Chapter 4 Pine and Prejudice
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 had been not more than a single day since she had met him but something about this silly smiley elemental thrilled her and left her longing for more. He was proud of his handiwork and didn't shy away from bragging about it, bold, confident. And those eyes. The silly puns he used, the way he talked with those soft and gentle hands, the wiggle in his walk…
It was all she could think about. That is, until she was jolted out of her trance by a red haired elf.
"Don't tell me... you want to be a dentist too"
"H-huh?"
The elf looked to Hermey, who was seemingly 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"
Jingle nudged Aqua's rib. "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 continued threading her needle, sucking gently on the strand before sliding it through.
"She's distracted"
"Yeah but by what?"
"Oh dear is she feeling sick?" Jangle looked worriedly to the eerily quiet elf.
"I bet she's stressed about Christmas" Jingle replied.
Bob shook his head.
"I'm sure she's very frustrated with the bumbling brothers out there who caused this mess..ah well back to work, we're still down 22% guys! really go for it! go go go-"
As if on cue, the brothers opened the doors, followed by their minions, leaving the horrified elf speechless and shaking, mouth agape in a look of silent terror. They scowled at first, sending the room into a tense silence…but then both their faces lit up with smiles.
Shocky jumped nearly out of her skin, her eyes resting on the Phantom himself.
"Well folks, Heat and I made up! Well, haha mostly…" He peered across the room, smiling warmly at Shocky. It was partly thanks to her they'd been willing to listen.
Soft green eyes met his and he averted his gaze, a funny feeling settling into his stomach.
Heat continued "Mrs. Claus took us on a stroll down memory lane and straightened a few things out so we've decided to put our differences aside for the sake of Christmas!"
Their henchmen cheered as they joined the holiday rush, the ones who could dispersing among the creatures in the workshop. Elves and gnomes approached the helpless gift wrapped minions, removing the paper and tape and jumprope so they too could join the crowd of workers.
As they chattered 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...like a bit of help? …Also I'm… sorry about our behavior earlier"
Standing before her was a sheepish Heat, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other, eyes fixed to the floor.
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 reluctant Miser a gentle smile. "I appreciate that"
She looked back to her work.
"But it's not you who owes the apology…not entirely"
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.
"You got that one right but Snow Miser? Ha! He's not the type to apologize…Neither of us are particularly keen on baring our feelings like that. We may have shaken hands but to be honest, he's still on thin ice regarding this whole truce"
Heat paused, suddenly uncomfortable. He was on thin ice too- or rather the hot seat in his case. Sitting next to the daughter of Santa Claus, the man he attacked and endangered, on the most important day of said man's career wasn't exactly the better circumstance he had hoped for. In fact, it was the worst possible situation he could find himself in.
He could only hope that nasty reputation of his hadn't reached her ears first.
"…That business aside…We did shoot Santa down…we're both to blame for this situation…"
"I know"
Aqua scooted closer to him, pressing thigh against thigh, and placed a gentle hand on his knee. He blushed, pink tinge decorating his smooth face.
"But I'm sure that shooting Mister Kris was an accident."
Please be an accident
Her eyes flickered up to him from beneath her lashes. "I appreciate your honesty and I know he will too. It takes a big man to own that kind of responsibility"
Heat suppressed a dry chuckle. "Ah I never do get tired of the jokes about my size"
"It wasn't intended as one, I'm sorry if it came off that way"
He idly waved a hand "Water under the bridge"
The two of them shared a coy smirk before Heat carried on.
"…But you're fine, it didn't come off that way at all. You just get enough comments about the weight you apparently put on "around the holidays" and every remark starts sounding the same"
"Well that really is none of their business… but I always say it gives you more to love. In this case, your big heart in particular proves my point"
She flashed him an inviting smile. "After all, you don't seem like the killing kind…"
Heat scoffed. "Hah! you're the first one to say that…but thank you. I may not be as warm and fuzzy as the old snowball but murder isn't exactly my forte. I did shoot two elves and a deer down one time but that's only because I was so fired up about being forgotten in yet another White Christmas craze!"
Aqua turned her attention back to the animal in her lap with a sigh of relief. "That's entirely reasonable I suppose. Granted I haven't gotten to know you just yet"
She spared another glance at him and winked.
"But from what I can tell so far it seems you're hardly as bad as you think…despite being a little crisp around the edges"
The larger being paused and lowered his hands, eyes intensely focused on the animal in his lap as he nibbled his lip, fighting the sinking feeling in his gut.
Gotten to know him? So she had read his note. He was surely in hot water now.
He chose his next words carefully.
"Ah… the letter. I… can see if you decided to throw that dreadful scrap of paper away. It was very inappropriate of me to write that and I wasn't thinking…I'm sorry"
She leaned in, softly. "…Actually, about that letter."
She set the plush down and turned partly away, pulling the red envelope containing the note and obsidian sculpture 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. Your gift made my entire morning" She smiled dreamily, inching ever so slightly closer, the unusual mixture of gingerbread, pine, and just a hint of fresh ocean threatening to overpower him.
Heat's heart pounded heavily in his chest, the warmth in his core rivaling the intensity of his own magic. He had to fight the roaring in his ears to hear her next words.
"…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 pale face instantly darkened, flushing as red as his nose. Steam shot out of his ears, hair flaring up ever so slightly, but she'd hardly noticed anything beyond the toasty tender flesh against her lips.
Oh how she wished they'd been alone.
The siren drew back reluctantly and slid the gift back into her bodice before picking the neglected toy 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, gaping at them in shock.
"Look at those googly eyes he's giving her!
"the poor dear's trapped!"
At this she 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 flashed Aqua an alluring smirk through the blush, peering down at her through heavy lids. "Well in that case how about… getting to know each other a little better before I take off? A little hot cocoa perhaps?"
Aqua's smile widened. "I thought you'd never ask. I'd love to have cocoa with you before you take off"
Ginny glanced at the woman, leaning in to whisper in a neighboring elf's 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 leaned 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 twirl and finger guns. "I..uh... ha at least I'm smooth as ice with the ladies haha"
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 somehow it made her feel so much worse. Her friends 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 voices from far away.
"Ugh you're right! those Miser Brothers are despicable!"
"Hey are you okay darling? you don't look so good"
She had to leave. Shocky dropped the brush and stumbled her way out of the factory. There were words exchanged but the conversation was garbled, drowned out by the awful revelation sinking into her gut.
Of course he got around.
Completely oblivious to the anxious eyes following her out, she slipped through the doors and vanished into the mahogany corridor.
Snow's flirtatious smile died on his lips, mouth curling into a small sad frown as he stared after her dumbfounded, his head swimming with questions. What exactly just happened? What was that look in her eyes? Was she okay? Was that static electricity in the air? What did he do wrong? As if to answer him the ginger elf scoffed. "Smooth as ice huh? Who's your next victim Don Juan?"
Snow blinked at her "Whaaaat?"
Smooth as ice? Don Juan?
Oh.
Oh.
He raised his hands in a panic, his words rushed. "O-oh! Nono you got it all wrong sugarplum! that's just my schtick, I'm just busting your snowballs is all haha!"
She placed her hands on her hips, flatly "Oh really?"
"I-it's a joke, I just wanted to break the ice is all"
"Riiiiight"
She turned to her friends and with that the workshop came back to life, save for a few worried glances at the mahogany doors. Snow caught Jangle's eyes, sharing an equally worried look with the blonde, and turned back to the door with a frown. "Hnnnnng If you'll please excuse me"
He set down the model airplane he'd been working on and slipped out through the double doors and after the woman himself, pausing only when he heard a strong mezzo voice follow him from the hall.
"Ugh…Wait"
Snow turned to look at her slowly approaching sister.
Aqua extended her arms, gently shaking her head. "I'm… sorry about what happened out there. These people have just known us for virtually our entire lives."
She sighed.
"I wasn't kidding when I called them our family y'know. Ginny means well… but sometimes she especially reacts harshly because she's known us so long." Her eyes flickered up to the winter mage as she continued on at a low murmur. "It's really none of my business but you know how large families are. My sister is foolhardy and sensitive and our entire lives she's been blindly jumping headfirst into things so it's only natural for her friends to want to protect her…She's never looked at anyone the way she looks at you. It's weird to them"
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… you're right. We've been spending so much time fighting with each other that everybody thinks we're the cold hearted ones… and now we're getting the cold shoulder from them. That's why we never got any presents from Santa, you see. I can't blame your friends for getting on the defensive."
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.
Aqua mulled over the words for a moment before relaxing her shoulders with a heaving sigh.
"It's never too late to change you know." She chuckled softly. "A wise man I know once said it's "as easy as taking your first step"… if you're getting this reaction often, that means there's probably something you need to fix about the way you act." She raised an eyebrow "Not putting "we girls" down is a start, for example."
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, it's up to you to put one foot in front of the other".
Snow placed a hand to his head, running a hand over his curly hair "Nnnnh I-I think I totally blew it with Shocky, if I could just apologize… I-I gotta go" he pivoted on his heel, setting out to canvass the place, leaving Aqua alone in the hall.
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. In the foyer by the stairs, a grandfather clock ticked quietly, but no one was by the fire or on the staircase. A visit with the woman she considered her mother offered only a suggestion and concern. It seemed Shocky 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 with a glittering charm gently rested on top of it, cool colored rainbows dancing on the wall in the firelight.
She'd read his note.
He quickened his pace, racing past the empty living room. Halfway to the stables, he'd nearly missed her if not for a soft green glow out of the corner of his eye. A petite girl with hair as opalescent as his gift 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 raised his head and carried forward. Heavy shoes crunched the freshly fallen snow, the sound becoming wetter as he cautiously approached. Slush soaked through to his feet.
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 and turned away, 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-"
He reached out a hand.
"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?
He shook his head "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, rising to her feet. "I-I'm fine, I just need some air…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.
In one swift motion Snow rose to his feet and moved closer. "But that's not it at all! It wasn't like that. I may be Mother's favorite, but… she's the only lady in my life"
He played with his hands, looking sheepishly down at her. "… I guess I'm not as cool as you thought I was haha"
She pressed her tongue firmly between her teeth, grounding herself with the pressure before answering him shakily.
"N-no…It's okay, really. You are cool a-and whether th-they're ladies o-or gentlemen o-or other adm-mireres, anyone would be lucky to date you. We hardly know each other so it's really not my business heh" She let out a breathy humorless chuckle, tears threatening to burst through. "The…the gift you sent was really nice. I'm just… n-not that kind of girl I guess" Her voice cracked slightly and she mentally cursed herself for it.
Her heart ached sharply and her lungs struggled under the weight on her chest, a lump swelling in her throat. Her teeth bit down again more firmly in a desperate bid to will the tears away. She really was about to cry in front of this perfect stranger. How indignant, how embarrassing.
Snow leaned forward, hands outstretched. He shook his head furiously.
"nyah I don't want you to be! I-I was just…the thing is…I didn't know how to…I was trying to be smooth as ice so I accidentally on purpose said some stuff wrong and it was stupid but I was trying to get your attention…" He pouted sadly, shoulders slumping. "I don't wanna get to know ladies or snowmen…I wanna get to know you sweetpea…" His lips curled up into a small smile, head tilted as he leaned in slightly. "it'd be pretty hard to do that with a bunch of frosty fans pawing at my coattails haha"
He sighed. "A-and before that I was really mean to you when I said you couldn't do this my help but I didn't mean to give you the cold shoulder. I'm sorry for that too."
Shocky turned her head slightly, exposing just the tip of her pointed 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 this flurry rushing around inside me, I-I make up stupid things and I didn't realize it came out that way and I didn't mean to hurt you and I'm…nyaaagh!"
"I'm sorry" He whined.
She turned around to face him, rosy tear stained cheeks catching the sunlight, and Snow's pouty mouth turned up into a small tender smile. She was a newcomer to his life perhaps, but one who felt things deeper than anyone he'd ever met and there was beauty in that. She took a step forward and wound her arms tightly around him, his spine tingling from her touch. A warmth grew in his gut as their forms melted together. Before this, before her, he would have hated the sensation but something about the gentle heat radiating from the nymph soothed and beguiled him this time and he had to admit it was nice. He gave her petite form a gentle squeeze and held her tight, hearts fluttering in sync as the world stood still in perfect silence.
Finally, after what felt like eternity, she finally spoke. Her silvery voice was muffled by his coat and he noticed another sensation- something cool and damp bleeding through his clothes..
"I-it's not your fault… I'm sorry I'm such a baby…"
"Aw h-hey now, no no no" He cooed softly, shaking his head. "You're not a baby turtledove, you're just a big softie and I think that's totally cool" The Miser drew back, slowly, and wiped the trail of tears from the small fae's cheek with a trembling thumb, gazing into her wide misty eyes, her thin face alight with awe.
"…You do?" She breathed
. "I sure do haha! I may give my brother a hard time about it but the truth is even the great Snow Miser is mushy at heart" He pointed a thumb to his chest with a cheeky smile, eliciting a soft giggle from his companion.
"Haha, I guess that explains why Mister Ten Below is actually pretty toasty" She ducked her chin, biting her lip.
Snow blinked at her for a moment before placing a hand to his chest, mockingly insulted. "What? You didn't think my heart was really made of ice did you?"
She recoiled "N-no! never!"
"Haha! relax doll, that was just a little chilly humor, I was only pulling your leg"
With a soft chuckle, he playfully ruffled her fluffy hair. "…You're so cute"
Shocky's eyes widened, blushing brightly as she puffed out her cheeks "A-am not!"
"Are too! no takebacksies" Snow folded his arms and stuck his tongue out at her. When he opened his eyes, however, what he found was not an indignant elf, but feathery lashes batting shyly up at him.
He leaned in slightly- coaxing her ever closer, the warm breath from her barely parted mouth adding condensation to the trickle running along his drippy hairline. Even though they'd just met, he cared for her deeply and already he longed to know more about this mystery girl and what she was like.
What those pouty lips were like.
They were so close.