Work Text:
It was cold.
Too cold, really.
“This really is not my kind of weather.” Saul complained as both him and the headmistress made their way through the fresh layer of snow. It had fallen overnight, crunching under the weight of their boots. The headmaster could somewhat handle the biting morning cold, and the cutting wind that accompanied it, yet he drew the line at snow.
Beautiful as it was to look at, it became a mess once interacted with, liquifying, and turning a dirty shade of brown. He also wasn’t a fan of how it turned the school’s tiled floor into a safety hazard. Every single year, without fail, a minimum of two of his Specialists slipped, fell, and broke an arm. More often than not, it would be their dominant arm, causing him to have to edit those student"s curriculums. It wasn"t a lot of work, but it was extra work, nonetheless.
“Yes, as you keep reminding me every winter. Which is why I wouldn’t have minded if you decided to stay inside.” Farah replied as she adjusted her gloves, so her wrists were protected from the below zero temperature. She too wasn’t much of a fan of snow, but the headmistress didn’t mind it nearly as much as Saul did. She did love sitting beside the window, watching the white landscape with a cup of steaming tea and a good book. Even walks she enjoyed, as long as the snow was fresh that is.
Saul was rather likeminded when it came to how he would like to spend his free time during the winter, so at this moment there really was nothing he wanted more than just sit on his couch with a steaming cup of coffee. But tempting as Farah’s suggestion of returning was, he shook his head. “And have you check the barrier by yourself? I think not.” The headmaster grumbled as they stepped off the path, and towards the woods. He really dreaded the moment they would get off the grass. Branches barely visible, it would be dangerous if they weren’t careful and raise their feet high enough as not to get caught and fall.
“Just so you know, Ben offered to come with me as well, and since we’re not that far from the school just yet, we can always turn back.” The headmistress suggested, fully knowing she wasted her breath. Saul trusted Ben with his life, but when it came to things like this, he would always opt to be by her side. Though it was never said, Farah knew that he somehow felt responsible for her safety. Which she appreciated, though annoyed her at certain times as well.
“It’s not happening, Farah.” The headmaster grumbled, which made the Fairy smile as she shook her head. They continued their way to the edge of the forest in comfortable silence as small flakes of snow slowly fell from the grey sky above. Saul being… Saul, had refused to wear a hat so, worried about his health and intending to offer her scarf, Farah took her eyes off the ground and looked at him. This, though only a few seconds long, seemed enough for the headmistress" boot to hit what must have been a stone, hidden by the snow, making her trip.
Watching from the corner of his eye as the headmistress lost her balance, Saul instinctively turned towards her and reached out. Seemingly having the same reaction as he did, she too reached out to grab hold of his arm. However, only grabbing his sleeve with a less-than-ideal grip because of the gloves. Releasing the fabric, she fell backwards as the headmaster still tried to grab onto her. Sadly, it was a futile attempt as soon both of them landed in the snow. Farah releasing a shriek, and Saul cursing all the way down.
The fresh snow had definitely made their landing a tad bit softer than it otherwise would have been, yet there was still a sense of discomfort for both of them. After all, they weren’t exactly in their twenties. Letting out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding; the headmistress opened her eyes to find herself directly staring into his. Bare hands firmly planted beside her head; the burning cold seemingly didn’t seem to affect him much as he didn’t make an attempt to get off her.
Bodies pressed together, their position so intimate it made the headmistress uncharacteristically nervous. They had been close before, but this was definitely different. Despite enjoying their closeness, the headmistress was afraid she might lose control of her feelings and do something she would come to regret. They were friends, and she wouldn’t do anything to compromise that, despite wishing for something more. Gloved hands finding their way against the headmaster"s chest, she slightly pushed, thinking he would back away and help her back up on her feet again. But he did no such thing, prompting her to give him a questioning look. A look that quickly turned into one of concern. Saul"s gaze was intense, and he seemed to be conflicted. About what though, she could not tell. He was fine just minutes ago, and if there was something weighing heavily on his mind, she was sure he would have told her by now.
“What’s wrong?” The headmistress wondered, a frown forming on her delicate brows. “Are you hurt?” She continued when he didn’t reply. Her voice seemingly pulling him out of whatever struggle was on his mind, he blinked a few times before slowly leaning in. Carrying most of his weight on his arms as not to crush her, the headmaster gently pressed his cold lips against hers. It was incredibly cheesy, nauseatingly so, having a first kiss in the snow he disliked so much, but Saul felt the moment was just right. There had been many times before where he had the chance to kiss her, but he never took it. They were friends and colleagues after all. Which was exactly why he didn’t push his luck, and pulled away before she could even react.
Letting out a shaky breath, the next moment was filled with uncertainty. She could quite possibly let him down gently, telling him it would be best if they remained as they were. In his mind it always went this way, he would make clear that he saw her as more than just a friend, and then she rejected him. But in reality, there came no rejection. Instead, she smiled at him, her already reddened cheeks ever so slightly deepening in color.
Breaking into a smile himself, relieved Farah didn’t actually tell him off or worse, he pushed himself off her and fell on his back beside her. It must have been quite a sight, the two of them lying beside each other in the snow, but they were too far from the school for anyone to see them. He watched as she sat up after a minute or so, and looked at him over, quite possibly to see if the fall had somehow injured him, which was such a Farah-like thing to do; always thinking of others, before herself. “Are your hands alright?” The headmistress wondered, as she motioned towards them. It prompted the headmaster to lift them before his eyes, checking out why she would ask him about them. Sure enough, they were bright red, and began to feel quite sore from the cold, and fall.
He hadn’t noticed up until now, his mind having way too occupied to register the pain. “They will be alright.” He responded as he sat up as well, rubbing them together, in a rather pathetic attempt to warm them up again. “I should have listened to you and grabbed some gloves before leaving.” Remaining silent, she merely smiled and moved closer. Taking off her gloves and placing them on the ground beside them, she gently took hold of his hands, placing them in her lap and wrapping them with the lower part of her scarf.
Both knew it probably wouldn’t do much at this point, but it was a sweet, and much appreciated gesture, nonetheless. Holding his cold hands in her somewhat warmer ones, her gaze was fixed on the scarf around them though there really wasn’t much to see. Saul could almost hear her thinking, wondering about what had just happened.
“I do apologize if I overstepped and put you in an uncomfortable position.” He muttered, his words prompting her to lift her head, and finally look at him. Tilting her head, she gave him a curious look. For someone who saw her uncomfortable for half the time they spend working under Rosalind, he sure seemed clueless now. “Do I seem uncomfortable, Saul?” The headmistress wondered as she gave his hands a squeeze, strong enough to be reassuring but at the same time gently enough not to hurt him. “Just making sure, since we are friends, and I really wouldn’t want to change that.”
“You don’t want to change that?” She questioned, wondering what he had in mind. He had, after all, he just kissed her, and so most definitely crossed the line of friendship. Regardless of the modern standards, which she was somehow aware of, in her mind friends did not kiss. So, if friendship with ‘benefits’ as they called it these days, was on his mind, she wouldn’t agree to that regardless of how deeply she felt for him. "What I meant is that I don"t want to compromise our friendship. If you aren"t feeling the same, we can just be as we were." Saul explained as he tried to ignore his racing heart.
“And what feeling are you referring to?” It was a question that made Saul raise an eyebrow, to which she smiled. It seemed that Farah wanted him to spell it out for her, and though the headmaster had no problem doing that for her, he wasn’t quite used to being vocal about his feelings. There was the possibility that he would somehow ruin his chance by not being able to translate his feelings into words very well, but apparently that was another chance he just had to take. After all, he had gotten this far already. So, adjusting his position so he was fully turned towards her, Saul took a deep breath, and looked her straight in the eye. Farah expected him to say a few words, and be rather straight to the point, but it seemed the headmaster had misunderstood her, resulting in much more than she had expected.
“There is something about being with you that feels different, in the best way. It feels as if everything falls into place when you are around. I find myself thinking about you all the time. I know you deserve a whole serenade, but I just-” He began, yet fell silent as she shook her head. Still smiling, as if she felt just how nervous he was, the headmistress held his hands just a bit tighter. Farah appreciated what he was trying to do, but it wasn"t Saul. He had always been a man of few words, yet somehow, he still found a way to express his feelings to those who knew him well. She loved that about him, and wouldn"t want him to change, or push himself, just to please her.
“There’s no need for a serenade, Saul. All I need to know is that you love me.” She reassured, to which he let out a rather dramatic sigh in relief, before turning serious once again. “I do love you, so very much.” The headmaster confessed, his voice soft and gentle, filled with emotion. The look adoration in his eyes would have made Farah fall for him instantly, if she hadn"t already. But she had, fallen head over heels with a man she couldn"t imagine a life without. Releasing his hands, and removing her own from beneath the scarf, she reached up to place her warm hands against the cold skin of his jaw. Leaning in, guiding him closer, she stopped when their lips were mere inches apart. “In case there is any confusion left; I love you too. More than I myself can express in words as well.” She admitted, teasing, to which it was Saul’s time to smile before he closed the remaining distance and kissed her.
There, sitting in the snow with Farah, the headmaster suddenly found he didn’t quite hate the cold, white blanket they were sitting on anymore. Where he had always thought of it in a negative way, he now came to associate snow with love as bright and pure as the very substance itself.