TW: Fluff, OT3

Title: ~Winter's Coming~

It started so slowly that Honeydew was sure he was imagining it. He had been building the factory walls ever higher, when a snowflake settled on his nose. He looked at it, cross-eyed as it melted, and realising what it was, he stared skywards, his mouth falling open. All around him, snow was beginning to fall. He put down the marble block he was holding, nearly dropping it on his foot in haste, and clambered down the scaffolding as quickly as his legs could carry him. Sliding down the ladder, he saw Lalna fiddling with the sorting machine, a paint brush in his hand.

"Lalna, it's snowing!" he exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.

"Of course it is," Lalna answered without looking up.

"No, really! Come and look!" Honeydew said, pulling the man's arm toward the ladder.

Lalna sighed and put down his paint brush, letting himself be dragged. Climbing up the ladder, practically pushed up by Honeydew, he gazed around him. It was beginning to come down thickly now, huge wet flakes nestling in his hair as he stood dumbstruck.

"But, but... this can't happen!" Lalna stammered. "There isn't a snow biome for miles! How...?"

"I told you!" Honeydew called up the ladder, still standing on the floor below.

Lalna hurried back down. "But we don't have a proper roof yet!" he whined, panicking. "How are we going to work in this?!"

"It's nearly night anyway," Honeydew said cheerfully, "It'll have stopped by morning. We could make snowcreepers!" he said, grinning widely.

"Hey, where's Xephos? Didn't he go out?" asked Lalna, suddenly aware of the spaceman's absence.

No sooner had he said it than they heard him shout outside; a yell which stopped all too abruptly. Lalna jumped down the ladder, while Honeydew climbed down after him. They hurried out the door, Lalna flying ahead, but they soon found him. The river beside the factory had begun to ice over, and as Honeydew turned the corner, he saw his friend soaked to the bone, grasping at the bank trying to climb up. A few behind metres him, there was a large jagged hole in the ice, the water within it still rippling, and a piece of Xephos' red shirt caught on a sharpened edge where the man had fallen through.

"Well don't just stand there!" Xephos shouted, spluttering.

Honeydew hurried over, grabbing his friend's hand and tugging him upward. Lalna hovered behind Xephos, gripping him under the arms. Just as Xephos had one foot on the bank, he slipped suddenly, the already treacherous mud only made worse by the falling snow, and the three fell in a heap beside the rapidly freezing river.

"You muppets," Honeydew said simply, buried beneath his friends.

Lalna couldn't help it, he began to laugh, and Honeydew laughed with him. Xephos scowled at them, trying to disapprove, before it spread to him and he too grinned widely.

"We are flipping useless at this," he said chuckling.

They laughed in agreement, before Lalna said "Come on, let's get inside. It's bloody freezing out here."

They began to stand, brushing themselves off, but behind them Xephos yelled and fell to the ground again, frustratedly trying to stand up. Honeydew and Lalna turned, and bent to help him, but he waved their hands away, saying "No, it's fine, just give me a minute," obviously annoyed with himself.

"Xephos, your ankle..." Lalna said, gesturing to where Xephos' leg jutted out behind him, his toes pointing away at an unnatural angle.

"It's fine," Xephos repeated firmly, letting out an exasperated breath, but Honeydew took one look at him and pulled the man's arm over his shoulders, holding him half up as Lalna knelt down to examine him. "Hold still," the scientist said.

Lifting Xephos' trouser leg, Lalna pulled back a fraction, inhaling sharply.

"What is it?" Xephos asked, his body numb.

"I think it's broken, Xeph'," Lalna answered, looking up at him apologetically.

"Oh brilliant," Xephos said, adding a curse under his breath.

Lalna took his other shoulder, and between them, they got Xephos back to the old shed, Honeydew kicking the door shut behind them. They sat Xephos on his bed, his dark wet hair dripping onto his sheets, and as he looked down, he saw the dark damp trail he'd left on the floorboards. He shivered, suddenly realising how cold he was.

"You're shaking," said Lalna, looking at him in concern. Honeydew dug through a chest, nearly going in head first as he bent to grab something from the bottom, the snow on his boots falling to the floor. "Gotcha," he muttered, pulling out a thick woollen towel and handing it to Xephos.

"Thanks friend," Xephos said, sniffing as his nose ran, but as his cold fingers fumbled with the towel, Honeydew took it from him gently saying "Give it here," as he unfolded it, shaking it out, and pulling it round Xephos' shoulders. Xephos smiled in gratitude.

Lalna held two bottles in his hands, carefully tipping one into the other, the potion in his right hand darkening from pearly white to a deep magenta that shimmered in the torchlight. "That should do it," he decided, handing the bottle to Xephos.

"What is it?" Xephos asked, eyeing it suspiciously.

"It'll heal you," Lalna said.

"Just drink it, mate" Honeydew added, trusting Lalna's expertise just this once.

Xephos still looked doubtful as he tipped it to his lips and drank. It was cool on his tongue, but the moment he swallowed, he felt its heat surging into his chest. Draining the last of it, he looked from the empty bottle to Lalna.

"What was in that?" he said uncertainly, his throat still tingling.

"It's best you don't ask," smiled Lalna, imagining what his friend's reaction would be to having drunk netherwart. "But you should feel better in the morning," he added.

"Hmm," Xephos muttered as he handed the bottle back to Lalna.

"We should get you out of those wet clothes too," Lalna said, blushing as he realised what he'd suggested.

"He's right Xeph', you'll never get warm with them on," Honeydew agreed. The spaceman's usually perfectly pressed uniform was sodden and muddy, snow still clinging to his collar.

"But, I-" Xephos began.

"Xeph'..." Honeydew said, giving him a look that plainly stated he was being an idiot.

"Oh alright, alright," Xephos said, holding his hands up in surrender.

He attempted to grip the hem of his shirt, but however hard he tried, his fingers wouldn't clench. He shook them frustratedly, trying to force the blood flow back into them.

"Some privacy would be nice," he grumbled, hoping his friends hadn't noticed his stiff fingers, but Honeydew had, and the dwarf knew it would be impossible for him to undress on his own.

Lalna sheepishly headed for the ladder into the other half of the shed. Honeydew followed, saying quietly to Lalna, "I'll give him a hand."

"Oh, okay," Lalna said, his face a soft shade of pink. "I'll, er... sort out those old chests." He breathed a small sigh of relief, glad to have thought of an excuse.

Honeydew nodded, and turned back to Xephos. When Lalna had disappeared over the ladder, he said "You'll never get that off on your own."

"I'm perfectly-" Xephos mumbled, his head stuck inside his half pulled-off shirt, the wet fabric stuck to his skin as his arms seized up, "-capable."

"Sure you are, mate," Honeydew said, as he lifted it off the rest of the way, smiling at Xephos as his face appeared from beneath the soaked shirt.

"Just help me, will you?" Xephos said, trying to frown, but half smiling back at the dwarf despite himself.

Honeydew put the shirt aside, and untied Xephos' shoelaces. Xephos braced himself for a sharp pain; as his circulation slowly returned, it brought with it intense throbbing from his ankle. He closed his eyes tight shut in readiness, but the dwarf worked the man's shoes off so carefully that he didn't feel a thing, only the cool air nipping his damp skin as Honeydew peeled off his socks and he cautiously opened his eyes again.

Honeydew didn't hesitate, moving to unbuckle Xephos' belt; Xephos gulped. Honeydew tugged the man's trousers down, as Xephos tried to push himself up off the bed a little with his good foot to assist his friend.

Honeydew stifled a laugh at the sight of Xephos' boxers, printed with little diamond swords. "Oh shut up," Xephos said, turning red.

Honeydew lifted Xephos' trousers over his broken ankle with slow and steady hands, and adding them to the growing pile of wet clothes. Xephos' ankle had turned a shocking purple, and the two drew in sudden simultaneous breaths at the sight of it stuck out between them. Xephos could have sworn he saw his veins glowing magenta, ever so slightly.

Honeydew seemed to realise at once that he was standing in front of his best friend, who sat on the bed wearing next to nothing. As he looked down, he noticed even Xephos' boxers were soaked through, and the clinging fabric left nil to the imagination.

"Last thing, mate," the dwarf said, reaching for the waist band of Xephos' boxers.

"Wait-" Xephos began, but the dwarf's hands had already pulled them down to the bed, working them underneath Xephos' behind as the man's eyes darted around the room, his blushing cheeks the warmest part of him as Honeydew's fingertips brushed his thighs.

"There we go," Honeydew said, as he pulled the boxers the rest of the way, and dropped them on to the damp heap. He lifted the towel, and pulled it back around Xephos' shoulders, trying his best not to laugh or look down.

"Thanks, I think," said Xephos, not meeting his friend's eyes, his arms crossed low across his crotch.

"No problem," Honeydew said, smiling as he kissed the man on the forehead before turning to find another towel.

Xephos gingerly touched the warm spot that Honeydew had kissed, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

"This should sort you," the dwarf said, turning back to Xephos, and passing him his own towel. He stood awkwardly in front of him, thinking the man would say something, but instead Xephos leant forward and planted his lips on the dwarf's, still trembling from cold, his hand on Honeydew's neck. Honeydew blinked for a moment, the man's skin soft against his own. He felt Xephos' tongue gently push its way into his mouth, and brush the tip of his, pulling back in question, but the dwarf's tongue thrust forward, searching for Xephos', and curling around it. Honeydew tangled his hand in Xephos' hair, before he pulled back, their faces barely an inch apart, unable to stop looking at the man.

"You're still freezing, Xeph'," he said, the ends of his beard tickling Xephos' chest as he spoke. "We have to get you warm."

Without warning, he lifted Xephos into his arms, the man yelping and clinging to him in shock, as Honeydew walked over to his enormous bed, laying Xephos down. He lifted the covers over him, and paused, stroking his face fondly with a light touch that surprised Xephos. The dwarf took off his armour, replacing them in the chest with a muffled clang, before clambering in behind his friend, cocooning him in warmth, his hands reaching around Xephos' waist to hold him close. Honeydew kissed his neck, and sighed happily as he saw Xephos' cheek rise in a soft smile.

They had begun to slip toward sleep, when Lalna climbed the ladder back through, and stopped at the top, looking down at the pair in disbelief. The snow still fell heavy against the windows, and a chill hung in the air even inside the small wooden hut. Lalna's breath clouded in front of him as he shook his head, fatigue weighing heavily on his mind. I'm already dreaming, he thought to himself. He climbed down the ladder as quietly as he could and undressed, trying not to press his exposed feet against the frigid floorboards for more than a second at a time. He slipped gladly into bed, but the sheets may as well have been made of ice. Even curled into a ball, he shivered.

"Lalna," Xephos whispered.

The scientist turned to see Xephos' head, raised above the pillow, meeting his gaze. "Y-yes?"

"Lalna, don't be silly. You'll freeze," Xephos said, his voice hushed, gesturing him over with his arm.

"Don't worry, I'm okay-" Lalna started, his teeth chattering, before Honeydew lifted his head.

Lalna blinked, seeing the two of them together, Xephos' bare shoulders peeking out from beneath the blankets. Definitely a dream, he thought, until Honeydew climbed out of bed, walking over to Lalna and yanking off his covers. Lalna squeaked, and his hands flew to cover his groin, before Honeydew lifted him as he had Xephos, saying "Come 'ere," and carrying him to his bed. Xephos moved along to make room, wincing slightly, but surprised to find the pain had reduced significantly. Honeydew lay Lalna down beside Xephos, and climbed in after him, trapping Lalna between the two of them.

"Guys-" Lalna began.

"Shut up," the pair said in unison, snuggling against him on both sides.

Lalna gulped. Honeydew snaked his hands around Lalna's waist, the dwarf's thick chest hair rubbing warmly against Lalna's back. Xephos half-turned, and pulled Lalna's arm over him, holding his hand in place. Lalna's tiredness overcame him, and he relaxed despite himself. He couldn't help thinking that maybe he could get used to this. Xephos squeezed his hand gently, and he smiled as he drifted into the warm fog of sleep.