Son of Santa (5 page)

Noel nodded before he could stop himself. “Seriously, how boring is the North Pole if you’d rather be here with me?”

“It’s been a very boring four winter seasons.”

Fannar was gone on the wind before Noel could respond.

N
OEL
GROANED
and rolled over in bed. For a brief moment he thought the buzzing was all in his head. When he realized it came from the intercom at his apartment door, he pulled his pillow over his face to try to block it out.

It didn’t stop.

“Noel!” Ruby called from the living room. He had a faint memory of her crashing on the couch the night before. “Noel, answer that, or I’m gonna kill you.” Somehow she still sounded sickly sweet.

He stumbled out of bed. He didn’t believe she’d kill him, but he better not take any chances.

It took a lot to get realm folk drunk on spirits brewed in the human world. Noel and Ruby made a good go of it the night before.

Realizing he was still dressed in his dark jeans and purple button-up from the evening out, he shrugged and didn’t bother changing into something less wrinkled. He put on a pair of slippers and stumbled from his room toward the intercom.

“Yeah?” he said into it. His voice was rough.

“Rise and shine, sugar plum!”

Noel banged his forehead against the wall. He pressed the button and said, “I hate you, Fannar.” Noel buzzed him in anyway.

Ruby sat up on the couch, blanket pooled around her. Her beautiful ringlet curls were a messy halo around her head. Noel ran a hand through his dark hair. It felt completely flat on one side and stuck straight out in the back. Fannar would have to deal with them looking less than perfect.

Ruby scowled, which was an unusual look for her, but she wasn’t great with hangovers. It cheered Noel to know she wasn’t perfect all the time.

“Didn’t you tell him we were going out last night?”

Over dinner, Noel had confessed to Ruby. He had to get it out, talk to someone, about the confusing conversation and feelings he had about Fannar. She’d been supportive and kind and promised not to get involved in his love life in any way. But she did take him out drinking and dancing to cheer him up.

It’d worked at the time. Now? Not so much.

“I did tell him,” Noel said, leaning against the wall. “He’s probably here this early to punish me for not inviting him.”

“I’d laugh except my head hurts too much.”

There was a knock at the door, and Noel answered it with a frown. “What are you doing here this early?”

Naturally, Fannar looked fresh faced and perfect. “It’s after eleven in the morning. I’m being polite waiting this long.”

“Oh.” Noel hadn’t realized how late in the day it was. Glancing out his living room window, he noticed the sky was overcast and blocking any sun or indication of what time in the day it could be. “Thanks.” He opened the door wider to let Fannar in.

Fannar walked past him, and Noel noticed he carried a satchel in one hand and what looked like a rolled parchment in the other.

“I would have brought coffee if I’d known you’d just woken. Good morning, Ruby!”

“I used to like you,” Ruby told Fannar. He just laughed.

Noel said, “I’ll put on coffee.”

“I’m going to freshen up,” Ruby announced. She got off the couch, her dress wrinkled and the left strap slipped off her shoulder. She didn’t bother fixing it as she made her way to Noel’s bathroom.

Fannar leaned in the doorway of the kitchen as Noel put on a pot of coffee. He looked amused. “Have a good time last night?”

Noel nodded. “I did, yes.”

“I’m glad.” Fannar spoke softly. “Look, about yesterday—”

“Why are you here today?” Noel was not in the right state of mind to deal with that yet. He pointed at the bag and poster Fannar carried. “Looks official.”

“It is.” He glanced down the hall. “I hadn’t expected you to have company. Mind if we wait?”

“Sure.”

The bathroom door opened and Ruby walked out. She looked put together. All the wrinkles were out of her clothes, makeup smudges gone, and her ringlets were perfect again.

Fannar smirked. “That’s what you use your limited magic for in the human world?”

“As if you don’t do the same to look like a Calvin Klein model.” She smiled sweetly. “We all have our ways.”

Noel grinned and noted Fannar didn’t dispute her claim. “The coffee will be ready in a couple minutes.”

She glanced between the two. “I’m going to go, give you guys privacy.”

“You don’t have to—”

She pointed to the roll Fannar held. “I know realm parchment when I see it. If you have Pole business to discuss, I’ll get out of the way.”

“I appreciate it,” Fannar said easily.

Ruby patted his arm and then gave Noel a hug. “Good luck,” she whispered in Noel’s ear. Louder, she said, “Don’t be a stranger over the next couple weeks, okay? I’ll be in the city. And I don’t want you alone on the holidays.”

Fannar snorted. “I have a feeling that’s exactly how he likes his holidays nowadays.”

It was true. Having grown up with the hustle and bustle of them, he liked the solitude he’d had over the last couple of winter seasons. But he adored Ruby, and if she didn’t want to be alone, he wouldn’t leave her to be. “I’ll give you a call.”

They said their good-byes, and she left them alone. Noel poured a cup of coffee and prepared it the way he liked, with peppermint flavored syrup he’d bought from the local coffee shop. There were some comforts of home he had a hard time parting with. “Would you like a cup?”

“Do you have any hot chocolate? If it’s not too much trouble?”

Noel couldn’t help but grin. Fannar liked some comforts of home too. “Sure.” He prepared it for Fannar and put a shot of peppermint in it too.

“Thanks,” Fannar said as he took the mug. He sat at the small kitchen table. He dragged a finger over the edge of the marble plaque sitting in the center of it.

“I’ll get that out of the way.” Noel moved it to the kitchen counter and sat across from Fannar. He was about to ask Fannar again why he was there, but he didn’t get the chance.

“Did you dance?”

“A little. Maybe not as much as I would’ve liked to.”

Fannar tilted his head to the side. “How come?”

Noel snorted. “It was a dance club, but there was a company Christmas party going on. Or, well, it spilled over to the bar, so other people were allowed in of course, but there were decorations everywhere. Mistletoe hanging all over the place.”

“You hate mistletoe.”

Surprised Fannar remembered, Noel nodded. “Sure do.” He hated being caught under it. He had made sure he and Fannar never were.

“I never understood why. It’s a harmless tradition. And a fun one at that.”

“I don’t want someone coerced into kissing me.”

Fannar barked out a surprised laugh. “Oh, Noel, only you. That’s not the intent.”

“It’s an outdated and unnecessary tradition.”

Fannar acquiesced with a nod. “Okay, if you say so. I’ll make sure never to bother you with it.”

If Noel ever kissed Fannar, he didn’t want it to be because of mistletoe. “Good.” Again, it was probably wishful thinking. Noel thought he saw a brief flash of disappointment across Fannar’s face. He decided to change the conversation. “You were going to explain why you’re here?”

“Right.” Fannar pulled a wooden box from his satchel and put it on the table.

Noel recognized the carvings on it. “Oh no. No way,” he said.

Ignoring him, Fannar pushed the box closer and then continued by unrolling the parchment.

It was a current map of Winnipeg etched onto magical parchment, which could only mean distribution pins were inside the box.

Fannar spoke. “Your mother and Himelon asked me to deliver this to you. They would appreciate your help.”

“No, no way,” Noel repeated. He shook his head for emphasis. “I’m on a sabbatical.”

“Your mother looked like she felt bad for asking, but as I told you before, they’re a bit behind.” Fannar gestured at the map. “Just Winnipeg. They’re asking you distribute for the city you’ll be spending the holiday season in anyway.”

Noel pursed his lips together. He had grown disgruntled toward his father for taking off and not letting anyone know. Only now it was less out of worry and more out of pettiness. He didn’t want to do this, but he couldn’t say no.

“Fine.” Noel leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his coffee. He refused to touch the map or the pins. “I’ll do it. But I’m not happy about it. Let them know.”

“They probably figured that out,” Fannar said dryly. He stood from his chair and went to the living room. He carefully hung the map on the wall while Noel watched. He opened the box and stared at the pins. He looked at Noel. “I can’t do this part. I don’t have the magic touch.”

Noel put his empty mug down, scrubbed his hand through his hair, and went to Fannar. He took the box from him and took out one pin with a dull red bulb end.
Jonny Nichol
. He placed it on the map, right where he knew it belonged. He took another pin.
Krissy McLane.
And another and another. He got so immersed in the task, when he finally looked over at Fannar, who sat comfortably on the couch, it turned out an hour had escaped him. Just half the pins were placed.

With an internal tug of magic, he reached out to touch one of the pins—
Betty Zabotny
—pushing the tip of the pin. The red bulb lit up like the fabled Rudolph’s nose. The correct gift had been acquired—or in this case, the knitted toque made with loving care was completed.

Fannar said, “I love watching you work.”

“I know.” Noel turned to him and asked him, resigned, “Would you care to go to the mall with me?” He’d much rather do work in the field than standing in front of a map on his wall.

“Are you going to change first? You look like you rolled out of bed.”

Noel didn’t mean to, but laughter ripped from him, making him feel lighter. “Because I did, you jerk. But yes, Fannar, I’ll change first.”

T
HE
DAYS
leading to Christmas fell into a pattern, a routine Noel hadn’t been expecting.

Yes, he went to Crossfit several times a week. Yes, he cooked new, nutritious meals and stayed away from all chocolates, cookies, and dainties that found their way to him. Yes, he watched a lot of Netflix, though he avidly avoided any holiday movie recommendations it tried throwing at him. And yes, he watched every game of the local NHL hockey team aired on the television. This was exactly what he’d planned to do during the lull of semesters and how he tended to get through the holidays.

However, this year there was an addition to his routine. The Distribution of gifts in Winnipeg. Noel was continuously drawn to the map with pins hanging on his wall, caught in the magical pull of it. Now that he’d claimed the work, it was impossible to avoid. He’d pause his television show and stand in front of the map, waiting until the right moment, until he
knew
, and he’d press a pin. It would light up. A gift was distributed. And when he turned back to his show, he’d realized time had lapsed, he’d been so busy funneling his magic touch.

It was a little bothersome to devote this much time to it. But he also found it ate spare time, and his days weren’t as solitary as they could’ve been, even when alone. He had the people of Winnipeg with him, right there in his living room. The pleasant feeling he got every time he helped someone locate their perfect gift was enough to fuel him for days.

Also helping to fuel his energy was the unexpected attention he’d been receiving from Fannar.

Fannar’s interest in spending time with him did not wane. Noel had thought perhaps—now with his Santa mission called off and there was no true Christmas Crisis in the North Pole and he’d delivered his map as requested—Fannar would quickly lose interest in Noel. He’d whisk away back to the North Pole to spend time with his ice sprite friends, out of Noel’s life again, as he’d been for four years, despite expressing how he’d like the two of them to be friends.

But no. That didn’t happen.

Fannar came by Noel’s apartment frequently. With school and exams done, he didn’t think to communicate ahead of his visits, but Noel found he didn’t mind. He would grow antsy through the day, waiting for Fannar to come around, to breeze into his apartment, sit on the couch, and mock Noel for his Netflix choices. But it was light and teasing, and Fannar would stay and watch television with Noel. Or he would watch Noel cook and sit at the table to eat with him. Or he’d remain quiet and respectful as Noel stood in front of the map for hours at a time, waiting for the Distribution to be done.

When staying at the apartment became too much, when Noel felt the alone time with Fannar became too stifling and unsure, Noel would ask Fannar what appeared to be his favorite question.

“Want to go to the mall?”

Fannar’s smile was bright and beautiful, and every time Noel saw it, he knew he’d face the holiday crowds of the mall time and again.

Noel quickly realized he was screwed.

His feelings for Fannar had never left completely, and they were returning full force due to his proximity. Whatever it was, Noel was willingly going to a mall at Christmas, just to see Fannar smile.

Yup. Screwed.

But the realization didn’t make him push Fannar away anymore. He didn’t get prickly and upset, and their teasing and banter was light and maybe a little flirtatious. Noel found he liked it much better than the awkwardness he’d exuded before when back home.

Noel let go of any expectations of anything more than friendship. It didn’t make everything easier, but it was better.

“I’m still surprised,” Fannar said one day. “I thought you hated the mall at Christmas.”

“I do.” Noel didn’t sound convincing, even to himself.

They were sitting on a bench, Noel with a coffee and Fannar with a hot chocolate, and watching the passersby. Fannar’s eyes tracked Noel’s hand as he carefully, casually reached out and brushed against an elderly gentleman’s hand. The man’s jaw set determinedly, and he headed into the athletic goods store. Noel had no doubt a pin on his wall would flash red soon enough.