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Even though he had only been here for a few short months, Hugo could confidently say that Corona was the sunniest kingdom ever to exist. Sure there was the occasional rainstorm, but those were rare enough that his opinion on the warm weather held true. Until today that is. At the moment, dark clouds covered every inch of the normal blue sky and the temperature matched that of an Arendllen winter.
Hugo readjusted his scarf and hurried his way to the castle. Varain had run out of powdered calcium, and being the loving boyfriend that he is, the blond had offered to go get some more. A decision he quickly regretted when he felt his fingers freezing through his gloves.
Seeing the gates ahead of him, Hugo quickened his already speedy steps. He gave a quick nod to the guards and rushed into the warm embrace of the castle. He really hoped that this weather would pass soon.
*****
“It’s snowing.” Varian flinched in Hugo’s embrace, causing the blond to raise an eyebrow. Both males looked out the window to indeed see soft white flakes floating down to meet the ground. Rapunzel sighed as she and Eugene observed the snowfall. “Hopefully it doesn’t get as bad as last time.”
Varian tensed for a few moments before burying himself deeper into Hugo’s side. This prompted the blond to lightly squeeze the smaller male. He really hoped that this would pass soon.
****
It was well into the evening and most had retired to their rooms for the night, leaving only Hugo awake as he lay trapped underneath an unconscious Varian.
The weather outside had gotten progressively worse, and Varian had practically become stone with how tense he became, only slightly relaxing as he dozed. The younger alchemist’s behavior really had Hugo concerned, especially after Eugene and the princess both gave each other concerned looks before asking if Hugo was okay with staying with him.
The wind howled, blowing the snow in every which way as Hugo tried to pinpoint the cause. Everyone had been acting normally prior to the snow’s descent. This truly concerned the blond, seeing as he was used to people being excited about the appearance of the crystalline flakes. Even he could admit a small fondness for the weather despite the hindrances and chill it brings. But the way his boyfriend and friends had been acting… What was it about the snow that caused such caution?
Hugo was brought out of his thoughts by a whimper. He looked down to see Varian tightly clutching a fistful of the blond’s shirt. Another whimper escaped the ravenette as he shifted in his sleep.
A nightmare Hugo thought, gently moving himself to better hold the younger alchemist. This wasn’t the first time the two had dealt with nightmares. Throughout their journey, Hugo would wake up only to find Varian sitting next to the fire, looking dead tired, but afraid to fall asleep. On those nights, the blond would forgo going back to sleep and sit with the raven haired boy. Some nights he’d strike up a conversation to draw Varian’s mind off the terror of the dream, others they’d just sit offering nothing but a shoulder to lean on as a silent comfort. When Hugo began to realize his feelings for the younger, nights like this happened more frequently. The only difference on these nights would be who would be the one comforting the other.
Hugo carefully began to run a hand through Varian’s dark locks, hoping to at least soothe the nightmare a little. He knew of Varian’s past, and many of the traumatic experiences that followed. It was honestly a wonder that the boy got any sleep. (And Hugo may have become a bit more mindful of the younger’s placement near long drops after a particularly bad night.)
Another whimper escaped Varian’s lips, this one louder and sounding a bit closer to words. Hugo stopped, straining to hear what his boyfriend was saying. He was able to catch a few ‘ help ’s and a ‘ promised ’ here and there. But what really broke the blond’s heart was the sound of his own name and repeated ‘ no ’s, as if he’d just… found his father….
He needed to wake Varian up right now.
“Var.” Hugo tried, gently shaking the other’s shoulder. “Varian, please. You need to wake up.”
No change. He shook a bit harder. “Please, Var it’s just a nightmare! Please wake up!”
Varian’s ‘ no ’s became faster, like he was begging for it to end.
“Varian! Wake Up!” Hugo pleaded.
“No! Hugo !” Varian cried, jolting awake. He panickedly looked around, before making eye contact with the concerned blond.
“H-Hugo?” The younger asked, dazed. Hugo sighed, letting his shoulders drop.
“Hey Goggles.”
Varian barely let him finish his sentence before he shot up and wrapped the blond in a bone crushing hug. Hugo let him, repeating the action and lowering his head to rest on the smaller male’s.
“Y-you were- and I-I, the s-snowstorm-, a-and Rapunzel couldn’t, th-then the others wouldn’t- then I- Oh gods H-hugo, y-you w-were-”
“Shhhh. It’s okay, Var.” Hugo shushed him. “It wasn’t real. I’m right here. It’ll be okay.”
They stayed like that, holding each other close as Hugo whispers comforting words and sweet nothings. Once he had calmed down, Varian began to tiredly slump against the blond. Hugo placed a kiss into his hair and leaned back, humming a lullaby in hopes of helping ease the younger back to sleep. It soon proved successful as the ravenette’s breathing evened out.
Hugo began to feel his own eyes droop as he continued to hum. He knew that they’d have to talk about the nightmare and how the snowstorm brought back those horrible memories, but for now the two boys were content being in each other's embrace.