#matty is getting so many homemade bits

[ughgoaway]

first anon so I'm a bit nervous 😭, but I've been thinking about this all day

teacher girlie and annie making matty a valentine's day card (or some sort of craft)!! I'm thinking it would be something very cutesy pinterest diy because teacher girlie is a teacher (obviously), and she probably has pinterest boards FULL of cute little holiday crafts she wants to do with the kids!! - 🎸

omg welcome!!! first anon?? please, I am BLESSED! welcome to the chaos that is my blog, I am very happy to have you contributing to it :))))

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now... I'm feeling emo today, and I love a bit of pining SO, I'm thinking pre-dating here. as you said, you're a teacher, so you always do holiday crafts for the kids, and valentines is no different! for today, the kids have a few options, they can make a card, make some paper chain hearts, and they all get a rock that they can make a heart out of their fingerprints on!

(this is the vibe with the rock craft lol)

you have separate Pinterest boards for every holiday, and each one is filled with little activities. (Once you and matty do get together, he does make fun of you slightly for this... but he also has the time of his life when you practice them at home and rope him into it.)

but back to pre-dating time, you are mopey all day. you try to be upbeat for the kids, but it's hard when you're in love with a person who you absolutely can not date, and who has no feelings for you. (or so you think...)

most of the kids are oblivious to your feelings but not Annie, so she ends up dragging you around with her all day and doing the crafts as your co-teacher handles the rest of them. now, she's trying to be thoughtful, which you appreciate endlessly, but it's agony sitting with her all day.

little Annie healy is a carbon copy of her father. the same curly hair, mischievous smile, and cheeky laugh. so instead of distracting you from thinking about matty, it only makes it 100 x worse. especially because she won't stop chattering away about him and telling you about how she's going to give alllll of this to her dad.

you help her with the paper chains first, she folds them up and you glue them together, and she is quite happily nattering away.

"my daddy is going to hang these in the studio i think. he would put them over his bed, but he has too many pictures hanging over it already." she nods assuredly, which only makes you daydream about what mattys bed looks like. (and what he looks like in it)

"oh that's nice! Will your daddy's friends like them too?" it pains you to even talk about Matty today, so you're hoping she'll start talking about the boys and their partners.

"Oh yeah! my auntie charli and uncle George are going to really like them. They're having a posh dinner, not McDonald's or anything!" she then chatters on about the Hann's plans (dropping baby hann of with their mum and going to the cinema) and uncle Ross and his girlfriends valentines day (going to the theatre and then more fancy dinner.)

then, she goes onto matty, "but my daddy doesn't have a girlfriend, so he's not doing anything. but uncle George says he should "get over himself and ask her out" so I think he likes a girllllll" she drops her voice as low as it can go when she imitates George, and giggles when she mentions her dad having a crush.

to say you feel fucking heartbroken is an understatement. she really got your hopes up there by mentioning he was single, only to shoot them back down by saying he has a crush. and you'd swear you could almost see her face if you thought hard enough; young blonde model, 5"10 and 90% legs, wears beautiful clothes and laughs slightly too hard at all of his jokes. and they're both fucking smitten with each other, totally in awe of their collective beauty.

you do the rock craft next, and annie insits that one of the fingerprints is yours, so you do it. but it does feel like a dagger to the chest. Yet, it somehow gets even worse when she demands you sign the card too, "but you helped me miss y/n! you have to put your name too!"

so you scribble down your name with a strained smile and tuck it away in the envelope, trying to not let your soul die in the process.

soon enough, it's pickup time, and annie is the last one. Matty is usually late, but you can't stop thinking of why he's late today. did he ask the girl he likes out? did she say yes? maybe they're planning a date right now. or kissing and being all stupid and happy.

ugh.

but matty rocks up, thankfully alone and with a small gift bag in his hands. probably for his beautiful girlfriend you think briefly, but you manage to plaster on a fake smile and greet him.

"hi matty!" you smile, watching Annie run over and give him a hug.

"oof, hi peanut! you have a good day?" he flicks his eyes up to you and mouths "sorry" he knew he was a few minutes late, but you waved him off and gave him an gentle grin.

"yeah! I made you sooo many things today, daddy. miss y/n helped too!" Annie is scooped up into matty's arms as she chatters away, describing everything she did in detail.

"Right, Munchkin, we've got to go to Uncle Adam's house and get your cousin! his grandma can't look after him anymore, so we're having a sleepover!" Annie squeals quite happily at this information, and you feel like you could too. you highly doubt mattys got a hot date whilst baby sitting two children under 10, so any image of a hot model falling off his arm is wiped from your mind.

"oh here you go by the way y/n, happy valentines" matty says with a smile, handing over the small bag with a nervous grin on his face.

you try to act slightly cooler than you feel when you accept it, and if it was any one else they would see right through you, but matty was so blinded by nerves he didn't notice anything.

"Wow! thank you so much, that's really kind of you. " Your heart is racing in your chest, as is Matty's. if anyone were around you and saw the lovesick look in both your eyes, they would know exactly what you were both thinking. but you were alone, so it stayed unspoken and unnoticed.

matty gives you a shy wave, and walks off with Annie in his arms. leaving you shell-shocked and holding that little bag full of mystery.

[toomuchracket]

THE PIC IS GIVING DAD!MATTY UNIVERSE taking his girls out for a dinner maybe for the missus birthday?? and he’s being so sweet and loving with his babas and ur just low-key getting so hot and bothered seeing him being such a good dad and he defo knows and ur so ready to take him home even tho ur having a great time with the babas. JUST LIKE SO FLUFFY AND ADORABLE BUT ALSO AA MY OVARIES!!!

awwwwww yeah!! i love the idea that you and matty would include the girls in as many experiences and celebrations as you can (while still keeping them out of the public eye as much as possible) - some parents wouldn't take a 6 year old and an 8 year old to a fancy dinner, but they're well-behaved kids and you think they should a) have things to look forward to and b) get the chance to experience nice places and things so they know how they should be treated and treat people when they get a bit older, so they come with you! and all three of your loves have been so sweet your entire birthday; they woke you up with breakfast in bed (which is so rare because matty is usually vehemently against eating in bed lol) and gave you some lovely flowers and presents and homemade birthday cards (mayhem and allen and the girls' little puppy (new character unlocked!) signed them with pawprints and everything lol) and helped you pick out your outfit (coordinating with theirs, obv) for dinner. matty handles getting the girls ready so you can have some time to pamper yourself, and then he's ensuring you have your Stairs Moment - he does this whenever one of you has to get dressed up for something, and it's so cute. mans is counting down the days until baba 1 is old enough to see a romcom for herself lol - when you're all ready before you leave "so the girls can see how beautiful mummy is"; naturally, you're swooning over him before you even leave the house. and the swooning gets worse the further into dinner you get - matty's pulling chairs out for all three of you at the table, patiently explaining what's what on the menu to your littlest one who can't quite read yet, randomly complimenting all of you during convos just to be sweet, and generally just making sure everyone's having fun (and sneaking little kisses with you across the table when the girls are preoccupied with the dessert menu, which only serves to make you MORE attracted to him). and matty so knows you're getting a bit flustered because of him, but he LOVES that he still has that effect on you, so he keeps it up. serendipitously, the final straw for you maintaining composure comes just as you're waiting for the bill to be brought over; baba 2, bless her, is so sleepy after her dinner that she just climbs onto her dad's lap and cuddles into him, and the way matty just holds her gently and strokes her hair as she has a little rest without breaking his conversation with you and your eldest really does something to your ovaries lmao. once you get home and get the kids to bed (the little one fell asleep in the car and matty carried her so gently into the house), you quite literally jump your husband, who teases you for finding him so dilfy before ending your birthday in a VERY nice way lol <3

[welcometophu]

Into the Split: Home 2

Twinned Book 3: Into the Split

Home 2

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Nikolai and Seth spend Sunday night on the floor of Rory and Alaric’s room. Alaric stays with Chris, and Rory stays with Kit, so they have a weird measure of privacy that lasts until Nikita realizes they’re there. She spends most of the evening with them, and once she hears they hope they might be leaving, she helps them to collect and print as many photos of their time in this world as possible.

Monday morning they have texts from Pawel, sent long before they woke, telling them to come home for breakfast and to talk to Chelsea.

She’s waiting as soon as they walk in the door. She greets them by sliding in close, one hand on Seth’s chest that she yanks back when he flinches. “I won’t hurt you,” she protests. “I can’t, now. I don’t want to feed on you. I promise. I had eggs for breakfast.”

“No offense, but since the last time you touched me you were feeding, I think I’d rather just—” Seth cuts off, making a shooing motion.

“Understood.” Chelsea backs away, hands behind her back and head tilted slightly down. Long curly hair falls in her face, hiding rosy cheeks. She looks healthy and very, very alive. Unlike Mattie, the shadows don’t seem to cling to her; she looks wholly human, even though Nikolai knows she isn’t. “And I’m sorry. I was starving. Which doesn’t make it right, but might make it understandable.”

“I understand and I still don’t like it,” Seth says curtly.

“I have bagels.” Pawel moves between them, one hand on Chelsea’s shoulder to nudged her even further from Seth and Nikolai. “Bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, eggs. I’m guessing no one thought to feed you.”

Nikolai raises both eyebrows. “Now that you’re not stressing, you’re becoming a mother hen?”

“I’m a single dad. I’ve always been like that,” Pawel says as he ushers them into the kitchen. “I was distracted. And when I stop sleeping—”

“He’s always been like that, too,” Chelsea says with a small smile. “When we were freshmen, he pulled two all-nighters in a row because of a report he’d put off until the end of the semester. Somewhere around the thirty-sixth hour, he stopped eating. His roommate realized that if we put something next to him, he’d try to eat it. He had a lot of interesting ideas of things to try. Luckily Pawel isn’t allergic to anything.”

“Do you remember the time since—” Seth cuts off as Chelsea’s expression clouds and she takes another step further from them. “That’s a yes. I can feel it.”

“I remember everything,” she says softly. “Some things better than others. But yes. I know what it feels like to suck a person’s soul out, to feel the moment that they take their last breath. I will never be able to forget that. I think Mattie both regrets and misses it. I just regret it, so damned much. I am thankful that I didn’t hurt anyone I loved.”

“It isn’t unusual for an Emergent Shadowwalker to devour their family,” Pawel murmurs. “We may have been very lucky.”

“I couldn’t,” Chelsea says. “I ran.” She moves into the kitchen, standing on the far side, away from the table as she gives them space. She crosses her arms, hunching around herself. “I know how to take you home, Nikolai and Seth. It doesn’t work the same as it did, but I know how to reach it.”

Nikolai takes the plate Pawel hands him, sitting when Pawel motions at the table. Once he and Seth are seated, Pawel pulls out the fourth chair. Chelsea approaches it slowly, takes it cautiously and sits as well.

Nikolai ignores her as best he can, and eats.

“Tell them what you told me this morning,” Pawel directs.

“I spent the night going in and out of the Dreamscape,” she says slowly. She folds her hands on the table, fingers entwined, thumbs pressing down. “The Split is no longer a danger that I could see. If it still exists as a darkness, it is somewhere else in the Dreamscape, not near our worlds. It is… healed. It is a place for normal Shadowwalkers to slip into it, between the worlds as we were always supposed to travel. It feels light and fluid, and I spent the night practicing going between this world and the others that I could reach. I think I can take you with me.” She looks at them, her eyes wide. “I couldn’t get into it until you helped me. The soulless ones are kept out.”

“That’s good news.” Nikolai can’t assume that the Shadows are simply gone from his world. He doesn’t think it can be that simple. But it means there won’t be more, and if others Emerge, they should be more like Chelsea and Mattie, not what they were. They have a chance.

“What about the other—” Seth grips his fork so tightly that his fingers are white. Nikolai feels the worry coming from him, uncontrolled and almost angry.

“The third world is there.” She smiles slightly. “I found it.” She whispers it like a secret, a soft laugh at the end. “It will heal, I think, and there are people there. I might go there, someday, to see how they are. To see if we can help. But I don’t know if I can.” She glances at Pawel. “I can feel that I have ties here, right now. I need to take you soon, and I don’t think I can be gone long. I need to figure out how I fit into this world now, and why I feel like I do.”

Seth lowers the fork. “So what you’re saying is, we go now, or not at all.”

Chelsea blinks. “You can finish breakfast.”

Nikolai holds back a snort of laughter. After all this time waiting, and suddenly they’re supposed to hurry up to get it over with. “I don’t think we really want to delay all that much.”

Something knocks into his foot under the table, and when he glances over, Seth is looking at him.

Nikolai isn’t lying. He wants to go home. He wants to get back to Mikhail and Josef, and the new family he’s found in Havenhill. He wants to settle in to his house and his future with Seth, and he wants to figure out how he fits in there. He wants to create his space, and move forward without feeling like there’s something still holding on to him.

Seth places his hand on the table, palm up, and Nikolai takes it.

But at the same time, he’s been in this world for three weeks. They’ve met dozens of people, and made new friends. Out of all of them, the only ones he can be certain he���ll see again are Nikita and Del. Possibly some of the other Dreamwalkers, but now that everything is done, he can’t be sure of that. He’ll try to reach out to Brett in his own world, see if he can help their community, even though it’s so far away. But they have ways of reaching each other, once he’s back.

The people of this world will be gone. Once they leave, that’s it. They will never come back.

It’s always been so easy to think about going home.

It’s strangely hard to think about leaving here.

“Oh,” Nikolai says under his breath, as he sets down the remainder of his bagel.

“Go pack,” Pawel says. “Finish breakfast in a bit, when your appetite returns. You focus on packing, and I’ll get in touch with people and ask them to come over. Is there anyone in particular—”

“Everyone.” As soon as Nikolai says it, he knows it isn’t possible. It’s a Monday. They have classes. Some of them aren’t even here, like Del. Some of them he doesn’t really know, and some of them he’s closer to. But he’s afraid that if he starts naming names, he’s going to forget someone important.

“We spent a lot of time with Carolyn, Nikita, and Heather yesterday, but we should say goodbye,” Seth says, his fingers tightening on Nikolai’s. “It would be nice to see as many of them as possible, but if they can’t get here, we understand.”

Nikolai thinks that maybe he’d started to resign himself to staying here. That he’d thought he’d live in the spare room of Pawel’s house for good, at least until they could figure out how to exist here in actuality. It seems surreal to have to say goodbye.

Packing doesn’t take long. They have the album, and all the new photos that Nikita helped them with the night before. They have enough clothes to fill a large duffel that Pawel brings into their room, rather than a few outfits each in their packs. He also brings them another bag with some books, along with a binder containing the printed research Valentine sent for Val. The books are a little dusty and definitely used, but Nikolai appreciates every gesture. He only hopes they are able to carry it all through the Dreamscape and Split into their home.

“If I can go, the rest can go,” Seth tells him, nudging against his shoulder. “We didn’t come through naked.”

“The clothes we’re wearing and the six bags of luggage we’re carrying are very different things,” Nikolai mutters. “This is magic, not logic. Dreams are never logical.”

“But they are usually either nightmares or wish fulfillment, and right now, this has to be the latter,” Seth says firmly. “We’re going home. The nightmare is ending, right?”

Right. That has to be the answer.

People drift through over the course of the next several hours. Pawel stays at the house; Nikolai wonders if he’s supposed to be somewhere else, but he’s not going to tell him to leave. Alaric drops off a bag with skeins of yarn, and instructions to give them to Alia when they reach Havenhill.

Trish brings a bottle of whiskey. “As a homecoming gift for whoever you think needs it most,” she says. Nikolai resolves to save it for when Josef and Amaranth finally get married; he’s sure that’s coming. It’ll be good for celebration. He also takes the tool bag she hands him, filled with electrical tape, duct tape, and other useful consumables. He’s sure it’ll be appreciated.

Nate brings a takeout box filled with scones and muffins, while Dax carries a plastic box of homemade cookies. When he cracks it open, the rich scent of peanut butter and chocolate invades the room. He closes it again and sets it into the duffel with a small smile.

“According to my mom, someone’s been craving those,” Dax says. “Not a clue who, so it’s up to you to distribute them.”

Cass doesn’t bring a gift, but she does surprise Nikolai by stalking up to him and staring at him, head cocked and ponytail swinging before she throws her arms around him and hugs him hard. He slowly puts his hands on her back, holding on as she whispers, “Do not get eaten by a Shadow. Apparently people would miss you if you do.”

He has no idea how he made this impression on Cass, but she moves from him to Seth, whispering something in his ear as well before she finally steps away. Her chin lifts and her eyes shine with unshed tears as she tucks her hand into Dax’s before they head out.

Mac arrives with Nikita and Heather in tow. “Carolyn is with Kit, Serina, and Rory,” she says. “Something they couldn’t get out of; I don’t know what. But we wanted to be here when you go.”

“You’ve got the album, right?” Nikita reaches for Nikolai’s backpack, and he shows it to her before he shoulders it. “You aren’t going to forget us.”

“I really don’t think we could forget this if we tried,” Seth points out. “It’s been the weirdest adventure of a lifetime.”

“But it’ll feel like a dream someday,” Nikita says softly. “Maybe even more for you than for me and Nikolai. We’ll probably see each other again, but in ten or twenty years, you’ll be like did that really happen when you think of us. And you’ll know it did, because the Shadowwalkers are gone, or at least, things are hopefully getting better there. But it’ll seem kind of soft and in the distance.”

“She’s not wrong.” Mac’s voice is gentle, her smile wry. “But that’s true of anything. My entire life before the Emergence seems like a far away dream sometimes, and that was only eleven years ago. Not even half my life.”

Nikolai thinks back on his own world before the Split, and how distant those memories feel. Seth nudges him, and Nikolai nods. “I know what you mean,” he agrees. “It might seem far away, but we won’t forget.”

There’s a soft knock on the door. Chelsea lifts a hand in quiet greeting as she enters. “Are you ready?”

They have overfilled backpacks, a huge duffel, and one more bag Pawel gave them for packing the extras. It may not actually be six bags of luggage, but it is unwieldy. None of it is light and easy to carry anymore; it feels more like moving day than moving on. He considers asking Chelsea to carry something, but she stands with her arms wrapped around her center, looking uncertain, and he realizes that she probably won’t even leave the Dreamscape with them. He manages to get the duffel lifted after he puts on his backpack, and leaves the other two bags for Seth. “I think we’re ready,” he agrees.

“I am going to take these guys and get far enough away that we don’t have to worry about being swept in your wake,” Mac says. She motions to shoo Nikita and Heather out of the room, and as they pass Pawel, she grips his shoulder. “You, too. We don’t want you leaving again.”

“Go into the kitchen. I’ll be down in a bit,” Pawel agrees. “You’re right, it’s wisest to make some distance. I think everyone who falls on the Dreamwalker and Traveler axis has the potential together swept up sometimes.”

It’s almost intimate to watch Pawel and Chelsea say goodbye. There are no pronouncements of love, but it’s still sweet and emotional as he holds her and kisses the top of her head. “Be safe,” he says.

“I have to haunt you,” she whispers, patting his chest as she steps away. “Don’t worry, Pawel. I’ll be back. We have unfinished business.”

It seems like a strange way to refer to leaving a lover, but they seem satisfied enough with the words that Pawel can leave the room without looking back.

Seth is wearing his backpack and has the other bag over his shoulder. He grabs Nikolai’s hand and holds on tight; Nikolai clings back, unwilling to leave him behind. “How do we do this and make sure that I go into the Dreamscape?” Seth asks.

“We’ll travel through the healed Split,” Chelsea says. She holds out her hands, and they have to shuffle their bags so they can grasp her as she steps backwards, taking them with her.

It happens quickly this time. One step they’re in the spare bedroom, and the next they stand on the path where it diverges into three. The breath between steps seemed instant and forever all at once, and Nikolai thinks he’s glad he didn’t have to witness the actual trip this time.

Seth exhales roughly. “Okay, I’m here. I’m actually here.”

They both are, and they still have all of their gear. It’s working so far.

Chelsea lets go of them both, stepping away and circling behind them so that they have to move toward one of the paths. She points to the one Nikolai knows leads home. “I’ll walk with you as far as I can,” she says. “But when it comes to crossing, that’s where you belong. The Dreamscape knows. All you have to do is be close enough to wake up.”

“Wait.” Nikolai pauses because he needs to look at the third path. The two leading to his own and Nikita’s worlds look the same, but the other is brighter than he remembers. Light filters down through the leaves, and they no longer hang low enough to block the pathway. Along the forest floor, small dots of greenery have sprung up, as if the path regrows. “I think it’s healing.”

“Do you want me to check on it for you?” Chelsea asks.

Nikolai doesn’t bring up all the problems that suggestion creates. How would she tell him? Can she go there safely or does she need to go back to Pawel? He’s not certain how her Talent works, and she seems different than Mattie. He suspects that no one really knows right now.

Still, he’s curious, and Chelsea had already brought it up earlier as well, so he nods. “Yes. I’d like that. It’d be good to know if it didn’t die completely.” In some ways, the idea of saving a world that was almost gone—the idea that they may have brought it back to life—feels even bigger than having saved their own. “Thanks.”

“Of course.”

They set out walking, moving as briskly as they can with their heavy baggage. Chelsea moves behind them, almost skipping, and periodically branching out to look off the path and delve into the foliage. It reminds Nikolai of Del, with her cheer and enthusiasm the further they go.

They reach the tree more quickly than he expects, and far more easily. Nikolai can feel the draw of his own world here, trying to pull him back.

Chelsea’s expression sobers. “Hold on to him, Seth,” she murmurs, as she crowds in close to Nikolai.

Seth’s hands rest on his waist as he presses close from behind. Chelsea frames Nikolai’s face with her hands, draws him down so she can gently press her lips to his forehead. “Wake up,” she whispers.

And he does.

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[pandorica0011]

Christmas Time Blues 

Word Count: 2,182 (I didn’t mean for it to be this long lol)

There was just two weeks left until Christmas. 

Well, thirteen days, twelve hours, and fifty-nine minutes, to be exact. Not that Alfred was keeping track or anything. There was no reason to anymore; everyone he had invited to his Christmas party had turned him down. They all claimed “something came up.” What could be more important than his traditional Christmas Extravaganza? Everyone went to that! Every year! What would he do with all the decorations and food he was planning on making now? Even Mattie said he couldn’t help him make his favorite maple flavored candy. Mattie would never turn that down! 

With a sigh, Alfred plopped down onto the couch. He supposed it was a good thing he sent out those invitations two weeks early. What a waste it would have been to have had everything set up only to be left to clean everything up himself when no one showed up. 

No matter, he’d make the most of it. He still had AJ, at least. His sweet Golden Retriever would no doubt love to spend more time with Alfred. They could play that new video game Alfred just bought, they could make cookies, and homemade dog treats! Yeah, who needed everyone else, all Alfred needed was AJ. As if to reciprocate this sentiment, AJ hopped onto the couch and settled next to Alfred with his head in Alfred’s lap. 

…

Christmas Eve...

The line for the checkout was taking way too long for Alfred’s taste. He would have used the self-checkout station, but there was a long line for those too. This had to be the only thing he had to hate about the holidays. Everyone was packed in like sardines. There was no way in, and no way out. It would be ages before he could get his groceries taken care of. How is it that so many people waited until the last minute for gifts? 

This year, decorating had taken Alfred only a few hours as opposed to the two days he usually spent sprucing up his two story house from top to bottom, and inside and out. He was only looking to impress AJ anyway, and AJ was always impressed with him. His decorations consisted of a stocking for him and one for AJ, their respective names written on them in blue and red glitter. His house smelled like gingerbread thanks to the wax warmer Francis had given him last year as a Christmas gift. He wrapped a garland around the rails of the staircase and put up his huge Christmas tree, which AJ helped decorate, and Alfred placed a bowl full of candy canes and hot chocolate packets. This Christmas was at least going to be a cozy one. On the outside, Christmas lights bordered the roof and awnings, plastic candy canes lined the walkway up to the house, a snow man-one made of actual snow-stood on the snow-covered lawn wearing a beanie, mittens, and a scarf. 

When he could finally pay for his things and go home, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He stowed his things away and sat behind the wheel before pulling his phone out. It was a message from Arthur. It read: 

Are you busy later tonight?

It was weird, to say the least. Arthur didn’t text him unless Alfred messaged him first. It also frustrated Alfred. Sure, everyone bailed on him because they had other plans, but on the day he had plans to do nothing more than spend the evening cuddling with his dog, he’s asked if he has plans? No doubt an invitation to do something last minute because Arthur’s plans fell through. No, that wasn’t fair at all. He slipped the phone back into his pocket. This evening was his now; it was his and AJ’s. 

AJ greeted him at the door, jumping up at him and pawing the front of his sweatshirt. “Hey, buddy. You ready for the best Christmas Eve ever?” The dog barked once in response and sat back to stare at Alfred expectantly. Alfred ran his hand through AJ’s furry head and behind his ears. “That’s right, boy.”

The rest of the evening, Alfred baked cookies and dog treats with AJ sniffing happily at his side. He had given AJ a little Santa hat and let him sit the ottaman he had dragged to the kitchen to let him get a better look. His Bluetooth speaker blasted traditional Christmas songs that made Alfred’s heart sink a little.This would be his first Christmas alone. Well, not completely alone, but alone enough that he missed the crowd of friends that gathered at his house every year. Looking to his living room now, he realized just how spacious and empty his house really was. 

His phone vibrated a couple times and his music paused. More messages. Alfred wiped his hands on his pants and reached for his phone. The messages were from Arthur. And Francis and Matthew? But why? He had a couple from each person. From what he could read, they really wanted to get a hold of him. A part of Alfred didn’t want to answer them. They didn’t deserve to hear from him when they so rudely cancelled on him and his awesome party. He placed the phone face down and let the music play once more. 

While Alfred waited for the cookies to bake, he and AJ took to the couch to watch some Christmas movies. The only thing he found were Hallmark movies and, even though he didn’t really hate them, he grew sick of watching the same thing over and over again. Luckily he had a couple of DVD’s of movies he did enjoy. He grabbed some homemade popcorn balls and gave AJ some treats to munch on. 

Alfred had gotten through most of the movie when a few sharp raps echoed through the cavernous living room, making him jump and catching AJ’s attention. Oh god, it was a ghost wasn’t it? The ghost of Christmas Past. What did Alfred do to deserve this? The knocking came again. 

“Please go away, Mr. Ghost. I didn’t do anything wrong! Ask AJ!” He pleaded, burying himself into the cushions. 

“Oh please, I can name at least three times that make your claim a complete lie,” a familiar voice answered. 

This ghost sounded oddly like..

Arthur. 

Alfred groaned. Great, so much for a silent night. “Go away.” 

“Alfred Francis Jones, you will open this door immediately,” Arthur demanded, his tone making him sound like he was Alfred’s dad or something. 

“Why should I? Don’t you have somewhere to be?” 

“As a matter of fact, I do. And so do you.” 

Alfred rolled his eyes. “No, you all cancelled on me. I’m not going to be your second choice. Go bother Francis or something.”

Arthur gave a loud sigh and after a few seconds of silence, Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally gone. 

There was a sound of keys jingling and the door clicked open. Damn, he had forgotten about the extra key he had given Arthur. Why did he even give him that stupid spare key? It wasn’t like he visited all that often. 

Arthur invited himself in and stood with his arms crossed in front of Alfred. 

“Can I help you? Your kinda blocking the TV. Look, now how am I gonna know if the guy can actually catch Santa’s sleigh?” 

Arthur only quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve seen this movie thousands of times, you know how it ends. Now, get up.” 

“No.” 

“Alfred, you’re being immature.” 

“And you’re being an asshole, now move.” 

Arthur looked like he wanted to scream, but instead he took a deep breath and plopped himself down next to Alfred. He watched the movie with little interest, his arms still crossed. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I moved,” was Arthur’s only response. 

For the life of him, Alfred had no response to that. He turned back to the movie; it was almost over now, just a few more minutes left. They sat in silence until the end credits rolled in. Alfred looked back to Arthur. He was dressed in a red argyle Christmas sweater, a pair of khakis, and black dress shoes.  

Arthur was watching him silently. He knew full well Alfred didn’t like silence. After a few agonizing seconds, he spoke. “Can I talk now?” 

Alfred nodded, unsure where this was leading. “Hold on, I gotta get the cookies out of the oven.” 

They both walked to the kitchen and Alfred pulled the cookie trays out with an oven mitt. He left them on the counter to cool. 

Arthur cleared his throat and turned his body to face Alfred. He leaned into the countertop before opening his mouth to speak. “See, we all got to talking, and we love your parties; they’ve become a tradition of sorts, but we decided we’d take a different approach this year. Something smaller, perhaps. Something we could all contribute to.” 

Alfred nodded, but couldn’t help but still feel a bit betrayed. “And you couldn't have just told me that? You guys just bailed on me with no explanation.” 

Arthur shook his head and reached over to pull Alfred into an embrace. It was only then that Alfred realized he had been crying, his tears soaking through Arthur’s sweater. “I’m so sorry, love. I didn’t think it would hurt you so much.We wanted to surprise you.” 

AJ joined them in the hug, placing his paws on Alfred’s chest and licked his tears away. Arthur held him by his shoulders. “Now, now. Enough moping, we have a party to get to.” 

Alfred wiped his face and ran up stairs with a huge smile on his face.They hadn’t forgotten him. He almost started crying again. He pulled on his favorite ugly Christmas sweater and nicest shoes. He ran back down to the kitchen, but stopped short and turned to Arthur. “Wait, shouldn’t I bring something? You said we’re all contributing, right?’” 

“Yes,” Arthur thought for a moment and looked down at the still-hot cookies. “But I think you’ve got that covered.” 

Not long after, Alfred, Arthur, and AJ were on their way to Matthew’s house. 

When they arrived at the familiar house Alfred bolted to the front door and knocked. A few seconds later a muffled “coming” could be heard before the door was pulled open and Matthew stood in his own ugly Christmas sweater and a Santa hat. “Mattie!” Alfred ran forward and pulled Matthew into a tight hug. 

Matthew laughed and returned the hug, patting at Alfred’s back. “Hey, Al.” 

Arthur could be heard behind them struggling to get a hold of AJ. The dog had jumped out of the car before Arthur could grab his leash, and he raced around the car. Arthur couldn’t keep up and fell in the snow.

Matthew gasped and Alfred laughed before pulling away from the hug and whistling to AJ, who came running, leaving Arthur to pick himself up. “Just lovely,” he grumbled. Alfred helped him brush the snow off his sweater and the trio and AJ made their way inside. 

The usual group of friends were waiting. Ludwig and Feliciano sat by the fire as Feliciano talked animatedly, Yao and Ivan admired the Christmas tree while sipping from Christmas themed mugs, and Kiku helped Francis cook and set up the dining table. 

Alfred released AJ and the dog ran straight for Matthew’s Samoyed, Kumajiro. The two pounced and ran around the living room. “Aw they missed each other,” Alfred said.

Matthew gave Arthur a sheepish look. Arthur gave him a knowing look and nodded. 

“So, Alfred,” Matthew began. He cupped his hands together in what looked to be an attempt at motivating himself to speak. “We’re so sorry we didn’t tell you what we had planned.” Matthew could be such a worrywart sometimes. 

“It’s alright, Mattie. I know you didn’t mean anything by it,” Alfred said, “ I’m glad it was surprise, this party looks awesome. Oh, that reminds me, I brought cookies.” Alfred handed his tupperware of cookies to Matthew. 

Francis slipped out of the kitchen, pulled off his apron, and gave Alfred a big hug. “Mon cher, I’m so glad you decided to come!” 

Everyone else turned to him and greeted him warmly with a chorus of “hi!” and “so glad you made it!” Alfred felt a bit embarrassed that he had even doubted his friends. They didn’t ditch him, they were only trying to surprise him, and it definitely worked. Everything was so amazing. 

Matthew’s house, although a bit smaller than Alfred’s, was big enough that the decorations and food everyone had brought in fit perfectly. Wait, Alfred wasn’t told to bring anything for decorations. “Uh, should I have helped decorate?” he asked. 

Matthew looked confused for a moment before laughing. “Nah, you’re good. You and AJ being here brightens the atmosphere enough,” he said, giving Alfred a pat on the back. “Now come on, I got some of that Christmas stuffing you love so much.” 

Alfred wasted no time in running into the kitchen after him. 

[mpregharryqueen]

Harry’s omeganist friends host a pregnancy blessing for him and Louis is a forced participant [Part 2]

But, of course, Louis already knew. He said he could smell it on him and he was waiting for Harry to catch the hint. A few days later, Harry’s doctor confirmed it and Harry felt...just...elated. Louis and he had cried so much they had headaches afterwards.

When they got home, Louis insisted that Harry take a nap. Louis had always been very over protective of Harry, taking offense to things said to Harry more than Harry did. And Harry knew it was only going to get worse now.

“When should we tell everyone?” Harry asks as he rubs his tummy soothingly.

“Not anytime soon. We’re going to wait until after you’re out of your first trimester.”

“But that’s still several weeks away,” Harry slurred as he felt his eyes begin to shut, pleased with himself for pleasing Louis.

Louis smiled, “I know, love, but i want this to be our secret for just a bit long. I want your pregnancy to myself, to us.”

Harry smiled as fell asleep.

————

“Hello, dear,” Bree answered after the second ring.

“So, I have some very exciting news.”

“You and Louis are having a threesome? Make sure it’s with another alpha and not another omega. We don’t want Louis getting too arrogant.”

“Umm,no, never... it’s quite different, actually.”

“Well, do tell!”

He could hear Bree turning a sink on and speaking much louder as a result. Harry pulled the phone away from his ear.

“Umm..,” Harry laughed. “I’m...” Harry couldn’t help the squeak that came out, “pregnant!”

“Oh my god! oh my god!” Bree cheered.

“Does Louis know?”

“Obviously he knows! I wouldn’t be telling you if he didn’t,” Harry stumbled quickly, “no offense.”

“None taken,” she laughed. “Awww, dear, you’re going to be such a great parent. The absolute best.”

Harry couldn’t help himself from tearing up, “I hope so.”

It got quiet for a while after Bree cooed for a bit. Then she perked up again almost instantly.

“Harry! Please let have a blessing party. I’ll bless the pregnancy and we will have a whole ceremony at your place.”

“Really?” Harry asked excitedly.

Bree was a certified doula with an extensive knowledge on alternative medical practices for omegas. She had taken so many courses that Harry always called for anything slightly wrong with him.

“Yes! Absolutely, we’ll have the gang all over. David, Margaret, Matty, Priscilla.”

“Oh, alright,” Harry blusher as he rubbed his stomach.

Bree clicked her tongue as the sound of scrummaging made it to Harry’s end, “Now I’ll need to do it when you’re eight months along. How far are you?”

Harry coughed, “about thirteen weeks.”

“You’re already on your second trimester and you didn’t care to tell me? What the fuck?”

“I wanted it to be safe. Besides, Louis and I wanted to keep it a secret for a while. I’ve been really exhausted and I just cried constantly and —”

“Babe, you’re rambling and it’s not making any sense.”

“Okay, well, I’m sorry.” Harry sighed. He rubbed his tummy for good measure.

“You should be.”

“No, I actually shouldn’t. I’m allowed to keep my pregnancy a secret.”

Bree laughed, “good for you.”

“Listen, Lou is going to be home soon. I’ll talk to you later,” Harry smiled.

_______________

20 weeks later

Harry rubbed his stomach as he felt another wave of gas coming. He knew it was gross but he couldn’t stop it and his back was sore and he just wanted to be home. Louis always rubbed his feet and ankles and made him moan with the ability to finally relax.

Eventually, Harry gave up the fight and left work early. His alpha boss looked at him pitifully and told him to go home. He knew he wasn’t helping the omega cause by leaving working early but he figured that would just have to be that. He didn’t care if the alphas in his office complained about special privileges, his ankles were swollen and he smelled like death.

As soon as Harry finally got comfortable, with his feet elevated on a stack of pillows and his eyes closing involuntarily with exhaustion, his phone buzzed beside him. Fucking great.

Harry groaned, “‘ello?”

“Jeez, grouch,” Bree’s voice screamed into his ear. It sounded like she was driving in Hong Kong.

“I was about to fall asleep,” Harry moaned. He stretched his legs out on the couch. His belly blocking his view.

Bree ignored him, “okay, so, the ceremony,” Bree started. “I figured I’d arrive at your place around eight the night before. And I’ll get up early and start getting everything ready. I just want you to relax —”

“How can I relax when I’m about to have company?”

“—People will arrive around noon, we’ll all eat a little and then we’ll start the ceremony. You should probably eat early so you can get undressed before everyone’s finished.”

“Undressed?”

Harry didn’t know if the mic, or whatever it’s called, worked in his phone but Bree acted as though she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

“So, then we’ll walk outside where I’ll have the mud bath set up and you’ll get in there and rub your body with it and drink a cup of my homemade rose tea and we’ll speak a word of life.”

Harry felt himself drifiting again so he quickly thought of something to say, “And what will Louis be doing in all of this?”

“Sorry, this is an omegas only event.”

“No —no. Louis is this father of my child and I want him there.”

“An alpha presence is going to destroy the omega empowering energy.”

“Louis loves omega empowerment!”

Bree groaned loudly.

“Fine. Fine. Let an alpha enter our sacred space.”

“It’s going to be at my house? Where he lives? Where his scent and presence is everywhere?”

“That’s why I wanted it at my house!” Bree snapped.

Harry glared depsite Bree not being able to see it, “Well, I’m fucking eight months pregnant and I don’t want to drive for two hours!”

“Hmph. Anyways, I’ll end it here. See you Friday night.”

Harry hung up and threw his phone onto the coffee table. He decided he needed to rid himself of the anger by mediating. For a year.

——————

Louis brought Harry a mug full of warm water, honey, and a slice of lemon before placing Harry’s feet in his lap.

Harry moaned as Louis pressed into the balls of his feet, his thumbs rubbing into it. He loved Louis. He needed to suck his dick more.

“Now, why is Bree coming again?”

Louis loved Harry’s friends. He loved his friends...but he was funny about his house. Louis had admitted to Harry that he had warmed up to him unnaturally fast and that was part of the reason he knew Harry was the one for him. But while Harry was an extrovert who friended everyone he knew, Louis preferred a tight-knit group of friends. But even then, he was always hesitant about having them over. He was so private.

Harry had one time begged to host Louis’s friends over for his birthday and Louis him told him to: 1) leave people alone around Christmas time, they’re trying to be with their families and 2) he would prefer for Harry and him to spend Christmas Eve with his family. So, Harry trudged along to his in-laws house for a happy Christmas Eve meal while Harry cried in the bathroom because it was his first Christmas not spent with his mother. But that was a whole other thing.

Then, another time, Louis’s most anticipated football game was coming up and Harry wanted to have Louis’s friends over for a viewing part. He had even Pinterested football- shaped snacks and deserts. Louis had begged him not to do it, insisting he just wanted to watch the game with Harry. So, Harry spent a few minutes of the game kneeled on the floor between Louis’s legs with come dripping down his chin. But, again, that was a whole other thing.

“Oh, she’s coming for my omega blessing ceremony,” Harry said between sips.

Louis nodded slowly, “ohh. I see.”

“I’m not sure what she’s going to make you do, but don’t worry, I’m supposed to be naked in a mud bath.”

“Wait, what?” Louis laughed.

“It’s supposed to nourish my skin and calm the baby down,” Harry giggled.

“No, that’s all fine and well, but what do you mean I’m ‘doing’ something?”

Louis continued to rub his feet, as Harry tried to remain clear-headed enough to respond: “for the blessing. For our baby.”

“I thought it was just for you and your friends?”

Harry pouted, “I wanted you there.”

And that was all it took for Louis to resign himself to the fact that he was going to be at Harry’s hippie essential oil bath bomb flower fest thing.

[hitandrunduorp-a]

@hxnterwxlf

There was a small festival going on in one of the towns bordering the Forbidden Forest. On this day, Ezhno and Matthew had decided to go visit it, wanting to go and socialize a bit, but as well as keep an eye out for trouble. There was quite a large crowd, and neither of the two would doubt that a demon or something would attempt to take advantage of the situation.

There was quite a bit; rides set up in a large empty lot, and many game booths and sales tables, selling things from toys, food, knick-knack, and various homemade goods, from confections to hard carved boxes. While patrolling, the married couple looked at the wares, and even playing a few of the games. If one didn’t know better, onlookers would swear it was just a pair on a fun little date!

“Things seem to be good so far, eh?” Matthew smiled as he ate some funnel cake, his eyes scanning around still to be sure.

“Mhm. Maybe they noticed we’re here,” Ezhno teased, chuckling as he took a bit of the cake, munching on it happily. For once, maybe they’d have just a nice night-

“Ez-” “I felt it,” Spoke too soon. The presence was strong enough for the blond to feel, while the felixi could smell it. It was close. Abandoning the fritter, they quickly moved, trying to track down the intruder, and eventually needing to split up to try and corner it.

Matthew found it first. It wasn’t an apex demon or anything of the sort, much to his relief, but it was a threat enough that it was slowly stalking a group of teens, all bickering about who gets what of the prizes they had all won.  The demon looked around, making sure it was alone before it tried to strike, but it seemed to recognize the blond, and after a brief look of panic, it darted off, Matthew giving chase.

Ez, I found it. Trying to chase it to the spot.

Alright, I’m heading there now. Be careful, love.

______

At the dead end, the wingless demon looked around in a panic, before turning to stare at the blond who blocked its only way out. Violet eyes glowed in the dark alley as he approached. It was a weaker creature, so he’d be able to deal with it before Ezhno arrived...Or so he thought. It wasn’t until he felt a hard hit from behind, did he realize there was another demon present, and it was far closer to an apex demon than the little runt the two were after initially. Reeking of perfumes and such, it explained how it managed to somehow hide its presence from the shifter...though why wasn’t Matthew able to sense it?

He tried getting up quickly, but another blow sent him into the wall, a small gasp, as the wind was knocked out of him, was heard before he tumbled back to the ground. The little runt was now mocking the blond, but...something was wrong. Why couldn’t he move? He could breathe, but...something was wrong. A hit like that would haze dazed him, sure, but not paralyzed him like this-

No time to think as he was grabbed by the throat and pinned against a wall, the far larger demon seemed to be amused at the lack of fighting...though almost confused as well. 

Ez...Ezhno- ...Why couldn’t he feel Ezhno? He couldn’t feel...anything! As if his mind was floating away, no longer connected to his physical body...The demon raised a free hand, grinning as a mist formed, some sort of demonic essence....was it planning on trying to possess his body, seeing as he couldn’t fight back?! No, he had to do something, he had to fight! But the more he thought this...the more things grew fuzzy. He felt like he was passing out, and before long, all he felt surround him, was darkness...

______

Ezhno had taken longer than he meant to. There seemed to have been quite the number of demons who snuck in, though it seemed they all had just arrived. Maybe they were hoping his and Matthew’s guard was down enough? No matter. Walking into the alley, he saw the bodies of two demons at Matthew’s feet, charred all to hell.

“Mattie! Are you alright?” Ezhno sighed, relieved to see his husband safe, though the other didn’t turn to him, his back still towards the wolf as he approached. It wasn’t until he was reaching for the other’s shoulder that he felt something hit him. It wasn’t a physical force, instead it a shockwave throwing him back, slamming him into the wall enough to cause him to lose his breath, kneeling on the ground and trying to gasp in air. Though Matthew didn’t seem bothered by this. Instead, he turned, walking out of the alley in silence, and that’s when Ezhno noticed something; he couldn’t feel Matthew’s presence. 

...Mattie? Matthew, what are you doing, this isn’t funny! try as he might, all that responded was silence, and finally managing to breathe again, he stood up, before hearing sounds that made his blood run cold.

The crackling of an inferno, and screams of innocent people, trying to escape the danger. Smoke and blood filled the felixi’s nose, and in a panic he hurried out, trying to find Matthew...and whatever was causing this chaos.

______

Ezhno felt sick to his stomach. Corpses littered the ground as blood ran through the streets, and watching the flames with a grin on his lips, was none other than his own dear love. “Matthew!” Ezhno almost roared, going to charge towards the other, but this time the blond turned towards him, that same malicious grin, but...his eyes...the once soft violet hues that held such kindness were now an almost gold colour. Not quite that of an angel’s gaze, being far more reddish in tone, much like the flames that surrounded the two. “I’m sorry, who~?” It was Matthew’s voice for sure, but...the tone of it was far more smooth, like a finely sharpened edge against silk, rather than the silvered voice the other had grown accustomed too.

“Wh-what?” Ezhno felt frozen, unsure as to what he should do. A part of him was sure this was either a demon who possessed Matthew or was one that was mimicking his love, but...something was off, a voice in the back of his mind telling him that wasn’t the case. 

That was his dearest Mattie.

“Oh come now, dear~ Don’t you recognize your sweet, little love~” He continued to mock, and with a growl, Ezhno summoned his blade. If that was Matthew, then he had to try to get rid of this thing possessing him. And without a warning, Ezhno charged, blade poised and the other only grinned more sadistically.

______

The fight had left the town, letting those who were still alive to try and douse the flames, but they now were more into the forest than before. Not quite at the border yet, but getting closer. Try and he might, the demon managed to evade his attacks, countering and even catching the other a few times. It moved so much like how Mattie does when they spar, and it more cemented in his mind that this wasn’t just some possession; this was far more dangerous.

Finally, Ezhno managed to catch the creature off guard; throwing his blade at it and when it moved to dodge, he managed to finally wrap his hands around the other’s throat tightly, slamming it up against a tree.

“ANSWER ME! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!” He roared, his emerald gaze glowing in anger, though try as he might, tears still pricked the corners of his eyes. Despite nearly being choked, and now at the other’s mercy, they seemed...fine with this. A smirk played in their lips as it stared at Ezhno, hands clutching at the sleeves, not really trying to rid the other’s grasp though.

“In this scenario?” It cocked it’s head, almost looking amused at what was going on. It even chuckled a little before his smile grew ever so slightly. “I’m you’re worst nightmare~”

“That’s not an answer.” “Hm, I suppose not,” It seemed...bored. On death’s doorstep, and rather than looking like someone about to die, it looked more like a person who was mildly inconvenienced by not getting their favourite muffin or something. “Though let's be honest with ourselves...you know what I am,” “A demonic bitch I’m about to slaughter,” “Oh? Really?” He laughed, LAUGHED, in Ezhno’s face, now looking more amused. “I didn’t realize you loathed your dearly beloved so much~” “...what,” There it was again, that cold, frozen feeling. While it wasn’t shown in his expression, the thing just...seemed to know.

“You haven’t figured it out yet? Or have you truly been choosing ignorance for bliss?” It mused, rolling its head to the other side, smirking still. “The fact that I’ve always been here~” “...that’s...that’s a lie-” “Really? Matthew tells you himself that his father dealt with demons, and he even made the mistake of reading one of those books himself, far too young to understand what was going on,” It explained, amusement clear in its voice as it watched the realization shine through the other’s eyes. “And you think what I speak are lies~?” “...Matthew never would have-” “What, let a demon into his soul? Managed to pass your little barrier in the first place?” He asked, raising a brow. “The child was maybe six, far too young to even fight the common cold let alone me. And his mental willpower’s quite strong, you see. If unconsciously he wasn’t focusing on subduing me, he’d be able to probably keep even you out of his mind if he so wished,”

Ezhno swallowed hard. Six. This...thing had been with Matthew since then?! Then, if he were to try and purge the demon from him-

“You’ll end up destroying his soul as well~” It finished the thought, and Ezhno’s grip loosened, enough for the thing to escape the hold and kick Ezhno away, who was still in a slightly unbelieved stupor. What could he do?! He had to save Matthew, but...can he...?

“Well, well, well. The high and mighty wolf, now no more than a shaking pup~” It mocked, looking down at the other. “Will you succumb to this realization? Or will you focus on your ‘duty’~? Killing all demons in your wake...even if it means killing your little lover boy~?” It continued, summoning flames once more, though this time it moulded itself into more of a blade shape as he drew closer, while Ezhno frantically tried to think of something, ANYTHING! 

“I always wondered; can you kill a felixi if it’s nothing more than bones~?” It brought the ‘blade’ up, before pushing to stab it through the other’s chest, but Ezhno evaded it, and his heart bled as he hit the ‘thing’, causing it to fly back through a tree. Coughing, it looked up to glare at the other, it’s red-gold eyes burning brightly as they fought once more, this time with far more ferocity from either side.

______

Both battered and bruised, the thing managed to get a sneak shot in, causing Ezhno to fall to his knees as the demon stood above him, the blade it created earlier now poised above him once again, but as it brought it down, it was slow enough for Ezhno to evade again, though this time...it didn’t move to continue attacking. It’s breathes were ragged, and it looked like it was fighting to stay conscious. 

Ezhno was almost confused, but he didn’t have to worry about attacking again; the body dropped to its knees, and the creature seemed to be cursing aloud in its native tongue, and it managed to glare at the other once more.

“Next time...I’ll be sure...to destroy you,” It snarled before its eyes rolled up, and it seemed to have passed out, having used all of Matthew and it’s energy to have stayed in control of the boy for so long.

Ezhno could only breath heavily, trying to process all that had happened. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he did notice other changed; he could hear Matthew’s mind, or his uneasy dreams once more, and the other’s presence could be felt once again. With a heavy sigh, Ezhno groaned as he stood up and went to carefully pick Matthew up, his heart still hurting at this rather dark discovery. Does Matthew know about this? Had that thing really been with him since he was a child...? 

Shaking his head, he figured he’ll ask and look into it later...but for now, he could only press his nose against the blond’s temple, a few silent tears falling down his cheeks as he started on his way home.

[whattimeisitintokyo]

Somos Familia Ch 20

Chapter 20: My first Dia De Muertos! (Part 1)

               Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves with a slotted spoon. Pour in the simmered onion mix. Stir well. Then finally add the chopped chocolate. Stir until perfectly melted. Perfecto!

               “I think it’s ready Mamá!” Coco said as she stood back from the simmering pot of homemade mole sauce that she had spent the last two hours on. She watched nervously as Imelda stirred the pot with a spoon before scooping a bit up for herself, blowing on it, and taking a small sip. Coco clasped her hands together as she watched for any facial clue to tell her if what she had made was either delicious or a complete failure. “Well?”

               Imelda swallowed and smiled. “It could use a little more salt.” She said as she reached for the salt shaker. Coco was quicker than her and snatched it away.

               “N-no! I’ll do it. It’s my mole sauce, so I have to be the one to make any adjustments to it. R-Rosita is counting on me. It has to be perfect!” Coco added a dash of salt and stirred the pot vigorously. “Now that the sauce is done I need to grill the chicken. Do you think marinating it for only one day was long enough?”

               “Coco, relax!” Imelda laughed. “The mole sauce is good, you marinated the chicken long enough, and everything will be delicious. I’m sure Rosita will love it.”

               “I hope so…” Coco said as she went to the small refrigerator to grab the plate of lime and chile chicken, looking at it critically. “Do you think it’s too late to bake a cake as well?”

               “Yes Coco, far too late.” Imelda said. “I need the stove to cook for tonight too, you know. And remember I want you back before sundown. It’s Dia de Muertos, and you know that it’s a special one this year.”

               Coco sighed sadly as she forked the chicken onto a hot oiled skillet. “Si Mamá, I know.” Then she perked up with a smile. “But that means Leti’s coming home tonight! Isn’t that a wonderful thing?”

               Imelda smiled wistfully. The last few months had been tough for the Rivera family. But as Santa Cecilia slowly rose up from the devastating earthquake, so did the family from their heartache. Music wove it’s way throughout the house again as inspiration had come back to Héctor, resulting in a new record being produced with Remember Me as the number one song all throughout Mexico. The shoe workshop was rebuilt and expanded upon, as well as the house itself. Several of their neighbors didn’t want to rebuild after the destruction, so the Riveras paid a generous sum of money for their properties and now their home was basically the whole block. Matty was doing much better as well at school, having made new friends and was even smiling and laughing again. And Coco was starting to become a beautiful young woman, taking a great interest in learning to cook with a few successes and a lot of burnt dinners. Things were starting to look up finally.

               Héctor walked into the kitchen a sniffed the air. “Ooh, are we having Pollo con Mole for lunch today?” He reached for a spoon of the sauce, but his hand was gently slapped away by his daughter.

               “No! This isn’t for you! It’s for Rosita!” Coco said with an edge to her voice. “It’s a very special meal just for her for Dia de Muertos.”

               “Rosita?” Héctor asked confused. “I thought she hated mole sauce though?”

               Coco’s face started to turn bright red and her eyes darted left and right. “N-n-no,” she stuttered. “She loves mole sauce…”

               “No, I distinctly remember,” Héctor said as he thought about it some more. “We had mole sauce one time when she, Facundo and Julio came over for dinner and she scraped it off of her meat. And I thought it was strange because usually she eats everything in front of her, but apparently we served her the one thing she didn’t like.”

               “Yes, that is strange,” Imelda said with a knowing smile as she stared at Coco. “But you know who loved our mole sauce so much that they asked for double servings of it?-“

               “Okay, you two need to leave, please!” Coco said frantically as she pushed her parents out of the kitchen. “You know the saying, too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the pot!” Once they were in the other room she slammed the door shut on their faces.

               Imelda tried to stifle her laughter behind her hand as she walked over to the basket of cempazuchitl flowers waiting to be plucked, but sighed in exasperation when she saw her husband’s clueless face. “Oh, come now, you must know who she’s really cooking for? Think about it, idiota!”

               Héctor placed his chin in his hand as he thought back to that dinner, the pieces slowly falling into place until with a gasp he turned disbelieving eyes towards Imelda. “No!”

               Imelda nodded. “Si!”

               “Really?!”

               “Si.”

               “But… why?”

               Imelda shrugged and went back to plucking the petals off of the stems into a basket. “Love comes to us in mysterious ways, mi amor. And our dear Coco has had it bad for the boy for months now.”

               “But why him?” Héctor asked incredulously. “He’s so quiet, and fidgety, and short! And I’m sorry, but no sixteen year-old boy should have a mustache that thick!”

               Imelda smiled mischievously. “What can I say? Coco must have strange tastes in men. She gets it from me, I’m afraid.”

               Héctor nodded. “I guess you’re right…Hey!”

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

               A pale purple ribbon was carefully placed atop a section of thick black hair, and slowly but surely was woven along another section of plain hair. From the top to the bottom the hair was braided until it reached the very bottom and the end was tied up in a neat little bow. Then tiny white flowers were strung through the braid at each turn of the hair, the bangs brushed and picked to the right amount of fluffiness, and then spritzed with a sweet and fragrant perfume. When it was all done, she sat back and admired her work of art.

               “Perfecto! This is so much easier than when I was alive!” Leti said as she took her hair off of the mannequin head and placed it atop her skull. She skipped over to her bedroom mirror and made sure that it was in the right position. After a few adjustments she picked up a small toothbrush, squirted some Bone-Glo on it, and brushed at the several colorful marking on her face. She was very proud of her soul markings, the lilac circles on her top brow that shrunk to little pinprick dots under her eye sockets, the streaks of gold on her cheeks, even that weird green sprig-thingy that was in between her eyebrows. She scrubbed them until they had a glossy sheen and smiled at her reflection.

               “Muy guapa!” she said smugly, and turned around back towards her bed. “What do you think, Frangipani?”

               On her pillow sat a pink elephant that was no bigger than a cat, with green polka dots on her back and a multicolored checkerboard on her belly. She had golden tusks, green toes, purple eyes and the underside of her giant ears were the pattern of a Monarch butterfly’s. She looked at Leti and gave a small toot! of appraisal from her trunk.

               “Great, now I gotta decide what I’m going to wear.” Leti walked into her closet and rifled through her wardrobe. “Let’s see… That dress is too stuffy… Too casual… The dress I was buried in? Nah, too depressing. Aha!” Leti walked out with a shirt and two skirts in hand. “My embroidered blouse! This is nice, I’ll wear this!... Now what about shoes?”

               Suddenly a knock came at the door, startling both Leti and her alebrije. “Mija? Are you almost ready?”

               “Uno momento, Abuelita!” Leti said, before changing her mind. “Actually, can you come in here? I need your opinion on something.”

               The door opened and in walked a female skeleton, one who had died too young but had a sweet maturity in her eyes. Her hair was done up in an elegant bun, she wore a modest pink dress cinched tightly around her spinal column, and her soul markings were green and gold triangles above her eyes and gold leaves on her cheeks. “Leticia, you aren’t even dressed yet!”

               “That’s what I want your opinion on!” Leti said as she held up two skirts. “Which one do you think, the red one or the green one?”

               “Hmm…” The skeleton pondered thoughtfully. “The red one.”

               “That’s what I thought too!” Let said as she hiked the skirt over her hip bones. “And I need to pick the proper shoes as well. Shoes are very important in our family, you know. Saddle shoes are too common and offer no support, which I’ll need since I’ll be walking around a lot. And boots are too clunky, I want to look my best tonight!”

               “Mija…” Leti’s grandmother said softly. “You know they won’t be able to see you, right?”

               Leti deflated a little. “I know, but it’s my first Dia de Muertos from the other side. I just wanted to look my best for the occasion. Tio Nesto always says that your appearance matters more than what you say or do.”

               “You know some skeletons go to the Land of the Living with no shirt on at all. Just their ribs sticking out.” Her grandmother laughed.

               Leti grimaced in disgust. “En serio? Mamá wouldn’t like that all. She’d say they’d have no class.”

               “Leticia! Mirasol! Hurry up!” An irritated voice called from downstairs. “It’s half past six already! Vamanos!”

               “What?!” Leti cried out as she flung shoe after shoe out of her closet in a hurry. “I didn’t know it was that late! Mamá always has dinner for Dia de Muertos at seven o’clock sharp! We’re gonna miss it!” She hopped out of her closet, pulling on some woven leather huaraches over her skeletal feet. “These will have to do!”

               “Okay, let’s go!” Mirasol said and she ushered her granddaughter out the door and down the stairs. Waiting at the bottom was her husband Gaspar. He had also died quite young, his thick black hair oiled up and slicked back and dressed in a simple white shirt and tan slacks. His markings were purple and silver swirls, slanted downwards on his brow giving a permanent grumpy expression. Marisol smiled sweetly. “Mi amor, you know you must never rush a woman when she’s getting ready.”

               Gaspar pointed at his watch. “Well by the time we get there the food will all be cold. It’s going to take forever to get to the gate, let alone cross the bridge and reach the house!”

               Leti looked down guiltily, before a thought sprung in her mind and she grinned. “I got an idea, Abuelito!”

               Gaspar knew his granddaughter’s look and his eyes narrowed. “Oh no. No no no no-…”

               But it was too late and Leti was already running outside the house and giving a sharp whistle. “FRANGIPANI!” By the time Leti had made it out into the wide street Frangipani had zipped down the stairs, flew past an agitated Gaspar and an amused Mirasol, and plopped down in front of her owner. Leti grinned down at the little elephant alebrije. “Okay Frangipani. Grande grande!”

               Frangipani crouched down into herself, inhaling long and hard into her trunk, and she began to swell. Her soft plump figure grew into hard, scaly skin, the green polka dots shifting into vibrant tiger stripes. He tusks turned from little nubs into razor sharp instruments of death, and her ears grew larger and larger into a gigantic set of butterfly wings. Her cute little toots turned into powerful trumpets, and when she was finished she had grown into a fully sized elephant. She lowered her massive trunk down to Leti, and the little skeleton giggled as she lightly walked along it up to the massive knobby head.

               “Now we can get there in no time! C’mon Abuelita!” Leti said happily.

               “Muchas gracias, Frangipani.” Mirasol said pleasantly as she too walked up the trunk to sit behind Leti. She looked down at her husband and frowned when he looked away with his arms folded over his chest. “Gaspar…”

               “I am not getting on that thing ever again!” Gaspar growled as he pointed at the elephant with disdain. “Not since it thought it would be funny to fling me into the river. Mis amigos still laugh at me about it.”

               “Ay Dios mio,” Mirasol exclaimed. “Stop being un viejo gruñón.”

               “I’m not an old man! I’m only twenty-five years ooOOOH!” Gaspar was suddenly lifted off his feet by Frangipani’s massive trunk, swung over her head, and none too gently plopped onto her back behind his wife. His eyes rattled in his skull as his wife laughed at him, and he sighed in defeat. “Alright, fine. Let’s go.”

               “Fly Frangipani, fly!” Leti cried and let out a loud grito as Frangipani flapped her large ear wings and took off into the air.

               As they soared Leti relished in the feeling of cool crisp air against her bones and drunk in the beautiful view of the Land of the Dead. Before the most beautiful place she had ever seen was Mexico City. But when she first stepped out of the Department of Family Reunions with her grandparents and saw her surroundings she was amazed. High, winding structures of buildings on top of buildings, sky high trolleys connected on wires crisscrossed all over each other, sounds of music, laughter and cheer from every corner, and the colors! So many bright and vibrant colors, the most predominant being purples, pinks and golds. Mamá and Coco would love that whenever they finally got here. She herself would never get tired of this aerial view.

               Frangipani dove down towards the ground and landed gracefully outside of the Marigold Bridge terminals. She knelt down to let Leti and Mirasol slide off of her, while Gaspar tumbled down into a pile of bones, moaning weakly. “Feel… sick… I hate flying.”

               Mirasol chuckled as she picked up her husband’s skull. “Oh, so dramatic.” She held the skull up and out in front of her as the rest of Gaspar’s body magically rose up and reconnected itself back together, making their granddaughter giggle. “Alright, I’m going to stop by this stall first and rent some knapsacks and baskets. I have a feeling we’re going to have a good haul this year!”

               As Mirasol walked off, Gaspar checked his watch again. “Well, I hate to say it, but I think we’ve made good time. Good thing too, I can taste my little girl’s menudo already!” He rubbed his hands in anticipation of the feast, grinning until a large pink trunk plopped down heavily on his shoulder. “Ugh! Alright, alright, thank you for the ride, alebrije. You happy now? Now go on home, we can just take a trolley back later.” As Frangipani flew off with a powerful gust of wind, Gaspar called out, “And shrink back down before you get there! I don’t want to have to clean up your giant caquitas!” He turned his attention back to Leti and smiled down at her. “Are you excited to go home, mija?”

               While Gaspar had been dealing with her alebrije, Leti had been looking at the gate terminals separating the city and the Marigold Bridge, watching as skeletons were scanned and approved to cross the bridge per their ofrenda picture. But one skeleton’s scan ended in a loud buzzing sound and the dejected soul was left to simply limp back towards the Land of the Dead. “Abuelito, why did that skeleton not get to cross the bridge?”

               Gaspar looked to where Leti was pointing and winced at the skeleton’s yellowed, dusty bones and limp posture. “Ah, his foto wasn’t put up I’m afraid, and if your foto isn’t put up then you can’t cross over. By the looks of him no one has for a while. He’s being forgotten.”

               Leti watched the poor skeleton with wide eyes. Suddenly her excitement for the holiday turned to fear, and she looked up at her grandfather. “W-what if Mamá and Papá… didn’t put up my foto?”

               Gaspar’s brow furrowed and he knelt down to look Leti in the eye. “What makes you think they wouldn’t put your foto up? Your parents love you, mija. Heck, anyone with half a brain cell would love you as soon as they met you! You don’t have to worry about that.”

               Leti looked down at the ground. “It’s just that… When I got sick, everyone was so sad. Everyone cried, even Tio Nesto. What if they’re mad at me because I made them so sad? That they wish they could just… forget me?

               Gaspar sighed but smiled warmly as he traced a finger over her skull markings. “Leticia, you couldn’t help getting sick. Never blame yourself for that. Look at your Abuelita and me! We both got sick and died when Imelda was only five years old and our sons only a few months old.” His eyes turned sad and he paused as he let the old wounds of his past make themselves known. “For the longest time I hated myself for my own weakness, and I was sure that Imelda would try to forget us if only to ease her own suffering.”

               “But instead, she told everyone our stories, even though we spent such a short time together as a family. We meant that much to her! She told all of our stories to her friends, her husband, and even you kids as well.”

               Leti grinned. “Like the time you kicked a fútbol into a beehive and got stung so much that you looked like a prickly pear cactus?”

               Gaspar glowered. “The point is… Imelda knew we never meant to leave her, just like she and the rest of the family know that you didn’t mean to leave them. They aren’t angry at you, mija. Trust me.”

               Mirasol walked back over carrying three baskets and bags, noticing the pair’s solemn faces. “Is everything alright?”

               Gaspar stood up straight and placed his hand on Leti’s shoulder. “Si, just some ‘First Time Crossing the Bridge’ jitters. We’ve all been there! But everything’s okay now, right Leticia?”

               Leti nodded and smiled up at her grandfather. “Si, I’m ready now, let’s go!”

               The three of them walked up to the terminal, and when it was Leti’s turn she was given a first timer’s welcome by the crossing agent and a round of applause by the whole staff, making her giggle. She smiled widely for the camera, even though inside she was still a little anxious, before the reassuring ding sounded. “Your foto is on your parents’ ofrenda! Have a wonderful visit, Chiquita.”

               Leti sighed in relief. “Gracias, senor!” she exclaimed and walked a little ways past the gate to await her grandparents. She gazed in awe at the huge, glowing orange bridge before her, watching the footsteps of the skeletons walking on it light up and inhaling the sweet aromas that were beckoning her to come forward and join them. A few seconds later Mirasol and Gaspar came up next to her and took her by the hands. Her excitement had returned. “I’m going home!”

[hanndleit]

Happy Birthday Ross!

 A/N: Holy shit this is SO late and so ridiculously cheesy, but it’s here! This is not only my first post on this Tumblr, but my first public piece ever. I’ve never published my writing before, so of course, feedback is appreciated! Requests are open!

“Is everything all set up in the back?”

Standing in front of the kitchen island, you were putting the finishing touches on a homemade birthday cake. White vanilla frosting and a black rectangle border, “HAPPY 28th ROSS” was emblazoned in big letters across the top. You had always been quite the baker, and having a sweet tooth for baked goods was probably the cause. Not a day went by that your oven wasn’t busy, and your flat permanently smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. You had applied to culinary school a few years back, but weren’t sure you could make a proper career out of it, so you kept it as a hobby.

“Let’s see, table, chairs, balloons, shitty party games.” Your best mate, Matty craned his neck out the sliding glass door, listing off what he could see in the back yard. “Oh yeah, and cake.” A hand snuck into your workspace and swiped a bit of frosting off the side of the cake you were still frosting.

“Hey!” You exclaimed, whacking the culprit on the knuckles with your wooden spoon. “S’not for you.” Scooping some more frosting, you fixed

the design with a frustrated huff. You couldn’t be mad at him though. He was impatient, and if you had to be honest, you were too. Glancing at your watch, you gave it a hard blow to clean off the flour that covered almost your entire forearm.

“What time is he supposed to be here?” Asked a different voice, George’s hand digging around in a bowl of crisps. You shrugged and balanced the spoon on the top of the frosting container, turning around to wash your hands in the sink.

“I told him to text me when he’s on his way. He didn’t seem suspicious, so I think we’re in the clear.” Drying your hands on a dishtowel, you began to clean off the counter, putting Ross’ cake in the refrigerator. “Would you quit?” You asked, grabbing the bowl away from George. “There's going to be nothing left by the time he gets here if you keep eating all the damn snacks.” George put his hands up defensively, hopping on top of the counter to sit.

Reaching around behind you, you untied your apron and folded it, placing it on the countertop. The sliding door opened, and Adam stepped inside, giving you a thumbs up. “Music’s set. I also found some holiday lights in the storage, and set them up as well.” He leaned against the wall and folded his arms. You smiled gratefully.

“Perfect.” Clapping your hands together, your cell buzzed on the table and you leaned over to read the notification. Your eyes lit up, and an excited grin pulled at the corners of your lips. “Ross is on his way.”

-----

“Move your ass.”

“This is my spot!”

“Pick a different one.”

“No!”

“What the hell are you doing?” You hissed, crouched uncomfortably behind a table. Glaring at Matty and George who sandwiched themselves behind one of the amps you were using as a speaker.

“This is my hiding spot. I claimed it earlier.” Matty complained, shoving an elbow against his mate.

“You can’t claim a hiding spot you bloody shrimp.” George blocked Matty’s jab, shoving him over into the dirt.

“Shut. The fuck. Up.” Adam snapped, every head turning in his direction with surprise. “The objective of a surprise party is to retain the element of surprise. If you can’t stay silent for five minutes, you’re going to ruin it.” He grumbled. It was a bit hard to take him seriously with the fact that he had a festive party hat strapped to the top of his head, but Matty and George kept quiet.

The sliding door leading inside opened slowly, and a very confused Ross stepped onto the back patio. You and Adam jumped up, followed by Matty and George. “Surprise!” You cried in unison, grinning from ear to ear. Ross’ smile lit up his entire face like Christmas, and he walked down the steps toward you all. Meeting him halfway, you brought Ross into a hug and kissed his cheek. “Happy Birthday.” You smiled. George came up from behind and strapped a party hat onto Ross’ head, the elastic snapping against his chin.

Whilst the boys exchanged hugs, birthday wishes, and conversation, you excused yourself to run back into your kitchen for a moment. Pulling the pitcher of Sangria Matty requested you make from the fridge, as well as the crisps bowl from the counter, you somehow safely made your way back down into the yard without dropping anything.

Adam had set up some music in one corner of the yard, and the reggae-style vocals of Sublime filled the air. Matty, already with a plastic cup of Sangria in hand, danced around George who looked clearly unamused, his own cup tilted to his lips.

Ross came up to you as you were pouring your own cup, and threw his arm around your shoulder. “You really put all of this together yourself?” He asked, a soft smile on his lips. Color flooded to your cheeks as you nodded, lifting your cup to hide your blush. Ross was always extremely appreciative of everything you did, regardless of what it was. You could bring him cookies from McDonalds at 3am, and he’d gush about how amazing you are, talking with crumbs in his beard.

You never thought too much about it, just accepted it as a compliment and went about. Friends. Nothing more, nothing less. You and Ross had met a handful of years ago, the story changing up every time someone asked. If you were to be honest, you both made up a new story so many times that you could hardly remember what was true and what you exaggerated. It wasn’t that the story of you meeting was embarrassing, it was that you and Ross were such close friends, the question was commonly brought up in conversation. After much denial of being a couple, you both realized that you didn’t have to tell people the true story of how you met. You could say that you met on the top of The Empire State Building or fighting bears in Russia. It became an inside joke between the two of you, seeing who could come up with the craziest, yet believable answer.

What you knew was true, was that it was New Year's Eve, you spilled your drink on Ross’ shoes, and he was the best kiss you've ever had.

It never went farther than that one kiss, but it never needed to. You were too focused on “getting somewhere in life” for a relationship. Ross never made any moves on you, but the way you casually flirted like it was the most normal thing in the world was a dead giveaway that there was something deeper. Well, to everyone but the both of you. The two of you denied any feelings for eachother like someone had offered to give you the plague.

Wrapping your arm around his waist, you pulled Ross into a side hug and smiled. “You deserve it, after all.” You took a swig from your cup, scrunching your nose and picking up a few pieces of fruit from the table and dropping them in your drink.

Across the yard, Matty and George had started up another playful argument, with Adam hopelessly shaking his head. You took that as a cue to create a diversion. “Alright. Who wants cake?” You called, making your way towards the door. “Adam? Could you help me?” Nodding your head towards the door, he followed you up the patio steps into the kitchen.

Pulling the cake from the refrigerator, you asked Adam to grab the candles from your purse, as well as your lighter. Sticking a few bright pink candles in the cake frosting, you flicked on the lighter and lit the candles, being careful not to burn yourself. Adam held the door opened for you as you carefully balanced the cake while walking down the stairs.

The smile on Ross’ face filled you with joy as everyone joined in singing “Happy Birthday” when they saw you approach with the cake. They had moved to sitting at the small table you had set up, and you placed the cake down in front of the birthday boy. He blew out the candles after the song ended, and Matty was quick to steal an extinguished candle and lick the frosting from the bottom. You scolded him for being impatient, and handed the cake knife to Ross so he could make the traditional first cut.

Passing out small paper plates of cake to each person, you took the chair next to Ross, who was enthusiastically enjoying his cake. In fact, they all were. Each of the boys showered you in compliments over how fantastic of a cook you were, and you couldn’t help but blush.

“Thank you for everything. This truly has been the best birthday ever.” Ross leaned over and put his mouth just inches from your ear, making your face heat up again. He seemed to notice this, and a grin pulled at the corners of his lips.

“Anything for my favorite birthday boy.” You returned his smile, leaning forward and pressing your lips to his cheek. And you meant it.

[pluckyredhead]

Hey so I donated to Planned Parenthood in Mike Pence's (FUCK YOU SIR)! Hurray! Can I prompt you matt/foggy office shenanigans? Thank you, you're the best :D

(This isn’t really compliant with Season 2 but let’s ignore that, shall we?)

Five Things That Aren’t Allowed in the Offices of Nelson & Murdock (But Usually Happen Anyway):

1. “Testing” Matt’s Powers

“But it’s such a nice day,” Foggy whined.

“It’ll still be a nice day after you finish reading up on those precedents and we are present for our two o’clock meeting like responsible attorneys who want to eat this month,” Matt said calmly, fingers moving steadily over his refreshable braille display.

“I want a snack.”

“Karen is getting coffee.”

“Come on, teach. Can’t we have class outside?”

Matt’s lips twitched, but he heroically fought off the encroaching smile. “Sorry.”

“You’re no fun,” Foggy pouted.

A second later he was balling up the nearest piece of scrap paper and tossing it at Matt’s head. Matt snatched it out of the air without looking up.

Foggy gave a delighted laugh. “Actually, come to think of it, this could be pretty fun.”

“Do not,” Matt started to say, and caught Foggy’s thrown pen, “start throwing,” a crumpled-up napkin, “random things at me,” an apple.

“I’m helping you,” Foggy said. “Think of this like training. We have to know how good your senses are at detecting projectiles aimed at your head, right?”

“I’m well aware of their range, thanks,” Matt drawled. “You know I don’t actually need your help with this.”

He had the feeling Foggy was raising his eyebrows. “Huh. Sounds like someone don’t think he can take everything I give him.”

Matt paused.

Then he pushed his chair back and stood up. “Okay,” he said. “Bring it.”

Ten minutes later he was parkouring around the office, bouncing off the walls and furniture to catch every random item Foggy lobbed into the air. Foggy giggled breathlessly as he scooped up a calculator and chucked it at Matt’s head - just as Matt head footsteps in the hall outside.

He froze.

The door opened. “ - think you’ll be very impressed with Mr. Murdock and Mr. Nelson,” Karen was saying to their new client as they walked in.

The calculator bounced off Matt’s forehead and clattered to the ground.

“Eep!” said Foggy.

*

“Oh well,” said Foggy twenty minutes later. “There are other clients.”

*

2. Culinary or Scientific “Experimentation” Involving the Kitchenette Microwave

“I am going,” Matt announced dramatically, “to die.”

Karen frowned at him. “You said you only got stabbed ‘fleetingly’ last night. Which I don’t think is an appropriate modifier in this situation, but still.”

“Not from that,” Matt said, waving a hand as if his skin being perforated by goons with knives was an implausible cause of death. “No, I’m going to die because somebody - ” he raised his voice “ - decided to use the office microwave for his audition for Chopped last night.”

“You know, I may not have super hearing, but I can still tell when you’re being passive aggressive at a normal volume,” Foggy said placidly from his office. “You don’t need to shout.”

“Curries from three different cuisines do not go together!” Matt said. “In fact, curries from any cuisine should not be reheated in the office microwave! Do it at home!” He paused. “No, wait, I visit your apartment. Do it at Marci’s.”

Foggy batted his eyelashes at Karen, because it would’ve been a wasted move on Matt. “I didn’t realize this was an open relationship, but all right.”

“If you could smell what I smell…”

“Is it better or worse than gunpowder?” Foggy asked.

Matt’s mouth snapped shut. Karen, who had been giggling behind her hand, looked from Matt to Foggy and back to Matt again. “Wait, what?”

Foggy rested his chin on his hands, smiling beatifically. “Matthew, did you not tell our silent partner about the homemade explosives you created here last weekend?”

“WHAT.”

Matt glowered in Foggy’s direction. “Dirty pool, Nelson.”

“MATT.”

Matt turned back to Karen, spreading his hands with a guileless expression. “Okay, in my defense they were just flash grenades, and they worked very well in stopping those arms dealers I took down on Tuesday.”

Karen scowled at him. “...I’m giving myself a raise.”

“That’s fair.”

*

3. Excessive Bleeding

“...so Matt and I will speak to the opposing counsel, and I think we’ll be able to settle this in your favor by the end of the week,” Foggy said, smiling at Mrs. Gupta across the conference room table.

She beamed. “Thank you both so much. I know how hard you’ve worked on this, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

Matt gave her his good Catholic boy smile. “It was our pleasure,” he said, reaching across the table to shake her hand.

Foggy glanced over at Matt and blanched. “Yep, yep, it was great, love that hard work, but I’m afraid we have another meeting coming up so Karen will just show you out. Karen!”

Karen appeared in the doorway, looking perplexed. She wasn’t the only one - Matt had his “confused terrier” expression on, and Mrs. Gupta was staring at Foggy. “Yes?”

“Can you please help Mrs. Gupta with any paperwork, at your desk, and then walk her out?” Foggy said, lifting his eyebrows at her significantly.

“Uh...sure. Right this way, Mrs. Gupta,” Karen said, gesturing to her desk.

The minute they were out of the conference room, Foggy closed the door, locked it, and yanked back the side of Matt’s jacket to reveal that his white shirt was soaked through with blood - visible only when Matt leaned forward just right. “Matt!”

Matt winced. “Stitches aren’t holding, huh?”

“I can’t believe you,” Foggy hissed, pushing the jacket off Matt’s shoulders and helping him ease out of it. “You said you were fine!”

“I thought I was,” Matt protested. Foggy started to unbutton his shirt. “Hey, no hanky-panky in the office.”

“You really wanna test me right now, Murdock?”

Matt bit his lip. Foggy got his shirt unbuttoned and tugged it back to reveal a three-inch gash in Matt’s side, bleeding merrily on one end through popped stitches.

“Jesus.”

“It’s not that bad,” Matt tried. “Even Claire said so.”

“Couldn’t you tell it was bleeding again? Couldn’t you smell it? Didn’t it hurt?” Foggy asked. Matt hesitated. “What.”

“I always smell at least a little bit like blood, these days,” Matt said. “And…”

“...And you always hurt,” Foggy finished for him, and Matt nodded. Foggy sighed and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Matt’s temple. “Oh, Matty.”

“I’m sorry,” Matt said.

“You’d hurt worse if you didn’t go out there,” Foggy said. “Of course, that doesn’t mean we can have you scaring our clients away by bleeding all over them. I’d say I’ll check you over before our meetings, but that might lead to breaking the hanky-panky rule.”

Matt smiled, and turned his head to meet Foggy’s lips. “I’m willing to risk it.”

*

4. Pets

“A dog,” Foggy said.

“You know I don’t need a dog, Foggy,” Matt said.

“Screw you, Murdock, I want a dog!” Foggy said. “This office could use a mascot. Besides Daredevil, I mean.”

“I am not a mascot,” Matt said, hiding a smile.

“Well, then, we definitely need a dog.”

“Oh, can we please get a dog?” Karen asked. “A therapy dog! Who in this office doesn’t need a therapy dog, honestly.”

“Or therapy,” Foggy pointed out.

“Dog’s cheaper.”

“True.”

“No dogs!” Matt protested, but he was laughing outright now.

“Cat?” Foggy suggested. Matt shook his head.

“Parakeet?” Karen tried.

“Chinchilla?”

“Bunny?”

“Iguana?”

“Stop!” Matt said. “You two really want an animal in here, don’t you?”

Foggy as he perched on the edge of Karen’s desk. “What gave you that idea?”

“Would you like me to tell you exactly how many rats I can hear in the walls at this exact moment?”

Foggy and Karen exchanged glances. “You know what, why don’t we just get a few more plants?” Karen suggested.

*

5. Hanky-Panky

“Karen’s gonna yell at us,” Foggy panted as Matt loosened the knot in his tie to get better access to his neck.

Matt nipped at Foggy’s pulse. “Karen’s a block away already and getting further as we speak.”

Foggy huffed. “I can’t believe you’re hyper-sensing someone else while trying to get in my pants.”

“I wasn’t trying to get in your pants,” Matt said. He dropped his hands from Foggy’s tie to his waist and started untucking his shirt. “Now I’m trying to get in your pants.”

“I’ll have you know, counsellor, that...mm...this is a respectable place of business...oh, fuck...and these shenanigans will not stand.” Foggy’s protests would probably have sounded more assertive if he hadn’t been using a two-handed grip on Matt’s ass to haul him closer.

“They don’t have to stand,” Matt suggested. “There’s a perfectly good desk right there.”

“Ugh, that’s your worst line yet,” Foggy groaned, head tipped back. “Done. Dumped. Divorced. Fuck, do that again.”

Matt pulled back - just a few inches, but back. “I thought we were divorced.”

Foggy glared, hair wild and cheeks red. “Get back here and put your tongue back where it was.”

“But what about Karen?” Matt asked innocently.

Foggy paused. “You’re sure she’s not going to walk back in for a while?”

“Positive.”

“...Fine, but we’re using your desk.”

[ughgoaway]

matty being sick last night has me thinking so many thoughts ab teacher reader x sick dad matty.

my first thought was a scenario after you've both admitted your feelings but aren't official. perhaps you've been on like 2 dates and clearly want a relationship, but no one has admitted it lol

it's the day of your third official date, and you're all ready. But you get a text from matty saying something like, "I'm so sorry, darling, but I have to cancel our date tonight. I've been trying to push through, but I'm pretty sick - reschedule as soon as I'm better?"

of course, you're immediately like :(((( but you send a sweet message saying, "Of course, feel better soon xx"

then I imagine it's a little later andmatty sends a pic of him cuddled up in bed surrounding by tissues and medicine, "wishing I could be with you right now, sweetheart. I'm sick of lemsip and bad reality tv :("

you decide then and there to go over with supplies, you make homemade soup and go to tesco to stock up on every medicine possible. paracetamol, ibuprofen, cough medicine, cough sweets, headache relief - anything that might help.

when matty answers the door, you can feel your heart shatter just a tiny bit. He's in his robe with a tissue in his hand and heavy eyes. they're red rimmed and puffy, his nose is pink, and his hair is a mess. he's even got his glasses on, something that you make a mental note to ask him about when he's better.

("Since when do you wear glasses???" "I've had them for years but I never wear them, it's not very rock and roll of me" "mmm I think you look good, hot professor vibes" matty is just 👀 "role play???")

he's fucking MORTIFIED bc why does he look like this in front of you?? oh god??? he says "y/n! ohmygod! hi! I'm so sorry I look like this i-" and he's furiously trying to flatten his curls and look vaguely human.

you calm him and come in. He's all bashful and embarrassed that you've made him soup and got medication, trying to insit he's fine.

you stare at him and put your hand on his forhead as he tries to argue he's okay, "Matthew. you've got a fever, and you don't look like you've had proper food in days. go sit down on the sofa and let me look after you! don't make me pull the teacher voice out"

he is like "yes ma'am" and sits down.

After a bowl of soup and copious amount of medicine, matty lies down with his head in your lap, "Just for a second. I'm feeling a bit dizzy, " he insists.

but your hands massaging his curls mixed with the warm soup and the cough medicine have him asleep within 5 minutes.

you don't leave him or move him to bed, just sit and stroke his head, watching him rest peacefully as some shitty teen movie plays in the background.