Snow awoke feeling heavy and miserable. He squinted at the window where sun was shining directly into the room, and he winced as his head throbbed. He ached all over, and he groaned hoarsely as he turned over in the sheets. Despite the heat that pressed around him, he wasn't too hot. It was bizarre, but so very comforting.
There was a gentle knock and Cinder opened the door to peek in.
"Did you call, sir?"
"Oh, please don't shout," Snow rasped. He covered his face with his pillow.
"So sorry, sir. I didn't realize you had a cold."
"Cold?" Snow asked. He removed the pillow and sat up, squinting.
"Yes," Cinder said. "If Heat gets too cold for too long, he gets a cold. You stood in the cold half for far too long with very little on. It's not surprising."
Snow went very still. "Do I always hurt him?" he asked quietly.
"Pardon?" Cinder asked.
"I never knew the cold hurt him," Snow rasped. He placed his face in his hands. "I can't do anything right."
Cinder didn't know what to say, so he left Snow as the icy monarch began to rock back and forth, chanting softly under his breath. The oldest fire servant went outside and over to the barrier, hesitating before stepping through. He slipped and slid up to the door and knocked firmly. Flurry answered.
"Is something wrong?"
"Can I talk to Heat?" Cinder asked, his teeth chattering.
"Come in," Flurry said. He led Cinder to a parlor and walked over to the fireplace to light it. Cinder huddled close as Flurry hurried to get Heat. Heat walked out dripping with water.
"Sir?" Cinder asked.
"Snow doesn't have towels," Heat said.
"He simply freezes the water," Flurry said politely. "May I get you some breakfast, sir?"
"Sure." Heat walked over and peered at the fireplace. "I didn't know Snow had fireplaces."
"Being in front of a cozy fire is pleasant for anybody," Flurry said carefully. "If you'll excuse me, sir."
He spun on his heel and headed for the kitchen. Heat peered down at himself. "Hm. Gonna have to ask frostbite how to freeze things." He considered this then looked up. "What's wrong, Cinder?" he asked shrewdly.
"I am concerned for your brother, sir," Cinder said slowly. "He is acting oddly."
Heat frowned and approached the fire cautiously. The strange sensation of warmth grew and he sighed with pleasure. "I see," he said softly. "In what way?"
"He has a cold and he's blaming himself for hurting you."
Heat's lips pressed together as Flurry came back in. "Flurry?"
"Yes, sir?" Flurry asked, handing him an ice-cold fruit smoothie.
"Does my brother trust you?"
"That's a sensitive topic, sir, thus I decline comment," Flurry said, speaking carefully again.
Cinder looked puzzled, but Heat looked grim. "I was up thinking half the night. I have a very important question for you."
"I cannot guarantee an answer, sir," Flurry said.
"At least let me ask," Heat said. He peered intently at Flurry. "Would you recommend we go to Mother with this? Because Snow's right about her blaming us somehow. She always does. And I don't know if my slurry-brained brother can handle being blamed for something he didn't do right now."
Flurry stared at him. "I would not recommend going to Mother Nature, sir. In my opinion, it would be one of the most disastrous things you could possibly do."
"What do you recommend then?" Heat asked.
Flurry went quiet and turned to gaze thoughtfully at the flickering flames. "I would ask that you two try to understand each other better, sir. This is a unique opportunity. I am not sure about your servants, but I and the others can keep the cold weather going steadily, so it shouldn't affect his job."
"We can easily control the hot weather," Cinder said.
"Then that is my educated opinion, sir," Flurry said.
Heat nodded slowly. "Okay." He drank down some of the smoothie and looked pleasantly surprised. "Oh! This is nice," Heat said. "It's so much nicer cold!"
"Really?" Cinder asked, huddling closer to the fire.
Flurry walked over and piled more wood in so that the blaze brightened.
"Thank you," Cinder said softly.
"Of course," Flurry said earnestly. "We had no idea cold hurt you. We never would have continued to touch you if we'd known that." In the middle of talking, he looked over and met Heat's eyes for a few seconds before turning back to Cinder. Heat understood that the 'we' encompassed his brother, and he finished up breakfast thoughtfully.
"You said he has a cold?" Heat asked.
"Yes. He was still in bed," Cinder said.
"Leave him to me," Heat said.
He headed through the barrier to his own home, marveling at the change from cold to hot. The warmth was so nice against his chilled skin. He pushed open the front door, walking straight for the guest bedroom. He reached up to knock when he heard Snow muttering. Leaning close to the cracked door, he peered in to see his brother's bare back shuddering as he mumbled under his breath and rocked back and forth. Concerned, Heat knocked. Snow jumped, and turned, wincing at the quick movement. He groaned and fell back into bed, placing a hand on his forehead. Heat pushed the door open and gazed sympathetically at his brother.
"Got a cold, eh?"
"Apparently," Snow rasped, keeping his eyes closed. "I had no idea I was so detrimental to your health, magma breath."
Never before had Snow sounded so bitter. It was a kind of cold that Heat didn't find to be pleasant.
"It's not so bad," Heat said. "It's just… surprising when you touch me."
"Whatever."
Heat peered at his brother then strode over. "Want to feel better?" he asked.
"Yes," Snow said miserably.
"Come on, frostbite."
Snow rolled out of bed and padded after him, not caring that he was only half dressed. He saw several more of the fire servants doing their jobs, and he knew they were watching him curiously. Heat led him to a back room and opened the doors to reveal a magma chamber. Snow hesitated before stepping inside. The heat made his whole body relax, and his headache lessened. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief. He was rather unpleasantly startled when Heat grasped his hand and his chilled flesh burned Snow. He bit back a yelp and let Heat guide him to a magma pool.
"Get in," he ordered.
Snow couldn't help but hesitate before he obeyed, stripping down and stepping into the bubbling magma. As he sank down into the most soothing heat he'd ever felt, a groan of pleasure escaped him. All the tension and pain melted away, and he went limp.
"Nice, isn't it?" Heat asked, sitting down and tugging at his collar.
"You are so lucky, Heat," Snow murmured. "It's the best bath I've ever had."
"Yeah," Heat agreed, grinning. "Soak for about twenty minutes, Snow. You'll feel a bit better."
Snow grunted, his eyes closing. Heat hurried out of the magma chamber, feeling a bit dizzy. The world tilted, and he crashed to the floor. He gasped, too stunned to process what had happened. Ash hurried over.
"Are you well, sir?"
"A bit… a bit warm?" Heat gasped, unsure. Ash hesitated, so Heat spoke firmly. "Go get Flurry and Cinder."
"Yes, sir," Ash said.
Several minutes later, Flurry came in and peered around before hurrying over to Heat. He brushed his fingers across his forehead.
"You are far too warm, sir," he said sternly. He turned to Cinder. "Please go and retrieve a bucket of snow and bring it here immediately."
Cinder obeyed, and Flurry, Ash, and several more servants helped him to sit up. His head spun and he was so uncomfortable. Cinder set the bucket down in front of Flurry, who packed the snow into a tight ball then handed it over.
"Rub this on your skin," Flurry said. "You need to cool down immediately. You're far too warm."
"I'm not used to being warm," Heat mumbled.
He leaned against the wall and rubbed snow over his skin. He continued until he was down to the last of the snow, which was floating in what was surely cold water. He hesitated before Flurry spoke.
"It would cool you off."
Heat glanced at him then shrugged, picked up the bucket, and doused himself. The cold water felt so good, and the sensation he now recognized as being too hot lessened. He gasped and shuddered.
"Too much?" Cinder asked sympathetically.
"Not enough, I think," Heat mused. "I'm still too hot."
"What's it like, sir?" Cinder asked curiously.
"What?" Heat asked.
"Well…" Cinder shrugged. "Warmth, I suppose."
The other fire servants waited expectantly for the answer. Heat didn't know how to explain what heat felt like. He still wasn't entirely sure what it was. A hoarse voice spoke softly.
"Heat is like a warm embrace, like being kissed by the sun. It's life itself, but too much at once is overwhelming."
They all turned to see Snow standing by the magma chamber, dressed in his pants and looking tired. Heat realized that he had been trying to cool off for about twenty minutes. Flurry hurried over to his sire.
"Is everything alright, sir?" he asked earnestly.
"Who knows anymore?" Snow muttered. He ran his fingers through his hair, startled that it wasn't frozen, and sighed. "Well, inferno face, when are we going to Mother? Can't wait to hear what we did wrong this time."
Heat stared at his distressed brother and his heart clenched. "I was thinking…"
"That's dangerous," Snow muttered.
Heat snorted. "Ha ha. I don't think we should go to Mother. Not yet, at least."
"And what do you propose we do, hothead?" Snow asked dryly. "This isn't exactly natural. There'll be blizzards and heat waves across the whole world. And Mother will come straight to us when we eventually go too far."
"We could teach each other how to manage," Heat suggested nervously. "I'm just… haven't you ever been curious?"
Snow scratched his chin absently, looking wary. "Have you?"
Heat squirmed a little. "Sometimes," he admitted almost shyly.
"Hm." Snow smiled a little. "It would be interesting, don't you think?"
"Yes," Heat said. "So what do you say?"
Snow licked his lips and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Mother won't like it," he said softly.
"Mother's not here," Heat pointed out.
Snow hesitated, roving his eyes over his twin. Then he nodded. "Okay then. I don't think it matters as long as things don't get too crazy. Mother probably would be glad that I can't…"
Snow trailed off and his expression tightened as he looked around at all the fire servants and his brother. Flurry stepped forward and quickly diverted the conversation.
"Have you eaten, sir?"
"No," Snow said.
"You must eat something," Flurry scolded.
"Bring me my favorite then," Snow muttered. He rubbed his eyes and slumped.
"You're sick," Heat said. He stood, dripping with melted snow, and reached over to wrap his arms around Snow's shoulders. Snow cringed, but he leaned into the touch despite the shock of pain. "Let's get you back in bed, popsicle."
Snow allowed Heat to walk him back to the guest room, where he slipped under the sheets and shivered. Heat sat down as Cinder brought him another bucket of snow, and he began rubbing compacted snowballs across his skin again. It was the most soothing sensation. Snow watched with a small smile.
"Enjoying yourself?" he asked.
Heat blushed, a dark blue flush rising up his cheeks, and he shrugged, embarrassed.
"It's okay to like snow. I like hot showers," Snow admitted quietly.
"But you don't have hot water," Heat argued. "I checked."
"I know."
"Why not?"
Snow looked at him, his cheeks darkening. "I thought you'd laugh at me."
"But I laugh at you all the time," Heat said.
"I don't mind that most of the time," Snow admitted. "None of the stuff you laugh at really matters to me."
"And this does?"
Snow shrugged, but he wouldn't meet his eyes. Heat considered Snow thoughtfully.
"You know something, blizzard brain?"
"What, magma mouth?" Snow asked, a smidge of fear in his eyes.
"You're not so bad."
Snow froze and gazed at his brother, who smiled a little and shrugged. For a moment, his heart felt like it would burst, but he quickly fought it back. He couldn't lose control. He just couldn't. Swallowing his painful joy, he blinked away tears and looked away again. Heat watched him closely then looked up as Flurry entered with a smoothie.
Snow took it then flinched at the chill. "I… can't have this," he said dejectedly.
"Cup it in both hands and think of hot things," Heat encouraged.
Snow peered at him in bemusement then did as Heat asked. He concentrated on warm stews and cozy fireplaces, and he was startled at a flush that went through him. The smoothie grew warm under his fingers, and Snow looked delighted.
"Hey! Hey, I did it!" he exclaimed. He took a long drink and sighed with satisfaction. "Not as good as when it's cold, but I'll take it."
"Cinder, get more snow," Heat said.
Cinder took the bucket and obediently went out to fill it with more snow. Snow took another healthy swallow of his smoothie then set it aside. "Okay, flame head, your turn."
"For what?" Heat asked.
"For a lesson in being cool," Snow teased.
Cinder brought in more snow, and Snow gestured at the bucket. "Eat some of it, first of all. That'll cool your core down faster. Cooler core, cooler temperature, less discomfort."
Heat scooped up some snow and peered at his brother. "Okay. What else, icicle nose?"
Snow grinned. "May I suggest an ice bath?"
"Sounds dubious, but I suppose if you can handle a magma bath, I can handle an ice bath."
"Flurry?" Snow asked at once.
"Right away, sir," Flurry replied, and he turned and left.
"Don't worry. I think you'll like it," Snow said.
Heat held up a bite of snow as a toast then popped it into his mouth to let it melt. "If you say so, blizzard brain."
Snow smiled and drank the rest of his smoothie. It was certainly going to be quite an adventure. And for once, Heat was thinking the exact same thing.
