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It's a cold night in the middle of November. It's lonely. Lonely because.. something's missing.
Something important. Or, I should say someone. Someone is missing. That someone is my best friend, Skeppy.
I think he left the house about 20 minutes ago. I think I should look for him, I'm getting worried. Hopefully, he was smart and wore some clothes that were appropriate for the raging snowstorm that's going on outside.
That thought sends shivers down my spine.
"Okay, I'm going to look for Skeppy. Stay here. Love you Sap." I say to my son before speedwalking to the door. I sling a large coat over my shoulders and put on a pair of boots.
Sighing, I open the door and step outside into the wintery, frigid outdoors.
I can barely see anything. The snow is already piling up to half the height of my calf, which is only going to get worse as the minutes pass by.
It's not very cold for me, but it's definitely cold for someone who isn't a demon from the nether that can produce heat without an issue.
"Skeppy?" I yell, trying to tune out the sound of the wind blaring through my ears.
I hear a faint noise in the distance. It sounds like a voice.
I notice what appears to be weak remnants of footprints that were probably made about 15 minutes ago. I follow them, it leads me to a large tree marking the beginning of a forest.
And a Skeppy sitting at the bottom of it, curled into a ball. Shivering.
He's only wearing a T-shirt.
I sprint to him as fast as I can. I can't use my wings because the storm is too strong and I would end up just flying away. I'm fighting the force of the wind that has the capability of ripping a house to shreds.
After what seems like forever, I finally reach the tree. I pick him up, cradling him in my arms as I immediately start running as fast as possible back to the house.
As fast as you can when you're knee-deep in snow.
It takes forever, but finally, our house appears in the distance.
I swing the door open, rushing to the couch. I don't bother taking off my boots or coat. He's more important right now.
Grabbing his wrist, I check for his pulse. Thankfully he has one.
I brush snow out of his hair, noticing his eyes slowly open to look at me.
"Skeppy? Are you okay? What happened? Do you need me to take you to a hospita-"
My sentence is cut off by freezing arms being wrapped around me.
"No..c..cold....so...cold.." He whispers in my ear. I'm caught off guard at the sudden physical contact.
"You have to change out of your wet clothing. I'll carry you there." I respond, not allowing him to respond before I pick him up again.
Walking up the stairs, I get a closer look at his face. His diamonds turned white, likely from the frost.
It hurts me just looking at it.
We make it to his room, where I set him on his bed and make sure that he's able to move around before stepping out to give him privacy.
I hear faint shuffling noises from the other side of the door. He mumbles a weak "done.."
I open the door. He's wearing a new hoodie and a new pair of pants. Thankfully he's out of that shirt now.
"Are you feeling fine? Do you want me to make you something to warm you up? Maybe some tea?" I ask, with a gentle tone.
He nods.
"Do you need me to carry you again?"
He looks at me, slowly nodding his head again.
A slight smile appears on his face.
And it shouldn't be making me feel weird. It shouldn't be making my face feel red. It's simple, yet so warm.
Breaking out of my thoughts, I walk over and pick him up in my arms. He seems to be doing a little better, but he's still shivering. My heart pangs.
Walking downstairs, I lay him on the couch and give him two small blankets. I put two cups of hot water in the tea kettle and wait for it to warm up while I pick the tea bags.
My favorite tea is strawberry. His favorite is blueberry with two packets of sugar. Not surprising, considering his favorite color is blue, and he's always had a bit of a sweet tooth.
It makes me smile just thinking about how sugary sweet his personality is.
The water is done boiling, so I put two tea bags in separate cups and pour the water over them. I mix sugar into the blue one.
I hope this helps him feel better.
I walk back to the living room, passing by Sapnap who has a very confused and concerned expression on his face.
"..What is going on? Is he okay?"
I respond with "Yeah, he's okay. Just a little cold." He follows me into the room.
Setting down the cups, I sit down and pull the table a little closer to the couch. I take a glance at him to check if he's doing better.
He's curled up in a blanket pile. Quite possibly the most adorable thing I've seen in my life.
It takes all of my strength not to immediately hug him as tight as possible. I should honestly earn a medal for how hard I'm trying.
"I'm.. so cold.. it was a nightmare out there.." He shivers, making my heart crack even more.
"Why would you go out there in the first place, you muffinhead?! It's freezing out there!" I respond, not voiced with anger, but with concern.
"I.. was looking for Sapnap.. I thought it would take.. a few minutes.."
"He's right here. You could have worn my coat, it was right next to the door."
"I didn't think.. about that.. I just didn't know.. where he was.." He stutters, making me feel bad for asking.
"I get what you mean. I would have probably done the same." I say reassuringly.
There's a comfortable silence for a few minutes. We both drink our tea, simply enjoying each other's company. I closely monitor his condition and make sure that he's not getting too warm too quickly.
After a few minutes, his hand slightly brushes against mine. It's strange because we're sitting so far apart, but I don't think much of it.
Until it happens again.
It seems like it's more than just "accidentally brushing against my hand." I look over with a confused expression.
He's turned away, and he's completely red. He's never looked this flustered before.
I connect the dots in my head quickly. Is he.. trying to hold my hand?
When it happens a third time, I take that as a confirmation. I interlock my fingers with his. I would probably be turning about as red as he is right now. But I can't.
My skin doesn't allow for "blushing," likely because my species of demon were never meant to fall in love in the first place. It's just a genetic thing.
He looks over at me, likely confused as to what grabbed my attention.
I gaze back, subtly admiring his breathtaking beauty.
Skeppy breaks the silence. "Can you.. oh god, this is embarrassing.. can you.. give me a hug to help warm me up?"
I don't hesitate to do exactly as he asked me. My displeasure for physical contact isn't of importance right now.
All that matters is that he isn't freezing to death.
He wraps his arms around me, and I do the same to him. He buries his head in my chest, certainly close enough to hear my heart beating a million times per minute.
This is oddly relieving. Despite him being cold, all I can feel is radiating warmth. I feel warm. I feel comfortable.
He makes a few noises of approval, mainly consisting of little squeaks and "mrrrrrrs."
I've never felt this much love for anything else in the hundreds of years I've been alive.
The feeling of intense, overwhelming adoration for another person is something I don't understand.
All that I understand is that I'm here. With the person that I love most in the world.
I comb through his hair with my hand as he takes my other hand in his.
He shuffles a little bit to be right in front of my face. We're probably about three inches away from each other. I can still feel a tiny bit of cold radiating from his face.
"Thanks for warming me up." He giggles.
I flush. He moves his head to rest on my shoulder.
"I hated being so cold.. but I'd do it again if it meant I got to hug you like this, Bad."
And that was the moment that I realized I couldn't keep it a secret anymore.
I whisper a warm "I love you" into the air, hoping that it both does and doesn't catch his ear. Hoping that he both does and doesn't realize what it means.
Nothing happens. The world feels like it paused. All I can feel are shallow, cold breaths on my back.
"I.. I love you too, Bad.." I hear.
He moves his head in front of mine again.
And he plants a soft kiss on my lips.
"Geez, get a room.." Sapnap mutters, causing both of us to giggle.
That's all it takes to calm the storm.