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The snow lays thick this time of year.
“Oh yeah, I guess you don’t know this. After the Seven Stars crashed, winter has always been this cold. Guess it affected the stratosphere or something- I don’t know, I’m a rebel, not a goddamn meteorologist!” Karin’s jovial explanation rings in Cyrus’ ears as he looks out the window. It only started snowing this morning, and now the landscape is nothing but white. Especially for Aaron’s place on the mountains. There aren’t any more missions for the Resistance for the rest of the year, so everyone is basically on winter break. Which is very convenient because his little room in the base had a plumbing problem and he had to crash at Aaron’s. Not that either of them mind, of course.
“It’s pretty cold today. Do you want anything warm? How about hot chocolate?” Aaron’s voice rings through the spacious apartment.
“Hot chocolate is fine. We don’t have marshmallows, do we?” Cyrus asks back, only to see the white tiger popping out of the corner.
“I don’t think we do. I can always order some, but it’ll still take a while either way.”
“You know what, forget about it. Just get me some hot chocolate and I’m content.” Cyrus says with a hint of dejection in his voice. Aaron flashes him an apologetic smile and ducks back into the kitchen to make the drink, leaving Cyrus alone with his thoughts – traditionally not a good duo, but this time it might be less emotionally devastating. “Hot chocolate, huh?” the white-haired man thinks out loud.
The snow lay thick that time of year.
“Do you want something to drink?” Damion’s voice echoed through the house.
“Hot chocolate would be nice. And add marshmallows!” Cyrus answered back.
In no time, out came the tiger, two cups of steaming hot chocolate in hand, head adorning the world’s most adorable Santa hat and face wearing an equally cute smile. “Thanks babe.” Cyrus took one off his hands and had a sip.
His eyes instantly widened. “This is.. the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had! It’s just the right amount of sweetness and chocolatey-ness.”
Damion smiled sheepishly. “Not as warm or sweet as you though, babe.” Cyrus added with a wink, soliciting a groan from his boyfriend.
“That has to take the cake for the corniest thing you ever said.” Retorted Damion with a smirk, at which Cyrus only laughed.
“You want a list? Chronologically or alphabetically?” Damion couldn’t take it anymore and start laughing as well. All within Cyrus’ teasing master plan – save for the mischievous glint in his lover’s eyes. Or the fact that said boyfriend quickly wrapped his hands around him and pulled him over for a side-hug, rendering him speechless and his cheeks flushed.
“Is that enough corny for you? Or do you want a kiss on the cheek to go with it?” Damion teased, though it was clear as day he couldn’t hide the fact that he was as red as a tomato as well. Cyrus wasn’t helping either, wrapping his arm around the tiger’s back, earning him a tail coiling his back and a soft purr from his furry boyfriend.
“I miss this so much. Let’s stay like this a little longer.” Cyrus clung onto Damion, resting his head against his soft fur, leeching off his body heat and savoring every beat of his heart.
“Sure babe. Feels nice.” Damion replied tenderly.
The snow lay thick that time of year, but he had his beloved next to him.
“Hey Cyrus, are you okay? Is something bothering you?” Aaron’s soothing voice wakes Cyrus up from his nostalgic daze.
“No no, I’m fine. Just… thinking. About some stuff.” Replies Cyrus, only to earn a worried gaze from Aaron.
“But you’ve been crying for a while.” Aaron’s words make Cyrus instinctively touch his face. Sure enough, his face is wet with tears. Must have been affected more than he thought. “Did something happen? Do you want to talk to me about it?”
“I’m fine. I’ve just been… reminiscing about some old stuff.” Cyrus tries to reassure Aaron, to limited effect, evident by the concern still tinging his voice. Still, he relents.
“All right, all right. Here’s the hot chocolate you asked for.” The big tiger hands Cyrus his warm drink. Blissfully taking a sip, Cyrus instantly feels his cheeks warm up. Those modifications by Vita is working well, he thinks, making a mental note to report that to them later.
“Ah, I forgot. I had some work I needed to get done early. Do you want to come with me to the bar?” Asks Aaron after putting away their breakfast, already suited up and about to walk to the door.
“I’ll stop by later. I want to take a walk. You know, stretch my legs, enjoy the fresh air?” He held the words distract myself under his tongue. Looking out the window, snowfall is light already, so it wouldn’t be bad to have a brisk walk.
“The weather app says no blizzards or any kind of bad weather, so sure. It’ll be good to take things slow, especially with how they’ve been lately. Did you bring snow-trekking clothes with you?” Aaron replied.
“Already did. They’re on my bed. I’ll go and put it on. See you later.” Cyrus flashes him a smile, earning him one back. “Alright. See you later then. If anything bad happens, remember to call me on the Axiom, okay?” And with that, Aaron leaves.
But not before coming close and giving him a pat on the head. And look at him with those soft eyes of his. “I know you don’t feel like talking to me about whatever’s bothering right now, but when you do, you can always tell me. Alright?”
Cyrus’ vivid memories of that time replays continuously in his mind under Aaron’s fluffy paw.
The snow lays thick this time of year, and he does not have his beloved next to him.\
Stray snowflakes dance through the air as he trek through the whitened terrain. Cyrus can’t help but think he’d make a convincing yuki-onna (or may yuki-otoko?) – his white hair blending in with the falling frost and his black, thick coat doesn’t help either. He looks up. The tree branches, leafless and crisscrossing, cut up the sky into fragments of blue and white. If it was night, he thinks, I would already be seeing the northern lights by now. The thought of which brings him back to the first night he spent here. When he was cold, lost, hungry, scared, hot off Lance’s betrayal and very much in need of Aaron’s hospitality. When he still held onto hope that his friends and family and love was still out there.
After a while, Cyrus has to take a rest on a bench. Those physical therapy sessions with Karin helped, but it’s not like he’s fully recovered yet. Wading through snow isn’t exactly easy either. Instinctively, he takes a handful of snow and balls it in his fists. The cold barely seeps through the gloves – the Resistance stocks great winter gear, apparently. Either that, or maybe it’s just the whole “loss of feeling” thing. Bracing himself, he throws the snowball at the nearest tree. Those physical therapy did help his arm strength, apparently, as the tree shakes and shudders from the force. A few small branches fall off from the force, breaking apart the webbed net that divided the clouds.
Cyrus can’t help but laugh. Here he is, 300 years old, having a snowball fight with a tree. “When was the last time I had one of those?” He wonders.
The snow lay thick that time of year.
“Come ON, Cy! Leave the goddamn house for once!” Yelled Diana, as she tried to pry him away from the warm embrace of the house and into the cold, cold wintry weather.
“NO! It’s too cold and freezing and frosty and everything I hate about this time of the year!” Cyrus screamed, as he tried his damndest to resist Diana’s strength, but he’s not holding on for much longer.
“DAE HELP!” The brown-haired man pleaded, hoping for a miracle from his pensive boyfriend, half wanting to stay in and cuddle but half wanting to have some fun in the snow.
“I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DAE! PLEASE!” Cyrus resorted to emotional manipulation. Alas, it did not breach his defenses, not soon enough. With a final pull, Diana prevailed yet again, and an almost-sobbing Cyrus was dragged out into the snow with little resistance. The apex predator has won yet another day.
Joyful laughter soon broke out between the two sunshines, as Diana and Damion had an impromptu snowball fight barely five minutes after they got out of the house. Meanwhile, Cyrus did what he did best and sulked in a corner.
“Hey Cyrus, lookie here!” Yelled Diana, dodging a snowball flying past her face.
“What is it?” Cyrus turned around, annoyance tinging his words. Which barely came out before getting pelted by a snowball.
Diana hollered, almost getting hit by another one of Damion’s in the process. “Why you little-” Cyrus barely had time to wipe snow off his face before getting hit by another one. Damion’s. He cleared his vision, only to see his best friend and boyfriend both clutching their bellies from laughing.
Absolute betrayal.
“Alright, that’s it.” He balled up some snow in his hands. Diana, for all her intelligence and sharpness, did not see the flying orbs of fury and cold from a very miffed nerd. Said nerd’s boyfriend also did not expect that, and ate a fistful of snow as a result.
“HA! This is why you don’t -” Cyrus was retaliated against immediately.
“As the kids say, mucho texto. IT”S WAR!” Screamed Diana, as she started to gather more snow for ammunition.
“Come on Cy, it’s fun! Give it a try, babe!” Yelled Damion supportively, even though he was also preparing his own counterattack.
“You’re on!” Said Cyrus, finally infected by the jovial spirit of his two companions.
The joyful duo soon found a third to bounce off of, and they went on for hours. In the end, the trio was so exhausted they just agreed to do (competitive) snow angels instead.
Suddenly, Diana spoke up.
“Man, I’m glad I got to spend this holiday with you guys.” Her words solicited curious looks from the other two. “I mean, this is one of our last years together. Who knows what will happen in the future? Cyrus and I are starting work in different states, Damion will still have uni… This might be the last Christmas we get to spend together.” That future Diana painted suddenly dawned on them. That was one of the few times left they would be together, all three of them.
As if she could read their minds (and Cyrus swears she could), Diana continued. “So I wanted to make as many happy memories as possible with you guys. Whether or not we stay together, moments like these will be here forever.” Pausing a little, as if to let all that sink in, she went on. “So come on! Get up! Anyone up for a stroll round the town?” Something about that roused them both up. Perhaps it was her charisma, or perhaps it was what they had in mind as well. Either way, the three of them stood up.
The snow lay thick that time of year, but he had his beloved and his dearest friend next to him.
“Hey Cy! What’re you doing all the way out here? And are you… cry-smiling?” Silver’s smooth voice makes him jump. The assassin chuckles, but then returns to his worried expression. “It’s… nothing much. I was just remembering some old memories, that's all.”
“Yeah, no way I believe that.” Silver replies, his eyes gleaming with worry.
“So, why are you here then? I thought you still had a whole list left.” Cyrus decides to change the subject. Fortunately, Silver buys it, or at least pretends to buy it.
“It was... very conveniently placed, that's all. I'll tell you about it when we get home.” The white fox says with a wink.
Suddenly, Silver’s Axiom rings with a new message alert. Excusing himself, Silver turns around to check it.
"So, what was it?" Cyrus inquisitively asks, only to be met with silence. That's weird. Normally, he'd already tell him if it's anything work-related. The only thing that he'd stop talking about would be...
"Is this about Ring?" He accuses.
“So I’m supposed to meet him at Axel’s bar for a date…” Silver manages to squeak out. Jackpot. Cyrus shoots him a look. “And you’ve been talking to me.” He nods. “Instead of dealing with that.” He nods again.
Silver asks back. “Do you wanna come with?”
Cyrus, still shooting him a pensive look, nods. Silver suddenly finds himself with ammunition to get revenge on his roommate. “Eager to see your man yet again, hmm?” Cyrus drops his intensity. His ears start to redden.
Silver decides to go for his most damaging weapon early: “Cy and Axel sitting on a tree. K-I-S-'' He doesn’t get to finish the sentence before Cyrus throws… something at him.
“Hey, I’m not going to let myself get hit outside of training.” Silver says with a wink, much to Cyrus’ chagrin. Still, Silver takes a look behind him to see what Cyrus threw at him, just for good measure. Which turns out to be …just a bunch of snow, now collapsed into a pile on the ground, piquing his curiosity.
“Look at you, using unconventional weapons! My training did pay off! I’m a good teacher, after all?” Silver proclaims with a smug grin. “Though I’ve never seen anyone use just snow as a weapon. Or… I’m guessing balling it up.” Cyrus looks at him weirdly. “What? Is it something I said? Is there something on my face?”
“No, no. It’s… just a snowball. It’s hardly anything weird, right? You guys have had snowball fights before, right?” Cyrus answers, only for the white fox to return the look he gave him.
“Oh, you’ve never had snowball fights?” Silver raises an eye in confusion. “Come on. I’ll explain it to you on the way.”
“So… this is just some kind of… game children play in winter?” Silver tries to summarize Cyrus’ explanations. Cyrus nods. “I don’t know much about these kinds of things to be honest. Because… ya know?”
Trying to lighten the mood, Cyrus tries to change the subject. “Not just children. Adults too. In fact, the last time I played this was when I’m all grown up.” Cyrus’ eyes glint with happiness and nostalgia, which is not lost on Silver. “Oh? What was it like?”
“It all started when…” Cyrus looks up. The trees cleared out, returning the deep blue sky to its original visage.
The snow lays thick this time of year, and he does not have his beloved nor his dearest friend next to him anymore.
But he still has a very important friend next to him now.
The snow lay thick that time of year.
The alarm beeped loudly, signaling a well cooked turkey.
“Oh, there we go. Cy, Honey, could you take it out?” Asked his mom. Cyrus obliged, excusing himself in the middle of a particularly mind-numbing Hallmark Christmas special.
The turkey was beautifully cooked, its coating glistening under the warm dining room light, placed between all the other Christmas offerings. “That is wayy too much food, Mrs. Cantwell. Can we even finish all this?” Damion exclaimed upon seeing the table decked out with food, earning him a small giggle.
“Oh, it’s fine. It’s Christmas after all. You kids should be eating well.” She answered with a small smile. “Mom, we’re adults.” Cyrus answered with a deadpan stare, to which she just sigh. “I know, honey, but you’ll always be my baby, you know?”
“All right everybody! Before we start, I just want to thank Damion and Diana for joining us today!” Cyrus’ dad tapped his glass with a spoon and spoke out loud, diverting attention to the two people sitting next to him, who blushed in response. Lucky, thought Cyrus, his cheeks still red with embarrassment from his mom and her babying him, now going unnoticed.
“Thank you so much, both of you! Sorry for bothering you, but the blizzard is just so…” Diana gestured at the window, now caked with snow and completely blocked off.
“Oh, think nothing of it!” Jovially replied his dad. “Consider it a favor from a family friend! And even if there’s no blizzard, you dad is on business, right? Our doors are always open, whenever you kids need it.” Earning him a warm smile from Diana, and a little eye roll from the brown-haired young man. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s dig in!"
“So, Cyrus, you’re starting your new internship next month, right?” Asked his mom, keeping the conversation flowing. Diana flashed him a worried look.
“Yeah. It’ll be a while before I get to be home again.” He answered, trying to be vague about it all.
“Oh, I’m going to miss you so much, honey.” She turned to Damion. “Will your new internship interfere with things between you and him?”
“The university city and the place I’ll be working at are not that far, so we’ll be fine, mom.” Cyrus answered with a slight smile, feeling that tinge of embarrassment again.
Suddenly, Damion, in all his knight-in-shining-armor-ness, held his hands and looked him in the eye. “Even if it’s not close, I’ll make sure you and I get to see each other. Even if I have to drive a whole day, Cy.” Quickly, he planted a peck on Cyrus’ cheeks. Which blushed so hard he thought he could die right then and there. On the other side of the table, Diana and his parents were wide-eyed and grinning as hard as they could.
Off the corner of his eyes, Cyrus saw Damion and Diana exchange thumbs up. “Well that explains the not stammering at saying something that corny.” He kept that comment to himself.
“Oh, young love.” Mrs. Cantwell exclaimed, a little teary-eyed. “You know, this reminds me of me and your father.” At which all three young adults at the table had their attention turned to the old couple. “It really was, wasn’t it? I remember when…”
The house would stay packed with laughter and joy for the rest of the evening.
The alarm clock beeps loudly, making Cyrus jolt awake from his deep sleep. Yesterday’s session with Karin was pretty tough, and he’s still a bit sore. Still, what a nice dream! He can almost taste the food that day.
He stumbles around, trying to find the light switch. Axiom or not, it’s a morning habit he’d adopted early on, and it’s not hurting anyone anyways. His room is finally fixed, and having his own place again is very liberating, despite staying with Aaron being as pleasant as always.
His leg accidentally kicks something, spilling with a clanging sound – probably Silver’s favorite knife. He’ll have to put it back in the bag later. Speaking of Silver, where is he? Usually, he’d be sleeping in his corner already, but Cyrus can’t hear a breath.
“Probably another overtime mission. Gotta get him some extra strong coffee later, or he’ll fall asleep in the middle of the hallway again.” He muses to himself. Finally reaching the switch, he swipes his hand to turn it on. Immediately, the room brightens up. Just as he thought, Silver’s bed is empty, though judging by the lack of clutter, he had ample time to prepare and just left early.
As per habit, Cyrus checks his Axiom before doing other things. “7:00 AM 24th December. Christmas already?” He thinks to himself. Either way, it’s not really a widespread holiday anymore, so it’s not something that he’s looking forward to anymore.
Suddenly, a message pops up in front of the screen. It’s Aaron’s, judging by his signature politeness on the message’s title alone. He opens it.
“Hello Cyrus. I just want to put in a quick message: Be at the bar this evening, after you’re done with everything for today.”
“Aww, always such a sweetheart.” Cyrus thinks aloud. “Still, tonight? Sounds a bit urgent, especially this time of the year.”
Still, he reasons, it’s still a Saturday. Aaron’s probably needing a few extra hands for all the year-end parties. With that concern shelved into the back of his mind, he proceeds with the rest of his day.
“OK, that is all the testing I need done for now.” Vita says, their eyes glancing at the results for a final checkup. “You can go now. I believe quite a few people are waiting for you, Cyrus Cantwell.”
“How do you know that?” Asks Cyrus, only for the doctor to chuckle. Well, as much as their metal jaws allow them to. “I have been informed of this… event, but it poses too much of a security risk, so I declined the offer. You may go, though. Please be careful, however – the cold may affect your ports.”
Thanking the doctor, Cyrus hurries out of the door and into the warp, setting the destination to a place he knows all too well – Aaron’s apartment complex, just a small walk away from the bar. All the while, questions keep drumming in his head – Quite a few?
Though it’s a short trek, it still takes a lot of effort to move forward. It’s not a blizzard yet, nor does it snow so much it impedes walking thankfully, but the path is thick with snow. With every step, Cyrus can feel the cold seeping into his bones. He desperately needs something warm right now. Like…
A warm blanket. Some freshly-cooked spaghetti. Hot chocolate.
A hug. A kiss. A pat on the head.
Damion. Diana. Mom and Dad.
Their last Christmas dinner together, before everything went to shit.
Mom’s smile. Dad’s laughter. Diana’s grin. Damion’s warm eyes.
Suddenly, someone puts a paw onto his shoulder. “Yo, the snow’s a bit much, so I’m on chaperone duty.” Silver’s voice rings beside him. “Come on, let’s go. Everyone’s waiting.”
Silver’s nightly talk with him.
They trudge through the snow.
Canto giving him Silver’s dumplings, on their first meal together, just half a day after meeting him.
They arrive at the bar.
Karin’s proud face as she does his new haircut.
They push on the handle.
Aaron’s warmth as he holds the still-crying white-haired mess of a man.
They open the door.
“HAPPY CHRISTMAS!” The lights flash on, revealing Canto, Karin and Aaron standing in the front of the bar, arms raised, smiles beaming with joy.
Cyrus stands in stunned silence.
“Oh come on! I told you it was Merry Christmas, not Happy!” Karin starts it this time. “Now he’s just… standing there.”
“What? Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, of course it’s gonna be Happy Christmas! You try and decipher ancient texts about some long-dead tradition.” Canto retorts, eyes flaring with annoyance. “Come on babe, help me out here!” He gestures wildly at Silver.
“I'm part of the prepare team, not the research team. I'm completely innocent here.” He answers bluntly, looking at them with amusement, turning Canto’s expression from hopeful to betrayed in seconds. Which he promptly takes out on Karin.
Cyrus’ vision blurs.
“Yeah, they’re gonna be at each other's throats for a while. Cyrus, why don’t you… Cyrus?” Aaron tries to offer a calming voice.
Cyrus instinctively touches his face. His hands freeze in place, catching the hot tears streaming down from his face. He was crying. He is crying.
“Oh, and now he’s crying. You started this, you know?” Canto bounces back at Karin. Her expletive-laden reply dies at her throat, however, as both of them get glared at by a more than annoyed Silver and Aaron.
“Sorry.” They instinctively said. All eyes focus back onto Cyrus, who’s letting his tears flow freely by now.
“Hey, buddy, what’s wrong? Did we do something bad? Did we…” Silver tries to console him.
“It’s just…” Cyrus says between sobs. “T..Thank you. I… missed this so much.” He stops to wipe off some tears. “How did you guys know?”
“I’ve noticed a few things lately.” Aaron starts, looking at Cyrus with eyes, kind as always. “And, well, we did some research. Turns out, before the Seven Stars fell, people used to celebrate this… holiday, right?” Cyrus nods, still sobbing.
“And we all wanted to do something for you.” Canto continues. “For, you know… you’ve done so much for us, and I just want something to pay you back for. Or whatever. Y…You know?” He turns away, trying to hide the creeping redness on his cheeks.
“What he meant,” Karin interjects with a wide smile. “ is that we all love and appreciate you, and if this lil’ thing makes you feel better, then we’ll do it, no questions asked.”
Silver, in all his silent earnestness, pats him on the back.
“T-From the bottom of my heart,” Cyrus stops crying for a bit. “Thank you. I… I can’t imagine…” His emotions overwhelm him. He let the floodgates open again.
Suddenly, Aaron swoops up and hugs him, calming the sobbing white-haired man. “I know it’s hard to get past those feelings, especially in your case. I know we can’t just replace the family and friends you’ve lost, but…”
“No.” This time, Cyrus cuts him off, tightening his arms around Aaron. “I don’t need you to. You guys are here, and that’s ok for me.”
The snow lays thick this time of year. And he no longer has his family and dearest friend and beloved with him.
And yet he is still warmed by those around him right now.