The Snowball War

Ah, Christmas! My favorite time of the year! And what's not to like? The decorations, the music, the cheerful smiles on every face; there's no holiday quite like it. I love looking out my window and seeing snow pile up on the ground. I love the unavoidable happiness of opening and giving presents. I guess when I was younger, I envisioned that the gifts are what it's all about, but with age I've found that just being around friends is enough for me. I never really had a family, so having the whole gang together in one place is something special for me. Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Cream, heh... even Shadow; I don't think they have any idea what they mean to me. Without them, I would be completely alone in this world; I wouldn't know where to turn. Yeah, I'm awkward around them. Yes, I know they think I'm a dork. But they make me feel, I don't know, included. And, well... that's something not many people have done.

I take a deep sigh as I turn down the road to Amy's house, where we always spend Christmas Eve. We usually just sit around, have dinner (Amy is a wonderful cook!), exchange gifts (or gift cards), and have a great time. But lately, the gathering has been different. I just... well, I don't seem to look forward to it as much as I once did.

I don't know what it is. Well, actually, I do - ah, let me explain. You see, it all starts with Blaze, my "original" friend of the group, I guess you could say. She's been gone for the past two years now, off pursuing her dream of being a dancer. It's actually kinda' funny; she's extremely awkward from a social standpoint, but when her movements are put to music, she reaches a new level of grace that you would never guess to see from her. Eh, I'm getting off topic.

Anyways, now that she's not here, the holidays just aren't the same - especially this particular occasion. Well, not just that; when I said goodbye to her at the airport that day, it felt like I was letting a part of myself go. Since that time, I don't think we've been within five hundred miles of one another. I dunno', I feel... lost... without her around. And, I always looked at her as a sister, but I secretly wanted our relationship to become more than that. I guess I always assumed that there would be a right time and place to tell her of my feelings. But, well, that time never came, and now I'm not sure if it'll ever come. She says she really likes it where she's staying now, and that she doesn't miss home a bit. So it's not far-fetched to say that I might never physically see her again for the rest of my life. Great.

I guess that's why this gathering has been so depressing for me as of late, though. Years ago, I would always dream of this party as the place where I'd... ya' know... tell her everything. It just seems so right; I'd pull her aside from all the commotion, start up the conversation - maybe, we'd get caught under some mistletoe... oh, but of course, none of that ever happened. I always chickened out. And now there's nothing I can do to mend my confidence.

It would be a lie to say that Blaze is entirely out of my life, though. The others regularly check in with her, so I hear most of what she's doing through them. It's not that I can't contact her, I just choose to not bother her. For the past two Christmas parties, she has video-chatted with us just to keep up with the tradition. But I typically don't say anything outside of "hi" and "bye", since everyone else has a lot more to talk about. I think that talking to her more often would only be torture to me, anyways.

As I make my way down the driveway, I notice that the font door has been oddly left open (it's pouring down snow out here), and... I think I hear singing?

Sure enough, I'm immediately greeted by the crowd that has gathered around Amy's piano, where most everyone (including, to my surprise, Shade and Tikal, who don't usually attend the party) is singing some snazzy rendition of "Deck The Halls". Shadow and Blaze, meanwhile, sit quietly on the couch, but I guess that one should expect that much.

WAIT.

She can't help but smile at my facial expression, "Hello, Silver."

Oh, dear.

To my surprise, I don't suddenly wake up in my bedroom, but that might as well be torture in itself. Blaze is really here in front of me, and I'm really standing here with my mouth open like a dunce. My muzzle, my ears, everything is turning redder by the second. Yeah, all because of my thought process upon entrance. I'm such a loser! How could I have ever thought about being with her? The singing suddenly stops, and Amy approaches me, smiling.

"Merry Christmas, Silver!" she takes my bag of gifts and my coat, and disappears into the next room for a moment. I stand still, awkwardly smiling at everyone, until she returns. "Isn't this great?!" Amy exclaims, gesturing towards Blaze.

I nod, "Yeah, but, how-"

"I managed to scrape together enough money for a plane ticket." Blaze explains, with a chuckle. "I thought I should spend at least one holiday back at home."

"Yep! The gang's all here!" Sonic says, standing from the piano. He walks over to the couch, and sits on its arm. "Isn't that right, Shadow?" he smiles, placing a Santa hat on his counterpart's head.

Shadow narrows his eyes, and crosses his arms. "I hate you all."

"Aww, you don't mean that..."

"Right, I hate you all with a passion."

"Uh, S-Silver," Blaze indirectly intervenes, sliding closer to Shadow. "Why don't you sit?"

I blush, and take the seat next to her, as if out of obedience. Everyone gathers around, and some long conversation ensues, none of which I take part in. I only halfway pay attention to it, honestly... I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that Blaze is here. I feel like I've been granted a second chance; one last shot to tell her how I feel. But do I really have the audacity to do that? I mean, not only would it be the first time we've actually talked with or seen each other other in quite a while, wouldn't it only lead into a long distance relationship, assuming everything goes how I would want it to? Then she would be conflicted between her commitments, and blah blah blah, now she's forced to choose. I wouldn't want to put Blaze through that pain, would I? I'd be a monster...

'But this might be the last chance you ever get, Silver.' I remind myself, slightly glancing over to her. Twenty minutes ago, I was begging for this opportunity! Now it's here, and I don't know what to do with it. I guess I never really considered what would happen if the chance actually came. You see how quickly my life can turn upside down? And people wonder why I'm such a nervous wreck...

The peacefulness of the conversation is interrupted (much to my dismay, since I still haven't fully made up mind) by Tails, who suddenly bolts into the room sporting a camouflage helmet and eye black. "Alright, ladies!" he exclaims, "Who's ready?!"

"Ready for what?" asks Blaze.

"Snowball fight." Knuckles explains, "He's been talking about it ever since the forecast came out last week."

"And I'm craving the taste of war." Tails says, with a crazy look in his eyes.

"Okaaaay, let's calm down-" Tikal attempts to intervene.

"So, let's just say, in the midst of this... snowball fight..." Shadow begins, leaning towards the fox. "I accidentally pick up a ball of ice, and hurl it at Faker's head."

Tails takes a moment to ponder the scenario, "I mean, I guess you could get away with it, so long as the referee doesn't see you."

"Who's the referee?" Shade asks.

"There is no referee."

"You've peaked my interest." Shadow replies with a smirk, looking at Sonic.

Sonic quickly rises, and chuckles awkwardly at the comment. "Uh-huh! So, uh... h-hey! you guys! Amy has a super cool air hockey table in the basement! Maybe we could-!"

"I think Cream and Tails should captain teams!" Knuckles says, resulting in a sigh from my blue friend.

"Aw, c'mon, couldn't I at least get a challenge?" Tails laughs.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Cream's tone makes me do a double-take; I've never head a word out of her mouth that wasn't soft spoken. I look around, and everyone else is shocked as well. "You don't think I'm a worthy opponent?"

Tails doesn't look like he really wants to answer that question. Heh, I swear, if they break out in a fight, it'll be the funniest thing I've ever seen. "Uh... n-no, I mean..." he shakes off his temporary bewilderment, "I'll take you on any day!"

"Okay, then." Cream continues, walking past him towards the front door. "But don't cry too much when you're beaten by a girl."

Outside, we gather in a small group, and Tails and Cream take their respective positions in front of us. "Alright! Listen up!" the fox exclaims, holding up two pieces of cloth - one blue, one red. "The game is capture the flag. Get the other team's flag back to your base and you win. If you get hit, you're stuck back at your base for ten seconds. If the flag carrier gets hit, they return the flag to its starting point."

"We all know how to play, Tails. Just get on with it." is the next shocking quote from Cream. I gotta' be honest, I like her more like this.

Tails clears his throat, "Uh... r-right. So, um, I guess you can pick first, Cream."

Her tone instantly changes again, and she smiles. "Alright, then! I think I'll take... Mr. Shadow!"

The rest of us are distributed between the two teams, and I'm slightly pleased that Blaze and I are on the same side. The two of us, along with Sonic and Tikal, have a decently sized fort built in about ten minutes. Tails, of course, being the "leadership presence" and "offensive specialist", did not have to contribute. But, in spite of that, it has thus far been an enjoyable experience. I can't remember the last time I actually played in the snow.

Now, the four of us sit with our backs to our finished product, looking up at Tails. "We've done well, team." he begins, adjusting his helmet. (Excuse me? We?) "We're sound defensively now, but we have to execute. I'm gonna' need everyone to give a hundred-and-ten... no, a hundred-and-twenty percent out there. And just know that if you mess this up, I have ways of hurting you. Now, if we-"

"Uh, Tails?" Sonic speaks up, "Don't ya' think you're taking this a little too seriously? I mean-"

"A little too seriously?" the fox repeats. He chuckles, and picks up the blue flag at his feet, examining it closely. Suddenly, he snaps. "A LITTLE TOO SERIOUSLY?! SONIC, THIS IS NOT A GAME. I NEED YOU TO GO OUT THERE AND PUT YOUR BODY - YOUR LIFE ITSELF - ON THE LINE. I AM NOT LOSING TO A GIRL, AND ESPECIALLY NOT CREAM." he walks over, and stands Sonic up, grabbing him by his sleeves. "DON'T YOU GET THAT YOUR ENTIRE IMAGE FROM NOW ON IS GOING TO REVOLVE AROUND WHAT HAPPENS OUT THERE TODAY? DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR LEGACY, SONIC? DO YOU?!"

I look over, and Blaze's mouth is wide open. Tikal leans closer to me, and whispers, "He's scaring me a little..."

After a silence, Sonic reluctantly agrees to continue on, and Tails jumps right back into the thick of things. He lays out this elaborate plan - which he apparently dreamed up last night, by the way - most of which I actually don't pay attention to. I'm still dumbfounded as to how far he's taken this. But basically, Sonic goes right, Tikal goes left, Tails patrols the center; anything in the front yard is game for cover. I'm supposed to stay back and defend with Blaze until they make a breakthrough, and that's when I rush up and go with Tails for the flag. Or, well, it's something like that.

But, hey, that gives me a few minutes to sit back and talk with Blaze, I guess. That... erm... that could be a really good or really bad thing. I know I should probably just keep my mouth shut, but... I... oh, I want us to be more. I want it in ways I can't explain. I'm blushing just thinking about it. I know she sees me. And that's why I know I'm about to screw everything up.

But... I have to try...

((A/N: Hellooooo, everyone~! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!^.^

So this is part one of my promised holiday-themed fic, and... well... obviously I'm not going for a coherent work of literature with this one.X,D Nothing but Silvaze fluff here! Ah, feels like the good ol' days of OTOLOS, don't it?X)

I'm also trying to get myself back in the All My Colors mood, btw... Silvy first-person POV or whatever... You know what it do. XD Maybe I'll get another chapter of that published pretty soon...?

Uh, I probably would've had at least this first part posted sooner (like... on Christmas...), but... meh. I was busy like everyone else, I guess.X,,)

So, I hope you enjoyed this! As always, leave a review or PM if ya' like!

I hope all of you had the Christmas of your lives!;) Enjoy all your goodies~!

Part two to follow soon!

Also, thank you Bite for the idea pitch on this one.:)

Gah... It's four in the morning...:/

Thanks for reading! Love you all!))