#and now I think I’ve realized I don’t like holidays at all because it means bullshit like this

[melhekhelmurkun]

Thanksgiving part 1 was just ruined by family infighting. Can’t wait for Thanksgiving part 2 with the other half of the fam to go EXACTLY the same way

[magics-neptunes-things]

Feelings (5)

Hi guys!

New chapter for this Serie, I hope you'll like it too :) Don't be shy about telling what you think about it, or asking if you want to have something special in it. I had a request from here for this one, so I hope it will be ok like this :)

Please enjoy ♥

TW : Suggestive, sex talk (?)

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4

Saying goodbye to Alessia was hard, but you didn’t have the choice. You knew since the start of all this that it would happen, but that doesn’t mean it was making things easier.

You find your apartment like you left it, your friend Sofia came several times to ventilate it and take care of your olive tree. That you renamed Olivio, with all the imagination that is yours. The only thing that changed, is that there is no Alma laying on your couch like she was used to do when you were away. You always hided your keys under your doormat for her to come, but you asked Sofia to take it away for now. You still have things belonging to Alma in here though.

You send them to her by the post before going to your first training session. Your Spanish teammates look at you with friendly compassion when your arrived and you realize that you almost forgot that you lost a finale several days before. Alessia made you forget.

You find your habits really quickly, even if Laia Codina or Jenni are not part of the team anymore. But Ona being one to replace them, you’re pretty sure that Lucy isn’t too mad. You still have to talk to her about Alessia though, you knew that she went on holidays with Ona and didn’t want to bother her. And you teased her so much about Ona that you’re sure she won’t miss to tease you back for now.

Cata Coll is one of your closest friends here and it’s with her that you appear for the first time back on Fc Barcelona Feminin’s Instagram. The training was lighter the first days, but you soon go back to the real session.

“So. You and Less?” asks Lucy one afternoon where you are at her flat after the training.

“Yes?” you answer innocently.

You were playing against each other at Fifa on Playstation, Lucy’s actually crushing you with Manchester City. You’re still trying to figure how she can be good at everything.

“How did you get together?”

“What tell you that we are together?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe because you were making out in the plane when I came back to ask if I can borrow your earphones?”

Sitting on the other couch while scrolling on her phone, Ona can’t help but snort. You don’t mind her being here while you’re talking about your love life. You like her and she’s your mate’s girlfriend. You better get along and for now it’s working great. You smile too, to be fair, even if you blush lightly.

“We didn’t put a label on it, so I don’t know if I can call her my girlfriend” you answer, frowning softly.

It was the truth, even if you both said that you won’t go for someone else. You really hope that no one will catch Alessia’s eyes at Arsenal or even London. She’s starting again in a new environment; she doesn’t know everyone for now. You trust her obviously, but that doesn’t mean that she can’t lose interest in you.

“We did that at first too” Lucy answers. “Long-distance was hard, but really worth it if you’re meant to be.”

You hum, missing the complicit smile between Ona and Lucy. You sigh when Lucy scores another goal just before the end of the game. With a disgusted air, you let the controller fall on the couch.

“I’ve never been in a long-distance relationship before. It’s strange, to be honest, not being able to take the girl you like on date or something.”

“It is” Lucy smiles, patting your knee softly. “If you need advice or only talking, you can come to me. Or Mariona, she’s dealing with it for longer that I was.”

You nod. You somehow forgot that Mariona is dating Alessia’s teammate. Maybe you can take planes together sometimes, you think with irony.

“And Alma?” Lucy asks.

“Never heard from her again. I send her the things she left in my apartment and that’s all.”

********

You took the habits to call Alessia every night. She’s usually cooking her diner and put her phone against one of her kitchen walls to be able to cook while talking to you. You can really look at her for hours doing it. You only regret not being able to stick against her while she cuts some vegetables.

“What do you like to eat?” Alessia asks you that night.

You were silently observing her, lost in your contemplation.

“Oh uh… It depends” you shrug. “I’m not really difficult, I mean I think?”

Alessia laughs softly.

“I cooked for Leah two days ago, it was entertaining” the blonde says.

You smirk, knowing exactly what it could have been. You never met anyone as picky as Leah when it comes from food. You can guess her choice when you go to restaurant with her, it’s always the simplest dish.

“Why do you ask anyway?” you ask Alessia.

She looks genuinely surprise by your question, stopping to cut her carrots to look at you better.

“Don’t you come next week to London?”

“Yes?”

“Well I want to cook for you, obviously. We chose to get delivered almost at every meal we share when we stayed at home, but I really want to cook for you.”

“Ok” you smile softy. “Only if you let me take you on a proper date.”

“Is that even a deal?” Alessia smiles at you.

You feel your heart beating faster and God, how did you survive when she smiled at you that way in front of you?

Several days later, you were leaving training in hurry. You have two hours to go to the airport after your session and you came with your suitcase to go for it straight after your shower.

“Why are you in such hurry?” Jana asks from her cubby.

“She’s going to her girlfrieeeend” Cata sings from her spot.

“Girlfriend?”

Keira’s voice came from the other side of the room, and you flinch. Right, you didn’t talk to Keira about your new relationship. For your defense, you were thinking that Leah would. You grimace to Cata, grabs your suitcase and go for the exit.

“Say Alessia I say hi” Lucy shouts before getting hit by Ona on her arm.

“Alessia?”

You giggle when you hear the surprise in Keira’s voice but don’t take the time to answer, too scared to miss your plane. You jump in the taxi waiting for you and went for the airport.

It’s only when your luggage are taking care by the company that you take your phone off of your pocket. You wanted at first to write to Alessia to let her know that you were on your way, but you have some messages from Keira too.

Keira 🥠 Alessia??? Like in Alessia Russo? You better answer me right now, Kid.

You Who’s Alessia Russo?

Keira 🥠 You little shit. Bring back some Scones.

During the two hours and twenty-one minutes of the trip, you slept. You went to bed late this week, not being able to hang up with Alessia, even if you knew that you would see her today.

You are alert when you arrive in London, by dint of traveling from this airport, you know it by heart. There is an hour of time difference with Spain, so you feel like you have only left Spain for an hour and a half. The sandwich you snacked while waiting for your suitcase will allow you to wait until you arrive at Alessia’s, who promised to cook for you tonight. You know that you have at least one hour to go to Alessia’s house, London traffic jam being awful.

You were taping on your phone for an Uber when a voice next to you make you jump out of your skin.

“Hi stranger!”

You jump, turning around only to be face with the mischievous face of your gi… Alessia. She was supposed to be at London, not at the airport. You might look stupid when you look at her with wide eyes and your mouth slightly open. It made Alessia giggles, and you feel your stomach make a jump at the sound.

“Lessi? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I have a great visitor coming to mine this weekend, so I decided to come to take her home.”

“No, I mean…”

“I know what you mean” Alessia laughs before kissing your cheek. “I changed my media hours with Kyra to be here at the right time.”

“Oh.”

You blush and let Alessia takes your suitcase. You then follow her to the parking lot, slaloming between people. You want to take Alessia’s hand in yours, but you don’t want to make her uneasy. There are a lot of people here.

You are happy to be sitting on the passenger’s seat of her car, who is definitely more comfortable than your seat on the plane. You can’t stop to look at her and just because she’s just next to you right now, you softly stroke her cheek before taking her hand in yours.

“I missed you” you mumble when she looks at you.

She is driving and you should have taken the opportunity to kiss her before you left the parking, but you maybe will have plenty of time to do it at her home.

“I missed you too” Alessia smiles.

She asks about your trip; you ask her about her day and finally the journey for her house isn’t so long. Even if there are a lot of people on the road at this time of the day.

“Leah wants to meet you during your stay” Alessia said at one time during the trip. “I told her not today because you will be tired, but maybe tomorrow morning? She can come to have a brunch or something before the game?”

“It sounds nice” you smile, not mentioning that only seeing her is enough for you.

Alessia had a game tomorrow afternoon, but it let you all tonight, all day after the game and all the next day too. You will leave on Monday morning very early to be at training in the morning. And you are determined to enjoy it the most possible.

You are happy to find Alessia’s house too, looking around you, you notice that some things as changed since you came the last time. She added some decorations. Alessia showed you during one of your FaceTime, but it’s different like this. You just have the time to look at the picture she took in Australia during the World Cup, before you feel her arms around you.

“I didn’t have my hello kiss.”

You smile, putting your hand on her arms.

“That’s a shame. It needs to be fixed.”

“It does.”

You turn around in her arms, passing both of yours around her neck. You take the time to look at her properly, her eyes, her freckles, and her smile, before leaning in to kiss her. You can’t explain how much you missed that feeling. Alessia sighs against you and you get even closer to her, melting in her embrace.

“That’s better” Alessia smiles after the kiss.

She then kisses your nose, your forehead, both of your cheeks and finish on your lips again.

“Are you tired? Do you want to take a nap while I’m cooking?”

“Like I’m going to sleep instead of being with you.” you snort.

Alessia rolls her eyes but takes you by your hand anyway. She made you sit on a stool at the central island of her kitchen with a mug of tea. You listen to her, Alessia making almost all the conversation, but it’s always like this between you. You love to hear her talking, trying to remember every little thing she says to you.

Your eyes are going sometimes on her bum, you have to admit. But if she notices, she doesn’t say anything. You proposed to help her two times, but she refused, saying that you can help tomorrow. You will.

Her lasagna is amazing.

“It’s my Nona’s recipe” Alessia smiles when you compliment her.

You made the dishes for her, ignoring her protests, and end up cuddle with her on her couch in front of some film she chooses. But you don’t even try to look at it, you are way more interested about your girlfriend than Blake Lively fighting for her life. You try hard not to bother her too much, but you can’t stop yourself from kissing her cheek, her hair or playing with her fingers.

But Alessia doesn’t seem to mind, actually she has a small smile on her face every time you look at her.

“I missed your smell” Alessia mumbles after another kiss.

You smile, because you said yourself the same things a lot of time during the time you were at Barcelona. And you promised yourself that you will take one of her hoodies when you will leave.

You stroke the skin of her neck with your nose before kissing it several times. But then she softly bites your ear, and you feel your body being swept by electric currents. The sensations are hard to ignore.

They are so hard to ignore that you found yourself with your girlfriend, both naked, some hours later, laying in her bed. Alessia is laying on her back while you are on her belly. One of her hands is playing with your hair and you are trying hard not to fall asleep already.

“Can I ask you something?” Alessia whispers “But you have to promise not to mock me.”

“Of course you can Sweetheart. I won’t make fun of you, promise.”

You turn your head on her to have a better look at her and even if the light of her bedside lamp isn’t strong, you can see that she had blush. You watch her bite her lip and fight the want to bite at it, too. You need to stay focused; you are curious about what is in her mind.

“So… As you know, you are my first girl experiment” she begins waiting for you to hum before talking again. “Well to know how to do things right, I made some research and…”

“You made research?” you ask with a smile.

But Alessia frowns, slapping you softly on your arm.

“Babe, you promised!”

“I’m not making fun of you” you swear, still smiling. “I find it cute.”

Alessia groans and you giggle softly, moving a little on her to be able to kiss her cheek. She’s hot under your lips, attesting of your girlfriend’s blush. She smiles though and clear her throat nervously before talking again.

“So, like I was saying, I made some research and I saw that there is a lot of things to use when two women are, you know, having sex?”

“Yes?” you only say, not wanting to interrupt her again.

“It made me wonder if maybe you like to use them? And if what we’re making is annoying for you. And then I thought that maybe I should buy some of them, but I didn’t know which one you like, or you want?”

She stops talking, a little out of breath. She talked quickly though and that might explain that. She seems nervous so you take her hand in yours to try to sooth her a little bit.

“Ok, first, what kind of things did you see?”

Alessia blushes violently and you can’t help but smile again.

“Alessia Russo, did you watch porn?” you laugh.

“No!” she shouts, sitting up in the bed. “I went to website selling toys, I didn’t watch adult’s movies.”

You roll your eyes, asking yourself how a girl you just have sex with can be so shy about something like that. But that’s the innocent part of Alessia talking maybe. And you love it as much as you love every other part of her. You sat too when she sat up and you take support on her knees to lean on her and kiss her.

“Ok first of all, what we are doing is absolutely perfect to me. It’s special because it’s you and I love every second of it, every time even more.”

You are close to admit how much she affects you, but it’s not exactly admitting that you are in love with her for years. You want to reassure her anyway; you had your first time with someone before and you don’t want Alessia to feel insecure. Or worst, not enough.

It seems to work because she is smiling again, and you can’t resist to the want to kiss her again.

“But if you want to try some things together, we can do it too. Or if you miss something –“

“No” she cuts you, shaking her head. “I don’t miss anything I swear.”

She’s blushing again but you feel like she’s telling you the truth. When she talks again, she’s mumbling, looking at her fingers.

“It’s just that I never felt that way before and I want you to feel as good as I am.”

You could literally melt right now. You take a big breath, drawing her attention on you again.

“Lessi, you have no idea how good you make me feel. Really.”

She seems skeptical though, looking at you attentively. That girl will be the death of you.

“But I’m not experimented like the other girls you slept with” she points, frowning. “How can it be as good as you say?”

“I told you. Because it’s you.”

She looks at you for several seconds before smiling shyly, and you are smiling back. You are touched that she had this process and how much your well-being count for her. You sometimes struggle to realize that after all those years you are Alessia Russo’s… things. You really had to talk about it at some point, but the talk you’re having tonight is maybe enough for now.

“Do you want to buy some things though?” Alessia asks. “You didn’t answer about you having anything, but I don’t really want to use something you already… Well, you know.”

“I understand” you smile softly. “We’ll look together, ok?”

Laying down on the bed again, you take her in your arms this time, kissing her softly. She seems to be relaxed now and you let yourself go against Alessia’s mattress. You love sleeping here. Everything smells Alessia.

“By the way, please don’t tell Leah what we’ve done tonight. We’re not supposed to do something physically tiring the night before games.” Alessia smirks several minutes after, making you laugh.

********

You need a little bit of conviction to get up from the bed and your girlfriend embrace the day after. You are still a bit tired and it’s only the idea of Leah coming to find you both in bed because you are late that makes you get up.

“You are late” Leah grumble when you arrive with Alessia.

“Sorry, sleepyhead here had trouble getting up” Alessia smirks.

“I’m on the Spanish schedule, it’s not my fault” you yawn.

Leah don’t have time to grumble one more time, because the waitress came soon after to give you the menu to chose what to eat. You study it with seriousness, your stomach feeling a little bit empty.

“The usual Less?” the waitress asks to Alessia.

You frown, looking at your girlfriend who nod and give her menu back. Leah passes her command after her and you have to fight the strange feeling you have to ask what you want too. Leah seems to have forget about your delay when the waitress left, but you still have that mix of jealousy and discomfort. Alessia never hide what she does during her day, and she told you several time that she went to brunch or eat breakfast with some of her teammates, but you never imagined that there will be a pretty brunette who seems to know your girlfriend’s order by heart.

“I’m talking to you, Sleepy” Leah says, kicking you under the table.

“Wow, way to hurt your opponent?” you grumble while Leah rolls her eyes. “What was it again?”

“Keira. She asks me to remember to bring her Scones.”

“Oh” you smirk softly, remembering what happened in the locker room yesterday. “She told you that she knows about Alessia and I?”

You explain to Alessia yesterday what happened, and she’s smiling too. She didn’t look sad or hurt that you kind of forgot to talk about it to Keira.

“She told me she discovered because your teammates can’t keep their mouths shut” Leah smirk.

“It was Lucy to be fair.”

Leah rolls her eyes one more time while Alessia laughs, but your smile is quickly faded when the waitress is back. She once again turns in Alessia’s direction with a big smile at first, before giving Leah’s plate then yours. You don’t like the way she looks at your girlfriend or even how she smiles at her.

Your eyebrows are still frown when you look at your plate and suddenly the bacon in it doesn’t seems as yummy as it should. Being already concerned by your changing mood, Alessia discreetly take your hand in hers while Leah is concentrated in her plate.

“What’s up?” Alessia whispers.

“Nothing” you say, forcing a smile.

But that doesn’t work. Alessia frowns, looking deeply into your eyes.

“Communication, remember?”

You sigh softly. She’s right, you promised each other to always talk to the other is something is wrong. But you don’t want to do it here.

“Later, ok?”

Alessia nods, but she doesn’t let go of your hand and relax only when you start to eat. The food is delicious to be honest and you understand why Alessia keep coming here. You don’t know what you will say to her about your feelings, you feel bad at the idea of depriving her from this menu.

When you’re finish, you went right to the stadium. You follow Leah in the parking lot and then follow Alessia who introduces you to the different places and people who punctuate her training sessions. You meet almost all of her teammates too, even if you know some of them already. Like Laia Codina, who you know because she was at Barcelona and that you are happy to see again or Beth Mead with who you play for England.

You already know Lia or Jen because of Leah and you are kind of relax around the team. When they need to get training, Alessia goes with you to the friend and family section, holding your hand.

“So, what happened during the breakfast?” Alessia asks.

You sigh softly. You have forgotten that you were supposed to talk to your girlfriend about this. You look at her and she’s already looking at you, concern in her soft baby blue eyes.

“It’s nothing, it’s just… that girl from the Café? The waitress?” Alessia nods, so you continue. “She was looking at you like you are the most beautiful thing in the world and she’s right because you are, but it makes me realize that she can see you every morning if she wants to and I can’t. And that made me miss you, which is probably stupid because you were sitting right next to me, but…”

You shrug, not knowing how to end your sentence. But Alessia nods once again, seeming to understand what you were meaning. Which is already relieving at your eyes. She squeezes your hand softly before answering.

“It’s not stupid at all, I understand the feeling. I miss to have you next to me in the morning and falling asleep against you at night. I miss you almost every second of the day. But we chose to give us a chance and we knew what it would be. I’m sure it’s worth it.”

You feel your heart fluttered once again and you look around you to be sure that no one is near you, before taking her tight in your arms. She holds you as tight as you are doing, and it help you to feel better.

“I have nothing to worry about, right?” you whisper with your chin on her shoulder.

“Nothing.”

She backs her head to have a look at you and she’s smiling softly. You trust her, of course you do. She’s like the sweetest and the gentlest human being. And then she kisses you, not long but softly.

When Alessia left you in the family and friend section, you go to look for your seat, but you are soon spotted by Amanda, Leah’s mom. She waves at you and makes sign for you to come to her, which you do because no one can refuse anything to Leah’s mum.

“Hi darling!” she says happily when you are at her level. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Oh, uh…” you mumble while she hugs you.

“Leah told me why you’re here, but don’t worry your secret is safe with me.”

She smiles at you, taping your cheek in a motherly way before making you sit next to her. You recognize next to her Leah’s nan, who you salute too. Amanda looks at your shirt, raising an eyebrow.

“Not wearing an Arsenal jersey?”

“Alexia would probably kill me if I do something like this” you laugh. “Maybe she would make an exception for Alessia’s, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

“Why that? Everyone seems to think that Less and you are good friends.”

Amanda seems to know what happened in the social media, with the video of you going to recomfort Alessia after the finale in Australia. Everyone said how much you are a good friend, choosing to make your friend’s feelings better rather than being focused on yours.

“I’ll think about it for the next time” you promise.

“Great. In the meantime, wear this.”

Without letting you the time to look at what it exactly was, Amanda put one Arsenal scarf on your shoulders. Leah’s face is print on it, and if you don’t see at least one twitt or one TikTok editing you with your friend, it would be a miracle.

[cinnajun]

ᵕ̈ ೫˚∗: zb1 and long distance relationships

a/n: this was a fun request :) just in general, i think these guys would be pretty good at it (save for a few of them), mostly bc they’re young and very online

notes: yujin is not included due to his age!

wc | 2.5k

from worst to best at handling it

jiwoong

long distance with jiwoong is just point blank difficult

like i’ve said before i feel like relationships with jiwoong are long lasting so

when you receive whatever opportunity that requires your presence overseas, you’ve been dating for at least a couple of years

your routine is set and there’s a high probability you’re living together

so it’s a major disruption in the flow of your lives

and it’s not to say that jiwoong doesn’t want you to go, nor does he want things between you two to end

it’s just hard to wrap his mind around not having you around for dinner or having to sleep alone :(

so yeah safe to say this is going to be a very difficult time in your lives

depending on how far you are, jiwoong will absolutely be visiting you and staying in whatever apartment you’ve found yourself in

if you’re close enough (aka flight less than 5 hours) he’ll visit multiple times, but anything more than that he’ll probably end up only going once

it’s hard to get time off when you’re a working adult </3

it’s the most difficult for the both of you during holidays

there are days off you had in korea that you don’t have off now, so you physically hurt knowing that jiwoong is sitting at home instead of being on your celebratory day-off dates

and it’s just hard to keep him updated on your life

you fall into a routine of when to call each other and whatnot pretty quickly though

you also write things you want to tell him down in your notes app so when you’re talking you don’t miss anything

and really the main thing that gets you through this is those little sort of habits that you learn to have along the way

but man. you cannot wait to go home

hanbin

this might be a hot take but i think hanbin would hate being in a long distance relationship

in the beginning, he’s absolutely convinced that everything will be fine and nothing will change

his mindset is “i kept my friendship with matthew up while he was in canada, so what’s stopping me from keeping up my relationship with my s/o”

and then a week passed without you and he got really depressed

i think being in a relationship with hanbin means spending a lot of time together, holding hands, and staying near him

so when you’re so far that he can’t even fly to you easily it’s just so difficult for him

but his last resort is breaking up with you

like it’s seriously his worst-case scenario

when hanbin loves someone, he loves them very, very hard

so he will do everything in his power to keep your relationship going, but relationships are a two way street

so you need to put in the work that he’s putting in, too

obviously you’re likely abroad because you’ve taken an opportunity (aka a job) so you can’t be online all the time but

call him when you’re free, tell him when you’re going to be busy, and let him know about every single little victory that you have so you can celebrate together

and, for the love of god, do NOT bring up the fact that you can tell he hates long distance

i’m so serious with this one

hanbin absolutely will not tell you that he doesn’t like it

because, if he knows you know, he’ll feel like you feel like he’s not willing to fight for your relationship (does this sentence make sense)

but just know when you get back you’ll watch him finally relax after like 50 years lol

taerae

i’m going to keep it short: taerae’s heart shatters into a million pieces when you break the news to him lol

like obviously he tells you he’s proud of you and that he couldn’t be more excited for you it’s just that he’s actively crying as he says that

with taerae i think you actually almost reject whatever offer you’ve received, but you pretty quickly realize that doing that would make him feel worse so you decide to muscle through it

the worst part of long distance with taerae is the like week before you leave

he cries a lot and then feels bad for crying but he doesn’t want you to go you know

when he drops you off at the airport you have to take hanbin with you because he’s crying too hard to drive back to his apartment

he hugs you outside the airport doors for like 5 minutes and hanbin has to be like okay … let’s go now … okay … we need to let them get on their flight …

and then you ugly cry for half the flight … like someone reports you to the flight attendant and they’re like is everything okay ?? and you’re like no i just left my boyfriend in korea

after that i think it’s not nearly as bad as you both thought it was going to be LOL

he’s a lil bit (incredibly) clingy at first and gets rly butthurt when you don’t update him on your every move, but then he cries to hao and hao is like “here are some tips!”

then he’s very sweet

taerae will send you videos of him playing the guitar or of him just screwing around with the boys

he also sends you cringy little paragraphs about how much he loves you and how proud of you he is

obviously taerae misses you but tbh it’s like you never left

the only reason he’s not higher up is the pure agony you went through for that week before

taerae the man that you are

gunwook

graduated from taerae school of how do i deal with my s/o going abroad for a bit

he acts all cool with it

when he drops you off at the airport he gives you the gunwook bear hug and is like “i’ll see you later! love you!”

then you get off the plane 10+ hours later and you have like 17 texts from gyuvin describing gunwook going through the 5 stages of grief

it’s actually kinda funny ngl because it’s like a picture of him hugging a pillow with a pint of ice cream in his hand while he watches your favorite movie and cries

also like taerae, everything is absolutely fine within like a week

gunwook’s really cheesy while you’re gone though and that’s how you tell he really misses you

he’s making playlists and posting old cute pics of u on his story with the caption “10,000 km away”

gyuvin also told you that he giggles and kicks his legs every time you text him when he’s not expecting it

he also just hangs out with your family while you’re abroad

he’ll text you like “damn y/n your mom made the most delicious dinner tonight” and you’re like ??? without me????

you later find out your mom invited him over so they could be sad and miss you together which is soooo embarrassing

gunwook will mail you random items from your room and with a note that says “why didn’t you take this” as if you didn’t meticulously pack every single thing you brought with you

so then you have to spend money to mail it back because you don’t want to have to buy another suitcase (you end up having to anyway, but you’re still glad you mailed the things back)

when you get back he cries in your arms for like an hour lol

gyuvin

gyuvin acts like it’s not a big deal but lowkey it’s the biggest deal in his life

he’s like “omg congrats do u wanna get dinner”

that night he cries in hao’s arms like a little baby and then he gets over it

he’s genuinely so happy for you, and there are no strings attached to that excitement

one of his closest friends left his home to pursue his dreams so he should let you leave to pursue them too, you know?

the only reason gyuvin isn’t higher actually is because the other three are long distance from everyone they know LOL

long distance with gyuvin is remarkably similar to just being there with him

when he’s hanging out with friends you’ll be on the phone (albeit muted) just in case you need to contribute to the conversation

and he gets really excited when you have him on the phone while you chill out with your (new) friends

assuming you’re studying abroad because gyuvin’s not old enough to have an s/o with a job that has overseas opportunity, a lot of your time is spent in your dorm so you can call him </3

gyuvin is very popular with your overseas friends and they all follow him on instagram

any time someone hits on you they let him know and also let him know that they told whoever hit on you that you’re TAKEN!!

obviously he doesn’t enjoy knowing that people are hitting on you and he can’t do anything about it but he appreciates that your friends shut it down

all in all i think this is a healthy era of your relatioship and it strengthens your trust in one another a lot

but he prefers you being there with him so come home soon pretty please <3

ricky

yeah long distance with ricky is barely an issue

like when you tell him he’s like “oh…okay” and then he’s sad for a little bit

but then he’s sending you off like nothing is wrong!!! and truly nothing is wrong

i think actually you’d be more sad than ricky is but that’s not to say he’s not going to miss you at all

of course he is

but ricky is a seasoned misser and knows how to keep up relationships from far away (even if he’s never had experience with it being a romantic relationship) so he’s mostly concerned with brainstorming the best ways to like keep things going in a way that isn’t jarring

he consults pretty much everyone he knows on what they think he should do, almost like he’s collecting data or something

so once you actually leave ricky is pretty interactive and prepared for your escapade!!!!

he texts you at specific times of day he knows you aren’t busy and you schedule daily calls at the same time once you know your every day schedule

like gyuvin i’m assuming you’re studying abroad, so your class schedule is on ricky’s home screen (it’s a picture widget) but it’s been translated into his timezone

sometimes he texts you during classes he knows you don’t like and you’re like … isn’t it 4 in the morning

he doesn’t answer that question

but to be fair you do the exact same thing so can you really talk…

like gyuvin, your overseas friends LOVE ricky

sometimes he will sponsor you doordashing dinner and by extension your friends (except you make them pay him back LOL)

and they think he’s the funniest guy ever

bonus: sometimes gyuvin will text you pictures of him scrolling through old texts </3

hao

is this at all shocking

he’s so perfect

doesn’t even bat an eye when you tell him you want to go away for this opportunity you have

“okay! how long until you leave? are they paying for your flights? do you want to start packing now? do we need to get clothes for different weather?”

once you’re off he does get a bit sad but he promises himself that by the time you’re off the plane he’ll be feeling better

he breaks the promise but you don’t know that because he acts like everything is just fine!!!

throughout the duration of your time away, communication with hao is very steady and consistent

you’re each putting in enough energy for a perfect 50/50 split <3

when you start making friends overseas, you show them hao and they’re in awe that you managed to bag the most perfect person on earth

this makes you sad, not because you’re jealous, but because hao would say they should be more surprised he managed to bag you </3

like ricky, he will also sponsor your meals from time to time!! sometimes he doordashes stuff to your place without even telling you like its that serious

hao is the champion at curing your homesickness, mostly because he figured out how to cure it for himself first

if you ever feel like things are too much and you need to leave, he will drop everything to go out there and get you feeling back up to things

he sends little presents every time you have a big achievement or an exciting event

and he’s the number one endorser of getting yourself little treats when you’re feeling proud of yourself

he’s so proud of you

and he’s so happy you got to experience something so exciting

but he can’t lie, it is a big breath of fresh air when you get back lol

matthew

tbh for the sake of this let’s pretend you went to canada bc

why can i see you moving in with matthew’s family idk

you tell him about the opportunity and he’s like My mom will host you

you end up living with his sister LOL

because of that it’s barely like you’re gone

i mean he can come visit you for an extended amount of time and he gets to see his family so its like 2 in 1

in all actuality it doesn’t matter where you go, long distance with matthew is EASY PEASY!!!

i can see him being really trusting in a relationship and that makes things so much easier than not

the first time you get invited out you ask him “hey i got invited to a party tonight, is it okay if i go” and he’s like “ya why wouldn’t it be?? why are you asking me??”

okay feminist

he makes you watch anime with him over like teleparty or something </3 but it’s cute bc his chat reactions are like adorable

#3 of the “your friends love him squad”

they all ask you how you managed to find him because he literally doesn’t care what you do as long as you’re not cheating on him (and you would never do this)

and he’s all happy go lucky every time you talk

when he visits they’re in love with him (PLATONICALLY)

they all ask about his friends in the “haha do you have a brother” way and he’s like “my friend hanbin!”

so now all of your overseas friends want to date hanbin which is awkward

he will also make you buy like presents and things for his friends’/family’s birthdays

obviously with his money but he’s like “can you go to (store) and pick up (item) and then wrap it up and give it to my mom”

it’s very silly

all in all matthew is the long distance relationship you DESERVE!!!!

thank you for reading!

[hotreadingwitch]

Regulus x Reader - Hide & Seek

Content Warnings/Kinks: teasing, praise, degradation, hair pulling, light choking, light spanking, mirror kink, cum swallowing/play, fingering, oral sex (female receiving), unprotected vaginal sex 

Hide & Seek 

Y/n Potter was hiding in the basement bathroom, swearing to herself because even though she’d initially thought the cramped spot was a good one for their game of hide and seek that the boys had insisted on playing now that it was the holidays, she knew they were too clever to not find her soon than later. About to step out of the space, she was almost hit in the face by the door opening. 

“Shit, sorry” Regulus’s clear voice apologized quickly, with a small laugh, “…I was going hide in here too” 

“I guess great minds think alike” she responded easily. 

Their gazes met and a fiery warmth fused low in her stomach as she regarded the piercing quality of his green eyes. Y/n had been crushing on Regulus since he had started living with her family last summer and though it was winter now, the feelings still remained. 

“You can hide with me if you’d like” she offered then without thinking, internally cursing herself as she looked around at the small space.

“Really?” He questioned. 

“Yep” 

She could practically hear her own gulp. Regulus stepped into the space, the closeness of his thin frame instantly making her feel overwhelmed 

“If I thought living with Sirius and James would be this annoying I wouldn’t have left Mother’s house” 

Y/n let out a small huff at his dark humour, a sound that only made Regulus smile brighter, and what a blinding, rare smile it was. Regulus didn’t seem like he was particularly joyful, in fact, his cold demeanour made most people think he was incredibly withdrawn, even mean at times. But Y/n saw him, saw the sparkle in his eyes when he was about to beat Lupin at a game of chess or when he reluctantly helped Sirius with a prank. She’d seen it all with her own two eyes and, of course, it only made her like him more. 

“Bit tight…” Regulus strained, his voice full of something Y/n couldn’t quite place. 

Her eyes snapped to his, blushing when she realized he was referring to the close quarters they were hiding in. It was true, the bathroom was tight, to say the least, and the fact that two bodies were attempting to fit inside it didn’t help. Y/n attempted to back up just as Regulus tried to move as well, letting out a small gasp as her back hit the cool porcelain of the sink and he pressed against her. 

“Sorry,” she stuttered out, placing a hand on his chest to steady herself, shocked when she felt his heartbeat thundering beneath her fingers. 

She started to move her hand away, flushing with embarrassment, but Regulus caught her fingers between his, moulding them back to his chest. 

“You feel that baby?” His voice was dripping with darkness and need, “Feel my heart beating nice and fast for you?” 

“You—you” she started, practically shocked to silence, “you like me?” 

“And you like me” he confirmed without her even confessing. 

“How did you know?” 

“Call it a lucky guess” he smirked, “and if I didn’t know then well I certainly do now” 

Her face heated at his words, realizing she’d just accidentally confirmed her crush. 

“Don’t make fun of me” 

Something changed in his expression then as if he didn’t realize he was embarrassing her at all. 

“I mean it Y/n” he tipped her chin up with his finger, “I really do like you, I’ve wanted you since the day I met you”

Her eyes widened and her gaze dragged up from his chest to his beautiful face, admitting quietly, “I want you too” 

His hesitant lips lowered to hers, groaning into her mouth as she immediately deepened the kiss. His nimble fingers caressed her neck, his touch lighter than a feather. When she thrust her neck forward, tangling her tongue with his, he grunted, squeezing his veiny hand around it, making her moan at the sensation. 

“Not so innocent after all…” Regulus chuckled darkly, “Tell me Y/n, do you like being a bad girl? Being a good little slut?” She squirmed as he lowered his lips to her ear, “I bet you think about me when you touch yourself…” 

A small whimper escaped her lips unbidden, the sound only making Regulus smirk. 

“I can give you what you want baby” he pressed closer, whispering, “I’ll make you feel so good, I promise” 

“Rather cocky aren’t we?” She tried to joke but her voice came out breathy and wrong. 

“I know my strengths” he smirked as he sunk to his knees before her. 

“Reg” her voice cracked at the sight of him below her, his hands caressing gently up and down her thighs. 

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to” he offered. 

“No—I want to Regulus, I want you…” 

“You want me to what, exactly?” 

“Reg…”

“C’mon baby, you can use your words for me”

“I want your tongue on me” her chest heated, “Merlin, I want your fingers in me” 

She gasped as the cool basement air swirled around her bare legs, a chill running all the way up to her cunt which was embarrassingly wet, as Regulus lifted her skirt. His mouth pressed kiss after kiss up her thigh until he reached the place she needed him most. 

“You’re sure?” He asked again. 

“Yes,” she breathed, nodding her head with certainty. 

Y/n cried out as Regulus removed her panties, pocketing them, before beginning his attack on her clit. He lapped at it so slowly, so sensually that she felt that she was being worshipped. Simply put, Regulus’s tongue made her feel like a goddess. She melted at his touch, crying out at the pleasure that she’d never felt before. 

“I hate to tell you to be quiet baby but I don’t think you want your brother finding you while you’re making a pretty mess all over my face” 

Y/n whimpered quietly, before promising, “I’ll be quiet” 

“Good girl”

The words sent a shot of warmth right to her clit. Regulus teased at the spot with a knowing smirk. She moaned as quietly as she could as he continued to please her. His head rocked against her cunt as she gripped him by his chestnut curls, pulling at the strands so hard that he groaned onto her, the sensation making her shiver. After a while, Regulus slipped a teasing finger into Y/n, using his long middle one to curl up into her and hit that perfect, needy spot. 

“Fuck” 

Regulus chuckled darkly, teasing, “So my pretty girl’s got a dirty mouth huh?” 

She smiled as he reconnected to her then, tasting and probing all at once. 

“Reg, yes Regulus” she cried out, biting her lip to keep her moans in. 

When he slipped a second finger in her, stretching her tight hole as much as he could, that was it for her. Her release was rising within her like a tidal wave, making her body tense around his fingers. 

“I’m close” she groaned, preparing for release when Regulus slipped his fingers out of her, removing his tongue as well, making her beg without shame, “Don’t stop! What are you doing?” 

Regulus flipped her over so that she was facing the mirror above the cool sink, making her ass jiggle with a light spank. She groaned at the loss of sensation but also at the feeling of the sharp pain. 

“Bend over for me baby” he ordered then, his voice tickling the shell of her ear, “When you cum for me, it’s gonna be on my cock…now open your mouth” 

She parted her lips, allowing Regulus to reach around and force her to taste her own cum which coated his fingers. 

“That’s it, good girls clean up their messes right baby?” 

She nodded quickly, his fingers still wetting her lips. SMACK. Another spank landed on her ass cheek, making her wince. 

“And good girls use their words” he added, his tone menacing, “Can I fuck you now baby?” 

“It’s—It’s my first time” she admitted, fear that he wouldn’t want her anymore instantly clouding her mind. 

His hands gently caressed her ass, rubbing over the red marks with unnerving gentleness. 

“I can go easy on you” his eyes flicked to hers in the reflection. 

“I don’t want you to” she bravely met his gaze with her own, “…I want it rough” 

Regulus sprung to action then, bending her over the edge of the sink, making her toes curl against the tile floor. He pressed his hard cock against her entrance, spreading her lips with the tip. He rocked against her, coating his cock in her wetness as he slipped back and forth between her legs, his tip poking at her clit each time. When he finally entered her, it was an instant mix of both pain and pleasure. 

“Reg” she moaned, not caring if the boys heard her, if anyone did, completely overwhelmed by the feeling of his cock inside her. 

He clamped a hand over her mouth, silencing her. 

“You gotta keep quiet baby, no matter how much I want to hear your pretty little moans. Can you be good for me?” 

Her eyebrows furrowed but she whimpered a small “yes” into his palm, nodding as well.

Regulus slid into surprisingly easy, her wetness making her hole completely soaked. He continued thrusting into her, the initial feeling making her back arch and her cunt become even slicker by the second. She groaned into his palm as he rutted into her. 

“That’s right, you like the way I’m stretching you, baby? Merlin I’ve wanted you for so long. Driving me fucking crazy every day, walking braless around this house in those thin tops of yours” 

“Reg” she moaned breathily. 

He gripped at her chest then, holding tightly to her breasts as his words sunk in and he pounded in and out of her. As he fucked her, one of his hands slid down from her chest, flicking at her clit. The sound that came out of her mouth then was raw and needy all at once, though it was silenced by his other hand over her mouth. 

She bucked her hips backward so that they slapped against Regulus’s powerful thrusts, creating even more pleasure for them both.

“Look at yourself baby” he ordered softly. 

Her y/e/c eyes flitted up, widening as she took in her flushed face, messy hair, and dilated pupils reflected back at her. Her tits shook from the force of his pounding, her nipples two hard peaks. Her eyebrows scrunched as the waves of pleasure threatened to overwhelm her. 

“Flawless…” he mused, meeting her gaze through the mirror, “Cum for me” 

Her release washed through her body then as if by his command. The feeling centred both inside her and on her clit, the sensations combining to provide her with the perfect release. Regulus thrust and thrust, pushing her through her orgasm as well as his. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck” she practically chanted as she came, her flushed face reflecting just how absolutely destroyed she actually was. 

He collapsed forward after, his arms caging her in from behind, placing hot kisses on her neck.

“You did so good baby” he breathed. 

“Thank you, so did you” she blushed. 

Regulus grabbed her clothes, helping her back into her skirt and pulling up his pants. It was then that they heard Sirius practically screech, 

“James!! Let’s check the basement. 

With a chuckle, Regulus rushed Y/n behind the shower curtain, staying in the front part of the bathroom himself. 

“Hide” he whispered to her with a small wink that made her sigh. 

She climbed into the bathtub and hid behind the curtain just as Sirius whipped open the door. 

“Caught you!” He grinned toothily. 

“Yep, you got me” Regulus sounded resigned yet cheeky.  

[devildomwriter]

One Little Thing, A Ring Part V | Mammon x Reader

1.2K Words | GN! Reader | CW: Slight angst

Mammon blushed as you held him in your arms. He wiped the dried tears from his cheeks and tried to straighten his hair. You both sat in silence until Mammon couldn’t bear it and lied, “nothin’s wrong.”

You glared at him and he shifted awkwardly and looked up at the hanging Christmas lights instead. You followed his gaze and came to a partially true conclusion.

“Oh, is it holiday stress?”

Mammon decided this was technically the truth and he crossed his arms and nodded still blushing. Embarrassed he’d cried in his sleep. What was there to cry about…this was everything he wanted. But was he what you wanted? He had to be right?

You could tell Mammon’s mind was swirling with anxious thoughts and hugged his side. His breath hitched in his throat and he leaned his head on yours.

“Let me know when you’re ready to talk about it…” you whispered and he nodded.

It was quiet again and as soon as you turned the lights back off Mammon blurted out the question he’d been dying to ask. “Why do you love me?”

Your eyes shot open and you stared at him in amazement. “What!?” You gasped and he flinched in shock. He hadn’t expected that big of a reaction.

“What do you mean? Don’t I always tell you, all the time?” You asked, concerned your absence with work was taking a toll on him—he was always pretty sensitive, and as hard as he tried not to, he wore his heart on his sleeve. It broke your heart to see his conflicted expression and you began to panic.

Why was he thinking these things now of all times? You hoped this wouldn’t ruin everything and bit your lip anxiously.

Mammon was quick to assure you that you’d done nothing wrong. He quickly got out of bed and started pacing the floor, trying to get rid of his excess nerves.

“Like…I mean…I ain’t rich…like I’m tryin’ but…” he sighed and finally let it all loose. “Why’d you choose me? Im happy ya did obviously but like, I’m not a prince like Diavolo, I’m not a trillionaire or whatever he is like Mephistopheles. I don’t control time, I’m not the strongest brother, I don’t summon a giant ass fish-snake-thing, I can’t charm entire crowds, I’m not a famous author or heaven’s greatest warrior. Hell, I can’t even cook, and half the time I clean things it ends up worse! Aren’t ya gonna regret it?” You gasped and he held a hand over his chest.

A tear slipped down your cheek and he froze, pale as a ghost.

“Mammon…I will never, ever regret you.”

Mammon’s heart lifted slowly as you continued. “I do not love you for money. I do not love you for power. I do not love you for fame. I don’t love you for a home-cooked meal or a journey through time.” You wrapped your arms around him and leaned into his exposed chest. “Mammon. I love you because you’re kind. You care far more than people realize. You’re both extremely adorable and incredibly handsome. You always think about how I feel first. You might steal your brothers’ things but you’re also the first to jump to their defense and put yourself in harm’s way. You are loyal to your family and your friends. I love you because you are amazing. You’re my greatest support, my strongest ally, my most cherished friend. Everyone else is family to me, cherished family…but I don’t love them like I love you.”

Mammon was sniffling and holding back his tears as he hugged you tightly.

“I-I’m sorry,” he practically wailed.

“What? Why are you sorry?” You asked, dumbfounded.

“The truth is I’m stressed…I’m stressed because,” he blushed and decided to confess what he’d found. “Cause I went snooping through your room and I found the wishlist you made…and I wanted to get ya the perfect ring but…”

Your eyes widened in shock as he groveled.

“But I’ve always been too damn nervous to ask ya what ya like best and even though I’m breaking my back for Diavolo and Barbatos, I definitely won’t have enough money to get you the perfect ring for you! I can’t even figure out what would be the perfect ring because you look good in all of them,” he blushed madly and the room was silent.

You stepped back from Mammon and turned around to head to your bed.

“Huh-Wha?” Mammon was astonished you’d just walk away and became nervous he’d said too much.

“I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t have snooped—“

You held the piece of paper to his face that he had tucked back into the envelope and hidden back underneath your bed.

“This is my wishlist?” You asked and he nodded shyly.

Again there was silence until you shook your head and began to laugh. Your laughter grew louder and you fell onto the bed, clutching your stomach.

Mammon was bright red. He’d never felt so embarrassed.

“H-Hey! What’s the big idea laughin’ at me!”

You shook your head and wiped the tears out of your eyes. “Oh, Mammon…” you giggled and reached back under the bed. You pulled out the gifts you’d wrapped for him.

“Mammon,” you said, making sure he was paying attention.

“Y-yeah?”

“That wasn’t my wishlist.”

Mammon froze, “h-huh!?” He hid his face in his hands. He couldn’t believe he really thought you were ready to tie the knot.

You grabbed Mammon’s hands and he slowly took them away to see you kneeling in front of him.

“It was my checklist,” you clarified and his eyes widened. “I was planning on waiting until Christmas Day but…”

Mammon let out a loud gasp and his hands shook as you held up a small velvet box.

“Mammon…will you make me the happiest person in all the realms and marry me?”

Mammon’s floodgates open and his lip quivered. He nodded enthusiastically and leaned into your arms. The box fell from your hand as he hugged you on the floor.

“Yes! Yes of course I will!”

You laughed excitedly and hugged him tightly. You felt his small wings flap in excitement and stayed there on the floor frozen in time.

Minutes passed and Mammon had finally calmed his heart. He sat back up and pulled you with him. He crawled to reach the box and opened it back up to see the shining golden ring inside embroidered with diamonds.

“Shit…how’d ya even afford this beauty?”

You laughed, “That’s why I’ve been working so hard lately too.”

Mammon chuckled that you’d both had the same objective this entire time and he hugged you again. “Here,” you declare, taking the box back. “Let me put it on your finger.”

Mammon nodded and his wings flapped as you slid the ring onto his finger. It was a little big but with a few words of sorcery, it fit like a dime.

Mammon grinned, blushing madly, and began laughing. He jumped to his feet and ran to the door beckoning you over, “c’mon! We’re showing everyone right now!”

“On one condition,” you grinned and he nodded, waiting to hear it. “Introduce me as your fiancé.”

He turned redder than he was before and nodded quickly as he grabbed your hand and pulled you out the door behind him.

“Hey idiots wake up! Guess what, you were so wrong!”

~Fin

Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV

[leilakisakabiri]

Haunted House (Gavi)

Summary: You’re Gavi’s hometown friend and connect after months apart. One thing leads to another and soon you’re acting a little too friendly in a haunted house. 

Warning(s): None 

A/N: Surprise it’s me! I’ve missed you guys so much. Here’s a draft I had from a while ago. I heard there was a little Gavi drought so I’m here to provide. Also working on new stuff right now. Getting to requests soon!

Word Count: 2k+

Masterlist

“Oh my god, you’ve grown so much!” You exclaimed, hugging Gavi as you got off the train.

“Shut up Y/n. You saw me last summer.”

“No seriously. Last time you were down here.” You retorted, moving your hand down near your shoulder to show how short he once was.

He let out a dry laugh, “Haha. Well, I’m still taller than you.”

“By an inch. And I’m a girl!”

“Wow I thought you were all about feminism Y/n wha-,”

You hit his shoulder in annoyance, cutting him off, “Not like that! I mean I’m on the taller side for girls, and you’re on the..” you trailed off a smile taking over your face as you saw him give you the dirtiest side-eye.

It was October in Barcelona and Autumn was in full swing. The wind wrapped around the both of you as you walked, the leaves falling encompassing the city in shades of orange and brown. The air was crisp, and the smell of hazelnut and toffee wafted through the air from various street vendors.

You finally approached your destination and you let out a squeal seeing how massive it was, “Holy shit I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger haunted house!”

You felt Gavi stiffen beside you, “Yeah it looked a lot smaller in the photos.”

You turned to look at him, eyes gleaming, “Oh c’mon tell me you’re not scared.”

“Pfft. What no way!”

You narrowed your eyes at him but let it slide. 

“Let’s go.” You said grabbing his wrist and pulling him along with you.

Once you had made it through the queue and got your tickets, the reality of the situation began to set it in.

The two of you were at Barcelona’s scariest and most famous haunted house. In years past attendees had fled the property saying they were too shocked and mentally scarred to recall what they saw. People had speculated for years that those customers had been paid off, and you believed it, now, however, standing in front of the gloomy house you were beginning to realize there could have been some truth to the story after all.

You were always a big fan of anything scary – after all Halloween was your favorite holiday for a reason. You were known in your friend group as the only one that would willingly watch horror movies, and play ‘supernatural’ games, always interested in the slightly darker things in life. However, even you, who could handle all of that, were a wee bit scared of the haunted house in front of you.

It was one thing to watch movies where you could predict what was going to happen, and yell at the main character through the screen, but to actually live through it, where someone could jump out at you around every turn was a little unnerving.

Especially since you were going with Gavi, someone who was notoriously known for avoiding those types of things at all costs. The only reason Gavi had agreed to come with you was because he had been asking you to come to Barcelona for weeks and this was the only way you would make the trip up. A compromise you could say. But now even you were wishing you took up Gavi’s offer to go to the aquarium instead.

The worker operating the front of the house called you over, pulling you from your thoughts.

“2?” He asked.

You both nodded, and he opened the door allowing you to enter.

You were greeted with a vast entry room with ceilings extending about 30 feet up and walls covered in cobwebs. The only light source was a barely there candlelight flickering in and out.

The monitor in front of you started playing. It explained the rules of the haunted house, and you felt yourself become more nervous once they started talking about the former customers they had tormented hard enough into leaving.

Suddenly the monitor cut off, leaving only the candlelight as a light source. You both watched as a new door creaked open.

You felt your palms begin to sweat.

You both stood rooted in place.

“Gavi,” You finally spoke, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m kind of scared.”

Gavi whipped his head to look at you, panic already visible in his eyes, “Wait what?! Don’t say that Y/n, I’m already scared! You said you liked haunted houses!” He exclaimed.

You pursed your lips, “I usually do, but I feel on edge.”

The candlelight flickered off, leaving the two of you in complete darkness aside from the green glow of the open door.

“Oh shit Y/n I knew this was a bad idea. Fuck, what do we-?”

He didn’t even get to finish his sentence before a man with a chainsaw and a painted clown face jumped at him, sending the boy into overdrive.

He screamed, hands scrambling to grab your body as he rushed forward into the green glow, desperate to escape the killer clown.

Gavi’s scream set you into a fit of laughter, and you let yourself be tugged by him, too weak from laughing to stop him.

“Joder I swear I just went into cardiac arrest.” He said letting go of you and catching his breath.

You contained your laughter, only a few giggles escaping, beginning to feel at ease again now that the haunted house had officially begun.

“At least the first scare out of the way! The first one is always the scariest!” You said brightly walking forward, further into the house.

You felt him mutter something behind you, probably about how you were such a good friend for caring so much about him, but you didn’t give it a second thought too engrossed in the house.

You continued walking as random creatures jumped out of broken windows and walls trying to grab you, but you were quick to sidestep them. You noticed Gavi walking extremely close behind you to the point where you were sure that if you let your foot rest for a second longer on the ground he would step on it.

You finally stopped when you could feel him breathing down your neck, the little puffs of warm air sending tingles down your spine. 

“Y/n don’t make fun of me but I’m kinda scared.”

You just stared at him.

“Ok maybe really scared. This isn’t good for me you know, I have training I can’t be getting my blood pressure up like this.” He persisted.

You groaned, “Oh my god – fine just hold my hand.” You tried to remain annoyed but you couldn’t stop the flutter in your stomach when his warm hand enveloped yours.

You stared at each other and you debated saying something before the moment was cut short by Gavi’s shrill scream, having gotten scared by an actor that jumped out of the wall.

You pulled him along with you as you entered a vortex tunnel with a faulty bridge.

“Nope. No way, I’m going to have an aneurysm.” Gavi spoke once seeing the path, trying to pull his hand away but you held on tighter.

“There’s only one way to go. Just close your eyes and give me your other hand.” You argued.

He groaned but did as he was told, “I hate you.” He muttered as you moved to grab his other hand and put both over your shoulders standing in front of him.

“Oh please you love me.” You smirked, starting to make your way through the tunnel.

He didn’t answer but you felt his grip on your hands tighten and you smiled softly.

You were almost done with the tunnel when you abruptly stopped causing Gavi to run into you.

“Why are we stopping?” He asked.

You bit your lip, not wanting to admit the truth.

“What? Is it that scary?” He questioned opening his eyes.

“I don’t see anything?”

“There’s a bird.” You whispered, eyes never leaving the small bird flying manically around the hallway, seemingly trying to find its way out after getting trapped.

“Y/n Don’t tell me you’re still afraid of birds.” Gavi shook his head smiling.

You sneered, “Of course I am. Those things are demonic.”

He rolled his eyes at your antics.

You had been terrified of birds since the day you were born, anything that could fly, peck, and chase you scared the shit out of you. And now the fact that a bird was flying around frantically, in an enclosed space, that you had to walk through- oh shit, you were going to die here because there was no way you were walking past that bird on your own free will.

“Please keep moving.” An operator’s voice sounded.

You groaned, putting your head in your hands as you decided what to do.

“Y/n we have to go.” Gavi urged, attempting to move you forward but you stood still.

“Just give me a second.”

“Here I’ll hold you, ok? That way the bird can’t get to your eyes. Only mine.” Gavi spoke.

You laughed at his weak excuse for a joke, weighing your options, “Fine but if that thing even touches me I’m shoving you into it and running.”

Gavi smiled down at you as he wrapped an arm around you, “Oh Y/n what a sweetheart you are.”

You stuck your tongue out at him before curling into him, snuggling your face into the side of his sweater, and squeezing your eyes shut so the bird couldn’t claw them out.

He wrapped both arms around you, shielding your head and shoulders from the bird.

You felt the birds squawking get closer and pulled him even closer, “I got you linda relax.”

His voice was soft in your ear, and you focused your attention on him and the beating of his heart rather than the manic bird two inches away.

Once the threat had been cleared you lifted your head in disbelief, “You’re alive! I can’t believe it, I thought for sure the bird would have had one of your eyes at least.”

He gasped at you, his arms loosening around you, as he dropped one, the other sliding to rest on your waist, “Oh please. It wasn’t even bad, poor birdie just couldn’t find the exit.”

“Yeah poor birdie.” You muttered sarcastically.

The rest of the haunted house passed uneventfully, and thankfully there were no more jump scares, saving Gavi from the cardiac arrest he claimed would be happening any day now.

Gavi’s hand stayed around your waist for the remainder of the house and while you could lie and say it was because he was still scared, you knew that the way he was holding you and the way you were leaning into him was a little too friendly to just be because of ‘nerves’.

Once you got to the outside world again you moved away from him, your eyes adjusting to the light.

“Well, thanks for coming with me Gavi.” You said, feeling grateful that your blush had faded when you were still in the dark.

“Woah this again! What’s with Gavi?” He asked you, an irritated look on his face.

Your eyebrows rose in shock, “That’s your name?” You asked confused about why he seemed annoyed.

“No I’m Pablo.” He said referring to the name that nearly no one called him anymore.

“Pretty sure the whole country knows you as Gavi estupido.” You rolled your eyes, hand coming up to hit his head playfully.

Gavi grabbed your hand, squeezing it, “Yeah but to you, I’m Pablo, ok?” His voice was sincere, and his eyes were shiny and bright.

You gave him a puzzled look, but still squeezed back, “Ok.”

You went to drop your hands, but he caught you by surprise again, holding yours firmly, “I think I like this better. My hand’s a little cold. You know it being fall and all.”

You smiled biting the inside of your cheek to not give yourself away, stay cool Y/n! 

You nodded at him, “Oh for sure. Can’t have Barca’s golden boy falling sick.”

[saltofmercury]

If you're still open to requests, König surprising reader for her/their birthday belatedly because he was on a mission? Maybe he felt sad he couldn't be with the reader on the actuao date so he tries to make it up by sneaking around the day after he comes back!

Breathing in his body wash, two huge arms cradled and roamed your body. Wet lips had devoured yours, as small moans escaped him.

Adjusting himself on the couch, pulling the cozy blanket above your waist, he continued to kiss every inch of your face and neck, as his hands tried to remember the curves of your body.

Making out on the couch before he left was one of the easier goodbyes. He had been killing himself mentally due to the fact that this particular mission could not wait…. And this mission landed on your birthday.

The problem with König in relationships was that he often offered too little towards his partners. He was barely there, he wasn’t present when he was there.

An arrangement had been made before you two had established your relationship— at least it did in his head. He would make you a priority, take this relationship and work on it...meaning he wouldn’t miss any special events.

Until he met you, he pushed aside his issues with commitment and decided to fully commit.

He had been very fortunate to only miss one Christmas, but had been so disappointed in himself the entire trip home because you had opened your gift —that was not wrapped —but still in the shipping box it came in.

Now he was missing your birthday. Of all holidays, he wished it were another Christmas or would even take New Year’s Eve, but not the day you were born.

He pulls away from the kiss for a second, to realize your shirt has been pulled up, as his sweatpants pulled down.

“… I want to take my time.” He says calmly, taking a mental picture of how crazed you look. It’s the look he loves, just before you give into him, submissively letting him have his way with you.

He pauses, feeling so guilty. You would be alone on your birthday.

He looks down, playing with the hem of your shirt.

“Hey I never got to say I’m sorry in advance, for missing your —“

“Oh my god, please don’t apologize.” You interrupt him before he could finish.

You’ve been preparing for when something like this would happen. You could see how guilty he felt when he had received a call and how quiet he got the next two days.

You figured he would be leaving again— he got the same way around Christmas over two years ago.

“Don’t worry about it honestly. I’ve got some things planned, we can always celebrate after.”

He buries himself into your neck, mumbling apologies—

“It’s just not fair”

“I’m going to make it up I promise”

“This is the last thing I wanted”

He can feel himself getting red, embarrassed that of all the jobs he could have, he was good at his. Why couldn’t he be an accountant? Or a software developer?

Why was he good at this?

“Come on…” you egg him on, scratching his back with your nails.

“I need you before you go..” you whisper softly into his ear.

Within seconds, the hardness in his pants has nudged you, bringing the darkness back into his eyes.

*

In the middle of interrogating some man, all he could think about was slitting his throat, dumping the body for the other team, and calling his mission successful. The man needed to be brought in dead or alive anyway.

He was frustrated, ready to beat the shit out of him, then realizing that he had already completed this mission anyway.

He had scheduled a birthday email two days ago to be sent to you. He had also made other arrangements to be sent to you.

Catch the man, write the report, and head home.

However the son of a bitch was making things difficult. It took everything in him to not beat the crap out of him, stalling what could be days closer to being with you.

Tapping out mentally, he had called Horangi over.

*

On the other side of the world, you had slept in. You woke up to a delivery of 3 dozen roses. He was clearly feeling so bad.

You made your morning coffee, indulged in a strawberry tart, read König’s email, and went to a free yoga class.

You came home, showered, went to your massage you booked, did some shopping, then called one of your best friends to have dinner with you.

Everything seemed fine.

Until you got home, you felt the loneliness creeping in. You had managed to distract yourself but it wasn’t the same.

He wasn’t there to wake you up with balloons he had blown up all over the room. Have him sprint from the room to the kitchen with the tart and a candle on it.

He wasn’t there to eagerly take your pajamas off and ask to taste you.

He wasn’t there to hide the piece of jewelry behind his back and then surprise you with it.

You missed his presence, the way he dressed up before taking you to a fancy restaurant and having you try new things.

It was sad. It felt awful.

But you knew this would happen one day. There was no time for a pity party. You tucked your emotions back in, showered, and got ready for bed.

You ended on a good note. He would be home soon anyway.

*

König rushed to the base to pack his things. He caught the easiest flight back, then began to plan out what he could do to make it up to you.

It had been 3 days, but the guilt had really been eating him alive. He pulled out his phone and saw that his flowers had been delivered.

Would dinner be nice? Would taking you on a trip be nice? His mind jumped from different ideas.

The day he arrived, he had arrived around 1am. You heard the gravel crunch outside. Heavy footsteps had pounded down the hallway towards the room.

You had woken up, filled with anxiety. By the time you sat up in bed, he had walked through the door.

“… hi” he whispered against your skin. He had climbed into bed with his uniform. He began to nestle himself into your neck, kissing your collarbone.

You inhaled him, he smelled of gasoline and tobacco.

“Come…” he pulled you out of bed.

You stared up at him, he grabbed your robe and you guided it onto your body.

He pulled you back towards his car. He had left it running outside.

He had already grabbed one of your blankets off the couch, settled you into the car, then pulled the blanket over you.

“Where are we —“ you began, but was cut off with him holding a finger to lips.

“What are you—“ he proceeded to do it again.

By the time you had reached the destination, the sun had peeked a little, he had given the keys to a valet.

He escorted you up the hotel, to a room at the top of the building.

“Ok weirdo, are you going to say anything?”

Turning towards you, he smiled softly. The ink around his eyes had creased, black ink in his waterline.

"I didn't like missing out, so I wanted to make we can celebrate together." He scans the key, opening the door.

The room is covered with decorations, a small breakfast tray set up near the window, showing the sun rise.

There's emotions settling inside of you, you feel like you could tear up.

He holds you, apologizing.

"I didn't mean to make you cry."

You had wiped your tears, laughing.

"I'm just happy you're home."

He cradled your face with his hand, pulling you into a deep kiss.

"I'm happy to be back with you."

[n1ghteeea]

RGB MARRIAGE HEADCANONS BECAUSE RAHHHHHH 💥💥💥

After Egon’s 40th birthday that Winston, Peter and Ray attend in 1997 (as seen in EGB) they never leave the Firehouse again. It feels so good being home together after six years apart that they just can’t bring themselves to leave. To be able to sustain this new-old life they raise the prices of the busts and work every other day, switching with EGB, because they still love their job and have the energy for it.

This goes on for a while, but in 2009 (when Egon would be 52, Peter and Winston 51, Janine and Ray 50) they quit fieldwork, fully handing it over to the new team. Egon and Ray keep working on paranormal research and mentoring EGB, while Peter and Winston find some regular jobs to cover basic needs and taxes.

Fast forward to June 2015, six years later (Egon 58, Peter and Winston 57, Ray and Janine 56) when gay marriage gets legalised. After a few months of serious thinking Egon decides to propose to the guys. They don’t *need* a legal act to affirm their relationship, but he loves them so much he feels like he wants to be tied to them in every possible way, especially after being apart for so long. He struggles through planning and seeks help from Janine who is ecstatic about his decision. She helps him set everything up while he writes a longass speech. Then, on a random day in October he asks the guys out on a date to a quiet, private spot (because they cannot announce such a thing to the public).

There would be some joking around from Peter along the lines of: “No wayyy we’re going somewhere nice, what is it today, some sort of holiday I’m not aware of?” but Egon just waves him off with: “Can’t we go out just for the fun of it?”

They arrive to the place and have a nice time, Egon being extremely fucking nervous throughout the whole thing to the point of others growing concerned and asking if he’s okay. Calculating that if he prolongs this for 15 more minutes he will (with a certainty of 65%) get a stroke he drops down to one knee, pulls out the rings and begins his speech.

The guys are stunned. They never expected something like this, especially from Egon. As he keeps talking, they start to smile, realizing what’s happening. Egon, however, avoids their faces, focusing on finishing his speech. Winston finally interrupts with: “Egon, maybe you should...” but Egon cuts him off, “I’ve been preparing this for months, let me finish.” They laugh, and after he finally asks the big question, they lift him off the ground, say a long-awaited “yes,” and feel like the happiest people alive.

They come home that night and tell everything to Janine who waited for their return and she is so happy for them she almost tears up. EGB do not get notified right away, but the next morning they notice an unusual giddiness in Egon and start suspecting that *something* is up.

Next few months are spent preparing the wedding (I have no idea how long it actually takes), but eventually the event is set to happen in late April. Gonna go over the details now.

Place: somewhere in a park, everything green and blooming, but far from the public eye.

Decorations: minimum of those, just the basic tables, altar, some pretty columns around, flowers and fairy lights. Everything in light colours.

Guests: Only trusted people who won’t freak out about four men getting married. The list goes as follows (with little stories of how they would invite them):

Janine as the best person. Literally a part of the family, would help them through the whole planning process, when told that they want her to be their best person would say “Oh you better!” but would still be extremely honoured.

Slimer as the flower boy (he’d try his best to not eat all the flowers).

EGB (who would be in their thirties by that time). Egon would write handwritten invitations and give them to the team with a heartfelt speech about how much they mean to him. Eduardo would joke, “Writing your will already?” but they’d be happily shocked when they read the invites: “No way! Finally getting married - like, 10 years overdue!”

Aunt Lois. They’d invite her over for dinner and tell her everything, she’s always suspected the guys were in love and would be overjoyed for Ray and the rest of the guys (she’s great, I love her).

Sam (Ray’s relative). That’s literally an aroace lesbian, they’d send her a letter and she would happily show up with her queerplatonic girlfriend.

Mrs Faversham (if she’d still be alive). Peter’s mom is dead and his dad fucking sucks, so he would invite this old lady he has a nice relationship with instead, and while I think she would not get the concept, she would still be happy to be there for him.

A few friendly ghosts like Buster, the party troll and Stay Puft.

The photographer guy from the “The Ghost Fight at the O.K. Corral” episode. No idea about his stance on gay marriage, but they’d pay him to take pictures and he would.

Lieutenant Frump (the police officer who has personal beef with them), they’d invite him as a joke and he’ll cry first for the comedic effect.

That nice couple from the “Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Ghost” episode. I like the idea that they invited the guys to their wedding, so it’d be nice to return the favour.

Jeremy, Cindy and DyTyllio from the “Ragnarok and Roll” episode because poly people solidarity.

Egon’s dragon (horse-sized) because that’s his son.

Suits: the guys wear suits color-coded to their jumpsuits. Janine wears a blue and red dress. Guests are asked to wear cream-colored outfits.

Legal reasoning: since polyamorous marriage is illegal in the US, they flip a coin and marry in pairs (Winston & Egon, Ray & Peter). But during the ceremony, they all share rings and kiss because, in reality, they’re all in it together 🫶

Now moving on from the wedding to their further life!

In 2020 (Egon 63, Peter & Winston 62, Ray & Janine 62) COVID hits and NYC goes on a lockdown. The guys are stuck in the Firehouse with nothing to do, bored out of their minds. That is when Egon discovers a strong ectoplasmic field around this random small town in Oklahoma with the same frequencies as Cathulhu had back in 1987 when they fought him. He shares his observations with the team and announces that he needs to go there to conduct further research. The guys agree on anything just to get out of this dead city and so the four of them have a long roadtrip to Summerville, Oklahoma (yes, just like in GB: Afterlife).

There, they rent an old farm, and Egon dives into his research while the others fix up the place: changing old boards, cleaning, replanting crops, basically doing what old people do at summer houses.

This goes on for a year or so until the lockdown regulations weaken, and as they do, suddenly people start moving into town. Egon identifies them as Cathulhu cultists and reveals that his research has proven that in this exact town, 26 years in the future, in 2047 Cathulhu will be brought back into the world. This time, the ritual will no longer need to be performed near the water. That is because when they last defeated him, Cathulhu vanished into the air, meaning he can now be summoned from anywhere in the world, as long as the proper energy is present.

Egon admits that he cannot do anything about this right now as he has no proof of the newcomers being cultists or carrying potential danger (and even if he did no one would believe him), so he announces that he’s going to stay in this town to build a contraption that would capture and destroy Cathulhu for good if he’s ever summoned again.

Since the lockdown is not as strict as before and EGB are back to work in NYC Egon suggests his friends go back, but they just say: “Do you really think we are going to leave you here?” and just like that it is settled.

As time goes on Egon works on his giant trap with Ray who also takes fun in making the entire farm automated. They grow some crops, have a garden, Winston likes working in the field with Ray, while Peter turns the first floor of their house into a Ghostbuster Museum and gives tours to visitors (kinda like Mystery Shack except without the con man part). He puts their old suits, equipments and pictures as the exhibits and tells stories about how they beat the most dangerous of ghosts. This brings profit and so does selling the stuff that they grow in the city.

Janine still lives in New York and is retired, but visits them often (or they visit home) because they just cannot be away from each other for too long. And that’s pretty much it!

This year Egon celebrates his 67’th birthday surrounded by his friends and family. He feels calm and confident about the future of the world and ghostbusting because he knows that even if something happens to him there will always be people who will pick his work up where he left it.

[bee-saucee]

Hellooo, this is the first time I've done one of these, but I've enjoyed your writing a bunch so I thought I'd give it a try. What kind of couple rituals does Shinkami take part in? For example, ones that they know know that they do, like a kiss before work. And ones that they don't realize, such as who sleeps on what side of the bed? Oh-and Happy New Year in advance 🥳💜

ShinKami Couple Rituals | Headcanons/Oneshot

summary: ShinKami ritual headcanons and a glimpse into their morning routine on a day off

word count: 917

warnings: Kissing and cursing

a/n: This is my first request on Tumblr and I am so so grateful! Your interaction has been so meaningful to me recently! I appreciate you tons. Happy New Year to you as well! It was fun thinking and writing about things I haven’t before so if anyone else has requests I would be so honored! I’ve got some headcanons and a short fic for you. There isn’t much plot but sometimes you just need some good fluff. I hope you enjoy and that I've done this right.

Headcanons

Rituals they're aware of

I think ShinKami are definitely a kiss before they leave for work type of couple! I’m big on ShinKami having schedules that don’t match up at all person but Shinsou was adamant about Denki waking him up to kiss him goodbye when they first started living together. They usually eat dinner together before Shinsou leaves for work so they always share a kiss before he goes. Just a kiss might be an understatement, fervent makeout is probably what it usually turns into before Shinsou is rushing out the door so he isn’t late for work

This is more of a tradition than a ritual but I think ShinKami is really big on holiday traditions, even for the small ones like Talk Like A Pirate Day

Because they usually aren’t together at the start and end of their days together, ShinKami is big on morning and nighttime texts

Rituals they aren't aware of

They just kind of fell into Shinsou on the left side of the bed and Kaminari on the right. Denki tends to roll over on top of Shinsou while he sleeps, though so it doesn’t mean too much

When they’re out in public, Denki tends to wrap his arm around Shinsou’s waist if they’re standing still. He knows that Shinsou can get nervous and subconsciously tries to pull him in closer and protect him

They always let one another try their drink. They love going to cafes together and trying out drinks at restaurants and to them it’s just straight up rude not to share with one another

They pick up each other’s speaking habits rapidly and use them all the time

Oneshot

Kaminari blinks his eyes open and is met with the sight of his boyfriend’s deep eye bags illuminated by his phone. His hair bends at awkward angles in a tangled mess that he knows only comes from a fitful night of sleep.

“Mm, how long have you been awake, honey bear?” Denki asks, scootching in closer to his boyfriend.

“Couple hours.”

Hitoshi places a soft kiss on Denki’s forehead and he closes his eyes. He can feel the warmth of Hitoshi just a little bit better now. The rise and fall of his chest feels more prominent. The soft rustle of breath falling from his nose and drawing back in is loud in the quiet of a rare day off together.

“We should shower,” Denki mumbles.

“Uhuh.”

A beat passes as neither of them moves. Fuck he loves his boyfriend. Hitoshi pulls Denki up so he’s resting right on top of him chest to chest. Did he mention how much he loves his boyfriend?

“You have sleep in your eyes,” Hitoshi says.

“I slept good, dude. Makes sense. Sorry–I know you didn’t sleep well.”

“I never sleep well. It’s okay.”

Denki keeps his eyes closed and Hitoshi softly brushes the sleep from the corners of his eyes. He’d probably get an eye infection or break out from it someday but Hitoshi craved these moments of affection they probably shouldn’t have after a long week of work and Denki was more than happy to oblige. He finally cracks his eyes open and is met with that adorable smile that’s new enough for Hitoshi to not have smile lines. Cementing those lines on Hitoshi’s face was currently the closest thing Denki has to a life mission.

“Hey, you little cutie patootie. You come here often?” Denki says with an exaggerated wink.

“Plenty.”

“I’m going to the mall today with Mina and Kiri. You wanna come? No pressure.”

Hitoshi pulls him in for a quick peck. He really wanted to slob his boyfriend down bad and nasty but now with morning breath was probably not the best time.

“Nah. I wanted to get some reading done today.”

The rejection still stings a bit but with time, he’s getting used to taking that hit for Hitoshi. The strong confirmation that Hitoshi missed him and loves him the moment he gets back from time out more than makes up for it.

“No problem my little love muffin,” Denki says, punctuating it with another peck. “Alright!” He slaps Hitoshi’s bare chest. “It’s shower time for real!”

They begin their usual dance around Hitoshi’s small apartment. Switch between brushing teeth and a morning piss. Convene with a long chat about their day or whatever book Hitoshi has been reading as they shower together. Denki lingers to finish his 12 step skincare routine while Hitoshi shuffles to the kitchen to make his first cup of coffee and start the day off special: mini sausage cut into octopi, fried egg, toast, salad, and apple juice.

Denki bites off one of the tentacles. “Yo, Toshi Woshi.” He taps his feet against Hitoshi’s shins under the table

“Mhm?”

“I like mornings with you.”

Hitoshi turns to fully face him and that smile gets just a little bit closer to developing lines. “Me too, baby.”

“I GOT A HITOSTINO PET NAME,” Denki shouts, almost dropping his mini sausage.

“Don’t do the octopus like that.”

“It’s a necessary sacrifice to show my ass clenching enthusiasm to my lover.”

Hitoshi scrunches up his face. “That makes me sound like some torrid affair.”

“You’re right. My first love is this fried egg. Then L from Death Note. Then you.”

“That’s fair. I’ll take it. At least the affair is torrid.”

“I would never have some vanilla affair with you my sweet pea pod.”

“Damn straight.”

Denki gasps. “We’re gay, Toshi!”

“My bad, my bad. Damn gay.”

Thanks for reading! Check out my masterlist for more.

[sl-newsie]

A Normal Christmas (Riff Lorton x OC) *Christmas Special* 🎄

Summary: Riff has never had a ‘normal’ Christmastime, so his girlfriend takes him around to finally get a Christmas tree.

“Wait. What?” I ask in a deadpan tone.

“You hoid me,” Riff replies from the couch. “Never had a tree.”

I blink, my jaw still dragging on the floor. It’s currently December 23, and every time I’ve visited Riff this month I keep waiting for him to get a tree for his apartment. And there’s still no tree! I got so anxious I finally just flat-out asked him why he hadn’t got one yet, only to find out he had no clue why he needed a Christmas tree.

“How are you so calm about this? How have you never had a tree?” I ask with wide eyes.

Riff lets out a deep sigh and shuffles over to the kitchen. “I donno. It’s just…” He scratches his head. “My family’s never really done Christmas.”

I scrunch my nose. “Never done Christmas? How does that even happen-? Oh.” My face falls and realization washes over me. 

Riff chuckles. “Grow’n up with little spare change can’t really buy Christmas. After my dad died I just sorta forgot about it. I know it’s supposed to be all grand and exciting, but to me Christmas is just like any odda holiday.”

“Oh my God. Riff, I’m so sorry.” I walk over and take his hand. “I’m sorry Christmas isn’t as special for you. It’s a time-a year that’s supposed to be with family and friends, good food and decorations…” An idea pops into my head and I start dragging him to the door.

“Wait- Wha-? Holly, whaddya doing?” Riff tries to ask.

“All this mope’n around stops now.” I open the door and grab my coat. “Tonight I’m gonna take you to get a Christmas tree.”

The handsome Jet chuckles and tries to wave it off. “That’s real sweet-a ya, Holy. But you don’t gotta-”

“Yes I do!” I stop to face him when we reach the stairwell. “Riff, you’ve never had a real Christmas your whole life. I wanna make it up to you because I luv you. Please?”

Riff goes to argue, but when he sees my pleading eyes he shuts his mouth and rethinks. Instead of answering, Riff wraps me into a tight hug.

“Gee, doll. I donno how to thank you.”

I smile. “You can thank me by helping me carry the tree home. Now let’s go!”

The nearest tree lot is only a few blocks away, and as soon as we enter the gate Riff is already confused.

“So they chop the trees down, drive them here and just… leave them out?”

I nod as I look over a nice and sturdy spruce. “Yeah. Since folks in the city don’t got nearby woods, it’s easier to bring them here. Whaddya think-a this one?”

Riff takes a good look at the pinetree I’m presenting that’s almost as tall as me. “Is it supposed to be small?”

My smile falters by a fraction. “Well… not really. But the bigger the tree the bigger the price. I can only afford a table topper tree.”

The Jet scrunches his face. “A table topper tree? What the heck does that mean?”

“It’s a tree that rich folks put on their dining tables for decoration.”

Riff’s jaw drops. “You mean that whole tree goes on a flip’n table? Jeez, this tradition is weird.”

“Do you mind the small one?” I ask in an uneasy tone.

“I think it’s poifect, Holly.” Riff gets a grateful smile on his face. “Now let me hold up my end-a the bargain and carry it home.”

“Let’s hurry!” I start to shiver. “I hoid there’s supposed to be snow tonight.”

Back at Riff’s apartment we find a spot for the tree by the window. Since it’s small we only have to use cinder blocks to keep in place. Once we’ve finished, Riff gets an odd look.

“Looks good, right?”

I smirk and start pull’n out the box I brought from home. “We ain’t done yet, Lorton. We gotta decorate it.”

“With wha-? Oh my God. How much did you bring?”

I let out a carefree laugh as I set out strings of popcorn, a few cheap ornaments, some tinsel, and an old angel.

“A few things from home. I made the angel when I was a kid. And-” I skip over and hand the angel to Riff. “You get to put it on the top!”

Riff gently takes the angel as if I’d just given him a hundred dollars.

“Holly, this… this is the greatest gift ever. Thank you!”

I let out a laugh. “Riff, I’ll admit your gratefulness and enthusiasm is appreciated, but it’s just an angel.”

He gawks at me and sets the angel down, then cups my face in his hands.

“Holly, this ain’t just an angel. It’s you give’n me a real Christmas that’s so special. I don’t even know what gift to get you to say thank-you.”

I wrap my arms around his head and press a kiss on his cheek. “You already did, Riff. You gave up rumbles, you made peace with the Jets. Just the assurance of know’n you’ll come home in one piece is a gift in itself.”

We each lean in to hug, a few seconds go by, and Riff stays silent. After a while I feel him starting to shake and move away to see tears streaming down his worn face.

“I- You- This… I donno what to say, Holly.” He looks to me as a lost sheep who found its shepherd. 

I use my thumb to wipe away his tears. “A simple Merry Christmas is plenty enough. Just remember to be the grateful man I know you are, especially around this holy season.”

Riff chokes down more tears and whispers: “Merry Christmas, Holly. I luv you.”

“I know. I luv you too, Jet boy. Now let’s finish decorating this tree before you eat all the popcorn!” I hold up a finger before Riff can argue. “Don’t think I can’t see you snacking on it behind my back! It ain’t for eating, it’s for decoration.”

Riff rolls his eyes. “Alright, alright. Do I still get to eat the cookies you brought over?”

My grin widens. “Yes! I’ll go get them, be right back!” I dash into the kitchen and retrieve a red tin from the counter, then turn around to find that Riff has followed behind me and is waiting with a puppy-eyed expression.

“Can I have a cookie, please?”

The scene almost makes me burst out laugh’n. “The once vicious, fearless Jet leader is begging me for a cookie? Wow, times have changed!”

Riff shows mock offense and tackles me in a hug. “They’re your Christmas cookies, and the best ones I’s ever tasted. Now will ya let me have one or will I have to use other methods to get one?” He starts tickl’n my sides and I go into spasms of laughter.

“Riff Lorton- stop- Stop it! Here here- take it!” I cackle as I shove over the cookie tin. Riff removes the lid and his eyes light up at the sight-a the bright-frosted cookies. “There. Happy now-? Oh!” Before I finish, Riff shoves a cookie into my mouth and then takes one for himself.

“Oh my God,” he mumbles as his eyes roll back in pleasure. “This is without a doubt the best thing you’s ever baked, Holly.”

After I’ve chewed and swallowed my cookie I give his hand a squeeze. “Thank you, Riff. Now that you’s had your sugar high can we finish decorating?”

Instead of answering, Riff sweeps me up and carries me back to the tree. “‘Course we can, doll. Just curious- whadda we do once it’s decorated?”

“You put gifts under it and open them on Christmas morning,” I explain as I resume hanging ornaments.

“Oh. Alright.” I feel Riff come up behind me and outta nowhere he rolls me beneath the branches. “There! You’re my gift, Holly!”

I blink. His pun is sweet, but the thought-a be’n Riff’s Christmas gift is even sweeter. 

“You’re my gift too, Riff.” I take his hand and bring him closer to join me under the beautiful but humble tree. “Merry Christmas, Jet boy.”

Riff pecks my lips and gives me a genuine smile. “Merry Christmas, darling.”

[wordy-little-witch]

Edge of Midnight incorrect quotes

Farryn: What’s it like being so tall?

Jericho: Is it nice?

Marius: Can you reach comfortably for the cupboards?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Yorgrim: We live in constant fear of the short ones who, in my experience, will climb four chairs, two boxes, a small coffee table, and six oddly placed stools to get what they want.

Briggsy: Boil up some Mountain Dew. It’s gonna be a long night.

Briggsy: *slams books down in front of Lethica*

Lethica: You could of said literally anything else.

Briggsy: Cauldron boil and cauldron bubble, Baja Blast to fuel my trouble.

Lethica: I’m going to just stop challenging you when you say random shit. I won’t win. I realize this now.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: You look good in that hoodie.

Jericho: You know where else I'd look good?

Briggsy, zero hesitation: Mari's bed.

Jericho, at the same time: In a hug- wait, what?

Marius:

Briggsy: did I stutter

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: I’m really glad “fight me” has replaced “sue me” in the common vernacular because I don’t have money, but I do have fists and I am always angry.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Lethica: What do rainbows mean to you?

Farryn: Gay rights.

Briggsy: There's money.

Marius: The sign of God's promise to never destroy the whole Earth with a flood.

Yorgrim: It is an optical phenomenon that separates sunlight into its continuous spectrum when the sun shines on raindrops.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: What do I get?

Jericho: A night of fashion, mischief, mayhem, and possible death.

Farryn: Ooh, check, check, and check; not sure about that last one.

Jericho: It won't be you.

Farryn: I'll get my coat.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: How is spring not everyone’s favorite season? The trees are PINK, guys!

Farryn: Allergies are also a problem, y'know.

Jericho: But pink.

Lethica: And it's hot.

Jericho: PINK!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: The only thing I'm guilty of is being adorable... ...and also assault with a deadly weapon.

Virgil: CAW >:}

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: What do you all intend on majoring in?

Yorgrim: Respecting the dead

Farryn: Minecraft.

Marius: Criminal justice and psychology.

Briggsy: I'm terrified that I’ll lock myself into an interest that I’ll no longer be passionate about in a few years like all the other areas of study I’ve pursued over my life!

Lethica: Minecraft as well.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: Get in, loser, we’re committing vehicular manslaughter!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: Here comes the lightning!

Briggsy, whispering: You've got to imagine it coming out my fingertips, wherein I am an almighty wizard.

Jericho: Ok, currently imagining that. Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: I'm going the fight the next person who insults Jericho.

Jericho: I don't rightly think I like myself all that much.

Farryn: Alright, square up.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Yorgrim: Plants are basically the ideal friends. They are quiet, friendly, and easy to please. All they need is a little water and fresh earth, and they are perfectly happy to lie there all day in the sun. And they don’t make increasingly awful life choices, or hide their relationships. They have never, as far as I know, fucked a bee.

The rest of the party:

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: Physically, yes, I could fight a bird, but emotionally? Imagine the toll!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Virgil, the bird in question: >:}

Jericho, trying to flirt with Marius: So, I heard you like bad girls… I time travel in Animal Crossing.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marius: Valentine’s day is just a consumerist holiday that holds no real value other than drive people insane buying heart shaped chocolates for their significant others and pos-

Jericho: I wrote you a poem.

Marius, already crying: You did?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Yorgrim: You made enough pasta that you could take it to lunch tomorrow. Put it in a container.

Farryn: Shovel the pasta into your face. Do it. Put it in your face. The future is meaningless but the pasta is now.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

*when the party drops food*

Marius: Eh, oh well.

Yorgrim: FIVE-SECOND RULE!

Lethica: FUCK!

Briggsy: *just gets more food*

Jericho: *drops to their knees and mourns the food*

Farryn: *eats the food off the ground*

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: I am going to need you to swear-

Briggsy: Fuck.

Jericho:

Jericho: ...swear as in promise.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: Ow!

Jericho: What’s wrong?

Farryn: I have this weird pain right above my eyebrow.

Jericho: It’s called a stress headache. I got my first one when I was four.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: Is there anyone here who’s actually straight?

Briggsy: *raises hand*

Yorgrim: *puts their hand down*

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Lethica: What scares you guys the most?

Farryn: Werewolves!

Marius: Sharks.

Jericho: The unstoppable marching of time that is slowly guiding us all towards an inevitable death.

Everyone:

Jericho: also locusts - them critters are horrible for crops, lemme tell ya-

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marius: Can you be serious for five minutes?

Jericho: My record is four, but I think I can do it.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

*The gang responding to being stabbed by a sword*

Briggsy: Rude.

Lethica: That's fair.

Farryn: Not again.

Jericho: Are you gonna want this back or can I keep it?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Yorgrim: You use humor to deflect your trauma.

Jericho: Awww, thanks-

Yorgrim: That’s not a good thing.

Jericho: All I’m hearing is that you think I’m funny.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marius: What's wrong with you?

Briggsy: Off the top of my head, I'd say low self-esteem, a lack of paternal affection, and a genetic predisposition for anxiety and depression.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: If a demon possessed me, I’d just be like, “Okay, take it from here, good luck man.”

Virgil:

The party:

Jericho: see, it's funny, on account of it being real

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Farryn: You're a lying piece of shit!

Marius: Oh yeah? You're the idiot that thinks you can get away with everything you do, WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!

Lethica: I'm leaving and I'm taking Jericho with me!

Yorgrim, gathering cards: Aaaaand that's enough Monopoly for today.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jericho: Due to some personal reasons, I will be fucking sinking to the bottom of the ocean in a large metal box.

Yorgrim: Did Marius say 'I love you' and you said 'Thanks'?

Jericho: THE REASONS ARE MIGHTY PERSONAL–

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Briggsy: Which country has the most birds?

Briggsy: Portu-geese!

Lethica: That's a language.

Briggsy: Portu-gull?

Lethica: Good recovery.

Farryn: I think you mean good re-dovery.

Jericho: TURKEY. HOW DID WE MISS TURKEY?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marius: Look, I know you think my judgement's clouded because I like Jericho a little bit.

Farryn, holding Marius's notepad: You doodled your wedding invitation.

Marius: No, that's our joint tombstone.

Farryn: My mistake.

[katieaki]

My ✨ post-apocalyptic Lesbian Cowgirl Mailman choose-your-own adventure✨ has just updated! Read it here for free on my Patreon and vote in the poll! There is a summary of the first part, here, the second part, here, and the third part, here. They have everything you need to know about Lou, her requited-but-complicated love, the religious assassin who just beat the tar out of her, the worst person she's ever met, and the ill-advised journey she is on! There is also now a discord where Pony Express readers from all across god's green internet can gather, here! The Girls are working through revelations from the most recent update and this shit is real! They really did meet each other before. It's a small post-apocalypse, but is it that small? Or is this the work of the gods? But why would the gods, who have so much else to worry about, give two shits about a five-foot-nothing, loser lesbian cowgirl mailman?

Read the update for free on my patreon & vote on what happens next! Excerpt below the cut.

“I’ve prayed before,” Lou said. She prayed all the time. Well, maybe not all the time. But on holidays and sometimes she went to a shrine for deliveries, usually under the encouragement of a shrineward that she felt too awkward to turn down. “You obviously pray all the time. You work for Their Honor. Your mama and daddy are both church people. And look where you are now. How long do you have left? Some good it’s done you.”

Artie’s eyes darted back to Holliday and Lou realized that she hadn’t just missed all the crush conversation, but also the conversation about Artie being put to death. Luckily, she didn’t seem to notice as she was shifting back and forth experimentally in her saddle.

“It’s done me a lot of good, actually,” Artie said. Her voice sounded thick and she swallowed before continuing. “If I drop down dead from the saddle right this second, prayer still made the twentyish years I’ve had between escaping and right now years that were worth living. Because the gods care about me, like they care about you, like they care about Holliday.”

“Venus prays for me, anyway,” Lou said. Venus told her all the time that she was praying for her starting very early on in their acquaintance. 

“And Venus knows your heart completely? Every dark corner? Every fear? Every desire?” Artie asked. She seemed lit from within, not with a soft, pleasant glow, but a wildfire. For the first time in a while, Lou remembered that she frightened her. “Lou, if you don’t pray, you probably don’t even know your every desire. Prayer is revelatory. It reveals things.”

“Oh, good,” Lou said. “Just what I need: more desires I can’t achieve. I’m always thinking that what I really need, what’d really do me, is to have more wants.”

“Just because you don’t know they’re there doesn’t mean they’re not hurting you,” Artie said. “If you can see them, if you talk to the gods about them, then together, you can handle them.”

“I can’t understand why I’m being preached to right now,” Lou said. Her head ached.

“‘Cuz, unfortunately for you, you’re traveling with a fucking disciple,” Artie said.

[erospandemos]

Impromptu Sleepover

Happy Valentine, my friends. For the little of you who already have a special someone, show them how much you love them! For the brave ones who have yet to make a confession, do it! Be prepared for rejection but don’t fear it: you miss all the shots you don’t take.

As for all the others who are lonely in the pink and red holiday, we’re in this together: here’s a little story to cheer you up. I hope you’ll enjoy.

Signed,  Eros

-

Three hours and sixteen minutes. 

That’s how long you’ve been stealing glances back and forth between two lovers and your dream girl, in this small apartment that smells faintly like cherry and cookies and Hayoung’s soft, delicious scent. And that’s how long you two have been silent. Wholeheartedly silent.

You were sitting beside your best friend as you watched her softly lit face by the movie playing in the background. A cinema wasn’t necessary when you already had the best seat, shoulder-to-shoulder with Hayoung. If you were looking at her every ten minutes, Hayoung was every eight, casually meeting your eyes at times and turning around to the screen like it was just by chance, flustered.

You did this a lot of times before but why was your heart beating so fast? You were sure she didn’t notice how your cheeks flushed whenever her hands brushed against yours, whenever your shoulders touched, whenever your legs met, and whenever her star eyes lit up your dark pupils. 

Actually, maybe she noticed—you swear you saw her grin when you jolted up from embarrassment at her face being too close to yours. 

“I need to get some water,” you said and run to the kitchen. 

Hayoung lets herself fall on the warm spot you left on the couch and kept following the movie.

You bet she isn’t even thinking about it. 

You bet she doesn’t care. 

You bet you were the only one in distress, nervously fiddling with your fingers, sulking to the vintage notes of  “The Portrait” while she’s excitedly rooting for the two lovebirds to kiss, completely entranced. 

What do girls even think about all the time? 

What does she think about? 

Food? Puppies? Songs?

Does Hayoung even fall in love? Or was it just the guy falling for her? 

She might not have realized it, but maybe some other boy quietly took a liking to her and maybe, in the smallest chance, microscopic probability, unlikeliest percentage, she also—sort of—maybe liked him?

You shiver, wondering who that might have been. Wondering whether the crush she might not even have would be extraordinarily lucky or—

“It’s so good, isn't it?”

You turn so fast, you feel a muscle pull. “What?”

“I can't believe you've never watched this movie before,” she says.

“Oh, the movie you mean.” 

You massage your neck. She stares at you with glittering eyes.

“It's such a classic, I just... Well, I'm glad you decided to watch it with me, even though, you know, you didn't have much of a choice. It's all good, at least you can say that you've watched it now and people won't laugh at you.”

“Hey.” 

“I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding.” 

You think she’s biting the inside of her cheek to avoid bursting out laughing. 

“I don't think I've had a Saturday night as lovely as this in so long. I know we went out last weekend but that was different, you know.”

“The aquarium was really fascinating,” you nod. “The dolphin show was really cool.”

“Yeah, I had so much fun. I did have a great time but it wasn't lovely, you know.”

“It’s because you had to leave your home right?” You shake your head in disappointment. “And now because you’re hibernated in your house, you’re having so much more fun.”

“Yes, I don't like going out much. Yes, I'd much rather stay inside and watch movies.”

“That makes you sob.”

“Yeah, movies that make me cry. The ones that make you feel like they're the best ones.”

You snort. “Just because it’s a little sad?”

“I just think Titanic has got such a bad reputation and it's gone down as like a cheesy love story but when you actually sit down and watch it, I mean, how can you not become invested in their story? Yeah, it's so sweet and it's based on a historical story.” You think about the situation you’re in. It’s not a date. But if it were—which it isn’t—it would be the best date of your life.

Of course, it wasn’t. But. If it were. Even when, you must admit, it almost feels like one. You had to remind yourself you were just hanging out… as friends.

“It was interesting,” you say as if you remembered even a single moment from the movie.

“Yeah, no it is, it's super interesting. And like they had an actual team that had to go and do all the diving too, you know, get all the shipwreck footage and all that kind of stuff.” Hayoung puckers her lips. “Oh yeah, and did you know that Rose was based on a real passenger from the Titanic?”

“What a geek.”

“How can you say that that's geeky? It's like general knowledge I'm sure it is. Oh my gosh, you're just being salty because you lost the bet that you wouldn’t enjoy it.” Hayoung puffs her cheeks and furrows her eyebrows in such a way that reminds you of a little bear. You don’t have the force to disagree with her.

“You are? Oh, you're such a geek.” She rolls her eyes.

“It's so nice and warm. I can hear the radiators coming on again. It's gonna be like boiling in here. Let me just stretch my legs.” Hayoung strokes her feet to collect some heat and pushes her legs onto the blankets sitting on your lap, not caring if you’d take offense at her pink rabbit-covered socks. 

“Get off me.”

Hayoung whines. “Come on, we've been in the same position for like, I don't even know how long or what time is it?”

You look at the clock on the wall. “It’s 2 am.”

“It's not 2 am.” She noticed the clock. “It is. How did it get so late?”

“Maybe because the movie was so damn long.”

“Oh yeah, I guess it was a three-hour movie.” 

“I should go home now,” you say. She stretches and her legs take more of your space but both of you then noticed the noise from outside. You look out the window and see the whole sky coming down in a thunderstorm. You thought Zeus was playing with you, after you had to suffer and try not to go insane for three hours. It was far from a blessing.

“Wow, oh my gosh, look at the rain,” Hayoung said, standing up. “Wow, that is so heavy.”

“No big deal, I can walk home.” 

“Oh, there's no way I can let you walk home in this.”

“It’s fine.” 

“No, no way.”

“It won’t kill me.” 

“No, just stay. Please. Please, just stay. Please, are you gonna make me beg you?” Hayoung whines in an adorable way. “Please don't make me beg. Oh, do you know what, I'm not even gonna ask you anymore? I'm just gonna block the door if you try to leave.” And then she got mad, pinching her eyes like how red pandas furrow their fur.

“Oh, you think you could?”

“I could take you on. I could. I'm so much stronger than I look, thank you very much.”

“Even though you’re this small?” 

“Yes, even though I'm that short,” she says. “I can't say that forever, you know. But for real, you are staying and that is that. Don't even try and argue with me, I am being completely serious right now. I am not letting you walk home in the rain, in the cold, really late at night. I'm not doing it.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Of course I'm sure, don't be silly. What kind of friend would I be if I let you walk out in that rain? If you go out, you are going to catch a cold.”

Suddenly her eyes spark again and she speaks furiously without catching a single breath. “Oh my gosh, you know what this is gonna be. I think this is gonna be like a sleepover. Yeah, a sleepover? Wow, I haven't had one of these since I was like maybe eight, or nine? I can't even remember what you do at a sleepover.”

“Well, we can either watch another movie, but I’m tired, or just talk there.”

“Okay right I'm gonna go put my jammers on and I'll grab you some extra blankets as well.” Hayoung jumped out off the couch in excitement, buzzing and jumping around like a little kid. “Okay. This is so crazy I can't believe you are actually stopping over.”

“We get to talk about the sleep things that you do at sleepovers. I can't remember but, um, what do you think? Oh, truth dare. Or we could talk about gossip. I'm not really a gossip person but we could gossip about school.”

“Nothing happens in my college. It’s just a bunch of nerds like me studying and… studying.”

“Oh, well you’ll find something or I’ll just talk the whole time.” Hayoung looked around to think and hummed. “Would that even work? Oh yeah, that would be a no.”

Your friend signaled you to come to her and you walked to her bedroom. It was just like how you expected it to be—very feminine, with plushies and small decorations. There was also pretty stationary, the kind girls use, on the desk together with all her notebooks. “

Okay. Here's your blanket,” she says, throwing it to your face. “And you can have this pillow. It's the comfiest one that I've got. I'm sure you can have it of course. You are my guest.” 

“So I sleep on the couch…?” 

“Oh well, I thought you could just sleep here if you wanted to. Well, it's really chilly downstairs so like you're free on the sofa if you sleep there and there's no way I'm gonna let you sleep on the floor,” Hayoung says not paying much attention to you because she was busy taking everything out of her closet. Things that she didn’t see for the past three years and things that sat there since she bought them. She turned around, “Well would you let me sleep on the floor if you had a sleepover at yours?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh god.” Hayoung pouted. “You are just so mean to me.” Then she flopped on the bed, patting the place beside her. “Just get in here silly. Well, this is the bed that I've been bragging about.”

“Wow, it’s soft,” you say, sitting on the bed and bouncing a few times to test the firmness of the mattress. The way you two looked next to each other was almost comical. Your friend was there in a cute pajamas while you had black jeans and an old uni hoodie.

“Yeah? Oh, it's just so comfy. So comfy. It is warm. You're gonna warm up so quickly I promise. Yeah especially with all these extra blankets and pillows as well. Body heat. Do you need any extra pillows or are you sure you don't want some socks?”

“No, I’m good.” 

“Okay. Okay. I'm just gonna get comfy then. Hmm, that's so good.” Hayoung lays with her chin on the pillow, it was a big fat one, and she looked like a cat rolling on a ball. When she closed her eyes and relaxed, her face naturally came down to look like gudetama. She was calm and looking at her calmed you. 

“Is that how you sleep?” you ask. “Won’t you get back pain?”

“Yes, I really sleep like this. You don't snore too loud do you?”

“No, I don’t,” you hum. Hayoung seemed a little slow. Her energy was starting to leave her body.

“I'm so sleepy. Tell me something.”

“I’m really happy I can spend time with you.”

Hayoung giggles with happiness. “I'm really glad I get to spend some more time with you too. Even though we're going to be asleep for most of it. But you know, I'm really glad that you're staying tonight.”

“I really appreciate you being in my life,” you admit. “I never felt this way with any other friend before and I'm at a point where I wouldn't want to spend time with anyone else. I'm not bothered about spending time with anyone else.”

The silence lingers for a moment. The two of you expressed your feelings clearly but now, there was something on your chest that you couldn’t ignore. You were just waiting for who would say it first. And it was her.

“You want to know something really silly.” Hayoung forces her face into a smile. Her heart was doing something weird in her chest. Beating a little too quickly. “Maybe I shouldn't say it. Okay, well I'm gonna get close so I can whisper it. Because then maybe you won't hear it. Um, okay. Well, I get so jealous when I know that you've been spending time with someone else.” 

When you say embarrassing things, you only realize them after they come out of your mouth. “Did you hear that?” Hayoung blurted out. “Yes,” you said, and Hayoung felt like she was about to disintegrate into a puddle of sand. She wanted you to take it back, “No, what?” She wanted you to simply rewind as if nothing happened but it was too late now.

“I don't mean that in a weird way,” she quickly corrected herself. “That came out weird.”

You nodded, this time slowly. Trying to understand what she was talking about.

“It’s okay.” You offered her a reassuring smile but she couldn’t possibly look at you. Not a second longer. 

“I just mean... I mean, I'm so happy that you've been meeting other girls,” she murmured, feeling herself sinking deeper into the bed quicksand. “I really, I love to hear that you're so excited and you're happy and I'm so happy for you. But a part of me just hates it. I'm sorry. Oh, so stupid. You're just amazing. You are, you are.” 

You knew you were any of those things. Not by a long shot. But you think that your sweet friend only knows how to say the best of you and not anything else.

“You have this way that you look at me sometimes and it just makes you so fuzzy inside.” Hayoung is embarrassed. She rolls herself into a small ball under the blankets to protect herself, but can’t stop speaking, it was too late now. 

“Like, I can feel how much you care about me just from the way that you smile at me. It makes me melt. It makes me feel so special.” She wets her lips. “I don't know if you feel it too, but... Ever since we met, I just, I feel like I already know you. I feel like I already did know you. And every new thing that I learn about you just... I feel like I already knew it. And that, um, as you say, I just remember it.” 

You can’t believe what she’s saying. You can’t believe what you’re hearing. A part of your brain hopes that it goes where you’d like it to go but you can’t believe Hayoung was that person.

“This isn't making sense,” she laughs awkwardly. “It's just so strange. And if I'm being honest, I'm not really sure what this feeling is. Like, this feeling which is being connected.” 

“Um, I know that I'm saying all this…” She looks at you, serious and earnest like she rarely does but you know she had every intention to be so. “I don't want anything to change between us. Like, not ever. I would never want that to happen because I can't imagine not having you in my life.” 

Something surges into her as she lets these words come out of her. Something painful and delightful and confusing. Something breathtaking, rich, and frightening. Not a fully formed feeling, but an early draft of it. She wants to get a grasp of its taste before it’s gone. She reaches out, letting her words flow out.

“...which is why I'm so nervous right now, I think, but it just feels so right to say what I'm feeling. I always wonder how things could be different.” Hayoung’s skin is even redder than usual now that you notice, and she retreats farther into her little blanket nest. “And I keep having dreams about me and you. Dreams were more than this. And we're just so incomparably happy and I just can't help but wonder if it means what I feel it means, whether it means…” 

She glances at you. Your face is a blank void. Not because you were unconscious but because you were sweating balls and didn’t know what to do.

“No, I don't know. I don't know if you're asleep yet. And I'm 99% sure I'm dreaming anyway, otherwise, I wouldn't be saying any of this,” she admits. Her voice quiets down to only a whisper. “So guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you.”

“I love you,” she says again, to make sure she did. “Being with you is just so special and you are so wonderful. The way that you take the time to be joking if I'm okay. The way that you're just so in tune with who I am. The way it takes my breath away every time you say my name. I love the way that you make me feel. So many times I've just sat quietly trying to keep myself together when all I want to do is hold you.”

Hayoung hugs the pillow in front of her, tight enough to make her contain herself.

“Am I dreaming? Are we dreaming? This has got to be a dream. It's got to be.”

You were holding back until now but you couldn’t anymore and you smile. And she smiles. The smiles linger, warm, and honest, and you hear her speak again, in her soft smooth tone.

“I feel so peaceful and complete right now. I'm so glad I even my eyes and because you've got the cutest smile on your face. I can't believe I just told you all that. And you know if you don't feel the same, I completely, completely understand, you know.”

“But I do…” Your throat works miraculously. “I love you too.”

“Oh, you do. Oh, really? Wow, um, wow. And now I don't know what to say.” Hayoung makes room for you, and with a few tentative lumbering steps, you’re both under the same blanket. You feel small around her, although she’s obviously shorter than you. What made you so vulnerable? You didn’t know. She looks around, playing with her hair.

“Oh, wow. Um, um, um, can I, can I kiss you?” she asks. She holds her breath as she waits for you to speak. She’s so nervous—she keeps swallowing, and it sounds loud to her ears. Even her breathing sounds loud, even her heartbeat. “Is that okay?”

Your pupils are dilated looking at her so hard. You’re staring at her like you’ve never seen Hayoung before.

Her heart is pounding like a million trillion beats a minute as she scoots closer to you. She raises her head up and presses her lips against yours, and feels your jolt of surprise. And then you’re kissing her back, open-mouthed, soft-lipped, and at first, she’s nervous, but then you put your hand on the back of her head, and stroke her hair in a reassuring way, and she’s not so nervous anymore. It’s a good thing that she’s laying down on the bed because she is weak in the knees.

“This is just so perfect,” she says as soon as she lets you go.

“It really is,” you admit.

“I'm lying in my bed with you and I told you how I feel and you haven't run up screaming. Oh, my gosh, I never want to leave. This is the best feeling ever. I, I love you. I love you.”

“I love you too Hayoung, I’ve been holding it back for I don’t know so long but now I can say it as honestly as I can,” you say back. And she smiles.

“You are just incredible and I've always secretly felt just so lucky that you want to spend your time with me and that you care about me. It's just so, so wonderful. You are the best. And I love you. I love you. 

It just feels so nice to say. Well, I hope you have really sweet dreams. I don't need to dream anymore.” Hayoung quickly pecks you another time. Just for good measure. 

“Good night. I love you.” 

THE END

Written, 

5 February 2023 - 14 February 2023

-

Thank you @capslocked​ and @midnightdancingsol for editing this little story. 

[throughthetwistedmirror]

There's a Big Surprise! ~ *Jamil Viper*

Summary: Kalim is throwing yet another party when Jamil was hoping for an actual day off. Now he has to be there because you’ve been roped into being the headlining act. He has to protect you, you know!

Pairing: Jamil Viper X G/N!Reader

Genre: Fluffyish Oneshot

Word Count: 2187

Warning: Jamil is going through it

Masterlist

Taglist: @soulangel

Now, Jamil knew he was supposed to be relaxing. He was home for the holidays and his parents gave him the day off to take time himself. And he really did try. He went shopping with his sister for a couple hours and walked around the palace gardens. But he couldn’t relax. Something was bothering him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

He then knew something was up when you came rushing to him with the biggest smile on your face. “There you are! Kalim and I have been looking all over for you!”

“Why? What’s wrong? Has something happened?” He asked, frantically. Of course something happened. Kalim could never stay out of trouble. But getting you involved in it? That was one line too far. He needed to fix this right now!

Instead of answering him, you handed him a piece of paper. Upon further inspection, he realized it was an invitation. Kalim was throwing another party. And you had him all worried for nothing!

“A party?” He asked, his earlier worry gone from his voice. He rolled his eyes as he handed the invitation back to you with a huff.  “Wow, there’s a big surprise! I think I’m going to have a heart attack and die from surprise.”

You frowned. “But didn’t you see the bottom? The special guest part?”

His gaze flicked to the part of the invitation you were pointing at. There at the bottom, it announced that a special guest was invited to sing. His eyes widened at the name.

“You?! You’re singing at his party?”

Nodding, you hugged the invitation to your chest. “Yes! Isn’t it exciting? He asked and I couldn’t say no. I can’t wait for tonight! You are coming, right?”

Initially, Jamil intended to decline. He still had the day off. He could hide in his room and pretend he never saw that irresistible sparkle in your eyes. But the way your excitement lit you up like a firework, well, what could he say?

“I have to. Kalim will get into trouble if I don’t.”

That wasn’t what he wanted to say. Especially seeing you deflate at his words. He wanted to take it back, but you put a brave smile back on your face.

“Oh, well, yeah, I suppose. But I’ll still see you tonight, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Good. I’ll see you tonight.” And with a shy wave, you raced back to the palace, probably to get ready for tonight.

Letting a long breath, he shook his head. This was going to be a long night for him, he just knew it. He might as well get it over with.

If Jamil thought he was restless before, he was way worse now. All he could think about was you singing at the party. How did Kalim rope you into it? What were the stipulations with this agreement? Why didn’t you run this by him first, so he could tell you this was a bad idea?

That last question gave him pause. Why did you need to tell him about what you were doing? You had your own life. He didn’t have to interfere with it. But why did not being told that you agreed to sing at Kalim’s party bother him so much? He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was frustrating. So he tried not to think of it, even though the question kept swirling in his mind.

As the hour for the party’s start drew nearer, Najma was laughing at him.

“You look like a wreck.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, a frenzied edge to his voice.

She shook her head with a chuckle before sitting him down at his desk and grabbing a brush. While she brushed through his tangled hair, she explained. “You look like you’re about to punt Kalim to the sun and like you’re about to throw up at the same time. I’ve never seen you this crazed about one of his many parties, like ever. So what’s the deal, huh?”

He shook his head, causing her to whine in annoyance as he continued to mess up his hair. “It’s nothing. Just drop it, Namja.”

“I can’t! I want to know what’s going on in that big brain of yours.”

With a huff, he muttered, “It’s just, Y/n is going to be singing tonight. And I don’t like it.”

She paused for a brief second. “You don’t? I thought you’d be overjoyed to hear them sing. I’ve heard them once and they’re amazing!”

“I mean, yeah, I’m curious. But I don’t like how they didn’t tell me they were going to be singing at the party.” He shoved his face in his hands. “And then I feel guilty for thinking that because they don’t have to tell me shit. They can do whatever they want! But I still don’t like this.”

“Oh… I get it now.” Namja snickered as she tied his hair back in a low ponytail.

He opened one of his eyes. “What?”

“You’re jealous.”

This caused Jamil to explode out of his desk chair, almost knocking his sister to the ground. “I AM NOT! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!”

She burst in hysterical laughter and pointed at him. “YOU SO ARE OH MY GOD! THIS IS AMAZING! I never thought my big brother would be jealous over a person, least of all jealous over Kalim!”

“NAMJA!”

Shaking her head, she wiped a tear from her eye. “You’re right, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But it’s true. I never thought you’d be jealous. And you’re so cute when you are.”

As she pinched his cheek, he groaned. “If you’re not going to help, just leave.”

“Fine.” She sighed. Before she did, she added, “I’ll go help Y/n get dressed. They’re going to look so cute so you have to be there tonight, alright? I don’t want any of our hard work to go to waste.”

Once his sister left, Jamil flopped into his bed, messing up his hair that she just fixed. Now he had to deal with the fact that maybe, just maybe, he was jealous. And that thought scared him half to death.

It didn’t take long for him to be back on his feet and right in the middle of the receiving room of the palace. At least he got to see some of his friends from school. Kalim sent invitations to everyone at NRC to celebrate the beginning of the holidays with him and his friends in the Scalding Sands. So he said hello and exchanged pleasant small talk.

However, anxiety tickled the back of his mind. Where were you? Were you still getting ready? Were you hiding away, practicing for your little performance? Or were you hiding from everyone, scared out of your mind, and trying to talk Kalim out of it?

Wherever you’re at, he needed to be there.

Again, the thought surprised him. He didn’t need to be where you were. No, he needed to be where Kalim was, to keep him safe. But he had no idea where he was. So he stayed in the receiving room, keeping his eye out for Kalim or you.

“ATTENTION EVERYONE! MAY I PLEASE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?”

Jamil glanced over to the back of the room. While he was keeping some rowdy party guests from causing too much trouble, he missed Kalim entering the room. Curious and anxious about what he had to say, he turned his full attention to him, arms folded over his chest.

“HELLO EVERYONE! FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TO MY LITTLE PARTY! IT’S ALWAYS SO NICE CELEBRATING WITH GOOD FOOD, GOOD MUSIC, AND GOOD FRIENDS. AND SPEAKING OF GOOD MUSIC, I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE WE HAVE A SPECIAL LIVE MUSIC EVENT! IF YOU WOULD ALL PLEASE FOLLOW ME INTO THE MAIN BALLROOM…”

And with that, there was a mass exodus to the ballroom, with Kalim in the lead. Jamil tried to catch up with him, but there were too many people in the way. So much for a little party.

The ballroom was dark and covered in dark, thick drapes. The back section of it had a curtain over a makeshift stage. That must be where you were going to perform. Goosebumps prickled his skin and a chill washed over him. It was too late to stop him or you. All he could do now was watch.

Kalim hopped up onto the stage and spoke into a microphone. “EVERYONE! PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER AS I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE Y/N L/N!”

The curtain rose. There you were, in a stunning outfit, smiling brighter than the stage lights. You looked absolutely astounding. He couldn’t help but stare, not realizing his jaw had dropped slightly. Carefully, you walked up to the mic, introduced yourself again and introduced the song you began to sing.

It was perfect, as if it was made for your voice. He thought he never wanted to hear another song again, unless it was sung by you. You were practically made to perform.

“Enjoying the show?” Kalim popped up beside his shoulder, scaring him half to death. He chuckled as he shut Jamil’s mouth, which made him even more flustered.

“How did you rope them into this?” He asked instead.

“They asked. Besides, who am I to turn down such a beautiful voice? They’re like a siren, you know?”

He didn’t answer.

Kalim just shrugged. “Well, they’re not my siren. Their heart belongs to someone else.”

Jamil glared at him, which only caused him to laugh.

“You are so easy to read, my friend! Tell them how you feel after the show! They’ll appreciate it, I promise.” He patted him on the back before making his rounds with his guests.

Instead of following him, to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble, Jamil turned his focus back to you. He didn’t know what it was, but you had some kind of pull, some kind of attraction that just made you so mesmerizing. It was like your voice sailed through the crowd of people just to pierce his heart.

He was hooked onto every word until the curtain closed after you took your bows. As soon as the curtain dropped and the lights raised, he was snapped out of the spell you cast. He realized he hadn’t seen Kalim or heard him in awhile, so he decided to go looking for him. Hopefully he didn’t get into too much trouble. As he went looking, he still couldn’t shake the last remnants of your performance. It was like a residual effect from your siren song, and it had him in a vice grip.

“You were amazing! Absolutely amazing!” Jamil heard Kalim’s voice practically squeal from a back room. Without thinking, he entered to see Kalim and Namja crowding around you.

“Why thank you, Kalim.” You caught Jamil’s eye and you smiled brightly at you. “And what did you think, Jamil? Did I do good?”

His first thought was you were still glowing from being on stage, looking even more radiant than you usually did. His second thought was if he kept you hanging on for an answer for too long, you’d think he didn’t like it. So he quickly cleared his throat to answer.

“You were wonderful.”

Your smile only got brighter at his words and you pushed through your friends to get to him. “Thank you so much, Jamil! That actually means a lot, coming from you.”

“O-oh?” He didn’t mean to sound as flustered as he did and he hoped you didn’t notice.

Unfortunately, Namja did. Beckoning for Kalim, she said, “Alright, we’ll give you two some privacy. Come on, Kalim. I’m dying to try some of those hors d'oeuvres you picked out.”

“Oh? Oh, OH! Yes! We’ll be back!” And with that, they practically raced out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

You laughed as Jamil cursed the both of them in his head. However, he short-circuited as you took his hand. “I’m really glad you came to see me tonight, Jamil. I was really nervous about singing in front of all those people, but upon seeing you in the crowd, I wasn’t scared anymore. So thank you, so much.”

He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t even know what to think. What should he be thinking? What should he do? His mind was completely blank and it was making him panic.

“And, since I’m still high off of adrenaline from performing, I have enough courage to do this.”

And then you kissed him on the cheek.

If he was brain fried before, he was completely out of brain cells now. When you pulled back, he stared at you dumbly with wide eyes.

“What?”

“Too much?” You asked, a little embarrassed and disappointed.

He shook his head quickly, pulling you closer. To hell with being careful and trying to figure out his feelings for you. He wanted you closer.

“Not at all.” And with that, he kissed you on the lips. And he smiled as you kissed him back.

[igglemouse]

The morning light pulls me from my sleep as the headache reminds me that I've probably had a little too much to drink but not too much to have forgotten about yesterday.

The room around me is bland and simple, a space that's mine but one can hardly tell with how impersonal it is right now. It might as well be a hotel room.

Still I am thankful. I do miss home, deeply, but at the same time I realize I can't go back and that here, Oasis Springs, isn't so bad. My father, a man I don't enjoy mentioning as he is a horrible person and yet for some reason he's done me this kindness.

I wanted to deny this, to say no to this simple bit of fortune, but that would have left me as prey among wolves...

The kitchen is my sanctuary. Despite waking up with darker thoughts the moment the mixer starts mixing a smile forms on my face. Ideas push into my mind about how to give my waffles a bit more kick but not only that, what else can I sell for my food stand?

Just the act of cooking is meditative for me. It's ancient alchemy you know? Our ancestors would just stuff whatever they found in their mouths and might throw it over a fire but how far have we come from those times?

I am surrounded by modernity. Bottles of sauces and jars of spices. Each honed over the decades to add texture, flavor, and aroma, making this all a science not only to enhance taste but also to tickle the soul.

Making simoleons however is not so much a science. I started earlier in the day which might have hurt me because in the end only forty simoleons were made. I could say that this was the worst day ever but then again forty is better than four.

Perhaps there is a secret to it, finding the right time, the right dishes, the sweet spot? I don't know. All I can do is pack up and try again tomorrow.

The day's light fades and with it the realization that expectations were not met. Again. This whole food stand business has really been a story of ups and downs and while I'm sure I can take it, it doesn't make the process any less frustrating.

I sink into the cushion of my couch, flip on my TV, and spend some time wondering what can be done to be a lot more consistent. Improving my skills obviously, the better the food tastes the more likely people come back over and over again. Skill will come with time, practice, and patience.

Perhaps its my marketability that is lacking? Watching commercials is a reminder that sometimes a good advertisement campaign is all a product or service needs to make simoleons.

An insistent knock at the door breaks up my thinking. That's right, I do have an expected guest today...

Of course my visitor is the increasingly familiar face of Pascal of of course I step aside and invite him inside. He takes a moment to take in my small place, the hint of being impressed on his face but its only a hint because he opts not to say anything other than to ask if he might sit.

There isn't much here, a couch, a table, and a bed. My only income is my food stand and that's not at all reliable yet and so the dining table seems as good a spot for a conversation as any.

"So, what's up?" I ask, suddenly feeling nervous, even more so than my conversation with him yesterday? How does that happen? I guess because then I thought he was just some random handsome guy and now I know that he's very ambitious and might just be the most eligible bachelor in town.

"Dunno, just wanted to see you again is all," he says casually but still looks around some. "You have a nice place."

"Gracias," it's then I take a small breath and calm myself. He's here, isn't he? He doesn't have to be and yet he is. The attraction is mutual, I assure myself, so I should act like it.

"Flower Day is tomorrow," he mentions, as if that has some meaning to me. It doesn't, not really. I've always thought of it more as a filler holiday. "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to do something together?"

"A date?"

He chuckles. "I guess you can call it that, yeah."

There's a lot of confidence in his offer as if it is a formality itself, he expects a yes, and I plan to give him one but only after one question is answered. "Why me?"

"Why you?" This catches him off guard. "What do you mean?"

"You don't have a lack of options, I am sure, so what makes me stand out from the others?"

This draws another laugh and a look my way as if I have asked a silly question. I suppose I'm just not used to seeing the worth in myself. I mean eventually I figured I'd find love and settle down and start a family but I certainly didn't come to Oasis Springs with that in mind. It was more like I was pushed out into the desert and forced to survive. Any friendly travelers I meet on the way would be appreciated but not necessary, never necessary.

"You're humble," he says breaking a silence between us I wasn't aware of until his voice made it apparent. "A lot of the women that approach me or vice versa expect it all and its clear that they only see my ambition, not me. They make me feel like I'd be the supporting character in their story and nothing else."

"There is nothing wrong with being a supporting character-"

"But mainly, I want a woman who is prepared for failure."

"Failure?"

He leans in just a little, taking the measure of me, seeking eye contact as if it was all he needed from me. "If I break my leg in three places would you still be with me?"

"I-I didn't even know you played for a pro team!" I say jokingly but also defensively.

"Exactly!" He says with some satisfaction. "So, tomorrow? Date?"

I push out a breath and give my head a nod. Before, the answer would have been yes but now? Yes? I'm a little less sure, this conversation felt more like a try out than just two people getting to know each other. "Yeah, sure, let's see what happens."

Episode List - Next

[bradshawsbaby]

Letters to My Love // Part VII

Auld Lang Syne

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Bob Floyd x Female Reader

Summary: When you signed up to volunteer with the USO, you never anticipated that you would meet a man like Ensign Robert Floyd. Fate brings you together one balmy spring evening in Charleston—the night before Bob is set to ship off across the Atlantic. Pen and paper become your only means of sharing your heart with the naval aviator who’s captivated it, igniting a correspondence that spans the distance between you. Can love blossom even as war rages and thousands of miles keep you apart?

Word Count: 2.8k

Author’s Note: We’ve finally made it to 1943! Can you believe it will soon be a whole year since the night Bobby and Peach met?

Set the Mood: If you’re looking for some 1940s vibes, check out the playlist I made to pair with the story.

To ring in the new year in the story, the title of this chapter is based on the holiday classic, Auld Lang Syne. To get in the spirit, check out this 1939 instrumental version by Guy Lombardo!

Dedication: As always, this story is dedicated to my dear friend, @luminousnotmatter​. Clara, thank you, thank you, thank you for your support of this story!

Warnings: Alternating POV, talk of the holidays, brief allusions to the trauma of war, references to rationing, and a ton of fluff.

January 12, 1943

Dear Peach,

Happy New Year! I know we’re only 12 days in at this point, but I hope that 1943 is already shaping up to be a good year for you. Hopefully it will be a good year for all of us. And I look forward to hearing all about your Christmas back home in Georgia!

Now to address that “elephant in the room” as you called it—well, Peach, I see no elephants, but I do see what has to be the most beautiful and elegant photograph I’ve ever had the good fortune to lay these sorry eyes on. Are you sure you really meant to send it to me and not to MGM? You could be a movie star! I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it was announced that their next big picture was starring The Sweet Peach from Georgia. Hey, maybe that could even be the name of the movie. What do you think?

Peach, I hope you know that I’m not teasing and I’m not kidding. And I hope my saying so doesn’t come across as forward, but you really are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, whether in the movies or in real life. Part of me was starting to wonder if maybe I’d dreamed it all up, that night we had together in Charleston. Could any girl really be that beautiful and kind and funny and smart, all wrapped up in one splendid person? But then I opened your last letter and your photograph fell out of the envelope, and I realized that sometimes real life can be even better than our dreams. Because you, Peach, are even more stunning than you were in my memories. And you know what makes it even better? That your beauty shines from the inside. Looking at your photograph, I can see all the kindness and gentleness and goodness that I’ve come to know so well, shining in your eyes and brightening your smile.

Gosh, am I rambling? I’m sure I am. But I don’t want you to feel embarrassed, not for a moment. And to think that you would even suggest I take a photograph this beautiful and shove it in a drawer or throw it off the carrier! That would be an absolute crime! It deserves to be framed and hung for everyone to admire. I admit that I’ve never seen the Mona Lisa, but I can already guarantee that you’re a thousand times prettier. But can I tell you the truth, Peach? As much as you deserve to be universally praised, I’ve been very selfish. The fellas are all quite jealous, you see, that the prettiest girl in the world has chosen to write to me, of all people. So I keep your photograph tucked close to my heart, away from all the guys. Don’t want to rub salt in the wound, you know?

Benny and Tommy Boy wanted me to respectfully let you know that you looked quite lovely in your photo, and that they’d be more than willing to serve as pen pals to any of your friends back home who may be in need of some correspondence.

Will you do me a favor and thank Dottie for this little scheme of hers? I knew that I liked your sister already, but this has truly solidified it for me. She’s a smart woman, that Dottie Sheridan. And I hope Frankie’s birthday pictures turned out just as nice as yours!

Can I tell you something else, Peach? We’ve been doing a lot of flying over here, me and Paul and the rest of our squadron, as I’m sure you can imagine. Paul keeps a photograph of Natasha and the kids in our aircraft when we’re flying. He says it brings him good luck and helps him remember what he’s fighting for. I like to keep a photograph of my family with me while we’re flying so that I can remember the same. But now I carry your photograph with me, too. And I think I understand now what Paul meant about his photo bringing him luck. Every time we’ve flown since I started carrying you with me, I feel this extra sense of protection. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true. You’re my good luck charm, Peach, and I thank you for that. Thanks for helping me remember what I’m fighting for, every day that I’m here. And, hey—it’s sort of like we’re flying together already, right?

I was glad to hear that you enjoyed the pumpkin pie story, and that my utter humiliation could at least bring you some laughter. It’s funny that you should mention my mama setting aside some pumpkin pie for me because I did, in fact, receive a letter from her not long after Thanksgiving, and she told me she had done just that. She said that she’s hoping and praying I’ll be home for pumpkin pie this year. I hope she’s right.

I’m so happy to hear that you got to spend time with your folks and be together for the holidays. And happy belated birthday to little Frankie! They grow up fast, don’t they? Natasha sent Paul some photographs from Paul, Jr.’s first birthday, and neither of us can believe how big he’s gotten. Natasha says she’s writing down all his milestones in a little book for when Paul returns, so that he doesn’t miss a thing. I know it makes Paul feel good to hear that. He misses them so much.

I hope you don’t mind me doing so, but I shared with some of the guys on the carrier how you offered up your Thanksgiving gratitude and prayers for us. It lifted a lot of fellas’ spirits, I’ll tell you that. We were all missing home a little extra around the holidays, but to be reminded of why we’re doing this, and of the good people back home who are thinking of us, really makes all the difference.

Now to hear that you were an excellent pupil back in your grade school days does not surprise me one bit, Miss Peach. It’s funny that you say that you’re hopeless when it comes to arithmetic because I was always rather hopeless when it came to my writing—as I’m sure you can tell from the woeful state of my handwriting. My teachers at school—and yes, even my professors at Annapolis—always scolded me over it. Everyone has their strengths, huh? But if you don’t mind handling the writing, I’m more than happy to take care of the numbers and figures. We’d make quite a team.

Peach, I can promise you that the thought of getting to share another dance with you is one of the few things that keeps me going on the days when this war just really takes all the stuffing out of me. I just hope it’s something that YOU still want when all is said and done. I’m sure all the boys are lining up to sign your dance card.

Speaking of, have you been to any more dances at the USO lately?

You’re right when you say that Paul, Tommy Boy, Benny, and I couldn’t be any more different if we tried, but we do have a special bond and I’ll always be thankful for that. I’m glad to know you have that, too, with Dottie and Paddy and the rest of your family.

That glass of lemonade in Charleston sounds real nice right about now. It’s cold and rainy where we are, but I’ll be dreaming about that South Carolina sunshine.

My family was telling me about the coffee rations in one of their last letters. I am sorry to hear about that. I can only imagine how hard that’s hitting people, especially Paddy. I used to see him down at least three or four cups in the morning, back when I was stationed stateside. I’m sending all my best wishes that you and Dottie can survive his grumbling.

Peach, I just want to close by letting you know, once again, how much your support means to me. Truly. I hate to dwell on the negative, but there are days when this war is really hard. In fact, there are days when it feels downright impossible. But then I reread one of your letters, or take out your photograph and gaze at that pretty smile, and my hope is bolstered. You’ve given me so much, through your words alone, and I want you to know that.

I miss you, too. Who knows? Maybe 1943 will be the year we finally get that dance?

I hope so.

Very Truly Yours,

Bobby

February 3, 1943

Dear Bobby,

Happy New Year! 1943 has been treating me kindly so far, but it would be even better if it was the year that you and the rest of our boys came home. Just like your mother, that’s what I’m hoping and praying for.

My goodness, Robert Floyd, you certainly know how to make a girl feel special! I have to confess, I must have read your letter through a good two or three times when it first arrived in the mail, and I couldn’t stop blushing or beaming the whole time. Dottie said that I looked like a giddy school girl, which taught me that I really ought to read your letters in the comfort of my own room instead of in front of my nosy big sister.

Just so you know, Dottie gladly accepts your praise and thanks, and has not let me live it down for a moment. She has not failed to remind me that big sisters know best, and that I shouldn’t be so afraid to trust her, because look how well her plans always turn out? Well, knowing her my entire life, I can quite confidently say that Dottie’s plans don’t ALWAYS turn out well, but I am glad that this one did.

I’m certainly no movie star, but Dottie did work her magic on me that morning, and I’m touched beyond words at your kind reception of such a silly little thing. My cheeks still feel warm, even as I write to you now. Do you really carry my photo with you, even when you’re flying? I can hardly believe it, but I know you’re an honest man, Bobby, so it must be true. And if it brings you any sort of luck while you’re up in the air, then I’m glad for it and I’d send you a hundred more photographs if I could. I want you to come home safely, Bobby, more than anything. I need you to make it home safely so that we really can go flying together one day.

Please send my thanks and my best wishes to Benny and Tommy Boy, who are both clearly gentlemen of the highest caliber. But I’m sorry to tell them that I don’t have any girlfriends I can match them up with. Truth be told, I don’t have many girlfriends to begin with, and most of the women I do know are spoken for.

Speaking of which, do you remember my friend, Emily? She was the blonde volunteer working at the punch table with me the night we met. That was so long ago now, it’s okay if you don’t remember. Anyway, she just got engaged! She and her fiance actually met that night at the dance. His name is Eddie and he’s a corporal in the Army. He was stationed in Charleston for about a month or so after you were deployed, and he and Emily got to spending a lot of time with each other. They wrote to each other after he left, and Eddie proposed while he was back in Charleston on a short leave last month. Isn’t that something? It’s funny how things work out sometimes. I had thought Eddie was going to ask me to dance that night, but it was Emily he wanted to dance with. And look how well it turned out for them! I’m really happy for her. She’s so excited. They’re hoping that the war will be over soon and Eddie will come home permanently so that they can plan a big wedding. Emily even asked me to be one of her bridesmaids! I was Dottie’s Maid of Honor when she got married, but I’ve never been anyone else’s bridesmaid, so it’s all very exciting. A little bit of good news and hope in the midst of so much ugliness.

Christmas in Georgia was lovely, even if it was a little quieter than Christmases we’ve enjoyed in the past. I did get to see my grandparents, and some of my aunts and uncles and cousins, and that was a joy. If there’s one thing this war has taught us, it’s that spending time with the ones you love is really what matters most. My aunt actually made a pumpkin pie for dessert on Christmas Eve and I couldn’t stop giggling, thinking about your pumpkin pie fiasco as a little boy.

I hope that Paul, Jr. had a wonderful first birthday, same as Frankie! I think it’s an absolutely marvelous thing Natasha is doing, writing down all the special moments that are happening now so that Paul can relive them when he gets home. What a special gift that will be! Would you do me a favor, Bobby, and send Paul my best? I’ll never forget his kindness at the dance that night, and I really do hope he’s doing well.

Of course I don’t mind you passing along my best wishes to the rest of the men! I feel like I have so little to offer, and so little to contribute to this war, so if my thoughts and prayers can help lift even one person’s spirits, then I’m happy to hear it.

I’m also happy to hear that you’re good with numbers and figures because I simply never have been. I’d suggest that you could tutor me when you return home, but I’d be embarrassed for you to see just how truly hopeless I am when it comes to my mathematics. Instead, I’ll gladly take you up on your offer to handle all the writing if you handle all the numbers. An excellent team we’d make, indeed! And believe me when I say that your handwriting is far from the most dreadful I’ve seen. You should see my father’s and Paddy’s—completely illegible! Paddy once left me and Dottie a note letting us know he’d be home late that night, and we sat up for hours worrying because we couldn’t even read what it said! So trust me, Bobby, your writing is not as woeful as all that.

You can also trust me when I tell you that there are certainly no boys lining up to sign my dance card. I’ve volunteered at several other USO events, but truth be told, I haven’t gone to many dances since that one back in May. Emily’s always trying to get me to go with her, and I have gone to a couple, but it just doesn’t feel the same, Is that silly? I know we only got to attend one dance together, but it just doesn’t feel right, being there without you, Bobby. Every time I did force myself to go, I’d hear a song that played that night and then I’d miss you too much. The next time I go to a dance, I want you to be there, too, and I want us to be dancing together. I’ll make sure there’s plenty of lemonade for us afterwards.

I think Paddy is finally recovering from his caffeine withdrawals, thank goodness! Dottie and I have been cutting back on our coffee consumption so that he can have some more in the morning. I have a feeling more rations will be coming soon, which is why Dottie and I are already making plans to revive our Victory Garden this spring. We didn’t pay as much mind to it last year, when everything still seemed so readily available, but this year we’re determined to grow as much as we can. We’re not exactly farmgirls, my sister and I, so maybe you could send us some tips?

Bobby, if my words bolster your spirits, then I want you to know that your words do that a hundredfold for me. Receiving your letters in the mail brings me such joy. I have every single one saved, and I read them whenever I’m feeling sad or scared about the war. Have I told you lately how glad I am that we met and that we’re still exchanging letters all these many months later?

Here’s to hoping that 1943 is our year, Bobby. I hope that I’ll be seeing you real soon.

Most Affectionately Yours,

Peach

P.S. I almost can’t believe I’m asking this—and I hope you don’t think it too forward—but is there any possibility that you might have a photograph you could send? I can still see your face so clearly in my memories, Bobby, but it would be so special to have a photo to remember you by. If not, it’s okay. I just thought I would ask. Stay safe, Bobby.