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Alec still couldn’t get the fire lit. They’d had it going for a while but the wind was too strong and no matter how far Alec tried to press himself into the cliff face and shield the small branches, the wind seemed to penetrate and snuff out any sparks that formed. It was freezing but of course it was. They’d known it would be when they came here but they’d always liked adventure. Hiking through the Canadian tundra had seemed like fun and something they were both more than equipt to do. They had all the supplies. They had both taken survival classes and they knew all the tricks to stay alive in places as inhospitable as this.
Still, they hadn’t expected that they’d get lost. They were supposed to be out here for two weeks but now, it was going into their third. They were running low on food but perhaps, it would all be manageable if Alec could just get the fire started again.
They’d gone without it all night and even their expensive tent and snow gear hadn’t been enough to keep them warm. Magnus lay with his side pressed against the rock, his face turned towards it to try to shield himself. He’d stopped shivering but Alec didn’t think that was a good sign. His face was pale white where Alec could see it peeking out from where he was bundled. It looked like he might be turning blue.
They wouldn’t die of starvation like they’d both thought the day before when they’d taken inventory of what they had. They were going to die because Alec couldn’t get the fire to relight in the storm. He was wasting all of their matches and he knew it. They had other stuff, some spare lighters, a few more packs of matches but they’d forgotten the emergency flint. How the fuck had they forgotten it? More specifically, how had Alec forgotten it? He’d been the one to pack and repack their stuff. Why hadn’t he noticed it wasn’t there?
Probably because he hadn’t expected they would need it. They were only supposed to be there for two weeks and they had more than enough supplies to start fires for that long. They probably had enough to start some for a month but Alec hadn’t expected they’d get lost and end up sitting here in a storm that only seemed to grow more ferocious as time went on, wasting an entire week's worth of matches as he tried to light the fire again.
He should stop. He knew he should. They should wait the storm out and try again when the wind finally slowed but truthfully, Alec wasn’t sure if they’d make it until then. He didn’t know how cold it was but he knew that it was far far too cold not to have a fire going.
Magnus’ eyes cracked open. Alec could see water frozen to his eye lashes. “Let’s just go back in,” his partner murmured. “We can keep each other warm until it stops.”
Alec wanted to protest. He wanted to tell Magnus that they couldn’t. He wanted to remind him that their heater, the one they’d brought for situations exactly like this, was broken. He wanted to remind him that they’d already been without warmth for hours, that they were both frozen to the core and Alec didn’t think either of them had any warmth left to offer. He wanted to remind him that they’d bundled up and left their tent to come out here because they’d both realized they were going to die if they couldn’t get a fire going right away.
But there was no point in saying any of it. Magnus knew all of it anyway and besides, they didn’t seem to have many other options left. Fire didn’t seem to be possible and hoping they could wait out the storm was the only thing they could do.
Alec nodded. He gathered the used matches into his frozen, gloved hands and then, he made his way with Magnus into the flap of their tent. Maybe, they could use the matches later to get a fire going. The cardboard was still good and Alec hadn’t let it get too damp in the snow. He stuffed them away in their things and then, he took off the outermost layer of his clothes (the one that were covered in a fine layer of ice) and he crawled into the sleeping bag with Magnus, pressing as close to his partner as he possibly could.
The wind rattled the tent outside. It was a sturdy tent, one made for this climate but Alec was suddenly scared that the wind was going to rip it apart. They’d never survive then. They’d gone outside to try to start a fire for maybe twenty minutes and it had been unbearable. If they had no tent to seek refuge in, Alec was sure they’d die within hours.
“Stop thinking,” Magnus murmured. “I’m trying to sleep.”
Alec twisted until he could bury his face in the thick fabric at Magnus’ neck. “Can’t,” Alec murmured back. “Too busy thinking about how hot my boyfriend is.”
Alec couldn’t see Magnus’ face but he was pretty sure he cracked a smile.
“Obviously, not hot enough.”
Alec scoffed softly. “What do you mean? I’m perfectly warm.”
Above him, Magnus hummed in agreement.
Perfectly warm was a bit of an exaggeration but it was much better here than outside. They were shielded from the weather and they were warmer tucked into each other in their thick thermal sleeping bag. It wasn’t warm but it wasn’t unbearably cold either, like it had been outside.
Some part of Alec still knew that they were far too cold for comfort. The temperature had dropped overnight and now, the air seemed to suck away any warmth they managed to generate. Alec knew there was a reason they’d decided to go start a fire instead of stay inside and that now, he only felt better because he was no longer out there.
He still might freeze to death and he knew it. Magnus might. Alec knew that there was a chance he’d wake up and Magnus would be dead. He knew there was a chance Magnus might wake up and he would be dead or maybe, they’d both perish together and remain like this for all of eternity. Alec doubted anyone would find their bodies out here. Even if they looked, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Besides, their tent would be completely covered in snow in a matter of a week. No one would ever find them and they’d stay here, wrapped in each other's arms, immortalized in the cold that had killed them.
But Alec also knew that there was no use in thinking about what might happen. They were here now and they were alive. Alec was going to do his best to keep it that way for as long as he could. For now, he curled closer to Magnus and closed his eyes, hoping that they’d both wake up in a few hours and the storm would have stopped.
He imagined them finally getting the fire lit. He’d make them some warm coffee and some soup that they both desperately needed and they’d huddle together as close to the fire as they could get.
Then, someone would see the smoke and find them before the next storm came. Alec had to think that’s what would happen. It was their only hope and he focused on it as he closed his eyes and sank further into Magnus' side.