#also turns out I get the “sorry you had an awful childhood” package and I get 10k+ yearly in bursaries loans and grants

[silentstar]

I just realised that I made a bunch of sad personal posts ages back lamenting about how I had a really hard time in education and felt left behind - but I don't think I posted that I actually made it into uni and I'm studying illustration right now!

[loveforpreserumsteve]

Together Forever: "ALN" Story (Pre-Serum Omega!Steve and Alpha!Bucky Modern Domestic AU)

Five:

"I've heard that you don't appreciate your parents until you become a parent yourself. But I don't agree with that." Ollie started. Taking a brief moment to take a drink of his champagne.

"Growing up, I admired my fathers." Silent nods and vocal agreeance broke out around the room. Oliver continued, "It seemed like no matter what, they overcame everything together. Even when raising us became harder with puberty," Oliver turned to look at the guests of honor. Apologizing, "I'm sorry I gave you so much grief. I definitely didn't understand how much patience you had until I had to deal with the attitude that they inherited from me."

"We forgive you!" Bucky called out, earning laughter from the attendees and a raise of his glass from Ollie in acknowledgement.

"And even though I put them through some real awful shit, they always handled it together. Whether it was just some adolescent angst or a terrible beau, they were always there.

"I think that's what I remember the most when it comes to my childhood. Them loving and growing – not just together – but with us too. And through them, I realized what real, true love was supposed to be like."

"LOVE YOU, BABE!" Rhodey called out from his seat at one of the round tables.

"Love you," Ollie smiled, taking another drink. Redirecting his attention back to his fathers, he said, "To pops and dad! For loving us and loving each other!"

"To Steve and Bucky!"

"To pawpaw and pappy!"

"To pops and dad!"

As Oliver stepped down from the stage, soft piano music started. Finn was already on stage. Not needing to give a speech to explain how he felt. And just like every other time that the alpha had dedicated a song to those he loved, the sentiment hit right where it was supposed to.

More than that though, it wasn't just Finn up on that stage. No, it was a team performance as Bitsy interpreted danced to the heartfelt and loving piece. It was the best performance that Steve had ever witnessed. But he might've been biased.

When the artistic performance was done, Kit crossed the stage for the microphone. As they pulled a folded piece of paper from their skirt pocket, they chuckled, "I, uh, found this packed away in some of my old stuff. 'Guess it's a good thing that pops and dad tried to save all of our memories."

Light laughter started around the room and the adult Barnes kids cheered in their agreeance. Pulling out a pair of small reading glasses, the forty-six year old cleared their throat, "'My hero,' by Atticus Barnes.'

"'Technically, I have two heroes. So, think of this as a buy one, get one free.'" More laughter and Kit bit back their own grin so they could continue with their junior high essay. "'My heroes are a packaged deal, they're my fathers.'

"'They balance each other out. For every goofy thing my dad does, my pops has some words of wisdom, and vice versa. For every lyric my pops gets wrong in a song, my dad has enough rhythm for the both of them. They ebb and flow. I admire and aspire to be like them.'

"'Especially after this past year,'" Kit paused. There was a solemnness just beneath the surface, and all those feelings rushed back to Steve as though they were back then.

Feeling it all through the bond, Bucky wrapped his arm around Steve's slender shoulders and reeled him in close and tight. Almost as though he was trying to protect his mate from their past and one of the scariest moments in their lives.

"'This year has been difficult for my family,'" Kit read. "'My pops has been battling cancer. I didn't realize how hard it was to see someone deal with that until it hurt someone I love. I've also never seen so much love in my life. My parents love my siblings and I, and they love each other too.'

"'They love each other so much that it's like superhuman love. I want to have that. I want to be like them.'" Kit sniffled and took a moment before continuing, "'My fathers might not have saved a life or created some cool invention, but they raised me, my brothers, and my sisters as though we could. And I think that's really cool.'"

Folding the old, worn piece of lined notebook paper, Kit placed it back in their pocket along with their reading glasses. Then, they held their scotch on the rocks up in a toast, "To dad and pops!"

"To dad and pops!"

"To pappy and pawpaw!"

"To Bucky and Steve!"

"Wow," Cori started once she was at the microphone. "I never realized how big our family was until this moment."

Steve and Bucky chuckled as they fondly looked around the room. Not just their lineage, but their nieces and nephews too. It seemed as though every year the family grew larger and larger. And Steve knew that those who joined – whether through marriage or birth – their family were so extremely lucky. Because he knew firsthand just how loving the Barnes family was.

"Anyway, I'll keep this short and sweet," Cori began. "I'm where I am today thanks to these two men. They supported me through my ups and downs, and always encouraged me to follow my dreams. And I'm forever grateful to have them in my life and on my team. I love you! To dad and pops!"

Once more the room echoed in their toasts to the happy couple. Steve couldn't help but blush and tuck his face into the crook of Bucky's shoulder. So overcome with love were they that it was almost overwhelming.

When Nevie climbed onto the stage, Cori helped lower the microphone stand for her shorter sister. Some of their attendees giggled at the gesture, causing the omega's cheeks to redden.

"Hi," Nevie smiled. "For those who don't know, I'm the youngest Barnes. By five minutes, but the youngest all the same.

"Anyway," Nevie nervously giggled at herself. "None of us really need to be reminded of how blessed we were to have grown up in the kind of home that pops and dad provided. Because the evidence is with us every day. Whether it's from us obtaining our dream jobs or how we raise our own children, it's always there.

"Dad, pops," Nevie directed her attention to her fathers. "You're the epitome of what a loving marriage is, and no one deserves to be celebrated more than you."

Holding her glass of red wine up, she silently toasted to her fathers. Watching the rest of the room do the same, Steve grew teary-eyed. But not nearly as emotional as when he watched Ian take his place on the short stage and briefly fiddling with the microphone until he could easily speak into it without bending over.

"Now, I wasn't born into this family, but Steve and Bucky have been the best parents that I could've ever asked for. They saved me from a bad home life and I will forever be grateful for their love and compassion.

"They've helped me grow into the man I am today, and I couldn't think of a more admirable couple than them. Dad, pops, thank you. Not just for taking me in, but for everything. I love you, and I can only hope that I'll be in your spot one day. Thank you."

Steve sniffled and Bucky wiped the tears from his own face. Even though the alpha hadn't approved of Ian when they first met him all those years ago, they had developed a father-son relationship that only grew stronger the more years that passed. And it didn't matter if he was born a Barnes or not, he was a Barnes. Full stop. No room for negotiation.

From beside him, Bucky rose and met Ian halfway to his own table. Pulling the younger alpha into an embrace, Bucky hugged him tightly. Steve couldn't help but continuously fall more in love with his husband. Especially when their other kids joined the two alphas in a group hug. This was the type of life Steve had never realized he wanted until he had it. And he couldn't be happier.

[disasterofastory]

Keep me warm (Hvitserk x Reader)

Keep me warm Hvitserk x Reader Warnings: smut

Hvitserk and Reader have to stay in a hut deep in the woods for the night.

You didn’t imagine your weekend like this; trapped in a small hut in the middle of a snowstorm without fire. Old candles give you some light in the small, dusty room as you try to find every cover and blanket for tonight. You can hear the wind outside, but the windows are useless at this point. You can’t see anything from the snow in the dark. Of course, you can complain about the circumstances, but you are lucky you even find this cabin to escape from the harsh weather.

And at least you are not alone, however, you are not sure it’s really luck or a curse.

“I’m sorry,” Hvitserk says after a while. His voice sounds guilty and sad. He wanted a pleasant few days with you far away from his family prying eyes.

“Don’t,” you sigh softly, squeezing his arm. “We are still far from your family,” you joke, and he smiles at your words.

You and Hvitserk are best friends since childhood. You grew up with him and his brothers, but as they started to practices for battles and raids, you started working at your parents’ bakery shop. The delicious baked goods helped you to keep Hvitserk close, but it still wasn’t the same. And the blond-haired boy felt that too. So he came up with the idea to escape from the village for a few days to enjoy each other’s company.

“At least we still have food,” he says, sitting down on the bed, patting the covers next to him.

You laugh at his enthusiastic voice as you sit beside him, watching his hands, opening the package. You have dinner with ale while you talk about your days. He boasts about his development in sword fights, and you tell him about your experiences at the shop. At first, you feel awkward. Your tales are much more boring, compared to Hvitserk’s, but the boy looks at you with awe and happiness. He listens to your every word and asks you about things. About boys, for example.

“Nothing,” you shrug. “I had a fling with the fisherman’s son, but it was just… a fling. What about you and the slave girl?”

“She is not a slave anymore,” he reminds you. “Not after he married to Ubbe.”

“Are you okay?” You ask him, setting aside your jealousy.

“Yes, it was just sex,” he replies, drinking from the flask. “But their marriage reminded me of something.”

“Reminded you of what?”

“Marriage,” he answers, looking up at your eyes. “Maybe it’s time for me to settle down too.”

“Really?” You can’t help but smile. The Hvitserk, you know, runs from woman to woman and doesn’t think about the future.

“Yes. It would be good to have a wife before I sail away, so I can come home to somebody. Maybe kids.”

“Oh, Gods,” you laugh, but not at him, and he knows that too. “We really talked a long time ago. I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.”

“You are still the only one who knows me really,” he says with a small smile, his eyes shine with calmness and contentment.

The coldness gets worst as the night comes, and soon you find yourself in the bed with Hvitserk. You slept next to him before, but it still feels different. You are too aware of his body beside you, and you can’t keep yourself away from him because of his warmth. You needed every blanket and pelt you brought and found anyway.

Your whole body shakes as you try to snuggle deeper under the covers, and you can tell, Hvtiserk isn’t in better shape than you.

“We should get naked,” he says suddenly, and a small laugh burst out of you, hearing his suggestion. “I’m not joking,” he continues, but he smiles at your girlish giggles. “The body heat would keep us warm.”

“Hvitserk…” you start, unsure of your next words. He is right. You know he is right. “It won’t be awkward between us, right?”

“Of course not,” he says reassuringly. He winces at himself. Even the thought of you naked next to him gets him hard.

Without words, you start to undress under the blankets, and the Viking follows your lead. After a few seconds, you lay naked beside your friend’s also bare body. Your skin is hot, and every fiber in your body tells you to move closer to him. And while you try to get a grip on your emotions, he tries to suppress his erection.

You hum to break the awkward silence.

“We should sleep,” he says hoarsely. “If we are lucky, we can go home tomorrow.”

“Okay,” you nod. You don’t understand the disappointment you feel, hearing his words.

The sleep comes easier as you thought, considering everything. The warmth and Hvitserk’s safeness give you enough peace of mind to fall into the darkness. But the darkness doesn’t last long.

You wake up to an arm sneaking around you and a body pressing to your back. What gives you the real fright is a hardness against your waist.

“Hvitserk,” you whisper into the silence. “Hvitserk,” you try again, louder. He grunts, moving closer, and you squeal at the feeling. His hand moves up on your body, but you grab his fingers before he can grab something else.

“Hvitserk!” You whisper-yell this time, and it wakes him up. He freezes at first, sensing the position you two are in, and after the recognition, he almost jumps out of the bed.

“I’m so sorry,” he says.

“Are you okay?” You ask him, turning round to see his dark silhouette. You don’t even know why you asked this. You felt not a minute ago he is just fine. In more ways than one.

“Are YOU okay?” He asks back. “I didn’t want to make you feel awkward.”

“You… you didn’t,” you answer. Your voice is unsure but mostly because of his reaction.

You feel his gaze on you, however, you can’t see his eyes under the darkness.

“You mean what I think you mean?” He asks after a while, breaking the tense silence between you.

“I hope so,” you whisper.

When he gets closer, you can see his eyes and parted lips before he kisses you while you still lean on your elbows. His hand goes to your neck, keeping you close to him as he starts to play with your tongue.

As the kiss gets heavier, he lays you down to move above you, pulling the covers with him to keep you warm beside his lying body on you. Your breasts pressed to his chest while his cock pulsating against your hipbone. You spread your legs for him, and he snuggles between your thighs without breaking the kiss.

One of his hands goes between your bodies to grab your breast, playing with the soft flesh as his lips go down on your neck. His warm breath fans against your skin, pecking you repeatedly.

“Are you sure?” He asks. “If we do this,” he continues before you can answer. “You will marry me, you will bear my kids.”

“Are you sure?” You ask him back breathlessly, hearing his serious words.

“You are the one for me, Y/N,” he replies.

“I’m sure,” you tell him after a few seconds. Your heart speeds up excitedly at the thought of a life with him.

Yes. You want it. All of it.

He kisses you again roughly, and you grab his shoulders to keep him close to you. His body is heated and hard against you, his hips start to move without his noticing.

You almost giggle at his reflex-like moves, and you reach down between you to grab his manhood. You pull at his soft skin a few times while he grunts into your collarbone at the feeling. You open your legs more, placing him just the right way before he pushes his hips once again.

He opens you up slowly and steadily, basking at the warmth and tightness around his cock and your softness under him. The coldness is long forgotten as you pant at each other. Your caress his skin everywhere you can reach while he supports himself next to your head to move faster and harder in and out of you.

“Cum in me,” you mewl into the darkness, placing your leg around his thin waist to keep him in you. Your wetness coats his cock when your muscles jump and vibrate from the pleasure. Your head falls back on the pillow as you moan his name, closing your eyes at the feeling. His lips find your neck as he stops his movements to stay in you, filling you up with his warm seed.

“If we are lucky enough, you will be with my child before we go home,” he pants with a smirk on his lips, kissing you again. “I just have to keep you full.”

“You are horrible,” you laugh at his brutish words, but your heart flutter at his intentions.

“Yes,” he agrees, pecking you again. “But I will be your husband.”

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

🛁 🔥🧼SPA DAY FROM HELL 🧼🔥🛁

Prompt: Y/N has never been happier to finally have her spa day time at home, but what it should be a relaxing day, becomes quite the opposite when a beautiful Irish man decides to join her.

Word count: Long-ish

Pairing: Finn Bálor x Reader

Warnings: +18, smut(implied), fluff, frustrated spa day, clingy Finn.

Notes: This is dedicated to my sincere love for cosmetics and Fergal Devitt! 😂 I don’t know why, but Finn has always gave me the feeling of being extra loving, extra caring, extra sweet, even a little needy and clingy (which I’m a sucker for guys who can be extremely affectionate) and he just seems like the type, that’s why most of my fluff ideas for stories always end up having him as part of the plot, he exudes that energy of pure love and affection, I don’t know, there you have it I guess.. Y’all know the drill loves,sorry for misspellings,english isn’t my first language (bla bla bla),check out my other stories if you’d like to(it would make your girl here very happy 😊) and if you’re comfortable with it,please let me know what you think? Some feedback is always welcomed and appreciated ❤️You can check out my other stories typing ‘masochist writes’ on the search bar on my page and my newest story as a fixed post.Okay,now let’s get to the fun part,shall we? Hope you’ll enjoy 😉

Earlier that morning

I finished gathering all of my essential materials for my weekly spa day at home.

This was a sacred weekly routine I’ve had for as long as I can remember, one day of the week where I would shut myself off the world, without a single care for nothing except my own self! In crazy weeks, such as the one I just had, this was the day I eagerly waited for. My little piece of heaven on earth, where nothing could go wrong...

I was beginning to take my clothes off when a loud thump coming from downstairs, in the living room, startled me to death.

*Oh God, please don’t let it be an intruder* I silently prayed as I grabbed a metal baseball bat from the bathroom (Yes, I have one metal baseball bat on each room of this house ok? I know it sounds slightly paranoid, but I’ve had a rough childhood so don’t judge me!)

I made my way downstairs in my underwear and armed with my faithful baseball bat. I already placed it to attack mode, when I saw a manly figure kneeled down, messing around with a large bag, with his back facing the stairs.

*A burglar! Oh, you’ve messed with the wrong house motherfucker!*

As I was ready to give my knockout attack to the back of his head, the man said

“Argh! Every damn time this happens ta me! I need ta fix this cursed zipper”

*I know that voice..*

“Fergal Devitt! Have you lost your mind?!”

Finn’s whole body jumped from fright and he turned to face me.

“Jesus Christ, Y/N! Ya almost gave me a heart attack!”

“No, I almost knocked your ass down, Devitt! Don’t you know better than showing up like a creep on my house like that?Don’t you know all about my ‘attack mode’ whenever I hear noises around the house?Fuck, I thought you were a burglar or something, I almost killed you!” I said, with my heart still beating at a ferocious pace from both the fright and almost hurting him.

“And did ya planned on killing tha burglar with tha bat or from a severe hard on?” He pointed with his chin towards my black and red lace lingerie.

“Ha ha, very funny Fergal. I’m serious! I could’ve hurt you really bad you know?”

“Oh trust me, ya are” He stood up and adjusted himself on his black jeans.

“Finn, I’m not joking babe” I said placing the baseball bat down on the couch.

“Me neither! Those are ta kill any man” He said as he approached me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, tightly securing me on his embrace while he kissed me deeply. Once we broke the kiss, he looked at me and said

“I’m sorry ta scare ya like that, I just wanted ta surprise ya”

“It’s ok baby, I loved the surprise, but please don’t do that anymore! It scares me to think what could’ve happened if I didn’t notice it was you.” I pecked his lips “Just give me a heads up next time ok?”

“Ok love. Now what do ya say about we go upstairs and have a little adult fun time, huh?”

“Uhmmm, I don’t know about that..” I teased

“I’ll make ya change yer mind love” He lightly chuckled as he kissed down my neck

Later in the afternoon

I begin to lay out my products on the bathroom sink, carefully choosing where to begin. When Finn bursted through the bathroom door.

“What yer doing love?” While he bites on an red apple.

“Jesus Finn, don’t you know how to knock?”

“What? There’s no need fer me ta knock”

“Yes there is!” I said shocked “What if I was doing something private?”

“Private?” He chuckled “Love, I’ve seen it all before. Yer gorgeous. It’s not like ya need ta hide from me” He sincerely smiled

I just took a deep breath as a response

“Ya didn’t answer me. What yer doing?” He pointed to my products beautifully placed on the sink, while he hungrily chewed on his apple.

“I’m setting things up for my spa day”

“Spa day?”

“Yes, I always take one day of the week to have some quality me time in which I happily do my weekly spa routine” I smiled at him proudly

“So what exactly do ya do on this spa day?”

“Well it changes depending on the week I’ve had. Sometimes I do more, sometimes I do less, but today I’ll be deep exfoliating my body and face, put a detoxifying mask on my hair and face followed by a nourishing mask for my face, applying a moisturizing mask on my hair and a deep moisturizing lotion on my body. I also might do my nails, but I’m not sure yet”

When I didn’t get a response I looked up to Finn who’ve had mixture between shock and amusement on his face.

“What?” I asked

“Wow love,that’s...a lot! No wonder yer skin’s so fucking soft” He said in awe

“Well..I like doing that..is sort of a way to relax I guess” I was blushing in sort of an embarrassed way

“I don’t mean it like it’s a bad thing ya know?! How do ya know so much about those things?”

“I don’t know that much about it, I just like reading about it and testing products...Some people see it as a futile thing but, I like it you know?” I said slightly self conscious about the amount of time people judged me as a complete hollow, materialistic and futile person, just for my sincere love for cosmetics.

Finn stood up from the tub, where he was seated, made his way to me and placed his hands on my hips.

“Well, I don’t think it’s futile. I think that ya shouldn’t be embarrassed about tha things ya like, ya should be proud of it, love! Besides” He started to kiss down my neck “I love tha fact that I get ta enjoy tha end results” He roamed his hands upon my bare skin

“Finny...if you keep doing that, I’m not gonna be able to do anything” I sighed

“But I can’t help it! Yer skin is so soft, ya smell so good and I’ve missed ya so much” He pressed his hardening bulge against my ass “Tha only thing I had ta keep me company at night was yer t-shirt...It helped, but it’s not tha same...” He pressed me harder against him “I need ta give it back ta ya, since I’ve made such good use of it, it doesn’t even smells like ya anymore baby” He bites my ear lightly

“Finn....please babe” I tried to fight back the growing need of him

“C’mon love, just give me a few minutes huh?! I just need some loving” He started to dry hump his hard bulge against my ass

“Fuck” I moan “Fine, just a few minutes”

In the late afternoon

“Finally” I sighed softly to myself. As I was opening the package of my face mask I hear some terrible singing coming from the room next door. It sounds like a fucking dying animal..

“Oh God, please tell me this is a joke” I made my way to the room next door and entered, just to find Finn only on his briefs, with headphones on, singing terribly to the very loud music playing, doing some laundry.

“Finn?” I called, a minute passed with no response

“FINN?” Still silent, as he bounces his hips (or at least tries to) to the rhythm of the music. When I realize that my yelling is useless, I made my way towards him and took one headphone out.

“Fergal?”

“Hey love” he pecks my lips “What yer up to?”

“I’m trying to relax” I said slightly annoyed

“Oh, I can help ya with that” he smirked as he reached for my tank top. I slapped his hand away, before saying

“I don’t mean it like that, I mean I’m trying to do my spa day, and your awful deadly singing is not helping at all. I love you, but you’re so fucking tone deaf! It’s driving me crazy!”

He chuckled and said as he approached me

“I have another way ta make ya relax love..”

“Fergal! Don’t you think, we’ve fucked enough already? We’ve done it twice and you’ve only been in this house for six hours!” I backed away from him

“I can’t never get enough of ya lass. I don’t think we’ve fucked enough already, I want ta fuck ya all tha time.” He reaches his arms to me

“Fergal, don’t you dare”

“Come here Y/N, let me tell ya a secret” he smiles deviously

The fucker knew what effect he has on me every time he gets this raw and possessive.

“Finn, I’m serious”

“Don’t be like that Y/N, I just want ta tell ya something, come here”

“You can said it out loud, I’m listening”

“I told ya it’s a secret, nobody can hear it”

“It’s just us here Fergal”

“Still..” He ran towards me, I was caught off guard so I didn’t even had time to process his surprise attack until I was laying down on the floor and Finn on top of me, pining me down.

“Ferg, what are you doing? Let me go”

“Hmmmm, I’m not really in tha mood ta let ya go” His eyes sparkling with mischief

“Finn, please I got stuff to do” I tugged my wrists in an attempt to free myself from his grip

“You were tha one who came in here lass”

“Yes, because I thought there was a dying animal on this room, Jesus, you almost got me deaf with your rotten singing”

He only chuckled as he buried his face on my neck

“In a few minutes I bet ya there’s gonna be another type of screaming in this room”....

In the late evening

I had sadly gave up my spa day and was only filling up the tub so I could take a bath, it was the only thing I could do since I was exhausted thanks to Finn.

The bath salts smelled incredible so I strip off my remaining clothes (which consisted in basically my tank top and panties)

And hopped on the bathtub, I sighed in content, feeling my muscles start to loosen up and the relaxation finally hitting me. But that soon went down the drain when the bathroom door opened

“Hmmm smells nice in here”

I opened my eyes to see Finn at the foot of the bathtub *Please tell me I slept in the tub and drowned and this is my version of hell*

“So selfish Y/N” he clicked his tongue

“What?”

“Ya didn’t even invited me?”

I had already accepted the fact that I wasn’t gonna have a time for myself as long as Finn is home so I just said

“Do you wanna come in?”

He just smiled like a little boy and took off his boxers. I leaned forward to give some space for him to hop on behind me, but he said

“I want ta be in tha front”

It was a rare occasion for Finn to want to be in front of me, but whenever he was far away for a long time he liked to be the little spoon, it was cute to see a man as strong as Finn wanting to be the one who’s comforted. I actually eager those moments when we would switch places and I was the one able to take care of him.

He sat on the tub in front of me, resting his back on my breasts, his head on my shoulder, pulled my legs on top of his so that his arms could rest on my thighs. One of my arms slides on top of his shoulder to cross his chest while my other arm was resting on the side of the tub stroking his short hair. As he hummed in appreciation.

“I like this love”

“Yeah, me too” I kissed his cheek lightly

After a few minutes of a comfortable silence he says

“Are ya mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“Because I ruined yer spa day?” He looked at me with guilty eyes

“Finny, you didn’t ruined baby, you just...happily convinced me of doing other activities instead” I chuckled softly

“I’m sorry love, is just that, I can’t help it ya know? I love ya so much and I missed ya so much that I just wanted ya all ta myself today”

“Oh Finny, that’s so sweet baby. You can have me whenever you want sunshine. I’m not complaining”

“So does that mean that I can have ya all fer myself tomorrow?” He stared at me pleading with those beautiful ocean blue eyes

“Of course baby, you can have me all day if you want, at least for as long as you’re home” I smiled

“Really? Everyday, all day long, without ya having ta work?”

“Yeah, I promise you”

“Good” He sighs in content

“How long are you staying home?”

“Two weeks love”

My eyes widened in shock “Two weeks?”

“Yeah, I managed ta get a few extra days off” He smirked and pecks my lips

I still looked at him in disbelief, I was ready for four days or something, now two weeks?

“Good thing ya work fer yourself, right love?” He hummed satisfied “Oh can ya wash my hair please? I love when ya do that”

I just nodded in agreement

He happily smiles “Thank you baby. I love ya” As he rested his head on my shoulder again and closed his eyes

How the hell was I supposed to fuck this Irish man four times a day for two weeks straight? Maybe I should Google that, right?...

[gureishi]

Ohhhh, requests? Requests!!!! ❤️

We all know and love SE and the Choi family (Mc, Saeyoung and Saeran living together in the bunker).... But what about. Other way arround?

Saeran after ending, with saeran and saeyoung making amends, and you finally befriending and getting to know the true person behind 707.

Im happy with whatever ideas you have for this, but if you need more guidance... A scene between saeyoung and Mc, talking? Saeyoung thanking mcfor making saeran happy and feeling like he failed as a brother for not protecting him, and mc being all sweet as she is reassuring him that it's OK and that they are happy now and just fluffy??????

Gosh, I wrote a lot, sorry.

Oh wow. I ADORE this request. Thank you for bringing me this sweet idea. ♡

I love envisioning their lives together post-AE, and it was so much for fun me to imagine this tiny little slice of that. 

after

Saeyoung & Reader (platonic); Saeran X Reader (background), G, words: 2355

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・

Today there’s one of those early-winter snows where the flurries get stuck in your hair but the ground’s not white and beautiful, just cold and damp. The parking lot is nearly empty—apparently no one else wanted to go out today. Personally, you can’t understand why. You love the way the sky’s a bright white and how the biting wind makes the tips of your ears pink.

Saeyoung, who’s been walking a few paces ahead of you, turns around in time to see you stop and catch a snowflake on your tongue. He raises his eyebrows; he’s got his hood up and there’s a light dusting of snow on top of his head, like powdered sugar.

“I was gonna ask if you regretted coming along now that it’s snowing, but I guess I have my answer.” He’s got a complicated look on his face, like he’s not sure if he’s allowed to laugh at you or not.

“I have no regrets!” you sing, and then he does laugh, shaking his head indulgently.

“Come on,” he says. “Your shoes are getting wet.”

“Your shoes are getting wet. Also your head. Who goes to the store in just a hoodie in the winter?” But you run to catch up with him, splashing in the little puddles that have collected in the uneven pavement.

“It was the hoodie or the floor-length pink fur coat, so I went for the hoodie,” he says, and you can’t tell if he’s joking or not. 

The automatic doors slide open for you; he grabs a shopping cart from the assortment parked just inside the door. You walk beside him, feeling a little awkward. Grocery store etiquette, you think, is such a personal thing. Saeran, for instance, likes to go slowly through the store, lingering in each area—looking for inspiration, sometimes checking recipes on his phone. You like to move through the store at random, picking out items that strike your fancy. These methods work surprisingly well together—perhaps because Saeran finds it charming when you come running up to him with a strange new fruit in your arms.

Saeyoung, it seems, has neither a list nor a plan. He pushes the shopping cart lazily with one hand, heading vaguely toward the nearest aisle. You’re tempted to guide him in one direction or another, but you also don’t want to be a nuisance. This is his shopping trip—he was the one who announced he was going to the store; you were the one who’d insisted on tagging along.

“Are you sure?” he’d asked then, hesitating, one hand already on the doorknob. “You don’t need to! I can get whatever you—”

“I want to,” you’d said firmly, jumping off the couch where you’d been lying with your feet in Saeran’s lap, reading a book. It wasn’t that you needed anything in particular from the grocery store or that you didn’t trust Saeyoung to find whatever was needed for the house (though, in retrospect, it wasn’t that you did trust him, either). It was just…

In the few precious days that you’d been living in the bunker with the brothers—in a world that was suddenly so peaceful you couldn’t quite believe it—you’d begun to realize something: in spite of the hours of phone conversations and chats you’d shared with the enigmatic and charming 707, you actually hardly knew Saeyoung at all.

“So, uhhh,” he begins, a bit uncomfortably. You glance at him askance; his cheeks are pink. “What do we need, anyway?”

You laugh—you can’t help it. “What were you going to buy if I didn’t come with you?”

Saeyoung shrugs, looking down. He’s definitely blushing. “I was gonna…wing it.”

Maybe it’s his inexplicable shyness with you and maybe it’s your genuine love of grocery shopping, but your confidence is bolstered. You take the cart from him and he relinquishes it gratefully, falling into step behind you.

“First we’re going to get produce,” you tell him, and he nods eagerly, bouncing on his heels. He honestly looks excited that you’ve taken the lead; you make a mental note about this. At home, Saeyoung is often in charge—of little things, like what movie you’ll all watch together—because he is boisterously enthusiastic about everything and you and Saeran are more subdued. But here, without his twin, outside of his domain, he is suddenly much less confident.

You select a few types of squash; he watches somewhat reverently. “How do you know what to get?” he asks in a quiet voice.

“Practice, I guess,” you say. “I have in mind a couple of recipes we can make this week, and there are some staples it’s always good to have…” You pause, realizing something, your hands full of squash. “Saeyoung, can I ask you something?”

“What? Yeah!” He responds a little too readily and you know he’s trying to mask his awkwardness. It’s endearing.

“You lived alone for a pretty long time,” you say thoughtfully. You survey the selection of cabbage. “Didn’t you…buy food? To eat?”

He laughs, runs a hand through his already-messy red curls. “God Seven doesn’t need food to live!” he sings, and it’s in the tone of the 707 you’d developed a strange friendship with during those days you were at Mint Eye. You know now that Saeyoung was there, even then, under all that false positivity and diversionary teasing.

“You do, though,” you tell him. You hand him a head of cabbage.

Your firm tone seems to quell him. He looks down at the cabbage. 

“I ate snacks, mostly,” he says, a little more quietly. “Sometimes Vanderwood got frustrated and brought me other things to eat.”

You turn away to hide the look in your eyes from him. These poor, poor boys.

“You two!” you explain in mock-frustration, pushing the cart to the next refrigerated shelf. “So you were living on junk food while he was keeping himself alive with caffeine pills. What am I going to do with you?”

Saeyoung bounces behind you, still holding the cabbage.

“Feed us!” he says. You roll your eyes and tear a plastic bag off the role beside the shelves. 

“Put the cabbage in the bag,” you tell him. He does.

You gather a few more fruits and vegetables and Saeyoung asks about all of them; you’re amused when he doesn’t know what a persimmon is.

“So besides chips and stuff, then, what do you like to eat?” you ask him, pushing the cart into the large, open area where meat and fish sit on ice, row after chilly row.

Saeyoung hums thoughtfully, peering at a particularly large fish, complete with eyeballs and everything. “This is creepy,” he says. “Can we get it?”

“We…can,” you say. “But that doesn’t really answer my question.”

He walks a little ahead of you, and he looks at each different type of meat with such curiosity. They’re both like this, you think—so full of wonder over basic, mundane things. Saeran was in awe the first night the three of you settled in on Saeyoung’s huge couch to watch TV together. And now here is Saeyoung—who’s had considerably more freedom than his brother—staring at an assortment of different cuts of meat like he’s in a museum.

“I’m not sure,” he says finally, tilting his head to the side. “I love chips, and, you know, fish-shaped buns…”

“But is there a meal you like? Maybe from, I don’t know, the past…?” You regret the words as soon as they’re out of your mouth.

Saeyoung laughs bitterly. “Not from childhood, if that’s what you mean.”

“Right,” you say. “Yeah. I knew that. I’m sorry.”

He comes back to your side, leans on the cart. “It’s okay,” he tells you. “I don’t mind.”

“Still,” you say. “Sorry.” You steer the cart toward a display of different chicken parts and he pads along beside you—like an obedient dog, you think.

“What’s the difference between…” he bends over, peering at the packages. “Breasts and thighs?”

You giggle. “You tell me.”

You watch as his face turns red, clashing wonderfully with his hair.

“Um, l-let’s get the…thighs, I guess,” he chokes, and you stifle your laughter with your hand.

“Thighs it is.”

He throws the chicken into the cart with his face turned away and you grin. 707 was a tease, but it is easy to fluster Saeyoung. 

You move through the aisle of bottled sauces in companionable silence. You hold up a bottle of bottle of soy sauce and he nods enthusiastically; he does the same for the fish sauce and corn syrup. To test him, you hold up a banana ketchup—which you’ve personally never actually tried—and he gives you the same affirmative head bob.

“Saeyoung, do you know what this is?”

He tilts his head to the side, reads the label.

“Banana ketchup? Yum!”

You sigh. “Fine.” You toss it in the cart; maneuver to the next aisle.

“You didn’t even have soy sauce or salt or anything in your house when we moved in,” you say. “There was literally nothing in the cabinets.”

He strolls along beside you, running a finger along the rows of different kinds of pasta. “It never occurred to me.”

“We were kind of surprised,” you add, tossing a big bag of rice into the cart. “We bought a bunch of stuff, before we…left.” You stumble over the words; gears spin frantically in your brain. The words hang heavily in the air between you. Before we left to find you. Before we found you and then lost you again.

He’s silent for a moment and you know he feels the change in atmosphere, the way time seems to have slowed down.

“Hey,” he says finally. He’s got one arm draped over the side of the cart and his posture is a little stiff. “Did I ever thank you? I mean, properly.”

You bite your lip, keep walking. Your face feels hot. Suddenly, you’re not really looking at what’s on the shelves.

“You did,” you say softly. “But I feel I should be the one thanking you. You’re the reason we’re both alive, you know.”

Saeyoung stops, and you almost crash into him. He spins around, and he’s got a hard, determined look in his face. You’ve seen that look before. 

“No,” he says. “Nuh-uh. You saved us. You protected him. You did what I didn’t…couldn’t—”

Ah. Your heart’s pounding against your ribcage. Of course it’s here, you think—in this narrow aisle, next to hundreds of loaves of bread, that he’s saying this to you.

“Saeyoung, he knows that you would die for him. You tried to.”

He stuffs his hands in his pockets, walks away from you, lingers at the end of the aisle. The change in him is remarkable. There’s no hint of the awestruck boy, bouncing up and down over the wide selection of steaks, in this morose, bitter man.

“I didn’t succeed, did I?” he says. A mother with a small child seated in the front of her shopping cart comes down the aisle and you back up into the shelves to let them pass. You wonder if they can feel how thick the air is.

“No, you didn’t,” you say. “And thank god, because where would we be if you had?” He finally looks at you then, and you’re taken aback by the wild look in his eyes. It scares you; you take a step toward him. “You fought for him,” you tell him. “And he fought for you.”

His fingers drum a frantic pattern on the metal shelf beside him. He’s got the look of a cornered animal, ready to bolt. You’ve seen this expression before—though on a different Choi brother.

“I was supposed to protect him,” he says, so quietly you can hardly hear him. You take one more step. Another. Finally you’re at his side, and he flinches, but he doesn’t run away.

“You did,” you say. “And he’s safe. All of us are safe.”

He doesn’t say anything.

“We’re going to buy this stuff,” you tell him. “We’re gonna pay for it, and get in the car, and go back home, and he’ll be there. Waiting for you.”

Saeyoung shuts his eyes and takes a long, slow breath. You do it with him. He runs a shaky hand through his hair again and you give him a little nudge with your elbow. Eyes still closed, one side of his mouth twitches upward—a half-smile.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “I didn’t mean to…”

“I know.”

“I just feel like I owe you…”

“Me too.”

His eyes open; they’re clearer, bright and gold behind his glasses. 

“You don’t owe me anything,” he says, and it sounds like a question.

“I love him,” you say. “So, I think I do.”

Saeyoung shakes his head; the color’s back in his cheeks now, and he grabs the cart, pushing it out of the aisle. You jog to catch up, grab onto the side just as he’d done earlier. Hold on tight.

“You love him a lot, don’t you?” he says. You can see him in your peripheral vision—his eyes are twinkling.

“More than anything in the world,” you reply.

“Me too,” he says, echoing you, and you grin. You picture the look on Saeran’s face if he could hear this conversation—the way his green eyes would soften, the way he’d get that adorable little dusting of pink over his cheeks. 

Saeyoung turns the cart abruptly, maneuvering into the next aisle with an expertise you didn’t expect—you shriek, barely holding on. He cackles.

“We need this!” he says, and you turn to see him pointing at an alarmingly large box of some sort of purple cookie you’ve never seen before.

We don’t, you almost say, but you hesitate, because what’s the harm? 

“Sure,” you say, and you toss them in the cart.

Saeyoung smiles. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says. You know he’s not talking about the stupid cookies.

You beam right back at him. “I am too.”

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

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@currentlyprocrastinating @thesirenwashere  @ultrasupernini @cro0kedme @otomefoxystar @dawn-skies06 @nad-zeta @hunterelys

[mrpenguinpants]

Oh! Sorry for the late reply, but it’s not canon lore, haha. Part of me hopes it kinda was just to give Keqing a bit more introspection but alas, Mihoyo has tens of different characters to make so it’s understandable. I thought of it as a modern au type of thing where Keqing ends up moving in a apartment complex only to be greeted with men she has to babysit as the price JHDJSHDJSJ– It’s a fun little idea, and at first, she hates them all but eventually, walking outside of her place for a free meal becomes an escape of sorts. Ningguang, her dreaded co-worker, makes sure she doesn’t hear the end of it and is like “Please, you’re almost 27 nowz. Get yourself a man already, you have quite the options.”

Also, congrats on getting Xiao! I haven’t gotten him yet but at the end of his banner, I think I can make around 20 rolls so here’s hoping he’ll come with those!

No worries at all, I take FOREVER to reply to anyone. Plus this week was midterms so I’m still recovering from that if you’re wondering why I’ve been so silent. Ahh I see, I still need to read Keqing’s lore but until then 👀 I am fully invested in this. We’ll make a 180k word slow burn fic together. Honestly, I really want to write some Chongyun, Xingqiu, Xinyan, and Xiao interactions. My brainworm mind wants Xingqiu to be the biggest little shit and tells Chongyun that there’s a demon that needs to be exorcised at Wangshu inn. Turns out it’s Xiao but Chongyun being the trusting friend that he is, doesn’t believe Xingqiu would lie to me and fully believes Xiao is a demon. Xiao doesn’t know how to socialize and he doesn’t know how to handle interactions so it’s this entire goose chase. Xinyan comes along because she’s always wanted to see a demon. I can imagine her yelling “DEMON! COME OUT YOU COWARD!” while Xiao is gripping onto the roof beam above them for dear life so he doesn’t get found out. 

Ahh, I get that mihoyo wants to bust out new content but it also makes me sad that it will probably be awhile before we get Part 2 to anything. But oh well, I guess we can always make stuff up for part 2′s before Mihoyo proceeds to shred them apart haha. I love modern au, where everything is fine and happy and no one dies. Especially now since we’re all in self-isolation. It’s not much but being able to write is actually kinda therapeutic. Speaking of which, it’s valentines day today. I almost forgot because well, I’m asexual so no relationships for me, so I kinda forgot feb 14 had any importance haha. But hopefully you all that have partners stay safe if you plan on spending today together and for us single folk, hang out with friends^^ I’m having a movie/game night with everyone and I’m pretty excited. 

---

But getting back on track. I love roommate schneegans. When I first read this with my sleep deprived brain, I thought you meant that she had to live with the same people she had to babysit when they were children. That’d be so awkward but funny haha. I can imagine Childe being such a wholesome kid like Teucer that when Keqing meets him again when he’s an adult she’s so sad. You were such a cute kid, where did things go wrong? This also applies to Diluc (RIP DILUC MAN) and Kaeya. 

Diluc is so socially constipated that he acts rude af because he doesn’t know how to socialize. Reminds me of the type of guy that is thinking of cute puppies but as the scariest resting bitch face. The amount of emotional range he has makes Keqing wonder if he’s secretly planning on burning the apartment complex down to the ground or if he’s slept in the past week. He hasn’t. Man is crumbling so he’s gonna make the world crumble down with him in his woe is me bullshit (jk I love you Diluc). Keqing makes the customary “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m your new neighbor” but Diluc is actually running on fumes (he’s filter feeding at his point) that he looks so scary that Keqing almost runs away. Then the next day she sees him exit his home and he cleaned up so well that Keqing doesn’t recognize him. Assumed that Diluc lived with a brother that was in dire help. So she always offers him weird pick me up items and Diluc doesn’t know how to handle gifts so he just accepts them. He doesn’t know what the fuck she’s talking about since he lives alone but he assumes she’s some random cat lady. 

Kaeya is such an ass. Like actually awful. Was the kind of guy to pull the fire alarm just to get out of class for the day. Probably does it in the apartment just to mess with Diluc, which inheritably messes with Keqing very fragile beauty sleep, but he always manages to escape with a slap on the wrist. Keqing has lost so much faith in the justice system after that. He seemed like such a nice guy, well in comparison to her first meetings with Diluc, until he found out she had a fear of frogs and proceeded to mail her a package of them. She’s been haunted by nightmares of waking up to one on her face and she’s wondering if she can get away with setting his home on fire and getting away the same way he does from pulling the fire alarm. It seems like poetic irony but as soon as she thinks this Kaeya is messaging her “don’t do it”. She doesn’t know how he got her phone number and she’s not going to find out. 

Zhongli was the guy she went to highschool with where she had the fattest crush on. He still looks the exact same just taller and she can feel her inner agony seeping up when she spots him. Then proceeds to internally wail when they both enter the elevator and they live on the same floor. She’s internally begging and pleading that Zhongli doesn’t recognize her, but of fucking course he does and he remembers every little detail. The most deadpan face as he asks her if she still has the zhongli pin that some crazy club made for the student council they were both apart of. What pisses her off the most is that he’s actually genuinely curious and isn’t trying to make a stab at her. She hates him with every fiber of her being. 

Childe seemed like such a cute kid (I fully believe he’s younger than Keqing, you cannot take this away from my cold dead heads) and he mentioned how he was moving away from his family but he misses his cute little sisters and brothers. Keqing felt so much wholesome love in her body until Childe mistaken her as being younger than him and messed up her hair. She almost screamed bloody murder but made the quick correction that she was in fact, much older than him. Which was the wrong fucking move because he became the biggest little shit. Kept calling her old with weak bones, “when are you going to fossilize?” that she’s sure if there wasn’t a law against second degree murder, she would do it right then and there. 

---

I totally went off on a tangent right there haha. But yeah, I can imagine them all going to each other places for free meals and it’s actually some wholesome stuff. Kaeya and Diluc relive their childhood brother antics, Childe comes from a big family so he doesn’t get sad when he eats alone, Keqing gets to take a break and turn her brain off from work, and Zhongli is just happy to spend time with others after being in self-isolation and losing his wife (Jesus, reading this back I am so sorry Guizhong and Zhongli. This got so depressing holy shit). 

“Please, you’re almost 27 nowz. Get yourself a man already, you have quite the options.” LOL I LOVE THAT SENTENCE HAHA. But ty^^ I’m so glad he came home with diluc. I BELIEVE IN YOU!! YOU’RE GONNA GET HIM. BRING YOUR MAN HOME!! I kinda wanna write some roommate hcs in my brainworm style. I’m going to go write that. Hang on. I’ll be back. 

---

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Love from me 💕💕💕 

[glossyeon]

white || nyt

*All credit goes to the creators of these images*

—moodboard.

𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: Christmas Present Store Worker!Yuta x Reader

𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: Fluff, Profanity

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩: 2k

𝘼/𝙉: Please have a safe and Merry Christmas! If you don’t celebrate it, then I wish you a happy holiday! Thank you for reading and enjoy❤️🎄

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮:𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘌𝘷𝘦. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘵.

Let’s cut the bullshit and describe how it felt on this Christmas Eve. It was snowy and fucking cold. There’s no other way to describe walking through the piles of snow that had accumulated since the early morning. It was exhausting, freezing, and ruining your new boots from Saks fifth.

Irritated that your half price shoes were soaked, you were also at fault for leaving a present for your childhood best friend Chan last minute. The Christmas holiday season was the same each year, filled with stress, back pain, and an empty bottle of red wine. However, you always found time to take care of those around you. From your loveable yoga instructor Sowon, to the partially deaf but very kind Mr. Hwang who took care of your apartment complex’s plants, you believed that everyone in your life deserved a bit of love on Christmas.

so it’s a complete bullshit excuse to say that you “forgot” Chan’s present. Chris is your childhood friend who's seen every side of you from grade 5 till now. You were closer than most childhood friendships, and treated each other like real siblings! Hell, y’all even had a shared Uber eats account and that is saying something...

Anyways, back to this shitshow. So you’ve been walking for about an hour now, trying to find this holiday present store that your coworker Johnny recommended you find. Something along the lines of Hashimoto’s Christmas Emporium or something like that. The name was questionable, considering that an autoimmune thyroid disease is not a very joyous name. 

Just as you're about to give up and leave the almost empty plaza, you find yourself standing right in front of a huge wooden sign. It stands in your way, not letting you go any further. Giving the sign a quick glance of disinterest and walking around it, your head snaps back to take another look when you realize what it was. Fog filled the air as you read the name of the store out loud.

Nakamoto’s Christmas Emporium! - All your Christmas gift ideas and needs in one place! 

You breathed a sigh of relief, looking further into the store windows to see what was inside. The store itself along with its merchandise was beautifully displayed, matching perfectly with the holiday festivities. Catching your attention with all the toy trains, peppermint toffees and bright red gift wrapping papers, one very handsome man at the front desk also caught your attention. Sure his reindeer headband was absolutely adorable, and his white turtleneck outfit was doing wonders for his toned figure underneath, but it was all accentuated with his warm and approachable aura. His smile and cheerfulness towards a mother and her little daughter at the checkout desk also only made you swoon even more. Shaking yourself of this trance you were in, you reminded yourself of the main reason why you visited. determined not to leave without the perfect present for Chan... and maybe even the phone number of that ridiculously good looking man.

Stepping into the wooden floorboards of the store, the first thing you did was smile and reminisce the familiar smells of Christmas. Candy canes, wrapping paper, and warm cocoa scents filled your nose and made your body warm with happiness.

With the ring of a bell signalling your presence, Yuta looked up to see all that evident on your face. Your eyes lit up in fascination and wonder, walking through the small but giant emporium with your eyes glued to the wondrous decorations. The tall shelves of Christmas socks, toys, and sweets made you quickly realize that this store wasn’t like the others in the distillery disterict.

Yuta gently smirked at your reaction and proceeded to eye your every movements, still not breaking away from his current conversation with his coworker Jinyoung. Making your way through the now almost empty shop, you found yourself at the back of the store where the speakers and headphones were. Yuta’s affiliation with you eventually made him just walk away from the conversation, leaving a very confused jinyoung by himself. and then rolling his eyes when he saw what was happening between you two.

Chris always had a passion for making music, so you decided that some good quality headphones would help him a lot. As he was starting out as an aspiring new artist, you looked around for the pair of Beats that Chan had been eyeing. All while in awe of the large spectrum of inventory they had.

“what does this place not have?” you thought continuously.

scanning the wide selection, you spun your head around when a delicate voice came from behind. 

“need any help?”

You locked eyes with the same man from earlier and this time again, all you could do was stare. He was even better looking in person, smiling with kindness and a spark evident in his eyes. blushing shyly, you replied back. “just looking for a present for a friend” you looked down again, avoiding his eyes but not failing to catch his name tag. It read out the name of Yuta. 

As if reading your mind, Yuta introduced himself, recommending a set of headphones as he did. “I think your friend will like these'' he motioned towards a set of rose gold ones with pink diamonds on the sides. Thinking that Chan had been a girl, you swear you almost choked on your breath right then and there. Just the thought of your male friend’s reaction to such a gift, you laughed loudly before covering your mouth in embarrassment. Yuta looked down at you, smiling at your cuteness and brows furrowing in curiously.``It’s just... he’s this childhood best friend who I’ve known forever, and knowing him he would be absolutely starstruck at such a... feminine style.” You explained trying to find the right words. 

Yuta’s eyes widened in realization and he half awkwardly recommended a sleek matte black pair. “I think these might suit him better, don’t you think?” he grinned and looked for your reaction. You nodded and laughed “much better. What’s the quality like?” Yuta glanced from the pair of beats in his hands to your expression. Taking this as his chance, he gently placed them on your head, taking his chance. You looked up at him in surprise, staring into his eyes. 

It was only when the familiar lyrics and medley of White by TVXQ played, that you stopped to properly look at Yuta. You loved this song, and the quality was promising. But in that moment, all you could focus on was Yuta alone.

His eyes crinkled as he smiled widely, admiring you just the same. “You tell me” he said smirking. 

Pulling them off your ears and breaking out of your trance, you quietly said, “I’ll take them”. All while never breaking eye contact. He hummed in satisfaction and led you to the front of the store. “Come with me” he smiled. 

You could say that Yuta’s voice was like soft, smooth honey. Laced with such care and consideration, you were practically at your knees and enraptured with blinding love. 

At the front desk as well, Yuta helped you with the checking out and packaging for Chan’s gift. It was the small things that you noticed about him, which made you smile. The way he bites his lip in concentration when wrapping the present, determined to leave a good impression. Or how he doesn’t miss the chance to say Merry Christmas and a good night to his colleagues leaving. These smaller things made you swoon over and over.

“And that” he stated with a satisfactory huff, “is your present! thank you for visiting and have a safe travel” he grinned. “Oh and a Merry Christmas!” he added. You smiled and said the same, making your way to the entrance of the store, but still hesitant to not leave just yet. 

Clutching the perfectly wrapped box in your hands, you quickly turned around, dreading a rejection to the coffee date you were about to ask. 

“Yuta-“

All of a sudden, you slipped on the wet and snowy floor near the glass door, losing balance and falling forward into the hands of... Yuta himself?

He too had also been hesitant to ask you out on a date, worried that such an amazing girl like you would reject him. But at the same time as you were about to do it, he had already made his way from the cashier to behind you. Instead of reaching out and tapping you on the shoulder, he luckily caught you from falling.

Chans present went high in the air, as you shrieked and slipped in the puddle  by the door. Next thing you knew, Yuta’s hand was holding your waist securely, while the other thankfully catched the box of expensive beats. Your arms instinctively found themselves to wrap around his neck, trying to not fall off balance.

After catching you, Yuta breathed a little heavily, chest moving up and down before he asked you if you were alright. Now you two were closer than before, intimately sharing this moment in the store alone. Shoppers and most workers went home to share the remaining last moments of Christmas Eve, while here you were filming a dramatic soap opera “I’m alright sorry about tha...'' your words trailed on, softly taking the time to look at his face better. His breathing was right beside yours, and he smelled like all the best things about Christmas. Chuckling and sighing in relief that you were okay, he warned you to be a bit more careful. 

“Don’t want you getting hurt” he said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck as you pulled yourself apart from him. Clearing your throat, you straightened your hair and outfit embarrassingly with huge humiliation. “Sorry it’s the boots” you explained, cheeks reddening. Yuta only smiled and chuckled. Noticing that he still had your present, you reached out and began. “here let me hold this”Your hands wrapped around the edges, but Yuta didn’t budge. He looked you straight in the eyes and confessed what he had wanted to say since the moment you walked in.“I think you’re beautiful” he said softly. His expression changed and he as well started to redden. “Would you like to meet up sometime?” 

You were shocked. In disbelief. “Me?!” You asked, pointing to yourself and looking at him as if he had asked the most absurd question in the world. “w-why would you want to do that?” you questioned in confusion. Why would Yuta want to ask you out on a date after catching you from being an idiot?Yuta laughed out loud this time, but moved closer and closer through each step he took. Then his hand came down against the wall beside your head. This was happening. His confidence lingered a bit on you as you didn’t break eye contact through each backwards step you took. Before you knew it, your back was against the entrance door and Nakamoto Yuta was less than a few centimeters away. Fingers clutching the ribboned box, your heart felt like it was about to burst from the tension. “I like you. I’ve only met you tonight and I don’t even know your name but I like you. And I really really want to go out sometime if you’re free.” he said quietly, scanning your expression. You looked up at him with wide eyes and quietly whimpered.

“I’m Y/N”.

Reaching out a small hand to shake and a wide smile, Yuta smirked and returned the hand. “Want my number?” you asked, taking out a pen and looking for a piece of paper in your purse. Yuta shaked his head and stopped you from searching anymore. “You can write on me if you want” he suggested coyly. You laughed and began tracing the digits to your phone number, not even aware of the gaze that Yuta was giving you. 

Looking up you flashed one of your signature smiles and slowly reached up on your tippee toes.

*peck*

Giving Yuta a soft peck on his lips, you replied. “Call me!”. you opened the door and practically jumped in excitement on your way home. 

Chan was gonna like this story…

(Copyright 2020 © Glossyeon // all rights reserved)

[marveloussupernerd]

Hey! I SWEAR I’LL STOP SENDING IN REQUESTS lmao but I really really enjoyed your jumin Halloween charity fic and recommended making a part two for Christmas time and you said to remind you in December and here we are! Obviously you don’t have to do it but I wish you a happy holidays nonetheless take care!

Aw literally don’t worry about it you are the absolutely sweetest and I love writing things for you !! Thank you SO MUCH for reminding me I’m all excited to write this now

Holiday Charity Stream (pt1) - Jumin

Summary: after the insane success of your Halloween live stream for charity, you’ve been asked to hold a Christmas one. This time there are fun games and some RFA guests too

This time you were ready for the event. Last stream was a little slow going because you weren’t used to such a large, diverse audience, but this time you felt a bit more confident. It was helpful too that the RFA members were going to be guests on the livestream, taking some of the slack off you.

Baby-wise things were going pretty well. You had just started your second trimester, thank goodness. Your morning sickness was gone and you even had a little bump to show for it. This was something people were always so excited about! But you chose to dress up in an oversized sweater. You didn’t want to feel self-conscious; even if you were pregnant, people always talked.

Shaking that thought from your mind, you made your way onto the couch next to your husband to get ready to start your stream. You were now streaming on five international channels and YouTube. It was exciting to see how much everyone enjoyed the last one!

“Are you feeling alright?” Jumin asked, placing a kiss to your forehead, resting a hand on gently on your stomach. “If you don’t feel well at any time, we can take over. It’s okay, really. Everyone will understand.”

“I know.” You smiled at him. “But I’m feeling really good actually. Super energized. Excited to raise some money and have fun.”

He chuckled, smiling fondly down at you. He was dressed in a cute Christmas sweater as well; you had convinced him that sweater Jumin > suit Jumin, at least for these livestreams. Made him far less intimidating. He said he was starting to look and dress like a dad. It made your heart flutter.

Jaehee came over and set a glass of water next to you. She had been shoving water down your throat all day. You half-glared at her. Any more water and you’d probably drown. You knew she was just looking out for you as a friend though.

“Don’t pout like that,” she fake-scoffed. Jumin straightened up upon hearing her tone. He must not have fully understood you and your friend’s dynamic. “Mr. Han, please make sure she keeps drinking. The lights are hot and I don’t want her to get sick.”

“I’m fine,” you rolled your eyes. You grabbed her hand though, shooting her a smile to let her know you were teasing her. “Thanks for watching out for me Jaehee.”

“We’re starting in 2. I’ll make sure everything is in order.” She excused herself, leaving you and your husband sitting in front of the bright lights and the camera.

“No big surprises this time, huh?” Jumin asked. The tech people came over and started hooking microphones on the two of you.

You leaned over to look him in the eyes. “I don’t think I could pull another one on you. What would it be? Twins?”

“I don’t know if we could handle twins,” he teased.

“I wish we would have gotten the baby’s sex by now. That could’ve been a fun thing to share too.” Oh well. Gender reveal parties were usually toxic anyways.

“Have you ever thought about keeping it a secret? Not finding out until they’re born?” He asked. The people moved away, finished with their job. There was a gleam in Jumin’s eye.

“Hmmm... if you want to then we can do that. Gonna be a pain to theme the room though.”

“Worth it.”

The cameraman started counting down the start of the stream, grabbing your attention. This time you’d open up the video.

“Hi everyone! Happy Holidays from the Hans! We are just so excited to be spending the holiday season with you and your family, and raising money for such a great cause.” You went on to explain a little bit about today’s charity, an organization that made gift packages for the Low income children in the city to make sure they got presents on their special holiday.

“Remember, please give what you can,” Jumin chimes in. “Also, I’ve heard word that those who donate a certain amount will be able to send us a message.” He looked over at you. “That’s kinda cute.”

You giggled. It was cute. “Today we’re going to have a few very special guests from our organization, the RFA, with us, and lots of fun challenges and games. It seems my poor husband has been living under a rock and missing out on a lot of fun holiday things.”

He chuckled again, rolling his eyes playfully at you. A top donation came in already! It was a news site. They thanked you for supporting such a good cause and then asked how far along you were.

“Oh! I’ve just entered my second trimester.” Your hand instinctively rested on your stomach. “I have the tiniest bump, but it’s one of those things where you swear you can see the difference but aren’t sure if it’s just you going crazy.”

Jumin’s hand joined your own, linking his fingers with yours. “It’s been very exciting. We’re anxious to meet the little one, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

“Now, for our first guest of the night, we have the musical actor Zen! Let’s all give him a warm welcome through the screen,” you segued.

Zen walked out onto the set. He was wearing a high necked black sweater. He looked very posh. The color contrasted well with his pale skin and hair. He looked all ready to go, but walked in with caution.

“Hi Zen!” You got up to go over and give him a hug. Jumin and him awkwardly shook hands. “We had to have you here first while the set was absolutely clear of any cat allergens.”

Jumin looked over at the camera, rolling his eyes, somewhat playfully. “He’s allergic,” he explained.

“Well I appreciate that.” Zen focused his attention on you, taking a seat next to you on the couch, you squished between the two men. “I’m so happy to be here today. What fun thing have you got planned?”

“Well, I thought we could do a finish that lyric, Christmas Carol edition! Jaehee picked the songs, so I don’t even know what’s going to play, that way I could take part in it too.” You had thought long and hard about different challenges that would highlight everything so wonderful about each of the members, and you’d be an idiot not to have Zen do something related to performing. Jumin didn’t have too bad of a voice either. It was a nice warm baritone. You liked it when he thought you were asleep and sang to the baby, soft enough that you could just barely hear. He really was the sweetest man and oh no you were definitely flushing.

Zen nudged you gently with his shoulder. “What a great idea! I’m excited to crush this one.”

Jumin quirked an eyebrow, chiming in: “Oh no, I’m going to crush this one.”

You decided to let them have their little rivalry. You were certain Jumin wouldn’t win, he never listened to the radio. Zen was a maybe, but you were semi confident in your own skills. You listened to holiday music all the time, especially in your childhood.

Jumin got the more traditional Christian ones. Oh Holy Night was all his. There were way too many verses for you to remember. Away in a Manger? Nailed it. Zen focused on the classic Christmas songs: Jingle Bells, Frosty, Rudolph. When things got a little newer and sometimes a bit more vague, that’s where you really stepped it up. Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, Christmas Wrapping. Dammit! Zen stole All I Want For Christmas Is You. That’s okay. Last Christmas, The Chipmunk Song. Thank goodness you were forced to watch the glee Christmas specials by one of your friends; they really covered all of these.

“It looks like it’s a tie.” Zen commented, looking down at the scoresheet. You and him had an even number of wins, Jumin trailing behind.

“No, you must’ve forgotten.” Jumin took the pen and paper and glanced at it. Zen was right. “Uh- my wife and I obviously count as a team. So we win.” He scratched his neck awkwardly. You and Zen just laughed, brushing him off. You’d have to force him to endure the Glee Christmas special eventually as well; it was the best way to learn all the songs.

You gave Zen a present to thank him for coming (a bountiful bouquet of roses), and sent him off. Time to answer some viewer questions while you waited for the next guest. Another glass of water was set next to you.

“What does Elizabeth the III want for Christmas?” You read off the question list. “Oh! I guess we can bring her out now that Zen is gone, huh?”

One of the workers let Elizabeth out of your bedroom and she strolled over to you, stretching then jumping on the top of the couch.

“If only I could talk to her to find out,” Jumin sighed wistfully. Oh no. You had to change the topic before he got another business idea.

“I’m sure what she really wants is a nap! She sure does love napping.” Your draw for attention was not subtle, but to Jumin it was. Jaehee wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead from behind the camera.

“And!” You added, cutting Jumin off before he could even think to say something, “speaking of animals, our next guest is currently studying to be a veterinarian. This is Yoosung Kim!”

Yoosung came onto the set, tripping over a cord that luckily was not connected to anything important. Jumin stood up quickly to make sure the poor boy didn’t fall, and Yoosung’s ears turned bright red out of embarrassment. “Sorry, it’s really bright up here.”

“I’m feeling the exact same way, trust me. Yoosung, do you wanna know what game I’ve planned for us this time?” You asked, trying to smooth over the embarrassment Yoosung must have felt.

“Sure!”

“We’re all going to be making gingerbread houses! Yoosung, I know you’re a good cook, so I’m going to leave one house to you, and I’m going to team up with Jumin to see if we can even attempt to build something that stands up,” you explained. The chef came in and placed the cookie pieces on a tray in front of you, white frosting already in piping bags and bowls of candy laid out.

“All the gingerbread is fresh-made. I’ve never built one of these but I’m quite excited to try,” Jumin grinned. He was being so sweet and enthusiastic about the stream; it was nice to see him so open to broadening his horizons.

You had ten minutes on the clock. When they started, you immediately got to work, explaining to Jumin how to do it. At first, he tried to stand up the pieces without any frosting to connect. Then you told the poor sweet boy that that is not how they work. You got to work piping a thick layer of frosting on the edges of the pieces to stick together, and left Jumin to hold them in place while the frosting hardened.

You glanced over at Yoosung. How did he glue everything together by now!? He was just one person. You tightened the top of your frosting bag, piping snow onto the roof. “You wanna line the top in candy? I think it’ll look cute,” you suggested to Jumin. “I’ll do the windows while you do that.”

Jumin nodded, grabbing gumdrops and nestling them into the pile of frosting on the roof. As you were piping a window into place, part of the roof fell on your frosting bag, squirting frosting all over the side of the house. “Jumin!” You squealed.

“Sorry. I think I pressed too hard.” He sounded stressed. He grabbed the roof and tried to stick it back on. “How much time do we have?” He asked Jaehee.

“Thirty seconds.”

“Thirty seconds!?” You exclaimed. “Hurry Jumin stick it back on!!!” You desperately tried to scrape the excess frosting off the wall of the house. Looks like you were losing this one.

“And time!”

You set the frosting bag down. You couldn’t stop giggling. You glanced over at Yoosung’s. It looked so good it could have been on the front of the ‘build your own’ kits. “Look at ours!” You told him, trying to contain your laughter.

The second you all turned to look the roof caved in and fell again. “It... has a skylight.” Jumin explained, trying to make up an excuse for why you would be missing HALF the roof.

“Why is there all that snow on the one side?” Yoosung asked. He seemed genuinely confused.

“Uh... blizzard came in from the North,” you explained.

Jumin chuckled at that one.

“Well that’s an awful place to have a skylight then. Wouldn’t it snow all over the house?” Why did Yoosung think this design was intentional? Did he hear all your frantic squealing?

“Uh... creativity.” Jumin shrugged. “We don’t need a judge. You can send the judge away. We can just give this one to Yoosung.” His cheeks were bright red; he obviously did not want to show off the current house, fully in shambles because of the two of you. It was honestly hysterical.

“And for your prize Yoosung we got you a LOLOL gift card!” You cheered, handing the card to Yoosung. He thanked the two of you for letting him join and gave you both a quick little hug. He was the absolute sweetest.

“We’ve got another comment this time around,” Jumin informed you, grabbing onto your hand and shifting closer to you to get more comfortable.

“Okay, you wanna read it?”

Jumin scooted closer to the screen so he could read it better. “They say ‘Hi! I love you two so much. You seem like the sweetest couple. Will you be my mom and dad?’” Jumin turned to look at you. “I don’t quite understand how that works.” Back to the camera. “You want us to adopt you?”

“Oh! Thank you for the message. Uhm, Honey, I think they mean like ‘internet mom and dad’” you explained.

“What’s that?”

“No adoption necessary. Just like... you know what? I don’t know how to explain it. I’d love to be your mom, so long as you don’t expect me to do anything ,” you told the camera, smiling widely.

“Sure okay. Then I can handle the role of dad.” Jumin shrugged. “We’re going to go for a five minute break now and then bring back some more guests for even more fun activities.”

You were super excited to bring in Jaehee and V. You were going to ask them to be the baby’s godparents. It was so exciting and so special, but right now, your main focus was that during this break you had to pee.

Part 2 coming soon :))

[ghostlyhamburger]

The 12 Dates of Christmas

Hey @sumomosketches I’m your @mlsecretsanta! I hope you enjoy this OT4 fluff!

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

Decorating the Tree

“Merry Christmas, Adrien!”

Marinette greeted her boyfriend at the door with a hug. He glanced up to the mistletoe sprig hung in the doorway before pulling her close for a short, sweet kiss.

“I’m not late, am I?” he asked.

“No, don’t worry about it,” she replied. “Alya and Nino are already here, but we waited for you to start.”

“Thanks,” he said with a wide grin, before entering further into Marinette’s house to meet his other girlfriend and boyfriend.

The four had fallen into a comfortable relationship over the years—first as two couples, then, after some deep confessions, as a poly quad relationship. Adrien loved all his partners, so much, and his heart swelled every time he got to spend time with all of them.

“Hey dude!” Nino greeted him, exchanging a complicated secret handshake that ended with Nino dipping Adrien in a dramatic kiss.

Alya rolled her eyes and kissed her boyfriend’s cheek as a much simpler greeting. “You’re just in time to help with the lights.”

The four were gathered to decorate the tree at Marinette’s house. Her parents had put her in charge of it this year, and when everyone’s schedules lined up for a change, she thought it would be a fun way to get some holiday cheer with her partners.

“I can’t believe Christmas is so soon,” Alya commented as she helped Adrien wind strings of lights around the tree. “There’s so many holiday things I wanted to do.”

“We’ve still got time,” Marinette said, sorting ornaments out of a tangled mess of hooks. “Maybe not all four of us before Christmas, but I’m free a lot, I know all of you have time too…actually…”

“Oh no,” Nino groaned. “I know that look. You’re planning something.”

“Just thinking, why don’t we try to have as many Christmassy dates as possible before the holiday?” Marinette asked, almost too innocently.

Alya laughed. “Babe, you have a schedule drawn up already, don’t you?”

Marinette flushed as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and pulled up a calendar app. “…yes.”

“This is actually a really good idea,” Adrien said, glancing over the schedule she’d created. “You thought of everything, Marinette.”

Alya just sighed, an overly dramatic gesture. “I guess you’re lucky I can’t say no to you, M.”

**

Charity Work

Marinette, Alya, and Nino found themselves at a community center building.

“What are we doing here?” Nino asked.

“Volunteering,” Marinette replied. “We’re putting together packages of gift cards and canned food for needy families.”

“That’s not really a date,” Alya pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s a good cause.” Nino held open the door for the girls with a smile. “Let’s go.”

They found themselves on a makeshift assembly line, placing objects into gift baskets before sticking bows on the top. Nino was on bow duty, and he was directed to throw out any bow that was bent or crumpled.

Instead, he kept sticking the defective bows on his girlfriends, using the decorations as an excuse to sneak up on them and kiss them as he planted a bow on their head or shoulder.

An older woman walked by them and smiled as Nino kissed Alya, then frowned as she saw him kissing Marinette on her return.

“Next time she passes by, we should kiss just to really confuse her,” Alya murmured to her girlfriend.

Marinette giggled. “Why wait?”

**

Christmas Market

“Why do you even go to this?” Nino asked Marinette, no judgement in his tone, just curiosity. “I mean, you make presents every year.”

She pouted. “Am I that predictable?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he responded, taking his girlfriend’s hand in his own. “You’re creative and amazing. It’s just, we all know that things you make are way better than anything you can buy.”

Marinette blushed, and teased, “Well, maybe I’m not putting in the full effort this year. Everyone gets matching keychains.”

“Yeah right,” he said. “You couldn’t half-ass anything if you tried.”

She kissed his cheek. “You’re right. But I like going to the market, there’s all sorts of good food and Christmas cheer and it’s just…nice. Plus, I get to spend time with you.”

Nino gripped her hand tightly, lacing his fingers with hers. “That’s a nice bonus.”

“So!” she said brightly. “Want to go try some pastries and compare them to Papa’s?”

“Your dad’s are the best, but yeah,” he replied.

They amassed a feast of pastries from the various vendors and enjoyed them together, exchanging soft kisses between bites and arguing over who had the better palmiers.

**

Playing in the Snow

“What do you think?” Nino stepped back from the snowman he’d built, a short, squat snowman only one ball of snow tall.

Alya laughed as she formed a ball of snow in her hands. “I think—think fast!” She threw the snowball, and Nino ducked just in time.

“And here I thought I was your favorite,” he teased, bending down to scoop together his own snowball.

“I don’t know what would give you that idea,” she replied innocently.

“It’s because when I said hey, let’s enjoy the fresh snow, you said I was your favorite.”

“I like snow!” Alya said, laughing as she ducked Nino’s snowball. “I’m still getting used to it, you know.”

“What do you mean?” he asked. “Do they not have snow in Martinique?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, surprisingly, there’s no snow on a tropical island. So this is only my…third winter, ever.”

“Oh,” Nino replied, a sheepish grin in his face. “Okay, that was pretty stupid of me. So, you get one free snowball to the face.”

Alya smirked as she bent down to form a perfect snowball, then lobbed it directly at her boyfriend’s face, letting the snow explode into powder against his cheek.

He laughed as he wiped away the snow. “I’m surprised they teach you how to make snowballs in the Caribbean.”

“You know what else I learned how to make, doudou?” she asked with a wicked grin.

“Yeah?”

“Turtle soup!”

**

Hot Cocoa Tasting

Adrien, Alya, and Nino used Adrien’s massive kitchen to each create their own perfect hot cocoa recipe to share. Adrien didn’t have a recipe, but Marinette was happy to share a simple one since she couldn’t be there.

Alya and Nino were competitive as they rushed around, boiling milk, adding in cocoa and spices. Adrien, on the other hand, stood at the microwave, reading Marinette’s exact instructions on his phone.

He carefully took the mugs of cocoa out of the microwave when it dinged, setting them on the counter with such gentle care. Then, he carefully ripped open the powdered cocoa packets and stirred them into the three mugs.

Alya poured rich, melted chocolate into mugs, while Nino strained cardamom pods into his cocoa.

Adrien sprayed whipped cream on top of his offering.

The three sat around the kitchen counter, a much homier place than the massive dining room table. Alya’s hot cocoa offering was clearly the best, rich and sweet, coating their tongues with chocolaty goodness with each sip.

“Yeah,” Adrien said after putting down his mug. “Alya, you definitely win.”

His girlfriend exchanged a look with Nino, and the two grinned widely before Alya replied, “No, Sunshine, yours is the best.”

“Yeah,” Nino added. “Can’t go wrong with a classic!”

“You’re just saying that,” he responded, but he couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face, the sheer love he felt from his partners warming him more than the cocoa.

“Seriously, though, not lying,” Nino said, slinging an arm around Adrien’s shoulders. “This is the stuff my mom would make when I came inside from the snow, same brand and everything. It tastes like childhood, and you made it—” he kissed his fingers for emphasis “—perfectly.”

“Don’t you mean purr-fectly?”

“Aaand he’s back to normal,” Alya said with a laugh. “I know it’s the holidays, but come on, you don’t need to get all sentimental on us. Just enjoy the cocoa and hang out with people who love you.”

Adrien smiled as he took another sip.

**

Caroling

“So why are we doing this?” Adrien asked Alya as she set up a video camera in her bedroom.

“Because going door to door to sing carols is outdated and videos can be seen worldwide,” she replied.

“Okay, but why the two of us? Why not Mari or Nino?”

She grinned at him. “We’re the best singers, Sunshine.”

She pressed a button on her computer, and the opening notes of “Petit Papa Noel” began to play. The two sang together, overacting the song for the camera, and ending up dissolving into giggles together.

After a few songs, Alya shut off the camera, grinning at her boyfriend. “Damn, I knew you were good, but—that high note, wow.”

Adrien blushed. “Thanks. I was just having fun with a pretty girl.”

“Such a charmer,” she teased, kissing his cheek.

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and kissing her lips lightly. “You fell for me, didn’t you? My charms worked.”

**

Looking at Lights

Marinette was smiling more brightly than the lights around the Champs-Elysees, her hands clasping both of her boyfriends’. Adrien was also in awe of the lights brightening up the night, and Nino was just happy to be with them.

“This is so pretty!” Marinette exclaimed.

“It really is,” Adrien agreed.

Marinette didn’t turn her head, but said, “Nino, is he doing the cliché thing and looking at me?”

Adrien flushed red as Nino ratted him out with a snickering, “Yeah. But you are pretty, so…”

She blushed, gently squeezing both their hands. “I’m going to die. I’m going to be absolutely flirted to death between the two of you.”

Adrien gave a dramatic gasp. “You can’t die, Mari! We haven’t had our date yet!”

“What do you call this?” she teased. “Are you just ignoring Nino?”

“Well, he can’t die either, then,” he said. “Nino! No dying before our date!”

Nino just laughed. “Wasn’t planning on it. But I am planning on kissing your girlfriend under the mistletoe over there.”

Marinette giggled. “Sorry, Adrien, looks like I’m kissing your boyfriend.”

“Well—then I’m kissing your boyfriend,” Adrien retorted with a wide grin. “And then I’ll kiss his girlfriend.”

The three made their way to the mistletoe, laughing and exchanging kisses under the colored lights.

**

Making a Gingerbread House

Marinette was in charge of baking the gingerbread, and Alya brought the decorations.

Together, they meticulously worked on creating a gingerbread bakery, an exact replica of the Dupain-Cheng building. They piped icing onto the sides, molded little candies into signs and windows.

“You know, if the guys were here, they’d have eaten half the decorations by now,” Alya commented as she placed small candy flowers on the balcony.

Marinette nodded. “There’s a reason I suggested we do this for our date. The guys will have to appreciate the pictures.”

“We’re not saving any treats for them?”

“Well, there’s one spare bag of icing, but I already had plans for it,” Marinette admitted. “Plans involving your lips.”

“M, you naughty girl,” Alya teased. “And here I thought you’d be on the nice list.”

She flushed red. “Can we finish so we can get to the kissing, please?”

“I can kiss and decorate at the same time,” Alya replied, demonstrating her point by kissing Marinette’s cheek. “Learn to multitask!”

“I have two boyfriends, an amazing girlfriend, and I’m a superhero slash student slash designer,” Marinette replied flatly. “I’m pretty good at balancing.”

“True, true,” she said. “But hey, at least I’m cute.”

“You are,” Marinette agreed, giving her a small hip bump.

**

Holiday Movies

“It’s so sad!” Adrien cried, curling against Nino’s side as they streamed a cheesy Christmas movie. “Amber loves him so much but she’s leaving Aldovia anyways!”

“I know, dude,” Nino replied, gently rubbing Adrien’s shoulder. “I know. I’m picking the next movie, right?”

Adrien sniffed. “But—there’s two sequels!”

“Yeah, we’re watching Home Alone next,” Nino muttered. “Look, you know the prince is going to show up and propose to her anyways, right? So why are you sad now?”

Adrien shrugged. “Sometimes it’s fun to be sad about cheesy movies, you know? It helps.”

Nino kissed his boyfriend’s temple as he hugged him close. “Okay. Fair. But I get the next movie and then we can watch the sequels.”

“And Princess Switch?” Adrien asked, turning on the pleading face that none of his partners could say no to.

“Only because I love you, dude.”

**

Ice Skating

“I get the feeling you wanted us to do this one for a reason,” Adrien said with a grin as he skated backwards around the rink, holding Marinette’s hands in his.

She blushed. “I’m sorry, is that weird? I just—we never did get to have the ice skating date I was too afraid to ask you on…”

He chuckled. “For what it’s worth, I would have said yes.”

Marinette smiled, the wide, smitten smile that seemed reserved just for him. “I love you,” she murmured. “I—I mean—”

Adrien pulled her close, twirling around with her. “I love you too,” he said softly. “My Lady.”

They kissed, softly and sweetly, gliding to a stop on the ice as they were lost in each other for a long, perfect moment.

When they parted, Marinette burst into giggles. “I can’t believe I haven’t fallen down yet!”

“Don’t jinx yourself!” he said with a laugh. “But if you do fall, I’ll catch you. I promise.”

She gave him a wide grin. “I know. I trust you.”

**

Wrapping Presents

“Didn’t we already do this with Nino?” Alya asked as she tied a bow on a package in Marinette’s room.

“Well, those were for charity, these are just our presents for family,” Marinette said. “Also a good excuse for my parents to leave us alone for a few hours.”

Adrien grinned as he added tape onto a package that was already more tape than wrapping paper. “I do like that part. Just me and my two beautiful girlfriends here.”

Alya burst into laughter. “Oh, Sunshine, you’re the purest one here. What’s the worst you’d do? Kiss us?”

“On the lips,” he replied, waggling his eyebrows.

“Oh no, our innocence!” Marinette cried dramatically. “Alya, protect me!”

Alya dove in front of Marinette with a laugh. “You can’t kiss her till I have!”

“But you have,” Adrien pointed out. “Both of us. Several times.”

Alya glanced up at Marinette with a shrug. “He’s got me there.”

“You two are so lucky you’re cute,” Marinette grumbled.

“The cutest,” Alya agreed.

Adrien leaned over to the two and placed ribbon bows on their heads. “There. Now you’re both pretty gifts for Nino.”

“Oh, don’t phrase it like that,” Marinette said, her cheeks turning pink. “He’s going to think something way different.”

“What?”

Marinette exchanged a look with Alya before the two of them burst into giggles, Marinette falling off the chaise and resting against her girlfriend’s side.

“What is it?” Adrien asked. “Come on, tell me!”

“Maybe in another few years,” Marinette teased. “You’re too young and innocent for this!”

**

Decorating Cookies

“I love you,” Marinette said to Adrien. “But, uh—you spelled Christmas wrong.”

Adrien glanced down at the cookie he was putting letter-shaped sprinkles on. “Oh. I did.”

Nino reached over and snatched away the cookie, taking a large bite. “No use letting it go to waste!”

Marinette gave his hand a gentle smack, not really hurting him. “You can’t keep eating the cookies, or we won’t have any left for Christmas!”

“Lighten up, Mari,” Adrien said, wrapping his arms around her. “Christmas is tomorrow. If a few cookies go missing, who does it really hurt?”

“You’re just saying that because you’ve had seven,” Marinette grumbled.

“How many have you had?” Alya asked. “Because, the way you’re acting, I’m pretty sure it’s none.”

Marinette just pouted.

Adrien lifted a cookie to her lips. “Eat the cookie and enjoy yourself, Mari. Everything’s already perfect. You know that, right?”

“It’s not perfect till we’re done,” she insisted, though she did take a bite of the messily frosted cookie.

“It’s perfect because we’re all here together,” Adrien said. “You, me, Nino, Alya.”

“Yeah, Sunshine is right,” Alya replied. “No worrying. We’re all together, and things are great.” She leaned over, wrapping her arms around Marinette and Adrien.

Nino moved around the table to join their hug. “Love you guys,” he murmured. “Merry Christmas.”

[verifiefangirl]

Elriel headcanon where they get into a big fight but of course they love each other more than any argument?

The angst queen is back y’all, buckle up

Azriel and Elain fighting isn’t something that happens often

Mainly cause the two both work very hard to make sure the other is happy and the relationship is always progressing

But one of their biggest arguments and reoccurring one is that Azriel doesn’t take care of himself enough

He will run himself dry for his high lord and bend himself backwards for his family

She loves all that he does to keep his court sake and his family but it’s to an unhealthy Point

Like hes almost afraid that if he doesn’t take on 50000 tasks for them he won’t be wanted anymore

Elain knows it stems from his childhood but it doesn’t hurt any less and make her want to cry.

She loves him so much but she can’t keep watching him hurt himself like this over and over again. He’s always putting himself in danger because he thinks he’s expandable.

Elain had enough. So that night when Azriel got home, it was close to two in the morning and he’d been up since 6am. He looked exhausted and that only made her more fired up.

“What was it this time?” She sniped, arms folded and lips pursed. She hated being angry at him because it was such an unnatural feeling. Azriel was her home, her happy place. She loved him with every ounce of her fae made body

“Elain, please, love. Not tonight. I’ve missed you.” And she almost gave in had it not been for the big gash across his abdomen as he started undressing.

She became somewhat frantic and hysterical. Hurling obscenities at him, her voice getting progressively louder and louder. 

This was alarming for several reasons, firstly because Elain is always soft spoken, even when Az and her fight but don’t mistake that as her being a pushover. 

Azriel usually is one the to disengage first and try smooth things over, ever the peacemaker but he wasn’t in the right frame of mind and things got more heated between them than they ever had. 

He had never once made Elain cry from their fight but tears were streaming from those beautiful eyes of hers right now. 

She started dumping stuff in a bag, she couldn’t even look at him. 

Panic was welling inside of Azriel’s chest but he just remained silent because he was at a loss for words. 

“Elain, where are you going? It’s late.” He would finally utter out, so softly and brokenly. 

His insecurity of everyone leaving him when they saw how ugly and jagged he was inside, resurfacing. 

She turned those wild eyes back on him, so filled with anger and hurt, tears blurring her vision.

“I can’t do this right now….I just can’t.” A sob getting caught in her throat. “I’ll be at my sisters house.”  

Elain hoisting her bag on her shoulder, was almost at the door when Azriel entwined their fingers and held them to his chest. 

“Please don’t leave me, Lain.” He whispered, sounding so much like a little boy. 

Elain’s heart felt battered and bruised looking at him with so much doubt and fear in his eyes, the self loathing creeping into the edges. Her fingers wanted to smooth out the tensions between his brows so bad but she knew neither would be productive for both of them.

“I have to Az.” She pleaded, as she detangled their hands and this time he just let her go. 

When she reached Feyre’s place, it wasn’t her that ended up consoling her as she cried for hours on end but Rhys. 

He cocooned her in the softest blanket he could find, placed a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hands with a splash of alcohol. 

Her feet were in Feyre’s lap as she gently massaged them, trying to get her to relax. She was sobbing so much that she worked herself a headache.

With Rhys’ strong arms around her and his wings rustling behind him, it  reminded her so much of her Illyrian that it hurt even more. 

It didn’t help that he was Az’s brother and probably was worried about his well-being too. 

Guessing to where her thoughts at he reassured her that Cassian was with Azriel right now. That made her feel worse because now the whole family was dragged into their mess and she had made Cassian leave Nesta. 

At some point her thoughts must have quieted because she feel asleep with her head in Rhys’ lap. 

It only got worse the next couple of days. She realised her and Az needed some time apart to sort themselves out. 

It was the worst couple of weeks of her life. She felt awful all the time. It felt like she was missing a limb without Azriel. 

Cassian made sure she never felt lonely though. He spent every waking hour with her. Gardening with her, baking, trying to pull laughter from her dark void. 

His brother made sure they never ran into each other while they were taking this time apart. 

She would constantly thinking about him though, worried about how he was doing and if he missed her as much as she missed him.

A month had passed and she had caught sight of him leaving the townhouse in the dead night.

Rhys had his arm around Azriel shoulders and it was then she got a glimpse of his face. He had dark circles under his eyes, his skin having lost that golden glow. He had also lost a lot of weight. His cheeks were sunken. Haunted was the best way to describe how he looked.

It was then she noticed the package of food he held in his hands as Rhys pulled him into a hug and sent him off on his way. 

Elain didn’t know how he could look so terrible when his family was trying to take care of him. It felt like he’d taken her heart with him all over again as he headed towards his place. He hadn’t noticed that she had seen him leaving.

She couldn’t do this anymore. Being apart of each other wasn’t doing them any good, in fact it seemed to only be hurting them more. 

She ran all the way back to their apartment. Her throat constricting with emotions.

She was about to raise her hand to knock when the door swung open all of the sudden. She was just as startled as he was to see her standing there. 

“I love you.” She blurted. He hadn’t let her speak another word as he slammed the door in her face  his mouth onto hers in a searing kiss which she felt all the way down to her toes. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He uttered between every kiss. He practically hoisted her up against him and she wrapped her legs around his hips. 

“I promise to take better care of myself.” He pleaded into the crook of her neck and she felt something damp slide down her shoulder and realised he was crying. “Just don’t leave me. I can’t take anymore.”

She started crying too because he was hurting so much. She ran her fingers through his consoling him, gripping him so tightly like she was trying to glue his broken pieces back together.

“I won’t, Az. I promise. We’ll do everything as a team. I can’t live without you in my life. I love you so much that you hurting, hurts me.” She told him, cupping his face.

“I’m right here.” She repeated over and over until he believed he hadn’t just made her coming back to him up.

“You’re mine Lain?” He questioned. 

“Always.” 

permanent taglist 

@julesherondalex​​ @jemma-nessian-and-elriel​  @maastrash​ @empress-ofbloodshed​ @wolffrising​ @azrielismycinnamonrollprimary​ @sezkins79​ @poisonous00​ @humanexile​ @sleeping-and-books​ @highladyofidris​ @theshadowsinger-and-thefawn​ @rhysanoodle @b00kworm

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Pissed

A little Au-ish in where Lisa also joined the Legends. Might be OC like but then again they are in private...? Idk but I felt like some Snart siblings fluff is needed so here it is.

It had been two months since Lisa had join the Legends and admittedly Leonard had been rather pleased to have his sister by his side again.

He would never tell anyone but he had worried about her back in Central while he was traveling around and he was more than relieved that the ever hanging threat of the villain of the week threatening her was gone.

Now, he was remembering how hard it was working with her. For whatever reason, she woke up in a bad mood and when she was in a bad mood, she showed it. And brought it to everyone around her.

Now with Rouges it had been okay because let's face it after a fist fight it was generally over and during heists it wasn't like anything would go exactly as planned so her bad mood didn't affect them.

But during this mission with the Legends, Lisa was just uncooperative, talked back to Rip, didn't listen to anyone and did her own thing, stealing the Hope Diamond with Mick.

Rip had been furious, sure no one got killed (that they knew of), but he didn't like things going so off kilter especially since Mick was getting a partner in crime and hell knows how much energy it took making sure he didn't torch the Empire State Building's Lobby, he didn't want to deal with the Statue of Liberty having a gold crown.

Rip had been about to go to the training room to lecture her but he had stopped him, and offered to talk to her instead.

He knew after years of dealing with her awful temper that she was looking for a fight and if Rip lectured her, she would yell or more likely punch him, there would be a fight, punishment and her mood would get even worse and she would make things happened. Things that Leonard would rather forget.

As Leonard walked into the training room he encountered Lisa beating up a punching bag. "Hey," Leonard announced his arrival and Lisa stopped and scowled "What do you want?" Lisa hissed.

"Rip wanted to grill you about your attitude today."

"If he didn't like it, he should deal with it," Lisa replied with a roundhouse kick.

Leonard tried to go over the situation with his mind, he wasn't used to these kinds of "We must work as a team" pep talks.

"Well, Lisa it.. It's just that this matters, it's important to follow the plan in order to succeed."

"The plan should be more flexible." "You still should cooperate." "I'll decide on that."

Leonard rolled his eyes. These moods were really annoying and worse, she didn't listen to reason until she got over them. She didn't usually listen to reason in a good mood but during these time she was all out deaf.

"No, you work at the mission and then you can get your little pissed child routine to your room."

"You cannot be serious Leonard. Why don't you go read Kafka or something old man." She hit his shoulder hard.

"Once you actually start acting like an adult I might," Leonard growled back. Leonard had a strange sense of déjà vu. The whole thing reminded him of when he used to take care of her. When she was a eleven or nine, she would come to his apartment angry and hit him whenever she got annoyed by him. He just had to make her smile at something, anything and then it would be gone.

He looked at her, a thirty something woman, glaring at him like he was Hitler or Lewis. She was more or less the same, definitely had the same course vocabulary. Leonard shook his head. How did he make her smile, he wasn't one to carry around 5001 Snart jokes book.

Then he remembered. It was stupid and incredible childish but damn the results would be hilarious and bodily harm, guaranteed.

"Shut up," Lisa tried to hit him again. Leonard caught her arm and put her in a lock.

"Remember what you use to get if you tried hitting me?” Leonard smirked.

"I don't remember what I got, but YOU got your ass kicked," Lisa flipped him over.

"Like you could beat me after all your my baby sister." Leonard teased.

She charged at him and he used her anger to his advantage. A few swift moves later, she was pinned and he straddled her legs.

"Get off of me,” she grunted. "Make me," Leonard challenged. "You have a heavy beer gut." That was a low blow even for her.

"Enough with the piss, smile it will make you feel better." Leonard commanded.

"Says who?" "Says science," Leonard shot back. "I'm not in the fucking mood."

"I figured." He trailed his fingers down her legs "Now do you remember what would happen when you tried to hit me?" She glared.

"You get a visit from the you-know-who." He squeezed her knee caps to no success. She rolled her eyes.

"You got to be kidding me," she mumbled, "This is stupid and childish. I'm too old for this crap. You are way too ancient for this crap. And Len I'm not some kid anymore, I freeze people in gold and seduce speedster's engineer. We're serious people, Lenny. We are hardened criminals. Besides I'm not even..." Lisa stopped her rant and squirmed as his hand shot into her armpit.

"What was that? I think you still are" he smirked as he lightly traced circles. "Just smile and I'll stop.”

Lisa squirmed, pushed, bucked to no avail "No. I'm not ticklish." She stammered as she used her one free hand to futile pull his hand away from her.

"I think you are. You can't hold it in forever." He could tell that she wanted to break, it was laughingly obvious. Her grinding her teeth and biting her lip was almost akin to constipation.

"Smile Lisa. As your big brother I just want to make you happy and not in such a shitty mood all day" Leonard taunted as he used his left hand to squeeze her stomach.

She was being stubborn about it. He could just see it, her mouth was twitched up but she wouldn't break out into a smirk or half-smile.

She just squirmed and hid her face in her hair or against the floor. "I didn't think you would be this difficult. Fine you wanna play, we're gonna play."

Lisa eyes widened as she felt his fingers tap up her ribcage, "If I remember correctly, your ribs were your worst spot. Hmm?"

"Len, no I'm no..t" She stopped. "If you're so not, you can finish the sentence." Silence.

"I'm giving you one chance. Smile voluntarily and I'll let you go" He waited a couple of seconds before deciding the silence was a definite no. And he proceeded to emit the most surprising sounds out of the younger Snart.

Leonard almost started laughing himself. The girly, bubbly, giggly laugh didn't fit at all with the image of a villainous, leather clad woman who thought nothing of killing a man for the money. He swore that if he closed his eyes he would have thought it was coming from some vapid model especially as it went higher a few pitches when he climbed up her ribs like a piano.

Though the squeals were followed by more Lisa-like obscenities on how he would die a horrible death by fire.

She was spending way too much time with Mick.

What Leonard was most surprised was how much fun he was having. He felt like some dumb kid, and the whole situation felt normal. Nothing of Lewis' abuse or juvie or the next big heist sorta like a normal childhood activity in a regular family.

He stopped every once and awhile to allow her to breath in air and a chance for mercy.

"Are you done with your attitude?" He asked as she gulped a breath of air.

"No." Then with a battle cry she tackled him, pinned him down and dug her fingers into his shirt. He blinked.

"Stupid parka!" She cursed and tried to take it off.

Ohhh. He realized she was trying to turn on the tables on him. He calmly pushed her down and resumed position. "Sorry sis, but I'm not ticklish. There's more than one reason why my name's Cold."

He bend down to blow on her ribs and her laugh went up almost three octaves. Honestly, he thought Lisa looked adorable right now.

She looked so carefree and happy, and there were freakin dimples coming out. The laugh was just icing on the cake. Too often he just saw her as the little girl in the hospital getting stitches, refusing to talk about Lewis or a girl having nothing going on in life except the next big thrill. No dreams. No big ambitions.

"Lisa, if you want me to stop you have to start fighting." Leonard drawled as Lisa tried to squirm and bang her fists against him.

"LENHEHaNo!" Lisa screeched when he managed to get his hand under her shirt, scratching at her ribs with his nails.

"This is the third rib right? Or is it the fourth? I should count them don't you think?"

"NOHAHANOFUCHAHADON'THAHATHE TEASING MAKES IT WORSE!" She managed to screech out.

It went on like that for awhile. But eventually she bended over into curled ball, banging the ground.

"YOU WIAHAHAHAHAN YOUHIHAIHAHAHAHIAHAHIHIHAHAH" "And you'll stop your shitty mood?" Leonard asked as she unfurled herself, panting heavily.

"Yes, for the love of whatever God, yes" Lisa answered, nodding her head eagerly.

"Good," Leonard scrambled off her legs and helped her up.

"So we're good" Leonard asked cautiously. He knew it would work but he didn't think she would be so so calm afterwards. Maybe she didn't take enough air in.

"I guess. But know this" Lisa placed a hand firmly on his shoulder "I will get you back. You're not the only one with a good memory. And anytime as soon as you take off your shoes and parka. I will get my revenge. In public, in private, in front of the team it doesn't matter. I will do it.”

Leonard would have laugh if he didn't know how serious that threat was.

"So, any reason why you were pissed?" Leonard asked.

Lisa froze and then frowned "I heard Mick and Jax talking. How you took me because you were worried that some villain was going to hurt me.”

"Yeah so?"

"I don't want to be chosen just because I need protection. I can do stuff, Lenny. I don't want to follow the Team around so you could keep an eye on me. Like how you and Mick were a package deal. What am I? The back order?” "Lisa, if we had only chosen you so we could protect you Stein's wife would be here. Sara's dad would be here. Jax's dad would be here. Rip's family would be here. We chose you not just because of that but because you would actually be useful to the mission. You know how to work a crime scene, you know how to plan a mission, you know how to fight. You can do something with the Team, you can help. That's why you're here."

Lisa stared at him, disbelievingly "No bullshit?" "No bullshit."

A few nights later, Leonard was in the kitchen putting away his late night drink when he got tackled with a vicious screech.

The rest of the Legends woke up and ran to the room to see the two Snart siblings rolling around the floor, laughing, growling and almost knocking over the table.

"What the hell?" Sara asked.

"Just walk away slowly and maybe they'll stop" Jax muttered.

They took his advice, slightly worried for the next day and still wondering what the hell was going on.

"Admit it!" Lisa yelled. "NOAHA" Leonard croaked.

[oxxofanfiction]

Draco Malfoy FF  1-1

Female!Oc 

Monster From Hell - Draco x Female!OC

                                                  Chapter One

 The small London house was almost ordinary. . . well, that was until you looked into who lived there. The Goodwinds were far from ordinary, all were wizards and witches, their lineage spanned back to Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

 Michelle had waited for her letter to get accepted into the school, Her brother and father and mother all had gone to Hogwarts, but thoughts still roamed in the young girls mind What if I’m different? What if I’m not good enough? Does the school have enough students already? The thoughts always filled her mind every night before bed, But today July twenty-fourth made the whole house stir with excitement. Michelle had gotten her letter of acceptance.

 “Father, will we be able to go to Diagon alley soon?” Fraser, Michelle’s older brother asked. He was no stranger to the wizarding world and was already accepted into the school a year prior. He told Michelle tales of Hogwarts and the great hallways, professors everything. Michelle and Fraser had told each other everything since their mother’s untimely demise. They stood to their word of never keeping secrets, throughout all their childhood they had told each other everything and we’re notorious partners in crime. 

 “Yes, dear boy we shall go tomorrow seeing as it is” Their father checked his watch “My goodness time flies it is already ten. You kids must get to sleep! Big day tomorrow, no dilly-dallying!” He said as he sent the two kids upstairs. 

 As the two we’re getting ready for bed Frazer told Michelle about the professors, starting with Snape, “Snape. . . now, Snape, he is a tricky one. Even to me, he can be rude so if your not Slytherin do not, and I repeat do not disobey him, and make sure to pay attention in his class as he sometimes can be harsh.” He waited a minute then said “McGonagall can be rude, but most of the time she is a very nice woman and very understanding of any house. Sprout. . . she is a character, floppy had, a little woman about your size probably. She is lovely, she is Hufflepuff’s head I believe. Ravenclaw is…” He took another moment silently thinking “Flitwick… feisty little goblin man. Don’t get on his bad side, his detentions are okay not the worst but you do have to hear the god awful first years try to sing so that’s a downside” he chuckled at the memories of Hogwarts, “You’d know wouldn’t you, we got so many letters of your behavior, Frazer, father thought he would have to go to Hogwarts and apologize to Dumbledore himself!” Little Michelle said flailing her hands in the air angrily, though only as a joke. 

 “Well, I’m sorry. . . and luckily next year you won’t have to read them with father” he started going off to his own room, turning around and saying “Goodnight. . . Don’t let the Corn Faries bite” He ran off to his room at that comment, knowing that Michelle uses to be deadly scared of cornish fairies, she just shook her head and went to her room. 

 A single bed in the corner, her curtains we’re black and grey, her room painted just grey. . . she was never a fan of lot’s of color, it hurt her eyes when looking at vibrant colors. . . easter was never a favorite holiday of hers due to this fact. She quietly walked to her bed, pulling the warm duvet over her tiny body. Sleep soon found way to her as dreams of Hogwarts and Magical creatures danced around her mind.

. . .

“Up! Up! Up! Come on little jackrabbits! To showers! Busy Day come on children, Up! Up! Up!” Mr. Goodwinds voice boomed in the hallway. Groaning and reluctantly getting up Michelle made her way to her shower. Her morning grogginess disappeared quickly as she remembered in just a few days she would be at hogwarts and needed to get supplies. 

 Once downstairs and prettied up she grabbed her satchel, slinging it over her shoulder. Her hands trailing down her to her sweater, tugging at the end of it nervously. Her brother came down the stairs still groggy. 

“What’s your problem, your fiddling like a nervous coon” He inquired grabbing a bag of crisps from the stand.

“I just have never been…” She fumbled with the words for a second before restating “I’m just nervous, it shouldn’t matter but what if no one likes me?” her hands were now picking at her nails. A habit she has had since her youth.

“People will like you, Elley, Don’t worry if they don’t and if they have a problem, fuck them” 

“Langue, I did not raise someone from a barn son,” Their father said slightly slapping the back of Fraser’s head. Michelle quietly chuckled at this, her brother always found a way to get in trouble. Fraser looked up to her smirking and mimicking his father with silly and ugly facial expressions, pointing his finger at nothing, mimicking the yelling of his father. Luckily Mr.Goodwind had his back turned. As soon as their father turned back around they both stood to attention. “Are we ready?” Mr.Goodwind asked suspiciously. Both of the kids nodded vigorously standing up and taking their father’s hand. 

 Suddenly the three were in Diagon Alley, Michelle had only been once or twice before for her brothers’ necessities and “care packages” to hogwarts. 

 Michelle’s father quickly ushered her into a store, which if she remembered correctly was a wand store. Inside the small shop, the walls were covered in small boxes crammed into shelves. It was very unorganized but also had a sense of organization to it, like it was so stressful that it was calming. Michelle’s eyes danced around the room, looking at the hundreds, maybe even thousands of boxes that contained wands. She never really thought so many people could be a wizard or a witch. She had never even been in a room with more than one hundred witches, and seeing all the wands just proved that she knew very little on the world of witchcraft, though studying vigorously since a toddler.

 The old man which Michelle assumed was the owner of the store came up to her and her father introducing himself as, “Mr.Ollivander, and… oh my Mr.Goodwind, it was just last year your son came for a wand. My, my, my” He said clicking his tongue before his gaze went down to Michelle, “You must be Michelle, well how about we find you a wand young lady?” He said heading to a shelf. Michelle gulped nervously, her father placing a reassuring hand on her back as she gave a smile laced with worry.

 “How is this, a cedar wand. . . fit for a very loyal young wizard… or erm witch” He said handing the wand to her. He waved his hand a bit as to show her what to do, suddenly papers off his desk starting flying everywhere, “Definitely not that” he mumbled under his breath, Michelle mumbled sorry, but Mr.Ollivander said “It’s fine, a Potter just visited me just a few hours ago… absolute mess he left” he chuckled at the memory. Mr.Goodwind suddenly cleared his throat “Potter… as in James Potter’s son?” He asked. Ollivander nodded his focus mainly on finding a wand for the young witch. 

 “Ah here, an Acacia wand and has a phoenix feather core at 13 inches long, perfect for a great and powerful wiza- witch” Michelle carefully took the wand and swirled it around making all of the papers neatly restack onto the desk, Mr.Ollivander smiled lightly at her and nodded knowing that was the right wand for the young witch. 

  Michelle and her father continued to each store, getting ink, robes, a cauldron, her eight books, vials, a telescope, and so on. They passed by a shop filled with animals, which caught the young girl’s attention. Reluctantly her father allowed going in the store, knowing she would most likely be leaving with an animal now. She browsed the wide variety of animals, a certain cat seemed to call to her though, it was a sphynx it had darker area’s on its skin, and its eyes we’re a shocking color of yellow, one ear slightly nipped at the end. Mr.Goodwind looked to his daughter and back at the cat, his face basically read really this thing Michelle looked up to him smiling lovingly.

  “Can you shut that poor excuse for a cat up?” Fraser asked her as they arrived home. Michelle gasped pulling that cat out of its carrier and snuggling it, “She can hear you, you rude goblin” Michelle pet the cat, it purred in her arms. Chills ran down Frasers’ body at the sight “Just don’t let your freak cat touch me okay” Michelle started walking closer to him as he backed away. Then she started running the cat in hand. 

“Come on Fraser! Fluffy wants to meet you!” Michelle yelled out chasing her brother with her cat.

“Fluffy! Quite ironic wouldn’t you think” He yelled running up the stairs. His sister in close pursuit with the “demon cat” in hand. Fraser quickly made his way into his room, slamming the door shut and locking it. Michelle huffed outside his door, “How rude”

[ryqoshay]

Tri-Arame: Ne, Wanna Bite?

Primary Pairing Trio: YuuAyuSetsu Words: ~1.8k Rating: G Time Frame: During their 2nd year in high school Story Arc: Stand Alone

Author’s Note: One of my favorite tropes is, and will likely remain, the sharing of food among couples. I’ve included it a handful of times in HL and am pretty sure I’ve done so over in HtHaN as well. If not, I guess I’ll just have to add a scene like that to the queue... though I suppose even if I have, it’s still as good an excuse as any to write more NicoMaki.

In any case, both SIFAS and the Niji anime depict Ayumu and Yuu casually trading bites as if they do so every day, and they probably do, but what might an observer think?

Also, I’ve seen Koppe Pan translated as either bread or buns, so I’ve used at least the latter as an occasional alternate noun for the food, but the actual name is just too fun to say that I couldn’t leave it out entirely.

“Ne, Setsuna-chan!” Yuu called, approaching her friend with Ayumu in tow, holding hands, as per usual. Ever the classic childhood couple. Practice had ended for the day and everyone was slowly filtering out of the clubroom. “Ayumu and I are heading to the mall to do some shopping, wanna come with us?”

“Very much so.” Setsuna confirmed with nod and a smile. “I was actually going there myself because the latest issue has been released for one of my favorite doujinshi series.”

Yuu grinned. “I know, that’s the main reason we wanted to invite you. I’m getting a copy as well.”

“You are?” Setsuna blinked. “You know I would be happy to lend you my copies whenever you desire.”

“Yeah, but after you lent me the first book, I was so hooked, I wanted to add it to my collection as well. Also, if I have my own copy, I don’t have to wait for you to finish reading yours so I can borrow it. We can read it at the same time!”

“Also, it’s easier for me to borrow them.” Ayumu chimed in.

“You are reading it as well, Ayumu-san?” Setsuna felt her heart start to pound with excitement; not just one, but two friends with whom she could talk about the story.

Ayumu smiled somewhat sheepishly. “You and Yuu-chan looked so excited talking about it last time that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It’s been forever since I last read manga, but I’m glad I did; it’s really good.”

“I know, right?” Setsuna felt like she could jump with joy.

“I’m not quite caught up with you two, though.” Ayumu admitted.

“Oh, what chapter have you reached?”

“42.”

Setsuna nodded. “Very well. No spoilers beyond that point. But what did you two think about the battle with Jhank?”

The three girls chatted away their journey to the mall, dissecting each character development, romantic interest and plot twist. There was a bit of a line at the store, but none of them minded as it gave them that much more time to talk. Setsuna found it was incredibly freeing to be able to talk openly about her interests with others who were similarly interested.

Setsuna had several enjoyable conversations with Kasumi about idols once they were able to reconcile the fact that they viewed them very differently, but that was about where their shared interests ended. Kanata had trouble staying awake and Emma, though a kind listener, had a hard time contributing when she wasn’t nearly as invested. She had established that Rina watched anime but hadn’t had as much opportunity to talk with the reclusive girl. Ai had expressed interest, though Setsuna suspected it was mainly a means to get closer to Rina. And Karin, though not necessarily disinterested, wasn’t particularly interested either, the same seemed to apply to Shizuku as well.

But Yuu and Ayumu, particularly the former, actively participated in the conversation. They were engaged with the topic and happy to let Setsuna gush about anything and everything. Even when she realized she had been the primary one talking for several minutes and would pause to apologize, one of them would dismiss it and encourage her to continue. It was a wonderful experience, to say the least.

“Ne, are either of you two hungry?” Ayumu asked as the trio left the bookstore.

“I could eat.” Yuu replied. “Shall we get our usual?”

“Sounds good. Do you want to join us, Setsuna-chan?”

“Yes, please, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.”

“By the way, what is your usual?”

“Koppe Pan!” Yuu said with a smile.

Ah, that made sense. Setsuna remembered regularly seeing the couple eating a variety of the packaged sandwiches in the club room as snacks. And Kasumi had recently taken to providing the two with the results of her experiments as she honed her skills. Kopee Pan really was their usual.

Setsuna watched the other two as they discussed the menu; what they had tried already and what possible specials they looked forward to in the future. However, having never been to this food stand before herself, Setsuna ended up getting the first thing that looked like something she might like.

It must be nice, Setsuna thought to herself a few minutes later, to be so familiar with someone. What does a couple care about sharing indirect kisses in public? She sat in awe as Ayumu even commemorated the occasion by snapping a shot of herself taking a bite of Yuu’s bun. The often-embarrassed redhead didn’t even so much as blush when the twin-tailed girl wiped a bit of filling from her cheek before putting it in her own mouth. Cute. And a bit enviable.

“Ne, Setsuna-chan.” A sandwich entered her field of vision. “Wanna bite?”

“Thank you.” Setsuna responded, accepting the offer.

“Good, isn’t it?” Yuu grinned.

“Indeed.” Setsuna agreed after swallowing. She blinked upon seeing an expectant expression on the other girl’s face. “Oh, here.” She held out her own bun.

“You can also try some of mine if you like, Setsuna-chan.” Ayumu offered.

“Very well.”

Ayumu giggled. “Geez, you’re just like Yuu-chan.” She reached over to clear something from Setsuna’s cheek and ate it.

“Aww… I was just about to do that.” Yuu pouted.

“Oops, sorry.” Ayumu smiled and stuck out her tongue, looking nowhere near apologetic.

Huh, so Ayumu-san really can tease Yuu-san in return sometimes. Interesting.

The next thing Setsuna knew, Ayumu had slid closer to her and was holding her phone ready. Mimicking Yuu’s actions from a minute ago, Setsuna held up her bun while the other girl leaned down before snapping a shot, then taking a bite.

“Remember to send me those pics.” Yuu said.

“Of course.” Ayumu nodded.

“So, which one was best?” Yuu turned her attention to Setsuna. “Ayumu’s or mine?”

“That is a good question…” Setsuna pondered. “They were both good, however, Yuu-san yours was more like a dessert meant for after a meal while Ayumu-san’s was more like an appetizer to tide one over between meals. Thus, as we have not eaten dinner yet, Ayumu’s was more appropriate.”

Yuu blinked. “But which did you like more?”

“I thought I just explained?”

“She preferred mine, Yuu-chan.” Ayumu clarified. “And that earns her another bite.” She smiled as she held her sandwich out again, earning another pout from Yuu.

“Thank you.” Setsuna accepted again before smiling as Ayumu gave in and allowed Yuu another bite as well. “Although, to be perfectly honest, my own was my favorite of the three.” She admitted. “I thought it might be good because it looked just like the one Akane ordered in Episode 7 of…”

Yuu giggled.

“Eh?”

“That way of choosing what to order is very fitting of you, Setsuna-chan. I love it.”

“O-oh…”

“And sorry for interrupting, what anime was that from?”

And just like that, conversation returned to one of Setsuna’s greatest passions. Ayumu and Yuu expressed interest in the series and Yuu ended up suggesting that they watch it together that night. Unfortunately, as a test was coming up and hanging out at the mall all afternoon had already cut into her studying time, Setsuna had to decline. Thankfully, she was able to agree to a raincheck over the weekend. With that decision made, the three girls parted ways to head home for the evening.

Setsuna glanced at the clock. Her parents should be in bed by now and she should no longer have to worry about them walking in on her unexpectedly. With mounting anticipation, she scurried over to her school bag and retrieved the doujin she had purchased earlier that day.

Given her level of excitement, Yuu had likely already read the chapter as soon as she had arrived home. As such, Setsuna fully expected to be able to discuss things tomorrow with her, being careful of avoiding spoilers for Ayumu, of course.

As she lay down on her bed, memories of the day came back to her. It really had been a lot more fun going as a group instead of sneaking out on her own.

A smile came to Setsuna’s lips as the dark-winged angel’s antics in the story resulted in the light-winged angel becoming flustered and blushing adorably. The two made a cute couple even if they denied being one. They were so familiar with one another, using exclusive nicknames, bathing together, sharing a bed, sharing food…

Sharing food… Indirect kisses…

Wait…

If the doujin had been in color, Setsuna’s cheeks would have matched those of the light-wing angel’s from a few frames back. Back at the mall, she had shared indirect kisses with both Yuu and Ayumu without even realizing it. They had both behaved so naturally with her, just as they did among themselves, that she hadn’t even noticed until now.

Did they behave like that with everyone?

Setsuna scoured her memories of her time with them in the clubroom.

There was one time that Kasumi told them to stop flirting while using her Koppe Pan to do so. This had earned an amused laugh from Yuu and one of Ayumu’s signature blushes, though Setsuna wasn’t sure anyone at the table bought their denial.

But that was about it. As far as Setsuna could tell, the couple kept such things between themselves. Yuu was openly affectionate with just about everyone, but certain things seemed to be reserved for Ayumu. And now Setsuna… maybe?

Setsuna shook her head. She had to be missing something. There was no way… was there?

Yuu had said she loved her. Several times, in fact. But she had dropped the line about as casually as she did with others. There couldn’t possibly be any deeper meaning than that of a close friend or of a fan expressing their adoration for an idol, right? Certainly, that had to be the explanation.

And what of Ayumu? Setsuna had little doubt of the redhead’s feelings toward her childhood friend, which were a major contributor to why she believed the two were a couple. But did Yuu not reciprocate? Was that why Ayumu sometimes behaved the way she did? No, she was pretty sure the two were dating.

So how did any of that explain what happened? What did it mean? Did it even mean anything in the first place? For the life of her, Setsuna couldn’t figure out the situation.

But… if nothing else, Setsuna had to admit that she had liked it. A lot. That feeling of familiarity truly was enviable, especially now that she’d tasted it herself. Literally. Even if she hadn’t recognized it at the time. And she wanted more…

But was that alright? Certainly, such a trope need not apply strictly to romantic genres, right? One could be that familiar with someone while remaining platonic, right? The last thing Setsuna wanted to do was to drive a wedge between two who were so close. But it was at least alright to want to be closer to them, right?

She wanted to see them again. To hang out with them again. To discuss anime with them again. To eat Koppe Pan with them again.

Tomorrow. She would see them again tomorrow. And Yuu would want to talk about the doujin…

With that thought in mind, Setsuna returned her focus to the book in her hands.

Author's Note Continued in Followup Post

[thoughts-n-paper]

Ranidaphobia

She was unable to move, terror-struck, as she stared at its eyes and at the same time, tried so terribly to avoid it. She could feel the raindrops sliding down its smooth skin as if they were crawling down her neck. She stood still as its throat expanded and in response, her lungs contracted as it produced that awful loud sound. Horrified in anticipation, she closed her eyes shut. When she opened them after a while, she was back in her purple walled bedroom, away from the dense forest she was standing in a few seconds ago, safe from any devil that might have been about to jump her. Ever since she started working on the new project, she had been having this nightmare every night, but right now was not the time to get to the bottom of this development. A glance at the clock and she jumped out of the bed and rushed to the bathroom. She always kept at least half an hour aside for her pre-shower rituals and another hour for after. It wasn't a lot of steps, rather more about spending enough time for each step. She had twenty types of cleansers and scrubbers and at least thirty different lip scrubbers, a part of her face she was the most conscious about. From a young age, she had been very careful about her skin, she did not just want good skin, she wanted a clean skin, even if it meant being late for work. As soon as she sat on her desk, Simon jumped on her, "You're late. Missed the morning meeting. And Alex wants to see you. ASAP. "He said smugly.

"Thank you, Simon." He never liked her, probably because he wanted the membership she was awarded. Alex was not a great mentor or even the best person to work under, but he knew how to woo the clients and sell the bare minimum for the maximum cost. The recent project bagged by him, incidentally by chatting up with the marketing head at a bar, was a children's toy brand trying to venture into children's snacks.

"Hi Alex. Sorry about this morning. I was just not feeling well."

"Oh, don't bother about it. The package design is finalized, this is the mascot they want."

He said passing her a sheet of paper without looking, it always looked like he had rehearsed it, placed the paper at precise steps, a file in his hands that is just a prop and then as soon as she took the sheet to examine, he walked up to stand behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“I am counting on you. You do a good job on this and your position might not be so temporary. ”She looked up to him and smiled.

This was his M.O. Being in his team, your only job is to refine the lines around his vague ideas and designs so he can later present it as his own and collect all the praise from the clients. It is demeaning, you do not grow intellectually, but it is a great way to make contacts in the high places and if the apprentice is quick enough, might catch some skills of the trade. She only looked at Alex’s sample after coming back to her table and the blood stopped flowing in her veins. She was petrified. She could suddenly feel her breakfast wanting to escape her body and she rushed to the bathroom.

She had been staring at the blank white paper for the past two hours. The sheet with the prototype was turned around, but the eyes on that hideous creature still haunted her. She has had a particular hatred towards frogs since her childhood, so much that she could not even bear to look at the rough caricature of one that Alex drew.

It sort of started when she was ten, this hatred and disgust. It had rained heavily the day before and while walking home she was cornered by a few of the older girls that were just hanging around in a nearby park. It started as basic entertainment for them, pointing out faults in her face, ridiculing her hair and clothes, she was used to that. But then one of the girls noticed a big croaking frog and decided it would be fun to play a fairy tale. She remembers running home that day, all the way trying to rub out the slime from her lips and face, struggling to hold her bag because her hands were too dirty to hold anything. She did not even dare to wipe the tears off her face. And the girls were running behind her shouting that she was so ugly, the prince would rather stay as a frog.

She pushed the memory deep down, took a long breath and then the sheet of paper in her hand. It was a simple cartoon of a frog in a top hat and dinner jacket, a very generic idea of an animal caricature and now it was her job to make it remarkable. That night she scrubbed her lips for an extra fifteen minutes to remove the smell of the puke, still, it kept waking her up every two hours.

The next day was just an extension to her ongoing nightmare, she threw up thrice that day and spent most of her day washing up. On the way home, at her wit's end, she decided to buy an extra-strong chemical peel mask for her lips.

It was the third day since this horrendous task had entered her life, she was tired from not sleeping, circles around her eyes and extremely chapped lips. It was also the day of submission of the first draft. She sat on her desk, took a look at her drawings and rushed to the toilet. The new peel did help this time, for she finally sat down with satisfaction. She had tried to back down from this project, although it would have been career suicide, she just couldn't go through with this one.

"No." That's all Alex said before returning to his lunch.

She asked again.

"No." And that was it.

After lunch, she stepped into Alex's office and handed him the designs. He took it from her and then strangely started staring at her. "You have got a bit of your lunch on your face, better clean it up next time you face someone. It's very off-putting. "She immediately turned around mortified and rushed out of the cabin. She took it and smelt it, and suddenly that wretched smell was back. She made a mental note to buy some more masks. And then she made another note to buy some anti-nausea tablets when she saw the review mail from Alex.

Two weeks in and she was still struggling. The scrubbing and peeling which started from her lips had now extended to her hands and face. The constant rubbing of sanitizer didn't help either. Her skin was dry and peeling off, she hadn't slept at all because every time she closed her eyes, there would be a frog in top hat smiling at her. And then there was all the puking, the color of which had now turned from yellow to red. There would be instances where frogs would start jumping up on her table or would sometimes emerge from the papers scattered and start dancing in front of her, but blinking strongly and rapidly would make them disappear one by one.

She was playing a game every day, get spooked and you lose, and she wasn't going to lose, not after she fought so hard to be in Alex's good books.

She stared at her falling face in the mirror and reached for the moisturizer, she took a little bit and placed little droplets randomly on her face and was immediately disgusted by it. It had become a ritual of sorts, wake up form a superficial sleep, struggling to face her reflection and barely able to touch her skin, she would still be driven to peel off every hanging skin scrape. Well hopefully it would all end soon, it was the day they present the final draft to the client and if all goes well, she will never be forced to look at a frog again.

“You look awful. Jesus, at least put some lipstick on.” She could see the repulsion in Alex’s eyes as soon as she walked in. Which was not too different from what she saw in the mirror herself. But, two hours of sitting in a room filled with pictures of different cartoon frogs, shutting her teeth so that the vomit doesn’t feel invited to burst out and tying her hands with an invisible metal wire so she doesn’t start to scratch the itch she had been feeling on her lips, she made it through the ordeal. They shook hands, smiled and headed off to a celebratory dinner. It was a group of five from the client’s side and then three people from their team excluding Alex. She may have had the worst months of her life but she had a feeling it was going to be worth it.

They all sat around a round table and were just waiting for dinner when one of the brand representatives stood up to make a toast.

“We would like to thank all of you. We had tried a lot of different agencies, even rolled in a few bad ones into production, but we think that our friend here has got what we need. So, we would like to offer you your next endeavor, our new drink.” And he pulled out a plastic bottle in the shape of the ugliest frog. “Now, I know the packaging is rubbish, which is why we need you. But, I ensure you the drink itself is delicious.” She thought she couldn’t move when he pulled out the bottle but she only realized how much easier it would have been to move before than when he started pouring the drinks. Everyone was expected to take one glass in their hands and drink to the toast. And Alex’s expressions weren’t subtle when she refused to pick one up.

“Just one last time,” She thought to herself. “One last time.”

They had five different toasts, all from the same alarmingly grinning frog-shaped plastic waste, and she drank each one of them repeating to herself those three words. She was only able to excuse herself once everyone started digging in their respective dinners. She rushed to one of the sinks while clutching to her bag. Ever since she started on the drawing, she had always kept all her supplies in her handbag. She pulled out her toothbrush and immediately started cleaning her tongue, simultaneously trying to make herself throw up. It didn't help, although she did manage to throw up, when she opened her eyes to look down, all she could see was little slimy snail-like creatures but without the shell, floating in the yellow and red fluid. She quickly opened up the sink tap and started cleaning it with the liquid soap they had on the side. She took a little bit in her palms and drank it to rinse her mouth, when she spat, two of those creatures fell from her mouth. She did it again with just water and this time more fell out. She repeated this for a while, each time hoping for a different result, so the next time she took a pump of the soap and rinsed her mouth with it, this time one came out. She rinsed her mouth with water the next time and a few spat out, so she used soap again. Now she started feeling something in her stomach, something which was moving around, shifting her organs, collecting them in a basket, so she decided to lie down on the floor and close her eyes.

She was looking up at one of those big tanks that they have in factories, then she was climbing the staircase beside it, trying to peek what was inside and once she reached on the top, she could see a thousand frogs shrieking and drowning in an orange liquid. She bent down and took a deep sip from it. As soon as she opened her eyes, she had to throw up again. This time they were alive, moving around, trying to reach back to her. As if her insides were their well, their home and her blood was the only thing that nurtured them. She stared at the bottle of the liquid soap, in the sink and back at the bottle. She finally reached for it.

Her body was found by a waitress who was sent in for check-in by one of her colleagues. There was white foam around her mouth and yellow puke in every basin. The waitress quit her job the next day.

[tswiftdaily]

TAYLOR SWIFT: 30 THINGS I LEARNED BEFORE TURNING 30

According to my birth certificate, I turn 30 this year. It's weird because part of me still feels 18 and part of me feels 283, but the actual age I currently am is 29. I've heard people say that your thirties are "the most fun!" So I'll definitely keep you posted on my findings on that when I know. But until then, I thought I'd share some lessons I've learned before reaching 30, because it's 2019 and sharing is caring.

ONE: I learned to block some of the noise. Social media can be great, but it can also inundate your brain with images of what you aren’t, how you’re failing, or who is in a cooler locale than you at any given moment. One thing I do to lessen this weird insecurity laser beam is to turn off comments. Yes, I keep comments off on my posts. That way, I’m showing my friends and fans updates on my life, but I’m training my brain to not need the validation of someone telling me I look . I’m also blocking out anyone who might feel the need to tell me to “go die in a hole ho” while I’m having my coffee at nine in the morning. I think it’s healthy for your self-esteem to need less internet praise to appease it, especially when three comments down you could unwittingly see someone telling you that you look like a weasel that got hit by a truck and stitched back together by a drunk taxidermist. An actual comment I received once.

TWO: Being sweet to everyone all the time can get you into a lot of trouble. While it may be born from having been raised to be a polite young lady, this can contribute to some of your life’s worst regrets if someone takes advantage of this trait in you. Grow a backbone, trust your gut, and know when to strike back. Be like a snake—only bite if someone steps on you.

THREE: Trying and failing and trying again and failing again is normal. It may not feel normal to me because all of my trials and failures are blown out of proportion and turned into a spectator sport by tabloid takedown culture (you had to give me one moment of bitterness, come on). BUT THAT SAID, it’s good to mess up and learn from it and take risks. It’s especially good to do this in your twenties because we are searching. That’s GOOD. We’ll always be searching but never as intensely as when our brains are still developing at such a rapid pace. No, this is not an excuse to text your ex right now. That’s not what I said. Or do it, whatever, maybe you’ll learn from it. Then you’ll probably forget what you learned and do it again.... But it’s fine; do you, you’re searching. 

FOUR: I learned to stop hating every ounce of fat on my body. I worked hard to retrain my brain that a little extra weight means curves, shinier hair, and more energy. I think a lot of us push the boundaries of dieting, but taking it too far can be really dangerous. There is no quick fix. I work on accepting my body every day.

FIVE: Banish the drama. You only have so much room in your life and so much energy to give to those in it. Be discerning. If someone in your life is hurting you, draining you, or causing you pain in a way that feels unresolvable, blocking their number isn’t cruel. It’s just a simple setting on your phone that will eliminate drama if you so choose to use it.

SIX: I’ve learned that society is constantly sending very loud messages to women that exhibiting the physical signs of aging is the worst thing that can happen to us. These messages tell women that we aren’t allowed to age. It’s an impossible standard to meet, and I’ve been loving how outspoken Jameela Jamil has been on this subject. Reading her words feels like hearing a voice of reason amongst all these loud messages out there telling women we’re supposed to defy gravity, time, and everything natural in order to achieve this bizarre goal of everlasting youth that isn’t even remotely required of men.

SEVEN: My biggest fear. After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months. There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe. My fear of violence has continued into my personal life. I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds. Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I’ve ever had online. You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things. Every day I try to remind myself of the good in the world, the love I’ve witnessed and the faith I have in humanity. We have to live bravely in order to truly feel alive, and that means not being ruled by our greatest fears.

EIGHT: I learned not to let outside opinions establish the value I place on my own life choices. For too long, the projected opinions of strangers affected how I viewed my relationships. Whether it was the general internet consensus of who would be right for me, or what they thought was “couples goals” based on a picture I posted on Instagram. That stuff isn’t real. For an approval seeker like me, it was an important lesson for me to learn to have my OWN value system of what I actually want.

NINE: I learned how to make some easy cocktails like Pimm’s cups, Aperol spritzes, Old-Fashioneds, and Mojitos because…2016.

TEN: I’ve always cooked a LOT, but I found three recipes I know I’ll be making at dinner parties for life: Ina Garten’s Real Meatballs and Spaghetti (I just use packaged bread crumbs and only ground beef for meat), Nigella Lawson’s Mughlai Chicken, and Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Fajitas with Molé Sauce. Getting a garlic crusher is a whole game changer. I also learned how to immediately calculate Celsius to Fahrenheit in my head. (Which is what I’m pretty sure the internet would call a “weird flex.”)

ELEVEN: Recently I discovered Command tape, and I definitely would have fewer holes in my walls if I’d hung things that way all along. This is not an ad. I just really love Command tape.

TWELVE: Apologizing when you have hurt someone who really matters to you takes nothing away from you. Even if it was unintentional, it’s so easy to just apologize and move on. Try not to say “I’m sorry, but...” and make excuses for yourself. Learn how to make a sincere apology, and you can avoid breaking down the trust in your friendships and relationships.

THIRTEEN: It’s my opinion that in cases of sexual assault, I believe the victim. Coming forward is an agonizing thing to go through. I know because my sexual assault trial was a demoralizing, awful experience. I believe victims because I know firsthand about the shame and stigma that comes with raising your hand and saying “This happened to me.” It’s something no one would choose for themselves. We speak up because we have to, and out of fear that it could happen to someone else if we don’t.

FOURTEEN: When tragedy strikes someone you know in a way you’ve never dealt with before, it’s okay to say that you don’t know what to say. Sometimes just saying you’re so sorry is all someone wants to hear. It’s okay to not have any helpful advice to give them; you don’t have all the answers. However, it’s not okay to disappear from their life in their darkest hour. Your support is all someone needs when they’re at their lowest point. Even if you can’t really help the situation, it’s nice for them to know that you would if you could.

FIFTEEN: Vitamins make me feel so much better! I take L-theanine, which is a natural supplement to help with stress and anxiety. I also take magnesium for muscle health and energy.

SIXTEEN: Before you jump in headfirst, maybe, I don’t know...get to know someone! All that glitters isn’t gold, and first impressions actually aren’t everything. It’s impressive when someone can charm people instantly and own the room, but what I know now to be more valuable about a person is not their charming routine upon meeting them (I call it a “solid first 15”), but the layers of a person you discover in time. Are they honest, self-aware, and slyly funny at the moments you least expect it? Do they show up for you when you need them? Do they still love you after they’ve seen you broken? Or after they’ve walked in on you having a full conversation with your cats as if they’re people? These are things a first impression could never convey. 

SEVENTEEN: After my teen years and early twenties of sleeping in my makeup and occasionally using a Sharpie as eyeliner (DO NOT DO IT), I felt like I needed to start being nicer to my skin. I now moisturize my face every night and put on body lotion after I shower, not just in the winter, but all year round, because, why can’t I be soft during all the seasons?!

EIGHTEEN: Realizing childhood scars and working on rectifying them. For example, never being popular as a kid was always an insecurity for me. Even as an adult, I still have recurring flashbacks of sitting at lunch tables alone or hiding in a bathroom stall, or trying to make a new friend and being laughed at. In my twenties I found myself surrounded by girls who wanted to be my friend. So I shouted it from the rooftops, posted pictures, and celebrated my newfound acceptance into a sisterhood, without realizing that other people might still feel the way I did when I felt so alone. It’s important to address our long-standing issues before we turn into the living embodiment of them.

NINETEEN: Playing mind games is for the chase. In a real relationship or friendship, you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t tell the other person how you feel, and what could be done to fix it. No one is a mind reader. If someone really loves you, they want you to verbalize how you feel. This is real life, not chess.

TWENTY: Learning the difference between lifelong friendships and situationships. Something about “we’re in our young twenties!” hurls people together into groups that can feel like your chosen family. And maybe they will be for the rest of your life. Or maybe they’ll just be your comrades for an important phase, but not forever. It’s sad but sometimes when you grow, you outgrow relationships. You may leave behind friendships along the way, but you’ll always keep the memories.

TWENTY-ONE: Fashion is all about playful experimentation. If you don’t look back at pictures of some of your old looks and cringe, you’re doing it wrong. See: Bleachella.

TWENTY-TWO: How to fight fair with the ones you love. Chances are you’re not trying to hurt the person you love and they aren’t trying to hurt you. If you can wind the tension of an argument down to a conversation about where the other person is coming from, there’s a greater chance you can remove the shame of losing a fight for one of you and the ego boost of the one who “won” the fight. I know a couple who, in the thick of a fight, say “Hey, same team.” Find a way to defuse the anger that can spiral out of control and make you lose sight of the good things you two have built. They don’t give out awards for winning the most fights in your relationship. They just give out divorce papers.

TWENTY-THREE: I learned that I have friends and fans in my life who don’t care if I’m #canceled. They were there in the worst times and they’re here now. The fans and their care for me, my well-being, and my music were the ones who pulled me through. The most emotional part of the Reputation Stadium Tour for me was knowing I was looking out at the faces of the people who helped me get back up. I’ll never forget the ones who stuck around.

TWENTY-FOUR: I’ve had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family. Both of my parents have had cancer, and my mom is now fighting her battle with it again. It’s taught me that there are real problems and then there’s everything else. My mom’s cancer is a real problem. I used to be so anxious about daily ups and downs. I give all of my worry, stress, and prayers to real problems now.

TWENTY-FIVE: I remember people asking me, “What are you gonna write about if you ever get happy?” There’s a common misconception that artists have to be miserable in order to make good art, that art and suffering go hand in hand. I’m really grateful to have learned this isn’t true. Finding happiness and inspiration at the same time has been really cool.

TWENTY-SIX: I make countdowns for things I’m excited about. When I’ve gone through dark, low times, I’ve always found a tiny bit of relief and hope in getting a countdown app (they’re free) and adding things I’m looking forward to. Even if they’re not big holidays or anything, it’s good to look toward the future. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed in the now, and it’s good to get some perspective that life will always go on, to better things.

TWENTY-SEVEN: I learned that disarming someone’s petty bullying can be as simple as learning to laugh. In my experience, I’ve come to see that bullies want to be feared and taken seriously. A few years ago, someone started an online hate campaign by calling me a snake on the internet. The fact that so many people jumped on board with it led me to feeling lower than I’ve ever felt in my life, but I can’t tell you how hard I had to keep from laughing every time my 63-foot inflatable cobra named Karyn appeared onstage in front of 60,000 screaming fans. It’s the Stadium Tour equivalent of responding to a troll’s hateful Instagram comment with “lol.” It would be nice if we could get an apology from people who bully us, but maybe all I’ll ever get is the satisfaction of knowing I could survive it, and thrive in spite of it.

TWENTY-EIGHT: I’m finding my voice in terms of politics. I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life. I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change. Only as someone approaching 30 did I feel informed enough to speak about it to my 114 million followers. Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric. I’m going to do more to help. We have a big race coming up next year.

TWENTY-NINE: I learned that your hair can completely change texture. From birth, I had the curliest hair and now it is STRAIGHT. It’s the straight hair I wished for every day in junior high. But just as I was coming to terms with loving my curls, they’ve left me. Please pray for their safe return.

THIRTY: My mom always tells me that when I was a little kid, she never had to punish me for misbehaving because I would punish myself even worse. I’d lock myself in my room and couldn’t forgive myself, as a five-year-old. I realized that I do the same thing now when I feel I’ve made a mistake, whether it’s self-imposed exile or silencing myself and isolating. I’ve come to a realization that I need to be able to forgive myself for making the wrong choice, trusting the wrong person, or figuratively falling on my face in front of everyone. Step into the daylight and let it go.

ELLE

[motiveandthemeans]

When Dan met Abbey

He’d met her at a random lunch meeting on the Affordable Care Act he’d been forced to attend. She was the arguably the youngest (his junior by at least five years), and the most beautiful woman in the room. Probably the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Abigail Holland, RN, MSN, CEN. Blonde hair, blue eyes, long legs, the strangest accent he’d ever heard. Not quite southern, not quite west coast Cali girl. She’d been brought in as an expert on primary care deficiencies and for some reason the Senator Feinstein insisted Dan go in her stead, despite health policy being 100% not his area of expertise or interest.

Everyone noticed her pillowy lips but Dan had noticed her smile, the way she tried not to appear intimidated, surrounded by politicians and political players alike. She was clearly out of her comfort zone as well. He didn’t miss the once over McDonough had given her, how it disgusted him a married man could be so blatantly attracted to someone else.

They’d been inadvertently sent to the background of the meeting, clearly not the key note speakers at this particular luncheon.

“Is it always like this?” She asked quietly.

He chuckled. “Yeah, pretty much. I’m usually sitting against the wall though so this is new for me too.”

She smiled, grateful for companionship. “I’m Abbey. You’re Dan Jones. You work for Senator Feinstein, don’t you?”

He gave her a quizzical look. “How did you know? Is it that obvious?”

She laughed and he felt his heart skip a beat. “No, no. I just...I saw you in her office a couple of months ago. Just in passing.”

“Really?” He couldn’t think of a scenario how he could not have noticed her. “Do you know the Senator?”

“Her granddaughter and I were college roommates. We spent many spring breaks at their house in San Fransisco.” Abbey said. “She and my father were on a couple of committees together when she was in the house.”

“You’re Dad is Dr. Benjamin Holland?” He sputtered. “The director of the NIH?”

“Yep.” She said awkwardly.

“I didn’t know he had a daughter.”

She shrugged. “Four boys ahead of me so, it’s not like it’s all that important. Also I’m a nurse, not an MD, so it’s a stain upon the family name to be sure.”

Dan smirked. “Because you’re the ones actually bedside and know what’s going on with the patient?”

She looked at him, shocked.

“My mom was a nurse.” He clarified.

Her powder blue eyes lit up when grinned. “She must be awful proud of you, making it big in D.C.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m making it big, but yes. She’s your typical Jewish mother. Anytime the Senator makes a big move, she’ll say ‘My son did so and so...’”

“Don’t be too humble now, D.C. is cut throat. People might think you have morals.” Abbey said with faux disgust on her face.

“Not a fan of politicians, are you?”

“I have a healthy enough tolerance.” She countered with a wry smirk.

Dan couldn’t help the smile Abigail brought to his face and was going to tell her so when he was interrupted by McDonough calling an end to the luncheon. He lost her through the crowd, heart sinking at the idea he’d have to find some asinine way of contacting her when he felt something slip into his hands. It was a napkin and it had Abbey’s number on it.

She grinned over her shoulder as she walked away, he smiled back.

He’d agonized over how long to wait to call her, it’d been years since he’d dated, well out of the convoluted dating scene of D.C. it was early, almost six thirty in the evening when he finally dialed her number.

“I was beginning to wonder if you’d call me.” She teased. “Hello, Dan.”

“I’d give you some bullshit excuse about being busy with work and not worrying about seeming too interested, but I get the impression lying to you wouldn’t go down so well.” He grinned. “Hey, Abby”

“Am I that easy to read?” She asked with a laugh. “What are you up to?”

“Working, to be honest.” He said dryly. “You?”

“About to leave for work, actually. They’re short tonight and it’s my turn to pull call.” She answered.

“Sorry, do you need to-“

“No, I have a while till I need to clock in. I live around the corner from GW.” She said. “Is it getting late for you?”

“No, technically I’m supposed to be off work and enjoying the weekend but well...”

“Duty calls?” She mused.

“Yeah.” He chuckled breathlessly. “Something like that. Do you work tomorrow night?”

“No. I’m off till Tuesday after tonight, thank the gods.”

“Let’s have a drink.” Dan wondered if he sounded as casual as he hoped he did.

“Alright, when and where?”

“Old Ebbits, eight o’ clock?”

“Sure.” He could hear the smile in her voice and he wonder if she could hear his too.

—

She wore black slacks that accentuated her slim waist and a black lace top he could make a tell tale sight of her bra through, such as was the style for women these days. Christ she made his mouth water.

“Dan.” She greeted, her make up was light, natural. Her blonde hair fell in waves to her back. He wore his nicest jeans and button down. Naturally, people gave them strange looks. He knew she was out of his league, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Hendricks and Tonic, please.” She said to the bartender when asked what she wanted.

“Hungry?” Dan asked.

“Nah, I already ate.” She shrugged. “You?”

“No, I actually remembered to eat today.”

Abby grinned. “It’s a rare day I get to eat lunch, too. Much to my mother’s dismay. All five children grown and out of the house and she can’t seem to kick the habit of ensuring we’re all fed.”

“My mom still sends me care packages like I’m a college freshman.” He joked.

“That’s sweet.” Abby took a sip of her drink. “What kind of nurse is she?”

“Labor and delivery.” He answered.

Abby made a face. “That was my least favorite in school. I passed out in my first delivery. And naturally the OBGYN was buddies with my father so, that was a fun congressional Christmas party.”

Dan winced. “I can only imagine.”

“You never told me what it is you do for the senator.” She said.

“I’m basically a liaison for her intelligence committee.”

“And that’s about all you can tell me, isn’t it?” She ventured.

“You do know your D.C., don’t you?”

She smiled. “So what do you do for fun? Since work is clearly a subject we must steer clear of.”

“It doesn’t bother you I can’t talk about it?” He asked.

“Why should it? Anybody who asks you to jeopardize your position is no friend, Dan. I’d hoped you know that by now.” Abby replied. “Also, we are more than our job designations. For instance, I love to bake, but I’m terrible at making cakes.”

Dan laughed. “Really? Is that a thing?”

“Hey, don’t mock till you’ve had my key lime pie. It’ll make you forget cake is even a thing.”

She grinned.

Dan sipped his whiskey. “I run five miles every morning.”

“I swim.” She replied. “I love the ocean. I was born in Hawaii and lived there till I was 12 while my Dad was in the navy.”

“Never been.”

“You should go sometime.” She joked.

“Yeah, it’s on the bucket list.” Dan smirked. “I grew up outside of Pittsburgh.”

“Steeler Nation?” She rose her brows.

“Of course.”

“My father is a die hard Steelers fan.” She said.

They carried on back and forth, laughing and lightly teasing. Regalling childhood stories of growing up with four older brothers and a single mom in Pittsburgh. Abbey wasn’t what he initially expected, she’d had a job all through public high school, bought her own car, worked during the summers in college. Her father paid for her BSN from Chapel Hill, but she went on for her masters of nursing directly after graduating. She was 27 and head charge nurse of one the most prestigious hospitals in the nation. Dan made a perfect score on his SAT and took a full ride to Elizabethtown, earning his masters from John’s Hopkins and his post doc from Harvard. He grew up Jewish, but only attended temple on high holy days and definitely did not keep kosher. His father had died in a car accident when he was three and his mom remarried a nice guy when he was in college. David owned a landscaping company and treated his mom like she was gold so Dan couldn’t complain.

“Walk me home?” She asked. “But just so you know I won’t be inviting you up for coffee. I do have my standards, Dr. Jones.”

“I expect no less, Miss Holland.”

She lived four blocks from the bar in a nice neighborhood, clearly her salary out ranged his, not that it bothered him. They laughed and joked more, especially when he made a pop culture reference she didn’t understand.

“Hey! You’ve got like five years on me!” Abbey joked defensively.

“Almost seven, actually.” He looked down into her smiling eyes when she came to a halt in front of her townhome. “Nice place.”

“My brother, Anders, owns it, he rents it to me cheap.” She shrugged. “Well, cheap for D.C. anyway. And he lets me keep Frog.”

Dan gave her an incredulous expression. “Frog?”

She grinned. “My cat.”

“You have a cat named Frog?”

“Are you gonna kiss me or what-“

Before she could finish the sentence, he swooped in and kissed her. Gently at first, then as Abby leaned into it Dan wound his arms around her deepened the kiss. She tasted like tonic and cherries and he thought he’d died and gone to heaven at how soft her lips actually were. They were both a bit breathless when they broke apart.

“What are you doing Sunday?” She asked.

“Working, though I could be persuaded otherwise.” He chided.

“Come over for dinner.” She said. “I’ll make you something, however there will not be sex for you in lieu of dessert.”

“How can a man refuse such an offer.” He laughed. “Should I bring anything?”

“Frog is kind of mean. A cat toy would not go amiss.”

“Ever think it’s because you named him Frog?” Dan joked, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

Abby rolled her eyes benignly. “Everyone says that!”

Dan kisses her gently once more. “Goodnight, Abby.”

“Good night, Dan.” She smiled, unlocking her door and disappearing from sight.

As he hailed a cab, Dan couldn’t get rid of the grin stuck on his face.