Me: Merry Christmas!
Bibu: It's November.
Me: But I'm in the festive mood!
Bibu: Bah! Humbug!
Me: Okay, I know it's a little early but here's a happy little Christmas fic for you! Enjoy!
Chapter One – The Odd Duck.
It was Christmas time and Wammy's house was absolutely buzzing with the voices of excited children, eagerly waiting for Santa to arrive, bringing joy and lots of presents with him. One child however, didn't join in with the rest of the children…
His name was Near. At 7 years old he'd already convinced himself that "Santa" was nothing more than a clever ploy to get parents to buy their children expensive gifts, tarnishing the real meaning of the holiday.
"Isn't it exciting, Near?" chirped one of the handlers "You've been a good boy so I bet Santa has something special for you."
Near, who was hard at work on one of his jigsaw puzzles, turned to look at her.
"I highly doubt that." He said
Another boy, about 16 years of age, walked into the room, with unkempt black hair, bare feet and an obvious curve in his spine. The handler turned to face him.
"My, he's an odd little duck…" she sighed as she walked towards the door "Maybe you could get him to be a bit more cheery."
"I doubt that too!" Near called to her "Even the great L himself won't change my mind on this!"
L went and crouched down next to Near, studying the pieces of the puzzle that hadn't yet been put into their place.
"That one goes there." Said L as he pointed to a piece that was so obviously part of the sky.
Near said nothing and simply moved the piece to where it was supposed to be.
"And that one goes there" L said, once again pointing to another piece.
"Is there something you want?" Near asked coldly as he moved another piece into its place.
"I just want to know what you want for Christmas." Smiled L as he nudged the pale little boy's shoulder.
Near turned to face him, staring L dead in the eye.
"Listen, I'm not as naïve as most children are at my age." He said with a hint of annoyance in his voice "I know the truth. It's impossible for one person to fly around the world, giving presents to every child, all in one night. I'd have thought you of all people would be intelligent enough to see that."
L knew where he was coming from, he too had figured out the truth about Santa at a very young age and he remembered that it totally ruined the holiday for him. He saw Near as his little brother and he wanted him to have a real childhood.
"Don't be silly." L smiled "of course Santa is real."
Near frowned and returned to his jigsaw, twirling his white hair around his finger.
"If that's true…" he sighed "then why, in poorer countries like Africa, don't they get any presents?"
L really didn't know how to answer that. What could he say to him? He couldn't tell him that Santa picks and chooses who gets presents. Of all the challenges L had faced in his life, Near was definately the most difficult.
"Listen you…" L sighed "I know you're smart and I know you have a lot of questions but too much knowledge can suck the fun out of things."
"Yeah, like you can talk. You're the smartest person in this place." Near replied
"Intellect isn't everything, Near." Smiled L "Come on, I wanna show you something."