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Chapter Text

“No Andy, it has to be two snowballs not three!”

“Naw, three is better than two. Makes it taller and look cooler!”

Andy and Jasmine darted around martle square, their boots crunching in the freshly laid snow, leaving trails of footprints zigzagging around. It was the first snow of the year and Peach had been generous. Two feet deep with more snowflakes fluttering over them, sticking to their lashes, their hats, their clothes. It was a dream come true. Andy scooped some snow, patting it together to make a crooked ball and holding it up, “We’re doin’ three!” 

“No, we’re doing two.” Jasmine shot back, stomping her foot with a huff.

“How ‘bout a little competition? You built it with two and I’ll do it with three then we’ll take a vote to see whose is better. It’ll be mine by the way!” Andy stuck his tongue out at Jasmine who was scowling, 

“Fine, we’ll do that. But mine will be the best.”

“Yeah, yeah. Better get a move on. Winner has to do the other one's homework for a month,” Andy declared, puffing out his chest. He dropped to his knees and began pushing the snowball through a section of untouched snow whilst Jasmine got to work on the opposite side of the square.

Logan leaned against the wall of the town hall watching the two kids fighting over the right amount of snowballs for the perfect snowman, his lips curled up into an amused smile. Growing up, it was always too hot for snow and whatever snow they might get, the sandstorms fought against it leaving a sandy sludge of snow and ice in its wake. Beside him a door clicked shut and Logan glanced at Trudy as she shuffled out, wrapped up in the scarves before he turned his attention back to the squabbling kids. 

“Now why are they fighting?” Trudy asked wearily, her shoulders sagging as she watched the two tweens.

“Who can build the better snowman,” Logan replied gruffly. He glanced in the direction of his house where he saw Krystal strolling down the stairs, taking each step with careful procession as Pebbles scurried along behind her, clinging to the hem of her yakmel fur coat. An over exaggerated collar wrapped around her neck like a giant scarf, but it did little to conceal the runny red nose. 

“Give me a min Trudes,” Logan said, patting her shoulder and striding over to Pebbles, scooping him up in his arms whilst he squealed in delight.

“Unca Lolo!” the tot giggled, pressing his rosy cheeks against Logan’s face. 

“Wanna help Unca Lolo make a really cool snowman?”

“Snowman! Snowman!” Pebbles giggled, flailing his feet and Logan nodded, “I’m stealin’ your kid, Krys,” and with that he bounded down the stairs to join Andy and Jasmine, still wrapped up in their battle of building.

Krystal stared after them, confused as to what had just happened but her son’s wide grin and sparkling eyes made her chuckle. She continued down the stairs gingerly and approached Trudy. “Why did my son jus’ get kidnapped?”

“Snowman wars,” Trudy replied, glancing at Krystal with a smile. “Andy and Jas are arguing over how many snowball body parts are best.”

“Well it’s two, ev’ryone knows that.” Krystal said.

“Don’t let Andy hear you say that.” Trudy chuckled, watching her daughter patting the largest snowball into shape. She shifted her gaze from Jasmine to Andy who was already rolling his second ball around the square, his face flushed red from the cold. A squeal of delight pulled her attention from Andy and she turned to Logan and Pebbles who were dragging the snow into a giant pile in the middle of the square, “Who d’ya think really wanted to build a snowman?” Krystal asked, her own gaze on her son and Logan.

“Definitely Logan,” Trudy laughed, watching the unadulterated glee on Logan’s face as he tried to shape the mound of snow.

By afternoon, Martle square buzzed with Sandrockers building and admiring the many snow sculptures. Vivi and Mabel had soon joined Trudy and Krystal, making up an unofficial judging panel. There was no doubt that their cosy little town had a unique take on snowmen. So far, Trudy had spotted a snow-rock, a snow-robot and, what she thought was supposed to be a snow-duck, but just looked like a pile of snow with a carrot beak. Andy and Jasmine’s competition had been forgotten as they weaved in and out of the snow creations, tag teaming unsuspecting adults and tossing snowballs at them. The sight was perfect, a true embodiment of Sandrock. Logan got to his feet, wiping his frozen hands on his pants and strolling over towards the four women, “Alrigh’ which is the best snowman?” Logan asked loudly, drawing the attention of everyone nearby and they all began to circle the bottom of the stairs.

“Oh my, well all your designs are fantastic, but my favourite so far is Pebbles snowman.”

“Yeah! One vote for me,” Logan smirked, shoving Andy who threw a snowball at him, striking the back of his head and sending his yakboy hat to the ground.

“No, no. Not yours Lo,” Mabel said, brushing some stray snowflakes off her coat then resting her hands on her hips, “Pebbles one,” she pointed to a small mound of snow with stones shoved all over the small hill in an attempt at making a face. 

“I must agree, Pebbles is definitely a work of art,” Vivi nodded.

“Well, I can’t really show bias bu’ Pebbles is my favourite. But I s’ppose I have to choose another-” Krystal pursed her lips and scanned the filled square, “Naw, who am I kiddin’ Pebbles wins across the board!” Krystal grinned. 

The square erupted into cheers as Pebbles bounced up and down on the spot with excited squeals, “I win! I win! I best!”

As the crowd began to disperse, Andy and Jasmine came together, standing shoulder to shoulder and looking over the many creations, “Well, Pebbles may ‘ave won. But three is still the best.” Andy said with a shrug.

“No two!” Jasmine argued, spinning to face Andy with her hands on her hips once more.

Trudy sighed, shaking her head as Logan slumped onto a nearby bench, his eyes rolling skywards.

“We’re in fer a long night.”

Chapter Text

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end up , Lyra thought as she lay on her bed, hands and legs bound together with red satin. Her plan had been simple, wrap presents for the boys and gift them when they were home from their outing. Simple. What she hadn’t anticipated was Logan returning home early and finding her tangled up in ribbon after Gizmo and Starby had decided to race around with it, treating it like any of their other toys. After Logan had finished laughing at her sorry state he’d helped untangle her but the freedom was short lived as Logan had taken too much of a liking to her inability to fight back. A brat, he’d called her as he tied her wrists together and carried her to his bed. 

Her breath quickened, a flush creeping up her neck as her wrists twisted futilely against the satin binds. The lines between anticipation and desperation became blurred as Logan stood over her, leering down at her like she was a piece of meat. “The perfect gift.” He growled, sliding onto the bed and hovering over her. Lyra stared up at him with wide verdant eyes, her throat dry and body aching for his touch. She’d never met a person who could drive her as crazy as Logan did with just one look, but there was something about the way he stared at her that made her feral. Lyra fought against the restraints, but Logan was good and the knot was one that only he would be able to break. It was unfair, but she loved it. His lips were near hers, a wolfish smirk in the way he studied her face. He was teasing her. There was an intensity behind his icy eyes, a flame of desire burning out of control. His fingertips brushed her cheek, tracing an agonizingly slow path to her jaw. The weight of his gaze held her captive, even more than the satin restraints. Their bodies became a tangle of limbs as she was left at his mercy. The restraints digging into her wrists as a cruel reminder that she couldn’t touch him or fight back, all she could do was accept her fate. 

Her body was heavy, her knees weak and the restraints had snapped at some point during their afternoon as Lyra lay beside Logan, panting heavily. She twisted some of the frayed satin in her fingers and Logan smirked, plucking the ribbon from her fingers. 

“Who needs to unwrap a present, when I could unwrap and unravel you? Don’ worry though, I’ll tie it better next time.” Logan grinned and the intensity of Lyra’s flamed cheeks roared to life again.

“Best gift ever.” Lyra murmured, listening to the rumble of Logan’s chest as he chuckled beside her.

Chapter Text

Owen had been struggling to craft a standout recipe for the winter menu. Stews, soups, and hot drinks were fine, but they lacked that special spark , that something to make them really stand out. Then Grace mentioned an old-world drink: eggnog. Apparently, this eggnog could be both alcoholic and nonalcoholic so it seemed like a perfect idea that would benefit anyone who asked for it. The two had worked into the early hours of the morning, knee-deep in recipe books and taste tests. For such a ‘simple’ drink, Owen hadn’t expected so many different variations of it. 

He hadn’t expected it to be so hard and he certainly hadn’t expected the buzz that followed. It had been morning when his first customer, Cooper, arrived and a hungover Owen dragged himself around the bar throwing the drinks together. He drowned out the incessant ramblings of the older man as he mixed a drink together and after Coop had sung his praises and left, Owen had hoped that would be the end of it, he’d hoped that he’d be able to close up early and crawl into bed. As it was, it was now way past closing time and the Blue Moon Saloon had been packed with people wanting to try this new drink. After the fourth or fifth demand for more, Owen had given up and with Grace thrown together multiple large punch bowls of eggnog with barely legible signs that claimed it was a “free for all”. In his mind, if you couldn’t beat them, join them.

He hadn’t expected things to get so out of hand. At one point during the night he could have sworn he spotted a hyperactive Andy dangling from the lights, his whoops of laughter echoing through the room. Below him, a drunken Logan egged  him on with shouts of, “Higher!” between gulps of eggnog, while an exasperated Haru and Lucy tried to wrangle the boisterous pair. That wasn’t the most surprising though. The most surprising was how talkative Fang had become after a few drinks and how quiet Cooper had become, though Owen was 95% certain the rancher had passed out early in the evening. When crowds began to file out, Owen had staggered around looking for Grace until to catch her in the corridor with Qi, flirting. Flirting! He had her backed up against the wall and even from the end of the corridor, Owen didn’t miss the flush of red that painted both their cheeks. Owen didn’t think Qi had had it in him. 

As the night continued on, Owen finally collapsed onto a nearby couch, the saloon was still buzzing with laughter and music. But the next morning, silence blanketed the town – along with a heavy wall of snow. When a dishevelled Qi finally tried to sneak out the next morning, he found the doors blocked. He sighed, glancing back at the passed out patrons, some of whom were starting to stir. At least they had food and at least there was an abundance of eggnog still. 

They were going to need it.

Chapter Text

It was cold. Bitter. Fang had been working around the clock making sure everyone was okay. People got careless. Coats weren’t enough this winter. His head was pounding and he could hardly move his body for the bed. He needed to get up though. X circled overhead whilst Coco nestled in a quiet corner of the clinic, his eyes squeezed shut as sunlight crept through the window. 

“Must rest! I’ll get drink!” X screeched, swooping down towards Fang’s working space, gliding back and forth in front of the different coloured vials and bottles before perching beside a triangular glass full of bright red liquid and began pecking at the glass. “Drink! Fang, drink!” X insisted but all Fang did was roll over in his bed and wrap his blankets tighter around him with a weary groan. 

X let out another shrill squawk earning himself an irritated hoot from Coco whose eyes sprung open and were promptly narrowed towards his mate. Coco ruffled his feathers in irritation, giving X a sharp glare before swooping down to the table, snapping his beak at the other bird as he landed. “Sorry Coco, sweet Coco. Vial too heavy for me!” X said, hopping from foot to foot. Coco shook his head before hopping onto one foot. Talons clinked against the glass as he hooked them through a small handle on the side of the vial. X blinked a few times, staring at Coco before he mimicked the owl, wrapping his own talons around the vial. “On three! Three!” X said and the pair of birds shot upwards at the same time. 

It took far longer for Fang to be given the vial than it would if he’d moved to get it himself. But it hurt to walk and was far too cold outside of the bed so when X and Coco finally reached him, Fang slowly took the vial from them with a small, “Thanks.” 

X landed on top of his master's shoulder, watching intently as he poured and drank his dose before hopping onto the blanket

“Thank you… I just need… a minute,” Fang said, words were harder to come by today than usual. The ache in his body made it impossible for him to move even a little. 

“Sleep, Fang. Sweet Coco, sleep. X’ll look after patients. Sqark!” The raven announced, spreading his wings outright and fluttering upwards. making his way to his perch to wait for any patients.

The snow outside was preventing many visits to the clinic and those who showed up were mainly tourists, unprepared for a Sandrock winter. The minute their gazes fell on the raven though, most soon backed away, not comfortable with entrusting a bird with their car. By day, X kept fluttering towards Fang, nuzzling against his cheek before returning to his perch. By night, Coco circled overhead, snapping his beak at X who watched over his master with undivided loyalty. When his head was tucked under his wing for the third time that night, Coco had pecked at X affectionately, rubbing the beaks together as the owl dutifully took over the care of his mate's best friend whilst X tried to rest. It was a funny situation for Fang, being cared for by birds but, despite that, Fang knew that he had been given the best care Sandrock could possibly offer.

The night passed and by morning Fang was on his feet, flitting around his clinic, mixing new medication and salves when a single feather fell onto his workbench. Fang brushed his fingers over the feather as he glanced up at the fluffed up body of X, a faint smile gracing his features. “My turn… to care.”

Chapter Text

“Just like that partner,” Justice said, handing some tinsel around the tree for Unsuur. Andy and Jas had been learning about the old world at school and now the kids were insisting on having a ‘proper’ Christmas tree for the Winter Solstice. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t have any of these fir trees that the old world talks about, instead, Jane had somehow convinced Zeke to grow and uproot a handful of Saxoul trees, all of which were now dotted around the town and in people’s houses. The corps building was one where Trudy insisted they needed one. 

“This tinsel feels scratchy, I don’t like it.” Unsuur stated and Justice rolled his eyes.
“Well the sooner we get this one the tree, the sooner you don’t have to touch it. Did you get the baubles for the builder like I asked?”

“Yes, sir. They’re in that box th-” Unsuur pointed to a medium sized cardboard box that had been overturned at some point and was now rattling as something tried to get out. Justice’s hand was on his gun within seconds, pointing it steadily at the box.

Unsuur sighed, “Boss, I don’t think that’s necessary,” he muttered, strolling over to the box that began to shake and rattle more vigorously. Crouching down, Unsuur lifted the edge ever so slightly and peeked under. Before he could move, the box went flying out of his touch and baubles rolled everywhere, littering the floor with balls in green, red and white. A yowl broke the silence as Captain shot up into the air, landing stealthily on the nearby desk before he pounced down and began racing around the floor, batting at each of the baubles with all the excitement of a kitten that just discovered how toys work.

Unsuur wasn’t sure how long he stood there, watching Justice try to chase Captain and gather the baubles together, it was a disaster. A hilarious disaster, but he remained stoic, only the small upturned corners of his lips, gave away just how much he was enjoying watching everything unfold. “Don’t just stand there, partner! Help me!” Justice huffed as he ran past Unsuur again as Captain scrambled towards the tree. Unsuur had barely taken a step when the feline was concealed in the branches and leaves of the trees. Only the rustle of leaves acted as any clue as to where he was as he travelled the foliage. Eventually the top of the tree began to shake and Captain’s head poked out from the top, with a disgruntled meow. What Unsuur hadn’t noticed, whilst he’d been too busy trying to track Captain was, was the tinsel, balls and light that now joined the mess on the floor. Specks of tinsel, broken off from the shaking and tugging of the cat’s claws. The best part, in Unsuur’s humble opinion, was the silver strands that clung to Justice’s hair as he dropped into a nearby chair in defeat. Justice, spotting Unsuur’s smirk for the first time, shot him a glare.

“Ya think this is funny, huh?” Justice grumbled.

Unsuur shrugged, bending to pick up a stray bauble. “I think Wilson’s going to love this story,” he replied drily. 

Justice groaned, dragging a hand through his hair and loosening the strands of tinsel when

Captain let out another yowl, demanding help from the two men. The complaints went unnoticed as Unsuur tossed his bauble into the box. 

When Trudy told them to decorate, something was telling Unsuur that this was not what she had in mind. Oh well, maybe they’d try again later, he thought as he began to gather more of the loose decorations off the floor. Maybe they’d keep Captain out of the building next time.

Chapter Text

Lyra had seen a lot of things on her travels with Logan, but no matter how far she travelled, snow always eluded her. It was something of a fairytale to her, something always just out of reach. On more than one occasion when she’d been living at home with her parents, the days and nights were cold enough that she expected to wake up to at least a sprinkling of snow, but every morning there was nothing.

She was wrapped up in her fleece blanket, lounging in her bed as she watched Haru busy himself by the fireplace with Andy whilst Logan busied himself with feeding the goats that morning. It was his turn to do the morning feed and Lyra burrowed deeper under the fleece, content to let Logan brave the cold outside. Luckily her monsters just ate what they were given and their treat balls were tucked away in a nearby satchel. 

The sound of heavy footsteps alerted them to the return of Logan and she rolled onto her back, peering up the rocky slope as he approached. Her brow arched as she took in his appearance. His beige yakmel hat was speckled with white that seemed to melt away the closer he got, what little she could see of his face over his mask was flushed red and a darker brown trickled along the shoulder of his cape where he’d got wet. Wet? “Lo, what-” She began.

Logan held his finger, silencing Lyra mid-sentence. She scowled but didn’t press further.

“Andy, think you can gimme a hand with Rambo?” 

“What? Why do I have to do it? What do you want me to do?” Andy groaned, jutting his bottom lip out.  

“Just’ get a move on kid,” Logan rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. Grumbling and muttering under his breath, Andy stomped up towards Logan and passed him. “You two should come too,” he said, Lyra exchanged a look with Haru who shrugged. With a tired sigh, Lyra slipped out from the warmth of the bed and shivered as she was hit with a wall of freezing air. With a low groan, she grabbed her yakmel cape and threw it over her shoulders as she followed behind Logan and Haru.

As the trio reached the exit to their cave, an excited yell filled the air, cutting through the bitterness of the air with a warmth that only a child’s joy could bring. “Logan, what is going on?” Lyra asked, picking up her pace and falling into step beside him.

“Snow,” Logan replied, stepping out into the desert. The large stone overhang blocked her view of the sky at first but the thin layer of snow that dusted the desert floor was impossible to miss. Andy darted around excitedly, his tongue hanging out as he tried to catch snowflakes. Lyra hummed thoughtfully, holding out her hand watching the delicate flakes melt against her warm skin. She smiled and turned back to Logan, snow was settling on the brim of his hat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw flecks of white as the frozen water landed in her hair and her fringe, watching them slowly turn into water droplets. The snow was more beautiful than she’d ever imagined it to be. It was freezing, yes, and Lyra already wanted to retreat into the cave but there was something so captivating about the swirling patterned flakes that seemed to be getting heavier by the second. “I’ll get some buckets,” Haru murmured, retreating back into the cave.

Lyra watched his retreating figure before focusing her attention on Logan who was watching Andy with a tender smile. She approached Logan, snaking her arms around his waist and leaning into him. He was taken aback for a moment, a pink tinge painted his ears, but if it was from the cold or from her was unclear, after snapping out of it, his hands were around her waist and she rested her cheek against his chest, watching Andy playing already trying to make snowmen. “You know, I’ve always wanted to see snow, but I’ve always wanted to try something else too.” Lyra mused. 

“An’ what’s that, Ly?” Logan asked, peering down at her over the top of his mask.

“I always wondered what it would be like to kiss in the snow. Ma used to tell me stories about the old world and it happened often, dunno why. But I’ve always wanted to see why it’s so special.

“Awful bold of you, ain’t it?” Logan asked but Lyra noted the way the corner of his eye creased slightly as he smirked beneath his mask.

“You love it,” Lyra quipped and Logan chuckled, removing his hand from her waist to pull his mask down. 

With a coy smile, Lyra stood on her tiptoes, as Logan leaned down, cupping her cheek with his frozen hands and catching her lips. Their noses were cold, their hands even colder but their lips were warm and the chill of the winter air was replaced by a warmth that started in the pit of her stomach and spread through her entire body. Snowflakes danced around them, but Lyra hardly noticed. When they finally pulled apart, she rested her cheek against his chest, with a satisfied smile on her face.

“Just like I hoped it would be,” she murmured.

Chapter Text

Alo sat atop a rock, overlooking the Sand Sledding Arena, The cheers below should have made him smile and at first they had, but now they made his chest ache with bitterness. Jas and Andy were racing, their laughter carrying through the snow-filled air. But for Alo, the joy had faded the moment the parents joined. Just like his ma all those years ago, always chasing big dreams and big plans. It was something that she’d told him in every single letter home and as the months passed by, turning into years. Catori’s promises of big dreams, big plans, and being together soon just… fell flat.

When he’d finally received the letter saying that she’d managed to get funding for a theme park, something called Catori world he’d been intrigued. The tone of his ma’s letters had changed, they’d become more eager, more excited and she began asking him to return home again. At first, Alo had tossed the letters aside, assuming it was just another stupid dream that kept her from the things that really mattered – or, what was supposed to matter. Still, after much pushing from his granny, he’d agreed to give his ma a chance.When he’d first returned to Sandrock, it had been great. His ma was all over him, the theme park had been completed and so she had time for him. But as Catori world grew in popularity and the gols came rolling in. His ma turned her mind to bigger and better things and yet again, he’d been pushed to the sidelines.

The bitterness hung over him like a cloud, dampening the joy that had come with seeing the snow that morning and he was about ready to head home to hide away in his room and read when through the flurry of snowfall he saw a figure coming towards him. The thrilled shrieks from Andy and Jas became muffled as Catori pushed through, scrambling up onto the rock beside him, in a less than graceful way. 

“Why aren’t you down there playing with the others?” His ma asked, an almost accusatory tone to her words.

Alo rolled his shoulders, “Don’t feel like it.”

“Ah, come on, that can’t be true. We’ve never had a winter like this before, you should be out there enjoying it all because we may not get one next year,” Catori chided.

Alo crossed his arms, resting his chin on his arms and watching as Andy and Jas raced to the top of the course again. Logan and Trudy brought up the rear, their running less enthusiastic than their kids. “It just feels wrong, ma. They’re there with their ma and pa and I’m alone. It’s weird and uncool.”

“Alone? But I’m right here.” Catori said, furrowing her brow and glancing at her son.

“You tellin’ me you’ll go on those sand sleds?” Alo scoffed, looking up at his ma with a raised eyebrow.

“Do you want to go on them again?”

“Well… yeah. But like I said-”

“Then what are we waitin’ for? Let’s go.” 

Catori got to her feet, adjusting her scarf and offering Alo her hand which he, hesitantly, took before they hopped down from the rock and started towards the top of the course where Andy and Jas were getting situated.

“Now hol’ up you two.” Logan said in warning as he settled himself behind Andy. “Looks like we have a new team to beat, kid.” 

“Ya! We’re gonna beat both of y’all,” Andy jeered.

Jas stuck her tongue out.

Amid the chaos, Alo leaned into his ma as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

“On three!” yelled Jensen who had been overseeing the races so far. “One, two, three. Race!” 

Cheers filled the air as Andy and Jas hurtled forward with Alo bringing up the rear. He didn’t care if he was losing though. He had his ma by his side and that was a win for him.

Chapter Text

Lucy stepped out of the commission guild into a snowy battlefield, narrowly dodging a snowball that hurtled past her and slammed into the wall. 

“Sorry Lucy!” Jas gasped, her hands covering her mouth, wide-eyed. 

Lucy chuckled, shaking her head. “You need to work on your aim.” She made her way down the stairs, brushing snow off her coat as she approached Jas, Andy, and Pebbles, who was busy sucking on his gloved hand whilst Andy built an arsenal of snowballs nearby.  The door to the commission guild swung open, bouncing off the wall with a loud bang and Lucy whipped around as Yan’s nasally screech filled the air.

“Now Jas!” Andy yelled, and Jasmine hurled a snowball at Yan, hitting him squarely in the face.

Face red, Yan spat out snow whilst the kids began laughing and whooping, He raised his finger as if he was about to lecture the kids when Andy tossed a second ball, with all the skill of a kid who’d grown up a bandit, his ball also smacked Yan in the face whilst Pebbles squealed in delight.

“You! Builder! Aren’t you going to stop them?” Yan fumed, Lucy was almost certain her eardrums had burst at this newest screech. The sound went through her like nails on a chalkboard.

“Not my kids,” Lucy replied with a shrug, flashing him her sweetest smile. Incoherent screams followed Lucy’s words but they were soon cut short as a pile of snow toppled from the roof, burying him completely.

Lucy whipped around to see Andy tossing a ball in his hand, a positively devilish smile on his lips. “How?” She turned back to Yan and noticed the snow splatter on one of the columns outside of the guild. “That’s impressive,” she said after a moment whilst Jas doubled over laughing. 

“Oooooh, I’ll show you! You little brats!” Yan dug himself out from the snow pile and began to scoop handfuls of snow. Lucy, taking that as her cue to leave, dipped around the trio of kids and beelined for the Blue Moon, the door swinging shut just as a snowball slammed against the door.

The muffled shrieks of Yan and the kids seemed under gaps in the door and Lucy sighed, strolling up to the bar where Owen stood and looked at her in confusion, “What is going on out there?” He asked and Lucy shook her head.

“Kids, snowballs and Yan. Need I say more? Can I get a hot cocoa, please?” She asked. Owen laughed heartily. Lucy dropped a few gols on the counter and headed to the nearest window, peering out into the chaotic street. Snowballs were flying all over the place and a small gathering had appeared to witness the ongoing war. Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder and she glanced up at Owen who handed her the cocoa before crossing his arms and joining her looking outside.

“Who do you think is going to win?” Owen asked

“Definitely the kids, see that-” she gestured to the low hanging roof, only one part void of snow. “Andy did that, he dumped it all on Yan. Logan has definitely taught him a thing or two out there.” She didn’t want to praise the bandit, but she couldn’t deny. Andy had a mean throw.

“Reminds me of when we were kids, Logan did the exact same thing to Cooper one day. It took a lot to scare him, but I swear, the fear of Peach filled him that day when Coop began chasing him around the pasture.” 

Lucy snorted and turned to Owen, “Well, if he ever decides to come back home. We’ll have to tell him what his kid did.”

“When he comes home.” Owen said firmly. Another snowball slammed into the window, making them both flinch. “And when he does,  you better watch out. Because next winter? Sandrock’s gonna see the snowball war of the century.”

Chapter Text

It was still strange for Nia, being back in Sandrock. When Luo had said he was travelling to try and work out how he could help, Nia had jumped at the chance to go, arguing that she’d already been there once. Admittedly, Luo was easy to convince, being a teacher's pet as Lucy would call her, went a long way. What she hadn’t anticipated was how cold the desert would be in the winter. She didn’t think snow was possible in the desert. The desert! THe horrible warm, muggy place where no clothes were still too many layers. To say Nia was wildly unprepared was an understatement, to say the least.

She’d been cooped up in the moisture farm most of the day, Luo had given her the day off as he had something to discuss with Trudy that didn’t require her. Nia had her suspicions about what this ‘discussion’ was, but the idea was so icky she tried to push it down into the abyss of her thoughts. Gross. She could have spent the day with Lucy, but her best friend had been out working on commissions since the early hours of the morning and given Nia had nothing suitable for a Sandrock winter, she didn’t want to be out shivering. Sure, Lucy would probably lend her something, but the Sandrock style wasn’t really her fashion taste.

Nia was busying herself with fertilizing some plants when the door burst open and Mi-an charged in, reminding Nia of the toys she had as a kid that once wound up would run around in circles. “What are you doing ?” she asked, getting to her feet. Mi-an yet out a surprise yelp, seemingly not having noticed Nia hovering by the door. Light, that girl had a one track mind, it was both adorable and hilarious. 

“Oh, Nia! There you are!”

“Here I am,” Nia echoed, chuckling as she clapped her hands together, dislodging lumps of fertilizer that had stuck to her hand.

“You’ll never guess what I just saw!”

“Uh… was the town hall missing a tile on its roof?” Nia grinned. Mi-an tutted, rolling her eyes.

“ No . I mean… there was but that’s not why I’m here. I just saw Trudy and Professor Luo! They were in the Saloon and things looked cosy ,” Mi-an squealed, grabbing Nia’s hands in both of hers.

“Mimi! Your hands are freezing !” Nia chided, pulling the dark-haired woman closer to her, clasping both her hands in her own. “Where are your gloves?”

“Are you asking me about gloves?” Mi-an smirked and Nia flushed.

“At least my hands are warm,” she grumbled, rubbing Mi-an’s hands in both of hers vigorously.

“They’re also covered in sh-”

“Language!” Nia gasped dramatically before bursting into a fit of giggles, pulling Mi-an closer to her. 

Their bodies pressed together, Nia didn’t miss the way the heat rose through Mi-an’s body, the flush of her cheeks and the wide, doe-eyed look at their proximity. It was adorable. When Nia’s heart was pounding on her ribcage it was doing somersaults. Leaning forwards, their lips apart, Nia’s eyes flickered to Mi-an’s lips parted eagerly, she could hear the quiver in Mi-an’s breath, the way it quickened and her cheeks burnt even redder. Their palms were sweaty now, fingers entwined. “There, much better,” Nia whispered, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Mi-an nodded, swallowing hard as Nia leaned in when the door to the moisture farm flung open and the two girls leapt apart, turning to the towering figure of Zeke who hovered awkwardly in the doorway, his wide form casting a shadow across the moisture farm. He looked between the two girls, realisation dawning on his weathered features before muttering an apology and shuffling into the building, retreating to the furthest corner in search of something, saplings or seeds no doubt. 

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Nia swung her attention back to Nia, brushing her filthy and sweaty hands on her jeans. “There… all warm now.” she squeaked, hurrying away from Mi-an who stood staring after her.

Chapter Text

Lucy strolled along the street, heading up to Martle Square to hand her commission for Justice in. It had only taken her an hour since picking up the commission to complete it, she already had everything she’d needed it had just been a matter of putting together a new gun for him after he insisted that he’d lost his again. Honestly, Lucy couldn’t understand how he kept losing it, it didn’t make sense but something told her that he wasn’t being completely honest with her. Still, a job was a job and gols was gols. She’d even gone the extra mile to make sure it was the highest quality she’d done in the hopes that it would be less likely to be lost or damaged. She didn’t have high hopes though.

As she reached the square, a yowling screech reached her ears and she whipped around in time to see Banjo racing up the street towards her, his shrieks echoing as they bounced off the closely built buildings. The cat was a spitfire, even Cooper had admitted defeat when it came to training Banjo which said it all really. Lucy, had somehow managed to make it that he didn’t try to claw her face off if she pet him, but the cat still had a serious attitude.

The cat streaked past and Lucy spotted where he was heading. Sprawled on the bench was Macchiato and Nemo. The two critters were snuggled together, covered in a large rainbow coloured scarf. One that, at a glance, Lucy suspected would wrap around a person's neck at least three times and still have length to spare. Grandma Vivi’s handiwork no doubt, This winter had been bitter and it only made sense that Vivi (probably with some pestering from Elsie) would make sure the animals were wrapped up as much as the humans were.

The moment of cuteness soon passed though as Banjo stormed up to the scarf and began clawing at it. Nemo let out a surprised yelp as the scarf was tugged from around him whilst Macchiato hissed and tried to swap at Banjo, to no avail. In a sudden flurry of paws and claws, the scarf, and the two animals wearing it, were on the floor. A cacophony of yowls, hisses and growls filled the quiet village. Doors swung open as villagers poked their head out. Arvio was the first person Lucy noticed, jogging out from By the Stairs towards the animals. 

“Arvio I wouldn’t do that if I were-” Lucy’s words came too late as she realised what was happening and Arvio reached into the mass of fur, only to pull his hand away with a yelp that matched that of the fighting animals. Lucy hurried over, taking his hand in hers and examining it carefully. There was only a little scratch, but the rest of his hand was already an angry red, “You should probably go see Fang,” Lucy said, turning back to the trio of animals. 

Nemo had finally burst free from the scrap and was racing over to Lucy with his tail between his legs as a smug Banjo sat with Macchiato. “I don’t understand.” Arvio frowned, furrowing his brow.

Lucy laughed, “I think Banjo has a bit of a jealous streak,” she said, watching the feral cat trying to snuggle up to Macchiato. It didn’t last long before Macchiato raised her paw and batted vigorously at Banjo, causing him to scamper off. With a satisfied mewl, Macchiato trotted up to Nemo, dragging the remnants of the scarf behind her and dropped it in front of Arvio, looking up at him expectantly. Arvio blinked a few times before he realised what the cat wanted and he crouched down, wrapping the scarf around the feline/canine duo once more.  A purr rumbled in Macchiato’s throat before the two trotted off together, shoulder to shoulder and scrambled into Banjo’s cat bed. 

Lucy sighed and shook her head, those two were just asking for trouble.