AU: Permafrost (will explain later)

Context: While taking Orange Steve back to his village, this is a turning point where Sabre decides that maybe leaving the Permafrost biome could be good for him, and thinks of leaving for the first time in his life since what happened when he was a child.

Reminder: I'm not a shipper, you'll see why I put this later =>=

I know, I know, I'm behind. But I was tired bc next week is winter finals and I've been cramming for the ones I can't exempt TvT

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[3rd Person POV]

Sabre carefully walked near Orange, making sure he wouldn't slip on the thick ice made by the never-ending blizzard or wander too far and run into some chilled mobs again.

"Slow down please, Orange Steve." Sabre says, his voice monotone as always. "You'll get hurt again, and won't be able to go home, and will have to heal at my sanctuary again if you go to far. You're lucky I even had extra snow gear so we wouldn't have to keep stopping every few seconds for you to warm up."

"Dang, do you ever lighten up?" Orange Steve says jokingly, smiling at Sabre. "The legends weren't kidding when they said the Guardian of the Glacier Star is cold as ice."

"For the last time, it's called the Heart of Winter." Sabre sighs, glancing at the star-shaped artifact within the orb of his staff as he used it to keep himself on his feet as he fought against the harsh wind. "And I'm not its 'Guardian', I was just... trusted with it when it's real guardians passed."

"Well, still, you don't have to be such a stick in the mud." Orange says, finally following Sabre's advice and slowing down back to his side instead of walking ahead. "I've never seen you smile once in the couple of weeks I've known you. Heck, you've never even changed your tone from;"

Orange twists his face into an exaggerated blank expression, and mimics Sabre's dull voice.

"Talking like an actual robot." Orange says.

"I don't look or sound like that." Sabre replies blankly.

"Uh, yes you do. Are you listening to yourself right now?" Orange says, switching back to his normal, upbeat self. "If you were a color, you'd be grey. You're that monotone about everything."

"Can we just focus on getting to the edge of the biome?" Sabre says. "Your people are likely waiting for you there."

"You're not gonna come with me?" Orange asks. "Can you at least go a little bit down the mountain? Heck, since you helped me and all that, I'm pretty sure the village would be okay with you visiting if you wanted to see it. It'd probably be nice to be able to see more than five blocks in front of your face for once."

"No. I need to stay within the Permafrost." Sabre answers.

"Isn't it boring in here though?" Orange says, looking around.

"I don't get bored." Sabre says. "Now come on."

"Hmph. Spoilsport." Orange says in mocking annoyance.

Sabre keeps walking for a few more steps, when he hears Orange stop walking next to him. Sabre turns around, wondering what made him stop.

"Orange, what are you-" Sabre starts, but is cut off by snow colliding with the front of his coat.

Sabre stares at Orange, who's giggling as he wipes the snow off his hands and wraps them in the sleeves of the borrowed coat he's wearing.

"Haha! I got you!" Orange exclaims.

"What's you do that for?" Sabre asks, his tone still not changing.

"Uh- snowball fight? Duh." Orange replies. "C'mon, your turn! Throw one back and try to hit me!"

Orange quickly starts shuffling around in the snow, laughing. Sabre, knowing he doesn't really have a choice, picks up some snow on the ground and makes a lopsided ball with it. He then halfheartedly throws the snowball, which only gets halfway to Orange before hitting the ground and disappearing within the ever-growing snow. Orange stops, looks at the snow, then at Sabre.

"...Well, that's a start on teaching you how to have fun." Orange giggles, then joins Sabre again as he starts walking.

"I know how to have fun, Orange Steve, I just have better things to focus on." Sabre says.

"Yeah right, knowing how to have fun probably got frozen over along with everything else in your brain that relates to having a life." Orange says jokingly.

"I do have a life. Here." Sabre replies.

Silence falls between the two for a moment. Then, Orange decides to speak.

"Hey Sabre?" He says, in a thankful, sincere tone. "Thanks for everything bud. I really appreciate it, you know."

"It's just my job..." Sabre says, starting to feel a little confused at Orange's sudden sincerity.

"Well, that doesn't change how you saved my life." Orange chuckles. "If it weren't for you, I'd be an ice cube being eaten by those frozen zombies already. I owe you a lot for that, even if it was just something you're supposed to do. It was... really brave of you, facing off those things like that. You're a bit of a hero."

"I... I haven't had someone say something like that to me in years..." Sabre trails off, his tone suddenly changing into slight surprise.

Orange excitedly looks at Sabre, smiling wide.

"No way, did I actually get Mr. Frozen here to prove he has a soul?!" Orange says, joking as always. "So, you're not all tough and serious!"

"Wh- I uhm-" Sabre stutters, unsure of what to say.

"I'm just kidding with ya, dude." Orange giggles. "Still though; That's pretty cool."

"Was- Was that supposed to be an ice pun-" Sabre begins, finally finding some words, but something interrupts him.

Orange suddenly stops and hugs Sabre, smiling, which makes him freeze in place.

Sabre doesn't know what's going on, or what even this strange but familiar feeling was. All he could really comprehend himself feeling was something he almost didn't remember:

A warmth, almost seeming to emanate from his soul and spread wherever it could reach. Faint memories of people he considered family, who he had known long ago when he was a child, resurface and make him realize why what he felt at the moment made him feel like smiling of all things. Not stare in confusion, not back away at coming into contact with someone so suddenly, but smile.

Sabre remains frozen in place for a minute, until Orange snaps him out of it.

"Hey, Sabre? You good?" Orange asks, having let go.

"I... yes, I'm fine." Sabre replies. "I just... I've been isolated for a while, and..."

"Hey, it's alright, I get it." Orange says, grinning at him. "Actually, I probably shouldn't have just sprung that on you-"

"No, no. It's... alright." Sabre says.

"You still haven't gone back to talking like a robot." Orange giggles.

"Shut up." Sabre says, smiling back on an unknown reflex.

Before either can react to that, a voice echoes through the dense snow.

"ORANGE STEVE! ORANGE STEVE, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"That's the Leader!" Orange exclaims, turning to face the voice. "We must be close to the edge of the biome!"

"Yeah, we are..." Sabre says.

As the two walk forward, the snow starts to thin, and the winds begin to slow down.

"So... you're gonna take me to the edge, and that's it, huh?" Orange says, sounding a little sad. "It was fun while it lasted though. Maybe-"

"Actually, I... I changed my mind." Sabre says, making Orange turn towards him in surprise. "Maybe seeing what outside the Permafrost is like again would be good for me..."

Orange stays shocked for a moment, then beams at his new friend.

"Well, we're almost there, so you won't have to wait very long." Orange says. "Now c'mon; I wanna let you met my friends back home!"

As he and Orange Steve approach the biome's edge, Sabre tries to figure out what changed in so little time for him to suddenly feel like this. As much as he tried with past memories, they only seemed to make it worse, so he wondered why now emotions would start to resurface past his involuntary defenses.

Little did he know, something started to thaw within that frozen heart of his.