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The 7 year old gray squirrel was certain that this would be the year he finally met man, and the thought of being able to brag to his small circle of friends at school about it was enough to make him giddy with excitement. He eyed the screen on the small digital alarm clock next to his bed, his heart sinking as he saw the time. It was only 10:30, and he could already feel himself starting to slip off to sleep with how late it was getting. He rolled over onto his back and forced his eyes open wide, determined to wait it out, even as he felt his eyes slowly fluttering shut despite how hard he fought to keep them open.\n\nThe young squirrel jolted awake at the sound of something falling over in the living room, quickly looking over to the clock as his heart started racing. He started to beat himself up in his head for falling asleep, reading 12:48 on the clock screen. The tiny rodent was upset for wasting over two whole hours by falling asleep, but then he remembered the noise, and he couldn't help but smile excitedly. He was wide awake now as be quickly rubbed the crust from his eyes and quietly shuffled himself out of bed.\n\nLittle Dexter stealthily stepped towards his door, opening it as silently as he could before poking his head out and looking around, making sure the coast was clear before stepping out. He softly padded his way down the hallway, sure to make as little noise as possible as he crept towards the living room. He could hear the crinkling of wrapping paper as presents were moved around, the small rodent's heart racing harder and harder as he saw a shadow move against the wall, the figure in the living room briefly coming into view before disappearing again on the other side. He fought hard to hold back his excited gasp before he made it to the end of the hallway to where he could finally see the living room.\n\nDexter was confused, looking around the room and only seeing another familiar gray figure walking around filling stockings and putting boxes under the tree. He stood and watched for a while, staying unnoticed until he decided to step forward and make himself known. “Dennis?”\n\nDennis immediately jolted and shot around, quickly meeting his little brother's eyes before freezing in place. “W-wha? I-I mean, uh, h-hey, Dex. What are you doing awake? Y-you should be in bed, buddy.”\n\n“I came to see Santa…W-why are you filling stockings? W-why are you eating the cookies we left out?” Dexter asked, feeling himself start to tear up.\n\nDennis could feel his heart sinking at the sight of his little brother slowly breaking out into tears, knowing very well how the boy felt. He'd experienced the same thing at Dexter's age, catching his parents in the act of putting out presents from Santa. He stood and stared for a short while, frozen as he thought of how to explain things to the small boy. “Uh, c-come here, Dex. I guess it's time to have a little chat,” he said as he walked towards the couch and sat down, patting the space next to him.\n\nLittle Dexter sniffled, looking down at the floor as he slowly made his way around the couch to sit down next to his brother. He felt Dennis lean over to wrap his arms around him and pull him towards him in a hug before he spoke. “I was hoping we'd have a little longer before you learned about this,” the older squirrel said with a deep sigh, giving Dexter a quick peck on top of his head.\n\n“L-learned about what? D-did I do something wrong? Was I bad t-this year? I-I did all my chores! I-I tried real hard,” the young rodent sniffled out, his tears now streaking down his face as Dennis hugged him tighter.\n\n“No, buddy. I promise, you didn't do anything wrong. You've always been such a good boy, even though things have been tough since dad left.” Dennis could feel Dexter deflate in his arms at the mention of their father, the 7 year old never understanding why he would leave them the way he did just after his fifth birthday. \n\nThe older squirrel held Dexter close, feeling himself starting to tear up as he thought about how to explain things. He leaned over to grab a cookie off of the coffee table in front of them, breaking it in half and holding part of it up to Dexter. “Do you want a cookie, Dex? You helped make them. It's only fair you get to eat them, too.”\n\nDexter shook his head and sniffled. “Dennis, stop! T-those are for Santa! We can't eat them…”\n\nDennis' heart sank at the shock and sadness in Dexter's voice, quickly leaning over to put the cookie pieces back down onto the table. “Dexter, there's uh- shit, how do I say this? When I was your age, I really wanted to meet Santa, too. I stayed up real late one night, and when I heard something out here, I snuck out as quiet as I could. Do you know what I found?”\n\nDexter shook his head, still sniffling. “W-was it Santa? Did you meet him?”\n\n“No, buddy. I came out and I found mom and dad eating the cookies and putting presents out. Even the ones marked 'from Santa'. I came out and I got upset and started crying about how they were ruining Christmas because Santa would be mad and now he wouldn't come,” the older squirrel said, unable to stop himself from letting out a slight chuckle. “They looked at each other, then they looked at me, and they sat me down on the couch. They gave me a cookie to calm me down, and then they told me Santa [I]was[/I] there. They told me, well, uh, they told me [I]they[/I] were Santa.”\n\nDexter sat for a moment, confused as he thought about what he'd just been told. “W-what?” He asked, struggling to turn around in his brother's arms. Dennis loosened his grip, letting the smaller squirrel free himself and face him, the young boy wiping his eyes with another sniffle before continuing. “What do you mean? H-how could mom and dad be Santa?”\n\nDennis lifted a hand to his little brother's head, gently petting down the boy's long, dark gray hair. “Santa isn't a real person, Dex,” he said softly, ripping the bandaid off as calmly as he could. “Santa is just a fun story we tell to make Christmas feel more fun and special.”\n\nThe little squirrel sniffled again, his lips quivering as he tried to understand what his older brother was telling him. “S-santa's not real? B-but how? What about all the stories a-and the movies? How could he not be real?”\n\n“Look, buddy...I know it's confusing, and it hurts to learn about, but Santa's n-not just for you, he's for us, too,” Dennis explained, leaning over to give his brother a gentle kiss on the forehead and hoping he'd be able to stop his tears soon. “It's fun to get ready for Christmas with you. One of mom's favorite things is seeing how excited you get to write your letters to Santa, and how much fun you have making and putting up decorations with us. It makes us happy to see how excited you get opening your presents from Santa on Christmas morning.”\n\nDexter's heart ached, feeling lost and betrayed as Dennis explained everything to him. He couldn't hold back his tears as he sobbed in his brother's arms, devastated not just from learning he'd never get to meet Santa, but from learning he'd been lied to about it his whole life. He wanted to get up and run back to bed and cry, but his brother just held him tightly while he sniffled and sobbed. \n\n“I-I'm sorry, Dexter. I'm sorry,” Dennis whispered out softly, feeling himself start to tear up as he pet his little brothers head. “I know it hurts, I'm sorry…”\n\nThe pair sat and cried together on the couch for a while, neither able to say anything more until Dexter started to calm down. The young rodent's overwhelming sadness began to fade as he felt Dennis petting his long, dark gray hair. His breathing steadied and his sniffling sobs died down, now sitting mostly in silence as the older squirrel tried his best to quietly comfort him. \n\nDennis felt the younger boy start to pull away, the older squirrel loosening his grip to let him sit up. He watched as Dexter grabbed part of his shirt and wiped his face, the tears soaked into his cheeks adding a dark splotch to the fabric as he tried to wipe them dry. The sight of the boy's sad, reddened eyes made his heart sink even more, the older rodent feeling himself start to tear up again until Dexter spoke. \n\n“C-can I have s-some hot chocolate, please?” He asked, looking up at Dennis with his dark green eyes, waiting for a response. His lips still quivered slightly, like he could break out into tears again at any moment. He couldn't help but smile a little as his brother reached up to pet his head a little, pulling him in to give him a little kiss on the forehead before he nodded and stood up, heading towards the kitchen.\n\nDennis searched through the kitchen cupboards as he waited for the small mug of milk in the microwave to heat up. His heart ached for his brother, feeling awful for ruining Christmas for him and wondering if he should have just kept the lie going and played it off like nothing was wrong. He remembered how hurt he was when he learned Santa wasn't real, and seeing little Dexter hurting the same way crushed him inside. He found what he was looking for just before the microwave beeped, quickly closing the cupboard to make his brother's treat.\n\nDexter sat up on the couch, hugging his knees and staring at the blank TV screen straight ahead, zoned off into space. He'd barely moved since Dennis went to make his cocoa, his mind just a static mess as he struggled to make sense of his feelings over what he'd learned. He hadn't noticed his brother until he sat down next to him on the couch, making the young boy tilt over in his direction as he placed a steaming mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table in front of them, along with a napkin. \n\n“Here you go, buddy,” the older rodent whispered softly as he leaned over to hug Dexter again. “I found some marshmallows mom hid in the cupboard. I thought you'd like those,” he continued, with a gentle kiss on the head and a quick ruffling of the boy's hair.\n\nDexter couldn't help but let out a soft giggle from his older brother's affection, his cheeks warming briefly as he struggled to hold back a smile through his sadness. He was grateful for his brother, thankful the older boy always knew how to break through his sadness no matter how bad things got. His presence alone was enough to be a comfort most times, even if they sometimes ended up sitting together in silence for hours on end. He knew Dennis loved him, and he knew the older rodent would do whatever he could to make him feel better. \n\n“C'mon, kiddo. Drink some, before it gets cold. Have a cookie, too. They're really good, buddy,” Dennis said, leaning forward to place a broken cookie half onto the napkin, picking it up along with the hot mug and holding them out in front of Dexter as the young squirrel let go of his knees and let his legs down, now sitting normally on the couch.\n\nThe young squirrel grabbed the napkin, setting it down on his lap before grabbing the mug. He smiled at the melted blob of a marshmallow smiley face his brother dotted the top of the cocoa with, letting out a short giggle before blowing on it and taking a small sip. He smiled again, happy with the taste of his favorite winter treat as he struggled to lean forward to set it back down on the coffee table, Dennis quickly taking the cup to set down for him before the little boy could spill it by accident.\n\nThe older rodent looked over to Dexter as he leaned back, watching the small boy pick the cookie up off of the napkin in his lap before taking a bite. “Feel better?”\n\nDexter briefly nodded, cookie crumbs falling from his mouth. “A little. T-thank you. Sorry f-for cryin' so much.”\n\nDennis leaned over to wrap his arms around his brother again, giving him another kiss on the head. “You got nothin' to be sorry for, buddy. I was way worse when I found out. I'm sorry it happened like this, though. I know how excited you get for Christmas. I was trying to be quiet because I didn't want this to happen, but I shoulda known better.”\n\nDexter took another bite of his cookie, chewing it slowly as he thought about what to say. “So...where do my letters to Santa go?”\n\nDennis thought for a moment, wondering if he should keep his knowledge to himself once again before letting out a sigh and coming clean. “Uh, i-it's part of our Christmas tradition. Me and mom get together to read them after you go to bed to find out what kind of stuff you want, and then she puts them in a special box to keep them safe,” he said, pausing for a second as he collected his thoughts. “After you started preschool, mom and dad brought me in on it so we could all read em together, but now that dad's gone it's just me and mom. Last year, she showed me the box with my old letters in it. You know, in my last letter, I asked Santa for a new friend. It took a few years for you to get here, though.”\n\nDexter turned to look at Dennis, tilting his head curiously with a brief giggle. “Dennis that's silly, I'm not your friend, I'm your brother,” he said playfully. Any hint of sadness left from earlier disappeared as the older boy reached over to grab Dexter and drag the squirming squirrel into his lap in a fit of giggles, the cookie on the young boy's lap now laying forgotten on the floor with a small pile of crumbs.\n\nDennis' hands wandered around the small rodent's belly, gently rubbing and scratching him as the boy quickly began to calm down. “You're my [I]cool[/I] little brother who also happens to be not [I]just[/I] my friend, but my [I]best[/I] friend. I look forward to hanging out with you more than anyone else,” he said as he leaned over to kiss the top of Dexter's head. “You know, none of my other friends even [I]like[/I] their siblings, it's sad. None of them are as cool as you, buddy.”\n\nDexter couldn't help but blush from his brother's praise. The pair had always been very close despite their 12 year age difference, but the young squirrel never realized his brother thought so highly of him. A pleasant warmth fluttered through his chest as Dennis pulled him closer, hugging him tightly with one arm and gently rubbing his stomach with his other hand. “You really think I'm cool?” the young rodent asked, leaning his head back to try to look at his brother's face.\n\n“The coolest brother I coulda ever asked for, bud,” he replied softly, emphasizing his words by briefly tightening his hug. “I'm sorry about tonight, Dex. I should've been more careful, quieter.” \n\nDexter struggled around in Dennis' grasp, finally able to turn himself around after the older boy loosened his grip slightly. The young squirrel wrapped his arms around his brother's neck, hugging him tightly with a warm smile. \n“It's okay, Dennis. I got to meet Santa anyway, even if he wasn't who I thought he was,” he said before being interrupted by a yawn. “Can we watch cartoons?”\n\nDennis smiled, gently running his hand up and down the boy's back. “It's 1:30, buddy. We gotta get you to bed.”\n\nDexter whined softly, pulling back with a huff to look his brother in the eye, his dark green eyes visibly heavy as he spoke. “B-but I'm not even tired,” he argued, clearly lying as he fought to hide another yawn. “Pleeaaaaaaaase?”\n\nDennis couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's sleepy, begging eyes. He was powerless to say no to that face, and Dexter knew it. The older boy nodded, leaning over to grab the remote off the coffee table while Dexter quietly cheered and hugged him again. The pair laid together on the couch, little Dexter getting comfortable on top of his brother as the Bluey intro played on the TV, the volume low to avoid risking waking up their mother. \n\nBarely 10 minutes went by before Dennis felt the snuggly little lump on top of him go completely limp, his breathing slow and steady as the next episode started to play. Dennis let out a contented sigh as he idly pet down Dexter's hair and back, thinking back on the night. He still felt terrible for dashing his brother's hopes of ever meeting Santa, but he was still happy for how the night had gone despite everything. Nothing hurt him worse than seeing the boy sad, especially if he was sad [I]because[/I] of him, but he was happy for how understanding he was when all was said and done. \n\nDennis felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier as the minutes passed by, finally deciding it was time for bed. He moved one hand under Dexter's butt for support, with his other arm wrapped around his back as he turned to hang his legs off the couch, moving as slowly as he could to try not to wake the sleeping child up. He sat up awkwardly, making sure Dexter was secure in his grip before reaching over to grab the remote to turn off the TV. He eyed the half full cup of cocoa that sat forgotten on the coffee table, briefly debating on if he should try to put Dexter down and clean up before bed, but decided he'd just deal with it in the morning. \n\nHe carefully stood, groaning uncomfortably as one of his knees popped, having been sitting still for too long. He felt stiff and tired as the late hour finally started to set in, slowly walking towards the light switch to flick it off before heading down the hall towards Dexter's room. He struggled to maintain his grip on the boy, groaning from his weight. “Jeez, kid. You're a lot heavier than you used to be,” he whispered to himself as he struggled to open his brother's door. He waddled to the boy's bed, setting him down as gently as he could to try not to wake him up, softly kissing his forehead and pulling up his blanket before turning to leave.\n\nDexter groaned softly as he heard the floor creek, his eyes opening enough to see his brother trying to quietly walk away. He reached out to gently grab Dennis' tail, getting the older boy to turn around again. “Mmnnh, don't leave...snuggy,” he pleaded quietly, letting out a big yawn as Dennis smiled and crawled into bed with the boy.\n\nDennis wrapped his arms around his brother, hugging him close as the boy turned onto his side and curled his tail up to hug it like a pillow, quickly dozed off back to sleep. “Goodnight, Dexter. Sweet dreams,” he whispered quietly, giving him one last gentle kiss on the head. “Merry Christmas.”" }