A/N: In regards to the high school AU I said I was gonna do, I've changed my mind a little. I'm gonna write a third instalment that will follow the series, i.e. using the same characters and villains, etc. I'll add my own sub plots in but I'm just gonna have fun with it.
I probably will still write the high school AU, but I might just write it all as one long chapter and post it at that. So yeah. Lmao I know I keep changing my mind but what are you gonna do.

ENJOY THE LAST CHAPTER OH YEAH WOO YEAH (I know it's not technically very seasonal but just go with it... It was supposed to go out on Christmas day but as you can see, it got a little delayed.)


'SWEET JESUS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?'

Hiro was stood over her, his eyes inches away from her own. He had a Santa had jammed on his head and for some reason thought it would be a good idea to wake his older sister by standing above her bed and blasting Jingle Bells.

'It's Christmas!' He said joyfully, pressing pause on the music.

'Yes, I'm aware of what the date is!' Rena replied, pulling the covers over herself and turning over, 'what time is it?'

'7am.'

She groaned and closed her eyes, 'can I not have another hour?'

'Excuse me! Where's your Christmas spirit?'

'Dead. Gone. I'm tired-'

'MERRY CHRISTMAS!' Tadashi yelled, walking into the room with his arms outstretched, limping ever so slightly. He had tinsel wrapped around his jumper and baubles hanging from his ears. 'Rena. Get up. I want to do stockings.'

Rena rolled her eyes and grinned, 'not you too? Come on, I expected more from you.'

Hiro crossed his arms, 'really? You expected more from Tadashi? At Christmas?'

She laughed. He had a point. Tadashi was obsessed with Christmas. He was one of those people that did his Christmas shopping in summer and insisted that November 1st was the perfect time to start playing Mariah Carey at any given opportunity. Normally she'd be a lot more pissed off at being awoken so early. But after the year they'd had? The Hamada's deserved an amazing Christmas. And she wasn't going to be the one to ruin that - even if she had only had three hours of sleep. 'Yeah okay, fair enough. Right, fine. Just fuck off and let me get dressed.'

Tadashi placed a hand over his heart dramatically, acting as though she had fatally shot him, 'your language disgusts me. On Christmas day and all.'

'Oh I'll give you something to be angry about-'

'Alright fine!' He replied, holding up his hands in defeat, 'Hiro, let's go and put Mochi in a Christmas sweater.'

'YES.'

The door swung shut behind them and Rena was left alone at last. She grabbed her phone and quickly glanced at the notifications. A couple of texts wishing her a Merry Christmas. Hiro, Tadashi and Fred in the group chat. Nothing from Clara.

'Timezones.' She muttered as she pulled a t-shirt on.

Her and Clara had been texting on and off. Rena was trying way too hard not to come off as clingy or desperate when she was fully aware of how clingy and desperate she was. Clara seemed distant and cool as opposed to the way that she used to be, but that was probably because she didn't want to talk to Rena and was just doing it out of formality.

Nothing from Caine either. Not that she'd expected it. Rena hadn't seen him since the hospital, nor had she spoken to him. She debated blocking his number and socials, but something stopped her. The sadness had passed, though. When she looked at the burns and the scars on her arms, or Fred's arm still in a sling, or the way Tadashi limped as he got used to his new prosthetic, she felt pure anger. Anger at Fournier and Caine and the world for being so hopelessly unfair.

She sighed. It was Christmas - not the time to think about all that. She was determined to have a nice day and thoughts about Caine or Clara were not going to ruin that for her. She'd worry about it later.

Rena stepped out into the hallway and closed her bedroom door shut behind her, almost tripping on Mochi. She picked him up and kissed the top of his head, 'are you hiding from them?' She whispered to the cat.

'About time!' Hiro was stood at the bottom of the stairs, 'and you found Mochi!'

'Leave the poor cat alone!'

'Come on, he'd love being in a Christmas sweater.'

Mochi jumped out Rena's arms and went scrambling up the stairs away from him. 'I don't think he would.' Rena replied, laughing.

'You don't KNOW that! Come on, we're all waiting for you.'

Rena stepped into the living room, grinning at the pile of presents sat at Tadashi's feet. Aunt Cass was in the kitchen, busying herself with making breakfast. 'Merry Christmas!'

'And a happy new year!' Rena replied, sinking down on one of the chairs in the room, 'what's for breakfast?'

'Pancakes!' She trilled from the kitchen, waving the pan in the air, 'seeing as it's a special occasion!'

'Brilliant. Although, I'd have anything. As long as Tadashi doesn't make it.'

'HEY! The fact that everyone got food poisoning was NOTHING to do with me.'

'Yeah. Sure. Whatever you wanna say. But I'm never trusting you to cook anything ever again.'

'What about my brownies?'

'…Okay apart from the brownies.'

'Can we do stockings now?' Hiro asked impatiently, eyeing them up greedily.

'Shouldn't we wait until after breakfast-'

'Oh, go on! Open them now!' Aunt Cass said cheerily, 'I'd hate you keep you waiting!'

'You heard the woman!' Tadashi said, grinning, 'now pass me mine!'

Rena reached over to the pile and passed Tadashi's to him. They didn't hang them on the fireplace, instead they lay in a small heap next to the TV. They each had their name stitched onto the top of them - something Rena had done many years before. The stitching was messy and you could barely read what they said, but Aunt Cass refused to let her unpick them.

Rena reached in and pulled out the first thing she rested her hand on. At first it appeared to be a string, but upon further inspection she realised it was a friendship bracelet. A friendship bracelet that had a colour scheme suspiciously close to the lesbian pride flag. She looked up and saw that Tadashi was grinning at her, a knowing glint in his eye.

'Oh, isn't that lovely Rena!' Aunt Cass called from the kitchen, 'Tadashi put it in last night when I was putting the stockings out!'

'Did he now?' Rena said, raising her eyebrows.

'I did, yeah.'

She threw a pillow at him, laughing. Rena hadn't come out to anyone else yet, it was still a secret between the two of them. Of course he had to subtly reference it in any way possible. 'Well, thanks! It's nice.'

'Oh, you're so welcome. I knew it would suit you well.'

'Am I missing something?' Hiro said, holding a robot keychain and looking between the two of them, 'there seems to be a joke going on here.'

'Nothing at all!' Rena said, shaking her head, 'nothing you need to concern yourself with.' Hiro went back to his stocking and she mouthed 'I HATE YOU!'

Lovingly, of course.


It was mid-afternoon. The presents had been opened and dinner plates had been cleared away. They were sitting in the living room; Cass, Tadashi and Hiro on the couch with Rena sat in the armchair next to them, holding a cup of coffee. Tadashi's prosthetic lay lying on the floor next to his pile of presents. Rena was more at peace than she'd been for a long time.

'What movie do we wanna watch?' Aunt Cass asked the three of them.

Rena tore herself away from her new book that Wasabi had gotten her, 'I don't mind, whatever everyone else wants to watch.'

'Nothing sad though!' Tadashi said, 'it's Christmas, I don't wanna cry.'

'You cry at every movie you've ever watched.' Hiro said from next to him on the couch.

'I have not!'

'You cried at the EMOJI MOVIE!'

Rena laughed, 'I forgot you did that!'

'What about How to Train Your Dragon?' Aunt Cass said, hovering on it with the remote, 'I love that movie!'

'Yes!' Rena said enthusiastically, 'this movie is the BEST!'

Hiro rolled his eyes and continued to sketch something on his new tablet, 'yeah, it's alright. As long as Tadashi doesn't start bawling.'

The oldest Hamada laughed and elbowed him, 'no promises there.'

The movie started and Rena closed her book, curling into the armchair. The music started and she sighed happily. So far, so good.

About twenty minutes later, she was dropping asleep when the doorbell rang.

'Who could that be?' Aunt Cass asked, confused. 'Is it one of your friends?'

'I don't think any of them said they were coming?' Tadashi said, 'I'll go check.'

Rena shook her head, glancing at his prosthetic on the floor, 'nah, you stay there. I'll go.'

Tadashi nodded and sank back into the cushions. 'Okay. Thanks.'

'Let me know who it is!' Aunt Cass said, 'do you want me to pause it?'

'Nah.' Rena replied, standing up and stretching, 'I've seen it a hundred times. Besides, I'll only be a second. I'm still taking this though.' She added, grabbing her mug from the small table next to her. She ran downstairs as quickly as she could without spilling anything. She took a huge sip of coffee as she flung the door open, instantly being hit in the face with a huge blast of cold air, making her splutter unexpectedly.

Caine was stood in the doorframe, hunched over in the wind. His glasses had snow on them and he already looked like he was regretting his decision. 'Merry Christmas.'

Rena dropped the mug of coffee. It smashed on the floor, drenching her socks. She didn't even notice, all she could do was stare at him with her mouth hanging open. She'd come to close to having a good day. And now he'd decided to show up? The pure audacity!

'Rena? Are you okay? Who is it?' Aunt Cass was calling down to her.

'You shouldn't be here,' she hissed to Caine angrily, 'why the fuck are you here? Why today?'

'I-'

'If Tadashi sees you here he'll kill you.' She buried her head in her hands, 'for fucks sake Caine!'

'Listen, Rena. I just wanted-'

'Oi, who is it? DID YOU SMASH MY FAVOURITE MUG?' Tadashi was stood at the top of the stairs, frowning down at her.

'It's no one!' She replied, stepping out into the cold and pushing Caine along with her, 'I'll be back in a minute!' She slammed the door shut behind her and leant against it, giving Caine a look of fury. 'Now my socks are wet. Thanks for that.'

Caine shifted uncomfortably, staring determinedly at his trainers. 'S...Sorry.' He muttered sheepishly.

'Well, if that's all you're here to say then I'm going back inside. Merry Christmas to you too.' She spat, turning on her heel and placing her hand on the door handle.

'They arrested him!' Caine blurted, 'the police. They got him. Both of them, at one of their hideouts.'

Rena faltered and whirled around to face him again. 'What?'

'Yeah I uhh... Gave them a list of his hideouts. It was pretty easy for them from there.'

'Why did you do that?' She asked, folding her arms and leaning against the door, 'I thought you were on their side?'

'You saved my life, Rena. It was the least I could do.'

'Oh. Right. Well. If that's all you came here to say-'

'I came to tell you how sorry I am. For everything.' He said awkwardly, 'and I know you hate me right now and you probably never want to see me again. But I am sorry. Truly.'

'Right.' She said scathingly, 'I bet you can see why I'm not exactly jumping at the chance to forgive you.'

He laughed weakly, 'I don't blame you. I just- I didn't want it to come to that. I never meant to hurt you. That's all... That's all I wanted to say.'

'Didn't want to hurt me?' Rena's voice cracked, 'you spied on me for MONTHS. You pretended to be my friend. You almost killed me.'

Caine winced, 'I know. It's... It's a long story.'

'Well,' she replied, 'I'd like to hear it. If you don't mind.'

Caine sighed and leant against the wall, the burns on his face looking extra bad in the winter sunshine. He looked more exhausted than a man three times his age, and just as old. 'Fine. When I was growing up, I had a pretty happy family. It was me, my Mom and Dad, and my older brother. We weren't perfect - we were really poor, actually. But... We were happy. Things were great. Or at least I thought they were. My Mom killed herself when I was thirteen. She didn't leave a note. I don't know why she did it. And I never will.'

Rena sucked in a breath, 'you... You never told me that.'

'It's not exactly the kind of thing I like to fondly look back on.'

'No, no. I... I get it.'

'My...Uhh.. My Dad didn't last much longer. He.. He really loved her. For weeks, he didn't do anything. He just kinda... Stared at the wall. He stopped listening to anything my brother and I had to say. He stopped driving us to school. He'd go to work and then go drinking straight afterwards, and he wouldn't get home until after midnight most nights. He just... Stopped caring.'

'And... Your brother?'

He smiled softly, 'Aidan, he was called. Tadashi... He reminds me a lot of him sometimes. He dropped out of school so he could take care of us. He got a job that he worked full-time. My Dad was too busy sustaining his drinking habits to worry about food or rent. Aidan hated it, I know he did. But he never let on. Anyway, my Dad died when I was fifteen. I was... I was there when it happened. I held his hand and watched the light go out of his eyes.' Caine said quietly, wiping his eyes.

Rena stared at him, stunned. 'I had... I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?'

'I was supposed to be undercover.'

'So... So how does this link to Jason?'

Caine sighed loudly and stared up at the sky for a moment before answering , 'we went to live with my Uncle. The man hated the pair of us - wanted nothing to do with us. We were kinda all we had for a while. Then... Then I guess the stress got to him. Aidan. He... Started getting involved with some shit. At first it was just weed and tobacco. Then, pretty soon he got onto the harder stuff. Like... Meth and that. I noticed it happen, but I never intervened. I guess I just didn't want to think that my older brother was slipping away from me. Eventually, it caught up to him. He came home absolutely off his head and one thing lead to another and he gave my Uncle a black eye. He called the police and Aidan was arrested for aggravated assault, and then a load of other drug stuff. My Uncle never told me what prison he went to, and I haven't spoken to him since. He was only eighteen.'

'Caine... I... I'm so sorry. God, I... I can't even imagine…'

He sniffed, 'yeah it's... It's whatever. I left my Uncle's house the day after my eighteenth birthday. I stole his car and left him a note saying he'd never see me again. After a few weeks of sleeping in my car, I found my way to a bot fight. One thing lead to another and I found myself getting pissed with Jason and all his cronies. The next thing I knew, I was in his gang and running errands for him. And it was great at first. For the first time in years, I felt like I was around people who actually liked me. I had a place to sleep and all I had to do was collect cash and intimidate people from time to time. But… As I got further in, Fournier started to show his true colours. He was never very bloodthirsty himself - he often made other people do it. Some dark shit happened to people just for not doing a job well enough. I realised how serious it was after I watched him snap a guy's neck for not bringing him enough cash.'

'Holy shit.'

'Yeah. He has a reputation for a reason. Anyway, once he got with Marissa, he calmed down a bit. He was less violent; more easy on people who wronged him. We had some great times, despite everything. I could almost forget I was in a gang with some of the most terrifying people in the city. But that all changed when she died.'

'When… When Hiro killed her?' Rena whispered.

He shook his head, 'he didn't kill her. I think… I think Fournier just wanted someone to put the blame on. Someone to direct his anger towards. Hiro was the easiest option for him. He told me to take a job at SFIT to spy on him - to spy on you. I took it without hesitation. I didn't have a choice. He'd kill me if I refused.'

Rena let out a shaky breath and buried her head in her hands, 'Jesus christ Caine.'

'I was… Really angry at Hiro at first. Not just because I'd leaned towards the idea that he was a murderer, but because he… He's everything I could have been. He's smart. Brave. Loyal. He's got a family that loves him. Friends who love him. I… I grew to resent him because life is so easy for him even though he does botfighting and he was involved with the death of Marissa.'

Rena shook her head, suddenly feeling defensive of her little brother, 'trust me, his life has been anything but easy. Let's just say that ten year olds and nasty high schoolers don't mix. He… He could easily be in the position that you're in now. He was close.'

Caine blinked, 'I… Wow. I didn't know that.'

'Yeah, well. He's a brave kid.'

'And he's got two amazing older siblings. I've seen how much you care for one another.'

'Yeah, but you get it. Right? You cared for Aidan?'

'I did. He was… So much like Tadashi.'

Rena smiled sadly, 'if he's anything like Tadashi then I bet you miss him a lot, huh?'

Caine had tears in his eyes, 'I do. A hell of a lot. I think if he was still around I never would've gotten to this position in the first place. Rena… I'm sorry. I truly am. I didn't know what else to do. I knew he would kill me if I didn't do as he said. And… I had nothing else to loose. I never realised the magnitude of what he was doing until it happened. I'm a fucking coward. I know I am. And you'll never have to see me again. I'll leave SFIT. I'll leave the state. I know you must hate me, and with good reason. I don't want to ruin your life anymore than I already have. So.… I guess this is goodbye. Thank you. For everything.'

He turned on his heel and began to walk away. Rena watched him go, a million thoughts racing through her head. She didn't know how to feel. Sad? Angry? It was a weird combination of both. She had no idea about any of that. He'd been through so much that it made her feel ill. It would just be best if she let him walk away, out of her life. Things would be so much easier that way.

But since when did Rena Hamada ever like things to be easy?

'Caine! Wait!' She went flying after him, running in her socks in the snow. She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back towards the lucky cat.

Caine stumbled slightly, almost falling onto her. 'Rena, please. I know you're angry. It would be better for the both of us if I-'

'Shut up and let me speak for a minute. All that shit you went through? I'm sorry it happened. I really, truly am. Caine, you've been through what most people couldn't even bear. And yet you're still standing here.'

'Standing here after I almost killed you.'

She shook her head, 'forget about that. Just… Listen to me. Your past does not define you. The people around you and your situation does NOT define you. Okay? You are your own person. You're not your Father, or your brother. Neither are you your Uncle and you're definitely not Jason Fournier. You're Caine Newlin. You're strong. And you're kind. And you're brave, and you never give up. You're funny and you're sweet and you always try your hardest. And you have two choices. You can let what has happened to you get to you and shape the person you will become, or you can step away from it. You can make your own path and be the person you want to be.'

'Rena,' Caine sobbed, 'I ruined your life!'

'No you didn't! You were placed into an impossible situation, okay? Anyone else would have done the same. And, for the record, you didn't ruin my life. At all. Your friendship has been wonderful Caine. It really has. You make my days brighter! Even if you did try to kill me,' Rena was crying as well, clinging to the front of his jacket. 'Stop being so hard on yourself. I don't hate you. I could never. And I forgive you. Of course I do.'

'Rena, I don't deserve this.'

'No, you do! You do. Please, I want you in my life. You make it better. I don't care about the past, it's behind us. Don't leave SFIT because of me. Because of any of us.'

Caine looked at her for a second, then pulled her into an embrace. Rena clung to him and cried onto his shoulder. 'I'm so sorry about your parents. About your brother.'

'And I'm sorry about your parents. And your brothers.'

She laughed and pulled away from him, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, 'shut up.'

He grinned, 'you know I'm not very good at that.'

'God, we're such a mess.'

'You don't need to tell me twice.'

'What the HELL are you doing here?' Tadashi was stood leaning in the doorframe, holding a handful of coffee stained tissues. He was looking directly at Caine with a look of fury on his face.

Caine paled, 'listen, I-'

Tadashi dropped the tissues and came tearing through the snow, slipping slightly. He stopped inches away and jabbed his finger into Caine's chest. 'You have some nerve, you know. How dare you? How DARE you?'

'Tadashi!' Rena grabbed his hand and pulled him away, 'whatever patriarchal notion you have going on right now that makes you think you have to save me, can it.'

Tadashi stared at her, 'Rena, do you even remember what this guy did?' He turned to Caine, 'how dare you speak to her? How dare you come up to her and beg for her forgiveness?'

'Tadashi,' Caine began, 'I... I'm really sorry, okay? There are no words that I can say that can make it up to you-'

'Shut up. The both of you.' Rena said angrily, 'NEITHER of you get to speak for me. Caine... Just... Go home.' She looked at him with what she hoped was a kind expression, 'I'll see you later.'

Caine nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets, 'okay. I- okay. I'm going. Merry Christmas Tadashi, mate.'

Tadashi watched him go furiously, 'I'm gonna call the cops.'

'Don't you dare.' Rena hissed, 'don't you dare.'

'HOW are you on his side right now? He almost KILLED you?! What the fuck did he say to you? Did he threaten you?'

She sighed and grabbed his arm, 'let's just... Get back into the warmth. I'm fine, I am.'

He looked doubtful but followed her without resistance. Rena got into the house and slammed the door shut behind her, pulling her socks off and dumping them onto the floor.

'Rena, seriously. What did he say?'

Her eyes were watering. 'A lot of things, alright?'

'Like what?'

'They've arrested Fournier.'

Tadashi slipped and he grabbed onto the banister to keep steady. 'They... What?'

'They arrested him. Because of Caine. He gave them a list of hideouts.'

'Why? He's on their side?'

'He's not! I promise you, he's not. He... He had no other choice. Just trust me, okay?'

'Rena, you know I trust you. This is all just a bit difficult to believe-'

'Are you guys okay?' Aunt Cass called down the stairs, 'you've been ages! You're missing the movie!'

Rena sighed, 'I'll explain later. I promise you I will. Just... Let's just forget about all that for a while. It's Christmas!'

Tadashi nodded, 'okay. But only because it's Christmas.'

'Good. Race you up the stairs?'

HELLO! THANK YOU FOR READING!

100k words! Thank you for sticking with me!

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ONE MORE THANK YOU FOR GOOD LUCK OKAY

GOODBYE!