#I feel like the first one fits them all very well

[netscapenavigator-official]

I know this isn't gonna help anyone on the Luigi Mangione jury, but I feel like I see a lot of people throw around "Jury Nullification" without actually understanding the responsibility it entails.

Jury Nullification is NOT your explicit right. It is a legal gray area that rides on the back of your explicit rights. Specifically, a jury has the right to

Return any verdict it sees fit.

Not be punished for the verdict it selects.

Not have their verdict challenged or directed.

For these reasons, you (as a Juror) and the people (as a Jury) have the right to vote whichever way they see fit for whatever reason they may choose. That includes voting "Not Guilty" in a situation where the defendant has broken the law, but the circumstances or law, itself, require an alternative verdict.

However.

Just like you have the right to return whatever verdict you choose, a judge has the right to remove you from the jury if they feel you are being deceptive about your impartiality. The point of a trial is to be as neutral and impartial as possible. After all, a trial with biases is not a "fair" trial. Jurors who have prior knowledge and opinions about a case and its circumstances must be removed from the case and relieved of their jury duty. Jurors who intent to disregard the letters of the law in favor of opinion, morality, whatever, must also be relieved of their jury duty and replaced. Therefore, if you approach your fellow jurors and tell them about Jury Nullification and your plans to utilize it, someone may very well tell on you to the judge. It is then that judge's obligation to remove you from the jury and replace you with a more impartial juror (one that may not know about Jury Nullification). Therefore, if you openly support Jury Nullification in a court room, you can (and will) be removed from it.

So, even if it means hanging the jury with a non-unanimous vote, you cannot inform others about your intentions, and you cannot encourage others to utilize Jury Nullification, too. It sucks, but it's reality. Court rooms are very disapproving of Jury Nullification to the point that they have (wrongly) charged individuals with Contempt of Court for telling jurors about it. Lawyers are even forbidden from telling juries they can use this right, in the first place. That's how disliked this ability is. So one more time:

If you intend on actually utilizing Jury Nullification, you have to be completely silent about it. Period. You cannot inform your fellow jurors about it, and you cannot inform anybody in the court room about your plans to utilize it. That is it. That is how things work, and you have to tread lightly and carefully.

[bbrissonn]

𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 - 𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬

summary: in which you spend tow beautiful christmas morning with jack and luke warnings: not proofread, couple of swear words pairing: luke hughes x zegras!reader (lemon au) wc: 2.1k a/n: happy holidays to all of you, hope you enjoy yourselves💗

- December 25, 2023 -

"morning, j."

"hi." the boy mumbled back as he sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island, hand reaching for the cup of coffee you sat in front of him.

"i see your excited." you joked, making the boy send you a death glare. he was about to say something when Luke walked back in from the bathroom.

"morning, rowdy." he said, ruffling his brother's hair as he walked over to you and grabbed the coffee you had just finished making him. all he got in response from jack was a groan as he started adjusting his hair.

"gross." he then added once he saw the two of you engaged in a soft kiss. "don't make me ship you back to your brother, y/n/n."

"you're so funny, jack." you told him, faking a small laugh. finally, the older boy finally smiled this morning, making you roll your eyes with a smile on your face as well.

"can we just get this over with so i can go back to sleep." jack said as he stood up from the stool and made his way over to the living room, where a rather questionably decorated christmas tree sat, a handful of gifts under.

"he's in a joyful mood this morning." luke mumbled before pressing a kiss to your temple and joining his brother on the couch, you following closely behind. Instead of joining the boys on the couch, you went straight for the tree and picked up the gift you had wrapped from jack, handing it to him with a soft smile.

"start us off, big boy." you laughed before taking a place between the two boys, luke throwing one of his arm around your shoulder and pulling you close to him. Your gift was something very small, just a puck with a picture of the three brothers taken before their first game all three together, and on the other side was your favourite picture of jack falling on the ice midair.

jack's tongue poked out of his lips lightly as he struggled to open the wrapped box. f there was one thing you were gonna do, it was make the process of opening gifts as complicated as you could. ou had always done it to your brothers, and recently to your sister as well, always giggling as you watched them struggle.

"y/n/n, i swear-"

"you're almost there!" you cheered as luke chuckled next to you, somehow pulling you even closer. finally, the older boy was able to get to the box, pulling out the puck as a smile quickly took over his face instead of the frown that had been present since he had walked into the kitchen.

"y/n/n... this is surprisingly sweet of- oh my god, of course!" the boy started, but cut himself off as he flipped the puck over, seeing the other picture of him, which sent you into a fit of giggle at his reaction. luke was quick to take a peak at the puck, laughing along with you. "y/n!"

"it was just too hard to resist, j. but, hey, i could've used a way worse picture for the front." you said with a teasing smile. jack rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. he wrapped his arms around you, bring you into a hug as he kept admiring the puck in his hand.

it still felt surreal to him that all three of them had made it this far, feeling like just yesterday their mother was teaching them how to skate on an outdoor rink in toronto. and here they all were, luke and jack in new jersey, while quinn was captain of the canucks across the continent. all of them so far away from each other and their parents, but all connected by their shared love for each other and the sport.

"thank you, really."

"your welcomed, jacky." you answered with a smile as luke pulled you out of his brother's grip, and back into his arm. jack scoffed at the move, but his smile still present as he got up and grabbed the gift he had for luke.

the three of you then engaged in a two hour long exchange of gifts between yourselves. the puck was the only real gift you had gotten jack, the other five being gags that always sent you and your boyfriend into a fit of giggle. it was hard to shop for someone who could already buy whatever they wanted.

but it was safe to say that luke had gone all out on you, buying you almost everything you had mentioned either being cute, or simply just saying you wanted it, in the last couple of months. of course, you pressed a passionate kiss to his lips, to which jack always answered with a gag. as for yourself, you had gotten luke a couple items that he had mentioned over the time of your relationship, but that he had never gotten himself because he didn't feel the need to. but there as one gift that you had opted to keep tucked away in the drawer luke had given you in his dresser, deciding that was not something jack needed to see.

later that evening, you found yourself cuddled on the couch with luke, while jack was currently in the bathroom, the movie paused. you were wearing one of trevors usa hockey sweatpants that you had claimed as your years ago, and one of luke's devils hoodie.

"i'm really happy your here, babe." luke whispered, making you lift your head from his chest and look up at him with a smile.

"'m happy to be here, lu." you mumbled, playing with the strings of his hoodie. you hadn't seen each other since thanksgiving weekend, where you had decided to come visit him in new jersey. of course, you two had face time every day, maybe missing two or three days where either of you were just too busy, tired, or your schedules just didn't lineup. either way, you had talked at least once every day since he left michigan in september.

"i've really missed you."

"i missed you, too, lemon." you smiled before leaning all the way up to met his lips. the two of you soon found yourselves in a passionate make out sessions, tongues dancing together as luke pulled you as close as he possibly could, his hands all over your body.

"you have a room for a reason, luke." jack groaned as he threw himself down on the couch, making the two of you pull apart. you smiled shyly as you hid yourself in luke's hold, no one saying anything else as jack pressed play on the remote.

a couple of hours later, you and luke were laying in his bed half asleep, your face snuggled in his naked chest as you listened to his heart beat. one of his hands was on your head, playing softly with your hair.

"you liked your gifts?"

"mm-hm. loved them." you mumbled, shifting slightly as you tried to shoved yourself closer to him, your chest pressed against his. "but, you know, i don't need all that stuff, babe."

"i know, but i promise your brothers i'd take care of you, and treat you like you deserve. and you deserve this, baby." he explained softly, his eyes slowly closing.

"and i appreciate it, luke, i really do. but i truly do not need all these things. i got you, and that's enough for me."

"you better tell that to your brothers if i ever get an angry visit from them." he joked, making the two of you chuckle before slowly falling asleep in each others arms.

⊹₊ ˚���︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

- December 25, 2024 -

"alright lovebirds, i'm not going through what i went last year again." jack said strictly has he sat down on the couch next to you, setting his cup of hot chocolate down on the coffee table. "kiss each other all you want, but keep your tongues in your own mouths. or go in your room if you really need to get all freak with each other." he continued, making luke roll his eyes at his brother's attitude.

this year was a little different though, with trevor being injured, he had decided to come back home during his small little break, and after jack begged him to come over this morning, you guys were now four on the couch.

"or maybe just don't." trevor added, siding with his best friend. trevor almost flew out of his seat as he looked over at the two of you, only to see both of you rolling your eyes.

"whatever, let's jus get started."

as you started exchanging gifts between yourselves, it only then that the two hughes brother realized how similar you and trevor were, both opting for gag gifts, laughing hysterically each time someone opened their gifts.

"two gifts only, luke?" your brother asked as jack finished opening the last gift that was under the tree, his eyes staring into luke's. your boyfriend was quick to look over at you with wide eyes, making you place a hand on trevor's shoulder.

"trev, it's fine, i asked him not to." you said softly, making trevor's eyes go wide.

"why?"

"'cause i don't need anything else, i've already got everything i want." you explained.

"that's corny." jack chuckled, making luke roll his eyes a bit.

"i mean it though, i don't need a hundred pair of pants, or twenty curling irons." you said, looking more at your brother than your boyfriend. since trevor had sign his first contract, he had made a couple of unnecessary spendings for you, which you were truly thankful for, but you would rather him keep his money than buy you all the stanley cups he could find.

"whatever. i'm gonna go to the bathroom." trevor sassed, standing up and making his way to the bathroom.

"i'm gonna go get water, you guys want anything?" jack then said, standing up as well, but waiting for your answers before leaving.

"i'm okay, thank you." you declined with a smile while luke just shook his head.

"told you he'd hate me." luke was quick to mumbled once jack was gone.

"and i told you, i don't care what he thinks. i know this is gonna sound cringy or whatever, but i have you, lu, and that's good enough for me. just being with you is better than any gifts you could ever give me."

"very corny." luke smiled, looking down at you before attaching your lips together. you let out a soft giggle as luke's hand slipped into your shirt, his fingers gently touching your waist.

"one rule! we give you guys one simple rules, and you can't even follow it?" jack exclaimed as he walked back into the living room, making the two of you pull apart from each other. at the same time, trevor walked out of the bathroom, his eyebrows raised at his best friend's words.

"jack, grow up."

"actually, that's reminding me, trev and i have one last gift for you guys." the middle hughes sibling said before he and trevor disappeared into his room. they came out about a minute later, during which you and luke had exchanged as many kisses as you could, holding a large box. you could tell trevor had wrapped it just from the looks of it.

"open it." trevor said as he placed the box on your lap. you shared a questionable look with luke before unwrapping the box and opening it, only to be met with the sight of 6 boxes of condoms looking back at you. your jaw dropped right away, sending a glare to your brother, while luke threw his head back with a groan.

"trevor!"

"i'm too young to be an uncle, y/n. and by the way you guys are acting with each other in front of us, i don't even want to begin to imagine what you do all alone." he said sternly, both his hands resting on hips like a dad giving his kid a lecture.

"we're not stupid, you know." luke said, closing the box and putting it on the ground. "but thank you for saving me some money, appreciate it." he added with a smile, making your brother gagged while jack slightly hit him on the back of the head.

the rest of the day was filled with chaos, from luke and jack arguing about who's turn it was to do the dishes, figuring out what to eat, trevor and luke getting into a play fight in the middle of one of the movies as your brother saw luke's hand slipped a little too low for his liking. as well as finishing the night with two facetime calls between your families, your parents having the longest discussion about time flying by so quickly until you all told them to just call separately and hanging up the phones.

it was by far the most action-packed christmas you had ever experienced, but you wouldn't of had traded it for the world.

[catcze]

I feel like Wrio would be a little nervous for his first Christmas with you because he’d be nervous if you’d like the present he got for you or not 🥺

He would !! The way he would have spent so long toiling over what to get you, too? He probably spent days upon days deciding what to get you <3

In hindsight, Wriothesley knows that it's a dumb thing to worry about. He knows that he's probably overthinking it, probably making a mountain out of a molehill.

It's just buying a gift, how hard could it be?

Turns out, when it's for you, buying a gift is very hard.

He doesn't even get why he's making this so difficult for himself. He knows what you like. He knows the things that make you smile, that make you laugh, that make you run up and embrace him from sheer glee. He knows all of these things, but the thing is, for this holiday season, he wants his gift to you to be special— he doesn't want it to be something that he would get you any other day of the year just because he could. This is your first time celebrating the holidays with you, and he wants it to be special.

And, when the day comes that you're excitedly staring at the gift he got you, he can feel the nerves crawling up his throat and his heart doing nervous backflips in his chest.

The gift he got you is a small thing— a palm sized box that he had wrapped all on his own. The wrapping is a little shoddy, a little imperfect and the paper a little crinkled and not as taut as it would have been if he had gotten it done professionally, but he wanted to do it himself. it only felt right.

You shake the box at first, gently and just a little, and Wriothesley can't help the small smile that forms on his face when you pout in disappointment, unable to hear anything from inside.

"You have to open it to find out what it is, sweetheart," he teases you good-naturedly, leaning forward to watch your reaction keenly, resting his chin on his palm as he tries his best to quell the growing worry bubbling in his stomach.

You roll your eyes in response, but you're smiling still, clearly excited for whatever it is he had gotten you. "It better not be some gag gift," you grumble to him, even though you know that Wriothesley wouldn't do that to you— he's too sincere for that. Too sweet.

You carefully unwrap the gift, only to be presented with a pretty white box with a logo emblazoned on the top. It's simple, yet elegant, and you recognize the name written on the box to be one of the most famous jewelers in the whole nation. One that's expensive and notoriously difficult to buy from.

In your chest, your heart rate picks up and there's a shock of disbelief in your system, followed by anticipation. Your jaw drops in surprise, eyes widening as you all but snap your neck to Wriothesley, who continues to watch you with rapt attention. "Well? You haven't opened it up yet," he prompts, eyes flicking down to the gift, the smirk on his face not betraying the way his heart is pounding and the way his mouth is dry from anxiety.

With utmost gentleness, you lift the lid of the box, and are presented with two rings, both fitted snugly in a velvet cushion, and your jaw snaps shut as you admire them with wide eyes.

Both bands are simple in nature, devoid of any extravagant gemstones or gaudy designs, made to look instead like vines weaving together on the finger. Made of white gold that's been polished to perfection, practically shining like a mirror in the lighting, there are small, understated diamonds inlaid between the vines, making the rings glitter.

"They're not engagement rings, so you don't have to worry just yet," comes Wriothesley's teasing— you hadn't even noticed his approach, too stunned by the simple and subtle beauty of the rings in your palm. With utmost gentleness, Wriothesley carefully plucks one of the rings out of the velvet cushion and takes your left hand, carefully slipping it onto your ring finger with near-reverence, and all you can do is watch, mouth agape as you still try to process the whole thing. The ring is a perfect fit, down to the centimeter. Crafted, you think, just for you.

"They're promise rings," he says, voice soft and near-fragile with his sincerity. Slowly, he grasps your hand with his own, and the ring twinkles prettily as he does so. Its pair continues to glimmer on the cushion in your hand. "Do you like it?" Wriothesley asks, soft, his eyes intently searching your face for any sort of reaction.

And honestly, you have to will yourself not to let tears gather in your lashes. Not to sob right then and there at the sincerity, at the sheer sweetness of this man with his hand in yours. Part of you wants to bury yourself in his chest and hold him and cry, because you genuinely don't think that you can take how caring he is. How thoughtful. How utterly devoted he is.

But you will yourself to keep your composure, though it takes every ounce of your will. With a hitching breath you carefully take the remaining ring out and take Wriothesley's own left hand. You're almost clumsy in your haste as you slip the ring onto his finger now, blinking back tears as you do so and trying your best not to make it obvious that you want to cry. Wriothesley mercifully doesn't say anything about your state, but instead you hear his breath hitch too as the ring slips onto his finger, as perfect in fit as yours had been.

You swallow heavily as you weave your hand with his, then, both your rings glinting in unison under the light. When you face Wriothesley, he's already watching you, something soft and sweet on his face, and you realize that you're not the only one who's about to cry.

"They're perfect," you murmur between the two of you, hand tightening around his, heart flipping and racing and practically imploding in your chest. When you speak, you're not only talking about the rings. "I really love them."

[olderthannetfic]

Ayyy, there seems to be a lot of older people among the regular commenters of this blog so I'm gonna shoot my shot and ask for advice.

Idk if it's just the clinical depression but I can't help but feel like I'm never gonna find love as a straight girl. I don't hate men at all -- I've been very lucky to be surrounded by decent dudes growing up but shit. Lookin at the state of the world rn... Gen Z dudes chugging misogynist bullshit at alarming rates, women like Gisele Pelicot going through unspeakable shit from their own husbands... it's hard not to feel cynical. On top of that the decent dudes I know irl are all taken, I don't wanna go on dating apps, and as much as I wanna fuck an older man no decent one is gonna settle for a depressed young woman who's a 4 at best...

It's not that i don't have fulfilling friendships or that I don't value them, I just want to love and care for (and get dicked down by) a decent guy who feels the same way. I've always wanted that and I don't think it's changing anytime soon. Feels impossible though. I'm not sure if I'm the problem (I'm plain faced at best, no fashion sense or charm to speak of, though I do my best to be polite and kind) or there's just shit going on I've no control over.

--

People will give you a lot of placating nonsense, but the reality is that the supply of reasonably okay straight women is much higher than the supply of reasonably okay straight men. Finding a fulfilling long-term relationship is always hard anyway, but man... straight guys really need to step it up.

That said, a lot of people in general and straight guys in particular learn a lot from the breakdown of their first marriage/long-term relationship. Just because a guy is listening to godawful manosphere podcasts today doesn't mean he's never going to be dateable later.

Research on dating apps suggests that your average guy responds to pics where women have a lot of makeup on by looking for a hookup, passes by the ones with no makeup, and finds the ones with a little lipstick or something but not heavy makeup the most dateable.

While it would be nice if appearance didn't matter, if you're really worried about this, there are some basic things you can do where you'll get a lot of bang for your buck: Find one lipstick you can stand and learn to apply it. I like Bésame Cosmetics because I am a nerd and they sponsored a local film noir festival. Peggy Carter's lipstick was from them. They have the advantage of being intensely pigmented, so a quick swipe gives full coverage. I hate having shit on my face in general, so that's helpful. If eye stuff is less bleurgghhhh than lip stuff, learn to apply eyeliner instead. There are some liquid ones I really like even if it takes some practice to get decent at painting them on. You don't need a full face of makeup or really much of anything to read as Hot Girl™ to people who don't know anything about makeup and aren't paying much attention. Yes, even if you're a 4 and it's not just the depression talking.

Charm is hard. Some things can be taught, but a lot of that's innate. Fashion, however, is not. You don't need to be a fashionista to look better than a lot of the people around you. Save your money for fewer, better outfits. Buy things that fit well and get things tailored. Don't settle for ill-fitting clothes that don't make you feel good. Look for natural fibers and clothing that will last a long time. (And if you think you have sensitive skin that cannot handle natural fibers, you need to go up several price points on your cotton. Just saying.)

You can also increase your chances by doing activities where you meet more people who might be a good match. This means finding hobbies that actually have straight guys in them and going to in-person things where you meet new people. (This sounds obvious and pedantic, but I cannot tell you how many women I know who want a boyfriend but only do social things that are 95% women and 5% gay men.)

But the biggest thing you can do to stand out is... well... work on that depression. Self confidence and obviously being in a good place in your life are very attractive. Also, the good catches who haven't been snapped up tend to be the quiet, shy people. If you have your own shit together enough to detect and pursue them, you have a better chance of finding someone great.

I get that ~fix your depression~ is not helpful advice, but working on yourself in both important and relatively superficial ways is something you can control. Meeting the right person is not.

It might help to look at this as a 5-10-year goal and/or a lifetime goal, not a "Oh my god, my life sucks this year" problem. Yes, there's shit going on that you have no control over, but if that's your career and mental health and so on, you can work on that and be in a different place in a few years.

Frankly, I think a certain amount of cynicism is warranted, but that doesn't mean there are no decent guys or that you'll never find one.

[devildomwriter]

Wrap Me Up | Lucifer x Reader

1K Word Count | GN! Reader | CW: Very suggestive

Ribbons and bows scattered the floor of Lucifer’s room as you sat crossed leg in the middle of the mess.

Lucifer needed to wrap his brothers’ gifts and he was only just now able to get around to it. After this he could try to relax and enjoy what was left of the holiday season Diavolo forced upon him another consecutive year.

Lucifer pulled more boxes from his closet and sat them down next to you. He got on his knees with a sigh and began sorting the gifts into piles with their corresponding wrapping paper next to them.

Mammon’s wrapping paper was plain, just golden and shiny. Leviathan’s was anime-themed and something he special ordered for Lucifer to wrap his presents in. Satan’s wrapping paper had cats sitting on books. Asmodeus had multiple ones that matched his aesthetic; he’d also picked them out for himself—there was shiny pink, soft pink with white polka dots, and white with pink polka dots. Beelzebub’s paper was just brown and plain since he’d sniff out the food anyway and had no need to identify his gifts by visual means. Belphegor’s paler had the constellations of the Devildom.

You began moving some things aside so Lucifer would have enough room to roll out the paper and he found himself smiling at your consideration even though he wasn’t looking forward to wrapping everything.

Lucifer double-locked his door so his brothers wouldn’t barge in and spoil the Christmas surprise. Christmas may be a new concept for them but the idea of a great surprise was already hardwired into them so as the diligent brother he was, he wouldn’t let them ruin it for themselves.

Both Asmodeus and Mammon had already tried to enter and became extremely suspicious of you being in the room with him until Lucifer and you both explained what you were really doing.

Lucifer felt his headache coming back as now Beelzebub tried to enter the room. You quickly sent him away and Lucifer felt himself beginning to relax just as quickly as he’d stiffened up.

You looked at all the thoughtful presents Lucifer had gotten his brothers and it made you smile to see how much he cared. You knew he did care of course but his brothers had to be punished more often than not so it was easy to lose sight of that fact.

Lucifer saw you smiling at some of the items and prodded you for approval. “Do you think these are fitting?”

You laughed, “You’d know more than I would.”

He sighed and shook his head, “Sometimes I wonder. They’re much quicker to tell you what they want.”

“That’s because it’s my job to spoil them.”

“It’s your job is it now?”

“Mhm. Someone has to be the fun parent.”

He chortled and nodded. “I see. You’re their parent then?”

You nodded, “I may as well be. I feel like I’m taking care of a household of kids.”

Lucifer smiled at the thought someone knew exactly what he was going through but at the same time worried he was burdening you by asking for help.

You read his expressions well enough to know what he was thinking and shook your head, holding your hand up to stop him from saying anything else.

“I’ve got you with me, so that makes it all okay. No matter what they do next.”

Lucifer was touched and thanked you with a faint blush as he began wrapping the first few gifts.

“Tape,” he requested with an outstretched hand and you cut some off for him.

You worked flawlessly together as over two hours you managed to wrap every present. You insisted on wrapping even the smallest ones and he began to wonder if it was so you could keep him a little longer.

You looked at the clock and smiled. “I guess it’s Christmas already, huh? That came so quickly…”

Lucifer nodded. “Thank you, ___, for making this holiday fun for all of us.”

You smiled and blushed. “Well…I’m not done yet…” you confessed and he gave you a curious look.

“Oh?”

“You have one last present to wrap,” you insisted and he watched as you dug through a box of bows and found the perfect one.

You handed him the bow and he stared at it for a moment so you took his hand and placed it atop your head.

“Me. I’m your present,” you said doing your best not to get flustered.

Lucifer took a moment to process what you were saying then gave you a surprisingly genuine smile rather than a flirtatious smirk.

“Yes, you really are,” he agreed and hugged you. “So…what do I get to do with my present exactly?”

You grinned and did your best to maintain eye content. “Whatever you want.”

He raised an eyebrow and grinned, “Anything I want to? Really?”

You nodded and he began leading you across his room.

“Even if I wanted to bring my present to bed? I could do that too?” You nodded so he continued, a sly grin growing.

“What if I wanted to tie your wrists up in ribbons and undress you?” You nodded again, becoming heated as he spoke directly into your ear, hand over your stomach.

“Is that so? What if I wanted my present to unravel in my hands and scream my name loudly enough to wake the house?”

You felt like you’d melt as he continued his fantasies in greater detail. “So…my present would let me stuff my cock in them over and over again until Christmas morning?”

You nodded, your knees weakening as he slowly ran his hand up your leg. You felt his breath against your ear and shivers throughout your body as he gave you a wicked grin.

“I see. In that case, I’ll make thorough use of my generous present... And by the way,” he laughed. “Presents aren’t only valid on the day they’re given…isn’t that right? I hope you know I don’t intend for this to only last a single night.”

[curseofhecate]

MERRY CHRISTMAS, I MISS YOU | LN4

an: This is based on Merry Christmas, I miss you by Alex Crichton. It can be read as part to to merry christmas, please don't call. Again, depressing but I can't help it. This is Lando's point of view.

w.c.: 1.3k

December 25th, Christmas.

The view from the cabin was captivating. Especially now that the sun had gone down and it was snowing again. Everything outside seemed so calm and peaceful, the complete opposite of the war that was currently going on in Lando’s mind. 

His plan hadn’t been to spend Christmas in a cabin somewhere in the french alps. It had actually been Max's idea, to make their annual ski trip overlap with Christmas this year. He knew his friend very well to know that if Lando was left alone this year on Christmas day he would have ended up wallowing in his sadness. 

The whole day had passed by in a blur. Presents, skiing, food, jokes, card games, it had all been a well revised plan to keep him distracted. And it had worked. Up until now.

It was late in the evening and everyone was off doing their own thing. Lando was sitting on a couch, half watching the snow fall outside through the floor to ceiling window and half watching the movie Pietra and Max, who were cuddling on the other couch. 

Love Actually. He remembered when his girlfriend had forced him to watch it with her around this time last year and how he had complained it was a dumb movie without actually having seen it. Well, ex girlfriend, because he had ruined that.

He hadn’t really meant to. It was something he either did subconsciously or it was out of his control. Usually, he likes to blame their falling out on the distance, on his job, on his career. And while all of those things had played their role in how things progressed between them, what had really destroyed what they had was their communication. Or better said, their lack of. And it killed Lando to admit that his inability to let someone see him for what he really is, had ruined the best thing he had ever gotten hold of.

It is weird how quickly things change.

Exactly a year ago, he could have sworn they’d be infinite. It was the day he had taken her to meet his parents. She was nervous and he had spent the whole car ride down to Bristol reassuring her that his family would love her. What she didn’t know was that they already did. Lando hadn’t stopped talking about her since the day they'd met. 

He had convinced her it wasn’t that big of a thing. Which was a lie because Lando never introduced his girlfriends to his parents. Mainly because most of them couldn’t even be considered girlfriends and fit more into the ‘casual hook ups’ or ‘friends with benefits’ categories.  

He remembered how he had spent most of his time watching her interact with his family and feeling proud about how well she fit in with them. That was the moment that solidified for Lando the feelings he had for her. And as he sat there and watched her interact with his niece we thought about how Christmas would be ten years from now, when they’d be married and have a family of their own. 

It was the moment that made it clear to Lando that this was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The girl he was going to marry.

If he were honest, he always knew. From the moment he first saw her, at the back of that party on Christmas day two years ago with a drink in her hand and looking awkward, he knew that something was different about her. 

When he first walked up to her, Lando was nervous. Which was the most unlike Lando thing ever. Normally he was really open and comfortable around people, the definition of an extrovert. But for some reason this was different.

The first thing he told her was some lame joke about both of them being out of place since they knew no one and their friends ditched them, He didn’t get much of a response, except for a forced smile, and for a bit lando felt as if he was having a one sided conversation. But the longer he kept talking the more at ease she started to feel around him. 

The walls didn’t really come down until Lando made another joke about something stupid, what he couldn’t remember. What he remembered though was the way she had thrown her head back laughing. And from that moment, he was a goner. 

It was crazy to think how two years ago they didn’t even know each other and last year at this time she was curled up against him, head on his chest with his arms wrapped around her and watching cheesy Christmas movies. And now she is gone. He had lost her. 

Sometimes he wondered what he could have done differently. He knew it wasn’t entirely his fault and some things were out of their control but he couldn’t help but want to go back and change everything. 

What he had felt for her, he hadn’t felt for anyone else before, and he was convinced he wouldn’t feel for anyone else in the future. 

Usually he tried not to think about that. During the season it was easy. He was preoccupied with races and the possibility of winning the drivers championship. Being a formula 1 driver didn’t allow him much time to wallow in his self pity. 

But now, it is really difficult. Especially considering how he kept thinking about the Christmas they’d spent together last year. The look on her face when he’d told her it was too early to blast Christmas songs on November 1st, the domestic feeling it brought him decorating his London apartment together, the way she’d force him to do silly childish activities, like baking cookies and decorating gingerbread houses and how he’d complain even though he always ended up loving it.

Waking up with her in his arms on Christmas morning and pretending to be asleep as soon as she started stirring, just to make the moment last longer, knowing well that she wouldn’t have the heart to wake him up. It all haunted him.

But most of all, it was the what ifs that tormented him.What if she has moved on? What if she’s with someone new? What if he’s nothing but a ghost that lingers in her life?

But then what if she was lonely? What if she missed him as much as he missed her? What if she had realised how big of a mistake this had been? What if she wants to reach out but is afraid to? What if the reason she didn’t is because she thinks he has moved on. 

Lando thought about this far more often that he would like to admit. All he could think about lately was her. And even though he appreciated how his friends tried to distract him he couldn’t help but feel suffocated. 

He missed her. He missed her a lot. How could he not? He was in love with her, he still is. And so he can’t help but wonder whether she would answer if he called. 

He hoped she would. 

Sighing, he picked up his phone and tapped on her contact. He typed out a paragraph, explaining how much he missed her and how he wished he could have her back. His finger hovered over the send button but he hesitated and erased the message, turning off his phone frustrated.

He couldn’t go on like this. 

If she didn’t want to talk then she wouldn’t reply. But if still cared then maybe she would. And for once in his life Lando Norris had nothing to lose. 

He turned on his phone again and typed out another message, hitting the text button and turning off his phone before he could overthink it.

[fandomgirlz01]

The Most Perfect Christmas Ever

JJ Maybank X Routledge Reader

Imagine on fandom instagram?: No

Prompt or Request or Requested Prompt?: Yes: (1) "Cute Christmas socks." (2) "Are you going to stay out there in the cold all night?" (3) "Come here. I bet you can fit in my coat with me and it’ll warm you up." (4) "Is that my scarf?" (5) "Be careful you’re clumsy and it’s really slippery out here." (6) "Ah. The ground is so slippy.!” (7) "Call me elf one more time!" (8) "Chaos has come again." (9) "Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone." (10) "Come here. I bet you can fit in my coat with me and it’ll warm you up." (11) "Everything I want I can’t have." (12) "Here. Let me pick you up so you can reach the top of the Christmas tree." (13) "How long ago did (Character) fall asleep?" (14) "I believe the Abominable Snowman may be real. I think there may be something in that." (15) "I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold."

Style of Writing: Single Fic 

Rating: PG ~ For all the fluff and cuteness, but a few adult comments…

Edited: Not edited so it may change around later guys. 

Word count: 6,717 

Post Date & Time: December 25th 2024 at 1:45 AM

Ko-fi

Masterlist

Warnings Here 

Listen to the story be read out loud here {coming soon}.

Summary: You, your brother John B and JJ (Jackson Jessy "Maybank" Groff) spend another Christmas together, your first Christmas without your father after he’d gone missing. This Christmas however is different than all the others that the three of you have spent together. 

Authors Note: I got these amazing prompts from a fellow writers page @bonniebird Bonnie is an inspiration to me as well as an amazing writer and artist. I did change some of them up so they fit the story better, but I did try to keep them pretty close to the original prompts. Anyway, Bonnie’s work never fails to make me smile and feel all the feelings that I should when reading. I WISH I could write as amazingly as she does, but I’m nowhere near her level yet, I hope and pray that one day I will be. Ladies and gentlemen please go give her love and support because she really deserves it. She’s one of my many inspirations and I’m so so happy to use her prompts because they really pushed me to write this fic even though I was blocked for all of my other works. I feel like it helped me break out of it, so THANK YOU Bonnie for everything 🩵🩵🩵

Also this is our first JJ Maybank fic. We have so much coming out for JJ he will eventually be added into our main people we write for so be on the look out for when we add that in. We both hope you guys enjoy this one. 🩵

You hum softly to yourself along with the Christmas music you have playing as you lay out the decorations. Every Christmas, you, John B, your dad, and JJ would enjoy Christmas together. When you were growing up and found out what JJ’s dad did to him (you didn’t tell them of course, because that’s JJ’s place to tell people about it), you begged for JJ to start spending the holidays with you. Ever since that very first time they agreed, he’s always come over. It’s always been your absolute favorite time of year. How could it not be? When you have JJ and John B around you, your two favorite people? This year is different though, because it’s the first Christmas without your father since he had disappeared only a few months ago now. 

“Hey. Wow. You’ve really got everything ready,” John B comments in shock as he looks at everything you’ve laid out so far. 

“It’s Christmas, JB, of course I’ve got everything ready. Don’t I always?” You ask, raising an eyebrow at him and shrugging. 

“I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve and we’re only now decorating…” you shake your head and he chuckles. 

“I know normally you have it all started the last week of November,” he comments, amusement clear in his tone. 

“I know right! I’m so behind. This year has been a lot… it’s been one stressful year…” you mutter out with a roll of your eyes and he again hums in amusement as you bite your lip. 

“Hey. I get it. It definitely has been wild,” John B agrees and you sigh. 

“It’s just… it’s the first one without dad. We should still celebrate, be happy to still all be together right?” You ask, unsure of your own words. 

“Of course, bug. I’m sure we’ll enjoy it,” he tells you as he stops you for a moment to pull you into a hug. 

“Plus, I’ll have my two favorite guys with me. I’m happy and I refuse to not be happy during my favorite time of year,” you push away from the hug as you ramble while continuing to lay stuff out, not bothering to spare a look at your brother. 

“Hey. I get it. I do. No need to preach it to me, bug,” he reverently tells you, giving you a small shrug. 

You continue to lay ornaments and many other decorations out on the table. You step back to look at your handiwork, proud of how it looks. You get pulled out of your thoughts when your brother laughs, making you look at him instead. 

“What?” You ask him, eyebrow propped and he points down at your feet. 

"Cute Christmas socks," he tells you though chuckles and you look down at them, pushing up onto your toes. 

“Oh, really? Good, I got both you and JJ a pair of your own,” you inform him with a giant grin and his face falls. 

“There’s no way JJ will be wearing those…” he tells you and you giggle. 

“Who says! They’re cute!” You cry out and he chuckles, shaking his head. 

“Sorry to tell ya, bee, JJ doesn’t do cute,” he tells you with humor lacing his tone. 

“Fine. You’ll wear them though, right?” You ask, giving him puppy dog eyes. 

“Not a chance. Puppy eyes don’t work on me anymore, bee,” he tells you and you smirk even though he’s not looking at you. 

“Really? Then why won’t you look at me, huh?” You teasingly ask and he huffs. 

“No reason. No reason at all. Speaking of your two favorite people, where's the other?” John B asks with a hint of humor, changing the subject as he picks up an ornament to look at before carefully setting it back down. 

“Actually, he was supposed to be here about thirty minutes ago…” you comment as you finally look up at the clock. 

“Don’t worry, bug. It’s JJ, I’m sure he’s just running late,” John B tries to comfort you, but you shake your head, rushing over to start putting your jacket on. 

“Exactly. It’s JJ. He’s never late this time of year. He loves having Christmas with us,” you comment as you shove your feet into your shoes. 

“Bug? What are you doing?” John B rushes over to you and you shrug as you stand while zipping up your jacket. 

“I’m going to look for him. What if he needs us?” You counter as you wrap a scarf around your neck and John B sighs. 

“I’m coming with you then,” he informs you as he grabs his own jacket. 

You give him a look of exasperation before shaking your head once more. You pull the door open before starting down the porch, but John B pulls you to a stop. You go to yell at him, but he raises his hands in surrender before pointing over at something and you turn to look where he's pointing. You see JJ sitting curled up on the dock and you sigh in relief. 

“You go talk to him. I’ll finish setting up, okay?” John B offers and you smile softly at him. 

“Don’t you wanna go over?” You ask, popping an eyebrow at him and he pauses with lips pursed in thought. 

“No. It looks more like a you and him moment,” John B answers with a small soft smile. 

“Okay. If you’re sure, birdy,” you tell him, giving a side eye to see if he changes his mind. 

When he doesn’t show any signs of changing his mind, you firmly nod at him before starting to walk over to JJ as John B heads back inside. It’s a cold night so you bring your cupped hands up to your mouth and breathe into them, hoping to warm yourself up a little. Once your hands have warmed up, you move them under your armpits, trying to keep them that way as you move closer and closer to JJ. 

“Jayj…” you call out softly and you can see your breath in the air. 

“Hi, cupcake…” he mutters, not looking at you which makes you frown. 

“Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” You ask as you sit next to him, your feet dangling over the side of the dock. 

“JJ, talk to me…” you mutter out when he doesn’t answer and you move to cuddle into his side, but he uses his shoulder to shove you off, still keeping his face out of view. 

“JJ. Seriously, what is wrong?” You ask as you grab his shoulder, trying to pull him to look at you even though you have an opinion on what’s going on. 

“Just leave me alone cupcake. Please?” He practically begs, still turned away from you and you frown even harder. 

“Jayj, please…” you whisper out to him once again and he sighs, finally turning to you not liking the hurt sound of your voice. 

“Oh, JJ…” you gasp when you see his face full of black and blue bruises, you had a thought that’s it be about his dad, but you had no clue it’d be this bad. 

“See, that’s why…” he mutters, looking away from you once more. 

“I don’t want you pitying me again… you do it far too often,” he mutters after you haven’t said anything.

“I don’t pity you, JJ. If anything I think it makes you incredibly strong…” you tell him with a firmness to your tone and he feels himself getting choked up. 

“Yeah… whatever…” he responds, not believing you as he shoves you off again. 

“I’m really sorry, JJ…” you mutter softly, not knowing what else to say to get him to believe you. You frown with a shake of your head as tears well up in your eyes.  

“What do you have to be sorry for? You didn’t do this…” JJ asks as he still refuses to look at you and you reach out for him again. 

“I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m sorry you got dealt such a bad hand in life. I wish… I wish I could force Luke to see you. To actually see you,” you explain as you're finally able to pull him to look at you. He wishes he could wipe your frown off but only smiles softly at you. 

“It’s not so bad. I’ve got you and John B. It could be worse I guess,” he tells you with a shrug as he looks away again and out to the water. 

“I mean, you are right. Having us is pretty awesome,” you agree playfully, bouncing your eyebrows and he chuckles to himself, shaking his head. You smile, seeing his tough exterior finally starting to break down.

“It really is,” he softly agrees as he still looks out over the water and you hold back a sigh. 

“Well, are you going to stay out here in the cold all night and stew in what happened? Or are you going to come in and have fun with your favorite person?” You goad him while nudging him with your shoulder. 

“Oh, John B’s my favorite person now, huh?” he playfully asks, his own lips forming a bit bigger of a smirk now and you gasp. 

“Umm, no. I was actually talking about myself,” you respond with a deadpan look that makes him smile even more as he laughs, shaking his head. 

“What makes you think you’re my favorite person?” he asks you, all smiles now and you can’t help but smile alongside him. 

“It made you smile, didn’t it?” You answer him with a shrug and he’s shaking his head in disbelief again. 

“Yeah… yeah. It did,” he chuckles, continuing to smile softly at you.

"Well come on, then, let's get inside. We have a tree to decorate still and many other Christmas festivities,” you tell him with a beaming smile as you go to get up, but he reaches out and stops you. 

“Can we maybe just stay here for a moment more?” he mutters out and you blink at him for a moment.

“Yeah, of course, Jayj…” you softly tell him and he smiles a small smile at you. 

The two of you sit in silence for a little while before JJ, who's not wearing a coat, starts to shake a little bit."Come here. I bet you can fit in my coat with me and it’ll warm you up," You tell him as you hold your coat open to him. 

“Thanks, cupcake,” he mutters as he slides in under your arm and you smile warmly at him. 

“Of course, Jayj. It’s us against the world,” you whisper to him as you bring your pinky up and he smiles again before bringing his up as well, wrapping it around yours. 

“Us against the world, cupcake,” he agrees and you sigh, laying your head against his that now lays on your shoulder. 

“Hey, is this my scarf?” he asks after a while of silence as he lifts one of the sides of the scarf up. 

“Umm. Yeah, I think it’s the one you left here last year. I found it in my winter clothes. You can have it back if you want,” you answer with your cheeks burning hot and you try to hide your face. 

“Nah. Keep it. It’s a better fit on you than me,” he tells you softly and again you can’t help but blush. 

He says nothing else after that, just cuddles back into your shoulder and you squeeze his shoulder. The two of you stay sitting there, cuddling while looking out over the water in silence and just enjoying each other’s presence. 

“Hey, tweedledee and tweedledum, are you two going to stay out there all night and make me decorate alone? Or are you going to come be of some help?”John B calls out for the two of you from the edge of the dock and you both roll your eyes. 

“Well, you ready to go in?” You ask him and he smiles at you before nodding. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” he agrees before pulling away and the two of you start to stand. 

"Be careful cupcake, you’re clumsy and it’s really slippery out here,” JJ tells you as he stands up and you cross your arms. 

“I’m not that clumsy!” You fight back and he hums in amusement. 

“Okay. I’ll believe that when you're not tripping over thin air,” he jokes back with a smirk and you scowl at him. 

“Whatever…” you tell him as you roll your eyes before turning and taking a step to head back to the house. 

You let out a small gasp as you start to fall back, but JJ, knowing you well, was already reacting and quickly pulling you back up. You stare at him in shock for a moment before you slowly start to smile, making him smile too. 

"You were right. The ground really is so slippery,” You joke, eyes wide in shock and he playfully rolls his eyes at you. 

“Never change, cupcake. You’re truly one of a kind,” JJ tells you with a grin that’s utterly infectious. 

“Only if you promise never to change yourself, Jayj. You’re one of a kind too,” you request and he nods in agreement. 

You both stare at one another for a moment, your eyes staring into the blue pools that are his eyes that you’ve come to love so much over the years and you have a burning need to kiss him. You can feel his heart going what seems to be a mile a minute as he watches your eyes flicker down to his lips and back up to his eyes, his eyes doing the same. He squeezes your waist gently with a million thoughts of how your lips might taste flying though his mind and he wishes he could just kiss the adorable frown off your face, but he knows he can’t, making him frown too. You frown even deeper before opening your mouth to ask him why he’s frowning, but before you get the chance, you get cut off. 

“Hey! Would you two stop making eyes at each other and come help me decorate!” John B calls out again, interrupting the moment and you almost groan. 

“Thanks for catching me, Jayj,” you whisper out and something flashes through his eyes for a moment, an emotion you can’t quite decipher before he grins again letting you go. 

“I’ll always catch you, cupcake,” he promises with a light smile before the two of you start to walk over to John B. 

You slip a little bit once more, but you reach out and grab onto JJ’s arm. He looks down at you and chuckles as you cling to him like a koala bear, making him chuckle. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you to the end of the dock safely,” he promises with a laugh as he laces his fingers through yours and continues to walk over to John B. 

"Chaos has come again, man!” JJ announces as you and he walk into the château before he’s letting go of you to walk over to John B. 

“Don’t think that’s a good thing man,” John B deadpans and you fight to hold back a giggle as JJ pulls back from the guy hug the share looking offended. 

“Fine then, I take it back. You’re definitely not my favorite person. It’s cupcake,” JJ says as he pulls you into him from behind. 

“Oh so now I’m your favorite,” you ask, crossing your arms and giving a faux annoyed look. 

“Let’s be completely honest bee, I think you always have been even when he lies outta his butt and says you aren't,” John B comments with a roll of his eyes as he picks up an ornament and hangs it on the tree. 

“It’s disgusting sometimes really,” John B continues with a fake gag as he hangs the ornament up on the tree. 

“Ohh. I wanna do the Angel!” You happily call out clapping your hands and John B chuckles. 

“Don’t you always do it? This year’s no different, Bee. It’s your one job,” John B comments in amusement making you pout. 

“It’s not my only job! I have others,” you fight back and JJ chuckles, slinging his arm around your shoulder. 

“Yeah, JB her other jobs lookin pretty,” JJ comments as he hugs you into his side and you fight a blush as you groan pushing him away. 

“I extremely dislike both of you,” you comment, crossing your arms with a look of dismay falling on your face and they both grin. 

“That’s not true. You LOVE us,” both of them singsong to you and you uncross your arms shaking your head. 

“Okay maybe I do, but let’s get this show on the road,” you finally cave and agree with them before walking over to start decorating the tree some more. 

“Okay miss head elf,” JJ jokes with a roll of his eyes and John B laughs. 

“Oh that’s a good one Jayj. She really is a snappy head elf this time of year isn’t she?” John B agrees before pushing the joke a little further and you pause crossing your arms. 

"Call me elf one more time!" You seeth out through clenched teeth and they share a look. 

“Awe come on elffie. It’s a cute Christmas nickname that’s all. Plus you're the perfect height for it,” JJ tells you again, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as he squeezes you affectionately and you huff, shaking your head. 

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, let’s get decorating already…” you tell them in annoyance and JJ snickers along with John B. 

Together you, JJ and John B all dance around and decorate making you completely forget about everything that’s been going on the past few months. For a moment it’s just you and your two favorite people living happily with nothing and nobody to take it away from you. You’d give anything to live every single day like this. You walk away still laughing at something JJ had said and walk back in with the scissors. You stop and fondly watch as John B and JJ fight over who gets to put an ornament on a certain branch. Blue Christmas by Elvis starts to play and without realizing it you start to cry. 

“You okay there cupcake?” JJ asks as he turns around to see you crying and worry flows through him. 

“I’m okay Jayj…” you tell him softly with a gentle smile on your face as you set the scissors on the table. 

“Then why the tears?” John B asks and you giggle wiping at your eyes. 

“I just wish we could all live like this everyday. Just us three having the times of our lives with nothing to worry about,” you start pausing to catch your breath a little bit and to sniffle. 

“Both Kie and Pope have their parents. I’m happy to just have you two,” you explain more tears welling up in your eyes and JJ clicks his tongue coming over to give you a hug. 

“I’m happy we have each other too, Bee, but unfortunately we can’t have it everyday. There’s always going to be good and bad days,” John B agrees with you as he to comes over to hug you. 

“I know, I just wish it could be that way,” you sigh out and JJ squeezes you once more. 

“I think we all do, cupcake. Let’s just try to live in this moment then yeah? Enjoy the time we have?” He asks and you grin up at him. 

“Yeah, okay,” you agree and he smiles happy to see you back to your happy go lucky self. 

You gasp as the song’s lyrics perfectly fit the moment. “But I’ll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas without you,” you sing along to Elvis as you sway and JJ shakes his head, but smiles as he watches you enjoy the music. 

“Perfect timing, much?” He jokes propping an eyebrow making both you and John B burst out laughing. 

“Yeah… definitely don’t quit your day job bug,” John B jokes and you shrug seemingly unfazed by his playful insult. 

“And what day job would that be birdy? Hunting for gold?” You playfully ask back, sticking your tongue out at him. 

“Okay. Okay… you win,” he chuckles, holding his hands up in surrender. 

“I always win,” you say in a devious tone with an equally devious look. 

“Don’t I always win, Jay?” You ask, turning to JJ who looks between you and John B in a panic for a moment. 

“Sorry JB. I have to say she is definitely a winner in my book,” JJ tells both of you and you let out a cheer pumping your fist in the air. 

“Eat it birdy!” You cheer out as you do a little dance. 

“So not fair! JJ’s only on your side because he’s crushing hard. Let’s bring Sarah in as a tie breaker,” John B complains and you pause your dance crossing your arms as you prop an eyebrow at him. 

“How would that break the tie? One. Sarah, so would choose me too and second that’d only make it tied even more even if she did choose you,” you comment very pointedly and he shrugs sticking his tongue out. 

“At least it’d be more fair. Again, JJ only chose you because he’s crushing on you,” John B again points out and you shake your head. 

“And Sarah is so crushing on you,” you point out and JJ lets out an “ooooohhh” making you laugh. 

“She got you there JB,” JJ comments with a smirk that’s infectiously making you smirk too. 

“Okay birdy, you win. I take it as a compliment that my favorite person is crushing on me though,” you happily reply, leaving a kiss on JJ’s cheek and he blushes before awkwardly clearing his throat. 

“Okay. Okay. Enough fighting you two. I think it’s time to put the angel up right?” JJ cuts in only wanting to change the whole subject as he holds the Angel up for you to take from him. 

“Yeah, okay.” You agree as you take the Angel from him. 

You look down at the Angel in your hands, the angel you and your mom had picked out together when you were five. You don’t remember much of her, John B does because he’d been a little older (he’d been seven) when she left, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt when you think about how she’d just left the three of you behind. John B and your dad had told you so much about her that sometimes she felt like a phantom to you, like someone that was there for a second, someone you knew so well, then gone the very next. Tears well up in your eyes and you look up at John B. He immediately knows what you’re thinking and lets out a sigh, sad for you as always, he always felt sad you couldn’t fully remember her like he could. 

“I know, bug. I miss mom too,” John B sympathizes with you and you wipe under your eyes as JJ squeezes your shoulder. 

“I just wish I’d gotten to actually know her a little more,” you mutter and JJ pulls you into a hug knowing that’s the only sure way to comfort you. 

“Here, cupcake. Let me pick you up so you can reach the top of the Christmas tree.” JJ tells you after pulling away from the hug and he bends down before slipping his head between your legs lifting you as he stands. 

“You better not drop me Jayj!” You squeak out before giggling hysterically as you’re now sitting on his shoulders one hand in his hair the other holding the angel and he stands straight. 

“I would NEVER dream of it cupcake,” he sweetly tells you as he holds you a little tighter to make it known he definitely won’t drop you. 

You grin as you put the Angel on the tree before looking down to see JJ looking up at you. You then nod at him and he bends to let you down slowly. Once you have both feet on the ground he stands up straight next to you. You smile at him before suddenly you're letting out a gasp pushing JJ away just the slightest but in your excitement. 

“What? What’s wrong?” JJ asks immediate worry, taking over as he looks at John B for help, but John B just shrugs just as confused. 

“It’s If Everyday Was Like Christmas my favorite Elvis Christmas song,” you happily explain and JJ lets out a sigh of relief shaking his head. 

“We should have known,” John B playfully rolls his eyes 

“Oh we really should have dude. She is an old soul,” JJ agrees and he chuckles as you start to sway again just as you had with Blue Christmas and JJ shakes his head again too as you hold a hand out for him. 

“What?” JJ asks with an arched eyebrow and you grin making his heart melt at seeing you so happy. 

"I want to dance with you. Come on. Dance with me Jayj,” you beg, holding your hand out to him more insistently. 

“Okay, but you should know I’m not a good slow dancer sweetheart,” he informs you as he takes your hand in his and you smile as you help him get into position. 

“It’s okay J. Just sway with me. We don’t have to be all that fancy, we’re Pogues, remember? Not kooks,” you remind and he throws his head back laughing before calming as he sways with you. 

“P4L. Never a kook,” JJ happily agrees, proud that you feel the same way he does. 

You lay your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes and his leans against yours. He looks at John B for a moment over your shoulder who seems to be watching the two of you fondly. John B then surprises him by putting his hands up in surrender before leaving the room and JJ melts against you a little more. 

When If Everyday Was Like Christmas ends both of you slowly come to a stop and you lift your head from his shoulder to look at him. You smile softly at him and again there’s a moment where you lock eyes. His bright brilliant blue eyes shining with happiness and another emotion that makes you think you might just kiss, but just like all the other moments over the years where you’d been close John B walks back into the room. 

“And what’s going on here?” John B asks ever the overprotective brother that he is and you roll your eyes. 

“Nothing birdy. Are we watching die hard or not?” You ask changing the subject as you push away from JJ and he fights not to frown at the missing feeling of your body heat. 

“Not. I thought we could open a gift or two,” John B tells you and you arch an eyebrow at him. 

“I thought we all agreed on no gifts this year?” You ask and John B shrugs. 

"I’d be down. I know we said no presents this year but I wanted to get you both something special to show you how much I appreciate you, so I uhh did…" JJ admits with a shrug in agreement and John B grins shrugging along with JJ. 

“My gifts really aren't much. Just one to open tonight and tomorrow for each of us. All have super special meaning that’s all,” John B informs you and you grin shaking your head. 

“Well I really can’t say much. I did the same thing,” you admit with a giggle when they both give you a shocked look. 

“Bee! It was your idea!” John B cries out and you smile sheepishly. 

“Oppps,” you shrug feigning innocence, shrugging "Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone else right?” You ask with a lopsided grin and John B lets out a chortle shaking his head almost in disbelief. 

“I mean she’s not wrong dude,” JJ happily chirps out and you smirk, bouncing your eyebrows. 

“I’m never wrong Jayj,” you joke with him poking his side and he playfully scoffs. 

“Okay. Yeah, whatever you want to believe cupcake,” he humors you as he rubs at the spot you’d poked him in. 

After opening gifts you’d all decided to watch the movie so you cuddle up next to JJ and John B decides to sit in the chair off to the side. As the movie plays JJ lays behind you his strong arm wrapped around your waist like normal and anytime he laughs you feel the warm air from his mouth over your neck making goosebumps rise on your arms. You fight the whole movie not to fall even more in love with him and the way he holds you, but just like any other time the two of you cuddle you do. 

“Well, I’m beat. I’m going to bed,” John B announces as he slaps his hands down on the arms of the chair and pushes himself up. 

“Goodnight JB,” you call out as he walks toward his room and he turns around. 

“Goodnight bumblebee. Sleep tight,” he replies with a soft smile your way. 

“So cupcake, you heading to bed too?” JJ asks and you look up at him. 

“I’m not really tired. I might go lay in the hammock for a little while,” you inform him and he nods letting go of your waist. 

“You could come join me if you want, but you definitely don’t have to,” you tell him biting at your lip, nervous he might say no and he chuckles. 

“And skip out on our special hammock time?” He asks like he is offended and he smiles when you perk up. 

“Really?” You ask in excitement and he smiles even more. 

“Really cupcake. I love our hammock time. Let’s go,” he promises softly as he pushes up off the couch and grabs the blanket the two of you always use. 

He then turns to you and looks down at you sitting up before reaching a hand out to you. You smile almost shyly as you slip your hand into his and he pulls you up from the couch. He wraps his arm around your shoulders and together you walk out of the château. You both walk down the stairs and over to the hammocks. 

“After you princess,” JJ tells you as he bows like a butler would and you giggle shaking your head. 

“Why thank you. You're a very kind Prince, you know that?” You ask him as he lays down with you now and he holds his arm up for you to cuddle up to his side. 

“Well it’s easy to be kind to a princess like you,” he tells you and you roll your eyes at his flirty ness as he uses his other hand to put the blanket over the two of you. 

You giggle as he struggles to lay the blanket out evenly over the two of you and you reach out to grab the other side, pulling it over yourself. He chuckles softly, shaking his head before finally relaxing and he squeezes you softly as the two of you look up to watch the very prominent stars in the sky. 

“Can I tell you a secret cupcake?” He whispers out to you after a few minutes as he uses his fingers to rub your arm. 

“Of course Jayj… you can tell me anything. You know that,” you promise as you cuddle into his side even more. 

"I believe the Abominable Snowman may be real... I think there may be something in that." He whispers and you slowly grin, turning to smile up at him. 

“You might actually be right… I mean who’s to say he’s not real?” You ask and he chuckles, shaking his head loving the fact that you just agree with him. 

“I think I may have everything I want right here right now,” you whisper out as you cuddle back down into him with a hum of contentment. 

"Everything I want I can’t have." He admits and you frown pushing up to look at him again. 

“What do you mean? You don’t have everything you want? What else could you want?” You ask with a frown, sad that he could possibly not be as happy as you thought he was. 

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before letting them open once more. His blue eyes stare into yours and you almost lose yourself in them. 

“You,” he whispers almost nervously and you’ve never seen JJ at his nervous before as you raise an eyebrow at him. 

“Jayj. You have me. I’m not sure why you think you don’t,” you tell him in confusion and he huffs in anger, but not in anger at you, no he’d never be angry at you, but he is angry you're not getting it. 

“No princess. You don’t get it… I want us to be… uggh,” he groans out reaching up to rub at his chest and your eyebrow furrows even more as you reach up moving his hand before rubbing his chest for him. 

“Jay. Just calm down and tell me. It’s okay… you want us to be…” you prompt him to continue on as he seems to calm a little more. 

“Okay… uhh… I want us to be more than friends and I know Pogues don’t Mack on Pogues, but I’ve wanted to be so much more with you for years…” he admits hesitation clear as he once again for the second time in the night refuses to look at you and you smile. 

“Jayj… look at me please…” you whisper out and hit takes him a moment, but soon he’s doing it. 

"It was always you, through everything it was always you Jayj. Nobody else,” you whisper again with a grin growing on your face as you watch him slowly realize exactly what you’d said. 

“Wait… really? But wait… what?” He asks in confusion and you giggle. 

"I'd always choose you Jayj.” You softly promise and nuzzle into his chest bashfully and he chuckles bringing his hand up to your head to massage at your scalp. 

“I’d always choose you too Princess,” JJ promises just as softly as he leaves a kiss to your forehead. 

“You missed…” you tell him with a confident grin as you sit up to look at him and he chuckles again shaking his head. 

“Oh my bad. Let’s see if I can fix my mistake then,” he jokes right back with his own smile growing. 

Before you know it his hand trails from your hair and to your neck, lightly pulling you to him while tilting your head ever so slightly. He moves slowly and treats you so gently making the butterflies erupt even more in your stomach. There’s a thick anticipation that falls over you with how slowly you move closer together, but it’s the kind of anticipation you really don’t want to end. Finally his lips meet yours in a firm yet delicate and maybe a little desperate kiss. You are a little surprised thinking it would have been a little more heated with knowing how JJ is, but the delicacy of which he kisses you proves to you just how much he’s wanted this. 

He worries if he makes it anymore heated like he normally does with other girls he’d ruin this whole moment and he really doesn’t want to lose you. You're the most important girl outta all the ones he’s ever been with so if he messes it up he’s scared he might lose you all together. You take a leap and kiss him a little harder, surprising him for the smallest of moments, but he smirks into the kiss before reciprocating it even more. You smile into the now heated kiss as you reach up and wrap your arms around his neck and play with the hair at the nip of his neck making him groan. You then maneuver a little more so now instead of laying side by side you lay on top of him and he squeezes your waist after his hands move from your neck. 

Slowly you pull away breaking the kiss almost unwillingly and he chases your lips giving them another peck making you giggle. He then leans his forehead against yours and you grin wide as both of your heavy breaths mingle together. 

“Wow…” you whisper, biting your lip and he grins at you. 

“Definitely wow. I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time,” he admits and you grin as you use your thumb to trace his lips. 

“I know it may be early, but I love you Jayj. You’re my favorite Christmas gift,” you tell him as you scoot down and lay your head on his chest. 

“It’s not early at all, princess. I think we’ve loved each other for a while now. We’ve just been too scared to tell each other,” he tells you as he kisses your head and pulls you even closer then before. 

“Oh and you're my favorite gift too sweet girl. I love you,” JJ adds on and you sigh happily. 

“Merry Christmas Jayj…” you mutter out as tiredness takes over your body. 

“Merry Christmas cupcake,” JJ parrots you again, squeezing you a little closer. 

It’s a little while later and JJ smiles when he realizes you’re breathing has evened out meaning you’re happily asleep in his arms. He yawns, but refuses to fall asleep quite yet, just wanting to enjoy having what he thought he never could. 

"How long ago did, bug fall asleep?" He hears a whisper making him look up at John B. 

“Only a little while ago. She’ll probably sleep in a lot more than the last few years. I thought you went to bed?” JJ whispers not wanting to wake you as you sleep soundly on his chest. 

“I did, but I knew you two would come out here and I wanted to check up on the two of you to make sure you're all good before I actually fall asleep,” John B whispers back and JJ smiles a thankful smile at him. 

“Thanks man. We’re good,” JJ tells him and John B nods pausing to watch your sleeping face. 

“You take care of her, you hear me JJ. You break her and best friends or not I will break you,” John B says in a serious whisper and JJ’s eyes widen for a moment. 

“Don’t worry dude. I don’t plan to and if it ever does happen I’d break myself before you even hit the chance,” JJ whispers honestly and John B smiles at his best friend. 

“I know, but now that the two of you got wise and got together I still need to make it known. I’m her big brother first and foremost,” John B informs him with a shrug and a happy smile at seeing his sister happy as well as safe and sound in his best friend's arms. 

“Goodnight JJ. Sleep well buddy,” John B tells him before turning and starting back to the château. 

“Night man. You sleep well too,” JJ tells him in a happy whisper as he nuzzled into your hair. 

John B knows without a doubt that JJ is good for his little sister and you are for JJ too. He’s so happy the two of you have finally confessed and made it official. He’s had to watch the two of you pine for one another for years and it was painful sometimes because he cares for both of you so much. First and foremost though as he’d told JJ you are and will always be his first thought. It’s just a big brother thing to protect his little sister. 

JJ watches until John B makes it into the château before deciding to hold you close for a little while longer. Before he knows it though your soft, even breathing lulls him into his own slumber and his eyes close, but even in his sleep he holds you close never ever wanting this Christmas to end; the most perfect Christmas ever for the both of you. 

The End…

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[thehypnone]

Aeon and Rain🖐️👊🖐️👊🖐️👊<3

merry christmas, my love :3

Rain has been anxious about the Christmas gift he had gotten for Aeon. It was something he knew the quintessence ghoul not only needed, but wanted, so he didn’t think he’d upset the younger, per se, but it’s not exactly a typical Christmas present, either. They’re usually funny or meaningful, sometimes both, and this is just–Rain simply doesn’t want Aeon to be disappointed.

He has a backup, except…well, it’s not really a backup because Rain is going to give it to Aeon regardless of his reaction to the first one, but he supposes he can call it that, anyway.

They have spent the previous night together—and the previous one, and the one before that, too, and a couple more before that, as well—so after breakfast Aeon skitters over to his room to fetch the present and then returns to Rain. 

“Can I go first?” the water ghoul asks, pulling a sizable box out from under his bed. Aeon’s eyes light up as he nods; Rain puts the box in his lap and sits on the other side of the bed.

He can’t stop his lips from forming a gentle smile as he watches the joy on the younger ghoul’s face when he digs his claws into the gift.

“I've seen you eyeing them,” Rain admits as Aeon rips off pieces of the gift wrap, “and even though I know it might not be your biggest dream, I think–or hope, at least, that you’ll like them.”

The packaging seems all but anti-burglary, so it takes him a little while, but eventually Aeon gets to see the vague shape as he continues the unwrapping.

“Are these–THE BAT CRUTCHES!!!” he exclaims happily; Rain can see right away that it’s a genuine reaction—not faked for his sake—so he exhales in relief. “They look so cool, Rain, I love them! Thank you so much!”

The water ghoul grins—glad about the gift well received. “I wanted to get you something functional and I know you weren’t very likely to get them yourself.”

“That’s…true,” Aeon admits, giggling. He unwraps the crutches further and runs his fingers over the bats printed on them. “Thank you.”

“Hope they serve you well,” Rain smiles and pats the other’s thigh. He admires his new mobility aids for a little bit longer before putting them away and grabbing the sparky bag that the water ghoul assumes contains his gift.

“I feel less awkward about this, now,” Aeon chuckles, handing it to Rain. “It took me a while to find them, I hope they’re going to fit.”

The water ghoul smiles kindly before digging into the shiny gift bag and pulling out the box. He turns it around in his hands and it takes him a moment to realize what it is, but then he sees the description.

He lights up immediately. “For my wheelchair?”

“They don’t make them specifically for wheelchairs, but I figured the ones for bikes should work,” Aeon explains as he nods, grinning. They’re sparkly blue shark clips for bike wheels, meant by the quintessence ghoul for Rain’s wheelchair; which is already nicely customized and decorated, making the wheels seem a little bare.

“Aeon, these are amazing,” the water ghoul smiles widely—also genuinely amazed and happy. “Wanna help me put them on?”

“Hm, yes, but…later? I have–uh, one more gift for you.”

“Oh? Do you now? I also have one more thing, but it’s–” Rain starts a teasing attempt, but gets distracted by Aeon revealing said other gift. “Oh.”

The box of shark clips falls from Rain’s hands and hits the floor as he moves to unpack the second present—a pretty little quintessence ghoul clad in lingerie, just for him to enjoy.

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

What is the first Christmas outside of the factory like for the toys? Do they celebrate it?

Normalcy and other weird things you never heard about

Hiiii! Decided to write something short for this one. I'll be working on all the other Christmas stuff possibly tomorrow! Thanks for the ask, Anon!

As always: 2nd person POV because Angel refers to themself as "you" instead of "me". Also not as always, but this isn't proofread!

"This is weird".

Bunzo holds the comically large Santa Claus hat, wriggling it around. You carefully grab a few extra chocolate boxes to put on your already full cart. "Why?", you ask the bunny as he almost hits his head against another person's legs. "Eyes on front, not the floor!"

"Why would anyone believe a single guy can give presents to all the kids in the world?"

"Parents tell their kids that so they can have more fun during Christmas time", you respond, stopping the cart to now realize you forgot the milk. Again. "To have some magic, I guess".

"Kids are dumb", Bunzo then tries the hat on, ignoring the price tag clashing against his head.

"You are a kid".

You chuckle at his indignant expression before being surprised by a pair of comically long yellow arms. Ollie emerges from the other corridor, milk on hand and a tired expression on his face. "You forgot that again".

"Thanks, Owl".

The long legs then stares at Bunzo and rolls his eyes. "You look like a dumb kid".

"Hey!"

"Please don't fight at the grocery store again", you sigh. "Where's Dogday?"

"Here!"

The pup appears, wheelchair adorned with Christmas decoration and a red scarf wrapped around his neck. He's holding a few items on his lap, while Delight walks next to him with a very proud expression on her face and a cart full of things. "We completed our list!", she announces. "Did you finish yours, Angel?"

"Ollie just grabbed our last items".

Bunzo climbs your back. You dont even react. "But I helped!"

"Heck yeah, you did", a well-deserved head scratch for him. Bunzo stims in satisfaction, much to Ollie's disdain. "Alright, kiddos, guess this is everything on our part. Any news on Marie's group?"

"Last time I saw her, she and Poppy were debating on which pears were looking the best...", Dogday's voice tone is enough to tell you everything you needed to know: The perfectionists are doing their thing. "... They all looked the same to me..."

Still, you chuckle a bit. "Looks like they want everything to go well for our first Christmas together, eh?"

And indeed, they were.

-

Grabbing the girls away from their perfection crisis was sure a moment, but in the end, you are all able to leave the grocery store after challenging the final boss (read: The waiting line). The van becomes full of bags, and for a moment you're a bit scared y'all wouldn't fit, but years of playing Tetris have sure done a good job to you.

Together with the kids, you head back home. Miguel and Amy, wonderful babysitters as ever, are out in the backyard with the mini toys as Catnap looks over them. Your brother smiles when he sees you, and you feel very, very happy that he and Amy didn't have to deal with the kids trying to burn the house down again.

Bobby watches from her chair as you, Marie, Delight and Kissy put the groceries away. "Is that... All for Christmas?", she asks, confused.

"Heck yeah", you nod. "Christmas is for eating a ton of stuff, Bobs. Gotta go all out now that we have 87 of you!"

"But...", she bites her bead necklace. "... All of that for one day?"

"To be fair, we normally can't eat it all in one day. We cook a ton and it can last for a few days! And then after that, it's New Year's eve, and off we go to eat a ton of stuff again".

"Woah...", her eyes are shining. "A-and the cookies?"

"You're going to be the one helping me bake them".

"Yaay!"

-

You stare at the pile of gifts you got the kids. It's... A lot, and you're not even counting the stuff people donated to them. You're lucky Miguel and your parents accepted giving up their garages to fit it all in. A surprise is still a surprise, even if the kids don't believe in Santa.

Your mom is excitedly chatting with Dogday, teaching him how to crochet a scarf. Crafty listens closely, excited. When the three of you eventually have to leave that house, the kids completely oblivious to the gift plan. "Y... Y-your mom is really nice, Angel", the unicorn mutters, staring at the ground. "Really nice..."

"Don't be weirded out, Crafty. She loves all of you, like a grandma would".

"But she's not our grandma..."

"Well, f'course not, she's my mom and YOUR grandma".

"That's not what I meant...", but she's smiling, so the joke worked. "Uh...?"

"Excuse me!"

The three of you stop when a man pops up. He's probably in his mid 30s, if not maybe late 30s. You cross your arms, noticing a notebook he's carrying around. "Yes?"

"Are you the Angel from the PlayCo. Case?"

You eye the kids, annoyed, and they eye you back, also annoyed. "Yes".

"Oh, that's wonderful to hear! You see, I'm a-"

"Reporter?"

"Oh?", he seems surprised. "Yes, yes! I have been meaning to talk to you, miss, about what you plan to do with them for this holiday season. You see..."

"Nah", you walk past him. "Not interested in exposing them more during their first normal Christmas of their lives. Goodbye".

-

Christmas eve is chaotic.

Huggy wakes you up at 5 in the morning, too agitated to go back to bed. You end up being used as a plushie by him as the others sleep, the house being too crammed with living toys for you to have the luxury of proceeding with your day. When most of them awaken, you tell them about the plan.

You have to use the van a few times, but by the end of things, you're able to bring all the kids to your parents' house. After some time, they all organize in small teams in order to "help" with the very important jobs they were given. Huggy, Kissy, PJ, Boxy and Bunzo, being the youngest of them, are tasked with taking care of the snow (read: playing outside), while most of the minis don't need to be coerced into having fun.

Poppy and you get stuck in the kitchen. Your father is helping Marie with making some of the many dishes, and Bobby, Crafty and many minis are having the time of their lives with baking cookies. Catnap sits outside, "guarding" you all. Dogday goes to check on him from time to time as he tries helping you with making some good Christmas soup.

Piggy ends up helping Marie the moment she comes back from sulking outside. She's shy, but Marie's grumpiness with only having one harm is enough for her to try to help. Not that she can do much without her hands, but Delight makes a "hook" with some textiles laying around so Piggy can at least hold a spoon by herself. The three girls and your dad talk nonstop, and you and Poppy try your best to not laugh at them.

Bubba seems grumpy for not being able to do much. Despite how well the toys heal from their wounds, Bubba is a special case. A very special one. So he watches, and ask questions, while Dogday runs from place to place trying to organize the house and the extra decorations the kids insisted on buying.

Hoppy and Kickin are having their third argument of the day as they try to make pastéis. Never have you ever ate a pastel for Christmas, but the kids loved them and you didn't want to force them to follow any traditions. Ollie is merely going from place to place, helping everyone a little bit and pretending he isn't excited about it all. Eventually, your aunts and uncles pop up, and the chaos bubble pops.

They overflow you with questions, of course, but they also dote on the kids a lot, so you accept answering some things. Nando pops up right behind you, and you jump before rolling your eyes. "Fuck off, you idiot, I'm cooking", you growl.

"Parent of 87 kids and still using the same foul language", your cousin rolls his eyes at you. "Nice to see you too, dipshit".

Poppy, who's busy cutting things for you, seems curious. "Hello, sir!", she nods at him. "I'm Poppy. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Thought you were bigger", he jokes, and you hit him with your elbow. "Hi, Poppy. Name's Nando. I'm your dad's cousin, nice to meet you. Good to know at least someone has manners..."

"Cut it off, Nando", Miguel FINALLY pops up, snow on his hair. "Leave them alone".

"Them who?"

"My kids", you reply, smiling. "You're bothering them".

"I'm not doing anything to them!"

Another elbow hit. Poppy chuckles, understanding the situation.

-

More and more questions arise for the kids. You avoid some, the kids avoid others, and some of them have answers. The 87 toys become the theme for the Christmas eve, and when night arrives, you help everyone dress up for the occasion, sweaters and silly hats for all of them, no exceptions.

Miguel's oldest kid helps you so, so much through all of this. She's pampering her new friends, of course, while her baby sister is catching everyone's attention, including Catnap, who cannot stop staring at her. She tries grabbing his ears, and, strangely, he allows it.

Your mom takes pictures of everyone. Literally everyone, no exceptions, including one of the whole family, which had to be taken outside. When you all finally sit down to eat, many of the toys try to show off how they can finally sort of use forks and knives now. Kickin and Hoppy annoy each other to the point you have to tell them to cut it off, and Amy giggles, saying they remind her of Miguel and you.

"Really?", Kickin asks, smiling. "Didn't know that guy over there was like that".

"I'm not", you reply.

"You are", your parents, Miguel AND Amy cut you off. You shake your head. Humiliated by your own family, it seems.

Gift giving is equally chaotic. First, the human part of the fam opens their gifts. Then you open the garage's doors, and the kids all seem so, so surprised. It's... Cute, almost, to see the way they all react, and how much they help each other grab and open their gift wrappings. Dogday, especially.

Of course, not all the presents are opened here. Instead, during the following day, you put everything back at your own house before going back to your parents' to grab the kiddos.

They're happy. Surprised, yes, but extremely happy, and this is what matters most to you.

... Despite all the plushies they obtained, however, they still insist on using you as one when they have to go to sleep again.

[corralinesage]

Learning you by heart (10/?)

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate on the 24th!! I hope you have a lovely day <333

Chapter 10: Butterflies

Your cab pulled up at Natasha’s apartment building. It was Christmas Eve. Your stomach was filled with excited butterflies, your abdomen churning with glee. It was still sunny outside, the golden rays making the snow glisten on the streets. The weather was beautiful, serene. Manhattan seemed to have fallen under a wave of tranquility despite the crowds of people on the streets. It was difficult to describe the atmosphere. It felt lighter, comforting, and overall more welcoming, which you had never noticed before during all your years of living in New York. You fiddled with your diamond earring as you waited for Natasha to exit her apartment building, recalling your first time in her home, recalling the way she had touched you, kissed you, carried you to bed. It had only been a few nights ago. You felt your lips tug up into a smile as you went over the night in your head, the entire day. You couldn’t wait to see her. You had put on a stunning dress that suited the occasion but left you shivering at the back of the cab. You were thrilled to see what Natasha had found herself to wear. You had never seen her in formal attire and you could imagine just how delicious she would look in a form-fitting dress or even a suit. You would not discriminate when it came to Natasha’s clothing. The woman had style.

You noticed the building door open in your peripheral vision, your heart jumping in excitement as if perking up at Natasha’s presence. You couldn’t hold back your smile as you watched her saunter to the cab in high heels, her brown wool coat flowing beautifully on either side of her body, framing her slim frame that was donning a dark brown bodycon dress. You could see just how well it hugged her curves when the wind blew the coat to the side a bit to give you a glimpse of the gorgeous fabric cinched around her waist in a beautifully pleated pattern. Her shoulder-length hair was in tighter, styled curls than what she normally wore, the shiny hair glowing in the sun. She gave you a bright smile through the cab window before you reached for the door and opened it for her, letting her in.

“Hi, dorogaya (darling).” You were welcomed by a strong waft of perfume that enveloped you in its embrace before Natasha could even hug you. She smelled divine. She smelled so delicious that you felt a visceral reaction to it somewhere deep down.

“Hi, love”, you whispered, your breath stolen by her stunning appearance. You leaned into her embrace when she had tugged the door closed and the cab driver was on the move again, pressing your face into her neck, her hand caressing the back of your head carefully to avoid messing up your styled hair. You pulled back to see her face, your grin wide and genuine as your gaze slid down her front without a hint of shame. Her dress had a gorgeous neckline, one that mimicked the style of a corset. You could see the subtle boning of the dress that pushed her breasts up slightly, the shoulder straps of the dress disappearing beneath her coat. “Wow, you look amazing.” You spoke quietly, like you were sharing a secret, somehow always wrapped up in your own world with her. Natasha smirked, her hand brushing back some of your hair to see your diamond earrings. She touched them very delicately, admiring the details before her hand slid down your jaw to the underside of your chin, giving it the gentlest nudge as if to say that you were adorable, your smile turning a bit coyer.

“Thank you, detka (baby), but...” She shook her head as if in disbelief, letting out a small hum that was just a little shy from a chuckle. “You’re breathtaking.” You forced yourself not to giggle like a schoolgirl, containing your excitement and offering her a wider smile.

“Thank you.” Your eyes found her lips and before you knew it, she leaned in and erased the gap between you. Natasha could feel herself blush, her cheeks growing warm from that tiny, chaste kiss that you shared at the back of a cab. You pulled away from her, your eyes lingering on her face as she buckled herself in for the ride. Without the warmth of her body and the kiss, you were once more able to pay attention to how cold you were, a shiver reminding you that you were only wearing a sheer pair of tights with your outfit. Your coat was on the thinner side as well and definitely not made for the winter cold. Natasha turned to look at you, her hand sliding over your thigh.

“Are you cold?” You almost shrugged her question off, but when she started gently rubbing your inner thigh, right above your knee to warm you up a bit, you nodded your head, hoping she was going to keep her touch there. It worked. She pulled you just a little closer to her so that your leg was touching her own, her hand remaining on your thigh, rubbing the skin there absentmindedly as the city scenery passed you by, the driver playing Christmas music quietly in the background. Your body heated up from inside out, your lower abdomen fluttering with arousal every time she moved her gorgeous hand and put pressure on the sensitive flesh of your inner thigh. You brought your hands to hers, silently admiring her undeniably beautiful hand, its blue-green veins, and the slight blush over her knuckles. Her short nails were manicured, the skin you were touching feeling silky-smooth, almost velvety. It was very clear that she took care of herself, something that would never fail to impress you. She didn’t say anything, just allowed you to play with her hand as she continued to stroke your thigh for the rest of the ride.

You arrived at the party shortly after it had begun. The sun was just about to set outside, creating a gorgeous orange and golden glow everywhere. You entered the opera house lobby, greeted by cloakroom services and a busboy with a tray of champagne glasses. You and Natasha both thanked him before taking your respective flutes from him. Without the coats and scarves, you were able to take a better look at Natasha’s dress, your eyes trailing down her backside when she was in front of you. The fabric was a rich dark brown that was similar to the shade of her wool coat, but what made it special was the pattern of the fabric. There was a thin mesh layer on top of the dark brown fabric that formed the dress, the gorgeous flower design that decorated the dress made out of velvet patches embedded into the mesh. You felt the urge to stroke your fingers over the flowers to see if they really felt as good as you knew velvet to feel, admiring the way light reflected from the warm, rich brown on the velvet flowers. Your very elaborate analysis of the dress was interrupted by movement, Natasha’s hand reaching back to hold your own. It brought a smile to your face, her hand pulling you to her side as you walked farther into the event that was already filled with people.

Natasha’s eyes were as vigilant as ever, scanning the crowd around her as you greeted a ridiculous amount of people who you knew through work. There were actors, singers, musicians, directors, even politicians present, the rather prestigious crowd piquing Natasha’s interests. You were catching up briefly with a colleague you had met during the production of some smaller scale opera you had participated in a few years ago when Natasha heard it. The laugh was unmistakably familiar, someone she knew. Her head whipped around to find the source of it.

“Don’t take a glass of champagne. I’m supposed to be responsible for the underaged. And if you do… don’t tell me.” Natasha couldn’t believe her eyes, losing control of her composure at the sight of him, at the sound of his witty and sarcastic tone. She had merely messaged him, not seen him. All she had done was send him a request for some time off work.

“Romanoff!” Natasha’s heart sank, Tony Stark striding her way with his signature grin on his face after ushering who Natasha was pretty positive to be Peter Parker and MJ Watson away. “What a lovely surprise.” Natasha smiled, struggling to even speak. It felt so surreal to see him there, to have him interact with her, yet not know that she wasn’t the same, she wasn’t her variant, and they didn’t actually know each other. “How’s your holiday going?” She let go of your hand, allowing you to get absorbed by the conversation you were having.

“It’s going- going great”, she replied, feeling a bit flustered.

“Is Christian here?” Natasha had no idea who he even was.

“Um, no, no I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” He gave you a look, taking a sip of his drink. “Trouble in paradise?” Shit. Christian was her partner. Natasha felt herself almost start to panic before she managed to calm herself down. She had a concerning amount of her variant’s business to deal with. If she wanted to keep her new life, she had to make sure she was on top of the baggage that her variant had left behind. She would have to ensure that she implemented any of the changes that were necessary for her new life.

“Yeah. It’s… He’s not the one for me, I’m afraid.” She shrugged her shoulders, Tony nodding in understanding. “I’m not entirely too fond of the male species.” Natasha glanced at you, Tony’s gaze following. He was a bright man, their gazes lingering for a moment as he put together the small smile on her face and the hand holding he had witnessed before his arrival.

“Ah, I always felt like you had a bit of kink to you.” Natasha sighed in disappointment, making Tony laugh. “I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out. But hey… women.” He shrugged, giving her a look of understanding as if thrilled to share the object of both of their attractions. “And if you ever need to check in with men, you know where to find me.” He winked at her, Natasha’s eyes rolling back in annoyance.

“In your dreams, Stark.” As infuriating as he was, Natasha felt a bubbling warmth in her chest, comforted by his familiar face and presence as well as his acceptance. “I think from now on I’m taking a different route with dating.” Her eyes shifted to you on their own again, admiring the gorgeous dress you were wearing that made you practically glow, Tony squinting his eyes, but he didn’t quite yet jump into conclusions. “So, how’s work?” Natasha inquired casually, wishing to know more about him and his business, since it was rather essential for her to be up to date.

“Oh, you know, the business is flourishing. I got myself an intern. Remember him? Parker.” Natasha nodded her head. “I brought him here to get a taste of the more fun side of the job. He came with his girlfriend MJ.” He rolled his eyes. “Kids.” He shook his head as if fed up with them, but Natasha recognized the small, fond smile that wouldn’t quite leave his lips.

“He’s a smart kid. He knows how to behave”, she assured him, chuckling softly.

“Smart he is. A little fussy too.” He looked around the lobby, gesturing somewhere behind him. Natasha’s gaze followed his pointing finger only to be met with more unexpected and familiar faces. “I’m talking business with Banner and Rhody over there. Pepper is roaming around, if you want company”, he offered kindly, clearly looking to move onward from their small interaction. She nodded her head in acknowledgment.

“I think I’m good here”, she hummed, failing to hide her smile when you moved away from the few people you had been talking to, blindly searching for Natasha’s hand as you backed away from your friends who bid you goodbye before going to get drinks from the bar. She grasped your hand, gently pulling you to her as you took a sip of your champagne.

“Hi”, you hummed in the enamored tone you always had with Natasha, your attention soon shifting to the company she kept. “Hi, I’m Y/N Y/L/N.” You offered your hand to Tony, smiling brightly, hoping to make an impression on whoever was in Natasha’s social circles.

“Oh, I know you. I saw you perform last week. You were phenomenal. You sure got a pair of lungs on you.” He had his stupid, impish grin on his face. “Bet it comes in handy.” Natasha acquired a disgusted frown onto her face from the subtle and poor innuendo, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Alright. Don’t mind him, he’s an asshole”, Natasha groaned to you, physically shoving him away as a cue for him to get back to his business matters. “Go find Pepper.” He merely laughed, pleased that he could tease her, knowing exactly how much his advances were not appreciated. “Man-whore”, she muttered to herself as he walked away, laughing like the idiot that he was. You turned to look at Natasha with a small grin, not really minding his inappropriate behavior when it was rather clear to you that he was teasing Natasha instead of you.

“Stark?” You raised your brows as if to ask her to fill you in on their interactions. He was relevant enough for you to recognize his face and after learning about Natasha’s occupation it was even easier to put two and two together.

“Yeah. He likes doing fundraisers and hitting on everything that moves.” You laughed at the evident annoyance on Natasha’s face.

“He seems the type.” You thought about it for a moment before speaking again, unwilling to fully admit to yourself that you felt a spark of jealousy in the pit of your stomach. “He hit on you?”

“Every chance he gets.” The grip of your hand that was holding hers tightened almost imperceptibly, but Natasha noticed, a smile finding her face, butterflies stirring awake inside her. Your gaze lingered on the bodice of her dress before rising up to her lips, an urge to slip away from the party finding the back of your mind.

You moved to the bar of the party, finding an array of appetizers and drinks for you to indulge on. You gathered some treats on a plate for you to share before grabbing some holiday themed cocktails for yourselves, finding a round, bar table for you to hang around. You ended up being quite an attraction at the party, many people coming up to you to congratulate you on your performance and compliment your voice. You had a lot of acquaintances who wished to greet you and bid you merry Christmas before disappearing back into the crowd. Natasha saw many familiar faces from the cast, many of the members rather close to you considering all the time you had spent on crafting the production. But there were also surprising faces that approached your table, people who Natasha knew, but who didn’t know her.

“Sam Wilson.” He offered his hand to Natasha to shake after hugging you tightly. She had hardly recognized him by appearance. He had a fluffy afro that gave him a rather boyish look that really suited his youthful features. His style was different, but his personality seemed somewhat similar to what she had always known. He was accompanied by a woman, who Natasha had a feeling she had at least heard of back in her own reality.

“Sam is in charge of the lights and Kate is in costume design”, you explained to her, pleased that Natasha was so welcoming when it came to your friends. You chatted for a while with the pair of them, Natasha’s interests piqued by having the privilege of analyzing the dynamics that you had with others. It was a way for her to see another side of you and get to know you even better.

“Maria Hill. It’s nice to meet you”, Maria gave Natasha a polite nod, waving you both goodbye after having briefly greeted you. Natasha turned to you expectantly, hoping to know more about Maria who had nearly caused her to swallow her crab cake down the wrong pipe.

“She’s in The Magic Flute. She’s one of the Three Ladies”, you explained to her. “We met for the first time in Julliard in vocal training, but we became friends later on after running into each other enough times here.” You chuckled in mild amusement. “We’re not that close, but we get along.” Natasha nodded in understanding. “She’s also friends with another woman we know from Julliard. She’s the second one of the Three Ladies. Carol Danvers.” Natasha bit the inside of her cheek to hide her surprise. It was truly shocking to see that many of the people she had once known were still somehow connected, somehow linked to one another in the most bizarre ways imaginable.

“Wonderful performance yesterday.” A tall man with a long face and a goatee approached you, pulling you into his embrace. It was shocking to see you know the people Natasha also knew, a large fraction of her energy going into processing all the familiar, yet unfamiliar faces.

“Steven”, you gasped, sounding elated to see him, pulling back to take a look at his face. You turned to Natasha automatically to include her in the interaction, giving them both the chance to introduce themselves. “This is Natasha Romanoff. Steven Strange.” He was accompanied by his wife, Christine Palmer.

Natasha almost didn’t want to shake his hand, worried that he would know something, that he could tell she didn’t belong. Who was to say he hadn’t kept a fraction of his powers in this reality, kind of like how Wanda had? At the very least, it was possible that he had maintained a certain kind of sensitivity for the spiritual.

“Nice to meet you. What do you do here?” Natasha decided to act normal, simply be polite and hope for the best. She shook hands with Christine as well.

“Likewise. I play Sherlock Holmes in the musical”, he answered with a curt nod. He was concealed, very proper. He turned to you again. “Coulson and Fury were looking for you. They wanted to discuss an upcoming project for next year.”

“Really?” Your eyes widened with excitement.

“Yes. Fury is directing a new adaptation of Le Nozze di Figaro. Coulson is going to produce it, for as of now, at least”, he explained, glancing at his wife. “It was nice seeing you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” He nodded to both you and Natasha before he was off.

“Oh, my god.” You turned to Natasha with your eyes shining in excitement. “What do you think they want from me?” She smiled at you, her hand caressing your arm over the fabric of your long sleeve that you wore to keep yourself warm.

“Your voice, baby”, she whispered quietly, smiling brightly. She was so proud of you, so incredibly impressed by your craft and your skill, so much so that she could almost ignore the fact that Fury was an opera director and Coulson a producer; what a reality to live in.

“I’m so sorry, I hope you don’t feel like you’re third wheeling here.” You felt bad for having so many acquaintances and friends around you especially when Natasha was so unfamiliar with the entire scene, but she immediately shook her head to alleviate your worries.

“Oh, I don’t mind it in the slightest, milaya (honey). I’m rather intrigued. You’ve got a very fascinating work environment”, she assured you, pulling you just a little bit closer, her eyes admiring the front of your dress that had a low neckline and the kind of delicate fabric that in all honesty made Natasha want to bite you through your dress.

After hunting down Fury and Coulson and discussing the upcoming year with them you were practically buzzing, and not only from the small amount of alcohol you had had, but also your future, Natasha, the atmosphere. Your life was the best it had ever been, your career, your friends, your love life, all of it amplified by Natasha’s thrilling presence. The feeling was impossible to ignore when it was so all-consuming. You couldn’t stay away from her, wishing to share the joy that coursed through you, the joy that was moving rapidly down south between your legs. Your eyes dipped down to her lips. You were at a corner of the lobby that had less people around. You had finally escaped all your friends and coworkers, something you both seemed to appreciate. Natasha was holding your arm, stroking the inside of your forearm in long, tantalizing strokes that truly should not have sent your mind into the gutter, but they did so, nonetheless.

She was looking at you with those gorgeous eyes of hers, that softened gaze melting your insides. You were so close to one another, faces mere inches apart, your heart hacking expectantly in your chest, butterflies swarming around the organ. Kissing was allowed in public. It was socially acceptable to kiss your woman in public. Your eyes dipped to her mouth again, her lips seeming to be stuck in a slight smile that she couldn’t shake off whenever she was near you. Just one kiss. You glanced up at her eyes, completely enamored by her, leaning in to connect your lips. Her mouth was warm and soft, so incredibly inviting as her lips moved slightly, enough to simply give you a peck, but then you felt her sweet breath tickle your chin, your heart lurching in your chest. You felt a rapid flutter between your legs, her hand that moved to your waist threatening to make your knees buckle. Her touch was gentle, simple, yet it made you so hungry, so unbelievably hungry for more. You kissed her again. Fuck. Fuck, you fucked up.

“I need you”, you whispered hastily against her lips, gripping her arm almost desperately. Natasha felt the heat rise to her cheeks in an instant. She pulled away from you enough to see your face, the lust in your eyes making her heart race. She knew that face. She knew it better than any other face, and she knew exactly what it entailed. She bit her lip hard, taking a step back to control herself.

“I know a place.” She smirked mischievously, grabbing your hand to pull you with her. You snuck away from the lobby, finding yourselves in the hallways of the opera house, music rooms upon music rooms lined up along the corridor. You both aimed for the one you had been in a few days before, the one you always used for warmups and practice. You yanked the door open, slipping inside with Natasha in tow, your rushed steps the only sound in the room as she slammed the door shut behind you, wasting no time in pushing you up against it, her lips capturing yours in a feverish kiss. You sank against the door behind you, her body pinning you down, her hand finding your hair and the back of your head to cushion you. The kiss was almost numbing with its intensity, your hands finding her waist to grip, moving down to her buttocks to pull her closer to your hips. The pressure was enough to make you throb, your body longing for more of it, for more direct contact that wasn’t dulled down by your dresses.

Your movements were rushed, driven by a frenzy of arousal, one that was difficult to contain and impossible to ignore. You parted your lips wider for her, allowing her tongue better access to your mouth, the feel of the wet muscle stroking you making your knees weak with desire. You felt like melting, like you were going to sink to the floor and through the floor tiles from how good it felt, but Natasha’s body, her strong, firm, feminine body was holding you up. Your moan was muffled by Natasha’s lips and a moan of her own when you moved your hands up the sides of her dress, fingertips skimming over the boning closest to her sides before bringing your hands up over her armpits, stroking her sculpted shoulders. For a moment Natasha lost her composure, gasping into your mouth when your hands went over the sensitive area of her armpits as if she would have been ticklish, the contact with her bare skin forcing her to take a breath before going back in to kiss you.

Natasha was dizzy with want. She felt like she was struggling to function properly with how much she was feeling. Her entire body was on fire, burning in a way she hadn’t experienced in a long while. It was a different kind of burn. It was stronger. It was new and exciting because it was you, but it also wasn’t. There were things she didn’t know about you, things that were enough to cause her nervous butterflies. There was so much at stake with you. It was thrilling, nerve racking, exciting. She wanted to impress you, she wanted you to like her, to love her. She wanted to please you, show you a good time whether it was physically or emotionally. She wanted you in every sense of the word, beyond desperate to fulfill any needs you might have had. Kissing you was difficult for Natasha to describe. It was familiar, but it wasn’t quite the same. She recognized many of the little things you did like the small pecks you gave her in between the longer kisses, and the way your hands often remained gentle despite the raw hunger of your mouth. She also noted some less familiar habits you had like nipping on her lip every now and then or taking briefly control over her by pushing back against her tongue.

You felt Natasha lean slightly away from you, lips still connected, a firm pressure moving between your legs as she slid her knee between your thighs, offering hers for you to grind down on. You gasped at the sensation, breaking off from the kiss, your skin erupting with goosebumps as pleasure rippled through you. She felt warmth glide down her spine at the sound, applying more pressure with her thigh, her lips moving down to your neck in hasty, wet kisses, her left hand trailing down to your hip, giving it a firm squeeze. You gathered yourself enough to be able to look at her face, immediately met with Natasha’s dilated pupils that you could barely make out in the dimness of the room, the only light source coming from the star on the window. You observed her features as you slid your hands down to her hips, your fingertips skimming over the tops of her glutes, but not quite yet going farther. Natasha smirked, unable to contain her reaction to your touch, her mouth dropping back down to your bared neck.

The hand that was on your hip tugged you down against her thigh harder than you had dared to go yourself, the feel of it far too good paired with the way she gripped your hip. To your dismay, she moved her thigh away from your body, her hand descending slowly over your lower abdomen and between your legs to be able to put some more direct pressure on you. She sucked gently on your neck, mindful of leaving any marks, the warmth of her mouth making your head feel weightless. Her fingertips curled up against your core through the fabric of your dress, pressing down hard enough for an involuntary moan to slip from you. The deep and unrestrained sound brought goosebumps to Natasha’s skin, your hand flying over your mouth to keep in any other stray moans that wanted to escape your throat. She pulled back with a cocky smile on her lips, her fingertips rubbing you carefully through your clothing.

“Now, that’s the kind of vocal warmups I like.” She seemed incredibly pleased with herself, making you grin in return.

“Shut up”, you groaned in a playful manner, hiding your giggle into her hair alongside your blush. She smelled so good that you had to linger in her embrace for a moment longer to breathe in the heady combination of spices, floral notes, and fruit. You pulled her closer with your hands, sliding them lower over the curve of her buttocks again, your core aching against Natasha’s hand. You noticed her subtly bite her lip when your dominant hand reached lower to properly feel her up. She couldn’t resist the urge to kiss you, wasting no time in connecting your lips again in a kiss that made you seek more from the hand between your legs. When the feeling got far too prominent to be ignored, you pulled away, panting heavily into the small gap between you and Natasha.

“I wanna go home”, you hummed quietly, your hand coming up to her face to caress her chin. You admired her sharp jaw, her round lips that were plumpened by your kisses, the skin pink and irritated. She looked irresistible. “I wanna experience the ideal Christmas you described.” You wanted nothing more than to go home and spend the night with her. You wanted to truly take your time with her, relax in her presence instead of having rushed and messy intercourse at the opera house. She was worth far more. “Wanda’s gone for the evening.”

“Say less, malyshka (baby)”, she mumbled in an amused tone, chuckling softly as she leaned in to peck your lips.

You snuck out of the party rushing through the glass doors and into a subtle snowfall that made you think of a parallel from nearly a month ago. You shrugged on your coats rather hastily, your hand reaching for Natasha’s once the clothing was somehow hanging on your shoulders, your other hand clutching your scarf and coat to your chest to stave off the cold. You both rushed to the closest taxi you spotted on the street where you had nearly gotten run over. Despite the traumatic quality to that specific event, you felt a strong sense of gratitude wash over as you glanced at the spot on the ground you had landed on after Natasha had shoved you out of the car’s way. What a blessing in disguise.

[citrusses]

@sweet-s0rr0w made the most beautiful post about drarry celebrating christmas in her fics, so I took a stab at it, too. Merry christmas and happy holidays all!

OORU drarry spend Christmas Eve with the Malfoys—formal, stuffy, suffocating. Lucius and Narcissa are not fans of Harry but Draco has made it clear that if they are not both welcome, neither will attend. It’s all very polite and painful. Everyone is trying; no one is certain it’s worth it. Christmas Day, however, is spent with Sirius and Remus, and it’s perfect and cozy and all four of them take turns get embarrassingly sentimental about it: about finding a family and being that for each other and getting a bit weepy into his champagne. Harry loves how Draco fits in so well with his godfathers now. Harry is thinking he should ask Draco to move in with him; he feels the uncertain flare of that old fear of rejection when he considers it, finds it terrifying, and resolves to press on in spite of it.  

Gemini in Retrograde drarry are at Grimmauld, where Draco lives, with Scorpius home for the holidays. Scorpius still thinks it’s kind of gross that anyone would want to date his dad, but he’s also never had such a happy Christmas since before Narcissa died. They exchange presents on Christmas Eve; Draco and Scorprius shock each other by picking perfect presents for one another (it’s new, for them). Harry “helps” their house elf make dinner (marking the first time they’ve had an edible meal on Christmas in years). All three of them go to the Burrow for lunch on Christmas Day, the tradition that started the first year Harry and Draco were together. While Scorprius is still working up the courage to properly talk to Victoire, he has none of that shyness when it comes to pick-up Quidditch in the garden. Draco and Harry play, too—Draco flies all the time, now. Harry is still better than him. 

Isle of Ogygia drarry are at the lighthouse, still — ostensibly they’re both working on getting Draco’s sentence reduced, but both of them are more than a bit nervous about leaving the island when the time comes. Their communication about this difficult subject needs work. However, Christmas in the lighthouse is beautiful—the place has been transformed into a real home, and the spellwork has been smoothed out, and the Christmas tree that Neville helped Harry safely transport there is thriving. It’s storming outside, but it’s warm inside, and they have more food than they could possibly ever eat, and they end up not opening presents until the evening because they spend the whole day shagging. They both think they’re being very funny and clever and ended up getting each other the exact same dry, unreadable encyclopedias for Christmas. 

Löyly drarry spend every Christmas traveling somewhere new. They like to alternate between cold and warm destinations: cold places mean shopping at Christmas markets, hearty meals, and saunas if they can find them, and sex on rugs in front of blazing fireplaces; warm places mean dips in the ocean, and dinners and cold wine in the open-air, and Harry watching Draco's long, solid body turn pink in the sun in a way that makes him weak. Draco considers it his duty to become an expert in each country’s specific magical traditions; if there’s sex magic to be found, that’s all the better. Draco and Harry have been forbidden from returning to at least one country because of a public incident involving said sex magic. It was, they both think, worth it. 

@jtimu @arminaa8 @xalandrix @thecouchsofa @greattemptation @garagepaperback @sorrybutblog @nv-md and I'm seconding everyone sweet tagged, too, if you want to share how your drarries spend the holidays. if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged, and tag me please!

[causal-anomaly]

I'm a pre-T trans man. I have been a victim of misogyny, because I was, y'know, seen as a woman for the first sixteen years of my life, and still have to deal with some of its forms every so often- toxic masculinity is a byproduct of misogyny, after all.

Now I'm mostly seen as a man by people I interact with- I still present as a woman when leaving the house for safety reasons, but I can always bank on the stupid little christian girl disguise getting me out of trouble if, say, someone takes issue with something I say and throws a fit. I have an out- it requires reinforcing misogyny, sure, but if it's that or coming out to a cop, I know which one I'm taking, and that's damn near the only situation I'm pulling it out for, because I hate that mask- it's what was forced on me most of my life, after all.

The fact that there's so many other trans men who'd rather completely accept that bioessentialist role of hapless victim, incorporate it into their daily lives and identity as men, then twist it into a weapon against trans women is fucking disgusting- and I don't know if it makes me more sad or angry that so many of them somehow don't seem to realize that's what they're doing, particularly the slew of literal teenagers who have decided their hill to die on is attacking trans women for talking about their experiences on their own blogs.

Are a lot of them bitter and mean? Well, duh- I was a bitter asshole at 13, when everyone I knew was constantly making cracks at me not being a real person, just a narcissist, a robot, dozens of other names hurled at me simply for existing, but mostly people just thought I was a bitch who didn't know her place. Turns out when a bunch of teenagers are yelling at you for existing, you probably don't feel like being very nice to them- I held my head up, learned to enjoy my own company, and contented myself with being smarter than them.

I got to grow up, realize I'm a man, and escape that cycle- no, I don't pass, but I put a male name and my personality disorder in my bio, and most people either don't care, or block me and vague about narcissists getting too comfortable. Either way, I don't have to deal with them.

Trans women do not get that privilege- every move they make is scrutinized, and sooner or later, someone will find something they can interpret as being just a bit too haughty and crack down on her with all the righteous fury of a Texan calling the police on someone for being topless inside their own home. Yes, that's a crime here, if you have a window in the front of your house. I mean, what if there's a child walking by with binoculars? Obviously, we can't have children knowing bare breasts exist, then they might think having a body isn't a sin.

You can be a man and not be a misogynist- but if you can't accept that trans women are women, and are thus affected by misogyny, you will never succeed in breaking the cycle- all you'll do is reinforce it.

Ignorance is only bliss for the ones with their eyes closed- and trans women and other transfeminine folks have been the ones thrown under the bus time and time again for far too long.

[artxeevee]

@deafeninggardenerpanda

OH MY GOODNESS, OH MY GOODNESS. OUT OF ALL OF THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF THIS SECRET SANTA EVENT — YOU, ONE OF THE MODS AND THE ONE HOSTING THE EVENT, HAVE BEEN MY SANTA TO BAMBOOZLED ME THIS ENTIRE TIME??? Like, this is such an honor (to me anyways that I really was not expecting this)??? HELLO?!?! This is seriously an amazing surprise and warm welcome by this being my first time. ;0; Usually I would have crying cat meme reactions at the ready, but I ended up up making a quick yet lil doodle of Moxie fawning in her own way; at this gift art. BUT, I do yap below to gush about this too, because I know the 30 tags limit will just cut me off on sight. XD

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?! THE HAPPY FAMILY IN THE NIGHT SKIES BY THE SEA, THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS AND KIRBY IS HAVING A GREAT TIME IN THE AIR WITH THEM. I can even see the faint blush from Meta Knight just like Moxie is, which warms my heart so much. ;-; But also, you're completely good! It's 110% fine that you didn’t spoil any surprises about Moxie! Despite that they aren't explicitly on my wishlist, it still counts because I did also have him and Kirby on there for favorite characters after all, so you killed about three birds with one stone, haha!

You even added in her emblem into her pauldrons, which is such a lovely touch and it looks so good on her and I love how you also added in small details around her mask (which I am a sucker for little details)! You even went far to have her claws through her gloves, her wings being translucence based on my ref sheets of her and it's also pretty as heck. Plus, my heart melts even more on her holding onto Meta Knight's cape and it fits well to her personality on being caring. (Btw, thank you for reading her background! I'm so glad that it's not overwhelming, because I have apologize in advance to anyone reading text walls about her XD)

Your attention to details on the shadings and highlights in armor for both of the orbs is so good (the lights in their eyes reflecting the shines on their respective mask is even good too), especially the atmosphere feels calm and the clouds really did part for them in flight by the tilted perspective of the background. Meta Knight looks good overall from the wings, the armor and how he's holding Kirby to make sure he doesn't fall while he's holding her hand. That speaks volume on him being a dad.

I SEE THAT WE DO HAVE GSA GIRLIES, SO 🤝 TO YOU TOO THAT WE HAVE THIS IN COMMON. I have seen Lady Alexandria around on tumblr sometimes, so I'm very intrigued of her backstory to want to learn more about this charming gal, before I can make at proper "thank you" art some point. :>

But still, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS, PANDA! <3 Your artstyle is pretty and detailed, and I still adore on the small details you make. This brightened my day/night more and I'm saving this in my gift arts' folder, so I can look back on. Happy holidays to you too!

From: @deafeninggardenerpanda

To: @artxeevee

Message from Santa: "'And the Clouds Part for Us!'

ROOK! WHAT A PLEASURE TO DRAW FOR YOU! The second I saw Moxie I knew I HAD to draw her, what a gorgeous design!! And a GSA girlie no less 🤝 :'D!!! While her and Meta Knight wasn't explicitly on your wishlist, I read her background (really cool btw!) and didn't want to potentially ruin any surprise by asking if this was okay 💦 so I hope it is! Them together inspired me to do a sky and sea setting and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Happy holidays! 💝"

[failgirl-debunker]

Tokyo Debunker: Epic the Musical

Odysseus

Options:

Honor Student: Self explanatory. Our main character who goes through so much. Plus our general consensus as a fandom is wanting her to just snap and lose it.

Lyca: Literally just to Subaru’s much more fitting Penelope. Lyca, bless him, is a bit too simple to be the mad lad genius Odysseus. But they are both feral and loyal.

Alan: “When does a man become a monster…?” You can see my vision here. He’s the Captain of the roughest house in school and a damned good Captain at that. But he’s in a constant struggle with himself to not teeter off into irredeemable violence, but when he does it’s for a just cause (Dante aside).

Penelope

Options:

Honor Student: Here we go again. Not only does it give our Odysseus so many more options, but Penelope would be such a good solid role for our sweet MC to grow into. She’s durable, and even when not being confrontational she’s crafty. She’s a survivor. We just want this for her personality so badly.

Subaru: Okay but undoing the tapestry every night for years and begrudgingly offering top notch hospitality in keeping with tradition is so Subaru coded. And just give his relationship with Lyca I just think it’s a shoe in. However, it still works even with MC as Ody!

Haku: Perfect in the event of MC as Ody. It’s an intelligent role, a well played calculating role, one that shows strong resolve and loyalty and adoration… but it’s also a very passive role. Perfect for Haku . He doesn’t have to fight anyone or do anything, he just has to be charming enough in the face of abhorrent people and clever enough to string them along. Haku embodies both of these traits. He’ll plan and plot and delay but above all he’ll be… Waiting… waiting… waiting…

Telemachus

Okay respectfully I don’t think we can cast anyone as babygirl Telemachus. If MC does take ins if the two main roles it implies a maternal standing on whichever *love interest* would be playing him. So unless we give this a spin it’s just gonna be a little weird.

Athena

Options:

Ritsu: We don’t have much to work this and this is a stretch but just… hear me out, let me cook, reserve your Judgements. Athena is portrayed as extremely “my way or the highway”, she’s thorough and calculating and can be helpful but her biggest flaw is a lack of empathy. Ritsu does not offer empathy and it’s something he will likely have to go through as a character if he wants to grow — just like Athena did. They’re both pleasant enough but they’re also woefully head strong and set in their ways. And frankly they both seem to have a serving of Daddy Issues in their plates. Again, this isn’t perfect, but I’m trying.

Zeus

Options:

Tohma: “The blood on your hand is something you won’t lose. All you can choose is whose…” I think Tohma is the scariest character in Tokyo Debunker, I’m not even gonna front. He’s dangerously smart and cunning and he’ll get his way. “Tell her I’m the judgement call, the kind to make her kingdom fall.” I think his goal is to have Jin’s Kingdom fall.

Eurylochus

Options:

Alan: The greater good, willing to get his haves dirty for the greater good, will do what it takes to ensure the wellbeing of his house, he doesn’t necessarily choose violence first the way Eury would at times but what’s gotta be done will be done. There’s a stoicism but they both still ooze humanity. That stoicism is a wall not just to protect themselves but to protect others and sometimes that wall is a self isolating fortress where their own feelings are sidelined. They both feel deeply but they’re realists and sometimes feelings are a hindrance.

Polites

Options:

Rui: He’s helpful and supportive in a way that hits different from Haku but like with Polities there’s something about it that doesn’t always feel strictly platonic. Polites and Rui are each their own kind of tragic, but unless he’s forced to clean up after Ed and Lyca Rui’s just a very upbeat guy!

Polyphemus

Options:

Lyca: Simple lads. Polyphemus isn’t an unsympathetic character. When you step back and look at it, Ody essentially killed Polyphemus’ Polites when he shot the sheep. Now imagine the sheep is Subaru. (How many times do I reference Lyca & Subaru as a duo in this post…) I know it’s not the most enviable role but I do feel strongly about it suiting Lyca. Lyca and Polyphemus aren’t stupid characters and they’re more than just dangerous brutes, both were denied the circumstances that would’ve led to better development for them.

Perimedes

Options:

Ren or Sho: I'm not going to explain it. I’m just going to…

I don't love anybody that’s my power

Cause if I got nothing to lose

Then I got nothing to fear

And there's no way I'll get bruised

If I don't let anyone near

Cause it's me, myself, and I

Can't fall if I don't fly

Can't fail if I don’t try

I’m in my comfort zone

I'm in my comfort zone

Elpenor

Options:

Kaito: Butt-monkey. The Kaito Fans will never seek my friendship, but they will seek my mounted head for their walls.

I died, but nobody noticed.

I died, but nobody cared.

God, I’m sorry, but even in a cast where Sinostra and Tohma are romantic options I still think Kaito is the worst fucking one.

Aeolus

Options:

Towa: Playful, childlike (childish), mischievous to a dangerous extent, and it’ll never ever be his problem. If you get hurt as a result of his actions then you’re at fault for not playing his game right. Them’s just the facts. If not for a later role fitting Towa on a much deeper level this would be a shoe-in for me. It still is. Towa is. Basically this character and a later role combined. Plus!! Hems surrounded by cute little minions! Towa would love cute little minions!!!

Haru: Somewhat the same as the above but imagine it’s only directed at Reb and no one else. Dude broke windows to get in touch with Ren about his car’s extended warranty.

Poseidon

Options:

Jin: It’s a vibe. I don’t have a great deductive reasoning for this, it’s just a matter of desperately wanting to cast but not having enough to work with.

Lucas: My boyfriend hit me with the ol’ “hear me out” while showing him my list. Lucas is our very good boy but consider… Lucas’ brother in the place of Polyphemus. The relentlessness takes on a new context. He can’t let go and he cannot learn to forgive. Narratively Lucas seems to be on the path to something a lot darker than the character we currently know him as and I could 100% see him having a complete 180 in regards to the fate of his brother.

Hermes

Options:

Haru: The very very first casting that set off this entire collision of brainrot! I used to have Hermes songs on my Haru playlist. I could just say that Hermes canonically twerks and bring up how Haru constantly references asses and leave it at that but. He’s helpful in a chaotic way, he’s devious, he’s cunning, both of them have speed/motion related powers and they’re both just extremely silly flirty characters. “And I call this root… Holy! Moly!”

Haku: No one comes in clutch like Haku. Nuff said.

Circe

Options:

Leo: It can only be Leo. Leo can only be Circe. This is non-negotiable, I will not be hearing any alternatives, discussion and sharing opinions is a healthy thing to do but I think I’m right in this.

He’s not a player, he’s a puppeteer.

Tiresias

Options:

Subaru: Their powers are a little similar, Tiresias seeing all of time and Subaru seeing the entire history of things he touches. Both are reasonably burdened by their powers and Subaru in particular feels a great sum of guilt and shame regarding his stigma. I know I mention vibe a lot… but there is also a bit of resonance between these two characters.

Jiro: This was my original pick because of how somber he is. I don’t think he’s a bad choice either — good news, bad news, he delivers it thoroughly and completely. It’s just reality to him.

Scylla

Options:

Honor Student’s Anomaly: This is purely self-indulgent. <: Don’t you think her monster design merged with Scylla would be so cool? I do!!!

Argos

Options:

Edward: He’s an old ass man (dog) that’s so close to the sweet release of death. yes this is meant to be silly but it’s also a fun suggestion my boyfriend, a man who wants to do things with Edward I dare not repeat 🍆, is the one who suggested it.

Antinuous

Options:

Taiga: So let’s just… ignore some of the darker stuff in this character. The personalities are practically spot on. They’re arrogant, domineering, violent, and they’re more than brawn given how calculated they can both be. Also imagining the line, but from Taiga… “whatchu gonna do about it, champ?” Chills.

Calypso

Options:

Towa: He’s obsessed with the idea of soulmates, everyone in the fandom has mutually agreed that he’s a softcore yandere, he’s canonically extremely childish and demanding, and just look…

You're adorable

Bow down now to the immortal Calypso, here to entertain

But fear not, I bring no pain

'Cause we've got

All we could want here

All we could need here

Under my spell, we're stuck in paradise

No one can come nor go, my island stays unknown

Rui: He’s also very hung up on the idea of love, but! He’s also cursed into isolation because of his inability to safely touch others. I think if you put Rui in a situation where even platonic love is something he’s denied he’d get a bit corrupted by his loneliness. Calypso is way less sympathetic due to the SA of Odysseus in canon, but in Epic it’s not implied particularly so it’s easier to give her some grace there and acknowledge that she too is essentially cursed in her exile.

This is just a mention but I also considered listing Zenji here since he is also denied the ability to touch… but the thing is I feel like Zenji’s twist would be he’d relate more to Odysseus than Calypso. Because he has touched and he has loved and restraining someone the way he’s been restrained would be ghastly to him. I’m not saying Zenji has more morals than Rui, I just think the unfairness of that situation would move their hearts differently.

Besides, overall I think Towa is a shoe-in for this role. I just wanted to provide in-depth alternatives.

Apollo

Options:

Zenji: Their identities are intrinsically tied to an iconic instrument and the production of music and the arts. They’re charming and romantic to a fault!

Haku: Purely vibes! Pure true vibes! Immaculate vibes!

Hephaestus

Options:

Sho: This is very blasé reasoning. Hephaestus works on contraptions and machinery and Sho is the one who most prominently works on stuff in the garage other than sometimes Alan.

Aphrodite

Options:

Romeo: Self-obsessed with his own beauty to the point of making it everyone else’s problem? Petty and spiteful? LET FICO BE THE GODDESS OF BEAUTY, YOU COWARDS!!! I feel just as strongly about this one as Leo being casted as Circe.

Ares

Options:

Taiga: The Ares’ to his Lulu’s Aphrodite. Short-sighted, violent, impulsive, an absolute power house of danger and antagonism. Plus just think of all the cute animatics where Ares and Aphrodite work together against Athena.

Hera

Options:

Yuri: okay again, this is even more of a stretch but hear me out. Put down the tomato — hey! I see you in the back, put it down!!!… Yuri’s fake hype for himself and constantly being pissy. I think that works for Hera. Not so much Yuri being a disco queen, but you know, we love to see the antsy tsundere cutting loose. /lh

The Winions are all played by Peekaboo but Haru’s Peekaboo in particular is Princess Winion. Please imagine the crazy little dance.

Also Jiro as honorary Hades. Maybe Yuri is his Persephone if that’s your ship. Maybe MC is his Persephone (my preference).

Charybdis played by Calamari’s Calamommy.

[kendrysaneela]

Ody3 as Text Posts 11/?

[thedeadthree]

-ˋˏ .·:·. ⊱ 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐄𝐈𝐋𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐛𝐲 @pavus — day one: 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞.

— 𝐈𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐑 . 𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐈 𝐃𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀 . 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄.

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐒. 𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐎𝐘 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐒.

— 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 (mutuals can opt in/out via 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 <3):

@loriane-elmuerto, @carrionsflower, @auricfog, @girliefailure, @sunsofdawn

@risingsh0t, @griffin-wood, @lilywatt, @full---ofstarlight, @grapecaseschoices

@tommyarashikage, @shadowsofrose, @shadowglens, @weisshaupts, @queennymeria

@deadrlngers, @d-esmond, @courtana, @gothimp, @wlwaerith

@unholymilf, @aezyrraeshh, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @shellibisshe, @florbelles

@celticwoman, @neonshrike, @cloudofbutterflies92, @adelaidedrubman, @carlosoliveiraa

@pinkfey, @spookyrares, @yharnams, @aceghosts, @confidentandgood

@theelderhazelnut, @leviiackrman, @ellierenae, @anoras, @lavampira

@dialdrunk, @full---ofstarlight, @imogenkol