Chapter Text
It was a snowy morning up in the mountains where Aus and the Hermit lived- Er, snowier than a normal morning. Aus and the Hermit were no strangers to dealing with the snow up in the mountains, though they rarely had any days where they were completely snowed in. You can imagine the surprise when the Hermit tried to open the door to take Fidough on his morning walk only to find that it wouldn't budge! the Hermit groggily wiped away the sleep from his eyes before realizing what had happened. It seems like there had been a heavy snow storm last night, leading to them getting snowed in! Naturally, the Hermit yelled out to Aus "We're snowed in, we won't be able to go out today. What do you want to do?" the Hermit waited a moment for his response before walking over to the bed only to be greeted by a still asleep Aus. The Hermit gently shook Aus awake. "Mnghhhh... Ah- good morning buttercup..." Aus mumbled in response. The Hermit smiled gently before talking. "Aus, your hair came out from your braid and is floating again... would you like me to braid it?" Aus took a moment to sit up and another moment to formulate a response, but eventually replied with a simple nod. Even on days when they weren't snowed in, this was always something they did. A small little act of intimacy, of normalcy, that the two cherished. Just them (and sometimes a happy Fidough) sitting in comfortable silence, only accompanied by the occasional hum from the Hermit or sigh of contentment from Aus. Aus loved their quiet mornings and he was not afraid to admit it. On this particular morning, the Hermit got stuck with a very clingy Aus mumbling about how much he cared for the Hermit, and how he really, really likes the bread he makes. The Hermit was used to Aus' affectionate murmurs, but he can't deny how the tips of his ears still turn red. Aus only parted from the Hermit's side when the Hermit asked him to go feed Fidough while the Hermit made their breakfast. This morning the Hermit took his time, making a new loaf of bread and some scrambled eggs. He also opened up the fridge and grabbed 3 bottles of Moo Moo Milk. One for Fidough, one for Aus, and one for the Hermit. the Hermit poured the milk in Fidough's bowl before taking out the peanut butter and putting it on the rim of the bowl, figuring it would be a nice treat for Fidough after he helped rescue that one traveler yesterday. As he was finishing up Fidough's little treat, he heard a call for help from Aus. He looked over worried only to almost instantly break out in giggles. Aus was lying on their bed with a very happy Fidough on top of them, and Aus didn't know how to get up without moving the dog. The Hermit decided to call Fidough over, putting down his little treat of milk and peanut butter. As he looked at Fidough enjoying the Moo Moo Milk and peanut butter, a thought hit him. "Aus, would you like anything in your milk? Chocolate or strawberry syrup maybe?' Now free of the dog dilemma Aus found himself stuck in, Aus could find the brain power to think for a moment before replying. "I'd like to try strawberry syrup." The Hermit responds happily, finding his companions morning sleepiness adorable. Though... he did seem rather bored. Suddenly, and idea popped up in the Hermit's head. "Aus, could you start the fire? Breakfast will be ready soon." Aus responded "Okay!" with sudden energy as the smell of freshly baked bread suddenly filled his senses, hopping up to start the fire. The Hermit hummed a little whimsical tune as he finished up plating the freshly baked bread, the scrambled eggs, and the milk. The Hermit sat down with Aus, eating breakfast together as Fidough lays down next to them with perfected puppy dog eyes. As they finished up their breakfast and walked over to the now warm fireplace, Aus rambled about anything and everything as the Hermit listened. The Hermit enjoyed these quiet moments the most, and as he curled up next to Aus he knew that even if these quiet moments may not last long, he would cherish them more than any adventure or rescue mission he had been on and would ever be on.