Work Text:
"Come on, squirt. You can't stand there staring at it forever."
Wide eyes looked up at him, slightly covered by the warm wool hat that Chi-Chi had made for the boy. Well, too big was better than too small he supposed. At least Gohan would be warm enough, though his nose was looking a little red and his lip was trembling.
Gohan both loved and hated new things. With his son almost a year old, Goku had noticed this much at least with every new experience Gohan encountered. As long as the boy was in a comfortable setting, he'd learn all he could as fast as possible. In fact, Gohan's learning speed was pretty remarkable. He only wished Chi-Chi would let him test that ability with martial arts, too. But, well, he trusted Chi-Chi when it came to raising kids; he certainly had no idea what he was doing half the time. All he had to go on were faded memories of his grandfather, Gohan's namesake.
Smiling at the flash of memory, Goku crouched down in the snow and held a hand out to his son. "Come on, Gohan. The snow isn't gonna hurt you. I promise."
"But," Gohan whined, "it cold."
Goku frowned. "Really? Looks to me like your mother bundled you up pretty good there."
A turtle neck, a sweater, and a big, thick jacket over it all. Even a nice pair of boots, a matching pair to something she'd handed to Goku, too. Gloved hands reached out to catch the snowflakes, wide eyes staring as each one melted in the body warmth.
The small mouth gasped, glancing around frantically. "Mommy!"
"Aw, Gohan, it's fine," Goku laughed. "Mommy's inside wrapping presents. We're not allowed back inside until she's done. That's the rule."
Those bright eyes found his and stared back, almost unblinking in the way they refused to drop attention. Chi-Chi had always told him to talk to Gohan like he would anyone else. To trust that Gohan could understand him even if the boy was too young to form enough words to respond fully on his own. Going by that look in Gohan's eyes when he was so quiet and listening so hard, Goku believed his wife knew exactly what she was talking about. Not that he had any reason to doubt her, or Gohan for that matter.
"Daddy?"
"Yep!" Goku grinned, feeling warmth hit his chest just at hearing Gohan call him that. "She kicked us both out. Even Daddy. So, come on. Walk to Daddy and we'll see about building a snowman or something to pass the time."
Gohan's head tilted to the side. "Snow...man?"
Instead of taking any time to explain, Goku simply nodded and smiled. He continued to crouch in the snow, keeping his arms open and inviting, encouraging Gohan to walk toward him. The boy was still a little shaky at walking, but Goku wanted his son to make his own steps in the snow. It was his first snow. He wanted to see Gohan explore a little on his own.
Meeting eyes with his son earned him a determined nod, followed by Gohan's first step into the feet of snow. With a slow and steady small stride, Gohan traversed through the snow where Goku had already left his own footprints. From one large footprint to the next, Gohan walked and wobbled, following the path laid out for him, eyes focused on the ground, arms out to either side for balance.
He almost made it all the way, too.
Not too far from the safety of his father's arms, Gohan's balance toppled away from him. Arms flailing uselessly, the boy crashed into the feet of snow behind him. The hiccups of a tearful cry started near immediately. Goku winced and then let out a sigh and allowed a small smile to cross his face as he stood up and moved to hover over his upset son.
"Hey, Gohan," he said softly. "Don't cry, son. Why don't you try something for me instead?"
Sniffling, Gohan held back his tears and looked up. "D-Daddy?"
Wtih a grin, Goku held his arms up to demonstrate. "Flap your arms, up and down in the snow. Mommy showed me this. Trust me. You'll love it. Oh, and move your legs, too. Back and – yeah! Like that!"
Watching Gohan do as instructed, Goku smiled and waited patiently until he thought it would be enough. Then he told Gohan to stop and reached down to pick him up out of the snow. Holding his son in one arm while Gohan clung to his coat, Goku brushed the cold fluff from the boy's winter coat and pants. He chuckled at the snow clinging to his son's tail, carefully removing that as well without tugging on the weak appendage.
"Daddy?"
"Hm?" He hummed, adjusting his hold on Gohan to allow them both to look down at the snow angel his son had made. "You see, Gohan? See what you made there? Pretty neat, huh?"
The small eyes of his child blinked and then turned to the pattern on the snow. Goku grinned as he practically felt the boy light up in his arms. The tail flicked back and forth. The gloved hands grabbed hold excitedly. And a wide grin met him as Gohan faced him again. Followed by a happy giggle.
So Goku laughed a little as well. "Kinda funny how you even got the tail in there. Your mom calls it a snow angel. I never thought of an angel with a tail, but I kinda like it. Don't you?"
Gohan gave a smile and happy nod, the little fuzzy ball at the top of his wool hat bouncing at the movement from his head. "Yeah!"
"All right," Goku chuckled, feeling that warmth hit his chest again from sharing a moment of excitement with his son. "Now you wanna make a snowman with me? That's the real challenge out here!"
Gohan's grin widened, followed by a few nods in quick succession. No words this time, but the feeling was there. The excitement sparkling bright in the boy's eyes as Goku turned and trudged through the snow to get just a little more distance. There was a bigger pile of snow by the nearby tree, so he felt it would be easier to roll everything up from there and gather snow on the way back towards the house.
At the thought, he sent a glance back to the house and almost thought he saw Chi-Chi watching from the window, but when he focused harder, she was gone. Huh. Well. Whether she was done with gift wrapping or not, he'd wait for her to call them in no matter. He had no problem staying out here with Gohan. It didn't snow out here very often, and he considered himself real lucky to be able to enjoy such fun with his son.
Definitely something he'd hold onto for years to come. Nothing quite beat experiencing Gohan's childish joy. Well, except maybe Chi-Chi's smile. But that was in a league all its own.