#but anyway my boyfriends mom is really into decorating for christmas

[cupidbedsy]

ꕤ food is the way to a man's stomach ; and they were roommates

➪ summary: jamie comes home to see his girlfriend baking a plethora of cookies and can't help but wonder why as he helps her decorate them

➪ warnings: none... i think

➪ word count: 0.6k

➪ file type: 12 days of au's: christmas edition (and they were roommates) blurb

➪ cupid's notes: so sorry for the lack of updates, this happens a lot tbh. anyway, welcome back to 12 days and i will try my hardest to make sure all of them are out by or on christmas !

© cupidbedsy ; do not copy, repost, or translate my work and designs on any other website or here

Jamie walked through the apartment door and was immediately hit by the smell of cookies. His eyes landed on his girlfriend, who was standing in the middle of their kitchen, her apron loosely tied around her waist, hair pulled up in a ponytail, and flour covering her head to toe. 

He chuckled at the sight, wrapping an arm around her waist as he came to stand next to her, “Hey.”

She flashed him a grin, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, “Hi baby. Just in time, try these.”

Bella handed her boyfriend one of the many cookies that were on the cooling rack before moving to place another tray in the oven. He hummed as he took a bite, nodding, “S’good. How many have you made so far?”

“Only a few…”

Jamie gave her a knowing look and she blushed sheepishly, “Okay maybe a lot more than a few but-”

“C’mon, lemme shower and then I’ll help you decorate them.”

“Really?” An excited gleam shone in her eyes, staring up at him. 

“Yeah, ‘course. I’ll be back.”

ﾟ+*:୨୧:*﹤

When Jamie exited their bedroom, Bella was still in just an organized mess as she was in before. Except now, multiple cookie tins were sitting on the kitchen counter, another batch of cookie dough was in the mixer, and about two dozen cookies sat in front of her with different sprinkles and icing to the side. 

He raised his eyebrows in amusement, standing on the other side of the counter across from her, “Alright boss. What do you want me to do?”

He held his hands up in surrender when she glared at him, his all too familiar cheeky grin on his face. She handed him a cookie shaped like a gingerbread man, “This is your practice cookie. Mess this up and you’re out.”

“I didn’t know we were taking this so seriously.”

“We’re not, I just don’t want you to make a mess. So if you even so much as fuck anything here up while doing that cookie, I’m putting you in timeout.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Jamie!”

He laughed, already going to work on the cookie he’d been given. Bella on the other hand just watched him carefully in between checking on the cookies that were in the oven and starting to cut the next batch of dough into circles. 

It was when she was pulling the tray out of the oven that Jamie finished, beaming with pride as he showed her, “Look!”

She placed the tray on the stove, took the oven mitts off, and threw them on the counter before looking over. She nodded, a small smile on her face, “It looks good Jam.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm, pick whichever one you want to do,” she gestured to the counter, “These are the last ones. The other ones I just have to sprinkle white sugar on them and then they’ll be done.”

Jamie got back to work, making sure each cookie looked nice and that he wouldn’t make a mess. He’d look up occasionally, smiling fondly as his girlfriend placed the other cookies in their own tins. 

“What’re these even for?”

“The team. Mom and I always made cookies every year and then in college, I gave some to Trev and he shared them with the team and then people started begging for them, and now… it’s sort of just tradition, I guess.” She explained, redoing her ponytail. 

“So basically, it’s Trevor’s fault?”

She giggled, taking a seat next to him on one of the stools, leaning her head on his shoulder, “Yeah. But it worked out, ended up winning the guys over and now we’re close. Food is the way to a man’s stomach, I suppose.”

She grabbed a cookie, handing it to him, “Here. Made this one for you.”He looked down, seeing the words ‘Trevor’s Boyfriend’ written across it. He huffed, whining slightly, “Hey.”

꒰ AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES TAGLIST ꒱

@winterbarnesblog @kei943 @digitalhughes-jpg @bunbunbl0gs @fantillisgirl

ATWR MASTERLIST ; AU'S ; 12 DAYS OF AU'S

TAGLIST ; NHL MASTERLIST ; NAVIGATION

[inkykeiji]

trying so hard not to start listening to christmas music before november 1st ๐·°(৹˃̵﹏˂̵৹)°·๐

[laurenairay]

A reason to start over new - T. Jost

Summary: It’s been five years since Lucy has seen her ex-boyfriend Tyson. Can his grandparents’ Christmas party fix their broken hearts?

Happy birthday @senditcolton! This is my fic for your birthday bingo – I had a lot of fun with this one! I chose The Hand Touch, Exes to Lovers, Free Space (Resolved Angst), “You’re Too Good for Me”, and Winter Romance, making it a full bingo! Hope you have a wonderful day Nicole.

A massive thank you to @jostyriggslover96 for reading through this!

Words: 3.3k

Warnings: angst, flashback to breakup, some bad language, self-deprecation.

Title from The Reason, by Hoobastank

~

I've found a reason for me, To change who I used to be, A reason to start over new, And the reason is you.

~

“Oh wow, Val and Jim have really outdone themselves this year, haven’t they?”

Lucy glanced around at the Christmas decorations surrounding them, smiling at her mom’s words.

“Full of holiday cheer, as always!” she nodded.

She took off her thick coat and gloves, glad to be out of the icy air, hanging them up on the rack put out for guests.

“Now honey, if it’s too much, you can slip out back and head home, okay?” her mom said seriously, albeit quietly.

“You said that last year. And the year before that. For the last five years, actually,” Lucy mused.

“And I’ve meant it every year. They might be our neighbours, but you are my baby. And my priority, always,” her mom said seriously.

Not for the first time, Lucy was thankful to have the mom she did.

“And I appreciate it. But I’m going to be fine,” she said, smiling fondly.

“Alright, if you’re sure. You just send me a sneaky text if you change your mind though, yes?”

“Yeah, thanks mom,” Lucy beamed.

The Christmas Eve Party thrown by her neighbours was a tradition she’d attended her entire life, and even though she hadn’t dated their grandson in half a decade, Val and John had always insisted that she still came along. A lingering effect of being childhood sweethearts, she supposed.

“Amy! Gary! Lucy!”

The welcome from their neighbours was warm and effervescent as it always was, and soon enough Lucy found herself swept in by conversation and catching up. She may have gone to college in UBC Okanagan in Kelowna for both her degrees, barely away from home, but she’d lived in campus residence for all four years of her bachelor’s degree and moved out of her parents’ house properly into a small apartment near campus for her master’s degree. It would’ve been easy to move home after guaranteed accommodation ended, but Lucy had wanted to keep the independence she had grown to love, and it wasn’t as if she didn’t visit her parents at least every other weekend.

But it was still nice to be able to talk about her accomplishments with the people that she’d grown up alongside, especially now that she was in the final year of her master’s degree and looking like she was on track for starting the PhD she’d always aimed for.

After a couple of hours, she escaped the crowds in the living and dining areas, grateful for the sanctuary of the kitchen. There were a few plates of cookies and other Christmas treats laid out, and Lucy couldn’t resist reaching out for a snickerdoodle…

…at the exact time as someone else.

She jumped in surprise as a large hand rested on top of hers, not realising anyone was next to her, but as she looked up, she couldn’t but to freeze despite the warmth of his touch. Tyson. It was Tyson’s hand touching hers.

“Oh fuck, I’m sorry, I…Lucy?”

“Hey Tys,” she managed to breathe.

The familiar curls, the big beautiful eyes, the sweet smile, and now a little bit of stubble? He looked good. Of course he looked good.

Tyson quickly drew his hand away from hers, breaking her out of her thoughts.

“Uh, you have it, I shouldn’t be eating baked goods too much anyway,” Tyson said, rubbing the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

Lucy pursed her lips and broke a third of the snickerdoodle off, handing it to Tyson with a raised eyebrow. Tyson huffed out a laugh but accepted the offered treat, sending her a small smile of thanks. Fuck, it may have been five years since they broke up, but he really hadn’t changed, had he?

“So, uh, you still come to these parties?” Tyson asked.

Lucy bit her bottom lip but nodded.

“Yeah, your grandparents insist. I hope that’s okay,” she winced.

“Of course it is,” Tyson said quickly, “They always loved you.”

Well that was something at least. Why did this feel so awkward? Sure, it had been five years since she’d seen Tyson, but they dated from eight years – surely they had more than this?

“I don’t usually come to these. Well, I guess you already know that, if you come every year. I, uh, I have the 24th to the 26th off this year, so I didn’t want to miss another Christmas with my grandparents,” Tyson explained.

“I bet Val and Jim were over the moon when you told them,” Lucy mused.

Tyson laughed softly, nodding. “They were. Mom and Kacey didn’t hesitate to come to Kelowna to join us, so it’s a big family Christmas this year.”

“That’s great, Tys. Really. Spending Christmas with your loved ones is important,” she said softly, smiling.

His smile dimmed a little, but he nodded.

“How’s, uh, how’s your degree going? Gramps said you’re doing a master’s now?”

He knew that? Did he ask? Or did Jim just tell him?

“Uh, yeah. I graduated my bachelor's degree magna cum laude back in 2020 and went straight into starting my graduate program there. I’m a paid teaching assistant for my supervisory professor too.”

“That’s incredible, Luce. Still doing Earth and Environmental Sciences?” Tyson prompted.

He remembered? After all this time?

“Yeah, yeah it is. Focusing in on environmental impact assessment for my master’s thesis,” she nodded, a little stunned, “I didn’t think…I didn’t think you’d remember.”

“Of course I remember. You were always so passionate about your studies – it was one of the things I loved most about you,” he said softly.

“Tyson…” Lucy said faintly, trailing off when no words would come.

He smiled sadly at her, shaking his head.

“Sounds like…it sounds like everything was worth it for you,” Tyson murmured.

~

2019

“So you can’t make it over?”

“No, Tys, I can’t, I have labs to do,” Lucy sighed.

“We haven’t seen each other in so long!”

“I can’t just not go to my classes because you want me in Denver! You know this!” she groaned.

“I know, I know, but it sucks.”

Lucy frowned, even though he couldn’t see her. “You’re the one who didn’t come home for Christmas, remember?”

“The schedule didn’t make sense, and I offered to fly you down?”

“Tyson!” she groaned.

He stayed silent on the other end of the phone, a silence that sent an ominous shiver down her spine.

“So where do we go from here?”

“W-What?” she said, confused at the dull tone of his voice.

“Your priority is college, my priority is hockey, and neither of us can compromise. I would never ask you to compromise, just like you wouldn’t ask me. We have different priorities, clearly. So where do we go from here?”

“Tyson, are you really saying what I think you’re saying?” she whimpered.

“Yeah, I think we should break up.”

“We’ve been together for eight years! You’re the only boyfriend I’ve ever had, the only guy I’ve ever wanted. And you want to break up, just like that?”

“I don’t want to break up, Luce. But what other option do we have? Neither of us can give the other what we need right now. We have to focus on ourselves, don’t we? For our own careers? You have so much ahead of you and I can’t be there to celebrate it. And you can’t be by my side cheering me on from the stands. I love you, Lucy. But this isn’t working anymore.”

~

“Tyson, why would you say it like that? You think it’s been easy for me?” Lucy asked, throat a little choked.

“No, no, of course not,” he groaned.

“Then what do you mean?”

“Look, forget I said anything, okay? It was really good to see you, Luce.”

Before Lucy could say a word, Tyson walked away, leaving her alone in the kitchen with her head spinning. What the hell was that?

For the final few hours of the party, Lucy indulged in a couple more glasses of wine than she intended, sticking solidly by her parents’ sides. She did her best to keep a smile on her face and ease into the Christmas festivity, even when Laura and Kacey said their hellos, but her mind just kept going back to Tyson.

“We’re going to start saying our goodbyes, okay honey? Why don’t you find all our coats.”

Lucy just nodded at her mom’s suggestion, grateful for the opportunity to escape the crowd. Well, she was grateful, until she saw Tyson sitting on the bench next to the coat rack, face flushed and eyes glassy. He was drunk, at least moderately so.

“Ah, fuck, I didn’t want you to see me like this,” he said, voice slurring.

What did he mean by that?

“I’m just getting our coats. We’re heading out,” she murmured, trying to ignore the whoosh in her stomach.

“Already?”

“It’s nearly midnight, Tys,” she said, smiling wryly.

“Well, fuck. Time flies when you’re having whiskey, I guess,” he groaned, putting his empty glass on the bench next to him.

She huffed out a laugh, unhooking the coats when she finally spotted them.

“You look good, Luce,” he murmured, looking up at her through his eyelashes.

“I do?” she blurted.

Damn it.

But Tyson just grinned. “Yeah, you really do. You always looked good, but damn you’ve really settled into your own skin, eh?”

“I love who I am, yeah,” she nodded.

She wasn’t lying, or even placating. Her studies in environmental impact had opened up a whole new side of her she hadn’t even realised was there, and she loved everything about the person she’d become through it. She just hadn’t realised it was obvious on the outside.

Then again, if anyone was going to notice something like that about her, it was going to be Tyson, wasn’t it?

“You’re too good for me.”

Oh fuck.

“That’s not true. Not even slightly,” Lucy said, frowning.

“No? I can barely get a team to keep me, and you’re soaring ahead with your academic career, just like you deserve,” Tyson scoffed.

This was just the alcohol talking. It had to be.

“Tys, those teams are the ones missing out. You’re amazing,” she said softly.

He paused for a moment, before shaking his head.

“If I’m so amazing, why did we break up?”

Because he had to put hockey first.

Because she had to put college first.

Because neither of them were each other’s first choice.

“That’s not fair, Tyson. We were kids when we first started dating. Barely 13 years old. And we were together for eight years! We had an incredible relationship! It just…we wanted different things. Our priorities were different, our passions were different – we might have grown up together, but we’d also grown apart. Your life is hockey and my life is academics, and that’s okay! That doesn’t mean we didn’t have love, yeah?”

The way that Tyson’s eyes filled up with tears made her own eyes water, dangerous lump rising in her throat.

“If I could go back and change it all, I would. I’d choose you. I’d always choose you.”

His soft words tore a sob from her throat and she shook her head. How could he be so cruel?

“Don’t say that. We made the right decision five years ago and you know it,” she whimpered.

Tyson’s face fell at her devastated expression, and he staggered to his feet.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry,” he said sadly.

And yet here she was, broken hearted all over again.

“I should go. I need to go,” was all she could manage to choke out.

“Lucy, baby, please…”

But Lucy just shook her head, clutching the coats in her hands, shaky smile on her lips as the tears finally fell. “Merry Christmas, Tyson.”

~

“So what happened at the Christmas Eve Party that has you all torn up like this?”

Lucy flinched at her mom’s voice, turning her head to see her standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

“Nothing,” she said quickly.

“Uh huh, and I’m a fairy princess,” her mom snorted.

Lucy couldn’t help but giggle, earning a fond smile as her mom walked into the room and sat down next to her on her bed. Lucy placed a bookmark in the book she’d been reading to give her mom her full attention. She’d needed a little respite from all the preparations to hold her dad’s family for a late lunch, after all the intensity of having her mom’s family over yesterday on Christmas Day, but she’d found herself reliving her conversation with Tyson over and over.

“Sounds like…it sounds like everything was worth it for you.”

“You’re too good for me.”

“If I’m so amazing, why did we break up?”

“If I could go back and change it all, I would. I’d choose you. I’d always choose you.”

So really, her mom coming up to talk to her was a welcome break from all of that as well.

“If you know it was the Christmas Eve Party then you can take a guess,” Lucy said, shrugging.

“I’d rather hear it from you, when Tyson’s involved,” her mom mused.

Well at least her mom was blunt about it.

“We had a couple of conversations, and it stirred up old emotions, old drama. He…mom, he said he’d go back and change it all if he could. That he’d always choose me. What am I supposed to do with that?”

Her mom blinked a couple of times, lips parted in a surprised, before she coughed out a laugh.

“Well I could never accuse Tyson of being subtle.”

“Mom, seriously. This is stressing me out. I can’t stop thinking about it,” Lucy groaned.

“I think that’s an answer in itself, sweetheart,” she said softly.

“What?”

Her mom stayed silent, just nudging Lucy with her shoulder, and Lucy nudged back out of habit. What did she mean, that was an answer in itself?

“Lucy, honey, if you can’t stop thinking about Tyson choosing you above everything else, that means something,” her mom eventually said with a huffed laugh.

“But how can it? He still has his hockey, and I still have academics. Neither of those are going to change any time soon,” Lucy said sadly.

Because at the end of the day, that was the bottom line of it all. Their priorities haven’t changed.

“Just because your both still have your passions doesn’t mean that they have to be your only love. You can have both,” her mom said firmly.

What?

“How can I have both?” Lucy asked, confused.

“Do you love him?” was all she said.

“What?” Lucy said, surprised.

“Do you love him?” her mom repeated.

Lucy opened her mouth, shutting it again before huffing out a laugh. There was only one answer to that.

“Yeah, I never stopped,” she replied.

“Then you can have both. You spent the last five years missing him, and I know damn well that that boy missed you too - neither of you deserve that for another second. You can have both,” her mom said decisively.

She could have both?

How could she have both?

“You love him.”

“I love him,” Lucy whispered.

“Go get him.”

Lucy whimpered as she looked into her mom’s eyes, but she only saw warmth and encouragement. Her mom was right. She loved Tyson. She loved Tyson and if seeing him again this Christmas had taught her anything, it was that she was stupid if she tried to deny how much she missed him. If she didn’t tell him now, when would she?

“He leaves today. I need to go now,” she said suddenly.

“Well damn, okay then. Put on a sweater and I’ll find your snow boots,” her mom grinned.

Lucy felt like she was in a haze as she walked as quickly down the street as was safe, heart pounding as she spotted Tyson loading bags into his grandpa’s car.

“Tyson!”

His head whipped around at her shout, eyes going wide as he saw her walking towards him. Tyson shuffled down the driveway, missing Jim’s fond smile as he himself went back into the house, and the moment that she was standing in front of him, Tyson cupped his hands over her elbows to steady her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I love you,” she breathed.

Tyson whimpered, but Lucy wasn’t discouraged, not when she saw the wonder that filled his expression.

“You love me?”

“I love you. I love you so much and I can’t stop thinking about everything you said the other night,” she blurted out.

“Luce, I’m sorry, I know I upset you but…”

“No, Tys, it’s okay,” Lucy said, shaking her head as she interrupted, “While I stand by what I said, that we made the right decision at the time, maybe we could make a different decision now?”

“What are you saying?”

She could understand his hesitation, really she could. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t coming out with this out of the blue, after five years of nothing at all. After five years of heartbreak and heartache. But her mom was right – she missed him so fiercely and she couldn’t bear the thought of him not knowing that.

“I want us to start over new. I never stopped loving you, not for one moment. We could have both. We could have our passions and our love, and I hate that it’s taken me this long to even consider that? I miss you and I love you and I know you’re heading to the airport to fly back to Raleigh, but tell me I’m not crazy for thinking we could do this?”

Tyson’s jaw dropped as he processed her long rant, and it was only his firm grip on her elbows that stopped her from giving up hope.

“That was a lot,” Tyson said.

She winced. “I know, but…”

“And you poured out a lot of emotion there,” he interrupted.

Lucy kept her mouth shut this time, as much as she wanted to beg him to say more.

“It’s been agony for five years, for so many reasons, but hearing you say that you love me and you want to give our relationship another shot? I just…”

Tyson trailed off, letting out a long breath.

“I understand if I’m too late,” she murmured.

But Tyson huffed out a laugh, raising one hand from her elbow to cup her face in a gentle motion that had her breath hitching in her throat.

“There is no world in which you’d be too late,” Tyson said softly.

“Really?”

“I love you too, Lucy. I never stopped either,” he murmured.

She couldn’t stop the incredulous laugh that tumbled from her lips, smiling back up at Tyson as he smiled at her.

“We’re really doing this?” she asked, giddy.

“Yeah, baby, we are. I don’t know how we’re going to do this, or what it’s going to look like, but we’re both adult enough to know how to put in more effort this time round right, yeah? I’ll fly home for the all-star break, and I’ll fly you out for spring break, and we’ll have video calls that neither of us are going to miss. And everything else. We’re going to make it work this time,” he said, tone serious but face grinning.

“And we’re going to communicate, yeah? When one of us is finding it hard? We’ll find little compromises, as we can’t do the big compromises. We’re worth it,” Lucy added, not caring that her cheeks were aching with her smile.

“Yeah, we are. I love you, so much Lucy,” Tyson grinned.

“I love you too.”

Tyson didn’t waste any time in leaning down to press his lips to hers, their last first kiss.

[emsprovisions]

❄️ Day 6 - Snowy Kisses ❄️

🎁 Today's fic is dedicated to @strandnreyes!

Summary: An AU where Carlos moves to NY and starts dating FDNY TK.

Word count: 627

Prompt inspired by "sharing a warm kiss during the first snow of the season" found here

24 Days of Tarlos Masterpost

Carlos hadn’t expected anything to happen when he chose to move to New York for grad school, least of all meeting TK Strand. 

It had been the first day he moved back in August, Carlos is always careful, but the oven in his apartment is old and it sparked and there was a small electrical fire that Carlos managed to put out, but the smoke alarm triggered the call to FDNY anyways.

He’d shown up at Carlos’s door in turnouts and a helmet, T.K. Strand printed on the back of his jacket. Carlos was done for with those pretty green eyes that seemed to pierce right through him.

He brought the station cookies the next day–successfully managing not to set his oven on fire this time–and secretly hoped he’d be able to hand them off to the handsome firefighter himself. 

That was four months ago, and now, Carlos has never felt lighter than he does right now. TK holds on tight to his hand as they walk through the city.

He’s bundled up in a coat that TK only made a little bit of fun of him for wearing, but his hand in Carlos’s is warm, and his smile is even warmer, and Carlos has no clue how he happened to be lucky enough to score the world’s greatest boyfriend, but he has. 

Honestly, the whole thing has Carlos feeling a bit like he’s in some cheesy Hallmark movie–the kind his mom always coaxes him to watch with her. He’ll be home for Christmas and he can’t quite believe that he’s going to miss New York as much as he thinks he will, Though really, it’s TK he’ll be missing. 

TK smiles over at him. “Do you need hot cocoa or something, Texas?”

Carlos rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t say no, but you have to want it too.”

TK laughs and points out a nearby cafe on the street corner. “This place has amazing cocoa. I swear, I’m about to spoil your taste buds so much you’ll probably never be able to go back to anything else.”

Carlos only smiles, “I’ll take my chances.”

The cafe is warm and inviting. Despite how busy it is, it still feels cozy, and it makes Carlos step closer into TK’s space as they wait in line. TK smiles at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and rubbing him to keep him warm. 

Carlos presses his face against TK’s cheek. “You know I’m not actually that cold right? Especially not in here.”

“Your icicle nose says otherwise,” TK responds without missing a beat.

There’s a light snow falling when they step back outside and it feels significantly colder to Carlos. He clutches his hot cup of cocoa between both hands to try and warm them. It has a large marshmallow on top and looks incredible. He blows the steam off it and follows TK as he takes a sip.

“Holy shit! You were right, this is amazing,” Carlos praises. 

“You’ll never go back to any other cocoa, will you,” TK laughs, reaching for Carlos’s hand again.

“Not if I have you to spoil me,” Carlos grins, lacing his fingers back with TK's.

The snow starts coming down heavier as they walk, and with all the Christmas lights and displays in most windows, Carlos feels even more like he’s in a movie. He tugs lightly on TK’s hand.

“Hey, thank you for this.”

“It’s my pleasure, babe. I like hanging out with you and showing you my city. You’re so cute seeing all the decorations,” TK grins, stepping up to Carlos, his mouth only inches away. “You’re like a kid at Christmas.”

“Well, maybe a big kid at Christmas,” Carlos laughs.

TK smiles and closes the distance, his mouth warm and soft on Carlos’s as snow continues to fall around them.

[weewookinard]

Fluff hc: Jumping off of Buck’s history with writing postcards - he has an intricate holiday card tradition. And despite Tommy’s joke to Hen, he’s never been a Christmas card kinda guy. But he’s now obsessed with helping Buck with his (theirs) ❤️💚

— 💜 @nine-one-wanton

Jo my looooove I am always so happy to see you in my dm and ask ❤️🩷💜 you and this big brain of yours!!

Evan loves to write postcards, it's his way of showing his love to people the way he showed love to his sister. He was the kind of kid who was not asked how he was doing, and always needed to be the one starting the conversation so now he starts it with cards. At first he only wrote to Maddie and a few friends. But then his life changed for the best and he started sending cards to more and more people.

Of course the entire 118 is on his list. Not only his 118 family, but everyone else. Garry, the old guy from shift B. Deborah who works at HR. Fred the janitor. He sends cards to Red and to Dr Copeland. He sends cards to every nurse's team of L.A. he knows (and the guy knows plenty), and to kids that are at the hospital when the nurses ask him to do so, and the kids are always so happy with them!

One year he sent a card to Taylor while they were dating, a special one with him naked (except for a Santa hat well placed) on the front of the card. It made her laugh a lot and what happened next is their business.

Tommy, on the other hand, never wrote a lot of Christmas card in his life. For a lot of reasons really. First, he didn't know that much people interested in hearing about him. His dad thinks it's a stupid loss of time and money. The only card he wrote while in the army was never received by his mom, lost at sea. After that he stopped caring for a while, not having the time for something this pointless anyway.

But then his mom met Sean and the man became his step-dad, introducing him to a whole new family. Sisters, uncles, cousins, for the last 10 years Tommy received a lot of cards and he always wanted to respond but never had the courage, his dad's words still on his mind. So instead he sends a text every year to everyone he cares about. Howie always responds to the text nicely, Sal tells him to fuck off before sending picture of his kids, but he never dared to ask them for Hen's number, afraid she would tell him to fuck off. Now she's on his list, and she responds with a whole lot of words!

So, Christmas cards.

The first year they spend Christmas together Tommy has to help Evan because the idiot twisted his wrist while decorating the station for the holidays. Tommy's handwriting is clumsy and awkward and he feels bad about it, terrified he's ruining Evan's work, but his boyfriend's smile is HUGE and he's so happy with it he can't stop kissing Tommy about it. After all the cards Evan asks him if he wants to send one too and Tommy hesitates before they start working on a card for his mom and Sean. It's pretty, and it makes him cry a little, but it's good tears. It's cathartic really, a way of healing years of restraint.

Since then Tommy and Evan write cards every year. The list of people they write to is longer and longer every year and it makes Tommy so happy. It means he has more and more love to give. One year they have a full photoshoot with the whole 118, everyone wearing the same Christmas Sweater, kids beaming and adults laughing. One other year they use the card to thank people for attending their wedding. The year after that the front of every card is the same: a picture of Evan and Tommy dressed as a pair of elves, a little Santa in their arms. Amelia is two and she is their whole world. The perfect gift.

Yes I HAD to add Sean to it 🤭❤️

Feel free to send me more fluffy/cute/funny headcanons! 🩷

[squarebracketsmileyface]

Curious, in a 'stars align for Brian and Tim to reunite while Birdie is still a tiny baby', how would Brian react to Tim chest/breastfeeding/nursing Birdie? Not in a ~saucy~ way; I like to think Brian comes from a bigass family with a bajillion kids so boob feeding doesn't phase him/its not , I'm just curious as to how he'd react finding out Tim was feeding Birdie that way as a trans man because there's still so much stigma about transmasc/AFAB but not feminine parents DIY-ing and/or nursing their babies.

Also fun fact, IRL Brian is actually one of FOURTEEN!! kids (his mom was his dad's second marriage)(his family is/was roman catholic), so I like my MH Brian to have lots of siblings (not thirteen but yknow). Which I guess leads me to my second question, what are your HCs regarding Brian's family, if you have any?

Omg okay so YES Brian being one of SO many kids is such a strong head canon of mine. In me and my boyfriends old cowboy au, Brian was one of like, yeah like fourteen kids or something stupid like that. I can't remember the exact amount but it was a LOT.

In Sorry, It's Locked he's one of a lot of kids too, purely because he's like that in anything I think of him in, it's not even head canon in my head, it's just fact as far as I see it now. Anyway, he's one of a LOT of kids, and they're a really close knit family, ridiculously close knit. Every time someone has a birthday, everyone who's already moved out of the family home comes back, they treat birthdays like Christmas, they're a family event, they're a holiday to celebrate together with a big meal, the only difference is the decoration and the fact that all the presents were going to one person.

Brian always went back for birthdays and Christmas and Easter and lent and every other holiday he possibly could. It was what was expected, what he grew up seeing his older siblings do, so of course he was going to as well.

And then one year, he didn't.

One year his sister's birthday came around and they heard nothing from him, he never showed up. They called and called and called him, but no one could get through, no matter who phoned him or when. It was like he'd dropped off the face of the earth and his family was terrified, because that NEVER happened. Never. Brian was always one of the first home for birthdays, always showed up a day or two early to help his parents with the decorations and cooking and last minute gift buying and wrapping.

This year he just, Didn't.

They were frantic, it ruined the whole party because everyone was so worried about him, they tried emailing his uni, tried to get a hold of people they thought he was friends with, tried getting hold of HIM another hundred times over. Nothing

Eventually, after he missed another two birthdays, they went to the police and reported him missing. That never turned anything up though, the trail went cold and they were left to mourn and grieve on their own. They held a service in his memory, they were so certain he was dead. And they tried to move on with their lives, but it was never the same, there was always a chair left over at parties and celebrations, no matter where they left that chair. If they let it stay at the table, it was a gaping chasm of loss between the people sitting either side of it. If they moved it out of the room to leave it somewhere out of the way, they all knew where this single, lonely chair sat like they didn't care about it not being filled anymore.

Nothing they did could make it better.

Even when people started bringing their partners to the bigger gatherings, like Christmas, that chair might have been filled, but it still FELT empty.

It ruined his mother.

In her mind it was all her fault and there was nothing anyone could do to stop her blaming herself.

Brian wasn't dead though. Brian was caught up in MH, a shell of himself, no time nor care for his family, he was trying to survive, and he was trying to stop Alex, he barely even remembered his family existed most of the time. And that left scars. Once MH is over and Brian slowly, slowly comes back to himself after months in hospital after the fall, he's never the same. All the care and love he had for his family is just... Gone. He doesn't hate them, god knows he feels nothing negative towards them, but that's because he feels nothing towards them full stop.

Sure, he knows they're his family, he knows he used to love them, used to kiss his mum on the cheek every time he left, even if he was just going out for half an hour, used to shake his dad's hand and give him a mock salute when they greeted each other or said goodbye, because when he was little he loved playing soldiers with his dad, and it just kinda of stuck. He knows he used to adore playing with his baby brothers and sister, loved being whatever they wanted him to in their make believe games, loved hearing about his young teen siblings troubles with love and school, their stroppy teenage angst and their "mum and dad just don't understand me" artwork. But that all just feels so far away now. None of it feels real, it's like a dream he was sad he woke up from, but now as the day goes on he doesn't care anymore, because after all, it was just a dream.

It feels like a dream.

He goes to the police eventually to tell them he isn't missing or dead, so his family finds that out and they beg him to come home, so he does, but it's just not the same and they all realise it too. It's awkward and he doesn't do all the little Brian things he used to, and their home isn't particularly accessible so that just makes the divide between them feel even bigger.

He never goes back again.

They don't ask him to.

This is just the way it is now, they know he's alive, but they'll never know when he's not, they'll never get invited to the funeral, they'll never know if he has a partner, if he's married, if he has kids.

They'll never know, and that still ruins them. It causes arguments and fights, everyone blames themselves and each other, his mum and dad start fighting about who's fault it is that he's like that now, and eventually the whole family just kind of falls apart.

[cabinofimagines]

2. Magnus Chase and the Gods what’s happening

Our system is 100% vibes and whatever makes us laugh the hardest -Asnyox and Danny

Will

Hey Magnus just navigate to Camp Half-Blood, Half-Blood Hill, Farm Road 3.141 Long Island, New York 11954

i’ll make sure Nico picks you up. 

Magnus

Okay, any specifics I should look for to find him?

Will

Nah, he can sense the dead from miles away. 

“He can sense the dead-? Of course he can...” Magnus muttered to himself as he shivered. Will had mentioned the weather within the borders would be maybe a light autumn- but outside of the borders, it was freezing. Even with his Frey heritage, his shorts felt a little cold.

 

“I can also sense bad fashion.” Magnus quickly turned around to come face to face with a dark-haired guy. Without introduction, the boy—probably Nico—motioned for Magnus to follow him, which he did. “Your full name is just Magnus Chase, right?” Nico asked. Magnus nodded as he saw literally nothing in front of him, just forest and trees. Nico stopped and held his hand out to touch air or something.

“I, Nico di Angelo, permit Magnus Chase to enter Camp Half-Blood, or whatever.”  Nico turned around, “You should be good to go now—wasn’t sure whether the border would stop you from getting in because you’re not Greek and all that. Anyways, go pretend to be my boyfriend, try not to die and join in the Christmas activities!” Nico walked off. 

“What.”

So Magnus began his day at Camp Half-Blood. As he made his way through the border, he laid eyes on the big house—which seemed normal enough, if it was not because of the line of hurt people right outside. 

Being the good person he was, he carefully made his way to said line and approached the one in the back. Before he even could greet the girl at the end, she turned to him, barely looking at him as she went, “Oh, Will! I thought you were inside already, they might need more hands.” 

Magnus paused before he caught up. Ah yes, people really did mistake him for Will.

“I uh, wasn’t yet. What happened?” He asked as the girl looked at him like he was stupid. 

“Harley’s two legged death race, holiday edition—wait did you skip it?” The girl gasped, “I won’t tell, but only if you heal me first.”  She then whispered. Not wanting Will to get into actual trouble, Magnus quickly healed the girl, who then thanked him and walked of after saying, “Hey, didn’t know you had instant heal! Sick!”

Magnus then made his way into the infirmary where one guy looked him over, went up to him, and whispered in his ear. “I know about the switcharoo, name’s Austin, I’m Will’s brother, I won’t snitch if you help heal the line out. You know how right?” Before Magnus nodded he was set to healing, asking each patient for details on their wounds.

”Myrmekes, you know, giant ants got us.”

“Oh, Sherman Yang decided I should be an ornament.”

“The crafting table didn’t agree with me. Nor did the glitter.”

“Archery practice.”  “Were you the target?”  “No, the instructor.” 

“A reindeer ran me over.”

“Decorating the lava wall.” “What.”  “Yeah, you should check it out!” 

So as the line grew short, Austin let Magnus go explore, kindly giving instructions to find the lava wall. 

Magnus did not know what he expected. However, somehow the words “Lava Wall” never made him think of a climbing wall with lava flowing down from it. Worse yet, multiple people were currently climbing it holding tinsel and lights, both quite flammable objects, and somehow it actually looked Chrismassy and joyful. Somehow.

“Impressive isn’t it, Will?” Some dude spoke from next to Magnus, “It reminds me of that one time dad tried to actually be there for Christmas. Hephaestus wasn’t too clear on why the trees should ‘light up’ but he at least apologized for almost setting mom on fire. Good times! Catch ya later.” 

Magnus watched the guy leave with a look of concern, but as time went by, he realized that was probably one of the lighthearted stories he’d hear. Later that day, while having lunch with Nico, the guy decided to trauma dump as if Magnus were Dr. Phil’s little helper.

“Yeah, the decoration are cool most years but this one feels less chaotic than others—though not as quiet as the winter my sister died—” Nico shrugged. “That one was not fun. There’s also that other winter when things were too quiet and we ended up fighting Bob the titan, before Percy yanked him to hell—he’s alright though don’t worry. Bob, I mean. I saw Percy a week ago and he was acting crazy.”

Magnus remembers something then. “Where’s Klaus?”

Nico looks around. “No clue. He said a friend would come over as well, some Heartstone guy?”

Magnus frowns. “Why is he here?”

“No clue,” Nico repeats. “I think Klaus is trying to drive Percy to a nervous breakdown, don’t know why. Can’t blame him either, Percy makes you wanna do that sometimes.”

“Right,” Magnus eyes Nico, picking up his trash and standing. “I’ll take a walk.”

“Will!” A girl of about fifteen approaches him and smiles. “Oh, did you get a perm? Lovely! Though I would spend less time under the sun if I were you, your hair is getting sickly lighter,” she says casually. “Anyway, today for the campfire Chiron asked me to tell you not to sing any ballads, you know what happened last time.”

Magnus stares at her still hung up on the comment about his hair but trying his best to move on. “I do. Yeah, I know everything that’s ever happened here.”

“Cool,” the girl pats his shoulder and leaves. “No one needs more drama—ah, like that one time mom came to my prom wearing the same dress as I did and said ‘See, when someone the right size wears it, it does accentuate your curves!’ Ugh, totally unnecessary I mean, she knows I wore it because my actual dress was covered in acid from the gorgon pretending to be my grandma! Anyway, toodles!”

Magnus reaches the campfire and sits next to Austin. “Gods, I know I’m no one to judge but does anyone here have a decent childhood?”

Austin laughs like he just said the funniest joke. “Good one, buddy. What’s next, a proper education?” Chiron calls Austin to the front and he rubs his hands eagerly. “Showtime!”

Magnus watches the guy step to the front and bring out a saxophone. He starts playing and Magnus recognizes it as ‘Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree’. At first he sits back and enjoys it thinking he’s finally discovered something about this camp that isn’t inherently concerning. 

The problem starts when Austin gets a bit too excited and his music starts to command everyone to leave their seats and rock around the lava wall, which is functioning as their Christmas tree.

***

It’s 10pm, Magnus has been healing the entire camp from second and three degree burns, and he’s either hallucinating or he actually saw Blitzen and another guy with a santa hat on entering the forest in the back of a bronze dragon.

“Has anyone seen a reindeer?” A camper walks up to where he’s walking holding a flip phone against their ear. “No?” They talk back into the phone. “Sorry, Percy. No yeah, I sent them over to you this morning—yeah, I,” they spot Magnus and smile. “Oh, hi, Magnus!”

“Y/N,” Magnus waves casually. “Who the hellheim lost a reindeer?”

“You don’t wanna know,” you snort, texting someone on the flip phone. “You should tell Heartstone to make Klaus stop messing with Percy, poor guy is going bald and may be getting an ulcer.”

“He’s not the only one,” Magnus replies. “Hey, Nico told me you guy have a god around here named Mr. D?”

You hesitate. “I’m not sure you should go anywhere near him. He might not be okay with you hanging out here.”

“I’m already dead, what can he do, vaporize me? The lava wall already tried that—I can’t be burned.”

“Show off,” you state with no real annoyance. “Yeah well, he’s probably playing cards in the porch.”

“This camp needs like, a whole therapy guard—like an entire cabin for the mentally ill.”

“Oh, Magnus, sweet summer child,” you pat his shoulder. “The whole camp is for the mentally ill. See ya!”

Y/N walks away humming Rudolph the red-nose reindeer and continue to ask about the animal’s location to anyone you encounter. Magnus walks up to the big house and finds a man who can only be Mr. D sitting there and chugging down eggnog.

“Uh, hi.”

“Bill Lonely, you’re here,” Mr. D glances at the boy without even reaching his face. “What do you want?”

“I heard you sometimes give free therapy sessions—can I help?”

Mr. D snorts. “Are you a doctor?”

“No but I feel a lot of bad things when I look at your campers.”

“Join the club, kid.”

“Also my sword is good with words and if that doesn’t work I can stab them so they go to a better place. Sorta.” Magnus scratches his nose and sniffs. “So can I?”

“The clinic is all yours,” the god points to the front door. “Second door to the left, don’t touch my mini fridge.”

[needsmoresleepwrites]

Gift for adorations: "Kei goes to Tadashi’s house almost every day and almost every day he falls asleep on his bed." (Dec'23 GDC)

Kei Dreams

read on AO3

Kei doesn’t really like the holidays. It’s not because Christmas starts months in advance and every single ad he sees is about buying your loved one that super special and perfect gift and we can make sure it’s perfect if you buy with US. It’s not even because Santa decorated everythings were suddenly shoved in his face. Although, he admits he once asked Santa to get him a Santa-themed T-Rex figure but he was 10 so he thinks he gets a pass. He didn’t know better…

(Ok, he’s lying. That is a big part of why he dislikes the holidays, especially Christmas)

“Tsukki,” he feels someone shake him awake, “It’s getting late.”

There’s a warm hand on his cheek and he grumbles something that makes Tadashi laugh. There’s movement around the room and he keeps his eyes closed just a moment longer. When he finally opens his eyes, Tadashi is out of his uniform. He’s grabbing all of his stuff (wallet, game console, notebooks, and pencils) and packing them back in his bag. Kei realizes with a bit of annoyance that he did it again. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep again.”

(He goes to Tadashi’s house almost every day and almost every day he falls asleep on his bed)

Tadashi sets his packed bag down and goes back to Kei’s side. He pats his side and grins, “It’s ok. It was too cold to study anyway, and we did technically finish what we had to at school.”

“Is my brother here?” Kei asks, because even when he tells his mother he can just walk home alone, she always worries and sends Akiteru to pick him up. Tadashi nods and Kei reluctantly gets out of bed. 

He thinks that if Tadashi didn’t sleep in it every night, it would smell more like Kei with how often he wakes up on it. 

Tadashi hugs him with a grin and asks, “Do you want to brush your teeth?”

He holds Tadashi back loosely, his eyes still feeling a bit crusty and he wants to yawn but he’s very conscious of how his breath smells. He nods and Tadashi pecks him on the mouth, “Ok.”

Kei goes into the bathroom, which is right across from Tadashi’s room to finish waking up. When he steps out, he’s glad he can hear the TV and Tadashi’s voice downstairs. He grabs his bag and heads down too.

His brother is there, sitting at the Yamaguchi table with Tadashi and his parents. When he sees Kei he grins, “Ready to go?”

Kei knows he’s pouting when Akiteru laughs. He turns back to Tadashi’s parents and nods, “Thanks for the tea. It’s really delicious.” He flashes a tea box at them, “I’m sure Mom will love them. I’ll wait outside.”

The last bit is for him because (as Akiteru likes to tease), he knows he doesn’t like to be watched when he’s being all ‘cuddly’ with his boyfriend. Don’t worry, it’s not weird, it’s a teenager thing

Yamaguchi’s parents also tease and he feels himself go red, but Tadashi just grabs his hand and tugs him toward the genkan. He bows his head and excuses himself.

Kei is taller than Tadashi, but when he steps down to put on his shoes, Tadashi is the taller of the two. But only just. He knows Tadashi likes it when they stand like this (Kei does too) because he’s able to wrap Kei in his arms from above. Kei doesn’t like to hold Tadashi like that. He likes to hold him around his back and waist. (So he does)

Tadashi kisses his forehead and it would feel suffocating with anyone else but it feels warm with Tadashi. He knows not to hold on too tightly

He whispers into Kei’s ear, “I’m so excited for tomorrow.”

Kei isn’t, “I’m not.” (He is. Just not entirely. He’ll have to share Tadashi and it’ll be busy).

Tadashi just laughs because he knows, “Will we have time for a nap?”

Kei shakes his head, “We’ll be too busy. Mother likes to cook.”

---

They don’t have Christmas off, which means Kei still has to go to school in the morning and sit through boring lectures. Volleyball is canceled today though, which means he’s able to take the train to Tadashi’s school (still in the same town but a few stops from Kei’s). They both get ready at the dorms at his school. There’s no time to sit down and relax because his mother is already sending him messages of things she forgot to buy that he should get on his way home

Tadashi grins, “It’ll be like a little date.”

Kei smiles back and grabs his hand. 

---

Christmas in the Tsukishima household is fairly simple. Most years, his mother just buys most of what they’ll eat but when Kei came home one day and announced (shoes still on, bag still in hand, and a frown on his face), Tadashi will be over for Christmas this year, is that ok? she had been over the moon!

She pulled out old recipe books she only used occasionally, watched cooking videos like she was going to be on some professional cooking show, and asked him repeatedly about Tadashi’s likes and dislikes. 

Is he ok with dairy? What about eggs? Does he like cheese?

He likes rice, right? No wait, maybe he’s more of a bread person.

Do you know what kind of cake he likes best? 

He reminds his mother that Tadashi isn’t some stranger he picked up off the street but his elementary school friend, It’s not his first time coming over

His mother laughs but continues her barrage of questions, But it’s his first time here as your boyfriend. I can’t disappoint!

---

In the end, Kei and Tadashi walk into the Tsukishima household with a bag of yokan sweets and frozen vegetables. Tadashi sniffs the air and nearly drools, “It smells so good!”

He speaks loud enough to be heard in the kitchen and he knows his mother heard when a muffled, “Did you hear that Aki?” carries through the hall. There’s some shuffling and then his mother hurries over. She’s drying her hands on her apron and her smile is wide. Tadashi matches her cheer but Kei just wants the day to be over with

“Welcome, welcome,” she calls and pulls at Kei’s other arm, “Come in you two. Oh, Tadashi! Look at how much you’ve grown!”

She pulls him into a hug and Kei rolls his eyes. He lets go of Tadashi’s hand and goes to the kitchen to drop off the bag he’s carrying. 

When he hears Tadashi say, “Oh! I’d love to help!” he knows they’re doomed. Akiteru gives him a shrug, taste-testing the broth his mother has on low heat. He makes a noise and then hovers a spoon near Kei’s mouth, “It’s so good! Try it!”

Kei just stares and Akiteru does too. It’s been a few years since they’ve talked and figured things out, but sometimes Kei wishes Akiteru still backed down like he used to. Now his stubbornness outlasts Kei’s and he sighs, opening his mouth.

Kei’s eyes go a little wide because it really is good

Before he can say anything, their mother walks into the kitchen, “You two better not be sticking your fingers in there.”

Kei raises his hands and he can see the way Tadashi covers his mouth behind his mother, hiding a laugh. Akiteru, however, doesn’t get off too easily. He’s got the spoon in his hand after all. 

He defends, “I’m only making sure it doesn’t burn, just like you said.”

---

They sit down to watch TV after dinner. Dinner had run a little late because they had to let the food cool down. She looks at Tadashi when she says, “You know how Kei is.” 

Tadashi, who ends up sitting between the couch armrest and Kei nods. They share conspiratorial grins and Kei rolls his eyes, “You can’t taste anything if it’s too hot.”

Which is why he hasn’t touched his tea yet. It sits on the table with steam coming off the top. And it could be Tadashi’s warmth as he sits tight against Kei’s side, or the warmth of the house, which still has the smell of dinner in the air. Or it could be the sound of the TV and his family’s voices, but eventually, he dozes. 

(He dreams of more holidays just like today)

He wakes up a few hours later with his head on Tadashi’s chest and his body askew. He’s somehow maneuvered himself so that he’s half laying across Tadashi, who has also moved to hold him (spoon him, his mind corrects) more comfortably. His mother is sitting on the floor with her legs tucked into the kotatsu at the center of the room, a blanket over her shoulders, and the TV still on (volume lowered). His brother isn’t in the room anymore but he can see another blanket on the other side of the kotatsu so he knows he hasn’t been gone long

The lights from the Christmas tree dance along the walls. 

He looks over to see Tadashi dozing as well. His face is peaceful and Kei watches as different parts of his face light up as the lights change. He must be staring too hard or it might be the movement, but Tadashi’s eyes open slowly. When he realizes Kei is awake, he smiles softly and leans their heads close

“Is it time yet?”

“Dunno,” he mumbles. 

His mother looks back at them and smiles, “We still have about two hours, but if you kids want to open gifts now and get some proper rest, we can do that too.”

“Where’s Akiteru?” Kei asks, sitting up and rubbing some feeling back into his limbs. Tadashi rubs his back too. Kei grabs his cup of tea, which has gone cold. It helps him wake up some more. 

“He’s on the phone, but he should be back soon.”

Soon ends up being fifteen minutes and in that time they’ve cleared the kotatsu and set up the gifts to be unwrapped. 

He panics, “Wait! Isn’t it too soon?”

“We’re opening them early because we’re tired,” Kei tells him. 

Akiteru only grins, “You mean you’re tired.”

“You can open your gifts last .” Akiteru whines, his mother laughs, and Tadashi snickers. As they all sit around the kotatsu, Kei doesn’t miss the little box Akiteru slips into the pile. 

---

His mother sets up her phone to record and Tadashi flashes a peace sign before saying, “Tsukki! Let’s open your gifts first!”

He pushes a box toward him and Kei looks at him with a smirk, “You do realize we’re supposed to guess who these are from, right?”

Tadashi looks at Kei’s mother, “I have no idea who that one is from.”

She smiles, “Oh, I can wager a guess.”

Kei rolls his eyes and opens the gift. When he does, he feels his eyes twitch and he turns to Tadashi, who is smiling innocently. It’s a Christmas sweater with a pixelated T-Rex eating Santa Claus. In a horror-esque font it says SANTA CLAWS and tiny rocks are falling from the top. One of the sleeves is wrapped in Christmas lights and some of them even come off as 3-D puffs. 

“It’s…ugly.” 

“That’s the point!” Tadashi laughs.

Kei’s mother claps, “Oh Kei! You have to wear it now. It’s perfect.”

And Kei is weak to Tadashi and his mother so when they both urge him, he relents. He puts on the sweater over his clothes and frowns when Akiteru takes a picture. 

“Can you send me that picture?”

“Already sent!” Tadashi’s phone buzzes. 

Kei didn’t even realize they knew each other’s numbers. 

They open gifts in that style and when his mother grabs a small box to see who it’s for, Kei says, “That one’s from Akiteru.”

---

Tadashi spends the night and when they’re both in bed (Kei sans the ugly Christmas sweater), Tadashi gives him an extra gift. It’s small and flat and Kei is pretty sure it’s an envelope but less sure about the contents. He frowns, “Why didn’t you put it with the others?”

Tadashi is blushing and Kei likes the way it makes his freckles pop. 

He’s a little quiet when he says, “This one is special. I…I didn’t want your family to see it yet. Open it.”

Kei opens it and feels his eyes widen when he sees what’s inside. It’s a listing for a small apartment and at the top of the paper it says, Do you want to live together? in Tadashi’s messy script

It’s quiet in his room and Tadashi begins to ramble, “We, uh. We haven’t talked about it too much, just vaguely, I know, but I was thinking that starting in the next school year we can do this instead of staying in the dorms. It would be cheaper and we wouldn’t have to-”

“Tadashi,” Kei stops him. Tadashi stops talking and Kei isn’t even sure what he wants to say. His heart is pounding and he’s sure his face is red. 

Instead, Kei takes his hand and squeezes. He nods and Tadashi lights up.

“Really?” he asks, “It’s not too much? I know you like your space and-”

Kei squeezes his hand again, “It’s not too much. I want to.” He gestures at the paper, “We can talk more about it tomorrow.”

---

Kei dreams of days that aren’t completely taken up by his long naps. He dreams of waking up to Tadashi’s smiling face and instead of hearing it’s time, Tadashi asks him, “What should we have for dinner?”

---

A/N:

For adorations.

EEEE!! Another gift fic and this one is for the holidays :D i really liked the cute and domestic prompts because that's the kind of HQ i love LOL. Adorations, you mentioned wanting (if possible) some type of chronic rep and idk if this is it but you mentioned fatigue and i suddenly remembered how most of my HS time with my then s/o was spent with me sleeping bc i would always fall asleep at their house xD so tsukki is now sleepy boy. even now i do have a weird sleep schedule sometimes and if i can get away with it, i do everything (yes even washing the dishes) while sitting (hehe) some of the prompts you gave me + established relationship/domestic + canon compliant/college au + meet the family/family dynamics + ugly sweaters

[4hourfearlessleader]

I'm gonna go off like a cartoon bad guy here but Christmas fucking sucks. I actually miss working hospitality because I could volunteer to work and have an excuse to skip out on it.

Once we stopped doing the big family Christmases when I was little, probably around 12, the magic went out. I had stopped believing in Santa long before that but at least it still felt special to see family members I might only see once or twice a year (Christmas and Easter). It felt like more of an event, and I think my Grandmother who hosted put in more of an effort to decorate and create a Christmas back then. Once it became just the five of us-- then four, after my uncle died of a heroin overdose-- she really didn't put in as much work. Of course I was very gown by then. We still had a nice dinner, Ravioli usually.

We started going to my mom's family on Christmas eve and having dinner just the four of us Christmas day. This was fine, until the economy turned and we stopped doing presents. I was in my early 20s by then, so it wasn't a huge blow by itself. We tried secret Santa a few years, but that required a level of pre-organization some relations weren't up to. Not to mention it had to be organized at Thanksgiving and not everyone planning to be there for Christmas was also there for Thanksgiving.

We started doing a 'white elephant' gift exchange-- which if you have Racist relations you might know as 'Chinese gift exchange'. It's not really fun when one person buys themself a blender and desperately tries to hold on to it. Not to mention not everyone is on the same page about what is appropriate should it be practical or silly? Certainly, no one wanted the Remote Controlled Llama I contributed. I tried putting in novelty card games in subsequent years which got similar results. I'm just not part of the family clique, I guess to be in on their jokes.

Anyway I'm going to be home with my boyfriend this year, just the two of us. Probably having Tacos since the meat is already defrosted from two days ago. If it sounds romantic, it's not. It's a mostly normal night just with colored lights put up.

[beyinuo]

"are you saying i'm not intimidating enough?" it's so clearly a joke that the girl doesn't even try to pretend otherwise. she's only barely over 160 centimeters on a good day, slight enough that a good gust of wind might blow her over. no matter how she might have the fighting spirit of a bull mastiff she's still trapped in a tiny little purse dog body. "actually, i'm the one keeping the bodies of bad bartenders in the fridge. it's just more convenient to blame on you. so don't you ever call me soft again," she points a finger at him, her face split into a brilliant smile despite her supposed scolding.

a second wind seems to hit the girl as she sits up a little straighter, eyebrows raising. "you have doubanjiang?" she's shocked, genuinely. "where did you find it? or is it under a different name here or something? i swear i've been looking and haven't seen it anywhere. oh, but i guess i don't have your culinary connections either. anyway, spill." yinuo is no chef, she's not making elaborate meals for anyone, but living alone means she cooks for herself for the meals she doesn't eat here at the restaurant, and an extra taste of home in her cuisine would never go amiss. "my mom's the pro, actually. i'd ask her to send me the recipe but i don't think anything is actually measured out. you can try to do it as good as her, though. i don't think you'll win."

maybe she should be more concerned about her boss inviting her back to his place, but the situation isn't like that at all. yinuo knows jindallae's boyfriend, for crying out loud, and jindallae in turn knows about yinuo's blatant preference for the company of women. there's nothing weird about it, especially when she would consider the two of them friends after working with each other for this long.

a gasp escapes the girl. as much as she joked about a christmas rush and gimmicky decorations, she's shocked and horrified that jindallae won't even try to indulge in the commercialized, secular version of the holiday. "really? no garland? not even a little?" she acts scandalized. "i guess this place really does need a woman's touch. okay, give me a christmas decoration budget and i'll take care of it. i'll do it in place of that extra bonus." it's a missed opportunity, in her opinion, if they do nothing in recognition of the winter festivities. it's a romantic holiday, one often spent between couples and lovers, and what's better than a fancy dinner date? no, doing nothing simply will not do and yinuo has always been the type to take matters into her own hands, warranted or not.

"your team will be happier if you throw them a christmas party," she half-jokes, knowing she's probably going too far yet still unable to rein herself back in. "it's not even religious at this point. it's a national holiday, you know? a lot of people have off of work!"

"who says there's not?" he counters to her comment about the rumors about him, supposedly the ones that he's hiding bodies in the walk-in. though, he's quick to laugh it off; clearly indicating that he's joking. "look, someone's gotta be intimidating. it keeps people on their best behavior. the rest of you do your jobs well. you're charmers, you're soft like that. i'm not only the chef—i'm the muscle, too."

with that, he shrugs; hoping that it's not a strange comment for him to make. he's definitely had to kick people out of this place, especially now that he's all but taken it over, so he makes himself responsible. it's what he's used to, after all. he didn't grow up kicking mindeulle's bullies' teeth in for nothing. "i've got some o' that at my house, so i know what you're talkin' about. i've tried fuckin' around with it in certain recipes; it's pretty good."

he notices a slight shift in her energy, and offers a smile to counter it, "how about you come over sometime and we can make some authentic mapo tofu together? obviously my version's already on the menu, but i'd love to try yours. maybe i can make some tweaks to mine, too. i'll learn from the pro." he pauses and wonders if asking her to come to his place is appropriate or not, but figures that yinuo would let him know if it was weird. that's not his intention, but he'd understand if she wasn't into the idea.

"nah, there's no need for any of that. we've never really gone all out for christmas here. owner's not religious, and neither am i, and it's a pain in the ass to set up and take down decorations." does this make him somewhat of a 'grinch'? a 'scrooge'? if it does, he couldn't care less. other than his birthday and halloween, this time of year has never been his cup of tea. "you can do whatever you want with yourself, though. m'sorry if we're a boring crew."

taking another long gulp of his drink, he hums at its flavor; knowing that once he finishes it, his entire body will feel less tense. "you better be kidding. i just gave you a raise a couple weeks back, you get a free meal every shift, and an end-of-year bonus. don't get greedy on me now..." jindallae teases, helping himself to another sip. "it's the least i can do, you've all worked really hard this year. i know i couldn't do any of this alone, and keepin' the team happy is my top priority, so."

[manic-peach]

Happy Holidays. 🎄❤️

[chaotictarlos]

Jingle Those Balls

ship: Tarlos | fandom: 911 Lone Star | author: chaotictarlos | read on ao3

Rating: E | Warnings: Alternative Universe, Hallmark Style Fic, Fluff, Mature Language, Dirty Talk, Suggestive Situations, Carlos is hella sassy, and i love him for it, fake dating, strangers to lovers

Summary: TK and Carlos bake Christmas Cookies and attend a Christmas Party.

For @tarlosweeklyprompts 12 Days of Tarlos prompt: Baking Holiday Cookies Together

Authors Note: I am loving the reactions to this story! Drop some comments, send me some asks, DM me! Let's talk! :) Thank you to @noxsoulmate for betaing this.

--

Chapter 2/4

His mother had made the mistake of promising that she would bring 200 Christmas cookies to the work party months ago and had forgotten about it.

So now, TK and Carlos are elbow-deep in sugar cookie dough and helping his mother make and decorate cookies. Though, TK isn’t helping as much as he’s eating his weight in cookie dough and telling jokes.

“TK, if you eat another spoonful of the dough I’m going to banish you to the living room and ban you from having any cookies,” Carlos says, snatching the spoon that TK was supposed to be using to mix the dough out of his hand.

TK pouts. “It’s not my fault you make such good cookie dough.”

Carlos rolls his eyes, tossing the spoon into the sink before turning back to the dough he was kneading. TK watches as he plops it into a bowl, covers it with plastic wrap, sticks it into the fridge, and grabs out a bowl that had been chilling there. Carlos takes the chilled dough out of the bowl and rolls it out on the counter before he starts to press the cookie cutters into the dough to make different shapes.

“Can I help with this part?”

“Can you promise not to eat the dough you cut?”

TK pouts again, bumping his hip against Carlos’, “I promise.”

Carlos studies him for a moment before passing him some cookie cutters.

“You two are adorable,” TK’s mom says, snapping a picture of the two of them. 

TK shakes his head, laughing it off without really commenting on the moment. If he did, he would have to admit that he was having more fun with Carlos than he’d ever had with any of his real boyfriends and TK was certain that you weren’t supposed to have more fun with fake boyfriends.

“TK is lucky he’s adorable, or I would have run him out of the kitchen hours ago for eating the cookie dough,” Carlos teases with a bright smile as he lays out the cookies on the cookie sheet. “But then again, I should have known better than to let him help because he’s always stealing ingredients when I cook.”

“Hey! I don’t do that… all the time,” TK says as he grabs another spoonful of cookie dough and pops it in his mouth.

“We could have had so much more done if you weren’t trying to be the cookie monster,” Carlos says, ignoring TK’s comment and swatting playfully at his hand. 

“Anyway, I told you that I wouldn’t be much help! It’s your fault for laughing that off and still handing me an apron,” TK counters, adding a few sprinkles to one of the cookies that he’s placed on the sheet.

Carlos rolls his eyes, but TK can see that he’s not really annoyed, more amused. TK watches as he slides the pan full of cut cookies into the oven before he makes his way over to TK with a mischievous look in his eye and slips a hand around his waist. He pulls him close and presses a soft kiss to his lips.

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tags: @strangefurychaos @ronensass @sapphire11 @first-kanaphan @angeltk @noxsoulmate   @beautifulhigh @welcometololaland @rangergurlgleek1211 @detective-giggles @tarlos-spain @lonestardust @bubblesandroses8 @thebumblecee

[holdinbacksecrets]

boyfriend things // voicemails

namjoon: “i need you to come home right now because i’m doing a newspaper crossword puzzle, and i am not a human thesaurus. also, breakfast is ready and i’m starving, but i can’t eat without you. i would feel so guilty, so this is me begging you to cut your bike ride a little short for the sake of my growling stomach and crossword puzzle determination… oh! please wake me up before you leave. i always panic when you’re not next to me, and get tour flashbacks of missing you”

jin: “i know i’m going to see you in two hours, but i wanted to call you because the sweetest thing just happened. two little girls were dancing to super tuna in the park, and someone— maybe their mom?? was recording them and started pulling out costumes from this giant tote bag. they were literally knitted tuna head hats. i nearly started crying. and i so badly wanted to say something, but no one knows we’re dating… anyway, it was adorable”

yoongi: “i hope you’re still at the grocery store because i forgot lemons for this lemon cake like a damn idiot. i have oranges… i guess i could make an orange cake instead?? but everyone is expecting lemon tonight, so please turn around and go back inside the store if you already left. i won’t even get mad if you scold me later!”

hoseok: “ohmygod… please help me. i’m literally standing in our closet trying to figure out what to wear to my work event tonight and… thank you for dating me despite having no fashion sense beyond jeans and t shirts. i know i look hot in jeans and t shirts, but knowing how to pair an outfit would be so nice. actually, maybe i should call your sister after this. ya, i’m going to do that, but i still want your opinion! maybe i’ll just send a mirror selfie... you’d think more of you would have rubbed off on me by now… but at least i’ve got the mirror selfie down”

jimin: “hi ahhh— excuse me! sorry— i missed my bus, and i just realized i forgot my wallet, so i’m running back home. i wish you would answer the phone… how many times have i told you to turn off do not disturb? you’re a working man with friends and family and me too by the way. but the point of this call was to let you know i’ll be late…lol. ok bye. i love you! turn off do not disturb!”

taehyung: “i know we already decorated the christmas tree and it’s literally days before christmas, but i want to change everything. i don’t know why i thought silver balls were the way to go. so now i’m just standing in front of the tree, hating it more the longer i look at it, and then scrolling through pinterest for better ideas. so i need you to either talk me out of this, or help me redecorate and play some jazz. yes, i have watched your little video more than a few times and now everyone thinks that’s a normal thing for you when it’s not. how dare you save something so beautiful for namjoon, then share with army and not me… when did you even film that?? i’m literally always home… oh i think you’re home now. taehyung!”

jungkook: “i am literally so embarrassed, but i can’t figure out where the hell i am. i took bam with me to get more of his food, and then i saw this really pretty garden, so i took some pictures. i thought i hadn’t gotten too far away from the pet store, but shit… i guess i have. i’ve tried to figure out directions three times, and i keep getting more confused. normally i can see at least one thing that looks familiar, but not anymore. also, i think i left the candle burning, so blow that out before you call me back. naps are a dangerous thing when your girlfriend is forgetful and bad with directions…”

check out the masterlist 🤍

[collecting-stories]

Baby, it’s Cold - JJ Maybank

Request: “Baby, it’s cold outside” & “We could cuddle by the fireplace?” w/ JJ

A/N: Some Christmassy JJ...also, now that I mentioned it in this fic, I really wanna do a ‘kiss my best friend’ challenge fic thing...I don’t know how that would work. 

TW: Christmas 

Winter in the OBX Masterlist | Outer Banks Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

There was a very real chance that your mom had been playing Christmas music non-stop since Thanksgiving day. The tree was still on its way to fully being decorated and your house looked trapped between hallmark channel worthy and post Thanksgiving madness still, boxes laid out with garland, ornaments, faux trees, nativity scenes, and accent pillows cluttering the small house. Everything smelled like balsam and gingerbread and was it too soon to be sick of the holiday? 

It wasn’t like you had any particular reason to dread this most magical time of year. Though it definitely had something to do with the blond that was currently helping string lights outside for your mom. You had been best friends with JJ for as long as you could remember and you had been wishing it was more than that for probably just as long. You watched those cheesy ‘kiss my best friend’ challenges on TikTok and imagined that it was you and JJ, though your imaginations even ended with rejection. 

Stupid maybe, but you wanted that cute Christmas love. Bringing your boyfriend around for holidays that you no longer have to suffer through alone, kissing under the mistletoe, going Black Friday shopping, decorating…it wasn’t like you didn’t already do most of these things but you always thought it would be so different if you and JJ were together. 

“This is the third time this song has come on!” JJ called, leaning against the open living room window and drawing your attention away from the ornaments you were hanging. 

“What?” 

“This song…baby it’s cold outside,” JJ sang, slightly off key, “it’s the third time it’s come on.” 

“It’s a different version.” You replied, abandoning your work to come over to the window. “How’s it looking outside?” 

Your mom had promised JJ a hundred dollars in cash if he helped to decorate with you while she was at work, an offer JJ was happy to accept and you were happy to pester him over. “So basically, you only hang out with me for money?” You had joked when he told you earlier in the morning what your mom had said. You both knew that JJ would have helped anyway, your mom was always sweet to him, half the time treating him like he was her own son.  

“Looking pretty fucking awesome, wait till we light this place up.” JJ replied.  

You nodded, looking back into the living room at the boxes that were empty and ready to go back into the attic. JJ had helped with that too, hauling boxes and the giant bag for the Christmas tree down the attic ladder with you. “I need to carry these up before we finish up.”  

“I’ll carry them up when I’m done hanging lights...but it’ll cost you extra.” He teased, leaning in the window more.  

You rolled your eyes, used to JJ’s ridiculous demands. He would rope you into paying for lunch or buying him a new bracelet while he flirted with the cashier and pretended to be a tourist at the Ron Jon’s on figure eight or waxing his surfboard because he was lazy and almost never took care of it. Once he even made you buy weed from his cousin because they were ‘beefing’ and he didn’t want to talk to him. So while you ran through the possibilities, you conceded, agreeing to whatever his cost might be. “Okay, what do I owe you?”

“A kiss under mistletoe.”

“How festive,” you deadpanned, turning back to your current job and leaving him leaning into the living room. The suggestion had made your head race just the smallest amount and your face grow hot but you played it off by walking away. JJ was always saying bullshit stuff and this, you knew, was no different.  

“I’m serious!” He called.  

JJ let the subject drop, finishing the lights outside of the house before putting the ladder back in the garage and heading inside to help carry the boxes back up to the attic. You were finishing cleaning up, vacuuming the needles that fell despite the faux tree and making sure that there were no stray pieces of tissue paper lying around. You deliberately ignored him when he came in, wanting to avoid any more teasing.  

It wasn’t the first time that JJ had said something like that. You were almost a hundred percent certain that he had no idea you had a crush on him but every once in a while, he would make a joke like that and you thought maybe Kiara had told him. Maybe he knew and he was teasing you on purpose. JJ wasn’t the cruel sort though so you usually wrote it off as quickly as the thought crossed your mind. But it still bugged you when he said it. Like picking at a fresh wound, he was reminding you all over again that you liked him and that you had for a long time and that he would never like you back.  

“Okay,” JJ said to no one in particular, “finished.”

“Thanks...I really appreciate the help.” You admitted, crossing your arms and looking around the living room. From the stockings on the fireplace to the tree in front of the bay window, everything had come together.  

“Do I get my payment now?”

“I’m not kissing you JJ,” you replied, denying his earlier request all over again.  

“Why?”

“Cause you’re not being serious.”  

“Why do you always think I’m joking?” He asked, following you into the kitchen.  

“Because, you always are. You flirt with everyone and you never mean it.”  

“Okay…so what if I meant it?”  

“JJ just…stop okay? It’s not funny.” You replied, a little more agitated as he continued prodding at the joke.  

“I’m not being funny.” He dropped the playfulness in his voice, trying to sound as serious as possible in an effort to convince you.  

“JJ-”  

“Come on,” JJ leaned in closer to you, pressing his palm against the cool tiles of the kitchen counter, “we could cuddle by the fireplace, mack on each other with the tree all decorated. It’d be like a hallmark movie.”  

“There is nothing about you that is like a hallmark movie,” you laughed, “and I’m not gonna kiss you just because you finished carrying some boxes up to the attic and you think it’d be hilarious. Did Kiara tell you?”

JJ tilted his head to the side, eyebrows raised in slight confusion as he tried to decide exactly what Kiara might have told him that you’re getting at. “I don’t know what you mean.” He replied, “what did she tell me about what?”  

“That I like you,” you admitted, crossing your arms and looking away from you. Not exactly how you imagined confessing to him. Not that you imagined confessing to him at all. “Is that why you’re doing this, because you know that I like you?”

“No...hey, you’re my best friend, you really think I’d do some shit like that?” He asked, “I’m not joking and if I’d known that you liked me, I woulda just said something.”  

“Yeah, no...I didn’t mean that...I don’t think you’d be mean or something I just...” You sighed, “I just thought you were joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Okay...yeah, I got it.”  

“So can I kiss you?” JJ asked, reaching out to take your hands in his.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t sound so excited,” he laughed, pulling you closer to him so he could kiss you.  

You smiled as you pulled away, “I’m so excited, I’m radiating with excitement.” You replied, the fluttering feeling that was sparking goosebumps across your arms at the thought of JJ actually liking you back held at bay only long enough for you to try and act unfazed. You weren’t though and JJ knew it, you could tell by the grin on his face as he leaned in close to you again and you found yourself looking forward to the holiday just a little bit more than you had been when you’d started the day.  

-

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taglist: @maybankbby @alanniys @stylesyourmine @nicolee-anne @dudenhaaa27 @alexoberlinluthor @thecaptainsgingersnap @purple-flamingo 

[writersblog20]

First Christmas

Tom Hiddleston x reader

Summary:  It was around Christmas time and you and Tom got ready for Christmas.

Warnings: homesickness, brief mention of a passed loved one. 

Teeth rotting Christmas fluff

Words: 2,8K

A/N: Zawe is in this story for a short second but I mean no disrespect towards her or Tom ( just thought to put it out there.) Also, I feel like I have a writers block, so I’m currently not so happy with my stories but I want to keep going.

First Christmas

It was around Christmas time and this would be the first time celebrating with your boyfriend Tom. Yes the Tom Hiddleston. You didn’t know how this happened but you were glad that it did. You met because you work at a livestream service, and because of the pandemic this was a great way for people to attend events. It wasn’t the same but it was something. A theater asked you to livestream a play that they were doing, Betrayal. You knew Tom was playing in it because you were a huge fan. The company you worked for, and colleagues, send you to do the job because they knew you were a big fan.

Anyways you had to do a livestream every night for about 5 days. Because it was nicer for the actors to see some people in the crowd, we sat people down from the crew. But every night, you were the one Tom looked at. His eyes fixating on you when he had to do a scene towards the crowd. You would of course get flustered profoundly. You were tested at doing your job at that point and you nailed it.

The last night, they were having a drink to end it. only the actors and some crew members and Tom asked you nervously to join them. You talked to Zawe before their performance and you could see her nod expressional. You smiled and said yes. That night turned out to be the greatest one yet. Tom had walked you home like the gentleman he was, carrying some of your stuff, and asked you out on a date. And that was how it started.  

You currently had a Christmas vacation because it wasn’t going well with the pandemic and you knew the livestreams would pick up and you needed energy for that. Tom took a break as well so you could spend time together.

“Darling? Why don’t we go and search for a nice tree?” Tom softly asked in your ear as he stood behind you, rubbing your arms. You smiled and turned around to be met with a loving smile. “I’d love that.” You told him and gave him a kiss.

Tom knew you were having a hard time right now, more then you showed. This would be the first Christmas without your mom and it hasn’t even been a year ago that your godfather had passed so you really felt for your godmother. Tom knew you were having a rough time with that and you dealt with it through writing. Which you were doing a lot lately. He loved your stories and motivated you to write a book. So that was what you were doing.

You got your stuff so you could go. You grabbed a warm coat, scarf, gloves and a beanie. You were packed since it was so cold in London. Tom smiled at you and grabbed your hand. You drove towards the location and looked around with Tom for the perfect tree for the both of you. Once found, Tom immediately agreed and took that one.

And not even an hour later Tom placed it in the right spot, in the corner, by the window and fireplace. Tom got the decorations from the attic. You helped him as he stood on the ladder, handing you the boxes. Tom got downstairs and you put some music on. You unpacked the boxes and found the decoration for the tree. Tom smiled at you and put on the fireplace. You started to decorated together and as you looked outside, you could see it snow. You tapped on Tom’s arm, grabbing his attention. He looked at you and then outside. His smile grew wider “Do you want to go outside once were done darling?” he asked you. “yes please!” he chuckled and walked up to you, pulling you in a big embrace. He kissed the top of your head “Of course we can darling. Everything for you.” you looked up at the tall man and stood on your tippy toes to give him a kiss

You gave him some Christmas balls to hang on his side. He would always give you a kiss when you did that. You were almost done when the doorbell went off. You and Tom looked at each other in confusion because you weren’t expecting any visitors today. You placed the ornaments down and opened the door to see the mother of Tom, Diana. “Hey sweetheart,” she told you kind. Diana loved you and made sure you knew it. she was such a kind woman, you saw where Tom got his kindness from. You smiled and gave her a big hug, ushering her inside because of the cold.

She walked to Tom to give him a kiss. You smiled at the sight but felt a crack in your heart, missing your own mom right now. you felt yourself getting a little teary and turned around quick to make some tea for her. She walked in the kitchen “I made you some cookies and a red velvet cake. I hope that’s okay.” You smiled at her kindness. “Oh Diana, you didn’t have to! Thank you so much!” you told her as she handed you the cake. Which you immediately put in the refrigerator.

You gave her the tea and placed the cookies on the table. At this point Diana was more interested in you than Tom. She loved talking to you and found you very well spoken. It made Tom laugh every time she wanted to talk to you. She would always tell Tom, before she left. that you were a keeper and that he wouldn’t dare to break up with you because he wouldn’t get any better than he had now. It always made you smile so bright.

You drank your tea and ate some of her delicious cookies. “It’s so goo Diana, if you could teach me one day that would be lovely.” She got excited and agreed to your plan. After an hour of chatting she left and you finished the Christmas tree with Tom. Of course he noticed that you had a hard time when Diana came in. you were an open book for him.

The Christmas tree was done and you both looked proudly at it while he held you close to his side. “I love it.” you told Tom who looked with love in his eyes your way. “And I love you.” you felt flustered again and hugged him a little closer “I love you too Tom, so much.” He placed his finger underneath your chin and made you look at him so he could give you a loving kiss.

You decorated the rest of the house, which didn’t took long. You looked outside at the snow. Tom walked up to you and gave you a hug from behind. His head rested on your shoulder. “Do you want to go outside love?” you smiled at him “Yes please” you gave him a smile. He already had your coat in his hands and helped you in it. He placed the beanie on your head, giving you a kiss on your nose. You got the scarf as he got Bobby on the leash and put your gloves on. You got your camera with you in case you wanted to take some pictures.

You walked out the door hand in hand with Tom. You were always a big fan of snow, it made you feel so happy and safe and that was exactly what you needed right now. Bobby was so happy, he jumped around in the snow and wanted to run back and forth making you and Tom laugh at his antics. You strolled through the snow and you found so many beautiful things to photograph and of course Tom couldn’t be missed. He got the camera for a while, while you played with Bobby, unknown of Tom, who was now taking pictures of you.

After a hour and a half you started to freeze and decided to head back home. Once in Tom immediately started the fireplace again and lit up the Christmas tree. Tom wanted to cook his spaghetti for you tonight while you had a nice warm bath. You took a book with you so you could read.

After a while Tom walked upstairs towards the bathroom and knocked before walking in. He smiled at the sight in front of him and kneeled down next to the bath. He rested his head on his arm and with his other hand he stroked your hair. You sight in relaxation and leaned into his soft touch. Tom looked at you with a loving look. “I hate to disturb you like this but dinner is ready love.” He told you softly and you smiled, keeping your eyes closed. “You never disturb me Tom.” He smiled and gave you a passionate kiss before holding up the towel. Once you got out he wrapped it around your body and dried your body off with care.

You got into some sweats of Tom and a sweater and walked downstairs with him. he prepared the table with candles and a rose. You smiled “Tom, this looks perfect. How did I get this lucky.” He smiled “Believe me, I’m the lucky one. I’ll do everything for you darling.” He pulled the chair out for you and shoved you carefully closer to the table.

You enjoyed dinner and of course, Tom had cooked amazingly.  After dinner you both did the dishes with some music playing in the background. You got the red velvet cake out and placed it on the plates until you felt a soft hand touching yours. You looked up and Tom pulled you towards him for a dance. You giggled because you’ve never been treated like this before. Tom really treads you like the queen that you are.

You waltzed towards the living room. You started to slow dance and you rested your head against his chest. “words don’t even describe how much I love you.” you told Tom. He started to dance a little slower, not stopping entirely. “Love I feel the same way. I would do absolutely anything for you, and I mean that.” He told you looking sincerely into your eyes. He softly rested his thumb and finger underneath your chin and pulled you closer for a kiss. He pulled you closer towards him so there was no space left between your body’s.

After the little dance you got the cake and tea and walked back. plopping on the couch. “Why don’t we facetime your mom?” Tom asked careful. You thought about it and decided that would be very nice. You called her and she picked up. Tom softly rubbed your back the entire time you were on the phone with her. Of course you missed her but this was really helping and at least you had Tom with you. After an hour of talking to your mom you hang up and immediately felt a sort of calmness flowing through you. “Thank you” you told Tom he smiled as he pulled your body closer and kissed the side of your head. “Of course my love.”

You sat there cuddling for a while before you got an idea. “why don’t we play a board game or card game?” you looked up at Tom, knowing he loved games. He smiled “I’ll get the cards, you get the hot chocolate milk.” You chuckled and stood up to make the chocolate milk. You heard a lot of things and knew he wasn’t only getting the cards. You chuckled and embraced yourself before walking back into the living room.

Tom had his Loki smile on, waiting for your reaction. He had placed all the pillows and blankets on the floor next to the Christmas tree and fireplace. You chuckled and smiled at the romantic gesture. “Okay I love it.” you giggled making him chuckle as well. “Come on, what did you expect?” he asked you in his Loki voice. You giggled and felt flustered. He noticed and laughed walking up to you. “Like I said. I would do anything for you.” he kissed your forehead, nose, cheeks and eventually your lips.

He let you to the blankets and helped you sit down as a gentleman. You laid down on your stomach and Tom laid down on his side with the cards in his hands. Bobby took a place next to you and curled up against you. Tom was hustling the cards and you looked outside. Everything was covered in snow and you smiled, feeling at peace.

You started to play the card game for at least two hours and you both laughed a lot. You heard your favorite song come up. “Ahh I love this song!” Tom immediately got up, helping you stand up as well. He started to dance with you again but this was more an upbeat song so the dance was faster as normal and you both got a fit of chuckles and giggles. He twirled you around and picked you up very quick to spin you around making you laugh louder.

When the song ended you both fell on the soft blankets and pillows. You tried to catch your breath as Tom laid next to you. You rested your head on his chest as you both stared at the ceiling still chuckling. Once you calmed down a bit you turned to your side, facing Tom. You placed kisses on his cheek, making him smile again. You leaned on your elbow and tilted yourself up so you could give him a passionate kiss. You felt his tongue slip in and you gracefully accepted him. His hand found it’s way to your cheek as he the other placed some hair behind your ear. He placed his head back on the pillow, his hands still in place as he looked at you with adoration in his eyes.

You placed your hand on his chest and rested your head on your hand. You went with your hands through his hair, massaging his scull and playing with his hair. He got the blanket and placed it over you so you kept warm. Tom played with your hair as well and just wanted to touch you in general at this moment. You felt Tom relax underneath your touch.

You laid down on your back and Tom looked quizzingly at you, why you moved in the first place. you tapped on your chest, letting him know that he can cuddle you. You loved to get cuddled by Tom but you also loved to give him cuddles.

He laid his head down on your chest and your hands found his hair immediately and you held his head close to you. Your other hand rested on his back and you held him tightly, giving gentle strokes on his back. He placed his arms around your waist and one of his legs was placed over yours. You laid there for a while and you could feel Tom’s breathing come more relaxed. You kept playing with his hair and closed your eyes for a while.

You woke up from an ache in your back because of the ground. Tom laid almost on top of you. “Tom, love, wake up. We need to go to bed.” you whispered but said it loud enough for him to get out of the slumber. He grumbled. “My back hurts from the floor.” He rubbed his face and sat up. “I’m sorry love, let’s get to bed.” he stood up and helped you up.

“Tomorrow I’ll massage your back.” you smiled at him. “Thank you Tom. Now let’s get to bed.” he nodded and you both walked up the stairs and brushed your teeth and got freshened up for bed. Tom had made the bed and you couldn’t wait to crawl into the clean sheets. Tom laid next to you and pulled you closer with ease. You giggled at him. you were like his personal teddy bear. You both laid on your sides. Your head was tucked underneath his chin and his arms were wrapped around you. “Good night darling.” He whispered. “Good night Tom”. You just couldn’t wait for the next days with Tom, you had so many Christmas plans for the both of you. You fell into a deep slumber thinking about the days ahead.

[witchwyfe]

cherry flavoured | rc

| pairing: (non canon) rafe cameron x female reader

| genre: fluff, xmas fic

| warnings: swearing, mentions of alcohol

| précis: j a little blurb abt being nervous for xmas and rafe helping :)

| word count: 580

“Fucking, fuck.” You hiss, tossing the bundle of knotted up lights onto the couch. You blame yourself—for accepting the lights your mom gave you, (that she was going to throw away), instead of just buying a new set.

“Rafe, can you come help me please?” You call, your voice cracking, barely noticeable to anyone else, but very noticeable to your boyfriend, even from a room away.

Rafe pauses, setting down the mugs of (spiked) hot chocolate he made for you and him, and comes into the living room where you are.

“What’s up bug?” He wonders softly, taking in your exasperated face.

“I can’t get the lights untangled.” You huff, stature slumping in defeat.

“Okay.” He nods. “I can help with that.”

You pick up the tangle of lights again, handing it to Rafe, and standing in front of him, just in case you can help.

“Honey, I don’t think these are gonna come undone.” He speaks up a few moments later, watching your features tighten as you grimace.

“Okay, well then we won’t have any fucking lights on our tree, that’s great.” You grumble, grabbing the lights from his grip, and throwing them back into the box you had them in.

“We’ll just buy some new ones.” He says easily. “You told me you liked colored lights anyway, we’ll just get some from Target tomorrow.”

“Whatever.”

You pivot to turn away, but Rafe catches you, hands gripping on your waist, pulling you back to him.

“Hey, hey,” He says softly. “What just happened?”

“Nothing Rafe, I’m fine.” You squirm in his grip, despite wanting nothing more than to melt into his embrace.

“What’s going on in your head right now baby?” He wonders, lips at the top of your head.

You sigh heavily, chest rising and falling. “I just,” You huff again, suddenly embarrassed.

“What is it baby?” He asks gently, running his hand down the side of your face. “You can tell me.”

“I’m just stressed out.” You tell him, looking into his cerulean orbs. “I know it’s stupid, to be stressed about decorating for Christmas, but I am.”

“It’s not stupid.” He brings you to the couch, letting you sit in his lap. “You wanna tell me about it?”

You settle your head against his chest, pausing before you speak again. “You know how your family’s coming on Christmas Eve, Eve, to see the place, and have dinner?”

Your words reverberate against Rafe’s chest, so he hears and feels them. “Yeah?” He encourages, lips at the top of your head.

“I just,” You sigh, feeling your face heat up again. “I want it to look nice. When we saw them last year for Christmas, Rose showed me all the decorations and they were literally perfect.”

“Baby, they hire decorators.” He says. “And our place looks nice, it is nice.”

“But I feel like she’s going to be judging me and—”

“Fuck them,” He says seriously. “Fuck my family. Baby, if you’re this uptight over it, I’m gonna tell them not to come.”

“No, Rafe it’s fine.”

“Angel, I—“

“It’s our first Christmas in our place together, and I want everything to be perfect. Not even perfect, just good, I don’t know, it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.” He says softly. “And it will be perfect, just being with you is perfect for me.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” He soothes, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I want you to be happy, nothing else matters to me.”

© witchwyfe 2021. absolutely no reposting, translating, or modifying, even with credit.