Work Text:
The long awaited first snow of the year arrived overnight, and by morning the world had been turned into something new. The trees wore white hats. The street looked softer, like it was holding its breath.
The moment was interrupted by Alex and June as they tumbled down their front steps, Alex’s half-zipped jacket flapping, June’s scarf trailing behind her like a flag as their boots crunched loudly on the fresh snow. The cold hit them all at once, sharp and exciting, stealing their breath in a way that made everything feel more real.
“This is perfect snow!” Alex declared as he stomped deliberately to hear the crunch. “Not slushy. Not icy. Dry, fluffy, and elite!”
June bent down, packed a snowball with expert speed, and nailed him square in the shoulder.
“Thanks for narrating,” she grinned.
“HEY-” he shouted, laughing, already scooping up more snow. “This means war!”
The war barely had time to escalate before Liam burst out of his house, dragging a bright red sled that looked older than all of them combined, its plastic scuffed and cracked from years of use. He waved, then immediately ducked as a snowball sailed past his head.
“Sledding first!” Liam announced, holding his sled over his head like a trophy. “The hill’s untouched. We have to claim it before anyone else does!”
That was all the convincing they needed.
They sprinted down the block toward the hill at the end of the street - a long, sloping stretch that wasn’t huge, but felt enormous once you were flying down it. Fresh snow covered it completely, smooth and inviting, no tracks yet. It looked dangerous in the best possible way.
Alex grinned once they reached the top. “I’m going first!”
“No you’re not,” June said. “We’re going together.”
Before he could argue, she shoved him onto the sled and jumped on behind him. Liam counted down dramatically.
“Three! Two! One- WAIT!”
But it was too late.
The sled shot forward faster than expected, wobbling wildly as June tried to steer with her boots while Alex held on and yelled directions that didn’t help at all. Cold air rushed past them. Screams of delight filled the air as they bounced over a small bump and briefly felt weightless.
They hit the bottom in a spray of snow, spinning sideways and collapsing into laughter.
“That was-” June gasped, trying to sit up.
“-PERFECT!” Alex finished.
Alex went again but with Liam instead, stacking themselves awkwardly on the sled. Halfway down, they veered sharply to the left and ended up going backwards the rest of the way down.
They took turns after that - solo runs, pairs, one extremely ill-advised attempt with all three of them that ended in a dramatic pile-up halfway down the hill. Liam lost a glove. Alex slid down on his stomach just to see what would happen. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it.
At one point, Alex nearly wiped out when the sled hit an icy patch and spun sideways.
“I’M LOSING CONTROL!” he yelled.
“STEER INTO IT!” June shouted, as if that was helpful.
“THAT MEANS NOTHING,” Alex replied before crashing into a soft drift at the bottom, lay there for a moment, then raised a single gloved hand in victory. “I LIVED!”
Eventually, the kids’ legs burned from climbing back up the hill, and their laughter came out in foggy clouds. They dragged the sled to the side and collapsed into the snow.
“That’s enough sledding,” June said. “For now.”
Snow angels came next, arms and legs sweeping wide. Liam added sound effects. Alex tried to stand up too fast and fell over again.
They compared angels like serious critics.
“Mine looks heroic,” Alex declared.
“Yours looks confused," Liam replied, rolling his eyes.
They wandered farther than usual after that, toward the trees at the edge of the neighborhood, where a shallow pond sat frozen and still. Snow dusted its surface, smooth and glassy.
Alex stepped closer. “Do you think it’s frozen enough?”
Liam narrowed his eyes. “Probably.”
June immediately said, “Absolutely not!”
Alex tested it carefully, one foot at a time, listening for cracks that never came. The ice held. Soon the three of them were sliding cautiously, boots skidding, arms windmilling.
Liam slipped first, landing hard and laughing. Then June tried to spin and fell too. Alex managed three seconds of victory before wiping out spectacularly.
They lay there for a moment, staring up at the sky.
“Worth it,” Liam grinned.
Cold eventually crept through their gloves and sleeves as they trudged back up the hill, cheeks flushed, fingers numb.
A snow fort emerged at the top of the hill, they shoveled and packed snow with numb fingers, reinforced walls with sticks and old leaves like it was a serious architectural project. Alex insisted on a lookout tower that was really just a slightly taller pile of snow. June shaped the world’s most lopsided snowman, giving it a crooked smile and pebble as a replacement for a carrot nose.
“His name is Sir Frostington,” she announced.
Soon chaos erupted as the highly anticipated snowball fight ensued - snowballs flying, laughter echoing, boots slipping. Someone slipped and fell (Liam), someone else laughed so hard they fell too (also Liam), and Alex declared himself the “Supreme Commander of Snow” until June tackled him to the ground.
By the time hunger had finally won, the sky had gone pale and bright, their laughter had turned a little quieter, a little softer. They lay on their backs in the snow as they made some more snow angels, staring up as tiny flakes drifted down again, landing on their eyelashes and noses.
Eventually, a voice from down the street called them in, promising hot chocolate and dry socks. They groaned but stood anyway, brushing snow off coats, retrieving lost gloves, and taking one last look at the hill they’d transformed.
Footprints everywhere. A half-built fort. A crooked snowman standing guard. All proof that they’d been there.
The snow would melt someday, but today it belonged to them.