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"Why are you using a bunsen burner?"
Varian looked up from the device, halfway thruogh dropping a slice of a sugar beet into the beaker. Hugo was standing a few feet away, two steaming coffee mugs in his hands while the employees of this coffee shop bustled around him. They seemed to notice the confusion knit in his eyes and jaw, and glances were starting to get thrown Varian's direction.
It was an odd situation they'd found themselves in. Snow had fallen nearly halfway up the side of the walls, trapping everyone inside the combination shop and inn. A small group that included Yong was over at the front door, trying to clear away the packed snow with various methods—Nuru had to convince Yong that no, fireworks even an inch outside the door would still not be safe—and since so many people had gotten trapped, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and any other warm drinks were being given out for free. Hugo and Varian had volunteered (been dragged into the back by an employee named Veronica) to help out.
An excuse was trying to form in Varian's throat, but with the sudden attention, the words all withered away.
"Hagen! We need those coffees over here!" Someone shouted.
"Hugo," He corrected, muttering as he hurried out of sight.
Varian let out a sigh of relief and dropped the sugar beet into the water, flicked the burner on, and adjusted his goggles over his eyes. With the burner at this level of heat, the juice would be done in about two minutes, then he'd have to find a way to concerntrate it to get pure sugar left behind. He picked up the next slice of sugar beet—
A light tap hit the frame of his goggles, and he spun, nearly whacking Hugo in the face with the root. Hugo caught his wrist, took the root and examined it, before his eyes widened.
"Are we—"
"Running out of sugar," Varian confirmed.
"You know the process for—"
"—purification takes hours. Yes. That's why—"
"—you're using a bunsen burner."
"Adorable," Nuru called from the doorway where she'd somehow acruired a shovel. "Now can you two come up with an actual solution?"
Hugo nudged Varian to the side and dropped the other slice in. The water was boiling now, the sugar seeping into it. There was one obvious issue with this process though, aside from how long it would take. There were over thirty people trapped in here with them, and there was no way there'd be enough sugar to satisfy them all.
"I mean, it's not like the suger is that important," Varian muttered. "Just keeping people warm is."
"You're right, but you're not the one out there serving them."
"What does that mean?"
"They're being picky and rude despite the fact that we are all literally snowed in."
"If i had my ussual setup, I might be able to super-size this process, drop a few dozen slices of the sugar beets in the water, then set up a few strainers and boilers to purify the juice and seperate the crystals, but even then I don't think it'd be enough."
"Maybe there's a bag in the back that you missed," Hugo suggested, moving towards the pantry. Varian followed as he ran through more ideas in his head. "I wouldn't put it past you, those goggles aren't really meant to enhance your eyes."
Varian pushed the goggles up to his head as they walked down the thin staircase into a room much warmer than anything upstairs. Between the cracks of stone, though, water had started to drip down the walls and freeze, making the ground a bit slippery.
They split up, trying to figure out where the sugar would be stored. Varian chewed the inside of his cheek while he wandered, wondering what they'd do if the customers got a bit more upset. Maybe Nuru and the others would get the path cleared out before then.
A startled shout came from upstairs, followed by several people shouting "Cold! Cold!" Varian shook his head. They'd have to settle on finding the sugar, then. Wind blew a thin sheet of snow to the top of the stairs, and the wooden cellar door slammed shut.
"What was that?" Hugo called from somewhere deeper in the room.
"The wind knocked the door closed," Varian sighed, climbing back up to push it open. Unfortunately, it didn't budge. "A little help?"
Hugo hurried up, pressing in at Varian's back as he braced himself against the wood. They both pushed, but the door still didn't move. Varian pushed harder, his foot slipping on the metling snow. He barely had time to shout before he slipped to the side, dragging Hugo down with him. Luckily, the staircase wasn't too high, and the ache in Varian's knee was already fading.
"You okay?" He asked, catching his breath while Hugo lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
"Just fine," He groaned. "We're gonna be down here a while."
"What makes you say that?"
"It's so busy up there that they won't notice we came down here. Nuru and Yong are still clearing the path, so they won't be looking either."
"Well, it's hardly the end of the world."
Hugo laughed and sat up on his elbows. "Might as well find something to do down here."
Varian's ears felt hot at whatever idea Hugo had just put in his head. They were keeping things between them quiet, not wanting to get too close for fear of burning each other up. A binary star system wasn't too far off from their current state. An inch closer would be dangerous, catastrophic, even.
"Earth to Goggles," Hugo teased. Varian had half a mind to tug them over his eyes in an attempt to shut out the world while he decided how bad of an idea this would be.
He pulled his gloves off and rubbed his hands together. The floor was a lot colder now, with the snow melting slowly across it. Not wanting to get his clothes wet, too, he moved a bit closer to Hugo.
"We could play some sort of game," Hugo suggested, his smirk faltering just a bit. "Hide and seek wouldn't be that fun, but there's got to be something we can do to pass the time."
Maybe going supernova for a moment wouldn't be so bad.
Varian grabbed Hugo's shoulders, straddling his lap and pulling him close until their chests were almost pressed together. Warm fingers trailed up Varian's shirt, catching at his neck and pulling him down into a desperate kiss. His own hands cradled Hugo's face, and Varian leaned further in.
They giggled when Varian knocked them both to the ground, Hugo breaking away from the kiss just enough to let Varian know he hadn't hit his head too hard. He grabbed the back of Varian's head and planted kisses along his cheeks, moving to his jaw and then biting at his neck.
Varian let out a gasp and sat up, pulling Hugo with him. His lips and breath were hot against his skin, like a fire sprouting under both their skin.
"Who closed the cellar?" Someone shouted from upstairs.
"Shit," Hugo groaned into Varian's neck.
Varian climbed to his feet, smoothing out his shirt and fixing the buttons to hide where Hugo's teeth had left marks. "Later?"
"Later," Hugo nodded. His face was flushed a bright red, and Varian picked up a scoop of the almost melted snow, then launched it into his face. Hugo spluttered for a moment, glaring as he wiped his face dry. "What the hell?!"
"An excuse for why your face is so red."
The door swung open and Yong peered down into the basement. "How long have you been down here?"
"Uh," Varian glanced at Hugo, who shrugged. "A while?"
"Well get back up here! There's a line!"