#first christmas

[vavoom-sorted-art]

Of Kings and Kids - Chapter 3

It‘s getting a bit romantic, folks! @gaiaseyes451 and I wish you a nice Christmas Eve!

Chapter 3 on Ao3

Clear as a trumpet across the countryside, the piercing cry of a newborn baby rang through the night.

Crowley smiled, “that’ll be your newborn King, I expect.”

Aziraphale closed his eyes and exhaled, “yes, I suspect you're correct.”

“I should be going, have a feeling your work is just beginning.” Crowley squeezed Aziraphale’s hand once more and, carefully dislodging Jemimah, stood to begin his way down the hill.

Aziraphale watched him go. “Good night, Crowley,” he called down the hillside.

Crowley stopped and looked over his shoulder, Aziraphale could hear the smile in his voice even though he could not see it. “See you tomorrow, angel.” He said, then replaced his glasses and began the walk back to Jerusalem.

Aziraphale was sitting on the boulder watching the flock at rest when a blinding light appeared a few meters in front of him. He shielded his eyes from the radiance as a glowing figure emerged, arms lifted upwards in exultation.

“I say unto you,” boomed a voice from the light. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find the baby wrapped in a linen blanket in room seven of the Starlit Stays Lodge.”

Aziraphale bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. When he was quite sure he had mastered his face he responded as neutrally as possible. “Hello, Gabriel.”

Continue reading

All tumblr posts about this story here.

Thanks to @goodomensafterdark for the support! Merry Christmas!

[glitterdragonthegreatprotector]

Finally finished it

[icycoldninja]

Can you write the DMC men with a reader who’ve never seen snow for once in her life so the first time they spent their Christmas together, she is extremely excited

To the point in which her first reaction to seeing snow for the first time is to dive her head first into the snow like a fox despite possible chances of brain freeze

The first time she saw a frozen lake, she immediately jumped down skating. Imagine a dog having zoomies, that’s basically her initial reaction to experiencing actual winter for the first time

She gets curious of everything like Christmas traditions, customs, what do people eat during Christmas, etc They have to remind her that it’s okay if she doesn’t have enough money buying Christmas stuffs because this will not be the only Christmas she’ll ever celebrate in her life

(Like a mom telling her kids that they’ll go to Disneyland next year, promising to buy merchandises and stuffs meanwhile the kid is worried that their mom is bluffing)

P/S: As someone who grew up in a Tropical country, there is basically no concept of Christmas other than the cool uncle cosplaying as the Santa, a worn down Christmas tree used year after year; the mall and the l thing I’ve got to experience that is somewhat close to Christmas is the Christian neighborhood and the local church 🙁

Oh that sucks, man. Where I'm from, we have snow 3/4 of the year. Some people don't even bother to take down their outdoor Christmas lights.

Sparda boys + V x Reader who has never seen snow headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante was used to snow, so he didn't think there was anything interesting about it.

-You, on the other hand, had never seen snow in your life, so the moment it began snowing, you beheld the scene like you were watching a new planet come into existence--and for you, it kinda was.

-He watched in amusement as you leaped into a nearby snowdrift, sinking into the powdery white and quite possibly suffering a brain freeze seconds afterwards. He laughed as you tried to eat snow, and laughed some more when you started rolling around in it, now drenched because of the snow that melted on your skin.

-Dante made sure to rescue you when you got stuck, however that happened, and spent the afternoon making snowmen with you.

-He also had you help him hang up the Christmas lights, even if the majority of your job was untangling the knots since he was too lazy to do it.

-Teaches you all the Christmas traditions like decorating the tree, making cookies, decking the halls, and such, but your favorite is drinking hot chocolate while cuddling up to a movie.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil doesn't understand why you freak out over snow. It's just frozen water, what's so interesting?

-Oh, but it does entertain him to see you frolic and leap about with joy, so he stands there and smiles, arms folded tightly against his chest.

-Had to pull you out of a snowdrift because you don't understand snow isn't water and cannot be swum in.

-Snows you Christmas traditions such as baking, decorating, gift giving and such.

-You were a bit down when you learned gift giving was important to Christmas celebrations, as you didn't have much money to your name, but Vergil told you not to worry. Your gift doesn't have to be expensive, it can be something as simple as your presence.

-You guys have a lot of fun baking cookies together, that's for sure, even you're the one doing most of the cooking since Vergil is useless in the kitchen.

□ Nero □

-Nero thought it was so cute how you got so worked up over snow.

-He took you to a frozen lake nearby and watched as you tried to skate in your snowboots.

-Of course you fell down several times, but he was there to pick you back up.

-Made you hot cocoa while you watched movies after a long day of decking the halls, and now that's your favorite Christmas memory.

-He teaches you about the traditions and stuff, but tells you not to worry about giving expensive gifts. Handmade things or hugs and kisses suffice just fine.

-You guys ended up under the mistletoe once and both of you were blushing madly about it for hours, even though you're already dating.

● V ●

-It's V's first Christmas too, so you guys can be innocent little idiots together.

-Both of you were freaking out over snow, except you tried to dive in while he cautiously poked the surface with his cane.

-Neither of you know anything about Christmas traditions, so you hung out at Devil May Cry to soak up information.

-Had a blast helping Nero and Kyrie make the Christmas feast, as well as assisting the others with setting up the tree.

-You went out to a frozen lake, where both of you nearly died from fall damage when you slipped on the ice and fell down.

-Don't worry, other than being a little bruised, you guys are both fine and have been laughing about the incident ever since.

[gaiaseyes451]

Of Kings and Kids - Chapter 3!

Excited to announce that Chapter 3 of @vavoom-sorted-art and my Good Omens Christmas collaboration is now live on AO3! Thanks for all the follows, subscriptions, comments and kudos on the first two chapters! Happy Holidays!

An Excerpt from Chapter 3 - Continue Reading on AO3:

Clear as a trumpet across the countryside, the piercing cry of a newborn baby rang through the night. 

Crowley smiled, “that’ll be your newborn King, I expect.”

Aziraphale closed his eyes and exhaled, “yes, I suspect you're correct.”

“I should be going, have a feeling your work is just beginning.” Crowley squeezed Aziraphale’s hand once more and, carefully dislodging Jemimah, stood to begin his way down the hill. 

Aziraphale watched him go. “Good night, Crowley,” he called down the hillside.

Crowley stopped and looked over his shoulder, Aziraphale could hear the smile in his voice even though he could not see it. “See you tomorrow, angel.” He said, then replaced his glasses and began the walk back to Jerusalem.

Aziraphale was sitting on the boulder watching the flock at rest when a blinding light appeared a few meters in front of him. He shielded his eyes from the radiance as a glowing figure emerged, arms lifted upwards in exultation. 

“I say unto you,” boomed a voice from the light. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find the baby wrapped in a linen blanket in room seven of the Starlit Stays Lodge.”

Aziraphale bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. When he was quite sure he had mastered his face he responded as neutrally as possible. “Hello, Gabriel.”

*~*~*

A special thanks to @goodomensafterdark for supporting this collaboration and a warm thanks to @sohoscribblers!

[theinheriteddutchess]

First Christmas

Summary: A perfect Christmas dinner needs planning

Pairings: dark!Steve Kemp x female reader

Warnings: 18+, implied non-con, implied cannibalism, implied abduction, overal if you don't like creepy things stay away, but it doesn't get graphic anywhere.

(notes: this is something that came to me this morning, and while I know it's not for everyone, I hope some can still enjoy it. Un-beta'd, still figuring Tumblr out, also haven't seen the movie😌)

🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

He placed the star on the top of the tree and took a step back to look at the result.

Perfect.

He mentally went over the list he had made; washing the plaid he placed on the couch so it was fresh and soft, check.

His favorite cd in the cd-player, check.

The Christmas tree decorated, check.

He heard the ping of the oven, indicating the roast was ready. Perfect. On time, like he had expected. It still made him smile that he was correct in his planning.

There was only one thing missing though. The main guest of the evening.

His heart beat just a little faster thinking of her, while he walked to turn the oven off, and let the door of it slightly open to not let it cook further and overdo the meat. It smelled amazing. It looked amazing too. The roast browned but not burned, the potatoes next to it looking crispy and golden. And dessert…well, dessert would also be going to plan if he had a say in it. He was sure he could convince her.

He walked out of the room and towards hers. Knocking softly, calling out her name. He heard stumbling, but the door didn't open yet. So he opened it for her, maybe it was still difficult for her. He popped his head in.

“There you are. You ready for dinner?”

She didn't answer, barely looked at him, but he helped her get up off the bed and looked her up and down, smiling widely. “Look at you! You look beautiful. I knew that dress would fit you, but it's exceeding my expectations. Honey, it's going to be an amazing night.”

He kissed the top of her head, smelling her hair subtly, his favorite scent in his nose warming his chest. She was so beautiful. He was a lucky man.

He helped her get to her seat, slowly making progress because he couldn't help letting his hands wander over her hips and back. Not too much, food was waiting for them and he wanted her to enjoy it. He put a lot of effort in it!

She sat down carefully, fixing the skirt of her dress so it covered her knees.

He grinned down at her. “You're going to love this.”

He turned to get the roast out of the oven, the dish still steaming with heat and the smell mouth watering when it got to his senses. He placed it in the middle of the table and heard her let out a sob she was trying to surpress quickly.

“I hope you'll enjoy it, honey,” he looked at her with a warm smile. “First of many Christmasses to come. Here's to us!”

He handed her a flute of champagne and she took the tiniest sip. 

As he picked up the meatfork and knife, he watched the tears fall down her face as she silently cried, and looked at anything but what he was doing.

“You get the best part, of course, you deserve it,” he placed a portion of neatly sliced pieces on her plate and watched her. “Go on, try it.”

She shook her head and his face dropped for a second. “Now don't be difficult. We were going to have a great time. I am going to give you a beautiful gift afterwards, and all I ask is for you to eat the food I lovingly made for you.”

With trembling hand she lifted her fork and cut off a piece, the tears now falling in streams down her cheeks, as she put a tiny amount in her mouth and chewed. He saw her trying not to throw up and only barely succeeding. As she opened her mouth to show him it was empty, he smiled warmly at her again. Sitting down and filling his own plate, he put a much bigger piece of the roast in his mouth and chewed, humming appreciatively. “God, this tastes amazing.”

He ate further while she was picking her food. He didn't mind, she had tried, and he was proud of her. He knew things were hard for her now, it would take more time to get used to the situation. But she would. And it's not like she could run. It was hard to, with only one leg, after all.

As he finished his plate, he sat up straight, looking at her with eyes half-lidded, appreciating the pretty picture in front of him.

“So are you ready for dessert?”

She pursed her lips and spoke softly, hesitantly. “I thought you were going to give me a gift?”

He grinned. “And I will sweetheart. I thought we could combine it. Imagine our baby at this table next year.”

She froze and he got up to walk towards her. Placing a firm kiss on her trembling lips, he whispered softly: “Merry christmas, Darling!”

[theatrekidenergy]

In case any of you are having a bad day, here’s a picture of my cat Roosevelt when he was a kitten

[winter-dayz]

Moments of Christmas

Pairing: Im Changkyun x Reader First Christmas Together Genre: Fluff Words: 1073 Warnings: strong language

Masterlist | 12 Days of Ficmas Masterpost

Taglist:  @soobin-chois

“Changkyun, did you remember to get the cinnamon?” You shouted from the kitchen. The man stopped his task of decorating the tree and blinked owlishly. A fond expression overcame your face, and it only took another moment before a chuckle forced its way past your lips. “I can’t even be mad when you look so upset about it.”

“I swear I put it in the basket… But now that you mention it, I don’t remember checking any out.” He said with a pout. You wiped your hands on a towel and entered your small living area. “Do you want me to go back to the store?”

You shook your head, wrapping your arms around his waist and leaning up to peck his lips. He reciprocated, though a little confused, and wrapped his own arms around your form.

“It’s okay, the cookies will just be normal instead of spiced.” The tree looked to be coming along nicely. He had spaced the lights out well, and it wasn’t looking cramped or overwhelming. “Did you end up picking out colored lights or the white twinkly ones?” You asked, still eyeing the half-decorated tree.

“Twinkly ones. You liked those better; your eyes lit up when we passed the display.” His answer came so nonchalantly that it shocked you. Changkyun had always been decently observant but never had someone so easily been able to understand you like he could.

🎄

“Hey babe,” you called over with a cheeky smile, pointing above you. He looked up from his phone to see you standing under a bundle of holly. He tried to hold back a smile at your antics, but he could feel how quickly he was failing by the quivering of his lips. “Better hurry up or someone else might beat ya’ to it.”

Despite no one else being in your shared home, he instantly stood and moved over to you. His hands rested warmly on your hips, and he stared down at you with tender fondness and something dark swimming behind his eyes. He dipped down slowly until his lips just barely ghosted over your lips, breath gently falling against your skin.

“That’s holly, love, not mistletoe.” But his lips melted against your own anyway. His tongue gently swiped over your bottom lip before he pulled away. Then he moved back over to the couch and sat down, resuming his scrolling like nothing had happened.

You stood there for a moment longer, simply staring at him in a lovestruck shock. Your eyes glanced up to the plant hanging above your head. You decided you much preferred holly to mistletoe anyway.

🎄

“Ready to go?” He asked from the doorway. You were double-checking your skates. You hadn’t pulled them out in a few years and knew they would still fit, but you wanted to be sure they were in okay condition. Breaking your ankle or busting your ass was not on your Christmas bucket list.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The ice-skating rink was about an hour drive from where you lived, but boy was it worth it. Changkyun wasn’t the worst skater you’d seen, but he certainly wasn’t good. Despite the gap in time from the last time you’d skated, you’d picked it back up quickly—much like they say about riding a bike.

Changkyun managed not to fall, but you couldn’t say the same for flailing. Arms were everywhere except for beside him. Eventually, you offered to help him, taking his hands and showing off a bit as you skate backwards, guiding him.

“Easy– just think of it like dancing… you’re good at that, you just need to center yourself. Find your balance.” That seemed to click in his head a bit, and he didn’t wobble nearly as often after that. He never let go, though, finding much more joy in clinging to you and using his poor skating as a perfect excuse.

Then when you were done skating, heading back to the car, he was content with using the cold as his new excuse. His hand held tightly to yours, fingers intertwined, and stuffed inside the warmth of his coat pocket.

Your other hands each held paper cups of hot chocolate from a stand you passed on the way to the car. It was not the tastiest but worked great as a hand-warmer, and the company made it all the more bearable.

🎄

Shiny red and green wrapped boxes sat off to the side. You were working on wrapping the final present. It was more a monstrosity than present in your opinion. All the other presents had come out so neat, tidy, and pretty. But you’d underestimated the amount of paper you needed and had to settle for wrapping this one in a frankenstein fashion of half-red, half-green horror. Every side of the present had ugly tape, the folds were not even, and you’d ripped part of it with your fingernail on accident.

You were tempted to unwrap it and get more paper, or just give it to him now and save yourself the trouble. But when you saw the pile of poorly wrapped, but obviously thoughtfully tried, presents nestled under the tree addressed to you, you couldn’t find it in you to care what any of the presents looked like.

He had tried his best and that was all you could ask for, so surely he wouldn’t give a shit if one of his presents looked like it’d survived war.

Even cuter, the presents were wrapped in a glittery version of your favorite color. You knew you should’ve warned him about all the videos you’d seen about how that paper was actually quite impossible to wrap.

You organized your presents with his, arranging them under the tree prettily. It was endearing to see them all intermingled together, just like both of your lives had come to be over the past year. Your heart swole at the thought, and you smiled down at the presents like a fool in love—which you were.

Arms wrapped around your waist from behind, and a chin settled comfortably on your shoulder, nose nuzzling into the side of your neck. A ginger peck was placed and then a pleased hum sounded from your boyfriend.

“Merry Christmas Eve.” You reached up to run your hand through his hair, your other hand resting on his hands on your stomach. “Merry Christmas Eve.” You responded softly, turning in his arms to face him with a bright smile.

[paisholotus]

Give Love

Shuriri x black fem reader

Summary: You all spend your first Christmas together.

Translations: Sthandwa( My Love) IKrisimesi emnandi. Uthando lwam ( Merry Christmas. My Loves)

Warnings: none

Requested By: @verachii

A/N: lmao I tried. Hope you like it, and enjoy the Holidays. 🤎❄

Y/N Pov

We were spending Christmas at my mother's house, and right now I had Shuri and Riri in the bathroom, trying on ugly Christmas sweaters that my mother had "made."

"Sthandwa, Is this some sort of joke?" Shuri asked. I tried to hold back my laughter, but it wasn't working because tears were streaming down my cheeks. But I quickly wiped my cheeks, trying to maintain my cool.

"Why would I make a joke about something like that? Mama worked really hard on those sweaters! You don't think they're pretty?" I asked her.

"They pretty ugly!" Riri yelled. causing me to chuckle and playfully gasp. "I'm going to tell her you said that, too."

I heard a smacking noise, which caused Riri to yelp and yell at Shuri.

"WHAT! YOU WERE THINKING IT?"

"Enough already. Come out now; my mother is in the driveway." They walked out of the bathroom, and I covered my mouth with my hand, trying not to laugh.

But the expressions on their faces made me burst out laughing. "Y/N, you are very funny. Now what happened to yours?" Shuri asked me, with a bored expression, and her arms are crossed.

But I couldn't respond because I was hysterically laughing. But I quickly stood up when I heard my mother enter the house. She entered the living room, stopped and looked at Shuri and Riri, but continued to walk over to hug me.

"Hello, my baby. How you been?" She asked. I returned her hug and kissed her on the cheek. She stifled a laugh as she turned to face Shuri and Riri. "What the hell y'all got on?" She said, laughing making her way to the kitchen.

"This shit is going on the fridge," I said as I took a picture of them, making myself laugh even harder. Riri was threatening to kick my ass. I was clutching my stomach, from laughing so hard. While Shuri just smirked at me, as if she was planning on getting my ass later.

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

"STOP EATING THE JOLLY RANCHERS FROM MY ROOF!" I yelled at Riri. She playfully rolled her eyes at me and continued to decorate the side of her house with frosting. Riri and I were having a gingerbread decorating contest, while my mother, sister, and Shuri were baking sugar cookies.

When "Give Love" by the Jackson 5 came on, I instantly smiled and hummed along to the lyrics. I loved Christmas; it was my favorite time of year, but I was especially happy because it was spent with my two favorite people, along with my family.

People making lists, buying special gifts

Taking time to be kind to one and all

It's that time of year when good friends are near

And you wish you could give more than just presents from a store

I watched Riri place pretzels along her house's walkway, occasionally popping one in her mouth.

"Damn! Can you please finish your house instead of eating the decorations? That's why you are losing." I said, shaking my head. She flipped me off tossing some skittles into her mouth. I shook my head and watched Shuri bring over a hot plate of cookies.

"Those look good, boo. You did a good job." I kissed her on the cheek. She smiled, grabbing my waist and softly kissing me. "AYE! What about me? Where is my good job kiss?" Riri asked Shuri and me.

I raised my eyebrow and crossed my arms. "If you had finished the job you were supposed to do, you'd get a good job kiss! You ate half yo house! Your gingerbread man gon be homeless!" I said. This made both Shuri and me laugh.

She pouted and smacked her teeth. Shuri approached her and kissed her lips, causing her to smile. I walked towards her, and she extended her hand to stop me. "uh-uh, you wanna be funny and shit. You not finna kiss me" She said, giving me the stank face.

I smacked my teeth and grabbed her by her pants, bringing her closer to me and kissed her lips. "Stop, being so bratty and dance with me. This my favorite part."

Why don't you give love on Christmas Day?

Oh the man on the street and the couple upstairs

All need to know there's someone who cares

Give love on Christmas Day

No greater gift is there than love

wrapping my arms around their shoulders and swayed back and forth, singing at the top of my lungs. They smiled at me. And We all sung the next part together.

Give love, oh give love on Christmas day

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry, every Susie too

Needs love every bit as much as you Do

What the world needs is love

Yes, the world needs your love

Give Love, Oh give love on Christmas Day

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

3rd Pov

Everyone had a good time. Eating food, playing games, dancing to music, and telling childhood stories. Except for Shuri, everyone was now asleep on the couch, as the movie was playing. She smiled at Y/N and Riri, who were laying their heads against each other, she then got up and placed a blanket over them, kissing their foreheads.

"IKrisimesi emnandi. Uthando lwam"

[braveclementine]

Chapter 14

Warnings: 18+ readers only, smut

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

"The small girl stares with wide brown eyes at each person who comes to observer her. A dark cloud of frizzy hair surrounds her head, stray leaves hiding within it. She holds a door knocker the way a smaller child might handle a rattle or a toy. Tightly. Protectively. 

"She has been placed in an armchair in one of the galleries, as though she is herself a piece of art. Her feet do not touch the ground. Her head has been examined and some concern has been raised over injury, though she is not bleeding. A bruise blooms near her temple, a greenish hue spreading over light brown skin. It does not seem to bother her. She is given a plate of tiny cakes and eats them in small, serious bites. 

"She is asked her name. She appears not to understand the question. There is some debate over how translations might work for someone so young (few recall the last time there was a child in this place) but she understands other inquiries: She nods when asked if she is thirsty or hungry. She smiles when someone brings her an old stuff toy, a rabbit with thinning fur and floppy ears. Only when the rabbit is presented does she relinquish the door knocker, clutching the bunny with equal intensity. 

"She does not recall her name, her age, anything about her family. When asked how she got there she holds up the door knocker with a pitying look in her large eyes, as the answer is terribly obvious and the people peering down at her are not very observant. 

"Everything about her is analyzed, from the make of her shoes to her accent as they begin to coerce single words or phrases, but she speaks rarely, and all anyone can agree on is that there are hints of Australia or possibly New Zealand, though some insist the slight accent on her English is South African. There are a number of old doors left uncatalogued in each country. The girl does not give reliable geographical information. She remembers people and fairies and dragons with equal clarity. Large buildings and small buildings and forests and fields. She describes bodies of water of indiscernible size that could be lakes or oceans or bathtubs. Nothing to point clearly toward her origin. 

"Throughout the investigations it remains unspoken truth that she cannot easily be returned to wherever she has fallen from if her door no longer exists.

"There is talk of sending her back through another door, but no one in the dwindling population of residents volunteers for such a mission, and the girl appears happy enough. Does not complain. Does not ask to go home. Does not cry for her parents, wherever they might be. 

"She is given a room where everything is too big for her. Clothes that fit reasonably well are found and one of the knitting groups provides her with sweaters and socks spun from colorful yarn. Her shoes are cleaned and remain her only pair until she outgrows them, the rubber soles worn through to holes then patched and worn through again. 

"They call her the girl or the child or the foundling, though the more semantic-minded residents point out that she was not abandoned, not as far as anyone knows, so the term foundling is inaccurate.

"Eventually she is called Eleanor, and some say afterward she was named for the queen of Aquitaine, and others claim the choice was inspired by Jane Austen, and still others say she once responded to the request for her name with "Ellie" or "Allira" or something like that. (In truth, the person who suggested the name plucked it from a novel by Shirley Jackson but neglected to clarify due to the unfortunate fate of that other fictional Eleanor.)

"'Does she have a name yet?' the Keeper asks, not looking up from his desk, his pen continuing to move across the page. 

"'They've taken to calling her Eleanor.' The painter informs him. 

"The Keeper puts down his pen and sighs.

"'Eleanor,' he repeats, putting the emphasis on the latter syllables, turning the name into another sigh. He picks up his pen and resumes his writing all without so much as a glance at the painter. 

"The painter does not pry. She thinks perhaps the name has a particular meaning to him. She has only known him a short amount of time. She decides to stay uninvolved in the matter, herself. 

"This Harbor upon the Starless Sea absorbs the girl who fell through the remains of a door the way the forest floor consumed the door: She becomes part of the scenery. Sometimes noticed. Mostly ignored. Left to her own devices. 

"No one takes responsibility. Everyone assumes someone else will do it, and so no one does. They are all preoccupied with their own work, their own intimate dramas. They observe and question and even participate but not for long. Not for more than moment, here and there, scattered through a childhood like fallen leaves. 

"On that first day, in the chair but before the bunny, Elanor answers only a single question aloud when asked what she was doing out on her own. 

"'Exploring', she says. 

"She thinks she is doing a very good job of it." 

I'm relieved to see that Remus is fast asleep by the time the story ends. I wasn't a huge fan of the end of it, seeing how the girl had to learn to live by herself, even as a child. That none of the adults around her want to take any responsibility. It felt wrong, frankly. 

"The stories connected." Severus' voice jolts me a little, keeping me from my thoughts. I looked up at him to see that he's looking at me through the reflection in the mirror as he fixes his tie. I smile a little, seeing him in the muggle tuxedo. He looks dashing in it. 

There is a knock at the door then. Seven, then two, then three. Trang is here. 

I open the door to see her, with a backpack on her shoulders. "Hi." She smiles. As she takes Remus from my arms, she coos at him in a baby like voice. 

It's winter vacation already and Trang didn't go back for the holidays. Severus and I are going to be using her as a babysitter tonight as we go out. 

"Thanks for doing this Trang." I murmured, going over to the mirror as Severus left it, so that I can fix my hair and apply a bit more makeup. 

"Of course." Trang said, "Besides, I miss my little godson." 

I smiled at that, dabbing blush against my cheeks while Severus grabs a muggle winter coat, tapping it to become a wizarding cloak so if someone sees him leaving tonight, no one will look twice at him. 

My own dress in a dark midnight blue with silvery sparkles. Severus bought it for me for tonight. I admired myself in a mirror for a moment before Severus came over, putting his hands on my waist, his voice whispering in my ear, "You look good enough to eat. Maybe we can skip dinner." 

"And that's my cue to leave." Trang muttered, breaking the spell. She hoisted Remus up in his arms, leaving the room to the room across from this one- a sort of unused guest room. I think she had a good idea that Severus and I were going to come back and need some alone time. 

Severus rolled his eyes, pecking my cheek. "Ready to go?" 

I nodded, swallowing my nerves, turning into my silky black cat form, hopping into his traveling clock pocket and tucked my head down. 

I didn't look out his pocket the entire time and he never broke stride so I didn't know if he had seen anyone or not. I tucked down even more as I felt chilly wind fly just a little over my ears. Severus' hand dipped into the pocket, his hand against my side, stroking it a little as he walked now. 

He walked for twenty more minutes- taking a different route so that he was unseen by any of the Hogsmeade villagers- and also to avoid the charm that was placed on the village. 

He lifted me out of his pocket and put me on the ground so that I could become human again. I took his hand in mine, taking charge of apparating this time, and we appeared on the back porch of my old home. 

I opened the door cautiously, ready to flee at a noise or movement. But there was nothing except what dad and I had left there, covered in a layer of dust. 

"It's a nice house." Severus hummed suddenly, looking at a picture of me on the wall. Dad was hugging me from behind as he sat in a leaf pile that I had jumped in. It had been one of the rare days Mad-eye had stayed over. He'd taken the picture of us. 

I felt a lump in my throat start to grow and so I looked away. "Yeah." 

Severus squeezed my hand as I opened the front door and we left the house, walking up the street. We headed into town, seeing that it was fairly empty and I led the way to a brightly lit Chinese restaurant called Panda Inn. 

It was actually packed, which I was slightly surprised about, it being Christmas Eve and all. We took seats near the back, the two of us sitting across from each other in the booth. 

The restaurant looked adorable, with lots of red Chinese lanterns hung about the room. Dark trimming lined the room, with soft music playing from the speakers in the back. I could smell the chicken cooking in the back of the restaurant. The lights were dim, mostly using light from candles on the table. 

"Elizabeth!" A slightly older male voice said excitedly. I looked up to see mine and Trangs' favorite server, Danny standing there. He'd grown his block hair out to be floppy around the ears and was wearing dark green glasses. We'd both had something of a crush on him growing up, though he regarded as us playful friends. 

"Hi Danny." I said with a small smile. "How are you?" 

Severus was sitting a bit stiffly now, eyeing Danny with an equal mix of distrust and jealousy. 

"Great. Whose this gentleman?" Danny inquired, looking over at Severus. 

"This is a friend of mine, Nicholas." I lied. We figured it was best if we didn't use Severus' real name. 

"Nice to meet you Nicholas." Danny said easily with a huge grin. "Alright, what can I get for the two of you or do you need a minute to look over the menu?" 

"Um, perhaps a minute. It's his first time." I replied easily. "But I'll get a glass of white milk and a water." 

"And for you sir?" Danny asked. 

"Just a water." Severus replied uncertainly. 

"I'll be right back with those drinks." He walked off, leaving the two of us alone for the time being. 

I smiled happily as I looked over the  menu. For once, it felt like a normal night. Severus and I were out on a date while Trang babysat Remus. This was how our life should be. Could be. If I could just keep him alive. 

But I vowed I wouldn't think of anything like that tonight. I really just wanted to have a good night. 

"Okay so what do you usually get." Severus said, looking at the menu. 

"Orange chicken with fried rice. I used to get Lo Mein, but I don't really like the vegetables in them so I just stick with the fried rice. I don't think you'd like the orange chicken though since it's super sweet." 

In the end, I order double orange chicken with fried rice while Severus got half white rice, half lo mein with half Beijing Beef and half Black Pepper Angus Steak. 

We tried making mundane talk, but it was very hard. Severus didn't know much muggle conversation so I supplied most if it while he listened, a small smile breaking out on his face as he did so. 

We shared a small chocolate dessert before bundling up for the cold again and walking outside. We continued to walk down the street, gloved hand in gloved hand. I was content, hugging his arm as we walked. He looked down at me with such love in his eyes I thought I was going to burst. 

It started to snow, small flakes of white drifting down to rest in our hair. He stroked a finger across my cheek, before we came to a stop, a small flow of people heading inside of a building. 

I looked up, seeing that it was the church, the midnight service about to start. I looked up at Severus, a question on my lips, which he kissed away. He led me to the wide double doors and we walked into the cathedral. 

I had loved coming here as a kid. Dad hadn't been super religious, but he had wanted to introduce me to the church. I had done lots of Sunday School here and had continued coming every once in a while to sit in 'adult church'. I had never missed a Christmas Eve sermon however, until I had started at Hogwarts. 

We sat in the back near the stained glass window that showed Noah's ark breaching dry land. A rainbow in the background, standing firmly as a sign of Gods' peace. Doves flew above the brown boat, olive leaves in their beaks. Two by two, stained glass giraffes, zebras, elephants, and lions exited the ark. 

Severus put his arm around me as the sermon started. I had always loved listening to the stories of the birth of Jesus. They seemed so magical somehow. Miraculous. 

Candles were passed out so that we could sing Silent Night. Being in the back and on the end of the pew, my candle was the first one lit. Severus leaned his over so that we could touch them and I felt something like hope spark inside of me as his was lit too. 

Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace

I suddenly felt the empowering knowledge that he was going to survive. He was going to live. I watched as he touched flames with the woman next to him, an older woman who couldn't stand. He had stooped over, gently cupped the back of her candle holder so that her flame would light. She gave him a soft smile before turning to her husband. Someone as good as him couldn't die. 

Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia, Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born

Severus did not sing, instead listened to me sing. I had never been a great singer- not in my mind at least- but my voice seemed to have an affinity to Christmas songs. 

Silent night, holy night! Son of God love's pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face With dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord, at Thy birth Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

Severus pulled me close to his side, his arm tight around my waist as he rested his chin on the top of my head. "I love you Elizabeth." 

I looked up at him, a single tear trailing down my cheek as I sang, not answering, but he knew anyways. 

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Silent Night. . . 

I stirred, feeling the slightly chilly air in the room. 

Holy Night. . . 

I blinked my eyes open, noting Severus was laying next to me, still wearing his dress pants and shirt, though he'd tossed the jacket and bowtie off. I was still in my dress and stockings, tucked warmly under the bed. 

Silent Night. . . 

I sat up slowly, groaning. We had crashed when we'd come home, Severus apparating us straight up to our room after we'd exited the church. Being headmaster, he'd always been able to do this, we just hadn't wanted to before. 

I slowly slip from the bed, reaching behind me to pull the zipper down, when a larger hand takes mine, moving it away. Severus unzips the dress for me, kissing down my back as he does so. 

"Should've done this last night." His thick, sleepy filled voice murmurs sexily in my ear. "You look ravishing." 

I let out the softest of whimpers, the sleepiness gone from my foggy mind, replaced by a buzzing feeling of adrenaline and lust. His hands cup my arse as the dress falls down the rest of my body. 

His hand slips under me, two fingers sliding easily into my cunt, while a third rubs circles at my clit. 

My legs shake and I know they're not going to hold me up. Severus' hand withdraws and he pulls me back onto the bed. I sink into the pillows, looking up at him as he crawls over me, hovering. I smile as he snaps his fingers, discarding the rest of his clothes. 

I go to remove the white stockings, but he stops me, smirking. I blush darkly as he takes my stocking-clad legs, moving one over his shoulder and he lowers his mouth to my pussy. I arch slightly on the bed, trying my hardest not to move as pleasure radiates through me. 

"S-Se- Severus." I pant out as he adds three thick fingers inside of me. I arch again, this time writhing slightly until he uses one large hand, holding my hips down firmly. I pant, cunt clenching tightly around his fingers. 

"Gonna- need to-" 

"Cum." Severus demands. 

I cry out his name, back arched as I cum on his fingers. He watches with heavy, lust lidded eyes, slowly retracting his fingers. 

"Severus." I beg without actually begging, but he answers me anyways, lifting my hips so that he can slide into me, hovering over me. 

I sighed in content, closing my eyes, letting the euphoria wash over me. It's such a wonderful feeling, especially as his lips capture mine, his teeth lightly digging into my bottom lip. 

"I love you." Severus whispered, his thrusts hard and slow. He bottomed out with each one, sending an intense wave of pleasure from my toes to my head. I simply hang onto his shoulders, nails digging into the flesh there, riding the waves out. "Cum." He commands, feeling that I'm close and the dam breaks, my liquids gushing all over his prick. 

He rides out my wave now, thrusting more quickly, building up another wave. I open my eyes because I want to see him as he lets go.

"Elizabeth." He whispers and I cry out, feeling the second wave cresting. 

"SEVERUS!" I shout, unable to stop myself, even if Voldemort himself was out in the office. My vision becomes hazy, dotted in black and white as I slump back against the bedsheets. 

"Merlin I love you." I mumble, as Severus stills himself, having released inside of me. My eyes flutter open, blinking away the gray that danced in front of my vision. 

"Jealous." Severus teased. "Say my name too Elizabeth." 

I giggled, curling up against him. "I love you the most Severus, don't worry." 

"Good." Severus said plainly, kissing the top of my head. "Now how about a bath before Trang wakes up and brings Remus here for a feeding?" 

I rolled over and race to the bathroom door, "I get to choose the temperature!" 

"NO!" Severus shouts, running after me and I giggle as we spend the rest of the morning playfully. 

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

It's Remus' first Christmas, and it's our first Christmas as a family. Severus got a camera from somewhere and we take pictures, marking our memories. I already have an album- a gift from Trang- and I put the pictures in there, labelling them on the back. 

I feel a little sad as I put it together though, looking over to watch Severus fly Remus above his head. It feels like what Hagrid did for Harry. I shake my head. No, we would be different. Remus would have a different future from Harry and me. Remus, at the very least, would have a mom. 

"Say hi to mommy." Severus coos, sitting down next to me, bouncing Remus in his arms. He grins at me. I love how infectious his smile is, as I smile back, blushing red. 

"Hi sweetheart." I coo back, taking Remus into my arms. "Are you liking your first Christmas, hmm?" 

I had gotten presents from dad as well. Three new Stephen King books that I couldn't wait to read. They hadn't come with a note, but I knew they were from him anyways. 

Severus had also given me a present, which turned out to be jewelry. It was much like the set he'd given me last year for my birthday, but this set was bright in its colours. Red and purple patterned. 

"It was my mothers." Severus murmured quietly as I had looked at him, stroking my cheek with the back of his finger. "One day, we'll pass it down to our first daughter. Perhaps when she gets married." 

Despite not knowing the gender of the two children inside of me, Severus was certain at least one was a girl. I liked the odds, though I wasn't certain. 

It felt to much like a good-bye present though so I thanked him and put it up on the dresser, before curling up in his arms, watching Remus play with his new stuffed animals: which mostly consisted of him laying on his stomach, waving it up and down. 

That night, we had a small Christmas dinner with half a ham.

Then we spent the rest of the night in each others arms, looking out the window at the stars until we fell asleep on the couch in each others' embrace.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 💚❤️💚❤️🎁🎁🎄

⬅️➡️

[caliburnabsolute]

almost forgot what day it was! good thing i remembered before midnight, otherwise this old screenshot would've been out of season!

[vavoom-sorted-art]

Of Kings And Kids: Chapter two!

@gaiaseyes451 and me present: Chapter 2 is live on Ao3!

A little excerpt from Chapter 2:

Crowley's eyes were determinedly fixed on the road below as he sipped the wine. “That them?”

Aziraphale followed his gaze and spotted figures on the road, approaching the town’s entrance. A young man was leading a donkey at a gentle pace, he was tall but slight and wore the plain roughspun garments of a tradesman. The animal, burdened with the standard saddlebags, was also carrying a young woman, even from this distance she was visibly pregnant and swayed with the donkey’s movements.

A quiet fell over them, the playfulness of the moment had passed. ”Yes, that’s them.”

“Look pretty normal to me.”

Aziraphale nodded, “that’s part of the point, I think. Humble beginnings, nothing outwardly to indicate they’re particularly special.”

“Then why them? What’s so special?”

Aziraphale could feel Crowley’s eyes on him but he continued watching the party’s slow progress toward town. “Well, they fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah will come from the line of King David. They’re both descendents – distant cousins, not that it matters, in this case. She – Mary – is pure of heart and deeply faithful. Joseph understands his role, the importance of the child he will adopt.”

“Hardly seems fair,” Crowley gruffed.

“In what way? She is showing them tremendous favor. Entrusting them with Her only son, to be the Earthly guardians of the Messiah.” Aziraphale’s voice was steady but it lost some of its conviction as he met Crowley’s gaze. “They are the most favored humans to have ever lived – who will ever live.”

“Sure, they’re favored. But…but, they’re people. Humans.” His voice was intense even though it was barely above a whisper. “Musta had some idea for their lives, some hope for what it’d be like, being married, being parents. Now what? Caught up in Her plan, but what about theirs? And the kid, his entire purpose is set before he’s even born!”

This wasn’t the first time Crowley had questioned Her plan to Aziraphale; he knew his answer would be wholly insufficient. “It’s ineffable.”

The demon snorted. “It’s unfair.”

The sun was sinking into the late afternoon as they watched Mary and Joseph finally arrive in Bethlehem

*~*~*

Read the full chapter on Ao3

Find all related posts here.

[glitterdragonthegreatprotector]

Another wip, just need the wisemen

[peterkothe]

🎄MERRY CHRISTMAS🎄

Celebrating the joy, and hope of the holiday and the greatest gift all given this day!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” -Isaiah 9:6

[gaiaseyes451]

Surprise! Of Kings and Kids - Epilogue

The lovely @vavoom-sorted-art and I simply weren't ready to end Of Kings and Kids so we took some time over the end of the year to add an Epilogue! Come over to AO3 to catch up with our ineffables a few years after Christ's birth and to see more, beautiful illustrations!

Again, a huge thanks to everyone for the excitement around this project. Happy New Year!

----

Excerpt from the Epilogue: Continue Reading on AO3

Crowley sighed and softened his tone, beseeching him to understand. “Aziraphale, there wasn’t even a real choice here.” He continued to wear tight circles into the grass. “There was no plausible world where you chose the innocents over the Messiah. Hundreds of lives over, eventually, billions? I know you, making that decision would eat at you,” but I’m a demon, I condemn souls regularly. “Even if it was the right choice by Heaven’s standards, there wasn’t a good choice.” So I took the difficult part, so you wouldn’t have to hold the guilt. “I think this is as close to ineffable as you get.”

“That’s deceitful! You came to me under false pretenses!”

Crowley stopped abruptly. “Oh come on, do you really believe that?” Aziraphale’s fists clenched when Crowley spat the words at him.  

“We’ve been working together –” Crowley paused, fluttering his hands in a vague circular motion between the two of them, looking for the right term for this. “Well, not together but, but with each other-”

“Around each other.” Aziraphale was scowling, but couldn’t help but interject. “Orbiting one another, in a way.”

“Yes, exactly!” Crowley strode toward him, “we’ve been orbiting one another for millennia and you still don’t trust me?” He made no effort to disguise his incredulity. “For Satan’s sake, Aziraphale, I helped you with your Messiah. I got a Satan forsaken commendation for the massacre of children and I haven’t said shit about it to keep it a secret- to-!” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s just like you spying on me with the magi. I understand, Aziraphale, I know what I am, but what more can I do to prove you can trust me?” He threw his arms out wide and dropped down onto the boulder, exasperated.

Across from him, Aziraphale seemed to be wrestling with his thoughts. “A commendation? Hell gave you a commendation for the massacre?” Crowley kept silent and listened as Aziraphale stammered half-formed thoughts.  “I know – even Hell must know how you are with children – you would never – why would they….” 

Understanding crept across Aziraphale’s face and he refocused his eyes on Crowley. “They suspected,” he whispered, his anger smothered by the weight of the risk Crowley had taken. 

Crowley made no reply, keeping his eyes stubbornly focused on the fields. Aziraphale sat on the boulder next to him. As Crowley stared at nothing he could feel Aziraphale’s eyes on him, after a few moments a timid question broke the silence.

“Did you use any miracles on the magi, that night?”

Crowley jerked his head to look at Aziraphale. He had expected any number of questions about what Hell had wanted to know, why he’d accepted the commendation, maybe even a bit of sympathy. The question about the magi, about his methods was deeply personal, an unspoken boundary. “...What?”

Aziraphale, to his credit, didn’t look away. “Just answer the question, please.”

Crowley narrowed his eyes behind the lenses. Aziraphale had never been present to witness Crowley at work, at least as far as he knew. While he did take a certain amount of pride in his skills he didn’t like talking about them – especially with Aziraphale – but now he didn’t feel he had a choice. Well, here we go.

*~*~*

A huge thank you to @goodomensafterdark for supporting this collaboration and a special thanks to @sohoscribblers

[pixi1314]

A new oneshot, Tales of Joy has just been posted as a part of the SBI Winter Fic Exchange 2023 event I had joined on twitter.

Summary

The thing about cats and Christmas trees is that, in one way or another, it always ends in total disaster. One moment they’re innocently eyeing one of the ornaments hanging above, and the next thing you know the tree has now tumbled to the ground.

Now as turns out catshifters, as Techno and Phil soon learnt, were not so different when it came to this sort of thing.

So, Techno wasn't surprised when after a second, a small ginger paw poked out of the bristles of the tree, giving the bobble a couple of taps. As he watches the bobble madly swing, he lets out a small sigh, expression set into another deadpan as the small paw retreats back into it’s hideout. “Phil! Tommy’s in the tree again.” Techno calls out, his eyes still trained to where he had last seen the small paw.

After a moment of silent waiting, the tree then suddenly shakes a bit, causing the ornaments to rustle and chime as it moves. Titling his head up, Techno raises a brow as he’s met with the sight of brown coloured tabby sitting on the top of the tree, right next to the star.

“And Wilbur too.” he then adds in after a pause.

------

Or a story about two catshifters celebrating their first Christmas.

Read it on ao3 (Link at the top!)

[habitual-irony]

Standing Egg — “First Christmas” English lyrics

Music you hear wherever you go, The street is completely dyed with red And cheerful smiles spread. Everyone's been waiting for Christmas.

I see you among all the people, And you shine brighter than anyone in the world— The biggest gift in the world. I don't need anything else.

Merry Christmas. Won't you take this hand? I just want to give you everything, I just love you, But I won't let go of this hand forever.

Saying there's something you want, Asking me if I can do it for you: In the next and the next Christmases to come, Asking me to be together with you.

Baby, don't cry. Won't you trust my feelings? I still cannot give you anything, I just love you, But I won't let go of this hand even in death.

Music plays just for us. The world is dyed with red just for us. You and I with hands held tight— Our first Christmas filled with love.