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rudemaidenswrite · 3 months ago

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Don't Belong Here

Part 5

part 4

By: @pusantheamazonian

Tag list: @rosecat5 @athenaricham-loves-orcs @pandainfinitely @rivalriotrenegade @rouge-fire175 @happymoonangel @the-witchs-posts

You don't know why but it's time. There's just something gnawing in your brain that Ronnie needs to meet them. Now that you two are officially dating. Because if they don't approve of him you're going to cut your own heart out. And you'll never be happy again.

Anxiety ridden. Biting the bullet, you give them a call. And it's picked up on the first ring.

"Y/N! I hope you're not calling to cancel tomorrow." Immediately the motherly scolding begins, somehow she knows something is going on.

"Actually quite the opposite."

"What's wrong?" Worry fills her voice.

"I was hoping I could bring someone with me. There's someone I'd like you to meet." Biting your lip, you know she's going to say yes. But you don't want to risk the chance that the answer will be no.

"Of course dear. You can bring whoever you need to." You can hear the relief in her voice.

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

One phone call down, now the other. But there's no telling what he's up to today so quick text will do.

Ronnie, would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow? They're some people I want you to meet.

God. Why is this so hard to ask? You've rewritten the question three times. Nervously you push send. It's not like you're inviting him to have lunch with your parents and meet them for the first time. No it's just Tog and Dura. The ones who have looked after you and babied you since you moved here.

Damn it. They are your parents. As much as you hate saying it out loud to anyone. They are. Besides Charlie and Olivia already call them that.

*Ding*

Sure.

Great! Meet at my place at 11am.

Breathing a sigh of relief. Now here's to hoping everything goes well.

These people must be important to you. You have refused to say anything else about this lunch or even acknowledge that it's happening. He's got to step it up today, he definitely needs to look like a regular person.

The importance of this lunch is killing you. You already sorta know how Tog feels about this but Dura will likely kill Ronnie if she disapproves.

"Where is that dress?" Grumbling while sorting through the closet. You know that dress Dura bought you is in here and for extra bonus points you have got to wear it. Ronnie will be here any minute and you're still in your underwear. Not that he wouldn't mind but now is not the time.

"Ah ha!" Finding the dress, somehow you tucked it into a garment bag and shoved it all the way in the back of the closet.

Slipping the dress on you barely have enough time to finish getting dressed when there is a knock on the door.

Opening the door you can't believe it's him. He's in crisp new jeans and a button up shirt. There's no way he can clean up this good.

"H-hi." Stumbling over your words you have to force yourself to focus.

Damn she's gorgeous. Hair and makeup done. Smelling like blackberries again. The soft blue dress has matching beading around the neckline and belt. He's never seen you in a dress before. He'll never say it out loud but you usually dress like you're homeless or just rolled out of bed. You oddly feel like home.

"You didn't say what to wear. Hope I chose right." Shrugging you see his ears twitching awkwardly.

"Yes." Actually you couldn't care less about what he wore. They'll find out he's part of the Fogteeth sooner or later.

"We are meeting some important people of mine for lunch. Just let me get my purse." Staying positive is the only way to make it through the day.

Important people? Worried who's so important that you won't say who it is? He picked up on the fake smile just now. You now have him worried about this meeting.

He's been driving for about twenty minutes towards the outskirts of the city with you giving directions. The neighborhood seems decent enough. A bunch of smaller homes and it seems strangely quiet for the most part.

"This one here. With the iron fence." Quickly pointing at the house a few yards down.

He pulls into a blacktop driveway beside a white brick bungalow. Getting out of the truck he's hit with a variety of strong smells. Vegetables and flowers but the most noticeable one is Orc.

Making your way around the truck, you grab his hand firmly and lead the way.

"Are you feeling okay? You keep biting your lips." Asking he knows the answer. You're not and it's worrisome. Nervousness and fear keep wafting off of you, getting stronger with every step.

"Just a little nervous." Shrugging you try not to give away how terrified you actually are.

"You're nervous?"

"Well, you're the first person I've brought home." Fidgeting you quickly push the doorbell.

“Brought home?” Confused, he couldn't have heard you right.

The door swings open before you can answer him. An old orc woman answers. Excitement covers her face.

"Y/N! My darling daughter, it's so good to see you." She's loud and excited. He's never smelt such happiness from an orc about a human.

"You saw me a few days ago." Smiling, you give her a quick hug.

"So? If I had it my way you wouldn't be able to leave the house." Teasing she pinches your cheeks.

"Mam!" Embarrassed, you shoo her hand away.

"Oh hush. I don't want any sass from you. Your sister has enough of it. Now who is this?"

"Mam this is Ronnie. He's the one I talked to you about. Ronnie, this is my mother Dura." You calmly gesture between the two.

It doesn't go unnoticed that you introduced her as your mother and the happy gasp that came from her. She knows you're not very public with telling people who they are.

"Come in! Come in! Lunch is almost ready. Your father is setting the table now." Grinning Dura nods inside.

Holding Ronnie's hand tightly you head to the dining room. Pausing slightly you see him finish setting the table.

"Pap this is Ronnie. Ronnie, this is my father Tog."

He instantly recognizes the old orc you call father. He was working that day, he caused a scene.

He's stunned. The ones you call mother and father are orcs. In a moment time feels frozen but moving at hyper speed. The realization hits him hard. You have brought him to meet your parents. That's a serious commitment step especially in Orc culture. You're basically presenting him to the chieftain; the leader; your father that he is your chosen mate.

"Y/N, come help." Dura asks from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Giving Ronnie a smile you quickly pat his arm before disappearing into the next room.

"When we are together as a family for meals. We speak in our mother tongue. It helps keep the language alive." Tog explains in Bodzvokhan, with a stern face gesturing for Ronnie to take a seat.

"It’s so that we don't forget how to speak it." You lean over to whisper as you put some food on the table.

"Charlie speaks it too?" Surprised that thought never occurred to him.

"Yeah and so does Olivia but she's still learning." Trying not to smile at Ronnie's confused face you sit down beside him.

"How did you two meet?" Dura questions, passing bowls of food around. Not giving Ronnie a chance to process anything.

"Ah um at a Fogteeth block party." You don't necessarily know how to explain it.

"Y/N! Since when do you party?" Shocked, Dura's disbelief is evident.

"Because your daughter signed me up for a fight club. So they all know me now." Huffy you make it known what her sassy daughter has been up to.

"Y/N! What have I said about fighting?" Frowning, Dura tsk's you.

"To knock them out in one punch." You pretend to punch someone.

"Dura's father was a boxer. That's how we met. I worked as an errand boy when I was a child at the gym where her father trained." Tog interjects.

Now it clicks in his mind about why you can fight. My God you're from a family of Orc boxers.

"Could be worse, you forget that Charlie and Olivia met at a strip club." Sighing the way you and Ronnie met wasn't entirely a bad way, just very unconventional.

"Why do I believe that?" Ronnie laughs.

“They were both waitresses. Cause Charlie can't dance and Olivia is accident prone.”

The rest of the lunch visit goes well. No red flags popped up. And watching Ronnie interact with them is nice. It's not often you or Charlie bring someone here. Only after two years of dating was Olivia introduced and Ryan was only after graduation.

Gathering the leftovers for Charlie and Olivia. You see Pap and Ronnie walk outside.

"Y/N."

"Yes Mam?" Turning you see how worried she is.

"Are you sure? This will affect your reputation." Dura nods at him.

"I know Mam."

"As long as you're sure. I worry about you the most." Sighing she knows that once you've decided something, that's all that matters.

"I know."

Cupping your face with both hands, she gives you a soft forehead kiss.

Waiting on the porch Tog finds now is the time to personally talk to Ronnie

Outside he can feel and smell the anger and suspicion from Tog. The air seems to be electrified.

"I say this once. Harm Y/N in any way and you will not get off so easily as before. I am from the old country. I know how to get things done."

Astonished he never thought he would be threatened like this. But it doesn't come as a complete surprise since he has been a jerk before because of stupidity.

"I don't plan on that happening again."

“Good. She's the most stubborn and sensitive of two. As you are well aware by now.”

Back at your apartment you quickly set the food on the counter and properly face Ronnie. You could tell he was thinking about stuff from how silent in the truck he was.

"Sorry I sprung this on you like this. I didn't know exactly how to say ‘come meet my parents who happen to be Orcs’.” Apologizing, you don't want him to be mad about today.

"Daughter?" Questioning he tugs on the shirt of your dress.

"Yeah. Basically adopted us. Me first, then when I said I had a sister they were ecstatic."

"They're never letting you go." He gently grabs your hand intertwining the fingers.

"Good cause I'm not letting them go." Smiling, you know it's the truth. If anything were to happen to them. You'd probably go crazy. "The first few years I lived here were harsh. I survived on my savings and their generosity. At one point I was living with them. After scrimping and saving. I had enough money to buy a decent house or a really good apartment. But then Pap lost his job at the factory. So in secret I bought that house for them. With the money I had left over, my sister moved in with me into an apartment."

Besides the fact that you were only eighteen when you moved here with everything you owned stuffed into your car. Thinking you were a badass with no definite plan. You skipped graduation as payback for your parents kicking you out on your eighteenth birthday and living with a friend for the last four months. That they took pity on your stupid self. Working two jobs and going to school full time. You had lost all control of time and self preservation. They made it their mission to make sure someone was taking care of you since you dropped the ball on it. Before deciding that it would be best if you were to move in, to pool resources. And them giving you courage to fully do what you want with support.

"What do their children think of this?"

"Their son Mek died as a child and never had any more." Shaking your head sadly. "Charlie and I joke that Mek is our guardian angel."

Smelling the sadness he changes the topic.

"So how is it with work then?" That's always been a question burning in his head. He's never heard of an orc to have an actual decent job.

"Manny is my full time assistant. Pap works as my part time assistant."

"How do you have orcs as assistants?" There's no way you have that many Orcs actually working with you.

"The loophole is that I'm allowed to have two assistants of my choosing. They have to pass a background check and be personally trained by me." Giggling you boop his nose at your secret.

"Damn. That's a good loophole."

"Manny already knows us, he used to work at the same factory. So why not? I choose my father and a family friend that acts like my big brother." You start to fidget with his buttons.

"You've never said your parents are orcs. Why?" Taking a risk, the question makes you ooze out sadness and loneliness.

"Granted they've probably already had their share of hate. It throws everyone off at first but they taught me how real parents should act. I love them so much I just want to freeze time and wrap them up in bubble wrap." Sighing there's just an unexplainable love for Dura and Tog. "I don't want anything to happen to them. And just shouting to the world that my parents are Orcs will cause unnecessary hate."

Pausing he lets everything sink in. Everything he knows and what he found out today. “Sprinkles, you are the most complicated person I have ever met. With an immensely kind heart."

"Thanks." A defeated chuckle escapes. "Besides, you have no idea how restricted and complicated the adoption process is. But to adopt from another race is nearly impossible. The only successful cases were those involving half breeds but then they were only allowed to be adopted by whatever races they were a part of."

"How do you know this?"

"When I was nineteen I wanted them to adopt me. So I went and got the paperwork and researched everything. But I wasn't able to do anything about it, besides this country doesn't recognize adult adoption as being legal."

"That's bullshit!" Scoffing that's ridiculous.

"I know!"

#reader insert #rudemaidenswrite #bright fandom #orc x reader #orc boyfriend #monster boyfriend #meet the parents #orc x human #Surprise #orc #Orc

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partyinthemysterymachine · 10 months ago

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hello, everyone. this will be my first and only time i will be publicly addressing this. i am not answering questions about this, and for the first time ever, i am also disallowing anons.

first of all, i want to say that i've chosen to address this now out of my own volition. because i do not find it fair at all that i have felt that i could NOT address it at any point in order to maintain peace and harmony during, and in the wake of the event.

however, i feel that due to the nature of what happened, and the absolute damage that it has done to my mental health, that i must, in order to further my own recovery from it all, and as so no longer feel bullied into silence.

there will be no names mentioned. this is not a vaguepost. this is my formal statement for my own peace of mind and progressing on my path towards recovery.

if you know, you know; and if you don't, you don't.

so.

let's talk.

throughout this past year i have been the target of a smear campaign concerning GOOMT. it actually began late 2022, but escalated long into 2023.

what entailed was nothing short of bad faith reading and interpretation from someone whose skill in character analysis was something i'd admired. in fact, i had agreed many a time with how they'd interpreted characters and the world of Silent Hill. although my interaction with said person had historically been minimal, it had been civil, and i strived to be respectful of them.

i am unfortunately unsure of what caused this, or why it happened at all; and i do not think they know either. what i do know is that many upon many lies were told about what i write, and that it turned needlessly personal on many occasions. people were turned against me for one reason another, and i'm saddened to have seen this happen.

i stayed quiet during it all. i did what many people facing ruthless targeted harassment do, and pretended i didn't know in hopes of minimizing damage, and in hopes of responsible parties losing interest; but this did not happen. i was sent bad faith anons, i was subject to lies, and saw hypocrisy.

and i understood who they were and why they were here. they were looking for "gotcha's!" that didn't exist, digging for reasons to further vilify me.

worse, the bullying was praised. it was encouraged, and it was near-constant. a whole tag was created. the intent was to hurt and isolate me, and it did. it did hurt me, and it did make me feel isolated, and i withdrew quite a bit.

but i did not stop writing. it took longer for me to post, but i did not stop writing.

and moreover?

i REFUSE to stop writing.

i write a fanfic for a fandom i love. i am as how you see me and how i present myself. i'm enthusiastic and encouraging to others because that is genuinely how i feel. i LOVE to see others create. i LOVE to see the vast amount of interpretations, and silliness, and new OCs and pairings and OC/canon pairings, and i LOVE to see others thrive.

and i am in competition with exactly no one.

i did nothing wrong. i KNOW i did nothing wrong. i also know that those involved know that i did nothing wrong, and i did nothing to deserve the treatment i received, no matter how they try to justify it to themselves.

the behavior i faced, and how others reacted with encouragement and cheer is becoming too common and too normalized.

and it needs to stop.

i've been in therapy for the better part of my life. although i've been without a therapist since i've moved, i've finally found one to not only continue my lifelong recovery in other matters, but to help myself recover from what i faced this year.

i am extremely hurt. i know that this was the goal, and it has succeeded. if hearing this fills those involved with pride and glee, then something is wrong, because that should not elicit that reaction. i am extremely, deeply disappointed in those involved for this, and all the hypocrisy, and all the contradictions, and all the willful bad faith asks sent and posts made.

and i have done nothing wrong.

i do not hate anyone. i do not hate who started this, or even who engaged with them; and i never did.

it is okay if someone doesn't like what or how i write. in fact, i have made multiple posts about how i view my attitude towards my writing. one of the points i have made is that i encourage people who do not like what i write, to NOT read it.

there is a very old saying on fandom internet: Don't Like? Don't Read. now, this should be obvious, but the practice of hate-reading is an extremely unhealthy behavior that has, again, become unfortunately normalized in the recent handful of years.

unlearn hate-reading. you do not read to read anything you do not like. it, in many cases, can actually constitute as self-harm. and if you choose to do this, it is not the author's fault.

it is yours. and you need to take responsibility for your own actions.

there are people here who were needlessly cruel to me and who i feel do not feel a lick of remorse for what they've done. i hope some day that they can reflect with a clearer head and understand, and take some responsibility for their actions.

and i genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, with full raw sincerity, hope that they do get to heal; that they do learn and grow; that they UNlearn these toxic behaviors; are able to move away from people who exhibit them; find the courage and strength to stand up for themselves and/or others, to end the cycle; and that they understand that i do not hate them, and that i wish them full success in their future health and endeavors.

that said, i hope all involved will never forget the harm they have done. i hope they cringe. i hope it keeps them up at night, and i dearly hope they actually regret their actions, or at some point come to regret it.

i do not hate any one of them, and i won't. i never will.

and never will anyone involved ever be forgiven for it either.

most of all - and on a much lighter note - i want to say thank you to those who supported me during this time. your patience and reassurance has been a saving grace that words unfortunately cannot do justice. you are precious to me, and i love you all, and i hope that i can be just as strong and supportive to you in your times of need.

thank you too to all my readers, my followers, and my friends. i'm sorry to have been largely absent this past year, but this was the reason why. next year it will be better, not just for me, but for all of us. i promise. i love you all.

i also love me, my art, my writing as a whole, and myself. i am a tough cookie. i may have cried a lot, i may have gotten frustrated and angry, but i am human. i'm allowed to feel this way, and i will feel this way for a while as i heal, yet i refuse to be bitter; and i refuse to stop loving what i do.

because i love GOOMT. i love developing GOOMT, i love drawing for GOOMT, and i love writing GOOMT. i always will love GOOMT, no matter how many years more it takes for me to write it. so thank you to all who have read and enjoyed GOOMT, and have matched my enthusiasm for it and its future. i am so, SO blessed to have you here, and i am SO excited to spin my story.

and i am so, SO glad to be alive to be able to share my piece of this silly foggy world with you.

cheers, mates. i look forward to a new year, better health for me and all, and to what beautiful things we can create and share together.

i love you - and i promise that we will be okay.

for we are alive, and with wounds that WILL heal.

#ches writes

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mitamicah · 3 months ago

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New look but same old commissions!!

I updated my commission sheet so it also fit with IG - all information is the same as the previous (x)

I will link terms and conditions under the line :3

Terms and Conditions

1 General Information

At this time, I will be taking digital art commissions only.

Standard canvas size: 1200x1600 px, 300 dpi.

It is possible to ask for a different canvas size - the price will be raised for a bigger canvas and lowered slightly for a smaller one.

I have a limit of up to 5 characters per canvas unless something else is agreed upon.

Are you interested in a style not featured feel free to ask me and I can give you an offer.

2 Ownership

As the artist I own the final product: Please credit me if you post it (with permission) and do not delete the signature.

The art must not be used commercially.

3 Drawing limits

Things I will draw;

OCs; Shipart (within reason); Humans/humanoids; Animals of the canine, feline or equine families (cats, dogs and horses); Dragons; Anthropomorphic characters (to an extend); Children (to an extend); Elderly characters (to an extend); Fanart (more later); Armour (to an extend)

Things you have to ask me about;

SFW nudity; Muscular men or women; Big-busted women; (Mild) Gore; Monsters with undefined features; Birds, big fish and other less often drawn animals (eg. goats, rhinos, elephants, bears etc.)

Thing I won’t draw

NSFW nudity and scenes; Hateful art (lgbt-phobia, racistic, ableism etc.); Fetish art; Super detailed backgrounds

Specifically about fanart

I will gladly draw fanart of properties (movies, franchises, books etc.) that I know of and may also be persuaded to try fanart for stuff that I don’t know.

Please keep in mind that no matter what I will draw it in my style; I won’t replicate the style from a specific show/manga/book etc.

4 Work in Progress updates

I'll send work in progress (WIP) pieces when I am done sketching. Exceptions will happen when:

The owned art is a sketch drawing.

You communicate that you are not interested in wips

5 Payment options

At this time, Payment will happen through paypal only.

I will send you an invoice using the PayPal address you've stated in the commission form (more later).

The invoice will be in Danish Kroner, DKR.

Please do NOT send any money before I've accepted your commission.

Please pay within 3 days of getting the invoice - if this is not possible send me a dm/mail.

Have I not recieved the payment within the 3 days' deadline, the deal is off.

It is not possible to split the payment. (aka paying half now and the other half later)

6 Refunds

As a commissioner you can get refunds before I send the first wip and/or if I do not update you within 14 days.

updating include the following;

sending you notes about the progress.

showing you wips of the progress.

being tagged in posts about possible setbacks.

If you decide to cancel your commission following the description above, you get 75% of your money back (little fee of asking for a refund).

If you want refunds for any other reason than stated above, the same rules still apply IF you ask before the first wip has been sent.

If you ask for refunds AFTER the first wip the percentage will be calculated depending on how far I've gotten in the drawing process.

7 How to order

If want to commission me, please either DM me or send me a mail at [email protected]

If you want to make it easier for me you can fill in this form:

Username:

Offer: (eg. sketch bust)

Character(s): the name(s) and pronouns of your character/person(s) you want me to draw (to make sure I don’t misgender any character/person I may not know).

Reference(s): reference picture(s) of each character/person – (I prefer fullbodies for original characters). Please choose reference pictures in a good quality.

Background: (if you are not interested in a background or are indifferent, please tell me so as well).

Paypal adresss: (e-mail that I may send the paypal invoice to).

Other: some other details worth knowing - do you have a pose or expression in mind? do you not want wips? Etc.

#commissions #open commissions #my art #my own art #micahs foolery

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dchan87 · 1 month ago

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I hope you know that you are practically the only person posting on the Anti Free Palestine tag. I hope you know that, while you have those who will listen to you, people in general are not on your side.

I hope you know that people will not listen to you, will not take you seriously, and, most importantly will not come to defend you; Everything to do with the situation should tell you that. Everything.

Every tweet. Every Instagram post. Every self-victimizing post from the inside of a mansion crying about the supposed danger posed by Palestinian mothers and children.

Every post celebrating the death of innocent civilians. Every comment underneath a photo of a child that made it out in time telling him that he will not be safe for long. Every laugh, every jeer. Everything.

I have never seen anything as vile as the way Palestinians are talked about by Israelis. Israelis call them sub-human, Arab rats. They celebrate when Palestinians die. They laugh at the misfortune of small children.

There is nothing as horrible as targeting civilians and then making them out to be the villains. The Israeli occupation of Palestine has been going on for *decades*, but you and yours simply sweep it away in favor of the front they want to present: That Palestinians are, somehow, the ones targeting Israelis. That Israel is the victim here. That they’ve done nothing wrong. That there is no blood on their hands.

Dismiss this all you want. Don’t read it. Delete it. Answer it with no comment. Never look at it again. It makes no difference.

Because you can’t pretend that you didn’t get this message. You can’t delude yourself into believing you never received the truth and chose not to look at it. You can’t pretend that you don’t know. Nobody can.

They will, though. They will try. In a few years, someone, I don’t know who, but someone, will apologize. Will say that they didn’t know. And we will not give you the chance.

We will not give you the chance to pretend. We will not give you the chance to fake-cry. We will not give you the chance to say that you are sorry.

Because everyone who opposes freedom for Palestine had a chance, days, months, years ago, to stand for its liberation. They have a chance right now. They will tomorrow, next month, next year. There will be no one who didn’t have a chance, and we will not let vile people pretend that they didn’t have a choice.

You have a choice. You and everyone you know has a choice. Take it now. Free Palestine.

Goddamn, that was filled with more strawmen than an Iowa cornfield. Do you send that to everyone who's called out antisemitism?

Cuz here's the deal: I refuse to back a movement so rotten to the core, based on hate, lies, and distortions, wrapped in human rights language.

I do not tolerate harassing random schmucks on the street about a conflict an ocean away.

I do not tolerate scaring the living daylights out of those same people.

I do not tolerate equally genocidal rhetoric coming from your side.

I do not tolerate throwing other marginalized communities under the bus

I do not tolerate a movement so eager to throw democracy away just because they didn't get everything they wanted

I do not tolerate stanning for murderous, genocidal terrorist organizations.

I do not tolerate celebrating terrorism.

I do not tolerate the demonization of an entire country, and wishing for its destruction.

And I do not tolerate celebrating the slaughter of over 1,000 innocent people.

But most importantly, I *WILL* stand by the Jewish friends I have made in my life.

Palestine should have a state, but first, they must recognize that Israel is not going anywhere. No more denial of the history of the region, no more demonization of their fellow human beings, no more pipe dreams. No more wishing to kill every single Jew between the river and the sea. Get realistic. I will happily criticize the Israeli government and extremists on the Israeli side, but the free-palestine movement deserves all the criticism they get.

Also, are you threatening me?

#dchan87 answers #anonymous #israel #antisemitism #october 7 #anti free palestine

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flightfoot · 1 year ago

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IF YOURE STILL FEELING LIKE giving recommendations... do you have any for post-pappilon pre-reveal...? thank youu

Okay so, I'm mainly using tags in my bookmarks to find these which isn't super reliable, but I can give at least a few good ones! I'm sticking with only completed fics once again.

Under Oath by @eoscenes

In the aftermath of Hawk Moth's defeat, Ladybug finds her heart torn between her schoolgirl crush and her superhero partner ― who returns, after an unexplained hiatus, more irresistible than ever. ⋆☆⋆ Gabriel Agreste is unmasked, and Paris rises up in the aftermath. Marinette Dupain-Cheng must weather Paris' anxious protesters, ravenous reporters, a scattered team of judiciary investigators, and her conflicting feelings for two different boys. In the eye of this storm is the elusive Adrien Agreste, the primary witness in his own father's trial, who might just hold the secret to finding the Peacock Miraculous. (If only she wasn't in love with him.) Meanwhile, locked away in Le Grand Paris hotel, Adrien grapples with his responsibilities to a city that can't decide if it hates or loves him. Keeping his daytime persona and Chat Noir separate entities becomes even harder when Ladybug, whom he has finally decided to get over, starts visiting him at night, determined to figure his secrets out. (If only he wasn't in love with her.) When an unknown figure returns with the Peacock Miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir will have to save their city once more — or lose each other trying.

This Distance Between Us by @coffeebanana

After defeating Monarch, the search for the Peacock Miraculous brings Ladybug and Chat Noir to a hotel room in London. But it's hard to enjoy the victory when Ladybug can't figure out why Chat's been so quiet, why he seems so sad. How's she supposed to help if she has no idea what's wrong?

When Secrets Come Undone by SortaArtsy

Ladybug promised not to tell Adrien... but she never promised not to confide in Cat Noir. What happens when Ladybug unintentionally vents to the one person who wasn't meant to know any of it? ****MAJOR SEASON 5 SPOILERS WARNING! **** May not be season 6 compliant when it comes out.

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missing person (at the window) by @coffeebanana

Adrien expected to spend another night staring at the ceiling and ignoring his friends' messages, as he'd done every night since his father was unmasked as Shadow Moth. But when Ladybug falls through his bedroom window, he gets a little more than he bargained for.

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drowning (in plain sight) by @buggachat

Everybody had expected Monarch's defeat to be a moment of triumph. Nobody had expected Gabriel Agreste, unmasked and mind frayed from continual abuse of the miraculous, crying out to all who would listen and making Paris certain of one thing: His son, Adrien Agreste, is one of his sentimonsters. And now he's missing. Nobody can find him— not even the superheroes, and not even his closest friends. But Marinette, Nino, and Alya aren't ones to give up so easily. They'll find him, no matter what it takes. (But, geez, would it kill Chat Noir to lend a hand?)

---

metamorphosis by @peachcitt

I was thinking about that time you hated me.” “Why?” "I don’t know." “I didn’t.” “I know.” or three years after hawkmoth's defeat, marinette is still trying to figure out her version of normal. there's also sleepovers.

---

The Parable of the Caller by @nemaliwrites

A week after Hawk Moth’s identity has been revealed, Adrien finds himself with nowhere to go, nothing he can do, and worst of all, strange gaps in his memory he can’t explain. In a stroke of luck, he stumbles upon a burner phone filled with voicemails from one of the Saviors of Paris: Chat Noir himself, who disappeared following Hawk Moth’s arrest.

But with each new voicemail Adrien listens to, he’s forced to confront the fact that there might be some kind of connection between himself and Chat Noir — and discovering it might leave him more broken than before.

#ask #miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #adrienette #drowning (in plain sight)#ml fanfic rec

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spotsandsocks · 1 year ago

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Fuck it Friday

Tagged by the adorable and wonderful @panbuckley @hippolotamus @wildlife4life @honestlydarkprincess sharing a fic that I loved writing and sharing. Posting now cos I’m off the deepest darkest wales today so who knows what kind of Internet access I’ll find this week.

Tagging to share if they want to @ronordmann who made the wonderful cover @shortsighted-owl @prince-buck-diaz @heartshapedvows @heartbeatdiaz @thewolvesof1998 @fiona-fififi @alyxmastershipper @monsterrae1 @rogerzsteven @spaceprincessem @wikiangela @the-likesofus @like-the-rest-of-la @princessfbi @cowboy-buddie @buddierights @housewifebuck @stagefoureddiediaz @elvensorceress @bekkachaos @thekristen999 @megsvstheworld @mysteriouslyyounggalaxy - and vos it fic I’ve tagged some new people too hope you don’t mind… anyone else tag me in I love to see what you’re up to - don’t be shy 💕

Who You Gonna Call?

Call 1: Silence fills the room as soon as Eddie hangs up the phone. He’d known something was wrong the second he’d seen his Dad’s caller ID pop up at 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon. It had been a quick call, just long enough to update him on the situation, his Dad had been keen to get back to Abuela, Eddie doesn’t blame him, he wishes he could be there too. He hates that she’s moved away even though he knows it made sense. He just misses her so much, worries about her too, even more now.

His phone is still in his hand so he doesn’t really think much about what he’s doing, just makes the call. It’s picked up in under three rings and Eddie breathes out a heavy greeting.

‘Hey. It’s me.” Although Buck knows that, caller ID and all.

He gets a “Hey,” right back and then after a brief pause Buck asks the question Eddie knew he would.

“You ok?” There’s quite concern in his friend’s voice, he already knows something’s wrong. Eddie guesses there must have been something in his voice to give it away, even if he has only said three words. He doesn’t know why he’s surprised, Buck’s good like that. He knows people, he sees things people don’t expect him to and he cares. Eddie knows he’s lucky to be one of the people Buck cares about.

“Not really,” Eddie sniffs and he can just imagine Buck stopping whatever he was doing and frowning in worry. It’s an expression he’s quite familiar with but he hasn’t seen too much of lately, not now things are getting a little better for him.

“My Dad called, it’s my Abuela.” He takes a deep slightly shuddering breath, “she’s in the hospital, they’re doing tests and things but no one's sure what’s wrong, Dad tried to play it down but I could tell he was worried.”

“And now you’re thinking about plane tickets right?” The understanding is instant, Eddie nods and confirms Bucks guess.

“Yeah, I can’t go, I know that and I’m glad he told me but..”

“You’re too far away and you feel useless.”

Again he nods, a small huff of air escapes too, Buck knows him well.

“I’m gonna call her later, Dad said she’s sleeping.”

“She’ll like that, give her my love.” A heartbeat later Buck says “You want me to come over?”

He does but what he says is “No it’s ok, you’re busy. I just wanted to talk to you.”

Buck’s voice is soft, “Anytime Eds. I’m always here, you know that.”

They hang up not long afterwards, Eddie feeling slightly better having spoken to someone. No, having spoken to Buck, who’s right, he is always there for him. Every time. Eddie’s still not sure what he’s done to deserve it but he’s glad, so very glad he has Buck in his life.

Call 2

Caller ID tells him it’s Buck’s calling and he doesn’t even wait for Eddie to say hi, just jumps in with,

“Eddie! You have to help! Maddie’s going to kill me.”

“What have you done now?” Eddie knows that tone, he waits to hear what minor crisis Buck finds himself in today.

“I’ve lost Jee’s favourite teddy. Maddie just called and Jee’s distraught.”

Eddie thinks Buck’s worked himself up into a similar state by the sound of him.

“Ok, calm down.”

“I am calm.”

“You’re really not, ok, take a sec and...”

“I’ve looked everywhere, Jee will never forgive me, Maddie won’t either.”

“Buck you were here this morning, let me check, maybe it fell out somewhere.”

“Please find it Eddie, I’m a terrible Uncle.”

Eddie rolls his eyes as he pulls cushions around and looks under and behind couches and chairs.

“You’re a fantastic Uncle. Jee loves you. Maddie loves you too. A lost teddy isn’t going to change that .”

“I don’t know Eds. She really loves that bear.”

His hand closes around something fluffy under one of his chairs, he pulls it out and recognises the bear Jee had had earlier.

“Well it’s a good job I’ve found it then.”

“You have!? Oh thank god!” he can just imagine Buck's face, the way he’s throwing his head back, exposing his neck, mouth open as he sighs in relief. He gets lost in the image for a moment then shakes himself free.

“I’ll run it over to Maddie for you, I’m closer.”

“Thank you, thank you, you're the best man, I mean it.”

He laughs, he’s glad he could help wipe Buck’s distress away, a quick trip to Maddie and Chim’s is the very least he can do for Buck.

Eddie knows he’d do almost anything for his friend, but all he says is “No problem, just glad I can help reunite a girl with her bear.” before he hangs up, bear in hand ready to save Buck’s neck from his niece’s tears and sister’s wrath

Read on AO3

#buddie #911 fox #eddie diaz #evan buckley #spotty scribbles #buddie fic #fuck it friday #911 fic

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shachaai · 4 months ago

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Twenty Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by @zipegs. Thank you, Hunter! These were interesting questions to think about.

Tagging: @needcake and @dr-fumbles-mcstupid! No pressure on either of you, but have at if you'd like.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

198! Hetalia really upped the work count out of all my fandoms, but I also crossposted a lot of my better Yu-Gi-Oh fics from my days back on FF.net. I've still got a huge amount to crosspost from LJ, DW and tumblr though.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

998,583. It's taken me 14 years on AO3 but my next fic update is going to finally take me over a million words and I'm so excited!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

My main fandom right now is Hannibal (and the associated HEU), but I'm also working on some uber long Hetalia works in the background. (The latter won't see the light of day until they've got a substantial amount done for them.) I started out posting fic online with Yu-Gi-Oh, then Death Note and Yuri on Ice. I've also worked on a lot of fics for CLAMP's works, primarily Tsubasa, Cardcaptor Sakura and XxXHolic.

4. Top five fics by kudos?

Due to the kudos requirement, this is obviously only from my stuff on AO3 (because I actually think an anon work I wrote on a kinkmeme back in the day would also feature here otherwise). 1. Commencer Par La Faim (Hannibal) - 1,470 2. The Lindworm's Lullaby (Hannibal) - 503 3. if(touched by love's own secret)we (Yuri on Ice) - 382 4. Apples (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles) - 379 5. Heartbox (Hetalia) - 299 The last one completely mystifies me.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I really try to. I've got much better about responding to comments in the past few years, I think, but I'm still more likely to remember to respond to comments on WIP longfics than on oneshots. (Sorry!!!) Lately, I've fallen into the habit of replying to comments on the most current chapter of a multichaptered fic as I'm doing the final edits on the next chapter, because they often prompt me not to forget things. ;;; (So, if you receive a belated reply to your comment on a WIP, I'm likely going to update it soon.) I really do appreciate every comment though, and they've been such a source of inspiration and good feeling over the years. I'm still going back and trying to say thank you to comments left on my works years ago... It's late, but I do want to express my thanks.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Bold of you to assume I ever finish anything. I don't tend to write works that have endings that fall primarily into the angst territory (I don't think!). Bittersweetness, usually. A lot of my hetalia stuff is technically angsty because it's open-ended and based on real history and history sucks. Obviously it's not posted yet, but the ending to Commencer Par La Faim is probably going to get people coming after me with torches and pitchforks. For posted works, I guess I'll go with my first ever completed multichaptered work from my YGO days: Both Sides of the Border. The whole fic is an exploration of love, remembrance and death (as best as I could write it as a purple prose-obsessed 15 year-old).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Bold of you to assume I ever finish anything x2. Many of my hetalia oneshots fill me with the warm n' fuzzies due to their endings. Yes, this answer is a cop-out.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

None currently, but I have done on multiple separate occasions in the past.

9. Do you write smut?

I do, but it doesn't come to me easily at all. I wish I was a better smut writer and I'm really working on it, but I still don't think my current stuff is up to where I want it be. People seem to enjoy it though, so I must be doing something right? At least a little?

10. Craziest crossover?

...Sorry, I'm blanking. I wrote YGO/Harry Potter back in the day, and I've Daemon AUs all over the place (His Dark Materials). CLAMP fanworks are all, technically, huge crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Once, a YGO piece I'd rather not mention now. My concepts have gotten ripped off a bunch over the years though - which I wouldn't even mind, I'm delighted to share my ideas freely (and, hell, not have to write the fics I want to see myself!), but if you're going to use my exact phrasing (and hours of research!) in your work could you at least give me a mention? It's a little hurtful sometimes, but I try not to let it bother me unless it's super overt.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I gave full permission for someone on a private Chinese fanpage to translate any of my engport works into Mandarin, and I know they translated a lot of the oneshots! (Obviously, I can't link you.) athousandnights translated the prancing and pawing of each little hoof into Mandarin. VanessaLocke translated Splinters & Mosaics into Vietnamese. @dr-fumbles-mcstupid/Dr_Fumbles_McStupid is also currently poddficcing my WIP fic, Poems - translating to audio.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! In every kind of way. It's wonderful to do with a friend/someone you have a good rapport with, and it's a good way to develop a friendship, I think. I still find the thought of co-writing with a stranger assigned to work with me nerve-wracking though, and those situations have never worked out terribly well for me in the past. @-@ I'm currently doing a lot of 'alpha reader' work for a few friends. It's the writing part of writing a fic that isn't really putting down the words. (Plotting, pacing, research, editing.) I'm too busy with my own solo work to do any more right now.

14. All time favourite ship?

Haven't got one. I've got my darlings across every fandom I've looked at and written for.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

>> << Honestly, if it's something I want to finish I refuse to doubt that I will finish it. There's always hope.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Writing about food and scents. I've been told I'm pretty good with conveying the senses associated with them pretty well, and I've been scolded frequently by readers for making them hungry with my food scenes! (This is a fantastic source of glee to me now that I'm writing in a fandom where the food is, often, people. Accidentally converting people to cannibalism one fic at a time.) I also think I'm pretty good at writing about clothes - how they look, how they're put on and taken off, the sensation and movement of fabric - and capturing the voices of characters. Also, mostly because of a lot of the above, establishing a setting by sneaking in lore.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Long and extremely complicated sentences. I'm trying to get better at this, but commas, hyphens, colons and semi-colons are my comfort blanket. (Periods? Never heard of her.) The utter inability to shut up. Every fic is longfic these days. ...How incredibly slowly I write.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

It can be incredibly interesting, scintillating and useful, adding a lot to a fic - in moderation. Dropping huge paragraphs in the middle of your work in a language that isn't the main one you're writing in is just confusing and offputting, in my opinion, but sprinkles here and there offer insight into your worldbuilding and your characters' backgrounds/voices. I do occasionally write characters speaking other languages in my work, but I've usually got to have a good reason for it. I don't always provide translations either - but when I don't, it's also for a reason. XD;;; It's usually either that I'm keeping secrets from the reader, I think the speech is evident given the context, or I want the reader to have the delight of discovering what what I've written means (this usually means it's a funny pun).

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Cardcaptor Sakura - or Cardcaptors, as the dub was called in the UK. I was 8 and got hooked, and got my two closest friends hooked, and I got so upset that it finished I wrote fanfic for it to tie up loose emotional ends in the plot. XD;;; The first fanfic I ever wrote and posted online was for Yu-Gi-Oh, on FF.net. I was 11. The first chapter was up for a week before I read more works and realised how bad a writer I was, and I took it down immediately. My first months in proper fandom were a sharp learning curve!

20. Favourite fic you've written?

I'm gonna be a sappy loser here and say 'everything I've written (even the unposted stuff) for the Gods AU' and Commencer Par La Faim. I'm so glad I worked up the courage all those years ago to approach Eden (@edencomplex) and Hoof (@hoofae) and ask if I could write something for this cool AU they were chattering about and drawing stuff for. I found two wonderful friends and a wider home in a little corner of fandom, and the AU itself really expanded my ability to research things and develop different writing styles. I'm working on more things for the AU now because I really do want to finish it as my, Hoof's and Eden's legacy - and, of course, in Eden's memory. Commencer Par La Faim is a WIP, but I think it's rapidly become a favourite for me because it's the culmination of so many different things. It's brought me friends in the Hannibal fandom. It's a crowning - and bloody good, imo - example of my developed and mature voice as a writer. And it's so fun to work on. I also think it's a fantastic little bite of the a/b/o trope. I've done a lot with a/b/o across fandoms and over the years, and CPLF has really drawn all my scattered thoughts together and, I think, made something really unique amongst all the different presentations of it online. I'm still working on the fic, of course, but I'm proud of what I have achieved with it so far and I believe it will continue to be beloved to me.

#writing about writing rather than writing again

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quietwings-fics · 4 months ago

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what do we call it

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandom: Doctor Who Ship: Thoschei (Spydoc) Additional Tags: Blood and Violence, Complicated Relationships, Injury, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Post-Episode: s12e10 The Timeless Children Wordcount: 651 Summary:

They call a temporary truce.

Prompt:

"Spydoc? 👀 Doing both the hurt and comfort. Eventually you get tired of all the fighting."

The Doctor can feel the Master struggling for breath beneath her hands, every pulse and clench of his throat as his eyes bulge. She bears down. Blood drips down her chin and splashes across him as he writhes with base survival instincts while the part of him that horrifies her more grins wider as he suffocates.

She can’t do it. Her grip loosens. He sucks in a breath so fast that it must scrape raw down his throat. His mouth twists as the giddy edge of death and oxygen deprivation fades. He snaps his hips beneath her, knocking her forward so that he can throw her off to the side. Her back hits the dirt with a thud. She braces herself for him to take the upper hand.

He doesn’t move. She can hear him breathing harshly beside her, see the heavy rise and fall of his chest if she lets her eyes slide towards him. She looks up.

Her whole body aches like a bruise. Her arm, especially, radiates pain from when he caught it and yanked it nearly out of its socket. Her own blood coats half of her face, drying warm and sticky on her lips. She’s trying not to think about the sharp pressure in the side of her abdomen or what it might mean for the squishy organs there that are supposed to remain unpunctured by anything to keep her alive.

“You knocked two of my teeth out,” the Master says.

“Good,” she snaps back. He giggles, against his best interest when his lungs are still struggling to fill, and it comes out painful like he’s choking on it.

She wishes he would shut up. If he did, she could close her eyes and lay still in the grass and pretend…

Pretend her friend is laying in the grass beside her, naming stars. But the sky is the wrong color, and the grass isn’t as soft, and the Master is trying to stop laughing so he can breathe.

“Did you really think I always acted like I was special?” she asks as he quiets.

“You did.” He sounds sure of himself, and it’s crueler than him trying to break her neck earlier. It shouldn’t matter, of all the things he’s done, but-

“So we were never friends, then? That’s what you believe.”

“I never said that,” and that’s sharper still, like nothing she says will do anything but give him more excuses to hate her. She supposes, in that respect, they aren’t so different. “We were never equals, and you knew that.”

“Were we friends, Koschei?” she persists.

He’s silent. She watches him breathe. All she can taste is her blood.

“Are we, Doctor?”

No, she should answer. Never again, she wants to answer. You were right, we never were, and that means I’m free, that means I don’t have to care the next time my hands are around your throat, she thinks as she curls her hands into fists.

But she doesn’t answer.

“Call it a draw, today?” she says, exhausted. “You want to try and kill me again tomorrow, fine.” The Master sits up, and she hears him spit something out of his mouth.

“Three teeth,” he mutters.

“If it fell out because you were poking at it, that’s not my fault.” He could very easily attack her. Or she could get him while his back is turned. And they could do this forever. They probably will.

You might, says a new, awful voice she has to deal with these days. He’ll die before you do, if you ever can.

She forces that thought down as deep as it can go. She doesn’t want to consider that world. Not again.

It’s the most selfish thing she can do: want him alive.

She shuts her eyes again, lets the grass brush her cheeks, and listens to his breath shudder in and out of his chest.

(Enjoyed it? Any interaction is welcomed. You can even support me on Ko-Fi <3)

#fanfiction #prompt fic #101-1000 #teen and up audiences #doctor who #thoschei #spydoc #thirteenth doctor #the doctor #dhawan!master #the master #blood #violence #h/c #angst

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nowis-scales · 11 months ago

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Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

General Warnings: Drunken Behaviour (but only the silly kind)

Fandoms: Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Relationships: Faye/Rinea, Berkut/Rinea (past), Faye & Gray

Additional Tags: Christmas Party, Hanukah Party also, Fluff, Drunken Flirting, Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Post Berkut/Rinea Break-Up, Secret Crush, Gray is inadvertently Faye's wingman

Chapter Word Count: 7,607 words

Story Summary:

Faye shouldn’t confess… but that doesn’t mean she can’t flirt with Rinea a little, right? Possibly by asking her to join their holiday party?Oh Mila. What is he thinking? Or, rather, what is he getting himself into? He never was able to resist a damsel in distress, even if he was very adamant that that damsel should be dating his friend instead of him.

______________________________________________________________

In which Gray's spiking of the eggnog at the Ram Village kids' Christmas party has... unforeseen consequences when Faye's crush on Rinea comes into the equation.

[Read it on AO3.]

None of them knew that Gray spiked the eggnog.

That was just the problem, wasn’t it? The fact that Gray spiked the eggnog. If they had lucidity to ask why, they all knew what he would probably say.

“You guys are all so reserved. Celica’s too much of a lady, and Alm won’t do anything that Celica won’t do. And if Celica and Alm won’t do something, then Faye definitely won’t do that thing. Tobin’s always getting on my case for not being responsible enough, so he’d never agree, and honestly these days it just seems like Kliff hates fun overall. This is supposed to be a holiday party, so let’s make it a holiday party!”

Gray spiked the eggnog, and that was just the problem – that is just the problem. Gray spiked the eggnog, and now all his friends are drunk, and they are starting to decide that some very bad ideas are, instead, very good ones.

Being the only one who knew about the unique addition to the concoction, this is also what made him the most sober. Being the most sober also made him the designated group babysitter.

It probably wouldn’t have been a problem if the eggnog hadn’t been so damn good. Gray wouldn’t even say that he liked eggnog most of the time, but Faye’s nana had made this batch, and it was the best he’d ever tasted. The gods of cloves and cinnamon must have blessed Faye’s nana with some magnificent sense, because everything about her eggnog was just perfect. It was rich, creamy, and cool, and the balance of spices just made the beverage sing. He could have thrown back more than a few mugfuls, and that’s as someone who isn’t even a fan. His friends, on the other hand, could easily fill their bellies to the brim just happily drinking away. And, much to his shock, that’s exactly what he did.

The brandy didn’t seem to affect them at first. The first couple of cups, it was no big deal. Kliff commented that the flavour was a little different than usual. Tobin agreed, but said that the new one wasn’t bad. Faye said she’d ask her nana what spices she used to make it this year, when she returned from her outing. Celica could only say that it was lovely. She’d never had eggnog before. Alm had agreed.

They just kept throwing the mugs back. It may not have been that much, in the end, but because Gray knew what had been done, he couldn’t stop thinking about every passing of the liquid between their lips. He started to get nervous around the time Tobin started to slur his words, and that pit in his stomach starts to grow when Alm can’t stop muttering to Celica about how pretty she is. He felt himself begin to sweat when Faye started to find everything funny, and knew all was lost when Kliff started to get emotional about how much he loved everyone there.

His friends were definitely drunk. He had made them, completely and totally, drunk – and that brought them to where they were now.

“I'm giving you everything, all that joy can bring, this I swear, and all that I want from you, is a promise you will be there. I'm giving you everything.”

As Celica and Faye’s voices draw to a close, backed up by Alm and Tobin on needless acapella, Kliff erupts into applause. Gray, overwhelmed by a situation of his own creation, can only clap a little before he’s reminded of just what monster he’s applauding – a monster of his own creation. How horrifying it is to think that Spice Girls karaoke is overwhelming him, when there are so many more ideas that could come to fruition from their state – and it’s his fault.

“You guys sounded great!” cheers Kliff uncharacteristically. After all of his years of being a bit of a grump, it’s starting to make Gray uncomfortable to see him be so… emotive. He turns to elbow Gray. “Didn’t they sound great?”

Gray pushes a false smile and nods. “Y-Yep, they were… really something! Especially that high note, Faye, wow…”

He’s lying. Faye thought it would be fun to try and hit a whistle tone. Faye does not have a voice that can hit a whistle tone. She sounded like a parakeet on fire. If he tells her that, though, she may cry – and as much as Gray doesn’t want to deal with regular drunk Faye, a crying drunk Faye would be that much worse.

“Thanks, Gray!” she chirps happily, completely oblivious to his insincerity, taking a deep bow. “Although I think the bulk of the song was handled by Celica.”

She leans into rest her head on Celica’s shoulder, only to stumble over the moment she moves slightly. She’s able to catch herself by grabbing onto the other girl’s arm, and then promptly erupts into laughter. Celica, though she was just a moment ago half-oblivious to what was happening, seems to burst out laughing as well.

It’s a really good thing they’re for the most part jovial. If they were cranky or weepy, Gray isn’t sure he would be able to take it. He knows now that he has made a very severe mistake.

“Which one of you two is up next?” Alm slurs from behind the girls, gracelessly waggling the microphone at Kliff and Gray. “I wanna see- hic – oooooone of you guys up there.”

“Hey, I already sang ‘Wannabe’ with you and the boys earlier. I’m done,” Gray chuckles, folding his arms across his chest. “Kliff can take a turn.”

“Hey!” Faye protests. “He sang just as much as you did.”

“Yes,” Gray corrects, “But I was Baby Spice. It was a much more demanding role.”

Faye rolls her eyes, still swaying a bit as she leans on Celica. “You weren’t even that good of a Baby Spice.”

Gray shoots an accusatory finger at her. “You take that back, Brisbois.”

A smirk snakes across Faye’s lips, and she pokes her tongue out at him from between her lips. “C’m’over here and make meeeeee!”

For a moment he actually considers whether it would be worth it, to go over there and noogie Faye until she squealed just like the good old days, but he thinks better of it. Once again, she might cry, and a crying drunk Faye would be that much worse.

She’s always been the emotional drunk among them, breaking down into tears with a snap of his fingers as soon as she’s had a little too much. He would rather not tempt fate. The other drunks would surely turn on him if he were to reduce her to tears. He loves his friends and he knows they love him, but the last time they all got drunk and Tobin made him cry, they were ready to crucify the man. He was crying laughing, but the other Rammies saw tears and that was all they needed to jump to the defence of one of their own.

They’re not the most reasonable drunks he’s ever met.

“Those are fightin’ words for someone within noogie distance,” he decides to snicker instead, sticks his tongue out in return. Faye takes this in stride, laughing her way right back to the couch, plunking herself down beside him. Celica, Tobin, and Alm follow suit. The cushy loveseat sinks with the new weight.

“This truly is the best party I’ve been to in a long time.” Celica giggles, snuggling into Alm’s shoulder as she settles on the couch. “I’m so glad we’re all here together.”

Murmurs of agreement rumble among the group, each of them having something to say about this perfect little loop they seem to all have themselves in. The only person he seems to notice doing anything different is… Faye. For a brief moment, alarm sinks into him, wondering if maybe he was off-kilter with his noogie comment. However, the more time he takes to really study her face, the more it dawns on him that Faye’s mind actually might just be somewhere else. She seems to be nibbling her lip, not noticing Tobin knocking into her shoulder playfully.

“Hey, Faye, why the long face?” Gray asks, reaching over to pat her knee. “You were all smiles a minute ago.”

He tries to ask it softly, maybe in a more off-to-the-side manner, in hopes of giving the conversation some privacy. Unfortunately, their friends for whatever reason seem to have the hearing power of dogs. It’s like he snapped his fingers or something, the way all of them immediately tune in.

“Is something bothering you?”

“Are you alright?”

“Is it something we can help with?”

“Did we say something wrong?”

Faye doesn’t appear shaken by all of these various questions. If it were Gray in her shoes, he knows he would feel a bit overwhelmed, but she takes it well. Her eyes flick up from her lap to look at them, brows furrowed. She doesn’t look comfortable necessarily, but she doesn’t strike him as being caught off-guard, either.

“Sorry, I’m just… I’m thinking about Rinea.”

Rinea?

Oof. Gray kicks himself for not thinking of this. On the list of things that would be on a drunk Faye’s mind, “Rinea” would probably be hovering around number two.

Rinea is the fiancée – er, recent ex-fiancée – of Alm’s cousin Berkut. Nobody knows for sure what happened, but rumour has it that the two of them had a massive falling out about a month before the holidays. Gray heard it was about Berkut’s career choices. Berkut told Alm a slightly different story. Now, as far as cousins go, Alm and Berkut were the opposite of close, but what he conveyed was that the break-up stemmed from personal values that just happened to be related to his career choices. The resulting fallout is apparently about as messy as a nuclear warzone, and though most of the Rammies have tried to stay out of it (given they didn’t really need to give Berkut another reason to dislike them), Faye has been trying to console the girl ever since. If it were any of them but Faye, her thoughts might have been an unusual occurrence… The only reason why he isn’t completely floored is because it is Faye, and everybody knows that she’s had a not-so-secret crush on the girl since the moment they locked eyes.

Well, everybody but Rinea, obviously.

“Rinea?” Celica echoes, raising her eyebrows in curiosity. “What about Rinea?”

If she’s thinking about Rinea, Gray thinks to himself, Then you know it’s got to be something about a crush.

Great. I’ve gone and reminded a drunk girl that she’s got a crush. Because that’s a scenario that’s never, ever gone poorly before.

Gray briefly remembers his drunken confession to Clair during their first year of university and cringes. She shut him down. Hard. Told him that she’s not entirely sure that he even knows what love is, and that he should do his best to use his brain before toying with someone else’s heart.

Rinea is too mild-mannered to do something like that to Faye, but the possibility of rejection is still there. That means the possibility of tears is still there, and needing to console her… and Faye has made a lot of progress in therapy, dealing with her attachment issues and fear of rejections. If she goes out there and gets her heart broken all because he inadvertently meddled, well… Gray’s not sure he would ever be able to forgive himself.

Tobin smiles at Faye, nudging her arm again. “Are you thinking you’ve missed your opportunity to get her under the mistletoe?” he snickers. “There’s still time, you know.”

Faye attempts to return his grin. “It’s not that…” she pauses, gripping at the hem of her skirt. “I was just thinking that it’s so nice that all of us are here together, and that I don’t know what I’d do without all of you. I mean, if I were alone for a special holiday like Christmas or Hannukah, I’d be so sad. And then I guess I just got to thinking about how that’s… what Rinea’s going through right now.”

Alm blinks. “What do you mean? I thought she usually goes to her family’s place for the holidays.”

“Well, she used to, but you know how crazy they were about her and her engagement to Berkut. I guess this year, they told her not to come home unless it was with good news about the two of them getting back together…”

Holy shit. Gray thinks. He knew Rinea’s parents were strict, but to outright disown their daughter for not marrying the man they wanted? What kind of parents cared so little about their child that they’d disown them over something as small as that? At that rate, if he were Rinea, he wouldn’t have wanted to go home for the holidays anyway, if that was how her parents were going to act. But if she didn’t, that would also mean… that she was spending the holidays all alone.

Faye shouldn’t confess… but that doesn’t mean she can’t flirt with Rinea a little, right? Possibly by asking her to join their holiday party?

Oh Mila. What is he thinking? Or, rather, what is he getting himself into?

He never was able to resist a damsel in distress, even if he was very adamant that that damsel should be dating his friend instead of him.

Gray folds his arms across his chest. “Jeez, Faye! How come you didn’t say anything sooner? You could have invited her. We wouldn’t have minded.”

Heat rises in her cheeks, turning her face carnation-pink. Her gaze darts away, desperately doing its best not to meet any other pairs of eyes. “I-It’s not like I didn’t want to!” she objects. “It’s just… I thought maybe she wouldn’t want to. I didn’t want to overstep.”

Oh, Faye. She never had gotten over her anxiety surrounding overstepping after she and Alm had had that big blow out in high school. He had long since forgiven her for her obsessive tendencies surrounding her old crush, and they had hoped that maybe they would be able to put the whole thing behind them. She had made considerable progress, but there were still times where she would overcompensate for all of her perceived wrongdoings. Rinea, unfortunately, seemed to be a victim of one of those times.

That is, unless Gray could help it. Against his better judgment, he can feel the conviction stirring in the depths of his chest.

“I doubt Rinea would consider it overstepping,” Celica consoles her gently, “I’m sure she’d have been happy to come over.”

Faye’s lower lip sticks out into a pout, and she heaves the heaviest of sighs. It reminds him of the one his childhood dog used to do, even when nothing was happening. Just a big, tired exhalation of air. “Well, I guess we won’t know now that I messed that up…”

Her shoulders slump, prepared to admit defeat, but it is at this moment that fully sparks determination in Gray’s head. Rinea should still be at her sorority house, all on her own. Who’s to say that they can’t just bring the party to her? If they can just help Faye work up the courage to flirting with her, maybe they could make it into something even better. After all, what girl wouldn’t swoon over a band of drunken college students ready to bring Christmas cheer back into her life?

Okay, maybe that last part wouldn’t be everyone’s favourite, but… with a little work, he could do it. If not for his own sake, then for Rinea’s and Faye’s.

“Is there anything stoppin’ us from heading over there right now?” Gray blurts out before he can finish thinking. He’s sure his eyes must have lit up the moment he suggested the idea, because now the others are watching him with the utmost interest. Even Faye, who just a couple minutes ago was drooping like a wilting flower, is now lit up like a set of Christmas lights. “I mean, if we didn’t invite Rinea, why don’t we just surprise her by bringing the party to her? We can say it was Faye’s idea. Maybe that’ll even earn her a couple of kisses.”

He winks at Faye, who squeaks and hides her face in her hands. “I don’t think Rinea would do that,” she mumbles, “And besides, w-we… we can’t get over there. I’m… so tipsy I can barely see straight.”

As if to punctuate this, Kliff hiccups. She has a point there, especially with how late it’s getting. The effect of showing up on Rinea’s doorstep like this would be even worse the later it gets, and without a car. What if one of them collapses on her front porch or barfs or something? Then she’d be stuck having to clean it up. For a moment, this makes Gray start to reconsider. Maybe a holiday with Rinea just isn’t meant to be, at least not this year. After all, with their current plan, they have just as much of a chance of ruining Christmas as they do of saving it… But goddammit, they have to try! There is a damsel in distress out there, and if he can do nothing else to corral his friends in their drunken state, then he wants to corral them towards chasing their dreams!

“We’ll just have to walk then. Bundle up for the cold and get going!” He hops to his feet, striking a super hero pose. “Kliff, bottle up some hot chocolate. Celica, gather up some of the homemade pastries. Alm, bring the karaoke machine and the movies. Tobin, grab those board games and your dreidel. And Faye?”

“Yes?”

“Put some lip gloss on those lips and get some mistletoe! We’re getting you Rinea’s heart for Christmas!”

Faye salutes like an army soldier, nearly hitting herself in the eye rather than the forehead. “Aye, sir!”

At any other time, Gray’s friends might have rolled their eyes at his antics, maybe even called him names… but drunk they were as agreeable as ever, and right now, they all agree on one thing: they needed to make sure that even with her family gone, Rinea would still know just how loved she was during the holidays. And that’s what they are going to do.

______________________________________________________________

His friends all but tell Rinea they are coming with the way they are scream-singing through the neighbourhood.

You would think after the Spice Girls marathon, they might have worn their voices raw with their pitchy vocalizations – no. Apparently, there is more where that came from. And Gray can’t even pretend that he doesn’t know them. There is only one way to Rinea’s sorority house, and he’s not comfortable leaving a group of significantly-more-drunk-than-he-is university students alone to make it there. He doesn’t need to worry about Kliff stumbling into a river and getting hypothermia, thank you. Even if they are doing the worst rendition of Ner Li in only the sloppiest of Hebrew. The others, he might expect this from, but he has heard Tobin sound much better.

God, he wonders if Rinea will be able to hear them coming at some point. What an announcement that will be. If he were in Faye’s shoes, he would’ve been more worried about how they were showing up, but she seems blissfully unaware of it. She’s drunk, mind you, but she still seemed to have a sense of embarrassment when they discussed going over there in the first place. He can’t help but wonder what Faye’s plan is for the eventual approach. This thought in mind, he finds himself nudging towards her, dragging her out of her part in the song.

“Are you nervous, Faye?”

Just a moment ago, she wore the easiest of smiles on her face, but as soon as the words leave his mouth, that smile just melts away. He knows he hasn’t done anything wrong, but man, it sure makes him feel like an asshole. “Me? Nervous?”

“Well, yeah. We’re on our way to talk to the girl you like and save her Christmas or whatever. Do you know what you’re gonna say?”

Faye releases an um sound that goes on for just a bit too long. The longer it goes, he notices, the more her cheeks redden.

Oh, you poor, poor girl. Gray can’t help but think. All that love in your heart and no idea how to share it. He’ll have to help her with this one, perhaps even more than he thought. She may not have experience as a master flirting artist, but he does… Even if Clair usually just ignored him.

“Okay, how about you let ol’ Gray give you some advice then, alright?”

Faye nods obediently, straightening her posture. Looking like that, she almost reminds him of a student, all too eager to learn from the master. He likes it. Maybe he should offer flirting advice as a side hustle to the awkward and socially challenged.

“The most important thing when approaching anyone you’re interested in is confidence. People like someone who is confident – not arrogant, of course, but sure of themself. If you want Rinea to know how cool you are, you have to show her that. Be smooth and charming.”

Faye frowns, folding her arms across her chest. He realizes that it’s not entirely fair, what he’s just said. He basically just told Faye to be the opposite of herself. Confidence has never been her strong suit. “You say that like it’s easy. How do you even become charming?”

“Well, it helps to have a cute face, which we all know you already have.” He boops her nose. “You’ve been the cutest among us since preschool.”

Faye only half-grins at the compliment, seeming to struggle to continue to look at Gray’s face. She’s just not that sure of herself. He’d at least hoped maybe that would cheer her up, but… he’ll have to figure out how to work around that before they get to Rinea. It’s a good thing he’s here to help – and maybe a good thing that she’s had some spiked eggnog, too. They don’t call booze “liquid courage” for nothing.

“Another thing you can think about is asking her questions. People are thinking about themselves more often than not, so just ask her. It will make her more comfortable, and you’ll get to know each other better. And when the time comes, you can share stuff about you, too.”

She pauses to let this information sink in, then nods. “What else?”

“Body language and eye contact are big things.”

Faye groans audibly. Social cues are number one on the list of “things Faye dislikes”, and it’s majorly because she doesn’t understand them. It makes her sweet as a cookie iced and decorated by one of Tobin’s little sisters most of the time – her inability to notice Celica’s reservation when she first arrived in Ram actually made them fast friends, back in the day – but he knows it’s something that bothers her. He can kind of understand that. A set of unspoken rules that everyone just needs to follow? The thought does sound kind of overwhelming. Still, for her sake, he tries to laugh it off. It won’t be simple, but he can probably give her a few pointers here and there.

He takes the time to explain it to her, the right angles to stand at and how much eye contact is too much. Count to ten in your head if you have to when it comes to looking at her eyes. Touch her arm when she makes you laugh. Brush your hands while you’re walking together. Do that thing that girls do where they’re extra cuddly with their female friends, but insist they aren’t in love. Faye soaks it all in like a sponge. He swears he even sees her start to take notes on her notes app as they’re walking along. She will need to know this if she wants to woo Rinea.

“Do you think you’ll be able to do that once we get in there, Faye?”

She frowns. “I… don’t know. I kind of lose my cool around Rinea, she’s… she’s just so pretty.”

Gray places a hand on her shoulder and nods understandingly. He may not be into Rinea the way Faye is, but he’s got eyes. He can see that she’s a beauty who was served with an extra helping of grace.

“But remember that she’s really nice, too!” Alm chimes in, seemingly out of nowhere. He’s smiling wide and friendly, all top happy to have broken out of the song. “Even if you mess up or say something stupid, she’ll forgive you. Just be yourself, Faye! It’s your most powerful weapon.”

It’s no surprise to Gray that the singing dies off not long after Alm speaks. As much influence as he might like to think he has over the group, everyone knows that Alm has always kind of been their ring leader.

“Weapon?” Kliff echoes from beside him, quirking a brow. “She’s trying to win Rinea’s heart, not break it.”

“What else was I supposed to say?” Alm whines, and as the others begin to chime in with their own mockeries of Alm, it becomes clear that Gray has once again lost control of the conversation.

Sighing, he leans over to whisper to Faye. “If you need anything while you’re in there, just call me, alright?” He spares a wink for her. “I’ll be like your flirting coach.”

She nods thoughtfully and smiles. “T-Thanks Gray… I’m going to need it, I think.”

“I’m sure you’ll do better than you think.”

“Y-Yeah, maybe I’ll even be able to get Clair someday,” she chuckles.

“Whoa-hoh, hey… know your limits.”

She snickers again.

______________________________________________________________

Rinea was not expecting much to come of her Christmas Eve apart from emotional pain.

It certainly sounds dramatic, when you put it like that. She didn’t mean to suggest that it would be some deep-seated agony from which she would never recover. She just meant that Christmas wasn’t going to be the same this year… and there is a growing feeling inside her that it might not be the same ever again.

If it is not with a husband on your arm, don’t come home.

Her parents’ instructions were clear as glass. Even the unspoken part – the fact that that husband had to be Berkut. They were the ones who set up their engagement, after all. Affluence belonged with affluence as far as they thought. Though Rinea told them many times that her split from Berkut had been more of a question of compatibility than anything else, they were insistent that she had probably found someone else. Someone less regal, with less money, and less connections that would get her on the path to the future they wanted for their little girl. And for that, they cut her off. If she didn’t care about all of the opportunities that they tried to provide for her, then why should they bother caring about her at all?

Just thinking about it again makes her heart ache, and she finds herself blinking back tears as she stands by the sorority house’s front window. It looks like a perfect Christmas outside. Snow is floating gently down from a cornflower-coloured sky, each of the flakes nestling snuggly on the evergreens just outside. In the distance, she can see the sparkling holiday lights lining the rooves of houses, and the silhouettes of other people spending time together on Christmas Eve… the girls across the way engaging in a game of charades. They must not have had families to go home too, either. For a moment, Rinea almost wonders if she should go over and introduce herself, let them know that she understands, but she quickly dismisses the thought. No, it is best if she remains here alone, blinking back tears as she watches the world move.

She wonders what Faye and the rest of the Ram Village kids are doing right now. To be honest, she’s not too familiar with most of them – she and Celica get along, and Alm is Berkut’s cousin, so the two of them are a bit more familiar… but there’s not that same connection yet. Well, perhaps it’s disingenuous to say that there’s not connection. She knows she’s neglecting a very important part of her heart when she says that about the clingiest among them, Faye.

Berkut was the love of her life once. She believed that dearly and truly. However, as their relationship grew sour, the feelings she had toward Faye somehow seemed to grow sweeter. By all means, she is winsome girl. More than once in their conversations, Faye has alluded to thinking herself as having a plain appearance, but her wispy curls and deep brown eyes caught Rinea’s attention the moment they met. She has one of those faces that looks like she was designed to smile, and a tendency to do it without a second thought. In terms of demeanour, Rinea is no stranger to how awkward she can be, but she finds it oddly charming at the same time. You can always tell that her heart is in the right place, even if she doesn’t get to say exactly what she means the first time. She’ll usually get there eventually. It’s almost like she can’t help being genuine.

That’s something Rinea loves about her most, she thinks. It is one way she is vastly different from Berkut. There is no lying or hiding with Faye. She just… is. On a Christmas Eve like this one, that is the thing she needs the most. The reality of the situation is that it is deeply upsetting to be without her parents, to be alone on Christmas for the first time ever, and she could just use someone who is going to treat her like… like she’s still a person. With everything turned upside down, she needs someone who will make her sure she is still appreciated.

Sighing, she turns away from the window, sinking down onto the nearby loveseat. She promised herself that when the other girls left, she would try and make an evening for herself. She intended to settle down, make some hot chocolate, and read the book she’d been neglecting over the past couple weeks. Looking at it now, she found she just didn’t have the heart. Who would want to read a romance novel in this state? She offers a mental apology to the book. It’s not its fault that everything sucks right now.

I’ll read you soon, she promises. I just need to be in the right state of mind to give you the reading you deserve. I’m sorry, little book.

She likes to imagine the book forgives her. It’s the only comfort she has as she slides down on the couch, letting her eyes flutter shut. Maybe she can put on a holiday film in a few minutes – she always did like An American Tail. She’ll probably appreciate a re-watch now as an adult who can understand a little better what the film is actually about. It is a bit late in the year for a Hannukah film, but she doesn’t mind. She could use the comfort. Yes, perhaps that is what she will do.

She lays still for a moment, like sleeping beauty waiting for her kiss, and in the moment has no intention of getting up. What need is there, really? She will lay like this for as long as she needs. There is no reason to do otherwise…

Apart from the approaching sound of drunken laughter and song.

Rinea’s eyes snap open. Who would be intoxicated in public on Christmas Eve? She lifts her head from the couch, searching for the source of the sound. Through the window she can just begin to make out the figures of a group of university students approaching, four boys and two girls, each of them seeming to ooze joy from every pore. It would almost infect her with jealousy, if it didn’t seem like the seven of them were wandering right up to her door.

Carollers? No. She blinks and squints her eyes.

Faye!

Her heart leaps with joy. Just taking one look at the girl, Rinea is sure that she’s grinning from ear to ear. And bless their hearts, it’s not just Faye who’s come. The entire Ram gang seems to be here. Alm, Celica, Kliff, Tobin, Gray… they’re all here. But… why? As the seven of them find their way to her doorstep, gloved hands enthusiastically rapping on her door, she finds herself scrambling to ask the question herself. She swings the door open to greet them with a smile, only finding that her heart beats even faster when she sees what’s in their hands.

Containers of gingerbread cookies and sufganiyot, a thermos of what she presumes is a warm beverage (hot chocolate? Eggnog? She doesn’t care, she likes them both), a stack of board games, a karaoke machine, and some movies. The sight is unreal. She can barely keep her eyes from bouncing between them as it dawns on her exactly what is happening here. They… wanted to bring their holiday party to her? It almost brings tears to her eyes. Nobody has ever done anything this kind for her before.

“Heyyyyyy,” Faye slurs happily, clearly just as tipsy as she appeared on the walk up to the house, “We heard that – hic! – someone was having a pretty bad Christmas!”

Rinea swears she hears a small murmur from Celica somewhere about ‘you’re doing great, Faye’. It makes it hard not to blush, considering what she’s insinuating. Any day of the week, this just seems like a thing that Faye would do, but… The way Celica talks about it, it almost seems like…

“Nobody deserves to be alone during the holidays, especially not a girl as great as you.” Faye grabs her hands without warning, but she doesn’t mind. She can feel the warmth of them even through her hand-knit mittens. “So we thought-”

Gray clears his throat somewhere behind her. “Faye thought-”

“Faye thought-” she corrects, seemingly unaware of having referred to herself in the third person, “That we should come and bring our holiday party to you. So what do you say, Rinea? Do you want to come experience a Ram Village Hannukah-Christmas celebration?”

Rinea can’t help but giggle sweetly. Of course they would come all this way for her. Of course Faye would come all this way for her. Too sweet and genuine for her own good – something that Rinea would always love about her. “I’d be honoured.”

What follows is… well, what Rinea can only describe as a holiday party for the ages. The Ram Village kids are already a bit to handle when they’re sober, but drunk? They’re a whirlwind. A very entertaining and very fun whirlwind, but a whirlwind nonetheless.

Their drunkenness does not impede them from showing her a good time. If anything, it might only make the experience better. They’ve barely been through her door for five minutes when Tobin starts pulling card and board games out of his bag, encouraging her to settle on the couch while Celica gets her some pastries. Celica doesn’t even know where the plates in the kitchen are, but she rushes off, with Kliff trailing after with his comically tall thermos. She almost wants to just sit them down and ask questions, why and how they even thought of her, but almost all of them are preparing as soon as they step through the door. Alm is setting up the karaoke machine on the TV, and Gray is laying out the movies, and Faye is smiling and babbling with glee about how glad she is that they all came over. Rinea learns not to ask questions right then. As far as Faye has told her, they are here to save her Christmas, and for that much she is grateful. That’s all she needs to get herself into the swing of things. So she settles down for what will be one of many rounds of Uno with an unlimited pick-up rule, not really noticing at first just how much the others push her to play with Faye. It seems quite natural that they should both team up on Gray, after all — it’s funny to watch him have to take a stack of sixteen blue cards.

By the time they get to karaoke — and judging by the sound of Alm’s cracking voice, not their first round of karaoke — Rinea allows herself to let her hair down. What Kliff brought was, thankfully, not whatever they’d inebriated themselves on, so with a couple of swigs of hot chocolate, she’s prepared herself to get through a few rounds of songs. First comes a couple of classic pop songs, most of which she shared with Gray or Faye, but after somewhere about song four, she found herself in the midst of a very spirited rendition of Gloria Glaynor’s “I Will Survive”. The warmth that spread through her heart as Gray pulled Faye from her seat to dance, encouraging her to twirl her around and do power poses together… That alone could have made Rinea’s holiday.

Things settle down by the time they hit the movie phase of the night. The gang settles in on her initial choice from earlier, An American Tail. Having known each other for years, the Ram Village kids don’t hesitate to snuggle up together. At first she thinks that they’re giving her space when nobody hops up to be her buddy, but when Gray loudly reminds her that Faye has nobody to partner up with… she starts to wonder a little bit. Nonetheless, she cannot object to how comforting it is to be sitting under a blanket with Faye, the smaller girl’s head leaning into her shoulder. She keeps her warm, and doesn’t mind when she tears up at the movie. The part with Fievel being separated from his family always gets her, but it’s so much worse this year. When a few stray tears start to slip down her cheeks, Faye blots at them with the corner of the blanket. Rinea finds herself smiling gratefully, her heart swelling with reassurance as Faye links their fingers on her free hand. It’s nice.It’s only been a month, but she and Berkut stopped such shows of affection long before their break-up. It’s almost like she had forgotten what it felt like to hold another’s hand. She tries not to think about how much Faye’s is nicer than Berkut’s.

However, it seemed that no sooner had the film drawn to a close, had Rinea realized that the rest of the group had fallen into a deep sleep. She couldn’t blame them, with them having finally lost the steam that came from the alcohol, but it did leave her alone with Faye. For a moment, she doesn’t know what to make of it. She just lets herself settle in, wonders if maybe she should let Faye drift off as well instead of trying to make conversation. After all, she must be sleepy herself. She clearly had the same as whatever the rest of them did. She certainly looks a little sleepy, her eyelids droopy and her face dusted with a pleasant rose. Even her cheek is snuggled into Rinea’s shoulder, and her breathing is so steady, she could just as easily fall asleep. She might actually do that, she thinks, right as Faye decides to contradict her and poke at her face.

Heh. The touch is inelegant, quite literally a straight poke rather than a smoother movement like the tilting of her head, but it’s so distinctly Faye that Rinea can’t help smiling. She looks down at the girl on her shoulder, surprised to find her gaze full of affection. She wants to question the look, but Faye’s hand moves to touch her arm, squeezing it softly. She even returns the smile.

“Did you have a good Christmas Eve, Rinea?” Faye whispers, her voice as soft and sweet as a kitten’s fur. “I hope you had a good Christmas Eve. I’m sorry your parents wouldn’t let you come home.”

Faye is still too intoxicated to worry about what she’s saying. At any other time, she might cringe and kick herself for bringing up something painful. Now, she’s too lost in the moment to care. She’s strangely… confident. Liquid courage, as they say.

“I did, thank you. It’s not often that I have such… enthusiastic guests.”

Faye giggles. “Yeah, we were pretty wild tonight. I’m just glad nobody threw up on your nice couch.”

Rinea winces. She’d quite forgotten that that was something that could happen, but the possibility dawns on her now. She really hopes that’s not the case. The girls in her sorority don’t host any parties other than lavish dinner parties, so they would be furious if they found out Rinea brought over a bunch of drunks to ruin their loveseat.

“Yes, um… very wild.” She pauses, letting the thought fade. No, I mustn’t let worries ruin my night, she decides. “To speak with the utmost candor, nobody has ever done something like this for me. Ever.”

Faye’s eyebrows knit together. “Is that good or bad?” Her expression almost seems to twist, but only for a second. In a blink, she perks right up again with a smirk that… doesn’t look too real, if Rinea’s being honest. “I mean, I would think it would be good. We’re pretty cool.”

Ah. Rinea sees where this is coming from now. She fights off a snicker. Faye is just so see-through.

“That you are. I greatly enjoyed having you here. You are welcome to come again next year, if you like.”

Faye’s face visibly brightens. “R-Really? I… I mean, after tonight, I think you’re definitely invited to our next party. You were a lot of fun.”

Rinea quirks a brow. “Am I not usually?”

“No, no! You are!” Faye sits up straighter. “It’s just that we kind of got to see a different side of you tonight. Without Berkut around, you seem freer. More yourself.”

Hm. She hasn’t really thought about it that way, but she supposes Faye might have a point. When she and Berkut were together, she always felt that she had a responsibility to act a certain way and be a certain person. When Berkut was sharp, she would have to smooth over his words. When he lost his temper, she would be the one who would have to apologize or draw him back from the edge. She had to control who she was, what she did, to ensure that the relationship would survive. Now that it was gone, reduced to ash in a blast so fiery it had cost her Christmas Eve with her parents, she didn’t have to answer to anyone anymore. She could just be Rinea.

How funny.

“Well,” she grins at Faye. “I had a rather skilled teacher. Someone who taught me that genuine and sincere is the way to be.”

Even in the dim moonlight pouring through the window, Rinea can make out the blush that rises in Faye’s cheeks. It only makes her want to laugh more, so taken with the girl that’s leaning against her. Her heart is not healed from what she lost, nor does she feel she is ready to love again, but… at the very least, with someone like Faye around, she feels comforted by the possibility. And for now, that might just be enough.

“You’re really great, Rinea.” Faye leans into her shoulder once more. “Thanks for having us over.”

“Thank you for coming. You are all always welcome here.” Her voice lowers to a softer register, as soft as she can manage in a room now composed only of whispers. “You most of all.”

Faye giggles shyly. “You’re always most welcome with me, too.”

The phrase doesn’t make much sense, but Rinea chooses to take it in the spirit that it was intended. She likes the thought behind it. If tonight has proven anything, it is that she has a place in Faye’s heart… and Faye a place in hers.

As Faye snuggles in, her eyes finally flutter closed, and Rinea takes this as her cue to try to relax herself. Come Christmas morning, she knows that the others will probably need to run back to their families, but for now, she will relish the moment she has with them. Maybe she won’t have a Christmas Day filled with the fancy presents and family pictures, but as the eve melted into day, she gained the precious memories of a girl and her friends who would do just about anything to make her smile. When times were tough and she felt all alone, Faye and the Ram Village kids were there.

Somehow, they were always there.

As Rinea’s eyelids start to grow heavy, she watches the faces of Faye and her friends, drifting off to a comfortable sleep. Faye is cuddled up to her like a koala bear. Celica and Alm are a mess of tangled limbs and snoring faces. Kliff and Tobin are sprawled out together on the floor, just barely touching, and Gray lays beside them, turned away. Only his face is still visible to Rinea. Ordinarily, she would think nothing of it, but she swears that one of his eyes flutters as the conversation between her and Faye dies. Then, a smile curves on his lips.

Cheeky thing, Rinea thinks. You were never sleeping at all.

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