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Imagine how shocked she was to wake up and find herself covered in freezing cold snow, and how grateful she was when Cameron turned up in the late morning with a coat and gloves for her to wear.

She'd inquired and he'd happily responded with fervour. "It's called snow," he'd said, grinning like a Cheshire cat as Nova shrugged on her new clothing. He'd explained the premise of rain freezing and falling in the winter months, how it can be a burden or a pleasure in the eyes of different people.

"How?" she'd asked.

"I can't show you here. Let's go somewhere nicer." He'd smiled warmly and taken her hand. Glove-enclosed touches, but heartfelt all the same.

They were crooning together through the falling flakes, her hand in his as they walked through the snow-covered park. He gathered some into his hands and threw it at her, deliberately hitting her on the arm. She's always been curious about his customs and so felt it strange whenever he did something new. But as it was most of the time: it turned out to be complete joy.

They had a small-scale war with the snow. Nova even learnt how to take pleasure in Cameron's shocked howls whenever she shoved a handful down the back of his coat. They even make a snowman, but seeing as they have nothing to decorate him with, they simply charge into him and demolish it all together, tumbling in a tangle of limbs and laughter. He shows her how to make a snow angel, and enjoys how she complains of the cold against her back as she creates an imprint of herself.

But most of all, Cameron likes how the snowflakes collect in her eyelashes and how the chill blushes her cheeks until she glows. He adores how inquisitive she is of the things around her and how happily surprised she becomes when discovering something new. He wonders if he'll be with her long enough to see how she'd react to her first kiss, or maybe when someone, someday, would present her with a diamond ring…

"Hey, Cam?"

Cameron snaps out of his musing, noting that he'd been deep in a daydream for a moment. "Hmm?"

"Can we go somewhere warm now? I'm freezing." Nova hugs herself in proof, and Cameron laughs quietly to himself.

"Sure. I'll buy you a hot chocolate in town."

He wraps an arm around her and leads her away, all the while explaining to her what a hot chocolate actually is.

~~~

A quaint little coffee shop in the high street was their first port of call. Cameron's was the frothy cappuccino; Nova's was the hot chocolate and marshmallow. He blows on the coffee, watching the liquid ripple with his breath and she watches him intensely, holding her own mug. The marshmallow melts slowly, creating spindly legs stretching across the top of her beverage and she goes in for a curious taste.

Cameron notes that she is not dissatisfied with her drink, which pleases him too.

"Y'know, while we're in town," he says after swallowing his first helping of cappuccino, "I need to do a bit of shopping. I still need to buy Luke something. He's been bugging me so much about this toy he wants for Christmas."

He knew right as the word 'Christmas' left his lips that Nova would have no idea what he was talking about. Sure enough, she just looks at him quizzically, blinking on occasion.

"Christmas," he states before she's even taken a breath, "is a holiday that we have at this time each year. It's a bit like a birthday, really, except that everyone celebrates it."

"What does it celebrate, exactly?" Nova's curiosity is tickled and she folds her arms in an intent listening mode.

Cameron waves his hand dismissively. "It's a long story. Anyway, on Christmas Day, people exchange gifts with each other, get together and have a big dinner and generally spend time with family. It's one of the happiest times of the year."

By the end of his explanation, he's grinning and making big gestures with his arms in excitement – he really did love this time of year.

Nova feels a slight pang in her chest when Cameron mentions the word "family" and is disheartened to remember that she doesn't have anyone to celebrate this Christmas thing with at all. Or at least anyone who could share in her own ignorance of the occasion.

"That's why I need to by my brother something," Cameron says, picking up right from where he left off and flicking a stray strand of black hair out of his eyes. "Y'know, the whole exchanging gift thing."

Nova nods slowly as she tries to absorb this new information. She looks out the window in deep thought for a moment and says, "Can I celebrate it?"

He tilts his head slightly at her odd question. "Of course you can. But not everybody does, you know. There are some people who don't believe in that sort of stuff. It's pretty hard to explain, really…"

"I don't think I'll ever understand your race," she smiles, shaking her head.

"Plenty of time to learn," notes Cameron, taking another sip of his coffee.

Nova isn't sure what he means by that, but simply shrugs it off and takes another gulp of her own drink. She likes how he can be undecipherable and so very, very human. And that's why she wouldn't change him at all.

Description
Imagine how shocked she was to wake up and find herself covered in freezing cold snow, and how grateful she was when Cameron turned up in the late morning with a coat and gloves for her to wear.

She'd inquired and he'd happily responded with fervour. "It's called snow," he'd said, grinning like a Cheshire cat as Nova shrugged on her new clothing. He'd explained the premise of rain freezing and falling in the winter months, how it can be a burden or a pleasure in the eyes of different people.

"How?" she'd asked.

"I can't show you here. Let's go somewhere nicer." He'd smiled warmly and taken her hand. Glove-enclosed touches, but heartfelt all the same.

They were crooning together through the falling flakes, her hand in his as they walked through the snow-covered park. He gathered some into his hands and threw it at her, deliberately hitting her on the arm. She's always been curious about his customs and so felt it strange whenever he did something new. But as it was most of the time: it turned out to be complete joy.

They had a small-scale war with the snow. Nova even learnt how to take pleasure in Cameron's shocked howls whenever she shoved a handful down the back of his coat. They even make a snowman, but seeing as they have nothing to decorate him with, they simply charge into him and demolish it all together, tumbling in a tangle of limbs and laughter. He shows her how to make a snow angel, and enjoys how she complains of the cold against her back as she creates an imprint of herself.

But most of all, Cameron likes how the snowflakes collect in her eyelashes and how the chill blushes her cheeks until she glows. He adores how inquisitive she is of the things around her and how happily surprised she becomes when discovering something new. He wonders if he'll be with her long enough to see how she'd react to her first kiss, or maybe when someone, someday, would present her with a diamond ring…

"Hey, Cam?"

Cameron snaps out of his musing, noting that he'd been deep in a daydream for a moment. "Hmm?"

"Can we go somewhere warm now? I'm freezing." Nova hugs herself in proof, and Cameron laughs quietly to himself.

"Sure. I'll buy you a hot chocolate in town."

He wraps an arm around her and leads her away, all the while explaining to her what a hot chocolate actually is.

~~~

A quaint little coffee shop in the high street was their first port of call. Cameron's was the frothy cappuccino; Nova's was the hot chocolate and marshmallow. He blows on the coffee, watching the liquid ripple with his breath and she watches him intensely, holding her own mug. The marshmallow melts slowly, creating spindly legs stretching across the top of her beverage and she goes in for a curious taste.

Cameron notes that she is not dissatisfied with her drink, which pleases him too.

"Y'know, while we're in town," he says after swallowing his first helping of cappuccino, "I need to do a bit of shopping. I still need to buy Luke something. He's been bugging me so much about this toy he wants for Christmas."

He knew right as the word 'Christmas' left his lips that Nova would have no idea what he was talking about. Sure enough, she just looks at him quizzically, blinking on occasion.

"Christmas," he states before she's even taken a breath, "is a holiday that we have at this time each year. It's a bit like a birthday, really, except that everyone celebrates it."

"What does it celebrate, exactly?" Nova's curiosity is tickled and she folds her arms in an intent listening mode.

Cameron waves his hand dismissively. "It's a long story. Anyway, on Christmas Day, people exchange gifts with each other, get together and have a big dinner and generally spend time with family. It's one of the happiest times of the year."

By the end of his explanation, he's grinning and making big gestures with his arms in excitement – he really did love this time of year.

Nova feels a slight pang in her chest when Cameron mentions the word "family" and is disheartened to remember that she doesn't have anyone to celebrate this Christmas thing with at all. Or at least anyone who could share in her own ignorance of the occasion.

"That's why I need to by my brother something," Cameron says, picking up right from where he left off and flicking a stray strand of black hair out of his eyes. "Y'know, the whole exchanging gift thing."

Nova nods slowly as she tries to absorb this new information. She looks out the window in deep thought for a moment and says, "Can I celebrate it?"

He tilts his head slightly at her odd question. "Of course you can. But not everybody does, you know. There are some people who don't believe in that sort of stuff. It's pretty hard to explain, really…"

"I don't think I'll ever understand your race," she smiles, shaking her head.

"Plenty of time to learn," notes Cameron, taking another sip of his coffee.

Nova isn't sure what he means by that, but simply shrugs it off and takes another gulp of her own drink. She likes how he can be undecipherable and so very, very human. And that's why she wouldn't change him at all.