I already apologize and warn you: this story will suck soooooo much. I'm sorry T.T

As I wrote in the summary, it's dedicated to all of you; especially to those who can recognize themselves in some characters. Parts in italics are sort of captions. Enjoy it, and Merry Christmas to you all!

Not beta'd. Sorry for all the mistakes.

Christmas Wishes

The huge Bennington’s manor was strangely quiet, in the afternoon of the 23rd day of December. One of the dozens of rooms was softly lightened by a desk lamp, which was sending golden glows around the near three square feet, the rest of the bedroom wrapped in sweet red half-light. Right under the lamp’s beam, the whispers of two boys could be heard only by a careful ear. The older of the two, blond-haired, held the younger brunette in his lap as he wrote under his dictation.

Dear Santa,

You know I always love Christmas time! There’s snow outside, I can make my snowman, daddy’s able to stay here longer without having to always go to the uncles’, we decorate our giant Christmas tree, mommy makes the Chocolate Christmas’ Cake and I can play with everyone I want without having to hear the excuse that they’re busy for the next day!

I’m sorry I still have to be helped by my brother to write to you. I promise that during the following year I’ll learn how to write and next Christmas I’ll be able to write by myself!

For now, please, bring Draven an extra present because he’s so patient and helps me every time I need him.

The so-called Draven boy stopped writing as the kid dictated the last sentence. His brown, so dark pools were widely open as always, shining with the lamp’s golden blazes as he told him the lines to write as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Kids. Such heartquakes…and earthquakes:

Yeah, please, bring him an extra present, even if he’s so stupid that he kee—

“Oh, wait, are you talking about me?!” The blond turned again to the kid, who was chuckling behind his tiny hand at his sudden reaction.

“Go on writing: ‘even if he is so stupid that he keeps on saying that you are not real’. Write it!”

I hope you’ll receive this letter in time: daddy says that you live far far away from here. Will you be able to read it before Christmas? I wish you will! You know, this letter is so important!

I’ll have to tell daddy to be careful and quick in giving it to you. Daddy is great, he’ll surely do his best!

Did you already meet my daddy? He’s that tall guy with the curly brown mohawk and incredibly big dark brown eyes. The one with a voice that sounds like a thousand angels’ lullabies mixed with the music of tweeting nightingales, you know. The one with those huge round earrings that I don’t know how he keeps wearing without having already torn his lobes. Do you remember him?

Ah, what am I saying, no one could forget my daddy. Everyone loves him since the very first time they meet him.

Everyone loves him – me above all of them –, but I think that no one will ever love him the way uncle Mike does. I see it’s different, you know?

Uncle Mike was the one enough brave to kiss daddy on the tip of his head, the other night during the concert in Dallas. Daddy was all sweaty and stinky, I could bet NO ONE would be able to even be near him…but uncle Mike kissed him, none the less! That’s really really HEROIC, believe me.

And I’ll tell more: yesterday we were eating chocolate in the kitchen. Please, don’t let mommy discover it: she doesn’t like us to eat too much chocolate, she even hides it! But we always discover it, he he.

Anyway, I was telling, we were eating chocolate, and daddy had some of it on the corner of his mouth. Such a child he is! He keeps dirtying himself more than I do! But, sorry, I was saying, again: daddy had some chocolate on the corner of his mouth, and uncle Mike wiped it away with his thumb, and then he licked it. He had also said that daddy’s chocolate was better than his. I can’t understand why, though; we were eating pieces of the same bar! Maybe he said it only because it was daddy’s.

Even when daddy’s downstairs, having a nap when he’s too tired, uncle Mike goes and kisses him on the lips. Every time, daddy smiles and turns away. I think he waits with his eyes closed pretending to sleep until uncle Mike comes! When he turns, he pretends to still be sleeping and wanting not to be disturbed, but truthfully he does it only so he can make room for uncle Mike to sit and hug him. And then they smile together and sleep together and dream together. And I even know – don’t ask me why, but I know – that they dream the same thing.

Mommy says that it’s unkind to spy on them when they are alone, but I can’t keep myself. I’m sorry, I am a bad boy! Could you forgive me and bring me my presents anyway?

I do it only because it’s like I have a happy movie constantly playing in front of my eyes. I want to be with my wife like daddy is with uncle Mike! I want to be happy with my wife!

Can you give me a wife for Christmas?

I want Shanny to be my wife. She’s always so nice with me, she’s cute and kind and she always shares her snack with me when we play together.

“Shanny?” The writing boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

The kid blushed slightly, looking at his crossing little hands. “Um…yes. She’s my…little girlfriend.”

Draven smiled widely, mesmerized by his brother’s cuteness. Their father’s lady-killer skills hadn’t be lost in heritage, then. He patted his brother on his little shoulder, silently musing on how cute could that little Shanny be. “That’s how it goes, bro. I’m very proud of you.”

Could you give a wife to my best friend Alex, too?

Or, maybe, no. He doesn’t like girls. He says that they’re too delicate and touchy and pink and…girlish. He, instead, is a real man. I have a lot to learn from him, you know! Please, give him anything he wants, because he deserves it, and even a little more time so he can come over here and play with me. It’s so long since we last played together. I miss him!

Please, give daddy more time too, so that he can stay at home longer and I can play with him more than we usually do. When he’s here all the house is prettier, there’s more light and everyone is happier.

Please, give uncle Mike more time so he can stay here when daddy’s here as well and they can cuddle as they like, and as I like too. Uncle Mike is like the missing part of daddy so if he’s not here daddy is only half-daddy.

Please, give aunt Simmy more time so she can come at home more often and tell me all her beautiful tales. She makes me dream about extraordinary worlds and I never want to wake up again when I dive in them.

Please, give nanny Maryam, aunt Becky, aunt Leanne and aunt Reem more time so they can stay at home a bit more than they generally do and they can play with me. We always pretend to be the characters of fantastic stories, and I usually love them so much that the following day I remember them like I really lived them!

Please, give uncle Joe more time so we can play more Xbox and eat all that shitty food we like so much!

“Hey, that’s a swearword, it’s not good to say it!”

“But daddy and the uncles always say it.”

“Yeah, but…uh, never mind.” The blond shrugged and went back to his writing, leaving it to their father to explain the little boy the language’s education’s rules.

Please, give uncle Brad more time so he can teach me how to play that guitar he’s going to give me for Christmas.

“Brad’s going to give you a guitar?”

“Yeah, I heard him and daddy talking about it the other day.” He giggled, putting a finger in front of his petite pink lips, silently ordering his brother not to tell anyone.

Please, give uncle Rob more time so we can play horse-riding more often! He’s a good horse, you know, I love to be carried all around the house while sitting on his back! He doesn’t seem to enjoy it so much, though…

Please give uncle Dave more time so he can stay here longer and tell us all his amazing jokes. He always makes us roll all over the floor holding our bellies because he’s too funny!

Please give all my friends more time so we can play for longer time and have so much fun. I love their games, they always come up with new ideas and I swear they improve them every time! I wish we could play all life long!

And, please, give Draven, Jamie and Isaiah more time so they can stay here with me and listen to me and play with me and just live with me. I know I wouldn’t be here if there weren’t my brothers…and my daddy.

The older boy had tears in his eyes by the time the kid had ended dictating his letter. He was sure no one could be as lovely as his little brother was; he didn’t seem to be only four.

He silently thanked his father for having ‘made’ such a wonderful creature; his stepmother had probably had only one fourth of the merit.

Thank you so much for having read this letter.

The little brunette ripped the letter from his brother’s grasp as soon as he was done writing. He folded the sheet and buried it in the red Christmas envelope, which carried a ‘For Santa Claus’ sign on the back.

“Dashing through the snow…in a one horse open sleigh…OH! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!” He sang, skipping the parts he didn’t remember, as he ran through the stairs, meeting the person he was looking for right in front of the last step. The Christmas tree they had set up was almost drowning in the huge expanse of wrapped presents that were littering on the floor; the decorations among the branches shone with rainbow lights as the golden star on the top almost scraped the ceiling with its tip.

“How many times did I tell you not to run down the stairs? You could…”

“…hurt yourself.” The child finished for him; he reached, with the tip of his spiked light brown hair, his father’s waist. “Listen, I am in a hurry to give you this.” He handed the red envelope to the tall, gorgeous man, who accepted it with a wide smile. They looked incredibly similar: two pairs of endless brown pools gazing into one another, the same childish and naïve face framing them, the same brown curly locks beautifying their features.

“Oh, thank you. I can’t wait to see what my little boy wishes this Christmas…”

“NO! You mustn’t read it! Santa has to. Please give it to him soon, it’s important.”

The thirty-four-year-old mentally slapped himself, immediately apologizing. “Uh, yeah, of course he will be the only one to read this…as soon as he can.”

His son was already gone up the stairs, probably planning on playing his new videogame with his older brother. The man couldn’t wait any longer as he locked himself into his studio – just in case the little boy would have the evil idea to suddenly burst in – and opened the red letter. He hungrily read the sweet words, recognizing his older son’s handwriting.

I love you, Santa.

But I love my daddy, my mommy, my uncles, my brothers and my friends even more.

I hope I didn't ask too much.

Tyler Lee Bennington

The huge Bennington’s manor wasn’t quiet anymore, in the late afternoon of the 23rd day of December. One of the dozens of rooms was filled by rock music, two brothers dancing in it and pretending to sing in front of a crowd of people, just like their father always did in reality, as they waited for the day to end and the following, the 24th, to come, hoping for Christmas Eve to be a lucky ‘fishing’.

Downstairs, the owner of the house's studio door was locked, circled all around his frame by golden, intermittent Christmas lights. Inside of it, a curly-brown-haired man was holding a letter in between his musician's fingers. A crystal pure tear of unspeakable love was slipping silently among his left cheek.

Fin.

©this story is under its author's copyright. Everyone who steals commits a crime.

I know, I know, I don't like it neither. But...please review, I'd love to have your feedback. I love you all!! (Ha-ha, Shan, I wrote that phrase you liked so much about kids!! Did I use it well? :D)

When I talked about ‘all my friends’ in Tyler’s letter, I talked about you all, of course. Maybe I wrote the word ‘play’ too many times, but I thought it was the most fitting word since kids like to do mostly that. The ‘games’, in your case, are all your beautiful stories!

Merry Christmas again and, of course, special wishes to Mike, Chaz, Rob, Brad, Dave, Joe, Tyler and Draven :D

...another chapter of When We Burn in time for the New Year's Day?......who knows......*winks*