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When Luis had told Max he wanted to go on vacation together over break, he’d figured they’d be going back to see his family.
What he had not expected was to be visiting Arendelle in the middle of its snow season.
“You want to go to Arendelle,” he’d said, lips pressed together in disapproval. “In winter?”
“It’ll be romantic!” Luis protested, grabbing both of Max’s hands with his. “Imagine: a nice little cabin, a warm fire that suddenly goes out, and we have to find another way to keep warm…”
Since Max’s hands were restrained, he opted to kick him in the shin. “You better mean cuddling.”
“Yup! Of course! Cuddling!” Luis agreed, pretending like he was a lot more hurt than he was, trying to get a reaction out of Max. He didn’t budge, instead raising a judgemental eyebrow. “Unless…”
“Every minute you spend trying to sell me on this vacation, the more you lose me.”
“Max, c’mon,” Luis continued, trying and failing to hide a grin behind a pout. Max rolled his eyes and stared blankly at him. “Okay, fine. But counterargument: snow. Lots of snow.”
“You’re not helping.” Max sighed, but he was fighting his own smile.
That was how they ended up in Arendelle.
The first few days went surprisingly well. Max had been prepared for freezing temperatures, terrible roads, and Luis complaining every five minutes about how cold his fingers were and insisting they hold hands. Instead, the weather was clear, the town was beautiful, and Luis was setting a personal record for the amount of time gone without complaining.
Their cabin was a little way outside the main part of town, tucked among pine trees at the edge of the forest. It was small, comfortable, and according to Luis, who insisted on being the gentleman and paying for almost everything, surprisingly inexpensive. Max had to admit he liked it. There was a fireplace, two bedrooms, a kitchen stocked with enough food to last even Luis a lifetime, and huge windows overlooking the forest.
The first night, Luis stood in front of the fire with his hands extended towards the flames. “This,” he announced. “Is the best part so far.”
“Really?”
“Definitely.”
“Not the romance you were so set on?” Max shifted his position on the couch, opening himself up for Luis to come and lean against him.
“The fireplace is romantic.”
“Mhm,” he hummed, placing a hand on the base of Luis’s neck as he settled down against him. Neither of them said anything, just relaxing in each other’s company, the warmth of the fire making them feel cozy.
It was peaceful.
The next morning, the sky had changed.
Max noticed it immediately when he opened the curtains. The blue sky was gone. Thick clouds had covered everything, turning the morning gray. Snow fell steadily, much heavier than it had the day before.
Luis wandered into the room, still half asleep. “Morning,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
“Look outside,” he said, holding the curtain open wider and moving to the side.
“Huh.”
“Yeah.”
“Weather picked up. There’s a lot of snow.”
“I can see that.”
Luis watched for another few seconds, then smiled. “Snow day!” he declared proudly, pulling Max away from the window.
“We’re adults. We don’t get snow days.”
“First of all, you’re 17. Second of all, we’re on vacation. We absolutely get snow days.”
Max shook his head and plopped down on the couch, crossing his arms. They stayed inside for most of the morning, but by noon, they’d run out of things to do.
Luis was the first to suggest going into town. Max was immediately against it. “Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a snowstorm.”
“We’ve seen worse.”
“We have not seen worse. Has two days in Arendelle made you forget how rarely it snows in Auradon?”
Luis crossed his arms. He clearly wasn’t going to be taking no for an answer, but Max figured he could at least draw this out a little longer. “Y’know, we need food,” Luis continued.
“We have enough food to feed an army. Probably even enough for two armies.”
“Well, the army is bored, Max. Play in the snow with me, or I’m going outside, making the biggest snowball I can, which is massive, bringing it back inside, and throwing it at your head.”
“Ohhh, I see what this is, Madrigal. You’re trying to kill me. You brought me to a cabin in the woods in a foreign kingdom so you could finally do it.”
“Yup,” Luis said, popping the ‘p’ loudly and smiling. “This was all my elaborate plan.”
“And here I thought we’d gotten over our differences years ago,” Max teased, placing his hand to his heart and feigning hurt. “Tell me, have you been planning this for all two years of dating? Or did I finally break you?”
“Oh, I’ve been planning this the whole time,” Luis replied, drawing out the ‘o’ in ‘whole’ for emphasis. He grabbed Max’s arms and pinned them against the couch before leaning in to kiss him softly. Max faked a struggle, attempting to wriggle his wrists out of Luis’s grip, but leaned into the kiss anyway.
Eventually, after enough kissing, Max agreed to brave the weather and travel into town. Luis was ecstatic. They bundled themselves into their warmest clothes, and Max double-checked the weather report before they left.
The storm wasn’t supposed to get any worse until the evening. They’d have plenty of time to get back.
At least, that was the plan.
The walk toward town was slow. Snow covered the path they’d taken the day before, and the wind pushed against them hard enough that Max had to lean forward to counteract it. “This is getting worse,” he observed.
Luis shouted something that sounded like an insult, but Max couldn’t quite hear over the wind. “What?” he called back.
“I said this is fun!”
“That’s not what you said!”
Luis laughed, and they continued, pushing through the snow. For a while, they could still see the cabin behind them. Then the snow became thicker and thicker, so much so that he was almost blinded. The trees disappeared into the white haze surrounding them.
“Luis, stop!” he called, and Luis spun around, assuming something was wrong. “Where’s the path?”
They both looked down, realizing they couldn’t see it. Max had a gut feeling they weren’t actually following the path at all anymore. They looked behind them, seeing that the cabin was gone from view. Luis’s smile disappeared.
Max pulled out his phone. No signal. “Great,” he mumbled sarcastically, shoving it back into his pocket.
“Maybe we should head back.”
“Great idea, Madrigal! Wanna tell me where the cabin is?”
“We can just…retrace our steps.” But looking down into the snow, Luis knew they couldn’t. Too much snow had fallen, and the harsh wind had obscured every trace of their footsteps. For the first time that day, he seemed genuinely worried.
The wind howled through the trees in a way that sent shivers down Max’s spine. Snow stung their face. He pulled his jacket tighter. “We should find shelter.”
Luis nodded, and they started to move again, weaving through trees. Neither of them talked much anymore; the joyous mood was ruined. He tried to keep track of landmarks: a bent tree, a large rock. But everything looked different under the snow.
The storm was getting worse. Max could barely see more than a few feet in front of him. Luis seemed to be faring a little better than he was, at least. Hazel had always teased him about having poor eyesight and needing glasses. Maybe he should’ve listened.
He began to notice something else, too. His legs felt strangely heavy, as if they were too big for his body. At first he ignored it, but then he stumbled forward. He would’ve fallen if not for Luis’s fast reflexes. “You okay?” he asked, concern shining in his eyes.
“Yeah, just tripped over a rock.”
They kept walking, but a few minutes later, he stumbled again. This time, Luis didn’t let go after catching him. “Max.”
“I’m fine.”
“You really don’t like fine.”
“Wow, thanks. I’m just cold.”
“So am I.”
“No, I mean…” Max stopped, forgetting what he wanted to say. Luis stared at him.
“Max? You with me?”
“I’m okay.” His teeth were chattering, and Luis looked increasingly concerned. “Let’s just stop arguing and find some place warmer.”
They pushed onward. Eventually, they came across an abandoned hunting shelter tucked between several large trees. The roof was partially collapsed, and snow had blown inside, but three of the walls were intact. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. They ducked inside.
Luis immediately began clearing snow from one corner. “Sit down.”
Max shook his head. “This isn’t gonna cut it. We need real warmth. I can walk.”
“I know. But you don’t have to,” he said, gently easing him to the floor. Max accepted it begrudgingly and sat. He leaned against the wall, trying to pull his coat even tighter.
Luis crouched beside him. “You’re really cold.”
“You’re really observant.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” Luis didn’t laugh. That was when Max realized how worried he really looked. “I’m okay,” he promised, flashing him a smile.
Luis nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. He took off his scarf and wrapped it around Max, tucking it tightly. “You need that. Yours is soaked.”
Max looked down. His scarf was damp from the snow. He hadn’t even noticed; he’d been too focused on his goal.
Luis settled beside him. “We’ll wait here.”
“How long?”
“Until we can at least see where we’re going. We can keep each other warm.”
“Was this part of your plan to ‘cuddle’?” Luis grinned, but didn’t respond.
For a while, they listened to the storm. The wind battered the shelter and snow blew through the gaps in the walls. Max tried to stay awake. He wanted to convince himself that everything was fine, that they were safe, that the storm would pass, and that someone would find them. But he was becoming increasingly tired. His eyes kept closing.
Luis noticed. “Hey,” he said, bumping their shoulders together. Max opened his eyes.
“Hm?” he hummed, exhausted and wanting to rest.
“Stay awake. You were falling asleep.”
“I’m tired,” he complained, rubbing his eyes with his palms.
Luis shifted closer, blocking some of the wind with his body. “Talk to me.”
“About what?”
“Anything you want.”
Max thought for a second. “Your vacation plan was stupid.”
Luis laughed nervously. “Really? I said anything, and you picked that?”
“I’m not done. You dragged me out into a snowstorm. You said there’d be a nice cabin.”
“There is a nice cabin.”
“Yeah, well, we can’t find it!”
“Minor detail.” Max smiled faintly. Luis watched him fondly. “Tell me another thing.”
“You’re annoying.”
“Okay. Another.”
“Your ideas are terrible.”
“That’s better.”
“You talk too much.”
“I’ve heard that one before. Be original, Hatter.”
Max’s eyes drifted shut, and Luis immediately nudged him. “Hey.”
Max opened them again. “What?”
“Don’t fall asleep. Keep telling me how much I suck.”
“I’m just…resting my eyes.”
“Fine. You get two seconds.”
Max frowned, but closed his eyes. “One,” Luis counted. Max’s head dipped. “Two.” Luis gently shook his shoulder. “Okay, open.”
Max blinked like it pained him to do so. “You’re annoying,” he mumbled. All he wanted was to sleep. Luis tried to smile. He wasn’t succeeding very well.
Eventually, the storm began to weaken. The snow was still falling, but the wind wasn’t as strong. Luis stood. “I’m going to look outside.” Max nodded, too tired to argue with anything he said.
Luis took a few steps towards the opening before hearing a voice shout his name. He spun around and saw a search party making their way over, full of people from the town. Someone must have noticed them walking through the storm and figured out they’d gotten lost. In the back of the group was a royal guard. He nearly cried with relief.
One of the townspeople immediately knelt next to Max, touching his face gently. “How long has he been this cold?”
“I don’t know,” Luis admitted. How long had they been out here? “A couple of hours.”
“Can he walk?”
Max tried to stand, but his legs gave out almost immediately. Luis caught him, strong arms wrapping around him. They helped Max onto a stretcher they had brought. He looked embarrassed and kept insisting he could walk, but no one would let him try again.
Luis followed them closely. “Is he going to be okay?”
“We’re getting him somewhere warm. That’s what matters.”
The trip back to town was a blur. Max remembered being carried. He remembered the warmth of the building when they arrived. He remembered someone wrapping him in blankets. Then everything became hazy.
When he woke again, he was lying in a warm room. For a few terrifying seconds, he had no idea where he was, but then his eyes landed on Luis. He was sitting in a chair beside the bed, fast asleep with his arms folded.
“Luis.”
His eyes snapped open so quickly that Max wondered if he was ever really asleep. “Max?” He stood up so fast the chair nearly fell backward. “You’re awake!”
“Apparently.”
Luis stared at him for a moment, then exhaled, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. “Okay.”
“What? Miss me?”
“Never. You look terrible.”
“You don’t look too great yourself, Madrigal.” Max smiled, and Luis sat back down.
Luis relayed what the doctor had told him while Max was sleeping. Apparently, his core temperature had dropped dangerously low, and he’d developed hypothermia. He’d been lucky to be found when he was; it could’ve turned deadly if he’d stayed outside much longer. He needed to rest, stay warm, and be monitored for a while.
“You stayed here the whole time?” he asked, after pausing to take in his condition.
“Obviously. I wasn’t gonna leave you in a stranger's house.”
“You could’ve gone back to the cabin to sleep.”
“I slept here.”
“Barely. I can tell.” Then Max said, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For agreeing to let you drag me outside.”
Luis blinked. “Wow. You almost freeze to death, and somehow this is still my fault?” Max grinned. “Seriously though,” he continued. “I know you didn’t want to come and…I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you when you said it was stupid.”
“Definitely.”
“Max.”
“Luis, it’s fine. Apology accepted.”
“You really scared me.” Max’s smile faded. “I kept thinking that we’d find the cabin, and then we couldn’t, and then you started acting weird, and I didn’t know what to do.”
“You did the right thing.”
“I mostly sat there.”
“You talked to me. You kept me awake. You kept me warm.” Max looked down at the blankets. “If you hadn’t been there…Thank you.”
Luis smiled. “First rescues free.”
The next few days were spent entirely indoors for the sake of Max’s health.
The storm continued outside, occasionally rattling the windows, but neither of them complained.