[Synopsis: A winter blackout forces Captain and Dum to rely on warm clothes and their own body heat to get by...However, Charlie lacks both of those things. And if he isn't kept warm somehow, he'll die. How will the couple ensure his survival?]

[Location: Captain and Dum's house]

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With the blizzard outside being as strong as it was, and outages going on all over the affected area, the couple living in the little sky blue house had anticipated that the same would happen them at some point. So when it did, they'd already made a few preparations; wood was piled up for the fireplace, the gas burner and three propane tanks had been brought into the house, water was collected from the sink, packages of noodles, stroganoff and other pot-cooked meals were gathered on the counter to make, candles were lit in a few places and their phones were both fully charged. So when the blackout did finally hit, they weren't worried.

"That ought to keep things warm until the weather lets up and the power comes back on," Captain remarked as he slipped a thick, fuzzy blue sweater over himself. "In the meantime, since we're stuck here, are ya keen on some cuddles?"

"Keen as ever~!" the pink crewmate giggled. "Let's get cozy and tell each other spooky stories..."

"I like the sound of that."

Captain pulled her close and held her tightly as they nuzzled visors, and he lifted her right up off her feet and into his lap as he plopped down on the couch, each of them tucking their sock-covered feet underneath their crossed legs to keep their toes extra warm.

...It turned out, though, that neither of them were very good at telling genuinely horrifying stories, let alone coming up with them. Captain started giggling just when the main character in his zombie-infested supermarket story was getting surrounded by a horde of the undead in the fruit section, and from there, things went from suspenseful to downright hilarious.

"A-and then, just when the one shambler with the skinless foot was nearly on top of him, his good foot stepped on one of the rotten banana peels on the floor, and he fell head over heels!"

"Pfft-Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"And he did a backflip!"

Dum laughed even harder at the added bit, and Captain followed her up with his own...Eventually, the scary made-up stories turned into stories about ACTUAL scary things that'd happened to them before, mainly during their childhoods. After about two hours, Dum was in the middle of recounting the time Player found a garter snake in their mother's vegetable garden and chased her around with it.

"He only stopped when Jet ran in front of him and sent him flying forward and right into the ground!" she gushed. "Ah, man...Mom and Dad were NOT happy with him when they found out about all that; the only reason he got off with just having to write 'I will not chase my sister with snakes' 50 times was because he bruised one cheek and scraped the other when he fell...Ah well, at least his loose tooth came out."

"Did he know that you actually had ophidiophobia yet?"

"I don't think so; he probably just figured ALL girls hated stuff like snakes and lizards."

"Ah...Well, at least we know you're okay with-"

All of a sudden, Captain let out a loud gasp, and he threw his hand over his mouth, visor widening in horror. How could he have forgotten!?

"Cappy, what's the matter-?"

"CHARLIE!!"

He almost threw Dum back onto the couch as he sprang up and rushed into the bedroom, but Dum barely even noticed his unintentional roughness and quickly followed after him. She met him in the bedroom just in time to see him taking the top off of Charlie's tank and reaching in to take him out...Dum's own concern started to rise when she saw just how frantic he looked.

"Charlie? Come on out, boy, are you okay? Where'd you-Charlie! Oh my God, Charlie, tell me you're okay, please!"

He lifted the python up out of his enclosure and held him...Charlie was bunched up in the tightest ball either of the crewmates had ever seen him in, and he refused to unfold at the feel of Captain's touch.

"Oh, Charlie..." Captain said to him, his throat closing up and his visor growing moist as he feared the worst. "Please do something. Move your head, your tail, ANYTHING! Just let me know you're still with us!"

"Cappy, is he okay?"

They both stared at the unmoving snake for a few moments, anticipating signs of life.

...Both Captain and Dum heaved out a heavy sigh of relief when they saw Charlie tilt his head slightly towards them and flick his tongue out slowly.

"You're okay! Oh Charlie, I thought I lost you for a minute, oh my goodness, you're alright...!"

Captain held back a few tears as he held his beloved python close and pet the top of his head with his first two fingers.

"What happened to him, Captain?" Dum asked, a bit confused by Captain's reaction now that the initial fiasco had ended. "Was he getting too cold or something?"

Captain sighed to calm his nerves a bit more, then wrapped the white-scaled snake around his hands before he spoke.

"Charlie's a reptile, Dum," he explained. "They're cold-blooded...That means they can't control their body temperatures like birds and mammals can; their temperatures match that of their surroundings. So of they get too hot, or in this case, too cold, then, well...it's not good for them."

"Oh...um...Yeah."

Something the matter, Dum?"

"No, i-it's just that...I'm pretty sure I learned that stuff about warm and cold-blooded animals in third and fourth grade," she remarked. "So...I feel like I shouldn't have forgotten that."

"Oh. Well that's alright, Dum. You know now," Captain assured her. "...The issue is that with the power down, his heating pad hasn't been running, and his habitat's just been getting colder and colder...He won't be able to withstand conditions like that until the blackout is over; we need to find another way to keep him warm for now."

"Hmm...How about the propane heater? We can bring his tank out into the living room and put it close to the burner. Will that be enough?"

"It's better than nothing. Let's give it a shot."

He handed the python to Dum and grabbed ahold of the glass aquarium, hauling it out of the bedroom and into the living room where the propane burner was running. He placed it down just over a yard away from the heat source, then took Charlie back and stuck him inside...The snake seemed to be drawn to the heat, slithering towards the wall closest to the burner and balling up there.

"Do you think he'll be warm enough like that until the power comes back?" Dum asked him.

"I don't know. It'd be best to just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't start going downhill," Captain replied. "...In the mean time, how 'bout I heat up some water on the burner and make us some tea? I could use something to settle my nerves right about now, heh..."

"Good idea, Cappy. You do that."

"Alrighty," he nodded, heading into the kitchen with his phone flashlight to fetch the kettle and tea bags. "What kind of tea would you like?"

"Do we have any jasmine tea?"

"I think we have some in that green tea sampler! If there's any left, I'll make it!"

"Okay, thank you!"

As her boyfriend headed off into the kitchen to prepare the tea, Dum stared into Charlie's cage. He was balled up on one of the large, flat rocks lying atop the substrate, trying to absorb as much heat as he could...The dull stare in his blue eyes reflected just how miserable he felt, and Dum swore she saw an uncomfortable grimace on his face.

"Ohh, poor baby..." she cooed sympathetically. She wished there was something else she could do except hope the heat from the gas burner was enough.

"Okay, Dum, I've got the kettle and mugs ready!" Captain announced as he returned to the living room. "Just gotta stick this on the burner and wait..."

As he put the kettle on the gas burner and placed the mugs on the coffee table, he noticed the concerned look on Dum's face as she looked down at the milky-colored snake.

"You're worried about him too, huh?"

"Yeah...Do you think there's anything else we can do?"

"Well, if I have any leftover hot water from the tea, I can pour it into a bowl and put him in there to soak for a while," he suggested. "I've gotta mix it with a bit of cold water so it doesn't burn him, though."

"That sounds like a good idea..."

"And when he comes out, we can dry him off and hold him for a little while. Since we can produce our own body heat, Charlie might enjoy some snuggles."

"Aww, would you like that, Charlie?" Dum asked the snake in the tank. He seemed to raise his head slightly in response.

"I think he'd like that. Hee hee..."

"Well, in order for us to keep him warm, we'll have to make sure we don't get too cold ourselves. I know that's been going pretty well so far, but...Maybe just up the cozy factor a bit, you know? I'd like to get back to cuddling with you myself."

"Aw, Cappy..."

She tilted her head up to tap her visor against his, and he nuzzled her in return...It was at that moment the kettle on the burner started to whistle, and Captain reluctantly pulled away from he pink crewmate to take it off the burner.

"I'll have the tea for us in just a sec, Dum. In the mean time, get yourself cozied up the couch again, okay?"

She nodded and sat back down on the sofa, nestling into the warm cushions and taking in the warm, floral scent of the green tea starting to brew in their mugs...As it steeped, she kept a close eye on Charlie; he was starting to move a bit more, shifting and repositioning himself on the rock  he was on every so often, but he stayed in the same spot, huddled up close to the heat source as he tried to keep the cold at bay. Captain poured the remaining hot water into the python's water dish, and it mixed with the cooler water that was already in there, turning the perfect temperature to soak in.

When the tea was done brewing, Captain brought the mugs over and set by hem down on the coffee table, then took Charlie up in his hands and lowered him into the warm water...The snake seemed to melt right into the comfortable heat, unfurling his long body and resting his head on the edge of the dish, seeming content.

"Looks like he's enjoying himself in there," the white crewmate smiled as he sat down next to Dum, grabbing one of the fleece throws off the back of the couch and draping it overtop of their laps to use as a blanket. They both grabbed their beverages off of the table and drank them slowly, taking in the smooth, subtly sweet taste and savoring the rush of warmth it sent down each of their spines...Captain felt his girlfriend lean her head against him, and he returned the favor by pulling her into a side hold and tenderly kissing her forehead.

"Love you, sweet pea."

She cooed quietly as she snuggled further up to him, a smile on her face.

"I love you too, Cappy," she whispered, planting a kiss of her own against his cheek. "So much."

They both stayed like that, enjoying each other's company and taking in the warmth they felt between them until they'd both drained their mugs completely. And by then, Charlie was beginning to slither out of his water dish and make his way back over to the spot closest to the propane burner; an indication that his warm bath was beginning to cool down.

"I'll be right back, Dum," he told the crewmate beside him, giving her hand a light squeeze with his own before getting up from the toasty bundle and heading for the laundry room. He returned with a paper towel in his hands, which he used to lift Charlie out of his cage with and wipe away the tepid water coating his scales. Once he was dried off, Captain made his way back to the couch with the python in his hands, covering his lap with the blanket again before placing him down onto it, folding the edge overtop of him.

"How's that feel, Charlie?" Dum asked him. "Warm?"

In response, the ball python curled up into a spiral shape on his owner's lap and stuck his head out from under the edge of the covers, resting it on Captain's knee.

"Aww, look at him curled up like that," the pink crewmate gushed as she reached out and stroked the top of the snake's head. "Little baby noodle..."

She booped his snoot and patted his head one more time before drawing it back into the blanket, leaning back up against Captain as she let out a content sigh. The white crewmate snuggled down into the sweater he was wearing and closed his eyes, pulling Dum back into a side hug...They drifted off like that, cuddled up on the couch in a warm bundle, Charlie curled up with them.

They stayed like that throughout the night, the raging blizzard outside powerless against them. All they felt was the warmth that was shared between them, both under the blankets and in their hearts.