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Darling had, admittedly, not been watching where he was going. He’d devoted his full attention to the scientific equipment in his hands, measuring various fluctuations in frequency which clustered around a small lake in this new Threshold.
Teams had already explored the area closely, and deemed it safe aside from frigid temperatures and icy patches. Darling was properly outfitted for cold weather, having been hounded into a warmer jacket by Trench earlier. Thus, he was unconcerned with his own safety.
At least, until he misstepped, slipped on the densely packed snow, and tumbled into the lake.
“Oh, shit!” Darling sputtered as a wave of ice water struck him in the face. “My equipment!”
He shoved the equipment towards the bank, which really wasn’t that far away, but his hands seemed to be going numb all at once. A desperate gasp for air brought water instead, freezing his mouth and throat. That was a most unpleasant sensation, particularly as he had no wish to gather data on drowning.
“Trench!” Darling shouted, flailing. He couldn’t stop gasping for breath, although he was certainly inhaling more water. His heart pounding, an increasingly loud crashing thud in his ears.
The water had quite thoroughly obscured his glasses, but still, he recognized the blurred figure running at full tilt across the snow. In an instant, Trench flung an inflatable raft into the water. “Darling, hold on. I’m coming.”
Darling couldn’t quite see the details, which was a pity as he always wished to gather data on Trench. But Trench was soon in the raft, paddling to his side. As soon as he came in range, he seized Darling by the jacket and dragged him out of the water.
“It’s all right. You’re going to be all right.” Trench directed a blast of paranatural energy at the water. It propelled the raft forward, towards shore. “I’ll get you somewhere warm and safe.”
As soon as the raft touched land, Trench scooped Darling up in his arms and leapt out onto solid ground. He did so with truly impressive ease, which Darling had to admire. But he had other concerns, too. “My equipment.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t stop to get it. You’re my priority.” Breathing hard, Trench set off at a jog for the nearest mobile lab. “I need blankets, dry clothes, a hot drink, and a medical team! And someone retrieve Dr. Darling’s equipment.”
The Bureau personnel who were presently in the Threshold buzzed around following the barrage of orders. Darling winced. There was, at times, a certain level of resentment towards him from other personnel, as he and Trench had been remarkably close since long before they became partners.
For the moment, there were no mutters of discontent. Trench carried Darling to a cot in the mobile lab, accepted the supplies which had been brought, and kicked everyone else out. At once, he stripped Darling out of all his clothes, leaving him entirely naked.
That was not uncomfortable, save for the increased chill. The two of them found romance a rather baffling concept, and something that neither of them quite grasped. They had formed a partnership that suited them, though, and that partnership involved plenty of activities done in the nude.
After observing Trench’s feats of strength, Darling would ordinarily be thinking of the possibility of asking for a private demonstration of that strength. At the moment, sadly, sex was quite far from his mind.
Freezing to death, however, remained on his mind. In between bouts of coughing, he shivered violently. His teeth chattered. Even the blankets which Trench was piling around him seemed wholly inadequate.
“I’m turning up the heat,” Trench said, reaching for the portable heater beside the cot. A wave of warmth emanated from it, and Trench wrapped a blanket across the top of Darling’s head. “Can you drink if I help you? I’ve secured hot chocolate.”
“Y-yes. I think so.” Another wave of shuddering went through Darling. He watched as Trench took a sip of the hot chocolate, presumably testing to ensure that it wasn’t too hot. “Nice rescue.”
Expression tight, Trench added a small amount of water to the hot cocoa, presumably to cool it. “I wish I’d been faster. I need to develop a new safety protocol. Guards should be stationed near any bodies of water.”
He helped Darling to drink. The hot cocoa was still very hot, especially as Darling’s body temperature was no doubt quite low. But the drink tasted excellent, and better still sent warmth through him. “That might be difficult with some Thresholds, Zach. Many of them largely consist of… of water.”
“We can refine the protocol later. Regardless, better safety procedures need to exist.” Trench helped him drink again. “Perhaps one of those procedures should be never to let the Head of Research go anywhere by himself.”
There was just enough of a hint of wry humor in Trench’s voice that Darling smiled despite the waves of shivering still wrenching at him, harsh tremors that made his whole body ache. “Fair, admittedly. And I do very much enjoy exploring the universe with you.”
“The universe is hostile,” Trench muttered, helping Darling take another drink of the cocoa. “And the medical team apparently is not in the Threshold right now. Or rather, they left before the next shift arrived. I will be correcting that.”
“Thank god I’m not a member of that team.”
“I will also be correcting your inability to watch where you’re going.” A faint smile tugged at Trench’s lips. “Speaking of which. May I take your glasses to clean them?”
“Oh! Yes, thank you.” Darling yielded to Trench’s gentle removal of his glasses, then huddled down under the blankets. They were beginning to feel actually warm at least, which was certainly an improvement. “I-I’m afraid this wasn’t fault of my glasses.”
“I know.”
“Oh.” Darling watched vaguely as Trench patted the lenses dry with the greatest of care. “I was distracted by some truly unusual readings. Nothing dangerous, except for the ‘falling in freezing water during observation’.”
Darling shuddered again, and this time not wholly from the cold. If Trench hadn’t been there, as ready to spring into action as ever, things might have easily been far worse. Even now, it was wholly possible that he would suffer the consequence of inhaling at least some water, in addition to the effects of hypothermia, and—
“Casper,” Trench murmured, caressing his cheek. “It’s okay. I’m here, and you’re safe now. I’ll take care of you.”
Tears stinging his eyes, Darling swallowed hard and leaned into Trench’s warm hand. “I-I know. You always do.”
“I do my best.” Gently, Trench pressed a kiss to his brow, then another. “I’m just glad my best was enough today. And hopefully your equipment can be salvaged.”
“It should be fine,” Darling said, relaxing a little under Trench’s reassuring touch. “After all, my equipment is waterproof.”