#'everyone's going to be really bewildered and disappointed when you're actually bad at those things because it Doesn't Make Sense'

[blujayonthewing]

the problem, basically, is that 'oh you're a good artist, so you must be really good at making art' is just 'oh you're really smart, so you must be really good at school' again

[anniesocsandgeneralstore]

@a-reader-and-a-writer requested: "Is-Is Santa real?" "What? No, of course not." "Oh." "(name), you're 30."

Romanticgumchewer's Christmas Spectacular - DAY EIGHT - Breaking the News (Rick Flag x AU!OC)

Summary: Abner, having grown up in a lab, doesn't really understand a lot about Christmas traditions - and when Rick sneaks in Christmas cookies during a holiday mission, he has some questions.

Pairing: Rick Flag x Criminal!OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 1080

Warnings: language, theft mention, decapitation mention, general Squad shenanigans

if i go masterlist

“I’can’t believe we’re goin’ ta New York on Chris’mas Day!” Harley gushed to Delphia on the transport plane over the wind roaring just outside the metal hull. “S’the most magical place this time’a year! The Rockafella tree, the ice skatin’, Times Square.”

“Yeah,” Delphia agreed, even though she had actually never been to New York City before, “Too bad we’re gonna be in the sewers firing out a rat the entire time. No offense, kid.”

Cleo looked up from nearly dozing off in her seat across from them with a smile. “Oh, none taken.”

“Alright, y’all, touchdown’s in ten — and I wanna give y’all somethin’ before we land.” Rick walked back from watching the pilots navigate with a rifle slung across his chest and one hand held behind his back.

“For fuck’s sake, Flag. A Christmas present?” DuBois groaned, “We’re not five.”

From behind his back, Rick pulled out a large circular tin painted green, red, and gold. From her position seated beside him, Delphia could just make out the wintery scene delicately embossed onto the tin’s top. Where on earth had he gotten that from?

“I thought you’d enjoy some Christmas cookies over whatever the cafeteria had cooked up for ya today.”

Rick handed the tin to Delphia first. The smile he flashed her was gentle and full of something else that she took note of with a warm feeling spreading in her gut. He really needed to stop doing that while they were on mission — but she wasn’t about to tell him to. She popped off the lid of the tin easily. The cookies stowed away inside were too nice and well decorated to be hand-made by Colonel Flag himself. But the gesture was still nice. He didn’t have to go out and buy anything for any of them. They were all dirty criminals who were getting what they deserved: life sentences in the worst place on earth. But Rick always saw them as more than that. He saw them as his team and he wanted them to have just one nice thing on Christmas. It made Delphia’s heart squeeze tight inside her chest as she took out a cookie shaped like a Christmas tree.

She passed the tin off to Abner next, who was sitting on her other side. He took out a cookie shaped like Santa himself then handed the tin over to DuBois.

“Where’d you even get these, Flag?” DuBois asked as he took out a cookie.

“Santa gave ‘em to me to pass off to you guys,” Rick responded with a cheeky grin.

“Oh, very funny,” DuBois grumbled before taking a bite of his star cookie.

Abner leaned into Delphia’s side, holding up his Santa-shaped cookie with a furrowed brow, and whispered, “Is — Is Santa real?”

“What?” she asked around a mouthful of the sugary treat, crumbs flying as she looked over at him bewildered, “No, of course not.”

“Oh.” He looked slightly disappointed as he took a small bite from Santa’s red frosting hat.

“Abner…You’re thirty.”

“Yeah, well — “ He heaved a heavy, weighted sigh. “That’s what happens when you grow up in a lab I guess.”

Delphia looked down at her lap. She forgot about that sometimes. Abner’s childhood was somehow even worse than hers. He had a mother, but she experimented on him and his brothers and sisters to the point of death. Even now he still saw her in everyone that he looked at. An ongoing torture that he could never escape from. And of course, that same woman wouldn’t give those kids a real Christmas — or even tell them if Santa is real or not.

“I found out Santa wasn’t real when I was eight — just busted out of Belle Reve,” she said, trying to lighten the mood as they continued to munch on their cookies, “There was a Santa at the Gotham mall, giving away little coloring books and shit to kids who met him. And I thought he’s gotta have better stuff than that. So I followed him after he left for the night and…tried to rob him. I accidentally ripped his beard off.”

“You tried to lift from Santa?” Harley suddenly butted into the conversation.

“Wouldn’t you if he was real?” Delphia questioned back, “Dude’s absolutely loaded up with shit once a year — he would be the ultimate mark.”

“Nah, you know that fat dick’s gotta be packin’ somethin’ on the sleigh,” DuBois chimed in, “At least a shotgun. He’s been doin’ this shit for a long time.”

“One shotgun? Seriously?” Delphia scoffed. “Easy. I’ll wait out behind the chimney. He lands the sleigh. I cut off his head with Ether and then I’ve got the magic bag full of presents. Easy.”

“What about the reindeer?” Cleo questioned, “You can’t just leave them attached to the sleigh to die.”

“Fine — fine. I cut the reindeer loose and send them back home. Then I’m off with all the goodies. The ultimate pull.”

“Somethin’ is seriously wrong with you people,” Rick said, face pulled back in bewilderment at the conversation they were having.

“Thought you knew that already, Flag,” Delphia replied with a smirk.

“I thought I did. But now yer talkin’ about murderin’ and stealin’ from Santa. That’s just messed up.”

The transport plane landed with a thump and slowly came to a stop. An “unscheduled” flight into JFK. The back ramp opened up once the plane was pulled into the correct spot where no one would see them getting off and everyone on the team unbuckled. Everyone shuffled out of the plane one at a time, Rick standing at the top of the ramp to make sure that there were no stragglers. But of course, there weren’t. That team would follow him anywhere. Not because of the bombs in their necks, but because he was a good man who brought them Christmas cookies when he didn’t have to.

Delphia was the last in line to go down the ramp. Whether that was by accident or design no one could really know for sure. Except Delphia and Rick though. They knew. They knew all too well that she hung back on purpose, took the extra time and care into unbuckling her seat belt, and made sure that all of her gear was good to go.

She squeezed his arm as she walked past him, paused at just the right moment to see him mouth so the comms wouldn’t pick up what he had to say.

Merry Christmas, Dee.

Taglist (if you would like to be tagged in future installments, just let me know!): @bbygrgu @a-reader-and-a-writer @slayerx147 @xoxabs88xox @kasey-puff @witchygagirl @the-pink-petite-princess @blooo0ooop @woodlandmouth @csigeoblue @rexorangecouny @h-hxgirl @thisisthewayrose @blondiekook @darkestbeforethedawn16 @runic-belova @weallhaveadestiny @oopsiedoopsie23 @nerdgrrlramblings @ocfairygodmother @reysorigins @hawsx3

[askthechaoticwitch]

➡ @xmalfoydracox ⬅

The Slytherin inhaled as he listened to her words, keeping his grip on her wrist as he exhaled. “Yeah, it came out of nowhere and caught me off guard. But just ignoring it won’t do any good, trust me ignoring something usually makes it so much worse. And besides if something horrible should happen to me and I was gone for good, you’d have to live with the what if and do you really want to do that?” He questioned softly before he let out a sigh as he let go of her wrist, listening to her speak once more he couldn’t help but to shake his head in disbelief. “I’m far from being a saint but thank you Wanda, you seem to be the only one who see’s the good in me. Well other than my mother but I am sure she’s quite bias since I am her baby boy.”

The male had allowed the female to take his hands in hers, he just focused on breathing as he listened to what she had to say. He couldn’t help but to let another sigh escape his throat, he had tried once before to make a friend who wasn’t as bad as his current friends but the male had judged him before getting to know him and rejected him. That had hurt quite a lot so he decided to stick with Slytherins and to close his heart away, he focused more on making his father proud than worrying about anything else. As he did that he decided to make the male’s life hell, if he wanted to assume he was the wrong sorts then so be it - he’d show him the wrong sorts as long as he felt the pain he had caused.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts when the Gryffindor had finally finished her thoughts, scrunching up his nose a it as his lips curled into a frown. “I’m not in love with Pansy so I wasn’t holding my breath for a future with her, its just a in the now and see where it goes sort of thing. You assume I deserve all that but in honestly, I wish I did but I don’t. And besides I'd sort of have to allow someone to get that close to start with and if you haven’t notice, I sort of made it where no one seems to want to. And yeah maybe but I haven’t exactly decided if I want to settle down.” He spilled out as he let his face relax a tad bit, shaking his head at her in disbelief once more. Did she seriously think he was gonna forget about her little confession, if she did then she was crazy. “In Merlin’s name you can’t be serious, I aint gonna forget about you little confession Maximoff. What I can guarantee you, is that its not gonna change anything unless you let it. And you need to stop assuming what I feel, its bloody rude. You aint me so you don’t know what I feel so don’t even begin to tell me how I feel, it is one way to make me dislike you and that’s really not what .” Malfoy hissed as his nostrils flared, it wasn’t as if he tended to lose his temper on her but who gave her the right to assume how he felt?

Inhaling then exhaling before he dared speak once more, he was trying to keep his emotions in check because he wasn’t gonna lose it on her. “You are right, I don’t feel that way towards you currently so yeah we’re not gonna happen. But it still doesn’t give you the right to assume my feelings before actually talking to me about it. And stop calling it a problem, there is seriously nothing wrong with having those feelings.” He sighed out as he lowered his voice, the last thing he wanted to do what hurt her feelings but he had to be honest with her. Besides it would be for the best if she just got over him, for multiple reasons that he really didn’t want to discuss.

After a few moments had passed, the male was becoming a bit angsty. He could see the worry in her eyes, which was followed shortly by words that he was dreading to hear. “Don’t worry about it...” He muttered out in a low breath, he honestly didn’t need another person worrying about him. He would be fine - he just had to be, but unfortunately he knew that he couldn’t stop her from worrying about him. Swallowing hard as he let go of her hands and moved backwards a bit, he was all too prepared to run and avoid this subject. He could handle the other one but this one, he didn’t want to talk about.

How could he tell her his deepest darkest secret, knowing that it would change things between them for good. After all she was on Potter’s side the last time he checked, he however was on the dark lords side - not by choice tho. It was bad enough he may not survive to his seventeenth birthday but to lose his best friend? That was worst.

He parted his lips to lie and say he was fine, that it was nothing he couldn’t handle. However he was cut off when she once again spoke, a slight huff escaping his throat at the words. He doubt she could love him if she knew what he was and what he had to do, even if she managed to somehow love him then the realization of what’s gonna happen if he fails is gonna hurt her. After all he promised her that he’d always be there for her til the end, how could he tell her knowing it could cause her pain either way?

A frown settled upon his facial features as he pulled away from her, he was literally trembling at this point. He didn’t care to pretend anymore, he was so close to breaking. “Wanda--” The blond began but cut himself off, he began looking around before he turned his attention back to her. He didn’t say anything, instead grabbed her hand and took her to somewhere more private. “--You can’t help me, I’m sorry...” Draco breathed out as he put a bit of distance between them, he couldn’t stand being near her right now as what he was about to do was gonna be one of the hardest things he would ever have to do when it came to Maximoff.

The Slytherin bit down on his bottom lip hard enough to cause it to bleed as he held out his arm and flipped it over, his hand ghosting his sleeve as he looked down at it. He knew there was no turning back after he did this and he knew for sure he wasn’t ready for this but he couldn’t lie to her, she had to know what’s wrong and why he didn’t deserve anything she thought he did. Inhaling and exhaling once more as he looked up at her, once he locked eyes with her he lifted up his sleeve to reveal the dark mark that rested upon his arm. “I’m not fine, I am never gonna be find again. I am supposed to kill Dumbledore. I don’t want to do it but I have no choice, I have to do this or he’s gonna kill me. I rather pitch myself off the    Astronomy Tower than do this but he not only threatened to kill me if I fail but my parents too and I can’t let that happen, I just can’t. Its my father’s punishment for failing the dark lord not once but twice, my mother cried for weeks after I received the mission.. I have been trying for weeks to fix up a vanishing cabinet to let my Aunt Bella and a few death eaters in the castle.. I barely sleep due to that and the guilt and fear I feel is causing me to barely eat, I am basically dying inside... I didn’t tell you all this because I am terrified of losing you, not that I can blame you because death eaters killed your parents and now I am a death eater about to commit the worst unforgivable thing imaginable. I’m sorry, I am so truly sorry. You can hate me, I understand but please don’t tell anyone. Please, I am begging you.” Draco cried out as the tears fell from his eyes, he couldn’t stop himself from breaking down any longer.

Wanda was listening to Draco, her facial expression turning from relaxed to one of disappointment and worry. He had suddenly slipped but it didn't go unnoticed by his friend. "Wait. What do you mean by "if I was gone for good"? What is going on? Why are you speaking as if you're going to die?"

However, he kept talking about his relationship with Pansy, and she let him finish, but she was going to bring it back as soon as he was done speaking. The brunette frowned, looking at Draco bewildered. "What's the point of being in a relationship with someone you don't love! If you truly have no feelings for her as you said, you should stop wasting your and her time. As mean as she can be, she deserves to be with a person who loves her. You do too. You'll only hurt her and yourself if you keep this up."

Wanda felt her cheeks heat up when the Slytherin brought back the topic of her feelings. She shifted uncomfortably, swallowing hard, a look of betrayal in her eyes. Draco had ditched her for a girl he doesn't even love? To say she was feeling terrible was understandable. Rage was building up inside of her, but she put on a perfectly calm, cold expression, determined not to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had been able to hit a nerve.

"Listen, Malfoy - I've always thought you could be more than the mean person everyone knows. You have no right to play with people's feelings and you should stop leading Parkinson on, that's really shitty of you. I'm not really surprised though, you've always been up for some "entertainment"."

The girl took a breath, still looking at Draco with an emotionless face. "I won't stop calling it a problem because it clearly is one. Falling for you was a mistake especially since I now know you don't mind dating someone just for the fun of it and not because you truly have feelings for them. That's a reason I should give up on you, just as you wanted."

Wanda really couldn't imagine dating her best friend and finding out he didn't love her at all in the first place. The thought made her feel used, somehow dirty. The Gryffindor suddenly felt sorry for Pansy, whose situation was exactly this one.

After she had brought up Draco's miserable state, Wanda noticed him becoming quite uneasy and she almost regretted starting this conversation. Almost.

The girl followed him to somewhere private where they could discuss this matter in peace and waited patiently for a reply. She frowned when he let go of her hands, upset by the fact that her friend was pushing her away again. The female observed the way anxiety was seeping into Draco, she could almost hear his loud heartbeat in the deadly quiet room. Her expression softened, she was looking at him with pure love, encouraging him to share what was troubling him. It hurt her incredibly much to watch him suffer in silence, unable to help him so she was hoping he'd finally let her in.

Wanda's eyes filled with tears at the sight of Draco nearly falling apart, but she didn't say a word. With a pounding heart she watched as the boy pulled up his sleeve to reveal the dark mark on his arm. The girl let out a quiet gasp, covering her mouth, as the tears finally rolled down her cheeks. She carefully listened to her friend's explanation, not taking her eyes off the black skull and snake which rested upon his arm. The female could only take a couple of seconds before nausea hit her full force and she had to pull a chair to sit on since her legs were barely holding her at that point. The news knocked the air out of her lungs and Wanda began to rub her throat, finding it extremely hard to breathe. Countless thoughts were running through her head, each more terrifying than the one before it. She had already lost her biological parents, twin brother and adoptive parents, she wouldn't be able to bear the loss of her best friend who was her only family.

She looked up at the boy with a broken expression, nearly choking on her words. "You do realise not only Dumbledore is going to die if you complete this mission? What makes you think Voldemort won't kill you and your parents even if you succeed? Remember - he's not to be trusted, he knows no sympathy nor loyalty. He's cruel and he wouldn't hesitate to get rid of any of you if he has to, in order to win."

Wanda stood up and in the next moment the boy was in her warm embrace. The girl knew how much he needed to let it all out and she wasn't going to stop him - she let him cry into her shoulder and be broken, something he had done for her long ago.

"Draco... I can't hate you for something that's not your fault. You were forced to join the Death Eaters and you never wanted to kill anyone," Wanda spoke softly, taking Draco's hand to gently caress the skin where the mark rested, knowing how painful the process of receiving it actually is. She was absolutely shocked by how long he had managed to keep it a secret for but couldn't blame him - there's no easy way to share this secret even with your closest friends. "All of this... I can't even process it. I'm sure you know all of us are going to lose if you let the Death Eaters in. Thousands of innocent people are going to be hurt, tortured and killed..."

Wanda whimpered quietly, still not believing what she had just heard. "You've been a bully, yes, but you could never be a murderer. Your heart isn't cruel. That's why I know you're going to fail with your mission. Plus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of all time, he can't be killed easily."

"I promise you that you do have a choice. You'll always have. You're just a boy who happened to be burdened with a terrible purpose and I know people who would gladly provide you safety. Dumbledore himself would never turn his back on people who come to him for help. Your parents would be safe too, Dumbledore would shelter them like he did with Severus Snape years ago."

Wanda squeezed her eyes shut and a few more tears fell. "If you, however, decide to finish your mission, that means you're on the Dark Lord's side and you support the people who murdered my parents. You will hurt me immensely if you betray me like that."

The girl finally opened her eyes and exhaled slowly. She looked into Draco's tortured grey eyes. Wanda didn't really care about how miserable and worn out she looked, she just stood on her tippy toes and placed and feather-like kiss on his forehead.

"Just say the word, Draco, my dear. You don't have to go through this, especially not alone. I'll be with you until the very end. Whatever it takes."