1 - It's Beginning to Look...

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With a great yawn, Silly Sleeper, Silly to his friends, trotted at a sedate rate down the road. "Another day..." he paused to blink his tired eyes, a mini-yawn escaping in the process. "Another bit..." He had completed his workday at Quills and Sofas, which meant it was time to do his favorite thing.

Sleep. But he couldn't sleep walking. Well, perhaps he could, but it was so much better at home, or at least on something nice and warm and soft. "Hey Silly," called a pony he was walking past. He nodded back with a little smile, but he had his destination locked and trotted past.

Home. It was a simple place, and he let out a happy sigh as he slumped against the door. "Finally, now I can..." Sleep? No, wait, there was something he was forgetting. What was it... Something important. He tapped at his chin, eyes closed. Oh. Oh! His eyes snapped open wide. "He's coming!" He suddenly lurched into motion, grabbing up the blankets he had left on the floor and shoving them in a closet.

The pile of pillows went into the guest room and he slapped that door shut. He had to get the place looking right. "Don't want him thinking I'm a slob..." The day's paper was left unchecked and neglected on his doorstep. Displayed on its front fold, a warning to stay inside and be warm. Weather pegasi were bringing in a big snow that evening.

"It's been so long," Tri cheerfully talked to himself as he brushed his teeth, awkward as those words were. "Forever!" Sure, it had only been three days, but it had felt like forever, and that counted, he was certain. His heart fluttered in his chest, thinking of the sleepy stallion. "We're gonna have fun." They'd talk and be close and that was enough, right? That's what friends did!

"Shoulda saw him yesterday." He frowned a little, thoughts going back to a big nasty wad of gum he had been scraping off the bottom of a desk for Cheerilee. "Those foals..." Usually cleaning the school was a simple task, but that gum refused to move! By the time he had gotten it off, it was too late to visit any friends. "But not today." Oh no, there was nothing between him and some Sleepy time.

He snorted as he threw on a scarf around his neck. "That sounds like I'm going to take a nap." But that wasn't the plan. The plan was to visit his friend. On giddy hooves, he threw open his door, hopped over the newspaper that was on the step and wrenched his head. The motion caused the scarf to snap towards him, catching the door on the way and pulling it shut expertly. There was no time for reading papers, he pranced right on past it, heading towards Sleepy with a big smile.

It wasn't a long walk through Ponyville before he arrived at Silly Sleeper's cozy house. The sleeping cap-styled roof really sold it. "You know whose house this is," chuckled Tri as he approached the door. "One day I should do something like that." His house was so normal in comparison. That was alright, he was normal, not like his friend. He raised a hoof and clopped softly. "Hey, Tri here."

"One moment," came the voice inside, muffled by wood and wall. He heard something slide, then the door opened, Sleepy's mouth at the doorknob as he pushed it forward. "Hello!"

"Sleepy!" Tri trotted in and Sleepy scooched to the side to make room. "Place is looking nice."

Sleepy pulled the door shut, knocking the paper aside. "My house is your house. Want a drink? It's winter, how about some warm cocoa?"

"That sounds great," Tri easily assented, looking around before moseying towards the kitchen. "You don't have to go out of your way."

"Nah... this is the time of year for it." Sleepy slipped past him, wandering past into the kitchen and starting the kettle full of water. "What happened yesterday? Not often you delay the weekly."

Weekly. Normally they made it a point to meet at least once a week, despite both being Responsible Adults with Responsible Adulting that needed doing. Tri sat down on the smooth tile, raising a hoof to gesture towards the schoolhouse. "Some little brat decided to go for the record of how big a wad of gum they could chew and get the most stuck to a desk."

"Oh, wow... I thought Rarity was bad." Sleepy fetched two mugs and set them down, putting some powered chocolate in each, a jar of milk waiting for the right time and a bag of fluffy marshmallows already prepared. "She wore out her last sofa. She's one of our best customers, remember?"

"Best and worst," chuckled Tri. He affected her accent, poorly, his hooves held up beside his head. "Oh darling, I simply must have a sofa that slides well! But not when I'm on it."

"That was scary good." Sleepy smiled contently as he reached for the whistling kettle with his snout, grabbing the handle in his teeth and pouring out two big cups of sweet elixir. He set it back and grabbed the milk, adding a splash to each. Then a few marshmallows followed, completing things.

Tri accepted the cup that was to be his, cradling it between his hooves as he ran a mouth-held spoon through it gently. Without thinking, the mallows made a heart shape and he glanced sharply up at Sleepy, who was busy looking at his own cup. He gently dashed the image, sending it back into random chaos before taking a sip. "Mmm."

"Mmm," replied Sleepy eloquently, licking his lips. "The end of the week is coming up. We should do something fun."

"Yeah, fun..." Tri glanced towards the window. "There's that movie--"

"--oh yeah," cut in Sleepy. "I was waiting for that one. Do you want to see it with me? I'll get a big popcorn."

"It ain't a movie without popcorn." Tri nodded in solidarity. "It's a date." His cheeks warmed shortly after, realizing what he had said. It wasn't a date date! He was pretty sure. They were just two friends watching a movie. Friends did that all the time. "Gonna put on some music."

Sleepy nursed at his drink, not stopping Tri.

Tri rose up and got a record from Sleepy's collection and set it on the player. There was a moment of quiet noise before the music began proper, filling the house with cheerful Hearths Warming carols. "Now we're in the spirit."

Sleepy perked an ear. "Thank goodness he doesn't play that stuff at Quills and Sofas. He's too 'refined' for that. Suits me." He pointed at the player before quickly catching his tipping cup. "Only time I hear that is when I want to."

"Is now a bad time?" He hovered by the player, ready to yank the record off of it. "I wasn't trying to annoy you."

"Nah... It's fine." Sleepy nodded gently. "They're nice, in moderation. Sit down and finish your drink before it gets cold."

"Good idea..." Tri wandered back to his abandoned cup and flopped down past his haunches to lay down entirely. He grasped the cup in his forehooves and drew it closer, sipping softly. "Nothing like a relaxing winter day with a friend."

"Worth losing a nap for," easily agreed Sleepy with a content smile. "Did I tell you about my dream?" He had so many to choose from, but Tri gestured for him to continue, and he began to describe the strange and whimsical world that existed in his head.

Some time later, Tri was sitting up on his haunches, empty cup beside him. "Have you considered writing?"

"Wha?"

"You have a great imagination." Tri tapped his head. "I bet other ponies would love to read it."

"I dunno..." He yawned softly and shivered softly. "Getting cold. One moment." He went to fetch wood from a small pile. His last two significant logs, but he wasn't paying attention to that. He tossed them onto the fireplace and soon crackling fire threw heat and light into the room. "Way better. You can get some quality sleep next to a fire."

"I bet you're the expert of that." Tri moved to sit down near Sleepy, by the fire. "You do it a lot?"

"Every chance I get." He settled with a sleepy smile. "You ever try it?"

"I don't have a fireplace... Sounds nice though." Before he knew it, they had conked out until he started awake, legs kicking along the ground. "Huh what? That... actually wasn't bad. Figures you'd know the best ways to do a nap."

"Mmm?" Sleepy roused from his own little catnap. "Yeah, it's the best." He turned his head to the window, seeing it was getting dark. "Woah, where does the time go? You should get home for it's all dark out there."

"Yeah..." Tri stood up. "It was nice visiting though. I'll see you for the movie, right?"

"For sure." Sleepy slid to his hooves and trotted to the door to get it for his friend. Cold blasted in at them both, snow flecking on the ground instantly. "Uh..."

Tri peered past Sleepy to the rapidly building snow outside. "Wow. It's really coming down out there."

Sleepy nudged the door shut with a soft shrug. "No big deal. You can just stay the night. Sleepover time."

Tri smirked softly at that. "It has sleep in the name."

"So you know I like it." Sleepy nodded sagely, confident in his reasoning.

"So I'll just... sleep... here..." His brain seized, realizing what was happening. "With you."

"Uh huh," agreed Sleepy easily, moving off towards the guest room. "I'll get some bedding. We'll watch bad movies and play games and have fun."

Soon a blanket was spread across the living room floor, soft and warm. On it, a small board was placed. Sleepy nudged a piece on it forward, then drew a card. "Go directly to Town Hall." He nudged his piece again. "Nice."

"I hear Mayor Mare dyes her mane." Tri leaned over to snap up some popcorn and take his move, tossing dice at the board, though it was more of letting the dice go at an angle, which made them tumble enough. "My luck's turning around!" He pushed his piece up just behind Sleepy's piece.

"Don't count on it." Sleepy scooped up the dice with his hooves. "I call on the luck spirits." But the luck spirits did not like being called towards, and the dice went foul. "Aw no..."

Tri kept glancing at Sleepy, trying to figure out if his own luck was very good, or very bad. The sleepover wasn't bad, no, he felt increasingly sure of that. It was an excuse to hang out with his friend. They were having fun. He was winning the board game even!

Was he winning too well? He cleared his throat into a hoof, making a mental note to be a humble winner. "My turn..."

The fire in the fireplace guttered out, the light going with it, leaving them in almost complete darkness.

Sleepy sat up. "I'll put more wood..." But there were only a few twigs left. "Oh right, I was supposed to get more today. I forgot." He applied a hoof to his face.

Tri shook his head quickly. "It happens." Especially with Sleepy. Being not-quite-there was one of his specialties.

Sleepy tossed the crumbs of the firewood in, but they were burnt and gone almost instantly. "Oops... Oh well, at least this time I still have one warm thing to use."

"Does this happen a lot?"

"Sorry." Sleepy put a hoof behind his head, looking sheepish. "But you're here. We can just use each other for heat."

Tri's cheeks became the warmest thing in the room. "W-what?"

"We'll go to sleep." He pointed at the blanket. "All rolled up with the blanket, together. We'll stay warm that way."

"Oh... y-yeah... T-that makes... lots of sense..." Tri swallowed heavily, trying to fight his trembling.

2 - Baby It's Cold Outside

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Tri had expected them to collapse there on the floor, much like they had for their little nap, but Sleepy was guiding him away from there. "I have the best bed." He nudged open the door to his bedroom and pointed at the magnificent king-sized bed that awaited them. "Extra fluffy and soft. It's as close as a pony without wings gets to sleeping on a cloud."

With a soft snort, Tri smirked. "Those pegasi brought in the snow."

"It's not so bad." Sleepy walked up onto his bed and circled twice before flopping down bonelessly, the bed catching and embracing him. "Mmm... g'night."

"Y-yeah..." He just had to go up with Sleepy and sleep. There. On his bed. "Yeah..."

"Something wrong?"

"No!" His ears went up, body tense. "Nothing wrong at all."

Sleepy patted the bed gently. "Come on. It'll be warmer together."

"Yeah..." Tri stepped up slowly and sank down on barely flexible legs, mechanically flopping into place besides Sleepy. The room grew quiet. Sleepy had faded off instantly, seemingly comfortable with him there. He could feel each little breath of his friend. He could feel the warmth of the fellow pony. He was pressed up close to Sleepy, and it was... good, and terrifying.

"W-what's wrong?" came Sleepy's voice, his eyes opening in the darkness. "Why are you crying?"

Tri hadn't even noticed, but tears stained his face and he had been sobbing in little pathetic noises. His cheeks warmed rapidly. "I-I'm fine!"

"What's wrong?" Sleepy gently asked, sitting up, or trying to. The motion was aborted when Tri suddenly pounced him. He was grabbed up in a tight embrace, the two flopping back to the bed, tangled. Sleepy did not try to push his friend away, blinking with confusion. Then the rubbing began. Tri was pressing firmly in long stroking motions of his entire body as if Sleepy might vanish at any moment and he had to get his share before then.

Sleepy reached around Tri gently and patted his back, stroking in gentle motions and making little comforting noises. "It's alright," he whispered, unsure what was wrong with Tri. And so they remained for a time, one clinging, the other gently trying to calm. Finally, Tri backed away, just a little.

A precious few inches, his breath calming from its panic to a still tense but slowing sound, his eyes locked on Sleepy's own. Sleepy opened his mouth to say something, a question perhaps, but there was no time for it. Tri locked lips, kissing Sleepy intensely. All thoughts of sleep were banished from Sleepy, and he went still with shock, accepting the kiss.

Just as suddenly, Tri scrambled backwards, falling off the bed in a great loud thump, limbs tangled in part of the blanket. "I'm so sorry!" he squealed, quickly freeing himself. "So sorry! It's alright!" He fled the room and the stunned Sleepy. He could be heart stomping through the house in a panic. The front door slammed shut.

The noise of the slam made Sleepy jump in place, awakening him from his daze. "Tri...?" He stepped down from his bed. "Tri? You there?" Emerging into the living room, he could see a new layer of snow, larger than the first. He could hear the roar of the winter, blowing all the harder. "Tri!" He rushed for the door and tried to push it open, but the snow was in the way. How did Tri even get out?

With panicked strength, he slammed into the door harder, knocking it a few inches wider and falling forward into a bank of cold snow. "I'm coming!" He scrambled to his hooves even as he lurched forward, the snow raining down all around him, making it impossible to see very far in any direction. It was cold and dark, but he knew Tri was out there, somewhere. "Tri!" he shouted as he popped free of the deepest bank that had apparently stacked against his house, allowing him to start an uneasy but determined march away.

His legs grew an uncomfortable mixture of numb and painful. One might think that numbness would dull the pain, but the snow refused to give him that, making his steps awkward and each one a little more agonizing than the last, but he pressed on despite it. "Tri!"

He had lost all track of time, pressing onwards to the only place he could think Tri would try to go towards, his own house. Was Sleepy close, or far away? A minute? An hour? He had no way to know in the blowing snow. "Pegasi... really... outdid themselves." No sane pegasus would be outside, trying to fly in that, so he could look forward to no rescue that way.

There, ahead of him! He saw the corner of a building just coming into view and hurried towards it, flopping against the building, panting loudly. A tiny hint of light. He took several little steps towards it, just in time to see Tri's tail go out of view, a door closing. "Tri!" With renewed strength, Sleepy fought through the snow, his steps fueled with a new burst of anger.

He did not knock on the door. He slammed into it with a mighty shout, the poor thing swinging open under his fury. "Tri! Where do you get off going off into the storm like that!"

Tri dropped his scarf that he had been taking off, falling from his unresponsive hooves with surprise. "S-Sleepy? What are you... You look awful."

"I don't care." Sleepy kicked the door shut behind himself. "Why did you leave? Why did you go into this storm? Why did I follow you? What's going on?!" Tears stung at his eyes as he collapsed to his haunches, pain and worry rushing free of him. "Oh Tri..."

Tri stammered, hooves dancing on the floor, damp as it was. Like Sleepy, ice was melting free, making a mess. "It's... just, you know, and..." He licked over his lips, trying to explain, to Sleepy, to himself, to anypony at all. "I was just..."

Quiet crept into the room. Neither had words for the other, and they sat there awkwardly, dethawing from the storm they had braved through. Sleepy felt at his neck, eyes on the fallen scarf. "I forgot to grab mine. I thought you might have gotten hurt..."

"Sleepy, I'm so--"

Sleepy was there, hooves on Tri's shoulders. Tri looked up at him, ears pinned back.

"Shut up," ordered the normally sleepy pony. "Shut up and take this." He went in and pressed his lips to Tri's, returning the kiss that had been given to him shortly before. There were no words, just the exchange. Tri's trembling began to die down as he realized what was going on. The kiss became mutual, the two reaching around the other to pull them closer, nostrils flaring for breath.

Silly drew back first, but Tri stayed in close, almost clinging to him. "We have a lot to talk about," cautioned the sleepy stallion. "First..." He stood up and moved for the door, almost dragging Tri along. He grabbed the lock in his teeth and turned his head, securing the door firmly. "Nopony is going out tonight, right?"

"Yeah," agreed Tri in a small voice. "Sorry."

"Enough sorries." Sleepy set a hoof on Tri's head. "Right now, I am way overdue for some sleep, and I think you are too. Now, you owe me that."

"Yeah..." Tri sat up, ears perking. "You're really not mad?"

"For leading me into a snowstorm? I'm really mad about that!" He threw his forehooves wide. "Don't do that again," he finished tiredly, yawning and heading towards Tri's bedroom.

"I meant before that." Tri trailed along, glancing left and right. "What I did."

"I did it too," countered Sleepy with a little smile. "We're even now. You don't get anymore kisses until you behave. You can have some snuggles though." He stepped up onto Tri's bed, snorting softly. "Yours isn't as soft."

"We're not all professionals," noted Tri defensively, sticking out his tongue. He slipped up beside Sleepy and settled with him, the two starting to nestle, their heart rates settling. It was sleep time, but Tri felt certain he wasn't doing it with a friend anymore.

In the darkness, he could hear the gentle sleeping breath of the other pony who wasn't his friend, not just that. They were something special... Tri nuzzled gently into Sleepy's throat, closing his eyes as he savored the warmth they were sharing. They were lovers, not friends, well, still friends? Friends+! They had so much to talk about the next day... But for that moment, that quiet dark moment, there was nothing but sleep and warmth.

And that was the best Hearth's Warming he ever had.

Silly Triangles

by David Silver

1 - It's Beginning to Look...

2 - Baby It's Cold Outside