#ballum gift exchange

[eastendies]

“Callum, I love you”

“I know.”

—

Ballum lockdown gift for @thefancyspin! You asked for smth soft so I went with a scene from a fanfic you posted which I can’t for the life of me find to link or to pull dialogue from, but it’s cute and this was the summary of it!

@ballumlockdown

[botheredbuck]

Lockdown gift person here, back in the game 👋 just a little question: do you like when edits have writing, or do you prefer not? And if you do, what is your fav ballum quote? It can be anything! Just to be sure to do something you'll 100% like ❤

ahh hello lovely!!

I love quotes in edits! honestly I think theyre really great, and they always hit me in the feels because you editors always manage to pick such great ones. so yeah definitely love them!

I'm not sure if you meant favourite quote from or about ballum,,, so I'm gonna give you both

Favourite quote from Ballum

I've got like two, both from the same scene -

"I said that I see you, thing is you see me too. I can put it on all I want but you get me." "Everyone's a little messed up really"

and;

"you can lie to everyone that you want but you can't lie to yourself, it will rip you apart"

Favourite quote in general;

I'm a huge fan of like greek, or just historical romance quotes! or ones from songs are always a safe bet (falling-harry styles and half a man-dean lewis are both very good ballum songs) particularly this one;

"I'll take care of you."

"It's rotten work."

"Not to me. Not if it's you."

which is a quote from a greek play I believe!

also if you wanted to use a quote from one of my fics I might just love you forever

hope this helps!! honestly can't wait to see what you create 💞

[laurenkmyers]

Ballum Lockdown Gift for @benmitchellx​ I hope you like it, fellow Lauren <3 

[dingletragedy]

unsurprisingly this place feels a bit quiet and down at the moment and i’d love to do something the pick the mood up and give people a distraction, so if anyone has any ideas please hmu!!!

[totallyradioactive15]

Surprise Surprise!! I’m your secret ballum lockdown gift person….. I was just wondering if you could maybe tell me what are your favourite ballum scenes? your perfect song for them? your favourite colour? 👀 Thanks in advance 🥰

Hi!!

My favourite scenes are:

I’ll do you in a heartbeat kiss (although I love all of the Ballum bits in that episode) / The make out kiss from the 25th Oct / Bens I love you / the holding hands scene from 10th Dec / I don’t want to do this anymore scene / vic siege

Some of my fave Ballum songs are:

Say you won’t let go - James Arthur

The heart never lies - Mcfly

Power over me - Dermot Kennedy

Never give up on you - Lucie Jones

You and me - James TW

Favourite colours: Pink/Purple & Turquoise

Hope this is enough info for you! I had to really think about the songs as I have so many in my Ballum playlist! 😂

Thank you so much! I’m so looking forward to my gift! 🎁 💝🥰 xxx

[niccolofares]

hello lovely 🥰 i got you for the gift exchange and i am just wondering if there’s anything in terms of fics that you don’t like/won’t read? and also what your favourite tropes and ballum scenes are?

Hii lovely!!

Oo this is hard 🤔🤔🤔

Umm.... it usually depends on what I’m in the mood for but I would love anything soft and fluffy or angst with a happy ending. I would prefer no explicit scenes really but it’s not a huge deal.

I am a huge fan of Soulmate AUs for any ship and if you wrote one I would literally be so happy, they’re my favorite trope. Enemies to friends to lovers is a big weakness as well or some hurt/comfort as well.

I love the scenes where they’re just relaxing and together. Of course the ily in sign language scene is one of the best. The Christmas walking down the street holding hands. The reunion after Ben almost leaves but he decides to stay. Any of their scenes including Lexi.

Anyways I’m sure I’ll love whatever you make, you can write anything you want and it’ll still mean the world. I hope this helped, I know I’m crap at answering stuff sometimes.

[leximitchells]

a lockdown gift for @cqllumhighway 

cait! it’s me, your ballum lockdown exchange buddy!!! you are consistently so sweet and kind and caring and i hope you enjoy your gift 😘❤️

️song: fortress by bear’s den

[minimitchell]

✨Ballum Lockdown Gift Exchange✨

i had the absolute pleasure to get @callumsmitchells for the gift exchange so this fic is for you, lucy!💖💖 i tried to include a lot of things i thought you’d enjoy (i made a whole list lmao) and i really hope that you’ll like this.

there’s a playlist i put together that goes along with the fic, which you can find here.

also special thanks to @dingletragedy for helping me with your football knowledge, sophie.💕

Title: been afraid of changing (but time makes you bolder) (ao3 link)

Tags: alternate universe / footballer!callum / strangers to lovers / secret relationship / falling in love / some slight angst / pining / hurt/comfort / mild swearing

Words: 19,704

Summary: Suddenly, his behavior on the night they met makes a whole lot more sense to Ben; the apprehension before telling Ben his name, the way he looked like he wanted to disappear in the bar, how he only kissed Ben when he was sure that they wouldn’t be seen. 

A Premier League footballer in the closet. He just got a lot more intriguing to Ben. 

[henryspearl]

creator tag meme

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

thank you so much for the tag @artsy-highway ❤️ this is such a lovely thing to reflect back on your own work. Now it’s got me thinking!

1) something new, something true, something endless - I had always wanted to write a Ballum wedding fic but was always looking for the right moment and then the Big Bang came along... I loved and really enjoyed writing this fic as I wrote the dream Ballum wedding that I could only imagine and possibly many other people too😊

2) us against the world (you and me against them all) - It was a follow up from the episode where Ben and Callum reunited following the boat crash and Callum found out about Ben’s deafness and Ben just broke down. I was quite proud of how quick I managed to write it and how much imagery and description that I actually managed to put in😂

3) four months, two weeks and five days - this was the first AU that I had ever wrote and I wrote it for the wonderful @dingletragedy as part of the secret Valentine gift exchange. I wanted to have a go at writing something AU related but I was a bit anxious about it as I had always stuck with cannon but I wanted to give it a go. I was surprised at how well and easy it can be to fall into the AU world!

4) you know I need you (baby, please come home) - this was my fic entry for the Ballum advent calendar. It was based on an angsty Christmas plot that I had in my head and then turned into something mega fluffy. It was two Christmas fic ideas that I had rolled into one fic.

5) the prettiest sight to see (is right within your heart) - I was so nervous about writing this one and was worried that I would not do this era any justice but I was actually quite chuffed with how the fic actually developed. It was a Victorian AU. I felt like when writing this one, I used different vocabulary and described things differently. It was like everything that I had learnt and everything that I had read and learnt from other writers in the fandom all went into that one fic! I really enjoyed writing it too.

Tagging: @halfwayinit @laurenkmyers @permetstu @biggayhighway @calthighway @mitchellandhighway @mr-and-mr-mitchell

[moodyblueangel]

String

This story is my secret ballum lockdown exchange gift! I hope you like it @leblonde ❤️

I’m not sure I’ve done your requests justice, but I had a go!

(a03)

[mr-and-mr-mitchell]

Ballum Lockdown Gift Exchange

This fic is for the lovely @yougaythen who is a self professed fluff lover, and has written many lovely fluffy fics themselves. As such I thought it only fitting to write one in return.

Charlie, I hope you enjoy!

Worth the wait

Rating: G

Warnings: No warnings apply

Word Count: 2390

Additional Tags: Fluff, Cute, Anniversary, Romance

Summary: Ben and Callum celebrate their second anniversary.

[eastendies]

Thinking abt ww2 gift anon and callum in the royal army medical corp...

[basketcase1880]

Wallets, Photographs and Memories

This is my entry for the Ballum Quarantine Gift Exchange organised by @ballumlockdown.

My recipient is @laurenkmyers. Hope you like it? I kinda suffered major writer’s block because I had a whole load of ideas but they just wouldn’t work for me.

Summary: After Ben and Callum reunited in January when Ben decided not to leave the Square, what happened that night? Where did that photo we saw on the end table in the flat come from? Here’s how I imagine it went after the doof doof on 24th of January.

As Ben was leaving the letter for Kathy before he left for Portugal with Louise, all he could hear was Callum’s voice begging him not to go. It was heart breaking. He knew exactly what he was giving up; ever since Callum walked into his life, he didn’t feel the pain he had felt since Paul’s death. And to be honest, Ben liked the way that Callum seemed to numb his pain. He had hated breaking Callum’s heart earlier when he tried to stop him. Yeah, he’d do anything for Louise, she was his sister, after all, but their shared pain over their lost loves wasn’t a substitute for the way he felt when he was with Callum.

 Standing with Louise and Phil while Lisa made her way over to them, Ben knew he was being a coward, but his dad and his nan had drilled into him over the years that “family means everything”. So, that’s how he found himself waiting to leave with Louise, to be the big brother she deserved and to support her in her new motherhood. After all, who else was going to support her: Lisa and Phil?

 As the five of them climbed into the taxi with Phil making plans to send for Denny soon, Ben began to feel that doubt monster creep back in. He knew he was giving up one family for the other, but he felt that it was the right thing considering what he had done. Leaving Walford would protect Callum and Lexi in the long run.

 Lexi. Ben pulled out his wallet and looked at the picture Callum had put in there of the two of them. He smiled tightly at Louise as she told him he’ll see Lexi again, but then Ben caught a glimpse of Callum coming out the Vic. That was when Ben made his mind up. He wasn’t going to leave Walford. Leave Lexi. Leave Callum. He was going to face the consequences head on and stay with his true family.

 Phil seemed to know exactly what was going through Ben’s head and started to tell him to forget about his life in Walford, but Ben wasn’t having any of it. He was shouting for the driver to stop the taxi and before he knew it, he was jumping out the car and running back towards the market.

 He knew that he was being foolish by staying, but by leaving he was leaving his heart behind. He wasn’t complete without his heart.

But Ben finally felt complete as he stood outside the cafe with Callum, Lexi, and Lola. As much as he wanted to be there for Louise as she entered motherhood, he knew this was where he was meant to be.

"Want to ring Jay?" Ben asked Lola. "The five of us can have dinner together?"

 "I'd love to," Lola said with a smile. "But Jay's promised a date night and I was gonna ask Pops if he would watch Lex."

 "We'll take Lex," Callum said without hesitating. "Make it a celebration dinner now that Ben's staying with us. Huh, Lex, how does that sound?"

 "Mac and cheese?" Lexi asked as she looked up to Callum with a bright smile on her face.

 "I guess we could do that," Ben agreed, knowing how much Lexi loved Callum's mac and cheese.

 "If you're sure," Lola said. "I wouldn't want to ruin your reunion. I'm sure Pops won't mind..."

 "Nonsense, Lo'," Ben interrupted. "I can't think of a better way to celebrate staying than spending time with my boyfriend and daughter."

 "Alright then, if you're sure," Lola said as she bent down to face Lexi. "You have a good time with your dad and Callum. I'll see you later."

 "You'll see here in the morning," Ben corrected. "You and Jay enjoy yourselves tonight, we'll keep Lex and stay over at number 55. It's empty anyway."

 "See you in the morning mum," Lexi smiled as she wrapped her arms around Lola's neck to hug her.

 "Okay baby, have fun with your dad and Callum," Lola said returning the hug, then she turned to Callum. "I'm trusting you to be the responsible one here, Callum. I know it'snot a school day tomorrow, but I still want her in bed at a reasonable time, and not too much sugar."

 Callum nodded in agreement as Lola walked away from the trio to go and find Jay. She'd tell him about the upturn in events and their child-free night.

  "Why are you trusting Callum to be responsible?" Ben demanded as Lola walked away. "I am Lexi's dad, why can't you trust me to be the responsible one?"

 Callum just laughed at Ben's antics and bent down to lift Lexi up on to his hip. "Your mum knows your dad too well, doesn't she? She knows he will just spoil you rotten tonight and wanted me to play bad cop when your dad is letting you away with murder. But what your mum doesn't know won't hurt her."

  "Can we go to the park?" Lexi asked.

 "Of course we can," Callum answered before Ben could. "And we'll even get ice cream if you want, because..."

  "It's never too cold for ice cream," Ben and Lexi chimed together, finishing Callum's often heard catchphrase.

 ***

  Later on, after they had been to the park, Ben decided it was time to spend some time with his daughter, just the two of them, while Callum made dinner.  Maybe explain to her about his behaviour earlier.

 "Lex? Remember what I said earlier?"

 "That you were going away for a few days," Lexi said as she looked up from her picture. "What happened now that you're staying?"

 "I was going to help auntie Lou with Peggy," Ben explained. "But grandad and Lisa were going too, so I decided that I was better off staying here with my own baby."

 "I'm not a baby, daddy," Lexi admonished with her usual sass. "I'll be 8 soon."

 "I know that, but no matter what age you are, you'll always be my baby girl."

 "So, you're not going anywhere then?" Lexi suddenly questioned. "You're going to stay here with me?"

 "Of course," Ben smiled as he opened his arms to Lexi, encouraging her to climb onto his lap for a cuddle. "You mean everything to me, and I don't want to miss you growing up now, do I?"

 "Everything alright in here?" Callum asked as he stuck his head around the door., smiling when he saw Ben and Lexi snuggled up on the sofa.

 "Yeah," Lexi smiled. "Daddy was just telling me why he decided to stay. He was going to help auntie Lou with baby Peggy, but he decided she had enough help and wanted to stay with me and see me grow up."

 "Is that so?" Callum asked as he grabbed his phone to snap a picture of Lexi and Ben the way they were.

 "Yeah, Lou didn't need me," Ben continued so Callum would know the story he was telling Lexi. "She has my dad and Lisa to help her. My advice won't be relevant until Peggy is much older. Oi, did you just take a picture of us?"

 "What if I did," Callum smirked in reply.

 "We weren't ready, were we princess?" Ben said as he turned to Lexi.

 "I'm always camera ready," Lexi sassed in return. "Now, let me take a picture of you and Callum."

 "Alright," Callum agreed as he handed Lexi his phone. "And don't go complaining, Ben, let's get a good picture of us. Mark the start of our future."

 Yeah, dad," Lexi agreed. "Pictures are important."

 Ben smiled at that comment from Lexi. After all, it was a picture of the two of them that kept him in the Square."Ok, let's get this show on the road, and clog up Callum's phone memory of memories of the three of us."

 That had Callum laughing as he and Ben smashed their faces together and looked towards Lexi who was telling them to say 'mac and cheese', which caused another round of laughter to erupt from the three of them.

 Soon, both Ben and Callum's phones were being passed around as photos were being snapped left, right, and center.  They were definitely beginning to make new memories and Ben was sure he had made the right decision to stay.

 When the timer went off to say that the mac and cheese was ready, Callum said he would put together three bowls and bring them through while Lexi chose a film to watch. Ben trusted Lexi to choose a suitable film herself, so he made his way into the kitchen with Callum to get a bit of time with his boyfriend.

  "Was that okay?" Ben asked. "Telling Lex that the reason I was leaving was to help Lou with Peggy?"

 "She's your daughter, Ben," Callum replied. "It's up to you what you tell her. But make sure you let the others know about it too."

 "I will, that's why I told you," Ben said as he came up to Callum and hugged him from behind. "I know there's going to be some whispers, but as long as the important people know  what I've told Lex, the story should stay that way."

 "As long as you let Lola and Jay know what you've said, you'll be fine," Callum reassured. "And I'll talk to Stuart. I know he won't be around Lexi without you around, but I don't want him to say something to you when Lexi is around."

 "Thanks for that, Callum," Ben smiled. "Now, let's get Lexi fed before she starts to complain. We want to stay in her good books tonight so she'll go to bed at a reasonable time and let us make some more memories that are just for us."

[laurenkmyers]

Just finished my Ballum Lockdown Gift Exchange and I’m excited about this one. 

[babygirlgalitzine]

funny enough, i did think of an idea for you to maybe bring back the ballum lockdown gift exchange to keep us going but then i thought again as most people have the big bang that needs our full focus right now!

yeah i actually kinda wanted to do something like that too just before the proposal but thought it might be a bit difficult with the big bang! maybe i could think of something small to do and bring it back

[totallyradioactive15]

Ballum Lockdown Gift Exchange 

for @that-crazy-shark-lady

xxx