#BAM! here comes one talking about the present to really shake you in your boots

[titsthedamnseason]

wait my eyes just went so wide because why did one of the italicized bits at the beginning of a chapter just mention ELEND ?!?!?!

[carewyncromwell]

“Pardon the way that I stare -- There's nothin' else to compare... The sight of you leaves me weak; There are no words left to speak, But if you feel like I feel, Please let me know that it's real... You're just too good to be true -- Can't take my eyes off of you...”

~“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (cover),” by Joseph Vincent

x~x~x~x

For my next installment of my “Valentine’s Day” series where I feature each of my kids and some of the people they care about most, I present to you Jackson Knightly with his future love interest Montelimar Bloom @cursebreakerfarrier and Monty’s BFF, Orla Atkinson @hphm-brooke! I think this particular post fits @kathrynalicemc‘s wonderful Valentine’s Ball prompt perfectly, as well, since it takes place at a Valentine’s Day ball and features these babies in formal wear!

In Jackson’s fifth year, he still saw Monty solidly as a friend. That all changed, however, during a Valentine’s Day ball Jackson helped organize with his BFF Adelia “Addy” Selwyn @that-ravenpuff-witch and several other students.

Jackson was greatly looking forward to the event. Not only did he pull out all the stops to make sure the place was decorated beautifully with swan-shaped ice sculptures, marble cherubs, and white roses, but all of his friends -- his “sweet Demiguise,” Hirtia “Tia” Caldwell @cursed-ice-spirits; his “lady Vipertooth,” Orla “Lala” Atkinson; his “brilliant Frenchman,” Montelimar “Monty” Bloom -- would be in attendance. Jackson had ended up inviting a fourth year student from Hufflepuff named Felicity Abbott as his “date” for the event, after finding her sitting in the stands alone after the recent Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sobbing inconsolably into her handkerchief -- it was out of pity more than anything, but Jackson hated seeing the young lady cry all by herself.

Jackson came down the grand staircase toward the Great Hall in a set of gold-trimmed white dress robes and very slender, fitted gold slacks over a pair of black ankle boots, looking like a charming prince out of some Muggle fairy tale. No one had spotted him descending the stairs yet, so he scanned the room -- and what caught his eye first was a tall boy his age with spectacles, dressed in handsome grayish-blue dress robes with tails and a matching vest over a white shirt and slacks. It was Monty, chatting with his best friend Orla -- Monty was visibly flustered, but both of them were smiling. Despite himself, Jackson found himself smiling more softly than most anyone was used to seeing. Bloom had always been so modest, he thought to himself...even with how handsome he clearly was. The thought stuck in Jackson’s head strangely -- certainly, Monty was handsome, few would probably question it, but...well, it wasn’t exactly something men were supposed to think about each other, was it? His father certainly wouldn’t have approved if Jackson had ever verbalized such a sentiment...

Fortunately Jackson was quickly distracted by several members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team coming up to talk to him, and ever the showman, Jackson put on his broadest, most confident smile and went about socializing. He then slowly made his way over to Monty and Orla, his ocean-blue eyes alight with good humor.

“Lala, my precious Vipertooth!”

Jackson took Orla’s hand and used it to twirl her around like a little girl playing princess.

“You look absolutely radiant, my dear,” he fawned over her.

Orla’s lips spread into a cool smirk as she rested her free hand on her hip. “I should hope so, considering you picked this dress out for me.”

“I’d like to think I have good taste, Lala,” said Jackson with a mischievous grin. “The lavender makes your eyes pop just so.”

His eyes trailed over to Monty, lingering briefly on the gold buttons on his lapel before moving up to his face.

“...I must say, Bloom...you’ve really cleaned up most handsomely. Is there a lady here you thought to impress?”

Monty flushed, but put on a modest smile all the same. “Oh no, not at all...I merely thought to try to dress for the occasion, as best I could.”

Once again, Jackson found his expression softening a bit. Even now that Monty was more confident than when they’d first met, the Ravenclaw still sometimes blushed like a shy schoolgirl. It was actually quite endearing.

Monty’s smile grew a bit wryer as he added, “I must thank you for the compliment, Jackson, considering that -- as always -- you have a knack for standing out.”

Jackson grinned. “I certainly try.”

Out the side of his eye, he caught sight of Felicity Abbott, her face bright with a smile and dressed in pink satin, waving at him from the top of the stairs.

“Please excuse me,” he said softly, “I owe the lady at least one dance tonight, as her escort. If you see Addy, tell her I’ll follow up with her shortly -- I’d like to add some twinkling lights to the roses trimming the windows, once it gets darker outside...”

He inclined his head to his friends before moving to greet the younger Hufflepuff.

Jackson had been nothing but a gentleman with Felicity Abbott, as he would’ve been for any other young lady he might offer a dance to. She seemed to be having a good time, and Jackson was grateful for it -- he didn’t know her at all and he quite frankly didn’t think that she’d be anything but an acquaintance for him in the future, but even so, he had a sensitive enough heart to hate the thought of someone not having fun at a party, especially a party celebrating Valentine’s Day. What Jackson had not expected, however, was Gryffindor’s tall, broad-chested seventh-year Quidditch Captain stepping right in front of him and Felicity.

“Torquil Travers,” greeted Jackson.

Travers’s eyes narrowed very coldly upon Jackson’s face. “Care to explain what the hell you think you’re doing, Knightly?”

Jackson raised his eyebrows. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re dancing with my woman,” Travers hissed through bare teeth.

His eyes flashed at Felicity, who trembled visibly.

Jackson’s eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly under his raised eyebrows. 

“Now, Mr. Travers...surely Miss Abbott at least merits being called ‘your lady,’ rather than something so crude?”

He spoke as pleasantly as he could, given the stink eye the Gryffindor was fixing him with, but he did take a subtle step to the side so as to create something of a physical barrier between Travers and Felicity with his body. This only served to make Travers angrier.

“Felicity is my intended,” he spat. “She is my wife in practice, if not yet by law, and therefore mine.”

“A person is hardly something to be treated like an object to possess,” Jackson said in a low voice that betrayed a sharp edge despite the cool calm of his expression. “Nor like a caged animal that follows a man’s direction.”

He glanced at Felicity, whose face had gone very white and scared. He immediately tried to comfort her with a gentle, reassuring smile.

“Come, Miss Abbott,” he said, “let us be off -- ”

But before Jackson could steer her away, Travers grabbed the back of Jackson’s robes, roughly pulling him backward and away from the younger girl. Felicity screamed. 

“You will not touch her again, you filthy Muggle-bred ponce!” snarled Travers.

Jackson amazingly responded to Travers’s fury with a broad, gleaming white smirk. “‘Filthy?’ Come now, Mr. Travers, surely you could come up with a more targeted insult than that -- these robes are clearly spotless.”

His tiny brown eyes widening with rage, Travers raised a fist --

BAM.

Before his knuckles could collide with Jackson’s jaw, however, Monty had appeared out of nowhere. Dashing forward, he’d forcibly put up an arm and stepped right between Jackson and Travers so that the Slytherin commentator was behind him and Traver’s fist whammed right into his left shoulder instead.

Jackson’s eyes grew very wide. “Bloom...!”

The blow made Monty rock back slightly and clutch his shoulder, visibly winded, but he regained his footing quickly, his eyes narrowing upon Travers’s face. 

“That is enough,” Monty said in a very low, firm voice. “Travers...I think it would be best if you take a step back and a deep breath. A physical altercation is hardly a good way to settle such a dispute -- especially when there are teachers present.”

He indicated the Charms and Transfiguration professors, who were striding through the assembling crowd as if to discover the source of their interest.

Travers’s fists were shaking with rage, but he seemed to know he wouldn’t be able to get his way or evade punishment if he persisted. And so, shooting a venomous look at Jackson over Monty’s shoulder, he shoved past the pair and disappeared off into the crowd.

Jackson grabbed onto Monty’s robes from behind, almost cradling his back. His face was unusually pale.

“Bloom -- my -- you’re hurt...”

For once, he seemed to have trouble speaking coherently. His hand came up to the spot on Monty’s chest where Travers’s fist had landed.

Monty flinched ever-so-slightly, but smiled reassuringly at him. “Oh...don’t worry, Jackson. It’ll just be a small bruise, I think -- ”

“It should be dealt with straight away,” Jackson said in a strangely sharp and faintly shaky voice.

He looked at Felicity. “Miss Abbott...I see my dear Addy by the far window with Mr. Ellison. Please, remain in their company until I return: I’ll be back shortly.”

And with that, Jackson had escorted Monty out of the Great Hall and to an abandoned hallway a short ways away from the party. He’d insisted on Monty sitting down on a window ledge and removing his robes and shirt just enough to show his left shoulder, so that Jackson could work on healing the injury before it could darken with a bruise. Jackson hated the Hospital Wing as well as hospitals in general, so he’d gotten very used to treating himself whenever he was hurt.

Monty himself could see how tense Jackson was: tenser than he’d ever seen him previously. It truly hadn’t been that horrible -- certainly it would’ve been far worse if Travers had elected to take out his wand instead -- but Jackson still seemed very upset. And he was: Jackson’s emotions were very turbulent indeed.

Monty had protected him. It wasn’t out-of-character for him at all, really, but he’d never physically protected him quite like that before...allowed himself to get hurt, in order to shield him from harm. Jackson hadn’t really had anyone do something like that for him before. Sure, perhaps Adelia would scold someone’s face off on his behalf or Orla would hex someone into next week for having said something, but those were entertaining. This was decidedly not. This was different. It made Jackson’s heart swell with concern and yet also such pride and warmth and admiration and caring...and yet for as new as the feeling felt, it truly didn’t feel unfamiliar. It felt second-nature...almost...like coming home...

“Jackson?” said Monty gently.

Jackson was brought out of his thoughts, but he didn’t look up from Monty’s shoulder. Instead he finished the Healing spell he was casting and then helped pull Monty’s shirt back on.

“There we are,” he murmured, as he fastened Monty’s buttons. “How does your shoulder feel?”

“Better,” admitted Monty.

He watched Jackson’s face carefully. “Jackson...I’m grateful for the help, but I’m all right, truly...”

He brought a hand onto Jackson’s buttoning his collar, making the smaller man halt.

“You don’t need to worry.”

The two’s eyes met. Although both men’s eyes were blue, it was like a calm freshwater lake meeting a rushing ocean: both beautiful and cool, and yet completely different in attitude. Monty’s cheeks were slightly flushed, but his face was very composed. Jackson’s face was anything but, especially when his own cheeks actually started to redden too.

“I...suppose I have lost my composure somewhat,” he said, his eyes falling back down to his hands on Monty’s shirt almost self-consciously.

He finished buttoning up his collar and then helped him pull his grayish-blue robes back on, trying to plaster on one of his charming smiles.

“...What can I say, I’m...not used to some dashing hero coming to my rescue,” he teased. 

Monty smiled. “Well, I couldn’t very well do nothing, seeing you face off against a mountain troll like that, could I?”

Jackson couldn’t bite back a laugh. He looked up at Monty, his ocean-blue eyes and smile alight with more of that strange, unique softness he’d felt -- the sort that, truly, only a precious few ever were the subject of.

“Of course not, my brilliant Frenchman.”

And it was that day that Jackson Knightly’s heart knew what it took a lot longer for him to admit aloud -- he loved Montelimar Bloom with everything that he was.

[kurts-still-here]

Awkward Situations Hevans FanFiction Chapter 2/6: Mistletoe

Just some Heavns fluff, my favorite fluff 🥰🥰. Feel free to read and review on here, A03 or FanFiction.Net and have a great day/ night!!

Archive Of Our Own

FanFiction.Net (Chapter 2)

It had been two months since the day Kurt and Sam had fallen asleep together and the glee club found out their feelings for each other. Since then they had been trying to do everything they could to get them closer together. 

They took up all the seats in the choir room except for two that were next to each other so when Sam and Kurt came in they had no choice but to sit next to one another. Sam just smiled and shaked his head while Kurt rolled his eyes and reluctantly sat down next to Sam. I

It wasn't that Kurt didn't want to sit next to Sam because he did… well he didn’t mind. But he would be lying if he said he still didn’t have a tiny crush on him but then again that’s what it was, only a crush. And crushes went away, his crush in Finn certainly did and Sam was straight? He was still fuzzy on his sexuality, everyone else seemed to know that he wasn’t straight whether he was bi or gay or pan or something else but Sam didn’t tell them whether they were right or wrong. And Kurt didn’t blame him because he wasn’t trying to push Sam out of the closet, that wouldn’t be fair but anyway, he really needed to stop crushing on straight guys and until further notice Sam was straight. So he would either have to wait until Sam made his move or he would have to keep dreaming and eventually find someone else.

And it wasn’t that Sam didn’t want to sit next to Kurt because he did… well he didn’t mind. He liked Kurt, he was funny and cute and fierce, everything that Sam liked about people wrapped into one person. Kurt was perfect and it honestly made him feel intimidated. Not like he was trying to compete with Kurt, they really had nothing to compete over, Sam played football, Kurt was a cheerleader, glee club wasn’t really a competition sort of thing. No, it was more like Sam didn’t feel good enough for him. He remembered when everyone thought Kurt was dating Blaine until they found out that Blaine was actually dating Sebastian but before then Blaine seemed perfect for Kurt. He was dreamy and charming, he had a great voice, he was a great performer, he was just like Kurt and that’s what Kurt needed, someone like him. Sam had nothing against Blaine, he liked him and they were buds but Sam was nothing like him. He was goofy and nerdy, he was loveable and popular but he wasn’t as good of a performer as Kurt or Blaine or Finn and worst of all he was nothing like Kurt. They didn’t really have anything in common. Except for the fact that they were both in the glee club. And they both had the same friends. And Sam was the quarterback and Kurt was head cheerleader which was a classic high school power couple cliché. So maybe they did have some things in common after all but the point was that he couldn’t be with Kurt, it made him too nervous to actually think he could go up to Kurt and ask him out on a date, he would probably just embarrass himself and then would scare Kurt off. So for now he just had to sit back and maybe whatever his friends were doing would surprisingly work but there was no way he was going to be the one to make the first move.

And of course there was the glee club he didn’t know any of that information. They just kept on trying to get them together. When the seats in the choir room didn’t work they made them sit together everywhere else. In class, at lunch, on the bleachers. They even got the Warblers in on it and whenever they went to the mall with them as a group they would always make sure that Sam and Kurt walked together or sat together. 

But that didn’t seem to be enough to get them to realize their feelings. At first they would barely look at or acknowledge each other and even though they were starting to talk to each other more they had to be more done. 

It was Christmas time now and they had a new plan to try out though, one involving mistletoe. They would put it up and while singing Christmas carols and decorating the choir room. Puck and Finn told everyone but Sam and Kurt to get to the choir room ten minutes early so they would all be there before the two boys. Brittany and Tina were in charge of standing at the door so they could tell everyone else when Sam and Kurt were coming and then they could all get into place and start singing. The goal: to get Sam and Kurt under the mistletoe at the same time at the end of the song.

“Right here?” Finn grunted, balancing on a step stool while trying to hang the object on a hook on the ceiling.

“No, a little more to the right,” Rachel said, swatting her hand over to where he should but it.

“How about now?”

“A little more,”

“NOW?”

“Yes, perfect,” Rachel exclaimed as she went over to help Finn down.

“This better work,” Finn mumbled.

“It will,” Puck assured them. “It’s a given fact that when two people stand under this that they have to kiss. I’ve done it all the time,”

“Yeah but you would kiss anyone, anywhere with or without mistletoe,” Quinn pointed out. “Sam and especially Kurt are more classier than that,”

“Just relax and do what we practiced,” Puck told them. “And if this doesn’t work then we’ll just have to come up with something else but they’re going to get together,”

“Remind me again why we care so much about them,” Santana said. “I mean if they don’t like each other then they don’t like each other, sitting next to each other and kissing under mistletoe isn’t going to change that,”

“Umm yes it will,” Mercedes said. “And they do like each other, Kurt’s just too stubborn and Sam’s too shy but it’s baby steps. Once they start warming up to each other then Kurt will be more willing and Sam will be more confident and then bam, we got ourselves a new power couple,”

“Cedes is right,” Artie said. “It’s all part of the plan,”

“Shh, get into places,” Tina told them from the door. “They’re coming,” Brittany added.

“Showtime,” Mike clapped his hands together while everyone got into their places. Rachel and Finn went over to a pile of Christmas presents and started moving them under the tree, Brittany, Santana and Quinn put ornaments on the tree, Mercedes, Puck and Tina wrapped garland around the tree and Mike and Artie started wrapping boxes for presents. And all together they started singing.

(Brittany, Santana and Quinn)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go;

Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again

With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.

Sam and Kurt appeared at the door to the choir room and smiled to one another as they watched their friends sing, dance and decorate from the doorway.

(Mercedes, Puck and Tina)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

Toys in ev'ry store,

But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be

On your own front door.

(Finn and Rachel)

A pair of hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots

Is the wish of Barney and Ben;

Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk

Is the hope of Janice and Jen;

And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.

(Artie and Brittany)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go;

There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well,

The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow.

(Mercedes and Quinn)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas;

Soon the bells will start,

And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing

Right within your heart

Mercedes took Sam’s hand and dragged him into the room, twirling him around and dancing with him towards the spot while Quinn did the same with Kurt. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around the four of them as Quinn and Mercedes faced back to back with each boy in front of them and when the music ended they quickly turned around and let go of Sam and Kurt so that they smacked right into each other… right under the mistletoe. Their plan had worked.

“Ouch,” Kurt said, turning to Quinn with narrowed eyes while Sam did the same to Mercedes. “That hurt Quinn, what the hell was that for?”

“Look up,” Puck said, pointing to the ceiling.

“What does the ceiling have to do with anything?” Sam asked, irritated and confused. He looked at Kurt again to see he was blushing a little and was looking down at his feet.

“Mistletoe,��� Santana teased them.

“What?” Sam asked again, still confused. “What does that have to do with any… what a minute?”

“Yes,” Rachel said.

“No,” Kurt and Sam said at the same time before looking back at each other again.

“I mean not that I don’t want to,” Kurt stuttered. “Well I mean not that I don’t want to…”

“Yeah I mean… no like, no I don’t want to do it because you don’t want to do it,”

“Right and I don’t want to do it because you don’t want to do it,”

“I mean we totally could if we both wanted to but we don’t so… we don’t,”

“Oh my god,” Everyone else groaned together.

“Kurt, if you don’t kiss Sam right now then I'm going to carry you around over my shoulder for the rest of the day just to ruin your outfit,” Puck threatened.

“And if you don’t kiss Kurt then I’m going to write another verse of Trouty Mouth,” Santana told Sam.

“You guys, this is ridiculous,” Kurt told them.

“Yeah you can’t force us to do something we don't want to do,” Sam added.

“But you do want to do it,” Artie said. “You’re just afraid that the other one doesn’t want it but you both do so just kiss already. We planned this all out, don’t disappoint us,”

“Do you mind?” Kurt sighed, asking Sam.

“Only if you do,” Sam shrugged, scoffing his show on the floor while looking down.

“I don’t,”

“Well I don’t either,”

They both looked up at each other once again, staring into each other's eyes and then Kurt stood up on the top of his toes and pressed a soft kiss onto Sam’s cheek. The glee club groaned around them again but neither boy seemed to notice. When Kurt backed away from Sam they only stared at one another, still blushing. 

“That so did not count,” Mercedes said.

“On the cheek?” Finn complained. “The cheek?”

“I’ll ruffle your hair just for that Princess,” Puck rolled his eyes.

Kurt broke the eye contact with Sam and straightened his bag out.

“Umm I should go,” He said to Sam.

“Yeah…” Sam nodded. “Wait no, not that you should go, I mean you can if you want it’s just not that I want you to leave… I meant that I should leave. But not with you… just like after you I guess,”

“Right,” Kurt said, giving a questioning look at him. “Well… bye Sam, good bye everyone else,”

Kurt rushed out of the door while Sam stared after him, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“You have no game, Sam,” Mike told him.

“Yeah what the hell? I thought you liked him,” Puck said.

“I do,” Sam blurted out on accident. “You didn’t hear me say that,”

“Yes we did,” Rachel stated. You said you like Kurt,”

“I do but not in that way,”

“Liar,” Brittany said.

“How do you guys know how I feel?”

“You held his hand,” Finn said. “You guys feel asleep in each other, you smile at him when you think he’s not looking and he does the same to you. If that’s not love then I don’t know what me and Rachel have,”

“Or me and Quinn,”

“Or me and Mike,”

“I don’t know,” Sam said. “It’s complicated. Besides, he doesn't like me like I like him. Just let it go,”

“Never Sam,” Mercedes told him. “We want you to be happy,”

“And we want Kurt to be happy too,” Artie said. “You’ll get there, just… work on it,”

“Whatever,” Sam huffed. “I have to go,”

Sam walked out of the choir room and everyone stared at each other in total confusion. 

“This is going to be harder than we thought,” Quinn said, breaking the silence.

“Totally,” Puck assured them. “But I haven't given up hope yet,”