#I'm not sure about the snow layer but THE THEME

[crepuscularray]

Deercember Day Nineteen: Taruca Deer | Dusting of Snow

The taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis)—also known as the Peruvian guemal, north Andean deer, north Andean huemul, northern huemul, or northern guemal—is a mid-sized deer species that inhabits the high regions of the Andes mountains in South America. Tarucas are found only in the Andes mountains, from central Peru, through Bolivia and extreme north-eastern Chile, and into northern Argentina. The common name taruca means "deer" in both the Quechua and Aymara languages, though these are not interrelated. Tarucas are mainly found on rocky slopes, queñual forests, and puna grasslands near glacial lakes at high-altitude mountain terrains. Despite living in grasslands, the taruca feeds mainly on the local bushes, shrubs, and herbs for much of the year, but supplements this diet with grasses during the rainy season. Unlike other South American deer, except for the closely-related huemul, the antlers consist of just two tines which branch from the base, and with the posterior tine being the larger. Males also possess canine teeth in their upper jaw, which females usually, but not always, lack. More information here.

References: Deer and Grass, Mountains.

[aemonds-favorite-rider]

Modern! HOTD men holiday headcanons.

Aegon Targaryen:

- 100% dresses as the Grinch at the family holiday dinner. He's also the type to go over the top about it, running in and snatching the tree and startling the kids, knocking Aemond over in the process (in character ofc), and running out of the house. Don't let him fool you he loves doing it for the kids and family

-He hates the cold thought. It never fails he'll try to convince you to ditch the cold weather for a more tropical destination. Whether you take it or not is up to you ofc. But don't be surprised if you stay and have to listen to him whine about his "cocks shriveled up inside him from how cold it is."

- insists on awkward xmas photos so he can send them to literally everyone he knows for a christmas card. i'm talking the matching sweaters as well of course.

- As much as he'll pretend he doesn't enjoy it, he loves holiday shopping. He'll help you pick presents, decor, outfits, whatever you need. And of course he's paying for all of it. Even the holiday dates. He loves spending them with you too.

-Puts a bow on the crotch of his pants for you on xmas morning with the cheekiest grin. Also owns mistletoe boxers and won't hesitate to wear them randomly around the house, insisting on the mistletoe tradition.

-Spoils the shit out of you. Every xmas it never fails that he has some extravagant gift for you. A car, a puppy, jewelry. After all the Targaryens are the richest family in the world practically.

- Insist on letting you decorate your shared home however you want, and he'll only mildly complain when you ask him to help you hang lights or put up a tree together (he likes the way you focus hard on decorating, it's beyond cute to him)

- Drunk sleds (ask him how many bones he's broke doing this). He never learns ever of course but as soon as someone even mentions snow fall enough to sled, he's busting out the whiskey and putting on layers. As much as he hates the cold ironically, he loves drunk sledding above all.

- Insistent on matching pjs. He also picks out xmas themed lingerie for you every year for christmas eve night.

-Hella xmas innuendos and dirty pick up lines. "Come sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want for xmas"

"Have you been a good girl this xmas?"

"I have a present in my sack for you, shall i bring it down your chimney?"

the whole bit.

Aemond Targaryen:

- Somehow manages to get roped into dressing as Santa's elf at the holiday dinner, and once the company holiday party. He is never happy to do it and yet he always does it anyway.

- Super over competitive for the christmas cookie decorating. And no one wants to be on his team for any holiday games either. He's left the party early before after losing to Aegon once. He doesn't like to talk about it.

- Plans several holiday dates for you both. He's secretly a romantic ofc so he's taking you anywhere and everywhere. Taking you to light displays, tree farms, hot cocoa bars, carriage rides. So long as you allow him, and he's more than happy to spoil his sweet girl.

-Santa Baby is his favorite song...for obvious reasons. One time you gave him a xmas lap dance to that song so now it's like Pavlovian. Always whisking you away every time it comes on as he bends you over the coffee table in front of the tree.

-Makes sure you get whatever you want for xmas, himself despite hating the holiday rush of those around him. Grumbling about the whole thing to himself while he wraps your presents away from you. It's always worth it when you see whatever he gets you.

-Actually likes holiday movies. Even despite some of the cheesy ones. Always finding time to watch them with you. He'll never tell you that his favorite xmas movie is also Elf.

- May complain about matching xmas attire but the minute anyone says anything even remotely negative he's prepared to deck the halls.

- Has for sure pelted a million snowballs at Aegon once for mentioning how cheesy his pj pants were one xmas morning until Aegon surrendered. (because they both have a snowball fight every year. that's a head canon on itself)

-Secretly the best xmas present giver. You're always pleasantly surprised at how he managed to get the right thing every time. He takes pride in spending the year listening to every little comment about how you would like to get this or that or pick up that latest new book at the bookshop. He remembers it all and had it for you under the tree on xmas morning.

-Xmas cookie making with Aemond, usually ends up a with you being eaten out on the kitchen island, or with you bent over the counter while he fucks you hard from behind. Telling you what a good girl you've been for him all year. ingredients from baking are smeared everywhere...anyway.

Jacaerys Velayron:

- Always dresses as Rudolph for the holiday parties. Letting you paint his nose red as he excitedly talks about all the presents he picked out to pass out on the kids with Santa (Cregan), the elf (Aemond).

- Literally turns into Buddy the the Elf around the holidays. He loves the holidays and will do anything to make the most of each one and make it memorable.

-Starts decorating your place November 1st, laying out your xmas pjs to decorate in. He's got no shortage of Holiday spirit as you two go pick out your live tree (a fake tree is blasphemy to him). Watching all the gushy holiday movies with you (Last Christmas is his favorite btw)

- Insists on keeping your xmas presents a secret. He'll get super upset if something get spoiled so you do your best to stay out of the place he thinks is hidden.

-But he always has to call his mom for help or send them to her to be wrapped because he still doesn't know how.

- He loves to fuck you under the the glow of the tree lights at the end of most nights. He tells you you look like an angel the way you shine under them

-Loves to take you to any and all light displays. using it as an excuse to go on walks with you (weather permitting ofc). Gushing to you excitedly about how excited he is to see you open his presents he's gotten you. Talking about your day before conveniently stopping you both under mistletoe

- 100% A sentimental gift giver. He always manages to find the sweetest little gifts, it's his favorite part of xmas is trying to find the perfect gift because this will be the gift that he picks out himself he just wants you to like it (you always do)

-Has a tradition with you on who can build the better snowman, he takes it very seriously and totally drags his family into voting for who has the best one. Except he pouts when he loses.

- Hes actually good at ice skating (he's only injured himself one time with you) and he likes to take out out for cocoa after and tease you about how many times you fell

Cregan Stark:

-Always gets volunteered to be Santa at the function. He's a big guy, and he's willing to do it for the kids so why not? Always referring to you as his Mrs. Clause, Letting you color his hair gray with hairspray and what not. Even his stubble grows in the winter

-Obviously big into the winter. Always making sure you're staying warm and bundled up. Never lets you leave the house without a coat even.

-Obsessed with hot chocolate and cookies. Always making sure the house is fully stocked for you both as well. Making sure the fireplace is going as well.

-Is clueless when it comes to buying gifts. Allowing you to get whatever you want with and slapping his name on it. He's not got any shame in it either. Always joking he's yet to disappoint you in gift giving.

-Gains a little weight each holiday season because he's obsessed with cookies and sweet treats. Not to mention the way he devours Xmas ham or turkey.

- He's a pro at ice skating. So i firmly believe he loves ice skating dates. Whether this is at a rink or a very safe lake to skate on. And if you don't know it's a bonus, because then he can just teach you (and hold you at the same time) so it's like a win for everyone.

-His preferred way of keeping his head warm in the winter is your thighs. Spending evening curled up between your thighs, intimately or not. When he's eating you out after being out in the cold for too long. Insisting he's warming his face up the best way but burying his face in your cunt.

- Always makes sure your car is warmed up for you and have a warm drink before you go anywhere.

-Always chops down a real tree for your house. Insisting on carrying it inside the house and helping you decorate it. He gets very into it so long as you do also. Wearing matching pjs or sweaters while you do (on his insistence i might add)

Daemon Targaryen:

- Is quite literally the Grinch irl. He's not the biggest fan of the holidays at all actually. One year he got asked to be the Santa at the function and he ended up making a child cry. He was never asked to to it again, or dressing up of any form after that.

-Always grumbles at everything the whole season. From gift buying or giving, to attending any event. But not if it's you asking him. Then he's fine to go to some xmas tree lot on a Saturday morning with only mild complaining.

-Much prefers to be inside, but never turns down a chance at snowy warfare. Especially against his kids or nephews. Then he's not stopping until everyone's surrendered. It's a bigger deal than it needs to be always.

-Prefers to spend the cold nights in bed with you. Naked of course. His favorite is cuddling naked with you, while watching the snow just outside your window fall silently onto the ground.

-Has a holidays tradition of watching classic holidays with you of course. He'll wear the matching pjs but only when it's just you two (or children if you decide to have them) and drinking hot chocolate (his has a little liquor in it it never fails). But as bah humbug as he is he loves the joy on your face of it all.

-After awhile he begins to warm up to the holidays. As as much as the family makes fun of him saying that the Grinch's heart grew three sizes bigger after meeting you, he'll never outwardly admit it. Often randomly decorating the house with lights saying he saw them on sale or some bullshit.

- I think he would love taking you to the Nutcracker every year. There's just something about it to him. He makes a whole day of it, taking you to a luxury restaurant after shopping, and taking you to the ballet. idk.

- He makes the best xmas breakfast/ dinner i'm convinced. Cinnamon rolls, biscuits and gravy, bacon, whatever it is, he's putting his whole back into that morning meal and wears nothing but a proud smirk when you tell him how delicious it is.

-Pulls out no stops to spoil the fuck out of you. Handing you his black amex card and telling you to go crazy and buy whatever you want for xmas.

[formosusiniquis]

I'm in chainmail, baby I'm impressed

Squeaking in under the wire for @stevieweek day 4: Special Outfit with bonus prompts: lingerie and DnD/Fantasy. Plus I'm counting this as my @steddie-week Day Seven Free Space

Stevie Harrington/Eddie Munson WC: 3217 | M | No Archive Warnings Apply | Tags/Themes: Transfem!Steve Harrington; Transmasc!Eddie Munson; Fade to Black

AO3

It starts with a blouse.

No, that’s not right. It actually started when Stevie asked how earring a suit of armor didn’t chafe, and if a pair of keys could stab through a beer can how were arrows not sending stabby metal pieces into people.

Which actually probably means it really started with layers. Like the extra layer of leather, done up to Eddie’s chin when he called her back. “Make ‘em pay” wasn’t the send off she’d expected after the big boy and other flirting. Flirting that had made her stomach twist and her heart flutter and her brain flinch with the close but not quite of it. But maybe that’s why she’d sent her own return volley. Why she’d grabbed hold of that half done zipper and left Eddie with a pat to the chest and a promise to do just that.

She totally saved his life with that move. Her, the leather jacket, and some extra breast tissue Eddie wasn’t really using, all working together to keep razor sharp fangs from tearing flesh and puncturing any important organs.

That breast tissue maybe saved her too, when she learned just what having it made Eddie and what it meant about options she hadn’t known were there. They had a lot of time to talk in their shared bat bite isolation chamber.

Talk about layers that go under chain and metal to protect knights of the realm and their devoted squires that help them.

That started in the Upside Down, finished in the hospital. And this started in the thrift store.

The blouse was white. Pure white, basically neon, white as the virgin snow. Totally not Stevie’s color, the fresh wedding white brings out the undertones in her skin in a way that leaves her looking sallow and liver failure-y. But something about the sleeve catches her eye. The way  it balloons before gathering at the wrist. 

It’s a 70’s throwback for sure. Reminds her of the cover from the album Eddie brought over a few weeks ago, Little Queen. Robin has her face screwed up before Stevie even has it all the way off the rack. Hating it but trying to be supportive the way she has been throughout all of Stevie’s transition from Steve to who she is now.

“That is… wow!”

“It’s super ugly, and not even in a cool way.”

Robin slumps against the rack, sending a hanger cascading to the floor. She scrambles down to pick it up but Stevie doesn't miss her, “Oh thank god.”

“The best thing to happen to you was my sense of style not changing.”

“I know. You’d look good in anything, but my wardrobe offerings would have shrunk.” Seeming to remember the source of the freak out. She snaggs the shirt. “So what’s with this thing? I think even you’d struggle to make this look good.”

She takes it back from Robin’s disapproving grip. Holds it up to herself just to see the way Robin’s face contorts. The neckline is going to do nothing for her, not low cut enough to show off the way her boobs are coming in. The poof in the arms will accent her shoulders . And it’s so, so white.

“It made me think of Eddie,” she says, fingering the loose tie that’s hanging down the front of the blouse.

“It is very vampire lord,” Robin admits. “Might even make him look tan.”

Layers, knights would wear padded shirts under their armor and under those drapey shirts in cotton and linen. He’d been excited when he’d talked about it. Passionate. The way he got when he talked about Lord of the Rings or DnD. She holds the shirt even tighter against her, turns this way and that even though she can only kind of make out her reflection in the mirror at the end of the row. It’s an ugly shirt. But it makes her think of knights and Éowyn and paladins and Eddie.

Eddie flushed pink and beautiful, squirming in his seat in a different way than he usually does, talking about devotion and pledges. Duty and honor.

“I’m gonna buy it.”

“For Eddie?” Robin asks on a sigh. She already knows the answer.

“He’ll certainly get to enjoy it.”

The problem with being the one to come up with a plan is she has to be the one to follow through with it. 

Part of her knows the blouse would be enough. She could dress it up just right, flirt a little, and have Eddie eating out of the palm of her hand.

But the part of her that had a flair for the dramatic that rivaled her boyfriend’s wasn’t going to let her skimp unless she took every possible step to fully achieve her vision.

So she goes to the only person she knows who might be able to put the final and most crucial piece of the scene together.

Flopped across the Henderson couch, she’s making herself comfortable for her and Caludia’s date with Dallas. She’s too cozy to get up, decides it's easier to flop her head over the arm of the sofa to shout at Dustin while he rummages through the kitchen.

“So if I was trying to get my hands on some of that chain link armor stuff, would you know a drama club nerd who might have some?”

“Yeah, I have some.”

“You have some?” she can feel her eyebrows raised up into the middle of her forehead. She went to him for a reason, but surely she would have known if he was capable of affording something like that. Was that why she was footing the bill at the arcade every week, so he could have suit of armor money?

“Well it's not like it grew in the backyard, I made some.”

“Made some?” she flips around on the couch, this has become the kind of conversation she has to look at her brother and have him be rightside up.

He’s got his hand on his hip which isn't as commanding when he’s also holding a glass of milk in the other. It’s cute though, like he’s trying to channel her.

“What are you an echo? It's not like it was hard. You need some wire and pliers and patience.”

“And you?”

“Har har. Yes. Do you want to borrow it or not.” The threat is there even if she doesn’t think it’s that sincere. It’s fucking armor she doubts he could hide it that well if she wanted to just come in and take it.

But she makes nice anyway cause she’s a good sister. “Yes! Sorry.”

“Ma's got all that jewelry making stuff and you know I like to work with my hands when I'm talking with Suzie.”

“Disgusting.”

It was a joke. But it’s a joke that sends his drink sloshing over the sides of his glass as he startles. A good friend, even if she doubts he’ll ever acknowledge it, she stifles her laugh in the palm of her hand as he turns a shade of red that is medically concerning. 

���Ew, don't be crass, Stevie,” he stutters out.

“Is this even going to fit me,” she takes pity on him, dragging the topic back to her, “you made it for yourself half-pint.” The insult barely works, a summer growth spurt has left sophomore Dustin towering over her shoulder. Well, not towering, but he can see over her shoulder now.

“I made it for Mike, actually, so he could be his paladin at that convention in September. But he wouldn't let me measure him cause I ‘know what he looks like’ and it came out too big.”

“Oh so it'll be perfect for me.” She tries to make it a joke, but hearing that it was made for human stringbean Michael Wheeler has her nervous in the place where all of her ugliest body issues live. At least if Dustin had made it for himself it would have just looked like a crop top.

“Well, it still might not fit because of your,” he gestures vaguely at her front.

“Boobs, Henderson, they're boobs. You can call them-”

“Alright!” He shrieks, “I was trying to be respectful.”

“When have you ever been respectful? And don't say it's because I'm a girl, I'll push you into Lover’s Lake.”

“I wouldn't talk about El’s or Max’s is all I'm saying.” He says into the glass in his hand.

“But I can borrow it?”

“If it fits over your boobs,” he says the word like it's in a foreign language he's neither spoken nor heard, “you can keep it. I know it's for some weird sex thing with Eddie and I don't want it in my closet knowing what it's seen.”

Honestly it's for the best, because if this goes the way she thinks it's going to she really doesn't want to have to figure out how to get stains out of aluminum. But it's hard to resist the siren song of torturing Dustin. “I can't believe you're calling my sex life weird, are you saying there's something wrong with us? That we aren't a normal couple like everyone else? I thought you were a friend.”

“Nothing about Eddie is normal and he'd be offended you tried to suggest he was so I'd feel bad.”

“Yeah, good point loser.” She snuggles back down into the couch, she never really gives the episodes of Beauty and the Beast that much attention but this one should be wrapping up soon. “If it doesn't fit over my tits and it sees zero action do you want it back then?”

“After this conversation, I'm not sure I ever want to see you again. So just keep it. I'm sure Eddie will find some kind of use for it.”

There’s another quip at the tip of her tongue that she knows will send Dustin into fits, whether they would have been of rage or denial she’ll never know. The front door is slamming open bringing with it Claudia at the end of her swing shift.

“Stevie, dear,” she always bustles into the house like she’s carrying an armload of groceries even when it’s just her coming home in her uniform, “never go into nursing. Doctors are some of the dumbest fuckers on the face of the planet.”

It occurs to her, the attitude might be a family trait. Maybe that’s why they adopted her so easily. If only she could pull off the tiny hat the way Claudia can.

All of the pieces of her plan stay hidden for weeks. Folded up carefully in an oversized hatbox in the back of her Mom’s extended closet. The hat, a monstrosity purchased for a Derby she doesn’t think they’d even gone to left to gather dust or whatever it is hatboxes are meant to prevent.

The chainmail had fit. The weight of it as surprising as the cool feeling of it against her fingers.

She has the clothes, the accessories, even bought something silky and golden yellow to go underneath. Like the armor wasn’t going to be sexy enough for Eddie. Lingerie under lingerie like a hat on a hat, but she has to feel sexy or else she’s going to feel like a complete idiot.

She kind of already feels like an idiot. Something in the knowing that the top and the chain and the yellow bra with the flowers embroidered on it are all upstairs makes her anxious in a way she hasn’t ever been with Eddie before.

Hands haven’t been wandering during their movie nights. She keeps her feet kicked back behind her, crossed at the ankle, when they’re sharing a booth at dinner. There’s always a fifteen-going-on-sixteen year old chaperone in the car with them, sometimes even in the front seat as she pretends she’s just making sure they’re getting pre-prepared for their upcoming drivers tests.

And sitting next to him on the sofa, a whole cushion between them for the first time since ever, she watches the careful way he makes each line as he sketches and cross hatches what she can just make out to be a flowing haired knight. Her resolve breaks.

Stevie craves him the way she used to want ice cream on a hot day. The taste and feel of it an almost physical feeling, she would want it so bad. That’s what horny feels like now, she’s slowly realizing.

Before she can overthink it too much more, “I wanna try something.”

Normally she thinks of Eddie as having a kind of feline grace, he slinks and when he does fall off of something he isn’t supposed to be on he grins like it was always the plan to reacquaint himself violently with the floor. But the hint of suggestion in her voice has him perked up on the couch like a dog that just heard his leash come off the hook.

It's embarrassing how badly she wants him.

“What were you thinking, baby?”

He’s better at this than she is, at the lead up. The introduction. It’s a different skill to slowly introduce the concept of the strange, a change. Different than foreplay. She feels like she’s propositioning her proposition. The thing about slow, missionary in a room with the lights dimmed, no bandaids need to be ripped off before.

“You’ve roleplayed.”

“Not the kind I think you’re suggesting.” He’s impossibly more perked. Notebook and pencil still and poised like he’s about to start taking notes. “But I’ll try anything you want to do, however you want to do it.”

Maybe it isn't healthy, but she likes that about Eddie. That he’s all in on her, obsessed maybe. Willing to push himself out of his comfort zone for the sake of letting her have what she wants or try what she thinks she wants.

She likes how a few right words will turn him into putty she can squish and meld between her fingers.

“I’m gonna go get changed.”

Now that Eddie is waiting downstairs for something spectacular, it isn't so hard to pull that box down from its hideaway and slide each layer on. She already knew it wasn’t that hard to get the chain on and off by herself, she had tried it on. Maybe squires were for the heavy metal suits like on Scooby-doo. Or maybe it was about the intimacy and the ritual even back then, sliding on pieces and parts meant to keep the other person safe from harm knowing later if there was a chance to undress again you could see just how you helped save them.

Next time, she thinks, they should do this the other way around. She can get Eddie off a couple times, clean him up, and slowly dress him in each new layer. Until he’s lying in her bed armored in metal and cocooned by her cotton sheets. Safe from anything the world might want to do to him. Under her panties, and the sports leggings she’d decided where the sexier choice of pants, she can start to see the evidence of her arousal in the full length mirror.

It’s a good thing Dustin doesn’t want his stuff back.

Her finishing touches go on next. The gold ring with the small green stone that Robin had given her slides on to her index finger. Then around her neck her holy symbol, the guitar pick from Eddie’s first post-almost dying show. Tossed at her from the stage in an act of Bon Jovi badassery. She had gently poked a hole through it and now she slides it on its dainty, gold chain around her neck.

She tugs at her hair in the mirror, the one part that isn’t quite right. In her vision it’s finally grown out, beautiful waves that would fall out of the ugly helmet she doesn’t have when she pulled it off. Waves like Brooke Shields or the girl from One Day at a Time who married the guy from the band Eddie liked have instead of the bob she’s growing out now.

But it would grow and in the meantime she looked hot.

Stevie looked really hot. Swallowing around the saliva pooling in her mouth, she remembers she has a boyfriend to show that to.

Her first reward is the sight of Eddie's jaw dropped against the floor.

“You remember the other day, you were talking about how paladins could get leveled up so high they basically became gods too?”

Stevie knew that wasn't right, but she liked watching the nerd part of him war with the boyfriend part of him. One itching to correct the mistake and the other looking for a way for her to be correct in a roundabout way. Usually, it leaves him flushed and wide eyed, like his brain is overtaxed and with just a little more stress steam will start to burst from his ears to keep his brain from melting. Last week she had him arguing with the Party that humanoid didn't mean hobbits couldn't also be little rabbits.

She decides to take pity on him now, his wheels skidding blankly on wet road.

“I want you to worship me.”

He's agreeing, she thinks, before he's even sure what he's agreeing to. Dropping to his knees in front of her just like the worshiper she imagined: awe struck and devoted. Her divine intervention on his unfinished prayer kept him alive. Eddie Munson would let her kill him if she wanted to, if it suited her whims.

Good thing she wants to keep him for forever.

His hands slide up the back of her legs. She can feel the hot trail of them from the calf up to the thigh.

“Beautiful,” he breathes. Presses a kiss to her knee, her thigh, the chain that covers her hip. “My hero, my knight.”

In the end, she didn’t need the blouse or the bra and panty set. She still has her chainmail on when she eases them both down onto the couch. Running her fingers through Eddie’s hair from his sweat damp temples to the tangling ends she’s careful to keep it from getting wrapped in the links while he rests on top of her.

“I don’t know where you came up with that, my lady, but I think that was the hottest thing to ever happen to me.”

She tugs at the end of his hair just to watch the way the lingering arousal dances across his face. “I got that from the way you creamed your jeans while you were playing with my clit.”

“I am but a man, my golden sun. When a paladin of Apollo is before me what can I do but show my utter devotion.”

“You liked it? It was good for you?”

Maybe it’s a testament to how good it was that Eddie isn’t immediately off the couch. He only shifts enough to rest his chin on her stomach. Looking her in the eyes or maybe at the bottom swell of her breasts.

“Steph, that was the hottest thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re a vision in everything you put on,” he assures, “but where did you even get this?”

“That’s the bad news, if you’re hoping for a better fitting part two I think I’m gonna have to give Dustin my measurements.”

[kisakis-boyfriend]

I'm so glad your requests are open again! Hopefully this counts towards the winter theme, but I was hoping to request the reader going on a date with Hakkai, going to see holiday/winter decorations, when they get home the reader suggests they warm each other up with their bodies, making sure to explore every inch of him to ensure the 'cold' has been thoroughly worked out of him.

Author's Note: This is a cute idea! Hakkai is so much fun to tease too, what a cutie 💙

Pairings: Hakkai x male reader

Warnings: Male!reader, dom/top!reader, sub/bottom!Hakkai, a bit of cockwarming, teasing

Even with the sun shining brightly on the glittering snow, it was still rather cold outside. Cold enough for the two of you to see your breath as you chatted in front of the food stall. Laughter filled the air when Hakkai's teeth chattered together as he tried to speak. You teased him for this, but before you could say much more the same thing happened to you. Which in turn caused Hakkai to tease you right back, placing his hands on his hips and sassing you while you smacked his arm playfully

Walking around carrying a cup filled with a nice, warm drink to prevent your fingers from freezing off, you and Hakkai strolled through the city admiring the beautiful holiday decorations strewn about the various shops and buildings. There was even a massive Christmas tree set up in the middle of the shopping center! Adorned with all sorts of ornaments in red, green, gold, silver, and even some blue

Everything is so gorgeous this time of the year. Definitely worth the freezing noses and cheeks that plagued the two of you. It was so worth it to see Hakkai's eyes sparkle, pointing at the snowmen and other snow sculptures created by the large crowd of people. Crude sculptures crafted from the hands of young children, simple snowmen thrown together on a whim, and a handful of highly artistic sculptures from some very talented individuals

As fun as your day has been, you did have to head home eventually, lest you two turn into living ice sculptures yourselves...

The door to the Shiba house closed and you stepped inside, following Hakkai. A burst of warm air hit your exposed skin and it was absolutely heavenly. “Ugh that feels so good. The vent is blowing right on me.”

Hakkai gasped softly, quickly heading over to where you were standing. “I need some of that too! Seriously, I can barely feel my face!” Both of you giggled at his remark, rubbing your ungloved hands together while you let the heat work its magic. Seeing your boyfriend like this — with red cheeks, lips parted in a sigh — caused your mind to wander to a dirty place. I mean, when else would Hakkai be flushed and moaning the way that he was? You can't be blamed for thinking of that!

“I know of a better way to warm up...” You mumbled, swiftly pulling Hakkai's scarf down so you could capture his cold lips in a kiss– He had no time to react as your hands traveled to the back of his neck, grazing against the hairs at his nape. Removing his scarf and tugging at his winter jacket. Having cold fingertips made it a bit difficult to unzip the coat, but you managed regardless, stripping your boyfriend of his layers and literally taking his breath away

“Mmm, mmph~ W-wait, y/n....” Hakkai tried to say between your heated kisses. “What're you doing...aah!” A cold hand found its way underneath his shirt, causing him to yelp from the sudden change in temperature on his skin. It does feel good though; firm hands all over his back and chest, exploring his skin as if it were uncharted territory and your fingers were the ships sailing forth

At some point, you had to pull away for air, gasping and panting into Hakkai's open mouth as you explained, “Heh...you wanted to get warm, right?” Your partner tilted his head, eyes half-lidded already. “Just trust me, ok? I'll warm you up nicely~”

Before he knew it you had dragged him over to the couch and pushed him onto the cushions, stripping the two of you down to nothing, then throwing a large fuzzy blanket over both of your bodies before crawling on top of your boyfriend. Your lips soon found Hakkai's neck, earning such cute whimpers from him while you hungrily kissed the tender flesh. Sweat has already begun to cling to his skin from arousal, building up most prominently on his back and the palms of his hands

“Hey, I need ya to warm something up for me, babe. Think you can do that?” Your question registered about halfway in Hakkai's fuzzy brain, nodding along with a breathy “O-ok–”

Without warning, Hakkai's hole stretched around something big and slightly wet; surprising the poor guy so much that his voice cracked. Arching his back and whining as you fully slipped inside

“Ooh shit– God you're so damn warm inside, Hakkai. Mm, I love it~ ” You moaned, just taking a moment to stay still and relish in the warm, tight walls of your baby as he so kindly warmed your cock up. Hakkai's hands wrapped around the back of your neck, pulling you down towards him for more kisses. Of course you obliged him, letting more of your weight lay on top of his body like a weighted blanket, rubbing his chilly shoulders until the skin felt warm again

After you parted for more air, you moved down to caress more of your boyfriend's body; sliding over his toned abs and stomach and admiring how strong Hakkai was. His thighs were next; squeezed within your grasp so adoringly. His thighs were too perfect, especially when they were within range of your mouth~ Your nails scratched the insides of Hakkai's thighs and he let out a slutty whine, unable to stop his hips from jerking

“Baby, darling– Isn't this nice?” You asked, cupping Hakkai's cheeks and rubbing them with your thumbs. He hummed a content response, holding onto your wrists and nuzzling his face into your warm palms. Between your body heat and the large blanket surrounding yourselves, he was sufficiently warmed up now

“Told ya! Told ya I would warm you up nicely. Gotta make sure your insides are warm too~” You teased, humping his ass a little bit. Even the heat from your cock inside felt blissful; Hakkai's walls clung onto the gland deliciously as it throbbed every so often. But he was growing impatient...

“Please...”

“Hm? What is it, baby?” You heard something come out of Hakkai's mouth, but it was kinda muffled and said under his breath

“Please...y/n...s-start moving already–” Your boyfriend whined, wiggling his hips against your dick. His glossy eyes peered into yours; like a sad puppy begging for treats. And how could you ever deny that adorable face of his?

You scoffed playfully, leaning down to nuzzle your nose against his. “Anything for you, love. Anything for you~ ”

[acciocriativity]

Hiii! So I that you're having a 400 followers celebration (congrats!!!!!) and I was just wondering if i could request an imagine with Jongho x fem!reader where they go sledding on this huge hill and the reader makes him carry her and the sleds back up, but he ends up dropping her in a snowdrift to get revenge, so she pulls him in on top of her, and can it be really sweet and fluffy?? (maybe with hot drinks and cuddling afterwards?) I'm sorry if this is really scattered, I just got really excited when I saw your winter theme!

Thank you so much and congrats again!!!

N/A: This was such a fun challenge for myself, thank you so much for the request and the support <3 I hope you can't tell I knew nothing about sledding before this ask. Love you lots <3

A DAY SLEDDING WITH JONGHO — C.J.H. (FROM THE 400 FOLLOWERS EVENT)

(Pictures are not mine, credit to the rightful owners)

Ateez Masterlist

It was his idea.

You knew Jongho as an active person, his frequency on the gym was a great indicator of that. However, there wasn’t much else he could do as an idol, it was always a high stake whenever he went out of the house for anything, really. So when he got the chance to do something different, you were glad to come along and enjoy the moment.

He ran to you out of the blue to tell you about one of the WANTEEZ episodes they were going to film on the weekend, a few special winter episodes. His excitement was clear, because he was rambling on and on about the trip.

“So Yunho-yah said they were going to let us stay the re- hey, why aren’t you paying attention?”, his big and shiny eyes suddenly glaring at you, still, there was a small smile grazing his face.

“I’m paying attention to you”, you were beyond amused. “You are just too cute like that”, you grinned as you said it.

“Oh you-”, he said and cringed hard at those words, looking down while covering his face with both hands. You could giggle as you watched him hid his blush. “Do you think you’re funny?”, he looked up at you.

You shrugged as you stopped giggling, trying to maintain a serious facade.

He took a deep breath as he sat straight again, staring at you with a soft smile on his face. “I was going to ask you to come too, but now I’m not sure anymore”, he crossed his arms, while looking away like he didn’t care, but oh he did, a lot.

“Sooo, you’re not going to show me the hugeee park you are going to?”

You opened the Pandora box all over again.

The truth was, you never went sledding before. You thought you knew what to expect, but even through layers and layers of warm clothes, from your ears to your toes, you felt the shivering cold ready to freeze your entire body. Winter was always brutal in Korea, but it just became another level as you traveled higher up the mountains.

When you arrived only a few hours after them, the park was already re-opened after filming and there were families coming little by little to fill up the place. So you sent a text to Jongho to confirm the met-up location, the bottom of the first hill or “oh, the one for children” like one of the workers said to you after giving you the right directions. Yeah, that wasn’t embarrassing at all.

You took your time to appreciate the view, not worried that he was taking a bit to answer you. All the photos did not make the place justice. It was truly bigger than you imagined and further away, you could see the highest hill of the total 3 of them. The untouched white and fluffy snow glistened trailing the recent cleaned path to the hills, restaurant, and parking lot.

You were well on your way when your phone buzzed on your padding coat.

‘The hyungs asked me to join them on the highest hill, let’s meet at the bottom there’

The cute bear emoji right after the text was a little suspicious. Jongho would rather die before sending you anything other than his dry texts, but maybe he thought he could distract you with a curve ball, so you did not mind it.

Of course, you were a little upset, because now you had to take a whole turn and walk further away than you planned to, and maybe he knew that.

Another buzz.

‘I’ll do anything you want to’.

It was too late for Jongho to say Wooyoung was the one who sent that, you already saw it.

‘Then carry me all the way up to the hill’.

It was a fast reply. ‘Deal’.

That was when you knew it was someone else, but that’s not your problem, right?

Jongho did carry you, he was a man of his and apparently everyone else’s words, but he did while complaining the entire time. Not about you though, no, he carried you like you weighted less than snowflakes, it was about that little bastard Jeong Woo-

You thought he was going to roll Wooyoung down the hill at some point, because he kept going around Jongho to provoke even further.

It was safe to say, you could never be bored with those two together and your stomach hurt after laughing so much.

So, it was finally your turn. There were enough space for two people, one for both of you and another for Wooyoung and Seonghwa, the loser on rock, paper, scissors that had to carry the sleds.

You felt that familiar nervousness when you sat. Then you felt Jongho behind you, his hands holding you tighter against him, so you let yourself relax.

Up there, right on the edge, you could see everything. You wanted to say something cliché that would make Jongho cringe for days or maybe take a picture to remember the day by, but suddenly you were moving, and your vision blurred as the scenery passed by faster and faster.

Both of you were screaming, and the wind hit you hard, it was the only two things you knew for sure. You blinked the tears away as you tried to focus on the path in front of you, it was easy to stay on the sled since it was a straight line, no trees, no big rocks, no nothing.

“Turn a bit to the left”, Jongho screamed.

“Huh?”, you screamed back, looking back at him.

“Left”, he said it as loud as he could.

That you did, only then you saw the snowdrift.

For a moment you thought you lost your balance, but you felt a push on your right shoulder, and you held tight onto his left arm.

You did not have time to scream as you hit the snow on your back and Jongho fell on top of you, his torso covering yours as the boys laughed at the scene that happened right in front of them.

“Fancy to see you here”, you said as you tried to hold back your laughter.

“아 시… (oh fuc…)”, he hid his face on your neck, or trying to hide his blush or too embarrassed by you to face you. That was always your best revenge against him, and once again, it was perfect.

Your laugh was unstoppable at that point and so was his.

You do not know how much time you actually stayed there, but the moment he moved to get up, you only made the effort to give him your hand.

The sled was too far down, so there was an only way down, and you were not walking it.

Jongho only sighed as he took you into his arms, carrying you on his back and also the sled, when you finally got there.

“This is my price always now every time you are mean to me”.

“Am I being mean to you?”, he asked, and you nodded, pouting, putting a lot of effort on your aegyo. “How about a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate? Now, am I not mean?”

“Hum, I’ll think about it after the hot chocolate”.

taglist: @h3arteyes4mingi

[neyswxrld]

gingerbread war

Fives x reader (gn)

summary: Building a gingerbread house with Fives.

warnings: slightly suggestive if you want to read it like that

word count: ~640

advent calendar masterlist

a/n: my grandma build a  gingerbread house with me once. it was horrible.

p.s. english isn't my mother tongue, sorry for misspellings!

Originally, you were planning on making one big and nice gingerbread house. But both of you weren't good with baking, so you decided to just buy a gingerbread kit and follow the instructions.

Well, it's clearly easier said than done.

It all started in the store: Fives wanted the Minion-themed kit, you were a big fan of the Frozen one. So you bought both.

"Make your own house, mine will be great!" he says, more like a joke, but you're never one to turn down a challenge.

"Fine. The better one gets a special gift!" you agree. Immediately, a determined look settles on Fives' face.

"Are you sure about that? Mine is going to be so much better than yours!" he tells you, dedicated. You just huff out an amused breath.

"Never in a million years!"

And that starts your small kitchen fight.

While you follow the instructions, you see Fives struggling with his glue. Yours was thick and white while his looks like a sad version of that.

You place the single pieces of the house according to the plan, and with the tip to stabilize the walls with a few things that lay around, you soon finish the walls of the building. Now, you just need to decorate it!

You place a few chocolate buttons and Gummi Bears by hand, use the sugar glue as ice decorations, and sprinkle it with colorful sprinkles. In the end, you put some icing sugar on top of it all, so it looks like a layer of snow.

When you are happy with the result, you turn over to Fives, who has barely finished his ground plan.

"It has to dry for a few minutes," he explains as he notices you staring with a raised eyebrow. "It isn't about which one is finished faster. It is about which one is prettier," he explains, like you don't know.

But to be honest, you've already won. Your house is nice and clean, and his walls are full of his weird sugar glue.

You don't say anything, just keep looking skeptical at him. Fives glances back at you with an innocent expression on his face.

Just at that moment, his house makes a small cracking noise. All the walls start to fall down. He sighs, disappointed.

"Well, if you had made a better glue, this wouldn't be a problem now," you say dryly. Fives glances at your house, then at his... ruin, and back to yours.

"Mine is abstract art," he tries to save himself one last time, but you shake your head.

"Absolutely not. I won," you declare, and after another few quiet moments, he sighs and nods.

"Okay. Would be a lie, too, if I told you I don't already know what gift I'm going to give you," Fives suddenly smirks and wiggles his eyebrows.

You roll your eyes, smiling, but don't complain when he pulls you over and closes his arms around you from behind.

"But first, I still want a Minion gingerbread house. Can you help me, please?" he asks kindly, batting his eyes. You agree, rolling your eyes playfully.

A few hours later, you are sitting in the living room on the couch, huddled together beneath a warm blanket, and observe your little houses with much joy. Fives' house still turned out relatively well in the end, and yours also looked very cute.

"Oh, I forgot something!" Suddenly, Fives sits up and starts to rummage through his pockets. "What is it?" you ask, confused, but he has already found his little thing and goes right over to the houses.

"Look, this is us!" he says proudly and places two small, yellow figures in front of his house. They are holding hands and grin widely.

Since that moment, you can't stop the flutter of your heart and that lovesick smile that appears on your lips whenever you look at his house.

TAGLIST:

@isthereanechoinhere96

[the-epic-hiram-lows]

i would LOVE director's commentary on your favorite moodboard(s)

OMG, you just gave me license to be so pretentious, anon. Thank you. I will try to make this DVD commentary as entertaining and insightful as possible.

These will be very long, so I will do one per post. Let's go in chronological order.

Penelope Blossom

For clarity, I will go L-R from each row, starting at the top.

I had about 5-6 glove options, but they all came off too garish. I mostly settled on this one because of the unsettling normalcy of the backdrop. While Penelope is a gothic heroine, her type of evil lurks in the most mundane of places.

I swear I have a clear image of Penelope playing a piano. If not canon, it feels right. That was the cherry on top of this sundae. I searched far and wide for the right traumacore image with this theme. Lots of options were too specific. I am so happy I found this one, which is nearly the exact quote I searched for, and had a red theme.

I hate that I chose this, and keep kicking myself for doing two wardrobe-based pictures in the same row, though a good 45% of me thinks that their existing on the same row evokes a story, and makes it look intentional. Also, this is Dolce.

This one came up while searching for an entirely different Penelope-related picture. I think it is the first one I found. It felt like such a happy coincidence I didn't bother searching for anything similar. The shoe was already red, which really makes it seem fated that it showed up in a completely unrelated search. I love that it feels distinctly 80s. Not only is that the era of Penelope's origin story, but it shows Penelope's range. Who else can effortlessly flow from 80s pulp to gothic Victorian?

I spent at least a full hour trying to find the perfect photo of old Hollywood hair to crop. It didn't even have to be red. Nothing worked. I must have searched 10 terms. I even resorted to Google. Finally, I just searched 'hair extension' in hopes of an extreme close up. I ended up falling in love with the simplicity of this image. It really enhanced the 'fox in the snow' color palette I wanted- more on that later. I'm not thrilled with the color job (it was a warm blonde originally. I just enhanced the reds to the nth degree) but it'll do. I had to put red hair in the center because it defined her entire path. Had her genes been slightly different, the Blossoms would not have adopted her with nefarious intent.

This is as literal as it is metaphorical. On a metaphorical level, the keys reflect that she is a captor (and, within that, another metaphor- most of the captivity she causes is psychological.) The keys also serve as a literal encapsulation of the aesthetic she curated. Of course, that aesthetic also largely informs the genres of her story lines. The aesthetic also shows a deep attachment to the past. She chooses nostalgia over convenience (keys over doors that lock themselves,) but not because she enjoys reminiscing. Speaking of the past, though she is a captor now, she was a captive in the past she clings to.

Probably too on-the-nose. I debated this, then told myself any other representation of her poison plants would either be too ambiguous or not aesthetically cohesive.

I love this next to the previous picture. A two frame story. What really made me go 'JACKPOT' was the layers upon layers of Penelope's story it applies to. Firstly, it's a goblet. This is an obvious nod to G&G- the blue juice, the aesthetics of her campaign and the game as a whole, and the scene with Alice in the bathroom. It also echoes of the poison challenge she made Veronica and Betty complete. That brings me to the next element- the fact the photo is a representation of being poisoned. Due to cropping, I'm not 100% sure it comes through, but the photo is someone collapsed on the floor with a spilling goblet. It's a trope we've seen a million times. We know that poison is one of Penelope's signature weapons of choice. Through which medium? Gardening. And what is spilling out of that goblet? Rose petals. Specifically, red roses. It is as if Penelope left a kiss of death for someone as a calling card (fitting, given her former profession.) The flowers are as delicate as they are unassuming, like any good femme fatale. It also serves as a stealthy nod to The Flowers in the Attic.

This is what she wants most, is it not? In some ways, she reminds me of one scene in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (if you haven't seen it, please do,) where the antagonist tells his ambiguously deserving victim "I don't know if what is happening is fair, but it's the only thing I can think of that's close to justice." Penelope, pathologically stuck on the past, can only focus on vengeance. It is not fair that she suffered, so she must make others suffer. There is no changing the past, so the people who caused her suffering must pay for it. However, Penelope is lawful evil. She does not act out of apathy or a pure love for depravity. She has a code. See: the challenges she forced the core four to do. If Penelope wanted to, she had ample opportunity to simply murder them. She didn't need to provide an antidote for the poison at the end of the game, either, but Penelope has a love for the game. While you could (and maybe should) argue this is also plot armor in action, I think it shows that Penelope has some sort of internal moral code that informs her villainous logic. Sure, Hal died, but that's because someone had to pay... and Hal committed the worse sin of all: failing to deliver what Penelope needed of him. So, yes, there is some 'honor' in her evil... but, more importantly, honor is what she hopes to achieve through the vengeance. Who will give a little orphan girl the honor she deserved? Nobody did, so she must retroactively honor that girl's suffering with revenge.

Miscellaneous/broad notes now! The second I was tasked with doing a Penelope mood board, I had an immediate color scheme in mind. I wanted a pale, fiery, striking palette that still had a dark gothic feel. Looking back, I wish I toyed with it more, but I stayed true to the image of greys, whites and reds cloaked in darkness.

I also immediately knew at least 4 of the 9 image concepts I wanted. All of the mood boards were difficult for their own reasons- for Penelope, it was narrowing down options, which is a good problem, all things considered.

I decided very early on that I wanted my mood boards to be a psychological study. They must treat every delusion as reality, because they are firmly grounded in the subjects' mind set and self image. For instance, I would not put something like 'shut up you smarmy bastard' on a Bret board. That is exterior perception. I would love to do more broad mood boards later on, where I tackle the character design, including fan reception and/or in-universe reception to the character, but I nixed that for my first round of mood boards. Instead, I told myself I need to tap into every ounce of empathy in my body and tell the story Penelope tells herself. Some things, like the set of keys, do double as an Easter egg of sorts. They apply to Penelope as both a victim and a perpetrator, but I don't think that is something Penelope is exceptionally ignorant to (see: Alice Cooper.)

I originally wanted an extreme close-up of baroque applique detailing as homage to her fashion sense (baroque, Victorian, the occasional military and circus reference.) I have no real reason for nixing this, but it was one of the first images I knew I wanted.

The reason I went with Penelope for my first mood board was: I got an ask requesting a mood board, but didn't want to decide who its subject would be. I went into the Riverdale chat and said "name a character." The first response was @serialkillerbettycooper saying Penelope. One of the intriguing early replies was Caramel the Cat, which I am high key considering.

The end! I will come back with Jughead commentary next time. If you've made it this far, I am seriously impressed and love you very much. Also, I didn't proofread this, so if you see errors/repetition... no you don't, actually!

[fairyblue-alchemist]

12, 20, 25!

hiya moss!!! sure thing <3

my answer for number 20 got a little long so it's under a cut

send me video game asks!

12: a character you particularly like in the game you're currently playing

well, i guess the game i'm currently playing is hades now, so a character i really like a lot is dusa!! she's such a sweetheart and i know she's a fan favorite as well (and rightfully so) and is an aroace icon in my heart. she's wonderful, she's Shaped, she's an absolute delight in the game.

20: a boss you think is really cool

huh, that's a pretty good question, i guess two of them really stand out to me. one of them is rhea from fire emblem three houses at the end of the silver snow route. the boss itself is kind of eh to me, it was a bit more annoying than anything else, but it's the music that got me the most for that fight. in the game, the music of the overworld map you're fighting on is intensified when entering a 1v1 battle, but for that fight it's the complete opposite. the piano solo for the single combat fights is one of my favorite tracks in the entire game and the amount of emotion in it added a new layer of depth to the fight i don't think i would've been able to see before. another boss that stood out to me was shadow sae niijima from persona 5 royal. i think the concept of fighting on a giant roulette wheel when her palace/dungeon theme is a casino is really nice, and the fact that her elemental affinities change after every spin is a nice twist in my opinion. maybe i won't think that the next time i play the game and fight her on a harder difficulty, but she's a far better boss battle than the one that came before her. i will not speak about him unless it's to dunk him in the sun.

25: a game's art style that had to grow on you

i think the art style of fire emblem three houses, especially for the official character art, was one i had to learn to appreciate. i was kind of eh about it at first, and was more indifferent about it than anything else, but it grew on me and i like it a lot more now than i did when i first played the game.

[cantuscorvi]

Oh you did not reblog a meme when I was at work! You think you can escape me?! NEVER! A trademark, where do I even start? Dark academia comes to mind first, of course. It’s elegant and sophisticated, but also secretly lonely without quite knowing how to express that loneliness. It’s emotions which cannot be captured or described with flaccid words—Only felt through blood and guts and hunger. It’s greed and something darker contained within a cage of pride. A beautiful lie. It’s the burn of freezing air mid-winter. A snowy landscape flickering into a bloodbath and ravens feeding on the carcasses. Fuck I could go on forever!

What’s my blog’s trademark? // @nezumivc103221

AHHH ;w; there is so much here. and YES, you're right about pretty much all of it, of course. I suppose not ALL of those are a trademark, since i'm sure other people are also exploring similar themes, but maybe all of it together is something like that.

two things you described pretty perfectly, and something that i find difficult but enjoy a lot ; it's balancing raum's "properness" and his "beastliness". the opacity of his mask vs the depth of his emotion. i'm always keen to make it clear that all his sophistication is a bit like a self-inflicted straightjacket. like you said, a beautiful lie. the pure white layer of snow hiding the mess below it. if there's anything here that's a cornerstone of raum's character, that has to be it!

[hippo-pot]

I read something once, and I can't find it now (I thought I knew where it was and I didn't, so perhaps it came to me in a dream), but what I remember is the idea that, when you write down a story that has been passed down orally, you lose things. Maybe there's a particular way of saying a spell, or onomatopeia, or even the way you do a character's voice. (And sure, you can *add* things back in when you read them aloud again, but if you've only learned the story from the text, then you can't make your decisions based on aspects that had been previously passed down, or know what was being communicated through those.)

Here's the closest I found to that idea (from Willow Dawson's introduction to White as Milk, Red as Blood: the Forgotten Fairy Tales of Franz Xavier von Schönwerth):

"White as Milk, Red as Blood offers a brief glimpse at a vanishing moment in European history, when oral storytelling completed its almost total migration towards the written word, forever changing how we pass on knowledge and culture.

The lower classes, often illiterate, kept the oral tradition alive while new information and education circulated thanks to Gutenberg's printing press... some of the cultural information was written down just before the candle went out."

...

"You see, in the oral tradition, stories are adaptable to the time and location of their telling. And in this way they are living, breathing entities, growing and shifting in response to the needs of the community or listener. The word, when written down, is cast into one form; the stories are still beautiful and resonant, but now, as if set in cement, they die a little.

The Grimms kept their work alive, editing and revising continually to appeal to new audiences, and versions of "Snow White," "Cinderella," and "Sleeping Beauty" were... polished and modified into countless other adaptations over time. But Von Schönwerth['s]... tales languished and were forgotten over the years, effectively frozen in time."

...

"We [the editor/translator/illustrator of the book] felt that if the translations remained true to Von Schönwerth's vision, then the illustrations would be free to interpret and contextualize the way an oral storyteller might.

As I read through the translations, I looked for metaphors and symbols I could work with that would provide additional layers of meaning. In some cases, I wanted to give a character motive; in others, to illuminate a theme, superstition, nightmare or dream, location or piece of historical information. Or simply to state the unsaid, whether sexual, religious, or downright terrifying."

Anyway, as you may imagine, I think about this a lot as I learn a language that doesn't have a commonly accepted written form (to be clear, most of its speakers do read and write, just in a different language entirely). And the pedestal many people put writing on frustrates me more and more. One of the definitions of the word primitive (which I think we can agree has negative connotations, in general?) is "relating to human society at a very early stage of development, with people living in a simple way without machines or a writing system" (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/primitive) That's... oof.

Writing is a powerful tool, but things are lost, you know? (Things are lost through audio and video too, although I would argue less is lost.) There were positives and negatives as people switched to writing. So. All I'm saying is I wish we could give a bit more respect to our ancestors, as well as to contemporary languages that don't have a writing system. And, why not, to audiobooks and video storytelling as well

[freezegirl]

five times happy:     ( five times the sender made the receiver happy. ) / zoe

5x // @goldshadows' zoe nunez

01: it's colder in the maxville ice arena than zoe thought it would be. even if she's all layered up. even if she's on her third cup of hot cocoa. kie is the last person to do her routine and zoe had promised to be there. so that keeps her going. the promise she'd made.

"and closing off nationals, it's khione goossens, skating to 'toy box' by disco diva mylene cruz!"

kie's dark hair is fashioned into a tight, high ponytail. and the dress she wears evokes a sensual kind of snow queen and it has more sheer panels than the regular outfits kie has worn on the ice so far.

it's out there. one might even argue that it's skirting the line. but it fits the theme of the night: self exploration and self expression through art. that, and kie has told zoe about the katarina rule so many times that zoe could write an essay on it or recite it in her sleep.

not too clothed; not too bare. no point deductions. not for this. so long as everyone keeps everything tasteful and modest.

their eyes meet for but a moment. but one moment is enough for zoe to see how happy kie is to see her. then, khione smirks, self assured, and the final routine of the evening begins.

hide your toys under the bed time for this doll to get fed turn the lights down, come in now let the games begin

fire boy is gonna lose his shit, zoe thinks to herself with a grin, as she readies herself to start filming.

02: "you owe me hot cocoa after this," zoe says, "or at least glühwein. or honey mead." kie laughs in response: "christmas was three weeks ago, but sure, i'll run a lap around the venue after we're done here, see if i can get some for you. red or white?"

they're almost done with the ice sculpture festival and kie's still having the time of her life, prancing around the place and commenting on every single sculpture before taking a bajillion selfies. zoe? not so much. sure, the sculptures are absolutely gorgeous, but she could've done with less freezing temperatures.

"no but really though," kie says after she's taken a selfie next to an icy flamenco dancer. "i'm glad you're here, zo. i'm glad you said yes to this. thank you. it means the world to me."

03: "thanks for partnering up with me," kie whispers, "i hate this class. i hate everything about this." zoe just looks at her, doesn't say anything. doesn't have to. because the look on her face is enough: no shit sherlock. everyone who's anyone knows that khione goossens hates medulla's telepathy lessons with a burning passion of a thousand fiery suns, which is highly ironic, considering she's not a pyrokinetic. "but i don't hate you," kie finishes her little rant with a small, yet sincere, smile.

04: "okay, let's go: you, me, fuck, marry, kill: avengers edition. i'll go first: captain america, thor and---"

"---not bruce banner, he's already married to faith lehane, or, rather, banner. faith banner. can you believe i actually met her the other night and i didn't recognize her until way after the fact?! like, wow, that's almost as bad a faux pas as not talking to that one girl at avengercon who was wearing the most gorgeous ororo munroe cosplay i've ever seen in my entire life."

"you're a nerd," zoe says and her voice is filled with affection.

"i know," kie smiles but the smile on her face fades when zoe concludes the little list: "iron man."

"ugh, couldn't have given me miss widow, could you?" kie pouts. "or kate bishop? or ant-man's daughter? or spidey? or the runaways? or cloak and dagger?!"

"maybe in the next round," zoe concedes and runs her hand through kie's hair as her eyes flutter shut and she contemplates her choices.

"before i begin," kie says, "i would like to go on record and state that i am very aware that all of them are older than me and that all of this is conjecture and that in real life, none of this would work. and also, none of them are warren. so they automatically lose."

"kie!" zoe groans. "just tell me already!"

"i---i would sleep with thor because i genuinely feel as though he would treat me right, and also, can you imagine the philosophical discussions we could have? because if you go back far enough, everything connects! like there's this irish water goddess named danu and there is also an indian primordial water goddess named danu. so i would like to talk about where, if and how norse myths could allign with indian lore."

zoe coughs and tells her she can say 'fuck'. kie flushes and tells zoe that she knows that: "right, yes, okay. so, i would sleep with thor. i would marry cap because i think he's a good man and would be a good husband - this goes for mister rogers and mister wilson as well. which leaves iron man. i would kill him. with kindness. 'cause i feel like that man could use a bit of that after all he's been through."

05: "zo, seriously. you are an omega level mutant." just like kie herself. just like all of their friends. "there is no one i would want by my side more than you while we're tracking down michael baxter, okay? i am so happy you're here. and believe in you. i believe in you."

[monstrouslyobsessed]

Hi! I'm not sure if it's a concept so I'll said this a headcanon: the story of the yuki-onna (snow woman) but the yuki-onna is a man and the reader is a woman. The yuki-onna fell in love with reader, spare her life in exchange of not telling about this night to anyone. He took the form of a human (Oyuki), marry reader, had 10 children together. But Oyuki is a jealous and protective husband, he freezed many men because of it. When reader (who is pregnant with his 11th child) 1/2

2/2 tells him about the night she saw the yuki-onna and how he looks like him. He became angry and reveals his true self. But instead of leaving his family, he proclaim his love for his wife and that he forgive her for her little mistake. Maybe in his lovestruck faze, he wants to make love to his dear wife and tease her to be quiet because their 10 children are sleeping in the room next door. I hope you agree to write it. Thank you!!! —anonymous

a/n: a bit too detailed for me and i don’t do nsfw for the concepts so i’ll just run with the basic frame if that’s alright? but im actually familiar with this myth! wrote an essay about it when i was still in school lol also, i did a piece regarding another ice spirit here if interested! its far from romantic though aha. anyway, enjoy!

—tw / tags: afab reader, pregnancy, (frozen) gore, implied violence, multiple deaths, victim blaming, general yandere themes, sfw, long post, unedited —featured character(s): oyuki / ice spirit / husband

The hours were late when the moon would haunt the blackened sky, but the blizzard made everything blindingly white and hid every trace of the night from the mortal eyes. Disorienting you from your initial path to your father’s home, you were determined to keep going. For the child within your heavy belly. Shuddering in your furred cloak from the bitter cold, you stroked a hand over your stomach as if reassuring the baby and yourself.

Ignoring the plumes of white air and the flurry of snowflakes draping down your hood and blurring your vision, you tightened the thick layers of fabric and animal skins over yourself. You must continue, to march on forward for a happier future for this child—and to move on from the one who once kept your heart so warmly to his chest. 

As the height of snow climbed past your knees, you stomped and dragged yourself through the frosty hell. Ignoring the bites in your toes and fingers and nose. You are so, so cold that you couldn’t feel your skin anymore…but you must prevail for this child.

You must.

You must.

…you must.

The blizzard continued to howl, deafening you, but you didn’t need your ears to find your way. Squinting your eyes to count the skeletal trees, you prayed that your vision will hold, and that you were going in the right direction. Shivering, you plowed on and cut through the merciless snow with one gloved hand cradling your pregnant stomach.

A warm orange glow shimmered in the fogged distance and you perked up. Your journey was nearly at its end. With newfound strength, you rushed through and at the top of your lungs, you screamed above the shrieking wind, “Father!”

The comforting sight of a familiar cabin emerged through the white, partially consumed by the snow. You shambled toward it, rushing for the warmth to chase the horrible numbness from your fingers and toes. “Father!” You cried again, dashing to a window where the glow of his fire originated from.

Frost concealed the glass.

You couldn’t see a thing, even with your hasty rubbing on the window with a sleeve. 

Pounding on it did nothing, alarming no resident within. Not a single voice of your father’s faithful servants was clamoring at hearing your cries. All you can hear was the winter’s hateful howls.

“Father…?” You darted to where the door was. 

The door was wide open, with the snow carpeting the inside. The flickering light ringed the entrance, unyielding to the winter’s touches. Merrily dancing, as if there were nothing wrong with the picture you saw.

With your throat dusty and coarse, you swallowed. Your saliva crept through like a knife down your throat. Your heart quivered with an unfamiliar fear. You shuffled forward, snow powdering every inch of your vulnerable body.

“...Father?” You mumbled, your eyes glued to large misshaped blocks of ice scattered throughout the space.

You narrowed your eyes, confused as to why there was…ice inside your father’s warm home. Chunks bigger than you. Every one contained something within.

Fear sprouted its thorns, strangling your mind and chest. You prayed and prayed they were not what you imagined. But gods never answered your pleas and dismissed your prayers.

Unwillingly, you inched closer, to see. To examine. To prove yourself wrong.

Sobs croaked from your lips, and tears sprung from your blurry eyes. “Fa—Father…”

The frozen face of fear, his mouth forever yawning in a scream, stood before your very eyes. Encased in ice, your father never had a chance to escape from the wrathful winter. With him were his old friends and servants he treated as family, and all died as quickly as he did.

Tears split down your cheeks. The winter continued its horrible wailing outside the walls, battering the cabin. A flurry of snow spun its way inside, draping you in its frigid embrace.

“Ah,” a deep voice stiffened your spine. Rakes of its icy talons combed down the furred hide on your back and you never felt so cold as you did then. “there you are, my wayward wife.” He chuckled, nuzzling your head as if he hadn’t done such a terrifying deed.

“—,” his name tasted so foul on your tongue now, “w-why…? Because…I’ve seen who you truly are…?” You hitched a sob, unable to look at his beautiful face.

The same face you fell in love with not too long ago and were honored to view every morning and night in your bed. It morphed into something beyond your understanding, beyond human. Something horrifying.

This…man’s skin was as white as the snow and his long hair was crystallized with specks of brittle frost, crackling at each step he took and clouding his back like a cape. His dark gaze pierced through your soul, to determine your worth as a prey. His smile curved like a knife, cutting into your wringing heart for how sweetly he looked at you—but the cruelty in his eyes was palpable.

This…man was a monster.

You married him. 

You’re carrying his child within your womb.

“My wife,” the ice spirit crooned in your ear, his claw scraping down your side to pet your large belly. “I’ve forgiven your folly—”

“A folly!?” You spun away from his touch, ripping off his slender hand from your stomach. You snarled, “Me witnessing you killing a stranger for looking my way, is a folly!?”

Amused by the fire in you, the ice spirit laughed and the snow danced at his back like a halo. It spread like wings, reaching for you to wrap you in his cold. “You’re beautiful—too beautiful for mere men. As your husband,” 

You jumped when you found a large hand caressing your cheek. You were petrified, staring deep into his empty eyes. No voice would leave your throat.

Snow wailed all around you and you choked, trapped with no way to escape. All lights extinguished, the slight warmth from the fireplace vanished from the air, and the colors of your father’s comforting home were gone. Nothing but the whiteness and the cold.

He stood barely an inch before your face and whispered on your lips, “it is my duty to ensure there would be no interference with our love. No eyes but mine would ever gaze upon you.”

—end

[smilepal]

OC Interview Questions 

Thanks for tagging me @jacksothereye--this was really fun!! 💖

Tagging: Anyone who sees this and wants to do it--can't wait to hear about your characters~

(screenshot by @cayennenpopsicles 🥰)

---

Name?  

Why? You a badge? 'S'Hiro. You don't need my last name.

Are you single? 

Nosy, aren't you? Couldn't afford me, sweetheart.

Are you happy? 

As much as I can be in Night City. That's all relative. Happier than I was before, that's for shit sure. I'd be a hell of a lot happier with a nice fat paycheck. Merc work pays the bills but not well enough. Least not enough for any real security.

Are you angry?

Who isn't? There isn't a single person here who's perfectly happy with their lot, and if they tell you that, they're lying. People always want more. And sure maybe I resent what I've been dealt, but doesn't do me much good. I'd waste a lot of time I could be spending on other stuff.

Are your parents still married?

They never were in the first place. And don't think being dead changed that. Don't think it would have changed much, died when I was six anyway. 'F we're being honest they were pretty shitty--neck deep in the Claws and landed me there too. Can't help but think I'd have more choices if they hadn't made that one for me.

=NINE FACTS=

Birth place?  

I was born in Kabuki, in those slum houses by the docks. I think the old place is still there--someone else is probably squatting in it now. They can have it though, not a whole lot of fondness towards it. Liked the view of the city from there, though. Seemed like some theme park, lit up across the water.

Hair color?

Black, I dye it on occasion. I've had it pink, and blue before but the black is less of a hassle. Goes with more.

Eye color?

They used to be brown, till I got blue optics. I was sick of my old man looking back at me. They're the nice kind--don't do much in the way of combat but they look pretty.

Birthday?

I don't know. Misty said I gave off Scorpio vibes, what ever that's supposed to mean. I picked October 31st. I've always liked Halloween, and it felt like a good fit.

Mood?

Mm it's alright. It'll get better later. I'm going out for a drink and dancing later, and nobody's stopping me. I set my own schedule, so nobody can complain if I crawl out of bed at noon. Good luck finding an early-bird merc.

Gender?

Male. It's Not something I spend a lot of time thinking about. I wear what I feel good in, and that's all there is to it.

Summer or winter?

Summer, always. I hate wearing too many layers. I'd rather sunbathe any day. I've never actually seen snow, so guess I'd like to see it at least once. Preferrably holding something hot to drink.

Morning or afternoon?

Morning, after an-all nighter. There's something about the hours before dawn, sitting in some diner with a coffee and a piece of pie, and things feel like they make sense, least for a while. Been going to Tom's diner, and he'll slip me a free piece, or another mug of coffee sometimes. S'the little things I guess.

=EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE=

Are you in love?

On average, how many drinks do you think it'll take me to answer this?

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Not really. Attraction, yeah. The whole 'love on first sight' thing is a bunch of shit though. More like, you're in love with the idea you've created of someone. Not gonna really know what they're like for a while. I guess if you're willing to gamble that, it's on you. 

Who ended your last relationship? 

I don't do relationships. They're messy and just lead to problems. Flings or friends with benefits are more my style. I need that freedom, and not some dirty secret. It's just how it is. Could see some sort of open relationship, if the other party was open.

Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

Have you seen this face? Of course I have.

Are you afraid of commitments?

Can't be afraid of them if you never make them. Think it's less about commitment, and more about not trusting anyone like that. Trusting people blindly only gets you in trouble. City chews you up if you're that naive, and people don't look twice--take advantage of that.

Have you hugged someone within the last week?

Yeah, I hugged Judy. She was sad over some breakup. Told her she deserved better and she started crying harder. But the hug helped, I think? Listen I'm not the guy to ask for relationship advice, okay? Other sorts maybe, but I don't think it was the kind she was looking for.

Have you ever had a secret admirer?

If I knew they wouldn't be secret anymore, would they? I don't remember having one that's ever confessed to me. Guess it's possible though.

Have you ever broken your own heart?

Not romantically. There were a lot of people in my life that I thought I could trust, and that came back to get me later. It's one of the things I regret the most. Could have saved myself a lot of hurt, and horrible decisions, if I'd trusted myself more, or had enough common sense. People take advantage of that, if they think they can.

=SIX CHOICES=

Love or lust?  

Lust. Was in that business for years and it's something I understand better than a lot of things. It's predictable, familiar almost. I wouldn't call it comforting but at least I know what to expect. It's unusual when someone manages to surprise you.

Lemonade or iced tea?

Have to go with lemonade, don't like tea. I like mine sparkling. 'Course, coffee would be my choice every time, whether it's hot or iced.

Cats or dogs?

Cats. I have two of the monsters and they're spoiled rotten, and eat better than I do. They are cute though, I suppose. Most of the dogs I've met have either been the snarling guard dogs that some of the gangoons have, or the tiny, loud things the Corpo ladies carry in their purses, so my first impressions aren't great.

A few best friends or many regular friends? 

I’d rather have a few best friends who I know I can trust. Doesn’t get much more valuable than that, and true friends are rarer than gold in the City. It’s easier when you have someone who you know will watch your back, instead of sticking a knife in it when it suits them.

Wild night out or romantic night in?

Both? Listen I like a night out much as anyone else—crave one sometimes, being able to escape into a wall of noise and just forget, or find other distractions. But a quiet night home, some take out and a cat curled in your lap, is a good thing too. Depends on the day, I guess.

Day or night?

Night. Don’t wake up till noon, or until I’ve had at least two cups of coffee. Preferably without someone trying to talk to me. They start to blend together a bit for me, I’ll admit. Never claimed to have the healthiest relationship with sleep but it’s the least of my troubles.

=FOUR HAVE YOU EVERS=

Been caught sneaking out?

Out of my house? No. If you mean ‘sneaking out’ as in ‘attempting to defect from an angry gang that’s now after your blood’, yes. Long story

Fallen down/up the stairs?

Who hasn’t? Not down but tripped up them a couple times, especially when you have a cat between your legs. Surprised I don’t have a broken neck from the bastards.

Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt?

Yes.

Wanted to disappear?

No. I was gone for years. And you start to get it in your head that not one person would be looking for you. People slip between the cracks easily, and you don’t miss ‘em, sometimes don’t realize they were there to start with. Try keeping your eyes open next time, yeah?

=FOUR PREFERENCES=

Smile or eyes?

Eyes. They hide less

Shorter or taller? 

Taller. That’s pretty much everyone though, so that shouldn’t be a shock.

Intelligence or attraction?

Both? Neither? Listen, when you’re crawling into bed with a tatted-ex Claw, I’m probably questioning your intelligence slightly. Or just assuming an boatload of confidence. Not like I can talk though. So guess would have to say attraction.

Hook-up or relationship?

Hook-ups. Less messy, and no attachments

=FAMILY=

Do you and your family get along?

Well my parents are dead, and my older brother abandoned me when I was six. So no, we’re not ‘getting along’. Could have other siblings I don’t know about but never met ‘em.

Would you say you have a “messed up life”?

Everyone’s life is a different degree of fucked here. Difference is whether you’re willing enough to screw people over to get what you want, or the person getting screwed. It was the second for most of my life, so think that qualifies. Better now but that’s all relative.

Have you ever run away from home?

Yes. Didn’t last long. The second time stuck, and wasn’t gonna get a third chance

Have you ever gotten kicked out?

Of a couple apartments, yeah. Ex-friends showing up are bad for property value, who knew? ‘Course they’re usually friends with lots of guns, and a goal in mind, so can’t say I blame them.

=FRIENDS=

Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

If they’re stubborn enough to stick around and actually be considered a friend, no I don’t hate them. Got plenty of enemies that fill that roll just fine.

Do you consider all of your friends good friends? 

Not really. Most are casual. This isn’t the easiest place to come by a best friend, unless you have enough money to bribe them with

Who is your best friend? 

Jackie. Was, I guess. Brave, good kid to his mom and the kind of person that never lasts long here.

Who knows everything about you?

Nobody. I’m keeping it that way.

[god1ngs]

━‎ ghost of a memory

synopsis; the ghost of a man comes back.

contains; pogtopia wilbur spoilers, yandere themes, mentions of death, implied death, swearing, mentions of stalking, wilbur is a creep in this

yandere c!wilbur soot / reader, 2.8k wc

note; this is the longest thing i've ever written >:)) very proud of this

masterlist

‎ ‎ ‎it was snowing, like it usually was. the layers of snow piled up on the floor only to get crushed down by your boot. you were on your way back to your house, ready to lay down and relax. days were hard now, especially since having moved away from the dream smp and l'manberg.

‎ ‎ ‎it was easy at first, but you were more lonely now. there was no tommy to come greet you in the mornings, or no tubbo to show you his new bee portrait done by someone else. it was lonely, only your presence to comfort you when days got too lonely.

‎ ‎ ‎you lived near techno, phil, and ranboo, but you never really talked to them. while you could hold your own, the angel of death and blood god striked fear into your heart. phil, although somewhat of an intimidating man, had been much different after the explosion of l'manberg.

‎ ‎ ‎you hadn't been there to know what happened, but it was something severely detrimental from what you've heard. and you haven't even heard that much. you heard of how l'manberg was exploded, but didn't know much else. there was a way people looked whenever you asked about it though.

‎ ‎ ‎you set down your things as you came inside your house, tired from the long day of venturing out from the snowy area. you had been trying to find some more resources, having been slowly running out of some minor ones, but wanting to have them nonetheless. sighing, you tiredly looked down at your hands.

‎ ‎ ‎you never went a day without thinking of what you had done with those hands. blood splattered along the calloused palms of them, rough from gripping swords and bows. you regretted your previous decisions, having worked alongside l'manberg. while you didn't regret meeting the people, the experiences would plague you for years to come.

‎ ‎ ‎a knock on your door brung you out of your mind, gentle and soft. it was unlike any of the loud banging from the war. you shook away your troubles, wanting to block out everything from your past as a soldier. you opened the door, hesitantly bringing your hand to the sword rested on your side.

‎ ‎ ‎it was ranboo. he stood at the door, taller than your doorframe, and looking down at you. "oh," you said, retracting your hand from the hilt of it. "hello ranboo. what brings you here?" you were curious, never having really been close to ranboo during your time at l'manberg. you two had become closer since you lived in each others radius, but had never talked for a long time.

‎ ‎ ‎"uh, i just.. i just wanted to ask if you've seen ghostbur. i haven't seen him in a while and was wondering if you have?" the dual boy asked, tugging at his shirt collar. ghostbur? your brows furrowed, a nervousness piling in your stomach. did he mean wilbur? he seemed confident about what he had said though.

‎ ‎ ‎you cleared your throat before speaking again, leaning against the doorframe. "who's ghostbur?" you asked, confused. maybe it was just a mess up with his name, ranboo was very forgetful after all. realization crossed his features, eyes wide. "you don't know who ghostbur is?"

‎ ‎ ‎disbelief coated his tone, shining in his eyes as well. the boy stammered, trying to figure out what to say. "oh boy, uh..." he exhaled harshly, scratching at his neck in nervousness. "do you know what happened when l'manberg was blown up?" you hadn't known much, but you did know what mainly happened ─ l'manberg had been blown to the smithereens.

‎ ‎ ‎"not really, i guess. i mean, i know l'manberg was blown up, but i don't know much besides that." you told ranboo, being confused as to why this was even important. he stayed silent for a minute, cautious as to what he should say. does he just tell you outright that wilbur had been killed and that ghostbur was his ghost?

‎ ‎ ‎he exhaled again, nervous. "well, wilbur is the one who blew up l'manberg and.. phil killed him after." he said, pausing between his words to see your reaction. your eyes were wide, throat dry. there was a deep pit in your stomach, a neverending bad feeling. "he's dead?" your voice trembled as you spoke, brows furrowed.

‎ ‎ ‎ranboo nodded, sucking in a breath awkwardly. "i'm sorry i had to be the one to tell you." he said shortly, hands clasped behind his back. you tried to shake it off, laugh and tell him it was fine, but no words could come out. "so," you spoke once you had finally grasped your words. "is ghostbur his.. ghost?"

‎ ‎ ‎he nodded again, rocking on his heels. "he doesn't act anything like from what the old wilbur used to, from what i've heard." he tried to confide you, however it didn't do much to help. you smiled weakly at the male, not exactly knowing how to deal with the information as of now. "thank you, ranboo, and uh, no i haven't seen.. ghostbur. i hope you find him though."

‎ ‎ ‎with that, he thanked you and left you alone for now. you shut the door gently before breaking down. you grasped your hair, sliding against the wooden door. he was dead? while you slid against the door, you began laughing. he was dead. you were gleeful. you laughed and laughed and laughed. god, he was dead.

‎ ‎ ‎you didn't know you would ever celebrate a mans passing, but wilbur was different. wilbur was.. obsessive. not only with control, but with you. you always got a weird feeling from him too. he was always with you somehow, always greeting you wherever you would be. he was highly protective of you and, while he passed it off as it due to you being a citizen of his country, you suspected otherwise.

‎ ‎ ‎your gleeful laughter masked the sound of the rustling bushes.

‎ ‎ ‎ranboo hadn't known you didn't know of wilbur's passing. he thought maybe phil or someone else would've told you, not him having to break the news to you. you seemed awfully upset, he hoped you would be okay. as he walked, head down with a friend, there was a thought nagging at the back of his head.

‎ ‎ ‎recently, ghostbur had been acting different. he couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off. he tossed the thought when there was a sudden shout of his name. he turned, quickly, seeing the man of the hour. "hello ranboo!" ghostbur said, smiling warmly at the other. "oh, hey ghostbur." he replied, a soft smile painting his face.

‎ ‎ ‎the two talked for a little while, catching up with each other and seeing how the other was. "well actually, i think i left friend at phil's house, do you mind go getting him for me, ranboo?" ghostbur asked, tilting his head at the half and half boy. ranboo's brows furrowed, wondering why he couldn't go get the sheep himself. it was his sheep after all.

‎ ‎ ‎ranboo glanced back at his house, rubbing at the back of his neck before answering him. "uh, sure, yeah. i can do that! why can't you go get him though?" he asked, confused. he didn't mind going to go get friend, liking to help out his friends, he was simply curious. "oh, i just have something to do! it's nothing really, but thank you again ranboo!" the airy tone of ghostbur coated with delight, he smiled at the man.

‎ ‎ ‎ranboo nodded, wishing him a farewell, before walking away to get more food for the trip. finally. ghostbur smiled, turning to the wooden house you had gone in a few minutes prior.

‎ ‎ ‎he would have you.

‎ ‎ ‎you didn't think that today would be the day you celebrate a dead man, but you learned new things everyday. you didn't celebrate per say, you were just happy the british man wouldn't bother you anymore. he had creeped you out when he was alive, but in death he couldn't do anything.

‎ ‎ ‎knocking at your door had interrupted your moment, brows arching at the door. hadn't ranboo just left? maybe there was something else he had to tell you. as you got closer to the door, hand nearly on the doorknob, you hesitated. why would ranboo come right back? it didn't make sense.

‎ ‎ ‎you put your hand on the hilt of your sword, once again preparing you for if you were to get attacked. yet as you opened the door, there only stood a man ─ a man who looked exactly like wilbur soot. from the hair, to the clothes, to the face shape; it all reminded you too much of wilbur.

‎ ‎ ‎"hello! i'm ghostbur!" the man happily introduced himself, smiling warmly at you. this wasn't how wilbur acted? ranboo had told you that ghostbur acted different from him. "uh, hey. why are you here?" awkward and a tad rude, you asked, narrowing your [color] eyes at the brunette. he only smiled.

‎ ‎ ‎translucent, nearly grey in color hands rose up to wave you off. "i just wanted to come meet you! ranboo had said you were a good person! here, do you want some blue?" fishing in his pockets, ghostbur pulled out a small clump of blue. royal blue in color, it made you somewhat happy to look at it. the corners of your mouth twitched.

‎ ‎ ‎you accepted the blue, gently getting it place in your hand, his fingers brushing against yours as he did so. you squished it some, finding a certain fondness in the way it felt. maybe he wasn't bad. "may i come in?" the ghost asked, tilting his head quizzically. could you trust this guy enough to let him inside your house?

‎ ‎ ‎you pondered the idea, considering the worse case scenario ─ which would really be just takes all of your things or killing you. you doubt he was able to though, he seemed way too nice to even think about it. he seemed trustworthy and so, without another thought, you let ghostbur inside of your home.

‎ ‎ ‎he thanked you and took a look around, complimenting your interior design with a warm smile. he had that aura, the one that makes you feel comforted in his presence. kind and gentle, he was the type of man to be gentle with anything and everything. he seemed rather innocent as well, a child like enthusiasm in the way he carried himself.

‎ ‎ ‎you didn't mind, you actually found it quite admirable. before the war, you had been like that as well. bubbly and warm, smiles that could outshine the sun ─ and now, you were alone, although of your own accord. you had to admit, it was better for it to be like this though. the war and other experiences you shared with l'manberg still haunted your nightmares, causing you to wake up in a cold sweat everytime.

‎ ‎ ‎"[name]," the ghost murmured, looking over the paintings on the wall. "these paintings are quite lovely!" you smiled, agreeing with him. the paintings were nice, as they had been given to you as a president from ranboo. he had magnificent taste, the paintings holding such beauty. you sighed softly, glancing towards ghostbur.

‎ ‎ ‎"hey ghostbur? do you remember anything.. before you died?" you asked, cringing at the question yourself. you assumed it was a question he got a lot, being the ghost of a man who was loved by many, but you couldn't help the curiousity arising in you. he only smiled at you, he always seemed to be smiling.

‎ ‎ ‎"only the good memories! i don't remember any of the bad memories wilbur has!" he answered, still staring at the paintings. he seemed to take a liking to them. you nodded, humming in thought as you glossed over the paintings. "you know," you murmured. "i never really had fond memories with wilbur."

‎ ‎ ‎you had never told anyone of your past experiences with the man, being too scared of being called a liar or saying that you were wrong. wilbur was a man of great charm and charisma, traits he knew how to use to gain what he wants. you knew this first hand, having been on the receiving side of the anger he never showed the public.

‎ ‎ ‎ghostbur was quite for a moment, causing you to look over at him. he seemed deep in thought, eyes nearly wide with a nearly upset look crossing his face. "are you alright?" you asked him, concerned. it would be understandable if he didn't like talking about wilbur, having been the ghost of said man.

‎ ‎ ‎"oh yes, i'm fine! can you tell me about your memories with alivebur?" he asked, looking over at you questionably. you nodded, sitting down on the couch, to where the ghost followed. he sat beside you, almost a little too close for comfort, but he did seem obvious so you chose to let it slide.

‎ ‎ ‎you told ghostbur everything. about how wilbur was a creep. how you suspected he was stalking you. how he had been possessive of you. how you saw a side of wilbur that was never shown to the public. how you never liked him. how wilbur was a deranged man.

‎ ‎ ‎he listened to you quietly, not talking as he stared down at his lap. as you were finished talking, going to ask him if he was okay, he sighed. he shook his head, tsking at you. this was different. confused you scooted away from him, brows furrowed. he only looked up at you, grinning.

‎ ‎ ‎"was my disguise that good?"

‎ ‎ ‎your mouth ran dry. your hands trembled, trembled with fear of the danger lurking in his voice. the madness glinting in his eyes. was this ghostbur? no, this couldn't be. as you stared at him in disbelief, shock coating his features, something started happening. he was melting?

‎ ‎ ‎the grey skin, along with the yellow sweater and beanie, melted off of him. it was like slime dripping, coating your couch in the gooey substance. it disgusted you, how it melted into a puddle of grey just below him. but that was the least of your problem, as the disguise had melted, something sinister lurked below.

‎ ‎ ‎it was wilbur.

‎ ‎ ‎unmistakably, it was wilbur soot.

‎ ‎ ‎the brown hair that bunched up, the dull red beanie atop his head, the brown trenchcoat that coated his features. you backed away, horrified. standing up, you tried to run, yet he only laughed. a sickening laugh that made you stop in place, eyes wide with fear. your feet were glued to the floor, unable to move despite your door beckoning you to run.

‎ ‎ ‎the crazed look in the mans expression would be one you would never forget. he laughed maniacally, grin wide with unmasked enthusiasm. "you really thought it was ghostbur!? that little punk, yeah? you thought wrong, sweetheart!" he shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls, surrounding your every direction, making it impossible to escape.

‎ ‎ ‎who knew you would be trapped inside your own house?

‎ ‎ ‎you could hardly find the words to talk, the phrases getting stuck in your throat as you simply shook your head. it couldn't be wilbur. why was he here? how was he here? the man, who you previously believed to be ghostbur, had been inside your house. you had ranted to him on your troubles with his alive state, unaware he was the one you were speaking to.

‎ ‎ ‎"you- how? how are you - how are you here?" you mustered out, your voice weak. you could barely make them out, quiet and frail. he laughed once more, throwing his head back with unfiltered euphoria. he was so joyous, so content with watching you fall apart in front of him. watching you break down was what he wanted.

‎ ‎ ‎"i always come back, sweetheart, you should know this." he said, smirking devilishly. he walked to you, triumph yelling with every step he took. you backed away as he came closer, fearfully backing away from the brunette until your back hit a wall. alarm coursed through you, desperately trying to look around for a way to leave, a way to escape the misery that would soon come.

‎ ‎ ‎he stalked up to you, stopping in front of you. he was even more terrifying up closer. the broad shoulders and the looming shadow over your figure terrifying you more than anything ever had. "sweetheart!" the pet name rolled off of his tongue, almost in a sing song tone. you hadn't even noticed the tears running down your face until he wiped them away.

‎ ‎ ‎"don't cry, don't cry," wilbur muttered, pulling you closer to him, bringing your scared form into his chest. you tensed, worry clear in your figure as you tried to fight back. you tried to pull away, muttering how you didn't want this. you didn't want wilbur to touch you, to hold you as if he was someone special to you. "why do you keep trying to pull away from me?"

‎ ‎ ‎once you had finally pulled away from him, you looked at him in the eyes. you were still backed up against a wall, knowing your end was nearer than you thought. you glared at him one last time, choosing to pick fight over flight, and spit in his face.

‎ ‎ ‎"fuck you, wilbur soot."

‎ ‎ ‎blood splattered on the walls seconds later.

[supernovafeather]

A Question Of Domination

Abel Morales x F!Reader

Warnings : swearing, mention of suicide/suicide attempt, sexual themes, mention of non con sex, kind of enemies to potential lovers to some extent

- - - - - - -

What exactly should be said ? After all trying to walk up to this man is already complicated, so... what about what would follow ?

Keeping your distance in the cold, you stare at the silhouette on the bridge, your hands in your coat pockets and your shoes crushing the slight layer of snow. You're walking away slowly, hesitating. This guy doesn't look like the homeless guys or the broke students you can see here. His clothes are expensive. You don't know much but by a simple look at them you can easily guess. His hair perfectly groomed are a good indicator too. Usually you wouldn't pay much more attention to this guy. After all he must be some kind of... banker, or an insurer or... maybe some other kind of asshole. After all this city is parasited by mafia, corruption is the norm here. He could even spend his nights selling some poor immigrant girls to perverts, who knows.

You can't know for sure. But his face his clearly tense. His elbows are resting on the steel guardrail, his gloved hands clasped together and his eyes squinting each time a cold wind comes to whip his face. Some flakes land on his dark hair before disappearing into invisible droplets of water. There is something... eating him from the inside. Like you've already seen too many times at this exact place. But why should you help him ? "Oh hi sir, please don't jump off the bridge, yeah I help you knowing that as a rich man in this shitty corrupt city you must despise my very own existence but heh I'm human before everything else and you too, again please don't jump off ?"

All day long you despise the rich. You hate all the privileges they have when you have to work all day long, having to walk even in blizzards not to get fired on the spot and to... well, basically to survive, to even to live comfortably. But this time there is something preventing you from ignoring him.

You blink when his head slowly turns to your direction, his eyes wandering on the area around you before setting on your still form. The way he tilts his head to the side with this eyebrow raised and these pouting lips makes you feel stupid. His handsome - attractive even but he doesn't have to know it - rich and looks confident now that he is out of his thoughts. Great. You still managed to hesitate about this guy. He doesn't deserve your attention. Not important if you act weird and impolite. He must be already judging your appearance and your behaviour. Shit if he even thinks about making you his personal whore for meetings with mafiosi you'll have to castrate him.

Some long seconds later, you finally move away, turning your back to him, your cheeks burning against the violent wind. You're being ridiculous. He doesn't need...

"Excuse me. Do you have a minute," he asks as you grimace, your eyes closing. You don't have to turn around, you're already fleeing like a coward. "Do I know you ?"

You sigh before frowning and facing this guy who is walking calmly, relaxed even. You keep your determined and hostile features despite his curious and powerful gaze. Damn, that's eyes you don't see every day. Yeah. Definitely a guy you shouldn't mess with. Or that more exactly, you shouldn't try to help. You're still too naïve. Whatever. You're pathetic ass has to answer now ? Social conventions... what a pleasure.

"No. You don't know me, no."

Your cold tone only hardens his face, your audible distrust barely taking him aback. He must have been expecting it with your face.

"And do you know me ?"

"Nope. I don't have anything to do with you," you answer with your muscles tensing up for no reason.

Dreaming of what you would do or say in a conflict is one thing, but what if that guy is... well some influent guy ? The kind of monster that could whisper to the mayor to kick you out of your apartment if you mess with him if he learns who you are ? Damn you shouldn't have to hide your shaky hands in your pockets.

"I am not looking for some... company," he says slowly with still this same serious face as your eyes widen slightly at his innuendo.

"I'm not here to suck on your cock you fucking asshole," you say in a high-pitched tone contrasting with his deep voice. He raises an eyebrow, clearly displeased by your answer. "I can look at people without wanting to spend the night with them."

"I am used to women looking at me with some goal behind it. You don't have to be so defensive. Sorry if I've misinterpreted your intentions," he adds with a grin between sarcasm and disgust. "And you, you were staring at me. There must be a reason. I have the right to know why some stranger seems to be so interested by me."

You are already done with his bullshit. He must be in some business of he learned to talk like this. You were right.

"Well basically I was asking myself if you were one of those coming over here usually," you say as he frowns.

"Those coming usually ? What is so special about this place ? It's just a bridge."

This answer makes you blink stupidly, your body relaxing as your mental facepalm echoes through your skull. Congrats, you are definitely considered as a freak.

"Well... there are people jumping from there."

Adding anything else is useless as he nods slowly, blinking just once. An awkward silence makes you look away before shrugging in some reflex, your foot nervously crushing some snow.

"And you wanted to see if I was about to do the same thing, that's right ?"

"Yeah. Well you definitely don't seem to... well you don't seem to need any help so... yeah I have to go," you hastily say hoping that this would be over.

"Thank you."

What ? What did he just say ? A guy like him thanking you ? That's a new one, you would have never thought of this. Especially not with this grateful smile. It looks grateful, his eyes softening a bit. Just a bit, he must be used to never let any feeling appear. Especially in front to some annoying and hostile girl.

"Why are you thanking me ? I haven't done anything."

"I was feeling a bit down. Yes it's true. I was not thinking about leaving this world, though," he says before walking away from you, joining the guardrail and resting his elbows onto the icy metal.

You hesitate as you don't know if he is inviting you to continue the conversation or if he wants to stop it, but you reluctantly pace towards him. You keep your hands in your pockets though, eyeing him suspiciously. But you're a fucker even towards yourself so... yeah, you keep talking.

"Well... I'm... glad you don't want to. I guess."

This makes him snort, a playful face appearing as he watch you closely, squinting as he turns his body to you, an arm still resting on the guardrail.

"You know how to talk to people I see."

This time you are the one snorting with a grimace, looking away at the cold river below the bridge.

"Let me remind you that a few seconds ago you basically asked me if I was a prostitute just because I was looking at you."

"Not necessarily a prostitute. Just a girl interested. Could happen, I don't know. And you were staring. Not looking."

This makes you shrug as your eyes stay focused on the urban horizon. A few years back there was no tall buildings there. Only trees. The place was charming in a different way.

"Yeah. I just didn't know what to do. In general men like you treat us like shit."

"You think I'm an asshole."

It is said as a matter of fact. He knows. He must be used to it and maybe thinks the same as you do. This time you feel like... embarrassed. You may have overreacted against him but after all if the men like him didn't treat ordinary people like shit you wouldn't react like this. You need to defend yourself one way or another. He must feel your discomfort as his serious and cold face turns into one almost friendly, and amused, coming closer to you. He rests a gloved hand on the guardrail right before you, your eyes laying on the small spot of bare skin appearing between the glove and his sleeve. Why does it look like something so hot that you shouldn't look at it ? That's just his wrist.

"I'm an asshole. I admit it. I'm guilty for spending my time with sharks. But trust me, they are the one making my life... more than a pain in the ass," he mumbles with such bitterness that you look down at his expensive shoes shortly. You don't know if you can be the stranger opening a Pandora's box with this man. He has his intimacy and even if you have to admit that he looks interesting... he remains something you despise for despising you.

"I am sorry to hear about your personal situation," you start, but the way his face gets suddenly close to yours makes you almost choke on your own words. That's the coldest gaze you've ever received and it makes your core too hot for your liking.

"You're not sorry bunny. You're not sorry for anything."

The word "bunny" is not something you would like to hear from some random cocky stranger but... it keeps you in place. His warning gaze is hypnotic as he talks, never blinking and keeping his voice low, nodding slowly.

"I can see you're a clever girl. Consider my following advice the way you want, that's not my problem. Never fall in their trap. Never burn your wings for them if one day - for whatever reason - you want to join or play with them. You're too pure for that world."

"That's what you think," you answer with a scoff causing him to rise an eyebrow, crossing his arms while waiting for your sentence. "Nobody's pure. Even people we admire and think are perfect are not, or are even the worst monsters because we didn't see anything bad coming from them."

"Eh calm down bunny, I've never called you "perfect" or anything", he laughs before tilting his head to the side, squinting as his teeth seem to bite gently the inside of his lower lip. "Yet by keeping those advices in mind you came to talk to me. Not the best action I would say. I admit you're clever, only a fool would deny it. You're a pain in the ass too and once again only a fool would say the opposite. But I like that coming from you. I like people who take risks."

"I'm not applying for a job. I don't care about what you think of me," you answer as you try to ignore his longing gaze. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok. But I guess that's not what will change the world anytime soon, right ?"

"Certainly not. The world is never going to change."

Some of the pain present in his eyes disappears in a matter of seconds and he rests his elbows on the guardrail, his features getting suddenly determined as he seems to stab the innocent buildings with the daggers in his eyes. This strength makes you step a bit closer, attracted by this confidence of his, his own internal hatred for the outside world. It's fascinating to see this man - probably one of those who could decide partially of what your fate would be or influence it indirectly - boiling like this. His jaw is clenching, his pupils moving to each building dressing the horizon, his skin animated by brief jolts awakening the thin wrinkles at the corner of his eyes.

"The world will never change. Never enough. I won't lie, money is... a drug. Or rather, the importance we give to it is a drug. That's why I thought you were interested earlier. I thought you could be one of those girls coming to have a taste to what all of this means. Too many are ready to sacrifice themselves for that shit. That's the only drug people will to show, because it makes everything appear more beautiful, more attractive."

He sighs, crossing his arms as he sits on the guardrail, his severe eyes staring down at you as you listen to him in silence.

"Don't take me wrong bunny. I still want money and have to play that kind of fucked up game for that. Don't be naïve, everyone up there knows what it costs. That's an endless game until the final game over."

"If you dare to tell me that I'm lucky because I'm poor and have to work all day long to pay for a fucking shitty apartment and to have the right to live decently with some food..." you start groaning as a warning, but he interrupts you by putting an arm firmly on your shoulder, leaning towards you with those serious dark eyes.

"I'm not implying that, bunny. Trust me."

He pats your shoulder a few times with a nod before sighing, staring at you with a pensive gaze that leaves you perplexed. You don't think you should hate him. Or maybe yes. After all you don't know enough about him. He may call you "bunny" but that's nothing. He admitted he is drugged with money after all.

Your defeated chuckle doesn't surprise him. He saw your eyes filling up slowly with melancholy and he looks down at you as you lean on the guardrail, avoiding his gaze as you stare blankly to some tree on the river bank covered in snow.

"Do you eat enough ?"

His question comes out of nowhere but you don't try to watch him.

"Depends. It can be ok," you answer with a flat voice as he shivers at the cold wind.

"You won't like it but..." he sets his hand firmly on your shoulder as you look back at him, ready to protest. "Listen to me. I'm not forcing you to anything. I will never do such a thing. Understood ? If you want to eat something I can help."

This almost makes you step back as your eyes leave him, focusing on the guardrail as he sighs.

"Don't try to buy me. I'm not your pet."

"I'm no trying to do that bunny. I just appreciate you. Nothing expected in return. No kiss, no sex, no weird stuff. Nothing you're uncomfortable with. I'm curious. Curious about you. No gift. Just a dinner, or a lunch, whatever you prefer. And if you don't want anything like that and don't want to see me again, tell me."

You scoff as you stare down at the ground. Shit. That shit is going much further than what you thought would happen.

"I know how it goes with guys like you. You have a new toy, huh ?"

This makes you sad in a way. Domination everywhere. That's how a system like this one works right ? Even what appear as sincere has to be analyzed. That makes you paranoid. You just want some company. You're done with fighting all the time. Done with being angry at everyone and everything every day.

"You're not a toy. You're the only person who asked me how I was doing. Not only today but... let's say that people are not the most... comprehensive where I am. So..."

"Ok."

His surprise is clear at the way he hums, and when you look at his face his features give away this same impression. But you make everything clear.

"So. No forced sex. No forced kiss. No humiliation. No insults. Nothing wrong. No money. No gift."

"Ok. Nothing inappropriate. Can I at least keep calling you bunny if you still don't want to give me your name ? And tell you that my name is Abel ?"

This makes you blink just as much as the slight grin he is wearing now. That's a flirty one but not crossing the lines you established. It's still polite and respectful.

"Abel. Ok. And... well.. ok for bunny."

"Not your name ? Don't tell me you're called bunny, I wouldn't believe it."

You roll your eyes but a smile finds its way to your lips. This Abel shouldn't make you react like that. That's not even... a date or anything. What the fuck are you doing even ? You give him your name and he nods at it, saying it with shiny eyes.

"So... lunch ? Dinner ?"

"Dinner. Tomorrow ?"

He accepts and lets you schedule everything. You're glad he lets you choose and the flirting gaze stays on you. Not that you complain. You're not against having sex or flirting but only if you want to. He is an interesting guy but you are still on your guard. Tou just feel guilty at the way you melt when he kisses your temple as a goodbye before walking away.

- - - - - -

Thanks for reading, please comment and reblog if you liked it ! 😊

[strongsassysexysloane]

Seventh Day of Twelve - A Soundtrack to your Curious Mind

See below link for previous days drabbles

When it's a quiet day at home surely they couldn't get away with sneaking another gift under your nose.

. . . .

For a Monday morning it really didn't feel like one. First, you got to sleep in, second was that there actually wasn't a call in, nothing. It was sweet, the kind of morning where when you wake up with the feeling of being late for something and then realising you have nothing to worry about and roll back over. And that's exactly what you did. You didn't fall back asleep however, just laid there thinking over the past week, a smile curving your lips with the memory of each present.

The chocolates were amazing, the flowers were surprisingly wonderful, you'd never say no to free coffee or food. The gloves were sweet but necessary and the photo was special, the perfect addition to your desk. Everything was personally picked and picked especially for you. There was that warm and fuzzy feeling again.

You rolled out of bed with the feeling that it was finally the weekend. Putting on a pot of coffee to brew you wondered around the house. Taking in the morning rays mixed with the icey chill of the new layer of snow over night.

While the coffee was dripping you opened the front door to retrieve your paper. The wide grin appeared on your face once more as you found a small brown box lying on top of the morning News with an envelope attached. You ripped open the envelope to find a typed letter.

Dear y/n,

Here's a little something I thought you'd like. I hope your CD player still works.

Thinking about you,

Insert who you hope it is here.

You laughed at the last part. There was no hint to point you closer to the person you hoped it would be. Although one thought came to mind, this was hand delivered so it couldn't be Jack.

Your heart dropped a little at the thought.

You put the letter aside and looked at the gift inside. The CD was in a paper sleeve with hand written list of songs. It was a mix of everything from P!nk, Walk Me Home to Wonderwall by Oasis and a few you hadn't heard of before. It was an interesting mix, you hadn't gotten a mixed CD in we'll ever so this was a bit special. The handwriting on the sleeve didn't look familiar, you could pick Jack's handwriting up easily. It was cursive but messy, this was cursive but neat and less slanted than her's.

You sipped your morning coffee and had a piece of toast while examining the letter and CD more closely.

Later you found the CD player was tucked away in a cabinet along your hallway. You grabbed it out when a thought came to mind. You weren't quite sure why it hadn't earlier, which made you put on another pot of coffee to get the brain ticking quicker, but they knew you had a CD player. The last time you had it out was at your 90's themed birthday party. There was a lot of people from work there that night so now your options were a little more varied. Your mind, more like your heart, kept pointing out that one of those people was Jack. However Jack was in NOLA, was it such a crazy idea that she had gotten someone else in on the plan?

No, she wouldn't do all this.

You slipped the CD in and blasted the tunes while you did a few chores to get your mind off the mystery person. Music always helped getting the hard jobs done and the songs were really good. Some you hadn't heard in years.

It wasn't until around lunch time that you finally texted Jack.

- How's the food coma going? :P

You didn't have to wait too long.

- Almost comatosed but the case keeps distracting us. How's your day off? Got any new surprises?

- Sounds like you might be there for longer than you thought. It's good, got the chores done and dusted while bopping along to my new tunes that my secret Santa left me.

- Secret Santa hey? Thought you had a secret admirer.

If only. You kept that thought to yourself and the one question that you really wanted to ask her and went with...

- Trying not to get my hopes too high. Still can't figure out who it is.

The replies stopped, along with your heart but you got on with the rest of your day which consisted of nothing much more than checking your phone every other minute even though you turned the volume up. You popped on a movie while flicking through your phone.

Half way through the movie your phone started to vibrate and you got all excited thinking it was a certain blonde. It wasn't but you weren't complaining either.

"Hey Kase, what's up?" You smiled, pausing the movie and getting up for a drink of water.

"Jimmy and I are going for breakfast tomorrow and thought you might want to join. It's all good if you don't, being your day off an all." Her tone was chipper, you knew she was at work, she'd helped with the case on Saturday but got an early mark and had to come back in today to wrap everything up.

"Work or no work a woman's gotta eat."

You heard a chuckle through the line. "You sound like Bishop and Jimmy."

"He said a woman's gotta eat?"

"Something like that. Meet you at the Diner around 7?"

You held in the sigh of being up so early but agreed and said your goodbyes. It was early for a weekend for you but seeing two of your favourite people outside of work made it worth it. Taking your tall glass of water, you sat back down on the couch and continued the movie. The next vibration on your phone came through minutes later.

- Sorry, got a lead. If this pans out I might be home sooner than expected but don't get your hopes up. I still need to find Ellie a present that's allowed on the plane. Dwayne doesn't think I'll be allowed his gumbo.

You laughed at the thought of Jack trying to carry a bowl of gumbo onto a flight just for Ellie. If she could take it with her she probably would.

- That's exciting, my hopes are under control. I can only wish for one thing at a time right now. I'm sure Ellie will be happy with a candy bar from the airport.

Ellie would be happy with any sweet she got. You both knew that but you knew Jack wanted to get her something specific. Something she couldn't get in DC.

- That's understandable but it is Christmas time. Miracles do happen, looks like I'll be home in a day or two. Looking forward to seeing you...

You over thought the last sentence for too long and now felt weird about what you might send as a reply. You were looking forward to seeing her too but could you say that? You wanted to kick your brain for this.

- I like this kind of miracle. Hope everything goes to plan and I can see you at work in a few days. It's quiet without you.

Simple but had meaning if you read between the lines which you know Jack does.

The texting continued on into the night. She even sent you another picture of her dinner which only made your sad salad even more sad. You would definitely need to do some grocery shopping tomorrow but nothing you could cook would live up to anything Jack was eating down south.

. . .

This one didn't seem to flow as much as I liked but I have work early and wanted to get it up at the usual time.

Hopefully you all like it :)