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If there was one thing that Gem was looking forward to above all else, it was spending the day with Scar. For the last few weeks they’d been so busy with building and prank wars that they’d barely had a chance to stop and catch up with each other, and there was only so long that text conversations could sustain them. They’d both wanted to see each other in person, and when the first snow of the season arrived it had been obvious what they needed to do.
So, bundled up in layer upon layer of clothing, with thick wool gloves and a hat with a pompom on it, Gem made her way out of the warmth of her home to meet Scar. Rather than flying or even taking Moose, Gem decided to walk. The forests were beautiful as frost clung to the blades of grass that weren’t buried under snow, sparkling under the weak light of the sun, and the evidence of other Hermits playing and having fun was clear for all to see. There were snowmen, snow angels, the remnants of snowball fights and igloos. Gem was sure to add an angel of her own to the mix, picking a spot in the usually more Mediterranean Big Eye Bay to fall backward into a pile of snow and start to spread her arms and legs repeatedly. When she was satisfied that she’d left her imprint in the snow, Gem clambered back to her feet and admired her handiwork.
It was as she went to draw a halo in the snow with a gloved finger that she realised she wasn’t alone, a hand reaching out to brush snow from the back of her coat making her scream. She twisted around, wanting to see who’d given her such a fright, and saw Scar, playfully grimacing at the pitch of the sound she’d made.
“Scar!” Gem grinned from ear to ear, the brief fear and shock that had run through her body already completely gone as she jumped to wrap her arms around him. It was enough to pull Scar down, the man leaning over to allow his own arms to wrap her tightly against his chest.
“Hello to you too.” He laughed, the sound like music to her ears. “I don’t know why I’ve never thought about how excited you’d be about the snow.” He said, pulling back to get a better view of the wide eyes and giddy smile on her face. Gem couldn’t see herself, but if Scar’s nose was pink and his cheeks were flushed, she could only assume she was the same.
“I love winter, it’s so pretty, the snow is so much fun and everyone is just happier. Everyone laughs, there’s hot chocolate and cosy nights, there’s pretty lights, oh it’s the perfect time of year.” She said wistfully, smiling up at Scar and rocking back and forth on her feet. “And, I suppose, I’ve not seen you in a few weeks.”
“Seeing you again is the best thing of all.” Scar told her, a brief kiss being pressed against her forehead. Despite the cold of the world around them, it was all Gem needed to feel warm inside. “But, I think we both know we have a very important job to do.” Scar said, stepping back, and Gem nodded. She put the best mock-serious face on she could - bottom lip protruding, eyebrows furrowed - and looked at the sledge that Scar was referencing.
“Absolutely, yes.” She said, her voice deliberately lower than normal, as if putting on a business man impression. “We need to ensure the mountains of the server are up to sledging standards: for the good of the server.”
The impression did the trick, Scar doubled over laughing, and Gem was positively glowing as she grabbed the rope tied to the sledge with one hand and offered out her other.
“Well?” She asked. “Shall we?”
“Oh my goodness,” Scar chuckled, taking in a breath to calm himself down as he reached out for Gem’s hand in return. “Yes, absolutely we shall.”
The climb to the top of the mountain that Bdubs’ had built earlier in the season didn’t take too long - it was part of the reason they’d chosen it as their first stop for the day - but the views were absolutely incredible. They could see the Evil Emporium, all of the Big Eye’s buildings, and far North along the path to Boatem. As enjoyable and rewarding as the climb had been, they unanimously decided to elytra to the top of the mountains for the rest of the day.
The next question was to pick which side to slide down. South toward the homes of Bdubs, Keralis and Tango were quickly crossed off the list, as any speed they gained while sledging would take time to be lost at the end and the risk of falling into the freezing ocean was far too real. If they went East they stood a chance of ending up inside Fifi’s stomach - another option they’d rather avoid if they could - which left them with North and West.
Deciding that the West slope had the least rocks, and had a good amount of space to stop, Scar positioned the sledge and sat himself down toward the back of the wood. Gem waited until he was settled, confirmation coming in the form of a thumbs up, before squeezing herself between Scar’s legs.
“You got it?” Scar asked her as she settled, his arms coming to wrap tightly around her waist while his feet shifted to hook better at the front of the sledge.
“Yes, you comfortable?” She asked, grabbing the rope and holding it tightly between her gloved hands. As Gem leaned back against his chest, she felt him nodding.
“Tell me when you’re ready to go.” He told her, and Gem looked at the slope ahead. It had been years since she’d gone sledging: maybe she needed to organise a competition between the Hermits. Maybe, once they’d tested all the hills, they’d have a spot to host such an event.
“Three…” She said, beginning her countdown and feeling Scar shift behind her. “Two, one, GO!”
Gem felt Scar lean forward, the centre of gravity of the pair of them moving until they were no longer balanced atop the summit, but tilting slowly downward. It took a moment for the sledge to begin to pick up speed but the moment it did, it did. It didn’t take long before the wind was blowing through their hair, before Gem’s hat flew off, hitting Scar in the face before disappearing behind them, before her arms were above her head as she whooped and laughed. Scar held her tighter as he did the same, his embrace leaving Gem feeling safer than ever before even as they barrelled down the slope quickly. Flakes of snow hit them in the face as they continued to plow through what had built up, and as the slope began to flatten out once more.
While the sledge came to a halt and Scar’s grip loosened just a little on Gem she let out a breathy laugh, closing her eyes as she leaned against his warmth and brought a hand down to rest on his thigh.
“Oh my goodness, that was so much fun!” Gem laughed, and as they finally stopped Scar lay back into the snow behind them.
“I forgot how terrifying sledging could be.” Scar said, catching his breath. “Oh my gosh, this is going to be the death of me.”
“No it’s not.” Gem declared, twisting her body round so she knelt before Scar. As he continued to lie in the snow she leaned over him, pressing her lips against his rosy cheeks, and wrapped one gloved hand around his. “Now, come on, Pearl’s hill next.”
And so the two got back to their feet, Gem holding the sledge in one hand and Scar with the other as Scar shrugged his elytra on and launched rockets to send them into the sky. The spruce forest was beautiful while covered with so much snow and Gem couldn’t help but stare at the world beneath her as they flew. The journey wasn’t long, though, and before too much time had passed the two were standing atop Pearl’s mountain. From there the view was just as incredible, providing an excellent vantage point to see most of Cub’s canyon and, of course, their final slope. But that was for later, and now was a time to focus on picking the best slope to slide down.
Given that one connected to Scar’s much higher mountain, one risked falling into a spike filled canyon, and one had a train blocking their path to the void in the world, it seemed sensible to take the Southern slope and head toward the trees.
Once again they settled onto the sledge, Gem nestled safely between Scar’s legs and Scar holding her as protectively and as tightly as he could. She counted down, he leaned forward, and the pair sailed down the slope. Scar seemed a little less afraid this time - still holding her tightly but allowing one hand to rise into the air as he cheered with her. This time, when they came to a stop, he didn’t fall onto the ground and pronounce himself dead, and Gem had a much easier time of turning around to press a kiss to the tip of his bright red nose.
“You look like Rudolph.” She laughed, and he rolled his eyes.
“Says the one who literally wears antlers.”
“Touche, Mister. Touche.”
The moment lasted for a beat longer, before they were on their feet and flying off into the distance once more.
There was no denying the wind chill that swept up the pair as they stood at the tip of Scar’s mountain, no denying how steep the slope down was, no denying that they were a pair of complete idiots for even considering it. When they glanced at each other, neither of them wanted to be the one to chicken out, and so Gem - teeth chattering from the cold - spoke.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Are you sure about it?” Scar prompted, and Gem thought.
Worst case scenario, they’d respawn. Dying wasn’t a pleasant thing, but it wasn’t permanent, and they could easily retrieve their belongings. Best case scenario, they were about to find the most incredible slope on the server for skiing, sledging, and any other winter sports their fellow Hermits might be interested in.
Gem nodded, and so Scar set the sledge down and got himself comfortable.
When Gem settled herself between his legs this time she felt his knees move inward, as if providing a safety barrier across her chest, and his hands came to hold her waist like she’d disintegrate if he let go.
“Scar, if you don’t want to do it--”
“It’s fine, I trust your judgement.” He reassured her. “Whenever you’re ready.”
And gosh, the drop suddenly looked all the more sharp. It wasn’t a sheer cliff, Gem reminded herself. They’d spent a good amount of time deciding which peak to slide down, deciding which direction to go, and if all went according to plan then they would slide down one of Scar’s mountains onto Pearl’s and follow the same trajectory as they had the last time.
So Gem trusted herself, and she trusted Scar, and she closed her eyes as her hands tightly clung to the rope.
“Three… Two… One…” One last breath. “Go!”
Scar leaned forward, Gem leaned back into him, and their centre of gravity moved forward. She felt the sledge tip over the edge, felt the wood hit the snow, felt as they started to move forward with ever increasing speed. She felt the wind whipping through her hair and snow hitting her face with such force she thought it might bruise her.
And then she felt as the sledge hit a rock, and she felt as Scar’s grip tightened on her as the rope left her hands, and she felt as the sledge itself was suddenly not underneath her anymore.
Gem let out a scream instead of a shout of joy, wincing as the pair hit the snow and began to roll. Somehow they went from Gem’s back against Scar’s chest, to their chests both flush against each other, with both sets of arms wound tightly around the other person. When Gem opened her eyes she saw Scar’s face, and behind it a pile of snow. Then sky. Then a pile of snow. Then sky once more. It continued over and over until the slope began to smooth out - a telltale sign that they’d reached Pearl’s mountain - and the two began to slow. Without the sledge there was too much friction for them to roll too far on the flatter ground and the pair finally came to a slow stop.
Her head ached, her back and arse ached, her legs were freezing and soaked, and she was breathing heavily, but all in all the amount of snow had provided enough padding that any serious injuries had been avoided. The fact that when they came to a complete stop, Scar was lying on the ground with a smile on his face and laughing rather than crying, Gem decided that the same could be said for him too.
They both took a moment to calm themselves from their awful decision making, before they locked eyes with each other and Scar broke the silence.
“So…” He began.
“If we hadn’t hit that rock, that would’ve been the best slope ever.” Gem smiled, still straddling him. Scar just threw his head back and began to laugh once more, and Gem lowered herself so that she lay directly on top of him.
“If we hadn’t hit that rock, the sledge would have taken us all the way to Octagon.” Scar joked, although with how much speed they’d picked up in such little time Gem wasn’t entirely sure it was a joke.
“So you’re saying you’ll remove the rock, and we can try again?” She asked, though after such a fall she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about trying again so soon. As cold as she was, the bruises she’d collected would need icing and Gem was certain Scar’s would too.
“What I’m saying, Gemini-” Scar began, using her full name as his hands moved to rest on the small of her back. “- Is that we should find your hat.”
Gem smiled, knowing that he was right. They’d need to go back for it before the wind picked up and carried it away, but for now she was content with just lying with Scar. It seemed that he felt the same way, because he made no real attempt to get up. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t move, however. The hands on her back went from resting to gripping and slid her a little further up his body so that his lips had an easier time of finding her own.
Winter had always been Gem’s favourite season, but she had a feeling that this was going to be the best winter ever.