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therentyoupay · 3 months ago

Note

How would you write Elsa falling first? I absolutely adore your loser Jack pining after put together Elsa, but how would you reverse their roles?

i promise i promise i did not mean to write a one-shot for this. and i SWEAR it is ACTUALLY a one-shot. it is the OLD-SCHOOL definition of a one-shot, because i opened this ask and thought, aw, wouldn't it be cute if i just wrote a little tiny ficlet to illustrate an example of this scenario instead? and then out came 5,297 words. in one sitting. in ONE SHOT.

i would also like the record to show that i LOVED this challenge, i love trying out new scenarios or styles that subvert all the habits i've gotten myself into over the past decade or so!! thank you for this ask!! and, also, let the record show, that even as i wrote a full 5k+ of fic leading up to a "she falls first, he falls harder" scenario, i still couldn't quite hit the mark... in this case, i think it's open to interpretation as to whether she falls first, or they fall at the same time. 🤣 ENJOY. p.s. LOSER JACK?? LMAO WHAT IS THIS

“Watch your head—“

She ducked just in time, narrowly avoiding the churning of what appeared to be a factory conveyor belt gone awry. A tiny creature smaller than even a Norwegian Mountain Troll cried out in dismay as a cascade of nutcrackers fell into a sorting bin meant for what appeared to be that latest handheld gaming device—the Swap, or something.

Elsa grinned at the chaos surrounding her—little elves scolding one another, scurrying about—and wasn’t the slightest bit embarrassed to see the Pooka—Bunnymund—grinning in delight at her delight.

(I told you, his eyes seemed to say, as he gestured for her to continue ahead of him through the vast workshop chamber toward the office tucked away in the back. You wouldn’t regret it, if you came with me.)

Without giving him the satisfaction—yet—Elsa merely took in all the productivity around them, and let her gaze sparkle with the Wonder she knew was in them; dryly, she marveled, “It’s July.”

“Christmas doesn’t take holidays, mate,” Bunny winked. “Especially not here.”

Elsa stuck her courage to the sticking place as they approached the office—the door was slightly ajar. No matter what happens, Elsa inhaled and exhaled; you can always go back to Ahtohallan, to Antarctica.

You don’t have to stay here—with them.

Strengthened by this truth, Elsa squared her shoulders and softened her face into something curious and approachable as Bunny opened the door, not bothering to knock.

“OI.” Bunny stepped through the office, holding the door wide, which allowed Elsa to wait at the threshold—suspended between two worlds, two moments, two paths… perhaps two different lives.

“WHAT—Bunny, how many times I say, KNOCK, this program, it is DELICATE—“

“I got a delivery,” Bunny interrupted, and his whole body flinched at the look she gave him, “Er. I mean. I got someone here who you might wanna meet.”

And if Elsa had known then what she knew now, she would have realized in that moment (when North laid eyes on her that July evening in the middle of his work on the newest rollout of the popular role-playing video game—the Sums, or something) that, truly, the future was always in motion, her path already treaded, and—despite all her beliefs, her past, her heartbroken memories—her heart was already preparing to have two homes.

Elsa had visited plenty of warm—tropical, arid, sweltering—and chaotic, sprawling places in her travels, but none quite compared to the utter bustle of the Workshop.

Over the next three weeks of her stay, Elsa grew accustomed to the factory’s noises, to the bickering between the elves and their strange adoration for her, to the yeti’s curious questions about her years at the south pole. They asked relentless questions about the melting ice caps, the fierce predators, and the tiny human-made stations; she answered them as best she could, having wandered Antarctica for only half a decade before Bunnymund happened to find her at the tip of Cape Adare. When she tried to explain that she was much more familiar with the Arctic, they listened politely, but they were clearly much less interested in land so close to home. They also had the strangest custom of bringing her icicles when they returned from their perimeter patrols; she was growing quite a large collection of them in the guest room in the Main House.

The others—called Guardians, she learned—flitted in and out of this headquarters at seemingly all times of day.

Sandy was shocked and delighted to see her again; they’d run into each other just once during the late 1940s, and only when Elsa was passing through a city—Barcelona, if Memory served—to familiarize herself with the changing of the times as quickly as possible.

Sandy made no delay in giving her a much more insightful tour of the Workshop than North’s exuberant one had been, which had focused rather on not-so-subtle hints at how wonderful a life it was to be a Guardian, and such wonderful news it was to hear that Elsa was intrigued by Bunnymund’s offer to meet them, and so wonderful that Elsa had been spending all these years doing all that she could to explore the wonders of the world.

(North was lovely, and welcoming, and fierce—and so boisterous!

And not subtle at all.)

After a few days of visiting the Workshop, Elsa grew comfortable enough to truly relax as she roamed its halls, visited the various stages of production, and occasionally caught up with Bunny as he flitted in and out of the Shop (“Easter is on Holiday!” he’d said, with another wink). She dined with North and his team of merry workers, often with Bunny, who, she learned, was rather too fond of eggnog, and sometimes with Sandy as well.

After only a few hours into Sandy’s first visit, Elsa allowed herself to laugh with her whole chest at the ridiculous antics, the absurdity of it all, the bickering among Sandy, and North, and Bunny—and allowed herself to be endeared by the clear respect they held for one another, by the lightness in the air, the distinct sensation of family. That night, Elsa didn’t immediately retreat to her room after dinner, as she normally would have.

The Memories were not so painful, here.

And their stories!

They regaled her each night over (and after) dessert—about this horrid creature named Pitch Black, about the Moon, about the Battle of Burgess—they all sounded like fairytales to Elsa, even if she, herself, had practically been living in one for nearly two hundred odd years.

The others told her of two other coalition members who fought beside them—both of whom were exceptionally busy, and who would not be journeying to the North Pole again until it was time to celebrate the Equinox.

Elsa was curious about Toothiana—and anxious, about the Memories she protected—and especially curious about the Guardian named Jack…

Frost.

She did not shy away from asking more about him—Elsa had far too little time to worry about such silly fears like embarrassment; immortality was funny like that—and her curiosity grew with each tale she heard. The Guardians spoke of Jack with a mix of fondness and exasperation—his mischievous nature, his loyalty, how bloody annoying he is, I tell ya, that’s what I say.

Elsa could not help but laugh at Bunny’s pervasive frustration with his teammate; his respect for Jack was clear, even if his patience was not.

Still… she had been wandering the world for over 200 years, and in all that time, she had never encountered any others like her, and certainly not anyone especially like her.

The thought of meeting someone who might understand, who might have powers like hers, stirred something deep within her— something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

She caught Bunny staring at her in the midst of a reverie by the fire during an after-dinner coffee, so she crisply declared, “Don’t say it.”

“What’s that, Ice-pop? Sorry, couldn’t quite hear you over all of that Hope in your heart.”

Bunny, Elsa learned, was used to ducking snowballs.

Later that evening, as she stood by one of the desperately-tall windows in the corridor leading to her guest quarters—watching the snowflakes drift lazily from the sky—Elsa couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to actually meet him.

The thought of Jack—a potential ally? a friend? a teammate?—occupied her mind more and more as the days passed, and with each story the Guardians told, Elsa found herself hoping that this Jack Frost—a teacher? a guide? a confidant?—would be looking forward to meeting her, too.

Sometimes, late at night, she would lie awake and wonder what it would be like to have someone in her life who understood her powers as deeply as she did. She imagined his face, always in motion, always just out of reach, and felt a strange sense of—Hope? Elsa rolled her eyes at the ceiling. Anticipation? Perhaps.

Fear?

In these quiet moments, she found her spirit reaching out, as if she could almost call to him—but of course, he was completely out of reach, never having met her before, and likely, perhaps, not even knowing that she existed until only recently... But her heart would quicken at the idea of meeting this person like her, of seeing his eyes—what color?—filled with the same understanding, the same longing for connection that she felt.

What would he think of her? Would he see the strength she had built over centuries? Or would he only see the loneliness that still clung to her, despite all her efforts to cast it aside?

The questions swirled in her mind, mingling with a strange sense of exhilaration that made her feel both alive and vulnerable.

She could almost hear the laughter they might share, the way their powers could dance together in the air, creating something beautiful, something new.

And in those moments, she couldn’t help but smile, imagining a world where she wasn’t alone, where someone else could stand beside her in the snow, not as an adversary—

But as an equal.

“And did he wield ice magic as a human, as well?” Elsa pressed over after-dinner coffee in the drawing room, leaning forward in her chair near the fireplace. North’s giant hands were absurdly large compared to his delicate teacup. “Before he became a Guardian?”

“As a matter of fact—no. The power came later, AFTER Turning.”

Elsa considered his words carefully. Something about his expression seemed rather cagey; centuries of reading strangers’ faces had only honed her political prowess, which had been born out of survival as much as any sense of duty.

“North, tell me: why do you want me to join the Guardians?”

“I—ah! ELSA—

“Because ya’d be mighty good at it!” Bunny blurted, calling over from his newspaper reading on the other side of the drawing room, to North’s indignant sputtering, “if you wisened up and stopped hiding all Hope and Wonder!” And then, as an afterthought, “And it’ll keep Jack humble, I reckon!”

“ASTER!” North scolded fiercely, but he set the tiniest teacup down with the tiniest clink and placed the saucer on the coffee table with such deliberate care, even in his fit of anger, that Elsa couldn’t hold back a small, genuine smile.

“Dont’cha worry, Ice-Pop,” Bunny told her later, as they stood in the wide, cold corridor leading into the main entry chamber of the Workshop, where Bunny preferred to open his portals. Elsa quirked a brow at him, and he chuckled. ��We’re not here to actually convince ya. We just want you to see that there’s another option. This Choice… well. Guardians gotta make it for themselves.”

She still had too many questions. How is it that I had never crossed paths with any of you but Sandy, before?

How is it that I have managed to avoid Pitch for all these years?

Why me? What can I really offer—when you already have someone who can already do what I do?

“You still have time before you have to decide. And you need to meet the rest, anyway. Just think about it, is all,” he said, all his wisdom seeping into the very air around them. He cracked open a portal and, a moment later, he was gone.

“Oh!” said an utterly beautiful creature, her wings fluttering with so much excitement and delight that she was practically vibrating. “You must be Elsa!”

Elsa and Toothiana took to one another with surprising ease; time had steadied Elsa’s heart, had taught her the patience and endurance and the strength of a glacier; time had energized Toothiana, who took charge of the world with her vast army and a wide smile. But it had been so long since Elsa had even felt anything remotely similar to the feel of holding onto her sister—and Toothiana understood, completely.

Toothiana shared stories of her own—a whirlwind of adventures collecting memories and moments, each one a treasure she held dear.

(Toothiana's eyes softened as she took Elsa's hands in her own, her understanding gentle yet firm. "I know what it’s like to carry the weight of Memories, Elsa," Toothiana whispered, her voice a comforting balm. "But here, with us, you don’t have to carry them alone. We’re all in this together, and we’ll help you find your way.”)

And Elsa found herself starting to believe her.

To Believe in them.

When the Guardians gathered around the fire—taking time, they said, to ensure that past mistakes were never repeated, that they carved out time for themselves the way they never used to—the conversation inevitably turned to their adventures, to answering Elsa's questions. Somehow, Jack always seemed to be at the center of their tales.

She was rather alarmed to realize the extent to which she had begun to wait for these moments, eager to hear more about Jack, piecing together an image of him in her mind that was as elusive as snowflakes on the wind. Why on earth does not a single Guardian commission a portrait, for goodness’ sake? But Elsa dared not ask for a Memory; apparently, there were still some things left worth being too embarrassed to ask for, after all.

So she contented herself with the way Sandy would add details to the story that the others had forgotten, conjuring up glowing scenes of Jack’s playful antics in vague, golden sand—flurries of snowflakes, intricate frost patterns on windows, and the gleeful laughter of children echoing through the air.

She would find all their efforts rather suspicious… if they weren’t all being so utterly obvious about their Hopes.

Thus, one evening, as they were all gathered around the fire, Elsa couldn’t help but ask, “How did Jack become a Guardian?”

Bunny’s keen eye sharpened upon her cheek; she withstood the scrutiny, allowing him no further entry to her mind, as he added, “Jack was chosen by the Moon, like the rest of us.”

“But Jack…” Toothiana’s voice was soft and somber and unusually serious; the atmosphere in the room shifted, its axis tilting ever so slightly. “He had a harder time accepting it. At first! That is.”

“Took him a while to figure out, is all,” Bunny held his boomerang up to the light, checking the polish. “He came around, eventually.”

“Why?” Elsa asked, genuinely curious.

Sandy floated closer, his golden sand forming an image of a young boy standing alone in the snow, his face a mixture of confusion and sorrow. The image flickered, and the boy’s expression shifted to one of determination and hope.

“Not easy for Jack, his Turning was,” North said, his voice softening. “Not easy for any of us… But Jack had no Memories of his past, no knowledge why he was Chosen. It wasn’t until centuries after his Turning that he found his center.”

“His center?” Elsa echoed, intrigued.

“FUN!” North boomed, smiling, and sending teacups clattering everywhere. Elsa clutched her saucer with both hands. “But not just ANY fun—bringing joy and wonder to children, making them BELIEVE in magic and in themselves. THAT is Jack’s true power!”

Elsa considered this as Bunny complained about dropping his boomerang polish and spilling it all over the carpet. Toothiana was laughing at him and offering to help in equal turns, as Elsa’s mind turned over the implications of centers—and Jack’s in particular. She had spent so long searching for her own purpose, her own… center? Do I have one? As well? Is that why Bunny had found her, out alone at the edge of the iceberg, at the exact moment when she had let it all go, had accepted that she may never find her purpose, that perhaps she did not have one—was that the moment that they had been waiting for?

And now, here in this team, Elsa might soon meet someone who had also once struggled with the same questions, who had found his answers in the most unexpected ways… It makes me, dare I say it… Wonder...

She glanced at the Guardians, each of them so sure of their place, their role in the world, with all their quirks and their trust and their happiness. They had found their centers, their reasons for being. And Jack—this mysterious figure who was off wreaking havoc in some apparently historic winter season in New England—had somehow found the same. She wanted to know more about this spirit who had lived in solitude for so long, who had found a family among these remarkable beings, and who wielded the same icy power she did, yet in a way so different from her own—or, at least, so they thought. Nobody could quite seem to explain to her the exact mechanics of it all.

The more she heard about him, the more she felt a growing need to meet him. She caught herself imagining what their first meeting might be like—whether he would be as mischievous as they said, or if they would take a liking to one another right away, bonded by their similar powers, their similar stories… Perhaps he might help her make sense of… all this? Maybe there was something in him that could help her understand herself better. Maybe he could be… another friend? An ally. A partner. Elsa did not care about the name; what mattered was only that they could learn from each other.

But still. She could not quite deny that her excitement at the chance of meeting him was, perhaps, a bit more complicated than all that.

“I still don't understand. You already have someone whose powers are like mine,” Elsa pointed out reasonably, just when the others had started to turn the conversation to simpler matters. “How could I possibly contribute?”

Bunny barked with laughter from the other side of the circle, over the recipe book he was now reading, preparing for their grand dinner to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. Sandy giggled in golden, sparkling shimmers. North’s laughter was as reassuring as it was alarming.

“ELSIE, my dear,” North boomed as he strode closer to the wing-backed chairs that Toothiana and Elsa were hoarding by the fire, just under the wide window of the central tower, which overlooked the northern tundra. “It is not about powers alone! It is CENTERS.”

“And besides!” Bunny called out over his recipe book, adjusting his reading glasses over the bridge of his twitching nose. She could feel his cheekiness from the other side of the room, but Elsa was particularly amused by the way Toothiana’s whole body tensed up in preparation for Bunny’s antics. “You’re the better deal on both fronts, anyway!”

Toothiana scolded him for the next five minutes but hardly put any real fire into it, and North’s voice echoed throughout the study (“Now, now, Bunny—Jack has only been with us for two years now—and he has done SPLENDID job—“), and Sandy had already fallen asleep in his preferred winged-back chair by the fire, lulled into a nap by the comforting sound of his fellow Guardians arguing over something utterly ridiculous.

Late that night, as Toothiana hastily prepared for departure and her return to her endless work, she caught Elsa by surprise.

“We’ll understand if you would rather return,” Toothiana was gracious, so considerate in her efforts to not step on painful Memories, to not push Elsa too hard or too fast, too soon. “We recognize that this choice, this Oath, is not for everyone. But we hope you’ll consider it.”

Elsa nodded, appreciating the understanding in Tooth's eyes, though she couldn’t quite find the words to express it. The kindness and patience offered—by all of them—made her feel both comforted and conflicted; this was a choice she had to make for herself, but knowing she wouldn’t be judged either way brought a small measure of peace.

Toothiana let out a knowing smile that Elsa didn’t quite understand.

Two days before the Autumnal Equinox, the North Pole was strangely quiet; all others were out and about and attending to their centers, preparing their final tasks before they would all meet for the celebration, here in North’s home.

She thus found herself wandering the hallways alone, her footsteps echoing softly against the stone floor, thinking of the word home, and how it had changed for her over the years—first, her kingdom; then, her sister; then, the secrets that lay in the depths of Ahtohallan, and then nowhere at all.

What was home?

She paused in front of a large, intricately carved door she hadn’t noticed before. There was something inviting about it, something that called to her curiosity. Without thinking, she reached out and pushed it open, stepping into a room bathed in a soft, ethereal glow.

The room was a gallery of sorts, filled with shelves upon shelves of intricate snow globes, each one containing a different scene—some of them cheerful, others serene, and a few that looked like they were mid-snowstorm. Elsa moved closer, her breath catching as she realized what she was seeing. Each snow globe was a memory—not one of Toothiana’s collections of course, but rather, a moving picture—a small clip of some film, captured in glass and suspended in time.

She reached out to touch one that was particularly beautiful—a snow globe depicting a small village blanketed in fresh snow, children playing and laughing as they built snowmen and threw snowballs. The scene was so vivid, so real, that she could almost hear their laughter.

“Beautiful, no?” a voice said softly from behind her.

Elsa turned to see North standing in the doorway, a fond smile on his face as he watched her.

“They’re not Memories,” Elsa whispered, more to herself than to him. “They’re… Reminders.”

“Yes. They help with the Wonder, of course.”

Elsa couldn’t move her gaze away from the glass again. “Whose are they?”

North stepped into the room, his presence filling the space with genuine warmth, with joy. “They belong to all of us. The children, the Guardians… and a few others.”

He gestured to a shelf on the far wall, where a single snow globe sat, slightly larger than the others. It depicted a lone figure standing in the middle of a frozen lake, surrounded by a dense forest. Snowflakes danced around him, but there was a sadness to the scene, a loneliness that tugged at Elsa’s heart. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch the glass.

“That one,” North said softly, “also belongs to Jack.”

Elsa’s breath caught. She had heard so much about him, yet she still knew so little. The thought of him, alone in this beautiful but desolate scene, stirred something deep within her.

Are you someone out there who's a little bit like me?

Who knows deep down I'm not where I'm meant to be?

“Yes, he’s been through much,” North continued, his voice gentle, washing over Elsa’s rapidly-blinking thoughts, through the strange swell of sadness that swam through her chest. “But he IS strong, and has found his place among us. Still, there are parts of him that are… sometimes, difficult to reach. Things that… perhaps… someone may help… heal?”

Elsa side-eyed him, beneath her lashes. “You are growing less subtle each day, I fear.”

His boisterous laugh told her he wasn’t deterred in the slightest.

“Elsa, when few more centuries you have, you too shall learn when to drop SUBTLETY. No?”

Haven’t I already? But she humored him with a smile instead.

“Whatever you decide—we will support you, your Majesty.”

Elsa’s smile slipped, without her meaning to. Throat thick, she whispered, “No one has called me by that title for a very long time.”

Her eyes pricked with tears as North stepped closer to her, looking down at her—the way her father used to. The way her father might have, had he lived long enough to see her step into her own power, at last.

“I do not call you Majesty because you were Queen, or Snow Queen; I say because I remind you that what you have, and what you are, at your center, is FULL of that which makes living so majestic. It is my sincere wish that—“ and Elsa inhaled at the strange expression that passed his face, the soft mix of hope and resignation all at once— “You will choose the Oath with your full heart.”

Elsa wanted to thank him, but she didn’t want to lie; before she could settle on the perfect breath of diplomacy, North patted her shoulder in reassurance, and left the gallery, leaving Elsa with all the Reminders that were not hers, but insisted she be strong, anyway.

She gazed into the large snow globe, at the figure standing alone on the frozen lake in the deep forest, and Wondered, truly, for the first time, This was also my past…

Will I also find my future here, too?

The Equinox arrived, at last. Elsa had fashioned herself a dress for the occasion, and the excitement buzzing through the Workshop was palpable—everywhere she turned, there were smiles and knowing glances exchanged between the elves and the yetis, as if they all shared a secret that she was just on the cusp of understanding, but not quite privy to.

Elsa did not startle at Bunny’s sudden entrance behind her, but it was a near thing.

“Stop twitching,” Bunny muttered as he sidled up beside her, at the window, where she was watching the horizon and waiting for the other Guardians to arrive. When she glanced up at him, she found his nose twitching in nervous anticipation. “Don’t overthink it, Ice-pop. Jack’s a handful, but he’s got a good heart.”

“Oh? No further jabs at your friendly foe?”

“Nah,” Bunny grinned. “Today, I’m on my best behavior. Scout’s honor.”

“You mean ‘Toothy’s honor’.”

“Aye, that too.”

She considered pointing out that his nose was equally twitchy, but she let it slide.

Elsa understood.

And that understanding grew as some of the Guardians started to all trickle in at once; Toothiana sent wide glances about and around the room upon her arrival, and later, as she fussed with the elves’ itineraries, kept catching Bunny’s eye when they thought Elsa was not looking; Sandy checked his watch repeatedly after greeting them all with warm, sandy hugs; perhaps he was conscientious of the time… and yet… North’s laughter was too loud to be completely genuine. Elsa was beginning to understand the true purpose of tonight, swiftly and deeply; this night was no mere dinner, and no simple introduction. Tonight was an audition. An interview.

A trial.

At this point, Elsa didn’t even mind the inquisition; she just wanted it to start.

The storm outside had been raging for over an hour, and yet there was still no sign of Jack. The wind howled, whipping snow into frenzied swirls that danced and spun against the windows of North’s Workshop. The Guardians stood by the large bay window, watching the tempest with a mixture of awe and concern. Elsa had seen far fiercer storms before… but seeing this storm here, now…?

Elsa didn’t know what to think.

“Where do you suppose he is?” Toothiana murmured, her wings fluttering nervously as she peered out at the swirling snow. “When I got off the globe with him a few hours ago, he’d been in a good mood! Do you think he got distracted along the way?”

Sandy nodded, his golden sand forming an image of a snowflake, delicate and intricate, before it dispersed into the air. North stroked his beard thoughtfully, his gaze never leaving the storm.

“Such a nuisance,” Bunny agreed, his ears twitching as he squinted into the whiteout. “But he’ll wear himself out soon enough. Let’s get started, shall we?”

“Perhaps we might,” North rumbled, his voice filled with a deep, resonant certainty. “Jack may wish to make GRAND entrance—”

Elsa stood slightly apart from the others while they discussed, her eyes fixed on the tempest outside. The storm’s power called to something deep within her, something she recognized and understood. She had created countless storms like this, back in her darker days, when her emotions had been a force she couldn’t control. Here, she’d wanted to be a good guest, so it had been a month since she’d truly put her powers to proper use, out in the relative safety of the deep Antarctic deserts. But this…

There was a wildness to it, a reckless abandon. This storm wasn’t about emotion. It was—it’s—

He’s playing!

Just as the words passed through her mind, a voice suddenly piped up behind them, casual and completely out of place in the loud, bustling, tense atmosphere.

“What are y’all looking at?”

The Guardians turned as one, startled by the unexpected intrusion. There, leaning against a large shepherd’s crook, was someone who could be none other than Jack Frost—his expression one of casual amusement as he took in the scene before him. He had somehow appeared without a sound.

The room, which had been brimming with anticipation, fell into a moment of stunned silence, then burst back into noise and life in the very next breath.

Elsa blinked, her heart still racing from the intensity of the storm and the weight of her expectations. But now, seeing Jack standing there, looking so nonchalant and distant, she didn’t know whether to laugh or feel disappointed. He was lean, with his staff slung over his shoulder, and there was an air of mischief about him, tempered by something darker, something cautious.

North was the first to fully recover, letting out a booming laugh that overpowered the other surprised voices in the room. “Jack, you never fail to surprise us! We were just admiring your WORK outside, no?”

Jack grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “Oh, that? Yeah, just setting the mood.”

Bunny rolled his eyes, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You’re a menace, Frostbite. You know that?”

Jack shrugged, his grin widening. “Just doing my job.”

Elsa felt a strange mix of emotions as she watched the easy banter between Jack and the other Guardians. She realized, perhaps too late, that she had built up this moment in her mind, imagining a dramatic, powerful entrance that would define their first meeting. Instead, she was faced with the reality of Jack Frost: a mischievous, irreverent spirit who seemed to take very little seriously, including the storm he had unleashed.

It was at that moment—in her quiet evaluation, her unexplained disappointment, her curious, lingering hope—that Jack caught her gaze.

Blue.

The playful expression slipped away, just for a flash; his blue eyes met hers, and she saw something there amidst the lingering laughter—something raw and guarded, something that told her that, like her, he was grappling with his own mixed expectations.

For a fleeting moment, Elsa’s breath caught in her throat, not just from the intensity of his gaze, but from the unexpected warmth that spread through her, as if she’d been touched by a sudden gust of spring wind.

“Jack, Jack, my boy, come—meet Elsa! Our dear Elsa—this is Jack, our newest Guardian.”

Elsa’s heart leapt into her throat. The room seemed to hold its breath as Jack hesitated—and then he stepped forward, approaching them at the window; Elsa stood patiently at Bunny’s side, watching Jack’s tousled white hair catch the light of the whiteout outside, watching as his blue eyes deliberately scanned the decorations around the room.

Jack Frost… ?

Elsa waited, patient as a glacier as Jack’s smirking gaze flickered over the gathered Guardians as he reached them, and he saluted North with a deliberately careless air. His smirking gaze lingered on each of them before finally landing on hers.

“Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he replied. His tone was not unkind, but deliberately casual. “New Guardian, right? They’ve been talking about you non-stop.”

There was a hint of something sharp in his voice, and Elsa felt a pang of anxiety, which she pushed down; Bunny was covering his muttering face with his hand, and Toothiana was rolling her eyes to the ceiling in dismay—or perhaps prayer. Elsa quickly assessed the crisp stare and the hard line of his jaw; she’d been hoping for warmth, for understanding, but what she found in Jack’s gaze was something closer to suspicion.

Keeping her gaze on his, trying to ease the tension she could feel coiling between them, she softly corrected, “I’m not a Guardian.”

At least, not yet…

Or so I…

Elsa felt her chin raise; old habits falling back into place; perfect and pretty and polite, all smooth ice underneath; an effective mask for a Queen.

“I’m here on an invitation,” she said softly, and knew that he would not see the ice daggers in her eyes; not yet, although she was certain he was looking for them. “I’m very grateful to North and all of you for hosting me in honor of this autumnal celebration.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

That is suspicion there, isn’t it? And guardedness… He was trying hard to hide something behind a facade of coolness—some debonair indifference. Elsa recognized the act immediately but played along because there was something else there, too, something that made her heart ache with a familiar loneliness. I’m an ally, she tried to impress upon him through nothing more than the thought. Enough of this!

I could be a friend!

But then, Toothiana swooped in, her wings fluttering with a cheerful energy that instantly distracted them—if not immediately lifting the mood.

“Well! Isn’t this just the perfect way to spend the Equinox?” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together, drawing their attention away from one another; Elsa was grateful for Toothiana’s quick thinking, her impressive tact. “Jack, I’m sure you’re energized and starving for a glass of eggnog after all that storm-making. Let’s not waste any more time!”

“Uh, did Bunny make it?”

“What’s it to ya, you little twerp?” Bunny shot back, narrowing his eyes with mock suspicion.

Jack grinned, the tension easing slightly as he fell into what must have been familiar banter. “Just making sure it’s safe, is all. Wouldn’t want our guest of honor to get sick on her first night here.”

“Actually, she’s been here for over a month now—“

Elsa watched the exchange (Jack was rolling his eyes) with a mixture of amusement and relief and… unease. (Toothiana’s interruption had indeed worked wonders, shifting the focus away from the awkwardness of their initial encounter and giving everyone, including herself, a chance to breathe.)

(And yet… the warmth of the room contrasted sharply with the chill still clinging to her thoughts.)

As they all moved toward the dining room, Elsa fell in step beside Toothiana, grateful for the other Guardians’ subtle (for once!) alliance and support. She marveled at how, even two centuries since her last political summit, Elsa still remembered every step of walking into a political negotiation; Elsa knew how to navigate delicate situations, how to read the subtlest shifts in tone, how to win.

Elsa had always been a fine Reader of the Room; centuries of invisibility had only strengthened her skills.

And so the Trial begins…

This first impression was a test—one she intended to pass.

And although Jack started to relax once they were all seated and well into the evening—his guarded expression giving way to something more genuine as he bantered with Bunny and teased North about his over-the-top decorations—the knots in Elsa’s stomach remained.

How could she make him see that she wasn’t here to replace him—but to find her own place among them?

The Guardians fell into their usual rhythm as they ate and laughed together, the conversation flowing (mostly) easily between them. Elsa, too, had found her own rhythm with the Guardians during her month-long stay, understanding certain inside jokes and the fascinating nuances of their personalities. But even as she joined in their laughter, the tension between her and Jack was palpable, thicker than the winter storm raging outside.

She observed how Jack's eyes flicked between her and the other Guardians, his smile not quite reaching his eyes as he noted instances of the easy familiarity she had developed with them over the previous weeks. He joked along with everyone else, but there was a sharpness to his tone, occasionally—and it seemed that all the other Guardians could clearly tell, even if they were choosing to ignore it with varying degrees of patience… and understanding.

Elsa could feel him measuring every word she said, every laugh she shared with the others. It wasn’t just that she was new or unfamiliar—it was that she had quickly become a part of something that Jack had spent years, perhaps centuries, building with them.

All of the Guardians’ assurances and encouragement over the past month had not hinted at the true nature of their concern; Elsa realized quite quickly that this rift wasn’t something that could be resolved with pleasantries or polite conversation.

Winning his trust wouldn’t come easily—it would demand more than just time; it would require something deeper.

Later that night, after everyone had retired to their quarters or gone out for their evenings of work, Elsa found herself wandering the halls of North’s Workshop, her mind a whirl of thoughts and emotions, as was her wont.

The evening had not exactly gone to plan, but she supposed it could have been worse. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Jack still viewed her as a threat. It bothered her more than she cared to admit. She’d need to discuss it with Toothiana tomorrow. Perhaps they might lend me a snow globe?

As she rounded a corner, headed toward the snow globe Reminder gallery, she nearly collided with Jack himself—who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He was leaning casually against the wall, his staff resting on his shoulder, but there was a tension in his posture that belied his relaxed demeanor.

He’d been waiting for her.

“Jack,” she said, startled but keeping her voice steady; once more, familiar, old-fashioned patterns of politeness resurfaced in her moment of uncertainty. “I beg your pardon. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

He didn’t respond immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her. “Could say the same about you. Can’t sleep?”

Elsa hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. “Just... thinking. It’s been a lot to take in.”

Jack nodded, though he didn’t seem entirely convinced. He pushed himself off the wall and took a step closer, his expression unreadable. “You know, everyone seems pretty excited about you joining us. North, Bunny, even Tooth—they all think you’d be a great addition.”

She could hear the ‘but’ hanging in the air, unspoken but heavy between them; the way addition sounded like replacement.

Elsa squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze head-on. There was an intensity in his eyes, a challenge that sent a shiver down her spine, though she quickly attributed it to the cold. “Jack, I’m not here to replace you.”

The words hung in the air, sharp and clear. For a moment, Jack’s expression flickered, something vulnerable and upset flashing in his eyes before he quickly masked it with a smirk. “Who said anything about that?”

“No one—listen to me, I know you’re worried,” Elsa continued, refusing to let him deflect. “But you have no need to be. I’m not here to take your place. I’m here because…” Why am I here? “I was invited. I am simply getting to know you all better. I’ve been alone for some time.”

“Spare me the politicking,” Jack huffed, which, indeed, Elsa did take offense to. Especially since she genuinely had not been trying to be diplomatic; just careful.

Perhaps he didn’t believe her story… about being alone?

The idea was more painful than she expected.

Elsa’s eyes narrowed slightly, holding Jack’s gaze. “I’m not here to play games, Jack. I’m just looking for where I might belong—that is all.”

“Will you take the Oath, then? What’s your center?”

Elsa couldn’t explain it, but this struck her as an absurdly personal question. Still. She could recognize a caged animal when she saw one. So, Elsa took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his question press down on her. The idea of the Oath, of finding her center, had been something she had pondered endlessly since she’d learned of its existence—perhaps since her arrival, if she was being honest. But to be confronted with it so directly by Jack, someone who still seemed to see her as a rival, made it all the more daunting.

“I’m not sure,” she finally admitted, her voice quiet but steady. “I’ve been... trying to understand what it would mean for me to take the Oath, to become a Guardian.” She willed him to understand, at last. “It’s not something I want to rush into without being certain.”

Jack’s gaze remained fixed on her, his blue eyes sharp, but there was a flicker of something softer there—a recognition, perhaps, of the honesty in her words. “And your center?” he pressed. “Do you even know what it is yet?”

Elsa hesitated again, her thoughts swirling. A long time ago, she had known who she was, what she was meant to do. She’d thought so.

But after everything she had been through, all the loss, the isolation, and the rediscovery, she wasn’t sure if her center was what it once had been.

“Perhaps I might have, once,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. “But now... Regardless of whether or not I join you, I’d like to think that there is something at the core of why I am still here.”

“In the Workshop?”

“No, I mean… I mean here.”

Jack tilted his head, studying her with a mix of curiosity and caution. Something told her that she finally got through to him, just a little. Elsa felt herself feeling sympathy for him; even after becoming a Guardian, he was still filled with such…

Fear.

Doubt.

He didn’t respond immediately, his expression unreadable. For a brief, startling moment, she wondered what it would be like to stand by his side, to take the Oath together—as allies, as... something more?

She brushed the thought aside, but the idea lingered, persistent.

Then, finally, he let out a small, almost reluctant sigh. “It’s not easy, you know. Being a Guardian. Finding your center. It’s... it’s not something you just, like, stumble upon.”

“I understand,” Elsa said, her tone sincere. “But if there’s a chance that this is where I’m meant to be—then I’m willing to take that risk. I’m not interested in taking that away from you. You—you haven’t even seen what I can do yet! We don’t even know how much overlap we’d find in our powers, anyway!”

“You impressed Bunny in Antartica,” he practically accused. “That’s enough to say something, isn’t it?”

Elsa was trying her very best to remain steady and calm. “And what about you? What did it take for you to find your center?”

His eyes snapped back to hers, and for a moment, she saw something raw and unguarded in his gaze. “So they didn’t tell you everything, huh?”

She gaped at him. Honestly!

Elsa took a deep breath, steadying herself as she met Jack's gaze. "Jack, you’re being ridiculous. I’m not here to steal anything from you—certainly not your place among the Guardians. I haven’t even decided if—I don’t know if—“

“I already know you’re gonna join us,” he said, almost in a whisper, as if admitting something he hadn’t wanted to face.

“Oh?” Elsa raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. “And what makes you so sure?”

Jack hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching hers, and then, with a passion she hadn’t expected, he replied, “Because there’s nothing better. There’s nothing like it. It’s everything.”

Elsa was stunned by the raw intensity of his words, the conviction in his voice. She could see it in his eyes—this was more than just a responsibility, more than just a role for him. It was his purpose, his identity—his life, or whatever this agelessness was. For a moment, the air between them seemed to crackle with something unspoken, a deep understanding that went beyond words.

She felt her heart skip a beat, a strange mixture of emotions swirling within her—curiosity, admiration, and something else, something unfamiliar. Her pulse quickened.

Jack seemed to realize the weight of his words, and he quickly looked away, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Wait. I... I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting,” he said, his voice softer now, more hesitant. “I guess I’ve been... on edge, and I took it out on you. That wasn’t fair.”

Still shocked by how deeply his declaration affected her, how his passion stirred something within her that she hadn’t felt in a long time, Elsa softened at his apology, nodding slightly. “I… understand. And I accept your apology. I appreciate… you saying that. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to come home and see someone new in the middle of it all.”

Elsa thought she heard him laugh under his breath, mouthing the word Home—

Jack nodded, his shoulders relaxing just a bit. “Yeah... it is. Anyway. I’m tired. I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

Elsa watched him start to turn away, a sudden sense of urgency bubbling up inside her. “Jack, wait—”

He paused, glancing back at her, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. They were so wide, when they weren’t glaring!

“Shouldn’t we start over?” she asked, her voice gentler, almost tentative in her rush. She extended her hand toward him. “My name is Elsa. I happen to wield ice magic. E. Aster Bunnymund found me on an iceberg a few weeks ago as I was in the middle of creating a particularly notable blizzard, and he invited me to meet his friends, whom he loves and respects very much.”

Jack looked at her hand, then back at her face, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Slowly, a smirk crawled over his face.

“Alright, I’ll bite,” Jack floated closer, and Elsa held steady—stories or no stories, she had not been prepared to see him fly! “I’m Jack. I also happen to ‘wield’ ice and frost magic. Bunny did not find me on an iceberg, but I’m pretty sure he’d love to stick me in one. Nice to meet you, Elsa, who promises not to steal my spot on the A-team. Welcome to the madness,” and he reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a firm shake.

The moment their hands touched, a strange, electric current seemed to pass between them, and Elsa felt her breath hitch in her throat.

Oh—

He’s—he’s rather handsome, she realized with a start.

They held each other’s gaze for a moment longer than necessary, the air between them thick with something she could not, would not name.

Jack was the first to break the silence, his voice a little rougher than before. “Yeah... maybe we should—”

They let go of each other’s hands, but the sensation of his touch lingered, warm and unsettling. Elsa felt a flush creep up her cheeks, unsure of what to make of the emotions swirling inside her.

“Uh—goodnight, Elsa."

“Goodnight, Jack,” she replied, her voice steadier than she felt.

And with that, he turned and disappeared back into the shadows of the corridor, leaving Elsa standing alone in the soft glow of the snow globe gallery. She watched him go, a mix of hope and uncertainty swirling in her chest. The conversation had been difficult, but it had also been a step forward—a tentative, fragile step toward something more. Right?

As she turned back to her quarters, Elsa found herself tracing the line of his smirk in her mind, the curve of his jaw, the sharpness of his eyes—after weeks of wondering about what he might look like, might be like, she finally had the vision, the Memory of his face.

She rushed with the ornate door handle of her guest room, eager to be inside her room, alone, in the peace and quiet, and finally process the events of the evening, to reflect on all that she'd learned, she'd accomplished, she'd proved.

Exhausted by the sheer weight of so many careful decisions in so short a time, Elsa closed the door behind her with a deep sigh. Exhausted, yes, but also satisfied. She shut her eyes as she leaned against the back of the door and allowed herself a small, tentatively victorious grin, content in the knowledge that when she drifted off to sleep that night, the echoes of their meeting, their tentative truce would fill her mind; this moment gave her, indeed, a sense of Hope that she hadn’t felt in years...

But, in her mind, the Memory that lingered most vividly, as she tossed and turned—was his face.

ao3 ✨

#08192024 update #fixed some typos!!! some missing italics representing thoughts which i think tumblr ate!!!#jelsa #sanfangirl-cynicalromantic #I LOVE YOU LADY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPER THOUGHTFUL ASKS #therentyoupay two homes #therentyoupay fic #therentyoupay fic prompts #therentyoupay ask #ngl it's also so good for me to just write one-offs and ficlets and prompts every once in a while!!#A PALLTETTE CLEANSERRR #also spoiler alert if jack is not pining then ELSA IS THE ONE PINING LMAO

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hotvintagepoll · 9 months ago

Text

Propaganda

Virginia O'Brien (Panama Hattie, Til the Clouds Roll By, The Harvey Girls)—oh god I love a sarcastic deadpan bitch. She shows up in a lot of not-very-good 1940s/50s movies as a side character who Sings One Song and then Leaves, but it always brightens up the proceedings to have her come in looking like she wants to kill everybody before fucking off and doing it again somewhere else. She would absolutely do numbers in a modern sitcom.

Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones, Porgy and Bess, Island in the Sun)— The first Black actress to ever be nominated for best actress, Dorothy Dandridge was a groundbreaking actress who deserved better. She started her career as a singer, being put in a song-and-dance duo with her sister by their stage mother, and singing in soundies (I highly recommend cow cow boogie, it's adorable), proto-music videos. She started appearing as a featured singer in films. Her star was on the rise and she soon became a star solo performer. She continued acting, but had limited options because she refused to do stereotypical roles. She finally landed a starring role in Bright Road in 1953, but it was the movie Carmen Jones that truly cemented her as a star and sex symbol. Not to sound cheesy, but she literally sizzles on screen. You can't help but understand how poor Harry Belafonte gets caught in her trap, just look at her. This is the role that got her that Oscar nom. She didn't win cause I mean #OscarsSoWhite, but she was a sensation and continued starring in films, despite troubles in her life (including a shitty director bf who fucked with her career and a traumatizing pregnancy/delivery). Outside of her filmwork, she was also an activist, fighting against racism. She left behind an amazing legacy, and continues to inspire many actresses to this day (including also very hot first (and only) black woman to win best actress, Halle Berry).

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Virginia O'Brien:

youtube

Dorothy Dandridge propaganda:

Beautiful actress and hand-working and talented singer, she's especially notable for the number of firsts she accomplished such as the first African-American woman to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the first African-American woman to appear on the cover of Life magazine.

Dorothy Dandridge was a classic Hollywood triple threat, singing, dancing, and acting with the best of them. She was the first African American nominated for an academy award for Best Actress for her role in Carmen Jones and she was just jaw-droppingly beautiful.

youtube

this og of black film needs no introduction (star on the hollywood walk of fame anyone?), voice of an angel, heavenly features, just an overall stunning lady :)

Look at her!!! She is so unbelievably charismatic in Carmen, it’s insane. Her chemistry with Harry Belafonte is off the charts, and every time she puts another outdoor [sic] on it’s like ‘oh god this is a whole new level of stunning’ 🥵. She was so so talented, when she’s on screen I genuinely dare you to tear your eyes away from her. Deserves to be known so much better but due to Hollywood racism and a tough personal life she didn’t make it as big as she should have done. She’s incredible.

First Black actress to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress! Was the first choice for the role of Cleopatra that went to Elizabeth Taylor (we were ROBBED).

#dorothy dandrige #virginia o'brien #hotvintagepoll #ladies 1 #fuck that old woman #Youtube

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totowlff · 2 months ago

Text

chapter twenty — enough for us

➝ in the middle of the storm, toto reveal a new layer of himself to cassie

➝ word count: 3,4k

➝ warnings: mentions of childbirth and medical terms

➝ author’s note: the missing hours are over!

29 WEEKS Baby is running out of room in there, but you should still feel him squirming and moving regularly. If you haven't already, you should start doing daily kick counts once or even twice a day. On the symptoms front, varicose veins may be visible and your nails may be growing faster than usual.

Just a year ago, Cassie never saw herself having any reason to attend any sort of antenatal class, but here she was, sitting in one of the chairs arranged in a half-circle in a primary school classroom, eyes fixed on a table next to an easel.

There were a few things on the table, including a scale, measuring tape, an assortment of baby items — most of which she had her own of, sitting in the nearly-finished nursery at Toto’s house — and a doll the approximate weight and size of a newborn, used by the instructor in lieu of an actual baby.

The idea to attend the classes had come from Cassie's obstetrician, who had recommended that both she and Toto attend childbirth classes to prepare for Cassie’s delivery and for the first few weeks after the baby arrived. Cassie had mentioned that she was becoming increasingly anxious at one of her appointments, and her anxiety was growing as Ingrid’s due date hurtled closer.

She ended up choosing Bump & Baby Club, a sort of organization that taught parenting and prenatal classes across the UK. “They have a very modern approach to childbirth and newborn care,” her doctor said, “and they’re doing a lot of really good work”. When Cassie proposed the idea of attending the classes to Toto, he seemed excited about the idea — enthusiastic, even. So, she registered them for the October session, intended for couples with babies due in December.

What neither of them remembered was that Toto would only be at home for a single week in October. The rest of the time, he would be away for the North American and Asian races. Cassie found the realization rather upsetting, even to the point of crying about how she was an idiot for forgetting something so important.

— Please don’t say that, Cassie. I forgot as well, it’s an honest mistake. We both have a lot going on, it can happen to anyone. I’ll just miss the first two classes, and I will absolutely be there for the rest of them — Toto said, enveloping Cassie in a comforting hug and kissing her delicately on the forehead.

As such, Cassie felt strange going to the first class by herself. It was held in a primary school in Wood Farm, and there were many other couples there, each having a different background and coming from all walks of life.

There were couples who had planned to have a child for years and others whose pregnancy had been a complete surprise. There were couples who were expecting their first baby, while others already had children. There was even a lesbian couple who had gotten pregnant through the IVF process, however, she was the only one that had come alone.

“Not alone”, Cassie corrected herself, “Just not here with my partner”. She felt Ingrid move, almost like the baby felt like her presence was needed and that her mum needed some support. “Thank you, my love”, she thought, rubbing her belly with her hand.

The first night was an introduction to the doula, a woman with curly hair named Vicki. She explained how the classes would work, and then announced that it was time for everyone present to do a sort of introduction. They went around the circle, each couple introducing themselves in turn. As Cassie's turn approached, the more tense she felt, especially as she listened to the adorable stories of the other couples there.

— Cassandra, it's your turn — the woman leading the meeting said, with a gentle smile.

How would she explain the entire situation with her and Toto?

— Well, good evening — she said, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice — My name is Cassandra, but you can call me Cassie. I'm 29 weeks pregnant with my first baby and her name will be Ingrid.

— Was she planned? — Vicki asked. She was a very sweet woman.

— In a way — she replied, forcing a smile.

— Tell us more, Cassie.

She would rather the ground open up and swallow her hole.

— Well, I... We actually wanted to have a child for some time and resorted to a round of IVF, but after our first failed attempt, we ended up conceiving naturally.

— Did you resort to fertilization due to problems with natural conception?

— Yeah… So to speak — Cassie replied.

— And how is your partner dealing with this? Actually, tell us more about him.

As strange as it might seem, asking to talk about Toto didn’t bother her in the least. Actually, she could talk about him all day. As she began to speak, her body felt light, and she could feel that she was grinning unconsciously.

— His name is Torger. He would love to be here, but he is on a business trip in Japan at the moment. He's very happy, excited about fatherhood and — Cassie paused for a few seconds, a tightness rising in her throat — I can't wait to see this side of him blossom.

— That's wonderful, Cassie — Vicki said, smiling — Many men and, in our case here, non-pregnant partners, feel disconnected from the women during pregnancy, largely because they don't have as active a role at this stage as who is actually carrying the baby. However, they are essential right now and we will talk more about this during our classes.

Cassie stopped listening to the doula a few seconds later, more focused on taking deep breaths and trying not to cry. The past few months had been the most beautiful of her life, and it wasn't just because she felt like a dream of hers that she’d long dared to not even consider was being fulfilled.

It was also about seeing Toto’s transformation up close.

He was not a young man by any means, and had dealt with a lot in his life, both personally and professionally. He had his own joys and sorrows, stories of overcoming and failure that had shaped his personality and character into something Cassie admired. However, nothing she already knew of him compared to seeing him change little by little from a normal man and into a father.

It was exciting to find Toto inside the nursery, which wasn't quite ready, looking at the things with a silly smile on his lips. It was also comforting to receive messages from him with articles about pregnancy and questions about how she was feeling - physically, or mentally. He did his best to do whatever he could for her when she was in pain, or feeling the emotional effects of the torrent of hormones, like bringing her pastries from halfway across the continent just because she had a craving.

However, the best part for Cassie was hearing him talk to her bump. The way he laid his head on her lap and talked about the most banal subjects in the direction of her bulging abdomen made her feel a crushing sensation in her chest. Sometimes, in those moments, Cassie was unable to resist the urge to reach into his hair and play with the dark strands. They were just crumbs of intimacy, but ones she held on to.

He was able to come to the next class after he got back from Japan, and seemed incredibly eager about the entire thing.

— Cassie, what is hypnobirthing?

Cassie looked over to him where he was sitting in the chair next to her, completely focused on one of the leaflets she’d brought home from her antenatal class. He was devouring its contents, trying to catch up on what had previously been discussed in class.

— It's a concentration method that can be used in labor — Cassie replied.

— Does it help with the pain?

— They say so.

— Are you going to try it?

— I don't know, actually. I haven't stopped to make the birth plan yet.

He stared at her for a few seconds.

— What is a birth plan?

Cassie was about to explain until Vicki went to the easel, requesting the attention of everyone present.

— Good evening, how is everyone this evening? — the woman said, with a smile on her face — It's great to see you all here! I hope the last week has been good for everyone. Today we're going to talk about life after childbirth, or as I like to call it, the fourth trimester.

Vicki approached the easel and flipped back the first sheet of the enormous paper pad, displaying a kind of infographic with four frames. Then, picking up a black marker, she turned to the couples again.

— You must be wondering what the hell this fourth trimester is, if the obstetrician made a mistake in the calculations or if you forgot to pay attention at some point in our classes, but don't worry — she continued — The fourth trimester is an term created by Harvey Karp, a pediatrician, to describe a baby's first three months outside the womb.

Cassie felt a touch on her arm. When looking to the side, she noticed that Toto was bringing his face closer to hers.

— Have you ever heard of that?

— No, not yet.

— That’s good — he said, smiling — I thought I was late on that too.

She smiled, looking back at Vicki.

— He created the theory that babies are born three months earlier than ideal, from a developmental point of view. However, if they are not born within nine months, they may not be able to pass through the birth canal in the case of a natural or normal birth. So they need to be born a little ahead of time, so to speak.

— When does the fourth trimester begin? — one of the other mothers-to-be asked.

— As soon as they are born, Georgia. And it is nothing more than this three-month period in which the baby is adjusting to the world outside, finishing growing and developing. However, this is also the time when pregnant women are recovering from childbirth, no matter whether the baby is born vaginally or by cesarean.

Vicki flipped the paper over again, showing the silhouette of a woman drawn on white paper in red marker.

— In these three months, you need to keep in mind that, in addition to taking care of a new life that is not really ready to face this world, you will also be, or be taking care of, a person whose body is recovering from one of the most transformative experiences that she can go through — she said, while scribbling on the paper — The woman is dealing with a huge load of hormones, organs returning to their previous places, milk production, postpartum bleeding, and what I like to call “war wounds”, which can be a cut from the c-section or in the perineum, which can be incidental or intentional.

— Sounds scary — Toto muttered next to Cassie.

— I think so too — she replied.

— And you say you're not brave — he said. Cassie smiled. There was something powerful about hearing Toto say that she was the bravest woman he knew. It made her feel truly brave, even when she was scared.

— During this time period,your partner's support is essential, but we'll talk about that later. Now, let's talk about your little one — Vicki said, flipping over another page, revealing a drawing of a baby — Think that, if everything is new for you, it's even newer for them. Everything is very different, very challenging after leaving such a warm and comfortable environment. So, the first few days will basically involve intense adaptation. They will basically eat, sleep and soil diapers, so be prepared for that.

— I don't remember that in the contract I signed — one of the men commented, making the rest of the couples laugh. Vicki giggled too.

— Of course it doesn't seem very exciting, but seeing them develop, day after day, is something really special. They will gradually stop being that tiny that you took home. They will gain weight, more muscle control and strength, in addition to learning to identify you with their eyes and not just your voice, and they will even be able to respond to stimuli made by you with smiles.

The thought of Ingrid smiling at Toto made something warm fill Cassie's chest. If their relationship at that moment was already strong, she couldn't imagine what it would be like when she was really with them. “She's probably going to be the most spoiled girl in the world”, Cassie said to herself, placing a hand on her belly.

— However, don't think that, after these 12 weeks, things will have returned to normal and everything will be perfect. Adapting to life with a baby is a gradual process that takes a lot longer. And fatherhood, as Heidi and Brad can tell us, changes us completely, doesn't it?

— Yes — Brad said, smiling.

— You become a completely different person, but, over time, you manage to reconnect with that person you used to be. But honestly, I don't miss the Heidi I used to have. I feel that Charlie came to add to our lives, and now, with our little boy arriving, we're going to learn even more.

Vicki smiled before moving on to the next topic, which talked about how to prepare the environment for your baby to feel more comfortable during the fourth trimester. During the explanation, she answered some of Toto's questions, regarding terms that had been discussed at other times, such as Kegels, meconium, fontanelle and jaundice. She didn't mind explaining quickly, but at some point in class, Cassie noticed that he didn't seem as comfortable as he had been before.

The class continued with more lessons on caring for newborns, who, according to Vicki, would have difficulty differentiating between days and nights. However, there was a practical portion of the class, when they had to put swaddling and wrapping techniques into practice using a doll. Seeing Toto with their “daughter” placed firmly against his chest made her smile. That glimpse of the rest of her life was probably the most beautiful thing she had seen.

— Is this right? — he asked, looking up at Cassie with an uncertain expression.

— It has to be in a sitting position, with the knees above the butt — she explained while adjusting the doll's legs, which were positioned incorrectly — The chin is very close to the chest, you have to move it away so it does not suffocate.

Watching her adjust the doll’s posture, Toto pursed his lips.

— Is the position of the body good, at least?

She evaluated it for a few seconds.

— It's lower than it should be, you have to be able to kiss the baby's head easily — Cassie found out, lifting the fabric so that the doll was positioned closer to Toto's face. A few seconds later, he tilted his head slightly, confirming that he could touch his lips to the plastic head, which made her smile.

At the end of the class, the two of them spoke to some couples for a few minutes before leaving. The way back to his house was filled only with the sound of the car's engine, until, at a red light, Cassie spoke up.

— What did you think of the class?

Toto's fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

— It was good — he replied, with his eyes fixed on the traffic light.

— I hope I was able to answer your questions, it's a little complicated to do this during class, but...

— It's okay — Toto murmured, shortly.

The way he said it made Cassie feel uncomfortable. She began reviewing her actions, trying to find anything she could have said or done that would have made him upset with her. “Was it because I corrected the doll’s position?”, she asked herself, looking at her own hands, which were on her belly.

Toto crossed the intersection as soon as the light turned green. However, after a few meters, he turned the steering wheel to the left and stopped the car close to the curb, turning it off a few seconds later. Then, he turned on the indoor light, meeting Cassie's confused gaze.

— Do you think I'll be a good father?

She remained silent for a few seconds.

— Why are you asking…

He snorted, cutting Cassie off.

— When you told me about your intention to become a mother, I was thinking about what it would be like for this child to grow up without the presence of a father figure, like I did. That's what motivated me to offer myself to participate in this endeavor, you know? — Toto said, running a nervous hand through his hair — But now, with Ingrid on the way, things are getting real, I realize that I won't be able to avoid this.

— Avoid what?

— Her growing up without her father around.

It felt like Cassie had been punched.

— But you'll be around — she stammered.

— How? I don't know any of the terms they said today. I don't know how to do any of the techniques, I can’t even hold a stupid doll properly! — Toto exclaimed — And all because I can't be there and I won't be able to be there when Ingrid is here.

— Toto, please…

— I didn't want that for her, Cassie. Ingrid deserves more than that — he continued, his eyes wet — She deserves to have a better father than I had.

Toto lowered his head, allowing the tears to stream down his face. At that point, Cassie was also doing her best to hold back on crying herself, but it was difficult. They had discussed the unique peculiarities of each of their childhoods, especially regarding the absence of their parents in both their lives. However, he had never spoken about being afraid of being like his father as openly as he did at that moment.

Bringing her hands up to Toto's cheeks, Cassie made him look up. There was a fragility there that she had never seen from Toto ; as open as he was about his own emotional and mental issues, it was as if she was able to see a new side of him. For a few seconds, she just looked into his eyes, while she fought against the tightness in her throat to say what seemed obvious to her.

— You’re going to be a better father than you had, I know it.

He glanced at her skeptically.

— How do you know that?

— Because you’re you. That's enough, both for me and for Ingrid.

Toto closed his eyes, more tears streaming down his face.

— I knew, from the beginning, that you would have to be away for work a lot. I accepted your offer knowing that — Cassie explained, her voice breaking — However, distance and time zones mean nothing when you show yourself present in other ways. Your care for me, the way you’ve taken care of me, even when you’re not here, has been clear. You are always with me, and that is what matters.

— I don't want her to grow up without me, Cassie...

— Ingrid won't grow up without you. Next thing you know, she'll be asking to sit in your lap, not mine. She will be asking for your hugs, your goodnight kisses and not mine. I'm sure she'll love you as much as — she continued, hesitating to finish the sentence. She couldn’t bear to do it.

Toto leaned toward her, and for a second, she thought he was going to kiss her. And in that second, Cassie realized how much she wanted to kiss him. However, the team principal simply placed his forehead against hers, letting out a sigh. A few seconds later, she continued.

— You know that being present means nothing if you don’t love your child. My father was always around during my childhood and he was never affectionate with me — Cassie whispered, her thumbs caressing his cheeks — I don't think I ever heard him say he loved me, and I know that Ingrid will never go through that, because you've loved her since before she existed. You've loved her since the day she was just an idea.

Her voice broke, her eyes filling with tears as she remembered the way Toto whispered, after the transfer, that she already loved that baby without even knowing him. The embryo ended up not being successful, but, in a way, it ended up being the catalyst for Ingrid to be conceived, almost seven months earlier.

After a few more beats of silence, Toto finally spoke up.

— Promise me something?

— Anything — Cassie replied.

— I'm going to do everything I can to be a better father than mine or yours. But please promise me you'll tell me if I'm failing our little girl. Promise me that you will ask me for help, that you will fight with me if necessary. Promise me we won't be like our parents.

A small smile appeared on her face, her nose lightly brushing his.

— I promise, Toto.

#toto wolff #wlffog #formula 1 fic #f1 fic #f1 fanfic #formula 1 fanfic #toto wolff x oc #formula 1 x oc #formula one x oc #f1 x oc #etlwlff #toto wolff fanfic #toto wolff fluff #formula one fic #formula one fanfic

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archangeldyke-all · 11 months ago

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Butch trucker Sevika? 👁️👁️

sugar......... your mind.....

men and minors dni

she drives an 18 wheeler across the country. she loves the job. it's just her (with little slayer by her side) ((yes i'm bringing slayer into this i love that little imaginary dog)), and it's always quiet, just an audiobook playing in the background, and she gets to travel and see places she never would have before. she loves it.

you work at one of those mega gas station/ rest stops in the middle of nowhere. your job mainly consists of selling people various snacks from the convenience store or checking out shower stalls for various truckers that come through or re-stocking the spinning hotdog rollers.

sevika stops at your gas station one day to fill up and grab some chips for the long trip ahead of her.

when she sees you, she's starstruck.

she's absolutely silent at the register as you ring her up, just flabbergasted by you and your beauty.

you seem to barely notice her, exhausted at the end of your shift. sevika's grateful for this-- because she's absolutely mortified by her behavior. she's never been this flustered by a girl before.

but she makes it her life mission to get you to notice her.

any time she's even in your state, she makes a long detour to go see you at the gas station.

half the time she goes you aren't even there. she ends these trips cursing herself for being so stupid. but when you are there, she promises herself she won't stop visiting you at the gas station until you tell her to fuck off or she makes you hers.

she quickly becomes a familiar face for you.

you always smile when you see her, asking her how her route's going. she answers honestly, getting tiny giggles out of you when she starts cursing out stupid drivers and the rain.

you think she's fucking adorable. she'd hate it if she knew that's the first word that comes to mind when you think about her.

sure she's ripped and handsome and looks like she could fuck you for days at a time, but she's always stuttering and cursing and stealing glances at you from the aisles of the gas station.

sometimes, late at night she'll come in and stay for a bit, just watching you work, making sure nobody gives you trouble. you always notice. you think she's the sweetest woman you've ever met. (even though you haven't really met her)

one night she catches you after your shift, sitting on a bench outside of the gas station and having a smoke. she pauses on her way in-- not sure if she should act like she really comes here for snacks or just give up her act and talk to you.

she doesn't have to make a decision though, because you decide for her.

"hey." you say, giving her a friendly smile and a wave. she gulps.

"hi."

"long night?" you ask her. she clears her throat and nods.

"yeah. how about you?" she asks. you giggle and shrug.

"the snow's got everyone staying inside so it was pretty slow. good to see you though, i was wondering when you'd come around again." you say, giving her a sweet smile and fluttering your eyelashes at her.

sevika melts.

you offer to share your smoke with her and she takes you up on it. you guys sit on the bench for hours, chatting and giggling and getting to know one another.

at one point, sevika walks you to her rig to introduce you to little slayer. the dog absolutely loves you (she can tell her mama likes you so she's on her best behavior,) and you think little slayer curling up in sevika's big burly arms is about the cutest thing you've ever seen.

at some point, sevika's phone starts ringing-- she's running behind schedule for her shipment. she apologizes and waves goodbye to you, and as she goes, you call after her.

"come back soon!"

she grins the rest of her ride.

sevika finally works up the nerve to ask you out a few months later. you giggle when she does.

"don't you live like, ten hours away?" you ask. she shrugs.

"i could drive here, like in my car. or i could get a delivery here, spend a few days here before i gotta make another. up to you." she says. you giggle and agree.

but when the big day comes, a blizzard rolls through town. you text sevika asking if she'll be able to make it, but don't hear back. you spend your shift depressed and a little heartbroken, missing sevika and knowing you likely wont see her for another week or two.

but as you're wrapping yourself up in your layers getting ready to go home, sevika's rig comes pulling into the empty parking lot. you gasp.

sevika comes tumbling out of her truck, sprinting up to you with a wild look in her eye.

"you're still here!" she exclaims. you let out a disbelieving laugh.

"what are you doing here?!" you ask, wrapping sevika up in a hug. she's just in a wifepleaser and sweats-- she hadn't grabbed her coat before running out in the snow to greet you. she sighs against you.

"i'm sorry i missed your text. i had no signal with all the snow." she says, bashfully rubbing the back of her neck. you giggle.

"you're adorable." you say, shooting up to kiss her. sevika's shocked against you, sighing against your mouth and wrapping her arms around you.

you guys end up spending the night in her truck, talking over chips and sodas, watching the snow fall and cuddling together on the little twin bed in the back, slayer sleeping on top of you.

it becomes a pretty frequent occurrence, even without the snow.

sevika will come by to visit you while you're finishing up work, perfectly timing her mandatory 8 hour break so she can spend time with you.

sometimes you'll take her into town and show her around.

sometimes you guys just chat in her truck.

(sometimes you take her back to your place so you guys can fuck in a bigger bed.)

but eventually, you and sevika are going steady.

it's pretty hard, with only being able to see her once a week and the two of you living across the country from one another. but on your one year anniversary, sevika comes to visit you at work when you aren't expecting her.

she grins at the sight of you lighting up behind the counter, barely able to contain your excitement as you check out the guy in front of her. when it's her turn, you jump over the counter and into her arms.

"what're you doing here?!" you ask as you pepper her face with kisses. sevika giggles.

"i got a surprise for you." she says, shrugging. you pull away from her with a grin.

"well, show me!" you exclaim. sevika giggles as she presses a letter into your hands. the letterhead is from her company, and you furrow your brow as your eyes scan the text, then suddenly, you burst into tears.

sevika takes it the wrong way.

"i can reject it, you know." she says uncertainly. "i don't have to..."

it's a permission slip, allowing sevika to relocate her primary location to your town. you giggle at her words and wrap her up in a hug.

"don't you dare." you whimper against her. she melts in your arms, pressing kisses to your head. "will you move in with me?" you ask as you pull away. sevika grins.

"i was hoping you'd ask that. nobody's renting around here." she admits. you smile.

"my landlord doesn't like dogs, but slayer's not really a dog. she's like a fiesty gerbil." you say. sevika laughs.

"i'll just fight 'im if he gives us shit." she says. you grin.

there's a line forming behind sevika, and her truck is burning gas as it idles in the parking lot, but you don't care about either as you lean in to capture her lips in a kiss.

taglist!

@lesbeaniegreenie @fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @ellabslut @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity @love-sugarr @chuucanchuucan @222danielaa @badbye666 @femme-historian

#this is a very usa-core fic i'm sorry to my international readers ahhahaa #sevika #sevika imagine #sevika arcane #sevika x reader #sevika x you #soft sevika #sevika smut

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tens-girl · 1 month ago

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Finished Rivals… have things to say…

Spoilers obvs ——>

Eeeeeeeeekkkkkk!

If you go into this show knowing it’s gonna be big, bold, brash, and unapologetic about being those things, you’ll have a great time!

The hair, the costumes, the music (oh god, the music - who stole my playlist?!), the cast - just everything is dialled up to 200% and if you dare to question ‘is it good though?’ it just shrugs and cuts to another sex montage.

Let’s be honest, I came (ahem) for David Tennant, but honestly, I stayed for so much more. He is brilliant of course, he always is, and his ability to capture the exact centre of a Venn diagram of pathetic and evil is unmatched - nobody does it like he does. He draws sympathy for a truly awful character, and certainly made me headbutt a wall a few times wondering how Tony kept making such terrible decisions. (Also if someone could supply a montage of him shouting fuck with full passion I’d be very grateful) - as he got more pathetic I honestly couldn’t resist him. His destruction of the Declan set is one of the most laughably pathetic things I’ve ever seen and I was almost crying watching it.

Meanwhile, they’re bending over backwards to make us like Rupert and I just can’t do it. He also makes lots of terrible decisions (mostly with his dick of course) and for me it undermines the apparent ‘he loves Taggie’ thing. I just wish he’d go home and play with his dogs.

(Also Gertrude is my favourite character, just the best dog!)

Shout out to Victoria Smurfit who knocks it out of the park as Maud - she has some of the best line deliveries in the whole show, particularly as she prepares to leave for London and resume her career.

But honestly, my heart belongs to Freddy and Lizzie. If you’d told me I’d be grinning with happiness, with tears in my eyes, for a sex scene between Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson before I started watching this, I’d have called a doctor for you, but that’s the truth. They are spectacular and I adored them. I’ve never been a fan of Danny before, but he completely seduced me here, and I already loved Katherine (IT Crowd fans in our house) - but between them, they supplied the real ‘rooting for them’ heart of the series. I want to see them together in everything now!

Back to DT - the top tier irony of having his character win his first BAFTA and then have him clubbed over the head with it… priceless, and I personally suggest the academy honour him with a long overdue nod for this role simply in order to see him receive it with trepidation in case he gets bludgeoned with it. It even beat the joyous irony of Tony being all true blue and Tory after… well everything that went down this summer!

(Also, the way Tony passed the award to Cameron as they collected it made me think that if David had won this year for Crowley, he’d have absolutely asked Michael up on stage to give it to him because Aziraphale should share it)

And lastly… Love is a Battlefield is an excellent song, but I will never be able to listen to it again now. Oh pathetic-evil DT characters, please stop wobbling my moral compass (sorry, I’m writing Kilgrave fanfic right now so I’m all over the place in terms of right and wrong)

Anyway, it was great fun and I’ve told everyone to watch it, 80s references bingo cards at the ready!

#rivals #rivals spoilers #seriously spoiler central here #don’t click on the cut if you haven’t finished #tony baddingham #david tennant #danny dyer #katherine parkinson #and everyone else #but mostly these three

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pouralaura · 6 months ago

Note

I wanted to ask you this because I adore your Tav and how you write Raphael. Seriously I can’t get enough of them together. ♥️

We all talk about finding Raphael’s diary, but what if he found Tav’s? Tav who’s all prideful and teases him, acts like they’re not interested in him. Keeps their guard up, ya know? But he snatches up their diary and uncovers that they are anything but uninterested…

Basically just constant gushing, all of those embarrassing, obsessed, horny thoughts written down that Tav would rather die than admit to. ESPECIALLY to Raphael.

Thank you so much for the kind words! I love to write em mutually obsessed in the worst way. down so bad. 24/7 gross about each other.

here's a little something

Tav is out.

She's traipsing about with her companions (far less interesting than she; nuisances toward whom Raphael simply can't help his indifference) around the city, so it's a perfect time to do a bit of reconnaissance. Normally he'd demand this of Korrilla, but he is quite fond of Tav.

And sending Korrilla into Tav's private rooms at the Elfsong won't be quite enough this time. Some clients require a more personal touch -- more exclusive scrutiny.

(And, if he happens to find a delicious little morsel during his perusal through Tav's personal items, perhaps all the better.)

...Also helpful to have his little warlock downstairs to keep watch, just in case his target returns unexpectedly.

So: yes, Tav is out, and Raphael is in. He's poofed into her little bedroom, surveyed her meager possessions, and found...

...what has he found? Not much. Some emptied bottles and a wine glass that ought to be washed, a few books here and there in various states of being read, some dirtied laundry (but in a literal sense, not really what he's looking for).

There is, however, a small leather-bound volume on Tav's nightstand. Unassuming. Perhaps a journal.

He flips open to the most recent page, half-full of Tav's blocky print, and he discovers he's correct. Her writing is smudged inelegantly where he presumes she's rested the heel of her hand against the paper as she moves along. It's poor penmanship. Raphael tuts in disappointment.

But then he takes in the actual content of the page, and...

It's quite the discovery.

Oh, there's no mention of illithids anywhere. No reference to the Astral Plane, or their travels along the Sword Coast beyond a few landscape details. Not even a single acknowledgement of the long-awaited death of Ketheric Thorm.

No, it's something else entirely.

Her language is tentative and blushing at first, but grows more and more lewd as the paragraphs wind on. Such a hard-headed woman -- it's not a compliment -- headstrong and obstinate, keen and incisive...and she might as well have written a name in looping cursive surrounded by hearts all over these pages.

But what name? A lover from her past? Surely not one of her little friends.

Who is this man, who's clearly enchanted her so thoroughly? Tav writes of warm brown eyes and curls she'd like to touch and oh she knows he's absolutely fucking packing under those ugly-ass trousers --

Positively troglodytic language from his favorite little mouse. Raphael scoffs. How curious he is now to uncover the source of her more basal fantasies (aspersions cast on attire clearly notwithstanding). He flips another page, and scans the contents he finds.

Something tells me that man likes the sound of his own name more than anything. I'd say it all he wanted if I could have his mouth on me.

Raphael tastes iron and brimstone as he bites down on his tongue. His piercing gaze darts to the opposite page.

Would hate to stifle his sinful voice, though, even with it between my legs. Wonder if he'd sound the same with his cock buried so far in me he'd cum out my damn nose -- "Little mouse", he'd groan for me --

...

The devil blinks.

Well, well, well.

So it's he whom the hero of the story fancies so intensely, is it, now? Usually so quick to brush him off, to turn up her nose at his delivery...but ah, how her writing contradicts her demeanor. What a find. What a delight. Raphael's shit-eating grin nearly rivals his erection in size. (Also, yes, he's obviously packing; the little mouse is entirely correct. As if he'd glamour himself a small human cock.)

But he's not able to bask in this delicious revelation for long, as he feels the press of Korrilla's signature sending spell at the edge of his mind, signaling Tav's return to the inn. Much as he'd love to read more -- perhaps alongside a glass of wine, a hot bath, and the willing, pliant flesh of his pretty incubus (in the form of the Archduchess tonight, he thinks, as his cock aches) -- it's time to vacate the premises.

Carefully he replaces the leather-bound volume on Tav's bedside table exactly as he'd found it, snaps his fingers, and he's gone in a puff of smoke and glittering sparks. As if he'd never been there at all.

It's not a week later when he sees her again at the Caress, come to ask another question and draw out her inevitable agreement to his terms once again.

(He's in no hurry. He's not the one with a ticking time bomb in his pretty mortal head.)

It's not until she gets up to leave, her little friends in tow --

"See you later, Raphael."

-- that he makes his move. Stands with them as is polite, sweeps around elegantly to Tav's side as she follows her companions to the door.

Raphael places a hand delicately at the small of her back, giving her pause. Leans in close to her ear, pitching his voice low:

"How I do love the sound of my name more than almost anything else, little mouse. Particularly when it comes from your mouth."

Fingertips drift down further, tracing the line of Tav's hip to a point between decent and indecent -- the lightest of touches; almost-but-not-quite a caress. Raphael watches a flush travel from the apples of the mouse's cheeks down her neck, its trail further hidden by the unfortunately high line of her leather armor.

He thinks he's got her, but then she looks up to meet his eyes, and there's laughter behind her gaze as she delivers her line and exits stage left.

"The quilting on your trousers is ugly as all the Hells."

The devil is left bereft of words as Tav skips off to join the vampling and the Selunite at the door, casting one last (heated? mocking? both?) glance back at him. A wink in exchange for the sneering curl of his lip -- a rose for his thorns; a thorn for his roses.

But his scorn melts into a smirk when she disappears from sight. If it's more than a bit fond, who's to say?

He does love it when his clients put up a fight.

Perhaps he'll bring her to her knees in more ways than one. Give her an eyeful of the expensive quilting she seems to despise so passionately.

#laura's writing #raphael bg3 #raphael x tav #bg3 raphael #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #anon ask #prompt request #thank you for the ask!#had half a mind to write him panty-snatching but that's not very lawful evil of him is it

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mylucayathoughts · 1 year ago

Text

Little moments that I love in Red White and Royal Blue. PART 7 (cannot stop sorry 🙈)

When Nora says how "Prince Henry is so yummy" Alex doesn't really contest Noras comment on Henrys good looks (read yumminess 😏), he just says how he is not really a good person (which he believed at that time) but that's besides the point. The important thing is that Alex seemed to be in agreement with that view 😏

When Bea snatches Nora away from Alex, you cannot tell me this wasn't intentional because like a moment ago she was telling Henry how she thinks Alex is hot and asked whether Henry met him or not. And next thing she does before Henry is about to meet Alex is take the one person Alex came to the party with away from him and make sure that person sticks with her the whole time. I see what you did there Bea 😏 and she was the most amused when Alex and Henry was having their little fight and the cake fell on them 😆

When Alex sees Henry talking so cheerfully with the cancer patient and stops to stare at them. He couldn't match his idea of Henry with this version. I love how he looks confused yet curious here.

He was observing a very oblivious Henry intently, and subconsciously he was allowing Henry to change his mind about him.

During the new years party, while dancing, Alex sees Henry sitting alone and comes running towards him and almost hits Henry's face with his 😆 (baby boy was drunk 😏) I love the energy with which he tries to lift Henry's mood up - "it's aaalll in the hips, LOOSEN UP!!", laughs with his entire face, hears his song and screams "OH MY GOD, this is the song of my childhood!!!" and says "you're dancing" and then he grabs Henrys hand and pulls him towards the dance floor. He is adorable here, always trying to keep Henry close or around.

Henry making this face when he says that his brother is completely oblivious about him being gay -

I noticed it only like a few days ago on my millionth rewatch of the movie and laughed so hard I almost fell off my bed 🤣

When Henry says that he has to belong to himself and he can only belong to someone else momentarily and Alexs first instinct is to hold his hand 🤧🤧 lt was too pure, too kind ❤️ and Henry says "not here" (and you can tell he is devastated that he couldn't let Alex take his hand) and Alex understands the sentiment immediately.

It's not like Alex didn't know where they were, plus Henry and he were just talking about Henry not being out to anyone but Bea. Alex still wanted to comfort Henry and to him, taking Henry's hand wasn't a romantic gesture, he just wanted to be supportive and make him feel better. But he understood Henry's predicament and played along.

When Alex writes to Henry "I'm out here giving my all for my mother. I cant have smut filling my inbox, corrupting my mind and bulging my pants like this! look buddy, you know I'm incorrigible, so don't incorrige me" and Henry writes "I'll behave" you can tell that Henry is trying to stifle a laugh and that he is so proud that he can make Alex feel that way 🤣 I know that it's supposed to be a written part in the movie but they had Taylor and Nicholas say these out loud and you can hear the emotions in their voices and I absolutely love Nicholas's delivery here.

My dumbass noticed something else a few days ago as well. That Alex practices speaking in front of the mirror before delivering his speeches. My boy really worked so hard to get his Texan votes 🤧

All the little scenes where Alex is shown to work in his Texas campaign perfectly capture Alex's passion for politics, his dedication to the Texan campaign, his desire to help mom with her election and his wish to do something for people. I love how this part also portrays how mature he and Henrys relationship has become. It was not about just their physical needs anymore, which is still there (obviously 😏) but they act as each others support system. The way Alex tells Henry about his fear "I'll only admit this to you and no one else..." that he is gonna let his mother down, and the way Henry reassures him 🤧 and then Henry says how his ribbon cuttings are so meaningless and how he wished he could do meaningful things like Alex. And even though Henry is not proud of it, Alex still makes sure to watch Henry's appearances. I love how sweet and kind and supportive they are to one another. And the passion with which both Nicholas and Taylor read theirs emails 🤧😭 so good!

At the V&A when they were slow dancing, you can't take your eyes off Taylor and Nicholas's hands 😍 they just keep lovingly caressing each other. It's soo beautiful to watch. They are so gentle and caring in those scenes.. Their eyes are soft, full of love 🤧 This is yet another scene where you can't possibly ask more from Taylor and Nicholas. They really went all in 👏

Their soft little smiles in this scene 😍🥺 Henry looks so relaxed and happy! They make me cry ok 🤧

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

#I know I know some of these are bigger than moments #Red white and royal blue #Rwrb #Alex x Henry #Firstprince #Alex Claremont Diaz #Prince Henry #Henry Fox #Nicholas Galitzine #Taylor Zakhar Perez #Queue

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vintagetvstars · 7 months ago

Text

Diahann Carroll Vs. Rue McClanahan

Propaganda

Diahann Carroll - (Dynasty, Julia) - God every clip of her on Dynasty is just so iconic, her entrance, the bit where she shades Joan Collins' Alexis for her taste in caviar... "I wanted to be the first black bitch on television" she said, and she did it beautifully!

Rue McClanahan - (Golden Girls, Maude, Mama's Family) - Listen to me. I have never understood celebrity crushes until I first witnessed Rue McClanahan. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen - just look at her!! Gorgeous eyes, the cutest nose, a SPECTACULAR smile - she has this adorable, princess-like quality about her AND she's also a complete hottie AND she's aware of it: she HAS THE RANGE, people!! Her two most famous roles are polar opposites, in fact: she starred in the role of naive, gentle Vivian Cavender-Harmon in Maude (and I mean. Just look her up and tell me that's not an angel!), and then went on to gain even more well-deserved fame and success as the seductive, extroverted Blanche Devereaux in The Golden Girls (a role for which she won an Emmy in 1987 - her amazing, hilarious acceptance speech can be found here: . I should also point out that both of these are comedy characters and she is HILARIOUS as them both - the comedic timing, the delivery, the expressions, she was a comedy queen!!! As for her personal life, she was just a darling - and also very funny in person, not just in her acting roles! She was a staunch supporter of gay rights and a big advocate for same-sex marriage in the US, as well as a vegetarian and a big defender of animal rights. She suffered from illness in her later years which greatly impacted her health, but she was still very active up until her death in 2010, and she even released a wonderful autobiography in 2007 titled "My First Five Husbands... and the Ones Who Got Away". In her interviews she's always gentle, soft-spoken (her voice. dear god. sweet mother Aphrodite I cannot weave I am overcome with gay thoughts), and kind, but also sharp, witty, and just a delight to watch. I could go on forever talking about her honestly. I am actually in love with her and you should be too. She's just the best! Here, have some additional pics: (pics below the cut)

Master Poll List of the Hot Vintage TV Ladies Bracket

Additional propaganda below the cut

Diahann Carroll:

Diahann Carroll's First Scene on "Dynasty"

youtube

Rue McClanahan:

The Hottie™ of the Golden Girls, she was definitely a GILF. And her character's shenanigans were Emmy-winning but no less fun and her outfits were always on point and gorgeous, befitting her perfectly.

she!!!

as Vivian, with her fellow hottie Bea Arthur as Maude

as Blanche - look at those eyes!!!

come on, tell me you wouldn't do anything for that smile, I dare you

in her contract she specifically requested to be given all of Blanche's clothes and SHE WAS RIGHT

Okay so first of all. Rue has this way of moving around and looking at you that just-- I mean, I'm ace, but I *get* the allos. She's hot and she knows it (and she plays a character in The Golden Girls who's in her 50s, hot, and knows it as well. Which, talk about perfect casting??) But I'm mostly here to talk about the fact that she said this in her Emmy acceptance speech (paraphrased because I'm sharing the video with the right timestamp, and you should absolutely watch up until 3:40, because her delivery is UNMATCHED): "My mother said to me once [...] 'Oh, Eddi-Rue, for heaven's sake. Don't you know every kick's a boost?' There've been a lot of kicks, and there've been a lot of boosts. I'm not going to mention the people who gave me kicks... but you know who you are. And you'll be in the book." (Seriously though, do yourself a favour and watch that video. She's amazing!!) She said this, and proceeded to WRITE THE BOOK, titled "My first five husbands, and the ones who got away", which is *incredibly* funny, and such an earnest look into her life. She opens the acknowledgements with "This book is about my life and experiences as I lived them, and anyone who doesn't like it can jolly well lump it." And I mean... she's awesome. I could go on.

Rue McClanahan @ The Emmy Awards 1987

youtube

#vintage tv stars poll #tv ladies 3 #diahann carroll #rue mcclanahan #Youtube

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eletricheart · 1 year ago

Note

Hello!

I would like to request a Donna x Reader where the reader just blurt something like “I really want to marry you” meanwhile been oblivious to Donna reaction when she heard that.

(This could happens while they are doing anything common, like washing dishes or cooking)

Paper Rings

(Donna Beneviento x Reader)

*image creds to owner

Word count: 809

i loved writing this its pure fluff and I got to listen to the album Lover again so tyy🫶✨ hope u like it😔🫡

ps: not proofread😭

ps2: song at the end

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

Then

You owned a bakery at the village, the best one some might say, therefore you knew many people. However, your favorite client was Lady Beneviento, her requests were always challenging but pleasurable to make.

You had a deal with the Duke to make deliveries for you, but sadly he had business in another area and couldn't go to the Beneviento State. Usually you would call the client explaining the order wouldn't be able to arrive that day, but…she was your favorite.

That's how you found yourself walking to her house with a basket double the order size as a "sorry i'm late".

Donna knew you were there the moment you stepped foot in her domain. While Angie was celebrating the opportunity to properly meet you, the dollmaker was running around the house trying to make everything perfect.

You didn't even have to knock the door due to Angie opening first. You were righteously startled but quickly recovered and smiled at the doll.

If dolls could smile hers would be the biggest ever. She kept jumping up and down pulling you into the house. "Come on come on come on! Ooh you took soo long I thought you tripped and died!" The doll shouted and giggled.

You chuckled. "Thankfully, I didn't die but I was scared of tripping and I simply couldn't ruin the gift I'm carrying."

Angie suddenly stopped walking and turned to stare at you. "You have a gift?! Gimme gimme." She made hand moves at you and tried to jump into your basket, which you quickly deflected and laughed at her antics.

"Later, I must give it to the Lady of the House first."

She groaned and ran upstairs, leaving you standing in the living room.

Donna heard you, how couldn't she since the woman had been listening ever since Angie opened the door.

The dollmaker was scared but also slightly excited to meet you. She knew Angie would insist she'd accept the gift, there was no way she could talk her way into staying in her room and only watching you the entire evening.

The moment she'd started to feel self conscious, Angie barged into her room and practically dragged her outside.

You could feel your hands sweating when you saw Donna, silently hoping she couldn't hear your heartbeat.

You smiled brightly at her and gently handed the basket. "I know this is more than you ordered, but Duke couldn't make it today and I didn't want to let you down so I came." You shrugged nervously. "Of course that doesn't explain why there's more, sorry. I…um…I've never been here so I thought I'd be late so I did more to apologize." The dollmaker stood still while Angie giggled, making you even more nervous. "It's absolutely fine if you don't want it, I didn't want to-"

Donna cutted you with the raise of a hand. She thought your rambling was adorable but she didn't want to stand there all day. "I want it, I-I like your baking."

You blushed and nodded while trying to hide a grin.

The doll looked between the two of you. "Sooo…can we eat?"

Now

That was the first time you stayed over at Donna's place. Now you were not only living together but completely in love with each other.

You've been teaching her some of your favorite recipes, her hair had some flour from before she grounded Angie for trying to make it snow. You believed Donna was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen, even when she'd frown due to the batter not turning alright.

It was in this simple moment that you truly realized how deep you were. Completely thoughtless, just mesmerized by her. "I really want to marry you."

Donna became stiff as a board, her face progressively getting more red than before. She turned to look at you, her mouth hanging open as she watched you slowly realize what you had said.

You chuckled nervously. "Sorry. I don't even have a ring. Sorry."

Donna nodded slowly and pursed her lips. "Ask me with a ring."

Your eyes shined brighter than ever. You quickly scanned the room and ripped a blank page from the recipe book. You rapidly made a paper ring and presented it to her. "I know this may not be the best proposal. But Donna, I'm deeply and madly in love with you. I never would've imagined we'd go from friends to this but I've never been happier. I would spend the rest of my days getting flour off your hair and running after Angie because she has a knife and then having to lock the knives inside a drawer that she will open again. I-The point is, I love you and everything everyone that comes along. Will you have me?"

Donna smiled softly, tears slowly falling down her eye." Yes, of course!"

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

requests are open: masterlist

#re8 #resident evil village #non canon #resident evil #fanfic #donna beneviento #donna beneviento x reader #lady beneviento #lady beneviento x reader #lady angie #re8 donna #re8 fanfiction #resident evil 8 #resident evil fandom #resident evil fanfiction

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before-it-felt-like-a-sin · 10 months ago

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Could I maybe request LottiexFem!reader headcanons where reader is wayy shorter than Lottie? Just fluff and forehead kisses and reader being the little spoon.<33

btw- I love your work!! Keep it up.:]

Height Difference Lottie Matthews Headcanons

this is so fun and silly also tysm for the complement 😭😭

I'm so envisioning Lottie like using you as an armrest

Obviously you're like "screw you" but she does it anyways

The arm on your head is her go-to pose for couples pics too

She also constantly rests your head on top of yours because come on! You're the perfect height!

Whenever you want to initiate a kiss you have to like... drag her down or ask her to lean over

She thinks it's adorable but you hate it

Lottie used to be really insecure about her height, like especially when she thought she had to date guys

She didn't want to be taller than her boyfriend!!

But then she realized she didn't want a boyfriend

Even then she was like hm do I really want to be this tall

And then she met you and you were short as hell and like couldn't reach the top shelf at the grocery store

So now she loves being tall

Speaking of the grocery store...

The girl doesn't even let you TRY to reach high up

"I could've gotten that" "with a step-stool maybe" "fuck off"

You guys do in fact have a stool at your apartment for you to use when Lottie isn't home

She bought it because you kept standing on chairs and falling from them (from personal experience this is hell. I need to buy a stool)

You boycotted said stool in the beginning but eventually were like "okay this makes my life significantly easier"

Obviously Lottie is normally the big spoon

But sometimes, like if she's sick or had a bad day, you spoon her

It's almost comical

You're like a backpack on her because of the height difference

She appreciates the effort if not the delivery

Not height related but she braids your hair. She loves messing with it too. Like yall will just be standing there and then you realize you have like 7 tiny braids in your hair

Okay back to her being so hella tall

You definitely tried to give her a piggyback ride once

Needless to say that that didn't end up working out

If we're thinking like a more modern setting Lottie absolutely used her height to her advantage when taking 0.5 pictures of you

She had a whole album dedicated to them

The insta birthday posts are absolutely horrendous

If you ever wake up and Lottie's standing somewhere in your bedroom you're like "there's my sleep paralysis demon" for a second

And then you're like "oh whoops that's my tall as hell gf"

Also forehead kisses happen so often

Lottie thinks it's a pain to bend down to your lips every time she wants to kiss you

So most of the time it's like right on your hairline or just the top of your head

The amount of lipgloss in your hair is astronomical

Cuddling with her is so nice though because she's so much taller than you and you feel so safe with her

Like not only is she probably strong as fuck but she's also tall? Goddamn

Sometimes you lay on top of her like a weighted blanket and she's so here for it

She tried to do it to you once but it didn't have the same affect

When yall do dishes you wash them/unload the dishwasher and she puts the dishes away because she can reach the shelves and you can't

Around Christmas and your birthday she hides your gifts on the top shelf of your closet

Lottie's just such a cutie I love these

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets showtime #yellowjackets season 1 #lottie matthews x yn #lottie matthews x you #lottie mathews x reader #lottie x reader #lottie matthews #Lottie Matthews headcanons

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plutoccult · 10 months ago

Text

HAIKYUU X THE OFFICE AU — EPISODE SEVEN: VALENTINE’S DAY

pairing: sugawara koushi x female reader

description: it’s valentine’s day at the office, and you hope for it to be one you’ll never forget. however, everyone seems to be having a better holiday than you.

word count: 4.9k

also available to read on my ao3 here

author’s note: tis the valentine’s episode! plus, it’s episode seven of this au, which is also my favorite number. i wanted to make sure i had this out in time for valentine’s day, so i was really cranking out episodes like a madman. sorry for the content overload! i’ve been looking forward to writing this episode for awhile, and i really wanted to make something cute rather than something absolutely soul crushing (lmao BOOZE CRUISE), so i hope you enjoy it just as much as i enjoyed writing it. happy early valentine’s, everyone! <3

tags: @toorubobatea @intorder @dragon-slayer5 @femme-lune @jeanboyjean @cowgirlikets @darthferbert @kazuchaos @bakagun1312 @beingbrokenfitsus @mumblepingu @daedaep69 @intheewrld @msbyomimi @sukxma @akari-fujikawa @milkteeboba @5sos-wdw @todorokiskitten @intheewrld

taglist form here

as weird as it sounded, you loved spending valentine’s day at the office. it felt like elementary school where you’d share little treats with your classmates. you were notorious for bringing in a box of valentine’s themed candy back in the day, and you lived up to that reputation even now. this year, it was valentine’s fun dip, your favorite.

you’ve spent valentine’s day as an engaged woman for quite a few years now, but you felt this year would be different now that you were less than four months away from your wedding. however, you and ryo promised each other not to go too crazy when it came to gifts. you were trying to save up as much money as possible before your big day. still, you hoped he would put in some effort.

you watched a delivery man enter the office with a big bouquet of red roses. could they be for you? you sure hoped so. you had never received such a bouquet like this before.

the delivery man placed the bouquet on top of your desk. you stand up and read the envelope that came with the bouquet to see who it’s for—hoping it’s for you—but alas, it’s for someone else.

“yachi.” you sigh. it shouldn’t be a surprise, but you couldn’t help but feel some sort of disappointment. still, you had all day to get a gift. you just had to be patient, although that will be a difficult task for you. you don’t even know how you’ve been so patient just for a simple wedding date.

yachi stood from her desk to receive her roses, practically skipping over as she was filled with joy. you look over to see a smile on yamaguchi’s face as he watched her pick up the bouquet, and you could immediately assume they were from him.

“wow, yachi. that bouquet is bigger than your head.” hinata said in amazement.

“i know!” yachi exclaimed. “quick, grab the card and read it out for me.”

“okay…” hinata obeyed, plucking the envelope out of the array of roses and opening up the card. he quickly read it over in his head before reading it out loud. “happy valentine’s day, buttercup. love, yamaguchi.”

“aw, yams!” she cooed. yamaguchi’s cheeks quickly turned pink. “you’re the sweetest.”

you groan as yachi ran over to yamaguchi and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to her desk. they were adorable, you’d give them that, but man. you were already growing impatient.

“hey, y/n. why the sour face?” ukai asked you as he walked up to your desk. were you giving away your bitterness just by the look on your face? no, maybe you just had RSF or something. resting sour face is a thing, right?

“what?” you jump and place your hand over your heart. you really hoped no one else noticed anything off with you. “nothing, nothing. i’m fine.”

“well, i’m heading to tokyo for that meeting soon.” ukai said. right, the meeting. you remembered informing him a couple weeks ago about a meeting in tokyo with other branch managers and the new CFO of the company. you sure hoped he wouldn’t mess it all up. “want any touristy merch? keychain? t-shirt you’ll never let see the light of day?”

“no, i’m good.” you reply. what you really wanted was for ryo to blow you away with a valentine’s gift already.

“ugh, lame.” ukai rolled his eyes. “you want anything, tsukki? i bet they have weird dinosaur crap or something.”

“i’d prefer it if you didn’t do anything stupid in front of the new CFO.” tsukishima said. you were sure everyone was hoping for that.

“what? of course i’m not gonna do anything stupid.” ukai scoffed. “what do you think i am, an idiot?”

“yes, yes i do.” tsukishima deadpanned.

“well, no dinosaur crap for you.” ukai huffed like a child. “tanaka, you’re in charge.”

oh god, this was a match made in hell. why ukai decided to make a decision so randomly like that, you didn’t know, but he could’ve picked anyone else in the office and no one would’ve had a problem with it.

“woah, why him? why not me or suga?” daichi protested. “i’ve proven to be a good leader! i won you that stupid volleyball match with the warehouse guys! suga even took a volleyball to the face thanks to y/n’s fiancé!”

“woah, let’s not drag me into this—” suga began to say. he didn’t want to have to think about that again, nor did he want any extra responsibilities today. suga just wanted a relaxing day.

funny enough, ukai almost forgot about that happening. it felt so long ago, but it only happened in the fall. maybe he should reconsider his choices. “oh yeah… i change my mind. daichi, you’re in charge now.”

“god dammit!” tanaka whined. at least he had his fifteen seconds of glory.

“see ya, bozos!” ukai cackled on his way out.

as soon as the door shut behind him, you all let out a sigh of relief. maybe today wouldn’t so bad without ukai around.

•••

“i’m pretty glad ukai’s not here, actually.” suga confessed without hesitation. you sat next to him, hurriedly nodding in agreement.

“we were all thinking it.” you add on to suga’s statement.

“yeah, i don’t have to worry about him on my back over my love life on a day all about love.” he chuckled. maybe he shouldn’t have said that out loud, but ukai’s absence was a massive relief and breath of fresh air.

“why would he be on your back?” you furrow your eyebrows.

crap. “oh, you know… he’s ukai. he’s always on our backs.”

“yeah, you’re right.” you shrug.

suga was thankful you brushed off any suspicions. that was definitely a close one, especially given recent events.

•••

everyone went on with their day as normal, although some found it odd they weren’t being bombarded or borderline harassed by ukai for once. was it opposite day? no, it was valentine’s day. a weird one, it seemed.

after grabbing a cup of coffee, tanaka returned to his desk. a mysterious package sat next to his keyboard, which wasn’t there before. he looked at the plain, suspicious box in confusion, tilting his head as he tried making sense of it all.

“suga, what’s this?” tanaka questioned, hoping suga would have an answer.

“i don’t know.” he shrugged, which wasn’t the answer tanaka wanted to hear. “it’s yours, not mine.”

“but who put it here?” tanaka asked.

“it was already there when i sat down. just open it and see what’s up.” suga said.

“fine…” tanaka groaned before he reached for scissors and fumbled with opening the box. it took a minute, but he managed to get the job done. inside the box was a card, underneath an unknown item covered in tissue paper. who knows what it could possibly be?

“happy valentine’s day. love, your secret admirer—” tanaka’s jaw dropped to the floor. “holy F*CK! a secret admirer?!”

“i’m not even gonna scold you on censoring yourself.” suga rolled his eyes. he’s had his fair share of dropping bombs on camera too, he surely wasn’t innocent either.

“my word… now i gotta see what’s inside.” tanaka ripped away the tissue paper and picked up a bobble head that resembled him. he instantly loved it upon first sight, but if only tanaka knew who gifted it to him. “it's me… i'm the bobble head. nice!”

from afar, a soft grin crept up on kiyoko’s face, which went unnoticed by everyone in the office. could it be?

•••

“someone in this office has the hots for me and all i know is that it better not be tsukishima.” tanaka said as he stared down the camera. “i mean, i get it, i’m a catch! but why be anonymous with your love? secret admirer, show yourself!”

it was hilarious how tanaka was blind to the only true possibility to the identity of his secret admirer, but the documentary crew would let him take the time to figure it out while filming some television gold in the process.

•••

rather than doing work, nishinoya decided to use his time at the office to make plans for later. asahi was in on nishinoya’s plans, only because he begged him to, allowing his much smaller coworker to do all the talking, starting with suga and tanaka.

“hey, suga.” nishinoya leaned against suga’s desk. “you doin’ anything for valentine’s day?”

suga almost wanted to laugh maniacally. of course, he wasn’t doing anything today. he was pathetically single and had no eyes for other women. saeko was nice, but she was only friend material in suga’s eyes. at least he gained a friend out of that mess from the booze cruise, but tonight? suga planned to be all alone.

“heh, no.” he forced a subtle laugh, holding back on making a mockery out of his pathetic love life. “definitely not.”

“well, me and asahi are going on a bar crawl later. you’re definitely welcome to join.” nishinoya said.

a bar crawl? it didn’t sound like a terrible idea, but suga was worried about who would be attending. “i sure hope hinata isn’t invited. dude cannot handle his alcohol.”

“yeah, i bet kageyama will put a stop to that.” nishinoya chuckled. he didn’t even want to attempt to invite them, really. “so, you in?”

“um…” suga looked over at you. you’re oblivious to his stare as you’re on the phone with someone. of course he stood no chance, so suga quickly looked away to answer nishinoya. “yeah, i’m in.”

“sick! i’ll text you the details.” nishinoya replied. “tanaka, you know you’re always welcome.”

“i don’t know, noya. i might be occupied with a special someone tonight.” tanaka said as he leaned back against his chair, his arms behind his head. totally not for the purpose of showing off his biceps.

“oh, really? with who?” nishinoya questioned.

“oh, boy…” suga groaned. the poor guy had been dealing with tanaka over the moon thanks to this whole secret admirer thing all day so far. if there were a drinking game to take a shot every time tanaka mentioned his secret admirer, suga would be dead by alcohol poisoning already.

“my secret admirer.” tanaka smirked. if only suga had a shot to down right now.

“yeah, okay.” nishinoya scoffed, walking away from what has now become a foolish conversation.

tanaka stood from his desk defiantly, slamming his hands down as he yelled at nishinoya. “my secret admirer is real and i’m going to figure out who it is by the end of the day!”

everyone looked up to watch tanaka’s random outburst, rolling their eyes before getting back to work. suga snickered as a result, receiving a glare from tanaka. as if that guy ever scared him anyway.

nishinoya walked over to kiyoko next, the sound of her name escaping his mouth catching the attention of tanaka. “hey, kiyoko. you doing anything later?”

“um, actually i might have other plans…” she replied timidly.

“okay, that’s cool. have fun.” he said, finding nothing about her response to be suspicious. she was a pretty girl, why wouldn’t she have plans?

however, a light bulb lit up above tanaka’s head. could it really be the woman of his dreams who sent him the mystery package? nah, tanaka figured he was just reaching for the stars. there was just no way.

moments later, a different delivery man walked in with an arrangement of various flowers. just what you needed to see again. it was easy to figure out who they were for, and the card had proven your guess right.

“yachi, guess what?” you call out for her, hiding your jealousy.

“again?” yachi questioned, her puzzled face turning into an overjoyed one upon seeing a new bouquet just for her. “aw, yams, you didn’t have to!”

“rub it our faces, why don’t ya…” you grumble to yourself as yachi took her flowers back to her desk. did she really need another?

•••

“i’m okay! i’m okay, i swear.” you say, your eye twitching as you lie your ass off. “i’m totally not jealous about yachi getting two bouquets already and we’re only halfway through the day.”

“um, i think—”

“i’ll take just a single rose! i don’t care! something! anything!” you exclaim. you had truly gone mad, and the crew was better off leaving you be with your madness.

•••

later, tanaka found kiyoko in the break room making a cup of coffee. he didn’t even want coffee, he just wanted to do some investigating. tanaka just had to know if there was any chance of his dream girl harboring at least a little crush on him. he’d take anything at this point.

“hello, kiyoko.” he said. did that come off creepy? tanaka instantly regretted the delivery of his greeting, that’s for sure.

“hi, tanaka.” kiyoko replied. “i’ll be done in a second.”

“no, no. take your time.” tanaka insisted.

he watched intently as kiyoko made her coffee, grabbing vanilla flavored creamer—her favorite—from the fridge. tanaka always knew she poured it for exactly four seconds before putting in only one sugar packet. as kiyoko always said, the creamer was sweet enough.

“did you hear?” tanaka spoke up. kiyoko looked over to him to see what he had to say. she seemed to be as cool as a cucumber. “i got the best valentine’s day present ever and i don’t even know who it’s from.”

“yeah, we all heard you screaming about a secret admirer.” she giggled. “i’m glad you enjoyed your gift though.”

“oh, i did. i sure did.” tanaka replied with smirk. “did you get anything for valentine’s day?”

“just some candy.” kiyoko said. “y/n saved a blue fun dip specifically for me.”

damn, tanaka got stuck with red. but that wasn’t the point. he had to press the current matter further. “nothing special?”

“nope, i don’t usually get anything big for valentine’s day.” she shrugged.

“maybe this year will be different.” tanaka said, trying his best to come off a little flirty, but in a cool way. he wanted to be the man for her so bad.

“well, i sure hope it is.” kiyoko smiled, tanaka instantly blushing.

tanaka stood as kiyoko left the room with her mug. he didn’t really get any clues from that conversation, but it was worth it anyway because he at least he got to talk to her.

when he returned to his desk a minute later, a note appeared on his desk, just as mysterious as his gift from earlier. “suga? you know anything about this?”

“nope.” suga replied.

“typical.” tanaka scoffed as he picked up the note and read it aloud. “meet me in front of the warehouse at 5:30…”

woah. now things were really getting spicy in here. it was truly tanaka’s lucky day.

while tanaka tried analyzing the handwriting of the note over and over, a sudden commotion in the form of a delivery man struggling through the door with an oversized teddy bear on his back ruined tanaka’s concentration.

“god damn!” he exclaimed. tanaka definitely took the words right out of everyone’s mouths, yours included.

“yachi… hitoka.” the delivery man said out of breath, letting the teddy bear flop to the ground.

“uh… yachi?” you say to catch her attention. it shouldn’t even be a shock at this point. maybe you should blame tsukishima for forcing yamaguchi and yachi to confess their mutual crushes on each other months ago. all that teasing wasn’t enough, apparently.

“what—” yachi turned around. she immediately rushed out of her chair and leaped into the arms of the giant stuffed animal. “oh my god, i love it!”

you gently hit your head against the keyboard. no one seemed to notice your misery.

•••

“i officially give up on valentine’s day.” you let out a loud groan. the crew wondered if the sounds of your agony could be heard from the conference room. unfortunately, it did.

•••

the work day went back to normal, although yachi’s desk was littered with oversized gifts now. daichi couldn’t even see her face behind her computer screen anymore as her desk was crowded with bouquets and cards from yamaguchi. he truly outdid himself, even you couldn’t deny that. your jealousy still lingered, but at least yachi was happy.

without ukai around, you were glad to have a conversation with suga without the two of you being bothered. as he ate the fun dip you gave him earlier—only your most favorite people got the blue flavor—you recall a story from your junior high days.

“this kid gives him the twenty bucks and he actually snorts the pixy stix powder.” you say, detailing the end of your story.

“god, his poor nose…” suga cringed, although an idea popped into his mind. “hm, i wonder if i could snort this fun dip.”

“oh god, don’t!” you beg, grabbing his hand so he couldn’t do anything stupid. suga practically felt his heart jump out of his chest from the sudden contact, even if you didn’t seem to think anything of it. “i can’t lose you to silly candy.”

“it’s yummy though.” he grinned, swiftly moving on from the touch of your fingers grazing against his own, no matter how much he didn’t want to.

“yeah, on your tongue, not up your nose, dummy.” you scold him.

the two of you burst into laughter, the laugh fest interrupted by tanaka walking up to your desk. it seemed quite serious given his demeanor. “y/n. hi, how ya doing?”

“oh, hey—”

“good.” he cut you off. how rude. “listen, uh, may i speak with you... privately?”

“i’m kinda in the middle of a conversation…” you say, looking over to suga.

“y/n.” tanaka stared you down. he always did this when he was trying to get something he wanted. you knew him long enough to recognize the look.

“don’t give me that look, tanaka.” you cross your arms. “you don’t hold authority over me.”

“y/n, please just...” tanaka tilted his head, motioning for you to speak to him in another room. he really seemed desperate.

“do i have to?” you whine.

“love is on the line, dammit!” he yelled out, mayhaps a little too loud, but now you had no choice but to oblige.

“okay, okay!” you stand up from your chair. “let’s go then. sorry, suga.”

suga insisted it was no problem, but you still felt a little bad for cutting off your conversation like this. you and tanaka then walk out of the office and head into an empty hallway. if this was over nothing that important, you were going to be pissed.

“what is it that’s so urgent?” you ask tanaka.

“you’re a girl.” he said plainly. what a great start.

“well, unless my whole life has been a lie—”

“y/n. please.” tanaka interrupted, a pleading look in his eyes.

“sorry.” you say quietly.

“do you… recognize this handwriting at all?” he asked, taking out a card and folded note from his pocket. “it’s from my secret admirer.”

so that’s what this was about. you weren’t sure what tanaka wanted your help for so bad, but you figured it wouldn’t hurt to try and help him. “i guess i can take a look.”

tanaka handed you the notes and you inspect them carefully. it didn’t take you that long to figure out whose handwriting this belonged to. for you, it was clear as day.

“tanaka?”

“yeah?”

without saying another word, you smack him across the face, the sound of the slap echoing throughout the hallway. did your coworkers managed to hear that from inside the office? you sure hoped so. it was so satisfying, and the crew ate up the drama. this was peak television right here.

“what the heck was that for?!” tanaka yelled as his face now stung like hell. “i oughta file a complaint!”

“you’re such an idiot! it’s so obvious who wrote these!” you yelled back, forcing the notes back into his hands.

“well, who?!” he asked.

you purse your lips and cross your arms. you were going to play the petty game. “i’m not saying.”

“please, i’m begging!” tanaka exclaimed. “don’t make me get on my knees.”

“actually, i’d love to see that.” you say. if anyone was going to threaten you with a good time, then you’d accept it happily.

tanaka did exactly as he said he would, getting down on his knees as he gripped the sleeves of your sweater. this instantly made up for the shitty day you’ve had so far.

“y/n, please tell me whose handwriting this belongs to.” he begged.

his desperation was almost adorable. you knew who he wanted to be the person behind everything today. while you didn’t want to totally give away the surprise, you would be glad to give a hint and hope tanaka figured it out in enough time.

“all i’ll say is you better buy this person a lot of tenmusu later.” you tell him, hoping that served as a suitable clue.

“tenmusu…” tanaka tried thinking, but couldn’t come up with anything. “who the heck likes tenmusu?!”

“you know.” you smirk as you walk away. at least you could help someone else be happy today.

you walk back into the office by yourself. suga, now sitting at his desk, looked at you with a raised eyebrow. “what was that about?”

you eye tanaka as he walked back in, rubbing over your handprint on his cheek. you look over to kiyoko who doesn’t notice you’re looking at her nor that you’re aware of her secret identity.

“i’m cupid, biyotch.”

•••

it took tanaka five minutes to figure out who in this office likes tenmusu. he felt like he was on cloud nine if your hint was actually for real.

“could it… could it really be?” he questioned, almost in a love-filled daze. “if it’s really who i think it is, then i hope this dream never ends.”

•••

just what you needed to see, another delivery man. at least it wasn’t anything lavish this time, nor was it for yachi. it was merely a potted plant and a simple card. you would be glad to sign for the delivery man.

you walk over to kiyoko, yamaguchi, and tsukishima’s desks and place the plant in front of tsukishima, the receiver of said plant. “tsukki, it’s for you.”

“please don’t let it be from my mom…” he opened up the card. yeah, it was from his mom. “dammit.”

“haha, lonely, lonely tsukki once again.” yamaguchi laughed at him.

“shut up.” tsukishima rolled his eyes. “you’ve been around me too much, yamaguchi…”

“just be glad you got something today.” you say to him before heading back to your desk. when you return, ryo walked in. hopefully, he finally has the gift you’ve been waiting for all day.

“hey, babe.” he said as he leaned against your desk, watching as you sat down. “you almost ready to go? i’m gonna get the car warmed up.”

you look around. everything was filed in the right places, there weren’t any emails, and nobody was calling. there was nothing else for you to do, but you sure were bummed to have wasted your whole day mindlessly doing office work without any joy or pep in your step. “i guess, yeah.”

“what's wrong?” ryo asked, noticing you looked quite down. you know it’s bad if even he notices.

“nothing, it's just that i had to sit here all day while yachi got like an entire hallmark store delivered to her.” you say, letting out your frustrations. ryo wasn’t exactly the best person to go to when it came to your problems, but you hoped he’d just listen.

“what, are you mad at me or something?” he questioned. that wasn’t the point. he never understood the point.

“well, no—”

“then what’s the problem, y/n? i can’t read minds, ya know.” ryo scoffed.

there was no point in telling him what was wrong. he would never understand. could you really be chained to him for life like your families expected of you?

“nothing. it’s nothing.” all you could do is just bite your tongue. you’ve done it so much that it doesn’t even sting anymore.

“well, valentine's day isn't over, babe.” ryo said, trying to cheer you up, but miserably failing. “let’s get you home so i can light a candle and toss some rose petals on the bed or something.”

god. anything but that.

“i just have some things to finish up before i leave.” you lie to him. you just wanted a breather before the dreaded ride home, really.

“yeah, of course.” he replied.

once ryo left, you watch as everyone packed up for the day. tanaka seemed to be stalling his exit in hopes of catching his secret admirer earlier than the planned meetup time, but had no luck. you really wished for the best in his quest for love, especially when the one he wanted for so long.

“happy valentine’s day, y/n.” suga said on his way out.

“yeah, happy valentine’s day.” you reply. suga wouldn’t let you down like this, right? if only things were different. curse the expectations that rest as boulders on your back.

“goodnight, y/n.” yachi said as she and yamaguchi carried out her gifts together. lugging that massive teddy bear seemed to be the biggest struggle of all. at the very least, you didn’t have to deal with that monstrosity.

“night, you two…”

even if your valentine’s day wasn’t what you thought it would be, you hoped someone else—no matter who that may be—had a good day.

•••

(bonus scene)

tanaka waited outside the warehouse, his patience is wavering as it neared the meetup time. he had been dying for this all day, and it felt like time was going slower just for the sake of torturing him.

was this stupid? waiting around here like this? tanaka felt like a total idiot, that’s for sure. part of him almost thought this was one big prank, an insanely cruel one. if it was, then some ass kicking would definitely be in order.

just as tanaka was ready to say “screw it” and leave, his secret admirer finally appeared, the moment he had been waiting for all day. “tanaka.”

you weren’t playing around with your hint, it was kiyoko. come tomorrow, tanaka would give you the biggest hug in the whole world.

“kiyoko? it… it’s you?” he said breathlessly. “you’re my secret admirer?”

“mhm.” kiyoko shyly nodded.

tanaka still felt like he was dreaming. just the possibility felt like one, but knowing now that it truly was real, it was greater than the thought of pigs flying or finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

“why the anonymity?” he asked her. “you know i’d love anything as long as it’s from you. i mean, i asked you to marry me on my first day here, for christ’s sake.”

tanaka almost let out a laugh looking back at the memory of his first day. when he found out kiyoko would be showing him around the office, the words “marry me” slipped out of his mouth upon her introduction, almost like it came naturally. she didn’t seem phased one bit, simply saying “no” and moving on with the office tour as if nothing happened. kiyoko never once made fun of him for it, even if she had every opportunity to.

“i know. it seems so silly, but i just…” kiyoko paused. “i get shy with this kind of thing.”

“what do you mean?” tanaka asked. the moment of truth, he figured.

“i, uh…” instead of saying anything else, kiyoko gripped the collar of tanaka’s shirt and smashed her lips against his. it didn’t take long for him to reciprocate, immediately meshing against her lips. he felt like he was floating, but if anyone were to keep tanaka on the ground, it would always be kiyoko.

when she pulled away, tanaka immediately fell backwards, a loud smack against the pavement. that had to have hurt, but he truly couldn’t feel any pain after such a movie-like kiss.

“tanaka!” kiyoko gasped as she kneeled down to inspect him for any injuries. “are you okay?!”

“never felt better.” tanaka said, a dopey smile on his face. he truly was adorable in her eyes.

kiyoko softly grinned before helping tanaka back to his feet. the touch of her hand holding his finally allowed him to let the reality of the situation sink in; kiyoko actually liked him. no prank, no sick joke, all real. he couldn’t even fathom what he did to deserve such happiness.

“if it wasn’t obvious… i really like you, tanaka.” she said, any nerves she had throughout the day now faded away. “i’m sorry it took so long for me to catch up.”

“i’m just glad you made it.” he replied, tears forming in his eyes, all from pure joy.

tanaka leaned in to kiss kiyoko, finding solace with his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck. they kissed again, and again, and again, all without a care in the world. if tanaka could stay like this forever, he would. it felt safer this way.

“you wanna get some tenmusu?” tanaka asked as he pulled away.

“that’s my favorite.” kiyoko replied. “how’d you know?”

“a little birdie told me.” he shrugged, that birdie being you.

for tanaka, this was the best valentine’s day of his entire life. plus, nishinoya was certainly going to lose his mind when he found out about this. there’s truly nothing better than the girl he loved from the start finally feeling the same way.

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