Small, white flecks of snow littered the deep, raven colored hair of the boy as he ran quickly down the street, his breath fogging out in front of him. He darted between the people that covered the sidewalk, starting into the windows of shops, looking for the right presents to give that year's holiday season. The sun was sinking in the cold, winter sky but the boy was determined to get home in time to take his love to see the sunset. She would surely love the sight of the beautiful, mixing colors touching against the stark white of the snow that now completely layered the ground.

The snow began to soak through the boy's green hooded jumpsuit as the flakes started falling faster. Just as he began to shiver slightly, he reached the familiar door marked 107. He darted inside quickly, greeted by the warmth and comfort of the apartment. As he had just begun to head for his room to get changed, a familiar girl called out to him.

"Seto? You're back?" The voice was innocent and tired from probably having just woken up. He turned with a grin, laying eyes on the medusa and her puffy mass of hair that fell down to the ground from a high ponytail that no doubt Kido had managed to successfully put up. He grabbed the girl's hands joyfully and his smile widened.

"Yep! I'm back," he began, "and I want to show you something so go get dressed. We'll be going out so make sure you'll be warm, okay Mary?" Her eyes widened and she nodded running back into her room to get changed, excited for whatever he had to show her. As she disappeared, Seto hurried into his own abode and swapped his wet jumpsuit for a more comfortable—and warm—white turtleneck, green hoodie, dark blue pair of jeans, his typical green converse, and a pair of knit, navy blue gloves. As he emerged into the hallway, he carefully knocked on the Mary's door, asking if she was ready.

She also emerged a minute or two later, her hair now done, a cutesy pink ribbon in her hair. She wore an over-sized, heavy-weight poncho over her usual blue pinafore dress and a different pair of brown boots—soft white fluff stuck out from the tops and a small bow was tied at the sides of each, a pompom attached to the string ends. A blush rose on Seto's cheeks but not because of the chilly air. She was absolutely adorable and she only added to the innocent picture when she smiled and held her hands up to show him the muted red mittens she had on her hands.

"I'm ready!" She confirmed, grabbing onto his arm as they walked down the hall and out onto the busy street. Almost instantly, Mary became nervous, clinging tighter to the boy's green hoodie. He bent down close to her ear in the commotion.

"We won't be in the crowd long, don't worry and don't let go of me." He reassured her by flashing a smile and proceeded to lead her to a small drink stand a block or two away where he purchased two hot cocoas. Then, they weaved their way back the way they came and began to head out of the town limits. As they came to the familiar forest, Seto checked the sky to see that they only had a little time left to get to the area he wanted to take her.

"Here," he said, taking her cocoa for a moment and setting both on the high retaining wall beside them. He knelt down to let her climb up onto his back and she did so swiftly, always enjoying getting a piggy-back ride from him. "Hold on tight, Mary," he chuckled and her grip became stronger around his neck. He lifted her and positioned her in such a way that she wouldn't easily fall. Then, he reached up and grabbed their cups before heading into the trees.

He followed no path, just listened to the thoughts of the animals as his eyes glowed a bright red, finding the way quickly to the desired spot. He then let her down and handed her the cup that held her drink. She smiled and blew on the hot liquid before sipping it carefully. He did the same.

The steam that rose from the small openings of the lids warmed their faces and Seto drew her attention to the sunset. A quiet gasp came from the girl's mouth and she smiled widely.

"It's beautiful, Seto!" she exclaimed, scooting ever so slightly closer to him for the warmth he provided through his sweatshirt.

"This is what I wanted you to see," he laughed gently, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her forehead. She giggled and took another sip of her hot chocolate. They stood there for some time, watching silently, their cheeks and noses becoming even more flushed as the snow fell around them.

When the stars were visible and the sun was no longer present, the cream-haired girl yawned loudly, now out of drink. Seto chuckled loudly, a deep rumbling sound that lulled the drowsy girl closer to sleep. He took her cup and combined it with his which was also now empty. Then he scooped her swaying form up into his arms and headed back for the apartment—recycling the paper cups at the first opportunity.

As he pushed the door open and carefully made his way inside—making sure not to let the sleeping girl in his arms hit any of the surroundings—another two familiar faces greeted him. His adopted siblings sat on the couch, drinking their own hot liquids from their favorite mugs. Kano grinned playfully, his cat-like eyes always screaming trouble and Kido gave a curious expression but it quickly vanished and she smiled—one of her rare and genuine smiles. The raven-haired boy smiled back, walking past the two of them and taking his tuckered out medusa to her bed where he laid her down and pulled the large comforter up around her. He kissed her again on the forehead before retreating to the living room to join the other two.

The trio sat and conversed for a while before they too were needing sleep. Seto sent them off to their rooms with a wave and began shutting off the lights. He then headed back to his room, stopping by the open door across the hall. Before going into his room however, he heard a soft whisper.

"Thank you, Seto…"

Okie-Dokie! It's been a long while since I've been this enthusiastic about whatever it is that I'm writing.

Anyways, I was scrolling through DeviantArt and found the most lovely piece of SetoMary fanart like ever and it inspired me to write this little piece of fluffy goodness!

So many thanks to the artist! This Time of Year by DesignsBySloan ( art/This-Time-of-Year-497504519)

I sincerely hope you enjoy my fanfiction and I hope it does justice to your spectacular artwork!