Request by ShunKazamis-Girl.

Merry Christmas everyone and remember to all shout out Jumanji before 2021 starts.

o-o-o

Maybe it was the quiet, early morning murmur that was so vastly different than any other boisterous days in the Curtis brother's lives. Maybe it was the hot chocolate that warmed their bodies from the inside out, leaving behind sweet remnants over their upper lips—the rich smell of the hot beverage wafted throughout the house like a lit candle. Or maybe it was the perfectly wrapped gifts that were tucked under the cut-down evergreen tree that indicated that it was Christmas day.

Although their Christmas wasn't nearly as extravagant as the Socs, the trio was content and happy. They enjoyed all the little things and their traditions. To them, it was perfect. It didn't seem like the holiday could get any better. However, on that particular day, it did.

It started when Soda went to pick up the newspaper that Darry liked to read every morning. Preparing for a quick trip outside and back, he didn't prepare for his barefoot to sink into powdery snow. As soon as his foot was engulfed in it, Soda yelped, retreating back inside like he was just burned. However, his wide, bewildered eyes stayed locked outside. A smile spread across his face that was lit up by the albedo of the snow as he completely comprehended what was waiting for him outside.

Soda practically galloped to the kitchen where Pony and Darry were finishing up their breakfasts. They snapped their heads over to him with curiosity clear on their faces when Soda's hip shook the table.

"Snow," he breathed out, and that was all it took for Ponyboy to spring out of his chair. Darry was more nonchalant about it, but it was obvious that he was excited with how much his eyes sparkled.

They reached the window in the living room. Soda lifted the blinds, which they kept closed during the winter to help keep the house insulted and toasty. They were instantly hit with the cold that radiated off the window, a total contrast to how warm it was inside. Through the fogged-up glass, they saw the ground that was blanketed in fresh snow. There wasn't too much yet—only half a foot or so from what they could tell—but it was enough to make everything a winter wonderland. Or, at least, as much as a wonderland that they could get in Tulsa. But that wasn't the point. Sure, snow was great to wake up to and all, but this happened on Christmas day. None of them have ever had a white Christmas before.

"Would you look at that…" Darry muttered under his breath, totally mesmerized by how it sparkled under the sun. His attention was snapped away when the door opened by Ponyboy. He shook his head. "Not so fast, buddy. We're going to open the gifts before going outside."

There were no oppositions as they sat down in the living room. There weren't too many gifts, so they went through it pretty quickly. However, right when they finished, the door slammed open and Two-Bit marched inside the house with an arm swung around Johnny's trembling shoulders.

"Look who I found sleeping on a bed of snow," Two-Bit commented, finally letting go of Johnny who had a red face from either the cold or from embarrassment.

"Kick the snow back out," Darry ordered, seeing how much was dragged in.

Johnny walked over to Ponyboy who lifted his blanket for him to join.

"Hey, Ponyboy," Johnny greeted.

"Hey, Johnnycakes," Ponyboy replied. "Why didn't you come in before? You didn't have to be in the cold."

However, Johnny could only shyly shrug.

"So, Two-Bit, what are you even doing here?" Soda loudly asked, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I thought you were celebrating Christmas with your family."

"You are my family," Two-Bit laughed, lounging himself on the sofa. "Now, where are my gifts?"

"Under the tree," Darry answered, lazily pointing in the direction. "Johnny, there are gifts for you under there too."

o-o-o

Before any of them knew it, every member of their gang was there, warming up and enjoying each other's company. The once quiet home was back to being boisterous. When they were ready, they started to pull on their jackets to go outside. They didn't have great clothes for the cold, let alone the snow. Their clothes were all worn down, thinned from the constant use. However, anything was better than nothing.

As soon as their feet hit the snow, they went off to do their own things. Steve and Soda were balling up snowballs and creating walls. Two-Bit, who was "drinking to not feel the cold" was creating snow angels and successfully embarrassing Dally who was talking to Darry. Ponyboy and Johnny were near the corner of the property, creating a snowman.

It was all going great when Soda and Steve started a snowball fight. At first, it was just between them, ducking behind their walls for shelter and throwing the balls of snow at each other. But then they started to run around the property, paying no attention to their surroundings.

"I'm going to get you!" Steve yelled, huffing as he ducked a snowball to the head. As he was ducking, however, his foot caught against the almost finished snowman. Steve let out a short yell of surprise as he nearly faceplanted in the snow.

"Hey! Watch it, Steve!" Ponyboy hissed, but only received a snowball to the face by said greaser. Luckily, it wasn't an ice ball, or else it would have hurt quite a bit on his frozen face. Sloppily, Ponyboy threw together a snowball himself, chucking it at Steve and hitting him straight in the back.

"Nice, Pony!" Soda cheered from the other side of the property. "He's on my side now. Johnny too!"

"Three against one?" Steve said.

"What? You don't think you can handle it?" Ponyboy challenged, rolling a ball of snow up again.

"No, I will destroy you three."

Another snowball was chucked at him, but Steve dodged it and grabbed an armful of snow. He swiftly dunked it over Ponyboy's head, and that was when war broke out.

Johnny and Ponyboy scrambled to their feet, rushing behind Soda's wall. Snow and screams were being thrown around. At one point, Two-Bit joined Steve's side because it was becoming increasingly obvious that he was losing.

Soda was rapidly creating snowballs and allowing Johnny and Ponyboy to throw them. It turned out that both of them were great throws. When enough was created, Soda joined in as well in hopes to hit Two-Bit and Steve or knock down the seemingly impenetrable wall with his random throws. But it was his random aim that made two of the snowballs hit Darry and Dally in the face. And, just like that, everything went still.

Dally's jaw clenched as he shook his head.

"You're done for," he spat before he grabbed a handful of snow and threw it. The handful exploded in the air. It was ineffective in the fact that it did no physical damage. However, it was effective in it causing a shiver to run down their spines.

Now it was four against three, turning the tables around. The wall was being pelted by an onslaught of snowballs, breaking large chunks off. The trio couldn't retaliate. The second they went to throw a snowball, they were hit by ten all at once.

"We're done for!" Ponyboy whined, covering his head when a chunk of the wall fell onto him. Soda bit his numb, bottom lip in thought. There was no way they would be able to win if they continued like this. They had to try a new tactic. But what? Soda's eyes fell onto Johnny when an idea struck him.

"No, we are not falling here," Soda said.

Ponyboy looked at him in confusion. "What are you thinking?"

"Johnny will bring us victory."

The two of them turned to Johnny who blinked heavily.

"What can I do?" Johnny asked tentatively, just wanting to go back inside and drink hot chocolate. That was when Ponyboy understood what Soda was talking about. He smiled.

"Trojan horse," Ponyboy breathed out.

That was how Johnny found himself stuffing snowballs under his jacket. It was freezing and made him look chunky, but if he hugged his stomach, he could make it look normal enough. They were already starting to melt, cold water dripping down his stomach. His teeth chattered as Soda waved his hands in the air for everyone to see.

"Stop firing!" Soda yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Do you surrender?" Steve asked, temporality stopping the barrage.

"No," Johnny stepped up. "I'm switching sides."

"Why are you switching sides?" Darry asked suspiciously narrowing his eyes at the hunched-over teen.

"Why does it matter?" Dally said. "If he wants to switch sides, then let him."

There was a long pause before they all agreed. Johnny gave Soda and Ponyboy one more look before slowly trudging his way over to the other side. When he made it over, everything resumed.

While Darry, Dally, Two-Bit, and Steve were back to throwing snowballs, Johnny stepped back. He slowly unzipped his jacket, grabbing one of the slightly melted snowballs. He flipped it in his hand a few times, contemplating if he should still go through with it. After much thought, he decided that the fastest way to get through the game was to do it.

With that decided, Johnny drew back his arm, listening as Soda laughed loudly.

"Why are you laughing? You're going to lose!" Steve yelled.

"No, you just lost!" Soda shot back.

"What are you talking about, man?" Dally asked before he was hit in the back of the head with a snowball. He whipped around incredulously, seeing Johnny raising another snowball. "Johnny… What was that for?"

"Sorry, Dally," Johnny apologized, throwing the snow as fast as he could.

"Charge!" Soda screamed, jumping out from behind the wall and throwing everything that he could with Ponyboy. The snowballs were hitting the four greasers in every direction, not allowing them to move from their spots. They curled into themselves to avoid their faces being hit out of instinct, but that didn't stop the barrage of a mixture of snow and ice.

"Okay! Enough!" Darry suddenly exclaimed when an ice ball hit him on the temple. "You win! We surrender."

"No, we don't!" Steve argued with a growl. He tried to stand up straight but was hit in the face.

"Yes, we do! We're surrendering." Darry's voice was firm and final, and when he said something was done, it was done. The gang members on his side grumbled, save Johnny and Two-Bit. "They win."

"Victory is ours!" Soda cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

"It's over? We can go inside now?" Ponyboy asked, breathing heavily.

"It's over, buddy," Darry chuckled. "Let's go in. We stayed out here long enough."

"I want hot chocolate."

Everyone murmured in agreement, walking back inside the warm house. The rivalry left from their minds as they peeled off their soaked gloves. It was a perfect Christmas, even when war broke out, and they would never forget it.