Fireproof

Ben bounced his knee lighty to the score backing the Gremlins feature film, he watched the screen and as always, found himself a little disturbed by the special effects of this movie. He remembered when they were kids and Diego managed to score a copy of “The Gremlins” - they, of course, never celebrate any holidays but they were not blind to the traditions of other children.

Their dad had left on business and everyone huddled up in an old basement room to watch it on an old VHS player. Even Luther had been able to keep his mouth shut about it. Ben had cautiously assumed that this would be a cute holiday film about sweet little creatures - he ended up having nightmares for weeks.

However, the memory was still fond in his mind - even if he ended up with a slight distaste for the film. So of course, it had to be Kenzie’s favorite holiday watch. Ben had scolded Klaus for letting her see it so young - he vividly remembered walking in on a two year old sitting a couple feet from the screen completely enraptured by the 80s Christmas flick; he hadn’t been happy but she never had nightmares about it so he conceded.

It was late in the evening on Christmas Eve and he was sitting in a comfy chair in the corner of Dave and Klaus’ bedroom (Their room had an extra TV). Kenzie had fallen asleep snuggled in a pile of blankets after loudly pronouncing that she would not fall asleep this year! She was going to see what all the fuss about Christmas was about!

Ben smiled, she was six years old now and her personality was blossoming out, less like a flower and more like a firework. Much like Klaus, she was curious and nosy about anything and everything around her and when things didn’t go her way she was quick to use her reactions to get what she wanted. She was wily and her teachers often described her as ‘clever’ and ‘always in the middle of an adventure’ even if she wasn’t ‘focused’ or ‘didn’t like to follow the rules’.

Unlike Klaus as a child, however, she was less morose - less jittery and prone to bouts of crying. But maybe that was just because their child raising philosophies differed so much from their father. She was an emotional child, like he was, and just as clingy but she had a certain amount of confidence that Klaus just never possessed.

The bathroom door opened and Klaus stepped out in a fluffy red robe that Dave had bought him during their Hanukkah celebrations. He had loosely dried his hair and it was sticking up everywhere - like a halo of chaos around his head.

6 years, 54 days sober and his brother looked fully like a person again - no traces of gauntness or the pale scar reminders on his forearms. He was eating more and more these days too, so his face was a little rounder (which only added to the resemblance he had with his daughter) and his ribs were no longer sticking out. It sounded bad but for the first time Ben didn’t hate to look at him now that he wasn’t a walking display of the drugs, trauma, and abuse he had endured.

He hummed, his eyes scanning over Kenzie sprawled out on his side of the bed. He padded past the TV and into the rest of the apartment. Ben knew what he was doing, some habits die hard and a moment later he heard the soft rattle of the door as Klaus checked to make sure that it was locked.

Dave always locked the door.

He made a face at the screen at one of the more unsettling scenes and leaned over to turn the volume down just a little bit. He heard soft voices coming from the next room and a few moments later his brother came back into the bedroom. He carefully climbed onto the other side of the bed - he reached up and stretched, glancing back up at his ghostly brother before cuddling up around his daughter protectively.

“Did you tell her Santa is coming tonight?” Ben’s voice was as low as possible.

“Hm - Is that the narrative we went with?”

“I can’t remember…”

Klaus rubbed his face with his free hand, “Whatever, she’ll tell us in the morning what we went with this year… I forgot all those other little shits at school are probably confusing her about the whole season.”

Ben huffed, “Yeah, because what are we working with now? We’re vaguely Jewish pagans with a touch of ironic Satanism who still go to see Santa at the mall - I don’t see how that would be confusing at all.”

Klaus giggled tiredly, “Exactly.”

Ben sat back and absently watched the screen for several moments before sighing, “Whatever, at least it’s ours..”

“God, you always get so sappy around the holidays. What’s next? You’re going to tell me you’re proud of me?” Klaus teased lightly, closing his eyes and pressing his face comfortably into the pillow.

“I am proud of you.”

Klaus’ eyes opened briefly before fluttering shut again, “Happy non-denominational holiday, Ben.”

“Yeah, you too. Get some sleep, I’ll keep an eye out.”

He got up, happy to not be watching that movie anymore, and phased through the wall into the living room where he found Dave sitting comfortably at the window seat under a dim lamp reading. He sat down in the empty space next to him- the area was bathed in gentle, colorful lights and the cold cityscape outside seemed so inconsequential and far away.

It was quiet, save for the muffled sounds of the Gremlin’s playing from the bedroom. No gunshots, no yelling, or fucking or the unpleasent backfireing of vehicles so close and so dangerous just a flimsy lock away. He wasn’t roaming the surrounding area looking for some drunk or high maniac lurking around. He felt safe. More importantly, he felt like Kenzie and Klaus were safe. He would still scan out the window, it was his job.

“Mind if I join you?”

Dave glanced up with a pleasant smile, “ ‘Course.” Then he gestured to the table, where Kenzie and Klaus had set up a small altar type area, copying what Hayworth and Perry always set up in their store for the Yule holidays. They didn’t have a christmas tree and if anybody asked they were explicitly against huge flammable displays inside the house. There were a few presents wrapped and placed around the central candle.

“I put some things around that - This isn’t really my forte but I thought maybe I should play Santa Claus?” He shrugged, “Have something for Kenzie to wake up to in the morning?”

Ben smiled, “She’ll love it, thanks Dave. Klaus and I usually wing it every year.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine you guys were raised with a lot of holiday traditions.”

“Absolutely not. Dad hated presents - we’d still find ways to celebrate behind his back though.” He laughed, “Klaus had this- I don’t know what to call it - like a scrap book or something where he would collect pages with pictures of christmas decorations and scenes. He likes to call me sappy now, but back then he was always the weepy one about family and presents.”

Dave’s smile faded into something more akin to sympathy and Ben quickly continued, “That was when we were little though - when he got older he had more of a tendency to try to light things on fire and watch them burn.”

“So Kenzie gets it from both parents?” Dave asked with a smirk.

“100% - He’s a damn pyromaniac.”

They both laughed and Ben was happy to have some company on Christmas morning. Dave was still on a night shift schedule which meant that they had been able to get to know each other really well over the past few months. They chatted idly for a while until they both decided to go back to their reading.

Ben was also thankful that for once in his existence he had someone who, like him, preferred things to be a little quieter and was thrilled with a good book. It was just after midnight that he finally picked something from Dave’s shelf and sat down, leaning against the window.

It was only a few minutes later when Ben’s head shot up at a light popping sound - or crackling more like it. He was surprised that Dave didn’t seem to hear it since it sounded like a breaker popped or an electrical outlet fizzed out. He leaned forward from the seat and peered into the barley lit shadows of the kitchen off to the side. In the darkness he could see the outline of someone standing up, more unpleasant cracking sounds came from them. Ben’s stomach twisted as the outline twisted and warped until the figure was standing 7 feet tall - demonic horns glinted in the vague lights and as he stood up to sound an alarm - the figure took a heavy step forward into the light.

The creature was horrific to look at with elongated, clawed arms and greyish black skin with holes rotting through the joints of his body until pieces of bone were visible through seeping pink wounds. His face was thin, a massive mouth twisting around in a permanent scowl with teeth that stuck out at painful angles. Goat like horns that were broken into dangerously sharded tips nearly touched the ceiling and he had to bend his spine to accommodate the space. His shoulders were weighed down by a large black sack which he gripped onto with wrinkled, clawed hands.

Heavy hooved feet lumbered forward towards their little altar, Ben glanced over at Dave who had gone back to his book and didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss. Ben jumped like he had been shot when the massive creature’s head snapped towards him and it opened it’s gaping mouth to reveal a long pointed tongue which curled out and licked around the edges of it’s ripped lips.

It growled. A deep demonic sound which rumbled the walls. With a loud, pained groan it dropped the sack onto the floor with an uncomfortable splat that resembled the sound of a limp body hitting the ground. Ben watched as it reached a hand into the opening and began to rummage around- squeaks and growls and popping noises came from inside the cloth as he pushed things around.

After several agonizing moments he pulled something out, he turned away from Ben and set the thing on the table next to the other presents. It turned back to the ghost and inhaled deeply, the lights around him faded and flickering lightly. The creature screamed with the force of a thousand people and Ben was forced to cover his ears.Finally with an electric pop it disappeared from their apartment and the lights returned to their original strength.

Ben shuddered and stepped slowly forward to the table. Sitting pleasantly on top of one of the wrapped presents was a small, handmade birch goat figurine. He picked it up, it was particularly light and seemed to be hollow - between the cracks of the magically formed birch ribs Ben could see something that resembled a dried tongue. He really hoped that it wasn’t a human tongue.

He set it back down on the table.

Dave glanced up from his book for the first time and sniffed, “Does it smell weird in here to you?”

Ben’s eyes shifted back to the figure on the table then back to Dave, “Yeah - seems like Kenzie’s uncle Krampus decided to stop by this year…”