Author's Note:
I don't own Xenoblade Chronicles and all character's belong to their rightful owners.
This is the first Xenoblade short I have ever written. It was done in January, I think, but posting it just slipped my mind. Better late than never, I guess.
I'm going to say it's a little AU, if only for the complete inaccuracy of Dunban's house. I didn't have a reference handy, so Dunban's house is tweaked a bit. But hey, it's spoiler free, so that's nice.
The snow floated lazily down onto the already thickly covered ground. I gripped my thin jacket tightly. It had never been this cold in Colony Nine before. The only place that had snow was Valak Mountain. The freak weather had driven everyone indoors, but I was the only idiot still on the streets.
The snow crunched underneath my boots as I slogged toward the Military District. Like I said before, I was the only idiot on the street so no paths had been cleared, and it didn't help matters. The wind stirred the flakes around me and bit through, what I could hardly call a coat. I'm sure I could have found beauty in the sprinkling of snowflakes if I wasn't half frozen.
I plodded my way to the lab entrance and kicked aside some snow before entering. I quickly closed the door behind me as I retreated into the warmth. I stomped my feet to shake some snow from my boots. I rubbed my hands together as I went down the hall and into the lab. Sure enough, the blonde that had caused me to journey through the cold, was right where I had expected him to be. He bent over his desk writing furiously. He was so absorbed in his work he hadn't noticed my entrance.
"Oi, Shulk," I tapped him on the shoulder. Shulk jumped and turned in his chair to look at me.
"Reyn! I didn't hear you come in." Instinctively, his blue eyes shot over to the clock. The blue orbs widened. "It's this late already?" Shulk jumped to his feet, realizing all took quickly his error.
"Fiora thought that you got lost in the snow," I chuckled as I watched him rush around the lab putting things away.
"I lost track of time." Shulk offered helplessly.
"We all know you'll only leave the lab if somebody forces you." I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame. Shulk started to apologize but I stopped him. "Save it for Fiora." Shulk snapped his mouth shut and nodded.
"Let's not keep them waiting longer than we have to," Shulk came over to me. I nodded but hesitated for a moment.
"Shulk, where's your coat?"
He blinked and then took his usual thinking pose.
"My coat…I let Dickson use it when he left, he said it was freezing out."
"It is! It's like Valak Mountain out there." I removed my gray jacket and held it out to him.
"Reyn you'll-"
"I'm not as fragile as you, I'll be fine. The cold don't bother me anyway."
"Thanks..." Shulk took my jacket and stared at it a moment before pulling it on. It was slightly too big for him because of our size difference. My eyes caught a slight blush in his cheeks. Shulk muttered to himself and I wasn't sure I was supposed to hear.
"…it's so warm…"
"Come on, it ain't getting any warmer out there," I took his arm and started for the door. I knew I didn't have to lead him but…a spark shot through my body at the touch. Shulk didn't pull away from me, he allowed me to guide him down the hall to the door. We stood for a moment in front of the exit and Shulk looked at me. I flushed lightly and quickly released his arm. I stepped forward and pulled the door open. A blast of cold wind tore into the hall. I resisted the urge to slam it shut. Shulk shivered and gripped his arms.
"You weren't kidding."
We exited the building and I closed the door behind us. I missed the warmth only seconds after. The air was chilled and the falling snow landed on my bare arms. We started forward along the path that I had created on my way to the lab. My steps were even more hurried because of the loss of my jacket. Shulk struggled through the snow after me, my footprints too far apart for him to use. I slowed down and waited for him to reach me. Calculating blue eyes danced from my arms to my face. My heart fluttered from the glance.
"You're red, you must be freezing." Shulk laid a warm hand on my arm. Another spark flitted up my arm.
"I'm alright, Shulk." I smiled. "I'll be even better once we get to Dunban's."
He laughed and nodded. We moved as one through the snow coated streets. I felt warm just having Shulk by my side. I glanced over at him and noticed his breath frosted in the air. It was by sheer luck that I was looking at Shulk when he lost his balance. I had forgotten to warn him about a certain slick spot I had discovered on my way to the lab. I put an arm around his waist to steady him. The heat of his body made me realize how cold I truly was. The contrast was so sharp that I shuddered.
Shulk braced a hand on my chest as I grabbed his waist. Once again I was the focus of his striking blue eyes. His cheeks were a bright red, probably only that way from the cold I reasoned. We stood staring into each other's eyes as the snow scattered around us. Shulk tore his eyes away and turned his head. He slowly removed his hand and I reluctantly took my arm from his waist.
"Thanks Reyn." Shulk focused his gaze down at the glittering whiteness. I was finally struck by the awkwardness of the situation. I had been to occupied by how good his closeness had felt.
"Don't mention it." I rubbed the back of my neck before starting forward. Shulk hurried to fall in step beside me. Soon we were in front of Dunban's house. The door opened and Fiora grinned at us.
"Hey you two! You took long enough!" She teased.
"You try hiking through the snow," I countered as I stepped past her to get inside. The fiery heat blasted against my skin and I rubbed my arms to get my blood flowing. I bent down to remove my boots.
"You went the entire way without a coat," Sharla's voice made me look up. A warm blanket fell across my shoulders. "That was kind of you." I looked to see her grinning at me. I glanced over at Shulk and Fiora. She was talking quickly, obviously giving him an earful for being late. Everyone but Shulk could tell she wasn't mad, only relieved that he was finally here.
"I had to make sure Shulk didn't freeze. Fiora wouldn't have been happy with an ice cube."
Sharla laughed. I stood up, finally free of my wet boots. I fingered the blanket around my shoulders.
"Cheers Sharla."
My eyes wondered back over to Shulk, he had my jacket hung over an arm as Fiora ushered him into a chair. I looked back at Sharla and a knowing glint flashed in her eyes.
"I was surprised to hear that it was snowing here." She commented. "It's still warm and sunny at Colony Six."
"It's like Valak Mountain, we don't need this cold." I shrugged. "It's hell to walk through."
Sharla laughed, "You weren't happy there either."
I could only offer another shrug before going farther into the room. Fiora had retreated into the kitchen so the space beside Shulk was empty. My feet steered me to his side before I had a chance to think. I sat down beside him.
"Thanks for letting me wear this," Shulk held my jacket out to me. Our hands touched as I took it from his grasp. I set it on my lap.
I got a chance to look around the room; Fiora had decorated her brother's usually minimal house with lots of color for the party. I noticed Riki, Melia, and Dunban chatting together in the corner by the fire. I had already spoken with everyone before going to retrieve Shulk.
"Everyone's here…" Shulk muttered as his eyes flicked about the room. He smiled at the sight. A fuzzy feeling grew in my chest as his smile lit up my world. My lips involuntarily pulled into a grin. Shulk turned his attention back to me.
"Did you need something Reyn? You're staring."
I blinked and heat leaked into my cheeks. He'd noticed.
"Eh…It's nothing Shulk." I looked away from him and rubbed the back of my neck. I glanced back at him and I was still the focus of those brilliant eyes. A deeper blush began to work its way up my neck.
"Shulk." Dunban called him over. Shulk removed his gaze from me and the pressure lifted. Obediently, Shulk got to his feet and went over to him. Riki loudly welcomed him and Melia greeted him with a small smile. I watched the four converse. My eyes rested on Shulk.
I felt someone touch my arm and I tore my gaze away to see Sharla. She laughed into her fingers. I raised an eyebrow.
"What's so funny?" I demanded.
"Nothing," Sharla shook her head and smiled. She held out her hand. "I asked if I could take your jacket." She tilted her head in the direction of the coat rack.
"Sure." I handed it to her. I heard Shulk's laughter and I instinctively turned toward the sound. The fur ball was making a fool of himself and it had Shulk, Melia, and Dunban laughing. Hearing Shulk's laugh brought a smile to my features. Only after I was smiling like a fool did I realize that Sharla was still standing beside me. My eyes moved back to her. She smiled at me before turning and starting toward the coat rack.
Shulk had the innate ability of pulling my attention. My eyes skimmed his frame but came to rest on his face. His enchanting blue eyes reflected the fire light and the flames danced in the deep sea. Sparks flickered upon the gold of his hair. He was animatedly speaking and his smile glowed brighter than the lights around him. The timbre of his voice filled my ears, hearing him was music.
Something caused him to silence and he looked toward the kitchen.
"Reyn," Sharla brought me back to reality.
"Huh?" I blinked up at her.
"Dinner."
"Oh!" I hoped to my feet, the blanket resting on my shoulders falling onto my seat.
The snow fell harder as we ate. We talked merrily to each other, laughter pervaded the air and happiness overtook the mood.
Riki passed out in a corner after dinner, having eaten too much. It was a miracle that Fiora had made enough food for all of us, considering my appetite. Excluding the fur ball, we all sat around the fire talking.
"It's getting late, I better get going," Sharla got up from her seat at my side.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Sharla, but I don't think you'll be going very far." Dunban motioned to the window. A flurry of snow whited-out any view of outside. Sharla let out a sigh as she sat back down.
"You wouldn't mind if I stayed over would you? It doesn't look as if it's going to be letting up anytime soon."
Dunban nodded. "All of you are free to stay the night. Things will be tight, but it's not like we haven't camped together before."
There was a chorus of thank you's from all of us.
Dunban allowed the girls to use his room in the loft, while the rest of us were stuck downstairs. Fiora had gathered a bunch of blankets for us. Night settled onto the tiny house. Riki was curled up in the corner. Dunban was stretched out with his feet resting on another chair. Shulk slept on the floor a distance away from me. I put my hands behind my head and stared up at the ceiling. I didn't feel tired. I turned my head and looked over at Shulk. He shivered slightly.
"Shulk," I called in a whisper. He turned over to face me.
"Reyn?"
"Are you cold?" I pulled at my blanket to show him my meaning. Shulk shook his head. I rolled my eyes. I knew he wouldn't take it. I moved closer and tossed one end of the blanket over him so it covered both of us. Our faces were close. Shulk's eyes gleamed in the low light. A blush adored his cheeks, the same as it did mine.
To my surprise he didn't object. Shulk just stared at me for a moment before closing his eyes and inching closer. I smiled. I longed to hold him close, but decided against it, that would be overstepping my boundaries. I shut my eyes and contented myself with the warmth and comfort Shulk's closeness brought me.