Boots | A Power of Zero Story

On December 6th, the first thing German children do on waking is to inspect their shoes. They would have cleaned and polished them the night before and left them outside their door before they went to sleep. What they’re hoping to find on waking is a present from St. Nikolaus – an orange, chocolates, maybe a small toy – left in their boots overnight.

In this Power of Zero story, I’m wondering how Nico, bored in German class, would interpret that custom for his own ends. And how Jack finds out about it.

“Do you have any idea what’s making Nico clean old boots?”

Gareth looked up from his spreadsheet and frowned. “What?”

“Nico,” Jack repeated patiently. “He seems to have collected a bunch of old boots during the week, and he’s sitting downstairs polishing every single one. What’s with that?”

Gareth didn’t precisely mind the interruptions. The budget he was working on was giving him a headache. And Jack looked… enticing, in tight black jeans and a deep green fleece top that made his skin glow. On the other hand, Jack had been asking a question, and Gareth hated that he didn’t have an answer. He owned up anyway. “How am I supposed to know? Have you asked him?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Wake up, Flynn. You need a hand with that budget?”

“You’d set fire to it.”

“Probably. I could give you a hand in other ways, though…”

Gareth groaned at the image. “Jack…,” he whined.

“I was thinking of bringing you a drink.”

“Of course you were.”

“Ah well. If you don’t fancy one, I’m sure I can—“

“Bring me the damned whisky. And then go and find out what Nico is doing.”

Jack saluted, only half ironic. “Yes, sir.”

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Having a day off was strange. Jack had stacks of work—official and not—on his desk, his various devices, and in his head, but he had listened to Alex talking about a sensible work-life balance, and had decided that he needed a day without staring at a screen. Deciding what to do with all that free time was a different matter. He’d started the day with a ten-mile run despite the grumpy weather, but after a shower and food, there were a lot of hours left unaccounted for. He’d prowled the house, looking for something to entertain himself with, when he’d come across Nico polishing boots.

Which was enough of a mystery to stop him in his tracks.

Asking straight out was out of the question, of course, so he went to quiz Gareth.

His lover was head-down over budget calculations, and clueless when it came to Nico’s latest activities. By way of being helpful, Jack supplied a stiff drink, and then headed for the kitchen, hoping to find Daniel.

Instead, he found boxes.

A box filled with short pine branches.

A box filled with nuts.

A box of satsumas.

And a box of chocolate Santas.

Plus a large bag of socks, scarves, gloves, and hats.

“What the—?” He was about to abandon his electronics-free day and find his slate to do some digging when Nico joined him in the kitchen.

“Oh. I— Aren’t you working?”

“No. Can I help you?”

Nico considered him for a moment. “I’ve cleaned all the boots. I just have to fill and deliver them.”

Jack stayed silent.

And suddenly Nico burst into peals of laughter. “You don’t know! You haven’t a clue!”

Jack let himself slump against the counter and allowed the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth full rein. “I really don’t,” he admitted. “And neither has Gareth. So… fill me in?”

“I was bored in German class,” Nico admitted. “Mrs. Pearl talked about grammar that made no sense. I skipped through the textbook because… whatever… and I found this bit about St. Nikolaus Day. On his feast day, children clean their boots and put them outside the door and when they wake up, they’re full of sweets.”

“That’s why you’ve been cleaning that battalion of boots outside.”

“Well…”

Nico actually blushed, and Jack felt immediately protective. “What?”

“It got me thinking. It’s supposed to be a surprise, only it isn’t. Not anymore. Besides, most of us don’t need sweets. More sweets, I mean. And there’s this charity shop in town that’s collecting boots for homeless people, so… I got a bunch.”

He turned away to hide his face, and Jack knew better than to touch him, or force him to turn back. A year ago, Nico would have wrapped his arms around Jack’s middle and hidden his face in Jack’s collar. He felt too old for that now, thought that he had to battle his demons on his own. And all Jack could do was be there for him, a quiet presence by his side. “Tell me,” he begged.

“You said that when you’re living on the street, it’s all… the same all the time. Finding food, getting out of the cold, finding a safe place to sleep. I thought these were the people who really could do with a surprise. The good kind. One that went beyond just new boots. So I…” He shrugged, properly embarrassed now. Then he squared his shoulders. “I decided to make a bunch of St. Nikolaus boots and deliver them to the shelter. There!”

Now Jack did take a few steps forward and wrapped his arms around Nico. “I’m proud of you,” he whispered into Nico’s hair, hoping that Nico would understand better than Jack had when Rio had made a similar comment. “I can help if you want me to. Or I can wait for you to finish and drive you. Your choice.”

He gave Nico room, let him make his own decisions, knowing that he’d get to help in one way or another.

Later, he’d tell Gareth. And maybe they’d find their own way to match Nico’s kindness and generosity.

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