#maybe next year I'll have one ready before christmas eve

[trhor]

It should be noted the inclusion of HRH The Duke of Rothes created quite the media speculation after the Duke was notable absent for several years following the abdication of his role as heir. Many proposed, the Duke's inclusion was meant to finally put to rest the years of speculation that there was bad blood between the royal household and the former heir. The Press office has stayed silent regarding the matter which continues to be a topic of discussion.

Inspired by both @warwickroyals and @theroyalthrones

[rcmclachlan]

from the micro story word list: 19 (sea change) or 46 (shimmer)!

"It never stops being weird seeing fake snow on people's roofs," Buck says, eyeing the house across the street. It's the epitome of everything he hates about Christmas now: the snow blankets are stapled in weird places, the LED lights are too bright and their shimmer makes the house look like a Swedish nightclub, and the 14-foot inflatable Grinch is just begging for someone with an LAFD-issued multitool to go over and accidentally slash it ten times.

Next to him, Tommy takes a thoughtful sip of his beer—salt and lemon gose, because he's a Batman villain—and murmurs, "You were lucky to have the real thing growing up. I always wanted a real white Christmas."

Tommy's voice is still clogged with tears. It sounds like there are river rocks in his throat.

"You wouldn't say that if you had to shovel four feet of lake effect snow out of your driveway while everyone else was opening presents," Buck grumbles, draining the rest of his ginger ale in one go, then drops his cheek to Tommy's shoulder with a sigh.

Wordlessly, Tommy wraps an arm around him and snugs him in close.

It's been almost an hour since Buck showed up on Tommy's doorstep with eight pounds of homemade fruitcake and goaded Tommy into a shouting match on his front lawn, which his neighbors must have loved, especially at 10:45 on Christmas Eve. He knows Tommy was absolutely mortified, but not enough to take the fight inside, which means that when Buck looks back on tonight, the only thing he'll remember—other than Tommy screaming "Of course I'm in love with you, Evan! That's not the issue here!"—is the way that fucking inflatable Grinch lit Tommy's tear-stained face up in the most hideous neon green color ever invented.

Buck closes his eyes and stretches out his legs. They clear all three of the little stairs leading up to Tommy's platform porch and his heels land on one of the flagstone steppers built into the pathway. Tommy had laid the walk-up the first year he moved in and was still so proud of it; he smirked at the stones sometimes, like he'd bested them, like they'd lost some fight that Buck would've given anything to have watched.

He wishes he'd remembered the flagstones before he asked Tommy to move in; it might've saved him a lot of grief and oven cleaner.

"Worth it, though," Tommy says. "Someday I'll see snow on Christmas."

Buck already knows he's going to regret opening his mouth, but he can't stop it. "M-Maybe next year? Before climate change turns Hershey into the new Tampa?"

For a horrible, endless moment, Tommy says nothing. He just drinks his beer and strokes a thumb over Buck's arm. Meanwhile, Buck's ready to rip his own skin off and run screaming into the night. They already laid it all out on the line—Tommy pacing a new pathway in the lawn, Buck standing on the biggest flagstone stepper like he was playing a one-man game of The Floor Is Lava, both of them shouting over each other to be heard—and if Tommy's going to stage a retreat now, if he's going to go back on his promise to fight through the fear and try, Buck's going to start ripping up the flagstones.

Then Tommy presses a long, hard kiss to Buck's hair. "We're not staying with your parents."

Shakily with relief, Buck lifts his head and slots their lips together, slipping his tongue in because he can. The inside of Tommy's mouth tastes like vomit. He's going to dash the rest of that bullshit beer on the flagstones as soon as he sees an opening.

"I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy." He pulls back just enough so he can watch exasperation try to chase the smitten expression off Tommy's face when he follows that up with, "never mind someone I'm planning to baby trap within the next five years."

They end up rutting against each other right there on Tommy's porch in full view of neighborhood, and he hopes the Grinch tells all the Whos down in Whoville how Buck's heart and dick grew three sizes that day.

[itsscromp]

Spending Christmas with Jason Todd for the first time after his resurrection?

Jason todd x reader

Oh... I like this idea a lot, I think y/n would do anything to make Jason feel at home again with the holidays. Word count:1.2K

Jason being revived was overwhelming as it is, But you were glad to have your best friend back... But you could tell the whole experience left him shaken, I mean he literally died and was brought back to life, Not only that you had to guide him through everything as he also lost his memories as well.

Christmas was coming up really fast and it's usually one of Jason's favourite holidays, Maybe this will help him remember just a little bit, Not a lot but a little bit. Baby steps. So you went out and got a Christmas tree for the Belfry, Beginning to decorate it soon after putting it up.

"What's all this y/n ??" Jason looked over from his training.

"Oh I'm just setting up the Christmas tree" You said while continuing to decorate it. You could hear Jason lightly huff before heading back to his training, Sighing softly, you continued decorating the tree.

After which, you went out the next day and got gifts for the others. You were struggling to find a gift for Jason, Something that he might like. It almost took you 5 hours until you found a familiar comic book... It was Jason's favourite comic book. You rushed in and got it, Quickly going back to the belfry and then wrapping it all up, Placing it under the tree.

Jason saw you rush in and shook his head lightly, He had no time for Christmas or anything else, He had to continue training to get back out as Red Hood. Dick saw you trying to do this to help him remember... He gently went over to you.

"Y/n... I know this has been tough on you and Jason, But you can't just rush his memories back. It's not how it works..." He placed a hand on your shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"I know... I'm trying not to but... It's been 5 months since he came back and... I'm worried that he might not be able to ever remember it... remember anything." He could see the worry in your eye.

"Baby steps y/n... I promise" he smiled reassuringly.

Christmas Eve rolled around and you and Jason were tasked with patrolling Gotham for the night, As usual this time of the year, crime around Gotham picks up rapidly. Suiting up and then heading out. You two mostly stopped petty theft from charity tins and such. But the real kicker in the jaw, was when the clock struck midnight, Christmas day. You two saw a bright beam go into the sky, soon which it got rapidly cold very quickly.

"Freeze..." You said shuddering.

"Quickly we have to stop him" He then grappled a nearby building, ready to take him down.

"No wait, Jason !!" You quickly followed him, You both needed to come up with a plan before trying to take freeze down. The comms from the belfry picked up but were becoming choppy because of the unexpected storm.

"Crap, the belfry is losing reception" You said to him.

"Then let's give him a Christmas he'll never forget" You could tell he was smirking under his mask.

Reaching the area, You both went up the building only to find what looked like a rather large machine, Whatever was going on, that machine had to be the cause of it.

Jason was quick to head down and try and turn it off, only to be knocked away by Mr freeze. "Get away from my storm machine !!" He threatened while aiming his freeze gun at him.

Jumping down, you landed in front of Jason protecting him from harm. "Looks like you'll be on Santa's bad list" You smirked, looking over and nodding at Jason.

"You two won't be able to stop me this time" He charged his freeze gun before shooting at you both, but soon quickly dodging his attack.

"I'll distract him, you take care of the machine !!" Jason said to you as you nodded.

Jason put up a good fight, the training was coming back to him... He was slowly starting to remember... During this, he had his flashback where you and him were sparing. Before you became an official member of the bat family, He would always knock you on your ass, but it always ended in laughs, You... were his friend...

Meanwhile, you got to work decoding the machine to stop the machine from plunging Gotham into an ice age, You frantically looked over as freeze. who after knocking Jason over, Aimed his gun at you and shot a beam at you... Before you could even react, you were pushed out of the way, falling to the ground... looking over to see Jason who is now trapped in ice. "RED HOOD !!!" You rushed over trying to get him out of the ice. But then... something happened... Jason started to glow... almost in the colours of the Lazarus pit. Soon he released a burst of energy, Freeing him from the ice he was once trapped in.

"You're gonna get it now Freeze !!" He yelled and then lunged into action again, Freeze was baffled and overwhelmed by what was happening, You managed to decode the machine in time and stopped it, soon releasing Gotham out of the freezing hellscape, But them you heard glass smash as Jason smashed his helmet open, repeatedly punching him... He was going to kill him.

"Red hood stop !!!!" You grabbed his wrists before he could do any further damage. "This isn't the way..." You knew Jason had different philosophies to justice, but again he lost his memories and all the training went away... But he quickly calmed down as he got up when the police arrived. "Let's go" Was all he said as you two headed back to the Belfry.

Once back, Jason unmasks himself and takes a deep breath, Looking over at you. "Y/n... I.. I don't know what came over me... I saw you in danger and then... well everything happened..." He looked away for a bit before you went over to him. "Jason... I know everything has been hard for you since you were brought back..." You could see how this still affected him. "But the important thing is, we stopped him in the end..." You smiled softly. Jason simply nodding, but you could see the hint of a smile.

"Oh wait" You rushed over to the Christmas tree quickly pulling out his gift and rushing over to him. "Merry Christmas" You handed him his gift.

Jason was slightly taken aback by this offering but nonetheless accepted, Opening the gift, he saw the comic... You looked up at his face but saw no glint of remembrance in his eyes, You were saddened... But you tried.

As you turned away, Jason quickly grabbed you and pulled you into a tight hug, You were baffled by what happened before he pulled you out, Seeing the remembrance in his eyes... He remembered you. "Y/n..."

You smiled as your bottom lip wobbled a little. "Welcome back buddy"

"Merry Christmas Pal..." He pulled you back into a tight hug as you did as well, The first Christmas since Jason's revival... Who would've thought it would be this good.

Taglist: @callofdudes @fun-k-board

[slickshoesareyoucrazy]

Reality

Hey, A.

I brought you some Christmas bells. Your cup is getting full, but I can't imagine coming here too often empty handed. Maybe I'll bring another cup next time. I came today because it's the one day in a 3 week stretch of predicted weather that's not freezing and/or wet.

I cried at work today. Hard. You know why. Talking to M and L about it I know is good for me but it honestly makes me cry harder. Like gross, snotty crying. The kind I did a year ago. Actually not quite a year ago, because I didn't know you died until the 12th. When R called me. Because I'm not on Facebook and your partner didn't tell anyone. She didn't even tell your dad. I know you hadn't gotten along with your folks for a long time, but damn man. She had the local sheriff's office notify him. Which just has always seemed excessively cold and not like something you wanted. Had to wait for your dad to tell someone with Facebook before anyone knew. Me. D. J&R. GR still wouldn't know. That sucks.

So I wasn't sobbing a year ago today, because I was still under the impression you were going to text me back once you were done cleaning up the mess the dogs made jumping in your pool in December and walking through the house or whatever other reason that wasn't You Died that you weren't texting me back right away. I should have known better, man. You never waited that long to text me back. Never. Shit it was never more than the length of a movie in the theater. I didn't know though. You and J are the only people I've ever trusted like that. He WILL get back to me. I don't have to roll over every word I said wondering where the mistake was that made him never talk to me again. But you died.

I cried so hard for like a month after finding out. I remember almost not being able to stand up at your funeral. I'd have hit the deck if D wasn't there. R offered to go with me and I said no in favor of a different friend and I think I freaked her out pretty bad with how emotional I got. I used to never get emotional in front of people about anything. Not anymore. Definitely not then. I couldn't come here the day they put you in the ground. It was the right call to make when D said, "I don't think you should go. It's too much. It's too hard." People talked to me at the service almost like I was your widow. D was right of course. I didn't want to go to the cemetery with her and your dad and your son and your family, all of whom I know you had really complicated relationships with. Our friendship was (is) insular and singular and maybe kind of possessive. I can't share you with other people. It's still fucking hard to, in grief, to let all of it or even enough of it out. But I remember sobbing, "But I have to know where he is." D said the cemetery would tell me when I was ready to go. I knew this, of course. I thought I'd need J with me, but I have to be here alone. That's reality.

Speaking of reality...your dad was here today when I got here. I drove around and didn't park because I could tell he was leaving. I waited for him to go to come over. That's your gift to me today, when it's been a year. Reality. Someone else was finally here. At least he left the things I've left for you, even though he didn't bring anything himself. For you or your mom. A part of me has wanted this for 9 months, since the first time I came here. Someone else is acknowledging that you're gone. So that I can feel like it's real and not just some nightmare my social anxiety invented. Thank you. For that. And for everything else. Thank you for being the best friend I ever had. For so long. Through so much. I know it's selfish as fuck for me to wish you were still here to walk me through all the shit I'm a big baby about doing alone. I miss you terribly. I love you so much. You fucker. God. 😭💔

I'll be back on the next warm day that isn't actually Christmas Eve or Christmas. Rest in peace, my dear friend. I know what reality is, but I'll never let you go. ❤️❤️❤️

[waywardxrhea]

Part Thirty-Three: Cabin Fever

[slow burn romance between Steve Rogers and SHIELD agent Emma Baker]

Warnings: 18+, contains humor, fluff, mental health, family trauma, romance, angst, language, violence, (potentially smut later on).

installment list

Word count: 2.1k

Emma faces the effects of cabin fever when the group gets snowed in during the holiday season.

A few more months pass in a blur of training to keep up physical fitness. The time passes so quickly that the winter months come before everyone is ready for them. After years of not having to drive the terrain, Emma forgot that she needed snow tires and chains for the truck to be able to get out safely in the winter weather that inevitably came around. The lack of snow tires becomes a problem when one morning Emma wakes up bright and early to head out to do some odd jobs around town she had been doing over the past few months. When she goes to open the door after slipping on a coat, she is met with freezing cold wind that blows snow into her face and into the doorway of the lodge.

Emma studies the weather for a few seconds, watching the snow relentlessly fall with no intentions of stopping anytime soon. She can't even see ten feet off of the porch. Even seeing this though, she debates on if she should still try and head into town to help those families that needed the extra set of hands so close to the holiday season. Her internal debate is stopped though when she hears Steve's groggy morning voice coming from behind her, asking, "You aren't going out in that are you, Em?"

Emma looks back at Steve and replies, "These families really seemed to be counting on me is the thing..."

Steve approaches her and wraps his arms around her, mumbling into her hair, "And I'm relying on you being here and safe. It isn't safe out there, especially without the proper equipment to get around." Emma tries to open her mouth to protest, but Steve then starts lazily tracing his fingers along her hips which makes her putty in his hands. He then continues with his statement, saying, "I know you try and keep your word, and I think it's so generous of you to help these people, but I just think it would be best if you called them to say that it isn't safe for you on the roads. Maybe this will all clear up in the next couple of days and you can go then. I just want you to be safe."

Emma thinks about Steve's words as he continues to run his fingers along her hips and she sighs with a smile, saying back to him, "You know I'm really glad you were up to stop me. I'm not the best at driving in this weather."

Steve chuckles and moves to kiss her. After he pulls away, he rests his forehead on hers and says, "Here, how about you come back to bed since we have time to kill now?"

Emma smiles and nods, telling him, "Let me make some calls, and then I'll be right there."

"I can't wait," he replies, giving her one last lingering kiss before shuffling back to their now shared bedroom.

After a few days, the snow still has not relented and the lodge gets successfully snowed in. In a desperate attempt to try and find a way to help those families out, Emma tries to fly SAM over the property to find a safe route out, but to no avail. Not being able to do anything and not being able to help those families sets off Emma's anxiety, and Steve can tell, so when Christmas Eve rolls around, he offers that they all have a Christmas movie marathon to get Emma's mind off of things. Everyone agrees and that night they set up a fire in the fireplace, make some hot chocolate, and settle in for the movies.

Emma and Steve sit on the couch curled up with one another in warm comfort as they watch the movies. As the movies go on and Steve continues to absentmindedly play with Emma's hair, her worries slip away at least for the time being.

A few movies in, Natasha gets tired, so she stands up to head to her room for the night. Sam feels the same so he heads off to his room as well. As they both leave the den, Steve yawns and then stands, offering his hand to Emma to help her up. "You coming?" Steve asks with a smirk, referencing the movie they just finished.

"I'll be there soon," Emma replies with a small smile. "I'm gonna take care of the dishes and the fire first and I'll be right there. Don't get too comfy until I get there."

Steve chuckles and replies, "I'll try, no promises though." He gives Emma a quick kiss before heading off to their room with a yawn.

Emma smiles at how cute Steve gets when he's tired before she starts to pick up the mugs the four of them used for their drinks that night. While washing the dishes, the quiet of the lodge gives Emma time to be alone with her thoughts and they start to slip into not the best place as she finishes up cleaning. She tries to shake these thoughts as she puts out the fire and sits on the piano bench nearby for a few minutes to make sure the fire goes completely out before she heads off to bed.

While sitting, Emma's eyes wander over to the piano itself and she uncovers the keys that she hadn't touched in years. She decides to give one of the keys a light tap while she waits on the fire to go out. The beautiful sound fills Emma's ears and she can't help but smile at the memories that flood into her mind. The memories are of her and Grammie sitting on that very piano bench while she taught a young Emma to play to get her mind off of the turmoil that was her life.

Emma looks at the keys and tentatively taps out a simple melody she knew by heart, the tune of Sleigh Ride. After a few more minutes of playing and forgetting the bad thoughts that had previously plagued her mind, Emma notices the embers of the fire are long gone. She yawns, recovers the piano keys, and heads off to bed for the night, happy that she was able to play the piano again.

The next morning, Emma wakes up before everyone else and decides to make breakfast for everyone. After surveying the cabinets and fridge, she decides on making waffles and bacon. As Emma begins cooking, she hears footsteps wander into the kitchen followed by the voice of Sam, saying, "Morning, Ems."

"Morning, Sam," she replies as he makes his way to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.

As he pours his drink, he asks, "Hey, was that you last night playing the piano? I wasn't sure if I was just hearing things."

"Yeah, that was me," Emma replies with a laugh.

"I didn't know you could play."

"It's been a while since I have," Emma admits. "I just didn't have the time before, but I really needed a distraction last night, and that's what that piano does for me."

"Distraction?" Sam asks curiously as he takes a sip of his coffee. "Something on your mind?"

Emma sighs and replies, "I dunno, it's probably just cabin fever and restlessness..."

"And...?" Sam prompts, sensing there had to be more to the problem.

"And I guess without the distraction of us training like we normally do and not being able to go out and do those odd jobs, my mind kinda just slipped back into a bad place. My mind's been telling me that I let those families down and then that spiraled into how I've always let you guys down and then went further back to how I let my family down and...and it's just been a lot." Emma pauses and realizes how much she just dumped on Sam and apologizes quickly, "Sorry, that was a lot I don't want to be a bother and all, it's probably all dumb anyways..."

Sam looks at Emma sympathetically and says to her, "Emma, it isn't dumb. I'm here to help. Recovery isn't linear, you know that right? Some days you'll be doing fine and then other days you'll feel like your past trauma is all you can think about and that's okay."

"I just hate feeling like I'm bringing everyone down..."

At this point, Sam stands up from where he was sitting at the table and stands beside Emma at the stove, "Here, let me get the bacon, you get the waffles, and we can talk this out while we cook yeah?"

"Oh you don't have to do that, I wouldn't want to be a bother," Emma rambles.

Sam gently hip-checks Emma and laughs before saying, "You're never a bother, Ems. I promise. You're clearly hurting and you don't have access to the help you did before. Lucky for you good old Sam used to lead the VA support group. So just go ahead, talk about whatever's on your mind and I'll try and help as best I can."

Emma smiles and nods as she starts to pour the batter into the waffle iron. She then starts talking with Sam about all the things she's been worried about lately. By the end of their conversation, Steve and Nat have woken up and breakfast is ready to be served. "Thank you for talking things through with me, Sam," Emma tells him with a smile.

"No problem, it feels good to help someone out with things like this. That's what friends are for."

Emma sits down with her plate and looks around at the others, saying, "And I got damn lucky with the friends I have."

Later that evening, the four of them watch a few more holiday movies together. After another couple of movies, Nat randomly speaks up, saying to everyone, "You know, this may not be a traditional Christmas, and we may not be here under the best of circumstances, but I'm really glad we're all here together. I never had anything like this growing up."

Emma smiles at the sentiment and nods. "I'm glad we're all here together too. And it's never too late to start making Christmas memories."

"Why don't we take a few pictures together to document the moment?" Steve asks.

"That sounds like a great idea," Emma replies. "It just isn't too decorated in here..."

Now Sam speaks up, saying, "We may not have a tree or anything, but we can take pictures in front of the fire."

The idea of having actual Christmas photos makes Nat smile from ear to ear as she hops up from her spot on the couch to get ready for the picture in her pj's. Emma quickly runs to grab a film camera she had found a few weeks before the snow to take pictures with. When she gets back, Emma sets the camera up on the couch and sets the timer before running to the group and into her place in Steve's arms right as the camera flashes.

After taking a few more group photos, Emma pulls Steve aside to take a picture of just them, kissing him right as the camera goes off. Once the photo develops, Steve smiles and asks, "Can I have this one? I've been meaning to get a picture of you to put in my compass and I really like this one." Emma smiles and nods at the sweet gesture.

"Hey, Emma, why don't you two stop being all lovey-dovey and you come play something on the piano!" Sam calls out as he sits back on the couch.

"Oh I didn't know you could play," Nat says.

"Me neither," Steve adds with a laugh.

"I guess it's an accidentally very well hidden talent of mine," Emma says with a laugh as she makes her way to sit on the piano bench. Before she sits though, she digs through a bin of sheet music and finds a beginner Christmas book. She starts with these songs, concentrating hard on not messing up since she hadn't played in so long.

After a couple of songs, Steve makes his way to sit beside Emma on the bench, wraps his arm around her, and rests his hand on her hip as she plays. While Emma concentrates on her playing, Steve looks over at her and smiles. At this moment, he is the happiest he's ever been. It's at times like these when Steve is with Emma that he almost forgets about his past, about how he was never meant to be in this time at all, about the fact that they were still in hiding from the government, about his falling out with Tony over the Accords and what Bucky did to his parents as the Winter Soldier. At this moment, Steve is at peace.

[countessklair]

my completely arbitrary guesses at how likely it is (percentage wise out of a possible 100% chance) that taylor attends each game left in the Chiefs regular season. my experience with this is i am a casual swiftie and i was born in Missouri and raised a die hard chiefs fan and still know only the bare minimum about football.

Thursday 10/12/2023, playing the Denver Broncos in KC: like a 10% chance, maybe less. premier of Eras Tour movie is the day before, the wide release is the day after, i just don't see it.

Sunday 10/22/2023, playing LA Charges in KC: like a 70% chance, it's at home and it should be a good game, but maybe she's busy getting ready for tour/releasing 1989 TV.

Sunday 10/29/2023, playing Denver Broncos in Denver: idk man like a 15% chance? who tf would wanna go to Denver this close to Halloween and this soon after 1989 TV release when you won't even get to spend any time with Travis because the teams leave away games *immediately* after the game is over.

Sunday 11/05/2023, playing Miami Dolphins in Germany: even though this is the Big International Game (and imo the *real* start to their season), the tour starts again in four days in South America, so...maybe like a 30% chance.

Weekend 11/10/2023 - 11/12/2023 Buenos Aires Eras Tour Concert: Travis *might* be able to go, it is on their bye week, but with the season ramping up and training schedules (also depending on if he's injured or something) I doubt he'd get enough time off to go, so I'll say 25%.

Monday 11/20/2023, playing Philadelphia Eagles in KC: GOD I WOULD LOVE FOR HER TO GO TO THIS GAME but I don't think she will, she'll probably still be recovering/travelling/planning for the next show, so I'll say 15% for the Superbowl rematch of the sister cities.

Sunday 11/26/2023, playing Las Vegas Raiders in Vegas: ....are you serious?? she has a SHOW that night, absolutely **ZERO** 0% chance she will NOT be there.

Sunday 12/03/2023, playing Green Bay Packers in Green Bay: she'll be on break from tour, but Wisconsin in December? miserable. 55% chance.

Sunday 12/10/2023, playing Buffalo Bills in KC: not gonna lie to you Swifties, this is gonna be a ROUGH game even if it is at home, even rougher than the Dolphins. personally i think Taylor should come as moral support, lol, but she might be busy, so I'll say an 85% chance.

Monday 12/18/2023, playing New England Patriots in Foxborough MA: if the Patriots don't get their act together this'll be an easy game (barring injuries and stuff), but it IS in MA and not NY or KC or LA or any of her other bases, soooo i'll say 60% chance.

Monday 12/25/2023, playing Las Vegas Raiders in KC: absolutely not, it's christmas day!! she'll be spending it with her family most likely. lord knows the players would love to! 5% chance.

Sunday 12/31/2023, playing Cincinnati Bengals in KC: this one is a little more likely but (hopefully) Joe Burrow will be all healed up by this time and this will again be a big bad game, the Bengals and the Chiefs have become HUGE rivals with the Mahomes/Burrow rivalry going on. it *is* at home, but it is *also* New Years Eve, which again taylor will probably want to spend with family. i'll say 25% chance.

Sunday 01/07/2024, playing LA Charges in LA: honestly the odds of her coming to this game are pretty good! again, should be a good game, and LA is a good 'away game' spot for her too. i'll say 75% chance.

[blindedbythedarkness]

Dear future me,

It's that time again on New Years Eve where I take a hot sec to actually see where I'm at. I did the same last year and just read it back and it was actually pretty useful, to see how much has changed and also how little.

I'll try and keep this brief, not least because I'm pretty shattered and ready for bed, even if it is still two hours until midnight.

How am I? Emotionally, I'd say turbulent. On the one hand I'm pretty consistently lonely at the minute - besides my partner the online friends I have has dwindled in number to 1.5 at this point. And 1 if you only count the people who ever make an effort to message me first. Day-to-day to med school is also emotionally exhausting, being constantly passively gaslit by crowds of maskless faces. There are people in this cohort who I like, and in another life maybe would easily have become good friends with, but the whole constantly-exposing-me-to-a-deadly-virus thing means there's a real ceiling on how much I can really bond with them.

On the other hand, some things are positive. For one, I made it back to medical school and I'm just about coping on placements. That's exactly what 2023 Me was hoping for this time last year, so that's a huge win! I've even gained the highest possible mark on my placements so far and honestly I feel a lot more confident than before my year out. I think my job taking 70+ patient calls per day did me good, even if it did feel like literal torture at the time.

Also, I've become a founding member of a local clean air advocacy group this year and we've achieved good things in only 6 months. As a last minute win for the year, earlier this evening the local hospital trust has just recommended FFP2/3 masks and ventilation to limit respiratory viruses on Twitter. I actually had to pinch myself when I saw it!! But I'm sure our constant pestering has played a role. It's not always been easy as it's essentially a voluntary group project, but I think together we can do far more than as individuals.

Health-wise, I'm far better than I was this time last year, yet still worse than I ever was pre-2023. I don't have debilitating daily headaches with light and sound sensitivity, and I much more rarely get bone and joint pain. I am extremely grateful that I've made the improvements I have, and petrified of ever losing that ground again to a reinfection. However, my fatigue and POTS are still quite a big issue and they've meant my return to medical school has had to be in a wheelchair. Adapting to that has been hard - it's one thing navigating all the difficulties you never thought of before (slippery rims in the rain, steep slopes, radar keys for toilets) and another to do it being stared at and patronised the whole time.

Balancing fatigue and med school has also been really tough as I feel like I've lost so much time for myself. When working shifts, I've been going to bed as early as 8pm to try and cram in enough hours that I can function the next day, and it means I just never get to relax and do what I want to do. I'm also really feeling the pressure of the med school calender, with no reading weeks, two weeks for Christmas and only a week for Easter. It's so hard to balance recharging and revising. I just keep telling myself it's time limited, I can work part time once I graduate. In the meantime, I need to make time to rest or I know my body will make that time for me at it's convenience.

My partner has very much been my rock this past year with all my health issues (not that he wasn't before). He's stepped up to doing a lot more things for me, ultimately making him my carer at this point. But I need it, and it's given me the energy and time I need to improve. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be making it through medical school without him, and I tell him that when I get this degree, it belongs to both of us. He's humble though, and just tells me he's sure I could do it anyway. I don't know what I did right to have him in my life, but I'm so fucking grateful he is.

Public-health wise, things are still broadly shit. This year has seen massive surges of whooping cough, measles and walking pneumonia and even more cases of people pretending that's somehow fucking normal. Currently the NHS is being pummeled by the so-called "quad-demic" of covid, flu, RSV and norovirus. Of course, nobody could have foreseen this 🙄 hospitals seem even more resistant than last year to reintroduce masks, though a few trusts are finally starting to cave. Meanwhile, over in the US bird flu is grumbling on, ready to kick off at any minute. California has declared a state of emergency and there's reports it's only one mutation away from efficient human to human spread. I've not kept up with it much besides that, but all the experts seem to think Things Really Aren't Looking Good. Such fun!

Besides that in world news - the entire West is still ignoring the ongoing genocide in Palestine (amongst others). And frankly it really sucks being able to do fuck all to stop it. Protests aren't covid-safe and in a world where I feel guilty turning on a single radiator, I can't afford to donate. Besides that, fucking Trump got elected again, so we all have that to look forward to in Janauary. I mean, I should count myself lucky that I'm not American since its them who will suffer the most (and inevitably die. Fuck this shit.) But it's still going to fuck over the whole world, for sure.

I said I would keep this short didn't I? 😅 I guess there's just a lot of things I know future me will want to look back on and compare notes.

Oh, the last thing! Tomorrow we get two new pet rats! We got our first pair of babies this year but they seem a little lonely and we're hoping two more will improve the dynamic. So yeah, watch this space!! Hopefully by this time next year they've all made friends and are ticking along nicely.

With the state of everything, my old OCD tendencies have been worming their way into my thoughts. I feel somewhat scared to say what I hope for next year, in case I somehow curse it to never happen. But I'll be brave and say I hope I'm still managing well at med school, despite the lack of holidays. I hope I'm still free from (re)infections and my long covid is at least manageable. And I hope we continue to move towards a safer, healthier world even if at the current glacial pace. Oh, and of course I hope my partner and I are both just happy, in general! Please be kind, universe!!!

To future me, I say I'm proud of you. You often spend so much time thinking about how far you have to go that you forget to look back on how far you've come. You've done great things, and you're going to do so many more. So be kind to yourself, rest, and keep taking it one day at a time. I love you.

C

[vaynoo]

Today, a new chapter in my life will start. We will finally move into an old farmhouse. The interior feels like the early 1900s late 1800s style i love so much with its creaky flooring, artistic wood work in the ceilings, and the old fire oven. The next couple of days will be hard work, but after I'll hopefully have more inspiration to draw when I live in the surroundings, I enjoy so much! 🌺

This marks a new point in my life. Things seem to have been going better for about a month. After a huge scare with my dad in the hospital in a coma after an epileptic cramp, my niece was born, and he soon came back home. Although still medicated, he's back with us and getting better. I absolved my first aid course and am now ready to start my drivers license in january. The approval for this new house is another good plus to us, so hopefully, things now continue to steadily improve 💕🌸

I'll try to get my little Christmas work done before Christmas Eve, and if rhis year won't have a large Christmas art, I'll make a big and pompous one next year! I have a simple and complex one in work. Who knows, maybe I'll even get both done for the extra special holiday spirit 👀

Alongside this, I started working on reworks and new lore to my stories! Now, I have to go. I hope all of you have an amazing time in this Christmas season!🎄🎁💕🌸

[bangtanpromptsfics]

pyxis.

dialogue prompt #9: “Cheer up it's Christmas Eve, sweetheart”

pairing: jimin x reader

genre: christmas au, brother's best friend au, fluff, childhood friends to lovers

word count: 3,412 (oh no)

warnings: reader is a lil sad but nothing angsty tho

summary: christmas was always an eager wait. less for the tree decorations, family dinner and the fuss of toddlers. more for your childhood best friend who you kissed under a mistletoe years back.

a/n: ahhh!!! I'm not completely satisfied with how this turned out to be. the inspiration was from a few christmas themed fics I read here and the movie ‘It's Christmas, Eve’. anyway this was my attempt though it's nowhere near christmas time. one of my personal goals is to celebrate a christmas like the west, the snow, the fuss and the commotion ;-;. Also I lost sense of time and space and this turned out to be 3k ;-;

masterlist

“Cheer up it's christmas eve, sweetheart”, your mother chimes as she pours brown batter into little cupcake moulds.

You simply smile at her, the festive mood not really getting to you because of exhaustion. Uni was tough, and enjoying this Christmas when you know you have tons of essays due in a few days was hammering inside your brain every now and then.

“Is that chocolate?”, you ask, leaning your tired body on the counter where she is at work.

“And orange”, she smiles, turning around to preheat the oven.

“Where's Jin”. Though you hated the routinely flicks against your forehead, the absence of your big brother felt weird.

“He went with Jimin to get the Christmas tree”.

The mention of Jimin brings a smile to your face. His soft features and captivating grin filling your head. If there was one of the few things you enjoyed coming back to your hometown for holidays, it's chocolate cupcakes your mom bakes and Jimin.

His family are friends with yours after all. You, Jin and Jimin attended the same school until college and other priorities in life drift you apart. Though the bond must have rusted a bit, you can't deny the fact that you still have that crush which started somewhere in middle school, on a chritmas eve like this when he kissed your cheeks shyly under the mistletoe. Your friends and family, and even Jimin himself must have seen it nothing more than platonic, but you still find yourself relieving the moment in your head however crazy it may sound.

Standing up straight, you decide to fix your bed hair and complete the skincare routine before the said duo drops.

“Mrs. Y/L/n...”, Jimin softly kicks the back door. He is carrying one end of a huge fir, and your brother on the other end, grunting from the freezing snow outside.

“Oh dear place it right there”, you mother is quick to her feet helping the boys and doing her usual commentary on how well the tree looked.

Jimin looks more handsome than ever, especially with his nose and cheeks dusted in scarlet from the cold. He looks really huggable in his fluffy sweaters and red beanie. Jin is busy commanding around so you choose to sit back, a very typical sibling energy and the size of decoration boxes and the tree itself not really appetizing to your will to find any strength.

“Hey Y/n!”, Jimin stares back at your eyes in a split moment which has your lashes fluttering suddenly. You probably look like you are carrying a disease and right now you become very hyper aware of that.

“You alright? You look tired”, he comments. You feel his eyes carefully studying the black under your eyes and worrying his mind because that's what he is like. He cares about everyone and everything, has a heart so soft it hurts to even think about it.

“Jet lag...”, you say, “I'll be fine”. You shoot a little thumbs up on his way to reassure.

“Why didn't Jin get the tree earlier? It's Christmas in a few hours”, you dodge the focus around you and walk near in an attempt to closely examine the tree for no reason other than feeling Jimin’s eyes a little too long on you.

Your brother gets visibly annoyed seeing you start a very unnecessary talk. So he is completely obliged to shoot back with, “Because you were in charge of Christmas decorations this year but your lazy ass flew down here only yesterday”.

“You know I was busy with Uni!”

“Whatever”, he shrugs, getting back to the box of tree decorations. You feel a little bad seeing yourself not being helpful during a festive season. It felt like you were procrastinating on your responsibilities as always.

“Um...is there any way I can help?”, you ask softly, earning a mischievous grin from Jin and your mom fills in the answer.

“We need more baubles. Also I missed out gifts for Aerum and June, so maybe you can get them”. Now this was already tiring and you were not lying earlier either, the jet lag was still choking you alive. You wonder if the huge pile of stars and glitters beside your foot aren't enough but then maybe it's true because this is the largest fir you ever saw for Christmas in your house. And speaking of the five year old notorious duo, your cousins-- Aerum and June, you have no other option than to step out into the butt numbing cold and get something for the sake of not getting your brains eaten.

While you stand there doing these calculations, Jimin puts a two and two and immediately suggests to tag along with you.

“That'd be great! Thanks sweetie”, your mom chimes, her fine lines of face gathering around her eyes while she does so and you catch her throwing a wink to your side and you pretend you never saw that.

“Thank you Jimin”, you smile in all honesty while he reciprocates the same.

“No problem. I'll get my car. Will you be ready in an hour? I think you just woke up”

“Uh...yeah”, you fake a laugh, “Yes I'll be ready in an hour”

Jimin still lives here in your hometown, attends a community college nearby and his house is just a few steps away from your own. You remember how you had the same analogy in your mind as well. You like living here. You like Jimin’s company. The lake Park and the annual ice skating competition in December and the bookstores and coffee shops at the outskirts of the town. And you can't seem to clearly remember when and where that feeling started to become foreign. Maybe it was a teenage quirk to explore the world that you are now a three hour flight away from all of this. It wasn't a deep regret, but seeing Jimin, it almost felt like it. It felt like you betrayed him. Because he seemed to be keeping his word to this day.

This year, it's a few degrees lower than what it usually is and you find yourself chattering your teeth together as you walk to Jimin’s house.

His footsteps rush to get the door as soon as you ring the doorbell and he greets with the same wide grin as if he hasn't just saw you an hour ago.

“Let's go?”, he asks immediately, getting house keys from his coat pocket and locking the front door before stepping out making you confused.

“There's no one home? Where are your parents?”

“Oh well didn't Mrs. Y/L/n tell you?”, he studies your features and gets his response so he continues “They went to New York this year for Christmas. It's some elder people thing I think...so I'll be spending Christmas this year with your family”

“Really!?”, you chime, and then immediately notice a very childish jump you did with tiny fists and all, feeling a little embarrassed at yourself, “Ah... uh I mean that's great”.

“Yeah”, he giggles, sounding like a twelve year old who is still waiting for his growth spurt, “Get in the car it's freezing in here”.

Since it's been six odd months you've spoken to Jimin, you figured it would would be strange and awkward to be with him, but his demeanor states otherwise. He could effortlessly begin conversations and build momentum with you and by the time you are at a thrift store, he is aware of the little gist of student life and the dramatically exaggerated history research paper still due.

“What are you getting for the twins?”, he asks, seeing you checking out the kids toys section with absolutely no idea and that's exactly what you reply to him.

“How about this puzzle?”, he brings a big jigsaw to your glance and you figure it's a great thing to have their little brains engaged and give yourself time to breathe.

“It's perfect!”, you add, immediately placing it your cart with a few decors you picked up from earlier aisles.

Jimin places an extra pack of Christmas candies in the cart, and you send him a questionable look knowing it's his way of bribing the kids coming this evening. He puts too much effort into people's happiness, something you wish you were capable of as well.

The shopping went smooth. It was therapeutic to get hot chocolate with extra marshmallows afterwards like he insisted followed by that very cliche movie scene where one of them develops a creme moustache and the other notices and dabs it off.

You want this moment to linger a little longer, but your whole family arrives in less than two hours and the decorations were due. If Jin doesn't have you in the next thirty minutes he might as well eat all the cupcakes your mom is baking as revenge.

“I had a great time”, Jimin states as he stops the car in front of your house, stealing the words from your mouth and warmth hugs your cheeks immediately.

“Me too. It's been long since we spent time with each other”

You hear a lone sigh with white fogs coming out of his plump lips while he does so, as if he were suddenly sad when you mentioned that.

“Are you okay?”

His grips tightens around the steering, “I've missed you”, he says, eyes meeting slowly. And as if he was suddenly pulled back to earth he conjures another sentence to not sound so vulnerable.

“I uh... It's just--”

“I've missed you too”

Even with the gear box painstakingly blocking the way, you throw your upper half towards his body anyways and you find him hugging you back. His hugs still feel the same from years back; safe and warm and filled with love.

If it wasn't for the constant reminder that your brother is probably plotting a murder against you, you would've stayed much longer in his embrace. Maybe the hug was a big straightforward for a bond still gradually blooming, but it didn't feel weird at all and when you pull back he is smiling down at you.

“I thought you two lovebirds flew off”, a very annoyed Jin states from above you. He is balancing himself on a chair to attach the mistletoe to the ceiling.

“Sorry hyung”, Jimin says. And somehow now you are getting super aware of the way your family is low key shipping you both. Not that it's an irritating thing of course though you seem to act like it. But you have no idea what's going on with Jimin, what if he said he missed you as your childhood friend? It's a lot difficult to segregate his priority of giving affection. He seems to be giving justice in terms of care for every living being he knows.

“The circus is on its way so I hope you both hurry with putting up everything together”, the voice above states, now lowering himself to ground after putting up the twig.

Three of you giggle at the mention of your family as a circus. Well in a way it definitely was. You have a bunch if uncles who crack awful jokes, a trait Jin himself as picked up from a tender age of ten. Then their wives and kids who share certainly the same braincells in comprehending things. You bet they'll ask you again about your major and your dating history once they walk in through that door amidst clearly stating everytime that you are a history major and yes still very single.

In the hallway there is a half decorated tree. A thread of fairly lights wrapped around the green and very few baubles hanging here and there.

“I'll put up the star and join you”, Jimin says, digging out a golden star from the carton. Though now he doesn't know why it was a good idea for him to announce that when both of you were almost the same height. He is just a few centimeters taller than you and the top of the fir is still very much way above your heads.

So with a chuckle you both figure Jin has to do it.

“This is your final year right?”, Jimin asks stepping closer to you. He seemed nervous about something. Or was it anxious?

“Yeah...you?”

“Yeah...”, his sweet tone was drawn almost like a whisper and you sense you should ask him further about what's wrong. But before you had to deal with a starter he continues,

“Are you planning to work in Chicago as well?”

“Sweetheart help me clean up the kitchen please”, your hear your mom's voice overpowering through the house. Which is good. Because you don't know what you are supposed to answer. It was as if he was almost hopeful that you'll choose your hometown all over again. But you aren't sure. So you take the opportunity to step away from the situation excusing yourself.

And while you are clearing the blobs of batter stuck on the counter, your mind is a haywire. What are you going to do? Though you know your whole family wants you to stay, it's still a foggy place to be in. Four years apart in another city as a college student has not provided much, except caffeine addiction and sleepless nights. Things were not even as fun as everyone told you.

A few steps away Jimin silently prays that you stay, because he had truly missed you. Even though you have outgrown from the eighteen year old shell as he had known, he finds himself actively choosing to be with you. Even when other things in life occupies his mind, there's an element of it which goes back to you.

“They are here!”. You groan silently, while your parents are throwing their hands in air, giggles and chatter fills in as your uncles and aunts and the taunting toddlers welcome themselves in.

“Y/n! You have grown so much!”, the older aunt comments, and you supply a manufactured smile to tag along. Other comments follow by soon, about how tired you are, gasps about not having a partner and future plans, all of which are not completely answerable at the moment but you manage to get through them all and finally excusing yourself back to the garage convincing there are more decor supplies in there.

Families are nice. They make festivals brighter and lives less lonely. But yours was just hard sometimes. Not that you completely loathed the people now fueling themselves off the cup cakes your mom bakes, you were just merely lost, still yet to come up with an answer to what your stance is after graduation.

“Hey...”. Jimin has joined you now which you notice feeling a warmth against your shoulder when he sits, with an extra scraf knowing the garage is still comparatively chilly than the house, “you okay?”.

“Yeah...I was just...thinking”

“Is this about earlier? I'm sorry if I made you anxious”, he quickly adds.

“No!...I mean yeah but, it's high time I find a ground with this. What are your plans?”

“I was thinking about teaching at Jefferson High”, he shifts rather uncomfortably. He is talking of the school in your town, your school, where you have lots of memories with Jimin, “You know...like we said during Junior year in high school?”

“I'm sorry Jimin”, you feel the guilt inside you growing, “I never kept my promises”.

“Hey...that's okay! Everyone changes. I just want you to be happy. I...I hope you are happy Y/n”, he reassures, taking your hand from your side and squeezing it between his soft palms.

“I don't know about that either...”

As much as you hated showcasing vulnerability to another person, you know Jimin is an exception. You had cried to him about everything during school days and he had never invalidated a single thing, even when you were visibly dramatic over a downpour during a family picnic when you were five.

Jimin is frozen on his seat as if he can't find the words. He was never good with words so instead he hugs you, a little longer than the last time till he is sure you have calmed down. Grateful for not ending up crying, you smile up at him and remind yourselves to get back inside to avoid suspicion, especially from the kids who take humiliating people as an important milestone to achieve.

When you enter back inside and get immediately surrounded by a million questions and chores thrown at you, you find your answer. Maybe your heart belongs back to everything your younger self had blabbered about. Not to mention, this fairly good reunion with your crush feels nice, though, he might still see it as platonic. Maybe he makes things less daunting.

By the way Jimin was owning everyone's heart in the house, it felt like he was family. Well in a way he is. But to put more clarity, he bought things together and his actions bought so much peace and love within everyone. Even the notorious twins listen carefully to him and help the uncles and aunts in the kitchen.

He is again by your side, two cupcakes rests on his palms and you take it with a silent ‘thanks’.

Seeing no signs of him beginning a talk now, you think of coming up with something. Maybe a memoir from today? Or about how absolutely handsome he looks right now? Wait.

“They are under the kissing twig!”, Aerum screams like the house caught in fire, her sibling joining by the side to provoke the habit even more.

“It's called a mistletoe Aerum”, your aunt corrects before pasting a smug across her lips.

Nothing changed. They are the same people. Hyping you and Jimin to kiss just like when you were thirteen. If the factor of time is removed, this is the exact night. Both of you cemented to the flooring as if you forgot to exist.

Both of your necks snap together to the mistletoe Jin had attached to the ceiling earlier. And when you lower your gaze back, face gawks at each other eye to eye. It's the same. He has that blush, the shyness from years ago. It's going to be platonic. Yet again. And this moment will only ever be romantic and flowery in your head.

June was the first to squeak, and Aerum shuts her eyes the moment Jimin is leaning his mouth towards your lips. It was difficult to relax under the stares of many, but when he ghosts his mouth over your again and leans in for a second kiss, you are fixated on him. Hands holding each other, the plump of his lips so soft it felt like you were biting into a fluff of cloud.

Maybe he'll have an explanation to your family for this. Not like anyone in the audience was disappointed. Your mother was almost in tears? And Jin looked hardly surprised with any of this. As if it was all swell according to his plans.

“You both are so cute”, one of the aunts awes and your mother is quick by her side, completely agreeing to it.

“Jimin...”, you return your gaze to the equally flustered man who just kissed you and he sounded almost breathless,

“I'm sorry if this was wrong it ju--”

“I like you”, you immediately snap in and his face is a void for an instant. Fully processing the words, his eyes disappear when he grins, “I like you too...a lot”.

“Are you two dating?”, the twins haven't dropped the case yet, running to your feet to help their curious brains.

“Yes...”, Jimin responds, looking up at you for a reassurance, which you quickly supply with a nod, “Yes we are dating”.

When the kids are satisfied they go away snickering to themselves.

“I decided to stay”, you say.

“Really!?”, his disbelief was comical, yet wholesome considering how much he wished for this, “I'm...I'm so happy!”.

Giggling at him, this time you lean forward and peck the corner of his lips.

“You lovebirds better get a room”, Jin announces and thankfully not loud enough to catch everyone else's attention.

Usually Jin expects a punch to his arms from his sister, but he sees how grateful you are for his mistletoe decor. He leaves the couple, satisfied that there won't be any more ranting about how much Jimin likes you.

Thank you so much for reading!! ♡♡

Original Content of ©bangtanpromptsfics

[wsaaimagines]

Memories and Illusions

A/N: It's been a hot minute and we're back! Thought I'd kick off with the possible start to a series maybe? Be aware, this is a non-superhero modern AU. I make references to the MCU, but some character relations and things have been modified.

Chapter 1

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

You and Loki met 5 years ago, at a friend's house party. He introduced himself with a magic trick that you still aren't able to explain to this day. After a few months of coffee dates and flirting eventually bloomed into a long-lasting romance.

On Christmas Eve, while on a trip to your hometown, you went outside to find your favourite tree growing up was lit up in fairy lights that danced and sparkled in the frosty night. Standing in the glowing light was Loki, handsomely dressed in a dark tuxedo and coat. "Come, my gentle Illusion, I have a question to ask."

Snow gently sprinkled as you made your way to your childhood reading nook to find Loki kneeling at the base of the tree. He spoke of how grateful he was that he had met you, and how you were the only one who supported him to chase his dream. With tears in your eyes and another magical twist of his hands, a ring appeared and he quietly asked you to marry him.

This was a year ago, of course. Now the two of you lived in a cramped apartment in New York. Loki worked his dream job as a child entertainer and called himself the "God of Mischief". The subject of kids hadn't really come up yet, but watching him perform for them always made you feel a little giddy.

"Watching him with those kids makes your ovaries ache, doesn't it?" You snapped out of your daydream to see Wanda watching Loki pull a card from behind Tommy's ear. "I don't know. We haven't even talked about it yet. Plus, we still have the wedding." "Fuck the wedding. (y/n), you two have been engaged for a year now. The wedding can wait a bit longer." "I just don't think we're ready. Anyway, if we can't save up enough for a wedding, we won't be able to afford a child..." You drifted off as Loki bowed to his audience of kids and made his way to you and Wanda. He pulled you into a tight hug and kissed you.

"Sometimes your fake magic can even have me fooled," Wanda cleared her throat and stood up. "My magic's just as real as your rituals and card readings," Loki retorted with his signature smirk. She gave him a gentle smack as she made her way over to the kids. "But really, how did I do?" "Like always, your little illusions are amazing." "Not as amazing as my proudest one yet," he said softly as he brushed a tuft of hair away from your face.

After Tommy's party was over, you and Loki made your way back to the apartment. The place was cramped and there was plenty wrong with the place, but you tried to make it as homey as possible. Seeing as Loki only worked as a child entertainer, he didn't earn very much and there were times he barely had any work at all. To make up for his lack of income, you had picked up a job as a manager of the night-shift at a hotel on the Upper East Side. The pay wasn't much, and from whatever money you earned, only a fraction of that was put towards the wedding.

"Your dinner is packed and I've left some food in your bag to snack on if you get hungry," Loki told after you came out in your uniform, a white blouse, dark grey suit jacket and pencil skirt. "Can you make sure to send my suit to the dry cleaners tomorrow? I need it for a meeting later this week," you asked as you retrieved your food from him and gave him a peck on the lips. "I'll make sure it's back by Wednesday. (y/n), I'm sorry-" "Loki, you start this every night. I don't hate that I have to work. I enjoy it, stop feeling bad for yourself." "Yes," he responded softly. He gave you one last kiss before you grabbed the rest of your things and left for tonight's shift.

"(y/n), we have a special guest staying with us for the next week. James Barnes in the CEO of a L.A. based law firm." The name sounded familiar as your boss, Mr. Fury, started to rattle off about why this guest was so important. "We want the managers to be his first port of call. Any questions or requests Mr. Barnes may have, we want you to chase them up personally."

Entering the lobby, Mr. Fury pointed out the new guest and ushered you and the day-shift manager, Steve Rogers, over to the group of lawyers. "Mr. Barnes! Welcome to the Triskelion. My name is Nick Fury and these are my managers, Steve Rogers and (y/n) Laufeyson." Mr. Barnes shook Steve's hand and turned to you to shake yours. Your eyes met and you were instantly taken back to your high school years.

Sitting in Bucky's car, the both of you looked out over your hometown in silence. You had just broken up with him. You and James grew up together in rich families and had fallen in love once you reached your teenage years. However, you realised you wanted to be more self-sufficient in life while James still wanted to continue relying on his family's money. "So... I'm leaving and moving to New York next week." "What about your family? Your mum? Your dad? " "They'll get over it," you said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I don't want to be stuck in a routine, having to think about my family's image before my own happiness. I want to work. I want to travel." "Your family can get you those things." "But I want to get them myself! I want the satisfaction of knowing I earned those things." "Then I guess we're over." "I guess we are."

You stepped forward to shake James' hand. It felt different, firmer and rougher, compared to what those baby-soft hands you remembered felt like. "Glad to make your acquaintance, Ms. Laufeyson. I'll be looking forward to my stay here," he greeted with a smirk growing across his fame.

"It's Mrs. Laufeyson, thank you."

~ Emma

[honey-honey-honey-lit-the-fire]

I.O.U

*Disclaimer: pardon my english, and hmm yeah this whole wtf writing :). There's part 2*

24th December.

We agreed to meet at his dorm. This was my first time coming to his place and of course i was very nervous. I knew i had to be careful since there were a lot of his fans and reporters wandering around his dorm. So, i dressed myself as a staff. I have met his manager and thankfully he liked me and agreed for us to spend time at his dorm. He gave me his other id card so i can enter the building. I rang the bell and immediately welcomed by Kun. "Uhm, hello.." , i awkwardly greeted since we had never spoken before. "HEY YANGYANG! Your guest is here. And by the way nice to meet you, he has told me bout you. Please come in, y/n!", Kun said while opening the door widely. I thanked him and entered the living room which connected to the kitchen. Kun went to the kitchen to prepare me a drink and while he was doing that we got to know about each other a little bit more. He was speaking korean since i said i didn't understand chinese. "Don't get me wrong, but you look very young.., what line are you, " he asked. "Uhm.. 03 line.., and thank you for the tea," i blushed and drank the tea he gave me. At this moment, i started to search where Yangyang was. I wanted to asked Kun but it would just make me look impatient. "Hii!! Y/N!!!!" Yangyang startled me with a back hug. I spilled the hot tea i was drinking to my hand. "Ouch! I'm sorry.. let me clean this up," i said. I got up immediately cause i wanted to stop Kun who looked kinda panic in front of me. "Aye! Let me take care of her, she's MY guest," Yangyang said while snitching a paper towel from Kun's hand. "Baby.. you okay? Why did you say sorry? I'M sorry..," Yangyang held my hand and cleaned the table. The tea wasn't that hot so i was obviously fine, just a bit embarrassed. Kun was smiling across the counter seeing Yangyang. He would never thought his baby called a girl "baby" and even more surprised to see him cleaning up a mess. Kun left us and went to his room. "You really are a surprise, aren't you," i said smilingly to Yangyang. He smiled back and laughed. We walked to the sofa. "So.. wanna watch? You pick," he said. And so since it was Christmas eve, i picked a romance Christmas movie. He wasn't a particular fan of romance movies like me so he was kinda bored. Yangyang suddenly stood up and went somewhere. It made me question myself "is the movie really that boring?". My heart sank a little bit. Then he came from his room, with a blanket and snacks. Wayv dorms was always known to never run out of snacks. He put the snacks on the table and sat right beside me again. "Sorry for leaving you, it's just you look like you're cold," he said softly. I was. Or maybe it was just the awkward situation. He pat his lap telling me to rest my head on his. His legs was very bony so i laughed quietly. "What are you laughing about," he asked smiling and fixing his gaze on me who was resting in his lap. "Nothing, i'm just really happy right now. You. You are all that i need. We don't have to continue the movie you know," i said. "Thank god. I thought we stuck in this awkwardness forever, " he answered. He kissed my forehead and played with my hair. I sat up since his hand was around my waist giving me sign to sit up. He guided me to sit on his lap. He kissed me on the lips while caressing my back. After a while of making out, i pulled back. It was around midnight then. I searched his present in my bag. I bought him a bracelet the day before. It was expensive and i had to save my money for a month to buy that. "I don't know if you'll like it, but please take my Christmas present for you, " i said quietly and handing over the gift box to his hand. "Baby.. thank you, " he opened the box and put his iconic wide smile. "I know you don't celebrate Christmas, but still, Merry Christmas my dear. You made this Christmas eve the most beautiful night of my life. I owe you a Christmas present. Today i'll make it up to you. Be ready for my plans baby," Yangyang whispered those to my ears. I kissed him as a response and slowly drifting away of tiredness. The next morning, it was Christmas. I woke up.

In the couch. In his dorm. "Fuck! Why did i fall asleep here," spontaneously cursing myself in my head. I looked around and realized i was left alone. "You up? Good morning!" Yangyang brightly jumped out of nowhere. "Gosh.. you know i shouldn't have stayed here. You should have waken me up, " i said. "Well I'm sorry grumpy baby.. and btw it was safer for you to sleep here. Seeing you out from the building around midnight would be kinda suspicious you know," he said teasingly. He had some points. "Are the others okay with me staying over like this, i feel really bad right now..," i was suddenly full of guilt. "Hey it's just us and Kun and he said it was okay," he reassured me. He explained that the others went home for the holidays. He lightly fixed my hair and kissed me to wake me up fully. He put his arm around my shoulder. "So about the plans today.. oh, before that, we go to your apartment first to take a shower and dress up, and then breakfast baby," he laughed. He drove me to my apartment. He made himself at home while i took a shower and got ready. "Okay?" i asked while showing my white dress that i purposely bought for today. "You look very pretty, baby. You look pretty with or without that dress, like later tonight, " Yangyang teased. "What?" i blushed. I took my coat and went out. We went out to get brunch next. We went to a German restaurant that he liked. "So about that plans you talked about last night? Can you tell me about it, " i asked teasingly. "No, all secret baby. Just wait and see..," he answered. We arrived at the restaurant and immediately found a seat. I ordered a german pancake and he ordered a brunch package. We ate and talked lightly. "Actually.. you kinda scared me last night" he said. " You suddenly collapsed and i thought you passed out, " he laughed. "Really? Gosh.. i think i was really tired this past few days," i said. "I know baby, i glad this day finally come and you can ease yourself with me." Yangyang said it sweetly while looking into my eyes. He paid and we went out to the car. "Hehe.. you're coming shopping with me finally," he childlishly smiled. "Oh? Okay then. I wanna see how much you really spend on your fashion, " i laughed. At this moment my heart was just racing. I was happy but at the same moment i was scared also. This. This date. This whole relationship. It was all on the line for this day. We arrived at Galleria. We walked separately since it was kinda risky. No, really risky. He looked around and bought some stuff for himself. And suddenly, i saw a camera shooting towards him. I knew i had to go further from him. I texted him the situation and that i waited for him in a cafe. I knew Yangyang never checked his phones in public so yeah i just hoped he realized me missing. I spent my time calming myself and practiced looking normal despite feeling anxious. Around half an hour passed he texted me and said he would be over in a minute. He knew that this would happened so he took it normally. He went to the cafe and we walked to the car. We lost the cameras in the crowd and arrived at the basement safely together. I was sorry but i couldn't say a word at that time. "Hey hey, what's wrong," he said worrily. "I'm sorry for leaving you i just.." my words were cut by his kiss. "No, i know you do that for us, not just for you, but to protect me also. Thank you baby," he said sweetly. My worries immediately went away hearing his words. I smiled at him to make him know that he made me feel fine that time. He gave me some jokes. Well I laughed at the littlest things so he was happy hearing me laugh at every of his jokes. "Where are we going?" i asked. "Patient, baby. This one is a surprise for you," he said. We arrived at an art gallery. "Huh?" I questioned. "Christmas is all about home right? We went to a german restaurant so now we're going to your home, " he explained. I rarely shared my childhood stories with him but i remembered one time when we talked about Ten's art, i told him that my parents used to have an art gallery back home. It had been 5 years since i moved

to Korea and my parents sold our house and the gallery. This place made me miss my old home really bad. My eyes were teary without me realizing. "Oh, i would never expected this from you. Thank you," i smiled to him. We walked inside and went around. The whole time i was really emotional and distracted. We went out and went in to gallery's cafe. I sat while he ordered us drinks. "The life i had was something.. special. There are not many children who has lived in an "artfull" life. Me and my sister had to attend so many parties back then. The real life of art galleries starts when exhibitions come up. The live, the art, the people.. it was so overwhelming for two girls who knew nothing. People always know that art galleries are quiet and boring. I guess i'm just grateful that i got to see the other side of it. And i would really like to show it to you," i said. He listened to me whole-heartedly and said, "I would love that. I would love to meet your parents too!" he teased. I playfully pouted at him. He always knew how to brighten up the mood. We then walked around for food. We decided to come in a warm soup restaurant. Eating korean food already tasted like a home food for me right now. It was around 7 pm. We walked around a river next to the gallery. There was no one in sight so i was really comfortable at that time. I linked my arms around his. We walked without saying anything. The silence wasn't awkward yet it was truly comforting. All i felt was his warmth and company, to know that there was someone i loved and loved me back walking right next to me, was more than enough. We stop to take a sit when suddenly snow fell. "Wah, the first snow fell on the perfect time, " he turned to me. "It's really beautiful, every first snow feels like the first time for me seeing snow, " i said while touching a snow that dropped in front of me. "It looks just like in romance movies," i laughed teasing him. He turned away his head jokingly. Suddenly he turned back his head and kissed me unaware. I snuggled to his lean body and warmed myself in his arms. I wished this moment could last forever. We continued our walk in the snow and back to our car. He warmed the car since it was getting really colder. "We still have one more on the list, you still up?" he asked, concerning if i was tired. "Let's go! Wherever it is., " i said brightly. He drove again to some place. We got to a night theme park. We were a little bit hungry so we went to get fish shaped bread first. "This is perfect for the weather," i said. "I know right," he playfully said and round his arms around my shoulder. He took me to an ice rink there. Neither of us could skate well so we were stumbling against each other. I took this quiet funny. We didn't skate long because of the cold so we went to a ferris wheel. I didn't tell him that i was scared of height. He was known to be a fearless boy so i just wanted to keep up with him. I expected this to be so romantic and i was very excited. We went into a booth and sat across each other. We had a small talk about the plans we did that day until our booth was almost at the top. I started getting very scared and held the chair tightly. He noticed that and moved right next beside me. He took me in his arms and i sank my face in his chest. The floor booth was from glass and my legs were getting really shaky. He held me tight as i was something breakable and whispered, "Are you okay now?" I lifted my head to see his face and nod with a smile. "I didn't want to tell you cause uhm, i want to spend every minutes of this day with you, like this..," i said to him. "I know baby, i know," he teased while fixing my beanie. The booth reached the top and he sat me up to kiss me. "Today was all perfect. Thank you baby. But today isn't over yet, " he smirked to tease me. The booth finally went back to the ground and we got off. It was 10 pm right then and we drove back to my apartment. I knew he was gonna stay over but i told him to anyways just to make him sure i was alright with it. I turned on my heater and prepared him a hot cocoa

while he looked around seeing my plushies. "A lamb huh?" he holds a lamb plushie that i had since i was a baby. "Yeah. It is the first toy i have. He's my first "yang", jealous?" I teased him. "Well I'm here now, so you just gotta back off okay," he said it to the toy jokingly. I laughed and handed him a cup of hot cocoa. I left him to take a shower and changed into my pajama. After i finished, he also took a shower and put on clean clothes he always had in his car. We got into my bed. We cuddled immediately since the sheet were pretty cold. "I love you," he whispered. "24 hours isn't enough for all the plans i have in my head for you." "Then, how about tomorrow and the rest of the holiday? It feels like Christmas every time I'm with you.." i said reassuring him. -SMUT- I kissed him this time and his eyes brightened up immediately. He sat up and leaned on the headboard. I sat around his legs. He hold my waist while i kissed him slowly, yet burning him. He pulled his hands off my waist and started unbuttoning my pajamas. I stopped and kinda took a few seconds to fully aware the situation we were getting to. I nodded at him before he fully unbuttoned my shirt. He took his time feeling every button and it made me really impatient. I tug his short and he gave me this question full look, "Aye baby, all good things come to those who wait." He kissed my neck while unclasping my bra and pulling down my pants. He covered me with a blanket so i didn't get cold. I pulled up his shirt and sank to his chest, feeling his warmth. He turned me around so i was laying on the bed right now with him hovering me. He playfully played with the seams of panty and occasionally rub my sensitive spot. I squinted my eyes in pleasure and anticipation. "Don't close your eyes, i want to see all of you," he teased. I hit his arms lightly and pouted. He tried to pull of my panty but i stopped it with crossing my legs. He showed a confused look, a bit of scared look in his eyes. I was embarrassed to say this but i said it anyway, "It's my first, i have never gone this far with a boy before..," hiding my face with a pillow. "Oh? Do you want to continue? Cause we can stop if you feel uncomfortable and i'm truly okay with, no lie," he said. I wanted this and there would be no other perfect day to do this. He smiled and whispered me that he would be very gentle and careful not to hurt me. He took off my the last piece of clothing i had and took a few second of himself. My cheek felt like it was burning and even in this weather i didn't feel cold at all. He caressed my thighs while kissing parts of my body from the top. He put his finger in front of my mouth telling me to wet it. I sucked on his finger and he had that smug look on his face. He put one finger on the opening, "Relax baby, it will hurt if you don't relax. " I was nervous but he stroked my hairs gently, kissed my forehead, and made all my fears go away. He finally put one finger inside. I moaned in pain and the new kind of pleasure i was feeling. He checked if i was okay before moving the finger gently. His thumb was circling around my bud while his other hand held my nape. Not long i started feeling the pleasure highly building and i knew about this feeling. "Yangyang... Please.. uh..i think I'm about to come," i said heavily, murmuring under my breath. "Come for me baby..," he said. He hit a triggering spot inside me and speeded up his pace. And that was it, i came for the first time. "We haven't even started baby.. " he teased with a smug look on his face. I came down from my high and slowed my breath. He positioned himself down so his head was between my legs now. He spread my knees wide enough that i scrunched his shoulder. "Hold it for me, " he said before he licked my slit and entered his tounge inside me until i started building up pleasure again. "Ahh.. stop.. oh Yangyang.. it's.. so.. good..," i said. The pleasure reached the top again and it was more overwhelming than the one before. I screamed out his name, "I'm gonna cum... please," while distorting my facial expression. He

circled my clit with his thumb and i came for the second time. My legs felt like jelly and i barely had enough energy to open my eyes. He removed his clothes, all of them and quickly grabbed protection from his wallet. He put on the condom on his shaft that was already tensioned. He once again relaxed me down, knowing i was nervous without telling it to him. He positioned his shaft right on my entering. He stroked my hair and kissed me. "Tell me if it's too much, okay?" he whispered. I closed my eyes and grabbed the sheet while he pushed in slowly into me. He checked me first before pushing it deeper inside. He always brushed my head every time i let out a voice of pain. He was very caring and careful as if i was made of porcelain. "You did good baby.. Tell me if you're ready," he said. He kept his inside for awhile while i was adjusting the unfamiliar feeling. I nodded as a approval and he moved it slowly. The little pain that i was feeling turned into pleasure. He builded up his speed and i was losing my mind once again. "I can't.. please.. oh Yangyang, " i moaned his name again and again shamelessly. "Together baby, " he said. His breath was out of control and my name slipped between his groan. We came. I felt like all of my inner energy bursted out. He removed himself from me and cleaned up. He then searched for a clean towel. "Baby let me clean you up quick then you can sleep, " he said. After that he put me my pajamas back and tug me to bed. I was too tired that i didn't remember what he did after that since i passed out.

[carrottuan93]

Haven’t met you yet | Mark

Masterlist (3/4) | part1 - part2 - part4

Starring: MK x You

Tags: Mark Tuan, Fluff, Destiny, Waiting, Christmas, Bookworm, Nerd, Love, Fate

Total WC: 2194

You nearly puked your guts out to the sight of Jackson sticking to Eunhee and hugging her like forever has been robbed from them. You failed to confide to your best friend about what happened to you in the last 24 hours. So as not to spoil their couple time together, you chose to not disturb them and just mingle with all the kids in the sweet treats section. You love kids so much you play Santa and distributed macarons to each one of them. As expected, most of your close friends and guests brought their own boyfriends, if not, their own husbands and it was a nice show to witness, with sarcasm aside. Thanks to Jackson’s little cousins, they keep you entertained with their bubbly personality.

 “One with the kids, sure you’re missing the party in the adult section, no?” The sight of a guy clad in a formal white dress shirt, tucked in a black denim pants partnered with a classic chuck taylor, and a gray winter coat, welcomed your eyes. Guys who dress fashionably is such a head turner for you.

“Actually, they keep me company so I’m having fun to be honest.” You replied, feeling all the weird sensation cascading across your spine. You feel a bit nauseous whenever guys approach you. You don’t know if you even want to be with a guy right now, after your embarrassing experience last night.

 “My cousins here are a bunch of nuisance, you’ll get tired of them soon.” He picked one matcha macaron from the aisle and took a bite of it. You observed his expression. A smile crept up to his face and you caught sight of Eunhee in a distant, gossiping to Jackson that you’re having a moment with his cousin. You certainly know that they’re mentally pairing you up already and you are growing nervous about the plans that they are possibly plotting behind your back.

 “You like it? I bought them all the way from a café near my workplace that sells classic macarons just like the original ones from Paris.” He nodded in approval as you watch him took another piece, this time it’s strawberry. That’s your favorite flavor among the rest and you can really tell that the sweet tooth runs on Jackson’s bloodline by how his cousins, from the little chubby ones and the grown up beside you, munch on your favorite treat.

 “I never really eat macarons, but you introduced me into it. You deserve a recognition, uhm?” He lifted his hand for a handshake. He doesn’t know your name yet so you took his hand and introduced yourself right away.

 “It’s Y/n, Eunhee’s best friend. Thank you for the recognition by the way. Well, you come here with a date?” You’re mentally tiptoeing above the thin ice. It’s better to assume that this cute guy over here is already taken, I mean with his looks, he's totally a charmer, you thought to yourself.

 “I didn’t bring anyone with me, so I assume you also come along on your own, no?” Green light. Okay, you need to calm down. This isn’t like any of your past blind dates but first meetups are usually nerve wracking and scary so you played the innocent heroine that you are and chose to just go with the flow seeing how Eunhee and Jackson are staring at you maliciously from Mark’s back, you know they were able to receive the death notes you are sending them via telepathy.

 “That explains it.” It’s not that you had a thing with cute guys, but maybe you just discovered it right now. You can tell he’s a decent one, a cool and random Asian-American import from the west and maybe if you’re an ice cream, you already turned into liquid by the way he stares at you.

 “I don’t know anything about you yet, but would you trust a complete stranger to celebrate your Christmas eve with? If you’re up for it, we’ll leave this party right away because I can tell that you’re going to get sick from all these couples outnumbering us.” Have you been a good girl this year? You didn’t include this guy on your Christmas list but Santa rewarded you without even asking for it.

 “I’m putting my trust on you knowing that Jackson is a good guy so does his cousin. I'll sue him and he’ll answer for the damages and fines in case you failed to bring me back in good shape.” You both let out a hefty chuckle earning glares from your best friend and her boyfriend. You’ve decided to pursue your spontaneous trip with Mark and the next thing you know you’re already closing the front door upon your exit even before the two of them could react to your great and grand escape.

  ----

  He took you on a ride away from the busy and bustling streets of Seoul. You're thrilled to find out that he actually brought you to Namsan Tower, the highest peak in the city. You're awed expression cannot suffice the picturesque panoramic scenery of Seoul unfolding in front of your very eyes when you entered the observatory on the top most floor. You were unable to talk all of a sudden and your heart is brimming with unexplained strings of emotion as you kept on taking pictures and videos of the breathtaking place that sent your eyes into a food coma.

 "I only went to N tower once, or maybe twice but that was during the day and I have no idea that this is how it looks at night. It's a miss, nobody will be able to witness this scene on a Christmas eve the way we're seeing it right now." You forgot about your shameful episodes of last night's happenings and your worries disappeared in just an instant.

 "I kind of paid for tonight's reservation when I arrived here in Korea a week ago, with the hopes of spending Christmas only to myself. Consider yourself lucky, you've managed to join me on this one-time event. Heck, the price I paid for is totally worth it. Come here and try this." He urged you to look on the telescope, and to your surprise, you're taking in every aspect of the city in a bird's eye perspective. Everything you look at is really stunning. Like you never really imagined that perfection exists for real until tonight and you're experiencing it with a random guy whom you've only met an hour ago. Your eyes met his and you wished you aren't redder than a rotten tomato for looking like a lost deer caught on a headlight.

 "The view here is really pretty.” He gave you a smile, too charming for your own consumption.

“It really is.” He’s even prettier than the view. You can only sense your guy-o-meter raising for Mark. Good lord, is this a sign? Your mind is now ready to tick the ideal guy boxes on your list.

 “We shouldn't keep this New York style pizza from waiting while it is hot.” He chuckled, like the cute kid that he is. There is something with his unique laugh that you really don’t mind hearing at all. Is he older than me? Please, I don’t want to date someone younger than me.

 “Okay, sure kid.” You followed him as he sat on the ground in a dimly lit room radiating a romantic atmosphere under the starry and chilly skies of Seoul. This is not a date, but a friendly escape out of boredom planned by two single hearts on a Christmas eve. As if you’re two partners in crime, sitting on one of the highest skyscrapers in town, while sharing a box of pizza. It’s just that you aren’t Bonnie and neither he is your Clyde but you're loving the idea of him as someone whom you can rely on.

 “I’m older than you, silly.” The sight of a wine bottle behind him caught your attention and wondered where it came from. He noticed you eyeing the prize so he did the honor and poured you a glass of wine while you’re devouring your slice of pizza. You never imagined that eating pizza is too romantic and one for the books.

 “Any proof that you’re actually above 25? Cause you really look young. With that face, you can qualify for a student discount on public transports and still save money for your commute.” You want to make sure that he’s at least 5 years older than you. You prefer dating someone older than you because they always say that a guy's maturity is a year delayed for his age.

 “Trust me, I just know. I’m old enough to buy a house and enter into casinos, I guess.” He gave you a wink and you felt a gush of strong wind blew your senses away. He’s totally a Romeo and you took a swig of wine while observing him secretly.

 “So you’re a gambler? I might have been spending my time with some kind of a mafia leader and still have no clue about it.” He’s laughing at it again. I might have a talent with making cute guys laugh and that’s an asset I only discovered right now.

 “What, no! But my dad is a big spender in casinos. My duty is to look out for him and take him home before he could even bet our fortune with his leisure. I could always hear him say ‘It has gotta be all or nothing’. He’s born for taking risks and maybe I got that gene from him that’s why.” He stretched his legs and sat like he’s on a photoshoot. He’s not a model but he can beat the professional ones even without the need for screening.

 “What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your life so far?” You folded your legs as you watch him wonder with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He poured a glass for himself and you noticed that he used the same glass that you drink on.

 “I believe we’re taking risks everyday in our lives. The only difference is the distance of our leap towards taking or not taking chances at all. Like when you’re playing a game, everything starts with equal opportunities. It’s a race to the witch mountain. The first one to gamble takes it all. You gotta be the predator of every tournament and you gotta be the last one standing in a survival of the fittest. If you’re brave enough to take the earliest start, you can use that advantage to ace your end game. It’s all about timing and investing. Win or lose streak. There is no such thing as a grey area when it comes to taking risks. You don’t get to tie with anybody. Either you’ll win or lose. You just have to trust your instincts and roll your dice like everyday is your last day on earth. If I go for something, I go all in. No half-baked decisions. Because my father taught me that risks equates to rewards and I’m all up for the extremes of both worlds. That’s the one thing I’m best at. I know how to play the game nice and fair because I know how to measure the corners of a square and even the distance around the circle which is not visible to the naked eye. After all, he considers me as his lucky charm. That explains my presence to his endless casino nights. And he hardly ever loses if I’m with him. Sure, Pops are probably waiting for me at our doorstep in LA right now. Too bad, his son is on the other side of the world, taking his own risk of a lifetime.” You left with no words to say. He’s too deep, a food for the soul. Guys like him are the ones that can be displayed in museums. He’s a delicate art and nobody should be allowed to touch him but the curator. And you’d want to take that role.

 “What if you lose? If you go all in and you lose everything all at once? Have you experienced it already?” you asked, admiring the tiny mole sitting under his left eye. You decided to take your second glass of wine.

 “The best thing about losing is that you’ve tried. I don’t take failures as an excuse for not trying again and taking another risk the next day. If I lose, so what? That only means you’re brave because you grow stronger with every fall that you take. Like a bamboo tree, it only bends but it doesn’t break. Life is all about swimming against the current of uncertainties and finding yourself floating on top of your insecurities.” As if he’s summarizing all the lessons in life, you’d always want to go for the front seat. He’s a walking self-help book, and maybe Mark Manson’s book of ‘the subtle art of not giving a fuck’ would have to sit longer in my shelf for the meantime. I got a risk-taker author Mark, right here and I got nothing to worry about.

[parkerpeter24]

Quizzes End Up In Kisses ~ Peter Parker💕

Part-7 of the Eight Days Of Valentine series

Part 8

Warnings: fluff, thank you.

Sorry for I'm late. Also, I don't know anything about schooling system in the U.S. so forgive me.

Middle school was exhausting, not to mention stupid, and you dreaded going to High school. Going everyday to a place for nearly your whole life, a prison called school, was never on your checklist. It was a pretty basic list and all the things you would want to do one day were mentioned in it.

And Peter Parker had managed to get on the top.

Entering Liz's house, you were met with loud noise and kids scattered all around the living area. The snacks and drinks were placed neatly on the kitchen slab. You sighed before moving in and placing your small gift in the pile that was placed near the christmas tree. You were invited to the party by Liz and you had nothing better to do on a Christmas eve and maybe you would find Peter here too. MJ was in the extreme corner of the room which was illuminated by a bright lamp under which she read a book. You smiled at her and her book choice, 'Great Leadership by Kimberly Davis.'

You moved towards the kitchen where you spotted Liz greeting her friends. The party went on, you stuck to MJ in the back until she needed to get back home and you didn't.

Few people were still left, probably close friends of Liz, when you spotted Ned and Peter near the window, whispering something to each other. You moved towards them setting aside the glass of juice.

"Hey Peter, Ned!" You greeted cheerfully. Ned waved, greeting you back while Peter straightened a bit, the soft light hid the mild blush covering his cheeks. It wasn't hard for you, or anyone for that matter, to figure out that he liked you. He wasn't good with secrets.

"Hey, (y/n)." He replied when Ned cleared his throat . You didn't want to seem desperate by asking him out or truth be told, you were shy yourself and didn't want to convert your friendship into awkwardness.

The room was starting to clear and you were now having a proper conversation with both the boys, majorly about school and homework when a loud voice pulled you out of the on-going topic.

"Hey losers!" Flash yelled, indicating the three of you."You need to come here." He called out, you rolled your eyes but nonetheless moved to where everyone left was gathered in a small circle. You sat beside Liz as everyone settled down and Liz started talking, "So, I have a game for everyone." She grinned and then you zoned out, staring at the boy in front of you. Brown eyes squinted slightly in concentration as he tried so hard to steal a glance at you whereas you were, absentmindedly, full on gaping at him. Only, you, Liz, Betty, Flash, Ned and Peter were left in the room.

"(Y/n), you wanna put something in?" Liz asked, popping your Peter bubble.

"What?" You asked, not having listened to a word she said.

"You wanna put something in the bag?" She pointed to the small bag placed in the centre. Where would it even come from, "And since you're the last one, you get to have the first chance." She grinned. By now, it wasn't really hard to guess that the group was playing seven minutes in heaven.

You grabbed the bag and got up, throwing your bracelet in when no one was watching and shaking the bag. You fished the bag and pulled out a small keyring which was way too familiar. A blush covered your cheeks as you realised whose it was. A small Darth Vader keyring that you gave Peter on his birthday. You looked to Peter who looked like a reindeer caught in headlights. You heard Flash laugh, "Do you think these guys are going to hold hands?"

Soon you were pushed into a room, Peter just behind you as Liz locked the door.

You sat on Liz's bed and Peter stood against the wall across you, the tension was undeniable. A few minutes were passed in silence before Peter cleared his throat and sat beside you on the bed. You watched him in anticipation as he ran his fingers through his hair, "(Y/n), you know, we don't have to do anything just because Flash would probably never leave this."

You felt a bit disappointed but you couldn't let Flash tease Peter for this, "Yeah, I know how to shut Flash up." You smiled.

You told Flash that you had made out with Peter and the look on his face was precious. Maybe it would be the other way around and instead of Flash teasing Peter, you would tease Flash for Peter had his first kiss before him. No one has to know that he didn't.

.•°☆°•..•°☆°•..•°☆°•.

It's been almost a year since then and everybody but you had forgotten that night. And you could never.

You saw Peter leaning against your locker as you made your way through the sea of teenagers.

"Hey!" You greeted your best friend, "Where's Ned?"

"Maths." He answered, shrugging. You smiled at him as you pulled out your Chemistry textbook.

"I'm already bored seeing this textbook." You complained walking beside Peter as you began your trip to the classroom.

"I know, Mr. Smith can be tough on us kids at times." He laughed, watching as you rolled your eyes at no one. "By the way, you prepared for the test?"

"Nope." You replied as soon as the question left his mouth, popping the p in the word.

"Well, you need to. This test makes up 33 percent of our total grades this semester." You sighed at this, nodding your head in understanding as you reached the class.

.•°☆°•..•°☆°•..•°☆°•.

You were at your desk for the past one hour, staring at your Chemistry textbook. Oh how you hated the subject. You were dozing off when you heard a series of knocks on your window. Although knowing it was the one and only, you were shocked and awakened from your sleep.

You ran to the window, unlocking it and letting your masked friend inside before locking it and pulling the curtains. Peter was always careless, not at all good at hiding his identity considering that you figured out, but you saved his ass.

"I'm so jealous of you." You complained and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?" He asked.

"You know, you get to do all cool superhero stuff and you're still gonna face that test tomorrow!" You exclaimed, burying your face in his chest and taking in his warmth as he wrapped his arms while laughing, "My mom is gonna kill me." You sighed.

"Okay, let's practice together then." He stated, moving towards your study.

"Aren't you tired?" You asked.

"Not for you, I'm not." He replied shyly and turned away from you to hide his own blush as a faint pink covered your cheeks.

Studying with Peter was rather distracting, not that you haven't done it before, but with time it seemed to have become difficult to focus on the subject and you were more interested in the pout that formed on his lips when he didn't understand something, or the way he squinted his eyes to focus, or the way his fingers played with the pencil when he was thinking something, or the way his eyebrows creased when he got an answer wrong. You were so busy admiring him.

"Okay, I got a good question for you." Peter said, pulling you out of your own little world.

"Shoot."

"And element X is divalent -" He started but you groaned, cutting him off.

"Oh, I hate X and Y questions!" You whined.

"Come on, you don't even know the question yet." Peter replied, "You need to practice if you want to get good grades on that test."

"Okay, I'll study. But, I have one condition." You said, smirking and Peter gulped. He knew that smirk. Something bad was going inside your mind whenever you did this. Before he could ask anything, though, you said, "If I answer ten of your questions correctly then you have to kiss me." You said. Your heartbeat was incredibly fast but your face showed the same smirk as Peter's cheek turned a crimson shade.

"Okay." He said, "I got some questions for you." He smirked, choosing the set of questions that he knew you would be able to answer easily.

"First question." He started, smiling at your nervousness as you tapped your fingers gently against the table. You wanted this as much as he did, "The number of moles of solute present in one kilogram of a solvent is called as…" He trailed off waiting for an answer.

You smiled, "That's easy. It's molality." You answered sweetly, batting your eyelashes at him.

"Correct. Don't get too excited (y/l/n), it's just the first question." He replied, mocking your tone which made you giggle.

"Your impressions are hilarious Parker." You teased, laughing as he smiled proudly.

"Wait till you hear my Thor impression." He beamed, "Anyway, the next question, The metal used to separate copper from a copper sulphate solution is?" He asked.

"Ferrous." You replied.

You didn't expect the questions to get harder but what do you expect from Peter Nerd Parker. You were on the ninth question and you were getting more and more nervous, "What is the chemical name for baking soda?"

"It's, Sodium something… Sodium Carbonate?"

"No. It's-"

"Sodium Bicarbonate!" You yelled, making him laugh at your eagerness.

"Oh, shut it Parker!" You scolded, nonetheless smiling.

"Okay, so are you ready for the last question?" He asked and you just nodded. This was a perfect and probably the only chance you'd get to kiss the boy you'd had a crush on for the longest time. "Now, (y/n). Which radioactive element is used in heat pacemakers?" He asked.

Shit!

Elements were your weakest part. You stared straight into his eyes, pleading for a hint as you rack your brain for the answer. At this moment, both of you knew that Peter would kiss you no matter what, but you wanted to get it right.

"Plutonium?" You mumbled a question. Peter, having heightened senses, heard that and stood up from his seat, making you stand up and follow him to the centre of the room. He sighed, facing you with furrowed eyebrows, "Was it wrong?"

He just stood there for a moment before suddenly pulling you flush against him. Your hands instantly wrapped around his neck and a yelp escaped your throat before you felt his lips over yours. Moving at a slow pace. It was sweet, it was all you needed. Your hands tugged at the curls behind his head and he pulled you closer, resting his forehead on yours, "Correct."

You smiled so wide, your cheeks started to hurt. Suddenly you couldn't help what you said out aloud, "Kissing you was on my checklist since Middle school." He laughed at this.

"The infamous checklist?" He asked. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You knew about it?" You asked back for his answer.

"You're not good with secrets either. I heard you and MJ talking about it." He replied sheepishly.

"And you didn't tell me?" You asked, smiling.

"It was an accident." He said in a small voice, parting from you slightly and you shook your head softly as your gaze fell on the wall clock.

"It's nothing." You smiled, "Hey, I think you should go. It's getting late." He nodded, giving you a final peck on the lips as he grabbed his mask, moving towards your window.

"Peter." You called out. He turned back to face you, waiting for you to say something, "Don't forget about the Spanish quiz day after tomorrow." You smirked and he knew that smirk.

Taglist:

@harrysbbby @overly-obsessed @luckyfiction17 @avengersgroupchat @ollieologys @afictionaladventure16 @hollandraul @clqudsparker @spider-manholland @screamholland @angelhaz11 @farfromhaz @drunklili @spideyyeet @fairytaleparker @venusparker @dazzling-rubabe @kitkatd7 @hazmyheart @angelic-holland @littlekidsteve @audreylovespidey706 @ironholland19 @lauras-collection @spideyyeet @cherryredparker @ploont @cucumberfingers @angel-spidey @spideygirl2003 @greatpizzascissorstaco @the-crazy-fanfictionist @lovabletomholland @lovelytholland @parkerdrabbles @parkers-fidelity @tom-holland-is-spiderman @tomsrebeleyebrow @hollandcuddles

[wybielune]

The time has come. Finally, it's Christmas Eve.

A short while ago, I made a post about the Santa Claus and joy of giving to another solely to make them happy, linked below.

This time, I'll do my best to cover the religious aspect of it.

It can be hard to slow down and actually think about it. With all the events going on, sorting out whose relatives you're going to visit and when, and spending more money than you actually have to get gifts in and ready for the big day, it's very easy to get distracted and let the day pass without much consideration.

I discovered recently through friendly conversation with passing strangers, that I am not the only one who feels that time is moving far too fast. Many, many others feel the same way.

Now, I do not believe that, as the Bible says, man is born in Sin and must be baptised and such to be saved. I don't believe in telling others that they must convert or go to hell.

The way I see it as a Christian is that Deity, the All knowing, the All seeing, created All, and as people have different languages and cultures, that they have come to know and understand Deity in their own way, giving It their own names so as to identify Them.

Notice, although the religions are very different, most of them have some similar aspect to them. Some wonderful Being brought mankind into existence and watches over and guides them. Whether it's a single consciousness such as Jehovah, or multiple beings, such as The God and The Goddess, or even the maid, the mother and the hag, I believe that these are all just variations on the way Divinity is seen, so no, I will never try to convert someone. They're doing nothing wrong, and are busily learning on their own paths.

What I do believe in, and will always try to teach others that I come across, is kindness.

There have been many Prophets across all religions who have been sent from the Divine Source, but for the purpose of this post, I'll speak about Jesus Christ.

Instead, perhaps, humanity was straying too far from our Divine principles.

Link: https://www.fulcrumgallery.com/Mark-Missman/Mary-Baby-Jesus_951537.htm

The purpose of his being born here was to instill kindness in humanity. I don't think for an instant that God would create us and then let us stop existing at the moment of our deaths or let us suffer in hell. No. We always rejoined our Spiritual Parent.

In the Bible, the time before Jesus' birth was particularly unpleasant, man turned against man for ridiculous, earthly complaints. It's very easy to become wrapped up in yours and your families own problems and see everyone else as the enemy, especially when their views differ from yours.

Now, this doesn't mean, take their abuse and accept it. Nobody should ever accept abuse of any kind, but what it does mean is, if someone is being short where normally they wouldn't, try not to take offense. Stop and consider what has made them feel that way.

Everyone's backgrounds are different, and maybe much more challenging than we realise. This can cause people to harden, as they've been hurt by others who also had to harden because somebody hurt them, but this is the thing; you don't have to be. If you have, you can choose to change. These people all came from the same Divine Source. In this way, they are our siblings. Our brothers, sisters and every other word meaning sibling that there is.

Someone is working hard trying to achieve something and seems flustered by it? Offer to help.

Someone always seems to be in a low mood despite whatever you do, do they have a Chronic Pain condition? Some form of depression? They might think that not talking about it is helping you, or that they are for some reason unable to talk about it.

The extra hand that helps lift the weight? That collection of coins that sits in the bottom of your wallet/purse that never seem to leave? There's a donation box that could make great use of that. Doesn't matter if it equals up to a whole dollar/pound, you helped.

The point of this enormous post, is that Jesus' whole point was that everyone should act a little kinder to each other, and if we are always focusing on our goals, and then our next goal and so forth, we are so concerned with ourselves, our families, our problems, that we forget the smaller things, the smaller kindnesses that are often overlooked.

The whole cause for his death was a bunch of people focusing solely on negatives, such as pushing them out of their harmful but familiar and therefore comfortable ruts, rather than all the good that he brought us, and to make a positive change, you don't even have to go into a temple and flip some tables!

The fact that Jesus' birthday is such a large event for a good portion of the world is an excellent way to remember all of this, so please, try to keep this in mind.

Fellowship to all men, peace on Earth? Fancy ways of saying, be kind. Be patient. Try just a little bit more, and you know what, you don't even have to be religious to take all of this to heart. Regardless of whether you believe it to be true or not, it's still something to take to think about so-

A lot of people might be under the impression that there is some great, grand Christmas 'thing' that is complex and deep and that only holy people like Priests or something truly know it's meaning, and I'll admit, for a long time, I didn't really understand it either.

I knew it was incredibly special and that Jesus' coming was incredible, but a part of me didn't really connect with it. It's now that I'm older that I more completely understand it. You don't even have to be religious to take notice of this, religious or atheist, it's still an important message to take in, so-

-however you spend Christmas, I hope you have a lovely time, and I truly wish you the best in the coming year.

Happy Christmas

😊🙏

[drvrslcense]

A Christmas Kiss

Summary: In which Peter, Ned, and You had a Christmas Eve sleepover.

Pairing: Bestfriend to Lovers!Peter Parker x Reader

Warnings: Mild angst, mild swearing, mentions of suicide and fluff?

Prompts: 

Christmas Prompt no. 7: “We’re seriously not going to be the people who dress up in ugly sweaters and go caroling, are we?”

Dialogue Prompt no. 5: “Do I even want to know what's going on here?”

Word Count: 2,700+

A/N: Hiii! This is my first fic ever with an MCU character and I’m so glad that it’s for @fratboievans‘ and @wayfaring----stranger‘s Christmas/Birthday writing challenge. I just wanna wish the both of you happy birthdayyy! May your year stay great as they can be.

This is also my first ever fanficc! And gahh I’m so glad to be able to share this with y’all. Lemme know what you think. Have a great day! Much love xx

“Why do bad things always happen to me?” You sighed looking down as you ask Peter. The both of you sitting next to each other in a park you both found during your walk through the neighborhood.

You are having a very sucky year. First, you failed a lot of your subjects due to the teacher's favoritism. You know you are doing well in school but due to favorites they are always beating you up, and using their charm to confound the teachers, that kinda thing. Second, your phone broke down. Your phone had a lot of things you wanted to treasure; pictures of you with your friends, and pictures of you visiting your family members in the Philippines. Especially, the stories you made. Writing stories is and always will be your thing. You just love to open and enhance the possibilities of a story. Like when you saw a girl with her father spending time together, your mind just starts to wonder about the stories you could make with the two of them. Third, you lost your older brother. He was your only sibling and his suicide was something that left you dumbfounded. He was doing well, you never saw it coming. He was so happy the day before, and you just don’t know why he was so broken the next that he did it.

“Why?” Peter asked, of course he knew what happened but he thought that you’re doing better, that you’re recovering from the traumas.

“My heart feels so heavy right now. I thought I could handle it, but damn it I couldn’t,” You started tearing up and Peter pulled you closer to his chest so that you are leaning into him.

“Shh. Shh. Y/N it’s alright, it’s alright,” Peter said as he tried to calm you down. You are now sobbing into his chest because you just couldn’t hold it any longer.

“I’m sorry, it’s all been so hard for me. My parents are now being distant because of his death. They keep going to work and whenever I need them most they aren't answering their phones,” It’s true. Your parents are now distant, Peter remembered that your parents are always a call away. They would answer their phones anytime, and they would show up to your writing competitions and recognition days. But now, they are rarely around, it’s just Peter and Ned attending your competition and going to your recognition.

“Hey, they are just dealing with the pain. However, they are doing it their way. And you’re doing your own way of coping, of getting used to,”

“Yeah, you’re right,” You said as you wipe your eyes getting rid of the tears.

“Yeah, I’m always right,” Peter said, his lips forming a small smile. You burst out laughing even though your cheeks are tear-stained, and your eyes glossy from sobbing.

“Don’t be so full of yourself, Parker,” You said as you stared into his eyes, smiling softly because of his efforts to make you crack a smile.

“I know it’s the 24th and it’s snowing but why don’t you and Ned come over and let’s have a movie night?” Peter suggested. “It’s just that I realized we need it, after all that has happened to us this year. I think we deserve it.”

“Yeah, great idea. Maybe we could just sleep there,” You agreed, as you started to open the flip phone your parents lent you as a temporary phone as you are still saving up to pay for a new phone as your phone cannot be fixed. It was a lesson to make you save up for a new phone instead of your parents buying it. You texted your mom to let her know that you are sleeping over at Peter’s tonight and she agrees saying that you have to be back by 8am tomorrow.

                                          ***

You and Peter are now at your house as you needed to get some things for the sleepover. You packed overnight clothes and got changed to a more comfy wear. You also grabbed the gifts you have for Peter, Ned, and Aunt May.

“You ready?” Peter asks as he sees you holding a bag with all the things you packed. You nodded and he grabbed your bag to carry it on the way to his home.

“Peter, why aren’t you patrolling today?” You asked him, as the both of you are walking towards his apartment knowing full well that by this time of day he’s patrolling the neighborhood for any crimes happening.

“Because it’s Christmas Eve and I want to enjoy it as much as I possibly can. I’ll just patrol at dawn,” He answered putting his arms around you.

                                            ***

“What movie are we going to watch?” Ned asks as he enters the apartment.

“I don’t know, what can we watch?” You passed the question to Peter.

“Maybe we can watch Atlantis?” He suggested. Atlantis: The Lost Empire is one of you and their favorite movie, aside from Star Wars of course.

“Sure, I’ll get the snacks ready,” You said as you went inside the kitchen to get some sodas and chips.

“I’ll help you,” Aunt May said coming from her bedroom. “God knows I needed a break,” The three of you didn’t know what Aunt May was doing and she seems really into it these past few weeks. Every time you are over at Peter’s these past few weeks, you would just hear Aunt May cursing in her room saying that she got bit by an ant.

“Sure,” You nodded and started getting to work.

“How are you, sweetheart?” Aunt May asked, her being a second mother to you ever since you and Peter became friends.

“I’m alright,” You said, smiling to her.

“How are your parents?” She asked, she and your parents are close, because you and Peter have been friends ever since Middle grade.

“They’re alright. They are just suffocating themselves into work every day,” You said

“Oh, honey” May cooed, “It’s alright. They’re just distracting themselves to deal with what has happened. It was hard, I know. I also know that it’s harder to need them in times like these. That’s why you should always know that Peter and I are always here for you.”

“Thank you, Aunt May” You said smiling genuinely to her.

“Now, let’s give these snacks to those monsters,” She said grabbing some chips from the cabinet as you grabbed sodas from the fridge.

“Snack up, boys! We better start the movie,” You said as you entered the room.

“Shhh.” The boys shushed you as they are in a heated rock, paper, and scissors battle. Ned did rock, and Peter picked paper so naturally, Peter won.

“WHAT!” Ned yelled in disbelief as he watched his best friend dance around the room.

“Why did you guys have a rock, paper, and scissors battle?” You asked them putting down the sodas while Aunt May put down the chips.

"We were bored and too lazy to get up from this position, so when I heard your footsteps we did rock, paper, and scissors and yeah," Ned said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Okay? I'll just be the one who plays the movie," You said, not believing Ned's answer.

"Wait. I'll do it!" Peter said standing up so fast that he almost fell but luckily he regained his balance.

"If you say so," You sat down and Peter played the movie. After Peter pressed play, he sat down next to you, and put his arms around you while stealing Ned's chips.

You and Peter are just friends, really. You're not in a relationship with each other. It's a common misconception about the two of you.

                                    ***

After the movie since it's 12am and the three of you couldn't wait to open the gifts. All of you decided to open the gifts, of course Aunt May went along with it and brought her gifts out for all of you to open

"Okay, first up to distribute gifts is Ned," Peter announced as Ned is looking like an overexcited child. Ned stood up from his position and went around and gave gifts to everyone. He gave Aunt May a 'You are here' mug from Starbucks. He gave Peter an Avengers Logo Set, and he gave you a book you have always wanted, but never bought.

"Thank you, Ned!" You gushed as you hugged the book while you see Peter stand up and distribute his gifts to everyone. Peter gave Ned some supplies for being his guy in a chair, he gave Aunt May a handwritten letter and a ring while he gave you a necklace that has a rose pendant on it.

It is now your turn and you got Ned a storm trooper helmet, and a Spider-Man shirt. You got Aunt May a book you know she'll enjoy reading in her spare time and a necklace with her name in cursive, then you gave Peter a Spider necklace; wherein the spider opens up and reveals a picture of the two of you.

"Thank you, Y/N," Peter said, smiling so sweetly to you that it made you feel butterflies errupt through your whole entire being.

And now, it's Aunt May's turn to distribute the gifts. "I know I've been busy these past few weeks, and it was because I was making these for all of you,"

She gave all of you two different knitted jumpers. One with designs that symbolizes each of you. Like how Peter got a spider on his, Ned got a storm trooper helmet on his, and you got a rose. And another that just looks ridiculous but she thought it's cute.

The three of you tried the ugly sweater one and all of you in the room bursts out laughing.

"See! Told you it would be cute," Aunt May said between her laughs. “Oh, and it lights up!” She reached over Peter’s side and pushed something that made the reindeer design on his light up. Ned reached over his left side and pushed something making his Christmas hat design light up. You pushed yours and the Christmas tree design on yours light up.

“Maybe we could go caroling wearing this sweater?” You suggested between laughs as Peter and Ned’s cheeks are tinted a dark shade of red, as theirs not only lights up but plays a hideous Christmas song. “Aunt May, I don’t know how you’ve done it but these are great,” You laughed harder.

“Y/N, stop,” Peter whined trying to turn off his sweater but to no avail, he cannot reach the button on his side since Aunt May put it farther than the rest of you.

“Okay, okay,” You calmed yourself down, but Aunt May couldn’t stop laughing.

“We’re seriously not going to be the people who dress up in ugly sweaters and go caroling, are we?” Peter asks looking terrified of the thought.

“We could be those people,” You said teasingly, your lips turning into a smirk.

“Yeah, it would be fun,” Aunt May backed you up, and Ned’s and Peter’s eyes widen.

“No, no, no,” They kept repeating as they remove the sweater.

“Why did you buys remove it?” Aunt May asked when she calmed down.

“Uhh, heh,” Ned stammers as he tried to come up with an explanation.

“We just don’t want to go caroling, and for the love of God, we cannot sing,” Peter whined as he is pretty terrified of singing in front of a lot of people because of what happened in middle grade talent show. You convinced him to sing and dance with you, and he agreed. So yeah, the rest is history. “Now, can we please watch a movie?”

Aunt May laughed and said, “You boys, yeah you can. I’ll sleep. Goodnight, Love you all! See you later!”

“Goodnight, Aunt May,” The three of you said in unison.

All of you watched a movie, and during the movie all of you got cold and wore the sweaters. Ned fell asleep during the movie.

“We should draw on his face,” You suggested.

“Yeah, we should,” Peter agreed.

The both of you got up and went inside Peter’s room to look for washable markers. While you are in his room, you saw his web shooters in his table. You grabbed one and wore it in your wrist.

“Pew, pew,” You said pretending to shoot Peter. Peter turned around from his closet and saw that you are pointing at him while pretending to shoot a web at him.

“No, Y/N. its thwip,” Peter said grabbing the other one and placing it on his wrist demonstrating it to you.

“No, it’s pew pew,” You said, unbeknownst to you, you accidentally pushed the button making webs come out and hit Peter.

That started a web shooting battle, Peter hit you with his then the both of you ran around the room, shooting each other. Because of Peter’s ability to crawl on the walls, he had an advantage and he decided to use it against you. He was behind you and he started to crawl up the wall so he’s now above you. Then, he sprayed the web shooter in your head, which made you turn and look up.

“Peter, that’s not fair,” You said, your lips turning into a pout.

“Awh,” He said.

You stared at his eyes, noticing it dart down your lips and back into your eyes. It made you feel like in a winter wonderland special wherein he’s the prince, and you’re the girl he fell in love with. It made you feel awkward, that it caused you to look down and fiddle with the ends of your sweater. Peter’s small smile turned into a frown as he reached down, and lifted your chin to meet his gaze.

“What’s wrong?” He whispered so soft that it made you feel so special. You didn’t answer instead, your eyes darted around the room looking at everything instead of him in front of you. He then held your face in between his hands to make you look at him. You meet his eyes and saw that loving gaze dancing around inside. Then you started to lift yourself higher, and he started to lean down. He captured his lips into yours and your lips fit together like puzzle pieces. It made you feel like you’re in the clouds, with your eyes close free of pain and worry.

Due to breathlessness, the both of you pulled away and Peter went down from the ceiling.

“I like you, Y/N, I like you so much that I think I’m falling in love with you,” Peter said. He said so fast that you can notice that he’s panicking.

“I think, I’m falling in love with you too,” You whispered. He then caressed your cheeks, and pulled you in. The both of you leaning in and in and in.

“Do I even want to know what's going on here?” Ned asked stopping the both of you from leaning in. The both of you looked towards his sleepy state and started laughing. Laughing so hard that the both of you toppled over and fell.

Ned looked confused by your actions, and retreated back to his position when he fell asleep. The both of you sobered up and went back into the living room where Ned is back, fast asleep. The both of you laughed quietly and sat beside each other in the sofa.

"How long until these webs come off?" You asked Peter as it is already making you itchy.

"Just a few minutes more, the formula I used there is not yet stable," Peter explained.

"Okay," You believe him.

"Hey, you got the Christmas kiss you've always wanted," Peter said out of the blue while you were falling asleep beside him.

"Yeah, I guess I did," You said, smiling to yourself the satisfaction growing inside of you. The both of you fell asleep next to each other.

[echoes-of-realities]

be my fire in the cold (and I'll be waiting by the mistletoe) - 24/25

* * *

[From the Start] // [Fanfiction] // [ao3]

[Previous Chapter]

Chapter Summary: The Nutcracker has its last show; Santana and Brittany spend Christmas Eve together. 

Notes: We’re Almost there fam! Also the actual George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker doesn’t stop after Christmas and goes up to December 30th at least, but just for simplicity’s sake I’m taking artistic liberties and in this universe the ballet’s last show is today.

Chapter 24: watching old movies while the fireplace fades

///

The last show of the production’s run is at two, but Brittany still gets up early to help Mercedes finish up the last of her packing. She’s leaving with Sam as soon as the show is over tonight to head back home until New Year’s, her and Sam heading to her parents’ place first and then his; usually the company and crew will have a wrap-up party as soon as the last show is done, but with it being Christmas Eve and all, this production of The Nutcracker usually skips that tradition so everyone has more time with their families and has it sometime between Christmas and New Year’s.

Mercedes is just zipping up her suitcase when Brittany wanders into her room, yawning and absently pulling her messy hair up into an even messier bun. “Nee’ ‘elp?” she mumbles.

Mercedes giggles and rolls her eyes. “You’re only wearing one sock,” she comments mildly.

Brittany looks down, too tired to feel surprised, and shrugs. “Lefty was too hot,” she says nonchalantly, and Mercedes bursts into giggles. “I’ll help you take your stuff out to the living room.”

Mercedes hefts her suitcase off of the bed and motions to the pile of wrapped gifts in the corner of her room, all neatly packed into couple of reusable grocery bags. “You can grab those.”

“What time is Sam picking us up?” Brittany asks as she trails after Mercedes.

“Like, nine thirty-ish?”

“Cool,” Brittany says, “I’ll have time to tidy up then.”

“Why?”

Brittany feels a blush creep into her cheeks before she can even think to try and hide it, which probably would have proved useless anyways, since Mercedes has, like, hawk eyes when it comes to Brittany’s embarrassment.

Mercedes, sure enough, looks back and instantly spots Brittany’s blush, her grin taking on a wicked edge. “Oooh, is your girlfriend coming over?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Brittany mumbles automatically, but even as she says the words it kind of feels like she’s lying.

“In all but name maybe,” Mercedes says, and Brittany has to concede her point.

“The name part of that is kind of important,” Brittany argues as she drops the presents beside Mercedes’ suitcase.

“Maybe,” Mercedes concedes, “But the feelings part is pretty important too, and that’s definitely there.”

Brittany smiles a little, almost involuntarily, as the thought of being in love with Santana still fills her with bright warmth, and hums in acknowledgement. “I invited her to spend Christmas Eve here since neither of us had any plans.”

“I’m happy for you, Brittany,” Mercedes says softly, and Brittany grins bashfully down at her toes, too distracted by the warmth blooming in her chest realize that Mercedes has started smirking at her. “Just don’t christen any public places please.”

“Mercedes!” Brittany squeals, patting at her cheeks as the blush burning there flares up into an inferno.

“And make sure you kids stay hydrated and well-fed, you don’t want to run out of energy.”

“No no no!” Brittany shrieks, fleeing backwards towards the bathroom, her skin burning bright red from forehead to collarbone, “I take back anything I ever said when you and Sam got together!”

Mercedes smirks because, considering the teasing she got back then, there's no way she's going to give Brittany a break now that she's in love. "Make sure you're safe!" she calls.

“Oh shut up!” Brittany calls back before slamming the bathroom door shut.

///

Even though it’s Christmas Eve, the theatre is surprisingly—or not so surprisingly—packed, people already starting to filter into the lobby even as the company and crew take their last lunch break of the show’s run an hour before half hour. Brittany’s always antsy for last shows, both excited for it to be over so she can finally rest (and, this year, spend the evening with Santana) but dreading it because it means that there will never be another show like this, with this particular group of dancers and kids and crew, ever again.

Santana brings her lunch from that sandwich shop she loves, the same place she bought lunch for them that very first time, kickstarting their almost daily lunch and supper dates. Santana doesn’t bother with any pretences, just sinks down to the floor right beside Brittany, taking her left arm and draping it over her shoulder so they can cuddle and eat. Mercedes, Sam, Tina, and Mike all show up about halfway through their break with an assortment of food between all of them, sprawling on the floor to complete the circle in an impromptu picnic and fondly teasing Brittany and Santana as soon as they all realize their spending Christmas together.

Every single time Mercedes catches Brittany’s eye she feels heat crawl up into her cheeks at the knowing glint there. Santana seems to notice something tense—not bad tense, just the knowing and teasing tension when you know your friend is laughing at you across the room—and quickly takes Brittany’s free hand, as soon as they’re both done eating, and pulls it into her lap to play with her fingers, tracing the webbing between each finger and pressing down on her knuckles like piano keys. It eases the blush from Brittany’s cheeks and softens the teasing glint in Mercedes eyes, and Brittany soaks in the feeling of being surrounded by so much love, from her friends and from Santana, before the chaos of the last show overtakes them.

///

The audience is electric during Brittany’s last performance, knowing it’s their last chance to see this show until next year, and Brittany dances better than she ever has before, knowing that Santana is hidden in the curtains watching. She dances for the audience and she dances for herself but, mostly, she dances for Santana, for the woman who brought laughter and love into her life, who brought her family to her, who brought her love of Christmas back.

Her bow goes on longer than normal as the audience cheers for her, and she’s breathing quickly as pride fills her limbs in place of heavy exhaustion. She exits the stage to continuing applause, waiting in the wings for Jake to go on and do the opening of the Coda before she joins him. She feels someone watching her, and a smile tugs at her lips before she even turns to catch Santana’s eye, and the smile on Santana’s face makes her stomach flutter with about a bajillion butterflies, her chest blooming with warmth and love.

Santana shakes her head a little, still smiling softly, as if she can’t quite believe that Brittany’s real, and Brittany gives a small wave, feeling her heartbeat everywhere, before she turns back to the stage and prepares to join Jake for the Coda, Santana’s gaze heavy and warm on her back as she steps back into the lights.

///

Mercedes helps her out of her costume and unpins her hair quickly so she can rush off to meet Sam and they can try and beat the rush out of the city back to her parents’ house tonight; since it’s the twenty-fourth already, nobody has to pack the show back up into storage until after Christmas.

Mercedes gives Brittany a tight hug before she leaves, still continuing her teasing and making Brittany blush all the way to the tips of her ears as she chases her best friend out the door and runs straight into Santana, who quickly gives Mercedes a brief hug goodbye before turning to Brittany with a wide smile.

“Hi!” Brittany greets brightly, pretending her skin isn’t splotched with pink despite Santana’s adoring gaze on the blush in her cheeks.

“Hey,” Santana says softly. She’s already dressed in her jacket and has a small bag of overnight stuff in one hand, wearing the scarf and hat that Brittany had lent her last week and tying Brittany’s stomach into knots at seeing her own clothes on Santana. “You ready to go?” she asks.

Brittany nods and they just smile at each other for long moments—Brittany taking in this moment, this feeling, this girl—before Brittany turns to shrug on her jacket and collect her things. Santana stands patiently by the door, waiting until Brittany’s locked her dressing room before she reaches out to take her hand, their fingers tangling together easily as they head down the hallway, Brittany quickly easing Santana’s bag from her other hand so she can carry it for her, not missing the smile Santana gives her or the way her stomach ties itself into warm knots at how couple-y it feels.

They wave goodbye and wish Merry Christmases to their friends as the pass them on their way out of the theatre, deciding to walk back to Brittany’s apartment since it’s still pretty nice out despite the snow that falls in gentle swirls of white as they step out onto the street, dusting Santana’s borrowed hat in a thin layer of white and sparkling in her dark lashes. Santana glances up at Brittany and smiles, bright and unabashed and dimples-deep, before looking forward again with that breathless, flustered look she gets when she blushes. Her cheeks are a little pinked, from the cold or her blush Brittany’s not sure, but it makes liquid warmth pool in her stomach, so happy and so in love that she doesn’t know how anything in the world could ever feel better than this.

Her attention is drawn across the street where two men hold the hands of a little boy, helping him take a couple stumbling steps before swinging him into a high arc, his giggles bright with childlike innocence even across the lanes of slow moving traffic.

“He’s cute,” Santana says beside her, drawing Brittany’s eyes back to hers.

“You’re cute,” Brittany says automatically but sincerely. Santana rolls her eyes a little but doesn’t even bother to bite back her smile. “We should stop on the store on the way past. We can get something for supper and maybe, like, baking stuff or something?”

“Baking?” Santana teases, and Brittany shrugs a little.

“What? I may be a disaster in the kitchen when it comes to baking but I know you aren’t,” Brittany says with a smirk, “Tina told me.”

Santana gasps over-dramatically. “What a traitor!”

Brittany just giggles and tugs a little on Santana’s hand in hers, pulling them even closer together and soaking up this feeling of unbridled joy.

///

The grocery store is insane, but they’re in no rush so they just wander the aisles leisurely, dodging over-excited kids and frantic parents and slow old couples, giggling at everyone rushing around despite the fact that they both just feel comfortable and relaxed.

Santana carries their two bags of groceries and snacks since Brittany still has her bag, and they tangle their fingers together again as soon as they step back out into the weak winter sun. It’s already past five, but they’re still in no rush as they head back to Brittany’s apartment, discussing their plans on which Christmas movies they have to watch and which ones they’ll skip.

Brittany takes the groceries from Santana and drops them off in the kitchen, directing Santana to turn the tree on and set up the living room for their movie marathon, before heading down the hall to drop Santana’s bag off too. She stands in the hallway for a long moment, fighting an internal debate before she finally pushes her door open and drops Santana’s bag by the dresser; she’s honestly not being presumptuous, because Mercedes offered her room if needed, she’s just being hopeful.

By the time she gets the groceries put away and a couple hot chocolates made, Santana is already snugged up on the couch, one blanket over her lap and the other around her shoulders, the lights turned off except for the Christmas tree and the television screen; she’s already figured out the DVD player and the empty case to Home Alone sits on the shelf of her and Mercedes’ combined collection.

Santana brightens as soon as Brittany comes into her view, shifting around until she can lift both blankets up for Brittany. It takes a little bit of maneuvering, but eventually they get settled against each other, curled under the blankets, without spilling a drop of hot chocolate. Santana quickly hits play on the DVD remote before tossing it onto the coffee table and taking her mug from Brittany.

“I used to watch Home Alone every single year,” Santana says quietly, a nostalgic smile on her face, “And I kind of want to restart that tradition.”

“But you’re not home alone,” Brittany teases.

Santana tries to give her a smug smirk but her eyes are as soft as her voice, “Maybe I want to make some new traditions.”

And, really, what can she say to that without shouting her love from the rooftops? So instead she just cuddles further into Santana and sips her hot chocolate.

Even though they start out sitting under the blankets, as soon as they finish their hot chocolate they end up laying out on the couch, Brittany flat on her back with Santana sprawled on top of her, repurposing Brittany’s breasts into her own personal pillow, and the blankets wrapped around them. Brittany ends up spending more time watching Santana and playing with her hair than she does watching Santana’s favourite Christmas movie, but watching Santana is her favourite thing so it’s a pretty fair tradeoff.

Her mom calls about three-quarters of the way through Home Alone and Santana lifts herself off of Brittany just enough to reach the remote and pause the movie before cuddling back into her while Brittany talks to her mom and curls a strand of Santana’s hair around her finger, and it feels so domestic that she can’t imagine doing anything else for the rest of her life.

After Home Alone they take a break to make supper, giggling the entire time as they weave around each other in the kitchen and end up spending more time laughing than they do eating.

Brittany runs to the bathroom while Brittany sets up another movie, laying back on the couch and waiting for Santana to see her choice.

Santana’s gasp is as satisfying as Brittany thought it would be as she grins up at the ceiling, waiting until Santana rounds the couch to stand in front of her, blocking out the dim lights from the Christmas tree and the title screen for Gremlins on the television.

“Brittany!” Santana whines.

“Santana!” Brittany teases.

“I swear to god, Brittany, if I get nightmares from this,” Santana threatens toothlessly.

Brittany just giggles and tugs Santana down to the couch with ease. She falls onto Brittany and instantly softens and sighs in contentment as Brittany wraps both her arms tightly around Santana and draws her further into her embrace, nuzzling into Santana’s hair until she can kiss her forehead.  “I’ll chase the nightmares away,” she promises. Santana’s breath hitches and she presses a kiss to Brittany’s collarbone, making Brittany’s skin burst into burning goosebumps at the feel of Santana’s soft lips on her skin.

“You better,” Santana mumbles into Brittany’s neck, waiting until Brittany reaches for the remote to play the movie before she nuzzles herself as close to Brittany as she can and still see the television.

Brittany thinks her heart might just burst from loving Santana so much.

///

They fall asleep sometime in the middle of Gremlins, waking up hours later to the twinkling Christmas lights against the night sky Brittany can see through the window, the television having automatically turned itself off after so long.

Brittany trails her fingers along Santana’s back and sides, drawing swirling patterns into the warm body above her with just enough pressure to gently wake Santana, who just cuddles further into Brittany instead of waking fully.

“We’re real party animals,” Brittany teases.

Santana grunts and nuzzles her nose into Brittany’s neck. “Saving it for New Year’s,” she grumbles.

Brittany laughs and feels a smile curl against her neck in response. They lay there for a couple more minutes until Santana finally emerges from Brittany’s neck, propping herself up on one elbow, the blanket falling from her shoulders, and glancing across the living room before gazing down at Brittany with the softest look on her face.

“Hi,” Brittany murmurs.

Santana’s eyes are liquid and dark and basically hold the secrets to the entire universe. “Hi,” she whispers, nodding her jaw towards the television with a small smile but not dropping her gaze from Brittany’s, “It’s eleven-eleven. Make a wish.”

Brittany glances to the side and sees the bright red time glowing on the television box thing that she never remembers the name of. She smiles and closes her eyes, wishing for the one thing she wants more than anything, the only thing she’s wanted all month.

“Did you make your wish?” Brittany asks after long moments of silence, her eyes still closed and her body feeling Santana along it even better with her lack of sight. Santana hums in acknowledgement and Brittany smiles blindly. “Good,” she whispers, “I hope it comes true.”

“Oh, I have a feeling it definitely will,” Santana murmurs, and the feeling of her thumb brushing along her cheek finally draws Brittany’s eyes open, fluttering at the sensation.

“Mine too,” Brittany whispers.

“Oh yeah?”

Brittany nods slowly, one hand stilling against the small of Santana’s back and the other one sliding along her shoulders under waves of dark hair, her fingers almost brushing the nape of Santana’s neck as Santana sighs and tilts her head down a little.

Santana’s face hovers a scant few inches above her own, the lights from the Christmas tree painting her skin in splotches of faint blue and red and green. One of Santana’s hands curls against the fabric of Brittany’s t-shirt, plucking and worrying the fabric between her fingers, her eyes caught on the peak of Brittany’s cheek but not actually meeting blue eyes.

“You’re nervous to kiss me,” Brittany realizes.

“I mean— Kinda?” Santana says sheepishly, “Not like nervous nervous but like— I mean we’ve literally been trying for forever and every time we do we get interrupted and now I’m worried that we’ll keep getting interrupted or it won’t be—”

And then—

Then Brittany slides her hand a little further up and guides Santana’s lips to her own, her rambling cut off by the gentle pressure of Brittany’s mouth moving slowly against hers. Santana’s lips part under Brittany’s and she lets out this breathy sigh into Brittany’s mouth and Brittany’s soul trembles with the weight of Santana’s lips against hers. Santana tastes faintly of chocolate, but something sweeter and deeper, and she tastes of summer nights on the west coast, bright and warm.

She tastes like home.

Santana’s fingers trail across her face as she presses closer, and Brittany feels both steady and like she’s about to float away, like everything over the past week, over the past mouth—probably over her entire life—has built towards this moment, like this is exactly what she was made to do. Santana’s lips move against hers with all the time in the world, like they’re stuck in a traffic jam with nowhere else to go, her lips soft and pliant against Brittany’s, eyelashes fluttering against the peak of her cheek, noses nudging together, and Brittany smiles into the kiss because this—

This is everything that Brittany’s been looking for her entire life.

She pulls back just far enough to press their foreheads together so she can try and breathe properly, but with Santana’s nose still nuzzling against hers that proves impossible. “Are you still nervous?” she whispers.

Santana doesn’t answer, she just uses the hand on Brittany’s jaw to guide their lips back together, and then they’re both smiling into the kiss, too wide for it to be anything more than all teeth and no finesse. Brittany lets her hand drift from the small of Santana’s back and start to wander her body under the blanket, the other playing with the baby fine hairs at the back of Santana’s neck.

Santana lets out a fluttery little sigh into Brittany’s mouth and Brittany can’t help but press up to kiss her harder again, and again, and again, and again—

///

When Brittany wakes up hours later in her bed, it’s to Santana drawing hearts on her bare stomach. Her fingers are light and soft against her skin and Brittany’s breath hitches; there’s no intent behind Santana’s touch, she doesn’t skate her fingers suggestively lower or higher, she just trails her fingers across Brittany’s skin with quiet marvel, and it jolts something in Brittany. No one’s ever touched her just for the sake of touching her and mapping her body before, just to connect the freckles and moles sprinkled across her torso into constellations, just to map each scar and imperfection that puckers her skin.

No one’s ever touched her just to learn every inch of her skin against their fingertips.

Santana realizes that Brittany is awake when the hand Brittany has curled over her waist starts lazily scratching at the soft skin there. She turns her head up towards Brittany and, even in the dim of the middle of the night, she can see the softness to Santana’s smile, the shadow of a dimple in her cheek, the love shining in her eyes, and something buzzing and warm tugs low in Brittany’s stomach as she falls in love with Santana all over again.

“Hi,” she whispers.

Santana’s smile widens a little. “Hi.”

“Merry Christmas,” Brittany says, reaching a hand up to tuck a strand of dark hair back behind Santana’s ear. She’s not sure exactly what time it is, but by the time they managed to untangle and stop kissing long enough to pull themselves up off the couch and stumble down the hall, the bright red time glowing on the television box thing had read 12:34.

Santana smiles and nuzzles into the hand that cups her jaw. “Merry Christmas,” she returns quietly.

Brittany leans up to press a soft, probing kiss to Santana’s lips, chaste and intimate all at once. “So did your wish come true?” she asks as she falls back to the pillow.

Santana nods and her smile loses its softness and takes on that playfully teasing look Brittany so adores. “Well, I wished that we would finally actually get to kiss without being interrupted, and, well,” she drags her hand down the bare skin of Brittany’s ribs to make her point and they both burst into laughter, Santana’s head dropping down to Brittany’s shoulder as they giggle. She presses a lingering kiss to the soft skin there and Brittany’s breath hitches as Santana props herself back up on her elbow, her other hand trailing circles on Brittany’s hip, and smiles softly at her. “What about you?” Santana whispers, “Did your wish come true?”

Brittany softens until she feels like she might melt right through her bed at the sweetness to Santana’s expression. She takes a moment to trace a heart on Santana’s hip before she smiles up at Santana. “Yeah, it did.”

Santana trails her hand up Brittany’s torso, skating her fingers against her breastbone and dipping into the hollow of her collarbone before she reaches Brittany’s face and cups her jaw, leaving a trail of buzzing heat in her wake. She leans down to press the softest of kisses to the corner of Brittany’s mouth and Brittany’s pretty sure her soul trembles at the contact. Santana draws back just barely enough to speak, her half-lidded eyes softening and the very tips of her lips brushing against Brittany’s chin as she speaks. “What was it?” she whispers.

Brittany just tilts her head up to press their lips together, both of them sighing at the contact.

“You,” she breathes, “Just you.”