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harmonyrae · 2 days ago

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A Not So Silent Night...

Merry Christmas, again! This is the NSFW continuation of A Christmas Kiss - things do be getting spicy on this Christmas night...

Synopsis: You surprised him with a Christmas office makeover. But the best decoration? The mistletoe. The angel is on the tree, the halls are decked, it's time for presents. And one present is... it won't be a silent night, that's for sure.

The crackles and pops of the fire and the sultry notes of Santa Baby drift through the air as Sylus kisses you once more. After placing the angel on the tree, he resumed kissing your neck. Gently at first, but an occasional bite nearly caused your knees to give out. Sylus, of course, noticed, but he didn’t tease or slow down. He spun you around and lifted you up, his arms tucked under your ass. He smiled up at you as he made his way to the couch.

“Do you want to continue?”

His question surprised you. He lowered you both on the couch, moving your legs to straddle him comfortably. You lock your fingers behind his neck, playing with the ends of his hair with your thumbs. You swear you had so many plans for today, but they all flew out the window when you hung that damn mistletoe.

“I do have other presents for you. And I know you got me presents, the twins already tattled.”

“I hope they don’t know about their presents then.”

“You got Luke and Kieran presents? That’s so sweet!”

“I got them muzzles cause they can’t keep their mouths closed.”

You clasp a hand over your mouth to stifle your giggles. The thought of the twins in muzzles to punish them for yapping too much is just too good. Come to think of it…

“Did you really get muzzles for them? Or are you joking?”

“Why? Did you want one for yourself?”

“Might be useful… for things…”

Sylus’s eyes darkened, the hint of a smirk on his lips. His gaze dropped to your lips and you couldn’t help but lick them. The idea of Sylus in a muzzle so he can’t sass you while you explore his body has made your mouth very dry all of a sudden.

“Is that so?”

You smile, shifting your hips slightly. The subtle grind forces a groan out of Sylus, it takes you by surprise and you let out a breathy laugh. You trail your hands down his chest as his circle around and under your ass. He leans forward to capture your lips once more, but you lean back suddenly. He glares at you.

“Something wrong?”

“No, nothing. I just…” You hesitate, you can feel the warmth in your cheeks.

“You just what, sweetie?”

“I’ve thought about this moment and I guess I had… thoughts? Plans?”

“Oh, you’ve thought about this, have you?”

“And that is why I want you in a muzzle.”

Sylus lets out a laugh and tucks his arms under your ass once more, lifting you off the couch with ease. You wrap your arms around him, hiding your face in the crook of his neck.

“Sylus…”

“Let’s get in those matching PJ sets and I’ll have the chef bring our dinner in here. We can open the presents after. How does that sound?”

“Damn, Luke and Kieran do need those muzzles. Those PJs were supposed to be a surprise!”

Sylus chuckles as he carries you out of his office to change.

An hour later, you’re in your festive sleep set and sitting on the floor next to the coffee table. Sylus’s chef had prepared roast pork and your favorite potato dumplings. Sylus brought out one of the rarest wines in his collection and instructed the chef to bring the dessert and leave it on a cart outside the door. With that, Sylus sent him, and the everyone else on base, home early and you both settled in for the night.

“Do you like the pajamas I picked?”

Sylus glanced down at his pajama pants covered in candy canes. It came with a matching shirt, but Sylus opted to go shirtless for the evening. Damn him. You were already regretting the pajamas you had chosen - long pants and long sleeves? You were burning up from the inside out at this point next to the fire and Sylus sitting there looking, well, perfect.

“They’re very comfortable. I’m just glad you didn’t make me wear those reindeer antlers.”

“Luke and Kieran put those on voluntarily! They’re really embracing the holiday spirit. It’s cute.”

Sylus nods before sipping his wine.

“They’ve never celebrated the holiday. Even before finding me.”

“Then I’m glad they’re having fun. You should take a page from their book. You’d look adorable in antlers!”

“Do I not look adorable already?”

Your cheeks flush and you sit up on your knees to stand before Sylus can make another joke. You gather the presents from under the tree. Sylus had brought in a few boxes while you were taking off your makeup. You were shocked at how many boxes there were now.

“Sylus.”

“Hmm?”

“Please tell me these aren’t all for me.”

“And if they are?”

“Sylus!”

“I won’t apologize for spoiling you. Especially during a holiday you love so much.”

You can’t argue with him there. You finish hauling the boxes over to the coffee table as Sylus clears the dishes and takes the cart back into the hallway. There’s one gift you are terrified to give him and no matter how perfect this day has been, you can’t convince yourself to give it yet. You quickly stuff it under the couch next to you before Sylus comes back in the room. Maybe later?

“Okay, who goes first? Or should we go back and forth?”

“This is your holiday, sweetie. It’s your call.”

You pick up a small box from his pile and hand it to him before picking up one from your own. You’re careful not to shake it, no matter how tempting.

“We open at the same time, okay?”

He nods. He starts peeling the sparkly green paper off the box. The golden wrapping paper on all of your gifts feels fancy and it’s wrapped so perfectly. It almost feels like a crime to tear it off, but it doesn’t stop you from shredding it like you are a kid again.

Your stomach flips when you see the tiny box, it’s a ring box. You had wanted to take the next step, but this is several steps… You slowly open the box, holding your breath. The ring inside isn’t an engagement ring, and you almost laugh at the fact you thought Sylus would propose like this. Or that he’d propose at all after a few months of dating.

The ring is a tiny ruby on a silver band, but there are cat ears attached and accent stones making them shine in the firelight. A tiny cat ring with a bright ruby gem. It had to be custom made and it fit perfectly on your middle finger.

“Is it a little too on the nose?”

You’re about to make a joke, but when you see his brows pinched and his ears nearly glowing red, you hold your tongue. You realize he’s nervous.

“It’s adorable. I mean it.” You slip the ring on and hold your hand out to examine it. You look over to see Sylus smiling while he fiddles with the unwrapped box in his hands. “Your turn, open it!”

Sylus returns his focus to the box in his hands. He opens the box and pulls out a book. He takes a moment to read the cover, but a smile crosses his face before he can say a word.

“A book about history's most notorious criminal masterminds?”

“From Al Capone to Jack the Ripper and it even covers the legend of that guy from Philos who started the illegal protocore trade.”

“I look forward to reading it, thank you.”

Your cheeks hurt from smiling, his approval of his gifts mean more to you than you realized. You turn to pick up the next two gifts. Neither of you hesitate to start opening the boxes now. Yours is a bit larger and you gasp when you see the brand on the heavy wooden case.

“Hero Leather Works? Sylus!”

You open the box to reveal a brand new custom holster. The deep chocolate leather and shining golden buckles take your breath away.

“You mentioned your holster was getting old.”

“You remembered? I said that nearly 3 months ago!”

“And you still haven’t replaced it. So I called in a favor.”

“With the most famous leather artisan in Linkon? They’ve been booked for months!”

“Like I said, Hero owed me a favor. And you needed a holster.”

You drop your gaze and hold the holster in your hands, stroking the leather slowly. Tears build up in your eyes, but you refuse to let them fall. Without looking up you urge Sylus to open his present.

“Okay, okay, your turn.”

He opens the bag and tosses the tissue paper over his shoulder onto the sofa. He stares into the bag, he chuckles under his breath. He finally pulls out two plushies. A dove and a crow, connected at the wings, their heads turned toward each other so their beaks touched.

“I got it custom made from the same company that made the big crow plushie you got for me. This one is a bit smaller, since I know you’re not a huge fan of plushies. I just thought –”

Sylus leans over and kisses you, effectively shutting you up. He pulls back and rests his forehead against yours.

“I take it the crow is me and the dove is you?”

You smile and he pulls back to kiss your forehead.

“I love it. It��ll have a permanent spot on my desk.”

The tears you fought off a few minutes ago threaten to fall once more. You clear your throat.

“How about you pick the present we open next?”

“Now that is a good idea. I was wondering when I’d have a chance to ask about the box you stuffed under the couch, guess I won’t have to.”

You stop breathing. Your heart pounds in your ears. How had he seen you do that?

“Oh I just…”

He reaches past you and pulls the box from under the couch, setting it on the table in front of him. You’re tempted to grab it and chuck it in the fire, but you can’t seem to move. Is this what they mean by “frozen in fear”? Sylus lifts a small slender box from your pile and sets it before you before leaning back on the couch and holding his present up to examine.

“Why would you hide this one in particular? How curious.”

You shake your head trying to pull yourself out of this paralysis.

“I wasn’t hiding it, it must have just slipped under there by accident.”

“Kitten, I always know when you’re lying.”

You glare at him.

“How?”

“Oh no no no. I’m not revealing that. It’s too much fun watching you try to wiggle your way out.”

You sigh and cross your arms in defeat. Your heart is racing so fast your chest hurts. How could you have been so confident and sure when you bought it, but now you are convinced you are going to ruin everything? Sylus pushes your present closer to you.

“Open.”

You take in a ragged breath. You tear off the red satin ribbon and tear off the gold paper to reveal a long slender velvet box, much like the ring box. You tentatively open it and gasp when you see its contents.

A silver chain necklace holds a delicate silver charm in the shape of an elegant dragon. Its tail wraps around the ruby heart shaped stone while its wings curve inwards to secure the sides. The head rests on the gem, its eyes two smaller rubies. You find yourself captivated by the charm, your hands tremble slightly and a tear spills over.

Sylus reaches out and wipes away the tear with his thumb. He shifts closer to you, placing an arm around your shoulder. He doesn’t speak, he just holds you and lets you take in the gift. A gift you didn’t understand, but loved instantly. You finally turn to face him.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Would you like to put it on?”

You almost blurt out yes, but your eye catches on Sylus’s gift, still sitting on the table. Your stomach flips and you feel heat spread from your chest to your center. The only thing you can think of is that gift and this one.

“I would, but only after you open your gift.”

Sylus squints at you, but doesn’t argue. He pulls the gift over and starts to peel the paper away. He is purposefully going as slow as possible, he can feel how nervous you are. He is enjoying this way too much. You lean over and press your mouth to his ear.

“If you keep teasing me, you won’t get to see me wear it.”

You feel his body tense, his jaw clenches. You place a soft kiss on his cheek and lean back. The nerves you were feeling earlier vanish. If he could tease you, you could tease him. He picks up the pace and finally reaches the thin box. As he opens the lid, you watch his face. His eyes widen, his breathing quickens, a blush spreads across his cheeks and down to his chest. He sets the box on his lap and pulls out the contents.

His fingers trace the thin red lace of the bralette. Tiny red hearts adorn the sheer fabric, but not nearly enough to hide anything. The matching red lace thong follows, the ribbons at the hips tie together to secure it to the body. A matching garter and red lace robe lay at the back of the box. You can help but smile as you look down at the necklace you still hold in your hand. The red matches the ruby perfectly.

“So you hid this present because you changed your mind?”

His voice is gruff and breathy. You almost jump up to straddle him at that very moment. His words are full of doubt, but his voice is full of desire. You dare to shift closer to him, lifting your hand to pull his chin in your direction.

“I was worried you wouldn’t want to go there yet. But I never changed my mind.”

His eyes drop down to your lips, then down to your neck and chest. You drop your hand to his chest and feel his heart racing. He lets out a shaky breath before returning his gaze to the box on his lap. He returns the contents and closes the lid. He turns to you, the box directly between you both. That familiar smirk returns.

“Change. Now.”

You place the necklace back in its box and close it. You hold it out next to the box he holds.

“But first, put this on me.”

He doesn’t hesitate. He takes the box, removes the necklace and unclasps the hook. You reach to pull your hair up and he wraps his arms around your neck to secure the necklace. The cold metal almost stings against your hot skin. Sylus reaches down to straighten the charm, allowing his fingers to linger on the exposed skin of your chest.

“Hurry.”

You stand and calmly walk out of the room, but as soon as you reach the hall you are a fumbling mess. You damn near skip down the hall to the nearest room. You slip into the bathroom and stare at yourself in the mirror. Is this really happening? Are you about to put on sexy lingerie and parade around his office like you’re a present to be unwrapped? Oh god you hope so.

You strip out of your festive pajamas and freshen yourself up a bit before slipping on the silky two piece. You’ve never been one to love or hate your body, but as you look in the mirror now, you can’t help but feel unbelievably sexy. The red is bright, the ribbons delicate, your skin soft, your nipples hard and the butterflies in your stomach are making it hard to breathe. You slide the garter up your thigh and drape the robe over your shoulders, not bothering to tie it. You gently open the bathroom door and look both ways up and down the hallway. You know Sylus sent everyone home early for the holiday, including Luke & Kieran, but you were not used to walking around wearing so little, especially here.

You speed walk to the office and pause before placing a hand on the handle. Would he like what he sees? Would you be enough for him? Would you satisfy him? Would he still want you to take the lead or would he take control? What if you couldn’t get there? Would that make him feel bad? What if you can’t get him there?

You take a deep breath, you knew you were being ridiculous. The way he kissed you earlier? He wants this. God, he wants this. Memories of your kiss flood your mind and you press a hand to your chest trying to slow your breathing. Open the door. You just need to open the door. Everything else will come naturally. So you do it. You open the door.

Most of the lights have been turned off, the glow of the fireplace and the candles around the room cast dancing shadows against the walls. Sylus leans against his desk with a glass of whiskey, facing the door. He glances up at you as you slowly make your way towards him. He drinks you in, his eyes barely knowing where to look first. They linger on your chest before lowering to your nearly completely revealed cunt. He nearly breaks the glass when he sets it on his desk with a clink.

You stand in front of him, his eyes now locked on yours. He slowly lifts his hands to your shoulders, stroking the sheer fabric. He tugs at the fabric and pulls it over your shoulders, you let it fall away and onto the floor. His hands return and finally glide over your skin. Chills spread over your arms at his touch. His fingers glide down your arms to your hands, he pulls you closer to him placing your hands on his hips.

“If you had taken any longer, I would have come looking for you.”

You laugh and gently squeeze his hips, his fingers trailing up and down your arms.

“Maybe we’ll play hide and seek later?”

Sylus laughs, it’s not his usual laugh - it is darker, you feel electricity flicker across your skin. He moves his hands down to your bare waist and you nearly moan. His hands on your skin feels even better than you imagined.

“I doubt I’ll be letting you out of my sight the rest of the night, sweetie.”

And before you could say another word, he leans down and presses his lips to your neck. His hands circle around your waist and pull you to him, your hardened nipples press against his chest. You let out a breathy moan, your hands grasping onto his shoulders. He reaches down and tucks his hands under your ass, pulling your lower half directly to him, his thigh settling between your legs. He slowly shifts his leg, the friction just enough to make you painfully aware of how wet you are.

“Sy…”

He grunts against your neck before straightening and swiftly turning you both around. He lifts you and places you on his desk before spreading your legs and slotting himself between them. You feel his erection now, pressing against your stomach. God, he’s big. Your mind goes blank as his lips meet yours again and his hands move your arms up and around his shoulders.

He grinds against you, letting you feel him. You are thanking every deity that Sylus is the one taking control because your brain is short circuiting. Your skin feels like it’s on fire, your core is so tight like you did countless sit ups, what is this man doing to you?

His mouth has moved from yours to your neck and down your chest. You tilt your head back and close your eyes, trying to make breathing your only priority. His fingers trace the lace of your bra from the back to the front. The throbbing between your legs is getting so intense you barely register that he has pulled one of the straps of your bra down exposing your breast. His lips close around your nipple and you gasp. He keeps a hand on your back, giving you the resistance you need to arch and press your chest into his mouth. His other hand squeezes your breast, peaking your nipple and making it easier for him to suckle. He gently bites down and you moan loudly. No one has made you moan just from nipple play, but you realize now, it doesn’t matter what Sylus does, you’d be moaning for him.

He unclasps the bra with his hand at your back and pulls the straps down your arms. He tosses it to his desk chair before diving down to give your other breast the same treatment. Your hands thread through his hair and down his back. You’ve started grinding against him now, desperate for more. He finally reaches a hand down to run a finger along the fabric over your entrance. As soon as he feels the wetness he releases your breast with a loud pop and meets your eyes.

“Already soaking through your present?”

You glare at him, but he presses his fingers firmly against the fabric leaving you gasping. You nod frantically trying to get him to stop teasing.

“We should get those off before you ruin them.”

As he says this, he tugs at the ribbons on the sides. The fabric falls away and settles onto the desk. He wraps an arm around you, lifting you off the desk leaving your panties behind. He bends to pick you up properly and you wrap your legs around him. He lets out a soft whimper when he feels your bare cunt against his stomach. That sound alone nearly made you come.

He lowers you down onto a soft blanket in front of the fireplace. He places kisses all over your face, your neck, your chest. He starts lowering himself to your stomach and when he places a kiss to your hip you finally register his intentions.

“Sy, wait –”

“Shh…”

You look down at him and see his eyes sparkle in the firelight before he lowers his mouth onto your throbbing clit. The sight was intoxicating enough, but the feeling of his tongue lapping at your swollen clit over and over before sucking it into his mouth was euphoric. He pressed his tongue against your entrance, his nose pressing perfectly against your clit. You arch your back and feel your hips twitch with need.

“Sy… Sylus… I need… I need more– oh god…”

The rumble of his response against you sent your hips thrusting upwards. He tucked his hands under your ass, giving you the leverage to continue the movement. He finally pressed his tongue into you, swirling against your walls, his nose massaging your clit. And every time you grind yourself against his face, his grunt of approval sent vibrations up your spine making your legs shake.

You had no time to warn him, the pressure built and spilled over so rapidly you would feel embarrassed if you weren’t so deliriously happy. You hear him groan and his hands knead your ass as he takes everything you gave him. When he lifts his head, his face is coated in your arousal, a love drunk expression painted on his face. You smile and giggle at the sight.

“Sorry I couldn’t warn you…”

He gets onto his hands and knees crawling back on top of you. He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Always keeping me on my toes.”

He nuzzles his face into your neck. You let your hands drift down his chest. You wanted to feel him, to see him, to not be the only one exposed. Your fingers trace the hem of his pajama pants. He lifts his head to stare down at you.

“Already wanting more?”

“From you? Always?”

Your quick reply surprised even you. But you weren’t lying, “always” was the right word. Being with him made you happy and horny and peaceful and daring. His eyes dropped to the necklace, the charm still cool against your skin. Sylus runs a finger over the charm, a small smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. You wanted to ask why a dragon, but you also didn’t feel like you needed to - it just felt right. You pressed your fingers against the hem harder, pushing the fabric down to his hips.

He looks into your eyes as he pushes himself up to his knees. He tucks his thumbs into the hem of his pants and boxers and pulls them down letting his cock spring forward. He tosses the clothes onto the couch before returning his gaze to yours. You felt your chest tighten, he was big, but not scary big. You’d always wondered what you’d do if he was too big - like in those trashy romance novels.

He lowered himself over you once more. His tip grazes your inner thigh making you spread your legs wider on instinct. He looks down to see you spread yourself for him and he lets out a soft moan.

“Stop that.” You breathe.

He looks at you, his brow raised in surprise. You reach up and pull him down on top of you. You nearly swallow his tongue once he parts his lips. All the fear and nerves from earlier are long done, you needed him inside you. Now.

You reach a hand down and wrap it around the base of his cock. His breath catches and he pulls back to look down at you holding him. You stroke him gently, building intensity based on his breathing. He sinks his head into your neck as you continue to pump him. When he starts placing messy kisses to your collarbone and those soft moans start slipping out one after the other, you line him up with your entrance.

When he feels his tip press against your folds, he pulls back and looks down at you.

“Are you… on the… pill? Do I –”

“I’m on the pill, I want you – god, I want you inside me Sy. Right fucking now. Please…”

Hearing the urgency in your tone, he reaches down and moves your hand away. He presses his tip further into your entrance, your arousal making it easy to initially slide through. You feel his breath against your ear.

“I won’t take it easy on y– you kitten. Remember you asked – fuck… you asked for this.”

You dig your nails into his back as your chest heaves, your chest brushing against his with every breath.

“Fuck yes…”

At your response, he sinks himself into you. Not too fast, but he doesn’t slow down, he doesn’t take breaks to let you adjust. You feel the delicious stretch and cry out, letting your nails drag across his back. You feel his muscles ripple in response. His pelvis now pressed against yours, his cock twitching as your walls squeeze him.

He lets out a deep groan before he pulls back and starts thrusting into you, slow and deep. You lock your ankles around his waist. His movements pick up pace, you hear the slapping of skin against skin. Your chest burns, tears spill from the corners of your eyes, pressure builds once again, but you’re determined to ride this high as long as he lets you.

The way Sylus moans is unexpected. It’s needy, but he meets those needs himself. It’s like he knows how badly he needs you and he has no doubt he’ll get what he desires. You know if you were in control he would be desperate, but how your body is responding to his has proven to him that you will never deny him. Even if you tried, you would give in eventually.

You curl your fingers into his hair and hold him against you as his thrusts turn savage. He’s hitting that spot that makes you see stars with every brutal thrust. Your moans turned to grunts and then screams of ecstasy. His moans have been replaced by soft whimpers of your name in your ear. Your heart flutters, his desire has taken over and the only thing he can say is just your name.

His whimpers stop suddenly, his breathing shakes, you know he’s close. You start thrusting your hips upward and before long he is coming, hot and fast. Your second release of the night is almost immediate once you feel his body shake and his lips find yours again. You whimper and moan into each other's mouths as you ride out your high together.

The crackle of the fire and the soft Christmas music slowly comes back into focus. He rests his forehead against yours, keeping himself tucked inside your warmth. You unhook your ankles and let your legs fall open. He sinks down to his elbows, your chests pressed against each other.

“I think I might like Christmas.” He sighs contentedly.

You giggle and press a kiss to his cheek.

“Merry Christmas, my love.”

Tag List (comment if you wanna be added!): @trishiepo0 @not-so-quite-human @kitsunetori @babyx91 @libriomancer @lilyadora @cordidy

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thepixelelf · 13 hours ago

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warnings: domestic animals. tags: established relationship. christmas stuff. wc: 869

this has been in my drafts since dec 2023 and I realized it was collecting dust so I wanted to just roll up my sleeves and finish it so... here you go!

[a little thing called bad timing] Everyone knows that Seungcheol is a dog person -- you most of all. There's not a day that goes by without him turning his phone to face you with Kkuma's adorableness on the screen, sent to him by his parents. Of course, you love those pictures. Kkuma is an angel, and if you were the jealous type, you'd probably be wary of just how much Seungcheol pampers her, but luckily, you're not. In fact, you absolutely understand his behaviour. Before your family's cat passed away when you were younger, you're pretty sure you took about a million pictures of her just... existing.

That said, when Seungcheol not-so-subtly hinted that he wanted a dog last Christmas, you had to let him down easy. Your apartment at the time wasn't pet friendly, and you honestly weren't in a place financially to support a puppy with the love and attention one would deserve. Seungcheol's pout back then almost broke your heart, but he knew you were right, especially when you said you couldn't afford a cat, either, even if you wanted one.

This year, though, you moved to a new building together -- where pet allowance wasn't a choosing factor, but an added bonus -- with much more space in your apartment. And earlier this fall, you got the promotion you've been gunning for since you got your new job.

Which leads you to now. Everyone knows Seungcheol is a dog person. Everyone also knows you're a cat person. But the adorable black and white puppy in your arms has completely won you over with its yips and jumps, the way it climbs straight into your lap when you sit down, and its adorably glimmering eyes. A friend of a friend's dog had puppies, and when they asked if you knew anyone interested, you thought of your own glimmery-eyed partner. It was about time.

There are still quite a few days until Christmas, but you're sure that if Seungcheol had a choice, he'd want to meet this precious pup sooner than later. You were lucky that Seungcheol told you he had to stay later at work today, meaning you could pick up the puppy from your friend and acclimatize her to your apartment before he comes home. You've been spending the time decorating, as well, and you consider the tinsel in your hand for a second.

"Hey girl," you say, crouching down and scratching your new puppy's head. "How do you feel about wearing a little gift-wrap bow?"

She doesn't answer, of course, because she's a dog, but you chuckle at the adorable tilt of her head anyway.

"Yeah, I agree. Too cheesy."

The familiar sound of the front door getting unlocked makes you lift your head. "Oh, he's here." You lift your finger to your lips in a shush even though the puppy obviously has no idea what that means, and you scoop her into your arms.

From where you're standing in the kitchen area, the front door is just around a corner and out of sight. One more time, you give the puppy a conspiratorial grin before peeking just your head around the corner.

"Welcome home--"

"Hey, I'm back--"

Your jaw drops as you take in your boyfriend, or rather, the crate he's poorly hiding behind his legs, and the giant, shiny red bow stuck to the top of it.

Seungcheol smiles the way he always does when he comes home and sees you. "What are you doing hiding back there? C'mere, I got something for you."

You don't budge. "Is that...?"

Understanding that you aren't coming closer, Seungcheol just chuckles and brings the crate out in front of him. The front grate reveals a fluffy, orange kitten behind it.

You gasp. "You didn't!"

He shrugs. "I thought, since you've been missing your childhood cat recently, and we got this new apartment..."

"Cheol, I..."

"Did I read it wrong?" Seungcheol's eyes shine with worry and doubt. When you can't find the words to explain yourself, he continues. "I'm sorry. I should've asked, I know. Minghao knew somebody looking for homes for kittens and I just thought about how much you like Wonwoo's cats and--"

The puppy in your arms has finally had enough of hiding, and she barks, hopping to the ground. She trots over to Seungcheol to thoroughly investigate the shoes he's yet to take off.

"Oh," he says simply, eyes wide at the surprise house guest. "Oh!" Carefully, he sets the crate on the bench you have next to the door, out of reach of the excited puppy. He crouches down and pets her with both hands. "Hello," he coos. "Aren't you precious?"

Your heart warms at the sight, especially when the kitten curiously paws at the door of the crate instead of cowering away at the sound of a dog.

Seungcheol looks up at you, delighted. "Who's this?"

Just like he did when you asked him about the kitten, you shrug. "Merry Christmas?"

He must've suspected as much. His smile widens as he stands, and he holds his arm out for you to come to his side. You wrap your arms around him and giggle when he presses a hundred kisses to your cheek, while the puppy bounces in excitement at your feet.

"Seungcheoool," you whine, though to say you don't like his attention would be a total lie.

His smile widens until his eyes become your favourite crescent moons, and he locks his hands together behind you. "You know," he teases with a playful tilt of his head. "I've always dreamed of having twins."

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magnoliasandarson · 1 day ago

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giver

Dick Grayson loves his siblings, but he's never quite sure to what degree that love is returned.

It would be fair for them not to love him. He has messed up more than his fair share over the years, spectacularly shattering trust, destroying bridges, and failing to make amends. He sees his mistakes reflected in their eyes every time they back away from a hug.

It kills him a little, feeling them pull away from him.

Each of his siblings has had a point where he was their favorite. They would gravitate to him at family gatherings, linger with him during team-ups, and turn his apartment into a pillow fort. He should've held on tighter during those times, should've never let them slip away.

He spends weeks planning their Christmas presents. They have to be perfect- it took guilt and outright bribery to ensure everyone would be at the Manor. It stung when Stephanie and Tim ignored his calls, almost as much as Jason slamming the door in his face. They all came around eventually, and Dick had to show them all how much he cared.

He started with Damian, simply because the boy never left his mind these days. It had been hard to walk away when Bruce came back, even harder not to run back and snatch up the kid every day since. Dick found the newspaper from the first night they went out as a duo, complete with a glossy picture of them on a rooftop. It was carefully framed and placed on top of a small stack of sketchbooks and watercolors. Dick tried to forget all of the art shows he had missed recently.

Duke received a new pack of trading cards and every article that spoke positively of the "We Are Robin" movement. In a moment of extreme sentimentality, he wrote a letter explaining what Robin meant to his family and just how proud he was of Duke for turning a family name into a wave of change for the city. Dick tried to forget how angry he had once been to see the child army running the streets.

Stephanie was easy enough, he interfered as Detective Grayson and got rid of her parking tickets. Well, that, and he interviewed people that had come forward after being saved by Spoiler, and recorded all of them explaining how they would never forget their hero. He compiled all of the recordings onto a modified comm, so if she ever felt doubt on patrol, she could be reminded of all the good she has done. Dick tried to forget how he had joined Bruce in trying to run her off when she briefly took up the Robin mantle.

Cass received new pointe shoes, complete with shiny pink ribbon, and a stack of cards Dick had collected from the Gotham Center for Deaf Children. Before Orphan and Black Bat, there had never really been a signing hero in Gotham. She gave them someone to admire, and Dick thought she should know. He placed the delicate shoes on top of the cards, and tried to forget how many of her performances he had skipped.

Tim... Dick could never apologize in any way that would matter to him. He stared at a row of cameras in a store and wondered when was the last time he had actually seen Tim take a picture. It had been his passion for so long... Had the boy outgrown it or had their lifestyle forced him to abandon it? Dick was determined that either way, his brother deserved joy, so he picked one Wally recommended and carefully stenciled the Red Robin logo onto the lens cover. Dick tried to forget how Tim couldn't stand to be in a room alone with him anymore.

Jason. His Little Wing made him want to weep. He went through hours of footage from his old camera, videos of the first time they went train surfing together, when he taught Jason to fly, when Jason taught him to skateboard- all from years ago. He sat in his apartment for hours, hating himself for realizing he doesn't truly know his brother anymore. He ends up breaking into Jason's place. The day after that, he has a large box filled with leather bound versions of all the paperbacks Jason had lying around. He attempted to read some of them, but landed on making little bookmarks for his brother, each with some little inside joke on it. Dick did all of that and tried to forget that his brother didn't think they were family anymore.

December 23rd, he loads all of the gifts into his shitty truck and wonders if any of them will get him anything.

It would be fair if they didn't, though.

125 notes · View notes

pinkaditty · 3 days ago

Text

Holidays with Ghouls (Sho Haizono x Reader; Tokyo Debunker)

please read:

okay. big news + life update: i got into a major car accident a little while ago. my first one ever! i am in a lot of pain so things may be slow-going for a while and ill be unable to commit as much time to writing due to the tangled mess that is dealing with modern insurance companies and recovering from my injuries. thankfully its not so bad to be hospitalized, but its bad enough to limit my activity for the time being. i am somewhat ashamed to ask, but if you like my writing, please consider donating to my cashapp: $cindyfromstarbucks! my car was 100% totaled, and im gonna need to save up for a new one, and my job doesn’t pay very much. thank you for your consideration! please enjoy, regardless! (this paragraph will be on my posts indefinitely, probably until i fully recover)

a/n: LET ME START THIS OFF BY SAYING IT’S ENTIRELY SELF-INDULGENT… i have a green thumb and i’ve been growing a small garden lately (limited space. i hate captialism.) and i just thought “hm. what if we grew fresh ingredients for sho’s food truck?” and the idea stuck and didn’t leave no matter how much i tried 2 shake it off. mc is basically written as me im not gonna hold y’all, but i kept it 2 a minimum so it could still be an ‘x reader’.

summary: self-indulgent reader x sho. in which you do something nice for him and he struggles to return the favor.

no cw! enjoy!

big fan of the “woman that is so wound up all the time and extremely professional and tries to keep everyone at arm’s length distance” x “guy that is only a few years younger than the woman but loves calling her by age-appropriate honorifics (i.e. noona, ojou, jiejie, madame, etc) and goes out of his way to teach her how to fucking relax every once in a while” trope and essentially if i were with sho that is how the relationship would go LMFAOOOOOOO

You used to have a bit of a garden before becoming a student at Darkwick. A part of you often wondered if there were people tending to your garden now so you could return to it, well kept and exactly as you remember it, when you were cured of this curse and got this anomalous ring off of you. You'd never really had the idea to plant anything here; you were much too focused on missions and other incessant errands the ghouls saw fit to send you on. You didn't like it, but held your tongue regardless. If all went well, you wouldn't have to deal with this after less than a year.

You were fond of a few ghouls, though. Some of them were a nice reprieve from the other harsher and more selfish ghouls. Haku was a great example of that, and so was Subaru, his dorm's captain. You'd grown fond on the Jabberwock ghouls, as they were always kind and polite. You didn't really mind the Obscuary ghouls, either. Even if odd, they were good natured, and never turned you away. You appreciated that Rui had a bit of a green thumb too, and would often stop by to assist him with plant care.

The one ghoul you were the most fond of, despite his less than agreeable best friend, was Haizono, or Sho, as he insisted on being called. Sho, despite his friend Leo, was actually pretty friendly. You enjoyed the time you spent around him, whether that was collecting supplies from the diner, or training with him, or even helping him meal prep for the following day for his food truck. It was fun, spending time with Sho. You're almost angry the idea didn't dawn on you sooner.

Said idea is why you carefully sift through the dirt in your compost container, careful not to split any of the worms with your nails. The potatoes should be done growing by now. The idea had dawned on you one day when Sho mentioned not having enough potatoes to serve fries the following day. Potatoes were an easy crop. And they took three months, at most, to grow. Sure, if worse came to worst, you'd die, but growing potatoes was a good distraction and encouraged you to plan for the future, as though you wouldn't die. After a few favors from Benji and some begging towards the chancellor, you had a small garden behind the chapel. Granted, you'd just started it three months ago, so it wasn't as full as your garden back home, but it was good enough. It was hidden from the rest of campus by the surrounding trees, ensuring no one would find the garden unless they had reason to cut around the chapel, which wasn't necessary considering the path out front. Not only did it serve as your little place of respite, it allowed you to do nice things for others. You were just growing potatoes for now, but it felt like enough of a starter, at least. You’d just planted some tomato seeds that you’d hoped Sho would also find a use for.

Once done harvesting a substantial batch of potatoes, you wrap them up in plastic bags to look like you bought them. It would save you the embarrassment of having to explain that you’d grown them yourself.

It’s pleasantly chilly outside, the still afternoon air heavy with promises of cold weather and a white winter holiday. Dirt remained underneath your fingernails from all that harvesting, but it was a small price to pay. Your heart pounded with anticipation and exertion as you made the trek to Vagastrom, heading for the nearby food truck. As expected, you find Sho sitting on one of his supply boxes, far underdressed for the cold weather. You can’t tell if he’s resistant to it or rebelling against it, but you can tell he’s cold. His cheeks and nose are tinged red and his eyes are squinted against the cold wind. You can even tell he’s sniffling with how often he inhales. You exhale both fondly and exasperatedly. The stubbornness of these ghouls was simultaneously attractive and irritating.

You make it no secret you’re approaching, the bag of potatoes crinkling with your upbeat steps and your own runny nose sniffling in response to the cold wind. You place the bag of potatoes beside him with a heavy ‘thud’, to which he finally looks up, appearing jolted out of his thoughts.

“Here,” you start, taking your scarf from around your neck and tying it around his without waiting for a reaction. “You must be an idiot to sit out in the cold with just your uniform on.”

“Senpai.” He greets you with wide eyes, watching but not protesting as you tie your scarf around his neck. He appears confused at first, his lips pursing at your actions, but seems to relent as he buries his face into the scarf. You watch as he settles into it, his eyes sliding shut against the cold wind, his nose and lips finding warm solace in the comfort of your scarf. Before long, he pulls it away, revealing himself back to the chilly air with a slight wince. “...No need. Thank you, though.” He glances up at you with a smile before rising to his feet and dusting off his knees. “Whatcha got here?” He gestures to the plastic bag before picking it up, far more effortlessly than you, and inspecting it.

“Potatoes.” Your breath puffs out in a white cloud. “They’re for your food truck. I remembered you mentioned you were running low, so… I decided to help and buy you some.” At some point, you’d shifted your attention to the ground, toeing at a rock as you realized how ridiculous that sounded. Surely Sho could handle himself. He might even find your help embarrassing, when you really think about it.

You sneak a glance at him and are relieved to see a small smile on his face as he observes the potatoes. He huffs out a light breath, his face visibly softening. “You didn’t have to do that.” He slings the bag over his shoulder, using his other hand to ruffle your hair and return the scarf. “Come on,” he turns around, headed for the door of the food truck. “You can help me prep.”

‘That’s only helpful if you’ll have any customers in this cold,’ you think to yourself, but decide not to say aloud. Instead, you watch the slow smile on his face as he nods towards you, and continues towards the truck. Crazy, how a simple glance of his could make your heart race. Something about the warmth of his smile, the feel of his fingers carding through your hair, and the leftover scent of his cologne lingering on your scarf tugged at your heart, just a little bit.

You briskly follow after him, throwing the scarf back over his neck. “Keep it,” you say sternly, watching as he turns to you quizzically. “Have you seen the state of yourself in this cold?” The phrase ‘I want you to have it,’ lingers on your tongue, but you decide not to voice that, instead letting a small amused smile rest on your face. You vaguely gesture to him, your gaze flicking to his red cheeks and nose. He rolls his eyes, noting your point, and keeps the scarf around his neck, opening the side door to his food truck.

“Alright, fine. I’ll wash it and return it.”

As he steps inside the food truck, even from standing behind him you feel a wave of warmth. You follow, stepping inside, feeling the sweet relief of pleasant warm air and smelling the scent of roast chicken. The environment is warm and cozy, wrapping around you like a cushy blanket or a hug from a loved one. Sho closes the door behind you and you note your scarf is still around his neck. Something clicks.

“Wait a minute. You won’t need that.” You point to his scarf, your nose crinkling in mock displeasure. He instinctively flinches away, looking at you with a raised brow. He was seemingly already protective of your scarf, even though he’d only just received it. “Hand it over.”

“That’s hardly fair.” A crooked smile forms on Sho’s face and his brow raises higher. “Why do you assume I won’t need it?”

Indignantly, you gesture to the warm space surrounding you. Sizzling meat, a warm oven, and heaters in a corner, adjusting the temperature of the truck. “Vagastrom is literally right next to here. What do you need that for?”

He doesn’t answer directly, instead tilting his head at you. “I seem to remember a certain someone insisting I keep this scarf. Are you going to go back on your word?”

You clamp your mouth shut, remembering what you’d said and did earlier. He was right, you had insisted, even if only a little. You huff out a frustrated breath, crossing your arms and furrowing your brows. He laughs at your display, pulling the scarf off of him and tossing it on a high shelf of boxes you couldn’t reach. “Like I said, I’ll wash it and return it.”

You decide to swallow this loss. You had other scarves at the chapel anyway, and if he was going to use it, at least it wasn’t going to waste.

You look around the space again before taking off your coat and hanging it on one of the hooks on the door. “Any plans for winter break? Will you be going anywhere?”

“Nah.” Sho shook his head, checking on the chicken in the small oven before continuing to stir fry a vegetable medley on the stove, jutting his shoulder out towards the cutting board, covered in various vegetables. You wash your hands before heading over, carefully scraping at the dirt built up under your fingernails from digging. “Unless my… brother… goes, I’m not going. He’ll beat my ass if I don’t and he does.” A look of displeasure crosses Sho’s face, and you have to hold back a laugh at the thought of Professor Hyde chastising Sho for not seeing his family over break.

You head over to the vegetables laid out on the cutting board, and start with the garlic, peeling it out of its husk. “Sounds like a struggle.”

He scoffs, pouring soy sauce over the vegetables and tossing them before scraping them off on a nearby to-go container. “Holidays are always a struggle with pushy family.” Despite his outward scowl, amusement lights up his eyes for a moment.

You chuckle, having finished chopping up the garlic and moving to a green bell pepper. You slice it open, its seeds spilling onto the cutting board. “Your family’s pushy?”

“Yes, too pushy sometimes.” Sho shakes his head, shooing you to the side as he grabs potholders to pull the chicken out of the oven. “My brother’s more like my parents than I am.” He carefully places the roast chicken down on a short counter. It’s golden brown, stuffed with rosemary sprigs, lemon slices, and garlic cloves.

He places it to the side, readying the frying pain and reaching for the peppers you’d chopped, tossing them into the oil. You finish a pepper and reach for a leek next, slicing it into thick chunks. Your eyes flicker back over to the chicken momentarily, rosemary stems sticking out of it like a tail. “The rosemary stems look like a chicken tail.” You voice the thought absentmindedly, smiling to yourself.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Sho glance over at the chicken himself. You hear a huffed laugh as he returns his attention to the peppers, sizzling in the oil. “Yeah, it does.” He’s silent for a moment before speaking up again. “Speaking of, it was hard to find fresh rosemary this time around.”

You look up, having finished cutting the leek. A confused expression crosses your face. “Where in the world would you find fresh rosemary in the dead of winter?” You look away, reaching for a carrot, slicing it thinly.

“Rosemary’s an evergreen,” Sho states flatly, reaching for the leek and garlic you cut earlier, mixing it in with the batch of peppers on the stove and stirring them. “You can find that fresh anytime. What’s harder to find, however…” Sho trails off, leaving the stove for a split second, reaching for the bag of your potatoes he’d placed on the ground earlier. He opens the bag and pulls one out, some dirt still stuck in the indents of its skin. “...Is fresh potatoes. They’re typically harvested in the fall.” He smiles at you, before turning away to rinse it off.

Realizing you’d been caught in a lie, you turn away from him, putting all of your focus on the carrot in front of you. You hear his footsteps slowly approaching before he places a freshly washed potato right in front of you, his hand shaking with mirth.

“Come on, MC. Don’t think I didn’t notice the dirt under your fingernails.” He chuckles before turning back to the stove, stirring the vegetables again. You drop the knife with a clatter and hide your hands behind your back, too nervous to check if you’d missed any spots.

You sneak a glance up at him, mistakenly making eye contact with him. His eyes gleam with amusement and his smile is soft and fond. “...It can’t have been that obvious.” You decide to admit to it, realizing the heat in your cheeks probably gave it away.

“It wasn’t.” Sho nods to you, pouring soy sauce over the stir-fried mixture and tossing it before scraping that off in a different to-go container. “I just happened to notice the dirt when you handed the scarf to me, and your potatoes smelled extra earthy.” He takes the pan off the heat, moving over to the chicken and carefully cutting out the breast.

It’s silent for a few moments, you staring at that freshly cleaned potato and Sho slicing through the chicken, placing the breast in one to-go container and the wings in the other. Sho finally speaks up, though his voice is low. “...You didn’t have to do that, you know.” You look up again, just to find him turned away from you, his ears turning red. Silence falls again as you watch him check off the to-go containers he’s finished. You assume he’s trying to distract himself from the obvious blush on his face, but you can’t say for sure. Something about it makes you feel similar, your heart rate picking up and your face reddening more. It wasn’t due to your embarrassment anymore. “I dunno, I’m bad at thanking people. Just, well…” Sho trails off, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, hiding his face from you. His voice lowers significantly, and contrastingly, the blush on his ears brightens more. “Thank you. I know potatoes take a while to grow. And…” He trails off again and swallows thickly. You don’t bother asking him to finish his sentence. The implications of his words grow somewhat heavy in your heart, and you wring your fingers nervously. Of course it was profound, growing potatoes for someone when you’re doomed to die, now in nine months. The thought of dedicating your time to anything that wasn’t curing your curse was odd, but this distraction had done you well nonetheless. You didn’t want Sho to feel bad about it at all. You were certain that, if anything, the gravity of being recognized by a girl doomed to die was dawning on him.

The words spill out before you can really stop them. “Don’t worry about it, Sho. I did that because I wanted to.” Confessing this was almost as raw as confessing your feelings, and your chest tightens at that thought, but you continue despite that. “You’ve been kind to me since after our first mission. And I’ve enjoyed spending time with you, including things as mundane as meal prep!” You gesture vaguely to the setting before you, hoping to get your point across. “I just randomly had the idea, and figured it couldn’t be so bad to act on it. It’s been a good distraction anyway, and what with all that happens here, a distraction does me some good.” Silence falls once more, and Sho finally turns to look at you, face flushed. He wipes his palms on his apron and worries his lip between his teeth, his gaze flickering between you and the floor. “...So what if I used up three months to grow potatoes? The time will pass anyways.” You turn away from him, looking at the washed potato. You reach for it and pick up the knife, beginning to cut it into cube chunks.

“...I guess you’re right.” You can hear a gentle smile in Sho’s voice, and it warms you up internally, feeling thankful he’s accepted the gift. You glance towards him, giving him a smile, and catch him staring. There’s an odd glimpse of admiration in his eyes, which makes your cheeks warm.

“Go on and finish cutting the chicken.” You wave off his stare and jerk your gaze away from him, hiding your blush and focusing on the cubed potato.

He scoffs and turns away, picking up his knife. “Giving me orders in my own kitchen, huh?”

You don’t respond. You don’t need to. The warmth of the heaters settles into your skin and the warmth of the previous pleasant conversation settles into your heart. You glance down at the bag of potatoes that started it all. The eyes of the potatoes seem to stare up at you knowingly.

You’re carrying a short stack of to-go containers outside to Sho’s bike, Bonnie, your boots crunching the frosty path beneath you. Snow would surely be coming soon. You gently place the stack in the box on the back of Bonnie, careful to make sure none of them tip over. You hear more crunching footsteps and turn around to see Sho, carrying the rest of the boxes. He places them in the box as well and organizes them before securing the box with a few straps. He steps back and exhales, smiling to himself. You can’t help but smile at his pride.

“Now, to deliver these…” Sho approaches Bonnie and gets on, patting her twice affectionately. The gentle thrum of the engine comes to life in response. He looks to you and smiles, and you notice he’s wearing your scarf. “Sure you don’t want a ride back to the chapel?”

You eye the box of food already on the back of Bonnie and shake your head. You wouldn’t test fate today. Your eyes find your scarf again, sitting snugly around Sho’s neck. “Well, at least you have a use for it.” You say, resigned. Part of you wonders if you’ll ever get it back.

Sho smiles, reaching up to touch the scarf. “Again, I’ll wash and return it.” He looks up to the sky, and you follow suit, noting the pale white blanket of clouds blocking the sun. “That said…” He starts, lowering his gaze to you again. “It is cold out. I may need this for longer than I expected.” There’s a teasing lilt to his voice and his smile turns crooked, as though suppressing a smirk.

“...I’m not getting that back, am I?”

Sho shrugs, revving up Bonnie. “Who knows?” He smiles fondly at you one last time before speeding off, the wheels of Bonnie leaving tire tracks on the frosty path. You watch him as he leaves, his hair lifting in the wind, the tendrils of your scarf billowing behind him. You watch until he turns a corner and you can only faintly hear the rumbling of Bonnie’s engine. ‘I guess he really did have customers, even in this cold…’ You think to yourself, a faint smile growing on your face. You inhale the crisp cool air, feeling a bit cooler around your neck now that you’re missing a scarf. You idly look back up at the sky again, wondering if it really would snow today. Despite you enjoying the stillness of the winter air on Darkwick campus, the cold eventually bites at you, urging you to return to the chapel. Your footsteps crunch along the frosted path, following Bonnie’s tracks.

It’s Christmas evening, and things are finally winding down for the day. You’d been to Frostheim and made snow angels with Luca and Kaito, had coffee and played chess with Tohma, and Jin, despite himself, hadn’t asked you to run any errands for him today. You’d been to Vagastrom and exchanged gifts with Alan, tolerated Leo’s selfies with you, and looked around for Sho, but hadn’t found him. You’d been to Jabberwock and fed the animals with Haru, watched a romance movie with Towa, and played a holiday-themed horror game with Ren. You’d been to Sinostra and done some gambling with Taiga while Ritsu tagged along to ensure Sinostra’s reputation wasn’t damaged further, and had a surprisingly pleasant conversation with Romeo despite him saying your large coat made you resemble a slug. You’d been to Hotarubi and had tea and holiday sweets with Haku, Subaru, Zenji, and Lyca, who was visiting Subaru. You’d been to Obscuary and had Rui’s new holiday-themed drinks with Ed, chattering time away at the bar. You’d been to Mortkranken and reluctantly exchanged gifts with Yuri, aware of the fit he’d throw if you hadn’t gotten him anything, and pleasantly exchanged gifts with Jiro, reminding him to take good care of himself.

Finally, after a very long, exhausting, and eventful day, you were back at the chapel, counting the vines growing under your skin, glowing lavender like the flower on the back of your neck. Some small flowers broke your skin and bloomed here and there, leaving the exit wounds somewhat inflamed. Granted, you didn’t have much time left, and these vines made that clear, but this holiday had been much better than you’d expected it to be. You appreciated the effort most of the ghouls put forth to make this holiday at least somewhat enjoyable for you, especially considering it may be your last.

You sit by the fireplace in your room, watching the snow fall from the sky through your window. You had a tiny pine tree near your bed, decorated with handmade tinsel from the three Hotarubi ghouls and some small ornaments from Jin. You wore new pajamas from Romeo, though you weren’t sure how in the world he knew your size. You had a new bracelet from Taiga, who had originally forgotten who he’d gotten it for. On your nightstand lay a dreidel from Kaito and a snow globe from Luca. The hot chocolate you sipped on was a gift from Tohma, and some wine awaited you in your fridge, a gift from the Obscuary ghouls. You had a few new ugly holiday sweaters from various ghouls, Yuri and Ren included, and some not-so-ugly ones, thanks to Haru and Towa. A thick, heavy book about the origins of the laws of Japan sat on a nearby table, a gift from Ritsu that you had no plans to read. You had lit a scented candle from Leo, which you thought was surprisingly thoughtful, and had set aside the wax melts from Alan, planning to use them after the candle ran out. The new watch from Jiro was wrapped around your wrist, displaying the increasingly late time. In all of this, you wondered where your gift from Sho was. You hadn’t been able to spot him today, and the thought made you feel a little down. You’d wanted to spend some time with him today, but guessed he was probably too busy preparing Christmas dinner for all of Vagastrom and Hotarubi that he simply hadn’t had the time. You set your hot chocolate down on top of the accursed thick book and sprawl out in your chair, turning to the window again. Regardless, this had been a surprisingly wonderful holiday. The ghouls had given you gifts and willingly spent time with you, doing various fun activities and filling you with holiday cheer. It was a nice escape from the reality of your situation, even if it was only for a little while.

You check the vines under your skin again, resisting the urge to scratch at where a new white flower had bloomed near your elbow. You could feel that, soon after the holiday season mellowed down, it would be back to reality, and you’d have to face your own death once again. Part of you dreaded the eventual change in weather and in the length of days, knowing your predicted end was growing near. But a part of you was also resigned to it. Regardless of whether you were due to die soon or not, this had been a nice holiday. And you could stand to live in the now, just this once.

You carefully pluck the flower from your skin, wincing at the sharp pain. You bleed for only a few moments before it clots up. At least you could stave off the growth of the curse for now.

You hear a gentle knock at your door. Physically, you’re too exhausted to have much more fun at this point, but mentally, you could use a pick-me-up. You head down your stairs towards the door, opening it crack by crack, trying to prevent too much of the cold wind from slipping inside. You peer through the open doorway, jolting in surprise when a familiar pair of dark blue eyes meet yours.

“Hey,” Sho starts, lifting two boxes in his hands. “Thought you could use a warm holiday dinner.”

Your heart swells and all at once, a wave of emotion hits you. Sure, you didn’t have much time left, but that didn’t stop these ghouls from caring, and that was evident in the gifts piled up in your room, the fun you’d had all throughout the day, and the ghoul now standing at your doorstep, seeking more time with you. There was a reason he was your favorite.

You swing the door open wider, unable to hide the smile that breaks across your face all at once. “I was looking for you, you know.” You cross your arms and narrow your eyes in mock disappointment. “Where’ve you been all day?”

“Cooking.” Sho lifts a brow and shrugs, tilting his head at you. He smiles fondly at you, and you notice he’s finally dressed appropriately for the season; a hat covering most of his hair, a matching coat and gloves keeping him warm, and your scarf, tucked snugly against his neck inside his coat. Yet again, you realize you are probably never getting that scarf back.

“That scarf is still mine.” You gesture at his scarf, and he laughs, reaching up to brush the built up snow off of it.

“And I’m still using it.” He replies, smiling wider. “So… Gonna let me in or what? It’s cold out here.” His breath puffs into white clouds, and you notice his cheeks and nose are tinged red again thanks to the cold. You smile and step aside, letting him in.

You close the door behind him and he shakes off the snow built up on his coat. When he looks at you, his smile holds the warmth of a thousand candles and his voice holds the joy of a thousand holiday carols. “So… got any mistletoe? If not, we can start with gifts. Either works for me.” A blush covers his face as he pushes the boxes towards you, his smile growing wider and fonder.

You figure, regardless of how much time you have left, it wouldn’t hurt to spend a holiday with your favorite ghoul.

Bonus:

The gift, wrapped surprisingly delicately inside one of the boxes, is a knitted scarf in your favorite colors. It’s not bad, but you can tell it was done by a beginner. Holding it in your hands, a small smile grows on your face, and you sigh, totally resigned.

By god, you are never getting that scarf back.

“Well, thank you for your collateral replacement, but I expect that scarf back one day.”

Sho shakes his head, smiling as he chews on your shared meal, packed in the other box he was carrying. “No can do. It’s still cold and I still need a scarf.”

“I’m withholding the mistletoe, then.”

Sho huffs, rolling his eyes and continuing the meal. At his lack of a reaction, you purse your lips, thinking of another thing to withhold that might gift you a victory. Sho speaks, having swallowed his mouthful, “I can find other reasons to kiss you-”

“I’m withholding the potatoes.”

Sho looks at you in shock, dropping his forkful back onto his plate. “...I’ll think about it.”

Maybe you would get that scarf back, after all.

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a/n: it's done. finally it is done. finally! i've been writing this romance fic 4 a long while so im glad it is finally done

thank you all so much for reading!! as usual, i love likes, but especially comments, reblogs, and asks detailing how much you enjoyed my work!!! please feel free 2 fill up my inbox with whatever, i love talking 2 u all! but be warned my responses will be slow... im still recovering!

happy holidays 2 you all! i hope, whether you're surrounded by family, friends, or by yourself, that it's a wonderful and fulfilling holiday season 4 u. merry christmas 2 those who celebrate, and happy kwanzaa 2 those who celebrate that as well!! not very well versed in other winter holidays, but may they be joyous and merry!

104 notes · View notes

eczlipse · 1 day ago

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( 수빈 ) ─ 5:28 pm.

summary ; choi soobin, your tutor has had a significant yearning for you for a while. during a session, you seem to keep answering his questions wrongly- leading to you needing a break. what happens once he suddenly feels his jeans tighten during the session and becomes bold with you?

pairing & warnings ; tutor!soobin, fem!reader. dryhumping, smut, fingering, unsafe (no mention of protection), p in the v…

you thought more about the question you’d been asked— “explain to me photosynthesis.” he repeated. your mind had gone blank, your tutor— soobin stared down at you. the way you tried to puzzle your thoughts together and questioned yourself. you were so clueless, so vulnerable he thought.

soobin quickly recognized your extreme confusion and spoke once more,

- do you want me to explain again?

in response, you hummed lightly waiting for him to continue. your exam had been coming up, the next morning would be d-day.

- photosynthesis is basically how plants make their food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. they turn these into sugar for energy and release oxygen. it’s important because it helps plants grow and provides oxygen for us to breathe. okay?

you sighed and nodded, you felt down— why weren’t you understanding things as easily as every other student. your tutor could easily tell you’d been stressed, tense even. you’d been shaking you leg, fidgeting with your pencil. he gulped before speaking again,

- do you need a break ? we can talk about other things or, you should get a snack?

you slightly smiled at his attempts to help you. you nodded happily as you got up from your seat. walking away into your dorm room kitchen, finding only a bag of chips from days ago. you sighed and took them, at least it’s edible. what you hadn’t noticed was that, soobin had been staring you down as soon as you’d gotten up. the way your shorts slightly rode up, your hair swaying as you walked- he needed to calm himself down. before he could think more, you stopped his train of thought,

- hey, do you want anything? i only have some chips from like before yesterday. wanna share?

he pressed his lips together and nodded. you smiled at his expression as you brought yourself back to your initial seat, placing the bag of chips in between you both. at that, he dug his hands into the bag of chips taking a few.

although soobin was your tutor, he felt a significant yearn for you. he hated to admit it but, he kind of liked you. his close friends had told him prior to coming to your dorm to 'shoot his shot' and 'be bold'. that was in fact his plan tonight. he didn't specifically plan what he wanted to say, but he knew that he wanted you to know that he wanted you. at that, he stared at you intensely as you got up once more; washing your hands, and bringing yourself back to your seat. he loved your demeanour. he felt a sudden tightness in his pants— he couldn't help it anymore.

- what about i soothe you?

he blurted out, shutting his mouth quickly after spilling out such words. your head flicked over to his, 'did he really just say that?' you wondered.

- what do you mean?

you questioned. 'shit shit shit' was all he could tell himself. he needed to stay calm and collected, and more importantly ; 'seductive' as his friend yeonjun would say.

- i'll make your stress go away, yeah?

he gave you a significant look, hinting that his words meant more than they seemed. you knew what he meant and you were down for it. you couldn't help but admit that you felt things for him, while he would mansplain things to you, show you how things were done and more.

at that, you climbed onto soobin's lap straddling his thighs. he could feel the heat radiating off your body, the soft fabric of your panties brushing against the growing bulge in his pants. his hands instinctively went to your hips, gripping them tightly as you began to grind against him.

soobin let out a low groan, his hips bucking up to meet yours. The friction of your movements was driving him wild, his cock now fully hard and straining against his zipper. he slid his hands up your sides, under your shirt, his fingers splaying across the small of your back.

in a flurry of movement, soobin stood up, lifting you with him. he then, carried you over to the couch, laying you down gently on the soft cushions. he hovered over you, his eyes dark with lust as he took in the sight of you- your chest heaving, your lips parted, your legs slightly spread.

his hands roamed your body, caressing and squeezing, leaving trails of reddened marks on your skin. he tugged at your shirt impatiently, just long enough to yank it over your head and toss it aside.

soobin paused for a moment, drinking in the sight of you lying beneath him in just your bra and panties. his gaze was intense, filled with a raw, primal desire that made your heart race.

— you're so beautiful.

he murmured, his voice filled with want. he leaned down, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses along your collarbone, down to the swell of your breasts. his fingers deftly unhooked your bra, tossing it away and freeing your breasts to his greedy mouth. he took one hardened nipple between his lips, suckling and swirling his tongue around the sensitive bud.

you arched into him, a loud moan escaping your lips as jolts of pleasure shot straight to your core. your hands fisted in his hair, holding him to your breast.

suddenly soobin's hand slid down your stomach, his fingers dipping beneath the waistband of your panties. he could feel the heat emanating from your core, the damp fabric- proof of your arousal. slowly, teasingly, he pushed your panties aside, his fingers brushing against your slick folds.

you gasped, your hips bucking up off the couch as his fingers made contact with your most sensitive spot. soobin groaned, feeling your wetness coating his fingers as he began to stroke your clit in slow, deliberate circles. his other hand continued to knead and massage your breast, pinching and rolling your nipple between his fingers.

— soobin, you panted, your voice high and needy please, i need more.

he withdrew his hand from your panties, bringing his fingers to his mouth. he licked them clean, his tongue savouring your essence.

with that, he hooked his fingers under your panties and tugged them down your legs, tossing them away.

soobin quickly shed his clothes, revealing his lean, muscular body, his skin flushed and glistening. he then positioned himself between your spread thighs, his hard member jutting out. with a swift thrust of his hips, he buried himself deep inside your tightness, a groan tearing from his throat.

he began to move, withdrawing until just the tip remained inside you, before slamming back in, burying himself in you. he set a significant pace, the couch creaking beneath you with the force of his thrusts. your breasts bounced with each powerful drive of his hips, your moans mingling with his grunts and groans.

soobin then leaned down, capturing your mouth in a searing kiss, his tongue plundering and conquering, swallowing your cries of ecstasy. his hand slid between your bodies, his fingers finding your clit, rubbing the sensitive nub in tight, rapid circles. your inner muscles began to flutter around his pounded shaft, your body tensing up the more he touched you.

then, your back began arching off the couch cushions as your climax surged through you like a tidal wave. you let a final moan, your inner walls clamping down around soobin's driving length, as you came.

with a hoarse groan, soobin slammed into you one last time, burying himself to the hilt as his own peak hit. at the last second, he pulled out, his pulsing cock erupting. at that, his seed painted your stomach and breasts as he found his release, his body shuddering above you.

soobin then smirked at you before speaking once more,

— do you feel calmer now ?

#txt imagines #soobin hard hours #soobin smut #soobin x reader #soobin hard thoughts #tomorrow x together #txt smut #txt hard hours #soobin headcanons #txt hard thoughts #txt writer #soobin imagines #soobin smau #txt x reader #txt smau #choi soobin x reader #choi soobin scenarios #soobin scenarios #choi soobin smut

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justmeinadaze · 3 days ago

Text

Not Alone Part 3 (Eddie X You)

A/N: This Y/N is currently me and while out getting snacks I realized I needed to write this into existence. Maybe one day I'll meet a partner like this... If you're spending the holiday by yourself, know you aren't alone <3

Warnings: being alone for the holidays, mentions of grief, Eddie comforting

Word Count: 1056

Eddie Masterlist

Eddie heard it in your voice and saw it in your face when he talked about Christmas with his uncle.

“Yeah, he usually gets the day off so Wayne makes some burgers and we watch A Christmas Story.”

“Aw that sounds like fun!”, you grin as you take in how his face lights up.

You loved seeing how animated he got when he talked about certain things but when it came to family sometimes his face would drop. He missed his mom and told you that his dad used to ruin the holidays most of the time by being drunk or absent all together. From what he told you, it sounded like Wayne was making up for lost time and new memories that couldn’t be made since his sister-in-law passed.

“What do you guys do?”

“Oh, uh, my dad used to make a big show of Christmas and make a huge meal. Pull out all the stops.”, you giggle. “He loved giving us presents and seeing us smile.”

“Sounds about right from what you told me.”, he chuckles. “What about now? Do you guys carry on the traditions?”

“Um, yeah absolutely. My mom makes a turkey and we get to together to just talk and watch Christmas movies like you and your uncle.”

Your smile fell ever so slight as your eyes glazed over causing him to reach for your hand.

“Well, after, if you want to come over and share a burger you absolutely can. You know you’re always welcome over here, sweetheart.”

“Oh, thank you, but I don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re never intruding, babe.”

After knocking on your apartment door, he waited, hoping for your sake he read the signs wrong but as the door slowly opened his heart broke.

“Eddie? H-Hey, baby, what are you doing here?”

Your voice was gravelly telling him immediately you had been crying.

“Come on.”, he murmured as his hand gestured absently out the door. “Come on. You’re coming with me.”

“Sweetie, I can’t. I don’t want to bother you—” Before you could finish your sentence, he collected you in his arms and began heading towards his van. “Eddie, wait! I’m in my pajamas! I haven’t even done my hair.”

“You still look beautiful to me.”

***

“I can’t put my arms down!”, the little boy in the movie whines eliciting a loud cackle from Wayne as he sips from the beer can in his hand.

“You know, Y/N, my mother, Eddie’s grandma, used to dress up me and Allen in all those layers like one gust of wind would freakin’ blow us away.”

“Pfft, thankfully my mom didn’t hate me that much.”, Eddie teased as his uncle tossed him a playful glare.

You laugh as you curl up closer to the metalhead’s side and take a bite of the fry on your plate.

“Ah commercial. I’m gonna go smoke a cigarette real quick.”, Wayne announced before rising to his feet and disappearing out the door.

“How are you doing down there? You alright? Need a refill?”, Eddie asks as he cranes his neck to meet your gaze and his fingers brush your hair away from your face.

“No, I’m alright.”, you smile as you tilt up to kiss his lips. “Thank you for this.”

“No problem. You’re always welcome here, baby. You’re never a bother. I’m going to get that tattooed on you somewhere so you can look at it and always remember.”, he jokes as he pokes your side.

After you pull back to fully sit up, he does the same knowing you’re about to tell him something you struggle to say. You always pulled away slightly when you felt like you were about to tell him something heavy. He thought maybe it was your physical way of protecting yourself. As if you were expecting him to explode by your news so you wanted to be able to run and be safe.

Eddie did everything he could to make you feel physically, emotionally, and mentally safe but he understood that sometimes your mind won the internal battle over anything else.

“I haven’t spent Christmas with my family in years. When my dad died… my family struggled to cope especially my mom. She’s strong willed you know? ‘I don’t need therapy. I’m fine. I can handle it.’ But…every holiday…it’s like she forgets about me. We don’t do anything. I don’t even get a text or a phone call… Then of course my siblings have their own families with their own traditions and since my mom is in her own head she doesn’t scold them for not even calling either.

For years, I called or invited myself over…forced the family to spend time together…but these past couple of years…I can’t do it. I want them to think of me first for once. God, that’s so selfish.”, you sigh as you hide behind your hands.

“No, baby, no it’s not. Hey. Look at me.”, Eddie coos as he lightly pulls at your wrists and reaches out with his fingers to dry some of your tears that had fallen. “It’s not selfish. Like you said, you tried for so many years and it went unnoticed AND unreciprocated. You deserve to have someone put in the same effort you do and then some. Your dad always did, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Come here, sweetheart.” After moving your plates and drinks to the side, he collects you in his arms and holds you tightly to him, rocking you gently back and forth as he pets your head allowing you to cry in his embrace. “Everything’s ok, Y/N. You’re safe with me, babe.”

After a while, your tears stop as you both focus on the tv in front of you and he smiles when you laugh at the boy on the screen.

“You know I did that once.”

“Eddie, no!”, you tease as you lightly smack his chest.

“Oh, of course. Put my tongue on the pole and it got stuck. No one had to dare me or nothing. I just did it.”

“Oh my god.”

The door slams shut as Wayne wipes his boots on the mat and grins when he sees you in his nephew’s arms before taking a seat back in his chair.

“Hey, Ed. Remember your junior year of high school when you stuck your tongue to the pole?”

#eddie munson #eddie fanfic #eddie munson fluff #eddie stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things #joseph quinn #joseph quinn fluff #joseph quinn fanfiction #joseph quinn stranger things #fan fiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie x reader #eddie x y/n #eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #youre not alone

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holmesianlove · 3 days ago

Text

Chapter 26 - Alternate Meeting

The fresh fall of snow had made the streets quiet, and cold. They had come out tonight, despite the snow - and much whingeing from John - to meet Lestrade for dinner at a pub in the centre of town. A catch up before Christmas. Every year, they treated it like they would all be going on vacation and wouldn’t see each other for a couple of weeks, but invariably, each year, there were murders at Christmas time - heightened emotions and all of that - and they would be called back to help out. So the dinner meeting was usually unnecessary, but it was nice to take a moment away from death and casework, and acknowledge they had become more than just colleagues now. They were friends.

After a hearty meal which had helped warm them and polishing off two bottles of wine between the three of them, they had capped of the meal with a whisky. With a lovely buzz in their systems, there had been much laughter and merriment: stories of the mad cases they'd dealt with across the year, and memories of older cases too. Greg regaled them with tales of his cheating wife and how much fun his Christmas with the in-laws would be.

And finally, after three hours together, Sherlock and John had stepped back out into the cold together. The walk back to the tube station was a few blocks, but there weren't many cabs floating around, so they began to walk.

“I always feel for poor Lestrade. He seems to like being married and in a family, but she’s clearly still cheating and he knows about it. How is that happy?” Sherlock sighed heavily.

“Everyone has their own threshold, I suppose,” John said. “Sometimes being alone is the most painful way to live. I suppose he’d rather be with her than without her.”

“How romantic,” Sherlock scoffed sarcastically.

“When we met - you and I - I was so very lonely, returning from war, and while I don’t like people, I couldn’t bear being that alone. If we hadn’t…” John let the thought drift into the cold night air, his breath creating clouds of condensation.

“Do you ever think of other ways your life might have been?” Sherlock asked. “You know, if you hadn’t got shot? If you hadn’t joined the army at all? Or what if we hadn’t met? Do you think we might have still met at Barts - if you’d stayed on after studying? Not joined the army at all? Imagine that,” Sherlock chuckled.

John couldn’t help laughing at that too. He smiled, stopping the walk and turning to Sherlock. He had absolutely thought about this already - their possible alternate meeting and what it would have been like. He nodded. “Sometimes I think—"

It suddenly occurred to John, as the cold soaked into him, that he had left his gloves and scarf back at the pub. His lovely new warm things. He was about to turn back towards the way they had come, his words for Sherlock forgotten, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“John? John Watson?” The voice interrupted him. John sighed. Probably another bloody reporter. John made a decision in that instant to be on his best behaviour this time, and say nothing, as Sherlock had directed him he should from now on. He was never as calm and collected as Sherlock in these situations. Not for things like this. He spun around to flash the reporter a winning smile, just in case there was a camera at the ready again, but instead, he was greeted by a group of people, coming out of a nearby restaurant, at the front of which stood a tall man, quite respectably dressed. His salt and pepper hair coiffed perfectly, a sophisticated cashmere scarf twirled beautifully at his neck.

John froze to the spot. His brain was working overtime and he could feel Sherlock watching him for his response, but he felt like he was going to disappear into himself. His body felt disconnected. All the blood ran out of his face to his toes. He felt hot and cold all at once. He could hear Sherlock say his name, beside him, but it sounded like he was miles away.

“It is you. John!” the man said, rushing forward.

“Alex?” John choked out, knowing full well who it was. His voice sounded weak and raspy.

He felt Sherlock tense beside him at the mention of the name. John absolutely regretted having told Sherlock about this, now.

“John.” The man rushed to him and hugged him tight, although John didn’t move a muscle. His hands didn’t wrap around and reciprocate. “How have you been?” he asked, as he stepped back again.

“Fine,” John said stiffly.

Alex looked next to him and took in Sherlock’s equally stylish figure. John made no moves to introduce them so he held his hand out. “Hi, I’m Alex.”

“Sherlock Holmes.”

There was a moment of silence and then: “Oh good lord, the detective fellow? Oh, of course. I had heard about your blog, come to think of it,” he directed at John. “I’d clean forgot about it. Guys it’s Sherlock Holmes - the detective!” he called out to his friends who all murmured and seemed excited. “I’ve read about you both in the papers.”

“Ah. Funny. I know nothing about you,” Sherlock said coldly, pointedly.

John still made no move to talk. The air was thick between them all. He knew Sherlock would have deduced plenty about Alex - and him - just by standing there in silence.

Alex nodded, the encounter now incredibly forced and awkward. He was definitely assessing the two of them standing together. But it was clear John wasn’t going to speak. “Well. I won’t keep you both. It was just such a surprise… I had to come over. Lovely to meet you,” he said to Sherlock. He reached out and touched John’s arm. “So good to see you. You’re looking well,” he added in a slightly condescending tone. John’s spine straightened slightly. “I should get back.” He paused, seemingly hoping for John to still say something.

Sherlock also looked to John waiting for him to say more, though he had apparently become comatose, and then offered a stiff smile to Alex, in place of John’s response.

And with that, Alex returned to his friends and got in a cab. The street was silent again. But John remained still, silent, staring into the distance where Alex had been moments earlier.

“John—“

“Don’t,” John warned. His voice was flat, and cold and angry.

Sherlock stood beside him in absolute silence for as long as he could but John didn’t move a muscle.

“Sooo… Alex was…”

John sucked in a breath at the sound of the name. He turned to look at Sherlock, his eyes so lost all of a sudden, searching Sherlock’s face for something, for some way to escape this. He couldn't find a single way to start this conversation comfortably. So before Sherlock could speak, John rushed away, without a word, crossing the road and moving at quite a pace.

“Not a woman then,” Sherlock sighed to himself, processing the information.

The big relationship in John Watson’s life, that could have become marriage-and-kid-worthy… and apparently broke his heart… was not with a woman at all. Alex was a man. A slightly older man, too, if Sherlock’s judgement was right. And, assuming it was pre-Afghanistan, it would have been back before marriage was legalised.

All the pieces were falling into place and Sherlock felt almost sick with understanding.

“John!” He called after his friend, but John had already disappeared around a corner into the cold night. Sherlock let out a heavy sigh and took off after him.

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#sherlockbbc #bbc sherlock #johnlock #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #angsty #sherlock fandom #john watson #sherlock holmes #holidaze2024 #December prompts

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nobodysuspectsthebutterfly · 3 days ago

Note

re: being unable to predict twow and maybe being upset it doesn't do what fandom wants it to, were there any things in adwd you remember being surprised by and that went against common fandom interpretation at the time? :3

I'm not quite sure what was common fandom interpretation at the time, since after I finished AFFC in 2005 I tried the westeros.org forums and was extremely repelled by them and their hate for my favorite characters - and indeed, most female characters - and avoided them thereafter. (And somehow I never thought to check the Livejournal communities at the time, alas, which would've been more up my alley.) I did devour worg's Citadel (their pre-wiki, including the So Spake Martin archive) and fanart collection though lol.

But of course I was still surprised by things in ADWD. Like, I had no expectation whatsoever that Bloodraven was still alive, let alone that he was the three-eyed crow. Or heck, that the children of the forest definitely exist and appear on page as actual characters! I did not expect a Varamyr prologue POV in the slightest, or his warg/skinchanger lore reveals. And I did not expect the Aegon reveal at all, though checking the SSMs afterwards (as well as this ancient pre-AFFC FAQ) showed me that some people had been wondering from day 1 if he had survived. And for that matter, Jon Connington's survival was surprising (at least my memory is very good, so the griffin thing and Tyrion's suspicions of him being a Westeros lord had me leaping back to Jaime's conversation with Ronnet), as well as Jon's POV (including his sexual orientation) and the greyscale thing. Oh man, the whole stone men scene was all new fascinating worldbuilding.

As for existing POVs and known plots, I certainly never expected Theon's state as Reek (tortured, yes, but not reduced to that, though I probably should have), or that he would be a POV again, or that I would find his narrative so heartwrenching or that he would become a favorite character. (From reading a bunch of pre-ADWD fanfics, I don't think the fandom expected Ramsay to be so abusive of Jeyne either, but for that I have no idea why.) I was surprised by Cersei's walk of shame, though I probably should have expected some sort of religion-based sexual humiliation. (Actually, I don't think most people expected the returning AFFC POVs because of the book split, though I'm glad GRRM chose to update us on some of its cliffhangers - like, at least Brienne is no longer hanging from a tree!) I did not expect Tyrion's POV and mental state to be so dark, but again, I probably should have. I also didn't expect him to link up with Jorah (I don't recall what I imagined Jorah to do in his exile but not that - maybe lurk around the fringes of Meereen?) or the slavery plot at all.

I think the fandom in general expected more... plot-advancement, I guess, more battles involving KL again, more movement of Dany towards Westeros, though they always have, lol. (There are ACOK-era theories that she'd come to Westeros right away, marry Robb and destroy the Lannisters together, etc.) I'm sure some expected Stannis conquering Winterfell and getting the Boltons out, though at least there they were mostly right, as the battle of ice (as well as the battle of fire) got cut from ADWD last minute. As for plot advancement expectations from me, I personally hoped that Marwyn would reach Dany in ADWD, though considering he leaves at the end of the last chapter of AFFC and the distances involved, I really should have known better. But I did expect to hear at least a little about Rickon, and Davos learning he's on Skagos (and getting sent to retrieve him) was a pleasant semi-resolution there.

Anyway, hope that helps! If/when we get TWOW, despite the fandom doing like 15 years of speculation and theories (not to mention the show), I'm sure there will be plenty of surprises, both positive ones and disappointments, as well as completely unexpected things.

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tagsecretsanta · 3 days ago

Text

From @ajpendragon

From @ajpendragon to @cookidoughlilac

I had a lot of fun with this (and maybe made myself cry a little bit). I tried to focus on Jeff’s feelings about his first Christmas back with his boys, which was one of the prompts I received. Hopefully, it turned out okay!

Memory

He had forgotten just how comfortable this couch was in the last eight years.

Jeff's boys were gathered around the tree, wrapping it in lights and ornaments in a show of teamwork that he could have only dreamed about the last time he had been here. Virgil sat at the piano, Christmas carols filling the room, his skills far better than Jeff remembered. Scott and John were working on the top of the tree, using their superior height to decorate without needing to find a ladder. Gordon and Alan were darting between their legs, hanging the most hideous ornaments they could find with peals of laughter.

Jeff thought about getting up to help them, but no sooner did the idea cross his mind than his mother's arm tightened around his shoulders. "Don't even think about getting up." She ordered softly, passing him the chipped mug from the table next to her. The ‘World’s bestest dad’ in childish handwriting gleamed in the light. "Let them enjoy this. You enjoy this."

He took a long sip of his hot chocolate, enjoying the rich flavor as he swallowed. He had forgotten what chocolate tasted like. "I am enjoying this." He protested, unable to stop himself from savoring another sip before continuing. "I just want to help. I spent so long dreaming of this, and now that I'm back, I can't even join in."

"I know." She soothed. "But you need to rest. You're not up for it yet. Soon, but not yet. If you tried to help, they would just be worried about you. Just watch-"

The blaring of the emergency alarm interrupted her, all of the boys jumping together to listen as EOS quickly ran them through the situation. They quickly disappeared through their pictures, his mother retreating back to the office to coordinate, leaving him alone in the living room, staring at the half-finished tree.

***********************

It didn't take long after the boys left for him to get bored. At least in space, there was always something that needed to be done: food to collect, repairs to make, watching for his boys on the ever-decreasing chance that they would come for him. But here, his only job was to rest and recover, relearn how to live on earth after so long. Honestly, it was incredibly boring. Not that he wasn't thankful. Every day he got to spend with his boys, with his mother, in his home, was a blessing he had honestly been so close to giving up hope of ever having again. But he was bored.

Rest and recover, according to his mother and sons, meant doing absolutely nothing. He knew they were right. After so long in space, earth was an environment his body had forgotten how to function in. It was difficult to walk, he was more tired than he could ever remember being before, he ached under the pressure of a gravity he had nearly forgotten the feeling of. But he wanted to do something. He needed to be doing something. His brain wouldn't let him rest while his family was out there, risking their lives for a world that had forgotten how much it owed them.

So, with a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, he grabbed his cane and pushed himself to his feet. Pausing a moment to let his heart adjust to his body being upright, he slowly made his way to his bedroom. Once there, he carefully lowered himself to the ground, knees cracking as he settled in a comfortable spot on the plush carpet and reached under the bed.

The box he pulled out was old and dusty, left there for so long that even the cleaning bots had forgotten about it. He settled the cardboard carefully on his lap, blowing the dust off the lid and removing it to set it to the side, hands trembling as he pulled out the first of the box's contents.

**************

Thirty minutes later, one of his feet asleep from the unusual position, he set the box to the side and used the bed to leverage himself up. Taking a few moments to rest on the edge of the bed (and to shake his foot awake), he grabbed the box in his free hand and headed back to the Christmas tree.

It took some careful maneuvering, and a lot of breaks, but he managed to finish his project before his boys returned. He was resting on the couch again when they came into the room, hair damp from post-mission showers, and clearly tired, although still in good spirits.

It took them a moment to notice the change, but one by one they each stopped in the middle of the floor, staring open-mouthed at the ornaments he had hung. He could see a suspicious sheen of tears in some of the older boys eyes.

On the front of the tree, hanging carefully from the sturdiest branches he had been able to find, were some of his most precious possessions: the ornaments each of the boys had made with their mother on their first Christmas. He had always kept them somewhere safe, refusing to trust such irreplaceable memories to the safety hazard that was their storage closet.

"I had almost forgotten about those. I thought they were lost." Scott breathed softly, his eyes never leaving the precious ornaments. He came over to the couch, curling his long frame up on the cushion next to Jeff, gently resting his head on his father's shoulder. Slowly, the rest of his brothers joined him, each settling themselves into a place where they could touch their father, seeming to need that reassurance.

Jeff didn't mind. After eight long years, the reminder that he was no longer alone was something he desperately needed too. Eight years of his boys lives, eight Christmases, eight years of memories he had missed. He had forgotten what it felt like to be surrounded by love like this.

Sitting there, surrounded by the people he loved most in the world, the boys who had kept him going for all those long eight years, he vowed not to miss anything else. He would be there for his boys, no matter what. He could not, would not allow himself to forget this feeling. It was up to him now to make up for all those years, building new memories to move forward on.

He was already forgetting the pain and struggle, the loneliness, of the last eight years. He could feel it slipping away, wrapped in the warmth of his family's embrace.

Memory was funny like that.

#thunderbirds are go #tag team secret santa #thunderbirds #tag team secret santa 2024

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stellocchia · 2 days ago

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Extended Chromatic Crew Gyftmas headcanons, one day late because I've been busy as Hell:

Killer made everyone some holiday-themed sweaters with them as cats on the front, aside from Delta. He made Delta a neon orange sweater with "Delta" written in black on the front in the plainest font you can imagine.

Delta got everyone colorful or funny socks aside from Killer. He got him a box of the most basic white socks he could find.

Everyone else initially assumed that this was them yet again antagonizing each other but no. They actually discussed beforehand what they wanted because they didn't want to ruin Gyftmas for everyone else by bickering. Delta thought his sweater was hilarious and Killer, knowing Epic was gonna gift him some clothing dyes, couldn't wait to personalize his socks. It's sweet for once.

Color made personalized photo diaries for everyone with all the pictures of them he collected throughout the past year. He added a date and a small explanation of the picture and why it was so important to him next to each photo.

Cross ugly cried after going through his photo diary. It was what made him realize that he truly has a family again. Of course, he knew he belonged with them even before, but it was an important moment for him.

Dust pretended not to care about his diary, but he actually stashed it under his pillow because he knew he'd love to revisit it on bad days.

Talking about Dust, he didn't prepare any presents for anyone. He thought nobody would have given him one and he didn't want to come off as if he cared about them more than they cared about him. He felt like shit after everyone handed him a present (even if Color assured him that his company was enough of a gift), so he spent the whole evening making everyone fun non-alcoholic cocktails to make up for it.

Horror was unsure of what to do and what would be appropriate since he hadn't been celebrating since well before getting kidnapped by Nightmare, so, in the end, he hand-carved and hand-painted some tree ornaments for everyone (he vaguely remembered people sticking ornaments to the beast in the woods for Gyftmas and he figured it would work out well enough).

Epic got a wooden replica of his favorite rubber chicken and he was absolutely delighted. He kept playing with it the whole evening and ended up not even putting it on the tree. He also insisted that it was a pity that skeletons don't have ears because he would have totally used it as an earring.

Cross got everyone gift cards to their favorite shops. He wanted to do something more personal, but the anxiety of his gifts not being good enough got the better of him. The fear froze him in place any time he tried to think about something different. Epic offered to go with him next year, and hopefully, that will ease some of his anxiety.

Epic's gifts were the most varied. He got Killer clothing dyes, he got Delta a new and sturdier mannequin for his training, Cross a body pillow with his favorite character on it, Dust a bartender manual, specifically for alcohol-free stuff (Dust is doing his best to kick his addictions and everyone else is very supportive of this), he got Color a cool new camera, and Horror a phone that he created himself that works for interdimensional calls, so he can contact his brother whenever he wants even when he's with them, and them when he's with him.

Delta and Cross managed to break Delta's present that very day by getting into a dumb context on who could punch it the hardest. Delta won and Cross was still salty about it even the day after.

Killer somehow found out what everyone's presents for him would be well before Gyftmas, but he had the decency to feign surprise regardless.

Undoubtedly, the most genuine shocked reactions came from Dust. He woke up that morning telling himself he'd get through the miserable day by breaking his vow not to drink and getting shitfaced only to see a huge pile of presents under the tree and breaking into a cold sweat.

Color took a million pictures throughout the day and told everyone to expect a family photo diary soon.

Horror prepared the entire meal by himself despite Color's many offers because he just cannot bring himself to eat anything if he doesn't know 100% what's in it (specifically if he doesn't see every single step of the preparation). He also locked the door to the kitchen the whole day and day prior so he was sure that nobody could tamper with the food.

To try and help him with this fear, they spent the a couple of hours the day before making cookies together out in the living room, all positioned in a way he could see their movements, and he actually managed to eat a couple of those, which was a big win for him.

#utmv #utmv headcanons #chromatic crew #murder time trio #mtt #epic sanses #killer sans #delta sans #color sans #dust sans #horror sans #cross sans #epic sans #cw kidnapping mention #cw alcoholism #cw ed #I tried to keep this fluffy and light-hearted #but dust horror and cross all have so many issues...#killer does too but he's pretty darn good at masking them

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onthewaytosomewhere · 2 days ago

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thanks for the tags @cha-melodius @eusuntgratie, @kiwiana-writes, @firenati0n, @run-for-chamo-miles

(snatching the open tags from @caterpills, & @alasse9 while i'm at it)

your girl wrote so much this year ... 349 K words in 58 fics and 14 collections of ficlet friday ficlets (some of which have or are in the process of becoming actual full fics lolz) and a bunch more words in WIPs (40 or so in the folder) that are still waiting for me to just finish them (or come back to them) already! lolz - I wrote in 3 fandoms and 15 different pairings that have been posted this year and a couple others that didn't get there quite yet) - i've officially posted the last of my fics for the year so here we go

so this is a lot of fic listed here so we're gonna so put it behind a cut

JANUARY

Ring on His Finger, Putty in His Hands (RWRB, firstprince, 2.9k, E) - engaged boys that i had so planned to make a series and the rest of the ideas are still sitting in my WIP folder lolz

FEBRUARY

the second hand unwinds (RWRB, firstprince, 3.6k, G) - girldads fic for Hey Sweetheart challenge

i've got you acting like you want more (RWRB, firstprince, 3.3k, E) - brownstone era pre-engagement - the boys re-uniting after a week apart fic also for the Hey Sweetheart challenge

- like the way you work it - (RWRB, firstprince, 3.4k, E) - smut where Henry takes care of Alex

Setting The Bar High (RWRB, firstprince, 2.3k, E) - the boys celebrate their first birthdays in Texas (Becz bday fic)

MARCH

gotta sign 'em all (RWRB, firstprince, 6k, T) - fic inspired by TZP and his fascination with a lil pink book and the way he's so damn ACD-coded

APRIL

Something in your mouth (RWRB, fristprince, 3.7k, E) - fic inspired by the Nickelback song - Alex sees Henry at a party with a sucker in his mouth and needs to experience that mouth

baby just say yes (RWRB, fristprince, 20.6k, E) TSwift fairytale done for the brownstone's eras tour challenge (this was my first firstprince fairytale but i have plans for different one lolz - have a desire to do it better lolz)

MAY

Makin' memories I might remember (RWRB, firstprince, 7k, E) - the first of my not-so-much one night stands fics - this one has alive arthur and has the boys falling in luv with their one night stands

just a bit of fun (RWRB, firstprince, 2.7k, fic for Adina's bday - this all started from a silly convo and then became fic lolz

JUNE

and fight the break of dawn (RWRB, liam/pez, 6.6K, E) a southern philanthropy not-so-much one night stand fic (2nd in series)

JULY

2 is better than 1 - 3 is better than 2 (when we’re back at 2 wanna stay there with u) (RWRB, alex/henry/pip & firstprince, 19.5K, E) this is that alex/henry/pip (fristprinceS) incest-y fic i wrote for Tiff

my slutty royal (RWRB, firstprince, 1.1K, E) this was an inspired by art fic - strawberry helados by papiercranes

nights at the moonlight coffee shop (RWRB, firstprince, 15.1k, E) my werepire all-night coffee shop au for ficwip dark & cozy challenge

AUGUST

in the kitchen, at kensington, with those threadbare pajama pants (RWRB, alex/shaan, 1.2K, E) first in the shaan srivastava is too hot for his own good series - alex "beats it" to thoughts of shaan and his sexy pajama pants

bringing home silver (RWRB, fristprince, 7.7K, E) alex/henry olympics engagement fic (w/a side of southern philanthropy)

I'm gonna be a mighty king … (RWRB, firstprince, 878 words, T) just a silly fic inspired by a QOTD from a discord group

seeking the (sex) services of a witch (RWRB, firstprince, 4.5K, M) fic for ficwip 5K challenge - witch Henry helps out an Alex that may have been cursed

SEPTEMBER

a hug in clothing form (RWRB, firstprince, 3.2K, E) Oodie fic inspired by art - this lovely piece by Ash

in my dreams, at oxford, still with those damn pajama pants (RWRB, firstprince & henry/shaan, 3.6K, E) fic for the shaan srivastava is too hot for his own good series - henry tells alex about some dreams he had and that time he drunkenly hit on shaan - alex seduces it out of him

it's times like these you learn to live again (9-1-1, buddie (at the end), 4.4K, M) streetfigher!Buck buddie fic - came from combining 2 ficlet friday prompts

What if I say I love you (RWRB & 9-1-1, alex/buck, 2.8K, T) firstfire fic - meet the 'rents and "launching their relationship publicly"

on the kiss cam with you (RWRB, firstprince, 1.6k, T) another fic inspired by art - this comic piece by firstprnnce

thoroughly appreciated (RWRB, firstptince, 1K, M) a fic for the brownstone's firstprince week prompt “Did you get my note?” & secrets

help me forget for just a bit... (RWRB, firstprince, 1.2K, E) fic for the brownstone's firstprince week prompt silver & hurt/comfort - alex comforts henry with his mouth after he's had a rough day

you're still written in the scars on my heart (RWRB, firstprince, 2K, T) fic for the brownstone's firstprince week prompt “I can’t do this again” & hot or cold

OCTOBER

soulmates, star wars, and insufferable aresholes (RWRB, firstprince, 1.8k, M) soulmates fic where alex spoiled the death of han solo in his first words to henry - firstprince week fic

love & family is all we need ... (RWRB, firstprince, 953 words, G) Alex helps Henry through a memorial service for Arthur Fox - fox family feels abound - firstprince week fic

Schlorp of True Love, a Fairytale (RWRB, firstprince, 6.3K, E) a crackfic co-write with Mags and Tiff - this is what comes from when we put late night rambles into a doc lolz (soulmates but make it enormous dicks and stretchy holes)

But the words that he was whispering I couldn't stop from listening (RWRB, liam/pez, 4.7K, E) oh what is that i wrote another southern philanthropy - yes, of course! - another installment of my not-so-much one night stands series

these go in the keep pile (911, bucktommy, 1.8k, E) buck finds his old cowboy hat and puts it to good use OR my save horse ride a cowboy bucktommy fic

just a bit of full moon fun (RWRB, firstprince, 9.2K, E) werepire full moon sexin' - sequel to nights at the moonlight coffee shop fic

it takes everything i have not to melt (RWRB, firstprince, 1.4K, T) a first date college au firstprince fic for all-ships ship week

not because of some grand romantic declaration but because it feels right (RWRB, liam/pez, 1.2K, T) a southern philanthropy fic about a quiet night in and liam's feels

how meaningful the silences (RWRB, liam/pez, 1.2K, T) pez's pov of that domestic southern philanthropy

is this décor or a sex toy? (RWRB, firstprince, 2.8K, E) a silly lil fic that starts with pez sending the boys things for their new house and ends with them in bed (of course)

she has feelings about this, complicated ones (RWRB, junora, 1.8K, T) ooops! there's just one bed for all-ships ship week

not just a possibility, not just a dream (RWRB, firstprince, 5.1K, M) part 3 of werepire firstprince - this one with an adorable shifter kit that they adopt

NOVEMBER

I hope that someone gets my… (RWRB, firstprince, 12.9K, M) my AWY submission - message in a bottle fic

leaving no doubt that he owns this moment (RWRB, firstprince, 2.9K, M) alex lures henry to a victoria secret show and surprises him (inspired by a tumblr post that i rambled in tags on)

"Wanna get out of here?” (RWRB, alex/pez, 7.5K. E) a pez/alex college au bar hookup

Say that again (RWRB RPF, TZP/Clifton, 1.3K, E) so ... i ventured back into RPF as happens sometimes lolz - just pure smut

souls are not bound by simple explanations (RWRB, fristprince, 8.8K, T) A platonic soulmate fic where Philip is a good brother and Alex and Henry slow burn their way to a relationship. Told from Philip's POV

let me take care of you (RWRB, alex/pez, 6.6K, E) Pez being the great friend he is takes the very best care of an in heat Alex when Henry's out of town

gonna need you to tell me what you want to happen here (RWRB, firstprince & alex/pip, 7.8K, E) Pip reminisces, and Alex reveals something he'd neglected to tell Henry - pip had alex first

DECEMBER

born to ride (RWRB, firstprince, 3.6K, E) trampstamp cowboy ACD (as this was called on my doc) meets and rides Henry fic that was of course inspired by a tumblr post and rambling in tags (also Leeks bday fic)

made for moments like this (RWRB, firstprince, 931 words, G) this is just Henry being sappy about his little family around the holidays

decorations and family lore (RWRB, firstprince, 905 words, G) Alex and the Fox siblings decorating a tree while they reminisce for rwrb festive fan fest

this year feels different (RWRB, firstprince, 1.3K, E) southern philanthropy soft holiday fic for the rwrb festive fan fest

Punch him with your mouth? (RWRB & 9111, firstprince, buddie, 1K, G) alex and buck are stranded at a hotel due to inclement weather and bond over missed food and feels for the boys in their lives (rwrb fff)

a lifeline through the holiday chaos (RWRB, junora, 1K,M) junora cuddling while watching a holiday movie for the rwrb fff (and Morgan's bday)

underneath the christmas tree (RWRB, firstprince & alex/pip, 7K, E) sequel to 3some fic where martha arranges a gift for pip under the xmas tree for rwrb fff (& tiff - cuz well she get all the sequels lolz)

bonding with his 'sisters' (RWRB, firstprince, gen, 5.5K, T) Bea recruits Alex to help her and Martha find a gift for Henry and they enjoy a little bit of pampering. Alex bonds with his "fox sisters"

definitely taking a turn for the better (RWRB, alex/liam/pez with some fristprince and southern philanthropy at the end, 2.1K, E) pez brings the boys home from a party and when alex is on his way out he meets henry and well numbers might be exchanged my last fic for rwrbfff

everything he'll ever want (RWRB, liam/pez/spencer, 1.9k, M) a lil bit of holiday tranquility, softness and luv written for The Curio Cabinet rare pair exchange

Lights, Camera, Holliday Luv (RWRB, firstprince, 52K, E) pornstar alex and former boybander henry make a holiday movie and probably fall in luv (my big dec fic - my first multichapter posted chapter by chapter)

as near to peace as he ever gets (RWRB, henry/shaan, 804 words, M) in what has become a tradition when he's sloshed henry rubs off one shaan's thigh, oxford slut phase henry, written from a prompt for the Curio Cabinet that didn't make the cut for the exchange

a moment to savor (RWRB, oscar/raf, 845 words M) bb's first oscar/raf - some kissing on the couch that raf has some thoughts and feels about, also wriitten from a Curio Cabinet prompt

okay no pressure tag ur it to @adreamareads @basil-bird @bitbybitwrites @blueeyedgrlwrites @cactusdragon517

@stnichols @cricketnationrise @dragonflylady77 @dreamtigress @emmalostinwonderland

@england-would-fall @everwitch-magiks @firstprincehornyramblings @firstsprinces @forever-fixating

@hgejfmw-hgejhsf @iboatedhere @inexplicablymine @jmagnabo92 @judasofsuburbia

@mikibwrites @myheartalivewrites @ninzied @nocoastposts

@orchidscript @piratefalls @porcelainmortal @priincebutt

@seths-rogens @softboynick @sophie1973 @sparklepocalypse @stellarmeadow

@stratocumulusperlucidus @suseagull5914 @tailsbeth-writes @taste-thewaste @thedramasummer

@thinkof-england @typicalopposite @thesleepyskipper @thighzp

@tinyarmedtrex @zwiazdziarka

#2024 writing round up #writng round up #holy frak i wrote a lot this year #so many words #look at those pairings

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rootspiral · 13 hours ago

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Hey! Finished an AAA rewatch high off my rocker and got my mind blown a bit. Completely changed my perspective of what Agatha expected her prize to be at the end of the road.

Right. So. Rio bursts into her home, threatens her with a good time, blah blah blah. She resolves to get her power back then they can flirt I mean fight on a level playing field.

Gathers the coven, intent on collecting power to take on the Salem seven and Rio. Business as usual for her. She and Rio do this dance indefinitely. Others are constantly coming for her head for all kinds of reasons.

Teen makes the Road a reality. Aggie’s privately reeling while publicly posturing, gears turning over the potential.

SHE SETS AN EXPECTATION OF RESPECT FOR THE ROAD with the shoe removal. She reveres the road as it’s synonymous with Nicky. I think she was considering Teen’s power potential and the possibility that her prize at the end could be a reunion THIS IS WHERE I SCREAM HEAR ME OUT because omg everyone was so quick and willing to squawk about how she’s not interested in bringing Nicky back WTF IS THAT ASSUMPTION BASED ON.

Nicky knew the road wasn’t real, so Agatha never would’ve thought Teen was Nicky. Teen led with “take me to the road”, obvious to her from the start that he’s not Nicky.

As we progress through ep 3 and 4, Aggs is gathering evidence of Teen’s capabilities. People can die in here, people can be rescued from the brink of death in here. Can people be brought back to life in here? His mother managed as much. She admits later that she’s more impressed by Teen than she was by his mother.

Jen saves Teens life and Agatha submits to a relieved softness, with the coven around the fire and with Rio in their little moment. Now since we know for sure she never thought Teen was Nicky, Rio’s “the boy isn’t yours” begs tedious dissecting again. Did Rio know by now what/who Teen was? Idk. I don’t think so. If she did, then she was humoring Agatha and watching for funsies how Agatha was going to work this little sitch to her advantage. I think she was referring to Nicky, after witnessing how Agatha was playing along. Because why would Agatha play along? Rio knows what Agatha’s wounds are. She knows everything, and she knows that grief over Nicky has absolutely not lessened with time. I think Agatha’s emotional panic and plea (“don’t“) was her begging Rio not to take Teen before he could manifest her prize at the end of the Road: Nicky. “The boy isn’t yours”, Rio reminding Agatha that there are some things Magic cannot achieve, son of the scarlet witch or no. Deaths son or no.

(Sidebar: Vision being a special case, sentient but not organic…I wonder if that lil detail had something to do with why Wanda could bring him back into existence…)

Then we’ve got episode 5 and I’m now of the mind that Agatha’s demeanor changes MAINLY because of Nicky’s voice pleading “mama stop!”. Fuck. He’s able to witness somehow everything she’s doing! She’s halfway to the finish but now she’s plagued with the thought of reuniting with her little boy who just expressed, clear as day, he wants her to stop all the killing. But also, he’s here! On the road! His voice, after so long. The most evidence so far that she could reclaim her son at the end. Bittersweet revelation. So of course she crashes out after exiting the cabin. For all the reasons, but I think this is the main one. And I’d say this is why she has no softness for Rio anymore. “I can and I will get my prize, damn you.”

Final nail in this coffin: She gets power at the end of the road. From Billy. Then, “it’s futile. We can’t fight Death”. Power doesn’t keep Rio from claiming her mortal soul. She’d already won that battle with no power at all, when she made the deal to deliver Teen to the end of the road (she mother effing KEPT that deal by the way).

That kiss of death was her acknowledging she can’t have Nicky back in life, she doesn’t want to do this selfish dance with Rio anymore, and ghosting was of course because she can’t face that little boy who just used all his little child-of-death power he could muster to tell her to STOP doing the thing HAS to do to survive.

AH. AND BECOMING A GHOST ALLOWS HER TO HONOR HIS REQUEST, while still avoiding facing him.

The end. Jesus, I hope that all made sense.

Oooh, there's much food for thought here. It's true that whatever Agatha was doing on the Road is never spelled out clearly and is open to interpretation, but that's just how Agatha is. She tells herself she's a scheming mastermind but tbh she's flying by the seat of her pants most of the time. Like there's so much happening inside her brain and she's always censoring and rationalizing and straight up ignoring a lot of feelings, so it's difficult to pinpoint ONE reason why she's doing anything, it's usually a chaotic mix of things.

BUT. We can never forget just how big a part Nicky plays in Agatha's motives - he's her greatest love and her greatest regret, no matter whoever else comes into play. I'll admit I was going so gaga for agathario I didn't linger much on the whole Nicky aspect of it, but it's such a fantastic rabbit hole to go down, thank you for bringing it to my attention! And in this case I think the key to interpret Agatha's motives is actually to go back to WandaVision, and study whatever the hell she thought she was doing with Wanda.

I've already wrote about this I think, but here's what Agatha says about Wanda: "You’re supposed to be a myth. A being capable of spontaneous creation […] Oh yes, your children. And Vision, and this whole little life you’ve made. This is Chaos Magic, Wanda. And that makes you the Scarlet Witch." Looks like Agatha set out to investigate the Hex and Wanda's powers - she already had an inkling that Wanda was the very Scarlet Witch described in the DarkHold, and she wanted confirmation ("I have a theory, but I need more.")

What did Agatha want with Wanda, specifically? The obvious answer is: the power to go against Rio's rules and bring people back to life in new bodies. She went to see Wanda in her Agnes persona and immediately asked if she was married, and yes she was flirting a lil bit, but also she knew this was the Avengers's Wanda Maximoff whose lover, Vision, had just died, and she wanted to see if she'd actually brought him back. And what do you know, that's exactly what Wanda had done!

Next step: manipulate Wanda into creating her children, and I actually have a theory that she took two dead souls and put them into the twins, just like Billy will later do with himself and Tommy Shepherd. I mean, looks to me like Agatha had a very specific goal in mind with all her scheming, prodding and investigating, she even killed Sparky to see if Wanda would bring him back!

So yes, when she later met Billy and guessed his identity, I can totally see her continuing on that line of thought and trying to manipulate him into "accidentally" - via the Road giving witches what they want - bring Nicky back to life. And even that amazing scene in the morgue with Agatha helping Billy to save his brother's soul: isn't it suspicious that she knew exactly how to do it? Almost as if she'd researched and studied the theory before, and the piece of the puzzle she was missing was a Maximoff lending her power. If you think about it, isn't it funny that Agatha herself is now a ghost hanging out with the one person with the power to a) create new bodies and b) plop souls into them? Yeah. She's the queen of ulterior motives.

So was Agatha using the Road to bring Nicky back? She absolutely thought it was possible and was experimenting with it, and wow, that's probably why she didn't stop Billy even when he started killing people. But, and here's the crucial part: deep down, Agatha knows that Nicky is gone and she will never get him back. Her impossibly painful journey will be to learn - well, not to accept it and move on, that's impossible, but to stop fighting windmills, to forgive herself and let herself grieve, to let people back in her life and find solace with them. It's a journey that she's barely started, she took a few steps forward but there's still a long, long way to go.

#asks #agatha all along #wandavision #aaa meta #agatha harkness #this enriched my theories so much thank you #long post

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bakageta · 3 days ago

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Holiday fic 500 #2

Next is some Venom Xenobiology for @ihasafandom

Even before Venom, Eddie had been awful at sleeping. Always too much or not enough, never the right amount. Now it didn’t matter as much, Venom supported Eddie through all of life's inconveniences including sleep deprivation, but he still needed sleep.

“I can feel you judging me,” Eddie gumbled. He flopped miserably from his side to his back and kicked at the blankets covering him. They were itchy but without them Eddie’s legs chilled quickly. Its host considered them a necessary evil, a concept Venom thought incredibly stupid.

Only a little.

“Feels like a lottle.”

I can put you to sleep, it offered. Eddie would refuse the offer, he hated the abrupt stop and start to his consciousness, but Venom felt it was important to give him the option.

As it predicted, Eddie refused with an amused huff. He knew its reasoning for the offer, had fallen asleep while it explained at length.

That was an idea. I could tell you something?

“You could, yeah,” Eddie mused and rubbed at his stubble.

What do you want me to tell you?

“I dunno man.” Its host rolled onto his stomach, face buried in his pillow and scratchy blankets tangled around his legs. “What about how you work? That’ll probably go way over my head and put me to sleep.”

My species is not as complicated as you seem to think. Though the last time Venom had tried to explain its transdimensional nature Eddie had complained it was interrupting the movie. Not Venom’s fault that it had gotten enough right that Venom had wanted to comment on the few inaccuracies.

“And yet you're complicated enough that I couldn't watch Interstellar and listen to you at the same time.”

That is not surprising.

“Whatever.” Eddie folded his pillow so his head was still supported but he was no longer breathing through it. “Tell me now, when I'm not distracted.”

Venom let its fond amusement suffuse their bond while it rifled through Eddie's brain for an appropriate metaphor.

Reality is multifaceted and multiplanar, Venom paused to see how Eddie would respond.

“Sure. What's that mean?”

Different worlds where different things happened, universes that are reflections of one another except for one thing.

“Yeah, yeah, metaphysical bullshit. I got it.”

Venom burbled out and over Eddie's legs in an approximation of laughter. Small ciliary motions on its surface slid the scratchy blanket to the foot of the bed. I'm like kelp.

“The fuck does that mean?”

I have a holdfast like kelp, only instead of a rock mine is your central nervous system. Most of my mass is beyond this reality, just like the majority of kelp is above the sea floor. That mass draws in nutrients utilizing specialized structures. Like kelp.

“I think your metaphor is falling apart,” Eddie snarked. Then he yawned.

Venom was winning. It kept its grin internal as it crept further up Eddie’s chest. Continuing my metaphor, the sea is like the space between universes. The rock, or host, can’t experience the sea beyond, but the symbiote can. And the sea is where all of the collective symbiote knowledge is stored.

Venom paused as Eddie’s chest rose dramatically with a deep breath. He was asleep and all it needed to do was help him stay there. It told him how permeable his tissue was for it, how he soothed it, how his mind was a near perfect fit to its own. How it thought that it could spend the rest of its life with him.

#eddie brock #venom symbiote #venom #my writing

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delusional-through-and-through · 3 days ago

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LIBRARY 💥

Previously¿

Kanata stood in front of the Bakugou household, clutching a paper bag containing Bakugou’s freshly washed and folded jacket. With a deep breath, she pressed the doorbell.

The door opened moments later, but instead of Bakugou, it was Mitsuki who greeted her, a welcoming smile on her face.

“Oh, Kanata! You’re here early.” Mitsuki said with a smile. “Looking for Katsuki, I assume?”

Kanata nodded politely. “Yes, ma’am. We’re working on our project again today.”

Mitsuki stepped aside to let her in. “Come on in, dear. He’s in his room, but he’ll come down eventually. You might as well wait in the living room.”

Kanata followed her into the cozy space and took a seat on the sofa. She placed the paper bag with Bakugou’s jacket beside her. “Thank you, Mrs. Bakugou.”

Mitsuki waved her hand as she sat down beside her. “None of that ‘Mrs.’ nonsense. Auntie is fine.” Kanata smiled and nodded, feeling at ease.

Mitsuki studied her for a moment, her sharp eyes glinting with curiosity. “So, Kanata, how do you put up with my son? He’s not exactly the easiest person to work with.”

Kanata laughed nervously. “Well, he definitely has his.... moments. But honestly, I think he means well—most of the time, anyway.”

Mitsuki smirked, leaning back against the sofa. “You’ve got a good sense of humor, kid. I like that. Speaking of Katsuki, want to see something embarrassing?”

Kanata’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Something embarrassing? Absolutely."

Mitsuki smirked and stood, retrieving a photo album on the shelf behind her and flipped it open, revealing a collection of Bakugou’s childhood pictures. “Here. These are from when he was little. Look at this one, he thought wearing an All Might onesie made him invincible.”

Kanata stifled a laugh. “That was his face even back then? I thought the scowling came with puberty!”

Mitsuki chuckled. “Nope, he’s been like that forever. Now, look at this one, he was about three here, trying to make an ‘explosion’ with his toy fireworks.”

Kanata squinted at the photo. “Why does it look like he’s yelling at the toys for not working fast enough?”

“He was! The brat had zero patience, even as a kid.” Mitsuki replied, laughing hard.

“Oh, and this one” Mitsuki said, turning the page. It showed a muddy Bakugou holding a frog with an uncharacteristically bright grin.

Kanata burst out laughing. “He looks like a little gremlin here!”

“That’s exactly what I called him!” Mitsuki laughed, her voice loud and unabashed.

The two continued to laugh and poke fun at the pictures when a voice interrupted them.

“The hell are you two laughing at?”

Kanata and Mitsuki froze, looking up to see Bakugou standing in the doorway, fresh out of the shower, his hair damp and sticking out in all directions a towel sitting on his shoulders.

He was wearing a black skull printed T-shirt and sweatpants, his scowl fierce as ever.

“Oh, Katsuki!” Mitsuki said with a wide grin, holding up the album. “We were just looking at your childhood pictures. Kanata thinks you were cute.”

Kanata, still laughing, greeted him. “Hey there, Katsuki. Nice onesie, by the way.”

Bakugou’s face turned red out of anger. “PUT THAT DAMN THING AWAY!” he roared, stomping toward them.

Bakugou snatched the album from his mother, snapping it shut. “I’m gonna blow this thing to hell.” he growled, storming toward the stairs. “And you!” He pointed at Kanata. “Get to work already! You’re wasting time!”

Kanata chuckled, grabbing the paper bag. “Sure, sure. Lead the way, oh fearless partner.”

As Bakugou stomped back to his room, Mitsuki and Kanata exchanged a conspiratorial grin. “Come by any time, Kanata, I'll show you more of his pictures, I've got a spare album just in case he blows up one.” Mitsuki said, laughing.

“I definitely will, thanks Auntie” Kanata replied laughing too, then followed her still-fuming partner up the stairs.

............

When Kanata entered Bakugou’s room, she found him already seated in front of his laptop, typing furiously. His brows were furrowed in concentration, but he paused briefly when she placed the paper bag on his desk.

“Here,” Kanata said casually, “Your jacket. It’s squeaky clean, just like you demanded.”

Bakugou snorted, grabbing the bag without looking at her. “Good. Would’ve blasted you if you brought it back dirty.”

Kanata rolled her eyes as she took a seat and pulled out her notebook. They resumed their research, skimming over articles and news archives. After a while, Bakugou grunted, breaking the silence.

“We’re gonna need some references from actual books.” he said, scrolling through a page on his laptop. “Not all of his information is online.”

Kanata raised an eyebrow. “So… we’re going to the library?”

“Tch. No choice” he replied with a scowl. “Pack your stuff. Let’s go.”

Kanata sighed, shoving her notes and laptop into her bag. They headed downstairs together, where Mitsuki was waiting in the living room.

“Heading out?” Mitsuki asked, glancing up from her magazine. “Be careful you two, enjoy your date!”

“It’s not a date, old hag!” Bakugou snapped, his voice rising as he glared at his mother. “Stop saying crap like that!”

Mitsuki smirked, entirely unfazed. “Sure, sure. Whatever you say.” She turned to Kanata, her expression softening. “Kanata, dear, take care of my hotheaded brat for me, will you?”

Kanata grinned. “I’ll do my best, Auntie."

As they stepped outside, Bakugou grumbled under his breath before turning to Kanata. “Since when did you and that old hag get so close?”

Kanata gave him a cheeky smile. “From the moment I stepped into your house.”

Bakugou sneered at her. “That was just yesterday, dumbass.”

Kanata shrugged. “And yet, here we are. Not my fault your mom took a liking to me. Guess I’m just charming and adorable like that.”

Bakugou clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Tch. Whatever. Just hurry up.”

............

The two of them started walking towards the station, their goal is the bustling city where the National Library stood.

When Kanata and Bakugou reached the station, they immediately noticed the unusual crowd. The platform was bustling with people, a mix of commuters and weekend travelers.

“Ugh, what the hell’s with this crowd?” Bakugou muttered, glaring at the sea of people.

Kanata sighed. “Looks like everyone decided to go out today. Just our luck.”

When the train arrived, the two boarded, only to find themselves packed in with the other passengers, squeezed tightly like sardines in a can.

Kanata stood beside Bakugou, gripping a strap for balance. She was wearing a pair of shorts paired with a white sweater, and the overcrowded space made her aware of how little room there was to move.

Suddenly, Kanata flinched. A man's hand had brushed against her leg, lingering just a little too long to be accidental. Anger bubbled up within her, but before she could react, Bakugou had already noticed.

His face darkened, and without a word, he grabbed Kanata by the arm and pulled her in front of him. Now, she was tucked safely between Bakugou and the wall of the train.

His crimson eyes lock onto the offender, his anger palpable. "Fucking perverted bastard." he spits, his tone dripping with disdain.

The man, intimidated by Bakugou's fierce demeanor, retreats into the crowd, avoiding further confrontation.

Kanata looked up at Bakugou, a mix of gratitude and surprise in her expression. “Thanks.” she murmured, her voice barely audible above the noise of the train.

Bakugou grunts in acknowledgment, his attention still scanning the crowd for any other threats. “Just stay there.”

Kanata, attempting to lighten the mood, smirks playfully. “Not gonna lecture me about my choice of clothes?”

Bakugou huffed, his eyes briefly flicking down to her shorts before meeting her gaze again. “Your clothes aren’t the problem.” he said gruffly. “It’s the perverts with broken brains that need fixing.”

Kanata couldn’t help but laugh softly, the tension of the moment dissolving slightly. “Who knew you could be such a gentleman?” she teased, her tone light and playful.

“Shut up,” he muttered, but his ears turned slightly pink.

Kanata chuckled and leaned slightly against the wall as the train continued its journey. Despite the cramped conditions, the two spent the rest of the ride in that position, with Bakugo acting as a barrier between her and the rest of the crowd.

............

The train screeched to a halt, and the doors slid open to chaos. Passengers pushed and jostled their way out, the crowd surging like a river breaking through a dam.

Kanata is about to take a step, but Bakugou reached out, grabbing her hand firmly.

“Don’t be dumb,” he grumbled, keeping a firm hold. “You’ll probably get lost in this damn crowd.”

Kanata blinked at him, flustered, but didn’t argue. They exited the train still hand in hand, and though Kanata's lips twitched with amusement, she chose not to comment—yet.

Once outside, the noise subsided, replaced by the quieter hum of city life as they walked toward the National Library.

When they reached the grand entrance, Kanata paused, turning to him with grinning. “Hey, remember, no shouting inside. It’s a library, not your personal battleground, so you better keep that temper of yours in check.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

She wasn’t done, though. Her grin widened. “Oh, and I see that you’re still holding my hand. Enjoying yourself, Bakugou?”

He glanced down at their intertwined hands, his brows furrowing slightly. But instead of letting go, he tightened his grip, his expression unreadable. “Shut up” he muttered before tugging her forward, pulling her into the library with him.

Once they found a quiet corner and settled into their seats, Bakugou finally released her hand. Kanata chuckled softly but didn’t press further. They unpacked their things, diving into their purpose for the visit, finding books featuring All Might.

As Bakugou scanned the shelves with sharp focus, Kanata stole a glance at him, her grin softening. Despite his rough edges, moments like these revealed a side of him she couldn’t help but appreciate.

..........

When Bakugou returned home from the library, he stepped through the door quietly. Mitsuki greeted him from the living room.

“Oh, you’re back!” she called out, grinning mischievously. “So, did you enjoy your little date today?”

Bakugou froze mid-step, his eyes narrowing. “It wasn’t a damn date.” he murmured, clicking his tongue stomping past her.

Mitsuki smirked knowingly, watching him retreat to his room. She didn’t miss the faint blush on his ears and nape. Once his door slammed shut, she chuckled to herself.

“Yeah, sure, it wasn’t a date.” she muttered with a wide grin. “But you definitely enjoyed it, didn’t you, brat?”

She didn’t need him to say it out loud. The way he acted, the little things, Mitsuki could tell. Her son had a way of hiding his feelings behind that rough exterior, but she wasn’t fooled.

previously¿

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #mha bakugou #bnha #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #oc

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