#This is Christmas (2022) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

milliesfishes · 23 days ago

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౨ৎ꣑ৎMemory౨ৎ꣑ৎ

౨ৎ꣑ৎ12 Days of Christmas Masterlist౨ৎ꣑ৎ [fem reader] contains: so much angst. blood, death, gunfight pairing: fem reader x billy the kid author’s note: for what it's worth I'm mostly sorry Spotify Playlist

The air was thick with the anticipation of the day, and Billy was nearly choking on it. Holidays were secondhand smoke, and he was desperately trying to open a window.

When ice began to glaze the windows and trees appeared in the windows of homes, adorned with gold and silver and the like, the emptiness within Billy began to consume him. It was that tower built of grief, standing precariously. He knew if it tipped over, somehow it would be even worse.

He carried pain with him, pressed to his back like a gun. It was what kept him running. If he stopped anywhere and really thought about his loss, it would consume him. And then there would be no point to anything.

It snuck into his dreams, hands on his shoulders, convincing him he liked it. "Billy?" He fell headfirst into his memories, sleep being the one place he couldn't avoid them. "You're home so early!" Where he couldn't avoid you. "I missed you!"

The sparkle in your eyes when you were pleased, which was always. Your insatiable lust for life and living. The way you would take his hat off when he came home and push his hair back from his forehead. How you felt in his arms after a long day, soft and perfect. You were everything. He'd had the moon and stars stitched up and hardly contained within a beautiful woman. His love. His life.

You were always on his mind, haunting the corners of his eyes and drenching everything he saw in your memory. In everything that was alive, he saw you. You were life, practically his air. Every drop of blood in his body was dedicated to you. Every breath he took was because he knew you would want him to.

As Billy laid in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, immune to the cold, limbs heavy as though they were rocks instead of bones, he couldn't fight memory any longer. As he shut his eyes, you appeared behind them, with the sunshine smile he'd so loved.

Eyes sparkling, you ran right into his open arms, practically throwing yourself into him. If you could have melded yourself into him, you would have, tucked away against his chest forever.

"Hiya, sweetheart," he smiled, lowering his nose to your hair and giving it a kiss. "How's my girl?"

You snuggled into him, one hand hooked on the collar of his shirt. "Missed you."

"You always miss me," he teased, stroking your back mindlessly.

"Always," you confirmed, pressing a kiss to his chest. He removed his hat, setting it on your head. The giggle he received in return could have paid the bounty on his head in full.

"You're right baby," Billy managed between kisses. "Been gone too long. You need some love, huh?"

"Always need love," you murmured into his chest.

Billy turned on his side, pulling the covers up over his chest. He reached for the pillow on the other side of the bed, holding it close. Maybe if he let himself, he could believe he was holding you.

You were an angel. Sent from heaven to be protected. You were the reason he believed in any sort of deity- who else could you possibly have come from? All his years of slaving away at repentance he had finally been rewarded with something he wanted to keep forever. A love that was pure- he never thought he'd get to have anything like that again.

And he'd let you slip through his fingers. What good thing could ever happen again now that he'd had the best thing?

"I loved Christmas before, but it only got more magical with you," you murmured one night, snuggled up in bed with him in one of his shirts, his hand tucked underneath at your back. You loved the way his warm palm felt on your bare skin.

"Yeah?" He hadn't thought before of the fact that he would get to spend Christmas with you, but it was extremely welcome. You nuzzled against his chest and he smiled. "Any day with you is magical."

"Billy," you giggled fondly, cuddling close. "I want you to love it too."

"I do," he said, meaning it to his core. He leaned down, kissing your head. "I do, sweetheart."

Throwing his arm over his eyes, Billy squeezed the pillow, turning to his other side. Sleep was evading him tonight like a wild horse, and he was unsure if he'd be able to rope it.

You were his other half through and through. And he felt empty without you, holes punched into his heart. He wasn't meant to live this way. To know such a love and then know how it felt to be without it.

Sitting up, Billy struck a match and lit the stubby candle beside his bed. Leaning over to the side table, he snatched the thin square sitting face down on the surface, cautiously turning it over. Your bright smile seemed to radiate color even in the black and white, lips parted in a laugh frozen in time. He was in the picture too, arms around your waist, head bent to press a kiss to your temple. Fingers clasped around one of his suspenders, body swaying into his, you looked happy as could be.

He touched your photographed face, pretending for a moment. You, you, you. A song his heart hadn't stopped singing since the moment you'd first met. Billy let his head fall back on the pillow, eyes still fixed on your face. My girl, my girl, my girl.

Billy cupped your face in his hands, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You seemed happy, though the uncertainty in your eyes caught him off guard. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, sweet girl," he promised, blissful as he let go of your face to sweep you into his arms. You giggled, arms around his neck as he toed the door open and carried you inside. "It's all ours."

"And we're far enough away?" you fussed as Billy took you promptly to the bedroom, laying you down gently. He yanked his boots off and crawled on top of you, chin on your tummy, arms snaked around your waist.

He gave your midsection a kiss. "Leave all the worryin' to me, sunshine. We're okay."

"I'm sorry." You smiled softly, hand finding its way to his hair and starting to play with it. "I just...I don't want anything to ruin this. Not when we've been so happy..."

"Baby..." Billy rolled over, pulling you to lay on top of him. He relished for a moment that the bed was big enough to do that now. In a lot of the rooms he'd stayed in, you were sandwiched between him and the wall, his back to the door just in case. "It's gonna be okay. We're allowed to have something good."

"You're the only good thing I need," you murmured, ear over his heart. He liked it when you rested there. It was yours to do with as you pleased anyways. Billy covered the side of your head with his palm, following the line of your hair and rubbing carefully. You murmured, "I don't need anything else, Billy. Just you and me."

It was all he'd needed too. In all honesty he'd have been happy living in the woods with only the stars as a roof over your heads so long as you were bundled in his arms. But he wanted much more for you. You deserved palaces and cities built in your honor. This house had been a meager but promising start.

He moved to set the photograph back on the bedside but then decided against it. Billy pressed the little square to his heart, closing his eyes and ignoring the light of the candle. Now the thoughts of you were consuming him, but he didn't stop them. Even now you were his only source of joy, the one comfort in this shell of a life left for him.

"What if we had a baby?"

Billy nearly choked on his slice of bread. He cleared his throat, grinning at you. "You want a baby?"

"Your baby," you corrected, wandering over to sit on his leg. He pulled you against his chest, offering a kiss to your temple.

"You want my baby?" He corrected himself, rubbing your side. You didn't know about the little ring hidden beneath his shirts in the drawer.

"Uh huh," you mused, eyes becoming dreamy. "Want your baby."

"We can have a baby," he promised, kissing your forehead. "Wanna do it right though, sweetheart. Wanna marry you first."

"Marry you!" You looked up happily, leaning in to kiss his cheek, than his lips. "I wanna do that too."

"Anything you want," he promised, leaning his cheek on your head when you nuzzled into his neck.

He wished with all his heart for everything you hadn't done. From the moment you'd mentioned it, he'd pictured you with a blanket-wrapped infant in his arms, your eyes tired but happy. Along with it came images of you in a wedding dress, a bunch of wildflowers in your hands. And your wedding night, your bare body tucked into his, sprawled out with your hair undone. In everything you were happy. Billy hadn't ever stopped trying to make you happy.

"Billy?" No. Not tonight. "Billy? what's going on?" Let him have peace after dark for once. "What are they doing here?" He turned into his pillow, squeezing his eyes shut. The picture was tight between his fingers.

"Billy?"

You were still bare, the covers tucked under your arms as you sat up. He shoved his feet into his pants, sliding his suspenders up in a hurry and hastily buttoning his shirt, some going through the wrong loops. As he dressed, he tried to soothe you. "Nothing, baby. Nothing. Lemme just take care of this. You go back to sleep."

"Billy." Your voice was breathy, and high, nearly a squeak. He paused, one boot on. "Please. What can I-?"

"You stay here," he said firmly, kneeling on the bed and holding your face between his hands. "Where you're safe." The thundering hooves were getting closer, and he could see the dots of light in the distance through the window. Fire.

When he caught a glint of a tear in your eye, he pulled you close, stroking your back gently. "Hey. It's okay, sweet girl. We're gonna be okay." Billy buried his nose in your hair, adjusting the blankets around you. "I'm gonna keep you safe. I know it's scary but it's gonna be okay."

You nodded, a whimper betraying your held back tears. He breathed in, rocking you back and forth for a moment. "Shh, I know, I know." He forced himself to let go, determined to meet the riders and get this over with. When he heard a little cry after he left the room, his heart broke clean in two.

The fight was brutal. Nothing they said was new. That he didn't belong here. That he should leave before they turn him in. That they'd burn down his house and hurt his girl.

Over his dead body.

Billy's gun moved faster than his mouth ever could. He fired round after round, felling those who dared come after what he loved so dearly. The darkness shielded their faces, but it didn't matter to him. All that mattered was that his sweetheart was sheltered while he took care of any threat to you.

Cold blood licked his clothes, the smell of death in the air. It was a symphony of senses, from the sound of the gun to their cries, the vision of shadows falling like leaves from the fingers of tree branches. He could practically taste the feeling that came with ending the life of another, one he was long accustomed to by now.

He would have to take care of the bodies before you came outside again. There was no way he was letting his darling see any of this. It was a sight unfit for your innocent eyes. If he had it his way, you would only see the most beautiful things, namely looking in a mirror.

The man far ahead of him was shouting something, seeming to struggle. Billy's eyes narrowed, and he held his gun up, doing his best to aim in the dark. The last shot. For his girl. For you.

His finger was nestled into the trigger, eyes cold. One last swallow and it was over. And he could return to his love, safe and warm inside. Eyes narrowing, he aimed for the shadow and fired, the sound of the bullet escaping the barrel harpooning through the air. He waited for satisfaction, the feeling of a job well done.

"Billy!"

It was cold. The night air was getting to him. Billy watched something collapse, but the shadow was still moving toward him. He recognized the burly shape of a man and fired again, numb as the voice echoed in his head. Billy, Billy, Billy.

His heart stopped. He swore it did for just a second.

Sound was silent. His legs were moving before he realized it, buckling once he reached the white shape sprawled in the dirt. There was a massive spot that only seemed to grow, creeping slowly and filling in the contours.

He'd know your eyes even in the dark. You were trembling, grasping his hand as soon as it was within reach. A choked, "Baby," escaped his lips.

Now he was crashing back to earth. You were the only thing in front of him, the only thing that ever could have mattered. Billy gathered you in his arms, tossing his gun aside. He didn't care if he never saw it again.

In a single stroke, the squeeze of a trigger, he'd ruined everything.

Your eyes were soft. Your hand around his squeezed weakly as he cradled you close, brushing the hair from your eyes. "Baby...baby why didn't you stay inside? You should've stayed-" he choked, chest collapsing in on itself.

"Billy," you whispered, your voice silencing everything else. He brought you up to his chest, clenching the back of your nightdress, nose dug into your temple. Through all the blood you still smelled like you. His girl. His angel.

"Stay with me, c'mon, c'mon baby," he breathed, tearing your shawl from around you to staunch the wound. You shivered and he winced. He'd keep a fire burning all hours of the night, never let you stray from the bubble of his warmth when you got inside.

Your limbs acted as though they were filled with sand, eyes growing tired. He kept hold of your hand, cradling you close and rocking you back and forth. "Please. Please..."

Head falling to his shoulder, you murmured, "I love you."

"I did a bad thing," he managed, voice thin and tight as a wire, tears seeping in around the edges. "Sweetheart..."

You lifted your head to look at him, shaking it just slightly. "No."

"We're gonna be okay," he babbled, fist white around the shawl. It was wet with red, and he tried to imagine it was something else. "We're gonna go someplace else. Somewhere safer, baby. Just you and me-"

"Billy," you whispered.

"And we're gonna get married," he continued, cupping your face and stroking your cheek. "Yeah, we're gonna get married and we're gonna have a baby. Remember? Remember how we said we would?"

"Billy." Your eyes were tired. The moon's glow was all he had as a candle, and it beamed upon you, bathing you in something angelic. He had known you weren't made for this world. But he hadn't thought that'd mean you were to be taken from it so soon.

With difficulty, you lifted your hand, reaching for his face. He caught your hand and guided it the rest of the way, so it rested on his cheek. As your soft palm met his prickly skin, the weight of what he'd done hit him full force. He didn't realize he was crying until you thumbed away a tear, eyes sorrowful as you breathed, "You're gonna be okay."

"We're both gonna be okay," he started, but you rubbed the side of his face, inhaling softly.

"I'm sorry." You leaned up, and he helped you reach him, so your lips touched his cheek. "My love..."

"It was my fault," he choked, burying his nose in your hair. "I did somethin' awful."

"There's nothing you could do that I wouldn't forgive you for," you said softly, and he kissed the palm of your hand, practically praying for one more moment.

"Ma, please let her stay with me," he begged silently. "Please give me a chance to make it better."

He would atone for it for the rest of his life and then some. He would give himself up, throw his gun in the river and run as far as he could think of. The ocean. You'd always wanted to see the ocean. He'd take you there and watch you ankles deep in the water, laughing as the sun hit your eyes.

"I can't...leave...you..." your voice was hitching, and he hushed you, shaking his head and holding your face to his shoulder.

"Shh, shh, sweet girl," he tried, but you gave a little sob, clinging to his hand as tears cascaded down your cheeks. You weren't wearing shoes. Why weren't you wearing shoes?

"It's cold," you mumbled, and he tightened his arms around you, fruitlessly trying to bring you warmth. His shirt was sticky with your blood, and he pressed the balled up shawl closer to your wound. He wasn't ready to think about that yet.

You looked up at him, and the soft touch of your hand met his cheek again. Billy tucked your feet into his lap, pulling your dress over your knees. It was the best he could do right now.

The night was quiet, eerily so. You were nearly motionless, save for the staggering rise and fall of your chest, the one light he was able to cling to. "Baby...baby..."

You closed your eyes. His heart pounded against his ribs, begging to escape and open them. Tears still rolled down your cheeks, glowing like pearls in the moonlight. Softly, your voice permeated the chilly night air. "Don't wait for me."

It echoed in his ears for an eternity after.

Billy remembered the aftermath in a blurry haze with little color. Nobody should ever have to dig their lover's grave, but he did. Returning home, exhausted from the effort it'd taken not to fling himself in the dirt beside you, the first thing he'd seen was the Christmas tree you'd decorated so happily. You'd hummed old carols under your breath, looking up at him with the purest joy he'd ever known.

He couldn't get away fast enough.

The house was a ghost itself, and he felt as though he were living inside a memory without any of the original joy. You called from every room, and he could practically see your fingerprints on every surface. When Billy left, he set it all on fire, ash and soot clinging to his clothes as he spurred his horse in the opposite direction. And thus it began, the act of surviving.

Over and over he cursed your selflessness. Why hadn't you stayed inside? Why couldn't you have hidden until it was over, found it in you to protect yourself the way he'd been trying to? No answers came, except for the reconfirmation of your love. You were trying to help. But he would never blame you for your death. All the guilt fell on his shoulders like a weight, holding him down from the happiness he'd previously known.

Billy set the photograph back on the table, face down. He took in a deep breath, lying back and trying to let it go. It was well into the night, and he was far away from everything. The only thing he needed to worry about was a good night's rest before he skipped town again in the morning. The ocean. He was going to the ocean.

There was a lilt in the air, a slight melody that flowed like water in the creek. Billy thought he was hearing things until it became louder, the chorus of many voices together making his skin burn.

It was Christmas morning. He'd not slept a wink. And now the carolers were making their rounds, lifting the spirits of others in song.

You'd loved this song. Billy's cheeks were wet, and he stuffed one ear into the pillow, one hand clamped over the other. It was almost over. Soon he'd be off, the remains of this wretched time of year in the distance. He'd drown his sorrows in the salt air and trudge through the rest of his days.

And no matter what you'd said, he would never stop waiting for you.

#Spotify #billy the kid #billy the kid fanfiction #billy the kid x reader #billy the kid x you #billy the kid imagine #billy the kid 2022 #billy the kid fic #billy the kid fluff #billy the kid tom blyth #william h bonney fanfiction #william h bonney x reader #william h bonney x you #william h bonney imagine #william h bonney #billy bonney #billy bonney x reader #milliesfishes billy #millie's twelve days of christmas

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rebelliousstories · 9 months ago

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Family

25 Days of Ficmas

Relationship: Louis Pointe du Lac x Reader, Lestat de Lioncourt x Reader

Fandom: Interview With The Vampire

Request: No

Warnings: Fluff, Light Angst

Word Count: 910

Masterlist: Here

Summary: Claudia has requested that everyone get along for one night. Hopefully, they can make her Christmas wish come true.

Every Christmas, Claudia was given any and every present she desired. New dresses, dolls, fabulous art; you name it she had it. And since being gifted a mother figure, she only had one wish for Christmas. Well, one main wish. She wanted everyone to play night and have a family night in for Christmas. Her two papas and mama bickered constantly. Louis tended to isolate himself from the other two, but she never went without love from them.

Oh, they would pretend in front of her, but she knew that they would argue when she retreated into her coffin for the evening. They would try to keep their voices down in the beginning but inevitably, they would start shouting at some point. One night, Claudia hit her breaking point. Her papas and mama had been arguing for hours. The sun had almost risen, and they still were not done. Crawling out of her bed, she held her doll tight as she made her way to the living room where the adults stood.

“All he is asking is that you don’t bring Claudia along with you to hunt all the time, Les. Please, she’s an impressionable young lady and it’s Christmas. Will you please calm down for an evening?” Her mama pleaded, grasping Lestat’s hands in hers. He tugged them away sharply.

“Well, I think she should be going out. Experiencing life as a creature of the night. Why shouldn’t we when it’s Christmas? It’s not like god has forsaken us or anything.” He lamented, as dramatic as ever. Louis remained silent, which gave the young girl the perfect time to slip in.

“Will you all stop fighting?” Claudia demanded, standing firm in her place.

“Claudia, what are you doing up?” Louis finally spoke after a moment, coming to scoop her up. She let her papa hold her to his chest, while she continued to speak.

“I couldn’t sleep because of the arguing. It’s not right for you all to be this unhappy at Christmas.” She cried, tucking her face into Louis’ shoulder.

“Oh dear,” her mama came near, “we’re not unhappy. Just sometimes adults sound that way when they are passionate about something.” Stroking her daughter’s head, Claudia’s eyes became wide and filled with tears as she looked around.

“Will you please get along for one night? No arguments or anything. Just one night, please?” Her tears flowed down her face, and even Lestat seemed moved by the display. No one said anything as they looked at each other.

“Let’s get you to bed, little one.” Mama and Louis walked with her still in his grasp to her coffin. They laid her down, and with a final goodnight kiss to her perfectly curled head, the lid was shut. Walking out of the room, the couple stopped for a moment and stood in silence as they took in the gravity of Claudia’s words.

“Have you finally decided to join me once more, or am I too much trouble for you?” Lestat growled as they re-entered the room. She made her way across the floor, skirts flowing behind her to hold the blonde vampire.

“Les, we only want what is best for Claudia. But you heard her tonight. All out arguing is doing her no favors. Let’s just try to be more understanding for the season?” He stopped, and just stood there with an indignant expression on his face. Looking over, Louis seemed to straighten up under his gaze, with hopeful green eyes. Lestat held out a hand to his other lover, and brought him into the mix. Everyone was holding each other and standing still in the moment.

“I suppose we can put the debate on the back burner for now. I’d like to spend the night surrounded by my people, if that’s alright.” His tone was teasing,but the other two vampires were content to being there with him. It was a tight fit, but they made all three of the sleeping in the same coffin together work.

They spent the evening together, loving the ability to get back to how they used to be as younger vampires. Kisses were shared, as well as words of love that seemed to envelope the vampires in the coffin. No one called attention to the fact that this was the most Louis had spoken to Lestat in months.

The next evening, after the sun had fallen and the moon had replaced it, everyone began to stir from their resting places. However, Claudia noticed she heard no voices. No one was talking, or arguing, or shouting. It was silent. Tentatively, she opened the lid of her coffin and went to check the others. Louis’ was empty, as was her mama’s. Maybe they had taken off to go do some shopping before the shops closed for the evening.

But her ears caught something, that her eyes found next. Lestat’s larger coffin was emitting noise and was slightly cracked open. Tip toeing over, Claudia peaked her eyes in and found a sweet scene. Her two papas were wrapped around her mama in a sleepy embrace. No one had quite made the effort to get up, but all of their eyes were still closed. She smiled as she beheld them, happy to see them get along for once. Closing the lid back to where it was cracked, Claudia went back to her own coffin and figured she could use some more rest on this cold winter’s night.

#rebelliousstories #writing #25 days of ficmas #25 days of christmas #ficmas 2022 #interview with the vampire imagine #interview with the vampire #louis pointe du lac imagine #louis pointe du lac x reader #loustat #lestat x louis #lestat x reader #lestat de lioncourt imagine #lestat de lioncourt #the vampire lestat #claudia iwtv

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