A/N: this is day 2 of an OTP Christmas Challenge I'm taking on Tumblr. I got sick and couldn't find the energy to complete day 1, but whatever. Enjoy the fluff!

"How about this one?"

"Roci, that monstrosity is nearly as tall as you are. There is no way I'm hauling that thing all the way back home." Bellemere walked the breadth of the gigantic blue spruce, craning her neck to see the top. "Besides, it's got a big dead patch in the back." A simple touch with her gloved hand sent myriads of brown needles raining onto the snow. "Not acceptable."

Eyebrows raised, Roci poked his head around the tree to frown at her. "You're awfully particular." he muttered.

"It's a Christmas tree, Roci. One can't be hasty about these things. It has to smell right, have firm, green needles, and–" she looked at him pointedly–"fit under the roof."

He pursed his lips, gesturing with one finger to another, smaller tree–a conifer. "Maybe that one?"

"It's crooked."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is, just look at it. It's a banana with bristles. If we chop it down, we'd have to cut it at a weird angle to get it to stand up straight."

His sigh sent white vapor drifting into the sky. "Is there anything else I should know, Christmas Tree Connoisseur?"

Bellemere grinned. "C'mon, the search is half the fun. If we found the perfect tree straight away, then it wouldn't be worth the half-hour hike." She scanned the horizon. "Let's try the blue spruce there, about six meters to the right."

They slogged through the snow, the crunching of their boots and hissing of breaths the only sound in the still, crisp air. A double-handled saw dangled over Roci's back; Bellemere's shotgun was strapped around her torso. All of a sudden, Roci's legs flew out from under him, and he plummeted face-first into the powder. As he floundered around, desperately trying to regain his footing, Bellemere couldn't help but let out a loud cackle.

"Okay, Frosty, up you go." She reached for his gloved and and pulled him upright. Spluttering and shaking snow out of his hair, Roci shivered.

"I can't feel my face."

Bellemere pouted comically and batted her eyelashes. "Aw. Do you want me to kiss it better?" She leaned in and rubbed her shoulder against his, making smoochy noises with her lips.

Whump. Roci was the only person she knew who could literally fall over with embarrassment. Hands on hips, she gave a mock sigh of exasperation.

"Roci, this is no time to be playing in the snow. We have a job to do."

—

Upon reaching the desired specimen, Bellemere proceeded to do her usual inspection. Shoving her hand into the needles, she shook the tree gently, inspecting the amount of needles that fell out. Then, she felt around its base to see if it had a proper trunk length; finally, the crown had to be long and narrow enough to stick a star on top.

At last, she straightened up, nodding slowly with hands on hips. "I think this might be the one."

"Sounds good." Rocinante pulled the double-handled saw from its slipcase.

"I'll take the right side." Bellemere offered.

After a few minutes of fruitless tugging and pulling, both had beads of sweat on their foreheads and were panting heavily. The metal teeth refused to bite into the frozen wood despite their best efforts.

"This is ridiculous!" Dropping the saw handle and massaging her aching fingers, Bellemere stood up. "Move away, Roci."

"What are you doing–"

In one smooth motion, she'd unslung her shotgun with one hand and aimed it at the base of the tree.

Three shots lit up the forest and shattered the silence. Cursing in surprise, Roci flung himself backwards into the snow, shielding his face with both arms. Wood splinters scattered like bits of broken bone; smoke furled from the gaping hole where a uniform trunk used to be.

With an agonized creak, the spruce tilted awkwardly to the left and then paused, as though it were holding its breath.

"Timber." Bellemere breathed. "Quick, catch it, Roci, before the branches get broken!"

Just as it snapped at the base, Roci let the tree fall into his arms, wrinkling his nose as the needles pricked his nose. Laying it gently onto the ground, his fingers brushed the fractured stump with an air of slight shock.

"You don't think that was the least bit…excessive?" He asked, quirking his lips into an amused smile.

With a huff, Bellemere replaced her shotgun across her back. "We would have been here all night if we'd done it your way. Where's the saw? Let's just trim the splintery parts and get it home."