Archive of Our Own

When Bdubs woke up, there was a fine layer of snow over everything, silvery white snowflakes still drifting down from the sky. He got ready, grabbed his coat, and ran over to Pearl’s.

He was the first one there, Pearl still in her pajamas and under the covers. While she woke up, he went to her stove to make four cups of hot cocoa.

Pearl was still half-asleep when Mumbo came a few minutes later, but so was Mumbo, to be fair. They were both mostly awake by the time a shivering Joel came in, covered in snow. He took Bdubs’ hot cocoa gratefully.

They all settled in a circle on the floor, each wrapped in one of Pearl’s blankets.

“What’s your favorite thing to do when it’s snowing?” Bdubs asked. “Mine’s snowball fights. You shoulda seen us back in the snow fort- I’m an excellent shot with a snowball. I always got ‘em good.”

“I bet,” said Pearl with a laugh. “I… don’t really like snow.”

They all got quiet. Mumbo looked a little confused, but he stayed quiet while Joel put a hand on her arm comfortingly and Bdubs took her hand.

“I like making snow angels!” she said, her smile a little forced. “Bigb and I did it once. It was… it wasn’t so bad.”

“Well, I like ice skating,” Joel volunteered. “I did it with Etho all the time! He taught me how, actually.”

“Remember when you and Grian and Jimmy covered Bread Bridge in ice, and we all skated on it?” Bdubs grinned at the memory.

Pearl’s eyes brightened. “Oh yeah! And you and Cleo and Scar made a blanket fort in the Clocktower, so we could all get hot cocoa and warm up.”

“That sounds really nice.” Mumbo looked a little sad. “I like making snowmen. I remember back in the Southlands, we were making them- Martyn kept saying he was making a snowm-aha-n. We were using our spyglasses for the noses- and we couldn’t just take their noses, so Jimmy had to make us all new ones, and he was so mad-” Mumbo laughed. “Oh, he was so mad at us.”

Joel started to say something, but then there was a pile of books suddenly in the center of their group. They each took their own, reading silently.

Mystery Maccabee! Your task is to get a Chanukah present for Bigb. You can ask for help from others, but you fail if Bigb finds out your task. On the eighth night, everyone will exchange presents and guess who got them; you’ll both get something extra if Bigb guesses correctly.

Bdubs frowned. What on earth was he going to get for Bigb?

“Oh, for goodness sake!” Joel yelled. He threw his book down on the ground, glaring at it.

Pearl blinked at him. “Who’d you get, Scott?”

Joel groaned and flopped onto his back. “What am I supposed to get for Scott? They hate me, Pearl, the Secret Keeper hates me.”

Pearl laughed. “You should go talk to the Big Dogs. I’m sure Jimmy and Martyn will know what Scott would like.”

“Yeah, but they’re going to laugh at me,” he grumbled.

“Everyone’s going to laugh at you, Joel,” Mumbo pointed out. Joel continued to grumble.

“Do you need any help with yours, Mumbo?” Bdubs asked.

“No thanks.” Mumbo grinned. “I already have some ideas. I’m sure he’ll like what I make.”

“Well, good luck!” Bdubs called as Mumbo left to get started on his gift. He turned to Pearl.

“I’ll probably have to talk to Scott,” she sighed. “I’ve got to get something for his bandmate.”

“You have Impulse?” Bdubs gasped. “I could help! I could totally help with Impulse!”

Pearl laughed again. “Wrong bandmate, ‘Dubs. I’ve got Gem.”

“Oh.” Bdubs would’ve liked to at least help with a gift for Impulse, considering he didn’t get him himself.

She nudged him. “You can still get him a present, y’know.”

“I know that! Of course I know that!” He stuck out his tongue when she giggled. “Well, I was gonna ask you for help, but clearly I should go ask Grian!”

She gasped. “No! No, wait, Bdubs!” She grabbed his arm.

He laughed. “Just help me with Bigb.”

Her face lit up. “You got Bigb? Ooh…” Pearl leaned her head on his shoulder. “Bigb really likes baking. You could make him something for baking!”

“Measuring spoons, maybe,” Bdubs said, mostly thinking aloud. “Or cookie cutters!”

“Those are great ideas.” She hopped to her feet. “I’m off to find Scott. See you later. ‘Dubs!”

After she left, Bdubs pulled Joel up from the floor and sent him off to find the Big Dogs. Then he went to dig through his chests.

He didn’t have much, so he went on a quick mission- chopping down trees, stealing lapis from Etho and flowers from Scar. He saw Bigb on his way to Cleo’s, so he figured it was safe to go sit with Tango while he worked.

On the way, he ran into Impulse.

“Bdubs!” he brighted. “Just the man I wanted to see.”

Bdubs grinned. “Everyone always wants to see me. I’m in very high demand, you know.”

Impulse laughed. “I was hoping you could help me with my task. I haven’t a single idea what to get for Scar, and I know you were with him last game.” He looked hopeful.

Bdubs hummed, sitting down in the grass. Impulse sat with him.

“You could make him a cane?” he suggested. “He already has a few, but you could make, like, a cool redstone one. You could make it shoot lasers!”

“I don’t know if I can pull off lasers here…”

They sat for a few minutes, talking it over, then went off to do their tasks.

He made his way to Love Island, climbing up into the heart. “Tango!” he called.

Tango looked up from where he was working on some sort of redstone contraption. “Bdubs!”

“What’re you making?” he asked, sitting down. Tango launched into an explanation of what he was making for Impulse. Bdubs listened attentively, setting out the materials he’d gathered.

Tango cut himself off after a few minutes. “What are you up to?”

“I got Bigb, for the mystery maccabee thing- thought we could, y’know, hangout. Work on our presents together.”

Tango grinned. “Sure, sure. We can presentificate together!”

Bdubs laughed.

The two of them worked side by side for the next few hours. Bdubs carved out a set of measuring spoons from the dark wood. He also made a bigger spoon, a spatula, and a whisk. He added little heart details on all the handles, painting them with lapis and blue dye.

He made a few different cookie cutters- a heart, a square, a circle, and one of each with a scalloped edge. These, too, he painted on blue details.

They talked to (and at) each other. Even once Bdubs had finished, he stayed there in the heart. It was nice, talking to Tango. It’d been a while since they’d hung out together and it hadn’t felt… off. Bdubs had missed him.

After a while, the sun started on its way down, and Bdubs went back to his upside-down house. He’d made Bigb cookie cutters… maybe he would get free cookies.

—💌—

When Bigb woke up, he was warm.

He, Skizz, and Tango had taken to sleeping in the heart as the weather got colder. The heat of the redstone kept the whole place warm, and Tango was there as their living heater. They hadn’t bothered with moving their beds up, just piled all their pillows and blankets on the floor.

He untangled himself from Tango, and moved to the ladder. He peered down.

The pink flowers that covered their island had been hidden in a layer of sparkling white snow. Bigb grinned.

Skizz was just waking up when Bigb came back to his teammates. He yawned, stretching.

“Skizz, it’s snowing!” Bigb whispered excitedly. He was careful not to wake Tango, who was still fast asleep. Skizz’s eyes lit up.

As quietly as they could, they got dressed and made their way down the ladder. Giggling, they ran to find the best spot and lay down.

Several snow angels later, Tango poked his head out of the heart. “Tasks!” he yelled.

The two of them ran back inside the heart, taking their tasks. They all sat in a circle, Skizz and Bigb still covered in snow, reading silently.

Mystery Maccabee! Your task is to get a Chanukah present for Pearl. You can ask for help from others, but you fail if Pearl finds out your task. On the eighth night, everyone will exchange presents and guess who got them; you’ll both get something extra if Pearl guesses correctly.

Bigb hummed. That wasn’t too hard. Last game he’d made her a plush version of Froggy; maybe he could make a plush Mailbox? Was that her dog’s name?

Tango looked thoughtful, and Skizz’s eyes widened. “B, B, Bopper, what do I get for Lizzie?”

Bigb laughed. “I’m sure she’ll love whatever you get her, Skizz,” he said. He hummed a little. “Maybe you could get her, like, things for her hair? Lizzie’s really good at doing hair! Seriously, that girl can work magic.”

Skizz drummed his fingers on his leg. “So, like, a hairbrush? combs?”

“That’d be good.” Bigb thought back to his time in the Faerie Fort. “Maybe you can make conditioner? Or other products? She can do her magic with nothing but a comb and a spray bottle, but she’d always complain about not having more supplies.”

“Alright, alright.” Skizz pulled out a pen and started writing down notes in his book.

Bigb got out his own pen and started sketching in his book. He’d have to stop by the Mounders at some point so he could get a look at Pearl’s dog.

“Who’ve you got, Top?” Skizz asked, looking over at Tango’s book. “Imp!”

“Impulse!” Tango grinned. “I already have a few ideas.”

Skizz left to get started on his gift. Bigb left soon after, leaving Tango in the heart to keep planning.

It took some digging, but Bigb found some white wool in one of their chests. He’d have to go and see who kept sheep, so he could get some more, and see if Cleo had a spinning wheel.

He walked to the Roomie’s place, stopping on the way to steal some flowers from Trader Scar’s.

Cleo did, in fact, have a spinning wheel, as well as sheep. They were happy to let him sit with them and spin some wool while they worked on their own gift. Cleo played up their dislike for him a lot; when it was just the two of them, they were almost back to how they’d been in the castle.

“Do you know what Pearl’s dog is named?” he asked them. “It’s Mailbox, right?”

They hummed. “Yeah, it’s Mailbox.”

Once Bigb had a good amount of fabric, and some raw wool for stuffing, he started to sew.

Back in the castle, Cleo had taught him how to sew. They’d needed help sewing up their decaying skin, and they’d shown him how. He still remembered the feeling of their warm hands on his, guiding the needle through their skin.

Ever since, he’d carried a little sewing kit with him everywhere.

The two of them sat together, working on their own projects and talking about everything and nothing. After a while, Grian and Jimmy came in and joined them, looking like they’d just been in a snowball fight.

Many hours later, Bigb had a little stuffed wolf. Grian had given him some little black ceramic buttons for the eyes and nose. He even gave it a little pink tongue poking out of its mouth.

He made its collar- yellow fabric with little embroidered lemons. The final touch was a fabric envelope that attached to the tongue with magnets they’d stolen from Etho. It opened and closed with a fabric button that looked like a lemon slice, and inside was a letter Bigb had written for Pearl.

He tucked Mini Mailbox into his bag, and left Jimmy to sew and Cleo and Grian to bicker over their respective presents for Etho. He took some extra fabric and thread with him, for future projects.

It was just past sunset when Bigb got back to the Heart Foundation. He climbed up into the heart, where Tango was working on some sort of redstone contraption that he couldn’t even begin to understand.

Skizz came back a little after. Bigb pulled out Mini Mailbox to show him.

“Oh, wow.” Skizz took it carefully. “This is amazing, Bopper! No way I could do something like this.”

“Sure you could.” Bigb nudged him. “Hey, I have some extra fabric, I could show you how. You could make hair ribbons for Lizzie.”

Skizz’s eyes lit up. “Oh, man, that’d be great! Let’s do it!”

Partway through their lesson, Tango put down his project and joined them. He’d learned a little bit from Jimmy back on the Ranch, apparently, but he was still clumsy with a needle. Bigb didn’t mind- that was the point of learning, after all.

—💌—

“Scott!” Pearl tackled him, knocking him over in the snow. He yelped in surprise.

“Pearl!” he yelled, shoving her off of him. He sat up, brushing snow out of his hair.

Pearl lay back, grinning up at him. “Hi, Scott.”

“Hi, Pearl.” He pulled her up, and they sat together in the snow. “Did you need something? Just here to bother me?”

“Bit of both!” she said cheerfully. She motioned to the task book he was holding. “Y’see, I’ve got to get a present for one of your bandmates, and I need your help with it.”

He hummed. “Which one? I’ve got lots of ideas for both.”

She shook her head. “No, I already know what I’m getting her. I just need some help in making it!”

“Oh, I see. What do you need?”

“I need pictures!” Pearl explained excitedly. “I’m going to be making some Gem and the Scotts posters for your lead singer, but I can’t think of a good excuse to make her sit still and let me draw her. So! I need you to provide me with reference photos.”

Scott pulled out his comm, scrolling through his photos. “I can get you those. Do you want just Gem, or all of us?”

“All of you, please! I’d really like to go back and draw in my nice warm mound.”

Scott laughed. “Of course, of course. Maybe I’ll stop by later?”

“Yeah!” She grinned at him. “We can work on our gifts together. I’ll even kick Joel out.”

He laughed again. There was a beep from her comm as Scott sent her the photos and waved her off.

Once she got back to her mound, she warmed up as quickly as she could. Mumbo was there, and he offered her his mug of hot chocolate.

He was on the floor, messing with some sort of contraption. He was surrounded by half organized piles of gears and wires and redstone and gold, and papers covered in sketches.

“Don’t let Bdubs in,” Mumbo told her. “Make him go find Impulse or something.”

Pearl nodded, grinning. “What’re you making him?”

Mumbo raised an eyebrow at her, and she laughed.

She got out her sketchbook, and started drawing. She and Mumbo talked while they worked, occasionally bouncing ideas off of each other. Once she was happy with her sketches, she got out her nice paper and paints.

Scott did come in while they were working. The three of them worked side by side, talking about whatever came to mind. When Pearl accidentally dipped her paintbrush into her hot cocoa, Scott was nice enough to make her a new cup.

They didn’t even have to kick Bdubs or Joel out- Bdubs never came in, and when Joel did, he just sighed loudly and left.

They worked until well after sundown. All three of them were practically falling asleep. Scott made them all stop and put away their things. He herded Pearl to bed, then pulled Mumbo back to his own house, promising to be back tomorrow.

Over the next few days, the three of them worked on their presents together. Pearl ended up with three posters, each one rolled up and carefully tied with ribbons.

The first one was of just Gem, singing her heart out center stage. The second one was of her Scotts, back to back with their instruments. The third one had all three of them, with Gem in the middle and her boys behind her.

And Pearl had only dipped her paintbrush into the wrong cup a dozen times or so.

—💌—

When Gem woke up and looked out the window, she shrieked in excitement. It was snowing!

She put on her coat and ran over to Impulse’s house. “Impulse! It’s snowing!”

He was already up, sitting at his table with Scott and drinking hot cocoa. He grinned when she came in. “Yeah it is! Let’s go make some snowmen!”

He shared a look with Scott that she couldn’t quite read, then grabbed his coat and pulled her out the door. Gem frowned.

Impulse started rolling out the first snowball, exhaling. “Scott doesn’t like the snow.”

“Oh.” Gem sometimes forgot that before she woke up at the Secret Keeper, the others had played four other games that she hadn’t really been a part of. It felt like she’d known them all forever; it hurt, a little, to be reminded of all the things she didn’t know about them.

She’d already lost so much time. She just had to try twice as hard to make up for it, to get to know the others as well as they knew each other. She’d keep making new memories with them, to make up for everything she didn’t remember.

Starting with making snowmen with Impulse.

They’d just finished their first snowman when Scott called them back in for their tasks. They ran back inside. She opened her book, taking a drink of hot chocolate he had made for her.

Mystery Maccabee! Your task is to get a Chanukah present for Jimmy. You can ask for help from others, but you fail if Jimmy finds out your task. On the eighth night, everyone will exchange presents and guess who got them; you’ll both get something extra if Jimmy guesses correctly.

She almost panicked, then she caught sight of the ring gleaming on Scott’s finger and remembered that she had Jimmy’s literal husband sitting right next to her.

She grabbed his hands. “Scott! Scott, what do I get for Jimmy?”

“Jimmy?” He got that look in his eyes, the lovey-dovey one he always got when he thought of Jimmy, even when they were fighting.

Gem made a face at him, and he laughed.

“Jimmy… Jimmy really loves the sky. He knows a lot about the weather- probably more than anyone here. Wind, rain, shine, all of it. He has all these fancy tools he made himself- I don’t even know what any of them do.”

Gem frowned. “I don't know anything about the weather… oh!” Her eyes brightened. “Wind chimes! Scott, do you think he would like wind chimes?”

“He would!” Scott grinned at her. “He so would.”

“Thanks Scott!” she called, running out the door.

She dug through her chests, then spent some time gathering materials. She ran into Etho, sitting in a random cave. “Whatcha doing?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hiding from Grian.” He shrugged. “Wanna sit with me?”

“Sure.” Gem sat with him. He’d made the cave rather cozy, bringing blankets and hot chocolate.

She worked on Jimmy’s wind chimes while he worked on Grian’s… whatever it was. It involved a lot of redstone and a lot of muttering.

They talked, a little. Etho shared some stories from the past games, telling her some of the things she’d missed.

She made a simple wooden circle with a string so Jimmy could hang it up. Dangling from the circle were tubes and rods of glass and wood and gold, and she’d added a few beaded strings. Everything was white or light blue or brown or gold, shimmering in the light. They made such a pretty sound when she moved them.

They met up in the same cave for the next week. Gem finished the wind chimes on the second day, but she figured Etho could use the company.

—💌—

Jimmy woke up with Martyn clinging to his side.

He tried to escape his Big Dog’s death grip; after a minute or so of wiggling, he gave up. Martyn was possessive, even in his sleep.

He could just see out the window. The ground was covered in fresh fallen snow, glittering white in the early morning sunlight.

“Marty…” he trailed his fingers through Martyn’s hair. “Rise and shine, M.”

Blue eyes blinked up at him, slow and sleepy. “Don’ wanna rise,” he muttered, burying his head in Jimmy’s chest, “or shine.”

Jimmy laughed softly. “Well, you gotta.”

“Nooo…”

It took some time, but Jimmy managed to get Martyn out of bed. By then, they had their tasks.

Mystery Maccabee! Your task is to get a Chanukah present for Etho. You can ask for help from others, but you fail if Etho finds out your task. On the eighth night, everyone will exchange presents and guess who got them; you’ll both get something extra if Etho guesses correctly.

Jimmy frowned. What was he supposed to get for Etho?

Martyn also didn’t seem happy with his assignment. “Tango?” he muttered to himself. “Really?”

Jimmy reached over and flicked him. “That’s my soulmate, I’ll have you know.”

Martyn made a face at him, rubbing the spot he’d flicked. “Your soulmate. You should’ve gotten him.”

“I should have,” Jimmy sighed. “You could make him candle holders,” he suggested, already knowing what he would be asked. “He’d like those.”

Martyn frowned. “Why would he need candle holders? Isn’t he, like, a living candle already?”

Jimmy shrugged. “He likes making them. He can make all these different shapes and patterns and stuff, and he likes messing around with different smells. He’s good with the bees, too.”

“Alright. I can work with that.” Martyn pulled out a pencil and started sketching in his task book, sitting on the bed.

Jimmy made them both tea, trying to think. He really didn’t know what to get for Etho.

The door opened, and in stepped Joel. “I need your help,” he said, sounding annoyed about it. Joel sounded annoyed about a lot of things.

They both looked up from what they were doing as Joel plopped down on the ground, leaning against the door. “I need to know what to get for Scott,” he mumbled.

Jimmy and Martyn looked at each other, then both started giggling. Joel made a distressed sound. “I knew you were gonna make fun of me! I knew it!”

“No, no,” Jimmy insisted between giggles. “We’ll help. Scott… Scott would like jewelry, right, Martyn?”

Martyn nodded. “Mhm. Necklaces, bracelets, rings… anything. Scott likes the finer things in life.”

Joel looked horrified. “You want me to make him jewelry.”

They both nodded, and he made another distressed sound.

He left, grumbling. They sat for a few minutes before it happened again.

“Timmers!” The door flew open, and in ran Grian. “Tim, I need your help.”

“Help with what?” Jimmy asked. He had a feeling he knew what Grian wanted, but he would never pass up an opportunity for teasing.

“Help with my task,” he said, flopping on the bed, and Martyn kicked him lightly. “C’mon, babe.”

“If you’re gonna be calling each other babe, I’m gonna be going somewhere else.” Martyn gathered his things to leave. “See you later, Jim.”

Martyn had always been possessive of his teammates. He could get snippy when he thought people were getting too comfortable with what was his. They both knew Grian would just double down if Martyn started snapping. Probably for the best that he left.

Jimmy sat next to Grian, offering him Martyn’s untouched tea. “Who do you have?”

“Joel.” Grian sat up. “And I thought, surely it can’t be that hard! I know Joel well! Slept in the same bed as the man for an entire game. But I really can’t think of anything.”

Jimmy hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe a tea set? I remember him once telling me the worst part about these games was not having a pretty tea set.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea!”

“Wait, while you’re here, what do I get for Etho?” Jimmy asked.

“Etho…” Grian hummed. “Well, he could always use more masks,” he snorted. “Maybe bandanas? So he can use them to cover his face or push his hair back. Versatile!”

“Oh, okay!”

The two of them made their way to the Roomies’ place. It took a little while, since they ended up spending half the morning in a snowball fight, but they made it there eventually.

Bigb and Cleo were already there, working on their presents. The four of them sat together, talking as they worked. Etho had been out all day, so Jimmy didn’t need to worry about him.

Jimmy made four bandanas. The first three were simple; dark green, purple, and gray, with patterns in matching thread to give them texture. The last one was gray, with bright maple leaves embroidered on it.

Bigb left at sunset. Jimmy stayed later; Martyn had messaged to say he was with Lizzie, so he could stand to stay here.

—💌—

Etho woke up unnaturally warm.

Most people would assume that zombies ran cold, on account of being dead, but Cleo had always run hot, like they had a constant fever.

He was pressed against them, soaking up the warmth, with Grian clinging on their other side.

Etho extracted himself from the pile, and Cleo blinked up at him sleepily.

“Morning,” he whispered.

They yawned. “Morning.”

Eventually, they managed to disentangle themselves from Grian, and get him awake. Sort of.

By then, the task books had appeared. They each took their own and read quietly.

Mystery Maccabee! Your task is to get a Chanukah present for Grian. You can ask for help from others, but you fail if Grian finds out your task. On the eighth night, everyone will exchange presents and guess who got them; you’ll both get something extra if Grian guesses correctly.

Okay, then.

He heard the magma cube bouncing in its cage. Etho’s Dishwasher.

…He had an idea. A really dumb idea.

He left, off to gather materials and find a good place to work where Grian wouldn’t find him.

Etho found a good cave to work in. After a little while, Gem found him. The two of them worked together, making their presents for their respective people. Gem finished hers much more quickly than he did, but she kept coming back to keep him company.

He made a… dishwasher. It was a dishwasher. It was small, probably the size of a small magma cube, and painted to look like one. It could probably only wash a few dishes at a time.

Still. Etho thought Grian would appreciate having his own dishwasher.

—💌—

Grian was still half-asleep when he read his task.

Get something for Joel. He could do that. He knew Joel. He’d slept in the same bed as him all of Limited Life.

Except he couldn’t think of anything. Ugh.

Who would be able to help him with Joel? Lizzie, probably, or… Jimmy. Of course!

He waved goodbye to Cleo and ran off to find the third Bad Boy.

Jimmy was, of course, with Martyn at their base. Martyn left pretty quickly, leaving him alone with Jimmy.

Jim suggested a tea set, and Grian latched onto that idea. Something he could make! Something he liked making!

Jimmy, coincidentally, had wanted to talk to Grian since he’d gotten Etho for his task. Grian suggested bandanas, which he agreed to.

The two of them went back to Grian’s to work on their presents together, since that was where all of Grian’s supplies were. They ended up spending most of the morning chasing each other around with snowballs, but they got there eventually.

Cleo was sitting with Bigb, both working on their own projects. Jimmy got to work sewing while Grian started wedging his clay.

The four of them spent the rest of the day working. It was comfortable and cozy.

Bigb left just after sunset, but Jimmy stayed a little while longer. Grian had finished throwing everything; he just had to do all the firing and glazing.

He finished up over the next few days. He made a teapot, four tea cups, and four saucers. They were marbled with glazes in different shades of green, with accents in bronze and little pink flowers. He even made a metal carrying tray and little spoons.

Finally, Joel would have a nice tea set.

—💌—

Joel left Pearl’s and made his way to the Big Dogs’ base.

He was going to be made fun of. He knew that. Unfortunately, they were his best option.

They did giggle at him a little, but they gave him the suggestion of jewelry, so he supposed he could forgive them. Even if he really didn’t want to make Scott jewelry.

He decided on making some bangles. Simple, matched his energy for this game, and couldn’t be taken in a way that said he might actually like Scott and want to get him something nice. It wasn’t not going to be nice, though, since Joel was nothing if not a perfectionist.

He did some material gathering, talking to himself the whole time. He decided to hole up at Trader Scar’s, since no one would look for him there.

…Except for Scar. He should have anticipated that.

“Hey there, Joel!” Scar gave him his signature grin. “What’re you, uh, doing here?”

“Working on my task.”

“What a coincidence! That was just what I was going to do. Mind if I join you?”

Joel snorted. “Well it’s your house, innit?”

Scar laughed.

The two of them spent the rest of the day working together. Scar kept trying to convince him to invest in Trader Scar’s, but Joel was skeptical, considering there was no actual stock market in these games.

He made ten bracelets, five for each wrist. They were silver and shades of teal, different thicknesses with different looping and interlocking patterns.

Scott would like them. Joel would accept nothing less.

—💌—

When Scott woke up and looked out the window, it was snowing.

Scott had liked the snow. Back when it was just him and Jimmy, and snow meant catching snowflakes and skating on the pond and warmth in his husband’s arms.

He didn’t like the snow anymore. Not after Double Life.

Impulse came in, a little after Scott woke up, to find him staring out the window.

“I made hot cocoa,” he said gently, pulling Scott to his feet. He made him put on his coat and led him over to the other house.

They sat at the table, silently drinking their chocolate. It was a little bitter, the way Scott liked it.

Gem came in, excited for her very first snow day in the games. Scott smiled into his cup as Impulse went out with her to build snowmen.

He called them back in when the task books appeared on the table, and they all read silently.

Gem got Jimmy, who he could help her with, and Impulse got Scar, who he couldn’t help with. They both left pretty quickly, and Scott stayed in to think about what he would get for Martyn.

It wasn’t hard. He knew Martyn, and he knew what Martyn would like. Really it was just the details he had to think about.

Martyn was a writer. He had notebook after notebook filled with poems and stories and ideas. Last game, he’d made him a waterproof notebook and inks.

This game, though, he wanted to do something different. Martyn had a few pens that he used, all of them simple and plain.

Scott started sketching the pens he wanted to make in his task book.

He stepped out to go get materials, and was suddenly tackled into the snow. “Scott!”

“Pearl!” he yelled, shoving her.

She needed pictures of him, Gem, and Impulse. He promised to send them, and she ran off.

Once he had his materials, he went to Pearl’s mound. She and Mumbo were already working on their presents, and Scott settled in to join them.

He herded them both to bed at sundown. He came back over the next few days, and the three of them worked together on their presents.

Scott made three different pens. The first two were wooden, one light and one dark, each with bright green and gold accents. The last one was green, with accents in light and dark wood as well as gold.

They wrote smoothly, ink flowing across the paper. Martyn would love them.

—💌—

Martyn left Jimmy and Grian to themselves, as much as it pained him.

The two of them were close friends, despite how much they teased each other. They deserved a chance to hang out together. And the death game was mostly paused, Martyn was sure, until the holiday was over. They’d be fine.

Jimmy was his own person. It was whatever.

Martyn was not sulking.

He was going to go gather some materials for Tango’s candle holders, and then he was going to find someone else to hang out with. Not sulking.

For a moment, he thought about finding Ren. Ren loved playing in the snow; Martyn remembered being dragged out of Dogwarts to make snow angels by the carrot fields and snowball fights started from the top of the walls. He remembered hot chocolate and being wrapped in a red banner and being surrounded by his fellow knights.

Then he remembered that Ren wasn’t here.

He could go to Scott, maybe, or Cleo. If he went to one of them, though, they would say he was sulking, and he wasn’t.

He wasn’t sulking.

He could go to Mumbo or Impulse. Or…

He blinked up at the big pumpkin roof of the cottage. Or Lizzie. He’d liked hanging out with her and Ren and Bigb, back during Last Life. And she probably had materials he could use.

He knocked on the door.

“Come in!” she called.

He stepped inside. Lizzie was on the floor next to her bed in a pile of blankets, surrounded by sewing supplies. She didn’t even look up from her project as he shut the door behind him.

“Thought I would drop by and see how you were doing on this fine snow day,” he explained. “Mind if I sit with you for a bit?”

“Not at all!” she said, finally looking up at him. “I could use the company. There’s tea on the furnace.”

He poured himself a cup of tea and sat with her, pulling out his materials. They spent the rest of the day working together, talking about their projects and their holiday plans and gossip they’d heard. More than once, the topic shifted to Ren.

He’d forgotten how much he liked talking to Lizzie. He even invited her over for dinner on the second night, since she didn’t have a teammate to be with. He was sure Jimmy wouldn’t mind; he liked Lizzie a lot, and he always liked having people over.

He made four wooden candle holders, each one coated with fire resistance potions. Two were dark oak, one was acacia, and one was made of the two woods together in interlocking patterns. They each had different swirling patterns painted on, in reds and oranges and yellows with hints of blues.

He came back the next day, even after they’d both finished. He liked hanging out with Lizzie.

Definitely not sulking.

—💌—

Tango was not leaving the heart.

It was snowing and white and cold outside and he was staying where it was toasty warm, thank you very much.

All of their redstone stuff was up in the heart, anyways, so it wasn’t like he really needed to leave.

He already had an idea- Impulse liked music, and he liked redstone, so he would probably like a redstone music box.

He started on the redstone. After a little while, someone else came up into the heart. Not one of his partners, surprisingly, but Bdubs.

“What’re you making?” he asked as he sat down next to him.

Tango launched into an explanation. After a few minutes, he realized he still didn’t know why Bdubs was there, so he cut himself off to ask.

Bdubs had gotten Bigb for his task, and thought it would be fun to work together. Tango agreed, and the two of them spent the rest of the day working side by side. They talked to (and at) each other; it was… nice. Tango had forgotten how much he liked talking to Bdubs.

Even after Bdubs had finished with Bigb’s present, he stayed. He left before the sun went down. Probably for the best, considering that was when Bigb came back.

Skizz got back a little after, and Bigb gave him sewing lessons. Tango figured he could put down the redstone for a little and join them. The three of them spent the evening sewing and talking and just being with each other.

Tango finished Impulse’s music box the next day. It was in a simple dark wooden box, with the song name carefully burned on the top to look like it was playing on a comm and little music notes in red, yellow, and green. The bottom edge had music notes burned into it. Inside, it had a little wooden record with red, yellow, green rings around it, where the center worked as a button to play the music- Bobby Day’s Rockin’ Robin. The inside of the top had a song lyric burned on it. It even had space for Impulse to use it as a ring box.

He found himself humming along as he finished up.

—💌—

Impulse left the mountain after he got his task. He didn’t know what to get for Scar, but he knew a few people he could ask.

He ran into one of them as he walked. “Bdubs! Just the man I wanted to see.”

Bdubs sat with him and helped him with ideas, then ran off to find Tango. Impulse went to find some materials for a cane. He didn’t think he could pull off lasers, but he could make it do a few tricks.

When he got back home, both Gem and Scott were gone, probably off making their own presents, so he went to his own house to work.

After a little bit, there were knocks on the door in a familiar pattern. Impulse grinned. “Skizz!”

“Imp!” Skizz came in and immediately flopped down on the floor next to where Impulse was working. “Mind if I hang, Dipple Dop?”

“Not at all.”

They worked side by side, familiar and easy. Impulse wasn’t sure exactly what Skizz was doing, and he wasn’t sure Skizz did either, but he let him work.

They spent the next week like that, working together. They talked about everything and nothing and whatever came to mind. It was nice. Really nice.

The cane was simple, dark wood with small poppies and lilacs in rings around it. The head could be removed, and inside was a multi tool, with everything from lockpicks to small knives to screwdrivers. It also had a flashlight function at the bottom, and a yardstick on the side. It could be compacted to be much smaller, so it could fit in Scar’s bag.

Bdubs did have good ideas sometimes.

—💌—

Scar woke up alone, as always.

It was snowing out, the sunflowers outside dusted in white. He made himself a cup of hot chocolate, breathing in the warmth.

His task book dropped onto his lap. He set aside his cup to look through it.

Mystery Maccabee! Your task is to get a Chanukah present for Cleo. You can ask for help from others, but you fail if Cleo finds out your task. On the eighth night, everyone will exchange presents and guess who got them; you’ll both get something extra if Cleo guesses correctly.

He could do that! Much nicer than some of his other tasks.

He sipped his hot cocoa, thinking. Last game, Cleo had made him a quilt… maybe he could make one for them? Would they like that?

He decided that yeah, they probably would, and went to get some materials. Or, y’know, steal them from Lizzie.

When he got back to Trader Scar’s, there was someone there- Joel, sitting on the floor and doing some sort of metalwork.

He was working on his own task, apparently. They spent the rest of the day working together. Scar appreciated the company.

The quilt was made of pink, orange, and green squares. Some of them had smaller patterns on them, rail fence or checkerboard or stripes. The underside was lined with soft wool, and it was big enough to cover a double bed.

It was perfect to keep Cleo warm through the winter.

—💌—

After the boys left, Cleo started thinking about what to make for Skizz.

Maybe new shirt sleeves. They laughed to themselves.

They did know from Etho that Skizz collected music disks. They could maybe find one that he didn’t have yet… or they could make their own.

They’d made one for Bdubs, back in Third Life. They could make one for Skizz. It was tedious, but not terrible.

They quickly found all the materials they needed and settled in to work. After a little bit, Bigb came in asking for fabric. He ended up sitting with them while they both worked. Cleo played up their grudge against him, most of the time. They liked moments like these, where the two of them could just… be. Like they used to.

A while later, Grian and Jimmy came in to join them. The four of them worked together for the rest of the day.

Cleo made a wooden disk, covering it in a mixture of crushed bones, gunpowder, and redstone before carving the song into it. They chose Rockin’ Robin by Bobby Day, a favorite of Impulse’s that they knew Skizz liked too. The disk itself was dark gray, almost black, and shimmered in the light. The center was a lighter gray, with the song name written on it and small birds in red, yellow, and green.

There. A new disk for Skizz’s collection.

—💌—

Skizz left the heart on a mission.

He didn’t know how, exactly, to make hair products for Lizzie, but he was going to figure it out.

Bigb had messaged him with a list of things to try. He spent some time gathering materials, then went to Gem and the Scotts. He could have gone back to the heart, but he didn’t want to risk getting oils or something on Tango’s project.

He knocked on the door of Impulse’s house in a pattern, the motions automatic. Impulse invited him in.

They sat together for the rest of the day, working side by side in a familiar rhythm. They worked for the rest of the day, then Skizz went home after sundown.

Back in the heart, Bigb taught him how to make strips of fabric into bows and hair ties and ribbons. Tango joined their lessons halfway through, and they spent the evening together sewing and talking and just… being together.

Skizz went back to Impulse’s. Over the next week, he spent the days making hair products at Impulse’s and accessories with Bigb and Tango.

It took some experimenting, but Skizz ended up with some products he was happy with. He made a conditioner, a shampoo, and a hair oil. He’d also made a comb, a hairbrush, and scissors, all dark wood with painted flowers in blue, yellow, and orange. The bottles for the products all matched. He’d made a dozen hair clips and ribbons in the same colors, mostly blue.

Lizzie could finally do hair without wanting to pull her hair out.

—💌—

Lizzie woke up alone.

As always.

She got up to start the day, making herself a cup of tea.

It was snowing out; the very first snow of the game. She remembered the first snow of Last Life, when she’d stepped out of her cottage only to immediately get pelted by snowballs from Cleo and Bigb. Ren had come to defend her, even valiantly jumping in front of her and taking a snowball to the chest. His dramatic begging for her to go on without him and defeat the enemy in his name would have been more believable if his tail hadn’t been wagging so hard he was spraying snow everywhere.

She smiled into her teacup at the memory. She wished Ren were there to play in the snow with her.

She looked down, and there was a book on her lap. She set her tea aside to look at her task.

Mystery Maccabee! Your task is to get a Chanukah present for Mumbo. You can ask for help from others, but you fail if Mumbo finds out your task. On the eighth night, everyone will exchange presents and guess who got them; you’ll both get something extra if Mumbo guesses correctly.

Mumbo, huh?

She thought about it, sipping on her tea. She couldn’t really think of anything to get him. A comb for his mustache?

Then it hit her.

Mumbo was always wearing a tie.

It was a simple red tie. And while Lizzie could appreciate how versatile a simple tie was, it was a little boring.

What she could make for him was new ties.

She gathered all of her fabric and thread, then settled in for a day or several of sewing. Blankets, tea, and a good craft. Perfect for snow days.

After a little bit, someone knocked on her door. “Come in!” she called.

It was Martyn, asking to sit with her for a bit. She told him to grab a cup of tea and sit.

The two of them spent the day working on their presents together. It was nice, hanging out with Martyn. He was funny, sometimes, and one of the few other people who knew Ren like she did. They ended up talking about him a lot.

Lizzie made four ties. One was red wool, with a windowpane pattern sewn in shiny red thread to give it texture. The second was similar, but with different sized hearts all over it. The third one was black and white checkerboard. The last one was silver, with swirling lines of thread.

Martyn came back even after they both finished. It was nice, to have someone else to talk to for once.

—💌—

Mumbo didn’t even have to think about it.

The second he saw who he had in his book, he knew what he was making.

He went back to his sideways house, gathering whatever materials he had. Redstone, gold, iron. He saw Bdubs going back to his own house, then off… somewhere, and figured it was probably safe to go back and work at Pearl’s, where it was much cozier.

He settled himself on her floor, stealing one of her blankets and making himself a mug of hot cocoa.

This had to be better than just a random redstone clock. Bdubs already had plenty of those- all of which probably had a lot of emotions tied to them, but Mumbo hadn’t played enough games to know. He saw the way Bdubs held them, though. Mumbo would have to make his better, to get Bdubs to look at it with even a fraction of the love he had when he looked at the others.

He made a circular case for all the mechanics to go. On the side, he made a calendar- one that would automatically change the date, if he got the mechanics right. The top was the clock face, of course, the traditional night-day disk, with numbers carved on the edge. Set into the base were tiny note blocks that would play little tunes at sunrise and sunset.

While he was working, Pearl came in. He gave her his hot chocolate, since she seemed cold, and she settled in to work on her own gift. She was making paintings for Gem, apparently.

Scott came in to join them after a bit. The three of them worked side by side, occasionally bouncing ideas off each other or exchanging gossip about the others. They kept working for the next few days, until all their presents were done.

The clock was gold, with small metal flowers on it- deep blue that turned light in the sun and numbers painted to match, a trick Scott had shown them. Pearl had helped with the night-day disk, painting it so the two skies melted into one another. The calendar on the side worked perfectly, the dates painted the same as the flowers.

As the clock ticked cheerfully on, Mumbo watched the dates change. He couldn’t wait for Chanukah.

—💌—

On the eighth night of Chanukah, everyone gathered at Lizzie’s for a sleepover.

The debate over where they would meet had nearly come to blows, until they decided to settle it with a decoration contest.

Lizzie had covered her roof with a giant pink dreidel, and each of her four walls had a hebrew letter painted in gold. She’d made a path up to her door that looked like giant gelt, and she had smaller fake gelt on her doors in the shape of a heart and hanging from the roof. There were gold ribbons everywhere, and dreidel shaped lanterns.

With Scar’s help, she’d set it up for a sleepover. Most of the floor was covered in pillows and blankets, with lights strung all around the room. There was a small area near the front door for everyone to leave their coats and such. Two of the walls had long tables on them- one for candle lighting, one for food.

As the day went on, everyone came to Lizzie’s with their gifts and their chanukiahs- and their food. Martyn and Jimmy brought latkes, with about a dozen different toppings. Bigb, Skizz, and Tango had made heart-shaped sufganiyot, along with regular donuts. Gem and her Scotts had brought drinks, and Joel, Bdubs, Pearl, and Mumbo had come with sandwiches and salads.

Lizzie and Scar waited inside while everyone else slowly trickled in from the massive on-and-off snowball fight that had started that morning.

The sun made its way down to the horizon as the last few people- Gem, Jimmy, and Tango- came inside, shivering and giggling. They were immediately drawn into the blanket pile, right into the arms of their respective teammates.

“Alright!” Lizzie clapped her hands together. “Let’s light now. I don’t trust you lot to behave yourselves, so we’re going in alphabetical order. If you complain, you’re going last.”

Lighting together on the last night had been their tradition since Third Life, and the lighting order had been the subject of many an argument. It had nearly started a fist fight during Last Life. It was probably for the best that they had a set order.

“You’re up first.” Lizzie motioned to Bdubs, who hopped up excitedly.

The chanukiahs they had were simple, most of them having been made back during Third Life. Still, each one had small details that made it obvious who they belonged to.

Bdubs’ was gold, with a clock for a base and small blue accents. Bigb’s was blue, with little clay cookies around the base. Cleo’s was copper, partially oxidized like it was infected with something. Etho’s was silver, with accents in dark green velvet. Gem’s was light wood, with small bronze and green accents. Grian’s was bronze, with tiny fake TNT around the base. Impulse’s was black, gold veins creeping through and a little gold i on the stem. Jimmy’s was white marbled with sky blue, with gold accents. Joel’s was dark wood, with moss creeping all over it. Lizzie’s was bronze and wood, with small blue butterflies on it. Martyn’s was wood and gold, with delicate green leaves. Mumbo’s was black, with thin red lines in a grid pattern. Pearl’s was silver, with small quartz accents and a base made to look like the moon. Scar’s was copper, with small purple flowers on it. Scott’s was teal, with little gold stars and speckled with gold. Skizz’s was white marbled with red, with gold rings round the base with little red eyes on them. Tango’s was gold, with redstone dusted all over it and red wires piled at the base.

Once they’d all lit their candles, they settled in to sing. After they finished Mao Tsur, it was finally time to open presents.

Lizzie passed around all the presents, careful in case they were breakable. Everyone opened theirs at once. There were a lot of happy and excited sounds.

They all sat in a loose circle. Bdubs started them off, turning his clock over in his hands. “I think this is from Mumbo.”

“I’m guessing Lizzie,” Bigb said, flipping his spatula.

Cleo had wrapped their quilt around themselves. “This is from Scar.”

“I think Cleo got me.” Etho had pushed back his hair using one of his bandanas.

“I think these are from Scar.” Gem’s posters were sitting rolled up on her lap.

Grian was sitting with his legs wrapped around his dishwasher. “Etho got me.”

“I’m guessing this is from Pearl,” Impulse said, studying the lid of his music box.

Jimmy was dangling the wind chimes over his head, his face tilted up. “I think these might be from Gem.”

Joel was having a pretend tea party with his new tea set. “Grian made these.”

“Bigb made all these,” Lizzie said, pinning a bow in her hair with several other clips.

Martyn was using his pens to write in the air. “I think Impulse might have done these.”

“Martyn did these,” Mumbo said, tying on one of his ties.

“Bigb made me this!” Pearl cuddled Mini Mailbox close.

“I think Martyn got me.” Scott spun the bangles on his wrist.

Skizz spun his music disk on his finger. “I’m going with Cleo!”

“I’m going with Pearl!” Tango was trying to balance a candle holder on his head.

They went around in a circle again, each saying who they got. Scott was distressed at the reveal, but everyone else was happy to find out who made them their present. Skizz seemed especially delighted at getting it right.

Suddenly, a small bag fell into each of their laps. Inside was a dreidel that matched each person’s chanukiah, and shiny gold gelt- fifteen for Cleo and Grian, ten for Bdubs, Mumbo, Scar, Etho, Jimmy, Gem, Joel, Pearl, Bigb, and Skizz, and five for everyone else.

“Dinner before dreidel,” Lizzie said firmly before anyone could start playing.

They ate and played and told stories as the candles slowly flickered out. It was a good night. Probably one of the best nights they’d ever had.

And on the eighth night of Chanukah, Lizzie fell asleep at a sleepover with all of her friends.