#if you guessed it was the dye that wiped me out...

[shynmighty]

Falx made it to Act 2 and got her classic outfit back!

In other news, I am finally no longer a billionaire.

[starvail]

wdym i have a head dent?!

narumi gen / gn!spouse!reader

synopsis : "narumi gen is highly respected in his own division, with every officer following him with determination and every platoon leader dyeing their hair like him as a sign of respect."

content : only crack, fluff, gender neutral reader, reader works in jakdf, a few flashbacks, a little bit more on the lore side, the word beautiful is used to describe the reader, shinonome's age is just a guess, mostly shinonome pov, narumi should have his own warning fr, vice captain and platoon leaders are tired.

words : 1.7k

a/n : you can’t convince me that this man hasn’t went out on a mission with a head dent at least once-

part two of 'a cheers to our youth'

She remembers years ago, newly turned twenty, and nervously standing in front of your desk, arms crossed behind her back, posture rigid.

This would be the first time she will be meeting you in person, rather than listening to your demands through a communicator.

Now is the time to make the best lasting first impression. To prove that she is capable of handling things much bigger than an ordinary officer.

"Thank you very much for deeming me worthy of a rank review! I will not let you down!"

"Don't thank me for something as trivial as just a chance of a promotion. I know you'll do well in the future, Shinonome. The person you really need to impress is the First Captain."

You do not look up from your paperwork, and though many will see this as quite cold and rude, she's heard from numerous people that you simply do not have the time to entertain anything or anyone else within working hours.

The fact that you even spared a one-on-one meeting with her was an honour, and Shinonome will forever respect your dedication. Unfortunately, her lips move to articulate her thoughts before she could stop herself.

"I aspire to contribute to the Defence Force as much as you and Captain Narumi, Head! Please wait for me!" She slaps a hand over her mouth.

Stopping your editing to the paper before you, you look up at her in surprise at her outburst. Shinonome is swift in attempting to correct her statement.

"Uhm...! I did not mean it in that way, Head. A-Apologies for speaking out of line. I'll commence however many push ups-"

"Hahaha!" You made no move to hide your mirth and Shinonome does not know whether to be concerned or relieved at your reaction.

She curses at herself. Dammit, well done, Rin. You definitely made a lasting first impression alright. Great, now Head is gonna see you as a clown vying for their hand.

"No need for the push ups. I appreciate your passion, Shinonome. However, I am already married, so I will have to decline." It seems that you will not let her forget this. How cruel...

Wiping a forming tear at the edge of your eye, you sigh lightheartedly. "It's a good thing that you didn't say that to your Captain or else his head would blow up bigger than it already is!"

By now, the officer is bright red at her blunder before your words catch up to her. Wait, married...? Weren't you only a year or two older than her? Is she already falling behind her peers in yet another department?!

And though she does not say her thoughts aloud this time, you seem to be able to read her befuddled face too well. You hold up your hand and lift two fingers up like a peace sign, a soft smile adorning your own face.

At that moment, Shinonome realises that you are much friendlier in person compared to when you are communicating with Captain Narumi.

During missions, it was like listening to dogs fighting.

"I am two years older than you, I think, If I remember reading your files correctly. I just got married really young so don't worry too much about finding love or whatnot for now. Live in the present and all that." You wave off casually.

"If I may be so bold to ask..." Shinonome only now notices the metal band that you adorn around your fourth finger and shyly looks at her own twiddling bare fingers.

"Hm? Go ahead." Your focus is still on her.

"What age did you get married?"

"Eighteen."

"?!"

You burst back into laughter when Shinonome's composed and seemingly nonchalant persona crumbles and she is left there dumbfounded.

A feint 'don't mind' playfully slips out as you excuse yourself to deliver your now finished papers and pat her shoulder on your way to the door.

Shinonome finds that you will truly not let her live down her moment in your office.

Even months later, after she was proven competent and promoted to Platoon Leader. Be it during a mission, passing each other in the corridor, or in a meeting.

("Platoon Leader Shinonome, please wait for me in my office after this." / "Shinonome, please wait for the arrival of new equipment sent over by...." / "Ah, Rin. Thanks for waiting for me, traffic was atrocious today!" All of those interactions being followed by a knowing smirk.)

Despite this, the two of you have grown closer, more casual. Dare she say that the two of you were even friends.

She learnt that you are married to the Narumi Gen and that you have known him since you were children (she had always assumed those endearments he torments you with during missions were a joke).

Learns you prefer drinking iced coffee rather than hot.

You only wear shoes you can very easily slip on.

You like to make edits to documents using a purple pen rather than the standard red.

You personalise your lab coats by stitching your initials and operator number to the cuffs (swearing her to secrecy, you tell her that you also stitch Captain Narumi's initials, but instead at the cuffs, it's hidden inside the pocket over where your heart is).

In spite of your seemingly intimidating work front, you are still very much human.

(Years down the line, Shinonome has well learnt that you were never scary, or aloof, or anything of the sort. She guesses your role in the Defence Force just forces you to seem like it, given your importance.)

Shinonome also learns that you and Narumi dye each other's hair.

"Oh, this?" You motion to the groupings of fresh silver highlights in your hair. The Platoon Leader had to deliver some documents and noticed the change and decided to compliment you on it, it fits you. She asks if you had it done professionally.

It looks really nice... maybe she would suit something similar?

"No, I didn't go to a salon. You think I have the money for that sort of thing?" Yes, yes you do, Head.

"I've been dyeing Captain Loser's hair since we were teenagers, and he decided while we were touching up his roots that it's been a while since we were matching and wouldn't leave me alone otherwise. I didn't get to sleep until two last night!"

You say it with such disdain that if she were a new recruit, she would think that you meant it.

But Shinonome knew you better than that, because you could never hide the adoration that shone through your irises, or the fondness in your smile.

Perhaps, one day, she will meet someone that would elicit the same reaction when talking about her...

"He wanted to do my hair without my help so now there's a chunk of under layer hair that's all silver instead of just highlights. If you look even closer, you might see just bleached bits that he forgot to colour! He botched it!"

She would be lying if she were to say she wasn’t jealous.

You are beautiful and intelligent and considerate and sincere. And though you are not physically strong, you show your strength in a plethora of other ways, your contributions named on newspapers displayed along your office walls are evident of that. Your strategies and tactics have led many to victory and the Eastern Defence Force is as strong as ever.

Truly, you and Narumi Gen are forces to be reckoned with and Shinonome could not be more thankful to be so in reach.

She does not realise she was staring at you for so long until you speak up.

"Ah! Would you like me to do your hair sometime?"

"Oi, Dumbass. Stop trying to act cool in front of the newbies."

Narumi, dramatically posing solemnly atop a fresh kaiju corpse, tilts his head back to face the flying drone's camera and shows off a smirk at the sound of your voice.

"Well, if it isn't my darling dearest, everything okay at Comms?" He waves lazily, but this seems to irk you more.

"You were playing Underwatch, when I told you not to, weren't you." You frame it as a statement, rather than a question.

Everyone in Operations and Officers around Narumi watches as their Captain's jaw drops to the floor, eyes bulging out of his skull.

He is quick to grab at the drone and shakes it wildly, as if it was a person he was trying to gouge information out of. The propellers are swift to turn off, you knew this kind of reaction was coming from miles away.

"Who snitched?!" His face is all up on the camera.

At this point, Narumi knew that it was of his best interest to admit the truth rather than make up excuses on the spot, especially if you used that tone.

But how could you have possibly found out? He even made sure to download a special VPN so you couldn't track his gameplay! Was it Hasegawa? It had to have been Hasegawa. Damn you, Hasegawa-

"Your galactic-sized head dent gave it away. Do you not have enough sense to at least fix it before you leave for duty?" You sigh on the other end of the mic, disappointment evident in your admonishment.

"Huh?"

The drone starts up again and Narumi is forced to let go as it turns to face ninety degrees away from him and projects a hologram of himself, but from his side.

Lo and behold, all of the Captain's hair is sticking straight up, as per usual when he is in combat, except for the areas at the centre of his skull, a clear band of hair matted down with a sheen of presumably sweat.

"Pfft, I hope the news articles capture this very flattering side of you! 'What a loser,' they'll all say." You do your best to cover up a snicker. The drone is now happily emoting like an actual person, tilting side to side as if it were someone's head, taunting him.

"NO!!" Narumi is on his knees, frantically trying to fix his hair while maniacal laughter resonates from the floating device.

From a distance, a certain Platoon Leader watches on, irked. Out of all of the people to admire for the power they bring to the Defence Force, out of all the people to strive to be like, why did it have to be these two?

[aestheticaltcow]

No Phone Policy 6.0

The final part of No Phone Policy: I had a lot of different ending ideas for this, but low-key. The seasonal depression is hitting pretty hard, so we get an okay ending instead of a fire ending. There may be an epilogue, but don't quote me on that.

The Bear Masterlist

Previous Part

“What’s goin’ on, Y/N? You’re scaring me…” Mars begged as she kneeled beside you, brushing your unkempt hair out of your face. After what had happened with Carmy, you’d come to her downtown apartment. You didn’t answer her question. You closed your eyes and tried to take a breath, only for it to get caught in your throat.

Mars sighed and let you be in her guest room. 

Your Dad, on the other hand, had none of this. When Mars had updated him on what was happening, he was mentally preparing to go to prison for the rest of his life. He was going to kill Carmen Berzatto and happily admit to doing it. No one hurt one of his little girls and got away with it. 

He pulled up to you and Carmy’s house early that afternoon. He parked next to Carmy’s car and calmly approached the door. He remembered where the two of you hid your spare key and let himself in. 

“Carmen,” he called as he began walking upstairs, clenching and unclenching his fists as he vaguely remembered the layout of your home. He saw an open door and confidently walked in to see Carmy holding his granddaughter. Her eyes were wide as she furious sucked on a tie-dye pacifier, “Oh hey Marty. Y/N isn’t here..” Carmy trailed off awkwardly, unsure of how much you’d told your dad. 

“That’s Mr. Y/L/N to you, Carmen. Now, give me my granddaughter and start explaining what you did to my buggy,” he said authoritatively. Carmy sighed and handed Wolf off to him.

“Hi, gorgeous girl. You look just like your mommy- why is your mommy not here? Did your daddy do something stupid?” 

Carmy swallowed as he stood before Marty awkwardly, “We’ve been fighting… she has some fuckin’ postpartum thing. I don’t know- I wanted things to go back to the way they were, and I guess I pushed her too far. I didn’t hurt her- at least this time… she was ignoring me, and I grabbed her wrists, but this time, she fell down the stairs and ran off. She isn’t answering my calls, so I don’t know where she is.” 

Marty didn’t believe him for a dam second. “Be so happy I’m holding my granddaughter right now, or I’d beat the crap out of you, Carmen.”

Carmy nodded, knowing it was true, “Look, Mar- Mr. Y/L/N, I love Y/N more than I could ever. I’ve been killin’ myself over missing Wolf’s birth since she came out. I fuckin’ failed as a father and as a husband. I- I don’t deserve your daughter; I never have, and I never will. I just wanna talk to her. If she wants to leave, I’ll sign whatever- I just wanna see my daughter.” Carmy swallowed softly, suppressing the urge to cry.

~

Carmy dug through his closet that morning as Natalie sat on his bed, holding Wolf on her lap. “So, how do you want today to go?” she asked, wiping Wolf’s mouth with a tissue. Carmy huffed and pulled out a blue button-up shirt from the back of his closet. He was unsure if it would fit, but it was the ‘most court-appropriate,’ as Pete would say. 

“I dunno. Guess what were doin’ now?” he chuckled as he threw the shirt to the bottom of the closet still on the hanger. “Fuck it- I haven’t seen my wife in fuckin’ weeks. I’m fuckn’ tired of this shit. I want her to come home. I don’t wanna get divorced and fuckin’ share custody. I want her here, with Wolf, with me- as a fuckin’ family.” he scoffed as he moved to sit next to Natalie. “It took a year and a half to even get pregnant, and then I went and fucked everything up.” 

Natalie put her free hand on his shoulder and smiled sympathetically, “I can’t imagine what you’re goin’ through right now, Carmen, but I think if you stand there and speak from the heart, everything will work out.” 

Carmy shrugged and took Wolf from her lap. She laughed at the feeling of Carmy’s hands wrapping around her waist. He couldn’t help but smile at the sound, “You’re gonna have so much fun with Auntie Sugar… be a good girl, okay?” 

Carmy’s question was met with happy gurgling and a gummy smile. He smiled and kissed her before handing her back to Natalie, “Well, which me luck.” Carmy grinned as he excused himself.

~

When you entered the courtroom, Carmy felt his heart skip a beat. He didn’t realize how long it had been since he’d last seen you. You’d changed your hairstyle from what it had been to a shoulder-length bob; you also dyed it darker. Carmy swallowed when you took your jacket off. He hadn’t seen you in person for weeks, and as much as he tried, he could tear his eyes away from your chest. 

The judge called the hearing to start and began asking questions concerning the nature of the divorce. The words went through Carmy’s head, but he didn’t hear them. He was preoccupied with you. He noticed how you picked at your cuticles and kept crossing and uncrossing your legs and the glossy look in your eyes. You were on the verge of tears throughout the hearing, this was the last thing you’d wanted to do. Having your marriage dissolve. 

“Mrs. Berzatto, do you agree to the laid out terms?” you were brought back to reality when the judge had asked you the question. You looked at your lawyer who urged you to answer, you swallowed and finally looked at Carmy. When your eyes met his, everything flooded back. Meeting him at some bar all those years ago, your first date when he spilled both his and your wine glasses on you. His horribly awkward apologizes led him to info dump of how to get red wine stains out of cotton which led to the deeper conversation of how he’d been collecting denim with his brother since he was a teenager. Memories of laughing together, him attempting to help you with your homework, cooking dinner together at 3 in the morning, and just loving and being loved by him flood your mind. Being with Carmy was like being in a rom-com from the early 2000s.

“Y/N?” your lawyer asked, snapping you out of your thoughts. You took a deep breath and tried to say something, but no words could come out. “I-uh.” You stammered, “I’m sorry.” You managed to get out before quickly walking out of the courtroom, ignoring your lawyer's call after you. 

Carmy watched you hurry out of the room and then turned his attention to the judge. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the door. “Be my guest, Mr. Berzatto.” The judge exasperated. Carmy nodded and quickly walked out of the courtroom to find you.

You were sitting on a bench just outside the courthouse with your face in your hands. He shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly walked to the bench. As he sat next to you, he heard you sigh. “Hi, Carm,” you said softly. 

“How’s you know it was me?” he asked playfully. He heard you scoff and watched you push your hands through your hair. 

“You always smell like smoke, spearmint, and old spice,” you answered, looking up at him. He chuckled, and you watched him adjust into a more comfortable position.

“You look good. How have you been?” Carmy asked as he turned to face you. You bit the inside of your cheek nervously. “Biting the inside of your cheek… am I making you nervous?” he teased. You rolled your eyes and sighed.

“Really shitty… I’ve been absolutely dreading this day all week.” you laughed as you finally looked up at him. “Who schedules a divorce hearing on a Friday afternoon? Sorta a weekend killer, isn’t it?” 

Carmy laughed at the sentiment, “A bit. For what it counts… I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.”

“Don’t apologize. I’ve been thinking a lot and…” you took another breath as you pushed a loose lock of hair behind your ear. I don’t know what I want to do.” 

Carmy’s eyebrows knit together as he shot you a confused look, “Do for what?” 

“Obviously, I don’t know what I want for dinner.” You sarcastically joked, “I don’t know if I want to get divorced.”

“What brought that on?” Carmy asked shifting in his seat moving closer to you. You copied the movement and thought for a moment before explaining. 

“Wolf, in all honesty. I look at her and I see you.” you laughed, “I don’t know if you know but Natalie sends me at least three pictures of the two of you together everyday.” Carmy chuckled at that, he hadn’t asked Natalie to do that but he appreciated it in the moment. “I don’t want her to have divorced parents and I-” you paused for a second “I don’t want to get divorced.” 

“You don’t want to get divorced?” Carmy repeated, making sure he’d heard you correctly.

“I don’t want to get divorced.” You said again. The comment left Carmy dumbfounded, “I’ve been thinking a lot, and I guess I realized you are sorry for all the shit you did. I said some really mean shit to you, and while it was somewhat deserved, I’ve been reflecting a lot, and- I don’t wanna get divorced. Do you?”

Carmy laughed at the obscurity of the question: “You initiated this baby. When I asked you to marry me, I meant it till death.” You sniffled at Carmy’s words and reached out for him. Carmy grinned and moved to hug you. Having you in his arms felt foreign, not in a bad way, but in an unfamiliar way. 

It wasn’t an overnight ‘get back together’. It took work, and the two of you were ready to do it.

[hurpdurpburps]

Otherside Picnic Manga Yuri Club Special Story 3 English Translation

SPOILER WARNING: Takes place immediately after the events of File 1 - Kunekune Hunting in Vol 1 of the novels.

Written by: Miyazawa Iori

Translated by: @hurpdurpburps

-

Chapter 3: Ochanomizu, The First Afterparty

"Hey… Earth to Toriko, you okay?"

I waved my hand in Toriko’s face, who was staring into space with her chin propped on her hand.

"Mnnnnnnmm… I'm okaaaaaaay…" Toriko answered fuzzily.

Her eyes were only halfway open, or perhaps just a quarter-way.

"You look like you’re gonna fall asleep though."

"No I’m nooot…"

Liar. It was obvious she'd already reached her breaking point.

As I watched her while taking small sips of beer from my glass, Toriko's eyes finally closed completely. With a droop of her head, she completely stopped moving.

Alright, that's all, folks. Toriko-san has closed up for the day. Great work today. [1]

… What the hell am I supposed to do?

On the table were three empty Tsingtao beer bottles. They were small in size, which should’ve been a reasonable amount for two drinkers, so I was surprised to see Toriko wiped out so early into the night. I’d assumed that she could hold her liquor well, judging from the way she went wild with our drink orders as soon as we were seated.

She’d applied the same heavy hand to our food orders as well. I'd thought that she could finish all of it but that wasn’t the case either. Our plates of cashew chicken (delicious), cumin lamb (spicy & delicious) and water spinach (perfect with beer) sat on the table, mostly untouched.

I don’t think this lass can eat any more…

Toriko was dozing off soundly, so the prospect of depending on her for help seemed unlikely in the near future.

I guess I don’t have a choice.

Resigned to my fate, I picked up my chopsticks and began eating the leftovers.

I wasn’t a glutton, I just simply didn’t like the idea of not clearing my plate. But I suppose it was also because I’d picked up the habit of eating whenever I was able to.

Just an hour ago, Toriko and I had entered the “Other World” [2] via an old building in Jinbocho, encountered the kunekune, fended it off somehow, then fled in a mindboggling state of excitement and fear. In order to return to the real world, we had to take the exhausting route of climbing ten floors on a ladder attached to the exterior of the skeletal building. We’d both been laughing and screaming the entire time, which in hindsight, painted a rather unhinged picture of us.

Isn’t that way too scary from an objective point of view? I think something was probably wrong with us.

After our return, Toriko had kicked up a fuss about holding an afterparty for whatever reason, so we made our way to the station and entered the first Chinese restaurant we saw.

We made a toast and… ended up in this situation before we knew it.

Toriko's chin fell from her hands, and she collapsed onto the table, burying her face in her arms. Sending pieces of shredded lamb into my mouth from the plate that I had moved away so that her beautiful golden locks wouldn't get dirty, I stared intently at the crown of her head, which was facing me.

There’s no sign of black around her roots. Seems like it's not a dye job, but her natural hair colour. Huh…

I continued eating while staring at the head of a woman I didn't know well.

As if on cue, Toriko began to stir just as I was about to finish eating.

"Are you awake?"

"Hmmm…"

"You're sleepy after all."

"I'm not sleepyyyyy…" Toriko replied, her tone foggy and with her eyes still closed.

It seemed like it would take her a while to reboot.

"I thought about leaving you behind."

"Why would you say that…"

"You were the one who said you wanted to have dinner, then you went ahead and fell asleep anyway."

"You can’t do that… Don't leave me behind…" Toriko mumbled apologetically. "It's weird… I'm usually a lot stronger than this…"

"You're kidding."

"I’m serious, usually my face doesn’t even flush when I get like this."

"It's probably the exhaustion. I heard that alcohol tolerance can vary quite a bit depending on your condition."

"Hmm…" Toriko said, rubbing her eyes with both hands. "I guess it's because I met you, Sorawo."

"… Me?"

"Hmm… I guess you make me feel at ease."

"Huh?"

I had no idea what she was talking about. It was a good thing Toriko felt at ease, but I didn't think that had anything to do with me.

Wishing for Toriko to wake up soon, I scarfed down the last of the chicken and cashew.

TL Notes

General note: I adopted a more 'literary' prose style to match the tone of the novels. Hence, the translation in this series will be significantly more liberal than my usual analytical posts. Feel free to ask me anything.

[1] This line in Japanese is "はい終了。鳥子さん閉店ー。おつかれさまでしたー。", which conveys a humourous tone by using a business/shop metaphor for Toriko.

[2] A fun fact about the OP series name is that 裏世界 (urasekai - lit. "Other World") does not translate to "Otherside" exactly. 裏世界 is the term first used by Satsuki, Kozakura and Toriko, and was only adopted later by Sorawo.

The name for the UBL that Sorawo came up with on her own was 裏側 (uragawa - lit. "Other Side"). In fact, Sorawo continued using 裏側 until her first meeting (and briefing about the UBL) with Kozakura in Chapter 3 of File 2 - Hasshaku-sama Survival.

This bonus story takes place before that, which is why Sorawo is still using 裏側 here. I essentially flipped the translations of 裏世界 and 裏側 so that it makes a little more sense contextually.

PS. While I use the term "real world" for the reality in which our characters are from, the Japanese word used in the novels is in fact 表世界 (omotesekai - lit. "surface world"). This is because 表 ("surface" or side facing up) and 裏 ("back" or other-facing side) are antonyms.

The English localisation of the novels follows this terminology ("surface world") but the wordplay gets lost in translation due to the lack of context.

List of Yuri Club's Otherside Picnic Short Stories [my translations]:

1. Shinjuku, The First Meet-Up (新宿、初めての待ち合わせ)

2. Hasshaku-sama Epilogue (八尺様エピローグ)

3. Ochanomizu, The First Afterparty (お茶の水、初めての打ち上げ)

4. Ikebukuro, Cafe Meal For One (池袋、ひとりカフェ飯)

5. Naha, After The Big Job (那覇、大仕事の後)

6. Ishigaki Island, A Dazed Vacation (石垣島、呆然のリゾート)

7. Mercedes AMG, The Backseat (メルセデスAMG、後部座席)

8. Otherworldly Elevator, On The Way Back (異世界エレベーター、帰路)

9. Kozakura Mansion, Pizza Party (小桜屋敷、ピザパーティー)

10. Ikebukuro Bookstore, Meet Up (池袋の書店、待ち合わせ)

11. TBD

[riddlesrose]

kkt & some kinks

w/ kaeya, kazuha & thoma

cw nsfw

kaeya [hair pulling]

kaeya has always had long hair, he loved it because he was never bored of it. he could style it, dye it or cut it and it would just grow back eventually. but he discovered his hair pulling kink when one day, you grabbed a handful of his hair and made him look at you, just playfully, but he enjoyed it more than you thought he did. until about a week later he asked you, in a small voice, “would you… perhaps… pull my hair again..?” with an attempt of a teasing wink afterwards.

it only escalated from there because you used it to your advantage, kaeya wasn’t paying attention? grab his ponytail and make him look at you when you’re talking.

often times, you’ll just pull his hair playfully, forgetting what it does to him. you’ll come home from an outing with a friend and find him on the couch facing away from the door watching some junk tv show you’re not interested in, and since the couch was facing the other way, kaeya didn’t see you behind him while you threaded your fingers into his hair, gripping it near the nape of his neck and moving his head over the back of the couch so you had enough room to give him a kiss. that night ended up with kaeya’s neck at your mercy because he found it so intoxicating to be held over the couch like you did only earlier.

kaeya likes to pretend things like this don’t have an effect on him, they do, they really do. there’s no hiding it when he’s at a loss for words and only able to let breaths and moans out.

he also loves the look of his neck decorated in those red marks the morning after, and how he’s going to cover them when he goes to work. sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t; but gets in trouble..

kazuha [mirrors]

please please please fuck him in front of a mirror. make him look at himself and then tell him how beautiful he is. he’ll try his hardest to not let the tears in his eyes fall when you stop any and all kind of movement to just hold him by the waist from behind and whisper the things you love about him, like his hair or the way he cries, it’ll have him leaning impossibly farther into your chest and throwing his head back onto your shoulder while his tears fall freely down his reddened cheeks.

while sitting behind kazuha with him on your lap you’d reach around in front of him and make him look at himself. “kazuha, baby, look at you… you’re so gorgeous.”

his untied hair lay dormant against your shoulder and chest while you’d roam your hands freely around his chest and milky thighs, leaving his dick untouched, which he’d whine about, but the whines fell upon dead ears as you continued to praise him and shower him with words of affection and pure truth.

you then removed your hands from his body and he made a sound of confusion, “if you can tell me which word i spell, i’ll continue.” which kazuha agreed to quite quickly.

you wiped the stray tears from his eyes and kissed under both eyes and then his lips then motioned for him to look into the mirror again. you traced out the word ‘wanderer’ letter by letter onto his chest, letting him guess each letter before going onto the next. some crocodile tears were shed after you swiped your fingers all the way down his chest to sit on his thighs. his hands moved from holding anywhere he could grab that wasn’t himself to lay on top of your hands.

with a kiss to his shoulder you caressed the backs of his hands, “now, fuck yourself.”

kazuhas face flushed an angry red as he looked at you from his reflection in the mirror, “what?” he whispered in shock.

“you heard me.”

thoma [temperature]

it all started the day you dropped an ice cube down his shirt on a hot summer day. the shock it gave his body made him feel all these things an ice cube shouldn’t.

no one should be feel aroused by an ice cube, it was the way he could feel every movement of the cube as it slid down his back over every muscle and where it melted to create a wet circle near the bottom of his shirt.

thoma really liked when you used his vision against him, since he was a pyro user, having an ice cube slide over his chest or thigh felt entirely different than it would if he had an electro vision, he’s sure he’d be feeling numb and tingly, but with his pyro infused body the temperature change messes with his senses and sends him into a frenzy of hot and cold.

maybe pop an ice cube into your mouth and let your tongue get cold before making out with him, but maybe don’t forewarn him that you’ll be cold, let him figure that out after it happened.

when winter rolls around, thoma is a great personal heater to have around to keep you warm but reward him a little for his hard work lately, maybe fuck him in the snow.. let the snow around melt a little, grab a handful and watch it melt on his back, or chest, or thighs.

i promise, it’ll have him questioning why he’d never see snow as useful things before.

[unactive-shroom]

The last thing Leo Valdez expected was to see Y/n L/n in bunker nine.

Crouched beside a large metal frame, her oil stained hands made rapid movements as the machine shuddered and emitted a grey fog across the bunker. Although Leo guessed the contraption was about to combust, he couldn’t help but fix his gaze on the girl in front of him.

it had been almost a year since he had seen her last, her previously long, dyed hair was now tied back out of her face, the dye settled at the ends of her hair like dripping paint. Her natural black hair created the perfect silhouette for her face, emphasising her sea-green eyes and her ethereal seeming features. She seemed tired, but happier, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Y/n?” Leo stammered. “When did you get here?”

The girl looked up and smiled a cheeky grin back in response, before giving the machine one final thump with a mallet before it spurred to life, clanking and clunking, gradually clearing the grey smog from the room.

She stood up, wiping her slender hands on what appeared to be a pair of school trousers. It seemed as if she had just left school, which was impossible. Her school was miles and miles away, surely she wouldve had time to change. Besides, School finished up almost a month ago in America.

Before Leo could decide whether an “I missed you so so much ” or a “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back early??” was a better thing to say, he was engulfed in her arms, her familiar ocean and oil smell frying his brain for a split second.

“Man, I’ve missed you, Leo. Sorry for rooting around in your bunker without asking you, I thought you’d already be in here and then I got a bit distracted I guess”

She explained how she arrived early after some empousai attacked her boarding school in Birmingham, causing the year to finish early. As for why she was in her uniform still, Apollo still owed her a favour from when he was turned mortal, so she asked him to bring her to camp half blood.

As they left bunker nine and headed to dinner hand in hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a thick square wrapped gift.

“didnt think I forgot your birthday, did you?” As she handed him the present he looked at her sceptically. “Did you for real get me a book for my birthday? I mean damn, I love you and all, but a book? seriously?”

Regardless, he carefully unwrapped the vibrant paper around the gift, revealing a red leather book with the title bearing “Esperanza Valdez”. Speechless, Leo shot you a careful glance before opening the book. Inside was a handwritten note.

“Cariño, you told me once that you would do anything to have a picture of your mother, beside the newspaper clippings from that night. You told me it was pointless though, because it was impossible. That your family would never even talk to you again, let alone give you anything of your mother. You have given me what I thought was impossible. Love, acceptance. A place to go. I think it’s time for me to return the favour. Mi vida, mi alma, mi sol. Te amare por siempre. Feliz cumpleaños, mi amor.” ^

Leo flicked through the pages in disbelief. The inside of the book was filled with scrapbooked pictures of his mother in her youth, all the way to pictures of her mother holding him with his grandparents, his mother playing legos with him, his mother and him going about their life, content. Before the accident. When he got to the last page he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He collapsed into her arms, sobbing a mixture of grief and gratitude, all while she stroked his hair and waited for him to calm down.

When he had done so, she asked if he wanted her to read him the final page, a crinkled handwritten note carefully glued into the final page

“Necesito ir a comprar algunas cosas a las tiendas, hijo. Si te despiertas antes de que regrese, no tengas miedo. Volveré tan pronto como pueda. llamar a nuestro vecino si algo sucede. ¡Te amo! -Mami”. ^^

It was heartbreaking how something so mundane can cause such Greif - A note from Leo’s mom for his child self not to worry as she went shopping in the early morning. Leo had never had anything like it, a note written by his mother, her *handwriting*, it felt so surreal. He remembered reading the note as a child, waiting patiently by the door for his mothers return. But now there was no door to wait by, no mother to walk through it. He looked up at y/n with tear filled eyes.

“How did you even get these? I know Aunt Rosa didn’t give them to you, no way.”

And so she explained how she sought out Clios, the Greek patron of history, and did many complicated and time consuming, and some straight up ridiculous quests in exchange for old photos of his mother. The handwritten note had been a “tip” for doing such a good job on the quests.

Leo was completely shocked. How - *why* would someone do all this for *him*? He thought to himself how he didn’t deserve such a wonderful partner such as y/n, such a kind and thoughtful human was surely wasting their time being with *him*.

Despite his thoughts & tears, the two of them made it to dinner, where Leo showed piper and Jason the pictures of his mom and him. It was too personal, too raw to share with anyone else yet. And after Leo’s 20th “thank you so so much I love you the most anyone has ever loved ever” they finally blew out the candles on the cake, and when anybody asked, Leo was sure to tell them that it was the best birthday he ever had.

a/n : I can never nicely finish up a one shot can I. Reader is implied daughter of Poseidon. Anyways, translation for the Spanish :

^ “my life, my soul, my sun. I love you forever. Happy birthday my love”

^^ “I need to go buy some things at the shops, son. If you wake up before I come back, don't be afraid. I'll be back as soon as I can. call our neighbor if something happens. I love you! - Mami”

Sorry if my Spanish is bad bro I suck at sm and won’t lie I used a lot of google translate for the second piece. Okay hope you enjoyed 🫶 happy birthday Leo

[drainslo]

Lovers to Enemies (Chishiya x Reader) (Pt 4/FINAL)

"I was lying," Chishiya said slowly through deep shuddering breaths.

"What?" I replied. I brushed strands of his silvery hair behind his ear, ignoring the flecks of blood the coated the tips. After all the face card games, he had no time to maintain his hair and I could see his roots growing in clearly. I remembered fondly how he asked me to dye the roots at the Beach a lifetime ago.

The cold pressing against my back was the side of a rusted car. It was a stark contrast to the warm puddles of blood oozing from our bodies after an encounter with Niragi.

I was the lucky one, it was only coming from my leg.

Chishiya? Not so much. We left it unsaid, but he was going to bleed out quicker than I would. Niragi's bullet that was intended for Usagi struck him in the chest instead. Chishiya had informed me that the bullet had almost hit the artery in my upper thigh, and I was also slowly bleeding out.

"When I said I knew my symbol, I was lying. I only had a 50% chance of guessing right. I figured I didn't deserve to know from you."

Symbol? I almost had forgotten. The Jack of Hearts was in my distant past, one I didn't like to revisit. But I knew what he meant-- that I would never forget. That moment in the warehouse, where everything became clear.

It was a hearts game that tore us apart, but it was another hearts game that brought us back together.

"I didn't know, I would've told you," I said quietly. I felt lucky that he was here with me, that we beat the coin flip. In another world, I would be dying alone. Or I would already be dead.

"I never said sorry to you. I think that was my greatest regret, that I never apologized. When I sat alone after beating Kuzuryu, that was what I was thinking. I should've said sorry."

"You didn't have to. I already knew you were, I felt it."

While he was clearing the King of Diamonds, I had taken down the Jack of Clubs. He left without saying a word to me about it, but I knew where he was.

And so I felt there was nothing else to do than to play a game.

"Did the Jack of Clubs say," he paused before wincing briefly. "--Say anything meaningful?"

I didn't hesitate before responding. "No. He was mainly a jerk. It was a little like the Jack of Hearts. He was an insider within trying to sabotage our teamwork. They might've been friends."

"Friends. What a world they live in. Designing death games together."

I heard a shuffling noise and I looked to see Chishiya turning his head towards mine painfully. He flopped his arm out and I felt warmth flood through my palm as our hands touched. "Chishiya--"

"Kuzuryu ultimately died for his ideals. I manipulated him into making the decision. I felt so empty afterwards. I went looking for someone to talk to. I wanted to do something uncharacteristic. I think I was simply looking for you."

A tear started rolling down my cheek, the salty warmness making me shiver. Chishiya reached up carefully, then clumsily wiped it away.

"Forgive me," he blurted unabashedly. He seemed taken aback with how it came out, but he repeated, "Please, forgive me."

More tears joined the first, and I was hardly able to speak. "I don't think I ever will, but I'll love you instead."

He tried to laugh, but it mostly came out as coughing. I reached over to steady him. "That's more than I will ever ask for."

Our conversation was broken by loud cracking sounds. Trails of light danced up into the sky, before exploding in a cascade of colors.

"Arisu did it," I said in disbelief.

ALL SURVIVING PLAYERS PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING: YOU HAVE BEEN OFFERED CITIZENSHIP FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF GAMES AND HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCY. DO YOU ACCEPT OR DECLINE?

The answer to me was obvious, and as soon as the announcement finished I answered: "I decline."

Chishiya was silent for a moment. He appeared to be weighing options that were clear to nobody but himself. Finally, he spoke. "I think I'll decline."

I smiled upon hearing his answer. "I'm glad you've declined. Let's return to the real world together."

"Truthfully, I don't think I deserve to go back with you. In another world, I would have to spend the rest of my life making up for what I've done to you."

"You better start soon, then. You were a medical student right? I wish you would take care of my leg." I joked.

He rolled his eyes blatantly.

"My name is Shuntaro," he then said suddenly. "Chishiya Shuntaro. When I see you-- that's my name."

"I love you Shuntaro," I said, his name rolling off my tongue in an unfamiliar way.

Everything exploded into white, but I swore I heard him mutter that he loved me too.

---

I tried to breathe, but the ash in the air made it hard to. There was so much dust in the air that it settled to the very bottom of my lungs.

I turned left and right, and tried to move. I felt a weird pressure on one of my legs. I looked down to see rubble piercing through it, the only thing preventing blood gushing from the rest of my body.

"Don't move miss! We're getting you out of here," a first responder yelled.

I blinked to see that my surroundings were in chaos. Ambulances and first responders swarmed the place, and with most of the buildings nearby being destroyed there was debris everywhere.

"I think I'm going into shock," I said calmly before blacking out. Before it became all dark, I saw a flash of silver in the corner of my eye.

The second time I woke up, it was to the uncomfortable sensation of pinpricks over my body. I wriggled side to side, to find that I was confined to a hospital bed.

There was a man with the same shade of silver hair I saw waiting next to my bed. He was quite handsome, and for a moment I seriously considered that I died. I had never seen him before in my life, but when I saw him I felt another stabbing pain.

I coughed loudly, which alerted him to my presence.

"Sorry- how are you feeling? There's a severe lack of medical staff after the accident, so they've started recruiting anyone they can to assist."

"Accident? And what do you mean by anyone?" Confused, I tried to sit upright but he pushed me down.

"Stay like that, your leg needs to heal. There was a meteor accident that killed and injured thousands. I'm truthfully only a medical student," he rolled his eyes briefly then continued, "When they found out I was a medical student at this hospital, as soon as I was cleared to walk they enlisted me to work. I mostly monitor patients."

I pondered the information he told me. Accident? I felt lucky to be alive. I craned my neck forward to see the thick cast that encased my leg. I guessed I wouldn't be walking for a long time.

I felt especially sorry for the man who was working while injured. "What were your injuries?"

He smiled wickedly and reached up to pull his medical coat open. I gasped, thinking he was flashing me but instead there were bandages wrapped all around his chest.

"What the fuck! You shouldn't be walking," I exclaimed. The extent of his injury seemed bad enough that he should've been bedridden for weeks.

"I shouldn't be," he affirmed. "I insisted. I've been in the hospital longer than you have, you were transferred here recently."

I gasped again, and hit the side of his leg playfully. "What would prompt you to do something like that? Are you just an angel? I don't think many people would disregard their own safety for others."

The man stared off into the distance for a moment, like he was entering a world that was far away. The sunlight glinted off his silvery hair.

"I woke up feeling like I had to atone for something. I realized that I was an empty person, and I had the urge to do something uncharacteristic."

Another pain. I should've focused on the fact that a stranger had opened his heart to me when we hadn't met. Instead, I thought about how I had definitely heard someone, maybe even him, say that before. All of a sudden, I saw puddles of blood lining the floor in a field of grass. I felt the warmth of a hand next to me. As quickly as I felt those sensations, they vanished.

He looked down to check a watch strapped across his wrist. "The doctors will be in soon. I'll tell them you're conscious."

He pushed the bedside chair away, and I grabbed the cold metal of his watch to stop him from leaving. "Wait-- you never told me your name."

"Chishiya," he said and hesitated. "Chishiya Shuntaro."

Chishiya. The name suited him, and I got the vague feeling that deep down I had already known who he was.

"Well, thanks for checking up on me Dr. Chishiya. I hope I'll be seeing you soon," I winked, hoping he would catch on to my blatant attempt at flirting.

He did, and avoided meeting my eyes. "Not today, maybe another time I'll make it up to you."

"Sorry, was I too forward? I just felt that there might be something..." I trailed off and paused. "Nevermind."

"Familiar? How interesting." Chishiya pulled out a notepad and scribbled something down on it and handed it to me. "My number. Give me a call when you can."

And without saying anything more, he walked out of my hospital room. Normally, this would mean he was walking out of my life. Yet somehow, I got the feeling that our lives were inextricably entangled at some point. Maybe in a past life, our paths had crossed. Or maybe in a distant world full of bloodshed, he was my companion.

One thing I knew for certain, is that I would be calling him soon.

FIN

[bygeto]

I finished Tokyo Ghoul S1 a couple of days ago

I finally mustered the balls to watch the rest of it

Fuck Jimmy or whatever that blonde big bodied ghoul is called. I lost my one and only bc of him and his unprocessed trauma

If I dye Kaneki's hair back to black you think he'll go back to how he was?

I'm so scared ab bleach hair Kaneki. I just know my sweet softie baby is gone

When Rize dissed Kaneki's mom it felt personal bc I subscribe to her philosophy 100% What does that make me?

Shit's so traumatizing I wiped the entire casts names from my memory. Googling names rn

The purple haired eccentric. I had so much hope for him until he kidnapped my boi

Touka.... She's definitely something. Her little brother too

Amon!!! I love him idk. When he got his little eye patch I was like is he going to be Kaneki's other half in the human realm type situation

It was so frustrating listening to the ghouls and the humans saying the same things just on opposite sides of the court. Guys... Let's discuss this over lines of coke.

I'd make a horrible jury member bc both sides sound equally understandable and unreasonable to me

Bring Yomo to me rn!!! Cool calm and collected king. When he handed Kaneki that little envelope with meat like "boy eat something you look a mess" meanwhile he was skewered?! I almost lost it.

Ryoko, Hinami and Asaki broke me... And brought back this insane fear of the unexpected. I genuinely have to drown myself in random thoughts to keep that shit down. I don't want to discuss them further

I can't bring myself to like Nishiki. He's sort of okay now but keep him away from me

I LOVE ENJI!! Show me some of that Devil Ape bbyboy!!

I knew KNEW that Dr was fishy. His face was sneaky looking. He knew what he was doing. Sb mentioned him and said he fused Rize with Kaneki and I said BINGOWW! That sneaky old fuck

HIDE! I can bet money he'd probs accept Kaneki for what he is. He's just cutesy like that but I could be wrong

I love my crazed man but Mado COME AWNNNN that is a child ffs. I can't even bring myself to believe he got married. It seems otherworldly. Maybe something happened to the wife bc of the ghouls and he lost it

Speaking of, there's this patch face kid who has some screws loose. Is he Mado 2.0? Guess I'll find out as soon as I get to S2

Have I mentioned that I love Amon?

To close things off. I'm in love with the intro. I fw with it so hard. Sometimes I sing Hoshiete yo shiete yo while I'm doing the dishes. That's how much I love it.

[madnessformunson]

she’s all i wanna be

Summary: you are insecure in your relationship with Eddie

Warnings: reader has a negative body image, mean girl behavior, bullying

I have no idea why the formatting is so weird lol

Your relationship with Eddie was new. It was fun and exciting but also scary. You had never had feelings like this for anyone before. He always made time for you, recently skipping D&D or cutting band practice short so he could squeeze in more time to spend with you. Because Eddie’s world was newly revolving around your every move, his friends were getting annoyed with you and your constant presence.

You walk into the cafeteria and sit at your usual spot at the Hellfire table. You didn’t know if you should without Eddie, but he had to meet with Miss Click about his last test grade. He assured you that the boys would love to have you sit with them.

You quietly sit and greet them with a weak smile and wave.

“Oh hey y/n, where is Eddie? Gareth questioned.

“He had to meet with Miss Click to go over his last exam, hope you don’t mind me sitting here” you said as you unpacked the contents of your lunchbox.

“And you aren’t waiting outside the classroom for him to be done” Jeff let out with a weak laugh.

Your face flushed because you had actually thought of doing that.

“I don’t get how he isn’t completely tired of you always hanging around him and pulling him away from what he loves. It’s so confusing since just a few months ago he couldn’t shut up about his crush on Chrissy, and now he’s with you instead” Mike said cruelly.

Your face was still red hot and you were fighting back the tears in your eyes.

“I guess he just settled for the off brand Chrissy” Jeff said with a laugh, as the rest of the boys chucked with him.

You quickly stood up and grabbed your belongings not able to listen anymore.

“Hey, we were just joking with you!” Mike called out and you ran out.

You left the school down an old trail you and Eddie frequently took when you just needed to get away. You headed to the rusted bench to take a minute to yourself when you heard Eddie’s laugh. You peer through the bushes only to see Eddie dramatically falling onto the ground in front of the one and only Chrissy Cunningham.

She was definitely flirting with him, twisting her perfect blonde hair as she asked him about Corroded Coffin. You saw enough, taking off to head in the direction of your house.

On your way home you couldn’t help but think negatively of yourself. She was definitely prettier than you. She had a smaller waist, long blonde hair and came from money. You didn’t have anything like that to offer, you’d probably choose her too.

As you walked past the drug store, you had a moment of thinking “maybe I can look like her” as you wondered in looking for some hair dye. You decided on a box of bleach, thinking that adding some highlights could maybe help your look.

As soon as you got home you rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind you. You pull out the instructions and read them over 3 times to ensure you know what you are doing. You decided you were ready, you started to mix the chemicals that smelt so strong you were sure you’d get high from the fumes. As neatly as you could you applied the paste to your hair and let it be for 45 minutes. You rinse the chemical off, throwing your hair up in a towel on your head as you wipe the fog off the mirror.

Then you were horrified. Once you pulled the towel off all you could feel was instant regret. Your roots were white blonde while other pieces were bright orange and another section still your original color. You were panicking trying to figure out your next move when there was a knock on the bathroom door.

“Hey y/n dad said dinner is ready” your little sister, El informed you.

You muttered some profanities before saying, “tell him I’m not hungry!”

You suddenly hear heavy footsteps approaching the bathroom door.

“None of that y/n, come on we are eating dinner” Hopper insisted.

“Sorry I can’t” you blurt out.

“Excuse me? You can’t? Open this door right now y/n”

You knew you couldn’t win. You slowly opened the door to reveal the mess you were currently dealing with.

“What the hell y/n” Hopper said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I know it looks really bad -“ you start

“Really bad is an understatement” El cuts you off with a giggle. You give her a death stare and she runs down the hallway.

“I can call Joyce tomorrow to see if she can come help you fix it after school,” Hopper said, rubbing his face with his hand.

“After school?! Dad no way that’s too long”

“She’s at work y/n, you’ll just have to wear a hat or something” he says as he lets out a laugh.

You continue just to give him an annoyed glare.

The next morning you tuck all of your hair into a beanie, then place the hood of your sweatshirt over top to further disguise yourself.

As you make your way downstairs for school, your father sees you and chuckles.

“I don’t know why you think this is funny” you say as you pour your bowl of cereal.

“This is one of those moments I will never let you forget,” he replies.

You just have to get through today, stay low and avoid Eddie that all you have to do. Standing at your locker you grab the books you need as you notice Eddie approaching you with a smile and wave. You took off to your class taking your seat and opening your book up as quickly as possible to bury your head in.

“Hey y/n I tried to call you last night but you didn’t answer” Eddie said as he took his seat behind you, chains hitting onto the desk.

“I was busy” you reply coldly.

“Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?” He said leaning forward.

Thankfully the bell rang and Miss Click walked in already telling everyone to quiet down.

“Ok class today I want you to turn to page 110- yes Miss Cunningham?” Miss Click said as Chrissy raised her hand.

“I just was thinking I’m pretty sure it’s against the dress code to wear hats inside and I just don’t think it would be fair if certain people were an exception to the rules”

“Why yes that is a rule, Miss Hopper you need to remove your hood”

Your heart sunk and your face instantly got red. You sat there like a statue for a minute trying to decide what to do.

“Miss Hopper if you don’t remove the hood this instant I will have to send you to the principal's office to call you father.”

You slowly pull the hood back and stare at Miss Click.

“The beanie too dear” Miss Click said.

As you pull it off your head you can hear the whole room gasp followed by laughter.

“Oh my” is all Miss Click could get out before you grabbed your books and bolted out of the room. You faintly heard Eddie calling your name but you didn’t turn back, you headed straight home with tears running down your face.

[keqism]

𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑 𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐌 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 ໒꒱

≀ featuring: heizou, scaramouche, childe, kazuha

≀ cw: fluff, modern au, swearing

≀ summary: the weather outside is frightful but winter activities with them make everything warmer

for the ice & snow event at @yae-publishing-house 

𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐒𝐊𝐘 ≀ feat. Heizou

The cold wind nipped at your face, the chill settling in your bones. You were on your back in the snow, watching the snowflakes fall and rest on your eyelashes. Next to you was Heizou, lying down with his limbs spread out like a starfish. It had been his idea to lay in the snow like two idiots and you had been reluctant to agree, but after one deep kiss, you found yourself involuntarily saying yes. 

"It never snows where I'm from," Heizou remarked. His eyes glittered, excitement shining in his green irises at the sight of the falling flakes. A pale hand left his coat pocket and reached out towards the winter sky, feeling the powdery specks melt into his skin. 

"Never?" You asked incredulously, your eyes widening. You frowned at the thought of a winter without snow. "You're missing out, you know."

"On what?" Green eyes left the sky to meet yours.

"Ice skating… sledding, snowball fights," you paused, wracking your brain for more ideas.

You heard Heizou sit up, the snow crunching under his weight. "You'll show me each one, right?" he smiled, mischief written all over his face. "Let's start now."

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What—" you managed to get out before a chunk of snow hit you in the face. You sputtered, wiping at your eyes to see Heizou running away from you, his laughter ringing through the air. 

"Heizou, you brat!" you shrieked, scrambling up to chase after him. The wind whipped through your hair, numbing the skin of your face, but seeing Heizou's smile was enough to melt the icy air and warm your heart.

It was all worth it—even if it meant getting a snowball to the face.

𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑(𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃) 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 ≀ feat. Scaramouche

"That is the ugliest gingerbread man I've ever seen," Scaramouche sneered, eyeing the mangled lump in your hand.

You sent a pointed look in his direction. "The directions on the box said to make a gingerbread house, Scara—not a shack." 

"Yours isn't any better, you know," he snorted, shaking his head. And he was right—the mess of bread and icing that the two of you had made looked nothing like the picturesque diagrams that came with the gingerbread kits. The roof of Scara's house was partially sliding off and the icing on your two gingerbread people ("it's us, Scara!") was smeared, the dye bleeding into the bread.

Perhaps it was time to give up.

You let out an exasperated sigh, dropping the tube of icing on the table in defeat. "Should we just quit and eat the candy?"

"Oh fuck, I thought you'd never ask."

As Scara tore into a packet of gumdrops, you reached out to pinch his cheek. "Thank you for trying this with me, Scara," you teased with a grin. "Wasn't this fun?"

He slapped your hand away, shooting you a glare. "Fuck your holiday shit," he complained. But a beat passed, and you heard him mutter under his breath.

"It was fun, I guess."

𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖 ≀ feat. Childe

"You're like Bambi," Childe teased as he gripped your arm, steadying your wobbling legs. A layer of frost had frozen on the sidewalk overnight to form a slippery path, just in time for your morning walk. 

You clutched onto Childe's thick coat, fingers digging into the fur in a desperate attempt to balance yourself. "Ajax please" you pleaded as you slipped on the ice again, your left ankle twisting at an unnatural angle. 

"Woah baby, I got you." A gloved hand wrapped around your waist, its warmth seeping into your body. You teetered a little as Childe knelt in front of you, arms outstretched behind him. He looked over his shoulder, blue eyes meeting your quizzical ones. "Well? Get on, I'll carry you home."

You leaned your body against him, circling your arms around his neck as his hands wrapped around your thighs. With a quiet grunt, Childe hoisted you up and began to walk forward. You tucked your face into the crook of his shoulder, watching his breaths condense into faint puffs of vapor in the cold air.

"Thanks, Ajax," you whispered, pressing a brief kiss on his cheeks, your lips warming the frozen skin. 

"Anything for you, Bambi."

𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐖 ≀ feat. Kazuha

"Open wide."

You looked up from the book you were reading, turning your head towards your boyfriend. In Kazuha's hand sat a peeled sweet potato, freshly baked in the flickering embers in your fireplace. He quietly blew puffs of air on it to cool it before bringing it up to your awaiting mouth.

"Thank you, love," you smiled at him before sinking your teeth into the flesh of the potato. The starchy, caramelized flavor burst in your mouth as you chewed, warming your stomach. Kazuha let out a sigh as he took a bite too, nestling down deeper into the blanket the two of you were sharing. 

A head dropped onto your shoulder, sleepy eyes peering at the book in your lap. "Can you read to me?" Kazuha mumbled, absentmindedly picking at a loose thread on your sweater. "I'm gettin' tired."

You cleared your throat and began to read, absentmindedly running your fingers through his hair. Kazuha's eyes gave out, drowsiness pulling them down. The heat from the fireplace, your soft voice, the faint sound of your heartbeat—all of it was slowly lulling him to sleep, and you felt his breathing slow as he dozed off. Somewhere in the middle of the chapter, you glanced over to see him asleep, his face relaxed and peaceful. 

You set your book down next to you, leaning down to press your lips to his brow. "Good night, pretty boy," you whispered. 

a/n ≀ happy holidays! stay warm and stay safe :) (thank you to @/k-zu for beta reading!!)

[queen-dahlia]

𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐯𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧

𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟳

Note: Translation is not 100% accurate. Expect grammatical errors.

// : alternate translation | ⫘⫘ : flashback | 4:4 answer

Akatsuki: "... It is easy to dye white to black. But it is difficult to dye black to white."

Akatsuki: "To sympathize with him means that you will be dyed black."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

When I heard the owner's story, I suddenly remembered something.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Gilbert: "A white rose looks good on you, pure as you are."

Gilbert: "But—"

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(—I wonder what the black rose he gave me at that time meant.)

I step out of the bathroom, wipe my wet hair, and look at the black rose on the desk.

When I was preparing for the White Rose Festival, the only rose that was dyed black was the one I had all along.

(I wonder if he meant to "dye me black.")

Just looking at the black rose makes me uneasy. It is even more so because I know that they are originally white roses.

I cannot turn this black rose back into a white rose.

Even if it could be painted over with paint, it should not be the original, beautiful white.

(My current color is...)

When I touched the black rose, I heard a sound from the balcony.

???: "Good evening, Little Bunny."

(… Okay, I'll pretend I didn't hear that.)

???: "If you don't open up, I will break the glass?"

Emma: "I'm opening it now!"

I ran quickly and opened the balcony window, not caring that the wet linen fell on the floor.

A night breeze blew in, causing the curtains to flutter, and when the curtains staggered, a black figure entered the room.

Gilbert: "Oh, you just got out of the bath? If you don't wipe your hair properly, you'll catch a cold."

As soon as he sees me, Prince Gilbert puts one hand behind his back.

Nothing should have happened, but when it came back to the front once more, he was holding a brand new linen in his hand.

(He is always amazing all the time. I don't know how he does it—no!)

Emma: "Why were you on the balcony?"

(I'm also wondering how you got onto the balcony, though…)

Gilbert: "If by any chance I run into your "father," he will kill me."

Gilbert: "Akatsuki… Is he still in court?"

Emma: "… Yes."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Emma: "What's the owner going to do now?"

Akatsuki: "I need to talk to a man named Sariel."

Rio: "He's out right now, but I think he'll be back in the office in the evening. I'll show you around."

Akatsuki: "It's a big help. …I need a satisfactory explanation of my daughter's future."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(Rio told me before I went to the bath that the conversation was still going on at night... I hope it's okay.)

Before I knew it, Prince Gilbert was behind me, gently wrapping my head in linen.

He carefully wipes my hair, and I fidget.

Emma: "Um…"

Gilbert: "Didn't I tell you I'd thank you for the honey cookies?"

(… That's why he came all the way to my room.)

Perhaps as a "thank you," Prince Gilbert's touch was pleasantly gentle.

Gilbert: "Then again, I didn't expect Akatsuki to show up."

Gilbert: "Based on my calculations on the map, I thought he wouldn't return to Rhodolite for at least a month…"

Gilbert: "I guess he was so worried about you that he flew his horse over here."

(Does this mean that Prince Gilbert was also watching the owner's movements before he came to Rhodolite?)

(… If that's the case, then you had your eye on me from the beginning.)

This may be an important clue to the still-unknown question, "Why did Prince Gilbert visit Rhodolite?"

Gilbert: "But it's getting a little troublesome when it comes to this."

Emma: "Troublesome?"

Gilbert: "I'm sure he'll do whatever it takes to take you out of court, no matter what."

Gilbert: "That's exactly what he would do, even if it meant giving up Belle's role."

(That's not…)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Rio: "Just for the record, what are you planning to do after meeting Prince Gilbert?"

Akatsuki: "Kill him."

Everyone: "!?"

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(… No, it might be possible with that spirit.)

Gilbert: "It's in a father's heart to protect his daughter from bad guys, isn't it?"

The "bad guy" laughs like someone else.

(If the owner really came to bring me back, then it's the same as that time…)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Luke: "Emma, you must cut all ties with him."

Rio: "Being around Gilbert is not good for you."

Rio: "I'll do something about it, please."

Rio: "Emma, come back."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(… And maybe I'll have to make a choice again.)

However, the situation is different now than when I convinced the two men in the infirmary.

The hope I had then was now shattered by a hammer and seemed to fall through the gaps between my fingers.

I'm barely holding onto it, but if I loosen my grip just a little, it seems like it will disappear in no time.

Emma: "If I leave the court now, I will have escaped from Prince Gilbert."

Gilbert: "Whether you can escape is another matter, isn't it?"

Emma: "… I don't want to just talk about ideals and turn my back on them."   //   "… I don't want to just talk about ideals and turn my back on you."

Gilbert: "The ideal is called ideal because it can't be fulfilled."

Gilbert: "It might be easier if you give up and accept it, don’t you think?"

While combing my wet hair with his fingers, Prince Gilbert brings his face to my ear.

Gilbert: "Communication does not change people or the world. Only violent means are the only way to understand each other."   //   "Communication does not change people or the world. Only through violent means can we come to a unique understanding."

I shook my head without hesitation.

Gilbert: "You're stubborn."

(… But, I don't know what to do.)

(There are so many ideals, but I wonder if I could make even one of them a reality.)

Involving Prince Gilbert in my daily life and bridging the gap between the country of roses and the country of ore

The current situation is that nothing has been resolved by just saying nice things.

On the contrary, after the White Rose Festival ended, the ideal became even more distant.

(It may have been obstructed rather than being far away.)

(… That's like painting a white rose black.)

When I turn to Prince Gilbert, I meet his red eye.

The blood-colored eye has not yet lit up with emotion.

Emma: "Without ideals, there will be no better tomorrow."

Emma: "I haven't done everything I can do yet, so I won't give up."

Gilbert: "You're already covered in scars."

Emma: "I'm fine."

Emma: "… Thank you very much for the hair."

When I try to move away from Prince Gilbert, he grabs my hand.

The cold body temperature seeped into my skin gradually.

Gilbert: "Hey, did you know?"

Gilbert: "The more you pursue high and distant ideals, the higher the price you pay. No ideal can be achieved without sacrifice."

Gilbert: "You're covered in scars from my malice, but isn't that enough?"

Emma: "The… price?"

Gilbert: "Yes. Because you haven't lost anything."

Emma: "… If that's the case, I don't know what I have to lose to reach the ideal."

Gilbert: "Liar."

Emma: "…?"

Gilbert: "You are subconsciously aware. You're just looking away."

Gilbert: "You just don't have the guts to pay the price and make your ideals come true."

No idea. There is no price that flashed through my mind.

And yet, my fevered heart pulsates.

It was as if my body was warning me, "Don't think about it any more."

(… It feels weird.)

As I exhaled to calm myself down, Prince Gilbert let go of my hand and sat down on the bed.

Emma: "Are you… Are you not going back?"

Gilbert: "I don't remember ever being that kind of man who only thanked you by wiping your hair."

Emma: "I was happy enough with what I just got. Thank you very much."

Gilbert: "Do you want to kick me out that much? You're the one who said you don't want to run away from me."

Emma: "That's a different story. It's night now…"

Gilbert: "You once visited me in my room at night, too."

Emma: "That was a special circumstance—"

Gilbert: "I've got special circumstances, too."

(My heart is starting to beat in a different way.)

Prince Gilbert, smiling briskly, patted the sheets.

Gilbert: "Let's have a sleepover, shall we?"

Emma: "… Yes?"

(Sleepover… SLEEPOVER!?)

Prince Gilbert immediately lies down on the bed, as if he has no intention to be reserved just because he is in a room of an opposite sex.

Gilbert: "… Hmmm. Your bed smells like roses."

Emma: "… Prince Gilbert. It feels more like harassment than a thank you…"   //   "… Prince Gilbert. I feel like I'm being harassed rather than thanked…"

Gilbert: "Eh, that's terrible. Even though we're friends, you hate me so much."

Emma: "I hate it."

Gilbert: "… I think I'm going to cry."

Emma: "We're opposite sexes even before we became friends. I can't sleep peacefully."

Gilbert: ". . . . . ."

Emma: "… What is it?"

Gilbert: "In other words, you're conscious of me as a man. Little Bunny, you're so cute."

Emma: "No, it's not!"

Gilbert: "Ahaha, it's no different. …Well, I'm not going to get out of bed no matter what you say."

(No way… It looks like he's going to stay no matter what.)

Prince Gilbert's proposal is either "accept" or "force me to accept."

(I don't know what he's up to, but I don't have a choice... I hope no one notices.)

I pull out the spare linen that was tucked away on the shelf in my room and head to the sofa.

Then, for some reason, Prince Gilbert also got up from the bed and went ahead and lay down on the sofa.

Emma: "I knew you were harassing me!"   //   "Are you still harassing me!?"

Gilbert: "No, no. You don't want to sleep in separate places even though it's a sleepover because it seems like you're not on good terms with each other, right?"

Gilbert: "If you’re going to sleep on the sofa, I think I'll sleep on the sofa too."

Emma: "I can't let a distinguished guest sleep on the sofa…"

Gilbert: "Shall we move to bed then?"

Emma: ". . . . . ."

Gilbert: "You're the one who asked me to be your friend, now you're acting unfriendly?"

Emma: "I think it's important for us to keep an appropriate distance as friends."

Gilbert: "For me, this is the right distance."

Emma: "Where..."

Gilbert: "I told you before, didn't I?"

(… By the way—)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Gilbert: "I'm cold, so I like to feel the warmth of people all the time."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(…Then you don't mean anything else…)

(. . . . . .)

(No, no, it's Prince Gilbert, so I'm sure he has other intentions.)

Gilbert: "Ah, Little Bunny... Are you thinking of something naughty again?"

Emma: "I'm not thinking of it!"

(Forget it… Whatever.)

I can't keep repeating the offense and defense forever, so I go to bed in tears.

Fortunately, the bed was wide enough for me to keep my distance,

The moment I headed for the edge, Prince Gilbert hugged me and forcibly confined me in his arms.

Gilbert: "Haa… Little Bunny is as warm as ever."

Gilbert: "Obsidian is such a cold country, so I want to take you home with me."

(Please don't…)

I've been detained in Prince Gilbert's room in the middle of the night before.

That time he let me go back without incident, but today he won't listen to me.

(I don't like this...)

(… I really don't like this.)

The rapid beating of my heart cannot be stopped, which leads to more and more disgust with myself.

I didn't want my heart to pound with anything other than terror at a beast that asserted that "love" was "dominance."   //   I didn't want to be thrilled, except in fear, by a beast that would declare "like" was "domination."

Gilbert: "Speaking of which, I think I'm going to sit in on the four-way talks tomorrow."

Emma: "Eh."

I widened my eyes at that casually spoken word.

I was no longer distracted by the sound of my heartbeat.

Emma: "Really?"

Gilbert: "You know I don't lie."

(But…)

It has been more than 10 years since Obsidian, which is on a diplomatic path, last sat down for talks.

Although the reason for his stay at Rhodolite was ostensibly "to attend a meeting,"

Even the Rhodolite princes were skeptical about the implementation.

(That's how easily it happened...)

Gilbert: "Until now, I refused because I was busy helping Little Bunny, but the situation has changed."

(… Did you mean at the ceremony when you said the situation had changed?)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Gilbert: "Ten years have passed, and Obsidian wishes to establish a new relationship with your country."

Gilbert: "If possible, let everyone here live a happy life."

Gilbert: "If you can give me a sincere response at the upcoming four-way talks, I will respond to that as well."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(A "sincere response," huh...)

Emma: "What are you going to talk about at the meeting?"

Gilbert: "Secret. But I'm sure Little Bunny will be happy."

Gilbert: "The main purpose of the meeting is "for the sake of future peace"."

Prince Gilbert doesn't lie.

But for some reason, I can't be honestly happy about it.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Emma: "You weren't on the battlefield."

Gilbert: "If you have to ask me if I was there or not, I would say yes."

Gilbert: "But I was not in command. I was there for a private observation."

Emma: "… Private?"

Gilbert: "Yes. I have always planned to invade Rhodolite at some point, so this was a preview of what to expect."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(I hope you've changed your mind about that…)

Prince Gilbert's body is as cold as ever.

The suffocating feeling never went away.

══════════════════

—When the candlelight went out and the room was enveloped in darkness,

A corpse was lying on the balcony of Emma's room.

The sword thrust into his chest is red and wet, and the overflow stains the balcony.

Gilbert, who was looking down at the scene with a cold gaze, threw the glove he had taken off behind him.

Gilbert: "Clean it up, please?"

A hooded man appears out of nowhere and nods as he accepts a pair of blood-stained gloves.

Roderich: "A couple of knights have captured what they believe to be accomplices."

Roderich:  "… It doesn't seem to make sense to me to allow them into the room."

Gilbert: "I think Cyril was able to calculate my movements as well."

Gilbert: "Or behind it... Maybe it's Chevalier's command, though."

Gilbert tramples on the already motionless corpse.

The night air trembled, and there was a bloodlust enough to make the birds resting on the trees flap their wings.

Gilbert: "This guy has been chasing the little rabbit since daytime."

Gilbert: "He was picking a fight with me, so I just bought it."

Gilbert: "Rhodolite has a lot of fools in it."

Roderich: "You mentioned something similar at Obsidian."

Gilbert: "Ahaha, I did. Every country is like that."

He kicks away the corpse and puts on a new pair of gloves that he pulled out from inside his cloak.

Gilbert: "Well, it's a bit different from what I originally planned…"

Roderich:  "… Isn't it too far off?"

Gilbert: "Ahaha, it can't be helped. Being with the little rabbit is unexpectedly fun…"

Gilbert: "I regret it."

With his crimson eye flickering, Gilbert turned on his heel.

Roderich:  "Whatever decision is made, do as you will."

══════════════════

Emma: "What now..."

The next day, when I woke up, Prince Gilbert was gone before I knew it, and Jin called me instead.

It seems that Sariel is representing the King's name in the four parliamentary talks that were to be held urgently,

The appearance of him sitting at his office desk with a solemn expression was different from the usual Jin.

Jin: "I'm not surprised you're having a hard time accepting this, but it was suggested to you by the man there, okay?"

The owner, who seems to have been welcomed as a guest at the court, leans his back against the wall and crosses his arms.

Jin: "He wants to send you to another country temporarily."

(I didn't mishear... it turned out just as Prince Gilbert said.)

Akatsuki: "Last night, when I spoke with Sariel, he told me what exactly your situation is."

Akatsuki: "As a result, I decided that it would be dangerous for you to be in Rhodolite right now."

Emma: "But…"

Jin: "But the Rhodolite side is of the same opinion."

Jin: "Both domestic and foreign aristocrats are questioning your existence."

Jin: "At this rate, you are likely to be put on the aristocratic council yourself."

Emma: "… What will happen if I am put on the aristocratic council?"

Jin: "In addition to being prying into your identity, you will be questioned about the suspicion that you are an Obsidian insider."

Jin: "We can cover you up for the latter, but the former is a bit troublesome."

Jin: "If they find out that you are Belle, they will find out that we also kept quiet about the passing of the king..."

Jin: "It could give fuel to the anti-monarchy faction, which is already on the rise."

(That's... no good.)

(My presence makes Rhodolite more chaotic.)   //   (My presence makes Rhodolite even more confused.)

Akatsuki: "Emma… Let’s travel together until things cool down."

Akatsuki: "Even if Gilbert keeps an eye on you, there are many countries where he can't get his hands on you."

Akatsuki: "For the time being, it would be appropriate to go to Acroite via Benitoite."

Jin: "I agree. I can write a letter of introduction for Acroite. The immigration process is tough, but you should be able to get through it."

Both the owner and Jin have already spoken about it as a "decision."

I felt his firm determination to take me with him, even if I shook my head.

Emma: "If I'm gone…. won't Prince Gilbert get a reason to attack Rhodolite?"

Jin: "No… If he wants to do it, it doesn't matter whether you're here or not."

Emma: "What about the selection of the king?"

Jin: "Here, I have a certificate of authorization from Sariel."

Jin: "… Can you do it?"

(… I can't find any reason why I should stay in Rhodolite.)

My efforts as Belle have been steadily carried out even while being swayed by Prince Gilbert.   //   My efforts as Belle have been carried out with great care and diligence, even while being pushed around by Prince Gilbert.

Now I can answer clearly who I would select as king—and for what reason.

Of course, I really wanted to have time to think about it until the end of the given period.

It was not a situation where such selfishness could be tolerated.

Jin: "Emma… I'm sorry I pushed you this far."

Jin: "I'm in a position where I have to guarantee your safety, but in the end, the best thing to do is to get you out of the country."

Jin: "… It's the worst possible outcome."

Emma: "Oh no… Jin did nothing wrong."

(I…)

(… I wonder if it would have turned out differently if I had stood up or behaved better.)

It's unbearable and frustrating.

If I flee to another country now, I will have no means to fulfill my ideals…

If I force myself to stay in Rhodolite, I can see a future where I will cause trouble for the princes.

(I know. I know, but…)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Gilbert: "I don't know what "lonely" means."

══════════════════

Emma: "… How can I turn you back into a person?"

══════════════════

Akatsuki: "Emma… don't feel sympathy for Gilbert. Don't empathize."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(… It's hard to break things down.) **

Contrary to my heart, I accept the quill pen offered to me.

It was then that I wrote my name on the certificate.

The door of the office opens violently, as if it had been blown by a strong wind...

Leon: "Emma, are you there!?"

Emma: "Leon?"

Jin: "What happened to the meeting?"

Leon: "That's not the point. Emma, leave the castle now."

Leon: "There's no time to lose. Hurry—"

Clavis: "Hey, Leon. That's not a good idea on your own, is it?"

Clavis appears late and blocks the door to the office.

Next to him was Cyril, with an apologetic look on his face.

Clavis: "This is an order from the leader. Stop Emma."

Leon: "You……"

Jin: "Okay, calm down. What happened, Leon?"

In the tense atmosphere, Leon clenches his fist as if to express his emotions.

Leon: "… Obsidian—"

Leon: "He came to offer hostage negotiations."

[agentsnickers]

Spot and race in the star wars au? (Also big congratulations on the anniversary)

Race doesn't usually get hurt on missions, but when he does it's always more complicated than just an injury. Once, he'd twisted his ankle and it led to him stranded alone on a moon with the ISB agent who'd been tracking them.

Today, he's coming home with a little head trauma, a little emotional trauma... and also he's about eighty percent orange.

He doesn't know what was in that fountain - dye, or something water-adjacent that happens to turn everything it touches orange - but he had wound up soaked to the skin and mottled orange except for his left arm and shoulder. His clothes are orange or orange-tinged now, his skin save for the aforementioned arm is orange, his hair is orange -

"Oh, aren't you a sight," Spot says before he's even walked all the way down the Ghost's ramp.

"I don't want to talk about it," says Race.

"His clothes are a lost cause, and we haven't had much luck getting it off of his skin either," Davey reports anyway.

Spot hisses through his teeth, sympathetic. "Why do things like this always happen to you, Racer?"

"I wish I knew," Race replies. He pushes past Spot. "I'm going to find something else to wear. I was afraid to change into something else of my own, in case this rubs off onto them and ruins something else."

"But Rebellion-issue you have no qualms over ruining?" Spot says, trailing behind him.

"Never."

They walk to the quartermaster in silence, after that, and back up to the room on base that the two of them technically share, for all that Race rarely sleeps off of the Ghost.

"You change," says Spot, nodding toward the door. "I'll be right back, I want to ask Niamh about something."

Race changes quickly, and it's a relief to have the orange clothes off even if the rest of him is still orange. He feels a little bit more himself. And he's happy to see that the orange doesn't rub off onto his new clothes, so even if he's orange for the foreseeable future he can wear his own clothes.

There's a tap on the door. "It's me, can I come in?"

"Yeah," Race replies.

Spot comes in, carrying a little box in one hand. He sits down next to Race on the bed-that-is-technically-his. "Give me your hand."

Race does, without question, because he trusts Spot. Spot pulls a tissue - no, a wipe, it's damp - out of the box and dabs it against Race's hand and, miraculously, the orange starts to fade.

"Where'd you get that?" says Race. "Nothing we tried on the ship worked at all."

"It's makeup remover," Spot says without looking up from Race's hand. "Niamh's. She always says this can take off anything, so I figured it was worth a shot."

"Thank her for me," Race says.

"Thank her yourself, I think you'll need to buy her some more after we're done here," Spot replies.

They work together to get the exposed parts of Race's skin clean - he'll get the rest on his own, thanks - and it's oddly intimate for how strange an activity it is. Their room doesn't have a mirror, so Spot is getting Race's face which, again - oddly intimate. They're very close together, and Spot is concentrating very hard on Race's face, and -

"All done," Spot says, leaning out of Race's personal space for the first time in almost an hour. He tugs on one of Race's curls. "Pity I can't do anything about this, though. You don't make a bad redhead, but it doesn't feel like you."

Race flushes. "Guess I'm just Al's brother 'stead of Charlie's for a while, 'till it fades on its own or I get a haircut."

"You'd be an improvement over his real ones," says Spot.

"Right," says Race. "You're sure it doesn't look bad?"

Spot tugs on Race's curl again. "No, not bad, like I said. Just - I like your hair, it suits you."

"Oh," Race says. He is definitely very, very red now.

Spot stands suddenly. "Anyway, I'll, uh - I'll leave you to get the rest of the orange off, yeah?"

Before Race can respond, he's gone.

[firespirited]

I should probably make a scavenging tag to keep tab of this buuuut it kind of goes under the home hacks and multipurpose crafting i've been doing ever since that first 2008 doll streaks with gold embroidery floss rooted using a toothbrush handle with the needle inserted by melting over a candle.

Guess this is kind of my brand. ¯\_(◡‿◡)_/¯

On Friday, I walked Lily briefly and found a big bin bag that was someone's chest of drawers emptied so I sorted it into clothes, recyclable and rubbish put it all in the correct bins and left the clothes and accessories for others to go through after picking out a few gorgeous scarves, a brand-new djellaba in bronze cotton, a lovely stained cream jumper (sweater) that i'm going to dye: it had a snagged loose knit - crochet looking but done by machine - back that just needed re-knotting/rethreading (what ever the word is for when you use tweezers to weave the yarn back through its original pattern and knot it down), a machine knitted snood to frog/unravel, some glitter body lotion and a notebook.

*I found the glue at another bin next to a bunch of tools (including a stainless ratchet wrench 😍 with accessories I couldn't carry 😥) thought I'd grab the glue in case there was a chance you could get some out by using a pin through the top as I'm currently waiting for superglue in the mail. Score: It's not jammed at all.

Loctite powerflex is pricey (€7 for 3g when you can get 20 x 3g liquid superglue for €4) and takes about double the time to set (hold tight and count to at least sixty not thirty) but it is magical stuff: not only does it go where you direct it to, you have a window to wipe off any excess without it leaving damage and it holds really well without cracking on flexible surfaces like vinyl, shoe soles, headphone wires. It's got superglue in it but also some kind of rubber base solution. It's one of those fancy glues you want around for the special stuff while having a backup of bog-standard superglue for basic repairs.

*I keep sleep and symptom notebooks to keep track of any circadian rhythm disruptions, migraines, gastrointestinal issues so I can circle back to a particular food or activity. I'd been using these cute panda shaped accounting notepads and stocked up but as with all things good, they got discontinued. I tried other notepads but it wasn't quite right: it needs to be lightweight, easily replaceable if I drop water on it, as unobtrusive as possible. This merch pocket book with the 5mm squares is just right when unbound into 6.

/// I learned this trick as a kid, someone showed me how different books were bound and how to salvage thrown out school exercise books, remelt crayons, use carbon copy, properly wash brushes... that kind of stuff. I think it was a free summer art class where you turn up and there are all sorts of different people and even if you end up just drawing ye olde square house, you absorb a bunch of history or techniques and get to watch other people: how they sketch, how they observe, I think that was the first time i'd seen cross-hatching and then couldn't unsee it in illustrations. I'm so glad my parents dropped me off at the various council, museum and church free events as a kid: some are really rigid and you get in trouble if you don't assemble the pompom bird exactly as instructed, others are an occasion to bond with some grandpa who'll show you how to whittle or learn and learn. ///

Why not go digital? because you don't want your phone on: you'll forget what you were supposed to do and go down a rabbit hole. Besides, half those things come with weird reward systems that make me feel obligated or guilty, or worse: diet propaganda. So that lil find has me set for the next year, I transcribed my current messy too big notepad into two pages and voilà! (well i still have a couple of symptoms to add now that i look it over)

*After working with yarn for a while, you start to get a sense for the type that doesn't pull apart when brushed or tugged and it's rarer than you'd expect so I took the snood despite not liking the green tinge to the mustardy colour: it doesn't make clawdeen's skin tone pop for example. So it's the right fibre with a light enough base for some dye experiments.

*it has taken forever and it's just a start (50+ more) but I have listed 12 more dolls on ebay!! there are reroots from before I got injured and deglued dolls i'm really proud of. If you're interested, I'd much prefer to sell in bulk to the EU, will happily sell at cost instead of those higher ebay prices and have a ton of doll heads and partially finished projects if you repaint or reroot.

[blububbs]

Writing prompt 01/03/2024: One empty space

This is the start of a series of writing prompts given by my literature teacher, and the short stories that I wrote in response to them. Hope you enjoy.

Prompt: Unknown/unrecorded

TW: Implied murder/plan to murder

Word count: 344

Her eyes tell her thoughts. She’s angry, she’s hurt, she’s ready. She tries her hardest to keep calm and collected on the outside, but her stern gaze and tense mouth gives me all the information I already know.

We’ve been talking about it a lot lately. She has lots of clothes in her cupboard that she doesn’t wear, hydrochloric acid that is able to get stains of red dye out of white clothes, gloves to not get paint underneath your fingernails. I have a long walk home from school, a lovely bridge that I throw big rocks off of, matches in case my candles get blown out, and a big suitcase to fit all of my souvenirs of my adventures into. We have it all, we just need somebody to make all of things be put into use.

And she knows who.

We both didn’t like him. He was stuck up, arrogant, annoying with a sense of entitlement that would combat a devoted Christian’s belief in God. He pushed and pushed, never feeling anything push back. I guess that will change soon.

Leaving isn’t that far away. In 6 months, we’ll all be walking across a stage, looking out best. Smiling out amongst a sea of sheep heads, while the bright flash of a lie flashes in our faces. Most of us will be anyway. All 214 of us will stand for one last time on the stage we’ve stared at for 6 years, but there will be one spot empty. A purposeless tribute to a lost cause who won’t be missed despite the fake tears and sobs they all shed during his service. The clothes will be ruined, the acid wiping away the red, the gloves protecting the fingernails from the sticky liquid. The walk is longer, the object makes a big splash as it hits the water, the ashes of the ruined clothes mixing with the water, the suitcase sinking ever so slowly deeper into the river. He put all of those things to good use.

She knew who.

The perfect person.

Writing prompt list

[im-a-matt-girl]

Okay Nick dyeing his hair again gave me an idea for a little something :)

What about reader doing Nicks hair and they just keep talking until reader kind of musters up the courage to come out to Nick? I feel like it would be such a cute and comfortable moment.

Just… Nick as a best friend. I’d give my life for that

"Honesty"

"Okay, hold still," I tell you.

"I really hope it works this time," you say, a twinge of desperation in your voice.

"Don't worry, this is a brighter purple than the last one," I reassure you. "And, since your hair is already kind of purplish from last time, it should stand out a little better."

"That's true," you say. "Can you please be gentle, though? Matt was a little aggressive last time."

"Of course I will," I smile.

"And will you be honest with me if it looks bad?"

"Yes," I tell you. "I'd never lie to you. Now, please stay still for me."

"Okay, thanks," you say. "Just wanted to make sure we're on the same page."

As I dye your hair, I quietly think about the one thing I haven't been 100% open and honest with you about, yet. To be fair, I only recently realized it myself. And I've been waiting to tell you about it, without your brothers' presence. I figure that now is as good of a time as ever. "Um… Nick?" I start.

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to tell you something, but… first, I just want to confirm that it won't change the way you see me, as your best friend."

You look worried. "Oh, no. Are you in love with Chris?"

I freeze up in horror. "Nnno?" I say, trying to keep myself from laughing. What an absurd guess.

"Okay, good," you sigh with relief. "Wait, are you in love with Matt?"

"No!" I scoff. "I'm not in love with any of you."

"Oh."

"I mean, I love you all as friends," I elaborate. "But nothing more."

"Right."

"Because, well… I'm a lesbian."

Your jaw drops open. "Ohhh!" you gasp. "That actually makes sense."

"Yeah," I say. "So, anyway…"

"Oh, my gosh, come here," you say, turning to embrace me in a hug.

I try to avoid touching you with my dye-stained gloves, or getting the dye from your hair onto me. I don't know why, but your hug is bringing me to tears. I haven't even come out to my own parents, yet; I don't know if they'll accept me as I am.

"How long have you known?" you ask me.

"I don't know, not too long," I say, choking up a bit.

"Aw, are you crying? Sweetie, it's okay," you say, softly patting me on the back. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, okay?"

I nod in response.

"Does anyone else know, yet?"

I shake my head as tears roll down my cheeks against my will.

"That's alright," you tell me. "Take as much time as you need. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you," I sniff.

"Any time. I love you so much. Nothing will ever change that." You turn to the mirror and say, "Now, be honest: does my hair look better now? More purple?"

I start to chuckle as I wipe my tears away. "Yeah," I answer. "It does."

"I'm proud of you," you tell me with smiling eyes.

"Thanks."

[herbalsingularitea]

Holly Jolly (Chapter 5)

Summary - “What’s, uh—what’s going on out here?” He said looking between Holly and the deer at her side. At his voice, Dancer perked up and gave a happy haw when she spotted him. She trotted over to him and pushed her nose against his hair. He grabbed his hat to keep it in place with one hand and patted her cheek with the other. 

“Tiny Dancer here showed up about a half hour ago. Looking for you, I’m guessing.”

Pairing - Bernard/OC

Word Count - 4150

Previous Chapter -- Next Chapter

Chapter 5 - I'll Be Home For Christmas

(January 1st, evening) 

“We need more dye and plastic pellets!”

“Someone spilled all the liquid latex! Rubber ball production is at a standstill!”

“We can’t go ahead with these moldings until Bernard approves these designs!”

“The lifts in the storage room aren’t working. Again!”

“Someone left three bags of synthetic fiber lying next to the furnace and it’s a melted mess! How are we supposed to sew the animal stuffies now?”

“Where’s Bernard?”

“Tell Bernard I need to speak with him right away!”

“Has anyone seen the Head Elf? This is an emergency!” 

His head was spinning as the short blonde elf frantically ran around the workshop helping with what he could and taking notes to give to Bernard whenever he came back from wherever he was. This was a disaster! Bernard hadn’t been there when everyone showed up for work in the morning. He wasn’t in his office. He wasn’t in the workshop. No one had heard a peep from him all day. 

This had never happened before, ever, and Curtis was full on panicking. 

“Curtis!”

He stopped in his tracks, almost running over the concerned looking Head of the Spirit Department. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and tried to catch his breath. “J-Judy! Where’s Bernard?”

“I was hoping you knew that! I haven’t heard from him since yesterday.”

“Me neither. I can’t find him anywhere and he isn’t answering his messages or even reading them!”

Judy looked scared now. “That’s not good. Have you checked his home?”

“I don’t know where he lives. Do you think he’s sick, maybe?”

“He wouldn’t have missed work even if he was. This isn’t normal at all. We should go check and see if he’s okay.”

He wrung his hands together nervously. “But what about the Workshop! Someone’s gotta keep things going while Bernard’s away.”

A new voice cut in at that moment, chilling them both to the bone. “Too true! Perhaps I could be of some assistance?” Jack Frost called up at them from the lower level, smiling as he strolled up the stairs to meet them. 

Curtis looked confused as he took in the frosty legend. “Jack Frost? What are you doing here?”

Judy, however, looked on edge. Her smile was wide, but strained. “He came to check on us before. Isn’t that kind, Curtis?” Curtis nodded nonplussed, eyebrows pinched together. She turned to face Jack. “So you’re staying longer?”

“A spur of the moment decision, but a fortunate one as well since you all seem to be down a Santa AND an Arch Elf now.”

“We were just on our way to retrieve our Head Elf, actually.”

“Retrieve him from where exactly? Surely he didn’t sleep in. That would be quite careless of him, and awfully inconsiderate, don’t you think?”

Curtis opened his mouth, but Judy grabbed his wrist and answered herself. “He’s down south, actually.  Checking in with Santa. That’s our Bernard, always on the go!” 

Jack looked suspiciously between the two elves. “And you’re going to retrieve him, are you? I wasn’t aware someone other than the Arch Elf was able to” he made a poof noise and wiggled his fingers in the air “sparkle away somewhere.” 

“We can’t!” Curtis blurted out. “We’re taking the reindeer, of course. Prancer’s been wanting to stretch her legs, new baby and all. Poor thing needs a break.”  

Jack hummed thoughtfully. Silence stretched as the three stood in a stalemate. “I see. Well, if you all need any help, don’t hesitate to ask! I’d hate for you darling little elves to be behind on Christmas.”

The herald of winter clapped his hands with finality and streaked away into the village. Judy’s shoulders dropped in relief and she faced Curtis. 

“The Core teams will just have to handle things on their own for now. We need to find Bernard, quick. Follow me.” 

--

Bernard’s home was a cozy little two story in the oldest district of Santa’s Village, Stellaris, and the last house on SC Lane. It had belonged to the previous Head Elf, Raj, who had lived there with his wife and daughter. But now it was just Bernard who habited the cottage. 

The Old Workshop was about a block south, renovated into a fresh market that vendors from all over the elf world would come to set up shop and sell their wares. Besides that, it was mostly residential, with big brick and stone houses sparsed here and there and a great lake, eternally frozen and separating the district from the frozen wasteland outside the barrier. 

The space hadn’t been properly laid out for the large-scale operation that Santa Claus and his toys had turned into over the years, so the current Workshop had been built along with the bustling shops and apartments in the Downtown Nord district. Bernard had a place he owned right beside the current Workshop, just to sleep in when things were especially busy and he couldn’t afford to be too far away. They’d checked it out already, but he wasn’t there. 

Judy pulled out a key and unlocked the front door of Bernard’s cottage, Curtis watching with a raised brow. 

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not at all what you’re thinking.”

“It’s just a bit unusual for 'just-friends' to have keys to each other’s places, that’s all.”

“Curtis, when you’ve known someone as long as I’ve known Bernard, stuff like that isn’t strange at all. He’s a very dear friend, that’s it. Besides, I don’t swing that way.”

The blonde elf’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh! Uh, no? I didn’t know that about you.”

“Yep. Me and my girlfriend, Belle, have been together for over 600 years now.” She smiled. 

“That’s good, I mean, good for you.” 

Curtis looked like he wanted to say something else, but thought better of it and shook his head dismissively. 

They stepped quietly into the foyer. The house was cold and silent, the coat stand beside the door was bare, and a thin layer of dust coated the pictures on the side table in the entrance hall. It looked like nobody had been here for quite a while. Curtis stepped forward to take a closer look at the pictures. Bernard was only in a couple of them. One was a painted picture with him and Judy dressed in fashions that hadn’t been popular for at least 1300 years. They stood at the same height in the picture, Curtis noted with wonder. Bernard had been so small, his hair a little wilder and his ears a tad too big for his head, but perhaps that was a mistake on the artist’s part. The picture beside it was of a more recognizable Bernard standing beside Raj. Painters back then weren't the best at capturing motion so everyone stood stiffly beside each other, but the twinkle of happiness in Bernard’s eye was telling. The remaining pictures were photographs, some in black and white of various things in the village: Dancer in her stable, Judy and another lady elf with a cup of cocoa smiling proudly at the camera, a candid of Downtown during a Spirit Festival, Betty standing with arms behind her back and a ribbon on her collar. 

“Bernard! Are you up there?” Judy called up the stairs, but neither elf expected an answer. He wasn’t there either. 

“Judy, what are we going to do? We need Bernard.”

“Let’s just keep calm, okay? We’re no use to anyone if we start panicking. I think it’s time we take this to Elfcon.”

Curtis nodded solemnly. They locked the front door behind them and started the trek back to the Workshop, worry for their beloved boss hanging like a cloud around them both. 

--

Holly was concerned. Her lip worried between her teeth as she glanced over at the sleeping man still laid out on her rug. It had been almost 18 hours and he was still completely dead to the world. She’d tried tip-toeing around and being as quiet and considerate as possible when she first woke up and found him still asleep, but now she didn’t even bother. She had banged pots and pans, cooked breakfast and lunch at this point, and had a whole radio conversation with Dr. Branson. Bernard hadn’t even twitched. 

He whimpered a bit at one point, but she’d put a gentle hand on his arm and he’d seemed comforted enough to settle back into a quiet slumber. He hadn’t moved much since then. 

He really had been running on fumes. Holly’s heart clenched thinking of how much he must have pushed himself to get to that point. She knew all too well the damage that could be dealt to a body when wrapped up in hustle culture. She was one of the youngest researchers on the team and the only one who had been given a field assignment. That wasn’t for nothing—she’d given blood, sweat, and tears to be here. And a recurrent spinal injury at 24. She still needed to wear a neck brace sometimes and the early onset arthritis wasn’t exactly pleasant either. 

Bernard would need to take it easier from now on. She would make him if she had to. This just wasn’t healthy. She was torn between shaking him awake to give him a piece of her mind and just letting him rest for as long as he needed to. 

She hadn’t quite made a decision on which she’d go with when she heard a noise outside. She went still as she listened harder and heard the crunching of snow as something walked about her camp, its 4-legged gait distinctly not human. 

This was bad. If a polar bear had stumbled into her camp, then this could get very deadly, very fast. She had a reinforced metallic panic chamber for just such an occasion, but it was a tight squeeze for even one person, let alone two. And Bernard was practically dead weight at this point. By the time she hauled him over to the panic chamber, they could both be dead, but she couldn’t just leave him there unprotected either. With grim resolve, she grabbed the rifle propped beside her bed. She had never wanted to have to use it, but she wouldn’t sacrifice her life and Bernard’s. She loaded it with a fast efficiency and cocked it, aiming it in front of her as she approached the tent exit. 

She nudged the flap open with the tip of her gun and peered outside. 

--

Bernard felt like an absolute wreck. His whole body ached with disuse, his stomach was hollow, and his head was pounding. He smacked his lips as he blinked fully awake, his throat scratchy and dry with thirst. He stared blankly at the neat bed a few feet away before recognition returned to him. He was at Holly’s camp. He’d passed out after helping her set up cameras and then… he couldn’t remember. It was all just flashes here and there—being wrapped in a blanket, eating something lumpy, looking at the fire, Holly’s concerned face, talking about Raj—Raj! He had told her about his work! 

How could he be so careless! He must have been delirious. He told a human about his life. His hands flew up to his sore ears—covered, thank Christmas. At least she hadn’t seen that he was an elf. But how much had he revealed last night? And what time was it? He looked down at his snow globe watch and balked at the display. Not only had he slept the entire day, but no one at the North Pole had any idea where he’d been. He had about 30 messages from Curtis, each more frantic than the last, and a dozen from Judy. The Elfcon team had also sent a few messages asking about his status and he saw that his location had been pinged not 10 minutes ago. He quickly typed a message to Elfcon. 

Will return ASAP. Currently with human. Do not engage. - B

The reply was immediate. 

Understood. Standing by. - Alpha Team

This was going to be a mess to sort out. 

A sudden laugh from outside pulled him from his thoughts and he staggered to his feet. He walked unsteadily to the tent exit and had to stop and catch his breath at the sight before him. 

Holly was giggling, a graham cracker held high over her head as she leaned away from an insistent Dancer. The reindeer was pushing her snout into the side of the human’s face, nuzzling with soft snorts that ruffled Holly’s hair. 

“Alright, alright! Here!” She said, lowering the cracker so that Dancer could lick it up and start munching. “You’re so greedy, sheesh.” 

She noticed him standing there stupefied and a relieved smile overtook her face. “Hey, you’re up! I was starting to wonder if I should radio medical. You’ve been sleeping for ages.”

“What’s, uh—what’s going on out here?” He said looking between Holly and the deer at her side. At his voice, Dancer perked up and gave a happy haw when she spotted him. She trotted over to him and pushed her nose against his hair. He grabbed his hat to keep it in place with one hand and patted her cheek with the other. 

“Tiny Dancer here showed up about a half hour ago. Looking for you, I’m guessing.” Holly chuckled at the happy reindeer practically cuddling the groggy man in front of her tent. 

“Tiny Dancer?” He asked. 

“Her collar—it says ‘Dancer’. I’m guessing it’s her name, right? She obviously knows you.”

“Y-yeah. This is Dancer, she’s a friend of mine.”

“So that’s how you’ve been getting around without a snowmobile, huh? I knew you hadn’t just walked. No one could take the cold for that long a distance.”

He could actually, elves were a lot heartier than humans. The cold didn’t bother them much, him least of all since he'd lived in it all his life. As for distance, elves had more stamina than humans as well. He’d definitely pushed it too far lately, but working a couple days with little food and no sleep wasn’t normally very taxing, so walking a few miles in the snow was no problem for him. But he wasn’t about to refute her conclusions now. Dancer was here, Holly had seen her, so now it was time for damage control. 

“You caught me. I didn’t expect her to come looking for me—” he shot an exasperated look at Dancer, “—guess the secret’s out.” 

“Is she like a pet?”

“No, like I said, she’s a friend. She just helps me get around sometimes, that’s all.”

“Y’know, you don’t have to be ashamed if you really are a LARPer. Cause more and more you seem like some kind of Disney elven prince or something. I mean, who just goes around riding reindeer? That’s pretty magical, don’t you think?”

“It probably seems that way, but it’s not that strange for, uh, Russians.” He was banking on her not having much knowledge about Russian culture. 

Thankfully, she didn’t. “Oh, neat! I’ve heard about Russians and bears, but not Russians and reindeer. Huh, the more you know.” 

Holly walked up to them both and ran a hand up the side of Dancer’s long neck, reaching up to scratch at a fluffy ear. “She’s a sweetheart.” 

Bernard couldn’t help but grin at the human’s soft coo. “Yeah, she is. She’s my special girl.” Dancer bumped his face affectionately. 

Holly’s expression turned more somber, her attention returning to him. “So are you feeling any better?”

“I’ve got a headache and my back’s a little sore, but I’m not as tired as I was. Thanks for letting me crash here.” 

“Of course, dude, I wasn’t gonna send you out in the snow like that. You really looked rough. It was pretty terrifying, actually.”

He winced. “I’m so sorry about that. I shouldn’t have come here as tired as I was, that was really irresponsible of me. I don’t even remember what all happened. I hope I didn’t say anything too weird.” He had a searching look in his eye. 

She laughed. “Don’t worry, you didn’t say anything embarrassing if that’s what you mean. We just talked a bit about your work at the station. You said you used to be a fancy chef. Which is insanely cool, I gotta say. You’ve done a lot of stuff for someone so young. How old are you exactly anyways?”

“Isn’t it rude to ask someone about their age?”

“I think that’s only a thing with older ladies. C’mon, you can’t be older than me.”

He smirked. “If that’s what you think, then sure.”

“Whaaat? So you’re—“ she squinted, “—nah, you’re messing with me. I’m gonna guess… 20? 21?” Her elbow dug into his side playfully. 

He laughed at her nudge. “Yeah, okay, let’s go with that.”

“Ugh, you’re impossible! It’s just a number, y’know.”

“Then it doesn’t matter what it is, right?”

“This mystery man thing is gonna get old.”

“Just like me.” The smirk on his lips told her there was a joke there she wasn’t getting. She rolled her eyes. 

“Will you at least tell me more about being a chef? Cause that’s still blowing my mind, to be honest.” Brown eyes were warm with amusement as they took in the eager and curious tilt of her head. 

“What more can I say? I made food, good food in fact, not to toot my own horn here.” A puff of white clouded the air, her laugh dry at his cocky tone. “Now it seems I’m always on the go, so I don’t get to cook as much as I used to. Which is a shame because I really miss it sometimes.”

“What was your favorite thing to make?”

“Shrimp étouffée, hands down. There’s something so simple about it, it’s essentially a comfort food. But the way the sweet notes of the shrimp and onion play with the heat of the celery and spices, ah,” his hand swooped through the air, the fingers grabbing at something unseen, “there’s nothing like it.”

She could almost taste it, the words floating in the air like a ballad. His musical voice was just that much more compelling when he talked so passionately about something he obviously loved. 

“I’ve never had that before. It sounds amazing.” She sighed with awe. “You’ll have to make it for me sometime.”

Fat chance of that up in the arctic, but a girl could dream. He didn’t call her on the fanciful notion, however, playing along with an indulgent quirk of his lip. “Maybe I will.” 

A long moment passed, their shared breath fogging between them, before they both seemed to realize at the same time just how close they’d gotten. Bernard took a half step back and cupped Dancer’s snout in tender hands. 

“Dancer and I should probably get going, we’ve been in your hair long enough.” They shared a laugh as, at that exact moment, Dancer swung her head away from him and snuffled into Holly’s hair. 

“Yeah, I bet your station is wondering where you’ve been. I’m surprised no one came looking for you, honestly. I would have sent them a message, but Dr. Branson wasn’t sure who to contact.” Her eyes softened. “I’m glad you’re okay now, Bernard. Please try to take it a little easier from now on, yeah?”

His heart thumped in his chest. “I will. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Somehow I don’t quite believe you.” Her lips twisted wryly. “But I’ll let it slide, just this once.” She ducked into the tent and returned with his cloak and scarf. He accepted them with a grateful nod and suited up. He climbed on Dancer’s back and they trotted to the edge of the camp. 

“Hey, Bernard!” 

He turned to look back at her. 

“If you ever need a break from everything, come stop by! Anytime, okay? You’re always welcome here.” 

His heart thumped again, harder this time. “I just might take you up on that, Holly Jolly.” 

And away they went, leaving a blushing human in their wake. 

--

Tamika grimaced as she watched the Head Elf devour another plate of shrimp étouffée. He’d arrived late that night with Dancer and made a beeline for the kitchens where he cooked himself a feast. There were at least three different kinds of meals on the table and some garlic bread in the oven. The elves on Alpha Team took this in stride as they asked him questions about where he’d been and what happened. Curtis hadn’t stopped hovering the entire time, shifting his weight from one leg to the other and wiping his palms on his trousers every few minutes. 

She huffed at Bernard’s vague explanation about getting caught up with the human. He’d passed out apparently, and had been unconscious this whole time. Tamika wanted to send out a team to investigate further and see if this Holly Williams had done something nefarious to their boss to make him incapacitated for so long, but Bernard insisted she had done nothing but help. 

“I don’t like it.”

He slurped a saucy spoonful of rice and cut his eyes up at her. “You don’t have to like it. Just trust me on this one, ‘kay? She’s not a threat.” 

“Sir, she is a threat. And she’s gonna be a threat as long as she’s so close to the Pole.”

“There’s nothing we can do about that, Tamika. She’s here, she’s got sponsors backing her, it would be suspicious to force her out now.” He licked his lips. “I’ll handle it. I’ve got a rapport with her, so I can keep her nose well away from the village. Just leave it to me.”

“I did leave it to you, and look what happened.”

“Nothing happened, I’m fine.”

A voice cut in from the kitchen entrance. “And I’m very glad you are.” 

Judy looked at him with tears in her eyes, taking in his hunched figure seated at the mess table. She rushed over to him and threw her arms around his neck. He caught her small form in his own arms with a grunt. 

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“Sorry, Judes.” 

Tamika stepped back and started walking away, her head shaking in frustration. “When this blows up, don’t come complaining to me.”

“Noted.” 

Curtis shuffled at the edge of the action, looking unsure. Judy pulled away from Bernard and took in the odd way his hat was covering his head. She grabbed it off his head and he gave a groan of relief as his ears were finally free from confinement. “Ugghhh, you have no idea how good that feels.” He shook out his curls and Judy snorted when a few threatened to hit her face. 

Curtis cleared his throat. 

“Yes, Curtis, what is it?”

The Workshop was behind. Things were in complete disarray. Jack Frost was still here somewhere in Santa’s Village. There was a thick stack of notes clutched in the blonde elf’s hand filled with problems for the Head Elf to look through. 

Judy looked at Bernard with a serene smile as he took another bite of shrimp and peered back at his assistant expectantly. Curtis blinked and the corner of his mouth curled up. 

“I just wanted to say, it’s good to have you back, sir.” 

--

“Coming to bed, Honeybuns?”

“In a moment, Puddin Pie. There’s just a couple more things I need to do first.”

Noel gave her a sleepy kiss on the cheek in reply and stumbled away to their bedroom. Bernard was back, Elfcon had followed up with him about his whereabouts, and they’d filed an official incident report that night. She didn’t really need to read over it that night, it would still be there in the morning of course, but she had been on pins and needles all day ever since hearing he was missing. She just wanted to know he was okay and the best way she could express that was by making sure the paperwork was in order. It was sort of her love language. 

She flipped onto the next page and started reading the general summary from the physician on call who was brought in to perform Bernard’s physical. Everything was fine. He was okay. He would be fit for duty by tomorrow. 

The silence was broken by her light sigh of relief. 

That’s all she really wanted to know. Tamika was thorough with her 20 page report and most of the info wouldn’t give her any additional insight into Bernard’s wellbeing. But once Betty started something, she had a hard time not finishing it. She sent a silent apology to her snoring partner in the next room and settled into her home office to read the rest. 

The fireplace kept the room nice and toasty, the glow lighting up the delicately carved music box painted in silver and gold that lay on the corner of her desk.