The idea for this chapter came nearly six months ago as I sat in my Copper Mountain condo and watched them construct a race/trick course for a snowboard competition. It was insanely big and difficult, and sadly, I wasn't competing so I couldn't give it a go. Even then, I might have broken my neck trying.
This chapter took nearly 5 months to get started. Pathetic, I know. I'll try to start updating regularly now. Also, I wrote this to satisfy my friends who are mad at me for not posting anything in so long.
Pairings: Well, it hasn't really changed…that I know of…(quickly checks notes) nope, no change! It's still a 1x2 get-together fic, and I have officially decided that there will be a bit of 3x4. So hah!
Archived: Only here, and if you'd like it (on my knees and begging) just take it and send me an email so I know where it's going.
Oh, and if you see a () after a word, it means that it has a definition in the glossary at the end.
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Description of Copper Mountain:
I had no idea how to work this into the actual fic, so I'll just say it here. Copper is a fairly small winter resort at about eleven thousand feet. The highest lifts go way above twelve thousand feet and there are 10 major lifts in total, the largest of which, seats six people on each chair. The runs range from easy greens to 'extreme terrain' (meaning, if you don't like to jump cliffs, stay away from the extremes). There are three parts of the town; Center Village where all the shops are located (this is where Duo and his group work) with medium hills, the East Village, where most of the locals live with the harder hills (where Duo and his group live), and Union Creek, where the hotels are and really easy hills (Heero and Trowa stay here).
A Snow Bunny's Love, Chapter 2
By Cerulean Waters
The next day, Duo woke his two friends with his maniacal laughing and shouting.
"Yes! 20 full inches! There hasn't been a snow like this all year! Let's see, lifts open at 8:30 'cause it's a weekend, it isn't a holiday, so there'll be a fifteen minute line at the most. So to be the first ones down the mountain we'll need to be out of here in- oh crap. Ten minutes…Everyone get your butts out here!"
Since they obviously couldn't sleep through the racket, Quatre and Wufei obliged him. Although they weren't as obsessive about it as Duo, they too would enjoy being the first to touch the new powder.
It was a mad rush to gather all their equipment and clothes inside the small house which was already cluttered. They shared a bedroom and had similar beds done in different colors, Duo had black, Quatre had blue, and Wufei's was white. It was convenient to only have one sleeping room, but it made getting dressed a disaster.
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Exactly ten minutes later, the three were assembled at the front door. Duo was clutching his freshly waxed() board which featured a beautiful crimson rose. (A/N: The one from the last chapter.) He had spent several hours the previous day working on getting the polish just right and was rewarded with the beautiful shine that was evident now. Wufei and Quatre had been working in their shop, and so had not had time to attend to their own boards. Both of them regretted it now, when each realized how hard it would be to build up any speed in the thick powdery snow.
They practically sprinted to the Super-Bee lift, which was conveniently located across the street from their house. (It's horribly expensive rent, but worth it) The lift only serviced blacks and tough blues, so it was usually the least crowded of all 26 lifts and the perfect way to start a powder run.
"Hey! Sally's here, we're lucky." Duo exclaimed as the three drew closer to the line.
"Duo, I'm not supposed to let citizens take advantage of my position." Sally said this, but everyone knew that she couldn't deny them anything, for all of them had at their disposal, including Wufei, surprisingly effective puppy-dog eyes.
Sally Po was the medical director for the Copper Ski Patrol(). If there was an emergency, she had to show up, but other than that, she got to cruise the mountain and budge in lift lines. Anyone acquainted with her could budge as well, because, really, who wants to argue with a ski patroller who can bust your arse? Sally had known the boys since they were young and had acted as the older sister that all of them lacked.
Duo stomped his foot onto his grip pad and grabbed Sally's arm, giving her no choice but to pull him along as she made her way to the front of the line. It was always more efficient to mooch a ride off someone, so Duo did it as often as possible. Quatre and Wufei followed, still weary from their early rising.
The lift took less than eleven minutes to reach the peak of the mountain, and eager to board off the powder before others reached the top, the boarders and skier went straight down, not even pausing to speak.
At the beginning of the last stretch though, Sally noticed Quatre watching Duo ride() the moguls().
"He's good isn't he?" She directed the question at him, knowing what he was thinking.
"Yeah, better than us. I think he's getting bored, doing the same thing everyday; he needs something exciting to happen." Quatre smirked.
"Uh oh, you've got that look again."
"What look?" The boy had instantly changed tactics and was now looking up at her innocently.
Sally just snickered and pushed off with her poles, short-swinging() though the bumps.
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"It should be nice today. A lot of beginners don't like powder, but it's a cinch." Trowa said, managing to sound both firm and coaxing.
His friend was seriously considering not leaving bed. It would have been unlike him to pass up such a challenge, but then, his legs were so sore, he didn't even want to think about moving them.
Heero groaned, before replying, "We stay on green hills. Understand?"
"Greens and easy blues."
"Good enough." Heero groaned again, and swung his legs out of bed.
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The four friends made it to the top of the Eagle lift when Duo insisted that they stop. Someone had set up a small table and was offering tours, along with free cookies, and it was just impossible to resist. That is, the cookies were; none of them were interested in a mountain tour, since they probably knew it better than the guides.
"Alright, let's finish this run, then we'll head over to the Flyer." Wufei was obviously becoming anxious to leave. This may have had something to do with the flocks of teeny children who were currently swarming around the cookie table with Duo.
"Yeah, and if we don't get out of here soon, I'm afraid that Duo's going to regress to five years old again. Besides, I heard that they were building a new park around there." The blonde skier reached out and poked Duo with his pole, silently commanding him to pay attention to where they were going.
Sally chose not to say anything, instead she pushed off and left them behind her in a flurry powdery snow. The other three followed, Duo grumbling a bit to himself as he finished his last cookie.
The construction of a new terrain park was always a point of excitement for Copper locals; in a fairly constant mountain landscape, a park was an ever changing place to test out new skills. Although the construction of the towering jumps, half-pipes and rails could take up to a week, it would be well worth the wait.
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Duo adjusted his black cap, the wind was building to such speeds that losing his favorite hat would be a serious possibility. Satisfied with the hat, he strapped his loose foot to his board, straightened his jacket, and hopped slightly to start moving.
Grinning slightly, he dodged a large group of amateur skiers. Not that he had a problem with them, but it did become rather annoying when they plugged up the runs that where much too difficult for them. There had been a time when he, Quatre and Wufei had been like that. As children, they were eager to prove that they could handle anything the mountain had to offer and so had found themselves in more than a few precarious situations.
He leaned further into the hill, his edge cutting into the snow and creating a firmer grip, deep furrows marking his path. He had fallen behind from the group and was going a bit faster than usual to catch up.
Snowboarding had always come easily to him, his amazing sense of balance accentuating natural skill. There was little that Duo loved more than to carve straight down a fall line(), gathering speed until his hair whipped behind and his eyes stung.
Perhaps he should give up his non-competitive policy, Quatre had been insisting that he enter a race for some time now and the idea was starting to seem more appealing.
Lost in his personal musings, Duo failed to notice one of the skiers, originally part of the large group, but obviously at a lower skill level than the rest, fumble slightly in a large snowdrift which lay directly ahead of him. Instead of turning safely to the side, he continued right into the skier, and in a tangle of limbs, skis, poles and a board, they rolled.
Duo looked up, still shocked from the fall, into the face of the imbecile who had caused the painful accident.
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That may have been a bad place to stop, I couldn't think of where else to cut it off. Kaaera was the only one to correctly guess the owners of both boards. Congrats!
Everyone else, keep trying and also guess who Duo just ran over.
Quick Glossary (again)
Waxed- special waxes are usually applied to the bottoms of skis and boards both to protect them, and to increase speed and grip.
Copper Ski Patrol- basically, a bunch of cool people who get paid to bum around on the mountain and occasionally do something useful.
Ride- a slangy term for the act of snowboarding
Moguls- consistent bumps that will completely cover certain runs
Short-swing- a style of skiing that involves many short quick turns (very difficult in my opinion)
Fall line- a line going down the slope that a skier/boarder will visualize before going down
Thanks to all the reviewers!
OOMaxwellDemonOo: You're my hero! I was incredibly excited to find that someone who skis Copper was reading this.
Scythewing: You might just get your wish of Heero joining the Dark Side. (wink)
Ashen Skies: I was so happy when you reviewed, I love your fics!
I desperately need a reliable beta, say something in a review if you are at all interested..
The Truth: My stilettos may look hot, but they hurt like a bitch.