Christmas AU
sooo- um.... guess who searched thought their drafst xd
i was planning on releasing this on Christmas 2024...so- yeah. a liiiittle bit later but better then never eh?
I'll be trying to continue this dw :3
Tw: Mentions of death, Isolation, fear
The first snowflakes slowly began to fall upon the city. Christmas was drawing near, the markets were bustling, and the holiday spirit once again came alive. By evening, the snow had piled up into heaps, and it didn’t look like it would stop falling anytime soon.At the orphanage on the edge of town, the children and caretakers were also preparing for the upcoming Christmas. Everyone was busy decorating, baking, and cleaning. Everyone except Tommy. He was locked up in his room. Alone. Isolated in the darkness of his small chamber, with only the moonlight shining faintly through the torn blinds.He sat on his bed, staring at the flakes drifting slowly down outside the window.
After a while, his gaze wandered to the broken fence behind which stretched a vast forest. Everyone knew something lived in those woods… something that shouldn’t be there. And everyone who had ever dared to enter never came back. That was what fascinated Tommy. He dreamed of a grand adventure—of facing the monster said to dwell within the forest.
Maybe, with some luck, he might even slay the beast. Tommy was a foolish teenager with impossible dreams, but not foolish enough to ignore the fact that no one would really miss him if he left. People would shrug their shoulders and move on with their lives. He had wanted to run away for a long time, but never found the courage… until now. Now, he knew he was ready.
He packed his backpack with food, water, and a change of clothes. He put on a warm hoodie and jacket, wrapped himself in a scarf, pulled on a hat and gloves. A pocketknife hung from his belt. With a deep breath, he opened the window.One last glance around his room, a quiet sigh—and he leapt out.
The fall wasn’t far, and he landed safely in the fresh snow. Picking himself up, he made his way quickly toward the broken fence.Darkness and silence surrounded him as he walked the worn path into the woods. Then—something cracked behind him. He spun around sharply… but saw nothing. He stared into the shadows, but no matter how hard he tried, he saw nothing.
He regretted not bringing a flashlight.He pressed forward.
The further he went, the more it seemed as though the trees and the world itself were growing larger around him. The snowfall thickened until it nearly became a blizzard.He was cold. He didn’t know where to go. And he was afraid. Afraid of the legends.Tommy sighed.
Again—crack. Behind him. He turned—nothing. His pace quickened. Now the cracking came more often.
Suddenly, his feet slipped and he sprawled onto the ground. He had slid onto a frozen lake. For a moment, he just lay there, staring at the sky, as the heavy snowflakes quickly covered him. Then—crack. Louder this time. Closer.He shook the snow off, carefully getting back to his feet so he wouldn’t slip again. Something was there. Moving between the massive trees, barely visible through the storm. But he knew what he saw.
A towering figure. A giant…Panic struck him. This was exactly what he had hoped to avoid.His breathing grew sharp and fast. He had nowhere to hide. No real way to run. He stood exposed on the open plain of the frozen lake, with no chance of cover. And surely, it already knew where he was.
Tommy’s breath came in shallow bursts. His body screamed at him to stay still, to not make a sound, because the giant was sitting barely a few steps away, close enough to end him in a heartbeat. He found the giant's camp...or something. The fire popped, and Tommy flinched. His hands clutched the straps of his backpack until his knuckles hurt. The giant didn’t move much, only shifted his weight, a shadow larger than life bending with the flames. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the same weight as the storm outside—low, heavy, merciless.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
The words struck harder than a blow. Tommy’s throat tightened.
He wanted to explain—he didn’t even know what. That he hadn’t meant to intrude? That he hadn’t thought the stories were true? The words tangled in his mouth and died. The giant's eyes narrowed. In the flickering light, they seemed to glow faintly, like embers buried in ash.
“Humans,” he muttered, almost spitting the word. “Always wandering where they don’t belong."
Tommy felt his chest seize. He hates me. He hates all of us. His voice finally cracked free, small and trembling:
“…Are you going to kill me?”
The giant’s gaze held him still, and for a heartbeat Tommy swore he saw the answer there—yes. His skin crawled with the certainty of it. But then the giant looked away, staring into the fire instead. His jaw tightened.
“No” he said flatly.
The silence that followed was worse than any threat. Tommy’s pulse raced so loud he was sure the giant could hear it. He curled in on himself, trying to make his body as small as possible, as if that could hide him.
He was shaking, not just from the cold that still clung to his bones, but from the weight of the presence before him. the giant's massive hand shifted, tossing another log into the fire. The flames roared higher, throwing sharp light over his face. Tommy saw scars etched deep into his skin, an expression carved of stone, and eyes that looked as though they’d seen too much and cared for none of it. Yet, buried beneath that glare, Tommy thought—maybe he imagined it—there was something else.
Not kindness. Not warmth. But something that had stopped him from leaving a fourteen-year-old boy to freeze to death in the snow.
