Chapter Text
~ Lou POV ~
"Whew! Sure is chilly out here, huh?" Amber remarked, mock shivering as she nudged Lou with her elbow, the impact making a dull clanging noise against Lou's metal shoulder.
"You're one to talk." Lou's tone was just as amused, as he glanced at her attire. "You're literally wearing a tank top and a skirt, on a skiing trip!"
They were, in fact, standing on a mountain, having begun a trek to the skiing takeoff point. There were barely any trees or flora in sight, just barren drifts of snow. Icy winds were blowing all around them, yet neither Amber nor Lou were seemingly affected by it, for opposite reasons.
Amber was being warmed up by the heat from her fire, and Lou was a robot designed to be in the cold. As a result, both of them were wearing their normal outfits, or machinery, in Lou's case, aside from their skis.
The walk was long and slow, and while Lou was perfectly happy to be in Amber's company, and appreciate the view, Amber was getting restless.
"Okay, okay. But still, the weather's so extreme up here compared to back at home!" Amber exclaimed. "Not even the winters get this cold, or this much snow!"
Lou chuckled, finding Amber's energy quite humorous. "I should introduce you to the deep freezer at the Snowtel. Maybe then I might be able to get you to wear sleeves, at least."
Amber scoffed at his claim. "Never going to happen." She gave a wicked grin at him. "Besides, you like how I look more without any." Her tone was matter-of-fact, and it hit home.
Lou blushed, his cheeks tinting a slightly rosier shade. "M-maybe, but I care about your wellbeing more." He still wasn't used to being in a relationship with the fire-performer he had always admired.
Suddenly, a loud, distant rumbling made them both jump slightly, looking around curiously for the source of the noise. Lou was the first to notice, stopping dead in his tracks as he saw the clouds of snow descending down the mountainside above them.
Amber soon followed his gaze, and she instantly tensed up at the sight, as they both knew exactly what that was. An avalanche.
There was always the risk of one happening, but they happened so rarely that Amber and Lou never even considered that something like this might happen to them.
After staring at it for a moment longer, Amber was the first one to snap out of her trance, grabbing Lou's arm and sprinting towards the nearest cluster of rocks, hoping for some sort of cover. Lou was stumbling along behind her, but Amber didn't slow down even for a moment. Their survival depended on it.
Sliding to a stop at the small cluster of rocks in the snow, Amber and Lou both painstakingly realized it would only be big enough to fully shield one of them, and that was betting on the fact that it wouldn't bury them alive even in the cover.
Lou spoke up first, his tone hesitant and voice quieter than normal. "You take it."
Amber looked at him with an indignant look, her outrage obvious at his preposterous proposal. "No way, I'm not leaving you to die!" Her tone was firm, but unstable as it cracked with worry.
Lou spoke in a dull, monotone voice as he said, "I'm not human. I'm built to survive the cold, I'll have a higher chance of surviving than you will." He forced himself to plant his legs in place, refusing to approach the small gap behind one of the rocks that might provide some cover.
Amber looked back and forth between him and the approaching avalanche, hurriedly trying to make up her mind. Coming to a desperate conclusion, she ran forward, wrapping her arms around him and holding him to her chest.
Lou instantly panicked. "Wh-what are you doing! Didn't you hear me? You might die!" He didn't want Amber to die, and her behavior was the opposite of his goal.
Amber remained steadfast, clutching him tighter and closer. "I'm not going to let you die. If you go out, so do I." Her words scared Lou with their implications, but Amber felt his worry, putting up a confident facade.
"I have a plan. I'm going to use my gadget, to surround us with a circle of flames, and melt any snow that comes near us. Got it? Neither of us is dying today." Amber was slightly shaking with fear as she talked, and Lou wasn't convinced for a second.
There wasn't any time to debate anything, though, as the show was rapidly approaching, and Lou's eyes widened, his arms instinctively wrapping around Amber.
As Amber's spheres of fire flared into existence around them, Lou shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the impact.
~ Amber POV ~
Amber was terrified. Not for herself, but for losing Lou. She didn't want to, no, wouldn't lose someone so important to her.
As her fire spheres orbited around them, she willed them to go faster and faster, holding out her hands and feeling the heat seep out of her as she concentrated more and more. Not a single ball of snow would make it to Lou.
She felt her vision blur, the form of Lou in her arms becoming less focused. The effort of straining the fire to go so fast was starting to take its toll, the headache brought on by the mental strain making her wince in pain.
She shut her eyes, focusing solely on keeping the fire spinning, the snow instantly being incinerated into water vapor the moment it touched the flaming wheel.
Amber lost track of time, as it seemed to stop and fly by at the same time, and she had no clue how long she'd been holding the shield up for. She felt her consciousness slipping away, but she held on, waiting for the spray of water to lessen against her face, before she was willing to give up.
By the time the only water on her face was the drops of sweat that had formed, all she had the energy to do was to murmur one final sentence into Lou's shoulder. "Thank...god..."
With those final words said, she slumped into Lou, fast asleep.
~ Lou POV ~
Lou had opened his eyes just before Amber passed out, and what he saw had amazed him.
All around them, a wall of flames, leaping around gracefully, were intercepting the walls of snow rushing into them, with nothing but sprays of water making it through.
Amber's arms were outstretched to the sides of them, and Lou immediately noticed how much they were shaking, unstable and weak.
Lou turned to look at Amber in worry, and turned just in time to catch her as she fell forward, losing consciousness.
The fire around them slowed to a stop, the walls of snow piled up behind where they had just been spinning around, leaving them caged in on all sides.
Lou couldn't help himself, feeling an intense warmth in his heart, and he smiled warmly at her as she slept, her chest heaving up and down from fatigue. He wiped the sweat from her forehead, and slowly sat down, cradling her sleeping form in his arms.
He kissed her on the forehead, lightly scolding her in a whisper. "Don't ever do that again. You scared me."