#hopefully it's still christmas for most of you out there... i forgot about time zones :((( i've been posting them at 3PM my time

[accirax]

Exchange #16: Teruko's gift for Ace!

Thus concludes my DRDT Secret Santa Saga. A very merry Christmas to all who are celebrating, and well wishes to everyone who isn't!

and here's the randomized list i was working off of just in case anyone thinks i was making things up ;)

[riddlegecko]

perhabs,, early relationship, Paul wanting affection but being anxious and not knowing how to go about it?

Ceej, you understand me and my Paul hcs on a spiritual level, thank you for my rights and an excuse to write soft nonsense. It's uh... It's a little long.

Being in an honest-to-god romantic relationship was taking a bit of re-getting used to for Paul. He hadn't dated anyone since college, and suddenly wham, he's head over heels for a cute, snarky barista who seems to return his affections. It was odd, but no less wonderful, feeling his heart flutter in his chest whenever Emma so much as smiled at him. He hadn't felt this way about someone in damn near a decade, and then this beautiful 5'0 biology student walked into his life, and god, his brain just didn't know how to handle it.

Paul and Emma had started seeing each other around late October, hooking up in the Beanies break room during a Halloween party her boss Nora had thrown. It was mid-December now, a week and a half before Christmas, and things were still going strong between them. Though there had been... something strange on Paul's mind for a few weeks now, something that had never bothered him before in his past relationships.

Paul was a tactile guy with people he liked, something his friends all knew well. He was never sure exactly how he'd rank the five love languages as applied to himself, but touch was definitely his number one. Casual shoulder squeezes and light nudges were common gestures of his among friends, as Bill could easily attest. With romantic partners, this was cranked up a bit. Lots of light kisses to their temple or resting his hand on their back, stuff like that. It was always the easiest way for him to show that he cared. His partners... were never as tactile as him. It was very all give and no take on Paul's end when it came to physical affection, and he hadn't really minded it. At least, he was pretty sure he hadn't...

But now? With Emma? Her touch was something he actively craved. And it's not as if Emma never touched him outside of sex, far from it, she was probably the most physically affectionate partner Paul had ever had. She held his hand, kissed his cheek, cuddled up against him during movie nights, and gave him playful little jabs in the side when he was being a smartass. But she wasn't quite as casually affectionate as Paul was with her, and he couldn't help but wish she was.

And sweet jesus christ, did Paul find it embarrassing. It made him feel like some dopey lovesick teenager whenever he thought about it. Like, what was he supposed to do? Ask her to touch him more often? He'd sound like a total fucking weirdo if he tried to explain it to her. But still, he couldn't help but think about it a lot.

It had been a lazy Sunday evening, the one day of the week when neither half of the couple had work. And of course, they were... taking advantage of their day off, as it were. On Paul's living room couch, no less. They'd just finished up, and Emma had gone off to use his shower and whatnot. After washing up a bit, Paul had promptly put some comfy sleepwear on (because it was December in Michigan and Paul was not one to lounge around in the nude with temperatures like that outside), and was now absentmindedly channel surfing whilst laying on the couch.

Nearly half an hour later, Emma had emerged from the bathroom, hair tied into a braid and clad in a bright red hoodie that Paul recognized as his own. He couldn't help but smile, it was so big on her, and she looked adorable in it.

"Find anything to watch while I was in there?" she asked.

"Hallmark movies, a bunch of stock Christmas faire, and like three separate Harry Potter marathons," Paul replied. "None of which I'm particularly interested in watching, so we might have to retreat to the DVD shelf again."

Emma shrugged. "Hey, fine by me, TV edits are usually garbage fires anyway," she said. She strode over to the other side of the living room, where Paul kept his DVDs, and eyed the shelf. After a minute or two, she plucked a case off the shelf, snickering. "Monty Python: Life of Brian, that's a Christmas movie, right?"

"Absolutely," Paul quipped. "Anything can be a Christmas movie if you stretch the definition enough."

"Good, because I wanna watch Monty Python."

After popping the disk in, she turned back to the couch, and Paul sat up to give her some room. As she sat back down, Paul took in the sight of her. God, she was lovely. And she looked so cozy in his hoodie, it was hard not to find the sight of her absolutely heart-melting. His heart fluttered a bit, he was getting that feeling again. Unfortunately, Paul found himself staring at her instead of the screen for a bit too long, and she took notice.

"Paul?" she piped up, snapping him out of his trance with a befuddled smile. "You good, babe?"

Paul felt his cheeks flush. Had she ever called him "babe" before? "It's, uh... it's nothing," he stammered unconvincingly. "I just zoned out for a bit."

Emma, being the observant person she was, eyed him with skepticism. "You look like you have something on your mind," she noted. "What's up?"

Well, shit. Feeling his face burn hotter, Paul attempted to weasel himself out of this inevitable awkward conversation.

"N-nothing's up, I'm fine!" he tried to assure her, perhaps too defensively to sound convincing.

"That's the voice of a man who definitely has something up," Emma observed. She grabbed the remote, and paused the film before continuing. "Something's bothering you, Paul, I can tell."

"It-it's just..." Paul tried to begin, feeling momentarily reassured by Emma's soft gaze. But when the right words wouldn't come to him, he groaned and buried his flushing face in his hands. God, why was he like this? "Nevermind, it's really stupid, can we just watch the movie, please?"

"Paul, I know stupid, I work at Beanies," Emma retorted playfully, earning a brief chuckle from Paul. "Whatever's bothering you, it can't be any worse than the shit my co-workers complain about on the daily. I promise you I won't laugh."

Paul removed his hands from his face, meeting her gentle gaze once more. "You mean it?"

She nodded. "I'm all ears."

Exhaling a deep breath, Paul took a moment to think of how to word his self-imposed predicament in the least stupid way possible. Probably best to start small.

"Um, y'know how... when we watch movies or whatever together," he began, trying to force himself to talk above a whisper. "You'll like, lean against my chest, and I'll wrap my arms around you and play with your hair and all that?"

Emma nodded, looking somewhat confused. "Yeah...?"

"Do you think we could... do that the other way around this time?"

There was a brief moment of silence, and Paul was pretty sure his face had turned a shade of red that had only ever been seen by shrimp before. Jesus, that must've sounded so stupid.

"That's all?" Emma asked.

Yep, there it was. Paul looked down at his lap again, embarrassed beyond belief. "Basically, yeah..." he chuckled despite himself. "I know, I know, it's really dumb, and I probably got you all worried for nothing-"

"Whoa, whoa, Paul, slow down!" Emma cut him off, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him softly. "I mean, sure! If that's what you want, we can do it!"

Paul took another deep breath. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Emma replied. She leaned back on the arm of the couch, and opened her arms. "Come on, bring it in."

Still nervous and flustered, Paul slowly eased himself against Emma, resting his head against her chest. He could feel her heartbeat, even through the thick fabric of the hoodie. Emma rested one hand on his back, and began to thread her fingers through his hair, just like he would do with her. Paul felt a chill go down his spine. God, he forgot how much he loved having his hair stroked. He wrapped his arms around her torso, face still flushing like nobody's business.

"How's that?" Emma asked, undoubtedly noticing the ridiculous smile that had forced itself onto his face.

"Wonderful..." he sighed, finally beginning to calm down a bit. "Thanks, Emma."

"No prob," Emma snickered, still stroking his hair. "But before we un-pause the movie, can I ask why it was such an ordeal for you to ask me about this?"

"It's kinda hard to articulate," Paul explained, adjusting himself so that he wasn't muffled by the hoodie. "My, um... my past partners weren't really the, uh... the affectionate kinda types, y'know? So it just kinda felt weird to ask you to... do this... I guess..."

"...Well," Emma began after a moment's pause. "I'm not your past partners, so I'd be more than happy to do this more often."

"You would?" Paul inquired hopefully.

"If it makes you feel as loved as it makes me feel," Emma said, rubbing a calming circle between his shoulder blades with her thumb. "Then I'll do it anytime."

Paul could've melted right then and there. He was loved... In a somewhat indirect way, Emma said she loved him. Perhaps now was the time...

"Thanks again, Em," he said, slightly choked up. He craned his neck a bit to press a kiss to her neck. "I, um... I love you."

Emma briefly paused in her stroking of his hair, only to resume moments later, and press a kiss to his forehead.

"I... I love you too, Paul."

[pitubea1910]

10th Anniversary

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Words: 4k

Warnings: -

Tags: -

Request: -

Notes: I was supposed to post this for their 10th Anniversary but I totally forgot about it and just found it on my drafts! So I hope you like it :)

MASTERLIST

The moment you woke up you knew what day it was without even looking at the calendar.

July 23rd 2020.

10 years. It had been a whole decade since all the craziness started. Looking back now, you would have never imagined everything you all had gone through in that time, how much you had grown up -together and separated-, how much your lives had changed.

You were a 15 years-old-girl when you met them thanks to your aunt Lou. When you first laid eyes on them, you just saw five loud and unstoppable guys. You would have never imagined that you would find four brothers and something else in them.

However, there you were, 10 years later, checking your Twitter timeline with a stupid grin on your face. It looked like 2012 all over again and you loved it. You missed those times like crazy. Of course, you knew the hiatus was coming the moment Zayn left the band -and they had earned every single day of it-, but that didn’t change how much you missed them all.

Even though you had kept in touch with the five of them it wasn’t the same. They were all busy with their own solo projects and they barely had the time to meet up. You couldn’t blame them, but you still missed them. Especially the green-eyed one.

Harry and you immediately clicked when you met. It turned out you had a lot in common and similar personalities. You had a tight relation with the whole group, but what you and Harry had was special. Probably it helped that you were the same age. But the truth was that it didn’t matter the reason, you were always together.

Everyone who saw you together and knew how your relationship was just kept on saying that you two would end up together. It turned out they weren’t completely wrong, although it never worked out the way you would have wanted. You were a couple for less than a year. It was the best year of your life and the worst break-up you ever had.

You loved him and he loved you, there was no doubt of that, but it was too complicated to keep it going. As much as you loved touring the world with them, spending every single day with Harry, you also needed a life of your own, you wanted to go to college and doing it from afar didn’t work for you. It was the hardest decision you ever made, but everyone understood and supported you. Harry the most.

It broke his heart as well, but he knew he couldn’t ask you to keep with his lifestyle. He had to let you go. You gave distance a chance, but with their schedules and the time zones it soon became impossible. You remembered the last FaceTime you had, how heartbroken you both were. But it was for the best.

You never lost contact though. Every single time he would come to London he called you to spend a day together. Those days ended up being the best days of the year and they usually ended with you two going back to his place and spending the night together. And every morning your heart broke knowing you had to say goodbye again. But you kept on coming back to him every time his name showed up on your screen.

Usually he was the one who reached out, which made sense since he was the one who was travelling all the time. That morning, that July 23rd, was different. You texted first for the first time in a long time.

Happy 10 years, Styles. Wish we could celebrate together. Love you.

You gulped before sending the text. He was probably in the States and he wouldn’t see it for another few hours, so after sending some other texts to Louis, Liam, Niall and Zayn, you got out of bed and headed to the shower. Usually, you would have to hurry to get to your internship, but with the pandemic you still didn’t have to go, so you had another day completely off.

However, before you got into the shower, you heard your ringtone. You frowned confused. It was way too early for your mum to be calling, so you had no clue who could it be. Maybe it was your boss, giving you an update on the status of your internship. With a sigh, you turned on the water and went back to the room, hoping it would be a quick call so you could go back to your shower.

You took the phone without even looking at the phone and answered it.

“Hello?” You said as you started walking back to the bathroom.

“Happy ten years to you too, love”, a deep known voice said on the other side, making you stop on your tracks as your heart started racing.

Quickly, you checked the caller and saw Harry’s name. He was probably the last person you expected to talk to that day.

“Thanks”, you finally managed to say when you put your phone against your ear.

“I’m guessing you didn’t expect my call?” He said. Judging by his tone, you knew he was smirking, which made you smile.

“You guessed correctly”, you admitted. “How are you awake?”

“I was out for an early run”, he said, making you frown.

“Wait, are you in England?”

“In London to be more accurate”, he said.

“R-really?” You stuttered.

“So maybe we can also make the celebration happen”, he said.

“Really?” You repeated. “I mean, yes! That would be great!”

You smacked yourself on the forehead for being such a nerd. He chuckled quietly before saying he had to make some calls during the morning, but he could pick you up at noon to have some lunch. You said yes immediately. Most of the restaurants were still closed, but he was Harry Styles. He always had a trick up his sleeve, and you couldn’t see what he would pull off that day.

Since you woke up way too early, the morning went off slowly. Or maybe it was just you being impatient. However, you finally got a text from Harry saying he was parked outside of your building. You grabbed your purse with the basic stuff -wallet, keys and phone- and a mask. Once you were sure you had locked the door properly, you went to the elevator.

Usually, he would wait for you in his car in case some recognised him. So it shocked you to see him casually leaning against the vehicle when you walked out of the building. When he heard you, he looked up from his phone. You couldn’t see his whole face due to the mask he was wearing, but his eyes told you he was smiling.

Despite all the precautions and distancing you were supposed to take, you knew it wouldn’t work with him. He was like a magnet and all you wanted to do was hug him and have him hugging you.

“Can I hug you?” He asked.

The fact that he was thinking the same as you made you laugh. All you did was hugging him tightly. He could always hug you, no matter what. He was the exception to every rule.

“I missed you”, you said with your eyes closed, which made him squeeze you a bit tighter.

“Me too”, he whispered.

You spent a couple of minutes just holding each other before he pulled away and opened the passenger door for you. You thanked him with a smile and got into the car and buckled up while he walked around the vehicle to get in before taking off the mask. You did the same and looked at him, the whole him this time.

“I love your hair short”, you said.

Harry looked at you with a dimpled smile and ran a hand through his hair -an old habit he didn’t seem to be able to shake but you loved- before turning on the engine.

“How long has it been?” He asked once he started driving.

“Christmas, I think”, you said after thinking about it for a moment. “Hans’ Christmas party before you went back to the States.”

“Right”, he said and looked at you, making you blush and smile at the memories of that night. “How have you been?”

“Locked”, you chuckled making him chuckle as well. “But good, I finished my thesis, watched a lot of movies and TV shows and baked. A lot.”

“You’ve always been good at baking”, he said.

“And you’ve always been good at eating”, you teased, making him laugh. “What about you?”

“I got stuck in the States until a few days ago”, he shrugged. “Didn’t do much either.”

“Sorry about your tour, by the way”, you said when you remembered. “I was excited.”

“Me too”, he sighed. “But some stuff are more important.”

You smiled a little and nodded to yourself. This pandemic had been, and was been, a wreck all around the world. As usual, you reached out to turn on the radio, which made Harry smile to himself. Ever since the first time you had got into his car, all those years ago, you would always start the music, no matter what. At first, he was surprised you took such confidences in someone else’s car, but he soon loved that detail about you.

“How is it going with your internship?” He asked when the song that was playing on the radio ended.

“I’m on furlough”, you shrugged and sighed. “I got an email last week saying some people would start coming back to work soon. But I don’t think that includes interns.”

“I wouldn’t be in a hurry if I were you”, he commented as he checked the mirrors. “You don’t have a car to go to the office and I wouldn’t be too excited about getting into the tube.”

“I could always get a bike”, as soon you said that you both started laughing. You were the less sportive person you had even known. “Yeah, that was a good one.”

“Indeed”, he chuckled.

“I’m not in a hurry to go back”, you shrugged. “But it’s boring.”

“I know”, he sighed and looked at you for a moment. “But at least now we have time to hang out.”

“Like old times”, you smiled. Harry smiled softly and nodded.

“Like old times.”

“Where are we going by the way? Most restaurants are still closed”, you said.

You had been so focused on talking to Harry and watching him drive that you hadn’t been paying attention to the streets, so you had no idea where you were going.

“My place”, he said, surprising you. “My new place, actually.”

“You have a new place?” You asked even more surprised.

“Yeah. Too many people knew about the house in Hampstead. It was annoying”, he sighed. “Hopefully, no one will find out about this one.”

“But you loved Hampstead!”, you pouted. You loved that house too, to be honest.

“I didn’t sell it”, he shrugged with a smile. “I just don’t use it as official residency.”

“Good”, you smiled now. “So… your place.”

“You’re okay with that?” He asked a bit concerned.

“Oh yes! I just assumed we would to some restaurant”, you shrugged.

“I thought about it”, he nodded. “But even if they’re open, I feel bad for the people who have to work in them, so I guess it makes their lives less anxious with less customers.”

“Always so thoughtful”, you commented.

“Can’t help myself”, he said, his cheeks blushing a little.

You smiled sweetly and looked out of the window, now curious to see where he had moved to. Judging by the zone, you were in the south of London, although you couldn’t figure out exactly where.

Finally, he drove into a subterranean parking in a big brick building. The parking didn’t have many cars, which led you to believe that he didn’t have many neighbours. Harry parked at the very end of the place and, once he turned off the engine, you unbuckled yourself and got out of the car.

“Quite big for a few cars”, you commented looking around.

“I know”, he laughed after locking his car. “It’s a new building. Probably is four years old, so not many people live here yet. And those who do, have more than one car so…”

“You have more than one spot?” You asked.

“Those three are also mine”, he said pointing.

You smiled when you saw the familiar black Range Rover in which you had been so many times over the years. The other two spots were empty, but you knew he had the cars to fill them.

Without saying anything, he started walking to an elevator you hadn’t seen at first sight. You followed him while you checked your phone before throwing it into your bag for the rest of the day. When you got into the elevator, you looked around at how new it looked.

“How long have you been living here?” You asked, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

“A couple of years”, he shrugged and you nodded. “I was the second one to move in.”

“Really?” He nodded. “Nice”, you chuckled.

It didn’t surprise you when the elevator opened at the last floor. He had always liked high places and he had always said that he would love to live in a penthouse someday. It looked like he had fulfilled another one of his fantasies. As you stepped out, you saw that there were only two doors. Private.

“I’m the only one in this floor”, he commented. “These two places are the most expensive so”, he shrugged.

“More silence for you. Imagine a family with three children living across the hall”, you said.

“You would go crazy”, he laughed.

“Definitely”, you smiled a little.

It wasn’t like you didn’t like kids. You did. But when there were many of them, you got a bit nervous, especially if they were loud.

Harry took out a keychain and put it in front of where a locker should have been. It beeped and he pushed the door open. He looked back with a cocky grin.

“Snob”, you mumbled when he let you walk in first.

“Hey!” He laughed.

He took your bag and hung it next to the door while you looked around in awe. It was an open-space living room and kitchen, surrounded by huge windows from where you could see Vauxhall Bridge and the other side of the Thames. It was all decorated in cold colours, but it wasn’t a cold environment. He had managed to give his personal and warm touch.

“What do you think?” He asked standing behind you, a bit more closer than what you expected.

“Much better than Hampstead”, you admitted.

“You think so?”

“There’s no way teenage girls will camp just outside your door”, you shrugged.

“Good point”, he laughed. “Come, I’ll show you the balcony.”

“I’m not a big fan of heights”, you reminded him while he was dragging you by your hand.

“I won’t let you go”, he said.

Saying no to him was an impossible task. There was nothing you could deny to him, not when he gave you that dimpled smile that you loved so much.

To be honest, the views were breath-taking, it couldn’t be denied, but you didn’t go too close to the edge just in case and Harry didn’t push you. All he did was hold your hand tightly.

“I have to confess something”, he said after a while.

“What is it?” You asked quietly.

“I haven’t cooked anything. I was praying you were craving pizza”, he said, making you laugh out loud.

“I’m always craving pizza, you idiot”, you said giving him hand a gentle squeeze before going back inside.

He followed you inside but left the door open. While he ordered the pizza, you walked around the living room, checking out the photos he had framed and also the vinyl collection he had. You smiled a little when you saw that he had all One Direction CDs there as well, as vinyl.

When you started looking at the photos, the first one that caught your eye was one of the two of you, so many years ago, in the tour bus. You took it from the chest it was on. You smiled warmly as you remembered all those long hours stuck into the bus. Somehow, they all managed to make it fun.

In the photo, you and Harry were laying down on one of the sofas, sleeping while facing each other. You were cuddled up against him while he had one hand on your waist, hugging you, and the other one stretched over your head. You remembered having that photo as your lockscreen for so long.

“I think that’s my favourite.”

You hadn’t expected Harry to be just behind you. You hadn’t even heard him coming close to you, so you gasped and almost dropped the photo, but he was quick enough to catch it.

“So I would appreciate if you didn’t break it”, he chuckled.

“Sorry, you scared me”, you said.

“Sorry”, he said too and looked down at the photo before putting it back on top of the chest. “We really had fun that tour, didn’t we?”

“Wasn’t it the one when we started dating?” You asked. He nodded and turned around to walk to couch. “It really was fun.”

“Are you seeing anyone?” He asked all of sudden.

You chuckled and looked down before shaking your head. It was a question that always came up between you two. If the answer was positive it changed the whole mood of the time you spent together. It wasn’t like you didn’t want each other to date other people, but it still hurt to see it.

“Are you?” You asked.

“No”, he said and looked at you before smiling a little.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that”, he said and looked down at his hands. He started playing with his rings, which he used to do whenever he got nervous.

“About what?”

“Us.”

“Oh…”, you gulped and looked down as well.

You always feared when he brough that up. Usually it was because he was seeing someone, so you guessed this time wouldn’t be different, even though he had just said he wasn’t seeing anyone. You bite your lip and nodded.

“Okay”, you whispered.

“I was going to wait until after we ate but since it came up”, he shrugged.

“You brought it up”, you quickly said.

“Good point”, he chuckled.

“Anyway”, you looked at him. “What is it? What’s her name?”

“Her name?” He asked confused. “I’m… I’m not seeing anyone. I told you.”

“Really?” You frowned, even more confused than him. “I just- Every time you want to talk about us, it is because you’re seeing someone.”

“Oh… I hadn’t thought about it, to be honest”, he said thinking about it before laughing a little. “It’s not the case now”, he shrugged.

“What is it?” You asked now curious but also fearful. What if he said he didn’t have feelings for you anymore?

“You know how we have always said that we can’t be together because of how messy my life is, right?” He asked and you nodded, having no clue where he was going with this. “Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and you were right about it back then. When I was in the band. Now it’s different.”

“How? You still have the same job”, you shrugged. “And I don’t want you to have a different one”, you quickly added.

“Yes, but I’m not touring all year long”, he explained. “Now I can take my time. It’s been two years since I dropped my first solo album and only last year, I dropped Fine Line. Yes, when I’m on tour I spend a lot of time on it, but I also have a lot of time between one and the next. Especially now that it’s been postponed.”

“Harry”, you interrupted him. “Go to the point”, you chuckled.

“Yes, sorry”, he smiled a little. “I want to give it, us, another chance.”

Your mind went completely blank as he said the words. You had no idea how many times you had dreamed about this and, now that it was right in front of you, you didn’t know what to say. Suddenly, you felt scared, confused, lost. You loved him? Of course you did. Was this a good idea? You got no idea. You only knew that the first time almost broke you and you didn’t know if you were ready to go through that again.

Although it could work out this time, a tiny voice inside your head said.

What if it didn’t? What if you just didn’t work as a couple?

Luckily for you, just then the bell rang.

“Pizza!” You exclaimed and got up, relieved to have some time off from that conversation.

Harry looked at you as you ran to the door, obviously running away from him at the moment. He had no idea what to think of that. Did that mean you didn’t feel the same way anymore? You only saw him as a friend? Or maybe it was just that you didn’t see it coming and felt a bit overwhelmed? He wanted to believe it was the latest, but his mind kept on going to the worst-case scenario.

Anyway, the food was there and he figured that giving you time to take his words in wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Harry had already paid for the pizzas when he ordered them, so all you had to do was take them. Once you closed the door by pushing it with your foot, you went to the isle that separated the kitchen from the living room and put them on top of it.

“This smell amazing”, you said while Harry was walking around the kitchen gathering the dishes, glasses and napkins.

“I’m drooling just by the smell”, he agreed. “Do you want to eat here, in the living room or out there?”

“It’s a bit chilly out there”, you said. “Maybe the living room and we can watch something on Netflix?”

“Sounds good”, he nodded.

Silently, you two moved everything to the living room and set the table up. When it was all ready, Harry turned on the TV and logged into his Netflix account before he started looking for something to watch while you poured water into the glasses.

“What about Harry Potter and The Priosioner of Azkaban?” He suggested.

“You know me”, you smiled widely.

It was your favourite Harry Potter movie, so there was no way you would say no to it. Harry smiled warmly and nodded to himself.

“I do”, he sighed before pressing play on the remote.

***

“I’m surprised you watched the whole movie”, you said two hours later when the movie was over.

“Why?” Harry asked.

He stood up and started taking everything back to the kitchen.

“Well”, you got up too and took the glasses. “You always fall asleep during the movies I choose.”

“Technically, I chose this one, so it would’ve been rude to fall asleep”, he said while you handed him the glasses so he would put them into the dishwasher.

“It’s rude anyway but whatever helps you sleep at night”, you said with a smile.

“Are you saying I’m rude?” He asked with his eyes narrowed after he closed the dishwasher.

“Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Styles… I know the whole truth about you”, you said, crossing your arms.

“And what is that?” He asked, mirroring your position.

“That you can be rude sometimes”, you shrugged.

“Falling asleep during a movie is not rude. It is… tiredness”, he said, making you laugh.

“And you always have a reply for everything”, you said.

“I like to be prepared”, he shrugged.

“Like I said…”, you laughed and leaned against the counter.

Harry laughed out loud and shook his head before excusing himself to go to the bathroom. You stayed there in the kitchen, thinking again about what Harry had said just before the pizza arrived. You had barely paid attention to the movie thanks to that.

You had no idea where that proposition came from. It had been years since you two had had any conversation about your relationship and you had no idea what you wanted. Yes, you loved him. Yes, you wanted to be with him. But you feared that this was just about him feeling nostalgic. You remembered vividly the great couple you two were, but you didn’t know if you could go through that kind of heartbreak again.

“You know what I’ve been trying to get better at during lockdown?”

You jumped a little since you hadn’t heard him coming back from the bathroom.

“Surprise me”, you said, still lost in thought.

“Football”, he said. You looked at him with an eyebrow raised, trying not to laugh.

“Really?” You asked. “How did that turn out exactly?”

“Awful”, he admitted, making you laugh.

“I figured”, you nodded and sighed, looking down at your hands.

You felt him coming closer until he was standing right in front of you. Yet, you didn’t dare to look up.

“You okay?” He finally asked.

“Where did that come from?” You blurted out. When he didn’t answer, you looked up. He was frowning and the look in his eyes told you that he was measuring his words. “About us.”

“From… what I feel for you”, he said like it was obvious. “What I’ve always felt for you.”

“Right”, you sighed.

“Don’t you feel the same anymore?” He asked worried.

“I don’t think there’s a world, a universe, where I don’t feel that way about you”, you sighed.

“What’s the problem, then?”

“Why now? How do I know that this, you wanting more again, is not something that will just go away?” You asked.

“I’ve always wanted more from us, (Y/N). The only reason we broke up was because we couldn’t make it work with our lives. We can now”, he said. Hesitantly, he took a step towards you and held your hands. “I’ve loved you since we were 18. I can promise you it isn’t going anywhere. Ever. And neither am I.”

“It…��, you sighed. “It just hurt so much when we broke up, Harry. I don’t think I can go through that again.”

“You won’t.”

“You can’t promise that”, you chuckled.

“I could”, he shrugged. “Because that’s a promise I plan on keeping.”

You looked down at your united hands and sighed. His hands had always been so big, way bigger than yours, which had always made you feel safe in a strange way. You bit your lip, not knowing what to do. You knew what you wanted, but you didn’t know if you were brave enough to do it.

“I love you”, you whispered.

“And I love you too”, he said back, rubbing your hands. “You’re my endgame.”

“Don’t use The Avengers against me”, you said, making him laugh. With a sigh, you looked up and it surprised you to find his green eyes so close to yours. “You can’t look at me with those eyes and expect me to give you a reasoned answer.”

“I don’t want you to follow reason”, he shrugged. “I want you to say what you really want.”

“You”, you said without hesitation. “Always. Every day.”

Harry smiled warmly and put some hair out of your face gently, before cupping your face.

Your heart was beating so fast and it felt so loud, that it surprised you that he couldn’t listen to it. You didn’t know what the right thing to do was, but you knew that reasoning about this wouldn’t get you anywhere. You knew you loved him, you knew you wanted to be with him. Maybe he was right. Maybe you could make it work this time. They said that third time was the charm, but maybe the second could be your charm.

“Is it a yes?” He asked, now looking at your lips.

“Yes”, you finally nodded.

His smile grew even bigger now before pulling you towards him and pressing his lips against yours. Just like every single time, you felt fireworks in your stomach. Ever since the first time you kissed him, you felt you could spend your whole time kissing him and would never get tired of it.

Maybe this time, you could do it forever.

[gumnut-logic]

We’ll Be Home For Christmas 4.1

Title: We’ll be home for Christmas

Day Four – Five Billionaires and No Wives – Part 1 Prologue | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5

Author: Gumnut

11 - 29 Jan 2020

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: The boys can’t fly home for Christmas, so they have to find another way.

Word count: 3098

Spoilers & warnings: language and so, so much fluff. Science!Gordon. Artist!Virgil, Minor various ships, mostly background.

Timeline: Christmas Season 3, I have also kinda ignored the main storyline of Season 3. The boys needed a break, so I gave them one. Post season 3B, before Season 3C cos we haven’t seen it yet.

Author’s note: For @scattergraph. This is my 2019 TAG Secret Santa fic :D

It took ages, I’m sorry, work and an evil muse are to blame. But here be the next bit and I’m happy to have the story moving again. Hopefully I can get this done before Easter ::headdesk:: I hope you enjoy this anyway.

Many thanks to @vegetacide and @scribbles97 for cheering me on and their wonderful support through this craziness. And to @onereyofstarlight for geeking out with me over the setting.

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

 Day Four - Five Billionaires and No Wives

Virgil woke in bed the next morning with no memory of how he got there.

“Good morning, Virgil.”

“John?” His brother was sitting calmly in his pyjamas several beds over. Virgil blinked. He hadn’t drunk that much alcohol last night had he? Last he remembered was lying on the grass with... “Did I fall asleep-?”

The door slammed as Gordon strode in, interrupting the quiet. “Under the stars, bro, snoring like a freight train. I wanted to leave you out there. Would have had more sleep if we did, but goodie-two-shoes Johnny here had us carry your butt to bed.” Gordon had obviously been up early and was dressed in his swimwear, a towel slung over his shoulder. “I’m going down for a swim, wanna come?”

Virgil just stared at his little brother, his pre-coffee brain struggling to put that rush of information together.

Gordon blinked. “Okay, I will ask you that question again later, post-coffee. How about you, John? Want to do some floating Earthside?”

John tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Sure. I’ll see you down there shortly.”

Russet brown eyes darted between John and Virgil. “You gonna keep an eye on this one? I haven’t seen hide or hair of Scott yet, Alan’s run off with Elspeth, and Sam and Liam are heading out with me.”

“I don’t need babysitting.” He had enough neurons to put that sentence together.

Gordon snorted. “I remember saying exactly the same thing a couple of months ago and you picking me off the couch anyway.”

“You did need babysitting. Still do.” Virgil threw off the covers and found he was still dressed in the shorts from yesterday, but his shirt was missing. Okay, his brothers were the best.

“Yeah, well, it took three of us to pick you up and carry you up here.”

“Shows all three of you need to work out more.”

“Or you need to eat less.”

“There is nothing wrong with my weight. It is all muscle.” He patted his belly and suddenly remembered why that wasn’t a good thing to do. Ow.

“You idiot.” Gordon was smiling and frowning at the same time.

John rolled his eyes. “Okay, Gordon, I’ll meet you down there in about half an hour. I think our big brother needs some ‘sitting’.”

Virgil glared at both of them as he rolled to sit on the edge of the bed. Gordon was still grinning when he made his way over and offered his brother a hand to pull him upright. Another glare, but Virgil didn’t say anything, just took Gordon’s hand and pulled himself up with a grunt.

“Yep, definitely need to eat less.”

“Gordon-“

“Yeah, well, I’m off for a swim.” He patted Virgil on the back. “Have fun on the flying fox, bro.”

Wha-? Oh, the zip line.

Virgil was not fast enough to clap his brother around the ears and Gordon danced out of the room laughing.

“Little shit.”

John snorted. “Yeah, but you’ve got to love him.”

“Hmm, maybe.”

That only prompted John to snort again. “You need a hand with your shower?”

“No, I’m good.”

“In that case, I’ll go find us some breakfast.”

“Coffee?”

“And, yes, Virgil some coffee. Now go wash up, you stink.”

“Hey!”

But his smart-ass brother just pinched his nose and made a point of walking past the end of Virgil’s bed and bee-lining for the door.

“You’re an ass.”

“Hee-haw.”

-o-o-o-

A shower freshened him up and Virgil finally communed with his coffee out on the green. The day had woken with blue skies and glass ocean. They had been so lucky with the weather it was almost too good to be true. The pessimist in him idly threw up the idea of a cyclone between here and Tracy Island and he had to mentally kick himself for even thinking of it.

Because of his recent surgery, Virgil was unable to go swimming, but he chose to climb down to the beach with them anyway. John hovered like crazy because despite Gordon’s smart ass remarks, there was no zip line down to Oneraki Beach and Virgil found himself climbing down a quite steep embankment. But he took it carefully and made it onto the sand in one piece. If he was honest, he was not looking forward to climbing back up.

Fortunately, Scott was nowhere to be seen, so when he took a much needed seat in an offered deck chair, only John was there to hover over him.

Despite his brothers’ concerns he wasn’t stupid and he took the time to rest in the chair and give his hampered body a chance to recover.

“Are you sure you are okay?”

Virgil glared at John.

His younger brother held up his hands defensively. “Okay, okay, I get it. Since you are absolutely fine, I’m going in for a dip. Yell, if you need any of us.”

The glare became flat-eyed. “Will do.”

“Good.” John spun on his heel and jogged down the beach to the surf.

Trust him to have the last word. John wasn’t one to be trifled with. All the brothers knew that. While Virgil might dismissively tell Gordon or Alan to shut up, you never did that to John. You’d be risking a communications blackout isolating you from the rest of the world. His little brother was smart and kind, but he demanded and got the respect he deserved.

Not that Virgil would ever give him any less, it was just that John was a quiet one and the quiet ones were the dangerous ones.

Gordon, Sam and Liam were already in the water and it was abundantly clear that Gordon’s assessment of Sam’s surfing skills was accurate. The man fell off his board more than he stayed on it. He was even wearing some kind of specialised artificial foot, but it didn’t seem to help.

The amusing thing was that he didn’t seem to care either. He appeared to be having the time of his life either on the water or upside down in it.

The laughter bouncing across the waves from the three men was infectious and Virgil found himself grinning and wishing he could join them.

John found himself a quiet area of the beach and began swimming laps beyond the swell. Virgil might have been worried about sharks out here, but they were all familiar enough with the marine environment and Gordon was pedantic about their shark deterrent wrist bands.

Virgil, of course, was wary of his. He might not be a shark, but the wristband was a creepy thing. There had been discussions.

But today he didn’t have to worry about it, because he couldn’t go in the water anyway.

For a while, he just sat and enjoyed the morning. There was barely any breeze, the ocean was as glass as an open ocean could get, he had nowhere he had to be, nowhere he had to rush. Hell, he was tempted to snooze right there and then.

That thought snapped him out of it. He hadn’t had any decent exercise all week. He was turning into a slob. Now would probably a good time to get started on a little rehab.

He eyed the far end of the beach. A walk couldn’t hurt could it?

Pushing himself carefully out of the chair and catching his footing on the dark volcanic sand, he stepped carefully down into the damp zone and started off at a gentle pace.

He had no plans to go any great distance, just towards the end of the beach. He wouldn’t be out of sight so he wouldn’t be breaking any rules of wandering off without an attendant.

A step or two more and he carefully reached down and removed his sandals.

His feet sunk into the fine dark sand and he closed his eyes for just a moment revelling in the feel of it between his toes. How long had it been since he had stood on a beach? Too busy. Too long.

He let all the breath out of his body and gently inhaled anew.

Wriggling his toes, he grinned to himself and started walking.

-o-o-o-

Gordon was having a great time. Sam and Liam were just good guys to mess around with. They had lent him a spare surfboard and they spent some time chasing the quiet swell. Sam spent most of it under the water, but since that was his native environment, he didn’t appear to care.

Liam had much more skill than Sam on a board and between him and Gordon, a good-natured rivalry began as to who could catch the most waves.

Liam won, but Gordon was laughing anyway and, to be honest, he wasn’t really trying. He was just enjoying the freedom and the lack of responsibility.

John joined them after a decent number of laps and topped all of them even without a board. His red-headed brother knew how to manipulate his body in a low-G environment and bodysurfed like a dolphin.

It left Gordon grinning. Everyone underestimated John...to their detriment. Even Gordon forgot what his big brother was capable of. Space wasn’t just about books and science, there was a definite physical aspect and John worked hard to keep himself healthy.

“John!”

Gordon looked up at the beach to see Scott and Mel standing there, gesturing them in.

Virgil’s deck chair was empty.

Gordon had seen his brother come down with John. Where was he now? A glance up and down the beach found it empty.

What the hell? He didn’t climb back up the hill by himself, did he? Considering Scott was on the beach with that expression on his face probably struck that option off the list.

John, the smart ass, made it to the beach before any of them. That was something that would have to be fixed in the future. Gordon was an Olympic gold medallist and he had a reputation to maintain, after all.

“Where’s Virgil?” Scott was not happy. “He’s not answering his comms.”

“He went for a walk.” John pointed down the beach.

“Well, then where is he?”

John glared at his brother before walking over to the bag he had brought with him and yanking out his own comms. “Eos, location on Virgil, please.”

The AI rattled off coordinates which, when Gordon ran them through the map in his head, equated to...

John pointed down the beach. “He’s that way.”

“Then why can’t we see him?”

“How the hell should I know? Go and ask him.” John matched Scott’s glare with his own. “You do know he is a big boy and can look after himself?”

Scott actually growled at John before spinning and stalking off down the beach.

Oh dear, Virgil was in for it when he got found.

John glared after him a second before turning back to his comms. “Eos, Virgil’s medical status?”

“Last readings all within normal parameters, however, approximately fifteen minutes ago, I believe he took off his shirt, and hence the sensor net in the material. I still have locator and proximity readings, but vitals are patchy. What I do have is within normal tolerances, however I do not have enough readings for that summary to be conclusive.”

John rolled his eyes. “I’m going to kill him.”

“C’mon, John, Virgil needs a break. He only went for a walk on the beach.”

“Tell that to Scott.”

“Scott needs to...” He trailed off at the expression on Mel’s face. “Oh, you didn’t.”

A total lack of innocence appeared on her face. “Didn’t what?”

“Oh, for god’s sake, Mel, really?”

“What?”

Gordon groaned. “It’s the dimples, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question. “The goddamned dimples.”

Mel shrugged. “He is a great kisser, too.”

Gordon stared at her. “Ergh.” A frown. “I thought you were all about Virgil.”

She shrugged. “He wasn’t all about me. Scott is, uh, nice.” The smile on her face crept up into her eyes.

“Argh.”

“Why, Thunderfish, I didn’t know you cared.” Her grin was devilish.

“Umm...”

But she thwacked him on the arm. “Don’t tie yourself into knots, fishy, I know you’re all moony eyes for the Lady Penelope.”

“What?!”

John snorted beside him and Sam cracked up laughing.

“And don’t you worry your little fins about me and Scott. Was only a little fun.”

“Aaah! I don’t want to hear it.”

Mel laughed at him and drew him into a hug. “You are a laugh, Thunderfish.” She patted his back. “Though I have to say your brother was much happier before he was unable to locate Virgil.”

Gordon snorted. “Scott doesn’t come as a single option. You want the Commander, you’re gonna have to share him with his four brothers. Particularly, Virgil.”

She smirked and put on a seductive smile. “Hmm, all five of you? Really, tease a girl why don’t you.”

He stared at her in shock.

John cracked up laughing and Sam appeared to need resuscitation as he fell all over Liam who was trying to hold both him and himself up at the same time.

“Gee, Fishy, I didn’t know you came in that colour. Did I embarrass you?” Her arm around his shoulders wasn’t helping.

He glared at her. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Mel.”

She snorted. “I have a whole lot in here you don’t know about, Thunderfish.” But she was grinning at him. “Now I have to go keep both your brothers within sight since they have decided to break the rules.”

Gordon stared up the beach and sure enough, there was no sign of them.

A shrug. “You can trust them.”

She reached in and tapping his cheek gently, whispered, “I know, but them the rules.” Her eyes were smiling at him. “He really is a great kisser, you know.”

“You know, Mel. I can live without knowing.”

She giggled. Giggled! He had never heard Mel giggle! And wandered off down the beach after his brother.

John was still grinning like a loon.

Gordon glared at him. “Shut up, John.”

John’s grin just got wider.

-o-o-o-

It was quiet on the beach. After Virgil got far enough away from his brothers and their friends, the natural sounds of the environment took over and Virgil connected with it.

The tension in his shoulders loosened, his back relaxed and he let out a sigh.

The water hissing onto the sand, the breakers cracking the glass ocean as the swell reached the island. Birds, so many birds, many of them the familiar sounds of home telling him how close they were to Tracy Island.

He found himself longing for that familiar environment. Grandma, Kayo, Brains muttering in the background, Gordon splashing in the pool, Alan’s computer games, even Scott on the phone to Tracy Industries. The sounds of home.

But for the moment Raoul had to suffice.

And it was beautiful.

The beach was a decent length, backed by a rise that led off into the mountain that made the island. The fine sand was soft and curled about his toes and plants crawled down the hill to sprawl all over it. Pale morning glory flowers dotted the foliage. The contrast of light flower, green leaf and dark sand was quite striking and Virgil found himself composing a painting as he stopped and stared at the plants.

A thought and he reached into his pocket, grabbed his phone and spent the next few minutes photographing enough stock for a future painting.

Once he decided he had enough, he took a few shots of the incoming waves, the shoreline and the seascape. So much inspiration.

He continued walking and kept his phone in hand just in case. A large seabird flew off the ocean and up the slope and disappeared into the dense forest.

Hell, even the trees were like those on Tracy Island. Brilliant crimson anthers cascaded over evergreen leaves. A tui peered at him from a low branch and screeched at him before flying off.

He let it soak in.

The beach curved inwards slightly and he followed it around only to find the oddest sight.

Steaming hot water was dribbling from the sand bank. A cloud of barely condensed fog rose from it and the dark sand was stained with mineral deposits.

A hot spring! He crouched next to it. He had seen this volcano erupting, grabbed Melissa Fisher and her team off the volatile chunk of rock. Yet here it was quiet, beautiful and full of life, its potential energy little more than a trickle onto sand on a wave sculpted beach.

He reached out a hand and gauged the heat. It was cooling a little as it sputtered onto the shore and he could touch the pool it created. A convenient rock provided a seat and he sat down, letting his feet drop into the warm water.

His shoulders dropped and his eyes closed.

A sudden need to feel the sun on his skin and he threw off his shirt and dumped it, his shoes and his phone in the foliage beside the spring. The warmth from the sun and the hot water, the roar of the breaking surf, he closed his eyes again and just felt.

The eroded volcanic rock under his fingertips was rough, but as equally warmed by the morning sun as his skin.

It just felt so good on everything.

He sat there for some time, just experiencing it. His mood shifted from one of contemplation to one of joy. Everything was in harmony. The ecosystem hummed around him, the planet playing its eternal concert, a thrum that got into his bones.

A thrum.

A wordless thrum, in his bones, in his incisions, in the soles of his feet.

He opened his eyes and stared out at the ocean.

A spray of watery breath broke the surface beyond the breakers.

A moment later it was followed by another, smaller spray.

Virgil stared, and, climbing to his feet, stepped out of the steaming pool and walked towards the breaking surf.

As his feet touched the churning water the hum intensified, vibrating deeper with an unheard melody.

He kept walking until the water was breaking across his thighs, his clothes soaking wet.

The swell dipped between waves and a dark grey and white head emerged out of the water, as if staring at him. A smaller head did the same a moment later before both once again disappeared below the surface.

A joy washed through his body, the sea singing to him like it never had before.

An exhaled breath, his heart in his throat.

“Well, hello.”

-o-o-o-

End Day 4, Part 1

[shasta627]

Merry Christmas Rose! @c-rose2081 

How funny that you were my Secret Santa and I was yours ahah! (I’m still in love with the pic you gave me btw 😍)  Sorry I’m posting this pretty late but I hope you enjoy reading this fluffy little Gababel fic as much as I enjoyed writing it~!  I hope you have a wonderful holiday and get to spend it with everyone you love! ❤️

xx Amelia 

...

Isabel Castillo Flores drummed her fingers against the top of her giant suitcase, trying not to count the passing seconds as the time grew later and later. The carriage should’ve arrived to pick her up hours ago, yet she was still standing there, waiting on the steps of a coach station miles away from Avalor, wondering if she’d ever arrive home in time for Navidad.  

In hindsight she knew it was probably her own fault for her current dilemma; she had wanted to stay at the university and finish writing her dissertation before making the long trip home to Avalor, but the closer to the holidays it grew the harder it was to find transportation, which is why she was practically stranded in the middle of nowhere on Nochebuena.

A sigh escaped Isabel’s lips as she glanced at the darkening sky above her. She loved studying abroad in the kingdom of Satu, but in times like these, she wished she had decided to take on an internship in Avalor rather than continue her schooling on the other side of the world. 

“Still no coach, señorita?”

Isabel turned around to see the elderly station master hobbling toward her, looking about as troubled as she felt.

“Unfortunately not,” Isabel replied, her fingers still anxiously tapping the sides of her suitcase. “Are you sure there aren’t any other carriages in this town I can take? I’d pay extra,” she offered hopefully.

“I’m sorry, señorita, but we only have a few coaches that come through here, and the rest are all out at the moment. Your ride to Avalor should’ve been here, but perhaps the driver got the schedule mixed up,” the man said, rubbing his chin. “Or did I give him the wrong schedule?” he mumbled under his breath, his eyes squinted in concentration. 

Isabel felt like facepalming. On all the days of the year for this to happen... 

“Well, if the carriage never arrives you're  welcome to stay at one of the Inns here, free of charge,” the man offered, flashing her a friendly smile.

It was all Isabel could do to not grimace in return. She appreciated the man’s generosity, but all she wanted was to be in Avalor, not staying at an Inn in some little off-the-map town that she couldn’t even remember the name of. 

After a wave goodbye the man hobbled off again, and Isabel was left in the same predicament as before. She studied the road before her carefully, and then looked down to consider her luggage. If she used some of her shirts and attached them to her large suitcase in just the right way, she could create a makeshift backpack of sorts and walk all the way to Avalor. Her bones ached just thinking of the journey, but if she went on foot she would most likely arrive early morning of the next day, whereas if she waited here there was no telling when a coach would ever arrive, meaning she could be stranded for days before someone came to look for her. 

“Backpacking it is,” Isabel mumbled aloud in disappointment, laying her suitcase on it’s side so she could begin remodeling it. She had barely touched the clasp when a faint trotting sound reached her ears, followed by the unmistakable whiny of a horse. 

Isabel shot up and looked eagerly down the darkened street, her eyes straining to make out the source of the sound. Did the carriage arrive after all?  Yet it only took a few seconds for her to see that it was just a single horse and it’s rider passing through town—not someone who would be willing to take her to Avalor.

Or would they? 

She hated to ask, especially if it was going to be a burden to the rider, but she was desperate enough to step out of her comfort zone and practically beg for a favor. Plus, she would never know unless she tried. 

“Hey! Hey, you! Excuse me, but can you help me?” Isabel called loudly, stepping down from the steps of the coach station and into the street. She waved her arms and prayed that the rider would see her and not run her over.

Thankfully it was still light enough that the rider saw her, and Isabel let out a breath of relief as they slowed down and stopped right in front of her. 

“Thank you,” she said gratefully. “I hate to ask, but I was wondering if…” The words died on her lips as she suddenly recognized the person on the horse before her. 

“Gabe?!” she cried in disbelief. There was no way anyone could ever forget the familiar, handsome appearance of Avalor’s Captain of the Guard, Gabe Nuñez. 

Gabe seemed to recognize her at the exact same moment. “Isa!” he responded happily, a brilliant smile growing on his face as his eyes shone with joy.

“What’re you doing here?”

“What’re you doing here?”

The question was asked simultaneously by them both. Isabel laughed and looked down, trying to distract herself from his deep brown eyes and the way he kept gazing at her, giving her his utmost attention. But instead it only reminded her of how old and frayed her dress was and that she probably looked half dead after traveling all day. Her cheeks grew warm in embarrassment and she quickly tried to straighten out the folds of her skirt before attempting to look him in the eye again. “You go first,” she said with what she hoped was a friendly, casual smile.  

“I was meeting with some troops from some other kingdoms regarding a possible military alliance, but our conference went long and I’m just now returning to Avalor.” He gave a weary sigh, and Isabel could tell he hated missing Nochebuena as much as she did. “And you?”

Isabel took a breath and then relayed her entire tale to him, starting from the moment she left Satu all the way up to her waiting for nearly three hours for a seemingly non-existent carriage to arrive. “And so I’m stranded,” she finally finished, casting a glare at the coach station behind her as if the building itself was the one at fault. 

“Well, not anymore,” Gabe said determinedly, finally dismounting his horse Fuego and coming to stand beside her. Isabel surreptitiously noted he was even more muscular than she remembered. “How heavy is your luggage?” 

Isabel picked it up from the ground with a grunt. “It’s kinda heavy,” she warned, but then he picked it up with one hand and swung it over his head, moving to attach it to the back of Fuego’s saddle. “...Or not,” Isabel mumbled, both impressed and disgruntled.

“It may take an additional hour with the extra weight, but I think we can make it back to Avalor by midnight,” said Gabe, finishing up with the suitcase and turning back to her. “I forgot to say this by the way, but welcome back. It’s good to see you again.”

Isabel fought the furious blush working its way to her cheeks. “It’s good to see you too,” she replied with a genuine smile as her stomach began to flutter. She felt like she was fifteen all over again, when she first discovered she had a crush on him. She thought it would just fade over time, but the older she grew and the more she got to know him, it only became stronger and stronger. Even in the past three years she’d been at Satu, the absence did nothing to deter her feelings, and she was starting to become concerned at just how fast and far she was falling for Avalor’s Captain of the Guard. 

“Alright, if you want to climb up first I’ll hop on behind you,” Gabe instructed, completely oblivious to Isabel’s internal struggle, which only grew worse once she realized how close they would be sitting. How was she supposed to handle being in his arms for almost five hours when she could barely keep herself from blushing every time he so much as looked at her?

It’s going to be a long ride, Isabel thought wearily, yet couldn’t help the anticipation that built up inside of her at the thought. 

She put her foot in the stirrup and settled herself atop Fuego, trying not to stiffen too much as Gabe climbed on from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist to grab the reins. He let out a sharp whistle and Fuego immediately began to move at a brisk trot, and Isabel found herself being involuntarily jostled further back into his arms.  

They were silent at first, and then Isabel finally spoke and said, “Thank you again for giving me a lift back. I don’t know what I would’ve done had you not come along.”

She could feel Gabe’s warm laugh ruffle her hair. “Believe me, I’m glad I ran into you too. It wouldn’t be Navidad if you weren’t there.”

The comment warmed her heart more than she thought possible, and gave her the courage to lean her head back against his shoulder. Gabe didn’t react at first, and then he tightened her arms around her and held her closer—at least she thought he did, but it was hard to tell due to the constant jostling of riding a horse. 

“How’s university going by the way? We haven’t talked since last summer and I need to get caught up,” Gabe asked, and Isabel could picture the smile on his face as he said it. He was always so intrigued by the drama and everyday happenings of school life, it had almost become an inside joke between the two of them for Isa to update him on all the Satu gossip. 

And just like that, despite the nervousness she constantly felt whenever they were together, Isabel lapsed back into the easy friendship they had built up with each other over the years. 

They talked about everything and nothing, ranging from every topic imaginable that most often ending with hearty laughs or conspiratory giggles between the two of them. Isabel recognized that it might seem strange that they would get along so well, seeing as they were so different, but she found that their differences only gave them more to discuss and furthered their understanding of each other. 

Despite the journey being so long, the hours seemed to fly by and they arrived in what felt like no time at all. The palace soon became visible in the distance, and in just a matter of minutes they were riding over the bridge and through the main entrance gates before Fuego finally stopped at the palace steps.

"We made it!" said Isabel happily. 

Gabe slipped off the horse and then helped her dismount. "And with two minutes until midnight. Now you can technically say you were home for Nochebuena."

"All thanks to you," Isabel reminded, squeezing his arm gratefully. Gabe smiled in return before turning to retrieve her luggage. Isabel thanked him again as he unstrapped the suitcase and handed it to her. 

They stood in silence for a moment, simply smiling at each other before Isabel finally broke the moment with a sigh. “I should go find my family, but I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Of course,” Gabe quickly affirmed. “And how long are you here for?”

“Only two weeks,” Isabel admitted almost regrettably. It seemed like such a short amount of time now that she thought about it. She really wished she had come home sooner. 

“Oh,” Gabe said, and Isabel could clearly see the disappointment on his face. “I wish you could stay longer.”

Isabel was about to reply with a standard ‘me too’ response, but suddenly held her tongue. Just in the last few hours she’d begun to have a sneaking suspicion, one that she’d never let herself consider lest she get her hopes up, but now the evidence was too prominent to ignore. Given everything that had just transpired in the last few hours, she couldn't help but wonder...

What if Gabe liked her back? 

It certainly seemed like he did. He was attentive to her needs, he listened to everything she said whether he understood it or not, and he genuinely seemed interested in her and wanted to talk to her. She was no expert in the field of love, but the signs were there, and she wanted to believe it was true…

“Why?” she said instead in response to his question, her heartbeat quickening. Was she really about to do this, on the palace steps at midnight on Nochebuena?

Gabe blinked. “Why?” he repeated.

Isabel nodded. “I’ll be back again in a few months and you’ll see me then. Why don’t you want me to go?” It seemed like a silly question, but Isabel was clearly giving him an opening and wanted to see if he'd take it to confess his feelings.  

Gabe’s eyes focused on hers, and all of a sudden the confusion in his expression vanished and he seemed to understand what she was getting at. He let out a deep breath and took a step closer. “You want me to be honest?” he asked, his voice low.

Isabel swallowed, a rush of both anticipation and excitement coursing through her at the realisation that her spontaneous plan might actually be working. She finally managed a single nod in response. 

Gabe let out another breath and nodded himself, running a hand through his dark hair. “Alright. Isa, I just...I really hate seeing you leave,” he admitted, so quietly it was almost as though he was talking to himself rather than her. “I love when you come home. The palace feels alive and complete again, and when you’re around I...I find myself smiling more. You make me happier.”

It was a simple confession but it still rendered Isabel speechless. She felt like she could hardly breathe due to the sudden rush of emotions flooding her brain.

But he kept talking.

“I know we’ve been friends for a long time. I mean, I’ve been around for what seems like forever and you’ve been around for even longer—quite literally.” He chuckled at his own joke regarding her true age, but then his smile quickly faded and he looked down, as though suddenly nervous. “Isa, I’m not good with big speeches. I like to think I can be romantic and smooth when in reality I’m...not. I'm by no means an expert on this stuff.”

“That makes two of us then,” Isabel heard herself saying, and was surprised to find that her voice still worked despite everything going on around her. 

Gabe looked up at her and smiled so brightly, Isabel was liable to melt right on the spot. He could say nothing but gibberish and she would still be completely enamored. 

“Glad I’m not alone,” he said softly, and then took her hand in his. “Isa...you’re an incredible person. You’re smart, beautiful, funny, and you impress me with your kindness and generosity everyday. And I know I’m not perfect. I can be uptight, overbearing, and I don’t know a thing about science or math or inventions and whatnot, but...I promise I would try to be better at all those things, and would spend everyday trying to make you happy, if you will let me.” He squeezed her hand tightly and then met her gaze, his eyes searching for a response. 

Isabel was afraid she’d either start laughing giddily or ugly crying with happiness if she opened her mouth, because her hypothesis was right—he liked her too! She was so elated yet all she could do was stand there and stare at him in awe.

"Isa?" He prompted a few seconds later. He looked nervous. "Please say something."

Isabel didn't know how words could convey the happiness she was experiencing, and so she decided to do the next best thing she could think of doing, and leaned forward and kissed him.

It was a soft, featherlight kiss, seeing as she was still far too overwhelmed and nervous to try anything more, but when they pulled back and she saw the hope gleaming in Gabe’s face—his sweet, beautiful face—she finally found the words she needed to say.

“Your imperfections only make you more perfect to me,” she whispered, still so close their foreheads were nearly touching. “And the fact that you still care for me despite all of mine only makes me want you more.” She was sure her face was flushing brightly but she couldn’t bring herself to care. After waiting for so many years, all of her dreams were finally coming true.

“I’m willing to take this chance if you are,” she then said, and was met with an enthusiastic smile from Gabe followed by a long, tender kiss. And then another one. And another. 

After what felt like an entirely too short amount of time Gabe pulled away. He gently cupped her face and smiled. “As much as I’d like to stand here all night and kiss you, I know you wanted to see your family and you should probably find them before it gets too much later. Don't worry about your suitcase either, I'll have it delivered to your room so you don't have to lug it up the stairs.”

It took Isabel several seconds to comprehend what he was saying, she was still so dazed by everything that had just transpired. “Oh. Oh! You’re right, I completely forgot about them! I'm a horrible person,” she moaned, turning to dash up the palace steps to go inside. She then paused and turned around to look at Gabe.

“I’ll see you in the morning?” she asked eagerly.

“I’m already counting down the hours,” he replied with a smile, and Isabel raced down the steps to give him one last kiss before she dashed inside again, feeling happier than she’d ever been in a long, long time. 

Navidad had just begun, but already she knew it would be her best one yet. 

[ghostgothgeek]

Mistletoe.

This is my Christmas Truce gift for @ceciliaspen, Merry Christmas!! 

A few random things: I had to include one of your posts in this because it was just too perfect to not be included. Hope that’s okay! Here is some Danny/Sam Christmas fluff! I hope you like it!

AO3 || FFN

It was a crisp, cold December afternoon in Amity Park. Danny, Sam, and Tucker were walking home from lunch at the Nasty Burger. Now that school was out for the holidays, their schedules became much more flexible. They could actually hang out during the day and fight the straggling ghosts without worrying about strictly following Mr. Lancer’s attendance policy or trying to cram for exams that ghost fighting took study time away from.

It was almost Christmas, but there oddly wasn’t any snow on the ground in the Midwest town yet. Tucker made the mistake of bringing that fact up, which started Sam on a long tirade about global warming. Danny tuned most of it out. In fact, he tried to tune most of the holidays out. He pretended not to notice the festive decorations, the cheery music, and peppy holiday wishes everyone granted to each other. On a particularly bad day, he almost ectoblasted a group of carolers. They didn’t do anything wrong, per se. Oh no, Danny Fenton just did not enjoy the holidays.

After his little tantrum freshman year, his parents tried to keep The Great Santa Debate to a minimum, at least around Danny. However, Danny was a junior now, which meant Jazz was off at Brown most of the time and couldn’t mediate her parents the way she used to. His parents’ antics ensued, though they tried to do their best at making amends with their family by hosting what was this year’s Second Annual Fenton Family Christmas Eve Party.

“Pleaseeee tell me your parents will let you come over for my family’s Christmas Eve party. My parents will say they’ll put their bickering on hold for a few hours only to try and round up their friends to take sides in The Great Santa Debate. Jazz will be home for winter break, but she at least has the excuse to study and get ahead on her work, so she can ignore them. I need you guys there to keep me sane. I hate the holidays.” Danny groaned and shoved his hands in his coat pockets.

“Hey man! You know I’m there! As long as I’m home before curfew. My parents actually want me to come back closer to curfew, no earlier, no later. They want to ‘spend time catching up’. Eww.” Tucker shivered, though it wasn’t because of the cold air.

“Now that Hanukkah is over, it’s pretty much back to the normal boring antics at the Manson house. I’ll be there. And Danny, there’s really nothing to hate about the holidays. The holidays are great! Most people usually are more generous, once they get past all their corporate greed. There’s no school, the ghosts still have the Christmas Truce, and lots of places are shut down. It’s actually quite peaceful.” Sam smiled to herself.

“No, I still hate it. How is it that you of all people are happiest this time of year and I’m not? Did we switch personalities or something?”

Sam scoffed, “Just because I’m a goth doesn’t mean I have to be angry and broody all the time.”

“Sam, you’re still the cheeriest goth we know.” Tucker pointed out.

“I’m the only goth you two know. Seriously, Danny. Take advantage of the Truce. Enjoy this time of year. Take some time off. You certainly earned it.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s conditioned in my brain to not enjoy it no matter how hard I try. Look, three months of Jazz away at college and I’m talking like her already. Soon I’ll be filling in for her as my own therapist.”

“Bah, Humbug!” Tucker shouted and laughed.

Sam shot Tucker an unamused look. “I can help you enjoy Christmas, Danny. I mean...Tucker and I can. Right, Tuck?”

“Right! First thing you gotta do is find some mistletoe and dangle it from a hat,” his two friends rolled their eyes, “Don’t get it confused with holly though, because then it’ll just look stupid and you’ll get laughed at…”

“Wow, Sam. You look...really nice.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably as he greeted his friend at the door. It’s not that he never told her she looked nice before, she was just more formal than he had been expecting.

Sam was wearing a velvet black long sleeved dress with a white collar, black stockings, and her usual boots. Her hair was all the way down and slightly wavy in places. She was carrying a large shopping bag, probably filled with presents.

“My mother said I had to look nice for your parents’ party. She wanted to put me in this red sparkly thing. She let me wear this instead,” Sam said with a satisfying smirk. “I don’t think she realizes it’s from one of my old Wednesday Addams costumes.”

Danny chuckled as he escorted her inside. “I’m glad you’re here. Tucker is driving me crazy.”

“More so than usual?” Sam raised an eyebrow and let out a small laugh.

“We’ll get to that…” Danny promised, weaving in between the groups of adults happily chatting away, dodging his parents in the process. Sam looked around the Fenton house. It was eloquently decorated - stockings with each family member’s initials hung across the fireplace mantle, Christmas music was playing from an old turntable, though it could barely be heard over the loud conversations. Jazz was in the corner chair reading a book, using the Christmas tree as her light source.

“That’s a beautiful tree,” Sam gawked at it as they passed it on their way upstairs to find Tucker.

“Thanks, I guess. Jazz was in charge this year. I just don’t see the point. I mean, who even thought of Christmas trees? What misguided sap looked at a tree and thought ‘I’m going to bring it inside and decorate it with glass balls’? It’s pointless!”

“It stems off the Pagan tradition of bringing in decorated branches to celebrate the winter solstice, although it was the Germans who-” she paused at his scowl, “but that’s not really the point you’re trying to make. Actually, I kind of agree with you about Christmas trees. They’re beautiful, but why chop down a big beautiful living tree just to set it up in your house, under water it for a month, then toss it out on the curb the day after Christmas?”

Danny smiled triumphantly, “there’s my grumpy goth!”

Sam rolled her eyes, though softly smiling, and followed him into his room, where Tucker was sitting at Danny’s computer chair playing some game that involved shooting snowmen with candy canes. He was playing exceptionally terrible, even for Tucker, missing nearly all the snowmen. “Fuck!”

Sam raised an eyebrow at Danny. Danny laughed, “I think my dad accidentally gave Tuck his adult eggnog and kept the non-alcoholic version for himself. I’m hiding him up here so no one notices. Hopefully he’ll be fine by the time he has to go home.”

She nodded and took a seat on Danny’s bed, while he crawled under it to fish gifts out.

“Finally! Present time!” Tucker paused his game at the sound of his friends’ voices and clapped his hands together, swiveling around to face his friends.

“Tucker, you didn’t even bring anything!” Sam objected, noticing he was empty handed.

“I forgot your gifts at home!”

“He didn’t forget. He’s broke.” Danny chimed in, coming out from under the bed with the gifts he had been “hiding” there.

“Nuh-uh! I got you guys something!” Tuckers words slurred a little.

“That must have been some eggnog,” Sam offered.

“That, or Tucker is probably just a lightweight.” Danny laughed. Sam chuckled as well, ignoring Tucker’s protest that he was, indeed, not a lightweight due to his strict all-meat diet. He shut up when Sam handed him a small cleanly wrapped box, and kept a bigger blue-wrapped box on her lap. Danny handed Tucker a box similar to the one Sam gave him, though it was clear he wrapped this one. He handed Sam a poorly wrapped log of a gift. It was cylindrical shaped, which granted is a tricky shape to wrap, but it looked like about halfway through the wrapping process he gave up and just wrapped the entire roll of tape around the gift to keep the paper on. “Merry Christmas, or whatever.”

Sam laughed, “Danny, what is this? It looks like it’s been though the Ghost Zone and back a few times.”

Danny sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, “It did. Only once though! Klemper caught me off guard when I had it on me and I had to put him back in the ghost zone, no big.”

Sam smiled and rolled her eyes for about the one-hundredth time that night, carefully examining the disastrously wrapped gift after exchanging with Danny the box from her lap. Tucker, of course, had already unwrapped his presents. “Wow! I love you guys, you’re the best, thank you! I love you so much, you’re the best.” He slurred and pulled his two best friends into a hug neither was prepared for, their faces smushed against Tucker’s chest.

Sam and Danny had decided (well rather, Sam let Danny join in on her idea) to give Tucker the newest portable gaming system, complete with a few new games and upgrades. Between Sam’s bank account and Danny’s connections as Phantom, they were able to get their hands on some yet-to-be-released gaming software.

Sam pushed herself away from Tucker, breaking the embrace. She smiled when Danny’s face lit up upon opening her gift to him: a vintage NASA hoodie. “Sam, this is awesome!” He immediately pulled it on. “How did you get this? They don’t make these anymore!”

Sam smiled, “I have a few goth friends who are into vintage clothing stores. Do you like it?” She glanced at Tucker, who was sitting criss-crossed on the floor and already trying to set up his new device.

“I love it! It’s amazing! Though, I don’t really get all that cold anymore since I figured out my ice powers.” He snuggled into the sweatshirt regardless.

“Well you may not be cold anymore, but I’m certainly still not used to your ghost core dropping the temperature of the room. When you wear warmer clothes, it helps me not become a human popsicle. I dunno, I just thought it would keep you motivated towards your career goals and whatnot despite all the ghost hunting getting in the way. And I didn’t want to get you the same thing I got Tucker, especially because you already knew what I was giving to Tucker, but-”

“Hey, Sam. Chill out.” He grinned cheesily at his pun, which she punched him in the shoulder for. “This is great, I’m going to wear it all the time. Open yours, it may help my ice core too.” He smiled softly.

“I’m glad you like it. You should have seen how happy you were when you opened it.” She smiled. “Operation Make Danny’s Christmas Less Sucky is being executed as planned.”

It took a little muscle to break past Danny’s heavy taping job. Sam’s jaw dropped slightly when she saw what was inside his disaster wrapping job.

In Sam’s hands laid a purple, black, and gray scarf. A homemade scarf. She could tell because it certainly didn’t look perfect or store bought. There were a few pulls in it, but she immediately loved it. “You made this.” She stated incredulously, looking up at him.

He nodded, a soft blush forming at his cheeks. “Well, you kinda have everything and you can be very hard to shop for since you’re not into materialistic things and corporate greed and all the stuff you preach about. But this can keep you warm if my ice core goes out of control. My grandma helped me start it and showed me what to do, but yeah I made it, which is why it looks like a perfectly sloppy representation of my life. I’m sorry. I can buy you a new one you’ll like that’s organic or gluten-free or something.”

Sam laughed at his speech, particularly at his misunderstanding. He put so much thought and effort into it. And of course, he knew what was important to her: thoughtfulness and a caring friend. It was actually the perfect gift. “Danny shut up, I love it.” She stood and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.” She began wrapping it around her neck.

“Gross, get a room.” Tucker was sprawled out on the floor, pressing buttons on his device, staring at the blank screen.

Danny and Sam’s faces heated up in a deep red blush as they looked away from each other, muttering “not lovebirds” or something along the lines of it underneath their breath. “We are in a room, Tucker. My room. And you’re making it even messier with all these gadget pieces!”

Tucker’s portable gaming system suddenly sputtered to life, a welcoming melody assuring the user it booted up correctly. Sam and Danny stared at it.

“I’m kinda amazed he was able to set it up that fast while tipsy. It’s actually kind of scary.” Sam muttered.

“Here’s my gift to you, loooovebirds!” Tucker tossed Danny his hat, the one with mistletoe dangling from it.

“Tuck, that’s for Danny, not for me. I’m not wearing that. And I’m holding you accountable for not keeping up our gift exchange tradition.” Sam crossed her arms over her chest.

“Nooooo Danny uses it on you! Thank you, you’re welcome, Tucker! You’re a genius and a stud.” Tucker rambled and shoved the hat on Danny’s head and shoved Sam towards him before he continued pushing buttons on his new device.

“Uhh…” Danny threw the hat to the ground as if it had been crawling with spiders.

His entire face felt like it was burning. It’s not that he didn’t want to kiss Sam, because he did. He really liked her. Sam was just an anomaly to him. He could never read her. One misread action and he would have bruises deeper than those ghosts gave him. It was better for him to not say anything for the sake of their friendship. Plus, he still wasn’t even sure if he liked her liked her. That sounded so juvenile. Sam was his best friend, of course, but he felt something different with her than he did with Tucker. Way different. It was a different kind of love. He didn’t love Sam like she was his sister. It was deeper than that. Sam of course had already come to that conclusion years ago, not that either boys knew it. For Danny, it was something he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around.

Danny looked over at Sam, whose face was as red as Rudolph's nose. Of course Tucker’s actions would make her uncomfortable, too. She was the only girl of the group, which meant she was constantly teased to be dating one of them (usually Danny) or both of them (gross) from bystanders, but never from her friends.

Tucker frowned and picked the hat back up and put it on Danny’s head. “No take backs!”

Danny looked over at Sam apologetically. Surely, they both knew they didn’t have to apologize to each other for their friend’s antics. But it was Danny’s clueless father who accidentally made Tucker more obnoxious than usual. “Sorry, I think he’s drunk.” Danny and Sam both scowled as Tucker tried pushing their heads together. “Enough Tucker!”

Tucker stared at them blankly, hands still on each of them.

Sam groaned. “Just get him to shut up! It will just be like another fake out make out.” She grabbed Danny’s face with both of her hands and gently pressed a kiss upon his lips. That got the boys to shut up.

“Tucker, take your stupid hat back,” she tore it from Danny’s head and threw it at Tucker, hitting him square in the face. “I can’t deal with you right now. Come on, Danny. I still promised to make your fucking Christmas fun, damnit.” She said grumpily, grabbed her bag and Danny’s wrist and dragged him out of the room, leaving Tucker in Danny’s room alone to play with his new toys.

Danny blinked a few times and followed her. He still hadn’t gotten used to kissing her. Granted, this was only the fourth time and all of the previous times served as identity-saving distractions, but it still made his head spin. He shook his head and laughed, “Now who’s the Scrooge?” He wagged his eyebrows up and down stupidly, which immediately broke her trance and she laughed. “So, what’s next then, Mrs. Claus?”

“Don’t call me that.” She led them up to the op center, not quite ready to go back to the high-energy party happening downstairs, and certainly not wanting to see Tucker again until he either sobered up or passed out. Sam dug in her bag and handed Danny a tupperware container.

“Cookies? You made cookies?!” He opened the lid and examined them.

“Hey, I can bake! I don’t know much about Christmas traditions since I’m technically Jewish, but I looked some up and apparently decorating annoyingly adorable cookies is a tradition. Are you filled with cheer yet?”

“You baked the cookies. YOU did?” He picked one up and gently pressed the tip of his tongue to the cookie, testing it out.

“Yes, asshole. I baked them. And they’re not vegan, so you may actually like them.”

“Oh,” he said stupidly. He took a bite into the cookie and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Wow, you really can bake. These are actually really awesome, Sam.” He smiled and finished the rest in one bite, grabbing another immediately.

Her glowering face softened up as she smiled. “Come on, I’m not done yet.” She pointed to the roof, signaling Danny to go ghost and phase them up there. She pulled out some blankets from her bag and laid down on one, signaling for him to follow. She snuggled into her new scarf until he changed back to his human form. “So tomorrow, if you can get away from your family for a bit, you and Tucker and I are going to do all those cliche Christmassy things. Sledding if it snows, ice skating, we’ll drink hot chocolate and build gingerbread houses, and we can make fun of corny Christmas movies. But I’m not fucking singing any Christmas carols. I draw the line there.”

Danny smiled as he sat down next to her, looking up at the stars, an immediate habit for him.

She noticed his quick serenity. “See? It’s so quiet and peaceful up here. Everyone is inside enjoying their families, you can still see the stars somehow shining brighter through the small amount of clouds, and they aren’t masked from all of the houses and their Christmas lights. It’s beautiful. You can get that calm and quiet you desperately need.” She laughed, her breath creating a small ghost sense of her own in front of her.

“You didn’t need to do this all for me, Sam. I appreciate it, though, I really do. But of all the things you’ve given to me today or signed me up for tomorrow....this is actually my favorite part.” He smiled and changed his focus from the sky to her.

“I know. You’ve always been a sucker for the sky.” She smirked.

He laughed and grinned wider; a genuine, large smile. “I meant that it’s nice to get away from everything and just hang with you.”

Sam blushed and glanced at the small snowflakes now dusting her hair. She looked up at the sky and smiled. “Okay, I’ll admit I didn’t plan for it to snow, but there’s no way you could hate Christmas now.”

Danny didn’t say anything. He watched his beautiful best friend enjoy nature, trying to catch a few snowflakes on her tongue. He liked the way the stars made the snow in her hair sparkle. And then it hit him. That deep feeling again. Like a love that was more than love. He gently grabbed her face and turned her towards him, pressing a sweet kiss on her cold lips.

When they broke apart, Sam looked around, puzzled. “There’s no mistletoe?”

“No mistletoe.” He confirmed nervously, smiling when she came to the same conclusion he did. They both knew the feeling was mutual. This time, she leaned into him, initiating the kiss. It felt hot against the cold air. She tasted like peppermint from the candy she was eating earlier. Danny’s heart pounded. He felt like his whole life led up to this one moment here. He wrapped his arms around her as she tangled her hands in his hair. Sam pulled back to whisper “Merry Christmas, Danny,” before kissing him again. He smiled into it.

Maybe Christmas isn’t so terrible after all.

[malecsecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @Makosmonkey!

*****

Christmas Party AU – Yankee Swap

“Alec, stop worrying and start trusting me. You called me for a reason, didn’t you?” Alec rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.

“Good. Thank you.” His sister was starting to sound irritated. “Dark wash jeans, one of your work button downs, and the black pullover sweater I got you for Christmas last year. You still have it, right?”

“Yes, Iz. Somewhere. I think,” Alec muttered, emptying his shirt drawers to look for the sweater he definitely hadn’t worn. He didn’t remember donating it, so there was still hope.

“Okay, found it.”

“What do you mean, ‘found it’? Ugh, you really haven’t worn it, have you? You know, I go through a lot of effort looking for things that suit you but aren’t ten miles out of your comfort zone….”

Alec stopped listening.

“Thanks Iz, I owe you one,” he said as he jabbed the END CALL button on his phone. He hated fussing over clothes, but he wanted to make absolutely sure that he made a good impression tonight. Or, at least, a better impression than what his typical wardrobe of well-worn jackets usually did. Izzy knew style, hence his last-minute panicked call for advice.

Alec raced through the shower and threw the prescribed outfit on, combing his hair before heading downstairs to the kitchen. The invitation clipped to the fridge said the party started at 6pm, and it was already 5:57. He stared at the gift he’d picked up that afternoon on his way home, still wrapped in its plastic bag from the store. “Fuck. Wrapping.”

He ran back upstairs to his guest room, shoving the closet doors open and praying that there’d be something he could use. There. A roll of plain green wrapping paper, most likely left over from his sister from when she had stayed with him over the summer. Perhaps he owed Izzy more than one favor at this point.

Back downstairs, Alec hastily wrapped the gift and grabbed the bottle of Pinot he brought for Luke every year, nearly stumbling on his way out the door. Calm down, he told himself. It’s just a party. He picked his way down the sidewalk and around a stray snowbank or two, thankful that at least he didn’t have to worry about parking; the street was already packed with cars.

Luke’s house was, by far, the most decorated one in the neighborhood. Wreaths topped with red ribbons hung on every window and candles shone from every sill. He must have used something like a mile of string lights because every single edge of the house dripped in softly glowing icicles. The giant tree in the foyer was visible from where Alec stood on the sidewalk, glittering with silver and gold ornaments.

But never mind the decorations – Alec had to remember that tonight, he was on a mission. It was time. It was past time, really. He’d just have to buck up and be brave, and do the thing he came here to do.

Right. Here goes nothing.

He rang the doorbell and was immediately greeted by Luke, fashionably dressed in no less than Saint Nick’s signature red velvet suit, arms held wide open.

“Bro-ho-ho! Alec!”

Alec snorted and shook his head. “Really, Luke?”

“Yes, really. Tonight, I’m Santa. Don’t diss the beard man, and come on in.” Alec handed Luke the bottle of wine and followed him through the kitchen and into the den, where a second tree was set up, cluttered with presents underneath. Alec looked around the room, taking in a few familiar faces that were already paired off in deep conversations.

“Ah, almost forgot. Here,” Luke shoved a stocking toward Alec and gestured inside. Alec drew out a folded post-it note with the number seven on it and shoved it in his pocket.

“Put your gift under the tree and make yourself comfortable, Alec. Mix and mingle, like Ol’ Kris Kringle,” Luke chuckled, already backing toward the kitchen to greet his next guest. “Oh, and Maia insisted on taking over Nog duty this year, so… well, just be careful not to stand next to any open flames, if you get my drift,” Luke said over his shoulder.

Alec smiled. “Gotcha.” He turned toward the makeshift bar set up at the back of the room and raised his hand in hello to Maia.

Internally, though, he was groaning. This was the part of the party he always hated. Not this party specifically, but really, any party. Small talk was much more Izzy’s thing, even their little brother Max was better at it. For god’s sake, he was a thirty-year-old man and he couldn’t even manage to attend a party by himself without feeling awkward and out of place. He busied himself by heading to the kitchen to make a plate of appetizers; at least he’d look normal holding some food.

Before settling down in an empty chair, Alec took a loop through the crowd in each room, pretending to look for someone in particular. Well, perhaps it wasn’t pretend. That didn’t mean he actually intended to talk to the person he was looking for. Not right away, at least. He’d have to come up with a something to say first.

Alec looked down at his plate, trying to identify what was in the pile that had been labeled “Mexican Dip” that he’d generously scooped onto his plate. There wasn’t much “Mexican” about it, and the cheese had re-solidified. Maybe it was best to just leave it be for now.

“Ah, alcohol; helping us survive Christmas one sip at a time. It’s Alexander, right?” Alec nearly choked on the bacon wrapped scallop he’d been chewing on. He turned toward the voice and found he was being handed a festively decorated Solo cup filled to the brim with eggnog. Magnus.

Magnus, who was loud, attractive, and always perfectly— though often unexpectedly— dressed. Alec raised his eyes to meet Magnus’, immediately imagining himself melting into a puddle just like Frosty the Snowman threatened to. Magnus was generally flirtatious with everyone, but Alec hadn’t been able to help but watch him from a safe distance every year. Alec had come here tonight with the express intention of at the very least talking with him, and if he was feeling brave enough, hopefully flirting back.

Alec had attended Luke’s annual Christmas party almost every year he’d lived on the street, but this was the first time he’d be attending as an officially out and proud gay man. Well, out. Proud was still a work in process, no thanks to the ongoing icy relationship with his parents. Logically he knew he had nothing to be ashamed about and that his sexuality was nobody’s business but his own, but his mother’s sharp tongue and father’s disinterested tone still tended to cut at him unexpectedly, even a year after coming out to them. That announcement, or actually the resulting blow up, is what had kept him from missing the party—his annual opportunity to oogle Magnus Bane—last year.

Alec stared at the drink in his hand, trying and failing miserably to come up with something to say that wasn’t ‘finally’ or ‘thank god.’

“You looked like you could use a drink; did I read that wrong?” Magnus asked him.

Alec felt completely too caught off guard to properly respond. He thought he’d have more time to plan this interaction, why is his brain suddenly blank?!

Alec shuffled his feet and was saved from further embarrassment by Luke shouting from the kitchen.

“Come one, come all! Get your asses to my den so we can get this party started!”

Alec snorted. It sounded like Luke had been sampling some of Maya’s eggnog.

Magnus touched Alec’s elbow lightly. “Well, shall we?”

Still terribly confused, Alec followed Magnus. Why on earth was Magnus talking to him? Of all the people at this party, Alec had to look the least sociable. There were far better conversationalists; even Dot, his 80-year-old neighbor, could keep a person interested long enough to tell a story or two.

They made their way through the crowd and took a seat on the stairs in the corner of the room.

“All right, thank you everyone for coming. It’s always nice to end the year with all of your faces and all of this booze.”

“Hurrah!”

“Anyway. Thanks for all the presents, you can all go home now.”

“Fo’ real this time! To those of you who haven’t had the extreme pleasure of participating in our little holiday extravaganza exchange, here are the house rules: each of you has brought a wrapped gift and put it under the tree. When you arrived, you were given a folded piece of paper with a number on it. Whichever of you lucky sonsabitches has the number 1 will pull a gift from under the tree and unwrap it for all to see. Because there were some, uh, shall we say disagreements, last year, I will allow visual inspection of the gifts. You may pick them up and gently shake them, just don’t unwrap them until you’ve made your choice. And, Mr. Bane… apparently you need the reminder that there will be NO CHOOSING OF THE GIFT YOU BROUGHT.”

“But I bring fabulous gifts!” Magnus exclaimed, clearly disappointed that he’d been caught out. Alec stifled a chuckle.

“Anyway, the next guest will choose a gift from under the tree and model it, and then that sucker gets to choose to either keep that gift or choose from one that has already been opened. I am placing NO LIMITS on the number of times a particular gift can be stolen, or the number of times a poor soul can be stolen from.”

“Ah, I see we’ve graduated to the ‘Dirty’ version of the game,” Magnus murmured. Alec turned to look at him and found Magnus smirking, eyes filled with glee. Alec raised an eyebrow in question, but Magnus just responded with a shake of his head.

“We will continue in this manner until all those presents are unwrapped and we swing back around to number 1 again – who has that, by the way?”

*Ragnor raises his hand*

“Ok, Ragnor… at the very end, you get to choose from all the gifts, including the one you unwrap”

“Damn it, that means I’m stuck here.”

“You were stuck here anyway, my friend. No one leaves until we’re done…. With both the presents and the booze!”

Alec looked down at the folded paper in his hand. Hastily scribbled on it was the number seven. So much for lucky number seven… he’d only have a handful of gifts to choose from unless someone stole his gift near the end of the game. Magnus peered over his shoulder to steal a glance at Alec’s paper with a smile and a murmured “Perfect.”

Perfect? Maybe Magnus had been looking at something else. But Alec’s attention was quickly drawn to Ragnor grumpily unwrapping the gift in the pile that had been closest to him. He finally managed to get the box open after struggling with a particularly stubborn tape job and a soft-looking throw blanket slid out of the package, piling at Ragnor’s feet.

“Lovely,” Ragnor muttered with great distaste. He shoved the blanket into the corner of the chair he occupied and crossed his arms. “Next victim!”

“Ah ah ah, Ragnor, you have to model it!” chastised Luke. Ragnor looked at him in horror, but then bucked up and shook the blanket open to drape it around him. Alec tried to stifle a giggle, but seeing the grouchiest man he knew draped in a Snuggie was wonderfully entertaining.

“However this night ends, this moment right here has already surpassed my expectations,” Magnus said beside him, shamelessly clicking off a half a dozen photos of Ragnor pouting in his chair.

Alec nervously stood to choose his gift from the tree. It wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t have to choose the gift and open it so publicly. Something about being on display like this always made him uncomfortable. He reached for a smaller square box wrapped in purple and silver paper – at least it was practically guaranteed not to be a Snuggie. He turned around to unwrap the gift in view of the rest of the party and was relieved when the paper peeled aside to reveal a Bluetooth speaker. Huh. Something he’d actually enjoy taking home for once. “A Bluetooth speaker!” he called out to the rest of the crowd, holding it up for those who might not be able to see it.

“Nice!”

“Excellent choice, Alexander,” Magnus praised him when he returned to his seat.

“Thanks. Although I guess I should really be thanking whoever brought it. This is a pretty cool gift.”

“You’re very welcome, then.” Alec looked up, immediately caught by Magnus’ happy grin. “I’m glad you like it.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Alec.

“Back there, how did you—know my name?” came tumbling out of Alec’s mouth. Great. Perfect. Smooth, Alec.

“Well, I admit that it did take some detective work on my part. I had to ask Luke weeks ago if the brooding tall tree of a man would be attending this year, as I was remarkably disappointed by his absence last year,” Magnus said with a sly smile. “And there you were, brooding away in your corner.”

Alec ducked his head to try to hide the smile rising to his lips. “Well, you weren’t here yet. I had to wait somewhere.”

That seemed to spark something in Magnus’ eyes, at least.

“So it would seem. How have we gone this long without having a proper introduction? I’m Magnus,” he said, extending his hand. Alec took it in his own, immediately relishing the warmth radiating from Magnus’s palm.

“I know,” Alec said. “And I’m Alec, obviously.” Duh.

“Do you prefer Alec, or may I call you Alexander?”

“Uh…” Max’s sarcastic voice echoed in his head. You can call me anything you want, as long as you call me. “People usually call me Alec, but…” Alec trailed off, shrugging.

“Alexander it is, then.” Magnus smiled. “Something tells me that if I ask you to tell me about yourself, I won’t get the kind of detail I’m looking for. What if I were to ask you about this tattoo, instead?” As he posed the question, Magnus trailed a finger along Alec’s neck down his throat, causing goosebumps to chase after it.

“Ah, um. That’s… I guess you could call it a symbol of protection? It means ‘deflect.’”

“Like a shield?” Magnus asked, an eyebrow raised in interest.

“Exactly. I’ve had a lot of … well, my relationship with my parents has never been great. So when I got this one, it was like this reminder to myself to block out the bad things they said. Plus,” Alec found himself continuing, “having it so large and visible it may have really pissed them off.” He smiled. He can’t say he enjoyed that fight exactly, but he did feel freer afterward.

“I don’t doubt it,” Magnus chuckled. “Is that the only one you have?”

“No, I have quite a few, actually. But the rest aren’t so, well, visible,” Alec mumbled, feeling a blush rise. For a moment there, he’d been ready to take off his sweater and his shirt to show Magnus the tattoos on his torso.

“I see,” Magnus’ eyes glowed. “Or rather, I’d like to; at some point in the future. Perhaps this isn’t the time and place.”

Alec flushed and looked down at his hands. His attention is grabbed by the crowd around him laughing in unison; somehow, the game has moved on while he and Magnus been wrapped in their own little bubble. Someone had unwrapped a towel, half of it labeled “FACE” and the other half “BUTT”.

“Now that’s certainly more of a White Elephant gift than one for a Yankee Swap… can you say ‘regift’? Oh, that poor soul is stuck with that one, I’m afraid.”

“I didn’t realize there was a difference between the two games.”

“Ah, then you must let me enlighten you. Popular theory is that the term ‘white elephant’ came from a story about the King of Siam, who was considered to be quite the evil genius. He had a brilliant way of exacting revenge on any courtier who dared displease him – he would present them with the precious gift of a rare albino elephant. At first, the unlucky courtier would be pleased as punch, thinking that they had impressed the King. But little did they know that caring for one of those elephants was a huge and costly pain in the backside and would likely lead them to financial ruin. As such, it was called a ‘fatal gift.’ I believe the story dates back to at least the 1850’s, but as far as I’m aware, no one has been able to verify that such a king existed. Nonetheless, the term still persists in popular culture.”

“Well I’m not sure that towel will lead anyone to financial ruin, but I guess I can’t say it’s a gift I would have liked to unwrap.”

Finally, Magnus springs to his feet when Luke calls for number twenty. Magnus tiptoes through the remaining gifts and makes his selection. He flings the tissues paper out of the bag until he reaches his prize: a poster-sized world map covered in the same scratch-off material lottery tickets are made of. Before Alec has a chance to realize what’s going on, Magnus has plucked the Bluetooth speaker out of Alec’s hands and replaced it with the map.

“Next number!” Magnus calls out as he reclaims his seat next to Alec, ever so closer than they had been before. Alec smirks. “I guess Luke didn’t forbid stealing your own gift, huh?”

“No, he did not make that distinction, did he?” Magnus asks around a wink.

The game continued around them and Alec is pulled back into his bubble with Magnus. They discover a shared love of tv shows (Magnus considers himself a bit of a pop culture whore) like the Runaways and the 100, and discuss how interests of younger generations typically have a bad reputation with older generations, even though the same values and lessons can be found in them. That topic carries them until Luke asks for number twenty-nine. Magnus, caught mid-sentence, raises a finger to Alec in a request to hold that thought and rises to select another package from the tree. He returns with another gift to plop in Alec’s lap and takes back the world map.

Alec is terribly confused.

“What—” is all he gets out before Magnus interrupts him with a wry smile and a finger to his own lips.

“Shhh, Alexander. You’ll see.”

Magnus takes the opportunity to ask Alec more about his tattoos, and Alec eventually stammers that each of the tattoos he’s chosen have both a deeper personal meaning and a purposeful placement on his body. That, in turn, leads to a rather lively discussion about deriving strength from elements of pop culture like music, shows, and movies, and how fictional characters can be inspirational figures in real life. Before they get too far down that path, they’re interrupted again.

It turns out, that in addition to numbers twenty and twenty nine, Magnus also has numbers thirty three and thirty seven. He steals Alec’s gift every single round. Finally, once he has seemingly completed his turns, he takes a moment to whisper in Alec’s ear.

“Luke never puts a limit on the number of gifts that can be brought to the exchange. If you bring multiple gifts, you get to take multiple gifts home. I see it as a way to increase my odds of taking home something I want. And before you ask, I had this plan to steal your gift every turn before I even walked in the door tonight. Speaking to you before the game and witnessing that adorable blush was just the cherry on top.”

Alec doesn’t even know where to begin.

“May I be presumptuous, Alexander?”

“If you must. I can probably handle it. Maybe.”

“Would you like to find some place a little less rowdy and continue our conversation over a nightcap?”

Alec takes a deep breath. “I know just the place, actually. And it has the benefit of being close by, since I don’t think any of these guys are in shape to move their cars.”

Alec helps Magnus with his coat and gestures down the sidewalk. Magnus takes his hand, and the words “cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we” echo in his head.

They continue their discussion of how tattoos have helped Alec unlock his truth (with each one he gets, he feels a little more sure about who he is and what he stands for, what he wants to fight for). Magnus responds that he feels that Alec has unlocked something in him as well.

Alec tugs on Magnus’ hand to pull him to a stop in front of his house. “Well, we’re here,” he stammers. Magnus chuckles, clearly surprised but pleased that Alec has led him here. Fuck, that’s probably the smoothest he’s ever been, and he has no proof for Izzy that he came up with it himself.

“May I ask another question, Alexander?”

“You can ask me anything you want, Magnus.”

“Do you believe in the theory of soulmates?”

“I believe it’s possible.”

And reader, he kissed the living daylights out of that man.

[grantfieldgrove]

Your friends want you to fail.

It’s true.

It’s true and it sucks.

But the sooner you realize this, the better off you’ll be. You can set yourself on the course for success while leaving them behind.

That’s exactly what your friends don’t want, but you have the capability to make it happen.

I’m not trying to be negative, but I’ve learned this the hard way.

Let me back up a bit.

Ten years ago I was working a dead end job at a grocery store. I hated it. The pay was crap. The work was crap. Most of the customers were crap. But I had friends!

I was miserable. I had a temper, I was angry about everything. I was bitter that I worked this job I didn’t like when I knew I should be doing better. I was all over social media, posting about everything, even belittling people I didn’t even know by snapping pictures of them and posting them, then enjoying a laugh at their expense.

That’s bottom of the barrel, self-esteem wise.

I would fight with people who held different political beliefs than me, different opinions about religion, or even movies. I was the loud mouth Fred Flintstone type, but I always got laughs. At least some.

It didn’t take long after my son was born to realize that something wasn’t quite right with him. He was extremely delayed and obviously autistic. I blew it off and didn’t believe it, making excuses as to why he was so behind.

We had to enroll him in a special school at age 2. The bitterness grew.

One day I decided to buy an iPad. Just because.

I took it home, unboxed it, and sat on my floor to play with it. But instead of playing games, I started writing.

I literally started writing a novel out of nowhere. It was a hoot. I started carrying a little notebook around work, thinking of plot points. It was great, because when you carry a notebook and pen around while working, people assume you’re working really hard!

Before I knew it, I had a book. I didn’t know what the hell to do with it, but I had one.

I found out you can self-publish books on Amazon, so that’s exactly what I did. I gave it a once or twice over, figured out how to format it, and it was published. And wow, did it have a lot of typos. The story was good, though. Some people bought it and it actually got good reviews. Some friends even bought it, though I doubt many of them read it. But still, it felt good. So I started the second book and finished it in record time. This one was even funnier and I liked it a lot, although, once again, I skimped on the editing.

Shortly before the release of that book, I had a falling out with most of my friends. I had planned a big party in Las Vegas, everyone was going to attend, but it was just a disaster. We had a suite at the Aria, but none of my friends even stayed in the hotel. Not a problem, but they stayed way down the strip at Paris. Then got so drunk at the pool, not a single person showed up. So yeah, I was pissed. And the party wasn’t just for fun, it was a special occasion for my wife. And every one of them let me down. So that’s that. We left first thing in the morning, leaving them all in the dust.

Nothing was really the same after that.

All of this is just specific backstory that doesn’t pertain to you, but the basic elements could. The moral of the story remains the same.

Cut to ten years after I first sat down to write that novel. I now have 11 books, including the first ever murder mystery series for kids, which even, somehow, became the runner up for some award I already forgot the name of. Three of my books have been produced into audiobooks and two have advanced to the semi finals in an Amazon-sponsored fiction contest where out of 10,000, 400 advanced. I’ve gotten positive reviews from Kirkus, and a few other publications.

These are facts that I am proud of. I share these from time to time on social media, although I am still not comfortable with talking about myself.

But, now my friends don’t buy my books. Maybe one or two, not even my “Facebook friends” who were on board at the beginning. The last book published is my favorite. I’m so happy with it and proud of it. I literally tried to give away copies to people I know. I didn’t have a single taker.

I would promote the book being free on Kindle during a particular day or weekend, or whatever, and not a single person would respond to it. I tried to give away Audible audiobooks. Not a single taker.

It’s so bizarre.

Why?

I could understand if the books were garbage. There are a lot of genuinely bad books out there, especially since self publishing has gotten so popular and easy to do. But my books aren’t those books.

I started a small publishing services company, just as a side job to help people out. People who were lost like me when I first started.

My friends didn’t care.

Granted, it’s not very exciting, and with the emergence of “multi-level marketing,” starting a business isn’t that impressive, apparently. (Remind me to tell you about this amazing magical wrap thing! Kidding.)

One thing I forgot to mention earlier, is that I went without Facebook for about a year and a half. I hated it. I hated the fakeness of it. And I was bitter. Bitter that I was trying to better my life, to branch out from a dead end job and try to make something of myself, and I never got any good feedback from it.

My son is severely autistic, he’s ten now and still completely non-verbal. We don’t have a typical life. We have to adapt to whatever life throws at us, and that’s what I was trying to do. My son hated when I had to go to work. He didn’t understand why I had to leave, often in the middle of the night. So I tried to change things.

And still I got nothing. So, bye bye Facebook. Good riddance.

It was weird at first. I still had this urge to let everyone know what I was doing. Like, them knowing would someone validate me doing it. If your Facebook friends don’t know what you do, are you really even doing it?

While I’m typing this, my Facebook is back. But there is a reason. Over the summer, while I was doodling on my iPad, I had an idea. I could put these things on tshirts. I would totally wear them.

So I looked it into. I saw that the possibilities were seemingly endless. Why stop at tshirts when you can make leggings? Why stop at leggings when you can make backpacks?

It goes on like this.

So I went all in. And I mean, ALL IN!

I had quit my job at the supermarket a few months prior. I had enough money to survive for a while while I explored new paths. So I sunk everything into this little venture. I was going to make horror related clothes. The horror market is severely underused. There are, of course, some major players in the horror game, but they all had to start at the bottom, too. So I went for it. I made a website. I made an Instagram and a Facebook. And after a week of the site being up, I made a sale. And then another sale.

Turning a profit is tricky, though. I needed word of mouth. I needed friends.

So I got back on my personal Facebook page after a year and a half, and let everyone know what I had been up to while I was gone.

It landed with a thud.

Nobody cared.

In the time I was gone I had a kid’s book, and novel, and this clothing company all launch.

I got nothing.

I started booking comic cons and would post pictures.

Nothing.

I have a little booth downtown, with all my stuff displayed, where you can walk in, buy something, and help support me and my family, by buying small, staying local.

I’ve had one friend visit it.

One.

It’s been there for six months.

I posted a few pictures of horror-celebrities wearing or showing off something I created.

Nothing.

I drew posters for a few events, movie screenings, even a stage play. I posted them. The most recent one I posted got 6 likes.

I have 590 Facebook friends and 6 of them liked a poster I did for a Scream 2 screening.

I have a family member whose daughter wanted “something Michael Myers” for Christmas. I have tons of Myers stuff. Stuff I poured my heart and soul into. Stuff you can’t find anywhere else.

This person did not buy from me. She bought a generic Myers t-shirt from a major store and probably spent more than she would have with me.

Right now, through luck and hopefully hard work, my work is in the processing of being officially licensed. Which means, with a little more work and a whole lot more hustle, it could end up in stores like Hot Topic, etc.

And then what?

I don’t know. I like to daydream. And I would like someone to be proud of it, someone who doesn’t live with me.

But, there comes a time when you have to let that go. Your friends won’t be proud of you. They will belittle you. They will find something to nitpick about what you’re doing.

And it sucks.

Strangers will support you. Your friends will not.

The sooner you know this, the better. You can delete your personal Facebook, you can shrug your shoulders at all the people holding you back and making you feel bad about leaving your comfort zone and taking a risk.

There is no law that you must remain friends with the people you were once friends with. Cut em loose.

This is about you. It’s about your dreams. Your life. Not theirs.

If they don’t want to follow you on your journey or cheer you on, cut them loose. Release that anchor from around your neck and push full-speed ahead.

You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish when you stop worrying about what so-called friends think and start realizing that no matter what you do, there will be someone who admires you and looks up to you, just as you’ve looked up to someone else when you started your self-fulfilling journey.

Be the person you would want to look up to.

You can do it.

Start today.

Two months ago I had to attend a wedding where all of these people would be, all these “friends.”

All I heard were complaints. Whoever we struck up a conversation with, complained.

Complain complain complain.

I understood what was wrong.

We didn’t complain. My wife and I, we only told positive stories.

Our complaining days are over. We’ve moved on. We seemed out the positives from our lives and choose to focus on that.

All this did was draw out more complaining from the wedding guests.

So tone deaf and these people we’ve left behind, they were complaining about students (the teachers we knew) that are very similar to our son.

Like, really?! This is our life. You go home at 3. We live with this. And we still don’t complain.

So far back these people are, I had to hear outdated and cringeworthy jokes, I had to hear casual sexual harassment, breasts referred to as fun bags, in front of the girl they were talking to, and the groom’s nieces. They still use the R word to describe anything, despite knowing my son is extreme special needs.

Once you realize that you don’t want to live in the world these people still inhabit, the sooner you can progress to where you want to be.

You’ll never be happier leaving them, and their outdated thinking, and their complaints, and everything else that makes you miserable to hear about, behind.

And you can do it.

You can do it right now!

Log out of Facebook and get to work.

Find people to look up to and follow them. Do your own thing. People will begin to follow you.

I’m not saying it will be easy. I’m just giving you a heads up of what’s to come.

You can sidestep it completely.

You just need to realize that your friends want you to fail.

Prove them wrong.

Don’t even tell them.

Start now.

Go.

[jewelsunrays]

On Saturday I went for a bra fitting. I was kinda nervous, I thought standing there in my bra (crop top) would be really intimidating and I’d get body conscious. Especially considering what a late bloomer I am and that I’d never actually worn bras until that fitting. It went considerably better than expected though, but I did get confused on how much eye contact is appropriate to give to the woman who is gesturing to your boobs and her own boobs and discussing boobs and so on and so forth.

We got a Taco Bell after. There are only about 30 Taco Bells in the UK as opposed to hundreds, maybe a thousand?, McDonalds and such, so I really wanted to take the opportunity to try what I’d heard many people praise highly. It was good, but kinda mid. The way everyone claimed it to be great but it was just like something I could easily throw together at home but better was unfortunate but I’d still eat it again to be honest.

Then we went shopping. Growing up (by growing up I mean any time before 2020 where I feel all my life experiences and childhood truly ended) I’d never been a fan of shopping especially a shopping spree for hours as I’d get easily overwhelmed in changing rooms, with all the crowds and the noise, the heat and the ache of my feet. But in recent times I’ve learnt to tune out the negative in order to gather these life experiences even with all the bad mingled in, as I’ve ruined many moments that could’ve been formative experiences and great stories in the future by simply focusing on the negative and hiding in a corner and just spending my whole time trying to leave. Thats not really a way to live a life, so I tried my best to stay upbeat all day.

I’ve really been into brighter colours recently, so I bought some nice new tops, and a skirt for the first time ever. I also bought a dress but the skirt doesn’t suit my figure and makes my legs look bad, so I’ll perhaps have to get one with a skirt that flares out more like the skirt. I really went outside my comfort zone that day - a bra fitting, trying new food and drinks (that strawberry + mango ice drink was amazing), buying clothes that I’d probably be scared to wear or buy two years ago. I really hope I can keep this up! I also bought some bras, some earrings, a lacy grey matching pyjama set and I almost forgot but it just hit me as I was writing - the cutest converse trainers ever! They were like normal black high-top Converse but with pretty pastel flowers embroidered into the side and a pastel purple sole. I think I got emotional seeing them in the store and realising I could wear them.

So that was truly the first time I’d ever enjoyed shopping even though my mum’s bank account is probably suffering. I can’t wait for the opportunity to wear my new clothes, hopefully at Wetherspoons this Sunday if mum keeps to her word? I suppose she’ll forget though lmao.

Right now there is the most atrocious heatwave imaginable in the UK. It reached 34°C today, what a sick joke. And my friends from other countries are like ‘um damn ok’ and don’t really understand that - according to people that have actually been abroad - UK heat is just the absolute worst, we’re not built for this. Neither the cities or the houses or the people are built for this. My younger brother is staying off school because my mum fears for his health, that’s how sickly this heat is. I am trying to cherish it and would like to go on a walk but I know realistically I will pass out. Worse, all the ice cream and lollies in supermarkets have sold out so we can’t keep cool through that :(

I can’t wait for winter even though I know it will probably be depressing. My favourite weather, my least favourite time of year, if that makes sense. Even though I love Christmas despite its painfulness. I just love the cold and rain and snow despite the vibes that come with the heat is absolutely unmatched. This is why autumn and spring are rivalled for my favourite seasons, you get a good healthy mix of both weathers.

Also, if I get to go on a shopping trip to buy winter clothes to last me between October-May I will be so excited oh my gosh

[usuknetwork]

USUK Christmas Countdown 2017: December 18

Title: A Gift to Worry About Day 6: Gifts/Shopping Summary: When Alfred overhears Arthur go on one of his many rambles he suddenly gets nervous about the gift he’s gotten for his boyfriend. Failing to get a new one, he’s reluctant to give his original gift to Arthur; how does he react? Rating: T Warning: Small amount of swearing

(Written by: @kookiz-us​ and Art by: @fvck-amx​) 

I’ve got to find something new, but what? Alfred walked through the shopping aisles one by one holding a small present wrapped in green, thinking, nervously trying to find a solution to his small predicament.

To most people, the incessant ramblings of Arthur Kirkland might seem a little peculiar, but for Alfred, they were constant reminders, reminding him of how special they were; reminding him of the moments he shared with Arthur, all of which struck him with a sense of nostalgia. Them walking together, holding each other’s hands, their fingers interlocked, pulling each other closer under the trees whose leaves were dyed red and orange and falling around them; Arthur falling asleep on his shoulder next to the blazing hearth warming the house as it started to snow outside.

Walking past the bookstore, Alfred couldn’t help but ponder the reasons why he and Arthur were doing this very late Christmas shopping in the first place...

“Oh! ...Wait, you’re coming when? ...This Sunday!? Why didn’t you tell me! ...No! You never said anything about this! ...Alfred!”  He rushed down the stairs to see a very infuriated, red-faced Arthur striding across the room toward him.

“What’s wrong, Artie?” Alfred asked, his voice laced with traces of worry and anxiety as he pulled his boyfriend closer, into his arms.

“My stupid brothers don’t know how to plan a proper visit,” Arthur grumbled, burying his head into Alfred’s chest. “They’re going to come and visit us this Sunday... those idiots.”

Alfred paused for a moment. “Sunday?” he clarified as he stared at the wall, hugging Arthur as a million thoughts ran through his head. “Hmm.. then we best start getting some presents for them, ey?” he said, running his hand through Arthur’s hair.

“Yes, I guess so...”

Presents. The word seemed to remind Alfred of something he dreaded to remember, the fact that he himself didn’t get a present for Arthur - well he did buy something, but after a while of eavesdropping on his boyfriend’s ramblings, he heard: “Why would anyone get a unicorn mug anyway, it’s so childish and pretty much useless to be honest.”

Thus resulting in him, now rushing past small gift shops, scanning through the windows one by one searching for a new present that would hopefully satisfy his picky boyfriend.

“Alfred, darling, do you think Peter would like this?” Alfred turned around, a little surprised at the sound of his boyfriend’s voice. Arthur handed him a small model of a P-51 Mustang.

“That looks so cool! Aw look - the propeller moves! Haha, I think he would prefer a Spitfire though.”

“Well it’s too late, there aren’t many things so it’ll have to do,” Arthur said as he watched Alfred examine the plane with such giddiness and joy he’d never seen from anyone, holding back a smile. He sighed. He’d probably always be a child at heart.

“Oh, wait! What about your other brothers? Found something yet?” Alfred asked, finally handing back the plane.

“Hmmm..I haven’t found anything yet, I’ll just buy them sweaters tomorrow or something,” Arthur replied as the two of them made their way to the cashier. “Not that they need anything anyway. Those idiots didn’t have any time to tell me before yesterday, lazy bastards,”  he rambled under his breath, huffing.

“What was that?”

“Oh nothing, really.”

That was when Alfred started to worry when he realized they had spent the whole time finding stuff for Peter that he completely forgot why he came along in the first place. What if he knows I don’t have a present for him? Is he annoyed at me? How am I gonna find something for him? What am I going to get? Oh god I really don’t know-

“Alfred, are you ok?” The sound of Arthur’s concerned voice dragged him out of his cacophony of raging thoughts.

Alfred paused before replying, “...I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You look pale, what’s wrong?” Arthur reached up to touch his boyfriend’s cheek only for his hand to be slowly pushed down again by Alfred.

“No really, I’m fine Arthur.” Alfred flashed him a weak smile as the cashier handed him the bill. They walked out of the store into the snow, Alfred feeling a little colder than usual...

Arthur awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside. Next to him lay Alfred, still sound asleep. He looked at his boyfriend, tracing along the lines of his eyelids, down to his nose and to his mouth, slightly parted. A few more moments passed as Arthur lay there, stationary, marveling at his boyfriend’s beautiful face. He was so lucky.

Alfred’s eyelids fluttered open to the sight of two emerald green eyes gazing back at him.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he said, chuckling a little at Arthur wrinkling his nose at the nickname he had given him.

“Merry Christmas, love,” Arthur said as Alfred nuzzled into his hand, mumbling back a similar sentence. They got up and made their way down the stairs together, conversing, joking around, and laughing.

“Oh come on! My cooking isn’t that bad, I’ll make breakfast-“

“Oh no you won’t, remember the last time you made burnt - or should I say charred - pancakes?”

“They weren’t that bad.”

“Oh really? Did you see the look on Mattie's face-” Arthur had elbowed Alfred in the stomach, cutting him off.

“Idiot.” He chuckled, sitting down on the sofa. “Fine, you can make breakfast and if it sucks I’m blaming you...” He pouted. “Also, Alfred, love...”

“Yes, honey?” Alfred responded, opening the cupboard half stacked with boxes of assorted tea leaves and coffee beans.

“My family's coming tonight, do you think you could make us dinner too?” Arthur’s voice blurred into nothingness as thoughts from yesterday started to surface again, swarming his mind and filling it with the same deafening cacophony of anxiety and stress. Oh god it’s today! What if they don’t like me? Did Arthur get a present for them? Present... Arthur’s present! Shit! What am I gonna do! He doesn't even like what you’re gonna give him Alfred you stupid-

“Alfred? Alfred!” Suddenly Arthur was right next to him, mopping up the coffee that was spilled onto the floor. Shards of the ceramic mug were scattered around randomly. Alfred jumped and stared at him with widened eyes. What... just happened?

“Alfred, love, what is going on! I demand to know I-”

“I’m fine it’s just... a headache, really-”

“Yes, because most headaches make you zone out like that- what’s going on?”

“I...” Alfred stopped, being unable to explain what was going through his head. Arthur shook his head and shooed him away to get the broom so he could clean up the glass left behind.

By the time they cleaned it all up, Alfred was sitting on the cold kitchen floor next to Arthur, his back against the wooden cupboards. He didn’t really know how to explain anything, he just didn’t know how. How was he supposed to tell Arthur that he didn’t have a present for him? It was just so embarrassing that he couldn’t get his own boyfriend a Christmas gift! He let his mind wander as he sat there, silent next to this boyfriend. How is this going to turn out?

But Arthur just sighed, standing up and getting his coat and scarf to buy the sweaters for his brothers. Telling Alfred to stay home and get ready for the evening, Alfred suddenly got an idea.

Their house was small and with him being a huge fan of Christmas, it was all already decorated which crossed one thing off the to-do list. He could prepare the dinner later in the afternoon so now he was at the mall looking for something to give to Arthur.

Walking around the mall window shopping, he tried to come up with things he could give. He thought about getting him a plushie instead when Alfred asked himself why Arthur would prefer a plushie over a mug. Then he thought about a sweater when he realized that Arthur already had too many for one person. Arthur wasn’t a ‘socks, ties and underwear for a gift’ type of person either, in fact that was even worse than all the ideas combined. All of that stress ended in him just going back to McDonalds all the time to eat something to calm down. It wasn’t until 30 minutes later that the American realized he’d been going around the mall in circles, not finding anything to reach his satisfaction.

Sighing in defeat, he walked out of the store, another burger in hand with his head hung low to get back home and prepare the turkey... It was lucky that Arthur was in a traffic jam due to the snow.

Alfred was now sitting on the bed, holding the small present wrapped in green. He and Arthur were waiting for Arthur’s family to arrive. This was when the anxiety slowly started to rise within him as not only did he have to be nervous about his gift but also the fact that he was meeting Arthur’s brothers and now they too had to watch him give his shit gift to Arthur. What if this was when Arthur realized that his boyfriend didn’t know he hated unicorn mugs? What if this was when they broke up? When Arthur or his brothers kicked him out for being a horrible person? What if-

DING DONG

He gasped softly as he heard the doorbell.

“I’ll get it.” Alfred heard the sound of Arthur’s voice from the hallway and the sound of the rushed footsteps down the stairs. As Alfred made his way down the stairs he started to hear the chattering from below.

“-been awhile, how are you two doing?”

“Oh it’s great though I have to admit he-”

“ALFRED!”

The excited squeal was followed by the rapid footsteps of Peter running up the stairs to meet him.

“Peter!” Alfred managed to exclaim as the boy ran straight into him, almost making him fall and drop the gift.

“Did you get me a present? Where is it?! What is it?!” The little boy asked enthusiastically, practically jumping.

“Peter...” Arthur scolded.

“Okay, okay, Peter, you’ll get your present soon.” Alfred chuckled as he bent down to give Peter a crushing bear hug. Walking down towards the living room to where Arthur was, he noticed three more people sitting on the sofa, all of them men.

“Good evening Arthur’s... bros...? I’m... uh.” He struggled to piece words together, nervousness creeping up from the back of his mind. “I...”

“Alfred, right? Nice to meet you, I’m Allistor, Arthur’s older brother.” The redhead sitting across from Arthur stood up to greet him and soon the other two introduced themselves. The one with slightly redder blond hair introduced himself as “Dylan” and the last one sitting next to him as “Liam”. Alfred couldn’t help but struggle to tell them apart. From afar he probably wouldn’t have been able to even tell who was who... hell even their eyebrows looked similar.

Once introductions were done they all went to the small dining room to eat dinner. The conversations during that time were normal, sharing stuff about their early life and what was going on now; them asking questions about Alfred to which he answered. After a while he forgot about his anxiousness and the gift, and he really did get along with Arthur’s brothers, though Liam was a bit of a grouch and there were a couple of squabbles whenever Allistor would bring up something embarrassing about Arthur. But Alfred usually found himself talking to Peter, asking the little boy about school and his interests. Their conversations were entertaining with Peter’s exaggerated stories about a goat and him auctioning himself on eBay. Alfred just pretended he believed it and laughed with a smile.

After dinner, gifts were given and conversations were shared. The memory of Peter squealing at the sight of the plane brought a smile to Arthur’s face and his brothers’ faces when they were forced to wear the sweaters and take a picture. However, Arthur noticed that Alfred had been surprisingly quiet ever since dinner ended. He had thought of bringing it up later but chose not to. A couple hours later he waved off to the car that drove into the distance, walking back into the house to find Alfred sitting silently on the sofa.

“Alfred?”

“Hmm?”

“Is there something you want to tell me?” he asked carefully, his voice calm and gentle. “You were very quiet after dinner, is everything ok?” He reached for Alfred’s hand but paused as he saw a present, wrapped in green, being held already.

Looking at him with a puzzled face, Alfred looked down and held it out, “I-It’s for you but-” he paused to take a deep breath, wiping a tear from his face, “you’ll probably think it’s stupid...”

“Alfred...” Arthur was taken aback by what was happening. Was it his fault? What did he do? “I...I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen, please just tell me why you’re upset.”

Alfred didn’t respond. Instead he placed the gift in his hands, silently.

As Arthur eyed the gift curiously, he unwrapped the green paper and carefully opened the box, taking out the tissues and pulling out the mug.

“Alfred!”

“I know! I know! It’s stupid-” He waved it off, more tears streaming down his face.

“Alfred... why are you crying?” Blue eyes peered from under his hair to see Arthur smiling with pink cheeks.

“What?” Alfred looked at Arthur with a confused frown, trying to wrap his head around the situation. “But you said unicorn mugs were stupid and useless-”

“When did I- ...oh... Alfred! Did you seriously get all worked up from me rambling to myself? You know I didn’t mean that.”

“Don’t make fun of me, I was actually really worried! I thought you’d get mad and break up with me and that your brothers were gonna beat me up and-“ Arthur cut him off as he laughed and turned around to put his hand on Alfred’s cheek.

“I’m sorry I made you go through all that trouble and you know I’d never break up with you over something as stupid as a unicorn mug. I love you and thank you for this.” He smiled and pecked Alfred’s lips.

“I’m... glad you like your present,” was all Alfred could say, pulling him into a hug.

“But now I feel bad because I haven’t gotten you anything…,” Arthur said awkwardly into Alfred’s shoulder.

“Artie, being here with you is the best gift I could ever ask for, how did you know?” Alfred chuckled, kissing Arthur’s cheek. “...But I still want candy canes tomorrow.”

“Alright you fool.” Arthur smiled, leaning into Alfred more as it continued to snow outside.

“Though I must ask, what did you do when you heard me say that?” Arthur asked the next day as Alfred chewed on his third candy cane.

“I actually went to the mall to find something but came back home ‘cause I couldn’t find crap there,” Alfred replied. “I actually walked around in circles for 30 minutes, probably looked so weird to the shoppers and stuff.”

“Wait a minute... so you were that person I kept on seeing every 5 minutes walk back into McDonalds.”

[annsparksthegmr]

Pokemon Black Nuzlocke - Part 5

So originally this next part was written up on Christmas Eve but I had no time to post for a little bit. But here is the continuation and while this part seems tame, all I’ll say is that if anyone was wondering about my current lucky streak - wait until the next part because things have gotten extra spicy.) But read more below to get the set up for what is coming in the next part.)

The journey continues where I left it off. And that would be me heading to Twist Mountain and Cherry challenging me to another battle. No true problems with the battle. At the very least, Captain finally evolved into a Seismitoad and Alder came and gave us the HM for Surf. And I didn’t know Odette/Swanna could learn Surf despite it making sense. Just as how seeing Clay inside Twist Mountain completely escaped my memory. 

I was kind of nervous about Twist Mountain until I realized it was currently winter in game. Meaning that snow was built up for ease of accessing certain areas! I could have cheated that way but I wanted to explore everything. So I’ll keep things brief. Queen finally evolved into her final Serperior form. Most of my encounters ended up being Cubchoo and Boldore. But I eventually got my encounter: a female Woobat who I called Rouge. My own team reveals how I got no real Dark/Ghost Type Moves. Which would only mean with the team I have now would have to be Gracey. But at the same time, it would mean having another slow Pokemon. I am not sure.

I managed to escape from Twist Mountain without too much trouble. Icirrus City came and I was already hopeful with Ramona’s performance I can hopefully survive the upcoming Gym Challenge. Then I was dumb and stumped across the quiz house. And instead of exploring more, I decided to challenge the Gym. Seeing as how there was nothing in my way.

But what are the odds of getting frozen? A lot according to the RNG rolls which kept freezing Ramona. Though through her Sheer Force most are defeated without issue. Zigzagzop is also assisting with his own Flame Charges so I don’t have to use many Ethers or return to the Pokemon Center that often. Plus I bought a few dozen Moomoo Milks; I should be good on healing items for a while.

With no issues at all, I come upon Brycen and officially start our battle off! I had Zigzagzog out first to help weaken his Vanillish so I could have a clean switch into Ramona to tackle his other Pokemon. Though having him waste a Hyper Potion on the Vanillish is helpful. For me at least. Brycen sent out his Beatrix next, so I brought out Ramona to unleash her Sheer Force Fire Punch and knocked his ace out in one hit. Surprisingly his Cryogonal was faster, but Ramona took it like a champ and secured another battle without fail.

Meaning I managed to gain the seventh Gym Badge without any deaths! This made me extremely happy. Especially of how far Zipzapzop has carried my journey thus far. 

With my ego rising high, I exited the Gym to find Cheren, Bianca, Brycen and the Shadow Triad. N decided he needed ninjas to deliver me a message instead of, oh I don’t know, come and ask for me to go there like a regular person!? Seriously, sometimes I wonder what would change if N acted differently at some points.

Though I eventually oblige his request and go to Dragonspiral Tower. Even though everything is shaking because they are waking a dragon up. Or at least I think N is trying to awaken Zekrom. My encounter in the Tower was a Golett. A troublesome Pokemon to catch until I tossed a Heal Ball at it. Decided to call him BFG for fun.

Passing by Cheren and Brycen, I made my way up dealing with some more Team Plasma members. None even bothered to put up a challenge worth noting. And it’s not like I’m too overleveled - maybe aside from Zipzapzop. He’s only just level 40 at this point because of Amulet Coin switching tactics.

Then one of the Sages decided to have his four Grunts ambush me. Because isn’t that nice? And the game please stop using Super and Hyper Fangs back to back on Pebbles. I don’t want to lose her. Here, this ambush is an actual challenge since I can’t ambush healing in between battles! Another point I hate in Sword and Shield is how many times I get healed in between important battles. This is why I stock up on items; I like to use them for long dungeons or situations where I have no healing station nearby. And in actual challenging dungeons. Because even if I’m not having too much trouble with the grunts of Team Plasma, they are already giving me a challenge. By making me use all my Pokémon. And not just soloing them with a single one which knocks out all in a single hit.

Pardon my mini rant. I plan to keep those to a minimum. Yet the time has come for an ACTUAL CUTSCENE. N declares I go find Reshiram and to head to the Pokemon League. Giving me a better reason than just going to beat Leon’s butt and making Hop depressed. And I almost zoned out on the group meeting with Alder. 

Time to head to Relic Castle after I stock up on Super Repels. That quick pit stop and having Odette learn Fly allowed me to easily reach my target destination. But I did not expect an old sage man named Ryoku to be inside. Which means, time to beat up more Team Plasma Grunts!! 

Reaching the bottom was not a challenge and more of Ghetsis telling me to go and get Reshiram to fight N and all that jazz. You get the idea. Also Ghetsis seemingly shoved me out of the way. I’m awaiting the moment to kick his ass - pardon my language, but he deserves at least one bad word thrown at him.

Professor Juniper calls me to head back to Nacrene City and I finally obtain the Light Stone. Alder warns me about the responsibility, but as the main character I will be fine. Besides, with this I get the cool cutscene relating to the stone. Unlike some OTHER weapon relics. 

But that left me wondering about one thing.. Not enough to completely forget the battle with Bianca before the bridge. Forgot to heal up my Pokemon before this, but it added an extra bit of challenge. I feel happy with Bianca discovering what she wants to do. Even it won’t be fully realized until the sequel.

Apparently the Shadow Triad decided to force me into meeting with Ghetsis on the bridge. Even though he is impending my process. Not sure if it was just to ensure I wouldn’t run away or what. Still want to punch him in the face. He was basically taunting me even though it would be worth nothing.

But Route 9 came with the giant mall/shopping center. Aka Shopping Mall Nine. I’d get my encounter later after I went into the city. Also I guess I’m friends with Alder now. I love Iris and Drayden. Same with Opelucid City. It changes depending on which version. As with the Gym Leader. Though I went back and found a male Gothorita and named him Tim Burton.

Now to quickly go with Iris to learn more about the Dragon Pokemon before I try and change up my team. Because in the long run, I think sadly some of my team may have to be benched. Only because if I don’t have a Ghost/Dark move on my team, I’m going in trouble for the Elite 4. And I might need to invest into an Ice-Type for this upcoming Dragon Gym. Onto another quick training session.

I decided to leave Queen in the PC for this Gym. As out of everyone, she was the weakest link when it came to Dragons. Grass and Dragon did not mix well. And I didn’t want to lose Queen due to a mistake on my part. So Snowball will be replacing her for the Gym. I tested out how my team would fare by challenging the first Trainer of the Gym. Turns out that my fears only grew when Fraxures started using Dragon Dance and resisted most of my moves. Even almost taking out Captain with double or triple Dragon Dance Dragon Claw. Left Captain at just 8 HP. 

I may also have to replace him as well regarding this Gym if that was any indication. I might as well train up BananSplit afterwards. And after realizing that Dragons resist Electric, Grass, Water and Fire - most of which were the Types I had, I think it is best to end it off here for one last grinding session for a secondary team to challenge the Gym. Because Drayden is already showing me why I should be worried if most of my team could easily get wiped out. With only Pebbles having a slightly higher chance of surviving. 

And I can secretly level up some potential party replacements. So until next time!

I’ll smell you all later…!

Team Recap:

Queen - Female Serperior (Lvl 39)

Pebbles - Female Boldore (Lvl 40)

Zigzagzop - Male Zebstrika (Lvl 45)

Captain - Male Seismitoad (Lvl 45)

Ramona - Female Darmanitan (Lvl 42)

Odette - Female Swanna (Lvl 45)

In Box/Reserve:

Ghost Girl - Female Liepard (Lvl 20)

Cassandra - Female Sandile (Lvl 21)

Trashie - Female Trubbish (Lvl 22)

Lowen - Male Cottonee (Lvl 20)

Lady - Female Minccino (Lvl 23)

BananSplit - Female Vanillite (Lvl 21)

Voltorb - Male Foongus  (Lvl 23)

Geartown - Klink (Lvl 36)

Snowball - Female Cubchoo (Lv 30)

Gracey - Male Litwick (Lvl 26)

Rouge - Female Woobat (Lvl 29)

BFG - Golett (Lvl 30)

Tim Burton - Male Gothorita (Lvl 31)

Deaths: 2

Fountain - Male Sampour (Lvl 15)

Puppy - Female Herdier (Lvl 25)

[misssophiachase]

Learning to Fly

Ho Ho Ho! Happy Holidays! Writing holiday fics is the only thing that gets me in the Christmas mood to be honest, so here goes! And it's only 43 days until the big, jolly guy arrives (but not counting at all). I hope you enjoy the premise, I did start this earlier in the year (in part) but decided it could be a festive season fic! If anyone has any cover art ideas let me know.

It's only three days until Christmas and flight attendant Caroline Forbes thought her day was going to be all candy canes, Santa Claus and carols until she meets an unusual passenger on a flight and soon realises there's more to him and the situation than she first thought.

I'm learning to fly but I ain't got wings, coming down is the hardest thing…

Chapter 1: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

For the most part Caroline liked her job. Although being a flight attendant certainly had its pitfalls including; unpleasant air sickness mishaps, overbearing passengers with sometimes impossible demands and sleazy (not to mention married) pilots.

There were some advantages though including; heavily discounted travel, first class accommodation and a way to ease her itchy feet. Yes, she'd travelled extensively across the globe after completing high school but Caroline knew that wouldn't pay the bills. The next best thing? Flying around the country for work. At least that way she'd get to see some new places and hopefully experience new things.

"I'd like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and welcome you to Delta Airlines flight DL7693, non stop service to Memphis, Tennessee," Caroline recited through the cabin intercom. Sometimes it was difficult to keep up with all the places she was at times so she had to be extra vigilant to remember her destination.

She knew this spiel from memory given she'd said it enough times. "Please make sure all your cabin luggage is stowed away, the larger item in the compartment above and the smaller under the seat in front of you."

It was at that point she noticed a blonde peeking curiously at her from first class. There was no denying he was gorgeous but it wasn't like Caroline hadn't come across guys just like him on numerous flights. She had to admit that none had lips in such a deep shade of crimson though. It was at that point she faltered, realising she'd lost her place. Bonnie grabbed her attention from outside the cockpit door and gestured to her waist hurriedly. Caroline had to remember to thank her best friend for that little prompt later on when they were in cruising mode.

"Please make sure your seat belts are fastened low and tight, the attendants will now be coming around the cabin before take-off," she finished, noting a somewhat amused expression from her cute but distracting first class passenger as he clicked his seat belt into place as instructed.

"2A?" Katherine asked, nodding discreetly towards the cabin. "Trust me, I would have forgotten too if I got lost in those molten, brown eyes."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh please," she groaned. "If it weren't for Bonnie, who knows what would have happened to our passengers in an emergency without their seat belts?"

"Hilarious," Caroline growled in the brunette's direction before looking towards her saviour. "Thanks, Bon."

"My pleasure," she smiled. "Although my guess is on 3C." Caroline wouldn't admit it aloud, but the cute blonde was seated in row one, seat A to be exact.

"Did you ever think that maybe I just forgot…"

"Hell no," Katherine teased. "You're Caroline Forbes after all. So come on fess up, who was the gorgeous guy that distracted you? Twenty bucks it was the gorgeous but brooding brunette in 2A."

"I'll raise you $50 for the cheeky brunette in 3C," Bonnie offered.

"Are you ladies going to be doing any work today or should I consider this it?" Enzo barked, looking between them curiously. He was their Cabin Manager and attempted to take his job seriously most of the time, even if it didn't always pan out that way. He told them it was their fault for being distracting and entirely too much fun all the time.

"Of course not, Enzo," Katherine purred. "You know more than anyone just how well we can multitask."

"$100 on the blonde in 4B," he offered obviously overhearing their previous discussion, before making his way down the aisle to begin the obligatory safety presentation. Caroline just shook her head noticing the attractive, blonde girl seated there, most definitely his type but not hers.

The airplane took off smoothly and they were now at cruising altitude. Caroline was out of her seat immediately, offering refreshments to first class. She was trying to ignore the penetrating gaze of Mister 1A but it was difficult. Sure, she'd had guys flirt with her on flights but this one merely sat back not offering any lame conversation at all, in fact he'd been relatively quiet so far.

"Would you like a drink?" She enquired, finally gathering the nerve to speak to her passenger.

"Uh sure, thanks," he murmured in an unmistakable English accent. "Whiskey, neat." He didn't look at her when he spoke, just tapped both feet on the floor, his fingers on the arm rest drumming in the exact same time.

"Here you go," she said offering it to him. "Would you like a snack"

"No, I'm fine," he smiled, albeit uneasily. "But thank you."

When he'd distracted her on the ground, Caroline had assumed he'd be trouble but his current demeanour wasn't expected at all. She walked away, tending to the other passengers. Not that it stopped her sending sneaky glances at him during the flight. The one thing she knew for sure was that he could fidget and for some reason she felt sorry for him.

"Don't worry about my brother, it's just normal," the blonde in 4B said almost reading her thoughts. "Can't sit still to save himself."

"And you're perfect, princess?" The cheeky brunette from 3C Bonnie seemed to like chimed into the conversation.

"The same accusation could be directed at you, Kol," the brooder from 2A added to this already strange conversation.

Caroline was starting to feel like she was in the twilight zone. It was unusual to find travelling companions flying in different rows but these people seemed to know each other. In fact they fought like something resembling siblings. She busied herself, ignoring the curious glances of her colleagues as she did so. The one thing she tried to avoid was getting involved in personal arguments. The captain announced their descent soon after thankfully and Caroline tidied up quickly, not before sending a small smile in the blonde's direction.

The wheels connected with the runway, something Caroline was familiar with but she couldn't miss his steady glance on her as they taxied their way toward the airport. In fact he'd been staring at her ever since they descended through the clouds and headed towards their destination. Most people would think it was extremely weird (and it was) but Caroline could tell he wasn't the best flyer and for some reason she wanted to help, even with the surrounding peanut gallery commenting on everything for whatever reason.

The Madison Hotel, Memphis - four hours later

Caroline had followed through with her usual post flight rituals, spending a good forty-five minutes soaking in the bubble bath and then unpacking her clothes, even if it was only for one night. When she'd begun in this profession, it had been new, exciting and fun but Caroline had to admit it had become a somewhat repetitive and tiring. All she wanted to do was stay in one place she loved with someone who liked it as much as her.

"Caroline, Katherine!" Bonnie yelled out from the living area. She secured the white robe tightly around her waist and came into the room as instructed.

"What's going on? Don't tell me Katherine wants us to leave so she can have another all night orgy." Caroline joked thinking about her friend's unabashed sexual appetite. As the words came out, she was faced at the front door of their suite with two familiar brunettes and an opinionated blonde regarding her curiously.

"Nothing like embarrassing a girl, roomie," Katherine chided, her olive cheeks decidedly rosy, a clear sign she'd been caught out by the serious and somewhat judgmental brunette to the left.

"We need your help, Ms Forbes," the broody one implored, now moving into the room. Caroline couldn't miss just how embarrassed her usually unembarrassed friend now looked by his looming presence.

"Suddenly, I feel like I should be more formally attired," she mumbled. "Or possibly in a superhero costume given I'm being asked for help?"

"How about Wonder Woman?" The younger, cheeky one she now knew as Kol joked.

"In your wet dreams," the blonde girl growled. "My brother has an extreme fear of flying and I've never seen him more relaxed than on your flight this afternoon."

"Well, that's good, I suppose," Caroline bit out, still trying to come to terms with all these people in her suite while she was half dressed. "What does that have to do with me exactly?"

"It's you," the serious one offered. "You calmed him down today, unlike anyone else."

"And?"

"We need to make that the norm," the half distracted, cheeky one offered between his curious glances towards Bonnie.

"But why?" She huffed, feeling like she was part of a weird TV reality show or something. "Surely he can make his own choices?"

"Not when it comes to flying."

"But yet you do this without his consent?" Caroline didn't know the guy past their brief interactions today, but for some reason she hated the fact that his family were interfering without him knowing about it.

"He's going to be the CEO of British Airways in six months," the cheeky one offered, strangely in a now serious tone. Caroline hadn't expected that comment and was instantly dubious. "It's his legacy but he doesn't fly well. As you can imagine we are trying to help him as best as we can."

Caroline was stuck for words momentarily, wondering if their comments were actually authentic. She took a deep breath before replying. "So, what exactly do you want from me?"

"Any chance he could ride along with you for a little while longer?"

"I'm sorry?" She gasped, feeling somewhat dizzy as she regarded the bossy blonde.

"Well, it is the festive season, after all," the serious one added.

"Funny, I never took you for the Christmas type," Katherine drawled, looking at him curiously with her hands on hips. "If that's all you've got.."

"Don't mind him," Kol offered, hurriedly. "We can offer you monetary compensation."

"Oh really?" Bonnie asked, eyeing him curiously. "Funnily enough, it's not always about the money."

"Maybe so, but consider this our opening offer," the blonde said dryly, handing a cheque over. It was obvious she'd expected this response given it was already written and signed in neat, blue cursive. 

Caroline couldn't believe their approach in the first place let alone that many zeros on a cheque. Santa Claus had apparently come to town but Caroline wasn't sure she was ready for his arrival.

On FF HERE Next chapter title is up for grabs...

[sutterbabe]

#2 Jakob chychrun

Can you do a chych imagine where your a hockey player too and make its super fluffy and he takes you skating for a date ? Maybe he doesn't know you play? And you ur first kiss Idk thanks :) 

 fUN fact: I used to like this guy when I was like thirteen and his name was Jakob but he blocked me on Instagram after I DMed [ok i sent him a picture of a dog in a christmas sweater] him one time and so I changed Jakob to autocorrect to 'stuck up prick' in my phone and I totally forgot about the whole thing till I wrote the first chych one and :'). Fun times. 

Warnings: This is not gender-neutral.

song suggestion of the day: Cry for me by HUNNY

Okay, you’re saying this now in the most endearing way possible. Jakob Chychrun had no creativity when it came to first date ideas. He might be a hockey player but going skating for a first date kinda just screamed ‘comfort zone’. Still, you weren’t going to complain maybe he was trying to think of things in common and all he could come up with was..hockey? Really, who knew what was going on in that brain of his.

“Hey,”

You turned around to find Jakob smiling hesitantly at you but when you turned he broke into a large grin. “Sorry I wanted to make sure it was you.” you chuckled a little at this, patting the spot next to you.

“Hey,” you greeted as he dropped his sports bag onto the seat beside you. “How was training?”you asked as you began to pull on your skates.

“Same old,” he shrugged. “Do you want help?” he questioned, nodding towards your skates and pulling his own skates out of his bag as he sat down beside you. 

You shook your head lightly. “I’m good.” It was sweet of him to ask but to be honest whenever someone else did your skates they always tied them weird and you ended up retying them anyway.

Once your skates were on he insisted in checking if they were tight enough, making you roll your eyes gently. “As cute as we look right now,” You grinned at him. “Can we get on the ice now?”

He chuckled, nodding as he took your hand and helped you down the few steps to waddle over to the ice. “Do you want me to help you onto the ice?” He questioned. 

You chuckled. “and they say chivalry is dead. But no, I’m good thanks.” you replied with a warm smile as you stepped onto the ice and skated off. You turned to find Jakob wasn’t following behind you but instead still stood by the edge of the ice, staring after you. “You coming or not?”

He nodded and skated over to join you. “You’re really good.” he informed you. You found yourself flushing slightly under the praise.

“Well I would hope so.” you replied with a light laugh. “But thanks, Mr. Big-NHL-Star.”

He chuckled, reddening slightly at your nickname. “Don’t feel like you have to be great just for me though.” he added.

You smirked. “Are you challenging me to a race?”

His eyebrows quirked as a grin appeared on his face. “Well, if that’s how you wanna play. You should be aware that there is no way I’m taking it easy on you”

“Who told you I liked easy?” you replied sending him a smirk.

His jaw slackened then clenched. “That’s unfair, no flirting before races.”

The cackle you let out was pure evil as you skated to the boards at one end of the rink. He was quick to join you, lining up the top of his skates with yours. “Okay on three.”

On the count of three you both took off, streaking down the ice to the other end of the rink. It was a close race, but your salvation came when Jakob had to swerve to avoid someone, letting you crash into the boards just seconds before he fell on top of you. You laughed triumphantly as he groaned. “I believe I win.” you chorused. “My dignity and hockey career are saved.”

You heard Jakob sigh softly in in realisation. “you play hockey” he murmured.

You laughed. “You didn’t know.” you stated, finally putting two and two together.

“Well, what’s your prize going to be? Bragging rights?” He questioned hopefully.

After several minutes of negotiation Jakob sighed.

“Y/N is the best hockey player/skater and we are all not worthy.”

you giggled, kissing his cheek gently. “Thank you.” you replied in a sing-song voice.

He pouted at you. “Loser’s consolation prize isn’t even a real kiss now is it?”

“Come and get it.” you smirked, skating backwards and away from him slowly.

“Oh you’re so on.” he declared, lunging for you as you quickly skated around him and out of the way. Your evasion only went on for another minute or so before he caught you by the waist, pulling you into him. You dragged you thumb gently along his lower lip, feeling him hum slightly. “I think my consolation is a lot better than winning.”

You smirked. “You’re certainly taking your time.”

“Sorry to inconvenience you, not everyone is as fast as you.” he murmured, teasing lightly, before leaning down and kissing you carefully, one hand resting gently on your cheek and the other on your waist. You wrapped your arms round his neck, leaning up to deepen the kiss. 

“That was one hell of a first kiss.” you told him when he finally pulled away, smiling gently down at you.

He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant but there was a smirk creeping into his expression. “It’s my competitive nature.”

You rolled your eyes. “Likely story.” you retorted. “But we both know it’s because you liiikkkeee me” you sang, drawing out the word for effect.

He nodded. “And that too.” 

[dracolord1208]

Unexpected Reunions

Dracolord1208

AO3

Day 2: Modern AU

Summary:

Satya was at a complete loss. Her world had entirely changed within 5 minutes. The man standing before her had no business being in her office.

Tags:

Modern Era

Alternate Universe

Vacation

Romance

Angst

Character Death

Grief/Mourning

Satya was at a complete loss. Her world had entirely changed within 5 minutes. The man standing before her had no business being in her office.

When Satya was a little girl, she was given a full ride by Vishkar to go all the way through elementary school to university. As she went through school, she found that Vishkar’s guidelines would require her to live a very academic life. Vishkar had rules on everything from her grades to how she spent her spare time. During this time she was not to fall beneath a B+ in a single class, she was too spend a substantial portion of her days on community service, and she was to have no romantic connections. Vishkar valued efficiency more than anything, and any form of romantic relationships were seen to be a distraction until an employee had raised high enough in the organization where it would be appropriate.

Despite this during this time Satya thrived. The rules acted as guidelines that would give her a sense of order throughout her youth. Satya had performed flawlessly during school; she graduated from her American college at the top of her class majoring in architecture. Her community service was known throughout Vishkar due to her landing a major contract with Rio to bring stability to the favelas. She had worked with local leaders to find the optimal deal to restore peace to Rio.

Satya was given the nickname Symmetra due to her legendary skill in finding perfect symmetry in her blueprints with no need for measurements. Symmetra’s designs were well known where her measurements would be exactly what the future inhabitants would require no matter the use.

Symmetra had done so well with her scholarship that her position at Vishkar was guaranteed. She had even done so that Vishkar gave an all expense trip to Sydney, Australia for three weeks during the Christmas holiday.

Symmetra spent a week preparing for her journey. She planned her itinerary down to the minute; she decided that she would she all that Sydney had to offer.

What she did not know was that Sydney had different plans for her.

When Satya arrived in Sydney, she checked into her hotel and decided to head to the beach to start the day. She put on her blue swimsuit and her white cover up. She headed over to the beach with a towel, a book, and her wide brim hat.

When she got to the beach, she began to set up her towel, and she started to read her book. As she began to read her book she did not notice the footsteps heading her direction.

“I forgot my number....can I borrow yours?”

Symmetra lowered her book and looked up; she was greeted with the sight of a tall gentleman in swim trunks. His hair was matted down with water from swimming. His flip flops seemed to be covered in wet sand.

“You forgot your phone number? How would having my phone number help you figure out yours?”

“Well, Shelia is a turn of phrase you know? A conversation starter. See we’re talking now.”

Symmetra just stared back at the man. She did not know why this person was talking to her. “So what do you need?”

“I was asking for your phone number since you are the most beautiful gal I have ever seen, so I just need to talk to you. I was taking a swim when you started setting up, and I said to myself ‘Junkrat that girl is the most remarkable girl that you have ever seen. You need to ask her out right now, or you are going to regret it for the rest of your life.’”

Symmetra was completely taken aback; she had never met someone as confident as this Junkrat. She also had no experience with romance due to Vishkar’s interference during her school years. So this gentleman’s advances caught her off guard.

“Junkrat?”

“It’s my call sign. Work as a pilot for the RAAF.”

“Symmetra. I work as an architect.”

“You building buildings that is fantastic!”

“What do you do?”

“I pilot an F-35A Lightning II for the Junker squad. The name is now a bit outdated gotta admit. See the Lightning is a brand new fighter that the RAAF has been integrating into the air force, but my squadron was the last one to make the switch, so we were the Junkers flying in our old jets. Sorry. I am totally ranting I just like the planes.”

Symmetra let out a laugh while trying to cover her mouth. “It’s quite okay. It is very refreshing to hear someone be so excited about what they do.”

Junkrat had almost missed what Symmetra had said because that laugh was exactly what he imagined angel’s sounded like. “Th, Thank you. So what are doing here in Sydney?”

“I am currently on vacation, I just landed and checked into my hotel. I decided to relax on the beach before I got lunch at,” Symmetra then pulled out her travel plan. “The Sydney Tower Eye.”

“The eye?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“Not exactly just it’s going to be completely packed by the time you get there. It will probably be two hours until you get any food to eat.”

“Well, that’s no good. I would rather not go anywhere overly crowded.”

“How about this then? I know a perfect place we could grab a bite to eat. Foods utterly delicious and it won’t be crowded, it’s even nearby.”

Symmetra was only partially hesitant, on the one hand, she did want to go and grab some food with this Junker, but Vishkar’s rules still felt like an iron vise on her heart.  

Sensing Symmetra’s hesitation Junkrat began to panic, not wanting to stop talking to this goddess for even a second. “Come on don’t you want to see the true side of ‘Stralia.” This was the final push Symmetra needed. This was a vacation that Vishkar had sent her on to have some time outside of Vishkar, so she decided that she was going to make the most of her time away from her rules.

Junkrat decided to take them to a hole in the wall restaurant that Symmetra had never heard of in her research. Junkrat then went through her entire itinerary complaining about each and every entry saying that it was going to be a tour of the tourist Sydney not of the real Sydney. Junkrat’s offer that he could take Symmetra on a real tour of Australia one that she would never forget.

Over the next three weeks, Junkrat showed Symmetra all that he could. The two started growing closer and closer over the trip. Symmetra found herself falling completely for the pilot. The two went way past the romantic guidelines set by Vishkar by the end of the trip.

Symmetra and Junkrat had fallen deeply in love with each other.

Then Symmetra’s time in Australia ran out.  She had already extended her vacation and Vishkar was eager to get her started on projects when she returned. Junkrat’s leave had also run out, and he was to be deployed. The two had to separate. The time they spent together was the happiest that either had ever been. They spilt up deciding to stay in contact in hopes of being able to make it work out between them.

Six months later was when everything changed. Symmetra and Junkrat had been sending emails back and forth every Monday no matter the time zones. When Friday came by, and Symmetra had not heard anything from him, she knew something was very wrong. A week later a soldier arrived at her door.

“Satya Vaswani?”

“Yes, that is me.”

“Did you know a Jamison Fawkes?”

“Did? Yes did something happen?”

“I am sorry to inform you that sergeant first class Jamison Fawkes has passed away. He was on a mission when his jet was shot down.”

The soldier continued to talk, but Symmetra had stopped listening. She finished the conversation with the soldier through a haze. Once he had left Symmetra closed the door and then collapsed on the floor and wept for the future she had lost.

Symmetra found a news report about an RAAF fighter pilot who was shot down. An image of a smoldering plane with a yellow painted smiley face and blue diamond adorning the side it. The pilot was not found but was presumed dead, a 25-year old pilot Jamison Fawkes AKA Junkrat KIA.

Symmetra cried for the next week. She stopped going to work and even stopped leaving her room.

A week later when she received an email from an unrecognized sender.

Roadhog: Satya Vaswani I have a message that is for you.

Symmetra: What could you possibly have?

Roadhog: Junkrat wanted to send this to you if he ever didn’t make it back.

Symmetra: Give it to me.

Roadhog: I want you to know that during the mission his jet was hit but did not go up immediately. He was told to disengage from the enemy, but he decided that it was more important to save his fellow pilots. He saved my life. He also would never shut up about you. I knew that kid was serious about you, so I want you to know that you were on his mind until the very end.

Farewell.txt

“Love, If you are reading this I am so so sorry. I set this email to send to you two weeks after my mission. The plan was to postpone it hopefully forever, but that’s not the way it had turned out. If I did not stop this email than I am dead.  I always knew this was on the table. I mean I never thought I would make it past 25, and I guess that’s the case, but when I met you everything changed. I wanted so badly to live. I wanted to live with you; I wanted to get married and have kids and live in a house that you built. I wanted to give you the amazing life that you deserved. I’m sorry. I hope that you don’t mind, but I set you as my next of kin so you should receive official notice in time. I know this is going to be hard on you, but I need you to promise me. You need to promise me you won���t let this destroy you. You are going to do great for the world, so I need you to be strong. You have to promise to keep living your life no matter what. I want to you to be successful. I want you to move on as well. You told me that you wanted a big family since you were a kid. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to give you that in our time together. Lol. But I want you to move on get married and have your family. I won’t like the guy only so much a dead man can deal with, but I will always love you.

Forever yours even in death,

Junkrat”

Symmetra thought that she had run out of tears when she got the email, but she was confident that her cheeks were yet again flooded with tears. Junkrat was completely unfair asking her to do so much when he couldn’t even do something as easy as not die. She was resolute if Jamison was going to set rules for her then like Vishkar’s rules when she was young she was going to do her best no matter what.

Symmetra: Thank you.

Now three years later Symmetra was now a chairman of Vishkar board of directors. She was in charge of all of Vishkar’s reality efforts all over the world. She was making sure that Jamison’s last words were respected. She had gone and had raised herself to the highest position she could while still making sure that Vishkar was going to do good for the world.

Symmetra, however, was not able to do all that Junkrat had asked of her. She could not find it in herself to get married or even date. Junkrat was that special to her he had shown her that there was a beauty in the chaos of the world, that you could find order even in the most chaotic situations.

As she was finishing her meeting, her assistant Sanjay informed her that she had an interview with a new investor that had the wish to remain anonymous. Sanjay reported that they had a plan to work with Vishkar to bring relief to war-torn areas. Symmetra interest was piqued with the prospects, so she decided to head to her office to meet with the investor.  

Satya was at a complete loss. The world stopped making sense for the last 5 minutes. The man standing before her should be dead.

The man standing in front of her was nothing like her memories but at the same time unmistakable. The man was missing his left arm and a leg with prosthetics making up for the lost. His posture was all off bending forward heavily due to what seemed to be discomfort with his peg leg. His suit looked entirely misplaced on him.

Junkrat was standing in her office holding up a framed photo of her and him that they had taken when they were together.

Satya ran across the room and pulled Jamison into a desperate embrace. She could not believe that he was real, that he was here, that he was alive. She started crying into his chest. He was real he was as warm as she remembered. Even with his new limbs, Symmetra could not detect a difference in the way that he held her.

“How? How are you alive? They never found your body.”

“Well, I have always been pretty lucky with explosions. When I crashed my jet, I had to book it fast and get out of there. Were some parts of me that weren’t so lucky but I was able to sort that all out.” Junkrat then began flexing his prosthetic showing it off. Unfortunately was captured a bit. Little did they know that I can make a bomb from almost anything, I was able to escape. The whole thing was rough on me; I wasn’t in a right place when I finally came back. I had to get a lot of help from Dr. Ziegler before I was ready to come back to you. I didn’t feel like it would be fair to you if the man who came back weren't the same man, so I had the doc not tell you.”

Symmetra reeled back and slapped Junkrat across the face then pulled him in for a kiss.

“How dare you try to protect me from the pain of getting you back by allowing me to suffer without you? I have always loved you, and I will always love you.”

“I am sorry. Now I am almost sure I told ya to get married and have some kid, but here you are in a fancy suit and only some photos of your vacation and no pictures of your family.”

“I was busy. And the man I loved decided to die before we became a family.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to.”

“How would you know?”

“Oh, I know quite a bit. But my memory is pretty bad.”

Satya looked quizzically at Jamison.

“I forgot my number....can I borrow yours?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“If I am the most beautiful women you have ever seen.”

“Always.”

At last, the two of them were finally reunited, and neither of them had any plans to separate again.

Notes:

Just when you think its angst its fluffy reunions. Suck it. Die from happiness I hope you all have a good week and life. I love all of you.

Series this work belongs to:

« Part 2 of the Draco's Junkmetra Week series

[theblondegoesabroad]

Update from New Zealand 12

Update from the lake! So after getting a ride down with Nicole and Carl which was honestly so perfect. I was worried about going back up to Auckland for one night and not being able to get back to the lake to enjoy it as much as possible (as it is rented for most of January) and little did I know there was a perfect plan just around the corner. I followed the advice I always get from Benoit and just went with the flow. I crammed everything I needed to do that weekend into the few hours before I got picked up, including everything mum and dad needed to do which was a lot of feeding of animals and watering plants. And then off we went back down to the lake. It was fun to spend a bit more time with Nicole and Carl. I am so excited for them about their engagement! When they dropped me off we had nibbles with mum and dad and then they headed to Taupo and me back to holidaying! I was happy I managed to get back to the lake so quickly! We celebrated with martini’s in the sun! It was a blissful evening Jamie and his friends were away for the night so we had a very quite evening after the business of the Christmas period. But it was definitely the calm before the storm! We now have a decent little campsite set up on the lawn as the rest of Jamie’s friends have arrived for New Years. Bringing everything but the kitchen sink with them! (For the french speakers reading this - the above is a paraphrased saying meaning that they brought a lot of stuff - pretty much everything in their house minus the sink). It’s a nice group of people and they are pretty self sufficient.

They spend their days road tripping around the area, enjoying the magical base that is the lake and soaking up the sun. They are also great in the kitchen and can pretty much all sing and play guitar so it’s bliss to sit out and look at the stars with some acoustic guitar going on.

While Jamie and his mates have been road tripping I have been having fun with mum and dad, relaxing with our books, getting up early to get the best water for the ski and fishing.

We had a lot of fun fishing although not that much success! We managed to catch the bottom of the lake three times which with the old nylon on the lines meant we lost three lures! So not too successful at all!

One success has been mums skiing! For the last few years she has been having trouble but this summer she has found her groove and is skiing on one ski like a pro. It’s great to see how happy she is when she gets up and managed to drop a ski to ski just on one ski. It truly is a cool sport and it’s good Mum can keep enjoying it!

Today is New Year’s Eve. And what a year it has been. I have had so many blessings this year. I had a great job at Tilsleys, I graduated with first class honours from my four year degree, I got my act together and moved to Belgium - and found a wonderful family there, I spent a mind blowing month travelling with Benoit and Jamie around some of Europe’s hotspots, I climbed my first 6C (which if you told me last year that this would be something I would be proud of I would have laughed! But I have found a new passion in rock climbing), I found a job in Belgium (hopefully), the lake has been kept in the family and most importantly I love the people I share life with, I have incredible friends that have lasted years, I have a wonderful family and health. I have learnt so much about myself. I am an organised and stressy person and although I think being like this helped me achieve what I did at university and work which is nothing to regret, I did need to learn to relax, and take time for me. I was so driven that I forgot about enjoying life. I set goals super high and sacrificed a lot to achieve them. Like I said, it’s not a bad thing, I am proud - extremely proud - of my achievements and my determination to succeed at the goals I set myself is something I will always have but I have greatly benefited from learning to live life. To put time into things you love and not feel guilty when you have a day or two if guilty pleasures! Or in my case six months of mainly art, travelling and climbing.

This year has not been without difficulty, I did move half way across the world, which although it was and is exciting, it’s still a long way from home and my comfort zone. I still think constantly about Nan and often bring out some of her words of wisdom I had heard over the years. I grieved for my new family in Belgium when Grandma passed away. I returned home to be with my brother and family after his accident. But amidst all that I know that 2019 was a year of change for me and I way happy. Which is all anyone can ask for. I would love to thank everyone who made my 2019 special. Especially to Benoit and his family. The love I have felt from this extraordinary family has been immense. I have been welcomed in gladly and have loved meeting everyone, learning their quirks and specialities. The Henry’s and Tyberghein’s are definitely the reason that Belgium has been so special to me. So thank you. And long may it continue!

So cheers to 2019. Looking forward to everything that 2020 promises. See you next year!

Love Kate xxxx

[junker-town]

Monday Morning Pleighbook: The Dolphins gave the Patriots a taste of their own medicine with the ‘MIAMI MIRACLE’

The Monday Morning Pleighbook is a collection of the best things in the NFL from week to week.

Unless somebody pulls off a Minneapolis Miracle-esque play this season, Kenyan Drake and the Miami Dolphins have comfortably secured the play of the year.

The Dolphins were down 33-28 with seven seconds left against the Patriots at their own 31-yard line, and they pulled off two laterals and a Drake scamper through the New England defense for a 69-yard touchdown.

IT'S A MIRACLE IN MIAMI pic.twitter.com/PvNMIaXBAB

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) December 9, 2018

The only quarterback in the NFL who could possibly get the football into the end zone from there is maybe Patrick Mahomes. But the Patriots had Rob Gronkowski in the game anyway because he is a big ogre who would theoretically bat down any Hail Mary attempt.

That did not happen. Instead, we got something much more exciting.

As the safety on the play, Gronk was the last line of defense. Even with this angle and that many yards to go, you’d think that he’d at least be able to get in front of Drake and make the play.

Instead, he forgot how to run and tripped.

It didn’t make a ton of sense for Gronk to be out on the field. The Dolphins were never going to attempt a Hail Mary, because they were simply too far. They were shocked that Gronk was out there, and glad.

Ryan Tannehill, talking about the last play: “I was like, ‘Gronk’s on the field. We got this.’”

— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) December 9, 2018

One #Dolphins player said they were surprised to see Gronk on the field for that final play. “We weren’t throwing a Hail Mary. They had to know that, right?” #Patriots

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) December 9, 2018

Perhaps the most surprising thing here, is that Bill Belichick was out-coached on the last play of a game that cost his team. And while these things may be true, Gronk should still probably be making that tackle. You could really point fingers in any direction.

As far as Drake goes, it’s funny that he was the player to get this particular touchdown. If you recall earlier in the season, the Dolphins were in overtime against the Bears in Week 6 when Drake fumbled the football at the goal line that Chicago recovered.

Eventually, the Bears missed a field goal, and the Dolphins won with a 47-yarder of their own. Drake was understandably relieved afterward.

Sunday, he put the Patriots in a similar position, though they were feeling heartbreak instead.

#mood pic.twitter.com/LMx9FUiO8A

— Pats Pulpit (@patspulpit) December 9, 2018

If we’re being honest, unless you’re a Patriots fan there is probably no other team you’d rather see this happen to. The Patriots have done a lot of winning the past two decades, including five Super Bowls (one of which came against the Falcons, a team that I support through the good and Make You Want To Vomit bad).

They can afford a moment of heartbreak in the regular season, because we’ll probably see them deep in the postseason, if not at another Super Bowl.

Let’s get to the other things from Week 14.

Patrick Mahomes is our first AND1 mixtape quarterback

Patrick Mahomes is perfect, outside of his affection for ketchup on everything he eats. He’s so good it’s just stupid.

Look at this fucking no-look pass:

Go ahead and put Mahomes in the Hall of Fame RIGHT NOW. pic.twitter.com/6JWqATKFT6

— Clay Wendler (@ClayWendler) December 9, 2018

That’s just one of many good passes that he made on Sunday. I know we all acknowledge how good Mahomes is, but it is well and truly insane that this 23-year-old in his first season as a starter is doing the things that he is doing.

More offense in the NFL is good, but what makes Mahomes special is his ability to make it look as easy as he does and flex like that mid-game.

Mark Ingram dragged a guy

The Buccaneers were having their way with the Saints for much of Sunday’s game. Then, the Saints remembered who they were and who their opponent was and put up 17 fourth quarter points for the 28-14 win.

In the middle of all that, Mark Ingram took Andrew Adams for a ride.

That's embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/1rnpV6wGBF

— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) December 9, 2018

It’s honestly unfortunate that the Bucs had guys around to stop Ingram. With that momentum, there’s no telling how far he would have taken him.

Luckily for Adams, that’s not the most embarrassing thing to happen to somebody in that particular defensive backfield this year.

"No son, get out of my way" pic.twitter.com/viIQnxehPN

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 25, 2018

Still funny.

The Steelers wasted another awesome play in a loss

The Raiders have been Big Trash this season. Each Sunday there is usually a game that I had no idea went on, and that game usually involves either the Raiders or the Cardinals. But we couldn’t ignore the Raiders on Sunday, because they beat the Steelers in a very silly ending.

After the Raiders scored a late touchdown, the Steelers ran this amazing hook and ladder play with five seconds left to set up a field goal.

Here's that amazing #Steelers hook and ladder #HereWeGo @steelers @TeamJuJu pic.twitter.com/WaMnTYt4ni

— Gabriel Schray PXP (@schrayguy) December 10, 2018

On the next play, Chris Boswell slipped on that notoriously bad O.Co field, and the Raiders got the dub.

The @Raiders get the WIN. Wow. #PITvsOAK pic.twitter.com/ayIbTJC4dC

— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2018

That’s the second time in three weeks now that the Steelers have used a great play in a loss, with the other being their fake field goal touchdown to Alejandro Villanueva.

IT'S A FAKE! And it's SIX!@Steelers K @WizardOfBoz09 just threw a TD to Alejandro Villanueva : CBS #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/bH5eV2TcCw

— NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2018

Hopefully they’ve got more tricks in the bag though, because they’ve been really good.

P.S., I can’t mention the Steelers-Raiders game without dropping in this absurd catch from Smith-Schuster earlier in the game.

TOE TAP OF THE YEAR @TeamJuJu x #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/Tl07it8ZZs

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 9, 2018

The footwork was so good that even D4L would be impressed.

OK hold on, one more wild ending from Sunday

The Cowboys and Eagles went into overtime in a game that might end up deciding who wins the NFC East. A tie was looming with just two minutes to go in overtime, until this Dak Prescott pass bounced off of the Eagles’ Rasul Douglas for an Amari Cooper touchdown.

AMARI COOPER FOR THE WIN. pic.twitter.com/oo6CC5I58T

— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2018

Amari Cooper’s season has been saved by the trade to the Cowboys. In five games with the Raiders, he had 22 catches for 280 yards and a touchdown. With the Cowboys, he’s got 40 catches, 642 yards, and six touchdowns.

Sometimes all people need is a change of scenery.

Adam Vinatieri is old

We didn’t need photo evidence to come to this conclusion. Adam Vinatieri has been around and kicking since before instant replay was used in the NFL. His career is just one year younger than both the Jaguars and the Panthers. He’s old.

But I did not expect this snowy beard:

Santa getting to work on that Christmas beard @adamvinatieri pic.twitter.com/7zKEO9jKWd

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) December 9, 2018

Vinatieri should lean into the old man thing, and let the beard grow long. He’s turning 46 on December 28. If he plays a few more years, we’ll have a kicker who looks like Dumbledore.

Washington got absolutely waxed by the Giants

There’s nothing really that stands out from this game other than the fact that this happened:

One more to go. #NYGvsWAS pic.twitter.com/L8inEYX6XU

— New York Giants (@Giants) December 9, 2018

Washington got two fourth quarter touchdowns thanks to Josh Johnson, making it a 40-16 final. Eli Manning threw for three touchdowns, Saquon Barkley had 170 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

The Giants have now won four of their last five, which is weird considering how terrible they looked earlier this season. This is all leading up to another year or Eli Manning, which doesn’t seem like the best idea.

This was the most interesting part of Lions-Cardinals, which is apparently a game that happened

Matt Patricia isn’t exactly a hard guy to look like, but this was pretty good:

See ya next week!

OTHER THINGS FROM WEEK 14 IN THE NFL

Interim Packers coach Joe Philbin burned through his challenges 83 seconds into his debut.

LOOK AT THESE F***ING INCREDIBLE PATRICK MAHOMES THROWS.

A little more depth on Gronk being on the field on the final play of Pats-Dolphins.

George Kittle had a monster game.