It was Christmas Eve in Minecraftia and the snow was falling down. It was the first Christmas the spaceman would spend on this planet. He still could never quite grasp the importance of times like these. He stared blissfully out of his window; he watched as the pure white blanket covered the world and continued to pile in the most beautiful of ways. Snow was new to him; his planet hadn't the right atmosphere for temperatures this low. He sighed and turned away from the scenery, dully looking around his small home. He was alone; he'd been told of the customs but had none to try them with. Not that he really cared; it would be like it always had been before he came here. But even so, he wished he had someone to show him these things, it would be nice for a change.
The spaceman sighed again and stood, stretching his aching joints. As he walked towards his fireplace he shivered, rubbing his arms wildly. It felt like a presence had suddenly appeared in the room but when Xephos glanced around, he was still alone. He shrugged it off and turned back to the fireplace. He knelt down and picked up a flint and steel Honeydew had left him with while he was visiting his family. Khaz modan had given him this one opportunity to return to his family for a few days, and he wasn't going to turn down that chance. Although the spaceman was truly sad he wouldn't spend this time with his friend, he knew what it was like to miss your family after being forced away from them, he knew better than anyone.
With a few hard strikes of the tool, orange sparks landed on the few logs left in the fireplace, setting them alight, instantly filling the room with a warm orange glow. Xephos couldn't help but smile as he warmed his hands. He still loved the primitive light this planet had, away from all the technical lighting he was used to. He wandered around his home aimlessly. It was a neither big nor complex house. The layout was simple; there was a kitchen, fit with furnaces and chests to store their provisions in. There was a living room, fit with chimney, bookshelves and couches, and two bedrooms, one his own and the other the dwarfs. Honeydew had set up a small mine just outside but it was blocked by mounds of snow at this point.
Content with the temperature of the room, the spaceman walked towards their bookshelves. He ran his finger along the spines until he found the one he wanted. He pulled the thick, dust covered book from its position and blew on its cover, coughing slightly at the sheer amount of dust on the thing. There was even a spot on the self where the dust had been stopped by the existence of the book sitting there. He wondered over and sat on a cushy red couch and opened the book.
He smiled down at the yellowed paged and gingerly turned them. It was a scrapbook he had salvaged from the wreckage, though the photos that were still mostly in tact, were singed and burnt in parts. It had a few photos from his past life that brought a tear to his eye. He brushed a hand over to one person in particular; his daughter. He missed her greatly but he needn't worry, she wouldn't miss him. She had died tragically when she was quite young; it was out of anyone's hands. He focused on her features for a few long minutes before forcing himself to turn the page again. He had shown Lalna how to make a camera so that they could complete the scrapbook, and in doing so, that's what most of the photos included. Xephos skimmed over the pages recounting all the memories he'd had with his new friends this year. He gave a small sad smile and closed the book, placing it down carefully on the coffee table in front of him.
Xephos bit his lip and closed his eyes, barely containing his silent sobs. The spaceman had spent many hours sitting and staring at the fire before he finally drifted into sleep, curled into himself. It was then the presence appeared beside the sleeping man, the being smiled and softly stroked his cheek.
"Don't worry my silly spaceman; you're not as alone as you think" The being whispered, standing up. His golden eyes sparkled mischievously as he waved his hands about, floating into the air with ease. Whips of gold filled the room, touching every corner and transforming it to reds, greens, silvers and gold's of all types.
When he was satisfied, the being sat beside Xephos and sighed happily, then he caught sight of the book the spaceman had been searching through earlier. With a wave of his hand the book floated over to him and opened to the first page. He looked long and hard at the photo of his spaceman and his daughter, she truly was beautiful. Xephos was in his red and black star ship uniform, knelt on one knee while the girl in a light blue dress sat on his other. They looked so happy, both their eyes glowed with happiness; she looked so much like her father; same hair, same eyes and the same smile. The being felt himself smile at the picture, he had an idea.
The next morning, the spaceman felt his eyes flutter open and blurrily look around the room as he sat up. Something didn't feel right. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, looking around the room once more. His jaw dropped.
Every inch of the room was covered in tinsel. Beautiful reds and greens all around him mixed with the occasional silver and gold. He slowly stood walking around the room, examining every detail in awe. He even noticed that everything smelt of Cinnamon. It was then he noticed the tree; he walked over to it and smiled. It was a small spruce tree covered in colourful baubles, tinsel and lights that danced merrily all around it. He looked to the top of the tree and noticed a large star settled upon the highest peak of the tree, it was made of gold and silver and a few small diamonds here and there.
"Pretty isn't it?" A voice from behind him asked. The spaceman spun around and was greeted with the toothy grin of none other than Ridgedog.
"You did all this?!" Xephos exclaimed, walking toward the hovering man.
The demigod nodded and did a little twirl, his black and gold coat twisting around him. "Do you like it?" he then asked, floating forwards and taking the spacemans hands in his own.
"Ridge, it's amazing. I never knew something so simple could be so beautiful" Xephos grinned happily.
Ridge and Xephos savoured their moment before Ridge broke the silence. "Oh! I nearly forgot your Christmas present" He exclaimed, landing in the ground and walking over to the tree, bending down and picking up a colourfully wrapped object with a ribbon around it. The spaceman raised a brow but didn't question the demigods actions until the object was placed in his hands.
"Open it; I hope you'll like it." Ridge said excitedly. Xephos merely gave the man a strange look before slowly un-wrapping the gift. Once the wrapping was discarded on the floor, Xephos placed down the rectangular box and cautiously open the letter. It read;
To my dearest spaceman,
I know times have been difficult for you, and you're doing your best to fit in, I would just like to say there's no need. Ever since we first met, I knew that we would be good friends. You are perfect just the way you are and there's no need to be sad. We can be your new family.
Merry Christmas, Xephos.
~Ridge
Xephos looked up from the letter and at Ridge, whom was blushing slightly, but still holding his toothy grin. "Go on, open the box" The demigod ushered; Xephos complied and removed the lid of the box, pulling out a small photo frame. What was in the frame made the spaceman burst into tears, and laughing at the silliness of it. It was the photo of him and his daughter, but the picture was as perfect as the day it had been taken, mended of all the burns the crash had brang. But the thing that made him laugh was the insertion of a certain someone pulling a stupid face; it looked as if the person had actually been in the place the photo had been taken. The only giveaway was his attire and that his feet weren't touching the ground.
Ridge smiled and placed a hand on the spaceman's shoulder, whom looked up with a tear streaked face. "Thank you Ridge. Thank you for this" he smiled, choking on his words slightly and pulled the demigod into a hug.
"Anything for you, my silly spaceman" Ridge whispered into Xephos' hair, giving the slightly shorter man a squeeze. "Merry Christmas"
A/N: Merry Christmas! Since it's about 5 days 'till the big guy in red shows up, I thought I'd try for an X-mas Fluff. I'm quite proud of it, being my first try at this type of fluff. If you liked it, or have any suggestions for later don't hesitate to shoot me a PM or review, both would make me very happy :)
Y'all have a Merry Christmas now!
~Dew
