"Yo let's have hot coco at my place." Sora turned around and walked backwards while everyone left their snow destruction behind at the park.
Roxas nodded in agreement. "But first I'm stopping by home. I'm soaked. I'd feel bad if I dragged snow into your parents house."
There was a chorus of agreement from the other boys, and Sora smiled. "That's okay. I'd have to ask if we even have hot chocolate anyway. I'll call and let you know!"
Everyone waved their goodbyes and went on their way. You followed Sora back to the house, where he opened the door and took off his shoes to leave at the front of the door. You followed his example and took off your snow clothes. When you were finished, you looked up towards the kitchen as you heard quiet chatter. Zack and Aerith were whispering to each other at the kitchen table, talking as if they were trying not to wake someone up.
"Mom dad do we have hot chocolate?" Sora approached his parents and sat down beside his father, looking at him with enthusiasm.
Zack looked to his wife, who exchanged a worried glance. He turned back to his youngest son, then gave him a forced smile.
"I'm not quite sure. Why don't you look around for some?"
You could tell something was wrong by their facial expressions and the way the couple kept looking at each other. They watched their son jump up and rummage through cabinets, and when they assumed he wasn't paying attention they turned back to each other and began to whisper again. You frowned and snuck up the stairs, deciding to ask Vanitas if he knew what was going on. You knocked on the door to make sure he wasn't changing. When he didn't answer, you slowly opened the door and realized he was still sleeping.
Once you stepped into the room, Vanitas moaned and rolled over. "Sora if you're doing some stupid shit I'm going to shove you into the fridge."
You giggled. "It's just me."
Vanitas sat up, his hair sticking all over the place. He yawned and got out of bed when he realized it was only you. "Hey. Need something?"
He turned on the light as you answered. "Zack and Aerith are talking about something. They seemed worried."
Vanitas froze with his hands still on the light switch. "Is that why I heard mom getting upset...?"
You both looked at each other, then got the same idea to try to listen in at the top of the stairs. At the moment Sora was running up the stairs to grab his phone and call his friends to come over, which made it easier to listen to Zack and Aerith's conversation from downstairs. But you could barely hear them when you entered the house, let alone from upstairs.
"... I don't... But she's comfortable..."
"She won't adjust... Should we do it?"
"I don't want to... The boys..."
You turned to Vanitas, who shrugged and frowned. "They're talking about you." He whispered quietly.
You nodded your agreement. "Can we just confront them?"
Vanitas let out a sigh, but then got to his feet. "Might as well."
You followed him down the stairs and Vanitas immediately got to his point, demanding to know what they were talking about. Aerith burst into tears and Zack frowned, turning to you.
"Merry Christmas... You're getting adopted."
Your eyes went wide as you turned towards Vanitas again. He too seemed surprised as his mouth opened and he stared at his father. You didn't know what to think. Someone was adopting you? Permanently? How were you supposed to react? You enjoyed living with this family. They made you happy, you were comfortable here. You didn't really want to leave. What if you weren't so lucky with the new adoptive family?
"Remember what I said earlier?" Zack forced a laugh. "I would adopt you but that wouldn't be fair to my boys..."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Vanitas asked.
Despite her cries, Aerith looked up and she laughed a bit. "Oh you boys... But it's not so bad. {Y/N} will still be going to school. The adoptive parents are close by."
"So why are you so upset?" Vanitas demanded as he crossed his arms.
"Because I love {Y/N} to death and I wish this didn't have to happen." Aerith explained, wiping her tears from her face. "She's been such positive influence on everyone. I hope her leaving won't change anything."
"Remember she's just going to be a few blocks away. You can visit her anytime you want." Zack stood to his feet and walked over to you and Vanitas, putting his arms on both of your shoulders. "Everything will be fine!"
Vanitas brushed his fathers hand away. "This is bullshit." He muttered.
"Vanitas watch your language!" Aerith said.
Sora suddenly came running down the stairs, his eyes filled with tears. He had obviously heard the whole thing. He hugged you tightly, hiding his face into your shoulder.
"I guess instead of hot chocolate we're going to have a goodbye party..."
You frowned and hugged Sora tightly. "When am I leaving...?"
"They're stopping by to see you today." Zack explained. "They'll be here in an hour or so, and you're going to live with them tomorrow. So when they leave make sure to pack."
You shook your head and buried your face into Sora's shoulder. You didn't cry too much since you knew that you weren't going far and you would still be going to school and seeing everyone. It was just the fact that you wouldn't live with Vanitas or Sora anymore. You've been getting used to Zack and Aerith being your foster parents and you considered them your parents now. Would this new adoptive parents be the same? What if they reminded you of him?
"What about hot coco? Should I cancel?" Sora released his grip on you and looked to his parents.
"Yeah you should. Unless you want to go over to their houses... Actually that's a good idea. Why don't you boys go over to your friends house?" Aerith stood up.
Vanitas crossed his arms. "I'm staying here. I'm keeping an eye out for {Y/N} in case they cause trouble."
Aerith sighed, but nodded her head. "Alright, you two can stay here if you'd like. Just please be respectful and don't make a scene."
The boys nodded their agreement, so while you waited you three sat on the couch and watched the television for a while. You were in the middle of the two boys as they bickered about what to watch back and forth, something they normally did. You certainly were going to miss their arguing, and you would miss just about everything in this house.
Time seemed to pass by so slowly. You constantly looked to the clock to watch the time, counting down until the adoptive parents stopped by. It seemed forever until someone knocked on the door, and everyone's attention turned straight for that door. Sora jumped off the couch and stood up, glaring at the door while Vanitas sat up straight and kept his arms crossed, also glaring. You sunk back into the couch.
Zack got up from the kitchen table and opened the door, greeting the new parents with a warm smile and a handshake.
"Long time no see. How have you been?" Zack asked.
"I'm home for Christmas. Home long enough to celebrate, see my boy, and hope {Y/N} gets comfortable in her new home."
The man seemed unhappy. His voice was quiet and monotonous, as if he didn't want you to be there. You frowned and looked to Vanitas, who gave you a small smile. It was a genuine smile too. Did the whole family happen to know who these people were? It seemed like it.
"Now where is she? I can't wait to meet her. Noctis told me all about her and she seems like the sweetest thing." A woman's voice was heard.
Noctis? You peered around Sora as the family walked inside the house and Zack closed the door behind them. A tall man with blonde and spiked hair, dressed in all black entered. Behind him was probably his wife, who was a bit shorter than him with long dark hair also dressed in all black. Obviously they weren't dressing to impress you, since the woman was simply wearing black leggings and a T-shirt with sneakers while the man wore jeans, a black T-shirt and sneakers as well.
What made you smile though was the fact that Noctis was with them. He saw you and smiled, which got you to leave your spot in the couch and run over to him and hug him. He ruffled your hair and hugged you back.
"Haven't seen you in a bit huh?" He as he released you.
"So this is {Y/N}?" The woman turned to face you. "You are adorable. I'm Tifa, and this is my husband Cloud. And you already know our son it seems."
"Your parents?" You asked Noctis.
He nodded. "Foster! I told them about you and how you needed a home. So they're going to adopt you! I'm off in college and dad is in the army, so mom is usually alone at the house. So you can keep her company." He looked up at his parents and gave them a look, in which they coughed and went to talk to Aerith and Zack. Noctis whispered into your ear so no one could hear him. "I was fostered too because my parents passed away, but even though I'm over 18 we still keep in touch. They want to make sure you have a permanent home. Moving from home to home really sucks."
You giggled and hugged him again. Leaving this home would suck, but you were moving in with someone you knew. The parents seemed pretty friendly, and of course you knew Noctis and you could trust him. Maybe being adopted wasn't so bad after all.
Tifa was very kind, but she seemed a little more harsh than Aerith. Cloud had the attitude of "I don't care" and seemed cranky most of the time, he was the complete opposite of Zack. You heard the two men talk about how they were in the army together and were friends, which made you curious as to how they were friends. Both were complete opposites.
You did enjoy Tifa and Cloud's company, and you were happy that you were moving in with Noctis. But what made you upset was leaving the other boys, Sora and Vanitas. They were the first to show you kindness, the first to help you.
You forced a smile. It was time to see what the future held for you.