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"You're freezing."
Was he? Nicholas couldn't tell. From the second he regained consciousness, his vision felt blurred, and all he could feel was the chattering of his own teeth rattling into his skull. When the man's face hovered closer again, Nicholas could see the concern there.
Then there were hands reaching for his clothes, peeling them away with precision. Nicholas couldn't even protest. He couldn't do it himself. The chattering of his teeth lessened as his clothes were stripped and he could feel his heart slow. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
Soft, dry clothes were slipped onto him and he could feel hands prying at his own, giving the soft fabric for him to hold. A blanket. Blankets meant warmth.
It was cold. So cold. So, so cold.
Nicholas didn't even know what'd happened to him to end up in this state.
"Do you remember anything that happened?" The man asked as if he was reading Nicholas' mind. Nicholas jerked his head, his tongue feeling stuck to the roof of his mouth.
The man nodded, "That's okay. You're still so cold. I'll get you something warm to drink. Could you lean back for me?"
Nicholas shifted before he was guided to recline against something soft. Another blanket was placed over him. Nicholas still couldn't feel a thing.
He didn't realize he'd reached out until the man came closer, his hand on top of Nicholas', "I'll be right back. My name's Kei, I promise I won't leave you alone."
Nicholas clumsily nodded, and the man smiled. Kei. An unfamiliar name and an unfamiliar face. An unfamiliar place Nicholas couldn't see past the bed he was on.
Soon enough, Kei returned and there's a mug in his hands. Kei didn't let Nicholas try to take it. He doesn't think he can take it, not from how stiff everything felt.
The liquid was warm, bordering on hot as it slid down his throat. It felt good. Nicholas felt more alive now than he did minutes before. The feeling waa returning to his arms at least, and his breathing finally came back to normal.
"Can I ask you a few questions, now that you're a bit more warmed up?" Kei asked, voice gentle. Nicholas gave him a nod.
"What is your name?"
He tried to speak, the syllables coming out jarringly scratchy to his own ears, "Ni...Nicholas. Wang Nicholas."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty..twenty-four..."
"Good," Kei hummed, putting down his clipboard.
Nicholas swallowed before speaking again, "What…what happened?"
"A sudden avalanche," Kei said, sitting next to the bed and allowing Nicholas more sips of the liquid. "You weren't caught in it at first, but you rushed right into it when you noticed a little boy had gotten caught. We found you both in the same spot."
"Oh."
Flashes of memory flittered in his mind. A little boy, the rumble of the ground, and cold, empty whiteness. It must've been true if Kei was saying it was.
Kei's brows furrowed, "You shouldn't do that next time, okay? It's dangerous and you were this close to dying." He held up his fingers a few milimeteres apart. "Seriously, if I ever see you in here again, I'll kill you myself."
A laugh jumped from Nicholas' chest, barely a wheeze but Kei also beamed before settling down, "What you did was reckless. But you also saved that little boy's life. If it weren't for you then he'd already be dead, so…thank you."
Thank you? Nicholas couldn't understand it.
"Why?"
"Why?" Kei repeated, before a softer smile settled onto his face. "Working as a paramedic for so long I've seen many gruesome deaths due to the snow. You prevented me from seeing another one. And let's just say I have a soft spot for reckless idiots."
Nicholas didn't understand that either.
All he knew after was that Kei stayed. He stayed until Nicholas finished his drink, and until he recovered the feeling in his limbs. He stayed until the doctor finally had him cleared before pressing the blanket into Nicholas' arms, telling him to keep it before he went.
Later on when Nicholas had fully recovered from the cold, and had gotten an earful from Fuma, Euijoo, and Harua whilst also balancing a lapful of snotty Taki, he'd realized that maybe…
"Oh my god," Nicholas said, slapping himself in the forehead. How could he be so blind?
"What? Are you hurting again? Do I need to call the nurse?" Euijoo had immediately sprang up but Nicholas shook his head.
"I…I think the pretty paramedic who had saved me might've been flirting with me earlier."