AN: Artie and Sam go sledding. The song is 'Jingle Bells.' And a very happy winter break to me!
Ever since the accident, Artie had found that he wasn't able to participate in a lot of the outdoor activities that he had enjoyed as a little kid. Anything like skiing or snowboarding was out of the question, as well as making snow angels. It was hard for him to even play in the snow without someone helping him, since his chair didn't work that great on snow. His accident had actually happened in the winter, so that first year was particularly tough on the eight year old who had to sit and watch as his older siblings ran outside and he was stuck sitting by the window and watching them. That winter was ingrained in his memory forever and he usually had a negative attitude toward winter activities if they were mentioned by somebody.
Sledding was one that to him seemed obviously out of the question as well. Sure he could sit down on a sled, but he couldn't really control it that well once it got going. And if he was being honest with himself, he was a little scared to try it. He didn't know what would happen if he went flying off at the bottom and didn't want to try and find out. Besides, it would require someone carrying him up the hill constantly and nobody was going to have to do that for long.
So when Sam suggested it, he automatically refused without really thinking about it. His boyfriend was confused at the flat-out "no" that he received and it took some prodding before Artie finally admitted his fears toward the idea.
"Oh that's no problem," Sam said with a wave of his hand. "I'll go down with you. It'll be fun!"
Artie was not convinced but Sam was persistent enough that he finally agreed. It wasn't that Sam would make fun of him – he knew that for certain. But he was still worried and didn't really want a ton of people around in case he did wipe out and needed to be helped.
Sam apparently knew where all the best sledding hills in Lima where, even though he had only lived there a few years. Artie was familiar with some of them, but he hadn't been near them in years. They parked at the top of one of them and Sam got work, unloading the sleds from the back. The hill was pretty decently sized – there were a few families a little farther down from them with little kids who were gleefully whipping down the hill, shrieking at the tops of their lungs, but besides that they were pretty much on their own.
Artie stayed firmly on the sidewalk as Sam got the sled set up at the top of the hill. He turned and looked Artie expectantly who just sighed and nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak at this point, and just obligingly wrapped his arms around Sam's neck as he was lifted out of his chair. Sam settled him carefully on the sled and then sat down behind him. It was actually a decently sized sled, seeing as how it fit two teenage boys. Sam's legs wrapped around Artie's and he felt the warmth of Sam pressing through the back of his jacket. Sam used his arms to give them a few strong pushes and then they were moving on their own, down the hill.
Sam's arms wrapped firmly around Artie's middle and he couldn't help clutching them in his fear. The cold wind was whooshing past their faces as they sped down the hill. The tiny part of Artie's brain that wasn't anticipating the ending of the ride was greatly enjoying itself. He had used to really enjoy sledding – he had forgotten that over time. As they neared the bottom of the hill, the sled started slowing down and almost as fast as they had taken off, they came to a standstill. They sat there for a second as Artie took in the fact that he had just gone sledding for the first time in over a decade. Sam jumped up and clambered around the sled so he was facing Artie,
"So? Did you have fun?"
Artie considered it for a moment. "Yeah I did." A smile broke over his face. "Yeah, I really did."
"Great!" Sam said, jumping up. "Let's do it again then."
He then got the task of carrying Artie back up the hill, as well as the sled. Apparently he claimed that he didn't mind at all and it would be his workout for the day. Artie had to wonder why he didn't just carry him around all the time then. They would probably get distracted, he figured, and end up doing other things that weren't strictly for workout purposes.
They did a few more runs down the hill and Artie felt himself loosening up and enjoying it more and more every time. He even let out a whoop and raised his arms on one run down. However, on one of the runs down, the sled hit a bump and they went flying. Before Artie could really think about anything besides trying to get his breath back and orientating himself, he felt a warm weight on top of him. Sam had landed practically on top of him, and was laughing hysterically.
"Oh man, I wish we could have gotten that on video," he was saying. "I bet we looked ridiculous."
He leaned in, gave Artie a kiss, and then leapt to his feet, all ready to help Artie up as well. Artie realized that it really hadn't been as bad as he thought and had to smile too. Sure it had been scary, but Sam was right there and it hadn't really hurt or anything. He grinned even bigger as Sam picked him up and realized that he was excited to go again.