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Aiden walks with him all the way to the base of the Blue Mountains.
He’s not technically supposed to, but he’s loathe to part again so soon, so despite the trek taking just shy of two weeks, Aiden follows. It only gets colder as they go, much to the Cat’s displeasure, but his days are spent wrapped in Lambert’s heavy cloak and his nights are spent bundled up in Lambert’s bedroll, his Wolf’s arms around him, and, really, he can’t complain about that.
There’s only a light dusting of snow on the ground when they reach the base of the mountains, but the white flakes have been drifting slowly from the sky for most of the day. They have to part ways in the morning, they both know, but they intend to spend one more night curled together by a fire before they do. At least Lambert knows a cabin nearby where the Wolf school takes their rest before making the long trip up the mountain for winter.
It’s a little wooden thing of three rooms, a kitchen, living area and bedroom - drafty and kind of falling apart but close enough to the nearby village that they can stop and get some last-minute provisions, including a lambskin to nail onto the roof to cover a rather large hole. The baker asks Lambert who his friend is, and Lambert flushes and replies,
“My… partner. Aiden.”
“Oh,” the woman blinks, surprised, pretty blue eyes skittering away from where she’d been very obviously looking at Aiden, “I didn’t know Witchers dated.”
Aiden chuckles, and threads his fingers with Lambert’s, “We’ve been together almost ten years now. Would have been longer, but Lambert is afraid of his feelings,” he winks.
“I am not!”
“Darling, dearest, you really are.”
“Shut up,” Lambert grumbles, “Leave your ass in the snow outside.”
Aiden gasps, affronted, “You wouldn’t!”
“Try me.”
“But honeybuns,” Aiden whines, just to make the girl laugh and Lambert flush brighter, “My cock would freeze off! That’s your favourite part of me!”
"I hate you," Lambert says, though he's smiling fondly when he does.
The baker almost chokes on her laughter and they are sent off with some free bread for their trouble.
They get back to the cabin and Lambert fixes up the roof while Aiden lights a fire and starts preparing something for dinner - just a simple stew made from potato, turnip and cabbage. Nothing fancy, Aiden really doesn’t feel like going out hunting, especially not with the sky going dark grey. Lambert had told him on the way back from town that there would be a storm starting soon, apparently, Wolves can smell that kind of thing, which is really a rather useful skill to have when one lives in an area like Kaedwen. Aiden idly wonders if that particular trait was mutated into them on purpose for that very reason, or if it’s just coincidence. He’s got his own fair share of useful traits that he’s pretty sure were accidental, messed up as Cat mutagens tend to be. Turns out most people - other Witchers included - need magic to see regular ghosts and spirits.
After fixing the roof, Lambert quickly boards up the windows and makes sure that their horses are all settled in the little one-horse stable. It’s a bit cramped, but it won’t be so cold overnight with the two of them pressed up against each other. He piles Petunia with his bedroll for extra warmth and checks the walls for any gaps or loose planks, finding only one that he seals relatively quickly with some hard mud.
Satisfied, he comes back inside. Aiden is sitting on the floor in front of the fire, absorbing the heat. He’s stopped shivering, which is good, but still looks mildly disgruntled as he stirs the soup over the fire. Lambert shucks off his boots and armour and drops down behind him, curling his Cat into his chest.
“You wouldn’t really leave me outside, would you?” He asks quietly after a moment, his voice uncharacteristically small.
“Course not.”
“I know I can be annoying,” Aiden hunches a bit, “I’m sorry.”
“Kitty cat,” Lambert mutters, nuzzling into the soft curls at the nape of Aiden’s neck, “You’re not annoying. I was just teasing, wouldn’t leave you out in the cold.”
“Okay," Aiden relents, sounding reassured though still vulnerable.
Lambert squeezes him, hoping it will squeeze out the rest of his uncertainty, “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
It doesn’t take long after they’ve eaten for the wind to pick up.
The wood walls of the cabin creak and moan like they’re barely keeping together. The draft turns to a chill that the lit fire barely keeps at bay even with the several furs they’ve wrapped themselves in.
It sounds like howling, almost.
Aiden’s never heard anything like it, and out the window he can see a sheet of white falling from the sky, blanketing the ground. It’s eerie, the silence beyond that. Other than the wind there is no sound. No shock of lightning to light up the sky nor crack of thunder in the distance like there would be in a normal storm. All he can hear is the steady beating of Lambert's heart, still wrapped around him. Can feel his breath, warm on his nape, ruffling his hair. It’s calm, and almost serene despite the buffeting of the wind and creaking of the wooden cabin.
He tips his head back, and rests it on Lambert’s shoulder, delighting in the kiss his Wolf automatically presses to his jaw.
“Make love to me?” Aiden asks, a mutter into the night. The fire crackles and a warm hand settles on his hip.
“Anything you want, baby.”
Lambert shuffles them around until Aiden is standing, confused, with his hands on the sill of the window and Lambert pressed along the length of his back. The windows are glass, thank all the gods - how the Wolves afforded such a thing he has no idea, though he supposes when you’re this far North it’s less of a luxury and more a necessary expense to keep the cold out - And beyond Aiden can see the world awash in white.
The snow has already piled well beyond a foot deep, and will only get deeper. He worries Lambert might not make it up the mountain in time to meet his brothers before the pass closes, but that worry is quickly forgotten in favour of Lambert’s hands nudging up into his shirt and settling on his waist.
“You’re so warm,” Aiden sighs, practically melting into the sensation, leaning all of his weight back on his lover.
“Sure you want to do this if you’re so cold?” Lambert breathes against his neck and Aiden shivers.
“Warm me up,” he whispers back as if he’s worried speaking any louder will shatter the strange calmness of the winter storm.
Aiden’s clothes are slowly peeled away and dropped onto the floor at their feet. Every bit of revealed skin is peppered with adoring kisses, caressed by warm hands, nuzzled gently just because they can here. Nothing is hurried, it doesn’t need to be tonight. They won’t be bothered in the middle of a storm - they’re safe and relatively warm. They can take things slow, just enjoy one another.
By the time Aiden is naked and has two fingers inside of him - warm and slick with oil - he feels like he is going to melt.
The snow has piled even higher and isn’t stopping anytime soon. He gets why Lambert guided him to the window now, watching the snow fall while he is leisurely taken apart is something he’s never dreamed of - never knew he wanted.
“Lam,” Aiden gasps, “Please.”
“Shh,” he’s soothed with soft kisses over the curve of his shoulder, up his neck, behind his ear, “You’re being so good for me. Such a good kitten.”
He whimpers, he can’t help it, it feels so good . Lambert has magic hands - hands that wield steel and silver with precision and deadly grace. Hands that craft explosives and flip off rude bartenders. Hands that bring Aiden to tears with just a few gentle strokes and well aimed curves of the fingers.
“Lam,” he gasps again, because he can’t think of anything but his lover’s name anymore, “Lam.”
“That’s it, baby, just take it. Fuckin’ gorgeous, you are. Snow makes you look like an angel, kitten.”
Aiden’s fingers grip onto the sill so hard he can hear the wood creak, nails piercing into the sturdy oak, as a third finger slips into him. A tear drips down his cheek and onto his white knuckles; he pants and whines, rolls his hips as much as he can with Lambert pressed so firmly along his back.
“Please,” he tries again, word more of a sob than anything else, “Please.”
“You’re alright,” Lambert soothes, “Tell me what you need.”
“Inside - Lambert, Lam-”
“Shh, kitten,” he kisses the back of his shoulder again, Aiden’s golden skin against the background of the snow really is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, “Gonna take care of you.”
“Yes,” Aiden agrees, breathless.
It’s slow, the roll of Lambert’s hips into Aiden, like some kind of sweet torture that isn’t enough to get him quite over the edge, just enough to keep him clinging to it much like the window sill. He’s not sure when the tears turn from a few strays to a steady stream that accompanies his quiet moans, but the world outside becomes blurry. The light glinting off the snow from the moon even through the clouds halos out around itself - Aiden’s fingers are cold, so, so cold, -
“I love you,” Lambert tells him as he kisses away the tears rolling down his lover’s cheeks and Aiden - Aiden’s head rolls back, cradled in the crook of Lambert’s shoulder, eyelashes fluttering. He comes with a soft groan, his mind going fuzzy and far away.
He loses a bit of time to the fog, he’s vaguely aware of Lambert pulling out and soothing him as he whines at the overstimulation of it. He’s led by gentle hands back to the fire and laid down on a mess of furs like some kind of royalty. He thinks Lambert wipes him down - he must, because he isn’t sticky when he comes back to himself some time later. His Wolf is curled around him - chest to Aiden’s back - stroking a thumb in slow circles over his hip.
Aiden hums, warm and happy. His body feels like a pile of goo that’s barely contained.
“I love you, too,” he mutters, because he doesn’t think he said it back before, blissed out as he was. Lambert hums his response into the curve of Aiden’s shoulder, places a warm kiss to his skin, then buries his face in the crook between his shoulder and neck. His hand rises to cradle Aiden's, letting his warmth seep into Aiden's chilled fingers.
Perhaps snow storms are not as bad as Aiden thought. At least, not when you’re trapped with the man you love most in the world.