Some Christmas fluff with Rio and his brother (before his bro was killed so basically any time when Rio was under 15)

“Rio. Wake up, Rio.” 

Rio moans and pulls his blankets over his head. It’s cold and he was dreaming that he went to school and people liked him. “Go away.”

“It’s Christmas, silly,” says his brother, shaking him again.

“Ooh!” Rio bolts upright. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas to you, too!” His brother laughs and holds out a baby pine tree in a cup. A lightbulb is taped to the top, and a small box is wrapped to its stump.

“Eeeee! I love it! A tree!” Rio claps his hands. 

“And a present, kid.” His brother shoves Rio’s shoulder lightly.

Rio giggles as he unwraps the pink paper. “Dear Kafka! Really?”

“I saw you looking at it in the bookstore,” says his brother with a laugh.

“Well, this is awkward – hold on!” Rio rummages under their mattress to hold out a wrinkled mass of tissue paper. “Here’s yours!”

His brother takes the lump with a grin. “Egg of the Black Goat, huh? Well, great minds think alike!”

“You can read mine when I’m done,” Rio says.

“Same, of course.” His brother reaches over to embrace him. “Merry Christmas, Rio.”