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He was standing at the edge of the rough pebbled road in the cold. He’d been here for maybe ten minutes? Twenty? He didn’t feel like counting the seconds after all- it would be a waste.
His deep azure eyes wandered the familiar rest stop, lingering over the grasses that peaked up from corners of the pavement, to a stray pebble degraded by age, even to each cobble rock on the road.
The cold nipped at the rocketeers cheeks, but did little to get through the thick fluff of his jacket. He didn’t mind it anyways, he could deal with the chill. Though he couldn’t stifle a few small sneezes and the tightening of his scarf that followed.
His eyes caught on each movement that was around him, which were few and far between. The sun was setting in a way that made it appear like a watercolor painting in the sky. Blues blended with vibrant reds, sweet oranges, and deep purples.
The colors were comforting, reminding him of the same person he waited in the cold for. Yet he was used to the wait, the long routine of standing at the same spot after taking the long buses to the deserts of Lost Temple. All to see one demon.
Ten more minutes, drippings away into nothingness as he shivered in the ever-growing cold. The sun had set, leaving a gray tint over everything from absent rays that he wished would come back to warm him.
Pulling his hands from his pockets, he pulled on a string to tighten his hood. He couldn’t cover his entire face, and the sides of his head were cold from the strangely cut holes that allowed his horns to stick out from the fluff.
He shoved his hands back away into the warm pockets, pulling his arms slightly in to conserve heat, followed closely by putting his head down. It did little to get rid of the cold…
The wind had decided to pick up, a breeze blowing down the desolate streets to make a full body shiver come over him. He wished for warmth that was not there at the moment…
Then he could hear the quick tappings, shoes getting closer- before the cold wind that was battering him disappeared, a warm weight resting slightly on his shoulder and covering his back.
“Sorry for the wait- Venomshank kept me around for a bit more time than I was expecting.” The rocketeer looked up, meeting the gaze of the striking red warrior that he had been waiting for.
Sword’s wing was stretched out, covering his back and blocking it from the cold like a feathery shield, a comforting presence. Its thick feathers were almost like a blanket- keyword, almost. It couldn’t fully block out the wind and cold, but it helped.
“As if… You were probably just polishing your sword for the BILLIONTH TIME! While I was shivering here in the cold!” Rocket slid his hand from his pocket, giving a playful punch to Sword's shoulder, who gave a small laugh; using his wing to ever-so-slightly nudge him forward in return.
“Me? Polishing my gear? Never!” His tone reflected a sort of bouncy playfulness, and was soon followed by a secondary statement, ”And you’re overreacting, it’s barely even chilly!”
The response came back from the blue rocketeer quickly with a few stifled sniffles, ”Overreacting!? You’ve the one who’s… uh… UNDER-REACTING!”
”For someone who was ‘about to freeze to death’ you sure are quite lively…” The words were followed by an over exaggerated eye roll from Sword, then a flick of his head to their left.
”Since you’re SOOOO cold though, let’s find our little Snow White a place to get warm- feeling like some hot chocolate? We can always pick some up at Crossroads.” Rocket huffed at the offer, crossing his arms before nodding his head vigorously in acceptance.
Seeming both pleased with the idea, they turned, beginning the walk down the streets as they talked about recent events, catching up over the past week that they hadn’t spoken. Rocket felt that the wait in the cold was worth it, all so his heart could be warmed by the smiling face of the one he held dear.