Hi! I'm sorry it's been so long…I've been busy with school and family and the holidays

Thanks again to Silvie for reviewing! You're the best :)

For any KotLC fans who might be reading this…I'm working on a Keeper fic right now which is taking up most of my time! (Hence the long wait) If you've read my other Keeper story you should check it out!

Enjoy :)

HIRO

When I wake up, Tadashi is awake and struggling to swallow an Advil tablet. He's always been terrible at taking pills.

I sit up and realize my wrist is splinted. Tadashi must have done it while I was asleep. Where he got a brace, I don't know. But I'm grateful to have it.

Tadashi goes back to sleep after only a few minutes. He seems incapable of staying awake for long.

The doorbell rings and I reluctantly stand up to get it. A tall blonde girl stands in the doorway, fidgeting with her sleeves.

"H-hi," Honey stutters. "Is Tadashi here?"

"He's kind of asleep right now," I say as I step aside for her, "but I guess you could see him anyway."

She thanks me and steps inside. Tadashi is not, in fact, asleep when we get in there, but I'm not sure he's entirely sane either.

"Hi, Honey," he mumbles when we come in. He looks at me like he's never seen me before in his life. "Hi, GoGo."

I recoil. GoGo?

"I'm Hiro, Tadashi," I explain carefully. "Your brother."

"Like a superhero?" His eyelids droop sleepily. "Are you a superhero?"

"Actually, yes." I have no idea why I'm saying it, because I'm not any kind of superhero, but it seems to make him feel better.

"Where's your cape?" Tadashi mumbles. I think he's delirious with fever.

"I don't have a cape."

"But the heroes have all the capes…"

"No, they don't. Iron Man doesn't wear a cape. Spider-Man doesn't wear a cape." I turn to Honey and whisper, "Spider-Man doesn't wear a cape, right?"

She shrugs.

By the time we manage to determine whether Spider-Man wears a cape, Tadashi is asleep again.

Christmas is nearing when Dashi gets better. His temperature is down to normal and he's not rambling anymore, though I tease him frequently about the ridiculous things he said while he was sick.

I've thought of something to try before Christmas. The medical bills took a big chunk out of our monthly budget, and we don't have enough money to buy food for the rest of the month, let alone buy gifts for each other. So here's my plan: dumpster diving.

Normally I would never admit how desperate I am by doing something like that, but when things get to this level, I don't much care. I need a gift for Tadashi. Somehow Christmas is starting to seem a lot more important than food—except maybe Christmas dinner.

I sneak out to a Walmart to try dumpster diving for the first time. It's a Walmart—they've got to have something good in there. Walmart has

approximately everything. Even donuts. Man, it would be nice if I could find some donuts.

I stare at the dumpster for a moment before I climb in. What am I doing?

Surviving, says the voice in my head.

I take a breath and start to climb.

Survive.

I come home on the night of Christmas Eve to an exhausted Tadashi and a single gift under the tree. Soon it'll be two. If this can be considered a gift.

I place the thinly wrapped package under the tiny evergreen's wilting branches and step back to admire the effect. It's small, but it's all we've got. Better than some Christmases I've had. There was one when Tadashi and I were locked in our room all day without food or water. One when I took one of the worst beatings of my life after Tadashi got into a fight at school. Christmas isn't always the magical time it was when I was little.

Though I lost my childhood innocence years ago, I retained some of that little kid in me that snuggles up to Tadashi when I'm cold, that cried when I took a beating from a foster parent, that can't sleep on Christmas Eve. That boy comes back tonight. I hope he'll still be here tomorrow.

The sun breaks through my window and I shoot up in bed. Tadashi is still sound asleep on the other side of the room, curled into a ball to preserve body heat. I jump on his bed, shaking his shoulder. "Tadashi! Wake up! Wake up wake up wake uppppppp!"

"Mmph," he mumbles, his eyes still closed. I sigh and flop over, half on top of him.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Dashi protests, shoving me. "Get off!"

I slide off. Tadashi gets up, grumbling, and follows me into the living room. He predictably insists that I open my gift first, so I slide the box out from under the tree and start to tear away the wrapping paper.

I pull out a thick, impossibly fluffy Christmas sweater and pull it on over my pajamas. It feels like being hugged by a blanket that just came out of the dryer.

I slide Dashi's present over to him. He raises an eyebrow at me. "You're forgetting something."

"Oh." I look down at my sweater. "Thanks. Open it!"

Tadashi sighs and turns the box, analyzing it from all angles. "Are these air holes?"

I try to look innocent.

Tadashi opens the box and a tiny ball of orange and white fluff jumps out at him. His hands fly up to catch it, and his eyes widen when he sees what it is.

"A kitty!" he half-squeals, sounding like a little kid again. "You got me a kitty!"

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," I mumble, but he doesn't hear me. Tadashi is the biggest cat person ever. Cats love him and he loves cats.

"What are you gonna name him?" I ask Tadashi.

"Mochi," he replies immediately. "I wanted a cat named Mochi when I was six, but Mom and Dad said we couldn't afford it because you were on the way." His eyes dim when he talks about our parents. "But I still wanted one. I was really mad about it."

We both laugh, and it feels like we're kids again. We haven't gotten to be kids for so long.

It feels good to laugh again.