TUC Oneshots/Drabbles

Winter

He wakes up slowly--eyes heavy from the last clinging bits of sleep. Exhaustion keeps him in bed for a few moments longer, before he slips from the warm sheets, the cold air biting at his exposed skin.

Shivering, he pulls on a sweatshirt and socks, before sitting on the edge of his bed. He sighs, rubbing at his eyes. Lets his hands drop to his lap, and he stares at them for a moment. The same scarred skin as always. Closing his eyes for a moment, he imagines he's somewhere better. But the frigid air suggests otherwise.

The door to his room clicks shut quietly behind him.

~

He doesn't turn the lights on as he shuffles down the hallway--the fall of his footsteps was enough. The kitchen is still mostly dark, but through the window over the sink, he can just see the sky starting to lighten up. He looks out over the farm, the pastures empty and the ground covered with a fine layer of glittering snow. Gregor hears the tapping of nails on the floor, and he turns, smiling when he sees Mars enter the kitchen.
"Hey, buddy..." Gregor whispers, crouching down.

Mars steps towards him, pushing his head against Gregor's chest. He only laughs softly, and buries his face into Mars' soft fur.

"Let's go visit Jet real quick, yeah?"

Gregor gives Mars a scratch behind his ears; snagging an apple from the bowl on the table, before he goes to the entryway, pulling on boots and a coat. He grabs a hat and gloves--shoving them into his pocket before he opens the door, letting Mars run out before him. He closes the door softly behind him, and follows after Mars, the snow crunching beneath his feet. Mars races around, his bizarre path marked clearly out by the paw prints in the snow. Gregor rolls his eyes, but continues towards the stable. He pushes the door open, the air only slightly warmer inside. Mars darts inside, and Gregor shuts the door. Walking to Jet's stall, he peeks inside. Jet is still half asleep, but perks up slightly when he sees Gregor. He plods over to him, and Gregor backs away, letting Jet stick his head out the door.

"I brought something for you," Gregor murmurs, pulling out the apple. Jet snuffles and stretches towards it, hot air puffing from his nose. Gregor strokes Jet's face while he eats, mentally noting that he would give Jet a good brush down later. Later. Gregor wipes his hand on his jeans, giving Jet a last pat before calling for Mars.

~

They make their way across the property, the sky just starting to bleed red and orange. Gregor can't feel his face, but he continues on, blinking back tears from the cold. They finally reach the boulder by the end of the pastures, and Gregor lets Mars climb up first, before climbing up after him--frozen fingers trying to find purchase. He brushes the snow off the top of the rock, and sits, pulling his phone from his pocket. He opens the camera, and waits. He watches the sky, and Mars settles his head on Gregor's leg, sighing. Gregor pets him absentmindedly, waiting. The sun starts to chase the dark away, and he steadies his hands, before taking the picture. He goes to his notes, and puts the picture in a new one, habit making the motions easy. He stops when the courser comes up, though. He normally never wrote anything. Why was he even doing this to begin with? But his fingers numbly press the keys, and then he saves it, and shuts his phone off, putting it away.

You never got to see the sun rise, those years ago.