Speedwagon stares out into the night. Out here in the country, the snow is lit only by the moon above and the faint warm glow spilling out of the windows of the house. Now and then, as they drift down from above, the snowflakes are caught in some fierce swirlβbut he canβt hear the wind from here inside Mr. Joestarβs cottage. The only cold he feels is the slightest touch in his nose where itβs nearly pressed against the glass. The double-glazed window keeps the worst of it out. He hears instead the sound of warmth, the pop and crackle of logs in the fire, and a record playing softly on the gramophone.
Itβs Midwinterβs Night, the longest night of the year, and it looks apt to be the coldest, too. Speedwagon is lost in thought, thinking of all the nights before this one when heβd have been out thereβand worse, in London. Nights spent struggling with all his might to find even a fraction of this warmth. He feels as though heβs been transported to an entirely different world, here in Liverpool. Itβs nothing short of magical.
And such a distraction, that he doesnβt notice when Jonathan returns to the room until the gentleman touches him gently on the cheek. Itβs so comforting and familiar that he doesnβt even startle, just turns to look back into his warm new world. He smiles when he sees Jojo, framed by the glow of candlelight.
βHere you go.β Jojo holds out a mug of hot cocoa, a decadent drink that he gives to Speedwagon as freely as kisses. Indeed, the only reason he was sitting here alone in the first place was because Jojo had offered to go and get them some. Itβs almost beyond imagining, that he could come from the cold hard streets into such a dream. But he can feel that itβs very much real.
Speedwagon accepts the warm mug into his hands, the chill of the windowpane forgotten now as he makes room beside him for Jojo. Itβs a tight fit, both of them here in the window box. But that only makes it all the more cozy. He settles into Jojoβs arms, the wool of his sweater soft against his cheek. Speedwagon wouldnβt mind spending the whole winter right here, hibernating like the bears do. Theyβre both content to spend this longest night in quiet comfort, enjoying the chocolate and the marshmallows, and the soft sound of the music.
Perhaps that thought about the bears gave the universe ideas, because when Speedwagon wakes the next morning he realizes theyβve fallen asleep in the window. When he opens his eyes a new wonder awaits him. The landscape outside the window is blanketed in pristine white snow, rolling as far as his eye can see. Nothing in the city is this clean, this undisturbed. The morning sun is pale, but still everything before him glistens. If he didnβt know better from the familiar embrace around him, heβd think heβd woken into the land of faerie.
A thin, crisp frost has built up at the edges of the glass. Despite the softness of the snow, it must be cold outside. But as he feels Jojoβs chest slowly rise and fall beneath his cheek, Speedwagon feels perfectly warm in every way.
Happy @speedstarweek 2026! This is for the first day's theme, "snow".
I've had the thought of this little scene in my head since it really was winter. I wrote a rough draft after I saw a very cute video of a cat bunking in during a snowy night and thought "Why not Jonawagon too?"
I also posted this on AO3, in case you wanted to check it out there too!
stormborns
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romaincrisis
kianamaiart
2087
izzy806
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snowghoul
