#i threw out my back plugging in the Christmas tree this morning

[doyoueverwonderwhy]

[sserpente]

A/N: Requests from three anons. Naughty, naughtier, naughtiest. Enjoy, everyone!

Words: 2426 Warnings: shameless Christmas smut

Additional NSFW warnings: dom!Loki, usage of anal sex toy, orgasm control, forced orgasm(s)

-

Feeling all warm and fuzzy, you snuggled in closer to your mischievous boyfriend. After three weeks of persistent persuasion, you had finally talked Loki into watching Christmas movies with you and to be quite frank, you were convinced he secretly enjoyed them.

A comedy was on tonight, of a young couple suffering from the usual pre-Christmas stress including eccentric in-laws and turkeys burnt to a cinder. You had been giggling throughout, knowing very well it was a rather accurate representation of how chaotic Christmas could be. In fact, you could hardly wait for this year, given it would be Loki’s and your first time celebrating it together as a couple.

“I recall you telling me that those sex scenes in films are staged unless you watch a… what was it?”

“Porn movie?”

“Yes. I must admit, she is terrible at staging it.” You quirked an eyebrow at him.

“She is doing it on purpose. She is faking her orgasm.” You explained, staring at the screen. The male protagonist was wearing a Santa hat and a fake white beard—nothing else. He had surprised his girlfriend who had just gotten home from a long and exhausting day at work and even though she appreciated it, she was just too tired for sex.

“Why in the nine would she do that? That is rather pathetic for the male part.”

You blushed. You too had faked your orgasms sometimes when you were in bed with Loki.

“Um… well… she doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. You know women take longer to get there and sometimes… they’re just too tired or not in the right mind set.” You yawned. “Much like today.” You added.

Loki paused the movie with but a wave of his hand and turned to face, looking you dead in the eye. “Are you implying something?” Oh, shit… you had a feeling this would bruise his godly ego.

“I… I-I only did it a few times. Once or twice. Okay, maybe a little bit more often than that. B-but that doesn’t mean I don’t ever—“

“You are what?” He bellowed. There we go.

“Loki! Listen to me, you are the most mind-blowing lover I’ve ever had. It’s like I just said, sometimes I’m too tired or have so much going on at work that I can’t let go… it’s got nothing to do with you!” You insisted.

“That is unacceptable.” He said after an uncomfortable break.

“W-what does that mean?”

Loki gave you a meaningful look. His tone was downright spiteful when he spoke again. “Let’s just finish the movie, shall we?”

You were a little surprised he let you cuddle with him again but you couldn’t focus on the film anymore anyway.

“Are you… mad at me?” You chirped after a while, your cheek against his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat.

“No. I am not.” You were not convinced. He was up to something.

-

The next morning started all but merry. You woke Loki with a few wet kisses, quietly singing O Christmas Tree to elicit a response.

Loki groaned, a smile playing on his lips. He didn’t need a lot of sleep but he truly didn’t like being woken up by anyone but his own body when it deemed him rested enough.

You giggled, his raven hair tickling your skin. You barely made it out of bed to open the very last door of your advent calendar and then moved to get dressed. As usual, Loki was a lot faster, simply magicking clothes onto his body without so much as blinking.

You were late. The Avengers were probably already waiting for you in the living room where Tony had put up a massive Christmas tree. And massive it was—it stood almost twenty feet high, about six metres, as far as you were concerned, and the billionaire had had to use his suit to hang up all the baubles and ornaments as well as the shining star on top. And before you had gone to sleep last night, you had sneaked your presents for everyone under the tree.

You bit your lower lip, hoping that Loki wasn’t still taken aback by your involuntary confession last night. You had meant what you had said. He was an amazing lover but sometimes… you just weren’t feeling it but still didn’t want to disappoint him or let him down. A sigh escaped your lips.

“Come on, Trickster, let’s see what Santa brought.”

“Hold up.” Loki said. “Turn around for me.”

You raised your eyebrows, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. So you did as you were told and gasped when he forced you to bend over so your upper body came to rest on the bed again, your backside in plain view for him to admire.

“Hey! Loki!” You giggled during your weak protest, then bit your lower lip. Did he want to… now? Hmm… Christmas morning sex. Your heartbeat sped up as you wiggled your behind a bit, arousal already pooling between your legs.

You heard him chuckle behind you but instead of his hard cock at your wet entrance, you suddenly felt something hard and cold press against your back entrance.

“L-Loki…” You had tried toys of the like before, especially right before sex and you had enjoyed it very much but now was definitely not the time. You were about to head downstairs to the Christmas tree, exchanging presents and having a hearty breakfast with the Avengers, there was no way you were going to…

You gasped when he slid the clearly lubed plug into your rear, and it went in with little resistance. Loki knew your body so well it almost scared you. That, and you were already soaking wet and responsive to your butthole being pampered in such a way.

“Hmm… are we enjoying ourselves?” Loki mused, smirking as he led you over to the mirror to let you admire his work. The plug was a little bigger than what you were using for sex but still oddly comfortable to wear. What stood out the most to you, however, was the fact it was golden, with a green jewel attached to it and decorating your buttocks. “You are positively dripping, my dear.”

You bit your lower lip once more, mouth all of a sudden completely dry.

“It looks hot and beautiful at the same time.” You admitted, meeting his blue eyes in the mirror.

“Consider it a Christmas gift.” He said with a wink. Your eyes widened when he slid your comfy trousers back on and turned to leave the room.

“Hang on there. What are you doing?”

Loki tilted his head, playing innocent. “I am meeting my brother and his silly friends for Christmas.”

“W-what… oh my goodness. This is about last night, isn’t it? You want revenge, is that right?”

Loki smirked. “I have no idea what you are talking about, my love. Now… let us head downstairs, shall we?” You only glared at him in response, tensing up when his hand wrapped around your arm and stopped you in the threshold. “You will regret it dearly if you secretly try to take this out before I allow you to do so.” He hissed into your ear. Your walls clenched. This was certainly going to be your most interesting Christmas yet.

-

You had been right indeed. Crouching down to get the presents out from under the tree proved extremely difficult wearing a butt plug—at least, it proved extremely difficult to not moan in front of everyone.

Loki’s smirk never faltered, not even when he received your present and thanked you with a passionate kiss right in front of the Avengers. If only they knew… you had no idea what else Loki had in store for you once the two of you were alone again.

Christmas dinner posed as equally difficult. Sitting calmly at the table, enjoying the delicious turkey and treats and conversing without wiggling around like a child was nearly impossible. For the first time ever, you were glad when the festivities were over and you could finally retreat to bed, hoping that Loki would fuck your brains out before you fell asleep tonight.

You stood in front of him, arms akimbo when his clothes melted off of his body and he threw back the covers of the bed to get comfortable when you returned from the bathroom.

“Are you serious? Loki!”

“Oh dear… I almost forgot.” He lied, once again smirking like a cat that got the cream. “Lie down, little minx. Tell me, are you aching?” He teased, chuckling darkly.

“No!” You spat sarcastically, unable to hide your amusement. “I have been horny all day, you tease!”

“Have you now?” He was grinning now. Your heart skipped a beat when he snapped his fingers and then pointed at the bed for you to lie down. At this point, you did not even want to pretend to resist and be bratty for a bit.

Eager for your release (and knowing fully well this was his vengeance) you climbed on the mattress and gaped up at him with anticipation. But Loki took his time. Slowly and while eyeing you like a wild predator he joined in bed, tugging at your clothes in the process.

“Take them off.” He growled. You were panting when you did as you were told, all until you were completely naked except for the butt plug still snugly inside of your rear. A squeal escaped your lips when he lunged at you with a start, grabbing your hips and pulling you into a lying position. His scrutinising and downright lustful gaze never left yours as he sneaked his hand between your legs, right where you wanted him the most and dipped a finger in your folds.

“My… you are gushing.” You bucked your hips up against him, too impatient to listen to him talk dirty like that but his hand was already travelling upwards again, fingertips ghosting over your skin and leaving a trail of goose bumps behind. You gasped when he circled your left breast and played with your already hardening nipple until you were whimpering for him.

“Loki, please…” You begged, biting your lower lip to appear innocent. The God of Mischief chuckled.

“So desperate?” He uttered, fingers returning to your cunt. You shivered when his thumb ghosted over your clit, giving it a gentle stroke. You had been on edge all day it would not at all take you long to finally be granted your long-awaited relief, even less so when Loki buried two of his long fingers inside you without any forewarning, curling them to massage your g-spot and circling your impatient clit with his thumb. His fingers were magic. No, he was magic. If only the world knew what a skilled lover Loki was they would change their mind about him being a megalomaniac villain and shower him with affection and fanmerch instead.

Moaning, you threw your head back, meeting the thrusts of his digits by bucking your hips hungrily. Loki could tell you were close already. You were tightening around his fingers, your breathing so fast he feared you might lose consciousness.

A satisfied growl escaped his lips when you came, milking his fingers as endless waves of pleasure rolled over your body, making you moan his name. Only Loki did not stop once all the bliss slowly started to fade away, your clit complaining about the ongoing stimulation.

“Again. Now.” Loki growled.

“W-what?”

“I want another. How can I be sure you truly came, after all?” He mused. You groaned. So it was revenge after all. He knew exactly you had come.

“I d-did… w-what… I can’t… Loki… oh, fuck…” He knew you could. He knew your body could. Still fingering you relentlessly, he tossed you straight into another hot orgasm as his thumb returned to your clit. Your back arched, fingers digging into the bed sheets as you clenched rhythmically around his long digits. Heavens, it felt even more intense with the butt plug still snugly inside of you.

“L-Loki… stop… s-stop, please…” You breathed, unable to form a proper sentence.

“Oh no, my dear… you can give me one more. Just so I can be completely sure.” He replied hoarsely, knowing that you could take it and would react differently if you truly had enough. It was the mix of pleasure and your strong feelings for him that made your mind turn like a spinning wheel, unable to stop or escape the tornado of emotions and relentless bliss. So he kept going, tormenting your already overstimulated bundle of nerves until your toes curled.

“Don’t you ever dare fake an orgasm with me again.” He growled into your ear, his hot breath brushing against your skin. Pleasant shivers ran up and down your spine, yet you were unable to answer him. Instead, you wrapped your arms around him and dug your nails into his back, pulling his upper body closer to yours to urge him on, his name leaving your lips like a prayer as he brought you to a third orgasm making you see stars.

Panting, it took you quite a while to come down from your high again as Loki helped you ride out your climax before finally removing his now slick fingers and licking them clean with relish. When he made no move to position himself between your legs and get some relief himself, you let your head fall back into the soft pillows, making Loki chuckle.

“No falling asleep just yet, my love. Let me remove the jewel from that lovely behind of yours first.” Your eyes fell shut nonetheless, an acknowledging sound the only form of communication you could still muster as you let Loki gently take out the plug. You would have drifted off to sleep there and then, without a blanket, if Loki didn’t scoop you up like a cherished bride and wrapped you under the covers before cradling you in his arms.

“I’m so sorry, Loki.” You muttered, eyes still shut tiredly.

“Whatever for?”

“I never meant to offend you when I faked, I just wanted you to have your fun even when I wasn’t in the mood.”

“I know. Don’t lie to me again. Ever. There is no point for me to take pleasure from you if I am unable to return the favour.”

You smiled. You really had the most amazing boyfriend in the world. Well… which was probably because he was in fact, not from this world. No Christmas present could ever compete.

-

A/N: If you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate it so much if you considered supporting me on Kofi! It’s either for caffeine or red wine, I’ll take both. ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

[harrywritingsbyme]

Omg i love the idea of a "first time anal" one omg i love your writing, pleasd make this ask a piece omgg

Ready?

A/N: This is installment 5 of A Series of Firsts!!! This one has been highly requested for some time now so I’m finally writing it. I decided to do a simple plot to this one so yeah...it’s crazy filthy tho. Also, this one is pretty freehand for my writing. So I hope you guys like it...Enjoy🙃

Harry’d been training your second hole for the past couple of weeks. The two of you had been wanting to give anal, particularly on you, a shot for a good while now. After seeing how well Harry adjusted and responded to having his hole played with, you were really interested in trying it out and getting a taste of the pleasure that Harry felt. From the way his cock twitched between his legs as you pushed your fingers or toys into his puckered entrance and the way he’d let out the loudest whines and moans from the feeling, you could tell that it felt amazing. So the possibilities for pleasure with his fingers and cock were endless. And the same way you were excited to give anal a try, Harry matched that excitement plus some. When you told him that you wanted to give it a go, Harry lit up like a Christmas tree. 

The last thing Harry ever wanted to do was pressure you into something that you were unsure of or weren’t comfortable with. So despite the fact that he was being teased by your puckered entrance every time he took your from behind, and he that couldn’t stop swirling his tongue around the area whenever he had his head between your legs, along with thumbing at your entrance and lightly nudging his cock at it, Harry made sure to never pressure you. That’s why when you told him that you wanted to play around with your second hole, he was ready to make sure that you’re pleasured to the fullest and comfortable in the process. Since you voiced your concern about his size being too big for your entrance, Harry went straight into buying and researching any and everything to gradually move you towards taking his entire cock.

Before he bought anything, Harry did a pretty good amount of research. He even cross referenced different pieces of information. He looked into the best lubes for extended use of anal plugs, he looked into the best ways to train your hole to take more and more over time, and he even went as far to see if it was safe for you to sleep with your plug inside of you. Luckily for him, he got all the answers he needed and was hoping for. Once he compiled all of his information, Hary then went on to purchase items. He bought two types of lube, an oil based lube for when you wore the plug throughout the day, and a water based one for when he was playing with you at night. He also bought an extensive array of toys. For starters, he purchased a set of four shiny steel anal plugs with a big jewel in your favorite color on top that gradually increased in width and length. These would beused for everyday wear. Along with these plugs, he bought a couple silicone dildos that varied in girth and length. These were for when he would be training your hole and helping you become accustomed to having a cock inside of your tightened hole. And none of them were the size of his cock. He did this simply because he wanted to give you a bit of a surprise once the time finally came. Harry also threw in a couple accessories that you’d enjoy. He bought a couple bunny tail plugs that he thought would look adorable on you, and he got a string of ben wa balls. Those were definitely for him; he found the picture of you struggling to maneuver and hold them inside pretty amusing to say the least. After he picked everything and put a rush on the shipping, Harry anxiously awaited his large package of toys that he was dying to break in.

And once they did arrive, Harry began to break them in alright.

Since you were a thousand percent on board with it all, you were ready to start immediately. Once he unpackaged and cleaned the toys, Harry jumped right into walking you through the process and starting it. He used his fingers and the lube to ease your extremely tight hole open a bit and to help insert the first plug into you. When you first felt the pointed dome of metal plug inside you, it was a bit weird. It was sitting inside of your ass and you’d never felt that before. But after a couple hours of moving around and toying around with it, you became a bit more adjusted to the feeling and you were feeling excited for what was to come. This excitement was also because of Harry. The way he researched and took everything into account made you feel taken care of and at ease about everything. You were so excited to experience this with him and you knew for a fact that this entire process would be nothing short of amazing.

Every day for the following weeks, the two of you acquired a “Training Routine” so to speak. This is how the day would go: He’d insert the plug that you were working with at the moment in the morning and then go about your days either apart or together. Then once the day was coming to an end in the early part of then evening he’d  let your hole take a break for a couple hours by removing the plug. He would then clean the plug while you’re taking your break. After some things get done, Harry’d use one of the dildos that you were currently working with to play with your ass a bit and let you cum. Finally, before turning out the lights, Harry’d apply a new coat of lube and push your plug back inside before going to bed. This process lasted a good eight weeks. You advanced through the plugs and dildos, all the way up to the final set. And Harry couldn’t have been prouder. His baby had taken every last toy so well and he couldn’t wait to reward you with his cock inside your princess hole. Every time he watched your pretty and puckered hole stretch to fit the dildos or the plugs, all he could think about was your sweet little entrance engulfing every inch of his big cock while you whined and clung to whatever you could for dear life. He couldn’t stop the visual of him ramming his cock down into your ass from behind over and over again from invading his mind either. He completely understood that he wouldn’t be able to do that right away but he’d jump at the opportunity as fast as he can once you tell him to go harder. It’d definitely take a lot of self control to hold back his feral desires and not give your ass a good pounding. But the wait would be beyond worth it. 

Right now you were on your second week for your final set of training. It took you about two weeks for each set and you were right at the end. To be honest, you were a little shocked at how you flew through every last set. From the outset of it all, having your hole trained seemed a bit daunting and unusual. But Harry was right there to guide you through it all. He praised you for how good you were doing every time he played with your hole and he gently pushed you at times when you were on the verge of giving up. After finally reaching the end, you were more than ready to take Harry’s cock in your second entrance. 

The two of you had decided to spend your Friday night in bed watching a movie and chatting. In the process, the both of you were playing with each other. You had your head in his lap fondling his cock and suckling on the girthy flesh from time to time while Harry sat back against the headboard and moved the rather large (not Harry large though) dildo in and out of your now acclimated hole. As the the time passed, the both of you would try and get the other to squirm and moan. Harry’d push the dildo really deep into you causing you to squirm around on the bed, roll your eyes back, and just moan from the feeling. To get him back, you’d feel throat his cock, suckle on his large balls, and/or push one of your fingers a bit lower towards his entrance to which he’d grunt, moan, and buck his hips up towards you. 

“Do y’want me t’just fuck you already? I mean, I’m as hard as a rock and I can guarantee you that pussy of yours is sopping wet.” Harry states bluntly, stopping his movements with the dildo to reach down and feel your pussy. “And I was right.” He confirms, feeling your sticky arousal on his fingers.

“I mean we were going fuck anyways so why not get a head start. Plus I like having two cocks inside me anyways.” You agree, lifting yourself up onto your knees before taking your shirt off.

“Don’t give me any ideas. M’gonna tear that ass and cunt to pieces if you keep talking like that.” Harry grumbles, yanking his shirt off as well before yanking you over to him. 

“Maybe I want you to tear me apart.” You reply suggestively as you lift yourself into his lap.

“Just get on my cock.” Harry growls lowly, bringing his hand to your throat and the other down to push the dildo back up your ass  to move you along. And with that, you waste no time sinking down onto his hard shaft. 

“Fuck!” You moan loudly. As you sink down onto him, you both can not only feel your tight walls stretching, you can also feel his cock pushing against the dildo that was in your ass through your walls. You were really full. Once he’s pressing into your stomach, Harry gives you no time whatsoever before he’s slamming up into you. His hips are moving so fast as he shoves his cock up into you. The feeling of your velvety walls alone could drive Harry insane; and it was. He just couldn’t stop slamming his cock up into you! As he continues to piston his cock up into your pussy, his grip on your throat gets tighter causing your mouth to just hand open as you let out the smallest whimpers.

“Look so pretty when that ass and cunt are filled. Such a good little cockslut.” Harry chuckles lowly, using his grip on your throat to pull you closer to his face so that he could lick into your open mouth. As he does, Harry lets go of your throat all together and brings that hand down to your chest to fondle your breasts. Even though his cock was amazingly fucking your cunt, you really wanted his cock in your ass. You wanted to finally feel him in there. So keeping a hand on his shoulder for support, you bring your hand down behind you to where his hand was guarding the dildo against slipping out of your entrance and you pull at his hand. This results in Harry coming to an immediate halt to see what was wrong. “You okay baby?” He asks concernedly. 

“Better than okay. Just want you to fuck me.” You sigh happily. 

“Want my cock in there?” Harry asks, making sure he is hearing you correctly.

“So bad.” You whine back, biting your lip to hold back a moan. 

When you reply, Harry is quick to pull you up from his cock so that he could throw you down onto the bed in front of him. He quickly lifts himself up and towers over your body between your legs. Harry then pushes upwards at the backs of your thighs so that your lower body is lifted up from the bed a bit before bringing his face down to pretty much devour your cunt. He quickly laps his tongue up and down your folds, stopping every once in a while to suck on your clit or push at your entrance. While he does this, you’re having a fit, letting out moan after moan from how good his mouth feels on you. He was trying to push you as close to the edge as possible so that you could cum with him once he’s inside. You were incredibly tight and Harry knew for a fact that he’d last no more than two seconds once he’s inside. He wasn’t even expecting you to let him push into you tonight. He was thinking that you wanted a bit more time but he was gravely mistaken on that one. You wanted him in there now.

After a couple more licks and sucks, Harry finally pulls his head from between your legs and pulls your legs down before turning you onto your side. From this angle, Harry could fuck into your ass and still get a good look at your face. He wanted to watch your face contort as you took his big cock inside.

“Gonna pull this out now.” Harry announces, slowly pulling the toy out of you. He tosses the soft toy onto the bed next to him, and then pushes his cock back into your pussy for a split second, causing you to let out a little gasp. “Needed t’be a bit wetter.” He explains with a smirk as he grips onto his glistening shaft and lines himself up with your princess hole as he liked to call it. “M’gonna fuck you so good baby.” Harry grumbles behind you, holding onto your hip as he nudges himself into you. 

“Not too hard though.” You sigh, completely relaxing your body as you feel his cock entering you. All you could say was that this was absolutely amazing.

“Don’t worry, can barely move y’so tight.” Harry grunts, trying his hardest to keep his composure. He wasn’t even halfway in and Harry could feel himself come onto the verge of cumming. He stops himself in his tracks and takes multiple deep breaths before going back to pushing. 

“Oh my god!” You exclaim, feeling yourself become full with him. This was a type of full that you’d never felt before; and it was so good. 

“Feelin’ good baby?” Harry pants, feeling himself beginning to fall apart as he reaches the base of his cock.

“So good. Think m’gonna cum.” You pant with a little whimper. You were holding your release so that you could cum with Harry but it was getting harder and harder to keep going.

“Me too sweet girl.” Harry pants, beginning to slowly rock himself in and out of you. Harry was on cloud nine. You felt way better than he could’ve ever imagined and he was about to burst. As he continues to rock into you, you can feel him pushing right into the sweet spot within you (you were starting to wonder whether or not he had some type of sweet spot detector inside of him). When he feels you beginning to squeeze around him, he decides to just give up on holding back. “Cum with me baby!” Harry grunts before bursting at the seams. You could feel his cum pouring into your ass as the wave of your release crashes down onto you. All of it combined was so much to handle. You were clenching onto his cock as you came and you were feeling all of his cum flood into your body as you came.

Once the waves of your releases begin to calm down a little, Harry slowly pulls out of you and collapses down onto the bed next to you. You then turn your body so that you’re lying flat against the bed next to him as you are in a tired yet buzzed daze as well. The both of you were out of it and still in shock from the amazing thing you two just experienced.

“Is it wrong for me t’be thinking about pounding your ass right now?” Harry asks out of the blue, reaching his arm over to drag his hand up and down your back. 

“No. Because I’m thinking about it too.” You reply softly. 

“M’gonna tear you up.” He promises.

“I’m ready.” You reply confidently. 

Masterlist

[natashas-girl]

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL- holiday lights

A/n: naive little y/n gets sucked into the shopping portal just like i do except shes not broke. I got this idea while scrolling through target on Black Friday. Also i added a ton of fluff to it so it gets better.

Genre: fluff

Summary: you and natasha are a cute happy couple

You were on a mission. Opening up your computer, you opened google chrome and typed out what you wanted to find. 

About 20 minutes through your searching, Natasha walked in. Once she realized what you were doing, she yanked the computer out of your hands with her amazing reflexes and slammed it shut. 

"But, natasha-" You whined, begging her for the computer back. You grabbed onto her arm over dramatically.

"No. We are not doing that this year. Last year you stayed up for 72 hours shopping and would have bought $325 worth of stocking stuffers had i not intervened. And, Christmas is tomorrow so no matter how amazing the things you find are, they are going to arrive after New Years and be twice as expensive in shipping as the initial price."

The three things that you took away from that, of course, was

1) she was saying all of that in practically one breath, and was incredibly hot in doing so

2) you were not going to be opening that computer for the next 24 hours at least

3) you had to find something else to distract yourself

Fortunately, that last one wasn't a problem. You grinned sheepishly at Natasha. 

"Fiiine. You win . . . But can we walk to the lights after dinner?" A couple streets down there was a cul de sac that went all out for pretty much every holiday. It was in one of the more secluded areas (probably because it was a cul de sac) but by far the most beautiful. If you went there earlier, say around eight, you might see some families sitting around on porches, sipping hot chocolate and apple cider. But if you went there later, around. . . Midnight, it would be completely silent, usually not a soul out there but yourself. . . Or in this case, you and Natasha. 

When you arrived there, the street was completely silent. Some of the falling snow caught your eyelashes, and despite all of the Christmas lights, you could still see some of the stars in the sky. 

"Natasha," you whispered, "look. There's Orion's Belt." You let go of her hand to point to it, and her brow furrowed. 

"Wait. Why is a guy's belt in the sky?" She asked. You rolled your eyes. 

"Well the rest of Orion is there, too." You both started laughing. 

After that, you walked in silence. Holding hands, occasionally stopping to kiss. Like you were in a snow globe full of glitter, the perfect moments safe and happy, while all of the bad stuff was outside of the snow globe. The bad things could shake it up, but in the long run, it would only make it more beautiful. 

Because when you were with Nat, everything was perfect. 

-in the morning-

You woke up next to Natasha. The air outside of your fluffy comforter was cold, so you scooted even closer to her. 

"Hey, baby," she murmured, still half asleep. 

"It's Christmas," you told her, "will you drag me out of bed? Please?"

"I won't drag you out of bed. . . But i will race you down to the tree!" That was one of the things that you really loved about natasha. That she was not only your girlfriend, but your best friend. 

Scrambling out of bed, you threw on some clothes (pajamas) and ran down the stairs, Tasha at your heels. The tree sparkled in the early morning light, even though the string lights were unplugged. 

Grabbing the plug, you crouched down and looked for the circuit. (see? I know fancy words, too. Def did not use autocorrect for that) when you found it, you plugged it in, lighting up the whole tree. 

"Open it," you said, pushing it closer to her. She did. 

"Oh- oh my god, y/n." She said, "Is this. . . Us?" It was. It was a snow globe of you two, holding hands on a street filled with tall buildings tat were covered in Christmas lights. 

"Yeah. . ." You blushed, "i found this great local artist who likes to make snow globes, and. . . I thought of you." 

"Aww, thank you. That is so sweet." She kissed you, only stopping when Thor cleared his throat loudly. 

“My turn. This one is for you, from me.” Natasha said, smiling. 

“Close your eyes,” she said.”

“And now. . . Open them.”

She was there, a nervous smile on her face. Down on one knee. Tears rushed to your eyes. 

“Yes,” you whispered, earning a couple laughs from the rest of the team. 

“Hey, i have to propose first, silly!” She said, a bit less nervous than before. “Y/n m/n l/n, i have loved you since the moment i met you. will you marry me?”

“Yes. Oh, yes yes yes. Yes.” You just couldnt say it enough times. Yes. Yes. Yes. 

You said it until she shut you up by putting her lips on yours. 

On Christmas morning, you kissed your girl. 

I did not re read this but i got sappy towards the end. Idek what happened but this was supposed to be shorter. Word count 878 words. 

Hope ur enjoying ur holidays

[wiypt-writes]

Murder, He Wrote

Part 4 Co-Written with @southerngracela​

Summary: Ransom shows you a softer side, but when the table flips he leaves you with no doubt that he’s still just as dangerous as he has always been…

Warnings: Bad language words. MATURE (NSFW 18+) NON-CON situation, kidnap, violence. DO NOT READ IF ANY OF THOSE TRIGGER… READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!

Pairing: DARK! Ransom Drysdale x Reader

A/N:  So this is Part 4 to our submission for @jtargaryen18​ ‘s Haunted House 2020  Challenge. My writing partner @southerngracela​ is currently on an indefinite hiatus from Tumblr, and I’ve sadly no idea when she will be back. However, this chapter was pretty much finished before she took her break and the rest of the series is also planned out to finish, so as per her blessing before she took time out, I’m intending on finishing what we started.

READ THE WARNINGS!!!! This is a DARK Series… don’t @ us if you can’t follow simple instructions and end up with butt-hurt. And if you’re under 18…get off my blog.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and by writing it does NOT mean I agree with or condone the acts contained within. This fiction is classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar reader and any other OCs that may or may not be mentioned. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Murder, He Wrote Masterlist // Main Masterlist.

Part 3

True to his word, Ransom had let you spend the day with him after Blanc's visit. It was a day interestingly enough your mind wandered back to, if not for the change in scenery, but for the change in his demeanour. A couple of weeks had since passed from then, but the memory was burned in your brain. And since, you'd spent far more than just a day above the confines of your room. Almost every morning since he’d ‘allowed�� you to make breakfast and most mornings, unless he was heading out to wherever he went, he then let you stay upstairs with him whilst he plugged away at the book he was writing. That in and of itself had come as a shock to you, to learn he was an aspiring author for sure, but you had simply nodded and encouraged him when he had told you. And you had quickly realised that when he was busy writing, you could get busy reading one of the many books or writing in your journal while sat in the large study and he left you pretty much alone.

Which is where you were currently sat now, curled up on the leather sofa as he sat at his desk, tapping away at his laptop, your journal open in your lap and a leather bound copy of ‘Great Expectations’ lay next to you, the page marked waiting for you to pick up from where you had left off the previous evening. As you thumbed the pages of your journal to find the next blank page, you had to smile at the little doodle of a Christmas tree that caught your eye in the top right hand corner of a page you’d written a few days back, the day you’d convinced Ransom that he should at least get one Christmas Tree. He’d obliged, had one; only the one, delivered and permitted you to decorate it how you’d wanted to and even managed a little smile when you stepped back and proudly showed the finished product to him. Then, of course, quid-pro-quo, he had had expected something in return which you’d given, because let’s face it, he’d have taken it anyway.

You’d seen a softer side to him that day, and not for the first time either. Granted, non-asshole Ransom wasn’t an everyday feature by any stretch of the imagination, but you’d seen it twice now. You paused, and then thumbed back a few pages to the day you were now remembering, the day you’d first been confronted with a very different Ransom to the one you were used to dealing with. One that came out of nowhere.

It was a wet day, an early winter storm passing through New England. You were sure it could have snowed but instead, it was just wet and cold. He'd come down with breakfast, instead of inviting you up. He'd brought you warm oatmeal with cream and cinnamon, a small bowl of blueberries on the side and a pinch dish of raisins, having forgotten how you took your oatmeal. A cup of coffee, steaming on the tray. He'd set up your breakfast on the table and sat across from you, not eating. He hadn't even brought coffee for himself. 

You'd assessed his mood as morose, distant even. You didn't press, but rather waited for him to out himself and his particular mood. You'd come to recognize when he was thinking and this morning, he was all thought and no presence. 

"I'll be gone most of the day," he finally came clean, just as you'd finished your oatmeal. 

"Okay," you replied. He hadn't ever really announced his plans to you before. He'd just come and go at all times as he'd liked, never leaving you home alone without the doors locked. This willingness to let you in on his plans for the day fielded a small red flag in your mind and if you were honest with yourself, you felt like this was a test. He said nothing else, just picked up your breakfast dishes and left. 

In the time he was gone, you'd managed to shower, nap, write and read. You were growing hungry for dinner, having had to skip lunch in his absence. Then you heard it, the tell-tale signs of his return. The clicks of doors and sounds of boots on the floor above you. The jingle of keys, and a few failed attempts at unlocking your door. A 'fuck' and a 'God damn it' before the door opened and there he stood. Soaked to the bone, dressed in all black from his coat to his toes. Was that ice on the tips of his hair? Was he drunk or just having a moment? Fingers frozen from the cold. 

'Jesus Christ, you're soaked.'  You said as you took him in. His lips looked a little discolored, his skin more alabaster than ivory. Throwing caution to the wind, you grabbed your throw from the chair as you passed it by. 'Get that coat off,' you pulled at its thick woolen collar. The heavy fabric peeled away from his broad shoulders and you let it fall to the floor. You heaved the throw over him and pulled it closed around his thick chest. 'You're not getting sick and leaving me here to rot.'

You moved to give him some space and guide himself further into the room, but ice cold fingers wrapped around your wrist and you stopped dead in your tracks. Your eyes moved upwards from where his hand swallowed you're wrist, along the wet fabric of his black sweater, water droplet covered neck, to eyes that were lost and distant, just as they were that morning, but much worse. 

You were nearly as frozen as his fingers were, not sure what to say or do. Worried about consequence. So you just stared back. 

'Thank you', it was barely audible as the words poured from his lips. 

'Of course.' You weren't sure what he was thankful for but you replied anyway. Cautiously, you continued, 'Will you come sit down? Do you want something warm to drink?' You wanted to ask where he'd been but that was a slippery slope. 

'Not here,' he replied. 

'Upstairs then, in the lounge,' you suggested. He nodded and turned on his heel, a glance over his shoulder to see if you were coming. You followed, pulling your cardigan around you tightly as the chill from the basement filtered through you, or was it coming away from him, you weren't sure. 

You'd thought the lounge was where you were headed but instead, he'd headed for the kitchen, taking a seat at the table there. When he didn't provide instruction or conversation, you inhaled deeply and thought of something to warm you both from the inside-out. You felt his eyes on you as you gathered the ingredients you needed, cocoa, chocolate chips, milk. The cinnamon sticks from the cupboard. You were careful not to make too much of a clatter as you pulled the sauce pan from under the counter. 

In minutes, fresh hot chocolate was in two steaming mugs with whipped cream and freshly grated cinnamon. You handed him a mug and then sat across from him, your mug between your fingers. You watched as he sipped from his mug, blowing a little on the liquid before his lips touched it. His eyes closed as if he was stuck in a memory, his expression softening. 

His eyes opened and he sighed, 'I can't remember the last time I had something like this. I was just a kid, my nana was still alive. It amazes me how they turned out from the two of them.'

'Money changes people,' you commented. You assumed 'they' meant his family, or at least more specifically, his mother and her two brothers, one of which had been gone for years. 

He scoffed, 'fuck my family.'

Throwing caution to the wind, you asked, 'is that where you were?' You couldn't have guessed, given he was usually extremely angry and frustrated when he'd spent time with anyone in the Thrombey-Drysdale family tree. 

He frowned and nodded. 

'What happened?' You couldn't resist.

'Harlan's memorial.'

'Oh' . You said unable to think of anything else to respond with, because really what else could you say. He’d attended a memorial for the grandfather that would still be alive had it not been for him. 

'Oh, indeed,' he mused, long fingers flexing around the mug. 'Surely, you’ve figured out I wasn’t particularly welcome.' 

You couldn't say more, he wasn't wrong. You bit the inside of your lip and swallowed hard. He needed comfort. But would you give it to him? Was he deserving of that? Hell no, but your heart ached for him a little. It couldn't have been easy. But maybe this was his punishment for avoiding the ultimate consequence.

'Go on, say it.'

'Say what?' 

'That I deserve it.' He looked at you, 'I know that’s what you’re thinking.' He leaned back, 'maybe you’re right.' 

Well, that threw you. 'I don't know what I'm thinking, to be honest.' You leaned forward, intending to slip the mug from his hands and take them in yours, but you caught yourself and stopped. That was a step that you weren’t quite ready for, or willing as might be more accurate, to take. 'But, I can tell you're hurting and despite what happened, how it happened, you deserve to say goodbye without the rage and selfishness that got you here.'

'Well,' he leaned back and took another sip from his mug, 'that’s certainly not what they thought. Meg assured me I'm still the stuck up prick without my trust fund.'

A small smirk played over your lips, barely noticeable, 'fuck your family.' 

'Careful, Sweetheart,' he smirked, but there was no threat in his words, not this time. He was genuinely amused.

You managed a slight shrug, 'If there’s one thing I learned from writing about you and your ridiculously entitled family tree, it's that each and every one of you is all about everyone for themselves.' You took a deep breath, waiting for the repercussions to fall. 'What happened, happened. Now, this is what you have, so own it.' 

You flinched a little as his hand reached to scrub at his clean shaven chin, finger tracing his bottom lip as he studied you for a second before he took a deep breath and reached back for his mug. 'I think you need to make this for me more often.' He stated simply, and just like that, the deep foray into his emotions and psyche was over, and the barriers were closed once more.  

'Sure.' You nodded. 'Whatever you want.' 

At that he gave a little scoff. 'Sure, whatever I want.' 

Silence filled the room again, your mind not sure what to make of that last comment, and his was clearly working overtime, you could tell by the way his eyes were still glazed as he simply stared down at the mug in his hand. The rest of the time you sat by the table was quiet, and you were surprised to find yourself a little disappointed. This was the first real meaningful conversation you’d had with him since arriving here. Sure you’d talked, but never once had you got any insight into what exactly made him tick. You’d learned more in the last ten minutes or so than you had in the entire six weeks you’d been his captive.

His captive. 

The words echoed in your mind and you swallowed as you remembered exactly what it was you were doing here. This wasn’t by choice, this man wasn’t your friend or your lover, he was your captor, keeping you for his own entertainment, which he was no doubt going to be seeking from you again tonight.

'I think I need a shower,' he leaned forward, disturbing your thoughts.

'Okay,' You replied. 'I'll, uh, well you know where to find me when you're ready for me. Anything in particular you'd like me to wear tonight?' 

'No, not tonight,' he answered with assurance, his voice carrying a low yet soft tone. 'You can go read or whatever it is you do when I'm gone.' You blinked, temporarily dumfounded and he looked at you, snorting a little. 'What? You want me to come and have my way with you?' 

'Is that a trick question?' You blurted out before you could stop yourself, before you swallowed and waited for the admonishing, but it never came. Instead he chuckled and shook his head.  

'Didn’t think so.' With that he rose from his chair, reaching for your empty mug as he passed. His fingers lightly brushed yours and you were jolted by the sudden sparks that flew up your arm and you took a little breath as he passed, depositing your mugs in the sink. Without another word he breezed from the kitchen for the first time, leaving you alone in the room.

It left you perplexed. Completely and utterly perplexed. He never left you alone, even the weeks on your cycle he’d found other ways for you to satisfy him, with your mouth or your hand for instance, but tonight…

Taking a deep breath, you headed back to your room. You didn’t even look at the main door to the house, there was no point. It was always locked and you knew what the consequences would be if you left. Besides, you wouldn’t get far. Not to mention you had no idea where you actually where and the thought of being outside alone in the dark, frankly scared you to death. No, you were better here. At least you knew it was warm, and familiar.

You headed down the stairs and got ready for bed. You settled in with your book, and after a while your ears pricked up as you heard footsteps outside your room. You swallowed, clearly he had changed his mind. But, as you set your book aside, it wasn’t the sound of the door opening followed by his feet padding down the stairs that you heard, it was the lock clicking as he shut you in for the night.

The sound of the doorbell jerked you away from your memory. Ransom frowned and looked up from the screen of his laptop before his eyes caught yours and he gave a little smirk.

“Expecting someone?”

You rolled your eyes at his asshole joke and he chuckled to himself, grabbing his phone. As he saw who it was at the door his good humour slipped from his face and without another word he rose from his chair. He paused in the doorway and turned to you. “No funny business, remember…” 

 “Yes, I know.” You replied quietly. “You know where my family are.”

He hesitated, almost as if he was about to say something else, but he didn’t. Instead he turned and left the room to answer the door. 

The study wasn't far from the lounge merely the next room down, and the lounge was closest to the door so you tuned your focus to the voice speaking with Ransom. You recognized it and suddenly found yourself adjusting your tee and duster, making sure the cuffs on your jeans were even. You could hear the distress in his tone, the guest was unwanted and you hadn't realized you were now in the hall beside him. You noticed he took a step back towards you, as if he knew you were there. 

Linda Thrombey's eyes raked over you, in shock and disbelief. “What the hell is she doing here?” 

As she glared, you shifted uncomfortably, your hands pulling on the sleeves of the duster sweater you wore as you swallowed.

“She’s with me.” Ransom replied, his tone even.

“With you as in 'with you'?” Linda turned her eyes back to him, distaste evident on her face.

“Is that a problem, Mother, because you know where the door is.”

It was a problem, you could see it in her face as she once more looked at you, but instead of sniping back she simply took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"No, I just wasn't aware you'd have company." Her eyes flicked back to Ransom who simply shrugged.

"Since when did you know anything about what I do on a daily basis, Mother?"

"Don't start, Ransom. I'm not in the mood and I didn't come here for a fight."

 "Then pray do tell, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Can you stop being such a sarcastic little shit for once in your life?" she snapped.

You stilled a little, your eyes flicking to Ransom and you were surprised to find that instead of the usual anger you expected, his face remained passive on the whole, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, something that, well had it been anyone else you'd have sworn was concern. But Hugh Ransom Drysdale wasn't concerned about anyone but himself...

“What’s happened?” he asked, his voice still gruff but there was a softer note to his voice. Linda took a deep breath and she shook her head.

"I felt a call to tell you wasn't appropriate and this needed to be handled in person." She fixed him with a look. “It’s your Greatnanna Wanetta. She died last night, Ransom.”

You froze, hearing the news leave his mother's mouth and you suddenly felt sorry for him. Ransom, stood there stoic, his eyes fixated on his mother.

“Was it peaceful?” he eventually asked, his voice measured.

“In her sleep.” Linda replied, her tone soft.

Ransom stayed silent for a moment, his chest rising and falling slowly as he took deep breaths. His expression was unreadable as he simply looked at his Mother, before he raised his eyebrows inhaling slowly.

“Was there anything else?” He exhaled, and Linda simply shook her head at him, a huff of annoyed laughter escaping her.

“That’s all you have to say?” She asked, incredulously, as Ransom shrugged with a petulantly nonchalant air, and you saw Linda’s face redden as she exploded "Oh for God's sakes, Ransom, you really are such a selfish little bastard, aren't you?”

“What do you want me to say?” He asked, his tone measured. “You said it was peaceful and she didn’t suffer.”

“No, I said she went in her sleep.” Linda corrected him. “I imagine she did suffer, how could she not after everything that happened, huh? Hell, she probably died of a broken heart”.

At that you saw Ransom’ nostril’s flare as his eyes burned into Linda’s face, a flush of red rising up his neck.

"Get out," he deadpanned. When Linda made no attempt to move, Ransom stepped forward yanked open the front door of the house, gesturing with his arm. “I’m not gonna ask again. Go.”

"Ransom..." Linda tried to strong arm her way to stay.

"Are you deaf or just fucking stupid?" Ransom replied, his voice didn't even raise in volume but something about it made you shiver. He was positively frightening when he was in this frame of mind.

You watched as Linda gave him a final glare and stepped outside without so much as a glance back, the slam of the door behind her making you jump.

Ransom saw his mother out but didn't return to the study, in fact he ignored Y/N's presence in the hall entirely. Instead, he sulkingly moved towards the wet bar in the lounge. He didn't even bother with the glass, he picked up the first bottle he could wrap his fingers around and white knuckled the neck, spinning the cap off, it clinking to the floor. He downed a long pull, the amber liquid burning sinfully as it coated his throat, his eyes stinging but not from the booze. 

“Are you okay?” Y/N’s soft voice startled him as he hadn’t heard her enter the lounge. Taking a deep breath, he wiped his hand over his face, and turned to look at her, his jaw clenching.

“Did I say you could leave the study? Did I say you could join the conversation with Linda?” His voice was steely, flat, but he knew full well that she understood that to mean he was pissed and she visibly recoiled in the doorway, her eyes widening. When she didn’t answer immediately he slammed the bottle he was holding down on the bar top, and when he spoke again his voice was louder as he demanded an answer. “Did I?”

“No.” She answered with a quiver, “But I…”

“But I…” he mocked, sneering before he scoffed. “You know considering how smart you’re supposed to be, at times you’re really fucking stupid.”

Y/N blinked a little, and opened her mouth to talk but she fumbled over her words as she frantically began to apologise, which simply served to irritate him even more. With a frustrated growl he reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her head up to look at his.

"You do as I say, when I say it. That rule has NEVER changed," his voice was filled with venom. “I didn’t ask for your sympathy. And I certainly don’t need your pity.”

“That’s not...” she whimpered slightly, and the grip he had on her face tightened causing her to cry out. “Hugh, please!”

And there it was, that fucking name.

You immediately realised your mistake as his face burned red and his lips curled up into an ugly sneer.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t…you were hurting me and…”

“You think I give a shit?” He spat, and the hand suddenly released your face only to wrap painfully in your hair. Without so much as another word he began pulling you from the room, ignoring your shouts of pain and protest as you wrapped both your hands around his wrists, desperately trying to get him to release you. But it was no good, the more you struggled, the tighter his grip became.

Before you knew what had happened he’d dragged you to the door that led to your room and down the stairs, your feet slipping slightly, causing you to stumble, harshly banging your knee on the bottom few steps where he finally released you, shoving you harshly. Your balance already gone, you stumbled and collided harshly with the side of the vanity table, the pain in your cheekbone causing you to yell out once more as the stars exploded in front of your eyes.

It took you a moment to shake off the daze, and when you finally did you looked up to see his retreating back heading up the stairs, slamming the door behind him. With a gasp you slumped down, your back against the wood of the dressing unit, your hand reaching up to your tender face. From somewhere upstairs in the house you heard another door slam, then a moment or so later there was a roar of an engine, which was followed by nothing but eerie silence.

Hugging your knees to your chest you let out a sob as the tears streaming as uncontrollably down your face.

***** All he could see was rage. Red, hot, firey rage. He slammed the basement door and didn't miss the bar cart on his way out, a full bottle of top shelf scotch in his hand, coat and keys in the other. He drove for miles, no destination in his conscious mind but a rather interesting one in his subconscious.

Headstones came into view until his SUV stopped at the end of the grassy knoll where the mausoleum stood surrounded by trees. He climbed out of the car, bottle clutched in his hand and shut the door behind him, simply leaning against the dark metal of his vehicle. For a long while, he didn't move, he simply stared at the entry, gulping large pulls of the scotch as he stared. His thoughts raced and raced, almost making him dizzy. It was that or the fast burn of the booze.

It felt like a flash of his life replaying in his mind. His great-nana, his grandparents, his parents, a life of entitlement growing up, parties, recreational drugs, booze, women, his fight with Harlan, his sudden plot to commit murder and then the crime, his arrest, and then the visions came to a halt with a mind bending pain and at the end of that pain was Y/N.

Her face, her scent, her voice. The way she felt beneath him, around him…those breathy, little moans, sighs. They’d connected recently, Ransom was sure of it, ever since he’d invited her upstairs and let her do something as mundane as cook. They talked more, engaged more, he no longer fucked her and left, instead he’d dress and hang around for a while, and he liked it. But then, today, after his Mother’s visit, those eyes which had mesmerised him from the moment he’d met her had once more reflected fear and confusion.

And Ransom didn’t like it.

Where that fear had, at one point, given him a buzz, now it simply served to remind him exactly how things had been when he had first taken her, and he didn’t like that one bit. He’d grown to crave the other things, like the way she would touch his arm or squeeze his hand. The way she smiled and spoke. The way she made him feel human, not some ghastly, beastly monster capable of killing someone. But he hurt her, more times than he wanted to admit. He hurt her and did things to her, he was vile and despicable. He WAS those things everyone said. 

He was a fucking monster.

He felt the upheaval of emotions begin to collapse around him and he fell to his knees. The sting started and he couldn't stop it. An outpouring of emotions, years, decades even of built up anger, resentment, unhappiness, disgust, fear, pain all erupted in a strangled cry as his chest heaved and his heart raced. Salty steaks of tears wet his cheeks.

And all Ransom Drysdale felt in that moment in time was utter defeat.

His Greatnanna, the only other member of his family who truly ever cared about him, that remained on his side or remotely understood him other than Harlan was now gone and the realization of loneliness hit him like a ton of bricks. His body shook, his chest ached, his mind grew numb and all he could do was cry. 

What the fuck had he become, WHO had he become? What did he do? Why did he do it? This was all his fault, Harlan didn't deserve to be cold in the ground. He did this, all of this. Again, but why?

He had absolutely no answer other than because he could. 

It grew cold, dark, and late. The scotch was gone, his eyes burned and he couldn't breathe through his nose. At this point he didn't care if he made it back in one piece. He was a piece of shit and deserved everything that came to him by way of a tragedy. He climbed into his SUV and tried to collect enough sobriety to drive towards home. Towards her.

******

You had no idea how long you sat on the floor, but by the time you finished crying and had mustered enough about you to move; you were cold, stiff and aching from sitting in the same position for so long. Your face hurt from the blow you’d taken against the dresser, your knee hurt from where you’d banged it but all that paled into insignificance to the pain that was going on inside your chest.

You didn’t understand why Ransom had flipped like he had. For a few weeks now, things had been okay between you, good even. He’d been reasonably amenable to most of your requests and dare you say it, almost happier in himself. But all this served to remind you what lay underneath that façade. A dangerous narcissist with the ability to swap his face and mood at the click of a finger.

Or, in this case, a visit from his mother.

You wiped at your face, hissing as your fingers brushed your tender cheekbone and with a slight whimper of pain you pushed yourself up off the floor and stumbled over to your bed where you lay down and curled up, hugging your pillow to your chest.

You must have dozed off, because the next thing you recall it was dark and you were still cold. Whilst the basement was equipped with heaters, you couldn’t shake the chill from your bones so you decided that your best option to warm up, and ease your aches and pains was a nice, hot bath. Stretching out slightly, you gave yourself a moment before you pushed yourself up, flicking on the lamp on the nightstand before you got up and headed into the bathroom, flicking on the light. 

You paused at the basin unit, glancing at your reflection and you swallowed at the sight of the bruise that was already forming around your right eye and cheek socket. Swallowing the emotion you felt at seeing your face marked once more in such a way, you turned your attention to the bath and the suddenly remembered that the other night Ransom had presented you with a bag from a Boutique you liked that sold home-made soaps and bath bombs, clearly having been in one of his good moods that day. You had yet to unpack it all and put it in the bathroom, so, deciding that you were going to use one tonight, you turned to head back and grab the bag, but as you emerged into the main part of your room, you were stopped short as a thick chest, covered in a ribbed white tee, a hint of a cardigan peeking out as broad shoulders kept warm by a camel coloured coat blocked your path.

You gasped and felt your belly drop out. Your body immediately began quaking in fear as he stood so close to you. You cowered away, taking a half step back but it wasn't enough to put space between you as his hand gently grabbed your upper arm and pulled you into his chest, a shriek emitting from your voice. 

"Don't," his voice cracked. "Don't scream, I'm not gonna..." his words trailed off and he just shook his head. 

He held you against him. You were sure he could feel you trembling as his large hands pressed against your back. You inhaled a deep, shaky breath through your nose and was met with his scent. He smelled so good, like an expensive aftershave with hints of amber and sandalwood, cedar and vanilla but there was an underlying, distinct aroma of alcohol, scotch you suspected, unless you were mistaken.  

You felt his face press into your hair as he took a large, shaky deep breath, as if he was inhaling your scent, which he exhaled before he pulled away, his hands cupping your face. He tilted your face slightly so he could examine your left cheek and you saw him swallow as he took in your bruising. Something stirred behind his eyes, a sad melancholy that you’d seen only once before crossed his arrogantly handsome features, and his head dropped slowly to yours. He held your jaw in his big hands, his lips on yours. You didn’t fight, fighting was futile, but as the kiss continued it soon became clear that this wasn’t like any of the times he had kissed you in the past. No, this one was soft, like a need to just feel you pressed against him. His plump lips pulling yours in and holding you there and you realised, from the lingering taste of something sweet yet ever so slightly tinged with sour, that your suspicions were correct.

Despite your earlier fear, you willed yourself to relax into the relative comfort. It was like he was back to how he had been before his mother had visited and whilst he was in that frame of mine, you knew you were safe, so keeping him there was in your best interests. Your fingers moved from your sides to his chest, the ribbed tee rough against your skin. You continued your movements as his mouth pulled you in just a little more until he traced his tongue over your bottom lip. Your fingers moved out to and up the lapels of his coat, the soft texture like a cottony suede under your fingertips, before settling on the back of his neck, his smooth skin and hairline a definitive juxtaposition to feel. He didn't balk or pull away as he had done previously when you’d tried to show him affection, and you continued to respond to his kiss, your touch seeming to be a comfort for him and in the back of your mind you wondered what had changed to make him act this way. He broke away and rubbed his nose along yours, almost as if he were touching a butterfly, soft and unsure. 

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." He continued to whisper, over and over. A soft, barely there kiss to your bruises and broken skin and more words, "Let me take care of you."

You were scared to admit that this felt good, the way he was being gentle, apologetic even. Pain radiated from his body once again, like it had just a few weeks ago, his eyes telling you everything he was feeling. The outpouring of emotions there were hard to ignore. You weren't sure if forgiveness was in your repertoire, but compartmentalization was. You looked back at him, and with a slow blink, almost hypnotized, you nod in reply to his request. 

Long fingers reached out and tucked a tendril of hair behind your ear, the other hand simply cradling your jaw. You swallowed hard as he bent down and placed his lips on your neck. Your body shivered at the feel of his mouth warm against your skin. His breath hot on your ear, “do you trust me?”

"I don't know," your voice was breathy as you replied. 

“Let me fix this," his voice wavered. It was a question, not a demand. He nipped at your skin and you shivered again from a combination of desire and disgust at the way this asshole could make you feel, how traitorous your damned body was. 

Ransom felt her breath hitch against his touch. She wasn't fighting him, she wasn't combative, she was...receptive. The thought nearly made him crow for, in that moment, he could feel her trust in him coming in, even if she couldn't verbalize it. He was debating on his lips devouring hers but he was... oh God, he was actually afraid of losing her in the moment. Of her closing herself off. No, he thought, it's best to wait. Ignoring the throw blanket on the floor and the mugs of cocoa on the table, Ransom held her face in her hands. "Do you trust me?" He asked again. She swallowed hard and blinked again, slowly. It was as fair if a reply as he'd get. He could see the war in her eyes, her mind battling with her feelings, her heart. "Stay here."

He left her standing there while he started the hot water. He could feel her eyes on him, watching his every move. He felt different, better even, from the moment he sought her attention when he'd come home. He started the tub faucet and as he brushed past her again, he shucked his coat, tossing it on her bed. He took a small bag he'd brought her earlier in the week and carried it with him. He emptied the contents of a small vile like bottle and watched a moment as bubbles began to firm in the hot but tolerable water. With the bath filling, he sighed to himself and turned to face her.

He peeled his own dusty blue cardigan over his shoulders and let it set over the basin unit. He pushed the sleeves of his white thermal up his forearms and held his hand out to her. She hesitated but slowly slipped her hand in his. He pulled her close and his hands gathered the lapels of her cardigan and peeled it away from her. Underneath her cardigan, Y/N sported a firm fitting white tee and jeans that looked well fitted for her hips and ass, toned legs, bare feet curling into the tiled floor. Ransom salivated as her nipples hardened through the material. He realized she had no bra on under her tee and his hand gently slipped under her rib cage, his thumb padding over her pert nipple. He lifted the thin white tee away from her body and tossed it to the floor. He was half hard just at the thought of her naked under her clothes and now he was solid. Discomfort growing by the second. 

A hooked knuckle traced down her sternum, between her breasts and along the center of her taught stomach. He watched as goose flesh covered her exposed skin. As his knuckle reached the waistline of her jeans, he took to his knees, pressing soft, open mouthed kisses to her belly, just above her flies. With just his fingers, he undid the button, unzipped the zipper and the peeled the material away from her legs, all the while deep blue eyes peered up at her. He wasn't disappointed to find she'd still worn panties under the rough material, in fact he was delighted. His eyes roved down to her black, lace panties and he reached out, fingers gently tracing long the detailed waistband. Those came down next and as she stepped out of the material, Ransom's hands traced patterns up her leg, faint kisses to her thigh, her hip, her belly. He stood and admired Y/N, completely bare, with less than a foot of space between them.

Ransom hummed, his right hand reaching out, pads of his fingers again trailing a path down the valley of her heaving breasts to her navel. He paused as her breathing hitched and with a smirk his hand dropped lower still, over the faint tuft of hair he insisted she kept groomed, his fingers slipping into her folds. She gave a soft gasp, eyes widening as he continued to tease her, her hands reaching to up to grasp at his biceps as he played with her. She was wet, so wet from just this little bit of play and with a sharp flick of his wrist, he pushed two fingers inside of her. 

He leaned forward, mouth brushing the shell of her ear, “Just say the words and I’ll make you feel so damned good, Sweetheart, like you’ve never felt before.” Ransom pulled away, removing his fingers from where they’d been, his hand curling on her hip, sticky with her essence. He backed her toward the tub's edge, his forehead pressed into hers. All motion stopped the second the back of her legs touched the tub. "Get in," he whispered. 

You sunk down into the water, the aromatic smell of calming lavender swallowing your senses. Bubbles covered your body, to the point they tickled your collar bone. You eyed him kneeling as he reached over you, grabbing the natural sea sponge loofah and dipping it into the water before he squeezed it over your skin, gently scrubbing. Your face once more met his and you carefully watched him as he exhibited a patience you had never seen from him before. Those blue orbs bore into you, but still he made no move to take you.

And it was unnerving.

But then, as you stared into those deep, icy blue pools something suddenly clicked in your mind. He wanted you to want him. That was what this was about. He’d spent his entire life with people who regarded him as unworthy of love or any kindness and he was seeking validation. Whilst you could see he was genuinely hurting, you also still knew this man was violent, angry, had taken you without your permission, taken what he wanted from you and when. You knew he would take what he wanted tonight too, regardless of what your answer was, the moment for you to back out had been and gone.

But something felt so good about his touch that you were shivering in anticipation of more rather than in fear and the feeling of enjoyment on your mind started to overpower the feeling of disgust in your belly as your core tightened with each breath you felt against your skin. You blinked, your head a whirl, as you were shamefully turned on despite the depraved nature of this entire situation. You broke from your thoughtful trance as a hand cupped your face, a thumb pad tilting you chin upward just a pinch to look at him,

"What?" You whispered. 

"Let me in?" He asked, his tone a bit contrite and hopeful. 

When she nodded in a slow reply, Ransom felt his stomach drop out from under him. Butterflies grew to take flight like an albatross deep in his gut. He dropped the sponge in the water and stood tall, towering over the tub. He reached behind his neck, between his shoulder blades and pulled the thermal over his head, his hair catching slightly on the fabric. He ran a hand through it to straighten it back up and tossed the garment to the floor. He watched as her eyes grew noticeably wide as they roamed over his taught, well-formed abs, his bare chest. He flexed a little, his muscles twitching as he focused on the buckle and flies of his pants. He'd kicked his boots off as he'd undone his belt, the clank an ignored sound as all he could do was watch her and she him. Ransom allowed the material to fall between them, his pants hitting his ankles and he was quick to slip out of his pants and socks. He palmed his hard cock through his boxer briefs as she watched him touch himself.

He could see the change in her, the look of desire and lust in her eyes. The way she was admiring him now, rather than cowering at him. She was appreciating what was before her. His pale skin, his sculpted body, his naked form. He’s seen her, stripped her bare. But normally he's pulled his dick out and just fucked her. This was uncharted territory, this was new. And he liked it. He liked the way she was looking at him, feeding his ego and willingly participating. This, yes, this was something fun for him. And oh yeah, she wanted this, he could see it all over her.

One foot, then the other, Ransom stepped into the tub and sat opposite of her, careful to avoid the faucet. The water felt inviting, the company even more so. Her one leg nestled between his legs while the other just to the outside of them. She slid her left foot up close to his thigh, bending her leg at the knee. At this new comfortable position, his fingers started drawing intricate circles along her shin and calf. He watched her inhale deeply and tilt her head towards her shoulder, observing him. 

As you watched him, carefully, you saw him swallow, the hollow of this throat constricting a little before he took a deep breath, his touch on your leg still feather light. You wanted to lose yourself, give into the desire that you were feeling whether it be wrong or right, at that point in time you were past caring. You were in this position, nothing was going to change that, so was it really wrong to want to feel something more than fear? It was like there was a game of chess being played between your mind and heart, your gut and will.

And then, Checkmate, the idea came to you. You had a chance here to keep Ransom satisfied but on your terms. You had the power. And as long as you kept it that way you could control his temper and his actions, and get what you now shamefully admitted to yourself that you wanted.  And the realisation that you had the winning move here was almost liberating.

Ransom shifted a little, the water sloshing around him as he sat up, his chest poking a little further out of the water as he studied your face, and you waited to see what he would do. His tongue poked the inside of his cheek, he was clearly going through a mental battle himself and eventually he licked his lips, his gaze dropping to your breasts which were just under the water line and he swallowed once more before his hand on your leg stilled and he squeezed your calf muscle gently before he moved, leaning forward, his large hand once more resting against your cheek as he drew you in for another deep, gentle kiss.

You leaned into him, letting his lips works softly against yours as your hand dropped under the water and grasped his solid cock, giving him a gentle stroke. The kiss stuttered immediately, and he let out a choked groan as his eyes flew open, locking onto yours.

“Sit back.” You encouraged, and he did just that, his back once more resting against the top as you followed him, your hand remaining soft but firm enough to keep drawing those noises of satisfaction from his throat. His head tipped back as he let you take control, his Adams apple bobbing, eyes closing as no words left his lips, no dirty talk, no hissed little demands about what depraved position he wanted you to adopt, nothing. You held the power, and that turned you on in a way it really shouldn’t.

He gave a strangled hiss as you gripped him tighter and then you shifted, letting go to allow yourself to move your right knee to his left side, following with your other, his eyes flying open, a look of surprise on his face as you lined yourself up and his hands reached up, surprisingly gentle as they rest against your hips. There wasn’t much room, but it was doable, and you sank down onto him, his eyes flying to your hips as you both gave a little whimper as he filled you completely.

His fingers flexed against your skin, blunt nails biting ever so slightly, as you remained still, your hands sliding up his chest, curling over his shoulders. He was tense, coiled like a spring, clearly fighting back the urge to slam up into you and you began to work at a little of that tension, fingers rubbing up and down his neck, the index on your right trailing that vein that was bulging along his throat. His eyes never left yours until you softly began to knead at the strained muscles along his shoulders and neck, massaging deeply as you worked at the knots, his hands still resting on your hips, contracting every so often as you found a particularly knotty spot.

Every so often, he would make the slightest of movements, simply because he was relaxed and you could feel your walls fluttering sporadically, just from being full and stretched to your fill. But, still he made no move to take over, until at one point you hit a particularly knotty area at the point his neck met his collar bone and he gave a little jolt which caused you to groan and he opened his eyes, searching almost for permission. When he found no objection, his hands gently started rocking you.

The pressure and friction on your clit was boiling. It was slow and burned in a way that was so delightful it was almost painful. And, before you could stop yourself you were rolling into him as he kept that same delectably slow rhythm, rocking you back and forth slowly, deeply, before one hand left your hips and grasped the back of your neck, pulling you down for a deep kiss.

Ransom pulled away from her, breathless, his forehead against hers. The words were barely heard, but he knew he said, "I want you..."

"You have me," she replied in a soft whisper. 

"Not here," he shook his head, their foreheads rubbing. He glided his nose against hers. 

He missed the way she felt around him the second she managed to stand and slip out of the tub. Ransom was quickly behind her, following, bubbles and water dripping to the floor from them both be damned. He followed her to the bed where she stood at its edge, her eyes inviting him. He took a seat, bare ass and thighs soaking the comforter, knees bent over the edge. His eyes roamed her body, taking her all in. His own deep appreciation for her firm an awakening in his soul.

Slowly, just like she had in the tub, one knee slipped passed a hip, the other following. His lips were on her breasts, inhaling the scent of the oils and bubbles clinging to her skin as his tongue traced a hardened nipple and then the other. As he did so, she sunk back down his shaft again, a guttural groan escaping them both. She was ready, the thick vein of his cock giving a seductive friction against her wall.

Ransom ran his hands up and down her back, long index finger tracing up and down her spine as hot open mouth, needy kisses covered as much skin as he could. His hands splayed over her shoulder blades as his hips met her grind, catching her as Y/N arched into his movements. Her head tipped back, sheer wanton pleasure radiated from her with a heat he could almost feel. His mouth moved to the spot he knew drove her wild on her neck under her ear and the little whimper she made was nothing short of delectable. 

As he began to lean back towards the mattress, he rolled her body against his, bringing her down with him. He planted his heels against the comforter and scooted them both to the center of the bed, still buried deep inside her. With a hand back to her hip, a gentle grip keeping his own pace with her rhythm, the other tangled in her messy hair as his tongue dove deep into her mouth, savoring each pass her own tongue made against his. He could feel her body flutter against him, sweet kisses her walls made against his solid cock. Her hands braced herself against his broad chest as she sat up, riding him with fluid, long rolls of her hips and he shivered, despite the searing fire between them. He was no longer fighting that desire to take control, he was more than happy to let her take the lead and respond accordingly, dare he say he was enjoying it. The slowness and sheer intimacy was something he never knew he’d craved until now and as she gave a particularly desperate roll of her hips he groaned, "Fuck yeah, Baby, just...like...that..."

A gasp and a shudder ran through you, your walls clenching down on him as a rush of power surged through your entire body. You rolled your hips deeper against him, the friction against your clit nearly too much. You brought your eyes down and looked down at his face, strong jaw, piercing eyes, his thick bottom lip sucked between his teeth. You had full control over him, beneath you he was as powerless as you had been made to feel. "Oh, God," you’re ready to sing a song of pure ecstasy as your body coils and tightens under your own volition. The signs of orgasm were just...right...there.

As you felt a deep thrust from his hips, hitting your sensitive and perfect spot within, your head lulled back and you felt his name roll off of your tongue, "Ransom...."

At the sound of his name spilling from her mouth Ransom gave a groan. It wasn’t Hugh, or Drysdale, it was Ransom. The one thing she had refused to say from day one and she had finally let herself go enough to give in to what he knew she wanted. His chest swelled, a warm feeling flooding from his toes right to his head and he surged up, his lips on hers, the kiss sloppy as with an easy movement he flipped them both so she was underneath him, all semblance of self-control now lost as her voice echoed round his mind, the soft, sultry way in which she’d cried his name repeating like a prayer. 

"Gimme one more, baby, just one more..." his hips were thrusting hard, but not painfully so."Say it again, please," his voice was laced with fire and emotion, a whimper or sob nearly on his lips.

"Ransom...." she replied coming again and his fingers gripped into her skin, holding her in place as his seed shot deep into her, filling her, his entire body shaking, no nearly convusling as he came.

Breathlessly, they laid there, his body gently caging her in, her fingers curling around his neck and into the nape of his hair.

“Thank you.” He whispered, and you blinked, not quite sure you’d heard him right.

“What for?” You asked, your breath still punctuated by your gasps as you came down from your high.”

“For trusting me.” His nose nudged yours and you looked into his eyes, “for forgiving me.”

“I’m not sure I have.” You replied honestly, and a frown furrowed his brown before he sighed and closed his eyes, his head hanging a little.

“That’s fair, I suppose.” He looked back at you before he moved, pulling out of you and immediately you missed his presence, the heat of his body gone as he rolled to his side. You waited for him to rise and dress as he usually did but he made no effort to move. Instead he lay still, looking up at the ceiling before he turned onto his side, his fingers gently trailing down your bruised cheek as it brushed the soft pillow when you turned to look at him.

“Can I stay?” He asked.

It was a pointless question. Because, let’s face it, you didn’t have a choice. If he didn’t want to go he wasn’t going to, and it wasn’t like you could leave. But, nevertheless, the fact he had bothered to ask you in the first place was another first. And you found yourself suddenly believing that if you did say no, he would leave.

Instead you nodded, and he gave you a small smile, not a sneer or a smirk, a genuine smile that lit up his handsome face as he leaned over and pressed his lips tenderly to yours.

Together you managed to get yourself under the duvet before you reached up for the lamp and clicked it off before settling on your side, facing away from him.

“My err, my cheek hurts.” You said quietly, offering him an explanation as to why you’d turned your back on him. He gave a small sigh and one of his arms snaked under your neck, the other curled round your bare body, resting just underneath your breasts. He gave your shoulder a gentle kiss, another unspoken apology before you felt him tug you back into him, your back pressing against the hard wall of his chest.

He was the first to fall asleep, his body spent as was yours but you laid there still feeling the electricity roll through your muscles, tiredness settling into your bones. You had given him what he wanted but kept your ground and done it on your terms. It's what he'd needed this entire time, to hear his name from your lips, to be wanted to be cared about, to be "loved". You internally scoffed. To be loved... you doubted he had any idea what that actually meant, to be loved unconditionally. But as you’d questioned the other day over hot chocolate, was that really his fault?

This situation was fucked up. What you were doing was fucked up, but, if giving him what he wanted and what he needed kept you in the driving seat, so to speak, you could work with it.

**** Part 5

[make-me-imagine]

Request: Reader is away visiting family, and comes back in time for Christmas to surprise their boyfriend Greg.

Requested by: Anonymous

Pairing: Greg Lestrade x Gen!Neutral Reader

Greg Lestrade Taglist: @sharinkashaf​

Triggers: None        Words: 1,130

You grinned to yourself as you spoke to Greg on the phone “Yeah, my parents are out getting some more yard decorations” you lied. You knew that the guilt you felt for lying to him would fade the second you would see the look of surprise on his face when you showed up at the flat. 

Greg chuckled “Didn’t they just by a giant rudolph?” 

“Yep, now they need a matching santa” you laughed along with him. 

You heard Greg sigh on the other end of the phone “God I miss you” 

Your smile faltered for a second as you debated telling him in that moment, but staying strong you simply replied “I miss you too, But I’ll be back soon enough”

“You better” he replied, though this time you could hear the smile on his face.

Hearing the sound of a muffled announcement, you turned and looked through the windows of the airport, on the board you saw that your flight was about to board “I have to go Greg, my neighbors are pulling in, they probably have another fruit cake to pawn off on us”

Greg chuckled “Alright, I will talk to you later then, I love you”

“I love you too” you smiled as you hung up, quickly grabbing your bags and jogging inside and towards the check-in. 

Just one more long flight and you’d be home. Your heart was pounding from excitement. You had been visiting your family for over a month now, nearly two, and though you had original planned on staying until Christmas, you and your family decided it would be best if you went back to London. Your family, though bummed you were leaving, thought it would be best if you spent a Christmas with Greg. You had been together for over a year, and it was time you made your own traditions with him. You just hoped you wouldn’t be showing up at an inopportune time. 

You managed to get a nap in on the plane, but the excitement of going back home made you restless. You spent a lot of the time chatting with the person next to you about your families and traditions at Christmas.

When you finally landed in London, you couldn’t help but be giddy with excitement, this had been the longest you had been away from Greg since you started dating. 

You looked around the large groups of people all bustling through the airport. As you moved through them, spouting out numerous “excuse me”’s, you sighed “This is what I get for flying in on Christmas Eve.” 

“Y/n!” turning to the area you heard your name being called from, you spotted Molly who was hopping and waving trying to get your attention. You returned her wave and ran over to her, giving her a big hug in greeting.

“Thank you so much for picking me up Molly” 

“Of course, think nothing of it!” she grinned as she helped with your bags. 

Once you were in the car you turned to her “So you are sure that Greg is gone for the morning?”

She nodded “Yes, I made sure of it, though I did think he might have been getting a bit suspicious about my questions, so I made sure he thought it was because I wanted to drop something off that I had borrowed from you. He should be back in about an hour” 

“Good, good” you grinned “I can’t wait to see his face.”

She smiled “You have to tell me all about it afterwards.” 

Pulling into the parking lot of Greg’s flat, to which you luckily had the key. Molly helped you drag all of your bags up before leaving you with a thumbs up and a “Good luck!”. 

Once in his flat, you brushed your teeth, and changed your clothes and finished freshening up before you looked around the flat. Noticing the small Christmas tree you had made him put up, you saw some wrapped gifts. Walking over, you plug it in, the bright lights twinkling. Looking down, you see that the presents are all addressed to you. You both had decided to have your own Christmas one you returned. Smiling as you ran your fingers through one of the lacy ribbons, you unpacked one of your bags, which was full of presents for Greg. Setting them under the tree with the other presents.

Walking over to the other side of the flat, you looked at various photos, most of which were of the two of you. Hearing the muffled sound of keys in the door lock you gasped as you looked around unsure of what to do. As the door swung open, you stood up, staring at the entrance way. 

Greg walked into the apartment before placing down a bag from a local grocery store. You saw him pause as he was bent down, looking over and seeing the Christmas tree lit, you saw a frown form on his face, his gaze shifting to the suitcase you had set near the counter.

He stood up and spun around quickly, his eyes looking around the flat before landing on you, as you stood there, grin plastered on your face “Merry Christmas Greg.”

Greg’s eyes widened as he grinned widely “Oh, you little-” he laughed as he quickly moved towards you. You met him half way as you threw yourself into his open arms. You laughed as he spun you around “Oh, I can’t believe you’re here!” Pulling away he quickly pulled you in for a kiss before laughing again “When the hell did you get here?” 

“About an hour ago, Molly picked me up from the airport”

“So that’s why she wanted to know what I was doing?” he exclaimed as it seemed obvious she was up to something.

He shook his head as he continued to grin, before pulling you into another hug. You wrapped your arms around him as he rocked you side to side “Oh I love you” he muttered, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. Pulling away again, he placed his hands on either side of your face “Cheeky” he muttered making you laugh “What did your family think about you leaving? You were supposed to spend Christmas with them.”

“They agreed, that since we’ve been together for a while, that we should have our first Christmas together.” 

“Well I agree with that too.” he smiled, pressing a kiss to your forehead, pulling you to his chest yet again “You are the best Christmas present I could ask for ya’ know.” 

You smiled into his chest before moving to look into his eyes “And you’re mine” you smiled before kissing him, still holding each other tightly as your heart swelled with the warmth of finally being home. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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[gryffindorcls]

The Purr-fect Gift

Summary: Years after the reveal and the start of their relationship, Marinette and Adrien move in together. To her dismay, Adrien has become distant and quiet after the move. Marinette just wants things to return to normal, but Adrien has a surprise for her that will change their lives forever.

Length: 2,894 words This is my Secret Santa present for @luminousinthedark from the APS server! You asked for fluff and romance so cheesy that it would make Plagg question his life choices, so I tried to think of the most romantic thing that could possibly happen between these two dorks. Don't let the beginning fool you....the end is **very fluffy**. I hope you enjoy it!  Happy Holidays! :D (A shout-out to my super awesome beta @misscongenialityofmlb for taking a look at this!) — AO3

Fanfiction

Marinette checked the time on her phone for the thousandth time that day, cringed at the numbers on the screen, and repocketed the device. She stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to see over the throngs of people blocking her view of the register. Crossing her arms, she began tapping her foot on the hard tiled floor.

“Girl, chill.” Alya rested her hand on her shoulder. “We’re almost to the front. I pre-ordered the new iPhone for Nino, so once we get there, we should be done pretty quickly.”

“Sorry,” Marinette mumbled, taking a peek at her phone screen again.

“You can go if you need to. I really don’t mind waiting by myself.”

“What! No! I promised that I would wait with you. I’m fine.”

Crossing her arms, Alya shot her a disbelieving look. “Uh-huh, and I’m the Queen of England. What’s going on with you today?”

“What do you mean?” Marinette straightened her posture and did her best to smile.

Alya shook her head “I haven’t seen you this jittery in years.”

“Jittery? Me? Pshh, no!” Giving up the ruse, she slumped and groaned. “Is it really that noticeable?”

“Yes, it is. Now spill! What’s going on?”

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“Maybe you can start with why your eyes have been glued to your phone all morning.”

She shoved her phone into her pocket, feeling a rush of heat to her cheeks. “I’m just a little anxious about getting to lunch with Adrien and Nino on time.”

“Since when are you concerned about being on time? I think the boys know by now that Miss High-Fashion has a tendency to be fashionably late.” Alya put a hand on her arm. “What’s really going on?”

“I don’t even know how to put this. I...I’m worried about my relationship with Adrien.” Marinette buried her face in her hands. “And I don’t know what to do.”

A fire ignited behind Alya’s eyes. “Did he do something to you? Because if he did-”

Marinette waved her hands in front of her. “No! No, it’s nothing like that! It’s just that he’s been a little, what’s the word, distant?”

“How so?”

“Ever since we moved in together he’s barely been home, and right before he left two weeks ago he canceled our plans to decorate our Christmas tree. He was gone all day, and he got home an hour before he had to leave for the airport.”

“Ahh, I see.”

“Yeah, and even though he got back yesterday, I haven’t seen him yet. When he suggested that we all meet up for lunch today, I was kind of hoping that it meant that maybe things would go back to normal.” She threw her hands into the air. “I don’t know. Alya, help me!”

Alya tapped her chin. “Have you tried talking to him about it?”

“I would, but he’s never around! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe we’re moving too fast, and it’s scaring him. Or maybe he’s still overwhelmed about the whole...well, you know...reason why we don’t have to transform every day and fight Akumas anymore.”

“I doubt that. He loves you so much. You’d have to be blind to miss it.”

“He’s changed.”

“Marinette, listen to me.” Alya grabbed her shoulders. “If he’s acting weird, it probably has nothing to do with how he feels about you. That boy has been in love with you for years. Are you forgetting that this is the same human you gave a constipation prescription to when we were fourteen? And then he filled it without questioning why you needed it. You weren’t even dating yet, and he was willing to do anything to make you happy.”

“But-”

“No, buts! He loves you. He’s your ‘kitty’ and you’re ‘his lady’. You two are made for each other.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Girl, the sheer number of pictures that I have on the Ladyblog of Chat Noir looking at Ladybug while she’s not looking should be proof enough.” Alya leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper. “And if that doesn’t help, I have a whole folder on my phone of pictures where he’s looking at you outside of the mask.”

“He did once tell me that it was always going to be us against the world.” Marinette shrugged. “Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

Before Alya could answer, Marinette’s phone went off several times in her pocket. She pulled it out, tapped on the notification, and read the text in her inbox.

Adrien: [11:16] Hey there, beautiful.

Adrien: [11:16] Something came up, I can’t make lunch today.

Adrien: [11:16] Sorry

Adrien: [11:17] :(

Her heart dropped. She sighed before typing out a short response.

Marinette: [11:17] no worries

Marinette: [11:17] see you later! <3

“What’s up?” Alya asked, “Are the boys already at the restaurant? Tell them we’ll be there in like thirty minutes. There are only ten people in front of us now.”

Shaking her head, she tried not to cry. “No, Adrien can’t make lunch. He’s just going to meet us back at the apartment later tonight.”

“Hold on." Alya whipped out her phone. "Let me text Nino.”

Marinette hugged herself. The air around her was cold, and she felt so small and alone. How could this be happening to her? Before they moved in together, everything had been fine with her relationship? What changed? Why now? What was she doing wrong?

“So, I texted Nino, and he’s with Adrien. Neither of them will be joining us for lunch.” Alya pulled her into a hug. “But everything is going to be okay. Trust me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Have I ever steered you wrong?”

“No.” Marinette shook her head. “At least not on purpose.”

“Look, you’re my best friend, and I propose that we have a girls’ day before we meet up with the boys later.” A smile lit up her face. “How would you feel about getting our nails done after the two of us grab a quick lunch?”

Marinette’s sadness was quickly replaced with confusion. “Our nails? At a salon? Since when do we pay for manicures?”

“Since today! So, what do you say?”

She didn’t want to spend another day sulking in her apartment. Perhaps a day out would do her some good.

“I guess that could be fun?” Marinette shrugged. “Just as long as we can grab some cookies for Tikki before we go. She’s been asleep in my bag all morning.”

“Yes!” Alya threw a celebratory fist into the air. “Works for me! Trixx needs some food, too. I’m sure he’d appreciate having something to eat while we get pampered.”

“A little pampering sounds nice.” Marinette looked down at her nails. “Maybe something festive? A bright red? Or sparkles?”

“Yes! That’s the spirit.” Alya slung her arm over her shoulder. “And maybe while we’re at it, we could get our hair and make-up done, too!”

“Wow, nails, hair, and make-up? This is starting to sound like we’re getting ready for a photoshoot, not a night in.”

“Why should model boy have all the fun? Besides, I’m sure he’d love to see you all ‘dolled-up’.”

Marinette laughed and did her best to imagine the smile on Adrien’s face when he finally saw her later that evening.

***

To her delight, Adrien did smile when she walked into their apartment, but it was quickly overshadowed by the hasty hello and peck to the cheek that he gave her before rushing off to the living room. Feeling her heart sink, she hung her coat on a hook and made her way to the couch.

The plan was to decorate their tree with Alya and Nino, but everything that could go wrong went wrong. The lights shorted out when they plugged them in, and at least twelve ornaments shattered when she attempted to hang them.

Adrien didn’t say a word as he cleaned up each little mess she made. He merely smiled and grabbed another ornament for her to put onto the tree. As the night wore on, he moved further and further away and made little to no eye contact with her. He even disappeared into their bedroom several different times.

Just when she thought the universe couldn’t possibly make her day any worse, Marinette managed to burn a batch of Christmas cookies that she’d put in the oven for them to enjoy when they were done decorating.

When the smoke alarm finally stopped beeping and the panic in the kitchen had subsided, Marinette reached her breaking point. How was she supposed to convince Adrien to keep living with her if she kept messing everything up?

Sure the broken ornaments were on par with her usual clumsiness, but burnt cookies? She was a baker’s daughter! Burning cookies was something that just didn’t happen to her anymore.

Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Marinette bolted from the kitchen, ran into the bedroom, and slammed the door behind her. After unceremoniously flopping facefirst onto the bed, she sobbed into a pillow, not caring about ruining her professionally-done make-up.

She’d tried so hard to make tonight perfect, but of course, she wasn’t even capable of making it okay. Even after she’d calmed down a little, Marinette cringed at the idea of rejoining the group. She wasn’t ready to see the look of disappointment on her boyfriend’s face.

If he didn't before, he definitely regretted asking her to move in with him now.

A knock at the door sent her flying towards the tissue box on her nightstand. There was no way she was letting anyone see her like this. Especially not…

“Hey, Marinette?” Adrien...of course, it was Adrien. “Can I come in?”

His voice sounded so unsure, and it immediately broke down her resolve. “Sure.”

She hastily wiped her hands at her face as the knob turned and the door slowly creaked open. Adrien poked his head in, locked eyes with her, rushed to her side, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Oh, love.” His hand rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Please tell me what’s wrong. What can I do to make it better? Is it the cookies? Because we can just make a new batch. It’s okay.”

“Everything.” The floodgates opened, and Marinette buried her face into his chest, sobs racking her body once again. “I messed everything up! I know that you probably regret moving in together, and I was hoping that I could change your mind tonight, but I failed.”

Adrien pulled away, his eyes filled with concern. “Marinette, what are you talking about?”

“Y-you’ve been avoiding me, and I get that this was a big step and that you might not have been ready…”

He cut her off. “What? Marinette, no! Moving in with you was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. What made you think something like that?”

“Well, I barely saw you before you left, and you keep making excuses to not hang out or be in the apartment. Please don’t hide how you feel from me.” She sniffled. “It’ll hurt, but I’ll be okay.”

“Marinette…” He grabbed her shoulders and shook his head. “I love living with you.”

“Please.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I just need to hear the truth.”

“But I am telling you the truth. I don’t regret any part of our relationship. If anything, you’re the reason I’ve made it through all of this insanity the past few years. I’m so sorry that I ever made you feel like I didn’t want to live with you anymore.” He scratched the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. “I actually feel quite the opposite.”

The feeling of hopelessness began to ebb away under his unwavering gaze. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Then why do you keep disappearing all the time? We’ve barely seen each other in weeks.”

“Oh, uhhh, right.” He cleared his throat. “There’s a really good reason for that.”

He pushed himself off of the bed and made his way over to the dresser. After fumbling around one of the drawers, he pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box topped with a sparkling golden bow.

“I had this custom made for you, and there was a problem with my order. I was trying to take care of the issue the day I left. That’s why I canceled all of our plans.” He held out the box for her to take.

Marinette took the box and examined it.

He sat back down on the bed and clasped his hands in his lap. “I was going to give it to you while we were decorating the tree, but I got kind of nervous.”

“Is that why you kept avoiding me tonight?” She cocked her head to the side.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Why? I love everything you give me.”

“This is just...really special, and I wanted the moment to be purr-fect.”

She giggled. “A cat pun...really? I thought we were having a serious moment, Chaton.”

“Well, it made you smile, didn’t it?” He reached up and brushed a stray hair away from her face. “I want to look back and say that you were smiling when I gave this to you.”

“This must really be some gift.”

“It is.”

“What is it?”

“How about you open it and find out.” She turned the box a few times until she found the tape holding it together. She carefully removed the outer wrapping and pulled out a small, plain cardboard box with a lid. Marinette took off the lid to reveal an elegant black velvet box with a small silver clasp. It fit in the palm of her hand, and the more she stared at it, the more things began to make sense.

“Adrien, is this…” The words died on her lips when she looked up to find her boyfriend on one knee.

He took the box out of her hands, opened it, and turned it around, putting its contents on display. In all her years of dreaming about this moment, the ring he’d chosen was more beautiful than anything she’d ever imagined. She was left breathless as she watched the ring’s three stones sparkle under the glow of the ceiling lamp.

Knowing what was coming, her heart pounded against her chest. Her head was swimming amongst the clouds, and the colors around her suddenly seemed brighter and more vibrant. Her nightmare had turned into a dream–a beautiful, wonderful, and surreal dream.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are the light and love of my life.” The happiness radiating off of him was palpable. “When you dropped into my life, you filled a void I didn’t even know was there. You stayed by my side through every bump and struggle with nothing less than unwavering encouragement and love. Without even trying, you helped me grow into the person I am today. You accept me for all that I am, and I can’t even begin to thank you for that. I love you more than anything, and I want to build a life with you. I want to grow old with you, get a hamster, have children...I want it all.”

“Adrien…” Her hands were covering her mouth.

He took a deep breath. “Will you marry me?”

Marinette launched herself off of the bed and tackled Adrien to the ground in a crushing hug. “YES! YES! OH MY GOD, I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING! YES!”

Now it was his turn to cry. “Wait, really?”

“I have been dreaming about marrying you for thirteen years!”

“But...that’s when we met.”

“And when I fell in love with you.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“My amazing, Chaton...Adrien, I love you so much.” She held his face in her hands. “I would love nothing more than to marry you.”

Before she had time to react, his lips were on hers. She slid off the bed, sunk to the floor, and erased the remaining space between them. Her hands were in his hair, desperate to feel him even closer. All too soon, they pulled away, gasping for air.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you, my lady. You’ve made me the happiest cat in the world.”

She leaned in and kissed him again. This time, it was a chaste peck on his lips that she knew left him wanting more.

“Marinette, no,” he whined, “come back.”

“I will," she said with a teasing lilt, “as soon as you finish what you started.”

“What?”

“Or do I have to put the ring on myself?”

“Of course not. Your hand, my lady?” He picked the box up off of the ground, plucked the ring out of the cushion, and slipped it onto her finger.

And just like that, all was right with the world. She always knew that she and Adrien were a forever kind of thing, but before today, it always felt abstract. Now, it was more than a daydream. It was their future, and it was real.

They kissed again and again until their lips were chapped and their cheeks hurt from smiling. Sooner than they would have liked, they decided to rejoin their friends; however, before she shut out the light and walked out of the room, she stopped to admire the ring once more.

It was a perfect fit...just like them.

[everybodyscupoftea]

rockin around the christmas tree

pike jj x reader

you and jj decorate your first apartment together

this is in the future when you and jj are in nashville :)

(warnings: cursing, implied drinking, very very little editing)

At the words, “I’ve never really decorated a tree before,” you knew immediately that you were going to go all out for JJ. You knew his childhood wasn’t great and that he didn’t really experience it in college either with living in the dorm and then the frat house, but you didn’t consider that meant he’d never really done the tree and lights shebang.

Over the month of November you started gathering up random decorations, here and there, that you thought could fit in your apartment without being a nuisance. One afternoon you convinced your mom to drive over from your hometown with some of your favorite ornaments and decorations from childhood.

She loved JJ and was plenty happy to part with them for his sake. You made sure all the bags and boxes were put away in the second bedroom and made a promise with yourself to not tell him until after Thanksgiving.

Then you got slammed with paper after paper and quiz after quiz which led you to truly forget about everything until you went in there to make sure things were all clean for guests and tripped over a box full of lights.

“Ow, fuck!” you yelped, looking down to see what you’d hit, stomach dropping when you saw it all and heard JJ coming to see what was wrong. Before he could quite get to the door, you waved him away, “All good, just stubbed my toe.”

He backed away, hesitantly, toward the kitchen where he’d been cutting the turkey for dinner. Cody and Tyler were coming into town, and you were doubly excited that they were staying the night so that you could rope them into putting up the once forgotten decorations.

Just as you finished pushing everything out of the way and clearing off the bed, there was a knock at the door. JJ called from the kitchen, “Can you grab that, sweetheart, I’m almost done with the turkey?”

“Got it,” you yelled back, practically skipping to throw the door open for your friends you hadn’t seen outside of FaceTime in months. As soon as you threw the door open, Cody, who was closest, was pulling you into a tight hug, face pressed firmly into your hair. He sighed, “Damn, smell the same, kinda nice.”

You snorted, squeezing back, “That was soft.” 

“Forgive me,” he answered sarcastically, “I just missed you is all.”

“Move,” Tyler interrupted before you could respond, elbowing Cody out of the way to hug you. You hugged back just as tight before grabbing both of them by the arms to pull them inside.

“JJ is finishing up the food, so I’ll give you guys a tour real quick and you can drop your stuff in the guest bedroom.”

“Sweet,” Cody nodded, “though I’m not sure how I feel about JJ being in control of the food.”

“Let him have it, I need to tell you guys something.”

They followed you around the whole place and ended in the second bedroom where you shut the door, Tyler smirked, “Getting us alone to pitch a foursome?”

You blinked, not prepared at all, “I-” after a few seconds gathered your thoughts, “no, I just wanted to know if you guys needed to be anywhere early tomorrow or if you could help us decorate for Christmas. JJ never has before, so I thought it could be a fun family activity.”

Before you even finished, Cody, who loved Christmas and decorating for it was nodding eagerly, “Oh fuck yeah. I’m so down. Is that why this room is so messy? Christmas decorations.”

You snorted, “Please, I haven’t forgotten how messy y’all are, I spent so much time in that disaster of a dorm room.”

Tyler waved you off, “We’re much better now.”

“I’m sure,” you answered sarcastically.

“I am, my girlfriend whipped me into shape,” Cody told you, “our apartment looks so dope.”

“Yeah, because your girlfriend has her shit together and a Pinterest board.”

Tyler snorted, “True, you have no eye for interior design.”

Cody rolled his eyes as JJ yelled for everyone to come eat. The four of you sat around the small table you and JJ found on sale with plates heaped full of food. Before anyone could take a bite, you cleared your throat, “Okay, everyone share their lists.”

A tradition the four of you started in college was to share at least three things each person was thankful for before eating whatever you’d managed to put together for dinner, usually takeout because no one was thankful for cafeteria food and the shitty dorm kitchen.

“I’ll go first,” Tyler started, “I’m thankful for the Sixers finally playing well, my girlfriend for getting me a new job, and for you guys having a nice enough apartment to play host.”

“Wait wait wait,” JJ held his hand up, “your girlfriend got you a job?”

Tyler shrugged, “I figure if I play my cards right and don’t fuck anything up, when she finishes law school and has a nice job, I can become a trophy husband. I’ll be supportive as fuck and the  best arm candy on the planet.”

You snorted and said, “Okay, poor Emma first of all. It’s my turn though. I’m thankful for my therapist, she’s really done a lot of heavy lifting this fall, I’m thankful for JJ not burning the building down while cooking, and I’m thankful for you guys driving to see us because my separation anxiety was getting pretty bad and my poor therapist needs a break.”

Cody gave you a thumbs up, “Live to serve. My turn, I’m thankful for Liverpool sucking ass this season, I’m thankful that my girlfriend is good at everything I’m bad at because I’m pretty sure I’d have died by this point, and I’m thankful that you guys live somewhere interesting enough that I want to come visit.”

“Okay, me last,” JJ started, “I’m thankful for you guys being here even though it was kind of an inconvenient trip, I’m thankful for my boss for giving me a holiday bonus, and I’m thankful to finally get to spend a holiday in my own space. A safe space.”

Cody and Tyler, both great with emotion, held out fists for him to bump and then started eating.

-

“Okay,” you clapped your hands, startling JJ awake the next morning, “it’s noon, we’ve slept off most of the hangover, and now we have shit to do.”

“What?” he asked, voice cracking, as he rubbed his eyes.

“It’s Christmas season, we have to decorate.”

JJ groaned, “Shopping? While I feel like this? No.”

“No need to shop, I have it all. Now get up, get dressed, and let’s do this.”

Tyler was already up when you walked out of the bedroom, and he waved, “I ordered breakfast but couldn’t find your coffee pot. Cody is sorting through the decorations, did you have a tree?”

“Yeah, I have one in the closet, we always did a real tree at home, but I figured we should start small and see how it goes.”

“Good plan. I think Cody has a Christmas playlist ready. He’s so excited, could barely sleep.”

He followed you to the kitchen and leaned against the door frame while you made coffee. You chuckled, “Yeah, I know how much he loves Christmas. I’m honestly kind of surprised we never did a group decorating thing like this before.”

“Well,” Tyler crossed his arms, “we did the small trees in the dorm, but JJ didn’t want to buy one for himself so it didn’t really count. And then decorating the frat house was just not worth the effort.”

You passed him a mug and he took a sip while you answered, “JJ never really seemed super interested either. I mean I was going to keep it chill this year too but he brought it up.”

“Cody said you had a whole bunch of homemade stuff.”

“Yeah, my mom brought it to me. I was thinking of making JJ do some of the ornaments to make it even but I’m not sure he’d go for that.”

Tyler snorted, “Man’s a simp, he’d do it for you.”

“Who’s a simp?” Cody asked, walking into the kitchen to take the second mug.

“All three of you,” you told him, grabbing the creamer out of the fridge for him.

He took a sip and shrugged, “Yeah, true. But who are we discussing in particular now?”

“JJ. Whether he’d made homemade ornaments,” Tyler responded.

“He definitely would,” Cody nodded, “I would too. Is that on today’s agenda?”

“It is not. But I mean, if you guys want to make us some in the future and mail them, I’ll gladly hang them on the tree.”

“Deal.”

 “What’s the deal?” JJ asked, finally joining the rest of you.

“Nothing, drink some coffee and we’ll decorate.”

-

After the food arrived and everyone ate, Cody did in fact have a Christmas playlist queued, and he hooked it up to the speaker to blast in the living room. Tyler strung lights around, and JJ told you, “We should just keep these up after Christmas.”

By the time the two of you had struggled to get the tree put together and in a good spot, you added, “Maybe we don’t take the tree down either. We can just decorate it for every holiday.”

Tyler laughed, “Don’t be those guys.”

“We will,” JJ vowed, “we will absolutely be those guys. I just broke a sweat.”

“I will come back for New Years and start a riot if the tree is still up. You laugh like I’m joking, but I will,” Tyler told the two of you.

Cody was barely paying attention, reaching up to put an ornament on the tree when you stopped him, “JJ has to put the first one up.”

JJ gave you a weird look, “What? Why?”

“Bro,” Tyler told you, “lowkey this is a foursome.”

“No, it’s so not.”

“But, it kinda is. We’re taking JJ’s Christmas tree decorating virginity.”

“That’s so-” JJ paused, “okay the logic works a little but I don’t like it.”

“I hate you all,” you groaned, handing JJ an ornament and gently shoving him toward the tree.

“You don’t,” Cody singsonged from his spot across the room.

When everything  was done, Cody turned all the lights off in the room and JJ plugged the tree in. Tyler flipped all the lights he’d put out on and the four of you stood in the doorway to take it all in. 

JJ sighed, “Kinda love it. It’s going to be such a pain to take down, but it feels good.”

“A good family decorating day,” Cody added, “next year we’ll make ornaments.”

You laughed, “Sure.”

Wrapping his arms around your waist from behind, JJ hummed, “Gonna miss our Christmas this year.”

Tyler looked a little teary eyed, “Yeah, we can FaceTime though.”

“Are you crying?” Cody asked incredulously.

“It’s the hangover,” Tyler denied, wiping his eyes.

Cody rolled his eyes, “Sure it is. I’m gonna miss you guys too.”

“Group hug,” you said, holding your arms out. For the first time in a while and the last time for an even longer while, you hugged your boys close. You sniffled, pulling back, “Bring your girlfriends next time. They’re always welcome too.”

They nodded and left after one more hug. JJ and you sat on the couch, soaking in the sudden silence. You leaned into his side and he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, “Movie, sweetheart?”

“Please,” you answered, “Home Alone.”

~

day four of @obxmermaid​‘s holiday challenge: decorating the tree

[quickspinner]

Month of Miracles Day 5 - Decoration

Find the prompt list here!

I have meddled with powers I did not fully understand and now the Hallmark AU has gripped me. I think you can expect to see more of this sprinkled throughout the month. Oh, well. Multiparters in prompt months are like a tradition for me now, right? 

Hallmark Movie AU

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9  | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 (end) | Read Month of Miracles on AO3

Imagine, Marinette thought as she helped Rose unpack the decorations and ornaments to go on the tree, Luke Stone in a town like this. 

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t heard of him releasing anything new recently. So he was from this town, then? He must be on vacation, visiting his family and helping out at the farm. Taking a break, maybe writing some new songs. Funny, to think of the glammed up, heavily bedazzled rock star wearing flannel and working on a Christmas tree farm.

Marinette had winced the day before, watching him tear up his palms hauling the tree she’d picked out yesterday and tie it down deftly with fingers that had to be worth millions of dollars. It pained her to think of the hands that had created such beautiful music being abused in such a way. Surely he should have been wearing gloves, at least. He’d been so cold to her, though, that Marinette hadn’t dared suggest it or question him.

She’d been skeptical when Jagged Stone’s son had made his debut on tour alongside his father. She’d been a longtime fan of the older Stone and didn’t think even his own flesh and blood would be able to match him—but the younger Stone hadn’t tried. Luke’s music was clearly influenced by his father, but was also entirely his own, but so evocative, so emotional, she had been pulled in despite her reservations. She owned every one of Luke Stone’s albums, including the special edition greatest hits album, which she had bought even as she complained to Alya that he was too young in his career to be releasing a greatest hits album.

Marinette hadn’t said much to Rose about the encounter, not sure whether it was common knowledge amongst the town that he was here, and not wanting to infringe on his privacy if it wasn’t. Rose had given her a funny (disappointed?) look when she mentioned the grumpy young man that had helped her, but hadn’t said anything about it, just asked Marinette to come back today and give her a hand decorating the tree after the maintenance staff got it set up.

It wasn’t as if Marinette had much else to do, and Gina’s house felt huge and empty with just her in it, so she’d agreed, and here she was unpacking dusty boxes that had been hauled out of storage. She sighed as she surveyed the contents. The boxes looked like they’d been packed up by unsupervised five-year-olds last year. 

She was sorting the decorations into piles, still absently pondering the mystery of Luke Stone, when the library doors slid open, and the man himself walked in. He was dressed much the same as he had been yesterday, in layers that hid the muscular shoulders and arms he displayed on stage. Before Marinette could react, Rose flitted past her. 

“Luka!” Rose squealed, throwing herself at him. “You’re here!” Luka staggered slightly but wrapped one arm around her waist to catch her, holding her with her feet dangling off the ground as she kissed both his cheeks, her arms wrapped around his neck. Marinette stared, mouth hanging open slightly.

“That was enthusiastic,” Luka laughed, looking down at the petite blond hanging off of his tall frame. 

“I’m happy to see you!” Rose smiled brightly. 

“You just saw me at dinner last night.” Luka bent his knees and set her on the ground. Rose took the hint and let him go, but bounced on the balls of her feet. “And I told you I’d come, he added.”

“And now you’re here!” Rose threw out her arms. “I’m so glad! I have so much to do to get the childrens’ program ready and the decorations are so much for poor Marinette to manage by herself! Have you met Marinette?” she inquired, turning and holding out her arms to present her friend. Marinette closed her mouth and tried to smile as she gave a little wave. “I think you did,” Rose continued, turning to give him a warning look. “I think she said she ran into you at the farm.” 

Luka felt embarrassment creeping up his neck at Rose’s clearly scolding look. He nodded at Marinette. “Briefly, yeah. Nice to see you, Marinette.” He pronounced her name carefully, feeling bad about teasing her yesterday. She smiled a little more, and then looked down, her hands fluttering around the decorations she’d been separating. 

“You can get the lights on the tree while Marinette finishes working out that stuff,” Rose suggested, pointing to a pile of lights sitting near Marinette. “You’re nice and tall, so that should make things easy. There’s step stools in the kids’ area if you need them. Come here and I’ll show you what I want.” She hooked his arm and pulled him around to the far side of the tree. “The plug’s over here, so you’ll need to start on this side.” 

As soon as they were out of sight, Rose slapped his arm. “Dummy!” she scolded in a whisper. “I didn’t send her to the farm so you could be mean.”

“I wasn’t mean,” Luka protested weakly, and then frowned. “What do you mean, you sent her?” He gave his not-quite-sister a suspicious look, and then leaned slightly to look around the tree and make sure they were out of earshot. 

He paused. Marinette had been cute yesterday in her puffy pink coat and earmuffs, but he hadn’t really had time to notice her. Now she looked trendy but comfortable in pigtails and a soft pink sweater over skinny jeans, her profile turned to him. She was an authentic kind of pretty, he reflected, but then Luka had found himself thinking that about a lot of people since he’d left the rock star world, where everybody wore layers of stage makeup, styled and coiffed and dressed so that every detail about them enhanced the image they wanted to project. 

Still, her full lips made a pretty bow, especially when she pouted them slightly in concentration, and her hair had a shine that came from health rather than product, and her eyes were—

Rose’s elbow in his ribs jolted him out of what must have been a pretty intense stare, and he flushed, leaning back slightly so he couldn’t see Marinette on the other side of the tree.

“She already thinks you’re mean,” Rose hissed. “Don’t be a creep on top of it.”

Luka winced. He didn’t need Rose’s reminder to feel guilty for behaving so abruptly yesterday. Already prickly from a morning of needling by his mother, he hadn’t been prepared for anyone to recognize him. No one had up until this point, and he’d thought he was safe. It was an unpleasant shock to have a stranger recognize him, especially someone from the city who might carry word of his presence here back to the press. His mother’s call had sounded like his guardian angel’s trumpet in that moment. When Juleka had called him to help tie her chosen tree on top of her car, he’d done the work quickly and silently, and avoided her gaze as much as possible. 

He’d felt bad about it later, when he’d had time to relax and reflect, but he hadn’t expected to see her again—certainly hadn’t expected to have Rose practically throwing her at him. He gave her a warning look. 

Rose opened her mouth but before she could say anything, Marinette popped around the side of the tree. “Rose, do you have some scissors anywhere?”

“Yes, in the cabinet behind the desk,” Rose said, pointing. “Probably on the top three shelves, there’s a box of craft supplies there. You might as well bring over the whole thing in case you need anything else. Let me know if it’s too high up and I’ll send Luka to grab them instead.”

“Got it,” Marinette smiled, and turned to follow Rose’s directions. 

Luka shot Rose a glare. “Quit it,” he warned. 

“Quit what?” Rose inquired, with a blink and head tilt that made her look like she didn’t have two brain cells to rub together. 

Luka knew better. 

“I don’t need any help, Rose,” Luka muttered, folding his arms. “I could find a relationship on my own if I wanted to.” 

“Mmhm,” Rose hummed in a disbelieving tone. “Because there’s so many to choose from here in this little town.” 

Luka rolled his eyes and didn’t reply. 

“I do like Marinette though,” Rose said, and smiled innocently when Luka gave her a look. “She’s really sweet. We only met a couple of days ago and here she is, bending over backward to get me a real tree and spending her time decorating it.”

“You set her up,” Luka accused, peeking around the tree briefly to make sure she wasn’t coming back yet.  “You’re trying to set me up.”

“She’s so creative,” Rose sighed. “She showed me some of her portfolio the other day, and it’s fantastic. She’s a fashion designer, you see.” 

Luka snorted. “Oh, yeah, she’ll totally fall for me. Without my stylist I’m a fashion disaster and you know it Rose.” 

“That just makes you a challenge,” Rose chirped, and then softened a little as she looked at him. “Look, I know you’re not looking right now, but that’s a stupid attitude to have when an amazing person just drops into your lap.” She tossed her head in a move he was sure she’d picked up from Juleka, though it was less effective without Juleka’s mane to accent it. “I should know. Anyway, do what you want, I just think she’s neat and I wanted you to meet her. I’ve got a good feeling about her. If I’d met her two years ago I’d totally steal her from you. If you’re smart, you’ll keep an open mind.” 

Luka sighed, but he saw a flicker of pink and when he glanced around the tree again, Marinette was back, the box of supplies at her side. She was lifting a large tinsel garland from the box she’d just opened, only to find it was all a tangled mass. There was a sort of mournful look on her face, a little droop of sadness, maybe even loneliness, to her shoulders. He remembered the tightness in her eyes and around her mouth yesterday, and the way she’d spilled out her reason for being here at the slightest nudge. A fashion designer—that was a cutthroat business, especially in the city. Poor thing was probably as tired and strung out as he’d been when he came home.  

He wasn’t even aware he’d sighed until Rose giggled at his elbow. “I think you can figure the lights out on your own,” she said with a little pat to his arm. “I’m going to get back to getting ready for the children’s program. You two just...have fun, okay? Make it festive!” She fluttered her hands at the tree, then waved at Marinette and abandoned him to the awkwardness. 

It didn’t take long to get the lights on the tree—Luka had plenty of practice after getting the farm set up for the season. He stood there for a moment, hesitating. He glanced at Marinette. She had finished the sorting and was back to struggling with the tangled garland, and the look of utter defeat on her face...hurt, somehow.  

“Can I give you a hand?” Luka found himself offering. 

Marinette started slightly, and in an instant her shoulders went back and her smile flashed back into being. Luka was surprised to realize that it didn’t feel fake, despite the fact that he had seen her feelings on her face just a moment before. She was hiding those feelings now, but the smile she offered him was as sincere as the sadness. 

“Um, sure, if you want to,” she said, holding up the garland in two hands. “It’s pretty twisted up. We could just leave it, but...might as well give it a shot, right?” 

Luka took a handful of garland, and Marinette took another one farther down. They moved apart, spreading it out as far as it could go between them to try and see where it twisted back on itself. 

“This looks like the end,” Marinette muttered, plucking at a piece. “Can you just hold it up for a minute?”

Luka did, watching Marinette as she looped the end she’d found back over and under and through the glittering mass. The silence was awkward, and the more Luka tried to think of something to say, the more he felt like there was only one thing he could say. 

“Listen, I wanted to apologize—” he began as Marinette said, “Luka, I’m really sorry—” 

They both stopped, and laughed, and Luka gestured for her to go ahead. 

“I just,” Marinette pushed her hair back and glanced at him, then looked away. “I wanted to apologize for blurting that out about—you know—I should have thought, I should have realized you wouldn’t want to be approached like that, while you’re clearly not working—well, you were working, but not, not like that and I should have—well. I’m really sorry. You’re at home and you probably don’t want people gushing all over you while you’re trying to spend time with your family.”

Luka took a breath, looking at the floor for a moment. “I wanted to apologize too, for being so abrupt with you. I...hadn’t had the best morning, and you did startle me. I’m...well, I guess you could maybe say I’m retired, and I’d rather not be...known, here. I guess I kind of panicked.”

“Retired?” Marinette looked up at him in surprise. “But your music was so good! I mean—” She flushed, and grabbed the garland, moving to start draping it around the tree. “I really liked it, anyway. Sorry, I know it’s not my business...Anyway, I understand, and I won’t tell anyone I met you here.” The garland she was trying to place slipped off, and she sighed in frustration. “I swear Christmas hates me,” she muttered to herself.

Luka picked up the trailing end and held it so that the weight was no longer dragging. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.” 

“Of course,” Marinette smiled, and then she said, “How long have you and Rose been together?” This time the garland stayed where she placed it, with Luka feeding her more as she circled around the tree. 

“Together?” Luka repeated, startled. “We’re not together. She’s dating my sister, actually. In fact if they’re not engaged by New Years I’ll be shocked.” 

Marinette’s head whipped around to look at him. “O-oh. Oh! Oh, I understand now.” She flushed. “Just, before—”

“Yeah, I get it,” Luka grinned. “I can see how that would look if you didn’t know.”  

“Wow, how off base was I, though,” Marinette giggled. “So your family’s from around here? I—oh, that sounded nosy didn’t it, I’m sorry, I swear I’m just trying to make small talk.”

“I’m not offended,” Luka chuckled. “Actually my family just moved here a few years ago. When my mom bought the tree farm I thought it was just another one of her crazy whims and she’d move on to something else before long, but she seems really happy here. What about your grandma? Gina doesn’t seem like the small town type, either.”

The conversation flowed comfortably from there, as they finished the garland and moved on to the other decorations. Marinette didn’t ask him any more questions about his music, and he carefully steered clear of asking her any questions about why she’d come—or been sent—down to their little town, and faster than Luka could have expected, they were closing up the empty boxes and stacking them to the side to be returned to storage. Marinette had a good eye, Luka had to admit as he looked at the tree. Not surprising, he supposed, but it did look a lot nicer than the previous year’s tree. Not only that, Marinette had arranged the extra decorations on the library desk in a pretty little display, and with his help, had even trimmed the windows with some icicle lights they found at the bottom of one of the boxes. Luka knelt to plug in the last set of lights, and when they were on, the whole library screamed holiday cheer to an almost obnoxious degree.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, Rose appeared behind him. 

“Wow, look at this place, it’s awesome! Everything looks great! You two make a fantastic team!” She grinned at Luka, and he raised his eyebrows at her in warning. “Everything is so festive,” Rose went on, clearly ignoring him, as she laid a thoughtful finger to her lips and examined them, “except for you two. You’re ruining the mood.” 

Faster than Luka could track she whipped something out and stuck it to his forehead, then turned and did the same to Marinette. Only when he saw the bright blue gift bow stuck to Marinette’s forehead did he realize what Rose had just done to them, and he rolled his eyes as he reached up to touch the bow on his own forehead. Rose swatted his hand away and then grabbed his arm, hauling at him until he had no choice but to stand up or fall over.

“There, now you’re properly decorated too,” Rose beamed. “All right, you two have spent all morning helping me, so get out of here and go do something fun! It’s such a pretty day!”

“Rose, it’s freezing,” Luka tried to say, but Rose was already pushing them towards the door, and he gave into the inevitability of it all with a sigh. 

“Go down to the café, have lunch on my tab, both of you,” she ordered, dumping their coats in Luka’s arms before shoving them out of the door. “Thanks for all your help!” she called, waving at them as the doors slid closed.

“Real subtle,” Luka grumbled, reaching up to peel the bow off his forehead as he turned to face Marinette. That was a mistake, because the way her mouth was pursed in a little moue as she worked to remove her own bow was kind of adorable.

Damnit, Rose.

Fiction Master Post | Month of Miracles

[lokiandbuckyaremine]

Some Saturday Morning...

Prompt: Hi! I saw your prompt list and I think 2+12+20 would be an interesting combination for a Loki imagine/drabble!! Just saying 💜~ Anonymous

2. Whoa, what is with the attitude change?

12. Feel free to admire me

20. You’re the biggest dork of the century!

(PROMPT LIST)

Summary: Your boyfriend, Loki, doesn’t like to get involved with much. But when it comes to helping you or making you happy, he will immediately join in. Desperate measures come when your coffee machine breaks, and your heroic boyfriend jumps in to save the day. Hehe. 

Warnings: Some swearing, floofy Loki, mentions of smutty times?, and bad writing haha

You HATED mornings. The grogginess that filled your head, the disgusting taste in your mouth, the headache that pounded through your temples, and just the pure evil vibe it gave you. The only thing that made it better was your mischievous boyfriend, who laid beside you in a peaceful slumber. His jet black hair sprawled out on his pillow as his soft pale skin glowed in the morning light. God, he was gorgeous. You smiled to yourself, thinking of the night before. Loki was an interesting person, kept to himself mostly, but when it came to you he was at his prime. He loved you more than words could say and wanted to be yours forever. When you decided to move in together, you swear it was the best decision of your life.

Since your body was awake, and you knew sleep was a lost cause, you dragged your body out of bed, careful not to wake the man on the side of you. Immediately when you stood up, a headache flooded to your temples. This means coffee. Caffeine headaches at their best. If “coffee before talkie” was a person, you’d be the living version. If Loki was up before you, he already had a fresh pot brewing. But today was not the case and you’d have to face your doom....the coffee machine. Every time you tried to start or run that damn thing, it always broke down. You were in no mood to deal with that today, so you were determined to make that stupid machine work for you. 

Trudging over to the counter, you opened the cabinet to pull out your mug. It was a gift from Loki, that had a picture of the both of you in front of a giant Christmas tree. Fumbling through the rest of the cabinets, you came across your premium roast coffee grounds and a filter. Double checking the right measurements, you placed the filter in the top part of the brewer, and then began to scoop the grounds in. Feeling bold and in need of a stronger coffee, you added a few more scoops in. Next you added the water, something you quite often forgot to do, and pressed the brew button. Crossing your fingers, you stared at the machine in hopes of it finally working. A whirring sound arose, and you got happy since that means it was filtering the water through. 

All of a sudden, the machine made strange and loud gurgling noises and coffee began spewing out of the top. You freaked and frantically started grabbing and throwing towels at the machine. Screaming at the machine, you unplugged it and slouched down on the counter. “I FUCKIN GIVE UP!!!!” If anything was going to make your headache worse, it was definitely this. Moments later you heard loud footsteps down the stairs. “My love, what is going on?! I thought the house was falling” Your shirtless boyfriend rushed over to find you in a ball on the kitchen floor, covered in dry coffee. He couldn’t help but giggle at your defeated state. 

Noticing his presence, you looked up at him with annoyed eyes. He hummed quietly and sat down next to you, pulling you into his long arms. Pressing a lingering kiss to your head, he rested his chin on your shoulder. “Sorry love, but you look so cute, defeated on our kitchen floor. Coffee machine trouble again?” You huffed and nodded. “Yep, and my head fuckin hurts. Every fuckin morning is a disaster if you aren’t up before me. It’s like I break everything I touch.” Loki started to rub circles on your arm, and smiled to himself. “You haven’t broke me yet.” Looking up at him and rolling your eyes, he flashed back his signature mischievous smile. “Would you like me to fix it, love?” 

You sat up quickly and stared at him blankly. “Whoa, what is with the attitude change?” Loki ran his hands through his hair, tying it back loosely. He stared back, and asked “Uh, what do you mean?” You giggled softly and batted your eyes back at him. “Mr. ‘I don’t help anyone’ now wants to fix my coffee machine? The same man that tells me I’m on my own. You feelin ok there, babe?” Loki laughed along and stood, stretching his arm out to help you up. “If it means making you happy, I’ll do anything. And plus, my hands are quite useful,” he said wiggling his eyebrows at you. You lightly slapped his bare chest, and reached up to kiss him. “You’re the best, thank you.” Walking over to your mess on the counter, Loki sighed. “Damn girl, you really aren’t the best when it comes to machines. I have to ask, did you or the coffee start the fight?” 

Rolling your eyes, you pulled up a stool and sat at the counter. Staring at your tall and hunky boyfriend lean over the counter, you couldn’t help but bite your lip looking at his muscles flex with every movement he made. This is what made mornings better....seeing Loki in barely any clothes. Being the slickster that he was and sensing your gaze, Loki looked over to you and smirked. “Feel free to admire me. But it looks like you’re doing that already.” Blushing, you grabbed a sponge that was lying on the counter and threw it at him. “Shut up, your Highness and get back to fixing my machine.” He chuckled deeply, and started to remove the top lid from the machine. “Mmm I love when you’re demanding, baby.” Hearing his submissive yet silky voice had you squirming on the stool, as you attempted to stop the heat that was rising below your stomach. You wondered if he would just take you on the counter right now....

Loki’s verbal “aha!” pulled you from your dirty thoughts. “Did you find what’s wrong babe?” He nodded and looked over to you, unamused. “Love, you plugged the filter. You sure you put the right amount of coffee in it?” You shifted your eyes around (attempting to look innocent) as he walked over and placed his hands on your lap. Gulping, you looked up at your boyfriend’s crystal blue eyes. “Well, uh, ya see I was super cranky this morning and had a huge headache so I thought ‘what the heck?’, I could use a stronger coffee. So i might’ve added a few more tablespoons of grounds more than I should have, causing a rainstorm of coffee that dried all over me.” Your awkward rant sent Loki into a roar of laughter, as he pulled your small body to his. “You’re the biggest dork of the century! You know that?” Pressing kisses to your forehead and face, you smiled at his tender touches. “I know, but you love me anyways.” 

Running your hands over his chiseled abs, which were eye level with you, you winked up at him. “I love you more than words could say, my princess. BUT next time, just wake me up, love. I’ll make you one without breaking anything in the process.” You darted your eyes and him and hopped off the stool. “Yea yea, whatever you say, Loki. Now can you please fix this damn thing so I can have my coffee?” Before he could answer, he quickly swept you up bridal style and smothered you in a passionate kiss. “Nope! You’ve been staring at me all morning, my pet, and we are going to do something about that.” Maybe Saturday mornings weren’t so bad after all....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Anon, I really hope you enjoyed! This is actually based off of something similar that happened to me, but I made it more fun. PLEASE LIKE, REBLOG, and COMMENT as always. REQUESTS ARE OPEN

Tag List (Open): @jobean12-blog @littlenerdgirl16 @jokesonjess @jewels2876 @mashtons-dirtbag @hernameiswhatt @ballyhoobarnes @lauxeyson @thiddlestoff @thatbitchsaidhi @marvelous-heroimagines @iamwarrenspeace @violentlybarnes @moondancewrites @toddneilanderperry @mizz-kraziii @lovelybones81 @thinemineours @godohammers @buckywhoops @thatfangirl16​ @thummbelina​ @notyourtypicalrose

[justthehiddleswrites]

Bah Hiddleston | Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Tamra Harmon) | Chapter 11 | Joy To The World

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Tamra Harmon)

Summary:  Tamra Harmon has no mind to mess with Christmas. All that talk about Christmas magic and the joy of the holidays is just a bunch of mumbo jumbo. But will a chance encounter with perennial Christmas lover Tom Hiddleston change all that?

This chapter:  Tom sets out to make things right and Tamra goes to see the sights. Will they get out of their way before Tamra has to return to America or is their love lost forever?

Warnings for story: smut, oral sex, implied smut, vaginal sex, light angst

-

After waking up for the umpteenth time that morning, Tamra resigned herself to the fact that sleep was not in the cards and left bed to get ready for the day. She spent about twenty minutes in the shower. The warm water washed away the physical evidence of the last two days heartache. The tear stains, the disheveled air but nothing could erase the emotional evidence. She pulled on a sweater and a fresh pair of jeans. She teared up as she reached for her peacoat but fought back the tears.

“Pull yourself together.” She reminded herself as she pulled on her hat and scarf to face the winter weather.

Tamra located a nearby store and purchased an overpriced charging cord. She returned to her flat and plugged in her phone and then set off for the day.

-

Tom bounded out of bed when his alarm sounded. He grabbed his phone his heart swelling at the thought of Tamra calling while he slept. The blank screen dashed his hopes. He got ready in record time, pulling on the first clean sweater he saw.

His mother sat at the table, a teacup in one hand.

“You’re up early. I hoped you would sleep in, what with all the commotion over the last several days.” she took a sip of tea.

“I’m going over there.” he tugged his red puffer coat over his white sweater.

Diana stood and came over to fix his collar. “Nice outfit, dear. It is nice to see you in something other than blue every once in a while. Be safe. And don’t forget to bring Tamra by this afternoon to meet your sisters.”

Tom kissed her cheek. “You have such faith in me.”

“I love you, Thomas.”

Tom smiled as he set off towards Tamra’s.

-

After tucking into a quick breakfast and picking up a cup of coffee to go, Tamra headed to Tower Bridge rather than return to the flat and retrieve her phone. Melancholy and sadness at the thought of not having Tom by her side replaced the exuberance she once experienced at the beginning of the trip going through all the museums. She pushed through the crowds to move from exhibit to exhibit. There was no joy in her movements.

“Tom…” she called out before remembering he wasn’t there.

Instead as she turned, she saw a young couple. Their fingers intertwined, and the girl laid her head on the boy’s shoulder as he gestured at the display. They turned and gave Tamra a nod and wave, which she returned, but inside her heart broke. She hurried through the rest of the exhibits, giving them little more than a cursory glance. Without Tom giving his commentary in his rich baritone and gesturing excitedly with his hands over some minute piece of history, everything seemed flat and two-dimensional. It was as though, things sparkled brighter in his presence. Or at least it did for Tamra.

Tamra found her way to the gift shop and realized though she had visited so many museums; she did not have a single souvenir for herself or anyone else. She moved through the shop, plucking items for her mom and co-workers from baskets and shelves.

Tamra headed up to the front of the store to pay for her items. She paused at a display of Christmas ornaments. Her eye caught a small clear glass ornament. Inside was a London scene covered in snow. She sniffled as lifted the ornament from the tree and added it to her purchases. The clerk rang up everything, taking care to wrap the ornament.

“Merry Christmas!” the clerk commented as she handed the bag to Tamra.

“Merry Christmas.” Tamra responded, without a hint of an eye roll or nose wrinkle. She grabbed the bag and almost ran out of the store, fearing she would burst into tears at any moment.

Tamra thought about hitting another museum or tourist attraction but her heart wasn’t in, so instead she headed back to her flat, fighting against Boxing Day foot traffic and hoped her phone would be operational.

-

“Tamra!” Tom bellowed as he knocked on the door.

“Tamra, open up please!”

His pleas went unanswered.

“Darling. I’m not going anywhere. You’ll have to come out at some point and talk to me.”

The people passing by threw Tom confused glares.

“Tamra, let me in. It’s freezing and people are staring.”

He pulled his phone to call her. Voicemail. With a huff, he sat down on the stoop in front of the door. The cold air chilled him and he pulled the red hood up and over his head. He slumped against the door and before long; he slipped into a state of half sleep, Hours later, he awoke to a sharp pain in his shoulder. Someone was shoving him.

-

As Tamra rounded the corner to her place, she squinted to see something on the front step. At first, she thought it was a garbage bag but the red material appeared to be fabric. She came closer and realized it was a person. Asleep. Right in front of your door.

“Hey!” Tamra shouted in hopes to startling the person to move. But without success.

She stood before the lump of limbs and red jacket; she kicked a toe at a sneaker peeking out. No movement. She put her bag on the pavement and gave the man a hard shove to the shoulder.

“Do you mind?” a baritone voice drifted up from the lump. “I’m waiting for someone.”

“Well wait somewhere else, I need to get into my apartment.”

The lump shuffled to stand. “I happen to know who lives here, and it’s—” Tom threw his hood back and came face to face with his assailant.

“TAMRA!” he pulled her against his chest, her face buried against his jacket. He didn’t let her go. “I called and called, but you didn’t answer. I was so worried.” If possible, he squeezed her even tighter, like hugging her was the only way for he to know she was real.

His voice cracked as he spoke, and she inhaled his scent. Spice and woods. Tears formed in her eyes at what Tom’s presence might mean. “I left the charger at your house. Why are you here? What are you wearing?”

The words flowed as freely as from her mouth as the tears did from her eyes. Tom released her just enough for her to wriggle her hands up to his face. She wiped the tears from his face. She noticed his bloodshot and red-rimmed eyes. If possible, he looked gaunt and hollow cheeked. He hadn’t been eating or sleeping from the looks of things.

“You’re freezing, Tom. You look awful. Are you sleeping? Eating? Why are you crying?” she continued to question, searching his face for answers.

“I’m sorry. I fucked this up.” Tom ignored her barrage of questions. He had to get what he needed to say out before she disappeared again, possibly for good.

“What do you mean, you fucked up? How you could fuck this up, you made it clear this was nothing more than a fling. I overheard you talking to your mother. It’s fine. You are a famous movie star and I am a nobody museum curator from Florida. It was doomed from the beginning. I fucked up by making the mistake of falling in love with someone unattainable.” She dropped her head against his chest.

“You are not nobody. You are somebody to me. You are everything to me. I want to wake up every morning with you next to me, smelling of my shampoo and soap. I want you dancing in my kitchen. I want all the highs and lows and everything in between. I was too scared to say it before. But you walking out my door and leaving that note made everything clear. I know you are scared too but I will wait until you are ready. But please don’t shut me out of your heart. I fear if you do, I may wither and die where I stand. And I can’t have Luke be right. Again. Please make room for me in your Grinch sized heart. I beg you to give me a chance.”

Tamra lifted her head, her hands never leaving Tom’s shoulders. “For a man of action, you talk too much.” She pulled him into a searing kiss.

It was unlike any other kiss either had experienced. Their lips tasted salty from their tears. The kiss made a promise of hope and love neither could comprehend. There was heat and fireworks and lasted forever and a moment all at once.

They parted and Tom smiled as he moved Tamra’s hair from her face. “Well, you know..” he kissed the tip of her nose “… I like a woman who takes charge.”

Tamra smiled as she kissed him again before leaving his grip to pick you discarded package. She unlocked her door and disappeared inside.

“What are you doing? Where are you going?” Tom asked the door.

She popped back out and gripped Tom’s wrist. “To put my packages down. You wanted me to take charge. You’re frozen to the bone and I have just the thing to warm you up.” Tamra wriggled her eyebrows and Tom’s eyes sparkled as Tamra yanked him inside and slammed the door shut.

-

Emma and Sarah paced the living room as Diana sat in the armchair, nursing her third cup of tea for the day.

“Are you sure he is coming home, Mum?” Sarah questioned.

“Quite certain. He had some important matters to attend to.” Diana didn’t look up as she responded coolly, not giving away a single bit of information by look or word.

“What is more important than Christmas with his family?” Emma whined.

Diana gave a cryptic smirk. “In due time, dear. He texted saying he was on his way home.”

The door creaked open and the sounds of nails clicking on the floor filled the air as Bobby rushed to meet Tom at the door. Everyone but Diana rose to meet Tom at the foyer. The girls skidded to a stop as Tom stood with a strange woman, helping her out of her jacket. A suitcase and other packages left by the door. Bobby nipped at the heels of the woman, excited to see her.

“Tom?” they asked.

“Em, Sarah. Let me introduce…” he pulled Tamra tight against his side, “…my girlfriend, Tamra Harmon.”

“Hi.” Tamra gave an awkward wave with her free arm.

“Girlfriend?! Since when? Why didn’t you tell us?” the questions bombarded both Tom and Tamra.

“It’s about time, Thomas. The girls were getting restless.” Diana’s voice cut through the din. She moved past Emma and Sarah to hug Tamra. “Welcome home, darling.” she whispered so only Tom and Tamra could hear.

“Thank you, Diana.”

“Am I missing something? Mum, you knew about this?” Emma grilled.

The three of them shared a smile. “I’ll explain over supper.” Tom offered. “But first… presents!”

There was a shout of excitement as they all moved into the living room where the rest of the family remained and took turns opening their gifts, wrapped hastily by Tom the night before. Tom took Tamra aside into the hallway while the kids ripped the papers and bows to shred . He fiddled with a small box in his hand.

“Merry Christmas.” He hesitated a moment before handing the box over. Tamra’s brow worried as she lifted the lid to reveal the snowflake necklace.

“Tom. It’s too much. I can’t accept.” She put a hand to her mouth to cover the surprised gasp.

“Quite the contrary, love. It is not enough.” He pulled the necklace from the box and moved to fasten it at the nape of Tamra’s neck. “This necklace is an imperfect symbol of my love for you.”

Tamra’s fingers traced the outline of the snowflake. “But I have nothing to give you in return.”

Tom leaned forward to kiss her. “Your presence, your love is gift enough. There is nothing more my heart desires.” He kissed her again, pulling her close.

Tamra gasped as she remembered and ran off leaving Tom abandoned in the hallway. She returned with a small parcel of tissue paper. “Merry Christmas, Tom.”

“It’s nice to hear you say those words.”

“It’s nice to say them. Now open, carefully.”she warned.

Tom pulled at the layers of paper and retrieved the snowy London scene ornament.

“A Christmas ornament? From you?”

“Does that surprise you, Thomas? I would think you of all people believe in a bit of Christmas magic.”

“Very funny. I love it. And I love you. And thank you for the Christmas magic.”

She wrapped her arms around Tom’s waist, fingers teasing along his hips. “Thank you for believing in me. I love you too.”

Tamra pushed Tom against the wall and kissed him, her tongue needy, her lips urgent.

“Hmm.” They separated at the sound. Sarah stood at the end of the hallway.

“If you two can keep your hands off of each other for two seconds, the children would like to show their uncle Thomas and his new girlfriend their new toys.” She raised one eyebrow in judgment. Her and Emma were still not entirely certain about this new development in Tom’s life but were glad to see him so happy.

“We are on our way.” Tamra replied. Tom pulled her back into loud living room filled with laughter. She loved every minute.

-

After everyone ate supper, Tamra and Tom told the story of their adventure, and Tom’s family were on their way back to Diana’s home, they collapsed onto the bed.

“Sure you still want this?” Tom asked. “It only gets worst from here.”

Tamra laughed. “If I can handle your mother, I can handle anything.”

“Just wait until you receive your first signature Luke chewing out.”

“I would like to see him try.”

Tom grabbed his phone. “Speaking of Luke, I’m surprised he has not been harassing me for updates or with some new scandal.”

Tamra ripped the phone from Tom’s hand. “Let it wait until tomorrow. Tonight you are mine.”

“As you wish.” Tom pulled her on top of him, fingers tugging at her shirt.

[prettyinlimegreenboots]

Twelve Days of Holly, Jolly Tidings - Day 9

Disclaimers: I watched “Dash & Lily” the other day on Netflix. This story is LOOSELY based on that book and Netflix series.  I do not own “Dash and Lily” or Newsies or anything recognizable within the series.  There are occasional curse words throughout the series, nothing too horrible but there’s some.

Catch Up Here

Saturday, December 21

Kat woke suddenly, disoriented as a siren wailed outside her window. Sitting up in her bed, she soon heard the fire alarms wailing as someone pounded on her door. Sighing, she shook her head, getting out of bed, shoving her feet into her winter boots, throwing on her thick winter coat. Heading to the door, she grabbed her bag, making sure her keys were inside, before unlocking the door, pulling it open. 

Her neighbor, Mrs. Potter was standing outside her door wide eyed. “Morning Kat. They want us to go outside.” 

The fire alarms weren’t uncommon in the old apartment building but the fact that there was 6 inches of snow outside the Saturday before Christmas was a little unique. With a sigh, she shut her door behind her, trudging down the stairs before walking outside to see the police, firemen, and paramedics moving swiftly outside the apartment building. 

She ran a hand through her hair, sighing that she didn’t at least run a brush through her hair as she looked up and down the street at all of her neighbors. She smiled briefly at them before reaching into her pocket for her cell phone . . . only to realize she left it in the apartment. 

Groaning, she shoved her hands into her coat, grinning triumphantly when she found her gloves. Quickly putting them on, she watched a couple of the paramedics check on her neighbors. She bounced on her toes, trying to keep warm. 

“Party in the street? It’s only 6:45 in the morning.” An amused voice came from her left as she looked over her shoulder. 

She grinned, seeing her boyfriend walk up with two insulated cups in her hand. “You know the old people can’t help but throw a rager every now and then, especially in the early hours of the morning. What are you doing here?” 

“Was going to sneak in and bring you hot chocolate.” He grinned, leaning over and giving her a kiss, handing her one of the cups. “Nice look you’ve got going on here.” 

Accepting the cup, she inhaled the rich smell of chocolate before sighing happily. “Thanks. Also, woke up when the fire alarms went off. Mrs. Potter was giving me a look so I didn’t have time to get gussied up.” 

“I don’t know . . . I’m kinda digging the Christmas PJs and Ravenclaw sweatshirt you’re rocking.” Jack stepped back, looking her over in appreciation. 

Hip checking him, she shook her head. “Behave. Besides, what are you doing here so early? It’s Saturday . . . usually you like to sleep in.” 

“Couldn’t sleep.” He shrugged. 

Giving him a look, Kat slowly nodded. “So you figured if you couldn’t sleep then neither could I, huh?” 

“Actually, the plan was to drop the cup of hot cocoa and the notebook by your bedside before sneaking back out. In and out before you ever woke up.” A smirk slid across Jack’s face. “But that quickly went out the window when I saw you standing here.”

Kat laughed. “I’m sure it did.  I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“What’s that?” Jack moved closer to her, just as the firemen came out of the apartment building giving them the “All Clear”. 

She laced her fingers with Jack’s, tugging him with her as she made her way back into the apartment. Walking up the stairs, she listened to the chatter of her neighbors, before she came to her floor, walking to her door. Tugging her hand away from Jack’s, she quickly unlocked the door, allowing him to go in first before following him in. 

Kat quickly made her way to her room, throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweater before running a brush through her hair. Once she deemed herself presentable, she joined Jack back in the living room, where he took the opportunity to plug in her tree.  “You mentioned earlier that you had something you wanted to ask me.” 

“I did.” She grinned, taking a seat beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. “Do you read everything that I write in the notebook?” 

Jack chuckled. “I do. I especially loved the entry about your memories from being a kid. Is my grand plan working?”

“I would say so.” She sighed. “It is going to be an odd year - siblings scattered across the country, my parents won’t even be in the city on Christmas. I’m thankful I’ll be with you and your family.” 

Jack kissed the top of her head. “Mom’s excited that you’re joining us.” 

“Me too.” She took a sip of her coffee, giving her boyfriend a look. “So what are you up to today?” 

Shrugging, he grinned. “I really don’t have any plans. What about you?” 

“Whatever the notebook tells me to do.” Her eyebrows rose in a challenge as she grinned. 

His eyes darted towards the tree as she looked over at it. A wrapped box was under the tree as she scrambled to pick it up. Unwrapping it, she opened the box, pulling out the green notebook. Her eyes flew up to meet Jack’s as he motioned for her to open it. 

Happy 9th Day of Christmas, Kat! 

This may be my favorite of your adventures yet - there will be some surprises throughout the day but to start it, you need to get bundled up. This is an outdoor adventure and your first surprise awaits. 

She stopped reading, looking up at Jack curiously. “What do you mean my first surprise awaits?” 

“Go get bundled up and I’ll tell you.” Jack grinned. 

She walked to her bedroom, grabbing her warmest hoodie and scarf before shoving her feet into her warm winter boots. She stopped in the living room, giving Jack a look before throwing her coat on. “Alright, what’s my surprise?” 

Standing up, he walked over to her, leaning over and giving her a kiss. “Me.” 

“You?” Her eyes went wide, a smirk sliding across her lips. “But I already have you.” 

He threw his head back and laughed. “True but you asked if I was going to ever join you on an adventure and today is that day!” 

“Seriously?” She threw her arms around him as she excitedly bounced up and down. “That’s awesome. I’ve been wanting you to join me on these.” 

Jack laughed, watching her excitedly bounce. “Do you have everything? We’ve got places to go and people to see.” 

Grabbing her bag, she held her hand out for him to lace his fingers with hers before they walked out of the apartment. As they walked, she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Coming to a stop at the corner, she gasped loudly. “So it wasn’t coincidentally that you brought me coffee this morning, huh?” 

“Nothing gets by you, Plumber, huh?” He chuckled, nodding his head. “Bringing you hot cocoa was the plan all along . . . however, I didn’t expect you to be standing in the street in your pajamas.” 

Laughing, she bit her lip. “I won’t be living that one down for a while, huh?” 

“It’s in the top ten favorite looks you’ve pulled off.” He laughed, squeezing her hand as they walked across the street. 

Giving him a look, her eyes went wide at his words. “Wait, you have a top ten favorite looks of mine?” 

“Uhhh . . . yeah I do.” He hesitated, smirking. 

Waiting for him to continue with his train of thought, she stopped, their conjoined hands tugging. “And?” 

“And what . . . I’m not going to tell you my favorite looks.” Jack shook his head, not wanting to get into that debate with her. 

Continuing their walk, Jack tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow.  He avoided her eye, as she continued to prod him, giving her a look. “Kat, maybe later but we’re late.” 

“Late for what?” She stopped talking about his favorite looks. “What do you have up your sleeve, Kelly?” 

Smirked, Jack led her into the park. “All will be explained shortly, patience dear Plumber, patience.” 

“Real funny, Kelly.” Tilting her head, she tried to figure out where he was leading her.  “You’re taking me to Central Park.” 

With a nod of his head, Jack chuckled. “Well done, Sherlock.” 

Smacking his shoulder, she giggled at his disheartened yelp. “Smart aleck.” 

“You love me.” He retorted, as she happily nodded.

“I do.”  

He stole a quick kiss from her before maneuvering her so her back was facing the park. He stood in front of her, grabbing her hands. “So this is the second of your surprises, but you need to read the next part of the notebook first.” 

Grabbing the book from her bag, she opened it to the marked page. 

Surprise! I’m one of your surprises today . . . so you got one of your wishes. Now another one of your wishes. 

Last Christmas, you put together a holiday version of a bucket list. Despite our best efforts, there was one thing that we didn’t check off the list . . . do you remember what it was?

Looking up from the notebook, Kat looked at Jack, tilting her head. She left herself slip back to the previous Christmas, remembering writing down all the things she wanted to do in the holiday season.  She remembered there was one thing that they didn’t check off but she couldn’t remember what. 

If you don’t remember, I’ll remind you in a minute. But this is something that you said you and your dad would do the Saturday before Christmas, as the rest of the city hustle and bustle trying to get the last minute Christmas shopping done.  

She gasped, a smile tugged on her lips as she thought back on the carriage rides her father would take her around Central Park while her mother finished the Christmas shopping. She looked at Jack with a smile. “You’re taking me on a carriage ride?” 

Without a word, he spun her around. Her eyes widened as she saw a horse drawn carriage sitting directly in front of her. “Surprise!” 

Kat quickly threw her arms around his shoulders before pulling back, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you . . . this is perfect.” 

“Well, let’s go.” He grabbed her hand, pulling her forward. A few words were exchanged with the driver of the carriage before they got into it. A blanket was draped over her legs as Jack threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. 

They were quiet as the carriage took them around the park. Jack would occasionally press kisses to her forehead as she just enjoyed the time with him.  She smiled, seeing it start to lightly snow. “If I haven’t said it yet, thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” He sighed, smiling at her. “Honestly, all I wanted to do is see you smile after you got the news that you’d be essentially alone for Christmas.  And I’ve seen you smile and relax more the last few days - it’s the best thanks I could’ve asked for.” 

She leaned over, laying her hand on his cheek, feeling the coarse whiskers there, kissing him. “I love you, Jack Kelly.” 

“Love you too Katherine Plumber.” He stole another kiss before looking over at her bag. “There’s a bit more in the notebook for you to read.” 

Leaning forward, she grabbed the notebook, settling back against Jack before opening it. 

You were so disappointed that we weren’t able to cross off a carriage ride on your bucket list . . . but I hope this makes up for it a bit. And it doesn’t hurt that I get to cuddle with you on the ride. 

She giggled, reading his words. Anytime I get to spend with you is a win in my book. By the way,  the driver’s name is Nathan and the horses names’ are Pretzel and Jingle, just in case you wanted to know. 

So, I want you to write down everything that has made you smile in the last 9 days. Make sure you include how brilliant and amazing your boyfriend is :-) 

She scoffed, rolling her eyes, looking up at Jack, who merely grinned at her. He had a pen in his hand, as she took it from him. “In your dreams lover boy.” 

“Wanna know something before you start writing?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow in a challenge. 

She nodded, snuggling deeper into his embrace. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before speaking. “There’s a reason the notebook is emerald green . . . know why?” 

Looking over her shoulder at him, she bit her lip as she thought back on their relationship, coming up with nothing. “Other than green being your favorite color, you wore an emerald green dress for your cousin’s wedding. That’s one of my ten favorite looks.” 

She thought back to the third wedding they had attended as a couple. It was two years into their relationship, after they had met each other’s families. Kat was really nervous to ask Jack to attend her cousin, Sam’s wedding but he instantly agreed.  They had danced the night away, Jack whispering in her ear how much he loved the emerald green dress she had chosen for the occasion.

“Really?” She whispered, eyes widened at him. “Why that dress? It wasn’t the first dress you saw me in.” 

He shook his head, leaning forward slightly, grabbing his wallet from the back pocket. Flipping it open, he showed her the photo of them from the night of the wedding, dressed up.  She was leaning into him, both of them laughing at something. “No, it wasn’t the first dress I saw you in. I love that look because despite you hating heels and dresses, you look so drop dead gorgeous in them. And that dress in particular, goes really well with your red hair. Also, I was so proud to have you on my arm that night . . . . meeting your crazy family. Also, you were so carefree that night, dancing with me and laughing . . . the confidence you have in a dress is one of my favorite pieces, despite you not wearing them often enough.” 

“Jack.” His name fell from her lips as she looked at the photo. 

He chuckled, eyes widened. “You clean up well, Plums. You really should wear a dress for Christmas Eve.” 

“I’ll consider it.”  She didn’t miss the fist pump he did out of the corner of her eye as she laughed. “If I wear a dress, I expect more explanations of your favorite looks.” 

He bit his lip. “I’ll consider it.”

She laughed, nodding. Clicking the pen, she reread Jack’s scrawl before putting the pen to paper. Jack watched as her tongue poked out between her lips in pure concentration. He watched her as they continued their journey around the park.  Jack smiled, noticing the little things that he normally wouldn’t; her pen’s quick strokes against the paper, the little pause as she gathered her thoughts, and the little smirk on her face as she thought back on a happy memory.  He continued to watch her write in the notebook, lost in her thoughts of happiness of the last 9 days. 

With a click of the pen, she shut the notebook, grinning at Jack.  “Done!” 

“Good! Good memories?” He asked, giving her a look.

She nodded, handing him the notebook. “Have fun reading that later on - hopefully it’ll make you smile.” 

Taking the notebook from her hands, he tucked it  into his coat pocket, pulling something out.  “Now for the third, and final surprise.” 

Holding out a plain white box, he motioned for her to take it. She smiled softly, taking the box before popping it open. She gasped softly, looking at the horse and carriage charm that was nestled into cotton. “This is perfect, Jack. Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. I think it’ll go nicely with the rest of the charms.” He watched her snap the box shut, tucking it safely into her bag. 

She raised an eyebrow. “What am I doing with all of these charms, by the way?” 

“Oh, time will reveal all soon, Kat. Just keep them in their boxes for now.” He grinned, leaning over, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. “Love you, Katherine.” 

“Love you too Jack.” She sighed, pulling the blanket around her waist, burying herself deeper into Jack’s embrace. “A perfect Saturday spent with you.” 

He couldn’t agree more, putting his arm back around her back, pulling her closer to his side. Sighing, he pressed a kiss to her forehead as they enjoyed the rest of the carriage ride. 

[gloriafc]

O' Christmas Tree

Hi I actually love you for all these Paul headcannons. That being said can I request another? lol Christmas tree shopping with him? He wants to do everything himself. You both choose the biggest one and he just carries it like it’s nothing which might alarm people watching. Though the only thing that annoys him is maybe scratchy pine needles 😂 thank you love you-anonymous

One of your favorite holidays is Christmas. You don't know if it's the presents, the happy music, the good food, or all of the above.

As much as Paul loves you he made you wait to get a tree. That didn't stop you from decorating the inside of your house on Nov 1st though. Even though he knew what he'd be walking into after patrol he didn't expect his tiny girlfriend to work so fast with so little time.

"Babe it's two in the morning. How? It looks like Santa threw up in here? How did you even get that up there?" "I climbed." "Climbed what? The bookshelf? Don't you dare say you climbed the bookshelf."

When the day comes to get your tree you wake up bright and early. You shower leaving Paul to sleep and make coffee. You not needing any, your excitement fueling your energy.

"How are you already ready? It's 7- 6:30! Babe they're not even open yet" "I have to mentally prepare for how I'm going to decorate it." "We." "That's what I said. You'll get the parts I can't reach, but we both know I'm in charge."

Paul puts on a Christmas movie to keep you occupied while he takes his time to get ready. But he can only go so slow and eventually finishes before your movie is over.

He leans against the door frame watching you sing along to the songs in the movie with a goofy smile on his face, wondering how he ended up with a Christmas obsessed girl who can't even properly make pancakes.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" "Babe slow down it's still early. How about we get breakfast first. Heard the diner has those peppermint pancakes you love right now." "Mmm sold."

Once you guys finish eating you both make your way to the little set up. You waving to the person running the stand.

"You just know everyone don't you." "That's Jack. His wife always has him put the nice trees in the back. Let's go get it."

He lets you pull him through all the trees, enjoying seeing you in your element. When you drop his hand he finally starts paying attention to his surroundings and realizes you brought him all the way to the back, where the trees tower over him.

Even if he isn't as into the holiday as you are he's is very picky about what tree you bring home.

"How about this one?" "No it looks lopsided. That one's missing a few branches." "How about we separate and conquer."

As a joke you grab a small Charlie Brown tree, as you call it. Deciding on buying it because it's just too cute. Holding your tree you make your way to the back where you find him circling a giant fluffy tree.

"What are you holding?"

You can't help the shit eating grin you have as you lift the tree with what looks like only three branches to show him.

"My tree!" "Put it back. We're getting this one." "Don't diss my tree. It's itty bitty and needs love."

Paul rolls his eyes as you hold onto your tree knowing you'll pout your whole way home if he doesn't let you get it.

You turn to look for a cart to roll the giant tree on before Paul just picks it up with no effort what's so ever.

"I know you have your strength and everything. But we should get a cart, people are looking. And you'll get pine needles all over you." "The faster we get it home the sooner we can decorate it."

He has you there. You follow him to where Jack is standing to checkout and let Paul tie the tree to the top of the car.

You can't help but laugh when you find Paul trying to dust himself off.

"Son of a- they're everywhere." "I told you let me get a cart thing, but no macho Man had to carry it. This is what you get." "Shutup and help me get these things off." "I like it. It's a very festive look-Did you just throw snow at me?"

You attempt to get all the pine needles off, but Paul being his impatient self just takes his jacket off to shake it out, getting you some very interesting looks from people.

Of course nothing really matters when you get home, except for the fact you get to finally decorate the spot in your living room that you've left vacant.

You hold the door open as Paul brings the tree in. He sets it up while you get the boxes of decorations. When you come back you find Paul turning the tree. You watch him do it for about five minutes before interfering.

"You turned it about twenty times. And every time you put it back the same way. I think that's the angle." "You sure? It doesn't seem perfect." "We haven't decorated it yet. Now white or colored for the lights?"

Before you can even hold up the lights Paul is pulling the white ones out and starting to put them on the tree.

"Alright then. Guess I'm no help here."

You let him finish before you pull out the different boxes of ornaments.

"Ooo red and white. No blue and silver. Mmmm purple." "How about we do just white? All of your other decorations are white."

You look around the room before nodding and opening the box of white directions. The whole time you direct where each ornament should be put or how spaced out they need to be. When it comes to the top of the tree, you run into the kitchen to grab your stool.

"Babe you know I could've just lifted you right?" "But we're supposed to put it on together!"

Paul can't help but roll his eyes, but that doesn't wipe the smile off his face as you climb up your stool next to him. Once you're stable you both hold onto the star and set it on the tree. Paul helps you down before he plugs in the lights and you both stand back looking at your work.

"Perfect. We're not taking it down until July." "Hold on I never agreed to that. Babe don't walk away like you can't hear me! You can't just do that when someone says something you don't want to hear!"

[thehelleniclunarwitch]

13 Days of Christmas [Day 02]

Day 02: Scrooge - Diego Hargreeves

Tagged: @justgrits  @charmed-asylum

                       xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“You know he’s going to find out,” Five said. 

You shot him a look. “No, he isn’t,”

“Y/n, Diego has hated Christmas since we were kids. He’s going to find out about your Christmas party,” Five explained. 

“The only reason he’ll find out about it is if you keep running your damn mouth,” You growled. 

Five grinned. “I just can’t control myself,”

“Well, you better because if you ruin this for Y/n. I’ll kill you for her,” Ben said as he tossed down a box of decorations. 

“All I’m saying is that Diego hates Christmas but is good at finding things out. He’s going to know something is up when we all start ignoring him around 5 pm tonight,” Five pointed out as he plugged in a set of lights. 

“Patch is having him work on a case. That’s all he’s been talking about. Patch and her partner are going to keep him busy all day and through the night. That will give us plenty of time to decorate, set up, and actually have the party,” You explained. 

“Y/n, I’m done with the tree do you want to see it?” Vanya asked poking her head into your bedroom. 

“Yes,” You beamed with sparkling eyes. 

Leaving Five and Ben in the kitchen to finish setting up you followed Vanya out to the living room. She and Klaus had been busy decorating the living room and setting up the tree. It was perfect. 

“It’s perfect!” You exclaimed. 

“Thank god, Vanya kept making us redoing it a thousand times,” Klaus sighed flopping down on the couch. 

Vanya shot her brother a look. “I just wanted it to be perfect,”

“And it is! You did a great job, Vanya,” You said pulling her in for a hug. 

“A little help here!” Luther yelled as he struggled to push open the door with his arms full of boxes. 

“Oops sorry,” Allison giggled before dashing out of your bedroom to grab the door for Luther. 

“Y/n, did you order the whole menu?” Luther grumbled as he carried the boxes into the kitchen. 

“I love you boys, but you eat me out of house and home. I wanted to make sure I had enough snacks,” You told him as you followed him back into the kitchen. 

Vanya and Allison started to grab the cold foods and stacked them into your fridge. Klaus grabbed the drinks and started shoving them into coolers filled with ice. The seven of you were busy rearranging the kitchen trying to get all of the food into a home until the party when a voice cleared behind you. 

All seven of you froze. You let out a curse under your breath before forcing a smile and turning around. Diego stood there with his hands on his hips. 

“Hi baby,” You greeted.

“What is going on here?” Diego asked. 

“Um, nothing really, I thought you were working a case with Patch?” You asked. 

Diego ignored you as he started to look at his siblings and then around your apartment. You noticed the way his eyes narrowed when he started to notice all of the Christmas decorations. 

“Are you throwing a Christmas party?” Diego asked. 

“What? Pfft, no,” You tried lying. 

Diego turned his dark eyes onto you. You sighed. 

“Fine, damn it, yeah, we were going to have a party while you were at work with Patch,” You told him. 

Diego looked at his siblings. 

“All of you were in on this?” Diego asked. 

His siblings all nodded in unison. 

“Diego, I, uh, know how you around this time of the year and instead of torturing with parties, Christmas music, presents, and conversation I thought we could do it while you were working so you wouldn’t have to feel out of place,” You explained. 

“What are you trying to say?” Diego asked. 

“Dude, you’re a scrooge,” Five said. 

“I’m not that bad,” Diego started. 

“Diego, you ripped the speakers out of the wall at the Academy when Vanya turned on Christmas music,” Allison said. 

“And when we were at the mall the one time and a kid started crying you started ranting raving about presents and how all kids should get coal because they can’t be good,” Klaus added. 

“A few years ago, when the neighbor kids build a snowman you purposely kicked it over and then when you came back home you parked your car on top of it so they couldn’t try and fix it,” Ben said. 

“D, we weren’t trying to be hurtful and leave you out,” Luther quickly said. 

“Whatever. I’ll just grab something to eat at the diner before returning to work,” Diego snarled turning on his heels and storming out. 

“I told you,” Five said from behind you. “Ow,”

Ben had hit him on the back of his head. You squeezed past Klaus and started running after Diego. 

“Diego, wait!” You shouted after him. 

Diego was just pushing the door open when you slid in front of him. 

“You’re not going to leave here without talking to me,” You told him. 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Diego said. 

“That’s bull. Now start talking before I get Luther to carry you upstairs and tie you down so we can have an adult conversation,” You threatened. 

Diego sighed. 

“If I hurt your feelings I’m sorry and it wasn’t intentional,” You apologized. 

“Am I really that insufferable?” Diego asked. 

“Only around this time of the year. Which is fine, Diego. You don’t have to like Christmas. I’m okay with that, but the rest of us do want to enjoy it so instead of making you suffer through it we just wanted to do it on our own,” You told him. 

“I don’t mean to be this miserable,” Diego said. 

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Diego, okay?” You said. 

“Am I ruining the holidays for you?” Diego asked. 

“Ruining the holidays? No, you just make it more challenging,” You teased with a soft smile. 

Diego laughed. 

“I should be able to suck it up and put a smile on my face for you,” Diego said. 

“You wouldn’t ask me to do something that I wasn’t comfortable with and I wouldn’t ask that of you,” You said. 

Diego pulled you in against his chest. 

“And if you’re upset about us going behind your back, we don’t have to have the party,” You said. 

Diego pulled back so he could look down at you. He leaned down and kissed you softly. 

“Have your party. Enjoy your time with your friends and my siblings. I’ll be over after work,” Diego said.

“Really? Are you sure?” You asked him. 

“Yes. And actually, I have a present for you,” Diego smiled. 

Your eyes lit up. “What?”

“But you’ll have to wait until after work. I need to get going,” Diego said. 

“Now that’s not fair,” You pouted. 

Diego laughed. “I think that’s a deserving punishment for hiding the party from me,”

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, yeah, that’s fair,”

Diego kissed you once more before heading back to work. You hurried back upstairs to let his siblings know that you smoothed it over. As a team, the seven of you finished setting up for the party. The siblings had eventually left and then returned once they had changed into their party outfits and brought back presents. 

The rest of the night went smoothly. Klaus kept you on your feet by dancing with you all night long. Ben started playing the piano and others began singing. Vanya stayed close to your side when you weren’t dancing. Allison and Luther were working the room and Five poured drinks for everyone and only talking to the people he tolerated. 

As the night began to wind down and your guests left leaving you and siblings behind. You had to force them all to leave. They had wanted to stay behind and help clean up but you had reassured them that the mess would still be there in the morning. All of you needed to be heading to bed and sleeping off the alcohol. 

You had just kicked off your heels and were struggling to unzip your dress when a familiar set of hands brushed against your skin. You jumped and looked over your shoulder. Diego was staring at you. 

“I didn’t hear you come in,” You told him. 

“I was trying to make sure everybody was gone before I came back to see you,” Diego admitted. 

He unzipped your dress and released it so it pooled around your feet. He pressed several kisses to your back. He turned you around so he could kiss you. 

“Would you like your Christmas gift?” Diego asked. 

“From the Scrooge himself? I’d be honored,” You teased. 

Diego rolled his eyes before walking away. Alone, you quickly threw on your sweatpants and one of Diego’s shirts before going after him. You found him in the living room. His hands were behind his back and your narrowed your eyes at him. 

“That better not be a knife,” You joked. 

Diego laughed and shook his head. 

“You’re something else, you know,” Diego pointed out. 

“Oh, I know,” You smiled. 

“I wanted to do this earlier in the year. This is a special gift, but I know how much you like this holiday and I know that everyone knows I hate Christmas. That I’m the new version of the Scrooge. So I’ve been holding onto this to make this Christmas a special one,” Diego said. 

“Diego,” You said in confusion. 

Diego dropped down onto one knee. “I hear you. All of you about me being a Scrooge around this time of the year. I knew that it was going to take something magical to make me want to celebrate Christmas and to look forward to it. So I knew the magical moment I needed was to be a happy one I create with you. I love you. I’ve loved you since we were kids. I want to build a life with you. I want to start a family with you and grow old with you. Y/n, will you marry me?” Diego asked. 

Tears were welling up in your eyes. “Yes! One hundred thousand percent yes!”

Diego laughed, slid the ring onto your finger, and then hoisted you up. You giggled as you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him. This was hands down the best Christmas ever.     

[artificialqueens]

Ivy’s First Tree (Biadore) - Lemonade

Prompt: Wondered if you’d consider a Christmas family fic with Biadore and Ivy?

Summary: Ivy insists on having her own Christmas tree in her room this year. Roy and Danny capitalize on their alone time Christmas Eve morning.

AN: Thank you all for being patient while I worked on this!

“No!” Ivy yelled when Roy made an attempt to help fluff out her fake Christmas tree. “I wanna do it by myself!” Roy put his hands up and backed away from the small decoration. He crawled back to his spot next to Danny on the floor, leaning his head on his husband’s shoulder as they watched their child contemplate what to do next.

This year Ivy insisted on having her own mini Christmas tree in her room. A neon green one, of course. With pink lights. As someone who used to have their own pink Christmas tree up year round, Danny couldn’t say no to her. So the couple sat on their daughter’s bedroom floor watching over the project.

Ivy stood as tall as her tree did; Roy had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing.  

“How do I do it?” Ivy finally gave in after minutes of staring down the tree.

“Do you remember when we took the big tree out of the box and it was really skinny?” Danny asked.

“Yeah.”

“Then we pulled all the branches down and apart and it got really big?”

“Mhm.”

“It’s the same thing with this tree,” Danny explained.

Roy made another attempt to help his child. “Can I?” Ivy nodded her head. “See baby,” Roy pulled a branch down and fluffed it out as Ivy intently watched his every move. “Doesn’t that look better? That’s all you have to do.”

“Okay. I can do it now,” Ivy proclaimed. Her small hand took hold of a branch, mimicking what her father had just showed her. Her mouth dropped in excitement. “I did it! Look!” She turned to her dads for validation.

“You did!”

“Very good!”

“Good job, Ivy.”

“It looks so pretty already.”

They swarmed her with approval and compliments. The child bounced happily before rushing to fluff the rest of the tree.

Ivy rested her hands on her knees, bending over and dramatically panting when she was done. Their child was as animated as a cartoon character, the fathers always getting a kick out of the things she said and did.

“You okay over there?” Danny chuckled. Ivy stuck her tongue out and nodded.

“Do you wanna do the lights next?” Roy asked, pulling a circle of Christmas tree lights towards himself.

“I need a break!” Ivy fell backwards on the floor, her arms and legs sprawled out as if she were making snow angels.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Roy started crawling towards her. “You know who’s gonna get you if you lay on the floor like that?”

“Nooooo!” Ivy squealed as Roy started tickling her tummy. The child laughed hysterically while trying to protect herself from the tickle monster. Whenever she’d push his hands away he’d tickle somewhere else, making her roll all over the floor in a fit giggles. Danny watched on with a warmth in his chest and smile on his face; laughing along with them. The love he had for the two of them felt like it might burst through his chest and spill over.

“Daaad!” Ivy calling for him broke through Danny’s moment of sentimentalism. His daughter somehow managed to get away from Roy, and was running towards him with full speed. “Hide me!” She leaped into Danny’s arms, taking the wind out of him. Danny coughed, trying to obscure the fact that being headbutt in the stomach by a four year old actually really hurt.

Roy noticed the discomfort on Danny’s face. His poor husband still trying to hold himself together as Ivy climbed all over him. Roy grabbed Ivy from Danny. “Alright, kiddo. I think Dad needs a break.” He placed Ivy down next to her tree, sitting the string of lights in front of her. “Start untangling these so you can put them on your tree.”

Roy kneeled back down next to Danny, who was trying to catch his breath without making a scene that would scare their daughter. “Are you okay?” Roy looked at Danny with concern in his eyes, his hand cupping Danny’s cheek. Danny huffed and nodded. Roy ran his fingers soothingly through Danny’s hair. “Maybe we should’ve gotten her a football instead of that soccer set,” Roy joked. Danny chuckled in agreement.

“I’m done!” Ivy announced when all of the lights were untangled from each other. She walked the cord over to Danny, dropping it in his lap. “You can do it ‘cause I hurt you,” her head hanging low as she offered. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

Danny pouted. Ivy was very smart and intuitive. She had picked up on the fact that her dad didn’t feel good and that it was caused by her. “Honey, you didn’t hurt me,” Danny assured. He reached out for Ivy, pulling her into his lap as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Yes I did, don’t lie.”

“Ivy, I’m fine. I promise. You ran into me a little hard, but I know you didn’t mean to. I love when you jump into my arms for a hug, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not upset with you.” Danny kissed Ivy’s temple and gave her a squeeze.

“Why don’t we put these up together?” He handed Ivy a section of the Christmas lights. She nodded, wrapping her small hand around the cord.

Danny guided Ivy over to the Christmas tree. “We’re gonna start at the top—“

“Bottom,” Roy corrected.

“Top. They look better if you start at the top.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “This is the KitKat wrapper all over again.”

Danny chuckled remembering the numerous fights they had over whether the KitKat wrapper was orange or red.

“Anyway, we’re gonna start at the top,” Danny continued. “Then you just wrap the cord around the rest of the tree.” Danny started Ivy off, allowing her to figure the rest out on her own.

“Like this?” Ivy asked as she walked in circles around the tree.

“Yep.”

“Just like that.”

Once she finished she dropped the cord, knowing she wasn’t allowed to touch the sockets herself. “Daddy, make it light up!” Roy plugged in the lights for her. Ivy gasped. “So pretty!” The whole room developed a bright pink glow. The color of the lights actually complimenting the color of the tree. Ivy clapped her hands, looking on with a proud smile as her tree started to come together.

“You know what’s next?” Danny knew it was Ivy’s favorite part.

“What?” Ivy asked curiously.

“Tinsel!”

“Tinsel!” Ivy yelled. She had the time of her life throwing that stuff on their tree in the living room.

Danny handed Ivy a box of it. “Go wild, kid.” The little girl jumped up and down before taking the box from her dad. She started throwing it haphazardly onto the tree. Roy and Danny felt like they were watching a little Picasso go to work on a new masterpiece.

“I love her so much,” Danny mused quietly to Roy as he rested his head on Roy’s shoulder.

Roy wrapped an arm around Danny’s body, laying his head against his. “I do too. Sometimes I can’t believe she���s ours, ya know?”

“Yeah,” Danny understood the feeling Roy was trying to describe. “It’s like, we have a whole fucking daughter.”

Roy chuckled before shushing Danny. They had agreed not to curse in front of Ivy.

“I love you, too,” Roy said to his husband. “I love our little family.” Danny beamed up at Roy, looking at him as if he put the stars in the sky.

“I love you,” Danny returned sweetly. He leaned into Roy for a chaste kiss. Smiles couldn’t be contained as their lips pressed against each other.

Ivy threw tinsel at her dads. “Hey!” She waited for them to stop kissing, which they purposely did longer just to tease her. “Stop it!” She threw more tinsel at them, getting ready to heave the box at Roy’s head.

The couple broke apart, nuzzling noses before turning their attention back to their daughter. “Yucky,” the child stuck her tongue out with a grimace. Roy and Danny playfully stuck their tongues out back at her, hearing the sweetest giggle in return.

“You’re almost done, baby,” Roy said to Ivy.

“All you have to do is put your ornaments on,” Danny pushed forward a box with all the ornaments Ivy had picked out for her tree. Characters from the latest Disney movie, green and pink balls to match the colors of the tree and lights, bells, snowmen, gingerbread men, and a set they found that looked like soccer balls.

“You can help me,” Ivy declared. She had insisted on doing most of it on her own, but since she always had fun putting ornaments on the tree with her dads she wanted them to be part of it as well.

The family of three decorated the small tree. By the time they were done it looked like they had put everything but the kitchen sink on it.

“I love it!” Ivy beamed. Her tree had turned out better than she could have ever imagined.

“Just one more thing,” Roy handed Ivy the star for the top.

Ivy eagerly took it from her dad’s hand. “Daddies look,” she put the star on the top of the tree. “I can reach all by myself!” Usually Danny had to hold Roy, and Roy had to hold Ivy to get the star on the top of the tree. They could use a step ladder, but their way was more fun.

Danny put the final touch of a Christmas tree skirt around the base. Ivy smiled widely. “I’m so happy!”

“Good,” Roy pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“We’re glad you like it,” Danny kissed the opposite side.

“Alright, it’s time for dinner, your bath, then bed, okay?” Roy was always the parent keeping them on track. If it was up to Danny they’d eat cookies all night and stay up an hour past Ivy’s bedtime. Ivy pouted, trying to break Roy into giving her some leniency. “That’s cute,” he kissed her cheek again, “but it’s still dinner time.” Ivy shrugged her shoulders, at least she tried.

“You know tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, right?” Danny asked as they cleaned up the mess left behind.

“Yeah! Then Christmas Day!”

“That’s right! So tomorrow we’re gonna have a really big breakfast, then you get to open up all your presents from your dad and I. You’ll have the whole day to play with whatever you get—“

“And gingerbread houses!” Ivy chimed in, reminding Danny of a very important part of their Christmas Eve traditions.

Danny chuckled, “And gingerbread houses. Then Christmas Day when we wake up we’re gonna go to grandma’s. You’ll get to play with all your cousins and open your gifts from the rest of the family. We’ll have dinner there, you’ll get to play a bit more, then we’ll come home. Sound good?”

“Mhm,” Ivy agreed. “Um,” the child nervously started to propose something to her fathers. “Can I sleep in your bed on Christmas Eve? And Christmas?”

Roy and Danny looked at each other, silently communicating their thoughts with each other. Ivy always loved sleeping with her dads in their bed. They let her every now and then, telling her it couldn’t become a habit. They assumed it was something she would grow out of, but never really did. Danny slightly shrugged his shoulder at Roy. Ivy rarely asked, she never made a habit of it, and it was a special occasion. Roy nodded.

“That’s fine, honey,” Danny answered for the both of them.

“But you sleep in your bed tonight, okay? And you know you can’t make a habit out of sleeping in ours,” Roy laid down the ground rules.

“Yaaaaay!” Their daughter opened her arms for a hug that they both squeezed themselves into.

——

Danny slowly delved into consciousness, his eyes fluttering open. “Morning,” Roy said from behind him, nuzzling and pressing kisses to

Danny’s naked back.

Danny smiled warmly. He wiggled himself closer to Roy. “I love when you kiss my back,” Danny mused.

Roy smiled against pale skin and freckles, “I know.”

Roy continued drowning Danny in affection. “We should wake Ivy up,” he mumbled against Danny.

“Let her sleep in.” Danny turned around in Roy’s arms to face him, giving him Eskimo kisses. “Ya know, she’s gonna be in our bed for the next two nights. We’re not gonna be able to have Christmas sex,” Danny pouted.

“We can have sex after Christmas.”

“It’s not the same. Christmas sex is special.”

Roy didn’t mean to chuckle at Danny. He could tell he was being dead serious. There was a level of passion and emotion in special occasion sex; When you’re using your body to express to your partner how much you love them, and how grateful you are for them when words failed to do so.

Danny noticed the small smile creeping on to Roy’s face. “Watcha’ thinkin’?”

“I’m thinking you’re right, but what are we gonna do? We can’t tell her she can’t sleep in our bed when we already promised she could.”

“I know,” Danny assured. He had no intention of disappointing their daughter like that. “We can’t have Christmas night sex, but we can have Christmas Eve morning sex.” Danny adored morning love making sessions with Roy. The lazy strokes, the giggles that erupted between the two. The sweetness and affection that seemed to hit different in the morning time. Danny loved that he was comfortable enough to kiss Roy before brushing his teeth, and he loved that Roy never thought anything of it.

“So,” Danny scraped his fingers through Roy’s stubble. “Are you gonna make love to me?”

A sly smirk reacted to the glint in Danny’s eyes. Roy pressed his lips against Danny’s, softly kissing him. Danny moaned quietly into Roy’s mouth. Roy’s hand slipped around Danny’s throat. He gripped him with no real force behind the hold, his thumb pushing into Danny’s pulse point.

Danny whimpered at the increasing pressure being put on the sensitive area. “Fuck,” he whined against Roy’s lips. God, did he know the exact buttons to push to get Danny to come undone.

Roy’s free hand moved to grope Danny’s chest. Roy deepened their kiss as he pinched one of Danny’s nipples, rolling it between his fingers. The younger’s entire body bucked into Roy. He was always so sensitive and receptive to Roy’s touch. If Roy just played with his tits for long enough Danny was sure he’d cum from it.

Danny panted as Roy began kissing his neck. Both of Roy’s hands had moved to grabbing and squeezing Danny’s chest. “More,” Danny greedily demanded. Roy pinched then pulled on Danny’s nipples, making him yelp.

“More, Princess?” Roy’s breath against his flesh sent shivers through Danny’s body.

“More,” Danny whined, too stubborn to let Roy win this.

Roy snickered against Danny’s skin, trailing sweet, open mouthed kisses up his neck, across his jaw, and to his mouth. As they kissed Roy climbed over Danny, forcing him to lay flat on his back. Their blanket was still draped over them, a slight lift in their cozy tent where Roy sat on top of Danny.

Danny smiled warmly at the sight. He used to dream of mornings like this with Roy. Waking up next to him, knowing Roy was his, knowing their love from the night before wasn’t something that would be chalked up to alcohol and bad decision making. Danny wanted to marry Roy, and have babies with him. Even when their relationship was the most strained it’s ever been, Danny still held on to the hope. That little bit of hope the two of them always held on to for each other blossomed into their beautiful little family.

Roy began kissing a line between Danny’s breasts. His mouth moved to suckle on the delicate skin above Danny’s nipple, leaving a purple bruise in his wake. Roy made an identical mark on the opposite side of Danny’s body. His chest moved with his sporadic breathing, Danny ran his fingers through Roy’s hair as he looked at him with lust drunk eyes.

“More?” Roy said with a cocky confidence. Danny whimpered, his toes curling at the tone in Roy’s voice. They both knew the teasing between them could get body melting intense; Danny already feeling like a puddle beneath Roy.

Danny whimpered again, his fingers tugging on Roy’s curly hair. “More. Suck on them,” Danny finally telling Roy what he wanted. Another pull to his raven locks told Roy to hurry up. His lips latched around Danny’s nipple, sucking on the overly sensitive nub. Danny moaned loudly, his chest jutting into Roy’s mouth. He swirled his tongue around Danny’s nipple while using his thumb to gently tease the neglected one.

Roy scarped his teeth over the peak of his lover’s body, carefully tugging on it. “Bite me,” Danny breathed. A new, darker hickey had bloomed around Danny’s nipple. Roy only noticing it for a second before sinking his teeth into the opposite side of his chest. Danny inhaled a sharp breath. “Fucking—So good,” Danny muttered with his eyes half closed. Roy wasn’t sure if Danny even knew half the things he said during sex.

By the time Roy was satisfied, Danny’s entire chest was covered in love bites that perfectly resembled his mouth. “More?” Roy teased.

Danny grunted, pushing his hips against Roy’s. They had both grown hard between the first kiss and now. “You’re all wet,” Roy breathed into Danny’s ear as he palmed him through his thong.

Danny whined, his back arching slightly and his hips grinding his stiff cock against Roy’s hand.

“Bet I can make you cum without even fucking you,” Roy said as he traced the head of Danny’s dick through his underwear.

Danny writhed under his touch. “You have to fuck me! It’s Christmas.”

Roy couldn’t stop the laugh tumbling from his lips. “Is my dick your Christmas present?”

Danny brought his bottom lip between his teeth, looking up at Roy innocently and nodding.

“I hate how adorable you are,” Roy leaned down to kiss the tip of Danny’s nose.

“You love me,” Danny mused.

“I do.”

Danny blushed at Roy, his fingers tracing Roy’s cheekbones and jaw before pulling him down into a kiss. Their lips meshed and tongues played against each other. Roy snapped Danny’s thong against his skin, making his lover gasp. Danny nipped Roy’s lip in return; the two always going tit for tat in bed.

“I love you,” Danny’s words were muffled against Roy’s lips.

Roy sucked on Danny’s bottom lip, letting him go to growl, “I love you, too. So much.” The rasp in Roy’s voice sent a tingle up Danny’s spine, his fingers pressing into Roy’s heated flesh. Roy moved to slide Danny’s thong down his legs. Once the garment was on the ground, Roy trailed slow, sloppy kisses up Danny’s thigh. His legs twitched at the attention, his dick leaking and slick against his stomach.

Roy gently caressed Danny’s inner thighs with the tips of his fingers, making his husband whimper and squirm beneath him. Danny breathed Roy’s name, almost inaudibly. His fingers teased Danny’s stomach next, Danny’s muscles jumping at the tender touch.

Danny swallowed roughly. Intimate, gentle touches always took his breath away. Roy knew he could tease Danny to the brink of orgasm just by touching the right places.

Roy pressed a sweet kiss to Danny’s cheek as he traced circles on his stomach, right above where his cock lay in a pool of it’s own precum. Danny lifted his hips to meet Roy’s touch. “Please,” he whined. The pleading in his lover’s voice going straight to Roy’s balls.

Roy lowered his hand, a firm grip taking hold of Danny’s cock. His head fell back, and his hips arched into Roy’s fist. Roy, with a painfully slow pace, began stroking him. Danny moaned something that sounded like a thank you, but was too obscured for Roy to be sure.

“You’re beautiful,” Roy’s breath against Danny’s ear made goosebumps flare up on pale skin. “Always,” Roy pressed a kiss right behind Danny’s ear before nibbling on the lobe.

Danny choked. “You too,” he squeaked in return. Roy always showered him with loving words and affections. Danny wasn’t the sweetest talker in the world, but he did love Roy. He hoped he made Roy feel the same butterflies that Roy had always given him.

The scratches on Roy’s back were evidence of where Danny’s hands had been. He snaked one between the two of them, slipping past the elastic in Roy’s boxers. Danny took Roy, hard and heavy into his hand. Roy always felt incredible. The weight and girth of his cock as Danny held him just made Danny more excited to take him.

Danny used Roy’s own precum to slick his cock as he started jerking him. Roy let out a low, gravely moan that made Danny’s dick twitch in his hand. They stroked each other with the same increasing pace. Their moans mixing and filling up the otherwise quiet room.

They breathed profanities into each other’s mouths as they made out. Roy let his lips graze Danny’s. He hovered over him for a few seconds, teasing the promise of another sweltering kiss. Danny’s free hand tightened around Roy’s neck, yanking him down. His lungs felt like they were on fire when they kissed again.

An idea crossed Roy’s mind. He adjusted his position on top of Danny, reluctantly having to pull his lips away from his husband’s. He moved Danny’s hand away from him, earning a frustrated huff from the angel beneath him. Danny’s cheeks were flushed a bright pink as he watched Roy in a lustful haze.

Roy held their dicks together as he ground his cock against Danny’s smaller one. The precum spread over their lengths helped them glide together with ease. Roy began jerking them off together as well. Danny broke a loud moan, bucking under and pawing at Roy. A string of whimpers escaped plump lips. Roy admired the sight of his love going wild with a gaping mouth and blown out pupils.

“You’re perfect,” Roy praised. “So fucking hot, babygirl. You like that?” Roy leaned down to attach his lips to Danny’s neck. His tongue and teeth working the delicate flesh.

Danny’s hand raked through Roy’s hair, his neck strained to give Roy the best access possible. “I love it,” Danny returned, the breathy whine made Roy’s eyes roll back. “Fucking—love your cock.” Danny’s nails scratched from the base of Roy’s neck to the bottom of his spine. The older of the two hissing at the sting. Danny groped Roy’s ass as Roy ground against him. “Want you inside me so bad, Roy. I’m so close. I needa feel you—Need you so bad,” Danny mindlessly sputtered. His desperation for Roy at an all time high.

Danny’s words drove Roy insane. He tore himself away from Danny, kicking his boxers onto the floor with his lover’s thong. Roy held Danny by the back of the knees, pushing his legs forward and his ass up in the air. Grabbing a stray pillow, Roy used it to prop Danny’s hips up.

“Comfortable?”

“Mhm.”

A second later Roy disappeared. Danny’s eyes shot open when he felt a furious tongue lapping at his asshole. Roy wasted no time before devouring him. His husband’s pulsing hole was too much to resist. Danny’s moans grew louder with every pass of Roy’s tongue. The sounds emitting from his husband nonstop. Roy bit into Danny’s asscheek. “Don’t you dare wake Ivy up,” Roy warned. “You know what happened the last time you did,” he punctuated his statement with a slap to Danny’s ass. Roy’s lips went back to being pursed around Danny’s hole, gently suckling.

The memories of Danny’s “punishment” came flooding back. Roy spanked him for over an hour. The welts and bruising so bad Danny couldn’t comfortably sit for a week. He gasped when he remembered the hand around his throat, choking him until he blacked out. A tightness started to form in the pit of Danny’s stomach. His toes curled as Roy’s tongue prodded his hole.

“Roy,” Danny whimpered, his face growing hotter. His hands reached between his legs and tugged on Roy’s hair. “I’m so close. I’m so close, please fuck me.” Roy smirked against Danny, knowing exactly what he was doing to him. Roy continued to eat Danny out. One of his hands reached up to stroke Danny’s cock while his other one stroked himself. Danny cried out in pleasure, biting his lip when he remembered Roy’s warning. He ground his ass against Roy’s face. A small, strangled, “please,” croaked from Danny’s throat. Roy pressed one last suckling kiss to Danny’s asshole.

Danny made grabby hands at Roy as he crawled over his body. Leaning down, Roy caught Danny’s lips in a kiss. Danny whined as he tasted himself on his lover’s mouth, moving around awkwardly beneath him. Roy pulled away just in time to see Danny grab a small bottle of lube from under his pillow.

Roy playfully scoffed, “You planned this didn’t you?”

“Kinda,” Danny said smugly.

Roy rolled his eyes, pecking Danny’s lips before taking the lube from him. He sat up between Danny’s legs, popping the cap open. The liquid was warmed up between Roy’s hands before being spread onto his lover’s asshole. Roy squeezed a generous amount onto himself as well. Danny propped himself up on one elbow while he reached out to rub the lube into Roy’s cock. A quiet groan escaping Roy’s throat.

Danny continued to jerk Roy off. Roy’s eyes had fluttered shut, he had completely gotten taken away by the sensational way Danny was making him feel. He cleared his throat, gained his composure, and pushed Danny’s hand away.

“You’re an ass,” Roy was slightly out of breath when he spoke.

“Fuck me!” Was Danny’s only response.

Roy didn’t waste time before lining himself up with Danny’s hole. He looked up at Danny for an okay, Danny giving him a nod and a wiggle of his butt as reassurance. Roy smiled fondly at him. He adjusted the pillow under Danny’s hips before pushing inside of him. Danny breathed heavily, his mouth falling open and eyes rolling back. Roy muttered quiet curses under his breath as Danny surrounded him.

“Fuck,” Roy gritted into Danny’s ear as he leaned back down with him. Danny whined. He wrapped his entire body around Roy’s; his arms flung around Roy’s neck and his legs around Roy’s waist. Danny clung to his lover, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

Their chests pressed together as Roy started to slowly thrust. Danny gasped. “Oh my god,” left his lips in a breathy plea. His nails dug into Roy’s back where his hand lay. Danny began trailing kisses against Roy’s shoulder.

The first few minutes Roy warmed Danny up, allowing him to adjust and get comfortable.

“How do you feel, angel?” Roy’s voice shook as he checked in. Danny felt fucking incredible around him. No matter how many times they made love it would always be so exciting and new. Roy could never imagine wanting for something else.

“So good,” Danny croaked. “I want more of you.”

Roy caught Danny’s lips in a searing kiss. He cradled his head, his fingers fanning out in silky hair. With desperate permission, Roy’s thrusting steadily increased in pace until he got a good rhythm going. His hips collided with Danny’s body, the smacking sound filling up the room and bouncing off the walls.

Their moans were muffled by their kissing. Danny hummed into Roy’s mouth. He tightened his grip on Roy, pushing his body firm against Roy’s in an attempt to get impossibly closer to his husband.

Roy’s heart swelled at the affection. Danny was always so needy for him and it made Roy feel so fucking wanted. Roy thrust deeper into Danny; their kiss broken as Danny’s head fell back with a loud, high pitched moan.

Roy smirked, his hips moved a little faster against Danny as he angled his thrusts to hit his prostate. Danny’s chest was flushed as pink as his cheeks were. Roy looked down at him as his body bounced with each thrust, his neck straining and mouth wide open. Roy bit his lip as Danny screwed his eyes shut. “I’ve never seen someone as beautiful as you,” Roy whispered, his voice heavy with lust.

Danny whimpered in response. The hand Roy still had in Danny’s hair massaged his scalp, adding a sweet touch to their sweltering love making. Danny nuzzled his face into the juncture of Roy’s neck, kissing the sensitive area. He nudged Roy with his nose as Roy kissed his temple.

“‘M love you,” Danny panted.

“I love you too, babygirl,” Roy was just as out of breath as his lover. His hand moved from Danny’s long hair to his face, holding his love’s cheek. He kissed him so tenderly it made Danny tear up. Danny held Roy’s neck, not allowing him to break away from their kiss.

Danny trembled as their lips meshed together. He had been holding off for so long, wanting his time with Roy to last. His stomach started to tighten again. He whined into Roy’s mouth, his body began to writhe and buck against his will.

Danny bit into Roy’s bottom lip harshly, tugging on it as Roy let out a sound that made Danny’s toes curl. Roy moved to nip at Danny’s collar bone. He pressed his thumb into Danny’s pulse point again, amazed at the reaction he got. “Baby, I love hearing you,” Roy said as his lips traveled to Danny’s neck, “But please don’t wake Ivy.” The pressure on his pulse point added to the sensation of Roy’s mouth sucking on the opposite side of his neck made Danny’s eyes roll into his skull. Needless to say, Danny was too preoccupied to hear Roy’s warning.

Roy clamped his hand over Danny’s mouth, muffling the gorgeous noises falling from even prettier lips. Roy couldn’t help but to chuckle as he kissed Danny’s body, remembering all the times in their lives he had to physically shut Danny up while they made love. Some things never changed, and Roy was more than grateful for that.

Danny’s body twisted under Roy’s. Roy’s thrusts hit hard and deep, pressing against his prostate every time. Stray tears from the intensity rolled down Danny’s face. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, some of his hair sticking to it and getting in his eyes. His cheeks were so red Roy was almost worried about him burning up.

“Close,” Danny said in a small voice.

“I know,” Roy teased. He knew Danny’s body better than his own. He kept the pace of his hips steady.

“Just like that. Don’t stop,” Danny affirmed.

Roy pushed the sweaty hair out of Danny’s face. He wiped the falling tears from his eyes. Tender kisses were peppered all over Danny’s face as his orgasm approached. Roy choked when Danny started pulsing around him. “Such an angel,” he muttered to Danny. His hand slipped between their heated bodies, closing around Danny’s cock. Danny’s back arched off of the bed, his arms fell out to either side of him.

“Oh fuck, Roy. Fuck me—Fuck, please—,” his words melted into a whine as he came. Warm, white liquid spilling over Roy’s fist as he stroked him through it. Danny twitched under Roy. The bed squeaking as his body convulsed. Roy watched on with a smile, his emotions all over the place; He was so turned on by Danny’s orgasm and so in love with Danny himself.

When Danny started to whine and swat at Roy’s hand he stopped jerking him off. “Sorry. Too sensitive,” Danny said sweetly.

“I know,” Roy brushed his fingers through Danny’s hair. “I know how sensitive you get.” Roy kissed his forehead, moving to pull out.

“You didn’t finish.”

“It’s okay.” Roy really didn’t care. He was always much more of a giver when it came to Danny.

“No. I want you to,” Danny insisted.

“But—Are you sure? I mean, you didn’t even want me touching you a few sec—“

“Shhhh,” Danny pulled Roy into a kiss. “You worry too much, Willow.”

Danny smiled against Roy’s lips as they kissed. Roy didn’t move for a while, still wanting to give Danny time to recover.

“You better fuck me before you get soft,” Danny teased.

Roy laughed against his lips. Danny made the decision to switch positions, his cheek pressed  into a pillow while his ass was up in the air; on display for Roy. Roy grabbed the lube from earlier, spreading a new layer on himself and Danny. Danny trembled at the touch, making Roy reluctant. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I want you to cum inside me,” Danny moaned the request. Roy plunged into him. Danny gasped, his fists tightening around their sheets as he buried his face into their pillows. Roy’s thrusting was more untamed than before. His orgasm not far out of his reach. Danny purposely clenched around him, eliciting a guttural moan from his husband.

Roy’s nails dug crescent moons into Danny’s hips. “I’m almost there,” he warned. Danny’s body was ready to give out at any moment.

“Please, Roy. Wanna feel you fill me up. I want it so bad,” Danny mindlessly encouraged Roy’s climax. The last stroke was the deepest, Roy buried himself inside of Danny as he came. Danny felt Roy’s hands trembling on his hips. His love’s orgasms were always more subdued compared to his.

Roy caught his breath, leaning down to press kisses to Danny’s back. The salty taste of sweat lingered on his lips. He slowly pulled out, smacking Danny’s ass for good measure.

Danny crinkled his nose at the trickling sensation. Roy spread him open, admiring the sight. Danny felt so vulnerable, but safe enough with Roy to enjoy it. Roy’s mouth watered. He slipped two fingers inside of Danny, teasing the cum out of his asshole.

Danny whimpered, hiding his face in the pillow again. Roy pulled his fingers free, kissing Danny’s asscheek before letting him go.

Roy crawled beside Danny, laying down and taking his husband into his arms. Danny nuzzled his face into Roy’s chest. “That was really nice,” Danny said.

“It was,” Roy kissed the top of Danny’s head. His arms squeezed Danny a bit tighter to him.

“Do you think Ivy’s awake yet?”

“If she was we’d know it,” Roy said with a chuckle in his tone.

“Good. I just wanna cuddle for bit.” Danny’s voice was worn and raspy. The sound shot straight to Roy’s heart.

“Me too,” Roy nuzzled his nose in Danny’s hair. “Merry Christmas, angel.”

“Merry Christmas, my love.”

[tnystrk-exe]

Learning to Live 3

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

“I’m going to be a ‘venger daddy,” Ro told him over their morning breakfast of Saturday morning cartoons and cereal.

“Are you?”

“Yep! I wanna be like you daddy.” She reached into his bowl and stole his star shaped marshmallows. “I’m gonna fight the monsters and keep you safe like you keep everyone else safe.”

The thought of that made Tony panic. He couldn’t imagine his little girl putting herself on the line. Hypocritical and probably a bit selfish, but the way he saw it, he risked it all so she didn’t have to. “You can be better than me, kiddo.”

Ro looked at him, the most confused look on her face. “But daddy, you’re the bestest! Ever!”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then who? Mommy?”

“Mom is definitely the bestest.”

She moved to sit on his lap, pressing kisses to his cheeks. “You and mommy are the bestest.”

Tony moved their cereal bowls, making sure a mess wasn’t made before, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “Thank you, sweetie.”

“I love you with all my heart.” She nuzzled into his shirt, his familiar cologne making her feel safe and warm.

“All of it?” He asked, some wonder leaking into his voice. “You sure?”

“Yeah!” She looked at him, “Daddy, me and the bots have a surprise. You can’t hang out in the lab until we’re done.”

“What?”

“We have a surprise for you. Go to your room Labrat.” Ro stood up, holding her hand out to help him stand up too. Tony complied, letting her drag him up the stairs to his room. “Don’t leave okay? You and Vis can do science with the blue lights.”

Ro ran to her room, finding the miniature Christmas tree she had begged you for, it wasn’t fair that the bots didn’t have a tree and daddy spent all his time there too. She pushed the box down the hallway and rode the box like a sled down the stairs. Repeating the process again to get the lab. “Vis, open the door please?” Dum-E rolled over, picking up the box. “I need to get the decorations but you and U can start taking it all out.”

She ran up both flights of stairs, grabbing the streamers, lights, and baubles. Carefully sneaking past your bed room door. Ro could hear Tony’s snores he must have been tired. She shouldn’t wake him up when he was sleeping, but she always got so excited to hangout with him. Then again she didn’t really know if her dad ever slept.

“I’m back!” She greeted the bots. “Vis drop my needle, please.” No clue what that exactly meant, but her dad said it and music always played afterward.

“Anything miss.” Jingle Bells coming on soon after.

“I’ll put them all on and you guys can put on the decorations. It’s really fun.”

Ro sang along to the songs, the bots watching her put on the fake branches and stretching them out like you and Tony had shown her. “Dum-E I need you to pick me up.” The bot complied, picking her up by her overall straps.  She finished up, looking at her work happily. “Perfect! U, come on help big brother with the lights.”

Dum-E let her down and she started to thread the lights before passing it to U. She fit Dum-E with a Santa hat and a tinsel scarf, while the bot waited his turn. “Looks really good guys,” she said, encouragingly, “You’re doing great!”

When they finished off the lights she passed them baubles making sure they grabbed the hangers without trouble. A couple fell and shattered here and there but the crew wasn’t deterred. Dum-E wrapped tinsel around Ro, mimicking what she had done. She giggled in delight when the bot gave her a pat on the head.

“Vis! Let me talk to daddy.” She jumped up and down in excitement, broken baubles crunching under her shoes.

“Patching you through right now.”

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Ro yelled with each jump.

Tony whimpered in his sleep. Someone...something had just torn Ro away from his arms and he couldn’t move to get her. She screamed out for him, her arms reaching out. “Daddy!”

Tony shot up from the bed. His heart thumped against his chest almost painfully, he swiped at the tears on his cheeks. This was happening way too much. “Earth to Labrat, come in Labrat.”

“Hey, sorry, must have fallen asleep,” he tried to sound normal, calming himself down, “Is your surprise ready?”

“Yeah! Come down here already!”

“I’ll be there give me a second.” Tony rubbed his face. He was home. His kid was okay and very excited. You were at work. Repeat until his breathing became less erratic.

Down stairs, U pushed the star to Ro. “You can do it U.” Instead the bot pressed it against her palm. “What about you Dum-E? You wanna put it on?”

In response the older boy picked her up by the overall straps again. Ro giggled loudly, J.A.R.V.I.S. leaked the audio through the home, knowing the severity of Tony’s dreams and how the simple sound could do wonders to calm him down. Tony thanked the A.I. before walking down the steps to the lab. He was greeted by a sight that had terrified him the first go around, but became the norm. Dum-E had dropped many things. Many. But Ro never slipped from his grasp. Though when she had been six months the prospect had been terrifying. Soon enough Tony had attached a swing on the bot to entertain them both during projects he couldn’t stop working on.

Ro was being held up, attempting to get the star to balance on top. “J, take a snapshot of that won’t you?”

“Already have, sir. Multiple pictures have already been uploaded to the album.”

“Can always count on you.” He opened the door to the lab, “Okay, Rugrat what’s the surprise?”

“U! Hit the lights!” The bot plugged in the cord and Ro threw out her hands, “Tada!”

He laughed, the move was very him. Anyone tired of his antics by now wouldn’t know what would hit them come a few more years. “Sweetheart, that looks amazing. The three of you worked on this?” Tony asked, walking over to grab her from the bot still holding her in air. “How did you know I always wanted a tree down here?”

“We did the big big tree and you kissed and hugged me and mommy so much! I think you really loved trees and Dum-E and U needed one too because they can’t play upstairs. Look the hanging thingies are red and gold like you too!”

“You really did that for your old man?” He asked as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you,” Tony patted both of the bots on their sides, “You three are the perfect team.”

“You love it?”

“I do.”

She smiled pridefully, hugging him tightly.

-

Ro and Tony had had a peaceful day in the lab with the bots. Later on he drove Ro over the the Herrera’s. The seniors missed the having the little girl around since Tony was home a lot more. Their grandchildren lived too far and Ro had basically been accepted as their grandchild as much as they had been around her. At least their little Christmas sleepover gave him time to take you out on an impromptu date.

You walked down to the lab, Tony was injecting himself in the arm. Probably that armor calling tech he had been talking about. He was taking the time to scold Dum-E and ignore J.A.R.V.I.S. safety briefing. Punching in your code, you walked into the lab.

He gestured to the suits, “Focus up, ladies. Good evening, and welcome to the birthing suit. I'm pleased to announce the imminent arrival of your bouncing, bad-ass, baby brother.” Tony turned on his heel, his eyes landing on you. “Hey, Cupcake. You came down at the perfect time. You’re in for a treat.”

You gave him a wave and leaned against the wall. Sometimes his test didn’t go to plan and like hell you were gonna get hit by a stray piece of suit.

“Start tight and go wide, stamp in time. Mark 42 autonomous prehensile propulsion suit test. Initialize sequence. J.A.R.V.I.S. drop my needle.” He danced, closing his eyes as he let the music hype him up. You laughed, zoning in on his hip movement. “I see you,” he winked at you, “I guess I know what my present will be come Valentine’s Day. What do you say?”

“I’ll look forward to it. Aren’t you going to show me Mark 42 yet?”

“Your wish.” He motioned to activate the suit. The pile in his desk doing nothing to move. “Crap.”

“Performance issues? Don’t worry honey, happens to the best of men.”

“Har, har, har, I’m getting a new girlfriend,” he teased, biting at his arm and hitting it for good measure, “You’ll miss my skills.”

“I’m sure.”

He gestured to the pile of parts. The left gauntlet and shoulder flew on to him. Tony laughed a heartbreakingly beautiful smile on his face when the right gauntlet went on without a hitch. “How’s that for ‘Performance issues’?” He asked smugly, “Alright, I think we got this. Send 'em all.” The left leg came on simply. A piece crashed into the Iron man display, another narrowly missed hitting his face. “Probably a little fast, slow it down. Slow it down just a...little bit.”

You winced as the crotch piece slammed into him, then the back. Even you had to duck to dodge a piece of the suit. Tony was pushed around by the pieces. Finally all that was left was his faceplate. It hovered. “Come on. I ain't scared of you.” The plate rushed toward flipping upside down in the process. Tony flipped to catch it, landing in a pose that would be fit for a poster. “I’m the best,” you heard the mechanical Iron Man voice proclaim.

A piece came loose from the Iron Man display and went crashing into his back. Tony was sent flying Mark 42 splayed around him. You walked over to him helping him up.

“That was a magnificent performance.”

“As always, sir, a great pleasure watching you work.”

You and the A.I. said in unison.

“The both of you have so many jokes.”

You pulled the helmet off of his head. Tony had a small cut running down the side of his mouth. “Let’s go take care of that Iron Man.”

“Are you gonna kiss it to make it feel better? Because the crotch plate really did a number there. It may be a bit bruised, may need some medical attention, don’t ya think Doc?”

“Not in your wildest dreams. Does something smell like it’s burning?”

“Only my burning hot love for you.”

Dum-E waved erratically, trying to the attention of either of you. “You got rid of his fire extinguisher?”

“He kept extinguishing me for fun,” Tony explained grabbing the fire extinguisher from under his work bench, “Doesn’t deserve that kind of power.”

You took it from him and handed it over to the bot, “Don’t listen to him. You’re doing great. Spray him some more for me.”

“Don’t encourage.”

“Come on, it’s too late for our date. Let’s make some food, get in the shower, and go to bed. You can take me out tomorrow.”

“So generous of you, allowing me to take you out.”

Tony allowed you to drag him from his lab and do with him what you wished. He knew you worried about him, he never did anything to exactly remedy the situation. So he’d go through the processes. You had more than enough stress on your plate. It wasn’t any trouble to hold you until you fell asleep or whisper some sweet nothings and earn himself a playful seat for not being quiet and making you laugh when you were so close to sleep.

When your breathing finally evened out he turned on the TV. That was a mistake. Didn’t he wish he had just fallen asleep with you.

-

The loud beeping of your pager and Sebastian calling your phone was what greeted you in the mornings. That annoying man. You’d caught him in the same position multiple times, but pay back was a bitch.

You got dressed and ready in less than ten minutes. The one of the highlights of moving into the mansion was that leaving Tony’s shaved thirty minutes off your drive. He was a pretty great add on too.

Making your way down to the lab, you found Tony in his usual tinkering position. “I’m sorry, honey, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Again?” He didn’t mean to say that at all. But his sleep deprived brain hadn’t given him time to think about his words.

“Yeah. Again.” Maybe another time you could let the comment pass, but someone’s kid was on the line here. Those always hit closer to home.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“We both have demanding jobs Tony. I don’t have time for this...I’ll see you later.”

“I’m sorry,” he called out after you. Tony sighed, watching you until you disappeared from sight. You’d know later it wasn’t done to purposefully jab at you. Right now you were just rushed and tired. “J, call Rhodey,” he yawned. May as well go on a date with Rhodey instead, he missed his friend.

The pair agreed on a burger joint. Tony was the later party. Mark 42 was being difficult but a test drive was still in need. Being in the air was weird. He felt like king of the clouds when he was up there. Nothing weighed on him it was just him and his suit. No danger. Nowadays there was an uncomfortable pang of panic when he rushed upward. He had learned to avoided test flights at night. They weren’t worth feeling uncomfortable the whole day.

“How’s paradise?” Rhodey asked as Tony took a seat next to him.

“Ro’s good, misses you. I’m fine. YN’s frustrated with me,” he answered giving a quick rundown.

“Tony, you’ve been a frustrating thorn in her side since you met,” he teased, “Shacking up wasn’t going to change that.”

“It’s good though. I like it.”

“The Starkster content and happy with being tied down.” Rhodey patted Tony’s back. “Good for you. I’m happy. You don’t know the intense relief I feel not having to watch and listen to the two of you pine after one another. I was getting absolutely sick of it. My niece was the only thing that kept pulling me back.” He thanked the waitress as she set their plates in front of them.

“Ordered for me? What a gentleman. Anyhow you’d never leave us,” Tony scoffed, his attention turning to the tv. Joan Rivers was mocking the suit’s new look. “I am Iron Patriot,” he mocked, grimacing at the change. The suit didn’t even look cool anymore.

“Listen, War Machine was a little too aggressive, alright? This sends a better message.”

“So what's really goin' on? With Mandarin. Seriously, can we talk about this guy?” He lowed his voice and scooted closer.

“It's classified information, Tony. Okay, there have been nine bombings.” Secrets weren’t exactly safe when it came to the pair.

“Nine..”

“The public only knows about three. Here's the thing, nobody can ID a device. There's no bomb casings.” Tony started to ramble about what he could do, offering different things to help. YN was right to worry about the man. He was pushing himself too and dealing with things on his own again. “When's the last time you got a good night's sleep?”

“Einstein slept three hours a year. Look what he did,” Tony brushed aside Rhodey’s comment. Mind racing on how to solve the Mandarin problem.

“YN is concerned about you, Tony. I'm concerned about you.”

“She...? Of course she did...You're gonna come at me like that?” He asked, looking offended.

“No. No, look, I'm not trying to be a dic...” two kids walking up to the table, drawings in hand, “...tator.”

Tony smiled at the girl and made a comment to the boy that looked like Ralphie Parker. Looking at the drawing of himself during New York, he began to make a simple customized chat bubble asking Erin for help.

“Listen, the Pentagon is scared. After what happened in New York... aliens, come on. They need to look strong. Stopping the Mandarin is priority, but it's not...”

“It's superhero business, I get it.”

“No, it's not, quite frankly. It's American business.”

“That's why I said I...got it.” The crayon broke in his hand. He felt sick. His heart was racing and he couldn’t breath. Covering his face he tried to figure out what was happening. Everything sounded so distant.

That is until, “How did you get out of the worm hole?” It felt like a tidal wave came down over him.

Tony shot up and got out of the restaurant as quickly as he could. He needed his suit. Breathlessly he apologized as he stumbled into people in his way. The suit opened up and he all but fell in. “Check the heart, check the...check the...is it the brain?

The suit was safe. He tried to calm down, but that felt harder than ever. “No sign of cardiac analomy or unusual brain activity.”

“Okay, so I was poisoned?” The only logical thing he could think of.

“My diagnosis is that you've experienced a severe anxiety attack.”

Taking a second to process before responding, “Me?” Rhodey tried to get his attention, but he needed out. Tony had to go home to figure it out.

Out of all of the things....anxiety? He was well to sound egotistical him. There wasn’t a shortage of people that hated him for his loud outburst. Since he was a child he was taught how to control a crowd. Never was he one to fear a fair challenge. Hell in Afghanistan he felt more anger and defiant than anything.

Now. Now it all changed. It flipped on him. There were topics that sent him to panic mode quicker than he ever felt. Dreams that just wouldn’t stop, keeping the memory of something he’d never forget. Each one showing him a different way he could fail to protect the people he cared about.

He needed a drink.

Walking down into the wine cellar, he stowed away the most recent add on to his collection before pouring himself a drink. God, he couldn’t be left alone with his thoughts. At least when Ro was around he had something to keep him grounded. It was a good thing she’d get to come home tomorrow.

Grabbing his phone, he called Happy. It had been a while. The man had quit claiming being Iron Man’s bodyguard was embarrassing and got himself a gig as Head of Security at Stark Industries. He had been a tyrant as described by Pepper.

The call went through, the screen lit up with the man’s forehead. “Is this forehead of Security?”

“What? You know, look, I got a real job. What do you want? I'm working, I got something going on here.”

“What’s going on? Fill me in.” He laughed at the man’s constant annoyance. “How’s being Pepper’s bodyguard?”

“Less stressful than you for one.”

“What can I say? Gotta keep you on your toes. You had some fun, didn’t you? I’m better than any 9 to 5.”

“Alright, so she's meeting up with this scientist. Rich guy, handsome. I couldn't make his face at first, right? You know I'm good with faces. Yeah. Well, so I run his credentials, I make him Aldrich Killian. We actually met the guy back in... where were we in '99? The science conference?”

Tony turned off his auto pilot of responses to think back. More so he was just enjoying Happy’s ramblings. If he was right, he had definitely been hammered but it had to be, “Switzerland...Killian? No, I don't remember that guy.”

“Of course you don't. He's not a blond with a big rack,” Happy answered, rolling his eyes, “At first it was fine, they were talking business, but now it's like getting weird. He's showing her a big brain.”

“His what?”

“Big brain, and she likes it. Here, let me show you. Hold on. See?” Happy held up the tablet pointing it to the pair in the office.

Tony’s view was very much still on the forehead he had become well acquainted with. “Look at what? You watching them? Flip the screen and then we can get started.

“I'm not a tech genius like you. Just...just trust me, get down down here.”

“Flip the screen, then I can see what they're doing,” Tony said, a slight authority slipping into his voice.

“I can't! I don't know how to flip the screen!Don't talk to me like that anymore. You're not my boss. Alright, I don't work for you. Now I don't trust this guy. He's got another guy with him, he's shifty.”

While Happy ranted, Tony pulled up files on Aldrich Killian. “Relax.”

“Seriously?”

“I'm just asking you to secure the perimeter. Tell him to go out for a drink or something?”

“You know what? You should take more of an interest in what's going on here. This is your family legacy. Your business.”

“Pep’s business,” Tony corrected, “I just have a couple of stocks and head R&D. Everything that happens is all Pepper’s ball park. A giant brain?”

“Yeah, there's a giant brain, there's a shifty character. I'm gonna follow this guy. I'm gonna run his plates and if it gets rough, so be it,” Happy said, seemingly working himself up.

“I miss you, Happy.”

“Yeah, I miss you too. But the way it used to be. Now you're off with the 'superfriends' and being Mr. Family Man, I don't know what's going on with you anymore. Ro and YN are good for you, but the rest of it? The world's getting weird...”

“Hey, I...I'd hate to cut you off. Do you have your taser on you?”

“Why?”

“I think there's a gal in HR who's trying to steal some printer ink, you should probably go over there and zap her.” He grabbed a wine bottle from the fridge and filled in the empty slot with his phone. Tony shut the door walking off with Happy still on the line.

Tony didn’t know when you’d finally get back home. So he made himself a quick snack, exercised, and researched the Mandarin attacks. Anything and everything to keep himself from sleeping. While he was at it, he could probably use Mark 42 to pick up some of Ro’s stray toys and get it moving around a bit more. Not too long after J.A.R.V.I.S. announced that you had made it back to the mansion. He made 42 sit on the couch as seductively as it could and waited up for you.

“What’s this?” You asked, laughing in surprise.

Great. You had a success in the O.R.. Tony made the suit tap it’s lap. “Oh, just breaking this new number in. Like it?”

Sighing, you rolled your eyes, but walked over. He always seemed to sooth the stress of your day easier than anyone else. “Aren’t you just ready to pick up the title of trophy?” You sat down on the suits lap. “I’m sorry fo-“ you cut yourself off, “Actually could you at least take off the helmet? I rather look you in the eye when I apologize to you.”

“Uh, can’t do that beautiful. I’m kinda stuck in here. But I can’t say this particular situation has never crossed my mind. Care to research it further?”

“I really rather have you out that shell.” You grabbed the suit’s hand off your hip and got it up, leading it down to the lab.

“Don’t know. I like it in here, it’s cozy.” Once you hit the point in the stairs were you could see into the lab, you let go of the suit’s hand. “Aw, look you made him sad, he liked that.”

“You let me straddle your empty suit.”

“I didn’t do anything. You did that on your own accord.” Tony let go of the pull up bar and took off the head device. “Now, I believe you were saying something.”

“I was gonna apologize for snapping at you, but now you get nothing.”

“It’s okay, I hear you loud and clear, but that was more on me. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that at all. What you do is immensely important and I’m not exactly proud that I even thought it.”

“It’s okay, but if you ever say it again, you just might have to find that other girlfriend you like to joke about. Right now, I’m more than certain I’m all yours for the rest of the day. No interruptions.”

He pulled you over for a quick kiss, “I really mean it, it won’t happen again.”

“I know sweetheart.”

“Now tell me you love me,” He half joked.

You shook your head, “Nope. Never.”

Tony’s smile faltered slightly, “Come on, just say it.”

“Mm, nope, don’t really feel like it.”

He glared at you, “Say it.” Tony kissed you possessively, hoping to sway you.

You laughed when he finally let you back up for air, “You know I love you dork, even if you are fucking annoying sometimes.”

“And I’m gonna annoy you a whole lot more.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Now what’s my date Stark? I was promised one.”

“Hmm...” he thought a moment, “No tech, for me, since you’re freed up. Something out of the way so we don’t get mobbed. You, me, a picnic basket, and a nice view?”

“Anywhere you are is already a beautiful view, especially when you’re walking away.”

Tony stared at you dumb founded before breaking out into a laugh, “Thought the cheap lines were my job? Okay, Cupcake go get out of those scrubs, I’ll make the sandwiches and pack up the basket.”

The two of you got sorted out quickly, pretty soon it was you, Tony, and the open road belting out old favorites at the top of your lungs. Why this had taken the two of you so long neither of you understood, but that’s just the way things happened sometimes. Things were messy and they would probably get messy again. Above everything the you had each other now and that was further than either of you had cared to imagine before.

Tony’s hand squeezed your thigh, he spared a quick glance to smile at you. It took you back to an easier time when it was just the two of you being kids and having fun with one another. No Iron Man. No responsibilities. No thinking fifty steps ahead and hoping you didn’t ruin this little human being the both of you adored. Nothing else except the two of you.

It wasn’t much longer until you reached your old hideaway spot. “We haven’t been here in forever,” you sighed, looking around as Tony set down the blanket.

“Yeah, we really ditched this spot too early. Still looks beautiful.” Tony tugged at your hand, making you sit on his lap. Truth was a small part of him had been jealous of the suit for getting all of the action.

“Imagine living in a place like this? Quiet, out of the way.”

“It’s too out of the way, don’t you think?”

“Maybe when you get tired of the flashing lights and adoring fans. Just having you and Ro sounds nice.”

Tony pressed a kiss to your shoulder, “Maybe. Wouldn’t hurt to see what happens one day.” He looked around, the setting sun making the view just that more lovely. It wasn’t the worst idea.

“How’ve you been honey?”

“Been good, can’t complain. Talked to Happy, met up with Rhodey...” he remembered their conversation, “You’re worried about me?”

You sighed, shifting so that you were face to face with him. “It’s my second job worrying about you,” you joked, tapping your finger against the arc, “You’re not exactly a talker.”

“We’ve talked.”

“I know, but you’re working yourself dry lately Tones and Ro’s said a couple of times now you’ve woken her up after a nightmares... I’m just concerned honey.”

“I hear you baby. I don’t want to make you worry, that’s the last thing I want. Though, I’m not exactly doing well in that area. Have you talked to Rhodey?” He asked, moving a stray lock behind your ear. You just shook your head in response. “Guess this is a good time to start talking...Well, I had a freak out today. These two kids walked up one had a drawing, the other asked about New York and honey I couldn’t think straight. My brain just went in panic mode and breathing seemed near impossible. J, said it was an anxiety attack. Which is ridiculous because, well as narcissistic as it sounds, I’m me.”

“You’ve been though a lot these past few years,” you said softly, taking his sunglasses off of him. “Anyone else in your place by now, who knows where’d they be. You’re strong.”

“I feel so weak.”

“You’re not. Tony if you’re weak I have no clue what strong is.”

He managed a small smile, “Rhodey.”

“Rhodey doesn’t count. That man’s on a whole other level.” You smiled at him, holding his hand in yours. “The point is, Tony, you’re strong. You know it. Every now and then you’re allowed to feel weak, don’t feel ashamed of it. You’re only human.”

“People depend on me. There’s so little between us and whatever’s up there. When something bigger comes, will we be ready? Can I get us ready by then?”

“It’s not all up to you. But you’re gonna take this on like it is, because that’s your nature. You can’t let this eat you alive.”

“You’re right. Obviously. I just can’t figure out to clear my head and move ahead....For now, can this conversation be paused? We haven’t had very many dates as of now and I don’t want this one to just be a therapy session.”

You nodded, knowing he told you as much as he could handle for the moment. “We’ll talk about it later,” you agreed, tracing his jaw lightly, “I’m here for you, through everything.”

His hand caught yours, he brought it up to press a kiss to your palm. “You always are. Do you realize how much you mean to me?”

“I have some idea. Your life kinda sucks when I’m not around.”

“That’s a definitely an understatement. Have you seen the shit that goes on the second you’re busy?” He laughed, “It’s fucking crazy.”

“Trust me, I’ve heard about it all.”

“Even that night when we were nineteen and I was black out drunk? When I tackled that tree.”

You laughed at the memory, it was a bit foggy you had joined his drinking game that night. “Mm, I’m pretty sure a tree got caught on my shirt. You screamed at it to let me go and when it didn’t you tackled that thing with a good running start. It took you a minute but you came back. I think we decided we wanted to eat, so we headed back to the place you rented out. There were cars lined up and you said ‘If I can run over all eight of those, you owe me a kiss’, so you proceeded to try and fell off the third one. Then you fell down a flight of stairs. And that night is exactly why you’re banned from drinking Everclear ever again.”

“And yet you stayed.”

“And yet I stayed. I sure as hell don’t have any regrets, you’ve given me some great stories.”

Tony leaned forward, catching you in a slow kiss. No rush just pure emotion. There wasn’t any doubt that it was you that helped keep him grounded throughout everything. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for defending my honor to that vile tree.”  

“And I’d do it again.”

The two of you lulled into quiet conversation filled with reminiscing. It was hard to imagine how long it had been since you’d both been those kids that had met on a boat. As much as you had complained about having to go, you’d be forever grateful for Howard Stark’s mandatory boat trip. The three day cruise gave you someone invaluable to your life.

Hours later, you were curled up to Tony’s side, watching the stars. You stared up, marveling at how beautiful the sky looked when there wasn’t so much going on. Tony stared at you instead. Maybe he could deal with the stars again, one day, but for now you looked more beautiful than they ever could.  He noticed you beginning to drift off in his arms.

“Come on baby, it’s time to head home.” Tony pressed a kiss to your head before standing to help you up. He made sure you were situated in the car before packing up the blanket and basket. “You can rest, it’s okay,” he assured you, when you started to wake yourself up.

When Tony pulled up to the home, both of you were ready to drop into bed. Once in the bed room Tony tossed one of his shirts over as he got dressed for bed. You pulled it on and jumped into bed as soon as you were situated. “‘Mere handsome.”

Tony joined you in bed, giving you a final kiss for the night. You fell asleep soon after. Tony, for once that month, actually fell asleep with you instead of sneaking out.

Your dreaming was interrupted when you heard quiet whimpering. “...Ro?” Sleep still diluted your mind until you remembered she wasn’t home. The jolt by your side took you out of your daze. “Tony,” you shook him gently.  His quiet whimpers and gasp were the only sound filling the air. The moonlight that trickled in let you see enough that he had been crying. “Tony, honey, it’s just a dream you need to wa-“

The Iron Man armor caught your wrist and flipped you onto your bag, causing you to scream as it glared down at you. Tony stood up assuming the worst. He couldn’t feel anything but shame as he saw what had happened. What he had caused. “Power down!” When it shut off, Tony hit it on the neck, causing the parts to crash onto the floor. “I must have called it in my sleep. That's not supposed to happen. I'll recalibrate the sensors. Can we just...just let me...just let me catch my breath, okay?” He spoke, trying to reassure you through his fear. You stood, running your hands through your hair. Both of you were a mess of short breaths and fear. “Don’t go, please?” His voice sounded so broken.

You sat back down on the bed despite yourself. Yeah, you were scared, but your fear was over the situation had been handled. You were free from having to relive your trauma, the pressure, the guilt he carried, so you stayed and you waited for your heart to stop pounding so hard you could hear it. Tony had his face hidden in his hands, his shoulders shaking. He felt like a failure. Because he needed to feel protected, feel like he could protect his family at every second, he made something that nearly hurt you. Something that could have possibly hurt Ro. It was an accident but it weighed him down.

When you calmed yourself enough to think clearly, you got up and helped him get situated back into bed. Getting back in yourself, you pulled him close, his tears soaking through the shirt he lent you. “Tell me about it.”

“Who gives a fuck about my nightmares?” He said angrily, it was mostly disgust with himself. “It’s the same. Every time. Fucking New York or something else. Me dying I can handle that, it’s the name of the game right? Sometimes my head just gets these vivid pictures of you, Ro, Rhodey, Happy, Pep...and that’s worse that feels like absolute hell. I just want to go back to normal.”

You kissed top of his head, “It’s alright. Okay? We’ll get you there together.”

“YN everything is just shrouded in this layer of panic that I can’t shake,” he admitted, “I get happy, yeah, but as soon as the moment’s over, it’s right back. It’s constant. Just drilling in.”

“I know, I know. We’ll figure it out. Okay, Tony? You’re gonna have better days, we just need to figure out how to help you.”

“I feel like a goddamn monster. How many times is my own head gonna show me our daughter dying.”

“You’re not a monster. What happened was a lot. After Christmas we should get you to a therapist, get help and handle this together.”

“And what if we do that and I’m not the same as before. What if I’m not enough after all of that work? For you? For Ro?” He asked bitterly. “It would be like me to finally reach this with you and my head just...”

“Hey, look at me,” you tilted his chin up, “You’re the man I love. You’re the person our little girl adores more than anyone in this world. Which is really unfair by the way. You’re ours Tony, you’re more than enough in our eyes.”

“I really want to be. Neither of you deserve this.”

“We deserve you. Every part.”

A quiet settled over the room as Tony calmed down. He was grateful to have your arms around him to anchor him to reality. Most nights you were gone, either on the night shift or having been called in. This was the first time you really saw one and he was upset that it went that far. The phone ruined the silence. He suppressed the groan that wanted to come out. All he wanted was to have you around a few moments.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized as you reached for the phone, “Hey Seb, you need me?”

I need you, Tony thought selfishly. In whole he earned it.

“Oh god. What happened?” You listened as Sebastian filled you in, “Okay, yeah, we’ll be there.”

Tony lifted his head to look at you curiously when he heard ‘we’. “What happened?” He asked when you hung up, his voice rough.

Fuck this poor man couldn’t catch a break. “There was a bombing. Happy’s in the hospital,” you reduced it, “We need to get dressed and head over there.” You watched the click happen in his eyes, sadness turning to anger.

He had a mission now, a way to release the pent up things tinkering couldn’t suppress. Tony was gonna respect what Rhodey had said, but how could he help if the fight came to him?

Within the hour, you had made it to the hospital. Reporters and paparazzi were already crowding the entrance. Word must have gotten around that Tony Stark would be coming to check on his ex bodyguard. You held his hand and led him in through a secluded employee entrance. He hadn’t spoken a word since you had told him the news. If anything his quiet rage was leagues scarier than the suit’s glare.

Sebastian met with the two of you at the staircase. “He’s stabilized, apparently the closest to the blast, there weren’t any fragments. It’s just like it was a blast, from the sound of it the theater was wrecked. Knuckles on his right hand are bruised could have been from falling but most likely a fight. He asked for you Tony.”

“Yeah. Can we go up there?” Tony asked, needing to see Happy. Just a quick talk to know what had happened.

“You can see him. But he’s not conscious he hit his head pretty hard and the medications he’s on makes it even harder to stay up.”

“I still want to see him.”

Sebastian led you up to the room. Tony walked in and you stayed with Sebastian giving him time alone and reading over Happy’s file. In whole he’d be okay. No physically lasting damages. Looking at Tony, you were reminded about the mental side of things. “Thanks for calling Seb.”

“I figured it would be better for him to hear from you than whoever is on phones tonight.”

“I appreciate that.” You heard the tv turn on and Tony talked on his phone. From the sound of it he was calling in a security team. “You can go do your rounds. You’re good.”

“I’m taking over for you too.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Consider it your early Christmas present, okay? Don’t stress it. Ro’s gonna be upset and her dad needs you. You’re probably stressed to hell and back just with how work has been lately. Take a break, you need it.”

“You’re right there with me,” you told your partner.

“Yeah, that’s true, but I don’t have a family to worry about and I get decent sleep.”

You sighed weighing your options, getting to stay home a bit for now did sound good. “Thanks. What would I do without you?”

“Crash and burn,” he laughed, pulling you for a quick hug before leaving.

Tony pulled up files from his tablet, reading everything on the Mandarin. He was going to get the fight he wanted. This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t brushed Happy off. The man asked for help and Tony just made fun of him. He’d make it right, set the record straight.

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