So to celebrate being snowed in today (9 inches today! School was canceled and everything!), here's a little ficlit that takes place in the near future of Return Home. Enjoy!
I DO NOT own the Biker Mice or Charley! Copper and Silver are my own creations, please do not use them without permission!
Snow Day
Silver stared wide-eyed at the vast expanse of white that covered the field. She had never seen anything like it in her life, no had she ever been so cold. "What is it, Mister Modo?" she asked as she clung to the gentle giant's back, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his chest.
Modo chuckled and patted Silver's arm. "It's snow, li'l darlin'. Frozen water."
"What's frozen?" Silver asked, pulling her hat further down on her ears. Unlike the adults, she didn't have a full coat of fur yet and so was wearing a heavy jacket borrowed from one of the kids in the orphanage. Charley had even found a pair of mittens and boots small enough for Silver at one of the local used clothing stores. Even with all her gear, she kept shivering: the coldest weather she had ever experienced was the Martian winter where it never got lower than 50°. In comparison, the orphans the mice had come to visit were running around and laughing, getting ready for the snowball fight that would happen soon.
"It means very cold," Copper said, coming up next to Modo and looking out at the field behind the orphanage. Charley had lent her one of her coats and although it was a little short, it fit Copper well enough for a romp in the snow. Her hair was braided and twisted around her head to keep it out of her way. Her and Modo were going up against Charley and Vinnie with the orphans split between them: Throttle and Carbine were having some much needed alone time back at the scoreboard. "Fort is almost ready, love," she said with a grin. "Silver sweetie, why don't you go help the other kids get ready for the fight?"
"Nuh uh," Silver said, shaking her head forcefully. "I dun wanna get down. It's cold!"
Copper smiled and gently tugged Silver away from Modo's back, setting her down on the ground. "Well you can't go into battle like that, clinging to someone's back. You'll get used to it faster if you play with it." She held a handful of snow in her gloved hand and compacted it into a firm ball, Silver looking at her curiously. "Snow is fun, sweetie. Look…" Copper stood, took aim, and threw the snowball, hitting Vinnie square in the back of his head and making him face plant into a bank of snow. Silver laughed and clapped her hands before trying to form her own ball of snow.
Copper smiled and gently pushed Silver in the direction of their team. "Go have fun with the other kids, ok? Let us know when the battle is about to start."
"Yes Captain Mama," Silver said, walking cautiously across the deep snow. The other children waved her over with smiles, interested in meeting the little mouse, especially since she looked so much like the giant grey mouse who gave them rides on his shoulders.
Modo smiled and wrapped Copper in his arms, gently nuzzling her antenna, missing the feel of his fur against hers: In concession to the cold, he had donned a long-sleeved shirt instead of being mostly bare-chested like normal. "You ever played in snow before?"
"It snowed once when I was really little," Copper said, snuggling into her giant. "Daddy made Alloy and me a snow fort and we had a fight. But it all melted by the next day." She sighed and looked back at the children playing. Silver seemed to get along just fine with the human children. "I still can't believe how much water is on this planet…"
"I couldn't believe it myself, at first," Modo said. "But it's real easy to get used t' when you've been here for awhile."
"Think Mars will ever be like that again?" Copper said, a slight sadness in her eyes.
"Heck yeah," Modo chuckled. "Just as soon as we kick some Catatonian butt." And then he leaned down and kissed her, ignoring the grossed-out noises some of the children made when they saw it.
"Hey Copper!" Vinnie yelled, effectively killing the moment. The white mouse stormed over, Charley in his wake. Some snow still stuck to the fur at the top of his head and was starting to slide down his mask. He also wore a shirt because of the snow, but in an attempt to show off his muscles better the shirt was painfully thin.
"Sweet goddess Vinnie, put on a sweater or something before ya poke someone's eye out," Copper said, making a face at him.
"Hey, made you look, sweetheart," Vinnie said with a wink before frowning at her again. "Why'd ya hit me with a snowball?"
"Just demonstrating to Silver one of the basic principals of warfare," Copper said with a smirk. "Take the enemy by surprise."
"Oh yeah?" Vinnie huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well that won't work on me twice!"
"Vinnie, baby, could you turn around for me? I think you have something on your shirt," Charley said, her green eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Sure thing, dollface," Vinnie said, smiling as he turned toward his lover. As Charley made a show of picking something off the front of his shirt, Copper detangled herself from Modo and grabbed a heaping handful of snow.
"Hey Vinnie!"
"Wha-? HOLY MOTHER-FREAKING HELL!!" Vinnie yelped as Copper slipped the snow down the front of his shirt. As he danced around trying to get it out, Charley pulled on the back of his jeans and neatly slipped in another handful of snow down the seat of his pants, making Vinnie yell out a whole new line of explicatives while Modo, Copper, Charley and the children all but fell over laughing. "Ah man, bro, they got you good!" Modo guffawed, wiping a tear from his eye. Copper clung to him, laughing to hard she couldn't stand up straight. Vinnie glared at the three of them in turn, making a fresh bout of laughter bubble over.
"How could you, babe?" he asked Charley with a whine, his ears flat as he looked at her with sad puppy eyes.
"I'm sorry, Vinnie," Charley said, still laughing as she straightened the knit beanie that hid her auburn hair from view. "It was just too good a opportunity to pass up." Charley reached over and high-fived Copper before a fresh spurt of giggles overtook her.
"I hate you all," Vinnie said, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest-
Until another snowball flew through the air and hit him smack on the back of the head. "Seriously!?" he sputtered, turning to glare at the one who hit him. Silver stood a few feet away, giggling at Vinnie's expression.
"Uncle Vinnie is funny!" Silver said, her garnet eyes wide with laughter. "Uncle Vinnie's head go splat!"
"Oh, that is so it," Vinnie muttered, swooping over to grab Silver and toss her over his shoulder. "We settle this now! To arms, men!" With that he stomped over to one side of the field, Silver still laughing as she dangled from his shoulder. Charley followed her boyfriend to their fort, half of the orphans following with whoops and cheers.
Modo smiled at Copper, who finally managed to get herself under control and was pushing back the few strands of hair that had escaped. "Ya ready for battle, darlin'?"
Copper smiled and kissed him swiftly. "Let's rock."
"I still say we won," Copper muttered as she took a sip from her hot cocoa (made with soy milk in deference to her inability to tolerate animal protein). She sat on the couch in Charley's apartment, a fire going in the small hearth right across from her. Modo chuckled as he sat down next to her, balancing a bowl of popcorn and his own enormous mug of cocoa.
"Aw, it don't matter, darlin'," he said as Copper shifted so she was leaning against him, her feet now on the couch and her head pillowed on his shoulder. He placed the popcorn between them and threw one arm over the back of the couch, gently rubbing Copper's ear as he did so. "Vinnie and Silver were so happy. Jus' let it go."
"Yeah, you're right…" Copper said, still frowning. "But we had the tactical advantage-"
"Mama, Mister Modo!" Silver said as she came running in, taking a flying leap onto the couch and almost upsetting the bowl of popcorn and the cocoa. Copper managed to save her mug and the bowl, raising a brow at Silver.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Miss Charley ma'am gave me this!" Silver said, proudly holding out a tattered hard-cover picture book. "She said I should ask you to read it for me!"
"She did?" Copper said, her eyebrow raising a bit further. "And where is Charley ma'am now?"
"Her and Uncle Vinnie went to her room," Silver said, her wide eyes solemn. "They're gonna play a grown-up game."
"Well ok then," Modo said, a faint blush crossing his cheeks. "Let's give this book a read, shall we?" Silver nodded and climbed over Copper's legs to sit between her parents, the bowl of popcorn balancing on her lap. Modo took the book and opened it, clearing his throat before beginning.
"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a…mouse?"
"Vinnie!" Copper yelled, hearing answering guffaws echo back at her from Charley's room. "I am so getting you for this!"
AN: Hoped you liked it! Happy holidays to all =D