Author's note: A while ago a made a headcanon that kappas hibernate for the winter as most reptiles, like turtles and salamanders, do, since they're based on those creatures. I thought about K.O. reacting to the fact that this would mean Dendy's never been awake for winter, and decided to write about it!

P.S. I use they/them pronouns for Dendy because when I first saw them I thought they were nonbinary, and now it's too late for me to go back, she/her just feels incorrect.

K.O. sat on the counter of the bodega, happily kicking his legs and chatting with Enid (or rather, talked on and on while Enid listened.) about his upcoming sleepover with Dendy.

"And it's a really important sleepover too, cause Dendy said they had something to tell me about kappas, but it's gonna be a surprise, which is why they didn't tell me, which is why it's so important!" Enid simply nodded her head when needed, every once in a while promising she was totally listening to him.

She was freed from his tyrannical monologues when the door chimed, announcing the arrival of Dendy.

"Dendy! You're here!" K.O.'s enthusiasm greatly outmatched Dendy's; in fact, it outmatched theirs a little too much. Dendy was slouching, already having yawned twice since they entered, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. "Did… you get much sleep last night, Dendy?" Dendy swayed in place a bit, much to the concern of K.O.

"Brumation season is coming." They simply stated.

"...What?"

They yawned again, "Kappas brumate, or rather, hibernate, for the winter, when it becomes too cold for us to function. We'll wake up around spring, when local temperatures become habitable again."

"Aw, man!" K.O. seemed more disappointed than saddened by this news. "I had the perfect Christmas gift for you!" His sulking only lasted for a moment before he hopped off the counter towards Dendy. "We can still have a fun sleepover, right? I mean, you're not sleeping yet!"

"Precisely. I thought you would want to see me before it began. And…" Dendy looked a bit sheepish, "I didn't want you to miss me." K.O. smiled warmly, until Dendy mentioned "But I'll fall asleep soon, so-"

"Dendy!" K.O. practically screeched, waking them up a bit. "We have to do everything fun before you fall asleep! C'mon!" He rushed out the door, carrying Dendy's bag with him. They followed after, giving a quick goodbye to Enid before leaving.

The rest of the day was spent playing games and having as much fun as a kid could with an overly sleepy playmate. Tag had ended when Dendy became too sluggish to run, and board games were put up when Dendy nearly face planted on the game pieces, so the two had taken to the safer activity of watching movies together on the couch, surrounded by blankets and pillows. K.O., upon realizing that Dendy had never actually seen what winter was like, was busy talking about everything to do with winter, about snow and holidays and the joy when school was closed.

"Have you ever seen snow before?"

"I could always make it. But, no. I haven't. Not from the sky," Dendy was curled up within a thick winter blanket, just barely awake.

"Mom said it was gonna snow tonight, so maybe you can stay up long enough to see it!"

"Mm-hmm," Dendy simply hummed for clarification. They were too tired to say full sentences at this point, let alone think them.

"So, what's hiber- brumation like? Do you have dreams? What are they about?" K.O. looked excitedly at Dendy, the exact opposite of their sleepiness.

"It feels like when you normally sleep. We don't have dreams, usually. At least, I don't remember them."

"One time I had a dream that felt like it lasted a whole winter. My alarm clock woke me up, though. Hey, how do you know went to wake up? Do you like, set an alarm for three months later?"

"We wake up whenever the surrounding temperature gets warmer. Usually the snow melts, which is why most of us don't see it."

"Well, I could put some snow in the freezer for you! Man, I wish there was a way you could see winter…" K.O. seemed more bummed out than Dendy could ever be about missing winter, which just made them laugh a bit. "It's alright, K.O.. I'm sure I can make my own snow when spring comes." K.O. just sighed, lying back on the couch. "Yeah, but it's not the same…"

The whistle of wind outside prompted K.O. to look out the window, and much to his surprise, saw snow falling down, clumping on the grass outside. "Dendy, Dendy!" He shook his friend a bit to wake them up just a bit more. "C'mon! It's snowing! You can see winter!"

K.O., slowly followed by Dendy, pressed his face to the window, looking out at the snow billowing about. Dendy, blanket wrapped around them, gasped a bit, looking more awake than ever. Snow was so… pretty, was all they could really say. They both watched in silence for a moment, enjoying the view.

K.O.'s enthrallment with snow was interrupted by a small thump, him looking over to find Dendy on the floor, contentedly snuggled up in their blanket. "Dendy?" K.O. shook them again, but found Dendy wasn't disturbed. Really, they looked too peaceful to bother at this point.

"Aw, alright…" K.O. admitted his defeat by lifting Dendy up and placing them on the couch, careful to make sure they were comfortable. He made his own spot of pillows and, wrapping himself up in a blanket, finally laid down to rest. He hadn't realized how much energy he had spent trying to have a good time before Dendy fell asleep, now feeling like he understood how tired they felt back at the bodega.

"Goodnight, Dendy."