#in their lil cottage while the storm rages on outside

[belovedbow]

im still in imperium mode

[theangriestpea]

In the Shadows : Seven

Summary: Jughead Jones, resident werewolf, just wants to protect his family and his pack from the incoming doom of The Red Circle. Sweet Pea and Lily join him to help keep the Southside safe from human tyranny. Meanwhile a demon princess named Myra and succubus named Lavender had a plan to bring on the apocalypse. <ao3> <masterlist> <playlist>

Rating: Mature // Explicit

Pairings: Jughead Jones x OC, Sweet Pea x OC, Kurtz x OC

Warnings: Depictions of violence, (very) minor character death

Word Count: 5k+

A/N:  This chapter felt a bit forced on my end and I apologize for that. Some much needed plot things had to happen and they were, quite frankly, a bore to write except the last scene. That I did have fun with. This chapter has a few warnings, please be mindful of them. Check out my release schedule for upcoming works!

Part Seven: Protection 

Lavender awoke to a new series of hot pain. Her eyes snapped open abruptly and she let out a startled cry only to find Sweet Pea hanging over her. He had been putting the burn salve onto her hand print shaped wound. He said nothing as she struggled to sit up in the bed, tired of laying down. “A little warning would have been nice.” She hissed at him angrily.

Sweet Pea resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead his gaze bared down on her. “Do you want her?”

Confusion washed over the demon’s face, “what are you talking about? Do I want who?”

“Our daughter.” He said, voice devoid of any emotion. She really had no idea what brought this on because he himself showed no interest in the unborn child within her womb.

Lav’s hand went to her stomach, her palm placed flat against it. She was looking down and visualizing the aura of the spell that continued to protect her. Somehow she had forgotten all about the pain in her shoulder with this new oncoming conversation. Did she want her?

“I do.” The succubus finally said in a small and defeated voice. “You have no idea what it’s doing to me knowing that she will be ripped from my arms as soon as she is born.” A single clear tear slipped down her cheeks that were stained from the blacks ones she had produced earlier. It looked as if she had cried off an entire tube of mascara. “I’m not all demon, you know. I’ve got half of a human heart still in me.”

Sweet Pea sat down on the edge of the bed, his back to her as he ran a hand through his hair. He let out a tired sigh, having not gotten much sleep that night….or any night since his soul departed his corporal form. Being reminded that she was a hybrid was a bit sobering to him. He supposed she did have human feelings after all.

“Why does she want the child?” Sweet Pea asked, having a feeling that he wasn’t going to get a direct answer. He was right.

Lav tensed at his question. “I am not at liberty to stay.” She stammered, not wanting to anger him when she was really too weak to fend for herself. This wasn’t like back in the storeroom of the Wyrm when she had the necessary power to flip the dynamics if she needed to. She was at a clear disadvantage.

He scoffed at her reply, figuring she would say something of the sort. “Would you fight to keep her? Or do you want to be a slut slave forever?”

She frowned at the back of his head, feeling the urge to push him off the bed with her last remaining willpower. Instead she gripped the sheets tightly in her hands. “I was tricked into slavery, you asshole of a human. I didn’t choose this. Of course I would fight to keep her but Myra...Myra could bind me to hell and make me the sex slave of any demon that wanted to purchase me at the snap of her fingers. Where I’d be starved until I was driven mad. Used in whatever way they wished. Despite what you think, my consent does matter in what I let you do to me. It doesn’t to other demons. I’m strong compared to anyone on Earth but not in hell.”

Lav struggled to get out of bed, having to hold onto the wall. She was so hungry that it hurt. “You think what happened at that shitty bar between us was some kind of revenge fuck against me? It was me having a bit of fun, Sweet Pea. I can make you do all kinds of things because at the end of the day you’re still nothing but a human.”

Sweet Pea stood, an angry breath huffing out through his flared nostrils. “You’re incredibly naive if you think that other demon will take any kind of care of our child. Demons don’t raise children. Your mother didn’t raise you. She abandoned you. Myra, whoever the fuck that is, will do the same. She’ll use her and then toss her into the trash. And where will you be? Still grovelling at her feet? You’re fucking pathetic. You say you have power but you have no power at all. You’re just a puppet.”

Her knees shook under her weight as her own rage surged at his words. She was just a puppet for Myra’s bidding, but that wasn’t at all what she wanted to be. Before she had wanted her freedom more than anything in the entire world. Now...now all she wanted was to raise her baby in peace. “What do you suggest I do then?” She asked, her voice no longer harsh and rigid. It was frail under the complexity of the situation, threatening to crumble with her mind at any moment.

“After I get my soul back, we will find a way to free you from your demon.” Sweet Pea said, moving closer to her, “and we’ll co parent like Lily and I do with Daisy. I’m not going to just throw my child away, even if someone like you is the mother.”

Someone like me, Lav pondered the ache in her heart at the sentiment. Was she really that bad? She figured to someone like Sweet Pea, she was. He grabbed her by the upper arms, pulling her up straight and baring her weight within his grip so she could finally stand properly. “If you’re right, if that dumb ass wolf is her soulmate, then Lily is going to be the most powerful witch in this shitty town. No one will be able to stop her, not even a demon. She can free you from whatever contract you’re bound under. She can protect us all.”

The succubus stared at him, exhaustion evident in her hazel eyes. “Would she do that? For me?”

“No.” Sweet Pea corrected, “She’ll do it for me.”

+++

It was mere hours before the full moon would rise and Jughead was anxiously pacing outside of the small cottage in Fox Forest. His pack was already within the woods, seeking shelter as they knew the threat would come closer and closer with the falling sun.

Lily, Sweet Pea, and Lavender were inside, sitting around a sigil painted onto the floor with various crystals and herbs placed strategically inside their circle of bodies. They were holding hands, their magical energies meshing together.

“Your wolf is ruining my concentration.” Sweet Pea grumbled angrily as they could all three hear him ranting his worries to himself just outside the door. He didn’t want them to see him change. It was not a pleasant sight and it was something he wished to keep to himself. But, the boxer clad werewolf was making way too much noise.

The white witch let out a small sigh as she broke their circle to go to him. She opened the door, closing it behind her as she approached him, “Juggie. Come here.”

“Lils, you should be getting ready for the spell, what are you-” She pulled him down for a kiss before he could continue. Jughead immediately stopped and kissed her back with great care.

Lily pulled away, “Calm down. We can’t concentrate with you out here cursing at all the Archie Andrews’ in the world. It will be fine. We have enough power between the three of us to protect everyone easily.”

He sighed, “I’m sorry. I’ll just...take a seat and wait. I didn’t realize I was being that loud.”

She smiled at him softly, fingers brushing the hair from in front of his eyes. “I know. It’s okay, just relax. We’ll take care of this. Everyone will be okay come sunrise, I promise. I should warn you though, it’s going to rain. Hard.”

“That’s fine as long as you don’t mind wet dog smell.” Jughead said. Although it came off sounding like a joke he was being totally serious. Lily chuckled at him before releasing him and going back inside.

Sweet Pea had a disgusted look on his face while Lavender was smiling brightly. Lily pretended not to notice either of them as she sat back down and held out her hands for them to grab.

Once their energies were well in sync again, Lily began to chant. They would have to hold this spell for several hours for it to be strong enough to last all night. It would also take an enormous amount of energy from all of them but Lavender had brought some kind of powder with her to take once they were done. She wouldn’t say what it was, but Lily had an inkling of what it could be.

Time passed and an unseen aura filled the forest through the veins of the trees. Only those with magical abilities could see the faint green glow on the thriving plants. The dense foliage was alight with a protective magic so strong that it was unprecedented in the history of Riverdale. Light and dark create such a bond that it cannot be broken.

While they were performing the spell, Jughead and the rest of the Southside wolves had turned into their truest form and were doing their monthly run of the woods. All but one ran in large groups for added protection. All but Jughead Jones, heir to the Jones pack, and the dark to Lily’s light. She had sent him on a special quest of his own. One that was important for him to complete if it was at all possible.

The rain came down so hard that the canopy of the trees provided minimal cover. The downpour came in waves, gentle thunder rolling in the background. On the edge of the forest, in the torrential rains were a band of humans led by one with fiery red hair. The Red Circle had arrived and the group were more on edge than ever as howl after howl joined the melodious sounds of the storm.

They attempted to pour the accelerant, but the rain washed it all away. The wind put out their flames as soon as they ignited. They tried for hours, waiting for the storm to subside but alas it only grew stronger with each passing minute. It was no use. The wolves would not perish on this night and the growling amongst the brush had them afraid for their lives. Sure they had their silver bullets but were any of them that great of a shot? Silver bullets were weighted differently, they shot differently, and there wasn’t enough ammo to practice with for anyone to become accurate in firing it. And no one wanted to put themselves at point blank with a werewolf. Not even the fearless Archie Andrews himself.

When the moon reached its zenith, the two and a half witches finally broke the circle. Lily’s energy was low but she was perhaps in the best shape of the three of them. Sweet Pea nearly passed out where he sat on the floor, barely able to keep his eyes open.

“Lily, may I trouble you for some hot water?” Lav asked as she picked up the vile of white powder from the floor. “I can’t even begin to describe how fucking hungry I am after that. If I could go out there then I’d take every last soul from that idiotic Circle of humans and still need more.”

Lily smiled as she stood. “Sure. I think we could all use some tea.” She gave Sweet Pea a sideways glance that he couldn’t quite decipher other than smugness at her remaining strength.

Lavender yawned. She was finally starting to feel the telltale signs of human pregnancy. Mornings were the worst in terms of sickness. All she wanted to do was sleep but she had to eat. She had to feed or Myra would force her to feed. The concoction she had created that was currently in Lav’s hand would do in a pinch, however it was incredibly difficult to make. It required...sacrifice. One that did not sit well with the demon.

She managed to stand and make her way to the couch, sitting down with a loud plop as she waited. Lily brought her the steaming mug and Lav carefully added about half the vile of powder. Tendrils of purple steam rose up from the water, curling with the air before disappearing forever. Lav drank and she drank hungrily.

Both witches watched her, wondering what kind of potion she had just consumed. Sweet Pea was a tad more interested as he was the acclaimed potions expert of the two. He always loved to learn more about new brews, especially unearthly ones. “What is it?” He asked, his curiosity beating his general distaste for her. Well, what he thought was distaste. It was actually just resistance to the fact that they were tied by fate.

“Souls.” Lav said, decided to be honest. “Concentrated souls. Tastes terrible and is most certainly not ethically sourced. I prefer not to resort to it but when I get too hungry Myra likes to pop in and see what exactly it is I’m doing. Obviously we do not want her here, especially after she forbade me from being in the presences of either of you.”

Sweet Pea looked at Lily who was attempting to hide her frown behind her cup of tea. He saw it but the succubus did not. “What do you mean, not ethically sourced. What soul is?”

“I don’t feed on innocent souls.” Lavender said, waving her hand in the air as if she was batting away the accusation that she did. “Full blooded succubae enjoy that, sure. But they were never human. I was a human for nineteen years. That’s why I don’t feed on children, or virgins, or people who have simply lived their lives without doing anything wrong. The list is far smaller than you’d think.”

“So the souls used to make that were from innocent people?” Lily asked, her displeasure showing.

Lav sighed, “which is exactly why I don’t like taking it but it can’t be helped. Myra can’t kill Lily but she can kill every other mortal in this house. Obviously that is worse than me consuming innocence this one time….”

Sweet Pea immediately went on the defensive, “It’s fine, Lily. She’s just keeping Daisy safe.” He didn’t care about himself dying. His soul was already in hell. All he cared about now was his daughter and her safety. Even without a soul he could not forsake her. Which is why a part of him could not forsake the demon in front of him either, as much as he wanted to.

The shorter witch relaxed, if only but a fraction. “Why use an innocent soul? Why not a soul from hell already?” She asked, her voice soft now.

“Because they’re not as strong. One innocent soul is more filling than a handful of damned ones. Myra wants me to feed on the innocent but I refuse. So far she has not forced me to drop my normal feeding habits, but I fear she will the farther along I get.” Lav paused, about to continue when Sweet Pea interrupted her.

“That is why we are freeing you after I get my soul back.” He said sharply. “So you can stop being some demon’s personal incubator.”

Lily nodded her head in agreement, “I should have enough power to break whatever bond you two have. It won’t be easy but it’s not impossible.”

Lav stared at her, wondering if she was truly powerful enough. “If you fail. She will kill everyone you’ve ever loved. Including Jughead. For some reason she can’t kill you but she’ll do something much worse.”

“That is the risk I’m willing to take.” Lily replied stubbornly. She was not about to lose in a battle of wills to some demon princess.

Deep in the forest, Jughead was trying to follow a quickly fading scent trail. The rain was making it incredibly difficult as it would wash away within moments. Luckily he was close enough that time was on his side. He crept through a cluster of bushes, listening to the sounds of teeth gnawing on flesh and bone.

He broke through the thicket and saw the large white wolf with matted fur feasting on a dead deer. The buck’s black eyes seemed to be staring right at the Jones wolf, daring him to make his presence known.

The vargulf was getting sicker. He smelled much worse than he had before, like a wolf knocking on death’s door. While he wasn’t necessarily weaker, his wits wouldn’t be about him as they once had been. Fighting him could easily be a fight to the death and currently Jughead was unsure if that was one he could win.

Despite the clear disadvantage, he knew what he had to do. The vargulf had attacked Lily twice now and it was prowling the trailer park more and more, probably due to Lily spending more time at his trailer. The wolf didn’t seem to recognize her when she was in her feline form. This had been her saving grace thus far.

Jug crept further from the safety of the brush. Once he was completely in the clearing, he put his weight back on his haunches before leaping forward with his mouth open to hopefully clamp down on a vital spot.

Before he could land the blow, the white wolf turned. His muzzle and chest were dyed red from the blood of the deer. He swiftly avoided the attack, quickly turning to launch his own.

Teeth and fangs clashed, claws ripped at weak folds of skin that gave way to blood. They were both strong but in the end only one was stronger...Jughead stood, the throat of the vargulf in his jaws. His grip was vice but it was not deadly. He did not want to kill despite how this wolf’s death would solve so many of their problems. No, in the end Jughead Jones just wasn’t going to be reborn a killer on this night. Instead he chose mercy.

There was a way they could save him, and that thought alone is what kept Jughead from snapping his jowls shut and thrashing his head to tear out the innards of the white wolf’s throat. The deepest, darkest part of him wanted this creature to perish. That part of him did not win on this full moon. Despite being so incredibly far from humanity at this moment, he did something that was perhaps more human than anything. He dropped the flesh from his mouth and watched as the vargulf scrambled to his feet before running away.

Lightning crackled above and the rain washed away most of the blood. He bent down and observed a long gash on his right foreleg. The taste of blood was thick on his tongue, however none of it was his own. He needed it for Lily so she could track the vargulf with magic.

As the moon began to set, Jughead limped back to the cottage. Once he was a few paces away, Lily threw open the door and ran to him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug, uncaring if she got drenched in the process. “I was so worried,” She murmured to him as her residual magic began to heal his wounds through touch alone. “I could feel every bite, every scratch. I knew you’d win but it still hurt.”

Let’s go inside. Jughead coaxed using their touch to push his thoughts into her. It’s still not safe to be out here.

Lily smiled, unafraid of the impending dangers of inside the forest. She stood and took him inside. “Come to my room so I can collect the blood. And when you change back in a few hours, I’m going to need a recharge.”

Sweet Pea elected to drive Lavender home as he did not want to listen to Lily “recharge”. He himself could use a boost but he found that the demon that usually had no qualms in tempting him into her embrace had been giving him the iciest cold shoulder he had ever received. He knew he had done plenty wrong but he still wasn’t sure why she changed seemingly overnight. After all, she did enjoy sex with him before so why wouldn’t she now?

Lavender was clicking her stiletto nails on the armrest. She could sense his desire and while she did crave the kind of pleasure that only he could give her, she knew she had to resist. Myra would know and the punishment would be greater than just the burning of hellfire on her skin.

“When are we going to tell Lily the truth?” She asked, breaking the silence between them. “Or does she already know?”

Sweet Pea’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Later. It can wait.”

Lav turned her head to look at him, “why not just confess? Are you worried she won’t help if she knows that you knocked up another woman during a one night stand?”

He grit his teeth. In fact, that had been the exact reason why he had chosen to omit the detail that he was actually the father of the hybrid growing within the demon. He honestly was not sure how Lily would take the news. If she would finally throw him out for good or not.

“Because she doesn’t need to know right now.” He said, “She needs to concentrate on getting my soul back.”

She rolled her eyes as he stopped outside of her house. After exiting she poked her head back in, “even when you get your soul back, will you be able to handle the weight of the guilt of what you’ve done? Think about it, troll brain, you won’t be able to escape those emotions you feel when you sleep at night. She will not be able to heal the damage done to your soul.”

Lav slammed the car door before going inside, hoping she could change before a very early morning meal.

On the edge of Fox Forest, a heap of mangled fur lay only moving with the flow of labored breaths. The demon princess Myra appeared, falling to her knees and cradling the head of the white vargulf of her own creation in her arms. “My love,” She whispered sadly, “I did this to you. I am so sorry.”

The wolf whined and tried to stand, however his weakness did not allow him to. He simply laid limp in her lap, bleeding out from the wounds Jughead had given him mere hours before. She could heal his flesh wounds but that was about it. His mind and the disease that plagued him...that she could not fix. Not with all the black magic in the world. What she needed was white. Pure white magic. Her tainted love was simply not enough.

After muttering an incantation, Myra was able to reduce his size enough for her to pick him up comfortably, cradling him in her arms as she took him to the closest place she knew. Sunnyside trailer park. The sun was rising but he would not change until she allowed him to. This form she could carry much easier than his human one.

She transported the both of them to the master bathroom as it had a garden tub that would be better suited for soaking him. Lavender had been in her room, adjusting her appearance so that she was blonde. Using makeup and magic to make fake wounds on her as if she’d been attacked. She planned on going after one of those idiot men in The Red Circle. Killing them off one by one would save them a lot of trouble in the future.

She smelled them before she saw them. Kurtz had begun to smell like rotting flesh long before now, but the rain had made it much much worse. Now his scent was worse than roadkill and she had no idea how Myra was going to fix him. She could sense her master’s distress, and was unsure if it was wise for her to check in on them.

“Myra?” Lav called out, appearing in the doorway. Kurtz was in the tub, human and naked now. He was covered in deep wounds that were slowly closing thanks to Myra’s magic. His lips were moving but no sound was coming out as his head lulled to the side.

“Go eat,” Myra hissed at her, hiding her despair with anger, “I don’t have time to deal with you right now.”

The succubus held in a sigh as she put on a pair of Jimmy Choo heels and walked out to find her next victim. Whatever soul she chose, she knew it would never compare to the one she took from her warlock on that night. She was beginning to feel the startings of her morning sickness but ignored it as she set out for breakfast. She realized how much she missed Charlie’s company, but had to tell the wolf to keep her distance for the time being. She didn’t want Myra to kill the one person in all the world who might actually be her friend.

“Kurtz,” Myra whispered as she gently cleaned his face with a washcloth. “Kurtz, please wake up. I need you to wake up now. It’s over. The sun is rising.” Black tears streamed down her pale face.

The man who was once nothing more than a human, opened his light brown eyes to gaze at her. Black rings of exhaustion circled them, making him look more like a raccoon than anything. The holes around his neck caused by teeth were healing, the bruised tissues returning to a more natural color. “What is happening to me?” He said in a struggling exhale. Speaking took more energy than he had at the moment.

She tried to smile, did her damnedest to, but it faltered and fell. “You are sick, my love.” She murmured to him. He had no idea what he was. All he knew was that time would pass and he’d have no memory of it. He’d wake covered in blood, unaware of the death and destruction he had brought. As the weeks went by he lost more and more time. Soon, he feared, there would be nothing but darkness.

“I will get you help, Kurtz.” She murmured, kissing his forehead, “I promise you will be whole once again and no more harm will ever come to you.

+++

“Help!” Lav cried out as she stumbled towards the group, holding one bloodied arm in her hand. “Please, someone help me!”

A tall, buff human man ran to her first as others gasped in shock. “You’re safe now, come on, we’ll protect you.” He would have taken his letterman jacket off and given it to her but it was soaking wet. The blonde wept in his arms, large crocodile tears rolling down her face as he had to carry her to get her to keep up.

“What happened?” Archie asked as his right hand man, Reggie Mantle, came closer with the crying girl in his arms. “Miss, did a wolf attack you?”

“It was a crazy white one, I thought it was going to kill me!” She wailed dramatically as she clung to Reggie, “please, I don’t want to be alone.” With her touch she traced the base of his neck where the collar of his shirt started, forcing her will into him. He wouldn’t be able to resist taking her home.

“You want to stay with me for a bit? You look like you could use some sleep.” He said, body tensing with desire. “I’ll keep you safe.”

“Thank you, thank you so much.” Lav cried, hugging him close and hiding the wicked grin that was spreading across her pink lips.

Once at his apartment, one thing very quickly turned into another. They were kissing passionately on his couch after he made her a cup of coffee that was quickly forgotten. His moves were sloppy and she felt like he was slobbering all of her instead of making out with her. Normally she found fun in the hunt but tonight the guilt of knowing she was hiding a dark secret from Lily was plaguing her.

Clothes were ripped off one another, their naked forms bumping and grinding until he hit his release fairly quickly after entering her. Since having sex with Sweet Pea, all of her little rendezvous with others seemed to fall so very...short. She took very little pleasure in any of this.

As he came she drank in his soul and shifted into her demonic form. Before Reggie could even scream, she was digging into his chest with her claws and ripping his heart out. She remained straddling his corpse as she took a large bite from the organ, savoring the taste of all the misdeeds he had done. At least it was one less idiotic brute to have to worry about.

Lav got off of him, standing and stretching as she found her phone tucked away inside the dress that had been so carelessly taken off her form. She dialed a number, sure that he and Lily would be done for the time being.

“Lavie?” He looked at the time and she heard him groan, “what is it?”

“Do you remember our deal, Jughead?” She asked, putting on a voice full of false innocence.

“You need me to do that now?” He asked, and she could tell how tired he was. It almost made her feel bad. Almost.

Lav was smiling as she made her way into the bathroom of the apartment. “Send some dogs over, it’ll be fine. Just make sure no one sees them. This one was….how do you say it...a VIP?”

The line went silent for a moment. “Who did you kill, Lavender?” Jughead asked, his voice suddenly serious.

She cut on the water, putting it on the hottest setting. “Some meathead named Reggie Mantle. You know, The Red Circle was so willing to help a girl in need. I just simply couldn’t help myself.”

“Lavender…” Jughead said, breathing out an angry sigh, “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

The demon hung up the phone, placed it on the sink basin and stepped into the shower having never been more pleased with herself in her entire life as she was in this exact moment.

Tag List: @the-gargoyle-queen​, @lilhemmo​, @wayward-river​, @southside-vixen​, @princesweetpea​, @redhairdontcare732​  (comment/ask/message if you want to be added or subscribe to AO3)

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[wandschrankheld]

Lousy Weather, Clear Skies

Characters: APH Russia, APH America, APH Canada; Minor: APH Australia, APH Seychelles  Relationships: Rus/US Wordcount: 3.2k Summary: During the preparations for a family get-together in a remote Alaskan cottage, Alfred and Ivan get surprised by a blizzard and lose contact with the outside world for a week. 

My gift for @bella-voce1812 for the @rusame-secret-santa-2017! It’s fairly obvious which of your prompts I chose, but I hope I managed to create something you’ll like! I’m pretty satisfied with it myself - so here’s my gift to you, six pages of established relationship fluff. 

There was a last „- and don’t eat all the ham-!“ before the line fizzled out and Alfred was left with silence.

„Dead“, he sighed and dropped his phone on the couch with a soft thud. „Telephone poles must’ve given out under the snow. Not that the reception here is anything to write home about in the first place...“, he muttered under his breath, frowning. „Mattie says they ain’t comin‘ through, not tonight, anyway. Set up camp in, uh, Eagle Village – y’know, the tiny lil‘ town we drove through on the way here?“  

Ivan gave a low hum from the other side of the couch and flipped the page of his magazine.

„Everyone else wasn’t gonna be here before the day after tomorrow anyway, so“, another sigh, deeper this time, as he sank back into the leather cushions and the supposedly real fur throws, „looks like we’re stuck here. Alone.“

Ivan hummed again, neverminding Al’s dejected tone.

„Dude. Seroiusly?“

Ivan looked up, eyebrows raised in question.

„How can you be so calm?“

He chuckled, and placed his lecture on his lap. „It’s just snow, Alfred.“

Alfred did not appreciate that comment. His fingers found the hem of the throw he was leaning against and started combing through its strands, twiddling them between his index finger and thumb. „It’s a fuckton of snow, is what it is.“ He turned his head to the side and backwards to look out of one of the large, square windows lining the sides of his cottage, and groaned. „And it ain’t stopping! Are you seeing this shit? These flakes are as big as my head!“

Ivan, amused, tilted his head to the side to watch the snowflakes dance in a wild flurry. It was getting hard to see the landscape as their dance grew more and more rapid with each passing second. „Ah, but your head is very tiny, you see.“

“Haha”, Alfred pulled on the fur and played with the threads that would come loose before letting them go over the edge of the couch and watching them fall to the floor slowly. “Very funny, big guy. I’m serious. There could be a blizzard comin’, and you’re sitting around reading Teen Vogue!”

“I’m not reading Teen Vogue-“, Ivan protested, a smile still lingering on the corners of his mouth, and was cut off promptly by Alfred jumping off the couch. He started marching towards the opposite end of the room, where the kitchen was, then changed his mind and turned on his heels to dart off to the right. He went straight for his jacket, and before Ivan had the opportunity to ask him what he was doing, Alfred had thrown him his coat and scarf.

“C’mon, buddy. We gotta blizzard-proof the house while we still can.”

Ivan reluctantly arose from his comfortable spot on the sofa, and together they layered up before venturing outside. It took them the better part of two hours to carry firewood, gas canisters, LED lamps and the emergency generator upstairs, most of the time which was spend looking for things Alfred was sure he’d stocked the house with only for him to remember he had given them all away years ago, or to find them broken and untended to. After they were forced to leave the gutters rudimentarily cleaned due to the heavy snow obscuring their sight and the harsh winds biting at their skin, they double checked the locks of each window and door, and finally the insulation on the pipes.

By the end of it even Ivan was ready to admit that, just maybe, the ongoing snowfall would pose more than just an inconvenience.

They cooked up a feast to reward themselves for their hard work – “As long as the electricity’s still workin’, right?” – and ate it listening to the old radio that looked like a brick and had its weight too Alfred still had from the cold war era. They bickered over whether to listen to festive, kitschy Christmas music or ancient, soothing classical tunes, and had a heated game of rock-paper-scissors decide who could choose the channel for each course.

After their plates were clean and the radio started playing white noise rather than music, they strolled back to the living room sofa. They curled up on the sofa, Ivan with a book as thick as his hand was broad, Alfred with this quarter’s copy of the “Reviews of modern Physics”, and soon were entangled in a snug embrace. Ivan was lying on his back, his feet reaching over the armrest on the opposite end, his arms slung tight around his boyfriend – who, in turn, had his legs entwined with Ivan’s and his head resting on his chest, and was turned to the side. His hair was ticking Ivan’s nose, and Ivan’s elbow jabbed into Alfred’s sides every now and then, but it was warm and cozy, so neither minded all too much.

With Ivan’s hand softly petting his hair, and his cute cheeks and soft lips just within kissing distance, Alfred nearly forgot about the storm raging outside. He stopped fumbling with the edge of every new page, stopped pulling and folding until thin tears rendered the top of the page almost unreadable; he stopped fidgeting, and started to relax. Maybe this whole storm thing wasn’t even so bad. Maybe, having some alone time – even if it was forced on them – would do them some good.

Alfred pressed a soft kiss to Ivan’s lips, delighting at the surprised noise he produced.

Yeah, maybe this wasn’t gonna go bad at all.

That was day one.

 On day two, the snow did not stop falling. It laid on the earth as a blanket so thick they couldn’t pry the front door open, and Alfred emptied a pot of coffee in less than two hours. Ivan, concerned, held his hand and cracked a joke about being used to it snowing harder than this in July. Alfred, feeling the caffeine, insisted on opening a window so he could run outside to grab more firewood. Ivan had to block the window with his body, and no amount of whining, pleading and prophesizing of their cold, frozen deaths would move him. He finally persuaded Alfred to channel his energies into something less likely to give him frostbite, and they danced to the trickle of music the radio played, danced whatever they could still remember the steps to – Charleston, Lindy Hopp, Polka, Sudarushka.

They ended in a waltz, Alfred’s hand on Ivan’s hip, Ivan’s hand on Alfred’s shoulder, and their joined hands clasped tightly, swaying to the beat. The radio had fizzled out, producing nothing more than static, so they hummed their own melody – one two three, one to three -  and Ivan would chide Alfred ever so gently for growing too impatient and messing up the rhythm.

They danced until Alfred crashed from the caffeine, and Ivan let him sleep in his lap while he bravely ventured on through his book.

 On day three, Alfred drew a mistletoe on a sheet of paper, and held it over every doorway Ivan attempted to pass through. It was cute at first, but got annoying fast, so Ivan retaliated by simply lifting Alfred up, turning around 180 degrees, and putting him down where he stood before walking through the door. Alfred found it hilarious, and demanded he kiss him anyway. Ivan obliged every time.

In the afternoon the snow stopped, and they cleaned as much of it off the roof as they could and scraped snow and ice from the gutter and the windows.  Back inside, Ivan produced an old deck of cards from his luggage, and they spent the rest of the day playing Durak and Canasta, with brief instances in-between games of Alfred trying to teach Ivan Minnesota Whist, and Ivan doing the same with Bura. They kept going back to the familiar games, and ended up playing poker for pennies and kopecks until deep in the night. When the electricity finally gave out, they lit some candles and turned on the LED lamps they had brought up from the basement, and played until Ivan fell asleep with his cards still in his hands.

 On day four, Alfred was bored. He had exhausted the batteries of both his phone and tablet listening to audiobooks and podcasts he had downloaded for the trip, and Alfred himself had insisted just hours before that they only use the emergency generator for essentials when Ivan had wanted to plug in his kindle. Books were boring, dancing was boring, cards were boring and Ivan – Ivan was boring too, for wanting to stay in bed and cuddle.

Alfred cleaned out the storage closet and wiped down every surface in the house. He dusted his shelves, and rearranged every book and DVD by color, and every item by the degree to which it made him smile. He re-arranged the furniture in living room and guest room each four separate times and still wasn’t happy with it, but before he could do it a fifth time, Ivan emerged from the bedroom and announced his body was demanding sustenance. They threw canned goods in a pot until it smelled good, and Alfred threw in diced ham – “To refine the taste” – and corn – “Just cause I like it”. Ivan burnt his tongue scarfing down the stew, and Alfred gladly kissed it better.

In the afternoon, Alfred remembered that he had an attic, and set out to explore. He brought down an old, dusty carton that reeked faintly of mold filled with VHS tapes spanning the genre gap from “7 years in Tibet” to “The Rescuers Down Under”. “This is a necessity”, he declared, and Ivan agreed as long as he could pick the movie. They lounged on and in front of the couch watching “Meet Joe Black”, and dozed off to “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.

 On day five, it was Ivan’s turn to mope. The snow had started up again, and was falling in a thick sheet. Ivan did not care for it. He didn’t want to get up at all, and hid under his blanket until Alfred made him poke his head out and listen to him tell a funny story about what happened last time Arthur tried to order knitting wool online. He clung to Alfred’s sides and whined until he pet his hair, and soaked up his warmth like a leech. They stayed in bed until well in the afternoon, living off protein bars and candy from their pockets, and the care package Yekaterina had made Ivan bring, just in case. It’s fun, and it’s soothing and it’s reassuring, having each other completely for themselves after all the time they had spent apart.

They migrate to the TV some time in the afternoon for another VHS session, and heat up the leftovers from yesterday. They build a house of cards on the floor, a romcom chattering away in the background, and talked about what they should have brought with.

“I wish I had my chess set here… you still know how to play, yes?”

“Duh. It wouldn’t have ended well for you – be careful – I wish I’d brought another book…”

“I have a book you could –“

“An interesting book, Ivy. Oh, and my toothbrush.”

“ – What?!”

“Just kidding. Or am I?” Ivan punched him in the arm, and knocked over their house of cards. “Aw.”

 On day six, things did not start out well. The snow stopped falling, but ice made it hard to see out of the windows, and the wind was going strong, still. Ivan wanted to stay in bed, and Alfred was itching to play full contact football or do literally anything else that would get his blood pumping and his muscles aching – and Ivan was extremely not in the mood. So, Alfred put on sturdy gloves, goggles and two jackets, and started shoveling snow off the winding path to the cottage possessed by an impatient spirit. Ivan slept an uneasy sleep, tossing and turning in the polka dotted bedsheets.

When he crept down the stairs, there were bags under his eyes, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept all week. Alfred was exhausted as well, but jittery and hungry and with an insatiable need to tell Ivan all about the snow he had just spent many futile hours shoveling here and there.

It started with off-hand comments, throwaway lines that on any other day would be less than irritating, and soon they turned to specifically targeted jabs, exploiting their long relationship to the fullest to hit where it truly hurt. Neither of them started screaming – Alfred had a loud voice by nature, and found it enough to drive home his points; Ivan grew more and more quiet, his eyes like needles and his mouth a blade. They broke apart when one of Ivan’s comments had Alfred stagger back, dumbfounded, and he grabbed his wooly hat and goggles to storm outside once more.

He slept on the couch that night, arms crossed and thoughts racing.

 On the seventh day, the skies finally cleared. The snow stopped falling, the wind ceased blowing, and the radio spat out more than static again. They listened to the weather forecast in silence, and they plugged in their phones so that the others could reach them. Alfred was the first to apologize, not looking at Ivan once during the speech he’d rehearsed in his mind all morning. Ivan took his hand, pulled him closer and kissed his forehead. “ I am sorry, too.”

They held each other for a while, needing but not wanting to talk about what had happened the day before. It wasn’t the right time for it. Finally, they broke apart, and Ivan suggested they go outside and build a snowman. It turned into a competition, each of them piling more and more snow onto their creations until neither of them was recognizable as a snowman anymore. Alfred insisted his was a sasquatch, while Ivan thought it was quite obvious that he had build a snow Snegurochka – the other insisted all he could see was a blob, and so they started over, and over, and over again.

It was dark by the time the cold drove them back inside. They set up a kettle of tea and pooled the last of their candy and sweets, and settled down on the couch once more.

“You’re cold”, Ivan said and pressed a soft kiss to Alfred’s icy nose. It tickled, and Alfred hat do laugh.

“So are you”, he said and returned the gesture. Ivan denied it firmly, but his nose was just as red as Alfred’s. Alfred snuck a hand up Ivan’s sweater and placed his icy fingers on his warm skin, and laughed at his boyfriend trying to hide the shiver going up his spine.

“Y’know, Ivy?”

“Hm?”

“You’re real cute.”

Alfred flashed him a wide smile, and watched in delight as Ivan’s cheeks grew a faint pink.

“Am not.”

“Mhm. Yeah.”

“Stupid”, Ivan pulled him close to his chest, not giving him enough time to protest being smothered. “You know flattery will get you nowhere, yes?”

“It got me in your arms, though, babe – “

Ivan squeezed him tightly until Alfred giggled out a “No, Stop-!”, and tried squirming out of his embrace, a big smile on his face. He only let go of him for a few seconds to let him catch his breath before going on the offense again and tackling him, so he was lying with his back on the couch.

“You are cute!”, he said, and placed a flurry of butterfly kisses to Alfred’s neck, who was still trying to wiggle free, laughing, his hands grabbing at Ivan’s shoulders.

“You’re being unfair – let go –“, he giggled as Ivan nibbled at his skin, and softly pulled at his hair to guide his head up. Ivan kissed the underside of his jaw before obliging, and looked down on him with eyes so warm they could melt glaciers. Alfred was breathless.

“I love you.  More than you could ever hope to know.”

Their next kiss was soft and gentle, at first, Alfred’s hands in Ivan’s hair and Ivan’s weight resting comfortably on his legs, his stomach, and his arms were wrapped around him. It grew deeper soon, lips parting to make way for breath, and tongues and teeth and finally they were holding onto each other for dear life, their hearts beating against their chests in unison and icy cold hands sliding up scratchy, soft sweaters on both sides.

“Ivy-“, Alfred gasped, trailing his thumb down his cheeks.

The door flew open.

“Are you two alright - ?!”

Ivan and Alfred scrambled apart. Ivan knocked an empty cup off the table, and Alfred lost his balance and toppled over the arm rest and onto the floor. There was a loud thud, footsteps and snickering, and Alfred heard Matthew sigh.

“Seriously?” he shook the snow off his boots before stepping forward, and set a large bag of groceries down on the floor. Behind him, Nicholas and Victoire were both wearing the same shit-eating grin, as well as lovingly hand crafted beanies. “We thought you died.”

“For real, we even had a bet going –“

“The two of you did, don’t drag me into that.”

“Oh yeah? You owe me a five, Mr. “Died of starvation” Williams.” Victoire mocked, and cleared the snow off her thick hoodie. Nicholas gasped and slipped out of what looked suspiciously like a pair of moon boots.

“They even got snickers, see?”, he pointed at the sweets piled on the table, “I told you my ice bear theory was more realistic. “

Matthew grumbled and sighed, and headed straight to the kitchen. “Whatever”. He ruffled Alfred’s hair as he walked past him, and Alfred thought he saw something like relief wash over his brother’s face. That nerd. As if anything here could kill him – well, apart from Ivan, maybe.

Ivan shot him a puzzled, but amused look, and extended a hand to help Alfred off the floor. He’s up on his legs soon enough, and pressed a last kiss to Ivan’s cheek before walking past him, following Matthew into the kitchen. Ivan, cheeks still red, righted the collar of his turtle neck and nodded “Yes” when Nicholas asked him if he reckoned it was OK with Alfred if he took one of his candy bars.

“Al, where’s the ham?”, they could hear Matthew say from the kitchen, and Victoire and Nicholas started snickering again.

“We ate it.”

“….You ate it.”

“Yup.”

“All of it?!”

“We were gonna die, Mattie! I was gonna die of starvation if I hadn’t eaten that ham – your own brother! – Ack, no, that’s unfair-!” The telling noise of skin smacking against skin, and Alfred came rushing out of the kitchen with a big laugh on his face, holding his recently viciously poked at sides.

“My ham-!”, Matthew came out after him, hands at the ready.

Ivan watched, laughing to himself until Alfred decided to use his body as a meat shield and hid behind him. They chased each other around the living room until Matthew tripped and Alfred caught him, nearly losing balance himself. Matthew gave him a good hard knock on his head with his own, and pulled him in a huffy hug.

“Naw Mattie, y’know you shouldn’t have left me alone with that ham. Sorry”, Alfred laughed and patted his shoulders. Ivan watched his boyfriend closely, a smile settling on his face.

“I know”. He points to one of the plastic bags bursting at the seams. “That’s why I brought two more.”