I was inspired to do this story after seeing a very cute Christmas drawing of Balan and the Tims with a Christmas Tree on Deviantart. The lovely picture is called "Season's Greetings" done by DrawingStar12 on that site. :)
Balan Wonderworld belongs to Square Enix. I own nothing.
Not Alone On Christmas
Emma sniffled as she left the house, wincing against the cold wind that hit her and chilled her despite her warm winter jacket and scarf that was wrapped around her neck. She hugged herself before walking down the street, her head down as tears filled her eyes.
It was Christmas Eve, but her parents sadly were snowed in after having flown for a business trip and so wouldn't be back in time for Christmas. While the girl understood that this was beyond her parents' control, she was still sad. She continued walking, not having a destination in mind, but her feet seemed to know where to take her.
Across town, Leo was walking down the street as well, bundled up in his jacket and scarf, but not in a celebration mood as he learned that his parents wouldn't be home for Christmas as they were taking care of his grandparents, who lived in another state and were sick with the flu. He hoped they would be okay, but he wished he was there to at least help out or not be alone on Christmas.
Sighing, he just kept walking, his head down as he tried not to worry about his grandparents, the snow crunching underneath his feet, but he paid it no mind. He suddenly heard a gasp and looked up to see a girl about his age and she looked at him in surprise before gazing to see a familiar alleyway to their right. Leo followed her gaze and his eyes widened. He looked back at the girl, who looked at him curiously.
"Hi," he said softly. "Didn't mean to surprise you. Sorry."
"It's okay," she said softly, glancing down the alleyway again before seeing something yellow up ahead and she smiled.
Seeing her smile, the boy looked and he saw the creature too. "A Tim," he said.
The girl looked at him and smiled. "You know Balan too?" She asked.
He nodded. "You too?" He asked.
She nodded before looking a bit shy. "I'm Emma," she said.
"Leo," he replied before looking back at the Tim, who seemed to be beckoning him. "Think Balan has the theater open tonight?"
"Maybe," she said. "Let's go see."
They stepped into the alleyway and the Tim chirped happily, a cute little wreath on its head as it hopped away, leading them to the doors. The Tim tried to hop up and get the door, but couldn't reach the handle. Emma giggled softly and picked him up, holding him up to the handle and the small Tim managed to turn the knob. Leo then opened the door and the Tim hopped away from them, going down the hall. A gust of wind hit them and Emma shivered. The young boy shivered too. "Come on," he said. "Let's get inside."
They both went in and noticed it was much warmer inside. Closing the door, they stood still for a moment, letting the warm air surrounding them chase away the chill that tried to stay with them. "He must be here if it feels this warm in here," Emma said.
Leo nodded before seeing the same Tim that had led them there wave to them and vanish again. He looked curious. "I think that Tim wants us to follow him," he said, moving down the hall. The girl was right behind him.
Balan hummed happily as he set down the last present under the tree. "There," he said happily. "Presents wrapped, decorations up, and all of you Tims looking just adorable."
Most of the Tims were wearing cute Santa hats, wreaths, or garland and hopping around happily while he himself wore a red sweater over his suit as it was a bit chilly. He then felt a gentle nudge on his leg and looked down to see a Tim jumping up and down and pointing a small wing towards the entryway. "What is it?" He asked curiously.
The Tim chirped happily, still indicating to the door. Balan's eyes widened before he smiled with glee. "Emma and Leo are here? Wonderful!" He said before rushing out to meet the kids, his signature laughter escaping him in his excitement.
Hearing familiar laughter, the two stopped before seeing a blur running towards them and they braced themselves before letting out shouts of surprise as they were scooped up by two thin, but very strong arms. "Welcome!" A familiar voice sang out and Emma turned to find Balan was the one holding her and Leo and she giggled.
"Balan!" She said happily, hugging him, feeling better at seeing the magical being and his large infectious smile that seemed to chase away any sadness.
Leo grinned. "Hi, Balan," he said.
The tall magician smiled. "I'm so happy to see you two," he said before looking a bit concerned. "But...is everything alright? I thought perhaps you two would be home with your families."
Emma looked down. "My folks were on a business trip and got snowed in where they're at," she said softly. "They won't be back until the day after Christmas."
Leo bit his lip before sighing. "My grandparents are really sick and my parents are taking care of them," he said. "But...they don't know how long they'll be there."
Balan pulled his friends into a hug, feeling sad for the two of them before he smiled. "Well then, you two can stay here for Christmas," he said.
The young girl perked up. "Really?" She asked hopefully.
The entertainer nodded. "Of course!" He said. "As a good friend, I insist you stay. No one should be alone on Christmas."
The young boy perked up too. "You're really okay with that?" He asked.
Balan chuckled. "Leo, of course I am," he said. "I enjoy it when you two visit, though this is a first with both of you visiting me at the same time."
Emma giggled before some of the Tims came up to her and a few jumped up on her head and shoulders, giving her friendly nuzzles that made her giggle some more. Leo smiled before feeling a hand messing up his hair. "Hey!" He cried out, playfully trying to ward off the playful hand.
"Oh, come here you," the tall being said, scooping the boy up and tickling his ribs, making him laugh and try to squirm free. "Lighten up, Leo. I'll have no sad faces or upset in my theater on Christmas."
He let the boy up then and Leo nodded. A blue Tim came up to him and jumped to his shoulder, nuzzling his neck and making him chuckle a bit. "See? Even the Tims don't want you both feeling sad," Balan continued, kneeling down as he rested a hand on the boy's free shoulder.
Emma smiled, her green eyes sparkling. "Thanks for letting us stay, Balan," she said.
"But of course, my dear," he said, scooping her up into a hug. "I wouldn't be a good friend if I let you and Leo be all alone for Christmas."
Some of the Tims cheered before a delicious smell of roasted ham reached them and Balan grinned wider. "Ah, smells like the food is ready," he said. "Come, let's go eat."
The feast was a massive one! Emma's eyes widened as she saw all the food that looked like it was enough to feed the entire town. Leo blinked in shock and his jaw dropped. A gloved hand gently lifted his chin so that his mouth closed while an amused chuckle filled the room. "We go all out for a Christmas feast or any feast," the entertainer said. "Now, let's dig in."
Two chairs appeared and both kids sat down while Balan sat beside them as they ate. Everything was absolutely delicious and the kids enjoyed the meal immensely. Once they had finished and were watching the Tims as they also enjoyed the feast and jumped for joy, making the kids smile before Emma began to feel very tired, her head nodding a little as she tried to stay awake. Leo, noticing this, gently caught her as her head nearly fell forward into her empty plate, carefully scooting his chair closer and gently guiding her head to rest on his shoulder, just stifling a yawn himself.
Balan noticed this and chuckled in amusement, noting the time. He stood up and gently scooped up Emma into his arms, the young girl snuggling closer, her head resting against his shoulder where she heard his heartbeat, sighing contently. The tall being smiled before looking at Leo. "Come," he said. "You two can stay in my room. It's going to be rather cold tonight."
The boy stood up, following his friend. "Balan?" He asked.
"Yes, Leo?" The entertainer asked.
The boy looked away for a moment before looking back up at his friend. "Thanks," he said.
A friendly chuckle came from the tall being. "You're welcome," he said as they made it to a rather large bedroom. A king-sized bed was in the center and the room was an assortment of colors that made it look very inviting. Bookshelves filled with books and various magic items lined the walls and it looked like the room had two closets.
Balan gently set Emma on the bed and carefully removed the girl's sneakers, setting them on a mat by the door before gesturing to Leo to go ahead and take off his sneakers. The boy did so, noticing that he began to feel sleepy. He watched as the tall being placed Emma under the covers, tucking her in before turning to the boy, going over and scooping him up into his arms. Leo didn't protest as he was feeling like he was about to fall asleep, especially as his friend placed him under the covers too, the bed feeling soft and the covers feeling warm as he was tucked in too.
The entertainer removed his shoes and crawled into the bed on Emma's other side, settling himself down before he smiled at his two friends, leaning forward and gently kissing Emma's forehead in affection . "Goodnight, Emma," he said before he reached over her to the boy and playfully tousled Leo's hair with a smile. The boy let him this time as he knew it was his friend's way of showing he cared. "Goodnight, Leo."
"Goodnight, Balan," Leo said before yawning and closing his eyes, falling sound asleep.
The tall being chuckled before removing his hat and setting it aside, turning onto his right side and his head settling on his own pillow. Just as he closed his eyes, he placed an arm protectively over his friends, feeling Emma snuggle closer to him and Leo did the same as the magician joined them in dreamland.
The next morning, the sun shone into the room and Emma stirred, opening her eyes and stretching before looking to see Balan was sleeping on her left and Leo was sleeping on her right. Giggling softly, she turned to look at her tall friend, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek.
The entertainer stirred at feeling that and opened his yellow eyes, smiling as he saw Emma was awake and giggling. "Well, well," he chuckled, playfully poking her stomach and she giggled again before hugging him and he returned the hug, kissing her forehead affectionately. "Good morning, Emma. Merry Christmas."
"Morning, Balan. Merry Christmas," she replied.
Leo stirred awake and sat up with a yawn before looking over at them. "Morning, guys," he said before waking up more. "Wait. Is it...Christmas?"
Balan chuckled. "It is," he said. "Merry Christmas, Leo."
The boy grinned. "Merry Christmas, Balan. Merry Christmas, Emma."
Emma smiled and hugged him and he returned the hug just as the Tims came bouncing in and they were chirping in excitement. Balan chuckled as he opened up his arms and they all jumped to him, nuzzling into his embrace happily. "Merry Christmas to you all," he said to them before listening as they began chirping again. His eyes widened as he grinned. "It seems we had a visitor while we were sleeping."
"We did?" The blonde-haired girl asked.
"Who?" The boy asked.
The tall being got out of bed and put on his hat. "Let's go see," he suggested.
Getting up, the kids got their shoes on and Balan did the same before they headed out to the living area. The tree was lit up very prettily and the ornaments seemed to be dancing in the light. Underneath the tree were several presents. The Tims seemed to be in delight as seeing there were presents and there looked to be each one for them all.
"Whoa," Leo said in awe.
"It looks like Santa Claus came," Emma said, recalling from when she was little.
Balan smiled. "He did," he said. "I asked him if he'd stop by for the Tims and it looks like he did."
One blue rabbit Tim saw them and began pushing a medium-sized box to them, guiding it to Emma's feet and chirping at her, pointing one ear at the gift and then at her. She blinked in surprise and cocked her head puzzedly, to which the Tim showed her the tag. "To: Emma; From: Santa," she read aloud and blinked. "Wait...how did he...?"
Leo was surprised when another Tim pushed a medium-sized box over to him and he looked at the tag before looking at Balan, but noted that while the tall being looked amused, he also seemed genuinely pleased. He saw the boy looking at him and chuckled, gently shaking his head. "Not me, Leo," he said gently. "Though I do believe in Santa."
The blue rabbit Tim pushed another box up to Balan, who smiled and petted the small creature gently. "Thank you," he said before seeing the kids were still in awe. "Well? Aren't you going to open your gifts?"
Emma looked at him. "But...how did Santa know Leo and I were here?" He asked.
"He knows everything, Emma," the tall being said, smiling. "It's funny. I would usually hear if someone entered, but I didn't hear anything last night and the Tims say they saw someone in a red suit come down the chimney. They at first thought it was me, but they saw me sleeping in bed and one was standing guard last night and said he didn't seem me wake up."
"So it couldn't have been you or one of your clones?" Leo asked.
Balan shook his head with a chuckle. "They also said the being was a bit shorter than me," he said. "With a full white beard and white hair."
Emma giggled. "It must have been Santa then," she said.
The tall being smiled. "Why don't you two see what he got you?"
The two began to open their gifts and Leo gasped as he got a new skateboard and some new protective gear. His old board was getting worn down and he had been hoping to save it for practice and get a new board to use for when he did competitions.
Emma gasped softly at seeing her gift was a plush anime character she liked along with a new book from a series she was reading. She hugged the plush and picked up the book, running her hand over the cover in awe.
Balan smiled before opening his gift and he was surprised to see it was a new suit for him that had rich blue and gold colors with silver trim. A new top hat much like his own was the same color blue with the same color gold hatband. He smiled and before the kids' eyes, he vanished into his white hat.
Curious, Emma reached out and picked up his hat, noticing that there was nothing inside. She then turned it so that it was right side up and all of a sudden, Balan slid out of the hat wearing his new suit and his new hat. She gasped and Leo blinked. "Whoa," he said in surprise.
The tall being smiled. "Santa certainly knows how to work his magic," he said.
The kids nodded before hugging their friend, who returned the hugs happily.
It didn't matter to the kids that they were in a theater on Christmas. What mattered was that they weren't alone on the holiday, thanks to each other and their magical friend who in more ways than one was like an older brother to them.
Merry Christmas, everyone! :)
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GoldGuardian2418