You woke up to Aaron mumbled to himself about something, he had shifted his hold on you to that you were sitting on a bit of his arm with your knees pressed into the top of his ribs, your head on his shoulder.
"Dad...How long have we been walking for-?"
"A..a bit. But Aph says we're coming on something soon so--Wait...Y/n, you didn't fall asleep did you?"
"A little..why?"
"No, nono sweet pea. You can't do that. Falling asleep in the cold is never a good thing. You could hurt yourself by doing that."
"But..I'm tired...An-And cold..."
"I know, I know," Aaron shakily breathed out, pulling your hood over your head, "But you still can't sleep. Stay awake for a little bit long. Okay?"
"Oh..Okay. Alright." You huffed, clentching your eyes shut.
'Stay awake Y/n. Awake awake awake. Think about this that make you happy. Things you love. Things you like...like Bubbles! Your friends! Your ukulele. Your duets wuth Asher. Logans bad pickup lines. Aarons hug, Aphmaus kisses, the way your Abuela smells after cooking all day. Your life. Being home, hanging out with Laurance and Dante. Sometimes travis, and Katelyn. Gene too! KC. Making fun if KCs name with Sophia and Nico. Gotta stay awake. Gotta stay awake...'
As you continued to let your head ramble with thoughts Aaron turned to Aphmau who was still leading the way, "Aphmau, how much longer. Y/n...Y/n can't keep staying like this!" "I did tell you to leave her." "She stays with you and me. I didn't think we'd be out here for this long."
"Look, It's this way, I'm sure!" "You said that 20 minutes ago!"
"Well this time I'm really sure!"
"Aph-"
"We're going to find him!"
"Aph!"
"Just a little further-"
"APH!" Aaron shouted, jolting you awake as he stood infront of Aphmau.
"I'm sorry, but I'm saying this now. You are not acting like the Aphmau I know! I understand you're hurting cause your friend is lost, but getting lost ourselves isn't going to help anything! Look at your daughter. She's freezing, hungry, and sleepy! We've been going in circles are we're so far away from the lodge, that we're in serious danger. Y/n is in serious danger. I'd send her back, but she can't be out here by herself! Aph..please...The snow is picking up even more and it's ridiculously cold." Aaron pleaded.
You didn't have the strength to back him up, just mentally plead Aphmau would listen and do as Aaron said.
"You're just jealous." "I am not! Please, just listen to me-" "YOU DON'T DESERVE ME!"
"What!?"
"Huh-?"
You peered back to look at Aphmau, but flinched in surprise to see her eyes glowing green.
Aphmau...She didn't even look like herself now.
You gripped Scrouchy with one hand and held onto Aaron with the other.
"Mom..?" You muttered meekly, ears flat against the top of your head.
Aphmau punched Aaron, hard.
Not hard enough to hurt him, but enough for you and Aaron fly backward in surprise resulting in him dropping you in a blanket of snow. You instinctively curled in on yourself, holding Scrouchy in an attempt to make warmth.
"Cold...so cold..!" You hissed, tears filling your eyes.
How can something so soft, hurt you so bad..!
"Y/n!" Aaron called, wrapping you in his arms while getting you as far away from Aphmau as he could.
"Aphmau, what has gotten into you!?"
"dO yOu eVen UnDeRsTaNd wHaT yOu ToOk fRoM mE!? i wIlL mAkE yOu PaY!" Aphmau screamed.
You scootched back out of Aarons arms and away from her.
What was going on!?
N-Now Aphmau didn't even sound like herself.
Smell like herself!
Her voice was disoriented and angry.
Why was she acting like this!
Why are her eyes green!
"Dad, Momma I-I'm scared. I wanna leave. Please, can we go home." You sniffled, tears not falling yet but eyes and face still burning hot.
Heart pounding in your ears that were sunken low just like your tail.
Hands clentched into fists and trembling making Scrouchy shake too.
And it all broke Aarons heart.
It made him angry.
He took off his jacket and placed it around your shoulders before leaping at Aphmau and tackling her to the ground.
She wasn't moving for a moment, her body only making weird motions.
And in a weird (low budget-) morph, your own Mom turned into...Michi-?
Aaron stood up instantly in surprise but didn't question anything until you were in his arms once again. He wrapped you in his jacket and cradled you while glaring daggers at the mei'fwa.
"You." "Uhh..Wha-What was that-?" "How dare you..! I knew-"
"Don't you dare say you knew it was her. Cause I know darn well you didn't." You sniffled.
Aaron deadpanned your way.
Even scared shitless, you still manage to be smart with him. Crazy.
"Th-That wasn't...I..!"
"You what! Scared the crap outta me!" You snapped.
"You don't understand! Michi couldn't control...I-I think..uhhh...Mi-Michi out!" Michi ran away, still slightly in a panic.
And you couldn't help but notice she had been babbling. As if she genuinely didn't mean to do what she just did. But who cares, someone like her didn't need your sympathy.
"I can't believe I fell for that again! Just--ERGH! I need to get back to the lodge. I'm so sorry, Y/n. Ha-Hand in there." "You're..You're jacket." "Nah, I'm okay. You need it more than me."
You didn't bother protesting. As selfish as it was, you really were freezing. And Aarons jacket was like a warm blanket. You prepared to sniff out the lodge, but to your surprise Aaron was way ahead of you already raising his head.
"This way." "Mkay..." You were too shaken to question it, it give Aarons strange intuition a second thought.
But you wish you did.
You really wish you did...
The two of you had been wondering the area for god knows how long, Aaron had stopped to look at trees or bend down to touch the snow.
He seemed to know where he was going just by that.
You were attempting to keep your eyes open, but it was growing harder and harder.
The cold was making you..sleepy.
You would've gone limp in Aarons arms had it not been for that unmistakable smell drifting into your nose.
"Mom..?" You whispeared weakly.
"M-Mom..Momma!" You called, hopping out of Aarons arms.
Aaron was momentarily caught by surprise, but didn't waste the second running after you.
"Y-Y/n...Wa-Wait up. Please." Aaron shivered, picking up to jacket you had dropped.
You ignored him and kept moving.
She was here.
She had to be..!
You held your arms and kept moving, calling out to the figure looking aimlessly out into the snow.
"Mom..?"
Just as you thought, Aphmau came emerging out of the powdery snow storm, eyes going wide when she saw you.
"Y/n?" "Mom!" You beamed, running toward Aphmau. "Y/n..!" You went crashing into her arms, burying your face into the stomach of her sweater.
"I-I was so worried. Thank irene you're okay. You're so cold. Ha-Have you eaten? Where's Aaron!" "Y-Y/n.." Aaron shivered.
Aphamu turned her head and saw Aaron stumbling threw the snow, eyes glazed over and jacket back on his body. "
Aaron..!" "..? Aph?" Aphmau picked you up and went running toward him only for Aaron to take a step back.
"Huh-?" "Wait...ho-how do I know you're the real Aphmau.." Wha-?" "Please understand! And hand Y/n back to me. I-I just need to ask you a question only you could know."
"Wha-What's..Going on?" Aphmau shivered, holding your trembling body closer.
"Answer the question...please." You whined. You felt like you were going to cry all ovet again.
"Okay..?"
"When and where did we have our first kiss?"
"E-Ew...Cringey...Why that one?"
"Tha-that's easy," Aphmau ignored your comment, "It was in my room at the house party you help me shut down after nobody would leave. You cut your hand on the window glass too-" Aaron didn't wait for Aphmau to finish before he brought the two of you in a much-needed hug.
It was so warm. So nice. For the first time in a bit, you actually felt safe. Even with the circumstances right now.
"It really is you.." "Of course it is. What happened? And why the hell would you take Y/n out here when she hasn't eaten!? She's freezing!"
"Do-Don't blame Dad...Long story."
"It really is. We need to get her back to the lodge. The storm is picking up. We have to go now."
"Right."
They didn't waste another second to head back, sheilding your eyes from the snow the fell. You couldn't move your hands anymore.
They felt like they froze over, everything was so stiff.
Its so cold...
...More walking.
This whole day just been walking.
Aaron and Aphmau were trying their hardest to keep you warm, but your face was just getting colder and colder by the minute.
Your eyes were glazed over as you struggled to respond to more questions.
"We-We're not going to make it back to the lodge in time. Aph, over there, c'mon!"
Aaron took you from Aphmaus arms and went sprinting into the cave in the distance while Aphmau continued to walk trudgedly behind you two. It was no less cold on the cave then it was outside.
But it would do.
For now, at least.
"The-The storm is just getting worse." "I-I know.." Aphmau leaned up to press her head against yours, jolting.
"Aaron, she's freezing..! Quick, wrap her in your jacket!" "N-No...You need my jacket. You have no jacket." Aaron shivered.
He took out of jacket and wrapped it around Aphmau before taking your tail out ftom under your sweatshirt and wrapping it around you so it'd act like a blanket.
He pulled the strings of your hood down as your shaking decreased a little.
It wasn't perfect but it was enough to keep you going until the storm passes.
"Aaron, you're gonna freeze!" Aphmau protested as Aaron handed you back to her.
"D-Dad..."
"I'll be fine. You two need it more than me."
"Aaron..!"
"C'mon, we just need to sit down. We need to get our rest and wait for the storm to die down before we even try to go out there and navigate our way back to the lodge. No way we're taking Y/n out in that."
"D-Dad...A-Are you sure you-you'll be okay without yo-your jacket?" "Promise, Y/n. Just rest for now. Both of you."
"Okay..." Aphmau made her way to thr back of the cave, creating as much distance between her and the storm as she could.
"We'll be okay Y/n...We'll be okay..." She kept repeating, almost in a mantra. Like she was trying to convince herself too.
Your mothers voice reassuring you was the last thing you managed to make out before you were out cold.
"Y-Y/n..? Y/n! Aaron, Y/ns not waking up!"
"Wha-What? Y/n?...Y/N!"