Out of all the places for the ship to crash after escaping an asteroid field, it HAD to be one of the coldest planets around...
So now, the two Ventrexians were waiting for it to be repaired. And Gary was ESPECIALLY hating this wait... He didn't have as thick of fur as his partner, so he was even colder during the wait.
"Hey Avocato? Maybe we could see if anyone lives here and maybe they could help?" Gary suggested,! Avocato sighed, "Babe, we don't even know if anyone lives here... let alone if their hostile or not. So it would be best if we just wait it out he-" he stopped when he turned to his partner, only to be met with footprints in the snow. "Dammit Gary..!"
The Ventrexian hadn't even been walking that long and he'd wished he had just stayed back at the ship... It was a hell'ova lot colder out here, and cause of this never-ending blizzard, he could hardly see a thing.
-Including the cliff he was about to walk over.
He yelped when he stepped onto nothing but air, and attempted to stand on the solid ground, only to fall the opposite direction from his flailing. Sending him falling down the cliff.
He hit almost everything that came by him, that, or the cliff was throwing everything at him... Either way, he kept going down, until he fell into the rapid river.
The Ventrexian tried his best to stay at the water's surface, but it was a pointless effort. Each time he would get close to it, the rapids would pull him back under. Despite it, he tried desperately. Even after it had pulled him under the last time.
He only stopped when he hit a submerged boulder- knocking the (remaining) breath out of him. From then on it all started to go black...
the last thing Gary saw was the silhouette approaching him...
"..ᵃʳʸ..."
"ᴳᵃʳʸ...ᵎ"
"ᶜᵒᵐᵉ ᵒⁿ ᴮaᵇᵉ... ᴾˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ʷake up for me...!"
The first thing Gary could do once he had come to his senses was be taken over by a coughing fit, attempting to remove all the water that was forced into his lungs. "Thank God Babe...!"
Avocato...
He carefully sat the other up, "You scared the shit outta me I- I thought I was too late...!" After a minute, Gary's coughing eased slightly. "Sweetheart...? you alright...?" Gary nods, obviously lying. He had scrapes and bruises all over him from the fall, and he was still freezing (and now he was soaking wet just to make matters worse.)
"Come on... Your so bad at that Babe... I can see your miserable..." Gary looked up at him with an opposing look, before he tried getting to his feet.
"Alright... Take it slow Hun..." Avocato said as he helped the boy to his feet.
-only having to catch him when his leg gave out on him.
"-Woah, I gotcha Babe." Gary bared his fangs trying to fight back the pain that flared up in his right foot. "ᴴᵒʷ ᶠᶠᶠᵃʳ ᶦˢ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʰᶦᵖ...?" he managed to whimper out. Avocato looked around, realizing...
he didn't know...
He did manage to spot a small cave at the edge of their view, they'd probably have to bunker down in there for a bit. "Babe..? You think you can make it over there..?" Gary looked up weakly, it seemed so close yet so far... Avocato just lifted the Ventrexian into his arms and made their way over.
Avocato peered into the cave, making sure that nothing was already occupying it. When the coast seemed to be clear, he rushed the other inside. He brought his ailing partner to the deepest part of the cavern, hoping to protect him from the cold somewhat better. At this point he wasn't sure if he was shivering from the cold, the shock, or pain.
-speaking of... he needed to see how bad it was.
"Okay Babe. I need to see how bad your hurt, so just... let me know if I hit a bad spot okay...?" Gary nods, Avocato turned to the other's leg.
Even if he hadn't watched it give out on him, he would be able to tell which it was, it was swollen a bit more than the other. He began to gently apply pressure to different points on it.
It didn't take long for him to find the spot, he knew cause Gary reacted with a painful whimper (even though he tried to hide it) This was both good and bad. Good, cause Gary clearly felt it, so it was mostly likely a sprain and not a fracture. Bad, cause it seemed like a bad sprain. "Alright Baby... Lucky you, I think it's just a sprain."
"ᵂᵉˡˡ... ᴵᵗ ʰᵘʳᵗˢ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ʰᵉˡˡ..." Gary groaned softly, "I know Babe... I gotta prop this ankle of yours up. Could I use your arm to?" he nods. Avocato unlatched the restraints on his partner's metal arm, disconnecting it, and then sets it under his sprain. "There we go Gare... Is it comfortable?"
"ᴬˢ ᵐᵐᵘᶜʰ ᵃˢ ᶦᵗ ᶜᵃⁿ ᵇᵉ ᴵ ᵍᵘᵉˢˢ..." Avocato sighed, finally having a bit of relief. He scoots back to his partner's side, "Now we're just gonna have to wait and see if H.U.E can find us out here..."
Avocato knew that Gary was thinking hard about something...
"ᴵ'ᵐ ˢᵒʳʳʸ... ᴵ'ᵐ ˢᵘᶜʰ ᵃ ᶜˡᵘᵗᶻ..." Avocato sighed before responding. "No... Baby... This isn't 'you being a clutz' nobody can see like- a few feet in front of them in that weather." Gary was quiet, just mumbling as he shivered. Avocato wrapped his arms around his lover hoping to warm him up.
"ᴵ ˢʰᵒᵘˡᵈ'ᵛᵉ ʲᵘˢᵗ ʷᵃᶦᵗᵉᵈ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʰᶦᵖ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ˢᵃᶦᵈ..." Avocato caressed the other's cheek, "Hun... I get it- you just wanted us to get out of this frozen hellhole. You knew it was risky, but you took the chance anyway. And that's MY Gare Bear..." he said softly, kissing the other's head.
"Normally I would recommend you getting your clothes off but I think its just way too cold." he said with a slight chuckle, "ᴴᵉʰᵉʰ...ˢʰˢʰᵘᵗᵘᵖ..." Gary couldn't help but laugh as well, he totally would've gone with it if it weren't so damn cold..! "ᴺⁿⁿᵉˣᵗ ᵗᶦᵐᵉ ᴷᶦᵗ ᴷᵃᵗ... ʰᵉʰᵉʰ..." Avocato just planted more kisses onto the other, nuzzling him gently, which made Gary feel just a bit warmer...
"Aᴠᴏᴄᴀᴛᴏ? Aᴠᴏᴄᴀᴛᴏ? Aʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ?"
H.U.E's voice echoed off the cave walls from the Ventrexian's receiver. "H.U.E! Thank God... Are you airborne yet?" Avocato perked up a bit, startled by him interrupting their 'session' (not that he was mad or anything)
"Yᴇs. Hᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ-"
"-yes. He's in rough shape. Can you track us and pick us up? There's no way in hell he can walk on this sprain he's got." Avocato said looking down at him. "Oɴ ᴍʏ ᴡᴀʏ."
"Thanks H.U.E." he sighed before closing the transmission. He looked down at the other Ventrexian, noticing the tiredness in his eyes. "No-Hey-Baby. You gotta stay awake for me. okay..?" still groggy, Gary nods slightly. Though, he was clearly still nodding off.
When a big puff of snow blew into the cave, Avocato knew that their chariot awaited... "Alright Gare Bear. Let's get outta here."
He was horrified when he didn't get the slightest response. "Babe?? BABY?!?" Nothing...
"Aᴠᴏᴄᴀᴛᴏ? Aʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇ-"
"-H.U.E. GET THE MED-BAY READY. NOW!" he lifted the limp Ventrexian into his arms, before rushing out and onto the ship.
Avocato sat next to his unconscious partner. He'd gotten his wet clothes off and replaced with warmed up and dry ones. He also was keeping his metal arm off for the time being, and also had him wrapped in a blanket and a warm cloth on his head and neck. All that he was trying to KEEP cold was his sprained ankle, which had an ice pack wrapped onto.
So now it was just a matter of waiting for him to wake up... No matter how long he would have to wait. Avocato wouldn't leave his mate's side for anything...
It wasn't until the latte hour of the night that Gary had begun to stir awake. "ᴬᵛᵒᶜᵃᵗᵒ...ˀ" his voice was raspy and barely above a whisper. (due to the water forced into his lungs before.)
"Hey Sweetheart..." Avocato said softly as he caressed the other's hand. "How you feeling...?"
Gary sat up a little, "ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ʷᵒʳˢᵉ... *cough* ᵒʳ ᵇᵉᵗᵗᵉʳ..." he coughed, "Yeah... You really scared me there... I thought for a moment I'd..." he paused, fighting back his emotions.
"...I thought I'd lost you..."
Gary coughs a bit more before smiling slightly, "Thank you for coming for me..." Avocato smiled as he raised the other's hand and planted a kiss on its (still a bit chilly) surface.
"Anything for you Baby..."