[Gift] Hot Cocoa for the Cold

The chill in the air was unusual. All around Valentine, buns and dolls wandered about in an atypical amount of clothes, pulling coats and sweaters close to their bodies and shivering as they slipped in and out of buildings. Val hadn’t been in Burrowgatory long, only long enough to know that it usually wasn’t.. Like this. Cold. The coat she had was bought on short notice - a gift from Luka that he’d insisted for her to keep when the weather got cold. The puffy, velvet-lined fabric was enough to keep her warm - the faux fur trim also doing its part in any places the velvet didn’t cover. Her hooves tapped along the pavement in quick rhythm, weaving through crowds with chattering teeth and a tremor in her fingers. At least the hooves were helpful now - if she had been standing still, the cold winds might have done little to help the already-troubled balance she had. Still, she tried her best to make it work. The better she got at balancing on her hooves, the less it would bother her. She was sure that sort of persistence would be something at least Primrose would lecture on the importance of… 

Recalling Primrose steadied her resolve in getting home, her pace quickening and her hands clenching her coat tighter to her chest. She had talked recently with another cherubun - one much less judgemental than the Embassy head. Dove was much easier to chat with than Primrose - though she’d never say such a thing out loud. It would be rude - regardless or whether Primrose liked her or not. Val didn’t have anything against him… It was just that Dove was more open with conversations, kinder and more willing to share her old traditions from home without a potent disdain for the traditions Valentine was more accustomed to. It was easier to learn things from them without guilt being woven into the knowledge. The conversation the two of them had was really why Val was out in the cold in the first place - driven by an arrangement to meet and chat over tea about the cherubun’s recent excitement. 

Cherubmas was a holiday Valentine had taken a liking to, the traditions warm and cozy as the coat she wore now. She walked with it in mind, each step taken hosting a new thought of how to celebrate it. She had left Dove and Jackal’s place with a mission - a smile on her place present and growing as the distance was shortened step by step. Luka’s mansion was soon in sight, strengthening Val’s trot into a full gallop. The crunch of snow under-hoof shifted back into the melodic thumps against pavement, filling the air with the sound as she looked towards the door. Soon, the wood of the porch-staircase was underneath, hooves tackling them with skilled grace until she had reached the consistent wooden stretch just before the front door. The roof overhead blocked the snow from decorating the furniture still strewn about the area, the porch swing and its blankets left alone for the season regardless. It was too cold to bundle together outside as they might’ve done during the warmer months - and she quickly took to grabbing the blankets atop it for that reason. It would be better to keep them inside… A quick spin through the washer and dryer would be enough to earn their places back on the couch. With her free hand, she fished the house key from her coat pocket and jammed it into the lock, struggling for a moment before a click granted her access.

Inside, the house was warm and bright with overhead lights and an occupied fireplace. The crackle and pop of burning logs provided ambience while her hooves shook snow back onto the porch. The heat graciously allowed for her coat to be removed, the soft but damp thing hung swiftly on the rack meant for the purpose. Distant voices grew closer, echoing through the hallways until they became familiar. The owners of them were just out of sight - but Val could see them in her mind as clearly as the corner they were behind. A gust of cold wind reminded her to shut the door, the thud quieting the voices before they came back with gusto.

“Val? Is that you?” Luka’s voice was stronger than Akio’s, unaffected by the stutter the latter often had. It was deeper, too - hearty and confident and inviting. 

“Yeah, it’s me! Sorry if I scared you,” Val could practically hear her smile in her voice, the call cheerful and sweet as honey. The familiar buns she had been expecting could surely see her smile for themselves, though, their own faces lit up when they came into view. Luka’s smile was comfortable, lazy and easy. Akio’s couldn’t hide his excitement, showing teeth and lighting his cheeks with a pink flush. 

“Oh, welcome home! We missed you! Um, we were just talking about you, actually! Nothing bad! Um, just about how we didn’t know when you were getting back… Um, Did you want something to drink? To eat?” his voice reflected the joy in his smile, his stuttering normal and expected even so. Akio had always spoken with some manner of nervousness, no matter how happy or relaxed he seemed to be. Val could easily attribute it to his less-than-gran childhood, of course - he had simply been used to being on edge. It wasn’t personal - and, besides, Val found herself endeared to his stuttering. 

“Oh, I was just thinking about a hot chocolate on the way over… Maybe one for all of us? We can all make our own… Maybe watch a movie after..?” Val smoothed her hair down as she spoke, spinning orange threads between her fingers and patting the soft blanket down against her shoulder blades. Tiny flakes of snow had melted, cooling her head and leaving polka-dot pools along her scalp. She shivered, using her fingers to shake her hair free of the coolness. Luka reached for a blanket strewn across the couch nearby, laying it over her head and gently adjusting it to be above her eyes so as not to disturb her sight.

“Yeah, that sounds good, babe. I have some mugs in the cabinet for us.”

The kitchen was as quiet and cozy as the rest of the house, filled with golden light from the overheads and the view of the snow outside through the uncurtained-window. A few plants rested on the windowsill, warm under the light of the lamp hanging over them. The damp soil indicated they had been watered recently, though by who was a mystery. The three of them weren’t the only ones who lived in the house, afterall. Luka was a landlord who lived in his own rental, the other rooms usually occupied by people who came and went as they pleased. Val knew a few of them, though none as personally as Akio and Luka. It was to be expected of course, but she still liked them fine. Sometimes they’d feature in her videos, if she ventured to ask them.

Luka and Akio entered the kitchen after her, their hooves echoing against the tile and thudding over to the cabinet Luka had mentioned. Val followed behind, rummaging with them when the stash was revealed to find a fitting mug. A pink one, decorated on the outside with glittery, zig-zagged patterns the books she often read referred to as “zebra stripes.” It had been a gift by a follower, custom-made with a bottle of glitter and glue and talent in ceramics. It clinked against the counter when she put it down, opening the fridge in search of the milk-jar. She could hear the rustling of the cabinets as Luka and Akio searched for the chocolate powder and marshmallows, the sounds quickly filling the room. Finding the jar and a bottle of whipped cream, Valentine placed both items on the counter. Her eyes glanced over to find Akio and Luka doing much of the same with their own items, their mugs laid next to their finds in wait.

“We probably shouldn’t microwave this all at one time… Akio, you can go ahead and make your cup first. If that’s okay with you…?” She turned to Luka, who answered with a wave of his hand and a quick pour of milk into Akio’s waiting mug.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just make sure to stir all the powder, kay? A lot of it will just sit at the bottom.” 

The clink of Akio’s spoon against his mug soon ended, replaced by the clattering of the silverware against the counter and the thud of Akio’s hooves along the path to the microwave. Propping her elbows on the surface in front of her, Valentine watched the chocolate powder and Luka’s hand enter her field of vision. She glanced up at him, grinning when she saw his own face doing the same.

“You next, okay?”

“You’re too sweet, baby,” Val’s words were a coo, soft as her lips that pressed against his cheek. His hands ran through her hair, ruffling it as his grin spread wider. He watched her fill her cup and stir the powder in, his hand drifting to her back.

“So, what were you up to today?”

Akio perked up from his position by the microwave, seemingly no longer entranced by the mug spinning around inside. His eyes found Val, just as curious as Luka’s voice had been. She turned back to continue stirring her mug, humming to the clinking sounds.

“Oh, I was just visiting Dove… We were going to have tea, you know. And, well, we got to talking about this thing they used to celebrate… Cherubmas? I thought it sounded nice… One of the things they do is just spend time with loved ones. Y’know, something about being grateful for them. And, well… I figured there would be no better place to be than right here with you two, if I really wanted to celebrate like they do. 

Luka and Akio’s smiles matched, the warm look in their eyes both unmistakable as they took their places next to her. Their arms were around her soon, Akio’s taking her shoulder while Luka’s encircled her waist.

“‘S sweet, Val. Y’know, we’re grateful for you, too.” Luka planted a kiss on her cheek, Akio piping up after him with a red tint to his cheeks.

“Y-yeah! Of course we are, Val! You, um, saved me, after all…” Valentine kissed his forehead in turn, setting aside her spoon and brushing his hair back. His eyes were wide and his lips were curved in a dizzy grin, lovedrunk and sweet. 

“I like to think you saved me too. Both of you.”

The microwave beeped, though Akio stayed rooted in his spot. It was Val who moved from the counter, loosening arms from their places and taking her mug on the trip. She retrieved Akio’s just as another warning beep rang out, cutting it down the middle as she pulled a mitten onto her hand. She took it by the handle, setting it down before replacing it with her own. Once the time had been set, she took up the heated handle again, setting it in front of Akio and reaching for the bag of marshmallows and the bottle of whipped cream. Once she had the perfect scoop of cream decorating the hot chocolate, Val gently sprayed a touch more on her finger. Turning back to her two partners, she extended her finger and kissed Akio’s nose with the dollop of cream. Then, just as gently, she sprayed a bit more on the tip of Luka’s nose. The two chuckled, wiping the sweet product from their faces and licking it from their fingers until the last of it had disappeared. 

Another beep signalled the rotation, and Luka’s cup soon had its own turn being warmed and decorated after she had done hers. With cups in hand, the three of them ventured to the couch, cozying up under a blanket while the fire in the hearth warmed their faces. Val’s head pressed against Akio’s shoulder, the succubun resting between her and Luka. She could feel the pressure of the latter’s head doing the same on the other side, painting her face with a smile. She wouldn’t mind doing this every year.