Snow

They sat that way for a long time and then Alec sighed. "I want to be with you too," he said quietly and moved closer, hesitated and then put a careful arm around him. "Tell me what stars you're looking at."

David looked at him, then back at the stars. "That's the Loom," he said, and pointed at a bright cluster in the middle of the sky.

"What are you talking about? That's the Bear."

"No, no, I know it's the Loom. See how it forms the shape of one? With the hump and the--"

"Have you ever seen a loom?"

"No."

Alec laughed, pulled him close. David smiled up at the sky.

"Look," Alec said. "See the curve there? That's the bear's back. Have you ever seen a bear?"

"No. Well, in pictures."

"Figures," Alec said and told him a story about a bear who'd ended up in the stars. David listened, nestled in Alec's arms.

The next morning people woke up and found flowers blooming even though the trees were still bare and there was a chill in the air.

David picked some of the flowers and put them in a glass. They made Alec sneeze violently but when David went to throw them away Alec stopped him, one hand on his arm.

"I can tell you like the damn things," he said. "Leave them."

"Really?"

"Yes," Alec said sourly, and sneezed again. David pulled him close, watched Alec's eyes melt from narrowed and suspicious to something else, something sweeter.

"I'm happy," David said. "All the time. It's amazing. I think of you and I want to smile. Do I make you want to smile?"

"No," Alec said, and kissed him. David could feel the curve of his mouth against his own.

Chapter Eight

"Want some?" Bash said.

Alec shook his head. Even in the guttering flicker of minelight he could see the things in Bash's eyes swimming crazily, flipping and twisting so hard he thought he might be seeing Bash leave in a bag before the end of the day.

"Dragons," Bash whispered to him and whistled low under his breath. Alec grunted and swung his pick. The rock shuddered but didn't split. Beside him Bash threw up. "Inside an egg," he said afterwards. "Very yellow." Then he threw up again.

"You sure you don't want some?" Bash said when he was done. Alec thought about it for a second but then shook his head again. Wormwood wouldn't help, not like it should. Now any time he took it all he saw was David and he was everywhere already. Behind his eyes when he closed them, right around the corner no matter what he thought about. And always there every night, waiting for him like he didn't ever want to leave. Touching him…he swung the pick again.

The rock chipped, but only enough to spit fragments at him. He got most of them off his face before they could scratch deep enough to draw blood.

"Heigh ho!" he heard the worker at the top of the shaft sing as he'd finally gotten the rock to give way a bit. Foreman coming.

"Up," he hissed to Bash who'd slumped over his rock, tracing patterns in the air with one finger.

His eyes had started to bleed a little.

"Lohoheigh!" Bash giggled, but he got up and swung his pick. It hit the rock at the perfect angle, cracking it all the way open. Alec felt the shudders of the split travel up his own arms, making them ache more than usual. He picked up the gleaming stuff inside, pressed it into Bash's hands.

When he didn't move Alec punched him in the face. Bash stared at him and the things in his eyes rolled over, almost faded back but then didn't, twitched and pushed even harder.

"Keep your head down," Alec told him and shoved him in the direction of the collection bin.

"Frogs," Bash said, but patted him on the shoulder as he left. Alec sighed and swung his pick again.

The foreman came too soon. He'd heard the call but had hoped, foolishly, that it wasn't as close as it sounded, that he'd have a bit more time. He took another swing at the rock and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. The foreman looked at him and shook his head, then said, "Where's Bash?"

"Got a vein."

"Three for him this week. How many for you again?"

"None," Alec said shortly and swung his pick again.

The foreman put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed down hard, stilling his arm mid-swing.

"What was that?"

Alec gritted his teeth. His arm was screaming, the foreman's fingers pressing into every sore and torn joint. "None yet, sir."