As time dragged on, every living body had thrown themselves completely into restocking the toys. Leaving mortal children with the memory of Krampus would not be an option.

One person, however, abstained from the race against the clock.

Shocky idled by the window, painting shaky lines on a truck. She could still feel his touch on her shoulder, cool felt covered thumb brushing against her heated skin. It was all she could think about.

"Don't tell me- You want to be a dentist too"

"Huh?"

Shocky was jolted out of her trance by a red haired elf.

The elf looked to Hermey, who was oblivious in his focus on the doll in front of him, before settling her gaze on Shocky with a wide lopsided grin.

"It's only that you've been painting the same block of wood for three hours now"

The blonde looked up from his task with a grimace. "Aw leave her alone Ginny, who knows what those Miser Brothers did to her"

An elf nudged Aqua's leg. "So what's the deal with Shocky? if you don't mind me asking? when you guys arrived everything was fine, but she's been kind of out of it lately…"

Bob interrupted him.

"And not to be rude Aqua, but she's not exactly speeding up the process here if you uh..understand?"

Aqua narrowed her eyes at Shocky. "Oh I understand just fine. She's distracted"

"Yeah but by what?"

She wished she didn't know.

"I bet she's stressed about Christmas" Bob replied. "I'm sure she's also very frustrated with the bumbling brothers out there who caused this mess..ah well back to work, we're down 22% guys! really go for it! go go go-"

As if on cue, the brothers opened the doors, followed by their minions. They scowled at first, but then both their faces lit up with smiles.

Shocky jumped nearly out of her skin when her eyes rested on the Phantom.

"Well folks, Heat and I made up! Well mostly…"

Want an award for basic decency? Aqua thought cooly.

"Yes, Mrs Claus showed us some truth about our past and why we were always mad at each other, so we've decided to put our differences aside for the sake of Christmas!"

Their henchmen cheered as they joined the holiday rush.

As the workers muttered amongst themselves, the elder sister continued her handiwork- pointedly ignoring them.

She was removed from her bitter train of thought by a familiar smooth deep voice. She couldn't help but quiver at the sound.

"Would you uh...like a bit of help? …Also I'm sorry about our behavior earlier"

Standing before her was a sheepish Heat, twiddling his thumbs.

It was low to send a third party to do the dirty work, but this messenger was so exceptionally convincing.

She was powerless to resist.

Aqua flashed the nervous Miser a gentle smile. "I appreciate that"

She looked back to her work.

"But it's not you who owes the apology."

She met eyes with him again, scooting over and patting the empty spot she had just been occupying. Heat took it and perched himself beside her, picking up the plush animals before him.

"Well, if not me then who? Snow Miser? He won't apologize. We may have shaken hands but to be honest, I'm still kind of iffy about this truce thing…Besides...We DID shoot Santa down...so it's our fault, this entire situation anyway…"

Aqua scooted closer to him, pressing thigh against thigh. He blushed, pink tinge decorating his smooth face.

"I'm sure that shooting Mister Kris was an accident." Her eyes flickered up to him from beneath her lashes, with a smirk.

"You don't seem like the killing kind."

"Well thanks, I may be a little quick tempered but I'm not going to kill anyone...did I shoot two elves and a deer down one time? yes but I was already furious because I was fighting with Snow…"

She looked back down to the animal in her lap. "I can see why you question the truce. He doesn't have much… tact"

"I don't have much tact either. I've been kinda grumpy and blowing up all over the place!"

Aqua continued her work, poking the creature more forcefully with the needle.

"A little temper is one thing, derogatory comments are another entirely-"

"-I can see if you maybe threw that letter away, it was kinda inappropriate anyhow"

She leaned in, softly. "…Actually, about that letter."

She set the plush down and turned partly away, pulling the red envelope from her bodice and holding it between her fingertips.

"I tucked it away for safekeeping. Your timing was rather unfortunate, but I thought the note was charming…and cute.

…I suppose I ought to thank you"

Aqua studied his fine wide mouth, jowl lines gracefully framing its corners.

Such a big mouth. So handsome. She wondered what it felt like.

Her heart skipped a beat.

No. Not here. Not with everyone watching.

Aqua brought her lips as close as she could allow, just beyond the corner, and placed a soft kiss on the bottom of his pillowy cheek. Heat's face instantly darkened and turned as red as his nose. Steam shot out of his ears, his hair flaring up ever so slightly, but she'd hardly noticed anything beyond the tender flesh against her lips.

Oh how she wished they'd been alone.

The siren drew back reluctantly and slid the envelope back into her bodice before picking the neglected animal back up.

"A-ah well..I'm glad you liked it heh..I didn't realize you'd store it there..b-but yeah..heh toys..and..and things heh" Heat turned back to the broken pile, a big grin plastered on his rosy face.

At Shocky's station, several of the elves watched the display. A brunette gasped.

"Look at him, he's practically ogling her! Those Miser brothers are despicable"

At this Shocky paused. Across the room, pressed as close together as could be, the pair leaned into one another, engaged in quiet playful conversation. Green eyes sparkled through lowered lids, smoldering at the large fire haired man.

"I uh...my sister doesn't look at people that way"

Heat smiled at her through the blush. "Heh heh...well uh..in that case would you like to have cocoa with me before we take off? heh…"

Aqua's smile widened. " I thought you'd never ask. I'd love to have cocoa with you before you take off "

Ginny's companion glanced at the woman, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Maybe she's right, looks like Aqua is flirting with him big time, maybe he's not like his brother"

"Yeah I mean she wait what" Shocky faltered.

Not like his brother?

Snow chuckled under his breath before singing, rather obnoxiously

"Heat and Aqua sitting in a tree,

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

First comes love then comes marriage,

then comes a baby in a baby carriage!"

Heat scowled at him for a moment, averting the gaze to his feet with embarrassment. Aqua placed a hand on his back. "You might want to think twice about that song, it just might happen to you you know"

The winter elemental paused for a moment, greeted by the "oohing" of the other workers in the room, before answering her with a casual shrug. "At least..uh...I'm smooth as ice with the ladies"

Shocky stood there stunned. Blood turned to ice in her veins, the words repeating themselves like an echo chamber.

"…Smooth as ice with the ladies"

"…with the ladies"

The world went on, but time stood still for Shocky. The tall Miser winked at her, but her blank green eyes stared unseeingly at the hardwood floor. Elves mused about the revelation, claiming they knew he was flirting with her, but she never heard any of it. She hadn't realized she had stopped breathing until she heard Ginny's voice from far away

"You're right! those Miser Brothers are despicable!"

She had to leave. Shocky dropped the brush and stumbled her way out of the factory. They exchanged words, but the fight was garbled, drowned out by the awful revelation sinking into her gut.

Of course he was a flirt.

Completely oblivious to the anxious eyes following her out, she slipped through the doors and vanished into the mahogany corridor.


Snow raised his hands in a panic, his words rushed. "No no! it was just a joke that's my schtick I joke around a lot, the only lady I'm smooth with is my mother."

Ginny scoffed. "Ha! If that's your idea of a joke then you need a better gig!" She knew better than to trust the Miser brothers. She wouldn't put it past either of them to lie to her friends.

"We're sorry we're so despicable"

Heat rose and stepped away from Aqua's touch and with that, they too slipped out into the corridor.

The curvy fae stood stunned, filled with shock and dread as she watched the pair disappear. She'd never wanted him to suffer the consequences for his brother's actions.

Sending a third party was low.

Aqua gave only a moment's pause before hitching up her skirts and marching after them.

"…Wait"

The brothers slowed down when they heard her voice. She continued.

"I'm… sorry about what happened out there. These people have known us for virtually our entire lives. They mean well, but sometimes they… react harshly because they've known us for so long." Her eyes briefly flickered up to the winter elemental, glinting with something sharp before averting her gaze to the floor, stomach churning as she continued on at a low murmur. "Ginny became defensive because… she saw the way my sister looked at you."

The way she looked at him…

The wind left Snow Miser's lungs. He scrambled to string a sentence together, biting back the panic and despair settling in his gut.

"L-look Aqua, they're right. We're a nuisance… and destructive. That's how we've always been.."

Their behavior certainly wasn't gracious and as it was, Aqua was already calculating the cost of their damage to the flooring in the factory, let alone the damage to her sister.

Heat continued. "They may not have a reason to be cruel and they might not know they're being cruel, because to them we've been nothing but mean to everyone."

"It's all they know us as…" Snow finished sadly.

She raised her head to greet him with a piercing stare.

"If you're getting this reaction often, that means there's probably something you need to change about the way you act. If you haven't noticed, putting girls down isn't exactly popular with polite society."

Snow's frown deepened, heart sinking a little more. He'd forgotten all about that remark he'd made those hours ago…

And who it affected. Why did he say that?

"You're right, I'm…I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." He grabbed his face with a groan.

Aqua placed a hand on her hip. "Apologizing to me is only the first step". She glanced at Heat, who stood awkwardly by, eyes averted to the floor. With a sad frown, she reluctantly turned on her heel and headed back inside. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the skirts swirl around her ankles. They both had completely ruined everything.

His step brother's voice distracted the fire elemental from the ache as he spoke to no one in particular.

"I think I totally blew it with Shocky, if I could just apologize…"

Snow nodded wordlessly, setting out to canvass the place, leaving Heat alone with the growing despair.


Heavy boots clicked urgently along the wooden floors, taking Snow on a tour of the house.

Where was this mystery girl he had yet to learn so much about and so much to confess to?

The kitchen was full of trays and bowls and freshly baked cookies, but no inhabitants to be found. A particularly sweet elf with strawberry blonde hair offered only a suggestion and concern. She was quite fond of blanket forts and liked to hide in them when she was upset, but as it turned out, had never been this upset before. Following the suggestion, the godling made his way to the hall of bedrooms, stopping in front of largest one- the room he and his step sibling would be sharing with the girls.

The thought caused condensation underneath his navy gloves as he cleared his throat, preparing for the impending conversation. When he opened the door, however, he was greeted only with the sound of a crackling fire in the hearth. On either end of the room sat two beds, one neatly made, the other completely disheveled. His heart skipped a beat when his eyes rested on the mess. On the exposed mattress sat an all too familiar blue envelope.

She'd read his note.

He quickened his pace, racing past the empty living room. Halfway to the stables, he nearly missed her. A petite girl sat huddled on a quilt underneath a well decorated Christmas tree, her form cleverly hidden from sight by the shade of the pine needles and the fabric draped along the branches. With a deep sigh, he carried forward. Heavy shoes crunched the freshly fallen snow, the sound becoming wetter as he approached.

Partially melted?

He could almost sense the trepidation in the air as he drew closer, like the heaviness before a lightning strike. He sat down beside her with a hopeful smile.

"I'm sorry, is this your snow bank?"

His voice was velvet, gentle, laced with emotion she couldn't identify. She wasn't angry, but she couldn't face another person the way she was, especially not him. Shocky ducked behind a curtain of hair, willing it to hide the tear stained face beneath. Why him? Why now?

"…Shocky"

She couldn't see beyond the shining locks, but she could feel eyes on her. She mustered all the strength she had to steady her voice as she began to crawl out from under the tree.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were- I'll just-"

"Listen, about what happened back there-"

"-It's not your fault"

He was a perfect stranger, like a ship passing in the night. It was silly to believe hers would be the only letter he sent.

But if it was silly to feel so strongly about a perfect stranger, then why

did it hurt so badly to know he was wooing others too? Wasn't that what grownups did?

"No, it is. I blew it out of proportion, I was joking… I didn't realize how you felt about… I'm s…You see I…" He gripped his head, the apology dying in his throat.

"…You didn't do anything wrong" She answered quietly. "I-I'm fine, I just need some time…it's great that you're so popular"

Why was this so hard? Apologizing to Mother had never been so nerve-wracking, and yet here it felt that his fate hung on every word he said. His face grew so heated he could almost feel it melt.

"But that's not it at all! It wasn't like that. I may be Mother's favorite, but… she's my only fan and I'm not as cool as you thought I was…and you're not weak! I was just…the thing is…I didn't know how to…I was trying to be cool so I accidentally on purpose said some stuff wrong and it was stupid but I was trying to get your attention and before that I was really mean to you when I said you needed my help because you're a girl but I didn't mean it

…you're the only girl I want to talk to"

Shocky turned her head slightly, exposing just the tip of her round nose.

"I'm… new… to this…It's so hard to talk to you and I never know what to say because…because things are different and I've never felt anything like this before s-so when I get these flurries rushing around inside me, I make up stupid things and I didn't realize it came out that way and I'm…"

He sighed. "I'm sorry"

Tiny hands grabbed Snow's scarf, yanking him sharply towards the baby faced girl. His heart pounded through his chest, fighting to break free when she fixed her gaze on him through low lidded eyes. He drew closer, curiously, and wiped the trail of tears from her cheek with a trembling thumb.

His head spun, her warm breath adding condensation to the trickle running along his drippy hairline.