Work Text:
Snow was on the ground, crunching underneath the feet. A chirping sound made Hazel look up to see the Pidgey in the pear tree. She let out a deep breath, watching it form a mist in front of her, her young eyes delighted at seeing the small Pokemon hopping up and down, entertained at the pear still left on the tree despite the first snow, pecking at it and enjoying its meal.
It continued hopping up and down when—
A snowball hit the poor thing, sending it flying off the branch and landing with a thud. Hazel turned, glaring. “What was that for?”
She heard one of the boys laugh, then brought up a thing of snow, and without hesitation, she threw the snowball at the boy, hitting him square in the face. The response wasn ’t them running away, but the boy pointing at her angrily. “Hey!”
They started coming forward when the sound of a bicycle tire crunching the snow was heard, the brakes stopping the wheel. “What’s going on here?”
As the boys started to run, she turned to see the man with black hair. “Oh! Sedrick!”
“How is little Hazel today, her older half-brother said,” coming over to greet her. “Why are the boys,” he paused. “Oh. So you’re protecting a Pidgey from them?”
Hazel hurried over to the Pidgey, gently wrapping her scarf around it and cradling it in her arms. She pointed a mittened hand up. “It was trying to eat the pear.”
“Oh?” Her brother looked up. “It was?” Without hesitation, he reached up and grabbed the pear, plucking it and handing it to her. “Plan on taking the Pidgey home to heal?”
“Of course!”
“Then let me walk with you,” he said.
“Wait? You’re home.”
“It’s the holidays, isn’t it?” he said, smiling. “And Merry Christmas, Hazel.”