(Y'all, I actually wrote a Christmasy oneshot last December)

(a good deal of this was me trying to see how HEX-ish I could make this while also not feeling dumb about showing it to my irl friend)

It was Christmas Eve and EX and Hels had quickly given up on trying to make a gingerbread house. The walls kept falling over and the icing seemed to refuse to set. Any time Hels took the piping bag, the heat from his hands caused the icing to melt and come out all soupy. And then there were the several pieces of gingerbread that had snapped for seemingly no reason.

"Well," Hels muttered, looking at the collapsed and broken attempt at a house. "That happened."

"Yeah, why is gingerbread like the most difficult thing to build with?" EX asked, sliding a baking tray into the oven. They had decided to turn the rest of the dough into gingerbread men, since those were less likely to go horribly wrong. There was flour dusted across his sweater and face, and Hels was willing to bet there was a good deal more in his hair that neither of them could see.

Hels shrugged at the question. "I guess physics doesn't want people playing with their food either?"

EX chuckled. "I guess..." His voice trailed off as he peered out the window, which had clouded over from how cold it was outside. He ran his hand across it to clear the glass. "Hels, it's snowing."

"What?"

EX ran to the door and opened it, sending a blast of cold air into the kitchen. Hels followed him out onto the veranda and looked around with wide eyes.

Tiny white flakes floated down from the sky. There were so many of them, more than anyone could ever dream of counting, and there seemed to be no end to their numbers. They lay scattered across the grass, and it looked to Hels as if someone had thrown a thin layer of flour across the ground, much like EX's sweater.

"Wow," Hels whispered.

"You sound like you've never seen it snow before," EX said with a grin.

Hels shrugged. "I haven't."

His friend's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, really?"

"Well, in season seven, I was only in the overworld when it was summer. Last season was weird, and while some places did have snow, it never actually snowed. So, I've seen snow, I've just never seen it fall."

"Well come on then!" EX beckoned him forward and ran out into the snow. To him, this was one of the best parts of winter. The white sky and snow falling all around him made it almost like being in a different world.

He turned to say something to Hels, only to realize that he wasn't there. He was still back at the house, out of the falling snow. When he noticed EX looking at him, he smiled.

EX walked back up to him. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm going to go make some hot chocolate."

Hels turned and went back inside. EX didn't stop him, but he did follow him and watched as Hels filled two mugs with milk and heated them with his hands(the markings on the backs of his hands glowing as he did so), and stirred in the hot chocolate mix. He waited, starting to realize what was going on.

"It's the snow, isn't it?" he asked abruptly as Hels handed him a mug.

Hels looked down. "I... Yeah. It's just... it's ice."

EX nodded in understanding. He had almost forgotten that ice was too cold for Hels to touch, and that it left painful burns.

"I know, it's stupid," Hels blurted out. I'm afraid of snow. Of all things, snow."

"You're afraid of getting hurt," EX pointed out. "Everyone is. But you're sure it works the same with snow as it does with ice?"

"Snow is just tiny ice. And I've been hit with snowballs before... Those hurt like hell."

EX opened the door and they stepped back out onto the veranda, Hels staying away from the edge of the covered area.

EX sat down at the edge to think. He looked out at the falling snow and frowned. Snowflakes fluttered down, looking as innocent as ever. But if they hurt to touch, then it would be difficult for Hels to go anywhere when it snowed. It didn't seem fair. Why shouldn't he be able to enjoy snow just like anyone else?

The hot chocolate in his hands had gone mostly untouched up to now. But when EX looked at it, he noticed several stray snowflakes that had been blown under the cover of the veranda. The ones that made their way over the mug never got inside, disappearing in the warm air above it. The drink was too hot for snow to ever reach it. An idea was beginning to form in his mind.

"Hey, come over here," EX said, setting his mug down. Hels moved to sit beside him, still keeping back from the edge. "Can I have your hand?"

Hels looked at him with a confused expression on his face.

"Sorry, there's no normal sounding way to ask that," EX explained. "Could I see your hand?"

"Uh, sure?"

EX tools Hels' hand. As usual, Hels' skin was unnaturally hot to the touch. But when he moved it towards the falling snow Hels pulled his hand back, shaking his head.

"This isn't a good idea," he stammered.

"Hels," EX said softly, looking him in the eyes. "You trust me, right?"

"...Of course."

"And you know I'd never do something if I thought it would hurt you?"

Hels nodded.

"Ok." EX smiled comfortingly and held out his hand. "May I?"

Hels hesitated for a moment before placing his hand in EX's. He was tensed up from fear, and EX held his hand gently for a few seconds to give him time to calm down, before turning Hels' hand palm-upward and moving it out into the snowfall.

Hels waited for a searing pain in his hand... which never came. He let out a pent-up breath, more confused than anything. Upon closer look, he realized that the snowflakes were melting in mid-air just above his hand. The snow never reached him.

He turned and saw that EX was smiling. It wasn't a gloating I-told-you-so sort of smile, but one of genuine happiness. Still holding on to Hels' hand, EX stood up and pulled his friend to his feet, leading him out into the snow.

It was unlike anything Hels had ever experienced, and there were no words to describe how he felt. At least, none that he could think of. Snow floated down from the sky all around him, and when he looked up it was like looking into a swirling vortex of white. It was... magical.

"Merry Christmas," EX said softly.

Hels couldn't think of a suitable response, so instead he turned and hugged him.

"Thank you," Hels said quietly. Maybe he was just giddy from excitement, but he couldn't help chuckling. "You smell like gingerbread."

EX laughed out loud at that, then stopped suddenly. "Did I put a timer on the oven?" he asked.

"Hels frowned. "Um..."

"Crap." EX Broke off from the hug and ran back to the house.

They ended up with burnt cookies.

(love these two)