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The snow storm is quite intense, yet beautiful at the same time.
Andrew Kreiss stares at the blanket of snow that covers every inch of the terrain as he makes his way up to the gates of Lutz Cemetery. His boots crunch beneath him, leaving behind large footprints. Children are playing outside around him, their smiles as bright as the light reflecting off the surface of the ground as they build snowmen, have snowball fights, and simply enjoy the fact that there is snow. How ironic, Andrew thinks to himself bitterly, focusing his gaze on the entrance plate nailed to the front of the gate.
No, Andrew does not hate the snow. He hates what it represents -- in his mind, at least. When he was a child, possessing these white-colored features meant others referred to him as a monster or a cursed being. It involved nothing but violence, hatred, and discrimination, and to see others enjoy a substance that possessed the same qualities as him really puts him in a grumpier mood than usual.
“Is it that time of year already?” Andrew mumbles with a sigh, pushing open the gate as he struts inside, ignoring the loud, eerie creak. Someone seriously has to oil up the bolts, but he supposes it adds on to the grimness of the cemetery.
Andrew doesn’t understand much of the joy behind the holiday season, especially not after his mother had passed away. To him, Christmas is nothing but another day, an event that holds no true meaning and therefore means he has nothing to expect or look forward to.
As he approaches the office belonging to the owner of Lutz Cemetery, the door suddenly bursts open, startling him.
“Andrew!” the old man exclaims, papers falling out of his hands as he jogs out of the small building. “Good afternoon! I have a very important task for you today.”
“O-Oh…?” Andrew says, blinking. “Is someone in need of a burial?”
“Heavens no, that would be quite sad on a day like this, would it not? I would never ask such a thing on Christmas Eve.” He chuckles, and Andrew’s nerves only tense. “You see, I need you to take my grandson to the Santa event hosted nearby. He really loves the holiday season, and he simply can not go a year without sitting in Santa’s lap and making his wish. Will you please accompany him?”
Andrew pauses for a moment, processing what he had said to him. “Why me?” he asks, all the life draining from his voice. Oh no no no. Andrew was not the type that was good with children, let alone most living people. Why would Lutz ask him such a bizarre favor?
“I trust that you will take care of him, and perhaps you will find a miracle awaiting you.” Lutz smiles, and Andrew notices that he has a lot more wrinkles than when he first met him. For a guy living and working in a cemetery, and at his age, he has an astonishing amount of charisma and energy.
“I do not believe in miracles…” he says with a sigh, knowing Lutz would probably not let him go that easily. “I-I’m not even good with children...couldn’t you ask someone else?” He hopes the look in his eyes will help Lutz understand that he’s making the wrong choice in choosing him, but he doesn’t show any sign of changing his mind.
When Lutz confirms his thought with a shake of his head, paired with that kind smile, Andrew knows he can’t refuse. Ah...what a pain.
“Where is he?” Andrew asks, defeated. He’s not in the mood to argue any further. “Your grandson…”
A wide grin grows on Lutz’s face as he cranes his neck, looking towards the building. “Neji, come out please. This young man will be taking you to see Santa today while your Grandpa finishes the rest of his paperwork.”
A small boy skips out of the office, the smile on his face bright and innocent when his gaze lands on Andrew. It’s the first time Andrew sees someone not recoil at the sight of him, besides Lutz. He doesn’t know how to react.
“Andy!!” the boy greets, waving. “Gramps says you’ll take me to see Santa today. Is that true?” His soft brown eyes sparkle, and Andrew swallows a nervous lump in his throat. Why? Why is this boy looking at him with such hope and joy? He is a monster, isn’t he? So why….
Lutz seems to have noticed this, but he doesn’t say anything about it. He places a hand on Andrew’s shoulder, patting it. “You two have fun, alright?”
Andrew doesn’t even flinch at the touch, despite not liking the feeling of anyone putting their hands on him. He’s still staring at the boy, wondering what the child thought of him. Neji, as he recalls his name is, has dark brown hair, tan skin, and a set of pearly white teeth, a couple of which are missing. His features contrast his own so much, and he bets the boy knows that, because all the kids his age do. Andrew waits for a moment to see if he would say anything to him: a comment about his sickeningly pale skin, his hair, his strangely colored eyes, anything-- but all the boy gives him is a smile, and Andrew feels his heart beat irregularly in his chest.
He snaps out of his daze as he feels a tug on his sleeve, realizing suddenly he hasn’t answered the boy’s question. “Oh...y-yes. I will be taking you. Neji...right?”
The boy nods, reaching up to hold Andrew’s hand.
Small...and warm,
Andrew thinks, resisting the urge to pull away. He supposes he can tolerate some light contact for this kid...after all, he’s someone who hasn’t looked down on him for his appearance, or said anything harsh to him. Andrew almost doesn’t want to believe this is real, but it astonishingly is not a dream. He had pinched himself earlier to confirm that.
“Let’s get going! I have a lot of things I want to ask Santa.” Despite being a kid, Neji has a surprising amount of strength. (Or maybe Andrew is just weak). Either way, in the next few minutes, Andrew is being dragged away by the child, leaving a trail of clumps of snow. It’s not difficult to match his pace, but frankly Andrew is not used to walking this fast. He hopes neither of them will slip as the child continues to pull him along to the small shop not too far from the cemetery.
“O-okay, okay. Please slow down a little…” he begs quietly, but Neji only drags him along faster, and Andrew lets out his second defeated sigh for the day.
The two don’t catch sight of Lutz, who is watching them from the window with a wide, warm smile on his face.
To Andrew’s luck, the line for the Santa event is not extremely long. He isn’t ready to face this Santa right away, but he also doesn’t have the patience to wait longer than necessary. Their spot in line gives him time to think, while also ensuring he won’t be stuck in this place for an uncomfortable amount of time.
“What’s your favorite part about Christmas, Andy?” Neji asks, probably bored already despite them having only been there for two minutes. Andrew is somewhat grateful for this conversation, mostly because he’s too anxious to look around.
Keeping his eyes focused on Neji as they move up in pace with the line, Andrew answers, “Um...I don’t really celebrate. But the lights are nice, I guess?” He doesn’t want to disappoint Neji too much with a depressing answer. He thinks back to when he and his mother would put up lights together, before snuggling by the fire and enjoying freshly baked cookies. Those were better times. “And...being with a loved one?”
Neji taps his chin with his free hand-- his other one is still tightly clutching onto Andrew’s, and Andrew doesn’t have the heart to pull away, despite himself. “Hm...okay. Why not celebrate with me and Gramps this year, then? I even got you a present.”
“A p-present?” Andrew splutters, blinking. “There is no need for that...we only met today.”
“Gramps tells me all about you, y’know? I was happy when I finally got to meet you. Plus, I like the color of your hair! It’s as pretty as the snow.”
Before Andrew can even comment on that, there’s another voice beside him. “I agree, his hair
is
as pretty as snow.”
Andrew’s eyes immediately shift towards the sound, and he catches sight of a mess of light brown hair, a small part of which is tied back. He studies this person’s face-- he’s someone Andrew had noticed upon first entering the shop, but didn’t take time to observe properly due to all the people in front of them blocking his sight. If Andrew recalls correctly, he was standing by Santa a few moments ago, alongside a shorter girl dressed in an elf costume. This mysterious person’s skin looks soft, and he has a cute nose. A small fang sticks out as he smiles, and the most notable feature Andrew finds is one of his eyes--bruised, and nearly closed up. He wonders what the story behind that is.
“U-um...what…” Andrew mutters, as if in a daze. When had this man even come up to him? Was he so off-guard that he didn’t even notice things like this? He wants to hide his face, because his skin suddenly feels very hot.
“Hi there! I’m Luca. Burke-- er, well,
Santa
,” he leans close to Andrew, whispering, “my grandfather, by the way, does this every year. And me and my cousin sister Tracy help out.” Andrew has no idea why this man is getting so up close and personal to him. They are strangers, are they not? Yet he’s treating him like they are close friends.
Weird.
Despite Andrew’s clear confusion, Luca continues talking to him, the strikingly bright smile never leaving his face. “Is that your sibling? Kid? What’s your name?”
Andrew blinks once, twice, trying to process all the questions. His skin still feels very hot, but for some odd reason, he can’t find himself minding Luca’s presence. He normally likes to stray away from others and keep to himself, but there’s something about Luca that’s drawing him closer like a magnet.
Too many strange things were happening this evening, and Andrew is struggling to keep up or make sense of it all.
“Why...why do you want to know?” He’s defensive; there’s a thick line he doesn’t want anyone to cross. It would only be moments before this ‘Luca’ is going to mock him. As that thought enters his mind in an unfortunate practice, a small part of him doesn’t want to believe it for once. Luca’s statement from earlier keeps echoing in his mind, repeating itself like a prayer. ‘
I agree, his hair is as pretty as snow.’
Curse his pale skin. He’s sure the redness on his cheeks is clearly visible now.
Luca, as if reading his mind, takes a step back, granting him a bit of space. Suddenly--and surprisingly-- Andrew wants to reach out and pull him back again. He doesn’t, of course, and instead chooses to stay still and wait for Luca to say something.
“You don’t have to answer. I just thought it would be nice for us to talk,” the man says with a warm smile, despite Andrew’s not-so-friendly demeanor. “Everyone else here is too young or too old. Not that I particularly mind, but it is much easier to connect with those closer to our age. I’ll leave you alone if you don’t want my company, however.”
“I…” Andrew begins, unsure of what to say. But he’s cut off as Neji tugs at his sleeve again. He had been admiring all the toys while they were conversing, but it seems that they have made it to the front of the line.
“Andy! It’s finally my turn. Let’s go, let’s go!” He jumps up and down, unable to contain his excitement.
“Andy, huh? Short for Andrew? That’s quite cute,” Luca comments, pushing a strand of hair away from his eyes. “Well, I got to know your name at least.”
Andrew nervously looks between Neji and Luca, feeling as if he is being crushed between them. “I...um...I’ll be back…” God, he wants to die at how awkward he sounds. He learned to not care about how others see him due to his harsh childhood, but weirdly enough, he feels embarrassed to act like this in front of Luca.
Based on the expression on Luca’s face, he doesn’t look like he seems to mind. In fact, he offers a hand to Neji, so he could walk him up there as well. “Hey, little one. I’ll make sure to tell Santa to give you something special. Does that sound good to you?” He ruffles Neji’s hair, and Neji looks up at him with a wide grin.
“Wow, really? You’re the best, sir! I hope Santa will listen to and grant all my wishes.”
Luca laughs, and Andrew feels his heart squeeze in his chest.
Neji and Luca start moving, with Neji holding Andrew’s hand in one and Luca’s in the other. Andrew walks with them up to the platform where Santa is sitting, and timidly looks to the side as Neji approaches the older man.
“Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!” Santa hums, patting his lap for Neji to sit on. “What would you like this year, my child?”
Neji pulls out a crumpled list from his pocket, looking at it momentarily before shoving it back. He looks up at the man dressed as Santa, climbs into his lap, and begins listing a whole bunch of things, including ‘world peace’ and ‘a fluffy dog.’
“What a great kid,” Luca comments, watching the two interact with admiration, before turning back to look at Andrew. “The kid looks like he has a lot to say. Reminds me of myself when I was his age. Seems like you’re stuck here for at least a few minutes, if my theory is correct.”
Don’t remind me,
Andrew thinks, feeling tense. What is he supposed to do? Awkwardly stand here until Neji finishes? That doesn’t sound so great to him, not with all these people watching.
“Oi, Luca,” a short girl calls from beside Santa. She’s dressed in an elf costume, complete with the big pointy ears and all. This is probably Tracy, the girl Luca had mentioned earlier, Andrew thinks.
“Yes?” Luca answers, looking her way.
“Go flirt with your boyfriend somewhere else. Keep it PG for the kids, ya know?” She picks up a couple of gift boxes and begins to wrap them, her hands working expertly. “I’ll take care of this. You go have fun!”
Boyfriend? Luca has a boyfriend? And wait, why does that bother Andrew so much?
Luca just laughs, and Andrew can feel himself melting, his worries slipping away. “Sure, sure, Tracy. I know you just wanna show gramps who the better gift wrapper is. But I
will
take this opportunity to get to know this beautiful stranger a little better.”
Andrew nearly passes out from Luca’s response.
“I don’t have to prove anything; he already knows I’m the best! And ugh, you’re so gross. Get outta here,” Tracy says, waving him off with her hand. Despite her words, she’s smiling.
Luca gives her an ‘okay’ sign with his hand. “Want to go to the cafe next door? I’ll tell Tracy to look after him while we’re gone,” he asks Andrew, while pointing to Neji. “It’ll just be a quick trip, so no worries! I’ll treat you.”
Andrew’s brain immediately wants to say yes, but there’s a nagging feeling that he can’t quite push away. His mouth opens to speak, then closes, then opens again after a moment of hesitation. “Why are you... being so nice to me?”
“Is it so wrong for me to be?” Luca puts on a hat-- a beanie in a soft shade of brown, with a little reindeer stitched on the front. “You intrigue me, Andrew. I’d like to get to know you better.”
Andrew is stunned, but the negative thoughts in his mind manifest into the insecurity of his words. “Does my appearance not bother you? I-I’m disgusting to look at...aren’t I? So how...how can you look at me like that..and still smile…?”
“Hm. Who says you’re disgusting to look at?” Luca frowns for a moment, but the smile returns almost immediately. “All I see is something beautiful. I love the spirit of Christmas, and you only remind me of that joy. Besides, if anyone is unpleasant to look at, it’s me. This eye of mine is quite horrendous.”
“What? N-no! I don’t….think it is.” He desperately wishes he had something to hold onto, such as his shovel. Luca seems to notice this. He reaches for Andrew, but pauses before touching him.
“May I?” he asks, his one good eye glimmering under the Christmas lights decorating the shop.
Andrew doesn’t want to refuse, so he shyly nods, heat filling his cheeks as Luca gently takes hold of his hand. He pulls him out of the shop until they are both standing outside of it, the cold once again settling into Andrew’s skin. The warmth on his hand, however, does not leave.
“You looked like you wanted to get out of there. Not good with people, huh? I get that. It is much easier to understand and interact with things like machinery. I know it’s cold, but would you mind waiting out here? I’ll be back shortly with something for you.”
“S-so you’re good at reading other’s feelings… I don’t know if I should be scared or impressed,” Andrew says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. He can’t help but find Luca’s speech mannerisms endearing. All the random subject changes, with a few quick-paced words here and there.
It left him no time to think any bad things about himself. He could learn to appreciate this.
Luca lets go of his hand, and Andrew’s hand grows cold instantly. He wishes he could snatch his hand back, but instead bites his lip and looks up at Luca, nodding in response to his question.
“I do hope you’re more impressed than afraid. Well, I’ll be back! Don’t go anywhere alright?” In a flash, Luca disappears into the nearby coffee shop, leaving Andrew alone at the storefront.
As he waits for Luca’s return, Andrew peers into the store through the tinted glass, his breath fogging up the surface. He rubs some of it away with his finger, noticing that Neji is still on Santa’s lap, not showing any sign of being done any time soon. Seems like he has more time, then.
He finds himself staring at his reflection, noting how red his cheeks were. He’s used to the cold, so normally his body doesn’t react to the temperature like this. Andrew wonders what could be causing these strange emotions-- a slight dizziness, the rapid beating of his heart, the flushing of his cheeks. It all has to mean something...right?
A bump on the shoulder pulls him out of his thoughts, making him blink. “G-gah!” he shrieks, holding his arms up in defense. All he hears is a laugh, one that makes the tips of his ears burn. Seems like Luca is capable of sneaking up on him twice in one afternoon.
“Looks like you chose the ‘afraid’ option, Mr. Andrew,” Luca says, holding something out in front of him.
Andrew looks at him, feeling relief flood through his veins. He then moves his gaze to Luca’s hands, noticing that he’s holding a strange thing that looks like a snowman, along with a cup of something that smells wonderfully sweet.
“What’s this?” he asks, leaning close to the snowman-looking thing. It smells faintly of vanilla.
“You’ve never had a cake pop before?” Luca asks, surprised. He hands Andrew the coffee, and twirls the so-called cake pop in his hand. “Well, I should consider myself lucky. I get to treat you to this and watch you react to its taste before anyone else.”
“What if I don’t like it?” Andrew points out, pouting.
“It is an experiment I’m willing to take part in. It’s what I’m best at, after all.” Luca leans in close to Andrew, and Andrew can feel his poor heart pounding in his chest.
They were so, so close-
Without thinking, Andrew takes a sip of his drink, hoping it will serve as a distraction. The hot liquid nearly burns his tongue, and he clears his throat, but Luca makes no move to distance himself. Instead, he slowly moves his hand to Andrew’s back, rubbing it gently.
“Um...Luca, right?” Andrew finally says after a moment, not enjoying the silence for once in his life. “Th-thank you for this. Nobody has ever hung around me for longer than a few seconds. I-I still don’t know why you’re with me out here, but...ah…” he trails off, closing his eyes. He’s never had the chance to say something like this to someone before, aside from Lutz. He would have to thank his experience with Lutz for making him sound a little less awkward now as he tries to tell Luca how much his actions mean to him.
“It’s no problem, Andrew. Ah, I like the way you say my name,” Luca replies, and he moves closer, so his shoulder is touching Andrew’s as they both have their backs pressed up against the brick wall behind them. Andrew nearly flinches, but the feeling is more comforting than threatening, so he stays put. “Can we do this more often? I would like to spend more time with you. Oh, you’re not allowed to ask why! And no saying silly things such as ‘I’m not worth hanging around,’ got it?”
Andrew feels his face flush again, and he looks away in embarrassment. “D-Don’t act like you know everything about me,” he mutters, but there’s no bite to his words.
“You’re a human. You’re not as easy to take apart and understand like machinery. Of course I don’t know everything about you. But that’s what makes it fun! I get to learn about you my own way. It’s just that your mind was easy to read just now, considering the look on your pretty face.” Luca waves the snowman cake pop in front of Andrew’s face with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
God, how can someone be so incredibly cute????
Andrew gives in and takes the cake pop in silence, looking at it. It’s not too long after when Luca speaks again as he glances into the store. Andrew follows his gaze, and spots Neji receiving something wrapped from Tracy. Which meant they were almost done and had to leave soon.
Normally Andrew would be happy to get out of places like these, surrounded by people, but he doesn’t want to leave Luca’s side.
“You never answered my question from before, by the way. That kid you have with you. Is he yours?”
“N-not mine...he’s my boss’s grandson. For some reason I was told to accompany him here.” He takes a bite of the cake pop, and his eyes light up almost immediately. He sees a look of relief in Luca’s eyes, and then from the corner of his eye, spots the little fang protruding from Luca’s smile. Andrew feels butterflies in his stomach.
“Ah, seems you like it! Experiment: success!” Luca cheers, raising his arms in the air.
At that moment, the door of the store flies open, and Neji comes hopping out with a bag full of neatly wrapped gifts. The smile on his face is almost blinding.
“Andy, there you are! Santa and his elf were so nice! They gave me so many things! And the elf asked me to give this to you.” He reaches into his bag and pulls out a sheet of torn wrapping paper, and a set of numbers is nicely written on it in gold.
“What’s this?” Andrew asks, taking it from him.
“Is that my number?” Luca asks, leaning over as he scratches his head. “Hmm, I always forget it. But it does look like something I recognize. Well, perfect! I was going to give it to you either way, Andrew. I would like to stay in touch, if you are fine with that. I’ll have to thank Trace later.”
“Hey, it’s the nice man from earlier!” Neji says, as if just noticing Luca. “Can he walk home with us? Pretty pleaseeeeee?”
“Um…he’s probably busy and…-” Andrew helplessly looks at Luca, who simply takes the cake pop from Andrew’s hand and steals a bite of it, before handing it back to him.
“I would not mind. Let me go tell--”
Neji grabs Luca’s sleeve before he can take another step, and he tugs at it. “I took care of it! I told your elf sister that you might be coming with us for a bit.” He smiles cheekily, and Andrew just shoots him an incredulous look. He never understood how some people could be so bold.
“Aha, did you now? In that case, lead the way!” He offers his hand, and Neji happily takes it with the hand that isn’t holding his bag of gifts.
“Let’s not let Andy walk alone. My hands are occupied, but you have a free hand that he could hold, don’t you?” Neji asks Luca, his eyes sparkling.
Andrew swears he sees a faint dust of pink on Luca’s cheeks, and he wants to remember that expression forever.
“I suppose you’re right, little one! Well then, Andrew, if I may?” He holds his free hand out, and Andrew doesn’t hesitate to take it. He tells himself that he does it to make Neji happy, but he’d be lying if he said it isn’t to satisfy himself as well. There’s something about Luca’s hand that makes him feel warm and safe; his skin is rough and parts of it are torn and scarred, but that’s just the way Andrew likes it. Perfect things scared him. Made him feel insecure. This is a level of comfort that is just right for him, though he’ll never admit that out loud. Not yet, anyway.
“We’re all ready! Oh, I’ll ask Gramps if Luca can stay for a while before it gets dark! We can make cookies, and open a few of these gifts, and sit by the campfire…” Neji goes on about his childlike plans, and the three of them share a smile as the next flurry of snow begins to fall from the sky.
There Andrew is, walking Neji home with Luca by his side, and for the first time in years, he believes in the joy of the holiday season again.