It was absolutely freezing. Neon had never felt anything like this before.
Well, she had. She still remembered the first time they'd gone to Russia for a mission. Neon had decided it couldn't be too cold, and the snow would be super cool to see.
Unfortunately for her, it had definitely been too cold and she'd ended up shivering for most of the mission, her legs refusing to run properly and her arms unable to hold her gun steady. And although there was snow on the ground, it hadn't been actively snowing or the duration they'd been there.
In the end, Neon had spent most of the time shaking in the jet instead of doing any defending, but at least the other four had helped pull her weight and managed to stave off the attackers.
This time, with it being a three day recon mission in Türkiye, Neon didn't really have the choice to hide in a warm place while the others did their job. She had to be Fade's guard and be on the lookout as the Turk observed the locals and gathered information.
Not that Fade needed her, but Brimstone was always adamant on agents 'buddying up' when on missions to make sure no one ever had to fend for themself.
At the very least, Neon supposed as she shivered her way down the street, she got to spend some quality time with her girlfriend.
Well, as quality as walking down a small, dank alleyway could be.
"Alright, this is the place," Fade announced, stopping outside a small, dingy looking wooden hut.
Neon eyed it with some doubt. "What are we doing here again?" she asked. She'd been too busy being cold to pay attention to what Fade had been telling her as they were walking.
Fade chuckled and nodded to the building. "That's where our contact is," she explained. "He's got some information we could use."
Neon shrugged. The entire thing looked sketchy and like a perfect place to get ambushed, but she supposed neither side felt comfortable with the arrangement. Anyway, she trusted Fade and her years of experience as a bounty hunter to know what was safe and what wasn't.
"Let's go," she just said, eager to get out of the cold. It hadn't started snowing yet, either.
The matter turned out to be very quick, the man recognising Fade and being too willing to give what information she wanted. Clearly, Fade had a very powerful reputation around here. Neon was pretty impressed.
"That's all for today," Fade said as they left. "I thought this meeting would take longer, so I'd arranged for another meeting tomorrow."
"So we have nothing to do?" Neon asked hopefully.
"Were you hoping for something?" Fade asked, eyebrow raised.
"No," Neon grinned, pressing closer to Fade. "I'm cold and just want to cuddle now."
She hugged her girlfriend and buried her face in her shoulder, feeling the cosy warmth emanating from her.
Neon heard Fade snort, but warm arms still wrapped around her and pressed them closer together, warming Neon's heart as much as it did her body.
"You should've told me you're cold," Fade murmured. "I would've taken us down a less windy path."
"I'm warm now, though," Neon smiled into Fade's clothes, taking in a deep breath of her scent. She liked this proximity more than she wanted warmth. Fade's gentleness was something that never failed to make Neon's heart swell with love and happiness.
They stood there for a while until the wind picked up again, causing Neon to involuntarily shiver in Fade's arms.
"Alright, maybe we should get to some shelter," Fade decided, releasing Neon. Almost immediately, she missed Fade's warmth. Being hugged by her girlfriend in the open made Neon feel fuzzy on the inside, an open declaration of love, and she was hoping she could get it again.
They started walking again, fully out of the alleyway and into the full blast of another gust of wind.
Quickly, they made their way to a nearby park and into a pavilion in the middle of it. The pavilion was a small, white little structure with seats and flowers growing on the open sills that probably provided a prettier sight in the summer.
Still, it was cosy and fit the two of them well, the wind being slightly blocked by the half walls and surrounding trees.
"Fade," Neon whined once they'd settled down, making her best puppy eyes as soon as the Turk turned to her. "I'm cold," she said. "Can we hug again?"
Fade rolled her eyes, but her smile was affectionate as she leaned over to embrace Neon again. The bounty hunter was somehow still warm despite only wearing one layer and taking the full force of the wind.
Neon rested her head on Fade's shoulder, nuzzling into her neck as a show of affection while Fade let her thumbs draw random pictures on Neon's back.
They'd probably stayed like that for a few minutes until Neon noticed a small, white dot slowly float down and rest on a withered petal. She stared for a moment, something trying to click in her head but not quite getting there.
It took another dot landing on a different petal for Neon's eyes to widen and her to just barely catch her squeal of excitement before it came out, a gasp instead taking its place.
"Fade!" she exclaimed, head craning in an attempt to look up at the sky and search for more falling flakes. "It's snowing!" she gasped.
They released each other as Fade also turned to look.
Spotting more flakes slowly floating down, Neon couldn't resist leaping forwards, out of the pavilion, and capturing one in her hands. It almost immediately melted despite Neon's hands feeling like they'd been kept in the freezer for a day, but it only caused her more excitement.
"First time seeing snow?" Fade asked, a smirk on her face as she approached.
"It's cool!" Neon insisted, not caring about Fade's teasing look. "You can't tell me you didn't have the same reaction when you first saw it."
"I was born here," Fade said, an amused gleam in her eyes. "I was a baby when I first saw snow, so yes, I probably didn't have the same reaction. I was probably crying and screaming when I first saw snow."
Neon shot her an entirely unamused glare, although she couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of her lips at how lighthearted Fade was being.
"Fine, I'm having my fun, then!" she declared, dashing off to properly enjoy her first winter in a snowy place.