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violetrainbow412-blog · 1 year ago

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hello!! how about something with spencer about christmas? 🎄🎄🎄

Lovely Christmas 🎄 [S. R]

Spencer Reid x fem!reader

word count: 1.6k

summary: the entire team gets together to celebrate Christmas and Spencer gives you a pleasant surprise.

note: merry next Christmas everyone! I hope you like it:)

Christmas, time to celebrate, give and receive. All that advertising in the stores worked to the point that you really felt a certain warmth on the holiday, despite the low degrees of the Virginia climate.

The team members, at Penelope's initiative, had agreed to have a small meeting to celebrate Christmas Eve this year, due to the uncertainty of not knowing how many Christmases you had left as a team because of everything chaotic that had happened lately. Mainly also because you had never celebrated that date together.

Everyone was there, the little ones, the older ones, some old members of the team, the new ones, husbands, wives, friends... in short, it was a big party. Of course Dave had offered his house to host the event and you, without complaint, had agreed. He had probably hired someone to do it, but the house was decorated masterfully, with lights, trees, Christmas boots, a life-size dancing Santa and even the white snow bathing the entire patio that could be seen from the glass doors. That's why Rossi couldn't be prouder, being the best of hosts as he always was.

You were euphoric about everything and you didn't even know where you should start enjoying. On the one hand, there was the opportunity to talk to friends from work that I hadn't seen in years, on the other hand, you could spend time with the kids and hug little baby Morgan, and last but not least, you could drink punch and hot chocolate in the company of the group that had gathered in that area. You decided on that option and very soon you were chatting friendly with Aaron and Emily.

“Jack wants a video game console for Christmas and I told him that only if he behaved well Santa could bring it, although I have a feeling that only one of us is pretending that he exists” he was telling you, laughing, when suddenly someone interrupted him.

“Jeez, it's freezing outside,” the voice, quite familiar to you, complained.

It was Spencer, who had just arrived with rosy cheeks, snowflakes scattered in his hair, his purple scarf and an ugly sweater that had gingerbread men all over it. He looked simply adorable.

“Reid!” you said happily, walking over to give him a hug which he gladly reciprocated. “Do you want me to serve you a cup of chocolate?”

“Oh, I would love you even more if you did that,” he replied, grinning at you from ear to ear with those gorgeous white teeth.

Being with all your friends makes you very happy, but there is one friend in particular who completely lights up your world. That's Spencer, and he was doing it right then.

“Here you go, handsome,” you murmured playfully, while you placed a full cup between his recently ungloved hands. He sighed as he took a sip of the drink and looked at you gratefully.

He joined in without any difficulty and soon the two of you were laughing at the story Emily was telling you, close enough to each other to be considered friendly. That's how it was always with him, despite his obvious fear of germs, he didn't mind being around you, much less when you laughed and leaned against his side a little or when you were telling a story and you constantly touched him. It felt natural to him, only when it came to you.

Rossi served turkey for all of you, one that you knew he had prepared because of the peculiar flavor and Italian ingredients. You had sat in front of Spencer and thanks to that you could see all his expressions during dinner, which were pure happiness. Seeing him happy made you happy too, as if you were infected with a delicious disease.

And suddenly you found yourself staring at him for too long and making jokes just to make him smile, as if he was the only one there with you.

During dinner you shared anecdotes, as always, Penny handed out candy to children and adults, the former members talked about how their new job was going and among all that it very soon became almost midnight.

Some sadness and surprise-filled your chest when Spencer announced that he would be the first to leave.

“I'm going to visit my mom,” he had explained, because you remembered that Diana was now in a health center that was only an hour away. No one dared to hold him back when they found out his reason and there were only a few goodbye hugs.

However, you told the man that you would walk him to the door and as you did so you pulled one of the bags on the floor with you. You stopped under the door frame, which could be seen from the small living room where the group had moved after dinner, and then you spoke.

“Drive carefully, okay?” was the first thing you said, lovingly adjusting the scarf that he was wearing around his neck. “And call me when you get there.”

“I will do it, calm down”

“Before you go, I want to give you something,” you murmured softly. You took out two decorated packages from your bag, one purple and the other pink “One is for you and the other is for your mother. Wish her a Merry Christmas from me”

“Y/N,” he said, sounding touched by what you were offering him. It was clear that what he had in his hands were books and he felt a tug in his heart when he thought that you had gotten one for his mother “I didn't bring you anything, I'm so sorry.”

“That doesn't matter, Spence,” you responded affectionately “It's just a detail, but I hope you like it.”

The man was about to respond when a whistle caught the attention of both of you and when you looked in the direction of the room you noticed that everyone had their eyes on you.

“Tough luck, lovebirds,” Morgan laughed and for a second you didn't understand what was funny about it. But when he pointed his finger at a spot above your head, then you understood.

There was mistletoe there, and you and Spencer were right under it.

“It's tradition,” Rossi began to say, when if he knew that you would refuse, “You can't break it”

“Did you know that the meaning of mistletoe can be found in the culture of the Celts? According to some stories, the druids used it in their spells and even to resurrect the dead, according to some legends of which we have evidence and records in different sources. Furthermore, magical powers are attributed to the plant because it doesn’t come from the sky or the earth, since the roots are neither in the ground nor held in the air: the mistletoe is maintained thanks to the deciduous tree that it parasitizes”

You giggled childishly as you listened to Spencer speak, probably to calm your nerves at the thought of having to kiss him, and he didn't even notice because he was so excited to share that bit of knowledge he had for the occasion.

“And that's why you have to kiss her, Reid! Legend says that if a woman is kissed under the mistletoe, she will be able to find the love of her life. And who knows, maybe our poor Y/N already needs some luck in that area”

You wanted to kill JJ for saying that, but at the same time you couldn't think about anything but what he would do. You didn't even know if he would dare to kiss you in front of all your coworkers and you wouldn't blame him if he didn't, after all you were just friends.

"Would it bother you?" he asked quietly. He didn't look the least bit nervous and that really made you nervous.

“Do you really want to kiss me?”

“Well, it's tradition,” he murmured, shrugging, while he smiled at you calmly. Apparently this hadn't affected him like it did you.

“Okay, then it’s… it’s okay.”

You would have liked to say the words more calmly, but you couldn't, and the little confidence you had left disappeared when Spencer raised one of his hands to cup your cheek and planted a kiss on your lips. It was a gentle kiss, sweet and short, but it made you shiver completely.

Honestly, no one expected you two to actually kiss, that's why when he pulled away from you the whole room was completely silent. You were shocked, they were shocked.

“Merry Christmas, Y/N,” he said, carefully caressing the skin of your face with his hand that was still holding it.

You made a superhuman effort to find your voice.

"Merry Christmas too"

He gave you one last caress and then said goodbye to the rest, waving his hand happily; they responded a little less enthusiastically, probably due to astonishment. The door closed, but you stood, staring into space as you tried to process what had just happened.

“Someone help the poor woman, it looks like she is going to have a heart attack”

Nobody, absolutely nobody, expected a comment like that coming from Aaron Hotchner and perhaps that was what made the moment a thousand times funnier.

“Did Reid really kiss you? I hope we aren’t experiencing a collective hallucination.”

“He didn't even hesitate! That's my boy"

“Everyone shut up,” you said finally, feeling all your blood pooling in your cheeks as you walked back to the living room “I don't think any of you want to be knocked out by a federal agent on Christmas Eve”

They laughed and eventually so did you. Reid wrote you a message when he arrived with his mother and you smiled as you remembered the kiss he had given you, the one that, without a doubt just as the legend said, led you to find the love of your life.

taglist: @navs-bhat @reidwritings @tricia-shifting14 @spencerslove @instabull @rhiannonhippiegirl @r-3dlips @missabsey @olivia’s-25

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfic #dr spencer reid #matthew gray gubler #aaron hotchner #derek morgan #jason gideon #JJ #penelope garcía #david rossi #emily prentiss #spencer reid x you #luke alvez #matt simmons #tara lewis #spencer reid christmas

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spacequokka · 10 days ago

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With a Note (I Meant It)

Pairing: Mingi x Reader Genre: f2l, second chance Rating: G Summary: You run into an old friend on your way back home. Word Count: 1.2k Warnings: mentions of underage drinking (wine coolers, which is a no no)

A/N: Last one for the event! I tried to make the song harder to guess. Thanks for reading and happy holidays! <3

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is a flight delay announcement for flight 118 to Seoul. We regret to inform you that due to the weather, we're expecting a delay of approximately eight hours. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we appreciate your patience and understanding…"

You stopped listening as the other passengers seated around you groaned and complained. It was Christmas Eve, and after the flight being delayed for the third time, you were at the stage of acceptance. Maybe you should've booked the flight months in advance instead of last minute. Or chose a different company. Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered much since it'd snow no matter what and the likelihood of being stranded at the airport was a given.

Eight hours.

The terminal was buzzing with families reuniting and friends celebrating, while you sat alone nursing a cup of lukewarm coffee. You contemplating buying overpriced fast food when you heard your name. You turned your head and gaped when you saw the man's face.

"Mingi?"

"It is you!" He took the seat across from you. "I thought I saw you earlier but I figured my glasses were smudged up or something." He licked his lips and took a breath. "Are you heading to Seoul, too?"

You nodded. "I really thought I'd avoid being stuck here all night."

He smiled bashfully. "I was supposed to catch an earlier flight but got held up with work. My mom's gonna strangle me when—no, if—I get there. She kept telling me to fly out before the snowstorm hit."

"At least someone had some sense. I didn't really give it much thought when I bought the ticket." You pushed your cup around on the table.

Mingi stretched his long legs out accidentally brushing against yours. Mischief sparkled in those warm brown eyes as he pulled out his cell phone and a bag of chips. The last time you'd seen him had been your high school graduation when things got weird and you both drifted apart. It was weird seeing him now, acting as if he didn't avoid you that summer before going off to college. Did he not remember?

"Want some?" He held out a bag of honey butter chips, his silver rings catching the fluorescent light.

What kind of mind game was he playing? "Thanks." You reached for the bag, your fingers brushing accidentally. Just like old times, except nothing was like old times anymore.

You munched on the chips quietly as people filled and left the terminal, coming to see that their flights had also been canceled then going off to find food or a place to stay for the night.

"I wonder if it'd be better to get a hotel room." He mused aloud.

You shook your head. "There's a convention going on. Every place is fully booked through to New Year's. Anything you find will be far out and you might not make it back here in time for your flight. Then your mom'll kill you for sure."

He barked out a laugh. "You're right." He fiddled with his phone, turning it over and over before asking suddenly, "Remember when we used to stay up until three in the morning? You'd always fall asleep on the phone and I'd have to wake you up so you'd put your phone on the charger."

You smiled despite yourself. "You weren't much better. You'd fall asleep mid-sentence then insist you weren't snoring."

"Yeah, but I had a good reason. I didn't want to hang up." His voice got softer, more serious. "I wrote you a letter senior year."

Your heart stopped. "What?"

He nodded. "I wanted to give it to you that morning before the graduation ceremony but I thought it might ruin what should be a happy day for you." He ran a hand over his white beanie and tugged at it. "So, I slipped it in your purse at Wooyoung's party that night. Blue envelope. You never said anything so I guess…I guess you never found it?"

The memory hit you like a thunderbolt—getting home slightly buzzed from wine coolers, digging through your purse, finding a blue envelope with smeared ink illegible in the dim light of your bedside lamp. You'd thrown it away without a second thought then passed out the second you touched your bed.

"Mingi, I—"

"It's okay," he cut in quickly. "It was a long time ago." He adjusted his glasses. "But being stuck here with you…maybe it's a sign or something." He laughed, but it sounded shaky. "Wanna hear what it said?"

The airport speakers crackled with another delay announcement, but you barely heard it. In that moment, it was just the two of you—Mingi with his gentle smile and nervous hands, you and your heart doing backflips in your chest.

"Tell me," you whispered.

He took a deep breath. "Why is everything so effortless with you? Smiling, laughing, being happy. You're the first thought in the morning and the last one when I fall asleep. I know our plans for life are taking us in different directions, but I want you to know that I'll think of you constantly. Is that love? If so, I love you more than I can express. One day, if you'll let me, I hope to stay by your side not as a friend but as someone you love in return." He looked you in the eyes. "When you didn't call or even text me, I figured you read it but didn't feel the same. I was a little dumb back then. Avoiding you so you wouldn't have to let me down easy. Then sometime in my sophomore year in college I realized I'd rather you tell me you didn't feel the same over never knowing how you felt about me…Then Yunho asked me if I was sure you'd read it." His expression turned to embarrassment. "So I asked around if you'd said anything about a letter to anyone and no one could recall you talking about it."

"I was a mess when I got home that night! I couldn't read the words on it and threw it away. By the time I woke up, I forgot all about it. I'm so sorry!"

He nodded with a chuckle. "That's way better than what I imagined." He reached out and touched your hand. "It's okay, though. Really. And I'm sorry for letting us drift apart without telling you why. Feels like I wasted a lot of time, like I missed out on a lot of important moments in your life."

Melancholy wasn't a word you'd ever associated with Mingi and you weren't going to start doing it now. You squeezed his hand. "Then we'll make sure you don't miss anything else from now on. Okay?" You pushed away from the table and stood up. "Come on, I need to get you a Christmas present."

#knaughtyornice #kvanity #ateezlovenet #ateez drabbles #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #ateez fluff #mingi scenarios #mingi imagines #mingi fluff #mingi x reader #mingi x you #ateez angst #mingi angst

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andreafmn · 1 month ago

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Running in Circles | Chapter 12

Word Count: 5.1K

Summary: (Y/N) Rossi is following in her father’s footsteps by joining the BAU team as a profiler. The girl genius knew almost everything but she could have never predicted falling for Aaron Hotchner, her boss, and her father’s friend. in their world mutual feelings are not enough to push them together. Will all the adversities and obstacles they face pull them together or push them apart forever?

A/N: I've done so horribly updating this story (and all the other ones) especially this year 🫣 but hope y'all enjoy

<- Previous

Christmas had come and gone, and winter was in full swing in Virginia. And before anyone could process the holiday, it was New Year’s Eve.

The bullpen at the BAU had slowly emptied after midday as they had been given the rest of the afternoon off to get ready for the FBI’s New Year’s Eve Celebration. They had been prompted to wear their best—from tuxes to long dresses. There were sure to be various eyecatchers regardless of the winter cold.

(Y/N) had been finishing up with a stack of reports when she noticed she was the last one in the office, at least in the bullpen. Two offices still had their lights on. One was her father, who had been waiting for her to finish her work to take her home. The other was the ever-overworking unit chief.

“Hey, I’ve got the last reports here,” (Y/N) said after knocking softly on Hotchner’s door. “Finished some of the ones de next week, too.”

“That wasn’t necessary,” he replied. “You keep doing all this paperwork, and the team will leave it all to you next time.”

“I wouldn’t really mind,” she chuckled. “Paperwork is relaxing.”

“Definitely don’t let them hear you say that,” he laughed as he stood from his chair and slipped his coat on. “Especially Morgan. He’d be more than happy to let you relax with his work.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. I think I’ve done over half of his reports since I’ve been here. But don’t tell him I told you that.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Hotch chuckled. “You heading out now?”

The man had crossed the room as he talked, stopping less than a foot away from (Y/N). He towered over her, staring intently into her eyes. His gaze never broke from hers, trying to speak something in a language she did not understand.

“Y-yeah,” she croaked. “Just had that to finish, but I’m all done now.”

“You need a ride? I’m leaving now, but I can wait for you.”

“Oh, uh, well…”

“Hey, kid, you ready?” David’s voice startled them apart, reminding them that not only were they not alone, but they were also at work. “Oh, Aaron. Didn’t know you were still here.”

“Yeah, just leaving now,” he said after clearing his throat. “I guess I’ll see you both tonight.”

“Of course you will!” Rossi smiled brightly. “Although I will miss out on a perfectly good Ardbeg Corryvreckan—this year’s world’s best single malt in the World Whiskies Awards. I guess it will have to wait until the year is new.”

“You know tonight is not mandatory,” (Y/N) chuckled as the three of them walked out of Hotch’s office and toward the elevator. “You could still stay home and enjoy that whiskey—as long as you save some for me.”

“And miss out on a chance to wear a tux? Absolutely not,” her father said. “And I can never pass out on a night of free food and drink. What better way to ring in the new year?”

“Right, I forget rich people love free things,” the girl teased. “Not like you could afford a thousand nights like this one.”

“It’s not about affording, kid,” he grinned. “It’s about opportunity. How do you think rich people stay rich?”

“Well, then,” Hotch chuckled softly as the elevator stopped on his floor, “I’ll see you both tonight.”

Father and daughter waited in silence for the doors to close, watching as their unit choked retreated through the parking lot. “I’ve been thinking of setting him up with someone,” David broke the silence, knocking the air out of (Y/N)’s lungs. “My friend Letty has a daughter just a few years younger than him. Her job is nowhere as exciting as ours, but he could use someone to ground him.”

She swallowed her jealousy, knowing her father was only looking out for his friend. She couldn’t let him know how bad of an idea that was without admitting her undisclosed feelings. Instead, she simply smiled and said, “Don’t know how open he’d be to dating just yet, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to try.”

“That’s the spirit, kid,” he chuckled. “I think I will give her a call. And maybe I’ll see what's around for you, too.”

(Y/N) didn't care to be set up with anyone, but it couldn't hurt to keep her options open. Whatever game she was playing with Hotch could not survive the long run. At some point, he would either reciprocate her feelings or break her heart. Either choice would complicate things between them, but only one was the outcome she wanted. But it wasn't like she could tell her father about that. She couldn't confess just how in love she was with his old friend and their boss. Not only was it highly unprofessional but it would definitely raise a lot of eyebrows, not to mention that it would throw a wrench right in the middle of their team.

Much like she had done for years, she swallowed down her emotions and splattered on a bright smile for her father. It was a night of celebration--the coming of the new year. Instead of focusing on a love that might never come, she turned her attention to the festivities ahead. Like many years before, David had hired a stylist and a glam squad for her daughter, even if she had told him time and time again that she didn't really care for that. And just like every year before, he smiled and said, “Maybe this year will be different.” It never was, but it didn't hurt to say.

By the time five o’clock rolled around, (Y/N) didn’t recognize herself. Even though she had gotten her hair and makeup done before, it always surprised her that a few curls and a splash of paint could transform her entire face—hell, even her attitude. She looked herself over at the mirror in the giant groom she had in her father's house, and she couldn't quite tell who was looking back at her.

Dressed in a floor-length beaded dress, hair perfectly curled, and lips as red as blood is what her reflection wore. She looked elegant, perfectly primped, and polished, a stark contrast to the way she looked on an everyday basis. Granted, she couldn't hunt killers wearing a full-length gown without an enormous clothing budget—not that she couldn't do it, but she doubted the FBI would allow her to step out of uniform rules.

“Well, look at you,” her father’s voice echoed through the room. “I think this might be your best dress yet.”

“You say that because it’s mom’s dress,” (Y/N) muttered softly as she ran her hands softly against the beads. “It is beautiful, though.”

“I say it because it’s true, my little bird,” David smiled, placing his hands on her exposed shoulders. “You look absolutely radiant. It was made for you, my darling.”

“I wish she was here to see me in it,” she sighed. “Do you think she would have minded me wearing it?”

“Oh, little bird, she would have been absolutely thrilled. She told me to keep all of her gowns to make sure you could wear them one day. You were her absolute pride and joy.”

(Y/N) couldn’t quite imagine her mother in the same dress. She tried to visualize the way the fabric would hug her body, tried to imagine the way her hair would be styled, even how her makeup would have been done, but the image never came into focus. There was no definition to her edges, no clear distinction to who she was. All (Y/N) saw was herself.

“You look so much like her, mia bella,” David cooed. “An angel in every sense of the word, my beautiful daughter.”

“Stop, dad,” she grinned as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red than the shade she wore. “You're making me blush.”

“Can a father not tell the truth?”

“Not right now,” (Y/N) smiled brightly, interlocking her arm with David's. “We don't wanna be late to the gala. Especially when I have the hottest date on my arm.”

“I can't disagree there,” the man smirked. “I will most definitely outshine everyone tonight.”

“Then, what are we waiting for? Let's head out already.”

Dressed in a couple of hundred dollars more than they had arrived at the Rossi mansion, (Y/N) and David started their drive to the Washington, D.C. Four Seasons. The patriarch had hired a car service, knowing neither of them would be sober enough to drive home safely, and if anyone asked his daughter, the streets were safer without his road rage on the streets. Somehow, an older Italian man with short patience, a holiday, and crowded roads did not mix well.

She was also grateful David was having a lively conversation with their driver rather than focusing on her well-manicured fidgeting fingers. (Y/N) wasn't sure what she was expecting at the venue. Hotchner would be there; there wasn't any way around that. But she didn't know what would happen once the night went on and the drinks were flowing.

Things had seemed to shift between them in the past year. They had begun to spend more time together, growing closer on a personal and seemingly emotional level. Maybe she was reading into things, but (Y/N) thought there was something happening between her and her years-long more-than-a-crush. It could have been her deepest desires clouding her mind, of course. The mind could play unkind tricks, feeding a person's ego and aiding in their delusions. That could very well be what was happening to her, but she didn't think so. At least, she hoped it wasn't that.

The entry to the hotel was already bustling by the time the Rossis arrived. Agents old and new dressed in their Sunday best crowded the entry of the Four Seasons, funneling into the building for their annual New Year's Gala. Men and women with their respective partners or dates for the night put aside hours of their night to bring in the new year with their units. Plus, good food and unlimited drinks were often a great incentive to pack the place.

“Emily told me the BAU was given the Seasons room on the lower lobby level,” (Y/N) whispered to her father as they snaked their way into the crowd, smiling and nodding toward agents they might have known in passing. “People have been moving in and out of all the event spaces and mingling amongst each other. But that's where they're waiting.”

“Let’s not keep them waiting then,” he smiled. “We all know the party doesn’t start until we arrive.”

“Oh, god, dad,” she chuckled. “Please don’t say that when we see them.”

“Why not? It’s not a lie.”

“You forget the part where it is not funny,” the woman said. “

“You laughed.”

“Because I don’t want my aging father to feel like he isn’t still funny,” (Y/N) teased. “Thought you’d appreciate the laugh.”

“I might be getting older, but I am not yet old, little bird,” he said, the same beaming smile he always wore splattered across his face. “Can’t have you wasting your pity laughter so early on. Although, I do know that was real laughter—it better be.”

“Whatever you say, dad. You’re the funniest man I know.”

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around each of the Rossis, a hearty laugh filling their ears as they reached the group of their friends and teammates. “Were you two talking about me?” Derek grinned as he exchanged glances between the two. “Because there can’t be anyone funnier than me.”

“Same suit from three years ago, Derek?” (Y/N) teased. “You’re losing your sense of style there, buddy. What happened to your ‘a suit a year brings new cheer’ saying?”

“Well, I may look great in a different tux every year, but my pocket doesn’t love it,” he responded. “And, honestly, I didn’t think anyone would notice. Although, I should have known you or Reid would.”

“Yeah, she’s the reason I rent my dresses now,” Emily added. “She remembered the dress I wore two years ago was the one I wore to an event in 2008, all because she remembered seeing a picture in my living room. There’s no sense in buying a new dress every year, but I’m definitely not showing up in one I’ve put on more than twice.”

“I don’t do it to embarrass you, guys. I just can’t help it when the thought pops into my head. Sometimes, I just have to say it, or else my mind will go crazy.”

“Exactly!” Spencer exclaimed. “It’s not our fault our brains work this way.”

“Guys, it doesn’t matter who’s wearing what,” David interjected with a smile. “All that matters is that in a few hours, the new year will come, and this whole year will be forgotten.”

“Actually...”

“If I have to listen to the story of New Year’s again,” the man interrupted Spencer, rubbing his temple, “I’m gonna need a stiff drink.”

“I’ll go get it,” (Y/N) offered. “Anyone else need a refill?”

A chuckle escaped the woman’s mouth as various hands shot up, all but the one she had been in search of since the moment she had arrived. The whole team sat around their designated table, all chattering and smiles, except their trusted unit chief. With a gentle sigh, she walked over to the crowded bar, trying her best to catch the bartender’s attention through the couple of heads ahead of her. To no avail.

Everyone else was louder, taller, more assertive while she stood in the background trying to break through. The second she tried to speak up, someone else talked over her. She believed she would stand there the rest of the night just to get a couple of drinks.

“I’m sorry,” a voice interjected. “But I believe she was next in line to order.”

Behind her, Hotchner towered over her stature, staring down the man who had cut her off just as she had managed to reach the front of the bar. He placed a protective hand on the low of her back, his eyes stuck on the man beside them. His gaze remained stoic until the agent felt embarrassed enough to move to the other side of the bar where the other bartender was, excusing himself with a quiet ‘sorry’ and his head hanging low.

“Go ahead, (Y/N),” Hotch smiled. “You can order now.”

The woman couldn’t help the way her heart hammered in her chest as his hand sent waves of warmth through her body. (Y/N) tried to keep her words steady, thankful for the makeup on her face that covered the blood pooling on her cheeks as her body shook with nerves. Hotch remained in the same position as she ordered drinks for the group, adding a whiskey on the rocks at the end for himself. Maybe he hadn’t paid the move any mind, but she could not stop focusing on it until both their hands were occupied with a few glasses each.

“Thanks for that,” (Y/N) managed to croak out as they walked back to the team. “I thought I was going to be stuck there all night.”

“I’m sure you would have been able to handle yourself fine,” he said. “But a little help never hurt anybody.”

“And it's very much appreciated,” she smiled. “Is Jack with Jessica tonight?”

“Yeah. We had our own New Year's celebration before I left,” he chuckled as he remembered what had occurred only an hour before. “He asked me why there were no fireworks outside, and we had to watch them on TV. I told him fireworks weren't a thing this year, but I'm not sure he believed me.”

“I don't think he did. That boy really loves the lights,” (Y/N) laughed. “But there's always Fourth of July for fireworks.”

“I just hope he doesn't keep his aunt up to see if it's true.”

Once they reached the table, the woman realized they were not the only two people in the world. For a minute, everything around them had vanished. It was just her in her mother's champagne beaded gown and Hotchner in a stunning black tux. For that minute, she could imagine there was something more between them than she thought there was.

For the next couple of hours, while they sat at the table and dinner was served, the only thing she could think of was Hotch's hand on her back. She remembered in vivid detail the way his fingers stretched and flexed against her exposed skin, his warmth sinking into her with a comforting and intoxicating touch. (Y/N) tried her best not to let it show just how much that simple move had affected her, but she could feel her eyes drifting toward him every couple of minutes.

What she didn't know was just how much it had stuck to Hotch's mind as well. That minute of having his hand flush against her back had made his heart skip a beat. His breath had hitched in his throat as he felt the softness of her skin against his. If it had been up to him, he would have kept it there the rest of the night. But the imminent threat of an overbearing man had been long gone, and he couldn't justify keeping the protective hold on her, especially with a couple of drinks occupying his hands. At the table, his eyes would drift to her when she wasn't looking. He couldn't help looking at her whenever she laughed or talked. Her magnetism was unavoidable, and he was susceptible to it.

Throughout the entirety of the dinner, and the few drinks that had come and gone from the table, Hotchner could only think of a way to get her alone. For what? He wasn't really sure. All he knew was he wanted as much time with her as he possibly could have. The rest, he had yet to plan for that.

As the night went on, the chances grew slimmer and slimmer. There had been awards and speeches, various presentations and slideshows shown, and midnight was quickly approaching. The formalities of the night had come and gone, and the fun had begun. The lights had gone down, music had been turned up, and people had left their tables to fill the dance floor and wait until the clock struck twelve.

In the commotion, Hotchner had lost (Y/N). One second, he'd been drinking in the image of her dressed in gold, and the next, she had disappeared in a sea of FBI agents. His eyes scoured the crowd, his mind focused on only one person. And when they finally fell on her, rage bubbled from deep inside him. Back at the bar, (Y/N) had taken a seat. She was nursing a drink while the same guy from the start of the night seemed to be pestering her. Hotch could read her body language from a mile away, and she needed a way out.

“Come on,” the man insisted. “Just tell me if you’re here as a guest or you’re an agent. It’s a simple question.”

“I don’t feel comfortable giving out that kind of information to someone I don’t know.”

“My name’s Pete, how about that?” he said, slurring his words. “Now you know who I am.”

“Just because I know a name doesn’t mean I know you, Pete,” (Y/N) stated as she swirled her drink around. She had come to the bar to escape the heat that had overtaken her being so close to Hotch. But instead of solace, she had found an even bigger hindrance than body heat. “Now, I’d like to enjoy my drink alone.”

“Definitely an agent. Wouldn’t be this closed off if you weren’t,” the man muttered, seemingly trying to do it under his breath but failing. “No one should be alone on a holiday, miss. And as bad of a start as we had, I make great company.”

“As much as I would love to find out if that’s true, I’m sure your own date would appreciate your company. Me? I’d rather down this old-fashioned in peace.”

“Come on. At least tell me your name.”

“Can’t do that, Pete,” she said. “Best you go back to who you came with.”

“Oh, Alyssa doesn’t mind,” he chuckled awkwardly. “She knows I need room to breathe. And you look like a breath of fresh air.”

“I’m more of a deadly gas, but thank you,” (Y/N) smiled sarcastically. “Now, like I said, I want to drink alone.”

“Come on, baby, you shouldn’t be alone tonight,” Pete pressed on. “Who else will you kiss at midnight?”

“It’s not gonna be you, man.” Hotch appeared seemingly out of nowhere for the second time that night. At least, that’s how it appeared to her. She had not witnessed the intense focus the man had held on to her for the past few hours and how long he had spent looking for her. “I believe she has told you already to leave her be.”

“Look, man, this has nothing to do with you,” Pete argued as he squared up to Hotchner, trying his best to match up to the man’s height. “We’re just talking here. Why don’t you get lost already?”

“I don’t think that’s what the lady here wants,” Hotch said sternly. “Now, your date might be okay with you venturing out, but I’m not. And as her date, I would heavily advise you to take two steps back and keep walking, Pete.”

The unit chief pronounced every syllable of the man’s name, his tone even but menacing. His eyes burned red with anger, and he had taken the empty space on her left side permanently. Just like he had done at the beginning of the night, Hotch held his gaze firmly on Pete. And it didn’t waver until the man finally cowered and left, a deep red hue painted across his face.

“My hero,” (Y/N) chuckled once Pete was finally far away. “Second time in a few hours, too. You just seem to be there when I need you.”

“What are friends for?” he smiled, his eyes softening as they fell on her. “Are you okay? Did he do anything?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “You arrived just in time, twice, and apparently as my date tonight.”

“I’m sorry. Was that too much?”

“It was perfect,” (Y/N) grinned, feeling emboldened enough to place her hand on his. “Although you know that means you owe me a kiss at midnight, right?”

“Well, it’s not like that would be torture.” The words took them both aback. In part because Hotch had said it and in part because it had not seemed like a joke. “You know, it’s almost 12.”

“Right. Just a few minutes until the New Year.”

“Why don’t we, uh, head somewhere a bit more quiet?”

“We can go up to the courtyard,” she offered. “The office separated the space, but there wasn’t really anyone there because of the cold.”

Hotchner held out his hand for her, helping her off the bar stool and leading her toward the only place everyone seemed to be avoiding. Just as she had said, only a floor up, the courtyard was empty, save for a few employees taking a quick smoke break, but a few space heaters had been scattered around the area—not that it helped in the cold of the middle of winter, but it made things a bit more bearable. Before closing the door behind them, he grabbed two champagne flutes and closed them away from the rest of the world.

“I didn’t notice how loud it was in there until now,” (Y/N) pointed out. “I’m glad we’re out here.”

“Well, I couldn’t let you be anywhere near Mr. Pete. Now, could I?”

“I’m sure Pete will remember you for the rest of the year,” she laughed. “And I don’t think he and Alyssa will be attending next year—at least not together.”

“I think he got enough air,” Hotchner joined in her laughter. “We’ll see just how much he gets when Alyssa catches wind of what he's been up to.”

A comfortable silence fell between them as commotion started inside the event hall. Everyone shuffled around inside to gather at the front of any screen that was playing the countdown. There was only a minute left on the clock, and it would officially be a new year. It was a chance for renewal, a chance for new beginnings, a chance for love, or maybe something more. The new year brought the semblance of choices, the hope that somehow something worthwhile would come to your life despite all the pain and heartache the past may have brought. It brought the chance of solidifying maybes.

“It's almost midnight,” Hotch whispered as he draped his suit jacket across her shoulders. (Y/N) hadn't noticed her body had started to shake until she felt the warmth of his body seep through her skin, melting away any ounce of cold that had been embedded in her bones. “Do you have your resolutions for the new year?”

“Something like that,” she smiled up at him, getting as close as she could without scaring him off. “Other rituals haven't seemed to work for me, so maybe some simple wishing will do the trick this time.”

Hotch didn't back down from her approach. Instead, he took a step closer. “And what will those wishes be?”

“If I tell you, they won't come true,” she said, finally closing the distance between them. Her chest was pressed against his, her eyes fluttering up to his as a smile stretched across her crimson lips. “Are you willing to risk yours?”

“Not so sure,” he whispered. “I'm kind of hoping they come true, and we're far too close to midnight to take chances. Only twenty seconds to go.”

“We don't have to do this, Hotch,” (Y/N) stated, feeling nerves bubbling deep in her chest. “It was just a silly joke.”

“I don't mind,” Hotchner said. “At the end of the day, it's just a kiss.”

But it wasn't. Not to either of them. Even if the other didn't know, that kiss meant more to them than they would ever want to admit. It would be the ellipsis to the question they had been too scared to ask, the cementing of the feelings they had harbored for years but were too terrified to admit, the beginning of a whirlwind of doubts they would carry in their hearts. Maybe it was a dumb decision. Maybe they should have walked away at that moment.

But when the crowd inside the hotel yelled out the last five seconds, their hearts were beating as one—fast and loud, thrilling anticipation coursing through their veins. That was it. The new year. Only one second away.

“On...” The words died in (Y/N)'s mouth as Hotch crashed his lips to her. One of his hands circled her waist, while the other cradled her cheek as he pulled her to her like she belonged to him—not that he knew that she always had. He savored her taste and reveled in her warmth, thanking whatever being was out there for allowing him that fleeting moment with her. The kiss was sudden and desperate. Hotchner believed it would be the first and the last, and he planned to take advantage of every second she allowed.

As soon as their lips had touched, fireworks erupted in the sky. They perfectly embodied the moment, creating a visual of what was going on in their insides at that very second. It was now the new year, and they were both spending it with the one person that had clouded their mind the entirety of the past year. Even if they thought the kiss meant nothing to the other person, it meant the world to them.

“Happy New Year, (Y/N),” Hotchner said as he was forced to break the kiss for air. His arms were still circled around her waist, keeping her close for as long as she let him.

“Happy New Year, Aaron,” she smiled brightly before noticing his lips. “You have red lipstick on you.”

“Oh, god.”

He went to wipe it, but all he did was smear it around. “Here,” she said as she reached her thumb to his lip. “Let me.”

Their eyes locked on the other, an inkling of something unspoken shining in them. So many feelings and confessions lingered between the two, waiting anxiously for the moment they were able to break free. They trembled under the surface, pushing against their lies and their silence. All they wanted was to be revealed.

But that would not be the moment.

“There you guys are,” David’s voice startled them apart. His back was turned to them as he motioned to the team from behind the door, shielding their closeness from them until they were a safe distance apart. “Wow, what a view you guys got here.”

“Uh, yeah,” (Y/N) said. “Hotch wanted to record the fireworks for Jack since he couldn’t see them.”

“You guys should have told us you were here,” Penelope exclaimed. “It’s gorgeous! Look at those lights!”

“Yeah, we just sort of ended up here,” Hotch interjected. “Thought I would get a better view of the fireworks from here than the patio downstairs.”

“Well, you were right, friend,” David said as he clapped Hotchner’s back. “Perfect place to say goodbye to the old year.”

“It really is,” he said, fighting the urge to let his eyes drift toward (Y/N). “Happy New Year, David.”

As everyone hugged and wished each other a happy new year, Hotch and (Y/N) remained next to each other, their arms by their sides. Each of them felt the overwhelming urge to reach their hands toward the other, their need for closeness itching deep in their veins. But there, in front of their team and her father, they could not give in. Especially while they each thought the other did not feel the same.

By the time they had finished saying their well wishes, a flurry of stark white snowflakes had begun descending from the sky.

“It’s snowing,” (Y/N) smiled, looking at the sky alongside the rest of the team. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Hotch said, taking advantage of the team’s distraction to stare directly at the woman beside him. “It is.”

Winter was never kind, but that one seemed to be a chilly one. At that time, as she hugged Hotch’s jacket tighter to her body, (Y/N) didn’t think it to be a premonition of the year that awaited them. All she could think of was the kiss that she had just shared with Hotch, not knowing he was thinking of the same thing.

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eternal-love · 1 month ago

Note

thanks for clarifying ur taking requests! i never know if you are. 😅

i was wondering if you could possibly write a fic where reader sees multiple pap pics of austin and kaia being lovey dovey, super in love online. maybe reader confronts austin about the pictures and austin acts stupid about it.

just a lil idea. you can end it however. thank you so much! 💝💐

GASLIGHT

Pairing: Austin Butler x Fem!reader

Summary: After seeing pictures of Austin with another woman, you decide to confront him. It doesn’t go as planned.

Warning: cheating

Note: Man, I love being dramatic. This one is for @ilovereadingfanfics thanks for always supporting me, girl. Love ya💋

The house felt colder, was it because it was December or because you were alone? You didn’t know, it was just you and yourself on the apartment.

Maybe it was the loneliness, or the fact that you were trying to convince yourself that your boyfriend was enjoying his vacations, he had told you that he needed some time for himself and you understood, the last few years had been a frenzy, that’s why you didn’t tag along. But you had expected him to be back by the holidays. But no.

You had spent Christmas with your friends, tried to fit in without your boyfriend wa shard, specially since you had celebrated Christmas with him for the last couple of years.

But to your surprise, before New Year’s Eve, the pictures were released. Pictures of Austin and the nepobaby, Kaia Gerber, getting all hot and messy on a pool in Los Cabos.

A part of you wanted to believe that it wasn’t your Austin, maybe it was a random man. There’s a ton of blond men in the world. But you knew his face like you knew your morning routine. That face you’d woken up to for the last couple of years, a nose you’ve traced after making love, lips you’ve kissed countless of times.

You cried, of course you cried. You felt betrayed, here you were, back home, playing house while he had a getaway with a model during the most important time of the year.

Online, people were having a field day, most of the comments were either saying you had it coming, mostly because Austin started dating you after Vanessa, others pitied you, but that those comments had in common was that they all trashed Austin and Kaia. At least common sense could still be found.

You were waiting for his return, ready to confront him. You hadn’t been sleeping correctly because of it too, maybe it was the stress and your nerves. But once you heard the clicking sound of the door, the nerves got the best of you, making you shake, to which you tried to take deep breaths. He greeted you like he always did, kissing you, hugging you, giving you souvenirs. But you couldn’t even enjoy it as you had done before.

How could you be so sure that he hadn’t been doing the same for the last couple of vacations?

“So, a getaway, huh?” You said as you ate dinner the day he returned.

“Yes. Uh, I needed to clear my head, and it worked!” He said with a smile, reaching for your hand. “But I missed you, so fucking much.”

“Really?” You said, scoffing. He could be so cynical. As you scoffed, he raised his eyebrow.

“Yes? Why wouldn’t I miss you, doll?” Austin asked, still pretending. Well, he had missed you, but only after he slept with Kaia.

“You didn’t seem to miss me, I mean, you didn’t even call me the three weeks you were gone.” You said. Appearing to be nonchalant as you checked your nails.

“I went no-contact, doll. You know me…” he said, Austin smiled at you again. This would’ve worked on you if there were no pictures involved, because he barely used his phone anyways.

“You were too busy with that model.” You said out loud, he stared at you. His face twisted in confusion. He was playing dumb.

“What are you talking about?” Austin scoffed, those were horrible accusations. Although he knew they were true. “I was just enjoying alone time, needed to unwind. Jesus, doll.”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” You asked, he was playing mind games with you.

“I mean, you’re saying it…” he trailed off, okay, now he was calling you stupid. “This is ridiculous. I love you, and look! I’m already back home, here, with you.”

He pointed at you and then poked your shoulder with that finger. Almost saying: “you should be grateful I even came back to you”.

“I saw the photos. You were all over her. Kissing her and…”

He held up his hand, interrupting you.

“Listen, doll. You’re imagining things that never happened. How do you even know that was me?” Austin said, his tone serious, serious that it sounded believable.

“Austin, come on. I know you, I know you like the palm of my hand.” You defended your side, you knew him better than anyone else.

“Doesn’t seem like it. With those, horrible accusations you’re freely throwing around.” Austin said, looking away, like a hurt puppy.

He told you not to worry, but why did it still hurt so much? Were you actually just crazy? You didn’t know what was happening to you. Or to your relationship.

“Austin, come on. The proof is there.” You tried to explain yourself, tried to make him listen to you.

“And you believe that? You really believe Hollywood, the paparazzi, and the internet, over me?” He asked, incriminating you, of course. “Wow. I mean, wow. I thought we were good, doll. I guess we aren’t.”

Now you felt bad. God, why did you always ruin the good moments. He had just gotten back to you, excited to see you again and you just had to ruin it by being jealous.

Why were you so jealous if he was yours?

Why were you so fucking insecure?

“You’re so paranoid. I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately. There’s a thousand blond men in the world, in Hollywood. Hell, there might be ones that look like me.” He scoffed, now appearing to be annoyed.

But a part of you still knew that this could be true. You weren’t crazy if what you saw was true. But then again. What he said was true. You should believe him over Hollywood or the internet, he was your boyfriend.

The look in his eyes, you thought it was sadness and hurt but in reality it was guilt. Because he was guilty of what you accused him of but you didn’t see it. You thought you had hurt him.

“Baby, I’m… I’m sorry. Alright? I know I shouldn’t even be that jealous.” You walked closer to him, hugging him.

But he didn’t hug you back. There it was again, him denying your comfort. That made you feel even more guilty.

“I’m sorry.” You muttered again.

“It’s one trip I take for myself and you just accuse me of that. I would never want to hurt you. Never.” He said, looking away from you. The so-called hurt expression still in his eyes.

“Baby, I just— I’m sorry. I think it was just because I was mad and alone. I didn’t want to make you feel bad.” You hugged him tighter. You hated making him feel bad and you had done it.

Great job, y/n!

“Just, I need time to think about this. I just can’t believe you would accuse me of that.” Austin said, pulling away from you and walking into your shared bedroom, slamming the door.

He would ignore your for as long as he saw fit. A few hours, few days, few weeks maybe. But it was a regular occurrence. It depended on what you did, if it was something minor, you would get maybe an hour, but something like this, you didn’t know and you didn’t want to know.

You felt like crying again. Why did you ruin everything when it was going well?

But deep down, you, him and everyone knew the truth. You were just too blinded to see it.

But really, one look into those blue eyes of his and it was over. As simple as that. And you would never do anything to see those eyes sad or filled with tears.

Even if that meant hurting yourself in the process.

#austin butler #austinbutler #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler imagine #austin butler fic #austin butler x reader #austin butler is so hot #austin butler imagines #austin butler x #austin butler x fem!reader #austin butler x you #austin butler x y/n

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starkstruck27 · 16 days ago

Text

Merry Christmas, everybody, and welcome to my seventh fill for @metalsandwichbingo !! It doubles as my Christmas special for this year, so I hope everyone enjoys it. Happy Holidays to all, merry Christmas if you celebrate, and happy New Year to everyone!! Also, title comes from the song Last Christmas by Wham!. Title: A Man Undercover (But You Tore Me Apart) Square + Prompt: Free Space, B2 Rating: Teen Word Count: 4834 Words Major Tags: None Additional Tags: Christmas, Implied/referenced Child abuse, Child neglect, Sleepovers, Enemies to friends, Pre-relationship Summary: Billy gets kicked out on Christmas Eve after a bout with his father, and of course, there's nowhere for him to go. And to make things worse, his car won't start. So he walks until he finds the only place where he might be able to crash for the night, a church opening their doors for a midnight service. He tries to slip in unnoticed, but he sees some familiar faces he didn't expect in the crowd of people, and the night is about to become a little less silent. Also on: Ao3

The thing about Hawkins is that as soon as it hit November, it got cold. Like, really fucking cold. And when it got that cold, sometimes cars that were made for warmer weather just would not run. Which meant that right now, Billy was shit outta luck, because no matter how many times he turned the key, the Camaro just wouldn’t start. And since he had just been kicked out of the house, and it was Christmas Eve, it meant that he had to have his car, because without the heater, he’d freeze to death since nowhere else was open. He couldn’t even go to the diner, since they’d closed early for Christmas Eve, and it was after their regular closing time anyway. So now, with nothing but his leather jacket for warmth, he had to set out and try to find somewhere to crash for the night that was preferably not outside.

He must’ve only walked a mile before the snow started to fall again. He was frozen stiff, and he wanted to run, but without snow boots, he knew he’d slip and probably break a bone before he got anywhere. He already felt like he’d been out there for hours, even though it was probably only twenty minutes, and he still didn’t see any viable options for lodging for the night. He’d passed Stacy’s house, but he never called her back last week, so she was out. Then he went by Brittany’s, but her dad threatened to kill him if he ever caught him in his house again, and he wasn’t exactly wanting to risk getting caught. He was getting closer to town when he passed Michelle’s, but he stood her up a month ago and hadn’t talked to her since, and he didn’t know if she’d gotten over it yet, so that was a no, too. At least he was just about in town now, so maybe he could break into somewhere or something. At least if he got arrested, he’d have a warm place to stay.

He was seriously considering finding a brick and breaking the window of the market when he heard voices through a small patch of trees. And where there were voices, there were people, and where there were people, there was a hope that someone would take pity on a freezing teenager. So he crept through the trees and followed the light that he saw, and when he came out of the trees, he almost turned around and walked the other way. It was a church, brightly lit up with a nativity scene out front and everything, and hordes of people walking in for the midnight service. They were a bit early, there was still a half hour before the service would start, but maybe they just wanted good seats.

Billy had never been a fan of church, even when his mother used to force him to go. It was always too long, too much sitting still, and he never liked all the kneeling and standing and sitting and all that. Besides, he grew up Catholic, and it used to scare him, all the ways he could be sent to Hell for just living his life. He never liked it, so as soon as his mother left, he never went back. But right now, it was looking like the church was his only option. Maybe, if he could sneak in amongst the rest of the people, he could just hide in a back room or something until everyone else left and then he could sleep on a bench or something. It’d be a hell of a way to get back into a church after nearly eight years, but supposedly, God accepted all sinners back, so it was worth a shot.

He had a hoodie on under his jacket, so he pulled the hood up as far as it would go and kept his face pointed towards the ground. He ran up to the church and hid around the corner, waiting for another wave of churchgoers to come along before slipping in with them. He kept looking down and just followed the crowd, and when they got to the sanctuary, he hid in the back, taking a seat in the darkest corner and trying to be unassuming. Luckily, nobody seemed to notice him, and he left his hood up to keep it that way, but he finally now lifted his head to scan the crowd.

He didn’t recognize most of the faces in the crowd, except the ones who were his age. The girls were all done up in fancy sparkly dresses and most of the guys had on sweaters with their jeans, but nobody really stood out. They were the same faces he passed in the halls every day, nobody really special. It was only just before the service got started that he saw someone who piqued his interest, because he was the absolute last person he ever expected to be stepping foot in a church.

Eddie Munson and the guy Billy assumed was his uncle walked in together, greeting people as if they were all old friends. And what was even more surprising was that everyone greeted them back the same way, like whoever they were outside of these doors didn’t matter at all. Billy found it a little hard to believe anybody could be that gracious towards someone just because they were in a church, especially someone with Eddie’s background. But it didn’t matter what he thought, because apparently, he was wrong. And to be honest, he didn’t care much, anyway.

The real surprise, though, was when Steve Harrington walked up to Eddie and his uncle and actually hugged the both of them before starting up a conversation. Billy hadn’t even seen Steve come in, but now he seemed to be trying to make nice with Eddie like they’d always been the best of friends. It was bizarre, seeing as how they were at two polar opposite ends of the social spectrum, and the fact that Billy had never even actually seen them interact until today. Maybe when he walked into the church, he’d entered an alternate dimension, too.

He didn’t have much time to mull it over, though, as the organ started playing and everyone started settling down into their seats and quieting down. Damn, Billy had meant to slip out into a side room by then, but if he got up now, it’d draw too much attention to him, so he stayed put. Somebody sat next to him that he didn’t know, anyway, so there was no way to make an escape now. He’d have to suffer through the service, but at least now he felt like he was starting to thaw out. By the time it ended he’d be warmed up again, and he could either hide and spend the night here, or at least be warm enough to keep trekking until he found a better place.

The service wasn’t as long as he remembered it being, and there was a lot less sitting and standing. Granted, this was a Presbyterian church, not a Catholic one, so that probably explained the difference. Billy didn’t actually mind this one, either. It was a little boring at times, but it was kind of pretty inside, and when they turned off the lights to sing Silent Night and everyone held a lit candle, it was strangely comforting. Still, all the flames made Billy start to feel like he needed a cigarette, so when the service was finally over, he did his best to slip outside unnoticed while the rest of the crowd milled about catching up with people. He probably had enough time to go out and get back before the majority of people left.

It was harder to get out than it had been to get in. People were standing in clusters in the aisles, by the doors and by the end of the pews, so Billy had to do his best to push through without actually pushing anybody, which was a challenge. He eventually made it out though and got his cigarettes out of his pocket, then started fishing around for his lighter. He leaned up against the side of the building as he checked each of his pockets, but he couldn’t find it anywhere. He finally gave up after a few minutes, and sighed with his head against the wall as he stood there, a shiver going through him yet again. He stayed like that for a few minutes, his eyes to the sky as his cigarette still dangled from his lips, not quite ready to put it away yet.

“Need a light?” Someone said, making Billy whip his head around to look at them. It was Eddie, Steve trailing close behind him, both of them with lit smokes of their own and holding out their lighters.

“Yeah,” Billy answered, taking one of them, “Thanks.”

“Happy Holidays,” Eddie responded, leaning against the wall next to him, Steve following suit.

“So, what brings you out here tonight?” Steve asked, flicking away some ash. “Didn’t figure you for the churchgoing type.”

“I could say the same about you,” Billy replied, taking a long drag and holding it. He let it out into the air, but the cloud wasn’t as impressive as usual, considering his breath was coming out the same way.

“Yeah, well, my parents are always making me volunteer here, so the Christmas service is pretty much a must for me every year. Plus they needed me to pick up my grandma,” Steve said, shrugging.

“And my uncle and I don’t come too often, but my Ma would kill the both of us if we didn’t go at least for the major holidays, so here we are,” Eddie said, kicking his foot in the snow. “So what about you, Hargrove?”

“I was just passin’ through, thought I’d pop in, no big deal,” he lied, glad he didn’t have to look at them in their current positions.

“I call bullshit,” Eddie said.

“Fuck you, what do you know?” Billy retorted, shooting daggers at him.

“Where’s your car, then?” Steve asked, nodding towards the parking lot. Billy couldn’t think of an answer quick enough, and he could feel the other two giving him a look without even looking at them.

“Okay, fine, I got kicked out and my car wouldn’t start, so I walked here since it’s the only place that’s open. Happy?” Billy grumbled, crossing his arms after another drag.

“Very,” Eddie smiled. “So, where are you gonna go after this?”

“Nowhere,” Billy said, “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“So what’s your plan, then? Just stay here in the church? You know they’ll kick you out if they find you, right?” Steve asked, and Billy rolled his eyes.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly planning on getting caught,” Billy rolled his eyes.

“Are you gonna be up by 4:30 in the morning? Because that’s when the pastor gets here to prepare for the 6 am service,” Steve said, leaning forward so he could look at Billy fully.

“Fuck me,” Billy mumbled, rubbing at his temples, “Then I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Besides, what preacher would throw a kid out in the freezing cold if they had nowhere else to go? I’ll be fine.”

“You won’t, but whatever,” Steve shrugged, leaning back again. It made Billy mad that he was being so casual about it, like he couldn’t care less, or like he wanted him to get caught just to prove a point.

“Well, what would you have me do, Harrington?!” He growled, starting to get chilly again, “I can’t go home, and I’ve got nowhere else to go, either! I either try my luck here, break in somewhere else and get arrested, or freeze to death, those are my options! Which would you have me do, huh?!”

“Jeez, calm down, dude, I was just trying to warn you,” Steve shrugged again. “Besides-”

“Whatever, Harrington, I don’t need your warnings, I can deal with my own shit, myself,” Billy interrupted him.

“Besides, if you’d let me finish, there’s another option,” Steve said, “My parents are already letting Eddie stay over tonight, since his uncle has to go to work after this, I’m sure they’d let you stay, too. They usually stay at a friend’s house on Christmas anyway, since they all help with the church and they’ll be helping with tomorrow morning’s services, too, so you don’t have to worry about them being around, either.”

Billy was kind of stunned at the offer, especially since he hadn’t been particularly nice to either of them, ever, and especially not Steve. But hey, if he was offering, Billy wasn’t really one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Still, he was a little skeptical, especially considering their history.

“What’s the catch?” He asked, turning to look at the two of them.

“No catch, man,” Steve said, tossing away his cigarette butt. “We saw you earlier and figured something was wrong, and we agreed that nobody should be cold and alone on Christmas, so we just want to help.

“Yeah, exactly. Call it Christmas spirit. And hey, it’s not like we have to be best friends now or anything, we’re just gonna go home, eat something, dick around for a bit, then go to bed. No big deal,” Eddie chimed in, waving around animatedly as he described the outlook of the night. And it might not have been perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than the idea of sleeping in a church and getting kicked out again at 4 am.

“Okay then, I guess,” Billy said, then mumbled around the last drag of his smoke, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Steve said, “Just let me check and see if I have to take my grandma home first.”

He ran back inside then, leaving Eddie and Billy waiting in the snow. With his cigarette finished, he now had nothing to do with his hands, so Billy shoved them in his pockets, looking down at his feet as he kicked at the snow. He was still kind of confused as to why they’d been so nice to him so far, and was still a bit skeptical, but again, gift horse.

“You know, you’re reading way too much into this,” Eddie said from beside him, bringing Billy’s attention back to the current moment. “We’re not looking for some kind of revenge on you, or whatever you think is gonna happen. We genuinely just don’t want you to be homeless when it’s -12 degrees out. Not everybody is out to get you, you know.”

“I never said anyone was out to get me,” Billy scoffed.

“No, but you think it. You don’t trust anyone, because nobody’s been willing to give you the time of day in so long that you think you don’t deserve it anymore. You do, though, and you just need someone to show you that.”

“Guess you got me all figured out, huh?”

“I know that was sarcasm, but you’re right, I do. I used to be the same way, and so was Steve. For different reasons, obviously, but we’ve both been in the position you’re in now, the only difference is, we found our way out of it, with some help. For me, it was my uncle. For him, it was his ex and a kid he started babysitting. For you, who knows, but it could be anybody, so if someone is trying to throw you a bone, don’t turn around and bite ‘em.”

Billy didn’t have time to think of something to say after that, since Steve came bounding back outside, his keys jingling like sleigh bells in his hand.

“So are you playing chauffeur again or what?” Eddie asked as Steve approached.

“Nah, my parents said they had it covered, so we’re good to go. Are you guys ready?” Steve said, smiling as he motioned towards the parking lot.

Billy walked a little behind the other two as they headed for the car, huddling in on himself both for warmth and because he wanted to make himself smaller. He was shorter than the other two anyway, but after the initial reception he’d given them tonight, he didn’t want them to take back their offer, so he made himself seem as small and helpless as possible. It seemed to work, because the only time they looked back at him over their shoulders was to make sure he was still there, and they didn’t look nervous in the slightest. He hoped that was a good sign.

When they climbed into the car, Billy took the backseat. Eddie took shotgun, and of course Steve was driving. Billy was still trying to be as invisible as possible, not even offering an opinion on the music they were going to listen to. He didn’t scoff when Steve put in a Madonna tape, nor did he reinforce Eddie’s decision to veto that and stick in a Metallica tape. He just sat quietly and looked out the window as the car started to roll, watching the same lights he passed on the way here but didn’t notice until he was basking in the newfound warmth of the heater. He got so caught up in looking at it that he didn’t even realize they were at their destination until Steve was opening his car door for him.

“Oh, thanks,” he mumbled as he got out, immediately chilled to the bone yet again as a hard gust of wind blew.

“Yeah, sure,” Steve replied. “You were just sitting there, so… Figured one of us would have to get you or you’d be in the car all night.”

“Sorry, I guess I’m just a little distracted.”

“I’ll say! Then again, if you get kicked out of your house on Christmas Eve, it’s kinda understandable. Anyway, no more of that! You can’t be a Debbie Downer for us all night, not when we have food, drinks, weed, and stupid Christmas movies to watch!” Eddie exclaimed as he ran into the house.

“He’s got too much pep, it’s making me tired,” Billy sighed as he followed Steve up the walk.

“Yeah, but it’s charming after a while,” Steve shrugged. “And he’s right, you need to lighten up. I hear my dad’s overpriced whiskey can help with that, if you’re interested.”

“I might be. Thanks,” Billy said.

“You don’t have to keep thanking me for everything all night,” Steve said as he shut the door behind them. “You’re hanging out with friends, not at a job interview.”

“Since when are we friends?” Billy asked.

“Since tonight, I guess, if you could just relax. C’mon, it’s not that serious. We were petty and stupid at first, beat each other up once or twice, and then we didn’t talk for months. This whole rivalry thing people want us to have is stupid. I’ve gotten over it, and I wanna move past it. How do you think Eddie and I started getting along? We grew up and realized that high school drama is beneath us, so why keep it going? Now he’s just a cool guy I hang out with sometimes and get high with. You could get in on that too if you wanted, you just gotta drop the I’m-too-cool-for-this act. There’s nobody else here but us, so there’s no one to put up a front for,” Steve said, taking Billy’s jacket and leading him a little further into the house. “C’mon, I think you can handle that. You can get used to it while I give you the grand tour.”

The ‘grand tour’ was really only three rooms, but it was still kinda interesting. And Steve was right, it gave him a chance as they walked through the house to wrap his head around the idea of being friends with them. Everything that Steve had said made sense, and really, once Billy got over his own ego, it didn’t take long until he was able to start feeling more comfortable. Right around that time, the ‘tour’ ended, and after being shown the basement where they would be crashing later on and the kitchen just up the stairs from it, they were going up another flight to end their route at Steve’s room.

It was kinda ugly, but it was a much bigger room than Billy had. There was a kind of hominess to it once the light was turned on and there were people in it. And it had personality, he had to give it that. Probably the most surprising bit about it, though, was the few little shelves hanging up above the desk with a couple stacks of books on them. Billy went over and looked at the outward facing spines, surprised at some of the titles. The Hobbit, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Time Machine, Jurassic Park. They were mostly science fiction, but one book stuck out to him, and he picked it up off the shelf.

“Didn’t take you for a reader,” he said as he thumbed through the book, curious if there were any pictures.

“I’m not, really, but a friend suggested The Hobbit, and Jurassic Park, and I liked them both, so I started getting into it more. I’m mostly into sci-fi, but that one’s probably one of my favorites,” Steve smiled, looking over his shoulder from where he was in his closet. He turned back around and kept digging for whatever he was looking for, and Billy went back to looking at the book. It did have pictures, crude illustrations apparently done by the author, and some of them seemed kind of interesting, including the one on the cover, right beneath the title, Breakfast of Champions.

“You can borrow it, if you like,” Steve said, coming back over to where Billy was. “It’s really good, the only school assigned book I ever liked. I’ve read it, like, five times already, so you can take it if you want.”

“Sure, I guess,” Billy replied, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Oh, also, I figured you might wanna get comfortable at some point tonight and that’s kinda hard to do in jeans and leather, so you can borrow these sweatpants. I’m bringing some down to Eddie, too, and a shirt if you want one of those.”

“I’m okay, I’ve got a shirt. I’ll take the pants, though.”

“Good. The bathroom’s right next door if you wanna change in private. I’m gonna change in here, so.”

“Cool. I’ll see you downstairs then, I guess.”

“Yeah, and we better hurry, before Eddie tears my house apart looking for the booze. He’s probably unpacked the whole kitchen already,” Steve chuckled, his smile brightening the room just a little more. Billy smiled back, but it was awkward, not quite as easy as the one Steve seemed to have so effortlessly.

He went to the bathroom and undressed, taking off everything but his boxers and undershirt before pulling on the loaned sweatpants. He tried to avoid looking at himself in the mirror, he knew he probably looked like shit after tonight, but he caught a glimpse of himself on the way out as he gathered his clothes, and he cringed. There was a bruise peeking out from the neckline of his shirt, on his collarbone, and it was really obviously not from a fall or anything. It was a fist print, four fingers clearly defined with a ring on the middle finger, the emblem of it a little muddled but clearly marking his skin. If either of them knew anything about military paraphernalia and looked at it close enough, they might be able to recognize it as an eagle. Billy could see it clear as day, though, and he did his best to hide the bruise, adjusting his shirt until only the tip of the first finger was visible. He just hoped it would be enough to keep them from asking too many questions.

By the time he’d gotten himself sorted out and gotten down the stairs, Steve and Eddie were in the kitchen waiting for him. There was a whole spread put out, with cookies and chips and enough candy for an army all laid across the counter. There were sodas, too, and a six pack of beer, and Steve had just returned with a few bottles of the harder stuff. Billy wasn’t really interested in drinking much tonight, but he supposed a few nips couldn’t hurt, especially not if he was eating. And he didn’t want to make them think he was being a downer again.

“So, what do we do now?” Billy asked as he sat down with the other two at the kitchen counter.

“Honestly, that’s up to you, Billy-Boy. See, Stevie here works at the video store and he got us arguably the two worst christmas movies ever, they were the only ones left on the shelf after a big rush earlier today, but we can’t agree on which is a bigger waste of time, so you get to be the tiebreaker,” Eddie said, placing two VHS tapes on the counter. “So, which will it be? Santa Claus Conquers the Martians or Ernest Saves Christmas?”

“Good God, these were the only two you could get?” Billy couldn’t help but laugh a little as he looked them both over, “I mean, at least this one looks like a comedy, let’s go with Ernest Saves Christmas.”

“Thank you! See, I told you he’d be on my side! Comedy is always better!” Eddie laughed triumphantly as he handed Steve the VHS to take to the basement. He and Billy started gathering up the snacks and drinks to follow after him, taking two trips to get everything, but it was okay. Eddie plopped down in the middle of the couch, and Steve and Billy took the other two sides, the three of them getting comfortable and turning on the TV.

They pressed play on the movie and let it roll, paying just enough attention to it to curb their boredom. The movie actually wasn’t even that bad, it was really silly and very campy, but it was still kinda fun. Especially once Eddie got out the leaf and started blazing up. Soon enough the jokes seemed funnier, the gags seemed sillier, and the night itself seemed happier. It wasn’t so hard, after that, for Billy to smile, and it was a real, genuine smile like the one Steve had earlier. And the one Eddie had been wearing all night. It made it so much easier to be here with the two of them when they were just themselves, and there were no pretenses to hide behind or tiptoe around.

As the movie began to wind down and the snacks were mostly gone, the smell of smoke was finally starting to lift and they had turned all the lights off. There were two couches and a loveseat in the basement that they all laid out on, each taking a blanket from the basket by the TV stand and settling down, but despite it being almost three in the morning, they weren’t quite sleepy yet. They just sat up and talked, got to know each other better, laughed like old friends over nothing. And when they eventually did tire themselves out, it was just calm. They said goodnight and as they fell asleep, they felt content.

For the first time in a long time, Billy didn’t feel afraid to fall asleep. He didn’t feel angry, or sad, or even uneasy. It was the best night he’d spent with anybody since before the move, maybe even longer, and he wished it could’ve lasted longer. Tomorrow, technically today, they’d wake up, maybe hang out for a little bit longer, possibly eat breakfast, and then? Then he’d have to leave. He’d have to go home and watch Max enjoying all the presents she got while he got nothing, and still get shit for not being there when she opened them, because his dad was just cruel like that. He’d have to deal with tiptoeing around the rest of his family so that they could have a nice Christmas but still be present enough that nobody accused him of avoiding them. And then he’d have to go to bed and hopefully do nothing wrong to earn him more bruises to patch up beforehand. But even though he knew that was what he would have to do, thinking about it tonight just didn’t sting as badly as it usually did. Maybe it was because he was still a little high and that often made him more foolishly hopeful. Or maybe it was because he knew now that if worse came to worst, he at least had two new friends that just might be willing to help him out if he needed it. It was the best Christmas gift he’d get this year, and he was going to hold onto it for as long as he could.

#billy hargrove #steve harrington #eddie munson #metalsandwich #harringroveson #stranger things #msb2024

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erghlrblrblrblr · 1 year ago

Text

A Happy Headverse Holiday

(Based on @sapphire-heart-tippy 's noncanon Sapphire Heartverse spin-off!)

--------------

Jonathan awoke in his jar with a start.

His surroundings were all the same as they always were, the cold, dimly-lit confines of Dio's fridge for as long as he can remember.

At least, now he was no longer lonely.

Around him were his fellow disembodied heads, in jars of their own, products of failed magical experiments Dio had been performing in an experimental attempt to get their rightful bodies back. Each and every time was unsuccessful, and as the fridge grew more crowded with newcomers Jonathan couldn't help but feel that Dio was just entirely reluctant to give him his body back.

At least now he wasn't lonely.

For many, many years, Jonathan dreaded the prospect of being forgotten, all alone, in the fridge. That one day, the door would never again open, and he would be left in his jar, to languish away for all eternity.

But now he wasn't alone, as the sleeping figures of his fellow severed heads now surrounded him, reclining in their jars and immersed in their life-giving fluid. Some his old friends from a time long passed, others new fellows from years after his life. And of course, a few who were once Dio's agents who recieved the most ironic of punishments for mistreating him. Only Dio himself had the privilege.

Such was the day, every single day, in his routine. But today, he knew it was a special day.

"Wake up, everyone!" he proclaimed cheerfully. "Today is a very special day!"

The other heads began to stir.

"Mmm....is it our anniversary, dear Jojo?" mumbled Erina sleepily, from the jar next to him.

"Or perhaps the day that vampire finds the mercy to give us our body back?" came the irate reply from Zeppeli, in another adjacent jar.

"No, don't be silly!" Jonathan answered with a warm, hearty laugh. "It's Christmas Eve!"

"But I don't celebrate Christmas," piped up a confused Kempo from a lower rung of the fridge. "I'm not of that...seasonal culture."

"Don't fret, mate," reasurred his partner Tattoo from the jar next to him. "You'll probably come to love it!"

"Besides, what's there to even celebrate about?" grumbled Steely Dan from a jar above his level. "We're severed heads in a fridge and you all think about the holidays?"

"Well, since there isn't anything we can do about our current state the least we can do is make the most of it!" Jonathan snapped. "Besides, it's a great relief from our monotonous decapitated life to have something to celebrate, for once!"

"So, what do you plan today, dear?" Erina asked him, sweetly.

"First thing's first," answered Jonathan. "We gotta have Vanilla take us out first."

-------------

Vanilla was in the kitchen, whipping up the ingredients for Tippy's favorite holiday pie, when an off-key chorus of Christmas carols began emanating from the fridge. The other fridge, not the one for food, which grew only louder and more grating the longer it went.

"🎵Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the waaaayyy...🎵"

At last Vanilla could stand the ruckus no more and finally opened the fridge door to give the heads inside a stern lecture.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Vanilla firmly, bending over to look into the level of the fridge and at those of its inhabitants. "If you would please, I am trying to work here. Please do not distract me."

"We could help," Speedwagon offered.

"Not a chance," Vanilla rebuked. "I have witnessed and cleaned up the messes you've made and the holidays are not the time for me to deal with your shenanigans!"

"Well, you could at least let us out of our jars," Jonathan pleaded. "I promise, we won't interfere with your work, but we'd like to enjoy the holidays too!"

"Please, Mr. Ice?" Erina added, giving him the sad puppy-dog eyes in an effort to convince him.

Vanilla's heart softened underneath his stern exterior.

"Alright, I will let you--" He paused as he was interrupted by a cheer from the heads, "--I will let you out! BUT! Only on the condition that you do not disturb Lord Dio in his rest, that you do not interfere with my cooking, and that you promise not to make a mess that I will have to clean up. Understood?"

The heads all sighed and groaned like a class of disgruntled preschoolers.

"Alright, we promise not to, Mr. Ice."

The process took a while, as Vanilla took each head out of their jar, wiped them dry, and brushed their hair one by one before letting them on their merry way. Straizo in particular held up the line as he took great pleasure in Vanilla's service.

"Ah yes! Please straighten up my frizzes, dear servant boy," he demanded. Vanilla frowned and combed away a few tangles in Straizo's hair.

"Move it along, you!" cried Dire impatiently, still in his jar. Once Vanilla had finished with Straizo and let him bounce off, he removed Dire from his jar, and prepared to wipe him dry, only for him to immediately try to hop away.

"Come back!" Vanilla insisted, managing to catch the wayward head before he could escape. "I don't want you dripping elixir all over Sire's fancy rugs!"

"Agh! No! Watch the hair!" Dire complained as he was patted dry by a towel.

Soon all the heads were freed from the fridge and ready to go about their business. There was now quite a lot of them, with all of Dio's failures in his dark magic, and the thumping of their neck bases echoed throughout the gloomy halls of Dio's mansion--ever so slightly less gloomy by the decorations the agents had been putting up.

Looking around, Jonathan could see, of course, Erina, Speedwagon and Zeppeli, his oldest friends and beloved spouse, Steely Dan, Alessi and Mariah, the bullies punished to become heads themselves, Doppio now a head separated from his other half, Zeppeli's grandson Caesar, and the others, in convenient pairs, Sorbet and Gelato, Squalo and Tiziano, Dire and Straizo, Kempo and Tattoo and the sworn enemies Kira and Kosaku, who at the moment were chasing each other around the hall with butter knives in their mouths.

Jonathan couldn't help a small smile from the sight. It was nice seeing some fellow friends, given a second chance, a time to celebrate the joy of family and friendship for the season. It was less than perfect, of course, but who else was lucky to get the chance to live another life again?

With some effort, Jonathan hopped over to a table overlooking a window and, using a footstool, a chair and a drawer as stepping-stones, bounced his way up until he was upon the tabletop, looking out at the window. It was nighttime, a bright moon hanging overhead in the sky, and in the distance city lights twinkled, far away in the unending expanse of the desert.

Jonathan sat by the windowsill for a long time, gazing out quietly. It wasn't long before Erina took notice, and with a bit of a struggle, made her way up to the tabletop to join him.

"Not very festive in the desert, isn't it?" she quipped.

"Oh!" Jonathan exclaimed in surprise, pivoting and wobbling on his neck base but managing to balance himself upright in time. "I didn't expect to see you here too, love."

"I just thought you seemed a little lonely," she added. "I suppose it doesn't snow down here in this hot tropical place."

"Oh, Dio made it snow here in Egypt once with his forbidden spells," Jonathan chuckled sheepishly. "That didn't end...very well."

He looked over to Erina, meeting the gaze of her beautiful blue eyes. Jonathan smiled, remembering how she was brought back the previous Christmas as the most precious gift of them all.

"I suppose all I really need to feel festive is to have you again," Jonathan said, with a slow sigh. "I never thought I'd ever spend time with you again and I'm more than fortunate, I suppose. Guess it's at least better than being dead."

"I suppose you could call this our first anniversary as heads?" Erina joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood. But Jonathan didn't seem his usual chipper self today.

Erina's smile faded. "Is...is there anything bothering you, darling?"

Jonathan sighed, and closed his eyes.

"I wish I could embrace you, dear Erina. I wish I could hold your hand and walk by your side, as we were meant to. But alas, we cannot."

"Don't be so gloomy, Jojo," Erina teased playfully. "Weren't you the one who encouraged me to keep going, in spite of our current state, just to stick it to Dio's face and deny him the satisfaction of making us miserable?"

Jonathan nuzzled her cheek. "I know, I know. Still, it's hard not to think about, isn't it? It's lovely having you back, but it's hard not to imagine the life we could have lived had we not been taken away from each other to begin with."

Erina pressed her cheek against Jonathan's, the best she could do in a reassuring hug. "Well, what's important is that I'm here with you again. And I'll be here with you, no matter what, because after having lived a full life and growing old without you--I'm not letting you go again."

Jonathan returned a warm smile. She really did brighten up his holiday, even if it, like himself and her, were missing something.

But as the two severed heads sat at the tabletop, warmly snuggling, they neglected to notice a pair of bright orange eyes watching from the darkness above. Ignoring the unseen spectator, they paid no heed as the figure retreated back into the shadows.

----------

"I could uthe a lithle athistance!" Speedwagon shouted in a muffled voice, hanging onto a holiday garland with his teeth and flailing his neck stump uselessly.

"Ugh, get down from there!" Vanilla demanded, reaching out his arms. Speedwagon loosed his grip from the garland and dropped right into Vanilla's grasp, safely landing in his outstretched arms.

"What on earth were you doing?" Vanilla demanded. "I told you to stay put!"

Speedwagon spat out some glitter from the garland. "We were only trying to help you decorate, Mr. Ice!"

"I appreciate the intent," Vanilla admitted. "But your efforts are less than...satisfactory," he said, gesturing to Zeppeli trying to help refill the punch bowl using only a scoop held in his mouth, spilling drops all over the table.

Zeppeli put down the scoop to free his mouth for speaking. "Look, my good man, we may have no hands but we're still trying our best!"

"And you don't need to try at all," Vanilla insisted, wiping the table and Zeppeli's mouth with a paper towel. "Besides, where are the others?"

Over at the balcony Sorbet had managed to pull one of the decorative balloons off with his mouth. He sucked in its contents then released it, sending it whizzing across the room and landing smack on the wall.

"Hey, check this out!" Sorbet said in a tiny, squeaky voice. "I sound like the chipmunks from TV!"

"Wait a sec," Gelato asked. "How does that even work if we don't have any lungs?"

"Beats me," squeaked Sorbet.

Beneath the mistletoe under the windowsill, Squalo and Tiziano shared a passionate kiss in the moonlight.

"Ti amo, mia cara," Squalo said, before planting the loudest, noisiest smooch on Tiziano's awaiting lips.

"Get a room, or a jar, you two!" squeaked Sorbet from across the hall.

"EAAAGHHHHH!" came a scream, and all the heads turned to Alessi bouncing around in a panic with his hair ablaze...again.

"Stop, drop and roll, man!" Steely Dan yelled, trying to hop after him while pushing a fire extinguisher with his forehead.

"How do you work thith thing?" Mariah exclaimed, trying to work the extinguisher handle with her teeth.

"In the sink!" Vanilla demanded. "IN THE SINK!" He grabbed Alessi by his smoldering hairdo and dunked him in the running water, extinguishing the flame and drawing a relieved sigh from the head.

"Alright, you all!" Vanilla demanded, pulling Alessi back up from the sink and placing him on the counter. "Do you want me to put you all back in the fridge to miss out on the holidays?"

"NO!!" came the unified reply.

"Yes," groaned Alessi with a defeated sigh, his hair still smoking.

"I don't have the patience for you all right now," Vanilla grumbled. "I'm leaving you in the care of Ramon and Okuyasu while I get my cooking done!"

"Again?" Ramon moaned. Vanilla patted his fluffy hair gently.

"Just for this one time, alright?" Vanilla said reassuringly. "Papa has important things to do, and I did promise to let them enjoy the holidays."

"Don't you worry, Mister Ice!" Okuyasu chuckled. "This is gonna be a piece of cake!"

----------

It was not a piece of cake.

"Boy, you guys sure are a handful," Ramon gave an exhausted huff as he removed the candy canes from Kosaku and Kira's mouths that they were using to sword-fight each other with, and picked them both up.

"He started it!" Kosaku snapped, struggling in one of Ramon's hands.

"Like you always do," Kira morosely grumbled from Ramon's other hand as the young lad tried to keep them separated.

"Can't you two just get along for the holidays?" Ramon sighed.

In the meantime, at the living room, Okuyasu was preoccupied with dressing up the other heads for the occasion.

"Don't you look splendid!" he cheerfully exclaimed, as he crossed his arms and admired his handiwork.

"Personally, I look downright ridiculous," Dire complained, as he looked in the mirror at his festive elf hat and jingling bell neck base.

"Oh, speak for yourself, dear friend!" Straizo retorted, admiring his Santa hat and fluffy woolen neck base, the closest thing he could wear to a Christmas sweater. "You look beautifully festive!"

Dire frowned and began to bounce away, jingling and ringing as he went.

Ramon gave Okuyasu a friendly pat on the back. "Looks like someone doesn't like your fashion sense, bro!" Okuyasu laughed back, but his face visibly sank at the mention of "bro".

Ramon noticed his friend's slight change in mood. "You okay there, my man?"

"I miss my bro," Okuyasu admitted.

"Oh," Ramon said sympathetically. "Where is he?"

"Oh, well...he, uh...died." Okyuasu sadly explained. "Sure, he was kind of mean and pushy, but...he was my bro, bro?"

Jonathan noticed Okuyasu's gloomy mood and hopped over to his side, tapping his leg with his forehead. "You okay there?" Jonathan asked. "You suddenly felt less jolly."

"I'm okay," Okuyasu answered, trying to smile once more. He looked down at Jonathan, who grinned up at him from the floor with a warm cheerful smile and bright friendly eyes.

And suddenly, Okuyasu had an idea...

"Say, Mr. Jojo, how exactly did Mr. Dio bring back your friends?"

"Oh, he used a strand of their hair and a spell from his Big Evil Spellbook Edition IV, in his dreary dark magic lab, if I remember. Why he once did--" Jonathan paused at the realization. "Wait. You're not telling me you're planning to--"

But Okuyasu had already run off, faster than Jonathan could bounce after him.

"Mr. Zeppeli, Mr. Zeppeli! Which way to Mr. Dio's dreary dark magic lab?" he asked the moustached head, who was hopping along the hall.

"Why would you even ask such a thing?" Zeppeli replied. "You're not planning to do anything, are you?"

"Just tell me and I'll let you have a nice, cold rum when we have dinner." Okuyasu bargained.

"Ah, it's at the second floor near the lounge room, dear boy!" Zeppeli said without hesitation. "See you at dinner!" he added, and happily hopped away with an excited spring in his bounce.

Okuyasu gave a mischievous grin, as he peeked into his wallet and looked at the single blond hair he had found among his old stuff.

-------

At last, dinner was ready, and the agents, the heads, and all of Dio's villainous guests gathered around the long table for the evening toast.

"A toast, to a wickedly fabulous year in this manor," Dio cackled from the end of the long end of the table, holding up a wine glass filled with what probably wasn't red wine given its bearer was, well, a vampire.

"A toast to another year with my two wonderful husbands!" Tippy cheered, cuddling up to Vanilla and Bel while holding up a glass of bright blue soda.

"A toast to our successful La Squadra businesses that are totally not fronts for illegal activities!" added an unnaturally-happy Risotto, brandishing a cup of Ghiaccio's bubble tea.

"A toast for hopefully getting our body back," groaned a snarky Zeppeli, staring helplessly at his glass of rum. Ramon gave an amused giggle and lifted the glass for him.

"A toast for...whatever it is people of this century and age toast about," Wamuu added, taking a bite out of his wineglass and spitting in disgust.

"And a toast for our kind, generous and compassionate host, Lord Dio!" Vanilla finished off, prompting a subtle eye roll from Jonathan.

"Let's get this party started!" Bel exclaimed, setting off a couple of party poppers.

Slow, classical music began to play on the disc player.

"Hey!" Hol Horse complained. "That's not the proper song!"

"They don't come in Braille!" N'doul complained, fumbling around among the music tapes.

"Let me try," Hol Horse grumbled, and popped in the disk for "Jingle Bell Rock".

"Ah, that's more like it." he added.

In the mansion's main hall celebrants both bodied and bodiless partied the whole night, reveling in the festivities. Heroes and villains called a truce for the night, setting aside their differences for one evening as they instead preoccupied themselves with their festivities and welcoming a new year ahead, of which both Dio and Jonathan had done a hundred times and Wamuu over a thousand.

"No hard feelings, little head man?" Wamuu asked Caesar, giving him a pat on his hair.

"I mean, you did squish me, but it's not like we get anything from being angry about it 'till now." Caesar said matter-of-factly, taking a sip from a wine glass using his lips and spilling them all over himself.

"This salsa is great!" Doppio exclaimed as he messily wolfed down the condiment from atop the table.

"Agh, not the SALSA!" Diavolo cried, as his stomach was linked to Doppio just as Dio's was to Jonathan. "I'm allergic to salsa! Urkgh--" he choked, and fell to the ground.

"Is he...dead?" Ghiaccio asked, poking him with his foot.

"He dies a lot, don't worry," Sorbet reassured.

"He'll be fine in about 30 seconds." Gelato added.

"Say, where IS Okuyasu, by the way?" Ramon asked, noticing his friend's absence.

"Heh, I suppose he'll join us later, I guess?" Zeppeli laughed sheepishly as he delicately took a swig of rum from his glass.

The festivities continued all until dawn, when the sky at last began to faintly brighten.

"Well, it has been a pleasure to host your party night but I must be on my way. Off to bed I go!" Dio concluded urgently before withdrawing to his room before the sun rose. Vampires were most certainly not morning people.

And eventually, tuckered out from all the partying through the night and until morning, Vanilla, with a yawn, began to round up all the heads one by one, returning them to their jars.

"Already?" Tattoo complained. "We were just getting started."

"I suppose we've had too much for one day," sighed Kempo as he was lowered into his jar.

"Straizo, here, Dire, here, Zeppeli, here, Speedwagon, here," Vanilla mumbled as he finished his head-count. With the heads all snugly back in the fridge, Vanilla began to close the door.

"Hey," Jonathan added just as the door closed. Vanilla gave a pause.

"A happy holidays to you, Mr. Ice."

"And to you as well, Mr. Jojo." Vanilla replied, with a warm smile atypical of his stern face, before he shut the door.

Soon it was dark and cold again.

Sleepy from the whole night's party, and from all the merry-making that took the entire evening, Jonathan gave one final happy glance at the now-sleeping Erina in the jar next door, before falling into a deep and restful slumber.

...one so restful that, later that night, he did not even wake as a pair of clawed hands silently opened the fridge door and gently lifted his jar out, with him asleep inside.

------------

"Wake up, Jojo!" came Erina's voice.

"Huh?" Jonathan mumbled as he scratched his hair with his hand. "How long was I asleep?"

Jonathan paused in shocked realization.

Hand?

Jonathan looked down. At first, he thought he had been laid on somebody's shirtless chest, and whoever that was had been the one to give his head a scratch.

But something felt different.

Jonathan tried to wiggle his neck stump, but to his surprise, the body he was laying on lurched to the side too, tumbling off the bed. He braced himself, expecting to roll away underneath a table and get stuck again, except he didn't roll.

He wasn't laying on top of someone's body, he was...attached to it. Jonathan gasped in disbelief.

"I have a body."

"I HAVE A BODY!" Jonathan joyfully exclaimed as the realization set in.

He thought hard about moving his arms, and to his amazement, the arms, his arms, moved in unison with his thoughts. He thought of kicking his legs, and to his delight, his legs kicked in unison.

"I have a body, dear Erina." he said with unbridled mirth, tears of happiness welling up in his eyes. He tried to wipe them off, and clumsily slapped himself in the face.

Erina giggled. "Yes, Jojo. You do have a body. It seems...you're a little out of practice though."

Jonathan gingerly reached out to Erina, careful not to knock her off the bedside table. She gently nuzzled his hand.

"Wait, whose body is this?" Jonathan pondered. He tried to stand up to see in the mirror, but unaccustomed to having legs again, he stumbled and fell to the floor.

He clumsily crawled his way over to the mirror, Erina hopping off the table and bouncing over to Jonathan's side.

He inspected himself in the mirror.

He was wearing a pair of of black shorts (and gave a sigh of relief that he wasn't naked), and slowly he ran his newfound fingers over his muscular form that once again was his. There was no mistaking it--the dark hairs that the body had matched his dark blue crowning glory, the scar across the neck traced where his body had been rightfully rejoined to his head, and, most tellingly, there was the star. The birthmark upon his shoulder that confirmed beyond doubt that Jonathan's body had been returned to its proper owner.

Balancing onto his knees, Jonathan gently picked up Erina's head--or rather, Erina-- and laid her gently across his chest. She smiled proudly at him.

"Now that you have arms...let me give you a kiss, Jojo." He lifted her up to his face, and she gave him a loving peck on the cheek.

"Come on, my dear," Jonathan said. "Let's come and show the others!"

-------------

Tippy, Bel and Vanilla were busy opening up gifts in the living room when they heard a series of loud thumps, coming from the spare bedroom. Tippy thought at first that it was just the heads bouncing around, but this one seemed...louder. Heavier, even.

And, to everyone's surprise, as the noise reached its loudest, out of the corner came--none other than Jonathan.

Jonathan...with a body.

"Dear lord, you're HUGE!" Bel exclaimed, seeing the towering figure that he'd gotten so used to seeing as just a severed head.

"No way!" Tippy agreed, looking up at the six-foot-five former head. Jonathan felt rather...odd, looking down at Tippy who now was much smaller.

Jonathan hopped over to the counter, feet firmly together, and awkwardly placed Erina on the counter with trembling hands.

"Don't be silly, Jojo!" Erina laughed. "You don't need to hop around anymore!"

"Sorry," Jonathan laughed in an embarrased tone. "Force of habit."

"My, you are...quite a sight," Vanilla said, impressed at how tall Jonathan was with his full body. "I do feel you haven't quite gotten used to having a body again, but...congratulations, Jojo."

"He'll get used to it again soon enough."

The voice came from Dio's room, and sure enough the vampire stepped forth from his boudoir, gracefully and elegantly stepping down the staircase.

"Wait a second!" Jonathan said. "If this is MY body, then whose--"

"Don't fret, dear brother. Besides, you haven't even thanked me for the favor I gave you. I heard you weeping all night to her about how you missed your body, and it was pathetic. Unbearably irritating. Now say thanks, Jojo."

Jonathan sighed. "Thank you, Dio," he huffed, just to humor him. "Again, whose...body is that?"

"Oh, of course I wasn't just giving up the convenience of having such a powerful body as yours, as generous as I did feel this year! I found the next best and closest thing there is," he slyly said, turning his back and pointing to the star on his shoulder.

"HEY! You double-crossing blonde bastard! This wasn't part of the deal!" cried an angry voice from the floor, as a very displeased disembodied head came chin-scooting after Dio, tumbling down the stairs and rolling to a stop near his feet.

"JOSEPH?" Erina exclaimed in bewilderment.

"You said you needed my help to give Grandpa his body back!" screamed Joseph's head, rolling around in frustration.

"And thank you for letting me...borrow yours for a while." Dio laughed, picking up Joseph's head and putting him next to Caesar on the countertop.

"Come on, Jojo, it's not too bad being a head!" teased Caesar with a playful bump of his forehead. "Heh, at least NOW we're even!"

Joseph sighed. "Fine! I suppose Grandpa Jonathan does deserve his body back. But you better give back mine soon, you wretched plasma-sipper, or else--"

A loud scream from the kitchen interrupted the exchange caught everyone's attention, as Okuyasu rushed into the room, carrying a noisy bundle under his arm.

"It's alright, bro! Happy holidays!" Okuyasu said in an anxious voice.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY BODY?!" replied a voice from the bundle.

Okuyasu noticed the awkward stares of the crowd. "Oh, yeah, sorry about that. I'd just like you to meet by brother, Keicho!" he said with a grin, lifting up the struggling and clearly displeased head for everyone to see.

"YOU RESURRECTED A HEAD WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!" Dio cried furiously. "Do you know how WRONG you could have gotten that spell?"

"I'm impressed someone like you could actually pull it off," Vanilla shrugged.

"Oh, it's just like playing a video game! He seems alright. Er...mostly," Okuyasu boasted. "Welcome back, big bro, and merry Christmas?"

Keicho's head glared at Okuyasu from his arms. "You have a LOT of explaining to do, young man."

---------

"So now that Jonathan's gotten his body back, what about the rest of us?" Zeppeli complained.

"I suppose Lord Dio found him an easier subject given he had a pre-existing body to begin with." Vanilla explained. "Yours will be harder, given his magic will have to recreate yours from scratch..."

"What about OUR bodies?" Steely Dan demanded. "They're still out there, aren't they?"

"If we can convince them to come back," Vanilla warned. "Last I heard they were cross-country skiing in Canada!"

A collective groan came from Alessi, Steely Dan and Mariah.

"Sucks to be you!" Okuyasu laughed at the trio of bullies.

"And to be me, huh?" Keicho mumbled from inside his jar.

"Oh, no no!" Okuyasu fumbled at his faux pas. "I promise I'll find a way to get your body back! Eventually..." he gave an awkward giggle.

Meanwhile on the floor, Caesar gave a nudge to Joseph as the latter tried to bounce.

"Ugh! I did NOT expect to spend the holidays stuck like you, Caesarino!" Joseph whined. "Now how can I pull off my Secret Joestar Technique with no legs to run with?!"

"You don't," Caesar stated flatly.

"Don't you have any classes or something to learn how to pull this off?!" Joseph complained.

"Well, I suppose Headucation 101 is cancelled for the semester, now that our lead teacher isn't a head anymore..." Caesar quipped, as he bounced over to the ledge overlooking the guest room, with Joseph clumsily following suit.

There, in the guest room, was Jonathan, dressed in a formal suit for the first time in a hundred years, on a body to call his own. Next to him was Erina, placed atop a mannequin body from the department store where Jonathan had worked as a display dummy when he was a head. She was "wearing" a bright red ballroom gown, and the mannequin was mounted on a set of swivel chair wheels, allowing Jonathan to tow her along.

"May I have the last dance with you, my dear?" Jonathan said, as he reached out to gently hold one of Erina's rubbery mannequin hands. Though she couldn't feel it, she felt his loving touch anyway.

"Of course you can, Jojo," Erina smiled. "I have waited a lifetime to dance with you again."

"As have I," Jonathan smiled. "Perhaps once your true body is restored we may dance together as we should...but for now, this will have to do."

As the festive music played on the radio, Jonathan held Erina's mannequin hands as they twirled about on the dance floor, smiling with pure joy as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Tippy quipped.

"And weird," Bel added.

"But mostly cute," Vanilla concluded. "I suppose Mr. Jojo deserves it."

It wasn't quite the perfect way to cap off the bizarre adventures of the mansion, but for once, one problem had been fixed. The rest...would be harder and could come later.

But for now, there was only a moment that had waited a century. And to the two, all that mattered was the last dance put on hold for too long to wait.

"This is the best gift you could have ever given me, even if this mannequin body isn't exactly dance-worthy..." Erina said. "But it's a gift I treasure from the bottom of my metaphorical heart."

"And same to you, dear Erina," Jonathan said as he pulled her in for a hug, for the first time in many years.

"A happy holiday to you, my beloved."

"And to you as well."

#sapphire-heart-tippy #jonathan's head

11 notes · View notes

windfighter · 11 months ago

Text

New Year's Revolutions

can't believe it took me a whole month to finish a short story about the frontier-gang celebrating new year's, but it did and here we are!

so anyway have the crew meeting up for new year's and Kouji getting a panic attack because of the explosions! Turns out his last year out in the world wasn't all sunshine and happiness. But at least he has the others there to help him :3

------------------

It had been a few years since they celebrated the new year together. Kouji was always off in a foreign country taking pictures, Junpei busy with the opera, Kouichi at the operating table, Takuya at a party or with one of his lovers, Izumi hosting New Years-parties for lonely people at her restaurant and Tomoki attending a party with the other politicans or at home working. They had plans, but their schedules just wouldn’t let it happen.

Finally they found a year to gather – Tomoki took a break from his work as a streamer to fly to Italy for a week and visit his friends, Kouji had stayed at Takuya’s place the whole month, Kouichi had new year’s eve free for the first time in years and Junpei’s repetitions were done early. Izumi closed her restaurant for visitors so they could gather there, watch the fireworks from the porch overlooking the city. It was the best place to watch them, if you asked her.

Kouji hesitated as he and Takuya were leaving the house, every movement he made seemed to be in slow-motion. Takuya watched Kouji as he grabbed his coat, slowly put it on.

”If you’d rather stay here”, Takuya offered.

Kouji shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Smiled and shook his head.

”It’s fine, I’m fine. It’ll be fun.”

”Are you sure?”

Kouji’s cheeks were a little pale and he closed his eyes, stopped breathing, as a firework went off in the distance. Then he took a shaky breath and smiled again.

”I’m sure. It’ll be fun to see everyone.”

Takuya walked up to Kouji wrapped an arm around his neck. Leaned in close.

”If you’d rather stay home for some… exercises…” he whispered.

Nibbled Kouji’s ear. Another firework went of and Kouji flinched, pulled away.

”Nah, this is all we’ve been talking about since christmas, let’s just go over”, Kouji laughed. ”They’ll miss us if we stay home.”

”Alright then”, Takuya said.

Opened the door and bowed for Kouji.

”Last chance to stay.”

Kouji shook his head and stepped through the door. Takuya followed, locked the door, and Kouji grabbed his hand. Walked almost pressed against Takuya’s side as they made their way over to the car. He seemed to hesitate again as he had to let go. Takuya opened the door to the passenger seat for Kouji and Kouji sat down without letting go of Takuya’s hand.

”Are you okay?” Takuya asked.

Because it didn’t seem like it, but Kouji smiled, let go of Takuya and put the hand in his pocket instead.

”I’m fine”, Kouji said.

His voice was stable, his gaze as well. Takuya returned the smile, nodded and closed the door. Sat down in the driver’s seat and started the car.

-----

Midnight was only minutes away. Tomoki and Junpei were already out on the porch watching the fireworks that had started. Izumi was talking with them through a window while Takuya and Kouichi was finishing up a game of poker at one of the tables. Dirty plates and leftover food was still out on another table, they’d take care of that in the new year. Kouji was sitting at a table as far from the porch as possible, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Takuya glanced at Kouji before revealing his hand for Kouichi – two pairs. He’d win this one for sure. Kouichi grinned and revealed his own cards – three sevens. Takuya groaned and shoved the winnings in Kouichi’s direction.

”I’ll win that back later”, he promised.

Kouichi laughed.

”You were always terrible at poker”, he said. ”It’s your face.”

”My face is beautiful I’ll have you know.”

”So you keep telling me.”

Kouichi laughed again, stood up. Izumi pulled away from the window.

”I’ll fetch the champange”, she said and disappeared towards the kitchen.

A bunch of fireworks went off outside. Kouji stood up.

”I need to… toilet”, he said.

”Don’t be late!” Takuya called.

Kouji didn’t answer, just rushed away, towards the toilets at the back of the restaurant. Takuya and Kouichi glanced at each other and Takuya shrugged.

”You’d probably do better against someone who doesn’t know all your tells”, Kouichi returned to the conversation. ”There’s a certain twitch in your mouth when you think you have a good hand. And when you actually have a good hand you can’t stop grinning.”

”So what you’re saying is that my face is beautiful and you keep studying it”, Takuya teased.

Kouichi shook his head with a smile.

”Keep your flirting to my brother, I’m not falling for it.”

”You guys coming?” Junpei called.

They left the cards and chips on the table, went out on the porch. Takuya leaned against the railing, gazed out over the city. Explosions were already filling the air, the sky filled with colors. People were in the streets, dancing, laughing, shooting off rockets.

”Kouji better hurry”, Izumi said as she returned.

Handed everyone a glass with champagne, gave Kouji’s to Takuya. Kissed Junpei’s cheek and leaned against the railing next to him.

”One minute left!” Tomoki let them know.

Takuya glanced towards the toilets. No sign of Kouji. Kouichi leaned against the railing next to Izumi and Tomoki jumped up and sat on it. Wrapped his arm around one of the pillars for balance.

”10!” Tomoki called out.

The number of explosions increased drastically. Kouji had to hurry if he wanted to be there for midnight.

”9!” Junpei helped.

A big, red firework covered the sky and Takuya grinned. Best color for fireworks, no doubt.

”8!” he said.

Gripped the glass a little harder. Why wasn’t Kouji back yet?

”7!” Kouichi and Izumi said at the same time and laughed.

”6!” Tomoki again. He was leaning forwards as far as he could.

”5, 4, 3”, they counted together.

A loud bang drowned out their voices, stole number two and one.

”Happy new year!” everyone cheered.

Hit their glasses together. Junpei wrapped an arm around Izumi, kissed her, then pulled Kouichi in for a kiss as well. Takuya ruffled Tomoki’s hair and Tomoki laughed. The sky was covered in fireworks and smoke.

”Any new year’s revolutions?” Takuya asked.

Glanced to the side. Still no Kouji. Everyone else noticed it as well.

”...is Kouji still on the toilet?” Kouichi asked. ”We shouldn’t have given him real food.”

He laughed, but Takuya’s stomach ached.

”I’m gonna check on him”, he said.

Left the porch, put the glasses on one of the many tables in the dining room. Walked past the kitchen-area towards the toilets. He could hear steps following, but didn’t turn around. He knocked on the door to the toilet.

”Kouji?”

Silence. Just the sound of fireworks. The sound was a bit muted in there, far from the doors and windows.

”Kouji, are you okay?”

The other four arrived as well. Takuya looked at them, put a hand on the door handle. Opened the door and froze. Kouji was on the floor, pressed against the wall between the sink and the toilet. His body trembled, hands pressed firmly over his ears and eyes clenched shut. Takuya’s heart stopped beating for a second, and Kouichi pushed him to the side, sank down infront of Kouji. Izumi left, back towards the restaurant.

”Hey, what’s wrong?” Kouichi asked.

Kouji’s body trembled worse, he pressed his hands even harder against his ears. Pulled his knees up as high as possible and made himself small. Takuya took a step inside.

”Is he okay?” he asked.

Stupid question, but… This was weird. Something was wrong. Kouichi put a hand on Kouji’s shoulder and Kouji pulled away, slammed his body into the pipe under the sink. Takuya winced on his behalf and Kouichi took his hand away again. Looked at Takuya, eyes wide. Takuya’s stomach hurt. The door swung open again, Izumi pressed between the two of them, sank down infront of Kouji.

”Hey”, she whispered. ”You probably can’t hear me right now, but this will help.”

”Do you know what’s going on?” Takuya asked.

Izumi didn’t answer, just put a pair of earmuffs over Kouji’s hands. Waited. Takuya shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Kouji was still for a minute, then he pulled his hands out, grabbed the earmuffs. Let his hands trace along them and move them until they were correctly positioned. Wrapped his arms around himself.

”...sorry”, he whispered.

So quietly Takuya almost didn’t hear it.

”It’s okay”, Izumi said.

Kouji didn’t react to it. Takuya pulled his hands over his face and Izumi turned towards him.

”Panic attack”, she said. ”From the explosions.”

”How did you know?”

She gestured towards the restaurant.

”I have a lot of guests here at new years, it has happened before. That’s why we have these in the restaurant.”

Kouji opened his eyes, looked at them. Leaned against his knees and buried his face in his hands.

”It’s mostly retired soldiers”, Izumi continued, ”but age, vision- and hearingloss can cause it as well.”

”Kouji is none of those things”, Takuya argued.

Crossed his arms over his chest. Izumi shrugged. Kouichi put a hand on Kouji’s shoulder and this time Kouji didn’t pull away. Still didn’t look at them though.

”Other things can make them happen as well”, Kouichi said. ”I guess we’ll find out why when he’s gathered himself.”

Izumi pushed past Kouichi, pressed herself in the small space left between the sink and the toilet and put an arm around Kouji, pulled him closer.

”We’ll be here”, she said, ”until you’re ready.”

Kouichi turned around, towards Junpei and Tomoki. Takuya had almost forgotten that they were there as well.

”You two can go back and look at the fireworks. Let us know when it has mostly died down.”

”Anything else we can do?” Junpei asked.

Kouichi shook his head.

”Maybe prepare some of the leftover dessert for him, and a glass of water. He’ll need something when his body calms down.”

Kouji took a shaky breath, curled up against Izumi. Takuya almost felt jealous. He didn’t say anything though. Just sat down on the floor, watched Kouji. Kouichi left the toilets, left Takuya, Izumi and Kouji alone. Kouji was still trembling, but he was less pale, his breathing seemed more relaxed. He looked tired.

”You didn’t notice anything this past week?” Izumi asked.

Takuya shook his head, gestured at nothing.

”You know my house. Far away from everything, even fireworks. We’ve had the occassional trespasser setting something off in the garden but… Kouji never reacted like this.”

Takuya bit his lip.

”He was behaving a little weird as we left the house tonight, but I asked several times and he didn’t want to stay at home.”

Kouji looked at Takuya, looked away again. Takuya listened to the fireworks still exploding in the background. For the first time in his life he wished they could stop shooting them off.

”When we first met”, Takuya said just to fill the air, ”Kouji would never have accepted getting treated like this.”

Izumi laughed a bit.

”We’ve all changed a lot, haven’t we?”

”I dunno”, Takuya answered with a grin. ”Junpei is still a clown.”

”A clown that has sung on La Scala”, Izumi said. ”That’s more than you can say.”

”We almost won the world cup last year”, Takuya said. ”I would like to see Junpei try that.”

”In some ways we haven’t changed”, Izumi said. ”Junpei would never.”

Kouji’s face turned frustrated and he pulled his hands across his eyes.

”Sorry”, he mumbled again.

”Don’t worry about it”, Izumi answered.

It took another ten minutes. Kouji’s body calmed down, Izumi and Takuya talked about whatever they could think of. Football, opera, food, the digital world, dreams. Then Tomoki came back, knocked on the door.

”They’ve almost stopped shooting.”

Izumi patted Kouji’s arm, crawled back out and sat on her knees infront of him. Gestured taking the earmuffs off. Kouji hesitated, lifted them off one ear. A firework went off and his face scrunched up, he pressed against the wall again. Then it was silent. Kouji took the earmuffs off completely. Takuya didn’t dare speak, gripped his pants with his hands.

”I’m sorry”, Kouji whispered for the third time.

Still held on to the earmuffs, took a shaky breath.

”I didn’t… didn’t think it’d get this bad.”

Kouichi appeared as well, stepped past Tomoki and Takuya and held a glass infront of Kouji.

”Here, drink this. There’s some cake and cookies waiting in the restaurant when you’re ready.”

Kouji took the glass, hand still trembling. But not as bad, Takuya noticed. Kouji sipped on the water, closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. It almost looked like he would fall asleep.

”It’s…” he mumbled.

Stopped talking again. They waited. Another firework went of and Kouji dropped the glass, wrapped his arms around himself. The glass shattered and Kouichi left. Returned with a broom and sweeped the broken glass up before anyone got hurt. Kouji took a shaky breath.

”...war in this world isn’t as it was back then”, he whispered.

Kouichi dropped the broom.

”What?!”

Takuya and Izumi looked at each other, looked at Kouji again. Kouji curled up, but it looked… different from when he hid from the fireworks. Uncertain instead of scared. Maybe it was the lack of trembles through his body, Takuya pondered.

”What do you mean?” Izumi asked.

”People don’t turn into data and gets reborn. There’s just blood and destruction and…”

He held his hands infront of his face, looked at them. Pressed them together and scrubbed them.

”...and explosions”, he finished.

Hid the hands under his knees, hugged his legs. Takuya heard steps come closer, Tomoki and Junpei returning. Takuya swallowed.

”...what happened?” he asked.

Kouji looked at him. For the first time in a month Takuya really looked at Kouji. Noticed the bags under his eyes, the way his clothes hung just a little looser than they used to. Realized it wasn’t because he was happy to be home, to be with Takuya. He should have realized it sooner, when Kouji didn’t leave again after two weeks.

”I was taking pictures of goats”, Kouji said, ”when the missiles arrived. The first bombs exploded.”

He turned his head away, hugged his thighs harder.

”I don’t want to think about it.”

”I’m sorry”, Takuya said. ”I should have…”

Should have what, he didn’t know. Kouji shook his head.

”I hoped I could just forget”, he whispered.

”Goats?” Junpei asked.

Takuya glanced at him. Junpei was grinning, even if it looked a bit tense. Kouji let out a short laugh.

”I don’t just take pictures of deadly animals”, he said. ”Sometimes there’s goats instead.”

Another firework went off. Kouji flinched, hit his head on the underside of the sink.

”I’m getting you a helmet for your birthday”, Takuya joked.

Kouji just looked sad. He put his head in his hands again.

”I got trapped under a building”, he whispered. ”For a day. And I was one of the lucky ones.”

”Kouji…”

Takuya moved closer, put a hand on Kouji’s knee, moved it to Kouji’s arm. Pulled at him to get him out from there and into Takuya’s arms. Kouji didn’t move. His body started trembling again.

”Have you talked to someone?” Kouichi asked.

Kouji stopped trembling, peeked through his fingers and looked at Kouichi. Takuya looked at the floor, tilted his head.

”...is this why you haven’t wanted to… you know…”

Kouji blushed. It would have been cute if the circumstances had been different. He kicked Takuya and Takuya laughed.

”We are not discussing that infront of everyone”, Kouji said.

Everyone laughed. It didn’t feel relaxed, but it felt better. Takuya made a new attempt to pull Kouji out and this time Kouji let him, leaned against Takuya and took a shaky breath.

”I’m sorry”, Kouji said again. ”I didn’t think… I really wanted to celebrate with all of you.”

”Night’s not over”, Tomoki said. ”We still have lots of goodies to eat.”

”Maybe tomorrow”, Kouji said and looked away. ”I just…”

He sounded exhausted. Takuya wished he could understand better, so he could make sure this never happened again. Izumi put her hand on Kouji’s shoulder.

”There’s a bedroom upstairs, so you don’t have to wait for a taxi. They’re probably fully booked for another 3 hours.”

Kouji nodded, started standing up. Looked like he would fall straight back down again. Kouichi grabbed his arm and Takuya stood up as well, wrapped his arm around Kouji’s waist. Kouji slumped against him, took a shaky breath. Takuya and Kouichi glanced at each other. Shared a silent promise that they’d talk with Kouji later. When he wasn’t a trembling mess.

”Come have a cookie before you go to bed at least”, Junpei said. ”You look like you need something sweet.”

Another firework went off. Kouji closed his eyes, pressed his face against Takuya’s shoulder. Takuya hugged him closer.

”Next year we celebrate at my place, I promise.”

Kouji nodded. Takuya pulled at him.

”Come on, dessert, then we go hide in the room. Okay?”

Izumi stood up, left the bathroom. Junpei and Tomoki followed her. Kouichi shifted his weight. Takuya wondered what he was thinking about. Kouji didn’t move and Takuya pulled at him again.

”Kouji?”

”Lightheaded”, Kouji mumbled.

Takuya laughed.

”Want me to carry you?”

Kouji nodded. Takuya bent down, put his other arm behind Kouji’s legs and lifted him off the floor. Kouichi’s face turned worried and Takuya agreed. Kouji rarely agreed to being carried, only when things were bad. Kouji put his head on Takuya’s shoulder, gripped his shirt, and Takuya started walking, back into the restaurant. He put Kouji on a chair by a table as far from the windows as possible, sat down next to him. Held his hand. Kouichi stopped in the kitchen, Takuya could hear water runing.

”Hey”, Takuya said.

Kouji looked at him. His face was still pale, eyes slightly haunted. Takuya squeezed Kouji’s hand.

”I love you, okay?” he said.

Kouji looked away again, at his lap. Takuya didn’t mind.

”And… and I’ll be here for you, if this happens again. I promise.”

”I’m going to leave again”, Kouji whispered. ”You know that, right?”

A glass of water and a piece of cake was placed on the table. Kouichi smiled at them.

”The rest of us are on the porch, just say good night before you head upstairs, okay?”

Kouji nodded. His hand trembled as he reached for the glass. Kouichi turned around, went to the others, and Takuya squeezed Kouji’s hand again. Sat in silence while Kouji finished the water and the cake. He looked healthier afterwards, less pale, more stable. Still looked exhausted though. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and Takuya smiled.

”Ready for bed?”

Kouji nodded, leaned against Takuya. Another stray rocket exploded and Kouji pressed against Takuya, grabbed his shirt and hid his face against Takuya’s shoulder. Takuya wanted to ask more, learn more about what had happened. He rubbed Kouji’s back, waited for the shivers to die down again. A minute, two, then Kouji’s grip loosened. He took a shaky breath.

”I hate this”, he whispered. ”I should know better…”

Takuya didn’t know what to answer. He gave Kouji a hug, heard him yawn.

”Ready for bed?” Takuya repeated.

”Yeah”, Kouji yawned again. ”You don’t need to come with me.”

Takuya kissed Kouji’s cheek, smiled.

”I want to. How your year starts is how it’ll go, and I want to go to bed with you. Every day.” he kissed Kouji’s cheek again. ”For the rest of the year.”

Kouji laughed and Takuya grinned. This was better, Kouji was feeling more relaxed and Takuya could feel less worried.

”I have work coming up in a month”, Kouji said.

Takuya didn’t know that. He pulled away and looked at Kouji.

”What work?”

He knew Kouji would leave eventually, he always did, the calls from the world and nature too strong to ignore, but… It still felt sad. Kouji stuck his tongue out and Takuya must have looked sadder than he had meant to.

”I’ve been invited to McMurdo Station”, Kouji said.

As if Takuya knew what that was. He blinked and tilted his head.

”It’s in Antarctica”, Kouji explained.

”...don’t get eaten by a polar bear.”

Kouji laughed, put his head in his hand and shook it. Patted Takuya’s shoulder and stood up.

”You’re an idiot. Let’s… let’s go to bed.”

He swayed a little. Started walking towards the porch and Takuya was quick to stand up as well, walk with him and say goodnight to everyone. Izumi smiled at them.

”I’m opening the restaurant at ten tomorrow, so I’ll be here at nine to wake you up.”

”Sounds good”, Takuya smiled. ”Don’t want to sleep away the whole day.”

Kouji looked like he disagreed. He yawned again, leaned against the wall, and Takuya wrapped an arm around Kouji’s waist.

”The rest of you can meet up and do something while I work”, Izumi continued, ”and I’ll join later.”

”It’s a plan”, Takuya laughed. ”We’ll decide tomorrow what we’re up to. Maybe we’ll just go sit in the harbour.”

”Bed”, Kouji said.

He leaned against Takuya, felt like he was five seconds from falling over. Takuya nodded.

”Right, yeah. Night everyone, see you tomorrow!”

”Night”, the others answered back, turned towards the city again. Colors filled the sky with another boom and Kouji pressed against Takuya, took a shaky breath. Two seconds from falling over and Takuya leaned down, picked Kouji up. Kouji pressed his face against Takuya’s neck.

”Almost there”, Takuya said and started walking.

Pushed the door to the stairs open with his hip and walked upstairs, one slow step at the time to not lose his balance. Another door at the top of the stairs and Takuya nudged Kouji.

”Hey. Can you open it?”

”Hmm…”

Kouji moved in his arms and then the door swung open. Takuya stepped inside, kicked the door closed again. Looked around the room. It was a hallway, a place to leave coats and shoes, and Takuya kicked his off, walked further into the apartment. It was small, especially compared to his house, and was probably only used by Izumi when she worked too late to get home. There was a small kitchenette in the hallway, a door to the bathroom and another to the living room. Takuya stopped when he entered it. Sparsely decorated, just a couple pictures of Junpei and Kouichi, a small television and couch that could be turned into a bed. Takuya gave Kouji a shake.

”Hey. I need to make the bed.”

Kouji blinked and Takuya let him down. Kouji pulled a hand across his face, sat down by the table, and Takuya went to work. Opened the couch and pulled it out, turning it into a bed. It was big enough for two and Takuya smiled. Izumi probably still turned around a lot in her sleep. He found pillows and a cover in the closet and dumped them onto the bed. Smiled towards Kouji.

”All ready for you.”

Kouji yawned. Another firework went off and Kouji flinched forwards, grabbed the edge of the table with one hand and the edge of the seat with the other. Eyes wide. Pushed himself off the chair, slid in under the table and Takuya stared.

”Hey”, he whispered. ”You’re safe here.”

Kouji’s chest expanded and retracted quickly. Breaths short. Takuya crouched, reached for Kouji.

”Let’s go to sleep so we don’t have to hear the fireworks any longer, okay?”

Kouji’s eyes darted around. Confused. Takuya sat down on the floor, moved in under the table as well.

”It’s just new year’s”, he said and wrapped an arm around Kouji. ”You’re safe.”

Pulled Kouji close. Kouji’s shoulders relaxed, his breaths became deeper again. He put his head on Takuya’s shoulder, pressed his face against Takuya’s neck. Takuya grabbed Kouji’s hand, caressed it. Kouji must be absolutely exhausted to react like this. Takuya sighed. Wished there was something he could do. Not just wait.

”We’re both safe”, he said. ”We’re in Izumi’s apartment. We’ll go home tomorrow, far away from the fireworks they have left after today. Okay? Maybe bring the rest of the gang over as well?”

Kouji took a deep breath, held it for ten seconds and then released it. Takuya couldn’t help but giggle as it tickled his neck. Kouji nodded, took another deep breath, and Takuya pulled away, crawled out from under the table. Reached for Kouji and pulled him out as well.

”I’m not letting you sleep with the tie though”, Takuya smiled.

Untied Kouji’s tie and dropped it to the floor. Unbuttoned his jacket and shirt and pulled them off as well. Froze.

”I haven’t…” he whispered.

Stared at Kouji’s chest. There were scars scattered over it, big and small. Takuya took a shaky breath, lifted his hand. Put his fingers against the biggest one, close to Kouji’s shoulder. The shoulder tensed up.

”…haven’t seen you without a shirt for a while”, he finished.

Kouji looked away. His body swayed and his breaths became shorter, but not in the panicked way they had been before. Takuya looked at Kouji’s face instead. Eyes almost closed, exhausted, but also sad. Takuya kissed Kouji’s cheek.

”Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you from sleep”, he said.

Kissed Kouji’s neck and shoulder. It relaxed a bit and Takuya wrapped an arm around Kouji, pulled both of them to their feet. Helped Kouji stumble over to the couch and lie down on it, put the cover over him. Kouji grabbed the cover, pulled it higher and yawned. Takuya smiled.

”I’ll be there in a second.”

Pulled of his own suit, pants and all, before he laid down as well, pulled Kouji close. Kouji rested his head on Takuya’s shoulder, covered both of them with a cover. It was nice, Takuya thought, something he’d love to have more permanently. Just… Kouji next to him in bed, sleeping.

”So”, Takuya said, ”before we fall asleep. Any new year’s revolutions?”

Kouji snorted. Put his arm across Takuya’s stomach.

”No more revolutions for me”, he said.

Takuya liked that promise. He gave Kouji a hug.

”Well, I don’t mean to brag”, he started, ”but this year I am definitely winning the world cup!”

Kouji laughed.

”Goodnight Takuya.”

”’Night, Kouji.”

Kouji relaxed against Takuya and Takuya stared at the ceiling. Maybe tomorrow, when they were back home, he could ask Kouji more about the war.

-------------------------

a/n: yeah uh... so when I called this "short" I lied a little :P anyway I had fun writing this :3 Poor Kouji will never get a break. Anyway hope you enjoyed or something :D

No more New Year's Revolutions for Kouji, nope. Never.

*lies*

#windy writes #digimon frontier #kouji minamoto #takuya kanbara #takouji #the others are there as well #tomoki not that much tho

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spaciousreasoning · 9 days ago

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The End of Another Year

My blood sugar was up this morning to 143, perhaps due to the chocolate chip cookies we enjoyed last night. Although Nancy used fake sugar in the cookies and the chocolate chips also had fake sugar in them. Maybe it was the Cheetos I munched on after dinner.

We started of our coffee and brain games, but the cream we got at Market of Choice had tomorrow’s date on it, and it already seemed a little off. It pretty much ruined my coffee. We’ll have to get some more. Can’t live without half ’n’ half! At least the plastic jug is recyclable!

I got a text from Joe K. in Tucson letting me know that Daniel K. passed yesterday. Daniel was a long-time friend and sponsor. May his memory be a blessing!

We went to the Mothership Salon in downtown Springfield at 11 a.m. and I got my first haircut in nine months. It was just a little trim, but it looks much neater than it did before.

Then Nancy and I went to the Pump Cafe and had breakfast. There was a sign on the door because they were running out of some things on the menu, including coffee, so lots of people walked up, read the sign, and left. But we stayed and had a good meal. We had already had our coffee for the day. Sort of.

On the way home we stopped and got more cream and some yogurt for Nancy, then we stopped at Old Crow and got a 20-oz. mocha to make up for the coffee we missed.

I had Nancy look at my left foot, which had cracked due to dryness and bled during a recent walk. She put some salve on it and a bandaid and suggested I not walk today in order for it to have time to heal.

Then the sun came out just before 1 p.m., and Nancy said, “Let’s go for a walk.” So we did, getting in 1.6 miles in just under 40 minutes. The average pace was only 24:46 per mile since we walked slowly and Nancy stopped a few times to stretch, and the total steps was only 4,000.

The return address labels I ordered showed up in the mail, so I stuffed the remaining 6x9” envelopes and stamped and labeled them and took them downtown to the Post Office and dropped them off. I stopped for more envelopes at the drugstore on the way home, but they only had two packages of 10. I have 37 more mailing labels prepared, so I’ll need to buy more to get them all out just after the new year.

Speaking of which, we decided to stay home this evening, so we enjoyed some leftovers, more cookies, a fire and a bit more streaming, starting with the final episode of “Shogun,” though two other series are already in production; another episode of “Harry Wild;” and another “Father Brown” to close out the evening and the year.

While on the subject of New Year’s Eve, after finishing our training at Goodfellow AFB in Texas in December 1973, we reported for water survival training at a base in Florida. Following the training, I flew to Charlotte, N.C., where I met my family, who had driven down from New York City. We drove back there in time for my brothers and I to spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

Strangely enough, that was not my only New Year’s Eve spent in Times Square. I went once more a few years later, meeting some fellows I knew from the University of Arizona, who had originally come from New York City. I also went to the top of one of the World Trade Center towers during that visit, a memory that loomed large as I watched the towers fall in 2001.

At this stage of my life, I am more than grateful to be able to go to bed without having endured any insanity associated with public celebrations of the new year. We heard a few fireworks going off earlier in the evening, and, perhaps there may be a few more when it actually hits midnight here. But we will be safely tucked into bed.

#oregon #life #walking #streaming #New Year's Eve #haircut #calendars

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dk-wren · 9 months ago

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Thoughts on the Updated Together Forever Fireworks Show

Last night, Disneyland held a preview performance for Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular. This firework show returns to Disneyland officially starting April 26th (and will run through August 4th) as a part of Pixar Fest and is advertised to include new sequences from recent Pixar films. I found this video and wanted to discuss it, or really share my thoughts on it.

youtube

First things first, I absolutely loved the first Pixar Fest Disneyland held in 2018. I am a huge fan of Pixar and their soundtracks (love me some Micheal Giacchino scores), so this fireworks show meant everything to me. I honestly never thought it would come back because it was so specific to the event (not unlike Remember...Dreams Come True or Disneyland Forever, which funnily enough included more music from Disney films than the actual theme park). And now it's back and better than ever (at least to me)! And that makes it all the more sad I don't think I'll be able to see it in person this summer

Logistically (?), last night's performance, which I assume will remain consistent when it officially premieres next week, had a runtime of about 13 and half minutes. This makes it about two minutes longer than its 2018 run.

So, what exactly is new?

youtube

(Here's a video from this firework show's 2018 run for reference)

Looking at the list of Pixar films and their release dates, Incredibles 2 should have lined up with the previous Pixar Fest while Inside Out 2 will line up with this year's Pixar Fest. As mentioned throughout announcements and marketing, Turning Red, Luca, and Soul will represent the newer movies to be featured alongside the classic Pixar films throughout Pixar Fest and this firework show.

Sidebar, between Incredibles 2 and now, 7 Pixar films have been released. And it really should not have been as shocking as it was to see that two of those belong to the Toy Story franchise (Toy Story 4 in 2019 and Lightyear in 2022).

Back to the discussion though. So, were these three movies "featured" throughout the firework show? Eh...kinda.

Luca I would say had the smallest portion added. Equal to Luca was Elemental (which I don't know why they are not including as much in the marketing for Pixar Fest). For these two movies, they only had a little dialogue blurb/exchange in the context of a larger segment, which is more than some other movies received (I'm looking at you Brave and Good Dinosaur).

Soul has more of a musical influence than presence in the show, which could leave you wanting for me. My first visit to Walt Disney World was during their 50th celebration, which meant Enchantment was the nightly firework show at Magic Kingdom. They had a section or transition that I absolutely loved with Joe Gardner on the piano. This updated Together Forever has a taste of that. From the original run, what I would consider the second segment started with Wall-E and EVE and that film's score. This is the first section where Soul's soundtrack was infused with the pre-existing show soundtrack, and I thought the two scores complimented each other beautifully.

Soul pops up again at the end of the show during the last build-up and is nicely paired with Joe Gardner on the piano again, followed by Miguel on the guitar from Coco (I don't think I explained that that well and I apologize). So again, Soul's presence was more in the music than the actual scenes/projections.

Finally, with Turning Red, this film had a presence. And while I loved that larger sections were dedicated to Turning Red, both of them felt a little jarring. What I mean is, for me, I did not feel there was a good transition between the previous scene and the Turning Red scenes. The first instance is from a relatively calm and soothing section (the one which included Wall-E and Soul) and then you have Mei Lee assembling her friends. Understandably, the energy needs to be kicked back up, which it does (also, now that I'm rewatching, Luca comes back into play and serves a little better in transitioning between the energy of the previous scene and the next, which focuses on Coco).

This obviously is one of the new sections. Beforehand, the Wall-E section transitioned into the Coco segment. I might be bias since Coco is one of, if not my favorite Pixar film, but I think that transition worked better than this new one with Turning Red. I say this because the score served as that transition from one scene to the next, establishing this section would focus on Coco, before shifting back into the high energy with a song, specifically "The World Es Mi Familia."

For Turning Red's second scene, which is near the end, it felt like a misdirection to me. You have Mei's friends cheering her up by singing some 4-Town, which is a perfect example of this whole Pixar Fest's celebration of friendship. But, it feels like a transition into another scene rather than into the finale. Probably being nit-picky, but this is my post and I'm sharing my thoughts. Again, love Turning Red, so this is probably coming from wanting those scenes to stand out or fit in nicely with the rest of the show.

Interestingly, a section was cut out from the 2018 show to this 2024 updated version. Up until this point, it was mainly additions or small dialogue/projection switches (not full scenes). I thought I was going crazy, but when I went back to compare the two, the 2024 show took out the Cars segment, which featured "Life is a Highway." In the 2018 version, the segments go Coco, Cars, then Incredibles. While there was a stop and go between the Coco and Cars section, "Life is a Highway" transitioned into the "Incredibles" theme/scene. However, in the 2024 version, Onward replaced Cars as the transition between Coco and The Incredibles. And I don't mind it. It works well, with Barley talking about danger and adventure, and I personally believe Onward deserves more love. But also, I feel like "Life is a Highway" is kinda iconic, so there's that too.

Now, for things I want to note that I enjoyed that remained the same across both versions/runs. I absolutely love how you can hear the crowd reacting to the Coco and "Married Life" sections. It remains a fond memory of hearing people get excited when the Coco music started and everyone going "awww" when "Married Life" began, especially since they put that segment after that scene from Toy Story 3. Glad to see people are still loving those bits. And, I think it stayed consistent, but I also love how during the finale, the memory orbs from Inside Out are used as a framing device for other snapshots of Pixar moments that celebrate friendship (but also family too). Again, it works nicely for the projections and this year it's an added bonus that their sequel is coming out in June. Very fun to see that they included the new emotions in some of the finale projections too.

I think those are the majority of my thoughts on the 2024 version of Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular. Again, love love love this show. I'm so excited it's back, and not only back, but updated to include some love for the newer movies too.

Hope you enjoyed this post and if you read the whole thing, thank you so much!!!

Please feel free to share your thoughts on either versions of the show or if you have any memories of these fireworks, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks again! Gosh, I really can't believe this show is back!

-Dakota Wren 💜

#together forever #together forever: a pixar nighttime spectacular #fireworks #disneyland #pixar fest #Youtube

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myheartxmyman · 10 months ago

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Hätte ich die Wahl zwischen vergewaltigt werden, dafür aber alles ab Silvester nicht so abgelaufen wäre wie es ist. Oder nie wieder vergewaltigt werden, und die Realität wäre weiterhin die Realität, dann würde ich ohne zu zögern Option eins wählen.

preferred. If you wanted to spend new years eve with me you would have taken this 10 minutes drive .. I mean you were able to drive 9 times longer in the other direction. The other proof that "wish I would be with you on the tower like last year' wasn't the truth is, that you booked that flight. If what you wrote would have been the truth you should have been like 'I want to be with her. Now I am with my mates and over one hour drive away from her. I should at least spend the 1th of January with her. Celebrating our own new years eve like we did the year before.' Instead you booked a flight. YOU BOOKED A FUCKING FLIGHT. That alone broke my heart because I waited and waited and waited and hoped again and again and again. Instead of spending my father's money on trips/vacations/traveling/exploring I LITERALLY SPENT IT ON SHIT. Because people have to eat, while waiting for things that are never gonna happen. And then, out of nowhere YOU BOOK A FUCKING FLIGHT. And what really shattered my being, my trust in you, what ripped my heart out, what nearly cut our already damaged bond completely through was the LOCATION you went to. You lied by saying 'that's a coincidence it was the cheapest flight', and you really brought the fucking Robin thing GETTING MY HOPES UP THAT YOU ARE GONNA STAY, and then left nevertheless. You KNEW, you did it aswell. I would have given you those 500€ without hesitation, but I had no worth at all for you. And I begged, I tried to find a compromise, it didn't matter to you. I didn't matter. You decided what you wanna do like living a single life. Your behavior had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH A RELATIONSHIP. I can't understand how you were able to hurt me that bad. How the fucking hell could you do to me what you did?! And sadly it wasn't the first time I had that awful thought in mind. Sometimes you are the CRULEST person I ever met. How just how?!?! You enjoyed yourself, having a good time sitting in the sand, in the warmth, listening to the sound of the ocean, watching a sunset with another girl right next to you. Just thinking about this makes my insides cringe in agony and tremendous pain. And said girl 'she's just a friend of Aman', was always right by your side. Leg pressed on leg. Her leg was pressed to yours not to Amans leg who was sitting on the right side next to her. On your esplanade stroll or whatever it was you were walking closest to her, directly behind her, looking happy like you were living your best life. At the same time I had one breakdown after the other. Because I was stupid enough to trust you. I trusted you completely and you smashed it. I saw the way you were looking at her and I know your behavior good enough to see some things. You did quite a lot of things those last months that hurt me badly, but your 'Männertrip' killed something inside of me and I can't look at you the same.

#still devastated #so many painful things happened in one week #I had a complete mental breakdown #I am still shocked #it hurts and hurts and hurts #I wrote you everything what I am thinking about our relationship #I opened myself completely #I also wrote I would take a flight the following day #you left me on read #for hours while being awake #having a good time #celebrating life and holidays #the person that says of himself 'I don't need that I don't have the urge to go away'#when you finally answered it was one sentence #just a few words #saying something like ' I slept that long'#do you think I am stupid? I was on read for hours.. And when you finally decided to write roughly ~six words you didn't thought of reading #my messages #you totally ignored EVERYTHING #so i deleted it #and I should finally take the step and delete whatever this is that's left of us #how could you behave that cruel?#and once again it were those 500 dinero #I remember asking Philip 'when are we gonna have one full day for us?...' so if I sell my body to some man and earn 500bucks you would take #a day off? ' and he was like' yes'#then you came around and I wasn't worth 500€ to you #you knew you were killing me with your decision #you triggered me in so so many ways #out of nowhere 'I am flying to *****' wtf?!?!#we didn't spend new years eve together because you were once again writing one thing not even half heartedly but showed what you really

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olko71 · 1 year ago

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New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on https://yaroreviews.info/2023/12/eurostar-services-to-resume-after-major-disruption

Eurostar services to resume after major disruption

Reuters

By Harrison Jones

BBC News

Eurostar has said it will run all services to London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam on Sunday following a day of major disruption.

New Year plans for thousands were in ruins after flooding in a tunnel under the River Thames led to the cancellation of all Eurostar services between London and Paris on Saturday.

Anxious passengers spent the day scrambling to find other travel routes.

Eurostar warned Sunday could still see delays and crowded stations.

Many passengers are still facing expensive hotel bills, significant difficulties getting to their destination or costly airfares. The Port of Dover said on Saturday that there was no remaining foot passenger availability for the day.

But in a statement on Saturday evening, which may give some people hope of reviving their New Year’s Eve plans, Eurostar said: “Flooding in the Thames tunnels has been brought under control by Network Rail High Speed meaning at least one tunnel can now be used and a full service can operate.

“There will be some speed restrictions in place in the morning which may lead to delays and stations are expected to be very busy.”

They said customers should visit the Eurostar website for more information on compensation.

Thousands stranded at New Year as Eurostar cancelled

Travel disruption amid snow and rain warnings

Heavy rain and wind causes train travel disruption

Stories have been emerging from passengers facing difficult situations on both sides of The Channel.

A heavily pregnant woman from Norwich said she “sobbed for about an hour” after becoming stranded in Paris.

Ella Gatier, her four-year-old son Xander, and his father, were due to travel back to England after a break in Disneyland Paris.

PA Media

She told the BBC on Saturday morning that the scene at Gare du Nord station was chaotic and no help was available for affected travellers.

Ms Gatier, who is 33-weeks pregnant, said the next available train was on 3 January – the day she is due back at work – with hotel and alternative travel being unaffordable.

“There are no trains, no ferries, no hotels”, she said.

“I do not have £1,200 a night to stay in Paris. I cannot even get a train or any connections into Amsterdam and back across home to England.

“In addition, I am unsure if they will even allow me to fly at this stage in pregnancy.”

Curt Downs

Also stuck at Gare du Nord were Curt Downs, his wife Megan and their one-year-old son.

“Eurostar staff there were completely overwhelmed and couldn’t really suggest anything for us,” he told BBC News.

One staff member told them they had 4,000 passengers to assist, Mr Downs said.

He added that the family spent two hours trying to find a way back to the UK, looking for ferries, car hire and flights.

They managed to get some of the last seats on a £450 flight from Paris to Manchester, from where Mrs Downs’ mother is doing a five-hour round trip drive to get them home to Bedfordshire.

Meanwhile, at a crowded London St Pancras station, emotional travellers sat on suitcases, frantically trying to find alternative routes.

Christina David, 25, and Georgina Benyamin, 26, from Sydney, saw their train cancelled after travelling around Europe on a budget for three weeks.

They planned to “go hard” for their final stop in Paris – where they hoped to celebrate the New Year at an expensive hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower – before flying home.

Ms Benyamin said she wanted to see Paris “light up” but was now feeling frustrated and angry.

“There were lots of people crying,” said her friend, Ms David. “We don’t know where to go, we have nowhere to stay.”

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A video taken inside the flooded tunnel shows water gushing onto the tracks from a pipe attached to the tunnel’s wall.

Thames Water had earlier said a “fire control system” was likely to have caused the flooding. But HS1 said the source of the flooding will be the subject of an investigation, but at this stage it had “no evidence to suggest that the fire control system was related to the issue in any way”.

It said flooding was “being resolved” and the line would be operational, but with speed restrictions in place and delays and disruption expected.

“We understand how frustrating this has been for passengers and apologise for the inconvenience caused at such an important time of the year,” a spokesperson said.

It is the second time in 10 days there has been major disruption to Eurostar services, with a “last-minute strike” by French workers halting trains before Christmas.

All Southeastern’s high-speed services to Ebbsfleet, which use the same line, were also been cancelled. The operator says it will run a reduced service on the route on Sunday.

Separately, there has been major disruption on Thameslink services – which run through London and across south-east England – and a reduced service on Northern Rail, which covers the north of England, due to staff shortages.

The Met Office has warned there could be disruption to domestic journeys this weekend, as wind and rain sweep across the UK.

Are your travel plans being impacted by the disruption? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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