#i guess this is my Christmas present for y'all now | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nvrsaidiwasinurcloset · 10 months ago

Note

ok, sorry abt my last request i’ll be more specific

can you do ethan landry is best friends with readers brother? and they annoy eachother a lot?

and it ends it a smut pls :3

love your work sm!!

Hiiii! I hope you like it :)

Bad Idea Right? - Ethan Landry x Fem!Reader

Ethan Landry x Fem!Reader

This contains SMUT- Minors DNI

Part 2

Summary: You hook up with your brother's irritating best friend.

A/N: If y'all want a part 2, let me know:)

You and your brother have a good sibling relationship, which you’re thankful for. The only issue you have is that his best friend, Ethan, is so incredibly annoying. They’ve been friends for the longest time, and they do everything together. When they both got into the same school, you weren’t surprised.

Ethan’s sort of became a part of the family. Your parents buy him Christmas presents; he comes on all the family vacations. It wasn’t a shocker when your brother wanted to come home to visit you for your birthday, that Ethan would be coming with him.

You’re the only one in your family that isn’t really close to him, which does feel weird from time to time. You’ll never forget the beach vacation when he chased you along the sand with a washed-up jellyfish, or when he was teasing you when you got your first crush, or when he went through a prank phase, and you were his target every single time.

As both boys arrived home to celebrate your birthday, you were excited to see them. Even though Ethan does annoy you, it’s been months since you’d seen them.

Your brother pulled you into a big hug as Ethan walked past you to say hello to your parents.

“Happy Birthday!” your brother said, you rolled your eyes.

“It was a month ago, dork,” you said, a playful tone in your voice.

“Sorry I couldn’t come home sooner. One of my classes this year has been brutal,” he said, as you nodded.

“Hi, Ethan!” you said sarcastically, as the curly-haired boy rolled his eyes when he faced you.

He looked like he was about to say something back, but he paused as he took in your appearance. You started to feel a little self-conscious, thinking you must’ve had a stain on your shirt or something, because he’s never looked at you like that. He’s usually just as annoyed with you as you are with him.

The next day, your brother told you he was throwing you a surprise birthday party.

“It’s not a surprise if you tell me, you know?” you said, “Plus it’s been a month. Why have a party now?”

“Because you only turn eighteen once,” he said, “And we always celebrate your birthday.”

“Okay, when is this surprise party for me, that I already know about?” you said with a giggle.

“That’s the part that’s surprising. It’s in 2 hours, you might want to get ready,” He laughed a little, looking at the sweatpants and big t-shirt you were wearing.

“Fuuuuck,” you whined, walking to the bathroom to jump in the shower.

After you got out of the shower, you stood on the mat reaching for your towel when the door opened.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” Ethan said, closing the door.

“Fuck,” you whispered, wrapping the towel around your body.

You’d gotten used to having your own bathroom while your brother was away, so you didn’t even think to lock the door. You started to get a little embarrassed, now that your brother’s best friend has seen you naked.

Once you dried off and put your robe on, you walked to your room to change.

As Ethan watched you walk out of the bathroom from your brother’s room across the hall, he couldn’t get the image of your naked, wet body out of his mind. ‘Why the fuck am I thinking about her like this?’ he thought to himself, his cock half-hard in his pants.

“I’m going to go get the cake. You want to set out the drinks and stuff?” your brother asked Ethan.

“Uh, yeah. I guess I can do that,” he said, even though the idea of him being left alone with you made him a little nervous.

“Cool, I’ll be back soon,” he said, grabbing his keys.

After you got dressed, you walked to the kitchen to get something to drink. Ethan was putting chips in bowls at the counter as you struggled to reach around him to get a glass. You brushed up against him, and he felt his breath hitch in his throat.

You got some water before sitting down at the kitchen table. You wanted to say something to him about the bathroom incident, but you were scared to make the situation even more awkward. As you sat there, you just had to say something.

“Hey, Ethan?” you said. He turned his head to look at you. “I’m sorry I forgot to lock the door. I know seeing me naked was probably the last thing you wanted.”

You watched him, waiting for a response. His face started to turn red, as you giggled to yourself.

“It’s..uh…it’s okay,” he said, directing his attention back to the chips.

While he was turning back around and you saw him from the side for a split second, you could see that he was hard in the sweatpants he was wearing. Your eyes went wide and you started to blush as you realized the effect you had on him.

“I’m going to go change,” he said, before walking out of the kitchen and to your brother’s room.

After your brother got back and all your friends started to arrive, Ethan was struggling to take his eyes off you. You noticed his gaze as you danced with your friends to the music, a smirk playing on your lips when he quickly looked away. You thought he was hot, but he annoyed you so much that you never realized it until recently.

You kept noticing his stares as the party went on, so when it was time for the cake, you decided to tease him a little bit. You swiped your finger through the icing, before putting the icing in your mouth. Your eyes connected with Ethan as you sucked it off, his bottom lip going in between his teeth at your actions.

After the cake, you went to the kitchen to get another drink. Ethan was leaning against the counter by himself as your brother shamelessly flirted with one of your friends in the living room.

“Hey, you might piss me off, but thank you for being here,” your voice was sweet as you spoke to him.

“Can I ask you a question?” he asked, watching you sip your drink.

“What’s up?” you asked. He leaned closer to your ear so no one else could hear what he was saying to you.

“Are you intentionally trying to make me hard out there in front of everybody?” he asked, as his eyes scanned over your face. “I know you like to do things that embarrass me, so if you aren’t interested, please stop.”

You smiled at him, thinking back to all the things you’d done that were probably just as annoying as the stuff he’s done to you. But this was intentional. You wanted him to want you, and it’s obvious now that he does.

“Meet me in my room in five minutes,” you said, before walking away.

You scanned the living room to find your brother, still distracted from everything going on around him. You found your best friend, pulling her to the side.

“Hey, I’m going to disappear for a little bit. If anyone’s looking for me, tell them I’ll be right back, and text me immediately, okay?” you asked. The confused look on her face said you needed to explain more. “I’m about to hook up with Ethan. My brother can’t know, cover for me.”

She nodded, still confused at the situation.

You went up the stairs to your room to wait for Ethan. Your friend smirked to herself as she watched him scan the party for your brother, before heading upstairs not long after you.

“Lock it,” you said, as he walked in and shut the door.

“So demanding,” he laughed, as he locked the door.

You walked over to him and laced his fingers with yours as you led him back to your bed, pulling him down with you as you laid back. He looked in your eyes for a few seconds as he hovered over you, the sexual tension getting even stronger before he finally leaned down to kiss you. The second your lips touched, everything just felt right. Like this was what the two of you were supposed to be doing the whole time.

His hands started to roam under the fabric of your shirt, his fingertips grazed your stomach as you whimpered under his touch. As good as his teasing felt, you remembered that you didn’t have a lot of time to do what you came to your room to do.

“We need to be quick,” you gasped out, once his hand reached your breast.

"Right," he chucked to himself, before he slid your shirt up your body. You sat up a little so he could pull it over your head, and you reached behind yourself to unhook your bra to have one less thing in the way. “Fuck,” he whispered, taking in the sight in front of him.

He leaned forward to take one of your nipples in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it as he sucked before moving to the other side. Your breathing was getting heavier by the second, and feeling the way his tongue moved had you craving his mouth on you in other places.

He trailed kisses down your stomach, before he stopped at the top of your jeans. He looked up at you, silently asking for your consent before he went any further. You nodded at him before he smirked and unbuttoned your jeans, and slid those, along with your panties, down your legs in one motion. You took a deep breath once you were fully exposed to him, before he leaned in and started to place gentle licks to your clit.

"Fuck," you whispered, as you looked down to see Ethan's eyes on yours.

He started to swirl his tongue as he slid two fingers inside your soaked entrance with ease, your hips lifting off the bed as he rolled them against that spongy spot inside of you. You were trying so hard to be quiet, and even with the music downstairs, you were sure that if someone came upstairs, they'd know exactly what was going on. Strained whimpers were flooding out of your mouth as you struggled to hold them in, but Ethan was making you feel so good that it was impossible.

"Shit, Ethan," you rushed out, "This feels so good, but I need you to fuck me."

He pulled his mouth away from your clit before he mumbled "I wish I had more time to do this with you." He slid his fingers out, a whine slipping past your lips at the lost feeling as he unbuttoned his jeans and slid those, along with his boxers, down his hips.

"We need to be quick," you reminded him, once you felt the tip of his cock teasingly circling your clit.

"I know," he said, as he lined up with your entrance.

As he slid into you, a low moan flew out of your mouth.

“Shhh,” he said, his hips starting to move. “You need to be quiet, baby.”

You found it hard to do, the feeling of his cock stretching out your pussy feeling so good that you wanted him to know how much you loved it.

“Fuck,” you said, once you heard your phone vibrate on the bed beside you. Ethan kept going as you reached over to check it. “We need to hurry up. My brother was asking where I am.”

His thrusts sped up, until he started to pound into you. He angled your hips just right so your g-spot was getting the attention that it needed, and you couldn't hold in your moans. Once he reached down to circle your clit with his fingers, you cried out as that feeling built up so fast that your impending orgasm had your hands shaking as you gripped the sheets.

"That's it, baby. Cum for me."

Your legs were shaking on either side of his hips as that feeling washed over you, your bottom lip held in between your teeth so hard to attempt to not make the loud sounds that were threatening to escape. He was trying so hard to fuck you through it, but after he felt your pussy start to squeeze him, he knew he couldn't hold on any longer.

“Fuck,” he gasped, as he pulled out, releasing his hot cum on your stomach.

He took a minute to catch his breath as he tried to compose himself, but he couldn't stop looking at you. The way your blissed out eyes looked at him, the sweet smile on your lips, and seeing his cum on you was starting to make him hard again.

He finally tore his eyes away from you to grab some tissues out of the box on your nightstand, and cleaned you up before you both got up to quickly put your clothes back on. You could tell that he wanted to talk about what'd just happened, you did, too. But with the lack of time, you knew it would have to wait.

“I wish I could’ve taken my time with you,” he said, before you walked over to the door.

“There’s always next time,” you said, planting a kiss to his cheek.

You left your room first to join the party again. Your best friend came up to you once she saw you.

“So, how was it?” she asked.

“For a nerd, he sure knows what he’s doing,” you quietly joked, as he walked down the stairs.

“Dude, where were you?” your brother asked him, a blush rising to his cheeks at the question.

“Uh..I had to call my dad,” he lied, as your brother nodded at his response.

“Cool. I couldn’t find my sister either. I thought you two killed each other.”

#scream smut #scream #ethan landry #ethan landry smut #ethan landry x reader

339 notes · View notes

nhlclover · 6 months ago

Text

new years eve sparks fly au

✭ — summary: luca finally finds out the reason behind sofia's off-behaviour

✭ — warnings: angst, sof crying, luca being a good brother, mentions of anxiety, cliffhanger kind of?,

✭ — a/n: finallyyyyy writing for this! again thank you guys for your continued support love y'all

✭ — word count: 1.13k

Christmas had come and gone, presents had been exchanged, and Adam had returned to Columbus. The winter break was ticking down and Sofia and Luca would return to Michigan in five days.

But Michigan was the last place Sofia wanted to be right now. The thought of going back to Michigan where Rutger was sent a wave of anxiety through her. It was impossible for Sofia not to face him. Sofia couldn’t not go to games, Luca would hate that.

It was now New Year's Eve, one of Sofia’s favourite holidays. She loved the prospect of a fresh start, as well as the brief few days of having a resolution. The reset brought a sense of calm to her life. However, Sofia was anything but excited and her parents could tell.

Julia eyed her daughter as she sat curled up on the corner chair, downing her third glass of wine. To her mother, there was only one thing that could be bothering Sofia.

“Luca, go talk to your sister,” Julia tells her son.

“Why?” Luca asks.

“I think she’s missing Adam a little bit,” she explains. “Just go see if you can cheer her up a little.”

Luca glances at his sister sitting on the chair, watching her scroll through her phone, a perma-scowl on her lips. Luca knew Sofia and Adam were fairly close but not so much that she would be this upset over him going back to Columbus. Luca figured that it must have something to do with whatever was bothering her pre-Christmas. Whatever had spurred the manic baking must still be on her mind.

“Sof.” he calls to his sister, causing her to look up from her phone. “Come get some air with me.”

Sofia furrows her eyebrows at her brother's weird request but follows him out to the back deck at his insistent nodding. Sofia leans against the railing, the winter chill biting at her cheeks.

“What’s up with you?” Luca asks.

Just at his words, Sofia can already feel her emotions bubbling to the surface. She’d been trying to keep the thought of Rutger out of her mind throughout the past few weeks but it was futile. He’d worm his way into her thoughts and then she’d be reminded of what can only be described as the single worst way to be rejected.

“I mean…Sofia come on.” Rutger says. “You’re Adam and Luca’s sister.”

Sofia furrows her brows. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, it would be weird if I dated their sister. I mean I’m best friends with them, they’re practically my brothers.”

“What, it feels like I’m a sister to you?” Sofia asked.

“I guess so,” Rutger says.

Not only did Sofia get rejected, she got put in the sister zone. And whenever she was reminded of that, she felt like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-ing herself. Completely erasing Rutger’s existence from her mind.

“What do you mean?” Sofia asks, playing dumb. Maybe she could work her way out of this. She would normally tell Luca everything. He was her big brother, he was the one who gave her good advice when she needed it. But she didn't know if this was something she could confide in Luca about.

“No, no,” Luca said, shaking his head. “Don’t be coy with me. Be straight up, tell me what’s bugging you. You know, you can talk to me, right? Whatever it is, I'm here for you.”

Sofia finally turns to look at Luca, his eyes laced with genuine concern. Tears begin to prick at her waterline.

“It’s Rutger,” she says.

"Rutger?" Luca echoed, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What about him?"

Sofia opens her mouth but hesitates momentarily.

“I love him.”

The words form before Sofia realizes it. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and gages Luca’s reaction. He’s silently staring at her, brows furrowed and jaw slightly agape. Luca’s thoughts are going a million miles a minute, trying to process exactly what his sister said.

After a couple of moments of silence, Sofia speaks up. “Luca, please say something.”

“How long?” is all Luca says.

Sofia sighs, trying to recall the moment when she knew she had feelings for Rutger. Memories of them meeting, all of their study sessions, and the times they simply just hung out flow through her mind.

And, like a dam bursting, Sofia spills her feelings to her brother. Her heartache laid bare as she recounted her feelings for Rutger and the crushing blow of his rejection. She told him about the birthday gift, how he began to read her favourite book just so he could talk to her about it, and the way her heart fluttered whenever she saw him. Sofia also recounted how she had finally mustered the courage to tell him how she felt, only to have her hopes dashed when Rutger shut her down.

“I thought he felt the same way, y’know?” Sofia says. “Sometimes when he’d look at me… I was convinced he liked me too but…”

She truly didn’t know. She was so convinced that the feelings were mutual.

“And you love him?” Luca asks.

“Maybe not love him but… Luca… I swear I can’t stop thinking about him.” she says.

Luca sighs. “Sof… Oh god, what would Adam think?”

“You can’t tell him. Please.”

He flicks his gaze to Sofia, her eyes teary and red. She’s got her arms wrapped tightly around her torso, her lip tucked tightly between her teeth. Luca knows well enough to know when his sister is lying or being untruthful. This was not one of those times. Her anxiety was palpable, even as they stood among the whipping wind.

“He’d kill Rutger then you if anything were to happen,” Luca says, head going back between his hands.

“I know that! You think I don’t know that?” she asks. “Please don’t tell him. Promise.”

Luca’s head stays down, contemplating the whole situation. He has to tell his brother, right? It’s Adam's teammate too. His friend too.

“Luca,” Sofia says, voice more stern and solid than he’d heard it their whole conversation. Luca looks up at his sister, her face anxious yet strong. “Promise me you won’t tell him.”

Luca sighs. “I promise.”

He looks away again, Sofia’s nerves coming back.

“Are you mad?” Sofia asks, the hesitant and nervous tone back once more.

“Am I mad? Of course, I’m not mad at you Sof.” Her shoulders relax slightly. “Just… remember last time? I don’t want to see you hurt again and I don’t want what happened between you and Adam to happen again.”

“I know, I know.” Sofia nods, bowing her head. Tears begin to form in her eyes as memories from the past come to her mind.

Luca steps forward, taking her into his arms. “You’ll figure it out, don’t worry.”

#sparks fly au!#sofia x rutger #rutger mcgroarty

39 notes · View notes

marchsfreakshow · 11 months ago

Text

Princesses Over Princes {Dandy Mott}

Fluff. Little bit of teasing smut. Cover made by me

Fem!Reader

It's your first Christmas with the Mott family after Dandy 'convinced' you to move in. It's officially time to go present shopping, and Dandy almost buys the whole store.

Slightly self-inserted so consider reader autistic, just for now.

I miss writing for my murderous baby boy, so here's a holiday fic to keep y'all going. :)

No one's perspective.

⊹˚.⋆ ₊꒷ᘏᘏ︶ଓ︶꒷꒦⊹˚ᗢ₊꒷︶ଓ︶꒷

Windows had condensation on them because of how cold it was outside. Lights were twinkling around, and Dora made something warm in the kitchen. It smelled like leeks, so you guessed it was some type of soup. You were a bit sick. But, not sick enough to convince Dandy that you couldn't go out today. For Dandy, it had to be a broken leg, and maybe fully paralysed for you to not be able to go out.

Every single time you heard, "Y/N! We're going out." You dramatised fainting and laid like an 1800s lady who needed air on his bed. A grin and a giggle always gave it away, and Dandy stood there unimpressed every time. "Come on! I want to! You need to come with me! You need to! You need to!"

"Big baby." You muttered as you got up.

"What?!"

"you're. A. Big. Baby!" Dandy stood there, slightly gobsmacked, and watched you walk out of his door, a slight skip in your step. Despite being called a baby, he followed you anyway.

A baby? No. Dandy was your lovesick puppy. He'd follow you to the ends of the earth and buy you a company if it made you happy. He was wrapped around your finger like a tight glove. Your comfortability over anything. If you went to the freakshow to see your friend, Amazon Eve, Dandy would make sure you had front-row tickets and brought a pillow to make sure you were comfortable in the creaky, woody chairs. The way he looked at you, it was a look that could melt anything. His eyes were firmly on you. He was so happy he bumped into you with his mother on a walk.

You were sitting in the kitchen, having some of the soup that Dora made when Dandy finally decided to come into the kitchen. Even though he followed you out of the playroom. "Dandy, come eat something!" You smiled, gesturing to the small portion of toast that was available on the table.

"I'm not hungry."

"Dandy-" Dora started,

"Dandy eat something or I'll lock myself in one of the empty rooms and not talk to you until the new year."

Instinctively, Dandy sat down and almost scarfed down toast with nothing on it. He then sat impatiently as you finished your soup, albeit a bit more slowly, and less messily. You were almost elegant and looked like a princess in your baby blue dress that poofed out and rested just below your knee. All Dandy thought you needed now was a tiara, and a ring. Both have a gem-like sapphire in them to match the colour scheme. Staring at you was a full-time job for him. The only one he would like. "Are you almost done?"

"Almost." You giggled, feeling Dandy gently grip your thigh under the table. There was an impatience to his words, and you could feel a tantrum coming on if you didn't hurry up and finish. Thankfully, Dora took your bowl from you as soon as you placed your spoon down. She could also feel the impatience and wanted you to go so she would be away from Dandy for an hour or so. Your eyes met with hers, a silent thank you along with a smile. The small bowl was taken from you, and Dandy grabbed your arm, dragging you to stand up. The childish happiness within his run made you smile, and follow him quickly. He practically threw you in the car once you put a coat on, and started the car just as quickly.

"Love? Where exactly are we going?" You asked once you were on the road. Your boyfriend had calmed down now and was driving carefully. To him, you were precious, a statue or an angel that couldn't be damaged. That one piece of art that you own and wouldn't let anyone else touch it. That's what you were to Dandy, art. Everything about you was art. Your interests were included.

"Store."

"Well, I figured that." You chuckled as the car's hum ran behind you quietly. "But what store are we going to prince?"

A blush rose on your boyfriend's cheeks. His infatuation with you only increased when you called him a nickname. Prince was his favourite. You were his princess, deserving of everything. "Whatever store you want. What do you want right now?"

Silence was the answer until you sheepishly answered, "A new stuffed bear. Not a proper one! Just, a stuffed animal. A brown bear, I like those ones."

"Stuffed animals. Toy shop then. Childish.." He muttered the last part, but you heard it anyway. The roads merged as you were nearing the biggest toy store in town. The biggest was a dull, old toy store in between a book store and a café. It was a greying red and the blandest beige you've ever laid your eyes on. The owner was a sweet older man, but you hoped one day, someone would repair the outside, give it a paint job and make it lived in again as it was when you were a child.

The car screeched to a quick halt and scared you almost half to death due to the suddenness of it. "We're here." He mentioned flatly. It confused you, but you undid your buckle and opened the door for yourself. Just as quickly as you opened the door, a hand appeared in your view. You took the hand, and stepped out of the car, immediately walking around to the pavement. The store was in front of your eyes, children rushing around to grab whatever they wanted.

"I do hope that there's something I want left in stock." You sighed. Before you walked in, you adjusted yourself despite no one in the shop caring much about your appearance.

"We'll find something. You need something for Christmas."

"You do too. I do have most of your presents already though." You smiled. Striding into the shop, Dandy and you were suddenly overwhelmed by the amount of children's yelling and noises they made in general. There was a quiet corner in the corner of the shop, in which the shelves held different teddy bears. "Teddies." You mumbled, walking towards them like a soul heading towards purgatory.

Dandy followed but ran instead. He grabbed a random one and held it out towards you. It was a light beige and looked like a typical teddy. "Um, I don't know." All that kept coming out of your mouth was mutters. Small and messy kids were running around you as the other adults apologized. He could tell you were getting more agitated and uncomfortable but attempted to refrain from yelling.

That lasted about 4 minutes.

You were sitting in the storage room with the shopkeeper's permission, hands over your ears and your eyes were almost glued shut. It pissed Dandy off to no end and you heard, "GO AWAY! EVERYONE!!" Everyone stopped in their tracks and put their things down, not including the bought things, and slowly backed out. Silence filled the shop.

"Dandy. You, my...my customers!" The shopkeeper thought out loud.

"I don't care!! Y/N needs space! They need time!! Everyone was annoying her!!" You took this as a sign to walk out of the storage and Dandy immediately hugged you, kissing your head gently. "You have all the time now."

"Thank you, Dandy." A smile replaced the scared frown you wore on your face. The teddies were still lined up on the shelves, but some were on the floor. You picked the floor teddies up, and Dandy took them from you, going to place them on the till. Every single one you looked at was placed by the shopkeeper.

The small black ones, the beige, brown, white bears. The dusty pinks and blues. The ones with a small card tied to their paws, the bears who looked brown, big and dusty. The old ones who never got a chance to be loved.

Every. Single. One.

"Oh, my love don't worry. I don't-"

"No." Dandy cut you off quick. "You deserve the best. Especially after the annoying brats filled up this place." A sigh escaped you, and you placed your least favourite stuffed animals back on the aged wood.

What was left was 3 teddy bears, a puppet you liked the look of and a small robot. The teddies were the small black one that caught your eye immediately, one of the medium-sized dusty pink ones, and the aged, dark brown, squeezable bear. They captured your heart, along with the other two items. The puppet, and the robot. These 'robots of the future!' interested you dearly. Would talking pictures and robotics be the future? Either way, Dandy was happy you made your choice, and you could go home.

"Is this all you're purchasing today?" The shopkeeper asked. He was a kindle and gentle soul, who had manned the store since Dandy and you were children. He knew you well and saw a romance happen before his eyes when talking to you and Dandy.

Before you could answer, however, Dandy nodded and brought his wallet out. "$100."

"Really? $100. Wow, that's a good price!" You chuckled, gazing at your new and known presents.

"$100 is really cheap," Dandy muttered, paying the shopkeeper swiftly. The items were placed into two bags, and immediately getting scooped up by your childish boyfriend. "Okay, let's go."

You waved goodbye to the shopkeeper and headed outside, the car still in front of the dinky shop door. Dandy almost rushed again, placing the bags in the back of his car and resisting the urge to make you quicken your pace. He wanted to get home. Quick. You were a bit stressed still. He could tell and knew being back at home would make you feel better. Well, your new home. You suddenly got moved into Dandy's mansion at some point in time at the start of your relationship, and it still took you a few months to get used to.

As soon as you were buckled in the passenger's seat, it didn't take more than a second for Dandy to be racing back home. It was like there was a time limit to getting back, and he had to make it back within that limit. The roads were blurred, and you gripped onto Dandy's arm with your left hand, the other held onto your own seatbelt. Whatever race Dandy was having in his head, clearly his car was winning.

The car pulled up to the house in no time. Dandy looked completely fine, with no scratch, but you felt worse. Your stomach felt like it was flipped, your heart was racing and your hair certainly fell out of whatever shape you styled it in that morning. The laboured breathing you were doing concerned Dandy. "Are you okay?"

"yeah. Fine. Just, a bit too fast."

"Okay." A monotone voice came out of the man, and he got out, giving you about 5 seconds before he came around to your side and picked you up, along with the bags of course. "I'm taking you into bed."

You felt like a princess and just stared in awe at Dandy. This childish, but strong man was carrying you into the house, and all the way up to his playroom. It was his favourite room, and where you had your bed. Nothing but the best sheets for you. "Thank you, my prince." You giggled, as Dandy was now sitting by your side.

"You're welcome. you're my princess, and need the best, not whatever common people own."

"Would you kill someone for your princess?" You teased, biting your lip slightly. Pretending to love murder and blood made Dandy even more happy. It thrilled him to know that you were 'just as bloodthirsty as him' according to Amazon Eve.

"I'd murder anyone and everyone if it made you happy." He gripped onto your waist and you looked up at him again. Almost showing innocence in your eyes. He was all yours to ruin with blood, gore, anything. His innocent doll.

Just to make sure he didn't add on to his words, you kissed him and you held onto eachother tightly. The kiss was filled with nothing but lust. The rest of the day was heavy touching, breathing. Deep and heavy kisses. You and Dandy were wrapped around eachother's fingers, tight. "I love you my prince."

"I love you princess."

Tags; @slvt4jamesmarch @babygorewhore @taintandviolent @tatelangdonsweater

#texty #ahs #american horror story #dandy mott #almost smut #dandy mott x reader #dandy mott smut #finn wittrock #Finn Wittrock x Reader #ahs Freakshow #Freakshow #Fluff #Holidays #ahs x reader #Dandy x reader #dandy #x reader #ahs imagines

94 notes · View notes

pedroshotwifey · 11 months ago

Text

Christmas Countdown Day 15 - Presents

The A-Team

Pairing: Frankie Morales x afab!reader

Word count: 1.5k

Tags/Warnings: no use of y/n, Frankie and reader were in the military, Frankie and reader have kids, established relationship (husband and wife), breeding kink if you squint, oral sex (f), piv sex, fluff, smut, Frankie being both a menace and a pussy eating king, kids are unnamed, no age is mentioned so reader could be any age you want, stuff im forgetting

Summary: Frankie distracts you from wrapping gifts--not that you're complaining

A/N: Hey, y'all. I'm tired out of my mind, and I hope y'all enjoy this :') Tmw's prompt involves Dieter Bravo, so if you have any ideas for that, feel free to send them in <3

***

You’re finally in your zone.

The kids are at their grandparents, Frankie’s in the shower, and you’re sitting in the middle of the living room with a stack of presents waiting to be wrapped. It’s not every day that you get a chance to get something like this done without the interruption of your kids, no matter how much you love them.

You have the coffee table shoved off to the side so you are able to spread your supplies out across the expanse of the room. There’s Christmas music playing lowly from a radio in the kitchen. You hum along as you attempt to wrap a mini Barbie dreamhouse that your daughter had been begging for.

It’s one of those boxes where you just can’t seem to get the perfect amount of paper to cover it.

You sigh in frustration as you attempt to pull the ends together, straining the paper on the sides. Of course you’re about an inch short. Giving up for now, you pull the box away from the paper and reach for a slightly smaller one.

This one contains a lego kit for your youngest son. You remember picking it up in the store and discreetly showing Frankie. Your son had been with you, thankfully distracted by your phone as Frankie quickly snagged it and snuck away to purchase it while you continued shopping.

When he came back to your side from putting it under a blanket in the car, neither of you had enough composure to cover your smiles. You still get such a giddy feeling when the two of you complete ‘heists’ every now and again. It reminds you that, even three kids later, the A-team’s still got it.

Of course, once you had gotten pregnant with your eldest, you had left that line of work, and Frankie along with you. You miss it every now and again, and you can tell that he does too, but neither of you would trade your life now for anything. Your husband and children make you feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

Just then, Frankie walks into the living room, finding you smiling and staring off into space as your thoughts distract you.

“What’s got you so happy, hermosa?” he asks as he walks to you and bends down to plant a kiss on your head. You snap out of your trance and snag his collar as he tries to straighten back up, instead pulling him to your lips for a quick kiss.

He smiles at you when you let go of him and takes a seat on the sofa you’re sitting in front of. You set the lego box back down and lean your back between Frankie’s legs.

“Just thinking about us,” you tell him dreamily.

“Oh?” Frankie says with a slight chuckle. “What about us?” This time his tone holds more of a suggestive quality as he reaches a hand down to tuck a fallen bit of hair behind your ear.

You roll your eyes and swat his leg.

“Not like that, you horndog,” you tease, laughing all the same. “Thinking about how good we used to be.”

“What do you mean, baby? We’re fucking awesome,” Frankie says without a hint of sarcasm. You laugh at him.

“Yeah,” you agree. “I guess we are.”

You suddenly pull yourself up, standing in front of your husband. He puts his hands on your waist as you gaze into each other's lust-full eyes. He gives your hip a slight squeeze, and you straddle his lap, immediately wrapping your arms around his neck and slotting your lips against his.

Frankie wraps his strong arms around you as he moans into your mouth, still insatiable for you even after all these years. His lips are soft as they glide effortlessly against yours.

You can feel the way he hardens beneath you, and you grind into the prominent bulge presented. Frankie whimpers at the friction, hardening further.

“Fuck, need to be inside you, baby,” Frankie says, near breathless when he pulls away from your kiss. You nod at him, jumping up and tugging him after you. You both strip as you make your way to a spot that’s not covered by wrapping paper.

Frankie nods at the space, and you quickly lay down. You can feel the heat coming from the fireplace lit beside you, the half of your body further from it erupting with goosebumps. Shivering slightly, you watch your husband descend to his knees in front of you, situating himself between your thighs.

He backs down, keeping eye contact until his face is level with your cunt. Your breathing is heavy as you watch in anticipation until he puts his mouth on you, immediately enveloping your clit. You moan loudly, suddenly extremely thankful that the house is empty tonight.

Frankie’s tongue gets to work, quickly flicking over your clit and then moving lower to dip inside your dripping hole. He alternates speeds and techniques, speeding up and slowing in rapid succession as he moves his face up and down and left to right.

He knows your body almost better than you do, hitting all of your favorite spots without effort. You jump each time he does so, your hand flying to tug at his thick waves after a particularly pleasurable spark erupts.

Frankie groans as you tug him further into you by his hair, the sharp sting on his scalp making his hips rut down into nothing.

He jolts his arms out to secure you by your waist, pulling you further to him now. Your legs kick out as your head falls back with the added pressure, your grip in his hair tightening.

“Fuck, Frankie!” you half yell, half moan. The intense pleasure quickly builds your orgasm, bringing you to the edge before you even realize you had been approaching.

“Oh, f-fuck! I-” you’re cut off by your orgasm, your body shaking and going warm as Frankie pushes his tongue into your cunt. He laps up your cum as quickly as it spills out of you, moaning the entire time.

As soon as you’ve ridden out your high, Frankie’s on top of you again, desperately locking his lips with yours as he notches himself at your entrance and pushes in with one thrust. The force of it punches a good bit of air out of you, and you have to pull away from him to catch your breath.

“So fucking good, hermosa,” Frankie begings to ramble once his mouth is free, already pussy-drunk. “Wet and tight and warm, pulling me in so good like you’re scared to lose this cock. You won’t; ‘s all yours, baby.”

You whimper and moan at his dirty words, already feeling that fiery sensation burning low in your belly as he thrusts into your cervix with a delicate precision. He’s somewhere between fucking you and making love; almost like he wants to take his time to savor you, but he’s so addicted that he can’t allow himself to do that.

“Feel so good, Francisco,” you tell him, kissing his stubbly jaw. “Want you to f-fill me up, baby.”

“I know, I know. Gonna pump you so fuckin’ full of me you’ll be dripping my cum for days,” Frankie doesn’t miss a beat, his hips stuttering lightly at the thought he conjured.

“Oh–please,” you beg, unsure what for at this point.

“I got you, honey, I got you.”

Frankie kisses every sliver of skin on your face as he pushes deeper and deeper into you. He only separates himself once to push his thumb into your mouth, allowing you to coat it in your saliva before bringing it over your sensitive clit.

He begins to rub slow circles, and it pushes you past your peak, your hips bucking up as you moan loudly. Frankie makes a choking sound as you squeeze around his thick cock, triggering his own orgasm.

He groans into your neck as he releases his cum into you, your pussy milking every drop. You’re both covered in a thin sheen of sweat, your skin almost glittering in the firelight.

When you both settle down, Frankie still nestled inside you despite his cock softening, you simply watch each other. He lays his head down on your steadily rising and falling chest, observing your beauty as the flames flicker and make your skin shine.

As badly as you want to close your eyes and go to sleep right now, you sigh deeply and accept the fact that it’s smarter for you to finish your task. You might now have another opportunity to wrap gifts outside of your cramped bedroom floor other than tonight.

“Alright, baby,” you say with a gentle finality that makes Frankie sigh as well. “I need to finish wrapping the presents. You’re welcome to join me.”

You look down at him, raising your eyebrows in a way that makes your last quip more of an unskippable task than an invitation. Frankie juts his lips out, looking at you with a pointed stare.

“Only if we can do it naked,” he bargains. You bite your lip to suppress the smile threatening to spread across your face.

“Frankie!” you gasp, trying to conceal your laughter.

“What?” he asks with feigned innocence.

“You’re ridiculous,” you giggle, feeling like a child all over again.

***

Thank you for reading, I love you all <3

lmk if u want to join the countdown taglist

FOTJC: @arcanefox207 @redhotkitchen @magpiepills @exquisiteserotonin @sparklefarts38 @pink-whiskey-woman @youandmeand5bucks @legendary-pink-dot @for-a-longlongtime @secretelephanttattoo @morallyinept @beskarandblasters @tightjeansjavi @theywhowriteandknowthings @nerdieforpedro @maggiemayhemnj @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @ghostofaboy @joels-shitty-puns @elvinaa

WCC: @amyispxnk @melaninmommy @brittmb115 @mandoalorian @yorksgirl

Link to prompt list

#friends of the juice collective #pedro pascal #fan fiction #ao3 #smut #pedro pascal smut #fluff #frankie morales fic #frankie morales fanfiction #frankie morales smut #frankie catfish morales #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales fluff #wifeys christmas countdown #christmas countdown #chistmas #frankie friday

67 notes · View notes

noirsfantasy · 6 months ago

Text

On the twelfth day of Christmas...

𝔄 𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔬 ℜ𝔢𝔪𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 𝔭𝔱. 5

𝔭𝔞𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤 ➛ Actor!Michael B Jordan x OC!Naomi Samuels

𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 ➛ Fluff

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱 ➛ 7.5k

𝔰𝔶𝔫𝔬𝔭𝔰𝔦𝔰 ➛ Christmas day turns out to be more eventful than Naomi had hoped for, but it wasn't all bad. Christmas may not have been the magical day everyone wanted, but maybe it was what everyone needed.

𝔞/𝔫 ➛ Y'all, I'm SOOO SORRYYYYY!!! I feel so bad for making y'all wait this long. I've really enjoyed writing this whole series and the other oneshots as well. I won't go into why this took so long, I know y'all wanna see how it ends. So, without further delay, here is the finale! Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Masterlist

Christmas morning dawns with a hushed excitement. I feel a warm, gentle glow on my skin as I stir in my sleep. I wake up for the last time in my childhood room. It's a bit chilly as I slip out of bed, tiptoeing to the window and looking out over the snow-covered landscape. The world seems to sparkle in the early morning light and a sense of calm settles within me. The events of the previous days replay in my mind - the shared laughter, reconstructing bonds, and the budding connection between Michael and me.

I yawn and stretch sleepily, but before I can fully embrace the day, my door bursts open. The twins tumble into the room like a whirlwind of excitement.

"Auntie Mimi, Auntie Mimi! It's Christmas!" They shout in unison, their eyes sparkling in pure joy. They rush over to me, bouncing up and down with an infectious energy.

"Y'all are up early!" I groan sleepily as they tug on my arms.

"Come on, Auntie!" Matthew urges as they pull me towards the door.

"Santa left us more gifts!" Mason adds and I allow myself to be pulled into the festive chaos.

We get downstairs and I see James and Teresa sitting on the couch, drinking steaming cups of coffee. I chuckle at the sight.

"I guess they went to see you guys before they came to me." I observe and Teresa gives me a sleepy smile.

"I just wanted five more minutes but they wanted to open their presents now." She says with a sigh.

"And then they decided they wanted everyone else awake to open them as well." James adds, seeming to remind the boys of their mission and they run back up the stairs to get everyone else.

I take a seat on the couch and slide my feet between the cushions to keep them warm. James hands me my own cup of coffee and I thank him, taking a sip that warms me to my core. The stairs creak as my mom comes down, then my aunts, Ashanti, and, finally, Michael. As he emerges from the guest room, I note that he looks slightly disheveled, yet undeniably charming.

"Morning," He greets, his voice a bit groggy as he sits next to me, a warm smile playing on his lips.

"Morning," I reply, the vibrant energy of the morning slowly dispelling the remnants of sleep. I continue to sip my coffee, finding myself blushing from his close presence. Michael puts his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him.

"Sorry, you looked pretty cold and I've been told I make good heater." He smirks teasingly and I roll my eyes at him, scooting closer until our legs are touching. "Now that's more like it.

The family gathers in the living room and, finally, the unwrapping of gifts can commence. Mason fishes through the mountains of gifts and pulls out a medium sized box. It says "From Granny Pat."

"Can I open it?!" He asks excitedly. Aunt Pat gives him a nod and he tears it open to find a Jurassic Park Lego set.

"YES! I've been wanting this forever!" he screams as he jumps up from his seat, running to tell his brother. Then Matthew opens on of his gifts. It's a large toy robot. He's in awe of it, excited to try it out. After that, the rest of the family begin to unwrap theirs, one by one.

As the unwrapping frenzy continues, Teresa’s eyes widen in surprise as James hands her a neatly wrapped gift. She carefully opens it, revealing the same pair of ugly Christmas leggings she had admired at the store yesterday. Her face lights up with delight, and she looks at James in disbelief.

“These are amazing! How did you…?” she begins, her voice filled with awe.

Ashanti smiles proudly, leaning over to whisper in my ear, “I sent him a picture when I saw how much she loved them. He insisted on going back to get them.”

Teresa is so touched by James' thoughtful gift that she practically leaps into his arms, showering him with kisses and affection. He returns her affection, smiling back at her and wrapping his arms around her.

Michael is watching the two of them with a grin on his face, he seems amused by the whole thing.

Next, Ashanti receives a flashy gift from her mother, despite their recent arguments. The air is tense between them and Aunt Tina doesn’t even look to see Ashanti’s reaction to the gift.

The atmosphere is full of awkward tension, but Ashanti does not seem to care. She smiles warmly and thanks her mother for the gift, which is a designer wallet.

I smile as I pick up a gift that I wrapped carefully and hand it to Michael, eager for him to open it.

He takes the gift from me, and he can tell how excited I am to see his reaction.

He tears the paper away to reveal a painted canvas, a portrait of him, capturing every aspect of his face, from his perfect smile to his warm eyes. As he pulls the painting from its wrapping, his expression shifts from curiosity to astonishment. His eyes widen in disbelief as he takes in the image before him, his lips parting in silent awe. For a moment, he is speechless, his gaze fixed on the portrait with a mixture of wonder and gratitude.

"Is this..." He starts and begins to beam. "Is this yours?" He asks finally, his eyes still fixed on the portrait. I smile and nod.

“I told you I’d make one for you. Here it is.” I say, my smile widening.

"It's amazing," He says, his voice still strained as he continues to stare at the painting. We've had a lot of touching moments these past few days, but nothing quite like this. This gesture feels like a genuine act of love, one that takes a lot of heart and dedication. It's just one more thing that makes it difficult for me to keep denying my feelings for him.

He pulls me into a hug and I bask in the feeling of his strong arms around me. It never gets old. I smile warmly as we separate and Ashanti sighs heavily, interrupting our moment.

“Okay, we get it, y’all are in love!” She fake gags and we roll our eyes at her. “Here, Naomi, open this one.” She plops a small gift in my lap and looks at me expectantly. I look at her in confusion as I open it, my heart skipping a beat as I see what’s inside. It’s the notebook Ashanti and I used to color in when we were little, filled with doodles and memories from our childhood.

"I can't believe you still have this..." I look at her in pure shock, my eyes wide. Ashanti smiles sweetly at me, not only having kept it, but having taken the time to give it to me today. This notebook means the world to me and it feels like Ashanti knows my heart. I hug her, almost in tears from its sentimental value.

She smiles softly, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “It’s a reminder of the bond we share, no matter where life takes us.” This moment hits me just right. I have so much to be grateful for today, and this gift is just another example of all the love that I have in my life.

As we pull apart, I can see that my other family members have noticed the touching scene.

"We get it," Teresa yells teasingly, "can we continue on with the gifts now?" Ashanti sticks her tongue at her and I laugh as we move on.

As the gift opening continues on, the children get more toys and the atmosphere is filled with joy. Finally, Michael hands me his last gift from under the tree. I open the small envelope with unsure hands, my heart racing with anticipation. Inside, I find a boarding pass for first class to Los Angeles, set for December 26, tomorrow.

I look at him in shock, my breath catching in my throat. He meets my gaze with a soft smile, his eyes filled with sincerity.

"I thought we'd start the new year together," he says softly. My breath stops and my heart skip a beat. This is big. It's not something casual. This is a statement of intention and I know it. My family notices it, as well. They're all wide-eyed, waiting to see how I respond.

"Is this...are you asking me to go back with you... to Los Angeles?" I ask him, barely able to speak with what this gift actually represents.

"Yes," he says softly, taking my hand. "I want you to come home me, just until New Years. You know, just to get to know you better and see where we go from here... outside of this place. And I do believe there's something pretty amazing between us that's worth exploring. So... are you coming?" A rush of happiness washes over me, and I throw my arms around him, accepting the gift with overflowing joy.

“Of course, I’ll go to LA with you!” I squeal, my excitement overflowing. He wraps his arms around me as well and my mother claps her hands excitedly.

“Now THAT is a Christmas present!” She exclaims and Teresa chimes in.

“Mmhm, you’re telling me. I sure would love to go to LA.” She casts a glance at James, who laughs and shakes his head.

“Thanks, Mike, now I gotta one up you.” He says jokingly and Teresa swats his arm playfully. There are smiles all around us and my family all seem relieved that I've agreed so quickly. Michael laughs along and leans back in his seat, subtly taking my hand in his as the excitement dies down.

He moves to closer whisper in my ear, "Let's finish opening these gifts and then we'll talk more about LA tonight." I nod in agreement and the celebration of opening the gifts continues until every single gift has been opened. Then, we all settle in to enjoy the remainder of this holiday. My family members start to disperse and leave the room, going off to watch TV, relax, or take a nap. Danny, Ashanti, Teresa, James, Michael and I find ourselves taking a walk outside in the snow.

We're bundled up in jackets and hats, our breath fogging in the cold winter air. Michael and I have fallen far behind the rest of our group. The snow falls gently, covering everything in a thick blanket of white. As we walk along the sidewalk, my fingers wrap around his bicep, taking comfort in his strong presence. We're almost completely silent, both of us enjoying the quiet as the light snow falls. it feels calm and peaceful, like time has stood still. The only sound that's breaking the silence is the crunch of snow as we walk along.

I steal glances at Michael, admiring the way the winter sun highlights the rich tones of his skin, casting a warm glow over his features. He looks over at me, the corners of his mouth turning upward.

"This is nice," He finally says softly. We both enjoy the winter air and take in the snow-covered landscape that spreads out before us. The sun warms my skin as we continue to walk and my finger traces circles in his bicep every few steps.

"Yeah, it's such a beautiful day out. This is a nice way to spend Christmas day." I reply, leaning my head on his shoulder. Michael chuckles lightly, smirking a bit as he glances at me.

"I was talking about being here with you." He corrects me, a dimpled grin spreading across his face. I blush as his words catch me off guard and I let go of his arm. "But it does look nice out today. I just prefer to look at you." He reaches out to grab my hand, bringing me in closer. I let out a laugh as he raises an eyebrow at me.

"You thought that was really smooth, huh?" I ask and he rolls his eyes at me.

Michael lets out a chuckle, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Smooth as butter," he replies with a playful grin. "But hey, can you blame a guy for trying?" I shake my head, laughing softly.

"I suppose not," I admit and we share a laugh, the sound echoing softly in the crisp winter air. It's moments like these, filled with easy banter and genuine laughter, that make me feel grateful for the connection we've formed over the past few days.

As Michael and I walk, engrossed in our conversation, I suddenly realize that the sound of footsteps ahead of us has disappeared. I glance up, only to see Teresa, James, and Ashanti emerge from behind a snow-covered bush, armed with handfuls of snowballs.

Before we can react, snowballs start flying in our direction. I yelp and we brace ourselves for the incoming attack. We're bombarded with snow from all sides, leaving us standing there in shock, covered in a layer of white.

Michael and I exchange a bewildered glance, silence in the air as my brother and cousins laugh at us. Then, without missing a beat, Michael scoops up a handful of snow and tosses it playfully above us. As the snow falls directly on my hat, I can’t help but look at him with a mixture of surprise and amusement.

“Really?” I say with a sarcastic eye roll, shaking my head at his antics.

“Oh, yeah.” He says with a mischievous grin. Michael can't help but break out into a hysterical laugh. "You should see your face," he teases, which makes my expression turn from surprise to annoyance. We both laugh as I reach over and scoop up a snowball, preparing myself to launch it at him.

Before I know it, we’re all engaged in a full-blown snowball fight, laughter ringing out into the winter air as we duck and dodge each other’s icy projectiles.

The snow keeps flying and our breaths fog up the cold winter air. My family and I have always been very competitive, so the snowball fight quickly escalates into a full-blown, no-holds-barred battle. We're all laughing, running, slipping and sliding in the snow, throwing snowballs as fast as we can and ducking to avoid being hit.

In the midst of our snowball fight, Michael reaches out and picks me up, using me as a shield as all the snowballs fire in our direction. I scream as I’m lifted off the ground and hit with one snowball after another.

“Put me down! You’re cheating!” I shout as I laugh loudly.

"You’re just mad you didn’t think of it first!" He laughs, holding me closer to his body, and I have to admit that I do feel safe in his strong arms, even in the middle of a snowball fight.

I struggle against his grip as I’m covered in snow until we both lose balance. We tumble backward into a pile of fresh white fluff, the cold seeping through our jackets, but neither of us cares. Wrapped up in each other’s warmth, we lie there, breathless and giggling like a pair of children.

As we lay there laughing, breathing heavily in between giggles, it feels like the whole world has stopped. The snow continues to fall and the sound of the others laughing and throwing snowballs is a distant echo in the distance. It's just us here in this beautiful winter wonderland. Our eyes meet and we exchange a look of mutual understanding and tenderness as we bask in the moment.

We both sit up as we hear Teresa yelling as she runs towards us. Before we can move, she jumps on top of us, giggling.

“Ugh! Teresa! You’re heavy!” I groan with a laugh as she sprawls out across us.

“Ahhh this is nice!” She says as she ignores my complaints. To my displeasure, James comes and jumps on top of us as well. Michael and I groan at the added weight. They’re both laughing uncontrollably.

“I can’t breathe!” Michael grunts and chuckles as we try and push them off. As if that wasn’t enough, Ashanti and Danny join in the fun, piling on top of us in a heap of laughter and snow-covered limbs. The weight of our combined bodies presses us deeper into the snow, the cold seeping through our clothes, but none of us worry about that as we dissolve into fits of laughter.

“Hey, watch it!” Michael exclaims, his voice muffled by the snow and laughter.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist!” Ashanti giggles, her breath coming out in puffs of white in the chilly air.

“I think we broke Naomi,” Danny jokes, his laughter contagious.

I manage to gasp between giggles, “You guys are ridiculous!” But my protests only elicit more laughter from the others, who seem determined to prolong the moment for as long as possible.

Eventually, though, our laughter subsides, and we lie there in the snow, breathless and content, our hearts full of joy and our spirits light.

As we finally untangle ourselves from the snowy dog pile, we exchange playful swats and teasing remarks. I shiver as Michael helps me stand up.

“God, I’m so cold!” I exclaim and Ashanti nods.

“Yeah, I’m not so sure jumping in the snow was the best idea now.” She admits with her teeth chattering and I raise an eyebrow.

“You think?” I reply.

"Well, it was a good idea at the time," James responds, his words causing everyone to laugh. As the laughter settles, we all start to feel the cold really sink in and we realize how damp and wet we really are.

"I guess it maybe wasn't the best decision," Ashanti admits.

“Yeah, I think we need some hot cocoa after that,” Teresa adds, her cheeks flushed from the cold and laughter.

“How about we change first?” Danny suggests, shaking his head.

“Definitely.” I agree.

“Sounds like a plan,” Michael adds, rubbing his hands together, trying to warm them up in the frigid conditions. The others agree and we make our way inside to get changed.

As we trudge back to the house, our clothes damp and clinging to our skin, we're greeted by the warm glow of the lights shining through the windows. Grandmother is standing by the door, her hands on her hips and a playful twinkle in her eye.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" she says with a chuckle, taking in our snow-covered appearance. "Looks like we've got ourselves a bunch of walking icicles!"

We all exchange sheepish glances, realizing just how wet and cold we must look. But Grandmother just laughs and ushers us inside.

"Come on in, you lot," she says, her voice warm and welcoming. "I'll get a fire going and some hot chocolate brewing. You'll warm up in no time." As we all follow her inside, discarding our boots at the door, we all head to our rooms to get out of our clothes. It feels just like when we were kids, always outside, having the time of our lives, then coming back inside to the warmth and comfort that it had to offer.

After shedding my winter clothes, I towel off and slip into a snug green sweater and a pair of black jeans, opting for some plush socks to keep my toes warm. Despite still feeling a bit chilly, the anticipation of the hot chocolate awaiting us downstairs fills me with a sense of warmth.

While freshening up my appearance in front of the mirror, I catch sight of the emerald jewelry set gifted to me by Michael last night. I smile as I think about what it means to me. How thoughtful of a gift it was. Delicately adorned with shimmering green stones, it complements my outfit perfectly. With a smile, I fasten the earrings and clasp the necklace around my neck, admiring how elegantly they enhance my look.

With one last look in the mirror, I step out of my room, ready to join the others when I run into Michael, leaving his room as well. His eyes widen at the sight of me, speechless. I raise an eyebrow at him as he stares at me, waiting for him to say something. After a moment he shakes his head, as if snapping out of a trance and a warm grin spreads across his face.

"You look... wow," He manages to say softly, still taken aback by the sight of me. As his eyes roam over my outfit, they light up at the sight of me wearing his gift. A blush creeps onto my face as I smile shyly and look off to the side.

"I figured it would go nicely with what I'm wearing." I reply, fiddling with the necklace. Michael smiles, his eyes still twinkling as he looks me over from head to toe.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," he compliments, a hint of admiration in his words. Before I can respond, he leans in and plants a gentle kiss on my cheek, sending a flutter of warmth through me. "I'm going to have trouble keeping my eyes off you."

"Well, then look all you want." I giggle as the touch of his lips sends a jolt of electricity through my entire being, leaving me feeling giddy and breathless.

"We should probably get downstairs. I think the hot chocolate is ready." Michael's fingers tug on mine as he nods towards the steps. With a shared smile, we continue our descent down the stairs, hand in hand.

As we reach the bottom, the comforting aroma of hot chocolate fills the air, drawing us into the kitchen where grandmother stands, ladling out steaming cups of cocoa for each of us. I gratefully accept mine, wrapping my hands around the warm mug.

As we gather in the kitchen for the much-needed warm beverage, Grandmother sets out a plate of cookies and other treats, along with some candy canes to help us get in the holiday spirit. The room fills with laughter and good cheer as everyone warms up and catches up with each other. The kids tumble into the kitchen, clamoring for the sweet treats.

"Y'all slow down, them treats ain't gonna run from you." Aunt Pat calls out to them from the living room. The twins giggle and grab a cup of cocoa, running out of the kitchen with a handful of cookies. I smile as I see Jesse waddle into the kitchen, reaching for a candy cane on the counter. I grab it and hand it to her and she smiles up at me.

"Tank you, Titi." She says, before putting the candy cane in her mouth and walking towards Michael. She lifts her chubby arms up in a silent plea to be picked up.

“Aw, how can anyone resist that?” Michael chuckles as he lifts her up and swings her around, making her giggles grow louder with each swing. He holds her high before setting her back down, ruffling her hair and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Seems like you're getting pretty popular around here." I giggle, shaking my head as Jesse jumps up and down, wanting to go up again. Michael laughs and shakes his head.

"It seems like it,” Michael replies, amused at the little girl’s attachment to him. Jesse wraps her arms around his legs, looking up at him with big, pleading eyes.

“Up, up?” She demands sweetly, to which Michael gives in and he picks her up again. Teresa laughs and Michael hands Jesse over to her. Jesse starts to whine, not wanting to leave.

"Come on, baby. we gotta get you changed and then it's nap time." Jesse starts to cry but Teresa doesn't budge and leaves to take her upstairs. Michael chuckles as he watches Teresa take the baby away.

“Looks like someone loves you," I nudge him, my voice full of amusement. He takes a sip from his cocoa and I can’t help but stare at how his eyes sparkle as he laughs and the way the warmth of his smile radiates.

"Yeah, I guess she does," Michael chuckles, taking another sip of hot chocolate, and I swear the man is getting more attractive every minute. From across the room, Ashanti notices the way I’m looking at Michael and she can’t help but chuckle, taking the situation entirely out of context.

“Mimi, you're drooling a bit.” Ashanti says, her teasing voice loud enough for us all to hear, and Michael glances sideways at me as he tries to suppress a smirk. I roll my eyes at her and chuckle.

"Whatever, Ashanti. It was just because I wanted a cookie." I say as I pick up one from the plate of treats, taking a bite.

"Uh-huh, tell yourself that, sweetheart." Ashanti replies with a smirk and I can’t help but snicker as she continues to antagonize me. "Just try not to get any on the counter.”

As the chatter and laughter continue to fill the kitchen, Grandmother, with her usual warmth and hospitality, invites us to settle in and make ourselves comfortable. With the fire crackling and the scent of hot chocolate wafting through the air, it's easy to feel at home.

I take a seat at the table, cradling my mug of cocoa in my hands, savoring the rich, chocolatey warmth. This cozy atmosphere and the company of family are the perfect way to spend Christmas. A game of Spades commences and everyone's energy is elevated as time passes quickly.

The living room, magically illuminated by the large Christmas tree, is infused with laughter and shouting as I finish up my cup of hot chocolate. The mood is light and we are all enjoying ourselves. I also can't help but admire how Michael has just gravitated into our family. He fits in seamlessly and I can think back to when I'd seen interviews talking about how good of a guy he is. I'm glad to know that every word is true.

As the minutes blur into hours, the delicious aroma of Christmas dinner wafts through the house and I notice Michael's eyes light up at the scent. I can feel my hunger growing as well. The sun retreats into the horizon and the kids start to get a little rowdy as they are ready to eat. It doesn't help that the plate of treats is long gone.

"Mommy! When is dinner ready? I'm gonna die!" Matthew whines to Teresa, falling into her lap dramatically.

"Any minute now, honey. The table is almost set.” Teresa responds, stroking Matthew's hair and giving him a kiss. He sighs dramatically as he looks around the room, his eyes landing on me as I'm engaged in a conversation with Ashanti and James.

The four of us share a smile at his melodrama and I can’t help but laugh. Teresa lifts his face with her finger and the two of them have a sweet moment.

As if on cue, the dinner bell rings and everyone eagerly gets up, washing up before heading to the dining room. We stand around the table as Grandmother prays over the food and, once she's finished, we all get to work making our plates. Of all the meals we've had on this trip, this one is rightfully the biggest and most delicious. It seems everyone's plan today is to eat their fill.

I load my plate up with plenty of food, earning some looks from my aunts, but I ignore them. As I enter the dining room, I spot Michael sitting next door to Daniel, deep in conversation. I sit down next to him and he glances at me, throwing me a wink as he goes back to the conversation.

Dinner starts off on a cheerful note, with Grandmother praying over the food and everyone digging into the delicious holiday feast. I can't help but feel grateful for my family, despite our shortcomings, I wouldn't ask for a different family.

"This food is really good, Ms. Samuels." Michael says, smiling at my mother and she returns the smile.

"I'm glad you like it, Michael. Eat as much as you like!" She replies. I chuckle a bit as I look over and see Teresa with a plate filled to the brim with food. I hear Aunt Pat tsk.

"Terry, honey, you're not eating for two anymore, you don't have to eat like a pig anymore, you know?" She tells her, as if it's the most normal thing to say. The table goes silent as Teresa stares across the table at her mother.

"Ma, was that really necessary?" She asks, her brow furrowed. Aunt Pat shrugs her shoulders.

"I was just saying, you're not as young as you used to be. All that food is gonna go right to your hips. You already have a long way to go with all that baby weight." Aunt Tina snickers at her sisters words and Teresa doesn't respond, just eating in silence.

"Can we please not do this right now?" Ashanti asks with annoyance. "Just two seconds, please, without your stupid criticisms?!" Aunt Pat and Tina look at each other in disbelief. My mom shakes her head and sighs and Grandmother doesn't seem to be paying attention.

"Let's just talk about something happy? How about that?" I suggest, offering a smile. Aunt Tina turns to me and smirks.

"Okay, then. So, Mimi, since you and Michael seem to be head over heels for each other, are you planning on living off of him so you can keep painting? I mean painting is all well and good, but it's still not a proper career. Maybe now since you have a movie star boyfriend, you shouldn't have to worry about money." She remarks, her tone dripping with condescension.

I feel my face flush, and my hands clench into fists under the table. Even after everything I've said to them, they still are acting this way. I hate always feeling like I have to live up to these stupid expectations. Michael grabs my hand, unballing my fist and linking our fingers. I look up and I open my mouth to speak.

"You know, if you guys actually cared, you'd know that Naomi is a hard worker and her artwork on average goes for a couple thousand dollars per painting. You say all these things like you care about her well being, but she's actually doing really will without you and your criticism." Michael tells her, standing up for me. Aunt Tina's jaw drops as she stammers for a response.

"I'm just saying, she needs a stable job. Her finances rely on whether she makes a good painting or not and she could at any moment in time lose-"

"Hello, hello, hellooooo!" Ashanti interrupts her, tapping her hand on the table. "It's 2023, right? Oh yeah, it is! Yet here you old women are here being bitter and ugly." Teresa nods and opens her mouth to speak as well.

"So many women nowadays are smashing stereotypes left and right. What happened to supporting each other as women? You both just see someone happily living their life you just have to shit on them!" She says, covering Jesse's ears. Mason and Matthew giggle at hearing the profanity. Just as the argument threatens to escalate, Grandmother stands and puts down her utensils.

"Now that's enough, everyone." She demands and everyone falls silent. "Naomi is a grown woman, capable of making her own life decisions. It's her life, and she has the right to choose her own path. You all have lived your lives already and they are nowhere near perfect. Patrice, you're divorced and you've been bitter ever since. Pat your daughter has a beautiful family and is living happily but you always manage to say something to put her down. She's doing an amazing job as a mother, perhaps even better than you." Aunt pat looks down at her plate, not saying anything.

"And Tina you never even got married! You kept pushing all of your ambitions on Ashanti and she grew up not being her true self. All she wanted was your approval and you never even tell her she's done a good job. Her success may be from what you pushed her to do, but Ashanti is a remarkable woman who is allowed to have ambitions of her own." Grandmother points to Aunt Tina and she avoids eye contact.

"These children are the future and shaping the world and you're trying so hard to live through them because you didn't live your lives the way you wanted to. Angie," She points to my mother. "You have raise a smart, beautiful, and talented daughter and she is making her mark on the world. You did such an amazing job raising her, but you need to do a better job at defending her as well. That's your baby girl, and you don't even notice how much your sisters make her feel bad about herself."

"Ashanti, Teresa, Naomi, I've got some words for you three as well. Indeed these women haven't been the kindest, but these are your mothers, you hear me. You treat them with respect, always. Now, that doesn't mean to let them walk all over you and I'm proud of you girls for looking out for each other, but never is it acceptable to call them names or to curse at them." She tells us sternly. She looks over at Daniel and he looks back at her, wondering what he did.

"Daniel, you have been the family's golden child all your life. You haven't had to deal with a lot of what these young ladies did, but if you see something, you better speak up! There is no being neutral when it comes to you cousins and your little sister. Especially your sister!" She lectures him as he nods, looking over at us.

"James, you are a wonderful match for my grandbaby Teresa. I am so happy she was able to find you and create a gorgeous family. Remember that your wife is number one always, and teach your kids to respect their mother. And Michael." She turns to him and he raises his eyebrows a bit. "Ever since you came and started getting close to my Naomi, she has been happier than I've seen her in years. If you're serious about liking her, you better protect her happiness, because for too long, Mimi hasn't had that type of trust and protection." Michael looks at me and nods his head as well.

"We are a family. We're all we got. So, shape up and love each other, or things will get really ugly around here." Grandmother says, concluding her speech and sitting down. It's silent for a moment and no one moves. I can see the shame on Aunt Tina and Pat's faces, even my mothers. They mumble apologies and we all agree to move past the tension, in an effort to mend our family. I catch Grandmother's eye and she smiles at me.

I mouth the words, "Thank you," to her and she nods at me. I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for her, as she's always been my biggest supporter. I feel Michael squeeze my hand reassuringly and I smile at him.

As dinner draws to a close, Michael leans over, bringing my hand to his lips and gently kissing my knuckles.

"You handled that well," He whispers, his breath warm on my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "Your family clearly has their ups and downs, but it's obvious that you are loved by many. And I can see why. You're strong, talented, and beautiful inside out." He tells me, flashing a charming smile at me. My cheeks flush at his words, and I feel a giddy smile spread across my face.

"Thank you, Michael. That really means a lot, coming from you. I don't know how many times I can say it, but I'm really grateful that I met you and got to get to know you." I tell him and I lean in and kiss his cheek. He puts his arm around my shoulder and presses a kiss to my temple as sit at the table still.

"Hey, last ones at the table have to clean it up!" Ashanti calls from the kitchen. Michael and I look at each other and burst out laughing, shaking our heads as we stand up and start cleaning off the table.

Later, Michael and I are relaxing in the living room with Teresa, Ashanti, Daniel, and James. With Michaels arm around me, I feel a sense of contentment as we reminisce over the events these past few days. We playfully tease Ashanti about her outburst at the market and we talk about our favorite memories as well. It really feels like the end to a cheesy Hallmark movie.

Michael leans into my ear and whispers, "So, about our flight tomorrow morning. I may have gotten you a little something else to go along with it." I raise an eyebrow and look at him.

"A little something else?" I question. He leads me upstairs to his guest room and opens his closet. It holds several shopping bags and I open them to find brand-new clothes. "Michael, what? Why did you buy these?" I ask him. He chuckles at my shocked reaction.

"I know you most likely only packed enough for your trip here, but I want you to have options when we go to LA. I've got a lot planned for us and I didn't want you to have to worry about a thing." He explains. "I also wanted to spoil you, I think it's become my new hobby." He jokes. I stand up and turn to him, pouting. He raises an eyebrow but then I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest. He laughs a bit as he holds me close to him.

"Why are you so perfect~" I ask in a playful whine, looking up at him.

"I'm far from perfect, sweetheart," he tells me with a smile. "Just head over heels, like Aunt Tina said." He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to my forehead, pulling me even closer. I cringe at his words and giggle.

"Ew, no. We don't use that phrase anymore." I tell him as I pretend to barf. Michael chuckles at my over the top reaction and faked a look of hurt, clutching his chest dramatically.

"Oh, yep- you got me right in the heart-" He grunts as he pretends to die. I roll my eyes at him.

"Whatever." I giggle and try to walk away, but he grabs my hand and pulls me back in. He locks his arms around me so I can't escape and starts trailing kisses on my neck, making his way to my lips. I fight back as best as I can, but I eventually give in, giggling against his lips.

We continue to kiss passionately, his hands roaming across my body, relishing the feeling of my skin under his fingertips. Eventually, I pull away, slightly out of breath, but completely enamored with him.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. You taste so good," He murmurs, his voice husky and filled with desire. "We should probably get to packing, we have an early day tomorrow." Michael's hands rest on my hips, his thumbs trailing over my curves.

"Yeah, you're right. Cause I'm goin' to LA!" I squeal excitedly and he grins at my enthusiasm, feeling a mix of excitement and affection swelling in his chest.

"Yep, and it's gonna be the best trip of your life. That's a guarantee." He winks at me and plants a few more kisses on my lips before detaching himself from me, though not without sneaking a playful pat on my butt as I walk away. I giggle and turn back to him. "Come on, let's get packing.

The rest of the day, everyone is preparing to leave. Teresa and her family are leaving tonight, as well as Ashanti, claiming she has business to attend to. I give my cousins a warm goodbye and we all promise to keep in touch. My aunts are silent for the rest of the night, which is a nice change for once. I finish up packing and Daniel, Michael and I spend time talking by the fireplace. Eventually, we all retire to our rooms, resting up for the next day.

In the morning, Grandmother is up early and cooks a hearty meal for those who haven't left yet. We thank her and eat up, knowing this might be the last homecooked meal we have for a while. Daniel was driving back to LA, but he offered to drop us off at the airport. We took our time saying goodbye to the family and I made a point to even say goodbye to my aunts. It's better to leave on a good note.

As I stand in the living room, waiting for Michael to come down with the rest of our bags. I pause for a moment, taking in the familiar, comforting surroundings—the well-worn couch, the stack of board games, and the photos on the mantle, both old and new, all reminders of the eventful holiday I've just had.

I hear footsteps on the stairs and see Michael descending the stairs.

"Ready to go, beautiful?" He asks, pulling me into a warm embrace. I encircle my arms around his neck, feeling my hear skip a beat.

"Yeah, just about." I smile, taking in your familiar scent, leaning up and capturing your lips in a kiss. Daniel clears his throat noisily from the foyer, causing us to break apart.

"Ahem, I'm happy for you two, really, but we've got a schedule to keep, folks. Time to hit the road." He tells us and we chuckle, grabbing the last of our stuff and putting it in his car. We say our last goodbyes before heading out to the car. Michael and I sit in the backseat of Dan's car, getting comfy as the car starts. As we pull off, I watch as my childhood home disappears around the corner, bidding it a silent farewell. I felt a twinge of sadness for the difficulties I faced these past few days, but I feel Michael take my hand in his and my mood is replaced with excitement for what's to come.

When we arrive at the airport, Daniel helps Michael unload our luggage. I give him a big hug, saying goodbye for now.

"Thank you for everything, Daniel. Not just for bringing Michael into my life, but just being my brother and looking out for me. I love you."

Daniel returns the hug, his voice a bit gruff with affection. "Love you to, Mimi. Now go and have some fun. Just remember to call, text, or send a smoke signal now and then to let me know you're okay." He tells me. I nod and he daps up Michael, claiming they'll see each other at work. As we grab our stuff and walk towards the entrance, Daniel calls after us.

"Hey! Take care of my little sister, or I'll come looking for you, Jordan," Daniel warns with a playful growl.

"Will do, I won't let anything happen to her," Michael assures him. And with that, we wave him goodbye. I am unable to wipe my smile off my face as we check in and make our way through customs. We board our plane and settle into our seats and I look out the window at the world outside as we wait to lift off.

"This is it," Michael says, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Our first of many trips together. I can't wait to show you all the best spots in LA." My heart races as I look into Michael's eyes.

"I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what's in store for us." I reply and we lace our fingers together, smiling warmly at each other. I feel incredibly fortunate to have Michael by my side— a man who seems to understand me so well and who has already woven himself into the fabric of my life and family.

As the plane ascends, I gaze out the window, watching the snowcapped mountains give way to fluffy white clouds. I feel a sense of peace and contentment, knowing that whatever lay ahead, I have the love and support of my family, and now Michael, to see me through it all.

Little did I know that this trip would mark the beginning of a new chapter in my life—one where I never have to go through anything alone anymore, one where I find true happiness and realize just how blessed I truly am.

As I think back on the events of this trip, it really had a little of everything. We had a lot of fun, a bit of drama, a budding romance. When I look back, this truly was a December to remember...

#fluff #christmas #noirsfantasy #12 days of christmas #black reader #black reader fluff #black actors #michael b jordan #fine black men #my heart #black men #michael b jordan x black fem reader #michael b jordan x reader #x reader #fem reader #black christmas #michael b jordan x oc

26 notes · View notes

justabigassnerd · 2 years ago

Text

The Perfect Gift

Pairing - Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Mitchell!reader

Word count - 3,144

Warnings - mentions of Goose & Carole so a smidge of angst but mostly wholesome Christmas fluff!!

Song - The Perfect Gift by Joshua Bassett

Summary - Rooster is determined to make this the perfect Christmas ever. Only problem? He can't find the perfect gift

A/N - Happy Christmas y'all! I rise from the dead once more to provide a Christmas fic for y'all! I love this song so much it's definitely one of my top Christmas songs and it's definitely a song that could work with Rooster. Anyways I'll stop rambling and let y'all get on and read. As per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

In the run-up to Christmas, Rooster had been worrying his ass off about what to get you. You’d been together a couple of years now and he was beginning to run out of ideas on what to get you, especially because you didn’t show much interest in anything. Despite it not being your first Christmas together, he still wanted it to be perfect. He even enlisted the help of your dad, Maverick in finding a gift, dragging him around countless malls and shops to try and find the perfect gift for you. It was the first Christmas since Rooster had allowed Maverick back into his life since cutting him out when he pulled his application to the naval academy so Rooster wanted to utilise having Maverick around and recruited him to help him hunt for presents since he knew Hangman would’ve rather done two hundred push-ups than help Rooster with his dilemma.

“Bradley, you know she doesn’t care about what you get her. Christmas is special because you’re getting to spend time together. She cares more about getting to spend time with you than any gift.” Maverick had said as Rooster dragged him into yet another jewellery shop to look at what they had to offer.

“I care about that too. But I want this to be perfect. I love her so much and I don’t know what to get her when she’s already the perfect gift.” Rooster said, and the second those words left his mouth his eyes widened, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

“I got it! Okay, I’ve just had the best idea I got some work to do. But I need you to help me out.” Rooster says quickly, gesturing for Maverick to follow him and as the two men walked out of the shop, Rooster began to explain his plan.

When it came to Christmas, Rooster’s gift for you was finally complete but as it reached Christmas Eve, he began to second guess himself and began to wonder if you’d like the gift or not. He constantly put himself under a lot of pressure and you always reassured him that you’d love it no matter what.

“Bradley, honey, you could get me an empty box and I’d still love it because it was from you.” You said sweetly as you pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, helping him to calm down enough to lie beside you in your shared bed as you snuggle into his side. As you always did, you rested your head on his chest and found yourself being lulled to sleep by Rooster’s steady heartbeat while his hand made its way to your head, messing with your hair and helping to drive you closer to sleep. However, despite how much sleep had taken a hold of you, you managed to mutter out one last ‘I love you’ before giving in to the clutches of sleep as a smile made its way across Rooster’s face.

“I love you more, sweetheart.”

The next morning, Rooster was awoken by you nuzzling closer to him for warmth as the duvet clearly did very little to provide you with warmth and Rooster, as always, accepted the opportunity for more cuddles, especially on Christmas morning. Rooster smiled to himself as you cuddled as close as humanly possible to him, you’d always said that Rooster was your own personal heater, and he never doubted your words for a second since more often than not he’d wake up with you half on top of him trying to maintain warmth. But you’d never catch him complaining about it. He wrapped both his arms around you and embraced you fully, pressing kisses to the top of your head as you begin to stir slightly. You clung tighter to him as you began to blink your eyes open, squinting at the light at first before your eyes adapted. Once you had woken up you looked up at Rooster, a tired yet happy smile on your face.

“Good morning baby.” You whisper as Rooster leans down to press a gentle kiss to your lips in greeting.

“Good morning, and Merry Christmas.” Rooster replies once the two of you have parted for air.

“Merry Christmas to you too.” You say with a smile before attempting to get up only to be stopped by Rooster’s strong arms tightening around you and pulling you back into his side as you laugh.

“Bradley, we have to get up.” You manage to say through your laughter as Rooster buries his face in your shoulder and tugs the duvet right up to your shoulders.

“Nope. It’s Christmas so I think we deserve some cuddles in bed if you ask me.” He mumbles, his voice muffled by your shirt as he moves to pepper kisses along your neck and jawline.

“Okay, we can cuddle for a bit, but we do have to be at dad and Penny’s for lunch like we promised.” You say, giving in to your boyfriend’s request almost instantly.

“You mean you promised Mav we’d be there.” Rooster retorts jokingly as you roll your eyes in response.

“It’s the first Christmas since you two made up. Christmas doesn’t need to be split up anymore because my boyfriend refuses to be within five feet of my dad.” You say with a raised eyebrow as Rooster pulls away slightly, sitting up and avoiding your eyes out of embarrassment.

“Oh, Bradley I’m sorry that was a bad joke. I’m over the moon that you and dad are getting along, really, I am. It makes me so happy you two are getting on. It means I don’t have to spend time with one or the other on days like this. I get to be with both of you.” You say, sitting up, cupping Rooster’s face gently, and lifting it so his eyes meet yours.

“I’m sorry, baby.” You apologise once more, leaning forward to rest your forehead against his.

“I’m sorry too. My anger towards Mav put you in a bad situation. And I’m so sorry for it.” Rooster then apologises, making you lean further into him, so your lips connect.

“You don’t need to apologise. I understand. How about we both stop apologising and cuddle for a bit more before getting up, hmm?” You offer, watching as a smile crosses your boyfriend’s beautiful face once more before wrapping his arms around you and flopping back against the mattress with you laying atop his chest as you both laugh. The two of you lie in bed, enjoying each other’s embrace for a few minutes before you decide it’s time you should get up and start the day. You get up first as Rooster pouts, with you pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“I’m going for a shower. I won’t be gone forever, pretty boy.” You say before disappearing into the bathroom and the familiar sound of the shower running starts as Rooster lies in bed, going over how the gift he has could go down with you. He tries to keep his mind from running by focusing on the humming he hears coming from the bathroom and takes some deep breaths. Before he knew it, you had emerged from the bathroom, allowing him to get showered while you got changed. When he’d finished his shower and got changed, he joined you downstairs where you were pouring both him and yourself a cup of coffee as well as preparing breakfast. Rooster helped to finish breakfast which the two of you ate before taking your coffee cups into the living room where the Christmas tree was sat waiting with gifts underneath from each other and your fellow aviators. You decided to open the gifts from Dagger Squad first, laughing to each other when Rooster continually unwrapped more and more Hawaiian shirts to add to his never-ending collection of them. You unwrapped a variety of different items from each aviator and the two of you sent a message to each of your friends thanking them for their gifts before you move on to gifts from each other. You got Rooster a few different gifts, some of his favourite aftershave, and a new book of sheet music to play on the piano. But your final gift was a special one. You gave Rooster a Hawaiian shirt that was a carbon copy of the one his dad used to wear. You knew his original one had gotten lost in a move and Rooster had been beyond devastated so you spoke with your dad, who found a picture of Goose with his bright blue Hawaiian shirt on and the two of you were able to track down a similar shirt.

When it came to Rooster’s turn, he was sweating buckets when he handed you the first couple of gifts. He and Mav had been able to track down a few small things you’d like before he got to the main present. He got you perfume and a new pair of earrings before he told you to close your eyes so he could run upstairs to grab something. When you opened your eyes at his request you saw him sat in front of you with his guitar in hand.

“I’m going to be honest. Getting you something this year was the hardest it’s ever been because I wanted everything to be so perfect for you and so I kind of wrote a song because how could I find a perfect gift when the perfect gift is you?” Rooster says, making you smile widely as he begins to strum on his guitar and sing.

As Rooster began to sing, every lyric of his song brought memories of your relationship into your head. The first kiss the two of you shared under the night sky after Rooster took you out on a date. Holding Rooster as he sobbed when he found out your dad pulled his papers. He was initially angry at you too until you managed to calm him down and convince him of your innocence. You remembered being there by his side as your dad walked into the room the day of your first training session for the uranium mission, holding his hand to soothe him as your dad took over from Cyclone. You remembered every little detail about Bradley Bradshaw that you loved. The scars on his face that you loved to kiss. His sandy-coloured hair that you loved to run your hands through. His gorgeous singing voice that could overpower every patron of the Hard Deck when singing ‘Great Balls of Fire’. How he was the most badass aviator but was the sweetest guy when the two of you were at home. How he made you feel loved and protected. He was your best friend, and you were grateful you were able to love a man like Bradley Bradshaw.

When he finished his song, you wiped the tears you hadn’t realised had fallen down your cheeks and clapped as Rooster gave you a sheepish smile before putting his guitar to the side just in time for you to launch into his arms for a hug and a kiss.

“Did you like it?” He asks nervously when you pull away.

“Was the fact I tackled you into a hug and kissed you like there’s no tomorrow not a good enough answer? I loved it, baby.” You say, wiping the remainder of your tears before moving to sit opposite Rooster.

“I’m glad you liked it. You actually have one more present. I put it in the tree.” Rooster says as you stand up from where you were sat on the floor and start searching the tree but not seeing any sign of the present he’s talking about.

“Bradley I can’t see anything. What’s this all about?” You say, eyes still scouring the tree until your eyes land on a piece of paper nestled in amongst the pine needles. You grab it and open it carefully seeing the words ‘turn around’ written on it and you do as the paper says, folding it back up to ask Rooster what was going on before you gasped, dropping the paper at the sight before you. Rooster was on one knee with a small velvet box in his hands, a gorgeous ring settled inside as more happy tears began to well in your eyes.

“y/n Mitchell. You’ve been my best friend my whole life and I’m the luckiest guy in the world to get to call you, my girlfriend. But I’d be even luckier if I got to call you, my wife. You’ve been with me through thick and thin and there’s no one else on this world I can imagine spending the rest of my life with other than you. Will you marry me?” He asks, making you nod repeatedly before words were finally able to escape your mouth.

“Yes! Yes, of course, I’ll marry you!” You exclaim happily as Rooster stands up to pull you into an embrace hugging you tightly before your lips crash with his. Both of you were smiling too much so the kiss became two smiles pressed together but you were both so happy you couldn’t stop smiling. When you pulled away, Rooster took your left hand in his own and slipped the ring on your finger, grinning. You stared at the ring in awe before a spark of realisation overcame you.

“Is this… your mum's ring?” You ask cautiously, remembering when you were younger, and you’d see this ring shining on Carole’s hand. That and her wedding ring being a way to keep Goose with her.

“Yeah. She gave it to me before she died. She said to use it when I met the right girl. But between you and me I think she wanted it to be you from the get-go.” Rooster admits, both of you smiling as you look back at the ring. You knew that Goose and Carole were watching over their son and that they were probably cheering like they were watching a football game when he proposed.

“We should probably head to Mav’s, huh? Tell him the good news?” Rooster then says, smiling knowingly as you quirk an eyebrow.

“Something tells me you and dad were in on this together?” You ask as you grab the gifts for your dad, Penny, and Amelia before putting on your shoes and heading out to the Bronco.

“I did most of the work. He just gave me his permission to propose to you.” Rooster says as he climbs into the car, starting the engine and beginning the drive to your dad’s house. When you arrive you and Rooster grab the gifts and knock on the door to be greeted by your dad who throws the door open.

“I take it from the fact that the two of you arrived together everything went well?” Your dad asks, looking over at Rooster as he nods, lifting your connected hands and showing the ring glistening on your finger.

“Congratulations you two. I couldn’t be happier.” Your dad then says, bringing you into the house before engulfing you in a tight hug.

“Thank you, dad.” You whisper as he hugs you tighter.

“I’m so happy for you sweetheart. You deserve the best and Bradley is the only man I trust to provide you with nothing but the best.” He replies, making you laugh lightly against his shoulder before you pull away.

“Come on. Let’s tell Penny and Amelia the good news.” Rooster then says, gathering up the presents you had put down so you could hug Maverick and heading into the living room to join the two.

"We heard you in the hall. Congratulations you two!" Penny says happily as Amelia grins.

“There goes the surprise then. Merry Christmas you two.” You and Rooster greet as you settle down on the sofa, handing each gift to their respective person and watching as they unwrap them. When the gifts have been exchanged Penny and Amelia turn to you.

“Let us see the ring, y/n.” Amelia all but begs, both of them leaning closer when you extend your hand towards them so they could get a closer look at the ring.

“Oh, it’s gorgeous, y/n.” Penny gushes, admiring the ring as Rooster winds his arm around your waist, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“Not as gorgeous as her.” Rooster shamelessly flirts as Amelia groans and Maverick slaps his hands on his thighs and stands up.

“And just for that disgustingly cute comment. You’re on dinner duty with me. Come on in the kitchen.” He says, gesturing for Rooster to follow him into the kitchen while you stay in the living room with Penny and Amelia to have a catch-up.

“She’s lucky to have you, you know.” Maverick’s voice cuts through the quietly playing Christmas music in the kitchen as Rooster looks up from where he was peeling potatoes.

“I’m the lucky one.” Rooster replies with a laugh as he hears you telling the two in the living room how the proposal happened.

“Goose and Carole always had a bet going that you two would end up together. I was against it because I hated the thought of my little girl dating anyone, but I was very wrong. There’s no one better for her than you.” Maverick then says, memories of his old friends coming to the surface as he remembers him and Goose watching the two of you one day as you toddled around on the beach when Goose made the offhand comment that he was sure the two of you would end up together in your future.

“I miss them so much. I just wish they could be here.” Rooster manages to say after a brief silence. Thinking about how much he wants his parents to see him get married to the woman he loves most in the world.

“I miss them too, kid. But I know they are so proud of you. You were their world Bradley, so I know they’ve been cheering you on every step of your journey. I want them to be at your wedding just as much as you do but I know they’ll be there in spirit. They’re still with us.” Maverick says, turning to face the man soon to become his son-in-law. Rooster nods at his words with misty eyes and Maverick wastes no time bringing him into a hug which Rooster welcomes. When he pulled away, he thanked Maverick quietly and wiped his eyes of any potential tears before hearing your laughter coming from the other room, which brought a smile to his face. He was already so excited about getting to call you, his fiancée. But what he couldn’t wait for was to be able to introduce you to people as Mrs Bradshaw. His wife.

#justabigassnerd #justabigassnerd writes #top gun #top gun maverick #rooster top gun #rooster x y/n #rooster x reader #rooster #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x mitchell!reader #bradley bradshaw x y/n

297 notes · View notes

lightlycareless · 11 months ago

Text

happy new year y'all and belated xmas I guess due to the theme of this oneshot lmao. I never get inspiration for these things unless on the actual day; can you believe that?

anyways, I hope you will still be able to enjoy this little thing i wrote :> I call it "Naomi's first xmas" (a.k.a your daughter with Naoya).

Warnings: none. fluff. your dad being a goofball.

Enjoy!

“I don’t think many people are going to come.”

“Who did you invite?”

“You know, the usual, but I doubt he’s going to show up, as always.”

“Then I won’t make more.”

“… well, do a bit more, a tiny bit, just in case.”

Coming from the kitchen, you heard your siblings, Hinata and Ren, discuss the last preparations for Christmas Eve dinner.

Every year, planning around these holidays would go down the same way: Ren was designated to be the leader of sorts, making the decisions that ranged from what kind of decoration would be used around the house to what they’d have for dinner.

Back in the day it would be your parents, (and then just Eiichi, of course), the one in charge of all that; but as of recent years Ren decided to take on that responsibility simply for the sense of comfort this familiarity brought him; and because he genuinely enjoyed doing so—also, because he’d spent last Christmas’ with his wife, Kanon, and felt like he needed to something to make up for those holidays he spent apart from his family.

From there, Hinata. She… Well, she’d try her best to be around the holidays to begin with, since work was always hectic for an accomplished sorceress around this time. Now add to that that she’s also an heiress of a somewhat important clan! And that’s just all year round.

Yet, she’d always manage, either through overworking herself days prior, or because she has excellent time management skills—thus, when she does find herself back home, she’d be the one to send out invitations and general holiday greetings.

And lastly, you. Alongside your father, you’d be the one to set up the decorations and buy gifts. It was your favorite activity to do during the holiday season, after spending time with your family of course. Something about seeing what new seasonal merchandise stores had always filled you with excitement, as well as an urge to get everything before it sold out!

But this year, you’d impose a limit on yourself; and not because you came to the realization that this might’ve been getting a bit out of control, but rather, because your attention now dwelled on something more important.

It’s what made this year’s holidays all too special compared to the rest: it was your daughter’s first Christmas.

It was safe to say that everyone held the same excitement as you and Naoya had when it came to seeing her reaction to everything Christmas.

She already had her first Halloween, which had been a total success as seen by her toothy grin while wearing that adorable costume you got her—something you’ll forever remember thanks to the endless pictures you took, the same ones your father and siblings demanded you’d share, quickly becoming everyone’s phone wallpaper.

In other words, the anticipation to see what Naomi will be wearing/doing for the holidays was much greater than that of the actual presents—although for you and Naoya, getting to spend time together as a family was more than enough.

“Do you need help with anything?” you’d ask, looking over Hinata’s shoulder; Ren had been earnestly debating whether to prepare more food, or not, for those yet-to-confirm guests. He didn’t mind having to do more, he just didn’t like the notion that it might go to waste.

But even then, he knew that between Hinata, you, and him, that wouldn’t be an issue.

“Yes—bring Naomi-chan!” Hinata says, swiftly turning around while grinning.

“I meant, with dinner.” You chuckle.

“Aw, then why you’d ask?” your sister frowns.

“She’s asleep right now, Hinata. Why would you even ask something so selfish?” Ren teases.

“I just want to see my adorable niece.” Hinata whines. “It’s all I want for Christmas!”

“Get in line, then.” Ren smirks, moving from one side of the counter to the other before placing a tray into the oven. “Do you plan to dress her up this time?”

“Not in a costume per say, but yes! Got everything set up already; but I’ll change her after Naoya and dad are back.” You respond.

“Oh, can we at least get a sneak peek?!” Hinata begs, you shake your head.

“It’s a surprise.” You smile, Hinata groans.

“Aghhhhh, then they better hurry up!”

Normally, everyone would’ve remained at the house by that point, with the occasional exception of going to the store to buy some last-minute things, but even then, it was still very rare since Ren diligently accounted for everything the moment he set his mind to it.

However, this Christmas would continue to prove itself different by a landslide, starting with the absence of your father and Naoya.

Circling back to the fact that this was to be Naomi’s first Christmas, Naoya promised himself to do everything in his power to make it extra special.

Such as by getting her all the presents in the world: toys, dolls, plushies, or anything that pertained to her favorite character—and even though some of them weren’t really suitable for her young age, Naoya brushed off any doubts by saying:

“What if it’s a limited-edition item and by the time she’s older it’s no longer available? Yeah, no, I’m not risking my little princess being upset because of my insolence. I’m buying it.”

The same excuse he’d when also getting her things that simply caught her interest; just to be sure she had them whenever she eventually began to like them.

But as happy as you were to see Naoya happily indulging your baby, there were moments where the thought of him perhaps going a bit overboard with the presents crossed your mind…

Yet, as always, he’d reassure you with the following:

“This is only the bare minimum for Naomi—and even then, it is not enough!”

And with that, you’d only chuckle, understanding that even if you asked him to control himself a bit, he would just proceed to spoil her again.

Looks like there’s no definite way to beat a father’s determination when it comes to making his daughter happy…

And talking about fathers…

Because Naomi was Eiichi’s first grandchild + her first Christmas, it was only natural that just like Naoya, he’d want to make this celebration as special as it could be—just as he always did year round.

However, one thing would still manage to surprise you out of all this, and it wasn’t their unconditional adoration towards Naomi, (which you were eternally grateful for) but rather… the unspoken competition that sparked between your husband and father to show said affection.

For example, whatever Naoya bought for Naomi, your father would get two, even in different colors, in case one of them broke down or got lost, or something between the two

“Just in case” Eiichi would say when confronted if this was really necessary.

It definitely irked your husband much more than he would like to admit, a consequence of his highly competitive and overprotective nature…

Yet, Naoya knew very well that there was no true maliciousness behind his actions, for your father was only being affectionate and caring—if anything, he was glad that she had a loving family to endlessly dote on her; a contrasting difference to how the Zen’in normally behaved.

But going back to the reason for their absence, in their excessive purchase of presents they had failed to realize that shipped items may face a delay due to the high amount of work the postal service is put under throughout this season.

The shock on their faces when finding out that Naomi might not be able to open all her presents on Christmas day is one that you’ll never forget—although it amused you more than anything else.

This issue would just remind you how resourceful they were, because by some strange, unknown efforts, they were able to get her presents just in time—like, on the very day of Christmas eve, which is why they were out, scampering to the postal office to pick up her things, subsequently wrapping them and placing them underneath the Christmas tree; and all before Naomi could notice they weren’t even there to begin with.

“Realistically, I don’t think she’s going to notice.” You say upon noticing their stress, an attempt to alleviate some of their burdens.

“But still—we can’t have her believe Santa likes others better!” Eiichi countered, and Naoya silently agreed. “Y/N, do you think—"

“Already ahead of you.” You smile, willing to go along. “She’ll probably be taking a nap either way, so don’t worry. Naomi won’t see a thing!”

… But will they be back soon?

[Naoya: We’re almost there, just finished wrapping the presents.]

[Y/N: Oh, that’s good. I was beginning to worry that something happened! Anyways, the food is almost done, all that’s missing is you and dad. Please come back quickly, baby ☹ Naomi and I miss you.]

[Naoya: I’m almost there, my love. However… there’s something I need to tell you first.]

[Y/N: What is it? Is everything ok?]

[Naoya: Yes, but it's about your dad.]

[Y/N: … What about him?]

[Naoya: Your dad is coming back later.]

[Y/N: Huh? What do you mean he's coming back later? What happened to my dad?]

[Naoya: Nothing bad, I swear, I know how this sounds but don’t worry about it. Just… well, you'll know what I mean.]

And a few minutes later, Naoya finally arrives, bringing along a huge bag filled with what you imagined to be (largely) Naomi’s presents, colorfully wrapped boxes of all sizes which he scurried to organize underneath the tree before anything else—He didn’t mean to walk past you without even acknowledging you, of course not, but he had to make haste of the fact that Naomi was still asleep.

But once that was set, he was finally able to greet you as his heart desired, swiftly walking over to your side as he took you into his arms, leaning down to sweetly peck your lips.

“Welcome back, dear.” You smile, placing your hands on the sides of his face and pulling him closer to you before helping him out his coat. “How was the trip? Chaotic?”

“Yes, last minute-shoppers.” He sighs, resting his face against the crook of your neck once free of his coat before groaning. “Don’t know why people tend to leave everything to the end, it’s—annoying. And to think they almost cost my daughter her first Christmas!”

You chuckle, kissing the top of his head while rubbing his back.

“Well, you won’t have to deal with them anymore—Or anyone else but us for the next few days.” you say, reminding him of his small break from work. Truly, a Christmas miracle.

From that day forward, until he has to go back of course, it’s just him, Naomi, and you.

“That sounds like a dream.” He admits, leaning back to get a good look at you and smiling. “Naomi is still asleep, right?”

“Yes, she is—napping in the bedroom.” You grab his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. Then, you look over his shoulder, noticing a peculiar absence. “By the way… I’m assuming dad is not here because of the thing you told me?”

Naoya nods.

“What happened?”

He presses his lips together.

“… he told me he needed to do something else before returning.” Naoya begins, in such a suspicious way that obviously makes your anxiety rise even higher.

Your husband is quick to catch your reaction, but he's even quicker to reassure you.

“I wish I could tell you more, mochi, but he told me to keep it a secret. It’s nothing bad, just… play along, ok?” Naoya says, kissing your cheek.

Well, you know it could never be anything bad if it came from either your father or husband.

But if so, why such secrecy? It really unnerved you, especially for the time this was taking place in…

“Will I get to know eventually?” is all that you ask, he nods.

“Very soon.”

But if it was of utmost importance they keep this a secret, then you’ll trust them. And soon, you leave it at that.

“Do you think they’ll like our little surprise?” Naoya asks, changing the subject.

“Of course.” You grin, excitement beaming through your words. “Kept it a secret until now so no one suspects a thing!”

“I still can’t believe.” Naoya smiles, kissing your lips once more. “It's really happening.”

“I just hope my dad will be here to see it…”

“Why is dad still not back home?” Hinata asks upon noticing the elephant in the room: Ren had just taken out the last tray from the oven, began to prepare the food to be served, yet Eiichi was nowhere to be found.

Certainly uncommon from someone who treasures family above anything else.

“I thought he was only going to pick up some things.” she adds.

“Right, Naoya?” Ren says, with an accusatory tone that immediately makes your husband nervous.

“Ye—yeah…” he murmurs, eyes darting around the room for your support, only to panic when realizing you also have yet to come back from Naomi, away readying her for the evening now that she woke up. “He said he’ll be back soon.”

“Heard anything from him yet?” Hinata asks for the nth time at that moment. He shakes his head.

“Just that he’s almost done.” Naoya responds, trying his best to not feel intimidated by them. Even after years of being married to you, and now father of your child, your siblings always found ways to tease him; all in a playful nature, of course. “Anyways, Naomi should be ready soon…”

“Oh, that’s true! Y/N’s getting baby Naomi ready, isn’t she?” Hinata gushes, completely discarding the dilemma with her father out the window and focusing on what she considers the highlight of the day, no, year! “I wonder what adorable outfit she’ll wear today! Can you give us a hint at least, Naoya??”

The ball is on his court this time, and Naoya plans to take advantage of that.

“No can do.” He says, a smile on his face. Revenge is served when Hinata groans. “Not even I know what she’s planning.”

“How… mysterious” Ren murmurs. “First dad, and now Y/N… if I didn’t know any better, it seems like they’re plotting something together.”

“No, that can’t be.” Naoya immediately says, and as if his behavior wasn’t suspicious already, Ren and Hinata are now completely convinced that your husband is hiding something. “I mean, Y/N doesn’t know what’s going on either so….”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll figure it out soon enough.” You suddenly say, having arrived just a few seconds ago as you stand by the entrance; with a big grin on your face and the perception of hiding something behind you. “Is the food ready?”

“Y/N.” Naoya breathes; hopeful at the sight of his salvation. At least he’ll be away from being further interrogated by your siblings and jeopardizing the mission.

He wishes to walk over to you, but knowing the intention behind your approach, as well as noticing the eager look on your face, he stays still.

“It is… but only for those that bring Naomi-chan!” Hinata exclaims as she tries to look over your shoulder, you moving along her eyes. “Where is she? Still asleep?”

“Not quite.” You say, giving your husband one last glance, a tight smile that tells him just how excited you were, a sentiment he also shared, which he responds with a reassuring nod.

So, gathering all your courage, you clear your throat, take a deep breath, and then, address your siblings.

“Naoya and I wanted to keep this a surprise for today, since we thought it was quite fitting.” You begin. “I was hoping for everyone to be here, but if I don't do it now, I fear it might spoil itself.”

“What surprise?” Ren asks, and with that, you move to the side, letting your small surprise step into the picture.

Dressed in a green and red linen romper over a long sleeved white collared shirt, with a bow of the same fabric decorating her dark hair, your daughter Naomi tightly held onto your leg as she walked beside you.

Her legs were a bit wobbly, with one of her arms occasionally stretching out as to keep balance, while the other tightly held onto your hand for safety—Yet her determination to continue forward remained unwavering, as well as the excitement of your family when seeing their beloved niece finally taking her first steps!

Kind of.

“She can—she can walk already?!” Hinata is the first to exclaim, crying at the adorable way Naomi tried to follow your lead. “When—when did this happen???”

“She can.” You say, trying your best to not pick her up, hug her, and kiss her all over her soft cheeks! After all, Naomi was very determined to keep walking once she discovered she could, a fact that made her advancement impossible to hide from the rest of the world since she wanted to do nothing but explore her new skill!

There's no doubt in your mind that if she keeps up like this, she'll be able to run in no time! And from there…

Oh, can't she stay a baby forever?

“Naomi only started walking a few weeks ago.” Naoya says as he walks over to the two, solely intending to accompany both and be there if Naomi were to fall, but he ends up leaning down to grab her hand instead, for as soon as he was near, she reached out for him.

A sight that almost made everyone's heart burst out of their chest at the sheer adorableness of it.

“Ho—how?” Hinata asks, still not believing her eyes.

“She just… pulled herself up one day, kept trying until she was able to do it, and the rest is history!” You happily recount her efforts, as well as the adorable pout she’d make when trying. “Whenever we tried to help her though, she always rejected us, guess she wanted to do it herself— she takes after her papa in that matter.”

Naoya chuckles; he won’t deny his stubbornness.

“Owww, I can’t help it, I need to hug her!!” Hinata cries, swiftly running over to Naomi and unwittingly startling Naomi, who cowered behind her dad soon after. A sight that effectively snaps Hinata out of trance, kneeling to her level to softly hug her and utter endless endless apologies. “I’m so sorry, Naomi-chan, I didn’t mean to scare you, please forgive me!”

She begs while kissing her cheeks, which at first confuses Naomi, enough to attempt to push Hinata away… until her gestures begin to tickle her, making her stop and giggle in turn, seemingly leaving all misunderstandings behind.

“I can’t believe she’s growing so fast…” Ren says, walking over to the rest and carefully pinching Naomi’s cheeks once Hinata frees her; this makes her giggle too. “It seems like only yesterday we were getting you ready to go to the hospital.”

“And now, she’s almost a year old.” Naoya concurrs, looking at you.

He too can’t believe that almost a year has passed since she arrived in this world, since she made their life happier—better. Truly, it almost seemed like a dream, however, the truth would prove much, much better this time around.

This wasn’t a figment of his imagination: this was his life. And he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“We need to prepare everything for her birthday!” Hinata declared. “I can already think of a few places we can do her party! How about it, Y/N? Picture this—”

“Let’s do a celebration at a time, Hinata.” Ren chuckles, you doing the same soon after, finding her enthusiasm amusing. “We’re still not even done with Christmas, let alone New year… Which makes me ask, where’s dad? Are we to eat without him? This is the first time he’s ever been this late…”

The look of concern you and your siblings direct at Naoya is what finally pushes him to disclose what he and Eiichi agreed to keep a secret.

“I wasn’t supposed to tell, but the reason why Eiichi-san is late is because he—”

“Ho, ho, ho!!”

A loud voice, followed by heavy footsteps making their way through the entrance are heard, followed by a soft thud and another cheer.

“Merry Christmas!!”

Everyone’s head swirls into its direction, expectantly hoping to see the one behind these unanticipated actions.

Yet, it’s only you who manages to recognize who it was, as well as the nature of their actions.

And boy, was it a surprise when the truth finally settled in.

“Oh my god…” it’s all you could muster in reaction as the guest continues on with their rally.

“I heard that here lived an adorable baby girl that behaved very well this year!” Santa Claus would continue to say, grinning as he took some presents out of the large bag he carried along and placed them underneath the tree, before turning around towards the intrigued, if not slightly embarrassed, family staring at him, searching for said girl. “And because she was such a good girl, I wanted to personally come here and give her her pres—”

But when his eyes finally fall onto Naomi, Santa Claus immediately goes silent, intently staring at her for a few seconds before coming to the same conclusion that had everyone in shock, eyes widening as he shrieks.

“SHE CAN WALK!???”

Any suspicions that the man dressed up as Santa Claus was in fact, your father, are quickly verified by his reaction, further cemented when he rushes over to her, swiftly picking her up in a hug to coo at Naomi’s advancements.

“Oh, Naomi-chan!! When did you begin to walk?!” He’d ask, feeling a combination of happiness, nostalgia, and even heartache—for he was both glad and sad that his grandbaby was growing up. “Had I known, I would’ve gotten you more presents!!”

Everyone knew that the man behind this amusing spectacle was none other than your dad, per usual goofy Eiichi nature, by this point. However, there was still one person that remained in doubt, and that would be none other than Naomi herself.

Even if she was an impressionable young child, there were still a handful of things that didn’t necessarily catch her attention; unless it pertained to those of her favorite characters, of course.

But returning to her distaste, the most noticeable icon of this festive season fell into that list; she just… didn’t like him. Ignored him whenever possible; yet, there was still a catch: if her favorite mascot was dressed as Santa Claus, then Naomi couldn’t have enough of him!

Neither you nor Naoya knew why she did so, but it just happened, and the two grew to accept that fact, just as everything else.

Unfortunately, it seems that both had forgotten to tell your father about this small detail, and what Eiichi hoped to be a heartwarming experience for his beloved granddaughter, soon turned sour, specially when her big round golden eyes began to water after noticing that no matter how much she tugs, this stranger was not letting her go.

“Oh, little pumpkin, no!” Eiichi gasps, feeling like absolute garbage when Naomi continues attempting to push him away. “It’s me! It’s grandpa!”

“There’s no way for her to know that—take the beard off!” Ren exclaims, and in one swift movement, Eiichi strips the white beard off his face, discarding it to the side and revealing his face for Naomi to see.

“See, little pumpkin? It’s me!” he repeats whilst frantically hoping that he hadn’t irrevocably messed up. “It’s me! Granpa!”

And as if she understood what he meant, Naomi finally glances back at him, staring at him for a few moments in what many considered both curiosity and fear… which slowly shifted into adoration once finally recognizing her beloved grandpa, and subsequently hugging him.

“Yes! I knew you’d recognize me!” Eiichi softly cries as he leans down to kiss the top of her head, making her giggle in response. Your heart melts at the sight of Naomi warming up to your father, while Naoya sighs, relieved that this didn’t escalate any further.

“Without the beard, it would be almost impossible not to.” Hinata teases, and your dad frowns, trying to understand what your sister meant—she and Ren only laugh.

“Ah, but my sweet adorable little pumpkin, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Eiichi would continue to say, feeling very, very regretful for his actions. However, it seemed that Naomi no longer paid mind to that, giving the understanding that she knew it wasn’t intentional, or cared more to be with her favorite grandpa.

And while that went down, you look over to Naoya, moving closer to his ear to whisper:

“Is this what you were referring to?”

Naoya hums, nodding. You chuckle.

“I should’ve told him.” He says, and you give him a soft smile, squeezing his hand.

There was no way he could’ve known, but after this happened, alongside Naoya’s growing guilt, he began to believe that maybe he should’ve…

But truth to be told, Naoya didn’t have the heart to ruin Eiichi’s enthusiasm, after all, no one from the Zen’in clan bothered to care about anything but the bare minimum when it came to Naomi, while your father consistently went above and beyond for his family.

So because of that, when Eiichi told him of the little surprise he was preparing for his daughter, with such excitement that told your husband how much he wanted to do this … Naoya allowed him to go through with it.

Because at the end of the day, anyone that has your and Naomi’s happiness and safety in mind, he’ll always welcome—and he’s long come to see that your family wants nothing but that for the three.

“Does she not like Santa?” Ren asks now that the situation has calmed down.

“It seems so—it’s why we haven’t been able to get a picture of the two.” You explain, reminiscing how you’d have to cancel a photo appointment because Naomi didn’t want to be near Santa Claus, not even when you and Naoya were there.

“Ah, well, Santa is overrated anyways!” Eiichi says, more than ready to discard this silly costume if it meant baby Naomi would no longer be afraid of him.

“How… ironic of you to say that.” Ren adds with a chuckle.

“Unless you’re dressed as—“ you begin.

“Hello kitty.” You and Naoya speak in unison.

“Naomi really likes Hello Kitty.” Naoya finishes.

At the revelation, Hinata grins.

“You like cats too?” Your sister asks, lightly tickling Naomi, she giggles in response. “When you’re old enough, I’ll give you a cat—how about that, hm?”

“Ehh, I’ll hold that thought for now.” You intervene before Hinata could continue on with her promises. While you would’ve loved for your sister to spoil your daughter, two particular reasons pushed you to stop: first, this was a decision that should be previously consulted with the parents, and secondly, Naoya already planned to gift Naomi a kitty himself—one that would resemble the character as closely as possible—when she was old enough to take care of it.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself again, Hinata. There’s still gifts to open.” Ren says, gesturing over to the boxes underneath the tree, and those still inside Eiichi’s bag.

“Yes! I want my adorable granddaughter to open all of them first!” Eiichi would say, handing Naomi over to her father once she began to gesture her desire to be carried by him. The way she rests her head over his shoulder makes Naoya smile.

“But first, let’s eat dinner—I didn’t spend all this time preparing food for no one to take a bite!” Ren says, the group agrees, and soon, preparations for dinner begin.

Hinata would help you set up Naomi’s chair, placing it just between Naoya and you, while you went ahead to get your daughter’s food—the slow transition of feeding her with a cup instead of a bottle had just begun a few weeks ago, and with great feedback, you just hope it continued on steadily.

Eiichi, on the other hand, rushed to his bedroom to quickly change out of his costume and adequately help Ren serve dinner.

Once everyone was seated and with their respective plates, dinner finally began.

The evening would go on wonderfully, with everyone relishing on the delicious delicacy Ren had prepared, as expected, while sharing anecdotes that made you both laugh or fluster, depending on who was the one telling them: how your dad always managed to make everyone embarrassed is something that you’ll never figure out—certainly, a talent of his own—before moving onto comparing the similarities between Naomi and her parents once she does a particular gesture that Eiichi had to point out.

“Well, I didn’t want to say anything, but I think Naomi is starting to take more after you in that aspect.” Naoya would tease.

“No, she does not!” you gasp, referring to the habit Naomi had of pouting when things didn’t go her way. Sure, you might’ve done it once or twice when you were younger, but…

No, surely not.

Unless…?

“Or does she…?”

“A bit. She has to take after you. I was never that cute when I was a kid.” He reiterated; you smile, trying to hide your blush.

“Really? I always thought she looked more like you.” You confess. Always hoped that she would…

“She looks just like the two, actually.” Eiichi added. “But I do have to say, that out of the two, Naomi looks a bit more like—”

“Naoya” an unaccounted voice coming from the entrance was heard, making those at the table quickly turn around to see who it was, even little Naomi, as if she knew that no one was expecting anyone else to show up —especially the one that after years and years of being invited, never attended.

“Satoru!” Hinata gasps, perhaps the most perplexed one out of the group; at one point she even felt as if had hallucinated seeing him there. “I didn’t think you—what are you doing here?”

“I’m visiting my other family! I know we’re not together anymore, but I still hold everyone dear, you know?” He jests and Hinata sighs. Seems that not even during Christmas time would the god’s honor your sister’s request of making Satoru a bit less annoying. Not that much, just… a little.

Truly, she was better off asking for literally anything else but a miracle.

“We weren’t even married…” Hinata murmurs, not that it mattered at that point anyways, less when Satoru moved on to greet Eiichi and Ren (who were rather amicable to say the least, still speechless for seeing him show up after years of absence) before stopping by you, Naoya, and Naomi—lips parting onto a grin when seeing the new family.

“And who is this? Chibi Y/N?? Wow, look at how much she’s grown! I still remember her when she was nothing but a little baby! How old is she now?”

“You’d know if you’d respond to my messages.” You respond, a smirk on your face as Satoru pouts. “Or come to the party I threw for her 6th month birthday…”

“Hey, I got her a gift! That’s bound to mean something, right?” Satoru pinches Naomi’s left cheek, causing her to frown and whine. “Ah, you’re just as moody as Naoya; Thank God she looks more like you, Y/N. Imagine if we’ve gotten two Naoya instead of you? The Zen’in would go insane!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Naoya frowns.

“Didn’t you just say she looked more like him?” you raise an eyebrow, Satoru shrugs.

“Huh, did I?” He feigns ignorance, you roll your eyes. “Must’ve slipped my mind… anyways, I got everyone presents!”

You now notice the bag he was carrying; didn’t seem that big, but it did look like it was full.

“Especially for chibi Y/N” Satoru hands you over the bag, which Naoya takes soon after standing up—your theories of the bag being full are proved right when your husband notices how heavy it was.

You sigh.

Even if Satoru is what many considered imprudent, he was still goodhearted. And so, you motion Naoya to take the presents to the tree.

“Thank you, Satoru. I’m sure Naomi will appreciate your gift.” You say, a smile on your face.

“If you didn’t get her anything weird, of course.” Ren adds. At the noise of his voice, Satoru can’t help but unintentionally tense up—your brother always had an effect on him that made him feel like a cornered kid. In that sense, everyone was relieved that there was one person that could ground Satoru to reality. “Unless…”

“No, of course not.” Satoru quickly says, laughing nervously. “Who do you think I am??”

Everyone remains quiet as they silently judge him—even little Naomi, who couldn’t possibly know what he was referring to, joined in on the bewildering scrutinizing crusade against him; there’s no doubt in his mind now that she is a L/N.

“Have you eaten anything?” You’d move on. “The food is still warm if you want some.”

“Sit down, I’ll serve you some.” Ren would say before Satoru could even answer, which prompted the Gojo heir to finally accept his offer and take the last available seat, the one besides your father.

Once getting his food, dinner would go as it went before, prompting more stories now that Satoru joined in, with the slight difference that Hinata was now the center of attention.

You undoubtedly knew that your sister was much more than she was letting on, but these anecdotes from when she was a student at jujutsu high were far better than you ever imagined; she sure had everyone fooled with the responsible and dedicated image she made for herself!

But even then, they’d have nothing on your father when he began to tell his own stories: who would’ve known that the goofy, lovable man that your father was had actually lived through his fair share of mischief? Seems that even after years of knowing him, there were still many things to discover about him!

It made you and Naoya wonder what kind of reaction Naomi would have once she learned of your own adventures; the thought that either of you (Or maybe even the two) could become the uncool parent makes you chuckle.

Maybe your dad was right, maybe this was some kind of rite of passage one must go through when becoming a parent.

After sharing enough anecdotes, now began the most exciting part of the night—opening the presents.

Tensions were already high when it came to the silent competition going on between your father and your husband, but with the unexpected addition of Satoru, this just raised the stakes: they all wanted Naomi to open their presents first.

Luckily, they were still able to listen to reason when you suggested that the best way to solve this was to let Naomi choose by herself, nothing of persuading her to choose theirs or anything of the sorts—simply letting her walk towards the box she found most interesting and let everything else fall into place.

It was endearing to see how happily she reacted to the fact that (mostly) all the presents underneath the tree were there for her, as well as the cheerful way she began to open them, alongside the help of her papa, of course, for she still wasn’t strong enough to do it herself.

You once considered your dad and mom to be a bit… well, exaggerated whenever they’d take endless pictures of you and your siblings when doing anything—but now that you and Naoya had Naomi in your life… their actions no longer seemed overstated as they once did. If anything, you grew to understand why they’d done so and if anything, it inspired you to do the same!

To see her chubby face beam whenever seeing her new toys and plushies was one you’d never replace for anything, more so when she got to see all of the presents her daddy got her.

No one knew Naomi better than her own father, thus every single thing Naoya got for her was to be Hello Kitty themed: from socks, to shirts, plushies and even accessories—anything that his baby wanted, he’d get. In all the possible variations of her favorite Sanrio character.

Which made Ren, Hinata, and your dad a bit nervous, for it seemed that Naoya had the gift department well covered, making it almost impossible to compete…

But you’d reassure them that Naomi, alongside you and Naoya, were wholeheartedly grateful for their attention and gestures, and that she’d love them all the same.

But outside of that, the thing that perhaps intrigued everyone the most was Satoru’s present. As previously stated, he had a tendency of gifting… Well, odd things, and that was the easy way to put it.

From objects that you have yet to find a use to, to things that you would rather die than to be seen in public with them, Satoru was unpredictable as unpredictable as he could be.

Thus, everyone understood why Naoya took it upon himself to open Satoru’s present, even if it made Naomi whine in response.

“I just gotta make sure there’s nothing wrong with it, little princess.” Naoya explains, hoping that this would ease Naomi’s rising irritation—it kind of did, but she’d only calm down when Satoru’s gift was eventually revealed:

A Digimon plushie, from the character known as koromon, to be precise.

“Huh, I guess you are capable of doing normal things.” Hinata would say, Satoru scoffs.

“Don’t you mean better things, Hinata?” He teases back, Hinata rolls her eyes.

“Thank you, Satoru.” You say, looking at him. “But you know that in this household we only like Pokémon.”

“Not if I influence her early on!” Satoru grins—but really, he was just happy to see Naomi wholeheartedly enjoying his gift, which she latched onto as soon as Naoya handed it to her.

“As if I’d let you do that.” Naoya says. “Maybe if you had good taste in anime…”

Ren laughs. “Can’t argue with that.”

“Ah, stop it all of you… it was a nice gift.” Eiichi would intervene, making Satoru pout and cry, before rushing over to hug him.

“Oh, thank you so much!” he’d dramatically gasp, tightly holding onto your father. “I knew someone would appreciate my efforts!”

Eiichi presses his lips together before sighing. He’s long come to understand that it was better to not fight it than to do so, because whenever your dad managed to push Satoru away, he’d always come back, and stronger too.

But even with this, Eiichi was happy to have his family back together, reunited and having a good time: the one thing he always wanted for Christmas.

Everyone would continue on opening the rest of the presents, that is, until Naomi began to feel tired as seen by the way her eyes slowly blinked, yawning every so often, before leaning her head onto Naoya’s chest, breathing softly until she finally fell asleep.

At the sight everyone couldn’t help themselves from cooing, (albeit not too loud in fear of waking her up) as well as take it as a sign to call it a day; everyone had been up since early to get everything done, so it was only normal that they’d begin to feel a bit tired too, Naomi’s yawns were only there to make it more obvious.

“We can continue tomorrow.” Your father would say, referring to the left-over presents still underneath the tree. “It is kind of late.”

“And I still have to call Kanon.” Ren said, looking over to his clock—still a bit of time before she heads to sleep. “Think you can help me pick up, Hinata?”

“Yeah.” she nods, standing up.

“Let me help too.” You offer, standing up as well, he shakes his head.

“No, I’d rather not keep you away from Naomi.” He says. You frown, feeling as if you’ve barely done anything this year… “You can repay me tomorrow.”

“Alright, then.” you smile before sighing, looking over to Naoya carrying a deeply asleep Naomi. “Guess we’re off to bed.”

“Goodnight Naomi-chan!” Hinata whispers with a grin.

“Goodnight, Y/N, Naoya.” Ren adds.

“Goodnight!” Satoru waves, you way back before making your way over to your dad.

“Goodnight, dad. See you tomorrow.” you say, hugging him. “Thank you for what you did for Naomi, even though she got a bit upset. I’m sure when she’s a bit older she’ll come to appreciate it better.”

“Thank you, pumpkin. And I didn’t mean to scare her.”

“I know, and she knows that too.”

Naoya and you would then head back to the living quarters and into Naomi’s room, the one your father had prepared as soon as your pregnancy was announced, just in case it was ever needed—it didn’t take long for you to decorate it either— to get her changed into her pajamas and into her crib, underneath the warm blankets alongside her favorite plushies, before leaning down to kiss her head and wishing her a goodnight.

Naomi doesn’t respond, outside of a deep sigh and those soft snores that always make your and Naoya’s heart squeeze with adoration whenever hearing them; evidence that she had a tiring, yet fun day.

And as both continue to admire her, a feeling comparable to nostalgia begins to settle in both your hearts, with you being the first one to acknowledge it.

“Can you believe it?” you whisper, still looking at Naomi.

“What?” Naoya asks, leaning closer to you.

“That she's almost a year old.” You go on. “It’s been almost a year since she arrived in our lives… and now…”

“She can walk.” Naoya finishes. “... it almost feels… surreal, doesn’t it? I can still remember the day she was born like it was yesterday.”

As if it was only yesterday he was that lonely, sorrowful man seemingly destined to live out the same way the rest of his life… and now, he has a family.

“When did time go by so fast?” you ask.

“I don’t know.” He admits, taking your hands and intertwining it with his fingers. “I stopped caring after I met you.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” you chuckle, looking at him.

“What reason do I have to count days, when I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you?”

“Naoya…” you murmur, blushing. “I… I guess to keep important dates…. Or something.”

Naoya was glad that the moonlight coming through the window wasn’t strong enough to show how flustered he truly was.

Taking a deep breath, he now looks at you.

“I still can’t believe I got to meet you, fall in love with you, marry you and now… have a family with you.” he starts. “I got to experience something I never thought I would; and in a way, I still can’t wrap my head around it. There are still moments where I want to pinch myself to see if this is all a dream, if you can believe that; But when I see you and our daughter and I know it’s not my imagination; because you and Naomi are far more beautiful than anything I could’ve ever imagined.

And today… just reminded me of how lucky and grateful I am to have both of you in my life and to have spent another holiday with you.”

It wasn’t your or Naoya’s first Christmas together—not the first one you’ve spent with your dad, or the Zen’in for that matter.

But it was certainly the first one both had spent as a family, enough reason to make it as special as possible.

However, that wasn’t the only reason why you allowed Naoya to do whatever he wanted this year, or why you asked him to spend Christmas with your family.

More than making this celebration special for Naomi… you intended to do it for him.

Even now, you could still hear it in Naoya’s words—the slightest hesitation that reveals he didn’t believe he’s received all these blessings; and not because he thought them incapable of occurring, but rather because…

He didn’t think himself deserving of them.

Naoya always foresaw that his life would continue on rather… uneventfully, going through the same vicious cycle of people that couldn’t really care less for him, or anything pertaining to him, and him believing the same of himself.

Until you’d come along—to show him that he too was deserving of love, and not only that, but that he was also capable of loving.

And creating something out of love.

A daughter, a baby girl: the biggest blessing he never thought he’d receive. One that while it saddened him to realize she’s growing up, he still couldn’t wait to see the kind of person she’d become, guide her to the greatness he just knows she’s destined to be, as well as be there in the moment she ever finds herself falling and catching her.

One that slowly began to teach him just how much love he was capable of harboring for others, as well as the limits he’ll go beyond just to ensure their happiness.

All the things he’s done, and will do for her, are nothing but the bare minimum; nothing but his way of protecting her, giving her a life vastly different from his so that she’d never have to suffer the same way he did.

But he knows that she will never go through the same things, because she has you as her mother.

And that is something he’ll never, ever be able to thank you enough for.

“I love you, Y/N.” Naoya would say. “And… Thank you for loving me. Enough to have a family with me.”

“Naoya… you never, ever have to doubt yourself deserving of this.” You say, gently placing your hands on each side of his face and resting your forehead against his. “You deserve all this, and more. You are a loving husband and the greatest father any child could ask for, and today you proved it—Even if you went a bit overboard with the presents.”

Naoya chuckles.

“Do you think we’re spoiling our daughter too much?” he asks.

“Undoubtedly. What are we even going to get her on her birthday?” you wonder.

“I can start with the moon.”

“Then I’ll see if I can get the stars.”

The two laugh together for a few moments before quieting down.

And in the silence of the night, their hearts reveal their deep feelings for one another.

“I love you, Naoya.” You begin, gently kissing his lips. “All that I want is the opportunity to spend this Christmas, and those to come, with you and our baby.”

“I love you too, Y/N.” He pecks your lips once more. “You two are the best thing that has ever happened in my life, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I know. Thank you for everything, Naoya…” you say, hugging him before gasping. “Oh! And merry Christmas! Can’t forget about that one, can I?”

Naoya chuckles as he pulls you into a tight hug, giving the top of your head a kiss before leaning down to rest the crook of your neck and melting against your warm embrace and scent.

It was his way to silently vow to never let you go; no matter what happens, no matter what is to come… He’ll never, ever let you, or his daughter, go.

Never.

A promise that would continue for the rest of his life underneath the wish of a prosperous holiday.

“Merry Christmas.”

the two got emotional at the end 🥺 nnghhhhh Naoya just can't believe he's spending an actual christmas with his family, happily you know?? aaaaaaaaaaaa man, i really got it bad for him.

anyways, I originally intended to end this with Naoya gifting Y/N a house because he felt like Y/N and Naomi would be better away from the Zen'in clan... but then Y/N would just go on saying that it would be too much of a hassle because of his duties as the heir, and because she'll miss her friends there (we're going with the notion that the Zen'in aren't as big a*holes as they are, maybe because Naoya managed to scare control them)

Outside of that, for their fellow presents Y/N got Naoya an Asuka figure to fuel his anime tendencies; while he got her some things he saw her ponder about days prior, alongside some special edition gengar they both had to keep hidden from Naomi lol.

🥺 I hope you all enjoyed this little thing I wrote. I shall continue writing more things, request to be precise, before heading back to my main fic :>

Thank you so much for your support ❤️❤️❤️

#naoya zenin #naoya zen'in #naoya x reader #naoya zenin x reader #naoya zenin x you #jjk naoya #naoya zen'in x reader #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk x you #prompt series: jujutsu kaisen

30 notes · View notes

mgnifiqueyoo · 1 year ago

Text

— "old friend."

requested by: @lluvjjun pairing: zb1 taerae x fem!reader song recommendation: hello (adele) lowercase is intended…

— a/n: so i'm back again with my second zb1 oneshot! (which is so angsty and honestly, pretty realistic this time btw but oh, well- luv me some angst T.T) and i just wanted to clarify that i'm a multi so y'all can always request for other groups as well such as p1harmony, xikers, boys planet trainees, etc. + also, u might really not care about how i felt about this oneshot but damn, i had tears in my eyes so i hope you all enjoy it! </3

[ total words: 2.5k ]

click here to support me on ko-fi! ☕ click on this g.form link to request!

───── ❝ ❞ ─────

“... oh?”

opening the front door of your home after hearing a knock or two, you found yourself a little confused when you were met with your seatmate’s gaze. it was christmas eve and the simple dinner between you and your family had just ended, which meant you were returning to your normal life, asking yourself if santa could even give you what you wished for. — maybe a different way of living where you could afford anything you’ve laid your eyes on.

but even the elves would think that’s more impossible than riding a bunch of floating reindeers.

“merry christmas, i guess?” taerae chuckled, still holding out a neatly wrapped present in both of his hands. the box’s red cover shone under the dim light above the two of you as he continued to encourage you in taking it from him.

you never expected anyone to give you a present, especially since you’ve never gotten one after your father passed away. “... what made you think of… doing that?” you shyly questioned his initial ideas about this as his eyes looked up at the ceiling, probably searching for an answer as he bit his bottom lip, his fingertips tapping across the sides of the box. “well… i saw the way you looked at chaehyun last week and i thought that maybe i could make your christmas a little better.”

“you didn’t have to-”

“oh, but i wanted to,” he butted in quickly, not letting you finish your way of denying the present as he even pushed it further, waiting for you to just take it. “and i really do want you to open this in front of me.”

“why? i mean, isn’t that weird? it’s the middle of the night,” you retaliated, making him chuckle as he didn’t seem convinced with your excuse. “... but if that makes you feel better, then i’ll do it.”

you had no other reason for you to not take the gift as the anticipation slowly grew in you, tearing off the wrapping paper from the box. carefully, you lifted its lid as taerae’s eyes were soon fixated on the way your eyes widened at what’s inside of it. — it had a clutch-sized teddy bear; perfectly sewn to fit in your arms without it having to feel either too big or too small as you put down the box on the floor, holding the stuffed animal closer to you.

"... so, how does he feel? how does mr. ted feel?" taerae's eyes glimmered in excitement, eager to know what you'd tell him about the teddy bear his own hands created. in return, you chuckled, tightening the way you hugged the toy. "he feels like christmas." you answered, smiling back at the boy in front of you as he stared at you with belief; with so much fondness that no one could ever explain in words.

"merry christmas, taerae."

and now, you're staring into the distance, disappointed at how messy your room is. it's been six years since you took that christmas gift. to this day, you still knew that specific christmas eve stood out from the rest.

because somebody actually thought of giving you at least one thing.

“mom, please, i don't really have the budget right now," you pleaded, gripping your phone tightly as you continued to still clean up your room. you're looking for something you could get money from. being a waitress at a local, small coffee shop is not quite the answer for situations like this. "... i'll call you back once i get paid, okay? i just have nothing at the moment."

while you're at seoul trying to survive in a shitty apartment, your family is left stuck with raging debts after your father died. — you could tell that it really wasn’t the best decision for him to not even give your mother a chance to work for the family; there was always an insecurity laying beneath his motifs.

and now, you don’t even know what to do. your mother had been asking you for extra cash and your sister had been switching odd jobs here and there. the most surprising thing was the fact that you were the “stable one” compared to the two.

it’s disheartening to think of it.

a waitress being the stable one in the family.

“... ah, shit.” you muttered a curse, burying your face in your still dirty, unwashed palms in frustration. you were your family’s only chance in surviving such a poor life.

heading towards the cabinets, you pulled out a few more boxes. it baffles you that you’ve been living here for two years already and you’ve never even finished arranging your belongings but that’s not so surprising. you didn’t even finish school.

as all of the packed, still taped up boxes were taken out, you decided to look into them with questions circling your head. — what are the ones that’ll make everyone interested? which ones would make up for your rent? so many questions, so little time.

but while you took a few things out of the box, you were suddenly hit with a blast from the past; like a gust of lonely wind.

he’s there.

mr. ted was still here with you.

you backed away from it, taking a better look at it from afar rather than too close. you could already feel your eyes itch just by seeing it, the allergies worsening the longer you stared at the now dusty, slightly gray care bear that used to be so full of life before.

but it all had to end someday.

and it already did.

"... huh…" you tilted your head to the side, pulling it from the box. you almost couldn't remember how you kept it there, let alone how long it stayed there. nonetheless, it was a pity that two people from a memorable, almost a decade of friendship would just fade to dust… just like the ones that covered the bear’s golden fur in years.

you asked yourself, was the choice you made the right one? was it for the better, just like how you told yourself, your other friends, and most importantly, him?

younger you would’ve stood by her choice.

but this is the present and you know that you’ve taken the wrong route.

puffing your cheeks out in frustration, you picked up your phone from the mattress of your bed, which felt so used and replaceable already but somehow, you couldn’t afford to change it. you’ve been sleeping on that bed since you were nine. people around you would advise that maybe spending a few cash wouldn’t hurt and sometimes, you thought they were right.

yet in the end of the day, you always tell yourself that you just can’t. — why? because you just had nothing. not even a shoulder to lean your head on. not anyone but yourself. and people with everything in their soft, soaped palms won’t get that! they can’t even bring themselves to realize that people like you are just trying to make living life feel a little less miserable.

now, you’re here.

you’re walking in circles, staring at nothing but the bright yet cracked screen of your old iPhone 5 as you read his name over and over while trying to come up with a choice. another choice that’d decide your fate.

‘kim taerae… kim taerae? can i talk to kim taerae?’ your inner voice was almost as monotone as ever as you found yourself still lost in the sea of choices again.

can you talk to kim taerae? that question can be answered easily: yes, you can. but here comes a much more difficult situation – should you talk to him after everything? you’re not even surprised that he has someone sitting next to him with a bright smile on her face, maybe as bright as his. an unfamiliar girl but an obvious message for you.

he’s moved on.

good for him, right?

“can you promise me something?” taerae spoke, the uncertainty was in his voice as he seemed to be fearing the next few things you were about to tell him. it disturbed you. it was the first time he’s ever sounded so serious about something.

something you’re not ready to find out. “friends will always keep each other’s promises,” you cluelessly said back, even smiling back at him so cheekily that taerae had a glimpse of hope. — that maybe everything will turn back to normal if things don’t go his way.

“i think i’m in love with you, y/n.”

you didn’t know what even was real and not. were these words really coming out of taerae’s mouth? did taerae, your best friend, just tell you that he thinks he’s in love with you?

and the first thing you asked yourself was how.

how did he even think that?

“i know it sounds crazy but,” taerae quickly gave an excuse for it as he approaches your hands with his, his thumb pressing against your soft palm. it almost convinced you into smiling back at him but all you did was stare, visibly terrified over what he just told you. “but it’s what i feel… it’s what i feel about you-”

“what?” you weren’t thinking straight that time. you weren’t sure if you liked him back or not but he was always important to you. always; to the point that you were scared of this happening as if you’d already expected it. “... i don’t get it, what do you mean?”

the second time you asked him, he just froze like radio static. your confusion started getting to him, haunting him with the single-worded response that he’d hate to hear from you – no.

“it’s nothing.”

“taerae, i-”

“let’s just,” taerae cuts you off, tightening the strap of his backpack as his eyes dared to never look back at you ever again, “let’s just forget about all of this, okay?”

well, you tried.

but that day kept on repeating in your head that it was impossible to not at least think about it and from the looks of it, he felt the same. the distance between the two of you was just getting farther and farther until you couldn’t even remember each other’s birthdays. yet at the same time, you were always in each other’s minds with one wish.

wishing to be called by the other once.

“taerae!” you shouted from the crowds and he barely even heard you. the rest of your classmates were waving goodbye at him, excited for him to take in the trophy after an international talent competition, where everybody expected him to take home at least one gold medal from it.

and there was another call… and another.

oh?

and another as you watched him get into the bus, not even looking back at your direction. you told yourself that maybe he just didn’t hear you. maybe your voice just wasn’t loud enough. — in the end, at least you tried to patch things up even though you had no clue that it was the last time you’d ever see taerae in person.

“hey, maybe i shouldn’t!” you blurted out in the middle of your room, breathing deeply as you just couldn’t control yourself from scrolling down his posts; by now, he’s gotten five golden medals from differently, yearly major vocal competitions overseas. you could never say it in words or a bunch of facebook posts how proud you are of him.

you wished you were there with him, helping him accomplish these goals he once had pinned down on a bulletin board from third grade. you wished that you were the one who sat next to him, giving him a pep talk before he came up that stage to steal the show from every other singer around.

you wished you’ve touched the skies that hovered above him.

but you were too far down.

forgotten.

“... oh, who am i kidding? he’s not gonna respond anyway. he’s too far up there now,” you told yourself, letting out a groan before jumping on your bed, torn between asking him how he’s been and just letting him live his new life; the life where you never existed at all. “god, this is all my fault…” regret was starting to take over again. it was like you couldn’t call a normal day “normal” if you hadn’t considered regretting anything.

you could tell that your life was already a few steps away from being a complete failure… well, that was until you looked back at your phone.

widening your eyes, there was a flood of terror, humiliation, and regret (yet again) in our mind as several airy curses come out of your mouth. you weren’t sure if you should start throwing a fit or start planning in deleting your facebook account. — who uses facebook anymore these days, right? well… you.

and apparently, taerae as well.

“what the fuck? no!” you belted out as if you were a soprano, burying your face once again in your palms after seeing a blue thumb on one of taerae’s older posts.

great job, y/n.

you just liked his post after six years of not even mentioning each other’s names.

“why… why did i do that?" this was the moment where you actually wanted to dig a hole in the ground, live in there, and never ever come back. — and well, in the real world, you can’t really do anything as extreme as that, which isn’t as embarrassing as the fact that you just accidentally liked one of your ex-best friend’s posts from last year. “ugh… i just hope he ignores it… god, this is the worst.”

ping!

you took in a deep breath, letting out a mixture of both a groan and a sigh as you accepted your fate; he saw it… and god, why did he even respond?

and in just a span of ten minutes, that conversation ended. you knew deep inside that none of this was easy to take in. he’s already living his dream life, he’s got tons of people who’d support him no matter what, and he even has this perfect girlfriend who wanted to meet you for the sake of getting to know who taerae is… and who he used to be.

you clutched your phone close to your chest, laying on your back as you stared at the dull ceiling of your room. you wondered how your life turned into something like this. — why did the circumstances bring you down lower than before? why did it turn so different from taerae’s? what was holding you back?

even though you wouldn’t admit it, you always knew the answer.

and it was the fear of that big change that held you in your place.

“... maybe this is it,” you told yourself, sitting up from the bed as you stared at the dusty boxes that were still left unopened, “maybe it’s time for me to change things for the better.” saying those words felt like a foggy evening was clearing up as you took in one last deep breath, ready to face anything without having to look back.

this was it.

you’re ready for change.

30 notes · View notes

snowe-zolynn-rogers · 2 years ago

Text

Who Let Us Have A Group Chat?

Pairings: Blood Moon/DJ Music Man, Harvest Moon/Glamrock Bonnie, Eclipse/OC (well, not anymore)

Word Count: 1,158 Words

Summary: ‘Eclipse, dump that bastard’ -wise words from Sirius and Lunar. Moon finally gets his present.

Warnings: Abuse (mentioned only), Cursing, Blindfolds (nonsexual use, mentioned), Caps, Age Regression, let me know if I should add anything else.

Notes: Sirius is good Eclipse.

Chapter 9: Difficult Conversations

2:50pm Who Took My Hat?

Sirius: Okay, y'all are done harassing my friend now?

Blood Moon: I'm sorry for scaring him, okay? I was concerned. I wanted to make sure he was okay, but I guess I didn't really go about that in the best way.

Eclipse: It's okay, I didn't realize how bad it was.

Sirius: Despite me telling you for weeks now.

Eclipse: I was too scared to leave. I'm sorry I scared everyone.

Kill Code: No need to apologize, son, he is the one in the wrong. He hurt you and called it love. It was our mistake not realizing you needed our help sooner.

Eclipse: I never told you, how could you have known to help me?

Kill Code: You are my son, I should have known without being told.

Sirius: I am so proud of you for breaking it off with him. I know that took a lot from you. We are so proud of you for standing up for yourself, Eclipse.

Eclipse: Thank you for being with me. I would have been terrified otherwise.

Sirius: You're my comfort tiny, why would I ever leave when you're scared?

Eclipse: Because I'm a handful. I know I am.

Sirius: You are not. It's my job as your comfort big guy to protect you when you're scared. After the amount of shit I've spilled to you? Like hell, I'm leaving you on your own to break up with that bastard.

Eclipse: Still, thank you.

4:40pm Who Took My Hat?

Lunar: Moon, are you ready for your present now that the drama of the day is over?

Moon: I guess so?

Lunar: Okay, where's our blindfold?

Sun: I've got it, I'm coming.

Moon: Why must I be blindfolded?

Kill Code: Just trust them.

Moon: Fine. I wait an entire week for this present and I get blindfolded immediately for it.

Kill Code: It's worth it, I promise.

Moon: Fine.

Harvest Moon: Everything is set up, come on.

Moon: It's at their house?

Blood Moon: Yes, it's at our house.

Sirius: It this the present y'all were talking about?

Eclipse: It is.

Sirius: Okay.

Heliosphere: Oooooh, finally , the present!

Bolide: We all worked hard on that present!

Supermassive: I was completely unaware of a present but I hope you like it?

Sun: Come on, follow Monty.

Moon: That's Monty?

Sun: Don't you hear how loud he is? Of course it's Monty.

Moon: I guess I hear him.

Moon: Where even am I right now?

Sun: Almost inside the Eclipse's lab. Just follow me and Monty.

Eclipse: I've got it set up.

Sirius: This tech is all incredibly advanced, how the hell did you make this?

Eclipse: Did you not see the chaos emeralds?

Sirius: What the FUCK?

Eclipse: I don't know, Dad made the place.

Moon: Okay, am I in the right place?

Lunar: Okay, left turn and you are.

Moon: Okay, like this?

Lunar: Yes. Exactly.

Moon: Do I take off the blindfold or is someone going to untie that for me?

Sun: You can take it off now.

Moon: Oh my god.

Kill Code: We all worked on this. Except Mass, it was done before he came to us. I've untangled our codes, Moon. That's what I've been in here working on for weeks now.

Moon: You won't be twenty foot tall anymore.

Kill Code: Just the usual ten. No more super tall body anymore, I want to fit through most doorways with only a little difficulty.

Moon: This is

Moon: This is the best present ever.

Sun: He's crying! Pile on him!

Kill Code: It's good crying, it's happy tears.

Moon: Cres, everyone, thank you.

Sun: This was our idea of a very late Christmas present for you. I know it's something you want is to never get stuck in your own head again and now you never will be. Crescent can be put in his very own body and you get to have yours back.

Moon: Cressy, you're purple.

Kill Code: My favorite color's purple. Second favorite is grey.

Moon: I love all of you, thank you so much for this.

Kill Code: We'll be down for about a half hour during the transfer but then we'll both finally be separate.

Moon: After ten years, we're finally going to be two people.

Sun: When you're ready, go into the left chamber, Moony. We'll be here waiting for you two to come back online.

Moon: Okay.

Moon and Kill Code are offline

12:14am Who Took My Hat?

Moon: I need someone, I need anyone. Sunny. Sunny!

Sun: I'm coming! I'm right here. What's wrong, Moony?

Moon: I was alone. had a nightmare and woke up lone.

Sun: What was your nightmare, moonlight?

Moon: everyone left me. even you and Cres and I woke up alone.

Sun: Moony, we'd never just leave you. We're all right here, though some of them are sleeping.

Lunar: Awww, Moony, we wouldn't leave you.

Kill Code: My child, I wouldn't ever leave you. Getting my own body would never cause me to abandon you.

Eclipse: Moon, it's okay to be scared but we're not going anywhere, I promise.

Moon: not gonna leave?

Kill Code: We're not leaving. I'll even come see you, I'm just in my house with my kids.

Moon: want Papa and Sunny and Luna.

Kill Code: I'm coming, baby. Give me thirty minutes and I'll be right there with my baby.

Sun: Deep breaths, Moonbeam, I know it's scary to be little.

Moon: can have paci?

Sun: Of course, Lunar?

Lunar: Got it!

Moon: is got lace and bat wings and a heart!

Sun: And flower charms on chains, Lunar really went all out for you on this new one, didn't he?

Moon: Luna made?

Lunar: Luna makes pacis now, little starlight. And you're the first person who gets one.

Sun: Do you want a show on, Moonlight?

Moon: we watch winx? want fairies

Sun: Let's see, we have the entire thing streamable, let me set up the projector.

Moon: tank you Sunny.

Sun: Little Moonbeam, you don't need to thank me for taking care of you, I'm your big brother, I'll always take care of you, especially when you're little.

Moon: I luv you.

Sun: I love you too, Moony.

Kill Code: I'm here.

Sun: Moon's room.

Moon: PAPA!

Kill Code: Hello, my little one.

Moon: cuddle, loves you too.

Kill Code: You are just precious. I love you too, my little Moon.

Eclipse: Is he out?

Kill Code: He's sleeping again, yes.

Eclipse: Good, Lunar, I want a new paci. Can I get one from you?

Lunar: Family discount is 10 bucks.

Eclipse: I'll give you twenty to make it super decorated and supply the blank paci.

Lunar: Deal. Bring me the blank paci in the morning.

Eclipse: Deal.

Sun: Black market after hours deals for decorated pacifiers I guess.

Lunar: Leave me and my back alley deals out of this.

53 notes · View notes

arcplaysgames · 2 years ago

Text

Actually, no. lemme recap now because I bet once I meet the Big Bad and beat them it'll be like 2 hours of cutscenes and dialogue.

Where did I leave off-- REALLY? THAT LONG AGO? FUCK ME.

Okay SOMEONE remind me LATER to sum up Empress, because I completed it. Note to self, it's around 12/2 in your screencaps.

So Shido wins the elections because it turns out that no one saw the Thieves' big calling card for him, and those who did didn't remember it. There is obviously Some Shit going on with people's mass apathy syndrome.

Because Persona only has one theme and it's "people will be too lazy to pay attention to the truth, fucking sheeple," I guess.

/clucks tongue. I'm not really impressed by this turn of the story, I'm kinda Over the slow increase in apathy that winds up being the undoing of the world until we beat up a god and save everyone. This is the third time, I would have shaken shit up by having the Hidden Big Bad send the Thieves a calling card, demanding they come protect their Treasure, and then you meet the Big Bad and just gimme a villain with a motive, goddamn. It's a supernatural story, the sky's the limit!

I shouldn't kvetch too much yet. Anyway, Shido admits to his crimes, but the populace doesn't seem to care and still supports him.

Shido's lackeys basically go "okay Shido had a major meltdown buuuuuut we can still carry his agenda forward bc if we don't, we're all going down with the ship here."

Excellent question. In P4G I had a pretty strong idea what was doing that and here I do not, can y'all drop some hints?

Morgana points out that the general public has a Palace and has a Treasure. It's Mementos. So if the crew wants to force a mass shift in the world's perception, they can do that. But like all other Palaces, when the Treasure is taken, Mementos will collapse, to be replaced with new, corrected cognition.

In the process, the crew will lose their powers. Oh and Morgana is gonna die.

The game hasn't said that part yet but if they didn't kill Ryuji, they're gonna kill Morgana, fucking bet.

I love you, Morgana Notacat.

This was actually where I got my idea of what Morgana is. Morgana's upgraded Persona is Mercurius/Hermes. Yanno, the god of messages, of thieves, of swiftness, and well-known classic psychopomp.

Morgana keeps remembering himself being born in Mementos. He's without a doubt some manifestation of humanity's rebellion against systems, the literally cognitive patron saint of Phantom Thieves. He's a mascot in the most literal sense, an emblem of good luck for the Thieves' work.

Even the fact he's a cat kind of fits in nicely. Cats are free spirits who opt-into being it other people. They are creatures of choice.

I'm gonna be big sad when Morgana fucking dies lemme tell you. I'm pretty sure he's, like, sustained by Mementos and the plan is to collapse it? Yeah, Morgana is fucked.

Goddamn HERMES, that's so cool. Morgana, our psychopomp into the bowels of the collective unconsciousness.

GODDAMIT NOTIGOR WHAT DO YOU WANT, IT IS CHRISTMAS FUCKING EVE, YOU BETTER GIMME PRESENTS.

I know that you know that we all know that this isn't Igor but sometimes it fucking floors me how much he isn't Igor, jesus fucking christ. Who tf is this guy. I hope he's the Big Bad somehow bc there ain't anyone else at this point.

Please don't pull another It Was The Gas Station Attendant, Persona, I'm fucking on my knees begging you.

lmao i love the game poking the player to ensure they noticed Morgana is acting odd

Deep in Mementos is... this..... uh..... thing. A bunch of otherworldly veins flowing down into the core.

/looks nervously around

so uh. is it a hot take to say that, uh, the last segment of this game here, the Mementos Depths, is the ugliest place in the game? Just wondering because wow working through this place, I was struck by how completely aesthetically unappealing all of this is. It should be mysterious and eerie but mostly I am finding it.... blurgh. I thought Kaneshiro's Palace was pretty unappealing too, but this is bad enough I feel the need to remark on it.

/gestures at screen. What is all this????? oh god it reminds me of the Collector Base in Mass Effect 2. Except that game came out in 2010 for the previous generation console. /winces

Anyway.

The Depths of Mementos is a prison of complacency.

All of the Shadows the Thieves defeated are in the prison cells. They are relieved to be there, where they don't have to think. Everything is taken care of for them.

Man, remember back in Persona 3 when it turned out that defeating all the Full Moon shadows was actually the thing that doomed the world? Wouldn't it be hilarious is the Thieves fucked all this up the whole time? l m a o.

I honestly don't know if that's what's happening here yet, I haven't reached, like, the Explanation, but it does feel a bit like alllllllll the way back at the start of the liveblog when I was contending with the ethics of the entire idea of stealing someone's heart and what it does. The game went out of its way to justify doing it with Shido's attempted suicide, but the bridge to far for me (and thankfully for Ann too) was killing these people.

But now what happens seems to be akin to ego death instead, and.... I dunno, man, is that much different than murder?

SIGHS LOUDLY

okay is that true or is this another fucking situation where Izanami is like "WELL REALLY when you THINK ABOUT IT all I'm doing is giving humanity what they really want soooooooooo it makes you think huh, doesn't it make you think"

MAYBE THE GAME WILL PROVE ME WRONG, I DUNNO YET.

oh my god. oh my god.

IGOR!!!!!!!! IGOR IS IN THERE!!!!

LEMME IN!!!!!! LEMME IIIIIIIIN I NEED TO SEE HIMMMMM I NEED TO TALK TO HIM I MISS HIM sobs

yeah no, bet, it's igor's cell. which means Notigor locked him up? maybe Notigor is the final boss, that'd be great, it'd slot in perfectly with this place being a prison and Reverie having been stuck in the shitty Velvet Prison this whole time.

please igor help me, i'm so tired of the edgelord execution shit.

PSYCHOPOMP MORGANA!!!!!!!!!!

me pressing my face against the bars whispering I'll be back for you igor i love you

lol what if it isn't even igor in there can you imagine

#p5 #persona liveblog

30 notes · View notes

tagsecretsanta · 2 years ago

Text

From @tikatu

From and by @tikatu for @thundergirl007

Argh, it won’t let me tag. Someone please let @tikatu know this fic is here?

Title: Gifts

Notes: Pre-TAG iR, the setting is from my story, No Man Is An Island

Characters: John Tracy, Gordon Tracy, Virgil Tracy, Brains (referred to)

Rating: PG; No warnings needed.

Notes: There's more to the story but it stops at an okay place for now. Happy Holidays, y'all!

...

John glanced out the bay window of his apartment, taking in the Christmas lights framing so many windows up and down the street. The people directly across from him had a tree visible, and had lined the inside of their windows with bright colored lights. There had been snow a few days ago and the forecasters said they’d have more for Christmas. Even now, a few flakes drifted on a light, cold breeze.

Truth to tell, it made him homesick and a bit lonely.

It was two days before Christmas. He was on track to defend his dissertation after the New Year and stayed in Boston, hoping to prepare for the event over the holiday. Even if he changed his mind and got a last-minute flight out of Logan, his family wouldn’t be there to greet him. Alan was down with the flu and both Dad and Grandma had already told him to stay put.

He glanced over at the huge boxes they’d sent, full of gifts, marked, “Don’t open until Christmas”. There was also one from Virgil, sent from Denver, but nothing from Scott or Gordon.

A peril of being deployed, I guess, he thought. I don’t even have a proper tree to put these under.

He wasn’t the only one whose apartment wasn’t decorated. His downstairs neighbor, an engineering student who said to call him “Brains”, didn’t celebrate Christmas at all. They’d planned to share a meal on Christmas Day; Brains made a wonderful curry while John was to bring bread, wine, and dessert.

The entrance buzzer sounded, startling John from his reverie.

I’m not expecting anyone. Frowning, John went to answer the intercom.

“Yes?”

A muffled voice said, “Special delivery for John Tracy.”

“Just leave it on the steps. I’ll come down and get it in a bit.”

“You have to sign for it.”

John sighed. “All right. I’m coming.”

He locked up his apartment and took the stairs instead of the elevator. “I thought the family sent me everything already,” he muttered as he entered the lobby.

Whoever it was outside, they weren’t wearing the uniform of the major freight carriers. They carried what looked like a round duffel in their arms. That’s a strange present.

He unlatched the door. The cold rushed in, accompanied by the expected snow flurries the meteorologists had forecast.

“I’m John Tracy.”

The delivery man turned around and John’s eyes widened.

“Gordon!”

“Surprise!” Gordon’s grin lit up. He looked beyond his brother. “Can I come in? Kinda cold out here.”

“Oh, sure! Sure!” John opened the door wide, letting his brother inside. Gordon stomped his boots on the mat, relieving them of snow. “What are you doing here?”

“Surprising you for Christmas, that’s what!” Gordon slung his duffel over one shoulder as they began to climb the stairs. “Dad said you weren’t going home for Christmas. I knew my patrol would be stationed in Boston for the holiday so I told everyone to send their gifts here to you and not to tell you I was coming. I have a 48-hour pass, then back to WASP I go.”

“Well, this is a surprise!” John grinned back at his brother. “Now I’m glad I stayed. I mean, it sucks that Alan’s sick and all…” They arrived at John’s door and he unlocked it, letting Gordon in first.

“Uh, John? Alan being sick?” Gordon dropped his duffel to the floor, his face scrunching up in a guilty expression. “Thaaat might not have been true. I asked Dad to make sure you stayed in Boston. Otherwise, I’d be screwed.”

John took his snow-showered coat, shaking his head. “I can’t believe Dad lied to me. He and I will have words on the family vid call.”

“Yeah, well, it worked. You can blame me for it…” Gordon’s eyebrows went up as a thought struck him. “Unless the Sprout is sick for real. Then it really will suck but everyone’s absolved of lying.” He held out his arms. “C’mere, you.”

Smiling, John stepped into his brother’s embrace. The hug was brief but heartfelt.

“I see you’ve really decorated for the holiday.”

“Yeah, well.” John rubbed the back of his neck. “I figured it was only me here, so why go through the trouble?”

“Well, it’s a good thing I thought you might think that way.” He hefted his duffel again. “Let me get this stashed and I’ll bring out something to brighten this place up!”

John directed Gordon to his bedroom. “I’ll take the spare room.”

Gordon took himself off and came back a little later, dressed in an ugly Christmas sweater, jeans, and sneakers. He brought boxes of colored fairy lights with him.

“Now, where’s the box from Dad?”

“Which one? They sent three.” John indicated the pile with a sweep of his hand.

Gordon’s eyes widened. “The biggest one, I guess.”

“You mean the one that says, ‘Don’t open until Christmas’ on it?” John folded his arms over his chest. “It’s not Christmas yet, y’know.”

Gordon took out a penknife and began to carefully cut the box open. “Yes, it is, now that I’m here.” He stopped as his stomach growled. “Have you had dinner yet? I’m hungry.”

“I haven’t, not yet.” John glanced back at his kitchen. “I’ve got some frozen dinners…”

“Ugh, no. I could go for a pizza. Doesn’t Boston have some awesome pizzerias?” Gordon had started removing wrapped gifts from the box, setting them on the floor, occasionally shaking one with his name on it.

“It does, I guess.”

Gordon gave him a pointed look. “Well? Go order some! Ham, pineapple, and olives for me.”

John shook his head and went off to order.

By the time the pizza arrived, Gordon had found an unwrapped box their dad had tucked inside. “Yes! He found one!”

“Found one what?” John asked as he set the pizza boxes on the kitchen table.

Gordon carefully opened the box, drawing forth a well-protected shape. “A ceramic Christmas tree.”

John, who had dished up his pizza, came to view the treasure. “I vaguely remember that Mom had one of these. It was passed down from her grandmother, wasn’t it?”

“That’s what I was told when I broke it.” Gordon sat on sofa, the tree beside him, as opened the accompanying bag of lights and began putting them into their slots.

John closed his eyes, bringing up the memory. “Oh, God. I remember now. You were kicking around your new soccer ball in the house and knocked over the table it was on.” He opened his eyes and grinned. “You were what? Seven, eight?”

“Eight. I was eight.” Gordon looked up at him with a pained expression. “Thanks for that memory, bro.”

“Yeah.” John took a bite of pizza. When he’d finished with it, he continued. “As I recall, Dad gave you a choice: soccer or swimming. You chose swimming.”

“Yeah, well, I sucked at soccer.” Holding up the tree, Gordon said, “All done!” He glanced around the sparsely furnished living room. “Where do you want it?”

John took the tree from his brother. “Huh. It’s rechargeable and has a timer. I doubt Great-Grandma’s had that.” He looked around the room himself, as if he’d forgotten what it looked like. “I guess the bay window is where it’d look best. There’s an outlet there for the charger. And I think I have just the thing to put it on.” He handed the tree back to his brother. “Be right back.”

When he came back with a card table, he found Gordon in the kitchen, scarfing down pizza, and drinking the wine John had bought for his meal with Brains. “I had plans for that, Gords! Besides, you’re not old enough to drink.”

“Plans? You have plans?” Gordon said around a half-chewed mouthful of pizza. He downed a sip or two of wine. “Gonna have a party up here or something? And who’s gonna turn me in?”

John rolled his eyes. “I was going to bring it down and share a Christmas meal with my second-floor neighbor. He makes a great curry.”

“Ah, I see. But curry? That’s it? That’s all?” Gordon shook his head. He took another sip of wine. “No huge meal, no groaning sideboards? No plum pudding?”

“Gords, I live alone. Why the hell would I make a big Christmas dinner when I have no one to share it with?” John picked up another slice of pizza. “Brains was nice enough to invite me…”

“’Brains’? Your neighbor’s name is Brains?”

John closed his eyes tightly, his lips thinning as he reined in his frustration with his brother. He took a deep breath before he opened them again. “No,” he said, his tone clipped and sharp, “that’s not his name. It’s what he prefers to be called. His name is Hiram Hackenbacker. ”

Gordon blinked, hard. More than once. His eyes went from side to side and his mouth opened, lips shaped as if he was going to say, ‘Oh’. It only took a few seconds before he shook himself, a tiny shiver, really, and said, “Ohh-kay! I see why he’d want to be called ‘Brains’.” He took another slice of pizza. “So, where’s he from?”

“India, I think. Though where he got the moniker he has is anyone’s guess.” John sighed and poured himself a glass of wine, swirling it around in the glass before taking a sip. “So, if you think curry is inadequate, what do you have in mind?”

“Hmm,” Gordon finished chewing the crust from his fourth piece of pizza as he thought. “A turkey? Nah, too much work and would take too long to cook. Maybe a chicken?” He turned to his brother. “Any idea how long a chicken takes to bake?”

John shrugged. “I dunno. Frozen dinners, remember? And Grandma’s cooking.”

Gordon shuddered, his face screwed up in disgust. “Right.” He thought for a moment more, then snapped his fingers. “How about this? A rotisserie chicken, some already cooked mashed potatoes, some of that stuffing in a box, maybe even a jar of gravy!”

John’s eyebrows went up. “Yeah! Get some cranberry sauce, some of those little dinner rolls you heat up in the oven, a couple of frozen vegs… we can even order dessert! This is a great plan!”

“You can invite your friend up and he can bring his curry.” Gordon clapped his hands together. “We can get it all delivered!”

“We’re going to have to; I don’t have a car.”

At his brother’s questioning look, John explained. “It’s easier to take public transit than try to find a parking spot, especially now. If we have a lot of snow, the plows bury any cars left on the street. Went through one winter like that; promised myself I’d not do it again. So my car’s in storage.”

“I see.” His brother’s tone told him most definitely that he did not see. “So when should we order this?”

John looked up from the fridge, where he was stashing the leftover pizza, still in their boxes. “As soon as I finish this. We’ll probably have to have it delivered tomorrow; I don’t think the stores will be open on Christmas Day.”

Nodding, Gordon said, “Yeah, you’re right.” He pulled out his phone. “Let’s do this thing!”

“Let me. I’ve got an account set up and all.”

As John fetched his phone from the charger in his office, Gordon finished his wine, and went out to the living room.

“What are you doing?”

Gordon turned from the bay window. “Do you have any duct tape? I want to put these fairy lights up.” He motioned toward the apartment across the street. “Kinda like what they have only more… subtle.”

Chuckling, John nodded. “I’ll get the duct tape, but please be careful with it. I don’t want to lose my security deposit because of tape residue on the walls.”

“I’ll be careful! Just tell me where it is and I’ll fetch it. You get that grocery order in.”

The brothers set to their tasks. John added wine to the list, replacing the bottle Gordon had opened. Gordon cut small strips of tape to minimize residue. By the time John had finished and placed the order, the fairy lights framed the window and the ceramic tree had been installed on the card table.

“Looks great, Gords! Really festive!”

“And subtle?”

John laughed. “Not from this side. From across the street, probably. Especially the tree.”

It did look festive. The tiny lights, in blue and red, green, yellow, and clear, twinkled along the three window frames. The sides and tops were edged, but the bottom string cut across all three, ending where the first string began.

Pushed forward, the windowsill cut off roughly a third of the tree’s lights from the outside. Its loneliness on the bare table made John wish he had a tablecloth or one of the fancy doilies their mother used.

“When’s the order coming?” Gordon crouched and began sliding the wrapped gifts under the table.

“Three o’clock. They’re supposed to buzz me so I can open the door but they don’t always remember. I might wait for them in the lobby. Porch pirates, y’know.” John began to open the other boxes, pulling out more gifts. “In fact, I should wait; need to get the frozen stuff upstairs quickly.”

“Uh-huh.” Gordon shook another box addressed to him. “Man, the family went overboard this year! I mean, what am I gonna do with all these gifts? I can’t exactly take them on the Thresher. Limited space. Very limited space.”

“Anything you can’t take, I can hold for you here or I can ship it to Marineville, if you want. I’ll be here until at least June; my astronaut training doesn’t begin until then.”

Gordon shot John a grin. “Thanks, bro. I appreciate the offer.”

John waved a hand, a dismissive motion. “De nada.”

Rocking back on his heels, Gordon started opening the boxes Virgil had sent. “So,” he began, not looking up, “Astronaut training. I take it this is for Dad’s grand idea?”

“Yeah. I’m taking a commercial course, just to get the basics and see if I can hack actual spaceflight and a zero-G environment. Then Uncle Lee will take me up to Station Alpha for a bit. I’m sure Rescue Five will be very different; for one thing, it will have a gravity ring. Brains has shown me some of the schematics.”

“Sounds like your friend is a genius. I look forward to meeting him,” was Gordon’s response. He suddenly dipped into the box and brought out a large envelope. “Hey! This says, ‘Open before Christmas’!” Handing it over to John, he added, “It’s addressed to both of us. You open it.”

John hesitated. “You sure you don’t…?”

His brother waved the card at him. “C’mon, take it! I already opened one of your presents!”

John took the card. The weight surprised him; there was something more than a greeting card inside. He stuck a finger under the flap and opened it.

The card was beautiful. Hand-drawn, the snow-covered Rockies stood in black outline, rising into an intense, perfect blue sky. In the foreground, dark green pines framed the mountains, some branches bending under the weight of their white epaulets, while others had lost theirs, springing back up. The grays where the trees shaded the snow ranged from the faintest hint through a slate gray to near black, yet still gave the indication that this was snow beneath the trees. A white hare stood on hind legs between the trees, ears at attention. John spent several minutes drinking in his brother’s artwork before opening the card.

“If I know you two, there’s no Christmas music playing in John’s apartment,” he read. “The enclosed chip has a performance some friends and I did at one of Denver’s holiday markets. There are both a vid and just music. No holograms, sorry! I expect you to have the music playing in the background for our family call on the 25th! Love, and happy holidays, Virgil.”

He handed the card over to Gordon, who let out a low whistle at the art.

“Gorgeous. Virgil’s skill has gotten better over the years.” Gordon read the inside, then handed it back. “You should frame that.”

John’s eyebrows rose as he considered the idea. He nodded. “I think I will. After the holidays.” Glancing back at the tree, he got up and placed the card on the table, upright and slightly open.

“Looks kinda sad just sitting there,” Gordon said, placing the final gift under the table.

“I have more.” John disappeared into his office and came back with a dozen cards. “I never know what to do with these.” He began setting the cards on the table as he had Virgil’s, keeping his brother’s artwork front and center. “There. A bit more festivity.”

“Cool!” Gordon stood from his crouch and stretched. He settled on the sofa, pulling his legs up and taking over its length. “Wanna watch Virgil’s program?”

John glanced at his watch. “Sure, if it’s not too late for you.”

“Pffft! I am on leave. I stay up late, I sleep in, even if it’s for one day.”

“Okay, then.” John turned on the vid, sliding the chip into the requisite slot. He backed up to the other end of the sofa. “Scoot over.”

Gordon obligingly removed his feet, but once John was seated, he shifted them back—right into John’s lap.

“Really?” A bright red eyebrow rose, accompanied by a turquoise glare. “Move them or I’ll move them for you.”

A sly smile and a waggle of sandy blond eyebrows said, as clearly as words could, “Bring it.”

The other red eyebrow rose, and a slight smile graced John’s lips. Long fingers started unlacing one of Gordon’s sneakers. Moving quickly, he stripped his brother of shoe and sock.

“Nononono!”

Gordon tried to pull his foot out of John’s firm grasp, without success. He pushed against his brother with the other shoe but not before John wiggled his fingers, using his fingertips against his brother’s bare sole.

“No! Not fair! No tickling!” Gordon thrashed about, laughing between words. “I give! I give!”

John stopped tickling. “Then don’t put your feet on my lap.”

“I won’t!”

John let go of his ankle. Gordon drew his knees up, turning onto his side, leaving room for his brother. He reached out to grab his dirty sock as John flung it at him.

They settled down and John called out, “Play video.”

The stage was outdoors, surrounded by booths and vendors and people passing by. Spectators stopped to listen then moved on, replaced by others. Virgil’s friends were a close-harmony quartet and he was usually in the background, accompanying them as they sang carols, white mist rising from their breath in the frosty air. The audience clapped, gloved or mittened hands thumping in muted appreciation.

Four times during the performance, Virgil and his playing took the spotlight. His hands, wearing fingerless gloves, danced over the keys as he brought “Winter Wonderland” to life. Then “Deck The Halls” spurred the audience to sing along. After a brief intermission, (“Probably to warm up his hands,” Gordon said, his eyes closed.)

His third piece was the gentle “Do You Hear What I Hear?” In his mind, John could hear his mother singing along as she played the song.

Virgil’s final solo was one neither John nor a sleepy Gordon knew, but their brother was putting his heart into it every poignant note.

The quartet sang two more carols after that, culminating with “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”. When they finished, and their audience showed their appreciation, the singers gestured to Virgil, clapping for him as he bowed.

The vid stopped there. John turned to Gordon to ask his opinion, and found his brother asleep. Chuckling quietly, John got up to fetch a blanket.

...

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #tag team secret santa #tag team secret santa 2022

21 notes · View notes