*(Is this all we see?)*

*~Chapter 26~*

The rest of the night, if not all was spent watching the Hallmark movies. And eventually, the iconic movies. Frosty, Rudolph, all those movies Midnight grew up watching during Christmas.

Midnight hurried to his room after they finished the movie night. His phone was fully charged, maybe overcharged since it was plugged in since before they started watching the movies.

'Oops.'

Nick texted him. "Hey." Is all he said.

Midnight frowned. "Um. Hi." Did he forget what he did earlier? Probably. He was probably drunk. "How's it?"

Midnight: "How is what?"

Nick: "Christmas. How's it?"

Midnight thought about it. His heart swelled. He was thinking about him and if his Christmas was okay. Maybe it was weird to think about friends that long. Or that much. "It was fine I guess. How was yours?"

Nick: "well, the first year with my almost step-dad. And my first year of not living in basic poverty. It was great."

He didn't know that about him. Did he live in basic poverty? Even if he didn't know what that meant. Basic poverty. Wasn't that just poverty? Midnight still wondered about him. His history was something that buzzed in his mind like an annoying bee. He attempted to shake his head away from that. "That's amazing." Midnight texted.

Nick: "I suppose. It feels better than living in a trashy apartment." Midnight looked over his message. History. Again it buzzed.

Nick started texting again. "What did you get?"

Midnight: "ah some art stuff. Blankets and more hoodies.."

Nick: "wow. Even more hoodies? I think you have too many."

'If only you knew why.'

Nick followed with another paragraph. "Art stuff? You should show me some of your art. I'm no artist so I'll enjoy looking at yours."

Midnight: "Was that meant to be dirty deep down?"

Nick: "Wow someone is dirty-minded."

Midnight: "Maybe."

Nick stopped texting after that. Maybe he caught something else to do. Midnight put his phone down on the bedside table and got ready for bed. Undressing down to his boxers, climbing in his bed to cuddle up in the coolness of the air.
~~~~
He awoke to the cold of the winter air seep through his window. If the draft in his house was bad, these days after Christmas would be worse due to the blizzards.

It seemed like blizzards came all the time the days in between Christmas and the New Year.

New Years. That was in less than a week at that point. It would be the next year. A new year. Nothing would change, the numbers would but how Midnight felt about everything wouldn't. 

Midnight climbed out of bed to the chilly hallway. The chills prickled the hairs on his arms as he treaded to the railing. He heard voices from down the stairway, someone of his family was awake. He assumed by the soft coos that Willow was awake downstairs as well. He snuck down the stairs curved around the raised edge of the wall and over to the table. Leah was at the counter and Lilly was at the table with Willow, feeding her what Midnight assumed to be breakfast. Or lunch. He might have woken up late.

He walked in. Lilly looked back at him. "Morning," Leah repeated with a short-lived smile.

Willow flapped her hands on her lap as she looked at her older brother. "She's happy to see you."

Midnight nodded. "Right." He didn't want to say the feeling was mutual because he couldn't tell if it was.

He didn't hate Willow. He just didn't like her as much. Because she was the replacement.

His replacement.

He sat next to Leah. "What's the time?"

"You didn't check your phone?" Leah asked. He assumed she was confused.

"No? I just woke up. Can you..tell me?"

"It's Twelve," Lilly said quietly, "Fawn went out to look at wedding dresses." She sighed.

"Already? It's after Christmas shouldn't there be a kind of Black Friday? Crowds scrounging for sales after Christmas?" He scoffed. "Plus, it's so early. You guys aren't getting married for like—six or seven months."

"More the reason to get a dress for the summer. They might start selling them early."

Midnight looked over to Willow. "She's going to be getting into her powers soon." He stated.

"You did when you were that age."

"Like you even know." Midnight mumbled and walked to the fridge, opening the left door and looking at the drink cart. He grabbed orange juice, put it on the counter, then looked to the cupboard.

"Do we still have cereal?"

"No," Lilly answered. "I gave the rest to Willow."

"Great. Love starving." He groaned in annoyance, balancing his chin off of his hand. After Christmas and instead of getting food his mother was getting a wedding dress. 'Whatever.'

Midnight walked back to the counter next to Leah. He leaned back. "I wish I could use my magic." Midnight felt his head droop against his hand. His ocean blue eyes looking hastily at his baby sister. "At least she can."

"You know why you can't," Lilly stated blank. "You have to be careful Midnight."

"Don't fucking tell me what to do." He snapped loudly. It was like a scream. He was angry. And the sudden burst of anger was just a third of how he felt towards her.

"Midnight." Leah looked at him intensely. "You know if Fawn we're here she would yell at you."

"Right, I care. Okay. Christmas is over. Which means I don't need, nor do I even want to be nice to her anymore." He paused to take a breath. "Do you know how long I have not been saying anything negative about her so I wouldn't make anyone angry? Or 'ruin' the holidays with my negativity?" Midnight shook his head. "You know. I'm just going to go draw because I have no interest in being down her." He made a small scowl towards Lilly before going back up the stairs. 'Well, that was short.' He thought grimly.

He got to his room. His eyes landed on the sharp razor blade. No. Not again. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

Well. He could.

And he wanted to.

But Nick, and his mom. They would hate him. Even if Nick didn't know. He would hate him when he found out. Midnight knew he would. Who wouldn't?

Midnight grabbed the razor from his bedside table. Hesitation, for the first time, filled his head.

He looked over to his phone. It lit up with Nick's name. "Hey I just want to let you know I'm going out for New Year. So don't text or call because I might drunk text. And I don't want Levi to mess with ya."

He smiled. Even if it was that. He smiled. 'He let me know. Of all people. Me.' Midnight looked at his phone again. Throwing the blade onto the floor and pressing his face in his palms, his fingers lacing in his hair. 'I can't.'
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Thanks for reading! I will publish another chapter shortly before Christmas! Happy Holidays!

~Liz <3