Timeline notes: Set during season one-two, although not really of major importance.

Warning notes: Minor violence, some blood and injury.

xxx

If the World Should Freeze

xxx

"This way! Hurry!"

Despite the urgent words Lance sounded much, much too carefree in Hunk's opinion as the two of them tore through the crowded streets of the normally peaceful shaman village of Cheimate. Hunk risked a glance over his shoulder and yup, the angry shopkeeper whose daughter Lance had been flirting with was still hot on their tails despite the sheer amount of Cheimatians, short, rounded figures with smooth heads in a variety of yellow tones, filling the roadway.

"Why?" Hunk wailed as Lance slipped his way like an eel through the throng while Hunk had to gently shift people aside.

Lance just laughed.

Hunk didn't even know why he was running. He hadn't violated some Cheimatian custom that might have involved hand kissing but yet here he was, in as much hot water as his best friend. Then again, that shopkeeper was angry and while Lance was treating it like some innocent misunderstanding Hunk really didn't think it was so easily pushed aside.

Lance broke free of the crowd of shoppers and dashed into an open plaza, a large stone arch embossed with stones taking up the entire width of it. The going here was easier as the Cheimatians were moving only on the outskirts and Hunk easily caught up as Lance slowed his long stride. He grinned easily at Hunk but the expression morphed to one of slight fear as he glanced past Hunk's shoulder and caught sight of the angry father.

He reached out and grabbed hold of Hunk's wrist as though that was going to make him suddenly faster. "Come on!"

They entered into the square and no, Hunk was not imagining the sudden gasps and shouts from the Cheimatians milling about. Lance paid them no mind as he charged them towards the archway in the center.

The shouting grew louder and Hunk wasn't referring to just the shopkeeper.

He looked behind him to see the round faces filled with fear but all hanging back, as though afraid to go after them.

Something was wrong and it wasn't the angry shopkeeper, who had frozen like the rest on the decorative stones inlaid in the ground on the perimeter of the plaza.

Hunk whirled forward as Lance dragged him through the stone arch, Lance's name on his lips –

And found himself knee-deep in snow and a blinding white landscape that stretched out as far as he could see, cold biting in immediately.

"Whoa!" Lance shouted, letting go of Hunk's arm to windmill his own before he tipped over in the slippery landscape. Hunk reached out a hand to steady him, even as he was already turning around to go back to where they'd come from.

But only more snow greeted him.

The archway was gone. The town was gone.

They were alone in the middle for a frozen wasteland and Hunk had absolutely no idea how to get back.

Stark fear at the situation warred with ire that Hunk welcomed for its hot warmth. Lance was always so reckless, never thinking about the consequences of his actions. And like normal Hunk had gotten caught up in it.

"W-well," Lance chattered, drawing Hunk's attention as he shot him a weak grin, "I've got a f-feeling we're not in K-Kansas anymore."

The smile fell a moment later though as Lance hugged his arms about himself and hung his head. "I'm sorry, Hunk. I… I d-don't know what h-happened."

And just like that Hunk felt all of the frustration vanish as though doused by a bucket of water. He knew Lance hadn't meant for this to happen, just as his harmless flirting had not been meant to offend anyone.

He took a step forward and wrapped Lance's shivering form up in a hug. Hunk was cold too, feeling the temperature already seeping through his shirt and vest, but Lance was already starting to look pale. He'd never handled cold well and clothed in just his gray shirt, jacket left behind at the castle, he really had no protection.

"It's all right," Hunk murmured, pressing his already cold nose against Lance's hair.

"It's n-not," Lance muttered back, burying his face against Hunk's still warm chest. This was all his fault. Just like how he'd gotten them caught up in a space war because he'd convinced Hunk to sneak out with him one fateful night, now he'd gotten them caught up in some weird alien magic and they were in a literal Narnia. Just, through an arch instead of a wardrobe. He wished it had been a wardrobe. There were coats in wardrobes. He shivered again and could feel a slight tremor to Hunk as well.

The only saving grace was that there didn't appear to be any wind and no new snowfall, because otherwise Lance was pretty sure they'd already be frozen statues. But it was only a matter of time.

Lance couldn't claim he knew many survival skills (and really, almost all normal logic was thrown out in space as there were no north stars, moss didn't grow only on certain sides of trees and the sun didn't rise in the east – sometimes there weren't even suns on the planets!) but he did know that when you were lost it was best to stay where you were and wait for help.

That said, if he and Hunk had to wait for more than a little bit the rescue team would probably just find popsicles. There was nothing about them except more snow and this spot they'd appeared in looked no different from the rest.

"We need to keep moving," Hunk said, voicing Lance's thoughts. "Stay in the area th-though."

And Hunk was already chattering?

Not good.

Lance forced himself to pull away from where he was leeching Hunk's heat and tucked his already frozen hands up beneath his armpits and surveyed the area. Snow was in all directions but to the far right there were dark splotches on the downhill slope.

Trees.

Lance had no idea if the stick rubbing thing really worked but he could go for fire. And trees had sticks. It was a sound plan in his mind and he jutted his chin in the direction of the forest. "Start th-there?"

Hunk nodded.

It took them only a few moments to realize that walking was going to be a problem. The snow, thick and heavy, was about knee-high deep for both of them and every step forward involved either plowing into it or raising their feet high to go over it.

"Single file," Hunk gasped after a few steps. "Take turns."

And before Lance could protest Hunk was stepping in front of him and creating some semblance of a trail, his larger, thicker form pushing the snow more easily.

Lance did have to admit he felt a little bit warmer as they moved, his heart keeping up a harsh beat as he labored still even with Hunk's path. But they wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. Already Lance could feel the dampness in his shoes giving way to a numbing cold and that was probably not a good sign.

They kept at it though, switching every few minutes although Hunk still took the bulk of the leading. Lance felt guilt flare every time he stumbled and Hunk would gently pivot him to the rear again. This was his fault and he should be fixing it but he had no idea how. He hung his head. He had really messed up this time.

But a rescue had to be coming. The villagers has clearly seen them go through the archway and someone had to be preparing to come after them. If they could. He shivered again and this one didn't have anything to do with the cold.

What if the archway was some type of wormhole and they couldn't be tracked? What if time passed differently and what was an hour here was a minute there? He shook his head firmly. No. He couldn't think like that. He and Hunk were going to somehow be okay until help showed up. And hopefully sooner than later.

Lance narrowed his gaze at the snowy landscape. Why couldn't they have ended up on a beach? Or at least someplace not trying to freeze them to death?

His next step had him stumbling as instead of the thick snow there was something more solid underfoot and he caught himself against Hunk's back.

They had reached the forest. The snow here was thinner thanks to the tree cover although still quite abundant. He was able to join Hunk at his side and pressed immediately against the larger form, and was rewarded by Hunk draping an arm over his shoulders and tugging him in closer. But Hunk didn't feel as warm as normal and a glance at his face revealed although his cheeks were pink from the exertion he was otherwise pale.

Hunk was already reaching up his other arm though and snapping off an underbranch of the tree they had come to stand beneath, but groaned and shook his head. "It's damp," he muttered. As he'd thought it would be. Useless for making a fire.

Lance winced as though that was his fault and Hunk hugged him a little tighter even though it was nearly like hugging an icicle. He rubbed his hands on Lance's back to generate friction, his own hands heating up at the motion.

But even though the wood had proved useless the going was easier under the trees thanks to the only few inches of snow that blanketed it. And maybe if they headed deeper in where there would be even thicker cover there might be some dry wood he could attempt a fire with. It was worth a shot and would keep them moving. Already Hunk could feel the thin sheen of sweat he'd worked up cooling and it made him feel even colder.

Still, Hunk didn't think it was fatal at this point. Freezing to death was sort of a misconstrued concept as it was normally hypothermia that got people first. It was cold but it didn't feel below freezing; the snow was still damp enough to lend credence to that theory rather than a dry powder. Frostbite was Hunk's biggest concern for the immediate moment, his own fingers tingling painfully as they rubbed on Lance's shirt and his toes the same.

"We've gotta keep moving," Hunk said, giving Lance one last squeeze before releasing his hold. "See if we can find something drier inside."

"But—" Lance cast his eyes up the slope they'd worked their way down, only identifiable due to their footprints.

"Not far," Hunk assured, in no desire to lose sight of where they had come into this strange world. That spot could very well be the only way out. But the snow did serve one good purpose in that they could easily see their tracks, even in the cover of the forest, and retracing them would be easy as pie.

Pie. Hunk's stomach grumbled. He and Lance had been about to find Pidge and grab a bite to eat when the shopkeeper had gone ballistic at Lance and they'd decided running away was their best option as unfortunately their translators didn't pick up much of the Cheimatian language. He hadn't eaten since a bowl of food goo for breakfast and his stomach was reminding him of that fact loudly.

Hopefully whatever this was would be wrapped up in no more than a couple varga and they could go back to the castle, bundle themselves in blankets and Hunk would gorge himself on the thick stew he'd left simmering for the afternoon in the kitchen. He patted his stomach in a silent apology and promise for later.

Lance was strangely quiet as they walked, hands tucked up back under his arms and head hanging low. He was still shivering and Hunk could hear his teeth clattering even though his mouth was a tightly sealed line.

Even in the most dire of circumstances he could count on Lance to be filling the air with commentary, as rambling generally made him feel better. The silence was more than a bit unnerving.

"Lance?" he asked gently, nudging him lightly with his elbow.

"I… I really m-messed up," came the whispered response. Dark ocean eyes flicked to his, swimming with guilt. "Us. The ceremony." He shuddered. "Allura is going to kill me if they're interrupted because of this." Quieter, "Because of me."

That had been the whole reason the younger Paladins had been given leave to wander about the village while Shiro, Allura and Coran met with the head shaman about a possible alliance. The Cheimatians were very private, traditional people and any alliance would come about from adhering to those customs. The main one of which was a twelve-hour ceremony that had to only be about halfway through and to interrupt it would be a horrible breach.

Lance had just wanted to make the Cheimatian girl smile as she had looked so forlorn, working the stall full of cloth and textiles while a small group of other girls had moved past whispering and giggling. He'd just been talking to her, many gestures involved thanks to their translators not quite working with only Allura and Coran fully following anything, when he'd kissed her hand with a bow and flourish.

Cue apparently violating some cultural thing as enter screaming, raging father, a chase and now this. Lance had literally just cost them an ally with his actions.

"I think Allura would be more upset if we actually died," Hunk pointed out, but not even a twitch of a smile resulted. He sighed. "Lance. It's not your fault."

A laugh sounded that was anything but humorous. "How is it not? And I dragged you into this too." Lance cast his eyes down again. "Lo siento, hermano."

"Hey," Hunk gave Lance another nudge. "It's not. Well, not intentionally and that's what's important. And besides, I'm glad I'm here."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "You want to freeze to death?"

"Incorrect, and no, but I'm glad you're not here by yourself." And Hunk meant that. While he'd prefer that neither of them were in this situation he was glad Lance hadn't ended up alone.

"Hunk…" A cold nose pressed itself against Hunk's arm then and arms wrapped as much as they could about Hunk's girth. "Gracias," Lance whispered.

"De nada," Hunk replied just as softly. "Now, come on. Let's go find some real firewood."

Lance untangled himself from the hug and Hunk was relieved to see a spark of determination in his eyes rather than the guilt. Good. He didn't like how hard Lance was on himself, always so quick to take the blame (even when it wasn't his to take). Lance was the type though who after a reprimanding would generally dust himself off and put all he had into fixing the problem so it didn't happen again. Seeing that familiar glint was a welcome sight indeed, even if Hunk knew that neither of them really had much of a plan.

Finding dry sticks though was at least something to concentrate on over the chilly temperatures and it kept them moving so Hunk would take it. And, if it actually resulted in a fire then all the better.

Lance was quiet still as they moved through the forest, but his gaze was alert and steady even as Hunk could still make out a teeth clatter every now and then. He rubbed his own hands up and down his arms to generate friction before tucking them back under to keep his fingers warm.

They were shuffling around a wide copse of still unfortunately damp trees when Lance froze and Hunk nearly crashed into him. "What–?"

"Shh!" Lance waved a hand for quiet. "I hear something."

Hunk heard it now too. It sounded faintly like footsteps. Heavy footsteps in the crackle of snow. His neck prickled. While rotund, the Cheimatians were not overly large and had it been a search party Hunk would imagine some more shouting. He cast his eyes to Lance, who seemed to be sharing the same sentiments, lip worried between his teeth.

The sound was getting louder although Hunk had yet to pick out anything in the gloom of the woods. Lance's eyesight was much sharper but he too seemed to be straining to see anything. A harsh inhale a second later though told Hunk that something was there and it was probably not good.

A moment later he got his own view of it and he let out a similar noise.

At first glance the creature looked similar to a moose, huge antlers on its head except these ones were all points instead of round knobs. Instead of cloven feet it was perched on four huge shaggy legs that would look more at home on a grizzly bear.

It nearly blended in with the surroundings, a white and brown dappled body and if it hadn't been moving Hunk may have still missed it entirely. It was sniffing along the ground, a strange whuffling noise, and seemed to be ignoring them for the moment.

Lance took a very small, careful step back so he was next to Hunk, cold forgotten for the moment as his heart raced. He'd say they should climb the trees but Hunk was absolutely not a climber and Lance would never leave him down on the ground himself. Maybe… maybe it was friendly and if they just backed away very slowly it wouldn't give chase.

"Hunk," he breathed, barely audible to even himself but the moose-bear jerked its head up like a spring and dark eyes zeroed in on them. Lance clamped his mouth shut to avoid making any other apparent noises. Hunk let out a whimper next to him.

The moose-bear threw its head back and let out a sound between a bray and a growl, revealing long fangs that matched its antlers and Lance gulped. It definitely didn't look like a vegetarian. It pawed the ground with one clawed paw and let out another cry, preparing to charge.

"Run!" Lance screamed, already pivoting on his heel and Hunk following.

They tore back the way they came, kicking up snow and ducking around trees with the creature in hot pursuit.

It let out another howl that made them run faster, slipping on the snow. Their own frantic breaths were overshadowed by the guttural pants as the moose-bear closed the distance between them, the trees not offering near enough of an obstacle.

Lance swallowed thickly, realizing the futility of running. They couldn't escape it and Hunk couldn't climb a tree on a good day, let alone in a frenzied panic with hands stiff from the cold.

They had to make a stand.

Lance skidded to a stop and in one motion bent down to scoop up a handful of snow, his fingers aching at the temperature, and molded it into a ball. It was by no means a deadly projectile but maybe if they attacked the creature it wouldn't see them as such easy prey and halt its chase? He squared his shoulders as he faced down the beast, only about twenty yards out.

This had to work. He got them into this mess, he sure as heck was going to make sure they got out of it. Or, his stomach flipped as the moose-bear closed in, at least Hunk. He had to make sure of at least that.

Up ahead Hunk realized Lance was no longer running beside him and came to a skidding halt himself. His heart leapt into his throat as he turned and caught sight of Lance standing stock-still, arm wound back with a snowball.

Oh God.

"Lance!" he screamed again, already turning around and going back for his bravely stupid best friend. "Lance!"

It was like watching in slow motion as Lance launched his projectile. It flew through the air, nearly invisible against the background of snow, but Hunk still saw it hit with stunning accuracy on the beast's face, splattering in a wet clump.

It did not stop. It didn't even pause.

Hunk wasn't sure how he heard it over his own pounding heart, but Lance's little inhale of terror may as well have been a gunshot and his feet were moving before he could even think about it.

He barreled past Lance, hands outstretched and knowing he only had one chance at this. If he missed...

He was dead.

The beast's head was lowered in its charge, sharp antlers glinting. Hunk braced his feet, heard Lance's scream of his name, and took a deep breath, world fading away to silence in the moment.

Catch the antlers. Catch the antlers. Catch the–

His hands made impact with the sharpened spikes, wrapping around the smooth curvature below the tips. He had a moment of wide-eyed success, even as the beast's momentum shoved him back.

But then pain.

Awful, stabbing hot agony flared through Hunk's stomach and he screamed.

Because, yes, he had caught the antlers. But there was more than one on each rack and a particularly long one had just gone through his stomach.

The beast shook its head in an attempt to dislodge him and Hunk felt his vision white out as the impaled antler was wrenched inside and distantly heard Lance screaming.

He gamely held on, somehow finding the strength to replant his feet from where he'd been uprooted and shoved back at the creature. Red splattered the snow beneath their feet.

The moose-bear's breath was hot on his face and its fangs were snapping wildly although it could not reach him due to the bulk of its own antlers. It was still absolutely terrifying and Hunk held on for all he was worth, knowing if his grip slipped it was all over.

Lance was there then, large stick in hand and he smashed it across the creature's head.

It broke.

If the situation hadn't been so terrifying and painful, Hunk may have laughed at the flabbergasted look on Lance's face as he held the literal short end of a stick, the creature no worse for the wear.

But he was reminded as the creature jerked its head in Lance's direction and the antler impaling him shifted. This was absolutely no laughing matter.

Hunk tightened his grip on the antlers he had and found his feet again. And then with all the strength left in him he shoved forward and twisted to the right to bring the creature to its knees. And to his sheer surprise it worked, the beast not having expected its injured prey to clearly have so much strength left and it slipped on the snow, legs buckling.

Hunk let out a short yell as he jerked himself backwards and off the antler, feeling hot blood gush as the stoppage was removed.

He wanted to sit down, sink into the snow and somehow make the stabbing agony fade away. But he couldn't. The creature was already pulling its legs back beneath it and as Lance had proven with the stick they had no weapons available to them to put a dent in it.

They had to run again.

More blood spilled out of his stomach and Hunk felt faint.

Somehow.

Lance was there a moment later, sweeping Hunk's right arm over his shoulders and taking the brunt of his weight as Hunk's own knees gave out, more red staining the fresh snow.

Hunk was honestly surprised he hadn't puked, but at the thought his stomach spasmed and groaned instead as waves of agony washed across him.

"Hunk! Hunk! Dios, por favor. Hunk! Hunk! Prisa! Come on!" Lance's voice was panicked and shaky and he barely felt relief as Hunk managed to get his feet back and took a stumbling step forward at Lance's direction.

Hunk had been impaled. The yellow of his shirt had already turned an ugly brown and beneath his dark complexion Hunk looked pale in a way the cold was not responsible for.

Oh Dios.

Hunk had been impaled trying to save him. Lance felt guilt swim hot and heavy in his gut and he forcibly pushed it away. Not now. Right now he had to get them to safety even though he had no idea where that might be.

It was at least not in the direction of the moose-bear.

"L-Lance," Hunk croaked as Lance angled them through the trees, picking a thicker path as speed was not happening and he'd take the more defensive cover.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, trying to sound encouraging and knowing he failed miserably, his throat choked with tears. "Just keep moving. You're going to be okay. It's going to be okay. Va a estar bien."

He could hear the creature moving again, easily following them thanks to the copper trail they were leaving behind.

"Lance, st-stop," Hunk moaned. "I c-can't…"

"No!" Lance all but shouted, tightening his fingers in Hunk's vest. "No! Don't you dare. Keep moving!"

The trees were thinning in front of them and Lance cursed below his breath as the one thing that was slightly slowing the creature down was about to be lost. They'd be out in the open then and prime for the picking.

Except…

His eyes widened as he realized the ground that stretched out in front of them was not a snowy plain but the dulled reflective surface of a frozen lake.

How frozen though was the real question.

He didn't slow down his pace at all, practically supporting all of Hunk's weight now, and dropped them to their knees on the edge of it.

Lance needed it to be thick enough to support both him and Hunk but thin enough that the creature would go down. He knew without a doubt that if he or Hunk were to go into the water it would be near instant death. Even if they were able to get out they had nothing to combat the frigid temperatures and hypothermia would set in near instantly.

Hunk's quick mind was thinking along the same lines but he grimaced. There was no way he was going to be able to keep his balance even with Lance's help on the ice. He wasn't honestly sure if he could stand again, actually. The heat from the blood was fading now and filling him with an icy sort of detachment instead.

Hunk knew that that could not be good and he swallowed thickly, tasting copper in his throat. Only his stomach spasming again as he went to puke stopped it although he let out a groan and hunched over as though that could help.

"Lie down," Lance ordered, voice unnaturally brusque.

"Wh–?"

"Lie down!" he all but snapped, eyes darting past Hunk to the treeline where the beast had appeared. It let out a loud roar at the sight of them.

Hunk was already kneeling so he flopped onto his back, kicking his legs out in front of him, startled into obey more than anything. The impact made all of the breath whoosh out him and he thought, as dark spots danced in his vision, that that really had not been the brightest idea.

Lance shuffled in front of Hunk and leaned forward, wrapping chilled hands about Hunk's feet and then dragging them up into the air and securing them alongside his hips.

He shot a grin over his shoulder, probably meant to be reassuring, but Hunk could see the waver. "Ready for a ride?"

Hunk didn't have a chance to answer as Lance was already stepping off the snow and onto the lake, digging his feet in hard to pull Hunk's weight with him. Hunk managed at last second to slide his hands up to cup the back of his head before it made contact with the ice.

Lance gritted his teeth, shoulders straining, as even with the near frictionless ice below to aid in gliding Hunk he was still heavy and it was taking all of his concentration to avoid slipping himself and sending them both to the ground.

He'd made it maybe ten yards when there was a sharp crack and he knew without looking that the creature had reached the ice.

A sharp smile made its way to his face as another clap split the cold air.

Looked like somebody was too heavy to follow.

"Good lake," he murmured below his breath.

The smile turned to one of alarm as beneath his feet he saw a dark line zig-zagging and came to a sudden halt.

Ever so slowly he turned his head around, praying all the while.

But it was not to be. The creature had splayed its legs out and had managed to get its entire body onto the ice to follow them. It was moving slowly, but the jagged crevices it was making as its weight pressed down were moving much, much quicker.

Lance could outrun the creature at this point. He had no idea if he could outrun a collapsing lake.

"Quiznack," Lance cursed quietly, digging frozen fingers more tightly into Hunk's boots. If he veered right he had maybe twenty yards before he reached the closest shore besides the one that he'd come from.

Another dark line spiderwebbed out from where the creature was shifting, joining the one that had already shot past them.

Could he make it twenty yards before the ice shattered? Lance's eyes narrowed. There was only one answer to that.

It became a very slow, deadly race across the lake, the fissures coming harder and thicker now as the creature ventured further and further out. Lance hated to think how desperate it must be to eat them if it was risking its own life like this and he had a sinking feeling (haha, oh Dios, that was awful) that if the lake did not swallow the creature up it would follow them all the way across.

His back and shoulders were burning now, but Lance welcomed the heat as compared to the coldness of just a little bit ago. Hunk was silent behind him and another quick glance revealed that his eyes were closed although based on the clench of his jaw he was still awake.

Streaks of red were trailing behind them as the wound bled out from Hunk's back and Lance didn't even want to imagine how much pain Hunk had to be in right now as his injury was literally dragged against the ground. The fact Hunk was clinging to consciousness was a testament to his sheer strength and will.

They were nearly at the edge when a near deafening crack seemed to echo and then a screaming, braying howl. Lance had but a second to react as the ground shifted beneath his feet as the creature plummeted in but caught hold of the edge with its front paws and antlers, wild grabs sending the fissures racing.

Lance kickstarted exhausted legs into a near run, trying desperately not to lose his balance as the ice groaned beneath him and another crack sent a piece swelling up.

Hunk let out a cry behind him and Lance came to a sudden, sharp stop. One of Hunk's arm, loose from his head hold and trailing at his side, had gotten caught in one of the crevices.

Lance dropped Hunk's feet immediately and backtracked, pulling at the stuck limb as more and more jagged lines appeared around them.

"L-Lance, g-go," Hunk tried as Lance finally freed his hand. They were still a couple yards from the edge and there was no way, the ice groaning now and starting to dip below them, that they were both going to make it. Lance could though. Hunk knew he could.

Besides… his stomach gave a sharp twinge. He wasn't sure he was going to make it out of this regardless.

"Like hell," Lance snapped, the curse so foreign to Hunk's ears that all he could do was stare. Lance crouched down then, placed both hands along Hunk's side and pushed, skidding him across the ice like a hockey puck. Hunk let out a pained yell as he hit the side of the lake and flipped over the snowy rim.

But while the push had sent him flying it had dug Lance deeper into the growing cracks, water coming up and staining Lance's knees. He gasped at the absolute cold and the settling horror as he felt the ice start to sink below him.

Ocean eyes locked with honey brown that were wide with horror.

And the ice gave way.

Pure instinct and panicked desperation kept Lance from fully falling in. His hands scrambled at one of the fissures and he managed to keep his torso free even as his entire lower half submerged, the sheer shock of the frigid water nearly making him lose his grip.

He saw Hunk trying to move, to stand and come to his rescue, but collapsed back to his side with a weak spurred him into movement. If Hunk came out here he would die. Lance knew that for a fact. And if he didn't get to Hunk, somehow stop the bleeding then he would still die. Lance needed to get to Hunk's side and he needed to get there now.

He kicked his legs, splashing cold water up onto the rest of him. But he managed to scramble free through pure will and fear, arms straining to drag his frozen lower half back up onto the jagged ice. Behind him he dully heard the creature's panicked yowl cut off with a suddenness that could very easily still be him.

Lance wasn't sure how he did it but one second he was dragging himself forward by his hands and elbows on the ice and the next he had hit the snow that bordered the edge. He was shivering so violently now he thought he might just pop out of his skin, but all of that was background as he saw Hunk's face and the waxy pallor to it, contrasting with the dark blood on the snow.

"H-Hunk," he chattered, heaving himself forward on his stomach. "H-Hunk."

Normally warm eyes were starting to go dull, a combination of the pain and cold and shock of the blood loss.

"No," Lance gasped as Hunk's eyes fluttered closed. "N-no! D-Don't you dare."

Hunk did not reply back.

What did he do? They had nothing to use as bandages save for their own clothes but there was a hole through Hunk and a few strips of raggled shirt were not going to cut it. He needed to seal it up, to stop it from bleeding to…

Lance's eyes lighted on the snow surrounding them and his stomach heaved at what he was about to do.

"Lo si-siento," he whispered, gathering mounds of it to him, hands shaking. "Lo siento m-mucho, hermano."

He managed to get his fingers under the hem of Hunk's blood-stained shirt and pulled it up, revealing a mass of gore and blood and torn dark skin. Lance swallowed back the acid taste of bile.

"Lo siento," he apologized again, scooping up a handful of snow. And before he could second guess this Lance pushed it against the gaping wound.

Hunk jerked awake, a keen on his lips.

"L-lo siento," Lance sobbed, forcing as much of his body weight to hold Hunk's chest down while he shoveled more snow up against the wound and then forced it inside, packing it in tight. Hunk wailed. A few seconds later he passed out and Lance had never been more grateful. He'd never heard Hunk make that noise and never wanted to again.

And he might never again because he might not be making it out of this.

Lance shivered, but only felt the motion from his waist up. The rest of him was a block of nothingness and he bit down the resulting sob.

He packed as much snow as he could into the wound until it would hold no more and he could barely feel his hands. Hunk was shuddering below him and Lance used the last of his strength to drag himself up and over Hunk, draping his still mostly dry torso over Hunk's chest and wrapping his arms about the broad shoulders.

He knew he was a rather pitiful blanket, but maybe it would be enough to keep Hunk alive until help came. Lance pressed his face against Hunk's shoulder, another apology passing his lips. He'd cry, but he was pretty sure his tears were frozen now too.

All was quiet then, the ice settling back down to cover the watery grave of the moose-bear. Lance wasn't sure how long he'd been lying there – minutes? Hours? –

and feeling the barely there rise of Hunk's chest below him even as his own senses were fading when there was a new sound outside of his shallow breathing.

Footsteps.

Quick ones.

He clutched Hunk tighter with the rest of his pitiful strength, limbs as weak as a kitten. Whatever creature it was was going to have to go through him first.

Something grabbed him then, tight and hard and he felt himself being yanked backwards. A strangled yelp escaped him and he clawed at the air for Hunk. No! No! He had to protect Hunk.

"–ance! Lance, it's me! Lance!"

Over the sound of his own heavy breathing and cries the words finally registered. He turned his head to meet worried charcoal eyes.

"Sh-Shiro," he croaked, body going limp with relief.

He distantly heard Shiro shouting again… and then he knew no more.

xxx

Lance came back to feeling incredibly warm and comfortable. He went to stretch out but found his hands pinned by a heavy quilt. He tried to shift it but there was a weight holding it down.

A turn of his head later revealed it to be Pidge, cuddled up to his side and under a heavy blanket herself. He blinked.

What?

The sound of heavy breathing on his other side had him tilting his head that way and finding his face nearly pressed into Keith's chest.

What?

He made a rather undignified noise and tried to back up, but he was very firmly stuck. Above him he heard a soft chuckle and caught sight of Shiro looking down. "Good morning, Lance," he said quietly, a raw note though to the words Lance hadn't heard before. "It's… it's so good to see you awake."

And the flood of memories came crashing back down. Lance gasped and tried to sit up, but he was still pinned by blankets and his fellow Paladins.

"Hunk!" he managed, tongue feeling thick. "He's–"

"He's going to be okay," Shiro cut in before Lance could get started on his panicked tirade. "He's in a pod right now and should be coming out… in less than half an hour, actually."

Lance wilted with relief, tears pricking his eyes. "Gracias a Dios," he murmured, head dropping back onto a pillow. After a few moments he asked quietly, "What happened?"

Shiro proceeded to give him an abbreviated version of the event that had lasted barely over a varga. It sure felt a lot longer than that to Lance though. The archway they'd gone through was a sacred ground that only the Cheimatians shamans who trained religiously for were supposed to traverse, transporting them to other pockets of worlds to complete various trials.

It had taken some time for a shaman to prepare a journey back through the gate and longer still for them to be able to lock onto Lance and Hunk as human signatures worked differently. Shiro had offered himself as a model and they had used his makeup to act as a tether to bridge to the correct world.

Shiro and the shaman had found Lance and Hunk and whisked them both back to the castle. Both were suffering from exposure to the cold and Lance was in the beginning stages of frostbite to his ears, toes and feet along with hypothermia setting in thanks to his dip in the lake. He'd been rolled into as many blankets as they had on hand and Pidge, Keith and Allura had acted as human hot water bottles. Lance wished he'd been awake to see Keith being ordered to cuddle and to have remembered Allura's arms around him. The princess had left a few varga ago to try and sleep once Lance had exited the danger zone as she needed to be somewhat rested for duties later in the day.

Hunk had been semi-stable all things considered, thanks to the snow pack, Shiro had said, expression a mixture of graveness and relief, that had slowed the blood flow and prevented any of Hunk's insides from further movement. He was going to be all right, Shiro assured again as Lance's eyes had watered.

Lance had tentatively asked about the alliance, bracing for a lecture about how his actions with both the shopkeeper's daughter and the archway had cost them it. Shiro had said they were still working it out but there had been no ill-will from the ceremony being interrupted given the circumstances and they were going to restart it later that day. Lance was confined to the castle for the duration of it, which was fine with him.

Allura had also learned that Lance's actions had apparently been a proposal in the Cheimatian culture and had been quick to relay that such a thing was merely a friendly gesture that humans performed to say hello. Lance snorted at that and Shiro warned him, seriously even though his eyes were laughing, that he was not to start that habit up. The father had been mollified between that answer and what Lance had suffered and had dropped all suits.

There was a faint dinging just as Shiro was wrapping up and he got up from the lounge couch, where Lance realized the rest of them had been gathered on the floor in a nest of blankets. "I'm going to go get Hunk," he said. "You stay right there."

"But–"

"Stay," Shiro ordered. As though somehow hearing it Keith shifted himself and flung an arm out over Lance's chest, gripping at the blanket there and pinning him even more securely.

"Shiro," Lance whined, fully trapped and the mullet's face now pressed against the top of his head. Shiro just laughed and disappeared.

Lance spent the time until Shiro came back with Hunk trying to free one of his arms with no luck, only giving up when Pidge shifted with a little sleepy mumble and Lance froze, not wanting to wake her. The clock he could make out on the far wall said it was barely 0400. They must be exhausted, Lance thought, and a pang of guilt hit him that he'd likely caused them such worry. The fact Keith was still here and nearly clinging to him was a testament to how serious his situation had been.

A few minutes later Shiro appeared with Hunk, changed into his pajamas and wearing a sweatshirt overtop it.

"Hunk," Lance whispered, twisting his head and feeling more tears sting his eyes. He was okay. He knew Shiro had said so but seeing it himself released that last bit of fear.

"Lance," Hunk said just as quietly. Shiro guided Hunk to the couch, still wobbly from the post-cryo, and deftly but carefully pulled Pidge into his arms. He nodded at Hunk then and the larger boy slunk bonelessly from the couch to the ground next to Lance. Lance had freed one hand by this point and he wrapped it tight about Hunk's arm.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, not caring that Shiro could hear as he settled Pidge back down on Hunk's other side. "I… I…"

"You saved me," Hunk said gently, pressing his forehead against Lance's, who closed his eyes at the gesture.

"You saved me," Lance countered. "And you got h-hurt. I'm so sor–."

"Hey, none of that," Hunk interrupted. "We saved each other and that's all there is to it." Honey eyes traced over Lance's tear-stained face. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah," came a sniffle. "Still a little cold."

"Me too," Hunk murmured.

Lance took that as an invitation to cuddle closer and Hunk wrapped his own arm over Lance's shoulders. He felt Pidge snuggle in on his other side, drawn to the heat, and Shiro's quiet, fond chuckle.

"You too," he told their leader, sensing him about to go back to the couch.

"Hunk–"

Lance opened his eyes and managed to fix a rather determined stare at him, ensconced as he was in Hunk's embrace.

Shiro sighed, not sounding at all put out, and grabbed his blanket from the couch. A moment later he settled down alongside Pidge with a quiet, "Better?" and got two firm "Better's" back at him. His soft snores filled the air within minutes, showing just how exhausted their leader was.

"Hunk?" Lance said quietly a few moments later, feeling sleepy but not ready to succumb yet.

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For being there. With me."

He could feel Hunk smile. "Right back at you, hermano."

And with that Lance felt sleep come, warm and soft and safe. And cuddling further against Hunk he drifted off with a smile on his face.

xxx

Author's Notes:

Commissioned fic for the lovely aimless38 with the prompt of Hunk and Lance vs nature with some Hunk whump and a happy ending (and a cuddle pile is such a happy ending). After our misunderstanding with the word "season" I made sure to include that winter one for you hun ;p Although I myself am ready for some spring weather. I do hope you enjoyed it!

Please do leave a comment if you too liked it! Please. Comments are the best way to say thank you to an author for their work and we really appreciate them.

(Like my work? Keep up with me on my tumblr, icypantherwrites)