Saeran's Snow Angels
"Look, Daddy! I have wingth!"
His mouth uplifting at the corners, Saeran turned his head to the source of the squealing. Lying in the snow with cold flakes catching in his eyelashes, he peered through the gentle flurries to see the little girl waving her limbs furiously at his side. Her rose-red curls were hidden by a fluffy pink coat, but her amber eyes shone beneath the winter sunlight. Barely four years old, the child had been the second love of his life since the day she was born, along with her kind-hearted mother.
The lisping squeak had spoken the truth, for sure enough, a pair of snow angel wings unfurled around her where her snow-caked mittens had carved them a path. A larger pair grew around his own body with each flap of his arms, sending the powder flying into the air.
"That's my angel girl," Saeran smiled softly, watching their frosted breath intermingle in the sky. It was a bright blue, almost white morning that blinded him as the sun glimmered on the early winter blanket. It was a sugar-sweet sky that greeted him, the kind he cherished even more than most.
Careful not to step in the impression, Saeran propped himself up on his hands and laughed as the child fumbled around in her marshmallowy parka. The outfit was almost too puffy to walk in; a necessary evil according to her mother, who had been afraid she'd catch cold. The child tripped and her hood fell back, a face full of snow painting her cheeks pink. Before she could cry, Saeran reached out and gently plucked her out of the drift. Removing his gloves, he dusted her off, noting how much more she looked like him with the white glossing over her hair. He planted a tender kiss to her forehead, then pulled the hood back over her brow.
"You're okay, May Bell. The snow won't hurt you. It's a little cold, but beautiful. Beautiful like Daddy's precious girls."
"I'm o-tay, Daddy," May Bell sniffled, the dimpled smile quickly returning. Patting her thawing mittens on her father's cheeks, she cuddled into him. "Snow is pretty. Like Daddy!"
"Very much like Daddy," echoed an unknown voice.
Saeran felt the ice melting as his own cheeks flushed, embarrassed by the light teasing. Ruffling his daughter's curls, he glanced over his shoulder to see a human angel with vivid eyes and a kind smile emerging from their suburban home. The woman took a few steps into the yard, then stooped down to kiss him.
"Handsomest man alive and more special to me than anyone."
He knew she meant it, but said it more to see him blush. The hue brought out his pink highlights. Besides, she always knew how to make him feel good and took every opportunity to give him butterflies. Payback, she said, for every time he unwittingly drove her crazy.
"Mommy!"
"May Bell! Hi, sweetie. You're happy to be playing with your daddy today, aren't you?"
As the girl leaped from his lap into her mother's arms for a hug, Saeran stood and shook the snow from his clothes. Blowing on his numb hands to bring back the feeling, he observed his family with soft mint-colored eyes. His daughter did look happy, and so did his wife. After a few minutes of giggling together over the day's simple adventures, the woman propped the child against her hip and stepped towards him.
"Sae, are you okay?" she asked, her warm palm cradling his cheek.
"MC…" Her name was all he could muster, staring into her glittering eyes. Even after all this time, it was hard to believe anyone could look at him the way she did. May Bell poked his face.
"Daddy?"
"...Don't worry, angel. I'm happy, too." He smiled, pressing his forehead against MC's and breathing deeply. Her scent was intoxicating as ever, and his daughter as warm as ever as she was pancaked between her parents.
"You're squishing me, Daddy!"
"Oh. Sorry," he chuckled sheepishly, pulling away after a long moment.
"Ha! But I'm not!" MC exclaimed, playfully smothering the girl. The child squirmed and broke free, then took off waddling at full speed through the yard, her mother racing after her. But as MC hit the slippery edge of a snow angel, she tripped, flailing to make an angel all her own, before sailing headlong into Saeran.
He fell flat on his back in a snowbank, his wife laughing on top of him. Both were flushed as they lay nose to nose with the white powder poofing around them.
"Now I'm sorry! Sae, you're not hurt, are you?" Entwining his fingers in her hair, he pulled her head down to meet his lips.
"Nothing a moment with you can't remedy," he said lovingly.
"Good," she kissed him back, lingering a breath longer. "I have a surprise that just might serve as an apology."
She rolled off of him, flapping to create a one-winged snow angel where it wasn't interrupted by his body, then hopped to her feet. Saeran waited a moment before joining her, apparently enjoying the view of her snowflecked figure framed by the frosted sky. She held out her hand, and he stood, allowing her to lead him up the front steps. A fluffy pink marshmallow pushed past their legs, still squealing for her mommy to catch her.
The house was warm and bright, complete with framed photos, wide windows, cushy couches and lush carpet: the kind of home that could keep a family safe and contented as they should be. The coffee table was pushed to one side to make room for May Bell's "dance studio," as the child had a habit of twirling and had inherited MC's clumsiness. Instrumental music played softly from the computer speakers, and he heard MC humming along as she dragged him into the kitchen. She seated him at the table, tapping on his shoulder until he complied, then skipped over to the freezer.
When she emerged, it was with something hidden behind her back; something which their daughter was very eager to unhide as she raised her tiny fingers to grab it. MC crouched down, whispering to the little girl to bring it to him before placing it in her mittened hands.
"Daddy, ice cream!" May Bell leaped forward, the tub outstretching towards him. Catching her in his arms, Saeran pulled her onto his lap and read the label.
"Ice cream? You can have that in the winter?" He whispered in amazement. MC laughed.
"It's peppermint ice cream. Cocoa would warm you up better, but it's a seasonal thing. I can't believe we haven't introduced you two sooner."
As MC removed the cones from the cupboard, Saeran wondered that his life was so full of impossible things: May Bell, his little lily of the valley that bloomed in the winter. MC, the woman that loved him just the way he was and with all her heart. And peppermint ice cream that could comfort him even on cold days. He opened the lid and used the spoon MC offered him to scoop a cone for MC, a cone for himself, and a mini cone for their mini May Bell. The cream froze his tongue, but the taste was as sweet as ever as he licked the surface smooth.
"Forgive me?" MC teased, perching in the chair next to him. He smiled, watching as May Bell's giddy arms swiped a bit of her ice cream onto the corner of her mother's lips. He leaned over the girl and licked it off.
"What for?" He murmured, studying his wife with those soft, dreamy, mint-colored eyes. "I've never been happier."
A/N: Just for reference, "may bell" is another name for lily of the valley, which is the white bell-shaped flower from Ray's route. It means "return to happiness" according to google, in the unlikely case that anyone was curious. And thank you for reading! Not sure if anyone was in character, but after playing Saeran's story I thought he could use a little bit of love. :) Anyway, feel free to message me and I'd be happy to hear from you! Have a wonderful week! ^^