by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: Eureka
Characters: Jo Lupo, Zane Donovan
Pairings: Jo/Zane
Words: 836
Tags: Fluff, Family, Post-Canon, Romance, Domestic Fluff
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: Originally posted to tumblr in November 2020. Written for the Comfortember 2020 challenge for the prompt "Hot Cocoa".
Watching the snowflakes slowly drifting down, Jo smiled at the beautiful scene outside her window.
She crossed her arms, snuggling deeper into her favorite sweatshirt. Technically, it was Zane's shirt, which made it quite a bit too large for her. That was part of why she loved it so much. That, and the fact that it was far warmer than any of her own shirts.
The pot on the stove finally reached a boil and Jo clicked off the burner. She poured the hot water into the four waiting mugs and added the cocoa powder to them. She knew at least two food snobs at work that would turn up their noses at the idea of instant cocoa instead of homemade, but she really didn't care. Having grown up in a military family that moved constantly, she hadn't had a lot of opportunity for learning home skills as a child. Besides, Vincent prepared this mix himself and promised it tasted every bit as thick and creamy as the stuff he served at Cafe Diem.
Finishing the drinks, Jo returned to the window and paused for a moment to take in the scene in front of her.
Two small bundles, wrapped in numerous layers of winter gear, were happily tumbling about the yard, laughing and screeching as they hurled snowballs at each other. She couldn't help critiquing their strategy — or lack thereof — and shaking her head at her daughter’s aiming skills.
Caught in the crossfire was a much taller figure. She couldn't tell whose side of the war Zane was on, and had a feeling it was a free for all.
She tapped the glass and nodded to him as soon as he looked up. He nodded back, motioning to the other combatants for a ceasefire.
Jo smiled as she watched her husband attempt to wrangle the kids inside. They had a seemingly endless reserve of energy and she could only hope the snowball fight had drained at least some of it.
The door swung open, a burst of cold air blasting in around the trio as they tumbled inside. Jo wasn't concerned about it. The smart-home system would correct the temperature as soon as the door shut.
"Have fun out there?" she asked jokingly, helping brush some snow out of Zane's hair.
He laughed as he leaned down so she could reach better. "Those two are brutal. Definitely take after your side of the family."
"Of course they do," she shot back proudly.
They helped the kids get out of their layers of coats and scarves before settling them into place at the table with their hot cocoa. After both of the little ones were finally situated, Zane and Jo grabbed their own drinks and stood by the window, enjoying the rare view of a white Eureka.
Jo slipped under her husband's arm, leaning into his side as she sipped at her chocolatey drink. She hummed contentedly. Vincent was right; his cocoa was amazing.
She couldn't see Zane's face from this angle, but she could hear the smile in his voice as he asked, "So, warming up to the idea of a snow day?"
Which was definitely his way of saying 'I told you so' without actually using those words. She had to admit, though, he had been right about this.
Jo was upset that morning when Henry sent out notifications letting the staff know that — outside of a small crew of essential workers — everyone was getting the day off due to the snow. She had a full schedule planned for today. Weapons testing, training the new recruits, a review of the perimeter defenses... she hadn't been pleased to learn that all her plans were derailed.
Zane's reassurances that snow days were supposed to be fun hadn't helped improve her mood. Especially after the school also declared a day off for the kids.
But Jo had to admit that this wasn't so bad after all.
Zane set his own now-empty mug to the side and wrapped his other arm around Jo, pulling her closer. He kissed her on the forehead as Jo leaned against him. She liked the way they fit together, her head tucked under his chin and her arms around his waist. It was as if they were two pieces of a puzzle, made to interlock.
Between the cocoa and the arms encircling her, the warmth and comfort left her feeling sleepy. Not the exhaustion she felt after a long day at work, but that contented sleepiness that made her want to curl up on the couch with a Christmas movie and her favorite blanket.
As if reading her thoughts, Zane murmured, "After we get the kids down for their naps, you want to watch White Christmas?"
Jo smiled. He knew that was one of her favorites. And that she wouldn't have another free day to relax like this for quite a while, given how chaotic GD always got around the holidays.
"Yeah. Sounds good."
Maybe snow days weren't such an inconvenience after all.
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