My brother has always been a child. I don't think he's ever had the need to mature faster than others. He's a male. We have a father. There weren't reasons placed upon him that made him mature. Sure, there was the time when we were children, but he didn't have a reason to afterwards.
"Do you think if I throw this snowball at Garroth's feet, he'll fall onto his face?"
I glance back to Laurance, well aware that walking in front of Vylad will prevent snowballs from hitting me. "You fuck up his hair, and he will complain. I don't feel like listening to that bullshit today."
"He's too far ahead anyway for me to actually hit him. I'll have to try when I get closer to him."
The slush slips around my shoe when my foot puts pressure on the ground. I always got a kick out of piling slush up with my foot and then stomping on it. It'd go everywhere, and sometimes it would hit Laurance on the pant leg.
"What happens when he throws something at you? His aim is better," Kandi comments. Her hands are stashed deep in her pockets. I don't think she's ever really liked the cold.
"I run. I run more than him anyway. More endurance."
"As long as I'm not being aimed at, I don't think I actually care. Even if I'm being used as a human shield," Vylad says, nudging my back slightly.
I giggle, reminding him of all the times he has threatened to use me as a human shield for the most random of things.
The weather isn't bitterly cold, but my nose still feels like it's being nibbled on by Jack Frost. The rose color on my cheeks beats any amount of blush I could put on.
We wanted to go on a walk. Christmas is in two days, but somehow we found ourselves walking up and down the streets of Phoenix Drop in order to find a few last minute Christmas gifts. Now that that's over with, Garroth wants to walk around the block to look at the lights that are beginning to turn on. The sun has already begun to set.
A snowball flies through the air by the time we're a few houses away from the Ro'meave residence. It falls a little before Garroth. He turns around, looking for the person it came from.
"Was that meant for me?"
Laurance shrugs. "It was, but you move too much."
"Your aim is shit, dude."
Laurance mocks a sense of hurt and leans forward in being able to pick up a handful of snow. "Sorry, we all can't be captain of the baseball team."
My lips purse into a tight line in order to stifle the giggle that threatens to come out.
Garroth's eyes twinkle when he looks over at me. I can't help but to smile at his childlike excitement. "Are you laughing at me?"
"Oh, no," I respond, giggling a little more. "Me and my child-size gloves are keeping to ourselves."
He eyes me for a moment before scooping a handful of snow. While he begins to shape it, Laurance throws another snowball in Garroth's direction. This time it hits him on the shoulder.
After a scoff of disbelief, Garroth throws his in response. A small fight has erupted, and we're in the clear until Laurance dashed behind Kandi at the last minute and the snowball hit her.
Suddenly we're running forward on the sidewalk, allowing for the streetlights and house windows to be our only light. Laughter fills the air, and missed snowballs follow. Snow flies past faces and into the back of someone else.
By the time we're done, my knees and gloves are soaked cold with snow. I managed to lose my earmuffs by the tree, and Vylad is trying to shovel out snow from his hood and pockets.
Zianna comes out of the front doors and gasps, her hands flying in front of her mouth. She seems amused and worried at the same time.
"Get inside," she scolds, eyeing us all carefully before shaking her head. She looks joyful to see us acting like actual children. "You'll all get sick come Christmas. I'll heat some milk on the stove in the meantime. Garroth, Kandi, find extra clothes."
Zianna waits to go back inside until we've made it into the entryway. She disappears into the kitchen by the time Laurance takes off a boot. He flips it upside down, and snow comes barreling out. I watch it plummet onto the rug.
Somehow, this causes laughter on its own.
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
"You know," Garroth comments, leaning up against the dining room's door frame, his hand resting on the wood above my head. He's rather open to flirting with me when anyone could walk in on us at any moment. I like to think he could be opening up to the idea of becoming public, but I know it's from the rush of adrenaline fading from him. "Rosy cheeks look good on you."
I snuggle further into my blanket, staring down into my hot chocolate. "Is that so? I think snow on your face is pretty cute. Especially when your nose scrunches up from it." My nose scrunches up as a result in a reenactment of his previous actions.
He scrunches his nose up afterwards too. "Like this?"
"Yeah, like that."
"You're pretty cute when you do it yourself." He looks down at me adoringly before he turns his head in the direction of the stairs. Laurance is calling for him. "I, um. . . well."
I nod my head and watch as he walks away. Soon, he's out of my view, and I'm still leaning my weight against the door frame. I have a lot of trust in this wood to keep my blanket around my shoulders.
"Were you and Garroth just flirting?" Panic strikes me quickly, causing my breath to cut short. The voice makes himself visible to me as he walks in front of me, his face dripping in a sly smirk. "If I knew any better, Laurance wouldn't like that."
I roll my eyes, "Flirting is in the Zvahl blood. It's harmless. Besides, I don't think Garroth would like hearing of your most recent intentions of becoming a Shadow Knight."
Zane's eyes narrow at me. In order to skip the useless scolding, he keeps quiet. Soon, he walks away silently.
I know for that moment I'm safe.
