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It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Xisuma just wanted to take Grian out to see the Christmas lights being lit up, now that his son was three and a half years old and the lights on their own tree always made him happy, but now there were trapped, a surprise snowstorm having blown in, with no way back to their home, where Keralis, Xisuma’s husband, had been waiting for them, having decided to not go with them to see the lights, deciding to get some present wrapping done instead, leaving the two alone in the cold.
***
The night had started off well, Grian chirping excitedly at each light they passed, eyes sparking at the sight of them, the lights reflecting in his eyes only making his joy clearer; Xisuma made sure to get as many pictures as he could for Keralis, having promised his husband that he would get all the pictures he could of their son being adorable.
And then the snow had started falling.
At first it wasn’t a problem, just a few snowflakes here and there, and then it started to get heavier, more and more snowflakes falling from the sky.
It was then that Xisuma decided that it was time for him and Grian to return home, turning them around, despite Grian’s whines of protest, wanting to see more of the lights he was promised, and the fact that they were only halfway through the light path, making a hasty promise to return another day, when the snow wasn’t falling as fast as it was.
However, following the path back soon became impossible, as the rapidly falling snow soon concealed the path they had followed, leaving them stranded in a white wonderland that was rapidly becoming a nightmare.
Neither were as bundled up as they could have been, having only been planning on being out for two hours max, and there hadn’t been a forecast of snow; while it had been cold, cold enough for snow apparently, it hadn’t felt that cold, so they only put on thick winter jackets, and Grian had his tiny wing warmers on, paired with a scar and a pair of mittens, it wouldn’t keep them warm through the snowstorm that had formed around them.
Their vision was completely white, the snow being the only thing they could see, Xisuma struggling to even see his own son, and the wind blew around them, nipping at any exposed skin, leaving them to shiver, regretting not bundling up more.
“Dad, I’m cold,” Grian whined, and it was all Xisuma could do to not break down in tears, having been rendered completely helpless in the situation they had now found themselves in.
“I-I know, Sunlight, I know. We’ll get out of this though! And I’m sure Papa will have a warm drink for us when we get back, so-so just think about that, and it will all be alright, we’ll be okay, I promise.”
He hated making promises, especially ones that he didn’t know if he could keep, and this one he was terrified of breaking, but he could only hope that he wouldn’t have to break it; he couldn’t lose his son after all, he would do anything to keep him safe and warm.
***
When the snow had first started falling, Keralis hadn’t been concerned, thinking that, with the weather forecast he and Xisuma had checked, making sure it was a good night for him and Grian to go out and see the lights, there was nothing to worry about- it was just a light snowfall that would probably serve to make the night more magical for Grian.
And then it picked up, and kept picking up, until it was essentially a wall of snowflakes swirling through the sky, rendering vision impossible, and movement limited, meaning that anyone out there would be stuck there with no way out of the storm.
And his husband and son were still out there.
The moment that realisation hit, Keralis scrambled for his communicator, calling anyone that he could think of who lived near the small family, asking if Xisuma and Grian were there, his panic only worsening with each negative response that he received, leaving him with no choice but to call the authorities, hoping that they might be able to help find his family before the raging blizzard could take them away from him.
***
The snowstorm wasn’t letting up any, and Xisuma was starting to lose hope.
Grian was curled up in his arms, having been picked up only moments after he had mentioned that he was cold, doing his best to both keep him warm and in his sight, not wanting to lose him in the swirling snow.
“Dad, wh-what are-are we go-goin-going to-to do now?” Grian stuttered out, the words nearly lost to the chattering of the young parrot hybrid’s teeth.
“I-I don’t know, Sunlight, but-but we-we’ll fig-gure it out,” Xisuma muttered back, hunching down a bit, keeping Grian as close to him as he could, while he tried to make his way further in the storm, hoping to find someplace to hide for the remainder of the storm.
“Will-ll we be-be alrig-ght?” Grian asked, and Xisuma could only sigh.
“I-I hop-pe so, Grian, I hope s-so,” He replied, before silence fell upon the pair once more, leaving Xisuma to keep walking in silence.
***
Keralis had been quick to get in contact with the authorities, who had then directed the call to a rescue team that had been set up to find anyone who had been out when the blizzard hit, having set up several safe houses with the residents of the affected area where those who were found would be taken.
He was promised that finding Xisuma and Grian would be top priority, due to how young Grian was, so all he could do now was wait and hope that he would be contacted with the good news that his family had been found and were safe, able to be reunited as soon as the snowstorm came to an end.
***
Xisuma was convinced that this was going to be the end.
Grian had fallen silent a while ago, and was no longer shivering. The only comfort that his son was still alive being the small puffs of breath that he could feel against his unprotected neck, having given up his scarf so Grian could be that little bit more bundled up, wishing that he could also give over his jacket, but knowing that he had to hold onto it, if only so he could keep trying to get the two home to Keralis.
The cold wasn’t so biting anymore, which he was counting as a terrifying win, and the wind had become more of a static sound than the howling that it had been; his legs were growing tired, but he had to keep going, if not for himself then for Grian, but he really wanted a nap right about now, and it had to be late at night, what with the lights having been on before the storm hit, and he didn’t know how much farther he could go anymore.
Just as he was about to give up, to collapse in the snow and give his jacket over to Grian, in hopes of giving him a better chance to make it out of the storm alive, a bright light cut through the snow, and shouts could be heard.
A few moments later, and there were people surrounding him and his son, hands grabbing onto him to help guide him someplace, and hands trying to take Grian from him, and, while he was complacent and went with the figures trying to guide him to what he could only hope was someplace safe and warm, he wasn’t going to let Grian go; his son was going to be staying right in his arms and that was that.
Eventually, more lights could be seen, casting a comforting yellow glow into the swirling snow, and, a few moments later, he and Grian were being guided into a home, the warmth that now surrounded them feeling like a burning flame after the biting cold of the outside world.
From there, the two were checked over, before finally being allowed to rest, with promises of being escorted home once the storm had died down enough that travel was safe.
***
It took a few days for the storm to die down enough to be able to go home, the freak snowstorm seemingly having been caused by Notch and Herobrine messing something up in the code on accident and having no way to immediately fix it, but, now that it had been fixed and just a few snowflakes were floating through the sky, Xisuma and Grian were finally heading home, where Keralis was waiting for them with hot chocolate and a blanket nest set up in front of the television for a movie night.
And that’s where the small family of three ended up falling asleep, safe and warm, curled up in one another’s embrace.