Christmas Without You

Deck the Halls

It had been a long couple days back in class since the few days Hiro and his friends had off for Thanksgiving. Professors were sure making up for those "lost" days of education. Homework assignment after another on top of already assigned projects. Not to mention finals were coming up. Everyone was stressed in their own way, but they were assured knowing another break would be coming soon.

Hiro managed to keep a positive attitude about the mass amount of work on his shoulders. He had a good feeling he could get everything done before winter break. For now, his work would have to wait until he got home.

Once at the cafe, he saw that Christmas decorations had already been hung up. A wreath on the door and tinsel around the pillars was the first sign of Aunt Cass's crazy holiday spirit. He had never seen anyone so excited about Christmas in his life. And as he entered the cafe, it was even more decked out. The scent of peppermint hit his nostrils while Christmas music played. He walked up to the counter to greet his aunt who was currently not busy with any customers.

"Hi, sweetie!" She said with a huge grin on her face. "You know what day it is?"

"Ummm...Tuesday?"

"Well yes, but today is also the first day of December! We have to start decorating tonight."

Hiro shrugged. "I don't know. I have a lot of homework to do."

A playful pout formed on his aunt's face. "That's too bad. Tell ya what...you do your homework, and take a break for dinner. And then after dinner, we'll do a little decorating, okay?"

Though Hiro wanted to continue his work straight after dinner, he also didn't want Aunt Cass to put the decorations up by herself. Plus, it was tradition for everyone in the house to pitch in on the decorating.

Yet, the dreaded homework assignments were Hiro's main priority, and boy did it suck. He started on the ones with closer due dates, shifting between his World History paper and Calculus practice test. His essay for Humanoid Construction wasn't due until next week, so putting it off for a day wouldn't hurt. Of course, he did take the time to write out his thesis.

Hours seemed to have gone by before it was finally dinner time. Typically, Hiro and Aunt Cass would talk about their day. Both conversations would usually last throughout the entire meal. Aunt Cass did a quick wash up of their plates and ushered Hiro down to the cafe. They started their decorating there where she had the boxes of decorations ready. There was a medium-sized Christmas tree that was always put in the corner. Knick-knacks placed together on shelves, tinsel hanging down the counter, Santa Claus banners, snow globes, and even a mistletoe over the door. To decorate the cafe alone was time consuming, but they both had a good time doing it.

Now, came the second floor which always had more decorations to go through. They were always Hiro's favorite to help with though. Afterall, he did make a few of the ornaments for their personal tree. In grade school, they made ornaments out of clay; Hiro making a reindeer and snowman. There was also a red ball with his name on it as well as a robot with a Santa hat on its head; Hiro's personal favorites to hang up.

With the tree almost done, Aunt Cass told Hiro to get the stockings out. There was a box just for them because they were so big. Every year, Hiro would climb inside his to see if he could still fit. The last couple years, he had seemed to outgrow his stocking, but it was always fun to use as if he were part of a bean bag race.

He opened the box, immediately taking out the first stocking. He unfolded it, hoping it was his. He flipped up the top of the stocking where the white cuff was.

There, the name TADASHI was spelled out in front of him.

The bright smile that was on Hiro's face now fell into a soft frown. He knew something was slightly off during decorating, but he couldn't put his finger on it until now. Tadashi always made decorating seem more fun. On their first Christmas with Aunt Cass, Tadashi wrapped tinsel around him and put a bow on his head. When Tadashi was tall enough, he would put the star on top of the tree. If Christmas music was playing, he would would hum along to the tune and glide around the room whilst putting up decorations. By now, he would have grabbed his stocking out of Hiro's hand with a sassy, 'Thaaaaank you!' and had it dangling by the fireplace. Yet, here Hiro was, holding onto his brother's stocking and not around anymore to take away from him. As more holiday memories between him and Tadashi came flooding back in his mind, the grip on the stocking loosened. Hiro wanted to let go of it, put it aside, and get the others up, but he couldn't. He refused to.

A gentle hand touched his back, causing his body to jolt. He looked over, seeing his aunt's beaming face. "Hiro, what are you looking a--"

He watched as her jade eyes wandered over to the object Hiro was holding. Reading the name of her late nephew made her heart drop. To both of them, nothing in that current moment mattered. They both couldn't stop thinking about Tadashi and how he wasn't there to celebrate the holiday's with them anymore. The house felt so empty without him, but holidays only added onto that. Tadashi had his ways of keeping things together through stressful times. Holiday shopping and decorating were not always easy. And of course there were those rare moments where people tried to steal from the cafe. In those times, Tadashi managed to keep it together and assured that all that needed to be done would get finished. Christmas seemed so boring and empty without him, and the season had just barely begun.

A faint 'oh' sounded from Aunt Cass's mouth; her lips trembling. She subconsciously rubbed Hiro's back in a circular motion. Her other hand was holding the cuff of Tadashi's stocking, her thumb repeatedly stroking the letter T. A prolonged sigh escaped from her nose. She glanced over at Hiro, who was now looking away from the stocking and at the floor. His frown had gotten longer and grip on the stocking somewhat tighter.

Her hand traveled from his back to the top of his head. She gently ruffled his hair with her fingers as she pulled him in a loving embrace. His head now rested on her shoulder and her chin on his head.

"I know, honey...I know," she whispered in his ear with a croaky voice. She planted a kiss on his hairline before rubbing his back again.

Hiro peered up at Aunt Cass - his big, brown eyes wide, making his whole facial expression appearing as if he were a lost animal. "U-uhm...A-Aunt Cass? I uh have a lot of homework to still do...can I um--"

"Of course, Hiro," she said, allowing him to leave.

His grip on the stocking released all at once, dropping it back into the box. He ran out of the room and up the stairs, closing his bedroom door. An awful ache in his chest along with a knot in his stomach had followed him as he rushed off, and only worsened once he was alone. A heavy sigh ruptured from him. He didn't want to leave his aunt to do the rest of the decorating. But seeing that stocking reminded him of how quiet yet another holiday was going to be.

He walked over to his desk, looking at the work he still needed to get done. There wasn't nearly as much to get finished as Hiro made it out to be, but he still had to get it done tonight.

Of course, his mind wouldn't let him think about anything else, except the stocking. Then, Hiro remembered all the ornaments that Tadashi had made. He thought about the gifts they had gotten for each other over the years. The pencil he was holding onto shakily slipped from his fingers. A drop of water fell on one of his assignments. He had started crying, not realizing his eyes were producing tears. Wiping away the stains the tears left behind off his face, Hiro continued working.

"Merry Christmas, bro!"

A heavy intake came out of him as he jumped. His vision got blurry as more tears formed in his eyes. He turned around in his chair and collapsed on top of his bed, letting the warm tears flow freely. Every time a vocal whimper squeaked from his mouth, he closed it tight not wanting to be heard. He tried to forget about Christmas memories from years before. He tried to forget about his brother's stocking. The harder he tried, the more he would see his name in bold letters. And when he thought of the stocking, he remembered how grateful Tadashi was for the little things packed inside it every Christmas morning. Candy. Gift cards. You name it, he was thrilled with everything he got.

Soon enough, Hiro drifted off to sleep. His homework incomplete and sheets damp from his fresh tears.

---

Happy holidays everyone! To kick off the season, here is the first chapter of my BH6 Christmas fanfic! I am really happy with how it is coming along so far and I am so happy to finally share with you all the first chapter! You wanna know something? I have five more planned chapters coming out throughout this month and I plan to post the last chapter on Christmas day! Poor Hiro; this holiday just won't be the same without Tadashi. Don't worry, it'll eventually get better for him.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! :D