Dave skilfully led John down the hallway of the hospital, pulling him into an empty room every so often when a nurse walked by. "We're almost there. Just down the stairs and the front doors will be in view."

"Isn't there a nurse behind the front desk?" John asked, a frown forming on his delicate face.

"Yes, but since I've been here so much, I've noticed she has a routine. Every day at around this time she'll go make a phone call that lasts no longer than ten minutes, so we have to be quick."

"I wonder who she calls," John said.

Dave only shrugged, "It doesn't matter; as long as she's gone." He took John's hand and raced them down the hall, past numerous rooms and doctors that paid them no attention. Dave stopped running when they reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to see John rather out of breath. "You okay, man?"

"Y-yeah," he smiled weakly, "just a bit tired. I don't get much exercise."

For the little twig he was, Dave wondered how that was possible. He peered around the corner and glanced at the front desk. The nurse was nowhere in sight. "Okay, the coast's clear. Let's go."

The two make a break for the front door. Dave pushed it open quickly and held it until John managed to run out. "We made it!" John smiled, coughing the slightest bit. "Boy, it's chilly."

"Well, it's snowing," Dave chuckled. "Of course it's cold."

"I like it," John said. "The snow… It's very pretty."

"Isn't it?" Dave said. The snow was something he loved to see come around, especially since he lived in such a hot place for a large part of his life. Skaian winters were particularly delightful. "Here," Dave walked over to John and took his hands, turning his palms toward the sky. "If you hold your hands out you can feel the snow on your skin. It's one of the things that I like the most about winter."

John closed his eyes. His face looked so peaceful, like he didn't have a care in the world. Dave frowned slightly, feeling strange about the moment. What was he doing, exactly? He just took a sick boy out of the hospital, but it was for something he wanted, so it wasn't bad, right? It wasn't like he did it against John's will.

John walked further out into the hospital yard. Dave followed him slowly, making sure he was safe. John spun around and let out a soft chuckle, "Dave, I really like the snow."

Dave couldn't help but smile. This was definitely the right thing to do, without a doubt. Seeing John so happy was like a huge reward for dealing with the shitty community service he continued to suffer through.

But there was something strange in Dave's stomach, almost like a fluttering sensation, that only occurred when he was around John, whether it be John's smile, his laugh or just his voice, the fluttering continued. Dave didn't know what it could mean, but then he thought about what his blind friend said to him.

'Dave Strider, are you in love?'

Was he? He didn't think it was love. It couldn't be, right? John was a guy, after all. It was just a bromance.

John turned to him, with now opened eyes. He was almost glowing against the white background of crystal snow. "Dave, what's with that look?"

Dave hadn't realized he was making such a strange face until John pointed it out. He jumped, shaking his head, "No, sorry, it's nothing." He said this, but he couldn't help but wonder if he should do something about his strange feeling. Could anything even be done about it? Dave wasn't sure if he even minded the feeling. It was kind of nice.

John walked over grabbing Dave's hands, "Feel my hands! They're so cold," he laughed. He laughed like he was excited, thrilled and seeing the world for the first time outside of the medical prison he lived at. Dave didn't know what possessed him to pull this next move—maybe it was seeing how excited he'd made John, but Dave waited until he closed his eyes again to feel the snow and then bent over and pressed his lips to the pale boy's forehead. It was nothing big, just a small peck, but it made the fluttering in Dave's stomach burst with emotion.

Shit, Dave thought, I think I am in love… When he pulled back to brace himself for John's reaction, he was surprised. John's eyes were wide and his cheeks were turning light pink, but only seconds later his eyes softened and his lips formed into a small smile. "What was that for?"

"I don't know," Dave confessed. He really didn't know what he was doing. "I guess I just had to."

John laughed softly, "You just had to? Well… what if I just have to do this," and with one quick movement, John stood up on his tiptoes and pressed his chilled lips to Dave's much warmer ones, closing any and all space between them. At first, Dave was frozen with surprise, but when the fluttering in his stomach came back, he wrapped one arm around John and cupped his chin with the other, kissing him back full force.

This was exactly what Dave needed. Exactly what he wanted. Now, with John under the glow of the snowfall, Dave had never felt so content. The two broke apart and Dave wrapped both arms around John, pulling him close and offering his warmth.

"I feel lightheaded," John whispered. "I've never… actually been the one to do that before."

Dave smiled, "I can imagine that, to be honest." He pulled back and chuckled, "You're not exactly the most upfront person."

John flushed red, "Oh, whatever. It's fine…"

Dave looked at the boy in front of him. He was shivering and Dave couldn't keep holding him. He figured it was about time to go inside. "What's say we head back in and then talk about what just happened?"

John nodded, still red in the cheeks, "Yes, that sounds pretty reasonable."

Dave took his hand and started leading him back to the doors when John suddenly stopped, jerking Dave back. "Whoa man, what's wrong?"

"Something's… a bit weird," John said, faltering.

"What's wrong?" Dave was worried now. Everything had been fine a moment ago, but John was sick and sick boys should not go playing in the snow.

"I feel…" John stumbled back, weak knees giving in and he fell to the ground. His breathing hitched, causing him to absentmindedly clutch at his chest. Dave quickly bent down next to him, not caring at all that he was becoming soaked with snow—John was in a far worse position.

"John! John!" Dave cursed the minute he brought up this silly little venture. It was so stupid of him! "John, what's wrong?" he yelled, panicked.

"Get—the—doctor—please," John breathed, barely able to finish the sentence. "Oh… God, my chest…"

Dave had no choice. He had to face up to what he'd done. He couldn't ignore this.

Picking up John carefully, he held him close and raced inside the hospital. It was all he could do to save the boy and it wasn't enough. All he could do was hold him close and hope he would be okay and it certainly was not enough for him. If John wasn't safe, the blame would be entirely on him.

Damn it, Dave hissed inwardly, John, you better be safe! After all that happened, do not give up!