Once Upon a December

"Walking through a winter night,
Counting the stars
And passing time
I dream about the summer days,
Love in the sun
And lonely bays."
"Lady Starlight"—Scorpions

December First

It was early December, the frost approaching quickly causing the temperature to drop drastically. It had yet to snow yet, however the people walking around in the park were patiently waiting for it to finally fall. Sora sat on a bench, wrapped up in his thick coat and scarf, watching others walk by. His brothers were out with their partners and left the teen to his own devices. Before, he would have taken offence to the fact that his only family didn't want to spend time with him, but now, sitting under the stars and the moon, he didn't really give a damn. He wanted to be alone, to say the least, however, it still felt lonely to be alone. Not that he would be surprised at the feeling. Most of his life already revolved around the emotion of solitude, and sitting in this frozen over park was going to do nothing to change it.

He tilted his head to the sky, taking in a deep breath and releasing it, watching the puff of vapor vanish into the air. Knowing his siblings, Roxas was probably watching Namine as she drew, since he claimed that it was his favorite thing to do when he was with her. Not that Sora could blame him, Namine had an amazing talent when it came to drawing. Cloud on the other hand, was most likely making some sort of late meal for his boyfriend Leon. Sora didn't mind Leon (even if he was a bit on the rude side sometimes) and he always enjoyed his company. Cloud, when near the older brunet, however, turned into an absolute cuddle monster, which was the complete opposite from the normal Cloud. And sometimes it scared the younger boys out of their pants. Ventus was out somewhere with Vanitas, at a party, or at some other type of social gathering being the social butterflies that they were.

Sora was glad he turned out to be a somewhat normal brother in this dysfunctional family, but even he had his quirks. He was the youngest sibling, yes, and that meant that he got spoiled, but he hated the attention that he got from his brothers. There never passed a day where he wouldn't have some sort of friendly harassment from them, and always it happened in public. Sora was pretty sure that he was well known around his neighborhood for something.

But right now, he wanted to look away from all that and focus on the stars above him. The quiet was soothing. He closed his eyes, relaxing himself on the cold, wooden bench. The back of his mind nagged at him about how long he was sitting here. The bench creaked in protest as a weight set itself down on the other end of the wood, and Sora opened one blue eye to see who had planted themselves next to him. He was met with bright red hair spiked back and up, and all of a sudden his heart started thrumming in his chest. The stranger turned his head and met Sora's eyes, field green meeting a beautiful cerulean. Sora's mouth opened to say something, but no noises came out, and the stranger chuckled.

Slowly, snow began to fall from the sky.

December Second

His name was Axel, Sora learned, Axel O'Kane. He was one hundred percent Irish descent, which would explain his bright hair and green eyes. The only thing they did the night before was introduce themselves, because it was obvious that Sora was very interested in the person that had sat next to him. Now, the brunet was making his way back through the snow covered park. Roxas had pestered him enough on where he had gone the night before, but Sora was just as persistent in telling no one about his new friend. Instead he walked out his house, wrapped in the same coat and scarf as the day before.

When he approached the bench, his eyes widened when he noticed Axel already there, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Sora smiled, jogging the rest of the way until he sat his ass on the cold wood. "Hey," he said breathlessly, trying to warm his hands up.

"Sora, hi." Axel grinned, showing off his pearly teeth. His soft accent coated the words he spewed. "I didn't think you'd come today."

"Why not?"

Axel shrugged, taking in another deep swig of his smoke. "You don't seem like one of the people who would walk around a park every single day."

The brunet scoffed, rolling his eyes. If only this guy knew about his house life. "Same would go for you, dude. I would expect you to be banging some chick every night instead of sitting in a park on your own."

Axel turned his green gaze to his new friend, the eyes glinting with something along the lines of mischief. "Sorry to break it to you, Sora," he said, lifting his foot to stub out his cigarette before throwing it aside. "But ladies don't do it for me."

Something in Sora's heart stirred when Axel uttered those words. He knew he was gay for a while, and to hear this man—this hot, beautiful, very attractive in both looks and personality man, it gave him a little more hope for how their relationship would blossom. His face flushed as he smiled. "Is that so?"

"Is that weird? Does it make you not want to hang out with this Irish asshole because he digs lads over lasses?"

The brunet shook his head with a smile. "Nah, I'm the same. I don't think I could berate you for something that I agree with."

Axel threw his head back and laughed, a finger reaching up and scratching at the tattoos on his face. He still hadn't explained the purpose of those tattoos, but Sora wasn't about to question it; at least not until the redhead felt the need to bring them up. Seeing how serene his face was when he touched them, they had to mean something important. Axel turned to the brunet, eyes slightly wide as he noticed he was being stared at. The younger teen flushed dark red, and he looked away as Axel chuckled. "Are we gonna meet up here tomorrow, too?" he asked, his fingers criss-crossing over Sora's.

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

December Third

"You have to tell me what you're doing when you leave the house every night," Roxas said, leaning over the dinner table during their meal and pointed a fork at Sora's face. Ventus and Vanitas chuckled, setting their utensils down as they rested their heads on their palms. Cloud sat quietly at the head of the table, continuing to eat his food as his ears took in the conversation between the twins. "It's not usual for you to be so quiet and reserved. You met a guy didn't you?"

"Roxas," Cloud scolded, flicking a pea at the younger blond's face. "Ven, Van, get your elbows off the table." He shot a glare at the pair, who quickly straightened their positions to please their older brother.

"Yes, Cloud." They replied in unison, before turning to their youngest sibling. "But is what Rox said true?" Vanitas asked, smiling. "Did you meet a guy?"

"I met a person," Sora replied, meeting Cloud's eyes. The oldest brother smiled knowingly. "I'm going to meet them tonight again."

"Aw," Ventus gushed, leaning in close with his younger triplet. Roxas grimaced, pushing the other blond away. Vanitas laughed. "Sor-Sor's in love."

"I'm not in love." Sora stood, picking up his plate and setting it in the sink. "I'm going out again." He dressed himself warm, walking out the front door with determination.

"Go get 'im, tiger!" Roxas called, causing laughter to erupt in the house, before a loud bang caused the triplets to shut their mouths. Sora was glad to have a strict guardian like Cloud. Sometimes, it was obvious that the oldest Strife preferred Sora over the others, because he was the only one that didn't get himself in trouble. He jogged to the park, smiling at the fact that once again, he was going to see Axel. The man he was slowly falling in love with.

He wasn't going to admit to his family that he was in love with someone he had just met two days prior. If Roxas, Ventus, and Vanitas didn't have his ass because of it, than Cloud would sure decapitate him to make sure they (Sora and Axel) wouldn't meet anymore. Sora shook his head free from those thoughts, passing the entryway of the park and slowing his pace. He refused to let his mind run away from him when he was so close to the redhead.

Approaching the bench, he realized that Axel was sitting while another, taller redhead stood in front of him. Sora stopped, watching the exchange before the two. Axel had his head in his hands, mouth open in what seemed to be a middle of a sentence, while the look-a-like had his hands on his hips, weight stationed on his right leg. His hair was long in the back, tied back in a ponytail. Axel lifted his head, eyes catching Sora's, and his face erupted in a large grin. The other redhead turned, aqua eyes bearing into cerulean. Sora noticed the red tattoos on either cheek, and finished his trek towards Axel. "Hey, Ax," he said, sitting when Axel moved over.

"Hey, Sora," he replied, raising a hand to gesture to the other presence. "This is Reno, my older brother."

"Yo," he said, readjusting his weight to the other leg. "The name's Reno. Commit it to memory—"

"Don't copy me."

"I'm older than you so I can do whatever the fuck I want." Reno crossed his arms. Axel rolled his eyes, reaching over and punching his brother in the stomach, causing him to double over. Sora smiled. "Ow, Axel, for a man with twigs for arms, you can punch."

"Why are you surprised about that? I punch you at least once a day."

"Not that hard!" the older redhead cried, and Sora recognized the faint Irish accent on his tongue. Their resemblance was incredible.

Axel shrugged, crossing his arms and leaning back, shifting closer to Sora a few inches. The brunet glanced up at him, big eyes noticing the light blush on his face. The other man sighed, relaxing his stance. "Wow, Ax. You're smitten."

"Smi—?!" the redhead sputtered, the red in his cheeks darkening enough to attempt to rival his hair. Noises came out of his mouth as his lips opened and closed, reminding the younger boy of a hungry fish. Sora giggled as Reno burst out into full-fledged laughter. "Fucking Christ…"

Love was a funny thing, Sora thought.

December Fourth

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Axel began, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Reno's not always such an asshole."

Sora stood before him, hands buried in his pockets, his breath coming out in puffs. "It's okay. Smitten, though?"

His face flushed and he looked away, a hand reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "Listen, Reno says whatever he wants, okay?"

Sora smiled and nodded knowingly. So maybe he wasn't in love with the brunet; that was totally fine too. He grinned when Axel looked back up at him. The redhead smiled back.

The rest of the day they just sat and talked about stars.

December Fifth

Sora had gotten sick. How exactly, he didn't really know. Thankfully and luckily, he and Axel had finally exchanged phone numbers, only because the brunet had started feeling some symptoms while he was sitting out there, and told Axel. The redhead had forced his number into Sora's cell phone, but they hadn't contacted each other yet. Mainly because Sora's family was always in the way. Roxas had somehow constantly found a reason to be around his younger sibling, no matter how annoying he tried to be.

So imagine the joy Sora felt when Cloud decided to drag all the other brothers out of the house.

He reached for his phone and cleared his throat before he searched through his contacts and hit the little 'call' button. Holding the device close to his ear, he listened to the dial tone and the click, followed by a groggy, "Hullo?"

"Hey, Axel."

"Sora, hey. I thought you weren't goin' to call me."

Wow, his accent was thick this conversation. "My brothers didn't want to leave me alone. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, you did, but it's okay. Surprisingly Kairi didn't bother to get me off me lazy bum and do some work around the house."

"Your accent is hella thick when you just wake up, Axel."

The redhead chuckled. "I'm sorry for being Irish."

Sora sniffled, trying to breathe normally, but to no avail. "It's alright."

"How are you feeling today?"

"I mean, I'm still sick," Sora grumbled, coughing once, moving his head away from the phone. "And it feels worse than last night."

"Oh shit, really?" His voice cleared up a little more. "You sound really bad too, Sora."

"Forget about me, how are you doing? How's Reno?"

"Ah, Reno's bein' as fucking moronic as usual. Kairi's keeping his dumb ass occupied so I can get some rest."

"Busy day?" Sora rolled over, adjusting the phone. "I mean, you're usually at the park around this time."

"I dunno, I had this feeling that you wouldn't be there after what you told me yesterday," Axel replied, and the brunet felt his face flush. "So I just fell asleep after work and all. So your brothers didn't wanna stop bothering ye?"

Ah, there was that heavy accent again. "No, they kept pestering me. Roxas was all like, 'let me go with you to see this friend since you're sick!' and I had to basically fight him while lying in bed. The asshole didn't know when to stop. And then Ven—"

"Wait, first of all, is that what Roxas really fuckin' sounds like?"

"No, not really."

"Thought so, and secondly, how many brothers do you have again?"

"Four. Roxas, Ventus and Vanitas are triplets and Cloud is the oldest." Sora shrugged even though Axel couldn't see.

"Jesus, that's a lot." There was a bustle of noise in the background before Axel groaned into the receiver. "Listen, I gotta go. Reno got free from Kairi."

"Okay, Ax. See you soon?"

"See you soon, Sky."

"Sky—?" Sora had begun to question the nickname but his companion had hung up, and the young boy stared at his cell phone in defeat. Sure, 'sky' was the English meaning of his obvious Japanese name, but, why had Axel called him that. "Whatever," Sora murmured, throwing his phone to the side and burrowing back under the covers.

December Sixth

"Please, please, please, Sora, let me go with you!" Roxas begged as Sora slowly dressed himself to go meet Axel. The redhead had assured him over text that he didn't need to overwork himself to go see him, but Sora insisted that he needed to get out of the house. But now, his closest brother was becoming a nuisance. "I promise I won't tell anyone about who he is! I'm seriously worried about you though! Your fever only broke yesterday."

The brunet sighed, turning to face his blond brother. It was a huge risk to take him, but Roxas wouldn't give in until he got what he wanted. "Fine," Sora eventually agreed, throwing his brother his coat. "You can meet him. But you can't tell the others. Not even Cloud."

Roxas furiously nodded his head, and got dressed appropriately. Sora held onto the little present in his pocket, smiling lightly to himself. "Ready to go?"

"Duh! I finally get to meet this guy!"

The younger boy chuckled, coughing through it, and opened the front door, gesturing to the other to get out before either Ventus or whoever caught them leaving and demanded to join as well. They strolled slowly to the park, chatting about aimless things. Sora looked up after reaching the bench, seeing Axel sitting there, a warm thermos sitting in his hands, steam leaving its top and swirling with his own puffs of warm air. "That's him," Sora pointed, leaning closer to Roxas, who stood with his mouth agape.

"Holy shit," he gulped, meeting Sora's matching blue eyes. "He's fucking gorgeous."

"Sk—Sora!" Axel called, waving his hand frantically as the pair walked over to him. Roxas' mouth dropped again.

"He's fucking Irish? How much did you not tell us about this man?"

"Basically everything," the brunet replied, stepping into Axel's warm arms, then accepting the drink. "Ax, this is my closest in age brother, Roxas. He insisted on coming to make sure I was okay."

"I think he just wanted to meet me," the older man replied, and the blond's face flushed. "Bingo. Hey, laddie, I'm Axel O'Kane. Pleasure to meet ya."

Roxas nodded, too in awe with the accent on the man's tongue to respond with actual words. Sora sighed. "Axel, you don't need to force on your accent like that, you know. Talk normally, it's still there, no worries."

The redhead chuckled, ruffling Sora's messy hair. "Thanks for ruining my plan, Strife," he joked, and Sora took a sip of the drink. "It's hot tea. With honey. So it's good for your cold."

"Thanks," Sora sighed, smiling up at the redhead, who grinned back brightly.

"Jesus Christ," Roxas mumbled. "You two are so in love."

The brunet flushed bright red, looking down. Axel took in a deep breath, keeping his eyes on Sora, too frightened to look anywhere else. Roxas looked at the both of them, going from one to the other. "What? It's true. You guys are obviously completely head over heels for each other. Sora, you did a good job."

The youngest just sniffled, shuffling closer into Axel's arms once again. "Please shut up."

December Seventh

"I'm sorry about Roxas yesterday. I also forgot to give you this," Sora said, holding out his small wrapped present, smiling shyly. Axel took it, shaking it lightly. "It's nothing too special. But I've read that in certain parts of the world, people give others presents on the sixth as an early Christmas present, and I just assumed…"

Axel tore open the dark red packaging, smiling as he produced a small pair of red circular things. "They're—"

"Chakrams," Axel finished, smiling broadly. "You got me chakrams! Oh, and the color is just beautiful too! How much did they cost?"

"Well, they were custom made—"

"Custom made?"

"Y-yeah, but don't worry about the money. We've got plenty of it." Lie. Sora had saved every penny he could to get those things made.

"They're seriously fucking amazing, Sky." He grinned, showing off all his white teeth. "I didn't think you'd do that, so I was a little nervous about—" he produced his own small box, wrapped in blue "—this, but here. Happy Saint Nick's Day!"

Sora took it, carefully removing the sky blue paper and taking the top off the box. "Wow, keyblades! One with a gold blade, too!"

"Here," Axel said, taking his two chakrams into his hands. "Take one and I'll take a keyblade. So that we'll have something of each other's."

"Isn't that what couples do?" the brunet asked, face turning red.

"Well, after what your brother, and after what Reno blurted out, I think we both fancy each other a little more than friends do."

"I want the silver one," Sora smiled, handing Axel the gold keyblade while he took one of the identical red circles. The pair smiled, reaching for each other's hands at the same time and letting their fingers interlock.

December Eighth

"My tattoos," Axel began that following day, lightly scratching at the teardops, "symbolize my family."

"Ax, what?" Sora asked. He hadn't even sat his ass down on the bench.

"You usually stare at them," the redhead replied, taking Sora's hand into his. "They're the only tattoos I have. The one on the right is for Reno, and the other one is for Kairi."

"I don't think I've ever met Kairi." Sora looked up at the grey sky. "What kind of person is she?"

Axel smiled. "She's super cute. She's really helpful, too. Whenever Reno's all over my ass for something, she comes to the rescue and keeps him occupied. It's really sweet. She's the baby of the three of us, so we take care of her as much as we can. Reno has the same thing, but instead of teardrops, he has these red things, I don't even know what they are, one for me and one for Kai."

"Does Kairi have any?"

"Not until she turns eighteen she doesn't," Axel chuckled. "Sky, I may look like a rebel, but I follow the rules."

"Why do you call me 'Sky'?" the brunet suddenly asked.

"That's what your name means right? 'Sora' is Japanese for 'sky'. So I kinda just wanted a nickname that only I could call you. No one else does, right?" Sora shook his head slowly. "Alright, so I have the right to," Axel finished smugly, sitting back, wrapping an arm around his companion's shoulders.

"Well, can I call you something?"

Axel thought about it, lightly tracing the teardrops. "…Lea."

"Lea?"

"That's my middle name. No one ever remembers about it though, so it's rarely used. I don't even think Reno knows that it's my middle name."

"Lea," Sora tested it, smiling as it easily rolled off his tongue. "That's simple enough."

Axel laughed, hugging the brunet close to his side. Green eyes full of mirth, he looked down at Sora, leaning in to plant a small kiss on his forehead. "I like you, Sora."

Sora's face flushed and he looked up to meet Axel's emerald orbs. But his shocked expression slowly morphed into a shy smile, and he giggled. "I like you, too, you crazy Irish asshole."

December Ninth

"I'm going with you," Cloud said, standing in front of the door. His hands were on his hips, blue eyes hard and cold as he stared Sora down, who was in the middle of putting on his shoes. The youngest brother looked up, matching eyes looking up at his oldest sibling. "No arguing."

"Wha—?" the brunet asked, standing up straight. "Excuse me, wait, what? I don't need you following me around. Roxas did that after I had gotten over my fever. I'm all better now, Cloud, I don't need someone to accompany me everywhere I go."

"I need to go shopping and meet up with one of Leon's coworkers. It just so happens we're meeting at the same park as you usually go to." Leave it to Cloud of all people to completely ignore Sora's complaints.

"B-but Cloud!"

"We're leaving, Sora."

The youngest person had no other choice but to walk out the door behind the blond, slipping his phone out of his pocket and opening up a conversation with Axel.

I'm sorry, Lea, but I might be late. Cloud's dragging me around with him.—Sent

Thankfully the town was small enough so that everything was a walking distance away, so cars weren't always necessary. Sora didn't think he could survive a car drive on his own with Cloud. His phone vibrated with a response.

Received—What a coincidence, Reno's taking me somewhere too. Until later, Sky. Xoxo

Sora smiled, pocketing his cell and looking back up to see Cloud staring at him with a small smile. "What?" he growled.

"I think it's cute that you've found someone to settle down with," Cloud replied. Sora's face flushed. For some reason, the blood couldn't stay away from his face as of late.

"We're not even actually together," the brunet replied, and Cloud chuckled. "I'm serious, Cloud!"

"Wait here," Cloud said suddenly, and Sora looked up to stare at the bright neon sign of their local mini grocery store. He entered the store, leaving the younger boy to lean against the cold brick and breathe warm air into his cupped hands. A pair came by from the opposite direction, one person leaving the other to go inside. Sora squinted, smiling brightly. "Lea!"

Axel turned his head, grinning wide as he jogged over to the other, giving him a quick hug after checking inside the store to see if Reno was watching or not. "Why are you here, Sky?"

"Cloud dragged me here," Sora replied, shrugging. "Like I said, he needed me to go somewhere. Later he said he has to meet with Leon's coworker or something like that."

"Really?" Axel asked, taking Sora's hands into his to keep them warm. "Reno said that his buddy from work told him to meet someone later too."

Sora's blue eyes widened as his older brother walked out, Reno on his tail, laughing about something. Cloud had a small smile on his face, and he looked right at Sora. "I never knew you were with an O'Kane, Sor," he said, his tone playful yet threatening. "And I never knew Reno here worked with Leon."

"Squall's a scary guy," Reno replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"He's only scary because you call him that," Sora chimed in, leaning against Axel. "Leon hates that name, which is why he goes by, well, Leon."

"But he never told me to go by that name!"

"Then don't start."

Axel snorted, covering his mouth. Reno glared at him, before mumbling, "if only Sora wasn't there, I swear to Christ I would punch you."

Cloud chuckled softly, checking his watch. "So Reno knows what message Leon told me to tell him, Sora, let's go home."

"Aw, I can't spend time with Axel?"

Cloud thought about it for a moment, looking over to Reno for confirmation, who simply nodded his head and nudged his younger brother. "I don't have any problem with it. Don't stay out late, Ax. It's your turn to cook tonight."

"Meaning we'll be ordering out?"

Cloud chuckled, shaking Reno's hand before setting off in the direction of the Strife house. Reno bid the pair farewell before jogging back home himself. Sora looked up at Axel. "Ordering out?" he asked with a grin.

"I'm not the best cook. I'm a pyro, too. I love fire; putting me in the kitchen is super dangerous."

"Great, I'm dating a fire-lover, just what I've always wanted."

Axel stopped short. "D-dating?"

The brunet looked at him with red cheeks. "Well, yeah. I assumed so. I mean, we already said that we liked each other, so…"

"I…I like the sound of it. Dating. It's like, a relationship."

Sora laughed, nuzzling his face into Axel's chest softly. "God, you're the best, Ax."

Axel pouted, but wrapped his arms around Sora nonetheless. "I thought you called me Lea."

"I can always call you Mister O'Kane."

December Tenth

"Sora! Come to the door please!"

The four brothers at the table looked at each other, before the youngest stood and went over to the front, where his brother was standing with his arms crossed. Behind him stood Axel, a downcast look etched on his features, shoulders slumped pathetically. "Go pack an overnight bag, now."

Sora took one quick glance at his boyfriend before sprinting up the stairs. Cloud turned back to the redhead. "Listen to me. Any other time I would never allow Sora to stay out with someone he'd just met. But I can tell you mean a lot to him and the same goes for you. I just ask that you take good care of him and keep him safe, understand?"

Axel simply nodded, barely raising his head. The older blond sighed. "Whatever happened, I hope my brother is of help you, Ax." The younger boy flinched.

Sora came barreling down, bag in hand, looking at Axel worryingly. He nodded at Cloud, who returned to the dining room to calm down the rest of the family. The front door closed behind them, and Axel simply took Sora's hand and began walking down the street. "Where are we going?" the brunet asked tentatively.

"Away," Axel said simply. "Away from everything."

"E-everything? Axel—what?"

"Lea."

Sora stopped talking, choosing to lower his head and watch his feet as Axel dragged him along. Something was wrong with the redhead, but until they actually decided to have a conversation, nothing would come out of anything.

The younger boy stayed quiet until the pair reached a nearby hotel, where Axel quickly checked in and walked silently to their room, sitting on the bed and putting his head in his hand. "I'm so sorry, Sora, for all this sudden commotion."

Sora looked at his boyfriend with concerned eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's my parents. They're in town and I—I just ran away."

"Ran away? From them? They're your parents, I thought you would love them."

Axel sighed. "It's not that easy to love parents that don't exactly love you back."

"Please, Axel—"

"Lea," Axel pleaded, shaking as tears fell from his eyes. "I beg you; call me Lea. I don't want to hear that disgusting name right now..."

"'Disgusting'? Lea, that's the name you were given. There's nothing disgusting about it."

Axel shook, ugly sobs wracking his frame. "You don't understand. My parents hate me. At least you have parents that fucking would want you around—!"

Sora stood up, breathing heavily. "My parents died, Axel Lea O'Kane. At least you have parents that are around."

The redhead froze, sobs caught in his throat, and he slowly looked up. His green eyes were wide, fear laced within the color, and his bottom lip trembled. He no longer looked like the man Sora had first met. Now he looked like a child who had lost his way. "I didn't mean to snap at you, Axel. It's just—I hate seeing someone who has something I don't not appreciate it. Your parents may say mean shit or do some fucked up things, but they're still your parents. At some point, I'm sure they loved you, and I think they still do. But now that you've grown up, they don't feel the need to show it and they're afraid of losing you since you're on your own."

"Sky…"

"So please stop crying. You're going to get snot everywhere."

"When I was eight," Axel suddenly began, catching Sora's attention. He kept his gaze glued to the floor. "Kairi was born. My parents were so happy to have a girl after two boys. But then, things got sour with them and Reno. He was already seventeen, and thought he could do whatever he wanted. They had one heated argument, and Reno left us. When I was thirteen, I felt the same distance become apparent between me and my father. Again, one argument and I took Kairi with me to Reno. We left them, came here, and never looked back since. This is the first time since then that my parents have sought us out."

Sora stared at Axel, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes. He remembered Ventus once telling him of a good way to make someone feel better if ever he started dating. He fell to his knees, reaching for the belt buckle on Axel's pants. "Sora, what—?" the older man placed a hand on Sora's forehead, pushing him away. "No, don't do that!"

"Why not?" Sora blinked. "I want to make you feel better."

Axel's face brightened to match his hair. "You don't need to do something like that, Sky. We're not yet in that phase of our relationship. I don't want to rush anything. I want this to be as perfect as I can make it…"

"Oh."

Axel grabbed Sora by the arm, pulling the smaller man onto the bed with him, holding him close. "Do you mind if I ask what happened to your parents?"

"Hit and run."

Silence enveloped them momentarily. "By the way, where did you learn that that kind of stuff can make someone feel better?"

"Ventus."

"Jesus Christ, that brother of yours…"

December Eleventh

Blue eyes blinked open slowly while their owners tried to find a more comfortable position to lie while entangled in long, spidery arms. He didn't want to wake Axel up after their crazy night, but he'd have to at some point. He turned to face his boyfriend, taking in a deep breath at the sight of Axel's sleeping face. His features were calm, mouth open just a little with some drool forming a trail down, and his breathing came out in soft puffs.

Sora smiled. He wasn't going to wake Axel up for a while.

December Twelfth

"I didn't get to see the mystery man!"

"It's not fair, Cloud, you got to meet him twice!"

"And you let Sora spend the night with him!"

"Roxas, why aren't you taking our side?"

"Because I've already met him."

"You what?!" Both Ventus and Vanitas fell onto the couch with equal sighs. Sora and Roxas stood over them with Cloud slightly to the side, each sporting their own looks of annoyance. "That's so not fair," Ventus muttered, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, we get it," Sora replied, smiling nervously. "Time will come when you get to meet him, don't worry." He walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a carton of milk. The doorbell rang and all the Strifes looked over at Cloud who went to go answer it. "Sora!" he called, as if two days ago was once again repeating itself.

The brunet walked over to the main hallway, almost dropping his drink as a smaller body tackled his. "Holy—!" he caught himself on a nearby end table, thanking god that they decided to get these to decorate the house with. He looked up to see Axel's smug face at the doorway, before looking down at the young redheaded girl latched onto his waist. "Uh, what's going on? Ax, what?

"That's Kairi," he said, and Reno popped out from behind him. He sent Sora a makeshift salute before Axel elbowed him away. "We decided to visit and ask if you wanted to go out on a family walk."

"Oh my god, I think that's mystery man."

"Holy shit, he sounds fucking hot! Is that an Irish accent?"

"Get the camera, we need to get a picture of him."

"Where'd you put it?"

"What do you mean 'where'd I put it'? Where'd you put it? I didn't touch it!"

"Ven, Van, shut your fucking mouths!" Cloud bellowed, stalking into the living room once again. Sora could see the smirk decorate his face when he heard the identical squeaks come out of the boy's mouths. Sometimes, he was sure that Cloud enjoyed torturing his younger brothers. There was a loud noise and a protesting yell from Vanitas before Cloud shushed him. When he reentered the room, the dark haired boy under one arm and the blond under the other. Both stared at Axel in shock, mouths agape and eyes wide. "This is Axel O'Kane," Cloud introduced, shaking the two.

"Hi there," Axel waved, smiling. "This is Reno," he pointed behind him, "and that's Kairi." The young girl grinned big, still holding onto Sora while he passed his milk to Roxas for him to put away. "We're inviting the Strifes to a calm walk around the park, if that's okay with Cloud."

The two boys caught in Cloud's grip looked up at their guardian, blinking up at the stoic face for an answer. Cloud looked at them and at Sora, who was petting down Kairi's hair while whispering softly to her with a small smile. "Okay, we'll go," he said, dropping the two boys and moving to put shoes on. Ventus and Vanitas cheered to each other, grabbing Roxas and hugging him tight as well. Sora chuckled, slipping his own shoes on and taking Kairi's small hand into his.

Axel met up with him, leading Kairi away to Reno and looking him in the eyes. "I like you," he whispered, hugging Sora close. The brunet smiled and hugged back tightly, arms locked around Axel's waist.

"I like you, too, Lea. So much."

"Oh lover boys!" Ventus called, sticking his head back inside the house. "Hurry up!"

"That's Ventus," Sora pointed as the older blond jumped away from Cloud's swinging fist.

"Joy."

December Thirteenth

"I'm seriously so sorry about Ventus yesterday if I would have known that he would do that I swear I would have forced him to stay home and then maybe he wouldn't have spilled anything on your pants—"

"Sky—"

"And then maybe we wouldn't have to leave the park like we did we could have spent more time together too but no Ventus had to ruin everything—"

"Sky—"

"I wanted yesterday to be as special as it can be because you met my entire family but fucking Ven had to come along and—"

"Sora!" Axel stopped the ranting brunet, taking his hand and yanking so that Sora could look him in the eyes. "It's okay. I'm not mad. Reno and Kairi had a great time."

"What about you?"

"Other than my nuts burning—"

"Christ…I'm going to castrate him."

"The date was fine."

Sora sat down, throwing his legs over Axel's in an attempt to get closer. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, Sky. I got to spend time with you and your brothers. It was great, I promise."

The brunet buried his face in Axel's shoulder, whimpering. "I didn't think it was the best, though."

"Nothing can ever be the best because something is always going to top it." Axel ruffled Sora's hair. "Anyway, look it's a sunset."

The younger boy turned his head, blue eyes wide. "It's beautiful," he breathed.

"Bet you don't know why the sun sets red," Axel said smugly, tapping Sora's nose playfully. "You see, light is made up of a whole bunch of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest."

"Wow," Sora drew out. "But I never really asked, know-it-all."

Axel shrugged, chuckling. "I'm just sayin' what I know, Sky."

December Fourteenth

Cloud dropped a cardboard box on the coffee table, startling the inhabitants and guests of the Strife household. "Christmas Eve is in a week."

"Ten days," Roxas corrected.

"Same deal. And I have decided to hold a Christmas dinner with the O'Kanes," he gestured to the redheaded family. "We will all take the necessary precautions to prepare for it early—"

"Is Leon coming over with Aerith too?" Ventus suddenly asked, and Vanitas smiled broadly. The two of them always loved it when Leon's younger sibling came to visit. Sora thought it was because they liked her, but all three of them just had the same things in common.

"And Namine too?" Roxas asked nervously, playing with his thumbs.

"That means you have to invite Larxene," Ventus snarled.

Axel grimaced, Reno copying the action. "Larxene the Strangler? Like, blonde hair, bug antennae Larxene?"

"The very same," Cloud muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't stand that woman. I don't know how Namine does it, Roxas."

The blond in question shrugged, humming. "I think it's because they're sisters."

Cloud pondered the requests for a minute. "I'm sure Leon won't really mind bringing along Aerith for dinner, but as for Namine, you'd have to ask her and Larxene, Roxas. We have the room to house them for one meal, and if we band together, I'm sure we could cook enough."

The triplets all smiled, thanking Cloud loudly before running upstairs to tell their friends of the plans. Sora stayed downstairs, hand linked with Axels', chuckling softly. "I hope you three don't mind spending dinner with us. If your parents insist, we can have them over as well."

Out of the corner of his eye, Reno saw Axel tense and Sora put an easing hand on his knee, whispering softly to him. The older redhead's eyes softened as he smiled at Cloud. "Don't worry about them. We live our own life. It's my decision, and I say let's do it. I'll help with the cooking. Axel stays out of the kitchen."

"Cloud!" Vanitas' voice boomed from above. "Aerith said that Leon's on his way here!"

"Okay!" Cloud shouted back, smiling at Reno. "Ready to say hi to your boss?"

Reno frantically shook his head, gulping. "I can't even tell him good morning yet with stuttering."

"He's not that bad," Sora assured, squeezing Axel's hand. "When Cloud first started dating Leon, we all had to get used to him. You'll find out that he's not what he appears to be."

"Great, so instead he'll be a murderer or somethin', just what I've always wanted my boss to be." He blinked twice. "Wait, you're dating mister Leonheart?"

The other occupants in the room—sans Kairi—groaned at his lack of basic intelligence. "Why do you think we all call him Leon? And why we're inviting him for dinner on Christmas?"

"Because you guys know him better so you know he's a cool guy?"

"I can see who didn't inherit the smart genes," Sora said to Axel, who clapped a hand over his mouth to stop his laughter. Kairi looked up at her older brother with wide blue eyes. Reno glared at the pair.

"Very funny, Sora. Very funny."

December Fifteenth

"I still can't believe that Leon can be taken advantage of like that," Reno said, leaning back on his couch, Sora and Axel sharing a loveseat a little ways away. It was Sora's first time in the O'Kane household, and while it wasn't as big as his house, it was still very homey and comfortable. Especially when he was in Axel's lap with the older boy's arms around his waist. Reno was reclined against the arm of the couch, a beer in his hand. "Like, holy shit, I've never seen him so chill before. It's always 'work, work, work' in the offices. That's amazing. I give Cloud props."

Axel chuckled, bouncing Sora up and down slightly. "Reno, shouldn't you be cooking for the dinner in a few days?"

"…Oh yeah. Alright, lads, get outta here. Leave ol' Reno to the cookin'."

Axel took Sora's hand, leading him up a nearby staircase and into his room. "This is home," he said, spreading his arms wide. "It captures everything about your very special Axel Lea O'Kane."

"Wow," Sora said, walking around. The room was dark red, with what seemed to be flames coming from the bottom. The furniture was a rich oak brown, and his bed sheets were a dark green. It was like Christmas was set on fire in this room. "The walls, are they like, blood—"

"Finish what I think you're about to say and I will destroy you," Axel warned, pointing a finger at Sora, who had frozen with his mouth open.

"—Orange?"

Axel picked Sora up and threw him on the bed, fingers dancing across his ribcage in a mirage of tickles. Hoarse laughter left Sora's lips as he begged his boyfriend to stop, pushing at his biceps but to no avail. "Jesus—Axel, please! Uncle, uncle!"

Axel sat up, giving Sora a chance to breathe, smiling down at the brunet happily. Blue eyes stared over Axel's shoulders at the wall over his desk, where a group of photos hung taped to the wall. He stood, walking over to them. "Are these your parents?" he asked, tracing a finger on one of them. Axel seemed to be about ten, and Kairi was still a young toddler. They were all smiling, but Sora could tell even through a photograph that Axel's was forced. "This was after Reno left, wasn't it?"

Axel's gaze hardened. "Yeah."

"There's a lot of pictures of you and Kairi," Sora mused, and turned to face the redhead.

"I love her so much. I wasn't going to leave her with those devil parents so that they can teach her what monsters her brothers became." Axel shrugged, picking up his camera. "Take a picture with me, Sky."

Sora blushed, huddling closer to Axel as he held the camera over his head. "Smile, beautiful," he said softly, clicking the button.

December Sixteenth

"What do you want for Christmas, Lea?" Sora asked, bouncing on Axel's bed. He was supposed to be monitoring Reno's cooking, but he assumed the older O'Kane was doing a swell job without him floating around the kitchen.

Axel looked over at him, in the middle of taping his newest picture onto his wall. "You don't need to get me anything more, Sky. These are already the best presents," he said, lightly tapping the chakram and keyblade hanging over his desk.

Sora whined loudly, kicking his feet into the air. "But Leaaaaaa!"

"But nothing, Sky. I'm happy with what you gave me."

It was then that Kairi bounded into his room, all smiles and giggles, settling onto Sora's lap. She had become quite comfortable around this new face. "Uncle Sora, what can I get you for Christmas?"

Sora smiled his signature wide grin, white teeth and all. "I think the better question is, what can I get for you, Princess?"

She blushed and said, "A puppy!"

"Kairi," Axel warned, but Sora shushed him.

"What kind of puppy, Kairi?"

"One that won't grow too big so that Ren won't get mad," she replied, looking down.

Sora nodded, smiling softly. His relationship with Kairi was probably the greatest thing he could ever ask for. He was so happy that this little eight year old was fine with him always being around and spoiling her. What Axel had said about her was true; she was a spoilt little princess.

Kairi squealed and ran off, probably going to go tell Reno about what Sora had agreed to. Axel shook his head at the brunet. "What?" Sora asked innocently. "The girl wants a puppy. Who am I to deny such a request?"

"We don't have the money to buy her a dog, Sky. That's why we don't have one. We probably wouldn't be able to afford it to begin with. Do you know how much dogs can eat?"

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Sora asked, hands hitting his hips. "If I sweet talk Cloud enough, he can take care of finances. We aren't the Strifes for nothing, Lea."

Axel rolled his eyes. He sometimes forgot that the Strifes were a pretty wealthy family. While the O'Kanes sometimes struggled to make ends meet, the Strifes had money in the palm of their hand. He collapsed back on the bed, dragging Sora down with you, burying his face in the younger boy's hair. "Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you, Sky."

"Oh please," Sora said, turning and taking Axel's face into his hands. "You deserve only the best."

"Are you saying you're the best?"

"Isn't that what you think?"

"Touché."

December Seventeenth

"Christmas Eve is in a week!" Cloud said, barging into Sora's room early that morning, jumping on the bed to wake him. The only other time Cloud lost his cool ego (the first being with Leon) was around the holidays, when major plans need to be made. He turned into a crazed housewife, and that only meant that the rest of the siblings had to deal with his crazy mood swings. Sora's eyes snapped open as Cloud propped himself up just centimeters from Sora's face, blue eyes swimming with haste. "Get your ass up." The threat was relatively deadly.

"Yessir," Sora slurred, pushing the blond adult off of him. Cloud landed on the floor with a thud, before rolling over and standing up quickly, basically sprinting off out of the room. Sora sighed. It was pointless to try and go back to sleep now, since if he tried, Cloud would probably come back in and murder his ass until it was unrecognizable. He crawled his way out of bed, letting his arms support him as he let his arms hit the ground to help him maneuver around. He reached for his phone. I don't think we can hang out today. Cloud's gonna have me working today I think. Sorry.—Sent

He dropped his phone, barely managing to pick himself up. His door opened again as a familiar chuckled reached his ears. "Same here, Sky. Cloud called Reno this morning in a haste." Wiry arms picked him up with ease, setting him on the carpeted ground softly. Those same arms went to wrap themselves around Sora's waist. "Good morning, sunshine."

The brunet hugged Axel back tightly. "Good morning. Cloud called you guys this morning? I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay. Reno was already awake, and unlike the way Cloud woke you up, he decided to be a little more forceful?"

"Forceful?"

Reno popped his head in. "I yelled 'fire!'. It worked, Axel was grabbing at his fire extinguisher like it was his only lifeline."

"I've had enough accidents with fire, Reno. I didn't need that to wake me up."

"If you guys are here," Sora started, getting caught up with a yawn. "Then Leon and Aerith might visit in a bit too."

"Too late," a female voice said from the hallway. All heads turned to greet her. "Morning, Sora."

"Mornin' Aer. Sorry about Cloud."

Aerith shrugged, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder. "It's nothing. Leon's down trying to calm Cloud down right now. Poor kid. You guys have to deal with him like this every year?"

"Without fail," Sora replied, leaning into Axel, who held tightly onto him so that they wouldn't fall. "I'll be down in a little, okay?"

She nodded. Reno bid the pair farewell and went back downstairs as well. Axel sat on Sora's bed, looking around. "So this is the great Sora Strife's bedroom."

"Sora Hikari Strife," Sora said, walking over to his drawer and pulling out a fresh shirt. "The one and the only."

"Your middle name means light?"

The brunet shrugged off his night shirt. "You studied Japanese at some point, didn't you?" he threw the article of clothing on. "I almost forgot you had a fire extinguisher in your room."

"Your shirt's on backwards," the redhead commented, and Sora cursed under his breath. "And when you're a pyromaniac like I am, it's only natural to have one."

"Of course it is, Lea."

December Eighteenth

The redhead plopped down on the Strife couch, finally resting his tired arms. He had 'volunteered' ("Axel, get your lazy ass up and help out!") to help Cloud and Reno decorate the Strife exterior with lights and the sort. The younger siblings, along with Aerith and Leon had been assigned the task of cooking. Although Axel was pretty sure that Kairi was assigned the mission of looking cute; a mission she never failed to this day. It was almost one in the afternoon, and he'd been working non-stop since nine that morning. It was nice being accepted by Sora's family and all, but the manual work was just killing.

Kairi bounded in, a treat in her hand. A cookie, from what Axel could see. She smiled at Axel, holding it out. "Uncle Sora made it for you! Said it would make you feel better."

"Thank you, Kai," Axel smiled, ruffling the girl's hair. "Go tell Sora I said thanks."

She ran off, back into the kitchen. He stared at the chocolate treat, smiling as he took a bite. "Delicious."

"Axel Lea O'Kane, get your ass back out here! I never said it was break time!"

December Nineteenth

Kairi giggled loudly as Sora nuzzled her stomach, his pointy hair tickling her skin lightly. The families were all taking a break now, after hours of hard work. "It hasn't snowed since the beginning of the month," Reno commented, propping his feet up on the coffee table.

"Maybe there'll be a white Christmas," Leon offered up, pulling Cloud closer to him. The blond had no issue being held like that; only if it was Leon, the family had learned.

"It's nice getting together like this, all of us." Cloud smiled at his brown haired boyfriend, who leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"To think that Sora would bring in three new members of the family," Ventus teased, elbowing his brothers. "Never knew ya had it in ya, little bro."

Sora chuckled, looking up at Axel, who was spread out on the loveseat, snoring away. He'd met Axel the day it last snowed, he remembered, and he prayed for more snow so that they could possibly take another step in their relationship. Perhaps kissing more next? Axel did say he wanted to take their relationship slowly, but Sora was about ready for the next step. Surely not sex, absolutely not; the redhead had stated that neither of them were even ready for anything remotely related to that. Sora's face flushed at the thought of what he had tried to do a week prior.

"Cloud, Sora's thinking of naughty stuff about Axel!"

"I am not, Ventus, shut up!"

December Twentieth

Axel sat Sora down on his bed by the shoulders, emerald eyes boring into sapphire intensely. "Stay away from the mistletoes on Christmas," he simply said, before leaving the room, probably to help Reno with the preparations for the holidays.

Sora blinked twice. "What?"

December Twenty-first

"We're going to put mistletoe everywhere," Ventus snickered to Roxas, holding up a brand new bag of the holiday decoration. Sora, whose ears were used to needing to strain in order to hear, felt his shoulders slump. He guessed Axel knew about Ventus' plan and decided to warn him about it.

"Ven, don't get too carried away please."

"Sora, I'm older than you so I can do whatever I please."

"Ventus."

The blond yelped, fingers losing their grip on the bag and he scrambled to catch it. "Yes, Cloud?"

"Heed your younger brother's words. Even I don't want to see a lot of kissing on Christmas." Cloud put on his jacket. "You guys coming Christmas tree hunting with me?"

The triplets all raised their heads, grinning broadly. "Tree hunting! Tree hunting!"

Sora sighed, pulling out his phone. I like you, Lea.—sent

It vibrated not a long moment later.

Received—I do too, Sky. So much. I guess that means we can't hang out today?

Nope, Christmas tree hunting. Cloud's taking all of us. Ven threatened to cover the house in mistletoe.—sent

Received—And I told you to stay away. Thought I was just joking, huh.

I never think you're joking.—Sent

The family made it to the nearby woods, where the triplets ran off, trying to find the perfect tree to cut down. Sora walked up to Cloud, and with trembling hands, said, "I know what I want to get Kairi."

"Oh?" the older blond hummed, raising an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"A puppy."

Cloud sputtered. "A puppy? Did you ask Axel what he thinks about it?"

"Well, yeah. I knew the O'Kanes were pretty on the downside with money, so Axel reminded me by saying they wouldn't be able to pay for a puppy. So I told him I'd ask you if you could help."

Cloud sighed, crossing his arms. "On any other occasion, Sora, I would say no in a heartbeat. But I can see how much you care for this family. So I'll do it. What kind of dog?"

"Well, I was thinking about a pug or a beagle. Something not too big so that Reno won't complain."

"What about a cocker spaniel? They're small, and relatively spoiled. Kairi would love it."

Sora thought about it for a bit, nodding. "Sounds good. Can we go get it soon?"

"How's tomorrow sound?"

"Absolutely perfect."

"Cloud, I found a tree!"

"No, shut the fuck up, Ven, I found a tree!"

"Van, shut your face! I found the perfect tree!"

"No, I did!"

"Roxas, you can't even tell a tree from a bush!"

"Says you!"

"Boys, shut up!" Cloud bellowed.

December Twenty-second

"Oh, who's a good puppy? You are, you are!"

"…Ventus, please, that's supposed to be Kairi's dog."

"Can we get a dog?"

"We do."

"No we don't."

Cloud walked down the hallway. "Yeah we do, his name is Ventus."

"Hey!"

December Twenty-third

Cloud nudged Sora in the shoulder, nodding his head toward the kitchen. The brunet untangled himself from Axel's arms, following the older Strife into the other room, smiling when he saw the large decorated box on the counter. His voice hushed to a low whisper. "Is that the dog?"

The older blond nodded proudly, watching as Sora gently removed the cover of the box, peering in. There, calmly staring up with big, chocolate brown eyes, was a cocker spaniel puppy. Its tail began to wag wildly in the box. "Aw, it's so cute." Unlike his other brothers, Sora had yet to meet this creature. He had been busy helping the O'Kanes the day before. Trying to keep them preoccupied so Cloud could buy the dog.

"It's a girl," Cloud informed him, replacing the cover. "No name, and probably only about four months old."

"Perfect, Kairi's going to love her."

Cloud smiled. "Let's go finish setting up the tree."

Sora ran back into the living room, jumping and plowing down knee first into Axel. "Let's finish the tree!"

The older redhead responded with a loud groan, a hand rushing to Sora's hip to keep him steady. "Jesus, that can kill a guy, kid."

The brunet just snuggled up close to his boyfriend. "I like you."

Axel smiled. "Me too. So much."

December Twenty-fourth

"As I've said before," Larxene continued, waving her class of wine as if she needed something to emphasis her point. "Your hair, totally unnatural."

"I can fucking take off my pants and prove to you how natural my hair is, Larxene," Axel sneered back, his palms hitting the table as he stood, knocking his chair back.

"Lea," Sora whispered harshly under his breath. Axel only spared his boyfriend a quick glance.

"And what? Also prove that you can't get laid because there's nothing there?"

The redhead bared his teeth. "Listen, bug-for-brains, I'm pretty sure men would rather flock to me over you because of your royal bitchiness. So I suggest you shut the fuck up and eat your goddamn food. It's Christmas Eve and I don't need your dumb complaining about everything."

"Axel." Reno threw his younger sibling a glare, setting down his utensils. He turned to Cloud. "I'm so sorry, Cloud."

"It's okay," the blond replied, and Sora can tell that he was hiding a smile. Every Strife despised Larxene. The only reason she was ever a part of anything was because of Namine. "As long as no punches are thrown."

Sora took a hold of the back of Axel's ugly Christmas sweater, sitting him back down. The older boy grumbled to himself, picking at his potatoes as he threatened to burn the blonde alive under his breath. Sora nudged him, shaking his head when Axel looked at him. When the redhead turned back to his plate, Sora leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "I like you," he whispered.

Axel's lips curved up into a smile. "I like you too."

"So much," Sora finished, smiling back.

"So I was thinking that the O'Kanes spend the night here," Cloud suddenly said, piquing the interest of the triplets and Sora. Reno gaped at him. "What? It'd be easier to distribute presents tomorrow morning."

"Presents!" Kairi cheered, throwing her hands into the air. Sora smiled at her.

"But Cloud, we don't want to impose," Reno complained.

The blond only shook his head. "It's totally okay. You guys are practically like family." Next to him, Leon pouted. "Oh, Leon, you're still my number one." Their lips met in a quick kiss.

"Ew!" Ventus and Vanitas both cried, laughing. Aerith giggled next to them, and Roxas smiled along with Namine.

Sora looked over at Axel, reaching for his hand and squeezing it tightly, blue eyes meeting with green. The redhead grinned, planting a light kiss on the brunet's forehead.

"Alright, continue with your food," Cloud called.

December Twenty-fifth

Sora jumped awake as a scream erupted from the living room downstairs. Somehow, Axel hadn't even moved next to him, instead just opened his eyes, groaning. The door busted open, and a small body jumped on the bed. "Uncle Sora, you're the best!"

"Who's on fire?" Axel mumbled, turning over.

"Axey, come downstairs! Quick! Uncle Sora got me the best present!"

Sapphire eyes widened as Sora understood what the little girl was talking about. Kairi had opened her present. Axel sat up, rubbing his eye sleepily. Sora kissed his hand, getting out of the bed. "Come on, let's go open presents."

"Sora!" Reno's voice boomed from downstairs. "Get your dumb, rich, asscrack down here right now!"

The three of them ran down the stairs quickly, Kairi bouncing in Axel's arms. His jaw slacked as he noticed the puppy running around the living room by the tree. He put Kairi on the ground, who ran to the dog and hugged it. "I'm going to call her Xion!" she smiled brightly. "You're so cute! Thank you, uncle Sora!"

"You got Kairi a puppy?" Axel asked incredulously. "I thought I said no."

Sora shrugged. "It really wasn't a problem. Cloud said he'd help pay for anything you guys need. Take it as a present from all of us."

Reno sighed, collapsing on the couch. "You're too much, Sora."

The brunet grinned, throwing a thumbs-up in his direction.

December Twenty-sixth

Axel grinned as Xion jumped onto Sora's lap while he was sitting on Axel's knees, laughing along with Kairi. Christmas had gone off without a single problem and now the youngest Strife was spending quality time with his boyfriend before New Year's Eve. "Sky?" Axel asked, mindful of the eight year old in front of them as he used the nickname.

"Hm?"

"Can we meet up at the park on New Year's?"

Sora turned his head to look up at the redhead. His eyes were serious, and his lips were drawn into a thin line. If Sora looked carefully enough, he could make out the faint blush on his cheeks. The brunet nodded, smiling as he nuzzled Axel's chest happily. "I'd love to. Any time spent with you is worth it, after all."

December Twenty-eighth

"Please, Cloud, can I go out with Axel on New Year's Eve?"

The older blond looked at his brother, blue eyes hard and cold. "Sure. Just be safe."

December Twenty-ninth

"I'm finally going to tell him," Axel said, pacing across the living room, Xion nipping at his ankles, trying to get his attention. "I'm so nervous, Reno."

"Hey, dude, it'll be okay. I'm sure everything going to work out."

December Thirtieth

Sora planned his outfit for meeting Axel the next day. It wasn't the first time they were going to see each other, but Sora wanted everything to be absolutely perfect.

December Thirty-first

Sora jogged up to their usual bench, happy to see Axel already there and waiting, wrapped up in his scarf, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Sora smiled, walking the rest of the way and planting himself right next to his boyfriend. It was almost midnight, and the celebrations would soon begin. The brunet glanced up at Axel, who hadn't even said a word to him yet. Instead he was tapping his foot constantly on the ground, fingers flexing as if needing to grab something and hold on for dear life. Sora decided that what Axel desired was his own hand, and slipped his fingers between Axel's. the redhead didn't pull away, only tightened the grip.

In the distance, Sora heard the obnoxiously loud countdown start from ten.

Ten…nine…

Axel stood up, taking Sora with him.

Eight…seven…

He turned to face the younger boy, smiling softly as he threw his cigarette away after stubbing it out.

Six…five…

"Sky," he began, taking a deep breath.

Four…three..

Sora cocked his head to the side, blue eyes wide with confusion. Why was Axel so nervous?

Two…one…

Axel leaned in and in a quick motion, captured Sora's lips with his own.

Happy new year!

Sora stood there shocked, arms locked at his sides, as Axel pulled away, face red. "I love you," he said carefully, glancing to his right. Red stained his cheeks a beautiful crimson. Sora smiled.

"I love you, too. So much."

Snow began to fall lightly.

Thought: Let's make two characters fall in love during the month of December.

This one-shot took me forever. But it was all worth it because I had a lot of fun with it!

Shirai, this is for you because you were literally there with me every step of the way! I love you, my beautiful, crazy, dyslexic ("four years") wife!

-Eternal White Rose