A/N: A Christmas oneshot featuring Little!Hamadas
I do not own any Big Hero 6 characters or The Night Before Christmas
Christmas in San Fransokyo was a special time of the year, indeed.
The warm climate of the region did not permit for snow, but that didn't dampen the spirits of its residents one bit.
A Douglas fir to rival its famous cousin in New York was the centerpiece of the city in December, attracting thousands of visitors per day who flocked from all over to see the full wonder of Mother Nature, with a touch of help from human hands.
White lights wrapped themselves around every lamppost; bordered every store front window. Nighttime was particularly spectacular.
Shopping, of course, was a popular activity during this month, and businesses operated around the clock to supply the demand of patrons searching for the perfect gifts for their family and friends.
At the Lucky Cat Café, things were no different. A festive wreath welcomed guests inside, where the aroma was a pleasant combination of peppermint, cinnamon, and ginger, reflecting the traditional tastes of the season. A small tree was in the corner, decorated with gold and red balls. Carols poured out of the speakers and it wasn't unusual to hear Aunt Cass humming along to her favorites as she weaved around the eatery, tending to the customers.
It was certainly cheery downstairs, but one floor up, it was a mini North Pole.
In the living room stood a nine foot spruce, its spiny branches overcrowded with ornaments, weighed down with garland and silvery tinsel.
An endless string of multicolored lights ran along the crown molding, casting a rainbow glow on the walls when the sun went down.
Stuffed snowmen and other wintry creatures with their black felt smiles were scattered around every possible soft surface in the house.
A Christmas village straight from a vintage postcard adorned a little side table by the tree.
Four crimson stockings with green trim and gold, glittery lettering, including one in the shape of a paw print for Mochi, hung from the mantle above the electric fireplace
Pulling all this together required some late nights, but Cass didn't give it a second thought. She wanted to ensure that her nephews' first Christmas with her was a memorable one.
Understandably, the past ten months were a difficult adjustment for everyone, and she took it upon herself to make this holiday as joyous as possible.
Hiro toddled into the café from upstairs, a candy cane hanging out of his mouth. "Aunt Cass?"
Responding to the call, Cass put her mug on the counter and scooped up the boy, brushing the mess of raven hair out of his eyes.
"How's my little man? Did you have a nice nap?"
"Uh-huh. I have to make my Santa list."
Her face brightened. "That's right! Let's get you some paper."
With Hiro in one arm, she rummaged through a drawer until she found a spiral notebook and red crayon.
"Did you know that red is Santa's favorite color?" she asked, sitting him at an empty table and tearing out a clean page for him to use.
"It is?"
She sat next to him. The café wasn't so busy this time of day, so she could spare a moment.
"Mm-hmm. And that crayon kinda looks like Rudolph's nose, doesn't it?"
He giggled. "Yeah."
"What are you going to ask Santa to bring you?"
"A train set," he said, writing it down in the best penmanship a four-year-old could. "And a robot. I saw it on TV."
"Those sound like very good choices. Do you know what Tadashi wants?"
Hiro shrugged. "No. He didn't tell me anything. He's sad."
"Sad? What do you mean, honey?"
"I asked him to play with me, but he said no. Then he gave me this candy cane and told me to come down here. He said he wants to be by himself."
Cass sighed. Getting up, she went to the neighboring table and touched the shoulder of the woman sipping green tea.
"Mrs. Matsuda, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind watching Hiro for a minute? I need to check on Tadashi."
"Not at all, dear. You go ahead," she replied. Her face showed lines of wisdom, but her eyes shone with youth. She was a regular at the café and the entire Hamada family looked to her as a sort of grandmother figure.
"Thank you so much."
She then rounded back to Hiro.
"I'll be right back, okay? How about some hot chocolate when I come down?"
Hiro's eyes sparkled at the prospect of the sweet drink. "Marshmallows too?"
"As many as you want."
-o-
Standing outside the boys' bedroom, Cass took a second to gather her thoughts.
How was she going to approach this? She didn't want him to bottle up his emotions, but she also didn't want to force it out of him.
Parenting was like walking a tightrope, she concluded, and she was always afraid she was going to fall.
She knocked three times.
"Not now, Hiro!" His irritated voice came through, although muted by the wooden barrier.
"Sweetie, it's me. Can I come in?"
There was the rustle of paper, followed by his response, which was considerably more subdued. "Sure."
"Hi, hon," she said, closing the door behind her.
"Hey."
He was laying on his bed, gaze fixated on the ceiling. A comic book was by his feet.
"Whatcha doing?" She tried to sound casual.
"Nothing."
Tadashi was barely ten; was he already entering that 'one word only' phase?
"Can we talk?"
"Uh..." Tadashi sat up. "I guess. What about?"
Cass perched herself at the edge of the bed and beckoned for him to come closer.
He scooted beside her, and that's when she noticed the red rims around his eyes; the puffiness underneath.
Maybe she could coax it out of him.
"Hiro came down a little while ago; said you wanted to be by yourself. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine," he said. "I was just thinking."
This was it. Cass knew that pressing the matter could either go really well or backfire. She prayed it would be the former.
"What were you thinking about?"
Tadashi gave a weak shrug. "Stuff. Christmas." He looked down at the floor. "Mom and Dad." There was a crackle in his voice.
"Oh, honey." Cass encircled him in her arms. "I know. It's hard."
He sniffled, leaning against her. "I wish they were here with us."
"Me too, baby. But remember what I told you?"
"Yeah." Tadashi straightened up. "As long as we remember them, they are never really gone."
"Exactly. They're always with us, right here," she affirmed, touching the space over his heart.
Cass wiped away the stray tears that trickled down his cheeks. "And honey, it's okay to talk about these things. You know you can come to me with anything, anytime, no matter what. I don't want you to feel like you have to keep everything inside, okay?"
Tadashi nodded. "Thanks, Aunt Cass. I love you."
"My sweet boy," she whispered, pulling him into a tight hug. "I love you so much."
She then broke away and clasped his hands in hers.
"Now, I promised Hiro some cocoa, and I know he would love it if his big brother were there to share it with. What do you say?"
His face lit up. "Marshmallows too?"
She laughed. "As many as you want."
-o-
The next week leading up to Christmas flew by.
When the café closed, the family would gather on the couch and watch movies and eat popcorn late into the night, often dozing off before the credits rolled.
During the day, Tadashi tried to teach Hiro the correct words to Jingle Bells, even though the little boy was insistent on singing a different rendition.
"No, Hiro. It's 'jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...'"
"Nuh-uh! Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg!"
One way or another, their chorus lesson always dissolved into giggles and a game of 'catch me if you can' as Hiro dashed through the house with Tadashi on his tail.
Baking occupied a lot of their time, as well. Hiro was eager to help, until Cass discovered that he was more interested in licking the bowl and stealing tiny bites of raw dough when no one was around. They didn't get many cookies out of that batch.
On the Eve, they took a trip to visit the tree downtown and then returned home to a dinner of ham, mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. After the meal, Hiro put three sugar cookies on a plate while Tadashi poured a tall glass of milk.
"Do you think Santa will like our cookies?" Hiro asked, eyeing the frosted treats.
"Of course he will," Tadashi said. He set the milk down along with a handful of baby carrots.
"What are those for?"
"Santa's reindeer. They get hungry flying all over, too."
"Oh."
"Alright, my elves," Aunt Cass said, coming into the kitchen. "Time for bed."
"But I wanna wait up for Santa," Hiro protested.
"Hiro, Santa won't come unless we go to sleep," Tadashi explained.
He pouted and hung his head, looking defeated.
Cass and Tadashi had to suppress a chuckle; Hiro's pitiful face was too adorable.
"I was going to read a story to you," Cass said. "The Night Before Christmas."
Tadashi looked at her, eyes wide with surprise. "Dad used to read that to us every year."
She smiled. "I know. So did your grandpa."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's the same book, too."
"Wow..."
Finding the book was something of a Christmas miracle for Cass. Shoved between two blankets in one of the many cardboard boxes from the boys' old house, her reaction was almost comical. But seeing Tadashi's expression of nostalgia made her extra thankful that she had found it and could carry on the tradition that her father had started so long ago.
"Can I have a cookie?" Hiro asked, seeming to recover from the disappointment of not being allowed to stay up.
"Upstairs, mister," Cass said with mock sternness. "March."
Teeth brushed and pajamas on, Cass tucked her boys into bed and took a seat. Opening the book, she cleared her throat and began to read.
"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there..."
-o-
"'Dashi, wake up; it's Christmas!"
Tadashi rolled over, bleary-eyed, and saw Hiro bouncing up and down, the widest grin he had ever seen plastered on his little brother's face.
"Mm-hm. I'm up, I'm up," he said, dragging himself out of the fog of a deep sleep.
"Come on!" Hiro grabbed Tadashi's hand and pulled him along down the stairs.
The smell of fresh cinnamon buns and sizzling bacon that tickled his nose as he reached the landing perked the older boy up in an instant.
"Merry Christmas, sweetie," Cass said, giving him a quick hug and kiss.
"'Dashi, look!"
He turned and saw Hiro pointing at the tree, where a dozen presents lay underneath, covered in shiny paper.
"Santa left us a card too! What does it say?"
Tadashi took the note that Hiro handed him and read it.
"It says, 'Dear Tadashi and Hiro, thank you so much for the delicious cookies and milk. They gave me just the energy I needed to finish delivering presents to all the children around the world. Rudolph and the other reindeer wanted to make sure I said thank you for the yummy carrots, too. They loved them! Have a very Merry Christmas! Until next year! Love, Santa Claus.'"
Hiro clapped his hands. "Can we open our presents now, Aunt Cass?" The boy was practically buzzing with anticipation.
"Absolutely," she said, taking off her floury apron, sure that Hiro would explode if he waited another minute.
Thirty minutes, and many squeals of excitement later, wrapping paper was strewn everywhere and Hiro was assembling the train set that he had requested.
Tadashi helped Aunt Cass clean up and then set the table for breakfast.
It was nearly time, but before he could eat, there was something he had to do.
He excused himself from the kitchen and went back to his room where a framed photo of his parents from their wedding day sat on his bedside table.
Bowing his head, Tadashi whispered, "Merii Kurisumasu, mama to papa."
Glancing back to the picture, he continued, "I miss you guys. A lot. It's not the same without you here, but Aunt Cass is the best, and Hiro and I are really lucky to have her. She read Night Before Christmas to us, Dad. I never thought I'd hear that story again, so it made me really happy. I think Hiro liked it, too, but he fell asleep halfway through."
From downstairs, he heard Aunt Cass speaking to Hiro, but couldn't make out the words.
Seconds later, however, Hiro appeared at the door.
"We're having breakfast now," he said, going over to him. "What are you doing?"
"Talking to Mom and Dad," Tadashi replied.
"Where?"
Tadashi picked him up and gestured to the picture. "There. See?"
Hiro looked puzzled. "They're not there, silly."
"What?"
Hiro poked Tadashi's chest. "They're right here."
A/N: Hope you all liked it! Please R&R! Merry Christmas!
I used Google for the Japanese translation, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong