper, Letho was cold blooded - unable to generate his own body heat and instead taking it from his environment. Usually, this reason alone was enough for the couple to favour warmer climates during the year, but now, since Gaetan had urged them north, he was having to face the consequences of his actions.
It began with little things - being quieter than usual even when the two of them found a tavern to stay in several days prior, Letho being unfocused and off balance as they trekked ever northwards through snow up to their knees. It took Letho almost collapsing and falling on his face for Gaetan to finally clue-in as to what was happening - the cold forcing Letho’s body to shut down.
Hastily, the cat had pressed him onwards in search of shelter. The only thing worse than having a passed-out Letho on his hands was having a passed-out Letho in the snow on his hands. Gaetan might have been strong but moving Letho even an inch was akin to dragging a mountain across the land. The thought of having to leave Letho out in the cold to save himself was more unpleasant to consider still.
It was in the nick of time that Gaetan quite literally stumbled across the cave in which they now resided. Letho had only the residual energy to spare to drag himself to the deepest point of the crevasse and hunker down against the barren stone wall - all but passed out in a matter of seconds. Gaetan, freezing and worried in equal measure, had set around building a fire as fast as possible. He’d hoped it might coax Letho closer and away from where he’d squirrelled himself away in the corner but to no avail.
Gaetan watched from his spot by the fire as Letho shook and shivered, buried so deeply in his winter jacket that the cat couldn’t see his face. The corners of his mouth twitched downwards and he tried not to frown at Letho’s behaviour. Over there, Gaetan imagined that the heat from the fire was minimal - certainly not strong enough to penetrate Letho’s many layers. The two of them might have had an exceeding complex relationship of love, hate and lust - but Gaetan could truly say he didn’t want Letho to die.
“You should come over here.” Having been outside in the harsh wind and snow all day, Gaetan’s voice was hoarse and his lips were cracked. Letho shivered violently and two amber eyes peeked out from beneath his hood for a moment, glaring at the cat across the cavern. Gaetan pushed on - Letho might have been stubborn but he wasn’t stupid. “You’re never gonna get warm over there…” He tried to school his tone into something soothing rather than anxious but he had a feeling that Letho heard it in his voice regardless.
“‘S closer to the wind over there…” Like the rest of him, Letho’s voice resembled a mountain - as deep and thunderous as a landslide. A piece of Gaetan’s heart ached in sympathy but he knew he’d have to be firm to persuade the viper to do anything. If anyone could get Letho to change his mind, though, it would have been Gaetan.
“Then how about you take one of those layers off? I bet it’s warm over there and you can’t even feel it because of-”
“If you even try, I’ll skin you alive, cat - and I mean that.” Gaetan knew that despite the headway they’d been making in their relationship, going from frosty, to friendly to something more, that the threat was very real indeed. Gaetan took a breath to reevaluate his approach. Though he often (secretly) found Letho’s stubbornness endearing, in that moment he wanted nothing more than for the other witcher to be alright again . Letho’s stubbornness could go fuck itself.
“What if,” He tried, changing tact. “They were replaced by me?”
“Huh?”
Here went nothing. Gaetan knew that Letho wasn’t the affectionate sort, far from it, but it was worth the risk in his view.
“I’m just saying… I know you don’t really generate your own body heat, but cats are hot blooded - i have more than enough to share.” The words tumbled from Gaetan’s lips quickly, almost blurred together, as if speaking them at speed would detract from any embarrassment or fallout.
A long silence followed. Gaetan couldn’t begin to imagine what Letho was thinking - and that was if he’d understood the hurried jumble of words at all. Neither of them were the cuddling sort, that was as clear as day, but Gaetan could be if the occasion called for it. And this certainly did. The silence continued. That was almost always a bad sign. What did Letho think of him? Did he think Gaetan soft for even suggesting that they cuddle together for warmth? Did he think it weak or perhaps too vulnerable? Gaetan hoped not but one could never be sure where Letho was concerned - even if he’d had the viper’s cock in his ass on multiple occasions before.
“I don’t think my dick will work in the cold.” Letho said simply. Well. That answered that question then. Neither of them were too familiar with the concept of intimacy without sex so he guessed Letho’s answer was a predictable one. Still, Gaetan wasn’t one to back down, even if not on firm footing.
“No… I mean-” He sighed before cutting himself off. Because of the cold, he knew that Letho likely wasn’t thinking clearly. And besides, being harsh with the viper might make him less inclined to accept Gaetan’s help. “As lovely as your dick is, I just wanna help you…”
Letho gave no reply other than a long huff, at least not a verbal one. He did; however, shed his thick winter jacket, revealing a jumper beneath that was just as thick. Gaetan knew that the jumper was unlikely to do any favours as far as the transfer of body heat was concerned but he wasn’t about to push his luck.
His shoulders sagged in relief that he’d won Letho round and although Gaetan was loath to leave the warmth of the fire, he knew that Letho was more in need than he was in that moment. “Put the coat under you,” Gaetan continued as he shuffled along the cold cave floor. “It’ll make a good barrier so you’re not pressed up against stone and losing heat that way - it’ll be more comfortable too.”
With a grumble, Letho did as he asked. A small flicker of pride warmed the centre of Gaetan’s chest at the fact Letho obeyed without a fight. Even if he often said the opposite, the trust he placed in the cat was plain to see - all the more so when he was cold and vulnerable. When Gaetan had first noticed that feeling returned (having long since trusted Letho to have his back, somewhat naively), he’d panicked - not knowing what to do with this fragile trust he’d earned for the first time in his life. But now it fit over him like a cosy blanket and it was a promise that Gaetan was determined not to break.
Despite having gained Letho’s permission, Gaetan was still sure that the other witcher would punch him when he finally clambered into Letho’s lap, wrapped himself around the larger man in an effort to replace the jacket, just as he’d said. Letho, most surprisingly of all, leant into the gesture and immediately sought out Gaetan’s body heat. A little squirming on both sides and a knee in an unfortunate place had Gaetan well and truly tangled in the other’s lap, somehow over a thigh and high enough that Letho was able to tuck his head against the other’s neck.
It must have looked bizarre from someone else’s point of view, but Gaetan found himself perfectly comfortable in that position, Letho’s steady puffs of breath tickling the exposed skin of his collar bone. Being this close to Letho, wrapped up in each other, felt right in a way he couldn’t quite explain. Gaetan settled with his arms over Letho’s shoulders, going slack against the larger man with the confidence that Letho could take his weight.
A silence stretched between the pair, but unlike before, this was a comfortable sort of quiet. It was just as Gaetan thought that he might have been able to sleep there that Letho finally spoke.
“Thank you…” It was a quiet mutter, so soft that Gaetan wasn’t sure he’d heard it for a moment. “This is helping.” The admittance must have been difficult for someone like Letho, but that just made Gaetan appreciate it all the more.
“It’s my fault you’re up here in the first place.” He countered. “I’m sorry for dragging you all the way north - I should have thought about shit like this before we left.” Gaetan wouldn’t admit it, but the guilt had been eating away at him for some time.
“‘S not your fault.” Letho sounded tired in that bone-deep sort of way where Gaetan’s worry threatened to return. “You can’t help the fact I have weird mutagens…”
“I happen to like the weird parts of you.” Gaetan admitted before he thought better of it. Letho said nothing in response and Gaetan took that silent acceptance as a victory.
He wiggled and settled himself in once again, breathing in deeply and relaxing further when Letho’s hands encircled around his back, keeping him close and evidently enjoying the contact. If he noticed when Gaetan began to purr quietly, unable to control it, he neglected to mention it.
The storm raged on outside, as violent and as fearsome as ever. For the first time that day, Gaetan wished that the storm would continue for a little while longer at least if it meant he got to stay in Letho’s arms. But even so, once the snow cleared and they were able to reach the prospective client, Gaetan had half a mind to collect the reward and kill them too.