#happy almost christmas day to phoenix

[sparklingoctopus]

Happy one year anniversary of being sort of active on tumblr for me!!!!

Look at the monstrosities I made last year!!!!

[xmascritter]

Something something variation on a theme

[nissep2x0]

”Almost Christmas” means it’s Christmas in Sweden (we celebrate on the 24)

Merry Christmas!

[frost-faerie]

hellsite is hellsiteing 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[tudirkulosis]

blah blah blah merry almost christmas

[4-as-in-a-trenchcoat]

GUYS

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS

YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS :)

[kluuter-time]

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR EVERYONE

[restlessmaknae]

fire prince // sungho

One stormy night, a royal entourage arrives at the Phoenix Inn you've been running ever since your father left. Turns out Prince Sungho is as humble as one can be, and you quickly fall for him, but his visits afterwards hint that he might feel the same way.

➳ Characters: prince!Sungho x innkeeper!female reader/you

➳ Genre: magical kingdom au, royal male lead x commoner female lead, elemental powers au, fluff, comedy, one angst scene but it's a happy ending!

➳ Words: 8.9k

➳ Warning: one small mention of past wars, reader's father drank a lot in the past and eventually left, metaphorical cut and bleeding

➳ Dedicated to: @dat-town ❤️ Merry Christmas, dear! Wishing you all the best for 2025! I'll always be there for you, you know that. Love ya! ❤️❤️❤️

➳ Author's note: Check out the you are my fire, my wind, my flower // magical kingdom series masterpost!

➳ Header taken from this Weverse picture

It was a quiet, chilly day at the inn until the wind outside picked up its pace, and soon enough, a heavy storm followed. The rain was knocking on the tightly closed windows fervently, erratically, it even attacked the rooftop, so much that you felt like it was pouring straight onto the building. Sometimes the wind also made screeching noises, and the creaking of the wooden floors seemed even more ominous than usually. When the thunder struck, it felt like it was ripping off the horizon, so loud they could be heard.

You closed the kitchen already, so the staff could go home before the storm made it impossible for them to walk even just a couple of miles. Some of the staff insisted on staying though - like Intak, the stableboy, who said that it was more important to take care of the horses than himself because he was a big boy, he wasn’t afraid of storms anymore, but the horses were. Chanyoung, the porter, also stayed even though you told him that it was unlikely you would have many guests for the night because of the weather.

Even your dearest friend, Haewon – who was working with you, helping to share the burden as the innkeeper after your father had left – insisted on staying. Or more like, chattering your ears off for the rest of the night.

“Worst case scenario, we will have the most boring night in the history of the Phoenix Inn, and we will have a good laugh about it one day. Best scenario would be, of course, to have a mysterious, handsome young man walk into the inn, and fall in love with me,” she reasoned very seriously, and you had to give it to her that she had a very wild imagination.

“Because mysterious, handsome young men just fall from the trees around here, right?” You retorted after you put some more wood onto the fireplace, so that it wouldn’t die out. Not only was its light important for such a stormy, dark night, but it would hopefully provide enough warmth, so you wouldn’t need to walk around in your thickest coat.

“I’m just saying, anything can happen these days. You know, even that woman at the market who–”

Haewon was cut off by rhythmic knocking on the door. You exchanged a glance with her before you averted your eyes to Chanyoung who stood by the door. Beside him, Mr Kim – the usual night porter – looked out of the window, but due to the constantly falling rain, he could only see the shadows of four figures. Nevertheless, he was brave enough to open the door for the intruders, and all eyes in the hall went to the four strangers.

First, one muscular man dressed like a soldier came to the front, followed by one dressed in a thick coat, his face almost entirely covered by its hood. Then, they parted to make way for the third one who was dressed in burgundy-black with dark cotton pants and a pearl-dotted coat, even his dress shoes seemed polished. Even though the latter had an umbrella, a few raindrops sat atop of his locks, and he might have been the most beautiful man you had laid your eyes on.

The coated figure got rid of his hood, then cleared his throat before announcing:

“His Royal Highness, Prince Sungho of the Fire Kingdom, wishes to inquire if there is any vacant room for four people for the night.”

The room completely froze for a few seconds before everyone dropped into a clumsy courtesy. Or well, some form of it because you weren’t used to seeing royalty anywhere around here, much less at the Inn. You could see Haewon’s impressed face and mischievous glint, but you could also see Chanyoung’s perplexed reaction, and you had a feeling that yours mirrored the boy’s.

Most people around here had never seen the royal family. You were working tirelessly just to put food on the table, and you didn’t go to the palace’s events when common people were invited, simply because you lived far from the palace. Your Inn was actually closer to the Water Kingdom than the capital of the Fire Kingdom. So seeing the prince and his entourage at your humble little accommodation was more than baffling.

“P-prince Sungho?” Mr Kim blabbered, and you had never seen the forty-something man more flustered than when the young man who announced their arrival confirmed the question with a bob of his head. He was fairly young, around Prince Sungho’s age, but his expression was stern and his stance confident. You wondered who he could be.

“Y/N?” Haewon giggled as she made her way towards you, and her voice was enough to pull you back to reality.

“Oh yes. Yes, we do have enough room for four people… Your Highness,” you added belatedly before they could take your head (did they really do that or was it just the groundless rumours?), and you could see an amused glint in the eyes of your best friend.

“Can we talk to the innkeeper?”

“I am the innkeeper,” you answered matter-of-factly, and you didn’t know whether the young man in front was some sort of royal advisor, knight or administrative personnel to the prince, but he was the one who exchanged a glance with Prince Sungho upon hearing this piece of information. You knew what was coming, so you beat them to it; to have to ask the question on their mind.

“My father left about a year ago, and I’ve been the innkeeper ever since,” you confessed, not batting an eye. You knew it was rare that a young woman your age would be the innkeeper, but it just turned out this way. The reason half of your staff was also in their twenties was because without having your father around, most of the previous ones resigned. They didn’t want to work under a young woman, and some had been very vocal about it.

Awkwardness seeped into the thunder-stricken atmosphere, and it was even more embarrassing having to listen to the wind knocking on the windows when everyone was so silent. Maybe that’s why the prince was quick to dissolve the tension in the air.

“This will definitely do, Taesan. Thank you,” the prince decided as he turned to the coated figure, and you nodded, acknowledging his words.

“You said four people, right?”

“Yes, the coachman is still outside,” the so-called Taesan replied. You immediately asked Mr Kim and Chanyoung to help with the luggage, and let Intak know that he would need to take care of not only horses but a carriage as well.

“Is it fine with you if we store the carriage inside the stables? We do not ever have guests with carriages, I am afraid that is the best we can do… Your Highness,” you reminded yourself to address him properly, but he didn’t seem like he would mean harm. If anything, his eyes widened in a surprised manner when you even mentioned taking care of the carriage.

Once the porters came back with the luggage, you showed the way to the assigned rooms. The wooden stairs leading up to the first floor suddenly seemed too narrow with four of the royal guests, Mr Kim and Chanyoung bringing the luggage and you and Haewon following behind with four jugs of fresh water. You showed Taesan and Prince Sungho to their own rooms while Haewon showed the soldier and the coachman their own ones. You let them know that if they needed any assistance and no one was around, they merely needed to ring the bell on the desk in the hall, and someone would come and help.

However, the most important thing on their mind seemed to be food.

“Oh well,” you looked at Haewon who looked back at you with a slight pout. “Most of our kitchen staff went home because of the storm, so we cannot provide you with the usual meals of the menu. However, if you do not mind, you can join us for dinner. Those who are working here will have dinner together soon.”

You were surprised yet again that Prince Sungho gave in without hesitation – he didn’t seem disgusted or appalled by the lack of fancy options, and didn’t make a comment on the fact that he couldn’t choose what he was about to eat. You appreciated it because you were already so embarrassed by the fact that they were here, in your inn, and you were sure that it wasn’t up to the level of luxury that they expected or that they had been used to.

While the guests were settling in, you notified the ladies in the kitchen about four extra people joining you for dinner. On the other hand, since the headcount for the night was less than usual either way, it was fine, you had enough ingredients to make a big enough batch of hearty stew with seasonal vegetables and sourdough bread.

You were just about to let your new guests know that dinner was ready when you bumped into Prince Sungho and Taesan descending the stairs. They both got rid of their coats, and if anything, the prince just seemed even more ethereal in his cherry-red buttoned cardigan and silky white shirt with a ribbon in front. The way his chestnut-brown locks fell into his eyes recklessly made you want to toss them aside, so that you could look into his pearl-like orbs, but even just the thought seemed awfully inappropriate. He looked so elegant and chic compared to you, let alone the slightly run-down wall beside him which seemed ridiculously basic. That definitely needed a repaint.

Taesan, on the other hand, wore a black turtleneck that was tucked into his wide cotton pants. You heard that mostly royalty and people of high rank wore burgundy all the time which was the colour of your kingdom, however, you had never seen it for yourself. You yourself couldn’t care less about the colour of your clothes.

“You are just in time for dinner,” you announced when you found your voice, and the prince gave you a grateful smile in return. He turned to Taesan to say something to him, and he disappeared within seconds to fetch up the coachman and the soldier with them.

You led the four of them to the dining room where most of the staff already had a seat. This was where guests had complimentary breakfast, and they could also ask for lunch or dinner during the day. Obviously, not only guests could come and enjoy the meals as it was more profitable for the inn to welcome visitors and people from the town, too.

There was another round of awkward bowing and curtsy when the others caught sight of the royal entourage after they had been told who was here to visit. Prince Sungho merely waved his hand in a somewhat coy manner.

“Oh, no need for such formalities every time you see me. Please, take a seat, all of you!” He gestured for those around, and even though everyone was a bit reluctant to be the first to sit down, Intak took it upon himself to do so and sat onto the wooden chair with a loud thud. He decided to sit on the prince’s left while Taesan sat on his right, followed by the coachman and the soldier who took a seat across from them.

You could have easily joined the housekeeping ladies at the end of the table, but you felt like it was your duty as the innkeeper to keep an eye on the prince, to see if everything was up to his liking. To be precise, as much as your humble little services allowed.

So you took a seat beside the coachman, and everyone helped themselves to stew and bread, taking turns to scoop themselves some food from the three bowls that were placed at the front, middle and end of the table. Intak even scooped some for the prince, and though he seemed surprised, he appeared somewhat amused by the gesture, too.

It turned out that Intak and Prince Sungho were actually the same age though it was very difficult to believe it with the prince sitting there in all his glory and Intak being there in his worn-out pants and carrot-stained jumper that Mrs Park from the kitchen had knitted for him last winter. Despite the obvious difference between the two of them, the prince answered the boy’s overzealous questions about palace life in detail, sprinkled with a little humour here and there, and the stableboy made him laugh so much, it was endearing to see. His laughter was so genuine, you found yourself laughing along with them on more than one occasion.

Soon enough, you got to know more about your new guests; that Juyeon was the coachman and Leedo was the soldier; Taesan was the right-hand man of Sungho’s, his advisor and administrative personnel; how he had been chosen through six different tests while being the youngest of the applicants, and that they were on their way to the Water Kingdom to talk about trade matters.

It was all in good spirit, and if it hadn’t been for the thought constantly looming over you that they came from the royal court, thus they were obviously very different from you, you would have treated this conversation as a nice way to get to know ordinary guests.

“Thank you so much for the lovely dinner! This was probably the best stew I have eaten in a long time,” Prince Sungho announced after all of their plates were emptied, and turned to Mrs Park who blushed like a teenage girl.

“Ah, you flutter me!”

“I mean it. It was really good,” he insisted, sparks flying in his eyes, and your little heart did a somersault at the sight. How could he be like this, so genuine, so kind and getting on so well with common people when he was a prince? You couldn’t fathom it, and even though you had never had any fantasies of royalty falling in love with you like Haewon did, it was hard not to be affected by Prince Sungho’s words when he complimented the Phoenix Inn during dinner.

You were thankful that they put an end to dinner by standing up and retreating to their rooms because you weren’t sure that you would be able to take more from them. It was all just too good to be true.

That night, you watched the flames in the fireplace dance along to the rhythm of the rain hitting the windows. Even though it had been a few hours since the storm had started, it hadn’t seemed to die down. There had been quieter periods in between, but the wind had picked up its intensity and the thunder had returned, making you unable to fall asleep. Or to go to bed in the first place.

You had sent Haewon home, but only because she lived in the house across the inn, otherwise, you wouldn’t have insisted because there were plenty of vacant rooms for everyone who didn’t want to bear the storm. After dinner, you had asked everyone if they planned to stay, and helped them to more blankets, candles and lanterns for the night before retreating to your own room, only to find yourself restless by the cacophony outside.

So you decided to sit beside the fireplace in the hall in one of those inviting armchairs that you could sit hours in. You prepared a book to pass the time with, but you spent a few minutes just daydreaming and thinking about what had happened in the past few hours.

Until someone decided to join you.

“Oh, is there anything you need, Your Highness?” You got to your feet immediately when instead of Intak crawling out for some late night cookies or Chanyoung asking for more candles, you were pulled back to reality by Prince Sungho’s voice.

He had changed into looser clothes rid of any pattern or jewellery, but you could still tell that his nightwear was made of the finest material, smooth and thick, perfect for such a chilly night. He wore a knee-length night robe as well, something that highlighted his broad shoulders and slender build.

“No, not at all. I just can’t sleep well in unfamiliar places, but don’t get me wrong, it’s not because of the inn. Not at all,” he justified fervently before you could jump to the conclusion that it must be because his bed was less comfortable than his own bed at the palace, the room was smaller than he preferred it or something of the sort.

You nodded, signalling that you believed his words. He asked for your permission to sit down, and how could you say no? Still, you appreciated the sentiment, and watched with curious eyes as he sat down beside you, claiming the other armchair to himself, so now you were both facing the fireplace.

“It must be hard for you when you travel a lot,” you mused out loud, watching his expression change from slightly awkward to surprised to resigned.

“You get used to it after a while, and it’s never too bad to be wary of your surroundings and others around you,” he explained somewhat lightly, but there was a serious edge to his words. He was looking at you, but still, you had a feeling that he was replaying some memories in his head.

His words made you wonder if he could ever allow himself to fully relax, and the thought made you sad. You couldn’t imagine always being on alert even though you had that period in your life right after you had taken over the management of the inn. You had been certain that someone would break in or commit something horrible, and you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

However, you had gradually become more comfortable with the responsibilities and the duties, and besides, Mr Kim was a light sleeper, and probably the most masculine man in town, so no one would have dared to come in had they known he was here.

On the other hand, you couldn’t know for sure whether having someone like Leedo around him made the prince feel more reassured, but you didn’t ask about it.

“Do you enjoy leading this life?” You inquired instead, genuinely curious because it must have been a difficult life with all the rules to follow, the etiquette, even the dresses he had to wear. Sure, he had the luxury that most people around here didn’t, but still… you always thought of royalty as rather lonely people.

Prince Sungho didn’t say anything for a few seconds, he was still looking at you, looking into your eyes, but his lips parted slightly, as if he was taken aback by your question. Thinking that it must have meant that you offended him, you immediately apologised:

“I am sorry if I crossed the line with my question, I did not mean–”

“No, no, it’s not about that,” he objected, waving his hands in front of his chest after awakening from his stupor. He even let out a giggle, probably feeling silly for making you feel this way.

“It’s just that you are the first person to ask this question,” he started as he leaned back into the armchair, interlacing his fingers and dropping them into his lap. “People usually assume that I have an easy life, and don’t want to hear complaints about it. I can understand that though,” he added, and as he started talking about his life, it felt like listening to an ordinary person – despite the context of his words –, he was so open and genuine about it.

About the fact that though the pressure was there, he felt like he could be a part of change if he wanted, and that he could help out a lot of people. He also enjoyed the business and trade within and outside of the kingdom as those had always interested him. He also loved that he could practise using his powers safely within the walls of the palace, and even though he didn’t really have the chance to use it in everyday situations, he still thought of it as useful knowledge – just like horse riding or sword fights or literature.

You knew that the members of the royal family and a lot of those who worked at the palace or within the court possessed the power of fire because that was the base of the four elemental kingdoms. However, since the palace was so far away and their powers weren’t used to protect or destroy like back in the days when kingdoms had been at war with each other, it was easy to forget about it.

You listened to him in awe because he had such an eloquent way to say what he wanted. He shared enough about himself, but it never felt like too much. He was firm in his words, but there was gentleness to his tone – especially when he was talking about his younger sisters or working on distributing more to the elderly in the kingdom. He wasn’t boasting, but talked about initiatives that he was passionate about, and that he felt like were benefitting the kingdom and its people.

You swore you could have listened to him talk all day, and you would have been fine with it, but he asked about your side as well, if you enjoyed being the innkeeper. So you told him about how you had learned the ropes from your father, and how some people had already been working here before. How you had made friends with the younger ones, and how you felt like they were your little family since your father had left.

“I am so sorry for your loss,” Prince Sungho said in such a heartfelt way, you almost felt bad for correcting him.

“He didn’t pass away. He just left me and the inn behind. I don’t know where he went, but he hasn’t come back for a year now,” you shared with him, averting your eyes from his face to the crackling fireplace. To be honest, it was easier than ever to talk about your father, you had learned how to navigate the topic, but it was like a cut that always bled – you might not have seen it or felt it constantly, but it was there, it was hurting.

Yet, before the prince could apologise for bringing it up, you added without further prompting:

“He actually drank quite a lot, and caused trouble afterwards. Not just in town but also at the inn, so it might be better in a way that he’s gone,” you confessed, and you didn’t feel guilty anymore for feeling this way.

Deep down, you knew that he wasn’t himself when he was drinking, but you didn’t seem to be a good enough reason to give up on it. So he gave up on you and the inn instead. There had been no big argument or a sudden realisation, one day, he had just left. It had been a similarly cold, stormy night, and since then, the rain didn’t wash him home.

“It must have been difficult for you to keep everything together, including yourself,” he pointed out gently, and your heart squeezed at his words. Now that he put it this way, you realised just how true it was, and it was scary and touching at the same time that he could understand you so easily.

Sensing that you might not be able to speak up yourself after this, Prince Sungho decided to ask about funny stories that happened at the inn. He was especially interested in ones involving Intak. You let out a joyous laughter hearing his request, but you were more than happy to share them with him.

Soon, one story turned into ten, and whilst the rain was pitter-pattering on the windows and the flames were dancing beamingly in the fireplace, you found yourself falling deeper and deeper into the abyss of him, until you ended up falling asleep, kept warm by the flames he added to the firewood just by a touch of his hands.

You woke to the creaking sound of the wooden floor, and opened your eyes to see who it was, only to realise that instead of your room, you were in the hall. The memories of the previous night came crashing down on you, and you felt a blush creeping onto your cheeks while Mrs Park greeted you with a gentle smile and reprimanded you for sleeping in the armchair instead of your own bed. You reassured her that it wouldn’t happen again, and she retreated to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

You went to your room to get changed and clean up a bit before going back into the hall to rearrange the furniture. Then, you unlocked the front door and looked at the remaining puddles from last night, the first rays of the Sun painting the fading green of the grass in orange and light purple. The smell of the passing rain was evident, and you took in a few deep breaths before you got started on your day.

You made yourself busy long enough for Haewon to show up for breakfast, but after she greeted you and went her own way, she came to find you again, only to ask you about last night.

“As far as I know, everyone had a peaceful night. There was nothing major happening,” you replied to her, but she sighed so dramatically, you quirked an eyebrow.

“No, I meant what happened last night between you and Prince Sungho. Intak told me that he heard you and Prince Sungho talk in the hall.”

“Ah, I knew that he would want to get cookies for himself again,” you pondered loudly, trying to dodge the question, but the girl seemed persistent, disappointed even. So you told her that you talked because neither of you could sleep, but it seemed like you couldn’t appease her.

“Did he make your heart flutter?”

“Haewon!” You shushed her, seriously hoping that the prince wouldn’t walk by the storage room right this instant. You would soon need to tell them that breakfast was ready, and you also had a feeling that with the storm passing, they would continue their journey to the Water Kingdom. There was no time to waste for them, you assumed.

“What? He seemed like a kind person, and besides, he was giving you those eyes during dinner,” your friend chatted while helping you fold a clean batch of towels and blankets.

“Those eyes?”

“Yes! You know what I mean… people look at each other like that when they are interested in one another,” she justified as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world, and despite your best attempt at hiding your contentment, you couldn’t fight the blush invading your cheeks. Surely, he hadn’t looked at you like that…

“You like him, too, I knew it!” Haewon squealed when she caught sight of your flushed face, and you were faster than ever to clear up the situation:

“No! I mean, it’s too early to say that I like him like that. As you’ve said, he seems like a kind young man, but at the same time, he’s a prince, and we might not see each other ever again. Besides, he's him, and I’m just a humble innkeeper. We would never work out,” you said it in one-go, but your hopeless romantic friend didn’t seem saddened by your train of thoughts. She shrugged off your concerns like little specks of dust.

“You know, I believe in happy endings. I’m rooting for you,” she said as she balled her hands into fists and held them high, a sign of her support. You shook your head, a smile hiding in the corner of your lips, before you told her to notify the royal entourage that the breakfast would be served soon.

In the meantime, you went outside, and fetched Intak from the stables who had been feeding the horses (and trying to charm them with his irresistible smile and overdramatic stories, too bad the animals couldn’t understand him). Prince Sungho and the others were already seated when you showed up to the dining room, and when you caught the prince’s eyes, you bobbed your head and gave him a shy smile. He smiled back, and you already felt weak in the knees just by the sight of him there, so you decided to sit with Chanyoung, Mr Kim and Taeyang - your gardener - who were sitting at the other end of the table, not beside Prince Sungho, Taesan, Leedo and Juyeon.

However, you couldn’t hold yourself back from looking in the prince’s direction from time to time, especially because he was having a great time listening to Intak and Haewon’s stories about their times at the inn, and his laughter was so contagious, you found yourself smiling into your bowl even though Taeyang was talking about the plants that had been the most hit by the storm last night.

Breakfast came to an end sooner than you would have wanted, and it was time for the guests to go. Chanyoung and Mr Kim helped them with their luggage, Intak helped Juyeon with the carriage, and the housekeeping ladies already got ready to clean their rooms after their departure. Haewon insisted that you should go outside with her and say goodbye to them, but it must have been what everyone thought because almost everyone was outside, lining up beside the carriage. Prince Sungho seemed taken aback by the amount of people, but he said goodbye to each and every one of them and thanked them for their efforts.

You were at the very end of the line, and you were sure that the slight tremble of your body wasn’t due to the weather but due to the prince’s presence. Even as he halted in front of you, you felt like your heart was crushing your ribcage, it was beating so wildly, and the prince’s words didn’t help at all.

“Thank you so much for everything, Y/N,” he bowed his head and you curtsied as much as your dress allowed. He made your name sound so elegant, so precious, you felt heat rising to your cheeks. “You should be proud of yourself, you are really the heart and soul of the inn,” he added with a smile so gentle, it felt like a feather-like touch caressing your cheeks.

“T-thank you, Your Highness. I am delighted that you had a pleasant stay,” you stuttered a bit, your voice coming out small. The prince boasted a slightly amused smile seeing your reaction before turning around and getting into the carriage.

You could see Haewon’s lips curling upwards from the corner of your eyes, and you wished you could vanish right then and there. This encounter might have been like a fairytale, but he was a prince, and you were an innkeeper, you were sure that this was it.

You were wrong, it seemed. Even though flowers already started blooming the next time Prince Sungho showed up, he did so nevertheless. Then, he came during summer and during autumn, too. He never stayed too long, only a night or two if he decided to drop by on his way to the Water Kingdom and on his way back.

One of his sisters got married to Prince Donghyun from the Water Kingdom in the meantime, so there was a lot to do in terms of negotiating. He didn’t always tell you what he was up to, after all, you were sure that much of it was confidential, and you didn’t want to pry. However, whenever he talked, he made you feel like you weren’t two worlds apart, he shared every detail and background stories. He made you feel like you were a part of his world.

It was flattering, to be honest, and it made you wonder if he felt the same way towards you. After all, he could have chosen any inn he wanted, yet, he kept coming back to yours, keeping you company beside the fireplace at nights, and he wasn’t hiding the fact that he was looking for you whenever you weren’t around. Needless to say, Haewon always called him out for it.

You enjoyed the thrill of it; the subtle touches by the fireplace, the warmth he could quite literally bring with him, the ways he cared even if he didn’t boast about it, the gazes that you shared at the dinner table, and the times you spent stargazing on the newly built patio whenever the weather allowed. All of those who worked at the inn welcomed him back warmly, and scarcely did you have a guest who knew the prince personally, so you didn’t feel like you had a reason to hide from others. Besides, they could see what was going on between you two, and you were sure that even the quiet Taesan knew about it.

You were usually very giddy to see him again, looking forward to each and every day as it held the hope of a new encounter. However, the following winter passed by slowly and full of doubts because you had heard the rumor that Prince Sungho might be getting married to a princess. You were moping, of course, because you hadn’t heard anything about a marriage the last time he had been there, but who were you to hold him back? You were just a commoner, nothing more.

You had a feeling that the reason Prince Sungho didn’t show up until early spring was exactly for the reason you were so heartbroken in the meantime, but he did show up, and nothing seemed to change about him. On the other hand, you were more wary towards the prince, and he caught onto it. He even decided to ask you about it at night when you inquired if he had anything he needed for the night. If he had just said no, you would have had the chance to escape him. He answered differently though.

You were standing by the door in the corridor while he was leaning against the door from inside his room, but you felt like there was more than distance between you two now. The looming rumour of his marital status drove a wedge between you two.

“Am I bothering you?” He asked straightforwardly, and you were sure that he used this tone of his for trade talks: firm, straight to the point yet not accusatory. He was looking at you gently – like always –, but you felt like he was pinning you to the door with his gaze.

“No. I merely believe that there are better-suited places for a prince,” you answered rather coldly, trying to keep your voice void of any emotion.

It was better this way, you told yourself. You and the prince had been doomed from the start, so it was better that you were over it before it could turn into something more. So why… why did you feel so betrayed?

He looked perplexed for a few seconds, but then, he regained his composure and confessed as if it meant nothing to him to say such words:

“It’s because I feel the most comfortable here out of all places, and I like spending time with you, too. I feel at ease beside you.”

“Prince Sungho…” You croaked out, torment scratching your throat when his name fell off your lips. Why did he have to be so genuine? Why did he have to look at you like that – like he really meant it, and he would do everything to keep it that way? Why, just why did he have to look up from his eyelashes, his deep, dark eyes boring into yours, keeping your gaze hostage?

“Hmm?”

“You should not say things like that.”

“Why?” He blinked at you, confused, as if all those communication lessons he had sat through at the palace had been in vain because he could not understand a girl like you.

“Because it makes me hopeful,” you retorted, raising your voice out of frustration. The prince seemed taken aback by it, too, his eyes widening at your sudden change of reaction, but he stayed still nevertheless. He still had no clue, did he?

“Ah, nevermind,” you mumbled and turned around to leave, but the prince caught your wrist.

“Y/N?” He called out, perplexed and desperate, and you wished nothing but to be strong enough to resist him.

His grip wasn’t hurtful, it was gentle enough, so that you could yank your hand away from his if you wanted. The truth is, you didn’t want to, so you turned back to him instead. It was a grave mistake though because he looked so hurt, so vulnerable, your heart immediately sank at the sight.

“Prince Sungho, I am afraid I cannot do this any longer,” you reasoned quietly, looking away, so that you wouldn’t have to look at him, to look at the hurt you had caused. It didn’t help though, you merely felt worse by it, so you looked back at him. Afterwards, there was no turning back, the words just bubbled up.

“I like talking to you by the fireplace, too. I like when you say my name like that. I like that you see me for who I am, and I can let go of the burden of the inn when I am with you. I also like that you make me feel more confident in myself and remind me that I should be proud of where I am instead of what more I can do, and I like how I am feeling beside you. But… I do not think it is right for me to like any of this, to like you above all. I have heard that you might get married soon, and that is the way it should be. You are a prince, and I am just… me.”

There was no need to deny it; you were so very different, and it had been so very obvious from the start, but there was always that seed of hope within you that wanted to bloom despite the harsh weather conditions around. Now reality trampled on this little flower that almost managed to bloom… but almost was never enough.

“I am sorry,” Prince Sungho said simply, his head hanging low, and even though there was no reason for you to ask for confirmation, you had to because you didn’t want to delude yourself into what ifs anymore.

“So is it true?”

He nodded without hesitation, twisting the knife that was already deep inside your heart. You felt like choking, tearing up, anything but standing there still, unable to move.

“I’ve wanted to tell you, but I did not know how. It is complicated, but…” The prince started, searching for your eyes, and you needed everything in you to be able to hold yourself together when he continued. “I want you to know that I like you too.”

Oh, how much you have wished to hear those words before, but now they seemed utterly wrong. Now, it seemed wrong to like him out of all people when he might have to marry a princess, and you couldn’t do anything about it. The only option was to minimise the pain, so after closing your eyes for a few seconds to ponder over your answer, you decided on it.

“I must ask you to not come back anymore after your current stay. I am sorry,” you said so quietly, resigned, before yanking your hand away from his and walking away from him.

Prince Sungho didn’t come back again – just as you had asked him.

The thought of going back to the way things had been before meeting him pained you, and to be honest, it would have been futile to act like nothing had happened. Everyone knew that something was up, and since everyone else heard the rumours of his possible marriage, you had a feeling that you didn’t have to spell it out for them; that the prince would likely not come back.

Days blended into weeks and then into months. Time was moving at a different pace now that you didn’t look forward to each day in hopes that you would run into Prince Sungho again. You busied yourself with renovations of the inn until there was nothing else to fix, and still, it wasn’t enough to forget about him. Haewon tried to set you up with boys his brother had become friends with, but to no avail. You didn’t feel anything towards them even if you wanted to. Each and every time, you were thinking how differently the prince would do things, he was constantly on your mind. Rainy days, starry nights and the smell of firewood reminded you of him.

Though you didn’t hear any more marriage news from the palace, you believed that it was because finalising a marriage between royalty took a long time. That’s why you were even more taken aback that a letter arrived one day, delivered by one of the royal mailmen who insisted on staying until you gave an answer based on the content of the letter.

You exchanged a look with Haewon who seemed rather excited, so much that she took the letter from your hand because you hesitated too much. She opened it immediately, and her free hand flew to her mouth in surprise when she saw the inked lines written on the paper.

“What does it say?” You raised an eyebrow in question, but instead of answering properly, the girl hit your shoulder giddily before handing you the letter to read it for yourself.

Your heart skipped a beat when you realised that the letter was from none other than Prince Sungho himself, and he invited you to attend the autumn farewell ceremony. The Fire Kingdom had a farewell ceremony for all four seasons when people bid goodbye to the previous one and welcomed the new one, gathering around a huge fire in front of the palace and giving their blessings to the kingdom and the royal family. You had never been to one because you had been too busy making ends meet, but now the prince invited you and any companion you wanted, and if you said yes, he would make sure to take care of everything – sending you a dress beforehand and sending you a carriage on the day of the ceremony.

The prince said that he was waiting to see you and that he wanted you to be the first one to know about something important, something that he must tell you to make up for last time.

“I bet he wants to tell you that the marriage was called off, and now you can be his!” Haewon squealed, and bounced on her legs, unable to contain her excitement. You gaped at her in disbelief, but at the same time, there might have been something to her words. After all, why would he invite you to the palace out of all places if he was about to get married?

A few minutes later, when Haewon’s overly excited chattering died down, the royal mailman reminded you to give an answer, and you decided to listen to your heart and give it a try. So you said yes, and that you would take Haewon – who, though touched, didn’t seem surprised at all –, and off he went.

As promised, your dress arrived a week before the ceremony, but there was another one in the box alongside it much to Haewon’s zealousness. They were both pitch-black as black represented the end of something in your kingdom – just like how flames turn to black ashes when they can no longer feed on oxygen –, and it was the official colour of the seasons’ farewell ceremony. They were so smooth, so soft, even having patterned, lacy and pearl-dotted parts, something that you had never been able to wear before. Even just looking at them made you weak in the knees, let alone on the day of the farewell ceremony when you could finally wear them, and Haewon helped to braid your hair and do your make-up.

Even though you scarcely wore make-up, your friend insisted that you should do it this time because it wasn’t everyday that you were going to the palace. Not to mention that she was set on her ‘steal the prince’s heart’ agenda, firm in her belief that Prince Sungho wanted to let you know that you could finally be together.

Though it seemed too good to be true after your last encounter, you wanted to believe her, and most of all, you wanted to enjoy this magical time. You didn’t even remember the last time you had spent a day away from the inn, but you were grateful for everyone working there because you knew you could leave them for this time and everything would be fine. Even though Intak teased you that you would likely not want to come back after going to the palace once, Mrs Park was visibly touched when you and Haewon waited in the hall in your dresses and Mr Kim almost fell down the stairs when he caught sight of you two. At these times, they really did seem like your family.

The carriage arrived in time, and even though the journey to the palace lasted a few hours, you weren’t bored because you were with Haewon after all. However, the closer you got, the more nervous you were, and it didn’t help that you didn’t know where you were when the carriage halted and you stepped out of it because there weren’t a lot of people, except for multiple empty carriages. That meant that you were probably on palace grounds, not where the ceremony was supposed to take place.

“I will show you the way to Prince Sungho. He is waiting for you,” a court lady announced with a polite smile as she walked up to you two and you exchanged a glance with Haewon before following her through beautifully crafted arches painted with the historical moments of the Fire Kingdom, giant fountains trickling with bubbling water and an enormous statue with a man and a woman holding a torch in their hands which was actually lit up with fire. You wondered if it was always burning with magic because it seemed likely here.

You were surprised that even Haewon was quiet on the way, but you could understand her silence because it was just too much to take in for people like you; all these luxuries, beauty and wealth. Yet, the most magnificent of them all was Prince Sungho when he walked up to you alongside Taesan, wearing a burgundy suit over a black shirt tucked into his cotton pants, his broad shoulders and slender waist highlighted by the waist-length of the suit.

He seemed almost relieved when he laid his eyes on you, but at the same time, he was definitely taken aback. You felt your cheeks burning up when he averted his eyes to your dress, though he did it in the most respectful way possible, and immediately found your eyes afterwards.

“Your Highness,” Haewon curtsied beside you, and you followed suit when you finally awakened from your stupor. Heart beating rapidly, you straightened your back, just in time for the prince to call out your name.

“Y/N… So glad you could make it,” he said so gently, so lovingly, and he would have just stood there smiling at you if your friend beside you hadn’t cleaned her throat, gaining his attention. He immediately looked at her too and bowed his head, albeit a bit sheepishly. “You too, Haewon. Thank you for coming.”

“It is truly my pleasure, Your Highness. What a wonderful court you have! I was wondering if maybe someone, someone like Taesan could give me a tour?”

“Me?” Taesan’s eyes widened, the bewilderment written all over his features. He looked at the prince for help, and the disapproval was evident on his face when the prince gave in to Haewon’s suggestion, and sent him away to show your friend around. Then, the royal advisor let out a long sigh, but did as he was told.

Before they would disappear though, Haewon turned around to send you a wink, and you had to hold yourself from giggling aloud. She was so unbelievable, but in the best way possible.

When you looked back at Prince Sungho, you immediately melted into a puddle – it was his effect, it seemed. You could barely register that he asked a question, you were so occupied with the swirling feelings inside of you. You managed to pull yourself together and tell him about what you had been doing since you had last met. When you inquired about his side, he was quick to confess that the marriage offer was withdrawn.

“Why?” You asked immediately, both out of relief and surprise. You thought that when such offers were made, they would surely be finalised, but it seemed that it wasn’t always the case. Not that you knew a lot about marriage proposals…

“Apparently, I was not charming enough for the princess,” Prince Sungho answered matter-of-factly, no hint of disappointment in his voice, but you were hurt on his behalf as well.

“How? She was clearly blind then,” you exclaimed totally out of character, and you were about to apologise for your outburst when the prince let out a giggle beside you. You realised that you had missed hearing him laugh, hearing his voice, just being with him, and the warmth he carried around found its way into your heart again.

You smiled coyly seeing his reaction, but couldn’t help but ask another question.

“Why did you tell me?”

You were here for a reason, you were here because the prince had invited you, so you were certain that he had more to add to the story even though you were immensely relieved hearing that. You also felt a bit guilty for holding a grudge against him all this time when he had not been set on marrying a princess, at least he didn’t seem disappointed in the slightest.

He took his time to formulate his answer, but when he did, you were just as confused as relieved.

“Being a princess is not the only way to marry a prince. Not anymore.”

“What do you mean?” You furrowed your eyebrows, your heart thumping violently against your ribcage. You didn’t want to see more into his words than could be, but you couldn’t push down that hopeful surge of energy going through your body.

Prince Sungho boasted a somewhat content grin as he continued, his words proud and also a bit playful. You liked that look on him; when he was confident and light, his features as peaceful as they could be.

“I have just made my father approve of the new rules for royal marriage within the Fire Kingdom. Actually, it was my cousin, Prince Jaehyun, who begged me if we could tweak the law a little bit, but I felt like it was my time to speak up on the matter as well.”

You didn’t want to believe your ears at first. This was what you had been dreaming about, and yet, you needed one little confirmation to actually believe it:

“Is your cousin in love with a commoner just like you are?”

“Yes. Very much so,” he bobbed his head, and suddenly halted in his steps, so he could turn towards you. He reached for your hands to hold them in his, his touch electrifying you from head to toe. He was gentle, his touch was so gentle, even the way he looked at you was so tender and loving and caring, you felt your breath hitch in your throat.

“Yes, I am in love with you if that is why you were asking,” he confessed, keeping the eye-contact, so you could see how genuine and earnest he was. Your lips curled upwards immediately, and you felt like you could burst out in excitement.

“I-I don’t know what to say…”

“Maybe you can say that you feel the same way and let me hug you,” he suggested a bit teasingly, a lopsided smile appearing in the corner of his lips. Despite his suddenly playful attitude, you did just as he told, confirming that you were very much in love with him and hugged him tightly, sinking into this warm feeling, soaking in this happiness that seemed so far away once, but now it was all yours.

You didn’t even want to let it go, you didn’t want to let him go again.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this story of mine! Let me know what you think! 😊

Click here for my BND masterlist

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for BOYNEXTDOOR or for other artists, consider signing up for my taglist here. 🥰

Hope you have a lovely day/night! Take care! ❤️

[wolfpackenthusiast]

Someone special

Pairing : Jacob Black x reader

Word count : 1914

Summary : based on the song “Last Christmas” in a way!!!

Warnings : some angst, but fluffy ending!!!

A/n : sorry i haven’t made a fic in a few days, I’ve been busy packing for a trip !!

You, Jacob and Bella grew up together, all three of you being close, though, you could tell Jacob and Bella were a bit.. closer. It was obvious there was a duo in a trio.

Despite that, you had a little crush on Jacob, even as kids, he was your best friend, you didn’t have a good understanding of love, but you felt like he was special to you, and you hoped you were special to hum, too.

You were! But obviously, Bella seemed to be more special to him than you were, this hurt, obviously. Even though, you tried staying close to the two, though, it felt like third wheeling the older you guys got.

Soon, Bella moved to Phoenix with her mom, leaving you and jacob. In a way, you were happy, but you obviously didn’t show it, But now it was just you and Jacob. This was your chance to get closer to him!!

That’s exactly what you did, you spent loads of time with Jacob, your feelings growing, but you never openly admitted them. You didn’t want to ruin your bond with him, especially ‘cause you knew.

His heart was set on Bella.

Years pass, you and Jacob stayed close, until Bella came back to Forks to live with her biological dad.

Jacob was thrilled, obviously, you were happy too, but you knew he’d spend more time with her.

Soon, as you expected, your hangout time with jacob lessened, from almost every week day to weekends, to one day a week, you always got excuses lime “i’m showing Bella around, things have changed since she last got here,” “i’m catching up with Bella,” or “Bella needs me today.”

It’s always Bella.

You were supposed to be a trio! What happened to that?? It’s always just those two nowadays, leaving you in the dark.

Yes, you spoke to Bella, you still have her number, she hadn’t changed it. But you two never really hung out anymore.

Even after Bella got a boyfriend, Edward, Jacob was still around her! Though, he spent. A little more time with you, but even then, he spent the majority of his time with Bella.

Soon, Bella’s boyfriend left, and she went into a not-so-good state, and Jacob was the one to always be around her, like it was his time to shine.

You tried talking to Bella too, but she never really answered, it was either a dry response or no response at all.

And more excuses from Jacob came along with Bella’s depression. Always “I’m with Bella,” “Bella needs a friend right now, and I want to help her.”

At first it was understandable, but the more time went on, it seemed like she was just using Jacob as a rebound guy, ever since her boyfriend came around, she spent less time with Jacob, but mow that he’s gone, Jacob’s suddenly her favorite person??

It made you mad, she shouldn’t be using him like that! The worst part, Jacob just goes with it!

But soon, Jacob just.. cut contact, sith you and Bella, it was.. weird.

But soon, Bella was pounding at your door.

You opened it.

“Yeah?”

You said, not really in the mood to talk to anyone.

“Somethings up with Jake, he’s not answering my calls or texts.”

Bella said, obviously pissed off.

“Maybe he broke his phone?”

“Billy would’ve said so, but billy says he’s sick with Mono, but it’s been weeks!”

“Maybe it’s-“

“You’re coming with me to see him.”

“Wha-“

Before you could even protest, you were sitting in Bella’s truck, driving to La Push, Jacob’s place.

It was pouring outside, Bella was crazy for wanting to drive in this weather, but there was nothing to stop her now.

As you two got there, there was four shirtless men there, was that… Sam Uley and his “goons”? Jacob always said how they were showoffs. Why were they at his place?

Bella put the her truck in park and immediately got out, going up to the four of them.

Before you knee it, Bella slapped one of them, making them extremely angry.

You got out of the truck, running over to them, had to save Bella from whatever situation this was.

“Bella!”

You said loudly, grabbing her wrist and moving her away from the group, and just in time, there was a large wolf replacing the man that was just there, what the fuck??

And as if on cue, Jacob came out.!

“Bella, Y/N!”

He shouted, jumped over his fence and running towards them all, suddenly in the air and transforming into a large wolf himself, you and bella were flabbergasted.

Though, you and Jacob make eye contact, and he seems to pause for a moment, staring at you like you became his world, but then, quickly tore his gaze away and over to the other wolf, tacking them and into the woods they go.

“Embry, Take them back to Emily’s.”

Sam said sternly before going after the two.

“Guess the Wolf’s out of the bag.”

The boy, Embry said, heading over to Bella’s truck, you and Bella following.

Soon, you made it to Emily’s place, stepping out of the truck.

“Some advice, don’t stare too much at Sam’s fiancé, it bugs him.”

Another boy said as you all walked in.

Walking in, there were some muffins on the table.

The boys immediately sat down.

“Save some for your brothers.”

The girl, who you and Bella assumed was Emily, said.

“And ladies first, you two hungry?”

She asked, bella declined while you took a muffin.

“Thank you.”

You said politely.

“So, you’re the vampire girl,”

Emily said, vampire?? You weren’t aware of that!

“And you’re the Vampire girls.. friend?”

She asked, not completely sure

“Yeah,”

You confirmed, giving Bella a look.

“Vampires??”

You said.

“I..- I couldn’t tell you, sorry, Y/N.”

Bella said, somewhat muttering.

Soon, Jacob, Sam and the other boy came back.

Jacob stood by the door, giving you a look to follow him.

You went up to him, followibg him.

You two walked along the shore of La Push Beach, in silence.

“So, you’re a werwolf.”

You spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Yup, last time I checked.”

He said

“..but there’s more to it, and you’re involved.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

What could you have done to get involved?

“..elaborate.”

You said

“I…”

He seemed a bit nervous.

“imprinted… on you..”

He said, the hell was that?

“Am i supposed to know what that is?..”

You ask, extremely confused.

“Imprinting on someone is like... Like when you see her...Everything changes. All of a sudden, it’s not gravity holding you to the planet. It’s her. And that her; Is you, in simpler terms, you’re my soulmate.”

Jacob explain, flabbergasted was an understatement! Was this really happening?? The guy you’ve loved for years was YOUR soulmate??

“..and-“

“But.”

He interrupted you before speaking.

“I don’t want anything romantic, I just want to continue being friends.”

He said

His words were heart breaking, he could probably hear your heart shatter.

“Oh… oh yeah.. that’s fine..”

You muttered, in the most calmedt wya you could.

“Y/N, you know I love Bella.”

Even if you know, it still hurts

You swallowed hard

“Yes, i’m aware.”

You said,

“I’m planning on perusing her, and if everything goes correctly, you’ll be together.”

He said in a hopeful tone.

“..yeah.. okay, good luck..”

You said, and you two went back to the rest of the pack… and Bella.

Later that night, Bella went to Italy on very short notice, apparently going to save her “boyfriend” from killing himself or something.

Obviously, Jacob was worried, and decided to rant to you about it.

“I just can’t believe it! She just leaves to go to her ex, she’s gonna get herself in danger or something, gosh. How can she just leave me after all i’ve done! He left! He said he didn’t need her, yet she still goes after him??”

Be ranted, frustrated.

“Mmh, seems like you got a taste of your own medicine.”

You murmured.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, what do you mean.”

“You did the same thing to me, in a way.”

You said, you were finally going to say how you felt after all this time, let out all your frustration.

“Y/N-“

“No, Jacob, let me speak for once, you ALWAYS ditched me for Bella, always by her side like a puppy, even when she got a boyfriend, who she was clearly in love with, you were after her! When he left, you were her rebound, she was using you to make herself feel better!”

You said, and Jacob seemed mad, of course.

“Y/N, Bella made the wrong choice by dating that leech, i need to show her how much better i’d be for her, even if she is just using me, i’m not giving up.”

He said stubbornly

“That’s not the point, Jake, i’ve loved you since we were kids! Can’t you see that?? I’ve always been here for you, even while you go after Bella.”

You spoke, your voice becoming dhaky.

“Y/N.. i.. you know i love bella, i’m sorry, i know you’re my imprint.. but i really don’t see you like that.”

“You’re my best friend.”

His words hurt, even if he was trying to be kind about it.

“I know! But it hurts seeing the person you love go after another, it hurts like fucking hell Jacob, you should know how it feels.”

You didn’t want to sit around anymore

“Y/N, I-“

“Save it, Jacob, i’m done, i’m done sitting around watching you go after Bella, go peruse her, do whatever, i’m just.. tired.”

Mentally tired.

You walked off and into your car, starting it and driving home, not letting Jacob have a say in your decision, you couldn’t watch him go after another person anymore.

Though you didn’t know was that it hurts, mentally, to be away from your imprinter, you were practically in HELL, i missed Jacob, but this was your decision, it’d probably hurt more to see him and Bella together.

Some time passes, and from what you’ve heard is that Bella’s back with her boyfriend, good for them, but you were still miserable.

And then, there was a knock on your door.

You got up from where you were sitting, shuffling to the door and answered it.

And there stood, the one and only Jacob Black.

“Y/N..”

“What do you want?”

You said, not really fond of seeing him.

“I-i’m sorry, for everything,”

He muttered

“Are you only here because Bella’s busy with her boyfriend again?”

You spat,

“No! No.. i’m over Bella, i want you.”

That made your heart rate speed up.

“…you’re serious? Is this only became you can’t have Bella?”

You asked in disbelief

“No! It’s not, i realized i loved you more, i’m an idiot, i didn’t realize what i had when you were around, i want you and only you, i love you, Y/N.”

He said, taking a step towards you.

“I gave Bella my heart, but she just.. tossed it aside and stayed with edward, not giving a danm about me.”

He said

“This time, i’m giving it to you, you’re so, so special to me, Y/N, i didn’t realize it before, but you’re a special person to me, so i’m giving my heart tot you, and only you, forever.”

You were SO happy.

You just went up to him and gave him a BIIIGGG hug, and he immediately hugged you back

“You owe me big time.”

“I know.”

[fulltime-bigtoe-remover]

The truest of all holidays

Need to get this out desperately

[the-angeleno]

gekko x female reader where like basically finds her super attractive and is nervous to talk to her so reader starts to think he doesn’t like her since hes so social w the other agents I hope that kinda makes sense?? Also hes so bbg<33

FIRST IMPRESSIONS! gekko x f!reader ✴ fluff!! no warnings!

[note!!] ↳ i apologize for taking so long with requests, i was just overwhelmed and flooded with so many and then uni got super chaotic but we made it! merry christmas / happy holidays!

mateo’s introduction to the protocol went as smooth as being introduced to by reyna could go. he’s not sure exactly what she said to get him in, as it seemed to be pretty exclusive and he’s not entirely sure if he has the professionalism they were looking for. 

he doesn’t, but they don’t seem to mind. well, brimstone has complained here and there about how difficult the boy was to reach, he never answered his phone or replied to his texts but the motherfucker was always on tiktok whenever the protocol held meetings.

he got away with a lot by practically being reyna’s little brother, everyone was too scared to do anything to reprimand the boy. other than viper of course, nothing scared that woman it seemed.

being one of the younger agents, and the newest, left him anxious, but as time went on, he’s gotten his own seat at the table. he knew what the first day jitters felt like, how everything was intimidating, and he had already known reyna prior and she still kind of scares him so he can’t imagine how intimidating the woman would be to you. 

brim asked beforehand if anyone wanted to step up and show you the ropes, before gekko even had the chance to volunteer, almost every head in the room turned to him anyway.

“i’d be honored.” he bowed dramatically, turning to harbor, “i’ll make you proud coach!”

he didn’t. not because he was a bad coach necessarily, he just couldn’t get a proper sentence out without bumbling like a fool. 

the new agent was really pretty, and mateo’s had crushes before in the past but nothing like this, where the moment he looked at her he felt the carpet pull out from under him.

nobody else seemed affected by your beauty, even chamber seemed too occupied with his work to ogle at you. the knowing looks from jett and phoenix only made him more flustered as he knew his attraction to you was written all over his face.

neon and raze were stifling laughter, watching his sad attempt at demonstrating how to defuse a spike. 

“s-so yeah um .. after y’know c-clearing corners and stuff you uh… um usually brim will c-comm? yeah he’ll comm us  uh let us know the game plan.” he clears his throat, looking down at his hands and shaking his head in an attempt to clear out his thoughts. 

you watched him with such a kind expression on your face, it was almost a little infuriating how good you were at maintaining eye contact with him, mateo feels like he might die of heatstroke with how hot his face has become. 

you notice how nervous he is and hesitantly reach for him, placing your hand on his shoulder.

“hey i know we just met and all, but i promise i'm not gonna kill you…” an awkward laugh accompanied your words, and you couldn’t hide some of the hurt in your voice. why was he so terrified of you? “i’m not! scared of you or anything-“

“did i do something that made you uncomfortable?”

“no! nothing like that you’re just uh..” he looks around the room, relieved when he sees the others seemed to have moved on from watching his horrible teaching skills. 

he glances at his critters, dizzy curled up as always in slumber, wingman on the couch waving his arms excitedly in support of his train of thoughts.

he breathes deeply, before finally meeting eyes with you. 

“you’re just really pretty.” he says, without stuttering, or losing eye contact, and the intensity of it all leaves a red hot flush to climb up your neck and up to your cheeks.

“o-oh.” you stutter, mind going a mile a minute because what the fuck do you even say to that? you just met him, but you can’t deny how attractive he is too. you bite back a smile and look down in embarrassment.

“thank you… that’s sweet of you to say.” 

“yeah but i just made things weird.”

“no you didn’t, things don’t have to be weird if we don’t make it weird.” you reassure, nudging his shoulder.

“now you said something about brim giving comms, do we wait for an OK before defusing or should we defuse as soon as we reach the site?”

he was grateful for the change in topic, and with that finally off his chest he was able to finally get his wavering voice back under control.

“yeah so he’ll comm with the OK; if everything is clear and it’s safe to defuse then go for it and regroup before evacuating.”

your first mission goes surprisingly well, gekko at your side through the whole thing, watching your back with every corner you turned and alerting you of enemies you missed before taking care of them himself.

he was the perfect partner anyone could ask for really, so when the other agents were hyping you up for your performance you couldn’t help but redirect the praise to mateo.

every mission went on like that, a success, the two of you made an incredible team. it wasn’t until six months later, on one of the biggest missions you’ve yet to go on, that you really showed the other agents in the protocol just how much you’ve grown.

“that quick scope was insane even reyna was impressed!” phoenix says over the sound of his comrades whooping and cheering you on.

“who knew our new agent would be our new little prodigy?” jett cooed, pinching at your cheeks. you swat her hand away, laughing at her teasing.

“nah it was all gekko and really i wouldn’t have gotten off that shot without dizzy and the spike wouldn’t have been defused without wingman. i just have the best coach, right ‘teo?” you turn to look at him and he grins, throwing an arm over your shoulder and pulling you into a side hug.

“of course hermosa, with me showing you the ropes you’ll kick everyone’s ass, radiant or not.”

his little compliment left you flustered, quick to hide your face into his neck, before feeling the vibrations of his laughter rumbling against his chest. he tilts his head down to peek at you,

“why’re you hidin’ chica?” he smirks knowingly, you were always so easy to fluster, it was incredibly endearing.

he pouts his lips out in a kissy face, laughing when you groan and roll your eyes at him.

the other agents watch silently as the two of you, almost in your own world, tease and bicker with each other back and forth, mateo’s arms still wrapped around your waist.

“i dunno why i let you take all the glory for our missions, i’m gonna stop being humble-“

“you? humble? chalè chica have you met yourself?” his words are all bark no bite, if the grin on his face was any indication.

you stuck your tongue out at him, and he sticks his right back, blowing a raspberry in your face and laughing when you yell and swat at him for spitting on you.

jett and neon share a knowing look, they bet on how long it’d take for the two of you to get together, and neon couldn’t hide the smirk on her face.

“not too late to forfeit~”

“no way, they’ve been dancing around each other like this for months im telling you they’re both too dumb to do anything for at least another two months-“

“yea like how it took you and phoenix two years to finally confess to each other?” she teased before quickly ducking the fist jett sent her way.

“wish someone would look at me like that.” chamber mutters, glancing over at viper who whistles absently, busying herself with some papers on her desk that suddenly need to be reorganized.

“can you let me go now?” you whined at him, giving him your most promising pout, he tilted his head in faux consideration, before shrugging, 

“nah. don’t want to.” 

“so you’re just gonna hold me hostage here?”

“don’t act like you don’t love it.”

“i don’t, you spat on me.” 

“okay and you drooled on me on the way back to base-“

“shut up! you were the one who insisted i slept on your shoulder-“

“yeah because i didn’t wanna deal with you whining later about your neck hurting-“

“teo, let me go so i can punch you.”

“no can do, hermosa.”

“i’ll knee you in the balls.”

he pouts again, debating if he should free you from his embrace, before he gets the chance to, you lean forward on your tiptoes and plant an obnoxious smooch on his lips, prying yourself free from him when he loosens his grip in surprise.

“HA!” you laugh maniacally, running away from the boy who was already chasing you,

“oh so that’s how you’re gonna play huh?” he yells, ignoring brimstone who is shouting at the two of you to stop running around HQ.

“did you not just see what she did!” he whines like a child, glaring at neon and jett who are trying to stifle their laughter to no avail.

you run and hide behind raze and killjoy on the couch, catching your breath, you peek your head over and spot mateo,

“you’re harboring a criminal, release her.” he declares to the couple, and raze rises, holding her arms out in front of you, blocking you away from gekko.

“you gotta get through me first.” she stands firm, winking at killjoy who only rolls her eyes at the idiocy happening before her.

“can you guys take this fight back to the playground please?” she asks, turning over on the couch to look down at you. you hold your finger to your lips, a dramatic sh! the only response offered to her.

she tries to flick your forehead but you are quick to swat her hand away, earning a snort from the engineer before she turns to sit forward on the couch. 

“what are her crimes even?” killjoy asks and you feel your face burning before mateo even opens his mouth. 

“i was holding her hostage in a hug and she kissed me to escape-“ 

“oh god gross-“ raze’s arms falter.

“are you two fucking serious?” neon says in fake disgust.

“ew guys get a room-“ killjoy remarks with a loud groan.

“GROSS!” chamber shouts from across the room.

with you defenseless, mateo is quick to dive over the couch, grabbing you and throwing you over his shoulder in one fell swoop.

he ignores your shouts and demands to be put down as he carries you away to an empty meeting room, closing the door behind him with his foot before setting you down with a mischievous smirk on his face. 

“look at the scene you caused, mensa. now everyone knows about your dirty little tricks.” he had you pushed up against the door, his face incredibly close to yours, and you were suddenly grateful he had carried you off like that, away from the eyes of your comrades who probably have an idea of what’s going on back here anyways.

the close proximity leaves you flustered, but the competitive side of you can’t seem to back down to mateo.

“didn’t expect you to get so worked up over a little kiss, you got a crush on me or something?” you teased, sounding more confident than you actually felt.

he leans closer, lips nearly touching yours before gliding upwards and caressing the shell of your ear. 

“maybe i do, but the thing is cariño…” his lips trail down your cheek, stopping right over yours, “i think you like me too.” he breathes a laugh against you and it sets you aflame, your heart pounding incessantly in your chest. 

“should i kiss you this time and find out?” his lips are centimeters away from your own, his hands that are now cupping your jaw tilt your head upwards to brush against his lips, a gasp slipping past them to which he chuckles amusedly at. 

the anticipation of his touch practically eating you alive at this point, how desperate you are to feel his lips against yours again.. you swallow, biting back your pride before nodding, 

“please… ‘teo-“

his lips are against yours in an instant, eager and passionate, moving with a desperation you hadn’t anticipated. you reach up to pull him closer by the neck, kissing him back with just as much passion and fervor.

he bites down on your lip, smirking against you when you whine and open up for him, he’s quick to use the opportunity to slip his tongue in to taste you properly.

sweet like saccharine, he couldn’t get enough, the feeling of your tongues intertwined has him dizzy, his brain short-circuiting.

he can’t believe he’s finally kissing you, finally tasting the lips he’s been craving since the day he first laid eyes on them. 

you whine his name, muffled in between kisses as he sucks particularly hard on your tongue, leaving you breathless and desperate for air. 

prying the boy off of you, you finally manage to catch your breath, panting harshly against him as he smirks at you.

“yeah you definitely like me, ‘please teo!’ he mocks and you hide your face in his neck, groaning and punching him lightly on the chest.

“you’re such an ass mateo."

[note!!] ↳ this might be ass, ngl i wrote it high on my phone at like 2am, i think the second half with all the other agents is kinda wild n messy but so is mateo so shhh. - feel free to send in more reqs!!

[nausikaaa]

Six Sentence Sunday

happy solstice, last day of saturnalia, and not-quite-almost christmas! i hope you're all having a nice holiday season. i'm at work pretty much every day until January, because pubs do well at christmas, which is why i've fallen so behind on reading other people's wip shares.

plus i've been keeping a close eye on my goats, since the girls, Juno, Lucy and Mina, are in with the billy, Hadrian. so far he has gotten lucky plenty, but the girls have come back round in season all the same. i know he can do the job because he did it last year, so it's just bad luck and i've got to keep my fingers crossed it will hold the second or third time.

anyhoo. thanks for the tags today and on wednesday @forabeatofadrum @that-disabled-princess @bookish-bogwitch and @artsyunderstudy!

today i have some more of my post-trojan war wip, with a preamble:

so basically, part of my story follows Briseis, Achilles' war bride, after the events of the Iliad, but there are no sources as far as i can find that say what happens to her. so, i had to plot out what reasonably could have happened, and i eventually figured that if she was legally considered his wife (which is complicated in and of itself- Achilles was already married, but bigamy was sometimes practised by Greek kings, and Patroclus promises Briseis in the Iliad to make Achilles marry her. my Briseis is pregnant, which makes these things simultaneously more and less complicated) she would travel with Neoptolemus, Achilles' son by that aforementioned other wife, and Phoenix, Achilles' old mentor, either of whom would likely have become her male guardian upon his death, to Phthia, Achilles' homeland, where she would become a ward of Peleus, Achilles' father and the patriarch of the child(ren) she is carrying.

so with that sorted: it's mentioned in some sources that after the war, Neoptolemus walked his army from Troy back to Greece, which was honestly a good call because the moment the Greeks set sail, they hit a storm, which sank Ajax's ship and killed him as punishment for him raping Cassandra in a temple, blew Helen and Menelaus off course to Egypt, and blew Odysseus off course too, and we all know that didn't go well for him. we know Phoenix took this journey too because it's noted he died and was buried along the way.

so, walking an entire army from Turkey to Greece. it's doable, it won't even take you that long, but you'll need to stop for supplies such as food. and that got me wondering, what the hell would an army have to buy food with? sure, they would probably be willing to part with some stolen booty, but it was a status symbol, they would want to hold onto the best stuff.

the answer is obvious, but unfortunate.

To some it was a relief to reach a town, but those of us who knew how the world worked were not so sure.

If the people were amenable, there would be trade for food and wine. And what did the Achaeans have in surplus to offer in exchange for such things?

If they were not so welcoming, the soldiers would simply attack, taking what they wanted, and the numbers of their one export would grow.

Women, always women, trading hands, pulled this way and that. Even the war that started it all was over a woman; who could own her, who could bed her.

tags/hellos/holiday well wishes: @cutestkilla @run-for-chamo-miles @roomwithanopenfire @prettygoododds @ic3-que3n @blackberrysummerblog @j-nipper-95 @youarenevertooold @larkral @orange-peony @aristocratic-otter @thewholelemon @alexalexinii @confused-bi-queer @shrekgogurt @comesitintheclover @raenestee @hushed-chorus @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @noblecorgi @shemakesmeforget @ileadacharmedlife @supercutedinosaurs @otherpeoplesheartachept-2 @ninemagicks @otherworldsivelivedin @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists @carryonmylovelies and @meanjeansjeans!

and for reading all this, here's Olive in her christmas outfit and the dogs in theirs!

[silentsneezes]

HC that Remus is allergic to peppermint (smelling it makes him sneeze all day and eating it gives him hives) and super embarrassed about it bc he doesn't want to be seen as “weak” but Sirius didn't know and made their shared flat smell like peppermint for the Christmas holiday

thank you for the prompt anon! i’ll (hopefully) write another fic eventually that’s more specific to your request, but for now i hope you enjoy 2.1k of a very sneezy R/emus L/upin at the P/otter’s Christmas party

The Potter’s have always been known to throw extraordinary parties. Between James’s charisma as a host and Lily’s beautifully charmed decorations, every ‘Potter Party’- as Sirius calls them- is extravagant. Their Christmas party this year is no different, despite the ongoing wizarding war.

Their house is filled with enchanted garlands that drift through the air, shifting colors through a spectrum of festive hues. A few paintings have been charmed to sing carols when people pass by, whereas others wish people ‘A Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.’ There are candles suspended mid-air, casting a warm, flickering glow in every room. The candle’s soft, elegant glow is accompanied with the scent of peppermint. A sweet, sharp aroma with a hint of menthol.

The guests- who are mostly members of the Order- have forgotten about the chaos existing outside of the Potter’s household. Tonight is a night for celebration, nothing else. They’ve all lost so much to the war, and refused to lose Christmas to it too.

Which is why Remus Lupin is walking hand in hand with his boyfriend Sirius, approaching the Potter’s home with an expensive bottle of wine. He’d thought about bringing a different gift, but he and Sirius had both been too busy with missions to get something in time. So he supposes a bottle of Chardonnay will suffice.

Remus lets Sirius knock, watching his boyfriend’s excitement with a little grin. He isn’t necessarily looking forward to spending the night at a party only a few days after the full moon, but he rarely gets to see his friends anymore. Besides, seeing Sirius so happy is reason enough.

As soon as James opens the door, Sirius pulls him into a hug, smiling ear to ear, “Prongs! It’s been too long.”

Remus can’t help but grin, especially when James drunkenly exclaims, “Pads! Moony! My old friends, oh I’m so glad you could make it,” keeping an arm slung around Sirius’s neck.

“Well, I guess you won’t be needing this,” Remus jokes, holding up the bottle of white. James guffaws at the joke, proving Remus’s point as he hiccups after laughing.

Remus steps into the bustling home, smiling as he looks around. It’s relieving, seeing all his friends celebrating and happy; he’d become accustomed to only seeing people at meetings for the Order of the Phoenix, and those were downright depressing.

Tonight, however, is quite the opposite. James pulls Sirius away to get a drink, leaving Remus by the entryway. Remus walks to the kitchen, setting the bottle of wine on the countertop and admiring the decorations.

As a candle floats by, Remus is greeted with an overwhelming scent of peppermint, mingling with the warmth of the festive atmosphere. His eyes immediately start to water, and he can’t help but cough lightly, a telltale tickle forming in his throat.

“Remus! It’s good to see you,” Lily exclaims as she makes her way through the crowded room, “How’ve you been?”

Remus smiles, his discomfort temporarily forgotten as he sees Lily. He accepts her hug, replying, “I’ve been well, all things considered. How are you?”

“I’ve been good, honestly,” Lily says with a smile, a hand placed habitually on her stomach, “We’ve almost finished the nursery, and…”

Remus tries his best to listen as Lily keeps talking, but his body has other ideas. He ducks against his shoulder slightly as he stifles two quick sneezes, “ngt! ngk!”

“Oh, bless you!” Lily says before continuing on, “It really is lovely seeing everyone again.”

Unfortunately, the stifles did nothing to relieve the itch in his nose- an irritating, persistent buzzing. Still, Remus tries to reply, “It is, it’s not often we- hh.. hHngk! ngxt! Excuse me. It’s not often we get together anymore.”

“Bless you Remus,” Lily says with a hint of concern. Sure, Remus sneezing isn’t uncommon, but Lily’s well aware of the full moon cycle and how frequently he falls ill after his transformations, “You’re not sick, are you?”

Remus offers Lily a wry smile, “No, not sick. Just a little sensitive after the full moon, I suppose.”

Lily nods, seemingly buying Remus’s quick dismissal. “So, what’ve-,” she starts, but then Marlene McKinnon spots Lily and shrieks happily.

“Lils!” Marlene exclaims, and a moment later Lily is frisked away into an embrace.

Remus doesn’t mind. In fact, he’s rather grateful for the opportunity to slip away into an unoccupied hallway. His nose has already started twitching again, and he can feel the sharp scent of the peppermint coating his throat.

Remus pinches his nose between his thumb and forefinger, his head bobbing towards his chest as he stifles a series of sneezes in quick succession, “hhnGxt! hd’gsh! ngxk!”

He waits a moment, releasing his nose and taking an experimental breath. Wrong choice.

“hgXxt! hngt! nkXT! hh…. hhGDsxh!”

Remus lets out a little sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose before searching through his pockets for a handkerchief. He almost always carries one, especially leading up to or following the full moon, when his nose is particularly sensitive.

“Hey love. You hiding out over here?” Sirius teases with a smirk, “Or is this just an especially interesting hallway?”

Remus turns around to see Sirius leaning against the wall, a drink in hand. He looks undeniably beautiful, his hair pulled back in a bun and his shirt partially unbuttoned.

Remus rolls his eyes, “Why, are you trying to escape the spotlight Pads?”

Sirius grins, about to quip back when Remus cups a hand over his nose, his shoulders shuddering as he stifles another little fit of sneezes, “hhNGxt! hnxt! hhN’gxt!”

“Bless you, bless you, bless you baby,” Sirius says in a slightly sing-song tone.

“Thanks,” Remus mumbles, but he’s more preoccupied with holding back. His nose is twitching, and he turns away from Sirius slightly as his breath hitches.

Sirius’s smile fades a little, replaced with concern, “You alright Moons?”

“Yeah just- hngt! j-heh-hgt! hxkch! Snf, just a little itch,” he dismisses. Admittedly, it’s much more than that. There’s a constant tickle in his nose and throat, his eyes are itchy and watery, and he can’t keep his nose from twitching.

Sirius raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend, his expression making it evident that he doesn’t believe Remus’s dismissal, “C’mon love, what’s up?”

Sirius moves closer, resting a gentle hand on Remus’s back, “You feeling okay?” He murmurs.

Remus bites his tongue for a moment, debating between admitting his allergy and potentially ruining Sirius’s Christmas, or powering through. Unfortunately for him, his nose chooses something else entirely.

“tschHh!-kKTSch! hh-hNgxt! hhN’Kgtsch!”

“Bless you,” Sirius murmurs as he rubs Remus’s back, “Something setting you off?” He asks, knowing Remus well enough to recognize an allergic reaction.

Remus just nods, knowing he won’t be able to deny it. He keeps a finger curled under his nose, hoping to dissuade the itch.

“How bad is it?” Sirius asks, his worry evident.

“I’m okay, just… c’mon, not agaihhhnGXt! nnG’DSch!”

“Bless you, bless you,” Sirius blesses each stifle as he wraps an arm around Remus’s waist, guiding him towards the backyard to get some fresh air.

Unfortunately for Remus, they pass by not one but two of the floating candles on their way out, and the finger curled under his nose becomes useless in preventing another fit.

“hh- hDtsch! hn’Gxt! hhHGDsch!”

Remus stifles against his finger, letting out a little cough after the triple. On top of the persistent itch in his nose and throat, his eyes are starting to become increasingly irritated and watery. He resists the urge to rub them, knowing it’ll only worsen his discomfort.

“Bless you love,” Sirius says as he opens the back door, keeping his other hand on the small of Remus’s back.

Remus feels a little relief as he steps into the brisk air, a flurry of snowflakes drifting downwards, but he knows the damage has already been done. He’s had a few encounters with peppermint in the past, and he has no doubt he’ll be sneezing all night.

“Better?” Sirius hums, wrapping an arm around Remus’s waist. The werewolf nods, pressing his handkerchief to the base of his nose and sniffling.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s setting you off?” Sirius asks, smirking at his boyfriend, “or are we going to have to play Guess That Allergen.”

Remus rolls his eyes, but he can’t help but grin a little, “You’re an ass.”

“Now now, Moony, we were talking about your sneezy predicament, not my ass,” Sirius teases, “So, what’s-”

“n’Gck! hngXt! hhHDTsch!”

“Bless you, bless you, bless you. What’s setting you off?” Sirius asks, not minding the interruption.

Remus hesitates before letting out a little sigh, realizing there’s no use in trying to dismiss the reaction or imagine an excuse, “The peppermint,” he answers simply. His nose twitches, as if his body is even sensitive to him saying the word, “hhHGXt! hNG’tsch!”

“Bless,” Sirius says with a little frown, suddenly remembering Remus’s last run in with the scent of peppermint at a potions store- it’s safe to say Remus doesn’t go to that store anymore, “Baby why didn’t you say something when we got here? You must’ve realized right away you were allergic.”

Remus lets out a defeated sigh, shrugging and answering, “It’s Christmas, and you’ve been looking forwards to seeing everyone for ages. I figured I… hh… could dhhdeal with-hhGNSxch! hhHtschew! ktsChh! with a little allergic reaction.” Remus lets the last two sneezes out unstifled now that he’s only in Sirius’s company, catching them in the folds of his handkerchief.

“Bless you love,” Sirius murmurs, gently rubbing circles on his boyfriend’s back, “You do realize this is more than a little allergic reaction, right? You look downright miserable.”

Remus doesn’t have the energy to argue with that, and he’d only be lying. The effects of being in the peppermint filled house have already set in, despite him only being inside for eight minutes.

“Let me guess: itchy eyes, itchy throat, and incessant sneezing?” Sirius asks, grinning at the way Remus’s eyes narrow in annoyance, “I’ll take that as a yes. Any rashes?”

Remus shakes his head, holding the handkerchief over his nose again as he feels the itch return with a vengeance, “Not y- hhKTsch! hhtxchew-tscCHh-kkDSch!” The last triple comes too rapidly for him to draw a breath between each of the sneezes, leaving him slightly breathless, “Not yet,” he finishes lamely.

“Bless you,” Sirius says as he presses a kiss to Remus’s cheek, “Why don’t you wait here, I’ll let Lily know we’re heading home,” he suggests gently.

Remus frowns, looking at his boyfriend with a guilty expression, “You don’t have to, I’ll just stay out here for a while. Go enjoy yourself.” He insists, gesturing to the festivities inside.

Sirius grins, rolling his eyes playfully, “Remus Lupin, if you think I’m going to leave you sneezing outside in the cold on Christmas, then you’re poorly mistaken.”

When Remus’s guilty expression doesn’t change, Sirius softens a little, “C’mon, we’ll pick up some food on the way home and we can watch a movie. I’ll even let you pick which one.”

“Sirius-” Remus starts to protest, but Sirius is already opening the door to go back inside, “Don’t move. I’ll be back in a few minutes and then we can head home.”

As guilty as Remus feels, it’s hard to ignore the flush of affection he feels towards his boyfriend. He knows Sirius has been looking forward to this party for ages, but here he is, ready to leave in an instant all because of Remus’s discomfort. Sure, it’s not an ideal situation, but to be loved so unconditionally is something Remus can’t help but cherish.

Before Remus can even reply, Sirius slips back into the bustling house, on a mission to find the hostess. The door remains open for a moment, and Remus is hit with a waft of the intense, biting scent of peppermint. To anyone else, it might be perfectly sweet, but to Remus, it means a night of incessant fits.

“hhTSxchew!-ktsxch! tsxg’t! Ktsch-etschiew!”

Remus’s shoulders shudder as he lets out a series of rapid sneezes into the handkerchief, grateful he’d remembered to bring one with him. Each sneeze is itchy and desperate, tumbling out after one another with no hesitation.

Remus spends the next few minutes caught in a cycle of hitching breaths and little fits, his nose becoming increasingly pinker as he waits for them to subside- though he knows they won’t, not yet, at least.

Luckily for him, Sirius returns before long, leading Remus around to the front of the house and apparating the two of them home.

They spend the rest of the evening curled on the old sofa in their living room, watching Christmas classics and sharing a bottle of wine- Sirius insists that it wasn’t really Christmas if he doesn’t at least get tipsy. Remus keeps a handkerchief in hand the entire time, sneezing every few minutes in quick, rapid fits until they finally start to die down. Sirius, of course, blesses him each time.

All in all, it’s not a terrible Christmas for the couple. After all, they have each other.

The End

i hope someone enjoys this, sorry for the rushed ending and any grammatical/spelling errors!

[sehnsuchts-trunken]

The Jacuzzi Incident

Bradley Bradshaw x reader 4k words

summary: You spend your Christmas holidays with the squad in your uncle's cabin and sharing the jacuzzi with Bradley ends steamy in more than one way.

tagging a bunch of people who said they'd like to be tagged in more parts: @roostergooster @pono-pura-vida @chassy21 @startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs @schreksdoubledeckerhomechecker @sometimesanalice

a (not so) little addition to "Oh No, There's Only One Bed" and “Oh No, There's An Arm Around My Waist”, can be read seperately tho

top gun masterlist

This was not what you had expected your Christmas holidays to go like.

To be honest though, it was all kind of your fault. You had most definitely got yourself into this situation. You couldn't even blame anyone else.

Why had you been so social anyway? So generous? Your uncle had offered you his "sanctuary in the middle of the woods", you, no one else. You didn't have to invite the squad to tag along. You could have been up here all alone, enjoying the snow, going skiing, taking walks - meditating or some shit, doing your own thing and living your life to the fullest. You'd have spent a peaceful, happy Christmas, visited your grandparents, maybe taken your uncle's truck and met up with one of your childhood friends who you only ever saw when you were here for the holidays.

But no.

This way you were sitting in a crowded, noisy kitchen, sipping your hot cocoa in a cozy poncho next to Coyote and listening to Phoenix and Jake bicker. Fanboy and Payback were sharing the couch, huddled close together under one blanket and watching their third Christmas movie - some rom com you usually would have been totally into if you hadn't been so incredibly focused on Bradley Bradshaw.

Because Bradley Bradshaw - despite the temperature - was leaning against the counter top opposite you, talking to Bob with a cup of coffee in his hands, a towel snug on his hips and his very naked torso in direct line of sight.

You were freezing your ass off inside and he was walking around shirtless.

Phoenix elbowed you in the side so hard you almost doubled over, your hot cocoa spilling onto your hand, making you hiss.

"Phee, what the fuck?", you complained, carefully putting your cup down on the kitchen table.

"You're drooling", she grinned, raising her eyebrows and you could have slapped her, honestly. You'd been here for about one and a half days now and you felt like you were going crazy already - you needed her support, not her teasing.

"I'm not", you insisted, a bit too harsh maybe, but just maybe.

She leveled you with that Phoenix stare that could make anyone in the near vicinity squirm, tilting her head to very obviously stare at Bradley and then back at you.

"You so are."

"Shut up!" You swatted at her bicep, turning to look at Bradley too and.... Yeah. Fine. Okay. Maybe you had been drooling just a little bit. But Bradley was an attractive man, who could blame you? You were friends, yes, platonic friends, but you could still appreciate that he was handsome, no?

Phoenix just chuckled, patting your shoulder as she left the kitchen, to go join Fanboy and Coyote maybe or to go shower or whatever - you couldn't even particularly pretend to care, not when Bradley suddenly looked at you, meeting your eyes, the corners of his lips tugging upwards just the slightest bit as he noticed you staring, your throat bobbing, your mouth drying up, setting off your fight-or-flight response instantly.

You decided to flee this time.

Like all the other times.

You looked away and scrambled off your chair, almost slipping on the laminate floors, sprinting through the doorway, through the living room and up the stairs until you could collapse onto your bed, face-first onto the pillows. You were sharing this room with Phoenix (the cabin was big, yes, but it wasn't that big. People had been forced to share) and you could smell her perfume on the sheets, reminding you that you really had to ask her where she'd got it from.

For a second you debated screaming.

You weren't really mad that you'd taken the squad with you. Not at all. The drive here had been fun already and the first evening as well and honestly, despite Jake constantly squabbling with everybody, you'd really been more than happy so far. But peaceful, like you'd wanted your Christmas to be? No, peaceful was a word that didn't exist with the squad around.

A knock at the door pulled you from your thoughts. You sat up so fast that you got a head rush, blinking twice to make out Bradley leaning against the doorway - with jeans on and a sweater and a genuine smile on his lips.

"Hey", he said, all easy and smooth and you swallowed hard.

"Hi", you croaxed, leaning back onto your palms and staring up at him as he pushed himself away from the door and reached your bed in a few long strides. You forced yourself to stare right at his face, not allowing even your imagination to go any lower than that, because that might just have done you over completely.

"You left your cup in the kitchen. Thought I'd bring it to you before it goes cold", he explained, setting said cup down on your side table and oh yeah. He'd been carrying a cup. Your cup.

"That's- My Cocoa, right, yes! That's lovely, you're lovely, thank you."

You felt like you were stumbling over your own words, a flush of red settling in your cheeks. This was stupid. You were stupid. All of this was stupid. Bradley was a friend. You shouldn't be thinking like this. Why were you nervous? You'd known this man for years. You trusted him more than anyone else (which, perhaps, was just a side-effect of your job, but whatever).

And yet.

And yet you couldn't even say that this was the first time.

But you were fine! This was fine. Seriously fine.

Bradley made an appreciative noise somewhere in the back of his throat and sat down on the edge of your bed.

"No problem", he said, then paused for a second. "Everything alright? You seemed a bit off this morning."

"Oh!"

You were honestly a little surprised by that. You really shouldn't have been - this was Bradley. Bradley was observant - incredibly so - especially when it came to you. You couldn't have counted all the times he'd known exactly what you needed (a cuddle, a cup of tea, some water, a chocolate bar, more cuddles) like a goddamn mind reader even if you'd tried.

"No, I'm fine. Really", you nodded, more to yourself than to Bradley if anything. "Just a bit cold I guess."

"Alright", Bradley agreed, still raising his eyebrows at you like he wasn't quite convinced. And he was right, anyway. You weren't fine. You were more than just cold. But you certainly wouldn't tell him that. "Well then. Bagman actually had a decent idea for once and is pulling the cover off the jacuzzi. He's roped the others into making punch. You won't miss out on the jacuzzi, will you?"

There was a grin on his lips now, an honest grin that you couldn't help but mirror. Oh, the jacuzzi. Perhaps - probably! - your favourite part of this entire cabin. Jake had really had a good thought for once.

"Are you kidding me? The jacuzzi is my best friend! I'll be out in ten with towels for everyone!"

You could only hear Bradley's chuckle as you jumped up and slid (fuzzy socks on laminate flooring) out of the room. You would absolutely do anything for that jacuzzi. And it was just the distraction you so desperately needed.

...

Ten minutes later, you were already feeling a lot better - the prospect of punch and jacuzzi had lifted your mood incredibly. You'd changed into the swim suit you had brought for exactly this situation, had gone hunting for enough towels and had even found a bathrobe that you slung over your own shoulders.

Phoenix, Fanboy, Payback, Coyote and Jake were already sitting in bubbling water, laughing and talking, all with cups of punch in their hands. You felt almost giddy, all happy energy fizzling in your stomach, as you put down the towels on the nearby sun loungers and hung your robe over the back of a chair before carefully easing into the jacuzzi. And then you quite literally melted.

Outside was ice-cold, but the water was sizzling hot in comparison, fog rising up and shrouding you. You sat down next to Phoenix and grabbed a cup of punch from the edge of the hot tub, taking a sip and then settling against the back wall. A sigh left your lips. This was perfection. You'd missed the jacuzzi so very dearly.

The conversation the other five were having faded into background noise as you closed your eyes and tilted your head back, relaxing into the warmth and simply being present in the moment while being so very far away at the same time. Your body here, in the warm, cozy, comfortable water, the taste of punch on your tongue, the chatter of your friends in your ear and a smile on your lips, your mind losing itself to time and space, breathing in, breathing out, allowing any thought to pass, to come and go however.

You were here. In this wonderful, secluded cabin, in a wonderful, warm jacuzzi, with wonderful, many friends. This was the life. This was, even though you hadn't thought it possible, peaceful.

You settled even further into the water, took another sip of your punch and rested your head against the edge, a content smile on your lips.

Then someone else dipped their legs into the water and you opened your eyes again as Bradley sat down next to you, his side pressing into yours, the grin on his lips making your smile deepen.

"Hi", you muttered, keeping your eyes fixed on his face and just his face (which you had to put a lot of your focus on) because he was way taller than you and while you were settled deep into the water, it barely covered half his torso. In short, his collarbones were mere inches from your nose and you felt like running a line of kisses along them. So yeah, distraction and escapism it was!

"Hey", he smiled back, holding his cup with one hand and putting his other arm around the edge of the tub - also mere inches from your body. If you just leaned back a bit further, he'd have his arm around you........ What about that distraction again? You desperately needed that distraction.

You swallowed and took another sip of punch, just to not have to stare at him for a second.

"Didn't you just shower?", you asked then, frowning to try and keep your mind off of the fact that Bradley was a half-naked god - which, well, thinking about him in the shower didn't really help with.

"Well yes", he laughed. "If I'd known this was the plan, I would have showered after."

You couldn't help but chuckle.

"Cheers then", you grinned as you clinked your cup to his and raised it to your lips, closing your eyes to savour the taste on your tongue.

Oh yes, this was a real Christmas holiday. A cabin in the woods, cold air freezing your nose, hot water keeping the rest of you warm, punch settling in your stomach, your friends' conversation all around you.

You let out a content sigh and leaned an inch further into Bradley, enough for his bicep to press to your skin, your breath quivering for a heartbeat - this wasn't unsual, you'd often been tucked into his arms, lingering for just a second too long, but normally he was wearing a bit more than swimming trunks and you a bit more than a bathing suit. There was a heartbeat of uncertainty, then you felt his fingertips skimming along your shoulder, a barely-there touch that froze you in place with a smile on your lips that felt as though it would split your face in half.

You didn't dare to move further.

The heat of the water, the heat of the cup in your hands, the heat of him. The cold of the air that you didn't realise was there anymore. The simple, soft touch of his fingertips. The firm press of your side to his. The sound of the squad's conversation as Bob climbed into the tub - "You didn't think that it looked a bit baggy?" "Baggy? What kind of question is that?" "That's an absolutely appropriate question! It was an incredibly important Halloween costume - right, Bob?" "I don't really want to comment-" "It was important! How could it not have been important? There was a contest! You should have told me that it looked baggy!" "I didn't say it looked baggy, I asked if it maybe looked a bit baggy." "There's no difference!" - but you barely registered any of that actually happening.

You just existed there, for a moment, in Bradley's arms, love in your chest that curled and unfurled, burned softly into every part of your body, in a totally platonic way. Honestly, you weren't sure if maybe you'd dozed off at some point - it was cozy and comfortable and peaceful and you just couldn't help yourself. The alcohol slowly taking effect, the water, the steam, the warmth, all of that was easily making you feel drowsy. Though you couldn't say you were complaining, not in the slightest.

It was just a bit confusing, truly, when you opened your eyes, yawned and realised that not only was the tub empty except for you and Bradley, but also that your head was resting on his shoulder. Sometime in your (half-)nap it must've rolled to the side - right onto the first available pillow: Bradley's very wide, very naked shoulder.

You straightened your back and turned to look at him, blinking a few times to clear your hazy view.

"Mornin' Sleepyhead", Bradley greeted with a grin, immediately making you blush and chuckle a bit.

"Sorry", you said and scooched a little further away from him, just to be safe. You tried to ignore the fact that you'd just slept in his arms. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on- on you?"

"As long as you were comfortable", he laughed - pulled his arm away though and stretched it. You bit your lip and swatted at his shoulder.

"Did your arm fall asleep? Bradley, you should've said something. Or moved. Or-", you paused, eyebrows pinching together. "Where's my cup?"

You couldn't remember putting it away. You hadn't put it away. You hadn't even finished it.

"Oh, I rescued that cup before you could dump it in the water", he grinned and pointed at two cups far away enough from the edge of the tub to definitely not run any risk of being droppedd into the water. You had to smile. This was exactly what you loved about Bradley - just how considerate he was. How much attention he paid to every little detail around him. Around you.

"Thanks", you muttered. "The others went inside?"

Bradley nodded.

"A while ago", he said. "They're making dinner."

You swallowed at that. The kitchen was on the other side of the cabin. And for the first time, you really realised how very alone you and Bradley were here.

Just you and him, the hot tub, two half-finished cups of self-made punch, the silence, your breath forming little clouds and mixing with Bradley's somewhere in mid-air as you looked at him - damp hair and droplets running down his chest, hazel eyes that you were too familiar with already.

You didn't know what to say. They're making dinner. The others. Right. The others, in the kitchen, in the cabin, making dinner. You and Bradley, out here, in the hot tub, all alone.

You'd been alone with Bradley countless times.

This shouldn't feel different. This didn't feel different. Did it? Maybe you'd always felt this way about Bradley. Like some thick, heavy, heady fog was hanging over you, clouding your vision and poisoning your mind, like every fibre of your body was vibrating somehow, vibrating with hope and warmth and happiness, with anticipation, your teeth digging into your lip and snow catching on your lashes.

Snow.

You let out a gasp as you tilted your head back, staring up into a darkening, cloudy, white sky, a white sky with snow falling down, tiny little specks of white.

Snowflakes.

Snow, it was snowing!

"Bradley!", you squealed, laughter in your voice, dripping down like honey into this syrupy tension between you, glancing at him to make sure he was looking up - he wasn't, he hadn't been, not until then, no, he'd been watching you, but now that you were meeting his eye, he tilted his head back too. You felt heat crawl up your cheeks, felt the smile on your lips that you just couldn't push down.

You didn't know what this all meant. You didn't really want to think about it.

You were sharing a hot tub with a friend. This was no different than it had been with the rest of the squad here. Just that there was snow now.

Snow! Actual snow. God, how you'd missed the snow here! So far you hadn't had snow in San Diego. You weren't even really sure it snowed in San Diego at all. But it definitely snowed here. Soft little flakes, painting your skin as you looked up into the sky, painting your hands as you reached up into the air, painting your tongue as you opened your mouth and tried to catch a few of these white flecks.

"Last time I saw snow has to have been four, five years ago", Bradley said softly, his voice quieter than usual, as though he was almost afraid if he talked too loudly, he'd scare the snow off again.

"That long?", you asked, matching his volume, tilting your head to watch him smiling at the sky like a child, beautifully happy. You were grinning too, you knew that, you knew that you couldn't help it and that he probably couldn't either.

"That long", he nodded. You paused for a second to admire him - hair wet at the ends now, throat all on display for you, lips parted and breathing deeply. He may have been in awe of the snow, but you were in awe of him. Of this incredible, kind, supportive, observant, loving man who'd always been there when you'd needed him. Who was here now. Who'd always been here and who'd always be here.

He turned to face you then, white snowflakes catching in his hair and a genuine smile on his lips, and usually you'd have been embarrassed that he caught you staring but right now, you didn't care - you couldn't care, because you couldn't tear your eyes away from him, not when he was looking so much like... Like what, exactly? You didn't think there was anything to compare him to. He looked ethereal, heavenly, celestial, so much child and adult at the same time, human and yet somehow more than that. You felt like you were looking at all of him in this heartbeat, at any and every part of his soul, bared for you, unfolding here, right now, while you were simply watching, reading him, every strength and every flaw, every nook and every crook, every joy and every fear. In this breath, he wasn't a fighter pilot, he wasn't even your best friend - he was just Bradley Bradshaw, just himself.

You felt him, learned him, studied him, every part of him.

Maybe that was why you knew that he'd move before he did, why you weren't scared or embarrassed to meet him right in the middle.

Until he was mere inches from you.

You swallowed.

He glanced down at your lips.

And you felt the moment melt into more. Into less, in a way. You felt the heavy silence that you hadn't noticed before. You felt the heat, from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. You felt the lump in your throat, the rush of blood in your ears, the tingle in your hands, willing you to reach for him.

His fingertips brushed along your waist, a short moment of hesitation (Was it hesitation? Was it anticipation? Was it reassurance, hope, suspense?) and then-

His hand closed around your waist. You choked back a gasp.

Tentatively, because your mind was silent, entirely and wholly quiet for once in your life, as though your body, your soul knew something it didn't, you reached out, water dripping, dripping, dripping down from your hand as you let it dangle in the air, an inch maybe from his skin, not sure where to put it.

Your heartbeat picked up.

Then your fingertip grazed his skin, so soft, so light that you could barely feel it, could barely feel anything but wet, wet water. Then another. Then

"Dinner's ready in five!"

You snapped back to reality so hard you flinched and pulled back, away from Bradley as quickly as humanly possible.

Jake had called from inside, hadn't even bothered to take a single step out into the cold and for once, you were glad that he was such an ass. If he had come outside- God, if he'd seen that- Oh sweet Jesus.

You couldn't even look at Bradley as you stumbled onto your feet, as you straightened up and almost slipped on the edge of the tub in your attempt to flee.

"Careful!", Bradley called out, hands reaching up to grab and steady you, but you made some sort of high-pitched sound that sounded nowhere close to human and wriggled away before he could touch you in the slightest, one foot already on the cold (Cold! So incredibly fucking cold!) floor of the patio.

"I'm fine, i'm fine!", you repeated, snatching your towel as you sprinted away, away from the tub and away from Bradley and away from temptation, into the house and into the pleasant warmth, wrapping the towel around your body and taking two stairs at a time to reach your room before anyone (especially anyone called Bradley) could have the slightest chance of intercepting you.

You didn't know what had just happened.

But what you did know was that this was stupid - that you were stupid, that oh dear lord yes, you were stupid! Bradley was a friend, a platonic friend - not even that, a colleague, a man you had to trust with your life to protect you in multi-million-dollar air planes! Bradley was not a man you could or would snog. Especially not in your goddamn uncle's hot tub with the rest of your colleagues in the next fucking room!

Yes, you had no clue what had just happened, but you knew very, very well that it could never happen again. And that whatever it was, you had to forget it had ever happened right this second.

But as always, things were easier said than done.

[shirohige-pirates]

A Truly Mythological Christmas

Cisfem!Reader x Marco the Phoenix

Also on Wattpad // Ao3

18+ - this story is going to get steamy in ways not allowed for your holiday Lifetime specials. Swearing, cheating, assassins, intrigue - you know, all that simple small town stuff.

Chapter 26: The Zhou Conglomerate

The day after the Christmas celebration, was low energy for all of you. Sabo made coffee for you and Dadan, and you hugged him for being so cute that he started squirming in your arms. You helped the boys make the easiest breakfast you could manage, and did as little as humanly possible. After all the commotion of the party even Luffy was subdued.

You: How’s the manor?

Marco: Half a disaster. We got most of it cleaned up before bed though.

He sends a short video of the long dining table that still needed to be broken down, and the bags of trash needing to be hauled out. A few of his brothers waved blearily as he passed by them, plates and bowls with leftovers for breakfast on them. From the looks of things no one had finished a first cup of coffee, let alone woken up properly.

They had likely all been up until nearly 3am.

You: All that footage, and none of your beautiful face?

Marco: Handsome, maybe.

You: Need an extra set of hands to come help?

Marco: Nah, rest easy pretty bird.

Marco: I’ll be at the store tomorrow, you’re welcome to come help out, or just hang out.

Grinning you type in a sassy response.

You: Decorate your back office, maybe.

Marco: I would risk the store, please don’t tempt me.

“What’s it mean to decorate the back office?” Sabo questions quietly, looking at your phone from over the couch. He’s curious, but also trying to keep Ace and Luffy from hearing.

“With annoying things like wrapping stuff in foil and individually wrapping all his pens.” You lie as smoothly as you possibly can.

Sabo looks around and leans in, his face going pink. “I thought you were talking about adult stuff.”

You laugh, ruffling curly hair that’s destined to be amazing wavy locks one day. It’s good to be reminded that children are dangerously attentive. Ace and Luffy come over to see what you’re laughing about, and you end up pulling the boys into your camera range and sending pictures of the four of you making silly faces. You take a couple dozen pictures before you run them off to put away their gifts, and get their room cleaned up, but you only send a few to Marco.

Your day is a delightful collection of sending texts to Marco, lounging, and helping your mom make dinner. You don’t often spend an entire day in your pajamas, but it felt good to do almost nothing all day.

The next day, after breakfast, you get a phone call from a number that you only knew for sure was from the city. It wasn’t Candy Land’s extension, so you weren’t worried about answering it.

“Hello?” You answer tentatively, wondering who would be calling you from a number you didn’t know, just a couple days after Christmas. It was, at least, not the weekend yet.

“Hello, is this Miss Curly (Y/N)?” The question comes from a cheerful, and professional voice. It’s clear and full of maybe a little too much coffee.

“This is, what can I do for you?”

“Wonderful! My name is Wanda, I was hoping to have a few moments of your time, Miss Curly, my boss is Inuarashi, from the Zhou Conglomerate, and we were hoping we could get your hiring process started, if you weren’t against the idea?”

“Huh? No, I’m not… against it, but I haven’t even been interviewed.” You stammer.

“I mean to take care of most of that over the phone today,” she offers easily. “Interviewing was part of what I wanted to do today. The primary part honestly, since the rest can come after. Mr. Inuarashi and Mr. Nekomamushi just wanted to get things going as soon as they could.”

“I… uh, sure. Sure.” Getting up off the couch you head into Dadan’s den, since her and the boys will know to leave you be while you’re in there. “I’ve had breakfast and coffee, I’m happy to do this as best I can.”

Wanda’s smile comes through her tone. “Perfect. The owners were nearly flooded with letters of recommendation and phone calls on your behalf over the holidays. Coworkers from your previous job, your boss, several small businesses in the city.”

“Letters? Calls? Wha- how?” You sit down in the room, feeling a little disoriented. “Aside from my boss I don’t think anyone else was aware that I was looking for another job.”

“Oh, hm.” Wanda goes silent for a moment. “Well, I… guess the news hadn’t gotten outside the city. But news broke that Charlotte Perospero had been caught with… other people… and that you had broken off the engagement. Katakuri said he was doing everything he could for you.

“Since his mother had gone on quite the public tirade, I think people simply assumed you had also tendered your resignation as well.” She explains. “I know the truth, Miss Curly, and while I am sorry you weren’t able to stay where you wanted, if it isn’t too presumptuous of me to say, I am grateful to know you’ll be joining us.”

“I…she? … Wow. I didn’t know.” You take a moment and Wanda goes quiet. “I… whew. You know, um, if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to make a cup of coffee before we get started.”

“Certainly, you can call me back, or I can simply wait.” Wanda offers.

“Chat with me, if you don’t mind. Whatever you’re comfortable with, tell me about yourself, tell me about the Conglomeration.” You prompt, getting up and heading into the kitchen.

You and Wanda talk for nearly three hours. In that time you make a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, and even get the water you probably needed to be drinking more of. She tells you a little bit about herself, and you share some of yourself in return. She talks about what she likes about the company, and you ask questions to dig a little deeper.

You vent about the issue with Perospero, as much as you’re comfortable doing, and admit that you’re doing much better now than you were before. You love the city, but getting away and getting back to where you grew up had been exactly what you needed.

Eventually you shift to the business of business and start talking about what you would be expected to do, what skills you had, experience and what your accomplishments at your current job were. Wanda gave you some hypotheticals to answers and you asked about the vacation policies and other benefits.

You weren’t too worried about falling into any kind of traps. Wanda was being far too direct, and with everything else in your corner it was silly to worry about such things. A small voice in the back of your head worried you were getting this job on some odd form of nepotism, but if that was the case you’d just have to work even harder when you started.

You even sent Marco some texts while you were talking with Wanda, explaining that you were on the phone with her, and that you weren’t sure when you’d make it to the store.

You: I’ll still be by though.

Marco: I’d say tell her hello for me, but I don’t want you to think I’m trying to win you points.

You: You didn’t say anything to Nekomamushi yourself?

Marco: Nope.

Marco: I first heard of it from Katakuri. After that I was too busy to reach out, and I wouldn’t have even if I could have.

Marco: I know how you would’ve felt.

“Your starting salary is going to be, admittedly, significantly less than what you were making.” Wanda says, her voice dropping. “There are bonuses, however, and it is still competitive.”

“That will be okay.” You assure her. “If I can do my job well, there’ll be room for growth, and I’m okay with that. Candy Land paid well, but… there was a certain level of stress that went along with it.”

“But,” you say after a moment’s pause. “All I mean is that the salary is satisfactory, and the benefits more than make up for it. It works out even better for me, since I intend to travel a little more, and your company gives me leeway to do that by default.”

“Perfect then, the last thing to consider will be your start date.”

You laugh. “You don’t have to step away and deliberate the results of this call with your bosses?”

“They had effectively made up their minds already,” Wanda says kindly. “This wasn’t just a formality, however, since you and I will be working together closely when you start here. This was truly an interview between you and I.”

You look at how long you’ve been chatting easily with her and chuckle softly. “Okay, yeah, I can see how that would mean what it means.” You agree. “Well, I’ll be back on the 4th. I know it’s not a Monday, but starting the 8th would work well for me. It gives me time to ensure things went smoothly while I was gone for so long, and a partial week lets me get the administrative sign-offs and meet and greets done before starting properly the following Monday.”

“We’ll go with that then,” she agrees. “If anything comes up, you can call me and let me know. The number I called from is my personal one, so even if you need to leave a message I’ll get back to you shortly.”

“Fantastic. Well, this is the best way this could’ve gone, so thank you for making my day better Miss Wanda.” You say cheerfully.

“My pleasure Miss Curly, and please, call me Wanda.”

You let her know she can call you by your first name as well, and then end the call.

“Whew.” Letting out a sigh you sink into the chair in the den and enjoy a brief moment to yourself before joining Dadan and the boys for lunch. You text Marco and let him know you’ll be by after you eat, and tell him what the preliminary time line for your start with the company looks like.

Marco: You’ll have a couple days completed before I even get there.

You: Yeah, but I shouldn’t be able to get myself into too much trouble.

Marco: I’m the only trouble you need to get into 😈

You: Aren’t you technically getting into me, trouble?

There’s a long pause before his next reply and it’s just a single heart emoji. You figure you flustered him finally, but when you make it to the store it is jam packed. How he was even able to text you at all was impressive enough.

He’s filling in as a cashier and you’re back to the shelves, organizing, restocking, and directing customers on where to find things. The volume of work made the day go by quickly and you didn’t get a chance to really talk to Marco until the sun had long set.

The next three days were more of the same, though the frenzied flurry of the first day was never quite matched, but by the time you and Marco had any real time to yourselves again it was New Year’s Eve.

[roseytheangel]

Happy eighth day of Christmas guys!!

Here’s another fic!!

Hope y’all enjoy!

It was a cold and boring day at 3 in the morning, the hustle and yell of the city dancing in the cold winter air as the stars shone down into the city below. All of it mixing as a melody that was lost in the dark and lonely sky that hawks was flying in.

It didn’t take him long to get home to his apartment though. Welcoming home dabi, who was talking to the cat, phoenix.

—

Dabi’s head perked up as he heard the damn bird walking through the door, a scoff escaping his scarred lips as he got up, “took you long enough bird brain.” He scolded, wrapping his arms around keigo instantly.

“Missed you too burnt bitch.” Keigo shot back with a smirk as he pat his back.

“Missed you.. you know that? Twice is as hyper as ever and toga had almost cut herself twice.” Dabi listed, a smile on his face although he looked tired. Hawks chuckled, “I can’t leave for a minute huh?” He shot back with a smirk as he walked inside.

—

SORRY THIS WAS SO SHORT I AM SUPER BUSY AND FORGOT! BYEEE