Chapter Text
It supposed to be a boy's weekend. Halstead brothers decided to invite their friends and spend a few days in their cottage in the woods. It was very cold February with a lot of snow that year.
On Saturday morning Will was standing behind a stove and was preparing pancakes for breakfast. Ethan and Adam were sitting behind the table eating, having a light friendly conversation while behind the window a delicate snowflakes were falling on the ground and trees already covered in whiteness. The cottage was warm, heated by a cosy flame from the fireplace.
There were still two missing residents to joing them.
"Breakfast!" Will cried, so the message would reach the rooms upstairs.
"Oh my God! Stop yelling!" Connor stumbled down the stairs and entered the room frowning and covering his eyes against the first rays of the sun filling the kitchen.
"I thought vampires are only waking up after sunset." laughed Ethan at his hangover-ed friend's appearence.
"Here you are, count Dracula." Will placed a plate in front of Connor.
"Oh, no! Not food."
The pancakes smelled delicious, but still it only brought a new shade of green to Connor's face.
Another steps rumbled down the staircase. This time, more strident and lively, not like a dying camel.
"You know, Will. Pancakes are like siblings. The first one is always the worst." Jake joined them fresh and cheery.
Adam and Ethan chuckled, Will left it without a bigger response than an emotionless smile and just offered one plate also to his cheeky brother. Jay smiled at him daringly.
"Good morning, Jay. You may clean the dishes." said Will knowing there is not much left for cleaning. Also knew already, he is going to do that anyway.
"Soooo, who is going to join me for a walk after breakfast?" asked Jay with a full mouth while chewing. At that sight Connor had to lower his head and scrunched his eyes shut with a deep breath. Which again was very amusing for his friends who drank a little less last night.
"I'm in!" said Adam.
"I'm dying." offered Connor.
"Worst pancake?" Jay referred to his older brother.
"I'll stay here. It's fucking cold out there. I'll cook something for lunch, Ethan already volunteered to help." Will excluded himself and Ethan.
"Boring, but expected. Will always hated cold weather." said Jay rolling his eyes.
"I don't hate it, but I don't prefer it."
"Sure, sure."
After breakfast everyone helped to clean the kitchen, to Will's mild surprise. Of course, except for Connor, who was just trying to exist.
Jay and Adam left soon after. Jay was excited to show all his favourite places around to his friend.
Will and Ethan cooked some curry and rice and Connor had a shower.
Around noon, Will was standing by the sink, washing the tools and the dishes they'd used. He saw the two wanderers returning to the cottage. The road led around the frozen lake not very far away from the cottage. The view was beautiful, in every season frankly.
Will lowered his sight again to the dishes and after a few minutes the main door banged.
"Mom, I'm home!" yelled Adam, took off his snowy boots and went upstairs to undress.
"Where's Jay?" asked Will and scanned the window view again.
"He wanted to check the ice on the lake, he wants to go fishing, complete lunetic!" yelled Adam, so they could hear him downstairs.
Jay really walked above the frozen surface of the lake. He could be like thirty feet from the shore already.
In the deepest spot the lake was about fifty feet deep. Just when this fact popped up in Will's mind, he saw Jay suddenly stopping and looking down on the ice. In the next moment he disappeared.
Will froze for a second and then instantly dropped the glass he was just washing in the sink and started to run to the main door. He opened them and ran for his, or mainly for his brother's life to the lake screaming Jay's name.
He ran over the ice and he saw arms jumping up and down from under the water. When he was closer to the broken spot he threw himself down on the ice and crawled forward as fast as he could.
He wore just long sleeve black t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, but the last thing he was focusing on in that moment was cold. Or pain after a fierce impact on his ribs as he landed on the ice.
"Jay! Jay! Hold on!"
Jay was able to get above the surface leaning with his arms and upper body on the ice. He was pale blue, shaking and looked that he is not going to last very long holding on.
Will was getting closer and the ice was little less stable and more cracked with every inch. He didn't think about any other way and was about to plunge into the ice cold water and get his brother out.
"Will! Take this!" Ethan was right behing him and pushed a big torn off brunch to his direction.
Will took it and pushed it forward to Jay.
"Jay! Jay! Hold onto it! Please!"
Jay wasn't really acknowledging the happening around him. He knew Will is calling his name, he knew they are coming for him. But he couldn't barely move his muscles to turn his head to their direction. He clenched to the ice and tried to take at least shallow breaths while shaking uncontrollably.
He turned his face a little to Will to see. There was blood on Jay's face, he hit himself probably on the ice. Will didn't know he could get more scared than he already was. Looking at his brother's pale face smeared with blood while freezing in this fucking lake showed him otherwise. That thoughts naturally ran in the backround of his mind, because there was no space for anything but Jay's survival in his mode.
Jay against all the odds took the branch and Will and Ethan started to pull him out. When he was with the most of his body on solid surface, Will let go of the wood and crawled closer to Jay, grabbing him by the drenched winter jacket and pulling him in his arms. Ethan dragged them both for a few feet over the ice until they were close enough to the shore where the ice was more solid. Then he threw away all the caution and grabbed Will under his arm and Jay by his jacket and roughly pulled them on the snow-coated ground.
Will held Jay in his arms tight. They both shook hard, but Jay naturally more so.
"J-Jay, h-hold o-on." muttered Will under his shaky breath.
Jay could not speak, or move or respond anyhow. He just shook and he could not do anything about it. He barely could breath trough the seeping cold taking over his body and all senses. He knew Will's with him. That's all he knew. Somewhere deep it was his only comfort in this freezing hell he was in. It was a very distant feeling that he is not alone and his closest person is with him. Will is there.
Ethan considered very quickly their next steps. He looked at two brothers lying all wet and freezing on the ground. Will tried to hold Jay as close to himself as he could, he hugged him so protectively as if he was affraid someone is taking his brother away from him.
"Will, hold on. We will bring a car. I'll be back in a minute!"
Ethan started to run back to the cottage.