John pulled back the window curtains and peered out into the swirling snowstorm. It was a frosty white blur, and even the bright red mailbox flap was shrouded by snow. He shivered and returned to the others in his living room. Gathered around the living room were his friends, Dave, Rose, Jade, and Karkat. They were all invited to visit, but as luck would have it, an unwelcome flurry just happened to stop by.
Karkat was crouched beside the crackling fire with a half-empty mug of hot cocoa. "It's too cold for anything," He grumbled. "We're stuck here with nowhere to go."
Rose looked down at him from her seat on the couch. "We don't have to go anywhere to have a good time, Karkat. You and your busybody self can't take a rest, can't you?"
He muttered some choice words under his breath about Rose and the weather, but kept his mouth agreeably shut.
John let out a sigh and plopped himself down next to his best friend, Dave. "You know, guys," He waggled his eyebrows. "We could always watch, you know… Con Air?" Karkat choked on his drink.
"Ha-ha, very funny, Egbert. That movie is for underdeveloped wrigglers with no taste in film."
"Yet here we have a troll who enjoys watching rom-coms," Dave replied. "Those are about as silly as Con Air."
John puffed his cheeks. "It's not silly, Dave. It's really good and who knows, maybe you'll all like it."
Karkat snorted but said, "Fine. Let's see how amazing this movie really is. If it sucks, we get to do something I choose."
Jade raised an eyebrow. "Why are you the judge, Karkat? Besides, we're guests and this is John's house, not yours."
"No, no, it's fine," John insisted. "I accept this challenge. We'll see who's right about the movie, once and for all."
He dashed upstairs and into his room, grabbing the DVD box, and played it on the living room television. Rose, Dave, and John settled themselves on the couch while Karkat and Jade resided on the floor in front of them. Since John's father was stuck at work because of the storm, John put the volume up as high as he wanted.
The movie, in John's opinion, was as good as ever, though Karkat made frequent critiques about the film. The others seemed to enjoy it, if not at least tolerate it. John corrected himself. No, the movie was not as good as ever; it was even better because he could finally share it with his closest friends.
The credits finally rolled in, and everyone stretched in their places.
"Well, John," Karkat sighed. "It could have been worse than it already is, but I'll give it to you. It's the holiday season, anyways."
John laughed. "Okie-dokie, Karkat. I guess you do have a heart." The other three snickered.
"Hey, don't think I'm going to suddenly go soft on you guys." Karkat protested.
Jade stifled a smile. "Oh no, we wouldn't want that now, would we? After all, you are our fearless leader."
Karkat glared at her, and stood up. Changing the subject he asked, "Well now, I don't suppose any of you have an idea of what to spend our time with?"
"There's always the classics," Rose prompted. "Charades, Truth-or-Dare, even Hide-and-Seek if you want."
"Those are games for little kids, Rose." Dave said.
"Oh come on, Dave. If we don't have anything better to do, then why not?" Jade said. "Let's all throw away our pride for a little fun!"
John shrugged. "It's not that bad of an idea." Rose nodded in agreement. With a little encouragement and a lot of pestering, Dave and Karkat finally let up.
Karkat made a sound in the back of his throat. "Alright, alright, I'll play with you wrigglers. And in advance," He turned to Dave. "I'm not sorry for creaming you in Charades."
The hours flew by. The five of them have never had as much fun in a long time. Their childhood joys were all revisited. Karkat learned about human games and in return the Beta kids played troll games. It wasn't until they were all lying on the ground, tired from exhaustion that they realized the wind and the snow has stopped.
They grouped around the window. What sunlight that shone past the clouds sparkled in the fresh snow. The cool air was now welcoming as they grabbed coats and gloves and mittens and rushed out the door.
Dave laughed. "You don't get this in Texas!"
Snowmen and troll-angels scattered the snowy yard, and a snowball fight broke out.
John smiled. This was the best way to spend the holidays, he thought.
After the streets were plowed, John's father pulled into the cleared driveway. The moment he stepped out of the car John crushed him in a bear-hug. "Dad!"
"Hey, son." He ruffled John's hair. "Are these your friends you've been talking about?"
John nodded and introduced them to his father. They seemed to all bet along well, with a stern look at Dave and Karkat, who gave off the impression of trouble-makers.
They gathered in the house, drinking hot-coco Dad made. Laughing and talking, sharing stories, John corrected himself once again. No, this was the best way to spend the holidays, with his friends and family altogether.