#i have christmas decor written down. does he need it? does he want it? IDK IDK IDK

[nebulaedaniel]

christmas shopping is so stressful wtf i hate it

[genesisrose74]

Christmas with the Karasuno Boys (HC’s)!!

Part 1: Daichi, Suga, Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka, & Ennoshita

Part 2 (Kageyama, Hinata, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Kinoshita, & Narita) here!!

A/n: Tumblr said my word count was too much so I’m splitting this bad boi up into two parts :p Enjoy!!

*****

Daichi

A huge romantic during Christmas, 10/10 quality cliche times spent together

You wanna go ice skating? Hell yeah sweetheart, he will make it the most beautifully romantic thing you’ve ever seen

Like straight out of a holiday postcard type beat

Istg the rink he takes you to looks like a more heartwarming version of Rockefeller Center

He’s a big keeper of tradition when it comes to making plans, but doesn’t mind a bit of nonsense fun when everything falls into place

Which is why you love to bring the team along on adventures because they make everything all the more entertaining

At first he’s confused like ??? You don’t have to do that just if they’ve been pestering you about it

But then he realizes you care as much about them as he does (hint: a hell of a lot) and they’re thus invited along for some stuff

Of course y’all also get some quality time together on dates with just you both

Anyways you and Daichi have talked a lot about traveling and how he was really interested in seeing new places

So as his gift you got him a carved map with a roll of red string and thumbtacks, so that he could plan out all the places he wanted to visit

You know how when Kiyoko found the “Fly” banner for Karasuno and all the boys cried?

Yeah

Like that but with lots more hugging and laughing

“You know you’re gonna have to help with mapping this out, right?”

“Is that an invitation I hear?”

“Oh, that’s a promise”

FJSFJDSK ALEXA PLAY AMERICAN BOY BY ESTELLE—

Please I love him; he is so damn sly and sassy I will die with this headcanon

Sugawara

I swear on everything that Christmas with him is equivalent to a Hallmark movie

It smells like joy and warmth wherever he is, and this season only amplifies it

He is such a cheeseball without even having to try

But it’s in the really endearing and heart-melting way,,, just MMM PERFECT

He’ll take you on a walk through those neighborhoods with those crazy light decorations in the front yard and buy you hot chocolate

If he sees a group of little kids gaping at all the lights, he’ll leave them starry-eyed with stories of magic, reindeer, Santa and so-forth

“You know, I’ve heard that Rudolph’s nose is supposed to be brighter than the world’s most powerful Christmas light”

Good heavens, children absolutely adore this man

Anyways he’ll make it a little game as y’all walk around this beautifully lit neighborhood, both of you with a different assortment of bingo squares printed on paper

First one to bingo chooses a movie to watch after getting back to Suga’s house

Will wrap a big fluffy blanket around you both and pull you into his chest while watching the movie

For his gift, you got a star named after him

It’s because y’all alway go stargazing for dates every month, just to sit out, talk and cuddle

Suga gave you the SOFTEST look after opening your gift and this cute little card you made 🥺

“Lets go try to find my new favorite star”

PLEASE HE IS SO SWEET

“Right now? Koushi it’s 11:30 pm”

“Just for ten minutes, and then I’ll get you home”

So y’all spend the rest of Christmas Eve on his roof, sipping warm tea and attempting to locate Star Suga

Asahi

Cuddle bear alert ‼️‼️

It’s basically hibernation time for him, because he’s not the biggest fan of cold

That’s alright with you though 😌 more coziness for you

Lots of quality moments indoors means more creative dates

A whole day devoted to chill present wrapping? Hell fuckin’ yeah

Nice music, pretty wrapping paper, shiny bows, maybe a little Christmas rom-com playing in the back — the whole shebang

You find out pretty quickly that despite how it sounds, it’s actually quite a satisfying and enjoyable pastime

Practically had to drag him out of your living room to secretly wrap his own gift

As much as he’s the king of timidity and soft™, he can be very playfully stubborn when he’s comfortable, hence why he was such an ass to get out of the room

I have no doubt that Asahi would melt for the most adorable, cheesy shit

So you not only bought him some really reliable headbands for volleyball use, but you also made a little coupon booklet

He can basically cash in paper promises for certain things, like getting to choose the next date idea, picking a movie to watch without any objection, having you make his favorite food, etc.

There’s one that he can exchange for a full out spa day trip, because good heavens he’s a sucker for those

Massage and exfoliation and everything — it makes him feel ✨refreshed✨

He was ecstatic fam, I don’t even know what to say

Like a puppy who just got a bunch of toys and a new backyard to play

Mans cashes in one almost immediately, and at first you’re confused

Like it’s Christmas time bubs, what are we gonna be able to do when most places are closed and it’s the holidays?

Then you read the paper

“Free hug (can be used and renewed <3)”

GIVE HIM HIS DAMN HUGS RIGHT NOW

He uses that one a lot throughout the upcoming days, to the point where he just keeps the paper on him for fun

“You realize you can just ask me silly, you don’t need to keep carrying the coupon around”

“Yeah, but it’s entertaining”

Cute little cheeky bastard

Nishinoya

LOVES LOVES LOVES CHRISTMAS

You know the 12 Days of Christmas? The song??

He gets you a small present EVERY DAY for all 12 days

Not to mention he has a big present that he saves for the actual holiday

Y’all are the type of couple to get ice cream in the middle of winter

Nishi loves his cold snacks any time of year, and you’ve thus picked up a similar taste

He will consistently pester you about what kind of present you got him

Gets pouty when you don’t tell him, but in the back of his mind he’s glad because it would ruin the surprise

Anything you get him instantly becomes his most prized gift tho

It could be a literal rock with googly eyes and he’d put it in a protective glass case for preservation

But of course you get him something better than that because he only deserves the best

He’s got this specific assortment of products to maintain his spiky hair and to make sure it’s healthy, but they’re pretty expensive to buy when he runs out

When he tore open your present’s decorative wrapping to discover a huge basket of basically every hair product he ever needed, he got wide-eyed

There was also a booklet of little notes you’d kept throughout the month that listed all the little things you noticed and adored about your precious boyfriend

He nearly CRIED reading them

“Baby, you didn’t have to do all that for me”

“You act like you don’t deserve all of it and more, Nishi”

Refuses to leave your side after that

Holding your hand, hugging you as tight as he can, etc.

He is head over heels idc idc

Tanaka

Another man who is obsessed with the holiday season and everything that comes with it

He is the biggest sap for this shit istg

Will spend hours trying to get you the best present of all time

And he succeeds exceptionally

Mistletoe? He’s got an ABUNDANCE on hand at any time, just to make sure he can get fair share of his kissies 🥰

His signature beanie appears in full force during winter

Sometimes you’ll pull it over his eyes before giving him a peck on the cheek and dashing off in the school halls

“I’ll see you after school, babe!”

Speech = jumbled + incomprehensible

“Uh hUh, you do that~”

He’s: adorable

I just know that he melts for really sweet and thought-out gifts

Like anything you give him he’ll adore, don’t get me wrong, but the ones done with special care and love are just his kryptonite

He brought you into a massive bear hug and spun you around when he opened a photo book of old pictures taken together, complete with lots of cute messages and anecdotes written alongside them

You and Saeko may have also gone in on another present for him without his knowledge

And on Christmas Eve, you dragged a curious Tanaka into his front yard to the sight of a shiny motorbike

It was Saeko’s old one that she’d held onto for a while, and an old schoolmate offered to fix it up nice in time for the holiday at a discount, so y’all decided to divvy up the lowered price and got it done for Ryu

Sweet boy was taken aback, with his hands clapped over his mouth and everything

Saeko patted him on the back as he stood there in shock, giving her baby brother a sweet smile

“All yours, little bro!”

Ya, Saeko fucking loves you 😌 and so does Tanaka

Overall very lovely, would cry to be loved by the Tanaka siblings

Ennoshita

After spending past Decembers with his fellow second year classmates (namely, the very enthusiastic Noya and Tanaka), he’s grown to know quite a bit about the different holiday events that go on around town

Still, Ennoshita is a pretty simplistic guy and is content with simply spending time with you

So when you recommended going to pick a Christmas tree out for your place together, he’s totally down

As long as he gets to help decorate too ☺️

Y’all end up picking a beauty of a tree ngl

It’s SO TALL

And a super stronk friend — fit for the most heavy duty of ornaments

It takes some damn work to get that bad boi inside and upright after driving back to your house

But like hell did that stop you

Now that it was all set up, sturdy, and given plenty of water, decorations were brought into the equation that same night

No rest until it’s all set up and looking mighty beautiful

Okay maybe some coffee breaks in between, but other than that the grind don’t stop ✋😤

Ennoshita is an expert at making Christmas trees look absolutely immaculate

Idk if it’s because he’s had to deal with cleaning up disorder for a while now?

Looking at you, ya second year loons

He just has the touch, fam

He’ll of course let you have input on which light colors, what type of ornaments, and so on

But honestly it’s really fun seeing him fully concentrated on making your tree the best it can be

He lets you on his shoulders to put on the tree topper 🥺

For his gift, Ennoshita really loves books, so you decided to get him 12 different (hardcover!!) stories — one for each month in a year

Along with a small sticky-note blurb on the covers of each to explain why you chose it, and to give similar title recommendations if he ends up enjoying

He was so surprised with how thoughtful and extensive it was

Loved it so much that he immediately started to read the first one, with you sat in his lap

“Chikara, you realize you’re meant to start this one in January?”

“Shh, I’m getting a head start”

[meet-me-in-the-pouringrain]

Good evening I’m currently crying about the Cullen Family dynamic I have concocted in my head.

- Carlisle and Jasper sitting down together to better educate their old asses on the social conducts / normalities today.

- Esme and Rosalie taking nature walks together and just talking. Mother - Daughter day. Sometimes, if she wants, Alice joins them.

- Emmett fully starting all out battles be it Nerf, snowball or water balloons early in the morning and all of them throw caution to the wind and join in. It usually ends in couple v couple with Edward off to the side in a huff until Bella joins and fuckin obliterates every single one of them.

- Jasper, Emmett and Edward (when he’s not being so annoying) embrace their brotherly relationship. They wrestle, argue, throw things and fight but it’s usually all in good fun. Until Eddie gets pissy then it’s real.

- Carlisle bonds with the kids when they are turned and makes it a point to do it as often as he can after. With Bella, he sits and discusses Literature for hours, with Alice they discuss her visions and he helps her delve into her past, Emmett (don’t tell Esme) he helps him Scheme, Jasper ^^^^, Edward they barely talk now that Bella is in the picture but when they do they could be up there for hours talking about whatever. He tried with Rosalie but she scares him.

- Esme makes it a point to spend time with the kids too. She and Emmett discuss their farm lives and debate over easier methods, Alice tries to style her differently every summer, Bella and her cook, Jasper usually prattles on for hours about horses and whatnot and Esme smiles patiently unwilling to tell him her farm was a vegetable one and not animal. Sometimes he just wants to be near her because she had the Best Vibes , Rose and her bond over their trauma at first but it slowly morphs into idle chatter about nothing. Edward, in my head, clings onto Esme more than anyone thinks because she reminds him of Elizabeth and usually is just around her while Esme is busting herself with design or painting.

- They honour Esme’s Jewish heritage along with Carlisle’s Anglican beliefs every December and have a mix of the two holidays. Rosalie, Bella and Alice spends hours every November making a menorah for Esme from scratch whereas Emmett, Jasper and Edward tackle the Christmas decorations. Emmett is on light duty. Alice spends hundreds of dollars buying matching clothes and pyjamas for all the Cullens.

- Esme and Bella spends hours in the kitchen whipping up Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner for the pack. Esme also makes various meals for Bella to take to Charlie while they still lived in forks.

- Whenever Carlisle decides to scold one of the children for one stupid stunt or other someone is guaranteed to bite back “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned”

- Emmett calls Esme “Momma” and Carlisle “Pops”. He’s the only one who refers to them that way. But Renesmee called them Nana and Poppy.

- She has nicknames for everyone. Rose is Rosey, Jasper is Jassy, Alice is Alley Cat (Alice thought of it herself and was so proud she tried to get every one to use it. Nobody does) Emmett is Emmy. Bella is simply Mom and Edward is Dad.

- Edward is fucking nice to Rosalie in my head and they have a tradition every December to personalise baubles for the other. 2008 had Rosalie make “Listen to Rosalie next time” whereas Edward made one that stated “you were right”

- Fun Fact! Vampires can smoke weed and drink alcohol in my head. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper definitely were/ probably still are smokers. Alice claims it helps her ignore visions when she doesn't feel up to it, Jasper says it helps ignore the emotions emitted by everyone. As soon as he heard that, Edward jumped on the bandwagon and immediately regretted it.

- They can also drink. One bottle of alchohol and they’re all bladdered. The venom sobers them up quickly but hell if Emmett doesn’t make it hard.

- Jasper and Emmett started a weed farm and did in fact start dealing at their school. Once Esme caught wind, however, all hell broke loose because. "You're hundreds of years old Jasper, you should know better!" "What about Emmett" "HE'S EMMETT"

- The Cullens are forced once a month by Esme to have a game night. Not monopoly though, she's still mad over the fact they had to move from Boston because Rose threw Jasper out of the window.

- Alice in retaliation makes them all have a movie night once a month. Once they had a vampire marathon. They put on Dracula, Interview with a vampire, Hotel Transylvania for Nessie and finally They binged Buffy the Vampire slayer. After the first five episodes, Carlisle almost spontaneously combusts and Edward convinces himself that somehow Angel was modelled after him. Bella threw the TV out of the window.

- Renesmee once suggested a huge game of hide n seek. Her and Jacob (who did NOT FUXKING IMPRINT THANK YOU) were the seekers. She found Carlisle and Esme after a few minutes, her parents after 10, Rosalie an hour later, Alice they didn’t find for a week, Jasper was about two weeks and they still hadn’t found Emmett after a month. He convinced Seth to go with him so Alice couldn’t cheat and they each phone at least once a day. He just giggles and hangs up.

- Rose eventually snaps and she and Leah (look I feel she’d get along best with Rose idk why) head out to find him. She comes back a day later with a sheepish and petulant Emmett behind her.

- Edward has written piano pieces for every woman in the coven. Esme actually has about 20 because Edward’s indecisive ass couldn’t sit still when it was the three of them but she’s memorised them all and hums a tune or two when she’s painting. Rose has 5 because he found his music calmed her in the early days, Alice has two and Bella + Nessie have just the one. Edward cries daily about it.

- Emmett was the one who instigated Mothers/Fathers day. He asked Rose and EmoFuck one day what they did for them and Edward had a panic attack while Rose zoomed out the house to go get Esme a bunch of flowers. They celebrated it ever since.

- Bella + Alice + Emmett blasting “Am I a Man or am I a Muppet” on repeat both out loud and in their heads just to fuck with Edward.

- When hunting, Esme has a tendency to climb a tree and just sit and wait for her husband to walk past. As soon as he’s in her eyesight she ‘falls’ onto him/next to him. She fake breaks her leg and he reverts into Doctor Cullen. The coven in absolutely mortified by this and the two love it. They embrace their embarrassing parents act willingly.

- The Cullens have a naughty corner. The two most frequent users are the Choas triplets; Alice, Emmett and Bella. Carlisle has been put in the corner multiple by Esme for his own stunts- such as turning Rosalie for Edward- and once Esme was put in the corner by Carlisle. They won’t disclose what she did but the next time they were all together in town, a group of Drag Queens came up to Esme and asked where she got her body glitter from.

- The Cullens learning from their past mistakes with the Werewolves and being godsends to the communities they live in. Esme baking and cooking food and donating the lot of it, Rosalie helping out at preschools and kindergartens and being called “Miss Rosie” by half the kids, Bella tutoring students in English, Alice donating clothes to women’s shelters, Edward giving music lessons, Carlisle donating money to those in need. Emmett being that guy who protects all the women from creeps, Jasper helping the quiet kids out with confidence boosts, Renesmee just being an all round kind person and the one who can make friends anywhere.

- When they leave Forks for the last Time, Carlisle donates a huge check to the Tribe with a letter giving gratitude and apologising for everything. Billy cried and Sue had to take the cheque and spread it amongst the tribe.

- Jacob continued phasing for the next 20 years, he regularly takes trips to wherever the Cullens are living to visit Bella and Ness. Whenever it happens, Alice buys him a whole suitcase full of shorts and jeans, Esme bounces of the walls in excitement, Emmett loses his shit and Bella is insufferable but they don’t seen Rosalie or Edward of a day for however long he stays. He eventually stops phasing when Billy passes.

[ultsoobins]

5 types of kisses - CYJ

requested:

hello uwu i saw your 5 types of kisses and i was hoping if you could do the same for yeonjun? thanks!!

notes: 

some of the kisses are different but i kept the same format, more or less! also, idk if anyone’s going to read this, but i can’t promise y’all that i’ll post super often, because i’m in 7 AP classes this year! i’m a junior, and i have a shit ton of school and college stuff to get done, and that will always come first.

summary:

yeonjun and five times (and five ways) he kisses you

nose kisses

even though he’d graduated last year, and he doesn’t physically attend university, yeonjun still insists on walking you to school most mornings if he can. everyday starts out the same: you wake up, get dressed and brushed and everything else, eat a rushed breakfast before getting your backpack together with everything in it, and run out only to almost collide with your boyfriend. 

then, you chastise him for not wearing enough layers, or wearing too many layers, depending on the season. then, you insist that you can walk to school alone, and that he doesn’t have to trouble himself like this, even though seeing him first thing in the morning always brightens up your day.

he knows this. it’s why he walks with you anyways, even though you always tell him that he doesn’t have to. 

today is much the same as it always is. yeonjun points out to you that your shoelaces are untied, and waits as you bend down to tie them. once you stand up again, just slightly less harried looking than you first were coming outside, he grabs your hand, interlocking your fingers. 

“good morning.” he says, unable to fully hide his mildly amused expression. you always seem rushed at first in the mornings, even though you haven’t been late anywhere, let alone to school, since you were 9. it endears your boyfriend greatly - it’s on his mental running list of your idiosyncrasies that make him smile. 

you glance down at the hand that’s holding his for a quick moment before looking up at your boyfriend. “morning!” you smile. 

the walk to school itself isn’t long or eventful - yeonjun always carries treats for street dogs he might see along the way, and you both make sure to feed the few that cross your path. other than that, the two of you pass it comfortably - talking about anything and everything under the sun, from yeonjun’s encounters with bts members - his eyes always light up talking about his work - to all of your upcoming tests. 

the walk feels far too short, and you, as always, feel almost sad when you reach your school’s front gate. you check your watch out of habit the moment you get there. 

“i have ten minutes before class starts...” 

yeonjun smiles at you, pulling you into a hug without letting go of your hand. “yeah, but i have dance practice, and i’m already running late.” your eyes widen at the word ‘late’, and you step back. before you can reprimand your boyfriend for walking you to school instead of being on time to practice, he kisses the tip of your nose. 

you can only blink in surprise, your mouth still wide open before you realize and shut it quickly. by then, however, yeonjun has already started to jog backwards towards the bighit building. 

“i’ll see you later!” he calls, waving for good measure before turning and breaking into a sprint. you sigh, but you can’t help the smile the spreads across your face. shaking your head, you walk towards the gate. after all, you haven’t been late in years, and you’d like to keep that streak going even if your boyfriend can’t say the same. 

collarbone kisses

"when will you be done?”

yeonjun rests his hands on your shoulders as he leans over the back of your chair, placing his chin on top of your head as he scans the essay on your screen. your eyes flit upwards momentarily before you let out a small sigh.

“i have like... two body paragraphs left, not to mention my conclusion,” you start. “and i have no idea what i’ve written up until now or what i’ll write from here on.”

your boyfriend laughs at this, moving so his arms are draped over your shoulders. he gently rests his chin on your shoulder. 

“you’ll pull through. you always do. but -”

“but?” 

you feel him grin rather than see it. he tightens his hold on you into something more reminiscent of a back hug. 

“but... you could afford to take a break. it isn’t due until the day after tomorrow.”

you laugh, unsurprised, as you reach a hand up to card your fingers through his hair. “i can, but i’d rather get it done with tonight.” yeonjun pouts at this - you know he does even without looking. 

“think about it,” you continue when he doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t release you from his hold either. “if i finish it today, we can spend all of tomorrow together.”

after what feels like forever, yeonjun sighs. you smile inadvertently - you’ve won. 

“if you want, you can pull up a chair next to me.” you turn your head as much as you can, moving your hand out of his hair as you do. he sighs again, far more exaggeratedly this time. 

“fine. but you’d better spend all of tomorrow with me.” yeonjun enunciates his words with kisses dotted along your collarbone, eliciting light laughter from you. 

“that’s fine by me, you big baby. go bring a chair - i need you to proofread what i already have.”

palm kisses

you don’t realize that yeonjun has woken up until you feel his fingers lightly running up and down your arm. 

you glance up from your place resting on his chest only to see him looking back down at you with a soft smile. when he registers your open eyes, his expression morphs into one of shock and then, right after, one of worry. 

“did i wake you?” his voice is soft, raspy, and lower than usual - collateral damage from the nap you took together.

“no, i’ve been up.” you respond in a voice that’s equally as soft, moving back so your head is on his outstretched arm and you’re facing the ceiling. 

you do so to give him reprieve from the position you’ve both been in for hours, but it’s futile. yeonjun moves his arm down to your shoulders before pulling you back into his side. 

you’re back at square one. 

your head rests on his chest again, and you let your hand join it. yeonjun interlocks your legs with his. as you take in his warmth with his heartbeat beating in your ears, you find yourself wishing like you could stay like this forever. 

“should we get up?” yeonjun’s the one who asks, but the apprehension in his voice is so unmistakable that it almost makes you laugh. you shake your head before realizing that he can’t see you - he can only feel you.

“nah,” you respond. “this is just perfect.” 

yeonjun doesn’t say anything, but he brings the hand that isn’t around your shoulders down to grab your wrist in the most gentle way possible, bringing your hand up to his lips. he presses chaste kisses to all of your fingertips before doing the same to your palm, letting your hand rest against his cheek for a moment before dropping it back to his chest. 

“we could stay like this forever,” after a beat or two passes, he voices your thoughts out loud, and you can’t help smiling harder than you thought possible. 

“we could, yeah.” you glance up again, and yeonjun’s smile reaches his eyes, making their corners crinkle beautifully. 

“we should.” he replies.

you nod once more, smoothing out the creases on his shirt as you do. you press a chaste kiss to the part of his neck you can reach before resting your head back on his chest. 

“yeah, we should.”

first kiss

your favorite thing about christmas is the decorating that comes with it - always has been, always will be.

your tree has been up for weeks, but you’ve only just finished putting the tinsel and the ornaments all over it. while you finish off arranging everything just right, yeonjun is across the room, stringing up fairy lights along the walls of your living room at your request. you’d both already put lights around the outside of your house and up in your room. 

he finishes with his work at the same time you finish yours, stepping off of the ladder just as you step back from the tree - both of you are immensely pleased with yourselves, a fact that’s evident in the beaming smiles you shoot each other.

“what’s left?” yeonjun asks first, and you take a moment to think. 

“i think we’re done,” you start, squatting down to take a look through the boxes that are strewn across the floor. pretty much all of them are empty - after all, the decorations inside them are now put up.

all of them are empty, that is, except for one. 

you pick the mistletoe out of the box closest to your feet and stand up straight, holding it in your outstretched hand, grinning as you quirk an eyebrow at your boyfriend. 

“we’re done... other than this.”

yeonjun eyes it for a moment before crossing the room to stand in front of you. in a clean move, he plucks it from your palm and holds it above his head and far above your own. he raises an eyebrow at you, this time. 

“’tis the season, right?” 

you look up at the mistletoe and back at your boyfriend’s face, letting your eyes linger on his mouth. 

“is this my christmas gift?” you ask, smirking, as you lock eyes with yeonjun. one side of his mouth quirks up in response before he leans in.

your eyes close of their own accord mere moments before his lips meld with yours. you feel rather than see him lower his hand - he rests it, mistletoe and all, on your waist not a second later. once you separate, your eyes open a fraction of a second before his. he blinks twice before breaking into a grin. 

“it is, but if you want to return it, that’s fine by me.” 

making out i guess

you’re glad your door is sturdier than how your knees feel. 

yeonjun’s hands grab at your waist, gripping your sides tightly enough for you to be aware of him, but loosely enough to not hurt you. your hands are curled, resting squarely on his chest. your shoulders press against your front door - you’re hyperaware of the wood against your (yeonjun’s) sweatshirt.

you’re hyperaware of everything, actually. yeonjun’s cologne, the rough pads of his fingers tracing circles into your hips, the taste of his chapstick, how firm his chest is under your palms once you splay your fingers out across his collarbones - it all washes over you at once and stays constantly present from there. it feels as if you’re drowning in your boyfriend.

for once, you don’t mind your head being completely underwater.    

your lips move with his easily, practiced, as he presses you further into the door. he brings a hand up from your waist to cup your face, taking charge easily with his height advantage. it feels almost too soon when you separate for air.

you stay leaning against the door, catching your breath discreetly. yeonjun props himself up against it with one hand for a short moment, hovering over you before stepping back entirely. 

he flashes you a smile that almost takes your breath away again. 

“i’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

“yeah - wait, why?” you’re perplexed - as far as you know, you haven’t made plans with your boyfriend for tomorrow.

yeonjun laughs. he turns, starting to walk away, before calling over his shoulder in response to your question.  

“i’m walking you to school. what else?” 

[ihearvoicesinmyhead]

do that oc meme for seth :3

♥ (01) Is your OC in love? If so, with whom, and for how long?

Yes, Seth is in love w/ Mordan, the love of his life n_n He met him when he and his band were first starting out, and while Seth was closeted at the time he develops feelings for Mordan and they eventually get together and have been together ever since :3

♥ (02) Does another OC love your OC? If so, whom, and does your OC know?

Lol Mordan loves Seth too, although Seth’s dense ass didn’t realize it at first. But now he’s thankful every day someone as perfect as Mordan could love him.

♥ (03) Are there any romantic gestures that your OC loves?

I think what Seth doesn’t want to admit is he likes to feel spoiled, but in more subtle ways than what he’d probably show towards Mordan. Like he appreciates when Mordan cooks for him, or tells him he loves him while they’re cuddling on the couch all night lol If Mordan insists on buying him things he’s glad it’s things like clothes where he can fuss over him the whole time picking out outfits for him to try on and shit... At the end of the day he’s but a simple man w/ simple pleasures and just likes feeling spoiled by Mordan’s love and attention.

♥ (04) Are there any romantic gestures that your OC hates?

It’s hard to think of anything Seth wouldn’t like that Mordan could do for him, he probably wouldn’t like big ostentatious dates on his behalf (mainly bc he wants to be the one planning them to spoil Mordan)…

♥ (05) What is the most romantic thing your OC has done for someone else?

Lol Seth tried to go all out w/ the marriage proposal, but now he’s always trying to top himself bc he can’t let that be his big defining romantic moment w/ Mordan now that they’ve been married for years now.

♥ (06) What is the most romantic thing that has been done for your OC?

Lol honestly he swears anything Mordan does for him is the most romantic thing ever

♥ (07) How successful is your OC at flirting with others?

Well I’d like to think so lmao... but he was kind of a fuckboy back in the day so idk

♥ (08) What is your OC’s dream marriage proposal?

Haha, Seth slaves away planning his proposal to Mordan and is determined to make it perfect. He spends too long deciding on a ring, dragging Mordan’s friends into it making sure it’s the right style and everything. He’ll never admit how much he spent on it (but it’s a lot).

But as for the night, I like to imagine he insists on going to the same place they had their first date, and then pops the question while they’re taking a walk in the nearby park afterwards. It’s like, Christmas Eve too so there’d be pretty lights and decorations to set a Mood. Obvs when the time comes Seth’s nervous as shit, but he’s over the moon when they’re engaged and is casually heart eyes over his new fiancé all of Christmas Day.

♥ (09) What is your OC’s favorite small way to show their love?

Seth really likes writing little love notes and lyrics for Mordan early in the morning while Mordan’s still sleeping. Just a good way to spend the time waiting for Mordan to wake up while also getting his inspiration going lol

He’s written so many songs for and about Mordan too, just his ~muse~ who deserves to be eternalized in his music lol

♥ (10) What is your OC’s favorite big way to show their love?

Lol Seth isn’t really shy about showing his love, just always grabbing him for kisses and cuddles... He’s a big believer in PDA and wants everyone to see how much he loves his husband basically. He really likes treating him to fancy meals at Mordan’s favorite restaurants and stuff too....

♥ (11) What do others love most about your OC?

Probably that he’s a hot buff dude but also dumb puppy idk

♥ (12) What do you love most about your OC?

Lmao he’s my finely tailored oc who’ve I had since like, 2007… He’s changed a lot and grown w/ me so I really appreciate how he’s gone from an edgy boi to soft buff dream man… He’s just rly hot and I appreciate his personality to go with it, esp since we’ve developed our ocs together w/ meth so they’re actually… the best couple ever? like couple goals, could not date bc they’ve set such a high precedent for me sdgdfs Oh Well :)

♥ (13) How does your OC show their love to those that are not their partner(s)?

Basically Seth isn’t going to show you much affection unless you’re close family, and even then his love is mainly reserved for Mordan lol... He likes buying them gifts and things when he visits tho, and appreciates helping his parents/brother any way he can

♥ (14) Does your OC have any romantic traditions?

God idk specifically what this question wants from me but I’m sure they do!!!

♥ (15) What is your OC’s favorite type of Valentine’s Day candy?

Honestly Seth is more content with eating Mordan’s rejects than getting candy of his own. He’s not the biggest chocolate fan, but he’ll obvs take any that Mordan decides to hand feed him lol (if he had a preference tho, I think he’d like the mocha/coffee filling ones the most)

♥ (16) What is your OC’s ideal first date?

Seth would like to think he likes fun simple first dates, like bowling or seeing a movie... but then he meets Mordan who’s all Classy and he lowkey likes the fancy vibes too

♥ (17) Could your OC fall in love with someone they’ve never met in person?

No I don’t think so lol (unless it’s Mordan in some kind of pen pal au)

♥ (18) Does your OC have a “type”?

Skinny bitches lmao… He likes people on the taller side, usually with lighter hair and light eyes. He’s not really aware of it, but he usually goes for the ones who are sassy bitches too

♥ (19) How highly does your OC value love (platonic, romantic, or otherwise)?

Seth wasn’t someone who’s been into the idea of “love”, and basically swore he’d never settle down. But then he meets Mordan and everything changes and suddenly he’s high on love and can’t get enough lol

♥ (20) How does your OC feel about public displays of affection?

He thinks very highly of it... just a combo of wanting everyone to know he’s w/ Mordan + can’t go five minutes w/o putting his hands on Mordan either lol

♥ (21) Does your OC believe in love at first sight?

Lol kind of... he swears it was love at first sight w/ Mordan since he sensed a ���spark” between them, but he also spent the first year of their friendship being an oblivious closeted asshole so what’s the real answer here

♥ (22) How often does your OC read romantic literature?

Uhh, never lol... He doesn’t really like to read, but he likes when Mordan gives him plot rundowns of the trashy romance novels he’ll read sometimes bc they’re entertaining at least

♥ (23) What is your OC’s favorite nice thing to do for themselves?

Lmao eating..... But he also likes working out and going to the gym, he also enjoys going out for hikes/camping whenever he can bc he really likes being out in nature...

♥ (24) How does your OC determine that they’re attracted to someone?

He’s pretty shallow so he needs the physical attraction... I’d like to think he takes personality immediately into account too, but... well -.-

♥ (25) Does your OC believe in soulmates?

Yes lol

♥ (26) Is your OC ever the first to say “I love you”?

Lol yes... he’s got the unfiltered thoughts and it basically just pops out suddenly I’m sure

♥ (27) How does your OC typically spend their Valentine’s Day?

Lol just wanting to spoil Mordan the whole day... I think he goes out of his way to get a big ass bouquet of flowers and chocolates and then the two of them going out to dinner or s/t nice that night

♥ (28) What is something unconventional that your OC thinks is romantic?

Lol that his husband is a demon but decided to settle down and marry him?

♥ (29) What is your OC’s favorite love song?

Your Song by Elton John

♥ (30) What is your OC’s favorite romantic movie?

Lol me like “does top gun count?”

[ssho25]

The Best Christmas of All Time

Someone gave me an adorable prompt about decorating your SO’s hospital room for Christmas and so ofc I had to write that! (this will also be available on ao3, but idk if tumblr’s still being a dink and hiding posts w/ external links so I won’t be adding a link to this one, I just want to let you know that it’s there if you prefer reading on ao3!)

Normally, Kazuya didn’t really look forward to Christmas. Not because he didn’t like it, but rather he didn’t really have a reason to do so. But it never bothered him; baseball was more than enough.

But this year was different. This year, Kazuya was going to celebrate it with Sawamura. It was going to be their first Christmas together as a couple. Tonight, they were going to a Christmas Eve party with all their friends and then tomorrow, he would have Sawamura all to himself. All those romance manga Sawamura read said Christmas was kind of a big deal, so Kazuya wanted to get it right.

So, you can imagine Kazuya’s frustration when he found himself sitting in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV.

“Guess this means you’re not coming to the party,” Kuramochi said.

“Gee, you think?” Kazuya responded dryly, his face devoid of emotion.

“Now, now, Miyuki. You know that he didn’t mean any harm,” Takigawa chided.

“I know, I’m sorry Chris-senpai,” Kazuya replied apologetically.

“Hey! You’re supposed to apologize to me!” Kuramochi argued.

“Did you fly across the globe to visit even though I’m bedridden until tomorrow?” Kazuya retorted.

“No, but I was the one who drove you to the hospital. And I can always make your stay a little longer…” Kuramochi raised his fist as he slowly approached Kazuya’s bed.

Takigawa raised his arm to stop Kuramochi before any harm could be done. “I know you were excited to catch up with everyone, but accidents happen,” he said to Kazuya.

“Accident my ass. This idiot wasn’t taking care of himself properly and fainted,” Kuramochi interjected.

Takigawa raised an eyebrow. “Miyuki, is that true?”

“I…may have missed a meal or two…,” Kazuya replied.

“Missing one meal isn’t going to cause malnutrition or dehydration,” Kuramochi said. Kazuya glared daggers at Kuramochi; that little snitch.

Takigawa folded his arms, gazing sternly at Kazuya. “I thought of all people, you would know the importance of taking care of yourself,” he scolded.

“I know. I-I was just…really busy,” Kazuya explained.

“What? Practicing proposing to Sawamura?” Kuramochi asked.

Kazuya blushed. “What? No! I have assignments, and my job at the coffee shop, and—”

“Then he’s part of the reason why,” Kuramochi countered. “You had no problem balancing your life for the past year, but then suddenly out of nowhere, your whole life is thrown into disarray after you started hanging out with Sawamura more often?” Kazuya clicked his tongue; why was Kuramochi so incredibly observant?

Kuramochi and Takigawa looked at Kazuya expectantly. Kazuya tried to think of an excuse, but eventually sighed in defeat. “Sawamura and I…started going out. I was working extra shifts to save up for his Christmas present. Because of my extra shifts, I didn’t have time to cook properly.”

Kuramochi scoffed and folded his arms. “Took you long enough.”

Kazuya raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Everyone already knew you dating. We just didn’t think you’d take so long to tell us,” Kuramochi explained.

Kazuya blushed. Was it really that obvious to others?

“Congratulations, Miyuki,” Takigawa said.

Kazuya sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, Chris-senpai.”

“But you’re still stupid,” Kuramochi added. “Happy for you, but you’re stupid.”

“Thanks…,” Kazuya reluctantly replied.

“So how much does this gift cost that you needed to overwork yourself?” Kuramochi questioned.

A knock coming from the hospital room door interrupted their conversation. “I’m so sorry to bother you,” said the nurse at the door, “but I need to make my assessments on Miyuki-san’s condition.”

“That’s no problem. We were just on our way out,” Takigawa replied.

“But I wasn’t—” Kuramochi began, but one look from Takigawa and Kuramochi knew better than to argue.

Takigawa turned back to Kazuya. “We can talk anytime. Just focus on getting better, okay?”

“Yeah…thanks for stopping by,” Kazuya said.

“It’s no problem at all. We’ll let everyone know you can’t come,” Takigawa answered.

“Don’t do anything dumber than you’ve already done,” Kuramochi added.

“Appreciate the concern,” Kazuya said.

“Merry Christmas,” Takigawa and Kuramochi said together as they left the room.

“Merry Christmas,” Kazuya said as well, waving goodbye until they were out of sight.

“Alright, Miyuki-san. Are you ready?” the nurse asked.

“Sure,” Kazuya answered. “Not like I’m going anywhere any time soon.”

…

Kazuya only realized he fell asleep when he found himself waking up. He turned to look at his side and saw something brightly coloured, but everything was so fuzzy that he couldn’t make out what he was looking at.

He tried to sit up, but he moved too quickly and made himself dizzy.

“Whoa, careful now,” said someone in the room, probably another nurse. She rushed over to help Kazuya lay back down before pressing a button on the bed. It began to shift until the back was raised like a chair. “You’re not quite fully recovered, so you shouldn’t be moving around so quickly.”

Kazuya swiveled his head side-to-side. “Where are my…”

“Oh, your glasses?” the nurse finished. She picked up something from the counter beside his bed and handed it to him.

Kazuya graciously accepted the object and could feel the familiar rims of his glasses. He put them on, blinking a couple of times to adjust his eyes. Once everything cleared, he had to blink a few more times, just to make sure that he was seeing things correctly.

The brightly coloured blur he saw before was a bouquet of sunflowers set up beside his bed. Tinsel lined the bed rails and a small, decorated Christmas tree was sitting on a tray at the end of his bed. Paper snowflakes and ornaments dangled from the ceiling and on the wall opposite of his bed, there were 2 banners that read “Get Well Soon!” and “Merry Christmas!”

Kazuya didn’t know what to do and just stared in confusion. “Wh-what…”

“This was all Sawamura-san’s idea,” the nurse said.

Kazuya turned towards her, confusion still clear on his face. “Huh?”

“Sawamura-san heard that you were in the hospital for Christmas. He said that he didn’t want you to feel left out and asked if he could decorate your room.”

Kazuya’s eyes wandered around the room. “He did all this for me?”

“Well, he did have some help from the staff. No one expected him to be the clumsy type.”

Kazuya chuckled at the thought. He could see Sawamura fumbling with the decorations, maybe even giving himself a papercut or two. It was endearing and charming in its own way, and Kazuya didn’t hate the effort.

“Oh! I almost forgot,” the nurse said as she flipped through the papers on her clipboard. She removed an envelope and handed it to Kazuya. “Sawamura-san also dropped this off. It’s from your father.”

Kazuya took the envelope from the nurse, eyes wide in surprise. The envelope itself was quite basic: a simple red envelope that had his name on the front. Kazuya couldn’t imagine what could possibly be in it. His father wasn’t a cold man, he just wasn’t too good with sentimental things.

Kazuya pulled out a white card that was just as simple as the envelope. It had “Merry Christmas!” printed in gold, cursive font on the front. The inside only had 2 sentences written in pen: Get well soon. I have some sushi waiting for you. Kazuya’s eyes lingered over the words, a small smile on his face. It may not have seemed like much to someone else, but it meant the world to him.

An ever growth warmth spread from Kazuya’s chest. He had never felt so cherished before, but he kind of liked it. “Is Sawamura still here?” he asked hopefully.

“I’m so sorry, but Sawamura-san took off before you woke up,” was the nurse’s apologetic reply.

“Oh…,” Kazuya trailed off.

“B-but he really did want to wait for you! He said that he forgot something and left in a hurry,” the nurse quickly said. “I’m sure that he just got held up and would’ve come right back had visiting hours not finished for the day.”

“R-right.” Kazuya realized his disappointment must’ve been really obvious and felt a little embarrassed.

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed your surprise. It’s very late now, so you should think about getting some more rest. Merry Christmas, Miyuki-san,” was the last thing the nurse said before she turned the lights off and left the room.

Kazuya sat in silence, the gentle glow from the stars and moon the only source of light. He took another look around the room, looked down at the card again. He turned towards the clock in the room: 10 minutes until midnight. 10 minutes until Christmas day, and the only company he had was an IV bag pumping saline solution into his arm. He sighed and fell back against the hospital bed.

Kazuya turned towards the balcony, thinking maybe a change in scenery would help cheer him up. Just then, a shooting star flew through the night sky. He could almost hear Sawamura as if he were standing in the room. ‘You have to make a wish, Miyuki! That’s like…the law of shooting stars!’

Kazuya chuckled to himself. “It’d be nice if Sawamura was here,” he mumbled to no one in particular.

Kazuya decided to get settled for bed, when suddenly he heard a thud! coming from the balcony. He whipped his head around, his eyes frantically searching for the source. He didn’t see anything, but he did hear someone moaning in pain and footsteps that grew closer and closer.

Kazuya could hear his heart thumping inside of his chest. He didn’t dare pull his eyes away from the balcony, waiting for the perpetrator to expose himself. He knew he should’ve pressed the call button for the nurse, but what if it was someone dangerous? But then, what should he do in this situation?

Kazuya didn’t have time to think about it longer when the culprit knocked on the glass panel of the balcony door.

Kazuya squinted at the person in disbelief. “…Sawamura?” he slowly said.

Sawamura pointed to the lock. ‘Open the door,’ he mouthed.

Kazuya sat there, trying to make sense of everything. Was Sawamura really there? Should he actually go open the door? Another bout of knocking told him he should. Kazuya stood up from the hospital bed and made his way to the balcony, using the IV stand for support.

“Took you long enough. Man, is it ever cold outside!” Sawamura exclaimed once he was let in, placing his bag onto a chair. He cupped his hands over his mouth and began to breathe into them, trying to warm them up.

Kazuya shut the door behind him, still unable to process what was going on. “H-how…”

“I tried going through the front doors, and they said no! ‘Visiting hours are closed. Only family and hospital staff are allowed.’ Can you believe that?” Sawamura complained, ignoring Kazuya’s attempt to speak.

“Did you…”

“So, I had to pretend to leave. And then, you know what I did? Well, I remembered you had a balcony, so I climbed up the side of the hospital. But my foot got caught, so I fell when I tried to pull myself up. Still kind of hurts,” Sawamura continued as he rubbed his chest.

“Wait, just give me a minute here,” Kazuya said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sat back down on the bed, recollecting his thoughts. “You were denied entry into the hospital, so you decided to scale a building?”

“I needed to get in! And they weren’t giving me much of a choice,” Sawamura argued.

“And this has nothing to do with the star?” Kazuya asked.

“Huh? What star? What are you talking about?” Sawamura replied.

“…Never mind, forget it. It’s nothing,” Kazuya said, waving his hand in dismissal. Clearly, he was losing his mind for believing in wishing stars for even a second. “So, why exactly did you break into the hospital?”

“I didn’t break in,” Sawamura said defensively. “You let me in, remember?”

“But why are you here?” Kazuya reiterated. “Shouldn’t you be at the party right now? You know, the one you planned?”

“I told them to go on without me, ‘cause I had something important to do,” Sawamura replied.

“Like what?”

Sawamura spread out his arms and gestured to the room. “Like this. Did you really think I was going to let you spend tonight all alone?” Kazuya didn’t say anything, so Sawamura kept going. “This is our first Christmas together since we started dating. Just because you’re in the hospital, doesn’t mean we can’t spend it together.”

Sawamura approached the bed and took one of Kazuya’s hands into his own. “You feel okay?” Sawamura asked, his voice filled with concern.

A small smile grew on Kazuya’s face. “I’ve been better.”

“I told you to take it easy,” Sawamura chided. “And thanks for telling me by the way,” he added sarcastically.

“I didn’t want you to worry, and you would’ve found out anyway,” Kazuya explained. “I was just trying to save up for your present.”

“Can’t be that good if you got hurt in exchange.”

“Really? ‘Cause I actually have it here with me. But if you don’t want it, then I can just return it,” Kazuya teased.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn’t say that,” Sawamura said. “I mean, if you already have it, then it can’t be helped.”

“I thought we weren’t exchanging gifts until the day of,” Kazuya smirked.

Sawamura rolled his eyes. “It’s Christmas in literally 5 minutes. I think we’ll be fine.” He sat down on the bed, never letting go of Kazuya’s hand. He looked at Kazuya expectantly. “I’m ready.”

Kazuya chuckled at his boyfriend’s antics. He tipped his chin towards the end of the bed. “It’s in my bag.”

Sawamura swiveled around to see the bag before standing up and walking to the end of the bed. He took the bag off the bed post and brought it to Kazuya before sitting back down.

Kazuya sifted through his things until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a small, white box with the words ‘JAM HOME MADE’ written on the top. He took off the lid and revealed a small, blue velvet box inside.

“No way,” Sawamura whispered.

“What?” Kazuya asked.

“Nothing,” Sawamura replied too quickly. Kazuya was skeptical, but chose not to say anything.

Kazuya flipped the blue box around so that it was facing Sawamura before popping the lid open to reveal a ring. It was a small silver band that made a diamond shape in the centre. The diamond was decorated with small diamonds and ‘E. SAWAMURA’ was engraved into the inner part of the ring. Sawamura never took his eyes off it.

“You like it?” Kazuya asked.

Sawamura didn’t say anything and just nodded. He told hold of the box and kept staring at the ring.

“Will you put it on me?” Sawamura asked. He held out the box to Kazuya.

Kazuya took the box and pulled the ring out from the slot. Using his free hand, he picked up Sawamura’s right hand and carefully slid the ring onto Sawamura’s pointer finger.  

“Why the right hand?” Sawamura asked.

“Because you’re left-handed. It’ll be easier to hide it on your right hand than your left. And if people do notice it, at least it’s on a hand and finger no one would question,” Kazuya explained.

Sawamura nodded and looked down at the ring again, a soft smile on his face. Kazuya wished he could look at Sawamura smile like that forever.

“Are you ready for your gift?” Sawamura asked. Kazuya didn’t even reply before Sawamura left the bed again, this time to retrieve his own bag. He pulled out a white box and sat down on the bed. Kazuya could read the words ‘JAM HOME MADE’ across the front.

“You probably know,” Sawamura started, “But the ring you bought comes in a set of two. A ring and a necklace.” Sawamura opened the lid and took out a similar blue velvet box, this one being not as tall but much wider and longer. “You’re not really one for jewelry, so I thought getting something you could easily hide under your shirt would be better for you.” He flipped open the box and turned it to reveal Kazuya’s present.

Just as Sawamura had implied, it was the matching necklace that went with the ring Kazuya bought. It was styled like a key with a little diamond charm attached to the necklace chain as well. ‘K. MIYUKI’ was etched into the lower half of the key, but the important part was how the top of the key had a diamond hole cut out. As if to demonstrate, Sawamura took out the necklace and placed the diamond hole over top of the diamond on his ring, making a perfect fit.

“And now we match,” Sawamura finished. They both looked at each other, neither one saying a word. Suddenly, their laughter broke the silence, both struggling to keep their voices down.

“It’s like we’re in one of your shoujo manga,” Kazuya chuckled.

“We better tell someone to write our story,” Sawamura chimed in.

“Maybe they’ll make an anime about us,” Kazuya added.  

“Really though, what are the chances?” Sawamura asked once they settled down.

“Guess great minds think alike,” Kazuya answered, his trademark smirk on his face. He leaned in and tipped his head forward. Sawamura leaned in as well, clasping the necklace around Kazuya’s neck before pulling away.

Kazuya looked down at the necklace before turning to Sawamura and smiling. “It’s perfect,” Kazuya said.

Sawamura returned the smile. “I’m glad you like it.” He rested his head against Kazuya’s and reached for Kazuya’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“It’s like we were made for each other,” Sawamura whispered.

Usually, Kazuya would’ve made fun of Sawamura for saying something so cheesy. But for some reason, he didn’t feel like it this time. Maybe it was Sawamura’s surprise, maybe Sawamura was rubbing off on him. Kazuya didn’t really know or care.

“Guess we are,” Kazuya whispered back before giving Sawamura a kiss, something he wanted to do from the moment Sawamura walked in.

And it was pretty much the best Christmas of all time.

[cherubsoda]

That ship meme with Dante maybe :Oc

thank you! but worm,, i hope i didnt force you to send this in ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs | im too afraid to be indulgent 

How long will they last? - as long as this bitch wants me in his damn heart but um forever

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - like actually?? not just flirting? a good year and a half probably. its like gradual like haha i like you lets go out and one day its just like :0 shit this is getting serious oh damn alright!!!!!!

How was their first kiss? - probably awkward but heartfelt! because wow im your first kiss? thats whack,,

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Dante because im a pussy sad emoji. i swear,, someone else is gonna have to bring it to his attention like, you’ve been together for how long..? why not just make it official and he just :L fuck you’re right

Who is the best man/men? - I’m gonna keep it real with you chief, we would probably just get the papers signed and have a small get together to celebrate. but if anyone,, its Trish or Nero

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - it’ll probably be my friend who i shall not tag bc she doesnt know about this account (she also self ships but sometimes,, i need privacy dsfghk) also Lady bc ilh 

Who did the most planning? - probably me but also Lady and Trish, please,, help

Who stressed the most? - surprisingly dante, like “is this a good idea bc um, i’m kinda prone to getting into dangerous situations” like yeah jackass i know 

How fancy was the ceremony? - ^^^ its not at all fancy. it’s intimate and to the point. We’d share our vows as in he pulls it out of his ass but its still sweet and genuine. He just doesn’t do hand written speeches.Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - um if Vergil didnt chill out,, him. But also Dante still loves and cares about him so,

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - hopefully none bc,, yikes

How many children will they adopt? - i will literally,, pick up every sad child on the street. Nero and Patty,, you are my kids now.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Me

Who is the stricter parent? - ME

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - both, Dante kinda laughs it off but I’m sweating bullets every time they run

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Me

Who is the more loved parent? - hnn both?

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Mostly me,bc I,, look normal, buts also both of us bc good cop bad cop dynamic. 

Who cried the most at graduation? - Dante 

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Dante walks in and is like *disappointed but smug dad look* “don’t pull a me, your mom’s gonna be SO pissed.”

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Me; he’s not allowed in the kitchen unless someones in there with him

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Me I guess, Dante would just eat, anything.

Who does the grocery shopping? - both, it’s a nice change of pace + domestic, if he goes alone he will forget the list and come home with items we didn’t need

How often do they bake desserts? - not too often, its usually a binge thing like wow this month we were just really into it.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - meat!

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Dante? 

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Dante

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? - DANTE

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Me

Who is really against chores? - Dante, like he’ll do it but I’d usually have to ask

Who cleans up after the pets? - Dante

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Dante

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - ME 100%

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Patty or Lady, thanks

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Me? 

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - both bc its cute and domestic 

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - I get festive in July but i dont like decorating or taking decorations down, so its been Christmas for 4 years

What are their goals for the relationship? - wow um, just be understanding of each other idk also have a kickass time

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - BOTH

Who plays the most pranks? - Dante; if it’s directed towards me he just puts stuff higher on the shelf

UM BIG NOT FOR WORK (⸝⸝⸝ª̷̛იॢª̷̛⸝⸝⸝)ᵒʰ┈

Sex:

Who is on top? - HA bitch- D a n t e. 

Who is the one to instigate things? - Dante; the only time i would ever do this is if i built up that confidence, but I joke about it a lot

How healthy is their sex life? -  um,, down to clown 24/7 alright Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 rip | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - Dante has a LOT of stamina, ngl he could go all night, so after a few rounds I’d tap out or until i pass out zzz gn

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - I would try my fucking best,, but the bitch has so much stamina so unfortunately,, It’s not equal but Dante just go for it just get it. But I won’t leave a bitch hanging fuck that.

How rough are they in bed? - i guess it depends on the moodSofter than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - the best part??No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

[dirigibleplumbing]

capimrecweek - fluffy Thursday

Today it’s Steve/Tony fluff recs!

For Sentimental Reasons by BlossomsintheMist (Ultimates) Summary: Ultimates Steve and Tony have hard lives--and they end up relaxing together. It turns into a habit. Non-sexual submission with service top Steve and sub Tony. Why you should read it: Honestly it feels like this fic was written as a gift from the universe (or from BlossomsintheMist) to me personally because service tops are literally my favorite people in the universe and I whole-heartedly believe that Steve is one (well, usually, they like to switch it up okay). The writing is beautiful, Steve and Tony are in love, it’s amazing. I want to live in this fic forever. 

The Road to the Grail is Paved with Hermits by Lenalena for Ellidfics (MCU) Summary: Steve has gotten himself stuck in the Middle Ages and he is desperately waiting to be rescued. After more than a year, he hears about a red and gold flying demon that has dared all of King Arthur's knights to come challenge it. He hopes this means that Iron Man has come for him, so that all he needs to do is find Tony and get out of this place. Should be simple. Tony didn't even know where he would end up, when he went after Steve. It's not been an easy adjustment for him, to put it mildly. And once he has figured out how to find Steve in this primitive shit show, how the hell is going to get him back home? Sir Thomas Malory meets Monty Python, with more hermits than any sensible story needs. Why you should read it: (I wasn’t sure whether to share this on fluff day or angst day and settled on fluff because, while there is angst, there’s also humor, idk.) So this is HILARIOUS and perfect. It has plot AND character development AND feels AND jokes. What more could you ask for? 

There is No Place Like Home for the Holidays by Lenalena (MCU) Summary: Steve is the first to come home to the tower after S.H.I.E.L.D. goes down. Then Natasha and Clint arrive. Tony doesn't mind, really, he's got the space. Except it's December and they insist on doing Christmassy shit. Who the hell has time for that?!? Christmas 5 - Tony 0 Why you should read it: I know it’s July and everything but. Look, I don’t even celebrate Christmas, so if anything it being featured prominently in a fic makes me skeptical rather than excited. But this right here is the quality New York City Christmas schmaltz! Ice skating at Rockefeller Center! Buying chestnuts off the street! Tony decorating cookies to look like the other Avengers! Plus lots of thoughtful character details, like Steve going to midnight mass. 

You Know How to Give by brandnewfashion (MCU) Summary: Steve was one of very few people who knew that the real Tony Stark was thoughtful and selfless, and genuinely cared about others. The problem? The man was absolute shit at showing it. Why you should read it: Fluff with a side of plot, humor, and character development. The pacing and structure is really well-done, and I love all the dialogue. 

Out for a Spin by Neverever (MCU) Summary: Tony goes to a car show with Steve but he’s never sure if they’re talking about cars or maybe something else. Why you should read it: This is SO cute and funny. Steve is sassy and clever and sweet and smitten. I love subtext that is just... not even subtext any more. Fortunately for Steve, so does Tony. (Also, you definitely don’t need to know anything about cars to enjoy this fic because I know as little is possible to know about them. I’m not even that good at driving them.) 

[maewritesstuff-blog]

Oh, My, My, My!

AN: okay shits, this is based off a prompt I had thought of and I requested it before but said fuck it and decided to do it myself. Here’s the playlist for this. Petey is 20 in this as well as the reader, both are in the Avengers bc yolo why not. also, the reader is a mutant idk what kind so well find out when I post it lmao.

Requested: no lmao. it’s basically Y/N giving Peter a bday gift and some bff!thor ( I love my mans, okay and platonic thor is needed) 

warning: my shitty writing and bad playlist. 

word count: 2,574 

Getting a birthday present for your best friend is supposed to be easy right? Especially if you are in love with them, wrong. It makes it about 10 times harder. You get an idea and you think ‘oh! this is perfect! great!’ but then you realize, a normal best friend wouldn’t get them this, this is too much, too personal. That’s where I'm stuck at right now.

Buying my best friend his 21st birthday gift shouldn’t be this hard! I'm great at gifts! Hell, I got the team the BEST gifts for Christmas, I made Steve tear up. So why can’t I think of something for Pete?

Groaning and running my hands over my face, I roll over and look at the picture of us from graduation. I know Pete like the back of my hand, I know his sandwich orders from every shop in Queens and upstate. I know he likes the Trilogy better than the Prequels of Star Wars, even if that's wrong.  I know that even at 20 and one of the strongest and powerful heroes, he sleeps with the curtain closed because he’s scared someone is going to be looking in if he looks over at night. I know this kid better than I know myself, so why am I stuck?

“Y/L/N, are you still coming into town with me?” ‘‘Yeah! I’m coming, give me a second Sparkles!’‘ huffing and attempting to get off my bed as fast I can, I hear Thor’s loud footsteps reaching my room. “Y/N, how many times am I to explain that I do not sparkle?’‘

Thor enters with a deep-set frown, leaning against my door frame watching me lace my boots up. “Sparkles, bub, listen.. I know you produce lighting, not sparkles; BUT you can make sparkles and it’s fun.’‘ I get up and walk over to him and step on my tippy toes to pat his cheek “Plus, you know you are my favorite founding Avenger.’‘ Laughing and putting his hand over mine before moving Thor replies “Oh you are full of it, I made sparkles once when you were sad and now you taunt me with it ever since.’‘ Grinning, I nod and pull him out with me and make our way down to the elevators.

“You are staying for Petey’s party tonight, right?’‘ Glancing over at Thor while he hums softly waiting for the doors to open before stepping in. “I am, the others say this age marking is a big one for you mortals and I enjoy watching your kind celebrate things, very different than how we do it. Plus I want to see if you finally confess to young Peter your feelings.’‘

“THOR!’‘ He laughs when I push his shoulder, him barely moving. You see, I told Thor about my crush on Peter last Halloween.

Everyone was at the tower for a big party that Tony threw. I was sitting next to Peter while Natasha was telling a story about one of her missions. “You okay, honey?’‘ Peter asked, a concerned look set on his face and his hand on my knee. We had this thing where we called each other Honey. He says he calls me it because of my eyes, a side effect of my mutation that leaves them a soft yellow color. I call him it because he’s sticky. “Yeah, I’m fine Petey“ I smile and reply, “Just a little tired is all.’’ Peter nods, a soft smile forming on his lips and removes the hand on my knee and brings it on the couch, behind me and goes back to listening to Natasha.

I stare at him briefly before shifting a bit myself, letting our knees knock together softly and stay close to him. Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I look over and see Thor starring at us with the look he gets when he’s thinking hard about something.

I furrow my eyebrows at him and mouth ‘What?’ to him, wondering what he’s looking at. He gets up and motions for me to follow him to the next room. “I’ll be back..’’ I whisper to Peter and get up, following the God.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is it another moment? Do you want me -’‘ “Are you and young Peter together and not telling me?” Thor interrupts me and frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. “What? No!’‘ Shaking my head quickly and feeling my face get hot “W-what makes you think that? We are just friends, bub.“ “You and him are sitting close and you two have been very fond of each other the whole evening.. did something happen when I was gone? Did you two engage?’‘ He asks, looking at me and squints his eyes watching me. I feel my face turn red and blink a few times, laughing nervously. “Thor, I-I don't know what you are talking about.. Peter and I haven't done anything, he’s just my best friend..’‘ I reply, unable to look up at him.

Thor is like my big brother, ever since I joined at fifteen Thor has been there to help. When he found out about another member joining the team with similar powers to his, he was excited. “Y/N.. you like young Peter, don't you?” God, I could practically hear the smile in his voice, I could already tell this was never going to be dropped. Whining, I put my hands on top of my head and looked up at him. "If you tell anyone or ever mention this when it's not just us, I will burn all of your capes.'' Thor lets out a small noise of agreement and pulls me into his chest, hugging me tightly. "I won't speak a word of, Honey.'' "I hope you drop your ax on your foot," I reply with a small smile while he laughs.

Rolling my eyes and thinking back at the memory, I can't help but smile to myself. It was a good night. "I have been thinking of telling him.. I'm just not entirely sure how to yet. I need to get him a gift first.'' I say as we walk out of the building and down the sidewalk. "Maybe a shirt? Peter seems to enjoy those, perhaps one with those sayings? He has a few, I don't understand them though..'' Laughing, I pat his shoulder "That's actually a good idea, he does wear an awful lot of those bad pun shirts." Thor just nods and looks in front of us as we make our way down the street.

Maybe getting Peter a shirt was a good idea? Thor does have a point with that option, he probably owns more bad science pun shirts than he does anything else. Glancing at the few little shops we pass, I notice a small music store and smile brightly. "Thor, I know what I'm going to do.'' "What is it?'' He asks me slightly confused. "You wouldn't get it, don't worry. You can get him the shirts, he'll love those.'' Nodding along to what I say, Thor just glances around the store smiling a bit to himself while I grab what I need and pay.

After spending about three hours making Peter's gift, you sat up and smiled. A personalized playlist was a great gift, right? Even if it's a playlist of songs you'd love to make out with him too? Peter loved playlist and loved music. It was a perfect gift for him, you were just nervous about the title you had written on it. 'Songs To Make Out With You'. Chewing on your bottom lip you grabbed the CD out of your laptop and put it in its case and wrapped it up before putting it in the bag with the other small gifts you got him. Pushing back the slight nervousness you had in your gut, you got ready and grabbed the bag heading down to the common room. Saying Tony took birthday's special was an understatement.I should of know this when I mentioned the idea of a surprise party for Peter.

The entire room was fully decorated. Balloons were everywhere, a huge banner was hanging in the middle of the room along with the numbers '21' on either side. Placing your bag on the table with the rest of the gifts, you walked over to where everyone was huddled up.

''Remeber, Pete has no idea this is happening, okay? F.R.I.D.A.Y. is going to tell us when he's coming, no one spilled, right?'' Tony looked around the room, squinting his eyes at everyone.

"Tony, relax. No one said a thing to the kid, he thinks it's just a regular movie night.'' Natasha replied, glancing down at her nails. Everyone in the room did a collective nod and reasurred Tony. He may not seem like it, but Tony Stark is the biggest softy in the world, especially for his teammates. "Mr. Stark, Peter is now entering the building and making his way to the elevator.'' "Okay, get into place guys!" Quickly ducking down by the couch as all the lights flick off while everyone finds a hiding spot, the room falls silent; an incredibly rare thing in this tower.

After a few moments of silence, you are able to hear the soft footsteps in the hall and the sound of a keypad followed by the door opening. "Whoa, why is it so dark in here? F.R.I.D.A.Y., turn lights on pl-" Peter is cut off by everyone screaming surprise and jumping up from their spots. Grinning brightly, Peter claps his hands together and laughs a bit "Guys.. You all didn't have to do this! This is so nice!''

Giggling at his reaction, you walk up to him and pull him in for a hug. "Happy Birthday, Honey'' you whisper in his ear and give his cheek a soft kiss. You feel him pull you closer to him and nuzzle his head into your neck, his smile obvious against your skin. You two kept the embrace for a small moment before pulling away. Peter grabbed your hand and kept you beside him as he greeted everyone and gave his thank yous.

"Mr. Stark, you didn't have to do any of this! It's so much!'' Shaking his head and patted Peter's shoulder. "It's nothing. 21 is a big age kid, celebrate it. Plus, it was Y/N that came up with the idea, I just took over a bit.'' Tony replied, sending a small wink in your direction. "You've got a good one there, kid.'' Instantly feeling your cheeks heat up slightly, you laughed it off. Peter smiled brightly at his mentor and turned to you. "You came up with this?" He asked. "It was just an idea, Petey, I wanted you to have a good time,'' you replied shrugging a bit. "Besides, Tony completely took control over most things and decorating. The man loves a good party.'' Peter just stared at you with a smile on his face and pulled you in for another hug, kissing the top of your head.

''I don't deserve you, Y/N, I really don't.'' biting your lip and wrapping your arms around his waist you just replied "Let's go and be apart of the party.'' Peter laughs and nods, pulling away and leading you two into the party. About an hour into the party, everyone is sitting on the couches by the window. Peter next to you, one arm behind your head and the other holding his cup while you softly lean against him with your own cup in your hand. "Alright, it's time for presents. I can't wait any longer.'' Tony announced to the room while getting up and clapping his hands together.

He walked over to the table and had DUM-E help him bring the gifts from the team onto the coffee table. Shifting and moving away from Peter a bit you started to feel anxiety build up in your stomach. No one told you they were gonna have them open the presents in front of everyone. You thought they were gonna let him take them back to his room and open them there. How the hell were you gonna get the cd and not have everyone on your team know you want to stick your tongue down Peter's throat?

Panicking a bit you sit up straight and watch as Peter is handed a gift by Clint. He grins like a small kid on Christmas when he opens the box and sees the small construction paper drawings from his kids and the gift card to the local bookstore. He receives a braided bracelet from Wanda that is a traditional gift from her home.

A new blue and red dagger from Natasha with his initials engraved on it and his logo, a child's wallet with spider-man on it with $100 cash in it from Tony, a stack of new books from Steve, a star wars poster from Bruce to replace the one the Hulk ripped in a fast accident a while ago. A winter soldier #1 fan mug from bucky that was accompanied from a matchy Falcon one from Sam. The science pun shirts from Thor, who doesn't truly know why you can't trust atoms. A Battle Star Galactica complete series from Rhodey.

Watching him thank Rhodey and start to reach for your bag, you feel your stomach start to fall. Chewing on your bottom lip, mumbling "Maybe you should open the bottom item later..'' Peter glanced over to his side at you and furrowed his eyebrows "Why? If you're worried I won't like it, that's a lie.'' He replied and started pulling out the items. One by one he opened the small gifts, his smile never leaving his face, constantly looking at you and beaming. You moved around in your seat starting to feel really nervous

"Don't read that out loud!" you blurted out, causing everyone to look over at you with a weird confused look, you put out a fake laugh and shrugged "Has an inside joke on it.. don't want you guys to be confused." Peter nodded, laughing along with you as he grabbed the case.

Swallowing you watched as he carefully took the wrapping paper off of it and smiled to himself at the picture on the case you put. It's the picture you got of him when he was sleeping on the couch with his mouth wide open. Peter opened the case and you felt as if your stomach was going to completely drop out of your ass. What if this was the end of your friendship? What if he started laughing and everyone joined in? Could you find a way to quickly snatch it out of his hands and just say 'Issa prank!'?

You looked at his hands holding the gift, scared of seeing his reaction when he was finished reading it Peter's eyes widened a bit as he read the title, biting his lip he scanned over the tracklist reading each song you put on there, feeling a smile creep on his face he looked back you.

"Honey, we are so going to listen to this later tonight..''

[imagineaworlds]

Deserve--Billy Hargrove

Written By @rune-of-a-writer / @hellimagines

Request: “Hey. Could you do an imagine with Billy that he is really jealous about you and Jonathan being best friends?”

Warnings: cursing probably, idk anymore guys

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x fem!reader, platonic!Jonathan Byers x fem!reader

Summary: After helping Jonathan get a Christmas present for Nancy, Billy gets upset and you have to reassure.

Word Count: 1,028

A/N: I’m sorry this isn’t as angsty/jealous as you probably hoped, anon! And it’s really short. I’ve been sick lately, and stressed, so I’m sorry! This isn’t my best work, and I feel bad about it, but I promise my other’s will be better!

“Jonathan!” you whined, leaning the upper half of your body over the table in the red room. “The pictures are perfect, like they always are! Nanc’ is going to love them. You know she will,” you said, trying to assure your best friend. The two of you had been in the processing room for the better part of an hour now, getting Nancy’s Christmas present ready. Jonathan was making her a collage of all of her favorite things: her and Jonathan together, her and Mike, all the kids, Steve with all the kids, her mom, and Barb. But Jonathan kept insisting there needed to be more.

“But, (Y/N/N),” he began, holding the fresh pictures in a delicate manila folder, “what if she’s expecting more? What if she wanted me to buy her something? I can’t afford much… Will you come with me to my mom’s work? Help me find something cheap? She can get me a discount, or even better, something for free. Please, (Y/N)?” Jonathan begged, holding onto your hand with his free one.

“I don’t know, Jonathan. I have to meet up with Billy at 5. Can we be done by then?” you asked, looking up at him. Jonathan had nothing against Billy, unlike Steve, but Billy wasn’t exactly fond of how close you and Jonathan were.

“Yeah, yeah! Of course,” Jonathan said with a smile. “Now come on, it’s already 3 o’clock,” he told you, grabbing your hand and dragging you out of the red room. You walked beside him as he put the folder in his bag, making sure not to bend it.

Walking out of the school, you shivered at the cold December air. You pulled the jacket that Billy had given you that morning around you tighter. Jonathan led you to his car, unlocking it for the both of you, and getting inside. Once the car was started, it began warming up.

“So, how are you and Billy?” Jonathan asked suddenly, after a while. You looked over in confusion, but shrugged.

“We’re good. He’s gotten his anger a little under control, he doesn’t blow up the way he used to. We’re going to watch the parade tomorrow night,” you told him with a wide smile. Jonathan nodded, turning the car into Melvald’s General Store.

“That’s good, (Y/N/N), I’m glad things are getting better,” Jonathan said softly, before the two of you got out and headed into the store.

After helping Jonathan pick out a gift for Nancy (a pink dream catcher because of the nightmares she’d been having), he dropped you off at home.

“Thanks for your help, (Y/N)!” he yelled out the window, giving you a wave before pulling out of the driveway and disappearing down the street.

You checked your watch, noticing it was 4:50 p.m, and that Billy would be here any minute. Hurrying inside, you kicked off your shoes by the front door and went to your room. Your mom was at work, and your dad was out helping the Sheriff's station decorate for Christmas. Dumping your bag on the bed, you barely had time to take off Billy’s jacket before you heard his familiar engine pull up outside your house and his car door slam shut. You knew he would just let himself in, so you didn’t bother going to open the door.

“Babe?” his voice rang out in the house, followed by your front door closing.

“I’m in my room!” you yelled back, going to sit on the desk chair you had by your bed. Billy came in, grinning down at you.

“Hey, doll,” he hummed, giving you a kiss before sitting on the edge of your bed in front of you. “Where were you after school? You weren’t by your locker or waiting by the car,” he questioned, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Oh, I was helping Jonathan,” you began, instantly seeing the way his mood changed, “he needed help with Nancy’s Christmas present.”

“And why the hell couldn’t he do it himself? Why’s he always need your help?” Billy fumed, fisting his jeans.

��Because,” you said slowly, reaching your hand out and placing it on top of his calmly, “he’s never gotten anyone something before. Only his mom and Will, and they’re basically the same every year. Nancy is different.”

“So where were you?” Billy asked again, trying to calm his breathing by holding your hand lightly.

“We were in the red room. He was processing pictures and needed my help because of how many there were. Then we went to Melvald’s and got Nanc’ a dream catcher,” you informed him, squeezing his hand. Billy looked up at you, his blue eyes mixed with emotions.

“Why’ve you always you gotta be with him, though? Alone?”

“Billy,” you sighed, bowing your head. Billy got jealous and possessive easily, especially when it came to Jonathan. “You were in class. You know, the one you’re failing? I wasn’t going to pull you out early for a few pictures. And I told Jonathan that I needed to be back by 5 because I was hanging out with you. Jonathan and I have been friends for years, you know that,” you said, bringing his hand up to kiss the back of it, “I have zero interest him. You’re the only guy I want. You mean more to me than Jonathan does, okay? He just needs my help sometimes because he’s not the best with people. Not like I am,” you assured him.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized quietly, running his fingers along the top of your cheekbone. “I trust you, you know that. I just love spending time with you, and when I don’t get to because he is, it’s rough.”

“I know, babe. And we’ll work on that, I promise,” you smiled down at him. Billy stood up, grabbing your hand to pull you up with him. Wrapping his arms around your waist, Billy pulled you towards him in a slow kiss.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” he mumbled against your lips, running his fingers through your hair.

“You didn’t do anything, handsome. I would’ve chosen you either way.”

[shirohibiki]

well, folks, here it is. a month late and ~18600 words, my new record for longest fic to date. i’m sorry it’s so crazily long and crappy like everything else and i’m REALLY sorry it took so long, but… i hope y’all like it anyway, lmao i spent an UNGODLY fucking amount of time slaving over this. note: there are some explanations that are repeated because this is technically a standalone fic so it’s there for those who don’t read the others, but i’m actually putting some things in a loose timeline of sorts now. not all fics are in it or may not be listed, just the major stuff i guess idk

written for my spongebob human AU, timeline: [1] | [2] | [3]

spongebob is hosting one of his famous christmas parties, and sandy hatches an evil scheme: get spongebob drunk and encourage him to go kiss squidward under some mistletoe, in an effort to perhaps jump-start some progress in their relationship. she persuades him easily, and one totally smashed spongebob goes to give squidward the wildest smooch of his life. this causes all sorts of Feelings within squidward, but before he has the chance to confront spongebob about it, it’s apparent the next morning that spongebob has entirely forgotten the affair. squidward definitely isn’t going to remind him, and nobody else does either, so he must suffer in silence and try to deal with all of these foreign emotions.

merry belated christmas, everyone. i love all of you so much. <3 this is my gift to the beautiful squidbob community; thank you for being such a bright spot in my life!

Once Spongebob learned how to properly host parties, a Spongebob party was the best party in town.

This Christmas party was no different – and it was only the first one of the month! For every weekend in December, up to and including Christmas itself, he threw a festive shindig.

He’d gone all-out, as per usual fashion – the entire pineapple was decorated inside and out, chock full of jolly holiday cheer. Wreaths, garland, ribbons, lights, mistletoe, stockings, ornaments, candy canes, snowglobes – you name it, he had it. On the front of his snow-covered pineapple hung an inviting banner that read, ‘Mele Kalikimaka!’ A herd of glowing reindeer lounged about in the front yard, accompanied by a snowman family. His Christmas tree was stunning – he’d picked out the biggest coral tree he could find and made sure it was perfect in every way, with every ornament hung with care and every strand of lights threaded with precision. His fireplace roared welcomingly, providing an incredibly cozy heat for people to snuggle by. Glistening multicolored lights and garland were run along the walls of every room with red bows accentuating them. Countless other decorations adorned his household which inspired great holiday spirit for all. The banquet provided was nothing to sneeze at, either. His grandmother and Squidward’s mother both baked their famous cookies, and combined with the other various desserts, those sweets were a force to be reckoned with. Spongebob home-cooked a lot of the meals; the ham, the turkey, the kielbasa, the bean salad, the roasted vegetables, the mashed potatoes, the baked ziti, and so much more… The pepperoni bread was from a nearby Italian joint, but it was a must-have. His parents often came to help him, along with Sandy – Patrick was banned from the kitchen. As in he wasn’t even allowed to be in the same house while they cooked. If nothing else, Spongebob was a perfectionist. That meant every spread, like the rest of his house, looked like it was straight out of a Christmas magazine with how neat and ornate it was… Until people started eating, of course!

Spongebob loved Christmas. Ever since Sandy told him all about it that fateful day… And the day he met the real Santa Claus… It had easily become his favorite holiday. He adored everything about it! The shopping, the decorating, the snow aplenty! The gifts, the love in the air, the chestnuts roasting! The mistletoe~… Oh, Christmas… It was the most wonderful time of the year indeed.

By 5 PM, almost everyone had arrived and the party got underway. Joyful holiday music and the sound of chatter filled the well-lit rooms while the host flitted about, checking on everyone just to make sure they were having the Best Party Ever™. The very picture of adorability, Spongebob wore a beautifully gaudy reindeer themed ugly sweater that hung off the shoulder, a headband with reindeer antlers, and tight black slacks. Along with his rosy freckled cheeks, captivating cerulean eyes, fluffy flaxen hair and gap-toothed smile, he dazzled all of the partygoers. Since things had now settled down, he was finally able to go relax for a moment. He trotted over to a table and sighed in relief as he seated himself. “Oh boy…” Being host sure could be tiring! He loved it, though. Everyone looked so great in their sweaters and button-downs and dresses, and they were all enjoying themselves.

Blue eyes roved around the crowded room – where was… Ah. There he was. Squidward was sitting on a couch across the room, appearing to be quite a bit less grumpy than he usually did, sporting a charming ugly sweater like always. It was snowman themed this time! He was actually talking to someone, too! It was so nice to see him having a good time… Spongebob sighed again, more wistfully this time, propping his arm up on the table and resting his cheek in his palm. Gee… What he wouldn’t give to be sitting in his lap with one of Squidward’s arms around his waist. That’d be swell. If it were possible, he managed to become even more romantically charged than he already was around holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s. It was just – it looked so nice for couples, with the hugging and the kissing and the scarf-sharing and the cuddling by the fire and the…

Gosh… It’d be real swell.

“Howdy, Spongebob!” A familiar voice pulled him from his melancholy-tinged thoughts. One Sandra Cheeks had approached him – he smiled up at her.

“Hiya, Sandy.”

“Takin’ a break? Neptune knows you deserve one!” She said, clapping him on the back as she pulled up a chair next to him.

“Hehe. Naw, I’m okay. I don’t mind the work!” She looked gorgeous tonight too, which came as no surprise. Makeup wasn’t something she wore too often, but tonight, she’d used some glittery gold eyeshadow with a deep plum lipstick and it was absolutely incredible on her. He could also see that she was wearing a wonderful ugly turtleneck sweater under her aquatic suit – such a shame she couldn’t take that dang old thing off. It was always so in the way. Curse their differences in oxygen intake. She had her thick brown curls pulled into pigtails like usual and a pretty burgundy bow on her tail that even lit up! And boy, that fur was fluffy today! “Ooh, I see you took extra care to fluff up your tail today!” He complimented, reaching over to pet through the soft pelt, marveling at it. Sandy chuckled.

“Yup! I brushed it for ten whole minutes! Gettin’ the bow perfect was kind of a challenge, but I managed it!”

“You sure did!” They shared a laugh before Sandy silently observed him for a moment or two. His expression had fallen – he seemed a tad distant, and, looking down, she spotted him continually squeezing some of the fabric of the hem of his sweater. Occasionally, his grip flexed so hard his knuckles went white.

“So, Sponge… Feelin’ kinda lonely, are ya? You’ve been quiet tonight.”

“Wh—“ He whipped around to gape at her. Jeez, she was way too astute! “I… No, I’m fine! I’m just really happy that everyone’s here, and that they’re all loving my party.” She tapped her fingers against her helmet thoughtfully, glancing to Squidward. Soon, a grin spread across her face.

“Maaaaybe y’all should go talk to ‘im.”

“I will in a bit, when he’s not busy.” Spongebob shifted uncomfortably, averting his gaze. The cloth he’d been toying with was now clutched in a firm, unforgiving hold.

“You suuuuuure put up a lotta mistletoe.” Sandy was ruthless in her attempts. She could tell Spongebob was sort of upset – not to mention anxious – and wanted to urge him to at least go and be near Squidward to put him more at ease. To her amusement, he flushed.

“Wh—it’s just decoration! I mean, I definitely encourage kissing for anyone who wants to, though.” Spongebob was a lover of romance, through and through. At that moment, an idea wormed its way into Sandy’s head. That grin of hers turned a shade more devilish, but to her best friend’s surprise, she relented, rising from her seat.

“I’m gonna get you a drink, okay? Wait right here, don��t you dare go on gettin’ up. There are others people can go to if they need somethin’.” She wagged a finger at him scoldingly. He pouted, but didn’t bother to argue because he knew he wouldn’t win that one.

Passing by numerous talkative revelers, Sandy skipped gleefully over to the beverage table in the kitchen. It was time to liven up this party. Larry, who was chilling out nearby, greeted her. He wore an ugly sweater too – but his was sleeveless. Had to show off those guns somehow!

“Hey, Sandy! How’s it hangin’?”

“Great! Just gettin’ our hard-workin’ lil’ Sponge a drink, heh.” Larry had been taking a sip of his water, but paused with the cup to his lips upon hearing her tone. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He saw her reach for the cranberry juice from behind the fountain of punch.

“… Yeah? What’re you getting him?” The pineapple juice was next. Oh no, he knew what she was up to… She was so obvious about it too! She didn’t even bother to hide her smile!

“A Sponge’s lil’ helper~.” Sandy’s expression went downright sinister then. The vodka was next to be added to her beautiful cocktail. Hopefully there were cherries or limes around! Frowning, Larry stepped forward.

“Whoa, hey there, now wait a sec. What are you planning? We all know he loves baybreezes, but somehow, I don’t think he was the one who asked for it.” He had a very strong suspicion. It was confirmed by her cackling maniacally.

“HA! I think he needs to loosen up a bit! He gets wound up tighter than a snake ‘round a rodent it found for dinner when he hosts parties.” Larry placed his hands on his hips as she mixed it into a beautiful sunset – Spongebob’s favorite part of the drink. She was admittedly quite good at it blending the colors together.

“Loosen up, yeah. But you’re trying to get him all over Squidward. Are you sure this is a good idea? What if he does or says something he regrets?” His personal hangups with Squidward aside, he was mostly worried about Spongebob getting hurt in some way.

“P’SHAAAAWWW! He can just blame it on bein’ drunk, ain’t no thing!” Sandy’s evil laughter only continued. Her brew was now COMPLETED! The lifeguard pinched his brow.

“… Dude, it’s only 6. We can’t get him drunk this early.” She opened her mouth to speak, but went no further. Her brow creased. It would be a problem if the host passed out too early.

“… Hm. Well… Dinner’ll be served soon, right? Then he won’t need to supervise as much.” Be that as it may, he would try to regardless, knowing Spongebob. “So I mean, I don’t see why not, once all the food’s ready to go.”

“Oh boy,” Larry groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Sandy returned to Spongebob but instead of giving him what she’d made, told him he should probably help serve dinner first just to get it out of the way. It wasn’t like much had to be done – they just had to uncover the platters and make sure everything was warm and ready, mostly. He hadn’t even seen what she’d made him, but agreed nonetheless – his guests were of the utmost priority, they came first! Unsurprisingly, he went out of his way to make sure every single partygoer had everything they needed and that Patrick was not permitted to inhale all of the food. Frank, who was sitting at the table in the dining room, noticed him still buzzing about even after everyone had been served. “Spongebob, go eat already! We’re all fine, take a breather!” Others around him nodded in agreement. Spongebob turned, having been fussing over one of the M&M bowls.

“Wha? Uh, are you su—“ Sandy interrupted by walking right up to him and holding out his drink, beaming. It was a bit diluted now because she’d had to put in more ice to keep it cool, but she could certainly make more.

“Here. You need to sit yer butt down and spend time with us rather’n the candy dishes.”

“Yeah! We wanna talk to you, Spongebob!” Abigail agreed. “You always do this! You get so worried, but we’re all able to help ourselves, and there are other people we can go to if we need something. Just sit and hang out, okay?” Spongebob fretted a bit, feeling bad – he’d not realized he was that obsessive. He just wanted to throw a good party, so he spent a lot of time worrying and fixing things – at least in the beginning of the night. No matter what, as the party went on and fewer people needed him, he allowed himself to participate more. This time, though, they wanted him the whole party, not half of it. It wasn’t fair to him if he couldn’t have fun too.

“Gee… I’m sorry, I…” Finally regarding his beverage, he paused. His pupils dilated. A baybreeze… “It’s SO PRETTY,” he gasped, marveling at the way Sandy layered the liquids and how the glass glimmered with the reflection of the Christmas lights around them. Out of their close group of friends, she was the best at making mixed drinks. “AND A LOOPY STRAW?! WITH AN UMBRELLA AND CHERRIES?! OH, SANDY!” He pulled her into a tight hug, thrilled. Patting his back, she laughed.

“Yer welcome~! Drink up!”

“Oooh, already breaking out the alcohol, huh?” Evelyn asked, which gave Spongebob pause. Wait… Should he be drinking this early? The clock read 6:30. The party hadn’t been going on for very long… What if he drank too much and blacked out? He didn’t have a very strong constitution, and people needed him! He appeared as if he was going to protest, but he knew Sandy wouldn’t allow him to.

“… Okay, but just one!” He sat himself down at the table next to Larry, who wondered if Spongebob noticed that incredibly ominous grin on Sandy’s face.

“Drink! Drink! Drink!” Frank chanted. “You sure know how to make them, Sandy. Think you could teach me sometime? It always comes out muddled when I do it.”

“Hmm… Maybe I could host a workshop sometime, sure! It’s not too hard. Actually, Sponge, I can make another that’s real pretty like that, but has peach n’ orange juice in it! If you like yer baybreezes, you’d like this one.” He already seemed intrigued – hook, line, and sinker. He was sipping his current drink through his straw, thoroughly enjoying the mix of cranberry and pineapple. Alcohol itself wasn’t his favorite taste in the world, but he liked it with fruity things. Orange juice did sound good…

“What else is in it?”

“Like I said, pretty similar. Vodka, cranberry juice, peach schnapps, and orange juice. Or, at least, that’s one version of it. It’s all orange and red like these, but the orange is brighter.”

“Ooooh…” His eyes shone with wonder. He was such a sucker for the pretty colors, he couldn’t help it! He might have to have one now, it was so tempting… It would be fine, that was only two drinks! He didn’t even have to drink the whole thing! “What’s it called?”

Smirking, Sandy leaned forward a bit. “Sex on the Beach~.” There was a chance he wouldn’t get flustered, but… The way his countenance lit up rivaled the cranberry juice! Success! Larry tried to choke back a laugh and the others could be heard giggling. Spongebob quietly sucked his baybreeze through the straw, staring down at it, cheeks red. Unfortunately for him, whatever was swirling around in his mind eventually flustered him so much that he drained the entire glass in one go and then shouted, even redder than before,

“I WANT A SEX ON THE BEACH!” He pounded his empty glass down on the table. He wasn’t even that intoxicated – it had been fueled moreso by embarrassment. Those around him hushed for a moment before many burst into laughter. Larry couldn’t help it – oh, that was priceless! The delivery was perfect! Merely huffing, Spongebob crossed his arms. “There’s nothing funny about it! It’s just the name of a drink! Don’t be so lewd!” Sandy was chortling away as she got up to go make it for him. She’d have abs on top of her abs by the end of the night at this rate!

“Hoo doggie! Comin’ right up, Spongebob! One Sex on the Beach!” And back to the kitchen their squirrely friend ran.

“What happened to ‘just one?’” Evelyn teased, poking at his arm – this earned her another huff.

“It IS just one! It’s just one of – of a different kind! And it’s the only other one I’m having,” the blond insisted. Mr. Krabs noticed the commotion as he walked by with a plate of food in hand. Their host had already broken out the liquor? Hmm… He leaned over to whisper to Plankton, who was beside him.

“Think I should charge people fer the impendin’ Drunken Spongebob Shenanigans?”

“This is his house, Eugene,” Plankton replied flatly whilst picking a crumb off of his ugly sweater that matched Mr. Krabs’s.

“… Right, but… It’s like dinner and a show! People pay fer that!”

“In his own house, yes. If anyone could even attempt to use it for monetary gain, it would be him. Honestly, Eugene. You’re shameless.”

“Don’t you roll yer eye at me, Sheldon! Fine! I’ll just enjoy what we get to see, then.”

“Oh, Neptune. I think I’m going to need a drink…”

Sandy soon came back with another one of her beautiful concoctions. Deep orange and red, complete with a cherry, an umbrella, and a loopy straw. Everyone currently around them ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed. Spongebob squealed – it was so BEAUTIFUL! He held out his hands to take it from her, admiring at its sunset-esque gradient. Upon him taking his first sip, applause sounded.

“How’s it taste?! I might need one, Sandy!”

“Wow!! I love it!! The orange juice is so good with cranberry!” He honestly couldn’t tell if he liked pineapple and cranberry or orange and cranberry better… Both? Both. Both is good.

“That’s some good Sex on the Beach, eh, Sponge?” Sandy was out for blood tonight! Good lord! Sadly, she didn’t get the reaction she wanted – Spongebob merely nodded, contentedly drinking away.

“Mmhmm!” She knew he’d start getting tipsy quite swiftly – she’d added a biiiit more vodka than the recipe called for since the orange juice helped in masking it. She also wondered if she could get him to try another…

“I’ll make a round of drinks for y’all, sure! I know you aren’t done with that one yet, Spongebob, but how do ya feel about tryin’ somethin’ blue?” Oh, how easy it was to entice him. His wide eyes moved to her, the straw still between his lips.

“Blue..?” Ohh… Ohhhhhh… He loved blue… Anything blue Sandy made would definitely be good!

“As blue as yer pretty eyes.” She poked his nose. He mulled it over, but Frank made his decision for him instead.

“Yeah, we wanna see that one! If he doesn’t drink it, I will!”

“No no I’ll drink it I’ll drink it!” Spongebob said hurriedly, ditching his ‘just one’ policy in favor of pretty colors. Sandy couldn’t have been happier. He’d be smashed soon enough… And then… He might need a little push… And the pieces would fall into place. Larry shot the scientist a glare, but she ignored it and went skipping back to the kitchen.

“Hey, Sponge, maybe you should slow down a li—“ Larry stopped dead in the middle of his sentence and his eyes bulged upon seeing that HE’D ALREADY FINISHED IT. “Whoa—have you even eaten anything?! You should really take it easy, buddy!” Hearing Spongebob’s giggle made his stomach drop. Oh no. It had begun. If he’d not eaten anything to absorb it, with how fast he was downing those he’d be a goner in no time.

“Hee… Umm, I dunno. Maybe? Hey, Pat, did I eat anything?” Spongebob asked, leaning forward to see his friend who was three seats down from him, devouring the mountain of food he possessed. Hearing his name, he looked up, mouth stuffed with chicken.

“Uhhhh… Ahh…” Patrick had to swallow before he could speak. “I think I saw you eating some veggies and dip earlier?”

“Ohh, okay! Thanks, Pat!”

“Anytime, pal!” And right back to eating Patrick went. He wasn’t messing around – he’d already finished two plates. Spongebob’s smile returned to one unamused Larry Buffington.

“… Yeeeah. I mean, it’s something, but you should really have some turkey or mashed potatoes. Want me to get it for you?”

“Well…” The blond pouted down at his empty glass. “I wann’another… It’s all gone.” Larry was exasperated already. Sure, it was funny at first, but… He just – he wanted to protect Spongebob from doing something he’d really regret! Being drunk at a party was one thing. It happened. It wasn’t a big deal… But when you threw Squidward into the mix, things got risky, and Sandy pushing them together was a recipe for disaster. You could only blame so much on being drunk. What if he confessed his feelings in a sloppy and careless manner? Oh Neptune, the lack of a filter would lead to some really awkward professions. Just the thought sent a shiver down his spine – they might never see Squidward again after something like that. To his vexation, before he could speak further, Sandy brought a dream of a cocktail that indeed matched the cerulean of Spongebob’s irises as well as the water around them. It shimmered in the light enticingly. Drooling, Spongebob reached for it.

“Heeeeere y’are!” She chirped, but before she could hand it over, Larry snatched it from her.

“Sandy. C’mon, man. Let him take a break – you don’t want him getting sick, do you?” He held it up high so Spongebob couldn’t reach it, though that didn’t stop him from trying.

“Nngh—gimme—“

“Larry, why are you being such a party pooper?” Abigail whined. “What’s the problem? He’s cute when he’s drunk! Let him have fun! It’s a Christmas party!” The lifeguard soon found that the others were also chiming in to agree. Was he the only sensible one around here?! Squidward was the problem here, not Spongebob just being tanked! But… He reasoned that it wasn’t like Spongebob had never been intoxicated at a party Squidward was also at. It had gone alright then (even if Spongebob became clingier or flirtier), so why would it be any different now? Sandy, that was why. She had a specific goal in mind and it wasn’t just to let Spongebob flirt with Squidward on his own. No, she wanted more than that. She knew how tricky this situation was, why was she doing this?! Trying to force a change could go really badly… There was a possibility of success, but Larry wasn’t sure he wanted to bet on that.

“I hope you know what could happen,” Larry muttered to Sandy through a clenched jaw. This was serious stuff… She knew that. He understood that she wanted some progress – they all did, for Spongebob’s sake. But was this the way to go about it? Sandy’s demeanor shifted to that of uneasiness for a split second before she hid it.

“I’ve got it under control,” she said. Larry merely arched a doubtful brow and gave Spongebob his drink.

“Hm. Alright then, bro. Here you go. But take it slow this time, and eat something with it.”

“YAY!” Spongebob grabbed it right up and took a drink to see how it tasted. He wrinkled his nose a tad at first – this one had a stronger taste of alcohol. He was already buzzed, though, so it wouldn’t bother him too much. The cocktail kept him quiet while he savored it. Sandy served drinks to a few other people who wanted them, and things were relatively calm until Spongebob finished his third – probably quicker than he should’ve, but not as fast as the ones prior. “Ahhhh… Wowie, that was great! Thanks, Saaaandy~.” Looking down, he noticed a plate of some food Larry had gotten for him at some point. He scrutinized it, squinting – his vision was kinda… Blurry. What was even on this plate? Where had it come from? “Izzis… Bread?” He picked up what was indeed a piece of bread, sniffed at it, then took a nibble. Yes, this was probably bread. Maybe. Larry slid him some water as he snacked.

“Remember to always be hydrating, bud. It’ll help later when you wake up from this.”

“Thaaaaank yoooou~,” Spongebob sang, doing as he was told. Always be hydrating!! Yes!! He could do that! He’d make Larry proud! He downed his water, afterwards calling out for Sandy. “SANDY! LARRY SAID ALWAYS BE HYDRATING! CAN YOU MAKE ME ANOTHER?”

“I sure can, Spongebob! Whaddaya want?” Spongebob giggled giddily into his hands, swaying a bit. Larry didn’t bother to say anything, instead slapping a hand to his face. It was out of his control now.

“Sex~…” He didn’t finish saying the name of the drink for whatever reason.

“Oh, I’ll bet!” Evelyn laughed, and Abigail swatted at her.

“Oh my gosh, stoppp! Don’t be weird!” One more and he’d be utterly and completely wasted, even if Sandy skimped on the alcohol… Which she wouldn’t. Oh, she did hope he would forgive her in the morning… The brunette fetched him his desired Sex on the Beach, then watched him chug it aaaand…

“WOOOO! NOW THAT IS A DRINK! SEXIN’ ON THE BEACH IS RIGHT!” He stood suddenly then, slamming his hands onto the table, “PATRICK—Whoa…” Standing so fast disoriented him for a moment, but he recovered just as quickly. “PATRICK! LET’S TAKE IT FROM THE TOP, BUDDY! ARE YOU READY?!” Patrick’s head jerked up.

“Wha?”

“CHRISTMAS!”

“Oh—YEAH! Let’s do it!” Patrick eagerly jumped up as well and jogged over to his best friend. They took one another’s hand, both taking a step back in preparation.

“Here we goooo!” Frank grinned, leaning back to appreciate the show. The pair burst out into theatrical song and dance.

“IT’S SHAPING UP TO BE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY! NOT YOUR NORMAL, AVERAGE EVERYDAY!” Squidward wasn’t in the room to sing his part (not that he would anyway), so someone else did it for him, as was tradition for every Christmas party. Poor Squidward.

“Sounds like someone felled my old coral tree! Spongebob, Patrick, why’d ya do this to me?!”

“THE WORLD FEELS LIKE IT’S IIIIIN LOVERLY~!”

“Go away before I harm you bodily!”

“THIS CHRISTMAS FEELS LIKE THE VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS TO MEEEEEEEE~!” Spongebob was a bit off-key – he was unsurprisingly having trouble controlling his cadence. He and Patrick pranced around, a spectacle for all to see that was only enhanced by Patrick’s snazzy light-up sweater. The crowd was going wild! “THERE’LL BE SHOPPING, DECORATING, AND PLENTY OF SNOW! HEY, PATRICK, WHO’S THAT UNDER THE—“ Spongebob stopped abruptly, leaving Patrick to tumble and narrowly miss colliding with a nearby end table. “… Mistle… toe?” It was as if something connected in his mind at that moment – he stared at a nearby doorway in which mistletoe hung. No one was there, but it seemed like something was processing – perhaps a revelation of sorts. Plankton and Krabs had even stood in preparation to sing their parts, but everyone was left hanging, watching Spongebob.

Bingo.

“HEY, WAITASECOND!” Spongebob began to search the room, distraught. “WHERE’S SQUIDDY?!” It was as if he’d just noticed, even though Squidward hadn’t stepped foot in the room once. The others looked around too. Not everyone was in the dining room – there were many guests littered about the house, all having their own fun, so Squidward could’ve been anywhere. The only real restrictions were the bedrooms upstairs; every other room in the house was open.

While nobody else seemed to know, Sandy did. She’d gone to find Squidward – he’d actually been hanging out upstairs with a book to get away from the noise for a short while. He’d not been there for too long when she’d investigated, so he was likely still there. “I saw him earlier, Sponge,” she said, to which Spongebob rushed to her and grabbed her shoulders.

“Where?! We need ‘im here! How can—how can he do his part?!” He shook her as if it were the direst situation in the universe. It wasn’t like he would do his part anyway, so others did it instead, but that didn’t seem to matter.

“I know! He needs ta stand under the mistletoe, right?” Larry watched as this unfolded before him – she’d planted the seed. It was all over now – they could only guess what might happen. Spongebob stared at her owlishly for a few moments, a little more color filling his cheeks to add to what was already there. Mistletoe… Yeah… His gaze moved behind her to a doorway where he’d hung the festive plant. He missed Squidward… He wanted to cuddle up to him… Why wasn’t he here? Maybe he was busy… But surely he’d spare a little time for his bestest friend in the whole world, right? Mistletoe…

“I wanna…” Spongebob took a very deep inhale. “… Wanna go get ‘im. He needs to join in on the fun! It’s not a party without Squidward! Patrick, buddy, can you cover for me? Make—make sure my snail doesn’t get eaten by the pineapple, okay?”

“Oh—you bet, Sponge! I’ll take real good care of him!” Patrick hadn’t had a single sip of alcohol, but hey. At least he understood it.

They all watched Spongebob run off ungracefully, stumbling and tripping on his journey upstairs. After he’d left, the people at the table began to discuss amongst themselves. “Fifty bucks they kiss,” Fred wagered.

“Ehhh, I dunno. He hasn’t tried it before, has he?” Frank asked.

“Well, who knows, but there’s mistletoe involved here!”

“What if he confesses?”

“That would be a mess. I think he is close to doing it, though, one of these days.”

“Okay, guys, rev up those bets! Let’s see if our boy finally gets some tonight!” Cheers were heard all around. Of course, everyone knew by now – if you saw the two of them interact with any regularity, his crush was plain as day. It had been like this for years; everyone was just waiting for something to happen.

So far, Spongebob had found nobody on the third floor, because it wasn’t a place guests usually went. The first and second floors were the main hangouts, but he wanted to be thorough. Geez… He felt kinda dizzy. His eyes weren’t entirely focused… “Squiiiddyyyy? Are you up heeere?” He called, checking each room. Where could he be? Spongebob needed him, for a lot of reasons! … Should he take his shoes off as a defensive maneuver in case of emergency? OH, but what if Squidward wanted to polish them? He’d better keep them on then, just in case. You never knew if your friend was going to want to polish your shoes. “I—whoa! Pardon me, miss, ah—“ He’d run into a lamp, not a person. Just as he was reaching one of the last rooms in the hallway, none other than Squidward was leaving it. “Oh—!” Spongebob skidded to a halt, and Squidward greeted him upon noticing him.

“Oh, hey, Spongebob. How’s the party going? I must admit, your library only gets more impressive as it grows.” Squidward stopped in the doorway, hooking a thumb in his pocket while shifting his weight to the opposite hip. He slouched just slightly, holding little tension in his shoulders. There was a certain warmth in his normally weary carmine eyes and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards in a half-smirk as he regarded Spongebob. Draped over his lanky frame was a sweater that was a little too large, contrasted by snug jeans. The other stared at him, gaping – he seemed so relaxed! And he was so… Handsome… That sweater looked marvelous on him… Spongebob swore he was blinded by the sheer beauty of it all. And… Wait a second… He was standing under mistletoe! Unless that was a set of keys hanging from the doorframe. But that wouldn’t make any sense. Or would it? But it was totally mistletoe, and… Sandy said… And… Mistletoe…

“Oooh, wow, Squiddy, you sure are lookin’ good tonight,” Spongebob slurred, taking a wobbly step closer. “I just looooove that sweater… I’ve been lookin’ all over for you…”

“Oh? Why-- … Wait a minute.” Squidward squinted down at him – he was sort of acting like… “Are you drunk?” Oh boy. Great. “Already? It’s only 8 o’clock, Spongebob.”

“Nnnoooooo~… I’m not drunk, heehee…” He was nearly salivating – Neptune, Squidward was so—mmph. Squidward simply shook his head.

“You’re hopeless. Anyway, you’ve found me, so we can go back downstairs now.” He’d had enough time to recharge from the social interaction. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to deal with an inebriated Spongebob, but eh, he would see. Maybe he’d stick around. It was entertaining to watch Spongebob while he was drunk sometimes. When Spongebob didn’t move aside, Squidward blinked. “Well? What are you waiting for?” Why was Spongebob looking at him like that..?

In Spongebob’s hazy mind, the fact that Squidward hadn’t moved out of the doorway and away from the mistletoe told him that he was definitely interested in making out. It entirely ignored the fact that he was standing in Squidward’s way and that he’d either have to retreat back into the room or push past him to get out from under the decoration. “Ooh, Squiddy,” he purred, “I’d love to… I’m so glad you want it too…” He never said anything of the sort, Spongebob.

At first, Squidward had been about to question why his neighbor was getting breathy over… Going downstairs. Soon, however, he found himself in absolutely no position to ask that question – or any other, for that matter. Before he could speak, the blond had advanced, stepping right up to him and leaning up on his tippy toes to press their bodies together. He ran a hand down Squidward’s chest, blatantly feeling him up, his free arm hooking around his neck to tug him down a little. Squidward was paralyzed with shock – what—? What was happening? Whoa, those bedroom eyes – holy SHRIMP, what was going on—?! Before he knew it, Spongebob had pivoted them a little and backed him up against the doorframe. “I’ll make it good, I promise…” A deep and sultry tone was not something Squidward heard from him often. Before any of this could register, he was met with an entirely new and even more startling sensation.

Spongebob had roughly fisted some of his hair, the other hand clutching his sweater, and yanked him down into a crushingly needy kiss. Squidward’s mind went completely blank, any and all thoughts evaporating instantly. His entire body went rigid and the wind was knocked from his lungs. He didn’t return the kiss – the world around him had disintegrated and he was lost in a sea of nothingness. Time ceased to exist. Was he dreaming? Had he himself gotten drunk and passed out? Where even was he? What was he doing? Who was with him? Who was… What was…

Unrelenting, the blond tugged again at teal locks to tilt Squidward’s head a little more for better access. With the sheer force of the kiss, Squidward had no choice but to kiss back but was entirely unaware of his doing so.

“Mmmm… Mmh… Mm…”

It was only when Spongebob’s muffled noises reached his ears that all at once, reality came crashing down onto him at warp speed. Time went into hyperdrive instead of standing still. Squidward’s heart gave a sharp lurch and his eyes flew open in astonishment for a brief second before they screwed shut once more. Opening his mouth to gasp had been an involuntary mistake – he was then electrified with the feeling of tongue. Not much, though – just a gentle and questioning lick that went no further.

What…

… In the NAME OF DAVEY JONES’S LOCKER WAS GOING ON?!?!

There was… This was… It… Spongebob…

Spongebob…

SPONGEBOB!!!

Spongebob was kissing him! Not just on the cheek, nose, forehead, head, shoulder, or wherever else… But… The LIPS!!! Was this a nightmare? Was he in hell? Had he gone mad? It—

IT STILL WASN’T OVER!

Squidward’s frantic thoughts were now interrupted by the exceedingly prominent physical sensations. He could hear himself panting – his body was boiling up. His face was on fire. He was sweating and his knees were weak. He felt so lightheaded – a feeble noise escaped him while Spongebob’s desperate whimpers filled his ears. He was just now noticing how nice Spongebob smelled – his shampoo and cologne surrounded him with something he didn’t often give much consideration to. The strongest thing he could taste was the alcohol – eugh. There was an underlying fruitiness, however, and beneath that… An indescribable taste that was none other than Spongebob’s own. Spongebob had gotten a little braver with that tongue of his, and oh… The hair-pulling, gah—the hand running down his side—

Why did it feel…

Good?

It was sloppy, it was forceful, it was wet, and it was mindblowing. It was driven by such brazen passion that it was enough to make anyone’s head spin. He just couldn’t refrain from making sounds, which was humiliating, but he didn’t really have time to worry about that when Spongebob was grazing his lower lip with his teeth. He didn’t bite – at least, not yet. Squidward clawed at either side of the wall connected to the doorframe behind him, having needed something to grip onto, although it wasn’t much.

“Squidmmmph…” Spongebob moaned between fervent kisses, relishing in the sweet and heavenly taste of the person he so dearly adored. This was a dream come true! He was so lucky! He never, ever thought he’d get a real chance to kiss Squidward! (And technically, he hadn’t.) This was everything he’d ever wanted… Apparently, all Squidward needed was a little bit of mistletoe to be interested in doing this! Maybe he should carry some around in his pocket!

Why was each enthusiastic and energetic kiss leaving Squidward positively breathless? Why did he kind of sort of maybe not want to stop? Why was this happening in the FIRST PLACE? Why was… Why…

WHY WAS SPONGEBOB A GOOD KISSER?!?!

Who had he been able to PRACTICE with!? It certainly wasn’t Sandy, for obvious reasons! So why wasn’t this more awkward?! Why wasn’t this a pathetic, laughable attempt?! Why was this one of the best kisses he’d ever—NO, DAMNIT! THIS WASN’T—THERE WAS NO WAY IT COULD BE ONE OF THE BEST, NO SIR! It was just heat of the moment! The moment that was NOT GOOD, it was – it was a pitiful display really – he was… He was so amazing with his tongue and lips and teeth and—

Squidward was about ready to collapse. Or scream. Or cry. Or vomit. Or die. Or all five. He’d legitimately just thought of Spongebob Squarepants as being a good kisser. Unironically. Maybe because Spongebob Squarepants was still making out with him. His gut seared with shame and something else he really didn’t want to acknowledge. Every last shred of his sanity had shattered, hadn’t it? Was he hallucinating? He was surely tripping the fuck out, right?

… No.

No, this was the real king of geeky, aggravating losers in the flesh, demonstrating his apparent prowess in the art of French kissing that he’d picked up from literally who knew where. The real Spongebob Squarepants turning Squidward’s mind into a puddle of mush. He was livid for so many reasons, but he was also…

Oh, Neptune, he wasn’t ready for this to end.

To his delight displeasure, Spongebob delivered on that, continuing to treat him to a wild, heart-stopping ride of passion. He loved hated the way Spongebob was tugging at his hair and squeezing his hip. The warm weight of his tiny body pressed against his own proved to be really comfortable detestable. He wasn’t at all attracted by his refreshing unremarkable scent. The sounds he was making were enticingly adorable extraordinarily inappropriate and not something Squidward ever wanted to hear in his entire LIFE.

The day Squidward Tentacles enjoyed a hot makeout session with Spongebob Squarepants was the day he declared himself officially insane beyond all repair. He was a lost cause and he was so disappointed in himself. How could he stoop so low? His mother would be ashamed. It—it was just the pheromones! That was all! He wasn’t really reveling in it – that was DISGUSTING!

… Why did he get the sense he’d recently been through a similar experience of questioning his soundness of mind due to Spongebob? Hadn’t he thought some of these exact same things not too long ago for some other reason?

After what seemed to be eons, Spongebob finally withdrew with a groan. A trail of saliva followed him that he broke by licking his lips. Squidward literally heard himself whine at the loss, and was ready to die of shame in that very instant. They were both gasping for breath, exhausted from their tryst. Squidward could feel Spongebob’s small frame shaking too. “Oh, Squiddy,” the blond breathed, feeling even more intoxicated from the divine taste of his friend’s mouth. Lidded eyes met wide ones. “Thank you for the Churrsmurs… Chr… Mmf…” His voice cracked as he spoke. Squidward noticed how messy the other’s hair had gotten and how it was sticking in his face… How scarlet his cheeks were and the way it lit up his freckles… How his eyes held such endearment and were glazed with desire… “Churrsmurs press’nt… Polishin’ my shoes…” Spongebob tried again, very obviously having great difficulty regaining his composure. “I hope y’liked it… Was good fer ya…” A loopy titter left him. Gee, the room had been spinning for quite a while now! “Mmmph… We can go stairs, uh… Down… Nnuh. Kay?” He had no idea where the stairs were and if he did he’d likely have to crawl down them, but he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. He gingerly took a dumbfounded Squidward’s cheeks into his hands and gave him one last tiny, affectionate peck on the lips before pulling away.

Of course, he stumbled a little, squeaking as he hit the other side of the doorframe – whoa. “Oof…” Gotta be careful with those dresser drawers, their teeth could be sharp sometimes… He recovered, though, and managed to sloooowly stagger down the hallway, until he eventually found the stairs – there they were! Ooh, where did they lead to? Boy, he was so dizzy. He was not going to make it safely down those stairs if he tried to walk. Instead, he merely laid himself on his stomach and dragged himself down, having absolutely zero problems with doing so. He was surfing down the stairs! Shoot, he forgot his boogie board… It was perhaps a sad sight to see, but what else would you expect from someone who was absolutely drunk off their ass and high on pheromones? He was the happiest guy in the whole entire universe. Nothing could bother him. Sandy happened to find him halfway down the second flight of stairs and yelped in alarm.

“Spongebob! Are y’all okay?!” She asked, racing to him and picking the poor sot up in her arms.

“Uh huh~…” Spongebob closed his eyes and curled into her, drooling on her suit. “Squiddy wuz real nice’n polished my shoes fer me… Dinn’t even hafta take ‘em off…” Brows raised as Sandy stared down at him. Polished his shoes… SHE KNEW IT! She KNEW they’d been smooching harder than two rabbits in a den in the beginning of April! SUCCESS! SHE’D DONE IT! SHE HAD FINALLY GOTTEN SQUIDWARD AND SPONGEBOB TO KISS! (Assuming that didn’t mean something else entirely, but that was unlikely.)

… Now to hope Squidward didn’t move out or something crazy like that. But she had a feeling… She could sense it, and she had been able to for a while now. She didn’t think Squidward would be going anywhere. Huff and puff as he might, she could see some inkling of emotion there – it was just buried deep, deep down. Even if she was wrong, hey, at least they tried, and she sincerely doubted Squidward would do anything drastic either way. Hopefully, though, this would give his thoughts on it a little jump start. She also hoped nothing else had happened, like an… Accidental confession. Oh, she prayed. Larry would kill her if that happened. And so would Spongebob, actually. Aaaand probably Squidward. So. She hoped it was just a kiss and nothing more. “Did y’all shine ‘em good?” She tucked Spongebob close and carried him downstairs into the living room, where she then sat herself on the couch and kept him curled up in her lap.

“Mmmhmmm… Reeeal good… This Churrsmurs feels like th’very firs’ Churrsmurs t’meeeeeee~…” Sandy gestured to nearby onlookers to be quiet. Spongebob promptly fell asleep, his mewling snores beginning almost immediately. He was completely conked out. A shame since they didn’t get to see too much of Party Sponge, but they could always give him more drinks later! Hearing Spongebob was back, Larry ran into the room, silently questioning what had happened. Sandy gave him a wink and a thumbs-up. He seemed surprised… And uneasy. But instead of making a fuss, he went to go get a blanket and some water for Spongebob. Hopefully he wouldn’t have too much of a hangover when he awoke. The other partygoers began to either celebrate or lament their loss – money had been on that kiss, and that kiss had happened!

Meanwhile…

Squidward had slid down the doorframe slowly the minute Spongebob left, gawking, staring blankly ahead, a hand over his mouth. He just sat there, flabbergasted and white as a sheet, unable to swallow any of this. There was literally nothing in his head. He was in a state of pure shock.

After a solid two minutes of static, a brief flash of a memory hit him and that was enough to flush his cheeks with a bright crimson and get him onto his feet. Having risen too fast, he reeled, but was able to orient himself and surveyed the area frantically.

He needed to leave. He needed to go home right now. He was going to just leave through the back door – better yet, he could jump out the window and hope for a concussion. However he did it, he just needed to go, before anyone saw him or talked to him or even thought of him. He thanked Neptune that he lived right next door – he didn’t have far to go. Squidward made a break for it, running as fast as he possibly could for the exit. His path was luckily clear until the last hallway, but he ignored whoever was standing there and hurtled the hell out of the cozy pineapple of a house, bubbles forming in his wake.

Upon arriving home, Squidward locked every single door and window in the Moai head, and, quivering slightly, just sat on his bed, head bowed, that same shell-shocked expression on his face.

He was having a great deal of trouble thinking. Five minutes passed and he hadn’t moved, nor processed any sort of thought. It was all just white noise. After a few more minutes, he lay down on his side, wriggling under his plush periwinkle blankets so he was at least… Sort of comfortable. It was then he spotted his teddy bear on the pillow across from him – Spongebob had won that for him when Krabs had bought a crane game to keep at the Krusty Krab.

Spongebob…

Tremoring fingers lifted to trace over his lips and the color ultimately surged back into his cheeks.

Spongebob… Kissed him…

The words now echoed in his head.

Wait; was he positive that had been real? It could’ve been a dream! Hold on, WHY WOULD HE DREAM ABOUT THAT?! EW! NO WAY! But—hold on. If he hadn’t dreamt it… That meant it really happened, right? He knew he wasn’t drunk… So… That could only mean one thing.

He’d actually made out with his neighbor, coworker, enemy, rival, definitely-not-friend. They had exchanged… Saliva. Touched tongues. Speaking of TOUCHING, Spongebob had totally groped his chest! Squidward had felt that! HOW HORRIFYINGLY IMPROPER! And then he’d felt up his side and hip. Squeezed, even! And how roughly he pulled on his hair! How dare he?! How dare he… How dare… How…

Squidward continued to ghost the tips of his fingers over his lips in remembrance.

… Why?

Was it just because he’d been drunk? There was no mistake he’d known who he was kissing, but… What had spurred it aside from the drunkenness? He’d never done that before and he’d been plastered at plenty of parties. Not to excess, but just in general. He was a pretty fun drunk, all things considered – though he did get… Flirty.

Wait.

That was right… Usually he became (even more) clingy and bolder in his flirting. But Squidward wasn’t the only one he attempted to woo! He went for Patrick, Sandy, sometimes Larry… On rare occasions, lamps… But usually, he went for… None other than Squidward. But it didn’t mean anything, right? He was just… That was just how he was, wasn’t it? The fact that he sought out Squidward for the kiss was merely a coincidence. He probably tried to kiss the entire party downstairs! It didn’t mean a single thing!

… That gleam in his eyes… That husky and seductive tone… Squidward shivered. He didn’t think Spongebob had it in him, but apparently… Not that he found it attractive or anything outrageously vile like that! He was simply stupefied by it, seeing as how much of a dork the guy was.

Spongebob had said it was his Christmas present, oddly enough. What did that mean? Why was a kiss from Squidward his Christmas present? Did that imply a kiss with everyone else was, too? Perhaps he meant kissing in general…

“Oh, puh-leeze, Squiddy, you know what he meant,” he growled at himself. Of course he’d meant Squidward specifically. There was no mistake about that. ‘Why’ was the only question to be answered. Maybe there was no reason, though – maybe it was just the booze talking, especially taking into account that he’d followed it by saying ‘thanks for polishing my shoes.’

…

As much as Squidward really didn’t want to contemplate it, he realized there was a very simple explanation to all of this. He wasn’t stupid. He knew it was different with him – even if Spongebob DID kiss everyone at the party, it would be different with Squidward. It would be different because his neighbor so very obviously had a crush. Anyone with half a brain could see it – and it wasn’t new, not by any means. Spongebob had been dropping hints left and right for… Squidward didn’t even know how long. A long while. He didn’t pay too much attention to it because it wasn’t his business. Spongebob had never straight up said anything about it so he had no reason to address it. He didn’t know how deep it ran, nor did he particularly care. It was just there, and he chose to ignore it. But… Because of the crush, that kiss… Meant something.

That passion had been a product of Spongebob’s feelings for him and he knew it. Squidward’s stomach churned. Oh, that was revolting. He would NEVER let it happen again. EVER. Who cared about Spongebob’s feelings anyway?! Eugh, how GROSS! So what if there was meaning behind it? It wasn’t like it mattered!

… How long had Spongebob wanted to do that for?

Squidward recalled their very first Christmas. The song they now held as tradition, much to Squidward’s irritation, originated there. Even back then, Spongebob had been oddly interested in Squidward being under the mistletoe. Jeez, that was years ago… Many years. Had he wanted that all this time? Had he held onto his little crush that long? Unless the infatuation was more recent and that incident had just been him being his weird self…

“… WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT THIS?!” Squidward shouted, clawing at his face. There was literally no reason to mull this over because it wasn’t important! Who cared if Spongebob liked him in a ‘more-than-friends’ manner?! Aside from that notion making him ill, it wasn’t of his concern! It wasn’t like he reciprocated those feelings in ANY way! It was what it was – it wasn’t being addressed and therefore it didn’t matter. It was really, really, really, really insignificant. It probably wasn’t even that big of a crush! WHATEVER! Even if it spurred the action, that wasn’t the important part. The important part was that he had just been kissed by—

Another wave of realization smacked him in the face.

He, Squidward Tentacles, had not only been just making out with his dreaded foe Spongebob Squarepants – he, Squidward Tentacles, had been making shamefully needy noises as he (unintentionally) returned the kiss. He, Squidward Tentacles, had squirmed under Spongebob’s touch as they kissed, and had maybe sort of enjoyed it a little.

He’d. Kissed. Spongebob.

Squidward began to scream at last. It had taken him long enough! So, to the shower it was! Time to wash away the impurity and the sin!

Nearly falling out of bed, he scrambled to the bathroom and dry heaved into the toilet until the nausea passed. He then proceeded to scrub his teeth SO HARD his gums bled. He didn’t care about the pain, SO LONG AS HE CLEANSED HIS MOUTH OF THIS FOULNESS! Afterwards, he paused to take a breath, accidentally thought about the situation, and then resumed his screeching. Those screeches soon devolved into sobs as Squidward hurried for the shower, stripped, and immediately began to scour his body with the soap. “NO! NO! NO! H-HE IS NOT A GOOD KISSER! HE IS NOT A GOOD KISSER! H-HOW DARE HE?! DISGUSTING, DISGUSTING, DISGUSTING!!!” Everything was a blur now. He’d lost his self-respect, his sanity, and his lunch from this debacle. A whole slew of emotions raged within him, some of which he had to desperately try to disregard.

Two hours later, one enervated Squidward hauled himself back to bed sluggishly after his purging was complete. He was going to have ONE HELL OF A TALK with a CERTAIN SOMEONE tomorrow. But wait – how could he even face him? How could he look Spongebob in the eye after such an exchange? How could he acknowledge what they’d done? He couldn’t! He couldn’t, it was too humiliating and – NO. He needed to. He needed to be firm and tell him that… That it should never happen again. And that he absolutely hadn’t liked any of it. And that would be that. Nothing more, nothing less. Or, okay, maybe just a little more yelling and telling him how awful it had been. Yes. That would work. He could do it. He was mortified, but he had to press on. He could only pray that no one else had heard about it… After their talk, he’d pretend this NEVER EVER happened and move on with his life. All he had to do was not think about it. How hard could that be?

The next morning, Squidward was a nervous wreck – one glimpse of his ghastly pallor would tell you that. For reasons beyond his comprehension, his hair would not cooperate today – no matter how much he brushed it, it refused to stay put, as if it wanted to spite him by adding to his disheveled look. Reddened eyes and deep facial lines of fatigue implied quite a few things. His anxiety announced itself emphatically by way of making him run his tense, shaky hands up and down his arms then around his sides and back repeatedly in frenzied motions. Getting to work had been an extremely taxing process – he’d struggled the entire way, and it wasn’t just due to the wintry weather. What if people knew? What if Spongebob said something? What if he wanted more? What if he thought Squidward enjoyed it? WELL HE’D RECTIFY THAT ONE! Because he DIDN’T! And he could look Spongebob straight in the eye and TELL HIM THAT WITH UTMOST SINCERITY! (Hopefully.) It was fine. He’d be fine. It would all be fine. Nobody else knew. It had just been a mistake and would never happen again – he’d make sure of it. Spongebob probably hadn’t even noticed the noises Squidward had made, so there was nothing to be ashamed of! IT WAS FINE.

The worn-down mess of a cashier crept to his station cautiously after forcing himself to enter the double doors, wringing his hands while his eyes darted to and fro. The Krusty Krab was quiet and still. No customers were around yet… Mr. Krabs was in his office… Where was Spongebob?

His question was soon answered by a yawn that caused him to jump.

“Ohh boy…” Speak of the devil – Spongebob toddled along on his way to the kitchen, rubbing at his eyes. He didn’t look as terrible as Squidward did, but he certainly wasn’t at his best. He seemed tired, but otherwise okay. All… Cutely bundled up like that in his snow gear. With his gloves and his hat and his scarf and his coat and his booties… “Morning, Squiddy,” he said, offering him a sleepy smile as he passed. The other was thrown off-guard when Spongebob walked right past him. Without a single mention of the party. What the HELL?! Newly enraged, Squidward called after him.

“SPONGEBOB!” He snapped. The blond pivoted on his heel a few steps away from the kitchen door, blinking.

“Wha huh?” Whoa, Squidward was mad already? What had he done?! Squidward faltered under Spongebob’s inquisitive stare that penetrated his very soul. He took a harsh inhale to steel himself.

“LAST NIGHT…”

“Ohhh! Yeah, some party, huh?” Spongebob nodded with a soft chuckle. That was probably why Squidward looked so rough – he must’ve had a LOT of fun! He was so glad. “I’m just tired ‘cause I kinda drank too much and stayed up a lil’ too late… But it was a good time, right? Were you there when we played Christmas Mad Libs? And then Christmas charades? And then ‘dress a person up as a Christmas tree?’ And then Christmas carol-oke? That was lots of fun, hehe.”

“WHA—No, I—!” Why was he being so casual?! Did he just not care about what had happened?! How could he even think to act this way?! “No, I meant earlier—“

“Ohh, earlier? Umm…” Spongebob’s brow furrowed contemplatively. “Like… Earlier as in… When we marathoned Christmas movies? Oh man, I wanna watch more tonight! I need to see Elf again!”

“NO! Earlier than that, you dunderhead!” Jeez, how long had they partied for?! “Right after dinner or—or whatever!” Squidward noticed Spongebob’s expression turn into that of bewilderment and his blood ran cold.

“… Right after dinner? Ummm…” The Krusty Krab’s star frycook scratched at his head, thinking as hard as he could. “Gee, Squidward, I… I think I remember Sandy gave me a drink during dinner… And then… Uh, I dunno. I think I got tired and took a nap and when I woke up a little later, the real party began! Let me tell you, she makes some killer baybreezes. And the best part is I don’t even have a hangover because Larry helped me keep myself hydrated!” How much Spongebob had imbibed was anyone’s guess – though it likely wasn’t much after he woke up from his nap. He only really drank at parties every now and again, so it was pretty easy to bring out the Party Sponge and put the Anxious Host Sponge to rest.

Squidward gawked in stunned silence. He’d… No way. No way. He’d… Forgotten? Spongebob had entirely forgotten about their encounter?! How… HOW DARE HE?! THIS ASSHOLE HAD THE GALL TO WALTZ IN, KISS HIM SO HARD HE QUESTIONED REALITY, LEAVE, FALL ASLEEP SOMEWHERE, AND FORGET WHAT HAD EVEN HAPPENED?! “Y-yuh… You… You…” Concern crossed Spongebob’s face as Squidward began to twitch.

“… Uh… Squiddy? Why are you twitching like that?”

“Yuh—you—y-y—I—gghh— AAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!” Squidward voiced his frustrations once again, yanking at his unruly hair. Spongebob flinched and, with a squeak, instinctively raised his arms to shield himself. Before he could inquire any further, the other stormed off with long strides, seething. Right out of the Krusty Krab and into the mounds of snow that blanketed Bikini Bottom.

“I CANNOT BELIEVE HIM!” Squidward shouted at a nearby snowman, who did not reply. “WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?! HE—WE—I— DIDN’T IT MEAN SOMETHING TO HIM?!” Cheeks blazing, he covered his mouth with a gloved hand.

Had he really just said that? He just got done insisting it didn’t MATTER what it meant to Spongebob! And it… AND IT DIDN’T! It was just that..! It was downright INSULTING! So Spongebob kisses the guy he likes and FORGETS?! Who would forget about something like that?! Even if the guy he likes hates him, the guy he likes is still super beautiful and fabulous and NOBODY should be able to forget the sizzling experience he’d gift to them! It was a PRESENT, all right! (Oh, don’t be full of yourself, Squidward.) All of that – all of that moaning and biting and licking and grabbing – ALL FOR WHAT?! FOR NOTHING?! HE’D HAD TO ENDURE THAT HELL FOR – FOR NOTHING?! HE HAD TO BE TORTURED BY IT AND SPONGEBOB COULD JUST GO ALONG WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD?!

It was true that Spongebob had forgotten – that part of the night was completely blanked out for him. He was under the impression he drank too much and passed out… Which was precisely the case give or take a few details, and it probably wasn’t the greatest idea to drink more after that, but hey. While he was clueless, their other friends weren’t. Oh no, they most certainly knew. They didn’t tell Spongebob for a specific reason – they really did not want him having a meltdown because they knew what he’d done hadn’t caused any lasting damage, and… It was fun to watch Squidward squirm. Especially in situations like this. So, if asked, they’d all pretend they had no idea either and just enjoy the show. It was a shame, though. Spongebob had his first kiss with the man he loved… And had no recollection of it.

Squidward spent a few minutes kicking at snow while yelling incoherently and snorting like an angry seahorse. Powdery crystals of ice sprayed in every direction during his rampage. The snowman sat there, a motionless observer. It was FINE! He didn’t care! Why would he care?! GOOD! This was GREAT, actually! He didn’t want Spongebob to remember! Because that meant he could just throw the memory away without issue! Without being reminded of it or pestered about it! He could pretend it never happened just like he wanted! He didn’t have to suffer – he could just ignore it, no problem! “Stupid Spongebob! Moron! IDIOT! BARNACLEHEAD!” He was only angry because he’d been subjected to torment and it had all been for naught! It was so RUDE! That guy was a real piece of work! “’I’ve been lookin’ all over for you, Squiddy!’” He mimicked bitterly, still stomping around. The darkened water overhead easily paralleled his mood. “YEAH, WELL, YOU’D BETTER NOT ‘LOOK FOR ME’ AGAIN! EVER! I WON’T ALLOW IT!” He never, EVER wanted more! He never wanted to feel the rushing warmth created by affectionate touches, or breathy sighs against his lips, or hair tickling at his jaw, or arms wound tightly around him, or…

He finally stopped and released a distressed wail, burying his face into his hands. HE WAS SO LONELY! He’d been single for such a long time! Far too long, really, and – wait a second…

It suddenly dawned on him that the only reason he sort of maybe (DIDN’T) enjoy that kiss was because… He was just so deprived of physical contact. Squidward didn’t want it to be Spongebob, he wanted it to be someone else… But Neptune hated him too much to grant him that. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to kiss someone… The reminder was painful. Maybe he should try finding a date again? That way, he wouldn’t have to feel so weird about this kiss with Spongebob, because he knew he was just lonesome and unused to such interactions! Yes… That was it! While it was horrifying to think he’d sunk so low and become so desperate he would even slightly savor any sort of contact with his neighbor, it made some sense given his current relationship status. He sank to his knees, reassured, a hand over his pounding heart.

“Oh, thank Neptune…” Squidward sniffled while rubbing at his face, some tension lifting from his stiff shoulders. “M-maybe I’m not so crazy after all… Just—just pathetically desperate. I… B-but I never want to experience that with him again! I’ll try to – to find someone. And then the joke will be on HIM! HA! He’ll still be a single loser and I won’t be!”

Desperate indeed, Squidward. That’s precisely why you’d been haunted by sexual fantasies of Spongebob masturbating when you found his collection of adult items some months ago. Desperation. That had been repressed, though, as this too might be. At the time, he’d been unyielding in his assertion that there was no way he was needy enough to daydream about Spongebob and the fact that he had was only due to his discovery forcing the repulsive imagery upon him. Now, he was relieved by the fact that he had ‘only liked it because he was lonely and needy.’ An interesting development, to be sure.

He’d run out of steam – it was time to go back inside. Eased by his realization, he would put all of this behind him and forget about it just like Spongebob did. The snowman, having grown tired of Squidward’s antics, turned and slid away, leaving him. A scoff sounded. “Puh. Some help he was. Snowmen are always so flaky.” He paused, and was then unable to prevent himself from snickering at his fortuitous pun. “Heh. Flaky. Snowmen, hahah. Oh, Squiddy, you are a true genius. You may be a deplorable pile of garbage, but you’re a damn genius.”

Spongebob watched his friend return through the kitchen window, his head resting in his arms which were propped up on the sill. To his astonishment, Squidward seemed to be in a much better mood now – his shoulders were no longer up to his ears and there was a swagger in his step. “Maybe he just needed to vent,” the blond mused, having seen his tantrum outside. What about last night could have possibly invoked such wrath? It was hard to tell just why he was upset sometimes, because what he said wasn’t always the truth. Even if there was obviously more to the story, it didn’t mean Spongebob would be able to figure it all out. It was distressing because all he wanted was Squidward’s happiness… He just had to keep trying his best to provide him with love and care.

“Spongebob.” He was wrenched back into reality by Squidward marching right over, placing his hands either side of Spongebob’s elbows, and leaning down just slightly with a triumphant smirk on his face. The other jerked back a little.

“Ah—?”

“You know that I hate you, right?” Squidward asked in a voice as sweet as honey – a tone that didn’t match his words in the least.

“Uh… Oh, uhm… Yeah?” Spongebob managed, feeling just slightly intimidated by such a direct approach paired with – well, you know. Hearing ‘I hate you’ wasn’t always that pleasant.

“And you know I’m not interested in ever doing anything of any sort with you, right?” Squidward had to be careful with what he said – he didn’t want to mistakenly lead Spongebob to believe something happened last night that he’d forgotten about.

“Uh huh?” Spongebob squirmed in discomfort. Satisfied, Squidward turned around to man his post.

“Good. I just wanted to remind you.” Ahhh, there! All better! Now that was cleared up! All he had left to do was destroy the memory. Spongebob sighed and padded back to his station as well. Squidward had been in such a good mood last night, too… He wondered if something happened. He had tried to make that party perfect, but perhaps he’d screwed up somehow. He sure hoped not. Either way, Squidward seemed okay now..? So it was likely best to leave it be.

The rest of the day went by without incident. Patrick swung by the Krusty Krab to invite Spongebob to go sledding with him to which he happily agreed – at the end of their shift, he donned his stupidly cute winter outfit and waved to Squidward before leaving. Ignoring him, Squidward headed home to relax and revitalize. That would henceforth be the motto: ignore Spongebob. Over the next couple of days, his attempt to do so was actually going decently well – he kept himself distracted, paying no attention to Spongebob and trying not to think about the thing until one afternoon when Sadie Asbury and Jennifer Millie walked into the Krusty Krab…

The pair entered holding hands, and they initially didn’t quite approach the counter – they stood back, studying the menu. “What did you want, sweetie?” Sadie asked. Squidward’s gaze flickered upwards from his magazine – they were huddled awfully close… It was cold, but…

“I don’t know, babe… I kind of wanted to try something different today…” Squidward’s brows rose steadily. Since when were they dating? That was news. He was a total sucker for gossip, so he paid attention to these things just in case something juicy was going on. Still, it wasn’t all that fascinating until a few moments later when Jennifer took Sadie’s face in her hands, giggling.

“Heehee! Do you know how red your cheeks are? It’s so cute!”

“Wha—hey, it was cold out! I’m trying to decide, c’mon!” Despite her protests, Sadie laughed in kind. Squidward couldn’t help but watch as Jennifer leaned in and kissed both of Sadie’s red cheeks, her nose, and then her lips. It was a brief gesture of endearment, but it caused Squidward to twitch and blush all the same. A sigh from behind him took him by surprise.

“Awww…” Spongebob, who had come to deliver an order, was looking on from the window with a dreamy expression, his cheek smushed into his palm. “How cute… So she did end up asking her out! Gosh, I’m so happy for them…”

“GAH!” Squidward’s cry attracted attention from not only Spongebob, but the women in question. “Spongebob what—“ He whipped around and, after taking one glance at his coworker, made a strange choking noise that stopped his sentence in its tracks. He had been avoiding looking at Spongebob for more than very brief periods for days now. In failing that, and making eye-contact to boot, he was instantly reminded of the thing.

For some reason, the sight of him just – something about – was his tie looser than normal? His hair seemed shinier too… And was that shirt tighter and more form-fitting than the others he owned? Was he hallucinating or—? Holy shrimp, was that cologne? Or was that his soap? Or maybe it was his natural aroma?! Why did it smell so AMBROSIAL now?! It wasn’t like Squidward never actually noticed the way he smelled; it had just become so oddly prominent since the thing! And WHOA, WHOA, WAIT A SECOND. HOLD ON A MINUTE. Glasses?! Since when did… Glasses—! DORKY, GEEKY, thick, black square frames that illuminated the stunning blue of his irises. That was—they were—he knew they existed, but Spongebob rarely wore them to work! He used his contacts more often than not! But wow, they looked really… Maybe he should wear them more often… The guy wasn’t doing anything but standing there, and yet—!

What Squidward is seeing: “Oh, I’m sorry, Squidward, I was just so distracted~… Did you need something~..?” Sparkles float about the kitchen while sexy jazz music plays in the background. Spongebob has cutely knocked his glasses askew with the hand that was pressed to his cheek. His spatula dangles daintily from the hand brought to his chest. He bats his long eyelashes as he speaks in an airy and teasing manner. His smile is demure, but there is a veiled playfulness that flickers within his cerulean depths. Half of his shirt is unbuttoned his tie is undone for no explicable reason.

What is actually happening: “Um, Squidward? Is everything alright?” Spongebob asks, concerned and terribly perplexed. He stands up straight, tilting his head just slightly as he waits for an answer. His shirt is of normal tightness and his tie is correctly drawn to his neck. Nothing is out of the ordinary. He is not about to start dropping patties ‘accidentally’ in order to flaunt his rear whilst picking them up or anything of the sort. He is simply standing there.

Poseidon help him, Spongebob’s lips looked so soft… The worst part was that Squidward now knew they actually were. Try as he might to bleach his brain, the knowledge remained. So pink and full… Slightly parted… Given a slight sheen from the lights… Just begging for a ki—

And at that point he’d had about enough. Squidward clasped his hands over his mouth with a look of sheer mortification. He’d gone a nice rich shade of crimson. With no hesitation, he leapt over the side of the cashier’s boat and ran for the bathroom. By some miracle, it was empty. He stumbled over to the sink and used it for support, wheezing, a tremble surging through his body. “C-c-calm down Squiddy, calm— calm— pull yourself together—“ He splashed cold water on his face to combat the scorching heat. “What am I THINKING?!” What method of sorcery was this?! What spell had Spongebob cast upon him?! Perhaps it was how utterly bewitching his gaze could be? Or maybe… “NO. Stop – enough.” He took the deepest possible breath he could to cease the downward spiral of his tumultuous thoughts. It was alright. All that happened was that he saw a couple kissing and there was NO need to freak out. The incident was still fresh so naturally, he’d be reminded of it. Everything was cool. He wasn’t thinking weird things about Spongebob and if he were, he didn’t mean it – his brain was just… Mixed up! He’d be okay. Easy. Deep breaths.

He felt weak… Oh, and FISHPASTE, he’d made a huge scene! He could hardly believe how badly this whole thing was fucking him up. He really had lost it and he could only wonder how he’d managed to sink lower than he ever imagined possible. Inevitably, Spongebob had been overcome by worry for his best friend, and his dramatic entrance of calling out the other’s name created another kerfluffle and poor Squidward ended up on the floor. “SQUIDWARD?! OH MY STARS AND GARTERS, ARE YOU SICK OR SOMETHING?! WHAT’S WRONG!?” Spongebob knelt down beside him and gripped his shoulders, panic-stricken. Rather than answering, Squidward merely dropped his head and panted, struggling to regulate his system. “Squid—guh—I’m—what…” Spongebob stuttered a few times, but in seeing he was getting no responses, instead forced himself to do the same to reduce the sky-high tension in the room.

The pair soon quieted themselves, and after a few moments of silent recalibrating, Squidward smacked Spongebob’s hands away and stood up, blinking away the unbidden tears in his eyes. “Don’t touch me,” he growled. “I’m fine. It’s none of your business. Leave me ALONE. I just have… A bit of a fever or something, and it’s making me feel weird. It’ll pass, and I DON’T need you mollycoddling me over a silly little flu. And if you dare say one word, Spongebob, so help me. Do. Not.” Gods above, HE needed a drink. A lot of them, actually. Or maybe he didn’t, since he was already fucking horrendously delusional. He half-wondered if he really did have the flu or if someone was secretly spiking his food or something. Gee, this all felt REALLY familiar for some reason… Though he wasn’t looking at Spongebob, he could hear tiny sniffles, but he was too furious and baffled by it all to care. Of course he was crying. What a shock. … Oh well. At least humiliating himself in front of customers was nothing new… And at least Spongebob was listening for once.

Squidward turned to leave, hoping the customers would shrug off what they’d just witnessed, but to his ever-present luck, he was met with their boss.

“Hold it RIGHT there, Mister Squidward! WHAT is goin’ on with you boys?! Yer leavin’ the customers by themselves out there! What’s all this fuss? Why’s Spongebob cryin’ on the floor? Why’d yeh go scarin’ me customers, Squidward? What is the problem here?!” The burly blue-clad man stood with arms crossed and foot a-tappin’. Eugene was none too happy – their antics were interfering with the flow of money! If only it weren’t so expensive to hire extra employees for when his first mates went AWOL…

“There is no PROBLEM, Mr. Krabs.” Squidward forcefully pushed past him, hands balled into fists at his sides. He refused to look at anyone, instead choosing a nice spot on the floor to stare at, wishing his cheeks would stop burning. “I think I’ve come down with the flu. That’s all. I was feeling a bit faint. I’m fine now.”

“The flu?! OH no, no employee of mine is gonna be contaminatin’ the food, the money, or the customers! Get yer hindquarters OUTTA HERE, Mister Squidward!” Eugene instructed, pointing to the front doors. He didn’t have to tell Squidward twice, that was for sure. In all honesty, he knew that it wasn’t a flu that had his employee all ruffled… But he’d begrudgingly allow it to run its course rather than say anything about it. If it was stirring things this much, maybe it would lead the two closer to an answer for their relationship. Maybe they’d finally get together and stop wasting so much damn time on this song and dance – then they’d make him more money since they wouldn’t have to keep disrupting things with it!

Squidward was slightly surprised by his boss’s allowance, but wasted no time in taking flight. Any and all stares and whispers were disregarded as he trudged right out of the restaurant to his boat while trying not to cry, his boots crunching loudly in the snow. It was fine. He hadn’t just made a complete imbecile of himself. No, no, NO. Time to go home. Time to take the week off and sleep the entire time.

Still sitting on the bathroom floor, Spongebob shuddered in distress – why wasn’t he allowed to help? Was Squidward really sick or was it something else? This was scary! He sniveled. Eugene helped him up and offered him a handkerchief. “Don’t worry about it, lad. It isn’t really that serious. He’ll be alright; he just needs some time to ‘imself. Try lettin’ him come to yeh when he’s ready, okay? It ain’t personal – he just ain’t feelin’ well and you know how that goes.” Krabs rolled his eyes. How crabby Squidward could become was astounding at times. His opinion was that the guy needed a good smack or five to set him straight, but he doubted it would work.

“Bu—bu—is he… D-do you know what’s going on..?” Spongebob wiped at his face with the handkerchief, still giving quiet hiccups and shaky sighs. Squidward ignoring him wasn’t all that shocking, but today’s reaction was so strange, and combined with the day after the party… He just couldn’t figure it out. He wanted to know!

“Well, I haven’t heard of any flus goin’ around, but with this blasted weather, I don’t doubt it,” Eugene said, glancing over at Spongebob. There was a pause when green met blue.

“… Are you sure?” Spongebob asked in a muffled voice from behind the handkerchief that he’d pressed over his nose and mouth, his watery eyes trained intently on the other. Eugene opened his mouth to respond, but at first, nothing came. He could tell… Spongebob knew. The boy was fully aware that it wasn’t a flu that was plaguing Squidward. He wasn’t stupid – okay, well, at times he could be, but he could also be very insightful and incisive. In that moment, Eugene wanted to tell him – he felt bad for him, and just… Oh, what a fine mess this was. Telling the truth would only worsen things; while it would explain Squidward’s moodiness, Spongebob would just be so utterly destroyed knowing he’d done that and even more wounded by the reaction it got and it just… It wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth breaking the poor thing with anxiety because it really wasn’t that big of a deal. If Squidward told him, that would be handled accordingly, but the chances of that were slim to none. Squidward could take care of himself. His hissy fit would fizzle out soon. And maybe, just maybe, he’d learn a damn thing or two from it. This whole ‘not-so-secretly in love with Squidward’ situation would eventually hit a turning point… It was certainly ramping up. He hoped that it would wind up being beneficial for Spongebob. If only he could persuade him to chase anyone other than Squidward! Ah, but attempts at that had failed so far, and would continue to fail so long as Spongebob held out hope that there was a prospect of being with him.

Exhaling, Eugene reached out and gave Spongebob’s shoulder a solid squeeze, compassion gracing his features. “… No. I’m not sure, Spongebob. It could be anything. But, whatever it is, just let it be. It’ll pass.” Clearly, Spongebob wasn’t happy with this answer. He clutched the kerchief as he lowered it, his lip wibbling again.

“But—“

“No.” Eugene pressed a finger to his lips to shush him straightaway. “No, Spongebob.” A whine. “No. I know yer worried, but you need to stop. Go read a book or watch TV or whatever it is that you kids do. Just go clear yer head and stop tryin’ to fix something that doesn’t need to be fixed! Let him do it on his own.” Spongebob tried to protest no further. He only wilted – that wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but… Maybe Mr. Krabs was right. Maybe it was just something he had to let go of. It was hard because he was afraid he’d done something wrong, but… Squidward probably wasn’t going to tell him, so there was nothing he could do no matter what.

“… Aye aye, sir…”

“Good boy! Now off with yeh, go make me some money! And it’s Christmastime y’know – go look at lights or go ornament shoppin’ after work! Do something fun, treat yerself! Forget about that old stick-in-the-mud!” Eugene guffawed then, thumping his employee on the back so hard it knocked him off-balance.

“Wah! Uh—I…” With the force of the gesture, his glasses were knocked slightly down the bridge of his nose – after adjusting them, he chewed on his lip thoughtfully. Well… That did sound pretty fun… He did love going around the city to see all the lights! As long as he bundled up, he could window shop and maybe buy some presents for people! “I… Yeah. Okay, yeah, you’re right! I will!” A resolute nod. He just had to put his mind to something else – he could go see the FAKE SANTA! Those were like the real Santa, except they were just his helpers and they were all over the world! They looked similar to him but you knew it was a helper if he was working at someplace like a mall. The real Santa only had time to visit peoples’ houses on Christmas Eve, after all! He gasped. “MR. KRABS! Did the helper Santa set his workshop up at the mall yet?!” Eugene watched in relief as life and enthusiasm returned to Spongebob.

“Err, I dunno. I think so! You should go check later! Just finish rakin’ in the dough for today first. And if yeh see Pearlie when yer there… Please tell ‘er to stop spendin’ all me money!” He groaned at the mere thought of it. She had her own job and she was STILL using his money! Little bloodsucker… Took after her father, she did. He was proud, but his wallet sure wasn’t. Spongebob gave a little laugh.

“Will do, sir! I’M READY! ORDER UUUUUUUP!” He cheered, jogging back to his post to turn those customers’ frowns UPSIDE-DOWN! The thought of talking to Santa (or in this case, Santa’s assistant) was totally revving him up! He couldn’t WAIT! He was grateful to have Mr. Krabs to lean on for advice. He was feeling better already!

“I can’t believe this. I can’t. What was I doing earlier? Why was—was his shirt really unbutto—OF COURSE IT WASN’T, YOU ABSOLUTE KELP-FOR-BRAINS! What is the MATTER with me?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?! I’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG! I don’t deserve this! This agony, this woe – it’s ENTIRELY unjustified! I have been nothing but a compassionate and kind person, and THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?! Thoughts of—of SPONGEBOB OF ALL PEOPLE?! And not only that, but having to endure a KISS from him!? I’VE GOT A REAL BONE TO PICK WITH YOU, KING NEPTUNE! His—he—it’s HIS fault for wearing those GLASSES and for being so IMPROPER as to UNDO HIS SHIRT AND TIE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORKDAY! POLISH HIS SHOES, WHY I NEVER! AND THEN HE FORGETS! WHAT AN ASSHOLE! I HATE HIM SO DAMN MUCH! I HATE HIM, I HATE HIM, I HATE HIM! HE DOES NOTHING BUT CAUSE ME ANGUISH! HE’S SO FUCKING INFURIATING AND RUDE AND IGNORANT AND IMBECILIC AND DISMISSIVE OF FEELINGS AND DISRESPECTFUL OF BOUNDARIES AND CLINGY AND PUSHY AND ATTENTION-HUNGRY AND SELFISH AND EGOTISTICAL AND PRESUMPTUOUS AND FUCK!! FUCK HIM! I DESPISE EVERY FIBER OF HIS BEING! SOMEONE LIKE HIM DOESN’T DESERVE ME! I’M TOO GOOD FOR HIM! I SHOULD HAVE ONLY THE BEST! HE’S NOTHING BUT A BOTTOMFEEDER AND HE ISN’T EVEN WORTHY OF BREATHING THE SAME WATER AS I DO! HOW DARE HE MAKE ME FEEL THIS WAY?! HOW DARE HE RESORT TO UNDERHANDED TRICKERY TO MAKE ME—TO MAKE ME FEEL—AND SORT OF THINK HE’S—AGH! NO! Don’t fall for it, Squiddy! He’s not—it’s FINE! IT’S SO FUCKING FINE THAT I’M GOING TO FUCKING, JUST, FORGET ABOUT IT! IT HONESTLY NEVER EVEN HAPPENED AND I CAN JUST GO ON HATING HIM LIKE USUAL! I WON’T NEED TO DISGRACE MYSELF IN FRONT OF OTHERS BECAUSE I WON’T HAVE ANY WEIRD ASS THOUGHTS! LOOK, I’LL EVEN PROVE IT RIGHT NOW—“

Squidward was ranting and raving at the top of his lungs, doing anything to try to expel this unspeakable sickness that poisoned his body and mind. He was storming about his house, throwing anything unbreakable he could find. Upon making his eighteenth lap around his home, he circled back to his television whilst evading fallen objects, plopped his ass right down on the couch, and in some crazy, desperate attempt to prove that this wasn’t at all affecting him, turned on a romance movie. In order to calm his blistering blood, he panted harshly, bubbles forming each time his chest heaved. His teal tresses were completely ruffled and wild from him running about and pulling at them. He was so unkempt and out-of-sorts and it was so damn hot he was this close to running outside and faceplanting in the snow. … In all honesty, that was actually a good idea.

The beginning of the movie was mild enough that Squidward was able to ease his ragged breaths and fall into a stoic stillness. The main characters met one another and blah blah blah falling in love blah wacky antics blah blah. It was when they started getting closer that he became nervous. It was okay. Just two characters realizing their feelings for each other and going out on a date. Nothing wild or crazy here. “T… Take it easy, Squiddy old boy… Perhaps doing this today wasn’t the best idea…” He was still jittery from earlier. Soon, the time for the first kiss came, and he held his breath – here it was. The moment of truth. Carmine eyes were glued to the television as the pair embraced, running their hands over one another’s bodies, crooning affectionately in each other’s ears… The main character first kissed up their partner’s neck, then along their jawline to their chin… Their lips met, and Squidward swallowed thickly. It was a sensual, romantic kiss. It didn’t last for too long, and when they pulled back, they smiled, laughed, and held each other tight. This one was definitely more intimate than what he’d seen at the Krusty Krab.

His gaze gradually lowered after the scene ended. Trying his best to prevent himself from blushing, he stared down at his lap, hands clenched into fists. He breathed a puff of water. Unfortunately, his efforts to stop the heat were wasted – he reddened significantly as he processed the scene. Breathe… Calm… Breathe…

…

His kiss with Spongebob had been more of the needy, frenzied and passionate kind rather than the slow and sensual… What would it be like if..?

Naturally, Squidward began to shriek at the notion. This was becoming such a frequent occurrence that it was a wonder Neptune didn’t hear him all the way from Atlantis.

WHAT WAS THAT THOUGHT JUST NOW?! He’d FAILED! He’d utterly and wholly FAILED! Such a simple test – FAILED! WHY WAS IT SO DIFFICULT TO STOP THINKING ABOUT THE DAMN KISS?! WHY HAD HE JUST IMAGINED ANOTHER?! He had TOTALLY just envisioned what it would be like to have that sort of serene and languid kiss with Spongebob! Oh, NEPTUNE! He’d legitimately imagined HIMSELF… Holding Spongebob tight… Running his hand down his back to rest just above his tailbone… While Spongebob’s hands roam aimlessly around his torso in turn… And Spongebob smiles and giggles softly against his lips between kisses… Then Spongebob moves to kiss lazily at his jaw and neck, and then nuzzles his collarbone…

This ended in him flopping onto his side in defeat and merely bawling into his hands. This was too much. It was EXCRUCIATING. He hated this – hated every second of it – hated the person causing it, hated that he couldn’t stop these invasive thoughts, hated that he was so weak, hated that he’d stooped so low, hated that his mind had apparently deteriorated altogether, hated the sick part of himself that seemed to like it, hated the fact that he was single and craved affection, hated the fact that he couldn’t fucking control himself in any capacity and repeatedly made an utter buffoon of himself in public, hated the nightmarish visions his mind conjured up, hated the fact that Spongebob had dared kiss him in the first place… He needed to call his therapist. Pronto. She’d know what to do. Maybe she could hypnotize him into forgetting? She likely didn’t have any specialization in that, but it was worth a shot to ask…

Squidward’s overdramatic and excessively volatile reactions to the subject of Spongebob would seem outlandish to anyone. They were unnecessary and unreasonable. They were undeserved and unfair to Spongebob. They were unhealthy for the both of them. Yes, Spongebob could be incredibly annoying, and disliking him was one thing – savage hostility and resentment that was expressed so consistently, even sans provocation, was another. While there was no excuse for his behavior, there was a reason.

An obvious reason would be how persistent Spongebob was – not only could his personality be entirely grating, but he also didn’t always know when to quit. He could be sort of oblivious and had trouble distinguishing boundaries. If someone was already cross with him and he kept on pestering them, it would only cause more issues. He had improved over the years, but he still had work to do in that area.

There was a deeper reason than that, however.

Ironically, Spongebob reminded Squidward of himself; everything he’d been taught to hate within himself. While perhaps difficult to believe, it was the truth – he had once been similar to Spongebob. He had once been unashamed in feeling and expressing enthusiasm and exuberance. While he did still hold passion for things, he forced himself to taper a lot of his excitement.

His mentor had been Squilliam Fancyson III. They’d dated back in college, and Squilliam refused to be seen with Squidward if he acted in what was considered an ‘embarrassing and uncool’ manner. No longer was he allowed to jump for joy – instead, he had to construct a pretentious and ‘adultlike’ persona. He could not enjoy things that were deemed as childish or lowbrow. He was not allowed to do ‘cringeworthy and immature’ things such as talk loudly with excitement over something, hop about in delight, or act in any way that wasn’t cool, collected and sophisticated. If he did anything of the sort, he’d be reprimanded. He had to be an adult, and adults didn’t show such emotions.

Spongebob proudly flaunted everything Squidward had been forced to conceal. Spongebob was permitted to be juvenile and carefree and jubilant and passionate and energetic and…

Squidward resented it. It roused a lot of negative feelings within him that were extremely hard to deal with, and thusly presented as anger, reinforced by the ingrained adult façade. At the same time, however, he secretly found it refreshing and endearing and… He longed to feel that way again. To break down these harmful ideals and to stop hiding his emotions. To stop hurting people. To be happy again. To live again. Maybe being a kid, a goofball, a wingnut, and a Knucklehead McSpazatron wasn’t all that bad.

Spongebob Squarepants was a good person. He was sweet, kind and caring. He always did his best to help others and prioritized them over himself. He strove to make people smile and brighten up their days. He was talented, entertaining and driven. While naïve and exasperating, he was still lovable – he had flaws, just like anyone else. Underneath it all, Squidward knew that he cared for his neighbor a great deal and was truly grateful for his generosity and devotion… And he really was so sorry for being such a despicable asshole to him. A friend who wasn’t a friend. A loser who didn’t deserve anything he was given. He kept repeating the same mistakes and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to make up for it. He hated Spongebob, but he loved him too.

That being said, that was all… Mostly… On a platonic level. Going any further than that reactivated his defenses and suppressed those feelings – though to be fair, they were usually suppressed regardless. Romantic was a step too close and it would turn his entire world and everything he knew upside down. Liking him in a platonic way was hard enough to accept – how could he even ATTEMPT to think about anything else? Squidward had denial on top of his denial and it was bundled up in rage and depression. Spongebob was annoyingly immature and he hated him, and those were the facts. He’d never been interested in him and never would be, and those were the facts. He’d always just see him as a moronic coworker and neighbor that he perhaps inwardly appreciated, and those were the facts. It had been this way for many years and it wouldn’t change, especially not from some stupid kiss.

There was no possible way he could feel something like that for someone he despised so much! It made absolutely zero sense. Imagining a relationship with him was nauseating – why would he ever want to spend time with him or touch him or share a bed with him or go on dates with him or ANY of that garbage? If others wanted to, whatever. While he questioned their tastes, it was neither here nor there. As for HIMSELF? Oh no, absolutely NOT. Spongebob’s desires be damned – it wasn’t going to happen. Ever. Not in this lifetime, not in the next lifetime, not in the one after that. Never. He would surely get over his little crush and move on when someone else came along – it wasn’t worth it to make himself queasy by contemplating the notion.

Squidward cried for a good hour, overwhelmed, confused and consumed by the ravenous maw of self-pity. He couldn’t handle this; he wasn’t ready. There were too many things to face… Not only did he have to work through and decipher his feelings with Spongebob, but also his feelings with himself and his past. It was all tangled up in a forebodingly gargantuan, gnarled knot that he had to try to dismantle. There was no sense in getting into it… Spongebob had forgotten about this kiss and he sure as HELL would not be reminding him, ever, at all. It was best to just bury this and never address anything. That way, so long as Spongebob never brought anything up, they could all continue on their merry ways and everything would stay the same and he’d never be required to face that knot.  

The television, left unattended, pulsed with a soft glow, giving off restful background noise. The unintelligible chatter drowned out his heavy-hearted sniffles and sobs – only the blowing of his nose rose above it. By the time he’d exhausted himself, used tissues littered the area and the blanket he’d gotten drooped off of the couch and pooled on the floor near his feet. Everything hurt. The box of chocolate was now empty. He pushed himself up and staggered over to the front door. White flurries greeted him when he opened it, clinging to his shirt as they pleased. He could barely see due to how swollen his eyes had become, but he figured the snow looked deep enough…

He promptly allowed himself to fall facefirst into the pristine drifts.

While Squidward locked himself up at home to brood, Spongebob preoccupied himself by going shopping and seeing Santa after work. This continued for the next couple of days. Staying inside didn’t seem to hold a lot of relief for Squidward – while at least he didn’t have to suffer through going to the Krusty Krab and seeing Spongebob, it was just… Nothing helped. He was miserable for so many reasons. Not even his fuzzy bathrobe, chocolates and foreign dramas were working! Numerous things were tried, but not a single one assuaged him. He eventually decided that he should go outside and get the flow of some fresh currents, even if it was just for a short while…

It was flurrying. Flakes fell gingerly from above, enveloping the vast expanse of the seafloor in a soft silence. Such a silence was almost resounding. The currents rustled some leaves of kelp every so often and animals hid away in their homes. There was a satisfying heaviness in the water. The scenery was truly picturesque and it was… Soothing. Things were still and tranquil… He got a little lost in staring at all of the glowing lights strung on nearby houses. Since he had first made sure Spongebob wasn’t home before he ventured outside, he knew he was safe. He wanted to… Go into town though, maybe. Go shopping. A shopping trip would do him some good, yeah? He could look at art supplies and new clarinets… Yes. Shopping it was. He’d treat himself. Lord knew he needed it. He spent a little while cleaning off his boat and taking in his surroundings. As Squidward slid into the driver’s seat, he prayed he wouldn’t encounter too many lovey-dovey couples lest his fragile mind shatter more than it already had.

The city was hustling and bustling as per usual. Everyone was bundled up, head to toe, to shield themselves from the cold weather. Many folks were struggling under the weight of gifts, hailing taxies for their endless bags of presents. Others seemed to prefer window shopping, and were significantly less burdened. The streets and sidewalks were slushy and wet from snow, and salt crunched beneath many a passerby’s shoe. Christmas decorations were everywhere – lights and garland were hung on numerous buildings and trees, café signs had little gingerbread men and snowflakes drawn on them, and holiday music floated out between the opening and closing of store doors. Squidward headed straight for the music store – perusing the instruments would cheer him right up! It always did! The little bell on the door chimed as he walked in, and the shopkeeper greeted him from behind the counter. “Heyyyy! Zere he is! Squidward, où étais-tu passé, mon ami? It has been three weeks, I was getting worried!” A tired and crooked smile was Squidward’s response.

“Sorry. I’ve been terribly busy – you know how it is,” he said in a low voice, ambling over to one of the display cases, hands in his coat pockets. He’d known Julien for a long time now – he frequented the art and music stores in the area and had familiarized himself with the workers there. He enjoyed their company whenever he went, as they all had good taste and provided interesting conversation.

“Oh, oui, je sais. Ze holidays are always so hectic – it is difficult to get anything done! I am telling you, it is—AH! Squidward – you look terrible! Oh la vache de mer, have you been doing alright?!”

Squidward blinked – did he really look that rough? Yikes, how embarrassing… He’d better cover up some more. He pulled his scarf up to his nose, but not before daring a peek at his reflection in the glass of the case. “… Oh,” he unwittingly said aloud. Yes, yep. Uh huh. Mmhmm. He had absolutely left the house without taking much a look at himself and without making himself even remotely presentable enough for being in public. Why, again? Luckily, his hat covered his wild hair, but his face was an entirely different story. His cheeks seemed more sunken than usual. His nose was red from not only the cold, but very plainly from blowing it so much with how the blotchy color formed around his nostrils. His eyes were the true offender; they were bloodshot as could be and puffy to HELL and back with the skin around the corners being quite irritated. He honestly looked as if he’d been punched more than once. There was a pause as he inwardly panicked, searching for an excuse for his woebegone countenance, before he found an easy one: “… I’m, ah, sick.” Smooth. Nice. It was the easiest and yet the most believable coverup in the book, and it lined up with what he’d told Mr. Krabs! … Not that Julien would know that, but still.

“Zhen why are you out of bed?!” Julien chided, placing his hands on his hips. “You should not be wandering about, exposing yourself to Neptune knows what else! You need rest, not clarinet reeds!”

“I-it looks worse than it actually is, I promise!” Squidward held up his hands defensively. “Listen, I’m fine. I took some medicine and I’ve been in bed for days.” Both statements were actually true. “I’m finally feeling a little better and wanted to go out for a bit.” A lie; more like he wasn’t feeling better and was trying to by going out. Julien scrutinized him skeptically.

“… Hmph. So stubborn, you are. Just remember to look after yourself. Dans ce cas-là, while you are here, were you looking for something in particular?” Whew. Safe. Squidward cleared his scratchy throat.

“Not really… I might buy another instrument soon, though…” Maybe he should try something new. He’d never give up his clarinet, of course, but he wanted to try some other instruments too.

“Oh, oui? Do you know what kind you would like to try?”

“It might be time to get myself something in the piano family. I won’t buy it today – I’ll come back later in the week.” An early Christmas present? Yeah, his mood was improving already! He’d learn how to properly play the piano, and it would be FANTASTIC.

“OH~! MAGNIFIQUE~! Ici, ici! I will show you what I have!” Chirping in delight, Julien pranced over to his customer and tugged him along to eagerly show him the displays.

Meanwhile…

“… And Mr. Krabs wants another pony with saddlebags full of money. I know he got that last year, but he says he wants another. Okay, next, Sandy wants a HP Proliant ML350 G9 server – the uhh, one with Intel Xeon E5-2640 v3 Octa-core 2.60 GHz 16GB DDR4 SDRAM. Whew. That was a mouthful. Okay. Ah, Pearl wants front-row tickets to a Boys Who Cry concert with backstage passes. Larry wants a new—“

“Kid, could ya hurry it up a little? I hate to rush you, but there’s a line.”

Upon being interrupted, Spongebob looked up from his list to a slightly exasperated Santa. “Huh?” He turned his head a little to scan the amount of people waiting to see good ol’ Kris Kringle. “Oh, oops! I’m sorry! I’ll go for today! I made sure everyone already sent their letters to Santa, but I like telling you too, just in case. You got all that, right?”

“Yes, son,” Santa sighed, “I got all of it.”

“Great!! Thank you so much!” Spongebob hopped out of Santa’s lap, pleased with what he’d gotten done. Going through the entire list took a little while, so he’d been visiting the mall every day to see him! He still had gifts to buy too, oh… He really had to get on that! He hustled out of the mall, deciding he wanted to go check out the pet store first and window shop along the way. It was still snowing, but it had slowed down a bit. Something about the twinkling lights made his chest ache longingly.

He began his journey, strolling leisurely with his hands stuffed into his pockets and his eyes trained on every storefront he passed. “Maybe I should drop by one of the music stores in a while to see what I can get Squiddy this year…” Speaking of, he sure hoped he was okay… If not, he’d just have to cheer him up with the Best Christmas Present Ever™! “Ooh~!” Some attractive sweaters in a store window gave him pause, and he halted his trip to admire them. Once done, he resumed his walk, only to repeat the process as he made his way down.

Squidward, on the other hand, had left the music shop to go elsewhere. While pleased with his newfound knowledge of pianos, he now found himself surrounded with the thing he most wanted to avoid…

Love.

The streets were crawling with couples. Advertisements oozed romance and love of all kinds – after all, the holidays emphasized spending time with loved ones. He could visit his mother all he wanted – it was the ads with the kissing and the cuddling and the proposing that bothered him. Not to mention the mistletoe hanging all around – oh Neptune, he was getting flashbacks! He was beginning to grow flustered – his mood worsened with each display of affection he passed. Damnit, there went his progress. He’d anticipated this, but it still felt shitty… He just had to make it to the arts and crafts store. It wasn’t too far away now. He could do this – focus, Squidward! Eyes straight ahead! Think of the doilies! THINK OF YOUR DOILY COLLECTION, SQUIDWARD!

It would soon be apparent that this was the wrong time for a romp in the city.

Up ahead, he spotted someone positively glued to a store window, which at first, he didn’t think much of. They were bouncing on their heels with their hands and face pressed against the glass, making noises of delight and—wait a minute… That outfit sure did look familiar… The colorful teal, yellow and white wool hat, complete with pompom and earflaps… The matching striped scarf that had fringes at the end… The black peacoat that flared out a bit at the waist and went down to midthigh… The maroon leggings and the black snow boots with the straps on the sides… Squidward stopped dead in his tracks, which caused the person behind him to run into him.

“’Ey, buddy! Watch where yer goin’, will ya?” The stranger sneered as he shoved past him. Squidward didn’t have time to retort – he was too busy staring at the figure in front of the toy store. He couldn’t quite see their face as it was smushed against the window. It couldn’t be… Surely not—no, there were certainly others who owned an outfit as such! Still, though – and – oh no. Were those… Blond wisps of hair poking out from under his hat? Without realizing it, he had walked closer, and when the person pulled back enough that he could see their profile, the beating of his heart ceased.

As if that blue couldn’t get any brighter – his eyes were sparkling with wonder and amazement over the humongous tree cleverly adorned with toys in the store’s display. That smile was going to split his damn face in two one of these days. His cheeks were warm with joy, and his long nose nearly touched the glass that was fogged by his visible puffs of breath… To his credit, he had every right to be in awe – that tree was stunning.

Almost as stunning as the person standing before it.

When Spongebob began to pull away from the store, Squidward realized it was more than time to make himself scarce. He frantically ducked into a nearby alleyway, managing to get out of line of sight moments before the other waltzed on past. He watched him leave, probably looking like a total fucking creep as he was peering around the corner of the alleyway to do so, and all he could think about was… Just… Spongebob. Why was it always Spongebob?!

Shopping spree = bad idea. Very bad idea. Back to the house it was.

By the time he got there, Squidward had gone numb. His brain had utterly shut down in exhaustion from the multitude of intense emotions. The lights were left off when he entered his home. He grabbed his Teddy from the couch and brought him upstairs – curiously enough, he’d been clinging to that thing more often as of late… One could only wonder why – it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that it was a gift from Spongebob. It was just a stuffed animal, and stuffed animals were comforting. Right?

After undressing, Squidward lay in bed with Teddy close to his chest, staring at the ceiling vacantly. He could feel no emotion – that could potentially be considered a perk of full mental shutdown.

Spongebob was… Something else. He really was.

He didn’t know what to make of this. He didn’t understand his feelings, he didn’t know what sort of potion he’d drank to cause this, he didn’t know why Spongebob had a crush on him, he didn’t know why everything was throwing him for such a loop, he didn’t know… Anything, really.

Time for sleep. Before long, he’d recover from this, and hopefully forget about it. Spongebob would no longer have to worry about him, and things would go back to normal. With luck, Squidward would bury and forget about this incident. He’d forget he ever felt weird things for Spongebob fucking Squarepants and continue on hating him. Never again would they find themselves under mistletoe while Spongebob was drunk. Squidward would not have to face his inner demons.

… He was going to skip next week’s Very First Christmas™ party. Just to be safe.