Chapter Text
There was nothing Erwin loved more than snow. What was there not to love?
With each new snowfall comes a kind of silence that makes the whole earth hold its breath. Noise from cars and nature alike take on hushed tones. Even the screams and laughter from the children playing are swept up by the quiet.
Then there is the snow itself. Blankets of downy white gently swaddle the landscape, the earth softening its sharp edges and endless details to become a blank canvas of possibility.
Being that this particular snow had come on a Saturday, Erwin was in no particular hurry to waste the first hours after the storm with shoveling. Instead, he bundled himself up on the back porch with a steaming mug of tea, watching the neighborhood kids wade through the snow to a nearby hill.
Erwin had all but fallen asleep in the stillness when a snowball whizzed out of nowhere, slamming right into the hand holding his mug of now-cooled tea. Knocked from his hand by the stray ammunition, the mug shattered the instant it hit the ground.
Using his scarf to wipe what remained of his tea off of his face –luckily this scarf washed easily– Erwin looked around for the source of the snowball. It didn’t take long to place it with all the noise the kids responsible were making.
“Oh my god, Eren! I told you not to throw that. You definitely broke something.”
“What?! It’s your fault, asshole! You’re the one who was egging me on, Jean!”
“At least fucking look before you throw, then!!”
“Holy shit, he’s totally going to kill us for breaking something, isn’t he…”
Glad he had bothered to put on his snow boots before going outside, Erwin strolled down the porch stairs into the snow and over to where the two teenagers were squabbling. The look of pure horror on the two boys’ faces when they saw him approaching had Erwin struggling not to laugh.
“Mr. Smith, we are so sorry! Please don’t tell our parents!” Eren pleaded when Erwin reached the pair.
“Hey, don’t lump me in with you,” Jean whined. “I didn’t do anything but stand there.”
“It’s your fault I even threw the snowball.” Eren pouted with all his might. “If you hadn’t said I was shit at aiming, I wouldn’t have needed to prove I could hit your stupid horseface.”
“Case and point. You missed by a mile. That is so totally not my fault.”
As much fun as it was to simply be a bystander in the argument, Erwin decided he should probably intervene, so he stepped between the pair.
“Hello, Jean. Eren. You can both relax. I’m not going to raise a fuss over a single mug,” he reassured. “It’s not like it was some priceless heirloom.” With the tension relieved, Erwin shepherded them towards the porch. “How about this. If you clean up every spec of glass, we’ll call it even. Fair?”
“Fair,” they agreed.
With their backs turned away, Jean and Eren had no chance to anticipate the massive handfuls of snow Erwin scooped up and dropped down the backs of their coats until it was entirely too late.
Their anguished screams mingled with Erwin’s booming laughter. “Now it’s fair!” Erwin chuckled, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.
Eren and Jean could only stand there as the snow slowly melted down their backs, groaning as they both tried to stuff their arms far enough down their coats to scrape out what they could.
“Sit tight while I get a broom and dustpan,” Erwin said, still chuckling.
Once Erwin had the teenagers set to task cleaning up the remnants of his morning tea, he set about in the kitchen making some hot chocolate. By the time the two finished sweeping up the last shards of ceramic and brushing them into the provided trash can, Erwin had 2 fresh mugs of hot chocolate waiting for them.
“A job well done deserves some hot chocolate, I’d say,” Erwin said, offering the mugs in thanks.
“Ooh, thanks Mr. Smith,” Eren said with a grin. “I really am sorry about the mug, though… I should have paid more attention to where I was aiming.”
“You are certainly forgiven Eren. I got a good laugh out of it, and my porch hasn’t been this clean since Mr. Ackerman last came to visit,” he said ruefully.
................................................
When Eren and Jean finished their hot chocolate, they said their goodbyes to Mr. Smith and headed back out towards the biggest sledding hill. As they trudged through the snow, Eren slipped his gloved hand into Jean’s and squeezed. “Sorry for getting mad earlier. I got carried away…”
“Aw, you know I wasn’t really mad or anything, dumbass,” Jean sighed. He leaned over and planted a kiss on Eren’s cheek in reassurance.
Maybe it was just the cold, but Eren’s cheeks seemed extra rosy that morning.