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On the morning of December 24th, Blade awoke earlier than usual. That was quite a feat considering that his usual waking time was already pretty early, but today was special. He couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face at the thought of what he had planned for the day. It’s our first Cristmas together. I want it to be special. He was determined to make it a memorable day for both of them. As he quietly made his way over to the fuel storage to grab some oil he caught sight of something red, white and black out of the corner of his eye, heading in the same direction. A warm feeling settled in his tanks, his core speeding up a bit as he slowed down, giving the plane the opportunity to catch up with him.
“Morning Blade. Are you out to get fuel as well?”
Blade nodded, not quite trusting his voice to speak at the image the plane presented. The sun wasn’t up yet, leaving the light of the fading moon to faintly illuminate the scene. The light reflected off of the snow all around them, giving their surroundings an almost unnatural glow that reflected on Dusty’s plating, making it seem like the plane was glowing in turn. Together with the clear night full of stars above them it looked like something straight out of an art gallery. So beautiful…
“Um, Blade?”
“Huh- ah, ehm, yes?”
“You’re staring…”
Dusty’s smile had softened at his stuttered answer and Blade knew that he was trying to suppress a chuckle. He could feel an all to familiar heat rise in his cheeks as the plane gave up and quietly laughed, the faintest dark hue coloring Dusty’s cheeks as well. I got to stop doing that! One of those days he’ll actually figure out what I’m thinking! He didn’t want to think about what would happen when it came to that. It would be embarassing to say the least... He could feel his blush deepening as he quickly turned away and faced the storage room. Play it cool.
“What do you want for breakfast?”
His voice was steady as he rummaged through the various blends they had and looked for the one he wanted. Dusty on the other hand was still quietly laughing as he answered, the soft sound filling Blade to the brim.
“Whatever you get is fine.”
Blade nodded and continued his search, using the small reprieve to calm down his racing core and school his features. When he finally found what he was looking for and turned around he managed to keep his expression neutral. Dusty took the can from him and turned around, rolling towards the cliff that Blade had claimed as his long ago. Right now it’s more ours than anything. It was a nice thought, to know that they shared this now.
“Do you want to watch the sunrise together?”
“Sure. I’d love to.”
Blade felt something flutter in his tanks as he followed the plane. Looks like I managed to pass some of my appreciation for this onto you. The thought made him smile and when he reached the cliff he found his smile mirrored on Dusty’s face. When the first rays of the rising sun grazed the snow they bathed the entire valley in the most beautiful shades of red, orange and pink. It wasn’t the first sunrise this winter that they had enjoyed together, but somehow this one seemed particularly bright and colorful. As the sun began rising above the treetops Blade found his gaze being drawn to the plane beside him. Dusty’s eyes were fixated on the sight before them, the colors reflecting in them and making the normally blues sparkle in a multitude of colors. Like diamonds… There was something incredibly fond and soft in that gaze and Blade wanted to remember it. That look was the main reason he had taken to showing Dusty the most beautiful places the park had to offer during winter. He had seen all of them before and still loved looking at them, but watching Dusty see all these things for the first time was incredible every time. The emotions that his face openly displayed mirrored Blade’s own feelings perfectly and every time he got to see his Champ smile like that it made him incredibly happy. His smile brightening, he remembered his plans for the day. He had saved the best the park had to offer in this state for this day. You’ll love it. The thought alone almost made him giddy as he watched Dusty lazily drink his fuel. When they were done and the sun was up Blade turned around, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice as he started his rotors.
“Want to see something beautiful Champ?”
“You mean more beautiful than this?”
Blade instantly blushed as the plane gestured towards him, reminding himself that Dusty was talking about the nature around him and not himself. His voice was a bit breathless when he answered.
“Yes. Much more beautiful.”
Blade marveled at the excited happiness that showed on Dusty’s face as the plane went for the runway to follow him into the air. It was moments like these that he lived for. The flight to their destination was relatively short and the closer they got, the more excitement bubbled up inside of him. By the time they reached Augerin Canyon the smile on his face was as bright as the snow around him. He was actually looking forward to this particular one of nature’s wonders. I haven’t been here in winter in way too long. I missed this. Dusty was silent beside him and when Blade glanced over he could see the plane’s amazed expression as he watched the frozen rapids below them.
“Blade, this is amazing.”
Blade’s smile only widened as he lifted his eyes from the sight below them and looked ahead, their destination visible in the distance.
“It gets better.”
“Better than this?”
“Yes…”
Blade’s voice was nothing but a whisper as he finally laid his eyes on the sight he had been looking for. Before them the falls were frozen mid-movement, almost as if somebody had stopped time for them, sparkling in the sun like one gigantic crystal. Blade unconsciously sped up, the desire to watch the magnificent display from up close momentarily making him forget anything else. He could feel a wave of amazement and elation wash over him, filling him with a deeply rooted happiness that only nature could evoke in him. I forgot how beautiful the falls really are in winter. My memory doesn’t come close to this! He distantly could hear Dusty gasp at the sight in front of him but he couldn’t bring himself to look away from the falls to watch the plane’s reaction. The ice almost looked sculpted, as if somebody had decided to sculpt a perfect picture of the rapids below them. The display was partially covered in snow, the patterns giving the entire sculpture a unique design that was almost hypnotizing the way it glowed in the sun. And when Dusty entered his field of vision, eyes wide with amazement and joy at what he saw, Blade felt like he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
“This is amazing… Words don’t even begin to describe it!”
Blade could only nod, mesmerized by so much beauty and happiness. He couldn’t remember when he had last felt like this. I never want it to end.
As they lost themselves in the magnificent sight that the falls presented, time fly by without either of them noticing. The falls had put them under their spell, holding them captive with its beauty. Blade would have willingly stayed there for all eternity but at some point, a little while after he had decided to try and land on the frozen rapids to look from a different angle, a half amused, half annoyed radio from Maru pulled him out of his reverie.
“Hey Blade, sorry to disturb you guys in whatever it is you’re doing.”
Maru’s tone was teasing and way too suggesting for Blade’s liking. Just what do you think we’re up to out here?
“But in case you have forgotten, even if it’s Cristmas we still have work to do. It’s past noon already, you’re quite late. Everyone else is ready to go.”
“Oh…”
Admittedly, Blade felt a little guilty at that. Technically speaking it made little to no difference if they did their work in the morning or later but usually, he was the one who insisted on everyone finishing things first thing in the morning. Guess I got a bit carried away… On the other end of the connection Maru laughed.
“Looks like you had better plans, eh? So, are congratulations in order?”
Blade’s cheeks were burning as he tried and failed to form an answer through the wave of embarrassment washing through him. Sometimes I wish I had never told you about this! Maru seemed to take his silence as an encouragement. His voice only grew more teasing.
“I get it, I get it. You’re not one to kiss and tell.”
“Maru!”
“I’ll leave you two to it, just don’t be too long. We’re waiting.”
Before Blade could snap at him to zip it and that he had not kissed anybody thank you very much, Maru had already terminated the connection. Above him he could hear Dusty approaching, a slight look of worry on his face as he shot a questioning look down at Blade.
“Everything alright? Was that Maru?”
“Yeah. Nothing to worry though, he just gave us a friendly reminder that we still have work to do.”
He could hear Dusty chuckle, no doubt imagining the conversation in his head. The sound was echoing off the canyon walls, surrounding Blade with laughter for a few blissful seconds, giving him the time he needed to calm his racing core again. When the moment passed Blade ruefully started his rotors. Time to get to work.
Completing their duties took them a few hours but as it always was when all of them worked together outside of danger, at least half of that time was consumed by the Jumpers causing some mischief and sending everybody else into fits of laughter. Fun, but distracting. All in all, it didn’t really feel like work, more like a game, and as it was with all things that were fun, time simply flew. Before they knew it it was getting dark and by the time they reached the Air Attack the sun had already sunk below the trees. As always, Maru had lighted up a bonfire in the center space of the base but this time there was a huge Cristmas tree next to it. It was still undecorated with the exception of the candles that Blade suspected Maru and Patch had insisted on putting up there first thing in the morning. Normally they would have decorated the tree the day before, or latest this morning, but yesterday they had all been busy with other things and this morning Blade had simply been too eager to spend time with Dusty to remember. Well, nothing to do about it now. Guess we’ll have to decorate in the candlelight. As soon as he opened the boxes with decorations the Smokejumpers grabbed the one with the lametta, enthusiastically throwing it in all directions. Most of it landed on the ground and the hangars but in the end, they always somehow managed to make it all look intentional and beautiful. Cabbie and Windlifter had taken the box with the Cristmas baubles, putting them up in the tree while trying to avoid the onslaught of lametta around them. Blade had to stifle a laugh at their futile attempts, both of them being covered in the glittery stuff fairly quickly and with no chance of escape, especially when the Smokejumpers decided to jump them and mix the lametta with snow.
“What about these Blade?”
Dusty pulled his attention towards a smaller box and Blade smiled. Those were his favorites.
“They go up on the tree as well. Just be careful to keep them at a safe distance from the candles, it would be a pity if they burned.”
“Copy that.”
Blade opened the box and regarded the small figurines made out of straw with a fond smile. When they had first needed to stay over winter, every team member had contributed some Cristmas decorations to make sure that everyone had at least a piece of home with them. The Jumpers had brought the lametta. Cabbie had brought the baubles. Patch had brought the golden candleholders and Maru had taken to making their candles himself like he used to with his family. Windlifter hadn’t really celebrated Cristmas until they all did it together as a team but he had contributed some woodcarvings. Dipper had brought little bells that jingled in the wind and he himself had contributed the small figurines made out of straw. Back when he had still been a child he and his mother would sit down every Sunday during December and make a few of those figurines, building up their collection as the years went on. By the time Blade had been old enough to move out they’d built an impressive amount so his mother hadn’t minded him taking some of them here. It was soothing to see them hanging on the tree, like a distant memory of happy times long gone but not forgotten. Blade smiled and picked the first one up, carefully fastening the little ribbon that was weaved into the figurine’s head on one of the branches.
“You know Dusty, next time around you’ll have to contribute to the decorations."
Blade’s thoughts were still half caught in his memories as he picked up the next one, glancing over at Dusty who was carefully mirroring his actions.
“I do?”
Blade hummed in affirmation, absentmindedly fastening the ribbon as he let his eyes linger on the plane.
“It’s a tradition. That way everyone has a piece of home with them.”
Dusty nodded, a look of concentration on his face as he continued decorating.
“I take it these are yours then?”
“Yeah.”
Something about the way that Dusty looked in the flickering light of the candles made the situation seem intimate. Blade gulped.
“Ahw, how cute…”
Blade instantly spun around, glaring at whoever had disrupted their moment and freezing when he saw Maru with mistletoes in his lifts. In the few seconds it took him to comprehend what the forklift was planning to do it was already too late to stop him. Maru, don’t you dare! But the forklift had already thrown them in the air, perfectly aimed for above their heads. In his sudden panic to get away from under it, Blade jumped backward, colliding with Windlifter who in turn startled and accidentally pushed both of them to the left, just as one mistletoe fell down upon their heads. Blade felt as if a bucket of ice had been emptied over his head as he stared at his second in command in shock and for the first time since he had first met him, the other looked visibly uncomfortable. To make matters worse they had caused enough commotion to draw everyone else’s attention to them and now found themselves surrounded by a grinning Patch, a fangirling Dipper, smirking Smokejumpers who all made a variety of kissy faces, a puzzled Cabbie and a devastaded looking Maru. I.Will.Kill.You! Blade didn’t dare look behind him, he didn’t want to see whatever expression Dusty was wearing. Screw this tradition! Windlifter was fidgeting beside him, a questioning look in his eyes and Blade was tempted to refuse.
“Oh come on you two, it’s just a kiss!”
“Yeah, nothing to it.”
“Kiss him, kiss him, kiss him, kiss hi-“
“ALRIGHT!”
Blade nearly shouted, embarrasment coloring his cheeks dark as he turned around to Windlifter, squeezing his eyes shut and giving the other a peck on the lips. From the resulting shudder that ran through both of them, Blade could tell that Windlifter was just as opposed to this as he was. That knowledge didn’t help in the least as they both pointedly refused to look at each other in their embarrassment. Why me?
“Oh come on, we want a real one, not ju-“
Blade, Windlifter, Maru and to everyone’s surprise Cabbie all whipped around and glared at Drip who instantly seemed to shrink in his spot and shut his mouth. Behind him, Blade could hear Dusty snicker. Oh no… When he risked a glance behind him he could see the SEAT laughing, his gaze apologetic as it caught Blade’s but laughing all the same.
“Sorry Blaze, just, the look on your face…”
He laughed even harder, tears threatening to spill as he gave Blade a playful wingbump.
“You too Windlifter. Priceless… Best idea you ever had Maru, even if it was accidental.”
His laugh was beautiful. Somehow it managed to alleviate the tension and soon the rest of the team had joined him, laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation as they finished decorating. Blade was pretty sure that it would take him a while until he could face his second again without feeling uncomfortable but in hindsight, he had to admit that to an onlooker the scene must have been hilarious. And being able to bring Dusty to tears through laughter was well worth a little embarrassment. Even if it was mortifying. By the time they were done and everyone had put their presents beneath the tree the moon was high up in the sky and the stars were shining above them. They all stood around the fire, eyes trained on the tree and marveling at their own work. I have to admit, it looks particularly good this year. Might even be the best one we ever had. From the looks on the others faces, he got the feeling they all agreed. After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Maru spoke up.
“So, Dusty. I take it Blade hasn’t gotten around to telling you how we do this?”
Whops. Blade shot the plane a sheepish grin. Between watching the sunrise, showing him the waterfalls, working and decorating he had completely forgotten to explain it to him. Maru gave Blade a knowing smirk, wiggling his eyelids and causing the helicopter to blush again, drawing an indignant huff from him. So what?
“You see, it works like this: Somebody starts and picks a present that is not addressed to themselves and gives it to the person it is addressed to. The person opens it and then picks the next one, again, not addressed to themselves, and so on. Got it?”
Dusty nodded.
“That’s easy enough. So, who starts?”
“Can I start?”
Patch had an excited gleam in her eyes as she eyed the various presents and when Blade nodded she went to the tree and picked one, handing it over to Dusty. With a smile, Blade realized that it was her own present for him. Guess you really want to see his reaction, huh? Can’t blame you though, I’m itching to see your reaction to mine too. Dusty took his time opening the wrapping, careful not to tear it. When he finally opened it he found a book in it.
“100 Crazy ways to fight fire and live to tell the tale.
Dusty simultaneously laughed and winced.
“Guess I had that one coming. Thank you. I’ll be sure to read it thoroughly.”
“Yeah, you better. Dying now just won’t do at all!”
There was no malice behind the words, but Blade new that his voice still held some honesty. I’d just very much prefer you alive. The present Dusty picked was from Maru to Windlifter, a special blend of oil that the heavy lifter loved. The following presents were all exchanged between the Jumpers and were various things that could be used for racing and decorating their hangar. I guess everyone got them something like that. Dipper and Patch got meet and greet tickets for a race, Windlifter gave all of them handmade charms, Maru insisted on the mistletoes being his present and most of the other presents were edibles. Both Blade and Dusty hadn’t had a turn in quite a while and most of the presents were already open when finally Cabbie picked up the gift Blade had gotten for Dusty. He could feel a rush of excitement run through his hydraulics as he watched Dusty open the wrapping with the same care he had opened his other presents. When he opened it a letter fell to the ground and Blade watched, barely able to contain the onslaught of emotions that were threatening to overflow as he kept his eyes trained on the plane’s face.
“A gift coupon for redecorating a hangar…”
For a moment the plane looked confused as to why Blade had given him that of all things until suddenly understanding dawned in Dusty’s eyes and before he knew it, the plane had practically thrown himself at Blade, pulling the other into a tight hug. Blade was positive that his smile was blinding.
“This hangar is already yours so I thought maybe you should make it a little more homely for your future visits.”
He could feel Dusty’s smile against his plating, the plane’s lips barely gracing his side. Neither of them pulled away.
“Thank you Blade.”
The words vibrated against him, sending pleasant tingles from his rotors down his tail and he pulled Dusty in tighter, only reluctantly letting go as the plane tried to put some distance between them. Blade watched as his Champ turned towards the tree, picking the last present underneath it and handing it over to Blade. Blade’s core instantly spun faster. This one is yours… He was shaking with excitement as he tried to open it as carefully as Dusty had. He could see that the plane had put a lot of work into the wrapping, it was almost a work of art that was too beautiful to destroy. In the end, his curiosity won out and he gave up on trying to save the paper. Before looking down on what his gift was, Blade’s eyes met Dusty’s and he was mesmerized by the way the plane wore a slight blush on his cheeks, smiling blissfully and visibly happy. He felt like that expression alone was all the gift he needed. Still… Not without a bit of a struggle he pulled his gaze away from his Champ and finally glanced down to his present. It took him a little to realize what it was, the wave of happiness drowning him before he could fully comprehend what Dusty had given him. He knew that his smile was beatific and that it showed on his face but he didn’t care. I want you to see how happy you make me. Blade carefully picked the present up, unfolding it to fully be able to look at it.
“A crocheted blanket… And it has Piston Peak on it… And us!”
Without thinking, Blade pressed the blanket close to his chest.
“That must have taken you forever…”
Dusty nodded, a sheepish grin on his face as their eyes locked again.
“Yeah, it did. So, do you like it?”
Like it? Are you kidding? I love this! And it’s beautifully made too.
“Yes, I do.”
In an afterthought he added:
“When you said that you crochet I didn’t think that you were this good!”
At that Dusty beamed at him and Blade knew that his expression mirrored the smile as he pulled the plane close again, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you, Dusty.”
“You’re welcome.”
They spend the rest of the night huddled together by the fire enjoying some of their edible presents and talking. At some point when it had gotten colder and all of them had already had some highgrade from the fancy Cristmas dinner that had followed the presents, Blade had pulled Dusty under his rotors again, drawing his new blanket over both of them to keep them warm. It was a mild night, not too cold to stay outside if you had a fire nearby but just the right temperature to warrant being close to one another. The team stayed out by the bonfire and the Cristmas tree, watching the stars and telling stories until it became impossible to keep their eyes open. The later it got, the quieter the base grew. Most of the team members had either already fallen asleep or lay huddled closely together and drowsily watching the night sky. Blade glanced down on the plane that slept not too far from him, huddled up in his own blanket. In the black of the night he found it incredibly hard to refuse his core’s increasing demands for closeness to the SEAT, so he inched a little closer, close enough to almost touch him but leaving just enough space to make it look accidental if the plane woke up. He could feel his eyes falling shut as he quietly watched the night sky behind glowing behind the sleeping Dusty and giving him the same otherworldly glow that he had in the morning. The day had been long and exhausting but thinking back on it Blade found that every single second had been worth it. It was one of the best days I can remember… A fond smile settled on his lips, betraying the happiness that was filling him to the brim. It almost felt like an additional blanket softly being draped over him, warm and fuzzy and all encompassing. I love you. I wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world. He could feel his eyes beginning to fall shut as he regarded Dusty one last time. The image and the events of the day were still vibrant in his head as he succumbed to the enticing call of slumber. They never left, carrying on in his dreams as he unconsciously drew the blanket in closer around him.
The smile never left his face.