#I got Mariah Carey’s new Christmas book

[sitp-recs]

do you have any recs for drarry + workplace romance?

I definitely do, one of my favourite tropes! This list is strongly focused on office romance and as you can see it got a bit out of hand so I’m gonna link two additional rec lists that might interest you: sports AU and Quidditch fics. Enjoy!!!

Measure My Lordship With Thine Vulgar Aye by @starquestingfordrarry (M, 1k)

Draco buys some Muggle magnets for the office.

Coded Office Missives by carpemermaid (E, 2.5k)

They had an arrangement. Malfoy would send a coded memo when he needed Harry. He knew to tell his secretary to hold his appointments, and lock the door after he arrived. It was a game they started when they were just starting their careers at the Ministry; it’s something they’ve kept up all this time.

The Keepers by RenVeree (T, 3.6k)

In the Rare Books Department of the Ministry of Magic, Draco tends to unique texts and, on occasion, a certain Unspeakable.

Graffiti and Insomnia by SilentAuror (M, 4k)

Harry can't seem to sleep these days. Perhaps it's the boredom of his office job, but all that changes with a bit of graffiti in the office bathroom one day.

Never Gonna Give You Up by InnerLilith (E, 5k)

Five times Harry rickrolls Draco and one time Draco gets him back.

Like This and Like This (Dreams of Lace) by @primavera-cerezos (E, 6k)

Harry gets an accidental peek. He can’t think of anything else.

Say the words / then stay around by Teatrolley (NR, 6k)

They’ve been together for a while when Harry decides that he wants to try the Auror Office again. What he doesn’t consider is the effects the work might have on the two of them. But, then again, maybe those effects don’t have to be all bad?

Interdepartmental Memos by GoldenTruth813, Henndra (E, 6k)

What do you get when GoldenTruth813 plays Harry and Henndra is Draco? An epistolary fic of course!

Contretemps by @moonflower-rose (T, 8k)

Draco Malfoy has been living like a model citizen. If only he could convince Potter.

Small Spaces series by @bixgirl1 (E, 8.5k)

Malfoy is like an itch under Harry's skin on an average day. It's even worse when they're trapped in a lift.

Love, Actually, is All Around by @punk-rock-yuppie (T, 10k)

It's Christmastime, and Harry has just started as the new Minister of Magic. It just so happens that Draco works in his office as well, a holdover from Kingsley's tenure. Naturally, love is in the air.

Settle in in my slow-burning heart, orphaned (NR, 10k)

Five years after the war Draco is working a tech developer job in the Auror Office, and it's all great except this one thing: Harry Potter works there, too. Things only become stranger when Harry starts bringing Draco ugly souvenirs back from his work travels.

Sweet Indulgence by @the-sinking-ship (E, 10k)

It doesn't matter that Marcy from Accounting is dancing on the tables, Shacklebolt is wearing antlers, and Elliot from Transportation is on his third round of Mariah Carey on karaoke because all the free champagne in the world won't salvage the Ministry Christmas party for Draco if Potter doesn't show up soon.

Little Talks by Femme and noeon (E, 11k)

Draco's been shagging the Head Auror for months now, and he's sure it's just a fling. Until Harry asks him to a Quidditch match, that is, and things go horribly wrong.

This Unexpected Windfall by mindabbles (E, 11k)

Harry doesn’t like it when Draco is called in to work one of his cases. No. He doesn’t like it at all — at least that’s what he tells himself.

Crossed Wires by @skeptiquewrites (E, 11k)

Harry James Potter, Member of the Wizengamot for Godric’s Hollow, Secretary for Transport is ill-suited for the world of wizarding politics. Enter Draco Malfoy, Director of Communications for the Minister for Magic to moonlight as his press secretary. It should solve all of Harry’s issues with the press and Draco’s issues with over-work. Theoretically.

What Real Thing? by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (E, 12k)

They don’t cuddle, they don’t talk about their relationship (or lack thereof) and they certainly never fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Title of Their Sex Tape by @cibeewastaken (T, 12k)

What are the Wizarding world's most elite law enforcers doing when they aren't catching criminals? It seems Auror Malfoy is often caught throwing food into Auror Potter's mouth when he's mid-yawn.

In Which Harry is Magnetic North and Draco Is An Idiot by bryoneybrynn (T, 13k)

For as long as he can remember, Draco’s been bringing fake dates to his family’s annual Yuletide celebration in order to evade his mother’s matchmaking. This year, Potter’s posing as his pretend boyfriend.

The World of Management (Or, Harry Potter and the Office Romance) by @moonflower-rose (E, 15k)

Draco Malfoy is the heart and soul of the Department of Magical Games and Sport. The only thing standing in the way of professional bliss is his boss. And Harry Potter.

Give Me a Quiet Mind by @wellhalesbells (T, 16k)

Draco is Weasley’s assistant. Except for the week he’s not. Whose brilliant idea was that again?

Ardour of Karma by @xx-thedarklord-xx (E, 17k)

“Malfoy knows something is going on with you and unless you both want to go back to fighting and death glares, you should fix it.” “How do I do that? Just waltz up to him and say, ‘I know I’ve been a prat but your scent makes my dick swell. How’s your day?’”

Common and Cliché by bryoneybrynn (E, 17k)

Aurors Malfoy and Potter have to work a case on Beltane. It would be simple if everything wasn't so damn distracting.... For those of you who are wondering, yes, I've tried to cram in as many h/d clichés as possible. But hopefully the story works as a story, too. It's not crack!fic by a long shot but it is a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Knot Your Average Coworkers by @thecouchsofa (E, 22k)

It takes Harry a while to work out that every month, almost like clockwork, Draco is given an assignment in the field that takes him out of their shared office for days on end. After each assignment, Draco returns looking so bloody exhausted that Harry gears up to file a complaint with their boss.

Little Red Courgette by @blamebrampton (T, 31k)

When this season's purple courgettes are woefully thin, Draco Malfoy thinks it amounts to small beans. Next thing he knows, the Department of Standards is over-run with leeks, Brussels sprouts all sorts of legislative difficulties, and somebody appears to have put a roquette under Harry Potter.

The Vanishing Department by @dictacontrion (E, 47k)

The things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, even if that involves a lot more form-filling, bickering, covert glancing, miscommunication, and flying furniture than we might expect.

The Darkness Before the Dawn by Ren (E, 55k)

A mysterious creature is loose in London, stalking and killing people. Auror Harry Potter requests the help of a liaison from the Beast Division and gets saddled with Draco Malfoy. Will they be able to stop the creature before it claims more lives?

We Are Young (I'll Carry You Home Tonight) by Femme (E, 70k)

Harry and Draco have been falling into bed on and off again since the last election five years ago, much to the amusement--and financial gain--of their circle of friends. But when Harry agrees to work with Draco to put Kingsley Shacklebolt into the Minister's office, they can't work side-by-side again every day and sleep together; that would be courting disaster. Wouldn't it?

The Liars Department by @dorthyanndrarry (T, 103k)

This is a story about Harry meeting up with Draco Malfoy four years after the war. And a story about Harry, well, not hating his job per say, but it's not like he has much to compare it to and it seemed fine. His whole life seemed fine.

Make This Leap by @oflights (M, 118k)

Harry owns a struggling restaurant which is running out of money, and his Head Chef has just handed in notice. He's at a bit of a loss as to what to do until Narcissa Malfoy presents an obvious solution: bring in Draco Malfoy as Chef and part owner.

All Our Secrets Laid Bare by firethesound (E, 149k)

Over the six years Draco Malfoy has been an Auror, four of his partners have turned up dead. Harry Potter is assigned as his newest partner to investigate just what is going on.

Tales From the Special Branch series by Femme (E, WIP)

When Gawain Robards asks him to form Special Branch seven-four-alpha, Harry Potter knows they'll have to work outside the confines of the law--even though they are the law.

[justsome-di]

NEUD Bonus Story (Excerpt): Christmas

Patrons in the $4 tier got a new short story with the NEUD cast!

If you're interested in reading the whole thing and other short stories, you can subscribe here!

-----

At six, Damián was back in his apartment, sneaking past Eve and Leo asleep on the pull-out couch together and checking in on Alex, passed out in his bed. The small Christmas tree pushed in the corner lit up the apartment in a soft, multi-colored glow. The few presents sitting under it were tempting. It felt like a Christmas morning from when Damián was young, when he was still naive.

Cars and action figures would have been waiting for him. Pretend doctor’s kits. A nice pair of sweaters for school so that all the other parents could see how well-dressed he was. 

A little older, there would be fantasy books and CDs. Little Leo had chunky trains and fire engines galore. 

Reality came back to Damián in small steps, in small sips. When he saw Leo’s beaten down Converse by the door. When he saw dirty dishes still laying by the sink rather than the dishwasher. When he listened to Alex’s steady, deep breathing and a little pool of drool by his open mouth. 

The romance was washed away. He was no longer in a high-end bar that he would probably never visit again. He was no longer a child. An adult, in his 30s, with a patchwork family. It was all peaceful and beautiful and messy, and Damián didn’t want it any other way. 

A burst of energy filled him. 

Still a little tired but too excited to lay back down, he was ready to get things started. 

It was 6:20 when Damián, freshly showered and convinced he didn’t need any sleep, connected his phone to the Bluetooth speaker in the middle of the living room. 

6:21, Leo and Eve bolted up as the the first verse of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” played through the apartment at near-full volume. Damián raised his arms above his head and shook his hips in a way that he thought was sexy.

Alex rushed out of the bedroom, wide awake but clearly very confused. He found the speaker and turned it off right as Mariah was belting. Damián stopped his dance at the beep of the Bluetooth disconnecting, his arms falling to his side in disappointment.

“That was a gay bop,” Damián said. Then, he accused, “Homophobia.”

“What the fuck?” Alex whispered.

Leo held one hand to his chest. Eve pressed her hands over her eyes and groaned loudly.

“Merry Christmas!” Damián cried, throwing his arms up. 

“It’s six in the morning,” Leo said. 

“The perfect time for Christmas!” 

“Did you just get home?” Alex asked. 

“I got home right in time for Christmas.” Damián pulled the blankets off Leo and Eve. “Come on, get up.”

[craby-bouquet]

Warm Winter Promptlist

We're back with a new Warm Winters!

I started this series in 2019 to fight winter blues with fluff! You can find the whole Warm Winters series here!

You can find the prompts under the cut. So...

Send me a Seventeen or BTS member and 1 or 2 prompts and I will write a short, fluffy story using your prompts and your man!!

Warm winters 2023-2024

1 "Take mine, I don't need it anyway."

2 "You're cold, aren't you?"

3  "There's… only one bed."

4 "Your love will keep me warm."

5 "Those lights are beautiful there."

6 "You bought me a present? I thought we weren't gonna do presents this year."

7 "no I won't be your fake partner to your office Christmas party, don't you remember what happened last time!?"

8 "Don't lie. You hate it."

9 ""You've been laying on my arm all night and I can't feel it."

10 "Yeah so, funny story, I actually thought you would maybe give me a new years kiss? But I guess not, which is fine! Don't worry. I didn't really care anyway." 

11 "...Wow. You look like a princess."

12 "Dance with me."

13 "I… I didn't know you could play the piano."

14 "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

15 "Sing for me?"

16 "It'll be a blue Christmas without you."

17 "I miss you."

18 "All I want for Christmas is you."

19 "I really can't stay."

20 "Baby it's cold outside."

21 "That's a tad too optimistic for me."

22 "Why are you awake right now?"

23 "Wake up! Please wake up! It snowed!"

24 "Is there a reason you're blushing right now?" 

25 "Have you seen my hoodie? You know that one with the blue stripe in the… Wait, you're wearing it, aren't you?"

26 "Are we on a date right now?" "No. We're snowed in." "Ah��� so it is a date then?"

27 "I'm not blushing, I'm just cold -or warm. or… whatever. But I'm not blushing."

28 "I think I'm in love with you."

29 "You want hot chocolate?"

30 "The moon sure does look beautiful tonight."

31 "All I do is drink hot drinks and say bad words."

32 "Your feet are so cold!" 

33 "I'm too sober for this."

34 "Wow! I didn't know you could sing."

35 "We'd both warm up faster if we would take off our clothes." "Fuck off."

36 "A water fight? Are you crazy? It's way too cold for that."

37 "I'm the reason you got sick in the first place. So yes, I am indeed going to take care of you."

38 "Can you put on anything other than the Spotify Christmas playlist? I'm sick of it."

39 "It's January! Why are you still listening to Mariah Carey?"

40 "So… valentines is coming up…"

41 "Santa left a lot of presents this year."

42 "Wow, I asked for you, and I actually got you. That Santa guy really is amazing."

43 "I don't want that, I just want to finish my book."

44 "I wanted to say 'I love you' for the first time on Christmas Eve…  but I guess you were a step ahead of me."

45 "Tell me that when you're sober."

46 "Who thought I'd find my soulmate on new years eve?"

47 "You've been giving me bedroom eyes for the last half hour."

48 "“All I want is to sleep by your side.”

49 “I didn’t get soaking wet and ice cold by walking to your house for you to say no to pizza. I have beer too. I know you’re sad, so let me in.”

50 "I missed you."

51 "Are you trying to seduce me?"

52 "How can even still see out of your glasses? They're so dirty!"

53 "I always wanted a Christmas wedding."

54 "Kiss me."

55 "I'll cry." "Is that meant to be a threat?"

56 "That's starting to get on my nerves."

57 "Okay, answer me honestly. Are you, or are you not, Satan himself?"

58 "How can you not like christmas?"

59 "Will you marry me?"

60 "is... Is that a mistletoe? Now that's good timing"

61 "You should have told me sooner."

62 "That might actually be the best present I ever got."

63 "I didn't know you could play the piano."

64 "Are you seriously wearing a donkey onesie?"

65 "no I'm not drunk and yes that was a serious question!"

66 "Wait! Hold that thought! I really, really need to pee. Be right back."

67 “Are you an angel?”

68 "I hope our baby looks like you." 

69 "Don't be so gentle. You can hug me tighter y'know- I'm not going to pop or anything."

70 "I'll run you a nice, warm bath." "Excuse me? Why don't you run us a bath? I'm not gonna bathe by myself, that's boring."

71 ""Happy Valentine's Day"

72 "This is not what I meant when I told you to fall for me."

73 "Who would have thought I would find my soulmate on new years eve?"

74 "Your nose is so red, you look like Rudolph. Are you sure you're okay?"

75 "Look, it's a full moon tonight."

76 "I know we're engaged but I'm so in love with you."

77 "You outshine the stars."

78 "Did you mean that romantically this whole time?"

79 "Look, The blossom is coming through already."

80 "You made it."

masterlist | warm winter masterlist

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (847): Fri 12th Jul 2024

My cough / acid reflux finally seems to have fucked off. I was worried that I was about to have another lengthy battle and have to spend another six months or so sleeping bunches over on a bedside table like the fucking Elephant man. I don’t know where that sudden bout of acid reflux combined with a sore throat and a headache came from. I went to sleep on the first of July and when I woke up the next morning I couldn’t breathe properly because both my nostrils were blocked, my head was pounding, my throat felt like someone had stuffed sandpaper down my windpipe and I was coughing my guts up. Maybe during the night Freddy Kruger had invaded my dreams and instead of killing me just decided to fuck with me by making me sick for the AC/DC concert. 

I tuned into this weeks episode of Dynamite and really enjoyed Bryan Danielson vs Hangman Page even though I was hoping Page would win and Jeff Jarrett would end up becoming his new mouthpiece / manager. It was a great match but this was for a title shot at the biggest show of the year and I don’t think having this match in Dynamite gave it quite the prestige it deserved. Can you imagine if the Royal Rumble match was just on an episode of Raw instead of on pat per view? They should do the finals at Forbidden Door. The major talking point coming out of this show was Mariah May turning on Toni Storm and bloodying her on the emergence ramp after winning the Owen Cup. This is genuinely the first time I’ve felt pity for a wrestling character in a long time. The last time may have been when Jay White cheated to take Kota Ibushi’s Wrestle Kingdom contract from him. Just knowing how hard Ibushi worked to win the thing only to have it snatched away from him was really sad and likewise seeing how closely attached Storm had gotten to May made me feel the same way after this unexpected assault. I was really hoping the wouldn’t kill off the Toni / Mariah friendship story because I thought Thanet should just ride the wave but I have to admit I’m intrigued to see what the booking is going to be like for All In between these two. Hopefully they make it a first blood match. Before bed I rewatched the Jim Carey version of A Christmas Carol…in July…I’m still not sure why. The film is fine I guess but this has got to be one of the most ubiquitously adapted stories in movie history (maybe there have been more cinematic adaptations of Alice In Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz but there have still been a fuckload of Christmas Carol movies) and it hardly seems worth it adapting the story again only this time with fancy CGI. I would actually like to make a version of A Christmas Carol where Scrooge learns his lesson immediately after the Ghost of Christmas Past has visited him and the other two ghosts get pissed off that they are not going to be needed. Either that or so a version where, after Scrooge has been visited by the ghosts he still refuses to get into the Christmas spirit and when the ghosts / Jacob Marley ask him why not he replies “Because I’m a Muslim” and they just awkwardly shuffle seats having realised the massive lot inappropriate social / culture faux pas they’ve made. My favourite bit is at the very end where Scrooge hangs onto a carriage and lets it drag him down the road as he skis on the snow before slipping and landing in the street. I want to edit in a voiceover of him saying “HI I’M EBENEZER SCROOGE AND WELCOME TO JACKASS”

[popcorn-plots]

TW: mentions of robbery, break-ins, gun-violence, just general violence and drunk people.

Things People Say (The Accidental Killer prologue)

~~~

People see things on the news all the time. It’s part of life. You’re scrolling through Instagram, TicTok -whatever is popular right now- and you see stories about people getting shot, people breaking into other people’s homes, muggings on the street, homeless people dying of frostbite. I could go on and on with lists of the ‘Things People See’, but that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the ‘Things People Say.’

You see, people, like you and me- we see things all the time. At school, at home, on the streets. I once saw a man on the subway, totally stoned and singing a very-off key rendition of ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ by Mariah Carey. This was last year, in May, guys. Anyways, I saw that Drunk Subway Guy on my way to school one morning. I got off the train and the moment I crossed the threshold into that Great and Spacious Building called Eastern Bluebird High School, I booked it to my closest friend and laughed my way through an explanation.

Yeah, you see what happened. I talked. Everyone talks! It’s how we found out about Mr. Gardes’ retirement; the newest -and most popular- fashion trends; the candy that gave Carl Meikans food poisoning and got him MIA for a week and a half; Natalie Evans’ newest boy-toy – it’s all just gossip, really. But gossip and the ‘Things People Say’ are two different things. When someone finds a news article, a video, anything that falls under the category of ‘Things People See’, they share it with their friends and go, “I’m glad that’s not me.” or “Ha, as if that would ever happen to us,” or, better yet, my favorite one: “I can’t believe ‘such-and-such’ is going on ‘wherever-out-there’. I’m just glad we’re safe!”

Guys, gals, non-binary pals, whoever is reading this story right now, welcome to the world of ‘Things People Say’.

Now, in case you were wondering, this ‘Things People Say’ category really does have everything to do with this plot, because a while back, I heard about a serial killer on the loose in Baltimore. 

The whole school did. It was all the rage: a serial killer whose signature style is car crashes and who has been steadily making his way across the country, from Canada to Washington and now, Maryland. I, being young, naive, and like most of the vast population of Bluebird High, turned to my best friend, laughed nervously, and said a dumb rendition of a ‘Thing People Say’: 

“We’re fine! Baltimore’s not even close- besides, what would a serial killer want with a stupid high school in the middle of Manhattan?”

Lots of things, actually, starting with a senior named Christopher Russel (although we didn’t know it at the time).

title is still tbd and so is the characters and writing style (it's going to be rewritten in a kind of epistolary format) and the serial killer has a different MO and signature. this is also the book that started out as an avengers fanfiction and is now an original story, so I need to rework characteristics and names.

[dansemacabre]

I GOT BINGO!!!! sheet and explanation under the cut :000

LAST SPOILER WARNING

irl tragedy- THE DINOSAURS??? BRO WTF

bipper return- evil twins page. I SEEEE HIIIIMMMM

bill cipher ALMOST fucking kills a guy- like he killed so many people but i wanted to See A Murder. i was gonna say the elf but technically i killed the elf :/ but stanford almost died like four times so

objectively bad book /pos- in a moral sense: like books shouldn’t steal blood right. in a content sense:

new cipher: there’s like TEN. ONE OF THEM IS FROM THE CHILD STANS FROM 1950 OR WHATEVER. JESUS ALEX

reverse falls is real: a lot of “every universe exists somewhere” talk in this. also there was a bit about kissing your clone and didn’t people ship bill and will. Cannot stress enough how on high alert i am for reverse falls i have TRAUMA from that shit

bill “swears” weirdly: he said a bunch of symbols at some point. he keeps calling people jack. freaks me out

mabel defense: bill loves mabel! mabel’s so cool! SO much mabel content! her mind is so cool! she loves her family!!! bill only manipulated her after accidentally exploding himself with his mind in frustration!!!!!!!

3 different cults- ENTIRE cults page. plus ciphertology, egypt (begrudgingly), aztecs, easter island, one group of knights in medieval england for a bit???

dick joke- hole ad in the newspaper from the anti-cipher section. also “that one gross part of you no one wants to look at”

backhanded jab at disney- “the standards board falls to their knees in horror. if only they’d done more!”

weirdly niche irl cultural reference- you could put a gun to my head and i still could not tell you who larry king is. also mariah carey mention that’s not niche but wtf

arg component- i clocked thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com immediately and im so proud of myself for it see yall on the 30th

queer stanford- YOOOOOOOOO THAT BITCH IS GAYYYYYYY. THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT???? THE DEAD RATS????? DOOMED OCCULT/OLD MEN YAOI

bill was lying- fucking duh. literally all this asshole does

Wasn’t that fun. Wasn’t that riveting chat. that was so worth it wasn’t it. probably my most successful bingo so far. Sad but true!

fuck it. book of bill bingo i made at 5 am

[amberraymond]

I got Mariah Carey’s new Christmas book Vlogmas day 13

[bingoboingobongo]

task force 141 + christmas day

Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, John Price, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

Warnings: none

A/N: oh lordy i can't believe it's christmas already. keep sending me requests so i have stuff for january por favor. merry happy to all u guys

alright so the big day has finally arrived

christmas

it's been snowing for the last week and the trend continued today which means rudy is ecstatic because it's always been his dream to have a white christmas

he's also one of the first people to wake up and he has to fight the urge to run around and wake everyone else up

another person of the first people to wake up list is soap and unlike rudy soap does not fight the urge

he goes throughout the base blasting christmas music (mariah carey ofc) and shaking everyone out of their beds

ghost's been up for a while (as expected) and is already waiting in the kitchen with a cup of tea as everyone else piles in

pretty much everyone is in pajamas or sweatpants

rudy and soap are wearing their favorite ugly christmas sweaters tho

and as price starts up a pot of coffee the gift opening ensues

they all let rudy start out because he's literally trembling with excitement

of course everyone chipped in to get rudy his dream lego set this year

the ferrari daytona sp3

but in addition to that ghost somehow managed to get rudy a mint condition, never opened, ferrari f1 racer set

and for those of y'all who aren't familiar with legos (pretty much the entire team except rudy) this is a huge deal because the set has been retired

rudy was so excited he couldn't stop himself from running up to ghost and giving him a massive hug

ghost awkwardly let him but mainly because rudy looked so happy he couldn't say no

and yes rudy spent the rest of the day raving about how cool the set ghost got him was

the next person to open up their gifts was price

and apparently all his coy hinting worked because he got what he wished for, a heated weighted blanket

unfortunately (or maybe fortunately idk u decide) his hinting worked a little too well because gaz, soap, and rudy all got him one

so now he has three

in addition to that alejandro got him a super nice bottle of macallan whiskey

and ghost got him a really expensive set of cigars

after price went gaz

soap felt so bad for sitting on and breaking gaz's speaker that of course he had to buy him a new one

it's bluetooth of course and very nice

that being said the gift is technically from soap and price because the speaker was pretty expensive (but really good quality)

alejandro and rudy both chipped in and got gaz a really nice pair of noise cancelling headphones so that he wouldn't have to deal with the task force's nonsense anymore

and gaz had recently mentioned how he had gotten back into listening to the weeknd

and ofc ghost bought him two vip tickets to the weeknd's after hours til dawn tour

gaz literally freaked out when he saw the tickets like im talking jumped up out of his seat jaw dropped wide open

ghost let's gaz give him an awkward hug too because he doesn't want to kill his mood

and then it's alejandro's turn to open his gift

and low and behold what does he see when he opens up the wrapping paper

of course it's his dream gift and like the one thing he wished for

a brand new ps5

everyone on the team chipped in to pay for it

and they got him a few games too

then next it was ghost's turn

he wasn't expecting much and he was pretty surprised when he opened his gift

he got all the books he wanted of course, plus a few extra

soap got him the metamorphosis by franz kafka

gaz got him the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde

alejandro got him journey to the center of the earth by jules verne

rudy got him the count of monte cristo by alexandre dumas

and then somehow, price managed to score a signed, first edition version of treasure island by robert louis stevenson

ghost was literally speechless for the first time in his life when he realized what he was holding

like his hands were literally shaking and he had to put it down because he was scared he would ruin it

he tried to interrogate price and find out where he had got it from but price wouldn't say anything

and then last but not least was soap

he was getting kinda nervous as everyone opened up their gifts because it didn't look like there was gonna be any for him

and the ghost opened up the last box and soap's heart pretty much broke

but before the sadness could fester too long everyone dragged him to the garage

and low and freaking behold what does soap see

but his dream gift, the yz250 sitting in front of him with a bow on top

and soap freaked out he was literally bouncing off the walls in shock

it turned out ghost knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy

and so he was able to get the bike at an insane discount

and with everyone chipping in, they were able to get him a helmet/gear as well

and again soap was literally freaking out

he tried to hug ghost, who declined at first but then gave in

after gift opening was over they all went to have lunch and the kinda split off to do their own things

simon "ghost" riley:

alright so the first thing ghost does is take his first edition treasure island and sprint to his room

like i cannot emphasize to you enough how insane of a deal this is

because not only is a first edition copy valued at literally ~$10,000, treasure island has an insane amount of sentimental value to ghost because that was his favorite book as a child

that being said ghost was literally terrified to touch the book

like he put on his gloves and anything

the book was in really good condition and even the signature looked like it was in mint condition

i mean again ghost was just in awe completely shocked

he ended up tucking it away in his safe because he was too scared to read it

he ended up brewing himself a cup of tea and reading the count of monte cristo to relax

and if you're there with him than congrats u get to see a new side of ghost, nerd!ghost

because he will not stop raving about the first edition treasure island

he'll also give you your gifts in private

and they're everything you ever wished for

including something you didn't even remember wishing for until you saw it

and then he's more than happy to spend the rest of the day hanging out with you while he reads

at least until price calls everyone to the dining room for christmas dinner and soap starts drinking

john "soap" mactavish:

alright after seeing his gift soap has one thing on his mind and that's riding the dirt bike

unfortunately the weather outside is not the most friendly to dirt bikers

but what soap wants soap does

and so (very unwisely i might add) soap decides to try riding his bike indoors

he takes it to the hangar because it's got a lot more space but just because he has the extra space doesn't mean he's successful

it's been a long time since he last rode a dirt bike and so he almost immediately nearly ran into one of the planes

and then you and price practically forced him to stop so he wouldn't immediately destroy his bike

he was disappointed for a bit but you made it better

he gave you his gift and it was the best, most soap-centric gift you could ask for

it was absolutely perfect and it referenced one of your many inside jokes

he also let you pick one of the soap's everyone put in his stocking

you picked a fancy bath and body works one

then he spent the rest of the day hanging out with you and the others until dinner time

and you know that afterwards he's getting stupid drunk again

kyle "gaz" garrick:

alright so honestly gaz was freaking out about the weeknd tickets a lot

like it took him a good while to finally relax

and of course the other ticket is going to you so you can join him

he also pretty much immediately put on the noise cancelling headphones alejandro and rudy got him

and you just know he was listening to the weeknd's entire discography

he also pulled you aside so he could give you your gift in private

he got you some new clothes you've been wanting for a while

as well as some jewelry with your initials engraved in it

he was kind of nervous it was too much but you assured him it was perfect

he spent the rest of the day listening to music and dancing with you

as well as hanging out with the others until dinner came

and during the after dinner party gaz's speaker was the prime music source

john price:

alright so price is just ready to milk his gifts as much as possible

but before he does he knows he has to give you your gift first

it's something really sweet and heartfelt and you can tell how much he loves you through the gift

and he also got you your own bucket hat with your initials embroidered on the inside

he says you look like the most beautiful girl in the world with it on

then he drags you to his room where you milk his presents with him

he pours you a glass of the fancy whiskey while he lights one of ghost's cigars

if you smoke too he'll offer you one as well

and then he'll have you cozy up to him under one out of the three weighted heated blankets

and the two of you will just cuddle there until dinner

alejandro vargas:

alright so the first thing alejandro does after everyone's done opening gifts is hook up his PS5 to the tv

he's super excited to play some games and he brings you over to play with him

before you start though he gives you your gift

it's something you've been wanting for a while

plus an all expenses paid for spa trip at a really nice spa

then he pulls you against him and has you pick a game to play

and the two of you will play that until dinner comes

and then he might still keep playing after dinner, although this time he'll be much worse because you don't get to go through a soap party without drinking at least a smidge of alcohol

rodolfo "rudy" parra:

alright so rudy is just super duper hyped about his legos man idk what to say

his first thought is to immediately start building one of them but he has enough reason to give you your gift first

one of them is an expensive set of shoes you've been eyeing for a long time

another is a lego set of your own (because he wants to build legos with you but he also gets super defensive if you try to build his so he needs it to be seperate)

and then a super duper heartfelt homemade gift

he's really really nervous about it and his heart just about bursts when you wrap your arms around him and tell him it's perfect

and then the two of you spend a pretty long amount of time building legos

honestly you finished pretty quickly but you stuck around to watch him finish his

you also helped massage his back/shoulders whenever they would hurt from being hunched over for too long

and lord knows rudy would sing your praises so loudly for doing that

he's done by dinner and during soap's little party rudy is more than happy to be all over you

and it's easily the best christmas he's had so far

[darke15]

Hellllloooo Rhymie 🖤🖤🖤 @rhymingtree

I’ve missed you 😌

Also I'm going to ake it a Christmas season tradition to and react to a chapter while sitting in a public place so I can risk crying to the tune of Mariah Carey.

I have yet to hear any Christmas music on the radio yet 😂I’m hoping to make it to at least this Friday without hearing it 

Also I am ashamed to admit that I cant remember what happened in ch97 and I am too lazy to go back and read it

I don’t remember what happened either. Tbh I’ve had a really hard time remembering this year’s chapters…i really do need a break 😭

And Raffa was coordinating with other medics on the Alliance, just in case things went south. Which, knowing your track record, would happen more likely than not.

How many medics do they have at this point

They have enough to staff a few hospitals. How else is Raffa gonna meet Eila?

The dog tags the fucking dog tags

😈😈😈

I really missed Duke holy shit

I want a big ole Duke hug rn 

But there was so much more to life than just surviving.

You didn’t have time for it. Maybe you would eventually but that wasn’t an option. Not yet.

Little bits of poetry within the prose that I just love

I know it isn't technically poetry but it feels like it. The kind that people read in books and highlight and write down in notebooks, and post on tiktok. The kind that just really hit good in audiobook form, when you hear it and it just makes you freeze.

Thank you. I feel like I don’t have a lot of time to make those kinds of moments and when I do, I really like when they stick 

"New York has been briefed, he’ll catch the others up to speed."

Can I be briefed too... it's been a month you guys I'm so lost

Same

It had been twenty-four hours since you’d reared your head in the city. Twenty-four hours since you’d made your final appearance as the villain in Ollie’s story. Twenty-four hours since Ollie found you.

This is begging for a Hamilton joke

Hehe she's the Aaron Burr to his Hamilton

Is the world wide enough for both Wraith and Ghost

ok I'll stop

😂😂😂

What the shit is nitramene

A reference to Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD…and a reference that may be change in a major rewrite I have planned. 

“It’s just like hotwiring a car.” “Except this one explodes if you do it wrong.” “It’ll be fine.”

I love my reckless babies

I love them so much 😭

I'm in public. If I get bamboozled again and throw this laptop out the fucking window…

Ohhhh don’t do that 

I also don't want Ghost to keep him alive if that's any comfort to her :>

😂 you’re in the majority with that one 

Also stride for stride would be a great song title for when Ghost and Ollie's main themes merge together.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Remember how we were talking about the Morse Code beats on TikTok? They’re names competing against each other beneath their themes as they clash 😭

The fact that this thought is coming from the one who doesn'thave stories of blowing up chem labs in high school is jarring to me.

Maybe Ollie is just that goth kid from Toy Story that experimented with his toys and he's just really fucking sadistic.

I haven’t put much thought into his backstory. I can’t decide if he was just born a fucked up guy or if he slowly just devolved. 

This was the last time they were going to go after her before Walsh took control of the entire situation. This was his last chance to bring her in. His last chance to bring her home. And he was going to do it. Even if it meant that he had to put down Wraith himself. And even if it meant he had to fight off Walsh and Aftermath and Stark and the Avengers. (F/N) was coming home with him.

You forget, Bucky, that Darke has the reins

And I have no fuckin' idea what this woman's got planned for you

Neither do i tbh 

My hormones are raging again

Cuffs? And not the fun kind!?

>:(

😑😑😑

If (F/N) really was the bad guy, why was she trying to protect him? Did she really just like him that much?

Is it just me or have I been watching a bunch of these guys miss the clues for a whole year?

“Mr. Stark, listen.” “No,”

As genuinely sad and frustrating this is, I laughed. I'm sorry, Pete

I feel so bad for the kid 😭

OLIVER

NO

WHAT

WHA—

NO

ay susmaryosep lord save my soul

😈😈😈😈😈😈😈

Not to mention, you didn’t have an earpiece. For the first time in a long time, you didn’t have any voices in your ears. Or your head. It left you in silence. Alone.

Is it weird that I miss Jekyll and Hyde

their back and forths were so much fun

I miss them too tbh

oooh cinematic red lights how fun

I can see this entire sequence in my head. I wish you could see it too 

“Cuffs? Really?” you hummed, holding her fist steadily in your hand before you reached up to snap the Widow’s Bite from her wrist, “That’s pretty kinky, Romanoff.”

If only that was what they were there for

god that would be a very different night... a really good night

Calmmmm downnnnn

Oh, I'm loving the back-to-back fights, and how emotionally charged everyone is

Again i wish you could see them in my head. Ghost’s theme would be underlying [probs her morse code beat] and every Avenger she fights would have their themes playing until her’s finally won out. 

Then when she and ollie see each other it would just be the morse code beats fighting against each other before their themes started. 

Uggghhhhhh it’s epic in my head

I love how theyre all asking her to come quietly

Bucky would have her coming, but it definitely won't be quiet

Girrrrrrrlllllll 

But, in the chaos, he found a source of calm.

I'll call Oliver whatever I like (i.e., a piece of shit rat-faced dweeb) but the man is poetic. His inner monologues are honestly amazing.

This isn't even the best example it's just the most recent one. Whenever I stumble on one of these gems in his POVs I just go damn. My english teacher would love that.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Damn... that fight was... woah

Darke... that fight was amazing 😭

Thank you 🖤

How do you go from like the most enthralling dramatic fight scene to Peter just panicking his way through the night

Easy. i used up all the drama I had at the time and needed a break with the goofy bean

(F/N) had him pinned to the floor, the two of them had stopped what they were doing the instant he’d arrived. “Am I interrupting something?”

I told myself I wouldn't let my thoughts go there with these two but PETER JUST HAD TO SAY SOMETHING

😂😂😂

��Run away with me.”

YOU SAID THIS WOULDN'T MAKE ME CRY

😑😑😑

“You and me. Together. We could go anywhere. Everywhere.”

DARKE

It’s not my fault you cry easy 

And then a cold band of metal around your wrist kept you out of it.

This is hurt.

Ow.

No.

Don't.

You’re fine 

Why am I pleading there are already two chapters after this

I can't with you

Again. You’ll be fine. Maybe. 

“Yeah.” Steve agreed but he made no move to hand her over, “But you're not with Aftermath. Are you?”

WOAH

WOAHWOAHWOAHWOAHWOAH

WOAH

WHAT

WHAT

DARKE

WHAT

WAIT

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I’VE WAITED FOR YOU TO REACT TO THIS 😭

IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME TO HYPERVENTIALE AM I GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF WHAT'S HAPPENING

WHAT

WHAT

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“I’m not giving her to you because you’re not with Aftermath,” Steve said, shifting his gaze from (F/N) to Walsh, “Are you, Wraith?”

STOP IT RIGHT FUCKING NOW

oh wait you just did that was the last line

NO

WHAT

DARKE

DARKE WHAT THE FUCK

😈😈😈 welcome back, Rhymie 

CHAPTER 98: SCORCHED EARTH

To all my live reactors,

Please, please, please, hide your reactions under a Read More cut. I don’t want any spoilers floating around. 

&

To all my Anonymous Avengers, 

If you want to react in my asks, feel free. However, I won’t be answering any of them until at least Wednesday if they contain spoilers. 

Thank you,

Darke

┍━━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━┑

“I think I’d rather just kill you.”

“Then?”

“Kill them.” He nodded to the door, “Pave the way for Hydra to rise again.”

“And Barnes?”

“They broke him once. They can do it again,” he said lowly, a snarl itching at the back of his throat, “Then again, he broke you once too. Maybe you will survive through the night. You’ll be right at home with the Doctor once again.”

“You know, it’s funny,” (F/N) scoffed, “He and I were talking…”

He blinked, the smile on his face dropping instantly, “What? What did you just say?”

“He came to me in Warsaw,” she said as a smile twisted to her face, “He had a job for me. Said he wants you dead.”

“Did he?” he asked through gritted teeth, “And you took it?”

“I didn’t say I did—”

“Why didn’t you kill him?”

“I—”

A manic chuckle echoed through the building as he ran his fingers through his hair in disbelief, “You couldn’t do it, could you? What was it? Curiosity? Stupidity?”

┕━━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━┙

CHAPTER 98: SCORCHED EARTH

✪ Bᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ Sᴄᴀʀʀᴇᴅ : Aғᴛᴇʀᴍᴀᴛʜ

♜♠ Tʜᴇ Sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ & Tʜᴇ Sᴘʏ

⧗ Tʜᴇ Rᴇᴅ Rᴏᴏᴍ

☞ Bᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ Sᴄᴀʀʀᴇᴅ: Oʀɪɢɪɴs

»Jᴏɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇ sɪᴅᴇ Tᴀɢʟɪsᴛ

TAGLIST BELOW

@thexbookxnerdx // @fadingbakeryfarmoperator // @rhymingtree // @itsmeatballworld // @kippykasey // @turtleedovee // @onewithnomightypowers // @pixviee // @riahmcq // @thequeenofthefallen // @jesuswasnotawhiteman // @fnnshelbys // @knowyourworth-sellyoursoul // @banbananas // @oikawasblueearbud // @itsarussian // @mrsbarnesinmyimagination // @oopsiedoopsie23 // @luhuhzy // @heyimjustlaura12 // @moonlightreader649 // @sighmurderbot // @useless-creature-213 // @xiyouchan // @bookfeen // @afraidofshrimp // @yjck121 // @born-a-sinner-die-a-martyr // @comfortzonequeen // @aftermatharchives

[bbgem329]

Things Are Never As They Seem—Chapter Fourteen

Pairings—Sebastian Stan x Actress!Reader, Sebastian Stan x OFC (PR relationship)

Summary

You and Sebastian Stan have been dating privately for over two years. Everything is perfect until he is coerced into a PR relationship when he signed with a new agency to advance his career. Trouble ensues…

Warnings

MINORS DNI. 18++. Language. Fluff. Angst. HW sucks. PR relationships. Rich white bitches, man. Pining!Seb. Puppy lovin.

Series Masterlist

—————

December 8, 2020

You let out a heavy sigh as you haphazardly tossed your phone on the coffee table before slipping out from the blanket cocoon you’d made yourself on the couch. Your steps were heavy as you dragged yourself to the window, watching the snowfall over the brightly lit city below.

December always looked so good on New York City.

You didn’t much care for the cold but the lights, the snow, the overall cheer in the atmosphere for the approaching Holidays brought a different sort of warmth. One you were convinced you wouldn’t ever find anywhere else.

New York City was home and you were more than relieved to finally be home after months away.

You weren’t supposed to be back for a whole other week but the director had some sort of family emergency and she’d decided to dismiss everyone early. You weren’t the slightest bit upset over it, you happily booked the first flight home as soon as you’d returned to your rented apartment that evening and were falling into your very own bed by midnight.

You had only been back for a few days and you still had yet to let a single person know. You’d convinced yourself you just needed a few days to get your life back in order—clean the apartment, wash your sheets, do some laundry, grocery shop, etc. It was nice to unwind and step back, at least for a little while.

You’d even taken the time to put up your Christmas decorations but decorating the tree hadn’t felt as special as it usually did. For the past three years, you and Sebastian had made it somewhat of a tradition to do it together with cheesy matching Christmas PJ’s, Christmas music, and spiked eggnog. You really tried to make it a fun ordeal, you bought the PJ’s—a cute, fuzzy white set with a matching robe and slippers, got shitfaced on Peppermint Schnapps Hot Chocolate while blaring ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ and Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’, but it just wasn’t the same.

Although that tradition seemed to be a big fat lie because according to Sebastian’s recent instagram post, he hadn’t had a christmas tree in twenty years. You nearly choked on your coffee when it popped up on your feed—a masked selfie of him with a barren tree and then another picture of a fully decorated, lit tree.

You knew it was all for show but that didn’t make it sting any less. It felt like somewhat of a slap in the face if you were being honest, like all those christmas’ you shared meant little to nothing to him. It’s what they intended anyways—to make it seem like they’re relationship was just so special and so serious that they were celebrating by starting up old, new traditions again.

Clearly Sebastian wasn’t working too hard at getting out of that contract. Just yesterday Catalina posted a picture of them together but this time with the all clear to tag him. The picture was a joke, a highly staged shot of their shadows on a trail with the caption ‘Walking on a dream’. He didn’t interact, choosing instead to post an old video of him in quarantine, goofing around. However, Erin was quick to comment about how much she loved them together.

You swore you’d never rolled your eyes harder.

It seemed that Catalina was finally getting her way.

And she really couldn’t be too mad about Sebastian not interacting with her post when she finally got that follow from him she’d been whining about for months. His fans were in a massive uproar over it and she was only pissing them off more with all the pictures she won’t stop posting on her story of the damned christmas tree.

You couldn’t even be bothered with it anymore, you muted both her and Sebastian almost immediately after you saw the post.

You were beyond determined to enjoy your break and the holidays, with or without him. You weren’t going to let either of them ruin your favorite time of the year.

You were home.

Christmas was in seventeen days.

You were going to spend some much needed time with Macy and Blake.

And that was more than enough to make everything okay.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when an insistently, loud knock sounded at the door.

“I know you’re in there, Y/N. You better fucking open the door right now.”

You’d recognize that voice anywhere.

A beaming grin spread across your lips and your feet moved on their own accord, steps light as you sprinted to the door. As soon as you turned the lock and released the door chain, Blake was shoving himself into your apartment.

“Hi.” You giggled, throwing yourself into his chest, arms wrapped tightly over his shoulders and your legs around his waist. “I missed you so much.”

“Uh. No.” He made a disgruntled noise as he peeled your body away from his and set you back on your feet. You let out a little whine, making grabby hands towards him but he leveled you with a heated glare and slapped your hands away. “Why the fuck haven’t you told anyone you were home? Let alone answered your goddamn phone?”

You shrunk into yourself, arms folded comfortingly over your chest as your gaze flickered to the floor. You were sure you looked similar to a kicked puppy and you were hopeful it would help you plead your case. You gave a little shrug, “I just wanted some time to clean up and put my life back together.”

Blake scoffed, rolling his dark hues as he shot a glance back over his shoulder.

“How did you even find me anyways?” Your brows furrowed as you rose to the tip of your toes, trying to steal a peek at whoever was standing just outside the doorway. “Who is with you?”

“I have your location, dumbass.” Blake huffed, smacking his hand over your face and forcing your head away, inadvertently covering your eyes and blocking your view. “You can come in now.”

“What-”

“Shut up, sweetheart.” He huffed, poking at your side with his free hand, “I have a surprise for you.”

You stuck your tongue out, licking Blake’s hand but he didn’t budge, completely unphased as he pulled you back into his chest and spun you in the direction of what you assumed was the door. “Blake.”

“Just trust me, woman.” He groaned, arms tightening around your wiggling form. “Jesus Christ.”

Your heart sped up in your chest as you continued to struggle in his hold. On one hand you wanted so desperately for it to be Sebastian standing before you when Blake removed his hand but an even bigger part of you wasn’t at all prepared to face him yet. He wouldn’t come, not if you didn’t want him to. You asked for space and for the most part, he was giving it to you. It was silly to even consider the possibility that he would be here, not when you’d been ignoring his texts and calls for the past couple weeks.

“Blake.” You whined, clawing at the hand over your face. “Come on. I hate surprises.”

“You’re such a brat.” He sighed, releasing his hold before taking a step back.

It took a minute for your eyes to adjust to the light but once they did, your entire being lit up and warmth spread throughout your chest, “Oh My God.”

You breathed out a little sigh, whether it was one of relief or disappointment you weren’t sure. Regardless, you were happy to find Damion standing just inside the doorway with the sweetest, little goldendoodle puppy cradled to his chest. “You got a dog?” You gasped out, rushing forward to pet the sleepy puppy, cooing and fawning over the little girl or guy. “Oh and hi, Damion. This is such a pleasant surprise.”

Damion flashed you a shy smile, wiggling his dark brows at you as a jet black curl fell unceremoniously over his baby blue eyes. He was so handsome, in an unaware, shy kind of way, and you completely understood why Blake was so smitten.

Your attention turned fully to the dog then, combing your fingers through its soft, golden curls, “Well, aren’t you the cutest little thing, huh?” You squeaked out a delighted giggle as the pup leaned into your touch, nudging its nose against your cheek. “Aw, thank you. Thank you.”

“It’s not our dog.” Blake spoke up, and you glanced over your shoulder just in time to see a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. His hands landed on either of your shoulders, giving them a tiny little squeeze, “Merry Christmas, babe.”

Your brain short circuited, fingers freezing in the pup’s fur, “What?” Your jaw dropped as Damion passed the puppy off to you and you instinctively cradled it to your chest, “Blake?”

“Well,” Blake shrugged, trailing back out into the hall, “You’ve been talking about getting one for months now and I thought, why not?”

You stood, watching dumbly as he and Damion dragged in a giant crate, a few big bags of dog food, and three brown bags.

“I know how lonely you get on the road, especially when myself, Macy, or,” He hesitated, rolling his bottom lip between, “Seb… Can’t be with you. I just thought maybe having this little guy would make things a little easier for you.”

Your heart swelled in your chest and you buried your face in the puppy’s fur to hide the heat rising to the apples of your cheeks. “I can’t believe that you bought me a puppy.” When you lifted your head, there were tears pooling in your eyes, “It’s a boy pup?”

Damian chuckled, wrapping an arm over your shoulder, “It’s a boy, miele.”

You squeaked out a choked back sob as Blake slid up beside you, sandwiching you in a hug between the two big men, “I love you guys. You got me a fucking puppy.”

“We love you too.” Blake laughed, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of your head, “But I’m definitely still pissed you didn’t tell me you were home. You have a lot of explaining to do, girlie.”

“Okay, but first,” You beamed, wrinkling your nose at him, “Does this dude have a name?”

“That’s your job, sweetheart.” Blake smirked, playfully nudging his hip into yours, “Your his mom, after all.”

—————

Y/N_Y/L/N: Guys!! I’m officially a dog momma!

Meet my fur baby, Bentley!

After making room for the crate in your office and finding a home for all Bentley’s toys, you begged Blake to take a bunch of cute pictures of you snuggled up on the couch with the sleepy puppy cradled in your lap. As soon as you deemed the photos good enough, you didn’t hesitate to post a few on your instagram.

You were absolutely in love with the sweet boy and you figured it wouldn’t hurt to show him off. Besides, Ellie had been on your butt about posting something to let your fans know you were alive and well. You tended to fall off the face of the earth when filming and they always seemed to worry when you were quiet for too long. You were essentially killing two birds with one stone.

It hadn’t even been up for fifteen minutes and your notifications were blowing up. A flood of comments and likes lighting up your phone screen where it lay mostly forgotten on the coffee table.

“I heard you still haven’t really talked to Sebastian.”

Your head snapped up from where you were watching the hot chocolate swirl in your reindeer mug, eyes wide, almost like a deer caught in the headlights, “Where did you hear that from?”

“Oh my God.” Blake groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face, “Why do you act so surprised every time? I talk to him too, ya know?” Blake rolled his eyes, sharing a look with Damion, “He actually won’t stop pestering me about you. I love him to death, Y/N, but my God, that man literally can’t handle not speaking with you. You’re really putting him through it.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true.” You declared, giving a lazily shrug of your shoulders as you eyes trailed back down to Bentley snoozing in your lap, “I texted him a few days ago.”

“Are you for real right now, Y/N?” Blake scoffed, brows furrowed and lips pressed in a thin line. His expression and tone took you aback. He was disappointed and it made your heart clench painfully in your chest, “All you said was ‘hi’ and then proceeded to not respond to his other texts. Don’t you think you’ve punished him enough?”

“Blake.” Damian warned, pressing a hand over his thigh.

“I don’t know, Blake.” You groaned, tugging a hand frustratingly through your hair, “I don’t know, okay? I’m hurt. I should talk to him but I don’t know if-”

“Do you love him, Y/N?”

You snapped your mouth shut, completely thrown off by his question. You let out a loud scoff, setting your mug down before pressing the heel of your hands over your eyes as you shook your head, “Of course I do. Why would you even ask me that?”

“I think it’s completely fair.” Blake pointed out, brushing Damian off as he sat forward on the edge of the love seat, resting his elbows over his knees as he leveled you with a hardened stare, “Because I expected you to be a mess when we showed up here today—You know, not having an actual conversation with the man you’re so fucking in love with for at least three weeks, is normally really fucking upsetting.” He narrowed his eyes at you, waving a hand aimlessly in your direction, “Yet you seem fine. Which is really out of character for you.”

“I love him, alright?” You snapped, shifting in your seat and pulling your legs up to your chest, Bentley cradled carefully to your chest, “I love him so much it hurts. I’m still really angry and upset by everything that went down and I don’t really have anything nice to say to him right now. Not to mention this isn’t something that I want to discuss over the phone.” You pressed your cheek to your knee, eyes trained on the floor, “I don’t want to fight with him. I don’t want to make it worse.” Your voice was soft, weaker as tears welled up in your eyes, threatening to spill down your cheeks at any given moment, “I honestly don’t know what to do—what to say… I’m not leaving him. I’m not trying to punish him… I just,” You exhaled a shaky breath, shoulders sagging in defeat, “I’m just lost, okay?”

“You need to talk to him.” Damian spoke up, voice gentle and calm.

You’d never been more relieved to have him here. As much as you loved Blake, the both of you were like fire and ice at times. By now, Damian was an expert at diffusing the rising tension between you—he knew just what to say or do to cool Blake down or warm you up.

And as soon as he spoke up, it was like the heaviness that had settled over the room, disappeared before your very eyes.

“You have to give him the chance to explain.” Damian explained, glancing between the two of you, “If not for him, then for yourself, miele. It might make you feel so much better,” He gestured to his chest, a thoughtful look on his face, “Less angry.”

You sunk back into the cushion, head lolling back against the top of the couch as you stared blankly at the ceiling, “I know.”

“Sebastian loves you.” He urged softly, and you couldn’t help but swoon over the way he said his name, his accent thick. “He is very sorry and upset over what happened. I’ve heard all about it myself. I truly think you owe it to him and yourself to talk it out.”

“Just call him, please.” Blake exhaled a heavy sigh, “Put him out of his misery. Whether it’s a text, a call, an email, a zoom. I don’t care.” He shook his head, a frown tugging at the corner of his lips, “Just talk to him, Y/N.”

“I will.” You nodded, rolling your bottom lip between your teeth.

“But not tonight.” A big grin split across Damian’s face, “I’ve heard you make the best white chili and I have yet to try it.” He rose from the couch, wiggling his dark brows at you, “What do you think? Are you up for some cooking lessons tonight?”

—————

December 9, 2020

You paced around your bedroom, eyeing your phone where it lay on the neatly made bed. Sebastian was going to call you any minute. He’d tried to call a few times last night and left a couple of voice mails. You hadn’t deliberately ignored those, you’d just been distracted with making dinner with Blake and Damian, and had left your phone forgotten on the coffee table for the rest of the evening and well into the night.

This morning you woke to a handful of upset texts—wondering why you were home so early, a million questions and disbelief over the new puppy.

He had a right to be upset, if you were being honest with yourself.

For three years, he was front and center for everything that occurred in your life and now, with a flip of a switch, he had no clue what was happening in your life.

And you hadn’t a clue what was happening in his either.

You were quick to realize the error of your ways when you thought of it that way and you’d spent all fucking night turning Blake and Damian’s word over in your head.

Perhaps you had overreacted… No, you definitely had.

You hadn’t been fair to him.

You hadn’t put yourself in his shoes.

You couldn’t even begin to imagine the angst he must be feeling—the pain you’ve forced him through the last three weeks. At this point you could only hope he would forgive you because if he ever did what you did to him, there wasn’t a doubt you would’ve seriously considered walking away.

You dropped your head into your hands with a drawn out groan, rubbing roughly over your bloodshot eyes.

I have to do a pap walk at 9, I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.

That’s the text you’d received in response to the one you’d sent as soon as you’d awoken this morning, letting him know you were ready to talk and it was okay to call you.

That was over an hour ago and you’d been a nervous wreck ever since.

No matter how hard you tried, the tears just wouldn’t seem to stop leaking from your eyes and you couldn’t remember the last time your chest felt this tight. It was as if the weight of the world was resting over your shoulders but you knew you had no one to blame but yourself. This conversation could’ve gone a lot better had it taken place three weeks ago. You’d put it off for far too long and now it was you that had to plead your case and make things right.

Sebastian fucked up but you took it further.

He lit the match and you added a fuck ton of gas to the fire.

Your ringtone sounded, echoing loudly throughout your silent room. You stole a quick glance at Bentley lounging lazily across his big, fluffy bed in the corner of the room before walking slowly to the edge of the bed. Your hands shook as you picked up the phone, Sebastian’s smiling face lighting up the entire screen.

“Hello?”

“Hi.” He breathed out, voice low and so clearly filled with relief.

“How-” You cleared your throat, sinking down on the edge of the mattress, “How are you?”

His deep sigh radiated through your soul, “I don’t want to do the small talk thing right now, Y/N… I can’t stand it and I fucking miss you.”

You bit back a choked sob, voice shaky, “I miss you too.”

“I don’t want to fight anymore. Not even again.”

“Me neither.” You croaked out, wiping furiously at the tears spilling down your cheeks, “I’m sorry.”

“No. I’m so sorry, Y/N.” He sniffled, voice cracking, “I deserved the silent treatment—probably more than that. I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been for you to see. And it was… so fucking stupid of me not to let you know that she was staying here. You’ve gotten on my ass about communicating and I just had to go and fuck things up again. You’ve been nothing but patient with me—given me chance after chance.” There was an obvious tremble in his voice and your heart nearly split into two when a muffled sob sounded on the other line. “I have no right to your forgiveness, or to even ask for another chance… But I love you so much and I don’t think I can handle losing you completely… So please,” He cried softly, “Please don’t leave me. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Hey.” You said softly, “Hey, I’m not going anywhere, okay?” You wiped at your nose, sniffling a little, “I love you so much and I forgive you. I overreacted, I shouldn’t have ignored you for so long—we should’ve talked it out a long time ago but I’m stubborn and I was upset. I thought time and space would help but it only made me feel worse.” You inhaled a shaky breath, “So I am sorry too. I think we have a lot to talk about—something I’d rather wait to do in person so we can actually see each other and hold one another. It would make things easier that way but I want us to be okay. I want to make this work.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, baby.” He declared, tone final but still gentle, “Nothing. I need to know that I will make it back to you for christmas and we can talk things out—really hash things out between us before I leave to film Fresh. I don’t know when but I’ll make it work, no matter what. If it was up to me, I would’ve been on the first flight to you three weeks ago but I’m stuck and I was trying really hard to give you the space you needed.”

“It’s okay.”

“I tried getting out of the contract—I’m still trying but as of right now, I have to convince you know who to agree to terminate the contract and she isn’t budging.” He exhaled a heavy sigh, “I should’ve never agreed to this. If I would’ve known what it would do to us—to you, I would’ve never signed the fucking thing.” He sniffled again, “It won’t happen again, I swear to God. You will know every little thing before it happens—I will tell you every tiny detail about even the most minor interactions. I will not put you through this again. I promise.”

A small laugh bubbled up from your throat, finally feeling relieved of the tension that had been weighing heavily on your chest. “You don’t have to do that but I appreciate it nonetheless… And it’s not that I don’t trust you—I don’t think that you would cheat on me, least of all with her.” You paused, gnawing on your bottom lip, “It’s just about being up front and direct. I don’t need to know everything—honestly I don’t want to. But when it comes to things like housing arrangements, introductions to friends, pap walks, and who you are bringing in on this shitshow, that would be greatly appreciated. At least so I’m not out of the loop and caught by surprise by something I find out through the internet.”

“I can do that—I will do that,” He asserted softly, “I just need to know we will be okay at least until I can get back and then you can really give me a piece of your mind.”

“We will talk and we will be okay.”

“God, I hope so.” He chuckled lightly, “Cause I missed your voice. I miss your gorgeous fucking face and I never ever want to go that long without hearing from you again. I can’t even begin to explain how lost I’ve been… And to not know what’s going on in your life—It’s been driving me up the fucking wall.” He paused, “For fuck’s sake you got a puppy and I wasn’t there. I would’ve killed to see your reaction… to enjoy something that big with you.”

“He’s the sweetest, Seb.” You bit your lip to suppress a big smile, eyes trailing over to the pup licking at his paw in the corner, “You wanna be his dog dad?”

“Is that even a question?” Sebastian scoffed, “Fuck ya, I do.”

You couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up from your throat over his excitement, “Blake said he’s gonna get real big and he’s already trained. Damian insisted they put him in classes before giving him to me.”

“Really?” He asked softly, “That’s so considerate of them. You're a busy woman after all. No time to train a puppy.”

“I know right.”

“I can’t wait to meet him, baby.”

“He can’t wait to meet you too.” You whispered, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips, “Soon and then everything will be okay.”

“I love you.” He said softly, “So fucking much. You know that, right?”

You nodded, bottom lips trapped between your teeth, “I know, Seb. I love you too. A lot.”

“We’re gonna be okay.”

As much as you hated to admit it, Damian and Blake were right, talking it somewhat through already made you feel so much better.

And Although you weren’t completely over this bump in the road, you were heading in the right direction.

Now you knew where you both stood, you were prepared to do anything to make it work.

—————

Tag list

@justlovelifeblog @inlovewith3 @buckybarnesandmarvel @sleutherclaw @snugglingbucky @perlaluna @littlewhiterose

@idontwannagomrstarkk @abihaaa14 @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer @sebsgirl71479

[dccomicsimagines]

All I Want for Christmas is You - Wally West x Reader

Requested by Anon -  Can I request a Christmas fic about f!reader serenading Wally West with Mariah Carey’s “all I want for Christmas is you” at team night karaoke? And fluff ensues because he likes her back? Pretty please and thank you.

***

“We have to use this,” M’gann said, clapping her hands as she ripped open the wrapping paper to reveal a karaoke machine. Everyone on the team beside M’gann and Conner glared at Dick. He shrugged, smiling innocently. 

“Remind me to kill him for getting her that,” you whispered to Artemis. She snorted in response. “Next time, we don’t do Secret Santa.”

“Hey, I liked what you got me.” Artemis gestured to the books in her lap. You got her a collection of Margaret Atwood’s books. It was a lot of fun finding them all, but now you felt sick to your stomach.

It was the team’s holiday party. M’gann planned the whole thing right down to the cheery decorations and Secret Santa. You didn’t know who gifted you the blue shirt in your package. However, you guessed it was Conner by how he blushed when you opened it. You leaned against the couch from your seat on the floor, watching as Dick helped M’gann open it and get it set up. 

Wally suddenly appeared in front of you with a plate of cookies. “Want one?” He took one and shoved it into his mouth. 

You blushed and shook your head “I’m fine, thanks.” Wally’s face fell slightly, but he disappeared before you could make sure you actually saw it. You shrugged. Artemis got up to help with the machine. You glanced at your watch, wondering if it was late enough to say you needed to be home. Not that you had a curfew. Your parents knew you were here and weren’t worried since it wasn’t a school night.

“Are you okay?” Zatanna asked as she slid off the couch to sit on the floor next to you. “You’re flushed.” 

“Fine.” You gave her a half-smile. “I just didn’t want to do karaoke.” Karaoke memories flashed before your eyes. “It’s not something I like to do.”

“Why?” She whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. Everyone was focused on M’gann except for Wally. He sat on the armchair, munching on cookies like he was pouting about something. 

You frowned slightly at Wally. “I once sang karaoke to my crush in the fourth grade. It didn’t go well.” You bit your lip, looking away from Wally before he met your eye. “I wouldn’t want to relive those memories.”

Zatanna caught your look to Wally. “He’s not like that jerk back in the fourth grade. Wally’s a nice guy.” She nudged your side. “Maybe try it again or at least have fun with it? Make new memories. Isn’t that what you always tell me?”

“Throwing my words back at me. So mean.” You got to your feet and joined the others by the karaoke machine.

***

“Stop pouting.” Dick poked Wally’s nose. He jerked his head up from his now empty plate of cookies. 

“I’m not pouting.” Wally blushed, glancing your way only to find you gone. He panicked only to relax when he saw you with everyone else. You were different than the other girls. He couldn’t flirt with you. His body just wouldn’t allow it. The last time he tried, he fainted.

Dick snorted. “Dude, stay whelmed. She just moved.” 

“Shut up.” He swatted at Dick’s hand when Dick poked his cheek. “Don’t you have to help M’gann with the karaoke machine?”

“Nah, apparently Conner is an expert.” He smirked, nodding over at Conner who was telling everyone how to set it up. “They must have programmed him with how to set up karaoke machines too.” He perched himself on the arm of Wally’s chair. “You got it so bad.”

Wally glared at Dick. “Knock it off.” 

“Never.” Dick leaned down to whisper in Wally’s ear. “You know M’gann put mistletoe up in the kitchen for her and Conner. She won’t mind if you use it with (Y/N).”

Wally sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She won’t like me back.” He bit his lip as he watched you laugh at something Kaldur asked you. “She’s too good for me.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try.” Dick chuckled as Wally pushed him off the chair. 

“Dude.” Wally got to his feet and quickly went to the kitchen to put the dirty plate in the sink. His face burned. He splashed some water on his face, knowing he would never have the nerve to bring you into the kitchen for mistletoe. Memories of his grade school crush flashed before his eyes. He had tried something similar only to be called gross and pushed away. A lump formed in his throat. He took a deep breath to calm down.

***

“Last Christmas, I gave you my heart...” Zatanna, M’gann, and Artemis sang loudly into the mic of the karaoke machine. They had set it up right in front of the tv, so the rest of you could sit on the couch as an audience. You sat next to Kaldur. Wally and Dick sat on the other side of the couch. Dick seemed to be teasing Wally about something, because Wally’s face was as red as his hair. Conner stood in the back, watching nervously. 

Kaldur nudged your side. “Are you going next?” 

“Maybe.” You smiled when the girls started dancing as they sang. “Unless you want to go first? I’m sure the girls will sing with you.” 

“I am unsure of this surface world custom.” Kaldur swallowed hard. 

You laughed. “It’s simple. You picked a song, the words pop up on the screen, and you try to sing.” It took a lot to hold back a wince when Zatanna went off-key. “If you aren’t great at it, that’s okay. It’s supposed to be about having fun.” 

Kaldur hummed. The girls ended their song. Artemis went over and took Kaldur’s hand. “Your turn, Kaldur. I need a partner.” Kaldur’s eyes widened as Artemis pulled him off the couch and to the machine.

Zatanna took his place, drinking some water. “Wow, that was a blast.” She grinned at you. “When are you going up?”

“Soon, I suppose.” You swallowed hard. “I’m trying to think of what to sing.” You glanced over at Wally. He was looking at you. When you met his eye, he choked on the cookie in his mouth and started coughing very hard. 

“Remember to chew, motor-mouth,” Conner said, slapping him hard on the back. Wally spit out his cookie, blushing. He looked so cute when he blushed. An idea smacked you in the face. Maybe you could try what you did in fourth grade? Wally was a nice guy just like Zatanna said. If anything, you would just make him blush again. You smiled to yourself as Artemis and Kaldur began to sing “Here Comes Santa Claus.”

***

Wally hid his face in a pillow, silently screaming. Dick and Zatanna were singing “White Christmas” while Conner and M’gann danced around the room. Artemis and Kaldur were doing the same. You were on the couch, curled into the side. 

He wanted to ask you to dance, but he couldn’t move from his seat. Terror flooded his veins. What if you said no? Would his heart explode into a thousand pieces in that moment alone?

Dick and Zatanna finished. You clapped for them and got to your feet. Wally watched you with wide eyes as you moved to the karaoke machine. Zatanna patted your back, whispering to you as Dick ran to hop on the couch. 

“My singing wasn’t that bad, was it?” Dick teased, poking Wally’s side. 

“Dude, no.” Wally swallowed hard, watching you nervously. His eyes lingered on the mic in your hand. “Is (Y/N) going to sing?” 

“I think so.” Dick laughed, hopping over the top of the couch. Everyone else took their seats, cheering you on. 

Zatanna left you. You took a deep breath. “Don’t be too harsh on me now. I’ve haven’t sang in front of people since the fourth grade,” you said into the mic.

“You’re going to do great, (Y/N)!” M’gann clapped her hands. Wally felt his heart melt at the fact he was going to be able to hear you sing. He shook his head slightly before he made lovesick eyes at you again. Last time you caught him doing that, you asked if he was ill.

You took a deep breath as the music started. Dancing to the music, you sang the first line of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Everyone’s jaw dropped. Your voice rivaled Mariah Carey. Wally would have fallen to his knees if he wasn’t already sitting.

“All I want for Christmas is you,” you sang, smiling as you pointed at him. Wally leaned back in his chair. His face burst into flames. The rest of the team followed her finger to Wally. Ooos and laughter filled the room.

You were blushing too, but look away from him with a big smile on your face as the song picked up. “Breathe, won’t ya?” Artemis reached over to pinch Wally’s arm. Wally jumped out of his seat to his feet.

“I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know.” You looked back at Wally when you saw him stand. Holding out your hand, you sent Wally a wink. “Make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you.”

Zatanna pushed Wally up to your side. His heart skipped a beat when his hand suddenly met yours as you caught him before he stumbled. 

***

Your body buzzed in excitement. His hand warm and strong in yours. You felt him vibrating.  You missed an entire verse until you shook yourself back into reality. “'Cause I just want you here tonight, Holding on to me so tight.” Your voice shook slightly. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Dick slip out of the room. 

Wally cleared his throat, glancing at the screen. “What more can I do? Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is you,” Wally sang. His voice slightly off key, but you thought it was the most wonderful sound you ever heard. 

“Oh, baby!” You sang loudly, breaking into giggles afterwards at Wally’s eyes widening in surprise. However, the smile on his face kept your embarrassment away. Wally laughed with you, letting go of your hand to hug you as your knees felt weak. Eventually, you both dropped to the ground, propped up against each other, laughter made your stomach hurt. 

“Mistletoe, you two,” Artemis called. You and Wally stopped laughing cold turkey to stare at each other. Wally glanced up first, you followed his gaze after a moment.

Dick was hanging from the ceiling above you, holding mistletoe with a shit-eating grin on his face. You looked back at Wally with a grin. “What the hell?” You leaned close to him as Wally looked back at you. His lips trembled as the voiceless “All I Want for Christmas is You” soundtrack played in the background. It felt like time stopped.

“Yeah, we have to. It’s mistletoe.” He chuckled and sealed his lips to yours. Fireworks lit off in your brain at the pressure. His lips were slightly chapped, but you loved it. You were glad you had put on some of your strawberry chapstick  before you got up to sing. 

The rest of the team cheered and awed. “Finally!” Dick shouted. “I was losing the aster!” You pulled away from Wally breathless. 

“Remind me to thank him before I kill him later,” Wally whispered, smiling as his lips stayed an inch from yours.

“Of course.” You closed the distance between the two of you again, savoring the kiss one more time. It amazed you that you actually got what you wanted for Christmas and you suspected Wally did too.

[the-and-sign-anon]

Christmas/Winter Writing Prompts 2022

One Word Prompts

Snow

Lights

Scarf

Snowman

Snowball

Tree

Decorations

Sweater

Bells

Star

Carols

Gloves

Boots

Blanket

Fireplace

Cocoa 

Glitter

Dinner

Situations/AUs

I’m recruiting you to help me terrorize your friend because they pelted me with snowballs at the park the other day

We’re in a meeting that I should be paying attention to, but I’m making paper snowflakes instead and you glare at me every time you hear my scissors

I’m trying to buy a last minute gift for a friend, but they’re impossible to shop for, so your little shop is my last hope

I’m shopping for Christmas decorations with my friend, but neither of us can reach the top shelf, so they asked you for help and now I’m nervous because you’re really cute

I was in the middle of a nice dream, but your screaming over the first snow woke me up and now I’m grumpy

I read our kid a book about the things snowmen do at night and now we’re taking a walk at two in the morning to show them the actual snowmen don’t do anything

I brought you hot chocolate without asking and you seem really flustered by it because you didn’t think I’d remember that you like hot chocolate a lot

I moved in next door a few months ago and had no idea how enthusiastic you are about Christmas, but I mentioned I hadn’t decorated, so now you’re knocking on my door with a box full of decorations and are begging me to let you decorate

My family is picking out a tree, but I’m cold so I’m just waiting by the warm doors and you came to stand next to me because you have no desire to hear your siblings argue over the right tree to buy

I work at the local library and I’m trying to put up all the decorations myself, but I fell off the ladder trying to hang up the garland and you caught me

You hate heights, but your friend convinced you to go skiing for the first time and now the ski lift is broken and you’re kind of freaking out, so it’s my job to comfort you

You’re painfully bad at wrapping presents, so I’m going to teach you or just end up wrapping them all myself because you really are terrible at this

This is an ugly sweater party and I was so ready to make fun of you, but you even make that reindeer sweater that plays a carol I hate look cute, so what am I supposed to do now

I shoveled your driveway for you since I was out anyway, then you brought me cookies to thank me and now we’re in some sort of passive aggressive contest of niceness

We’re snowed in at a little airport and we both just want to be alone, so we decide to sit together to keep everyone else away because there are some very determined carolers wandering around and employees who keep trying to check on us

We go to the same college and are trying to get home for the holiday break, but our flights got canceled so we’re road tripping it together; when we finally get there, we realize that the friend you’re visiting is actually my sibling who was plotting to set us up, but their work is already done now

I was signed up to bring brownies to the Christmas party for my office, but I’ve never been a good baker, so you came over and are trying to teach me how

I’ve been making you the same drink at least three times a week for nearly a year despite my efforts to recommend something new, but you ordered something completely different today and now I’m worried about you

My best friend put up mistletoe in every doorway in our apartment, and now they keep ducking back so I get stuck there with you

You’ve been watching cheesy Christmas movies for weeks now, but I had no idea, so I was pleasantly surprised when you caught me watching one and immediately sat down to join me

Dialogue Prompts

“Don’t forget your gloves!”

“Merry Christmas!” “It’s November.” “I said. Merry. Christmas.”

“I can never have enough Christmas decorations.”

“You’re wearing this sweater and you’ll like it.”

“I need more lights.”

“All I want for Christmas is you.” “Don’t quote Mariah Carey at me.”

“I feel like I’m in a Hallmark. Where’s my generic white guy love interest?”

“I don’t really care about Christmas, but you do, so just come to this Christmas party with me please.”

“Do you need some help with those lights?” “No, I don’t. Stop asking me that.”

“If you don’t stop singing, I will walk straight out into the blizzard.”

“You say mistletoe, I say mistlefoe. If you can beat me in hand to hand combat, then we can kiss.”

“You know, I don’t trust you when you say to come outside with your hands behind you like that. If you’re about to throw snow at me, I’m about to lock you outside for the night.”

“Please open the door. It’s cold out here.”

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly-” “I’ll deck your face with my fist if you don’t get out of my apartment.”

“Pass me the aux cord.” “Not if you’re about to play more carols. I can’t hear any more renditions of Sleigh Ride this week.”

“Why is ___ sitting in the corner?” “They got paint all over me when we were making decorations, so they’re in time out.”

“If you hit me with that wrapping paper tube, I’ll be forced to retaliate.”

“There’s no way that tree is fitting in here.” “Oh, I’ll make it fit.”

“I think you have a problem.” “I wouldn’t call making stuffed gnomes for nineteen hours straight a problem.”

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

spare north to the future christmas/holiday headcanons? or i guess if you wrote them they would be canon? anyway here are mine, in the order of character appearance ❤️ hope you like them

when it's just her and appletini, jen makes paper snowflakes at the vet's and puts them up everywhere. she'll give a bottle of non alcoholic mulled wine to appletini, who'd have nothing to give back to jen (she is brainrotting thinking about aegon, obviously). embarrassing.

appletini tries, maybe succeeds in dragging aegon to her folks' house for christmas dinner. if he does decide to come, she'll definitely do that thing where she pats him down before entering the house with him and of course, brushing that lock of hair behind his ear. can't have that escapee getting out in front of her parents, so inappropriate!

aegon probably spends his last bucks buying something small but personal for sunfyre and appletini, then in the evening goes to ursa minor to beg for dale to put another ten rum and cokes on the tab "in the spirit of the holiday". sings christmas carols at the bar and sounds heavenly even when he's drunk. he also loves to make snow angels. fight me.

sunfyre is just happy to run around the snow and tries to eat it, hopefully no bears steal his full course meal! also if there is wrapping paper, he will tear it to pieces. keep him away from the christmas tree. (of course, everyone will forgive him once he curls up at their feet)

heather does the MOST with her christmas outfit and makeup, full mariah carey, holly jolly queen. she would love to hang out the whole night with the girl troupe at the bar but kind of understands that not everyone wants to get wasted on christmas. but she still makes the biggest effort to get everyone together bc she loves her girlies.

appletini's parents spend the whole day preparing christmas dinner together, placing mistletoes at convenient places for aegon and appletini to stumble under, making calls to neighbors to wish them a merry christmas. appletini's mom and dad also reminisce about how they fell in love and gossip about the two lovebirds.

joyce is eagerly awaiting new books for christmas, so eagerly in fact that she just buys one herself. she may not necessarily even read it right away, she just needed one to feel alive. goes with the current, doesn't care about any specific plans as long as she has her book. secretly likes the magical feeling of christmas and excepts something special to happen, though it may never!

kimberly got presents for everyone. she gives me rich girl vibes. definitely gave appletini some slutty clothing to slut that girl up slutty, saying the present was "really for aegon". probably got joyce something gothy like a skull shaped candle and some necklace/bracelet for heather with text that says "slut xoxo"

trent wears a christmas hat for the entire day and looks like an actual big elf. he gives appletini bacardi breezers for christmas without realizing that she would not indeed down them all that second and that they'd rot in the fridge until the end of january. he also buys a few drinks for aegon bc well, they are bros. the two also play patty cake while sitting on barstools and dont ask me how that ends up

the ice fisher is ice fishing, because, well, um, it's christmas. no murder allowed!

THIS IS SO CUTE!!!!!!!! and are you sure you don't live in Juneau, Alaska in 1999 because I swear it's like you know these characters and party with them at Ursa Minor 3-4 nights per week 😂😂

The thought of Appletini forgetting everything except Aegon, like 😭 "Christmas what? Jesus who? The birth of our savior when? Sorry I was preoccupied planning my wedding to a man I just met who might be a murderer. the color scheme will be green. we will live in my parents' basement."

The Ice Fisher does not necessarily respect major holidays...

You will get to see Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentine's Day in the NTTF universe! Although they might not happen the way you would hope... 👀

Chapter 4 is over halfway done and will hopefully be ready in the next few days! 💜

[watchmegetobsessed]

The best present - Harry Styles

Sequel to UPDATE

on demand, this is a fluffy little sequel to update, hope you’ll like it! tagging the people who asked for said sequel: @urdadbtch​ @f-vasquezp​ 

word count: 3k

masterlist

Harry has a soft spot for surprises. Especially if he is the one planning them for a loved one. The overflowing joy he sees in one’s eyes upon receiving a carefully planned surprise just gives him a different type of satisfaction in life, one he couldn’t live without.

His life has taken a pleasant turn ever since Y/N entered it, virtually and in a real dimension. It hasn’t been the easiest with his hectic schedule and her anchored life in Spokane, but with some time paid to adjusting to the situation they managed to make it work. He wouldn’t have settled for anything else, because he just simply couldn’t imagine his life without her anymore and luckily she felt the same way.

Harry fell in love with her quicker than what it took for the weather to turn cold in the fall. It felt like the most natural thing that has ever happened to him, to fall for her whole being, everything that’s her on the inside and outside. Harry often caught himself thinking what he did in life to earn such a beautiful person in his life. He hasn’t figured that one out yet.

Y/N was like a warm summer breeze on a hot august evening, easily charmed anyone and everyone Harry introduced her to. She slowly but surely met some of the most important people in Harry’s life and he just couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that it felt like she’s been part of his life since forever even on the first meetings.

“She is wonderful, I love her,” his mother told him when they finally had the chance to meet upon a weekend they spent in New York. It was a lucky time when both his mother and Y/N were free and he took the chance to cook up a mini vacation in the city right away. Anne was thrilled to meet the woman that had her son wrapped around her fingers even before meeting.

Harry felt like he was on the top of the world when he saw the two women get along like they’ve been friends for years, it filled his heart even more.

The situation was quite the same with Gemma, in just a blink of an eye they were making plans on their own not including Harry, which hit him a little hard in the chest, but he was happy knowing they found the common ground.

“You amaze me so much,” he once told Y/N when they were spending the night at her place, one of those weekends when Harry flew all the way to Spokane just to spend less than 48 hours with her. Even with the long flights and hustle that came with the traveling he wouldn’t have done it any other way. If he could see her smile for just ten minutes he would have travelled days.

“I do?” she asked smirking up at him, putting her book aside as she rested her chin on his tattooed chest.

“Mhm,” he hummed with a quirky smile. “In so many ways.”

“Write a song about them so I can listen to it,” she told him as a joke. Little did she know that not even a week later that’s exactly what Harry did. It was another addition to the endless list of songs she inspired.

December creeped its way around the corner faster than they were expecting and in a blink of an eye every store was filled with Christmas ornaments and wrapping papers, the most iconic Christmas songs were played everywhere, making those who work at retail want to throw Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey right out the window for every having the thought of recording Christmas music.

Harry and Y/N had plans for the holidays. They agreed on spending three days from 22nd to 24th with his family and then fly to Portland to be with her family from the 25th to 27th before they head to New York City to spend the last few days left from the year together and celebrate the new year at a party Harry was invited to.

These plans were set in stone right until Harry decided to surprise his lover with the best gift he could think about. It was a tough call and took him weeks to arrange but Harry was able to get Y/N’s brother to leave for the holidays earlier, on the 21st instead of just the 26th.

“Why are we changing it again?” Y/N asks curiously as she sits on Harry’s lap when they are changing their plane tickets so they could start the holidays at her family instead of his.

“Mom is not going to be home until the 24th,” he lies and then adds: “Gemma is also gonna only arrive on the 23rd. Figured it would work better. We would be at your parents’ from the 21st to the 23rd, go to the UK from 24th to 26th and there is an early flight so we would be in Portland by the time your brother arrives.”

He had spent a long time figuring out how to manage the dates so she wouldn’t be suspicious. Seemingly, it worked, because Y/N nods as she stands up and walks over to the kitchen.

“Alright. But isn’t that too much of a hustle to go back and forth two times?”

“Not that horrible,” Harry smiles in her way, his fingers moving fast on the keyboard to make the right changes for their trips before she returns and sees that the dates are not exactly the same as he told her. Luckily, she hops onto the kitchen counter as he finishes up and closes his laptop feeling ecstatic about the surprise he has planned for her.

“It’s gonna be busy,” she points out as Harry walks over to her, placing his hands on each side of her on the counter.

“But we will be busy together,” he grins leaning closer to steal a kiss.

As the days pass by Harry is growing more and more excited about the surprise. He almost slipped a few times upon talking about the holidays, but managed to save the situation just in time. Y/N had no idea what he had in store for her.

“That’s all your stuff for our trip?” Y/N asks when Harry arrives to her place with his decent, normal sized suitcase that has his essentials for the next about seven days while they will be on the road. He glances down at his bag before walking inside and setting it down in the hallway.

“Love, I’ve learned how to pack in a smart way,” he tells her teasingly before pecking her on the lips while he takes his coat off and hangs it in the hallway.

“Yeah, but it’s an entire week. I’m going with twice this much.”

“’Cuz you are packing for New York as well. We’ll be staying in my place, remember? I don’t need stuff for that time,” he reminds her and he is right, but she is still amazed at how he managed to fit everything he needs into just one suitcase.

That night Harry lies awake with her sleeping form next to him. Looking around the room he thinks about how this is the same place he fell in love with her, but it was through just a screen. All the plants, the furniture, the bed he saw behind her in the videos are now his reality as well and in just a few short months they have grown so close to each other, he couldn’t imagine his life in a different way.

“What’s the matter?” he hears her groggy voice coming from next to him and looking to the side he sees that she is blinking at him in the dark.

“Nothing,” he shakes his head, turning to his side to face her, noses almost touching on the pillow.

“Then why aren’t you sleeping?” she asks, sneaking a hand to his back under the covers and she starts to gently stroke his skin with his fingertips, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Just… excited about the holidays,” he whispers with a shrug. He can’t tell her that he is excited to meet your family, especially your brother since he is kind of the reason you ever got the chance to meet. He feels like he is too worked up about meeting her parents and cousins, but he can’t wait to feel like he is part of her family. What he doesn’t know is that she already sees him as part of it, has been since she realized how deeply in love she is with him.

“Mmm, excited about your gifts?” she teases him with closed eyes, but her fingers are still moving on his back. Harry lets out a soft chuckle.

“Especially about those.”

He brings his arm around her frame and pulls her to his chest as they make themselves comfortable under the covers, legs tangled, her face resting on his chest as he gently strokes her arms, soothing her back into sleep.

“I love you,” he whispers thinking she has already fallen back asleep. It wasn’t the first time he has said the words to her, but tonight just feels a little different.

“Love you too,” she mumbles back pressing a kiss to his naked chest before she sighs and lets herself fall back into sleep.

 Her family knew about the change in Sammy’s arrival, but Harry made them promise they won’t say a word to Y/N, keeping it as a surprise.

Her mother welcomes the two of them with warm excitement, the house already smelling amazing from all the different cookies she’s been baking, the dinner is also in the making on the stove.

“Finally here!” she hugs both of them, even though she hasn’t officially met Harry, only talked to him on the phone about Sammy’s early arrival. “Come on in!”

The two of them get rid of their winter attire before Harry turns to her mother holding out a hand to make their first meeting official.

“So nice to meet ya, I’m Harry.”

Instead of taking his hand her mother pulls him into another tight hug that he returns with a soft chuckle.

“I’m so happy you are finally here! I’ve heard so much good about you,” she tells him with a sly, knowing smile while Y/N is not looking. “I can tell you are a blessing to the family already.”

“Thank you,” he nods smiling.

Harry meets Y/N’s dad and two of her cousins who have arrived earlier and they all gather in the living room just talking at first, then soon enough they start playing board games. They get stuck on Activity, the pairs are Y/N and Harry, her mom and dad, and her two cousins. The competition is burning up the house, Harry can tell they all take the game very seriously.

Through the game Harry keeps glancing out the window, waiting for a car to park at the driveway. He has sent a car to pick Sammy up, but since he didn’t have his phone on him just yet he couldn’t let Harry know when he would be arriving exactly.

Just after he is done drawing in one of the rounds he sees the black car pull up at the house. Harry pretends to get a call and he can see the excitement grow in her parents’ eyes as they already know what this means, while Y/N is oblivious to anything that’s about to happen. Harry quietly makes his way out of the house hoping he didn’t draw her attention, and that’s when Sammy gets out of the car thanking the driver for the ride. As he turns around Harry is stunned to see how much the two of them resemble. He sees her eyes in his, their ears curl the same way and he has the exactly same hair color as her. There was no doubt the two of them were related.

“Harry, right?” he asks holding his hand out firmly that Harry takes smiling.

“Yeah. Sammy, I supposed.”

“The one and only,” he chuckles holding his bag’s strap over his shoulder.

“I would love to chat more, but I think we should move inside first,” Harry suggests and Sammy follows him up the few stairs that leads to the front door.

“Harry! Come on, we are up next!” Y/N calls out from the living room as the two guys walk inside.

She is seated on the floor, her back to the hallway so she doesn’t see when the two men walk in, grinning from ear to ear. She only notices something is happening when she sees her mother gasp happily at the sight of her son.

“What—“ she starts but turning around her words disappear as she stares up at her brother who she hasn’t seen in what feels like ages.

Harry overflows with joy when he sees how shocked she is, in the best way possible. He watches her leap to her feet and jolt right at Sammy, throwing herself into his arms as he lifts her up, twirling her around in excitement.

“Hi there, little sis,” he chuckles still holding her close as she is fighting with her tears upon the surprise she just had.

“How… What are you doing here early?” she asks in total awe as she tries to comprehend that he is truly here, in her arms.

“Ask you boyfriend,” Sammy chuckles looking in Harry’s direction. “He arranged an early leaving for me, I don’t know how, but he did,” Sammy adds letting go of his sister.

As her parents make their way to their son Y/N moves over to Harry, still in complete disbelief that he did this.

“How?” she asks, arms snaking up around his neck while his hands get a hold of her waist.

“I have… connections,” he shrugs shyly and she just shakes her head laughing before she pulls him down for the sweetest thank you kiss.

“I can’t believe you,” she sighs pecking his lips once again.

“What I can’t believe is that he could keep it a secret this long,” Sammy speaks up.

“Wait, how long have you known this?”

“A couple weeks. Got it finalized early December,” Harry admits, feeling proud that he could make this happen.

“So this is why we had to change the tickets!” she gasps in realization. “When do we have to leave for real then?”

“We are staying until the 25th, our plane leaves in the afternoon,” he smiles warmly as he sees her eyes light up. According to the original plans they would have had only two days with Sammy at home, but this way it’s almost four entire days. “This was the most I could get, Love,” Harry adds, feeling a bit guilty that they are leaving to see his family, but Y/N shakes her head.

“This is absolutely perfect. You gave me the best present,” she smiles cupping his face in her hands as she pulls him down for another kiss.

This Christmas goes down as the best one she has ever had. The time they spend with her family holds a special place in her heart, especially because she loves seeing her family and Harry get along so well. She now knows what he felt when she met his mother and sister. Seeing him be so kind to her mom and have loads of things to talk about with her dad and brother warms her in a way only Harry can make her feel.

The feeling doesn’t change when they arrive to his home. She feels like she is part of the family just as much as he is. They spend some splendid days with his extended family, enjoying the spirit of the holidays and she is almost sad when it’s time for them to leave.

“Come back soon, Sweetheart,” Anne tells her when they are saying goodbye at the airport.

“I will, if he is okay with bringing me next time,” she chuckles glancing at Harry by her side.

“Oh I sure am, Love,” he smiles kissing the top of her head.

Those couple of days they spend together in the city holds memories they will surely never forget. They finally get to spend time together without anything interrupting them, just enjoying the little moments, falling deeper in love with each passing day.

The last day arrives in a fast pace and neither of them can believe the year is ending so soon. They spend the day in bed mostly before it’s time to get ready for the party one of Harry’s friends is hosting in Manhattan.

It’s a nice way to end such a wonderful year, they mix and mingle with the guests but keep each other close, especially when they reach the last minutes of the year left. Harry takes her hand and pulls her out to the balcony to have some privacy before the countdown.

“Crazy how we are here,” he sighs as his arms are wrapped around her figure, warming her body as much as he can in the New York City winter time.

“Who would have thought?” she chuckles placing a sweet kiss to his jawline.

“Not me,” he admits laughing. “But I’m glad it’s my reality now.”

Y/N smiles up at him with gratitude in her eyes, just when the countdown starts inside.

“Have you ever had a New Year’s Eve kiss?” Harry asks as he pulls her closer, if that’s even possible.

“Sadly, I have not.”

“Then can I have the pleasure to be your first?” he smirks down at her and she just nods biting into her bottom lip.

“Three! Two! One!” the guests call out inside as the whole city erupts at the same time, fireworks go off and cheering echoes through the building, but it all fades into nothing as Harry leans down and kisses her sweetly. They spend the first couple of moments of the new year melted together until they pull back for air. The crispy winter air has turned his nose red quickly and she is lost in how adorable but handsome he still manages to look.

“Harry Styles,” she sighs feeling defeated by her own feelings. “You are one wonderful creature, you know that?” she wonders, as if she was saying her inner thoughts out loud. Harry chuckles as he presses a kiss to her forehead.

“That makes the two of us, Love.”

I’m opening a Harry taglist, let me know if you are interested in being on it!

[moodmusicmonday]

...and we're LIVE! And we have some new friends, some old friends returning... I'd say this is a pretty amazing MMM week! HUGE thank you to everyone that participated! Have a super week, y'all! 💜

@ao719

“Don’t Forget to Breathe” - Anson Seabra; Breaking Points, Part 5: I’m Not Friends With My Reflection (TRR; Liam x MC)

“Stole the Show” - Parson James; Hopeless Hearts, Chapter 17: Our Final Bow (TRR AU; Liam x f!OC (Aria)]

@burnsoslow

“Kind & Generous” - Natalie Merchant; (Untitled), one shot (TRR; Drake x Alyssa; Liam x Riley)

@karahalloway

“The Worlds is Mine” - Samm Henshaw; (Less Than) Noble Intentions, Chapter 5 [TRR; Drake x OC (Harper Gale)]

@kat-tia801

“If I Didn’t Have You” - Banners; If I Didn’t Have You - Thanksgiving Fic (PM; Damien Nazario x f!MC)

@peonierose

Last Christmas… I gave you my heart, Part 1: It's getting... green and merry in here [OPH; Bryce Lahela x f!OC (Luna Auclair)]

“Last Christmas” - Wham!

“Santa Baby” - Eartha Kitt

“Merry Christmas Everyone” - Shakin’ Stevens

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” - Mariah Carey

“So This Is Love - From ‘Cinderella’” - Ilene Woods

“White Christmas” - Michael Buble ft/ Shania Twain

“Winter Wonderland” - Michael Buble

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas” - Michael Buble

“Underneath the Tree” - Kelly Clarkson

@queenrileyrose

“I Got You” - Jack Johnson; Human Contact/Retrograde Thanksgiving (TRR/TRH; Liam x Riley; Drake x f!OC; Maxwell x m!OC; Liam x f!OC)

“Tribulation” - Matt Maeson; Irreplaceable, Chapter 10: I Get So Lost In You (TRR/RoE; Leo x Riley; Drake x Liam)

@spookycolorpeanut

“Please Don’t Go” - Stephanie Rainey; Save Me from Me [OPH Book 2; Ethan Ramsey x f!OC (Ariane Grey)]

“Say You Love Me” - Jessie Ware; My Little Ray of Sunshine [LoA; Gabe Ricci x f!MC (Ally Larson)]

@txemrn

“Everything We Need” - A Day to Remember; (Untitled) Thanksgiving One Shot [OPH; Ethan Ramsey x f!OC (Tatum Erikson)]

🎵 Dedications 🎵

This a special new section to MMM! Did a writer introduce you to a song through a fic they wrote that ecnourages you ? Maybe you as a reader heard a song that reminded you of a story or a pairing. This is a place to share it! 💜

@queenjilian

To @burnsoslow: “The Thanksgiving Song” - Ben Rector; (TRR AU; Drake Walker x f!MC (Alyssa Devereaux)

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@alj4890 @ao719 @arosentinel @aussiegurl1234 @axwalker @bebepac @burnsoslow @charlotteg234 @chemist-ana @foreverethereal123 @issabees @jerzwriter @karahalloway @kat-tia801 @lovingchoices14 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @neotericthemis @nestledonthaveone @peonierose @queenrileyrose @quixoticdreamer16 @sfb123 @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @txemrn @walkerdrakewalker @zaffrenotes

[rason-rodd]

The Boy Who Didn’t Like Christmas - Jason Todd x Reader

Summary: You decide to surprise Jason with a Christmas tree but things don’t go as planed. Did he really just call you a friend? 

Warning : Fluff, Humor, Slight Angst  

Author’s note: A new Bat-Christmas one shot, this time with Jason (the last one will be with Dick). I tried to make Reader as general neutral as possible. Hope you’ll like it

“You’re clearly not from the Hill … or the Narrows.” You were pretty certain the rebuke would have hurt ten times more if Dana Harlowe had said everything she was keeping well hidden in her badass heart. But there was no need to say more. It was clear she didn’t hold you close to her heart.       To her, you were the pain in the ass from Uptown Gotham, the one who certainly knew nothing about striving to get out of the dirt and who had certainly always get what she wanted by simply twitching her nose. In a nutshell, everything she was happy not to be. But you had one thing in common. Or at least, one person. Jason Todd.         Dana had known him for over a decade. You had known him for a couple of months. But you as well as she had learned to deeply care about him, except that one of you had let things go way beyond friendship quite a couple of times. That one being you.     “I was just suggesting bringing Jason a Christmas tree to decorate his apartment, Dana. That’s it.” You tried to defend yourself as you buried you hands in your pocket.           “And how many times should I tell you that Jason hates Christmas?” You sighed as you both could barely keep your annoyance to yourself anymore. “No one really hates Christmas.” “So what you’re going to show up to his place with a goddamn tree, all dolled up, flutter your eyelashes and hope he won’t be mad at you?”     You shrugged. “That’s an idea”

***

And Dana hadn’t been able to stop you. So, one Sunday afternoon you showed up to Jason’s place with a bag filled with brand new Christmas decorations and a heavy tree that had made you sweat streams to carry in the old staircases and, with a tired sigh, you rang at Jason’s door. He opened it without waiting or looking through the spyhole, apparently not thinking (or caring) about the possibility of a lunatic waiting on his doorstep with a deadly weapon. “You know I could have been a very angry elf with a gun. You should use that little peephole”     “ Y/N” He looked astonished to see you here, especially with all that Christmas stuff “I…” “By the way, you should also write your co-ownership trustee and ask for an elevator. Yours stairs are a living hell.” You declared to make sure he wouldn’t have time to realise or protest against what you were planning to do. “Give me a hand, would you?” You asked as you tried to drag the tree by the crown inside the apartment, sprinkling the ancient wooden floor with pine needles.     “Explain.” Jason demanded as he helped you carry the Christmas tree to the corner of his living room and erect it. “There! Perfect.” You clapped your hands, proud that the tree was still looking good despite the mistreatment you have given it and also because it was standing in Jason’s apartment, contradicting all of Dana’s sayings that “a Christmas tree will never cross Jason Todd’s doorstep”. “Suck it, Dana!”         “Alright. You’re weird today. What’s with the tree?” Jason’s face seemed a bit twisted, as he didn’t know if he should smile or be worried. “Next week, it’s Christmas. You can’t celebrate Christmas without a Christmas tree.”       He frowned, definitely looking for the right words in his beautiful yet tortured head of his to be sure he would not kill your excitement or hurt your feelings. “Y/N. I wasn’t planning on celebrating Christmas this year.” “I know. Dana told me about you being Scrooge Jr.” You joked, not caring at all, as you opened the plastic bag full of decorations to empty it on the couch. “That’s a bit overstating things.” Jason scratched his head. He had never heard anyone compare him to Dicken’s famous character. “I mean. Not liking Christmas doesn’t make me a miserly bitter old man.”       “Were you planning on spending Christmas alone sitting on your couch with cold noodles, watching Netflix and calling Christmas humbug?” He waited before answering, trying to see how he could debunk you little argument. But there was no way. “Not Netflix. Cutthroat Kitchen.”           “Oh my god. You’re Scrooge.” You sighed, exasperated before showing a beautiful transparent Christmas ball with little snowflakes inside. “Look how cute!” Your enthusiasm made him smile discreetly but not discreetly enough to go unnoticed. “I guess there’s no way I’m gonna stop you, right?” You shook your head. “You can still try but no. I’m going to give you some Christmas spirit, choke you with it if I must and I won’t leave this place until you love it. And mark my word, I will use string lights if needed” You threatened as you showed him the lights. “You would really tie me up to the tree? You know BDSM is not my thing.”           “ No I would tie myself to the tree. Because as much as I know you can throw that tree away once I’m gone, I’m sure you won’t be able do so if I’m tied to it.”             “And why so?” He smirked, curious to know your reason. “Cause you like me too much.” Was he really an open book? He never thought so but there was something with you, something weird and unusual that could make him act in strange ways. Perhaps was he getting soft. “And also, because you wouldn’t get my very special gift if you kick me out.” Jason squinted and you played with your eyebrows as you bit your lower lip so that he would get the naughty message. That eventually made him laugh and he tried to remember when was the last time he thought sexy could be funny.         “Ah. The things I would do for you.” He kissed the top of your head softly, making your shiver and close your eyes and for a second you tried to resist the sudden urge to catch him by the neck and kiss him on the lips. Not that he would have minded, you thought. But there was a difference between occasional sex and displays of affection. “Let’s do this. Before you decide to make me sing Mariah Carey.”       “Oh …” You pretended to think about the idea with a finger over your lips. “Don’t push it.”

And so you ended up decorating the Christmas together, laughing and chatting about some random stuff until you dared ask. “Why don’t you like Christmas?” Jason froze for a moment and you saw him close his eyes to take a deep breath. “Well it’s difficult to like Christmas when you’ve got a family like mine.” He finally declared as he hung a Christmas ball on a branch.         “You mean Bruce …” You supposed though you were not sure of you should continue this conversation. “If only there was just Bruce.” You decided to be quiet when you noticed his sudden bitterness but he chose to keep talking. “I never had a proper Christmas as a kid. When mum wasn’t completely stoned on the bathroom floor, dad was in jail. And when we were finally together, well … Let’s say Christmas spirit wasn’t something the Todd family knew about.”             “I’m sorry.” You said, wondering if you should hug him or at least caress his arm as a sign of comfort. “Don’t be. Plus, it’s not like I cared that much about Christmas as a kid anyway.” You could tell it was a lie, a huge bad lie only made to mask some deep-rooted wound, a lie Jason had learned by heart as if it was a mere line and had probably served to anyone around him for as long as he could remember. It wasn’t hard to guess. You just had to see how hurt he looked deep down in his beautiful tortured eyes. “I mean, there are other days to offer gifts.”       “Sure.” You had a light smile and you focused again on the decoration of your tree. “But I appreciate what you’re doing, Y/N”       “By what I’m doing, you mean … making you celebrate the event you hate the most without complaining?” You tried to joke. “That.” He chuckled. “And being a good friend.” A friend? Was friend really the right word? Well, maybe … in a way … or not. After all, what friends occasionally end up fucking when the sexual tension becomes too hard to handle?     “I know you’re doing this because of your permanent worry about me. But you don’t need to worry. I’m fine.”           “I’m sure you are.” You sighed and Jason caught your hands in his. “Hey. I’m a tough guy. I’ve got thunder thighs and sharp abs. You said it yourself”. You chuckled briefly, remembering the time when you told him this. Pretty sure you were naked and drunk by the way.           “I know you’re tough Jason. Actually, you’re certainly the toughest person I know. But I’m not stupid. And I know there are things that you’re hiding from me.” He suddenly frowned and you felt his grip around your hands loosening, as if he was ready to run away from you. “And I’m not asking you to tell me what it is. I understand that you have your secrets. I do to. I just … I just want you to be honest with me, to tell me when you feel low, when you need me.” You added as you grabbed his arms to keep him close. “We’re … friends after all, aren’t we?” You hated that argument but you decided to use anyway, just to see his reaction.     “Yeah. Yeah, sure.” Jason whispered after a second of heavy silence. “We’re friends.” Not the reaction you wanted.   “Good.” You let go of him and went back to hanging Christmas balls but you both could feel the weird tension, the awkwardness and you couldn’t help but blame yourself for ruining that moment which had begun so well. You should have listened to Dana. “Maybe I should go.” You declared as you resigned yourself to get the hell out of here before making things worse between you two.     “No!” Jason almost shouted. “No. We … Let’s finish the tree first okay? Please” You sighed. “Plus you mentioned a gift, right?” Normally that comment would have made you smirk but not today, not now. “That’s not a gift you give friends, Jason”

***

“You played the friends card? Not cool.” Jason suddenly remembered the little mental note he had left for himself the last time he had talked to Dick about his love life. ‘Never again.’ But Roy was gone and so were Artemis and Bizarro or any other friends he could have confessed to. “But we are friends.” He tried to justify himself. “I think.”     Dick shook his head, slightly exasperated yet amused by his little brother. “You saying ‘I think’ makes me believe you don’t see Y/N as a friend.”             “Why does it have to be so complicated?” Jason sighed as he tried to remember when was the last time he had seen you as merely a friend.       “Because it’s love and nothing is ever simple when it comes to love. No need to be a relationship expert to know this.” Jason glanced at Dick who was smiling at him. “I hope you don’t consider yourself an expert considering the failure that is your love life and your on and off relationship with Babs.” Dick shrugged. Yes, apparently he was. Cocky boy wonder. “I’m expert enough to know you don’t call someone you have sex with a friend.” “Oh come on! Ever heard of friends with benefits?” Jason harrumphed, slightly annoyed by his predecessor’s judgemental attitude right now.   “Jason please. You guys are not friends with benefits and you know why? Cause your relationship is not platonic at all. You like Y/N and Y/N likes you. But you are too unconfident or too scared to admit it so you end up having sex when you don’t know how to handle your feelings anymore. Now can we take care of that bunch of lousy criminals before they escape with the money?”             As much as it hurt Jason to admit it, Dick was right. He liked you. He liked you a lot. Maybe he was in love with you even, he didn’t know. But what he really knew right now was that he had screwed up, bad, and that he wanted to fix things between you two.

***

You turned your key in the keyhole, exhausted by your long day at work and blaming the snow that had literally frozen your toes and fingers on your way back home. “Maybe I should ask for a ugly pair of Uggs for Christ…mas”           You couldn’t move, your limbs as frozen as your fingers and toes or maybe worse. Eyes widened you looked around you and at the thousands colourful lights illuminating your entire apartment and the Christmas decorations scattered all over the furniture. “What the hell happened here?”             “Do you like it?” You yelled and jumped and, out of pure reflex and fear, punched hard the person standing right behind you before you could realise it was actually Jason. “Oh my god, Jay.” He groaned and put a hand over his nose to calm the pain. “Damn. I think you broke it.”   “Let me see.” You tried to remove his hand from his face to see how badly injured he was. “No! Don’t touch it. Don’t touch it.” He cried out as a sign of protest but eventually let you take him inside right to your couch where you left him an instant to go fetch some ice in the freezer. “What are you doing here that late?” You asked as you came back to sit by his side. “I wanted to surprise you. I guess it worked.” He hissed as you finally put the small bag of ice against his nose.             “You did this?” You asked as you looked again around you. There were probably at least dozens of flickering string lights hanging from the ceiling above your head as well as fake snow all over the floor of the living room and miniature Christmas trees and other lovely decorations carefully placed on the furniture. “Yeah.”           “How? When?” You couldn’t believe he had done this.             “This afternoon while you were gone. I entered by the window. You know you should check if they’re close before leaving.” You smile when you understood the nod to what you had told him last you saw each other. “Why?”     “ Well. Because it’s dangerous of course. I mean a lunatic could enter and turn your place into a Christmas shop. Oops too late.”     “ No, I mean. Why did you do this?” You asked again, not really in the mood to laugh at his joke right now. “It’s Christmas, isn’t it? … And I like you” He said while looking at you right in the eye. “And not as a friend. Cause clearly we’re not friends and we’re not …” You dropped the bag of ice to catch Jason by the neck and kiss him passionately. How long have you waited for him to finally say it. “Ow. Ow. Easy.” Jason complained right against your lips when your nose pressed too hard against his. “Sorry.” You whispered with a smile. “Don’t smile at my pain. I’m really hurt.”   “Aren’t you a tough guy?” You teased, using his own arguments against him.         “Not when I’m with you.” He confessed and approached your face again, slowly and carefully, to kiss your soft lips with a delicacy that made you shiver. “There are so many things I want to tell you, Y/N.”       “ Then say them.” You whispered still close to his face, feeling his hot breath against your skin. “It would ruin Christmas’ spirit.”   “I thought you didn’t like Christmas.”       “I lied.”