#i got an ask saying that these uniforms make them look like christmas elves and this is where we ended up

[cursedtrekedits]

and merry christmas from the enterprise crew!

[sodalitefully]

Santa Slash is coming to town...

This fic is the Christmas-themed spiritual successor to my Easter Bunny AU.  Special thanks to @slashscowboyboots for supporting all my holiday nonsense! 

Four snapshots from Slash’s Christmas prep marathon through the years:

🎄🎄🎄🎄

Jingle bells.  

Fucking jingle bells.

There were FIFTEEN of them on the stupid-fucking-candy-colored costume he had to wear at this godforsaken excuse for a seasonal job.  “Earn some extra cash,” they said.  “It’s easy, you barely have to do anything,” they said.  "You'll be perfect, you already look the part!" they said.  

"They are about to find a size-ten jingle-toed bootie up their ass,” Axl said – to himself, as he rushed into the storage room turned "dressing room" and buttoned up his itchy red and green vest with one hand while sipping an Orange Julius from the food court with the other.  

“Hey, Axl! You’re barely late today, awesome!”

And then there was this weirdo.

Axl could not for the life of him explain why a shopping mall in Indiana elected to hire a skinny dude in his 20s with a dark complexion and a nose ring to portray Saint Nick himself, but whatever the reason, Axl was stuck working with this fruitcake until Christmas Day.  Sure Slash was nice enough (oh yeah, and his name was Slash, or at least that's how he introduced himself without offering any explanation or even a last name), but he was way too enthusiastic about getting paid minimum wage to let strange kids sit in his lap at a grimy old shopping mall.

Uh, not in a weird way, Slash was good with the kids, really.  But sometimes... it seemed like he was taking his role a little too seriously.  

"How come you don't have a beard?" the first customer of Axl's shift, a little girl in a Tweety bird sweater and blonde pigtails, asked suspiciously.

"That's a good question,” Slash said, scratching at his bare chin. The neck of his Motörhead Beyond the Threshold of Pain Tour T-shirt was visible over the faux fur collar of the Santa costume, and his shiny black boots clearly came from a military surplus store. “I get asked that a lot but the truth is, it just isn't a flattering look, trust me.  I tried it once, and the elves could barely look at me in the eye." To Axl’s incredulity, the girl actually accepted that answer.  "Now tell me, what would you like for Christmas this year, sweetheart?"

As usual, Axl tuned out at this point.  Fake a smile for the overprotective parents, take the painfully awkward commemorative photograph, try not to look like he would rather die than hear Slash try to gently explain that Santa will probably not be delivering a pony this year one more damn time, rinse and repeat – until about an hour later, when the unthinkable happened.

The less said about about the incident, the better.  Suffice to say, one of the darling angels tossed his Christmas cookies, and some of the resulting mess wound up soaking into the front of Axl’s elf costume.  As if he needed another reason to hate his job; this was just adding insult on top of injury (that is, the injury to Axl’s pride as a result of being forced to wear the most ridiculous-looking costume he’s ever had the misfortune of laying eyes on). 

“That’s it. I quit.”  He grabbed the elf cap off his head and slammed it on the ground, then stormed through the exit gate past the sign wishing customers a "Holly Jolly Holiday Season," the bells on his costume ringing merrily as he stomped his feet.

“Hey, wait!”

“No,” Axl growled, but he did turn around to look back at Slash, still sitting in the plastic candy-cane throne unbothered by the mess or the sniffling child now mostly placated by a peppermint candy.  "What."  

Slash offered him a bright, beguiling smile.

"What do you want for Christmas, Axl?" 

-----

Nothing said "holiday cheer" like wandering the tinsel-adorned labyrinth that was a Walmart superstore a week before Christmas, with Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" echoing through the tinny PA system and surrounded by other last-minute vultures hopelessly scavenging the picked-over aisles.  

In Izzy's defense, he actually finished all his shopping early this year, for once.  But then his two little brothers begged him to drive them around town to find the perfect gift for a girl at school that they apparently both had a crush on, and like a fool he agreed. 

He was regretting it now.  Anything would be better than subjecting himself to nearly an hour of top-40 Christmas music.  The jingle bells were jingling, the carolers were caroling, the B-list pop stars were spitting out god-awful covers of Christmas classics, and don’t even get him started on the commercials. 

He wasn't about to walk around in public with his fingers shoved in his ears (at least, he wasn't that desperate yet), but he did squeeze his eyes shut and pinch the bridge of his nose, trying to force himself to relax.  Just take deep breaths and think of The Rolling Stones... 

"Hey, uh, you doing okay?"

Izzy opened his eyes reluctantly.  In front of him was a young man wearing a concerned expression and a Santa hat, stuffed onto a massive pile of dark curls.  

"I'm fine.  Just finding out if it's possible to die from overexposure to Christmas music."

"Ahhh."  The man nodded in understanding.  "It's not, unfortunately.  I've tested it, trust me."

"Do you work here or something?" Izzy asked.  A leather jacket and ripped jeans didn't look like an employee uniform, but his hat matched the store decor and he didn't have a cart or shopping basket.  

"No, I'm actually a seasonal distributor.  Just checking in to make sure everything's in place before that last holiday rush, you know? Shit always gets crazy at the last minute."

"Tell me about it," Izzy responded, as if he knew a thing about marketing as a cynical 16-year-old.  But he had first-hand experience with last-minute crises, and as if to prove it, his brothers came running up to him at that moment.

"Jeff!  We can't find anything good, what should we do?"

"What's the problem?" the stranger in a Santa hat asked, looking genuinely concerned.  

"We don't know what present to get for a girl at school," the boys explained.

"Hmm..." He tapped at his chin.  "Why don't you just – oh wait, you're underage.  Well, how about you bake her some cookies or something?  That's what everyone does for me and I have no complaints."

Desperate to remove himself from this musical hell, Izzy jumped on the idea.  "Yeah, you could do sugar cookies!  And decorate them like horses, she likes horses right?” The boys had only mentioned that a dozen times; Izzy was starting to wonder if this girl even had any other personality traits.  

To his relief, a spark lit up in his brothers' eyes.  Cookies were a perfect idea, and suddenly they were dragging him away to look at cookie cutters and sprinkles.

Izzy turned around to shoot the helpful stranger a grateful look, but when he looked back, the man had disappeared with no trace, leaving not even a furry white pompom behind.

-----

Slash glanced out the window and grimaced – it was cold as a witch’s big bouncy tit outside, nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye could see. He pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders and took another swig of hot Irish coffee.   Damn the North Pole, there was a reason he took his summer vacations in Malibu.

But despite the miserable work conditions, Slash was nothing if not dedicated to his job.  In front of him was a sack overflowing not with toys but with the most recent letters to Santa, straight from the North Pole's post office.  With Christmas only a few days away, his daunting task was to go through the whole mountain of letters as quickly as possibly in order to take their special requests into consideration before it was time to start loading up the sleigh.  

Well, there was no time like the present to get started.  Slash stretched his back and got comfortable in his coziest armchair (by throwing his legs over one armrest and slouching until his head rested on the other), absentmindedly tapping the end of his peppermint stick on the edge of an ashtray.  He grimaced when he brought the stick back to his lips and realized his mistake. 

With a sigh, he dropped the peppermint stick back in the ashtray already full of cigarette butts and ruined candies, and unfolded the first letter.  In barely legible green marker, the message read: 

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Steven and I'm 5 years old.  Please give me a skateboard for Christmas.  My brother has one and he won't let me borrow it to learn tricks.

Hmmm.  Five years old was a little young for a skateboard.  Knowing Steven, he'd probably knock his teeth out by New Year's...

...Slash shrugged.  Why not?  All things considered, he would have killed for a skateboard when he was five, so who was he to say no?

-----

Duff was seven years old when his older brothers cornered him in the backyard and gleefully informed him that Santa Claus was a fraud.  It was all a lie made up by parents to convince their children to behave during the year, they explained, and the toys were made on factory lines not by magical elves.  Their mother gave them a hell of a scolding afterwards but it was too late, the deed could not be undone. 

He tried to play it cool, but the truth was, Duff was very distraught as Christmas Eve inched closer.  Could his siblings be right?  He didn't want to believe it, but if he was being honest with himself, he'd suspected as much for some time.  He braced himself to accept the hard truth come Christmas Eve – but only if he was presented with definitive proof.

When the fateful night finally came, Duff and two of his brothers laid out their sleeping bags behind the couch, where they'd be hidden from view if anyone tried to approach the Christmas tree.  They all swore not to fall asleep, not even for a second until Christmas morning... And it wasn't until his brother started snoring that Duff realized he was the only one still awake and silently anticipating the moment of truth.  

It was imperative, of course, that he stayed hidden and didn't make a sound, or else risk giving their plot away.  But... it was past midnight, dinner was hours ago and Duff's empty stomach was starting to distract him from the task at hand.  He couldn't stop thinking about all the food he would get to eat with his family on Christmas Day: the glazed ham, mashed potatoes, apple pie and Christmas cookies... 

In the dim light, Duff could just barely make out the plate of cookies for Santa, waiting in front of the tree.  The cookies were still there untouched, all six of them... Surely no one would notice if Duff ate just one?  

He tiptoed over his sleeping siblings, as silent as the snow falling outside, making his way around the sofa to the plate on the coffee table.  But just as he reached out to pluck a gingerbread man from the assortment, he saw a shadow of movement out of the corner of his eye.  There, beside the Christmas tree in the flickering glow of multicolored string lights, was a mysterious figure in a fur-lined coat and a red cap.

Duff stared at the intruder, slack-jawed.  The cookie clattered back onto the dish, and at the noise the stranger whirled around to face him. 

"Duff!  What are you doing still awake?" he demanded.  Duff took a breath to answer – or more likely to ask how the man knew his name – but before he could, the man peered over the couch, narrowed his eyes and frowned.  "Oh I see what this is. You thought you would catch your parents pretending to be me!" he accused.  "Well, here's the real truth: adults are always wrong and you should never do what they say!" 

The man – could he really be Santa Claus? – he planted his leather-gloved hands on his hips as he scolded Duff.  "And don't even get me started on teenagers..." he griped, casting a stare over Duff's shoulder where his older brother's leg was sticking out from behind the couch, tangled in a blanket.  

Tears started to well up in Duff's eyes.

"Please still give them Christmas presents!  I know they said they don't believe in you, but they've been good, I promise!" he begged.  Santa's expression softened.

"Aw, I know, kid.  I promise they'll still get their presents, alright?  Let me just finish up here and then maybe you can help me out with those cookies, sound good?"

Placated, Duff sniffled and nodded, scrubbing his eyes with his sleeve. He hopped onto the sofa, swinging his feet and watching with awe as Santa pulled beautifully wrapped gifts out of seemingly nowhere and stacked them around the tree, one after another until all eight of the McKagan children were represented. He took a step back to take in his handiwork, made a few minor adjustments, then turned back to Duff: “Voila! That’s the magic of Christmas. Now pass me that plate, would you?”

Santa sat down next to Duff and propped his boots up on the coffee table. When Duff held out the plate of cookies, he selected one decorated to look like Santa Claus, white beard and all, and promptly bit its head off. 

“I love my job, but delivering presents is exhausting,” he sighed, accepting a glass of milk from Duff’s outstretched hand. “I’ve already covered Asia, Africa, Europe, and most of the Americas, so I’d say I’m due for a break.  Cheers, Duff.” He held up his glass and Duff tapped it with his half-eaten cookie. 

“To a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!”

🎄🎄🎄🎄

[salemsbones]

Lonely Stars Chapter 3

Trigger Warnings: child abuse, homophobia, homophobic slurs, conversion therapy, internalized homophobia

Age 13      The red and black velvet dress I wore was uncomfortable. I missed wearing Sirius' old t-shirts he bought from the Muggle world and soft jeans around the Ravenclaw common room when I wasn't required to wear the black robes. But even the uniformed robes were much more comfortable than this ensemble Mother had insisted I wear to dinner tonight.      I sat at the large dinner table in the dining room. The table was made from such rich and polished mahogany wood that I could practically see my reflection on the surface, and across the table I could see where my brother Sirius had carved his initials onto the beautiful wood much to my Mother's demise. Sirius had not attended this family dinner as he had chosen to spend the beginning of the winter holidays with the Potters instead of us, it stung a small amount that he chose to spend more time with friends rather than his own blood. Beside me sat Regulus as always, his hair had grown to a slightly ragged mullet that he was attempting to grow longer similar to Sirius, we had used almost a full package of bobby pins in order to hide the messiness from our parents. Regulus also shifted uncomfortably, while I know he often wore dress pants and shirts while not in uniform at Hogwarts, he chose to more comfortable materials rather than the stiff bleached cotton he was currently wearing.      To an outsider, this family dinner may have just looked quiet, but in reality you could cut the tension between my family members with a knife. Barely fifty words had been spoken between my parents and I since I had returned home four days ago. While Regulus was given more attention than I, I knew it made him uncomfortable to watch me be ignored or shushed while speaking.      "When is Sirius coming home?" I ask, looking at both my Mother and Father who sit at the head of the table but on opposite sides. My Father sighed and placed his fork and knife down on his plate before looking up at me, he wiped the corners of his mouth with the blood red cloth napkin he had.      "Sirius will be returning tomorrow morning. We will be sending a driver to collect him as usual Aurelia."      "He will be here just in time for the Christmas banquet." My Mother piped up, looking at me.      The majority of the meal was ate in silence, with the quiet squeal of a knife running along the china plates or the tiny clinks of the dishes as they were cleared and another course of food replaced the empty dishes.      "Regulus, your Mother tells me that you may try out for Quidditch in the fall? Is this correct son?" Father inquires, looking at Regulus with interest. Regulus clears his throat after taking a sip of his water and looks at our Father and nods, "Yes, I'm thinking of trying out for Seeker," He smiles as he speaks, a gleam in his pale grey eyes.      "Well you did always have a eye for things Regulus," My Mother smiles, raising her cup of red wine towards him in admiration.      "And very good grades from what we hear from your professors!" Father boasted, a smile now on his face. Regulus was smiling with pride, until he saw my face with a fake smile on it. I try to be happy for my brother, I'm very happy with his accomplishments, but it would be nice to get the same encouragement from my parents that he got.      "You should ask Lia about her semester, I heard it was very interesting," Regulus smiled, trying to focus the conversation on me instead of him.      "Aurelia, how was your semester?" My Mother asks, her voice had less enthusiasm than when she was speaking to Regulus.      "I've been learning about undetectable poisons in Potions. I like my Potions partner, she's very good," I smiled, thinking about my Potions partner and hoping she was enjoying her winter holiday.      "Nice Slytherin girl?" My Mother inquired, hoping I was choosing to interact as closely to Slytherins as possible.      "She's in Hufflepuff actually, she made this joke that I could've poisoned her at any time and she wouldn't even know. She has beautiful brown eyes and her voice is so-"      I was cut off by the clanging of my Father's silverware hitting the china plate and by the look on his face, he was not impressed. He placed his elbows on the table, his hands folding into a fist, his eyebrows were raised and his mouth slanted down into a disapproving frown,      "Are you a dyke?" He snarled, spitting out the words like venom. My stomach dropped and I could feel my heart begin to speed up.      "I- um," I stuttered, taken aback by my Father's choice of words and question. Below the table I could feel Regulus taking my pinky in his and giving it a light squeeze, he was here for me no matter the answer I gave my Father.      "Well?" My Father's voice boomed, the word echoing around the large room. "Is my daughter a dyke?"      I stammered to an answer, I honestly had never thought about my sexuality in depth before, I had heard my brothers talk about girls that they found attractive, or maybe it was mostly Sirius talking and Regulus just nodding along. But I also couldn't remember if Sirius used the words "she" and "her" while speaking of his newest crush. "No Sir. I'm- I'm not a dyke." My voice faltered and I could tell my Father didn't believe me.      "First a blood traitor like her brother and now a fucking dyke." My Father spat, shaking his head in disapproval. I lowered my gaze to the polished table, watching a single tear fall down my cheek in the reflection. Regulus gave my hand a squeeze, causing me to look at him give me a small nod that my parents didn't notice.      "Aurelia, we will discuss this after dinner." My Mother said, her voice clear but stern. "Do you understand me?"      I gave a small nod, keeping my gaze down, "Yes ma'am I understand."                                                               <>      The dishes had been cleared away by the House Elves and now it was my Mother and I alone in the dining room. Father had led Regulus away to discuss try outs in autumn for Quidditch, Regulus quickly looked at me before leaving the room and gave me another quick nod, everything would be okay, it was just a discussion after all.      "Did your Father's comment upset you Aurelia?" My Mother questioned, rising from her seat and coming closer to me. I raised my head and gave a small nod, her heels clicked against the marble floor as she got closer to me. Sirius had once called that sound "The Clicks of Doom", and it wasn't until this day that I truly understood the meaning behind that name.      She took my hand and pulled me up from my seat, her boney fingers tilting my chin up to look her in the eye. Her face was stern, her mouth tilted downward into a slight frown, one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows slightly raised, "Do you have feelings for this Hufflepuff girl?"      "I don't know Mother, I haven't thought about it." I whispered, she hummed at my answer. She circled me, looking at me up and down.      "Aurelia, you are a daughter of the Noble Black family, do you understand what that means?" I chose to stay silent, fearing if I were to say the wrong answer she was looking for. "That means that we have a reputation to uphold. And your little behaviors do not suit the Black family name."      I nod slowly, "Yes Mother. I understand, I'll try better."      She retreated to where she was standing behind me, I could hear the rustle of fabric moving and a quick murmur of the word Imperio and then suddenly I felt calm and very at ease, I wasn't nervous about my family's tainted reputation anymore. "You will not have romantic feelings for women anymore Aurelia."                                                                <>      The red wine I was holding was staring to warm. I stood near the wall of the banquet hall, trying to avoid speaking to anyone unless I absolutely had to, Regulus had said he would try to distract people from me, which was abnormal considering normally he would agree to steer conversations to topics I enjoyed, but tonight I was thankful as I wasn't in the mood to act a certain way.      I glance over to the large clock mounted on the wall, Sirius was supposed to arrive this morning but the sun had set and was no where to be seen. Maybe he had decided to spend more time with the Potters instead, but even if he had decided to do that he could've at least sent an owl or picked up the phone. I sigh and take a sip of the wine I was holding, it was bitter and warm, not for my taste.            Across the banquet hall Regulus was speaking about his plans for after Hogwarts graduation, I don't know if what he said was true or if it was just to please the ears his words were spilling onto. I notice a tall blonde haired girl walk across the floor, her turquoise dress trailing behind her, the fabric hugged her curves beautifully, her long hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft waves that framed her heart shaped face perfectly. I was so entranced by this girl that I hardly noticed when a arm was draped over my own shoulder.

     "Hello little sister," A cheerful voice sung and I looked up to see the face of my brother Sirius standing beside me.      "Sirius," I breathed, so happy that he was finally here. I hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. Sirius was a buffer between me and the disappointment or shame my parents felt about me. He made me focus on other things than their shame, like new Muggle music he had discovered or his new fascination with motorbikes.      He smirked as he took the wine glass from my hand and took a big swing, but quickly made a face of disgust after swallowing. "Merlin, Mother has shit taste in wine."      "Shit taste in banquets too," I smiled as Sirius chuckled. "Where were you? You were supposed to be here this morning,"      "Ah well, I was ready to come home this morning and waiting patiently all day for the driver that Mother and Father conveniently 'forgot' to send. So the Potters drove me after I let them convince me not to hitchhike all the way home." I hummed at his story, Sirius and his dramatics never failed to make me smile.         We stood silently for a few minutes like this, his arm wrapped around my shoulders and me just being content around his presence.      "So, as I am your eldest and best brother," Sirius smirked. "I must do my brotherly duties and ask about you,"      "Oh Sirius, don't start." I smiled but let him continue.      "How are you doing, how's your grades, James, Remus and Peter send their love." He smiles as he spoke.      "I send all my love back,"      "Speaking of love," He smirked, drawing out the word love to which I rolled my eyes. "Got your eyes on anyone special these days? Any boys? Or any girls- I don't judge."      Suddenly, I was repulsed, taking a step away from Sirius, "That's disgusting. I could never do something so vile or wrong." I snarl at him, my eyes narrowing as I became angry.      But Sirius only tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, "And is that why you were eyeing that lovely lady over there? Because it's disgusting? Because I think you find her attractive."      I bit my lip, "I could never do something so damaging to the Black name." My words taste like poison in my mouth.      His eyebrow was still raised, "You couldn't or is it because someone said you couldn't?"      My breath falters as I ponder his question. The girl was beautiful just like I thought she was, and like how Sirius mentioned, but when I thought that there was something inside of my body that twisted and felt sick. "I think she's beaut-" Suddenly something in my stomach gave me a sharp pain and I couldn't even finish my sentence without feeling as if I were about to vomit. I felt Sirius' warm hand on my back and I quickly look at my Mother who was chatting to old friends, hanging onto my Father like a lifeline.      "Did they do something to you Lia?" Sirius asks quietly with a hushed voice.      "I- I like girrrr- gir-" The pain in my stomach was back, making me dizzy. "But I- I can't do it or I will be a disappointment."      Sirius closed his eyes for a moment, sighing through his nose before wrapping his arm around my shoulder again and pulling me close. "It's okay, don't force it. I understand. I'm right here Lia."

[perhapsitmaybedragons]

Santa’s Wonderland

Merry Christmas, @shelling4869ford! I am  your @dcmksecretsanta Secret Santa

Here is your fanfic, but I also have some art I will be sending you later this week after I add some color to it! You said you wanted some Conan and Kogoro bonding  - I hope this is ok!

Kogoro shifted from one foot to the other so many times Conan briefly wondered if the old man needed to go to the bathroom. But a quick glance at his hands and the way they were fidgeting showed that Kogoro just desperately wanted a cigarette. It wasn't like you could smoke in Santa's Wonder Land.

Kogoro had been flattered into taking the kids by Ayumi and the other actual kids laying it on kind of thick, in Conan's opinion. A lot of 'but you're the best detective' and 'we'd be so safe with you' until Kogoro had laughed, patted them all on the head and readily agreed. After all, Ran was working here.

Which was why Conan had agreed to come along. Of course, since he still looked like a child no one thought it was suspect that he wanted to see Santa.

��So,” Ai asked, “What exactly will you be asking Santa for?”

He frowned at her. “You know damn well he isn't real and that he couldn't give me what I want even if he was.”

“Sorry. I think I'll just ask for a new purse.”

“Well, glad to see you're setting your sights low, anyway...”

“Are you talking about what you're going to ask for?” Ayumi asked, grabbing Ai's hand and starting to swing it back and forth. “I want some new dolls, and a detective kit and...”

“I want some books,” Mitsuhiko offered.

“Yeah, yeah. Just save it for Santa, kids.” Kogoro brushed them off. “Damn it, is the line always like this? I haven't been to one of these things in ages,” he started rubbing at his neck as though he could feel the years weighing down on him. “And that little brat got Ran into trouble again that day.”

I didn't get her into trouble. That time was her idea. I wouldn't have tried to pass the gifts out to the other kids in line. I knew the boxes were empty, Conan thought, but obviously couldn't say.

“Oh, look, there's Santa!” Ayumi pointed, standing on her tiptoes to try to see over the crowd. Genta grabbed her under the armpits and hoisted her up so she could see better. “Thank you!”

“Sure, but now Conan probably can't see anything,” Genta smirked at him. “Can ya, shorty?”

“Did you want to see anything?” Kogoro asked. “Didn't think this would be your kind of thing.”

“It's not.” Which was the truth. But he was very curious about Ran's elf costume. Before he could say anything for or against it, Kogoro had scooped him up and put him on his shoulders.

“There. Can you see him now, kid?”

“Yeah. Uhm. ...Thanks.”

“No problem. Sooner we get out of here the sooner I can have a cigarette.” Kogoro marched forward in the line but kept Conan on his shoulders.

It felt like hours before they reached the front but in actuality was probably more like twenty minutes. Conan noticed that the Detective Boys were all starting to look kind of tired and crabby. If they'd had to wait much longer it wouldn't have been a pretty sight.

“Ho ho ho, all of you kids at once?” Santa asked.

“You can all come one at a time or all together,” Ran was at the front, apparently on kid wrangling duty. She wore a green skirt with a red blouse and then a green and red hat with elf ears on it. Conan smiled at her – she looked adorable.

“C'mon, kids, other people are waiting.” He was more than a little surprised to see Sonoko there. She didn't need to work, so why? Oh, wait. Now he remembered. She'd been insisting to Makoto lately that she could make her own way in the world. This must be her latest attempt to prove it.

“One at a time,” Ai suggested. When Mistuhiko and Genta started to take off running she grabbed them both by the shirts. “Ayumi first.”

They both grumbled, but agreed to it.

Kogoro watched and tapped his foot, repeatedly checking his cell phone for the time. “Couldn't they have given you a longer skirt?” he asked Ran after a moment. “It's cold at the North Pole. Elves should be wearing parkas and long pants.”

“It's just the costume, dad,” Ran sighed, “Besides, some of my regular skirts are shorter than this. It's about the same length as my school uniform skirt.”

He brushed the answer off without paying attention to it. Ayumi finished her list and then the boys took their turns. Then Ai.

“Your turn, Conan!” Ran insisted, grabbing his hand and leading him to Santa. Santa, for his part, was staring after Ai with a bewildered expression.

“That girl....” He started.

“Yeah, she has that effect on people,” Conan muttered.

“Yes, but what can I get you for Christmas, little boy?”

“Uh...books, I guess.”

“Just books? No toys?”

“No...”

“You know,” Santa had a strange twinkle in his eye, “I heard they have a new play set out for Sherlock Holmes.”

Conan blinked a few times, then finally bothered to look at Santa. “Oh, hi, Inspector Megure!”

“Shhh!” The Inspector double checked that his beard hadn't slipped.

“Oh, hey, Inspector Megure!” Kogoro shouted at him. “How are things going?”

“Oh geez, get that guy out of here before he lets these kids know who I am – or worse, we fall into a case. I don't want these kids seeing a dead body,” the Inspector let Conan off of his lap. “Get out of here, Kogoro!”

“Is the police force paying that little these days?”

“Shut up and leave,” Megure hissed. “Kids all got their wishes in, do you want them to worry that Santa isn't going to bring their toys?”

“I guess not,” Kogoro admitted. “See you around, Inspector.”

Conan barely resisted the urge to face palm, but followed along on Kogoro's heels. “I tell you, kid, this stuff gets worse every year.” As soon as they were far enough away Kogoro lit a cigarette and took a long drag. “It used to be kind of fun when Ran was little. She'd get so excited and her mom..and her mom,” he trailed off and took another drag, letting the smoke out slowly as he thought. “But that was a long time ago. Things change.”

“Well,” Conan thought about it for a moment. “Maybe we could make things nice for Ran this year. Maybe make those cookies her mom used to, only ours will actually be edible.”

“Who told you about those?” Kogoro asked sharply.

“Ran did!” Conan said automatically. “That Eri couldn't cook but always tried to make spritz cookies anyway at Christmas time.”

“Yeah. Terrible. You'd think the sprinkles could save em but nope, just made it more obvious that she'd messed up.. That's not a bad idea, though. Do you know what goes into those things?”

“No,” Conan admitted, pulling out his cell phone and typing away. “But I found a recipe. We have everything except almond extract at home.”

“All right. Well, let's get your friends dropped off and then I guess... I guess we'll go home and make cookies. But you're doing all the clean up.”

Conan smirked at him. “Okay, but I get the first cookie. Then you've got yourself a deal, mister!”

[hawkeyes-chicklet]

Holidays - Clintasha advent 2020

"A secret Santa?", Natasha asked: "What's that?" Steve smiled: "We write our name on cards, fold it and put it in a bowl. Everyone picks a card and has to get a present for the person on the card. We gather the presents under the tree and nobody will know from whom his or her present is from." "Yeah. Thank you Steve. So. You're in, Nat?", Clint looked at her with puppy eyes. She turned soft and sighed "And I thought that your Santa Guy does all the work." They laughed and wrote their names on the cards. One by one they picked them up.

"Okay, does everyone have a counterpart? No cheating! No telling!"

"Who have you got?", Clint tried as he walked to the gym with his partner. "No telling," she quoted Cap. "That's the spirit!" "Yeah, it's still bullshit." "Aww, don't say that. You promised me to get along." "And you promised to steal a jet and fly me out of this Christmas dump when it's getting too glittery and holiday-ish." He laughed "And I mean it." "Good."

He got Cap. Piece of cake. At least it was not Tony. What do you get a billionaire who had literally everything? But Steve was a sentimental old chap. He only had to get a vinyl with old music or some memorabilia from the 40ies or something. But still he was curious who Nat had to get a present for.

Steves POV…. Well, sort of...

The weeks flew by and they had few missions. Everyone was chilled and the Christmas spirit lay upon them. Clint and Steve were in the kitchen on a Sunday morning, baking cookies, as Nat shuffled up. She looked grumpy and took a seat, eyed the boys as they were wearing aprons and singing carols. "Morning Nat. Slept well?" Steve asked with the brightest smile. She didn't answer and Clint passed her a mug of coffee as she always drinks it. Her fingers touched his shortly, it does not seemed to be a big deal but Steve noticed it anyway. Clint came back to his work. Steve had just taken a tray out of the oven. "Mhm, yum!" Clint reached for one cookie but Steve held him back. "They're hot!", he scolded. "Yes mom!", Clint answered. "So Nat, we want to go to the big tree in the city when it's getting dark. A little window shopping, grab something to eat and so on. Wanna come?", Steve tried to convince her. She looked up from her coffee. "Sure." Clint had blown a cookie and went to Nat again. "Try them, they are so good!" He held the cookie to her mouth and lets her take a bite.

Another very private move as Steve registered. She smiled "Indeed, they ARE good. Can't believe you two made them!", she smiled. "Thanks. You're invited to help us do the icing and decorating." "And you can eat all the cookies you want - we have made plenty.", Clint whispered and Steve nodded. "You are adorable. All right." "Come here." She stood up and came to the counter. Clint approached and tied a apron around her. She looked kind of embarrassed. As she raised to mock he said: "No, you have to. You don't want to get icing or glitter all over you." "There is glitter?", she asked baffled but Steve just shrugged his shoulders, grinning.

It turned out that Nat was quite creative and gave attention on details in decorating the cookies. So they got some awesome snowflakes and trees. "Look Nat, I've made us as gingerbread people!" Clint presented two cookie assasins with a little gear on, one with red hair, one with a bow. It wasn't perfect but recognizable and very sweet. And suddenly Nat laughed. Steve had never hear her laugh like this before. But apparently Clint had. He was a little proud. Both, of the cookie and his ability to make her laugh like that. Steve was aware that there was chemistry between them. More than ever. She seemed to be more relaxed when Clint was with her. No one knew what they were like when they were alone but know he got a glimpse. And somehow it made him happy.

On December 24, Steve and Clint set up the tree in the common room. It was a big tree. The rest of the Avengers came to have a look and to give suggestions for the decorations. They argued like children. Nat sat by Clints side and helped him detangle Christmas lights. For her it wasn't important in which colour the tree was decorated, she just was amused by her boys. Everyone wanted a different colour, mostly the one that their uniform holds. "How about we all add something to the tree. Maybe looks a little bit chaotic but you like blinking and changing lights on trees, for gods sake," She finally interrupted the brawlers.

….

It was late this evening. Nat snuck to the common room. She wanted to place her secret Santa present. As she entered the room, Clint rose from the sofa. "What are you doing here?", she asked surprised and hid her present behind her back. "Waiting for Santa. And you?" "Wanted to bring my present in. Forgot it over the day." "Yeah." "Yeah." She kneeled down so he couldn't see what and where she was hiding it.

The room wasn't lit up, they wanted to present the tree and the whole room in the morning.

--

"Rise and shine! It's Christmas time!" Clint stood before Natashas bed where she'd fallen asleep with a book still by her side.

In the morning they had a big breakfast altogether. Everyone was wearing ugly sweaters. Even Nat, some elves had left her one at the doorstep. After they had finished, they all went into the common room.

Clint and Steve had thrived themselves and it looked simply great. They had even set up a fake chimney with stockings for everyone. The tree was lit up and pretty. They had rearranged the sofas and it was cozy with blankets, cookies on plates on the table. Before they all sat down, Steve gave out coffee or hot chocolate. Christmas carols were the background noises. "You did quite the job, it looks amazing!", Nat praised. Clint slid next to her, holding a cocoa. "We spared no expenses," he laughed.

"Presents!", Thor insisted. The norse god had found like on this holiday.

And so it started. One by one they got their presents. Nat got a pair of expensive looking earrings and she assumed that they came from Tony. Clint was the last one to open his present. It was a simple box with a white silk inlay and a strip of paper. On the paper something was written by a typewriter or a printout from a printer. It just said: "Later.".

"Okay, who fucked it up and got no present?" Tony looked to one another, clearly pissed. Clint waved him away "It says later. For whatever that means." "It means: I fucked up and need time to get to the next 7-11 to buy some trash." Ironman got upset. "No need to get angry. I'm sure time will tell."

Much later that day Clint sat on one of the sofas, just relaxing by the tree and flipping trough a new book he got. He wasn't that mad that his secret Santa had not showed up by now but if he found out who it was, he would maybe throw a tantrum. He heard a noise and looked up. Nat came in, holding a tray with a plate and two mugs.

"Mind if I join you?", she asked looking at him. "Would i ever reject you?" So she sat next to him. "Brought you our gingerbread selves. Wanna eat them?" He smiled, than they ate the tiny assasins and drank cocoa. She looked around the room. It was a few minutes to 12 and they were alone. Everything was silent "Still no secret Santa?", she asked quietly. "Hell no. It's an impudence… if I get my hands on...-", he stopped. He understood. She turned to look at him and he looked back. "You are my secret Santa?", he pronounced the obvious and all of a sudden his throat got dry. She noded slowly. What could she have as a present that she couldn't have given him in front of the others? Her eyes fixated his. She reached behind a cushion and grabbed something. "Sorry to kept you waiting this long. I know you were upset.", she handed him a mistletoe. Clint looked confused at the branch in his hand, then back at her face. "A kiss? You are giving me a kiss?", he slowly said. She cleared her throat "If you want to. Or I'll go to the next 7-11, as Tony suggested." Clint sniggerd and lifted the mistletoe over their heads. She drew nearer as his free hand laid on her cheek carefully. Their eyes met, both were a little nervous. Clint throws the branch to the floor only to cup her face fully. Eventually they kissed, their eyes shut.

They kissed long and intensely. Her hands ran trough his hair. "That's a wonderful present. Thank you," he whispered, his forehead touched hers. "You're welcome." "Sooo, was this a one-kiss-only-gift, or…," he teased. "What, you want more of that?", she laughed and gave him a smooch on the cheek. "Hey, you missed!", he said and laid his arms around her, pulling her closer. "I'm not like you Mister i-can't-seem-to-miss.", she replied, gently stroking her hands on Clints chest. "Wanna try again then?"

And though all that Steve stood in the doorway, looking at this couple of master assassins kissing and cuddling and his heart was full. This truly was a Christmas miracle.

[artificialqueens]

papillionlisse 1/? [gigi x nicky / jan x jackie] - pinkgrapefruit

[ chapter one ]

Fast forward to the middle of sixth year and she’s signing up for the Beauxbaton exchange program, egged on by Jan who’s bouncing on her toes, the tote bag slung over her shoulder almost overflowing as Crystal explains the significance of her One Direction stick’n’poke to Jackie who still only has a limited knowledge of muggle music but bless her, she’s trying.

[harry potter hogwarts/beauxbaton au]

A/N - hey! there was a prompt on aq that i was IN LOVE WITH because I’ve wanted to venture into my second favourite fanfic fandom for months but haven’t seen the need. but hey - this should be fun. Thanks to Meggie for betaing, this should be about 6 chapters but don’t hold me to that <3

*

Ever since she was seven, in the aftermath of one of the greatest wizarding wars in British history, Gigi has longed to go to Hogwarts. Her uncle (on her magical mother’s side) would tell her stories of his youth running through ever changing corridors - challenging ghosts and stealing food from the kitchens. Her mother would scoff, nose up high as Gigi and her father would lean into the fantastical tales. Her dad was a muggle but he was fascinated nonetheless, one of the few that would lean into the wizarding world as far as he could rather than run screaming. Their family had hidden during the war - Gigi’s mother a part of one of the highest orders of pure blood family that still accepted the marrying of muggles (and hadn’t affiliated themselves with Death Eaters) - and Gigi had been immersed in the Pure Blood culture for a few months. She was tended to by house elves and taught to fly on a broom by her grandpapa who regaled her with his time playing as keeper for Hufflepuff.

When she got her letter she cried. And then she sent a letter to her grandpapa with her old owl Fluffy and a chocolate frog.

She’d sat on that train, knees bouncing the cage that held her new tawny owl Snitch at a rate that had agitated the poor bird so much he was flapping at the top of the cage. A small girl with insane dark curls entered the carriage and immediately removed the cage from her legs.

“You doin’ okay there?” the girl asked with a peppy voice and wide eyes. “I’m Crystal.”

“I’m Gigi,” she responded quietly, overwhelmed with excitement. “Do you want a crisp?”

“Are they salt and vinegar?” Crystal asked and Gigi nodded. “Awesome! Yeah!”

It was the start of a very firm friendship.

*

Gigi and Crystal entered the great hall with mouths agape. They were funneled in by Hagrid, grouped together with the first years to be sorted and their eyes flitted between the ornate decorations and the hall full of students in black house robes - seated at long tables decorated with banners and flags of the houses; Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.

“What do you want to be?” whispered Crystal eagerly as she vibrated next to Gigi.

“I don’t mind,” Gigi mused. “None of them are bad.”

“I want to be a Hufflepuff,” Crystal enthused and it made Gigi giggle at her new best friend.

“GOODE, GIGI,” Headmistress McGonagall called from the front of the hall and Gigi skittered up to the front of the room nervously, passing students both older and taller than she. She sat on the stool carefully as the Sorting Hat was placed onto her head. It wriggled uncomfortably for a few seconds, mumbling things Gigi couldn’t quite make out before screeching ‘SLYTHERIN’ at the top of its nonexistent lungs. The green table erupted into cheers as she ran to take a seat on the end, the badge on her uniform transforming into a snake in front of her eyes.

She sat patiently for a few moments as various other girls were called - a Mateo going to Gryffindor and a Liason going to Hufflepuff before Crystal’s name was called.

The young girl sat for only a second before the hat called Hufflepuff and the house cheered in triumph, Crystal giving Gigi a little wave before running to join the sunny yellows of her house.

Once everyone had been sorted, McGonagall tapped her glass to silence the room. “Welcome first years! As you may know,  since the Battle of Hogwarts we have taken house unity very seriously. This means that although you are governed by your house’s prefects, earn points for your house and play quidditch in your colours, you will live, work, and eat with whomever you choose. Aside from special occasions - you will function as a unit, not separate groups. Common rooms, while house specific, are open to everyone and your dorms could be anywhere so it’s important that you respect all house prefects because you don’t know whose rule you’ll live under. Be kind to one another - it matters more than you know, and let the feast begin!”

With a final flourish of her wand, the empty tables were full of platters and the once plain ceiling looked to be full of stars.

*

Gigi’s dorm ended up being in the old Hufflepuff quarters, ever filled with a glowing warmth. She was thrilled to find Crystal lounging on a bed when she entered, two more girls also already having claimed beds - Jan Sport and Jackie Cox. She’d discerned from conversation that Jan was a half-blood like herself and Jackie appeared to be a very clueless Canadian Pure-blood which only made Gigi chuckle as she thought of the confusion on two sides the girl would be facing.

As she lay in bed that night - the room a perfect temperature and the bedspread an emerald green, she’d never felt so at home.

*

Fast forward to the middle of sixth year and she’s signing up for the Beauxbaton exchange program, egged on by Jan who’s bouncing on her toes, the tote bag slung over her shoulder almost overflowing as Crystal explains the significance of her One Direction stick’n’poke to Jackie who still only has a limited knowledge of muggle music but bless her, she’s trying. Jan smiles to herself as she watches her girlfriend try to understand how the ink is staying under the skin. “C’mon Gigi, write quicker!” Jan whines, “I want to go get waffles before the guys eat them all.” Gigi stifles a laugh knowing that’s the only reason Jan got up before seven today before scribbling her signature at the bottom of the form and transfiguring it into a paper butterfly to be sent up to Headmistress McGonagall’s office without hassle.

They all enter the hall, finding four seats together on the end of an old Gryffindor table - the hall only really sticking to the tables on Quidditch game days and special feasts where house unity can be thrown out of the window and no one wants Slytherin to win another house cup (Gigi doesn’t blame them - she’s the captain and they’ve been damn fantastic these past few years).

Jan’s shovelling waffles into her mouth as Jackie mutters for her to breathe when McGonagal clears her throat and taps her glass bringing the hall to silence.

“As you all might have heard, the Sixth Year Beauxbaton Exchange starts after the holidays. For all who have not heard - today is the last day of sign up. Sixth years who choose to participate will be assigned a partner from Beauxbaton. The partner will come here for our summer term - partaking in their normal NEWT subjects and sharing dorms and generally experiencing life here at Hogwarts. They will take on their partner’s house for all house related activities and will not be eligible for quidditch teams before any of you ask.” She pauses, eyes directed towards Gigi with a smirk making the brunette blush in her seat. “Then, in the winter term our students will visit there - the same rules will apply - before all returning here for our famous Yule Ball just prior to Christmas. This is not a graded event but it will do well for anyone wanting international experience or those considering a mastery at Beauxbaton after their NEWTs. With that, it’s almost nine so you have a few more minutes to devour your eggs before I expect you all in your classes - promptly.” She ends with a smile and a wave indicating the hall can get back to its usual chatter and it does with some immediacy.

“Are you sure you don’t want to do it, Crys?” Gigi asks, pushing a final toast crust around her plate with her fork as the girl opposite her gets crumbs all over the transfiguration essay she’s frantically finishing.

Crystal looks up at Gigi with a raised eyebrow, her unruly curls falling over her face (although they’re quickly fixed back by Jackie who’s particularly proficient at beauty charms). “Baby, if I tried to speak French I’d insult them all.” Crystal chuckles. “I failed year six french, thank god I didn’t have to do high school.” Jan and Gigi chuckle in agreement as Jackie sticks her tongue out, insulting them all in french. She drops a kiss on Jan’s head before leaving for her Ancient Runes class.

“You both in transfiguration next?” Jan asks with mouth full of eggs. Gigi and Crystal nod - Gigi looking much more excited as it’s her favourite subject. Crystal sighs - she wants to be a healer so she’s got a full board of classes from Charms and Transfiguration, which she cannot do to save her life, and Potions and Herbology which are much more her speed. Needless to say she’s grateful for Gigi in spellwork classes.

Jan brushes a few lone crumbs off her robes, grabbing her Beatles themed tote bag and rushing off to Care of Magical Creatures, leaving Crystal and Gigi to walk to Transfiguration together.

“What do you think your girl will be like?” Crystal muses, a finger fiddling with one of her loose ringlets.

“I hope she’s nice…” Gigi replies as if she hasn’t put a lot of thought into it (she has but she’ll deny it to her grave).

“Yeah, and respectful. It takes a lot of respect not to throw a pillow at Janet and Jaqueline some nights,” Crystal jokes and Gigi snorts out a laugh as they arrive at the classroom.

“Alright bitch, are we hoping for an E?”

“If I exceed expectations I will be very happy,” Crystal agrees and they take their seats.

*

Gigi normally finds the Hogwarts Express relaxing. She’s usually soothed by the feeling of the old steam engine chugging away under her feet. Crystal stuffs as many pumpkin pasties as she can into her trunk and Jan spends the whole ride with her head in Jackie’s lap which would definitely be a hazard if the train happened to brake (it doesn’t, it’s a magic train, but it could).

She’s normally relaxed about now, but she’s going to meet her exchange partner and honestly she’s finding it very hard to be relaxed. Not to mention she has a very new cat (Quaffle) that is currently unimpressed with being in a train carriage and has found a home on Crystal’s lap, begging for attention.

“You doing okay there Gi?” Jackie asks, worried as always. “You’re looking a little pale.” This is a joke of course, Gigi’s pretty sure she’s never been more tanned than alabaster but if her reflection is anything to go by, she’s not looking particularly calm.

“Just nervous,” she admits, batting away the stick of Droobles Bubblegum Crystal tries to offer her - branching out from her usual snack trolley order.

“Big day!” Jan enthuses from her reclined position, Jackie’s fingers tangled in her hair.

“Big day,” Gigi repeats under her breath, trying to channel some of her roommate/best friend’s energy. “Big fucking day.”

*

“Honestly Crys I’m pretty sure you’re more excited than I am.” Gigi chuckles as they all walk up to the castle together, Jan holding the squirming cat carrier as she’s the only one not phased by the movements.

“If you think about it,” Crystal starts, adjusting her robes as she walks a way akin to a confused badger, “She’s kind of like a family pet. If you get her - we all kinda’ have her. Like a dog.”

Gigi and Jan burst out laughing while Jackie gives a snort that she stifles into an exasperated sigh. “I swear to god Crystal if you refer to the poor woman as a pet while she is here I will disown you.”

Crystal hums nonchalantly at the threat but all of their attention is drawn away by the faint sound of twinkling in the air. They look up out of instinct and coming out of the clouds is a giant, powder blue carriage drawn by Abraxans (large horses with wings). It floats as if weightless and the entire student body stops in awe just to watch it descend onto one of the large fields by Hagrid’s hut.

No doubt they’d all stare for much longer but Professor McGonagall calls from the entrance, requesting them to hurry and put their things away before dinner.

They all enter the dorm with a hubub and Gigi calls the bathroom first, forcing Jackie to charm her hair into one long brown braid that falls over her shoulder. She applies the minimal makeup she knows how to - feeling an urge to impress the girl she is yet to meet before being hurried out of the bathroom by Crystal who is insisting she needs the mirror to do something (none of them are quite sure what).

An additional bed has been added to the dorm between Gigi’s and Crystal’s. While Jan and Crystal’s beds have yellow covers and trimmings, Gigi’s is green and Jackie’s a deep blue - this new bed has a deep purple cover with delicate silver trimmings down the side and Jan appears to be examining it curiously as she braids her silver blonde hair into a messy french plait. They all bide their time, as they wait for Crystal, and once Jackie has rescued whatever hairstyle the dark haired girl was attempting, they head down to the hall.

Despite this being a start-of-term feast, the house restrictions have been lifted for the school so they all find themselves sat in their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, idly waiting for the process to begin. As far as Gigi knows, the Beauxbaton will sit on the same stool they all sat on as first years and the hat will call out the name of their partner - to get a feel for Hogwarts, or so Professor McGonagall said. Then Gigi will have to stand and the girl will join them at the table.

She plays footsie with Crystal under the table through McGonagall’s speech - too nervous to pay much attention (and knowing Jackie will let her know anything important) and then the sorting starts.

The room goes deathly silent except for the sound of the rain on the enchanted ceiling as the first girl is called up. Violet Chachki is paired with Pearl and Gigi finds herself glad as the girl seems intimidating - her dark hair a stark difference from the rest of the blonde, porcelain skinned, part veela girls.

The part-Veela doesn’t worry her. For one she’s not a desperate straight boy clamouring after a perfect French girl and two - she doesn’t really care but she does feel oddly drawn to the girls in blue and she takes a brief second to wonder what would happen if she did get a Veela more interested in women. A smile flits across her face and Jackie rubs a warm hand on her leg.

The next girl - Nicky Doll - is called. She’s blonde, like the rest, and lithe - gorgeous really - and even from where Gigi’s sat, she can tell her eyes are a pearlescent blue. She sits carefully on the stool - managing to make it look like a Vogue shoot rather than a school ceremony. The hat is placed on her head and it dwarfs her petite features - her button nose and her shining eyes and it makes her look almost childlike. Gigi is so focused on this she barely registers the way the hat screams ‘GIGI GOODE’. She’s sure she wouldn’t have if Jackie hadn’t jabbed her wand straight up into her ribs to jumpstart her again.

She stands inelegantly, smiling at the French girl who bounds towards her like Bambi but much more gracefully. It’s like she’s floating along the old cobble floors and then slides into the seat next to Gigi, breathless.

“Nicky Doll, enchanté,” she offers sweetly with her gloved hand outstretched. Gigi takes it gladly and is pleasantly surprised by how warm it is given the general coolness of the castle - even in April. Her shock must show on her face because Nicky gives a soft chuckle “Warming spell.” She shrugs.

“I’m Gigi Goode.” Gigi remembers to introduce herself. “This is Crystal.” The brunette waves jovially while her eyes stay fixed on the continuing ceremony. “Jan.” She waves too. “And Jackie.” Jackie turns for a split second to shake hands before she goes back to watching a girl named Brooke be paired with Vanessa Mateo - the feisty Gryffindor from their potions class.

“Do you know when there will be food?” Nicky asks rather brashly for her demeanor. “I’m starved.”

Gigi laughs softly. “Give it another five minutes and we’ll have a feast,” she jokes quietly and they turn their attention back to the end of McGonagall’s speech - Gigi unable to help getting caught on the feeling of a warm thigh pressed on her own.

*

Gigi doesn’t think to ask about the bedsheets until they’re getting ready for bed. Jan’s already tucked into Jackie’s bed in her girlfriend’s oversized Holyhead Harpies shirt attempting to read the astrology book that’s peaked the Persian’s fancy.

“I’m surprised you can read, Jan,” muses Crystal while cradling the, now much calmer cat, like a baby. “You’re such a cutie, Quaffle, aren’t you,” she coos at the kitty as Jan pounds the shade button they’d found in the Weasley’s joke shop on Diagon. The snake that comes out makes the cat squirm out of Crystal’s arms onto Nicky’s bed where the blonde picks it up gently. Out of nowhere it calms and curls up on her lap.

“He likes you,” Gigi states plainly and Nicky chuckles, running her fingers through the longhaired tabby’s fur,

“Most cats do I suppose.” Her hair is in loose blonde curls and she’s dressed in a satin blue babydoll which only makes Gigi self conscious about the loose sports bra and shorts she prefers. The dorms are always warm thanks to the old Hufflepuff wards so she’d rather go light than overheat.

Gigi settles herself in her bed, the green covers resting just under her grey bra. She bundles her hair up on top of her head and pulls out the glasses she only wears in the comfort of the dorms. “So tell us about yourself,” she asks as all the girls look to the purple bed. Everyone keeps their curtains open most nights so you can see round the curve of their dorm room through each of the poster beds.

Nicky hums as she thinks, tilting her head to the side in a way that makes her curls spill over her shoulder. “Well, in Beauxbaton I’m in Papillionlisse - and, uh consequently my colours are purple and silver. We are not like any of your houses. Ombrelune is probable to be Slytherin and I would say Bellefeuille is maybe Gryffindor but Papillionlisse is not. We are kind and artististic and idealistic at times.” She smiles softly as if remembering something nice and in the soft dorm lighting Gigi can see freckles on her cheeks.

“Oooh, we’ll have to see what houses we would be sometime!” Jan decides from where she has tucked herself under Jackie’s arm.

Nicky giggles and nods. “Absolutely Janet. Um what else? I do - what are yours called? NEWTS?” Crystal nods and she carries on. “Well I do astronomy, potions, transfiguration, charms, and divination.”

Gigi thinks for a second before she responds, brow furrowed as she mentally figures out logistics. “So you’ll be with me and Crys for transfiguration and charms - although Jackie comes to transfiguration too sometimes. We all do potions together and then astronomy you’ll be with Jackie and divination you’ll be with Jan.” She looks around to check that’s right even though she knows it is.

Between them they cover every subject with Jackie in arithmancy, ancient runes, astronomy, herbology, potions, history of magic, and transfiguration, Jan in care of magical creatures, potions, herbology, and divination, Crystal in potions, herbology, charms, and transfiguration, and Gigi in charms, transfiguration, potions, astronomy, and defence against the dark arts. Muggle studies is mandatory once a fortnight since the wizarding war and they all sit through it for the sake of their academic careers rather than for the joy of it.

“I have a feeling I shall enjoy it here,” Nicky contemplates as she moves Quaffle so that she can lay on her side under the covers.

“I hope so,” Gigi smiles. They fall asleep facing each other.

[soundofseventeen]

13 Days of Christmas (Yoon Jeonghan)

Hi! Not much to say but I hope you enjoyed Erin’s update! And this is one of my favorites that I wrote! I’ll see y’all tomorrow! gif credits to owners!

Word count: 2699

“There it is,” you said, gently placing your fingertips against the glass, “Jeonghan’s Christmas present.” It was neither grandiose nor revolutionary but you could guarantee that that record player would light up his face the moment he saw it and it was worth it. You could already picture him buying a table specifically for that and his little collection of records happily on the side. You felt the goosebumps making their way across your body hearing Jeonghan’s vocals as he sang along to his favorite songs. 

Joshua, on the other hand, didn’t look too amazed. “It’s nice…Y/N, it’s really nice, but isn’t the price...a bit much?” He loved his friend, he really did but the thought of spending so much money on him was enough to haunt his daydreams. But then he figured that if ever found someone that would spend as many Christmases with him the way you and Jeonghan did, then maybe he’d understand. After all, you were already dating when he met Jeonghan, but he surprised himself when he saw he got along with you as well, being neighbors and all.

“Joshua...for Jeonghan, too much is never enough.”

“But when was the last time you bought something for yourself?”

You kicked your foot in the air to show him your kicks. “Uh, I bought these four months ago, remember?”

“Yes...I told you to either buy them or I would. You had to justify buying a new pair even though they had a hole on the toe.”

“Not everyone can inherit a family business, Mr. Show Off. Now, are you gonna help me wrap that thing when I get out of work?” You cleaned the prints with the sleeve of your sweater paw, ridding the smudge on the window. You tapped the pocket of the small zipper of your mini backpack, making sure you brought the money with you for the umpteenth time. All your tips and extra cash you had leftover went to the record player. And if the owners had a set schedule, you would’ve bought it and taken it home with you a long time ago. 

“And when are you getting your camera? Don’t you miss taking photos?’

“I can always wait for my next birthday or when I’m not drowning in debt.” You remembered all the unopened film you had at home.

So why are you buying something this expensive for Jeonghan?”

“He deserves it. He’s been working so many hours lately and even though he’s dead tired, he still makes time for me. Honestly, that over there-” you pointed to the antique, “-is nothing to compared to everything he’s done.”

“And you don’t work enough hours?” He had never seen a couple like you and Jeonghan, so young and in love and always putting each other first. It sickened him sometimes and he usually had to be realistic for the both of you. 

“Pfft, I’m pretty sure I’ve been slacking just to make sure I get by. That’s what happens when I decide to get sick..” you mumbled the last of your ranting so he wouldn’t hear you. Getting sick around this time of year hadn’t been an option and it still happened and it made you hate your immune system for making you suffer.

“Why not just move in with Jeonghan already to save costs? You’ve been together long enough.”

“I don’t think we’re ready for that yet,” you admitted. It’s not that the thought hadn’t crossed your mind before; it’s just that there were other things you wanted to do and get on your own before taking that next step.

“Okay so you spend all your money on him...and vice versa, you spend all your free time together, you pretty much spend weeks at each other’s places AND you’ve been together since the dawn of time...but no. Moving in together is too much of a commitment.”

“Oh hush before you make me late for work. Come on. I have annoying customers to attend to. Hopefully, they’ll be generous enough to leave me good tips.”

“‘Tis the season to be jolly,” he raised his coffee cup in a toast and sipped it.

*

“Isn’t she a beaut?” Jeonghan asked Seungcheol on his way to work. He sighed longingly at the Polaroid on display, wanting and wishing so desperately he’d be getting paid today just so could buy you your present right now.

“Very pretty,” he whistled. “I’m sure Y/N will love it.”

He nodded, still remembering the broken-hearted expression you had when you realized that you had forgotten it at the bus stop and he swore he’d buy you another one as soon as he could afford it. “I hope so. Y/N deserves all the good things in this world and I’ll try my hardest to make that happen.”

“You know I keep thinking that maybe one day you’ll realize that you’ll both be happy once you move in together.” 

“We’ve talked about it but we’re not ready for that.”

“So you’re just gonna settle for buying yet another ridiculously expensive present.”

“Y/N needs this. Trust me.”

“And I need someone to help me pay rent because living alone sucks.”

“Didn’t Soonyoung have an opening available?”

“You really want me to have a stroke, huh? Last time he had Seungkwan over at his place...I had to help him scrape noodles off the ceiling.” He frowned. “And Minghao wasn’t pleased about the food stains on his book, so I had to give him my copy.”

“New plan, get into a relationship.”

“Yeah, that’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to worry about all that shit.”

“I got lucky,” Jeonghan shrugged nonchalantly. He turned his attention back to the vintage camera. “That’ll prove it.” He had slowly been saving up for that Polaroid for you, stopping by weekly to give a downpayment, and with this week’s paycheck, you’d surely be getting it tonight.

“Man, you guys are gross,” Seungcheol gagged. “Making me feel lonely with my single ass. Let’s go, Romeo. Otherwise, the only thing you’ll be getting is a pink slip.”

“I really hate Soonyoung,” he grumbled. “He got to be one of Santa’s elves and I’m fucking Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.”

“And I’m a cashier who has to hear sob stories and threats over discounts that aren’t included with the shit they’re buying.” Jeonghan wasn’t sure if the tears were real or not, but he couldn’t blame him either way.

*

You walked out of the bathroom, still wondering how the smell of coffee made its way into your street clothes. You stuffed your uniform into your backpack, grateful to be out earlier than expected but trying not to think about how you were gonna make extra money before the rent. Tips weren’t too bad but you felt a little guilty for hoping for more. You’d find a way to manage; you always did. 

Your coworkers wished you a happy holiday, as well as thanking you for the gifts and then you went next door to wait for Joshua since he texted you that he’d be leaving soon. The secretaries at the law firm didn’t give you a second glance other than greeting you. They were used to seeing you by now so they let you wait there. Luckily, he hardly kept you waiting so you were back out before the door even closed. He chatted about the potential clients and the ones who stuck out to him. You didn’t know how many cups of coffee he drank on the way to the antique store, but he never seemed jittery. But you guessed it went to you since you were buzzing and speeding up and rushing him to get there faster. You finally left him about half a block away to run inside to get someone to help take the record player to the register to pay the owner.

However, when Joshua caught up to you, you were frantically digging through your backpack looking for the small zip-loc that had all your savings for it. “Where is it?” You dumped everything out on the counter, hoping it’d be mixed in with your uniform or your wallet or anywhere else. “Joshua,” I can’t find it.” You tried not to cry, thinking if you went back to the restaurant, it’d be there in your locker, waiting for you. “I’m sorry, can you just keep this on hold for me? I left my money in my locker at work. I’ll be back with it as soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry, but if someone else wants it, we might have to sell it to them,” the owner said apologetically.

“No, please. I have the money. It’s for my boyfriend. That’s his Christmas gift. I’ll be back in an hour, I promise.”

*

“What do you mean I’m not getting paid?” Jeonghan asked his boss in disbelief.

“No, you’re still getting paid...it’s just delayed a couple of days. And that’s my fault for not seeing that I was overdrafted from one of my payments sooner.”

“And all my coworkers?”

“Are in the same position as you. I-It’s out of my hands.”

“Can’t you just give it to me in cash, sir? It’s an emergency.”

“My daughter just deposited everything that we made today. Jeonghan, I’m truly sorry. How else can I make it up to you?”

“It’s fine. Forget it.” The rush of emotions left him conflicted as he drove home. He didn’t have a backup plan for something like this. He just assumed that after work today, he’d be able to buy you your Christmas gift with no problem. He was pissed that it didn’t happen like that. He knew that banks messed up all the time but he couldn’t believe his luck. He promised you the greatest gift in the world, and now would he provide that? He threw your towels in the washer, knowing you’d want to shower after you got back from visiting your friends at Mingyu’s place. He tidied the room a little, looked for your slippers and made sure he had some ramen in case you came home hungry.

He went back out to the living room, car keys in hand, when he laid his eyes on his records...his most prized collection. A lot of them he had been buying since he started earning his money, and some he got for a really good deal. He always promised himself that one day, he’d get himself one just to be able to play his music. And then when you crossed his mind, he pictured you with the Polaroid in your hands as you took the pictures and in one swift movement, picked up the records and headed out.

*

You never understood how Jeonghan managed to tangle himself up in you but you never complained about it. If anything, you welcomed it because it was just something you liked...unless it was scorching hot and his body heat radiated off of him. “Hannie,” you called him softly. “Hannie, wake up.”

“Five more minutes, my love,” he mumbled. “I’m tired.”

“But Hannie, it’s Christmas! I wanna make you breakfast.”

“Stay with meeeeeee.” He sleepily pressed his lips to your cheek, not quite processing your words.

“Come on. You can sleep in the living room.”

“Jagi, can you make me pancakes?”

“Yes, come on. And take your blanket too so you’ll stay warm.”

“Can we stay in our pjs too?”

“Go nuts.”

He didn’t need his blanket because as soon as he turned on the TV, he woke up and flipped through the channels excitedly, looking for anything that hinted at his childhood. He looked under the Christmas tree, only two presents, a sure sign that they’d gotten older. His heart clenched at seeing his gift to you, which now looked like nothing compared to the one you wrapped for him. He didn’t wanna dwell on that. It was Christmas, you were here with him again and it was perfect. Breakfast too. He loved hearing you humming in the kitchen, and making small talk. He met you on the table but you shook your head and went to the living room and sat on the floor. You patted the spot next to you and you watched the movie playing in silence. You looked like you were in a good mood, and he couldn’t complain. And then you mentioned opening presents and he felt the nerves turn icy in his veins.

“Okay. Do you want to open mine first or do you want me to start?” He didn’t give you the chance to speak since he handed you your and he waited.

You took your time unwrapping it, trying to figure out what he could’ve gotten you. “Is this what I think it is?” You finally decided to tear it open, and you tried not to cry. “It’s a...Polaroid,” you said quietly. You could feel the lump in your throat, touched at the fact that he got it for you. “Thank you.” 

“I know it can’t replace your old one, but I know you missed taking photos. Here, why don’t you take one of me while I open yours?”

“I think I’d rather just capture the moment as is.” You leaned closer to him while he unwrapped his, nearly helping him because of your excitement. 

“It’s a record player,” he said in the same voice you just used. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, I know how you’ve been dying for this and it’s what you deserve. Now, why don’t you put one of your favorite albums so I can hear your beautiful voice?”

He surprised you by taking your hands in his. “Y/N, do you know how happy you make me and how I’ll do anything to see you smile?” He kissed your hands when you nodded and continued. “Yesterday, I wasn’t able to get paid, so I had to sell my records to get your Polaroid.” He didn’t need to tell you that he had to stop at several places because many of the owners didn’t offer the prices he needed to buy it for you.

“Jeonghan, why?” he wiped away a tear that had fallen. Your heart broke at his sacrifice and you felt so selfish.

“Because I love you. Now start taking pictures and hang them up everywhere you can. Your photograph...why are you crying? Jagi, please don’t cry. You're more important to me than those. I can always buy more.”

“Jeonghan, I sold all my film to buy you this record player,” you admitted. “I lost the money I saved up for it and they were gonna give it to someone else. You love music so much and it was the first thing I thought of.”

To your surprise, he started laughing so hard his own tears started falling and then it was your turn to wipe them. “Baby, why would you do that for me?”

“Because I love you. More than anything, even my stupid hobby.”

He didn’t know what else to do, so he grabbed your face and placed kisses everywhere he could until he just held you close to him. He rested you close to his heart, content despite everything. “Man, we’re just a couple of fools, aren’t we?” 

You didn’t answer him, the steady beating of his heart matching with yours. You still couldn’t believe that he loved you this much. And you loved him just as much. You’d already known that you were gonna spend the rest of your life with him, but this just solidified any doubts you may have had. 

“Jagi?” He tried again.

“Hmm?”

“I know this is long overdue and we’ve only talked about this a couple of times, but would you just move in with me already? I don’t know if I can handle being apart from you much longer. It doesn’t to be right away-”

“How about after the new year?”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Jeonghan, after what you did for me...how can I say no? Besides, it took us long enough, right?’

“I love you...so fucking much.”

And I love you...just as fucking much,” you said, placing a soft kiss to his lips.

[wishingitwerewolfstar]

bravery and other obscenities

my @wolfstar-secret-santa gift for @smartass-mee, hope you like it!!

Remus was going to be late for class.

Admittedly, so was Sirius, but this was both less rare and less consequential. All a professor had to do was glance at Sirius' smile and his last name on the roster before suddenly their stack of detention slips was mysteriously missing and it was 'Well, I suppose it won't happen again, will it?' even though it had happened before and all involved and observing parties knew it most certainly would happen again.

Remus, on the other hand, would be scrubbing cauldrons until the house elves began to make breakfast the next morning.

All because Sirius had insisted on going the long way, through the left wing, for no reason apparent to Remus.

He wasn't as mad about it as he would have liked to be though.

Honest, he kept trying to be mad, because his education was important, as was his time, and he wanted to care about lecture even if some things (like the odd fullness in his chest and the every movement Sirius' thumb made against the back of Remus' hand) loomed larger in his mind.

It was new, so new, and yet it felt ancient. It felt like Remus had had Sirius’ heart forever, probably because, if he's honest with himself, Sirius had had Remus’ heart forever, long before their fumbled confessions and kisses in the pumpkin patch the month before.

So when Sirius took the long way, Remus followed.

Sirius stepped closer and pressed a kiss to Remus' cheek, lingering and firm and warm.

Remus froze and almost fought the blush off his cheeks before remembering he didn’t have to anymore. He had other options now, like, for example, guiding Sirius’ chin with the ends of his fingers until they were properly kissing, and resting a hand on his waist while he was at it. 

Finally, Remus pulled away because he did have some level of concern for tardiness. He was definitely going to get detention but that didn’t mean he had to miss the whole lecture. Sirius only smiled at him with somewhat labored breathing and shakily pointed up above them.

“Sorry, Moony, there was some mistletoe. Nothing to be done for it.”

Remus nodded with a certain lightness between his lungs as he pretended not to see Sirius slip his wand back into his pocket and hurried them off to class. 

James had brought some of his lights from Diwali back out and arranged them around their room, and Remus had set his grandfather’s menorah out on his dresser, Peter was decorating a tree he very proudly reported he cut down himself (with the help of his wand) from the Forbidden Forest (and subsequently magically shrunk down to a manageable size). It was an impressive bit of magic, if perhaps not an impressive feat of manual labor. Sirius had announced that he was in charge of “the ambiance” when it came to decor, which apparently meant covering absolutely every possible surface in ribbon or garland, no matter how many times James complained of the loose bits of evergreen in his shoes. 

It also, apparently, meant hanging mistletoe directly over Remus’ bed.

“I wish I could help you Moony, but it’s just absolutely necessary for the decor.” Sirius explained as he changed into his pajamas for the night, “If I move it anywhere else, it’ll mess with the energy flow, and it could potentially ruin Christmas. And Hannakuh. And Solstice and all of the above. The spirit of the holiday season rests on the precise placement of this mistletoe. You wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that, would you?”

“I don’t suppose I would,” said Remus, trying to be subtle about his disappointment when the brief period between Sirius’ uniform and his pajama shirt came to an end.

“Then it’s settled,” Sirius nodded with an air of self-importance before making a huge show of tripping over what appeared to be thin air and sticking a shaky landing which just so happened to be under the mistletoe.

An innocent face and a few steps later, Sirius got what he wanted, and stepped away some time later thoroughly kissed. 

"Truly unfortunate, to be sure," Sirius said, swaying from side to side a bit as if in a cartoon, "but it's strictly necessary for the good of mankind."

Remus nodded, "Whatever you say, baby."

Then he walked away smiling, with his back to the sounds of Sirius slowly dying where he'd left him.

Wednesday night after Sirius had finished helping Remus with his testosterone shot like usual, they stood in the empty dorm, with an awkward distance between them neither knew how to cross. 

Sirius ran his hands through his hair, a habit he’d picked up from James, “Do you, um, maybe want to go for a walk?”

Remus blinked, “A walk?”

“Yeah.”

Remus racked his brain for the last time someone had asked him to simply go for a walk, not a game of pick up quidditch or a snowball fight or quick few hexes at whatever Slytherins might be lurking around the dungeons. “Have you been spending too much time in dog form?”

“No, I just. You know. Thought it would be nice to go for a walk. Or not, if you don’t want to. We could go to the astronomy tower though. Or anywhere! Or nowhere! It’s all fine with me, honestly,” Sirius’ cheeks were terribly pink and he’d quite suddenly lost the ability to hold eye contact. Oh, Remus realized like the first breath above the surface of the Black Lake, he’s as nervous as I am.

“Pads, it’s fine, let’s go for a walk. We’ll go to the astronomy tower.”

Sirius laughed in a poor attempt to the relieved exhale he let out, “Cool. But we don’t have to, if you don’t want to.”

“Noted. Now are you coming?” Remus held out his hand and Sirius, with a sheepish blush, gratefully took it. 

The astronomy tower was frightfully cold at that time of year, so Remus quickly summoned a blanket and wrapped it around their shoulders once they’d squeezed in next to each other on a windowsill, legs dangling off the side of the tower. Sirius closed his eyes for a moment, and concentrated very hard as he whispered a few different spells, one hand gripping the edge of the blanket and the other his wand. After a few minutes, two mugs of hot chocolate came gently floating up the steps and over towards the windowsill to join them. 

Remus felt a sudden wave of emotions surge up, a mix of affection and the certain amount of attraction Sirius’ natural skill with magic always evoked in Remus.

“Did you know,” Remus took a sip from his mug, far too hot but worth the burned tongue, “that you’re perfect?”

Sirius grinned, “Yes, actually, yes I did.”

Remus rolled his eyes, “Merlin, your ego.”

“One of the most attractive things about me, I’d say.”

“You are deeply mistaken.”

“Oh yeah? What would you say is more attractive?” With a smug smile, Sirius leaned in.

Remus leaned out, but he was smiling too, “I’m not playing this game.”

“I think it would be beneficial for you. Get it off your chest.”

“I’m going to miss you.”

Sirius paused a moment and softly nodded, “When we leave for break tomorrow?”

“Mhm”

Sirius turned his eyes to the Forbidden Forest sprawling out in front of them, and Remus took the opportunity to stare openly at Sirius’s profile, feeling safe and yet terrified, protected and protective. This would be Sirius’ first holiday with the Potters, and it stirred up all sorts of tender emotions in Remus, pride, relief, gentle concern about the undoubted mixed feelings Sirus would have but try to deny, and the overwhelming urge to simply hold him, hidden away in bed and comforted until the week was over, though he knew he couldn’t.

“We’ll only be gone a week.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“But I’ll miss you too.”

One day, Remus thought, that will not feel like a relief. One day, I will trust that without him having to say it. In return, he said, “Why, do you like me or something? How embarrassing for you.”

Sirius laughed and leaned his head on the stone of the window. Remus gently worried after him. Sirius was so external, so loud about the way he felt usually, that these quiet moments were a language Remus was still trying to learn. He couldn’t quite tell if Sirius was okay, and was about to give in and just ask when Sirius whispered, “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Being happy.”

Remus paused a moment and softly nodded, “Yeah, Pads, it is.”

“I think I like it.”

Remus breathed in, and then out, and he thought about being Gryffindor, and therefore brave, and how that sometimes meant loving good things that might leave someday, “I think I like it too.”

They sat in silence for a moment, and Remus, after great internal debate, rested his head on Sirius’ shoulder. Sirius took a deep breath and Remus felt him reach to touch his wand briefly. 

“Oh, huh, look at that,” Sirius whispered in a terribly shaky voice, “Seems we sat under some mistletoe. Funny how we didn’t notice it before.”

“That is funny.”

“Yeah well, I guess it’s pretty easy to get distracted when you’re hanging around with me. I mean, why look at the ceiling when you could be looking at this-”

Remus kissed him. 

When he pulled away, Sirius closed the distance again. Something about this made Remus want to run laps around the castle, but he pulled away again, more softly this time, resting his forehead against Sirius’ as he whispered, “Sirius?”

Sirius had his eyes closed still and pressed his nose against Remus’, “Mhm?”

“Look at me.”

“Gladly.”

Remus nearly felt Sirius’ eyelashes against his face and suddenly Sirius’ eyes, open and trusting, meeting his, offering their full attention, proved to be too much, so Remus lost his train of thought for a moment and had to chase it down again.

When he finally found it, Remus said, “You don’t need an excuse to kiss me.”

Sirius blinked, as if this Remus had said something ridiculous, as if this was a radical concept. “I don’t?”

“You don’t. Not anymore. Not-” Remus hesitated, thinking once again about bravery and other obscenities, “Not ever again.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s-” Sirius, for once, seemed to be at a loss for words, and Remus was trying very very hard to keep his newfound confidence afloat until Sirius said, “That’s good.”

“Yeah?”

Sirius tucked his wand back in his pocket and brought his hand up to rest on Remus’ cheek, “Yeah.”

“Okay.”

They stayed there, in each other’s space, with Sirius running his thumb over Remus’ cheekbone, and for perhaps the first time in a month it was not even a little bit awkward. They were on the same page, and it was decidedly quite a pleasant page to be on.

“Hey Remus?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

Remus smiled, already leaning in, “I’d like that.”

[staticscreenwriting]

12 Days of Christmas - [Day 2]

A/N: Day number 2 for the Christmas coundown with @mattysheelies​. Sorry for being a bit late with uploading but I just got home an hour ago and I had to edit this a little. But here it is. Enjoy.

Prompt:  “ Ah yes, the age-old tradition of an obese old man dressed in a red suit - breaking into your house.”

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

I remember meeting Steve Harrington on a cold december morning in 1985. I remember this not because I immediately fell in love with him (though he was undeniably charming and handsome), but for the simple fact that never before had I seen someone look so utterly miserable. I remember this because it was both our first day at our new job. I loved this job, Steve — not so much. 

When you’re a kid, people always tell you to find something you’re good at, something that brings you joy, and to make a living out of it. Only, if the one thing you’re good at, is spreading Christmas cheer as one of Santa’s elves at the local mall, things suddenly look very different. Suddenly they tell you to get a “real job” and life just gets confusing all over.

I enjoyed spending time with the kids, spreading Christmas cheer and trying to keep that sense of childlike wonder in my own heart for as long as I possibly could. Also, and I hate to brag, but I looked pretty good in my elf uniform. Steve pretty much just suffered his way through the day, giving the bare minimum and earning himself unamused glares from exhausted parents.

The first proper conversation we had, was on december 12th. I remember it so clearly because, hey the Steve Harrington was having a conversation with little old me. It was another frosty day though there was still no sign of snow. Steve had wanted to escape Santa’s village for just a few minutes during lunch break and since the roof of the mall was the only place that didn’t blast christmas music, he had decided to wander up here. Which let him straight to me, that weird girl, spending her lunch break leant against the railing, looking up at the sky and wishing for snow.

“ Oh uh — sorry. I didn’t mean to — “ 

“ No it’s fine don’t worry. I’m just waiting for the snow. “ 

“ Snow, huh ? White Christmas ? “ 

“ Yup. It’s what I wish for every year. Like in the movies. Always wanted to wear one of those big red ballgowns and watch the snow fall. “ 

“ You really care about all that Christmas stuff, huh ? “ 

“ Christmas stuff ? “ 

“ Mmh Elves and Santa and all that stuff. I always notice you humming along to the songs and don’t think I don’t see you rearrange the ornaments on the trees, literally every single morning. “ 

“ Do you watch me ? “ 

“ I — no! “ 

But he was blushing then, as he denied it. I kept that secret to myself, the fact that I knew he was lying. Because I knew and that was all that mattered. And I was flattered. I’m sure my cheeks were just as red as his. 

“ I just like Christmas and all that comes with it. It brings people wonderful memories, makes them feel happy. If I can play a little part in that by helping kids believe in the magic of these traditions then that’s all that matters. “ 

“ Ah yes, the age-old tradition of an obese old man dressed in a red suit - breaking into your house.” 

“ Oh aren’t you a regular Ebenezer Scrooge “ 

“ I’m not, I just don’t think Christmas is all that. It’s not like the movies anyway …. “ 

“ So what’s Christmas like in the Harrington household then ? “ 

I expected him to boast then, about gifts aplenty and the big festive meal and all that shebang we normal people didn’t get to enjoy in just quite that extend.

To my surprise, he didn’t brag about his perfect Christmas, he looked — sad. 

“ Mom cooks up a storm. Dad says it’s dry which makes mom sad. Dad gives her an expensive gift, like a necklace or earrings, to easy his guilty conscience for one thing or another. Then they give me something expensive too and take that as their free pass to voice everything about me that bothers them. So really, Christmas at the Harrington Household is one huge shit show of play pretend. “ 

It occurred to me then, for the first time in maybe ever, that Steve Harrington, with his perfect hair and his gorgeous smile, wasn’t immune to the emotional trauma so many of our parents were putting on us. Steve Harrington’s world shifted just a little close to my own then, and suddenly I could understand the gloomy mood and the frown. 

“ Yeah well, my dad left us on Christmas eve a few years ago so now every year my mom locked herself in her room and cries and I watch it’s a wonderful life on tv and eat my bodyweight in chocolate. That’s not like the movies either. It’s why I do this job, to maybe help other people make happy memories. “ 

It went silent for a moment, just us caught in the heavy realisation that though we were as different as could be, maybe the things that mattered, the gnarly emotional stuff inside, were things we shared. 

“ Look at us. Spilling our hearts to each other, looking like elves. That’s gotta be some sight to see. “ 

“ Well, just for the record, I think you make a pretty handsome elf. “ 

“ You think ? “ 

I made Steve Harrington blush two times that day. 

“ Suits you too. The pointy shoes and the hat and all that. “ 

And in that moment, I felt something in my change. Maybe Steve the hair Harrington was more than a pretty rich boy. And maybe that “more” was something I could see myself falling for.

Christmas eve came faster than I would’ve liked and though it was freezing cold, snow was nowhere to be seen. The mall closed Santa’s workshop early to “give Stanta time to deliver all the presents” when in reality Jeff who played Santa had demanded they close it early because he had a flight to Cabo waiting for him that he couldn’t miss for anything.

I knew that I had to go home at some point even if all that was waiting for me was an emotionally unstable mother and the reminder that I wasn’t even good enough for my own dad. 

Happy families were passing by me as I sat by the fountain in the middle of the mall, all wearing big smiles in excitement for the holidays to come. 

A part of me would always be bitter about the fact that this wasn’t me and that my dad had effectively taken this from me. 

“ So, I know tonight is Christmas eve and while I am miserable you relish in this season and probably have other things to do, but would you grant me a little bit of your time and let me take you somewhere ? “ 

Steve’s voice was soft and gentle as he stepped in front of me and held out his hand. I hadn’t even know he was still around, had assumed he had bolted the moment they let us off. 

“ You want to take me somewhere ? “ I asked, slightly confused and desperately trying to conceal the blush undoubtedly spreading on my cheeks.

“ Yeah, if you want to ? “ 

As if there was ever a chance I would say no to that. So I nodded.

Steve took my hand in his and I prayed to god mine wasn’t clammy or cold. Because on the list of people I ever held hands with, holding hands with Steve was definitely on the very top.

We rushed through the mall, through the crowds of last minute shoppers and past the exhausted employees desperate to go home to their families. We only stopped once we stood in front of the big iron door leading out towards the rooftop. 

Steve let go of my hand then and for a second I felt like something was missing, like his hand fit with mine so well I felt naked without it. 

“ Okay, look. I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day. The thing about helping people make happy memories of Christmas even if we don’t have happy ones ourselves. Soooo … I thought it was time to create some for us. “ 

“ You wha — Holy shit! “ 

The door srung open and the view that revealed itself to me, left me breathless. There were fairy lights all over, strung from left to right and back again. A small fake christmas tree stood in the middle of the roof, decked out in baubles and ornaments. Bing Crosby’s voice echoed from a stereo, singing about a White Christmas. 

It was like Christmas threw up onto this roof. I absolutely loved it. 

“ Steve this is — gorgeous. “ 

“ Wait it’s not all. “ 

“ It’s not ? “ 

He rushed towards a big duffel bag placed in the corner and fumbled around in it for a moment before pulling out what I can only explain as a huge pile of red fabric.

“ What is that ? “ I said, stepping onto the brightly lit roof.

“ Your dress. “ 

“ My dress ? “ 

“ Your red dress. Well actually it’s a read coat, I couldn’t find a dress. I hope this works. Symbolism and all that, huh ?“ 

For the second time that day, may heart started beating faster and my breath seemed to fail me. He remembered my fleeting mention of the dress. The red “white Christmas” dress.

“ It’s perfect. Steve, this is too much.“ 

“ It’s not too much. You spend every day this month, helping other people make happy memories. You deserve this. “

I didn’t know what to say then, there aren’t really words that would’ve been enough to properly express how I was feeling then. Grateful. Excited. Half in love.

I didn’t say anything to him then, just hugged him. And it seemed to me then, as he returned the hug tightly and warmly, that maybe Steve Harrington didn’t get hugged half as much as he should have.

“ Thank you. “ I whispered. He didn’t answer, just hugged me tighter. That was all the answer I needed.

The coat was warm and cozy and felt like a blanket or pure warmth around me. 

As I slipped into it, Steve looked at me in that special way every girl wants to be looked at. Like I was the best thing he had ever seen in his life. Like the world had stopped spinning for a second. And maybe this wouldn’t end up as some epic romance story but it meant the world in that one moment and that, I would cherish forever.

“ You look gorgeous, (Y/N). “ 

He was right. I did. 

“ So, I’m a horrible cook which is why our dinner tonight consists of hot dogs on a stick, orange chicken from the chinese place downstairs and as a dessert — “ he said then motioned to the various styrofoam containers before him “ mcdonald's apple pies. “ 

“ Truly a festive meal. “ 

“ Very much so. Would you care to join me for this dinner ? “ 

“ It would be a pleasure, good sir. “ 

And so we sat down on pillows that we placed on the floor, Steve wrapped a blanket around us, and we started stuffing our faces in greasy fast food. Various christmas songs serenaded us as the night slowly crept up and took away the sun completely. 

“ This is the happiest Christmas memory I’ve made in — a long time. “ I confessed to Steve. Steve Harrington who, just a few weeks ago, was but a thought in my mind of something that will never be. 

And now here he was. next to me,cuddled up in a blanket. Making memories together.

“ I’m glad I get to be a part of it. Your dad really sucks for leaving you. But it’s his loss really. I think you should know that. “

“ Thanks. Well I think your parents should be proud of you. You’re — pretty great, Steve. “ 

“ Hey uh — “ he said and bit his bottom lip anxiously “ you ever been kissed under a mistletoe ? “ 

“ I’ve never even seen a mistletoe in real life, I think. “ 

“ Oh that’s good cause the mistletoe was sold out at the store and the next best thing I could get was a laurel branch. Let’s just pretend. That’s — if you want to. “ 

“ It’s tradition, huh ? “ 

“ Yup. “ 

“ Can’t very much break such a lovely tradition. “ 

And as he held the laurel, excuse me mistletoe, branch above our heads, and his lips met mine in a kiss so soft and warm, the first snow of the season started softly falling around us.

“ You’re getting a white Christmas. “ I could feel Steve murmur against my lips. 

Oh I got so much more that night.

It is funny to think back to that year and remember the words he said about stupid traditions and the old man climbing into our houses. Because, as he tugs in our daughter and reads to her and tells her to go to sleep so Santa can come and eat the cookies they baked together and drink the milk they set out, it’s almost like he is more excited than our little girl herself. 

I no longer wish for snow. All I’m wishing for is to be able to spend my Christmas with the people I love most. My little girl and Steve, the elf, Harrington. 

_____

Taglist: Will add later, I’m too tired rn. 

[shootwinterfest]

Give Me Kisses For Christmas

Shoot Secret Santa Gift by @maybesomedaysameen

As she walked into the Great Hall, Root looked around at the Christmas decorations. Hogwarts was always beautiful, but this time of year, the whole castle sparkled. Candles hung in the air above the tables, illuminating the garlands and ornaments suspended above the hall. On the small stage where the teachers sat, a huge tree glittered with its own ornaments and lights.

The ceiling showed the early afternoon sky, lazy snowflakes drifting down and fading to nothing. Outside, it was freezing, but inside the castle, it was warm and cozy. Root walked to the Slytherin table, her winter cloak flowing around her. She’d worn her uniform, even though classes had ended. It still felt wrong to wear muggle clothing around the castle.

Getting to her table, Root climbed over the bench and sat next to Shaw, travel mug clutched in her hand. It was the second day of the Christmas Holiday and she was ready to try an experiment. She’d found the recipe for Veritaserum in the restricted section on one of her late night visits. Technically, she wasn’t allowed in after she’d summoned a lightning storm in her dorm room, but ‘forbidden’ had never stopped her before.

Root was going to trick Shaw into drinking it and then ask if she liked Root, if she like-liked Root. She grinned at Shaw, putting the travel mug on the table between them. Shaw winked at her, a half-eaten sausage in her hand. There was a Quidditch match after lunch, and Shaw was a Slytherin Beater. She needed the energy. Root looked over her food options and started filling her plate.

“Great news,” Zoe said, sitting appearing across from them. “I found some old radio shows on vinyl and Headmaster McGonagall said she’d lend us her Gramophone. Not as good as a television, but it’s something.”

“Radio shows?” Shaw repeated with her mouth full. Rolling her eyes, she tossed the last bite of her sausage onto her plate. “Jesus, I might as well have gone to visit my grandmother.”

“But then you wouldn’t get to spend time with me,” Root joked. She spread butter over a bread roll. It had been her suggestion to stay at school over the break. “I’m better than your grandma.”

Shaw snorted, pushing her plate away. “That’s debatable.”

Root didn’t take the insult to heart. She knew that Shaw liked spending time with her. That’s why she was going to give her the Veritaserum. Shaw was interested in her; she just needed a little push. Root bit into her roll and smiled happily.

A hand lightly touched her jaw, turning her face. Shaw raised an eyebrow, her eyes glittering with amusement. Licking her lips, Root blushed at the feel of Shaw’s firm grip. Tilting her head, Shaw picked up a napkin from the table with her free hand and wiped the side of Root’s mouth.

“Butter,” Shaw told her. She released Root’s face. “You’re a mess.”

Root just took a giant bit of bread, making sure that even more butter covered her mouth this time. “Whoops.”

“Wow,” Zoe laughed. “You two are so gross. Get a room!”

Shaw picked up a piece of fish from the large dish in the center of the table and tossed it at her. Zoe dodged with a squeal. She glared at Shaw, dipping her fingers into her glass of pumpkin juice and flicking the liquid across the table. This time Shaw had to dodge, sliding away from Root to avoid the splatter.

“Watch the uniform!” Shaw grabbed her napkin again, wiping off the bench. “I have a game soon. I need to look sharp for my fans.”

Shaw brushed imaginary juice from her uniform, and Root took the opportunity to look her over. She loved when Shaw played Quidditch, because the uniform suited her so well. The long-sleeve shirt accentuated her biceps, and the pants emphasized her thighs. She wore pants most days, instead of the usual skirt, but those were dress pants and these were flexible cotton, much more flattering.

She moved back into her place, her arm brushing against Root’s. Resisting the urge to lean against her, Root looked at her travel mug. This wasn’t the best idea. Root and Shaw had been friends ever since they’d both landed in detention with Professor Flitwick for starting a fire in his class. Technically, they’d been learning Lumos, but Root had bragged that she already knew Incendio and Shaw had dared her to prove it. Root couldn’t say no to a dare.

That had been their first year. Now, they were sixth years and still just friends. Root wanted more than that, but she didn’t want to risk their friendship. So, instead, she was contemplating a scheme that was actually a horrible idea. Shaw trusted her, and Root didn’t really want to force Shaw into anything. They’d always avoided the subject of dating.

Root had never told Shaw that she liked girls, and Shaw had never said it either. She knew she did, though. A few times over the years, Root had caught her making out with girls in dark corners of the hallways. She’d caught her with boys, too, but that didn’t make Root as jealous. It was seeing Shaw with girls that hurt.

Of course, Root had some doubt that Shaw liked her. It was impossible to know for sure. Without a truth potion, anyway. What if she did like Root, but didn’t want a relationship? Would she even say anything about it in the Great Hall? Maybe this should be done privately. With a sigh, she decided not to go through with her plan. She used her napkin to wipe her face off and finished her bread.

“Are you coming to the game?” Shaw asked her. “It’s a sure win for us. Hufflepuff’s seeker is garbage.”

Root smiled. “Of course.” She gestured to her Slytherin scarf. “I have to support my girl.”

An odd look crossed Shaw’s face and she turned away to stare down at her plate. Root opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but a shadow fell across the table and distracted her. She saw their friends standing behind them and grinned.

Fusco was wearing his Quidditch robes, too, yellow and black for Hufflepuff. He was a beater, like Shaw. Reese, Harold, and Joss all wore Hufflepuff scarves, even though Harold was in Ravenclaw and Reese and Joss were in Gryffindor. Shaw looked at them and scowled.

“Oh, come on.” She waved to their scarves. “I know you have to cheer for both of us, but why do you have to wear his colors?”

“Us guys have to stick together,” Fusco told her. Her jerked his thumb at Joss. “She owes me a galleon.”

Joss rolled her eyes. “I’m going to burn this after the game.”

“I’ll help,” Zoe joked, grinning. “We’ll burn all the losers’ scarves.”

A bell rang from the tower above them, signaling the new hour. The Quidditch game was going to start soon and Fusco and his ‘fans’ hurried away, taking Zoe with them. Technically, the Quidditch season was over because of the winter break, but a game had gotten delayed after a bad flu had gone around the castle. After today, the castle would be almost empty as everyone who was only staying for the game went home.

Shaw sighed, picking up one last sausage and climbing off the bench. If she had the choice, Shaw would sit in front of feast until it disappeared. There was always the dinner feast, though. Shaw had also befriended the elves in the kitchen and she got snacks whenever she wanted them. She’d already asked them to pack a basket for the listening party they had planned later.

Root lifted her knees, holding her skirt as she swung her legs over the bench. Even after six years, she forgot that she wore skirts sometimes. There had been some embarrassing moments after late night study sessions or adventures, when she was too sleepy to care about modesty. Shaw smirked at her as she stood up carefully.

“Don’t forget your mug,” Shaw said, picking it up. She popped the lid open and sniffed it. “Did you put water in a thermos?”

“Yup,” Root lied. She shrugged, trying to look casual. “It’s got some, uh, herbs. For focus. Yeah, I need to do some studying today. Later.”

Shaw gave her a skeptical look. “Studying? During the holiday? I can’t let you be that nerd.”

Laughing, Root relaxed, glad that the lie had worked. She held her hand out. “Can I just have my drink, please?”

“No.”

Shaw lifted the mug, but Root leapt forward, snatching it from her hands. Panicked, Root chugged it. It burned her throat and she knew right away that it had worked. She lowered the mug, gasping for air after her long drink. Shaw was staring at her like she had a second head.

“Ok, weirdo.” Shaw chuckled. She pointed a finger at Root, narrowing her eyes. “You’re not using that focus to study. You’ll focus on something fun, like Wizard’s Chess or eating cake.”

Root smiled nervously, trying not to speak. She wasn’t entirely sure if Veritaserum made you blurt out the truth, or if it just made you incapable of lying. Either way, if Shaw asked her a direct question, then she wouldn’t be able to get out of answering.

“Uh, Root? Is there something on my face?”

“No.” Root realized she’d been staring at Shaw. “No. Sorry. Um, we should go. To the game. It starts in… an hour.”

They left the Great Hall, heading for the Quidditch Field with the rest of the late lunch crowd. Shaw didn’t start a conversation, and Root relaxed. She liked that they could be quiet together. Sometimes, Root needed to get away from people, but she never needed to get away from Shaw. They could spend hours sitting in the same room, absorbed in their own activities.

It’s one of the reasons Root had fallen in love with her. It was so easy to be with Shaw. She never asked Root to be anything she wasn’t, to be any less. They could talk about anything, and Shaw always seemed interested in her thoughts. Root was grateful to have found such a great friend and she was glad she hadn’t gone through with her plan.

Now, she just had to make it through the night without confessing her feelings. Luckily, Zoe and Joss weren’t leaving until tomorrow morning and they’d be a buffer. Root could just bring up a controversial topic, like what shop in London made the best kebabs, and the three of them would go for hours.

After a short walk through the snow, they got to the Quidditch Field, and Root gave Shaw a smile. She wasn’t allowed in the locker rooms because she wasn’t on the team. Rules didn’t really stop her, but Martine was the captain this year, and she hated Root. One accident in Potions, and Root had made an enemy. Waving goodbye to Shaw, Root started for the steps to the stands, lifting her heavy winter cloak out of the way.

She was stopped by a hand on her arm and she followed it back to Shaw. “Something wrong?” she asked, frowning. She looked up at the tower the steps were in, seeing the familiar green and silver of Slytherin. “Am I in the wrong section?”

“No,” Shaw answered. She pulled her hand away, running it along her ponytail. “I just wanted to say that you look good today.”

Looking down at the same robes she wore most days, she laughed. “I look the same as I do every day. Do you suddenly have a thing for robes and cloaks?”

Rolling her eyes, Shaw pushed Root lightly toward the stairs. “Whatever, nerd. Just go.”

Root watched her walk into the hallway that led to the locker rooms, wondering what that was about. Shaw never complimented her in such a straightforward way. It was usually “copying my style? At least you look good in ponytails” or “Want to do our homework together? You’re the only one in our year I can stand.” Root had gotten really good at de-coding what Shaw meant, and it was strange to get a clear message.

Shaking her head, Root hurried up to the stands, finding Zoe. They didn’t really like anyone else in Slytherin besides Shaw, and they spent most of their time in the Gryffindor common room, especially now that Joss was a prefect. She gave them the password every time it changed.

Quidditch was always fun to watch, but Root loved when Shaw was playing. She was so confident in the air, and with a bat in her hand. Her ponytail streamed from her helmet as she flew, whipping in the wind. Occasionally, she’d glance at Root, winking or just grinning. She loved to show off, hitting beaters clear across the pitch. When they played Hufflepuff, she’d always aim for Hersch.

The game was over in two hours. Slytherin won by an embarrassing number of points. They’d had nearly 200 by the time Harper caught the Snitch, a clear win no matter what. Fusco gave Shaw the middle finger instead of a handshake and Shaw whacked him in the arm with her bat, nearly knocking him off his broom.

After following the crowd down the stairs, Root leaned against the wall outside the Slytherin locker room, turning her travel mug over in her hands. She hadn’t been able to talk to Zoe too much during the game, but she’d tried a few times to lie. Zoe had asked her the name of the Hufflepuff Chaser, and Root had tried to say Fusco, but when she opened her mouth, ‘Hersch’ had come out instead. She’d also been unable to say the wrong score, or that she needed to leave and go study.

Clearly, she’d made a good potion. Veritaserum was pretty advanced, and usually only N.E.W.T students knew how to make it. It had been easy for Root. The hardest part was waiting a whole month for it to finish maturing. Patience wasn’t her strong suit.

The locker room door opened, and Root looked up. Shaw saw her and nodded, hiking her bag on her shoulder. She’d showered, apparently, her long hair loose and hanging around her shoulders. Her uniform was also gone. Instead, she wore muggle clothing, black sweatpants and a thick Slytherin sweatshirt.

“You look great,” Root said instead of a normal greeting. She blushed. “I mean, you obviously showered. You smell really nice.”

She felt her face heat up even more and looked away, cursing herself silently. Sticking her travel mug under her arm, she wrapped her cloak around herself and walked toward the exit. It was warm in the hallway by the locker rooms, but it would be freezing outside. The sun had just started setting and it was taking the meager warmth with it.

“Thanks,” Shaw muttered behind her. She moved to Root’s side and followed her out into the snowy grounds. “I know that Zoe hates when I get sweat on the Common Room’s couches.”

“Zoe also hates when you leave your stinky socks lying around,” Root said, smiling. “That never stops you, though.”

Shaw snorted. “No, it doesn’t.”

They walked back to the castle, talking about the game, and Root somehow managed to keep herself from complimenting Shaw again. It was going to be hard to keep her thoughts to herself until the potion wore off. She could distract them until they started the radio shows. Then, knowing Joss, there wouldn’t be any talking allowed.

Once they got back to the castle, they made their way down to the dungeons and the Slytherin common room. Since it was just a girls’ night, Joss was coming to them. Root led the way up to their room, thankfully shedding her heavy cloak and hanging it on the coat rack.

She kicked off her shoes as Shaw dropped her bag onto her bed. They’d been roommates since first year and knew each other’s habits well. Shaw liked to empty her bag before she got comfortable, putting her uniform in her clothes hamper and her shoes in the wardrobe. Then, she’d disappear into the bathroom for a bit, coming back out to fall on her bed and wait for someone to make her be social.

Root liked to change into comfortable clothes immediately. She started undressing, feeling better with every piece gone. Once she was only in her bra and underwear, she moved to her wardrobe, opening drawers until she found her pajamas. They were thick flannel, red gingham, and the most comfortable thing she’d ever worn. They’d been a gift from Shaw three Christmases ago, after her final growth spurt.

She finished buttoning the shirt and dug her wand out of her cloak pocket before climbing into her bed. Her travel mug sat on her side table, taunting her. She waved her wand at it, turning it to dust. Being in bed, wearing her pajamas, made her want to just go to sleep and wake up once the effects had gone away.

Shaw came out of the bathroom and dramatically flung herself up onto her bed. Rolling onto her back, she let her head hang off the edge, staring at Root upside down. Root lay on her stomach, feet kicking in the air as she waited for Shaw to say something. With another flick of her wand, she conjured spectral butterflies.

They watched them flicker around the room until one landed on Shaw’s nose. She swatted it, turning it to smoke. With a sigh, she rolled over onto her stomach, too, looking around the room.

“When is Joss coming over?”

“I don’t know,” Root answered truthfully. She remembered to watch her words. “Zoe didn’t give us a time.”

“Great,” Shaw mumbled, rolling her eyes. “That means she wants to spend hours making out with Reese. God knows when we’ll start the shows.”

“I would never kiss a boy,” Root said, unprompted. She gasped, her face warming up. Licking her lips, she tried again. “I like girls.”

Shaw stared across the room at her, face unreadable. Root stayed as still as possible. She felt like she could spook Shaw if she moved too quickly, or said anything else. Over the years, Root had learned that Shaw had a very strong fight-or-flight reaction. She hoped she hadn’t ruined their night.

“Boys are gross,” Shaw finally said, looking away. “Reese even more, so. I’d rather die than kiss him.”

Root laughed, the tension draining from her body. “Zoe just likes that he’s tall.”

Shaw shrugged. “I like tall people.”

“I’m tall,” Root blurted out before she could stop herself. Shaw tilted her head, giving her a thoughtful look. Taking a breath, Root opened her mouth to just tell Shaw that she liked her, but Zoe walked into the room and she lost her nerve. “Zoe!”

Shaw sat up, apparently distracted by Zoe’s entrance. “When are we doing this? It’s almost dinner time.”

“Hold your horses,” Zoe told her, crossing between their beds to get to her own. “Joss is going to come down after the feast and we’ll set up in here.” She stopped at her desk and pulled out a small scroll. “It wouldn’t be much of a girls’ ‘night’ if it started before it was even dark.”

“Good point.”

Sitting up, Root looked down at her pajamas and sighed. “It’s not acceptable to eat dinner in pajamas.”

“Since when has ‘acceptable’ stopped you?” Shaw asked her, grinning. “Everyone’s gone, anyway. Just put the shoes on.”

Returning her grin, Root scrambled out of bed to her wardrobe. The pajamas had come with a pair of bunny slippers, large ears standing straight up. Root hardly wore them because she didn’t want to get them dirty, but now seemed like the perfect time. She dropped them to the floor and slid her feet into them, wiggling her toes to move the ears.

“I love when you give me gifts,” Root said, happily. She closed her wardrobe and turned to face the other girls. “I like knowing you think about me.”

Zoe gave her an amused glance before continuing to write on her scroll. She was probably writing down a piece of gossip she’d just heard so she wouldn’t forget. Realizing that she’d said something weird again, Root sighed, rubbing her forehead. Maybe she should just stop talking altogether. Looking at Shaw, she met her narrowed eyes. She seemed to be thinking about something and Root gave her a nervous smile.

“Dinner?” she asked them, pointing at the door with her thumb. “I’m hungry.”

Shaw nodded, sliding off her bed. She picked up her wand from where she’d tossed it on her pillow and slid into the front pocket of her sweatshirt. That reminded Root to get hers and she picked it up off her bed. There weren’t any pockets in her pajamas and she wasn’t sure where to put it.

“Here,” Shaw murmured from beside her. She took the wand from Root, their hands brushing. Shaw’s hand was callused from riding her broom, and her soft touch always accentuated rough skin. She put Root’s wand in her pocket with her own. “I’ll hold it.”

She walked away before Root could thank her, disappearing out the door. Root rubbed her hands together, trying to save the feeling of Shaw’s hand on hers. Zoe put her note back in her desk and headed for the door. She hooked her arm through Root’s, dragging her out of their bedroom. They caught up with Shaw quickly, the three of them ready for dinner.

As they walked, Shaw kept a close watch on her. It made Root hyper aware of herself, and she made an extra effort not to speak. Zoe chatted idly about Joss and her new boyfriend, but Root barely heard a word of it. All of her focus was on keeping herself from saying something embarrassing.

When they got to the Great Hall, Zoe peeled off to sit with other friends and Shaw and Root made their way to their usual spot at the Slytherin table. It was weird to see the Great Hall so empty, even though Root had spent every holiday break at the castle. It was always packed during the school year and the quiet of the holiday was loud in the large space. There were even fewer people than there had been at lunch. Apparently, the Quidditch game ending caused a mass exodus.

They sat down and Shaw immediately started stacking food on her plate. Root laughed, taking food at a reasonable pace. Shaw was a bottomless pit, always hungry and never gaining weight. Root had been watching her exercise for years, and knew how many calories she burned. Taking a large bite of turkey sandwich, Shaw shifted in her chair, pulling up a leg and facing Root.

“So,” Shaw said with her mouth full, “I have a theory.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” She narrowed her eyes, squinting dangerously at Root. “I think something is different about you.”

Root’s eyes widened and she busied herself cutting a piece of steak into bite-sized pieces. “Something is different about me.” She closed her eyes, cursing herself. She quickly tried to think of something that was different about her other than ‘I can’t tell lies.’ “I… usually wear my skin color hearing aid, but I’m today, I’m wearing my black hearing aid.”

She stuffed a piece of steak into her mouth to avoid saying anything else. A glance at Shaw told her that her excuse wasn’t good enough. Shaw took another bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly as she looked Root over. If Shaw asked again, Root could say she was wearing pajamas at lunch, or she’d forgotten to floss.

“That’s not it.” She put her sandwich down, leaning her arms on the table and sweeping her eyes over Root again. “You’re acting weirdly.”

Root clenched her jaw and didn’t answer. Anything that came out of her mouth right now would be bad. She chewed with determination, staring down at the table. Swallowing, she picked up a glass of water, taking slow sips.

Shaw’s gaze landed on the glass and a slow smiled spread across her face. She shook a finger at Root, clicking her tongue. Chuckling, she leaned toward Root and lowered her voice.

“You’re drunk.”

Root frowned, surprised at Shaw’s conclusion. She put her glass down. “I’m not drunk.”

“Don’t deny it,” Shaw teased, winking. “That wasn’t water in your travel mug, was it?”

“No,” Root answered, sighing. “It was not just water.”

Shaw laughed, clapping her hands. “You dog! I can’t believe you didn’t share! I didn’t even smell alcohol. Was there a charm on it?”

“No,” Root said again. She shook her head. “It wasn’t alcohol. I’m not drunk. I promise.”

“Then what?” Shaw demanded, crossing her arms. “Something is going on. You never compliment me.”

Root frowned. “I compliment you.”

“No, you don’t.” Shaw shrugged. “I don’t care. I’m just saying that you don’t.”

“I think you’re wonderful. You’re beautiful, smart, talented, and a great friend. I think about you constantly, and you look really hot in your Quidditch uniform.”

Root gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe she’d just said all that, unprompted. The other compliments had been casual, and she could pass it off as friendship, but friends didn’t call each other hot. She could feel her face and neck grow warm, and new she was completely red. All this blushing was going to give her a headache.

Shaw just scratched her chin and looked away, turning back to her food. “Thanks.”

Taking a deep breath, Root looked around the Great Hall for an out. She wasn’t sure what was worse, Shaw turning her down or Shaw only saying ‘thanks’ to her compliments. It didn’t have to be a big display, but Root would like a clue into what she was thinking. Sighing, she reached across the table for a cinnamon roll, deciding she felt more like dessert than dinner.

“You’re pretty hot, too.”

Root’s hands froze as they tore the roll apart. The sentence had been so quiet that she thought she might have imagined it. Shaw was eating her sandwich again, not looking at Root. It had never felt awkward to be together, but Root was about ready to run away. She wasn’t sure what to do, and just sat still, her fingers still inside the cinnamon roll.

“If it wasn’t alcohol,” Shaw mumbled around her food, “what was in your mug?”

“Veritaserum.”

Shaw’s eyes widened and she coughed, dropping the last piece of her sandwich on to her plate and hitting her chest with her fist. Root handed her a glass of water, watching her gulp it down. Gasping, she put it on the table and wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

“Veritaserum?” she repeated, surprised. “A whole mug of-“

“No! I’m not an idiot. It was just a few drops in water.”

“Still,” she breathed. She crossed her legs in front of her on the bench, facing Root fully. “That means you can’t lie right now, right?”

Root nodded, pushing her hand behind her ear. “It only lasts twelve hours, so I’ll be back to normal tomorrow.

Shaw counting on her fingers and grinned. “I have until one am to learn all your secrets.”

“Oh no,” Root laughed, holding her hands up. “Don’t take this as a challenge.”

Another odd look crossed her face, and she licked her lips. “Do you keep a lot of secrets from me?”

Taking a deep breath, Root wasn’t sure how to answer. She didn’t know what the truth was. There were things she hadn’t told Shaw, but did that mean they were secrets? Shaw didn’t know about her feelings, or her late night trips to the Astronomy tour to stargaze, or the bone deep need she had to prove her worth and skill. Root didn’t talk about that, about how much she ached to be an adult and really explore the limits of her magic.

“Only a few,” she said, giving her a small smile. “I like having something of my own.”

Shaw nodded sharply, her lips pursed. “Yeah. I get that.”

Root licked her lips, fiddling with the stem of her goblet. It felt like she should offer a secret to Shaw, but she didn’t know what to say. There should be a spell that made you say the right thing at the right time. Shaw would love that. Root smiled, and tapped on Shaw’s knee.

“Here’s a secret,” she breathed, leaning close. “I saw you kissing Kelly after a Quidditch game last year.”

Shaw sniffed, shrugging. “Did you? Whatever. I’m not embarrassed.”

“You never are.” Root tapped her knee again, grinning. “I like that about you.”

“Ok, drunkie,” Shaw snorted. She pushed Root away half-heartedly. “You’re the one without shame. Wearing gingham pajamas and bunny slippers to the dinner feast?”

Root gasped, her mouth dropping open. “You told me to!”

“I know,” Shaw joked, her nose crinkling with mirth. “Gotcha.”

They laughed, and Root felt relieved that they were still joking. Whether or not she admitted her feelings tonight, she wanted to have fun. It was nearly Christmas and midterm exams had been difficult. They deserved to have a good time over the break.

“Hey,” Zoe said, appearing on the other side of the table with Joss. “Ready?”

Root nodded, and climbed over the bench, grabbing her cinnamon roll. “For the road,” she told Shaw. “I don’t like wasting food.”

“Well, in that case…” Shaw spread out a napkin and put a sandwich in the middle of it. She carefully placed two bread rolls, and two sausages on top and tied it into a neat package. Picked it up, she winked at Root. “For the road.”

By the time the four of them got to the Slytherin Dormitory, Shaw had eaten almost everything she’d packed away. Root’s cinnamon bun was gone, too, and she licked her fingers clean, savoring the sweetness. There was a pack of cookies beneath Shaw’s bed that Root might bring out later. Nothing said ‘Christmas’ like sweets.

They walked through the Common Room to the dorms, and Root looked up. The Slytherin Common Room was below the Great Lake, and Root loved to watch the various creatures that lived in the lake. She’d made friends with a few merfolk who knew sign language, and sometimes when she couldn’t sleep, she’d lay against a glass wall and watch them tell stories.

“Want the last sausage?” Shaw asked, bringing Root’s attention back to their group.

She shook her head, following the others up the stairs. “No, thanks. You eat it.”

Shaw nodded, finishing it in two large bites. Root laughed at her, amazed as always by her bottomless stomach. She climbed onto Shaw’s bed, kicking her slippers off and pulling the covers up over herself.

Zoe was setting the Gramophone up on her desk, carefully handling one of the vinyls she’d found. There was a large basket on Shaw’s trunk from the house elves. Shaw rubbed her hands together excitedly and opened it. She pulled out various Christmas cookies and cakes, putting them onto Root’s bed.

“Tonight, we dine like kings!” Shaw announced loudly. Joss came over to look at the selection and Shaw grinned proudly, as if she’d made it all herself. “I love Hogwarts.”

“Me too,” Root agreed. She burrowed into the blankets, pouting at Shaw. “Bring me cookies?”

Rolling her eyes, Shaw picked up the package of snickerdoodles and climbed onto her bed. She gave them to Root before taking her shoes off, putting their wands on her nightstand, and getting into bed, too. Scooting close to Shaw, Root took a cookie from the package, taking a bite and humming with pleasure.

“Alright,” Zoe said, winding the Gramophone. “The first one is a murder mystery.”

The night passed uneventfully, with jokes and kebab debates. Root almost forgot that she was still under the effects of Veritaserum. They listened to old radio shows for hours, eating sweets and laying in bed. Like Root had predicted, Joss kept them quiet during the shows. Shaw didn’t even try and get any secrets out of her.

Root found herself dozing off around 10, warm and comfortable in Shaw’s bed. They’d fallen asleep in the same bed before, and Root always said that Shaw’s bed was better than hers. It must be bigger, or have a better mattress, or some enchantment that made it nearly impossible to leave. The best benefit to being in Shaw’s bed was, of course, Shaw herself.

Throughout the evening, Shaw and Root had gotten closer, and now Root lay in the circle of Shaw’s arms, their legs tangled together, and her head on Shaw’s chest. She couldn’t bring herself to feel shy or nervous. It felt so right to be held by Shaw like this, and Root just wished she could press a kiss to Shaw’s collarbone.

She was almost asleep when the last record finished and she groaned as Shaw shifted beneath her. “No,” she mumbled into Shaw’s sweatshirt. “I want to fall asleep against you.”

Shaw stiffened for a moment before settling back into the bed. She pulled away for a moment and then came back. Her arm moved and Root opened her eyes just enough to see the food on their bed floating back over to Root’s. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around Shaw, brushing her face against thick fabric.

“I’m going to sleep in Joss’ room,” Zoe said quietly. “Have a good night.”

Root didn’t hear Shaw answer, so she just stayed where she was, relishing the closeness. They’d never fallen asleep like this before, and she wasn’t sure if she’d wake up to find Shaw gone. Yawning, Root pushed her hands under the back of Shaw’s sweatshirt, pressing them against her skin, slightly sweaty from the hours of lying in bed.

“I still have 15 minutes.”

“Hmm?” Root sucked in air through her nose, struggling to stay awake. “Til what?”

“Until you can lie again,” Shaw answered. She brushed a hand over Root’s hair, tucking it behind her ear. “Did you think I forgot?”

Root had hoped she did forget. No one had talked for a while, and she’d managed to keep her mouth shut. Shaw’s fingers ran through her hair again, nails scratching lightly on her scalp, and Root melted into the bed.

“Your hands feel amazing,” Root breathed. “Keep touching me.”

Shaw’s hand stilled. “Can I ask you a question?”

Root felt her stomach drop, the warm, sleepy mood leaving her. She nodded against Shaw’s chest. “Of course.”

“Do you…” She took a slow breath. “Do you… like anyone?”

Chuckling, Root looked up at her. Shaw almost looked scared, her jaw clenched and her eyes narrow. She wasn’t really scared, and even if Root said no, she’d be fine, but it was nice that she wanted to know if Root liked her. When Root didn’t answer right away, Shaw clicked her tongue and smoothed her face.

“Whatever. I don’t care. It doesn’t- “

“I’ve been in love with you for four years.” Root sighed, closing her eyes. She hadn’t meant to say that. So much for playing it cool and just saying she had a crush. “Since you fixed my nose after Martine broke it second year.”

Shaw’s eyes widened. “Four years? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, you started kissing people the next year, and I figured if you liked me, too, you would say something.”

“I thought you would say something!” Shaw pulled away, scooting down the bed so her head was level with Root’s on the pillows. “You never hold back when you want something.”

“I’d rather be your friend forever than lose you.” Root sighed, taking her arms back and pulling the blanket up to her chin. “I hate seeing you kiss other girls. You should be kissing me.” She smiled. “See, it’s the truth.”

Shaw rolled her eyes. “That’s not how Veritaserum works. It just makes you say what you think is true. Doesn’t make it a universal truth.”

That hurt her. She knew how Shaw was, blunt and unempathetic, but it still didn’t feel good to hear her say they shouldn’t kiss like it was obvious. Root blinked, fighting back tears. She thought this would be her best Christmas ever, but it was starting to be her worst. Pushing the blankets down, she sat up.

“I’ll sleep in my own bed,” she whispered. “Forget I said anything.”

“What?” Shaw sat up, frowning. “Why?”

“You don’t like me back. It’s ok. It just really hurts.” She started getting out of the bed. “I’ll be fine tomorrow. We can pretend this never happened.”

Shaw grabbed her arm, keeping her in the bed. Closing her eyes, Root didn’t look at her. If she saw Shaw looking even the tiniest bit apologetic, she’d break completely. She took a deep breath and tried to tug her arm away, but Shaw wouldn’t let it go.

“Root,” Shaw said, pulling on her arm. “Don’t be an idiot. Of course I like you back. Just because I explained how Veritaserum works doesn’t mean I don’t want to kiss you. You’re so dramatic.”

Root laughed, wiping her eyes with her free hand. “I’m not dramatic. You just can’t read an emotional situation.”

Her hand dropped off Root’s arm. “Is that bad? You’ve never said anything about it.”

“I don’t care.” She looked over her shoulder now. Shaw was frowning at her, eyebrows drawn down. “I don’t care about any of it. I like that you’re always clear-headed and observant. It’s refreshing, and honest. It just gets annoying sometimes.”

Shaw stuck her tongue out playfully. “Well, your relentless optimism can be annoying, too. Try finishing a scroll with you at two in the morning. I’d need five cups of coffee to keep up.”

Root got back into bed, pulling the covers over her legs. Instead of laying down, she rested her back against the headboard, gazing down at Shaw. “So, what now?”

“What do you mean?”

Rolling her eyes, Root tugged on Shaw’s still loose hair. “Are we girlfriends? Are we pretending this never happened?”

Pushing herself up, Shaw close the distance between them, kissing Root and climbing onto her lap. Their bodies pressed together and Root opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, her eyes fluttering closed. Shaw’s hands tangled in her hair, and she wrapped her arms around her waist.

The kiss was better than she’d imagined, somehow familiar and dangerous at once. It felt like the start of something new, a new way to grow and change. At the same time, they were still the same. Still best friends, roommates, partners. Shaw pressed one last kiss to her lips and pulled away.

“Why did you drink Veritaserum?”

Root blinked at the sudden question. “Just an experiment.”

Looking at her watch, Shaw sighed. “Two minutes passed one. I’ll never know.”

“It’s the truth!” Root laughed, relieved that she was free of the truth potion. She’d answered truthfully anyway. “Trying to test my skills.”

“Oh,” Shaw chuckled, winking, “we’ll test your skills.”

They kissed slowly, like they had all the time in the world. After all, they were only sixteen and had their whole lives ahead of them. Once they graduated, there would be Ministry training, and work after that. Whatever they did, and wherever they went, they would have each other. That was the best Christmas present Root could ask for.

[creampuffqueen]

Fanfic Advent Calendar- Day 1

Here it is, kids! The start of 24 days of ficlets. I’m going to be writing for numerous ships, in all sorts of different scenarios. They’re also all inspired a bit by my favorite Christmas songs! But if there’s some certain ship/scene you’d like to see, let me know! I have 23 more of these to do, and I only have a small bit pre-written, so I’m always open for ideas!

~~~~

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas (Nodrian)

“And what would you like for Christmas, little one?” Lina Everhart perched on the knee of a massive man clad in red, unable to stop bouncing even to answer.

“I want a hippopotamus, please.” She finally said after a moment’s consideration. Standing nearby, Nova Everhart had to hide her grimace, while her husband let out a loud cough to disguise his near-hysterical laughter.

“Santa Claus” looked mildly concerned at the little girl’s request, but he smiled nonetheless and patted her on the shoulder. “I will make sure that the elves in my workshop wrangle a hippo for you.”

Smiling from ear to ear, Lina hopped off the man’s lap and bounced over to her parents, dark curls bobbing up and down as she skipped.

Nova held out a hand to her daughter, smiling broadly. “What did you ask Santa for, sweetie?” She inquired, though she already knew.

“A hippopotamus.” Lina stated matter-of-factly. Adrian coughed again, trying his hardest not to laugh. Nova rolled her eyes at him.

“A hippo is awfully big, Lina darling,” Adrian said, as if size was any concern to a bubbly five-year-old. 

Their daughter shrugged; a bad habit she’d picked up from her Uncle Max, and said nothing else. Instead she kept her hands firmly linked with her parents’ and swung between them as they walked out of the small store. 

It was quite cold outside, cold enough that Adrian picked Lina up to keep her off the freezing ground. Without her daughter between them, Nova scooted closer to his husband, keeping close by for his steady warmth. In his arms, Lina squirmed until her father placed her on his shoulders.

“Onward!” Lina declared, using part of the extensive vocabulary she’d also picked up from her Uncle Max. Adrian chuckled and squeezed Nova’s hand while their daughter spouted her favorite words from up above them.

They finally made it back to their apartment, and Lina dutifully stomped off her boots on the doormat, despite there being no more snow. It had all come and gone by the time December rolled around.

Adrian fixed all of them a mug of hot chocolate, complete with an absolutely obscene amount of marshmallows and whipped cream. Sitting at her chair in the kitchen, Lina kicked her legs happily as she sipped. 

“Is there anything else you want for Christmas?” Nova asked her daughter. She wouldn’t say it, but a hippopotamus wasn’t going to happen. She just hoped there was something else so Lina wouldn’t be too terribly crushed.

“Nope. I want a hippopotamus, Mommy.” Nova let out a soft sigh. A stuffed hippo likely wouldn’t cut it, and she could already envision the disappointed look on her child’s face come Christmas morning. The holiday was in three days- where in the hell would they find a hippopotamus?

With all the marshmallows gone from her drink, Lina put her mug down and skipped off to the living room, likely to go watch TV. Sure enough, the blaring of a cheesy Christmas movie soon filled the apartment, while Nova and Adrian still sat in the kitchen.

“You know, I once asked my mother if she could get me a dog for Christmas.” Adrian offered. Nova snorted. She couldn’t quite remember, but she felt as though she’d had a similar experience sometime when she was very young.

“Yes, but I say damn all of us for teaching her about animals.” Nova snorted. The comment earned another chuckle from Adrian, and he leaned over to kiss the top of her head. 

“Nova, leave this to me. Our daughter will get what she wants for Christmas.” Nova couldn’t really think straight anymore, not with the way he was looking at her, so she simply nodded. And she simply trusted that he knew what he was doing. 

Christmas morning had arrived, bright and early. The ‘early’ part because Lina had awoken her parents by jumping up and down on their bed until they rolled out and got up to make breakfast. 

There was no sign of the promised hippo, but Lina didn’t seem to have noticed it’s absence just yet, so engrossed in her breakfast and then her other gifts. 

She’d received a mini art set from her parents, a collection of her favorite movies from her grandfathers, an RC car from her Uncle Oscar and Aunty Ruby, a doll set from her Aunty Danna and Aunty Narcissa, and a miniature Renegades uniform from her Uncle Max. All in all, a very good Christmas haul. However, after she’d thoroughly enjoyed each gift, it was then that Lina noticed a very important missing item.

“I didn’t get any presents from Santa.” Lina whined miserably, and the heartbreak on her face made Nova want to cry. 

“It’s ok baby, I’m sure he’s just running late.” Folding her daughter into her arms, Nova sent a not-so-subtle glare at her husband. Adrian raised his hands in defense, mouthing something that Nova couldn’t make out. 

After a hug from both parents, the five year old girl moved on to playing with her toys, but she only half-heartedly scribbled on a piece of paper with a turquoise marker. 

Adrian sat at the kitchen table with her, gently taking the marker from her hands. Lina looked up at him, big brown eyes and pouty lips making her look even more pitifully sad.

“I think,” Adrian said softly, “That perhaps Santa didn’t have quite enough time to wrangle up your present. After all, three days isn’t very long to find an entire hippo.” Lina nodded, though she didn’t seem to be paying attention.

“And since he didn’t have enough time,” He continued, drawing something onto the kitchen table, “Santa asked me to be his helper. If your hippo could be any color, like any color in the whole wide world, what color would it be?”

That caught Lina’s interest, and she perked up a bit. “I want a green hippo.”

“Then a green hippo you shall have!” Adrian declared. He took the green marker from the art set and filled in his drawing. Then, with a touch of his fingers and a wisp of his breath, something began to rise from the kitchen table.

Nova watched, all annoyance forgotten, as a bright green hippo, the size of a small dog, emerged from the table. Lina watched in awe, as if seeing her father’s powers in a whole new light. 

The hippo snorted and stomped, eliciting squeals from the little girl. Lina scooped up the freshly-drawn creature, giggling as it’s whiskers tickled her arms. 

“Now how’s that for a hippopotamus for Christmas?” Adrian said with a grin. Nova rolled her eyes, but didn’t respond. Instead she watched her daughter heft her new pet around the house, a joyous smile on her face.

“Pretty good, Sketch.” Nova finally commented. Adrian puffed up at her praise. Then she shot him a look, and continued, “But that thing isn’t staying in our house past Christmas. I think you’ll have to be the one to tell Lina that her new best friend had to leave.”

Adrian sighed, though a slight smile still graced his features. Now it was his turn to roll his eyes as he and Nova followed their baby girl through the apartment. 

[autodiscothings]

Hello Secret Santa!

It occurs to me that just a vague link to the garbage fire that is my tumblr isn’t going to help you much, so I made a character reference guide for my idiots. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the Mass Effect universe (which you might be, or might need a refresher) I hope it’s useful. 

Kolyat Krios:

I don’t actually own him, I adopted him from BioWare. Kolyat is the son of Thane Krios, an infamous assassin. His childhood was not a nice one, but Kol got his life together after the war and decided not to murder people for a living like dear old dad did.

Kolyat is a drell, a scaled, bipedal race that are rare to the point of extinction in the universe, thanks to destroying their homeworld; only half a million of them exist, which is nothing. A large chunk of this population are subservient/lackeys to a jellyfish-like sentient race called the hanar, who use the drell to operate their machinery and fight for them, often from a young age. It is called the Compact agreement, and drell have worked off their debt for being ‘saved’ from their dying planet for centuries, with no sign of leaving it- yet.

Kolyat is not part of the Compact, nor does he have a hanar handler. In my Postwar ‘neon noir’ universe he is somewhat independent of his homeworld and lives on the Citadel; Kolyat is instead a 20-something detective in C-Sec, a job that defines him.

He lives on a mass, multispecies Ward on the space station -like DS9, but far more civilian- think NYC, London and Hong Kong on acid. Kolyat works for the station’s Homicide and Violent Crimes division; he finds the work fulfilling, but is a workaholic about solving the cases.

Kolyat’s a little bit grumpy, a little bit sarcastic, often prone to scowling. He is also a secret softy, despite the distant introversion- good with kids and pets, despite grumbling appearances. Once he trusts you enough to let you in, you have a friend for life, but he’s guarded about his past for good reasons.

Outfit wise, he’s a man who dresses for comfort, not style. He wears a constricting uniform all day, so his civvies are the 2190 equivalent of jogging bottoms and t-shirts. I mostly draw him in his battered leather jacket, but it’s fine without too.

His tag is: [HERE]. I have made outfit/inspiration sheets [HERE].

I actually really love his in game model, it’s not just a recolour of his dad. That chin! It’s truly excellent. Kolyat is head over heels in love (to his bafflement) with...

Oriana Lawson Lee:

They met at a postwar party on the Citadel, a few years after the Reapers were destroyed. I don’t actually own her either, I also adopted her from BioWare. She’s the sister/twin/clone of Miranda Lawson, but goes by her adopted family’s name of Lee.

Like Kolyat, Ori’s past isn’t a nice one; she was created in a laboratory to be a clone of her sister, a genetically perfect human. Ori was smuggled out as an infant to live a normal life for 19 years with her adopted family; during the war she was kidnapped and held at a space concentration camp by her creator, where he experimented on refugees and turned them into fodder for the war.

She survived, but has scars she keeps quiet about. Oriana is an ‘Ori’ to most people, and the kind of person in which the definition of charisma is usually applied to. She just has something that makes her noticeable- when she wants to. Ori is old Hollywood glam passed through a sci-fi filter, and is usually dressed to impress- often to a calculated degree. Feel free to go over the top with with pretty dresses and red carpet/gala looks, it’s very much her brand.

It’s not all sashaying around in heels, though. Oriana is also a structural engineer and colony developer for Kellam Industries, a sort of made up Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins Sans Frontier charity in the 2190s, and homes displaced refugees for a living. If you want to draw this side of her too, I will be just as delighted.

She and Kolyat seem like complete opposites, but are very much in love- even if they can’t work it out yet. Ori definitely keeps him on his toes; she’s guarded about her past, for obvious backstory reasons.

Ori’s tag is [HERE] and her wardrobe inspo tag is [HERE.] I have made two outfit/inspiration sheets [HERE] and [HERE].

I actually ignore the in game model, especially ME3′s horrible version. I don’t have a face claim for her, but I’ve drawn her plenty of times now for her to be distinctively her.  (I say, hopefully.)

Fish The Cat:

Fish is a standard short-haired cat that belongs to Kolyat, a stray he found and brought back home. She is as grumpy as her owner, but still the boss- Fish remains the absolute queen of their household.

She’s a grey-brown tabby with a white bib and matching socks; at one point she was overweight thanks to her food obsession, but Kolyat half-heartedly tries to keep it below chonk levels. Fish is very much his cat, the only one who she’ll let touch her/pet/etc. It seems Ori’s charm doesn’t actually work on belligerent cats at all, and Fish can be spiteful if she tries to hard.

Fish’s tag is [HERE]. She has no faceclaim (lol) but she’s just a standard tabby and white housecat you can find everywhere, really.

Detective Batesda “Bats” T’Lori:

T’Lori -Bats to his friends- is part of the same team/squad as Kolyat is in C-Sec. He’s also the closest thing Kolyat has to a best friend, which considering their personality difference, is hilarious.

Bats is a he/him asari. Asari are the universe’s space-elves, but female-presenting; his choice in pronouns is unusual for the setting, but accepted.

He will often roast the shit out of Kolyat on a daily basis. Bats is on paper is quite odious -a joker, never keeps the same lover around longer than a month, heavy drinker, titty obsessed, anime obsessive, lazy- but somehow has a certain charm that makes him get away with most of it.

Bats is an absolute powerhouse of a biotic (space wizard magic), and the squad’s heaviest hitter because of it. He dresses in practical clothing, but is fond of catsuits and one-pieces (no dresses.) He’s not a particular snazzy dresser, though, but is fond of wearing black and red.

Bats’ tag is [HERE]. I’ve used Ruby Rose a couple of times as reference for his face.

Detective Arjul Patel

Patel is part of the same team/squad as Kolyat in C-Sec, and self-appointed Squad Dad. He has somewhat gross traits; the one most likely to roll up his sleeve to show you his elbow rash, but he’ll also bring in candy and snacks he’s made for the crew.

He’s in his fifties, and has brown skin, warm brown eyes with a sly twinkle in them and a well combed head of black hair. Thanks to a steady diet of snacks, Patel has a little belly- he also has very impressive eyebrows that are very expressive. 

Patel is a born and bred Indian, but moved off world to a colony as soon as he was able. He has less art than the others; I have used Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a face ref for a few paintings, but softened his features every time. 

Patel’s tag is [HERE].

Thank you for reading all this!

Art of any of these characters is more than fine with me, but a combination of the above will probably make my christmas.

A lot of Kol and Ori is my headcanon interwoven with actual canon, if you’re reading it all and going “I don’t remember that” that’s why. All the fan wiki links are legit canon, though.

I write about them as well as draw them, hence the mass amount of words. Their stories are up on A03.

I also answer questions about the characters a great deal in asks and prompts, the tag is [HERE].

Feel free to send me asks via anon if you want to know anything else <3

[lay-d-l]

HAPPY belated HOLIDAYS

hi @temptationmirror i'm your secret santa ( @wolfstar-secret-santa ) !

first thing first, i want to apologize for this being late, i needed more time to finish it

second, i hope you like it, cause honestly, it could've been soooo much better

here goes nothing... :

September 1st 1977. No seventh year student liked the idea of this being the last time they take the Hogwarts Express as students.

I went through the platform and found my friends. First thing I saw were Remus and Sirius, snogging each other (see @upthehillart 's pic). Which is quite sweet considering it took ages for them to get together. Lily and James... just stood there blushing.

Just when I got to them, Remus and Sirius finished their session. Gazing into eachothers eyes, they were smiling like idiots. I looked at Remus in confusion. "Peter is already in the compartment, we wanted to wait for you." he said. I smiled, and nodded my head in thanks.

I was about to hug Lily but the train decided it's time for us to go. "This is our que!" James said eagerly, and with that, we went in.

***

I woke up to sound of chattering. I got up and saw Marlene and Alice talking. Marlene smiled at me: "I'm sorry we woke you up." 

I laid back and turned to my nightstand. I sighed, loudly. "What?", asked Alice. I pointed at the clock. "Shit!", they said in union, "Lils get out of there, breakfast is about to be served!" 

"Coming!", a voice came from the bathroom.

"L, are you coming?", asked Alice.

I just nodded my head and closed my eyes as I heard the dorm doors shut. After five minutes of blankly staring at ceiling, I decided to get up and dressed, but, of course, I could not find my uniform, instead, I found a not-so-covering piece of lingerie and a Slytherin, Slytherin robe. 

***

As I, quite seductively might I add, walked through the Great Hall, every single pair of eyes was set on me. 

Coming near the Gryffindor table I started walking a bit faster. Luckly, they were sitting close to the door. On my side of the table were Marlene, James, Remus and, bullseye, Sirius. I walked up to him and said: "Can I have a minute of your time?" 

"What's fun in a minute?", he said, slowly turning his head towards me

"Oh, trust me, you're gonna like this minute!", I muttered and sat onto his lap.

"Sirius, dear, why, oh why do you propel this fate upon me, whereas I must look so slutty?"

"Well someone has to do it, right?" He smirked.

"Well, I must say, I quite li-" I saw his face, "Minnie is behind me, isn't she?"

"Miss Castle, I believe you should be in your uniform. May I ask, where is your uniform?" 

I turned around and smiled at her, "I'm sorry professor, but you know it's our last year and I think the famous Marauders wanted to make last-year-first-day prank." 

"Whatever you plan on doing keep it decent." she winked at us."Shame on you! If you do something like this again, there will be consequences." she announced. 

"Our schedules?" Sirius asked.

"Here. Now off you go" 

"Will do professor, will do." we said in usion.

***

After classes were over, we found ourselves sitting around one of the tables in the common room. "We have no other classes until after lunch, why don't we play a game?" James proposed with a mischievous grin. A loud "NO!" came out of Lily and Marlene's mouths. "After that fiasco with L from that morning, I'm not playing anything with you lot." continued Lily.

"Oh! That reminds me, can I keep it?" I asked, "Or, I can give it back, I thing Moony would like to tear it off you."

"No thanks." Remus chuckled.

"Moony would love to tear it off me, but I'll have to refuse. It pains me to say this, but it looks better on you." 

"Did thee Sirius Black said someone looks better than him?!" Marlene posed.

"I did!" he said, fake fainted and started laughing. "Okay, that's great and all but still have an hour to kill before lunch, we should play something.", Peter announced, "why don't we play Pictionary or something?"

"But there's seven of us, we need an even number of players", Lily said.

"I had enough games for today I won't play" i said, "I'll sit around at laugh at you lot." 

James, Sirius and Marlene whispered between themselves, when James asked: "What's Pictionary?" 

***

I was out, walking 'round the lake when I decided it was too cold for me to be out so I went to the library.

I was walking through the muggle section of the library trying to find a good book to read when I found Remus and Lily sitting in a corner reading. I came up to them, sat down, waiting for one of them to look up. When Remus did, I nodded my head at the book he was reading. He said: "Picture of Dorian Gray." 

"Is it good?" I asked.

"One of my favorites.", he said.

"What about you Lily?"

"I don't know.", she said desperately, "I just picked up a radnom book, and flipped pages…"

"Are you okay? Is something wrong? Is it Petunia?" Remus asked worriedly.

She put the book down, trying to compose herself. "It's James actually…" 

"What do you mean 'It's James', is something wrong with him?" I questioned.

"No… I… maybe, just maybe, he isn't that bad. After the accident with Sev- well you know, he started acting differently. He's a good lad. And I thought I could give him a chance? I don't know, just don't tell anyone will you?" 

In that moment I heard something fall. Hard. I promised Lily I wouldn't say a thing and excused myself. 

I got out of the library and saw James standing over the stair railing. "James, are you okay? I heard something fall."

"Did you heard what she said?! She said she might give me a chance!" he yelled.

"Blody hell, James, don't yell! I promised I wouldn't say a thing!" He truned toward me, smiling like a dork.

"Merlin's beard, let just go…" I smiled to him.

***

I woke up, came down to breakfast, late, as always. Walking into the Great Hall, everyone was talking, which was odd considering food was on the table. Looking around I saw my friends and lounged toward them. 

"Why is no one eating?" I asked, putting a piece of bacon in my mouth.

It was Peter who answered: "Dumbledore just announced that we're having a Halloween party, two free weekends, one now one before Christmas, except this Saturday when we have a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, and there's gonna be a best costume competition (spoiler alert, Sirius won)." 

"Well," I said and sat down, "that is a reasom not to eat."

"So, who are you going as?", asked Marlene.

I looked around, waiting for everyone to say their costumes. James and Sirius, as always, are going as Dumbledore and Minnie. Peter is going as a rat. Frank and Alice have no idea, but it's going to be a couple's costume, Marlene  and Lily are also going together as Disney princesses, Aurora and Ariel, pretty sure that's Lily's idea. Remus is going as a comic book character Tony... Stank? Stark? Something like that. Then Marlene asked me: "What are you going as?"

"Well, there's this muggle movie that came out this year, it's called Star Wars. There's a princess in it called Leia Organa. I'm probably gonna go as her."

***

Week before Halloween, Marlene, Frank, James and Sirius were busy with practice so the rest of us were using our time to study. 

When the weekend came all of us were excited for the first match this year. 

I was strolling through the Entrance Hall with hands full of food I implored form the house elves. The match was near its end so I didn't bother climbing up the stands. I sat down and looked at the brooms, when the Hufflepuff seeker flew past me, Marlene was on his tail. It was too fast for me to see, but I'm pretty sure they crashed but we got out victorious. What I did see is Lily, running into James' arms and kissing him. 

When the party and the euphoria were gone, and everyone went to bed, Jily, as Sirius likes to call them, stayed in the common room. And the rest of the bunch, myself included, sat in boys dormitory, playing games and joking around.

***

We were walking past shops in Hogsmeade when it started snowing. Boys went on the plain close to the Shireking Shack to make a snow-wolf. While we continued out Christmas shopping. 

When we came out of Honeydukes, Alice asked us: "Beside Frank and me, who's staying here for the holidays?" On which Lily said: "I'm not going back until I have to, Petunia's been a real pain in the ass…" 

"That and it's not safe with 'The Dark Lord' roaming, so I'm staying here too." Marlene added.

We stayed quiet for a while, the possibility of a war in our lifetime was heavy on us, we're just kids…

I spoke: "I'm going home, it's been a while since I saw my father…" 

Next week went by fast, no exams, no papers, just excitement for the upcoming holidays. 

When I got home it was late so I went straight to bed, when I woke up there was a letter on my desk. I took a letter opener and saw a single piece of paper, with eight different  handwritings saying: 'HAPPY HOLIDAYS.' 

[trade-baby-blues]

Santa Baby

Pairing: Jim Kirk x Reader

Word Count: 1265

Warnings: second hand embarrassment

A/N: I'm so sorry I've been MIA for awhile I've been feeling very Nihilistic about my life and my future but!! We're getting back on track folks! Christmas in June! This was requested eons ago by @thefanficfaerie​. Hopefully you enjoy it even if it is half a year late. Also sorry it’s not edited yet; I was so excited that I finally wrote something again that I wanted to post it before I forgot about it and it sits in my docs for another six months lol 

                                               _____________

It was difficult to say who was more excited about Christmas shopping, Joanna or Jim. Even after all the time he'd spent in San Francisco, the sheer size and business of everything still filled Jim with awe compared to the flat open plains of Iowa. He tried to pull Jo into every store they passed, but she had one thing on her mind: Santa. The pair rounded the corner, Jo stomping forward and dragging Jim by the hand, and came face to face with an artificial winter wonderland.

Fake snow spilled across the floor of the mall and Jim swore the temperature dropped the closer they got to the display. Jim didn't even know where to look. Everywhere his eyes went he saw something new: the red and green wrapped presents spilling from a bag beside the dais. The pine trees so crisp and strong he could almost smell them. The man perched on the middle of it all, cheeks as rosy as the carols always said. Most of all, though, Jim noticed the angel stood at the bottom of the steps, leading kids up to Jolly Old St. Nick.

"Come ooooon," Jo groaned, tugging with all her weight on Jim's hand. He blinked at her, so lost in your beauty that, for a moment, he forgot where he was.

"You know, Santa only gives presents to good kids."

"I'm the BEST kid. Daddy always says so!"

"We'll, Dr. McCoy is the smartest guy I know, so that checks out. Just don't tell him I said that." Jo ran her fingers across her lips as if she were zipping them, and Jim winked at her.

As the two waited in line, Jim tried desperately to look anywhere but at you. He looked at the other mall patrons, at the children bouncing eagerly as they waited to talk to Santa, he looked at your smile as you waved the next kid on and the way your hair was framing your face perfectly from underneath that elf cap - a cap he was sure would look ridiculous on anyone else but somehow made your smile brighter and your face younger and -

A sharp tug at his arm made Jim look down. Jo stared up at him with the intensity only a five year old on a mission could muster. "Do you like her?"

"What," Jim laughed, trying to hide his nerves. "No, no I was just...admiring the decorations."

"It's okay if you like her. I won't tell anyone. I'm really good at keeping secrets, like how Daddy really likes to watch that show about old ladies. Goldy Girl."

"Golden Girls," Jim asked, already plotting how to use this information against Bones.

"Yeah! That one! I haven't told anyone about it!"

"You just told me."

"Ooh, are we sharing secrets," you asked, crouching down so you could get to Joanna's level. "Because I've got a secret for you if you want to trade."

"My Uncle Jim thinks you're pretty!"

"I didn't," Jim started by addressing you before quickly turning to Jo. "I didn't say that." His head swiveled to you again as he tried to figure out to remedy this situation. "I didn't say that."

You closed your eyes for a moment, not letting the smile fall from your lips as you tried to center yourself and find the few scraps of patience you had left. "Well, Miss Jo. You told me your secret how about I tell you mine?" Jo nodded her head eagerly, her brown curls bouncing on her shoulders. "I've heard from a very reliable source that you are on the good list. In fact, you've been so good that Santa had to make a separate list just for you."

Jo's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Why don't you go ask him yourself," you asked, holding your hand out. She took it happily, skipping up to Santa's chair.

You became acutely aware of Jim's presence at your side and you tried to ignore the heat of it, of his gaze. "I swear I'm not just another sleazy old man who thinks the elf costume is sexy. Not that it's not sexy, because it is - you are. I'm not into that so you don't have to worry." Jim closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was standing on the bridge of the Enterprise somewhere in deep space. He wasn't sure it would be far enough to escape the embarrassment he felt.

"Not into what? Sexy elves or women?"

"Either," Jim said too fast to really process the question. "I mean I love women and- and elves I, uh...This..," Jim laughed, if just to keep himself from screaming, "I think this conversation got away from me."

By some last act of kindness from a merciful god, Joanna bounded up, tugging on Jim's hand and pulling him away from what was officially the most painful experience of his life, this coming from the man who looked death in the eye and came out victorious. But, even as Jo dragged Jim's body away, his mind stayed with you. He knew he had to see you again, if only to correct the image you had now formed of him first as a creeper then as a flustered schoolboy.

It took a few days to form a coherent plan and another two to convince Sulu that Jim didn't have any nefarious plans for his and Ben's daughter and that it was all perfectly (probably) legal. It wasn't until he stood in line clutching Demora's hand that he realized this plan was ridiculous. He had no way of knowing if you were working today.

The weight of his recklessness bore down on him as Jim and Demora's approached the elf. She turned and his heart fell through his stomach. She was pleasant enough to look at, but she wasn't you. She didn't put the stars in the sky and warmth in Jim's heart.

"Christ," he muttered, running his hands down his face as Demora clambered onto Santa's lap.

"I think he prefers Kris, actually." Jim's eyes snapped to you, taken aback slightly by the turtleneck and jeans you wore. He wondered what it said about him that he expected to find you in uniform.

"What are you doing here," he asked for lack of something better to say.

You shrugged. "My shift just ended, and I've never had a good sense of self-preservation so I figured I'd come talk to the guy who's stalking me."

"I'm not stalking you." Jim tried to remember anything from the conversations he'd practiced in anticipation of seeing you again but the mere quirk of a smile ghosting across your lips was enough to occupy all of his mind, precluding any chance of an elegant reply.

You nodded slowly. "Mhm, so you didn't kidnap a different child just to come see me again?"

"Who? Demora? No, no I didn't kidnap her, though don't ask her dad, because he'd probably say I did for the joke of it."

"Not very confidence inspiring."

"Then let's start over." You glanced at Jim from the corner of your eye, shifting the coat in your arms but not speaking. He licked his lips and wondered vaguely why his mouth felt so dry. "I'm James Kirk." He offered his hand for you to shake.

"Tell me, James Kirk," you said, after offering him your name in return, "if you were in Demora's place what would you ask Santa for?"

"Nothing." It was the first thing Jim had said with confidence in the past week. "I think I just found it."

____

Tags:  @outside-the-government @martinawalker @thevalesofanduin@goingknowherewastaken @thefanficfaerie @brooke-taylor0323 @slither-in-a-half @cuddlememerrick @reading-in-moonlight​  @resistance-is-futile81     @the-witching-hours12-3

[my-friends-in-bantry]

Cory McBrown: Year 2-Chapter 1 (Chapter 2 to follow shortly)

To Adam, Jesse, and John. A little bit of each of them went into Cory’s dilemma. But most especially, to my little self, who makes her way into more of my writing than I realize.

13th of December, 2002

I look in my bedroom mirror. I’ve grown something like three inches since last year. My chest has grown. My favorite jeans are 5 centimeters too short. I’m torn between looking forward to growing up and feeling like growing up sucks. How many favorite clothes have I lost to a growth spurt?

Oh, yeah, I forgot to reintroduce myself. My name is Cory McBrown. I am 13 years old, and I live in Bantry, County Cork, Ireland, with my mother, my 17 year old brother, Bart, my little sister Jenny, and my stepdad Edward O’Donoghue. My friends Sam and John live two doors down. You may remember the story I told last year. Mum and Bart weren’t getting along. Bart didn’t like the way she had handled telling me about what happened when our dad left, now seven years ago.

I finish looking at myself in the mirror, change into clothes that fit, and go downstairs. Mum is feeding Jenny, and Bart is putting his coat on.

“Where are you going so early?” I ask him.

“Mary’s meeting me at Box of Frogs for breakfast,” he says.

Mary is his girlfriend. They have breakfast at Box of Frogs a lot. I told him one day he’d turn into a frog if he kept eating there, but I don’t think he believed me. I can’t exactly play jokes like that on Bart cause he’s four years older than me. He’s well past the age of gullibility, and I would feel mean if I did that to Jenny.

I eat a breakfast of honey toast and strawberry yogurt and then grab my backpack to go meet Sam and John.

Mum puts a banana in my hand as I leave. “Here. I’m afraid you’re gonna get too hungry before lunch.”

I take the banana. “Thanks Mum.”

She hugs me. “See you after school. We’re gonna go get our tree.”

“Sounds good.” I say.

I go out the door and meet Sam and John on the sidewalk. The twins are dressed like Christmas elves.

I have to laugh. “What are you two up to?”

“’Tis the season,” Sam says.

Obviously, I think.

“Isn’t that against the dress code?” I say.

“Explain to me why an Alternative Education Academy has a dress code in the first place.” Sam says.

She has a point. But all the schools in Ireland have uniforms.

“What I want to know is why we have only have four days before Christmas with no school.” John says. “That’s not enough time to get all the baking I want in.”

I give John a mock look. “Exactly how much time do you need for all your baking?”

John thinks about this for a moment. “Well, he’s already talked about making plum cake, sugar cookies, spice cake, candy cane cake-“

I interrupt at Sam. “Candy cane cake?”

“I saw it in a cookbook.” John defends.

“Was it Willy Wonka’s cookbook?” I tease.

“Make fun all you want, but I think it’ll be the best cake you’ve ever had.” John insists.

Actually, the best cake I ever had was when I turned ten, and we iced a vanilla cake with peanut butter and jelly. That was a birthday cake.

We get to school just in time for the bell to ring. Like always, English is our first class of the day. Thankfully, Sam and John are 3rd years, so they’re still lower classmates, and at this school it means they’re still part of my class. To my surprise, the teacher doesn’t seem to care that Sam and John look like they just arrived from Santa’s workshop. Either that or they don’t notice their outfits. But there’s only ten students in our class, us included, so that can’t be true. We sit down to class, but no sooner do we sit down does a boy behind me tap me on the shoulder. I look at him. It’s Daniel Hewson. I’ve been in classes with him since 3rd class (3rd grade for my American readers). He hands me a note. I take it and read it.

You got cute over break, it says.

I frown. I’m not sure how to feel about that. I don’t think I want attention from boys. Ever since Sam entered puberty, she’s told me one day I would get it (and she likes boys and girls). I just don’t. I’ve never had a crush on a boy, and I can’t imagine I ever will. Most of them are so annoying, except John and Bart. I even find Sam’s boyfriend, Harry, annoying. Besides, I’ve seen enough relationships fail that I know it’s not something I ever want to get involved in. I’ve already been left once, and that was enough. I don’t want to go through that again.

Besides, what the heck does he mean “I got cute over break?” I mean, I know he’s referring to last week when I visited my cousin in Minnesota. But what about the cute part? Does he mean I got cute cause I developed more? Does he mean I got cute because I got taller? What does that even mean?

I just put the note away and pay attention to the rest of class.

After class, I tell Sam and John about the note. “Well, it’s obnoxious and lame, but I’m not sure if it qualifies as much to worry about.” Sam says.

“But what does it even mean? Like I’m only pretty cause I developed? Cause that’s just dumb.” I say.

“Boys are dumb.” Sam says.

“That’s why I will never date one.” I say, walking down the hall.

“All I said was they were dumb, as a species. But they’re not all like that,” Sam clarifies.

John frowns. “Species? We’re a separate species now?”

“Somewhere on the level of chimps.” Sam teases.

John gives her a mock look. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t crush on one. Are you still convinced you will never have feelings for anyone? Forget boys for a moment.” Sam says.

“I am. I just don’t think relationships are worth it. They always end in heartbreak. Remember Orla Devon? She left Bart for a 5th year when they were 3rd years. Bart moped around for weeks.” I tell her.

“And you’re basing relationships on Bart and Orla?” Sam is aghast. “All they did was hold hands and exchange furbies.”

“It’s not just Bart and Orla. Mum and Dad broke up.” I insist.

“Because he was alcoholic who wouldn’t get sober.” John reminds me.

I nod. “Aye, I’m definitely not falling for an alcoholic.”

Sam nods. “Alright… If you insist.”

“Aye, I do.” I say, as we get to our next classroom.

After school, as tiny snowflakes spit down from the sky, we pile into Mum’s car to go and get our tree.

“How was school?” Mum asks.

“Good. Where’s Bart?” I ask.

“On an errand you’re not allowed to know about.” Mum tells me.

I nod. Bart must be Christmas shopping. I didn’t really put much on my list this year except the Nintendo GameCube, and the game Luigi’s Mansion. I just know that’s gonna be a cool game and I’m gonna ace it! I don’t know if Bart will be in charge of getting that, but you never know.

We go to the Christmas tree farm and get our tree, which has to be delivered to us. That thing won’t fit into Mum’s tiny car.

But the person from the tree farm follows us home and we haul it in.

John scratches himself on the needles. “I wonder who it was that decided one day that these scratchy things were good to decorate with.”

I keep my mittens on, so I don’t get scratched. “It comes from the ancient festival Yule. In the winter, coniferous trees are the only ones that still had remaining greenery and were thus able to bring beauty and brightness to the dark winter homes of people.”

“I can understand that,” Sam says. “They are pretty, they’re just scratchy.”

John rubs his hands. “Tell me about it.”

With the tree all up, Mum makes us some hot chocolate while we do our homework. As if I thought math was bad last year. Now I’m learning the formula for the slope axis aspect or whatever it is. If anyone knows what this means, I’d appreciate the help.

Bart comes home soon after with a box full of stuff. “What is it? What’d’ja get me?” I tease him.

“Never you mind. And don’t come into my room until I say so,” Bart says, going upstairs with the box.

That night, Sam and John stay for dinner cause its Friday. Every week we do Friday night pizza.

“So are you still all enjoying school?” Edward asks.

“Um… School, yes, except for math… But… I have been getting more… attention lately.” I say.

“What kind of attention?” Mum asks, concerned.

“A boy told me I got cute over the break. Whatever that means.” I roll my eyes.

Bart frowns. “What boy?”

“I’m not gonna tell you. You’ll pick a fight, and he’s only a 2nd year.” I say.

Mum looks at me. “Well, this boy sounds like he’s trying to come up with some cool line, but is there anything wrong with getting attention, as long as it’s appropriate attention?”

“What do you mean by appropriate?” I ask.

“I mean, no one’s harassing you. Cause I will call the school and raise hell if that happens. But showing interest seems normal for your age.” Mum says.

“Well, maybe I don’t want to be normal. Maybe I want to grow up and be a hedgewitch in Brú na Bóinne.” I say.

Sam laughs. Bart frowns. “Why would you want to do that?” he asks.

I shrug. “To confuse people.”

Mum smiles. “Well, honey it’s your choice whether you want to interact with people that way, but I’d still encourage you to keep an open mind. You may find someone wonderful.”

I nod. But that someone wonderful could also leave me, I think.

I don’t think about it anymore and I just go back to eating.

[unchartedterritoria]

Conversations With An Elf (Sam Drake x Reader)

A Christmas writing prompt!

-I’m dressed up as an elf, because of my job. You’re drunk and think that I really know Santa.-

I have it up on A03 as well if you don’t want to read it here

A03 Link

Just a one-shot piece of seasonal fluff. Merry Christmas!

This was not the holiday employment I had in mind, you think to yourself, the faint sound of jingling bells coming from the curled tips of your elf shoes.

Classes were done for the semester, and you could use some income so when your best friend offered you a job for the holidays at the mall she worked, you jumped at the opportunity. You figured it would be wrapping gifts with the elderly ladies of the knitting club or, at worst, manning the customer service desk and getting yelled at all day. You weren't prepared for the festive red, white and green outfit she presented you with on your first day.

As one of Santa's elves, your job was to bring the kid to Santa and send them on their way with a cheap coloring book and a candy cane when they were done. After only one day of crying kids and Christmas themed pick up lines from skeevy fathers, you longed for the not so glamorous world of customer service.

It had been two weeks on the job, and you had sunk into a routine. Fake smile your way through your shift then head to the small bar next to the mall to decompress and cross another day off your countdown calendar you kept in your purse for when this job would end.

Today had been an exceptionally excruciating one. Five screaming kids, four scared toddlers, three horny dads, two peeing babies and you left the normal clothes you change into after work at home.

So, here you sit with your whiskey sour, perched on a bar stool in a small dive bar, dressed as an elf.

You had been preoccupied making your weekly grocery list and doodling in your small notebook that you didn't notice the man that sat three stools down from you.

“I didn't think elves were allowed to drink.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, I didn't elves could drink,” He repeated a little louder with the same low, fluid voice and slight drunken slur.

"Well, I'm off duty. Therefore, this elf can," You answer without bothering to look up from your writing.

“I'm pretty sure when you work for the big man in red, you are never off duty,” He admonishes you.

Oh for Christ sakes, gimme a break. You think to yourself as you finally raise your head and glance at the source of the voice. The sour look on your face is turning to one of a pleasant surprise as your eyes lock with the hazel ones that belong to the handsome man that has been addressing you.

"I got permission; I promised him I wouldn't drink and toboggan," you say as you pick up your drink. You give the glass a slight tip of acknowledgment in his direction and take a sip, the sweet and sour concoction burning your throat on the way down.

“Tobbagan,” He repeats after you with a little laugh, “I always liked that word. Tobbagan,” He enunciates and downs the rest of the drink in front of him.

“Not a fan of sledding?”

"Ech," He says, nose wrinkling with a look of disgust. "Just listen to it, 'sledding.' It sounds prissy."

"Prissy. I'll remember that" You nod amusingly to yourself. You finish your drink and set your empty glass on the edge of the bar.

"Hey, you mind if I-?" He says, motioning to the stool next to you. You pause for a second. He's cute, and he's amusing, why the hell not? You think to yourself before you give him an affirmative nod. He slides over and gently slinks down on the stool next to you. He puts his empty glass next to yours and motions to the bartender for a refill on both of them.

“No, no, you don't have to do that. I really should get going anyway.” You say, stowing your notebook away in your purse.

"C'mon, I insist. It's a busy time for you guys; it's the least I could do for one of Santa's helpers." His warm hazel eyes win you over as you stow your purse back under your bar stool and taking your fresh drink in hand, giving his a clink of appreciation before saying 'thank you' and taking a sip.

“So do you get to see the big guy a lot?” He asks.

“Santa?”

“Yeah.”

“I see him every day,” you answer, keeping your tone pleasant despite thinking about the horrible excuse for a Santa that the mall has this year, Rick that smelled like pickles and house paint.

"You do?" He questioned, his eyes lighting up underneath the thin sheen from the booze. "Ya think maybe you could ask him for a favor for me?"

You stare at him skeptically as you set your drink down.

“Aren't you a little old to be asking Santa for presents?” You question him.

"Nah, it's not for me," he says, reaching into his back pocket, dropping it on the bar between the two of you. He flips it open to his license. Across from it in a little plastic sleeve, is a picture of him and a little girl perched on his shoulders. From the looks of the photo, she couldn't have been more than four years old. A small blonde with a smile so cute and so big it would make your heart burst.

"This is my niece, Cassie. She's a real sweetie." He says, his voice warm with love and pride.

“She's adorable,” you tell him.

"Isn't she? You can tell she got her looks from her mother. If she got them from my brother, she'd have a square head, weird feet, and a little wang," He says, causing you to choke on your drink a little in surprise.

“Well, you know, if she had one,” He adds, taking a sip of his own drink in front of him.

"Anyway, she wants this thing. It's like this animal excavation kit thing where you get these blocks, and you chip away at it 'til you get these animal skeletons?" He says, gesturing with his arms while he tries to explain it to you. The liquor in his system causing theword 'skeletons' to sound like 'scallions.' As he slips his wallet back into his pocket, you hope that someone was picking him up or he was taking a cab. Him driving is not an option.

“That does sound pretty cool,” You tell him.

"Wish I'd gotten something like that when I was a kid. We weren't big on presents. Me and Nathan, that's my brother, the one with the little-" gesturing towards the crotch of his pants.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” You cut him off, trying to keep him from finding another colorful word to use to describe his brother's genitalia and also trying not to look down where he was pointing. You knew nothing good ever came from looking when a handsome drunk man was pointing at his crotch.

"Yeah. Nathan and I were dealt a rough hand, so it was just me and him growing up. We didn't have any money. Sometimes we didn't even have a roof over our heads, but I made sure he got something at Christmas. Cause he's my little brother, you know what I mean?" He asks.

You nod with a warm smile.

"Cassie's a good kid. I couldn't afford to get Nathan the cool stuff that he wanted when we were kids. I wanna make sure that Cassie gets the cool stuff she wants. You know what I mean?"

“I get you,” You answer, wondering how much more of this sweet, inebriated guy tugging on your heartstrings you could take.

“If anyone can make sure this kid gets what she wants, it's Santa Claus. You think you could ask him for me?”

"Let me talk to him, and we'll see what we can do," You answer, a stock response you had heard Fake Santa Rick say to children for the last two weeks.

“You're a good elf, Santa should give you a raise,” He decrees.

"I think he should too!" You say giggling in agreement.

“You guys should get warmer uniforms too. I could never understand that about you elves. You aren't cold in those tights? Or itchy?”

“Surprisingly, it's more comfortable than you think,” you tell him. Looking downright enlightened, he reaches out and rubs the fabric of the shirt on your upper arm, the sensation causing him to nod impressively.

"Better than I thought," He says. The two of you sharing a little laugh over your outfit, the feel of his strong hands and the liquor lubricating your thoughts zaps your willpower and gives you ideas of possibly taking him home with you. It had been a while, and this handsome guy is giving you the warm and tinglies down to the bells on your toes wasn't a bad choice.

The door on those thoughts closed as he looked toward the entrance to the bar. An older man that just walked in is motioning him to get a move on.

“That's my ride. Time to go. Unless you think Santa would be willing to give me a life home in the sleigh?” He asks honestly.

Starting to believe that this guy really thinks your an elf, and your willpower returning, you tell him nicely, "Santa only deliverstoys, he's not a taxi service.”

"Fair enough. You will ask him for that thing, right? For Cassie? Cause she's my little buddy, my princess. You know what I mean?" He asks, putting on his leather jacket.

"I know what you mean," The repetitiveness of this phrase makes you smile, "And I will ask him, I promise."

He drains the last of his drink and puts his hand on your shoulder. Leaning down close, he whispers into your ear, "You're a wonderful elf, sweetheart," giving you a wet kiss on the cheek. A blush spreads across your face and down your neck. The scent of the whiskey breath, cologne and cigarettes waft up your nose.

He zips up his coat and heads towards the door to meet the older man waiting for him.

“And you're a good man, Sam Drake!” You call after him.

He stops abruptly, turning back to look at you with eyes wide with surprise.

“How did you know my name?” He asks, his voice full of wonder, like that of a child.

“I'm an elf, we're magic!” You tell him coyly. Telling him you saw his name on his driver's license just wouldn't have the same effect.

"Merry Christmas!" You call to him.

He gives you one last smile, the sparkle in his warm hazel eyes making the breath catch in your throat.

"Merry Christmas," He says before turning and heading out the door into the cold night.

You pull out your phone. With a quick search on Amazon, you find the toy that Sam was talking about, the gleam in his eyes and the gooey feelings that they induced in you cause you to hit the buy button. Typing Sam's address from his license into the shipping info and hoping that it is right, you add a note to go in the package. 'For Cassie, for being on the nice list. For Sam, for also being on the nice list. -Santa' You sign the note, 'An elf' and, still brimming with some liquid courage, include your phone number with it.

You put your phone back in your purse and pull your shopping list out again. You add a few items to it, all the while hoping you are on the nice list yourself this year, and high enough on it to get a phone call from Sam