#day 2 ho ho home for the holidays

[rmd-writes]

It’s the most ✨wonderful✨ time of year! AKA time for the annual RWRB Christmas fic exchange that I do with some friends every year. Would you believe that this is our fourth year doing this?

For the next 8 days, we’ll be posting a fic anonymously each day to the Don We Now (Even More) Gay Fanfiction collection on ao3. I’ll update this post with the links to each fic as they go up. The author reveals will be shared before New Year’s Eve ☺️

I’m so excited to see what everyone’s come up with!

Day 1: Home for the Holidays || M || 9.3k || a gift for @indomitable-love written by me, rmd

When Alex discovers that Henry's Christmas plans involve staying in their apartment alone, he does what any good roommate would do and drags Henry along to his family Christmas at the lake house. It's a win-win situation, since everything is better for Alex when Henry is around. Henry is his person. Completely fucking platonically, of course.

Day 2: Playing For The Other Team || E || 6.1k || a gift for @three-drink-amy written by @everwitch-magiks

Alex is the captain of his college lacrosse team. Henry captains the football team—or the soccer team, depending on who you ask. But if you think either team has their main rival within their own sport, you are very deeply wrong.

Or: two sports teams, both alike in dignity. In the Samson Memorial Stadium, where we lay our scene.

Day 3: The Thirteenth Duke || E || 10.7k || a gift for @villiageidiot written by @clottedcreamfudge

Alex is trying to find himself after his divorce, and Castle Llwynywermod seems like the perfect place to do it. Henry, the grumpy duke who owns the castle in question, strongly disagrees. This can only go well. (An 'A Castle for Christmas' movie fusion fic.)

Day 4: Ho for the Holidays || T || 6k || a gift for yours truly written by @villiageidiot

It sort of starts on New Year's Eve, although maybe it's actually Valentine's Day. But probably St. Patrick's Day. Well, whenever it starts, it ends on Christmas, but for good reason. Holiday hook-ups can only stay hook-ups for so long.

Day 5: Making a List, Checking it Twice || E || 18.6k || a gift for @athousandrooms & @dustratcentral written by @welcometololaland

When Alex lands a job house-sitting for an international man of mystery, he’s more than a little intrigued. According to Nora, the owner of the Brooklyn brownstone is a spy. According to June, he’s a prince. Alex is convinced his employer is a fifty-year-old man who loves tartan and ugly, porcelain homewares. Also, Alex might be flirting with his boss via a handwritten grocery list. Just a little bit.

Day 6: The Flight Before Christmas || M || 7.2k || a gift for @welcometololaland written by @indomitable-love

Alex loves his job. He gets to fly all over the world and see incredible places. It satisfies his restlessness and his need to always be on the move. But sometimes, Alex hates his job. Hates the passengers. One passenger in particular. --- or Alex is a flight attendant and Henry is his most-hated passenger.

Day 7: Baby, It’s Cold Inside || E || 12.6k || a gift for @clottedcreamfudge written by @three-drink-amy

Alex needs this trip. He needs it. Too many months have gone by since he and Henry were in the same place. It was so easy to get used to being in the same city. He feels like a different person than who he was the last time he saw Henry. Maybe that’s just because the last term felt like an eternity. As he looks at the map on the screen, the little plane icon gets closer and closer to England. If he shuts his eyes, he can feel Henry a bit more.

Day 8: I might just give you a chance (every-which way) || M || 8.4k || a gift for @everwitch-magiks written by @athousandrooms & @dustratcentral

Alex is on his holiday break, which is why he signs up to take on the bulk of helping his sister with her charity market stall. And while he does actually like the bustle and interactions with people that come with the job, he will admit only to himself that what he enjoys the most is antagonising his market nemesis, who, inexplicably with Alex’s ‘fuck you’ attitude, keeps coming around to make a daily purchase.

PS. If you're looking for more firstprince holiday fics you can find our earlier Christmas fic exchanges here: 2021, 2022 and 2023

cc: @welcometololaland @three-drink-amy @clottedcreamfudge @everwitch-magiks @athousandrooms

@indomitable-love @dustratcentral @villiageidiot

[nhlclover]

🎄 ₊˚⟡ ୧ 𝑪𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹'𝑺 𝑻𝑾𝑬𝑳𝑽𝑬 𝑫𝑨𝒀𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑪𝑯𝑹𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑴𝑨𝑺 ⌇

— since my cozytober event was a hit, i'm going to be doing a holiday's version of the event! these are all sfw fics + blurbs that center around the holidays. hope you guys enjoy!

december 1st — GINGERBREAD WARS, rutger mcgroarty ⤷ you and rutger get into a not-so-friendly gingerbread house building competition.

december 3rd — CAPTAIN CHRISTMAS, ryan leonard ⤷ you and ryan decorate your home for the holiday season, only for ryan to find out your particularity when it comes to your ornaments

december 5th — SKATING LESSONS, will smith ⤷ growing up in california, hockey and skating was not something you came by often. now, dating will, he decides to bring it in to your life and teach you to skate

december 8th — CHRISTMAS TREE FARM, kirby dach ⤷ yours and kirby's first christmas in your new house kicks off as you search for the perfect tree

december 10th — UNDER THE MISTLETOE, andrei svechnikov

⤷ after months of flirting, a serendipitous encounter under the mistletoe forces you and andrei to confront the undeniable feelings you've been carefully avoiding.

december 12th — CHRISTMAS PJ'S, arber xhekaj ⤷ never one to cave to your antics, arber finally does when you buy matching christmas pyjamas for the two of you.

december 15th — SNOW DAY, gabe perreault ⤷ amid a surprise snowstorm, you and gabe ditch class to revel in the magic of a wintery afternoon

december 17th — SECRET SANTA, quinn hughes ⤷ during a christmas party, an unexpected gift rekindles a cherished memory and leads to a heartfelt confession under the quiet glow of city lights.

december 19th — HO HO HO, cole caufield ⤷ cole draws the short straw and has to dress as santa claus for the team party

december 22nd — FIRST SNOWFALL, jamie drysdale ⤷ after moving to philadelphia, you get your first snowy christmas, so jamie takes you outside to fully introduce you to snow.

december 24th — 3, 2, 1!, luke hughes ⤷ amidst the glittering chaos of a new year's eve party, you attempt to find closure with the boy you've been crushing on since you came to new jersey.

december 25th — CHRISTMAS MORNING, jack hughes ⤷ a cozy christmas morning unfolds for yours and jacks family.

[kingofbodyrolls]

Bangtan Christmas ‘24 | Jimin fic recs

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! ❄️🎄

As the twinkling lights of the season surround us, I hope you’ve found some warmth and joy in the fics shared over these past 24 days. Whether you’ve devoured them all or haven’t had the chance to dive in yet, don’t worry—I’ve saved the best for last; a rec list ✨ This special rec list is my gift to you, filled with winter and Christmas-themed stories that bring me endless joy every year 🥰 It contains the fics I’ve reblogged all throughout December, BUT—also many Jimin stories that I sadly didn’t have the time to read, but was on my Christmas to read list. Sometimes life just hits you… and I really wanted to include them to make the most spectacular rec list so that’s why they’re included ✨

A kind comment, a heartfelt message, even a simple like or reblog—it all makes a difference. You never know how much warmth a few words can bring to a writer’s heart, especially during the cold days of winter. And even if some of them are on hiatus and don’t respond, know that your appreciation is felt.

Before we dive into this treasure trove of stories, I want to take a moment to say an enormous thank you to all the writers out there. Your words weave wonders, creating characters and worlds that have made me smile, cry, and above all, feel deeply. So, thank you for crafting such brilliant art with your writing. You are a gift to this community, and we’re all better for it 💜

[Bangtan Christmas ‘24 masterlist] Note: the stories that I sadly didn’t get to read are marked with *.

⭐Locked in Love @parkmuse [24k] ⭐Snow, Don’t Tell @stutterfly [27.2k] ⭐The Ten Days of Ex-Mas (1) + The Ten Days of Ex-Mas (2) @kpopfanfictrash [44.4k] ⭐Stuck in a snowstorm @/kingofbodyrolls [6.1k] ⭐Stuck at a Christmas party @/kingofbodyrolls [5.1k] ⭐Stuck in a Cabin @/kingofbodyrolls [5.5k] ⭐Stuck in a Cave @/kingofbodyrolls [9k] ⭐Sleepless Night @kwanisms [7.5k] ⭐Running Through the Night @sketchguk [15.3k] ⭐The Perfect Gift @moonleeai [6.3k] ⭐Coming Home to You @/kingofbodyrolls [11.7k] ⭐Antifreeze @winetae [11.7k] ⭐Last Christmas @jiminniethemarshmallow [11k] ⭐Grinch in Law @mercurygguk [14.8k] ⭐Mutual Muses @army-author [2.5k] ⭐Choc n’ Chill @mixedl [3.3k] ⭐Ho-Ho-Home* (completed series) @jjungkookislife [N/A] ⭐Off the Grid* (completed series) @xpeachesncream [N/A] ⭐How Jimin Stole Christmas* @acc3ssdenied [8k] ⭐First Snow Last Kiss* @taeshobipop [154.5k] ⭐Cry me a Galaxy* @army-author [4.9k] ⭐Mistletoe* @hamsterclaw [1.7k] ⭐Cookies & Keys* @smartkookiee [4k] ⭐A Christmas Date* @jjungkookislife [2.4k] ⭐Twenty-eight Minutes* @taegularities [1.8k] ⭐Viscum: Dark Parasite* @darknytemare [7.7k] ⭐The Waltz Between Us* @ [15.7k] ⭐The Christmas Spirit* @for7 [3.5k] ⭐Stray Cats* @mintjoonlep [N/A] ⭐Snowed In* (discontinued series) @mrsparknamjoon [14.6k] ⭐Secret Santa* @aredheadedmess [1.5k] ⭐Pyxis* @bangtanpromptsfics [3.4k] ⭐Amoris et Decorare* @writtenwhalien [12k] ⭐Cookie Charades* @btsmakesmehappy [4.5k] ⭐You’re my Present* @joonthighs [5.2k] ⭐Warm Hands (Ice Cold Heart)* @hobidreams [10.7k] ⭐Spirits Bright* @pjmmania [N/A]

I truly hope you find joy in diving into all these wonderful stories! 🥰 Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to explore this rec list. I couldn’t resist creating another one—I’ve missed it dearly. I know some of you enjoyed the monthly rec lists, so I hope this little collection brings a spark of joy to your holiday season.

If this list has brought a smile to your face, I kindly ask that you consider reblogging it. The more it’s shared, the more people can discover these incredible stories, and together, we can spread even more holiday cheer to the talented writers who make this season a little more magical with their words ❄️✨

Hello, lovely people! I’m Lissa, both a reader and a writer at heart. Though I don’t write much fanfiction these days, my love for reading and recommending fics burns as bright as ever. If you’re looking for more Bangtan fanfics to cozy up with, you’re more than welcome to follow me, or simply explore my rec library. There’s always something special waiting for you.

With all my love, and borahae always 💜

[umnitsa]

Santa has had enough of Christmas (2)

Summary: You're not at home, but he finds you. And gives you a special gift. *wink*

A/N: So, yeah. I couldn't stop thinking of them, so there is more, 2 years later. Some things are very inspired by earlier Santa fic, we had some lovely writers who deactivated, but their ideas live on. Thank you Kitty! <3 <3 <3

Pairing: Santa x Naughty!reader (fem)

CW: a quickie, with your friends in the other room. And more christmas cheer!

Not proofread, and you guys know english is my second language, so there.

I really hope you had a good, peaceful eve, and I wish you a peaceful day today. Christmas can be harsh, but we can always do whatever the fuck we want, even defile Santa! XD *giant hugs*

You sighed softly, watching your friends chatting around the table. You wish you were home, getting ready to wait for Santa, your toys charged and ready. You spent the whole year thinking of him, wet and desperate…

But your friends needed you. 2024 was a particularly rough year for everybody, and when your friends asked gently if you would like to join them on the 24th… You couldn’t say no.

You couldn’t be a good girl for Santa Claus, but you surely were a good girl for your friends.

And now they were laughing and giggling, sadness, hardships forgotten, the heavy weight of the holiday gone. You huffed.

Only one good fuck a year and you gave it up for them. If they only knew.

So after almost a year of writing dirty letters to Santa Claus, you sent a heartfelt one. You told him you would be with your friends, followed by paragraphs on how would you miss him, and dirty fantasies for the next year.

You hoped he wouldn’t mind.

In your heart, you were sure the action would put you in the nice list anyway.

So you would probably get home to a cute gift. No Daddy Christmas cock for you this year.

“Sorry guys, I’m feeling a bit tired.” You said softly, standing up, some weird restlessness commanding you. “I’m going to lie down a bit, take a nap…”

“Take my room!” The owner of the house said, smiling. “And lock the door, some of us here are drunk and we have pranksters at this table.”

“Santa isn’t coming for any of you this year, you assholes!” You laughed and went to the bedroom, locking the door anyway. You would hate to wake up to a thousand ridiculous pictures of you sleeping, some screaming and sharpie doodles all over your face.

You heard the lock, then soft bells rang behind you, as the warm breeze moved the curtains. You shook your head, smiling to yourself. He wouldn’t…

Golden sparkles swirled from the window, materializing the red wearing giant in front of you.

“Santa!”

“My favorite little shit.” He chuckled, silver waves framing his crooked smirk. Santa took a few moments appreciating your expression, a mix of excitement and surprise, then chuckled again. “You thought I wouldn’t come? After another year of you tormenting me with the dirtiest shit I’ve ever read…”

Santa Claus huffed, playfully, throwing the sack on the floor then taking off his gloves and throwing over it. He prowled in your direction, opening his jacket.

“And I can’t skip the fucking letters, no. I have to read them in my workshop, in front of all those fucking elves.” He towered over you and you stepped back, against the door. “They keep stealing the damn things. They all giggle, looking at me weird. Like I am the pervert.”

He picked you up and pressed you against the door, his thick thigh between your legs and the weight of his body against you keeping you slightly off the floor. He had you pinned.

“You really thought I wouldn’t look for you?” He growled against your lips, his blue eyes tinkling with playful anger. You gasped, leaning towards him, but he pulled slightly back, not allowing you to kiss him. “After a year of disrespect? I should fuck you in front of your friends, show them what you really want for Christmas, how much of a pervert you are.”

You moaned, feeling yourself pulse, so warm and so wet.

“Ho, ho, ho.” He chuckled low, releasing you and stepping back. His face a picture of mirthful surprise. “Really? Whoa.” He sits on the bed, tutting, shaking his head. “You are shameless. I don’t know what I expected. I can smell you, filthy little slut.”

You kneel between his legs and nuzzle his cock over his pants. You lick the leather, whimpering softly. Santa pets your hair.

“You can’t help yourself, can you?” He coos, softly, his voice gentle and loving. “Aaaaw, look at you. I didn’t know little shits get in heat too. So desperate.”

“Fuck.” You gasp, scrambling to open his pants.

“Language.” He chuckled, leaning back, making the process easier for you. His pants are large, and he did come prepared (no suspenders, the devious old man). The fabric easily falls open, showing his cock, hard and pulsing precome. No underwear either. You look at him, wide eyed, then at his cock. “It turns you on, doesn’t it? Disrespecting me. Writing those letters, asking Santa to stuff your stocking.”

You grab him with both hands, your hungry mouth descending over his cock, quickly swallowing as much as you can.

“We don’t have much time.” Santa said, pulling your hair. “Come sit on my lap, quick.”

You stand up, pulling your dress up; he grabs your hips and turns you to the door. You feel one big thumb pulling your panties aside, then the hands on your hips press you down. You feel him positioning himself, and like magic, he slides perfectly into you.

A loud moan escapes your mouth and your friends stop laughing for one second. You both stop, panting, alert. The noise outside restarts and Santa breathes, relieved.

It’s quick and hard, almost brutal, his hands tightly grabbing your hips, pulling you up and down… You felt like a doll, like his little toy. You come quickly, eyes rolling back. The only noises in the room are his soft grunts and the loud noises of your thighs slapping against his, punctuated by wet sloppy sucking sounds.

He keeps hitting that delightful place inside of you. You come a second time and he doesn’t stop until he’s covering your insides with merry, creamy white.

Santa nuzzles your ear gently, his soft beard and hair brushing against your ear. His arms wrap around you, holding you tightly against his chest.

“Now you’re filled with christmas cheer.” He whispers against your ear.

“You won’t let me forget that, right?” You chuckle, feeling like you’re in slow motion. You rest your head against his shoulder, blushing.

“You’re going back to the party with christmas cheer dripping down your thighs, little slut.” He laughed very quietly, your body shaking with his. It gave you a warm, soft feeling in your chest; you placed your hands over his, petting him. “I find it funny that’s what makes you blush. Not só shameless after all.”

“In my defense, I was cockdumb and completely fucked out. It was a ridiculous post orgasm joke.” You sighed, enjoying the feel of his body against yours. He shrugged, squeezing you tighter.

“You need to stop asking for these things.” Santa said, and you could hear he was smiling. It made you smile too. “It’s wrong on so many levels.” You heard the soft ho-ho-ho against your ear.

“Do you really want me to stop?” You teased, as you did every year.

“No.” He whispered.

“What does that say about you?”

“We both know under all this I’m just a dirty old man.” He said, gently pulling from you, sitting you on the bed.

Santa stands up and quickly arranges his clothes.

“They are coming to check on you.” He grabs his sack and his gloves. He reached quickly inside the sack and pulled a large package wrapped in stripped gift wrap, with a red bow. The tag said ‘To: Little shit. From: Santa.’ He placed it by your side, smirking. “This is my gift for you.”

He cups your cheek gently, looking into your eyes, and smiled. After a moment, he gently leaned over, kissing your forehead, then your lips. Stepping back, he tapped his nose with a wink and vanished through the window in a flurry of golden sparks. You heard a knock on the door; a friend calling you to open the gifts.

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

Your friends never laughed that hard. You eagerly tore the wrapping, to reveal a beautiful red box. Taped to the top, a card with elegant writing.

He sees you when you're sleeping And he knows when you're awake He knows if you've been bad or good So be good for goodness sake

Inside, a candy cane striped dildo; you could recognize that shape anywhere. Over the head there was a carefully placed small decoration that clearly was supposed to represent mistletoe. There was also lube, a thick, stuffed envelope and a mobile phone.

“I can’t believe you went through all this trouble for yourself. Who gave you this?”

”Santa.” You laughed, waving the tag, then storing it inside the box. You couldn’t wait to read that letter.

[storiesofsvu]

Rita Calhoun 50 OTP Q's Pt. 2

Rita Calhoun x fem!reader no major warnings. pt 2 a pretty quick follow up of pt 1 as it's just some hc's and not a full fic lol. Send your req's in here for more fun!

26. Who likes to eat healthy/ Who loves junk food?                 You both have a good balance of both. Rita really enjoys her sweet treats, but she doesn’t go overboard on them. She prefers to order groceries from whole foods while you don’t care where they come from as long as its edible. She does rely on take out a lot, but it’s from healthier places, salads, sandwiches, rice or noodle bowls, acai bowls, salmon or chicken and rice with veggies. You’ve even found her some nights with delivery from restaurants that don’t even offer it and all she’s said is “I know a guy…”. You’re the one more likely to indulge in the greasy pizza, overloaded Chinese food or mcdonalds.

27. Who takes a long shower/ Who sings in the shower?                 Rita’s everything shower is over an hour long every single time. You cannot tell me that woman doesn’t have a like 20 fucking step routine between skincare, haircare, dry brushing, etc. It’s also one of the times during the day that she uses to relax, some candles, a nice soft playlist to help her wind down. You’re the one that sings in the shower, though you only try to do it in the mornings she’s already gone for the day in the hopes to not be overheard.

28. Who is the book worm?                 Rita, absolutely hands down. She’s *obsessed* with books and on weekend shopping days will ALWAYS be dragging you into bookstores, especially antique or second hand ones. She’s usually got multiple on the go at once, a couple of fiction with different genres, and a couple of non fiction.

29. Who is the better cook?                 We all know it’s going to be you. It doesn’t matter if you’re not that great. Rita can’t even defrost an Uncrustable properly.

30. Who likes long walks on the beach?                 Gonna go with both of you. You don’t care what kind of beach it is, you enjoy the company, feeling the sand in your toes, the water on your feet, best way to end the day. Rita prefers the walking paths/sidewalks down by the beach so she doesn’t have to deal with the sand.

31. Who is more affectionate?                 Overall, and physically, you. You’re always telling her how much you love her, and are eager to have a hand or arm linked with hers while walking around outside. You’re more likely to be the one stealing a kiss or showing off PDA. It’s in the privacy of your home that Rita goes overboard with her affection. She shows it by physical touch and gifts mainly. Her hands tracing patterns on your legs while they’re strewn over her lap on the couch, she often catches herself watching you with a dreamy smile on her face because of how much she loves you and how much she can’t believe how well you take care of her.

32. Who likes to have really long (deep) conversation?                 This one’s definitely going to Rita. She can talk for hours on end about those deep philosophical conversations that go on far too late into the night. She always enjoys expanding her mind and self educating herself on various topics and loves spending time looking things up and debating back and fourth with friends.

33. Who would wear “not guilty” t-shirt/ Who would wear “sin” t-shirt?                 Hear me out, this was Rita and Rafael in their Harvard days. I’ll let you decide who’s wearing which one lol.

34. Who would wear “if lost return to…” t-shirt/ Who would wear “I am…” t-shirt?                 You’re definitely wearing the lost one, Rita’s the much more sober and collected one, gently guiding you to the car at the end of the night.

35. Who goes overboard on the holidays?                 Rita. She never means to, you’ve likely set limits for prices of presents and she almost always accidentally exceeds it. She never cared much for holidays, thinking they were overrated and never bothered to decorate her home or office when she was single and working all the time. But there’s something about seeing the way your eyes sparkle in the Christmas lights that she has a team fully decking out the entire apartment every single year because she knows you love it. (she does always make sure they leave the tree bare as that’s been made into a tradition the two of you do together.)

36. Who is the social media addict?                 You. Rita is not chronically online. The apps on her phone are much more likely to be various news ones. She likely has twitter and uses it more as a work reference and again, to keep up on current events and news. I DO like to believe that she has a (likely private) Instagram (and we’re gonna ignore the timeline of when insta became a thing/her age for this hc lol). And she’s been posting on it since college, fancy parties, yacht trips out in the hamptons, semi spicy bikini or dress pics, it’s incredibly aesthetic and she thrives to keep the vibe going. She’s got a fuck ton of followers and is like, lowkey Instagram famous, but most of the posts don’t actually include her face, especially as she got older and more concerned with her professional image.

37. Height difference or age difference?                 Didn’t we already do height? Lol. Age wise, Rita’s usually older. She focused on school and work and didn’t want to waste time dating when she was younger. Now that she’s established most people closer to her age are already married with kids. She doesn’t have any issues dating younger, as long as her partner has their shit together and has some ambition and goals when it comes to life. She cant deal with someone who has no motivation and just lounges around all day.

38. Who likes to star gaze?                 This is more leaning towards you. You like to take a moment during each day to appreciate the little things, like this, and say a silent thank you to the world for making such beautiful things. She doesn’t really think about it until you’re out of the skyscrapers of the city, sometimes out in the hampton’s, sometimes it’s a more tropical vacation that she can really see the night sky and there’s no place she’d rather be than on a cozy blanket showing you constellations.

39. Who buys cereal for the prize inside?                 Absolutely you! Which Rita will lovingly tease you about, especially if there is a collection of toys and you continue to buy boxes until you have the entire set. (and naturally you never actually eat the cereal..)

40. Who is the fun parent/ Who is the responsible parent?                 If it came to actual parenting, I think Rita would be a mix of both, but much heavier leaning toward the responsible one. But she’s not having kids, so she’s always going to be the super fun rich af Aunt. She doesn’t do well with the younger kids, but once they’re about 16/17 she can have actual conversations with them, and she’ll be the one sneaking them booze and inviting them out to the hampton’s and letting them (semi responsibly) party on the yacht. She’s obviously the one you’d want to call when you’re in trouble considering her job and she’s also the one that’s never going to whisper a word to either of your parents. She’ll take those secrets to the grave. And she’s also very capable of intimidating the fuck out of bullies or ex boyfriends. She will threaten them with jail time.

41. Who cries during sad movies?                 Both of you. Rita’s a fucking sap so she cries at the romantic movies, you’re more likely the one to cry over the animals.

42. Who is the neat freak?                 I don’t particularly think Rita’s a neat *freak* but she has everything in its spot and knows where her things are 99.9% of the time. She’s organized, collected, tidy, her kitchen’s always clean cause she never cooks lol. And she likely has a cleaning service come to her apartment weekly to help with that kinda stuff.

43. Who wins the stuffed animals at the carnival for the other one?                 You’re shocked Rita even agreed to go to the carnival with you and you’ve promised to win her one as a thank you. While she does have fun, indulges in plenty of food she never would have touched otherwise, and obviously pays for you to play all the stupid, nearly impossible to win games, it’s the giant smile on your face as you turn to her with a lime neon green giant monkey that makes her the happiest. If it had been some random gift from a first date it would have gone in the trash right away, but because it's from you and you worked so hard to win it he gets a name by the time you’re home and either lives on a stool in the walk in closet or has taken up residency in the guest room. (it’s his room now)

44. Who is active/ Who is lazy?                 You like to get a daily workout in, something as small as a walk around the block on slower days up to a class at the gym or some heavy lifting on days you’re more ambitious. Rita always makes sure to not be too sedentary, especially with an office job. She enjoys the more streamlined workouts, Pilates or yoga, things that she can do in the privacy of her living room and not have to leave the house for on colder days. She doesn’t particularly enjoy running, but will do it when she starts to feel a little too stiff and immobile. On the other hand, she truly enjoys your post dinner walks through the park, hand in hand as you share little stories.

45. Who is more likely to get drunk?                 Absolutely you. Rita will indulge in a drink or two with dinner, a cocktail or two out at the bar, but she doesn’t go much passed that. She doesn’t like to be out of control of herself, especially out in public. She has been known to finish a bottle of wine or two while at the apartment, and definitely gets a little silly, laughing harder and longer than she normally does.

46. Who has the longer food order?                 This is weird. Lol. I’m gonna go with Rita because she likely hasn’t eaten since breakfast and thus is more hungry, opting for an app or two and a full course meal while you’re fine with just a burger.

47. Who has the more complex coffee order?                 Rita. While it’s pretty simple at home, if she’s out and there’s a fancier option, she’s indulging. She probably has some sort of self made up special combination of different drinks. You’d think the barista’s would hate her for it but they all know her by name and have nicknamed the drink ‘The Calhoun’ so it has its own priced button in the computer and sticker label with all the steps for newer staff. (not to mention she tips incredibly on the daily)

48. Who loses stuff?                 You.

49. Who is the driver/ Who is the passenger?                 You’re always the driver if you’re not in a cab/car service. While Rita does know how to drive, she simply doesn’t. I could definitely see her having gotten her licence back in the day and never using it, thus letting it expire. She’s a passenger princess through and through.

50. Who is the hopeless romantic?                 Rita. That bitch is a cold hearted shark who scares or at least intimidates 90 % of the people she comes across in her workday/life but she has this completely other side to her with the people she trusts and loves. She’s the softest, most gentle, caring, tender person who will always put her love first and take every opportunity to show it.

________________________

@hbkpop @mickey-gomez @red1culous @imlike-so-gaydude @altsvu @svulife-rl rl @svushots @wannabe-fic-reader @bumblebear30 @alexbllake @australiancarisi @cerberus-spectre @emskisworld @ex-uallyactive @dead-of-niight @multifandomlesbianic @dxtery @momlifebehard @poisonedcrowns @when-wolves-howl @godard-muse @itisdoctortoyousir @httpjupiterbby @somethingimaginative17 @alexxavicry @daddy-heather-dunbar @evilregal2002 @dextur @disneyfan624 @svushots @happenstnces @onmykneesformarvel @kmc1989 @irishavengersassemble @valentinesfrog @noahrex @wittygutsy @chimnlex @i-lovefandom @ralla-ralla @chestnutninny @gamma-rae-bursts

[jjungkookislife]

BTS Christmas Masterlist

Seokjin

Christmas Cookies

Yoongi

Snow Day

Hoseok

Secret Santa

Namjoon

Last Christmas

Jimin

Ho-Ho-Home

Taehyung

Besos Navideños

Jungkook

Home for the Holidays Pt. 1

Home for the Holidays Pt. 2

Holiday Drabbles

Hoseok

Envuélveme

Namjoon

Santa Baby

Jimin

A Christmas Date

Taehyung

Just Another New Year

Jungkook

Under the Mistletoe

Tidal Wave: Unwrap Me

Little Mouse: Xmas

[hangmanbradshaw]

Happy ho-ho-holidays everybody!! As a celebration, I'm going to be posting fic related treats (new chapters, new fics, one shots, story add ons, snippets, etc) each day, a chaotic advent calendar of sorts full of my (and your so voted) favorite things. I hope y'all have as much fun with this as I do. Some of it I have planned, some I'm taking the inspo as it comes so ;) you never know what I'll run with

Day 1: i find myself running home to your sweet nothings (IWTBY Part 3, chap 1) tumblr post

Day 2: sometimes all it takes is a thursday (javy pov one shot: After the mission, Javy watches Jake and Bradley become Jake and Bradley again, and then become more, OR, Jake and Bradley become friends again, and sometimes love is actually easy.)

Day 3: that little farm where every wish comes true chap 5 (hallmark sugar daddy au) tumblr post

Day 4: i talk a big game that i'm scared of losin' (one shot: Jake's a professor ready to jump back into the dating pool, Bradley's a little rough around the edges, and Nat swears they're perfect for each other. She might be right. OR Jake dumps his loser ex and moves to California to be near Nat and Javy. Nat knows a guy, and sometimes opposites attract.)

Day 5: and i feel like my castle's crumbling down (Bradley POV add on to rival princes au. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go.” All it took was nine words for Bradley's heart to rebuild and break again.)

Day 6: santa, can't you hear me chap 2 (Jake Seresin didn't want to live the lyrics of Last Christmas, but in the aftermath of a breakup, he finds himself meeting someone different, someone maybe even special, in the form of a reporter sent to do a profile on him. Bradley Bradshaw wasn't what he expected, but maybe that's a good thing. The rest, well, he can honestly say he never saw it coming.)

Day 7: take me home where we met so many years before (one shot: On the day of Jake and Bradley's wedding, three best friends look back on how they got there. OR the Seresin-Bradshaw guide to laying under the stars through all stages of life) (aka the FGCC's fault lmao love you guys)

Day 8: cuz you know i love the players and you love the game (one shot: Jake's the star quarterback, Bradley's the star baseball captain. They both like playing games, turns out they want the same prize. OR. Bradley dresses as a cheerleader for the team and Jake hates him (except that he totally doesn't))

Day 9: the set it up/football/baseball/fall in love with the city idea that almost was (before I went with IWTBY which I'd been dreaming up for so long)

Day 10: santa, can't you hear me chap 3 finale

[georgiapeach30513]

Hi peach ❤️ Mrs pasta checking in

It’s been a long week, huh? If you’re in the USA, like some of us, 😵‍💫 but I’m going to avoid the politics talk.

I hope you are faring well despite everything.

I have no shade to throw today but I do want to remind some people on here in the midst of a lot of toxicity (not politics related). There’s a small group on here that has turned into a hilarious mix of haters/antis/no longer sure what they’re supposed to be but they’re 100% counterproductive. Imagine being that bored with your own life you spend your days torturing yourself following someone you “hate.” But I guess some people like being miserable.

Ramen, try as he might, is not a very good liar and I don’t think he would make a convincing salesman 🤣 but I do think that he filmed a movie in 2022 and it was delayed a year to release, and now that some are feeling extra in their feelings about him, are seeking confirmation through searching the internet for bad reviews on his film so they can project more negativity onto him.

He’s actively worked on three (still working on the third) projects this year. None of these projects have been released and I don’t believe they’ve confirmed any release date for these films either (correct me if I’m wrong).

So if that’s the case, I think it’s wise to wait things out and see how the rest of these projects pan out and whatever he decides to do next. bemoaning and groaning on a movie that was filmed 2 years ago as a yardstick of a person’s current life and career is a bit of an interesting choice. I think most of his fans knew this movie wasn’t going to be an awards darling by any means and especially knowing that the rock and his crew are behind this..how is anyone surprised if it’s a goofy overblown exaggeration of a ride?

Besides, the actors that work on this film are all professionals. They all do this for a living and promoting a silly goofy probably not going to be a hit with critics movie and playing along with the silliness is part of the job.

Marketing. PR. Yes yes it’s all mostly lies and manipulation. A lot of us have tried telling some of you that Hollywood is a business first, and everything else second. If you sit here upset that a celeb would possibly play up or even “lie” about something while promoting a film, then you may want to get out of this fandom and check the rest of the world.

This is not me being mean or invalidating other people’s feelings. I’m just telling you all as someone who works in an industry that’s all about manipulation and selling, myself. I do it because it’s a job. I don’t agree with everything but they pay me. I separate my own personal feelings from my work and then I go home. Life moves on no matter what.

Peach, thank you for being ramen’s shining beacon of support. They really ought to start paying you and anni for the work you both do for this fandom.

😘❤️

Be well

Mrs. Pasta! I was hoping you would drop in this week because what a week we've had! But yes, there's a reason that I avoid politics here, and that's because this is my escape. And like most of us, we're just not in the best place.

Unfortunately it does seem to have a heavy dose of toxicity in our little corner on tumblr. I think there's quite a few groups that are a bit counterproductive instead of just enjoying the plethora of content we've been gifted, but hey ho.

Ramen is one of the worst liars I have seen. And I'm not sure what that means sometimes. This movie was filmed in 2022, and carried on into 2023, and of course, was originally set to released Christmas 2023, but who knows what was going on behind the scenes for it to be delayed until this holiday season. This movie was also never going to be a critical success. Movies like this are meant to be for audience success, but what do I know?

I actually find it quite commendable that he's been able to make himself be so busy this year with work. Compared to what his tone was in the GQ interview fall 2023, this is a stark difference. He's showing that there is work to be had if you want it. He's taking on smaller roles, and he still seems proud of that fact. However, as of yet, there is no release date for any of these projects filmed this year. I suspect Honey, Don't release should be announced soon-ish.

And I think you're right about expectations on Red One. Judging the trailers, I think we're getting exactly what I thought we would be getting. It looks like a fun, goofy, not too serious Christmas movie. And honestly, I love those. Not every movie was meant to be a critical darling, or be awarded. Sometimes you just want to have a good time.

I think if most people would look at Hollywood as a business everyone would be better off. It is just lipstick and rouge, and they show us what they want us to see. Sometimes there's some cracks in the foundation, and we see a bit of the lies and manipulations. And in this case this is a family movie, so to no surprise some people are playing up the family aspect of it all. Interesting, and yet not, all at the same time.

Sometimes you have to pick and choose what you want to see, hear, learn, and you just have to learn it's not that serious at the end of the day. It's entertainment, and when you look at it as such, you have a lot more fun. And honestly, a lot of us have been entertained lately.

Ooh, you got to watch talking about pay on here, it sends the wrong message, and people like to call you the p word. Anne and I, and so many of our mutuals and followers, just want to have fun. Isn't that was a fandom space, such as tumblr is supposed to be about? Not about constant drama and arguing, but enjoying an entertainer? Their work? Getting excited about public appearances? Spreading memes, gifs, and works of fiction?

Mrs. Pasta, as always it's a pleasure. And I look forward to your next drop in. As always, take care!

[missywritesfor7]

❤️‍🩹Lifeline | MYG❤️‍🩹

Synopsis: It’s long been controversial for idols to date, but idols dating each other can be really beautiful or a complete nightmare. When Yoongi's relationship with another idol is discovered, he decides maybe it’s time to break the taboo and show people it’s ok for idols to date. Instead, they find themselves caught in the midst of one media frenzy after another and struggle to keep their relationship as strong as it had been the past 2 years. Yoongi finds a self destructive way to cope, and it causes even more problems than it solves. As they fight for their relationship and their careers, they discover that sometimes, the only way to truly be free is to let go.

Pairing: idol!Yoongi x idol!OC

Warnings: nsfw, alcoholism, cheating, depression, anxiety, Yoongi goes through a bisexy ho phase, Yoongi is also in his alcoholic phase, post-military BTS

Previous chapter | Next chapter | Masterlist

Ch. 29: 00:00

Hyeri returns to Haeun’s place later Christmas night to see Haeun still hasn’t returned from spending the holiday with family. Hyeri goes into the guest room where she’s been staying during her time here and grabs a few of her things to take into the bathroom so she can wash up. The bathroom is just down the hall so her weak legs carry her to the shower where she stands motionless under the water once it’s reached the perfect temperature. Then she cries.

She never imagined this day would go the way it has. She expected Yoongi to cook her a meal and give her great gifts. She expected him to apologize to her every chance he got. She didn’t expect him to perform a song he had written for her. She didn’t expect any of the emotions that came surging out as he sang to her. There was no way she could say no to giving him another chance. She let everything out to him and she feels free now that she has. Yet for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to agree to return home.

Yoongi pleaded for her to stay, but something held her back. She told him she would give him another chance and that she really wanted to make things work, but something felt like going back home now would be taking too big of a step much too fast. Maybe it’s because these few weeks have given her a chance to not be distracted. She’s been able to focus more on shooting her series and less on what’s happening with Yoongi and who’s waiting outside their home with a camera. Though it’s not perfect, she can’t deny the degree of weight that had been lifted when she didn’t find herself dreading going home. She would get to Haeun’s place, shower, then get a decent sleep without laying awake for hours thinking of how she can’t trust the person she’s laying next to. She feels better rested when she gets to set and needs less coffee and makeup to mask her constant fatigue. This isn’t just for her relationship with Yoongi, she’s doing this for her series that she’s putting her everything into. For her career. For their future.

When Haeun returned home, Hyeri told her about everything Yoongi did for her including his emotional performance. “Hyeri-ya!” Haeun shouts after Hyeri said she agreed to give Yoongi another chance. “What the hell are you doing here then??” If things went well she can’t understand why Hyeri isn’t home with Yoongi instead of sitting on her couch with a glass of wine.

“I’m giving him another chance, but I told him I’m not going home yet,” Hyeri explains.

“Why? After all of that you still had the strength to get up and leave?”

“I’m not ready, unnie,” Hyeri pouts. “I just want things to be simple the way they were when we first started dating. You know how stressed I get about work, I don’t want to be stressed about my relationship on top of that. That day I left and the media saw me leaving made it so hard for me to focus the rest of the day. I don’t want to deal with that, especially if there are more things that come out about him. More…people.”

Haeun understands what Hyeri is saying, though she would have advised that Hyeri return home since it would be hard for them to see each other with their schedules. Hyeri knows it will be challenging, but they’ve navigated busy schedules when they first started dating and made it through. She just wants to go back to that for a while, when it was so simple.

The next day she spoke to Yoongi and he asked her to come home again. She explained to him her reasoning the way she explained it to Haeun. Yoongi understands and let Hyeri know he doesn’t want to do anything to make her feel forced or pressured. He still longs for her day and night though.

So they start slow. Texting between their busy schedules and a phone call before bed. Both of them preparing for their respective New Years festivities they’ve been slotted to attend, then Yoongi texting Hyeri goodnight after she fell asleep on the phone. Hyeri getting an unexpected free hour during the day and wanting to talk to Yoongi but that was the same hour he decided to take a nap in his studio therefore missing her call. By New Year’s Eve they’re relying on shared calendar updates and fan sightings to keep up with one another.

Hyeri is hosting a New Year’s Eve broadcast for one of Korea’s national TV stations, while Yoongi and the guys are performing at a New Year’s festival shortly before midnight to bring in the new year. Neither of them have been able to talk much since a few texts they managed to send to one another earlier in the day. The rest of the day has been a whirlwind of rehearsals, hair and makeup, socializing, then finally showtime.

The broadcast Hyeri is hosting is only set to last only half an hour after the final countdown of the year. With their performance leading right into the countdown, Yoongi hardly has time to catch his breath before the crowd is cheering and they’ve all crossed over into a new year. All 7 of the guys cheer and hug with an unspoken feeling of relief that somehow they managed to survive this tumultuous year. Everyone is healthy now and that’s all they could ask for.

As soon as Yoongi is able to steal a quick second, he immediately pulls his phone out to get a glimpse of Hyeri’s broadcast, even if for just a short minute. She’s wearing a sparkling blue knee length dress and a tiny silver top hat that matches the green one her co-host is wearing. She’s also wearing the beautifully shiny teardrop necklace Yoongi gave her. Seeing her wearing it while smiling at the camera makes his face light up with joy.

Just as quickly he was able to pull up the stream, he’s having to turn it off as he and the guys are pulled in another direction. Lots of cheers and interviews coming from all around until the party finally starts to wind down. The guys were invited to a private New Year’s after party being hosted by a producer and close friend of theirs. Lots of industry figures are set to be there, most of which are attending as a way to celebrate comfortably and privately without cameras around. The guys decide to go since it’s their friend and so they can relax for once before calling it a night and going home.

The atmosphere at the party is buzzing with electricity. It’s like a club with everyone dancing, chatting, and having drinks all around. The guys stick together for the most part making sure someone is at least near Yoongi at all times. They don’t want to police him, but they want to make sure they’re nearby for support. Yoongi appreciates it greatly. This is the first party he’s been to since he’s been clean, plus it’s New Year’s so drinks are flowing all around him, the added support is relieving.

Things start off great with all 7 of them socializing. While the rest of the guys have their pick at alcoholic drinks, Hobi decided to stay sober with Yoongi for the night. While everyone is having specially made cocktails, Hobi brings back alcohol free mocktails for them to sip on. It saves Yoongi from people unknowingly offering him a drink. Outside of the 7 of them, no one has any idea about Yoongi’s struggle with alcohol. This helps keep it that way.

Unfortunately, after his third mocktail Yoongi is starting to weaken. Looking at everyone around him enjoying the night with a good buzz is stirring up a little jealousy in him. He still has Hoseok next to him, but now his sober presence has lost its effectiveness. It’s New Year’s, why can’t he have one drink to celebrate?

As soon as the intrusive thoughts begin to grow, Yoongi whispers to Hobi that he’s starting to have a hard time. Hobi takes him to a back corner of the room and grabs a cup of water for him. Yoongi sips the water and takes a moment to breathe.

“I don’t think I can stay,” Yoongi says. “It’s starting to be too much.”

“It’s ok, hyung,” Hobi replies. He’s thankful that Yoongi is being honest about this and would much rather him head home than try to fight the urge silently. “If you’ve reached your limit it’s ok. You did good today.” Hobi’s smile shines brighter than the strobe lights blinking across the room.

“Thanks, Hoba,” Yoongi says forcing a smile. He appreciates the good job, but he feels like he’s not fully in the clear yet. He still has to make it out of the party, to his car, and home, without giving in to the whisper tickling the back of his neck that’s telling him it would be fine if he just has one drink to celebrate.

Yoongi stands and maps his route to the door in his mind. He tries to move quickly but it’s not easy with the place packed with so many people. After every step he’s having to swerve and dodge around people like he’s in a video game. When he finally makes it out the door he quickly walks across the parking lot towards his car. The faster he can get out of there and get home, the better.

“Yoongi!”

The voice behind him startles him and nearly sends him into shock until he turns around and sees Hyeri running between the parked cars to get to him.

“Hyeri?” He says catching her as she jumps into his arms. He isn’t sure why she’s suddenly running to him like this, but he’s not complaining. Her timing is perfect and warmth is calming.

Once Hyeri’s event ended she learned of this after party being held and decided to stop by after she learned that the guys would possibly be there. Yoongi would possibly be there. When she arrived she immediately saw Hobi who told her Yoongi had just left. Hoping she wasn’t too late, she ran back outside where she saw him across the few rows of cars. Running and jumping into his arms the way she did wasn’t planned but she felt something take over her legs and she couldn’t stop.

“I’m glad I caught you,” she says breathing a sigh of relief. “Hobi told me you had just left so I thought I was too late.”

“No,” he smiles giving her a light squeeze. “You’re right on time. Did you come here looking for me?”

“Well,” she looks up at him with a soft smile. “I wanted to make sure my first kiss of the year was with you, not on set with In-woo.” She lifts herself on her toes and links her lips with his.

How does this feel so brand new to him? They’ve kissed many times, but for some reason today means the most to him. No amount of fireworks can compare to the sparks lighting up between them. He thought he was about to crumble, but he once again finds safety in her impeccable timing. He wants to take advantage of this moment together.

“Do you have a little time?” He asks. “We don’t have to go anywhere or anything, we can just sit in my car and talk if you want.”

“Yeah,” she smiles. “I have time.”

Hyeri follows Yoongi to his car where they both instinctively get in the backseat. This isn’t the first time they’ve taken refuge in a car just for a moment alone, but it definitely takes them back to the early days of their relationship. There’s a nostalgia to the way they cuddle close to each other while remaining vigilant for anyone who may walk by and see them.

“I miss you,” Yoongi smiles with relief. “You have no idea how much I needed you right now.”

“You look like you need some sleep,” she says noticing the way he looks exhausted and distressed.

“I was having a hard time in there,” he admits. “I was fine at first, but then I don’t know what happened it just felt like the walls were suddenly closing in so I left.”

“You made the right choice,” she smiles. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, babe.” He pulls her closer into his body feeling a sense of accomplishment from hearing her praise. “You look so beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she blushes. Even after 3 and a half years together she still gets shy whenever he compliments her.

“I guess you weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to start over from when we first started dating,” he jokes. “When did you get so shy around me?” He strokes her chin pulling an even bigger sheepish smile from her.

“I’m not,” she giggles.

“Really?” He giggles playfully mocking her and making her laugh.

“Hush.” She playfully pushes him then immediately leans back into his chest.

“If you say so,” he smiles kissing her forehead. Then he lifts her chin and kisses her lips. He feels like he’s being overcome by a strong current of pure comfort. Coming from what became a stressful challenge for him inside, this comfort feels ten times stronger in this moment.

Hyeri loves the feeling. The butterflies that flutter wildly within her gives her a rush she hasn’t felt in so long. She doesn’t want to get out of his car anytime soon, but it’s already nearly 3 am. Still, she stays attached to his lips with her arms clutching around his torso hoping time will be kind, but it’s not and Yoongi is aware of this too. Perhaps more than she does, he wants nothing more than to stay attached to her, especially after the mild panic he was experiencing right before she came running towards him.

“Hyeri,” he whispers almost freezing at the sight of her looking much too good to let go. “Come home with me.”

“Yoongi,” she starts. “You know-“

“I know,” he interrupts. “I’m not asking you to stay if you’re not ready, but just for tonight? Will you stay the night with me?”

“Just the night?”

“If you want,” he nods.

Hyeri feels so stupid suddenly. She thought Yoongi would beg and plead the way he did on Christmas, but ever since she explained her feelings and reasoning why she didn’t want to go home yet, he hasn’t tried to press her. Her initial thought was that he was asking her to come home to stay, but she should have known better than to think he would try pressuring her. She feels stupid for even doing this in the first place, of course she wants to stay the night with him. She wants to spend every night with him.

“Ok,” she smiles and nods. “Just for the night.”

Yoongi’s face lights up and he gives her another kiss. They both jump out of the car with Yoongi getting in the driver’s seat and Hyeri heading towards her car. The entire way home Yoongi can’t stop smiling. He’s filled with so much excitement to have Hyeri come home even if it’s just for one night. He made it through the night without having a drink and he’s getting to spend a little time with Hyeri, he couldn’t be happier right now.

When they arrive, Hyeri immediately goes to the bathroom to undress and get ready for bed. Out of pure habit she tosses her dress aside, throws on one of Yoongi’s t-shirts, and returns to him waiting for her in bed. They’ve both had a long and tiring day, so without saying much they cuddle close, kiss goodnight, then drift off to sleep under the blanket of each other’s arms.

When Yoongi wakes up the next day, Hyeri is still sleeping soundly next to him. All he can do is lay there a while and smile at a sight he’s missed for weeks. He isn’t sure if she’s missed him the way he’s missed her, but he hopes she stays home for good after this. It’s been quiet and lonely at home and seeing her things still there made him long for her more. He hasn’t felt so refreshed in the morning since she left, although right now it’s more like early afternoon. Regardless, he knows she loves waking up to a good meal, so he reluctantly slides out of bed to go to the kitchen and make brunch.

Things have been busy lately so Yoongi hasn’t done much cooking, but thankfully he always has some pork belly, eggs, and veggies on hand. He cooks everything up nicely just the way Hyeri likes, and as usual it summons her out of her sleep and into the kitchen.

“Morning,” she says shuffling up to him to see what he’s making.

“Afternoon,” he smiles. “How’d you sleep?”

“Good,” she smiles back. She’s not going to say how she hasn’t slept so good in a long time, but she’s certainly having a hard time convincing herself that she still needs a bit more time. “I think my body is starting to feel the effects of being on my feet all night though.”

“Sit,” he points to the chair. “Just relax.” He turns off the stove and plates his creation before placing it in front of her. He then grabs a couple of bottles of citrus tea out of the fridge and takes a seat next to her.

“Thanks,” she says taking a bite of pork belly.

The two indulge in a mostly quiet lunch, though it’s not awkward at all. They’ve had many silent meals because they’re just that comfortable with each other. They don’t always need to say anything to enjoy each other’s company, it’s a comfortable silence they didn’t realize they had missed so much.

After their meal they relocate to the couch where Yoongi begins massaging Hyeri’s feet as she lounges across the couch with her feet in his lap. It’s become a bit of a routine on the days they have free time together, Yoongi can always sense when Hyeri needs a massage on any part of her body and he spends the day trying to take her every ache away.

“I can’t believe I got you the best foot massager I could find yet I’m still massaging your feet by hand,” Yoongi jokes.

“No one is making you rub my feet,” Hyeri laughs.

“That’s true,” he says stopping his hand movements and moving her feet aside.

“Oh,” she pouts.

“Where’s your foot massager,” he teases almost melting at her adorable pout.

“Haeun is probably using it right now,” she laughs. Haeun has spent the better part of the last week trying to take the lavish piece of relaxation off of Hyeri’s hands. Hyeri agreed to let Haeun use it as rent payment for her time staying there but made it clear she was taking it when she leaves.

“Haeun?” Yoongi tilts his head with a brow raised.

“Yeah…..” she hesitates. Secret is out now, though part of her doesn’t even care anymore because she’s thinking she may stay home for good now. Maybe.

“You hate me that much that you didn’t want to tell me you were staying with your best friend?”

“It’s not that, I just…” Hyeri sits upright bringing her feet down to the floor. “I knew you would try to find me and at the time I left I didn’t want you to. I didn’t want to see or talk to you or think about you. When I saw all of the people outside with their cameras I was even more upset, especially since they got photos of me leaving and I just don’t want to have to deal with that right now. So no, I didn’t want you to know I was staying with Haeun. I didn’t want you, or the media, or any other crazy person trying to follow you find me and have my name thrown across the internet again. You did more than just betray my trust, Yoongi. You caused me a lot of hurt in so many ways and I don’t even know what I did to deserve it.”

“You didn’t,” he shakes his head. “You didn’t deserve anything I put you through and I’ll regret it til the day I die. I know this all started because I was upset with you, but you did absolutely nothing to deserve everything I did. I wasn’t myself, Hyeri, and I know that’s not an excuse, I just couldn’t get control of myself. If I hadn’t been so seriously fucked up all of the time I would have never cheated on you. Never in my right fucking mind would I have done that.”

“I believe you, but I still can’t trust you. I never once thought that you weren’t sorry for what you’ve done. When I first confronted you I thought you would lie straight to my face, but you told me the truth when you could’ve easily fed me any bullshit story.”

“I couldn’t lie to you,” he says. “That would have only made me feel worse…how did you know what the truth was?” He tilts his head and raises a brow in suspicion. “Did one of the guys tell you? It was Namjoon wasn’t it?”

“No,” she shakes her head. “You told me. That night Jin carried your drunk ass home, you kept talking and talking. You said a lot because you thought you were talking to Jin, but even after he left you didn’t even realize it was me you were talking to. I was so upset, and even more the next morning when I saw you. I was ready to leave that day if you were to lie to me. I was in the guest room that entire night mentally preparing myself to pack my shit and leave. Then you admitted everything to me and I wasn’t sure what to do. I was so sure you’d lie that I never thought of what to do next if you didn’t.”

Yoongi sits silently trying to recall any memory from the night of their end of tour dinner. The only thing he remembers is drinking that entire day and waking up with the worst hangover the next morning. He shakes his head hating the thought of how bad he was that night.

“It’s ok,” Hyeri assures. “I didn’t know what to do then, but I think I finally know what I want to do now.”

“What’s that?” Yoongi asks.

“I want to stay,” she admits.

“Stay?”

“Yeah,” she nods. “Rebuilding trust is going to take time, and I know it won’t be easy, but I still want to work on it. I want to stay and work through this with you.”

“Stay?” He asks again.

“I have to be on set early tomorrow, but I’ll get my things from Haeun’s place and come here after I’m done shooting.” She reaches up to stroke his cheek which pulls out his biggest gummy smile.

Yoongi feels like he’s been waiting his entire life to hear her say those words. Someone could come steal every single one of his possessions and it wouldn’t be able to wipe the smile off his face. He won’t fuck this up again.

[cariantha]

Favors

Book: Open Heart, Book 1 Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks) Rating: General Category: Angsty Fluff, Christmas Word count: 2.5K Summary: Sawyer is worried that her crush is getting the wrong impression and is later hurt when she thinks he has taken advantage of a situation. A/N: This takes place during intern year (pre-Miami) shortly before the events in Merry Christmas, Rookie.

Events/Prompts: • Photo prompt from @jerzwriter • Participating in CFWC Holidays 2023 • Participating in Choices Flashfics Holiday Prompts 🎄12: “The tree isn’t the only thing getting lit this year.” 🎅21: “It looks like Santa threw up in here.” 🎁67: “What’s wrong? Do you not like your gift?” • Participating in Choices Flashfics Week #64 Prompts 👨🏻‍⚕️2: “I’m not in the mood for a lecture.” • Participating in Choices Holidays Winter 2023

While waiting in the lunch rush lines in the cafeteria, Sienna reminded her roommates of their party assignments. “...I’ve got the treats covered, Elijah is handling the music, Jackie is making jingle juice-”

“Hell yeah!” Elijah exclaimed, giving Jackie a high-five. 

“The tree isn’t the only thing getting lit this year,” she said coolly.

“Oh, and don’t forget your white elephant gifts!” Sienna also reminded them.

“Shit, I forgot about that. What are the rules again?” Jackie asked.

“The only rule is you can’t buy anything,” Sienna answered. 

“I’ll go shop the lost and found when we’re done here.”

“Or, I saw some pharma reps in the atrium earlier. You could try to hit them up for some swag,” Sawyer chimed in. 

A heavy arm slipped around Sawyer's shoulders when the group reached the front of the line. “Thanks for saving my spot, Brooks,” Bryce winked, cutting in line.

“Do you meatheads have to cut into everything?” Jackie barked.

Bryce chomped into the apple he hadn’t yet paid for. “Yep,” he nodded with a big toothy grin. “I’m just trying to get on the naughty list. If you all want to join me, we could save Santa a trip this year,” he joked.

“You’re already looking at Santa’s favorite ho,” Jackie quipped.

“Brooksie, I actually am in a hurry. I need to scrub in for a lymphadenectomy. Do you mind?” he asked seriously.

Sawyer tilted her head to the register, gesturing for him to go ahead.

“Thanks.” When the cashier asked if they were together, Bryce said yes.

“Bryce, you don’t have to-”

He placed a hand on the small of her back. "I've got you, Ipo. I'll see you later," he promised before hurrying away.

“Girl, what are you holding out for? He's hot and totally into you,” Sienna teased once Bryce was out of earshot.

Sawyer lifted her tray and turned to her friend. She opened her mouth to say something but froze when she spotted a six-foot-four-inch, blue-eyed attending at the adjacent register. Not knowing how much he saw or heard, a blush of embarrassment colored her cheeks. Feeling like a shy teenager at a school dance, Sawyer hoped the interaction with Bryce hadn’t given her crush the wrong impression. 

As Ethan raised his eyes to her, he gave no indication. Pocketing his wallet, he stoically turned and exited the cafeteria. 

As their shift ended, Sawyer approached her roommates, who were walking in the opposite direction down the hall.

“Locker room is that way, Brooks,” Jackie pointed. 

“I know. I just need to run and check on one more patient before I clock out.”

“Do you want us to wait for you?” Sienna asked.

“No, don’t wait up. I’ll be right behind you.” 

After ensuring the coast was clear, Sawyer slipped behind the plastic curtain that sealed off the construction wing. Naveen spiked a fever earlier in the day, and she wanted to check on him before going home. She found him fast asleep, and after checking his monitors and medications, she quietly tidied the room. When she finished, she softly closed the door, whispering, “Goodnight, Dr. B.”

On her way to dispose of some trash, Sawyer’s phone buzzed in her pocket.

Bryce knocked and let himself in, making a beeline to the kitchen to find Sienna. “Help?” he asked, lifting a roll of wrapping paper and tape.

She looked at him, puzzled. “Where’s your gift?”

“You're looking at it.” He beckoned her to the living room, where he lay down on the floor. 

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” she laughed, kneeling beside him.

A few minutes later, Sienna placed the last piece of tape, securing the wrapping around Bryce’s torso. Using all of her body weight, she rolled him to his back and slid him under the Christmas tree. 

“Si?” he called, his voice muffled. “Do me a favor and start the game sooner than later. I already have to pee.” 

In the locker room, Sawyer traded her white coat for her winter one. As she gathered her things, her phone buzzed with an incoming call.

“Hi,” she answered.

“Hi. “By any chance, are you still at the hospital?” Ethan asked.

“I am.”

“Could I ask you for a favor? I’ve had something come up at the last minute. Would you be able to stay with Naveen for a few hours?”

By now, Sawyer had come to know Ethan Ramsey well enough to know that he would not ask for help unless he was desperate. “Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I’m pressed for time right now, but I’ll explain later. I’ll relieve you as soon as I can.”

“No problem.”

“Thanks, Rookie.”

Sawyer was about to text Sienna when Danny entered the room.  

“Hey, Sawyer,” he waved. “I thought you’d be at home getting ready for the party. I’m heading there now if you want a ride.”

“Danny, I’m so glad you’re here! Could you take something to Sienna for me? I’m not going to make it home for a while.”

“How come?” 

She made sure they were alone and lowered her voice. “Dr. Ramsey got tied up with something and asked if I would look after Patient X for a few hours.”

“You should go and have fun with your roommates, Sawyer. I can stay,” he insisted, having been recruited by Ethan shortly after Naveen agreed to be treated.

“That’s really sweet of you, Danny, but I know you traded shifts so that you could be off tonight. Besides, Sienna baked a batch of peppermint chocolate chip cookies just for you.”

“She did?” he smiled.

“Yeah. Go. Have fun. I’ll be there as soon as Dr. R gets here.”

After Danny left with what appeared to be a wrapped bedpan, she updated her roommate.

Later, Sawyer was in Naveen’s room, scrolling through Pictagram, when her phone vibrated with a new text notification.

Several hours had passed when Sawyer felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“Rookie?” 

“Hiiiii,” she managed through a yawn. 

“I’m so sorry,” Ethan apologized.

“Huh? What time is it?” Sawyer reached for her phone and noticed several missed calls from Sienna and Bryce. 

“It’s almost four in the morning. I would have been here sooner, but I accidentally dozed off,” he explained, helping her to her feet.

“It’s okay. There's no doubt you probably needed it. And it’s been quiet here. His fever finally broke a little while ago.” 

“Good. Go home and get some sleep,” he instructed, “I’ll tell Ines that you’ll be in this afternoon.” 

“Okay.” Sawyer shouldered her bag and headed for the door. “Good night." 

“Sawyer?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Thank you.”

With a shake of the snow from her coat, Sawyer entered her apartment and found Landry eating breakfast at the kitchen table. “Oh boy. It looks like Santa threw up in here.”

“Smells like it, too,” he grumbled. 

“I’m surprised you’re still going in early after…,” she circled her hand in the air, “all of this.”

“Yeah, well, not all of us are lucky enough to get preferential treatment from Dr. Ramsey.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“What? This is the second time he’s personally assigned you a case. To my knowledge, he hasn’t assigned cases to other interns in the competition.”

“Wow. Well, maybe he will if you ever crack the top five.” She let him chew on that as she hung her coat and walked to her room.

Bryce turned from the surgical board and spotted Sawyer approaching. “Finally coming to collect your prize, Brooksie?”

Sawyer rolled her eyes.

“What’s wrong? Do you not like your gift?”

“You’re ridiculous,” she said with an amused smile.

“So I’ve been told. By the way, this gift comes with a night on the town.” 

Unbeknownst to her, Dr. Ramsey inconveniently emerged from a nearby patient’s room, catching the tail end of their conversation.

“Bryce-” 

But before she could protest, he backed his way down the hall. “I’ve gotta run. Check your schedule and let me know when I can pick you up. And you should know, I have a strict ‘no rejections’ policy.”

She sighed deeply once his back was to her, then turned to find Ethan standing a couple of feet away, his eyes focused on the tablet in his hand.

“Dr. Ramsey,” she acknowledged sheepishly.

Ethan glanced at her with a side-eye. “Brooks.”

“Rrrrr! Of course, he is here right now!” As they moved on to their next tasks, Sawyer told herself it was time for a heart-to-heart with Bryce. 

"Excuse me, would you please page Dr. Ramsey?"

A few minutes later, Ethan met an attractive woman at the nurses’ station and led her away from the busybodies seated at the circular desk. As they walked down the hall, she handed him a small box. “Thank you, Jen. I really appreciate this. I’ll send you the outcome report as soon as the trial period ends.”

Stepping in front of him, Jen pulled him to the side until their shoulders hugged the wall. "It was great to see you again, " she paused as a couple of nurses walked past. "We had a good time last night, didn’t we?"

“It was nice to catch up.”

She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when Sawyer heard the familiar voice, she wondered if her ears were deceiving her. 

“Listen, I would love to see you again tonight,” Jen continued, reaching for the end of his tie and running it through her fingers. I’m staying at The Langham. Come have drinks with me and...” she shrugged, "and we can see where things go from there.” 

“I-”

Sawyer stepped out of the vending machine alcove and turned her head toward them. 

Ethan’s surprised eyes met hers, finding only hurt. He moved Jen’s hand back to her side as Sawyer spun and walked briskly in the opposite direction. 

“Jen, you’ll have to excuse me. I need to go,” he apologized, watching the woman he longed for retreat and disappear. “I appreciate your assistance. I will speak with you later.” 

“Later tonight?”

“I’ll text you,” he said as he sidestepped her.

Ethan’s long strides carried him down the hall quickly. He nearly collided with a visitor as he rounded the corner. “I’m sorry. Excuse me.”

In the far corner of the cafeteria, Sawyer watched the snowfall in the empty courtyard. The sound of metal chair legs scraping against the tiled floor jarred her from her thoughts.

“I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Why? Need another favor?” she said, words laced with disdain.

“Rookie, that-”

“Dr. Ramsey, I haven’t been helping you to win favor or get a leg up in the competition. If you want an intern to run errands and cover for your ass, then let me suggest Dr. Olsen. He'd be more than happy to fill that role.”

She lowered her voice, hurt replacing anger. “I canceled plans with my roommates last night because I believed that it must have been important if you were asking for help. If I had known I was only covering so that you could go on a date and get…” She let the rest of the sentence die on her tongue. “Sorry. I know how you spend your free time is none of my business, but I won’t let you take advantage of mine.” 

Visibly disappointed, she avoided eye contact. Ethan keenly observed that her disappointment went beyond merely thinking he would take advantage of her kindness. If he had read the situation correctly, it would have been the same disappointment he had felt seeing her with the surgical intern.

“Sawyer, let me explain. Jen works for Phlaum Pharmaceuticals. They are currently conducting a trial on a new antibiotic for sepsis. I reached out to her when I heard about it. Her team is in the area promoting a new product this week. You may have noticed her reps in the lobby. She made herself available to meet with me last night. And after some convincing, she agreed to pull some strings to get Naveen into the trial. She was here this afternoon to drop off the treatment.” Ethan pulled a small vial from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“It sounded like you convinced her all right,” she muttered.

“Rookie. I know we haven’t known each other long, but do you honestly believe I’m the type of person who would trade sexual favors? I agreed to a testimonial and a couple of expo appearances. That’s all.”

“What? Can you blame me for going there? She said she had a ‘good time,’ and you told me you were late because you ‘accidentally dozed off,’ then she asked you to meet her again tonight. At. A. Hotel.”

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose at her teasing dramatization, failing to hide the crack of a smile.

“So, how’d you get out of it?” she wondered.

“I told her I would text her later.”

“You don’t text.”

“Exactly.” His knee touched hers, but neither one attempted to move away. “I need to get back upstairs. Can you meet me later to review the trial protocols?”

“I have a few patients to check on. I’ll page you after?” she answered.

Ethan scooted back in his chair, but before standing, he covered Sawyer’s hand with his own. 

“Sawyer, your contributions and the sacrifice of your time have not gone unnoticed. And as far as I’m concerned, you are my partner on this case. I should have filled you in on the drug trial. I just didn’t want either of us to get our hopes up.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Ramsey.” When he moved to stand, she followed. “I’m finished here. I’ll head back up with you.”

The elevator doors were halfway closed when a fellow intern squeezed through. 

“Hi, Brad,” Sawyer greeted.

“Sooo, who’s the lucky guy?” he quizzed, embarrassingly indiscreet.

“Pardon?”

“Come on, girl. Why else would you ditch us last night? Your roommates say you’re never home. You rarely come out for drinks anymore. And you’ve parked Bryce in the friend zone.” Brad nudged her shoulder with his. “Spill the tea.”

“Sorry to disappoint, TMZ, but I’m not dating anyone. I got stuck here with a last-minute case.” She made her eyes big and subtly tipped her head toward Dr. Ramsey as a warning. Luckily, Brad picked up on the cue, sparing her from having to tell any more white lies. 

Ethan hid a smile, pretending not to notice the act.

“Any chance you guys will host again for New Year’s? You’re the only ones with an apartment big enough,” Brad asked as they exited the elevator together. 

“Talk to Elijah. He’s the party planner of the group.” 

Once Brad was on his way, Ethan reached for Sawyer's elbow, drawing her back. “You skipped your own party?” 

She shrugged. “You needed my help, and our patient wasn’t in any condition to be left alone.”

“You should have told me. I would have figured something else out…” He looked into her eyes with a sense of wonder. “Thank you. I owe you one.”

She smiled up at him. “You’re welcome.”  

“So, what excuse did you give your roommates?” he asked as they walked side by side down the hall.

“About that…” she said with a tense grin, “I’m gonna need you to assign some of your cases to the other interns in the top five.”

“Come again?”

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @peonierose @potionsprefect @trappedinfanfiction @jerzwriter @queencarb @coffeeheartaddict2 @quixoticdreamer16 @jamespotterthefirst @liaromancewriter @zealouscanonindeer @tveitertotwrites @tessa-liam @youlookappropriate @kyra75 @socalwriterbee @txemrn @choicesflashfics

[jhutchersonswife]

Christmas present

ONE SHOT SMUT | 18+ | FLUFF

Santa Mike x gn!reader

content: Lovers | Porn with slight plot | ? Fluff ? | Blowjob | Oral sex | Fingering | Christmas Day | Mike role-Play | Praises/Dirty talk

summary: Mike and you have been dating for quite a while, Abby was at her friends house on Christmas Day. Mike took the opportunity to spend alone time with you and give you the best Christmas night of your life.

writers note (heyy HAPPY HOLIDAYS, this is my first fanfic, if it’s horrible i apologize help)

Mike and you have been together for a maximum 2 years, your assistance with his rent, emotional support, and intimacy helped him become a better person, a less odd one to say the least. He really appreciated you, for the help with Abby as well.

You two loved Christmas, always baked cookies for Abby to believe in ‘Santa Claus.’ She was so gullible. Every year, you guys would make gingerbread houses which Mike got for free at some shitty, sketchy Christmas event at Walmart. God, that moment was so witty. You guys made forts, and watched Home alone.

Well, Abby forced you and Mike to binge watch it with her.

This year, Mike wanted to do something special for you. To just pay back all of the things you did for him. Since Abby decided to go sleepover at her recent best friend’s house, which Mike was hesitant to let her go, he decided to have some alone time with you. He was lucky to have you, he was surprised, he’s such a whacked person.

Behind your back, he went to buy a Santa costume, not those big obese ones with jingle bells, saying ‘Ho, Ho, Ho.’

No, fuck no, he chose his style. He made himself more appealing, well, not in his eyes at least. He wore a button down white shirt—tight red boxers, that were oddly uncomfortable for him to wear, and a Santa hat.

He cleared his throat, sitting back against the couch. (He was obsessed with.) The annoying ass creaky one with the light stripes that pissed you off. Obviously, Mike set up a mistletoe on the ceiling with some tape from Dollar tree. It was romantic, well, at least he thought it was.

He jolted up, hearing the keys jingle from outside the door. You currently were using the spare key copy he gave you a year back, for emergency purposes or anything, honestly. You groan out as you walked in, shrugging off your jacket before turning your head. Only to see Mike. Eyes widen and cheeks flushed, eyelashes bashing up and down at the sight. He’s never been so sexy.

“Where’s abby? We should decorate and bake soon-” You get cut off.

“Don’t worry about that, Y/n. Come here, tell me what you want for Christmas.” He teased, a smirk forming on his lips. Your reaction was priceless, it made his tight boxers uncomfortable, feeling himself grow harder at the sight of desire in your eyes. His head titled to the side and spread his arms out, inviting you over.

A breathless chuckle escaped you, this was ridiculous yet so romantic. You two never have alone time. Never. But now, oh, you were so gonna make the time worth it. “Oh yeah?” You murmur, shooting him a smile before slowly walking over to Mike. Without a word, you crawl into his lap, straddling him. You could feel his average yet hard, twitching bulge against you. Your breath hitching.

“Mhm, that’s it. Now, honey. Tell me.”

“What do you want for Christmas?” He teased. He wasn’t the type to usually flirt, so it was amusing to watch him struggle slightly.

His eyes linger on your body, taking in your attire. It was lazy since you just got off of a quick shift at work, of course, your shitty boss forced you to work on Christmas eve. At least you got 20 more dollars. Pfft. Although, you were still sexy in that jacket—coat combo. Hot.

You bit your lip, leaning in closer. You were not gonna be patient tonight. You just got off work and now you wanted to not waste time. “You.”

Mike gasped against your lips as you crash them on his mouth, before snatching your petite waist and pulling you in closer to him. His lips move desperately against you, a desperate whine escaping you. It was embarrassing to make sounds but God, he knew you too well.

Well, technically, you two were following the Christmas rule. Both under the mistletoe. For now.

You were bent over the couch, hands on your lower back for support for Mike. His hips slowly moving back, taking a few seconds before pounding back inside you in a slow, steady pace. Causing a whimper mixed with a possessive growl that escapes him. His jaw clenched, groaning out.

“Oh, Y/n. Fuck yes.”

You gasp, eyes fluttering as you shut them close. He felt so good inside you, always stretching your hole out every time, your stress from your job fading away. Your hands clasp the edge of the sofa, eyes opening, half lidded as the only thing you really notice in the whole room is the bright, lit up Christmas tree.

Mike groaned again, his hand finding your hips, guiding them to his desire pace. His jaw clenching to keep in his pathetic whimpers, he hated how he sounded honestly. He sounded like an idiot. A horny one. His hands slid down slowly, finding your crotch and lightly pressing his index and middle finger against you.

“So wet for me, huh? I should put you on the bad list.”

You let out a stuttered moan, your body arching against his touch. The feeling was overwhelming, his fingers on your core, his cock deep inside you. Fuck. You part you lips, looking over your shoulder to glance at him. You try to speak, but all that comes out is a whimper as he sped up his fingers. You know he’s aroused, you feel his dick twitch inside of you.

“Mhm, baby. Just like that.”

He grumbled in your ear, before meeting your half lidded eyes. Oh, you look so good right now. He bit his lip, trying not to throw you against the wall and fuck you, fast and hard. But, he wanted this night to go slow. Really slow and wanted to be gentle and patient. He hasn’t had alone time/sex with you in a while.

Now, he has the chance. Especially on Christmas. Bonus. It does remind him of Abby, his concern growing at the thought of her at her friends house. What if she gets hurt? Kidnapped? Poisoned?

He shook his thoughts away, the last thing he wanted on his mind was his concern for his sister. He glanced at you, gently taking a strand of your hair, pulling it behind your ear with his free hand. He gave you a gentle look, something more than desire. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against yours.

“I love you.” He murmured, before slamming his hips against yours. A needy whine escaping him before he increased his pace a tad bit. His fingers quickening on your core, his dick moving in, out, in, out, deeper, deeper. His pre-cum coating your walls, mixed with saliva since he spit on his penis to slide into you. Making it easier to slip inside of you, to move.

You cry out, your heart beating wildly. Fuck. Oh fuck, you felt yourself getting close. Your hips fall perfectly on his cock, you feel yourself trembling. A guttural—high pitched moan escaping you. You missed this. Honestly.

“Oh god, oh god.”

He narrowed his eyes in pleasure, his fingers snaking up your neck and gripping your throat. Squeezing it, hard enough for you to still breathe. His thrusts grew sloppier, desperate. His other hand bruising into your hip, the soreness shooting through him as he groaned. Shifting his position, he flipped you over—your back slamming onto his chest, making you ride him. “Fuck.” He whimpered, his lips finding your bare shoulder and biting into it.

You didn’t hesitate; hips bouncing up and down, your jaw dropping at the sensation. You grind your hips back and forth, up and down. His cock twitched inside of you with every movement. Before you knew it, your orgasm crashed onto you. A scream escaping your lips, with his name.

You began to cream all over him, brows furrowing at the sensation before rocking your hips, causing him to groan. He hasn’t finished yet. You then gave him a kiss on his lips, before sliding down to his chest, peppering him with kisses. You feel his muscles tense under your lips before climbing off of him and going on your knees. On the old carpet.

Mike looked down at you, his penis full of your cum. It twitched at the sight of you on your knees, you couldn’t help but let out a laugh as his dick twitched right on your cheek. “Y/n. You’re killing me, babe.” He breathed, a breathless grin on his lips, it faltered, feeling your lips on his shaft. He used one hand to guide your head, trying not to hurt you, and the other clasping the couch. He swears it ripped from his grip.

“Yeah, right there. Just like tha- Oh!”

He whined, his hips bucking up into your mouth. His tip hitting in the back of your throat, making you gag ever so slightly. You grab his thighs to support yourself, your tongue working on his shaft while your lips work on his leaking tip. Gargles, gasps, moans fill the small living room. Your eyes watched his, tears forming in your eyes from the gags.

His thrusts in your mouth grew much more out of control, more sloppy and desperate. Much faster. He growled out your name, grabbing your head with both of his hands now and guiding you up and down quickly, yet, it was gentle in a way. He hissed and threw his head back. His Santa hat falling off, he whimpered out and his eyes rolled in the back of his eyelids. Feeling his orgasm arriving.

“Holy shit, Y/n, I’m cumming, I’m cumming!”

He shot his load, a shout escaping him. His cum shooting into your mouth, a pleasured gasp escaping him as he loosened his grip on your head. Glancing down at you, his eyes full of adoration, exhaustion, and satisfaction. He shot you a warm, breathless smile. Which you always thought was adorable.

You lick off the cum off your finger tips, and swallow every bit of it. He always tasted sweet. You sigh, a tired smile going to your lips before falling on the cushion on the sofa, both of your body’s full of sweat. You wrap your arms around him, legs wrapping around his bare waist. The sex was amazing, holy fuck.

“I love you too.” You giggle, replying to his confession earlier.

His eyes dart to you, smirking lazily before pressing his lips against yours. Deepening the kiss, slowly. Tasting himself on your tongue. Pulling away, grabbing your chin and looking right down at you. Inhaling deeply, in piece. “We need to do this more often.”

“Seriously, where is Abby though.” You ask, genuinely curious, concerned as well.

“Doesn’t matter.” He whispered.

“It does.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, bastard.”

@anitalenia credit for the cutest dividers ever thank you 🤧

[toonqueen]

Duckvember Day 8: Frankenduck (Part 2 To Occult Duck)

 Using the term Frankenduck very loosely for this ahh. But its part 2 to this: https://www.tumblr.com/toonqueen/766011081750659072/duckvember-day-1-occult-duck?source=share

—------------ 

As Gladstone came down the stairs the first thing that faced him was a wine rack. There were a few bottles on it. The bottles still there were covered in dust with no corks preserving anything that was inside, “I’m sure this place used to be a real party house.”

Using the light from the doorway at the top of the stairs, he glanced around for a light switch. Even though the home had a Victorian look, every room so far was outfitted with electricity. Stepping further away from the stairs he found a pull cord light. He pulled on the chain and the light came on  above him.

The goose was now away from the stars, with the wine rack behind him. In front of him was a table. No chairs. Beyond that on the walls was looked like black marble. There was a large pattern of multiple rectangles on the marble wall.  When Gladstone stepped closer he saw the large pattern was actually separate drawers. Drawers with names on them. Gladstone caught on that it was like a family mausoleum, “Ah, alright. So not a party house.”

Gladstone saw that two of the drawer fronts had the dust wiped off them. While he had been curiously snooping around the house, where dead bodies were stored was a line he didn’t not feel like crossing today. He didn’t even bother reading the panels clear of dust. He just turned to go back up the stairs. 

When he turned around there was a black cloaked figure in front of him. The figure was a good head taller than him. The black cloak’s hood concealed their face. 

“Uh, Hello?” Gladstone gave in reply. Surprisingly, he did not seem scared by the figure, “can I help you with something?” 

The black cloaked figure just pointed back to the mausoleum drawers.

“Uh, is this some kind of Christmas Carol thing? Because I wasn't visited by the first two ghosts, and this isn't the holiday season,” the goose replied unphased. The figure began to shake his pointing hand at the drawers repeatedly, as though he was already getting annoyed with Gladstone. 

Gladstone turned back around and looked at the two drawers that had dust wiped off their name panels, “Okay okay.. Uh, let's see. Amelia Helen De Spell and Alessandro Pollux De Spell.  Magica told me her real name before… hey wait, is that other name Poe’s real name? Oh ho, now I have ammo the next time he makes fun of mine.”

The hooded figure was now even more frustrated with the goose. All attempts to look foreboding were out the window, “No idiot! I’m trying to let you know they’re dead.”

“But they’re right upstairs! I literally just talked to Poe. And you can almost hear Magica yelling from down here,” Gladstone stated. As if right on cue,  Magica’s muffled voice could be heard in the distance. It sounded like she was already making calls to the people that she thought were muscling in on her dime stealing territory. 

“They’re something else. Shapeshifters... Maybe fae copying their appearance. Maybe that would explain the dime obsession…” the cloak figure faded off in thought. His thoughts were interrupted with the loud screeching of one of the drawers being opened.

“Well, it’s empty. I’m telling you. They’re right upstairs!”  Gladstone stated again as he stood beside the mausoleum drawer he just pulled out. 

The black cloaked figure went up to the other drawer and pulled it out, finding that empty as well. 

“Maybe they’re wraiths. That could explain a lot too…” the cloaked figure  was still thinking out loud. Gladstone cleared his throat.

“Ah, You’re Castor, right?” Gladstone asked. The reason why he was calm about the intruder in the house was he had put two and two together. 

“Oh, they’ve mentioned me?” the not so mysterious figure turned with a question of his own. He lowered the hood on his disguise to show what was expected. A white feathered black haired duck. Resemblance to Magica was there. 

“Yes, like two minutes ago. Why are you certain there dead? Why try to tell me?” 

“I think you were some poor soul under their control,” Castor explained, “Or like a ghoul or something.”

“Nah, I just sometimes tag along on their adventures…,” The goose replied. He decided now was not the time to also mention the complicated ‘sort of’ relationship he had with Magica, “Hey, wait, you thought I was a ghoul? I’ve seen those before. You think I look that bad?”

“Well no, I just thought maybe you were more well hydrated ghoul,” Castor gave a shrug. Gladstone gave a sigh. It was not much different talking to the intruding sibling than it was talking to Poe. He could tell they were related. 

“Okay, so why do you think they’re dead?” Gladstone was trying to clear this all up. What he really wanted to do is have him go talk to his siblings upstairs.

“Oh, I’m the one that buried them. When they and my older sister were killed by witch hunters.. Sometime ago,” Castor plainly stated. 

—-----------

There will be a part 3 in another prompt 

[darlingseraa]

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

I remember a time when the end of a year was a magical time. It began with me being anxious for Halloween to finally come, so I could wear that beautiful princess dress my mother had sewn by hand for me. When the day came at the tail end of October, I would cry if my parents made me wear my winter coat over my dress– I wanted everyone to see how beautiful it was and how amazing my mom was for making it by hand. And yes, where I live, we got snow well before Halloween even came around– some years, we’d have snowfall in late September or early October, and other years, the snow came late. One thing was sure, however, and that was that we would have snow by Halloween.

Hence why my parents would make me wear my winter coat to go trick-or-treating, most Halloweens.

To me, Halloween meant pillowcases full of candy to eat throughout the coming year, until the next Halloween came around and I’d go trick-or-treating with my family once again, and haul two to three more pillowcases full of candy back home. It meant that the best neighbourhood to go trick-or-treating in was the one where the family on the corner street turned their yard into a giant haunted house, complete with people dressed as Hellraiser and Freddie Krueger to scare the kids and parents daring to venture in. It meant meeting up with friends who were just as dressed up for the occasion as I was. It meant teachers and students alike would come to school in costume on the day before the holiday –or during the day of Halloween itself if it was in the middle of a school week–, and it made that school day that much more fun.

And then, when Halloween came to an end, the spooky decorations would be taken down and stored away for another year. Things would be quiet for a week or two.

And then, Christmas would begin.

Yes, Christmas began two weeks after Halloween for me and my family.

I remember that, back then around mid-November, my house’s yard would be covered in snow 1 to 2 feet thick. Yes, you read that right. My dad would wake up early in the morning, take the snowblower out the shed, and he would clear out as much snow as he could from the driveway, so that he and my mom could go to work, and so my brother and I wouldn’t have to trudge through the snow to get to the school bus on time. I remember my dad building my brother and I a wooden ramp on which snow would land during snowstorms, and that we’d pack down and drench in water to create an icy slide we could play on during the winter months. I remember going skiing in powdery snow, the type of snow that acted as a cushion and made falls practically painless. I remember skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, I remember going to the Village Valcartier snowpark at least once every two or three years.

I remember the beginning of winter being a sign of good days to come, because I loved winter.

And to me, the entire season felt like Christmas.

Because, by mid-November, my house was alight with decorations for the coming holidays.

I remember being overjoyed whenever I saw my parents taking out these big plastic bins from the closet downstairs, in which all of our Christmas decorations were stored throughout the year. I remember the bright red duffel bag in which our artificial Christmas tree was stored, and how there were always fake pine needles everywhere as soon as we’d open it. I remember having to unfurl every single little branch on this monster of a tree, and then wrapping it in garlands of lights, adorning it with ribbons and all sorts of ornaments and knick-knacks.

There’s this one place in the entire province of Québec that we loved to visit– it was a Christmas shop located in Saint-Sauveur, in a region called the Laurentides. Every year, we’d go there and look around excitedly. I remember my parents bought my brother and I an ornament each, almost every time we’d go– once, I chose a little dressage rider on her chestnut horse, because I was convinced that I would one day have a horse of my own and I would become a top tier rider. Another year, they got me a huge trebble clef covered in gold holo glitter, because of my love for music. And another year, they bought me a fragile little ornament representing a ballerina frozen mid-arabesque, for my love of ballet.

And then, during the car ride home, I'd look out my window at the perfect winter scenery as we drove past.

At home, we’d decorate the tree, and then hang these little doorknob snowmen that my mother had handcrafted years ago. Then, we’d wrap a pine garland around the ramps on the stairs. And when that was done, we’d head outside and cover the house in Christmas lights.

And then it would be Christmas until late January the next year.

Everywhere we’d go, stores and houses alike were all adorned in their finest Christmas gear, and were a sight to behold. Some had inflatable santas and reindeer, others had Nativity scenes, others had a Northern Star light perched on their roof. And in the car, or in stores, the radio would blast Christmas music into your ears.

I remember listening to all these Christmas songs and thinking they were all so magical. That I could never get tired of them, because the singers all sang about how wonderful the holidays are, how their hearts were full of cheer, how cozy it was to sit next to chestnuts roasting on an open fire. They would sing about how we should just let it snow, about how Santa knew when you were sleeping or awake, about how they had a dream of a beautiful, white Christmas. My mother had a collection of Christmas CDs that she’d keep with her in her car, and whenever we’d go somewhere, we’d listen to them.

“White Christmas” was my favourite, because it made me think about how excited I was throughout the rest of the year for winter to come around, and for Christmas to bring joy and cheer to us once again. My mom would often tell me how it was my late grandpa's favourite Christmas song, too. I never learned its true meaning until recently– to me, it simply was about how the singer dreamt of having a Christmas just like he used to know, like when he was a kid.

A bit like the feeling I got this year, during the holidays.

Ten years ago, when I was sixteen, I started to see changes in the seasons, especially during winter. I noticed that it wouldn’t come as early as it used to. By Halloween, the best we could hope for was a day or night without rain. There was no snow in sight. Mid-November at the earliest would be when snowfall would begin.

And then, with the beginning of winter regressing well into the tail-end of November, so did the beginning of Christmas, in mine and my family’s eyes.

We wouldn’t decorate as much, or as early as we used to. We’d just leave the Christmas lights on the house for the next year, but not light them before the next time the holidays came around. One year, we tried getting a real Christmas tree, and though it was amazing to have the house smell like fresh pine until we had to take the tree out after the holidays, it just didn’t feel as magical.

It almost felt like the excitement I got from Christmas was directly related to how much snow we had that year.

So you can imagine how exciting Christmas was for me, these past few years where December was nearly as green as a golf course green in the middle of summer.

As I write this, there are literally barely two inches of snow covering the ground in my backyard.

Two. Inches.

That’s literally nothing.

I saw a post that one of my mutuals reblogged that mentioned this, about how Christmas songs nowadays are mostly reprises of the classics. And these classics reference a time that people these days can only remember. Children and future generations will never know the kind of winter we had back in the day. The ones where we’d play King of the Mountain with the other kids in the school yard because the administration had the snow cleared out, but the workers packed it in one spot in the entire yard instead of shoving it somewhere else. They’ll never know what it’s like to watch the news in the morning and see that their school is closed because of recent snowstorms causing trouble on the roads. They’ll never know the excitement of waking up one day in early November, and seeing a thick sheet of snow covering the ground outside.

They'll never know what a true snow day is like.

Nowadays, if I wanted to experience a winter like this again, I’d have to travel far up north.

I’d. Have. To. Travel.

When in previous years, I wouldn’t have had to, because these winters happened here, where I live.

And I wish I didn’t have to travel in order to have such an experience again.

Nowadays, winter is just another word for rainfall. Because that’s all we get– rainstorm after rainstorm. We barely get to see the snowflakes falling from the cloudy skies anymore. There’s no feeling of joy at witnessing the first of many snowfalls of the year, because I know that it’s only temporary. That there won’t be more snow piling up on top of it. I will likely never again wake up and feel joy at the sight of a fresh, untouched blanket of snow waiting for me outside, because there are no thick blankets of freshly fallen snow where I live anymore. The season’s become too warm for those to last.

I hate what winter has become.

I hate that it’s cold, but not cold enough to keep the snow around like it did before.

I hate that it’s wet, but not wet because the snow melted into my supposedly waterproof snowsuit– it's wet because of the rain.

I hate that the sky is almost always gray with rainclouds and not snowclouds.

I. Hate. It.

But what can one person do to change it?

Not much, I’m afraid.

The shift in seasons and climate change has killed what used to be the most amazing time of year for me.

It killed my love for winter. It killed my love for Christmas.

And it has tainted what little memories I retain from past Christmasses with a nostalgia and a sadness that I can only describe as painful, because I know I may never experience it again in my lifetime. And I'll only be 26 years old this year.

So these days, I don’t decorate anymore. I don’t listen to Christmas songs unless they’re blasted at work, on repeat, until I’m so fed up with them that I get angry when I come back the next day and hear them playing still. I don’t feel joy at seeing the slightest amount of snow on the ground, because I know that soon enough, rain will wash it away.

All I do is dream of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.

–––

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry this post is so long. I just saw something on my timeline and had a lot of Big Feelings(tm) about it that I thought of sharing. The holidays this year have been a big disappointment on my end, for many reasons which I won't mention here. But the main reason is explained throughout this post.

If you've read through this entire thing, I am very grateful that you took the time to do so!

[myloveforhergoeson]

That's All She Wrote - Chapter 27

Chapter Index

Find me on wattpad + ao3!

Chapter 27: Ho Ho Hopefully (2.9) ~ 24k

Eight days. 

James had been back in Minnesota for eight days. 

192 hours, 11520 minutes, 691,200 seconds since Roxy had dropped him off at the airport… Not that she had been counting. It had been nearly impossible for her to keep track of time thanks to the extra effort Gustavo and Kelly were expecting from her, Logan, Kendall, and Carlos to make up for their bandmate's absence. 

None of them had expected their bosses to be okay with the singer’s request for a full eight days off of work to celebrate Hanukkah with his mother; Their work schedule was already jam-packed between recording sessions, media training, and dance practices since the native Minnesotans were all planning on heading home for the holiday season on December 24th. 

“You can’t just say ‘No,’ to Brooke Diamond,” James had told her, getting the phone call from the entrepreneur two weeks ago asking him to come home for her holiday celebration. There was a bit of dismay in his voice as he shared, hinting at how he felt about heading back to Duluth, something his girlfriend was reluctant to comment on.

He had been correct in his statement about his mother, learning she had also called their boss with the same request, and his time off was immediately approved without a second thought. Gustavo even offered to pay for his round-trip flight, as long as James could make it back to record in the four-day gap between the last night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve. 

Roxy had a sneaking suspicion his decision would have been the same even without Brooke’s intervention. Even with the band’s tough working conditions as the year was coming to a close, she suspected that they were rubbing off on him more than he cared to admit. The other day he had let Carlos collaborate with Mr. X to formulate a new dance routine, Logan had convinced him they needed more than one half-hour break throughout the workday, and it seemed as though he was yelling at Kendall far less than he ever had in the past. Gustavo was even critiquing her songwriting less and less, acting more as a songwriting partner than an authority figure. So, James’ approved time off was only supporting her theory, though she knew the man would never admit it. 

In between work days, packing for her trip home, and making and shopping for presents for her friends and father, Roxy and James were on the phone constantly. Text messages if they were caught up in something, phone calls on the way home from places, FaceTalk all hours of the night… Carlos had taken her phone away from her when they were playing Biohazard Blast the other day against Kendall and Logan because it was a ‘“major distraction.”

Tonight, Camille and Jo had done the same when they entered 2-H for a dinner get-together they had planned now that Roxy and Camille could stand to be in the same room as each other. Their first time hanging out together in quite a while would also be the last time all three girls would be able to spend time with each other before their respective trips home. While their busy schedules were much appreciated, it made seeing one another almost impossible these days.

“Don’t look so sad! We’re way more fun to hang out with than your virtual boyfriend,” Camille joked over the sound of holiday music drifting from Roxy’s tape player, poking around in songwriter’s cabinets to find the right cookware for the tacos the three were planning on making. 

Taking the ingredients from her fridge and pantry, Roxy chuckled at her friend’s comment, “While that may be true, it doesn’t change the fact that I miss him so much. My journal is full of sappy, cliche songs to prove it.”

Not only had this been the longest James and Roxy had been apart, but the boys had told her this was also the longest they had ever gone without seeing James as well.

“Girl’s Night is about forgetting all of that!” Countered Jo, who slid into one of the chairs at the small kitchen table while looking the songwriter up and down. “Can we trust you in that t-shirt or do you need to change?”

Referencing Roxy’s choice of dress, one of the merch items from the Big Time Rush tour, the actress reached out and poked the picture of Kendall standing beside his friends on the front of the shirt. 

“If you go put yours on we can match…” The songwriter trailed off, slightly singsong, before the other girl loudly cleared her throat.

“Forgetting!” 

Finally, the assistant grew compliant with her friend’s wishes. “Big Time who?”

“That’s the spirit!” For the rest of the time spent preparing the meal, the three were finally able to catch up on everything they had missed during Roxy and Camille’s fighting period. Jo was still having trouble getting along with her New Town High co-star, Jett Stetson, despite the first season filming slowly drawing to a close. From her descriptions, Jett was finding it difficult to separate his own life from that of his fictitious counterpart, Drake Steele. The actor had even gone as far as to mistake Drake’s relationship with Jo’s character, Rachel Blesse, for reality, which Kendall was less than thrilled about. 

On Camille’s turn, she was elated to share all of the projects she had been in the process of auditioning for. Her ability to completely give herself over to the roles she was pursuing shocked the other two, as she showed off a few scenes she had been practicing for the TV show Break a Leg, Charlotte!, the movie Rock Camp 5, and the musical Billion Dollar Trio. Since she wasn’t currently filming anything and she wasn’t spending time with Logan anymore, the actress had far more time to continue to hone her talent and blow the casting directors away.

In exchange, Roxy allowed herself to share some updates on a few incomplete songs she had been slowly piecing together. Normally, she’d be bothered by the fact she wasn’t finished with them yet, but Gustavo had been overlading her and the band with work this week the two hadn’t found any time in which to collaborate. Tentatively, she planned to have at least one song ready for Big Time Rush to release by the new year, she just needed some more guidance on one she had titled “Got Something.” Beyond that, there wasn’t much else Roxy had going on at the moment, so she rambled about going back to Minnesota as the girls loaded up their plates with the delicious meal of rice, beans, and tacos they had prepared together. 

“After being in Los Angeles for so long, I’m afraid my body has acclimated to the perfect sunny weather… The minute we touch down in Duluth the snow is going to kill me!”

Camille and Jo both nodded in agreement as they took their first bites, both of them far better equipped to handle the cold weather than their friends who were Los Angeles-born and bred, like the Jennifers.

Sitting at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Marion, North Carolina would often see snow during the colder winter months, so Jo’s hometown was no stranger to low temperatures. However, that would be the least of her worries about her holiday journey home. 

It wasn’t often she spoke about her family, but from what Roxy had gathered over the course of their friendship, her father and grandmother were the people she was closest to. Since her grandmother couldn’t make the trip from Marion to Los Angeles, Jo hadn’t seen her in quite some time. The real issue, however, was seeing her mother, Donna, and older sister, Vic, who had split off from the family together almost fifteen years ago. As Jo had mentioned before, getting together for Christmas and birthdays with her divorced parents and uncaring older sibling was always a drag and she expected this year to be no different. 

“Never mind the snow! My dad said Mom’s bringing her new boyfriend over this year… How fun that’ll be. On top of having to see that, she’ll probably hound me about Kendall too - try to find any sliver of connection between us and pretend as if she cares about what’s going on with me.”

The blonde scrunched her face in disgust, leading Camille to ask, “What if you just locked yourself in your room with your grandma? She’ll protect you,” with a mouthful of food.

Half-joking, half-serious, that comment seemed to lighten the mood just enough for Jo to crack a small smile. “She can be quite scary as long as her cane is within reach and she’s always very vocal about how she doesn’t like my mom or Vic so they tend to steer clear… Maybe it won’t be all that bad. I just don’t get why they insist we do this every single year!”

While Roxy wanted to offer some advice to her friend, slowly chewing away, she didn’t understand family dynamics in the same way Jo and Camille did. Being an only child in a single-parent household made it difficult for her to even imagine what Jo was going through. The closest thing she had ever had to sisters were the girls in her apartment right now and not getting along with them royally sucked; Jo and Vic’s relationship had been strained for so long, it seemed completely unsalvagable. 

“My parents hate each other's guts, I can’t stand to be around my sister, and none of us know how to make a honey-glazed ham. It’s always a disaster. I wish I could just go with one of you guys instead.”

“I’d offer if we wouldn’t have a full house in New Windsor,” Camille shared, pushing around some of the rice on her plate, mentioning one of the two homes her family owned in Connecticut. “Normally we stay in our vacation home in Westport, but Gabriel and his husband are staying with my mom so we needed the extra space. That, and Elliott and Claude are bringing their college roommates with them.”

At times, it was difficult to keep all five of Camille’s brothers straight, even with the context in which she spoke about them. Roxy knew that Jules was only a year older than her and still in high school. Of all of her siblings, she was the closest with him, so that meant the twins Elliott and Claude were the next in age since they were still in college. She was pretty sure Gabriel was the oldest, considering he was the only one of the Roberts siblings to be married, which left only Jean-Luc to fill in the second child gap. 

Sucking in a breath at the sheer notion of having that many people in one place at the same time, Roxy breathed, “I don’t know how you manage to buy everyone gifts each year. My head almost exploded getting stuff for you two, the boys, Jennifer, Katie, Gustavo, Kelly, and my dad.”

All eleven of her gifts had already been handmade or purchased and completely wrapped in the brightest red paper she could find, hiding under her bed so no one would find them before they were supposed to. 

“Oh, trust me, I’m moments away from not even using gift wrap… I’ll just put everything under the tree and they all have to figure it out.” The actress deadpanned. “How I’ll even get them all home is another story.”

Nodding in agreement as she pushed her clean plate forward, Jo seemed to be facing the same issue as well, “Kendall mentioned that Mrs. Knight is an expert packer - Maybe you can ask her for help.”

“My dad also claims to be an expert packer but every single year we fly home we’ve had to rearrange our bags because they end up being too heavy!”

Had she not been preoccupied with thinking about her own flight home, Roxy might have added something to the conversation, but she was beginning to feel slightly queasy with her final bite of food. She and the band were flying home in the afternoon, meaning they wouldn’t get to Duluth until late into the evening.

At least I’ll get to see Dad and we can have some semblance of a Christmas Eve celebration. Hopefully, the flight doesn’t knock me out. Maybe if I put a playlist on and lay on James’ shoulder I can sleep the airsickness away. Oh! I need to call him tonight, he hasn’t texted me at all today. Probably because he’s busy, not because he’s-

“Roxy? What about you?”

“Hm?” Her head snapped up, pulling her away from her thoughts. Despite not having heard anything her friends had said for the last minute or so she tried, “You can sleep on my floor, Jo. It’ll just be me and my dad. From what I’ve told him about you, he thinks you’re pretty neat, but be warned he might try and put you onto some Minnesota underground punk band.”

The songwriter watched as Jo and Camille paused for a second, glancing at each other before bursting out laughing, the sound echoing off the walls of her small apartment. 

“Too busy thinking about James to pay attention to us?” Jo teased and Roxy felt her face flush, which was all the response the pair needed to know they were right in their suspicions. “I was telling Camille I got Kendall a new hockey stick he’s been talking about for months now! What did you get James?”

When Roxy pushed back, “Sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name…” per the Girl’s Night rules the blond had established at the beginning of the evening then promptly broke, Camille stuck her foot out and pushed the assistant’s chair, jostling her. 

Kicking her chair right back, ignoring the creaking of the ancient wood, she protested again, “It’s a secret! If I tell you two, then Jo will tell Kendall, who will tell Logan, who will tell Carlos, who will tell James! That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

“So dramatic…” Camille said, clicking her tongue a few times, which made the writer want to defend her actions further. 

“It’s true! Jo’s been 100% honest after her fake boyfriend fiasco and Kendall’s nosey! All of you are just going to have to wait until the appropriate time to receive your gifts. Until then, my lips are sealed!”

“Killjoy…” Jo jokingly muttered with a roll of her eyes, speaking just loud enough to annoy her friend as she got up to clear the plates from the table. 

Turning to Camille, who was also pushing away from the table to help with the dishes, Roxy matched the actress’ volume as she contemplated, “I think eleven gifts is far too many. Who’s should I return first? Hers or Kendall’s?”

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, a smile curving her gorgeous features, she managed to catch a glimpse at the clock on the microwave. In an instant, her smile turned into a frown. “When did it get so late?”

That caught Jo’s attention, who glanced over her shoulder to check the time as well. “Shit! We’re starting our shoot at 7 am tomorrow… I still need to go over some of my scenes. Jett gets so bitchy if we have to do more than a few takes per scene - Like he’s some sort of perfect actor!” 

Her scoff was not lost on her friends; While she loved her job more than anything in the world, Jo still had to deal with annoying co-workers.

Joining her in front of the sink, Roxy slung an arm over the blonde’s shoulder, “Hang in there, girl! Just remember Rocque Records isn’t that far from Collosal Studios. If you ever need the guys to take a trip down to the New Town High set, just let us know.”

Jo easily leaned into her friend, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath as Camille walked over and joined the girls’ embrace. “I should probably head out too. Morning auditions.”

“And I’ve got to get James from the airport bright and early before we have to stop by Rocque Records to give Kelly and Gustavo their gifts.”

Even though it was time for the night to come to an end, none of them made any attempts to move, simply enjoying the warm embrace for as long as possible as the tape of holiday tunes filled up the silence.

***

It didn’t take Roxy very long to clean up dinner. Lazily singing along to the music from her tape player, the dishes were done in a flash, there was barely any food left to save for later, and the red tablecloth covering her table was thrown into the washing machine. 

When she was finished, she attempted to FaceTalk James, but he didn’t pick up. Chalking it up to the two-hour time difference, she tried not to take it personally that he hadn’t even sent her a goodnight text after no messages at all for most of the day. Just in case he was still awake, she sent him a smiley face and a few hearts before setting her phone down to charge and heading to the bathroom to wind down for the night. 

One nice, long shower later, she had changed into her pajamas and settled down on her bed to write her journal entry for the day. Like most entries, this one had come easy to her. 

Whenever she had a wonderful time with her friends, it was effortless to recall and write down; She had even managed to snatch the recipe Camille had used to make the taco meat and scribbled that out as well as a reminder for the future. Towards the bottom of the page, Roxy managed to get a few sentences out about her worries that James hadn’t texted her, ultimately deciding that the sooner she went to bed, the sooner she’d wake up to a message of his in the morning. 

Just as she set her book and pen down on her nightstand, rolling off her plush duvet to turn off the lights in 2-H, she left her bedroom only to hear a quiet knock on her front door.

Instantly, she froze, heart rate levels spiking to the roof.

Who could possibly be here this late?

Had it been one of the boys, Mrs. Knight, or Katie, they would have used the door connecting their apartments. That ruled out almost everyone she’d be okay with seeing at this hour. 

Scanning the kitchen table, she didn’t notice anything Jo or Camille may have left behind and they certainly would have sent her a message if they were intending to come back over. 

Buddha Bob, the maintenance man only came upon request and everything in her apartment was in proper working order. Mr. Bitters, though always looking for a reason to kick her and the band out of the Palm Woods, didn’t care enough about his job to come knocking at her door this late.

Knock knock

Once again, the soft tapping at her door came again and Roxy slowly crept over to her couch, squatting down to grab the old hockey stick Logan insisted she hid there when they first moved to L.A. in case she would ever need it. 

Better to be safe than sorry, she told herself, gripping the smooth, taped-over wood in one hand as she made her way to her front door. Heart still threatening to beat out of her chest with anxiety, she moved as quietly as possible, undoing the deadbolt and slowly cracking the door just enough to see who was outside. 

Two big suitcases, one hockey duffel, and a familiar, tall, handsome boy stood in the entryway with a big, ridiculous grin on his face. 

Before James could even get out a word of greeting, the hockey stick Roxy had been holding loudly clattered to the tiled floor at her feet as she pulled the door wide open and launched herself at her boyfriend. Hands easily meeting around his neck, legs wrapping around his waist, she squeezed him so tightly she could have cracked one of his ribs. 

Despite his winded, “Oof,” his duffel hit the floor with a thud as one arm encircled her waist, the other burying itself into her hair as he pressed Roxy into the crook of his neck. 

“Hey, songbird. Miss me?”

***

Three days ago, Roxy learned that one of the best feelings in the entire world, next to songwriting, of course, was waking up in James Diamond’s arms. 

As a last-minute holiday surprise, her boyfriend had changed his initial flight from Minnesota back to Los Angeles for one earlier in the day so he and Roxy could spend some time together before jumping right back into their never-ending work the next day. Though he had drifted off the minute his head hit one of her pillows thanks to his long day of travel, Roxy couldn’t get even a wink of sleep as he held her throughout the night. She was too focused on the rhythmic patterns of his breathing and heartbeat, almost a song in itself as she snuggled into him. A song she would be likely daydreaming about for the rest of her life. 

That feeling was more than enough to help her get through her last few days in Hollywood before she and her friends were meant to fly back home. A mix of excitement and nerves flustered around in Roxy’s chest, though it was being severely outweighed by the bitter cold of the L.A. morning she and her friends were experiencing outside of the TKSimmons at the crowded Beverly Center. 

Leave it to the boys to have none of their holiday shopping done less than 24 hours before Christmas. Like any other good assistant in the greater Los Angeles area, that meant their gifts were her responsibility too - Or so she had learned when the boys burst down her door before the crack of dawn and begged her to take them downtown. 

“‘Twas the morning before Christmas, and L.A. was hopping, and the boys were up early doing last-minute shopping…” Their assistant narrated, bundling into her MAHS sweatshirt as she and the boys stood in line, not-so-patiently waiting for the department store to open its doors. 

Carlos drove his shoulder into hers, clearly not finding the commentary as funny as she did, though it didn’t bother the girl at all. Roxy was too busy trying to figure out the line of her next poem, playing with James’ hand she held in one of his big coat pockets for extra warmth. 

“Who shops at 5 am on Christmas Eve Day?” Logan questioned, glancing back behind him at the massive line that had formed outside the store. Why he had expected the band to be the only last-minute shoppers in a city of 3.9 million people, she had no idea. 

“Us!” Snapped James, shooting his friend a nasty glare at his unnecessary comment. “‘Cause we didn’t shop for anyone except Gustavo and Roxy.”

Their assistant turned to Kendall, though her, “You didn’t get anything for Jo yet?” was overlapped with Carlos’ “They’re gonna love their gifts!”

She knew Kendall heard, however, as he quickly glanced at his shoes, before his signature Knight confidence came back in full swing to dodge the comment. “And for everyone else, we can get two gifts instead of one with all the money we’ll save at this 70% off last-minute shoppers super sale!”

“How fiscally responsible of you,” Roxy sarcastically mumbled, watching as her breath condensated against the winter air. Just like Minnesota.

“But it is!” Her boyfriend protested, letting go of her hand and maneuvering behind her to wrap the girl up under his coat when he noticed she was shivering. “All our shopping in one location at low, low prices.”

“Have you ever heard diamonds are a girl’s best friend? Can’t find those at low, low prices.”

“You’ve already got a Diamond for Christmas.” Roxy could practically hear the smirk forming on his face as she sunk back into him. 

Completely ignoring the couple’s sidebar, Carlos decided to carry on the original conversation with a chuckle, “It’s the perfect shopping holiday experience.”

“Is this your first 5 am super sale?” The blonde woman in line ahead of them asked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes as she glanced between the five teens - Almost as if she were sizing each of them up. 

With a weak, “Yeah,” they nodded. 

From behind them, another woman leaned forward, the same scrutinizing gaze. “Good luck.”

“Good luck?” Echoed Logan, brows knitting in confusion. “What? What does that mean?”

Fifteen minutes later, the boys found out exactly why they would need such a blessing from a random stranger. 

The TKSimmons was in shambles from the moment the rope up front dropped and everyone from the line ran inside of the large department store, knocking other patrons left and right as they tumbled to the displays they were in search of. It reminded Roxy of entering a standing-room-only concert venue - If you didn’t run to the barricade as fast as possible, there was no chance you’d ever see the people on stage. Because of that, she respected the hustle and was more than happy to stand off to the side and admire the store’s holiday displays as her boys entered the store-turned-battle arena.

In one corner, Kendall and the blonde woman ahead of them were pulling the ugliest sweater Roxy had ever seen back and forth by the sleeves. The two of them went many rounds, Kendall crying, “It’s for my mom!” as the blonde yelled, “Back off, kid!” before the sweater tore completely in half.

A few large displays across, James was tightly gripping a bright orange pillow and a box of tissues, while the brunette in line behind them who wished them good luck was clinging to his back like a koala. It looked as though she was attempting to pry the pillow out of his hands, but he managed to bop her in the face a few times with it instead. Roxy wasn’t shy about her bellowing laugh, pulling her cellphone camera out to record her boyfriend in such a compromising position.

Just as a shorter, beautiful young woman ran in front of her camera frame, Roxy swore she recognized her from somewhere, but her attention was drawn elsewhere as she heard Carlos screaming from the upper level of the store. Caught up in the cookware section, he had a few boxes of ceramic plates in his hands while he used a cast iron skillet like a shield to defend himself from another shopper, loud clanks echoing off the high ceilings of the building and mixing with his wailing, “Oh, God, get back! Get back!”

“I got it!” Came Logan’s voice from another side of the store, almost indiscernible against all the noise of the other shoppers, but Roxy eventually found him triumphantly holding a pretty green scarf and matching pair of green gloves, presumably for his mothers. Or, were for his mothers, before the woman who was clinging to James detached herself from him and made a beeline for Logan, tackling him over the display of nice, colorful zip-up jackets.

They’ve got it all handled, Roxy told herself, not foreseeing them getting out of this mess any time soon. Still keeping to herself, she noticed some bright green arrows on the white-tiled floor of the store and decided to follow them through the chaos. Everyone seemed so preoccupied with fighting over merchandise, the pathways of the store were shockingly clear. A few lefts and rights brought the girl to the back of the store, where the kid’s section was. This area had already been decimated, judging by the lack of toys on the walls and the bits and pieces of clothing strewn about. Since it was relatively empty, Roxy noticed a large, red mailbox in the center of the area and a round table beside it holding a stack of lined paper and some multicolor pens. 

A round, white logo reading North Pole Express decorated the side of the mailbox in the middle of the wintery display.

Glancing back over her shoulder, she could see the boys together now, bundles of who-knows-what under their arms as they fought toward the checkout line. 

“Jingle Bell Rock” flowed through the hidden speakers of the store, beckoning Roxy closer to the table, where she grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen for herself. Be it a bit childish, what harm could writing a letter to Santa do while she waited? 

Though she knew it would likely just land in the recycle bin outside the back of the store, she gingerly wrote out her name at the top of the page and scribbled down her Christmas wishes. 

New traditions with my friends

A wonderful day with my dad

A kiss under the mistletoe

More Hollywood connections

Joy on my friends’ faces as they open my gifts to them

Folding the paper into thirds, placing the letter in the envelope, then dropping it into the mailbox reminded her of when she was younger and her dad would take her to the mall to get her pictures taken with old Saint Nick.

I can’t wait to see him again.

It wasn’t long after that Roxy meandered back up to the checkout lines, where her friends caught her arms despite the multiple, giant red shopping bags they carried. They were all panting as though they had just run a marathon, dragging her to the front doors of the store, and the moment they stepped outside onto the streets of Los Angeles, they were able to find respite. 

“We did it!” Carlos cheered, though it looked as though a few bruises might have been forming on different parts of his face. “Christmas shopping is done!”

Standing next to James, Roxy noticed that his coat had been partially torn off, so she grabbed the bags from his right hand and gave him a moment to readjust back into his outfit. “We have no idea what we got, but the savings were incredible,” he told her.

Peeking in his bags at James’ words, Kendall was trying to figure out just what he had purchased, before he looked up at his assistant, eyes widening in fear. “Wait, we thought Logan was with you!”

“I thought he was with you!” Roxy shot back, panic striking her chest. 

Seconds later their friend’s telltale cry came from behind them and when the teens turned, they found him in the middle of some lady’s cart as she wheeled it to her car with a cherry red bow on his head. “I think I got bought!”

***

Roxy knew there would come a day when the Big Time Rush CD in the Pontiac’s glove box would come in handy, and that day just happened to be today. Once the boys all reluctantly signed it the woman at the department store thought that to be a fitting trade-off for their best friend, meaning they were now free to head back to the Palm Woods to hand off the things they had bought to their friends before heading to Rocque Records. 

Using one of the hotel luggage carts to carry all of their bags, and Logan, into the lobby, the band and their assistant were met with a crowded room as everyone was preparing to go home for the holidays. Gifts were being exchanged, the front desk was overloaded with help requests for shuttles to the airport, and Big Time Rush was caught in the middle of it all when Camille popped up in front of them. 

“Merry Christmas!” She cheered, smiling down at Logan as she gripped the handle of her large suitcase. Dressed in an adorable pink sweater and a powder blue beanie, Camille was all ready to head back to Connecticut, she just had a few more gifts to hand out. One by one, everyone received their gift from her in different forms of cartoonish wrapping paper, and when she ended on Logan, he had the biggest gift of them all. When she spoke again, she addressed only him, but the others knew her instructions applied to them as well. “Don’t open it until tomorrow!”

A chorus of thank you’s echoed through the group as Roxy opened her bag to pull out Camille’s gift, a pack of new eraseable highlighters for her scripts, handing it off to her with a smile as Logan stumbled over his next words. Digging through one of the red bags in front of him, he searched for a moment before proclaiming, “And, uh, here’s my present to you!”

Thank God Camille was an incredible actress because anyone with even a shred less talent couldn’t have faked the excitement written across her face as Logan passed her a pop-tabbed aluminum tin with a big green bow on top. “A canned ham.”

Nodding enthusiastically at his choice, the other boys joined in to back him up in his decision before the singer characteristically doubted himself and asked, “Or would you like… A…”

Frantically, the boys dove into their bags as well, loudly rummaging around for anything that would be better than the gift Logan had given to the girl who cared for him so deeply. While they searched, Roxy and Camille made confused eye contact, and the writer decided that things were beginning to look up for her friends relationship-wise. Though it had been rocky for a while, Camille and Logan seemed to be getting comfortable being around each other again - Enough to even exchange gifts before Christmas. 

If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what is.

A cough from James brought her out of her head as she watched him discreetly hand off something encased in gold foil to the struggling boy who registered what it was just in time to announce, “...A scented candle!”

One more glance over to Roxy almost made the assistant fail at keeping her laughter in check. 

“I’ll keep the ham,” The actress proudly announced, leaning in to kiss Logan on the cheek. “And I will see you guys next year. Be sure to text me!”

Though her last statement was mainly aimed at her best friend as Camille wrapped Roxy in her arms, she knew the boys would take it to heart too. 

“You know I will,” Roxy breathed, crushing her friend just as tightly back. Mentally, she willed good holiday vibes knowing she was headed straight into a packed house with her entire family. “Safe travels! And Minnesota isn’t that far if you get lonely!”

Throwing her head back in laughter as she made her way to the door, Camille’s black curls fell beautifully down her shoulders at her friend’s completely untrue words, and just like that, she and her father were off on their holiday journey home.  

Watching her go slightly saddened Roxy, but Kendall didn’t let her sit in her feelings for much longer as he called, “Onward, Santa’s helpers!”

Navigating the cramped lobby space with all of their items was more difficult than the boys had anticipated, but everyone made it to the elevators without a scratch, dent, or dink in any of their presents. It was there they bumped into Jo, who was coming down the stairs with her suitcase and overnight bag. Like Camille, she was already dressed in her winter clothing - A coat so white she might get lost in the snow and a dark-colored striped scarf.

“Stop!” The boys called, startling both Roxy and Jo as Kendall finished, “Right there until you get your Christmas gift!”

Not having to rummage nearly as long as Logan had, the blond reached down into the bag he was holding and pulled out a large white photo frame before extending it out toward his girlfriend. 

Aww, his assistant thought, until Jo examined the frame, flipping it around to show off to the others. “Baby’s first birthday frame?”

“No!” Kendall immediately corrected her, holding out his palm for Carlos to drop a silver bow into before slapping it over the frame’s text. “It’s our first Christmas frame… Or it will be when you put a picture of us in it.”

Reaching in front of James, Roxy slugged Kendall in the arm at his laziness.

“And here’s my gift to you!” Someone called from down the hallway, Jett, managing to appear at just the right time to annoy his co-star’s boyfriend. He held two sleek, silver tablets in his hands, each home screen decorated with the image of a red cartoon ribbon. 

Jo was rendered speechless, as anyone would be receiving such an expensive gift in front of their partner, only managing to push out, “Wow, Jett, an iSlab?”

Sliding the screen on one of the tablets to change the picture, some text popped up, reading Merry Christmas Jo! From, Jett before swiping again to show off the other features. “And it’s preloaded with pics of us.”

Kendall sputtered a bit, presumably trying to mouth off at the actor, but Jett cut him off anyway. 

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t have a hit TV show with a fat three-year contract like me.”

Taking a deep breath, the blond kept his cool. “Yes… but you don’t have three friends who are hockey players, like me.”

With the snap of his fingers, Carlos, Logan, and James charged over to Jett and picked him up by his arms, dragging him off toward the lobby so Kendall and Jo could have some time alone. Roxy got the memo too, trailing off after the boys as the actor cried, “Jo, call them off! Stop, guys, I bruise easy! I bruise so easy! No!”

It wasn’t until they reached the front doors did the boys set Jett down, but before he managed to scurry off, he tossed the other iSlab Roxy’s way. She hardly registered that he had even meant to send it in her direction, barely catching it before the glass screen shattered across the carpet. 

With widening eyes, she felt her brows shoot to her forehead. As she looked up, she met James’ equally as shocked gaze. 

“Jett, I couldn’t accept-”

Before she could even get the words out and hand it back to him, he caught James’ attention without even bothering to look the assistant’s way. “I’m not interested in putting the moves on your girl, tiger. It was a two-for-one sale and I don’t like any of you hockeyheads!” This time, the writer held her breath as he winked at her, “Merry Christmas.”

Roxy didn’t even want the damn thing, her phone and laptop worked perfectly fine, but Jett managed to slip away before James could collect his thoughts and kick the actor further off the property. Just holding it made her feel sick to her stomach, like she had been the one to do something wrong.

“I’ll, um…” She tried, but finding the right words seemed impossible. Twirling the iSlab a few times in her palms, she grimaced, “I’ll drop it off at his door before we leave. I-It’d be super rude to accept; I didn’t get him anything.”

As quickly as she could, she tucked the tablet into her mini backpack and forced a grin when she looked back up at her friends. “Think Kendall and Jo are done saying goodbye now?”

Successful in her attempt to change the subject, Roxy twirled her hand around James’ arm and pulled him off in the direction of the elevators so she could see her friend before she left. But, she had estimated wrong, because Kendall and Jo were nowhere near done. They were too wrapped up in making out under a sprig of mistletoe hanging from Kendall’s Christmas gift - the brand-new hockey stick Jo had mentioned the other night. They only realized they had an audience when James let out a small whistle and the couple slowly pulled away from one another. 

As Roxy dove into her bag, nausea returning when her fingers brushed the iSlab, she managed to find Jo’s gift - a collection of their favorite supernatural TV shows on DVD - to hand over just as the elevator doors dinged open to reveal the Jennifers decked out in their winter clothes. It made Roxy wonder where they all called home. 

Just when Jo accepted the gift from her friend, stepping forward to capture her in her second big hug of the day, Carlos yanked the hockey stick from Kendall’s hand and dangled it in front of the three actresses before they could step out of the elevator.

“Hey, girls! Mistletoe!” He shared with an elated giggle, flicking the plant so it danged back and forth in front of them. “Now you gotta kiss me!”

“No,” They said in unison as they took a step forward. “We have to catch a flight.”

Pushing past him with their abundance of bags, Carlos turned back to his friends looking slightly dejected. Though it wasn’t anything new from those three, he always expected a different outcome. 

When Roxy reached out to take the stick from him and tried to offer some words of comfort, she was shocked when someone placed their hand on her shoulder to pull her back. James, discreetly pointing to the right, cast her line of sight back to the three girls who had dropped their bags with Mr. Bitters in the lobby and were heading back over toward their friend.

“Aw, what the heck,” Brown-haired Jennifer rolled her eyes, the other two joining in as they chorused, “It’s Christmas!”

One by one, they each kissed him on the cheek before heading off toward their luggage once more, ready to head to the airport like most of the other Palm Woods residents. 

It took Carlos a while to come down from that, shouting “I love you!” at the mistletoe as he walked back over to his friends. When he held Kendall’s gift back out to him, James blurted, “My turn!” and snatched it out of Carlos’ hands. 

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend’s actions, Roxy felt her cheeks heat a bit when he held it over her head. “I wonder who the lucky lady’s going to be…”

“I’ll give you three hints!” James told her, eliciting a groan from the rest of their friends, though, Roxy wasn’t paying any attention to them as she stared up at his big, brown eyes. “One - She’s an incredible guitar player.”

Pretending to think, his girlfriend held a finger to her cheek, “Hm… Joan Jett?”

Though she mentally winced a bit at the word “Jett,” it didn’t seem to phase James. 

“Two - She’s a phenomenal songwriter.”

“Oh! Got it!” Roxy smiled, leaning back into the wall behind her. “Avril Lavigne.”

Now it was James’ turn to play around, “Close, close… I think you’re on the right track, but I’ll give you the last one anyway. She’s breathtaking - like, completely knocks the wind out of me and I’m absolutely crazy about her.”

“That’s four things.”

“Do you want five? I’ll give you five.”

All Roxy needed to do was slightly angle her head up from where it rested on the wall before James leaned down, giving her the kiss under the mistletoe she had written on her Christmas wish list. 

When they broke apart, they looked around the hall to notice their friends had gone missing, no doubt back up to 2-J to get some last-minute wrapping in to finish packing for their trip. Threading her fingers through her boyfriend’s free hand, Roxy gently tugged him toward the staircase, before the elevator dinged to symbolize its arrival. 

That gives me an even better idea…

Wordlessly, she changed her direction, pulling him into the elevator and pressing the second-floor button. 

Once the doors closed, she turned to face him, pulling the hockey stick away from him while she used her other hand to press the emergency stop button on the elevator. 

“Uh, Roxy-”

Wiggling the stick around so the mistletoe was widely swinging back and forth above their heads, she batted her eyes a few times before she looked up at James. “It’s not fair that everyone else had a turn with this thing but me.”

Newfound sense of confidence now that she was in control of the mistletoe, Roxy took a large step forward. Now it was his turn to be backed up to the gray padded wall. 

Hesitantly, James’ hands made their way to her hips. 

“God,” He breathed. “You’re so right, baby.”

***

By the time Roxy and James had emerged from the elevator, many things had been happening in 2-J that the two were wholly unaware of as they made their way to the open door. Holding her head high as she sauntered in, the songwriter caught up to Kendall, who was standing in front of the kitchen table with the rest of their friends, and handed him the hockey stick, without the mistletoe hanging from the ribbon any longer. 

“Sorry,” She whispered as James’ dragging footsteps alerted her to the boy clinging to the doorframe to keep himself upright. “I wanted a go too.”

“Roxy!” The frontman’s eyes widened and when he noticed James come in the door behind her, in a complete state of disarray, he wasn’t even able to continue this statement. All he could do was take in the singer’s ruffled hair, torn button-up, and red lipstick marks completely covering his face and neck. “What the fuck did you do to him?”

From the other side of the room, his mother gasped. “Kendall Donald Knight!”

“Mistletoe, good!” His friend at the door weakly responded once the boy gave his mother a weak apology, pointing a finger at the stick in Kendall’s hand.

When he collapsed to the floor, Roxy, as backward as it was, felt quite satisfied with herself, promising, “He’ll be up in a minute.”

Everyone stared at her for a moment before she bashfully stepped behind Carlos. 

“O-kay,” Mrs. Knight announced, fully ready to move on from whatever was happening with her teens. “Our flight leaves in five hours, so who’s helping?”

She gestured to the multitude of suitcases, clothing, and wrapped gifts spread out in the living room of 2-J. Every single surface, from the kitchen table to the orange couch, to the wooden floor was covered in items that needed to make it to Minnesota with them. 

There’s no way all of that is coming back with us.

“Oh, all of us!” Promised Kendall, holding up a large delivery envelope with a mystery gift inside. “But first we have to go give Gustavo his amazing present!”

The four of them had been so secretive about the present, that they hadn’t even told their assistant what it was. She guessed about a million things while she was talking to Logan the other day after he had boasted about ordering it, but every single time she said something, he told her she was incorrect. It was a good thing she had the foresight to get her bosses their own separate gifts; If it was something stupid, she wanted no part in it. 

“Ooh, don’t forget about Kelly!” Carlos chimed in, surprisingly the band’s voice of reason. 

From the luggage trolley, Logan called, “Right!” before diving into yet another one of the large red bags at his feet to find something worthy of the talent scout. “Does anyone know if she likes regular track shoes?”

While the boys looked very satisfied when he pulled them from the bag, triumphantly housing them up in the air, Roxy just had to burst their bubble. “Those shoes don’t match, guys - One’s black and one’s white. I don’t think they’re the same size either.”

***

Though Duluth was far from a small town, the back roads were usually clear on major holidays. Los Angeles, of course, could never have such a luxury. 

Any other day, the five would have been content to sit in traffic together, chatting or listening to one of Roxy’s tapes while she rattled off facts about her favorite songs, but today’s time crunch had everyone on edge. By the time they arrived at Rocque Records, the boys practically sprinted into the building to catch their bosses before they took off for the company’s holiday break. As Roxy recalled from the last team Big Time Rush meeting, Kelly had mentioned Gustavo was headed off to vacation solo on some South Pacific island. When she asked if Kelly had any plans, the woman just sighed and grumbled something about heading to Montana to see her family. 

When the teens finally reached Gustavo’s office, they found him walking out into the hall with two large suitcases with his regular tracksuit attire swapped out for a cheesy Hawaiian shirt. Trailing behind him was Kelly, just as eager to get out of the building as he was.

“Dawgs, Roxanne, let’s make this quick because I’m going to Fiji for the holidays!” Their boss shared in an off-key sing-songy tone and was met with looks of disapproval from the band and their assistant. “Okay, it’s not my best song ever, but who cares? I’m going to Fiji!”

From the red shopping bag he had carried in, James produced the orange package they had topped with a green bow as Kendall said, “Well, we just wanted to give you this.”

“We ordered it special!” Beamed Carlos, shifting excitedly from side to side as the man took the present. 

Quick to tear into the wrapping, “Ooh-hoo-hoo,” Gustavo dropped the paper to the floor as he held up a pair of large, red pajamas that perfectly matched the tint of his red glasses. 

They were long and warm, essential for getting through cold winter nights, and when Roxy glanced around at her friends, they were practically shaking with anticipation as their boss examined his gift. It clearly meant a lot to them and they had taken great care in making sure they had picked out something special to give away. Instinctually, she slipped her hand into James’ as Gustavo began to frown.

“Pajamas? Really?”

The disappointment in his tone bothered the assistant immensely, though she wasn’t sure any of the boys had caught on. 

Kendall, still smiling, held up his fingerless gloved hand as he shared, “Every Christmas we wear our PJs all day long.”

“It’s our holiday tradition,” James added matter-of-factly. 

It didn’t take any time at all for their boss to respond, “Yeah, I’m not doing that,” before dropping the clothing onto the carpeted floor. 

“Why not?” Roxy blurted out before thinking. “It’s important to the band and it’s not like anyone’s going to see you since you’re traveling alone.”

In response, Gustavo just rolled his eyes and ignored her question, watching as Logan stepped forward to give Kelly her present - An oddly shaped gift with a big red bow on top. 

While she handled that, the girl felt James squeeze her hand a bit tighter before gesturing to the pile on the floor and dropping down to whisper, “We’ve got your pair somewhere in one of these bags, in case you were wondering.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened, darting back and forth between her boyfriend and her boss’ gift unwrapping. “That’s sweet to include me, James.”

“The guys wanted to wait until we were back in Minnesota to give them to you, but I didn’t want you to think we left you out.”

Roxy squeezed his hand back, feeling a content smile forming on her face. Here’s to new traditions with friends.

Now that two of her holiday wishes had been fulfilled, she leaned into James’ side as Kelly dropped the wrapping paper to the floor and examined the large silver appliance in her hands. “Oh, it’s a… panini alarm clock! Just what I always wanted.”

Notoriously, Kelly was a horrible liar, so the second the words left her mouth, the boys knew she wasn’t thrilled about her gift despite trying her best to be polite about it. As they dove back into the red bags to try and find a replacement, Roxy stepped forward and handed off her own gifts - A framed copy of her handwritten lyrics to the first song she and Gustavo had collaborated on, “Big Time Rush,” and an all-inclusive day trip to a fancy Malibu spa for Kelly. 

Gustavo’s whines of, “Why is her gift more expensive than mine?” were quickly drowned out once the boys had come back from their shopping bag searching and offered Kelly the choice of keeping her gift or swapping it for something else, like a pig-shaped watering can or a nutcracker dressed like a rock star. 

Too busy thinking about how unappreciative and spoiled Gustavo was acting after she had given him a gift that she had thought to be important, Roxy missed Kelly’s choice entirely. It had been one thing for him to not like the present the guys had gotten him, but he hadn’t cared for hers either. Certainly, he knew that lucrative items and extravagant trips weren’t the most important types of presents, right?

That thought alone was enough to make her anxious; She wasn’t sure her friends knew that either. I hope the boys like what I made for them…

“So what did you get us?” Kendall brazenly asked, slightly shocking the writer who feared for a moment he may have been addressing her, looking expectantly over toward the older man. 

Dropping Roxy’s present to the floor as well, Gustavo scoffed, “That’s a surprise,” before leaning over to his talent scout and ordering, “Kelly, get them something surprising for Christmas and ship it to them.”

It was hard to ignore the disappointment on her friend’s faces at not being handed a gift right then and there, but at least that was better than nothing. 

“Now,” He started up again, reaching out for his suitcases and ignoring his gift pile on the floor. “Let’s start the holidays!”

That was more than enough to elicit a cheer from everyone in the room, ready to take a much-needed break after their first year of hard work in Hollywood. Collecting their bags, the boys began to head toward the elevator, their assistant and bosses trailing behind them, when they bumped into Griffin and Obdul at the end of the hallway.

“Great news, everyone!” Griffin clapped his hands together, stopping everyone in their tracks. “I’ve decided to release a Big Time Rush Christmas EP!”

The boys found this to be a pretty cool addition to their discography, Carlos even adding a “Woo!” as he and the others tried to continue on, while Gustavo, Kelly, and Roxy stood stalk still. 

A chill shot down the assistant’s spine. This can’t be good.

“It will bring your fans lots of holiday joy and me lots of holiday money.” The businessman astutely pointed out, Obdul standing proudly at his side. 

Clutching her panini alarm clock to her chest, Kelly nodded at the CEO’s statement, trying to hide the panicked tone in her voice as she asked, “So you’re putting some extended mixes in some Christmas packaging?”

“No.” He responded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m putting Christmas songs in Christmas packaging!”

“Mr. Griffin, we haven’t written any Christmas songs.” Roxy tried to match his commanding tone, but the effect was lost as Gustavo held up one of his suitcases, adding on, “Which means we haven’t recorded any Christmas songs.”

The CEO blinked. “Well, then you better get started because no one’s going anywhere until I get my holiday EP.”

“How many songs?”

Gustavo’s question felt like a kick in the back of the head. Sitting down to write, record, and produce even one song would make all of them late for their flights which normally wouldn’t bother the writer. However, the later they left California, the later they got into Minnesota. That meant the precious amount of time she had to celebrate Christmas Eve with her father was at risk of being cut short. 

Maybe I can convince him to make them covers instead of originals… Even then it’ll take forever.

“Three songs. And you better make them good, Gustavo!”

Poorly disguising his distress, Gustavo stormed off to Studio A’s practice room, presumably having the same feelings about the situation as his songwriter. Everyone had no choice but to follow, dismayed, as they gathered on the hardwood floor of the large room.

“Three Christmas songs and make our flights by the evening?” The producer was pacing back and forth from the window to the booth to the back wall, flip-flops clicking with every step. “It can’t be done!”

“Sure it can. It’s called a Christmas miracle.” Griffin responded cooly, not seeing anything wrong with the situation he was putting his employees in.

Roxy buried her face in the thick, black sleeve of her boyfriend’s jacket and groaned. It was one thing for Griffin to stand idly by and reap the benefits of her band’s success and another thing entirely to work them like dogs.

Well, most of them shared the sentiment, except for Carlos, who at the mention of a miracle piped up, “Ooh, like me getting kissed by the Jennifers today?”

“I heard this old lady lost her prosthetic leg, right?” James added, animatedly talking with his hands and ruining Roxy’s resting place on his arm, “And then found it the next morning in her stocking!”

Neither of those examples helped their case in the slightest, but Griffin took them in stride. “See? And I want the songs available for download tonight.”

“Three songs… online… before we leave,” The songwriter was doing her very best to keep it together at their CEO’s insane request. 

Like every other time Griffin threw a curveball their way, BTR needed to confront this head-on. Her friends were very capable of making things happen. 

They wanted to be a boyband in Los Angeles? They clawed their way into Gustavo’s heart. They wanted a new, fancy remodeled apartment? They tricked Gustavo into building it right at home in 2-J. They wanted to perform on live television? They ensured there was time left for them on the broadcast.

So, if the boys wanted to make it home in time for Christmas, she had to believe they’d make it in time for Christmas - No matter how difficult it was to convince herself that to be true. Since Griffin had made up his mind, there was no use in moping around; It was time for action. 

When she let go of James’ hand to reach for one of the acoustic guitars hanging on the wall behind her, she realized Griffin wasn’t done speaking.

“Now, since it’s Christmas Eve, I’m off to the office to fire some people. I’ll check in with you later.”

Strumming a minor chord as he and Obdul left the studio, Roxy thought back to her Halloween dream in which she had imagined him to be the devil. These days, she wasn’t too sure if her fantasy had been that far off. 

Griffin’s abrupt exit left the room silent for quite some time - Gustavo was practically frozen, it felt like everyone watched the cogs in his brain stop turning - before Kendall cleared his throat. “We should do this! I think it’d be nice to give our fans a Christmas gift.”

He slung an arm around Logan’s shoulder and the rest of the boys let out vague mumbles of agreement. At least they were on board too.

“We can’t write three songs in three hours!” The producer cried, looking to Roxy for a bit of backup. Though, deep down, she felt the same, expressing that wouldn’t do them any good. 

Gently setting the base of the guitar to the floor, she placed her hands on the top of the headstock. “Not with that attitude we can’t!”

“Roxy’s right, you know…” Kelly said with a snap of her fingers, pushing past the group of teens to get to Gustavo’s platinum record display on the back wall of the studio. “You wrote Yard Squirrel Christmas in five minutes and it’s still your biggest-selling single ever.”

The assistant had some thoughts about that she also chose not to share. 

“It was just a stupid novelty song with sped-up voices, and I hated it!”

  Ah, good to know we feel the same.

The band, however, proved the feeling wasn’t mutual as Carlos cut in, “Hey, I love that song!”

“Everybody loves that song!” Kendall, James, and Logan added as their assistant tacked on a weak, “For the most part.”

Despite their hopes Gustavo would feel the same after a handful of compliments, their boss was still pushing back - which also meant he was wasting their precious time. 

“I write and produce the best pop songs in the world and I will not be remembered for some stupid squirrel song!”

There are worse things to be remembered for, Roxy concluded, but she was happy Kelly and the boys were able to light just enough of a fire under him to get him so worked up about that song. If that wasn’t what he wanted his name and legacy to be attached to, there was only one thing to do about it.

Thankfully, Kendall kept the ball rolling. “Well, then, it’s time to write a new Christmas classic.”

“You and Roxy can do anything!” Carlos cried as everyone took a step toward the producer. 

With a nod, Logan added in, “You’re geniuses!”

“Both of you have the power to get us home for Christmas!” James cheered, and though he was trying to inspire Gustavo, his eyes never left his girlfriend.

The boys’ words mattered immensely, but Kelly knew where Gustavo’s head was better than anyone. “And get yourself to Fiji.” 

Another haunting silence filled the room before the assistant asked, “What do you say, Mr. Rocque? I won’t even fight you when you insult my writing… too much.”

When the man sighed in defeat, Roxy felt all the air get knocked out of her lungs. Is he giving up?

“Get me blank music sheets, 13 candy canes, and a cup of cocoa with marshmallows piled high, because we’re about to pull off a big-time Christmas miracle!”

***

Roxy lied; She and Gustavo were already fighting. 

To her credit, it wasn’t about a song, considering they hadn’t managed to come up with one just yet. It was more so about the composition.

Specifically, compositions that weren’t theirs. 

Everyone had gathered in the Rocque Records lounge, the band, and Kelly giving their songwriters the typical amounts of required silence they needed to write. While Roxy preferred to be in the studio, away from the ears of anyone but her boss, Gustavo had insisted the white puffy couches reminded him of winter snow which was, apparently, essential to his songwriting while he angrily paced. Attempting to channel this energy, Roxy curled up in the white lounge chair with the acoustic guitar.

Thankfully, everyone was occupied with other things - Kelly getting their flights rescheduled and the boys on the long couch texting everyone they knew that they wouldn’t be home as originally planned - which meant the writer could focus all of her energy into trying to write her first Christmas song. 

Or doing her best to write it as Gustavo kept humming different popular tunes he thought might work for their original song. 

“That’s ‘Jingle Bells.’ Nothing says ‘Big Time Rush’ like stealing a Christmas classic,” Roxy snarkily informed him, leaning over her songbook to see if anything she had written previously might be able to be turned into a holiday hit. 

Blowing a raspberry at her as though he were a child, Gustavo kept pacing the floor with his pencil and music sheets to see if any other inspiration would strike. When he started humming again, Roxy did her best not to let out a long, deep sigh. 

With a twirl of her pen, she said, “And that’s ‘Last Christmas.’ Don’t you even dare think about ripping Wham’s riff.”

Another raspberry, followed by some silence in which Roxy tested a chord progression on the guitar she simply wasn’t fond of. Hastily, she scratched out what she had written down with so much pressure on the page it almost tore. 

The humming resumed, and when Roxy dragged her pick up and down the guitar strings and said, “‘Little Saint Nick’ was already written and performed by a different boy band.” 

Her boss screamed in her general direction, balling the paper in his hands up before throwing it to the ground. 

“Anything?” Kendall asked at the elevated noise level, though he and the boys didn’t look up from their phones at all. 

Gustavo coughed into his arm. “Roxanne’s good at Name that Tune.”

“Good job, babe!” Cheered James, also not looking up from his phone. 

The encouragement was nice, but not at all helping their crunch time to create a holiday hit. “Thanks…. Just doing my best.” 

“Great Christmas songs don’t just happen,” The producer complained, groaning as he bent down to pick up the paper he had been scribbling on. “I need to be in a Christmassy mood!”

Finally able to tear himself from his screen, James blinked a few times and reluctantly asked, “Can we help you?”

Yes! Roxy desperately wanted to cry. I think I saw some more mistletoe in the elevator! but decided a trip to the Rocque Records HR department with her boyfriend was the last thing on her holiday wishlist. 

Instead, Gustavo yelled, “Ha! How?”

“Well, whenever we want to get into a Christmassy mood…” Kendall began, the band once more rummaging around in the red shopping bags they had brought along with them. “We just get into our PJs!”

Quick as a flash, the boys ran into the men’s room and changed, returning with just as much holiday cheer as possible. All four of them looked supremely warm and comfortable in their multicolored flannel bottoms and mismatched tops. Roxy was admittedly quite jealous. 

“They’re cottony holiday joy!” Logan joked, holding up the red pair he and the boys had bought for their boss as Carlos whistled in Roxy’s direction and threw her a small, black and purple bundle. 

At last, they had finally decided to share her gift with her. She almost felt bad for leaving theirs back at the Palm Woods, but silently promised everything would be handed out the second they got back to the hotel. 

Thanking her friends with a smile, she headed off to the bathroom to change as well, but not before hearing their boss’ complaints of, “I’m not wearing PJs!”

His loss, the writer thought as she slipped into one of the stalls and undid the beautiful white ribbon holding her pajama set together. How her friends had managed to find the softest, comfiest sleepwear set she had ever held, she had no idea, but Roxy was more than happy to change into the long purple pants and matching black tank top. Suspecting her boyfriend was the source of inspiration for the colors, she felt the gift to be even more special. 

When she emerged, all nice and cozy, perfectly ready to get back into the songwriting mood, she found the boys were gone and Kelly and Gustavo just standing in the middle of the room, waiting. As she tied her hair up into a top knot, wanting to show off how gorgeous her gold necklace shined against the black top, she confusedly asked, “Where’d they go?”

“Give it a minute…” Kelly trailed off, pointing toward the long hallway as four sets of feet rapidly ran down the hall. 

Turning to face her friends, Roxy’s brows shot to her forehead as she saw James and Logan carrying two of the biggest Christmas wreaths she had ever seen, followed by Carlos and Kendall with a long, decorated strand of garland. 

They rushed right past her, James stopping long enough to kiss her on the cheek and whisper how cute she looked in her PJs, hanging their decorations on the walls wherever they could before sprinting past her again, presumably in hunt of more decorations. 

When they came back a few minutes later with a fake brick wall and fireplace mantle to set up in the back of the room, the writer lit up just as brightly as the lights they had turned on tangled in the garland. 

“We…” She spoke up, looking around for her journal, but it appeared to be on one of the tables her band had moved. Turning to Gustavo and motioning to the paper he had thrown on the floor, Roxy made a gesture as though she was writing in the air. “We can make a beautiful Christmas… Decorate the halls with love and cheer… bring peace and harmony… Every star will shine tonight!” 

Ideas immediately began flowing out of her, and as nonsensical as they seemed at the moment, her songwriting partner immediately dove to grab more lyric sheets to scribble everything she was saying down. 

In no time, the boys wheeled his piano in from the studio in between more and more decoration runs. Kelly graciously brought the songwriting partners two large cups of cocoa, making sure they always overflowed with white, fluffy marshmallows as they both cobbled together the very first Big Time Rush Christmas song. 

***

“See? Christmas miracles do happen!” 

As annoying as Griffin’s comment was once the band finished performing the song for him and Obdul in their newly decorated lounge-turned-living room, he was right. Squeezing that song out of nowhere certainly felt like a miracle thanks to the boys’ imaginative thinking.

Hopefully, the other divisions of RCM/CBT/Global-Net/Sanyoid won’t miss their holiday decorations. 

Sitting cross-legged on top of the piano Gustavo had played their completed track on, she grinned down at Big Time Rush, excitedly shaking the sleigh bells she had swapped her guitar out with to accompany the melodic piano chords. 

“And thanks for the PJs, kids!” The CEO said, rubbing the soft gray of his button-up pajamas. In her Christmas gift-giving stint, she hadn’t expected to see either Griffin or Obdul before the holiday, but the boys seemed to have such foresight; They let her add her name to the pajamas they had given the two adults. Griffin’s pair looked exactly like the charcoal suits he was so fond of, the set even came with a collar and tie. Obdul wore a matching pair, his light blue with pinstripes as he silently squatted down by the fake fireplace Kelly had turned the TV in the lounge to. “They make me feel so Christmassy!”

Clutching her hands together at her boss’ words, Kelly slowly asked, “Christmassy enough to let us release a single instead of an EP?”

Accidentally dropping the bells in shock, the instrument Roxy had been holding clamored to the floor. She had worked so hard with Gustavo on “Beautiful Christmas,” that she had completely forgotten the CEO wanted two more songs for the band’s holiday collection. 

Griffin smiled, “Ho-ho-ho! No! And make the other two celebrity duets.”

“Celebrity duets?!” Team Big Time Rush repeated back, trying to fathom just what was running through that man’s head. 

From the piano bench, Gustavo clenched his fists together, trying as kindly as he could to ask, “How are we supposed to get celebrities to sing with Big Time Rush on Christmas Eve?”

“It’s easy!” The older man assured them. “You just get some celebrities and sing with them.”

For someone in charge of a multi-billion dollar corporation, he’s such an idiot.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Griffin continued, “I’m off to a soup kitchen to remind myself how lucky I am on Christmas. Bye-bye!”

She was still considering her theory that Arthur Griffin truly was the literal devil. 

Swinging her legs over the back of the piano, Roxy moved to slide off before James appeared in front of her, reaching out to her waist to help guide her down. 

“Will this ever end?” He quietly asked, brushing a loose strand of hair from her bun behind her ear as she leaned back into the piano. “I’m not super antsy to spend Christmas with my dad, but I know you and the guys want to be back home more than anything.” 

Summoning her best grin, Roxy genuinely tried to reassure him as she popped up on her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to his cheek, “Of course it will. You four just need to keep that holiday spirit flowing; That last song wouldn’t have been possible without you and your cutie pajamas.” 

“Yeah…” James tried, a weak smile of his own forming on his face. “It just feels like-”

“Bye-bye Christmas in Minnesota!” Logan yelled, cutting his bandmate off and Gustavo thought this to be the perfect time to play the opening riff to “Big Time Rush” on the keys in front of him,

“Don’t make me regret writing that!” Roxy hissed at him, even if it was situationally appropriate, as she took in the mood of the people around her. Kelly and Gustavo looked more than hopeless, angry more so on his part. But even worse, her friends seemed to be giving in to the despair as well. Carlos had his head in his hands, Logan ran anxious hands through his hair, James crossed his arms as he stared into the fake fireplace… Kendall, ever the optimist, had even flopped down onto the white couch with a gigantic sigh. 

I can’t be the only thing holding us together right now. Roxy thought to herself, before taking a moment to collect her thoughts.

As she did at the storefront earlier, she formulated a small poem to try and keep everyone in the mood, though it was more bleak than she had intended. “As Kendall fell back, the boys stood listless, for Griffin may have crushed their Minnesota Christmas. So with just hours to catch their holiday jets, the gang prayed for another miracle and two celebrity duets…”

After her recitation, Gustavo called for a break for him and his songwriter, asking everyone else to dig through his list of famous contacts to try and find anyone available to duet. As much as the writer wished she could have used that time to think of what was to come, she settled for pulling James down onto the couch and lying into his side while he made his calls. For the next ten minutes, she closed her eyes, shutting out the nervous chatter of everyone else as he rubbed her back and allowed her some time to recharge after the most intense songwriting session of her life. 

She had only been pulled out of her haze when she heard Kelly’s heels click on the floor down the hallway as she proudly announced, “I just pushed back all of our flights four hours.”

Gustavo’s grating voice caused Roxy to finally open her eyes, though James didn’t stop his calming circular motion, “And how are we doing on our celebrity search?”

“I just got off the phone with Lady Gaga’s people!” Kendall eagerly announced, allowing a bit of hope to flood through her chest. 

Leaning forward in his lounger, Gustavo’s eyes bulged. “What did she say?”

“Who’s Big Time Rush?”

Of course…

“What about Jordin Sparks?” The producer continued, reaching out to the table and flipping through the ancient Rolodex he had given the boys.

Sliding his phone shut, Logan frowned. “Out of town for the holidays - Just like every other celebrity we could sing with.”

“Hey!” Cut in Carlos, waving his white phone in the air. “But on the bright side, astronaut Buzz Aldrin is very interested.”

“I’m not sure that’s what Griffin meant when he said ‘celebrity,’ Carlos,” His assistant winced, squeezing her eyes tight again as she leaned her head on James’ shoulder. 

The boy scoffed from the other end of the couch, “He’s the second man to walk on the moon!”

“There’s got to be some celebrity who’s still in town!” James grumbled, clicking a few buttons on his phone to look through his own contact list. 

Hesitantly, his girlfriend swallowed. “Um… You guys don’t think I should try and call…” Roxy’s mouth went dry just trying to say his name. “Dak… Right? He’s disconnected from his family so I’m sure he’s in town.”

James flinched, knocking the TV remote on the arm of the couch to fall to the floor and change the channel. 

“So join me, Miranda Cosgrove, for my ‘Have Yourself A Miranda Little Christmas’ special, live from Los Angeles, with duets with all your favorite stars, like international superstar Fabio, Lightning the TV wonder dog, and-”

Bending down to pick up the remote, James paused the ad before he and the boys gathered in front of the television making it look as though they were in frame with Miranda, “And Big Time Rush!” 

Kelly, Roxy, and Gustavo were far less convinced, however, asking the important question of, “How?”

“It’ll be another Christmas miracle!” Carlos smirked, as though it were such an easy and achievable task to sneak into a closed television set, add themselves to the guest list, and record a song all at once.

To his credit, a few other problems from the day had worked out in Big Time Rush’s favor, so it was understandable why he’d think that way. That’s why Roxy didn’t find herself questioning the boy’s wishes any longer - Miracle makers or not, it couldn’t hurt to head down to the studio and see what might transpire. If not something with Miranda, maybe another one of her guests would be willing to feature on a song. 

“You’re right, Carlos,” His assistant praised, reaching for her folded hoodie and leggings she had set by her bag at the edge of the lounge. “Let’s make it happen!”

In a matter of minutes, everyone had changed back into their day clothes and were bursting out the doors of Rocque Records. On the way out, Kelly made a few calls, learning the special was being taped at Superior Studios and the teens and adults split up and planned to meet there as soon as possible. 

Slinging her bag off her shoulder, Roxy fished around for the keys to the Pontiac, declaring, “Logan, it’s your lucky day.”

Effortlessly, she flung the ring in his direction, jingling slightly as everything clinked together in the air before he caught it, cocking a brow in her direction. 

She grinned, pulling her phone out from her hoodie pocket, “I’ve got a call to make, think you can handle the holiday traffic?”

“You know it!”

Looping an arm through James’ as they searched the large, full parking lot attached to the Rocque Records building, her smile slowly vanished as she tried to figure out just what to tell her dad about her changed itinerary. There was no way they’d be home for a Christmas Eve celebration but at least she was still doing everything in her power to make it there for Christmas. 

***

“So, what’s the plan?” 

20 minutes later the band, their assistant, and their bosses had met outside of Superior Studios, gathering around a big sign featuring Miranda Cosgrove’s smiling face. 

Kelly’s inquiry was more than valid, especially since they were still on a time crunch, but Gustavo just scoffed at her words. “The plan is: There is no plan if we can’t get into the studio!”

Leaning just a bit beyond the large column concealing the large group from the guards inside, the seven watched as every guest entering the building showed off their credentials branded for the Have Yourself A Miranda Little Christmas special. 

“Easy,” James assured everyone, rubbing his cold hands together to try and create an ounce of heat. “All we gotta do is get past security.”

“Piece of cake!” Logan and Carlos backed his plan up, even sharing a pre-celebratory fist bump. 

Clearing her throat from the back of the group, Roxy tried, “I’m not sure that’s going to be-”

She was abruptly cut off by a deep, threatening voice yelling, “No entry if you’re not on the list!”

Leaning around the column again, team Big Time Rush ascertained just what would happen if their plan didn’t pan out - They’d be denied entry from the building and forcibly thrown out onto the street. 

Quick to try and calm his friends, the frontman held his hands out, “Don’t panic! Remember: There’s one guy who’s on everybody’s list. Everyone saw the costume rack and prop sleigh to the side of the studio’s back entrance, yeah?” 

Curse Logan and his weird penchant for parking as far back in the lot as possible.

As much as Roxy hated where this plan was heading, she knew Kendall had a point. Who better to be featured on a Christmas show than Santa Claus himself?

Five minutes later, the songwriter didn’t despise the plan as much as she thought she would, considering she and James had been placed in one of the large prop presents on Santa’s prop sleigh. As cramped as it was, at least she had an excuse to be as close to her boyfriend as possible. 

“Comfortable?” He whispered to her with a slight groan, legs shifting underneath her, suggesting he wasn’t comfortable himself. With virtually no wiggle room, James had ended up sitting cross-legged at the bottom with his girlfriend in his lap, both of them needing to duck down as the top of the box was placed down. 

Just as the two felt the box begin to move, Roxy let out a hushed chuckle, reaching out into the darkness to try and find where she had put her bag, “Nope, but I’m trying to make the best of it. How about you?”

“Not at all, but I can’t complain when I’ve got the most beautiful girl in the world on my lap.”

Roxy thanked whatever power may be that her back was resting up against his chest; Any other position might have given away her bashful smile as she played with his hands slipped around her waist. “Should I tell you what I want for Christmas now or…?”

Feeling his whole body begin to shake as he tried to hold in his laughter, it made it almost impossible for Roxy to quiet hers. 

While the box wasn’t soundproof, the two were having some trouble hearing just what was going on outside, aside from Gustavo’s loud, hearty, “Ho-ho-ho! Merry Christmas!” to signal they were at the front desk. 

“Only if you don’t blame me if I don’t get you exactly what you ask for.” He whispered back, a hint of panic in his voice. 

She had meant the joke to be funny, her stomach twisted slightly at the thought of James being disappointed in himself. “I want… Logan and Kendall to never tell us what’s happening inside their box right now.”

 Since there were only two elf costumes mixed in with the Santa Claus costume, the teens were forced to play rock paper scissors to see who had to hide in the present boxes on the sleigh. Gustavo said Kelly automatically won the right to a costume, considering he needed her to help back him up at the security checkpoint, and Carlos had come out of their five-way battle victorious. 

That comment caused another bout of shaking underneath her, as James dipped his head onto her shoulder to keep his laughter as muted as possible. Even she had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep their cover for as long as possible. 

A few seconds later, the sleigh started moving again, but this time they were headed backward, “That can’t be…” Bright, shining sunlight beaming directly into her eyes made it troublesome for the songwriter to finish her statement. As the two of them looked up, they were met with the bulging eyes of the security guard as he took a large bite out of the sub sandwich he was clutching in his hands. “...Good.”

“Surprise delivery for Miranda Cosgrove?” James weakly tried, but the guard just continued chewing, shaking his head. 

When the guard moved onto the second present, the lid was swiftly opened causing Kendall and Logan to quite literally gasp for air as they jumped out as fast as humanly possible. They were bickering about something - Logan’s elbow in Kendall’s ribs and Kendall’s knee in Logan’s back it sounded like - while James and Roxy held their ground. 

“If you’re not on the list, you’re not getting in!” They heard security yell, though it was very mumbled as he spoke with another full bite of sandwich in his mouth. “Now get out before I-”

Some disgusting gagging sounds followed, accompanied by a few hits to the chest with his large fist, like he was trying to tell the group something. 

“I think he’s choking!” Carlos panicked, causing his assistant to shoot up from the box, equally as anxious. 

From below, James let out a cry of pain as she accidentally managed to step on his leg thanks to the small space.

“Oh,” Roxy cooed, guard all but forgotten as she bent down again to run a gentle hand through his hair and give him a kiss on the top of his head. “So sorry, baby.”

Someone falling to the floor alerted her again, and she stood up once more, careful of her surroundings this time, to find the security man passed out on the floor in front of them. Kelly and the rest of her friends were paralyzed in shock, staring at the person on the linoleum below them. A few beats of silence passed before Gustavo clapped Logan and Kendall on the shoulder, “It’s another Christmas miracle…”

Another moment and everyone but Roxy and James ran right past him to get to the closed taping. 

“What the hell is wrong with you people?” The assistant cried, doing her best to smoothly climb out of the high walls of the present box she had been in with James hot on her tail. “He needs help!”

Soon, she knelt on the ground beside the man, heart pounding and hands shaking while she attempted to sit him back upright and clear his blocked airway. 

God I wish I paid more attention in health class…

Barely able to think as she tried to pull the man back up to his feet she turned to the one person she knew did pay attention in health. “Logan! What’s that thing you do- It’s on TV all the time in dramas- Oh my-” 

“The Heimlich maneuver!” was his astute reply. 

“Do it then!” She yelled back, almost throwing the guard into her friend’s arms as he performed the procedure. 

It took a few tries, Logan doing his absolute best to thrust his hands into the man’s abdomen to free the object lodged in his throat before the chewed-up ball of sandwich flew out of his mouth and directly into Santa Gustavo’s face. 

Finally, Roxy was able to breathe again, as was the security guard, whose hands frantically flew to his chest to undo the tight few buttons of his beige uniform with big gasping breaths. 

Gustavo’s “That was gross,” was quickly overshadowed by the guard’s genuine, “Thanks…”

To keep from strangling her boss, she turned into her boyfriend’s side, gripping one side of his jacket while she collected herself. Immediately his arm slung around her shoulders to pull her closer and allow some time to catch her breath after such a scary encounter. 

Some words were exchanged between team Big Time Rush and the guard, though Roxy didn’t hear too much of it as she glanced up at James. He was looking right back at her, pink splotches dotting his cheeks and parts of his neck as he whispered, “You just called me baby.”

“Hm?” She hummed, half-paying attention as she studied some of the patches of green standing out against the stark brown of his eyes. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

“You’ve never given me a pet name before.”

That statement caused her to look away, focusing back on the section of his jacket she had been gripping once she felt her cheeks begin to heat as well. Roxy was hyper-aware of his other hand making its way to her hip. “James is just such a cute name…”

“I liked it,” He told her, sounding a bit breathless before he swallowed and spoke again, “It was nice.”

James didn’t give Roxy any time to respond besides a quiet, “Oh,” before he reached up to cup her cheek and guide his mouth to hers. 

He always knows how to make me feel better, she thought, tugging his jacket down to kiss him a few more times. 

In fact, she might not have stopped at all until the pair heard the unmistakable clearing of multiple throats behind them. 

“Hello?” Kendall scoffed and though Roxy had her back to him, she could just hear the way he annoyingly crossed his arms. “Can you keep your hands off of each other for two seconds please?”

Watching James roll his eyes after tearing them away from her lips caused Roxy to suppress a bout of laughter as he glanced behind her and narrowed his eyes at the front man. “Did you not just see her save that guy’s life? That was hot as hell.”

“Urgent save our Christmas mission!” Logan hissed back, motioning to the hallway Gustavo, Kelly, and Carlos were beginning to run down. Whatever they had worked out with the guard had apparently gained them access to the building. “Do… that… later! And away from the rest of us!”

When he finished yelling at them, all James and Roxy could do was laugh as they watched him and Kendall trail after the rest of their group. 

“Just because we’re having a stressful day doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun,” Roxy joked, tugging on her boyfriend’s arm as she began to head down the corridor to the film set. In the past few weeks, James had never been that upfront with her, and she planned to take his words to heart. “But you heard him, baby. Let’s go.”

Her boyfriend didn’t respond, pink splotches returning as he simply set his free hand over hers with a grin, following everyone else onto the next phase of their plan. 

***

Two times now, Big Time Rush and Italian model and actor Fabio have been in the same building; Two times now, Roxy has been unable to meet him. She found this to be incredibly messed up, considering she had read far more of the romance novels featuring him, his long, luscious hair, and gorgeous, ripping pecs than her friends had. 

But, business was business. Even though her friends had been tasked with getting Fabio to not appear on set for his holiday duet with Miranda Cosgrove, as their faithful assistant, she had been tasked with plugging into the studio soundboard while the band snuck their way onto the show’s itinerary. It felt like the A.M. L.A. news station scandal they had caused all over again. 

This time, however, Roxy was stuck sneaking around the large set with Gustavo and Kelly, who were not nearly as stealthy as her friends. While the writer had stolen a headset one of the production assistants had left lying on a table to try and help her blend in as she made her way to the board, her bosses were very obviously moving from hiding spot to hiding spot. It was a wonder they didn’t get caught until they reached the side of the booth, but the girl certainly wasn’t going to complain about it. They were burning precious daylight; Everything here had to go exactly according to plan or they’d miss their rescheduled flights completely. 

Crouching down so the sound booth operators wouldn’t catch them, the three regrouped in order to execute their recording. 

“Alright, Kelly, where’s the recorder?” Gustavo whispered, though he was quite bad at keeping his voice down, looking over to his talent scout with an extended hand. 

The woman blinked back at him, “You said you were bringing it.”

“What?!” His voice boomed as if they weren’t in hiding, Roxy violently shushing him, continuing to hold his hand out like it would magically appear. “I never-”

“It doesn’t matter!” Kelly shot back, quickly getting frustrated with the situation. “If we don’t have the recorder, we don’t have a song!”

More shushing from the assistant didn’t work as the two continued to go back and forth at each other, meaning it was only a matter of time before someone on the production crew discovered the three on-set intruders. She knew that the boys would take care of their part; she just needed to figure out a way to get the song recorded with the highest possible quality. 

Daring to poke her head over the walls of the sound booth, she rapidly scanned the equipment the sound crew already had set up but there was nothing she could take without ruining the entire production. All of the video production equipment had been set up as well to give the live-at-home audience the best possible audio-video feed they could. 

I can call Mrs. Knight, have her record the TV show to their DVR, and have her bring the device to Rocque Records…

“I’ve got it!” She told her bosses, mind racing a million miles a minute as she began to explain her plan while hastily throwing her mini backpack to the ground to find her phone. It let out a loud thud as it hit the floor, far heavier than usual, causing the writer to pause and remember the gift Jett had given her earlier.. “...We’ll record it on my iSlab if Mr. Rocque can get it hooked into the-” 

“Of course, I can hook it up! Give me that!” 

Not even a second after she had pulled the tablet from her bag, the producer ripped it out of her hands and got to work with the tangled mess of wires Kelly had snatched from the booth. Time itself began to move slower as she watched his hands work before hearing a loud buzzer go off in the studio room; The show was about to get back from commercial and if he didn’t get the device hooked in soon, they’d miss their chance. 

All around them, studio workers began to take their positions and someone shouted, “3… 2…” and pointed to the large set in front of them on his silent count of “1.” 

Whoever designed the set had done a wonderful job, so that’s what Roxy focused on instead of the quickening of her heartbeat as Gustavo continued to fumble with the iSlab. A fake entryway to a two-story mansion towered in front of them, covered in gorgeous flower garlands and Christmas decorations. Just as the loud sound of a doorbell echoed through the room, Miranda appeared at the top of the stairs, skipping down to the lower level in an adorable pink sweater and red skirt combo. 

The boys better be behind that door…

As the actress rattled off her lines about ordering a pizza, Kelly crossed both of her fingers with a grimace and Gustavo continued his tinkering. 

“Hi, Miranda!” The stranger on her porch greeted her. 

Roxy’s heart sank straight down into her gut when she recognized the suave Italian accent. Fabio strolled into the foyer carrying a large, white pizza box, taking in the sight of Miranda’s impeccably decorated home. 

When Gustavo gave out a grunt of disapproval, she looked back to check his progress to find the iSlab completely connected to the soundboard. He had even pulled up the voice recording app and pressed play, managing to capture the actors’ stupid conversation about candy cane pizza instead of the boy’s special duet with Miranda. 

Widest, pearliest smile in the world, Miranda continued with her lines. “What took you so long?” 

“I got stuck in the snow…” Fabio’s excuse was simple. “But, some guys came along and helped me.”

Roxy had to bring both hands to her mouth to suppress the relieved scream she let out as Fabio stepped to the side and Big Time Rush came striding into the entryway. All four of them had been decked out in winter gear and made up to look like they’d been caught in a snowstorm. She could barely take her eyes off her boyfriend, admiring the flakes caught up in his long, brown hair and imagining what he’d look like on a real white Christmas. 

Thanks to their extensive media training, the band seemed extremely comfortable on camera while they improvised their surprise greetings and Miranda invited them to join her inside for a song. 

“Press record, press record!” Kelly repeated, swatting at the producer as the familiar opening chords to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” began to play from the speakers. 

She might have been imagining it, but she was pretty sure whenever James stepped out of the camera frame, he was looking straight at her. Regardless, the message was received; It appeared as though Roxy and James had the same Christmas wish this year. 

***

“Is it just me, or did Miranda kind of look like that girl from the web show you guys like?”

The Have Yourself a Miranda Little Christmas special had ended with a bang thanks to Big Time Rush, who had run off to wardrobe the moment their duet ended to hand back their costumes while Roxy, Gustavo, and Kelly made sure to save the song recording to the iSlab. Now, the group was moving as swiftly as possible down the studio halls, celebrating the completion of Griffin’s second song request.

“You think?” Carlos mumbled through his smile as he pondered his assistant’s question, too preoccupied with being one step closer to their Minnesota vacation. “I don’t see it.”

Each of the boys nodded their heads in approval of Carlos’ statement, also not shy about their excitement as the recording of the duet quietly flowed through the iSlab’s small speakers. The cover perfectly matched the boy’s different vocal tones and the harmonies they had improvised blended seamlessly with Miranda’s. It was an excellent addition to their EP, and even though it was a cover and not an original, Roxy knew the grouchy CEO would love it. 

By the time they reached the street, the teens' hoots and hollers of celebration bounced off the large concrete buildings around them, getting on their producer's nerves. 

“Why are you guys so happy?” He raged, separating himself from the rest of his team to address them in the middle of an empty road. “We still need to write another song, find another superstar to sing it with, oh, yeah, and do it all in time to catch our flights!”

Despite the tension threading through the air with every heaving breath their boss took, the band, their assistant, and Kelly weren’t ready to give up hope. 

From the edge of their huddle, Carlos gasped, “Wait! Everybody close your eyes and wish for another Christmas miracle!”

So sweet, the writer thought to herself, wrapping an arm around James’ bicep before closing her eyes to set her intentions. It’s worked out so far…

A scoff from Logan interrupted her miracle-manifesting. “That’s ridiculous; There’s never gonna be a… Oh, what the hell.”

Small smile curving on her lips, she knew that he had given in too. If anyone could make another Christmas miracle happen, it certainly was Big Time Rush - Especially as they each quietly repeated “Christmas miracle! Christmas miracle!” in shallow breaths. For a second, she swore she could even hear magic bells ringing out around them, telling them everything would work out just fine. 

It was enough to put the girl at ease until Gustavo’s angry tone scratched at her eardrums. “I hate to break it to you, but I think we’re fresh out of Christmas miracles!”

Repetition continued, team BTR ignoring his negativity before a loud honking noise from the street startled them and their producer let out an ear-splitting scream. Cautionary, Roxy popped one eye open, still trying to wish for a Christmas miracle while trying to see what had caused such a commotion. 

In front of her and her friends, Gustavo was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the longest, whitest, limousine drove by for a good thirty seconds before finally rolling to a stop at the back window. Thanks to the extremely dark tint on the numerous windows, it was impossible to see inside, but no one had to guess the passenger could have possibly been for too long as the car let out a soft, mechanical whirr and the glass lowered. 

“Please tell me I didn’t just hit a reindeer.” 

From the luxury vehicle, to the smoky voice, and the strong smell of herbs emanating from the backseat there was no mistaking who had just run Gustavo clear over. “Snoop Dogg?”

Logan, the biggest rap fan out of all of them,  gaped his mouth open and closed like a fish out of water, while Carlos pumped both of his fists far into the air and yelled, “It’s a Christmas miracle!”

Too busy to do anything but begin to hold her friends back from the rap star’s window, though she had a lot to ask him too, Roxy cleared her throat and looked to Kelly, who was equally starstruck. When she met the woman’s gaze, her message was clear. 

Lock him down!

Immediately, the woman launched into a long-winded explanation as to why Gustavo had been in the street and the band’s Christmas dilemma.

After promising not to sue if he agreed to help them, Big Time Rush, their assistant, and Snoop Dogg were sitting back at Rocque Records, staring at each other in the decorated lounge area. The only thing Roxy had managed was making the celebrity a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate while Gustavo got his things straightened out; When he was done with that, they’d hopefully be able to write a new song with Snoop. 

“Mm, mm, mmm,” The man clearly enunciated, somehow sipping past the mountain of marshmallows the assistant had piled on top. “Now, that’s some good cocoa.”

Roxy felt her chest swell with pride, “Thank you! Oh, my God, thank you.”

Barely finishing her sentence before James reached out to pat her leg, his next words were just as full of excitement. “I can’t believe we’re gonna record a song with Snoop Dogg!”

Jittery, excited teen warbling filled the room, the five on the couch barely able to contain themselves in the presence of such a famous musician. 

“It’s the least I could do after running Gustavo Rocque over with a limo."

From the piano the boys had wheeled into the room earlier, Gustavo alerted everyone of his presence with a loud wince and a few dissonant chords on the piano. That could only be expected from a man with an arm sling and two leg braces.

Hating the way the sour notes rang in her ears, Roxy asked, “Mr. Rocque, do you want me to play?”

“Yes,” He replied, weak and whispered, causing her to move from her place on the couch over to the wooden piano bench beside him. “We just have to write this song…”

“Don’t worry!” Kelly reassured Snoop, completely ignoring the terrible state their producer was in. “You won’t be here long. Roxy and Gustavo write songs really fast!”

Though she knew Kelly was doing her best to lie, the statement was half true - Gustavo could be very quick when he wanted to. She, on the other hand, had songs in her book she had been toiling over for years. Writing quickly wasn’t impossible, just a bit improbable. 

Bench creaking as the writer turned to his assistant, Kelly’s words seemed to inspire Gustavo. “I got it! I got it!” but when he turned back to the keys in front of him and reached out to play, he let out a wail of agony. “I don’t got it!”

The next few minutes were just downright depressing; Everyone in the lounge watched as he made up a small song about getting to go to Fiji. 

Staring at the keys in front of her, Roxy tried to conjure any musical sense she had left in her body after already getting through one song earlier in the day. She felt just as helpless as her boss, though she was apt at hiding it while she overheard her friends trying to assure Snoop that this was all part of the duo’s songwriting process. 

It had helped, slightly, when they tried to distract the rapper by asking him who the gift he had been carrying around was for. When they learned it was for his grandmother, each of them had guessed it was something outrageously expensive and impractical, considering he was one of the most famous musicians ever, but he had opened the box to show it off - A homemade scented candle holder. 

When James asked, “Where are the emeralds?” his girlfriend snorted out a bit of laughter, easing the tension she felt as she reached out to the keys to test a couple of chords. 

“Man, Christmas ain’t about expensive gifts!” Snoop hit him with a bit of holiday wisdom. “It’s about giving from the heart.”

All four of them muttered out statements of agreement, and now more than ever Roxy couldn’t wait to give them their gifts tomorrow morning once they were back in Minnesota. 

If we ever get back to Minnesota. 

Admittedly, writing “Beautiful Christmas” earlier had wiped the girl out. Despite the chords she played or the melodies she attempted to string together in front of everyone, nothing felt good enough to make their holiday EP. There weren’t even any ideas for lyrics swirling around in her head, begging to be put into words on a blank page in her songbook, even with all the Christmas cheer they had packed into one day. 

Roxy had been so caught up in her own head, she had barely heard Kendall call out to Logan for a “fresh Christmas beat” which his friend was more than happy to supply. Though the steady beatboxing made it impossible for her to try and write anything else, it did brighten the room, easing the tension everyone felt as the frontman began to freestyle, “On the first day of Christmas Snoop gave to me-”

“A song for your Christmas EP!”

This time, the rest of the band joined in singing, and Roxy did her best to provide some improvised backup on the piano. “On the second day of Christmas Snoop gave to me-”

“Two fractured femurs!” Gustavo yelled, almost right into Roxy’s ear, causing her to accidentally slam her hands down on the keys and ruin the song’s flow. 

“And a song for your Christmas EP?” Snoop finished, though a bit wearier than before. “Yo, keep it going, man. That could work!”

Just as the assistant was ready to jump back in with the music, Kelly called, “Take it to the studio!” and in a flash, the recording booth was set up, Gustavo at the helm, ready to create a new holiday classic.

Booth a bit cramped with her friends and the large rapper inside, everyone had been distributed their headphones and stood around the mic as Logan kicked his beat back. As easily as the words had come to them before, they reached the 12th day of Christmas without a hitch while their assistant wrote everything out in her journal. 

12 rinkside tickets

11 books on physics

10 juicy corn dogs

9 lucky combs

8 wooly beanies

7 sweater vests 

6 guitar pedals

5 municipal bonds with a compound interest rate of 3% accruing monthly…?

4 comfy PJs

3 canned hams

2 broken femurs

And a song for the Christmas EP

At some point during the recording session, Griffin and Obdul had arrived at Rocque Records once more, and seemingly enjoyed what would be the final product of their song. 

Well, Roxy at least thought they enjoyed it, but their crossed arms and subtle head nods didn’t tell her as much as she wanted to know. 

Neither of her bosses even left room for comment, with Kelly pressing a few buttons on the soundboard and calling, “Guys, that was awesome!”

“And that makes three BTR Christmas songs,” The producer triumphantly announced. “Fiji, here I come!”

Both adults spun around in their chairs, ready to make their way out of the building, leaving their assistant alone to take care of the file download and editing process. 

Right before the two hit the door, Griffin finally spoke up after standing in the back of the room like a strange phantom. “Except Justin Bieber just released 50 Days of Christmas with 50 Cent. It’s over eight hours long and it’s a masterpiece!”

“He what?!” Roxy almost choked, digging around in her bag to find her phone despite the absurd title. Obviously, she needed to download the new album for their flight later. “Why didn’t anyone say something sooner!”

Her reaction to this news was the only emphatic one, considering the way Griffin spoke about the album implied he wanted something similar from Big Time Rush.

“Sorry about Bieber, but I gotta get to Grandma’s house,” Snoop said into the mic. “There’s two things Grandma don’t tolerate. That’s elbows on the table and tardiness.”

Jumping into leader mode once it began to sound like the rapper was planning on leaving, Kendall placed a hand on Snoop’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Gustavo will get this figured out!”

“You’ll be over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house in a couple of hours,” Added James, not helping their case at all, though his girlfriend was impressed by the amount of faith he had in her writing ability if he figured the recording session would be longer.

“Yeah… but I gotta be to Grandma’s house in 15 minutes.”

Faith in their Christmas EP immediately fading, Roxy began to feel a bit lightheaded. From the prospect of losing their celebrity or from the earthy smells in the room, she didn’t know. 

Her bosses shared similar sentiments, dropping back into their chairs and desperately preparing the booth for another recording session.

“And Gustavo collapsed full of holiday blues, ‘cause on the day before Christmas, Snoop gave them all terrible news.” The assistant weakly recited, cursing her brain for thinking of a poem instead of song lyrics. 

“Roxy! Not helping!” Logan called through the glass, so she glanced his way and stuck her tongue out before continuing, now just to spite him.

“With Snoop leaving for Grandma’s, the gang didn’t have long, just fifteen minutes to write their last holiday song.”

***

Destroying all the instruments in the studio didn’t help Gustavo and Roxy write their new holiday song; The man was too full of ire at the situation Griffin had put them in the focus and his assistant had to be physically restrained by her boyfriend to keep from launching herself at her boss for wrecking such expensive and precious equipment. 

And now, Gustavo had moved on from his rage and had fully calmed down, bringing a chair out to the middle of the studio and lounging on it, babbling this and that about Fiji as though he were caught in a daydream. Roxy didn’t have the luxury of being able to pretend she was back in Minnesota because she was stuck cleaning up the mess he had made moments before.

From the studio, she could see into the recording booth thanks to the large pane of glass separating her from the band, Snoop, and Kelly, and she could tell even from a distance they were in the middle of begging the rapper to stay. 

What would happen if we just left right now… Griffin would certainly fire us, right? A terrible question to ponder as she took a broom to the floor and began to sweep up broken bits of plastic and metal from the drum kit Gustavo went Incredible Hulk on. But I’ve never had a Christmas outside of Minnesota. It doesn’t even snow here… What’s a Christmas without snow… And a Christmas without Dad…

For most of the day, she had been quite confident in her band’s ability to complete Griffin’s request, but now, they had less than ten minutes to write, record, and produce a song for their CEO to let them go home. No one could do all of that in ten minutes, it was impossible. 

Continuing to sweep, she finally let her thoughts sink in, eating away at the confidence she had placed in team Big Time Rush. 

“Come on Gustavo, it’s Christmas!” 

The high-pitched, squeaking sound of someone goading their boss on filled the studio, catching the assistant off guard. 

“Rox!” James whispered from the hall behind her. “We’ve got a plan, come on.”

When she turned and noticed him, a bright, goofy smile on his face, holding out his hand to her, she swore he was like a shining Christmas angel - Halo, wings, and all. If Big Time Rush had a plan, they would certainly make their flights on time. 

Cymbals crashing to the hardwood floor behind her shocked the girl straight to her core, jumping in place before scampering off to take James’ hand and head to the soundboard with the rest of her friends. 

“We all want to go away for the holidays!” Logan at the speaker now, pitch fader slid all the way to the top of the board, was pissing Gustavo off even more as he took one of the drums off the kit and threw it into the red wall.

Yard Squirrel’s Christmas… She realized, remembering how quickly Gustavo had claimed to write the song. If anyone can save us now… It’s him.

“Come on Gustavo,” Carlos now, adding in more things to anger their boss. “You can wear your PJs.”

“You can do it, Gustavo! Do it for Fiji-Wiji!” Added James, as Roxy still clutched at his hand. 

The assistant even added her own, “Another platinum record, Mr. Rocque!” just to hear what her voice would sound like with the filter on. 

Gustavo was still running around the studio, breaking whatever was in reach, while the teens, Kelly, and Snoop all piled on their mix of encouragement and insults to fire the man up. 

It wasn’t long after smashing a bass guitar to the floor did he glance up at the ceiling, as though he were cursing someone above and bellowed out, “Yard Squirrels!”

Maybe we went too far-

“Get in the booth. I’ve got the song!” The man called through the speakers, letting them all know their Christmas had been saved. 

***

“And unfortunately, no one is getting in or out of Minnesota or most of the Midwest tonight. A snowstorm has completely shut down all the airports. Merry Christmas!”

Apartment 2-J was silent as Big Time Rush, their assistant, and the Knights looked mournfully at the TV weather report that had popped up on the news moments before they had planned to leave for LAX. 

The new songs, the duets, and the cover wrapped into one holiday EP had been enough to please Arthur Griffin, only to leave Roxy and her friends unable to travel to the one place they wanted to be during the holidays. 

All of their hard work had been for nothing. 

Well, mostly for nothing. At the very least Snoop had left his agent’s name and number, claiming he’d love to be put on a remix of “Boyfriend.”

New Hollywood connections!

Roxy fought her way into James’ arms while he stood completely frozen, still staring at the broadcast, while Kendall ripped the beanie off his head and angrily threw it to the floor.  Logan fell back to the couch, head in his hands, and even Carlos, let out a small, astonished whimper. 

“Aw,” Mrs. Knight tried her best to comfort her kids, stepping forward to rub circles into her son’s back. “Sorry, guys…” With a weak finger pointed to the TV, Carlos sighed, “I guess we ran out of Christmas miracles.”

“And after everything we went through…” Logan couldn’t even finish his sentence.

No one could conjure up anything else to say, just zoning out as the news anchor brought up a new story about something happening in Los Angeles. 

“I’ve never wanted to get on a plane so badly,” Roxy attempted to make a joke, but she just weakly muttered into James’ coat, words lost into the fabric as he finally wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Buzz buzz

Incoming call: Dad

Just seeing his name on her phone’s home screen made Roxy’s heart sink further into her stomach. The news report on TV had been devastating, yet distant at the same time. Picking up this phone call would make everything final, everything real.

Slowly detaching from her boyfriend, Roxy held up her phone and headed off toward her apartment to take the call. 

“Hi Dad… See the news?” 

On the other line, she heard him grunt in confirmation mixed with some background noise she couldn’t decipher, “Hey. Just got the weather alert on my phone and figured I should give you a call.”

The sweet sound of his voice was enough to move her to tears. “We tried so hard, Daddy, but Griffin just kept demanding more and more and more-”

“Slow down, honey bun! It’s okay. Sure I’m a bit bummed, but the most important thing to me is that you’re safe.”

Roxy wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, hoping her continuous sniffling wasn’t making it through the microphone, “I know but… I can’t imagine having Christmas without you. I don’t want to have Christmas without you.”

She knew she sounded like a child throwing a temper tantrum, but it didn’t make her statement any less true. 

“You know how these storms go. It’ll be over by tomorrow night and it’ll be safe to fly again. Then we’ll be able to see each other again.”

The indiscernible noise rumbled through the speaker again. It sounded a bit like… 

“Dad, are you in Dynamo right now? That sounded like his engine after sitting at a red light. It’s not safe to be driving right now, the storm is going to hit any minute!”

“Ah, no, I’ve got a movie on in the background. I’m all snug back home.”

Roxy wasn’t sure she believed him but didn’t have the energy to pick a fight as she ran a few fingers across her face, eliminating the remanence of any tears. “I’ve got your tape all wrapped up, you’ll never guess what it is this year.”

“It better not be somethin’ I won’t like! If I’ve got to spend the whole year learnin’ it, I should at least have the satisfaction of enjoyin’ it.”

While she couldn’t remember when their tradition started, each year for Christmas Roxy and her father would exchange a single cassette - An album or a mixtape of their own design. It helped the two of them find new music and expand their horizons, but there was always an unspoken agreement that they’d learn the songs on the tape to be performed at next year’s Christmas celebration. 

Last year she had received Wish by the Cure, an album from the year she was born, and she had given him Attack & Release by The Black Keys, one of her favorite albums from last year. While she’d typically go for something more punkish, she wanted to hear his version of the unforgettable guitar. That, and his voice was just as captivating as Dan Auerbach’s, gravelly and bluesy; She couldn’t wait to hear him sing again. It was likely she’d make him sing the words to her album as well, considering for the last four years she had starkly refused to.

“You’ll like it, I hope. But don’t ask for any surprises or hints! When we see each other again, you’ll find out.”

“Sounds good… It won’t be that long, hang in there. You’ve got your friends and your… boyfriend. It’ll be nice tomorrow, all of you together.”

“One day you’ll be able to say ‘boyfriend’ without sounding like you want to bash your head against the wall.” The engine-like noise roared in her ears again. “Are you sure you’re not driving? I don’t want to spend the entire night worrying about you!”

“Movie, Roxy. Movie.”

Even though he couldn’t see her, she rolled her eyes. 

Knock knock

At the door connecting to 2-J, James appeared, silently beckoning his girlfriend to come back over. 

“I’ve got to go, I think the boys are up to something,” Roxy sighed into the phone. “But I’ll call you tomorrow morning and see if we can get the flights sorted back out.”

“Sounds good, talk tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you too, Merry Christmas.”

After his reply of “Merry Christmas,” the line clicked dead and Roxy felt the sadness from before creeping in. In a few deep breaths, she did her best to suppress the feeling before sliding her phone into her back pocket and joining up with her boyfriend.

“Katie says she has an idea, but she wants you there too,” He simply told her and that was all she needed. The two of them made their way back to their friends, hand in hand, to hear what the youngest Knight had wanted to share. 

Stepping in front of the TV in the living room and cutting off the news broadcast still playing, Katie had already formed a collection of candy canes and cocoa packets in her arms. “How about we make a Christmas miracle happen ourselves? Spread some, you know, Christmas joy?”

Though it took a moment, everyone turned her way, liking the sound of her plan, “We’re listening…” 

Immediately, the young girl began to lay out her plan and it wasn’t too far off from one her brother and his friends had formulated earlier in the day. Kendall and Katie were so alike, at times it astonished the writer. Since all the other Palm Woods residents had gone home for the holidays, they wouldn’t miss their decorations at all, right?

It was late in the evening, and when everyone headed down to the lobby to formulate their decorating ideas, Bitters was nowhere in sight. He probably figured they had already taken a car to the airport and were waiting to head back to the Midwest by now. Instead, they were running around the empty hallways of his hotel and finding any loose, spare, or unnailed-down decorations to haul into the lobby for their big celebration. 

Considering they weren’t concerned with being caught by the hotel manager or reprimanded by any patrons, their decorating took no time at all. In a matter of an hour, the lobby had a full tree with ornaments, lights, tinsel, and presents underneath. It was so large, that it even obscured their view of the front doors.

“Do you think that’s enough?” Kendall asked, eyes flickering up and down the large tree. “Because I don’t think it is.”

His friends agreed, it certainly wasn’t enough. So, they spent the rest of their evening traveling back and forth from the hotel to Rocque Records, transporting the same decorations they had used in the lounge for the lobby. The fake brick wall and TV fireplace, stocking, long strands of garland over every doorway.

They’d even managed to convince Mrs. Knight to loan them her minivan to get two large, brown couches and a glass coffee table from the accounting department of the record company. 

Though Katie had told them she was hoping to surprise the grouchy manager, Roxy could also tell she was trying to make herself and her friends feel better about their situation as well. Even if their Christmas wasn’t what they had hoped, she remembered what her dad had told her on the phone earlier. 

It’ll be nice tomorrow, all of you together.

***

“I don’t understand!” Roxy whined, letting Big Time Rush drag her from her nice comfy bed, down to the hotel lobby. “It’s too early, he’s not going to be awake yet…”

The five teens paraded down the stairwell, ready for Christmas morning in their softest, warmest pajamas, to meet Mrs. Knight and Katie to surprise Me. Bitters. 

“His shift starts at 8, and it’s…” Logan checked his digital watch, “7:59! Let’s go!” 

No one had ever tumbled out of the Palm Woods stairwell so fast. 

When they reached the lobby, the teens were able to breathe a sigh of relief, all of the decorations were up and hanging where they had left them, meaning the manager hadn’t seen them at some point during the night and taken them all down. From Katie’s description, he seemed quite anti-Christmas, so no one was sure how their surprise would turn out. 

Regardless of how he felt about it, at least Big Time Rush, Roxy, and the Knights would all be able to spend their day together. Though she wished her father could make it, this was far better than she could have ever imagined. 

She and James plopped down on the edge of one of the brown couches, snuggling into each other's sides in front of the fake fireplace. Carlos and Logan joined them, while the Knights took the other couch.

“Merry Christmas,” James whispered to her, pressing a light kiss to his girlfriend’s temple. “Sorry we couldn’t let you sleep any longer. We’ve been up since 5 and Mrs. Knight wouldn’t let us open anything until you and Bitters joined us.”

Roxy suppressed a snort. Of course they’d been up since the crack of dawn; Their sense of childlike wonder never ceased to amaze her. “Merry Christmas, James. I’ll be sure to get up earlier next year.”

His rumble of laughter was comforting, making it easy for her to rest her head on his shoulder and try and get in a few more seconds of rest before the manager started work. 

Maybe she had been too optimistic, because, at that precise moment, the door to the hotel manager’s office opened, revealing Bitters in his standard-work order Palm Woods navy blue button-up pajamas and a white nightcap. 

“Another Christmas morning…” He grumbled, closing the door and rubbing his eyes. “Just like any other morning.”

As he went to put on his glasses, Katie held up a silent count down from three on her fingers, and everyone called, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bitters!”

He blinked a few times, as though he couldn’t believe all the people and decorations in his lobby were real. “What’s all this?”

“Christmas morning!” Katie replied. “With friends.”

It took a good amount of time for the man to take everything in, eyes darting from decoration to decoration, the people on the couches in front of him, and finally, under the tree. 

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

With a warm smile, Mrs. Knight warmly advised, “Say ‘Merry Christmas!’”

One deep breath in, and Bitters finally stopped hiding his excitement, letting out a joyous, “Merry Christmas!” as though everyone at the Palm Woods was in an old holiday movie. 

Cheers erupted, filling the room with the sound of jovial laughter as everyone stood up, racing to the tree to grab the presents they had wrapped to hand out. 

“We’ve got presents for you, Big Guy!” Logan promised, each of the boys and their assistant lining up to present their gifts. 

Carlos was first, “A rock star nutcracker? I’ve always wanted one of these!” then Kendall, “Canned ham? How’d you know?” James’ homemade ceramic creation, “It’s homemade!” and finally Roxy and Logan’s, “New binders? The Palm Woods filing cabinet needed these!”

When the teens had finished, Katie hopped up from her spot on the couch to hand him the biggest gift of all, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bitters.”

“Snoop Dogg Jamphonic headphones?” The most expensive gift of all as well. “Thank you, Katie. Thank you so much.”

From then, it didn’t take long for the boys to tear into the gifts Mrs. Knight and Katie had gotten for them - Lots of toys and games, with the occasional clothing item or needed school supplies thrown in. Roxy even got to join in on the fun, receiving a beautiful blue cardigan from Mrs. Knight and a new makeup organizer from Katie. 

When it finally came her time to hand out what she had gotten for her friends, however, she grew a bit anxious. She knew they had learned their lesson about handmade gifts, but it still worried her slightly as she handed the four of them identically sized boxes, wrapped in their favorite colors. 

Paper gone in a matter of seconds, Carlos was the first to officially tear into his gift. “No way… A cassette tape… and a bracelet!”

The other three eventually caught up, finding similar items in the tissue paper at the bottom of their boxes. 

“Um, yeah…” Roxy faltered, despite knowing it was quite silly. They were her friends, they’d love anything she had given them, but something about this being the first Christmas they’d spent together was putting some unwanted pressure on her. “My dad and I have a tradition where we trade tapes, so I thought I could bring you guys in on it for next year. They’re all different; I made them according to music I think you’d all enjoy.”

While she fiddled with her hands, she finally found the strength to glance up at them, only to find all four of them beaming back at her. 

Joy on my friends’ faces as they open my gifts to them… A Christmas miracle.

“As for the bracelets,” She found the strength to continue, holding up her left hand to show off the one she had been wearing for the past few weeks. “I had to restring my acoustic when we got back from tour… So I figured why not make matching bracelets from the strings I used to write my first Big Time Rush song.”

“You made these?” Kendall asked, swiftly setting the box down on the coffee table and slipping his on. 

Roxy said a silent prayer of thanks that she had estimated the size correctly. “Yeah… My dad’s a punk. Of course, I know how to make weird jewelry.”

Each bracelet had a different twisting pattern to set them apart from one another, with beads in the same color as the wrapping paper decorating every few inches. 

“If they’re too weird or anything you don’t have to-”

Roxy was abruptly cut off as the four of them crushed her into one big group hug. All of the boys overlapped their speech, thanking her, promising to always wear them, and telling her how wonderfully innovative her idea had been before Katie cleared her throat from the couch. “I want my gift now!”

From the middle of the huddle, Roxy did her best to raise her hand and point to the two gifts she had put on the table, “Kaite’s is purple, Mrs. Knight’s is green!”

She barely even got to see Kaite open her large, thick book on entertainment law or Mrs. Knight receive her new, black crossbody purse before the boys finally let her go. 

“Ok! Your turn!” James told her, gently guiding her back onto the large brown couch. “Stay right here and close your eyes.”

“Would it kill you to say, ‘please?’”

“Babe!”

“Okay, okay! Eyes closed, just tell me when to open them!”

Using both shaking hands to cover her eyes, Roxy heard four sets of footsteps dash toward the elevators then a few moments later, shuffle all the way back in front of her. It elevated her heart rate far more than she liked.

What have these boys-

“Open, open, open!” She heard Carlos giggle and followed his instructions, removing her hands to find a large guitar case at the base of the Christmas tree. 

It was rectangular and completely solid, black with silver accents lining the frame and small latches on the side. Far more professional than the cases she had been carrying her guitars in for tour; This thing looked impenetrable and based on the size could carry a lot more of her equipment as well. 

However, the best detail was on the upper left corner of the case, standing out beautifully against the black leather material. Someone had taken some white spray paint and big, block letter stencils to write out an angled Roxy Somerset to let the entire world know who the case belonged to. 

“Guys… I-” She brought her hands over her mouth, hardly able to form any coherent thoughts beyond Oh my fucking God at the incredible gift they had gotten for her. 

“We know you were worried about all your stuff getting lost or damaged last tour,” Logan said, filling in the silence. 

“So, we figured you’d want something a bit more secure,” Kendall waved his hand over the case, “It should fit your electric and the wires for your amps and stuff, picks and whatnot…”

Roxy was still unable to say anything, even when James simply sauntered over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, “And it’s super flashy, definitely rockstar worthy for you, songbird!” 

The sensation was overwhelming, receiving something so wonderful and having all of her friends staring at her waiting for her to react, that her brain was still suck in her Oh my fucking God phase. All she could do for now was hug James right back, squeezing him so hard he let out a groan, before waving the rest of Big Time Rush over to join. 

“I can’t believe it…” She finally managed. “The four of you are incredible, truly. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t even feel like enough.”

None of them said anything, they just held her back equally as tight until their message had been received. 

Though Kendall, Carlos, and Logan had eventually broken off to open some more gifts, Roxy still kept a hold of James, glancing up at him before bringing her hand to the side of her mouth as though she were about to tell him a secret.

“Santa told me there’s one more gift for you under the tree.”

His eyes lit up as bright as the Christmas lights they’d strung across the lobby, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the side, away from everyone else, once he spotted the rectangular box underneath the tree in the same purple paper his tape and bracelet had been wrapped up in. 

Taking hold of it, James shook it a few times to see if he could guess what was inside, before giving up and tearing into the packaging. Roxy never took her eyes off of him when he discovered a white clothing box, which he tore into with the same intensity, and pulled out a long-sleeved L.A. Kings jersey. Though he held it in front of his face by the sleeves, she could picture his grand, white smile, and that was just examining the front. 

Clearing her throat, she tried to act nonchalant as she said, “The real surprise is on the back.”

In an instant, he turned the jersey around to find a white stitched number 1 on the back, just like his jersey on the MAHS team. Diamond branded across the back shoulders as though he were a real player on the team. 

“Guess we were both into name stuff this year. I love it when we think alike.”

Finally, James lowered the jersey so he could see his girlfriend, the same wide look in his eyes from before. “Roxy, this is… I didn’t get you anything else-”

“Don’t worry about it! It’s not about the quantity… You’re a wonderful boyfriend, so I wanted our first Christmas together to be special.”

When he looked at her again, she felt her heart stop. Something was different about his gaze now, more intense, wild, as he took a few more steps behind the tree and waved her over. 

Standing in front of him now, his eye contact still didn’t waver until he bent down to kiss her cheek, “So, so special.”

Before she could reply, he pulled the jersey over her head, temporarily blinding her as she let out a brief cry of struggle. “James! What?!”

He continued to tug the fabric down over her arms and hips, eventually reaching back up to guide her head through the top and gently pull her hair out from under the material, letting it frame her face again, albeit wilder than before. Instinctually, she pulled her arms through the sleeves and reached up to smooth her locks down, cheeks growing red in embarrassment as he continued to look down at her. 

“You are so ridiculous, you know that?” She jabbed a finger into his chest, body heating up from the new too-big fleece jersey and mild anger. “This is for you, not me-”

James cut her off by taking her hand and spinning her around, taking a long moment to admire the name and number on his girlfriend’s back. “Oh, it’s for me, baby. Definitely for me.”

That’s when it clicked.

So concerned with trying to get him the most recent jersey and going through all the official channels to get the correct customizations done, Roxy had been so focused on making this the perfect gift for him. She had never even considered what it might be like for a hockey player to see someone they cared about so deeply wearing something so personal. 

By the time he spun her back around, there was no chance she wasn’t as red as a tomato as he continued to look her up and down. 

“Okay, then.” She felt herself try to fill the silence. “Good.”

James nodded. “Good.”

There was a millisecond of silence before he winked and crashed his mouth into hers. 

If she had known this would have gotten him so fired up, she would’ve bought him a jersey ages ago. 

Her hands traveled up the soft cotton of his long-sleeved t-shirt, locking around his neck as she pushed him back into the beige wall obscured from the rest of the room by the Christmas tree, eliciting a soft groan of his so guttural she could feel it travel throughout her own body. 

Though the fabric of the jersey was thick, his hands fled to her waist in response, pulling her closer into him as they slipped under the hem, fingertips seeking the heat radiating off her skin. 

Thanks to the winter weather, his fingers were freezing cold on her body. Roxy jumped at the contact but didn’t let it stop her as her lips stayed locked onto his, barely stopping to take in any form of a breath. 

James tasted sweet, like peppermint. He must’ve had one of the candy canes Katie had handed out earlier.

When he pulled away sometime later, she let out a small whine before he dove right back in, telling her between kisses down her cheeks and neck how beautiful she was, how perfect her gift had been, how he couldn’t wait to see her wear his jersey in public. Roxy's fingers threaded through his hair as she took his words in, gently tugging on the long strands while she drove her teeth into her bottom lip to keep quiet. 

 There was enough laughter bellowing out from the other side of the lobby, she figured no one noticed they were even missing. The little alcove they had found by the front doors was theirs and theirs alone.

Best. Christmas. Ever. 

“Well… That’s a mighty strange way to spell ‘Somerset’…”

A voice: Bluesy. Gravely. Unmistakable. 

James immediately froze as his girlfriend managed to untangle herself from him, whipping around as she ran worried fingers through her hair, attempting to hide just how messy it was becoming. 

Roxy would know that voice anywhere, and while she was normally so excited to hear it, this time, it sent a chill down her spine.

“Daddy? You’re here!” She called as innocently as possible but winced at the crack she could hear on the last word. However, it didn’t stop her from running over to him and throwing her arms around him despite the large backpack and guitar case strapped over his shoulder. “I can’t believe it, what about the flight ban?”

“Drove to Wisconsin and flew out of there.” Declan’s words were simple, but she could hear the uncomfortable amount of strain it had taken him to say. When his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, she knew he was staring James down, but was too happy to see her father to care. 

By now, everyone had heard a new voice in the foyer of the Palm Woods, heads turning to find Roxy and her father in a sweet holiday embrace, before inviting them over to join in their holiday festivities. 

When she reached out to take his guitar from him and offered to show him her apartment, he said, “That sounds lovely, honey bun, thank you. Can I give you your gift first, though?”

For now, it seemed as though James was off the hook, though he was still frozen up against the wall, unblinking as he took the sight of Declan in.

“Yes! Let me grab yours, too. Come on and meet everyone!” In no time, she had dragged him over to the center of the party, allowing him to properly meet Mrs. Knight, Katie, and Mr. Bitters, and see Kendall, Carlos, and Logan for the first time in a while. 

When she passed his black wrapped tape over to him, Declan handed off the one he had wrapped for her, and the two carefully peeled the paper back to not damage what was inside. 

The plastic was cool in her hands. Jack’s Mannequin: Everything In Transit. An artist and album Roxy had never heard of. 

In her father’s hands, he held Icky Thump by The White Stripes, turning it over as he let out a few breathy chuckles. “The Black Keys last year, White Stripes this year… Are you tryin’ to start a war on my shelves?”

Declan brought up the two band’s famous feud as if that was something that mattered to either of them. “Oh yes, because your tapes come alive and fight to the death whenever you leave the room… Tell me about mine though - What is it? I don’t recognize either name.”

Finally setting his backpack down on the floor beside where she had placed his guitar case, Declan pointed in the tape’s general direction. “You told me you were learning piano, so I found you a tape to learn on that and the guitar. You know Something Corporate?”

It was like the two of them were in their own little world as they spoke about their new music library additions, using terms and referencing events the others didn’t understand. 

“‘I Woke Up In A Car,’ right? I love that one! I put it on Kendall’s tape so he could learn it on guitar. He doesn’t know it yet, but he likes the same type of music we do.”

The corner of his lips curved up into something that resembled a smile, “Jack's Mannequin is the lead singer-songwriter’s side project. While not entirely my thing, you’ll like it.”

“I know I will. Thanks, Dad!” She threw her arms around him for the second time in as many minutes, finally able to let herself be relieved he made it to California to spend Christmas with her and somewhat confident he wasn’t planning on killing her boyfriend.

“Jay! I’ve got one for you too if you’re done hiding back there,” Her father called, angling his head back so James could hear him, causing more than one of her friends to poorly try and hide their snickering. 

A few moments later, the singer sheepishly made his way over to the rest of the celebration, though he sat as far away from Roxy and Declan as possible. With a small thank you, he took the wrapped tape from the man, opened it, and promised to borrow Roxy’s tape player as soon as possible. 

After the gifts had finally been opened, everyone was trying on their new clothes or playing with new toys, and general pleasantries had been exchanged between the adults, the conversation was beginning to die down. Just as Roxy was about to drag her father up to 2-H to show him her apartment, a familiar, “Ho-ho-ho!” rang out from the front of the lobby. 

Around the large tree came Kelly and Gustavo, both dressed up in their warmest winter PJs. 

“I missed my flight to Fiji, so I figured I’d spend the holidays with my dawgs! In my PJs!”

Beside her, the writer felt her father tense up at the sight of two strange adults wanting to hang out around a bunch of teenagers, so under her breath, she shared that those two were their bosses over at Rocque Records and not the reason they had missed their flights. 

“And we brought a little holiday feast!” Kelly shared, motioning toward the front doors where an endless stream of chefs in white-colored clothing brought on tray after tray of food, delivered straight to the large table in the back of the Palm Woods lobby. 

Roxy had never seen so much food, and it made her stomach growl terribly loud. Who cares if it’s early in the morning? We could all use a feast!

It wasn’t long after, everyone was gathered around the table, carving up turkey, sharing all the delicious side dishes, and certainly saving room for the large dessert the adults had hidden away in Bitters’ office for later. 

A few delicious, gratifying bites of food later, Roxy scanned over the faces at the table, reminding herself just how lucky she was to be spending the holidays with the people she loved more than anything in this world. Gently, she leaned over to her boyfriend and shared the last line of the poem she had been writing all day.  “So with family beside you and friends together, that’s the recipe for the best holiday ever.”

--

hello! happy holidays, haha! thanks for pretending its still appropriate to be reading holiday things at the beginning of february.

put a lot of work into this one, i hope all of you enjoyed <3 thanks again for reading

be sure to let me know what you think with your likes, reblogs, and comments - they truly keep me going :)

[wrestler-smash-or-pass]

Weekly Wrapup 12/31/23 (late!)

Top five smashable wrestlers this week:

Athena - 90.2% smash

Minoru Suzuki (Young Variant) - 88.7% smash

Swerve Strickland - 88.3% smash

Bret Hart - 71.0% smash

David Finlay - 69.1% smash

More stats under the cut, along with my observations, commentary, and some of my favorite tags...

Bottom five smashable wrestlers this week:

Marty Scurll - 23.8% smash

Jake the Snake Roberts - 31.6% smash

Neckstrong Roderick Strong - 32.8% smash

Trent Seven - 40.8% smash

Carmella - 47.8% smash

Most total votes this week (most enthusiasm)

Swerve Strickland - 444 votes

Athena - 337 votes

William Regal - 311 votes

Minoru Suzuki (Young Variant) and Bret Hart - 300 votes

And least total votes this week (least enthusiasm)

David Finlay - 152 votes

Trent Seven - 157 votes

Raven (ECW Variant) - 184 votes

Marty Scurll - 193 votes

Carmella - 205 votes

The closest match was Raven (ECW Variant) who won 95-89

Top Five Overall

Kris Statlander - 91% smash

Athena - 90.2% smash

Minoru Suzuki (Young Variant) - 88.7% smash

Swerve Strickland - 88.3% smash

Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash

Bottom Five Overall

Vince McMahon - 3.9% smash

Kane (Corporate variant) - 10.1% smash

Triple H (Terra Ryzing variant) - 18.6% smash

The Boogeyman - 22.6% smash

Brock Lesnar - 23.2% smash

Top Women Overall

Kris Statlander - 91% smash

Athena - 90.2% smash

Rhea Ripley - 84.2% smash

Julia Hart (Spooky Variant) - 81.9% smash

Chyna - 78.2% smash

Penelope Ford - 72.9% smash

Top Men Overall

Minoru Suzuki (Young Variant) - 88.7% smash

Swerve Strickland - 88.3% smash

Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash

Hikuleo - 86.0% smash

Jon Moxley - 84.8% smash

Top Tag Teams

The Golden Lovers - 80.4% smash

Best Friends - 66.7% smash

Motor City Machine Guns - 65.5% smash

Young Bucks - 43.8% smash

Ink Inc. - 25% smash

Average Smash Rating

Week 1: 52.7% Week 2: 57.7% Week 3: 54.4% Week 4: 62.9% Week 5: 58.4% Week 6: 55.9%

Holy shit you guys are horny for Minoru Suzuki. That was impressive. When the Swerve poll was posted, I was like "Oh yeah he's gonna go to the top of the men's rankings." No. Minoru Suzuki's bare ass from 30 years ago is what does it for Tumblr.

In other news, the Raven fuckers are vindicated. ECW era-Raven has been deemed smashable, but it was close. Four votes made the difference. I commented to my husband that trying to find a good photo of him was stressing me out, so he had a look and commented, "He seems like the kind of guy that is remembered for being hotter than he actually was."

On average, women are 73.2% smashable. Carmella has the dishonorable distinction of being the least smashable woman so far, and being one of two women to be voted not smashable (the other being Cheerleader Julia Hart). Sorry, anonymous person who called her "the most beautiful woman in the WWE." For those who are curious, men are 55.0% smashable on average. Also, this blog's women's division is comparable to the AEW women's division in that women have been featured in 10 polls total, compared to 82 polls for men.

Thanks for bearing with me through the Christmas and New Year holidays. I full on forgot what day it was for a few days there, then I got home from traveling and my keyboard broke??? so please excuse any typos because I am typing on the worst keyboard in the world.

And now for some of my favorite tags and comments

@booboo-eyedbambi on Athena: #not only would i smash i would let her kill me like a praying mantis if she so pleased

@grimdarkfandango on Swerve: #yes I know about the blood drinking and it was hot thank u

@arthausen on William Regal: #if I’m being honest. smash that old British cunt till he screams tally ho lads I’m arriving!

@arthausen on Neckstron Roderick Strong: #I love pathetic men and I would love to re-break his neck. smash

@saturatedsinset on Minoru Suzuki: #like yeah but you only deserve to fuck young suzuki if you also wanna fuck old suzuki. cowards

@pavlovean on Jake the Snake: #he literally has a mustache and a snake what more could you want

@theringleader on Bret Hart: #twirls hair heyyyyyyyy wanna talk about ring psychology?

[trulybetty]

Gold Rush | Chapter Two

Pairing: Joel x OFC Warnings: none - just turning up the angst dial Summary: Old lovers Joel and Charlotte find themselves unexpectedly reunited in the community of Jackson. Struggling to navigate the complexities of their shared history and the harsh realities of their new lives, the pair find themselves drawn to one another once again. AO3: Link

Chapter 2

The cold wind swept through Jackson, but Joel barely noticed. He stood rooted to his spot, eyes tracking Charlotte until she disappeared from sight. Relief, confusion, and longing churned within him, reopening old wounds he had buried deep.

The silence that settled over the group after Charlotte's abrupt departure was as frigid as the winds sweeping through Jackson. Ellie, Joel, Tommy, and Maria stood in awkward stillness, the weight of their reunion hanging heavy in the air.

Maria, with her practical nature, broke the silence. "Let's head to the dining hall," she suggested empathetically. "You both could use a warm meal."

Tommy nodded, and Joel and Ellie silently followed Maria toward the heart of the commune. Inside, the hall buzzed with comfortable camaraderie. The inhabitants of Jackson moved about, their warm chatter and laughter creating a rare sense of normalcy in the outside world.

As Joel and Ellie ate, Maria and Tommy engaged them in light conversation, pointing out the different aspects of the commune. The couple's pride in their community was evident, their words painting a picture of resilience and hope amidst the ruins of a collapsed civilization.

After the meal, Maria suggested a tour of the commune. "You should see the place," she said, sweeping her gaze over Joel and Ellie. "We've made it a home."

As they walked, Joel's gaze kept drifting toward the direction Charlotte had disappeared. Thoughts and emotions whirled in his mind, struggling to reconcile the sudden reality of her presence. Sensing his turmoil, Tommy laid a supportive hand on Joel's shoulder.

Joel turned to his brother. "Tommy," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "I need to talk to you alone."

Maria, who had been explaining the commune's self-sufficient practices to Ellie, paused at Joel's words. She exchanged a glance with Tommy before nodding. "I'll take Ellie to find some clean clothes."

—

Night had fallen, and Joel left Tommy in the desolate town square, burdened by his confession and feelings of inadequacy. As the snowfall intensified, the world grew silent, yet Joel found a strange sense of calm amidst the biting cold.

In the distance, a lone figure caught Joel's eye, hunched over a pile of firewood. Even in the semi-darkness, he recognized her unmistakably. It was Charlotte. Although he was supposed to head to the house Tommy and Maria had prepared for him and Ellie, he couldn't resist pausing to watch her straighten up as she brushed off the accumulated snow from her shoulders.

Here, in this place of safety, Charlotte was also present. That realization infused the winter air with a touch of warmth.

Eighteen years. Almost two decades together.

Five of them before the outbreak - a life that now seemed distant, as if belonging to someone else – and in a way, it did. Joel knew he could never be that person again, the person he was when Sarah was alive, when Charlotte was as much of a mother to Sarah as she was her father. Four Mother's Days, five birthdays-each, and countless other holidays. The shared laughter of their own little trio existing in a little bubble of happiness.

Then darkness followed, as the world plunged into chaos with the outbreak of the virus. Thirteen years, its number itself an omen, navigating chaos and despair. Then, Charlotte left with the Fireflies. Heading west following the trail of the previous group, who had left the no less than a year before with Tommy. With her departure, a void emerged – one filled with unresolved arguments, unspoken words, and lingering regrets. She was searching for something, for redemption, for a glimmer of hope amidst the bleakness.

That departure, that turning point in their lives, was almost seven years ago.

Joel watched Charlotte in the cold winter night, snowflakes gently falling around him. It was a moment that echoed with their shared history, the weight of their past palpable in the silent air. With her departure, Joel was left with Tess. Their relationship had evolved over time, stemming from shared grief and the necessity of survival. They'd been partners in their smuggling gigs, and gradually, Tess took Charlotte's place in Joel's bed.

But comparing the two relationships was like comparing night and day. Joel couldn't ignore the stark contrast. His connection with Tess was born out of necessity, forged through the shared experiences of surviving in a brutal world. It had its own kind of love, with affection and respect woven into its fabric. Yet, Charlotte held a different space in his heart, one that harked back to a time of normalcy. It was a time when love and family formed the foundation of their lives, not just luxuries.

Now, in the midst of the winter's chill, Joel couldn't help but watch Charlotte, their shared history silently reverberating. The quietness around them spoke volumes, reminding him of the life they had once shared.

—

Charlotte brushed the snow off her hands, turning around to find Joel stood in the quiet square behind her. A wave of déjà vu washed over her, reminiscent of their earlier encounter that morning. This time, however, she resisted the impulse to run towards him. Instead, she held her ground, locked in a silent acknowledgement of their shared history.

The snowfall created a hushed ambience, cocooning them from the outside world. Tension and nostalgia mingled in the air, tangible yet unspoken. Breaking the silence, Charlotte's voice barely rose above a whisper. "Old age is looking good on you, Miller."

A faint smirk curled Joel's lips, amusement glinting in his eyes. Their age difference, a trivial matter, had always been a source of private humour between them. In the past, Charlotte and Sarah would playfully tease Joel, affectionately dubbing him the "old man."

"You look good too," Joel responded after a pause, his gaze appreciating the way time had treated Charlotte. Despite the harshness of their reality, she exuded resilience. Her lean figure, composed posture, and determined gaze testified to her survival.

"Thanks," Charlotte replied, her voice steady.

Joel's gaze lingered on her, a hint of longing masked by the passing years. Finally, he asked, "So, you made it to Tommy?"

Charlotte nodded, her lips pursed as she fought the urge to highlight the obvious. "I'm here." Her tone carried a clipped quality, reflecting the unresolved emotions between them. "But I'm guessing Tommy already filled you in on everything?"

Her lack of enthusiasm to share her journey to Jackson resonated not only in her tone but also in her stance. Their relationship had ended in a tumultuous argument, and the echoes of their heated words reverberated between them.

The memory of that night remained vivid—the bitter words, the ultimatum, the desperation. She had pleaded with Joel to come with her, to join the Fireflies and head West to reunite with Tommy. But Joel had stubbornly refused, driven not only by his disdain for the movement but also by a lingering doubt that Charlotte would truly leave.

That night, she had chosen to walk away, leaving their shared past behind to carve her own path. It was a decision that had reshaped both their lives, forging lines of separation that had endured for seven long years.

The thick night swallowed them, the winter chill seeping through their bundled layers, yet neither seemed to notice. The silence grew once again, heavy with unanswered questions and unspoken words.

"Who's the girl?" Charlotte asked, her voice laced with curiosity, a hint of eagerness to divert the conversation from their shared history.

Joel hesitated, the weight of his journey with Ellie pressing upon him. Dangers, hardships, and moments of unbearable pain had shaped their path together, leaving scars that ran deeper than mere words could convey. It was a journey he would rather forget, yet one that had shaped him, transforming him in ways he was still struggling to comprehend.

"It's Ellie," he finally began, his voice tinged with defensiveness, his gaze drifting momentarily towards the snow-covered ground. The falling snowflakes mirrored the delicate balance they now treaded upon—a balance between sharing and concealing their individual journeys.

Just as Charlotte held back her own journey to Tommy, Joel found himself grappling with the weight of revealing his journey with Ellie. Their lives had diverged, and now, as they stood facing each other, they were compelled to confront the reality of their separate paths.

"It's a favour for Marlene," Joel muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. The words hung heavily between them, a simple explanation that carried layers of resentment, regret, and fractured trust.

Marlene's name stirred memories within Charlotte, a flicker of surprise dancing in her eyes, quickly giving way to confusion. Marlene, once an unlikely ally with Charlotte within the QZ, symbolized a movement and a faith she had once held hope on. But for Joel, Marlene embodied a different weight—a reminder of broken promises and choices made under duress.

The mention of Marlene seemed to break the spell that held them captive in the past. Charlotte's confusion deepened, her eyes searching Joel's face for answers that were yet to be spoken.

"Marlene?" Charlotte's face twisted as if she'd been slapped. "The same Marlene from the Fireflies?"

Joel's only answer was a nod, he couldn't look at her. He keenly felt the implications of his admission, aware of the questions it would inevitably raise.

The vastness of the town square seemed to close in on them, the wind whipped through the short distance between them. Marlene's name hung there, a bitterness that dredged up too many raw emotions and ghosts they thought they had buried long ago.

"I don't believe this," she said.

Her eyes were bright in the dim light, a fire blazing in their depths. Joel remembered those eyes, remembered how they had looked at him the nights they had argued over the Fireflies, over Marlene. He had mocked her then, scorned her for her trust in the movement, for her naive belief that they could change the world. But he had done the same. He had trusted Marlene.

Joel reached for her. His hand was a plea, a silent apology that hung in the air between them. But he couldn't speak. He couldn't find the words to explain why he had done what he had, why he had trusted the woman he supposedly despised.

It was as if a storm had suddenly erupted between them, any soft thoughts of seeing him again had evaporated.

The memory of Charlotte’s last arrangement with the Fireflies came rushing back, a flood of images that twisted his gut. He remembered Charlotte's bruised face, the evidence of Marlene's betrayal. He remembered how Charlotte still wanted to leave with the Fireflies, despite everything they had done.

Joel's hand dropped back to his side, the space between them seeming like a chasm he couldn't cross. He looked at her then, meeting her gaze, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I'm sorry," he said, but the words felt inadequate, a poor offering in the face of her anger.

A storm erupted within Charlotte, her anger gathering like dark clouds, threatening to unleash a torrent of pent-up emotions. Joel's betrayal stung, she could almost hear his words from the night she left, the harsh accusations and cruel dismissal reverberating in her ears. He had done exactly what he had ridiculed her for. And not just with any Firefly, but with Marlene.

Her eyes burned with an intense fire, reflecting the raw depth of her emotions. The moonlight painted sharp contrasts on her face, emphasizing the hardened lines etched across her features. The tender reunion they had shared earlier was swallowed by a storm of unresolved grievances and lingering animosity.

Joel's heart sank as he sensed the sudden shift in her demeanour.

"Charlie, listen..." he croaked, the familiar nickname escaping his lips involuntarily. His eyes pleaded with her, desperate to reveal the transformation he had undergone. The man who had left Boston seemed like a distant memory now.

Her response was swift and cutting, her words slicing through the frigid air like a sharpened blade. "Do you remember what you said to me that night, Joel?" she spat, her voice laced with intensity. "About Marlene, about me?"

Her words landed with the force of a punch, jolting Joel back to the memories of their heated arguments, the cutting remarks and the icy silence that had lingered in their wake. The sound of the apartment door clicking shut reverberated in his mind, echoing through the nights when he replayed the scene over and over, his eyes unable to witness her departure despite the harsh words he had spoken.

The confrontation crackled with tension, shattering the tranquillity of the night in Jackson. Their reunion had become an unwelcome mirror reflecting the consequences of their choices and the distance their years apart separated them.

Joel mustered the courage to speak, his voice barely a whisper, "Tess..."

Charlotte's laughter erupted, even sharper than before. It pierced the stillness of the winter air. It echoed her disbelief, her shock etched on her face, as she struggled to comprehend the revelation of Joel's association with Marlene and now Tess—an addition that felt like a personal insult to her.

"Jesus, it just gets better," she scoffed, her laughter fading into a sardonic tone.

Joel, Tommy, and Charlotte had weathered the storm together, forging an unbreakable bond, their shared history was etched into their souls, stitched with the fibres of survival that had led them to the Boston Quarantine Zone.

Then Tess arrived, a force of nature amidst the chaos of the outbreak. She commanded attention, her boldness and resourcefulness captivating Joel in ways that Charlotte found both captivating and unsettling. Their connection had grown stronger with time, reshaping the dynamics that Charlotte had once believed were unshakable.

Charlotte couldn't forget that first encounter, the sight of Joel laughing with Tess, their chemistry palpable. Tess possessed a rawness, a roughness that resonated with Joel's own spirit, and it both fascinated and threatened Charlotte's sense of security.

But as the days passed, tensions simmered between Charlotte and Tess. Charlotte, fiercely protective of Joel, couldn't help but resent the way Tess seemed to bring out a different side of him. Their conflicting personalities clashed, creating a strained atmosphere whenever they crossed paths.

It was clear to Charlotte that Tess had her sights set on Joel. She saw in him a kindred spirit, a partner in navigating the harsh reality of their new world. Charlotte couldn't shake the feeling that Tess had already established a place for herself in Joel's life, and it hurt. Jealousy had no place in their post-apocalyptic existence, yet Charlotte found herself wrestling with an unexpected resentment.

Charlotte didn't hide her feelings. There were no masks, no pretences. In their brutal world, there was no time for games.

"Joel," she confronted him one day, cornering him upon his return from a recon run. "This thing with Tess. Do you really think it's a wise choice?"

Joel's surprise was evident in his eyes. "Tess is a good. She's smart, and she knows how to get things done."

Charlotte crossed her arms, her gaze unwavering. "That's not what I asked."

Joel's expression softened. "I know, Charlie. It's... it's not like that. Tess and I... we understand each other. We have a similar mindset."

"And that's what worries me, Joel. She's too much like you," Charlotte voiced her concern. She knew Joel's resilience, but Tess possessed a cunning that could easily manipulate him. "Just... be cautious."

Joel nodded, acknowledging the weight of her words as he pulled her into his arms. Their shared history and the struggles they had faced together had forged a deep bond that was not easily broken. However, Tess's arrival had ushered in a willingness to game the system rather than resist it, giving birth to their smuggling endeavours.

The months slipped away, each one blending into the next, until the passing of time turned into years. Tommy's departure had created a void, leaving behind an unmistakable absence in their once tight-knit group. Now, it was only Charlotte and Joel, with Tess effortlessly filling the void left by Tommy.

Their ventures outside the Quarantine Zone grew bolder and more frequent. Charlotte would stand on the sidelines, silently observing their departures, it was her job to run interference within the walls of the QZ. Tess exuded confidence and determination, leading the way, while Joel followed her with a resolute dedication that bordered on recklessness.

Charlotte's trust in Joel remained steadfast. Her concerns were not rooted in the fear of infidelity; she had grown accustomed to other women finding him attractive during their time together, a trait that he remained blissfully unaware of. It was a characteristic that hadn't faded from their lives, a reminder of the ‘old Joel’ she had fallen in love with. Instead, her worry lay in the inherent danger of their endeavours. With Tess's audacity and Joel's unwavering resolve, their forays beyond the QZ became increasingly hazardous.

Night after night, Charlotte would wait for Joel's return, the anticipation weighing heavy on her. The faint creak of the door would signal his arrival, a familiar sound that brought a mix of relief and concern. Thinking she was asleep, he would tread quietly across the apartment, dropping his bag and shedding his clothes. But sleep would always elude her until Joel nestled beside her, his comforting warmth seeping into her bones. In those moments, she would find a temporary respite from her worries, her eyes finally able to close, if only for a little while.

As time passed, Charlotte's concern for Joel grew deeper. She couldn't help but notice the change Tess had brought into their lives. While Tess was undeniably resourceful and crucial for their survival, Charlotte saw how she pushed Joel to the edge, leading him into increasingly perilous situations. And Joel, always the protector, dutifully followed her lead.

Charlotte longed for the days when it was just her, Joel, and Tommy, when their roles and responsibilities were clear, their trust unshakable. Tess disrupted their well-ordered existence, a wildcard in their carefully constructed lives.

Charlotte yearned for the days when Tommy's caution guided their decisions and when the old Joel, who valued safety and returned home relatively unscathed, was still present. This new Joel, shaped by the harsh realities they faced, both frightened and saddened her. While she understood the need to adapt for survival, she couldn't help but question the toll it was taking on their humanity. When did the pursuit of survival start overshadowing the essence of truly living?

The outbreak had brought Joel, Charlotte, and Tommy closer together in an unlikely trio. A contractor, a Gulf War veteran and a lawyer - formed a diverse combination that seemed like the setup for a punchline. But their pre-outbreak familiarity meant they understood each other's strengths and could rely on one another.

Their shared experiences had both forged deep bonds and inflicted lasting scars. In the chaotic aftermath, they found themselves navigating the grey areas of morality, embracing actions that blurred the lines between right and wrong.

For Charlotte, witnessing Joel fully immerse himself in the violence of their new reality had been unsettling. It was a side of him she had never fully seen before, and Tess, in her own unique way, seemed to draw out that darkness within him.

This turmoil had played a significant role in the lead up to Charlotte's eventual entanglement with Marlene and her involvement with the Fireflies at Tommy’s convincing. Feeling lost and adrift, she had been pulled into the cause seeking meaning and purpose in a world that seemed devoid of both.

The loss of Sarah had shattered Charlotte, and Tommy's departure had only intensified her sense of isolation. As for Joel, he remained physically present, but emotionally distant—a hollow shell of the man she once knew. The darkness and violence that consumed him were almost as devastating as losing him completely.

Marlene's keen eye had always recognized Charlotte's unique skill set, but Charlotte remained steadfast out of her grasp refusing to join them. That was until Tommy, Marlene had used their relationship to present an opportunity to recruit her into the Fireflies to their advantage.

Back while Marlene had been at the precipice of forming the Fireflies in Boston, Charlotte had been using her law background to form a different kind of grass roots movement. She had built a wealth of contacts very quickly upon her arrival, exchanging information and favours. She eventually won precarious favour with some of the Boston FEDRA officers.

Her negotiation skills and her ability with words, often leveraging her expertise to help Joel and Tess evade trouble once their smudging ring got more involved. Charlotte's work and eventual access FEDRA made her an attractive asset for Marlene. Persuaded by Tommy's appeals and fueled by her desire to make a difference, Charlotte had made the decision to work alongside the Fireflies.

Discovering Joel's involvement, the one who had indirectly pushed her into the arms of the Fireflies, particularly with Tess by his side, was a betrayal she was struggling to comprehend and was trying to keep her temper in check.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

One leaving her grappling to comprehend the magnitude of this revelation. The surrealness of Joel's sudden reappearance in her life added an extra layer of confusion, fueling her struggle to keep her temper in check.

"Let me explain," Joel began, his voice trembling with a mixture of desperation and vulnerability.

Charlotte's defensive stance softened slightly as she observed the raw emotion etched across Joel's face. The weight of his earlier confession to Tommy hung in the air, and she could sense the exhaustion that clung to him.

“Why should I?” she asked, her voice laced with a touch of hesitation. She wanted to understand, but she couldn't deny the pain and betrayal that still lingered within her.

Joel took a step closer, his eyes searching hers for a glimmer of understanding. His voice trembled as he spoke, the weight of his words evident in his every breath.

"Because you deserve to know the truth," he said, his voice filled with a mix of earnestness and regret. "I owe you that much, Charlotte."

Her name on his lips sent a shiver down her spine. Despite the distance and time that had passed, there was a familiarity in the way he spoke it, a trace of the connection they once shared.

Uncertainty flickered in Charlotte's eyes as she silently granted Joel permission to speak. The weight of her guarded expression hinted at the curiosity stirring within her.

Joel took a deep breath, his voice laced with a mixture of pain and vulnerability. He began to recount the events that led to his departure from the Boston Quarantine Zone. The desperation that fueled his need to escape, his fateful encounter with Marlene, and the deal he had made to smuggle Ellie out in exchange for transportation to Tommy.

His voice trembled as he spoke of Tess's tragic death. He shared the countless perils he and Ellie faced during their journey, the near brushes with death that became their constant companions. With a touch of admiration, he revealed Ellie's unwavering bravery and determination in despite of her age, her actions saving his life time and time again.

Amidst Joel's confessions and revelations, one glaring omission gnawed at Charlotte - he hadn't mentioned her.

She had hoped for some acknowledgement, some validation of the sacrifices she had made and the pain she had endured. It was as if her presence in his life had faded into the background the moment she’d left.

"What about me?" The question escaped her lips, carrying an undercurrent of bitterness and hurt that she couldn't suppress. She despised the vulnerability in her voice, the way it exposed the raw wounds she had tried to bury deep within. And yet, she couldn't deny the burning need to voice her pain, to demand the recognition she felt she deserved.

For a moment, the air between them was heavy with unspoken emotions. Charlotte's gaze remained fixed on Joel, her eyes searching for answers, for a glimpse of understanding. And as the seconds stretched into eternity, she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes, a glimmer of realization dawning upon him.

Charlotte's gaze softened slightly, but the pain still lingered in her eyes. She longed for an explanation, for something that would alleviate the ache in her heart. "I stood by you when Sarah... when we lost Sarah," she reminded him, her voice tinged with both accusation and longing. "I was there when Tommy left. We were supposed to face all this together, Joel." She gestured with outstretched arms, as if trying to encompass the magnitude of their shared burdens. "But you shut me out."

Joel's gaze met hers, the guilt etching lines on his face as he realized the impact of his past actions on her. He remained silent, unsure of how to respond.

In his silence Charlotte realised as much as she didn’t owe him anything anymore, nor did he her. Closing the remaining distance between them, Charlotte took a hesitant step forward. Her hand, gloved in a thin layer of protection from the biting cold, reached out to touch Joel's cheek. He leaned into her touch, his eyes closing, the flicker of peace that settled on his face was not lost on Charlotte.

But as she withdrew her hand, a sense of clarity washed over her.

This wasn't the Joel she had left behind in Boston. He wasn't the man she had fallen in love with. This Joel was broken, haunted by demons she couldn't fully comprehend. The distance between them was palpable, a chasm that had widened during their years apart. And she, too, had changed. She had hit rock bottom and had clawed her way back, slowly rebuilding the fragments of her shattered self.

Even after six years, Charlotte was still in the process of rebuilding her crumbling foundations. She couldn't afford to sacrifice her own progress to rebuild someone else. She had spent too much of her life trying to fix the man standing before her, and she was emotionally spent. It was not her responsibility to repair him, regardless of their shared history.

“I need to head home,” Charlotte finally broke the silence, her gaze shifting towards a distant point in the opposite direction of Joel. He paused, caught off guard by her sudden declaration. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if there were people waiting for her, if there was someone who had replaced him in her life. The thought stirred within him a strange mix of jealousy and longing that he hadn't anticipated in the knowledge he knew nothing of the last seven years of her life.

She turned back to him, her question piercing through his reverie. “Are you sticking around?”

He hesitated, uncertainty clouding his response. “I don't know.” His answer was vague, lacking conviction. He didn't have the energy to untangle the web of his emotions—the confession he had made to Tommy, his plea for his brother to take Ellie onward, and his resolve to wander alone as a form of penance for all that he had done.

Charlotte seemed to accept his uncertainty with a simple nod. “Well,” she started, pausing as if gathering her thoughts. “I know Tommy would love for you to stay. He’s missed you.” Her words hung in the chilly air.

“It was good seeing you, Joel.” Her voice choked with the weight of unspoken emotions. She didn't wait for a response, turning on her heel with the sting of unshed tears threatening to spill over. The reality of their situation reminded her that their shared past didn't guarantee a shared future.

Joel watched Charlotte's retreating figure, he wasn’t sure what the future held for him, but he had bridges to mend and debts to repay and it was undeniable, the load was getting heavier.