#i think we should have a hot cocoa night actually and we can all be cozy together

[arachnidiots-a]

good morning!! i hope everyone has a very lovely weekend! take the time to rest up, be easy on yourself even if you’ve got lots on your plate, and be kind to each other out there!! most importantly, stay warm!

[twstfanblog]

*~Period Drama~* Tuesday

A/N: SCREAMS. I am...SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG. We had to do double time to move out of our house since our landlords decided to fucking sell the property so we had to LEAVE. But it's done and I'm very happy with it and I hope you like it too. Enjoy~! Word Count: 6.7K Warnings: She/They Pronouns OC, Lilia does look and poke at Yuu's genitals Pairings: YuuxJamilxAzulxMalleus (Poly), (Sebek/Silver in the corner) ~Taglist (At this point I'm just adding everyone I've found who was interested in the fic XD) @twistedcece @deltrea @krenenbaker @koebishrimpuwu @cat100200 @emyluwinter @obsessionswithfandoms @ady-hilborn @lucid-stories @girl-nahh-two @itz-hydrodeptus-foxy7 @chyluna @riddlesimps @death-the-jo @a-twistedheartslonging @qixlin @chaosistheonlyway @welcome-to-my-horde @abell2029cluster @kirans-wonderland @coffee-or-hot-cocoa @the-ace-reader @iamsoconfusedallofthetime @chroniccorvus @marvelous-maxi @prolonged-eyecontact @lozplayer @jabberwocky-warrior @thateldribitch @bun-lapin @mel1rose @ladyraeka @ladyzsgolla Start, Part 2 (Octavinelle), Part 3 (Heartslabyul), Part 4 (Savanaclaw), Part 4.5 (Diasomnia pt1), Part 5 (Here), Part 6 (Pomefiore), Part 7 (Scarabia)

Malleus almost always forgot he even owned a phone, meaning he basically never texted Yuu. So when his personalized text tone played Yuu was quick to stop their sobbing and open his message.

‘May I see you tomorrow?’

Short, simple, sweet, and weirdly formal. Yuu smiled, typing back quickly before the horned fae forgot he owned a phone again.

‘Sure babes. Sorry ive been mia the past few days. Not feeling well. Ill explain when i see you tomorrow.’

‘I should hope so.’

Okay, vaguely rude.

When Malleus had said tomorrow, Yuu assumed he meant during lunch or after classes. Instead, he showed up on their doorstep with his whole family unit and a grumbling Grim in tow at 8am in the goddamn morning. None of them were in uniform, clad in casual comfortable clothing. They clearly planned to spend the whole day with her instead of a simple visit.

She blinks, almost overwhelmed at the sheer…something of the current event, “Hi…It's…really early.”

Lilia smiles, tilting his head as he holds up a large and slightly weathered first aid bag, “We brought gauze!”

Silver holds out his arms, the dire beast scowling but unmoving in his grip, “And Grim.”

“Oh, what beautiful treasures…”

“Enough beating around the unwanted bush.” Malleus steps forward, hands reaching to clasp around Yuu's. Looking into their surprised eyes with determination, “What is this illness and how can I help ease you of it?”

Yuu snorted, closing her eyes in an effort to not start laughing at how seriously Malleus was taking their ‘ailment’, “It'll…It'll pass with time, Malleus. But, luckily, I'm actually feeling a lot better than yesterday.” They step to the side, managing to pull a hand free from Malleus's grip to gesture for the Diasomnia family to enter.

Silver nods his head in thanks, walking into the hall to place Grim down. The cat quickly running further in the house, remarking Yuu still smelled weird, “That's good to hear. Did you use a form of medicine to ease your symptoms?”

Yuu closes the door behind them, Malleus already firmly attached to their side. No doubt the smell of their blood making him hyper-aware of their every movement, “Yeah. Crewel gave me a lecture and a pain potion when he brought me dinner last night. Plus the guttural sobbing I've been doing. But, I think it was mainly because I finally took that body cleansing shit…”

The beat of silence almost makes Yuu burst into laughter again, the four males all looking a level of stunned before Silver shakingly spoke.

“A-ah…That's...good?”

“Yeah, it really realigned my chakras or something.”

“Okay?”

“Yuu, could you tell us exactly what is going on?” Lilia's smile was strained. He had spent most of last night racking his memory of various illnesses. Any that he knew of that dealt with bleeding were things that would have killed Yuu within the hour if they had reached that stage. But to know they'd been bleeding for days? Whatever they had managed to catch was cause for concern. But now knowing it was causing other ailments…it was either a truly deadly disease or it was evolving into one…

“Oh, it's nothing serious. Just the muscles that are causing all this-” Yuu makes a vague gesture to their lower anatomy, “- are the same muscles that handle pooping. So…it was expected to happen…”

There was another beat of silence, each male looking at Yuu's stomach, placing the pieces together slowly as they realized she gestured below her stomach.

“Why…why did you…gesture…down there?” Silver spoke slowly, eyes making quick glances between Yuu's crotch, then to Malleus's blank face, then to Sebek's tearfully bewildered expression. Is…are they…?

Malleus says what all of them were fearfully thinking, “Is the blood coming out of you from your nethers!?”

“Ye.”

Lilia stood still, eyes wide as he openly stared at Yuu's crotch. This was…he had never heard of such a thing…

Malleus's hands quickly grabbed at Yuu's hips, magic flowing from his fingers in his panicked attempts to heal what he could only fear was internal ripping, “Why did no one tell me!?”

“I don't think you should be bleeding from there, Yuu?”

“Silver. Words can not describe how badly I wish I wasn't. But, sadly, yeah, this is completely natural for me to do. I wish I wasn't. I am so full of fucking hatred right now, I am a literal danger to my and everyone else's safety.”

Lilia made quiet work of prying Malleus off of Yuu, though he was clearly still concerned himself, “It's natural to bleed out of your nethers?”

“Where I'm from? Unfortunately yes.” Yuu shrugs, holding Malleus's hand as the horned fae tried to reattach himself to their side, “The pussy is a curse and the price must be paid in blood sadly.” They say it with a level of nonchalance that only has the Diasomnia crew looking at them in worry.

Malleus grips tighter to Yuu's hand, raising it to press a gentle kiss to their knuckles, “Please, there has to be something that can be done to ease this curse…”

“...” Yuu pulled Malleus to the living room, showing the plethora of blankets and pillows on the floor. Empty bottle and snack wrappers pushed to a corner of the rug in an effort to keep the cozy area of the floor clear. Yuu gestures to the darkened room, heavy curtains closed to enhance the perfect sleep environment, “You guys can do whatever around the house. But, if you wanna join me, I was about to lay down in the dark listening to sad music and take a nap.”

Sebek sneers, eyes squinted as he mumbled out, “It's 8am…?”

Yuu whips around, ignoring Malleus's worried fretting for their neck, “Hey, Sebek? You don't need to fucking be here.”

Sebek's sneer turned into a deep frown, his expression clearly showing how badly he wanted to yell back. But with their ‘illness’, plus Malleus's protective stance, he knew he'd quicker be scolded than actually get a sentence out.

“Wow, you are more full of hate. You normally let Sebek get at least four sentences out before telling him to be quiet.” Silver moves to sit on the couch, only to realize that Yuu had removed all of the larger cushions and used them as padding for the floor.

Malleus looked over the sad state of his lover's nest, frowning before he pulled Yuu closer to ask them quietly, “Would you mind if I fixed your nest? This looks…barely functional.”

Yuu smiles, bringing a hand up to pat Malleus's face gently, “Do as you please, Peligroso.” 

Malleus kisses their palm before moving toward the mash-up of cushions, blankets, and - to his distaste - bloody towels. He first deconstructed the mess, organizing the materials he had before coming to the conclusion he needed more.

No one tried to stop Malleus as he walked out of the room, his pupils dilated as he busied himself in nest-making.

“Beastie, are you really well? Mundane for you aside, losing that much blood at a steady pace can't be good for you…” The scent of blood was off at that. Fresh blood was concerning enough, but the smell of old blood was not good if one was actively bleeding.

Yuu waves their hand, sneaking a towel from Malleus's separated piles to sit on, “No need to worry Lils; Crewel’s made sure I've been taking iron supplement potions, plus I'm still taking the multivitamin Riddle demanded I start at the beginning of the year once our beef ended.”

Malleus returns, bulks of blankets and pillows floating behind him into the room. He quickly turns a sharp eye toward Yuu, seeing one of the cleaner towels had been taken from his nest piles. But at seeing their smile, he could only sigh and begin building.

Lilia clicks his tongue, holding the old medical bag in his hands, “Well, I'm not sure how useful this gauze is going to be then if it coming out from such an area…I'm not sure you're open to the idea of it…being inserted.”

“I'm not.”

“Fair.” Lilia removed the bag from his shoulder, allowing it to drop to the ground. Walking closer to Malleus, yet still a few feet away, he started to teasingly offer his unwanted opinion of how his ‘mate’ would like the nest to look.

Silver and Sebek took seats on the ground closer to Yuu, the second year pulling the medical bag into his lap as he started to look through it, “While the gauze may be useless, I think there's some pain ointment still in here. Possibly a potion but it's long bitter by now…Oh.”

From inside the bag, Silver pulled out a simple arm cuff attached to a hand pump and dial. It looked old, but the metal holding it together still shined, “Lend me your arm, I want to check your blood pressure.”

“My blood pressure? Why?” Yuu still held their arm out, letting Silver gently clasp the cuff to their lower bicep, “I haven't felt light headed.”

“You might not have noticed if you've been bleeding as long as you have…” he starts to pump the bulb, the cuff growing tighter, “Just see it as a way for me to get peace of mind…”

Silver and Sebek watch the needle, their expressions slowly turning concerned at the reading.

Sebek whispered under his breath, one of his eyes twitching in annoyance as he reread the result, “Why is it high?”

Yuu blinked, looking at the dial before turning to Silver, “Yeah, that's…normal.”

“...Really?”

“I don't know, man. I'm 15, I've never had to know what my normal blood pressure is.”

Silver sighed, deflating the cuff and removing it, “Did you never take notice of it when you went to the doctor for check ups?”

“Silver, baby boy, I haven't been to the doctor since I was in elementary school. Do you not know how expensive a doctor appointment is?”

“I really hate when you say things like that…” Silver still didn't understand how a simple doctor's visit cost money. It was a universal service, all they'd have to do was walk into the nearest office and simply wait.

Yuu hummed, nodding her head, “I forget that you guys have free healthcare here…I kinda just conditioned myself to be ok with dying since the doctor was so expensive where I'm from.”

Silver sighed, fingers pressing against his temple, “Please, curb that habit. For all of our sakes…”

“You got a will to live in there then?”

“...” Silver looks through the bag, managing to pull out an antique-looking locket that held a graying, grainy photo of a confused-looking Malleus on one side and a more vivid photo of a sleeping infant Silver on the other, “I think this is what father uses?”

“Oh my god?” Yuu couldn't stop the bubbling laughter that started when they spoke. They cover their mouth and gently bring the locket closer to look at the photos. Only now do they realize Malleus in the photo has a small circlet of a crown on his forehead. There was no telling how old the photo was, possibly in a time the first camera was even made and Lilia got his hands on one.

They snort, letting the locket swing from their hand and allow Silver to place it back in the bag, “Ok…that works. I now have the strength to carry on.” From the corner of their eye, they can see Sebek's stern gaze staring into the side of their face, “Yes, Sebek? Can you be helped?”

The half-faes's face pinches together harder, lip curling up into a scowl as he looks away briefly. His mild avoidance was short-lived, turning back to Yuu with an expression of concern, “You're…You're okay now, correct?”

At Yuu and Silver's stunned expressions, Sebek grows more timid, thumbs twiddling together as he clasped his hands, “Ace’s texts didn't give much info. But even knowing that…that didn’t transpire, this is still a worrying state of affairs.” Sebek looks up from his hands, staring into Yuu's eyes with steady resolve, “We have our differences more than anything. But I count you as my comrade in ensuring Waka-Sama’s happiness. Your continued good health would be in the best interest of all!”

It was no secret that Yuu and Sebek did not get along. Their first official meeting was a brawl that neither walked away from unscathed (and Sebek left the fight with a secret he'd be taking to his grave under Lilia's instructions). They bickered, fought, and openly slandered each other every chance they got. Truely, the only things keeping them from killing each other were the facts they shared the same friend group and that Yuu was romantically involved with Malleus. Yuu was sure without those factors, Sebek would have actually declared them an enemy of Briar Valley itself.

So to see and hear the other first-year state that he was concerned was jarring at best. 

Yuu stared at Sebek, the half-fae looking at them with an open and vulnerable expression as he waited for their truth. Honestly, were they ok? It'd been only a few days but this felt like the worst period Yuu had ever had. And seeing how their flow wasn't easing as it normally would, they were sure it was going to be longer than normal too. They were in pain, everyone was treating them as though they would shatter at the slightest inconvenience. They were free bleeding of all things…but, their friends cared and were each trying to make things better. 

Azul and the Tweels had basically tried to cater their every meal, though they kept their distance; mer noses were so sensitive to blood after all. Crewel would come in the evenings with medication and conversation. Riddle was compiling a list of some kind with Jade, but he was using info from their “interview” to figure out ways to ease their symptoms. Ace and Deuce had both swore to actually take notes for once so that they wouldn't fall behind in their classes. Trey had texted a number of times, sneakily trying to gauge their temperament so he could ambush them with baked goods. Cater had sent several photos of wet, angry, disheveled-looking cats with the caption ‘this u?’ whenever they were in a bad mood.

Even just yesterday, Jack had basically appointed himself as their bodyguard, not allowing anyone closer than 2 feet from their person. Ruggie had gone into nursemaid mode and Yuu was mildly terrified at how prepared and willing he was to help them deliver a baby. Even Leona's lazy ass had helped. Held them while they cried all the way to their dorm, calling them at midnight just to check if they were sleeping and not up alone with their thoughts.

And now, the Diasomnia family unit had brought them a first aid kit. Not the correct move, but a show of concern either way. Looking into Sebek's face only cemented how cared for they were by their forged family. Yuu opened their mouth slightly as though to speak, waiting as Sebek perked up, leaning closer to fully hear what they were about to say.

Instead of words, all that escaped Yuu's mouth was a burp that traveled directly into Sebek's face.

The half-fae sputters, annoyance growing at Silver's near silent ‘Excuse you’ to the other human. He wiped at his face as though he could remove the air, growling before he pointed a finger at Yuu's smug little grin, “You should have been killed when your mother birthed you!”

“Sebek.”

Sebek quickly placed his hand in his lap, frowning hard as he looked down in an odd mixture of shame and anger. Malleus had turned around and scolded him almost instantly. The dragon fae was frowning, eyes filled with a disappointment only an older sibling could give. He stared long enough until Sebek finally relented and spoke through gritted teeth at Yuu.

“My deepest apologies. You are injured and I have no reason to…antagonize you. Please, forgive me…”

“Did that hurt to say, Sebek?”

Silver placed a hand on Yuu's shoulder, trying to not sigh or laugh their antics, “Yuu…”

Yuu smiled, tilting their head and nodding, “Apology accepted, Sebek. Just don't be mean to me, okay~?”

Translation; I'm going to milk this for your whole visit.

Sebek's frown curled so tight it could only be called a pout. But seeing how he didn't speak further, Yuu turned to speak directly to the 3rd years only to choke mildly at the new impressive structure taking up space adjacent to the fireplace.

What was once their sad faux floor bed set up was a large blanket nest. Pillows tastefully lining the sides for support and comfort, blankets laid together to cover the couch cushions while some were still free to wrap in. A large throw blanket suspended in the air by magic cloaks the whole structure like an open tent. It looked cozy, it looked inviting. Yuu almost hated how proud Malleus looked of his work.

“...” Yuu rolled their eyes, trying to hide their blush as they turned away from Malleus's increasingly smug face, “Ok, your nest is very impressive. Are you proud of yourself?”

“Not until you are in it.”

Lilia spoke quietly, eyes giving Malleus a playful warning look as he chuckled, “Remember you two, we're here with you…”

Yuu laughs, standing from their towel and stretching, “Alright, nap time.” They take care to place down the towel, climbing into the nest and making themselves comfortable in the structure. They had no actual animal-based DNA, but they felt the need to curl up and sleep for DAYS from their new cozy spot. Malleus had built the nest well.

Opening their eyes, they could barely stop the snort that tried to escape them. Malleus was pressed against the side of the nest, eyes wide and focused on them. Yuu tilted their head, smiling widening as Malleus tilted his head in response, “You wanna join me?”

The question makes Malleus lean back, eyes almost bulging out of his head before he manages to school his features, “So bold…As always.” He laughs from behind his hand, “I’m happy to see you are in better spirits compared to yesterday.”

Yuu casts him a confused glance, wondering just when the dragon fae had seen them yesterday. While Malleus made himself comfortable beside them, they looked at the remaining Diasomnia unit standing at attention around the nest, “You guys coming in?”

Lilia snorts, ignoring Mallues’s glare demanding they refuse Yuu’s invitation, “Are you sure, Beastie? We wouldn’t want to intrude…” His eyes lock on Malleus’s, communicating silently that if Yuu invited them into their nest, it’d be rude to deny their request.

“I mean I invited you in the first place.” They gesture to the empty space beside them and Malleus, “Plus, this thing has room for like four more people…”

Malleus mumbles under his breath, an arm wrapping around Yuu’s middle and bringing them closer to his body to nuzzle into their hair, “Or eight children…”

“What?”

“Hm?” Malleus pulls from their hair, smiling at their confused face before making himself comfortable against them again.

Lilia actually laughs this time, “Well, if you insist.”

Everyone climbs into the nest; Lilia pressed against Malleus’s side with Silver beside him already half asleep. Sebek had begrudgingly made his place beside Yuu, huffing as the human offered their hand to hold. Neither of them speaking when Sebek does grip their hand gently. Once everyone had seemed cozy, Yuu retrieved their phone from their pajama pants pockets, opening their ‘sad times’ playlist to start playing music. But the sound of a thud rings out from the kitchen, everyone turning to the noise in mild suspense. Soon, Grim enters the room with a bag of cookies clutched in his mouth.

Yuu raises an eyebrow but helps Grim climb his way into the nest, the cat curling up against their side squished between them and Sebek, “Was that you? Did you fall off of something-hold on.” They grab the bag of cookies from Grim, frowning once they realize what they were holding, “Are these the good cookies? You little shit, you said you ate the last of them!”

Grim grumbled, curling up tighter to Yuu’s side and swatting at their hand tugging on his ear, “I lied! You always hog them so when you left one day I hid them to snack on myself…But…” He huffed, looking at them from the corner of his eyes, “I think you need them more than I do…”

“...” Yuu sniffled, fanning their face as tears started to build in their eyes, “Grim…Grim…” They take a shuddering breath, ignoring the others watching them in worry, “I already threw up like twice yesterday from crying so hard, I’m not doing it again.”

“Parden?” Malleus’s brows creased. When did they throw up!? Just how severe was this illness?

Yuu waves his concerns off, tapping onto their ‘Sad Vibes’ playlist, setting it to shuffle before they connect to the lounge speakers, “It's not important, Malleus. I'm not gonna cry. We're gonna lay down in the dark and listen to sad songs and sleep.”

Sebek mumbles from beside Yuu, his free hand petting a softly purring Grim, “That seems to be the perfect setting to cry in…?”

Lilia gives Yuu a worried glance but doesn't agree nor disagree. He instead places a hand on Malleus’s shoulder, a silent effort to calm the dragon's fussing, “Well, if we're going to listen to music, just none of that Mitsuki woman please…”

Silver blinks his eyes open, tiredly looking to Lilia, “But I like the dog song.”

“...” Lilia sighs, his arm moving to wrap around Silver's shoulders and bringing him closer, “I…I know…”

Yuu tearfully laughed, laying their head onto a softly fretting Malleus. Their weak laughter breaks from teary into genuine amusement as the first song starts.

My baby, my baby…

Leaning over Malleus, snickering as the dragon fae gently presses her head back down to his chest as a silent command to sleep, Yuu whispers to Lilia, “I’m sorry…”

Lilia’s smile is strained, his grip on a sleeping Silver slowly increasing as he fought against his own emotions, “No you're not…”

The nap lasted far too long, Malleus thought to himself. The dragon fae didn't actually sleep, but he kept watch of his family as they did. Silver of course slept, curled up in Lilia's intense embrace before the bat general eased into a light sleep. Though Sebek had been the most against the nap, he had dozed off not long after Silver. One hand still gripping onto Yuu’s while the other resting on a snoring Grim's back.

Yuu was out almost immediately after Sebek, a content smile on their face as they curled up to Malleus's chest. A smile he watched slowly fade through the hours. A common occurrence as one slept, something he's learned from years of watching Silver. What concerned him were the twitches and grimaces of pain that started to increase the longer they stayed asleep. He didn't want to wake Lilia to ask for advice, the older fae having spent most of his night in worry over Yuu's condition and it didn't help he wasn't a morning person normally.

But if the discomfort was enough to affect Yuu's sleep, it was no wonder they felt the need to nap so early in the morning. They possibly hadn't slept the night before from pain alone. He had spent a few moments thinking how he could help, an arm around their waist and a hand pressed to their lower stomach to ease magic from his fingertips. His healing magic wasn't nearly as refined as he wanted. No matter how much magic he poured in, there were no wounds to be closed on the surface. But he could feel how Yuu would curl into his palm, almost trying to trap the heat close to them.

So for the past two hours he laid in a nest with his fiancé, his father, his brother, his brother's ‘friend’, and a cat; palm pressed just above his lover's mysteriously bleeding anatomy to act as a glorified hot water bottle.

Though he had no true method of knowing, he felt as though his grandmother was laughing at his predicament.

And while he did find the lyrics and vocals of Miss Amy Lee to be rather enchanting, he felt relieved to hear the music stop playing abruptly and a shrill beeping take its place. He couldn't help but smile, listening to everyone minus Silver groan at the sound of the alarm. Lilia huffed, snuggling his nose into Silver's hair while the human knight remained perfectly asleep. Sebek had pouted but still sat up, blinking in mild confusion as to where he was. Yuu had tried to bury their head in the space between his arm and chest, a hand reaching out blindly to no doubt silence the alarm.

As much as Malleus enjoyed his loved ones sleeping peacefully around him, he didn't think letting them sleep anymore was the correct choice. He smiled, easily catching Yuu's hand to gently kiss their knuckles, “My dear. I do believe your nap is over now.”

Yuu groans, but doesn't try to pull away, “At least turn the alarm off…”

Lilia clicks his tongue, finally pulling away from Silver to sleepily reach for Yuu's still blaring phone, “I got it…”

“Thanks-ack!” They were batted in the face by Grim's increasingly annoyed tail, the dire beast fighting to stay asleep from the rising noise. A move that had Yuu sneezing after a few moments.

The fae and Grim instantly snapped to attention. Yuu's sneeze was quickly followed by an overwhelming scent of blood. The sudden change in the atmosphere instantly waking Silver. Sebek had tightened his grip on Yuu's hand, almost as though he were helping them to brace against pain. Grim scrambled away from their side, moving to frown and shake from the other side of Sebek.

Malleus brought both his arms to wrap around Yuu's body. How could he let his guard down in such a way? They were sick. Why did he assume a nap was the correct choice to make? They should be in the care of a professional. Now they had clearly torn something, or something had hemorrhaged and they were bleeding out internally-

Lilia turned the alarm off, quickly kneeling and placing his hands on Yuu's knees, “Yuu, I know you said this was natural. But this is concerning. As your future midwife, I implore you allow me to check there isn't actual damage to yourself.”

��I- Lilia, I'm fine. I just sneezed.” Sneezing on one’s period was never nice, sure. Yuu fully felt as though they just forced out half their bladder even though they knew that wasn't the case. “It happens sometimes. The clenching just makes blood come out.”

Malleus growls, his arms tightening around Yuu's body. Lilia was right. No matter how much Yuu claimed it was normal and routine, they shouldn't be bleeding like this, “My love, please. Let him check. Lilia has more medical training than possibly anyone on campus. Just allow him to check.”

“Malleus-”

“Please…” Malleus pleads, concern clear on his and the other's face.

“...” Yuu rolls their eyes but starts to shimmy their pajama pants down, “Fine. If it'll calm you down.”

Sebek and Silver instantly look away, though both shuffle closer in an act to box Yuu in so that no one else could see the human’s privates.

Lilia was quiet, eyes looking unblinkingly at what he could only describe a mess. He was careful, only touching Yuu's anatomy for brief moments to send pings of magic through the flesh to search for opened wounds. But other than the blood he couldn't find anything that would call for concern. Leaning back he sighed, bringing the back of his hand to rub at his eyes, “By the Seven, this is a mess…”

“Wow, Lilia. I'm so happy you're here to stare into my abyss and call it a fucking mess.” Yuu glared, hoping their voice carried just how annoyed they were, “Really, I'm so glad.”

“My apologies, Beastie. I just haven't seen a vagina in this bloody a state since Sebek was born…”

Sebek half turned around, expression vaguely disgusted and horrified, “What?”

Yuu snorts, shaking Sebek’s hand still holding theirs in a way of gaining his attention, “Wow, Sebek, way to wreck your mom’s pussy.”

Sebek retaliated, using their still joined hands to twist and force Yuu’s arm into a painful bend. Yuu had quickly tried to escape his hold, both by wiggling their trapped arm and also using their free hand to slap at Sebek’s face while making repeated yelps of pain. Sebek had managed to dodge only a few hits until a bolt of lightning hit just outside, the flash sending the room into a blinding state before the light faded. Malleus glared down at Sebek, silently demanding the half-fae release his fiance.

Once freed, Yuu instantly pointed toward Sebek while looking at Lilia with wide eyes. Their tone coming out vaguely whining and childish, “He twisted my arm!”

Sputtering, Sebek looked between Yuu and Lilia. Pointing back at her while he looked at Lila pleading that he hears him out, “She talked about my mother’s vagina!”

“...” Lilia sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before speaking, “Sebek, don’t twist Yuu’s arm; she’s already in pain. Yuu, don’t talk about Sebek’s mother’s vagina; you know he doesn’t like that.”

“Did that hurt to say?” Silver looked at his father, half joking but delivered in such a painfully serious way that Lilia could only sigh harder.

Malleus’s expression only grew more concerned, arms wrapping tighter around Yuu and allowing his palms to heat a bit more. He only relaxed as Yuu themselves eased a bit more in his hold, “Yuu, please. Tell me what is causing this, If not for your own sake, but my own, I need to know. I have never been more distressed and on edge than these past few days. It isn't helpful either that you continue to be nonchalant, I dare say you've hurt my feelings with how you've been handling this…

“...” Yuu takes their time to pull their pajama pants back up, moving to sit up fully to look at Malleus directly, “Malleus, you're completely valid for feeling upset with me about all of this. In hindsight, I really should have just told you guys instead of disregarding Crewel’s attempts to keep this on the downlow for the sake of campus sanity. I fucked up, I will take that L. But I want you to know and consider that I have been in pain, tired, sad, and enraged both consistently and erratically for days. Do you really think the correct choice right now is to complain to me…about how my period…is making you feel?”

…

Malleus blinked, eyes darting to Lilia who only shook his head at Malleus's silent question. He looked down, then back to Yuu who was staring at him silently, almost waiting for him to answer incorrectly, “...I would still like to discuss this at a later date…when you are well again.”

“I'll make sure to set a meeting up with Azul, so that we both remember. Thank you for understanding…” Yuu's mood does a 180, now smiling and trying to stand from Malleus's arms, “Anyway, it's like noon now right? I know I have a bunch of stale tortillas and shredded cheese in the kitchen so we can make quesadillas-”

Malleus refused to remove his arms from around Yuu, basically pulling the human back into his lap, “I would like to speak about why you're dodging my question though.”

Yuu hummed, looking up to Malleus's face as they slowly twisted a strand of their hair, “...What are you talking about?”

“You are…well aware of what I've been asking you.”

“I'm really not.”

“Yuu-”

“You're sounding crazy right now.”

Malleus scoffs, rolling his eyes playfully, “Don't attempt to gaslight me. I keep asking you what caused this ailment or how I can ease this plague and you…don't answer me.” Malleus narrows his eyes, arms wrapping tighter against Yuu's body when they subtly tried to move away from him again, “Do you simply wish to…not tell me?”

“...” Yuu sighed, resting their head against Malleus’s shoulder. They smile, looking up into his eyes with a soft affection, “You know I love you right?”

“Your feminine wiles aren't getting you out of this. Answer my question.”

Silver speaks up, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, “Malleus, they may not have an answer as to what caused it…”

Sebek grunts from Yuu's side, eyes casting a worried look back to the other freshman's covered anatomy, “If they don't know what caused it then that's even more concerning. This could be a serious medical emergency and we're all twiddling our thumbs because the one who's ill says they're fine.”

“I am fine. I just…don't wanna say why this happens…”

Lilia perks up, raising an eyebrow as he rests his chin on Yuu's now pressed together knees, “So this illness is triggered?”

“Yes? No?” Yuu huffs, raising their hands in a form of defeat, “It just happens man. But like…for a reason.”

Malleus frowned, almost pouting as he gently moved Yuu's chin to make them look directly into his eyes, “Yuu. My dear. I'm deeply concerned. Please, just tell me what causes this so we may prevent it…”

“...” Yuu sighs, closing their eyes before opening them, “...This happens when I don't get pregnant.”

…

Silver fully turns to Yuu, eyes focusing on the other human as though he could physically see through what he begged was a lie, “Are…Are you serious?”

“Like the fucking heart attack that will take Sebek out one day.”

“Hey-”

“Oh!” Malleus smiles, his eyes shining to the point Yuu was certain they were glowing, “This is easily fixed then.”

Yuu continued to smile, shaking their head knowing what the dragonfae was going to suggest, “...Malleus…”

“I simply need to impregnate you. Then you won't be affected by this plague again.”

“...” Yuu sighed, “No…”

“...” Malleus's expression falls back into an angered pout, “Why not?”

“It doesn't work that way…”

“...” His expression deepens, “How does it not ‘work that way’ exactly?”

Lilia patted Yuu's leg, flicking his head toward the entryway of the lounge as a silent command to Sebek and Silver, “We're gonna go…”

Yuu turned away from Malleus, blinking at Lilia in astonishment as the fae and other Diasomnia pair stand up, “Now why the fuck would you do that?”

Silver was kind enough to scoop Grim into his arms, the dire beast still shivering from the sudden scent of blood, “We’ve come to an agreement that we’d leave the room when you two start fighting.”

“We aren’t even fighting…” Yuu muttered under their breath, making a point to not look toward Malleus’s upset face. They’re pretty sure they’d start giggling at how frustrated he’s being about this.

Sebek shakes his head, already walking out of the room, “You become incredibly uncivil to everyone when you and Waka-Sama have disagreements. Lilia-Sama is right in having us leave the area before you two really start…”

“We aren’t fighting?”

“We’re fighting a little…” Malleus mutters under his breath, glaring off to the side.

Yuu glares over their shoulder, “No, we aren’t.”

Lilia walked behind Silver, holding his hands up as they left the room, “We’re gonna go. We'll make you two those quesadillas!” He ignored Yuu’s wide eyed stare, closing the doors of the lounge behind him and leaving Yuu and Malleus alone in the room.

The silence was loud, the two of them sitting comfortably in the nest. After a few more moments of quiet, Yuu sighs loudly, tucking their head to Malleus's chest and nuzzling into him gently.

Malleus sighs himself, leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of Yuu's head, “My love…please. You're hurting and I don't understand why you won't let me help in the best way I can…”

“Because it wouldn't actually help, Malleus.” They felt bad. It hadn't really hit them just how out of the realm of reality their period was to everyone. Sure the event itself could be scary in their old world, the amount of first period horror stories only grew as the years went on. But to have no frame of reference… the concept of a period sounded downright terrifying.

“How?” Malleus huffed, an air of frustration growing. Were they joking around? Deliberately speaking in circles to annoy him as a tease? “You said this happens if you don't get pregnant. If you get pregnant, then you will not have to deal with this ailment.”

At Yuu's own frustrated sigh, Malleus's eyes widen, “Is…is it too late?” A feeling of guilt starts to grow in him. Were they meant to be impregnated at a specific time? Had a window of opportunity been missed? Was this the rest of Yuu's life now; bleeding out of their intimates and crying so hard they were forced to purge?

Yuu couldn't help but chuckle at Malleus's face, reaching up to bring the worried fae closer for a gentle kiss. They speak as they pull away, “Calm down. This isn't going to last forever and I'll be back to normal by the end of the week at worst.”

Malleus curls around them, his hand still a gentle heat on their lower stomach, “But why wouldn't we simply skip this and just…start our agreement now? If the trigger for this ailment is that you weren't impregnated, why can't we have our child now so that you won't have to suffer this way.”

“I'll be honest with you, Malleus. It's literally because I don't wanna be a teen mom; that's the main reason. But also…there's no guarantee my period would stop during a pregnancy. Plus it'll still come back like a few months after having the baby…”

“...” Malleus pulls away from Yuu, staring at them in a silent state of confusion but his eyes were screaming, “Why…would you get the period…if you're pregnant? Isn't that…you stated you get your period if you don't get pregnant?”

“That is correct, yes.”

“...But…you could also…get your period…if you are pregnant?”

“Ye…”

“...”

Another long stretch of silence passed in the room and Yuu felt as though they could physically see the gears turning in Malleus's head. Double checking the math one would say.

“...Then what's the point of it?”

Yuu snickers under their breath, “Well, I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to really give you the TED talk about the Tree of Knowledge and the original sin…”

“...” Malleus placed a hand on their forehead, “Are you…have you gained a fever? Is delirium a symptom of your period?”

“I'm not crazy, shut up.” Yuu pushes Malleus's hand off of their face with a grin. Cozying back into his embrace, one of their hands resting on his pressed to their lower stomach, “Periods are weird and horrible and I do not have the answers you're seeking sadly.”

Malleus could only sigh, feeling a pit growing in his mind and heart as he felt his uselessness to his love in this situation, “Is there anything you'll allow me to do? I only wish to help you during this…”

Yuu hums, reaching up to gently cupping Malleus's cheek, “This is plenty. Just…hold me and tell me you love me…”

“I love you, dear.” Malleus smiles, soft and kind as he nuzzled into Yuu's palm, “Though I'm loathed and disconcerted, I'm delighted to know I can at least help in this way…”

“I am too. You surprisingly make a great heating pad.”

Malleus moves to remove his hand, “Oh, is my hand too warm-”

Yuu quickly grips at Malleus's hand, face still calm and content but their fingernails bite into the fae's skin, “If you take this hand off of my body I will rip your spine out of you through your asshole.”

“Ah…”

They sat in comfortable silence, Malleus only mildly terrified at the visual of his spine being removed from his body by force. Their serene atmosphere half ended by Lilia happily bursting into the room with a plate of slightly charred quesadillas.

“Lunch time~!” Lilia walked to the nest, kneeling down and holding out the least burnt tortilla to Yuu's face, “Pspspspspspsps.”

Yuu's eyes snap open, a wild smile on their face as Malleus chuckled and kept them locked in his arms, “Lilia Vanrouge, I will break the fucking bones in your ears. Did Cater tell you to do this!?”

[corvusphilia]

Hey!! Can I please request headcanons of how Oikawa, Kuroo and Atsumu ask you out? Maybe even first date headcanons thrown in as well. You can write for one or two of them if you don't want all three. Thank you in advance <33

★ ASKING YOU OUT

୨ৎ featuring: oikawa tooru, kuroo tetsuro, atsumu miya

୨ৎ notes: FIRST RQ AND ITS ALREADY MOST OF MY FAVORITE BOYS!! ty anon hope u like it <3

★ TOORU OIKAWA ?!

This guy has no shame — he knows he's hot shit. Honestly, it's a miracle he didn't ask you out sooner. The only reason is that he doesn't want to mess things up with you. Getting broken up with by his last (and first) girlfriend hurt a bit more than he'd care to admit.

Butters you up throughout the day before actually asking, and he's SO obvious about it. "Have I told you that you're amazing, beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous, and—" okay Tooru we get it.

As for what the first date is... I want to say the movies, but I feel like he's the type that wants to actually talk instead of just sitting in silence for an hour or two. So maybe a coffee shop. (He doesn't like coffee at all but enjoys the tranquility of the place so he just asks for a hot cocoa or something).

Throws the weirdest questions at you to get to know you better. They're not weird, per se, but definitely unusual, and he gets a little poetic with it. First one he asked was "If you had to pick a favorite moment in your entire life, what would it be?"

Insists on taking you home after. One, because he wants to make sure you get there safe, two, because he's a total romance sap and will try to kiss you at your doorstep after thanking you and emphasizing that he had such a great time.

★ KUROO TETSURO ?!

Okay look... I know this is supposed to be how they ask you out but Kuroo is such a sneaky fucker I feel like he'd somehow turn things around and make it look like YOU'RE the one asking HIM out.

See my vision: you ask him for help with chemistry because he's a total nerd, and he does that coy "Hmmm dunno, will I help you?" thing even though he definitely will, he just wants you to look a little desperate. When you insist he just kind of sighs and goes "Fine, fine. I'll go on a study date with you. Don't keep me waiting, tiny." and he just LEAVES while you're standing there like ???

The date itself is pretty much what you would expect in a study date — just him explaining the subject and looking incredibly hot doing so for absolutely no reason, but he's a bit more touchy than usual. Sitting next to you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder while he uses his free hand to leaf through the book. Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear while you write stuff down. I'm going to be sick.

Doesn't do anything too forward, meaning he doesn't try to kiss you unless you do first, but he will suggest "We should do this at my place next time," with a shit eating grin on his face.

★ ATSUMU MIYA ?!

He tries his best to be casual about it and bring it up naturally. The last thing he wants is to look desperate (even though he definitely is), so he just keeps dropping hints until he finds a good opening to ask.

Restaurant date! No way Osamu is the only one who loves food. He just kind of mentions offhandedly that a new place just opened nearby and they have the best tempura. You say that you're hungry and he just grins. "Perfect. Let's go, then." He's already walking so you don't have time to think about it too much and change your mind.

For some reason I feel like he's a bit of a clown when he likes someone. You know the type. Will probably have you choking on your food a few times that night. But he's also a damn show off, so he insists on paying (even though he doesn't have money to spare like that).

He's already internally sighing when he realizes he's gonna have to borrow money from Osamu to make up for what he spent on your date, but he immediately forgets about it when he sees the happy look on your face.

© ─ corvusphilia ; do not steal, copy, edit, translate or reupload

thanks for reading!

[estrellami-1]

If I Should Stay

This one is on time! Woohoo! 😂

Part 1 | . . . | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29

Eddie leaves eventually, Steve seeing him out. He jumps when he turns around and sees Alli standing there, smirk on her face, arms crossed. “Geez, Alli,” he laughs, “gonna have to put a bell on you.”

“Don’t deflect,” she says, but she’s smiling.

“You haven’t actually said anything yet,” he responds, and she gives him a look that screams, do I really need to?

After a few seconds of thought, he shrugs. “Fair enough. We’re waiting, for now.”

“For what?”

“The end of the end of the world.”

“Christ,” she laughs, moving to ruffle his hair, “you’re dramatic.” She inclines her head towards the kitchen. “Hot chocolate?”

He smiles and nods. “Haven’t had a cup as good as yours in thirteen years, Al, think I’m about due.”

She gives him a sad sort of smile and ruffles his hair again. “Then I’ll just have to make this the best cup ever, to make up for all those, huh?”

“When’s the last time you saw me?” He asks suddenly, watching as she stirs the milk on the stove, adding a bit of cinnamon.

She frowns over at him. “This morning, before I left. Why?”

He shrugs. “Just wondering. Who’d you hang out with?”

A blush colors her cheeks. “Cassidy.”

“Oh,” he says, and grins at her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she agrees.

“It’s going well?”

“It’s going so well, bubba, I love her,” she breathes.

He grins and hands her the cocoa. “Yeah?”

“God, so much, we’re talking about finding a place and moving in together, and I can’t wait.”

“How long have you been together?”

“About a year and a half. It’s hard, y’know? You don’t know who’s safe and who isn’t.”

Steve hums. “I know.”

“But it’s going… really well, God, and now that you know, everyone important knows.”

Steve grins. “Mom and Dad?”

Alli laughs. “Never. A few other friends, a few of her friends, though we’re mostly all friends. She’s got a little brother too, a little younger than you, and he knows too.”

He narrows his eyes at her. He remembers Cassidy’s younger brother. “How old do you think I am?”

She gives him a shit-eating grin before shrugging. “I dunno, like, eight?”

“Asshole,” he says, but he’s laughing, and she’s laughing, and he’s happy.

The night doesn’t last forever, though; soon enough their mugs are drained and they’re both yawning, and they promise to catch up tomorrow over coffee before Steve has school and Alli has work.

That plan is derailed when Alli shakes Steve awake twenty minutes before he has to leave. “Shit,” he curses groggily, throwing open his closet doors and jumping out of his sleep pants at the same time. He settles on a polo and jeans before rushing over to his phone to call Robin, who answers just as groggily as he’d been.

“‘Lo?”

“Robs,” Steve says urgently, “school. Imma be there in fifteen.”

“Shit!” She screeches, and he hears her rush out of bed. “I owe you my life, I’ll get you a bagel, see you!”

With that, she ends the call and he chuckles as he rushes to the bathroom to try to tame his hair.

He squeezes Alli in passing before grabbing his car keys and rushing out the door, before just as quickly rushing in and grabbing his backpack. “Love you, bye!” She calls, but the door’s shut before he can answer.

Still, he calls a, “Love you!” Over his shoulder, in the off chance she hears it, before making his way to Robin’s house.

She throws open her door and runs to his car when he pulls up, waving to her mom, who appears in the doorway, looking mystified.

“Steve,” she says as soon as she’s seated, “I owe you my life.”

Steve chuckles and takes his bagel from her. “Yeah, you said that earlier. I honestly was calling just to see if I was gonna drive you or not.”

Robin snorts. “If you think I’d willingly put myself through the mortifying ordeal of riding the bus ever again, you clearly don’t know me as well as we thought.”

Steve chuckles. “I figured as much,” he agrees. “Then as it turns out you were still asleep, so the answer was pretty obvious. Forget to set your alarm?”

She groans and throws her head back. “Yes. I’m not used to being in school.”

Steve nods. “Same here, Alli woke me up twenty minutes before I had to leave.”

Robin smiles. “She seems cool.”

“Alli? She is. She’s the coolest, honestly, she was super cool when I told her about Eddie. Oh!” He says suddenly, flapping a hand her direction. “Eddie!”

Her brows fly into her hairline. “Eddie?”

“He stayed last night,” Steve starts. “Well, stayed later, anyways. We went out onto my roof and smoked a joint together and just… started talking, y’know? And, uh.” He can feel his cheeks turn scarlet. “We decided to wait until after the end of the world. But we do wanna try.” He bites his lip and says, quieter, wondering, “He thinks I’m worth waiting for. Working for. He’s gonna try, after you and I are back in our present.”

“Steve,” Robin whispers, staring at him. “That’s great, I’m so happy for you.”

He smiles shyly. “Thanks,” he whispers. “I’m hopeful, y’know?”

“Yeah,” she whispers back, and he knows she does actually understand.

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[the-joju-experience]

Quackity was polishing a bar counter when he heard the doors creak open. He turned towards them, seeing Scar, Etho, Cleo, and Joe walk in.

“Can I help you?” Quackity asked.

“Howdy, Quackity!” Joe said. “I told my friends about the bar, and I thought it’d be real fun for all of us to kick back and relax between rounds!”

“What makes you think that I would host all four of you?” Quackity asked.

“Actually, I didn’t!” Joe said. “I invited all my friends!”

The doors sprung open even wider, and a swarm of Hermits rushed in.

Grian and Pearl made their way to a blackjack table and started playing. Impulse, Zedaph, and Tango flocked to a slot machine, delicately taking it apart. Gem, False, and Stress confidently marched over to the chip exchange counter to make their requests. xB, Xisuma, and Wels sat down at the bar. Keralis and Israel found a machine in a far corner and began shoving money into it. BDubs just stood in the center of the room, screaming something about it being night.

Quackity flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Vintage Beef holding onto him.

“Hey there!” Beef said. “Joe tells me you have a full-service operation out here in need of some games. As it happens, I’ve just finished developing one that I think you’ll love!”

“What the…” Quackity started, thoroughly confused.

“Howdy there, Quackit-ey!” Ren said. “What does it take to get a man a nice, hot mug of cocoa around these parts?”

Quackity blushed and ran away.

He escaped into the kitchen, where Doc and Sam were hard at work on… something.

“This should only break reality a little bit,” Doc explained. “Don’t worry too much.”

Quackity retreated into a closet. He hit the light, but was surprised to find Etho waiting for him.

“What are you doing here?” Quackity asked, surprised.

“Joe said I’d probably find you here. Apparently we have some stuff to go over?” Etho explained.

Seven minutes later, Quackity and Etho emerged from the closet to find Cleo sharpening a sword.

“Hi, guys,” Cleo said. “I’m just getting ready for a thing I’m doing to- I mean with- Joe.”

“Jesus Christ you people are intense!” Quackity shouted.

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Scar said, appearing next to Quackity.

“Where did you come from?” Quackity yelped.

“That’s a good question,” Scar said. “Anyway, come have some fun with us! Joel and Lizzie will be here with the karaoke machine any minute!”

The door flew open, and Grian ran in, panting.

“What’s up, buddy?” Scar asked.

Grian breathed heavily.

“M- m-“ he struggled.

“Marvel dropped a new trailer for the HoTgUy movie? We have to go see it!” Scar lead the group back into the main room, but froze in his tracks when he saw what Grian was talking about.

Mumbo K. Jumbo himself stood in the entry of Las Nevadas.

“Um, hi?” Mumbo said nervously. “I heard there was gambling going on, and I thought - well, I have all these diamonds and nothing good to spend them on, this could be fun!”

[im-a-marvel-ous-hoe]

Baby, It’s Cold Outside | Bucky Barnes (8th Day of 🎄)

(Credits to the owner of this pic!)

Here’s a brand new story for y’all! I hope you enjoy! 🩵

Christmas Masterlist <- check out my other holiday fics!

~~~~

“Do you think it’ll let up soon?”

I stood next to the window, holding a blanket against my body as I watched what was supposed to be light flurries turn into fat snow hitting the pavement. Soon all I could see were pure white lines, the wind outside making the snow zoom at an angle. I felt Bucky’s presence behind me, his body heat almost making me want to turn around and let him keep me warm.

“It’s uh.. lookin’ pretty bad out there, isn’t it?”

I nodded and sighed. “I should probably leave before it gets even worse..”

It was supposed to be a brief visit. I came over to his place to see him and drop off his favorite hoodie that he let me borrow a little while back.. but then he asked me if I wanted to grab a cup of hot chocolate and I couldn’t say no. That hot cocoa led to us watching a couple movies while snacking on whatever junk food he had. Before we knew it, the sun went down and the snow caved me inside Bucky’s apartment.

“You want to leave in that?” He asked while opening up his blinds even more to showcase how bad it’s getting outside. “You can’t even see the pathway to walk to your car. How are you gonna drive?”

“I’m a big girl, I’m sure I can figure it out. It’s just snow.” I walked over to his couch and slid off the blanket, shivering as soon as the air hit my skin. It’s been really nice and warm since I’ve been here and the thought of having to go out in the cold made me wish I had paid better attention to the weather outside. I folded up the blanket nice and neat and laid it on the cushion.

I wanted to prolong me leaving for as much as I could, but I knew I probably overstayed my welcome three hours ago and he might want some time to be alone. I know I would if a guest came over unexpectedly and couldn’t get the hint I wanted them gone.

He slowly stalked closer to me, his head bowed down and I turned to look at him. “Y/N, you’d freeze out there. The snow is piling up by the minute, I’m sure you’d get pneumonia and I wouldn’t be able to – ”

I lifted my hand up to his face and placed a single finger on his lips to silence him. “Nat and Wanda are probably wondering where I am. We were supposed to have a girls night and I’m like twenty minutes away from the apartment.”

He stayed silent for a moment, his body still and his cheeks were blushed. The initial shock of me shutting him up started to wear off as he sighed. He reached up and grabbed my hand in his and he inspected my fingers. I could feel his breath against me as he placed a soft quick kiss on the top of my knuckles. I instantly felt get warmer.

“Doll, your hands are cold.”

My knees wanted to buckle right then and there. I felt like I shouldn't say anything, this moment seemed too intimate and I didn’t want to break out of this bubble. Something about the way his gaze stayed concentrated on my cold fingers made my heart flutter. I longed to feel his lips against them again.. or other places.

“Maybe you just run hot.. I’m not calling you hot, it's just you’re so warm.. I – I mean, not to say that you’re not hot. You’re very easy on the eyes and..”

Oh God, what the fuck am I doing?!

“What I mean to say is – ” He laughed and brought our hands to rest on each of our sides, him refusing to let go and said, “Need me to change the subject?”

“Yes please.”

My stupid mouth just had to make a comment.

He noticed a strand of my hair seeming out of place from my messy ponytail and he reached his hand up to move it out of my flustered face and place it behind my ears.

This man is makin’ me melt like a popsicle on the fourth of July. I felt like I was warm enough to even brace the snow storm outside and walk it back home.

“You know, I.. I actually have an extra room that you could stay in, if you wanted..” I parted my mouth open in surprise as he continued. “I could let you borrow a couple of my clothes to sleep in so you’re comfortable.”

I smiled and slowly shook my head. “That’s very kind of you, Buck, but I can’t impose on you like that.”

“Trust me, it’s no bother to me at all. We could have a night dedicated to just us and watch movies until the sun came up if we wanted to.” I tilted my head and felt warmth spread across my face.

I didn’t want to feel like Bucky had to offer up a room to me because he felt bad, but I really didn’t want to drive back in this storm and freeze the whole way there. I bet if I was to even call a cab, which I probably wouldn’t because I have a working car, they would go out of their way to pick me up. Plus, I don’t really want to spend money on gas anyway.

“I just don’t want anything to happen to you. It’s bad out there and I know if you’re with me, you’ll at least be safe. I don’t have to go to bed wondering if you made it home when there’s a perfectly open space for you here.”

I stood there, debating back and forth and back and forth in my mind as I tried to think of what’s the best option…

“What do you think your neighbors will think when they wake up and see that my car is still parked outside?”

“I hope they’re smart enough to know that I couldn’t let someone as pretty as you leave in a snow storm.” I tried to brush over the fact that he called me pretty and hoped that my face didn’t give away the fact that I liked it.

“And if they’re not smart enough?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“At least there will be plenty implied.” He chuckled. “But honestly, I couldn’t give two shits about what they think of who stays at my place. It’s my place.” He smiled. “C’mon, doll.. it can be just for tonight, if you wanted to.”

I glanced back at the blanket on the couch I folded neatly earlier and wished I was cuddled up against it again. Our cups of hot chocolate still remained on top of his coffee table, both completely empty next to crumbs left from pastries and plates with half eaten food. The movie on his TV paused and I realized he was still waiting for an answer.

“... Shall we heat up some more hot chocolate then?” His smile widened at my decision as I continued. “It’s gonna be a long night, Buck and it looks like we’re stuck together until further notice.”

“There’s no one else I’d rather be snowed in with.”

“After all, it is cold outside and you’re a literal heater. It was getting harder and harder to say ‘no’ to that.”

“If that’s what got you to stay, then I guess I can’t be too upset. It gives me a reason to cuddle up to you and keep you safe. I’d say this is a win – win, if you ask me.”

~~~~

I hope y’all liked it! Please let me know your thoughts! Likes, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated!

[juneknight]

Sweet Requitement

About this: wrote this ages ago for Miss 🧤 but never shared it because I don’t know that anyone will like this side of dorm room!Marc

The power on campus goes out; you and Marc stay warm. No warnings except maybe wine, hints at Marc’s abusive childhood; SFW.

*

“This should be illegal,” you chatter, hands tucked beneath your armpits for warmth. You and Marc stand at your kitchen island looking at the up-ended contents of the brown paper bag that your university had delivered only minutes ago. 

Inside is a fuzzy throw blanket—price reduced, judging by the sticker that someone had begun trying to remove and given up on; microwaveable hand-warmers; packets of hot cocoa—reduced fat.

And a note: Students in the dormitories are encouraged to come to the North Gymnasium where there will be free hot chocolate, blankets, and space heaters. This is recommended for any student with health conditions. 

“Do you want to go?” Marc asks you. He has a genuinely inscrutable way of asking questions, one which gives no hint at any personal preference of his own. 

“I would rather die, personally.”

Marc snorts softly. He crumples the note. “Think we can burn this as kindling?”

The two of you light candles around the apartment, though your RA has advised against it. Considering it is winter, the sun sets early, and neither of you are interested in sitting in the dark for half the night. Dressing in your warmest layers, hats and gloves and all, you chance opening the refrigerator long enough to snag one of your open bottles of wine and pass it back and forth, finishing it off. 

“They should have just given us all some wine,” you say, cheeks warm. “I don’t feel cold at all.” 

“It’s making us colder, actually,” Marc says. He’s got his head leaning back against the wall, turned to face you. He reaches out and traces one of your cheeks with the buttery-softness of his leather glove. “It dilates the veins in our skin which brings blood and warmth to the surface. Away from our vital organs. But those aren’t important.”

“No way,” you tease, batting away his hand. “Who needs lungs. Or a brain.”

“Or a heart,” Marc says softly. 

“Definitely don’t need one of those,” you mutter, the mention of that specific vital organ reminding you how close you sit next to the person who makes your heart pound. Skip beats. Stutter. Ache. Soar. Your best friend.

You glance towards Marc and he is already staring at you. He smiles, slow, eyes a little lidded from exhaustion more likely than the half bottle of wine. Your best friend-cum-roommate (and nothing more!) had not been sleeping well. Sometimes when you were awake before him, you’d see him ashen and sweating, twitching in his dreams. More often, Marc just refused to sleep. 

“Marc?”

He hums. 

“What do you dream about at night?”

Marc’s eyes shut. You see them flicker beneath his eyelids, like he is remembering. He says, simply: “Growing up.”

“Growing up really sucked, huh.”

He doesn’t laugh, but his eyes open, and you see the laughter in them, in the curve of his full mouth. Then his eyes shut again. His body has begun to bow towards yours, and soon if you were to leaning down a little you’d be able to brush your lips against the crown of his head.

“Are you about to fall asleep on me?” You wonder quietly.

“If you’d stop talking.” 

You swallow. “Well maybe we should actually lay down to do that. You know? We’re getting old. You threw out your back opening that bag of Doritos last week—“

“I did not throw out my back—,” Marc grumbles sleepily. “—they’re making those bags harder and harder to open—“

“Come on, tiger, let me tuck you in.”

You fold back Marc’s blankets and watch him slip beneath them. It is strange taking care of him when so often he is the one taking care of you. Strange, but welcome. Even more welcome when his glove wraps around your wrist softly.

“We’re sharing tonight,” he slurs. “It’s too cold not to.”

It isn’t the first time you’d have shared a bed…but it will be the first time you’ll be cuddling for warmth. Usually when you ask to sleep with him, Marc tucks you beneath the covers and then sleeps on top of them. But Marc is right; it is cold enough already, and only going to get colder. 

You slip into the bed and let the blankets fall over you both. 

“C’me here,” Marc whispers into your beanie. “Can I hold you?”

You nod, not trusting your voice as Marc gathers you close, looping his arms around your waist. You can’t tell because of the numerous layers, but you know Marc’s body: hard, lightly muscled, lean. You shiver and he squeezes you tighter.

“There’s another way we could keep warm,” Marc says. His voice is low, slow. It rumbles through you, makes goosebumps rise on your neck that have nothing to do with the cold. 

“Yeah?” you ask breathlessly. 

“If you wanted—only if you wanted,” he promises.

And fuck, you want. You ache. You spent so many nights with your face buried in your pillow, rubbing the wet needy slit between your legs thinking about this very thing while you listen to his quiet breathing on the other side of the room. Yeah. You want.

Sometimes, you even think that Marc wants. He has never overstepped a boundary with you. He has been with you when you’re drunk, high, cross-faded. Deliriously heartbroken because your latest Marc substitute broke up with you. Naked, in just your underwear, in just your underwear and one of his shirts. But Marc is the definition of respectful. You could pull out both tits at the breakfast island and Marc’s eyes would never waver from your own. 

Which makes it so much more noticeable when he does waver. Like once when the two of you had gotten soaked by rain coming back to the dorm from class. He had let you duck into the bathroom first to change into your warm, ugly clothes (comfortable clothes, thanks!), stood there shivering and wet on the linoleum waiting his turn. And when he had come out of the bathroom ten minutes later dressed in his own warm comfortable clothes (nothing ugly about the way his pajama pants sit low on his hips and cling to his thick thighs)—when he had come out and found you with his leather jacket spread out on the kitchen island, dabbing at it with a dry cloth because ‘Google says rubbing it dry could remove the natural oils and ruin it!’ 

Then—right then he gives you a look. Like he wants. His eyes (so dark and pretty and expressive) drop to your mouth. It is the buildup to a movie-worthy first kiss, and then it is gone as he gently takes the cloth to take over and tells you to go get under a blanket before you catch a cold. 

Yes, sometimes you are nearly positive that Marc wants you. This moment solidifies it.

“I could make you feel good,” Marc promises, voice still slurring and slow from his exhaustion. “I’d be so good to you, I promise. I’d take such good care of you.” 

Take care of you—yes, that’s what you were trying to do right now with Marc, wasn’t it? You let him continue to murmur his pleas beneath his breath, his body shaking against your own.

“We shouldn’t tonight,” you whisper, your voice easily loud enough in this little den of blankets that surround you both. “You’re exhausted Marc. Your eyes aren’t even open. You’re so tired.”

Marc sighs. His lashes flutter. “Yeah, ‘m tired. Tired of pretending. Pretending like I’d need anything but you to keep my heart warm. Pretending…”

You are breathless, but you prompt him: “Yeah? Marc?” 

Marc just hums. His mouth goes a little slack. After a few minutes, his eyes begin to flicker beneath his lids. He has fallen asleep. 

You relax into the blankets, into the loving cage of his arms, nearly buzzing. Marc said he didn’t need anything but you to keep his heart warm! If it wouldn’t wake him, you might have shrieked with glee, with triumph, with the sweet requitement of your affections. How you expect to sleep, you’ll never know. 

But the next time you wake, it is to Marc thrashing beside you. You’re sure for a moment that it’s a nightmare—some terrible memory about growing up—but then you realize he is throwing blankets off of you both, tugging the hat from his head (curls riotous and sweaty). Fuck, it is hot. 

The electricity is back on, and so is the heat. 

“Oh my god this is hell,” you whine, kicking at the blankets. You unzip your coat even as Marc pulls a hoodie off from over his head. Your shirt is sticking to your body, and you peel it off as well since you have a tank top on beneath. 

Finally the two of you face each other in nothing but your essentials, sweating, candles burned to nothing all around the room. A glance at the window shows only a pale blue glow of early dawn. 

Marc can’t meet your eyes. If there was any doubt that he remembered his words from last night, that doubt is gone now. Your heart twists. 

“Marc?” you ask, voice small and quiet.

Marc hums. 

“What now?”

Marc finally looks at you. He’s wearing only his boxers, chest slick with sweat from being buried beneath the blankets once the heat had returned. His hair is a mess from the winter hat he had worn to bet. 

You love him like this. You love him. 

“Now,” says Marc, voice delightfully raspy with disuse. “We lay in your bed.”

[hyukassubi]

🪡 16 | Booty So Big That Bed Broke But That Letter Got His Heart Broke-n

♡𓂃 Pairing -> (Former) Knight! Huening Kai x Seamstress! Reader

♡𓂃 Synopsis -> Growing up, you never believed in purpose, nor destiny. Simply following the path of life, becoming a royal seamstress didn't at all seem like a bad idea. Only thing is, it wasn't your idea.

Your best friend who just so happens to be the crowned prince knows what it's like to grow up having limited choices, and Prince Kang Taehyun doesn't want the same happening to you. The commander knight, in turn, has other plans for the future. After Huening Kai closes a profound chapter of his life, he seeks refuge from the chaos of his past, opting for a cozier lifestyle instead.

... And it just so seems that those plans wouldn't be fulfilled without you.

♡𓂃 Wc -> 1,312

Forget your tasks.

Forget your pending assignments.

Forget your fashion projects and orders from the Queen.

That night, no needle nor thread came between the tines of your fingers.

Instead, on your bedside, drenched in a milk-white nightgown and blue fleeced cardigan, exuding the highest forms of hot girl behaviour you possibly could that cold winter night… you put your feather pen to work, a trail of words falling right behind it…

Huening Kai was toast. Not literally.

He spent a tiring eighteen hours of capturing their first dragon, only to realize it was the offspring of a much larger, much more sinister mommy dragon…

“You know, I didn’t expect the mother to look so…” Yeonjun tossed half a bag of hot cocoa over a jug of warm milk. “… actually, I shouldn’t say anything. If there’s a mother, there should be a father too, right? I may be a flirt but I do not condone to homewrecking because homewrecking is not hot, not cool, at all.” Yeonjun filled a rusty mug up with hot chocolate. “Here, help yourself.”

Huening Kai slumped over his air-mattress-sleeping-bag contraption.

It popped at the weight of his cheeks.

Huening Kai’s left eye twitched.

He grabbed the hot cocoa from Yeonjun’s hand. “Thank you.”

Yeonjun was fighting between feeling sorrowful for his commander or bursting into tears (not from sadness). “You can sleep on my bed tonight. I’ll buy you a hammock first thing in the morning.”

Huening Kai slurped a good chunk of that not-so-well-mixed hot cocoa. “Saving me from that ‘only one bed’ trope, I see.”

Yeonjun felt genuine concern for his commander.

Before saying anything, there was a thump at the front of their tent.

Every single knight within the vicinity audibly flung their swords out.

Yeonjun blinked twice.

He set his own hot cocoa down, zipping open the tent. “Hello?”

A blue robin pecked at the tent. In its feet, an envelope.

Yeonjun took the letter from the kind bird, wishing it a good night and a better tomorrow, winking at it, or at least trying his best to.

The blue robin flew away.

And all the other knights were back to sleeping in their little yellow tents. Maybe. Maybe not.

Yeonjun hummed upon staring at the envelope, pacing around the tent mindlessly. “Hmm… It’s from the castle.” He passed the sheet of paper to his Commander Knight. “Says its for the eyes of Kai Kamal Huening and Kai Kamal Huening only. I think it's important.”

“If it’s from the castle, it should be important.” Huening Kai ripped open the envelope and…

Stained paper, raunchy cursive scrawled upon every line like a boat on the surface of calm waters.

A letter.

A letter with your handwriting.

… Hello Hyuka,

It’s Y/n, and, I’m sure I’m not the first person that came to mind when you received this letter but hey, it’s me. I know last time things didn’t go too well, and we were clouded by emotion to really think straight about what we were saying anyway but that moment in your bungalow was real, and what we felt was real, guttural, even.

I honestly don’t know what I’m saying right now either, hehe. Point is, I wanted to write to you, because I want us to be okay again. I know we won’t be able to see each other for some time. For a long time. But I don’t want to keep things stiff and awkward for too long now, and… yeah. How’s… everything? I mean, I hope everything’s going well. I hope you’re doing okay. Tired, for sure. Drained, even.

But I know there’s nothing you can’t handle, after all, I’ve seen the way you fought so so many times. I’ve been feeling a little out of it too, honestly, but that’s okay! Because I know I will be okay, and you will too.

Is there anything I can help you with, though? Is it cold there? Do you need earmuffs or a sweater? I’ll sew a puffy hoodie if you’d like, or… is there anything on your mind that you want to talk about? I’m here for it, I’m here for you. I could send over my mom’s cookies, I know you’d love them. My dad’s currently restocking some flowers, business hasn’t been doing too well since it’s snowing. Is it too much? I can send them one at a time so it feels like you get a gift everyday :) As much as I want you to stay strong throughout the whole journey, I want you to stay happy, too, above all else.

And if you’re ever feeling low, just know that you have me, that you get to talk to me and I get to talk to you and, yeah, ink and paper isn’t the same but it’s what we’ve got and I really don’t want to lose touch with you, not completely. I apologize for writing such a cluttered letter :’))) I know it seems all over the place, because I am all over the place, but, yeah, stay safe out there, slay a dragon, get some rest, stay strong, you got this, um. Love you lots <3333333333

Kindest regards, your biggest fan and one and only true friend who coincidentally knows how to knit a Christmas stocking or two.

…

“…”

“… Kai? Commander? I don’t mean to rush you but it’s been half an hour and your eyes are looking kinda red.”

Huening Kai had to re-read that letter at least a good thirty-eight times.

“It must be serious, is it?” Yeonjun poked up from his air mattress, because, yes, he’s used up the time for skincare, changing into his pajamas, a good tune on his kalimba, a self-portrait session, a stretch routine, a vacation to the Bahamas— “Do we have more intell on the dragon? Did the King disband the mission? Kai Kamal Huening you’re actually killing me right now. Do we have to—”

“No… no. It’s not from… him.”

Yeonjun didn’t take any more time to connect the dots, puzzle the pieces, light the bulbs. “Oh my God oF COURSE IT’S GOTTA BE THAT SEAMSTRESS CHIC!”

Huening Kai physically jumped off his deflated air-mattress. “STOP SCREAMING!” Huening Kai screamed.

“I’M NOT SCREAMING.” Yeonjun jumped over to his side and tugged at his shoulders.

“WHY ARE WE—” A huff. A breath. A twelve second meditation session. “Okay. okayokayokayokayokay. Alright.”

“Commander be spitting bars.”

Huening Kai shrugged his shoulders, getting his fellow knight off of him, looking to where his pillow was at, lying down. “I’m hyperventilating, okay? Wait no actuallyI’mnothyperventilating I’m okay just… give me some time alone.” He turned to the side fetal position and draped a blanket over his body all in one go, eyes screwed to the sheet of paper.

At times like these, Yeonjun could not believe he’s a Commander Knight.

But it was cute.

He was cute.

Yeonjun smirked, going back to his own bed, thankful Huening Kai had forgotten about their previous trade offer. “Alright sweet cheeks, good night.” He did not mean that literally.

And at some point, in the middle of the night, like, ten minutes after they’ve talked, Yeonjun looked up at the window of their tent, closed, but not blackout shut. “You know, it’s nice knowing our Commander Knight has a safe person he can smile and giggle about.”

Huening Kai blinked away, disrupted after his forty-fifth re-read. “Is that a bad thing?”

Yeonjun did not answer, not directly. “There are so many people out there who care about you, Kai. I don’t wanna list them all down right now but even if you don’t think a whole lot of people care about you, you got your seamstress buddy on your side and that’s… absolutely a good thing.”

♡𓂃Tags: @sweetheartsaku @imcringebutimfree @i-like-to-read-at-4am @pengningie @marloree @stormy1408 @blossommi

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[self-shipping-doll13]

Gold-Embossed Dinner Plates

November Prompts

Wc: 3930

Tw: Slight NSFW

There was a wild lashing outdoors, the droplets bouncing off the pavement. It was 4:30pm when 4:30pm was a late Autumn evening, and no longer a Summer afternoon. Not taking joy in the needles of rain I’d be braving in my venture, I was zipping up my fleece to stave off the late chill when my co-worker pulled me aside.

Ubbe and I had spoken only a couple of times before. He was good for our customer base, since a few people sidled in to smile at him dreamily when they bought their expensive pastries.

“Someone told me you had a run in with my brother,” Ubbe began, and there was a wry twitch on his lip.

“Yes, I met him a couple of days ago,” I said mildly.

That the two men were related should not have come as a surprise. They had the same last name, the same blue eyes—but Ubbe’s had not such keen ferocity.

The memory rekindled a fire in my cheeks. Ubbe seemed to choose his words thoughtfully, examining my face. “…I think I should apologise on his behalf. He didn’t say anything to bother you? Ivar can be unpredictable—he does things without thinking.”

“No, no,” I replied with dismay. How conscientious of Ubbe, but I was eager to mollify any worries he had. What garbled version of the story had he heard? “Nothing bad went on,” I reassured him. “We just had a little awkward moment. I’m fine, don’t worry at all!”

“Ah,” he accepted this correction, distancing himself. “Then forget I said anything.” And he smiled so that he showed the whites of his eyes. I hurried home.

That was before I started actually dating his brother, and I was soon made aware of Ivar’s brusque attitude (which I grew to find charming) by his… unorthodox teaching methods. Evidently others were unaccustomed to his gentler side. But I certainly did not resent the fact that I received special treatment. It made me feel, well, special. Later he told me I was.

From Ivar’s now-and-again comments on his family I gleaned a few more things: he had a half brother named Björn who was travelling the Mediterranean. The middle child, Hvitserk, was a tattoo artist and lived in the city with his girlfriend Thora—fine work. In those quiet moments late at night, I trailed my fingers softly across the sable whorls of ink on his skin. Sigurd, one year older than Ivar, had estranged himself from certain members of his family a couple of years ago and was trying to eke out a living as a musician. As a rule, he and Ivar despised each other, and Ivar was not keen on my speaking to Sigurd anytime soon. Or ever.

Floki, a family friend and apparently Ivar’s old teacher, was the person Ivar was most nervous for me to meet, because he held him partially responsible for his interest in old Norse history. Floki actually lived near my own home, on the briny grey coast. He made boats—in fact, he made a whole lot of other things. So one day, I found myself in the heart of his workshop, in a modest dwelling by a quay. Intricate carvings lined the tall shelves, and the wood shavings Floki blew from a coffee table made clear he had a pretty spontaneous work ethic. His wife, Helga, was immensely doting and kind, though sad-eyed. Dunking biscuits in hot cocoa whilst in their sitting room, I listened to the waves break up against hulls of white painted ships. It was probably the most comfortable I’d felt around Ivar’s family.

Floki was not related to Ivar by blood, but with his eccentricities, he definitely fit into the archetype of a ‘fun uncle.” Secretly I thought he acted more like Ivar's father than his actual father, whom I’d once met briefly in the hall landing just as he was shrugging on his fur-lined coat. Ragnar hummed at me blankly like I was the new and easily shatterable vase, and then left to go on and do other things.

I got the feeling that maybe he’d left that landing a lot in the past.

Ragnar had been separated from his wife Aslaug, Ivar’s mother, for over a decade. Not legally perhaps, but in every way that mattered. As I’d first seen her after seeing Ragnar, she was stiff and distracted, and seemed to look through me rather than at me. Aslaug and I smiled politely in the vague direction of the other, but without any real engagement. She was tall, auburn-haired and intimidatingly beautiful, so I knew where Ivar got his good genes from.

The idea of a more substantial meeting would not come up until something like a week or two after that. It was during one of those nights, lonesome but for the two of us and fuelled by kisses and caffeine, where it was impossible to resist getting lost in each other. And we got pretty lost—two times, three times—lost so thoroughly I could barely recall any other words than his name, and the soreness he left behind was the sweetest thing. Panting, I lay curled up against him, sweaty and sticky and satisfied. My heart was pounding and our intermingled breathing was so loud, the scent of sex permeated the air. The city outside was alive with blaring car horns and the drunken shouts of Halloween revellers, floating in through the open window and into his apartment. I could’ve died right there and been content.

“A girl could really get used to this,” I mumbled.

Ivar was rubbing my hip. “Yeah?”

Gazing up at him affectionately, I propped my chin up on my knuckles as I stretched my legs and toes out. His eyes had that tired, sultry glazed over look.

“Sweetheart… Keep staring at me like that and I’m going to be tempted to have a go at you again.”

I grinned cheekily. “Hm, I wouldn’t stop you.”

My muscles were utterly relaxed—I was steadily growing drowsy and my lids were drooping. He planted a kiss on the top of my head, shifting under me.

“You want to sleep, don’t you?”

Yawning, I nodded. “Should go to the bathroom first…”

Basking in the afterglow, I hated to drag myself away from him, and it was tough to lift up and roll out of bed. Caressing me with slow, gentle motions, he held fast.

“Wait, listen,” Ivar said, nose still buried in my dishevelled hair. “I wanna talk to you about something.”

“Yeah?”

Ivar tucked a loose strand back. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly. “How would you like it if I asked you to come to dinner with me and my family this weekend?”

I blinked for a moment. This statement was spoken more like a question; lacking in his usual confidence. “Of course I’d go,” I told him, without really thinking.

“That was fast,” Ivar said hazily. “My mother wants to get to know you, this girl I keep talking about. And my older brothers are going to be there. Two of them.” He puffed air out of his nose, then looked at me seriously, with pleading eyes. “Do you mean it? You want to go?”

“Yes.” Propping myself up on my elbow, I trailed a line down his jaw, finding light stubble and coaxing him into a grin. “Did you really think I could say no to you?”

“Saturday.” Ivar told me, chasing my hand to kiss it like he always did. “And I’m looking forward to it.”

Humming, I pressed my lips to his and then got up, goosebumps rising on my arms in the cool evening air. We both had a lecture the next morning, with him in his usual role. It was a good thing I wore a turtleneck to hide the purple welts blooming on my throat.

Once I had more time to ruminate on my decision, I felt I was actually a bit concerned. If Ivar was antsy for me to be like Floki, I was nervous to properly acquaint myself with his mother. Questioning if I truly measured up was a daily occurrence—if just an internal one—and it did feel like a kind of yardstick was awaiting me.

Fiddling with the straighteners, I examined myself doubtfully in the mirror that Saturday. My exact fear could not be pinpointed—it was a cluster of little fears. I was anxious for his mother and I to get along, to not be found disappointing; too unattractive, too socially inept, too working class. Beyond this, I was just anxious, and slightly clammy with my makeup and my hair done up.

Aslaug met us both at the door, dazzling with perfectly straight white teeth. “Jasmine, welcome,” she held both my elbows gently. “Ivar’s told me so much about you.”

“And you,” I told her, smiling as graciously as I could as she brought her nose to my cheek in a fake air kiss. I tensed up a bit, not sure whether to reciprocate.

“Don’t scare her off,” Ivar smirked, arching a brow.

Aslaug threw him a mild glare, and I was struck by the facial similarity. “You will have to excuse my son, Ivar has no manners in this house,” she said gravely.

My lips twitched as I was startled into amusement. About the exact same time as he said: “She loves it.” I told her: “Oh, that’s never been a problem for me.”

After some gracious laughter, she turned to head back into the dining hall, he took my hand discreetly, the other flexing around the spiked handle of his crutch. “C’mon, It’s just this way,” Ivar whispered into my ear, and I nodded and trailed after him into the dining hall. Tired, I did not feel as adept at socialising as I did on recharged days. But I was glad that it seemed Aslaug had forgotten how our original meeting went, because that meant I could hopefully make a better impression.

At this point I’d been in their house a few times before, but tonight I was struck by how nice the place was. The house itself was located in a safe, well-groomed neighbourhood, filled up with doctors and big cars. Probably cleaned up for the guests’ arrival, too. I sat down in my chair, in awe of the gleaming silverware and finely embroidered tablecloth in rich hues of crimson and gold. Careful not to let any loose drops besmirch it, I poured a stream of gravy onto my food and passed the boat to Ivar, who drained it dry.

“This looks amazing,” exclaimed Thora. She seemed more comfortable with the new faces than I was.

“It’s one of our family’s favourite dishes,” replied Aslaug. She ate her meal delicately, and had refused the offering of the gravy boat. “I hope you enjoy it.”

“Thank you for having us,” I piped up, trying to meet her gaze directly. “You have a beautiful dining table.”

“Not at all. Please, make yourself at home.” Aslaug wore a green velvet dress, and ornaments tinkled at her wrist as she held the stem of her wine glass. “I hope the traffic coming down wasn’t a problem? Siggy’s been very troubled with it lately.”

“No, it was fine,” I said reflexively.

“How is Siggy?” Hvitserk asked, shovelling in piles of food into his mouth. Aslaug’s face turned awkward.

“Doing her best to cope with the changes,” she said in a gentle voice. “Living in an empty house when you’re not used to it can be difficult. She likes to fill up her time, so I take her with me to Pottery class. But from what I’m hearing, Thyri is doing well in America.”

Ivar was digging in by my side, wholly unaffected by the formal atmosphere. “That seat is empty.” He sent it a combative side-glance. “I thought I’d see Ubbe here.”

There were three vacancies. Untouched chairs made of high-backed mahogany. Myself and Thora’s were clearly the reserves, metallic and modern in design.

“Ubbe couldn’t make it,” explained Aslaug. “He’s been very busy lately. He works on Saturdays now.”

Ivar flashed one of his sinister false smiles. “Hm. It’s just been a while since I’ve last seen him, that’s all.”

Hvitserk cleared his throat. “Working two jobs… That’s Ubbe for you. He told me he’s saving up for the grand hotel booking.” I did always peg Ubbe as the type to not accept financial help. Hvitserk took a loud sip of his drink. “But you know, I think I agree with him. Margrethe deserves to be a happy bride.”

Thora looked to him curiously. “Margrethe?”

“Yeah, she’s his fiancé.”

Observing the pleasantries, I cut my meat, my knife and fork scraping loudly on ceramic. The dinner plate was embossed with gold—black borders engraved with delicate fleur de lis—and I felt like a slob for using it, though it was at Aslaug’s behest. It seemed more suited to filling tall glass display cases, like Fine China that was never eaten off of, but always treasured.

After a while, Ivar began disturbing the peace. “Listen to yourselves,” he said mockingly. “The food is going to go down my throat like nails if this is all we talk about the whole time. Mother, you’ve hardly said anything about yourself. How is the class?” He waved his fork.

Personally I couldn’t see how it could be anything but excessively delicious: with the golden-brown roasted potatoes, steaming green vegetables and slices of lamb drizzled with the gravy, it felt like Christmas.

I’d eaten a brussel sprout too quickly and a hot lump was struggling down my oesophagus as I listened in.

“Well,” Aslaug pressed a well-groomed hand to her chest like she had heartburn. Evidently with her favourite child, she had infinite patience. “It’s really not that exciting, it just gives me something to do. Helga’s much better at it than I am,” she said modestly.

“I’d love to hear about it,” I said. Though struggling with the brussel sprout pain, I was now enjoying thinking of swiftly spinning potter’s wheels. “It sounds interesting.”

“Yes, exactly,” said Ivar, endearingly invested.

Aslaug turned her piercing eyes on me, curious. Thora made sounds of enthusiasm, keeping a hand over her lips as she nodded and chewed her food.

I fired on. “Is it a hard hobby to keep up?”

“Not really,” she said, and after a moment went on: “Like most crafts, I suppose it takes practice. And time. I’ve been doing it for several years now.”

“Will you show us? I get pictures, but eh…” Ivar looked genuinely eager to see his mother’s work. I understand that they were always close, if sometimes at odds.

“Yeah,” said Hvitserk. “I haven’t seen any of them.”

For a moment she looked taken aback, and hesitated, as if deciding if it would be appropriate for her to leave her guests. “Excuse me, I’ll just go and find it.”

Aslaug’s heels echoed impressively on the oaken floorboards, which were polished to a fine sheen. We were now left without our hostess to wrangle us.

“So, Jasmine, are you in university?” Thora asked.

At this, I perked up. “Yes. English Literature, and I take a few other courses. And I guess you’re in too?”

“Mhm, I do Fine Art.”

“What’s it like? I’ve always been curious, but I don’t know anyone who majors in art. Not right now anyway.”

“Basically like how you’d expect. I spend a lot of time in a studio, I guess. A while ago I was nosing about in the city trying to find inspiration to help with my personal portfolio, and, well,” Thora rested her head briefly on Hvitserk’s shoulder. “That’s how I met this guy.”

“This guy? Ow.”

She laughed and told me, “Shared interests.”

Hvitserk laughed too, poking her with his fork in a way I deemed affectionate. “We’re in the same boat.” I smiled at them clumsily, unsure of how to phrase it.

Ivar made an amused noise. “Jasmine here has the dubious honour of minoring in Norse studies.” Not hesitating, he brushed his knuckles over my cheek. I knew he loved that course—didn’t love the people in it. “Very bright little student, aren’t you sweet?”

“I think I have an unfair advantage,” I said bashfully, finding his touch pleasing despite my embarrassment.

Ivar snorted with derision. “Not that you need it, what with a class average like that.” He stretched out in his high-backed chair, and then went back to eating.

His older sibling was looking between us with increasing awareness. Somehow the fact that I knew our relationship was inappropriate hadn’t been on my list of concerns until now. But it was probably good to rip the band-aid quickly, since I didn’t intend to let it stop me and obviously neither did Ivar.

“I’m happy for you,” Hvitserk said in an Ubbe-like way.

“Cheers,” Ivar said, grinning and raising his glass.

The tapping of high heels was heard once more as Aslaug strode back in. Ivar gulped down his drink.

“This one is very recent.” She was holding a mottled clay pot, vaguely shaped like an amphora, and she set it down gently on the table beside her plate. “I wanted to paint it first, but was thinking of maybe putting some flowers into it. Artificial ones, so they won’t wilt.”

Ivar squinted at it, leaning forward slightly. “You know, that looks just like the one we broke ten years ago.”

“No, it was longer ago than that,” said Hvitserk. Ivar’s head snapped back quickly to look at him. “Thirteen—fourteen. I was pushing you in the cart, hit that sharp turn by the living room. Happened there.”

“Oh, it was eternally a pain to clean up after you boys.” Aslaug sounded distantly cross, as if the memory still vexed her. “Shards everywhere, all over the floor.”

“I like the shape of it,” said Thora tactfully.

“It’s really pretty.” I also complimented, observing the pot with its smooth, shiny surface like a spotted seal’s hide.

“Beautiful shape, though it wasn’t very neat,” agreed Aslaug, stroking it. “But I’ll have this one done up more tastefully. Anyway, I’m distracting you all from eating.” She nonetheless seemed to be proud of her work, and to my eyes, was slightly flushed at the attention.

Loud chewing and plate scraping resumed. I chatted more with Thora, who was enduringly friendly, throughout most of the meal. Ivar and I would occasionally lean close to exchange furtive whispers as he pointed out things I hadn’t noticed before; the orange juice stain on the tablecloth, the slightly crooked painting, the peel of the wallpaper.

Our fingers would join together under the table. He also liked to flaunt them in full view, smirking pridefully. Something warm filled my belly, so I drank more water.

After eating, we all set up in the living room. This place was far cosier—not to disparage the rest of the house, which was tastefully furnished. But here, it was much easier to relax. One of those electric fire lights flamed red in the grate, and the settee was piled with tasselled suede cushions. Laughing, I sank into it, more interested in our steadily improving dialogue. Somewhere along the way, I accepted a taste of sherry and a slice of plated pavlova. The sugary sweetness of the crust melted on my tongue, and I let Ivar steal a green grape off of it. He popped it in his mouth.

Both a long time and no time at all had passed by the time we’d finished up. Aslaug pressed her fingers to her temple as if she had a migraine. Ivar urged her in a gentle voice to dismiss us, so when she smiled at us this time the skin of her eyes crinkled tenderly.

As a guest I followed Ivar through a doorway. The bedroom was cloaked in black-and-navy and held the fond air of being preserved for return migration. There by a tall oak wardrobe, I dropped a canvas bag that held a change of clothing and a toothbrush. I would’ve never realised it was half-past-twelve were it not for the glittering of a digital alarm clock on an end table.

Ivar found his chair by the desk and let his crutch fall by the wayside. “Sit here a minute.” He beckoned me to him, and I padded across the soft carpet. The heat of Ivar’s palms warmed my legs through denim. “There. That’s better… Being on me where you should be.”

“I feel like I could be silent for the rest of the night.” Sighing deeply, I threw both my arms around his neck.

“Go ahead,” he said. “Just means I get to talk more.”

“You would anyway,” I said, and before he could open his mouth to retort I blurted out a confession of sherry, “Do you think your mom likes me? I couldn’t tell.”

His double take alleviated my concern before he even opened his mouth “Of course. We got to talking earlier, mother said she was glad I found someone who’s nice and actually sensible… Which you are.” He snorted. “Put it this way, she has no reason to dislike you.”

“I was only… Unsure if I would be considered suitable.”

“Nonsense,” Ivar said. “She’s always on my case to get settled down. If anything, you’ve made her very happy.”

Bubbles of my silliness popped harmlessly, and in the dim lamplight I wondered if he knew how desperately I’d like to kiss him. “That’s good. I’m really glad.”

I toyed with the moon pendant on my necklace. She was peering through ash grey curtains, silvery rays bouncing off of laden bookshelves. Glossy hardbacks jumped out at me, and I hoped in the morning after a slice of buttered toast, I’d be able to slide one out curiously and ask after it, just a little. Warmed, we’d talk and laugh, spread out in a tangle of belongings on various soft surfaces, like we did in his apartment.

“Relax. You worry too much. And you don’t need to.” Ivar squeezed me. “My mother’s easy to please, not like me. With brothers like mine, it’s a necessity.”

She did appear to have a lot of patience. “I thought Hvitserk was alright,” I said, grinning behind my hand.

“Only because you don’t know him like I do. And you should know by now that my opinion is the only one that matters,” he finished haughtily.

I suspected this was not wholly true, but Ivar was very wilful. Even by relinquishing a book to me on that fateful day, he’d gotten his way.

The rush of desire to kiss him overwhelmed me now. By his noise of pleasant surprise, I could tell he really didn’t know of it, that I would have to communicate it very thoroughly to him. There In his arms I found a casual welcoming, precious for its thoughtlessness.

I knew then any rejection was self-imagined. So I eased, and thought of comfort. “It’s feeling stuffy in here. Mind if I open the window just a crack?”

Ivar stroked my knee, distracted. “Not by too much.”

It was a mild Autumn evening. Tugging at the curtains, I reached up and pressed the lever down. From the gap a light breeze floated in, carrying a hint of spice. The room was ground level, and in the back garden a lone tree threw itself up in a sprawl of limbs.

Embraces resumed with sighs on our lips. Twisted boughs shivered in the wind; in the dark the leaves gleamed yellow and green, like sly cat’s eyes.

Dividers by @/thecutestgrotto

[the-and-sign-anon]

2023 Christmas/Winter Prompts

One Word Prompts

Snow

Lights

Scarf

Snowman

Snowball

Tree

Decorations

Sweater

Bells

Star

Carols

Gloves

Boots

Blanket

Fireplace

Cocoa 

Glitter

Dinner

Blizzard

Situations/AUs

I’m recruiting you to help me terrorize your friend because they pelted me with snowballs at the park the other day

We’re in a meeting that I should be paying attention to, but I’m making paper snowflakes instead and you glare at me every time you hear my scissors

I’m trying to buy a last minute gift for a friend, but they’re impossible to shop for, so your little store is my last hope

I’m shopping for Christmas decorations with my friend, but neither of us can reach the top shelf, so they asked you for help and now I’m nervous because you’re really cute

I was in the middle of a nice dream, but your screaming over the first snow woke me up and now I’m grumpy

I read our kid a book about the things snowmen do at night and now we’re taking a walk at two in the morning to show them the actual snowmen don’t do anything

I brought you hot chocolate without asking and you seem really flustered by it because you didn’t think I’d remember that you like hot chocolate a lot

I moved in next door a few months ago and had no idea how enthusiastic you are about Christmas, but I mentioned I hadn’t decorated, so now you’re knocking on my door with a box full of decorations and are begging me to let you decorate

My family is picking out a tree, but I’m cold so I’m just waiting by the warm doors and you came to stand next to me because you have no desire to hear your siblings argue over the right tree to buy

I work at the local library and I’m trying to put up all the decorations myself, but I fell off the ladder trying to hang up the garland and you caught me

You hate heights, but your friend convinced you to go skiing for the first time and now the ski lift is broken and you’re kind of freaking out, so it’s my job to comfort you

You’re painfully bad at wrapping presents, so I’m going to teach you or just end up wrapping them all myself because you really are terrible at this

This is an ugly sweater party and I was so ready to make fun of you, but you even make that reindeer sweater that plays a carol I hate look cute, so what am I supposed to do now

I shoveled your driveway for you since I was out anyway, then you brought me cookies to thank me and now we’re in some sort of passive aggressive contest of niceness

We’re snowed in at a little airport and we both just want to be alone, so we decide to sit together to keep everyone else away because there are some very determined carolers wandering around and employees who keep trying to check on us

We go to the same college and are trying to get home for the holiday break, but our flights got canceled so we’re road tripping it together; when we finally get there, we realize that the friend you’re visiting is actually my sibling who was plotting to set us up, but their work is already done now

I was signed up to bring brownies to the Christmas party for my office, but I’ve never been a good baker, so you came over and are trying to teach me how

I’ve been making you the same drink at least three times a week for nearly a year despite my efforts to recommend something new, but you ordered something completely different today and now I’m worried about you

My best friend put up mistletoe in every doorway in our apartment, and now they keep ducking back so I get stuck there with you

You’ve been watching cheesy Christmas movies for weeks now, but I had no idea, so I was pleasantly surprised when you caught me watching one and immediately sat down to join me

I read stories to kids at the library and you got roped into playing Santa for a week, and I can't stop laughing at your clear distaste for the children trying to climb into your lap

Dialogue Prompts

“Don’t forget your gloves!”

“Merry Christmas!” “It’s November.” “I said. Merry. Christmas.”

“I can never have enough Christmas decorations.”

“You’re wearing this sweater and you’ll like it.”

“I need more lights.”

“All I want for Christmas is you.” “Don’t quote Mariah Carey at me.”

“I feel like I’m in a Hallmark. Where’s my generic white guy love interest?”

“I don’t really care about Christmas, but you do, so just come to this Christmas party with me please.”

“Do you need some help with those lights?” “No, I don’t. Stop asking me that.”

“If you don’t stop singing, I will walk straight out into the blizzard.”

“You say mistletoe, I say mistlefoe. If you can beat me in hand to hand combat, then we can kiss.”

“You know, I don’t trust you when you say to come outside with your hands behind you like that. If you’re about to throw snow at me, I’m about to lock you outside for the night.”

“Please open the door. It’s cold out here.”

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly-” “I’ll deck your face with my fist if you don’t get out of my apartment.”

“Pass me the aux cord.” “Not if you’re about to play more carols. I can’t hear any more renditions of Sleigh Ride this week.”

“Why is ___ sitting in the corner?” “They got paint all over me when we were making decorations, so they’re in time out.”

“If you hit me with that wrapping paper tube, I’ll be forced to retaliate.”

“There’s no way that tree is fitting in here.” “Oh, I’ll make it fit.”

"I think you have a problem.” “I wouldn’t call making stuffed gnomes for nineteen hours straight a problem."

"Don't be such a Grinch." "Don't tell me how to live my life."

[woodstoneb-b]

So another day dawns at Woodstone! And here are two of our heroes getting down to the business of reading.

Hetty: Is that sarcasm I detect? As ghosts we're unable to turn pages of books, I am truly jealous of these... pixels?

Alberta: That reminds me...Sam has the new People come in?

Thor: Thor far prefers the moving picture box, a whole world is contained in there -

Sass: The fact you can't actually read has nothing to do with that -

Thor: Also plenty of attractive people, removing clothes because of increasing temperature.

Sass: Actually...television may be a far better use of one's time...

Isaac: Well, I for one am far more partial to the written word than the trivial tales of man versus temperature. I imagine I'm reacquainting myself with the plays of Shakespeare or one of the great poets.

It was actually a children's book about rocket.

Isaac: Well, one must start somewhere.

Hetty: I must say, this is quite a faithfully recreation of my beloved family home.

Thanks, Hetty. By the way, to all our readers if you come to stay at our fine B&B you'll find my discerning eye in all dishes, which are all prepared on site.

Hetty: Well, once again I'm impressed by the accuracy of these little pixels.. Isaac and I often discuss the nature of death...

Isaac: It's spectre does tend to haunt us...

Right, yeah...haunts you.

Meanwhile here's No-Pants showing his amazing *heh* dart skills.

Trevor: Hey! I haven't played in 20 years, I'd like to see you do better.

Flower: Gee, Thor, I didn't think this show of yours was so literal.

Sass: No, Flower, this is Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares.

Thor: Thor often have nightmares involving flames...

Thor: Wait, what is this?! Who is this hairy man that has captured my Flower's attention?! I will rip his head from his body and -

Woooah, OK, let's settle down, it's just a game, Thor.

Flower: Yeah, although...I like the furriness -

No, no, let's move right on.

Hetty: Hmm, Isaac and I usually have a pondering sessions in the Upstairs Den, but I think this location is far better.

Uh, no, the Library of Woodstone is for use of guests, at least in the daytime.

Hetty: ARRRRRRRRGH!!!

Yikes, whoa...what is this all about?

Hetty: I imagine Pixel me is realising that the life of a ghost awaits her and is suitably distressed by this.

Right...uh...well, in the real B&B, there's no screaming in the night.

Alberta: Well, not screaming, but -

There's no disturbing noises at all in this place, I promise you.

Er, this is an interesting development...No-Pants and the Lady of the House talking?

Trevor: Hey, we've got heaps in common!

Hetty: That's true, we both partook in the magical medicine known as coca-

COCOA, yep, hot cocoa is another speciality here at Woodstone B&B, we purchase it fresh from the local market in the nearby town. You can request it be brought to your room every morning.

Hetty: Oh, the portable telephone device! I can't believe Pixel Trevor has one of his very own!

Actually, in this game, you all -

Trevor: Shut up and let me have this, bro.

We also have this fine lake on our property (where there's absolutely nothing like a dead body submerged in it or anything like that)

Thor: But does it have cod? Thor would be very happy to find out!

Alberta: Well, when I was alive I had to wash my clothing myself, and not with these new-timey automatic washing machines, so I won't even complain about doing it.

Flower: Besides! Washing Machines are fun.

DON'T continue that sentence, please.

Hahaha this is just hilarious!

Hetty: Excuse me! The Lady of the Manor should not be shown in such manner, even in pixelated form.

Now, usually the well-stocked and appointed kitchen of Woodstone is the domain of yours truly, but here in the game, our heroes are free to use it.

Alberta: Eating something prepared by Flower? Boy, that could end up very interesting, if you know what I mean.

Sass: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, Alberta, and I'm not going to risk it.

Flower: Come on, guys, I'm not going to slip weed in your food, I mean unless you want me to.

This is something that will not happen at Woodstone, where all state and federal laws are strictly followed.

Oh geeze, isn't in bad enough you're No-Pants? You want to be No-Shirt too?

Trevor: Hey, if you've got it...flaunt it ;O)

Isaac: I have to admit, your confidence in yourself is quite something, Trevor. How exactly did you come by it?

Trevor: Well, you know a lot of it is just natural, but you -

Let's move right on from that.

Thor: Alberta did not actually do final part of cloth-washing process, drying.

Alberta: Why would I do that when we've got a clean-freak like you to do it?

Hahahaha, did you get sent to the naughty corner, No-Pants?

Trevor: Hey, my favourite colour is green, so I'm just enjoying the ambience here.

Isaac: He was being extremely annoying and when I told him so, he went off to sulk.

Thor: By the Mighty Fist of Odin! How does so much clothing accumulate in this game?!

Well, there are 8 of you, and you change clothes at least once a day, so do the maths.

Thor: Thor is not good with numbers.

Speaking of numbers...once again we've reached the maximum photos allowed! Stay tuned to see Thor's continual fight with the laundry and No-Pants refusing to even put a shirt on.

Until next time.

[dream-meister-translations]

THIS HOLY NIGHT EMILIO - VOICE COLLECTION

━

"I can't remember the last time I took a vacation. I'm glad I got to spend it with you."

"That flavored tea we drank together was so warm and delicious."

"I'm still trying to decide what to wish for at the candlelight ceremony…"

"We should walk slowly today. It's snowing and slippery. Besides, I want to spend as much time with you as possible."

"Sometimes it's fun to play in the snow. Building snowmen… You and I could have a lot of fun together."

"I'm exceptionally cold today. I think it's better if we stick close. Like this. We'll keep each other warm, won't we?"

"How was your day? I felt like I was the only one who had any fun. It's making me anxious…"

"What do you want to do today? We have time. Let's figure it out together."

"I love the gift. It's like a bond between you and I. Thank you."

"Thank you. It's a nice gift. Especially from you."

"Be careful, it's called hot cocoa for a reason. I can't wait to try it, I hear it's delicious."

"When we get back to the inn, I'd like to make you a hot drink."

"I hope they have wine or whiskey."

"We should share a room. I'd like to spend as much time with you as possible. What do you think?"

"You smell kind of sweet today. I want to stay like this a while longer…"

"Your cheeks are a little red, are you cold? If so, it's better to wrap your hands around them like this. Oh, they're even redder now."

"You're really cute. No, I'm not trying to flatter you. I'm just saying what I think."

"Are you cold? You can put your hand in the pocket of my jacket if you want."

"Actually, there is one thing I've always wished for…You to be truly happy."

"You can tell me what you wish for. I'll do everything in my power to make it come true."

"Thank you, sweetie. You always notice the little things."

"Is this what you call happiness?"

"Would you like to try wrapping it around you too? It's a long scarf. There's enough room for both of us."

"No, I'm not kidding, that's how I really feel."

"It's a little cold in here, isn't it? Shall I buy you a hot drink and take you home? Or maybe I'll just give you a hug~"

"When you look up at me like that you're so cute. I could just hug you."

"You must have forgiven me to be giving me such a nice gift."

"Really anything would make me happy. The gift itself, the time you've spent with me, you sharing your feelings…"

"You're such a sweetheart…I never want to let you go."

"Oh, it's so cold. Let's hold hands for a while."

"Your ears are getting red because of the cold. Oops, did I startle you. Sorry I blew on you out of nowhere."

"Just being around you makes me smile and feel all tingly. You're really special."

"If I get used to being close to you, I'm sure I'll never want to leave. Are you okay with that?"

"I'm going to miss you so much…Sorry, thinking about leaving you while we're still in the same room together is a bad habit of mine."

"Hey, can I kiss you?"

"Whoa! You scared me. I can't believe you snuck up on me…But, I'm glad you did."

"Why are you so reserved? I don't mind you touching me."

"You can squeeze me tighter. It makes me feel closer to you."

"I never knew I was so greedy, until I met you."

"I don't think I can ever leave you… You'll have to prepare yourself."

"I want you to touch me even if it doesn't mean anything."

"When you move your fingers like that it tickles."

"You aren't doing this to anyone else are you?"

"I can't even joke about it anymore, if you had a lover in your life, I might just cut them down."

"Did you want me to care this much? Then don't hesitate, it's too late for regrets."

"Do you have any time after this? When we get back to the inn, we can stay in my room. I'd like to spend more time with you."

"You are distancing yourself from me…Still I can't help but reach out for you…"

"Even though you're usually so professional and dignified…You can also be cute and innocent at times. I find that gap between the two endearing."

"Maybe I want to think you're mine…I can't handle it…"

"Oh…When did I fall asleep? Sorry…I'm still sleepy."

"Being with you is the only thing that makes me happy."

"You're so beautiful. I feel like I'm dreaming."

"Are you afraid of me? That scared look on your face says it all…I just want you to be mine."

"You are the sun for me. If I get too close, I'll burn…If I lose you, I'll die…"

"I'm often told that the Commander and I share a similar approach to peace."

"The Commander and I often fight in the front lines together, but no matter how many times I see him in action, I'm always blown away."

"The Commander is respected by all the knights and I think he's a really great person."

"I've never won against the Commander."

"I wonder how much training the Commander had to go through to get that strength…"

"Come to think of it, snowball fights use not only physical strength, but brains as well."

"There are aspects where tactics are important, such as reading an opponent's behavior…Sometimes the Commander makes us practice while doing marching exercises in snowy mountains."

"Harriet? He's the best archer in the Knights order."

"If Harriet had the time, he would preach to every single knight about the wonders of love."

"Harriet's strengths are…Well, he's good at seeing through the inner workings of people… He has an observant eye and a strong heart that will never give up."

"This is to me? Ahahaha, um… Yeah, thank you."

"I'll take it but I'd like if you knew more about what I do and don't like."

"I'm the kind of guy who can't stand being taken advantage of."

"Will you accept my feelings? I know it isn't enough…But, I still wanted to tell you."

━

EMILIO : I don't usually get much rest…What should I do at times like this? Commander, would you like to train? ALEX : We can train, but I won't go easy on you.

━

EMILIO : This scarf and hat, I think they would look good on Emma. Don't you think so too, Fuzz? FUZZ : I think they would look better on you. Which one do you like better?

[kelyon]

TMI Tuesday

Happy New Year, Tumblr!

My holidays were blessedly restful. I took a little bit of time off from writing, but now I am back in the saddle. It feels good to be back. It’ll definitely feel good to be back with TMI Tuesday. 

Last week I posted the first three chapters of Hot Cocoa and Stolen Kisses, my fic for Rumbelle Secret Santa. I posted the fourth chapter late on Sunday night. There are two more chapters to go--but I’m not 100% sure what to do with them. I had a plan of how I wanted this fic to escalate, but Gold and Lacey fell in love before I expected them to. If it was just one chapter left in my outline, I’d feel okay about making it a pure smut finale. But with two chapters, I feel like I need to do something more. I’ll figure it out eventually. 

I’m also getting back to work on Dark Mistress. Chapter 23 (Desolation) will post on Friday January 13th. I took advantage of my time off to churn out eleven hundred words on Monday, and honestly I’m not sure about any of them. I knew this chapter would be hard--it’s essentially a montage of Rumple’s loneliness and heartbreak for four months of time in-story. It’s taxing to write characters being depressed, and even more when there isn’t much opportunity for them to do stuff or talk to other characters. 

My main consolation is that this chapter needs to happen before all the other exciting chapters happen. This story has reached the 2/3rds mark. We are beginning Act 3. 

(Whenever I think about 3-Act structure, I always think of it in terms of the Star Wars Trilogy. I’m beginning to understand how useful it is to have a time skip in between entries. Part of the difficulty with the chapter I’m writing now is that it’s about the same thing as 20 minutes of Han Solo’s POV while he’s frozen in carbonite.)

Anyway.

My third project now is to finally post the next chapter of Live Wire. I was making my For Your Consideration post for the Chipped Cup awards when I realized that this Rumbelle fic doesn’t actually have any Rumbelle content yet. I really should try to fix that. Plus, I am so close to being done with the first chapter from Gold’s POV. I really want to work on that this week and be able to post chapter 3 on Friday. 

So that’s where I am right now. Lots of things to do. Glad I’m finally in a space where I can even consider doing them. Hope you all are doing well. Have a great day!

Hot Cocoa and Stolen Kisses is here

My For Your Consideration post is here

My inbox is here.

[lctibule]

Looks like we’re snowed in for the night. (For Joon!~

winter themed promptsㅤㅤㅤ☾ㅤㅤㅤaccepting

ㅤㅤ" it would seem so, "ㅤminjoon mused in agreement, gaze focused on the fat white snowflakes that battered against the window. just thinking about how cold it must be out there had him shivering and pulling his sweater up higher around his neck.

ㅤㅤ" can't say that i've ever minded having an excuse to stay holed up at home, though. "ㅤnot that he'd exactly had any plans to do otherwise this evening. turning away from the wintry scene tinted orange by the streetlights outside, the witch shoved himself up from the couch, socked feet padding quietly across the floor toward the kitchen.

ㅤㅤ" perfect weather to cozy up under some blankets with some mario kart, if you ask me. —i'm going to have some piping hot tea; can i get you some as well? "ㅤit was a somewhat subtle way of inviting avi to stay longer, if he cared to, even if being snowed in wouldn't make it hard for him to walk the few paces down the hall to his own apartment. chilly winter nights were always best spent together with those whose company you enjoyed most, after all.

pausing on the threshold between rooms, minjoon turned to face his guest again, expression inquiring. —or, as inquiring as his often expressionless features felt was necessary to convey the idea.

ㅤㅤ" or would you perhaps prefer some coffee, or cocoa? a snack? —actually, maybe we should just order some dinner at this point... thoughts? "

[zhrx]

it's a draft of my unposted eremika fanfic

that i already planned since 2021, making a draft for chapter 1 before the final part start, ending up burning into ashes due to procrastionation.

BUT! it's such a waste to buried it deep into the grave yet before actually try to publish it, so here is a snippets of what chapter one would be, enjoy..? (although pls don't throw your precious phone at me due to the cringeness, my inner 12 yo probably still thriving at those) _____________________ (oh so if you are new, i recommend follow my eremika playlist because every chapter is centered around the songs included, thankuu)

Chapter 1: Have we met already? (Eren’s POV)

Oct 31th 2023 | 21.19 PM [Jean’s Party]

It’s probably fate, or just a perfectly coincidental moment for Eren. But he knew there was something he didn’t quite understand happening the moment he locked eyes with her. Yeah, her - the beautiful lady in a red dress that passes him at the stupid Halloween party that Jean throws, supposedly to “meet the pretty sorority ladies, Eren! Live a little bit” and shows off his hosting skills. Haha yeah, it’s not like that skill exists.

___

Oct 31th 2023 | 14.20 PM [Annie and Armin’s Apartment]

Earlier that noon

“I think you’re allowed to take a break, Mr. I-Am-Taking-My-Life-Too-Seriously-Or-AI-Will-Take-My-Job Jaeger”, Armin said as he looked over Eren on the floor, surrounded by his worn-out medical textbooks with colorful post-it notes all over the pages. Eren scoffs, “Someone needs to find the cures you know. And what about you, the one who actually works part-time at library because you apparently love to study some... triangle rock thingy”. “I think you very much know it called a pyramid, Eren”, he said whilst rolling his eyes.

He saw Annie sitting by the sofa and offering her a hot cocoa and cozying up beside her while peering over her laptop screen filled with kitten videos and law PDF books. “What Armin meant to say is you should get your life together man, being too busy in your studies have an almost zero percent for you to meet someone”, Annie said, meeting Eren’s pair of green eyes giving her death stares while mouthing “fuck you” before he resumes his studies “. “Well, there’s a 0,001 percent he could met someone, honey. Maybe we should try to be more optimistic?” Armin says. She replies, “If you're saying optimistic in that questionable tone, you surely think it's impossible for us to double date with Eren at this point.”

“Okay, first of all, we DID already have our double date with Historia. And even at that point she doesn’t realize yet she ‘swings’ that way until she met that brown haired woman.” Eren tries to argue, waving the paper in his hand to emphasize his point. “I don’t think hanging out with your childhood friend is called a date, you don’t even like her that way” Annie retorts back. Suddenly, Annie bolts up, causing Armin to almost spill his cocoa due to the sudden movement. Before Armin can speak, Annie interrupts, "You should go to the party Jean is throwing tonight! I heard he invited everyone on campus as part of welcoming new students, but we all know he's just trying to spread his...wing, not leg mind you. You might meet someone there".

Eren sigh. This was not the first time his friends had tried to coax him into searching for a partner. He thought it a waste of time, having to deal with someone else's emotions. He shudders, recalling witnessing his brother's on-again, off-again situationship.

His brother would say things like "She's just my coworker, Eren, nothing more." Then he would drunkenly call late at night, complaining "Why isn't Pieck interested in me anyway? People would throw their panties seeing me." Or "Yelena really rubbed me the wrong way but gosh I would gladly sell my soul for her body." And other explicit things would be thrown at Eren before he would throw his phone away and let his brother continue ranting for another two hours until passing out.

Pathetic.

He considers people who cannot stand being alone as pathetic human beings.

_______

[leewonkyeom]

everything is a competition between dk and jeonghan at least🙄🙄 literally the reason we made out that ONE time was bc dk wanted to see how long we could go on before jeonghan would comment on it😭 sorry you got roped into it as well by sitting next to us, but if you and jeonghan were sitting next tl each other y'all literally would've been worse🙄🙄

omg the lego ones are so cute😭 i'd rather have those cause they actually last forever and that is so cute!! (still going to chew him out)

lmao don't call us disgustingly in love when you spent the night listening to a man talk about "rebrumlums" or whatever😭 but i must admit that is so cute😭 the man was so ready to spent the rest of his life with you when you were in hs🥺🥺 hold on to this man (still going to chew him out dw !!)

oh my god!! i can finally see that?? lmao if you guys play the video of jeno and dk at our wedding, i think dk will literally cry😭 but so excited to see those omg!! esp since i wasn't there during middle school! like i need to see middle school simp deluxe tsundure jeonghan😭

like the fucking perseverance of that guy is insane😭 i had to cave i had no other choice. besides he looked good af, even i must admit that😭 meanwhile i was stuck with fucking long haired aquaman dk😭 not his best look, but i can survive🤧 and i slayed like ursula, just proved that she could've been pretty if she wanted to😌 like i did a mix of human her and octopus her cause i still wanted to look good for dk so i didn't want to go all in😭😭 but the fact that pranking me literally meant pranking dk by extension, cause the look on his face when he realized...😭😭

i know!! like it was that costume rly🤧 and my first matching one with dk i believe? cause unlike jeonghan he didn't have the guts to ask what i was dressing up as and matching😭 and lmao this was before chan was properly a part of our group, so i told him he could only come if he dressed up as meowth😭😭 i still feel kinda bad about ir, but i ended up buying him lunch for a week after that cause i genuinly felt bad😭 mingyu as brock was perfect though, i love whoever planted that idea in his head!! still mad maek didn't go as ash, cause he would've been perfect😭

ohh nice!! 🫶🫶 not nice that you're grandpa is moving, but nice that the house is available!

omg starfire and raven is our most iconic😭 i honestly want a repeat!! i looked so good that night i have no idea how dk survived tbh🤧 oh my god this sends me down memory lane😭 i remember the year y'all did fight club me, dk and shua went dressed as the powerpuff girls😭 simply iconic i am afriad. and when y'all did mean girls i literally have no idea how i convinced jeno to dress up as the grinch while i did cindy lou who😭 i have NO IDEA how you convince vernon to dress up as wednesday and chan as pugsley😭 but iconic i'm afraid😭😭

well since you snuck in the alcohol, i needed to do my part?? i even sold it "cheap" but whatever, i probably saved some lives that night😌😌 lmao even i was tired of you in the end, but we ended up finding our DREAM DRESSES omg they are fr so gorgeous😭 i still wear mine from time to time.

as someone who experienced you in hs and have now read those fanfics... scarily accurate😀 just praying mine and dks weren't as accurate cause ?? y'all really saw us like that😭🤡

okok i'll literally be there soon!! keep the hot cocoa scalding, like the tea i'll be serving😭 glad i can serve up some misery tbh🥰🥰

don't ask me😭 i was new and no one ever corrected me. but who hires a student as a soccer team coach??? like😭😭 lmao sketch me and dk sometime as well!! i'm tired of just looking at charles🤧🤧 y'all were the greatest band this school has ever seen though!! you were so good, i'm convinced i was your biggest fan!

no cause cha eunwoo is so fine, i don't think i've ever admitted my crush on him out loud before (except to my diary)😭 i needed some alternatives in case me and dk didn't work out😭😭 it was a dark time

oh my god!! we should grill cheol as well!

lmao i'm nor that good at basketball, but i can outrun you any day😌 so it's on!!!

he looks good i'll admit it😭 but he's YOUR MAN, do you really want me to simp for him? besides... headlocks and arms are way hotter🤭

ofc i lobe you, but i see you all the time??😭 i never see them anymore. besides, they were literally here from day one😭 i'll bake you something dw!! tha's in the love and happiness genre! but i couldn't possibly make something for everyone?? do you know how many people are coming home this christmas?

anyways👀👀 after we walked in on you and hannie is when we stopped doing it, cause a light when on in our brains and we realized how stupid it was. i'm sure that didn't stop y'all though

nooo i don't even want to listen to those😭😭 i'm sure i said the most batshit things ever😭 but also... can we play those at christmas? all our embarrassing secret have seen the light anyways

like i'm sorry😭😭 we didn't invite dk either if that helps??? or anyone for that matter. just me, mark and wonwoo lmao it was the only time i was calm tbh😭 and that says a lot cause video games rly gets me heated

WDYM HE CAUGHT ON FIRE HOW DID Y'ALL EVEN???😭😭 if y'all clean up properly in two hours i'll bake y'all some actual cookies that not only keep y'all alive, but also taste good😭

like the way i am extremely afraid of birds (like no. 1 fear), but i can deal with pigeons now and i think part of the reason why is dokyeom and his stupid impression😭😭😭 made me realize they're not all that scary