the queen had always been the first that fell asleep, it had just been a rule established since the first queen, fighting this biological instinct would have been foolish as it was impossible
into the future where the kingdom was now much smaller did the motion of hibernation become much easier to follow
a strong man spider named goliath would be the second to fall, ensuring that the queen was at full rest and used himself as a somewhat shield the queen from both cold and attacks
and lastly out of the little pack was the huntsman spider...huntsman, but that was because of pure stubbornness, ensuring their resting grounds were properly secure, that the food was sufficient for his queen for when she resurfaced and placing traps for any intruders that may try to attack them during their slumber
pacing back and forth in an attempt to stay awake as long as he could to ensure the safety of his pack but would eventually retreat from the long battle from the icy winds and unwelcomed cold, finding the closest supply of warmth that was his queen's web-like bed
crawling into it he would always be subconsciously and immediately wrapped in goliaths arms, ensuring no escape and the unbearable weight of warmth, making the fight impossible to win as he fell into the realm of dream beside them
in doing so the spider queen would always be the first to wake, it would take goliath a mere few days to follow his lady command and the longest being a month for the huntsman
the queen's first priorities were to wake up and regain her strength, eating what huntsman and goliath were able to find for a decent meal beside her that had yet to go out of date before moving onto the preserved food in their storage
the queen would always ensure a bit left for goliath as one time he had awoken the same time as her and needed to share rations, not that she minded, there was always plenty of food thanks to the huntsman's hyper sense of smell and tracking skills
regardless she would ensure herself to get back up to strength, it would take her a day or so to unstiffen her muscles and be able to roam their lair again which she would have to clean and de-activate some traps that would be too risky to leave lying around, now she was awake they didn't require them, she was a queen after all
but when doing so she would use her webs and create secure and comfortable silky hammock-like nets to be attached safely around one of her powerful legs
why?
mainly for the reason that her boys could and would not stay asleep without her, nor without one another
she had made the grave mistake of doing this the first time it was only the three of them
tragedy struck when they were all quite young, only having been a few years she had been ruling and meer weeks since the goliath hatched, heck huntsman had barely started his first moult when the monkie king disaster, leading to the fall of her empire and only the 3 to remain
and as good as huntsman was back in the day he was still quite new to being the only huntsman in their little pack, needing to work harder to find rations without the help of the entire cluster, of course, goliath was there to help but was more adapted to being the muscle, a guarder and fighter apposed to a tracker
they still were able to find a good portion but not enough as when the queen awoke she was still hungry and had eaten all that the two young spiders could provide, she needed to find more and even more, for her lasting men, they were the only two she had left, and as sassy and proud as she was, she couldn't deny that she feared about loosing anymore, especially to the cold and under her care, she was their queen, she needed to provide
so she tucked the two back in, seeing it for the first time almost made her chuckle, she was used to seeing the many spiders in their sleep have weird positions, but seeing the stubborn and proud huntsman being held like a plushy within goliaths arms who was mumbling to himself was kinda endearing, very amusing too as she was considering to use this to embarrass huntsman if he tried to get on his high horse in any scenario
taking a moment to enjoy the last two of her clutter, she wrapped the warm silk-like blanket around them, silently promising she would be back soon
it was also the first time she almost set off huntsman traps, they weren't as adapted as they were in the future but they sufficed in scolding any trespassers face off if not careful
she continued to the closest village, being the dead of the night meant she could take whatever she needed/wanted without hassle, even if there was, she would easily get rid of the problem one way or another
using her silk she was able to craft 4 large shopping-like bags to take back down to her lair, it wasn't going to be enough as she was still hungry, at least forget her little pack that would need to eat twice their body weight to gain back energy
she had just started on the 4th bag when she heard a set of....no 2 sets of familiar spindly legs
"my queen" Goliath was the first to cry, not loud enough to wake the village but enough to cause her to panic
spider queen was in befuddlement as she saw the only two of her pack running to her if you could call it that
they were hobbling, working on nothing but pure adrenaline as their wobbly legs barely held on
"What are you two doing!" she seethed with fury-covered fear
"we, we awoke and couldn't find you, we thought you had been taken my queen" Huntsman barely whispered in a ragged breath, looking the most exhausted as he was barely able to hold his ground
spider queen groaned in heartfelt annoyance, she had just tried to get some food and stupidly woken her boy WAY too early
she in her panic of low food had completely forgotten the most important rule when being queen, heck even a spider, don't leave the huddle during hibernation
spider demons, especially the two strongest that were remaining were always subconsciously alert to their roundabouts
for goliath, he could sense everything around him, and feel what surrounded them, not having the queen present nor the weight of a spider his size must have been a shock to the system
and for the huntsman, with his extraordinary sense of smell must have not been able to sense the familiar aura that was his queen, panicking the senses and alerting him awake
resulting in causing the two waking in a fury of fear in the search of their queen, already new to being the only spider demons left of their huddle, heck, perhaps in all of China
so with a sigh and putting the last of the food from her hands and into the bag the queen displayed an odd and a little rare sign of affection and scooped her boys up into her chest
"you boys know I'm stronger than that to let some wanna be somebody take me I am, the queen need you to forget" spider queen gently but passionately scolded the two in her arms, but right now she knew she was only speaking to herself
the two smaller spiders hardly holding on as they were slowly falling back into finishing their hibernation
"sorry my queen" the two simultaneously and quietly apologised
with a roll of her many eyes, the spider queen held them closer, goliath quickly holding huntsman back into his arms while huntsman sleepily took a deep breath, opening his mouth as usual when falling to slumber
they had been that exhausted, running on no food and with extremely weak legs that she was surprised they were able to move so efficiently yet at all and still were able to find their queen
for that, she would grant them a small mercy and wouldn't bring this back up when they were fully awake, not that she was sure they would remember anyways
when she reached the lair she kicked off the silky bags and rejoin her bed to eat, the two small spiders under the covers as they rested upon her build as before to ensure extra warmth
the two had taken longer to wake than what she deemed usual now as it took goliath a week to wake and huntsman a month and 2 weeks
the spider queen didn't like to admit it but she worried for her smallest spider, she knew he would fight the freeze for as long as he could, his best was a week, but to have the recovery time be so much longer was concerning
out of them all, huntsman got the coldest, hence the need for always wearing his signature fur coat and perhaps the reason for always being active, staying still meant no kinetic energy meaning no heat to keep
this was the reason she suspected goliath to become more closely protective of the huntsman spider, always keeping an eye on him if not very close by, the two needed warmth as their body weights were much smaller than their queen but huntsman was clearly the one of more concern, she was the one, after all, to gift the tracker of his fur coat, claiming it to be a thing she found close to her domain and rewarded him of his loyalty, which was a reason of its own, but if 2 birds are killed by one fur-covered stone then it meant less effort and worry on their behalf
she knew goliath knew her real intention but he simply smiled and said nothing,
since that incident the spider queen ensured to keep them close when on the move, a hammock to share attached to the queen's leg as to not shock their system as before, but to keep them close too, when going for food she dreaded leaving the two defenceless as they slumbered
but as stated before she wouldn't have to worry as goliath was quick to join the realm of the living
at first, it shocked the queen how fast the gentle giant had awoken, ready to send him back to bed if it weren't for his awake and happy attitude to bounce back
keeping him in bed for the first few days as too ensure he was replenished but to keep an eye on huntsman as she went for more food or to simply clean their lair, cobwebs were fine, dust was off limits
she watched as goliath would switch from carrying the small spider in his arms or onto his back where his extra set of pincers gently held him in place, but never letting go
as long as huntsman had something familiar to smell he would not awake
she tested this out when she bottled a bit of her venom and placed the open jar close to huntsman, having goliath very not happily place the small spider in their bed, worked but only for a short while as the huntsman began to shift uncomfortably in his sleep, goliath being quick to stop this by picking him back in his arms
the spider queen had no plans in leaving the two but if she needed to, then she at least knew how to keep her boys from doing something as reckless as beforehand
goliath and especially huntsman was much weaker than if they had gotten a full rest, their bodies still sore from using the adrenaline and took a few extra days and more food to recover
but they had fallen into a good system now
spider queen would awake, eat, recover and clean with her only spiders in a heavily supporting and impossible-to-escape sling as she had a tendency to hang upside down, she could remember barely catching the two as she saw them slowly slip out of her makeshift net like bed, and only go out if she needed too before goliath awoke
goliath would eat, recover and when deemed able to roam without a clumsy step would then go out for more food, ensuring a bottle of her venom was left on the table as goliath would take up cleaning and sleeping spider duty
eventually, huntsman would wake up, eat, recover and take up food-finding duty with goliath keeping a secret eye on him to ensure he didn't push it, the lair was fully cleaned and the queen was able to get back to her duties, sitting on her throne and thinking of plans to get her a kingdom for the queen that she was
it was a good routine and easy to follow, it seemed that it was the only time they were not bothered by any threats such as monkie king or his apprentices possy
she suspected that the monkie king told them to back off as they would be in no condition to try anything
she remembered the first time an outsider had found out about their vulnerability, that outsider being the monkie king himself
it had been an unexpected winter, starting way too early meaning preparations were rushed and clumsy mistakes were many
huntsmans nose was able to detect the quick change which was the main reason she had at least some food to start with
it was just like their first winter together, and it made the queen, which she would always deny, very paranoid
now she knew goliath would wake up at any second meaning she needed that food fast, her legs were still shakey and her venom was not enough to keep her boys from waking, meaning she had to take them with her in the hopes that goliath didn't start, once you wake you need to eat food and fast before your energy completely died
she could not lose them, not like this
so she attached the two as per usual and headed shakily to the village, unfortunately for her, it was day time and people were awake
taking one look they scream and ran, some foolish to try and fight, ending with venom being injected into their veins and taken into the spider queens bag
the spider queen never really gathered people to eat anymore, now having the legendary Sun Wukong on her tail about it, and a full human would make any demon spider sick after the first day of waking, too much could overload the stomach
her venom was too weak to turn anyone into her slaves but enough to cause suffering if not given an antidote in the next few hours or so, leading to their demise
spider queen had to admit that she missed the screams, which made her feel like her old powerful self again
only for that pride and power to be ripped as a powerful force came into play without an invite
"monkie king" spider queen hissed angrily at the one who had taken practically everything from her
"hey queenie, how's it hanging" wukong happily, ignoring the rampage that was currently taking place, not a care in the world as per usual
"haven't seen you in a while, where have you been? hibernating?" Monkie king continued to ask as he balanced on his tail
"why ask a foolish question if you know the answer?" Spider queen scoffed in annoyance, not having time for such trivial
"oh I didn't, I just saw the net with your pack and took a guess, do I get a prize for guessing right" Monkie king replied as he stated the obvious
"the only prize you get is not having my venom injected into your blood" the queen of spiders declared dangerously, shielding what was left of her kingdom from the dreaded ape
"wouldn't recommend it, haven't showered and been having a mud wrestle with the monkie babies, so wouldn't be a nice taste" the monkie king quipped jokingly
"you're disgusting" spider queen added with a face to show her grotesque
"says the spider demon" Wukong whispered, but intentionally ensured she heard
"what do you want monkie king, can't you see I'm busy" spider queen continued to hiss
"yeah I can see, and it's ruining my nice peace streak, honestly why you starting trouble now, you're usually chill during the winter and early spring" Sunwukong explained but couldn't help but ask in curiosity
"That's when I didn't have a mouth to feed soon" the queen retorted
"wait you're-" the monkie king began to ask, looking at the spider's abdomen before a large crashing leg stopped his staring
"NO! My bo- my men! the winter came with little warning and we need rations" the spider queen growled, but this time more tiredly, needing to eat and get back into bed soon
"oh yeah tell me about it, was a mad dash to get enough bananas for my monkies" the monkie couldn't help but agree
"so you understand, leave me to continue" the queen stated as she turned back to what she was doing
"(sigh) alright queenie, hows about you stop the rampage and I'll tell the villagers to let you have some of their food" Wukong offered to jumping onto his feet with a more serious face
"tell? what king are you? royalty shouldn't have to ask for anything!" Spider queen spat
"you're not their queen" the monkie king sighed hopelessly
"not yet" spider queen whispered with malice
"wut?" the monkie king simply asked
"oh nothing, but I'll be taking this food with or without permission" the spider queen declared as she carried on, always keeping 2 of her eyes on the simian at all times
Monkie king sighed once more, as much as he would love to battle, seeing the queen this shakey didn't seem right, he wanted her and her pack to fight with all their might, if not then it just is sad and unfair
"I won't get in your way, just hand back the people you've infected would ya" the monkie king requested
in any other circumstance, the spider queen would have told the monkie king to try it and stick it where the sun doesn't shine, but with goliath shaking in her web, having been out too long out of the warm bed and soon waking up, as well as knowing the stubbornness of the ape, she let out a hiss but complied, throwing the miserable creatures out in which the monkies clones caught with ease
"do not tell anyone about this or I will see that your immortal life is filled with nothing but pain" the spider queen finished with a threat
"Love you too queenie" wukong winked, earning a tired growl from the spider
and with that she packed up her possessions and left, leaving the monkie to heal the currently infected village folk
from that day on when the village saw the spider queen they would keep out of her way, although it was mainly huntsman and goliath who were the ones gathering resources in the dead of night, not as much as the queen gathered during her rampage as they weren't too desperate and quick, but when in the winter each of the village people would leave out something to eat just outside the town as to ensure no spider demon came again,
it soon became a sort of tradition to the people of that village, a festival a way to ward off the spider demons
not that the three spiders cared, they just wanted food
and oddly enough, with each winter, there would always be a little basket of bananas left just outside their lair before winter began
Huntsman and Goliath were extremely confused but spider queen merely put it on the pile
the little unexplained agreement between monkie and spider was never shared but always excepted to keep
the ritual of hibernation had become second nature and had worked for many years now
but every so often there would be a change in the system
and sometimes those changes meant a completely new strategy and routine
this had come in the form of their newest recruit
syntax
their newest and adopted member of the spider "family" if you will have just recently experienced what winter was like for a spider demon
goliath was quick to fill him on the gist, but experiencing it for himself was a new thing entirely
new limbs were already enough to get used to, and now the human no longer was being told that he would lose a full season of his life yearly, it made him tired just thinking about it
but the tiredness of the cold itself was indescribable, never had he been this tired and he had gone 72 hours without sleep straight
he also saw a behavioural change within the spiders of his new "pack" as they called it
their queen was always close, but it seemed she was always in the same space, looming or observing with a tired gaze, as if she took her eyes off them for one second they would disappear, it was an odd sight to a being who always seemed cold and independent
Goliath was very similar, always around them closely, Syntax finding himself one step just out of the big spider's grasp, when the huntsman came back from food tracking he was always on his heel, always asking if anything happened, the spider queen explained the two were nearly inseparable, but during this time they had to do what they were best at, hunt and protect, meaning a lot of splitting up in which goliath was clearly upset about, but now have another member to protect meant it was more necessary for him to stay, goliath and syntax got along fine but it was clear as day that goliath would rather be with the brother he'd known his entire life
he didn't see huntsman as much and when he did he was always bringing something into their storage or walking out, despite how tired the smallest spider looked he was always pushing himself, trudging in a way that seemed painful to simply keep active, the two never really saw eye to eyes on much and often got into fights, physical and verbal, always trying to one-up another, and yet seeing the huntsman spider like this didn't sit right with him, goliath said it was normal and to just let it be, knowing first hand, a bitten hand apparently, which knowing the feral little spider didn't seem out of the norm
they were all quieter than usual which he had to point out, not that he seemed any better, always huddled in the lab working on devices to keep his new home warm, doing his best to do his part in the new equation he found himself in, although the cold and chemicals telling him to sleep were always at wit's end
soon enough his first winter came
it was strange, never in a million years would syntax be able to say he had just been invited to sleep inside the demon spider queens bed and live to tell the tale
it was bizarre, it would be terrifying if he felt any fear about being surrounded by three spider demons, yet the venom must have killed off some of his common sense brain cells as he snuggled into the very welcoming warmth
the queen had been the first to sleep, an instinct in himself to ensure the safety and comfort of his queen before he allowed himself to fall
"good night everyone, don't stay up too long huntsman" Goliath sang as he fell into a comfortable position
syntax with weary eyes knew he wouldn't last long with now being snuggled into the embrace, goliath without warning taking him into his arms earning a laugh from the only spider who had yet to enter the bed, seeming to be setting traps, some he noticed were his own, did the little nuisance seriously go into his lab without permission again!
Huntsman whose set of eyes hadn't left his form seemed to know what he was thinking, earning more dry laughter
"Pleasant dreams sweet prince" Huntsman cooed sarcastically
syntax would have tried to comment, only for his breath to become shallow, eyes falling and mind to enter the realm of dreams
when he awoke, feeling groggy, weak and yet plenty refreshed he looked to see what had happened while unconscious
well for one the lair got very dusty which shouldn't have come as a surprise, the next was in the position he found himself in, in goliaths arms and to his horror, snuggled against huntsman in the embrace within an embrace as if he were a mere baby
it was too "cute" for his liking and did his best to leave, but goliath had a tight hold even in sleep, however, the fuss did not go unnoticed
"welcome back" spider queen smirked at the flustered face of her scientist
"my queen" Syntax began before having an apple shoved into his mouth
"eat and drink" the queen ordered as she handed him a few of the supplies she carried
and so syntax did as told
"Goliath will be waking in a day or two, plenty of time to get your strength back," Spider queen told as she guessed what was on the newest spider's mind, but also seemed to be taking her own mental notes, mumbling something like "looks like I was wrong about the order"
for the next few days, all he did was eat, drink, stretch and move his legs as best as he could without disturbing his close company and tinker with devices the spider queen graciously took from his lab and to his area before moving to clean the lair, making it properly fit for a queen
regardless of the weird situation syntax couldn't say he didn't enjoy just having a bit of downtime, he knew it wouldn't last but for now, he wouldn't complain, especially with how...nice the queen was being, perhaps that was the weirdest part of it
Goliath soon awoke true to her Majesties words, allowing him to use his legs that thanks to the bed exercises were not as stiff as he imagined them to be
he was soon tasked with helping with cleaning and continuing with his science which he couldn't complain either
the queen never really left other than to get more food
goliath suspected that she didn't like leaving anyone alone asleep as he did, evidenced by how he continued to hold the huntsman spider close as when he was asleep
speaking of the smallest spider Huntsman apparently was taking much longer to wake than usual,
the spider queen suspected that hunting down food for an extra demon might have been the reason, needing to work harder and faster to ensure food for all which he had supplied to more than the achieved limit
"show off" Syntax scoffed with a roll of his eyes, yet his voice showed no hint of malice
it was odd, he was so used to the grating voice, he kinda missed the challenge, it was also unnerving seeing how calm the spider was, at ease and peaceful, it should be welcoming but it felt very wrong
the tension of worry goliath was getting overwhelming and making it hard to focus on his work, how the queen dealt with it should have been a mystery, but with a personality of a kind loyal protector it made sense
but as strong as goliath was he needed to rest, now that the huddle of the warm winter had expired and out of a rare thought of compassion he offered to keep an eye on the huntsman so Goliath could get some fresh air and rest
Goliath was very hesitant but the spider queen agreed that it was a good idea
before it happened however he was tasked to simply sit in the makeshift bed with the huntsman to see if his sense of smell would accept a sense of familiarity and safety with Syntax to not wake him too early
Hearing that Syntax believed it to be a failed task, their relationship being one that complied with everything but warmth
and yet Huntsman remained asleep
and thus Syntax was instructed in watching over their smallest member for Goliath and the queen to train out of their lair
during this time Syntax was envious of his fellow spider's extra eyes, as much as he loved the chase to get some work done without interruption
the sleeping form next to him was causing anxiety
he was used to having the little pest always making some sort of action to show some level of alertness, and yet he was so still, quiet as if he were dead
he wasn't syntax ensured it multiple times, testing an extremely fast pulse, must be normal for spider demons as he noticed that goliaths were the same
regardless he would always give a quick glance every other second
the huntsman spider currently wrapped in the many blankets that goliath wrapped around him, knowing that Synatx would never be willing to hold him and didn't want him to be shocked with the lack of weight he had grown to sleep with
Syntax seemed to have gotten into a somewhat good routine of splitting his work and spider observations before a grumble and yawn were heard from the pile of blankets
Syntax couldn't help but panic internally as he watched the spider groggily awake, the fear of doing something wrong out of his queen's sight was at the top of his mind
as huntsmans eyes began to grow they darted the slowest Syntax had ever seen them move around the room
all before landing on Syntax himself
with another yawn, the huntsman lowered his head back into the bed with a tired groan
"morning nerd" Huntsman eventually greeted, voice deeper and scratchy than what the human no longer had ever heard
"morning" Syntax replied awkwardly, not sure if this was normal or not
it had been a few seconds before Huntsman continued
"wheres the queen and goliath," Huntsman asked
"gone out to train" Syntax replied
"you could use a bit yourself" Hunstman quipped with tired humour
Syntax decided to not join in the tempting banter and rolled his eyes, getting up to get huntsman his food, knowing he'd be too weak to get it himself and his queen did instruct him to take care of him till they came back, so he best not go against her wishes
"just shut up and eat" Syntax instructed as he handed a banana to the sleepy spider
falling into a somewhat comfy silence before their beloved queen and goliath reentered the lair, both happy to see that all of their pack had finally awoke
as Huntsman recovered the spider queen merely told goliath and syntax to agree on who would stay behind to keep an eye on the feral spider until he was back on his feet
Huntsman declaring he needed no damm babysitter, of course never in the earshot of their queen, that was a death wish
Goliath would always offer, to be closer, but also wanted to avoid any more fighting
but Syntax knew he had to hold up his share and offer at least one day
the day never ending peacefully
"I was curious about something" Syntax began as he removed his goggles and went to clean his hands from his latest handy work
"When are you not" Huntsman grumbled as he practised moving his legs, still stiff and it was making the small spider irritable
"What did you even intend to accomplish with staying up longer, you already set the traps and you'd be too weak to fend off anyone anyway" Syntax stupidly asked, clearly not catching huntsmans already annoyed attitude
"say what you will about yourself, but do not even try to put yourself in my shoes, far too great to fill" Huntsman answered with pride
"And here I almost missed your hot air ballooned-sized ego" Syntax sighed as he began to get back to work
"Are you saying you missed me?" Huntsman asked with mock surprise and a cheeky smile
"I prefer you being goliaths teddy bear than myself, your more fit for the role" Syntax smirked, not letting Huntsman get away with that one
"what does that mean?" Huntsman asked as his humour began to fizzle away
"exactly what you think it means" Syntax continued to condescend
"you're lucky my legs are still recovering or you'd be eating those words" Huntsman warned angrily
"so scared of the spider who can barely move without being carri-" Syntax began to laugh before having the weight of something being thrown at his face
"did you just throw a book at me?!" Syntax exclaimed as he rubbed his face with annoyance
"you always have one in your big nose, should be used to it by now" Huntsman scoffed without regret
"at least I can read" Syntax scoffed, earning another book being thrown, but this time syntax was able to catch it
"how many books do you even have?!" Syntax asked with genuine confusion and anger
"keep talking and you'll find out" Huntsman hissed
"why you-" Syntax began once more before a third book was thrown, hurting his head and being the final straw
"THAT'S IT" Syntax exclaimed as he rushed to immobilised spider
"BRING IT ON!" Huntsman roared, itching for a fight since he'd woken up
all leading to a brawl that goliath had to quickly step in to ensure neither got too harmed this time
"guys please, it hasn't even been a day since the last fight" goliath sighed as he picked up the two by the collars of their clothes, the two, however, saw no need to stop and continued fighting mid-air, reaching out to one another as they hurtled insults left and right
meanwhile, the spider queen stood behind watching in amusement at the smaller twos bickering, this kingdom needed a good source of entertainment and their petty squabbles fulfilled that perfectly
BONUS: SILK TEA
Huntsman had been anxious about visiting sandy during the winter, not that he didn't want to see him but mainly due to the river demons' domain, as sunny as it was normal it was abnormally cold when in winter, the fresh cold sea air would have been unbearable if not for the warm welcome that was his boyfriend
no matter what tea the blue river demon heated huntsman couldn't help but shiver, mo and most of Sandys's therapy cats sensed the spider's discomfort and pilled upon him, the fluffy warm weight only helping slightly
Sandy had been quick to notice and couldn't help but be concerned for the spider, placing the latest broth at the table but when Huntsman went to reach for his cup Snady caught the hand into his own
"want me to get you some blankets huntsy, your shivering like crazy" Sandy offered sweetly with concern
"no it's ok blue, I'll have to be getting back to my queen shortly anyways" the huntsman replied reassuringly, using his other hand to pat the one that was currently in a tight embrace
but shortly had become too long
the temperature had begun lowering at rapid speeds and worse, snow began to fall
huntsman cursed with panic, not out loud, knowing how much sandy hated it when he did
"oh wow, it's really coming down" Sandy stated sadly, knowing his sea adventures would have to be put on hold
Huntsman tried to piece how he was meant to get back without incident
he wouldn't ask sandy, although the river demon wasn't cold-blooded he was not adapted for the winter, owning no shirts had been the first clue
but it would be foolish to trek it down back to the sewers, it was too far away and as much pride he held, his ego wasn't that big to state he could make it and live to tell the tale
and he was sure that Sandy wouldn't even allow letting him go without his assistance anyways
his mind was already filled with what-ifs, so when he started getting a call from his communicator was not exactly what he needed
"HUNTSMAN!" his queen's voice screamed angrily
"m, my queen" Huntsman greeted fearfully
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! IT'S A BLIZZARD AND YOU'RE NOT BACK YET?!" The spider queen continued to yell
it had been a long time since he heard his queen so angry and fearful
"I am sorry my queen, I was unable to sense the change in weather so fast" Huntsman tried to explain
"yeah, having your ugly face in tea constantly must have been a distraction" Huntsman heard Syntax comment, practically hearing the smirk in his tone
Huntsman did his best to repress an angry and flustered hiss
"I don't care what you're doing just get back NOW OR I SWEAR I-!" The spider queen ordered before the huntsman interrupted her
"no need my queen, I will arrive soon" Huntsman declared, fearing what punishment the notedly peeved queen could come up with when in that set of mind
"see to it! and I repeat do NOT die" Spider queen finished before hanging up, Huntsman nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see it
Taking a moment to breathe he noticed that the conversation hadn't gone without an audience
"it's sweet she worries so deeply about your well-being" Sandy stated with a sheepish chuckle
a chuckle Huntsman couldn't help but join, simply too precious not to love
"Perhaps, but easing her worries I have no idea of getting back" huntsman replied with a sigh and tried to ponder an idea
"I still have my speed boat" Sandy offered
"no offence darling, but a boat's not gonna get us far on land," Huntsman said with awkwardness
"I know, but that was before Red son took a look and offered to make upgrades, it now has land, flight and water modes for all adventures" Sandy exclaimed excitedly
Huntsman merely nodded, he wasn't the most enthused about tech, more in the knowledge in nature, but he couldn't say it didn't have its benefits, damm Syntax pushing that down his throat since his arrival
With a shiver of cold and redirecting his attention back to his gentle giant who was going into a conversation about how well red son had been since he joined their side like a proud uncle
"well I will thank him for the next time I see them" Huntsman muttered as Sandy smiled with a nod
"Just wait here, I'll go warm it before we head off" Sandy explained as he walked out of his houseboat
out of his boyfriend's sight and in the vehicle Sandy turned on the heater and engine before letting out a sad sigh
he usually loved winter, but losing his boyfriend for 3-4 months was always a bit painful to wave goodbye
but he hated seeing Huntsman shivering each time he saw him, giving sandy horrible memories of when the spider's souls were returned to their bodies and thus being rejected from the netherworld and back to the realm of the living
they were only able to find them by their screams of agony
It horrified the river demon each time he remembered the distant gaze in all his 4 beautiful green eyes
vowing to protect the spider there and then, sticking with his mantra "All enemies is just a friend you haven't won over yet"
perhaps winning more than he thought he did, but he was definitely not complaining
he started brash and ruthless and still could be, but he was much more chill when they got to spend more time with one another, he was just used to following spider queens orders back when they were on bad terms, or she was with them at least
in the beginning, he was reminded too much of his older self, but with methods that worked with Sandy, tea, cats and talking, he was able to reach the real huntsman
and he loved who he saw
a little confused when in unaccustomed situations such as being surrounded by small animals that he had to get the habit out of squishing or being talked to gently, the spider queen had become better at being kinder to her pack, but before she was very bad at expressing care in an obvious way, although Sandy couldn't deny Huntsman was very oblivious to reading between the lines with emotion
Huntsman got very flustered each time he was offered tea, Sandy learning it was one of the spider's customs of courtship
Looking back Sandy laughed at how crazy at how, unconsciously it had worked, especially when he realised Huntsman was doing the same thing even before the explanation had been shared
eventually Sandy believed the multipurpose boat was warm enough and went back into his home where he found the love of his life completely surrounded by cats and the blankets the spider had previously stated he didn't need
"don't say a word" Huntsman whispered with a flustered and pouting voice
Sandy beamed at the sight, it was too cute for words anyway
instead, he gathered the rest of his blankets, gently shooed the cats away and scooped up the smaller male, resting onto his lap to wrap the becoming even more flustered spider in the extra cloth
"Sandy?! I still have a reputation" Huntsman exclaimed as he fruitlessly tried to escape the warm cacoon, only for the warmth to be too welcoming, ensuring his tiredness and no escape
"I know, I just want to hold you before you sleep till spring," Sandy said sadly, feeling selfish as he carried and walked them to the boat
Huntsman looked in sympathy
"sandy look at me" Huntsman ordered softly to which the blue giant did
"it will be ok, I'll be back before you know it, you still have your own pack" Huntsman tried to ensure, hoping the words would comfort the river demon
"I know, I'm gonna miss you, I wish you could stay" Sandy pouted
"no you wouldn't, I would just be asleep, I wouldn't be able to communicate or move, I don't want to cause any more of your PTSD" Huntsman whispered in understanding, not wishing for another incident when they both tried to get that STUPID FLOWER
Sandy didn't argue any further, simply hugging the spider closer
"ok" Sandy whispered sadly
"don't frown blue, it's not your style" Huntsman sighed as he wiggled out just slightly before reaching a hand to catch the giants chin and bring it down for a kiss
Sandy held that hand and welcomed the kiss before leading the claw back into the blankets as it was ridiculously cold
"ok" Sandy simply said but this time with a happier tone
happy with his boyfriend's positive attitude Huntsman relaxed, leaning back into the heated seats
As the journey to the spider queen's lair, Sandy noted his boyfriend's breaths becoming shallower and his body becoming limp
Sandy sighed with a smile, he wasn't going to wake huntsman just for a few minutes, it wouldn't be nice, besides, Sandy hated saying goodbye, this way he could leave on their last loving conversation
eventually Sandy reached the lair, the newly built sewers
gently and securely holding Huntsman's form as he walked and knocked on the door
giving the sleeping spider a kiss on the head before the river demon saw the door open
three of the spiders looking at him in tired annoyance, and yet relief
"told you" Sandy heard the strong spider whisper to Syntax, who growled and handed the other spider money
the spider queen rolled her eyes as she pulled the huntsman spider from the river demon hold and into her own
"he's always the last to sleep, so you kinda messed up our routine, no spider sleeps before the queen you should know" the spider queen began to huff, deciding to blame the river demon for the spider's early hibernation, which Sandy had admitted he'd rather the queen mad at him then Huntsman, knowing how much it would hurt his boyfriend for her anger to be directed at him
"I apologise, must have made it too comfy" Sandy apologised with a chuckle
"Regardless, I guess I should thank you for making sure the little idiot didn't die getting here, so you can just make up for it for getting us the last bit of food you distracted him to get us" The spider queen thanked, ordered and blamed in all one sentence
"of course," Sandy said sheepishly, unsure of how to respond, but would make sure to carry out the order
the kindness and understanding instead of cowering fear seeming to annoy her further
"...we're keeping the blankets" the spider queen declared as she turned to return to their lair with a sleeping huntsman in arms
"Please do, I hope you all have a great sleep" Sandy stated, continuing to not be affected by the brash and threatening attitude
Syntax gave Sandy a distrustful glare before following with a grumble of losing his money as he and the strong spider followed their queen, Goliath turning back quickly to smile and wave at Sandy before the door closed
"Sleep well huntsman" Sandy whispered lovingly as he walked back to the boat to leave the spiders to sleep in peace, awaiting the day in which they would be re-connected
unaware that even in sleep, huntsman dreamt of the same event as the spider queen tucked them all into bed to join him in slumber
THE END