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Ah yes, winter. Axel HATED winter. Maybe it comes from being raised in an extremely hot environment, maybe it was his bird-like tendencies. All Axel knew was that winter fucking sucked.
It sucked even more when the team was caught in the middle of a blizzard and the heat went out. It was even cold enough that HEAVY, of all people, put on a coat and gloves. Axel’s wings were a clear sign of how much he was suffering. His wings were dull and sharp instead of shining and fluffy.
Right now, the team, minus Axel, was snuggling in the living room around one of Pyro’s bonfires. It was the best they could manage with the heat being out. Jane was working on making hot chocolate for the boys, she too being all bundled up. Axel was out trying to get more kindling for the bonfire. He was about ready to use his Hellfire and set the base on fire.
Snow melted in Axel’s path as he walked around. He was complaining to nobody in particular about the cold. The demon boy managed to get back to the base. He was not a frozen man yet. When Axel entered the base, he radiated warmth that spread through the base.
“Ay, did da heat get turned back on?” Scout asked as he felt the warmth. The rest of the team looked at each other confused. The heat increased as Axel entered the room with fire wood. Pyro looked at Axel and hurried to tackle the Warlock in a hug.
“Wo-Woah! Pyro! Careful!” Axel said as Pyro ran into him. Axel held the firewood above his head to make sure the firebug didn’t get hurt.
“Mmmf!” Pyro said. They were calling Axel warm! Dell translated and the rest of the team went to drag Axel into the center of the cuddle pile. Promptly freaking Axel out by the sudden affection.
“Да, Leetle man is very warm.” (Da- Yes) Heavy agreed. There were many more sounds of agreement from the rest of the team. Axel warmed up, he was very embarrassed after all! He felt a majority of the team nuzzle into him.
Jane brought in the hot chocolate and gave it to her boys. She smiled gently at the scene. Axel who was very clearly flustered as the team held onto him as if he was a life line.
“Thank you, ma’am!” Soldier said in his usual authoritative tone. Pyro gave a muffled ‘Thanks’ as well. Medic and Dell pulled their partner into the cuddle pile where she was engulfed in the Warlock’s demonic warmth!
Axel was very happy he could provide the team warmth, yes. At the same time he was very embarrassed by all the affection. His warmth, combined with the warmth of the bonfire was so nice!
Pyro finished their hot coco and then curled up for a nap. Great… Now Axel really couldn’t move. Much like with cats and dogs, if a Pyro falls asleep on your nap, you legally cannot move. You don’t want to break their trust!
The rest of the team happily drank their hot coco and broke out the dad jokes, much to Jane’s dismay. Scout did end up asking the important question though.
“Why are ya so warm, Axel?” Scout asked the Red-eyed fiend. Axel shrugged thinking of a good response that Scout, and the rest of the team, would be able to understand easily.
“Honestly? Demons have a higher body heat than Humans. Especially those in the Wrath ring because of the Forges raising the temperature.” Axel answered. Scout thought about it for a moment before nodding. He understood, so Axel did explain it as simply as he could.
Axel...honestly found the closeness of everybody nice after a while. It reminded him that this was real. It reminded him he found his place, after spending so long looking for it. He loved his weird, dysfunctional, found family. They’ve been so patient and understanding with him.
Axel laughed at Scout’s cheeks flaring up as Sniper nuzzled into him. He looked at Jane, Medic, and Dell. He was relieved to see the sleep deprived trio curled up, and holding each other tight.
If Axel could repay the kindness he’s been shown by being a living heater, then he was happy. He was always happy to help out his team. He was always happy to help out his family.