Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of these characters.

Bedtime Stories

"So you're saying that Santa Claus is REAL?!"

Selphie's voice had risen from a normal indoor tone to a loud, outside one as Sora paused in his retelling of his adventures in Halloween Town.

"Shhhh!" he hissed, placing a finger up against his lips "If mom hears you we're both gonna be in trouble!"

Sora was grounded, so that means he isn't allowed to have friends over to hang out with. Riku and Kairi were apologetically turned away at the door and if Selphie happened to eat over (she was currently the only one able to sweet talk her way to the dinner table whenever she wanted to) she was to leave right after the dishes were cleaned. Sometimes she got away with an excuse like helping Sora with his homework (although since Sora was getting bad about not doing said homework this particular excuse wasn't working as well as it used to) but mostly the brunette had to be on her way.

Even when Sora wasn't grounded for school related transgressions he most certainly was not allowed to have girls in his room past nine. Apparently it wasn't proper his mom says. Sora doesn't think that's fair because it's not like the two are doing anything or even interested in each other in such risqué ways but he was easily overruled. Even a keyblade master had to listen to his mother.

Currently it was eleven pm and Selphie's parents were off on some business meeting and wouldn't be back until the next day. Selphie considered sleeping over at Kairi's house because she hated being in the house all by herself for the whole night but she figured she'd enjoy herself more by dragging out hero stories from Sora. So after dinner at Kairi's she had gotten her things, shimmied up the tree near Sora's room window and snuck right in. Sora's protests were ignored as she decided to make herself a fort of pillows and blankets in his closet while convincing him that no his mother would not find out about this and yes it IS silly to think she'll throw the poor boy out onto the street.

"But you MET Santa?! Fat guy, red clothes, reindeer and presents? THE Santa Clause?" Selphie bounced excitedly from her spot on Sora's bed (completely out in the open and not caring in the slightest about whether or not she'd make it safely to her fortress of softness in time if Sora's mom poked her head in to see what all the fuss is about).

"Yes, it was him all right." Sora said from his own spot, shooting a fearful look at his bedroom door. He hated doing dishonest things. This was worse than that time in grade school when Riku convinced him it was a good idea to help him steal candy from the good noodle rewards jar!

Selphie giggled "and you said he wasn't real. I thought Santa was just a story for little kids?"

Riku was very persuasive. "Apparently we were wrong. On top of that it landed me on the naughty list!" Sora looked put out about it too.

"No wonder you always get coal and rocks on Christmas morning!" Selphie said with a wicked grin.

"Not this year!" Sora puffed out his chest "I saved Christmas and even helped Santa make presents! He uses a present launcher to shoot toys into the right boxes at lightspeed!"

Selphie looked disbelieving.

"Okay, maybe not light speed." Sora amended.

"Saved Christmas huh?" Selphie raised an eyebrow and curled up on the covers, catlike.

"You bet! There was a mysterious figure stealing presents and so it was up to me to find out who the culprit was!" Sora said heroically "Jack, Donald, Goofy and I hid in a giant box to lure out the gift napper and it was a tight squeeze. Donald kept stepping on my toes. But we heard rumbling footsteps and we leapt out of the box, weapons out and ready to bash whoever it was that dared mess with Christmas."

"Who was it? That bug sack guy?"

"Oogie? No not him. It was this big metal monster that Dr. Finkelstein created!"

Selphie wrinkled her nose in quiet disgust "You mean that guy that's always scratching his brain?"

"The very same!" Sora nodded "His Experiment wanted to know what the happiness of Christmas felt like so it snatched up presents, assuming that the presents are what brought the happy. We had to beat it up because naturally it tried to kill us when we leapt out of the box-"

"I would too if you scared me like that."

"-but Jack and I learned all about the meaning of what real presents were. It's not about what's inside of the box at all, what matters are the feelings in your heart." Sora finished, a wistful smile on his face. He missed Halloween Town. He hoped that Jack and everyone else was doing okay.

"That's so sweet!" Selphie sighed "and it even makes up for all of the terrible presents you've gotten me over the years."

Sora's jaw dropped "Your presents were just fine!"

"You got me a rock once."

"It was a shiny rock and I thought since you really liked shiny things and because it was bigger than your average rock…"

"Sora? Who are you talking to?" his mom's voice came through the bedroom door and Sora jumped a foot in the air, horrified. Selphie scrambled and hid under Sora's blankets as the door opened and Sora's mom poked her head in, narrowing her eyes at her son as he smiled at her nervously.

"Me? Talking? I'm not talking to anyone at all! Whatever would give you that idea mom? You must just be hearing things ahahahah." When he was scared he tended to talk faster than he normally did. His mom simply looked at him suspiciously, head wrapped in a pink bath towel that made her look even more menacing for some reason.

It was a tense moment as Sora tried his very best to look innocent and prayed to all the gods on Olympus that his mother didn't notice Selphie shift behind him and that he was just imagining the knowing glint in her eyes that looked so much like his.

She finally relaxed, shaking her head "Try to get a goodnight's sleep okay honey?"

"Of course mom." Sora nodded "I love you."

A warm smile. She'd never realized how much she had missed hearing her boy say that until she'd spent a year without him "I love you too Sora."

The door closed and Sora sagged in relief.

"Okay Selphie, I think it's time for us to go to bed." Sora whispered, careful this time to keep his voice as low as he could. Selphie however didn't stir. Sora stared at the lump under his covers, perplexed.

"Selphie?"

Then he heard it. A light snore. Apparently it was very comfortable under those blankets because Selphie had dropped right off to sleep!

"Aww Selphie come on! This is my bed!" Sora protested. The lump didn't move an inch. Sora sighed, dragging himself off the bed and towards the closet where Selphie had made her nest. Hopefully it wouldn't be too uncomfortable. He had just settled himself in and hugged a pillow as he started counting moogles when he heard a whisper.

"Goodnight Sora."

The room was dimly lit, his nightlight probably needed a new bulb, but even still he could see a pair of mischievous green eyes staring at him from the comfort of his bed.

Not that he could ever bring himself to be mad at the girl of course.

"Goodnight Selphie." He replied with a sigh. Selphie giggled and Sora slowly started to count moogles again with a little smile on his face.