“10 of your warriors is equal to 1 of mine,” Devlon yelled. 

Keir guffawed. “Says the Commander who lost double the soldiers I did in the war against Hybern,” Keir spat back. 

Devlon stepped toward Keir and Cassian jumped up between the two fae, placing a hand against the Illyrian’s chest. “They died because we were on the front lines, unlike your ilk,” Devlon snarled.

Devlon turned away and dropped into his chair next to you. Keir glared at Devlon before sitting back in his chair. You weren’t particularly fond of the Illyrian commander, but you couldn’t help but agree with him. The war had taken a toll on the Illyrians but they fought harder than any other warrior on the battlefield. The Night Court owed a lot to the Illyrians for their sacrifice. 

“Now I think that’s quite enough for one night,” Cassian said sternly. You couldn’t help that small laugh that escaped your lips at his words. Hearing you, Keir turned his glare on you. “We will next week. Leave the ego’s at home.”

With one last glare, Keir winnowed from the room. The second he left, the tension in the room eased. A moment later, Mor appeared to the right of Cassian, ready to take him back to Velaris for the night. 

“Do you need a lift back,” Mor asked you.

“That’s ok. I’m going to stay at Emerie’s tonight,” you said before More nodded and winnowed out with Cassian, leaving you alone in the room with Devlon. 

You groaned as you stood, stretching out your tight limbs. “Well as fun as that was, I’m gonna head out,” you said to Devlon.

He simply grunted as you made your way towards the door. You were met with a wall of white when you opened the door. Five feet of snow blanketed the ground making it almost impossible to get to Emerie’s house on the other side of Windhaven. The blistering cold and blizzard conditions meant that if you even tried to get there, you’d probably die. Your only option was to stay put.

“Shit,” you said.

You felt the heat from Devlon’s body against your back and a soft chuckle left his lips as he surveyed the outside. You turned to observe the Commander and found a smirk plastered across his face. 

“Wonderful, stuck with you for hours,” you said.

“I have half a mind to think you planned this,” he said.

You gaped at him. “I did no such thing,” you sputtered hastily. “Trust me the last thing I want is to spend anymore time with you. I’ve had more than enough after tonight.”

“Keep telling yourself that sweetheart,” he said before he closed the door against the cold and snow. 

You followed Devlon deeper into his house. The war meeting was held toward the front of his house, in a rather stark and impersonal meeting space. The living area of Devlon’s house was decidedly different from that. Pieces of art scattered the walls, including a painting of his family and a few artworks likely from his niece, based on the handiwork. A fire roared in the fireplace and a plush couch sat opposite it. Hanging on the wall behind the couch were an assortment of Devlon’s personal weapons, all gleaming in the firelight. 

“Well now I see why our meetings are out front,” you said as you gestured to the weapons wall. “I can guarantee that either Keir or you would be dead had these been within reach.”

“Definitely Keir,” Devlon grumbled.

“Oh, I wasn’t referring to either of you killing the other. I was referring to myself murdering one of you if I had to listen to another second of fighting,” you said.

Devlon’s mouth opened, ready to respond but you held your hand up to stop him. “Spare me the bravado. I want to be stuck here just as much as you want me here, which is not at all. I’ll stay out of your hair and sleep on the couch here,” you said. Then, you flopped onto the couch and curled up to sleep.

As you drifted off to sleep, you heard the echo of Devlon heading up the steps to his room for the night. You woke in the middle of the night. The fire had died low but you were still surprisingly warm. Then, you noticed a thick blanket covered your form that hadn’t been there when you fell asleep. You couldn’t help the small smile that ghosted over your face as you curled deeper into the blanket, inhaling the smell of the Illyrian Commander.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows when you woke next. A steaming cup of tea sat on the table across from you. The sound of a sword being sharpened echoed from upstairs. You peaked behind you and noticed a large spot on the wall where a broadsword used to be was empty. 

Grabbing the tea, you padded to the front door to check the weather. The snow was now almost to the top of the doorframe and was still coming down. There would be no leaving Devlon’s today. 

The sound of sharpening stopped as you made your way back into the living area. A few moments later, Devlon padded down the stairs. He halted when he saw you standing there with tea in hand. 

You gave him a small smile. “Thank you for the tea,” you said. 

“Consider it apologies for last night,” he said before placing the broadsword back in its spot on the wall. With a war axe now in his hands, Devlon turned and nodded towards the kitchen. “Help yourself to any food you need.” With that he padded back up the stairs. 

After a light breakfast, you walked around the living room, studying the artwork that littered the walls. You stopped in front of a child’s drawing that portrayed a small girl holding the hand of what you could only assume was Devlon. She’d signed it, ‘to Uncle Dev Dev.’ Your heart softened as you took in the drawing. She must really love her Uncle Dev Dev and he must really love her to display it proudly on his wall.

You whirled around as Devlon cleared his throat behind you. He held a bundle of clothes in his hands. “I thought you might want to change into something more comfortable,” he said as he held out the bundle to you. 

“Oh,” you said, “thank you that’s very kind.” He nodded and went to head back upstairs but you stopped him. “I’m sorry,” you said. 

He looked at you quizzically. “Why?”

Your grip tightened on the clothes, uncomfortable with explaining yourself. “For threatening to murder you in your own house, for snapping at you last night, for thinking you were some stuck up asshole when you’ve been perfectly gracious, well you get the point,” you took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is that you can’t be all that bad, right Dev Dev?”

His angry eyes snapped up to yours, but the anger faded when he saw the smile that graced your face. Before you could say anything else dumb, you brushed past him to change into the new clothes.

Devlon was seated in one of the armchairs next to the fireplace when you came back out. He briefly glanced up from the book he was reading before returning his eyes to the page. A second later, his eyes were back on you. 

You stopped, self conscious under his gaze. “They’re a little big,” you chuckled.

He shook his head vigorously. “No, uh, you, you look good is all.”

You smiled and flopped onto the couch. Minutes ticked by of you sitting on the couch bored as Devlon read. You sat up, tucking your feet underneath you. “Whatcha reading,” you asked the Illyrian.

He glanced up at your keen face. “A book on battle tactics from Drakon,” he hesitated, “would you like me to read aloud.” You nodded vigorously at his request. Over the next few hours, Devlon read to you with a few breaks to discuss some of tactics with one another. 

Eventually, the sun fell behind the mountains and you both decided that was enough for the day. “I’ll make us some dinner,” you said as you bounded towards the kitchen. 

You placed a bowl of stew in front of Devlon an hour later before sitting opposite of him at the table. Your spoon was inches from your mouth when it halted midair. “This isn’t like a mate thing,” you blurted out, “I just wanted to do something kind and this is my Mom’s recipe so I thought…”

You were cut off by Devlon’s boisterous laugh. “Don’t worry, that’s not what I thought this was, but I thank you for dinner nonetheless.”

The snow didn’t stop for three days and for those three days you and Devlon became closer as talked battle strategy. Soon battle strategy turned to more intimate topics, like your favorite places in the Night Court and plans for the upcoming Solstice celebration. 

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end and the snow finally stopped falling. Devlon and the other Illyrian warriors worked tirelessly to clear the roads and doorways in the camp. 

You stood in the doorway to Devlon’s home as Devlon looked down at you fondly. “Thank you for letting me stay here and putting up with my antics,” you said softly. 

A soft smile graced his face before he said, “it was my pleasure.”

You smiled back and turned to leave. You took one step away from him but his hand reached up and gently pulled you back. “I was wondering, would you like to join me here to celebrate the Solstice?” 

A huge smile broke out on your face. “I would love that,” you said. 

His hand ghosted down your arm and grasped your hand. Gently, he lifted your hand and pressed a soft kiss to it. “I look forward to it. Farewell, Sweetheart,” he said reverently. 

You headed towards Emerie’s while you counted down the days to the Solstice. Then the happiness faded and panic took over. What would you wear?

It was December first and about time to start changing decorations into winter ones. 

"How was the night shift?" John asked, taking a tentative sip out of his coffee you'd placed a few minutes ago.

Coasters be damned.

"Busy," You snorted. "The fire department got caught up in two house fires, and we had to go for two heart attacks. I've got the next three days off though."

"Eat dinner yet? We can eat out tonight, heard a new fancy restaurant popped up on Lambretta Street," He smiled. "And thankfully Dorian is out too. It'll only be us, honey."

"It's cold outside," You whined. "Forecast saying we'll dip below freezing tonight."

"You think it'll snow? If it does we can pull out our heavy jackets and sweaters from the attic above. Maybe give it a clean too, maybe a little shitty and dusty after being there for  most of the year."

Your book flopped to the ground, face a look of horror. "You said the s word."

"What s word?" His brows furrowed at you. "Shit?"

You shook your head. 

"Sweater?"

Another shake.

"Snow?"

You covered your ears with both hands, as though that could make you unhear his words. 

"What's wrong with snow?"

"We don't say the s word here. It always comes when someone says it out loud. And last time the rain froze, there was too much," You explained, looking briefly out the windows.

He laughed. "Afraid of snow?"

"Oh don't you start laughing at me, mister," You stood up. "When the flakes come, it really comes."

Now three days later, you peeked out the front door, scowling up at the sky as white, fluffy snow drifted down. Soon, clear icicles formed on the edges of rooftops and windowsills, blanketing lawns, rooftops, and roads. Ice froze over highways and streets, demanding the constant use of salt and shoveling snow away. Bare trees groaned under the weight of fresh snow.

You shivered at the thought of going out, and quickly shut the door behind you. The heater was on and John had thrown in some firewood to bring a wonderful, warm feeling into the house. Of course, the brief burnt smell worried you, but eventually settled when the heater was used more often.

"It's too cold to go anywhere," You complained to your boyfriend, pouting at him as he finished washing dishes of the night. "Stay at home please?"

He eyed you. 

"Come on, Y/N. Can't keep staying at home all the time. Eventually, you'll have to face the weather," John groaned, ignoring your unhappy whines. "Besides, we can go window shopping like you've always wanted since mid November."

"Only if we stop by the little cafe before we go."

"Deal."

"I look like a snowman," You mumbled, zipping up your boots and wrapping the scarf around your neck. "Just missing the carrot."

"A cute snowman," He cheekly added, avoiding the glove you threw at his face. You glowered at him, ambling past to reach for it.

"Here, lemme help you with the scarf," Your boyfriend tightened the scarf. "How's this?"

"Looser."

A sly grin and a glint in his eyes appeared on his face, and you slapped his shoulder. 

"Not now John, later."

He barked out a chuckle. "Let's go before it gets too dark."

After a cup of hot cocoa and a white mocha, you walked alongside John. "I think it was a good idea for us to move in together this year."

"It suits us. Do you think we're moving too fast?"

"I think we're doing okay, not too fast, not too slow," You pointed at a shop. "Those stockings are really nice. We should get some."

"The little figures would be nice on top of the fireplace," He pointed at the townhouse and train. 

"Be a good collection," You agreed. "Let's go in. I can't feel my fingers anymore."

Twenty minutes later, your boyfriend sported three bags as you entered the cold reluctantly. "I told you the s word will come if you say it out loud."

"Then I wish that the snow keeps on coming."

"Yeah yeah, big man. Wait till you have to shovel the snow before work and tell me how your joints are stiff," You rolled your eyes.

Twinkling lights embroidered every gas light lamp, stop signs, and traffic lights. Every once in a while, horse drawn carriage rides, decked with its unique colors and christmas music, would clip clop in the middle of the street. 

 "John? Thank you," You spoke, finishing the last of your drink and throwing it into a nearby trash can. 

"For what?"

"This. It's a wonderful way for us to start our first Christmas living together, and make more memories like this hopefully for the years to come."

"That, babe, have nothing to thank me for," He held you, gently placing his forehead against yours. You smiled, ruffling the snow off his hair. "I'll make sure to warm you up to the idea of a white christmas."

You laughed, rubbing your gloved hands together in an effort to save heat. "You've got a long way to go for that to happen. No, Detective Kennex, you do not get to use your persuasion skills on me like you do in the police department."

"No promises."

As the taxi dropped you and John in front of your home, you took a moment to take in the peacefulness, the beauty of the snow. It only happened once a year, and perhaps maybe you'll enjoy the winter once more without the realities of life intruding.

"Y/N? Coming in, babe?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," You trudged back inside the front door, as the fog steamed up the glass. "If the snow is still there tomorrow, do you think we can build a snowman before you go to work?"

"Of course."

"John, if you hate your synthetic leg that much, could I borrow one of your boots to be used instead of the broom? We dont have anything for the snowmen to hold."

Eats Everything: @mournthewicked @asraime @aspiring-ginger @bluesclues-1234 @ladylizzieofdarbyshire @also-fangirlinsweden @mysoulshideaway @charlielotte

Aragorn, Lord of the Rings

Fili, The Hobbit

Kili, The Hobbit

Thane Krios, Mass Effect

Garrus Vakarian, Mass Effect

Kaidan Alenko, Mass Effect

Liara T'soni, Mass Effect

Jaal, Mass Effect

Trip Tucker, Star Trek

Data, Star Trek

Garak, Star Trek

Obi Wan Kenobi, Star Wars

Din Djarin/Mando, Star Wars

Thrawn, Star Wars

Theron Shan, Star Wars

Captain Rex, Star Wars

Hunter, Star Wars

Link, Legend of Zelda

Sidon, Legend of Zelda

Jaskier, The Witcher

Yennefer, The Witcher

Geralt, The Witcher

June, Andromeda Six

Damon, Andromeda Six

Calderon, Andromeda Six

Thank you all for your interest! I'm really doing this so I can get more motivation to write lol, but I think it will be fun☺️