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December 10
The most-awaited month of the year has finally come and one can already feel the spirit of Christmas in every corner of Stellis City. As the snow descended from the sky, street performers started to showcase their talents in dancing and even forming a choir to sing Christmas carols. The streets are livelier than before with the joyful yet persistent calls of shopkeepers inviting passer-bys to enter their stores and the bright, colorful Christmas decorations of every building transformed the city into a beautiful winter wonderland.
In this kind of atmosphere, it is only natural to feel a little impatient for Christmas day to arrive so there are already workers who make use of their holiday leaves but the NXX Investigation Team is still as busy as ever.
"Why do we still have to work? It's our holiday break!" Marius whined but his hands reached to pick up the files he needed to review. "Because of this, I can barely feel the Christmas spirit."
"Crimes won't stop from happening just because it's the holidays, Marius." Artem huffed.
"Your winter breaks must've sucked, Artem. Do you spend your Christmas reading case files?”
The senior attorney’s eyebrows met and his lips pursed into a pout. “I read novels on Christmas Eve but sometimes, I tend to watch sci-fi movies.”
"Nerd." Luke coughs.
"That's rich coming from you, Luke." Rosa laughed.
After months of no progress, they finally found a lead. It seems that there is a small, shady organization, which is called Apparition, that deals with illegal drugs near Avalan Village. The symptoms stated in the report share some similarities with the symptoms of the NXX drug so the team decided to check it out.
In this mission, they had to be discreet and proceed with caution. Apparition is known for their elusiveness, already escaping to their next hideout before the police could even formulate a plan to raid their previous one. The Pax president planned to host an impromptu business conference in the area as a cover for their investigation but Artem, bless his soul, managed to convince the youngest.
“How will you even explain to your directors about holding a sudden business conference there?”
“I don’t know, proposal for a winter-themed amusement park?”
In the end, Vyn had to ask one of his friends to lend them his villa for a few days. Rosa still remembers how Vyn’s friend teased the poor doctor, comically sniffling as he gushed about how the psychiatrist finally managed to find a few people who can handle his “pompous ass” over the phone. The other three men struggled to silence their snickers, Artem being the most obvious due to his continuous “coughing.” Vyn could only glower at his colleagues, his glare reminding Rosa of a grumpy white cat from a meme.
“Aw teach, don't be lonely~" Marius sang when the call ended. "But then again, I agree with your buddy there. People who can tolerate your pompous ass are rare to find."
Marius ended up doing extra homework that day.
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December 12
They arrived at the countryside villa located near Avalan village and they are quick to make preparations for the intensive investigation they’re about to do. Everything was settled and everyone already had their own roles to play; they were ready. What they hadn’t expected is that Marius is famous and well-known in such a distant place. The young CEO had to shut himself in the villa while the others moved to re-assess their plan and assign their missions once again, including who’s going with who.
As Rosa expected, the men started to bicker on who’s going to accompany her. She just quietly stood in the corner, watching the chaos slowly unfold before her. Of course, Marius would take the opportunity to spend some alone time with her and suggested for her to stay in the villa too.
“Missy, you could just stay with me instead. After all, it's dangerous outside~”
After a few minutes of throwing underhanded insults and Rosa being done watching them bicker like toddlers, Luke and Artem went to investigate Apparition’s headquarters in the mountains while Vyn and Rosa went to the village to ask around the residents for evidence they can use.
Along the way, Rosa had the pleasure to witness Vyn’s childlike excitement. They were investigating when they came across a shop that sells various kinds of plants. As a gardener, Vyn gets interested whenever he sees or hears about plants he never knew before. So when he saw the unfamiliar and rare-looking plants that the shop offers, he couldn't stop himself from asking the shopkeeper about them. He still maintained his usual regal attitude but the lightness of his steps and the extra sparkle in his eyes gave away his giddiness. Unfortunately, they had a mission to accomplish so she had to pull at Vyn’s sleeve just to remind him of their current objective.
She reminds herself to get him a nice plant from the store after the case is done.
On the other hand, Luke is getting antsy due to the obvious awkwardness in the air. You see, Artem is very reliable. Cool-headed, logical and not to mention, he possesses an excellent aim with guns. Luke doesn’t have to worry about protecting him that much because the attorney can take care of himself should a fight break out. But, having him as a partner in a stake-out, just them staring at the same warehouse for hours… The silence is killing him and he’s unsure how to talk to him without teasing him.
Meanwhile, Artem already has an idea why Luke gets a little jumpy whenever he tries to speak. Sure, Luke is trained to mask his true self and dones a specific persona fit for a specific mission. But when it comes to interacting with NXX members, he tends to forget his super-spy skills. And right now, Artem can read him easier than before.
The attorney smiles in defeat. “I’m sorry, am I boring you?”
“What? No!” The pitch in Luke’s tone was way too high and the detective sighed, feeling like a teenager who just started puberty. “I mean, I should be the one asking that. Stake-outs can get pretty boring and I figured that you must be bored over there. I wanna talk about some stuff with you but I just don’t know where to start.”
“Hmm, then just talk about the first thing on your mind.”
Artem expected Luke to share some of his mundane experiences or even glimpses of his childhood with Rosa; he never thought he’d listen to him ramble about how turtles cry salt. No wonder Luke and Marius get along so well.
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December 21: Evening
Despite being locked away in the villa, Marius took up the responsibility of digging through the background of any person he and the team find suspicious with DAVIS and sure enough, he found one of the case’s critical leads. In just more than a week, they gathered sufficient intel and evidence to put the entire organization behind bars. It seems that the illegal drug that they were producing is Methamphetamine and a corrupt government official of Avalan Village was the one responsible for cleaning the organization’s mess up. Unfortunately, Apparition has no connections with any of the NXX cases. It is disappointing that the case has nothing to do with the NXX drug but at least they got a bad organization arrested.
They are supposed to head out after a day’s rest but the weather forecast tells them that a snowstorm will arrive in the village soon, so they decided to stay a few more days.
But the next problem is what to do on Christmas Eve. The group obviously did not bring any items that are fit to use for Christmas. So now, they’re having an impromptu roundtable meeting for their Christmas plans and what dishes they’ll include on their sudden Christmas celebration.
“Then I suppose I have to head to the village for some baking supplies.” Vyn muses as he typed a list on his phone.
“Aside from ham, turkey and pasta, do you have any other suggestions?” The senior attorney asked while bringing out ingredients he can use from the refrigerator.
“Mashed potatoes?” Luke hums. “Hmm, tomato omelette sounds good as well.”
The three men stared at Luke in disdain.
“Luke, we’re preparing a feast for Christmas Eve. While I appreciate the warm feeling that simple dishes bring, it does not fit for the occasion. In fact, it does not even deserve to be mentioned when talking about a grand Christmas feast.” Vyn had the audacity to look offended at Luke’s suggestion.
“How dare you!” The agent gasps dramatically. “My tomato omelette tastes divine!”
“Luke, we’ll be having tons of fancy-ass meals and you want an omelette?” Marius laughs.
Artem had enough of their bickering and groaned. “If that is what he wants to eat for Christmas, let him be. We all have our preferences.”
“Are you going to cook it, Luke?” It’s been a while since Rosa last ate this special dish so even though it’s a little weird compared to the fancy dishes the other men have in mind, she can’t help but crave for it even more.
“Well, if you want, I can cook it for you.” He then turned to the others with a satisfied glint in his eyes. “You don’t mind, do you? She just loves this dish.” Luke radiated with victory when Rosa nodded rather aggressively.
‘No fair, pulling the childhood friend card.’ The three men can’t help but feel a little envious.
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December 22: Afternoon
While Artem and Vyn went to the village to buy ingredients for their Christmas dinner, the others were tasked to decorate the villa. However, as they move boxes of Christmas decorations from the basement to the villa’s living room, Rosa finds herself staring at the snow falling from the window.
They spent their time hunting down every last bit of information and evidence they could use against Apparition that they hadn’t had the time to enjoy the village’s snowfall. Compared to Stellis City, there’s more snow falling in this village and she wants to take the opportunity of playing in the snow to her heart’s content.
When the two men noticed her gazing outside her window, they invited her to go with them outside for a snowball fight. But since there is still the issue of an incoming snowstorm, they cannot let Rosa get sick. So they basically teamed up against her as they wrapped her with tons of scarves and coats. It’s nice to have two guys worry about her health but the number of clothing they had her put on is annoyingly excessive.
“Missy, even though the snowstorm hasn’t arrived yet, we still need to be careful.” The youngest gently laid a beanie on her head like how patisseries place a cherry on top of a cake. He even made a show of framing his beloved attorney’s annoyed face from his point of view with his fingers. “Heh, you look adorable.”
“But there are too many layers!” She reached for one of the many scarves wrapped on her neck but a pair of hands quickly stopped her.
“No. You’ll get sick, Rosa.” Luke frowned behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders as he smoothed out her scarves. “Remember when you caught a fever when we spent the entire afternoon playing in the snow?”
“Guys, I can barely move. An extra layer or two is fine but this is too much.” She pouted. “Besides, it’s been a long time since that happened. I promise to be extra careful this time.” When the two men were still staring at her, she heaved a sigh. “I’ll go back inside once I get too cold.”
In this kind of matters, she can never win against them.
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“So much for the super spy.” Marius snickers, his snowball already aimed at the detective’s face.
Luke groaned as he moved to dodge another snowball. The youngest’s aim is insane! The agent wonders how Marius will be able to dominate the training grounds if he joins the NSB. Then again, their little group is filled with talented people with weird hobbies. A senior attorney whose marksmanship is decent enough to be a sniper? A psychiatrist with the ability to shoot arrows with deadly aim while riding a horse? A young CEO who can take down men with his combat skills?
They could be considered a special forces unit.
Back to the matter at hand, it is rare to see Luke in a hopeless situation when it comes to activities similar to his military training. And despite his childish antics, Luke is a mature person who doesn’t let taunts get to his head. After all, he must remain calm in every mission he goes to. Right now, Marius is behaving like a brat who thrives in the chaos he created, laughing rather maniacally as he threw another snowball at the agent’s face with incredible strength. He considers settling the score in a mature manner but with Rosa cheering for him on the sidelines, he can’t afford to throw away the game.
Wiping his face with his scarf as he proceeded to flex his arms, he made snowballs at record speed. Perfect, he has enough ammunition to freeze Marius’ face off. He waited until he heard the sound of snow being scooped up from the ground.
Now’s his chance!
Like how a soldier rolls to take cover from a hail of bullets, Luke moved on the offensive and started throwing snowballs at Marius. The younger man, who was in the middle of making his own snowball, is completely open to Luke’s barrage of attacks. He yelped as snow hit him right at his exposed neck, shivering exaggeratedly as the cold spread throughout his body. Luke wasted no time taking advantage of this moment and threw more of his snowballs. All Marius could do is to dash behind the snow fort he built.
“What?! It's just a snowball fight, why are you so serious all of a sudden?”
Revenge, Marius wants his revenge.
He wants to show off in front of Rosa too. He can’t afford to lose! Even if he’s up against a super spy that could break his spine if he wanted to. In an effort to make an opening, Marius threw snowballs blindly at Luke with all of his might. Luke, having way too much fun showing off his super spy skills, dodged with exaggerated flare as if he was a superhero tilting his head coolly to avoid getting his head penetrated by a bullet. But they failed to see Vyn and Artem returning from their shopping trip. The snowball that Marius threw ended up smacking Vyn right at his face, his glasses falling on the ground.
Everyone froze, their eyes locked on the psychiatrist who seemed to radiate with… bloodlust?
After a few moments which felt like an eternity, Vyn gives them his signature smirk whenever he mocks his enemies, sending shivers to everyone’s spines. “Do you mind telling us why all of you are outside?”
The three troublemakers gazed at each other, the two radiating with panic and the other one radiating with mischief.
“Snowball fight!” Marius threw another snowball at Vyn.
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December 23: Morning
“We need to settle the score, Pearce.”
“Still planning to beat me, von Hagen?”
“Do not even think about going outside.” Vyn snapped his book shut just to give the two his meanest glare yet. “Have you forgotten that a snowstorm is about to hit this area soon?”
Vyn is still not over being hit with a snowball at his face. Yes, he can take a little cold but that was an embarrassing display for Rosa to see. His face burned due to the cold of the snowball and because of the great force it had when it was thrown at him but it grew even hotter when she placed her hands on his cheeks, trying to check just how cold he was. Even though he gained a somehow-romantic moment with her, he can’t help but feel a little pathetic. Rosa is not aware of the doctor’s state but in her eyes, he’s currently acting like a sulking child.
“You two, are you really just gonna sit here all day? It's basically a snow haven outside, you should move your bones for once and do something exciting.” Marius clicked his tongue, shaking his head at the obvious lack of enthusiasm from the two men in front of him.
“It’s because they’re old. Older people are quite sensitive when it comes to cold temperatures.” Luke nodded solemnly as Marius cackled beside him.
The two men frowned, displeasure clear on their faces. They tried to keep their competitive spirit at bay but the last taunt was their last straw.
“Very well, we shall participate.”
Rosa snapped her head towards the psychiatrist in record speed. “What about the incoming snowstorm?”
“The weather looks fine today and it is perfect for doing winter activities. We should take advantage of the break we’re having.” Artem smiled at her but his eyes still burned with determination. “Do not worry, we shall evacuate the moment we see any sign of abnormalities in the weather.”
It’s always a delight to see Artem and Vyn express their childish sides. But sometimes, taking care of four full-grown men acting like petty toddlers can get pretty exhausting.
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December 23: Afternoon
Even though Avalan Village is a small place, it thrives with its variety of available winter attractions. When Marius found out that there were winter attractions, he just chuckled in defeat as he remembered his terrible excuse he came up with to hold a business conference in the village as their cover.
The Avalfort Park caters to many different winter activities tourists can enjoy, ranging from casual ice skating to heart-racing snowboarding. All of them grew excited as they scanned the thrilling screams of the tourists speeding across the snowy terrain.
For their little competition, they decided to race by sledding down the mountain. Rosa joined in the fun as well since she wanted to experience the thrill of going up against Stellis’ most talented men, even if the activity is merely sledding in the snow.
“We’ll race down this mountain then run to touch the pole over there, we’ll determine the ranking that way. The race starts when that light turns red.” It’s almost comical how Luke used a grave tone to explain the rules of such a simple game. For some reason, the others felt like new recruits of NSB and Luke is their superior officer who’s briefing them. “The loser has to take an ice bath in the lake near the villa for three minutes.”
The other three shivered at the thought but the penalty is perfect for this season and watching the unfortunate soul suffer in the freezing is bound to be very entertaining. They just had to make sure they didn't place last.
They climbed on their sleds to wait for the sign and as the light turned red, they slid down the mountain at incredible speed. Rosa shrieked in both terror and excitement, whipping her head around to see who’s leading and who’s far behind. Luke is leading the race followed by Artem, the distance between them is incredibly short. Vyn is just a few meters ahead of Rosa and to her surprise, Marius is the one who is currently in last place.
No! She needs to speed up, Marius could catch up to her.
She maneuvered her sled to gain more momentum, the speed. The others grinned in satisfaction as they watched her speed across the track, her desire to win fueling their determination to not finish the race last.
One by one, they reached the bottom of the mountain and scrambled to dash across the field, reaching to the pole as if it's the last hope of their salvation. The last person didn’t need to even touch the pole, he just slowed down to a walk, watching as the others faced him with knowing, mischievous smirks and seeing those evil expressions on their faces just made him submit to his unfortunate fate with a heavy sigh.
After the group’s showdown, they enjoyed themselves with what the park had to offer. They rented an ATV and Artem drove them around the park with thrilling speed, the terrain constantly changing. Artem’s expressions may be hidden by his helmet but he exudes with rare excitement.
When night came, they all went to the park’s gondola lift to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the village’s lights. Pictures do not justify the village’s beauty, the view hypnotizing every onlooker at first glance. Rosa and Luke hastily brought out their cameras and started taking pictures, dragging the other men into the frame despite the others’ protests. As soon as they arrived back in the villa, they all sleepily greeted each other good night and prepared themselves for bed.
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December 24: Early Morning
The team is already awake even before the sun is up. Yesterday, they spent the whole day doing winter activities so the task of decorating the villa is far from complete. Not to mention that they also need to make preparations for their Christmas dinner. Since they wanted to make all of the dishes from scratch, they had to dedicate half of the day preparing the ingredients and hanging up Christmas decorations.
Vyn had no choice but to wake up early together with his teammates but it doesn’t mean that his mood would not worsen a little. He was tired from all the shenanigans they did yesterday and added to the limited amount of sleep he had, rousing himself from his deep sleepiness is rather difficult at the moment. The others watched the good doctor groggily waddle to the kitchen in his fancy robe, his gloomy figure searching the drawers for a good morning tea to wake even a fraction of his spirit he needs for the day. When Rosa approached him, the others watched with mild awe at how the tense air surrounding him immediately dissipated.
After they made sure that Vyn is okay to be teased without the risk of being verbally attacked, the team went to do their respective roles. The two oldest isolated themselves in the kitchen to make the necessary preparations for the dishes and desserts they’ll make. Artem is in charge of whipping up the main dish while Vyn is the one baking the desserts. The other three were busy setting up the Christmas tree and hanging up other decorations. They all easily concentrated on their work once they started and peace that rarely happens when they are all together fell upon them.
At random times, Artem would come out to bring them snacks and hot drinks to warm them up. He would unintentionally look away blushing when the three praised his cooking, running back into the kitchen to avoid any more sweet words that may make his heart malfunction even more. Vyn could only watch the senior attorney squirm in amusement.
When the afternoon rolled around, the wind began to get stronger and the snow began to fall heavier than usual. It seems that the snowstorm is already here. After making sure all doors and windows are secured, the group went back to their respective duties.
Artem finished earlier so he joined the others in decorating the villa. However, he stopped when he saw the others making DIY Christmas decorations. Apparently, Luke discovered that there were some broken decorations so Marius suggested they just create their very own Christmas decorations. Fortunately, there are some art supplies in the villa’s study, enough to make a few artistic pieces.
When Rosa saw Artem standing awkwardly in the living room, she gestured at him to join them. “Mr. Wing, do you want to make a decoration too?”
Only Rosa knows about his horrendous aptitude towards art but the problem is that she doesn’t even acknowledge that his artistic skills are THAT bad. Also, will he give the others a chance to uncover one of his weaknesses? No way in hell.
But the poor senior attorney can only submit to his fate when the girl said that they needed an extra pair of hands to finish the decorations on time. He couldn't hide his nervousness when he picked up a paintbrush to color the miniature puppet of a gingerbread man that Luke made. When Marius caught Artem staring at the puppet with slight horror, his lips curled into a smirk.
“Artem, you can’t paint?” Marius innocently asks but the attorney knows damn well that the youngest is already coming up with a punchline that attacks his incapability to do something simple like coloring.
But to Artem’s surprise, the artist only made one teasing comment towards him and moved to sit beside him, grabbing a brush of his own and started to paint the puppet. Marius then proceeded to give him tips and taught him short, beginner-friendly lessons to help him make his own Christmas decoration. The surprise and awe shining in Artem’s eyes are undeniably bright as he listened like a little kid listening to his mother read a fairy tale story. It’s the first time the attorney gets to glimpse at Marius’ passion towards art and seeing him genuinely make an effort to teach him and not make him feel embarrassed soothed his worries and even made him a bit touched.
“We all have things in which we are good and bad at, Artem.” Marius hums in approval as he completes another miniature puppet of a snowman. “Besides, as long as someone pours their feelings into their work, I’m sure people will see the unique charm of his art.”
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December 24: 1 hour until Christmas
Their Christmas dinner was… eventful for the lack of a better word. Artem and Vyn went all out and displayed their cooking skills that can even rival the professionals. Of course, Luke also contributed by making his beloved tomato omelette enough for the whole team to try. When Artem asked about what kind of food Luke usually eats, the agent enthusiastically lists different kinds of ramen and other food that are borderline unhealthy, which causes the others to be concerned.
“How you even managed to be healthy despite your horrendous diet astonishes me.” It is hard to tell if Vyn’s words are laced with disappointment or awe.
Luke just flashed him a toothy grin.
Rosa felt like she was spending the holidays in Hogwarts’ Great Hall. The bountiful feast laying on their dining table looks similar to the large variety of food that Harry Potter eats during Christmas. Honey-glazed ham, mashed potatoes, and Manhattan clam chowder; all of Artem’s dishes were insanely delicious! But the Maple-Bourbon-Brined Turkey is the highlight of Artem's grand Christmas feast. The other three’s eyes sparkled in delight with each bite and even swooned about how he is already a great husband material, the senior attorney can only stutter and fumble over his words to give them a decent reply.
"I'm glad you all like it. No need to hold back, I made enough food for everyone." Artem's face was warm with gratitude but the redness of his ears and cheeks gave away his bashfulness.
Of course, Vyn Richter never backs down from a friendly competition with the senior attorney. When he brought out the pastries he made, he relished in the sight of his teammates’ surprised expressions. The others couldn't stop themselves from gasping in admiration, they never thought that Vyn would make an edible gingerbread house! No wonder Artem finished earlier than him. Aside from making christmas-themed sugar cookies, Christmas fudge and pecan pie, the baked pieces of the gingerbread house are meticulously assembled and decorating it is sure to have consumed most of the psychiatrist's patience. There are complex designs that somehow fit perfectly with the simple and homely look of the gingerbread house and the adorable gingerbread men placed at the side completed Vyn’s masterpiece. Looking at the stunning display of the pastries that Vyn made, everyone did not hold back from singing praises to him.
"I am pleased to hear that. Feel free to eat as much as you want, though I admit that I feel a little bad eating this gingerbread house." Vyn helplessly chuckled at the sight of Rosa's determined gaze locked on his pastries.
Right now, all of them are gathered in the living room, eyes locked on the television before them. Since everyone worked so hard today, Rosa wanted to do something relaxing with all of them. And she figured that they had enough playing around since they all had that impromptu NXX winter olympics. Giving them the chance to laze around in each others' presence while watching a movie seemed to be the perfect chance to rest their weary bodies while also spending a relaxing Christmas together.
Christmas is the season where every family gathers and spends the holidays in the presence of the most important people of their lives. Since Rosa’s parents are in that mysterious research project, she is already used to spending Christmas alone but she can never be immune to that familiar longing. So whenever Christmas Eve gets closer, she gets sad as remembers how she and Luke would wait giddily at the dining table, watching in awe as Rosa’s parents cooked their traditional Christmas turkey.
Her parents still make sure to send her postcards when Christmas is near but it's still different and much more heartwarming to have them celebrate the holiday together.
When the team noticed Rosa’s gloomy mood and when she shared about her missing her parents, they could relate to her very well. They are all also used to spending Christmas alone. No matter how much they tried to make the flames in their fireplace burn hotter, the coldness of their dejection still manages to creep into their hearts.
“That’s why I’m so happy to spend Christmas with you!” A melancholic smile gracing her face, wrapping her fingers around the hot mug of the hot chocolate that Marius prepared. “I can tell my parents how I’ve had fun with you all these past days. They don’t need to worry about me being lonely this year. And every moment I spent with you is very precious to me.”
The others felt warm and fuzzy at her words.
“You can always spend Christmas with me, Rosa.” Luke’s eyes shimmered with regret but also with determination to make up for their lost time. “Your parents may not be with us but having one family member with you makes the holiday a little more bearable, right?”
“If you want, we can make a gingerbread house next Christmas Eve. It is much more fun to make it with someone.” Vyn leaned on the table as he passed his invitation to the young attorney.
“You’re always welcome at the von Hagen Estate, miss.” Marius got rid of his usual mischievous smile and replaced it with sincerity.
“Just remember that there are people here who are willing to spend time with you, even if it is not a holiday.” Artem nodded at the others’ words. “You can call me anytime.”
As they made their promises with each other, the grandfather clock sounded across the room as it reached midnight.
“Merry Christmas, everyone!” Rosa gave them her brightest smile yet, warming not only the atmosphere around them but also their hearts.
Despite the cold, howling winds outside, the warmth in their hearts is enough to chase away the chill of their loneliness.
Bonus:
The snowstorm already passed and the group has made their preparations to head back into the city but there is still one business they have to settle.
“Can’t we just do this another way?”
“No way, rules are rules. He lost so he must go through with it.”
The group is currently in the lake near the villa they’ve stayed in. Since they spent the whole Christmas Eve making preparations for their celebration, they hadn’t had time to witness the loser’s punishment in their little race. Vyn hoped that they’ll forget his penalty but of course, his teammates are clever people, they all have sharp memories and chances of them forgetting this is next to zero.
“Dr. Richter, you don’t really have to do this. A snowstorm just passed so the water is sure to be colder than usual, what if you get sick?” Bless Rosa for having such a kind heart!
“He’ll live.” Marius smirked at the growing irritation in the psychiatrist’s face.
A gasp resounded followed by a slap.
“Vyn, come on, you grew up in a country with heavy snow. I think you can handle a little more cold.” Luke chuckled.
Artem, the bastard, is just there watching the scene unfold with barely-concealed amusement.
Vyn sighed, this won’t end unless he gets into the freezing water and is done with his punishment. “I am a man of my word. Since I lost the competition, I will carry out my penalty.”
Marius and Luke cheered for the psychiatrist when he peeled off his large coat, stripping him down a thin, white button-down shirt paired with black pants that he wore during his summer getaway with Rosa. Slowly, he padded towards the lake, bending down to test the temperature. His frown worsened at the temperature, it’s colder than he thought.
Rosa watched Vyn with worry evident in her face but she also feasted her eyes at the strange yet alluring sight before her. Even though Vyn’s outfit is unfit for the season, he looks ethereal as ever. Why does he look like he’s filming a commercial?
Vyn took a deep breath and moved to dip himself into the lake in one, quick stride, shivering almost immediately the moment he entered the freezing waters. He squeezed his eyes shut as he struggled to adapt to the cold, making Marius cackle at the psychiatrist’s display of weaknesses.
“Vyn, you look like you’re about to freeze to death! You okay over there?”
Irked with Marius’ obnoxious laughing, Vyn splashed a big wave of ice cold water and grinned sadistically at the sound of the youngest’s shrieks.