Serendipity || ✔️

bonus

Snow Flower
1:05  ───|────── 3:49
|◁              II             ▷|

don't forget to comment and vote!

✘

December, 20XX

Kellin didn't always love Christmas. The first few years of his life were okay, his parents would be with him and make an effort. After a while, the effort would die out till it ended up with the Christmas tree not being put up. There was a single string of lights on the outside only because Kellin found them deep inside a box with the rest of their decorations that looked like the rats got into them.

The holiday seasons were always another cruel reminder to Kellin that he was truly alone.

That is, of course, until he moves to California and meets the Fuentes'. Christmas was so close when Kellin moved to California and he thought it would be another year where he would string up his pathetic lights and stay inside all day while his parents were at work, but Vic and Mike came over a day before Christmas Eve and saw the lack of decorations in Kellin's house. His parents were gone, there was no tree, no stockings, nothing. Just the pathetic string of lights Kellin was putting up.

"You're barely decorating?" Mike called out once they made it to Kellin's house. They saw the young 14-year-old on top of a ladder, putting up the lights along the picket fence and running along the front of the yard.

Kellin looked up from his work and saw the two brothers walking towards him. They were both dressed in hoodies, sweats, and beanies. They looked warm and Kellin thought it had been silly. California's cold was nothing compared to the other states he lived in when he was younger. All he wore was a t-shirt and sweatpants with slippers because he didn't care enough to put on sneakers.

"Oh, hey guys." Kellin smiled when they finally made their way to him. Mike started to play with the multi-colored lights and Vic looked at him with a frown. "Yeah, I was too busy with school work so I didn't get to put them up till now."

"Why didn't your parents put them up?" Vic asked. Kellin smacked at Mike's hand when he started to pull at the lights and unwrap it from the fence. Mike grumbled and returned the string of lights to Kellin, who continued to put them up.

"Mm, they're not here," Kellin said as he started to weave the lights through the fence again, "They're on a business trip."

Vic's eyebrows furrowed even more and glanced at Mike who only shrugged. "Are they coming back home before tomorrow?"

"Oh, no... I won't see them till New Year's Day probably," Kellin said and he said it so casually it instantly let the brothers know that this wasn't the first time. It was beyond odd to them that Kellin was home alone—at 14–especially during the holidays. The Fuentes brothers had grown to learn that Kellin's parents were always working and were home on rare occasions. But, they didn't think they would be away during the holidays.

After that, Kellin was whisked away from a lonely Christmas and spent it at the Fuentes' household. It was awkward at first, but Kellin found that some people celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. They would open presents at midnight and before that, they would eat and celebrate with whatever family showed up. The house was pretty full by the end of the night and the Christmas tree was filled to the brim with different gifts. It was lively and fun and Kellin didn't know how to handle it all.

It was a bit overwhelming and he had ended up in the backyard of the house where he shed a few tears because, wow, who knew Christmas could be this fun? To have this warmth and being surrounded by so many people.