#choicessecretsanta

[impertfectedchoices]

“I don’t know what comes next, but I know we’ll get through it. Together.”

Jax x MC Aesthetic/Moodboard

This goes out to you @irlquinnkelly

I WAS YOUR SECRET SANTA! It was a bit late but life got hectic on me. I hope you enjoy it anyways 🎄❤️ I know we haven’t seen a lot of c!Bloodhound so this was the one I chose for you 😊

[lahela-ing]

Hey there @littlecrookedheart !! I was your secret santa and I'm sooo sorry this was so very late (and short!) but I have my finals in a couple of days and it was the best I could do :( I actually have a lot of shit planned to make up for this after finals so please don't feel bad! I promise I'll spam you with fics and moodboards and headcanons and all that! Merry late christmas and a happy new year sweetie!

Anyways,

Pairing: Ophelia x Noah

Rating: Mature, Angst

Don't leave me

Tears stained Ophelia's cheeks as she clutched at Noah, holding his arm as if her life depended on it,

“Noah you can't do this! You can't leave me!”

Noah looked away from her, wrenching his arm out of her grasp.

“You don't understand do you? Jane will keep on going and she won't stop until someone takes her place! It has to be me. I'm the reason half our friends are dead. I owe them this much.”

Ophelia shook her head, reaching for his arm again, not letting him fall into the darkness awaiting him.

“No Noah you don't understand!Please, I can't live without you.”

He looked up at her, her beautiful face crumpled in determination, hair resembling something like a tornado because of the wind.

She looked like an angel.

“Let me do it instead. Let me save you.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper, shaking. Noah's eyes widened as he took in her face, her hands soaked with blood, holding onto him still, refusing to let him go. But when their eyes met, he saw determination.

Determination to save the ones she loved.

Determination to save him.

His breath caught, and he swallowed, a flurry of emotions pounding through him.

“You- You'd do that for me?”

She nodded and bit her lip, fresh tears swimming in her eyes,

“I'd do anything for you Noah.”

His eyes dropped in shame, and he eyed the worn soles of her sneakers as he spoke,

“You can't do that for me Oph.. It's too much. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you. I'm the reason Andy's dead! Jane is my sister, I need to be the one to stop her!”

He was sobbing as he said the last words, but she took his hand in his and gave him a smile,

“Jane was your sister, but Noah that's not her in there anymore. She's been corrupted. You don't have to blame yourself for this. Please, let me help you.”

He couldn't believe her, he couldn't believe that someone so pure, so perfect would do that for him. He was a scumbag, utter dirt beneath Ophelia's feet, but she still wanted to do this for him?

No.

He wouldn't let her. He wouldn't let his angel sacrifice herself for him.

So he looked up at her, firm in his choices, not noticing the sad smile on her face.

“I love you Noah.”

And as she brushed her lips against Noah's and stepped back, his face took on a look of horror as she let go of him and fell into the cascading darkness waiting to swallow her up.

[thebeaumontboys]

The Masquerade (Maxwell x MC (Bozhena))

I wrote this for the @choicessecretsanta event for… @maxwellbaemont!!! I hope you like it and Merry Christmas. Also, I wrote this before some recent chapters came out so it’s not really compatible with canon any more or anything but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Even before she entered the grand oak doors, she could hear the sweet strains of the live orchestra. Bozhena paused before the door, a grin turning her lips into a smile. She ducked into a neaby hallway and slipped a blue mask out of her purse. She pulled it over her head and smiled at her reflection in the polished maple cabinet. She gave herself one last look over and spun once letting the satin folds of her dress swish around her. Then, she walked resolutely back to the oak doors and pushed them open. The room was filled with the rustling ball gowns and sleek suits of the royal entourage. A large christmas tree stood in the corder with real candles twinking on the boughs. Garlands of pine and holly trailed around the room and bunches of mistletoe hung mischievously by the secluded corners. For a moment, Bozhena was lost in the color and whirl of the room, but she had gotten used to it with her time in Cordonia and the fear that strangled her fro a moment passed. Slowly, she descended the stairs and entered the crowd. The party had begun a few hours earlier with a meal spread lavishly over the tables. Bozhena had sat with Hana, Maxwell, and Drake at a table towards the corner of the room, but they didn’t mind. Bozhena was pretty sure their laughter could be heard from anywhere in the room, so it really didn’t matter. As soon as the meal ended, the ladies had been escorted to private changing rooms where they changed and put on masks to disguise themselves. The idea of the ball was that no one was supposed to know who you were.

Now, Bozhena looked around the room at the merry faces laughing behind the elaborate masks. She thought she saw Hana dancing with Drake, but she couldn’t be sure.

“I heard the King is wearing the white maske,” said a voice close to her ear.

Bozhena jumped then smiled. Besider her, a woman dressed in a flowing red gown with a matching red mask smiled at her.

“Olivia.”

“Took you long enough.”

Bozhena grinned.

“You should snag the King from Madame Madeline’s clutches.”

She meant it kindly, but Olivia’s face paled.

“I can’t! He’s engaged to someone else and in love with you. and … and I still love him. That much is obvious.”

Bozhena sighed and softly touched Olivia’s arm.

“It it makes you feel any better…” she paused and looked around then hurried on, “I don’t care for him. I could never say yes to being his queen.”

Bozhena turned away as Olivia stared at her.

“What?!”

“It’s true.”

“Spill.”

Bozhena’s lips turned in a smile as she shook her head.

“Sorry. But please win his heart back. I don’t want to hurt him. He’s my friend.”

Olivia nodded slowly.

“Shall I?” she asked, her grin returning.

“Please do. Look at that smug look on Madeline’s face.”

Bozhena gestured towards the woman in a sleek green gown clutching the arm of a man hidden behind a white mask.

“Oh, it wont be there for long, I assure you.”

WIth one last sly grin, Olivia headed off in the crowd. Bozhena turned to make her way towards Hana and Drake when she felt someone touch her arm. She spun and saw a man in a bright yellow mask grinning at her.

“Maxwell?” she asked softly.

“How did you know it was me?”

“You’re the only one I know who’d wear a bright yellow mask.”

“Hey, it’s in style.”

She laughed.

“Hey, want to try some of the deserts with me? They look delicious.”

Bozhena looked over at the table in the corner crowded with all sorts of delicious looking food.

“Of course.”

They made their way to the table of treats. Maxwell looked adoringly at a chocolate slice of cake.

“Ooh. A dark chocolate slice of heaven with caramel drizzle? I think it’s calling my name.”

Bozhena pulled a plate off the table and stuck her fork in the dark chocolate piece of cake. She smiled as it melted on her tongue.

“So good.”

Maxwell mumbled something through a full bite of his own piece of cake that sounded vaguely like some sort of a agreement. All too soon, they had finished and put the plates aside. Maxwell brushed the crumbs off his fingers.

“May I have this dance, Future Queen?”

The song had come to a close and the dancers were drifting off the floor.

“Of course.”

Maxwell led Bozhena to the dance floor and the music swelled in the swinging rhythm of a waltz. She glanced over and saw Olivia standing smugly with a white masked man. Bozhena smiled, then her face fell and she sighed.

“What is it? Are you doing alright?” Maxwell asked as they glided around the dance floor.

“Oh, as well as you’d expect, I suppose,” Bozhena turned away.

She hoped the mask was covering the emotions surging across her face.

“Is something wrong?” his smile fell.

Bozhena struggled for a moment. Then, she sighed. She had kept everything in for so long. She couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“Maxwell,” she said hesitantly, “I know how much it means to you and Bertrand for me to be queen. But… what if I didn’t want to?”

Maxwell’s brown eyes were boring into her.

“What do you mean?”

“What if…” Bozhena paused then rushed on, “What if I loved someone else?”

A sob slipped into her voice and her eyes began to fog with hot tears. They had stopped dancing now and Maxwell was staring at her.

“Come here,” he murmured softly and guided her steps to the edge of the room away from the crowd and the vibrant colors.

“It’s OK,” he whispered.

Bozhena reached out blinding, tears falling down her cheeks and slipping down her satin dress. Maxwell pulled her into his arms and let her tears fall onto his suit. Her shoulders shook with her sobs. As the music swelled around them and laughed wafted through the air, they stood together, their arms wrapped around each other, her shoulders shaking. Slowly, Bozhena’s sobs quieted and she slipped off her mask to wiper her eyes.

“Hey, it’s OK. No one can force you to love anyone.”

“I know.”

She let out a sigh.

“I just wish…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure someone else would love to take your place.”

“You mean Olivia?”

Maxwell smiled.

“Of course I do. You see the way she looks at him like he’s a sad little corgi that needs rescuing.”

Bozhena gae Maxwell a teary smile.

“Yeah.”

Maxwell paused then said hesitantly.

“Is it Drake?”

“What?”

“Is it Drake who you love? I know he likes you more than the rest of us.”

Bozhena shook her head.

“No.”

Bozhena was still touching Maxwell’s arm and she felt his heartbeat quicken beneath her fingers.

“Then…who is it?”

A rose of pink bloomed across her face as she looked into Maxwell’s caramel colored eyes.

“It’s you,” she whispered the nrushed on, “I know you probably dislike me or only like me as a friend and IM not…”

She was silenced by the soft touch of Maxwell’s finger across her lips. The words died on her tongue and she looked at him with shining eyes, her heart fluttering in her chest Maxwell was smiling with the kind of smile that makes your mouth hurt.

“Bozhena,” he whispered softly.

His fingers trailed down her arm until he reached her mask. Gently, he returned it to her face.

You’re not lying to me? No one put you up to this?”

Bozhena gave a smile laugh.

“No, Maxwell,” she whispered, “It’s always been you.”

Maxwell looked up at the mistletoe hanging over their heads, he looked back at Bozhena, his eyes dropping to her lips. Then, his arms were around her and she felt his lips meet heres. It was soft at first, questioning almost, but as she kissed him back, he pulled her closer. Or a moment, she hesitated and pulled away gasping for air.

“Maxwell, what will Bertrand say?”

“No one knows its us,” he murmured.

And she let herself mlt into him. For once, she didn’t think of Liam or Madeline or finding out how she had been framed. For once, she just thought about the present, herself, and Maxwell. As the music swelled and the snow fell in the frosty air outside, Bozhena let herself be free under the mistletoe with the real man she loved.

The end.

[mind-reader1]

Christmas in NY (TRR/PM Crossover)

A/N: So I’ve been slacking on getting this done and posting it, but this is for @the-everlasting-dream because I was your secret santa! Part of the @choicessecretsanta thing! I really hope you enjoy, I was a bit nervous to share since your fics are so great. I was that annoying anon asking about crossovers and white elephants, lol this is why. Enjoy!

Word Count: 2,789

Warnings: Some innuendo 

“I’m glad we decided to do this after all.” Elizabeth looked over at Drake and smiled, squeezing his hand as the plane took off. They had been talking about going back to New York for Christmas, but nothing had come of it, just talk, until last night.

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

They had just gotten back to Valtoria after another council meeting and Drake slammed the car door shut, stalking inside, Elizabeth sighed as she followed him in. When Liam had first told them about the council and asked them to join, it had sounded like a wonderful idea, but as of recently, Drake had become frustrated, feeling as though he wasn’t being heard or listened to. Elizabeth could see it too and that had been why she suggested getting away for the holidays, taking a break from all the stuffy courtly policies and procedures, especially Olivia who had really been getting on his nerves.

Drake being the ever-faithful friend and husband, however, said that he couldn’t pull them away from court just because he didn’t like it.

“As long as I know I get to come home to you every night, just the two of us, then that’s all I need Walker.” He kissed her gently, but Elizabeth deepened the kiss, taking the time to show him just how much she loved and appreciated all he had given up and done for her, even before they were married.

Elizabeth was wrenched back to the present when she walked in and heard glass shattering and the curse words Drake was muttering, coming from the kitchen. She followed the sounds and saw him searching for the broom, a broken tumbler on the floor.

“Don’t come in here Walker!” He held his hand out in warning as she appeared in the doorway, even if she wasn’t barefoot, he didn’t want her doing anything where she could hurt herself, especially if it was his fault.

“Drake, it’s fine. I’ll get it, why don’t you go sit down, relax, and I’ll be back in a second with drinks for both of us.” She could see the relief in Drake’s eyes even as he hesitated, he needed a break, desperately, they both did.

“Are you su-”

“Go!”

“Thank you.” He kissed her cheeks as he left, handing the broom off to her. Carefully cleaning up the glass, she poured him two fingers of whiskey and grabbed a Cordonian cider for herself. She found him on the couch, sitting in silence, content, his shoulders still clearly tight, his breathing becoming deeper and more even. She waved the glass in front of him and set her own drink down, starting to walk off, Drake gently grabbed her wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’ll be right back, I promise.” He eyed her suspiciously but let her go, swirling his whiskey as he patiently waited for her to return. All he wanted was for the rest of his night to be peaceful, he could start a fire and curl up with his wife beside him, a glass of whiskey nearby, not a single staff member in the estate.

Elizabeth snuck off to her study where she left her computer, she had promised Drake that work would stay at work, so she left it there in order to not be tempted. This was a perfectly acceptable exception though, she thought to herself as she looked up plane tickets to New York. Her stomach twisted into knots, would Drake want this? New York was her hometown, not his, his only connection to it was her and Drake preferred the outdoors, maybe going to New York wasn’t the best idea.

“Walker! Where’d you go?” She heard his muffled call, panicking she sucked in a breath and bought the tickets, it was too late to turn back now, and she didn’t want him to come in here and spoil the surprise. She quickly printed them out, they were leaving tomorrow night, long enough to pack their things and get out before something else could happen and ruin it for them.

“Coming!” she called back, grabbing the tickets off the printer, ink still wet as she rushed back to the living room.

“I was about to start a search party.” He teased, sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace as he stoked the beginnings of a relaxing fire.

“Sorry, I just had to take care of something quickly.” She sat on the edge of the couch behind him, massaging his shoulders, she could feel the knots in them, they hardly moved as she worked her hands to the point where they began to cramp up. Drake’s head rolled to the side, resting on her knee as he let out a content sigh.

“Thanks, Walker.” He whispered.

“You’re welcome, I actually have one more surprise for you.” She leaned over in his ear to whisper, her hot breath tickling him, sending shivers down his spine despite the warmth of the fire.

“Oh yeah?” He turned to face her, and she recognized the gleam in his eye, it was the look that made her want to drop everything she was doing and lock the door behind her, sneak away from the party, council meeting whatever it was, and just focus on the feeling of Drake’s body pressed against hers. She had to force herself to focus, there would be plenty of time for that on their vacation, they didn’t even have to leave their hotel room.

She gently dropped the tickets into his lap and he frowned in confusion, picking them up, his eyes widening as he looked up at her with surprise.

“I just figured that you’ve been so stressed, and you do so much for me, for Liam, and for this country that we deserved a break, some time to ourselves without having to worry about a single thing. We leave tomorrow if you want to go.” She smiled nervously at him, Drake hadn’t moved a muscle, his face was impossible to read, even for her. Maybe she had made the wrong decision.

“We don’t even have to leave the hotel if we don’t want to.” She hurriedly added, twisting her fingers together nervously as she waited for his response. He grabbed her legs and pulled her off the couch as she yelped in surprise, falling onto his lap.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you, Elizabeth?”

“All the time, but feel free to tell me some more.” Her giggle was cut off by his warm lips, crashing against her in a fiery kiss, his arms snaking around her waist, locking her in place against him.

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

“I’m glad we decided to do this.” She slipped her hand into his and interlaced their fingers once they were seated on the plane.

“Me too,” Drake whispered, his body finally free of tension, despite the uncomfortable airplane seats. Some time away from court was just what he needed after all.

“The only request I have is that we see my old friend Damien from college.” Drake smiled and kissed her forehead, it was a small request, and he’d met Damien before, he liked him. Normally he would’ve been extremely threatened by him; if he hadn’t also met Damien’s beautiful girlfriend Athena. He was going to be picking Drake and Elizabeth up from the airport, they still hadn’t told anyone they’d left because something would come up and prevent them from coming, the only problem was that no one knew Liam and Olivia had been planning their own holiday trip to New York.

“D!”

“Liz!” The old friends caught sight of each other at the airport and Elizabeth wrapped Damien in a tight hug as Drake hung back to call Liam and let him know they were in New York, he didn’t hang up until he saw the familiar bright red updo and heard Olivia’s shrill voice.

“Why did we not take the jet this time, Darling?” Drake groaned as he locked eyes with Elizabeth, an unspoken apology passing between them.

“Because we couldn’t get approved with all the extra flights, we still flew first clas- Drake?” He had rushed over to Elizabeth, hoping to sneak her out before they were spotted but it was too late for that. Olivia’s head whipped around, and Drake could’ve sworn she was his own personal demon, put on this Earth to torment him.

“These friends of yours?” Damien eyed Olivia and Liam, sizing them both up out of habit, but Olivia noticed and didn’t care for it at all.

“And who are you? Elizabeth’s American watchdog?” She snapped, Liam gently grabbing her wrist, giving her a pleading look. Elizabeth looked at Damien, knowing that wouldn’t go over well, shooting a look at Drake for help.

“What’s it to you? Who do you think you are walking in here like some freaking Queen?” Damien snarled back.

“Actually I-”

“Okay! That’s enough. We’re clearly both here on vacation, why don’t we relax.” Elizabeth said sternly, stepping between them. They were all prepared to go their separate ways when Athena came running in, spotting Damien and the other’s rushing over.

“What is taking so long? I got tired of driving in circles, so I just parked,” She wrapped her arms around Damien after giving Elizabeth and Drake a hug, immediately noticing Olivia and Liam, “Oh! Hi, I’m Athena.” They all introduced themselves, properly this time, when Athena got a mischievous gleam in her eye, one Damien recognized all too well, and he knew he wasn’t going to like it.

“Since you’re both here for Christmas, why don’t you all come over and we can do a white elephant at our place!”

“Babe I-” Athena cut him off with a pointed scowl, “think that’s a great idea!” Drake groaned, looking at Elizabeth for a rescue but she was smiling, nodding her head in agreement.

“I think that would be a great way to spend a day away from court, perhaps bond.” Liam smiled, squeezing Olivia’s hand until she forced a polite smile as well, it was settled, they would be doing a white elephant.

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

“What is a white elephant?” Olivia was genuinely curious, but at the same time, not pleased that she had been signed up unwillingly for some holiday activity.

“It’s where everyone buys a gift and wraps it up, then everyone takes a turn picking or ‘stealing’ a gift. Once everyone has had a turn, the gifts are opened!”

“I don’t see the point of this ridiculous activity.” Olivia scoffed as she and Liam browsed the shops in the mall searching for their white elephant gifts, Liam just smiled and squeezed her hand before bringing it up to his lips so he could brush them across her knuckles, she had a difficult childhood and growing up in Cordonian courtly life didn’t exactly give her the change to do mundane things such as white elephants, so of course, it would seem silly to her.

“There’s no real point to it, it’s just a fun thing to do with friends.”

“That would require spending it with our friends. Only one of my friends will be there, only two of your friends will be there.” Liam ignored her comment and picked up a stunning Christmas ornament, holding it up to her as a question. It was an emerald green color adorned with tiny golden and ruby gems made of real Swarovski crystals, depicting an angel blowing stars from its palms.

“It’s lovely Liam.” It really was exquisite, Liam always had impeccable taste though, Olivia wasn’t the least bit surprised. She needed to find a gift though, and much to her contempt, you couldn’t find a jewel-encrusted dagger at the mall in New York during the Christmas season, people could be so sensitive these days.

“Do you have any other ideas for a gift, Darling?” Olivia opened her mouth to tell him no and that she still thought this whole thing was absolutely ridiculous when she saw it, the perfect gift since she couldn’t find a dagger.

“That!” It was a rather large nutcracker, hand painted and carved to perfection, its suit was a deep red color, with a gleaming sterling silver sword at its side. It had a dagger and the potential to be dangerous if you tried hard enough, Olivia loved it.

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

Elizabeth dragged Drake to some tiny run-down store in the mall, it was a hole in the wall, if you didn’t know it was there, you could’ve easily missed it. It was one of her favorite places to go as a teenager, the perfect place to get things you didn’t want your parents to know about, but you knew your friends would find absolutely hilarious. Once inside the store, she let go of Drake’s hand and went straight towards the back, knowing what she was looking for, whereas Drake roamed the aisles, trying to figure out what kind of store it was.

“I’m speeding because I have to poop?” He read a window cling in a mix of horror and confusion. Turning away from the window clings that read far worse, he found a wall dedicated to alcohol, things to chug beer, various shot glasses, and flasks, still not what he was looking for. He made his way over to the other side of the store. T-shirts with popular movies and inappropriate sayings lined the wall from floor to ceiling, he decided he needed to find his wife because she had some explaining to do, especially after he passed the lingerie section.

“What is this place, Liz?” She turned around with a small box in hand, upon closer inspection his eyes widened before looking up at her, a sly grin on her face.

“This is Spencer’s, the ultimate gag gift store. In my hand here, I have a blow-up Justin Bieber sex doll.

“Are you serious, Walker?”

“Dead. This is where I always used to come shopping for stuff like this, birthdays, engagements, weddings, all of that good stuff. It doesn’t bother you does it?” She teased, gently elbowing him in the ribs. He didn’t see the point of a ‘white elephant’ and he didn’t feel like hanging out with Olivia.

“No, let’s just get our stuff and get this over with.”

“Okay Scrooge, where’s your gift?” Drake looked around and picked up the first thing his eyes settled on, groaning as he realized what it was. An elephant puppet, complete with a thong that looked like a tail, for that special man in your life.

“Whatever, let’s get out of here.”

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

Damien and Athena wandered the aisles of Target, looking for a quick gift they could pick up, he was going to do just a gift card and a pair of fluffy Christmas socks, but Athena had beaten him to it, so he needed to find something else. He was just getting ready to admit defeat when he saw it, the perfect gift. He picked it up and showed it to Athena who threw her head back laughing.

“That’s what you want to go with?” He nodded and tossed it into their cart as they wandered over to the wine and snacks section to pick up some things to eat and drink. Athena pulled the game out of their cart and read it over, it was called What Do You Meme? A party card game based on the hottest memes of the time. She’d heard about the game but never actually played it, it looked like fun, and she knew that if Nadia and Steve had been there, they would also be all over it. She decided to google it and found some of the most ridiculous card pairings and also discovered there were expansion packs, The Stoner pack, and the Basic Bitch pack. She really hoped that the game would get opened that night and they could dive into it because that sounded like a really fun game.

By the time the gift exchange was starting, everyone was feeling the wine and excited for the exchange. After lots of bickering and stealing, the gifts were all distributed. Damien ended up with the Justin Bieber sex doll, Athena ended up with the beautiful ornament Liam had picked out. Liam ended up with the elephant private’s costume and his cheeks grew bright red, hot as he realized what it was for, Olivia just smiled wickedly before looking at her fuzzy socks and gift card with disdain. Drake grinned as he opened up the What Do You Meme game, he was going to really enjoy that and it would make parties more bearable. Elizabeth ended up with the nutcracker, judging by its size and extravagance, she knew exactly who had picked it and why, they may not have gotten what they wanted, but at the end of the night, they’d all had fun and relaxed.

Tagging my ever faithful brain trust: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlessly-searching-for-you @zaffrenotes @bbaba-yagaa @roonarific @likethetailofacomet 

Perma-tag: @sleepwalkingelite @ooo-barff-ooo @agent-bossypants @mysteli  @vickypoochoices @kayann9 @jlouise88 @zigortega4life @findingdrake

Drake Tag:    @notoriouscs @speedyoperarascalparty @andy-loves-corgis @sue9659 @smritysriv @mrsdrakewalkerblog @carabeth @jovialyouthmusic @mrswalkernazario @moonlightgem7 @nikkis1983 @drakesroyalromance @gibbles82 @simsvetements @feartheendlesssummer @drakewalkerisreal

Damien Tag: @mrswalkernazario @darley1101 @moonlightgem7 

[spacetravels]

"do you think the cookies would bake faster at 4000 degrees for one minute?”

“oh my god. don’t even joke about that.”

this is my @choicessecretsanta gift for @do-not-disturb-the-quiet-galaxy !!!

i wanted to do something cute and domestic so noah and chloe baking cookies!! chocolate chip. definitely throwing snark back and forth :3c

i hope you like it and hope u have some happy holidays ;o;!!!!!! <3

[javsarts]

“Too Soon” Jake x F!MC from the book Endless Summer

My Christmas present for @storiesbehindyoureyes

Prompt: Angsty fluff? 

Merry Christmas! (In Advanced lolol) I’m sorry I didn’t ask any details because I was soooo busy and probably still busy during the holidays huhu. But I hope you like it! 

Special mention to @choicessecretsanta Thank you for hosting this gift giving event!! 😊

[kenjkats]

Cuddling in the winter - Kenji x Alex

Kenji and Alex just bum around and waste time looking at funny videos on the internet like the rest of us do lol

SUPER BELATED MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO @thatcrimsonartist hello I am your secret santa for the @choicessecretsanta :D

Hope you like it! :)

[coltskaneko]

“The Triple Threat, The Witch, and The Golden Boy”

The Heroes

Hello @turtle-brownie , Surprise! I’m your Secret Santa (I am wildly aware that it’s well into January but I am the slowest drawer alive so!!...) I wish i could’ve done all of them (but now I'm kinda glad i didn’t start Noah *cough*) anyway I really hope u like it!!!

And of course thank you to @choicessecretsanta for putting this all together!!

[storiesbehindyoureyes]

Dance with me (Drake x Freya)

So. This is my very late @choicessecretsanta gift for @diamondlessoption! I had an incredibly long and incredibly frustrating writers block and then my computer had some technical difficulties and argh. Anyways. 

This is short and fluffy and it just popped into my head when I was thinking of prompts that @lolablackwrites and @mrswalkerwrites sent to me ages ago. The prompts were from the Kissing prompt list, ‘laughing kiss’ and ‘we’re actually being kind of silly for once’ type of kiss. My grandmother was watching Mamma Mia and then this idea just kind of a popped into my head. Also, thank you, the person who proofread this. You know who you are.

(I also renamed my MC in TRR, she went from being Freya Beauchamp to Freya Daniels, because it just sits better with me.)

I hope you like it, @diamondlessoption! 

***

Pairing: Drake x MC (Freya)

Rating: nothing special here, just a lot of fluff

Word count: 900

***

»Do we have to watch Mamma Mia again?« Drake groaned when Freya pulled him towards her and sat him beside her on the sofa. »Yes, Drake, we really do.«

She grinned at him and waved a bottle of whiskey, “this is your favourite, right?” When he just stared at her she sighed and put the bottle down. “Look, if you really don’t want, we don’t have to, but I was looking forward to this for the whole day. And I promise I’ll think of something more interesting for you after the movie, okay?”

Drake stared at her but couldn’t stay serious at her pleading eyes. “Fine, Daniels. Just give me that whiskey.” He snatched the bottle from her hands and when she nestled into his side took a sip. His arm sneaked around her shoulders as he sighed contentedly. A year ago he couldn’t have thought how much she’ll change his life. She came crashing into his life and as much as he tried to keep her away she just kept coming back, burning down his walls and leaving him exposed and vulnerable to her. And somewhere along the way he had to admit to himself that he has fallen for her, hard, and surprisingly, he was okay with it.

He felt her shoulder moving in the rhythm of the music and he focused his attention to the movie. ‘Dancing Queen’ from Abba was blaring form the speakers and Drake couldn’t help but wonder how would Freya look in the white sparkly dress that the singers were wearing in the video. Before his brain processed his next thought, he was on his feet, arm extending toward her. “Do you know how to dance to this?”

Freya blinked at him in surprise. “Are you … Do you want me to teach you? You know I danced back in high school, Drake.” She saw a slight blush creeping up his cheeks.

“I actually won a dancing contest in the fifth grade to this song ... And that’s all I’m going to say regarding this. You coming?” Freya smiled and hoped of the couch. Settling in his arms she started moving her hips in sync with the rhythm of the music. “I’m a little rusty, so go easy on me, Daniels.” Laughing, she kissed him slightly on the lips and moved away before Drake could deepen the kiss. “I really missed doing fun things with you lately, but first we’re dancing. It was your idea! And don’t think you’re not telling me more about that dance contest, Drake Walker.” Freya laughed at his expression, but melted into his hands when he put them on her hips.

Drake was actually a decent dancer when he didn’t have to worry about anyone else but her and for the next minute she just enjoyed the lively music and their closeness. She lead them through their living room, trying to steer away from any potential breaking hazard, and Drake happily let her take the charge. They managed to get through almost the whole song when she heard a loud crash and felt Drake stiffen and stop. “We broke Kiara’s vase, Daniels.”

“I’m actually happy, because I was deciding between tossing it into trash or putting it away into the basement. It doesn’t really match anything in this cabin and she knows that.” Freya made a face and went to get the broom. In between sweeping the shards she turned towards him.  “I thought you didn’t know how to dance? I mean, you certainly don’t know the waltz, but you know this?”

Drake scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “This is pretty much the only song I can dance to, just because I have the steps memorized. Jessica Winters really wanted to win so we trained until I could pretty much dance in my sleep. Thankfully, that was the only time in my life I had to dance in front of the audience. I was terrified.”

“Well. If you ever see her again, tell Jessica Winters that I’m impressed by her persistence. And just how did she manage to persuade you to dance with her?”

Drake’s cheeks flushed pink and he averted his eyes. “There may have been a crush involved … and she had a lot of help from Liam in convincing me. He knew how to bribe me even back then. I think he just wanted to see how I make a fool of myself on the stage but …”

“You managed to win,” Freya finished for him and a soft smile appeared on her lips when she pictured little Drake, dancing his heart out with an ambitious dance partner who scowled at him every time he mixed up his steps.

“Yes well, after that I made a point of not dancing ever again, but then I met you, and apparently you don’t understand when a man tells you no.” Freya laughed and smacked Drake in the chest.

“Oh hush. You loved every second of that.” “Yes, but just because it was with you.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re giving me diabetes, here. And I’m missing the movie because of you!”

She jumped back to the sofa and nestled back into Drake when he joined her again. “Do you want to do that again sometime?”

“As long as you don’t make me dance for a school competition, Daniels, I wouldn’t mind dancing again with you.”

[mechaspirit]

Christmas Wish (Part 1)

Author’s note: Alright, here’s my Christmas gift for @jakemckenzietrash. Thank you @choicessecretsanta for giving us a chance to do this. It wasn’t my best, but I did everything I can to incorporate the Christmas prompts you requested. Just make sure to know that there are two parts to this story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story and wish you a Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: Definitely do not own any of the Choices books down below. Those are rightfully owned by Pixelberry.

Rated: T

Pairings: MCxJake, GracexAleister, CraigxZahra

Prompt: Opening presents during Christmas morning (Part 1) & first snow in the season (Part 2)

Part 2

Summary: Years after surviving and escaping La Huerta, the gangs gather around again to celebrate Christmas with each other. What will happened?

The presents are fun, but what really matters is being with your closest family and friends to celebrate this joyous occasion.

5…4…3…2…1…Ding!

As soon as the timer went off, Quinn quickly put on her over mittens and carefully open the oven door. From a safe distance, white smokes puffed out and behind them were trays full of cupcakes cooked to golden brown perfection. The redhead gently used a long, wooden skewer to poke the cupcakes, which was pulled out clean satisfying with her result.

“How did it go, Quinn?” Michelle asked her, as she’s finishing up with the frosting for the cupcakes.

“It’s perfect!” The red-headed angel chipped, “We just let them sit on the cooling rack and then decorate them afterward. In a meantime, we’ll work on the gingerbread house.”

“Got it,” the dark blonde hair woman replied before letting a sigh, “I’m praying that we’ll get everything done in time. It’s just…It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other and I want to make sure that everything is perfect for them. Especially on Christmas Day.”

Quinn smiled as she removed one of her gloves and wrapped her arm around the Vietnamese surgeon, “And it will be. Don’t worry, Meech. Everyone is going to be thrilled by the time all twelve of us are together. Just remember that.”

Michelle smiled a bit at the energetic ginger before frowning at an unwelcome sight nearby the kitchen counter where the ingredients and decorations for the gingerbread house are laid out. The dark blonde woman snatched a wooden spoon and whacked the thief’s hand away.

“OW!”

“Craig, how many times do I have to tell you to not paw on any unfinished desserts in the morning?!” Michelle yelled at the suspect.

“Aw, c’mon Meech. I’m only grabbing tiny candies and stuff!” Craig retorted.

“Nope. Never. Y’know Quinn and I need them. And in case you’ve forgotten, the guests are going to arrive at noon, so get your ass out to the living room and help out Sean and the others with the decorations! Or do I have to make you, myself?”

Not wanting to face another one of Michelle’s wrath of fury, Craig reluctantly submitted and dragged himself back into the living room to help out with the decorations. Quinn, on the other hand, is about to start decorating the desserts when all of a sudden, the doorbell rings.

“They’re here!”

Meanwhile…

“Get away from us, you scoundrel! Shoo!”

Right in front of Michelle’s house are Aleister trying to defend himself, his wife, and the gifts they were carrying from a fully grown black and white husky, who was running and jumping around them in excitement. When it looks like Aleister was about to drop the gifts, a loud whistle was heard.

“Ryo! Ryo, c’mere boy!”

The dog, now known as Ryo, turned around and head towards a familiar woman with blonde hair wearing a red coat and orange scarf. Right beside her is her friend with dark hair and skin wearing a black jacket over his purple shirt. From there, the woman knelt down as soon as Ryo came over, sat down, and beamed at his owner with excitement.

“Ryo, you silly dog. I told you not to run off and mess with Aleister like that,” she told him while scratching him behind the ears.

“Yurika, I would appreciate it if you keep that pet of yours under control!” Aleister yelled.

“Ahem. Aleister…” Grace gave her husband a warning looking, making the British man sweat and cleared his throat.

“Erm…Yurika, please make sure that dog of yours is behaving very well.”

“That’s better,” the bespectacled woman nodded with approval. Both Yurika and her best friend, Diego, laughed at the scene.

“Sorry about that. Ryo always get excited every time he meets new people,” the blonde woman said while she and Diego gave the couple friendly hugs (in which Aleister returned awkwardly), “It’s been so long. How’ve you two been?”

“Not to mention, we’ve heard that you’re having a new member to the family very soon, if you know what I mean!” Diego added excitedly. Grace responded by placing her hand over her baby bump fondly.

“Yes, of course. Aleister and I found out last month!”

“We were very nervous about having a child at first. Mostly I am,” Aleister admitted, “But at the same time, But at the same, we’re grateful to be given a chance to give a life our future child deserves...even after everything we’ve been through.”

Grace hugged her husband to the side while the others gave him reassuring glances, knowing what he was talking about. “Hey. All of that is over, Aleister. There’s nothing else to worry about except to look forward to the future,” Yurika told him, “And congratulations. You and Grace deserve to be happy.”

The married couple thanked Yurika for her kind words and blessing before heading towards the front door. The blonde turned to her friend, who seems to be staring at the sky, lost in thought.

“Something’s wrong?” She asked.

“Hmm? Oh! Nothing really,” Diego replied, “Just a little bummed out that there’s probably not going to be any snow this year. I’d give anything like to see that sign of miracle again.”

“Keyword. ‘Probably’,” Yurika quoted, “I wouldn’t count it out just yet, but hey. There’s something more important to look forward to during Christmas. Such as reuniting with our friends whom we haven’t seen for a long time.”

“Yeah. You’re right,” Diego agreed before noticing something behind his best friend then up towards the ceiling of the porch, causing him to smirk, “Rika, you might want to turn around, cuz it looks like someone’s waiting for you under the mistletoe.”

Before she can react, someone grabbed Yurika by the shoulders and turned her around before pressing his lips fully on hers. Realizing who it was, Yurika melted into a kiss before stepping back to get a full view of the person.

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise?” she said, “I thought you’re not going to be here until later tonight.”

“If it weren’t for the fact that there’s a snowstorm prevent me to make flights to Alaska, then yeah, I probably wouldn’t,” Jake told her, “Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss spending a whole Christmas Day with ya, Princess.”

Yurika couldn’t hide her blush and her smile from her favorite pilot. Instead, she kissed him again, slightly parting her mouth open, granting his tongue access to meet hers. Unfortunately for them, Diego cleared his throat before this scene can turn into a make-out session.

“Um…guys? I’m in for romance and all, but we’re still here.”

“Arf!” Yurika’s dog barked in agreement, causing them to laugh. As they head inside, Yurika grabbed Jake by the arm and whispered to his ear in an almost seductive manner.

“Don’t worry, Top Gun. We can always pick this up again later tonight.” This caused the brunette to smirk.

“I’m holding up to that promise, Princess.”

“Cheers!

The twelve survivors of La Huerta clink their glass of the signature drinks Raj made for them and decided to chat with one another for a bit before starting the gift exchange for old times sake. Turns out that they are definitely enjoying each other’s company. From sharing congratulatory events to Sean’s and Craig’s football career, to sharing info about Aleister’s and Grace’s business comes companies, and to pestering Yurika and Jake about their wedding plans much to the newly engaged couple’s annoyance (Long story short, Jake proposed to Yurika couple weeks ago, which pretty much got everyone’s attention). It was only then that Michelle clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention so that they can do the Secret Santa.

Raj volunteered to be Santa and passed out the gifts one by one, in which they were unwrapped almost immediately by the receiver. Some of the gifts were quite nice, such as a sports jacket Yurika received from Sean and cosmetics products Grace received from Michelle. Quinn gave Estela a dragon plushie, and although the latter didn’t show it, she adores her gift and literally held on to it for the rest of party. Other’s were...interesting to say the least. Zahra received a talking teddy bear from Craig in which he purposely replaced the microphone that says “I love you” from the chest to the...ahem...crotch of the fluffy toy. Everyone else could’ve sworn Zahra was gonna punch the lights out of the dumb jock, but instead, she laughed and called Craig an “idiot” and gave him a slight hug and, uncharacteristically, a kiss as a thank you. Aleister, for some odd reason, got a cologne with a panther on top from Zahra and the scent was too strong for his liking. Jake’s gift for Diego was more of a prank because it involves telling the latter that he only has seven days to live after showing him a video camera with “Sadako” on it. Realizing where the pilot got the idea from, this lead to Diego yelling/crying at Yurika “why did you tell him about that prank?!”

But everyone can agree Quinn enjoyed her gift the most, which is from Raj. By the time the mixologist gave her a box with a bow on it and let her open it, Quinn squealed in excitement and gently lifted up an adorable, white puppy who’s wagging its tail looking back at her affectionately. Turns out that Quinn misses Furball back at La Huerta, so Raj her a dog as a gift so that she can have a furry companion. As a result, red-headed angel gave Raj a hug as a thank you showing that it was one of the best gifts anyone could’ve given her. Quinn even allowed Ryo to become the puppy’s new playmate.

Everyone was having a great time and the party went on without a hitch. However…there is one setback that affected one person.

“So Quinn, are your parents are doing okay with… you know, each other?” Grace asked.

“Well, at least they aren’t constantly fighting and hating each other again, now that my illness is cured,” Quinn reply while petting her new dog, “But I guess old wounds die hard since they have hard times being next to each other. I am planning on heading back home again just to see if they any trouble mending their relationships.”

“Speaking of family visits, Craig, aren’t you and your family heading to Taiwan so you could see your relatives,” Sean asked his close friend.

“Yeah, bro. It’ll be nice to see them again,” Craig answered, “And I think Joey is more excited than I am since most of our cousins are around his age and they’re always fun to hang out with.”

The conversation about their families goes on, and one person in the room doesn’t seem to be enjoying it. Or rather, she can never bring herself to join into the conversations and clench her fists tightly together, hoping no one would ask her about her past. Instead, Yurika sat in silence while half-heartedly listening through the conversations as those uncomfortable feelings started eating her away.

[delphinusbae]

Cookie Frosting (Emma x MC Headcanon)

Author’s note: Part 3 of my #ChoicesSecretSanta for @emmashawkins :) this time, High School Story!

Cookie Frosting: Emma x MC (Fah) Headcanon

• Last day of school before winter break was finally over.

• And your friends talked excitedly about meeting later. You offered your home, of course.

Everyone agreed immediately. Your house was the meeting place most of the time.

• After the gang left, you turned to Emma and gave her a kiss in the forehead.

She blushed and you can’t help but laugh.

Because she’s so cute when she blushes.

• “Would you like to go home with me?”.

“Sure!”.

• After a ten minutes drive you pull up in front of your house.

• You open the door and enter, closing it after Emma gets inside.

“What are we doing?”. She asks.

• You think for a second before speaking.

“Why don’t we make cookies for everyone?”.

• You get all the ingredients from around the kitchen and attempt to prepare cookie dough.

Emma laughs at you. “That’s not how you do it Fah! It’s too much milk”.

You raise an eyebrow and step aside, letting the master do her job.

• Okay but you start eating the cookies’ chocolate.

“Fah! Stop eating. You won’t leave any for the cookies”.

“You want some too, here”. You feed her some.

• Emma just shakes her head and laughs, telling you to give her more.

• After a while she’s finished and you put the cookies in the oven.

• Emma chooses one of those cheesy holiday movies while you wait and both of you end up cuddling in the couch.

Your girlfriend started closing her eyes just as the timer sounds.

“The cookies are ready!!!”. You basically scream, the smell weathering your mouth.

• Emma looks for the frosting while you take the cookies out of the oven.

• “Why don’t we have a frosting competition?” You suggest. “The loser buys everyone ice cream”.

“You’re on”.

• After some minutes you glance at your side.

You didn’t know Emma was so talented with the frosting.

And of course, you had to do something before you lost.

• So you hit her arm and ruin the perfect lines she was doing.

“Fah!”.

“It was an accident I swear!”.

• Emma chuckles before smearing frosting all over your face.

You stare at her surprised but break out in giggles.

Both of you.

• Suddenly Emma gives you a peck on the lips.

It totally tasted sweet.

So she keeps on kissing you until you’re basically making out in the kitchen.

• “Wait, Emma. We should finish the cookies!”.

[diamondlessoption-blog]

Archery 101 (Drake x MC)

Hiii @firefly-hwufanficwriter I was your secret santa, sorry for posting a little late, I believe no time exists between midterms and finals anyways. Thanks @punexpectedly ( @choicessecretsanta ) for hosting. 

Another side note: I’ve read your prompt but however I remembered veeery differently when I started writing and it was too late then lol, this takes place in the first book during that barn thing happened, it’s been awhile since I’ve played it sorry again, hope you enjoy!

The entire court, the highest and elitist people of Cordania were in a muddy soil, drinking their expensive liquors. Riley decided she liked this event the best, it was nice to see how out of world things got in the court, actually visible in real life. Designer suits and farmlands were a great pair. Which reminded her another similar pair. Where was Drake? She hesitated for a second, should she go and find Drake?

After a moment of emptily watching Madeleine talk with the queen, she decided so. In the end of wandering around the crowd, she came across to a tent which seemed to be some kind of a shooting range. Maxwell’s unbothered laughter confirmed her suspicions as she entered with a small smile. “My my what do we have here?”

The tent provided five target boards, two of them were already occupied by other visitors. Drake looked caught off guard seeing her. That left Riley little uneasy on the stomach, Maxwell, however, continued smiling like he discovered the world’s entire source of joy. “Riley!” He called her over. “Drake is gonna teach me how to shoot an arrow, we are bonding.” He added proudly.

“Nice to see you guys doing some- dare I say best friend activities?”

Maxwell clapped his hands as he started smirking wistfully, Drake palmed his face. “Don’t, Whittmore, now do you see what you did?”

Riley crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m quite fond of my work, thank you very much, now let me see some Robin Hood magic, Drake.”

He looked like he was gonna resist the nickname but instead, he awkwardly picked up the bow and gave it to Maxwell. Drake placed the arrow for him and guide his hands to aim and pull when Riley disrupted it. “Wait wait- you’re gonna burn all of his skin off what are you doing!”

Maxwell dropped the bow in panic.

“It’s fine, you were holding-” she paused for a moment. “everything wrong, actually.”

Riley looked at Drake’s unfamiliar flustered expression, “Okay- maybe I really don’t know how to.”

She hid her smile while encouraging Maxwell to try again. “Now stand sideways,” Riley picked up the arrow from the ground and pointed the different colored end. “It’s better if this looks at this way, now,” She held him gently from the back. “See the tip and the board with one eye and pull.”

When Maxwell released the string, the arrow hit the target by the very end. He gave the bow to Drake with what seemed to be a pre-breakdance face.

“You don’t really have to show me too.”

“Where is the fun in that?” Riley whispered in Drake’s ear. She told him the same directives as she placed her hand on his back to encourage him to stand straight, a very unnecessary move, yet nobody really was there.

“Riley…” He murmured.

“What? Are you afraid to shoot, you can do it, look at Maxwell, right?”

Maxwell joined as soon as he heard his name. “You can totally do it, Drake, it is really not that hard, I mean you did try to kill me-”

Drake released the string.

[firefly-hwufanficwriter-blog]

December 22, 2017, Friday [#382]

My masterlists: [Fanfiction.] [Fan edits.]

(Fan edit #50: “Maxwell’s Unexpected Fan”) After singing carols and losing to a very unique dance-off opponent, Maxwell comes across the strangest thing he’s seen all day...

This is my Secret Santa gift for @couchbubbles ! 😁

After I read your favorite pairings and suggested prompts, I thought of doing a fan edit about Maxwell and Hana making hot chocolate and talking about the MC... but then, I decided to make something more personal instead 😊 All the text screenshots here are from your blog, because I may have post-stalked you for a few hours yesterday to be able to recreate your MC on my device and to find your “I love Maxwell” posts 😋 I hope you like my present! 😃

Thank you very much to @punexpectedly ( @choicessecretsanta ) for organizing this! 😊

(Waiting for H.W.U. to come back, forever and always; 22/11/17.)

[deztinywarriors]

For @choicessecretsanta project which it's dedicated to @raventear Let me see. Fluffy Mr Pilot aka Jake with his Princess. Getting a kiss under mistletoe.... Hehehehe. Secret Santa drawing? Check! Right. Now I'm going to write my story. OK bye!

[hermiethefrog]

Hello, @delphinusbae! It is I, your Secret Santa! I drew your MC Kenna and Quinn figure skating. Quinn mentioned wanting to learn in one chapter and that totally seems like something Kenna would want to try out with her.

Thanks to @choicessecretsanta for organizing this! Had fun.

(Credits: I watched this couple’s figure skating idea to get pose references and ideas. I believe this particular pose came around the 3:15 mark. There isn’t any significance to the song or routine; was just figuring out how skaters move. The ice skating arena was referenced from here.  Quinn’s outfit is a combination of dresses I found. Kenna’s outfit is based off of Sarah Hughes’ outfit for the 2002 olympics.)

[mariasflores]

parts of us

Book: High School Story, Book 2, Chapter #9

Pairing: Maria Flores x F!MC (Elodie)

Rating: G

Word Count: 881

Summary: Elodie gets competitive and cold with Maria, quite literally. For @cordonia for #ChoicesSecretSanta, part the second! 

Disclaimer: Choices, HSS, and respective characters do not belong to me; Elodie is cordonia’s MC.  This is after the diamond scene in Chapter #9 where you go ice skating.

A/N: I haven’t written for real in a year, so it’s rough and really short. Also I channelled my ‘let Maria be happy PLEASE’ feelings into this somehow even though that seems OOC in hindsight. Also, there are too many references to eyes and hands. Disclaimer: I love Maria’s eyes. And hands that don’t show often, I guess.

The sky turns a burnt orange before Maria draws their conversation to a close. She nudges Elodie and, with some reluctance, says that it’s time to go home. “School tomorrow,” she sighs. “Have to be ready for whatever’s in store.” Her eyes are teasing, however, and Elodie remembers school is going to feel better tomorrow, just knowing we had fun today, so she slips her hand into Maria’s with a grin.

“Walk you home?” she offers but Maria is already ahead of her, standing up from the bench and tugging Elodie with her. Maria draws her hand from Elodie, only to brush away a smattering of snow in her long hair.

Her reply is an amused “thought you’d never ask,” contrasting her blushing cheeks and shy smile. Elodie chuckles, marveling at how the sun’s last rays reflect Maria’s radiant happiness and thinks, if only this could never end.

They take the long way back, hand in hand. Neither seem to mind.

Walking through the quiet suburbs in winter feels quaint. There are people outside but, to Elodie, it’s only the two of them - whispering together, wrapped up in their own warmth.

They continue their talk of small things that makes Maria breath out her laughter as frost. Maybe Elodie gets a little silly, swinging their joined hands around as she regals a story with wild gestures and exaggerations, but she’ll do anything to see Maria’s eyes lacking the constant worry that seems so prevalent these days.

And it’s during one of those stories where Elodie claims, “not to brag, but I’m, like, the best there is in snowball fights. In fact, I’m the queen of anything snow in general.”

Maria hums. “I recall both of us being very adept at ice-skating earlier.”

“Excuse me, did you see my figure eights? Beginner’s luck, maybe, but they were good figure eights!” She demonstrates this by twirling them around. On the sidewalk. Some heads turn, but Elodie spies a few smiles. She’s smiling herself, too.

The girl in her arms laughs a bit. There’s a smile, tucked behind hair. “Alright, alright, I admit it.” She untangles herself and Elodie feels only a small pang of disappointment. “I have to warn you, though, that I have good aim, so your declaration is not that impressive.”

And maybe Elodie’s imagining it, but Maria has the bring it on look on her face that calls for immediate competition. “Oh, yeah? Want to test that, one declaration of skill to another?”

“Bring it on.”

Elodie grins. I’m never wrong. “Winner gets a kiss, of course.” Part one: the stakes.

“Won’t the loser get one too?” Maria points out. “Though I’m not complaining about getting a kiss.”

“Uh, winner gets the satisfaction of being the snowball fight champion, while everyone involved gets a lovely kiss for participating?” She takes Maria’s chuckle as affirmative. “So, where to?”

Maria looks around, then beckons Elodie to follow her. They go to a little spot that might have been a picnic area in the summer. Now, it’s just blankets of white and bare tables. A few trees. Part two: the battleground. “Not ideal, but it’s getting dark, so we don’t have much time-”

“It’s perfect,” Elodie reassures. “Any rules? My only no is ‘please don’t smack me in the face.’”

Maria is quick to set them. Part three: the laws. “A minute to prepare, I’ll count. We can go anywhere but we have to stay in each other’s sights. No snowballs to the face. Anything else is game. First to get hit dies.”

“… dies?”

“Loses,” Maria amends. She flashes a quick smile that is absolutely frightening. “This starts now.”

Part four: the game.

Elodie takes off for the picnic tables with both fear and determination. Maria seems to have headed for the trees, but she can’t see for sure. No time. She crouches behind one table, making a snowball for each hand. She starts making a small pile but it’s too late.

“Time!” Maria calls out, her voice coming somewhere from the left. Elodie mutters a curse under her breath. Steeling herself, she charges from safety with a courageous battle cry, snowballs ready to fly from her hand.

“Girlfriend or not, there will be no mercy!” she yells, turning her head left and right, searching for Maria, except -

I can’t find her! I swear I heard her voice coming from this way. There is no noise except for her laboured breathing and the snow crunching beneath her boots. The utter silence makes Elodie nervous, and her eyes dart around. Left. Her voice came from the left.

She warily approaches the trees that stands at the edge of the area. They’re big fir trees. large enough for Maria to hide behind. She circles them and searches for any sign of Maria. Elodie feels a sliver of apprehension, then hears what definitely aren’t her own feet behind her and -

“Boo.” That’s accompanied by a cold, wet smack to her shoulder. “ I believe I win.”

“Oh my god,” and Maria’s behind her, arms crossed and smirking and looking way too smug for her own good, “you cheater!”

“Sneaking isn’t cheating, it’s called having a tactical approach.” Maria leans into her, eyes sparkling with mirth. “Where’s the prize, hmm?”

And really, Elodie can only grin and comply.

the end