The sun sparkled against the freshly fallen snow, turning the landscape into a field of diamonds. White flakes continued to fall from the sky, fluttering through the air and piling high on top of the nearly seven inch blanket already on the ground. The roads had yet to be plowed, leaving the residents of Strawberry Street with no easy way of leaving their homes. But the Heartfilias and Dragneels weren't complaining, both couples happily taking advantage of the snow day and merrily enjoying the first snowfall of the year with their children.

The yard of the Hearfilia home was filled with giggles as Jude gently carted his one-year-old daughter around on a plastic sled, the blonde absolutely swaddled in layers upon layers of coats and sweaters and scarves per Layla's insistence. Lucy resembled a fluffy pink marshmallow, but she was undoubtedly kept incredibly warm, the tip of her little nose tinged only the slightest shade of red from the cold.

Next door, the little, two-year-old Dragneel boy was in a similar state of bundles and bunches, standing completely still in the spot where his father had first set him down in the middle of the yard and staring at the mass of white on the ground before him, eyes wide as if in fear. Natsu could walk just fine now, but the puffy red snow pants that were gathered in puffy bunches on his short little legs made the once simple task difficult, especially when the snow was piled as high as it was.

"Come on, Natsu," Grandeeny called softly, video camera held at the ready and waiting for her son to do something. He hadn't been able to go out in the snow much last year due to how little he'd been, so Grandeeny had prepared his winter clothes for this year with euphoric anticipation, excitedly awaiting her son's reaction to the world once it had been blanketed with white. She hadn't anticipated his state of complete stillness given his normally crazy, impulsive nature, nor had she ever seen him look so afraid of something before. He normally handled whatever came his way with a laugh and a little grin before going back to how he normally was, in most cases, completely unbothered by anything out of the ordinary. And sure, raising a child as wild and unpredictable as him posed a new challenge every day, but he was her kid, and she wouldn't trade him for the world. He'd brought her and Igneel more joy than they'd ever known before, his unadulterated, genuine happiness and spit-fire curiosity warming their heart on the daily.

But now, she was seeing an entirely different side of him. He still hadn't moved, and he barely even flinched when Igneel began to scoop up small handfuls of the powdery snow to lightly toss them in his direction in an attempt to get some sort of reaction. While Grandeeny might like to believe her little salmon haired son was in awe, she could clearly tell that he was terrified, and maybe a bit sad too given the way his bottom lip was beginning to puff out. Playing outside was one of his favorite things, and to see his playground covered in something so foreign and so cold must've made him upset.

Lucy, on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying every second of her time in the snow, giggles and shrieks of joy escaping her lips in endless streams. Jude had her in his arms now, the little blonde looking skywards and reaching out to catch the falling flakes as her father crossed into the Drangeel's yard to exchange good tidings with his neighbors.

"Natsu doesn't like the snow much?" Jude chuckled, his eyes on the frigid Dragneel boy.

Grandeeny let out a heavy sigh, though she still had her video camera at the ready, not willing to give up on capturing a good moment even as she dejectedly concurred, "I guess not."

"I don't blame him," Igneel jested, folding his arms proudly over his chest, "I'm not a 'winter and snow' kind of guy either. Guess he just takes after his dad."

Lucy's focus had drifted to Natsu too, her giggling ceasing for a moment as she quietly looked over her friend. But her grin was soon flashing back to life, her voice bright and chipper as she exclaimed, "Daddy down!"

"Alright, dear."

The snow crunched beneath Lucy's booted feet as Jude set her right before the salmon haired boy, the blonde immediately reaching down to grab a handful of snow. She spent a good moment gathering and balancing the pile between her two tiny, mitten-covered hands as if trying to make it look presentable, a bright smile on her face as she straightened herself out with her hands full of white flakes.

Lucy shuffled a bit closer to the salmon haired boy, missing a few letters and sounds as she held the snow out towards him and happily jabbered, "Nasu. Sow."

The boy silently looked between her face and the pile in her hands, his little brows furrowed in hesitation.

"Sow," she introduced again, shuffling even closer to him so that her hands were bumping against his chest.

Grandeeny held her breath as her son finally moved, his arm slowly coming up from his side and his hand dipping into the pile in the blonde's hands to steal a chunk of snow from her grasp. He stared at the snow in his own hand for a moment, and Grandeeny eagerly anticipated whatever he was going to next, her video camera still held at the ready. She figured he might just drop it after looking at it for a bit, or maybe he'd lick it or eat it or a number of other things. But on the contrary, her eyes widened when he finally made his move, his little gloved hand fisting around the snow for a moment before he looked back up…and chucked the snow straight into the blonde's face. She flinched as it made impact, her eyes squeezing tightly shut as the little handful exploded against her skin.

"Natsu!" Igneel reprimanded, already taking a few steps towards his son.

Jude started forward too, ready for the outburst that was sure to come from his daughter's mouth at any second.

But Lucy reacted before any of the three adults could intervene, her eyes entirely void of any tears and her little lips set in a determined pout as she shoved her still snow-filled hands into Natsu's face.

Grandeeny, Igneel, and Jude all froze, waiting for chaos to break loose now that the little Drangeel boy had been attacked.

Lucy's hands slowly peeled from his face, some of the snow falling away now that the pressure was gone, but a few clumps remaining plastered against his skin and clinging to his eyelashes. His lips began to quiver, a clear sign of an approaching meltdown.

But instead of the edges of his mouth drooping downward, they rocketed upward, a light laugh slipping through his lips.

Just like always, once one of them was giggling, the other soon followed suit, Natsu's laughter cueing Lucy's own. They both bent down, still laughing as they buried their hands in the snow and shoveled chunks of white at the other, aiming quite horribly with the little coordination their tiny bodies possessed.

A warm smile splayed across Jude's lips, "It seems like he likes the snow after all."

"Nope," Igneel chuckled deep in his chest, a knowing grin on his face as he watched the two children play, "he just likes Lucy."

AN

At first I was like, "Nah, I won't have them shove snow into each other's faces because I want this to be all fluffy and nice," but then I was like, "Eh, babies will be babies and pretty much anything a baby does is cute in my opinion."

Hope you enjoyed, and I hope to see you back tomorrow!

Hint for next chapter: Christmas Market