It wasn't the first snow they'd had but when it settled, it was always an exciting time. The twins would typically bolt from the library doors, dragging Six behind them, into the flurry of snow outside, only to return drenched and covered in snowflakes.
One would have to physically restrain Two from going outside until he donned a suitable amount of layers, all while trying not to go into the snow himself. Seven would chase the twins around, trying to get them to at least wear a scarf, but the twins would almost always outrun her in the end. Six would most likely end up upside down in a pile of snow, waiting for Eight to come by and fish him out.
Five, however, didn't like the snow.
Nine was utterly appalled when he first found out.
"Whaddya mean you don't like snow? It's- it's snow! You can't not like snow!" He'd joked, but his surprise was still painfully clear. Five shrugged, awkwardly shying away to face the horizon beyond the watchtower. "I just...I guess it looks pretty and all, but it's so...inconvenient."
"I guess you have a point..." Nine reluctantly admitted, "...it does make things more difficult, but I can't help but love it." A wide smile stretched onto his face. "I guess it's a chance to have fun, y'know? Plus snow has it's uses! I mean, it can tire the twins out faster than reading books can!"
Five offers a quiet chuckle, as his hands drift to his beloved telescope- rescued from the ruins of the cathedral. "It gets harder to tell what is what when everything's white..." He mumbled, eyeing the stark white land before him. "Everything looks the same."
Nine sidled up beside him, admiring the view. "But it makes it easier to see beasts from a distance. They've got no camouflage!" He pointed out. The entire emptiness remained unmoved; the lack of beasts was both relieving and suspicious.
"But neither do we." Five gestured to the both of them, before holding out his own hand and inspecting it closely. Nine gently took his hand, tracing the shape of his fingers and drawing circles in his palms. They were dirty and scratched from all the work he did.
"But we can hide in the cracks. We can crouch under cars and conceal ourselves." He murmured, softly. Holding Five's hand in his left, he reached up with his right to cover Five's singular optic in a playful manner.
"But the snow makes it easier to leave tracks. They can follow us." Five shook Nine's hand off with a small smile, before turning away to face the telescope. He began absentmindedly rubbing a scratch on the brass cylinder; a reminder of the fire that brought down the cathedral.
"We can trick them. We can walk in circles and patterns and disorient them." Nine suggested, moving behind Five and tapping on both sides of his shoulders in a teasing manner, as if trying to disorient him. Five's head lulled left and right, trying to catch a glimpse of his younger friend. It wasn't fair; he had a huge blind spot to begin with.
"We'll waste time...it's far too cold out there." Five's voice went quiet to silent, and Nine perked up suddenly.
"Is that why you don't like the snow? The main reason?" A small smile formed on his lips as Five inhaled sharply, before turning his head to the side, as if avoiding Nine completely.
"...maybe."
A quiet laugh escaped Nine's lips as his hands moved from Five's shoulders, down to his hips. "So it's not that it isn't fun, or it isn't pretty; it's just too cold for you." He concluded, and Five sighed, but he couldn't hide his smile.
"It's kinda silly I guess. When it snows I spend my time chasing you and Two, trying to get you both to prepare properly for the weather; seriously, how do you not freeze out there?" Five turned slightly to face Nine, who looked thoughtful.
"I guess when I'm running around out there, I get warm inside. If you stay in one place, shivering like you do, you're gonna get cold." Nine teased, "Out of all of us, you're the most knowledgeable about stitchpunk functions; you should know this!"
Five fidgeted awkwardly in his spot. "I know, but when I get cold, I don't wanna move..." He whined. Nine rolled his optics, before a mischievous smirk bloomed on his face. Slowly, his arms wrapped around Five's waist as he pressed his face into his shoulder.
"I know another way to warm you up." He said, softly.
Five let out an odd purr, as he relaxed back into Nine's chest. His hands drifted from the telescope and onto Nine's arms, squeezing softly.
"Nine..." He sighed, "...how are you always so warm? You're like a living radiator." He said, doing his utmost to make as much physical contact with the stitchpunk behind him just for the warmth he emitted. Nine chuckled, softly.
"You know, there's another reason why I don't want to go out into the snow."
Nine cocked his head in curiosity. "Hm? Why's that?" He asked, gently shifting his weight from one foot to the other in a swaying motion. Five dropped his head, flushing brightly.
"Because...everybody else is out there. It's nice because then it's just the two of us here."
Nine beamed. "You like the alone time? That's so sweet." He teased, snuggling into Five's shoulder a little more, making the one-eyed stitchpunk squirm. He seemed to really be enjoying the warmth Nine was emitting.
"I mean...if you were willing to warm me up, I wouldn't mind going out there." Five whispered in a tone that sounded too sweet to be seductive. Nine laughed a little louder. "But then I'd have to carry you just to keep you warm!"
"I wouldn't mind that at all..." Five admitted, tilting his head up to face Nine, allowing him to snuggle into his cheek.
"Neither would I...but if you like it up here, we can stay. I get to look at the snow and you get to stay warm. Deal?"
"Deal."
Teeny tiny oneshot for Mable! Hang in there, buddy!