#Once again posting one of the countdowns after midnight

[the-lonely-crow]

8 days till protocol

(Or it would have been 8 days if it didn’t take me all freaking day to get this finished) but anyway Annabelle glamour shot bc its what she deserves

[Image ID: digital drawing of Annabelle Cane from the Magnus archives. She is a black woman with white old Hollywood style waves parted on the left revealing a patch of cobweb covering that side of her scalp. She has fully black eyes, white eyelashes and six arms. The top set of arms is lifted with the left hand in a loose fist resting against her face and the right resting lightly on the top of her head. The middle set of arms has the left wearing a dark purple opera glove, slightly bent and resting on her lower stomach and the right decorated with two bracelets (one pearl one little spider webs) and two rings (green gemstone in a gold band on her ring finger and dark red gemstone in a gold band on her index) and resting on the center of her chest. The lower set of arms has the left wearing two gold bangles and a gold ring with a purple gemstone on her thumb. Her hand is pressed against her thigh. The right arm is wearing a matching glove to the left arm in the second pare and is resting on her lower thigh. She wears a tight fitting black dress with a slit up the right leg and a deep sweetheart neckline. Starting at just below the bust line there is a loose billowing partially sheer layer to the dress that buttons up to a high collar and has long flowing sleeves worn on the top set of arms and ends in cuffs at either wrist. Both the collar and the cuffs are trimmed in white lace. There is a very light purple boarder around the image and the Roman numeral 8 (IIX) at the top. /End ID]

[fastcardotmp3]

a steddie "they reconnect after years apart" journey except they never got all that close post-Vecna to begin with. Like they spend a week in hell together, develop the sort of respect you have for someone when you have to work together to save the world, but it doesn't ever get much bigger than that.

They're just two guys who stumbled into each other's lives on circumstance alone and then spend the next decade seeing each other precisely once a year at the single shared holiday they both spend with the party.

New Years.

Eddie always spends Thanksgiving with Wayne and Steve is with Robin every 4th of July (running off and doing their own thing in a tradition everyone knows not to ask about) so the only time both of them end up at the Hopper-Byers residence every year is in that final countdown towards something new.

and they're not enemies and they're not-not friends either, but it's like that friend of your cousin who shows up to the party and you'll chat and make polite conversation and roll your eyes when they say something a bit out of bounds for two people who don't know each other all that well except.

Well, except, when you do that every year it becomes routine. When you do it every year it becomes, I know I'm not gonna have to continue this conversation in the morning so fuck it I'll be honest with you. When you do it every year, on the tipsiest night of the year, surrounded by people you trust in an environment that feels intrinsically safe it becomes--

"Did you quit your shitty job yet or are you still being a pussy about it?"

and it becomes--

"you're not still dating that same jerk as last year, right?"

and it becomes--

"wait, you hate playing Christmas music, why would you let someone talk you into that? Next time call me and I'll knock some sense into your dense skull"

and it becomes--

"I mean obviously a friends with benefits thing wouldn't work out, Steve, you're a serial monogamist"

and it becomes--

"Hey, it's good to see you again, man"

and it becomes--

"I missed your stupid hair."

and it becomes--

"I missed your drunk fucking rants."

and it becomes--

"I missed you."

Years pass, turning one into the next and it becomes I missed you I missed you I miss you.

Because they've been doing this long enough that they know each other, one night a year holding up the kitchen-counter-turned-bar and having their own little isolated conversation in the yellow glow of the only well-lit room in the house, and somewhere along the line they started knowing each other. Seeing each other. Understanding.

At some point it starts to ache, leaving that behind in the early hours of the morning and starting a new year all over again, counting down towards that final countdown when it all feels like it clicks into place. And later, at another point, they start to notice the ache.

They start to notice that they really are leaving something behind in the magic of that moment and it becomes a question of can this survive in the light of day?

It's 1995, about to tip over into 1996 when Eddie looks at Steve and doesn't see the guy pressed up against the wall of a boat shed, or the guy diving headfirst into a frigid lake so the rest of them wouldn't have to, or the guy walking away towards battle with something like uncertainty and something like hope both scrambling for purchase in his eyes.

It's 1995, about to be 1996 when Eddie looks at this guy from his past and realizes that just because he never knew him then doesn't mean he doesn't now, doesn't mean he's not allowed to get to know him now.

Eddie's not the guy who held that bottle to his throat anymore after all, not the guy who dove into that lake after him, who broke a promise and tried to be a hero. Ten years does a lot to a person and so when the Eddie of today looks at the Steve of today and says--

"I'm gonna kiss you at midnight this time, for the record."

--it doesn't feel like the ground is quaking, like anything has to shift to make space for the change that is Steve's slow smile around the lip of his glass in response.

They've been making space for ten years. They've been moving closer to each other a centimeter at a time in this well-lit kitchen, up against the counter-turned-bar.

"Well, if we're going on the record," Steve shrugs as a noise maker cuts through the warmth of their family's chattering throughout the house, "I know that already."

"Yeah?" Eddie's eyebrows shoot up, delight filling up his chest like the mystical hope of starting over. "How?"

"You get this look in your eye," Steve shrugs, "every time you plan on escalating."

Eddie chews on the inside of his cheek to keep from beaming too broadly, sets his glass on the sideboard and gives Steve a curious once-over.

"Yeah, that's the one," Steve laughs, this bright and full sound that it took probably three of those first New Years Eves for Eddie to earn, and it spurs him on.

It has always been becoming, the space between them, and it has always been becoming this, Eddie holding Steve's cheek assuredly with one confident hand and pressing their lips together in a simple, all-consuming, closed-mouth shout of a kiss.

"You didn't wait until midnight," Steve breathes when they pull away, and fuck Eddie has missed him, has found so much to miss in knowing him.

"Don't worry Cinderella," Eddie lets their foreheads touch, lets all that space officially close shut, "I ain't going anywhere when the clock chimes."

[dragon-queen21]

Regressor Toga & Caregiver Mr. Compress

tw: nightmares, slight sh, just general hurt/comfort

I never posted this here, but I finished the final chapter of quite the ongoing fic, with Toga regressing and the league of villains watching over her. Each chapter can be read as a stand alone, the rest which can be found here on my ao3

~~~

Mr. Compress really didn’t mean to intrude. All he wanted was some nice, cold, 3 am ice water. Truly that was all.

Hearing Toga screaming bloody murder while he was returning to his room with said drink in hand, was not in the least part of his midnight ambition.

In fear that something had gone terribly wrong he ran to the youngest member’s room, throwing the door wide open. He would have to apologize for so rudely entering her personal space at another time when he was sure that she was alright.

“Hey what happened?! What’s going on?!” He looked around the room frantically, seeing nothing out of place but the girl herself.

The teen was sitting up in her bed, hands shaking as she clutched at her shirt tightly. She wasn’t screaming anymore, nearly hyperventilating instead, staring at some unseen distance in front of her.

The sight in front of Mr. Compress nearly shattered his heart. “Toga? Hey now. It’s alright. Just a nightmare.” He spoke soothingly, stepping towards her slowly.

His voice must have reached her ears, her gaze snapping towards him. Compress could tell that she wasn’t truly seeing him, eyes unfocused, hazy with tears. “Mama?” Her voice stuttered out between ragged breaths.

His heart broke just a little more that night as he regretfully shook his head. “No dear. Your mama isn’t here right now.” He took this moment to come closer to her. “I need you to breathe for me.”

He could see sweat gathered on her face, heat making her clothes stick uncomfortable to her skin. He wanted nothing more than to clean her up, to protect her from the world and promise that she wouldn’t have these terrors every again as long as he could help it.

“Mm can’t.”

“Yes you can love.”

Toga shook her head.

“Bad. Very bad.” She raised her hand and started to smack the sides of her forehead.

Mr. Compress grabbed both of her hands and held them in his shortly after his brain had processed what she was doing. “None of that. Breathe with me. You’re safe.” He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles softly, continuing on, “It was all a dream. No one can hurt you here. I won’t let them.”

The better part of 20 minutes was spent calming the younger girl down. Sweet nothings and reassurances mixed with breathing instructions and countdowns. He couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh as Toga seemed to come back around to the present, no longer stuck in her own mind. Her gaze slowly focusing back in on the world around her.

“You back Toga?” He asked, giving her hand a soft, reassuring squeeze.

Toga nodded slightly, before asking a question herself. “No mama?”

“No love. She’s not here.”

Toga whined, momentarily tightening her grip on his hand.

“I’m sorry dear.”

“Not yous fault…” she mumbled, pulling one of her hands out of his grasp to chew on her sleeve. She stares at the wall, facing slightly away from Mr. Compress. He’s nearly afraid that she’s going to disassociate again.

He taps her hand twice, getting her attention with a soft hum. “Let’s wash your face hmm? Make my princess feel better?” His response was grabby hands and another small whine.

Mr. Compress picked Toga up, setting the girl on his hip. They made their way to the bathroom and he carefully sat Toga down on the counter. She started to cry once she was let go of.

“Hold on there, I’m not leaving you, just grabbing a washcloth. See?” He dampened the cloth with water and used it to gently pat her face clean, followed by her neck and hands. “There. Much better huh?”

She didn’t respond.

“Poor dear. Night terrors are simply the worst, aren’t they?” Mr. Compress asked, brushing back a strand of blonde hair from her face. She nodded miserably, tilting forward so that her head was now lying against his chest.

“I think it’s time to head back to bed now.”

She babbled aimlessly and he took that as a sign to carry the regressor back to bed.

He pulled back her covers and settled Toga very comfortably back against her pillows, taking a seat at the edge of her bed himself. Toga eyed him suspiciously, no doubt upset at the prospect of being left all by herself so soon.

“How about I recall a story just for your entertainment. I think I know a good one, about one of the shows I used to preform and-” a hand tugged on his sleeves just as he was starting to gather his story points. “Yes?” Toga just hid her face behind her blanket with a soft sound. “I can’t read minds little one.” He reminded her gently. She just whined again.

“Umm?”

“ah ba!” She babbled, which did not aid the man in the slightest.

“Right so…” Mr. Compress had absolutely no idea what she was wanting although he did have an idea, what with little information he has gathered from other members of the league.

It didn’t take him long to find animal that toga seemed to always be caring whenever she was small.

“Could this be what my princess is looking for?” Mr. Compress asked, and with a flourish of his hands opened a blue marble containing the precious stuffed bat.

Toga gave a small gasp. “ba’y ba’!” She babbled, bouncing slightly.

“There you go.” She hugged the plush tightly.

Mr. Compress produced a second marble, this time containing a dark red pacifier also acquired from the same drawer. He gave it to Toga who took the item with little complaints.

“Now might I interest you in a story?”

Toga nodded once, settling back down into her blankets to listen to the magicians tale.

It wasn’t long till she was back to sleep, not while snuggled up with her bat stuffy along with the soft background noise that promised safety. It was cozy.

“Sweet dreams.”

[demxnicprxncess]

Can I please request what a New Years kiss would be like with the Evans? Thank you!

ABSOLUTEY HUN

Taglist: @kitwalkersgfff, @ppawmpkin, @yes-divine-ruler, @quicksilversg1rl, @charsdunkie, @eddiemunsonsbitch69, @dahmevan, @sultrysullen

warnings: Suicide on after jail kai, just flat-out Kai Anderson

New Years kiss with the Evans

Evan: He held you close until the clock struck midnight before pulling you in and kissing your lips gently before pulling away from you. "Wanna set the new year off with a bang sweetheart?" He slowly got down on one knee, "I wanna marry you."

Tate: You had fallen asleep but felt his lips on yours, "It's the new year?" he shook his head and then you heard the Harmons count down. Once they reached one, Tate picked you up and carried you to the room before planting a kiss to your lips. "I love you."

Kit: You and him had your fair share of drinks and sloppily did your little count down before kissing, a few seconds later y'all were sleep.

Kyle pre-death: You were at a party and got drunk Kyle was taking care of you smiling as he watched you jump with each count. He smiled at you but then felt you press your lips to his, kissing him and pulling him closely.

Kyle Post-Death: You had gotten him all excited and once the countdown ended, he saw a couple on the tv kiss, so he looked at you and kissed you too. "Pretty." He mumbled against your lips making you melt inside. "You are too, Ky." He smiled "Me pretty?" you nodded and kissed him again.

James: With the little counts you did he popped some champaign and then took a sip. Once you asked if you could have some, he pressed his lips to yours spilling the beverage into your mouth. "Another year with you my dear. And many more to come."

Kai: You guys had done a countdown kill and once the live was over he snatched his mask off as you did yours pulling you into a rough kiss groaning in it, his hands snaking down to your ass. "WE FUCKING DID IT!"

Kai Pre-Cult: He was slightly nervous but nonetheless had fun with you. once that clock hit midnight you pulled him into a cute little make out kiss. "I've always wanted to do that." "Me too Kai."

After Prison Kai: You went to his grave mourning and drinking while doing the little countdown. Once it hits midnight you kissed his grave and a picture of him before crying and pulling out your gun. "I love you." You cocked the gun before unloading a bullet into your brain dying in front of your lover. Soon to be reunited with your Divine Ruler.

Jimmy: You guys didnt have to perform so you decided to spend it together, you always liked Jimmy but was sure he wouldn't like you considering you were a normie and he had a whole fall down with Madison (wtv tf her name was idgaf tbh) You did the countdown with everyone and had fun but then felt an overwhelming amount of loneliness seeping through your body. "Darlin'" You turned around and felt lips on yours immediately noticing it was jimmy you wrapped yourself around him. "Happy New Year, Jimmy."

Peter: He spun you around till you were dizzy and then pampered you with kisses and corny jokes. "What are you doing Peter?!" He laughed still spinning you. "Starting the new year of with a twirl." You glared at him with a playful look before kissing him.

Alex: He slept. you slept. Y'all woke up and kissed at like 12 at noon.

Cooper Day: He wasn't totally for the kiss and looked at you when you leaned forward. "What are you doing?" You looked at him. "New Year's kiss?" He sighed but kissed you anyways making you feel all bubbly inside and happy. "I love you Coop" He looked down. "Yeah, yeah, go to sleep."

HAPPY NEW YEARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

from me and @ppawmpkin

[wherehave-yougone]

TW!!!!!!!!! Violence and substances mentioned!!!!

THIS IS A VENT POST about something I went through that I've never told anyone before. I thought if i wrote it all out maybe I could work through it a little.

December 31 2022,

Me and my fiance at the time went to a new years party at our friend J's house and I invited one of my childhood friends. Everyone had been drinking and smoking w**d, but no one had gotten as drunk as my fiance.

When the countdown to midnight started we all went outside to light fireworks. My fiance was so drunk he fell off the porch twice, and had to be helped into a chair. He was angry and calling me names at this point, and he said he wanted to go home. We had gotten in some minor fights before where we threw things or pushed each other , I didn't want to escalate to that so I chose to not be in the same vehicle as my fiance.

J drove him while my friend and i followed behind in another car. They got my fiance inside and put him in bed. Everyone had left ( or so i thought).

I went to put a blanket over my fiance.. He got up and charged towards me. I calmed him down a little and he went to the bathroom, but shortly after came running out to charge at me again. He grabbed me by the wrists pushing me in no particular direction. After some struggle I pushed him onto the couch but he still had hold of my arms tightly. I was frozen with shock and fear. I kept repeating "its ok it's ok its ok" in a whisper to try to rationalize what was happening. The only other words i managed to say were "im sorry please I know its my fault" even though I didnt know what i was apologizing for. He kept trying to swing his fists and kick his legs at me for what felt like hours, but was luckily too drunk to really land any hits.

I managed to call J while still being held by my arms and told him I needed help. J responded with " just call the cops and let them take him". I didn't want him to go to jail and ruin his life... Our life. So i called his parents. They said I should "relax it cant be that bad" to which I screamed "come get your son or the cops will". They showed up 30 minutes later (they only live 10 minutes away) and didn't try to stop him at all.

Once I finally got away from him I hid in a gap between the stove and the counter. His parents let him run around trying to find me until he gave up and they got him in their car. I handed my engagement ring to his mom and she pushed it back towards me saying "just wait until tomorrow to make a decision". His parents tried to convince me to get over it multiple times until they left and took him with them.

I don't know if it was from the shock or just needing to get away, but i ran outside to the parking lot. My childhood friend had been in his truck trying to sober up before heading home, and saw me run out. After explaining what happened we went back inside to start cleaning everything that had been broken from the fight.

After putting the lamp back on the broken table with my busted pineapple clock, I fell to the floor and started sobbing. With no energy to move, i laid there in a crumpled ball all night while my friend sat next to me just listening to me cry... 11 years of tears and anger came out that night. All of the things I had held in for so long surfaced and kept pouring out uncontrollably.

Morning finally came, as my phone started ringing. "Why am I at my parents" he said in an angry tone. I explained to him what had happened ... "Bullsh*t that didn't happen, im coming home right now f*ck you dont lie to me". I begged him not to come home yet, i said I was scared and needed time. He stayed away for a week until he decided it had been long enough and once he came home he saw the bruises on my arms. they were so bad i had to wear long sleeves at work for a month.

In that month things escalated. Every time I tried to talk to him I'd end up screaming and manic but I didn't know why. He drank every day even though he promised he would go to AA and get help. He would try to convince me to stay the night with him and every time i did he would be mad I didn't want to have s*x. I just wanted to be held but that "wasn't fair to his needs".

Through all of this my friend was trying to get approved on a trailer for us to live in, and that just pushed my fiance over the edge, but I needed a break and didn't trust any of my other friends anymore to stay with them. After signing the lease my fiance would call me and yell for hours about how I was a wh*re ,and I deserved to d*e ,and how he'd str*ngle my friend and "h*ng him by his dreadlocks". Then he would switch to how he was sorry and that I shouldn't be with someone like him and that I deserved better. He would threaten to k*ll himself multiple times, he took pills so much i had to call his dad to make sure he was ok.

One day he called and said he was going to k*ll himself and sounded serious. I had my friend drive me to him as fast as possible while my fiance was screaming profanity at me over the phone the whole way. As I walked in he put a g*n to his head and said "look at what you've done". I panicked and started hitting his chest to try to get him to stop. Finally he put it down and said " sorry I'm not in my right mind" and convinced me he wouldn't do it if I stayed the night. I agreed (I'm an idiot). We laid in bed cuddling when he tried to convince me to have s*x again and got mad like usual because I didn't want to. He told me i was over reacting and that "its not like he r*ped me" so he didn't understand why i didn't want to have s*x. We ended up fighting the whole night until sunrise.

After that I didn't go back until the weekend was over. Upon entering the apartment I found condoms all over the bed, and some drawing clearly done by a girl on the kitchen table. I called him crying. He had been begging me to come back while he was f*king some other girl. The same days he said I was his soulmate and he loved me, he had another girl on our couch holding my cat, taking my home.

A few more days past and he messaged me saying that he was done. He told me I could keep the engagement ring because "he wanted his first love to always keep it", He said that he found someone and they made him happy. He said just because he's happy doesn't mean he doesn't miss me.. And that maybe other people needed us in their lives more right now.. He told me we could be friends.

August 5th 2023 came and he said that he wanted the engagement ring back and I needed to come get one last box of stuff. The box was full of my childhood pictures and all the love notes I'd written him.. Even the most recent one. I was crushed seeing him in person again. I saw his new girl through the window holding my cat in the apartment I picked out for us... I told him he had been my best friend and that I would always love him but he hurt me, to which he said "you'll get over it". This was not the man i loved for all those years.. This was a stranger. As my friend drove us back I broke down screaming and crying about how much i wanted to d*e. My friend just stayed quiet and let me get it out the whole way home.

Days turned into weeks and I was still crying. I still am and its been 124 days since I last saw him... I don't know if i cry because I miss him or if I cry because the pain he caused wont go away. I know I cry because I lost my cat, my baby. He took him after promising I could have him and I'll never be able to see his orange face ever again... This is what crushes me most, To the point that I've decided to not have children so I never have to be that attached to something or someone again.

Not even a week ago he blocked me on everything just so he could post pictures of his new girl. He hated taking pictures. He never let me post selfies of my own. I haven't made a post on regular social media in a year and I feel pathetic... I feel stupid for still feeling hurt over what he does. He promised to be my best friend no matter what, he broke every other promise so why would he keep this one..

Its been months since that incident and just now people from my friend group are reaching out to me to ask how i am. And to tell me how my ex has ghosted everyone for his new girlfriend. So since they don't have him they think they can be friends with me again. Ha! Yeah f*cking right. No one was there for me except the people i talk to now and I'm not going to let that go. They all had bad things to say about the person i live with now but couldn't be there when i needed help ? go jump off a bridge you f*cks.

No one in my old life cared. I could starve and cut and take dr*gs and they would tell me I needed to lose more weight or needed to take more dr*gs cuz I was too uptight. My ex didn't even care when I lost 40 lbs from not eating. He just told me i was stupid . He threw a hashbrown at me once and said i was ret*rded cuz it was just food and that i shouldn't be crying cuz I wanted to eat it but couldn't make myself.

Some days I see how bad my past was.. Other days im blinded by the good memories and cry because I wonder if I made the right choice. I lost my cat, my fucking baby, over all of this. I lost the person I called my soulmate and my best friend, the person i thought was going to hold my wrinkly hand when im old...the thought of losing that still makes me cry even now... and I lost my hometown because I ran away. But I have gained a lot too since leaving.

I've started dating the person i live with. He was there through it all and showed me just how amazing of a person he is. I always felt a connection but my love for my ex was always too strong to make me think of anyone else. But now I find myself becoming more attached to my new bf. I can be vulnerable. Even if he isn't the best with words or advice, he listens. He doesn't tell me to stop crying, he just holds me until i do. I didn't intend to love someone else so quickly, and i may not be fully healed but that's ok. I am building myself back up with him. And he is very patient. We have our own issues, every relationship does, but I feel like maybe i can get through this trauma a little easier when hes there. I'm afraid to ever be that connected to someone again though... I dont know if I'll ever trust someone the way i did with my ex.. I might never let myself fully love again. And that is my payment for loving someone deeper than the ocean. Guard your heart until you know the person you love will guard it for you. And treat every day like its the last you'll see your loved ones or pets.. Because for me it was. Knowing they're 30 minutes away and I'll never be able to see them again will forever be something i have to live with and work through... But it will hurt me until the day i die.

If you read all of this, i just want to say thank you. You took the time out of your day to read some strangers life story, which shows you care more than anyone in my life currently. You are awesome <3 feel free to message or follow, I follow back <3

[smol-grey-tea]

Secret Ending Three - Chapter Six: New Me

The one with the New Year's 👌 just the Gregorian one, not the lunar one

Before any of us even knew it, it was New Year's Eve. Things have been moving so fast though, I wonder how many years have already gone by without us even realising it. How many years worth did I spend reliving the same four months over and over? Two? Or was it even more than that? The memories are still so jumbled, I should probably just start with trying to remember how today went, then work back from there.

Right. We've been celebrating the new year all day. The boys all have a collection of New Year's greeting cards from their fans, but the only ones we have displayed are the ones from Soi and Shinbi that came in the post yesterday morning. Tei and Yeonho worked together to make a delicious rice cake soup for us all, which was probably their best dish yet.

Lance insisted on studying, even despite the holiday, and Yuri still disappeared for a while. But I'm glad that, right now, we're all gathered in the living room to watch the fireworks together. Every single one of us.

I feel so happy, I can't even put it to words... I've spent so long reliving the past, it feels like it really has been years since I've done anything like this. Time has just been repeating itself over and over again. I'm so excited for life to finally move forward once more, to finally start making new memories, enjoying new holidays together with my new family.

"I actually always hated fireworks. They're way too loud for no reason, and everyone else screams really loud when they see them too," says my bear, sitting on the floor between my legs. I run a few strands of his purple hair through my fingers while my other hand rests on his shoulder and I just can't help but smile at him sympathetically.

"I have to agree," says Lance to my right. He shifts his position between myself and Red, squished up against us both awkwardly. Red seems unbothered. "Not to mention how dangerous they are. I can't imagine actually feeling safe next to one. Just watching them on a screen like this is bad enough."

"Lance agreeing with someone?" laughed Yuri. "Well that's funny. I, for one, don't mind them too much. Quite romantic to kiss a pretty lady under."

"It won't be as romantic when you start a forest fire with them though, Yuri," Tei smirked. But it's hard not to notice how much calmer their relationship is now. Yuri just rolls his eyes in response and goes back to watching the tv. Tei hasn't even chastised him for lounging across the couch like he owns the place either.

"I've heard that they're bad for the environment too though," Yeonho says from the floor.

"Argh, you guys! You're all ruining the fun! It's New Year's, we don't have to care about that!" Red groans, throwing his fists into the air. The volume pierces my ears but it's nothing new.

"Yeah, can't we just enjoy this? For some of you, it's the first time experiencing the new year, and for me, it's been a billion years since I've celebrated anything other than Christmas. Let's just have fun today."

Everyone made sounds of agreement at that, while Red looked satisfied. Then- "It's starting!" - he exclaimed and jumped into the air abruptly, pushing Lance into me and causing a domino effect across the couch.

The countdown to midnight started and the tv showed a huge crowd of people cheering and counting along. It happened slowly and powerfully, the screen exploding with colour when the moment hit.

Everyone counted together at once, Red cheered and Yeonho clapped happily. Yuri fought to plant a kiss on my forehead while both Tei and Lance rolled their eyes. My bear covered his ears at the noise but clung onto me on the couch after all the commotion had died down.

"Happy new year, everyone!!" I'm smiling ear to ear. I'm so glad to be surrounded by family again. Even though it's been so insane (so, so insane) I think this has been the best year of my entire life.

The new year... I don't know how to feel about it. Maybe some more insane things will happen. Maybe they'll be good things, maybe they'll be bad. But I'm glad... I'll be going through it all with them. And I don't mind that at all.

When I look at everyone, I think about what we all went through together. Lance, Yeonho, Yuri, Tei, Red...and my bear too.

When I look at them all, I have the feeling that things will be okay, finally. But...there's one of them that I do worry about more than the others... He's standing in the kitchen, tidying the plates away, when I can finally speak with him on his own.

"Happy New Year," I say, still smiling, but I think he can see the hint of hesitation on my lips. He's always been able to see through people so easily, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't approach the subject without sensitivity.

He pauses to look at me, but returns to his work instantaneously, and asks with a returning kind smile, "twenty fourteen. Are you looking forward to the new year?"

"Yeah, I'm really excited! Thinking back to the start of last year, I don't think the future's looked so bright in...well, ever!"

"Bright?" He doesn't sound surprised, but I can tell, after knowing him for so long, that he disagrees.

"Yeah! 'Cause I'm going into the new year with you guys! I've never felt so safe and surrounded with love. What about you? Did you ever think, this time last year, that you'd be here?"

"Well no, my life is definitely a lot better than it was at this point last year..."

"... But..?"

He stops in the middle of cleaning and closes his eyes. He seems conflicted...

"Tei..? Are you alright..?"

"Our current situation is better, but I don't know if it's the best. It's something I've always admired about you, your ability to look at life so positively despite everything, but I can't say I agree with that worldview at all. I think it's more realistic to keep in mind all the things that can go wrong in the future."

"I was thinking you'd say that... I was worried, so I wanted to check up on you. I'm sorry I haven't asked about this sooner, but...how's this situation been affecting you? Your thoughts? It was you who suggested I choose someone, and I was wondering about how you were feeling."

I really do wish I'd have spoke to him about it sooner though; I know how hurtful Tei's thoughts can be to himself, especially if he might feel betrayed, knowing that I love everyone else as much as I love him. But I've been so preoccupied taking care of my bear, planning for the future, I just haven't had the time.

Plus...I was worried that he might not tell me the truth, even if I ask. I'm glad though, that that's not the case. I feel really thankful that he's now comfortable telling me how he feels, even if it's not good news. If he tells me what he's worried about, it'll be easier for me to help him.

Tei soon finished putting all of the plates away, then took a seat on the couch before patting the seat next to him. I eagerly sat down to listen to what he had to say.

"I can definitely understand why you'd be so happy right now. Everyone you love loves you back greatly. You were alone, and then your dolls came to life, and then you loved each of them, went through hardships, then came out the other side with all of them still loving you. You have the freedom to choose which of them you prefer."

"... Are you worried I won't pick you because you hurt me..? It's not something to worry about, I know that your thoughts aren't who you are, and you wouldn't have those thoughts at all if it were your choice, and I know about them now, so it'll be easier to-"

Tei stops me by putting a hand up. He closes his eyes and lets out a breath.

"I'm not worried about you not choosing me. I don't want you to choose me. I don't want to participate in this competition for your heart."

"Oh... I... But..."

I've been rehearsing this speech in my head for days, imagining all the different ways he might disagree, but this wasn't what I thought he'd say at all. What does he mean..??

"Tei, but... Why? It was your idea... Do you not want to?"

"I don't want you to misunderstand: I still love you. That's something that will never change. But you taught me to be honest, and...I don't think it's wise for us to be in a relationship.

"I wouldn't blame you for not choosing me over them. I'm someone who's hurt you multiple times, and you've got four, five better alternatives than this."

"But- but you can't say that's how I feel. I never said I wasn't going to choose you. I already said, your past is in the past, and you don't hurt me out of a genuine desire to hurt-"

"No, I understand that that's not what your decision is. I knew that you would be too kind, that's what I love about you.

"But I'm deciding to make the decision for you... I'm sorry, owner." He spoke sadly and sternly, but ended the last sentence looking guilty...

It does hurt to hear someone I love so much say that they don't want to be in a relationship with me anymore...but I understand that he's doing it because he loves me and wants the best for me.

But still... "Okay. So am I right in understanding that you'd still want to be in a relationship with me if you weren't a danger to me?"

"That's right... I'm sorry. But I think it's just too dangerous. I should stay away from you for now. Things seem to have gotten better for you, but..." he sighed, and spoke the next sentence quietly. "I feel like I've just gotten worse..."

"Tei..." I feel so bad for him... No, I don't blame him at all for breaking up with me. I can only imagine how he must feel right now, how hurt he must be from this. "I'm sorry we're in this position, Tei... This is such a lose-lose situation for you.

"If I choose you, you'd worry about hurting me, and if I don't, you'll worry about someone else hurting me. I don't think it's right. You're unhappy in both outcomes. Do you think you'll ever be really happy? I hope you will, even if that happiness doesn't even involve me."

"That's kind, but unfortunately I don't think it's possible. It's just something I have to live with. But please understand that you are my source of my happiness. I won't find it outside of you... Sorry."

Tei looks regretful, but there's no hesitation or surprise in his voice. This is something that he's internalised and accepted for a long time... I...don't like it. No... I hate it.

"That's not true. Don't say it like it's something normal. You shouldn't have to live with never being happy, Tei. Don't just accept it."

He sighed at my response. "Eri-"

"No. I won't let this slide. Isn't there a way? For it to stop? For the pain to go away? We can do it. Together. We can make your thoughts go away, and you'll never have to worry about hurting me again. We can do it."

"I'm sorry... I don't think this is something that can be fixed just like that. I'm a broken doll, beyond repair."

"No, you are not. You might be broken, but there's no way you're beyond repair." I can't shake the guilt and sorrow on his face when I take his hand and pledge to him my belief that he can't be helped.

"There's a lot of things that have happened since you guys came to life. Some bad things, some good things. But something I've learned is that everyone has something they think is wrong with them and they think they're beyond help. But they never are. That's never been the case, not once. They always get better.

"People always get better when they're supported with patience and love-"

"But I'm not-"

"If I'm not enough to help, then we'll just have to look for someone who is."

Tei blinks at me. "Are you... Do you mean...professional help?"

"Yeah. That's what I mean. What do you think?"

"That's... Well..." Tei rests his chin in his hand and considers this... I think it's cute watching his eyes fix on one point of the couch as the thoughts start turning in his brain.

But he shakes his head with a frown and says, "Ah, no, what would they even do? The worst case scenario is that they'd take me to prison or a mental hospital because I might hurt someone."

"But the best case scenario is that the treatment works and you get better and will feel happy when you think about the future. Even if it might go wrong, don't you think it's worth the risk? Don't you wanna try, just in case?"

Tei sighs, not wanting to meet my determined eyes. In the time that he hesitates, we're interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening. The smell of shampoo fills the air.

Red steps into the living room with a yawn, stretching in his pyjama bottoms. "Hm? You guys are still up? I thought the celebrations were over, it's like two in the morning."

"Aha, yeah, we'll go to bed soon. We were just talking about..."

"Oh, like a human birth certificate? I have one of them," Red said plainly.

"How it's difficult to do certain things because we don't have real identification. Some things, no matter how much we want to do them, might just be impossible without proof of our human existence."

Oh, ID. I assume Yuri just bribed someone to let the boys into the school, but for the doctors, I'm guessing it might be a bit more difficult, since they might be confused about why the boys don't have any medical history. And it's not like we can get Crobi Doll to give the boys ID.

"No, Red, we mean a real one," said Tei.

"Yeah, that's what I have."

"... Did you forget to take your brain with you into the new year?"

"No, I really have one!" he huffed and stormed off into his room. He was gone for a moment and came back soon with a document in his hand. "See? I have a real one. Except it says I was born in nineteen ninety five."

"Red... What?? Where did you get this?? When??" I pleaded with him, unable to perceive the reality of the paper in my hands.

"Ehh... Yeah, about that. I never brought it up 'cause there was never a good time...but the nice lady at the Crobi Doll shop in town gave this to me."

"... What?? When were you planning on telling me this??"

"Hey, it's not like it was a secret!! I was gonna tell you, but then you were sick, and then there was the play, and then there was Christmas, and then you disappeared, and then I forgot about it!!"

"How do you forget that Crobi Doll know that you came to life??"

"Uh, I don't know... Is it bad?"

"No," said Tei. His eyes are fixed on the birth certificate. I think I see a hesitant smile playing on his lips. Is that hope I can see on his face? "This can only be good news."

[itis4am]

Updates. 2/2

Breaking it into 2 parts because apparently summing up a complete year in one post is too tiring.

Okay the session started how I expected it to be but the first company came mid August and according to the expected timeline it should have come mid September but I the first company I applied to came in mid September so everything was going according to plan.

We had this entire list of companies that we would apply to and did that change drastically in the next two and a half months!

So, I had this benchmark for companies, filling below which would have been an insult to me. All was good until the companies kept pulling back, one after another there were news of company A withdrawing from placements, company B not coming.

Earlier I was the one selecting which company was good enough, it changed to filling all the companies that matched my profile.

Tests after tests, multiple tests in a single day, some bad, some good with no shortlists in hand. One of my friends said, "If you are filling 50 companies, 40 of those tests will go bad, it all comes down to that 1 company which will come for you." This was the only piece of advice I kept with me to stop myself from falling into a black hole.

Keeping a small group is important, talking to some of the people literally gave me anxiety. On paper, these people had practiced more than me, knew more than me (or so they showed). Couple this with the person saying I haven't done enough and no time is left, when I was there binge watching TV shows thinking to myself, three and a half months still remain. I learnt to listen from one ear and let it out from the next.

Then came the last fifteen days and the mix of end semester exams along with interview preparation and the realization that I am not as prepared as I thought I was. I had forgotten to revise topics that I studied in January, resume and project preparation was not even started paired with the countdown of days remaining.

Yes, I was able to complete all of this to a satisfactory level but could I have done more? Definitely.

Placements were hectic, I got rejected from 5 companies before I got the offer from a sixth one.

Am I happy? Yes.

Though I was aiming to get into the earliest company I could, it stretched out to later than I wanted. My interviews were, one on 29 November, 4 on midnight of 1st December and the final one in which I got selected in evening of 1st December. Between session 2 and 3 was when I felt, I had fucked up. Should've accepted the PPO from my internship company but all of these feelings suddenly went away after I got the offer.

Though I am uncapable of celebrating this success because of what happened last year. Getting the high and hitting the low. It has broken my trust forever. Also offers are getting rescinded revoked left and right, thanks to the recession so there always is that fear, if it happened once it can happen again.

Here's hoping that nothing goes wrong. (Fingers crossed)

Everything fell into place. From not even thinking about filling the company (the test is difficult) to solving the question that came in the test hours before to getting shortlisted for interview to flipping the preference position in a last minute check to miraculously having to give this interview before others. It all fell into place. A series of fortunate events. Grateful.

(Finally a grateful moment after a long time.)

[mosswillow]

New Year. - Mob boss!Bucky Barnes x reader

Warnings: 18+ adult content, Dark!!!, Noncon/dubcon, manipulation, smut.

Summary: A New Years themed dark Cinderella story.

A/N: this is another quickly written one shot that I threw together today to post. I may revisit this in the future and expand the story a bit but wanted it out today for obvious reasons.

Word count: 1.7k

“You have until midnight and not one second longer.”

You dart across the street recklessly, not caring if you’re hit by a car. Time is running out. You enter a dimly lit pawn shop and sprint to the counter, slamming down a ring. A shady looking man picks the ring up and examines it, grabbing a magnifying glass and holding it up to the light. He reminds you of a lizard, long and lean. He wears a green suit and his eyes are almost completely red, probably from drug use you decide.

“Where did you get this?” He asks.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The man thrums his fingers on the counter and makes a clicking noise with his tongue. “I’ll give you three hundred.”

“I need four.”

“Three fifty.”

You pick the ring up and turn your back, walking confidently away.

“Fine.” He calls out.

You stop and turn on your heel, holding the ring out for him.

“Make it quick, I have somewhere to be.”

One year ago - New years eve

You attend the annual new year's masquerade every year. The exclusive ball is filled to the brim with wealthy, well connected individuals, most of whom are alleged criminals. You always feel nervous going but go nonetheless. Your father took you several years ago shortly before he died and now you go in his memory, hoping to maybe feel just for the evening like he’s still with you. You put on your dress, a thrifted gown that you were lucky to find, and look at yourself in the mirror.

You look beautiful. It’s rare these days that you feel good about yourself but today nobody can bring your mood down. Today you’re Cinderella, dancing the night away before returning to your ordinary life after midnight comes.

You walk downstairs to find a note left for you. Your step mother and sisters have left without you which is to be expected. You’re thankful for the place to stay and never ask for anything more. They’re not your family and only tolerate you because of your father. Once you find a way out of New York you’ll leave and never look back. You make your way to the street, calling a cab. It’s a little splurge but you don’t want to risk ruining your dress on the subway and tonight is about living luxuriously.

The cab takes you to a decadent hotel and you walk in, marveling at the sheer size of it. Despite growing up in this world, it still feels overwhelming.  Someone hands you a glass of champagne and you take a sip, savoring the taste. You make your way across the room, taking it all in when you bump into him, or more accurately he bumps into you.

“I’m so sorry miss, I didn’t see you there.”

Your eyes meet and there’s a spark, a feeling of intense attraction that you can’t ignore, and you know he feels it too. The noise and movement throughout the room fades and it’s just you and him.

“I’m Bucky,” He says, holding out his hand.

The world comes crashing down as you realize who he is, Bucky Barnes, the most notorious man in the US. He’s young, probably only a few years older than yourself but he holds himself like someone who’s lived a long and difficult life.

“It’s not a problem sir, I’m unharmed.” You smile politely.

He puts his hand up to your face, gently brushing his thumb over your cheek before tearing off your mask.

“What’s your name?” He says, taking a step towards you.

“Beth.” you say the first name that pops into your head.

“Beth…”

“Smith, Beth Smith.”

Bucky smiles “Nice to meet you… Beth Smith.”

You nod and grab your mask away before escaping his company. You keep your distance the whole night despite Bucky’s multiple attempts to corner you and by midnight you’re ready to leave. You hear the countdown as you run from the building, looking over your shoulder nervously before getting in your cab.

Present.

You check your watch as you leave the pawn shop. You have twenty minutes, twenty minutes to make it to bucky’s penthouse or it’s all over. You barely got all the money you needed. You even asked your step mother to help. She refused, unsurprisingly. You were forced to sell everything you own, even the ring your mother once wore, your last keepsake of her.

Six months ago.

You write the order on a cup and hand it to your coworker before turning back to help the next customer. You’ve worked at the coffee shop for years now. You have a college degree but jobs are scarce in your field and you need the money. You’ve sent applications out across the entire country and hope to one day get hired somewhere and move off.

“What can I get for you?” you say before realizing who’s standing in front of you.

“I don’t like being lied to.” Bucky taps your nametag.

“I…”

“I’ve been watching for a few months, making sure you’re the one.”

He grabs the menu off the counter, looking through the different options.

“I want you,” He says nonchalauntly.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Marry me.”

“I don’t know you.”

“If you come with me you’ll live a life of luxury. You won’t have to work places like this.” He sets the menu back down and smoothes his hand over it.

“And what does this marriage entail?” You ask.

“Complete obedience and devotion. You’ll do everything I say, have my children and keep my bed warm. In return you’ll have more money than you know what to do with, more luxury than you could fathom in your pretty little head and my loyalty. You will be my love and my obsession. I will never leave you and never let you go.”

You look at him like he’s crazy, which he most definitely is.

“Thank you for the offer but I’m going to pass.”

Bucky slams his fist on the counter suddenly, making you jump.

“I always get what I want.”

You take a small step back.

“Not this time.”

Bucky stares at you for several moments before taking a deep breath and ordering a drink. You serve it to him and watch him walk out of the coffee shop.

Present.

You jump on the subway and make your way towards Bucy’s penthouse, running like a madwoman trying to make it on time. You look at your watch again and have one minute. Time is running out. You run full speed towards his building, ignoring the ache in your lungs and cramp in your leg.

Three months ago.

“Bucky, stop buying me stuff, I said no already and nothing’s going to change my mind.”

You throw a box of chocolate in Bucky’s face and he scowls at you. He reaches forward, grabbing the back of your head and pulling you forward, whispering into your ear.

“I tried to show you what you could have, how much I could give you. I guess I have to try something different.”

He lets go of you.

“I won’t bring any more gifts.”

“Thank you.” you say quietly.

Present.

The seconds tick away and you finally reach his door. You bang your hand over and over while checking the time again on your watch.

12:02am

One week ago

“Bucky, I know you’re the one who set this up. I didn’t do it, I’m being framed.”

You yell at him, not caring who hears. The police showing up to your apartment with guns and pulling you into the station for hours and hours has left you without any fucks to give. You were about to leave town. You have a ticket ready to leave and start your life over somewhere new. Now you have to turn down a dream job and stay in town due to an ongoing murder investigation of someone you’ve met only once in passing.

“I can cover it up for you… for a price of course.”

You start to turn around and he grabs your arm, pulling you back.

“Here’s the deal. You bring me twenty thousand dollars before midnight new years eve. If you can bring me the money I’ll cover it up and leave you alone forever.”

You look down.

“And if I don’t get the money I go to prison?”

“No baby, you go to prison if you leave this room right now. If you bring me the money you’re free forever but if you don’t I own you. That’s the deal, take it or leave it.”

Your body slackens as you realize you don’t have any choice. Your only chance is to get twenty thousand by next week.

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch, I’m a fair man. I could just kidnap you but I want you to come willingly.”

You sigh.

“I’ll bring the money as long as you promise not to interfere.”

“It’s a deal,” Bucky smiles.

He lets you go and walks over to a small couch, taking a seat.

“You have until midnight and not one second longer,” he says as you close the door to his office.

Present.

You fall to the floor and start crying. Bucky crouches in front of you and puts his finger under your chin, pulling it up so that you’re looking him in the eyes.

“You were so close.”

“Please Buck, it was two minutes.”

Bucky grabs your arm and pulls it up, dragging you into his home.

“A deal is a deal baby, I wouldn’t be where I am now without honoring deals.”

He takes a box from the coffee table and opens it up, showing you a huge diamond ring.

He fixes the ring on your hand, a perfect fit. You stare at the stone, a reminder that it’s all about Bucky. You don’t even like diamonds and you’re sure he knows that. He knows everything about you. From this point on you’re his. He takes your hand and kisses it before grabbing the back of your head and bringing you forward for a kiss. He slides his other hand down between your legs, pulling your skirt up and grabbing your pussy.

“I’ve waited so long for this.”

He pushes you down onto the couch and you take a deep breath before opening your legs, giving him access. He fucks you relentlessly, pushing you toward your own orgasm. Fireworks go off outside the window and you hear the celebrations as people welcome the new year.

“That’s my girl,” Bucky whispers as he pulls you into his embrace.

You listen to the fireworks until they fade and you drift off into a dreamless sleep.

[dontbeunraisonable]

New Year’s Kiss — BNHA x Reader — Part Three

(This takes place in a wonderful alternate universe where covid doesn’t exist. Please stay safe this holiday season! Please don’t exchange saliva with randos!)

This feels kinda repetitive, but I hope you enjoy regardless!

Characters Included: Kirishima Eijirou, Midoriya Izuku, Sero Hanta, Shinsou Hitoshi, Shoji Mezo

Word Count: 786

Warnings: none?

The rest of the series is here!

“3! 2! 1! Happy New Year’s!” . . .

Kirishima Eijirou

Eijirou had you cuddled up close next to him on the plaza, trying to conserve body heat. You were pressing yourself as close to him as possible, trying to fuse into one being while he talked with some of your friends.

You tucked your head into him, silently willing a fire to come into being next to you. Instead, the countdown began, and you pulled your face out of Eijirou’s warm figure to look up into the sky for the firework show. He pressed his mittens to your cheeks to help warm them, and you giggled in thanks.

When the countdown ended, he pulled your face to his and gave you a long, sweet kiss. When he pulled away you whined quietly at the loss of contact, and he immediately kissed you again. You squished back into his arms, with perfect contentment.

“I love you, Ei,” you whispered, when you finally let him go. He hummed and pulled you back into a kiss.

Midoriya Izuku

You and Izuku were sitting hip to hip on the couch in his mother’s apartment, watching TV idly. Mrs. Midoriya had gone to bed early, telling you two to stay awake as long as you’d like. The countdown began on your phone, which you two whispered and rocked back and forth in sync.

Then you two jumped up and quietly cheered, dancing around without making too much noise.

You were both wearing pajamas, and his hair was even messier than usual due to the blanket he had over his head. When he stopped turning and looked at you, he beamed wide, opening his arms up for a hug.

You flung yourself into him, and kissed his cheek. He tilted your face towards him again and kissed you properly. “Happy New Year, baby,” he whispered, before kissing you again, holding you tightly after dropping back onto the couch with you in his arms.

Sero Hanta

You were silently composing how to ask Sero for a New Year’s kiss. You had gone over maybe a dozen different speeches, each one being scrapped. You almost missed the countdown with your anxious musings, but cheered alongside everyone else when the New Year began.

He tugged at your sleeve, and asked if you were okay. You nodded, and looked at him for a few seconds before speaking, your voice cracking once to your mortification.

“Would you like to - can we have a - uhm,” you paused, and he looked to you encouragingly. You gave up. “Kiss me?”

He froze for a moment, and then leaned in to peck you sweetly. When you pulled away, he whispered, “Again, please?” You took tiny steps closer until you two were chest to chest, holding each other’s faces in your hands, pressing lips to each other over and over again.

Shinsou Hitoshi

You two had climbed up into a tree for some quiet and a better view of the firework show. You sat snuggled together, chatting about your hopes for the New Year. His eyes were still tired, and you teased him, asking him to make one of his resolutions to try sleeping.

He brushed your teasing off, and then brushed some branches aside so you two could see the fireworks show. After watching for a few moments, you pulled his arm away, letting the branches hide you two again. You leaned in for a kiss, letting him close the distance between you two if he was comfortable.

He leaned in eagerly, pressing his lips against yours with a small smile. He whispered a quiet ‘I love you’ against your lips, and you murmured something in response, busy trying to get closer to him to kiss him more.

Shoji Mezo

You had accidentally fallen asleep watching TV with Mezo. You two had the lights out and you had cuddled up next to him and promptly zonked out. He continued watching and softly massaged your temples while you drooled on your arm. He decided he would wake you when it got close to midnight so you could celebrate with him. But you looked so cute, he couldn’t bear to wake you.

Around two hours later, you were woken by the fireworks. You jerked, and Mezo hushed you, pulling you up into his arms. “Happy New Year,” he said quietly, kissing your forehead.

“I fell asleep?” you rubbed the drool from your face, “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I wanted you to sleep.” You murmured something unintelligible, and wriggled around to look up into his face. He smiled at you, and met your puckered lips with his own. “You’re cute when you sleep. You drool.” You groaned and rubbed your face angrily.

“Weirdo.” He shushed you and kissed your cheeks while you two looked out the window at the firework show.

Posted 2020 December 31

[theahgamag]

WEEKLY ENCORE 2022 – Week 1 (January 1-9)

Welcome to the first ever weekly cover on GOT7 news. It is only the first week of the year and the boys has given us a lot! From new albums to welcome kits to NBA, birds have been busy all week.

Some of the boys had quite a lot of updates that it is hard to keep track.

Lets journey back to the first week member by member, starting off with our dear leader JAYB.

Jaebeom had ended the year with a brief Instagram live; he wished everyone a happy new year with a 15 minute live. And started the year with a greeting tweet… on January 4th.

But Jaebeom came bearing gifts; we got a release date for his new episode as Def. And this episode will be the first episode to have a physical copy. A very special episode indeed. Pre orders have started already (and will end on 12th). Many birds quickly started checking their wallet to see what was left after the holiday period.

We also got the KAZZ photoshoot behind and… it is safe to say, JayB never disappoints whatever he does. The man has quite an allure to himself.

As we all know this week was JayB’s birthday, and by luck it fell on his Bbomdi BBomdi day. Station Z staff showed their support and love to our leader once again by not only decorating and giving him a birthday cake but arranging a heartwarming surprise. They arranged an audio letter from members currently in S.Korea and even got Jackson as a phone guest. Jackson being in the middle of a busy schedule recorded a video message in case he couldn’t make it. The whole thing was sweet, members slightly teasing but sending love, Jackson promising to call JayB after midnight in China so it would be his birthday. A must watch for an Ahgase.

(JayB looks adorably surprised when Encore starts to play, followed by members messages)

While you are there, also check StationZ’s photos of JayB, they are adorable.

JayB came online the next day with a handwritten letter as a thank you to the fans (there was a brief war flashback on birds side but we don’t talk about that). Although we didn’t get a meme from Bambam this year, he did squeez in a comment on Jaebeom’s post as a cute jab to the end of his letter.

We also got an update on Jaebeom’s MBTI: he shared a story with ENTJ so I assume it has changed now? It doesn’t think he is so thrilled at the idea either “MBTI is not science”.

While I am a bit sad that we no longer share the same MBTI (he was previously INFJ), I think the commander fits him quite well.

And lastly we had a TMI interview where he updated us on his life and answered quick questions. Check it out birds!

Our leader really didn’t let us breath this week huh? The rest wasn’t so different though.

Next is our flying member Mark. Mark started the year with a short but cheery tweet.

(Don’t mind it is the 2nd, it’s just because of the time difference; I live in Europe)

He also went to Instagram to share a snippet of his new song. Unbeknown to him (and me to be honest) unreleased songs can be shazam’d. Birds quickly figured this out and started sharing the songs title. Mark tweeting about his mistake, birds pretending they didn’t see anything, a pretty GOT7 type of chaos.

We’ll stream the song once you drop it Mark, don’t worry. Shazam or no shazam.

While Mark is our quite member we got another update from him; Ralph Lauren shared picture of Mark for the Laterals Magazine. He looks pretty good in green velvet.

Jackson has been keeping himself and us busy the whole year. And this does not look like it’s going to change in 2022 either. He ended the year with a quick Instagram live and performances for new year countdown lives. Once the clock hit midnight Jackson shared a cheeky new years message on twitter before promising to fill the year with music. We will be waiting what you have in store for us this year Jackson. But please also rest. You have worked so hard.

Jackson has been busy running from one event to another, attending Esquire’s Gentle Hala with a 20kg suit and collecting awards. That suit does look dazzling.

Fendi also shared photos of Jackson for their spring festival capsule collection. He also teased a valentines special short for Braun with "Unending Love" by Rabindranath Tagore. The Poet in question was an Indian poet who had important contributions to both Indian and Bengali literature. Now I don’t know much about Rabindranath Tagore himself but as he is an important figure, so his poem being included in the short does seem very important. Bengali and Indian Ahgases seemed pretty happy.

As Promised Jackson is also releasing new music. He teased a new song named after himself. The story of the song is apparently depicting his life and will be out on the 11th. I don’t know what to expect but something tells me we’re going to cry.

Unexpectedly we have quite a few updates from Jinyoung. First day of the year we got stories of him chilling at his sisters café and watching the first sunrise. Now that filming ended for most of his projects (that we know of, you never know with Park Jinyoung) and Christmas Carol filming still not started, he seems to have been enjoying a bit of free time. We lucky birds even got a post with the beautiful sunrise. He also posted behind photos from both “The Devil Judge” and “Yumi’s Cells”. Quite a blessing for pepis who has been living with pixel Jinyoung for months now.

We finally got Yacha and Hi5 confirmation through BH’s new years post. The company has shared the upcoming project for their artist and Jinyoung was in four of them: Yumi’s Cells S2, Yacha, Hi5 and A Christmas Carol.

Speaking of acting, Jinyoung’s role in Hi5 is confirmed to be a villain. Very exciting, especially when you think he filmed it at the same time as Yumi’s Cells. Sweet office worker Yoo Babi in the morning, super villain in the evening? I can’t wait.

Jinyoung’s Japanese fan club also shared an exclusive selfie and some birds leaked a pieces of it on tweeter, starting a big scale puzzle game. The struggle was real.

The last of of Jinyoung’s updates came from himself; he posted two dance videos seemingly from his trainee days. His dance teacher before his trainee years reposted them while teasing us with the Jinyoung dance video’s he has in his HDD.

Lastly, Jinyoung posted a selfie with the information about an art exhibit: ACEP2022. This is a special exhibition for artists with development disabilities. Such a beautiful thing to promote Jinyoung, thank you.

Next on our actor line is Youngjae. Our sunshine has been relatively quiet this week. Although there is no new project announced he is getting praise for his acting. Couldn’t be more proud of him.

Youngjae started the year with a greeting video and continued with a new episode of his vlog. Our sunshine is becoming quite the youtuber, we love to see it. Not to spoil the episode but him editing was so cute.

Youngjae also revealed a welcoming kit for 2022. It looks so sweet, a calendar, photo cards, photo strips and a stamp. The stamp is such a nice idea, I want one!

He is also announced to be a DJ in MBC’s Dream Radio from January 17th to February 6th. We get another weekly radio to look forward to. Now I don’t know if it is possible, but wouldn’t it be so fun if they’d extend his contract as well?

Before moving on from Youngjae, let’s not forget he is also the cover of The Star magazine for this month. He looks stunning doesn’t he?

Bambam has been quite busy, keeping us busy as well. He takes after his Jackson Hyung I suppose. Starting the new year with a 2 day special new years concert in Pattaya Bambam performed quite a few songs both his and GOT7s. During his talk segment he revealed 2022 is going to be Ahgases years and he is planning on doing a live on the 16th. He added he was thinking of a surprise for the anniversary but he was not sure yet. Bambam don’t feed our clown hearts like that, it is dangerous. We see you have changed your twitter header to ahgabong’s too (from his Pattaya Concert). Now what should we think of this Bambam? You know we've been clowning ourselves every other day.

Although working, Bambam has spent some time with family too while in Thailand. We got cute updates like ‘Who Are You’ dance challenge with his sister Baby and Mama B. his mother also posted a few quite videos of all of the Bhuwakul Family together. Ahgases are also happy to see him reunite with his family after two years.

Bambam is also reported to be in a Malaysian reality show “Master in The House – Malaysia”. The show is set to air on 15thof this month. His Secret Island episodes are still being uploaded weekly by KBS too.

On the 7th Bambam revealed his 2ndmini album title. The concept art is gorgeous. To be frank all his concept art looks gorgeous. With all the collaborations he has, this album is going to be a banger I am sure!

Bambam didn’t stop there though. While ahgases are trying to process the album release date and doing recalculations to afford all the boys releases we have a sudden update from him. Though this time it is of a very different nature. Bambam announced that he is now the global ambassador of NBA team Golden State Warriors. He also nominated one of the players for NBA all-star.

The birds, as expected followed suit. In a short amount of time all birds were voting for GSW players, learning about the team, even making edits for the players with Bambam and GOT7 songs. Dub Nation (GSW fans) were first shocked but were quick to embrace this change, a few started listening to our boys songs too and voted on SMA. We also found common grounds on being the outcasts within their respective areas despite being good at their craft. For a moment everyone was happy, sun was shining, people were laughing.

You can check the whole exchange under #BamBamxGSW tag on twitter.

Our maknae has been very quite lately but he did come out for a new years post. Forget western actors, Yugyeom for spiderman!

I especially love the last picture he shared, the one with the traffic lights and the sun.

While we are excited about KYG2 he teased a few weeks back, we will be patient. Yugyeom is finding his own pace it seems. Take your time Yugyeom, do what feels right to you and have fun. Although it would be nice to have a selfie here and there, dandelions are going a bit stir crazy you see.

In general news Golden Disk Awards was at the 8th of January. GOT7 was nominated for best album but didn’t win. None of the members attended the event. I am not even sure if they knew they were nominated.

There is also Korean Hip Hop award nominations going on ahgases has been nominating Yugyeom and JayB. The nomination period is between 4th to 10th January.

It is only the first week but we are definitely going ahga-broke. New Def episode, Bambam’s 2nd mini album, Youngjae’s welcoming kit…

Fighting Ahgases!

That is it for this crazy week. Lots of twists and turns. It was kind of hard putting it all together, I can only hope I didn’t miss something.

Hope you enjoyed reading!

See you next week!

Y.

P.S. I purposefully didn’t include the links for pre orders and votings because it would be too much for me. Please check the official accounts and the fanbases for all the links.

[just-another-ficwriter]

Seconds To Midnight

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Reader

Words: 2400ish

Warnings: Underage drinking, a lil heart break, pregnancy 

Summary: Y/N and Sweet Pea share a lifetime of New Year’s together, some better than others.

Notes: Filling my ‘Midnight Kiss’ square on my @riverdalebingo​ card! The next few days are gonna be a flurry of super late Christmas Eve/New Years posts as I attempt to catch up!

10...

They still can’t believe they’ve convinced their parents to let them stay up passed midnight. Not even when the five of them are crammed into a booth at the Wyrm arguing over a pack of cards and sharing bottles of soda way past their usual 10 year old bedtimes.

By the time the ball drops, Jug’s already asleep, the cheering from around the bar barely making him stir. Fangs and Toni decide to mock the adults around them, pouting at each other and making ‘kissy’ noises. Y/N laughs along with them, pretending to gag, but Sweet Pea doesn’t miss the way she blushes when she looks over at Gladys and FP once more.

A tint that deepens a dark red when he leans over and places a quick peck to her cheek.

“Happy New Year Y/N.” He whispers, thankful that the others are still too distracted to notice.

“Happy New Year Pea.”

9...

By the time they’re 13, they care a little less about their parents permission, opting to swap the warmth of the Wyrm’s crowds, for the back of Fang’s brothers truck, at the edge of the car park instead. The same way Jughead’s opted to switch them for Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper.

The huddle together for warmth, gazing up at the stars, and even though no one will admit it for a fear of being deemed ‘uncool’, everyone’s excited for the burst of fireworks about to come.

When the first explosion sounds off, Sweet Pea misses the look Toni gives him, her eyes switching fiercely between him and Y/N.

But she doesn’t give up.

“I dare the two of you to kiss.” She blurts out the challenge, and Sweet Pea hears Y/N suck in a breath beside him.

“What?” He chokes on the word, eyes casting from her down to his lap, not missing the way Y/N’s leg brushes against his, suddenly aware of how close they’d been sitting.

“It’s midnight.” His best friend shrugs, the streak of bright pink hair falling off her shoulder. He can still remember her Grandmother’s face the first time she’d seen it, Toni’s first act of outright defiance. “You have to kiss someone.”

“Then you kiss Fangs.” Sweet Pea’s hand gestures wildly between the two of them, both gagging in unison. 

“That would be like kissing my sister.” Fangs’ nose scrunches up with the statement, and Y/N can’t help but laugh.

“But-“

His fight is already lost, now three against one as the girl besides him sits up straighter, rolls her eyes and simply grabs his face. “Oh Pea, just shut up and kiss me!”

He’s too distracted by the warmth of her palm against his skin, feather light fingertips dancing across his cheek, to see her closing the gap between them. 

He sees fireworks even when he closes his eyes.

8...

At 15, Y/N’s forced to spend New Years at her grandparents. Their first one apart in 6 years and Sweet Pea feels her lack of presence more with every passing second.

He misses her when Toni talks about last years celebrations and sneaking on the Wrym’s roof, when she text him early so her words don’t get caught in a signal back log, when he sees Jug squeeze Betty’s hand.

He wishes she was there to share the beers Fangs has managed to steal for them and make fun of the way Archie follows Veronica around like a lost puppy, wondering how their two opposite friendship groups somehow became intertwined to ring in the new year. 

And when the count down ends, he watches as Toni kisses Ginger, turning to tell Y/N she owes him $5, before remembering she’s not there. His heart sinks a little a further as he struggles to understand the feeling swarming in his head.

He’s not interested in the fireworks that year.

7...

When they’re 17, everything just goes wrong.

They’re at their first official New Year’s Party, thrown by none other than Cheryl Blossom, as they desperately cling onto the last parts of their high school selves, months before they all leave the town behind and disappear to different colleges.

Some partying to celebrate the year that everything changes, others to forget what lays ahead.

They dance too much, they laugh too hard, they drink more than they should.

One minute she’s in front of Sweet Pea, the next she’s gone.

The panic sets in, once the ball drops, and he only catches a glimpse of her over Josie’s head once the singer starts pulling him towards her. Y/N laughs at something Reggie Mantle whispers in her ear, the sound piercing into Sweet Pea’s lungs.

He hadn’t planned on kissing her at midnight, yet now it’s he can think about.

But he’s too late. 

He’d never make it in time, not with Josie hanging onto his arms. Not with the way Reggie’s already leaning in to do the one thing he’s always been to afraid to do. 

He wants to look away, but he can’t, even when he’s sure his heart won’t take it. He watches as Reggie’s lips press firmly against hers, watches the way she kiss him back and does the one thing that would stop him screaming out over the crowd. 

He kisses Josie and pretends it her.

Her eyes blaze like fires when he finds them again, and Sweet Pea doesn’t see it back then but everything changed in that swift couple of seconds, a silent, wordless disagreement that tears them apart.

Distance grows between them, not just physically as she leaves to chase her dreams in New York City and he stays, ever attached to Riverdale.

His heart shatters at the thought of the next New Years Eve without her.

But thinks maybe its for the best.

6...

“Y/N will be there.”

Sweet Pea still declines the invite politely, but he can tell by the triumphant glint in Toni’s eyes that she knows she’s won.

There’s no way he’d turn down the opportunity of even a glance at his former best friend after three years. 

So he finds himself dressed to the nines, hiding away on the rooftop of Toni and Cheryl's penthouse apartment, because of course they have one of the best views in New York, trying to forget the image of her dressed in red. 

It doesn’t take her long to find him, and he doesn’t need to turn around to know it’s her creeping up behind him. He can feel her presence the minute she steps out, like it’s coded in his DNA. He hates it as much as he loves it.

“Hi.” She breathes out the greeting, tiptoeing across the unsteady ground between them. It’s the first words she uttered towards him since she left for college and the sound makes his heart sing. 

“Hi.” He parrots back, there's so much more he wants to say but that's all he can manage. Her eyes meet his, locked together, unaware of the countdown being called out below.

And then she laughs.

And he does too. 

Laughs over the stupidity of it all, laughs because its them, laughs until it hurts, until the fireworks explode around them surprising them both back to silence.

“I’ve missed you.” He feels her hand close over his, fingers squeezing his tight.

He feels like he can breathe for the first time in a long time. “I’ve missed you too.”

5...

This time its him that finds her on the roof, eerily similar to their moment two years prior. 

They’ve been trying for the last few years, piecing the remains of their broken friendship back together. But it’s not enough.

Not for him. 

Maybe not for her.

The thought rips through him, his chest exploding with pain, and need, he has to tell her. He can’t wait any longer. 

The idea alone burns its way into his lungs until he can’t breathe, until he can’t think straight.

“I love you.” The words slip out the same time the noise below them erupts into a chorus of the number ten. He can hear it all around him, from people in the building next door, from people down the street.

She just stares at him, eyes wide with a hint of something he doesn’t quite understand.

“You don’t have to say it back.” He panics, trips over his words and the way she looks at him. “I just want you to know.”

He’s whispering into the dark, but she can hear him, over the chanting, over the beating of her own heart drumming clear in her ears.

“I just love you.” He falls into a spiral, confessions pouring out as he plunges downwards like the countdown under their feet. “I always have, I probably always will.”

And as the ball drops, and the crowd underneath explodes in cheers, their friends, she’s suddenly pulled back into reality.

Her eyes soften at the sight before her, Sweet Pea’s bashful grin luminated by the glow of the fireworks in the distance, their light dancing off his skin.

And she does the first that comes to her mind, the only thing she’s wanted to do every New Year’s Eve since she met him.

She kisses him.

4...

At 25 they find themselves back on the roof. 

That roof.

Their roof.

A location so sentimental to their relationship. 

Relationship. 

The word feels so weird in Sweet Pea’s thoughts, the concept of her being his girlfriend still so foreign to him, still so unreal, even after three years.

He loves her. 

More than he’s loved anything ever before in his life, he’s sure of it. And he’s sure she loves him too, even if sometimes he doesn’t understand why, but lord knows she does.

Which is why he finds himself down on one knee, velvet ring box held tightly in his shaking hand, surrounded by candle light and rose petals that float in the wind. He can feel wet tears streaking lines down his cheeks that mirror her own as she nods out her answer, not trusting her own voice before she pounces at him. 

His back hits the floor the same time fireworks light up the skyline and his heart swells in bliss when she slips the ring onto her finger, a perfect fit.

“Did she say yes?” Fangs calls from across the roof, head peering around the door, Toni just behind.

“She said yes!” Sweet Pea sings back, a permanent grin on his face. 

It’s only seconds later the two dive on the couple still sprawled out on the floor, four sets of limbs, four sounds of laughter, embracing in celebration.

3...

The tell tale signs are there all night, he doesn’t understand how he didn’t see it sooner.

She professional switches out her vodka orange for plain juice, gags at her usual favourite fancy foods that Cheryl and Toni insist on serving every year, and has ran to the bathroom more than once in the last three hours.

But he doesn’t fit the puzzle pieces together.

Not even when she slots her hand in his, half guiding, half pulling him towards the roof and presents him a neatly wrapped gift once they’re surrounded by cold night air.

It’s only right she thinks, to tell him here, on the very roof top he confessed his love, where he asked her to be his wife only a year before. It has to be here he finds out this too.

He stares, confused down at the box held in his hands, feeling guilty that he has nothing to give her. She laughs at him, a sound that still sets his heart alight as she encourages him to open it quick.

The excitement takes over, racing to reveal its contents before the countdown sounding below hits 1, his fingers make light work of the paper.

When he lifts the lid of the box he’s sure he’s stopped breathing.

This can’t be real.

Two blue lines stare back at him, clear at the dead of midnight and he chokes out a sob.

“You’re?...” He can’t finish the sentence, can’t get his tongue to move and say the words. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, nodding her head in confirmation.

He can’t help but drop to his knees, his hands gently cradling her barely there bump, his heart so full of love.

“I’m gonna be a Dad.”

2...

Of course they get married on New Year’s Eve.

It’s their day, no matter how much Toni and Fangs tease them about it. But their friends draw the line at a roof top wedding.

Sweet Pea can’t describe the day as anything other than a god damn dream.

He’s wanted this for so long it’s hard to believe it’s actually happening.

She looks a vision in white, too good to be true and he couldn’t ask for anything more.

As he twirls his now wife in his arms, their baby girl nested up against Toni’s chest just a few feet away, he’s so overwhelmed with love that he can’t help but cry.

It starts as a gentle shake from his chest, vibrating through his shoulders before the tears fall fast and he has to hide his face in her hair.

Tears pool in her own eyes as she pulls him closer, whispers how much she adores him into his neck, claims she’s the luckiest woman in the world.

He’s not afraid to admit this might be his favourite New Years Eve.

1...

At 30 there’s no lavish parties.

No roof top confessions, no pregnancy announcements, no engagements, no Wrym.

Just them and their closest friends sprawled out in their living room, discarded pizza boxes on the coffee table, their three year old asleep upstairs.

And when those around them start counting down, Sweet Pea cups her cheek, tilts her head towards his so he can see her eyes staring back.

“I love you.” He whispers, so honestly, so raw. He feels her smile into the kiss that comes next. He doesn’t care that his friends might see them, not like that shy ten year old hidden in a booth 20 years ago daring to plant a peck on his best friends cheek. No, he wants everyone to see how happy his is now, how far they’ve come. “Happy New Year Y/N.”

“Happy New Year Pea.”

Riverdale Bingo Holiday Masterlist

Forever Taglist: @p-marie-sp

Sweet Pea Taglist: @80sand90simagine @wildberryyyy @hopelesslylosttheway @be-gay-do-crime-cutie

[sakusagas]

𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥: 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐤𝐞

→ remarks | so sorry this was so late! i finished it and left it in my drafts & forgot to post it HAHAHA but here you go! this order's on the house :)

→ pairing | k. kenma x reader

→ price | 1,116 words

→ ingredients | imagine - new years' eve with kenma

It was a night like any other. Lights out, you and Kenma chilling in your shared bedroom, his head on your lap as the bright blue light of his gaming console illuminated his face, and your fingers entangled in his fading blonde locks.

That was how the two of you would usually spend your nights. You on your phone in one hand while playing with his hair using the other, and him laying on your lap while gaming. Neither of you felt the need to speak, just embracing each other's presence in silence was enough.

Although, there was one little difference that night. Instead of the typical serene silence that the two of you enjoyed, you could hear the bustling city folk chattering, as well as the traffic; even this late in the night.

Why, of course there'd be noise. It was New Year's Eve, after all.

Kenma wasn't exactly one for noisy and crowded places, and you were fine with that. It was these kinds of mutual understandings that drew you two to each other in the first place. People say that opposites attract, but the two of you seemed to defy that logic with the sheer amount of similarities you shared.

So, here the two of you were, doing the same thing as you would any other night, on New Year's Eve. Glancing at the digital clock on the bedside table —the only other source of light in the room aside from Kenma's console—, you took note of the time.

11:56PM, it said.

You let out a soft sigh as you wondered if Kenma had anything planned for midnight. This was the first New Years the two of you had spent together, and you weren't sure of the traditions Kenma grew up accustomed to.

Hearing your sigh, he glanced up at you from your lap, the light from his device making his feline hazel eyes twinkle ever so slightly.

"You okay, kitten?"

Looking down at him, you nodded your head and gave him a slight smile, to which he reciprocated and resumed playing his game. That was one of the things that made you fall for him — his observance.

Ah, given the way things were going, and that there were less than 4 minutes to the new year, you concluded that the two of you weren't going to do anything too special.

Little did you know, though, that your genius boyfriend had something up his sleeve.

About two minutes had passed, the clock currently reading 11:58PM, and Kenma suddenly got up from your lap. Confused, you cocked your head to the side and watched him as he made his way out of your room.

A few seconds later, he'd walked back in with another gaming console in his hand. It was your own Nintendo Switch! The one he had gotten you for your birthday the year prior.

Extending it towards you, he mumbled, "here, log onto Animal Crossing and join my island. There's something I wanna show you, quickly."

Shrugging off your confusion, you listened to him and began fiddling with the buttons and joysticks, travelling to his island.

Upon joining, your eyes immediately lit up with surprise, which didn't go unnoticed by Kenma, who immediately suppressed a chuckle and a genuine smile.

"When did you make all of this?! This is gorgeous!" You exclaimed as you took in the view in the device. He had decorated the entire island to look like a Matsuri Festival, lights, stalls and everything. The sky was even a purplish indigo to set the ambience! It was truly a magical sight.

"Follow me, I wanna show you a specific spot," he said as he waited for you to catch up to his avatar. Stopping in front of a pier he had made by the oceanside which was decorated with candles, the two of you had arrived at your destination.

After such a grand impression upon entering the island, you didn't think that you could be even more surprised than before. You were downright astounded. The dark sea in the night was sparkling with reflections of the lanterns on its surface, and both of your avatars stood side by side by the railings.

Too engrossed in the beauty of Kenma's island, you didn't even notice him slowly inching closer and closer to you in real life.

Soon, the two of you could hear the faint enthusiastic voices of the citizens of Tokyo outside, beginning the countdown to the new year.

"10...!"

"9...!"

"Y/N..."

Glancing up from the console, you were slightly startled. When had he gotten so close to you? His bangs were practically brushing against your forehead, your lips parted in surprise.

"8...!"

"7...!"

Gulping, you mustered up a response.

"Y-Yeah?"

"6...!"

Inching closer, he rest his forehead fully on yours and locked his sharp, feline gaze onto your eyes. He placed a palm on your cheek and brushed his thumb over your cheekbone, eyes drifting back and forth between your eyes and lips.

"5...!"

"You know, we've come a long way as partners since high school, haven't we?"

Nodding, you struggled to hold eye contact with his strong gaze. He'd never looked at you this intently before. This situation was extremely intimate for the both of you.

"4...!"

Letting out a sigh, he moved his thumb from your cheekbone to your bottom lip and lightly brushed across it.

"3!"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, moving even closer than before, your lips now mere millimetres away from each other's.

"2!"

Opening his eyes to gaze into your orbs once again, he smiled and parted his lips, about to speak.

"1!"

"I love you, Y/N."

And he pressed his lips against yours, one hand sliding to the back of your neck as the other rests on the side of your cheek, holding you close to him.

The fireworks erupting in the background only spurred you on as your own internal fireworks went off in your chest at his bold advances.

Recovering from the surprise, you began kissing back, your lips moulding perfectly with one another. This pleases Kenma, who lightly brushed his tongue over your bottom lip and then released you from his embrace.

Resting his forehead against yours once again, he slid his hands into your palms and held them, placing one against his chest.

His... His heart's racing...

"I love you, so much. Thank you for being with me. Happy New Year, Y/N."

He says with half-lidded eyes, flashing the smile he knew you loved.

And with that, the two of you had begun on your venture into the new year, hearts fluttering and in love.

a/n: thanks for reading! happy belated new year everyone <3 school’s just started and my schedule’s really packed, so i’m sorry if i get to your request really late but please do keep sending them in!! ^^ i also wrote this before i got acnh, so i'm sorry if i got anything wrong!

[t-lostinworlds]

Extra (Tom Holland)

A/N: What is this? I have finished something? Me?? posting?? A FIC? WHAT? Is the world actually ending!?!? I think I’m funny but I’m not, clearly. Glad to be out of my writing rot tho aha. Hope you guys like this one!

Pairing: Tom Holland x Singer!Reader

Summary: You get a sweet but very extra surprise on your birthday nearing the end of your show.

Warnings: Fluff and my usual typos

Word Count: 5.5k+

Masterlist in Bio

-:-:-:-:-

The sound of your phone just going off uncontrollably was what woke you up, and you were completely sure that it wasn't your alarm.

You squint your eyes at the bright glare of the screen, a huge contrast to your still dim hotel room. You literally had just woken up hence why the curtains aren't open yet, it's still a bit too early after all.

Flicking the ringer on silent, birthday greetings and messages from friends and families were still flooding through, your phone now vibrating instead of your loud ringtone, giving your ears a break.

As you read through and responded to all of them, you couldn't help but feel a little down after you realized you haven't seen his name yet.

Of course you feel grateful for all the sweet messages everyone has sent you, your heart is melting from all the love. But there's that slight disheartened feeling that you can't seem to shake, slight worry that your boyfriend might have forgotten about your birthday.

You haven't heard from Tom since yesterday morning, which now makes it almost a full day. After he texted you that he was going to be doing a lot of stunts and is probably going to be super busy, he then just disappeared, not even slipping in a text good night. You did let it pass though, because he might have been quite knackered after the shoot.

Message to Tom: Good morning bub <3 Just checking up on you since you haven't read or replied to any of my messages at all. Hope you're okay and haven't injured yourself Thomas. I really miss you a lot and I love you loads x

Your frown could only deepen as you hit send, still no response nor any sign that he's got your messages whatsoever.

Normally, it wouldn't really be a big deal but the last you've seen him in person was three months ago. He was busy shooting the third installment of Spider-Man all while doing a few projects on the side. And you, well, you're touring around the world.

You could be patient and blame it on the time difference why he hasn't greeted yet, but he's just behind a couple hours. Tom has made it a habit of always greeting you at midnight no matter what and where, he's just cliché like that, and it was definitely passed midnight in New York.

God, you sound so much like a whiny and ungrateful brat, but you can't help it, you just miss him so much.

Maybe you've gotten so used to always spending your birthdays with him so the first time that you're celebrating it from different parts of the globe, it does makes you sad.

You did try to make ends meet, but a week before today, he's brought you the news that he can't fly out due to conflicting schedules with some of the actors he's working with, and that it's critical that he's there on the day. To be the leading role of a gigantic movie, asking a few days off is never that simple.

On the other hand, you have a show today and tomorrow, so flying to him isn't exactly ideal either. You understand of course, you are sort of in the same line of work, but still, it doesn't make you feel any less gloomy.

With one big stretch, you placed your phone back on your side table as you slowly got out of bed, opting to go and take a shower to then head down and meet the crew for breakfast.

Maybe you'll hear from him later in the day.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon and still not a single word from Tom.

You were growing worried because it was so unlike him to be very cut off and silent.

Did he lose his phone?

You tried to contact Harry—who's with Tom currently—but he too wasn't responding. Everything was just off and odd altogether, the tiny pit in your stomach only growing bigger the more you worry and think about where your man is.

"Have you heard from Tom?" You asked with furrowed brows the moment Molly, your manager approached you on stage. Your hand found its way to fish your phone out of your pocket to check it for the umpteenth time, but still, no sign of him.

You were finishing up your final soundcheck before you were off to a mini get-together—snacks and drinks included—with some of your fans. It was your alternative to a meet and greet because you'd rather hang out and have real conversations with them than the whole quick snap and go.

She shook her head at you all confused, a slight glimmer in her eyes that you didn't quite catch. "Uh no, why?"

You sighed. Tom doesn't really contact your manager unless its important matters, so you don't even know why you're asking, maybe you've just grown desperate to hear even the smallest thing from him, just anything. "Never mind. Is it time?"

"Yeah, they're all waiting for you."

You simply nodded as you followed her off stage, handing the guitar over to your guy on the way.

Walking through the hallway, you kept your head down, eyes glued to your phone as you respond to more messages from people, but also checking if Tom has come back from ghost town.

You were aimlessly following Molly to wherever room or space they set up the get-together in, just watching her shoes and never looking up from your device. That, until you heard a few shuffling of rushed feet and a door being slammed shut.

"What was that? And what's in here?" You asked, eyes now trained on a door of what looks like another dressing room. Molly continued walking, so you kept following but with your gaze still glued to the door, curios as to what's going on inside because you definitely can hear a bit of ruckus.

"Oh just the staff, that's one of their rooms." She answered casually, not even bothering to give you or the room a glance.

"Is it weird if I just go inside and say thank you? Would that be too... intrusive?" You pondered, halting in your tracks as you contemplated on knocking. You just wanted to extend your gratitude for all their hard work, but you aren't sure if they were comfortable with you suddenly just strolling in.

"It's not weird at all hun, but you've got a schedule." She smiled at you sweetly, nodding her head towards the direction of the get-together.

"Oh right, yeah, let's go."

You gave the door one last look before turning on your heel to follow Molly once again, up until you reached another space covered in curtains. And the moment your bodyguard pulled it open, wide smiles on faces greeted you as they all sang in tune.

"Happy birthday to you!"

You laughed as you shyly shook your head at them. Warmth coated your whole body in an instant as love and pure adoration radiated off of the space, off of your fans.

You did as much as wave your fingers in the air as they sang, serving as a conductor because for the number of years you've been on this earth, you still have no idea what to do when people sing the birthday song to you.

* * *

"I can't thank you guys enough for being here with me tonight. You guys have been so incredible, you always are." You breathed out as your voice echoed throughout the whole arena. You looked at the thousands of people who came tonight to see you perform with a proud grin, their energy never wavering as they sing your songs back to you from each melody to lyric.

Adrenaline was pumping through your veins as you tried to catch your breath, taking the water bottle off of the floor and lifting it up to your lips to have a quick drink.

"Now, give me everything you've got for this last song alright?" You spoke into the mic once you've rehydrated.

"Wait, wait. Don't you guys agree that Y/N is killing it tonight?" Your pianist, Sara, interrupts, the crowd cheering in agreement at her input. "And judging by today's occasion, I think we all owe her a little song." She added, earning a hearty laugh from you as you brought the mic back to your lips.

"You guys don't have to—"

"Happy birthday to you!"

The song was played no matter your protest, Sara leading the crowd as she plays the tune on her keys, the rest of the band following suit.

Your laugh bounced off the walls as you stood there in complete awe. It was a beautiful sight to see, the crowd all singing in unison, lights up in the air as they pour all their heart to the simple yet special song. The song still filling you up with joy and warmth despite having heard it countless of times for the whole day, and the fact that all these people were there for you? It was definitely the icing on the cake.

"Thank you so much you lovely people, y'all are making me emotional. And they say the best way to spend your birthdays is with the people you love and the ones who love you, and they were absolutely right. I'm so blessed to have you guys tonight, because I do love you all very much." You stated fondly the moment they finished with a loud cheer, a hand placed right atop your heart as you feel it grow ten times its size.

"Y/N, we've got another something for you." Sara spoke before you could even get another word out, hand gesturing towards the large screen right behind you.

"Oh god, is this mission make Y/N ugly cry today?" You laughed, turning around just in time too see the tour artwork turning pitch black to then be replaced by a huge countdown.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

The crowd roared in delight as Mr. Niall Horan joined with Lewis Capaldi appeared on screen, large pints of Guinness on hand with their arms around each other as they give you their birthday greeting.

"Happy birthday Y/N! But since we're halfway across the world, we'll be there with you in spirit. Also, Lewis and I decided to celebrate anyway so cheers to you and have an amazing day." Niall chuckled as he lifted his beer up. "I'll make sure to have a good drink for you Y/N! We miss ya and we love ya!" Lewis added with a cheeky grin, and you couldn't help but shake your head at the two with a big smile of your own.

You've worked with them both on a few songs, and both were the funniest yet sweetest gentlemen you've met in the industry, especially when you put the two together.

Both of them emptied their glasses as they bid their goodbyes, Niall's loud laugh echoing throughout the arena when Lewis spilled before they disappeared on screen.

The crowd went even louder once Shawn Mendes' pretty face appeared on it next, sporting his usual bright smile as he gave you his short but sweet greeting. "Happy birthday Y/N! Wishing you all the best in life since you deserve all of it! Can't wait to work with you again soon! Have fun on your birthday honey!"

You shook your head in disbelief. An amused smile was plastered on your face, still unable to fathom that a few years ago you were a huge fan of him. And now you can say you've worked with him, even call him a friend. Funny, how the universe works.

Alessia Cara came up next with a smile, wide and bright, you're heart melting to see one of your greatest and closest friends. She's just a pure and kindhearted soul, a rare beauty. "Hey there you lovely and amazing woman! Happy birthday! I miss hanging out with you a lot but I shall see you soon! Keep conquering the world Y/N! I am so proud of how far you've come and you deserve every bit of success that comes your way. Again happy birthday! Have an amazing one and I love you!" She blew you a sweet kiss and waved you goodbye, tears already brimming in your eyes at all the love and appreciation thrown your way.

Next were Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, who you've grown close with through no other person than Tom. Both were clearly on set sitting on directors' chair in their characters' outfits. Both looked a little tired but they still greeted you with wide smiles nonetheless.

"Happy birthday Y/N!" They screamed in unison. "We wished we could be there with you to celebrate your birthday but you already know how these things go." Z pouted, Jacob copying her as well and you couldn't help but giggle. "But soon when we get a break we will catch up and celebrate your birthday." Jacob added with a knowing grin. "Anyway! Duty calls so enjoy your birthday and have great one! We love you!"

Then friends and family came up on screen, ones who you've missed most having been away from them for so long and that's when you felt your heart ache a little. Happy tears were brimming in your eyes as each of them shared their lovely messages, saying how proud they are for how far you've come. And when those words come from the people who you truly care about, it means the absolute world.

The next person to share their video message didn't help with the tears either, a hushed sob escaping your lips the moment you saw his familiar face.

The crowd behind you screamed at the top of their lungs the moment Thomas Stanley Holland appeared on screen, handsome face sporting that sweet and charming smile as he sat in his trailer wearing his Spider-Man suit.

"Hello darling. My love, I'm so gutted that I'm not there so celebrate your birthday with you. If I could teleport myself by your side right now, I would in a heartbeat, but anyway, happy birthday sweetheart!" Tom exclaimed joyfully, grin all beaming and you couldn't help but miss him even more.

"Oh, where do I start? Well, I can start by saying how proud I am of you, so so proud of the gorgeous, powerful, strong and successful woman that you've grown to become. You've worked so hard to get where you are today and it fills me with so much happiness knowing that you're out there traveling the world and doing what you love the most." The crowd cooed at Tom's sweet words, your heart was already melting at the seams as more tears threaten to spill, and he wasn't even done yet.

"You deserve the whole world if not more with how kindhearted and compassionate you are. And gosh you make me feel so happy and loved. I feel so lucky to have someone like you in my life, I can't even begin to describe to you exactly how much, and if I tried? Then we'd be here for hours on end. And lastly—because I'm being called to set right now, if I wasn't I'd be talking about how amazing you are some more—I am truly, madly and deeply in love with you Y/N. You are my world and I hope I make you feel loved every single day, because you truly deserved to be."

"Tom they're waiting for you."

"Yeah, just one more minute." Tom calls out to someone off shot before his eyes landed back on the camera, staring straight at you through the screen with a guilty smile. Guilty because it pains him that he's not there with you. "I love you dearly, and I miss you so much. I'll make it up to you I promise. Once again, happy birthday to my beautiful girl and I shall see you soo—"

All of a sudden the screen went static, Tom's words being cut off as you heard nothing but white noise. Then everything just went black, the whole arena dark as the night as gasps of surprise and screams of panic echoed throughout its walls.

Tell everyone to stay calm Y/N, we're fixing things up.

Your sound guy spoke in your in-ear. You nodded despite the fact that they probably can't see you due to the darkness. Turning back around to the audience, you spoke into the mic. "I'm sorry guys, just technical difficulties. Just stay in your seats in be calm, the lights should be back on in a minute."

And as if on cue, the crowd screamed as the power turned back on. However, after a few seconds, they turned unusually rowdy, too rowdy for it to be only that reason. Slowly you got the feeling it wasn't only because of that, judging by the volume and power of their cheer, and by a few fans pointing at the stage as if they're seeing something you aren't.

For a split second, you met eyes with Molly who was right by the side of the stage. She had that all-knowing grin on her face as she pointed towards something behind you.

Confused, you turned around, jumping in sheer shock when you were met by a hanging, upside-down person dressed in a red and black Lycra suit, face all covered with a mask making the identity of the person pretty much unknown.

Your heart beat quickened as you stumbled back on your feet at the sight of the person, your brain registering it back to a specific boy—one who you saw on screen minutes ago wearing the exact same outfit—even if there was no confirmation as their face wasn't even shown. Your whole body was trembling from surprise, excitement but also worry that it might not be who you think it is under that mask.

Emotions were all over the place as you stared right at upside-down, masked-face of Spider-Man who held a birthday cupcake in hand.

"No, no, stop, please, is this a prank?" You croaked out, shaking your head as tears started to escape your eyes, question a must because you're having a really hard time believing what you're seeing.

It's been a long day, you just really wanted to make sure that what's happening is real and not just a figment of your imagination. You had to make sure that it wasn't the desperation of you missing your boyfriend painting pictures in your head. Not only that, but to really be sure that it's actually him under that mask.

"Guys! Don't even play! Please don't get my hopes up. That's a stunt double right?" You asked into the mic as you looked at your band and the rest of the crew for answers, who gave you nothing but wide smiles. You just feel like it would be too good to be true, and you really don't want to face disappointment if it wasn't him.

On the other hand, out of all the things they could have done to prank you, why would they choose this? It's a bit cruel to prank someone on their birthday now doesn't it? Especially when it involves playing with their emotions?

Unless, it's not a prank at all and you're getting way too ahead of yourself.

Mr. Spider-Man beckons you over, finger pointing at your hand to which you held the mic. With tears already clouding your vision, you moved closer slowly.

Reaching a close enough proximity, you had one hand over your mouth to silence your whimpers as the other lifted the microphone up to where Spider-Man's mouth is supposed to be. And the moment he spoke, you've lost any sense of control over your emotions or your sanity, his voice just too familiar for it to be someone else's.

"Why don't you take off the mask and find out yourself darling?"

You shook your head at the upside down boy as joyful tears streamed down your face, shaking hands lifting up to hook your fingers on the edge of the mask, pulling it down and removing it fully to reveal the face of the man you love.

"You sneaky bastard." You laughed tearfully, Tom only grinning at you all proud, his face now turning redder as the seconds pass by, being upside-down and all.

"Happy birthday sweetheart." He chuckled, offering you the cupcake, which you took gladly, balancing it with the mic on your hand. You were unable to form any more words as you stared at Tom, still unable to believe that it's actually him, and that he's here, in the flesh.

The crowd started to chant the word "kiss" over and over, making you throw your head back in pure laughter.

"We should do the kiss." Tom wriggled his eyes brows at you, mischievous smirk in play and you couldn't stop your eyes from rolling at your boy. But still, you gave in anyway as you cupped his face softly, your heart skipping a beat at the feeling of his warm skin against your palm.

You brushed the tip of your nose with his with a hum, moving closer until there was no space between you two as you captured his lips in yours, all while trying to manage the whole upside-down situation.

Tom sighed in pure satisfaction to finally feel your lips on his after months of being deprived from it, your touch making him feel like he's floating, which says a lot given the fact that he was already hanging mid-air all while being upside-down.

The kiss didn't last long though, too many prying for you two to cherish the moment. The crowd, on the other hand, cheered in amusement at the extremely cliché but sweet gesture, you and Tom giggling between the kiss at the loud support.

"Okay, I'm actually getting dizzy now." Tom laughed once you pulled away, hand gesturing for you to move just a little bit farther, and when you did, he flipped himself right-side-up with ease. A few guys then rushed on stage to help him with the wires, and once they were off, Tom turned to you with a sweet smile, face coated with wholesome contentment to finally see you in person again.

"You're actually here." You whimpered, fresh tears wetting your cheeks some more once he stood right in front of you.

"Aww darling, come here." Tom cooed with a soft chuckle, arms wrapping around your frame as he held you close to his chest, pressing a sweet kiss on top of your head. You couldn't contain your sobs as you buried your face on the crook of his neck, the smell of his perfume filling you up quickly and it only made your grip around him tighten.

You just miss him so damn much, and to actually have him here on your birthday, to be holding him so close after months, it was making every fiber of your being emotional.

"I haven't missed your birthday, not a single one, ever. Why would I start now?" He whispered against your hair, swaying you from side to side in a comforting manner, a soft sigh coming out of you as you felt your heart grow with even more love for this man.

"I still haven't decided if I hate you or love you for doing this." You giggled with tiny sniffles, pulling away to get a proper look at his handsome face, the face that you'll always be glad to see. Hate because he almost gave you a heart attack and for making you worry about him for being gone for a day, and love because, well, he's here now isn't he?

Tom only shot you a wink. "I'll tell you all about it later." He says, hand reaching down to take the microphone from you.

"Hey everyone, I'm Spider-Man." The crowd roared at that, Tom laughing in pure glee, all proud of his choice of words as he slings his arm over your shoulder and pulled you to his side. "I just want to thank you guys for supporting this amazing woman right here. I've been watching the show from the very start and you guys have been incredible."

Tom turned to look at you lovingly, smile coated with delight and adoration, voice layered with nothing but certainty. "I love this woman a lot, so thank you for making her dreams come true and for making her happy."

With just that, you were able to conjure even more tears as you looked at Tom all adoringly with a small pout. The boy stared at you with just as much love, cooing at your reaction as he gave you a soft kiss on the forehead.

How have you managed to get so lucky?

"Right, I'm done crashing your show so take it away my love." Tom finished as he handed the microphone back to you. Giving you one last warm squeeze and a peck on the lips to match, Tom was then waving goodbye to the audience and disappearing side-stage to watch the rest of the show.

Taking in deep long breaths, you turned to the audience with a laugh. "Okay, wow. Mission Ugly Cry is a success then. I haven't see him in months okay I couldn't help the tears."

"I wasn't expecting that at all as you can probably tell by my reaction. How am I supposed to top that now?" You rubbed your temple in feign worry, the audience cheering you in mere support.

You were still sniffling from all the crying along with your throat being little dry. And you were thankful for waterproof mascara otherwise you would've looked even more horrifying.

"God I'm such a mess, can I have some tissues please?" You asked, looking around the crew for help as you attempted to wipe off the tears with your fingers.

Instead of the staff, Tom ran back out with a box of tissues and a bottle of water in hand, making you shake your head in utter hilarity at how corny he is. You couldn't hold back your laughter when he handed you the box of tissues, pulled a couple pieces and held his fingers under your chin as he wiped your tears for you, all gingerly as if he was retouching your make up. After that, he opened up the water bottle to help you drink, then fixed your hair up jokingly and squeezed your nose playfully right after.

Once he was done with, he gave you a chaste kiss on the cheek, waving one last time at the crowd before returning back to side-stage.

"My new assistant everyone." You joked, keeping your eyes on your boyfriend with a grin you can't seem to wipe off. Tom mirrored your expression as he gave you two thumbs up in support for the last song, and with that you turned back to the crowd with a deep, satisfied sigh.

"Right, let's go out on a high note."

* * *

"Absolutely killed it." Tom praised, engulfing you in a warm embrace the moment you got off stage, a soft thank you coming out of you as you squeezed him back.

On your way back to your dressing room, You kept each other close, his arm slung over your shoulder with yours around his waist as you walked through the hallway.

"I'm not leaving your side by the way. I missed you too damn much and I'm not going to waste any second by being a little far from you." Tom shot you his best puppy dog eyes combined with a cute pout, a sweet giggle escaping your lips that made Tom's heart melt ten times over. "Well, I'm not complaining."

It wasn't that long of a walk from the stage to your dressing room but you had time to kill, so you turned to look at your man with a curios glint in your eyes.

"Tell me how you've managed to pull off this extremely over-the-top surprise? I mean, you could've just showed up in my dressing room and I would've cried just as much." You pointed out. Not that you didn't like what he did, you loved what just happened, every second of it, but you cannot deny that what he did was as extra and cliché as one can be.

Tom shrugged with a chuckle, "I know. But I wanted it to be special, you deserve nothing but. And you've got to admit, dangling upside-down in the middle of the stage during your show, all while dressed as Spider-Man is pretty impressive. Plus, we did the kiss. I'd say it's an amazing birthday surprise."

"It is amazing. I just happen to forget how extra you are sometimes." You teased. "I am, but you love me for it." Tom retorted back with a smirk, causing you to roll your eyes with soft laugh.

"Yeah, I do. Thank you so much bub, you always make my birthdays memorable." You sighed, wrapping both your arms around him with a smile full of gratitude. Tom planted another kiss on your forehead, a bright smile on his lips to match yours as he hummed. "Anything for my angel."

"Now, details Holland."

"Right, managed to pull some strings a a week ago and was able to ask few days off, so the whole conflicting schedule wasn't entirely a lie but it wasn't as serious as I made it out to be. Flew out last night right after the shoot. I couldn't handle just lying to you which is why I didn't respond to any of your messages in case I slip up. I'm sorry about that love."

"And then out of nowhere I thought how awesome it would be to pop up as Spider-Man in the middle of your show and do the famous kiss, so I asked Marvel a favor and thank goodness they let me borrow the suit. Called Molly to tell her about my plan, she helped quite a lot. Arrived here earlier this morning, did a test run with the wires and all that while you were still back at the hotel. Changed into the suit to then wait for the time. Oh! And if you actually looked up from your phone earlier down the hall on your way to your get-together, the whole surprise would've been ruined."

You gasped as you smacked his chest lightly. "That was you! I knew something was up." You felt really played, knowing you could've seen him if you did as much as peek up from your phone. But then again, it would've ruined the whole thing, and you really don't want to change anything that has happened today, so you're glad you didn't.

Tom could only laugh at your reaction, giving your pout a sweet peck before continuing. "The video messages were planned a long, long time ago but we made a few edits at the end of my bit to make it dramatic and here we are now."

And just as he said those last words, both of you now stood in front of the door of your dressing room. If there's one thing you always tend to be surprised about Tom, it's his impeccable timing.

"You are something else Thomas." You gushed, referring to today's escapade and just in general. You really are so lucky to have someone like him in your life, so thoughtful, caring, kind and just all around amazing.

You don't really know what came over you but the moment he opened the door to your dressing room and are your way inside, just knowing that you two were finally alone, you grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him down, crashing your lips on his as you pushed him back against the door, closing it shut in the process.

Tom chuckled lowly at the sudden change in mood, hands taking home on your waist as he relished the taste of your lips, one he's missed so bad.

The thick fabric of his suit was starting to irritate him for he just wants to feel your skin on his fingertips, especially after so long of not having to touch you. It got on Tom's nerves even more when he felt it grow even tighter than it already is.

And when you started to nibble on his bottom lip as your hands inched down his body slowly, Tom groaned, pushing you away gently, just for a little room to breathe. "Darling, it's very uncomfortable, borderline painful when I get hard in this suit, you know that." He grumbled, brown eyes a shade darker as his grip on your waist tightened.

You giggled, recalling all the times you've teased him whenever you came to visit him on set. "Hmm, let's get you out of it and go back to the hotel then."

Tom's bottom lip got caught between his teeth at your suggestion, your insides churning as he looked at you lustfully, a deep rumble erupting from his chest when he said,

"We definitely should. After all, this isn't the only surprise I have in store for you sweetheart."

-:-:-:-:-

Like & Reblog if you enjoyed and let me know what you think! <3

[karasuno-chaos]

Resolutions (Daichi x Reader)

Hello!  Happy New Year!  I’m just popping by to offer this little blurb in honor of Daichi’s birthday (Dec. 31) and the new year!  Enjoy some Karasuno third years bonding and the blooming of possibilities. -Giz

Genre: fluff

Word Count:  1,917

Warnings: drinking (but not excessively)

When Daichi pulled the cheap wig out of the bag, his face contorted into something between humor and horror.  Suga cackled at the reaction, apparently pleased with the response to his gift.  Asahi and Kiyoko laughed as well.  Even though you were confused, you cracked a grin.  You didn’t get the joke, but your friends’ amusement was infectious.

“This is terrible,” Daichi said with enough mirth to be half-joking.

“I think you mean perfect,” Suga grinned.

“Is Daichi going bald or something?” you asked in a whisper, leaning across the couch to Kiyoko.

“No,” she chuckled.  “It’s referencing that time the vice principal’s toupee landed on his head.”

“What?” you cried, looking around at the others in demand of an explanation.

“Y/N, you never heard about that?” Asahi asked.

“No!  I mean, I knew the vice principal had a toupee, but I didn’t know Daichi wore it once.”

“It was not intentional, I assure you,” he grumbled.

“So what happened?”

They recounted the event from two years ago.  Daichi’s face twisted ruefully at the memory.  You were amazed you’d never heard this story when it still affected him so strongly.  You and he had been friends through high school and managed to grow closer after graduation, but evidently there were still things you could learn about him.

“I can’t believe you never heard about it,” Asahi said once you had all of the facts.

“We were sworn to secrecy,” Kiyoko recalled.

“Daichi was very strict about enforcing that rule,” Suga snickered.

“Even now I get the sense that the vice principal is going to appear out of nowhere and lecture us.”  The former captain shuddered.  “It used to give me nightmares.”

“I still get nightmares,” Asahi groaned.

“You weren’t even there!” Suga laughed.

“That’s probably for the best,” Kiyoko chuckled.  “I’m not sure he would have survived living through it.”

“I can’t believe I never knew about this,” you said, directing your words to Daichi.  He gave you an apologetic smile and shrugged.  “What other stories did you keep from me in high school?”

“Nothing important,” he promised.

“HA!” Suga snorted.  Daichi gave him a look that you weren’t sure how to interpret.  You glanced at Kiyoko who shrugged and hid her smile in her wine glass.  You huffed out an exasperated breath before taking your own sip of wine.  You could guess at what they were implying.

By graduation, you’d figured out your feelings for Daichi, and so had your friends.  Despite their encouragement, you’d decided not to act on those feelings.  Navigating jobs and post-graduate plans was challenging enough without including a new relationship or a broken heart.  Besides, you were comfortable in your friendship with Daichi.  Yes you wanted more, but you could wait until your lives settled down a little.

Over the past year, though, you’d started noticing a shift in your dynamic.  There were more late night conversations or meet-ups for coffee.  The way Daichi behaved didn’t change, but you’d catch his eye more often, and he’d look at you with softer expressions than he used to.  Suga started teasing the both of you, saying you were behaving like Kiyoko and Tanaka.  You usually brushed it off like you did with most of Suga’s teasing, but your other friends were starting to drop hints that you should start dating, and Daichi managed to dodge their leading questions without denying the possibility.  You figured it was only a matter of time before you talked and made it official.  You just hadn’t had time to have that conversation yet.

You promised yourself to do it this year, but for now, you would enjoy this evening with your friends.  It was possibly the last time you’d get to hang out like this.  Kiyoko was engaged, and by the next New Year’s Eve, she and Tanaka would be happily married.  Asahi was starting to make his way onto the fashion scene in Tokyo, and while he wasn’t the most adventurous person, you knew he was excited about the possibilities before him and would run forward into whatever opportunities he discovered.  You, Suga, and Daichi were finishing up schooling and certifications, but then you’d be settling into careers of your own.  A lot could happen in a year.

You looked around Daichi’s living room at your friends.  Tonight you were celebrating Daichi’s birthday and the end of the year.  Tomorrow you’d make your New Year’s shrine visit and celebrate Asahi’s birthday.  You had two whole days to reminisce and joke around with your favorite people.  You thought it was the perfect way to kick off the next year.

You must have closed your eyes, content with the friendship and wine flowing through you, because the next thing you knew, you were bolting upright as something brushed against your shoulders.

“Whoa!”  Daichi flinched away, surprised by your sudden movement.  You blinked, taking in the blanket in his hands and the dimmed lights.  “Sorry, I thought you were asleep.”

“I think I was,” you mumbled, rubbing your eyes.  “What time is it?”

“11:30.”

You looked at your other friends who had also fallen asleep.  Suga and Asahi leaned on each other, a blanket draped across them, and Kiyoko was curled under another blanket at the other end of the couch.  Everyone’s wine glasses had been carefully moved to the kitchen, and pillows were close at hand if anyone woke and wanted a comfier place to rest their head.

“Look at us,” you said with a grin.  “We can’t even last until midnight.  We’ve gotten old.”

Daichi chuckled.

“I debated waking everyone up, but I think we’d all agree that sleep is more exciting than midnight on New Year’s Eve.”  He caught your eye with a smile.  “I guess we are getting old.”

“Why are you still up then?” you asked.  He shrugged.

“Someone has to tuck you in.”

“Not me, not anymore.”  You hauled yourself off of the couch, letting the movement hide the fond grin that pulled at your lips.  “I’m staying up until midnight.  Want to keep me company?”

“Sure.”  He tossed you the blanket in his hands and grabbed one for himself.  “Let’s step out onto the balcony so we don’t wake the others.”

The apartment balcony was barely a balcony, but there was enough room for both of you to lean against the guardrail and take in the stars and streetlights.  Even for the end of December, it was mild, and you were comfortable wrapped in the blanket next to your best friend.

“Did you have a good birthday?” you asked after a moment, gently bumping him with your shoulder.

“It was great.  Thank you for making it happen.”

“No need to thank me.  Everyone was in as soon as I proposed the idea of this get-together.  I think we’re all getting something great out of it.”

“It is nice to have everyone together for a while.”

“Next time will probably be Kiyoko’s wedding,” you mused.

“Crazy,” he breathed.  “Who knew Tanaka’s persistence would pay off?”

“I did,” you chuckled, “but we’re not all gifted with foresight, so I won’t hold it against you.”

“Well did you predict that we’d be the only two awake to welcome in the new year?”

“No,” you admitted.  “But I’m not complaining.”

You smiled, and he grinned back in that slightly soft way he was showing you more and more often.

“I’m not either,” he said quietly.  You felt butterflies and anticipation in your chest.  You turned away before the feeling overwhelmed you.

“Do you have any resolutions for the new year?”

“A few,” he admitted.  “You?”

“A few.”  You checked your phone for the time.  “There’s only a few minutes left.  Care to share any before the new year arrives?”

“If I share them now, doesn’t that mean they might not come true?” he asked cheekily.

“I mean, they might not come true regardless.  Besides, you’re thinking of birthdays and shooting stars.  Those are different.”

“It is my birthday, though.”

“For another three minutes,” you said, checking your phone again.

“Well I’m going to keep my resolutions and wishes to myself, just to be safe.  If you wanted to share any, though, I’m all ears.”

“I think, to keep it fair, I’ll keep my resolutions to myself too.”

“I thought so,” he said with a grin.

“Oh, you think you have me all figured out, huh?”

“Maybe.  I’m pretty close, at least.”

“Bold words, sir.”

“You’re not denying it,” he challenged gently.  You looked at him, studying his face for traces of intention and seeing only understanding.  You felt your face warm under his gaze.

“Alright then,” you said, “if you know me so well, what are my New Year’s resolutions?”

“I’m pretty sure I know one of them.”  He took a step forward, unwrapping an arm from his blanket and reaching for you.  You were sure you were blushing deeply when his fingers reached your cheek and cradled your face, but you didn’t pull away.  You were excited more than embarrassed or nervous, even if your emotions had your head buzzing.

One of the nearby apartments must have been hosting a party as well because you heard a faint chorus of voices start counting down from ten.  You didn’t bother to check your phone.  You didn’t want to look away from Daichi or break this momentum.  You were on the brink of a new year and a new level of your relationship.  A smile spread across your face as the countdown reached zero, and he returned your grin.

“Happy New Year Daichi.”

“Happy New Year Y/N.”

Then, because it was the most natural thing you could do, you leaned forward and met his lips with yours.  The kiss was gentle yet firm, a question and answer and promise all in one.  You didn’t linger in its warmth, though, not wanting to overstep.  This was just the beginning, after all.  You stepped back, and Daichi let you, though his hand held your cheek a second longer.

“Well it’s about time!”

You startled at the unexpected exclamation, and Daichi’s hand retreated to his blanket.  Suga, Asahi, and Kiyoko were crowded in the balcony doorway grinning at the two of you.

“When did you wake up?” Daichi asked.

“A few minutes ago,” Kiyoko explained.

“So are you finally official?” Asahi asked, leading the others onto the small balcony.

“Well, we haven’t actually discussed anything,” Daichi said, and you caught a trace of uncertainty in his voice.  You understood the hesitation.  It was New Year’s, after all.  Sometimes kissing at midnight was just an act of celebration.  But the confidence you’d felt when you’d held his gaze in that second after you broke apart was something different.  You didn’t want this chance to slip away, so you reached for his hand and squeezed it gently.  He glanced at you, and your grin chased away his remaining uncertainty.

“But yes,” you answered, turning back to your friends, “I’m pretty sure we are.”

“I called it!” Suga whooped, slapping Daichi happily on his back.  You laughed, letting go of your new boyfriend’s hand to accept hugs and congratulations from your friends.

As you wished them a happy new year, you couldn’t contain the smile spreading across your face.  This was a new start.  The new year was spread before all of you with its possibilities and adventures.  You caught Daichi’s eye, and from his expression you knew he was just as excited for everything you would get to experience together.

[amythecinnabunny]

71 and 100 Julie and Luke

71. Twenty-Four Hours to Live  

100. Accidentally Saving the Day   

You really would like to kill the fandom and me wouldn't you???? I tried so hard to make it jukebox specific but the whole band + Willie are so closely entwined with each other its nearly impossible akxbjsbsbs

So I'm thinking canon-verse? But a year later or less. I think more than a year would get a little awkward as Julie would surpass 17 in a year's time.

All our current problems and issues are resolved by this point. Ray, Carlos and Tia Victoria have met the band. Possibly Carrie too. The Bobby/Trevor debacle is dealt with. Caleb is deslth with (he's not dead(er) he's just keeping to the HGC). Julie and Carrie have since mended their friendship. Jukebox and Williex are official now. Possibly Flarrie too, maybe Kaylie. Maybe Nick/Flynn. Maybe Carricklynn. Maybe Nick/Reggie. Who knows, anything is possible. Julie can see but not touch Willie -- but he others can't see him at all.

The band has made it big by now. They're the latest and greatest. Almost everyone is talking about Julie and the Phantoms. By now, articles and posts refer to them as legends.

Julie's looking at colleges now and it's kinda settling in that Julie's growing up. In a year, she'll be done with high school and going off to college, something the boys never even had the change to do. So that angsty conversation's gonna happen.

But then things start to get weird. Sometimes, Julie will pass through the boys but they won't immediately notice. Or they'll be talking to someone other that Julie and they'll sort of flicker. Not physically or anything its just that to the other person, they're flickering.

Oh yeah, for this, I'm gonna go with the more they play with Julie, the more human-like they get and by the end of the year gap, they're visible full-time, just not always tangible to people other than Julie. They can still do their gimmick cause the whole visible thing is on command. So you can bet your ass Luke vanished on the spot when Ray asked about jukebox.

The strange thing is . . . It's happening with Willie too. Sometimes Willie's hand will go right through Alex's. Sometimes he and Reggie are playing video games with Carlos and then both of them see Reggie flickering and Reggie, of course, doesn't notice

One evening, after a late night gig, Julie and the boys gather on one couch to watch the local 24/7 news together and see them hit the highlights on a recap. The newscaster??? newsreader??? wtf do you call em? anyway the presenter brings them up near midnight and calls them Los Angeles' most beloved legends.

Midnight on the dot, the boys get these circles on their wrists. Like tattoos. A stamp. Just a thick black ring. They're all confused about it and they check Julie's wrist for a ring -- maybe it's a magic band thing? -- but Julie's wrists are free of any black circles.

They're so confused, they spend all night thinking about it. Julie doesn't even sleep. She calls Flynn about it. She calls Carrie about it. She even talks to Carlos until he gets tired. Alex brings Willie over to talk about it. They're all so baffled that they don't notice it changing until dawn-ish.

Willie's the one to notice Alex's. A quarter of the ring is missing. Julie grabs Luke's wrist and compares it to Reggie's before scrambling over each other to put their wrists next to Alex's. All still identical, with about a quarter of it missing.

"It looks like a countdown."

"What happens when it counts down to the end?"

Silence

Willie says he'll ask around the HGC. Yes, Caleb is safe to visit. His ass has been kicked and it's mostly embarrassment that keeps him holed up when he's not performing or practicing.

Reggie shrugs it off, saying he and Carlos have a date with Destiny. Destiny 2, to be specific. Alex also shrugs it aside, he has a Dirty Candy rehearsal to crash and he's not about to miss it. (The running lie is that the boys visit Julie after every gig. Maybe Kayla knows the truth too. Idk it's small details, up to the author that would like to decimate me by writing this)

That leaves Luke and Julie alone together. Julie can't get it out of her mind. If it's a countdown, what's it counting down to? What happens at the end?

Luke tries to take her mind off it with some songwriting after she gets breakfast, maybe practicing a little together. They even write a little bit of a duet together. Luke keeps Julie entertained for a full four hours, amid which Alex returned and chose to go and watch Reggie and Carlos completely lose track of time.

Julie takes an hour-long nap, leaving Luke to stare at the ring on his wrist and wonder why it's nearly a half circle now.

Willie pops into the studio in a frenzied panic, Reggie and Alex in tow. Luke is so startled, he nearly drops the acoustic. The clatter wakes Julie. Willie looks almost apologetic when he notices her.

Julie asks him what he found out as Luke sits next to her and helps her move her hair from her face. Willie struggles to explain. He's half hoping that maybe, if he doesn't say it aloud, it won't be true. He says it's a clock. It's twenty four hours.

Reggie is the one who asks what happens at the final hour. Willie doesn't answer for a long while. He just holds Alex's hand tight.

At the same time, Willie's hand drops as if he hadn't been holding on to anything and Luke's arm passes right through Julie. The boys flicker before Julie and Willie and it lasts nearly ten seconds.

It slowly dawns on them. No one wants to say it.

"They cross over," Julie whispers when the silence gets heavier than the revelation. Willie only nods. The silence in the garage weighs on them almost visibly.

They look at their wrists, almost half circles.

"So we have about twelve hours left," Alex says. "Maybe we can figure out a way to stop it."

Willie reaches for Alex's hand again. "I asked. There's no way to stop it. Once your unfinished business is complete, you have twenty four hours before you're gone from here. Gone for good."

Luke is adamant there's a way to stop it. His arm tightens around Julie, like she's the one leaving. He hates the defeated look in Willie's eyes. He hates that even in the back of his own mind, there's a voice telling him to get his affairs in order before he dies for the second time.

By the time Reggie determinedly states that there has to be a way to stop it and that they will figure it out, the marks have become perfect half-circles. There are only twelve hours left.

I don't wanna think too hard about it because I don't need to cry at 10pm, but there will be a lot of sad but sweet jukebox moments in between it all.

By the time there's only a third of the ring left, they've started losing hope. They haven't found a single ghost who has any idea how to help. The internet has been very unhelpful. There was a group of wiccans who tried to help but they suggested a spell that didn't look very authentic and it also involved sacrificing a goat at midnight and well, they didn't have until midnight. Still, the wiccans were very sympathetic and wished them well.

They didn't know how to tell the rest about this and they didn't have any idea how to say goodbye to each other. It felt like they were trying to say goodbye to a piece of themselves, the the most important part of themselves.

At the three-quarter mark, Reggie quietly tells Alex and Luke that they ought to spend some time alone with Willie and Julie. If Reggie/Nick or Reggie/Flynn is a thing for this, then Reggie would spend some time alone with them. If not, probably Ray and Carlos.

Cue the most heartwrenching conversation you have ever read in your life, ending with the worlds most grief-filled kiss. I'd get into it but like I said up there, I cannot afford to start crying now.

It's a thin black strip when they get together in the studio. Reggie's partner would be there too if he has one. If not, it's just the band + Willie.

Willie hasn't let go of Alex for over an hour, but now, when the mark is a nearly invisible line, he nudges Alex forward, towards Julie and Luke.

"Band circle?" Luke tries to joke. It only makes their tears fall faster.

Reminiscent of the hug they shared when Caleb's stamp lifted, the four of them try as hard as they can to hug each other as tightly as possible. Willie thinks to himself that he feels strange not being the last person to hold Alex, but it feels like for his band to be the last people to hold him.

None of them are very co-ordinated outside of music related things and just like the night a year ago, they tumble to the ground when someone stands on someone's foot and someone leans a little too much in one direction.

Willie can't help the laugh. It's just so them to be so undignified even in their last moments. He can't even see any of their marks anymore. The only reason he knows it must still be there is because the boys are this there. They knock the radio down and it starts playing the last inserted CD. Willie joins them on the ground and lays his head on Alex's chest as Now or Never fills the studio. --like we'll live forever, but live it like it's now or never

Julie, from between Luke and Reggie, reaches over to grab Alex's hoodie, just so she can be holding on to all of them when it happens. "I love you guys so much."

Luke kisses her forehead. There is a chorus of, "I love you too, Julie." Willie and Alex quietly share another set of "I love you"s.

Julie has long since gotten used to laying her head on Luke's chest and hearing nothing, but the silence behind the old song is nearly deafening. It just serves as a reminder than this is the last time she will ever see or touch Luke or Alex or Reggie again. She wraps her other arm around Reggie. It's uncomfortable and is probably bruising some part of her body, but she needs to be able to hold them all before they go.

Julie shuts her eyes and holds tightly to her boys, wishing with all her heart that there was some way to save her boys again. Some way to bring them back properly this time, so they could grow up with her. Some way to make sure Alex and Willie could stay together, that one of then won't ever have to say goodbye.

It only registers that something feels a little strange after the song abruptly cuts. The CD scratches, trying to play the rest of it but there's just a steady clicking sound. It clicks on a steady count. Like a steady drum beat. In time to a pulsing beat.

Like startled stoats, Willie and Julie shoot up and lock eyes over Alex and Luke.

The boys are, rightfully, confused.

Julie and Willie spiderman-meme point at each other, sputtering like an old car on a frozen winter morning.

Still confused and expecting to be long gone, they boys sit up and search their wrists for any traces of the mark, even the thinnest of lines.

Finally, Julie gets a coherent word out. "Heartbeat!"

"Heartbeat!" Willie echoes, nodding vigorously.

They're still jabbing their fingers at each other, having a full conversation with their sputtering sounds.

"Heartbeat?" Reggie echoes, baffled.

Julie and Willie yell at Luke and Alex, "Heartbeat!" It seems to be the only word they can get out. Clicking her tongue, Julie grabs Luke's hand and presses it to his own chest.

Reggie screams suddenly. He's standing suddenly and he's got his fingers at his neck. "P-p-p-pulse!"

He looks at Julie and Willie. "Heartbeat," he says slowly, understanding.

Alex screams. Willie only realises Alex had been holding his wrist when he lets go.

"What?"

Alex reaches out for Willie, as if to cue his face, but instead places his fingers just under Willie's jaw. He screams again, startling Willie, who never expected his boyfriend to look him in the eye and shout like he'd seen a demon. So Willie screams. Which startles Alex. Who screams again.

Luke finally registers what's going on. He screams. Right in Julie's ear. She gets startled. She screams. Startling Luke. Who screams again.

Reggie is still screaming with each place he puts his fingers and feels a steady beat.

There is so much screaming going on in the studio that Ray and Carlos make their way down too. Carri and Flynn, who wanted to be there for Julie after, come barreling in after. The four of them stand there, perplexed, as Julie, Alex, Reggie, Willie and Luke, all standing now, point at each other and scream.

Its pandemonium, honestly. A miracle none of the neighbors have come over to check.

And Julie drops her first curse in front of her dad as she stares at Luke, Reggie and Alex. "WHAT THE FUCK, YOU GUYS????"

Willie, who's never had any qualms cursing when no living adult could ever hear him, stares at Juliie like she's grown a second head. "NO! NO NO NO! NOT THEM WHAT THE FUCK! ME WHAT THE FUCK!!! ME!!!!"

Julie squints at Willie. "What??"

Alex holds up Willie's wrist. "PULSE!!"

Julie's eyebrows shoot up. "PULSE???? WHAT DO YOU MEAN PULSE?!"

"I mean pulse! What do you think??"

"What the hell is going on in here?" Carrie finally mutters.

As one, they all turn to the perplexed group in the doorway. Julie grabs Luke and drags him up to Carrie. She almost throws him at Carrie with the amount of force she uses to thrust his arm at her. "Pulse," she says, pointing to Luke's wrist.

Carrie sighs. "You know you're the only one that can--" Carrie screams when Julie slaps her arm with Luke's hand. Carrie screaming startles Flynn, who let's out a short screech.

"NO MORE SCREAMING!" Ray yells. In the silence, the clicking radio seems to get louder. Not trusting any of the screaming teenagers, Ray turns to his son. "Carlos, can you turn that off, please?"

Carlos rights the radio and presses the pause button. He presses it again. Sunset Curve fills the studio for a second -- dreaming like we'll live forever -- before Carlos manages to get it off.

Later, after they've explained everything and are still trying to wrap their heads around it, Julie crawls onto the couch beside Luke and lays her head on his chest. It's incredibly strange to hear a steady beat where there was once nothing but she can't deny that she loves the sound of it.

"That demo has more magic in it than the entire Hollywood Ghost Club," Alex mutters from the armchair he and Willie are squished into.

"I wonder what'll happen if I listen to any of the other tracks on the demo," Julie jokes.

"We'll probably grow wings," Reggie mutters from under Carlos, who had been so thrilled that Reggie wasn't leaving anytime soon, he had fallen asleep hugging Reggie.

Alex and Luke laugh, sharing an inside joke.

"You think you guys would still be here if Reggie didn't knock the radio over?" Willie asks.

"All hail, my mighty inability to watch where I'm going."

This time, Julie and Willie laugh too.

Julie curls up against Luke and sighs contentedly, listening to Luke's heart pound against his ribcage. In that moment, she can't think if anywhere else she'd rather be, anything else she'd rather listen to.

For the first time since they died, when Julie finally falls asleep, they doze off too.

Willie feels strange. When he yawns, he realizes he hasn't been tired since he first woke up as a ghost. It's nightly inconvenient and annoying, but he hasn't felt this alive since Alex first kissed him. As Willie dozes off, he makes a mental reminder to figure out what included him in the whole thing. He'll forget when he wakes up and they spend the day celebrating their mere alive-ness.

Things get even more interesting when Julie and the Phantoms perform again and Jullie accidentally walks through Luke, but that's a whole other story.

[quickspinner]

New Year, New Life

A little sequel to All I Want for Christmas is a New Beginning

It's been a year since a certain cute elf met a certain hot single uncle waiting in line to bring his niece to see Santa. A year since she ran away from him and fate--or rather Juleka--brought them back together again. A year since they kissed at midnight after Alya's annual New Year's party.

It's once again time for Alya's New Year's party, and with all the possibilities of a brand new year before them, Marinette and Luka can't help but be excited about it.

Technically I feel like I should be posting this tomorrow, but I wrote it for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Challenge which closes today, so Happy New Year just a little bit early! The prompt was "New Year’s party with a New Year’s kiss" and it seemed like the perfect chance to revisit these two. You don't really HAVE to have read the previous fic to get this one, but it will have a little more context and impact if you do. 3 15-minute sprints with 24 hours to edit. I did it all in less than 12 hours, but I also added a good five or six hundred words in the ‘editing’ phase, so...make of that what you will.

😆

It was amazing how many things could change in a year, Marinette thought, grinning up at Luka and leaning back into him as they moved together with practice ease. Just like last year, he had joined her at Alya’s annual party after playing his own New Year’s gig, in the same ballroom of the Grand Paris that Alya had rented last year. As soon as he’d arrived and done the obligatory greeting and handshakes and bises where necessary, he’d coaxed her to the dance with him, just like that first time. It was easy to agree; after a year of dating him, she was no longer awkward on the dance floor. They swayed and rolled and dipped together, both grinning and neither with eyes for anyone but each other. His hands on her body were not so light or hesitant as they’d once been, and frequently they were not so carefully respectful anymore either. She bumped her hip into him and gave him a pout for teasing her, which just made him lean down and catch her mouth in a brief kiss.

Marinette giggled and faced him, sliding her arms up around his neck as his hands found her waist and pulled her close.

“Hey!” Alya yelled as she danced past them, one hand holding a drink as the other waved in the air. “No making out on the dance floor!”

“Since when?” Marinette hollered after her, and then pulled Luka down for a prolonged kiss, just to make her point. He tasted like champagne, and Marinette had to stop kissing him because she couldn’t stop smiling.

“I”m almost sorry this year is ending,” she told him, rubbing a hand along his arm tenderly. Luka gathered her up in a hug, and then dropped his arm to slide around her waist, guiding her off the dance floor. They wandered together towards the windows, cuddling together as they looked out over the city lights.

“I love you,” Luka murmured, and the words still gave her a little shiver. She pressed closer to him.

“I love you too,” she sighed happily.

“It has been a spectacular year,” Luka continued, squeezing her hip. “But I gotta say that I’m looking forward to this year even more.”

Marinette hummed and looked up at him. “Why’s that?”

Luka took a deep breath, glancing back behind him as he slipped a hand in his pocket. Curving his body towards her slightly so no one else could see, he held up the small velvet box between them.

Marinette stared at the box for a stupefied moment, and then her eyes snapped up to his. A smile quirked the edge of his mouth, and he nodded at her with a soft look. Slowly she took the box, turning slightly towards him as well as she opened it to further shield them from the party. The ring nestled inside removed any doubt as to what was going on. She stared at it, overcome.

“I’d get down on one knee but I’m pretty sure that would give us away,” Luka murmured. “Marinette, this has been the best year of my life, and I want every year from now on to be just like it. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Marinette managed to gasp, and Luka plucked the ring out of the box, taking it with his other hand and snapping it shut, popping it back in his pocket before anyone else could see. As calm and smooth as he appeared, his hands were shaking when he took Marinette’s hand and carefully, deliberately slid the ring on her finger. As soon as it was there, Marinette pressed against him, burying her face in his chest. She could feel him taking slow, deep breaths with extended exhales, and smiled to herself. He was a cool customer, her Luka, but she knew his cues now. He’d been nervous as hell. She stayed there until her own jumbled nerves were settled and his breathing was more normal. Then she looked up at him, and as soon as her face was tilted high enough, he bent down and kissed her, slow and deep, and his heart fluttered wildly under the hands she placed on his chest.

“It’s not midnight yet!” Alya called, and they both turned to see her approach.

“Traditions are for the weak, Césaire,” Luka called back, grinning fit to split his face. Marinette opened her mouth to get rid of her dearest friend, but before she had a chance, Alya let out a shriek.

“MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?”

Before Marinette could blink, Alya was at her side, grabbing at her left hand. Marinette flushed deeply and behind her Luka chuckled. She looked up at him, and he shrugged, though a blush was painting his cheeks as well.

“How could you not tell me?” Alya said, examining the ring.

“I haven’t had time ,” Marinette snorted, snatching her hand back. “Way to ruin the moment, Alya.”

“Now?” Alya gaped, looking up between them. Then she recovered and put a hand on her cocked hip. “Really, Couffaine? You couldn’t wait until midnight?”

“Nope,” Luka said easily, without shame. “Gotta seize the moment when it comes.” He winked at Marinette. “Besides, now I get to kiss my fiancée at midnight.”

Marinette turned bright red and felt as if there were no air in the room. She hadn’t even had time to process and then he had to go and say that . Alya burst out laughing and shoved Marinette back into Luka’s arms. They folded around her and squeezed, and she snuggled close.

“All right, all right,” Alya laughed, “I'll keep the secret a little longer so you two can have your moment, but I’m making an announcement at midnight and you two are going to smooch in front of everybody . If you’re going to upstage my party you’d better do it right!”

When she was gone, Marinette sighed, resting her chin on Luka’s chest and peeking up at him. “Sorry,” he smiled. “Maybe I should have waited until we were alone, but it just...seemed like the right time.”

Marinette smiled, and then lifted her head to kiss his chin.  “It was. It was perfect.”

“If it’s too soon, you can tell me,” Luka said, squeezing her lightly. “It’s not a one-time offer. You don’t have to wear it if you’re not ready. Or you can wear it for as long as you want to, and we don’t have to set a date until—”

Marinette rolled her eyes, straightened, and took his face between her hands. “Luka. I’m ready. I want to marry you.”

He flushed at that, and the grin on his face was so wide and boyish and so unlike his usual smooth smirk, that she had to laugh. “Silly,” she muttered as he pulled her close again.

Luka shrugged. “It’s not like the first time I jumped the gun. I don’t want you suddenly freaking out and making a run for it on me again,” he teased.

“Oh,” Marinette gasped, too outraged to even scold him properly. “Oh, you—argh!” She drew back and whacked his arm, but she did it with her left hand, which just drew her eyes back to the glittering stone on her finger—wow, it was sparkly, no wonder Alya had noticed it right away—and then she was all smiles again.

“Dance with me some more,” Luka urged, catching both her hands in his and tugging her after him.

Marinette joined him gladly, and maybe her eyes kept straying to that sparkle where her hand rested on his shoulder, and maybe his hand kept sliding up her arm to caress her fingers or hold her hand to his chest, and maybe for once midnight came a little too soon for either of them.

A few minutes before midnight, their attention was drawn from each other to Alya, who had gotten a microphone from Nino and climbed up on a table.

“Everybody ready for the countdown?” she hollered, and there was a chorus of cheers. “Marinette and Luka, get up here.”

Marinette groaned, but took Luka’s hand and led him toward Alya’s table, accepting the inevitable.

“Hold up that hand, Marinette, and flash us all that rock!” Alya demanded, leaning down to grab Marinette’s wrist and wave her ringed hand in the air. “Check it out, folks, and remember you heard it here first! These two lovebirds are tying the knot. Max, who wins the pool?”

Marinette snatched her hand back, her mouth dropping open in outrage. “ Pool? ”

“Yep,” Alya grinned. “Been running since June. So who picked New Year’s Eve?”

Markov flew up to Alya’s side and she held out the microphone for the little robot.

“The winner of the Couffaine-Dupain-Cheng engagement pool is Jonathon C.”

Alya frowned, pulling the microphone back. “Okay, who’s—”

Luka coughed, behind Marinette. “That would be me.” Marinette turned to stare at him, and he winked at her. “Luka Jonathan Couffaine.”

“Oh you filthy cheater,” Alya screeched, kicking him and nearly falling off the table. “How did you even— Max ?”

Max held up his hands, but no one could hear him over the uproar.

“He filled out the web form with all the pertinent information,” Markov observed. “There is no rule excluding Luka from participating, nor any rule against using a middle name for registration. Luka’s entry is valid. I shall transfer the appropriate amount to the account you designated.”

“Thanks, Markov,” Luka said, and the pure Couffaine shit-eating grin on his face robbed Marinette of any ability to be mad at him. “I appreciate you all funding the ring.”

Alya groaned. “Oh my G—okay, you know what, the countdown’s about to start, so you two get up here. I expect one world class smooch for that, Couffaine.”

“Sorry, Alya, I’m in a very committed relationship,” Luka laughed, but while Alya scowled at him and insisted he knew what she meant, he pulled over a chair and graciously offered his hand to help her down from the table. Then he helped Marinette up, and carefully joined her.

“I hope these tables are sturdy,” Marinette muttered under her breath as the countdown began.

“So what kind of a show are we making here?” Luka asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Marinette smirked at him. “I’ll handle it. Just put your arms around my neck and don’t struggle or we’re both going to fall off this thing.”

Luka’s eyebrows lifted higher but there was no time for more questions.

“Five,” the crowd screamed, waving their champagne glasses. "Four!"

“Three,” Marinette murmured, her eyes fixed on Luka. “Two.” She hooked one leg behind his knee and put her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her neck as she’d instructed. “One.”

She dipped him back over her thigh. “Whoa!” Luka gasped, and then grinned, and leaned up so she could reach him, and the crowd roared “Happy New Year,” as they kissed, oblivious to both the cheering and the camera flashes going off all around them.

Later, they would watch the year’s first sunrise together through the windows, pressed tight under a blanket on the couch, and sit quietly with the gravity of all that had passed, in the contentment of each other’s company.

But just as that moment, the fireworks and cheers and celebration seemed a perfect background to a kiss that went on until Marinette’s trembling arms forced her to break it. Luka laughed breathlessly as she hauled him up, and he pressed his lips to her forehead.

“You’re amazing,��� he told her, as the music resumed. He got down from the table, and then reached up to catch her waist and lift her down beside him.

“Think Alya will be satisfied?” Marinette giggled.

“If she’s not, I’m more than happy to try a do-over,” Luka grinned, and then lowered his forehead to hers. “I love you.”

Marinette smiled, cupping his cheek. “Happy New Year, Luka.”

“Happy new life, Marinette.”