Survive until sunrise

Chapter #2 - Snow and Darkness all around

Bing gently pushed the gate open, holding two bags in his other hand. It opened with a creak and pushed some of the snow out of the way. The small pile of it next to the fence indicated that they weren't the first ones there. He walked through first and set the bags down on the ground so he could carry one in each of his hands. Behind him, Jacques followed through the gate, carrying just one, small bag, but acting more exhausted than the android was.

"Why couldn't they built the lodge closer to the cable car...?" he groaned tiredly. Bing shrugged.

"I guess the view there is prettier," he assumed, smiling slightly while recalling the beautiful surroundings of the cottage.

"...Sure," Jacques sighed, stopping to wait for Bing to pick up the bags again. Only then they both continued up the mountain. 

The wind was howling loudly and the snow was almost blinding the two of them, especially mixed with the darkness surrounding them, but they still managed to make sure that they were staying on the right track. And every once in a while they would even see footsteps of the egos that must've arrived before them, even if the snow already covered most of them. After a couple of minutes of walking in silence, Jacques shivered.

"Well, I'm getting chills..." he muttered in a complaining tone, catching Bing's attention.

"We're almost there. But if you want me to, I can give you my jacket?" he offered almost immediately. Jacques chuckled slightly.

"I don't need it, petit ami," he answered, shaking his head. "I'm saying that this place is looking... ominous," he explained.

"Oh," Bing nodded. "Yeah, the atmosphere is rather heavy, but..." he didn't get to finish, though, because he stopped talking as soon as he heard a nearby branch snap. Jacques stopped in his tracks too before turning to look at him.

"...Did you hear that?" he asked quietly, receiving a small nod as an answer.

After a moment of not hearing anything anymore, Bing took a couple of steps forward, catching up with his boyfriend. As soon as he did, another branch snapped, this time closer to them. They both nervously tried to see whatever was approaching them. And then, loud footsteps appeared, heading their way. Jacques jumped back with a shriek while Bing dropped the bags and got into a defensive position when... a familiar face appeared.

"Mon Dieu!" Jacques gasped before finally recognizing the person. "Henrik! What do you think you're doing?!" he huffed, crossing his arms and acting as if he didn't scream a moment earlier. The German man shook his head.

"...Walking?" he said with a small smile. His accent was thicker than they remembered it to be, but it was no surprise with the fact that he went away to spend some time in Germany after what happened a year before. "The snow is nice."

"And you just happen to scare us?! You're an idiot, Henrik," Jacques growled angrily, but the other man just rolled his eyes.

"No need to call me names..." he answered. Just then, Bing decided that he should step in before things would escalate. 

"Henrik. I get it, you feel great up here. But we're... a bit on edge. So could you please not do that again and warn us if you're approaching?" he said, trying to sound as polite as he could while still recovering from the shock. "We would really appreciate it," he added, stepping closer to Jacques. Henrik nodded in understanding.

"Alright," he agreed with a small sigh. Jacques rolled his eyes, but let Bing do the rest of the talking.

"I'm glad that that's resolved, then. Thank you," the android smiled slightly.