Work Text:
Dear Santa,
For this Christmas, I want a best friend who also knows magic and can play football with me.
Thank you,
Alexis Ness *
He had snuck out to his family’s mailbox, knowing his brother would rip his letter up again if he found out what Alexis was doing. The last time he had written a letter like this, his siblings found out and called him a baby for thinking Santa Claus existed.
But Alexis was going to prove them wrong. He had heard that if you wrote Santa a letter, he would give you the present you asked for. His siblings never bothered to write one, so they obviously wouldn’t be getting anything from Santa, but if Alexis did, then he could prove it to them.
So he sneakily wrote a letter, being extra careful to write as neatly as possible so Santa could read his handwriting. He decorated the sides with little snowflakes so Santa would know how much he loved Christmas, which meant he would definitely be getting his present.
He was a little bit worried that Santa might not have enough time to get his present ready because it was already Christmas Eve, but he was supposed to have a lot of helper elves too, and his magic reindeer. Besides, he had been a really good boy. He didn’t start a fight with his siblings at all and never bothered his parents.
Alexis waddled through the snow, careful not to slip on the icy driveway. He had told his mom he would be going outside to play, which meant that he had to stay outside in the cold for a little bit longer. It would be annoying, but he had made sure to bundle up well before leaving, barely able to see over his double-wrapped scarf.
He dropped his letter in, whipping his head around like someone would pop out and start laughing at him. When nothing happened, he clasped his hands together, squeezing his eyes shut as he wished one last time.
Santa, please, please give me a best friend .
He peeked an eye open, watching as snow began to dust the ground once again, slowly layering on top of his beanie and shoulders. Alexis shook it off, trudging down the street as he looked for something to pass the time until he would be forced to go back in. He passed by his classmates' houses, and his siblings' friends as well, seeing the decorated Christmas trees and strings of light on their roofs. His family never bothered decorating, his father calling it a pointless waste of money and a made-up holiday. While they would still exchange presents, it was done as clinically as possible, with simple wrapping and practical gifts. Last year, Alexis asked for a magic wand, but his mother had gotten him a math practice book instead, saying it would be better to improve his grades instead of being stuck in his head.
The frosty air had already turned his nose red, and Alexis regretted not grabbing a football before leaving the house. At least then he could occupy himself with something interesting instead of wandering down streets, looking for anything that would catch his eye.
Alexis took to looking at the sky, an endless grey only disturbed by the sprinkling snow. For a moment, he felt weightless, like his next step wouldn’t even touch the ground. Like he could keep climbing and climbing forever, floating high above the rest of the world, and never have to look down again.
He let the thought carry him further, distracting him from his stiffening fingers and runny nose. Maybe that was how Santa’s reindeer flew as well, letting themselves get lost in a hypnotizing flurry as they travelled from home to home. If Alexis got high enough, he might even be able to find Santa and say hello, maybe get his presents hand-delivered too.
That would definitely prove to his siblings that magic was real.
He found a renewed energy, footsteps getting faster and faster as he tried to lift his body off the ground. Could he grow wings, like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly? The wind picked up around him, his scarf unwrapping and fluttering behind him as he unzipped his jacket.
Alexis was so close, he could feel it.
He took a running start, laughing as the snow blurred around him, and prepared to jump. He had almost gotten the timing just right, his head tilted fully towards the sky, when his foot slipped from right beneath him, catching on a patch of black ice. Alexis’ arms shot out, preparing to catch his body before his face could smash into the concrete.
The world tipped over, and Alexis shut his eyes as he braced for the pain. His hands scraped against the ground, knees and palms stinging as he tried to hold his weight up. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks as he sniffled in the cold air. Alexis felt like his face was burning, hoping no one had seen his embarrassing fall. If he came home teary-eyed and bruised up again, he’d never hear the end of it.
He stood up on shaking legs, debating whether it would be worth it to go home in his state. His pants were soaked through, his scarf dripping with melting snow. He’d have to sneak around from the back and hang them up before his parents noticed.
Wiping his palms over his jacket, Alexis turned to walk away, any hopes of being able to fly having left his heart. Maybe he should’ve asked Santa for wings instead.
Alexis had run far away from his house, but he still knew where he was. It was a grassy area behind a store that he recognized from running errands. It would be a long walk back, and he had lost most of his energy already, but it would be better than sitting around and freezing while he waited for a family member to realize he wasn’t home.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Alexis watched families and last-minute shoppers rush by, holding bags full of toys and presents. The doors kept opening up as the Christmas rush continued, disjointed holiday music and carols filling the air for short bursts. He giggled at the sight of a few adults sliding on the ice, feeling better knowing he wasn’t the only clumsy one today. Figures started to blur as more and more kept entering and leaving, with Alexis feeling like the only still point that existed.
He tried to focus on a single point to keep his head straight, darting through the crown until his eyes caught on something.
The snow had started to pick up, sticking to Alexis’ hair and eyelashes. He squinted, blinking away the lingering wetness to get a clearer view.
In the middle of the holiday commotion, a small figure darted between the legs of the adults, wearing only a thin shirt, ripped pants, and socks despite the piling snow. He held his arms close to his body, his head ducked down as he tried to keep his balance. No one noticed him passing by in their single-minded focus. He weaved through them all, like a ghost, or a sneaky pixie.
Even Alexis, who prided himself in his good eyesight, could barely keep up. Behind the young boy, a tall, intimidating man ran out of the store, head swivelling around the area. The man was practically a giant, three times wider than Alexis’ father, with beady eyes that looked lifeless. He looked like one of the ogres in Alexis’ magic book, an evil creature that loved to eat little kids. He squeaked, covering his mouth out of the fear that he’d be heard. The ogre stopped a few of the passing adults, speaking to them before moving on to the next one. It didn’t take long for Alexis to realize he was after the little pixie he had seen earlier, who was now peeking at the ogre from behind a nearby street lamp.
If the ogre got his hands on him, the pixie would be gone for good!
Alexis made eye contact with the boy, trying to gesture him closer. The pixie blinked at him, before turning back to the ogre. The man was distracted, speaking to some other adults in the same uniform he had, probably his ogre friends. When the pixie saw this, he looked back at Alexis and started creeping over.
The same way as before, he kept his balance as he dashed over, looking like he was floating above the ice. Only a pixie could be that nimble and graceful. When he got within arms distance, Alexis grabbed his hand and started taking him away from the store, back down the path that would take him home.
The pixie hadn’t made a sound but had stared incredulously at him, though he didn’t break from his grip. He let himself be dragged a distance away, until Alexis was sure no ogre or other beast would be able to catch them.
He finally stopped, panting as he bent almost in half.
“Thank goodness I found you or that ogre would’ve eaten us both,” Alexis managed to get out between gasps.
The pixie, who he could now properly see was a blond boy a bit shorter than he was, blinked blankly at him.
“Ogre, you mean the guard?”
“They hire ogres to guard stores?!” Alexis almost shrieked, wondering how he never noticed before.
The other boy made an aborted noise that Alexis thought almost sounded like a laugh.
“Yeah, he definitely looks like one,” he snickered like they were sharing a joke together. Alexis chuckled too, not wanting to feel left out.
He trailed off, not sure what to do now that he was alone with another boy his age. Besides, occasionally speaking to his football teammates, he never really spoke to his classmates, let alone bring up magic. But if he hadn’t denied ogres existing…
“So, can I ask you something?” Alexis shuffled closer, noticing how the boy was barely shivering despite his attire. His ears looked a bit pointed at the ends, he stared back at Alexis with deep blue eyes, the kind that you’d see on princes in fairytales.
The boy nodded, seemingly in a good mood.
This might be the only chance he got to ask a real pixie this question, so Alexis took a deep breath and prepared himself.
“Can pixies really steal someone if they know their name?” Alexis got his question out in a split second, leaning into the other boy.
His mouth opened and closed a few times, blinking at Alexis like he wasn’t quite sure what he was seeing. It took a moment for him to straighten out, like he was debating whether to even answer.
“No… I don’t think they can?”
“That's great!” It was a relief to hear that he wasn’t going to be stolen from his home for telling the boy his name then, “My name is Alexis and I play football, wanna be friends? Also, if you’re cold, do you want my scarf?”
He spoke rapidly, the same way his dad would scold him for, saying no one would be able to understand.
“Sure and… sure?”
Alexis giggled, unwrapping his scarf to drape it over the other. Maybe Santa made him trip on purpose, so he wouldn’t miss seeing a real-life pixie and making friends with him. The pixie stared at his scarf like he had never seen one before, clutching one end in a death grip.
“Do you wanna play football with me?”
“... What is that?”